MANILA, 29 March — President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has given her thumbs-up sign and nod of approval for the Philippines to host the 2005 Southeast Asian Games.
It will be the third time the Philippines will be hosting the prestigious regional Games. The first two — held in 1981 and 1991 — helped boost the country’s sports program.
The Chief Executive officially confirming the government’s approval for the country to stage the 10-nation event, setting into motion the actual preparations for the hosting, including the formation of an organizing committee and the review of the bidding venues.
President Arroyo — in her letter sent to the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) — said: “On behalf of the Philippine government and the Filipino people, I officially accept the hosting of the 23rd SEA Games in the Philippines in 2005.”
The letter, dated March 11, 2002, was delivered to POC President Celso Dayrit on behalf of the SEA Games Federation, while a copy was also transmitted to PSC Chairman Eric Buhain by Executive Secretary Alberto Romulo.
“The Philippine government shall coordinate closely with the POC, which is the member-organization of the SEA Games Federation, to ensure that the 2005 SEA Games are held successfully to the benefit of all the participating athletes in the Southeast Asian region,” the president said.
So work could now begin in earnest for the 23rd edition of the Games that would now come to Philippine shores only once every 15 years.
Traditionally, particularly before the entry of Vietnam and Brunei, which hosted the Games in 1999, the cycle for hosting in the SEA Games is 10 years. With seven of the 10 member-countries taking turn at the Games, the cycle is now 15 years. Sports officials warmly welcomed the news. Dayrit said the hosting should serve as a unifying force for all Filipinos.
“The official acceptance by President Arroyo should unite the entire Filipino nation and lead to a resurgence in Philippine sports,” he said. The POC also hailed the Palace’s approval, specially noting that it was President Arroyo herself, who signed the letter of acceptance.
“In 1991, Malacanang’s letter was signed by the executive secretary. Now, the letter was signed by the president herself. That means a lot to us because the president gave much importance to the hosting,” said Dayrit. The Palace commitment on the 2005 Games was stated in a March 11 letter.
It was a simple two-paragraph letter but, according to Dayrit, it emphasized the government’s gesture of concern, intimacy and interest “never seen before by the POC and the sports community.”
“She also stressed the POC as member of the SEA Games Federation and emphasized the need for the Philippine government to deal with the POC. She has set the tone, expressing explicitly the role of the POC in the SEA Games organization.”
Dayrit said he would personally present the president’s acceptance letter to the SEA Games Federation Council meeting on April 13 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Vietnam is hosting the Games’ 22nd edition next year.
Buhain said the president’s imprimatur would kick off practically every aspect of the hosting, particularly on the choice of the main venue which is a toss-up among at least three key cities and localities — Manila, Pampanga and Bacolod. “Now we can start preparations to make sure that the Games are staged smoothly,” said Buhain, who in 1991 led the Philippine campaign by capturing six gold medals in swimming that nearly toppled perennial champion Indonesia in the overall race with 91 golds, just one behind the Indons. Track stars Lydia de Vega, Isidro del Prado, Hector Begeo and Elma Muros emerged as the country’s newest sports heroes during the 1981 Games.
In 2005, the Philippines will be seeking to duplicate, if not surpass, its 1991 performance widely heralded in the sports circle as the Miracle of ‘91. According to Buhain, an ad hoc committee would be formed to draw the necessities for the hosting, including the mechanics for the bidding process as well as the preparation of the country’s national athletes. The PSC committee, Buhain added, would deal with its POC counterpart until an organizing committee, one that includes various major departments and agencies of government and the private sector, is created. Buhain said the government would like to be cautious and meticulous in the hosting of the Games.
“Hosting the Games is not just a POC or PSC affair. It is a national endeavor that should project a positive image for the country,” he said. Both POC and PSC officials had wanted Malacanang to commit the government as early as possible in order for them to get the ball rolling for the Games, where hosting has been revolutionized in the past stagings because of the onset of technology. The POC has been seeking presidential acceptance of the hosting since last year but Malacanang took quite some time to make sure “every angle” was carefully studied.
Without the Palace’s formal go-signal, all the POC could do was to set guidelines for the bidders and accept letters of intents from interested localities. Dayrit earlier said he was planning to pick the same people to compose the Manila Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee in 1991 to duplicate, if not surpass, the success of the Manila SEA Games.
