President Duterte has defended the controversial P55-million Southeast Asian (SEA) Games cauldron, dismissing claims that its creation was marred by corruption.
鈥淭here can never be corruption in that situation because you commissioned a National Artist,鈥� the President said at a hastily-called press conference in Malaca帽ang on Tuesday night.
Duterte said the structure to be used during the SEA Games hosted by the country later this month was a 鈥減roduct of the mind鈥� of its creator, the late national artist for architecture, Francisco 鈥淏obby鈥� Ma帽osa.
鈥淢a帽osa was commissioned by the government to create the cauldron. It is a product of the mind. You cannot estimate how much you lost because it is the rendition of the mind of the creator,鈥� the President said.
Duterte likened the commissioning of the cauldron to that of a painting, and having the artist place a price tag or worth on his creation.
During deliberations on the proposed budget of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority at the Senate on Monday, it was learned that Ma帽osa designed the cauldron for P4.4 million. Its foundation cost P13.4 million while the construction itself cost P32 million.
鈥淚f that鈥檚 his price, then he will say, then don鈥檛 buy it if you don鈥檛 like it. That鈥檚 my price, just like a painting. You commission a painting, a family painting 鈥� Those who painted that were paid, how much? We don鈥檛 know. A painting of President Duterte there, it was paid for, maybe P5 million?鈥� he said.
鈥淵ou cannot debate with the painter 鈥� Now, you create a symbolism of the athletic activity 鈥� There鈥檚 no extravagance there,鈥� the President added.
The cauldron that will be used to carry the SEA Games flame was earlier questioned by Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon who considered it extravagant and unnecessary.
The money used for the cauldron could have been used to construct 50 classrooms worth P1 million each, Drilon said.
But the President shot back at the senator and asked why Drilon built a coliseum in his home province, a reference to the P450-million Iloilo Convention Center constructed in September 2015 for the Asia Pacific Economic Conference.
About P250 million of the coliseum鈥檚 construction cost was sourced from Drilon鈥檚 priority development assistance fund.
鈥淗ow many kilometers could have been constructed with Drilon鈥檚 coliseum? Is it used every day? Well, if it is used and making money, fine,鈥� the President said.
He added: 鈥淏ut how many kilometers of those public structures there in Iloilo [could have been constructed] if it was used to cement all the highways there?鈥