Drilon questions P50-M SEA Games cauldron

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon questioned Monday the P50-million cauldron which will be used during the opening of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games later this month.

“Is it proper, is it appropriate, is it valid, is it just that we do away with 50 classrooms to build a P50-million cauldron that we use only once?” Drilon asked during the plenary deliberations on the budget of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA).

An artist's rendition of the 30th SEA Games cauldron in New Clark City is released by the Bases Conversion and Development Authority on Monday, November 18, 2019. BCDA

“I’m not talking about overpricing. I’m talking about the propriety of doing away with 50 classrooms in order to put up a P50-million cauldron,” he added.

He said that each classroom will cost P1 million.

Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, finance committee chairman and sponsor of the BCDA budget, said the capital outlay or budget for the construction of the cauldron was lodged with the Philippine Sports Commission.

He said the design of the cauldron, which is three meters in diameter, costs P4.48 million while the 50-meter high foundation costs P13.4 million. The total cost of construction is P32 million.

The cauldron was designed by the late National Artist and architect Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa.

Angara, defending the budget, said it was Congress who appropriated money for the projects but of course, beforehand, they did not know how the money would be distributed.

“That’s correct; we did not know how the money would be distributed. We based this on the representation that the total amount of P10.4 billion will be used for capital outlay but we did not know the P50 million, which is equivalent to 50 school houses, will be spent for an oversized caldero,” Drilon said.

Angara replied that what the government is really envisioning was to do a “really impressive hosting of the Games and showcase the Philippine ingenuity by using Philippine creative designers and performers.”

But Drilon noted that it seems Angara is having a hard time justifying the P50 million cauldron.

He then asked Angara if it would be appropriate that a special audit be conducted after the Games to scrutinize the budget.

Angara said since regular audit must be conducted first, he cannot agree yet with Drilon. —KG, GMA News