MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizational Committee (PHISGOC) Foundation Inc. on Wednesday stressed that it has complied with all the directives issued by President Rodrigo Duterte regarding the hosting of the SEA Games.

PHISGOC further insisted that it has put safeguards in place to ensure that funds for the event are all accounted for and properly spent.

This, after Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said on Monday that the President has informed him that he does not want PHISGOC to handle the hosting of the SEA Games.

"He (Duterte) said that he doesn’t want the foundation, gusto niya gobyerno. Sabi niya maraming korapsyon diyan sa private kaya nasisira 'yung mga diskarte ng andiyan, kaya gusto niya gobyerno," Panelo said.

• FULL STORY: Duterte rejects PHISGOC as SEA Games organizer due to alleged corruption: Palace

Ramon "Tats" Suzara, the chief executive officer of PHISGOC, said in a statement that both the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) are properly represented in the organizational committee and take part in all decisions of the body.

He also made it clear that the P5-billion budget approved by the Congress for the SEA Games this year, as well as the P1-billion augmentation fund approved by the President, are all lodged with the PSC.

Not a single centavo of government funds is handled by the PHISGOC, Suzara stressed.

"All government funds are duly accounted for, and are being disbursed in accordance with government procurement procedures performed either by the PSC or the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), as proposed by PHISGOC chairman, Congressman Alan Peter Cayetano, to ensure that every peso allotted for the SEA Games are wisely and properly spent," said Suzara.

He said that since the ideal budget for the SEA Games this year is around P7.5 billion, the PHISGOC helped make up for the remaining P1.5 billion shortfall by raising sponsorship funds which continue to grow as the Games draw near.

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Apprehension among sponsors

According to Suzara, the suggestions to have either the POC or the PSC take over the organizational tasks – with the SEA Games just four months away – will unduly prejudice Filipino athletes and jeopardize the preparations for the event.

"All this talk about another body taking over the organization of the Games at this late period has not only caused apprehension among our athletes, but among our sponsors and private sector partners as well," said Suzara.

"We appeal to both the POC and PSC to work together from within the PHISGOC, where they are both prominently represented as originally intended by the President, with his vision of a multi-stakeholder approach to the organization of the Games," he added.

Suzara claimed that from the start, the President had not wanted either the POC or PSC alone to organize the Games, because he wanted the athletes, national sports associations and the government properly represented.

This is apparently the same approach taken by Malaysia when it hosted the Games in 2017, and by Singapore in 2015.

"Congressman Cayetano was chosen by the President as the consensus leader to lead this tripartite entity that is now PHISGOC. Even the POC officially recognized Congressman Cayetano when it appointed him as chairman and delegated the Games organization to PHISGOC," he also said.

Preparations are on track

Despite all the issues hounding PHISGOC, Suzara maintained that "it's all systems go" for the country's hosting of the SEA Games.

As for questions on why PHISGOC was incorporated and made into a foundation, Suzara said that this was to comply with the rules of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which requires the organizing body of the SEA Games to be a legal entity authorized to transact under the law.

This was the same thing done during the country's hosting of the 1991 and 2005 Games. "In fact, it was even then POC president Peping Cojuangco and vice president Joey Romasanta who advised PHISGOC to have this entity incorporated," Suzara said.

Suzara added that when PHISGOC was formed, Cayetano saw to it that both the POC and PSC were well represented, with both the heads of these organizations serving as co-vice chairpersons of the body.

"Thus, all acts of the PHISGOC are duly authorized by its board and executive committee where both the POC and PSC are represented. With their inclusion in the board and even the management committees, the POC and PSC are able to exercise control and supervision over all transactions of the PHISGOC," he also said.

The President formally recognized PHISGOC last January 25 by issuing Memorandum Circular 56, which directs all government agencies and government-owned and controlled corporations to extend their full support to the body.

Suzara made it clear that there "is absolutely no comingling of public and private funds for the SEA Games."

"Any disbursement or sponsorship are approved by the Executive committee of PHISGOC, whose financial statements will be audited by the Commission on Audit," he added.

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