Football for peace

Had the defense of the Junior Azkals in the Southeast Asian Games been as good as that the Department of Justice and the others that stopped former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from leaving the country, we would have been in better shape.

Arroyo, despite being armed with a temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court, was forced to return to the hospital as she was not allowed to board her flight to Singapore.

This is not a political column, so don’t expect me to comment if I believe it was legal or maybe proper or not.

The defense of the Philippine football team in Indonesia has been mainly blamed for their failure.

Even to the untrained eye, it was obvious how the opponents have been able to breach through the backline without much challenge that led to losses that could have been easily prevented.

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I still feel so bad after seeing how the Philippines lost in the hands of supposed minnows and I hope that the Philippine Football Federation has learned its lessons.

They have been regularly referring to the current squad as the team for the next SEA Games. We will know what will happen in two years time.

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One email in the PMA Cebu Squad egroup caught my attention. It was sent by an officer of the Philippine Marines asking for support to their efforts to use football as a tool to promote peace in Sulu.

Major Stephen Cabanlet said that Marine Battalion Landing Team (MBLT)-3 started a football clinic last November 5. This is for the people of Sulu aged 18 years old and below.

The clinic will last for the entire month of November and will culminate with the Sulu Football Cup on December 4 and 5.

Cabanlet said that the kids play barefoot and it will be a major burden to their battalion if they too have to provide such.

The call for assistance got some members of the PMA Cebu Squad interested to help and first to answer the call was the Lexmark Security and the Lexmark Football Club through Cabanlet’s mistah Marlon Mesina.

Others who might want to also offer their support in terms of donations of shoes, uniforms, balls, and others can course it through Mesina, but please do so by today as they are sending their donations tomorrow.

If there are more, I’m sure it would not be hard to arrange another shipment and the members of the PMA Cebu Squad can help you make sure it gets to the right people.

Football, which is used as the world’s number one sport, has been used many times to push peace. I share the wish of the men of MBLT-3 that they will succeed in this endeavor.

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MILESTONES: Happy birthday greetings go to Atty. Cristina Gabutina, Romyl ‘Juv-juv’ Rizada, James Janea, and Iris Castillo-Cullar, who are turning a year older today.

Advance greetings go to those celebrating tomorrow like my uncle Leonardo F. Quiñones, Gail Tabanao-Flores, Jade Liza Camacho-Tan, Enrico Cardoniga, and Councilor Richie Osmeña.

More power to all of you! - THE FREEMAN