Capitol sets talk on football brawl

CEBU, Philippines - The Capitol is set to hold a dialogue between Alcoy Football Club, Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) and other concerned parties involved in a brawl during the Aboitiz Football Cup.

Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III, however, made it clear that the province is not taking sides on the issue but is just mediating through providing a venue for a dialogue on Monday.

“Among position is mag provide lang og venue nga mag dialogue ang duha ka parties including the Mayor sa Alcoy (Nicomedes de los Santos),” Davide said.

The dialogue was set after some parents of the SHS-AdC players trooped yesterday to the Capitol to air their side and to “clear their name.”

They claimed they were blamed by the public for the controversy whose photo that appeared in a local daily went viral online.

“We are being blamed by the public. We just want to clear our name. We have to put an end on that,” said June Jumecillo, one of the parents.

Davide further added that the province would provide legal assistance should the parents of the victims who are minors would elevate the matter to the court.

“We are duty-bound to assist kay duna man tay mandate. We have the Provincial Women’s and Children’s Commission. We are mandated to protect the interests of the children, to protect them against child abuse, if there is any evidence (that a child abuse actually happened),” he added.

The Aboitiz Group earlier expressed concern over the incident, saying that it will not condone the “unacceptable behavior” and that it is conducting investigation into the matter.

“The Cebu Football Association (CFA), the organizer and implementer of the Football Cup, is currently investigating the matter and will send us their report once it is complete. Meanwhile, we wish for the speedy recovery of those who were hurt, especially the children, during the incident. We trust that the CFA will take the right and immediate measures to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future,” said the Aboitiz Group in its official statement.  (FREEMAN)