By Philip M. Lustre Jr.
HOSTING SEA
Games 2019 is a logistical nightmare.
It is not
easy to transport athletes and sports officials of 10 member nations of ASEAN
and one incoming member (Timor Leste) from one place to another, feed them thrice
daily for two weeks, provide playing venues for 56 sport events, and secure
them as well.
Take the
issue of transportation. Officials of the Philippine SEA Games Organizing
Committee, the foundation tasked to organize and handle the biennial regional
sports meet, said that since SEA Games 2019 would be held in 23 cities in four
cluster areas, the requirement could reach over 2,000 buses for the athletes,
sports officials, and even spectators.
The Nov. 30
opening ceremonies could mean a bedlam, as organizers intend to close the North
Luzon Expressway (NLEX) for 6 to 12 hours to enable athletes, sports officials and
spectators to reach and exit Philippine Arena, the Iglesia Ni Kristo-owned
venue in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Transport is
an issue. The Point to Point (P2P) intends to field at least 100 buses, but
they are hardly sufficient for use of the expected 30,000 spectators. Tax-’plagued
Vallacar Bus has committed to field at least 18 units of its Ceres bus line to
transport football teams, but they are insufficient. Besides, its drivers are
hardly proficient in Metro Manila roads. They may get lost.
There are
hardly press reports about buses that are being fielded for use in the 11-day sports
event. Organizers had approached the association of tourist buses for
logistical support, but talks did not prosper.
Member firms
were reported cool to their request to field buses because it was not easy to
extract tourist buses from their deployment without suffering business
reverses. Appropriate compensation was an issue they had failed to resolve.
Yesterday, organizers
held a dry run of the opening ceremonies. Several bus firms were asked to join
the dry run that lasted from morning to noon. It was a nightmarish situation
for drivers, who were asked to park their buses along Agham Road, which has
slum colonies.
Bus drivers
were concerned of their personal safety and the buses their firms had entrusted
on them. Organizers did not seem to mind heir safety, they complained.
A netizen
friend, who is in the know, told us that the logistical issues have stemmed
largely from the attitude issues of Alan Peter Cayetano, who has stubbornly
refused to entertain suggestions and support from other parties, including
government. “Kaya naming it” has been his oft-repeated refrain to suggestion
and offers of support.
Now, he has
to eat his words.
In 2005, the
Department of Tourism had developed and used a template for the SEA Games 2005,
the last the country hosted. The template proved to be successful because participating
teams and athletes hardly complained. Cayetano did ot bother to look at It and
learn from the lessons the template could offer.
Saksakan lang
ng yabang si Cayetano.
