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Wednesday, January 18, 2006
CebuSoc flayed on audit, gripes
By Linette C. Ramos Sun.Star Staff Reporter
Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña also wants CebuSOC chairman Jonathan Guar-do to account for the P10 million the local organizing committee got from Malacañang, aside from the close to P10 million from PhilSOC.
City Administrator Francisco Fernandez said the mayor was surprised to find out that CebuSOC also received P10 million from Malacañang through the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
Guardo admitted this yesterday, saying the amount was used for the opening of the 23rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Cebu, as well as repair works for the sports venues and operational and marketing expenses.
The P10 million that the Cebu SEA Games organizing committee (CebuSOC) received from PSC is separate from the P9.8 million from the Philippines SEA Games organizing committee (PhilSOC) and the P3 million the City Government allocated for the Philippine team.
“We only knew about the P8 or P9 million from PhilSOC and now that Mr. Cojuangco revealed that there’s another P10 million from Malacañang, the more we will ask for a liquidation. The public has to know about that also,” Fernandez told Sun.Star Cebu.
But in a separate interview, Guardo said local officials and the public knew about the P10 million from PSC since there was a formal turnover of the check, which the mayor and the governor attended.
The media also covered the event, he said.
Gripes
As of yesterday, Guardo said CebuSOC already liquidated 90 percent of the PSC funds and 70 percent of the PhilSOC funds.
Like the funds from PhilSOC, Guardo said he will submit the liquidation report only to the PSC.
He expects all liquidation reports to be completed at the end of this week.
In his speech before the country’s top athletes over the weekend, PhilSOC Chairman Jose “Peping” Cojuangco reportedly discussed his gripes against CebuSOC, whose officials complained in public about the delay in the release of the funds.
Cojuangco said he did not want to reveal all the funds that CebuSOC received, but he was compelled to do so after hearing so many complaints.
Guardo, who resigned as chairman of the Cebu City Sports Commission over the fund controversy involving the SEA Games in Cebu, earlier said PhilSOC has yet to give them the full amount promised to CebuSOC.
“They have to pay us for us to shut up. The hotels are not even supposed to be our obligation but kami ang nangatubang kay napiit na mi after PhilSOC did not pay up and I’m blaming Peping Cojuangco for that,” Guardo told Sun.Star Cebu.
Balance
Guardo said PhilSOC has yet to pay them some P2 million, which will cover their balance for the hotel accommodations of foreign athletes in at least three hotels.
CebuSOC still has to settle their balance with Golden Peak Hotel, Sarrosa Hotel and Cebu Grand Hotel.
The PhilSOC funds were also used for the food of volunteers while the City Government funds were used for the Team Philippines accommodations, apart from the hotel rooms, food and transportation of foreign athletes.
Guardo said that until PhilSOC settles its obligations with CebuSOC, the issue will not be resolved.
Cebu, Bacolod and Subic were the three satellite venues for the biennial sports meet last Nov. 25 to Dec. 5.
Six events were spread in the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Danao.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (January 18, 2006 issue)
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