SEAG committee hits critics, says blunders isolated

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) yesterday hit back at its detractors, short of calling the pre-regional game snafus that hogged the headlines and social media the past four days “isolated cases.”

PHISGOC officials told the media to delve on the positives to help ensure the country’s successful staging of the 30th edition of the region’s premier sporting meet.

“I have received calls, interview requests that are all negative… how do you expect me to answer all these negative questions? Did anyone ask about the venues, the events or who will be the torch bearer or who will light the cauldron? Nobody,” PHISGOC CEO Ramon Suzara lamented in a press conference held at the SEAG main center at the World Trade Center in Manila.

“We are all Filipinos and we are hosting the SEAG, (we should) instead be uniting everyone,” he added.

This came about after President Duterte expressed his displeasure over the negative news on the country’s SEAG hosting.

Transport delays, footballers training in the streets and two toilets in one stall a chaotic final build-up has put the Philippines under pressure before the SEAG opens on Saturday.

The worst incidents have spilled forth under the hashtag #SEAGamesfail, including scaffolding clinging to an incomplete stadium renovation and a temporary press room built from unpainted cinder blocks.

In one tweet, the Games’ slogan of “We Win as One,” was twisted into “Wiwi as One” to accompany a photo of one venue’s ladies’ room, where contractors had put two toilets in a single stall an image that has gone viral.

This came on top of the Philippines’ apologizing Sunday for leaving incoming football squads stranded at the airport or stuck waiting for hours to check in to their hotel rooms.

Thailand’s men’s footballers trained in the streets near their hotel after their coach complained that the facilities provided were too far away, their coach told the Bangkok Post.

“Delays do happen in any big sporting meet,” Suzara said in explaining the transportation woes that hounded the early athletes/delegates from Timor Leste, Cambodia, Thailand and Malaysia last Sunday.

“But there’s a million stories for the 2019 SEA Games… We should write about our athletes for them to win the gold,” Suzara told the media.

“We need to put this (negative news) to rest. That’s why we had the CDM (chef de mission) meeting (last Monday). This is very normal, all of us, athletes and you media, you’ve been to the Games… we all encounter such problems from the airport to the hotel. So I’m appealing to all of you to be on positive mode,” he said.

There were also reports that the President has ordered a probe into corruption besetting the SEAG hosting.

“Of course, the government, the President would be worried because they’ve been reading all these stories that are not good,” Suzara added.

While admitting that some of the 56 venues remain unfinished days before the SEAG inaugurals, Suzara insisted that these are just four sites at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

“These uncompleted ones are four PSC venues but there are 56 venues,” he said, urging his audience to visit the rest, particularly the so-called state-of-the-art facilities in the main hub at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac.

“Biñan (football) is nice, Muntinlupa (badminton), World Trade Center (fencing/wushu) are ready. The other venues and the NCC (New Clark City), of course. That’s the showcase,” he added.

The Games in Clark, Manila and Subic, which run through Dec. 11, are particularly complex with a record 56 sports across dozens of venues that are in some cases hours’ drive apart, even before Metro Manila’s notorious gridlock traffic is factored in.

Birth pains

For his part, Philippine Olympic Committee president and Cavite Rep. Abraham Tolentino said the pre-SEAG woes are but “birth pains” and urged the media to highlight and focus on the positive news that would benefit the athletes, in particular, and the country, in general.

“For just two weeks, can we just come up with positive news for the country? For the athletes?” Tolentino remarked.

“The government has spent so much money for these Games and we’re doing our best to provide the services,” Suzara added.

The budget for the country’s SEAG hosting is P7.5 billion, P6 billion of which were provided by the government and the rest secured by PHISGOC.

Suzara stressed PHISGOC is also trying its best to serve halal food to Muslim athletes. The nutrition and dietary needs of athletes competing in the SEA Games are being well taken care of, according to Bruce Lim, the SEA Games executive chef.

Two days before the grand opening rites at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan, Suzara said the country is ready to host the biggest SEA Games ever featuring close to 10,000 athletes and thousands of officials, including foreign media.

“I’m not saying that we’re not ready. We are ready but we’re just facing little problems before the opening ceremony. But we have resolved them,” he said.

“Let’s work together. There’s a lot of observers from Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia who will witness how the Philippines will host the biggest SEA Games. They come here to learn but it’s bad news that they’re getting. It won’t help. So I’m appealing to you to be positive. Let’s be patient and we will do our best,” Suzara appealed.

Despite this pressure, and last Sunday’s mea culpa, Malacañang insisted minor problems are unavoidable.

“These kind of incidents, given the number of countries participating and the athletes coming here, could not be avoided,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said of the hotel and airport snafus.

“Those are never intentional but... there has been no single incident report of their safety being in danger,” he added. - Ric Sapnu, Marc Jayson Cayabyab, Ed Amoroso