[3] This edition was marked by the first major decentralization in the history of the Games, with competition venues spread in 23 cities across the country and divided into four clusters; all were located on the island of Luzon (Metro Manila, Clark, Subic/Olongapo, and a fourth cluster consisting of standalone venues in Cavite, Laguna, and La Union).

The hosting rights were originally awarded to Brunei in 2012,[4] but the country pulled out days before the 2015 SEA Games due to "financial and logistical reasons.

Amidst numerous controversies and problems, the games were deemed generally successful with the rising standard of competition amongst the Southeast Asian nations, with its hosting being lauded by the Olympic Council of Asia for its facilities and hospitality.

[12] In July 2012, the SEAGF meeting in Myanmar confirmed that Malaysia would host the regional biennial event in 2017, should there be no other country willing to bid for the games.

[13] Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) secretary general Sieh Kok Chi, who attended the meeting, said that Myanmar would host the Games in 2013, followed by Singapore in 2015 and Brunei in 2017.

[28] During the closing ceremony of the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, the symbolic SEA Games Federation council flag was handed over by outgoing Malaysian Olympic Committee president HRH Tunku Tan Sri Imran to then-Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco, who in turn passed the flag to then-Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, who will be the Chairman of organizing committee for 2019 games.

Public figures and groups, such as the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas President Monico Puentevella and the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines appealed to then-President Rodrigo Duterte to make the tickets free.

[41] On November 29, 2019, upon instructions of then-President Duterte, tickets were made available for free for all sporting events, except basketball, football and volleyball, which were sold out.

[43] Organizers coordinated with the Department of Transportation regarding logistics for the games including the possible closure of the North Luzon Expressway to the public for 12 hours before the opening ceremony.

[44] Vehicles, including 362 public buses, 162 sedans and 100 VIP cars, were planned to be bought and 268 vans were to be rented for use for the regional games.

[46] Around 9,000 individuals were recruited among those 20,686 people who expressed interest to join the volunteering program, 14,683 of which applied through official online portals.

At the back is a rendering of the sports facilities at the New Clark City, site of the SEA Games, which was incorporated using high density etching.

[48] They were accompanied by a wooden carrying box, while medalists also received flower bouquets, Pami and Philippine Airlines aircraft stuffed toys.

The design of the official torch for the games was designed by Filipino metal sculptor Daniel dela Cruz[50] The torch was inspired from the sampaguita (Jasminum sambac) the Philippines' national flower and the hammered portions of the object represents the rays of the Philippine flag's sun.

[51] The torch was officially unveiled on August 23, 2019, at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay during the 100-day countdown to the games.

[50] Preceding the torch run in the Philippines[51] was the ceremonial lighting of the lantern at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on October 3, 2019.

[52][53] During the ceremony, the flame was placed on a special lantern and was brought to Davao City to start the domestic part of the relay across the nation.

[57] The cauldron is a metal structure that stands at 12.5 meters (41 ft), built outside the New Clark City Athletics Stadium in Capas, Tarlac and it was lit on November 30 by the boxers Manny Pacquiao and Nesthy Petecio during the opening ceremony.

[60] There were four designated clusters or hubs for the sporting events of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games namely Clark, Subic, Metro Manila, and "Other Areas".

[66] The NOC (National Olympic Committee) mansions and villas for accommodating of the delegates from the competing countries were built in New Clark City.

[98][99] The music video which was shot at the New Clark City Sports Hub was directed by Shem Hampac and was produced by Equinox Manila.

The presenters of the games' victory ceremonies would be wearing attire inspired from Filipino traditional clothing namely the Balintawak dress, barong tagalog, and Baro't Saya.

[49] The barong tagalog was used as the official uniform for Team Philippines' parade in the 2019 SEA Games Opening Ceremony.

[108] France-based GL events provided the overlays and temporary structures of the 39 sporting venues to be used for the 2019 SEA Games.

[108] PHISGOC appointed MediaPro Asia as the official exclusive production, media rights, marketing and sponsorship agent of the games.

They covered events prior to the competition proper including the torch relays in the Philippines and Malaysia, as well as the Game Hub and Fan Zones.

[113] Mastercard is the main sponsor of the games' official mobile app which would allow users to view the schedule and results as well purchase tickets and food in the venue.

The insurance plan covers death or any accident-related injuries incurred both during the games and in training, and losses due to sabotage and terrorist acts.

Collaborating with Ryan Cayabyab, he performed a remix of his troupe's song rendered in Filipino traditional instruments and orchestral accompaniment.

[143] Following a meeting of the Southeast Asian Games Federation Council from November 23 to 24, 2018, the approval of the 56 proposed sports were finalized with 530 events planned to be contested.