Kiram to push for Minda SEAG venues

Newly-appointed Presidential adviser for Muslim Royalty Concerns chief Sultan Jamalul Kiram III of pencak silat yesterday said he would strongly push for the inclusion of Mindanao as one of the satellite venues when the country hosts the 23rd Southeast Asian Games next year.

"In behalf of the people of Mindanao, I will ask the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) to reconsider its decision not to include Mindanao as one of the SEA Games venues because the peace and order problem in our land is not forever," said Kiram. "In fact, it is continuously being worked out by the government."

He identified Davao and Zamboanga City as two potential sites, particularly for his sport — pencak silat — which he hopes to finally strike a gold in the biennial event following a three-silver, four-bronze medal haul in the 2003 Vietnam games.

But while insisting he could guarantee the safety of the athletes and officials going to the southern region, Kiram said his main concern is to help unify the feuding national sports associations (NSAs) and the Philippines Sports Commission (PSC) and POC.

"Before anything else, I would like to use my new role in forging unity in RP sports. This is an immediate concern because our country will host the SEA Games in 2005," he said.

The Muslim sports leader will thus summon all NSAs and sports leaders for a consultation assembly where the programs and plans of each associations in the SEA Games will be presented and tackled.

"This is the hardest part, to unite people who should be working hand in hand but there is still time so that we can fulfill President Arroyo’s wish for the Philippines to emerge as overall in the 18-nation conclave.

"Let’s not waste time, we have to act now," he said.

Kiram’s call for a consultation assembly immediately drew support from the likes of athletics chief Go Teng Kok, karatedo’s Ed Ponce, wushu’s Francis Chan, football’s Johnny Romualdez and judo’s Rey Jaylo among others.

For the record, the Philippines SEAG Organizing Committee (Philsoc), chaired by POC president Celso Dayrit, has excluded Mindanao as satellite venue of the SEA Games while tapping the National Capital Region (NCR) – home to the 1981 and 1991 editions of the event – as the hub.

Venues targetted by the Philsoc outside Metro Manila are Negros Occidental-Bacolod, Cebu and more recently, Naga City. Baguio City, Subic, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal will be tapped as other provincial venues in"special cases."