Children of war, children of peace

MATINA, Davao – Metro Manila is not the Philippines. That’s a line I often hear when watching the news or reading the newspapers, about the misperception that what happens in Luzon is truly representative of the entire country.

At the first Mindanao Children’s Games, we see a totally different picture. Over 1,700 children participating in basketball, baseball, chess, football, swimming, table tennis, and taekwondo came from no less than 61 schools, displaying a cultural diversity seldom seen in regional games.

This massive project, which finally took place at the University of Mindanao campus here, was born from the cancellation of the Mindanao Friendship Games due to all the military conflict in the region.

“We wanted to do something for the children, and to further our Sports for Peace Program here in Mindanao,” says Philippine Sports Commission chair Butch Ramirez, a Davao native. “It is important for us to find a way to bring together all the peoples of Mindanao: the Muslims, Christians and Lumads. At this age, we can show them that they can see the good in everyone, even those who do not share their beliefs.”

In a video documentation of their “Bola, Hindi Bala” (Balls, not Bullets) project in more remote, conflict-stricken places, it was clear that the children of the three main cultural groups were being indoctrinated to hate each other. A common theme of those interviewed from hundreds of children who participated was that they did not realize that they could be friends or teammates in basketball, volleyball or baseball with everyone, be they Mulsim, Christian or members of the indigenous peoples there.

“One of our drills required the kids to call out their teammate’s name before passing him the ball,” Ramirez recalls. “In that way, it doesn’t matter where the other children came from. They were all teammates.”

The PSC even left basketballs to keep the children playing after they had left, and shoes, donated by adidas. Some children, not used to having anything so expensive, cleaned and put their shoes away after every game.

The Internally Displaced Children (IDC) were the primary beneficiary of the project. Many had experienced having their homes bombed, starving in evacuation centers, and living in fear of being shot or killed in armed conflicts they were not involved in. Experiencing team sports helped them overcome some of their trauma.

The sports competition here on the UM Matina campus, meanwhile, was particularly thrilling. The opening featured a very touching prayer by Notre Dame president Fr. Romeo Saniel, and a heart-tugging original anthem about children of peace sung by local talent Danica Biadnes, whose stirring rendition brought tears to many an eye.

Some athletes instantly became crowd darlings, like tiny 12-year old Anthony Barrios of Notre Dame of Midsayap College, who played like an adult, dribbling, passing and shooting his way to 15 points en route to an 80-29 opening win over Colegio de San Ignacio.

Though many of the big schools had their way, there were many surprises, too. PSC commissioners Akiko Thomson and Fr. Vic Uy also spotted some potential future talents in volleyball and baseball on opening day. A couple of the local chess players have already gained regional fame by competing abroad. Such is the richness of talent in the country’s southernmost island.

And for this weekend, sports became a weapon for peace.

On Saturday, we’ll discuss how Sports for Peace also discovered a powerful new means to promote peace, with local children six to 12 years old doing the honors.