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 »
Thousands of friends and sympathizers joined the four-kilometer funeral march from Kidapawan City Cathedral to the cemetery inside the Diocese of Kidapawan Compound on October 25, 2011. Fr. Pops was buried beside fellow Italian missionary Fr. Tulio Favali, who was killed by dreaded vigilante group Ilaga 26 years ago.
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 »
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)
KIDAPAWAN CITY (MindaNews/03 September) — Erstwhile sleepy towns in North Cotabato last week took center stage as they played host to some of the activities of the week-long Kalivungan Festival.
Aleosan Mayor Loreto Cabaya said distributing the hosting of the events to different towns allowed residents to actively take part in the celebration. Usually, festivals are held only in the province’s seat of government in Amas, Kidapawan City.
“The people in the sleepy towns enjoyed and (the events) made these towns alive,” said Cabaya. Read More »
Amateur boxers slug it out during the Batang Cotabato Boxing Championships in Aleosan, North Cotabato. The event is part of the Kalivungan Festival and 97th Foundation Anniversary of the province.
The Rondalla of Kabacan Pilot Central Elementary School outshined their high school contingents during the Rondalla Competition in Amas, Kidapawan City on August 31, 2011. The event is one of the 38 activities of the Kalivungan Festival 2011.
The last time I was here was in 2005 when I joined the staff of Philippine Eagle Foundation who monitored the Eagle’s nest in Barangay Sinai. But last week, (and its’s six years later) Ruby and I revisited Arakan just to take photos for my personal project, a website. And we looked for a good vantage point of the valley and we found this spot.
"These images we have collected in the first 10 years of the new millennium, we would like to share with you. The photographs in this book offer a ringside view of Mindanao through the lens of MindaNews photographers."
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.
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.
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