Zubiri: Senate will ease up on budget probe-for now

30th SEA Games cauldron. Photo from BCDA

The Senate will hold further scrutiny on the Southeast Asian Games spending to rally behind Team Philippines in the biennial meet the country is hosting—so said Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri.

“We at the Senate realized that we need to be united for the sake of the national athletes competing in the SEA Games,” Zubiri said on Tuesday night during the send-off for the national arnis athletes.

“But after the SEA Games, we continue,” added Zubiri, the Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation chief.

The questions from the public though keep coming. The latest? Why is the controversial P56-million cauldron located at New Clark City when the opening ceremonies will be held at Philippine Arena on Nov. 30?

Deputy chief of mission for Team Philippines Stephen Fernandez, Olympic bronze medalist for taekwondo, said he is also perplexed by the almost 90-kilometer distance, considering that the lighting of the cauldron is the main event for every Games’ opening rites.

Philippine Olympic Committee executive board member Steve Hontiveros, longtime bowling chief and now head of handball, speculated that “it would probably be brought in by chopper.”

Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee chief executive officer Ramon “Tats” Suzara’s answer? “It’s a secret.”

“It’s all under wraps. We want it to be exciting,” Suzara told the Inquirer.