Panelo: Duterte ‘angry’ with SEA Games hosting hassles

MANILA, Philippines—President Rodrigo Duterte is “angry” with the news about the numerous inconveniences being experienced by visiting athletes and guests in the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, Malacañang said Tuesday.

While Duterte is in Busan to attend the Asean-Republic of Korea Commemorative Summit, issues on transportation, billeting, food, and facilities pestered the hosting of the regional multi-sport meet, which will run from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11.

Earlier, football teams from Cambodia, Myanmar, and Timor-Leste complained of going through transportation and hotel accommodation woes upon arrival in the country. Thailand, meanwhile, complained of having to squeeze three people into rooms that could only accommodate two and its football team had to cancel its scheduled practice at Biñan Football Stadium due to traffic.

Photos of yet to be finished facilities, like the press center at the Rizal Memorial Stadium, also circulated on social media, drawing the ire of the public and several other government officials.

But for presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, the blunders could have been avoided if only the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc), the private organization in charge of organizing the games, exhausted all efforts.

“‘Yung palpak na yun, hindi sana nangyari, kayang kaya gawan ng paraan. Kaya nagagalit si Presidente,” Panelo said in an interview over state-run Radyo Pilipinas.

(The blunders could have been avoided. Those are actually easy to address. That’s why the President is angry.)