1-Pacman Rep. Michael “Mikee” Romero. INQUIRER.net file photo / RYAN LEAGOGO
MANILA, Philippines — The problems that athletes from several countries experienced upon arriving in the country for the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) are “nothing new,” similarly when the Games were held abroad, 1-PACMAN Rep. Mikee Romero said Monday.
Romero’s reaction came after national football teams from four countries complained of getting messy receptions upon their arrival in Manila this weekend.
Players from Timor-Leste and Myanmar had to wait for hours at the airport when they arrived in Manila.
It also took several hours for Thailand’s football players before they could exit the airport due to problems with securing their IDs and the accreditation of their support staff.
Meanwhile, members of the Cambodia team were seen sleeping on the floor and on chairs at a hotel’s conference room in photos that circulated in social media.
Romero, also an athlete himself for the country’s polo team, said that he also experienced the same problems when he competed in the previous SEA Games hosted by other countries.
“This is nothing new because we also experienced it. This is my 4th SEA Games. We experienced the same,” Romero said in an interview over ABS CBN News Channel.
He attributed the logistical problems to the “sheer volume” of foreign athletes coming in the country and the multitude of sporting events that had to be hosted for the SEA Games.
Romero also pointed out that only a handful of foreign athletes experienced problems upon their arrival in the Philippines, brushing aside reports that about 80 delegations suffered inconveniences.
He reasoned that the mishaps are part of hosting the SEA Games in multiple areas.
“Ideally, it should be in one area only but this is our chance na magyabang [to boast]. This is our chance to show who are the Filipino athletes,” Romero said.
He challenged Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) to work “double time” especially in being hospitable to foreign guests.
“It’s nothing new pero [but] we played gracious hosts. I challenge Phisgoc and everyone else, they have to double time our work, we have to be hospitable,” Romero said.
Senate, Drilon ‘partly to blame’
The Senate, including Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon is “partly to blame” in the mishaps being experienced in the country’s hosting of the SEA Games, Romero said.
This is because of the delay of the approval of the 2019 budget, which included the budget for SEA Games, causing the organizers to “catch up” with the preparations.
Romero said the delay emanated from the Senate, not the House of Representatives.
“The challenge really is the budget of SEA Games was delayed for six months, so everything else was catching up after that… The Senate had a lot of problems and na-delay ng five to six months ‘yung budget,” Romero said.
(The budget was delayed from five to six months.)
“So lahat ito was caused by that delay and Senator Drilon is also partly to blame, probably because the delay was caused on their (Senate) side, not on the House side,” he added.
(All of this was caused by the budget delay and Senator Drilon is also partly to blame probably because the delay was caused on their side, not on the House side.)
The Philippine government had to implement a reenacted budget for four months as President Rodrigo Duterte only signed the 2019 budget bill last April.