PHISGOC's Suzara says P2.08B 2019 SEA Games hosting funds were 'fully liquidated'

Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) President and Chief Operating Officer Ramon "Tats" Suzara on Wednesday said the organization would welcome any investigation into its handling of funds for hosting of the 2019 SEA Games and that the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) certified that it had fully liquidated the P2.08 billion financial assistance it received for the biennial meet.

The development comes amid the ongoing National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) investigation into alleged irregularities surrounding the staging of the regional sporting event.

READ MORE | EXPLAINER: What happened in the 2019 SEA Games controversy

Suzara said the PHISGOC records pertaining to the 2019 SEA Games had already been 'completed, submitted, and independently examined' and that the body is prepared to cooperate with the investigation.

"The 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games were staged from November 30 to December 11, 2019, and although post-Games obligations and responsibilities were delayed by the pandemic, the PHISGOC, according to PSC Chief Accountant Erik Mayores, was fully liquidated in March 2022," Suzara said in a statement.

According to Suzara's statement, a PSC certification dated July 20, 2026 said PHISGOC had submitted 100% of the liquidation reports covering the P2.082 billion in financial assistance granted for the country's hosting of the SEA Games.

He added that PHISGOC financial documents were audited by independent auditor PricewaterhouseCoopers / Isla Lipana & Co.

Last July 15, NBI Director Melvin Matibag said the agency was forming a task force to investigate the alleged anomalies in the bidding and funding of projects related to the 2019 SEA Games.

It came to light after Matibag revealed that the NBI had "received new information and documents" that involved the PHISGOC. Matibag had said that it was not liquidated or audited.

The NBI said Monday that it may issue a subpoena to Senator Alan Peter Cayetano as part of its investigation. Cayetano, who was the chairperson of the PHISGOC, said the probe was meant to intimidate him.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News