THE 30th Southeast Asian Games 2019 in the Philippines will most likely be calendared in the months of November or December.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. said this following preliminary talks with Foreign Affairs secretary Allan Peter Cayetano, who was named as the new organizing committee chairman of the Games.
But no final date has been discussed yet after Cayetano went into an initial meeting with Cojuangco on Wednesday evening.
“It’s usually in November and December. And that’s because of the [good] weather,” said Cojuangco, who finalized Cayetano’s role with on the biennial meet two years from now before he left for Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Cojuangco signed an agreement with Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez and Cayetano on the formation of a new organizing committee during an early Thursday meeting at the Marriot Hotel in Pasay City.
The agreement was reached a day before Cojuangco was to meet with the SEA Games Federation Council and discuss the Philippines’ hosting in 2019.
Cayetano said it was the clamor coming from the public sector which became the main reason why Malacanang changed its mind and reconsidered its decision to continue its support on the hosting rights of the Games.
“Simple lang ang sinabi namin, SEA Games always features the host, it puts focus on the host and it’s tailor made to present the host country,” said Cayetano when he talked about the discussions that went on during Tuesday’s Cabinet cluster meeting.
The final decision to continue supporting the hosting of Games was reached after a meeting between Cayetano, Ramirez, Presidential Special Assistant Bong Go and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.
“It’s about the heart of the Pinoy athlete. That got to us. But it took us to nearly losing, or giving up on the hosting for us to realize how important it is for us to host it,” added Cayetano.
Ramirez said no new facilities will be built for the venues that will be chosen for the Games.
Instead, organizers will just rent or lease facilities that are available.
“This is one area that will be discussed with the presidents of the national sports associations. There are technical matters that will be reviewed.
The PSC Board of Commissioners composed of Ramon Fernandez, Celia Kiram, Arnold Agustin and Charles Maxey also welcomed Cayetano’s role in the Games.
He replaced Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who agreed to give way to Cayetano during the meeting in Malacañang.
It will be recalled that the government, through the PSC, decided not to pursue plans to support hosting, saying that there are plans to use the budget for the rehabilitation of Marawi City and other areas in Mindanao.
Organizers will hold most of the events with Luzon, with venues eyed in Manila, Bulacan, Subic Bay and Clark Field in Pampanga.