WITH the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games just under a hundred days away, manpower is being built up for it, including volunteers, who organizers said will play a key role in the successful hosting of the biennial regional sporting meet.
Speaking at the Subic-Clark Cluster Launch of the SEA Games Volunteers Program on Friday at the ASEAN Convention Center at Clark Pampanga, Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (PHISGOC) Chief Operating Officer Ramon Suzara touted the part that volunteers would play in the hosting of the SEA Games, referring to them as the “backbone” of the whole event.
“Whatever we have been doing in PHISGOC for the last few years will be meaningless without you. If we don’t have any of you, then we won’t be able to deliver the best SEA Games. And with this, you are part our family, our SEA Games family,” Mr. Suzara said.
The PHISGOC official went on to say that volunteers will have an experience to remember as they angle to stage the biggest and best SEA Games ever.
For this year’s SEA Games, some 11,000 athletes and sports officials are expected to converge for the 12-day event, happening from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 across various venues in four identified clusters, namely, Clark, Subic, Metro Manila, and other areas in South Luzon.
The Games involves 530 medal events covering 56 sports.
In connection with this, the organizers are banking on the efforts of the 9,000-strong volunteers to provide needed support in various capacities.
Mr. Suzara said volunteers will be assigned to specific functional areas of PHISGOC depending on their skill sets and interests just as he urged them to work together come the 30th SEA Games.
ADDED BOOST
Meanwhile, also at the volunteers program launch, PHISGOC welcomed additional boosts from top government officials and partner institutions as the preparations take further form.
The organizing committee said 25 partner institutions, consisting of universities and colleges, provincial government and business group, have come on board to help the country in its hosting duties, apart from the local officials who expressed support for the thrust.
The partner institutions that declared support for the SEA Games volunteer program include: Columban College, Inc., Mondriaan Aura College, Lyceum of Subic Bay, Gordon College, Philippine Merchant Marine Academy, Subic Bay Colleges, Inc., President Ramon Magsaysay State University, St. Joseph College, City College of Angeles, and Clark College of Science & Technology, Gentry International School, Jocson College, and Mabalacat City College.
Also on board are Our Lady of Fatima, Philippine State College of Aeronautics, Ifugao State University, Pangasinan State University, Holy Angel University, Angeles University Foundation, Systems Plus College Foundation, Tarlac State University, Colegio De Sebastian, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Provincial Government of Tarlac.
Present at the launch, meanwhile, were Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez, Senator Francis Tolentino, Pampanga Governor Dennis Pineda and Zambales Representative Cheryl Deloso-Montalla (2nd district), Capas Tarlac Mayor Rey Catacutan, Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Senior Deputy Administrator for Support Services Mon Agregado and Clark Development Corp. (CDC) President Noel Manankil.
Chris Tiu, Deputy Director of Volunteer Program and former Philippine Basketball Association player, led hundreds of volunteers from different parts of Luzon, as they recited their pledge of support for the SEA Games and to serve the country as well.
“I believe in the power of unity and camaraderie, in unity there is greater strength and bigger potential to succeed,” the manifesto reads.
“I know that We is bigger than I. Together we can overcome the challenges. We will win as one,” the volunteers recited. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
