MANILA- Tickets for some sporting events of the 30th Southeast Asian Games will be given away for free, lead organizer House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano said Friday.

Cayetano, who heads the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC), said tickets for sporting events that have yet to be sold will be distributed for free.

"Upon instructions of the President, to make sure that all Filipinos who want to watch live and can be physically present sa Games, the organizing committee has decided that all games na hindi pa soldout yung tickets ay io-open na po, libre na,” Cayetano said.

PHISGOC head & Speaker Alam Peter Cayetano says 10k free tickets will be given to the public
for the SEAGames closing ceremony & “few thousand tickets for LGUs hosting 4 SeaGames” except for volleyball, basketball & football of the PH team ⁦@ABSCBNNews⁩ ⁦@ANCALERTS⁩ pic.twitter.com/w58uccCjnF

— sherrie ann torres (@sherieanntorres) November 29, 2019

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday night deferred from deciding on whether tickets for the SEA Games could be given away for free.

He, however, noted that if it were up to him, he would want Filipinos to watch and support the country's athletes in the Games.

"Non-ticketed" sports will also be open to the public, Cayetano said. These include lawn ball, golf, and quash.

Tickets for basketball, volleyball, and football matches, however, are not included in the free ticket scheme.

Those who have already bought tickets for games that are now free however will receive treats instead of a refund, PHISGOC chief operating officer Ramon Suzara said.

"We'll put them in the best location because they bought the tickets already," Suzara said, noting that viewers who paid for their tickets can get free donuts or ice cream.

WHERE TO GET FREE TICKETS?

At least 10,000 tickets for the Dec. 11 closing ceremony of the Games would be made available on the SM Tickets website on a first-come, first-serve basis, Cayetano said.

Some of the tickets will also be distributed to state universities for students according to Cayetano.

Free tickets will also be distributed in the following areas:

- Manila City
- Pasay City
- Pasig City
- Muntinlupa City
- Sta. Rosa, Laguna
- Biñan, Laguna
- Tagaytay City
- Calatagan
- Angeles, Pampanga
- San Fernando, Pampanga
- San Juan, La Union
- Subic
- Capas, Tarlac

Residents of the said areas have to line up in their respective local government units to avail of the free tickets, Cayetano said.

-report from Sherrie Ann Torres, ABS-CBN News