Football Festival for Peace launch in Lanao

Football Festival for Peace launch in Lanao

By Jun Enriquez

Tubod, Lanao del Norte (September 20, 2015) - Football is not so much popular in Lanao del Norte, but this year the 15^th Infantry Battalion based in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte organized and spearheaded the soccer football festival for peace for the children with ages under 14 years old but not lower than 8 years old. Lanao del Norte suffered the all-out-wars during the Estrada and Arroyo administrations in 2000 and 2003 respectively, and the armed conflict in 2008 due to the controversial Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD).

The two-day football for peace event was held September 19 and 20. On the first day the children was briefed on the game and the rules of the tournament include teambuilding workshops and were given t-shirt uniforms in each team. Sports facilitators are coming from the 15^th Infantry Battalion personnel and gave orientation and lecture to players and coaches on football clinic, proper ball control, dribbling, kicking, passing, basic goal keeping and game planning.

The objectives of the tournament is to develop unity, harmony and friendship among the youth under the Area of responsibility (AOR) of the 15^th IB. To develop the character of both out and in school youth through football. To support the “Yes to Sports and No to Drugs” campaign of the government. The purpose football festival is to develop unity, harmony and friendship among the youth to attain peace in the area as part also of the celebration of the month of September as Peace Month under the Proclamation No. 675 also known as National Peace Consciousness Month. This is also one way of supporting the anti-illegal drug campaign in the area since we all know that drug addiction is prevalent in the youth sector thus this activity was conceptualized.

Oath of Sportsmanship

On the second day, the tournament begun with two bracket categories, the open and inter-municipality. There were 11 soccer club teams competing the tournament whose teams coming from the different football clubs in Lanao del Norte including Iligan City. The inter-municipality category have 7 municipalities joined the competition, these are the municipalities of Maigo, Munai, Kauswagan, Poona Piagapo, Bacolod and Tangkal. However, there were 8 teams in the inter-municipality bracket because Kolambugan had two teams joined the tournament.   

The football tournament was supported by the provincial government of Lanao del Norte and the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP). The children in Poona Piagapo revealed that soccer football was first time for them to play the game. They only used to play indigenous games like spider fight and rubber band “dampa”. They will picked spider and let them fight in a stick.

During the opening game, Lt. Col. Leomar Jose Doctolero, Battalion Commander of 15^th IB, was represented by Captain Rene M. Belmonte, the Civil Military Officer (CMO) of the 15^th IB, 3^rd Infantry Division, Philippine Army, said in a welcome remarks that the purpose of the tournament is to let the children became responsible citizens as they grow up and train them on soccer football to meet other children from other places of diverse cultures, the Christians,  Muslims and the Lumads become friends. The theme for the tournament is “Developing harmony, unity and friendship among the youth to attain peace through sports”.  The 15^th Infantry Battalion is under the command of the 2^nd Mechanized Infantry “Magbalantay” Brigade headed by Col. Gilbert Gapay, Brigade Commander.

Winners in open category, the champion was the Baroy football team… in the inter-municipality category, the champion was the Kolambugan team B….It was recalled that the Lanao del Norte team became the first runner-up in the national soccer football for peace tournament in camp Aguinaldo early this year, participated by the children football players under 14 years old in conflict affected areas nationwide. Lanao del Norte team was represented by the players from the municipality of Kauswagan.

Inter-Municipality, First Place was Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte of the Diego H. Patigayon National High School, Barangay Mukas, Kolambugan. The 2nd Place was Kolambugan, Lanao Norte, of Geronima Cabrera National High School, Barangay Riverside, Kolambugan, Lanao del Norte. Third Place was Maigo, Lanao del Norte of Maigo National High School, Barangay Poblacion, Maigo, Lanao del Norte.

In the Open Tournament, first Place was Baroy Football Club, Baroy, Lanao del Norte. Second Place was the Kapatagan Football Club, Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte and the third place was Raging Bears of Iligan City.

After the tournament successfully ended, all the participating teams in the inter-municipality of Lanao del Norte were given nine soccer football balls for them to continue practice on said sports. The tournament will continue to be conducted every quarter or twice a year and encourage other municipalities to join the event and give opportunities to some other children to play soccer football. With reports and photos by Malyne D. Gungob.