POC playing it safe

The assurance over the weekend that the Philippine hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games is definitely pushing through came a little late, but nobody seemed to mind.

We win as one, said a battle cry from the national organizing committee.

“There had been problems, but contrary to loose reports, the Games will push through as scheduled—and will be a success,” declared POC chair Steve Hontiveros on Friday during the inaugural session of the revived Scoop (Sports Communicators Organization of the Philippines).

“Bakit tayo mag-aaway- away? If it’s friendship first before competitions in the SEA Games, we should keep peace and stay united,” said POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino.

He added: “If the primary concern is to guide and help our youth to improve their athletic skills through friendly competitions, who are we in the POC to stand in the way?”

There was no sign of the perceived opposing faction in the Scoop session hosted by veteran sportswriter Eddie Alinea and former Sen. Nikki Coseteng.

Chair Hontiveros said there will be a total of 56 sports, the highest in the history of the biennial SEA Games.

Tolentino was spurned when he tried to convene his first meeting of the POC Executive Board. They failed to muster a quorum.

He, however, held a timely General Assembly on Aug. 13, where vacant positions were filled and the POC officially set into motion. A tripartite agreement among the POC, Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) was next hammered out.

When the Philippine hosting was initially formalized, there were excited expectations for a top overall finish by the Philippine contingent, which landed a poor seventh in the previous SEA Games.

Ricky Vargas, the immediate past president of the POC, appeared inclined to believe that a top overall finish by the host country was achievable.

Other than hometown advantage, the Philippines has the moving room in filling up the Games’ calendar of events.

POC president Tolentino tempered initial projection and said he foresees a strong finish in the top three by the Philippines.

A budget of P6 billion, a record, has been allotted for the Philippine hosting; although there had been delay in the release of funds.

Just the same, Phisgoc has assured all venues will be complete and ready two to three weeks before the opening of the Games set Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 in various venues.

Cramming may not be avoided but organizers are optimistic the Philippine hosting will be a grand success.

The 2019 Games has been listed as the biggest in the history of the Southeast Asian Games.