Alarm raised on delay
To avoid further delays in the country’s preparation for its hosting of the 30th SEA Games, a ranking member of the Philippine Olympic Committee executive board is seeking a high-level meeting between officials of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Commission on Audit (CoA) with the POC’s organizing body.
POC board member Prospero Pichay disclosed that time is running out and the three bodies — Phisgoc, PSC and CoA — should sit down to expedite the disbursement of fund and purchase of equipment needed for the hosting of the biennial meet from 30 November to 15 December.
Pichay, who is also the Deputy Speaker in the House of Representatives, issued the statement in the wake of a POC board resolution that re-affirms the appointment of Alan Peter Cayetano as chairman of an ad hoc committee that will organize the Games.
Also included in the resolution unanimously approved by the powerful council last Friday was the POC’s complete control over the organizing body.
It will also create an oversight committee that
will closely monitor its activities and review previous contracts to make sure all is aboveboard.
POC president Ricky Vargas was authorized to designate members of the monitoring team.
A portion of Phisgoc’s private fund will also be remitted to the POC. It will be used for the training and preparation of national athletes in major international competitions.
“The POC shall take full control and supervision over Phisgoc,” said the POC board resolution, which formally junked the existence of a separate entity named Philippine SEA Games Organizational Committee Foundation Inc. that was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on 27 June last year.
Vargas was also an incorporator in that separate body along with POC secretary general Patrick Gregorio and POC communications director Edgar Picson.
The POC shall take full control and supervision over Phisgoc.
Pichay said it’s now time for Cayetano and PSC chairman William “Butch” Ramirez to buckle down to work with CoA chairman Michael Aguinaldo.
“We only have eight months left. It’s time for chairman Ramirez, Secretary Cayetano and CoA
officials to sit down and discuss how we can effectively disburse government fund and purchase equipment in accordance with CoA rules,” Pichay told Daily Tribune.
“We have done our part. We have already re-affirmed and legitimized the existence of Secretary Cayetano as chairman under the organizing committee under the POC. I think it’s time for them to discuss how we can proceed without having some delays in our preparation.”
Also included in the resolution unanimously approved by the powerful council last Friday was the POC’s complete control over the organizing body.
When the country hosted the biennial meet in 2005, government doled out just P350 million. But it still left a trail of irregularities, prompting CoA to disallow more than P27 million.
“In 2005, the budget was only P350 million, but P27 million was disallowed,” he said.
“This time, the budget is P5 billion, which is way bigger than what was previously allotted.
