Palace: There’s indeed something wrong with SEA Games preps
MANILA, Philippines — There is “something wrong” with the preparations of organizers for the 30th Southeast Asian Games, Malacañang said Thursday, as the Philippines continues to face criticisms over its hosting of the regional sports event.
In a statement, presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said inevitable problems arise before and during the multi-sports events. He, however, stressed that the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee “should perform better services expected of them”
PHISGOC is chaired by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte.
“An array of criticisms has been made on how PHISGOC has handled the logistics of this momentous event and these should be accepted and considered in order to rectify the errors it has committed,” Panelo said.
He added: “The critics have a point. There is indeed something wrong with the preparations.”
Organizers of the biennial games have been under fire for transport delays, footballers training in the streets, accommodation problems, unfinished facilities before the event formally opens on November 30.
Last weekend, Cayetano apologized to the foreign athletes for the logistical issues they had experienced.
Panelo said the Palace welcomes the initiative of the Senate to conduct an inquiry into the issues that hounded the preparation and execution of the event.
“The Office of the President will also be conducting a separate probe on the aberrations and irregularities in the administration of our country’s hosting of the SEA Games immediately after the events,” he said.
Panelo earlier said Duterte was “displeased” when he heard about the woes faced by foreign athletes.
Panelo: Do not believe ‘fake news’
While he said that critics have a point, the president’s mouthpiece asked the public to be “more circumspect in reading articles that may contain false information or fake news.”
“Let us not believe them outright. Many of them turn out to be untrue,” Panelo claimed.
PHISGOC officials on Wednesday told the media to focus on positive news instead of “isolated cases” of blunders in the past days.
But the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines pointed out that media reports on the shortcomings of the organizers should not be blamed for the issues surrounding the country’s hosting of the premier regional sports meet.
“It becomes ridiculously unacceptable when the officials responsible for the disaster resort to bashing media as well, as if the reports on their shortcomings were to blame for the disaster,” NUJP said.
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