Finally, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has untangled the issue about the status of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) in the Council.

Through a board resolution on Friday, the POC affirmed the appointment of former Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano as chairman of the organizing body in the country’s hosting of the 30th SEA Games this November.

But the POC also gained direct control and supervision over Phisgoc. No less than POC chief Ricky Vargas was given the mandate to form an oversight committee that will monitor the activities and review all contracts entered into by Phisgoc.

Phisgoc will come up with a regular report to the POC on what’s happening in its preparation for the SEA Games and a portion of its revenue from private sponsorships must be remitted to the Olympic council to benefit the athletes preparing for major international tournaments.

In a nutshell, the POC is now completely on top of Phisgoc.

Phisgoc is no longer an independent body. It’s now a mere ad hoc committee and the POC will have the final say in every single move it will undertake.

But how did we get here?

Why did the POC had to come up with a resolution if it really “owns” the SEA Games for being a member of the SEA Games Federation Council, Olympic Council of Asia and the International Olympic Committee?

To get a clearer understanding of this brouhaha, we have to go back to as far as two years since Cayetano decided to spearhead the country’s hosting of the Games.

In 2017, the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) expressed disinterest

Hold My Beer

Julius Manicad

in hosting the Games after its chairman William “Butch” Ramirez received an order from President Rodrigo Duterte redirecting government resources to the rehabilitation of the war-torn Marawi City.

The POC already told the SEA Games Federation Council that it is no longer pushing through with the hosting, prompting Indonesia and Thailand to express their willingness to take charge.

But days before the Philippine delegation flew to Kuala Lumpur for the biennial meet, Cayetano announced to have convinced President Duterte to proceed with the hosting.

Former POC chief Jose “Peping” Cojuangco and Ramirez supported his statement. Cayetano received the SEA Games flag from ranking Council members in Kuala Lumpur.

No less than POC chief Ricky Vargas was given the mandate to form

an oversight committee that will monitor the activities and review all contracts entered into by Phisgoc.

A few months after that, the Pasig Regional Trial Court recalled Cojuangco’s election to a fourth term and paved the way to boxing chief Ricky Vargas’ victory in their rematch.

Cayetano and Phisgoc went through their business by organizing a couple of SEA Games Federation Council meetings, sitting down with national sports associations for their SEA Games-related concerns, identifying the venues and raising sponsorship money.

There was one problem, though.

Phisgoc operated without a board resolution and/or memorandum of agreement with the POC. Not one from Cojuangco, nor with Vargas.

It was the PSC which uncovered the error af ter the Commission on Audit asked if Phisgoc was the rightful agency to receive government money. The auditors asked PSC to require the POC to submit a board resolution that authorized Phisgoc to organize the Games.

There was none.

Cojuangco said the Phisgoc was earlier planned as an organizing committee under the wings of the POC, but not as a separate entity that was later registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

In a nutshell, the POC is now completely on top of Phisgoc.

It identified itself as the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizational Committee Foundation Inc., which is no longer the same as the original group recognized by Cojuangco.

Under the law, only the POC and the NSA are allowed to receive government money — not an independent agency like Phisgoc.

Phisgoc has Vargas, secretary general Patrick Gregorio and communications director Ed Picson as incorporators, but any government money they would have received as Phisgoc officials would have been disallowed by CoA.

Last Friday, POC board members placed Cayetano as chief of the organizing body that is directly under the control and supervision of the POC.

The POC board also made it clear that it will not receive any government funding and its expenses will be sourced from private donations and sponsorships.

The PSC will disburse government fund to all expenses related to the SEA Games.

Problem solved.

That’s what we could hope for.