‘No extravagance’ in P50-M SEA Games cauldron

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte holds a press conference at the Malacañan Palace on November 19, 2019. VALERIE ESCALERA/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA – There was nothing extravagant in the PHP50-million cauldron built for the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Tuesday.

“Walang extravagance diyan (There is no extravagance there),” the President told Palace reporters in a press conference at Palace’s Heroes Hall late Tuesday night, referring to the cauldron designed by the late National Artist for Architecture, Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa.

The President issued the statement after Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon questioned the spending of over PHP50 million for the design and construction of the stadium cauldron that will be used for the SEA Games to be hosted by the Philippines from November 30 to December 11 this year.

Duterte said the amount was justified, in a bid to meet the “product of the mind” of the creator.

He also believed there was no irregularity in the purchase of the cauldron.

“You know, there can never be corruption in that situation because you commissioned a national artist. Si Mañosa was commissioned by the government to create ‘yung nakita mo ‘yung kaldero ngayon (that cauldron). It is a product of the mind. You cannot estimate how much nalugi ka (your losses) because it is the rendition of the mind of the creator,” he said.

“Doon kontrata. Ito binili mo ang utak niya. Kung pumayag ka sa utak niya, wala kayong usapan na kobrahan ko kayo ng ganun (It’s a contract. You paid him for using his idea. When you agreed to use his creative mind, you don’t have an agreement to get a share from it),” Duterte added.

The design of the cauldron, which is three meters in diameter, costs PHP4.

48 million, while the 50-meter high foundation amounted to PHP13.4 million. The total cost of construction was pegged at PHP32 million.

On Monday, Drilon said the budget for the cauldron could have been spent to construct 50 classrooms.

The President, however, said the government “cannot debate” with the designer who created “a symbolism of the athletic activity”.

“We build schools, yes. We build infrastructures for an Olympic event, yes. You impose your whatever thing there as big or small, you begin to criticize the efforts of the people there,” he said.

“And that person is valuable because he created something which you want to portray up there of the coming Olympics,” Duterte added.