P250-M INILAAN SA SEAG CAMPAIGN NG PINAS

NAKATAKDANG talakayin ng mga opisyal ng Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) at Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) sa susunod na linggo ang mga paghahanda ng bansa para sa 32nd Southeast Asian Games na gaganapin sa Cambodia sa May 5-17.

“Hopefully, we’ll be officially meeting with the PSC not later than Wednesday next week to get the task rolling,” wika ni baseball association president Chito Loyzaga, na itinalagang Chef de Mission (CDM) ng Team Philippines, sa POC Executive Board meeting sa Knights Templar Ridge Hotel sa Tagaytay City noong Huwebes.

Inatasan ni POC President Abraham Tolentino si deputy secretary general Bones Floro na isaayos ang meeting kay PSC Chairperson Richard Bachmann.

Abala na ang tanggapan ni Loyzaga sa pagsasapinal ng bubuo sa Philippine delegation upang makasunod sa Jan. 14 deadline na itinakda ng Cambodia SEA Games organizers para sa pagsusumite ng entry by number.

“The POC objective is to participate in all events possible, there’s no issue there. That’s our mindset, the CDM staff and the entire organization,” ani Loyzaga.

May 608 events sa 49 sports sa Cambodia, mas malaki sa 530 events sa 56 sports noong 2019 (Manila) at sa 526 events sa 40 sports sa Vietnam noong nakaraang taon.

“With that goal, we’re looking at a more than 800-athlete delegation and a total delegation of 1,200 — counting the coaches, medical and administrative staff,” ayon pa kay Loyzaga.

Naglaan ang pamahalaan ng P250 million para sa SEA Games preparation at participation ng bansa.

“That’s one of our main concerns with the PSC. After we have finalized the entry by numbers, we’ll be ready for some pencil-pushing and calculation and come up with an actual cost,” dagdag pa ni Loyzaga.

Target ng Pilipinas na maduplika ang fourth-place finish sa Vietnam sa kabila ng matinding hamon na kakaharapin nito sa Cambodia.

“As a former athlete, I aim to win, always go for the win. But you can’t win all the time. It will be a tough challenge in Cambodia,” ani Loyzaga, na inaasistihan nina deputy chiefs of mission Leonora Escollante ng canoe-kayak at Paolo Tancontian ng sambo. Ang baseball, canoe-kayak at sambo ay tinanggal sa Cambodia SEA Games program.

CLYDE MARIANO