Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers on Sunday dismissed any move to remove Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano amid controversies in the preparations of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
“As far as I am concerned, honestly, I have not seen, heard or felt that there would be a change in leadership,” he said.
“As I speak, the way things are, the commitment is still intact. That is a gentleman’s agreement. I think, there is no change,” he added, referring to term-sharing deal between Cayetano and Marinduque Representative Lord Velasco.
Cayetano as the appointed chairperson of the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee said he was ready to face any investigation over the issues hounding the country’s hosting of the biennial meet.
Barbers came to the defense of Cayetano, saying hitches were just normal in the hosting of every sporting event.
“Of course, not all is perfect. There will always be glitches… No organizing committee is that perfect,” he said.
“In fact, even our athletes would tell (us) about their experiences (in other host-countries). But they never heard that there was thing of every one criticizing the host,” he added.
The Surigao del Norte lawmaker said Congress may call for an investigation into the spread of “fake news” regarding the SEA Games issues.
