Jose “Peping” Cojuangco yesterday admitted to his appointment of former Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano as chairman of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc).

But Cojuangco, the former Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president when he named Cayetano as partner to the preparations for the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, yesterday disclosed to Daily Tribune that this version of the Phisgoc was just a mere ad hoc committee under the supervision and control of the POC.

He said all its activities should require approval from the members of the powerful POC executive board.

But when Cojuangco was booted out of power after losing in a court-ordered election in February last year to boxing chief Ricky Vargas, the ad hoc committee was replaced by the Phisgoc Foundation, an entity that is completely independent from the local Olympic Council.

Cayetano is also the chairman of the Phisgoc Foundation while Vargas and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William “Butch” Ramirez are his co-chairmen. Ramon Suzara was initially installed as executive director but was recently promoted as chief operating officer.

Cojuangco said that contrary to Vargas’ claim during the POC general assembly last Thursday, the Phisgoc Foundation is not the same body that was sanctioned by the POC executive board.

“This is now a completely different entity,” said Cojuangco, who served as POC chief when the country hosted the 23rd edition of the biennial meet in 2005. The Philippines emerged as the overall champion that year.

“When we accepted the hosting in 2017, I appointed Secretary Cayetano to chair the organizing committee. But when Ricky Vargas replaced me last year, I was surprised to learn that they created a new body and named it Phisgoc Foundation. This is not the body that was created by the POC. This is now a completely different entity.”

“And SEA Games can’t be run by a different entity. The SEA Games Federation Council, in which I am a board member, stressed that only the POC can run it and the POC board should always have the final say in everything.”

Cojuangco said the structure this year is way different from what they had in 2005.

In the country’s previous hosting, the POC was in complete control

COJUANGCO

CAYETANO

VARGAS

entity such as Phisgoc,” Cojuangco said.

“As much as possible, I don’t want to meddle in this problem because

I’m no longer the POC president. That’s why I was surprised to learn that the one calling the shots is already Phisgoc and not the POC board. It should be the other way around.”

“I clarified it to Mr. Vargas during the general assembly last Thursday that this is not the same entity that we approved. This is already a different body that has no approval of the POC board. So, they should stop dragging my name here.”

In a previous interview, POC board member Prospero Pichay warned Vargas about the danger of this setup as Phisgoc is not entitled to receive any funding from the PSC without board resolution or memorandum of agreement with the POC executive board.

He said if Phisgoc will assert its authority using the memorandum circular issued by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea in January, all funds to be disbursed will be disallowed by the Commission on Audit.

“That P5 billion is such a big amount for the POC to return,” said Pichay, the chess president who is also a Deputy Speaker in the House of Representatives.