MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is preparing to host the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian Games set to begin in a couple of weeks.
In a hosting effort surrounded by controversy and ridicule, Philstar.com breaks down the most prominent figures in the country's holding of the biennial sports meet.
55 million
Perhaps the most lucrative figure on this list is the P55 million spent for the controversial SEA Games cauldron that would be used during the torch lighting ceremony.
Drawing flack for spending such a high amount of money for a structure so trivial, Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) Chair Allan Peter Cayetano countered that Singapore had spent even more when they hosted the games.
According to Cayetano, Singapore's cauldron cost around P63 million.
6 billion
The total budget for the SEA Games approved by the Department of Budget and Management.
The PHISGOC had initially requested for a P9.5 billion budget but bumped it down to P7.5 million.
The remaining P1.5 billion was raised by the PHISGOC through sponsorship and will therefore not undergo public bidding.
2005
The Philippines last hosted the SEA Games in 2005, where the country was the overall champion.
The Filipinos have yet to return to the top of the podium in the biennial meet since then.
120
The number of medals brought home by the Filipino contingent in the 2017 SEA Games held in Malaysia.
Among 497 competitors in 37 sports, the Philippines clinched 23 Gold medals, 34 Silvers and 63 Bronzes.
6
The Philippines finished sixth in the previous SEA Games in Malaysia, the country's worst performance in 18 years.
56
The number of sports included in the 30th SEA Games, 10 of which will be making their debut in the biennial meet.
The debuting sports include e-sports, obstacle course, surfing, kickboxing, jiu jitsu, modern pentathlon, skateboarding, kurash, sambo and underwater hockey.
530
The total number of events to be held in the SEA Games, the most ever in the history of the games.
1,094
A 1,094-strong contingent of Filipino athletes will compete in the 30th SEA Games who will be backed up by 753 coaches.