User:BSrap/2019 Southeast Asian Games cauldron controversy

The 2019 Southeast Asian Games cauldron controversy begins when Senate Minority Floor Leader Franklin Drilon questioned the ₱50 million (US$1 million) budget of construction the cauldron for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

Background
The cauldron to be lit by the torch is a metal structure that stands at 50 m, built outside the New Clark City Stadium in Capas, Tarlac and will be lit on November 30 during the Opening Ceremony of the games. The inside is a hollow space filled with gravel, with metal ladders placed on each side of the structure. According to the PHISGOC, the Philippine government spent around ₱47 million for the cauldron.

The cauldron was designed by National Artist for Architecture, Francisco Mañosa, which was his last project prior to his death.

Controversy
Senate Minority Floor Leader Franklin Drilon questioned the ₱50 million (US$1 million) budget allotted for the construction of the cauldron. During the plenary deliberations of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority's (BCDA) budget for the 2019 SEA Games at the Philippine Senate, Drilon lamented that the budget could have been used for other purposes of national importance, such as the construction of classrooms instead. Senator Sonny Angara, chairman of the Senate finance committee, defended the budget by saying that the cauldron is intended to showcase Filipino ingenuity. Senator Bong Go, chairman of the Senate sports committee, added that the government plans to lease out the cauldron after the event. President Rodrigo Duterte denied corruption allegations over its construction and reiterated Angara's claim, even adding that the PHISGOC commissioned Francisco Mañosa, a National Artist of the Philippines for Architecture, to design the cauldron. Alan Peter Cayetano denied that the budget for the cauldron was overpriced and said that it was cheaper than the cauldron constructed for the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore, which cost around ₱62 million ($1.2 million).

The family of the late Bobby Mañosa, who designed the cauldron, were accused of failing to pay the estimated P253 million to the investors back.

Reactions
An image on an Facebook accounts were uploaded, showing a comparison between the SEA Games cauldron and the proposed Centennial Tower at Rizal Park in Manila. Local netizens found the similarities " between the Philippines’ hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games and a failed 2017 luxury music festival in the United States."