POC SA PHISGOC: FINANCIAL STATEMENT SA SEA GAMES EXPENDITURES ISUMITE NA

TINUKOY ang kagyat na pangangailangan, iginiit ng pitong miyembro ng 13-man Philippine Olympic Committee Executive Board sa Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee ang agad na pagsusumite ng audited financial statements nito sa mga nagastos sa 2019 30th Southeast Asian Games.

Ang mga board member ay sina POC chairman Steve Hontiveros, first vice president Jose Romasanta, second vice president Col. (ret.) Antonio Jeff Tamayo, Treasurer Julian Camacho, auditor Jonne Go at board members Atty. Jesus Clint Aranas at Robert Mananquil.

Bilang tugon sa mga naging pahayag ni Phisgoc Inc. president and chief operating officer Ramon Suzara noong Miyerkoles, binigyang-diin ng grupo na hindi isyu sa POC general assembly ang government funds na ipinagkaloob sa 30th SEA Games hosting “kundi ang paghahanda at ang pagsusumite ng hinihinging financial statements.”

Si House Speaker Allan Peter Cayetano ang chairman ng Phisgoc na naatasang pamahalaan at patakbuhin ang 30th SEA Games sa ilalim ng kasunduan na nilagdaan noong Agosto 15, 2019 kasama ang POC at Philippine Sports Commission.

“The tripartite agreement obligates Phisgoc to submit to the Philippine Sports Commission and the POC the financial reports and make avail-able all records and documents related to the SEAG,” giit ng mga miyembro ng board.

Nilinaw rin ng majority members ng board na ang kahilingan para sa Phisgoc report ay ‘collective decision’ ng POC general assembly taken na isinagawa sa online meeting nito noong nakaraang Sept. 29.

Binigyang-diin ng grupo na binigyan ng sapat na palugit ang Phisgoc para magsumite ng financial statement na naantala dahil sa COVID-19 pandemic.

Sa parehong miting ay inatasan ng POC si POC secretary general Atty. Edwin Gastanes na abisuhan ang Phisgoc hinggil sa resolution, na nagtatakda sa Oct. 10 bilang deadline sa pagsusumite ng report.

“Our group understands how alarmed the General Assembly is on this matter and the longer this takes casts doubt on how these funds were utilized,” ayon sa grupo.

“Please note that the call for liquidation and transparency is made by the POC General Assembly as a collective. The sentiments expressed by Messrs. Juico and Aranas (i.e. transparency and accountability of the SEA Games Funds) are sentiments unanimously shared among and expressed by the members of the POC General Assembly during the virtual POC General Assembly.”

“Thus, we do not think that our call for transparency casts ‘unnecessary aspersions,’ at least on the integrity of the POC and the PSC. Unless the PHISGOC properly accounts for all these funds soonest, the POC is well within its rights to demand the same from PHISGOC,” dagdag pa nito. CLYDE MARIANO