Siniguro ng Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) na malinis at walang hokus pokus ang pangangasiwa sa pondo para sa pag-host ng bansa sa naturang regional sports competition.
Tugon ito ng organizing committee sa binitiwang pahayag ni Sen. Panfilo Lacson na kuwestiyunable raw ang pagkakahawak ng PHISGOC sa pera mula sa kaban ng bayan na nakalaan para sa SEA Games hosting.
Ayon kay PHISGOC chief operating officer Ramon “Tats” Suzara, hindi raw maaaring maikumpara sa anumang uri ng scam ang paggastos nila para sa SEA Games dahil sa tumatalima sila sa regulasyon ng Commission on Audit (COA).
“Every centavo spent by PHISGOC were all used for the benefit of the athletes and to ensure the Philippines’ successful hosting of the SEA Games,” wika ni Suzara. “Senator Lacson is welcome to inspect the world-class facilities and other requirements that were prepared for this year’s SEA Games so that he can see for himself how the funds were prudently spent by the organizers.”
Paliwanag pa ni Suzara, kahit na private foundation ang PHISGOC, 80 porsyento ng kanilang mga miyembro ay mula sa pamahalaan, maliban pa sa mga kinatawan mula sa Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) at Philippine Olympic Committee (POC).
Maaari rin aniyang nakalimutan din ng senador na dahil sa pagkaantala ng pagkakapasa ng 2019 national budget, kinailangang maghabol ng mga organizers para mabili ang mga gagamiting equipment at iba pang mga requrements para sa SEA Games.
“The 2019 budget was only signed into law by the President in April because Congress was unable to approve the budget bill on time. This gave the government less than six months to procure all that was needed to ensure the Philippines’ seamless hosting of the SEA Games,” ani Suzara.
Muli namang iginiit ni Suzara na handa ang PHISGOC na humarap sa anumang mga imbestigasyon o post-audit sa perang ginastos para sa SEA Games, na nauna na ring nilinaw ni Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano.
“It takes several months to get things moving in compliance with procurement rules before either the DBM or PSC can bid out contracts. We had less than six months to mobilize to ensure that the SEA Games would push through,” anang opisyal.
Una nang sinabi ng mga organizers na naayos na raw ang lahat ng mga problema kaugnay ng biennial meet.
