National pride and shame

Let us be very clear about this. We are very proud, had been, and will continue to cheer for all of our Filipino athletes. May they move on to victory for themselves, for our country! Mabuhay ang atong mga atleta! Win or lose, our athletes are our source of pride, our national pride.

They deserve to always be supported and cared for seriously by the authorities, during their preparation, training, and most especially, during their actual competitions.

Did they receive all their needed support for the coming Southeast Asian Games hosted by the Philippines? Did they receive, are they receiving their well-deserved benefits for training and competing for the 2019 SEA games?

Expectedly, no.

At the rate complaints, including from SEA guests, are hurled daily at Cayetano and his foundation involved in the preparation, construction, and other needs of the SEA games and participants, what could have been a source of national pride, the victory, the friendly competition, the camaraderie, the unity of Southeast Asian nations and people through the SEA Games 2019, has now become our national shame!

In the light of existing urgent needs of our poor, of our farmers affected adversely by the Rice Tariffication Law, the increasing number of unemployed and hungry, the budget for the games, could have been used for the welfare of our people.

However, if the Philippine government had to sponsor the games this year for the sake of regional cooperation, just the same, the SEA games budget would have been more seriously examined versus competing needs and should have been more wisely allocated, used and the funds and responsibility given to a trusted, reliable team.

The expensive kaldero is a case of imprudent extravagance and should have been scrapped and allocated instead for our athletes. Surely, our other national artists would have had more symbolic structure options at less cost?

Cayetano, his foundation, and others involved have to be held responsible for the billions and the incomplete and ill-prepared SEA Games.

They even have the gall to transfer the blame for the various blunders and complaints raised against them to Drilon and the Senate for delaying the budget!

Goodness, how can erroneous media IDs be traced back to budget delay? Why did they not have the correct information for media, athletes, and other participants? The security implication of such sloppy ID preparation cannot, should not be easily dismissed.

How could they have forgotten that Muslim participants need halal food? How could Cayetano and his organizers forget that the guests needed transport and comfortable hotel accommodations? Why were the costs for socks for our athletes too expensive? Is it true that our national flag was used as a tablecloth?

With just days before the official start of the SEA 2019 games, why is construction still unfinished and rushed?

With billions of approved and probably already expended budget, could not Cayetano et al produce a reliable coordinating team to map out effective responses to the needs of hosting the SEA games?

Complaints have come from other nations as well. The incompetence of Cayetano and his team has reflected negatively on DU30, his government, and most unfairly, on all other Filipinos.

Revealing the truth about the blunders, mishandling, and possibly, even corruption, of Cayetano and his team, IS nationalistic. The truth will redeem the rest of the Filipinos from the undeserved negative image the world now has for our country.

Cayetano and his incompetent team should be held responsible for the negative image that robbed our people and our country of what should have been a source of our national pride. [email protected]