By Azer Parrocha
President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday honored over 800 Filipino athletes who competed in the 30th Southeast Asian Games held from November 30 to December 11.
In his speech, Duterte personally congratulated the Filipino athletes for winning the overall championship in the biennial regional multi-sport event.
“I am deeply honored to be in the presence of our athletes who have emerged victorious in the recently concluded 30th Southeast Asian Games held in our country. Your triumph showcases the athleticism and sporting prowess of our people to our neighbors in Southeast Asia,” Duterte said.
“I am really very happy to no end,” he added, noting that he would brag about Filipino athletes to Southeast Asian neighbors.
A total of 149 gold, 117 silver, and 121 bronze medals were snagged by the Philippine team to win the overall championship since 2005 and its second top finish in the history of the SEA Games.
Duterte described the country’s overall championship as a “windfall” or unexpected good fortune despite particular logistical issues prior to the SEA Games’ formal opening.
He also committed to give the athletes an additional PHP21 million on top of the incentives to medalists provided by the law.
Republic Act 10699 grants PHP300,000; PHP150,000; and PHP60,000 for SEA Games’ gold, silver, and bronze medalists, respectively.
The President, meanwhile, floated the possibility of asking Congress to raise the monthly allowances of Filipino national athletes.
“I'll try to talk things over with Congress. Yung allowance ninyo, dapat yung pagkain libre na. Yung allowance ninyo, allowance na ninyo ‘yan (You should keep the allowance to yourselves. Food should be free),” Duterte said.
“PHP250,000 a month, okay na siguro ‘yan (does it sound okay to you)? We will try to raise the money,” he added.
On top of the incentives, Duterte conferred the Order of Lapu-Lapu rank of Kamagi to all of the medalists.
The Order of Lapu-Lapu is given to those “deserving of merit and recognition and to fully express the President’s appreciation of the Filipino people’s contributions to the success of the campaigns and the programs of the government.”
Also during the event, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) turned over PHP117 million for the incentives of medalists.
Duterte later prodded Pagcor chair Andrea Domingo to providing an additional PHP100 million for the medalists.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) William “Butch” Ramirez presented the President with the Philippine team’s trophy for its winning overall championship.
Duterte also obliged for a “groufie” with Filipino athletes while remaining on stage.
Stay out of drugs, terrorism
Warning athletes that illegal drugs and terrorism could destroy their lives, the President also urged athletes to instead “seek sanctuary” in the many human activities such as sports.
Duterte discouraged them from using illegal drugs, saying that it “is really a more dangerous thing to do.”
He also expressed his desire to end communist insurgency anew, stressing the youth were made to believe that it was an easy way of getting out of poverty.
“Pag pumasok kayo diyan habang ako naging Presidente, delikado talaga ‘yan (If you join rebel groups while I’m President, that’s really dangerous). Stay out of it. It is the most dangerous activity that you can really mess up with. Mamatay ka diyan (You could die there),” Duterte said.
“Ngayon, sa sports nalang maghanap nalang ng pera, mag-training kayo (Look for money through sports. Continue training). I don't mind. Basta (Just) stay clean,” he added.
The President defended anew his controversial war on drugs, saying he was “cruel in many ways” because he loved the country and the youth.
He also hit human rights groups anew for lacking common sense, noting that killing drug lords and other criminals was the best way to ensure a safer country.
Secret weapon vs. drugs
Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) chairman and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said promoting sports is one of the President’s “secret weapons” in fighting illegal drugs.
“When the President took office in 2016, he had one directive for us, one clear vision: a safe and comfortable life for all. At simple lang po ang guidelines niya (And his guidelines are simple). If you remove crime especially drugs, corruption from the country, we can give every single Filipino a safe and comfortable life,” Cayetano said.
“Many, especially those in the West, akala po nila unidimensional yung approach ni Presidente sapagkat very simple ang utos niya-- (thought the President's approach was undimensional because his order is simple) to fight crime, corruption, drugs, safe and comfortable life not knowing that sports was one of the secret weapons of President Duterte in fighting drugs, in giving our young people a better future,” he added.
Cayetano, meanwhile, thanked the President for considering sports as “part of nation-building.”
“You cannot take sports, culture out of education and if we truly believe in sports, we will put our money where our mouth is,” he said.
https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1089104
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
De Lima seeks Senate probe into country's hosting of 2019 SEA Games
Opposition Senator Leila M. de Lima has sought an immediate Senate investigation into the alleged irregularities that marred the country's hosting of the recently concluded 2019 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games).
De Lima filed Senate Resolution (SR) No. 274 directing the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an investigation on the reported organizational and administrative problems, as well as possible corruption, which affected the biennial sports meet.
"As we celebrate our athletes' most successful campaign in recent memory, it is likewise important for our government to scrutinize our performance both as a host country and as patrons to our athletes," she said.
