Cayetano’s love for sports

House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano knew what he was getting into when he took the job of PHISGOC chairman. He opened himself up to brickbats from his political rivals, eager to find fault – no matter how unimportant – so they could use it as media fodder to taint his reputation. But he couldn’t care less. A passionate sportsman, Cayetano saw in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games a way to promote the country as a tourist destination and a source of national pride. He took the risk of overseeing the project because of his belief that hosting the SEA Games had a noble purpose. It wasn’t about him or his political career. It was about the country taking a major step forward.

When the Philippines hosted the SEA Games in 1991, the PHISGOC version was headed by Peter Garrucho, a professional government executive who wasn’t a politician. At the time, Garrucho was Secretary of Trade. Robert Pagdanganan was the next organizing committee chairman when the Philippines hosted in 2005. Although he was formerly Bulacan governor, Pagdanganan was more known as a professional executive like Garrucho than a politician. Pagdanganan was formerly Secretary of Tourism and also served as head of the Philippine International Trading Corp. during the 2005 SEA Games. 

Unlike Garrucho and Pagdanganan, Cayetano assumed the responsibility of PHISGOC chairman while in a high-profile position as House Speaker. Several congressmen are after the Speakership and for those who want to dislodge Cayetano, what more timely event to question his competence than the SEA Games considering a project of this magnitude is impossible to organize with 100 percent efficiency.

A week before the SEA Games officially opened, several competitions were held and not surprisingly, there were hitches that cropped up. Miscommunication involving teams that arrived early and the local organizers led to embarrassing snags. Cayetano’s detractors took advantage of the situation to question PHISGOC’s ability to stage the event without shaming the country. The Senate raised the propriety of spending millions for a “palayok,” a demeaning term for the revered Olympic symbol, the cauldron. 

Social media bashers brought up the cost of P47,000 for each set of uniforms for the Philippine athletes and officials, not realizing the brand paid for 1,350 sets. A set consists of a pair of quality running shoes with a useful life of 2,800 kilometers, jacket, four T-shirts, three pairs of socks, track jogging pants, backpack, polo shirt, shorts and cap. None of the items is available in the market. The brand made this special design only for Japan, Korea, Brazil and the Philippines so it’s virtually exclusive as collectors’ items. The hi-tech yarn from Japan used for the outfits expels heat from the body and keeps a comfortable body temperature. The stitching is carefully done so as not to impede arm or leg movement. This is no ordinary merchandise. It isn’t a retail product. Is it expensive? Of course, it is. But who paid for more than half of the sets?

The same brand has outfitted the Philippine delegation since the 1991 SEA Games when the PSC chairman was Cecil Hechanova. It provided the uniforms for the Philippine athletes at the 2016 Rio Olympics and will again sponsor the sets for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The brand has a history of quality and a dedication to support Philippine sports.  Instead of Cayetano’s critics barking at the “exorbitant” cost of uniforms, they should credit him for arranging a substantial discount from the distributor because with what went into making each outfit, it wasn’t cheap. 

Now isn’t the time to carp. We’re in the middle of the SEA Games and what every Filipino should focus on is showing all-out support for the Filipino athletes who’ve sacrificed so much to play their hearts out in the field of competition – all for the glory of the country. Of course, anyone is free to criticize, mock, denigrate and whatever else, particularly in social media. But let’s show responsibility, respect and reverence in giving our opinions. Unfortunately, there is fake news going around, likely the product of black propagandists out to discredit Cayetano. We should be discerning in what we choose to believe.

Cayetano said when the Games are over, he’s willing to face anyone who wishes to question PHISGOC’s integrity and even competence. That’s the mark of a true sportsman, ready to face the music because he has nothing to hide. As the Games progress, you can’t help but notice the impact that sports has on people. When the Filipino athlete wins, we celebrate. When the Filipino athlete loses, we say let’s get better and fight another day. Hosting the SEA Games is a historic effort that should leave a lasting legacy of excellence.  This is worth embracing, worth the risk of a politician drawing criticism from rivals because it’s for the country, nothing else.