MANILA • The Philippine government is set to launch an inquiry into the logistical troubles that have plagued the country's hosting of the 2019 SEA Games.
Senator Bong Go has said he will initiate a Senate inquiry into the problems that have inconvenienced athletes.
Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo also supported calls for an investigation into the hosting of the biennial Games once it is over, and for sanctions to be meted out to those who are proven responsible for the mess.
He had earlier said that no heads would roll among the organisers, despite the complaints from athletes and negative foreign media reports.
The Games open officially only on Saturday but competition in some sports, such as football, floorball and netball, has already started. Some 11,000 athletes and officials from 11 countries are expected for the two-week event which is held in three main clusters - Manila, New Clark City and Subic Bay.
The widespread reports have angered President Rodrigo Duterte, the presidential palace said, as it urged organisers to ensure that they have backup plans to avoid inconveniencing the athletes.
"Of course, the President does not like what is happening," Mr Panelo said in an interview over state-run Radyo Pilipinas on Tuesday.
"The President is angry over what happened."
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$201m
Public funds allocated for the SEA Games, lodged in the Department of Foreign Affairs' budget which were transferred to the Philippine Sports Commission.
He also apologised for "unintentional inconvenience suffered by our athlete-guests" and said Mr Duterte "will not offer any excuses".
The complaints range from accommodation and transportation problems, to crammed shuttles from the airport and inadequate food.
A Filipino team's complaint over the lack of nutritious food served - particularly the combination of rice, egg and kikiam, a popular food similar to ngo hiang - went viral on social media, where #SEAGamesfail is trending with thousands of posts.
On Tuesday, Mr Panelo urged the organisers to ensure that they have contingency measures to cover any logistical trouble or inconvenience that may occur.
He cited the experience of the Cambodian football team, who had to sleep on the floor of the Century Park Hotel in Manila after the team arrived earlier than the agreed check-in time of 2pm on Saturday.
He said: "If the athletes arrived earlier, then why not bring them to another hotel for the meantime? Why would you wait for the 2pm check-in time and make them sleep just anywhere?"
He added that organisers should have backup vehicles at all times to avoid transportation problems.
Following complaints about transport and accommodation, the Department of Tourism said it would be handling reception and accommodation coordination in partnership with the Tourism Congress of the Philippines.
Politicians have been trading barbs about who to blame, with a row brewing between some opposition lawmakers and members of the organising committee, headed by Mr Duterte's former running mate, over alleged corruption and budget delays that slowed down disbursement of funds.
House of Representatives Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, chair of the Philippine South-east Asian Games Organising Committee, has claimed the transfer of 7.5 billion pesos (S$201.3 million) in public funds from the Department of Foreign Affairs to the Philippine Sports Commission caused the logistical foul-ups.
PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, REUTERS
