"Our hosting was an unqualified success."
"Our hosting was an unqualified success."
There’s no doubt now that the country’s hosting of the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) from November 30 to December 11, 2019 was an unqualified success. Credit for this should go to the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC), headed by Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, that took care of the planning and actual supervision of the games held in various venues. In fact, Wei Jizhong, vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia, lauded the Philippines for its hosting of the SEAG, saying that the country can definitely host “bigger scale” events after seeing with his own two eyes how the SEA Games unfolded.
PHISGOC demonstrated to all and sundry that it was capable of holding a big event such as the SEAG. The regional sports competition drew a total of 5,630 athletes from 11 countries who took part in 529 events in 56 sports in different venues, such as the New Clark City Sports Complex, where the swimming and track and field events were held. The fully equipped, state-of-the-art facilities in the sports complex impressed foreign guests and participants alike.
Beyond the impressive opening ceremony at the Philippine Arena in Bulacan and the dazzling closing rites at the New Clark City in Tarlac, what the sports event also underscored was the consistent quest for excellence by our athletes, allowing the Philippines to emerge as the overall champion, winning 149 gold, 117 silver and 121 bronze, for a total of 387 medals.
Apart from this, our impressive hosting of the 30th SEAG also served to highlight the country’s new status as one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies, as it now moving inexorably toward upper middle-income status in the years ahead.
For the PHISGOC chair, the Philippines was a winner not only in the Games, but also in what it meant for the economy. “Not only did we win in the SEA Games, the economy also won.” Preliminary estimates indicate that the Games generated no less than P1 billion in tourism revenues.
While the entire country rooted for our athletes and lent moral support to Team Philippines in various sports disciplines, it appears that some members of the Senate are bent on carrying out an investigation of alleged corruption by PHISGOC.
Cayetano himself broke protocol in November to appear before the Senate and answer all concerns raised by senators about PHISGOC.
If the Senate insists on conducting a probe, Cayetano has already said that PHISGOC has nothing to hide. He has even welcomed separate investigations by the Office of the Ombudsman and the Commission on Audit.
While it is true that there were minor glitches before the official start of the games, PHISGOC was able to pull off a spectacular opening ceremony. This event no doubt inspired all the athletes to give their all in breaking records and bringing honor and prestige to their respective countries. At the same time, it reflected the gains made by the country in sports development.
In his remarks at the closing ceremony, Cayetano heaped praise on Filipino surfer Roger Casogay: “When we went after the gold, we did it with all our hearts. But we didn’t allow the glitter of the gold to blind us….When an athlete’s life was at risk, it was clear to Roger Casogay what was more important than the gold.”
Cayetano commended Casogay for not thinking twice in giving up his chance to win a gold medal, and helped instead a fellow competitor, Indonesian Arip Nurhidayat, who was injured and swept by strong waves during the surfing competition in La Union. Casogay later won the gold in the longboard event.
Casogay was also lauded by Indonesian president Joko Widodo, who said: “Winning the competition and upholding sportsmanship is important, but humanity is above all. My appreciation to Roger Casogay, a Filipino surfer who gave up the golden opportunity to help an Indonesian athlete who fell in the race. Greetings from Indonesia.”
Cayetano also told the mammoth crowd at the closing ceremony that following the Philippines’ impressive hosting of the SEA Games, the government will help fellow ASEAN member Vietnam organize the next one. “We will help them. They are our brothers,” Cayetano said. “We’re happy that this is the best SEA Games ever, but we’ll support the next host… to have an even better SEA Games,” he added.
A fitting end to the 30th SEA Games, we think, and a clear lesson in magnanimity that our own athletes should keep in mind when they wear the country’s colors in future SEA Games editions.