Staunch Duterte critic and opposition Sen. Leila de Lima on Wednesday urged Filipinos to ignore for now the mishaps caused by the “incompetence” of government officials involved in organizing the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) and to focus instead on supporting the event set to open today.
Amid questions and complaints about the country’s preparations for the biennial event, De Lima said Filipinos should separate “the government’s rapaciousness and incompetence” from its hosting of the Games for the duration of the event.
“Let us not focus for now on the plunderers and worthless officials of Duterte who are only fattening their wallets using this occasion. There is nothing more we can do about their shame. But we can still save face as Filipinos,” she said.
“Let us link arms in the coming days to ensure that the Games would be a success for us and our neighbors in Southeast Asia. You are heroes who will make sure this event would be well-known and [we’d] look good before the region and the world,” the senator said in a statement.
De Lima said that after the Games have concluded, the financing and organization of the event should be scrutinized.
Among the items questioned in the run-up to the SEA Games opening were the allegedly overpriced P50-million cauldron to be used for the flame and the formation of a private foundation to oversee the event.