THE PHILIPPINE STAR

WEDNESDAY I DECEMBER 4, 2019

Budget delay Frompasel

this is a two-year prepa- the SEA Games should have Executive Secretary is aware of
ration," Philippine SEA been approved last year, but everything.
Games Organizing Com- faced delays after the country He also clarified the pub-
mittee (PHISGOC) chief tumed dor,rn.the hosting oniy lic's belief that they were
, operating officer Ramon to accept it again in 2017. given the actual Po billion
Suzara said in an interview PHISGOC, chaired by allotment.
with "The Chiefs" aired on Spehker Alan Peter Cay- "The money is not with
Cignal TV's One News on etano, was incorporated in us... So if you are a part of ihe
Monday night. July 2018. organizing committee, it's dif-
"The money was released Nothing happened with- ficult... because the awarding
after one and a half months, in a year from that point, of procurement from the gov-
I and thery thrce-fourths of (it according to Suzara, as he ernment was really late also,"
went to) to the Department maintained that the budget the PHISGOC offilial said.
' of Budget and Management approval only Last April was During the interview, Su-
(DBM) for procurement... the real culprit. zara commended people who
which took three months. "After one montf! it was were able to deliver despite the
'* So vou can imagine us or- forwarded to the Philippine glitches, which, for him, are
16 ganizers, it toJk us only Sports Commission. And part of the process.
eight months to prepare... thery when the PSC received "i think the PHISGOC,
because the budget was not the money after one or two the hardworking people,
approved last year," Suzara months, that's the time we even with the short time, we
added in mixed English and (started) preparing the re- were able to do something,"
Filipino. quirements, which we pre- he said.
The PHISGOC execu- pared a year ago. Third is "There are 56 venues. The
tive's explanation of his that all procurement (were) preparations of the i'enues
side amid questions from implemented by the bBM. under the PSC were delaved
the public regarding the ft's about P4 billion. All re- because the budget was de-
snafus came ai[ter President quirements had to go through layed, and (those are) only
Duterte's pronouncements bidding. That is only the big four venues. But there are 52
in a separate television part," he said. other venues that are so nice,
interview earlv Mdhdav "The other part, the PSC that were ready . . . So I told the
moming that "tfrings couli also went through bidding reporters to go visit the other
have been avoided if vou because the budget is with the venues i-nstead of {ocusins on
had used the money lor- PSC. PHiSGOC's role is only the ugly, unfinished ones"that
rectly." to request requirements, so were really rushed, fixed last-
"You can do it not reallv the operating expenses thatwe minute," he added.
with precision, but had yoir were using were only to pav Asked about the status of
made most of the money, the iechniAl officials, rcfeGe;, the committee's budget while
you could've avoided the international delegates," he the SEAGames is ongoing, ancl
critical situatiory the mis- added. given thai the national ol).'rn.-
haps. You had so many All other expenses, such as pic committees made a lot of
years to prepare for it, how hotels, transportation, furni- rcquests for additional people
come ganyan ang nangyari ture and eqdipment - provi- to come in to observe one w eek
(that was what happened )?" sions that had issues pre-SEA before the opening ceremony,
Duterte said, referring to the
orSamzers.
Games opening - were on Suzara admitted that they do
DBII4, according to Suzara. not have enough.
Suzara responded: "Even "It was really public bid- "There are a lot of otrsr:rv-
if you have two years to ding, and (it) takes three ers; Indonesia alone hA3;:2s0
prepare, if you don t have months. even more. So even Malaysia has another 5Q lhen
the budget, how can you up to the opening ceremony, Thailand has another 150," he
prcpare?" other (provisions) still had io said. "The number of sprorts
' Giving the program fur- be delivered because these and temporary facilities, plus
ther background on what were tust awarded" he said, the number of delegation that
had led to the mess, the as he mentioned that Malaca- came was really more than
official said the budget for flang, through the Office of the what was expectbd."