Football in the Valley

Posted: November 3rd, 2011 | Filed under: Photojournalism | Tags: , , , , , |

Barely two weeks ago, while were waiting for the family of slain Italian missionary Fr. Fausto “Pops” Tentorio at the Our Mother of Perpetual Help parish in Arakan valley town of North Cotabato, we saw young kids playing football in parched pitch at the back of an elementary school.

The pitch is overlooking from the parish grounds, which is just across the school. So we opted to shoot the game since we were anticipating that the chopper carrying the family would land in the school grounds.

Anyways, the recent success of the Philippine Azklas did not only encourage more kids to play football as well as they also inspired homegrown footballers in the provinces. Like in the remote town of in Arakan, 56 kilometers away from Kidapawan City, young kids play the game with or without proper gears such as the spikes and shin guards. Read More »



The email that did not come: Brother recalls times shared with slain priest

Posted: October 24th, 2011 | Filed under: News Events | Tags: , , , , , , |

ARAKAN, North Cotabato (MindaNews/24 October) – In the last five years, slain Italian missionary Fr. Fausto Tentorio had been consistently writing emails to his family back in Leco, Italy every week.

His elder brother Felici, who arrived in this town on Saturday, told Mindanews that he usually wrote emails to Fr. Tentorio on Fridays or Saturdays. And the priest would usually reply on Mondays. But when Felici checked his emails on October 17, Monday, he was wondering why there was none from his brother.

Soon after Felici received a call from Fr. Giovanni Re, Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME) regional superior, that Fr. Tentorio had been gunned down. Read More »



Fr. Fausto Tentorio (1952-2011)

Posted: October 18th, 2011 | Filed under: News Events | Tags: , , , , |

Gunman shot priest at close range, made sure he was dead

ARAKAN, North Cotabato –  Silence filled the Our Mother of Perpetual Help parish as hundreds of people gathered and waited for Fr. Fausto Tentorio’s body to arrive from the nearby funeral parlor. Everyone looked shocked while some wept on the sidelines.

A crowd gathered when the blue casket arrived — albeit temporary pending the completion of the construction of the casket from the mahogany tree he planted (see other story) – and was positioned fronting the altar. When the  lid of “Tatay Pops’” casket was finally opened at 5:15 p.m., the silence was broken by a chorus of  wailing mourners — children, women and men,  teachers and farmers, Lumads. (Read Full Story)