“At the end of the day, the President’s word is key, something that Speaker Cayetano has. The weight of the President’s word is so heavy, and can be worth a lot.

House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano is clearly elated with the success of the Philippines and the handling of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games which concluded last Wednesday. There are a million amazing stories to tell in the holding of this international sporting event that received a barrage of criticism from the very start. However, after the Opening Ceremonies held at the Philippine Arena, everything started going up for the organizers and doubts surrounding the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) were slowly forgotten with every medal won — and there were quite a lot.

A staggering 387 medals were won by the Philippines, with 149 golds, 117 silvers and 121 bronzes. Naturally, the Philippines took home the overall champion award. This feat could not be passed on any institution, committee or politician — the credit belongs to the athletes themselves. The Philippines dominated almost every sport, including sports that I did not know were played competitively by our countrymen. Although admittedly, it is still quite difficult for me to accept Tekken and DOTA players as SEA Games athletes, but what the heck.

The Closing Ceremonies was more laid-back compared to the Opening Ceremonies, which was grandiose in so many levels. The Black-Eyed Peas and Arnel Pineda performed to give the athletes time to relax in an evening when U2 was slated to perform. The night ended well for all those who were there, but the biggest smile in the room was the Speaker’s.

I checked my Twitter on the same evening and “Cayetano” was trending for the wrong reasons, though the people have to give him a break since he worked extremely hard as chairman of Phisgoc and as the main advocate of the SEA Games. In his speech, he said that “Christmas has come early” to the Philippines with the success in the hosting the 30th SEA Games, the biggest in history. “We Filipinos have shown it, kaya natin (we can do it), we will do it in world-class quality,” he said.

What made that day extra special was that it fell on the same day as the birthday of his wife, Rep. Laarni Cayetano, and the approval of the Bicameral Conference Committee Report of the 2020 General Appropriations Bill (GAB). In fact, right before the Closing Ceremonies, the House ratified the Committee Report that provides for a P4.1 trillion national budget for fiscal year 2020, and ensures the non-reenactment of the 2019 budget next year.

The swift ratification came within only around three months after the House approved the GAB on third and final reading last 20 September 2019 in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s certification of it as urgent. Moreover, the early approval by the Bicam Committee provides the President ample time to review the bill’s provisions and ensure that it is aligned with the priority programs of the administration.

Now that the festivities are over, what happens next? The investigation by the Ombudsman has reportedly started. The investigation in the Senate, expected to be spearheaded by Sen. Frank Drilon, will soon start. An investigation in the House of Representatives? No one will ever dare. And of course, anyone is free to file a complaint against the organizers of the SEA Games. However, at the end of the day, the President’s word is key, something that Speaker Cayetano has. The weight of the President’s word is so heavy, and can be worth a lot. Take a look at Manila Water and Maynilad — it cost them P11 billion, just like that.

If there’s anything that I’d like to happen after the SEA Games, it is that the nation should be more proactive in competitions, particularly sports that bring home medals. We should raise incentives in other sports, not just basketball and volleyball, and this can be done by taking the politics out of sports, and putting the spotlight on our homegrown athletes.

The question also now is whether the stories on kikiam and kaldero will outweigh the stories of our surfers, gymnasts, taekwondo jins, weightlifters, volleyball players, skateboarders, football players and basketball players. With his talent for words, the Speaker coined 2020 as a very symbolic year for it represents a perfect 20/20 vision. In lauding his colleagues in passing the 2020 GAB on time, he referred to 2020 as “(a) vision we share with President Duterte to provide a safe and comfortable life for all Filipinos. Now more than ever is the best time to push for reforms to see this goal through.” With how things are going, 2020 may just be the year of Speaker Cayetano.