De Lima seeks Senate probe into SEA Games financial report, P387-M debt to suppliers

Opposition Senator Leila de Lima has sought a Senate inquiry into the delays in the submission of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizational Committee’s (PHISGOC) financial statements and its reported ₱387-million outstanding debt to suppliers in the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

De Lima, in filing Senate Resolution No. 557, said it is imperative to determine the cause of delay in the submission of PHISGOC’s financial statements and address the allegations of corruption and mismanagement surrounding the biennial sports meet.

“Given the controversies surrounding the 2019 SEA Games—from allegations of corruption and overspending to logistical nightmares and a bevy of complaints from foreign athletes and delegates—it is imperative for Senate and other agencies with supervision over PHISGOC to look into the matter,” De Lima said in her resolution.

“A complete financial report will help shed light on these questions surrounding the PHISGOC’s handling of the event,” she stressed.

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) ordered PHISGOC to submit a comprehensive report on the operations of the 2019 SEA Games, including an audited financial statement by October 10.

However, PHISGOC failed to comply with the deadline, in violation of the tripartite agreement it signed with POC and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) in 2019.

The agreement mandated PHISGOC to “submit to PSC and POC the required financial reports at the conclusion of the 2019 SEA Games.”

POC maintained that the rules of the Commission on Audit (COA) require agencies and organizations who are recipients of government financial support to liquidate the funds within sixty days after the completion of the project.

“This meant that the report should have been submitted on 9 February 2020, meaning, that the financial statements were already eight months overdue,” the senator pointed out.

“The POC states that they are asking for the financial statements to enable them to perform their oversight functions, in accordance with their tripartite agreement,” she said.

De Lima said it is necessary that the financial report be submitted as soon as possible and be made available to the public in the interest of transparency and accountability.

“There is a need to investigate this series of events to determine the cause of delay in the submission of PHISGOC’s financial statements and finally determine the truth behind the allegations of corruption and mismanagement of the PHISGOC during the 2019 SEA Games,” she stressed.

“There is also a need to ensure that support and funding are given to the agencies that have the proper mandate, and that accountability lies even with private organizations, especially those who have access to government resources,” she reiterated.