MANILA, Philippines – House Speaker and Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) Chairman Alan Peter Cayetano apologized to foreign teams who were affected with inconveniences at the SEA Games.
Cayetano personally visited four teams who had earlier faced travel and hotel woes upon their arrival for the SEA Games. In a photo shared by official SEA Games committee, Cayetano can be seen shaking the hands of athletes from Timor Leste, Myanmar, Cambodia, Singapore and Brunei. The post said "all's well that ends well" and added that Cayetano assured them that "the Philippine hosting will be great and meaningful for everyone."
Photos of football delegates showing them sleeping on benches and chairs circulated like wildfire online. Myanmar and Timor-Leste complained they waited for hours upon their arrival, while the latter was even sent to the wrong hotel.
The Thailand football team also complained that their hotel rooms were not ready when they arrived and the practice venue is too far away from their hotel. The Cambodian team also complained they had to wait 8-9 hours and had to sleep on hotel chairs before finally checking into their hotel rooms.
In a statement, PHISGOC took responsibility over the incident and apologized. They stated, “We sincerely apologize to our athlete guests from Timor-Leste, Myanmar and Cambodia for the inconvenience caused to them by the confusion regarding their transportation and hotel arrangements."
READ: SEA Games 2019 organizers apologize for inconvenience, confusion
Speaking to the media, Cayetano spoke up against the bashing the PHISGOC had been receiving online.
"Hosting ng Pilipinas ‘to...so magtulong-tulong tayo because when you bash the organizing committee, if it is to get us to act correctly or to address inefficiency, it’s most welcome,” Cayetano said.
“[But] if you bash us for the sake of bashing us, or because you don’t want the President or other people to get the credit, ang bina-bash mo sarili mong bansa," he said.
— Sally, The Summit Express
Cayetano personally visited four teams who had earlier faced travel and hotel woes upon their arrival for the SEA Games. In a photo shared by official SEA Games committee, Cayetano can be seen shaking the hands of athletes from Timor Leste, Myanmar, Cambodia, Singapore and Brunei. The post said "all's well that ends well" and added that Cayetano assured them that "the Philippine hosting will be great and meaningful for everyone."
Photos of football delegates showing them sleeping on benches and chairs circulated like wildfire online. Myanmar and Timor-Leste complained they waited for hours upon their arrival, while the latter was even sent to the wrong hotel.
The Thailand football team also complained that their hotel rooms were not ready when they arrived and the practice venue is too far away from their hotel. The Cambodian team also complained they had to wait 8-9 hours and had to sleep on hotel chairs before finally checking into their hotel rooms.
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| "All's well that ends well" | Photo Courtesy: Facebook/ SEA Games 2019 |
In a statement, PHISGOC took responsibility over the incident and apologized. They stated, “We sincerely apologize to our athlete guests from Timor-Leste, Myanmar and Cambodia for the inconvenience caused to them by the confusion regarding their transportation and hotel arrangements."
READ: SEA Games 2019 organizers apologize for inconvenience, confusion
Speaking to the media, Cayetano spoke up against the bashing the PHISGOC had been receiving online.
"Hosting ng Pilipinas ‘to...so magtulong-tulong tayo because when you bash the organizing committee, if it is to get us to act correctly or to address inefficiency, it’s most welcome,” Cayetano said.
“[But] if you bash us for the sake of bashing us, or because you don’t want the President or other people to get the credit, ang bina-bash mo sarili mong bansa," he said.
— Sally, The Summit Express
