Fair Play: Guardo and the SEA Games fund
HAD Jonathan Guardo, the former Cebusoc chairman, spent the P10 million SEA Games aid from the Philippine Sports
Commission as intended, people would have lynched him for wasting government money.
It would have been like spending millions to asphalt a perfectly fine paved road.
Because he didn’t, he’s being charged for misuse of public funds. He even got arrested last Thursday.
PSC released the P10 million on Sept. 15, 2005, and along with it a note that it was for the “refurbishment and construction of the venues for the SEA Games.”
Problem is, the Cebusoc worked their butts off for months, and everything was in place as early as August 2005—that’s when Cebu hosted the last of a series of national events to test its readiness for the SEA Games.
Before that, owners of two of the venues—the USC Gym and the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu—spent their own money to improve their facilities. Improvements in the other two—in Mandaue and Danao Cities—were done, funded by their LGUs.
When Cebusoc was launched in late 2004, the PSC, then headed by Eric Buhain, promised to give it P10 million for the SEA Games hosting. Buhain was replaced by Butch Ramirez in early 2005, and the amiable Davaoeño said he’d fulfill his predecessor’s promise.
But the PSC was plagued with lack of funds, it even had to hold a fund-raiser and name godfathers who could spare a million or two for each of the national teams.
In June 2005, Hello Garci broke out and PGMA’s grip of her office seemed precarious. As GMA fended off destabilization attempts, Cebusoc, too, had to fend off inquiries that the SEA Games wouldn’t push through. Worse, in July, Cebusoc had to correct reports that came out in Manila radios that Cebu was backing out of hosting the SEA Games.
The P10 million was given after a letter, signed by the mayors of Cebu, Mandaue and Danao City and the governor, was sent to the PSC chairman. That letter, sent in August, said Cebu, Mandaue and Danao had spent much for the
“refurbishment and improvements of the facilities…”
And on Sept. 15, two and a half months before the SEA Games, Cebusoc got the money for the “refurbishments and improvements” it already accomplished but not for the logistical expenses of hosting 1,000 athletes from 11 countries.
The correct thing to do would have been to return the check and have that pesky notation removed, but it took Cebusoc almost a year to get it, and hindsight…
Guardo said he suspects politics is behind his arrest. Though I won’t go that far, I admit, his arrest seemed strange.
Guardo is only a collateral damage of the war between Harry Angping, the new PSC chairman, and Peping Cojuangco, the POC head—a war that led to two RP teams in the 2009 SEA Games. PSC first charged Monico Puentevella, the Basoc head, for P50 million, two weeks before Guardo.
Then it charged Cojuangco, the Philsoc head, in November for P70 million.
Of the three, it was only Atan who got arrested.
LOOK BACK. I was in Bacolod during the SEA Games, and I couldn’t have been more proud of Cebu when reporters there sung praises after seeing the opening ceremony of Cebu.
I never knew it was going to be the last one.
The POC said it’s bidding to host the 2015 SEA Games, right after the 2014 Asian Beach Games, which Peping also wants the country to host.
I used to hate it when events of this magnitude were clustered in Manila, but in this case, Imperial Manila can have it all.
After Guardo’s experience, I don’t think anybody in his right mind would volunteer to head Cebusoc should POC throw Cebu
a few events.
A stint in jail is an ugly reward for doing your job.
Commission as intended, people would have lynched him for wasting government money.
It would have been like spending millions to asphalt a perfectly fine paved road.
Because he didn’t, he’s being charged for misuse of public funds. He even got arrested last Thursday.
PSC released the P10 million on Sept. 15, 2005, and along with it a note that it was for the “refurbishment and construction of the venues for the SEA Games.”
Problem is, the Cebusoc worked their butts off for months, and everything was in place as early as August 2005—that’s when Cebu hosted the last of a series of national events to test its readiness for the SEA Games.
Before that, owners of two of the venues—the USC Gym and the Waterfront Hotel and Casino in Cebu—spent their own money to improve their facilities. Improvements in the other two—in Mandaue and Danao Cities—were done, funded by their LGUs.
When Cebusoc was launched in late 2004, the PSC, then headed by Eric Buhain, promised to give it P10 million for the SEA Games hosting. Buhain was replaced by Butch Ramirez in early 2005, and the amiable Davaoeño said he’d fulfill his predecessor’s promise.
But the PSC was plagued with lack of funds, it even had to hold a fund-raiser and name godfathers who could spare a million or two for each of the national teams.
In June 2005, Hello Garci broke out and PGMA’s grip of her office seemed precarious. As GMA fended off destabilization attempts, Cebusoc, too, had to fend off inquiries that the SEA Games wouldn’t push through. Worse, in July, Cebusoc had to correct reports that came out in Manila radios that Cebu was backing out of hosting the SEA Games.
The P10 million was given after a letter, signed by the mayors of Cebu, Mandaue and Danao City and the governor, was sent to the PSC chairman. That letter, sent in August, said Cebu, Mandaue and Danao had spent much for the
“refurbishment and improvements of the facilities…”
And on Sept. 15, two and a half months before the SEA Games, Cebusoc got the money for the “refurbishments and improvements” it already accomplished but not for the logistical expenses of hosting 1,000 athletes from 11 countries.
The correct thing to do would have been to return the check and have that pesky notation removed, but it took Cebusoc almost a year to get it, and hindsight…
Guardo said he suspects politics is behind his arrest. Though I won’t go that far, I admit, his arrest seemed strange.
Guardo is only a collateral damage of the war between Harry Angping, the new PSC chairman, and Peping Cojuangco, the POC head—a war that led to two RP teams in the 2009 SEA Games. PSC first charged Monico Puentevella, the Basoc head, for P50 million, two weeks before Guardo.
Then it charged Cojuangco, the Philsoc head, in November for P70 million.
Of the three, it was only Atan who got arrested.
LOOK BACK. I was in Bacolod during the SEA Games, and I couldn’t have been more proud of Cebu when reporters there sung praises after seeing the opening ceremony of Cebu.
I never knew it was going to be the last one.
The POC said it’s bidding to host the 2015 SEA Games, right after the 2014 Asian Beach Games, which Peping also wants the country to host.
I used to hate it when events of this magnitude were clustered in Manila, but in this case, Imperial Manila can have it all.
After Guardo’s experience, I don’t think anybody in his right mind would volunteer to head Cebusoc should POC throw Cebu
a few events.
A stint in jail is an ugly reward for doing your job.
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