New Clark City to serve as 2019 SEA Games hub

Philippine Olympic Committee president Ricky Vargas and chair Abraham Tolentino opened discussion on the country’s hosting of the Southeast Asian Games next year in a meeting Wednesday night with Philippine Sports Commission chair Butch Ramirez and the SEAG Organizing Committee including its chair, Foreign Sec. Alan Peter Cayetano.

POC spokesperson Ed Picson said SEAGOC executive director Ramon Suzara made an audio visual presentation on the hosting and comprehensive plan of the Games, which will have its hub in New Clark City in Pampanga.

According to Picson, a nine-kilometer thoroughfare would be built from the airport to the site while another road is being planned to go all the way to the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).

“It’s ambitious but it looks good,” said Picson, also the Olympic body’s communications director and secretary general of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines.

State-owned Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) is working on building a portion of the 9,000-hectare property, including the main stadium, aquatics center and dormitories for the athletes, in time for the 11-nation Games set Nov. 30, 2019.

Vargas also formally announced that fencing chief and veteran actor Richard Gomez will replace wushu’s Julian Camacho as chef de mission of the Philippine team to the forthcoming 18th Asian Games in Indonesia.