"The reports on organizational problems surrounding our preparation betrays a political dynamic that could translate to even greater problems in our sports programs in the future," she added.
Prior to its opening on Nov. 30, the country's hosting of the SEA Games has been beset by organizational issues, including early troubles with transportation and accommodations of teams from Myanmar, Timor-Leste and Cambodia, accreditation issues and lack of halal food for Singapore's delegation, and even problems with accreditation of media.
Delays were also noted on the construction of some sports venues, such as the Rizal Memoral Sports Complex and New Clark City, which some Filipino athletes saw as a lost opportunity for them to maximize their homecourt advantage ahead of the games.
Several volunteers for the SEA Games also aired their grievances over the lack of system and coordination of the volunteer program that resulted to some of them having to wait long hours just to get their accreditation IDs and uniforms.
Likewise, the Duterte administration also drew flaks for allocating an exorbitant amount, or a whopping 50 million pesos, for a 50-meter tall cauldron-type structure for the lighting of the SEA games flame.
The unrelenting backlash on social media received by the government due to the country's hosting of the event eventually forced apologies from the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) chaired by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and the Palace.
"Proper management and governance necessitate that we conduct an inquiry on the recently concluded SEA Games, especially after the problems encountered were duly documented by the mass media," De Lima pointed out.
She also underscored the need to scrutinize the organizational structure through which the country hosts international sporting events to ensure that the funds will be properly given to institutions with the mandate and capability to properly utilize them.
"There is need to investigate the existing sports legislation to ensure that support and funding are given to the agencies that have proper mandate and that accountability lies even with private organizations, especially those who have access to government resources," she said.
"While problems of disorganization, incompetence, and inefficiency can be resolved through institutional mechanisms, what cannot be countenanced is the scandalous probability that in the middle of all this disorganization and incompetence, certain high public officials still might have enriched themselves in the procurement of government contracts for the hosting of the games," she added.
Philippine Sports Commission Chairman and current PHISGOC Executive Board's co-vice chairperson William Ramirez attributed the delayed preparations in the SEA games to the dynamics between Philippine Olympic Committee and PHISGOC officials and the delayed passage of the national budget.
https://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2019/1218_delima2.asp
De Lima filed Senate Resolution (SR) No. 274 directing the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an investigation on the reported organizational and administrative problems, as well as possible corruption, which affected the biennial sports meet.
"As we celebrate our athletes' most successful campaign in recent memory, it is likewise important for our government to scrutinize our performance both as a host country and as patrons to our athletes," she said.
"The reports on organizational problems surrounding our preparation betrays a political dynamic that could translate to even greater problems in our sports programs in the future," she added.
Prior to its opening on Nov. 30, the country's hosting of the SEA Games has been beset by organizational issues, including early troubles with transportation and accommodations of teams from Myanmar, Timor-Leste and Cambodia, accreditation issues and lack of halal food for Singapore's delegation, and even problems with accreditation of media.
Delays were also noted on the construction of some sports venues, such as the Rizal Memoral Sports Complex and New Clark City, which some Filipino athletes saw as a lost opportunity for them to maximize their homecourt advantage ahead of the games.
Several volunteers for the SEA Games also aired their grievances over the lack of system and coordination of the volunteer program that resulted to some of them having to wait long hours just to get their accreditation IDs and uniforms.
Likewise, the Duterte administration also drew flaks for allocating an exorbitant amount, or a whopping 50 million pesos, for a 50-meter tall cauldron-type structure for the lighting of the SEA games flame.
The unrelenting backlash on social media received by the government due to the country's hosting of the event eventually forced apologies from the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) chaired by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano and the Palace.
"Proper management and governance necessitate that we conduct an inquiry on the recently concluded SEA Games, especially after the problems encountered were duly documented by the mass media," De Lima pointed out.
She also underscored the need to scrutinize the organizational structure through which the country hosts international sporting events to ensure that the funds will be properly given to institutions with the mandate and capability to properly utilize them.
"There is need to investigate the existing sports legislation to ensure that support and funding are given to the agencies that have proper mandate and that accountability lies even with private organizations, especially those who have access to government resources," she said.
"While problems of disorganization, incompetence, and inefficiency can be resolved through institutional mechanisms, what cannot be countenanced is the scandalous probability that in the middle of all this disorganization and incompetence, certain high public officials still might have enriched themselves in the procurement of government contracts for the hosting of the games," she added.
Philippine Sports Commission Chairman and current PHISGOC Executive Board's co-vice chairperson William Ramirez attributed the delayed preparations in the SEA games to the dynamics between Philippine Olympic Committee and PHISGOC officials and the delayed passage of the national budget.
https://www.senate.gov.ph/press_release/2019/1218_delima2.asp
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