Congress allots P5.1 billion for SEA Games

MANILA, Philippines — Congress has appropriated P5.1 billion for the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games the country is hosting later this year.

The Senate proposed the funding, which was approved by the bicameral conference committee on the budget and carried in the spending bill lawmakers have transmitted to President Duterte for signing into law.

The P5.1 billion was included in the budget of the Philippine Sports Commission.

Rep. Michael Romero of party-list group 1-Pacman, who is vice chairman of the House of Representatives committee on youth and sports development, yesterday said he hoped the President would soon sign the proposed budget for this year.

“Once the budget bill is signed into law, the Department of Budget and Management should immediately release the funds for the SEA Games so preparations could be expedited,” he said.

He said preparations were naturally affected by the delay in the enactment of the proposed 2019 outlay.

Romero urged the PSC and other concerned groups to ramp up groundwork activities like construction of facilities for the SEA Games.

Aside from the P5.1 billion for the regional sports event, Congress appropriated P250 million for PSC.

In addition to the budgetary appropriation, the PSC and sports organizations are tapping the private sector for funding.

They originally estimated that they would need about P7.5 billion for hosting the Games. Some of them have complained of delay in preparations.

The Bases Conversion and Development Authority is putting up a sports facility in Clark in Angeles City as main hub of the SEAG.