A triumphant Filipino nation holds its head up high, as the 30th Southeast Asian Games draws to a rousing conclusion tomorrow.
We are indeed victorious not only because Team Philippines will have been the runaway overall winner based on the medal standings, and with our Filipino athletes hauling 283 total, including at least gold 113 medals as of this writing.
We have emerged true champions because we have also successfully hosted this year’s SEAG, living up to our renowned Filipino hospitality to our visitors as always. Kudos to all government entities that have made this all possible, particularly the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) chaired by House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.
A word of appreciation is also in order for the services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police units who have secured the athletes and the venues of the competitions.
It has come to light, too, that the agents of doom and purveyors of fake news have thus far failed in their attempt to sabotage the country’s hosting of the 2019 SEAG.
They’ve screwed up big-time that the public rejected the wholesale black propaganda or, more appropriately, the “Yellow journalism” they perpetrated weeks prior to the SEAG opening last Nov. 30.
It turned out that a well-oiled concerted effort had been mounted to undermine the Duterte administration’s capability to play host the 2019 SEAG.
Senator Franklin Drilon first raised the issue against the P55-million cost of the SEAG cauldron put up at the New Clark Athletics Stadium, belittling the significance of hosting such a prestigious international sporting event, attended by thousands of athletes and foreign media.
It’s not only a purely sporting event. It is an opportunity to strengthen friendly relations with other Asian countries at a time of growing regional tension.
Drilon said the money used to build the stupid cauldron should have been spent on building more classrooms. Well, I wonder how many classrooms he had built with his millions and millions of pesos in pork barrel.
Then, these culprits, a network of anti-government media outfits and social media sites, fired off a barrage of fake news in an apparent attempt to spoil the whole hosting gig altogether.I agree with Party-list Congressmen Ron Salo (Kabayan) and Mike Defensor (Anakalusugan) that those who spread misinformation against the country’s hosting of the SEAG should be unmasked and held liable under the law, including those spreading hoax in various social media platforms and in mainstream media.
The Singapore National Olympic Committee (SNOC) refuted the report of the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post (SCMP) that their Muslim delegates to the SEA Games were served pork.
The state-run Channel News Asia of Singapore in their Facebook page posted that there’s no truth to SCMP’s report claiming Singaporean chef de mission Juliana Seow talked to the Philippine media about the supposed serving of pork to Singaporean athletes.
“Juliana did not speak with the Philippine media nor were our Muslim athletes served pork… the mentions in SCMP article related to these two allegations are not true,” SNOC told CNA.
The Biñan City officials scored the Philippine Daily Inquirer and demanded an erratum for posting a wrong photo of its football stadium, claiming that the renovations of the facilities remained unfinished despite the start of the football tournament. It turned out that the photo published is that of University of the Philippines, Manila campus.
Another photo showed the Philippine Sports Arena in Pasig City being renovated for SEAG volleyball meets. The picture circulated was actually an old one and that the venue was in fact ready before the SEAG opening.
Also circulated in the social media sites was a photo of a swimming pool under construction, being referred to as an unfinished venue of SEAG swimming competitions. It also turned out to be an old picture of a swimming pool being built in Nepal.
Still, there a picture showing two toilet bowls in supposedly in one bathroom in Rizal Memorial Coliseum. The picture that went viral was actually edited with Photoshop, removing the wall between them.
A former DZMM Radyo Patrol reporter posted on Twitter a photo that showed a Philippine flag being used as a table cover allegedly when a meal was served to SEAG athletes. No athletes were appear in the picture.
“ABS-CBN News did not vet or approve the social media post made by former DZMM reporter Ricky Velasco,” the Kapamilya network said in a statement.
The Philippine Sports Commission had clarified that the photos were not taken during SEA Games 2019. Upon investigating the alleged use of Philippine flag as a mantle for the catering, it was found that to be maliciously set up for the purpose of reporting fake news, said PSC executive-director Guillermo Iroy.
Those culprits behind all the well-funded black propaganda/fake news should be unmasked and prosecuted.