2005 Southeast Asian Games - Opening Ceremony

Opening Ceremony

The 11 national flags of the participating countries in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games fly high during the opening ceremony on Sunday at the Quirino Grandstand.

The opening ceremonies of the games were held at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila; the first time a park was utilized instead of a stadium. By doing so, it brought down costs, alleviating the need to spend millions of pesos just to upgrade existing facilities. It also aided in accommodating the large audience.

200,000 spectators gathered at the park to witness the three-hour ceremony officiated by the Philippine President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Starting with a parade of the Philippine flag carried by members of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines and Girl Scouts of the Philippines (from Siena College of Quezon City), it was followed by the Philippines's best athletes, as well as some SEA Games alumni. After the national anthem of the Philippines was sung, a colorful cultural dance was presented by the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company.

The carrying of the SEA Games Federation Flag was led by alumni athlete Eric Buhain, sprint queen Elma Muros-Posadas, and badminton player Weena Lim. The athletes and officials from the participating countries then marched in alphabetical order starting with the contingent from Brunei Darussalam, and ending with the 740-strong Philippine contingent. Following tradition, the host country entered the arena last.

Cebu City and other satellite venues opened the Games two days earlier with pomp and pageantry. The opening ceremonies in Cebu served as a pre-cursor to the formal opening ceremonies in Manila.

In an unexpected move, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Philippines’ largest Islamic separatist group, sent representatives to attend the opening ceremonies as spectators; a “goodwill measure.”