Photo by Marc Reyes/INQUIRER
Philippine Southeast Asian Games task force chief Tom Carrasco said the Philippines is ready to upgrade its output in the coming Kuala Lumpur edition of the biennial meet.
“Right now, the morale of the entire team is very high,” said Carrasco, who has been helping Philippine chief of mission Cynthia Carrion monitor the progress of every athlete through the NSAs.
Carrion has set her sights on a fourth-place performance and at least 50 gold medals.
Since capturing the overall title in Manila 2005, the Philippines has never placed better than sixth and even had a dismal finish in 2013 Burma at seventh overall among 11 countries.
“I think we’re better prepared now,” said Carrasco, whose own triathlon team is a cinch to sweep the two gold medals at stake in the swim-bike-run contest.
The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the Philippine Olympic Committee organized a sendoff party for the 719-strong delegation Thursday, with the first batch of Filipino athletes expected to leave on Saturday.
The PSC has spent almost P90 million for the preparation and needs of the Philippine contingent, which includes 163 coaches and 63 medical staff plus members of the secretariat.