The President will not take the blunders in the 30th Southeast Asian Games sitting down.

Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go warned the Philippine Southeast Asian Games organizing Committee (Phisgoc) would be answerable to President Rodrigo Duterte and the Filipino people if the country’s hosting of the biennial meet turned into a massive disaster.

In a privilege speech during the Senate session on Monday, Go raised the concerns of foreign and local teams who suffered shabby treatment from Phisgoc, the organizing body led by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.

Football players from Thailand, Timor-Leste, Myanmar and Cambodia ranted on social media after organizers failed to pick them up from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport ahead of the opening match of the men’s football tournament on Monday at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

The Thai delegates had to cancel their first training after organizers booked it at the Biñan Football Stadium in Laguna, which is about two hours away from their billeting area at the Century Park Hotel.

They also ranted about the shortage of rooms as organizers squeezed in three people in a twin-sharing accommodation as well as the food ration, which is the same in every meal, and the limited water supply.

Timor-Leste athletes had to wait for three hours at the airport and were brought to a wrong hotel before finally settling in while Cambodian booters had to sleep on the floor to get their rooms ready.

The Burmese, for their parts, waited “for a very long time” and were squeezed in a small vehicle from the airport to their hotel.

Even a local team was not spared.

Members of the national women’s football team had to wait for more then three hours to get their quarters ready with four to five of them squeezing in a twin-sharing room.

The following day, they were served a breakfast of rice, kikiam and egg while foreign delegates were given bread and egg.

“I am not sure about the arrangement of Phisgoc, but the quality and quantity of food are not enough,” Dimzon said. “This morning, we were served rice, kikiam and egg that have no nutrients.”

Aside from food and billeting services, there

SUBIC Bay Metropolitan Authority chairman Wilma Eisma leads the ceremonial lighting of cauldron signifying the start

of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

were also a lot of concerns on venues, facilities, transportation and accreditation as if nothing’s going right for the host country.

And Go stressed that Phisgoc should be held accountable to this mess.

“Why does this happen? We don’t need an apology now. We cannot just give an apology. We need to wake up the organizers. We only have six days before the opening of the Southeast Asian Games and some of the events have already started,” said Go, the chairman of Senate Committee on Sports, referring to the Games that will open on Saturday at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan.

“To all the parties, remember this: The failure of one is a failure of all. Let me remind everyone that you will be answerable to the President and most especially to the Filipino people.”

In a previous statements, Cayetano claimed that preparations for the biennial meet is already in full swing and they are 90 percent ready to host the biggest, grandest and most memorable multi-sport tournament in the region.

After all, the government spent P6.5 billion for the hosting.

“The Office of the President, the Senate and

JONAS REYES

the Congress, we gave all the funds and support needed for the hosting. There is no reason for you to say that we are not prepared,” Go emphasized.

Go said the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) must do their mandates and provide support to Phisgoc.

The PSC, however, has been diligently backing up Phisgoc as it deployed its personnel to assist in the organization. Its chairman in William “Butch” Ramirez is also closely monitoring the athletes on his capacity as chief of mission.

We need to wake up the organizers.

Meanwhile, the role of the POC and the national sports associations is just limited to the technical aspects of the Games.

“I am therefore delivering this privilege speech to urge PSC, POC, Phisgoc and all Filipinos, let us not let this crash. There is a right time for everything. Let us not blame each other right now, but after the Games, we will hold those who are accountable,” Go said, adding that the international community is closely monitoring all the developments.