The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) will summon three officials of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) as it investigates the reported P3.7 billion in unliquidated funds from the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the probe into the multibillion-peso funds is now underway.

Those set to be summoned are Phisgoc chairman Ramon "Tats" Suzara, chief financial officer Dexter Estacio, and corporate secretary John Lester Buenconsejo to shed light on the unliquidated funds.

Matibag said the investigation will focus on the unliquidated government funds given to the private entity that organized the 2019 SEA Games.

The 2019 SEA Games were hosted across multiple cities in the Philippines, with competitions held mainly in Clark, Subic, Metro Manila, and nearby areas, including Bulacan and Tagaytay.

Phisgoc received government funding to organize and manage the 21-day sporting event.

The NBI said it will examine expenses related to catering, consultancy services, transportation, venue rentals, and airfare.

Matibag said there was no liquidation of the funds Phisgoc received from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).

He said the funds came from the PSC and the POC and were subsequently transferred to Phisgoc. Since these were government funds, they should have been subjected to an audit by the Commission on Audit (COA).

However, Matibag said there was no liquidation, and the apparent lack of an audit is one of the issues the NBI will investigate. He noted that the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, then chaired by former Sen. Richard Gordon, had planned to investigate the matter, but the inquiry did not push through.

The NBI is also looking into allegations that Phisgoc received between P10 billion and P15 billion from the Office of the President's confidential or intelligence funds.

Matibag said the agency still has to verify the allegation but noted that the NBI has "credible leads."

He said Phisgoc has argued that, as a private entity, it is not required to undergo a COA audit. However, he maintained that because it used government funds, it must be subject to government auditing.

Matibag said it is a basic principle that government funds, regardless of where they are transferred, must undergo proper liquidation through the COA.