SEN. Leila de Lima filed a resolution last Monday to probe why the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee has not submitted its 30th SEA Games report, including the audited statements, to the Philippine Olympic Committee.
In Senate resolution No. 557 that was posted on the senator’s website last Wednesday, De Lima also asked an inquiry “on the reported outstanding P387 million outstanding debt to suppliers, among other controversies, relating to the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
“Given the controversies surrounding the 2019 SEA Games — from allegations of corruption and overspending to logistical nightmares and a bevy of complaints from foreign athletes and delegates — it is imperative for Senate and other agencies with supervision over PHISGOC to look into the matter,” the detained senator said in a statement.
“A complete financial report will help shed light on these questions surrounding the PHISGOC’s handling of the event,” she added.
Last Sept. 30, or over nine months since the conclusion of the SEA Games, the POC passed a resolution instructing the PHISGOC to submit a comprehensive report on the operations of the 2019 SEA Games, including an audited financial statement, by Oct. 10.
The PHISGOC, however, failed to comply with the October 10 deadline, violating the tripartite agreement it signed with the POC and the Philippine Sports Commission in 2019 mandating the PHISGOC to “submit to PSC and POC the required financial reports at the conclusion of the 2019 SEA Games.”
The POC noted that rules of the Commission on Audit require agencies and organizations that are recipients of government financial support to liquidate the funds within 60 days after the completion of the project.
“This meant that the report should have been submitted on 9 February 2020, meaning that the financial statements were already eight months overdue,” De Lima said.
