During my early high school years in Koronadal, I used to watch football games at school as well as during the regional athletic games. I never had an interest to play football because I was more inclined to play baseball. It’s because my grandfather in Pigcawayan, North Cotabato used to be a little league baseball when he was still teaching. Maybe he has influenced me since I was a kid.

But when I moved to Pigcawayan on my 2nd year high school, my interest in football slowly faded. I played baseball and sometimes basketball.  In North Cotabato, football is only popular among the folks in M’lang.  But I could remember  during Coke Go-For-Goal tournaments in Marbel, wherein teams from Iligan, M’lang, South Cotabato and other top teams in Mindanao. I could not remember Davao.

Years have past, I barely watch football games even on TVs. During the 2010 World Cup, I rarely get updates. Aside from I don’t have a cable TV to watch the games live, I wasn’t interested. Kung may ara update, ti sige mabasa ko, kung wala, okay lang man ah.

My interest in football was revived when the Philippine Football team is in the limelight after their recent triumph in Suzuki cup after they ousted defending champion Vietnam. Am sure, many Pinoys suddenly turned into a football fan. Or many may have revived their love for the game, I’m not alone.

And on April 12, we had a chance to visit the football capital of the Philippines — Barotac Nuevo! Ruby and I were lucky to meet  Mr. Doming Subo, the high school coach of some of the Azkal players and the current coach of Barotac Nuevo Football Club.  Read my notes below:

BAROTAC NUEVO, Iloilo – While some of the rural folks in the country are going gaga over basketball, kids as young as six years old are going crazy over football in this town.

With the recent success of the Philippine Azkals in international tournaments, many kids are inspired even more in this football capital of the country.

Even in the past, many local football heroes are made in this town because of their passion for the game that has been in their hearts for nearly a century already.

Domingo Subo, one of the first mentors of some of the Azkal players and current coach of Barotac Nuevo National Comprehensive High School (BNNCHS) football squad, told said that many kids are now motivated to learn the game because of the Philippine football team’s feat.

But even before the Azkals’ triumph, Subo added that most of the people are football fanatics. “Their (Azkals) success has even more contributed to the motivation of the kids given that some of the squad members hail from this town,” he said.

Azkals players who hails from this town are Ian Araneta,  Yanti Barsales, Emelio “Chieffy” Caligdong, Nestorio Margarse, Mark Ferrer, Ricardo Becite,  Roel Gener and Joebel Bermejo.

Subo said Araneta, Barsales, Becite and Ferrer started with him at BNNCHS. While Caligdong, Margarse and Bermejo started at St. Paul School Football Team here.

“Gener graduated at BNNCHS but he was not able to play for the school because he was overage during that time. But he was able to play during  inter-barangay football games and eventually ee enlisted in the Philippine Army, where he honed his skills,” said the coach, who has won football championships during Palarong Pambansa in  2002,2006,2008 and 2009.

The coach estimates that about 60% of the kids here are into football since barangay here has its own football club aside from independent clubs in the locality.

This agricultural town has 29 barangays and is about 30 kilometers Iloilo City with population of almost 46,000 people. ##

Subo added that even young girls are also eager to learn football.

“Some are still playing and watching basketball games. But when there is local football tournament, this playing field is filled with people,” he said while referring to the football field in front of the San Antonio de Padua church, which was built by the Spanish missionaries in the 16^th century.

The love for the game is traced back to 1920s when the Monfort brothers introduced the sport to the local folks. The Monfort brothers were then studying at the Colegio de San Agustin (now University of San Agustin) in Iloilo City.

Through the years, the sports evolved in this town. Young kids look up football greats like Brazil’s Pele and Argentina’s Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi instead of Kobe Bryant or Lebron James.

Every afternoon local folks flock at the football field and watch young boys play football on barefoot.

“They wont wear football shoes to be fair to those who are not really regular football players but they just love to play the game every afternoon,” Subo, who is also the coach of the Barotac Nuevo Football Club that usually competes with its rival clubs from Sta. Barbara and Iloilo City.

The local folks, he said, would play even without a referee adding that they know the rules. “No dirty tricks, they know the rules. Barotac players do not use dirty tactics during the game.”

Local football clubs, Subo added, would play even without pay or allowances saying that it is just because of the passion for football.

And almost everyone, even the elderly, in town is always eager to get updates from local football club whenever there are games outside the locality, he added.

“During town fiesta, we always have a football tournament with teams from every barangay. Unlike in other parts of the country, the most common tournament is basketball. Here in Barotac and other towns, football is the most popular game,” the coach added.##

These are South Asian Box Turtles (Cuora amboinensis) from marshy villages of Midsayap, North Cotabato sold for P40 to P50 each along the street in Davao City. A biologist from University of Southern Mindanao (USM)- Kabacan that this turtle’s  status is "vulnerable." This is commonly found at the periphery  of Ligusan Marsh. The Protected Areas and Wildlife Division (PAWD) says trade of  this specie is strictly regulated.

I was a bit worried because they did place these turtles into a container filled with container or something that could make these creatures feel better.

According to these guys, they brought about 30 turtles and already sold about 20 already.

I asked a biology professor in Kabacan via mobile fone if what’s the status of these turtles. He said this is a “threatened” specie.

I’m not sure if they are the same species.  I hope our authorities can track down these hunters and stop this illegal trade.

I could rarely find this turtle anymore even if I’m at the vicinity of Ligusan Marsh. When I was still a kid, this turtle can be found right at the pond near our ricefield in Pigcawayan. That was about 22 years ago.

At first look, you would assume that there’s another bombing incident in Mindanao in the regions’ section of GMA News Online. But actually, the upper headline is just the sames as the previous one. Editors could have simply marked it as update– as they always do. Otherwise, the public would assume that there was a separate bomb attack in Mindanao.

As of this writing, the headline of the same news website still says: “Bomb attack on Cotabato City cathedral kills four, hurts 30.” It’s clear on the story , not just on GMA News, that the bomb went off across the church and not even inside the compound of Immaculate Concepcion cathedral. Although the blast scene is just about 20 meters away from the gate the Cathedral,  it’s still not right to write the headline that way.

I understand that writing headlines should always be ‘catchy’ but it should not sacrifice the accuracy or even mislead the public. Accuracy is the word.  With that headline, it really appears that there is an attack against the place of worship. It adds fuel to the already complex Moro-Christian relationship in the region.

With this kind of treatment to stories, it does not actually help to the atmosphere of peace in Mindanao. Because for those who are not really familiar with the situation in Mindanao, it really appears that the conflict here in Mindanao has something to do with the religion.  That headline has an undertone.

For the story to sell, sensationalize it? I think it should not be like that. For the story to be credible, get it right.

Photos: AKP Images / Keith Bacongco | Music: Kapayapaan by Tropical Depression

DATU PIANG, Maguindanao – What would have taken only a few minutes to negotiate the 14-kilometer stretch from the Cotabato-General Santos highway to Datu Piang in Maguindanao took more than an hour as thousands of evacuees and residents lined the road chanting “MOA-AD,” raising messages written down on manila paper, sack and plywood, demanding government to “respect, implement, sign and support” the MOA-AD (Froilan Gallardo / Mindanews) . read more