Cayetano rebukes Noynoy: Didn't you spend P10B for APEC Summit?

Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Thursday hit back at former President Benigno Aquino III for taking a swipe at the supposedly overpriced P50-million cauldron to be used for staging of the Southeast Asian Games in the country.

In his speech during the inspection of SEA Games facilities in the New Clark City, Cayetano, who chairs the Philippine organizing team for the sport event, took exception of Aquino's statement critical of the P50-million cauldron.

Aquino agreed with Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon that the P50 million spent for the construction of the cauldron could have been used to build 50 classrooms at P1 million each.

But Cayetano reminded Aquino that the government spent even more during the conduct of the APEC Summit in the Philippines in 2015, at P10 billion

"Ilan ba ang dapat nagawang classroom kung hindi natin hinost ang APEC? 10,000 classrooms. Tapos sasabihin nila simbolo ng SEA Games, simbolo ng ating mga atleta, fighting spirit of the Filipino ay P50 million? Titirahin nila?" he said.

"Sa bibig mismo ni Sen. Drilon nanggaling, hindi ito overpriced. Walang nagsasabi na it's excessive or overpriced. Edi ano ang issue? Namamahalan kayo sa P50 million pero sa P10 billion okay lang sa inyo?" he added.

Cayetano earlier defended the P50-million cauldron, saying that it was a "work of art" and it is what it symbolizes that matters.

He even said that the cauldron is cheaper than what Singapore built when it hosted the SEA Games.

Cayetano urged those critical of the SEA Games preparation to support Filipino athletes first and criticize after the event.

"Huwag kayong mag-alala, after the Games kahit araw-arawin niyo ako, ako ang haharap, ako ang sasagot. Kung may kailangang idemanda, ako idemanda niyo. Pero huwag before and during the Games," he said.

"After the Games, we will paint a target sa ulo, dito. Hiramin niyo yung sniper guns na gagamitin dito para sa security. Hiramin niyo yung drones na may bomba na anti-terrorist, at kami ni Cong. Bambol [Tolentino] ang gawin niyong target. Pero sa ngayon, para sa atleta talaga ito," he added. —LBG, GMA News