President Rodrigo Duterte fuels SEA Games fire by defending the US$985,000 spent on 50-metre high flame cauldron
- Country’s leader backs Games organising committee head and politician Alan Peter Cayetano, who was criticised by a fellow lawmaker
- The cauldron was designed by one of the country’s leading artists, the late Francisco ‘Bobby’ Mañosa
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has had to step in and douse the flames of one Southeast Asian Games fire – just so another can burn brightly.
The country’s leader has defended the price tag of the 50-million pesos (US$985,000, HK$7.6 million) cauldron at Clark City on which the Southeast Asian Games, also called the SEA Games, flame will burn from November 30 and December 11.
Duterte was backing politician and SEA Games organising committee chairman Alan Peter Cayetano, who was criticised by Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon over the 50-metre high cauldron – which was designed by late national artist Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa.
“There can never be corruption in that situation because you commissioned a national artist,” Duterte was quoted as saying at a press conference on Tuesday night. “It is a product of the mind. You cannot estimate how much [you are losing] because it is a rendition of the mind of the creator.
“If that’s the price of the artist, then you cannot control that. There is no extravagance there,” he said.
The artist charged 4.4 million pesos for the design of the 3-metre wide cauldron while organisers paid 13.4 million pesos for the foundation and 32 million for its construction. The remainder of the costs goes for fuel to keep the flame burning throughout the event and other expenses.
