Other countries ‘shocked’ by Pinoy negativity about SEA Games, Cayetano claims

Southeast Asian countries are “shocked” that negativity about the 30th SEA Games is coming from Filipinos and not from rival countries, House Speaker and Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) Chairman Alan Peter Cayetano claimed on Thursday.

“Nagugulat sila sa negativity. So, nasasanay sila, ‘yung negativity comes from the rival country, kung meron man. Hindi sila sanay na nanggagaling sa citizens mismo no’ng bansa na ‘yan,” he told reporters.

Cayetano’s statement comes after he was derided for accepting a “Best SEA Games Organizer” award from Sports Industry Awards (SPIA) Asia, an awards-giving body endorsed by the PHISGOC and the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines.

“This is an international group and ang alam ko nga lang, akala ko, ang awarding is just… na maganda ang SEA Games. Pero tingnan niyo ‘yung video, ‘yung CEO mismo nagsabi, ‘best organized SEA Games so far,’” he explained.

FULL COVERAGE: 30th Southeast Asian Games on GMA News Online

During the awarding ceremony on Tuesday night, SPIA Asia CEO Eric Gottschalk told Cayetano, “These are by far the best Southeast Asian Games so far ever and that has been awarded by SPIA Asia to PHISGOC, so congratulations.”

“Inangat natin ‘yung standard, that’s why mas maganda pero mas mahal din. So, that’s why ‘yung netizens, madali kayong magpasahan ng information, pero tingnan niyo muna kung sa’n nakuha,” Cayetano added.

Netizens mocked PHISGOC for supposedly naming itself as the “Best SEA Games Organizer” since no other country was nominated for the award.

SPIA Asia

Organized by MMC Sportz Marketing, SPIA Asia invited all SEA Games participating countries to attend the sports business conference and awards night during the third chef de mission meeting, according to a statement by the group last November 5. 

PHISGOC COO Ramon Suzara was one of the speakers at the conference.

The award-giving body recognizes Asia’s Top 10 in 25 different fields, which are subdivided into Asian and Philippine categories.

Winners are selected by the SPIA Asia Awards Committee composed of 35 leading industry experts.

“This year, the Tourism Promotions Board Philippines endorses and supports SPIA ASIA. Further, SPIA ASIA is likewise supported by the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee,” their website reads.

SPIA Asia updated their website on Thursday night to indicate that PHISGOC had won the SPIA Asia Excellence Award, instead of the Best SEA Games Organizer award that Cayetano earlier claimed to have received.

In a statement on Thursday, Gottschalk defended the PHISGOC.

“The Organizing Committee was given a SPIA ASIA Excellence Award because of their success from the planning to the hosting of the 30th edition of the SEA Games,” he said.

“Every year, SPIA Asia recognizes the special contributions and achievements of a host country—we have done it before in Bangkok, Thailand. This is not in any way different from the case of the Philippines this year,” he added. — BM/BAP, GMA News