The Philippines will still be the next host of the shelved BIMP-EAGA Friendship Games which will be held in 2012.
In a unanimous vote by representatives of the Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines focus areas during yesterday’s BIMP-EAGA Sports Council meeting at the Century Sheraton Hotel, the country was reinstalled as official host of the biennial games which was supposed to be hosted by Davao City this year.
The Games was shelved indefinitely upon the request of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) which underwent a change in leadership last July when newly-installed chairman Richie Garcia replaced former chair Harry Angping.
Garcia initially opened the invitation to member-countries to host the Games after apologizing officially for the postponement of the sports conclave. However, other members of the Council unanimously agreed to retain the Philippines as host and resetting the Games in 2012.
The BIMP-EAGA Sports Council meeting was attended by Mohd Zamri Datu Hamdani and Haji Mohamed Zafri of Brunei Darussalam, Valerie Wong of Sabah, Malaysia, Francis Nyurang Ding and Haji Soedirman Bin Aini of Sarawak, Malaysia, Dr. Bambang Nugroho and Isak Sembor of West Papua, Indonesia, and Jusoh Bin Salle and Helmi Bali of Labuan, Malaysia. The Philippines was also represented by PSC Commissioner Salvador Andrada along with Executive Director Geraldine Bernardo and chief of staff Atty. Guillermo Iroy, Jr.
The Council also affirmed Garcia as chairman for the next two years while declaring Labuan as the next host in 2014.
“I gladly accept the responsibility as chair of this Council and for the country to host the Games in 2012,” Garcia said.
There is no discussion, however, on the host city of the 2012 Games. Davao City was named host in the shelved 2010 edition. Garcia said the host will be named later by the PSC although most of the members are interested in Davao City. Other possible host areas are Gen. Santos-Sarangani and Cagayan de Oro City.
“Security will be a primary consideration in picking the next host,” Garcia said.
The Council likewise retained as official events sepak takraw, badminton, karatedo (kata), table tennis, pencak silat, chess and marathon. The only amendments were increasing the events in table tennis and badminton to include doubles.
Other significant agreements reached were the age limit at 23, the holding of a pre-Games marathon event next year, and the cancellation of the search for Miss BIMP-EAGA. [neil bravo]
The PSC is expecting some P3 Million budget required to host the Games with counterpart from the host local government unit. “We were apprehensive at first because Brunei hosted the Games with a huge budget and shouldered some of the needs of the participants. We can only do it at a conservative budget,” Atty. Iroy, Garcia’s chief of staff, said.
Iroy added that the chairman will be tapping Commissioner Joaquin “Chito” Loyzaga as Commissioner-in-charge of the event.
