Duterte wants probe on SEA Games mess

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte wants an investigation of the issues hounding the Philippines’ hosting of this year’s Southeast Asian Games (SEAG), including claims that the blunders of organizers now embarrassing the country stemmed from corruption.

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said Duterte was “displeased” when he heard about the experiences of foreign athletes who were not fed properly and had to endure transportation and hotel accommodation woes after their arrival in the Philippines.

“There were allegations of fraud that appeared in newspapers and he does not like that. He wants to investigate that. He does not tolerate corruption,” Panelo said in a chance interview in Busan, South Korea on Tuesday.

Panelo, who had dismissed the messy reception of some athletes as “not that serious,” said the probe would cover all organizers including Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, head of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC). The Office of the President may conduct the investigation, Panelo added.

All aspects of the hosting would be probed, he said, including the construction of a controversial cauldron that cost at least P50 million.

Asked whether heads would roll, Panelo replied: “The President said if there is (corruption), they should be accountable.”

Among the problems plaguing the SEAG organizers are the confusion in the billeting and transportation of some athletes, insufficient food, failure to provide halal food to Muslim athletes, and the unfinished venues, media center and players’ facilities.

PHISGOC has apologized for the glitches and vowed to “do better next time.” Cayetano, however, sought to downplay the criticisms against his group, saying other countries that hosted athletic events also experienced problems. While promising not to make excuses for the mess, Cayetano said opposition Sen. Franklin Drilon was partly to blame for supposedly delaying the passage of the 2019 budget.

Drilon has disputed the claim, saying the delay in the passage of this year’s budget was caused by “unconstitutional insertions” in the budget.

Panelo admitted that government could not do anything to private citizens who volunteered to help organize the athletic event.

“But if those involved are from the government, that’s incompetence. If there is incompetence, there is corruption,” he added.

Panelo said SEAG organizers should learn from their mistakes, saying what they did was “not a good example of how a country should host.”

“Perhaps they should now accept the help being offered by the agencies, considering that it seems that they were not able to do their assigned task for themselves,” he added.

Sen. Imee Marcos said her Senate colleague Christopher Go should make good his vow to have the matter investigated. “If Senator Go will really conduct an investigation, and I hope he does, he would prove that the government is not afraid to go up against President Duterte’s allies,” Marcos said. Go chairs the Senate sports committee.

“Although it was premature to pin blame, the people are sure to demand a reckoning for the billions spent in hosting the SEAG and that someone should be made accountable,” Marcos said.

No House probe

But the embattled Cayetano can find solace from assurances of support from colleagues who ruled out investigating him.

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, chairman of the ways and means committee, and Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta (PBA) party-list Rep. Koko Nograles, vice chairman of youth and sports development committee, have expressed support for the Speaker.

“Of course, he is our Speaker and therefore I don’t think an investigation will prosper in the House. We will support the Speaker, so it’s better if the Senate does it,” Salceda said at the weekly Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.

Nograles agreed but suggested that any investigation should be conducted after the holding of the event.

“There’s no denying the problems and shortcomings and we believe that whoever is accountable should be held accountable. But it can come later once the games have ended,” he said.

Salceda expressed belief negative perception will change after the opening ceremony on Saturday.

“These games will make you proud. I saw how Speaker Cayetano worked so hard on this, and critics will eat their own words... There will be a tidal wave of reversal of public sentiment starting Nov. 30,” he pointed out.

“How you prepare determines your success. And based on how our officials have prepared, we will have the best SEAG ever,” Salceda maintained.

Defending Cayetano, Salceda explained that decisions and actions of PHISGOC were made in consensus with the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).

“Under the master plan, PHISGOC is the policymaker and chief implementor of the games primarily responsible for the planning and actual preparations, organization, management and execution of the hosting of the 30th SEAG,” he explained.

He stressed that PHISGOC merely followed the same setup used during the Philippine hosting of the Games in 1991.

PHISGOC, he stressed, was formed to address the need for a “multi-stakeholder approach” to deal with “the irreconcilable differences then prevailing between the government representatives and the POC leadership.”

The lawmaker added that the Philippines’ hosting SEAG is a matter of national pride and would help boost the country’s tourism and sports industry.

“Hosting the 30th SEAG puts the spotlight on our Filipino athletes and is a big boost to Philippine grassroots sports program which is essential for our youth development,” he said.

Fake news

Salceda likewise slammed what he branded as “fake news” in the media on the SEAG.

He specifically cited reports of athletes being served kikiam for breakfast instead of chicken sausage, as well as of unfinished venues. A photo of a Philippine flag being used as table cloth also made the rounds in social media.

Salceda also defended the P6-billion budget for the SEAG hosting, saying it is “a big amount but not expensive.”

“Singapore spent P12 billion in 2015 for hosting 36 sports and 402 events while Malaysia invested P6.3 billion for hosting 39 sports and 404 events in 2017 when they already have existing world-class sports facilities. With the approval of the 56 sports with 530 events by the SEA Games Federation Council, the Philippine 2019 hosting is expected to be the biggest in the history of the biennial event,” he pointed out.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), for its part, appealed to the public to shun political partisanship and bickering amid reports of blunders by SEAG organizers.

“No politics, no partisanship except in competition but always in a friendly and respectful manner,” DILG spokesman Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said at a press briefing in Camp Crame. “At the end of the day, the success of the games is the success of the entire country.”

On the security aspect, Malaya said the Philippine National Police (PNP) is on top of the situation with over 27,400 police officers securing the athletes, the hotels where they stay, as well as tournament venues.

To ease traffic, Malaya said he is backing calls for the suspension of classes in Metro Manila where at least 19 events would be held.

“If that decision is going to be made, that would be a big help in alleviating the traffic problem in Metro Manila,” he said.

Meanwhile, detained Sen. Leila de Lima said SEAG financing and organization should be investigated and those responsible for blunders prosecuted and punished if found guilty.

“We cannot hope for worse publicity, whether domestically or abroad… What makes this fiasco doubly despicable is that despite the billions of pesos spent and skimmed off the top of the budget of the SEAG by its corrupt organizers, disorganization and inefficiency still figured in to cause discomfort among the athletes and their support groups,” said De Lima.

“Until then, and while the games are being held, we must try to separate this government’s rapaciousness and incompetence from our hosting of the event as a country, no matter how difficult this may prove to be,” she said.

In a related development, labor group Defend Job Philippines yesterday called on PHISGOC not to compromise the welfare and safety of workers involved in the last-minute preparations for SEAG venues.

The group made the appeal in reaction to an accident at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila where a volunteer construction worker fell from scaffolding being dismantled amid heavy rains last Tuesday.

In a statement, group spokesman Christian Lloy Magsoy said the workers should also be given proper benefits and salary as they have been working overtime preparing the venue for the sports event which starts on Nov. 30.

“The government’s lack of readiness and incompetence in its SEAG 2019 preparations must not cross over and manifest on the protection and promotion of our workers’ rights and welfare,” he said. – Edu Punay, Sheila Crisostomo, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Artemio Dumlao, Emmanuel Tupas