Philippines Team's Blog

Philippines v Brazil!

There are but four (4) weekends to go before the 1st Philippine Street Children football team takes off for Durban, South Africa. And there is slight tension in the air as two players remain without their birth certificates. Prayer remains the main weapon as the social workers are already doing all that they humanly can to make it possible. We either produce those BC’s or we’re going to incinerate the hearts of those two kids… as if life wasn’t already painful enough for them. Yes, this thought of leaving them truly shakes us. We continue to pray that this miracle team will be complete in a few days.

“The Philippines draws Brazil in the grouping.”
And for local football fans, that is really very exciting news!
In what could probably be the first time in local football history, a Filipino football team will play a Brazilian team in international competition. The Philippines is drawn in Group B with the Brazilians. So, It’s the world’s number one football nation against us. Whether street children, or professional players… a Brazilian team is a Brazilian team. And to meet them on the pitch is football heaven. It’s us against the World Superpower of football —- a dream showdown of a life time that may never happen again …. thank you Lord for our street children … for gifting us with a football treat.

The growth and development of the Philippine team while camping at the Tuloy sa Don Bosco Street Children Village under the guide of Father Rocky Evangelista has been truly astounding, to say the least. It’s all about team transfiguration. Now on its 3rd weekend camp at Tuloy, the kids are playing more and more as a team. By the time they leave Philippine shores, they’ll be a family. And I’m sure something will be won in South Africa. If not some football trophy, then perhaps, some hearts.

Since the Deloitte-SCWC organizers wanted more participation by girl footballers, we went the extra mile by naming our girl, Erica, as team captain. And it works … when she commands… the boys follow … hahaha! Oh, but you must watch her at play.

Many, many more thanks to those who are helping to make all things possible for this team: Angela Zalamea, Libet Virata, Camille Samson, Ane Preysler, Tess Maquera, Elizabeth Silverio, John Harton, Elizabeth Kramer, Mitzi Olondriz, John Tiong, Teta Matera,
Simon Paterno, Cecilia Suarez, Ina Ayala, Angela Padilla and Emilia Vorbeck.

We are saddened to hear that Garth Hewitt, founder of Amos Trust has been hospitalized. Get well soon Garth, from all of us here in SCWC, Philippines… we will pray for your recovery.

The Philippine Street Children Team wishes to thank all its Ninongs and Ninangs: Damian & Laura Dunn, Mike Camahort, Carla Ramsey, Fernando Pena, Monchu Garcia, The Football Alliance Group, Dicky & Cathy Rivilla, Sarah Mcleod, Stephen Davis, Inaki Alvarez, Robs Delfino, Miles Roces, Sandy Moran, Manuel de Jesus, Dolores Cheng, Stone Baptist Church, the Bayanihan National Dance Co., Tesoro’s and Danny Moran ….. thank you so much for all your support.

The Philippine Street Children Team salutes all its major sponsors: Amos Trust, Deloitte, Angus Lawson Memorial Trust, Deutsche Bank, Mitre, Whitehouse Scientific, and Amici.

The 1st Philippine Street Children team is co-managed by Craig Burrows and Ed Formoso under the auspices of The Henry V. Moran Foundation.

Published on: 19. 02. 2010 | Read more »

The final five weeks…

Yes, we’re down to the final 5 weekends before the games kick off in Durban, South Africa.

 Everyone is now working super-double time on the players travel documents. Two kids do not have birth certificates until now and it’s beginning to make us and people around us  nervous. But let’s not forget the difficulties that the social workers are going through: some players don’t have parents; some don’t know if they have parents; or can’t find their parents or having problems with their parents (like running-for-their lives from their parents) …. and often times there just isn’t much to work with. Yes, sometimes producing a birth certificate takes longer than a few months. So, thank you to all the social workers for their perseverance.

 We have a player who might have an ear problem. “But he plays like a Brazilian“… a real quiet boy … quite a small guy too, under 5 feet tall … doesn’t talk or smile much … “But I think he plays like a Brazilian” … his eyes, his expressions, sad kid … he doesn’t have any parents … never seen him walk up to any team mate to say hello … “But I think he plays like a Brazilian” … there’s something about this one … he’s got the artsy side of the game …. suave and so fine …. like a samba dancer… but when you look into his eyes, you’re sure he has a sad story to tell … yeah, that’s our Li’l Brazilian” … he also happens to be one of two kids without a birth certificate until today. Honestly, if we buy those plane tickets this week, he’s not going to be on that plane … yup, our Li’l Brazilian is not going to be on that plane to South Africa  —AND THAT REALLY, REALLY, SUCKS! 

And so, we won’t buy those tickets today because we don’t want to leave anyone behind ….  but we’ll go on praying  … praying as hard and as sincerely as we can so that God lets this kid play with the team. “Please don’t take this one away“.
We’re not buying those tickets just yet, and holding it off as long as we can … although we’re as close as can be to a deadline.

      It was a good tuneup match recently against International School of Manila (ISM) with head coach David Birchenall on top of things. Coach David prepared two ISM teams of different age categories to play the Philippine Street Children team. Thanks coach David, you’re a real sport. All arrangements for the game vs ISM were set up by 15-year old Samantha Ramsey who did all the walking & talking to get it for us… Great job, Sam! And thanks to Teta Matera, owner of Piadina, for the great lunch …it was devoured by a very tired and hungry team. Thank you Sandy Moran for the pizzas …. and Douglas and Carla for everything that went on that day. And of course, Damian and Laura Dunn of Deutsche Bank, Sarah Mcleod, and Craig who were in a huddle and busy, busy, busy planning …

      Thank you to the Ninongs and Ninangs whom this first-ever Philippine Street Children team will forever be grateful to: Dolores Cheng (Manprom), Miles Roces, Stephen Davis, Monchu Garcia (Ybarra Olive Oil), Dicky & Cathy Rivilla (Belrina Travel Consultants), Mike Camahort, Fernando Pena, Sandy Moran, Carla Ramsey, Inaki Alvarez, Robs Delfino, the Football Alliance group, Stone Baptist Church, Manuel de Jesus, Sarah Mcleod, and  Danny Moran (Amici pizza pasta)….and we continue to pray that more Ninongs and Ninangs celebrate this project with us as we near the official kick off to the 1st Deloitte-Street Child World Cup in South Africa.

     And to our major sponsors, who are making sure we arrive in South Africa in ‘World Cup’ shape, Craig and myself are saying non-stop “thank you’s” for your support: Amos Trust, the Angus Lawson Memorial Trust, Deloitte, Deutsche Bank, Mitre, and Amici Pizza Pasta.

In the Philippines, the “1st Philippine Street Children Team” is under the auspices of The Henry V. Moran Foundation.

Published on: 12. 02. 2010 | Read more »

Street kids helping street kids

The Head Coach of the 1st Philippine Street Children team that is  participating in the  Deloitte-Street Child World Cup in Durban, South  Africa this March is a former street boy himself. He is coach Jess Landagan.

 Soft spoken, humble and meek as a lamb…one who knows his football and has lived the kind of life some of his players are living. Coach Jess eventually got to play for the Philippine team in the 1970’s; got his college scholarship and you know what?… has been graciously passing on this blessing to less privileged kids by teaching them to  love the game that has set him free. And he has been teaching for free… everyday of his life… for many years now. Visit the Nayon ng Kabataan center of the DSWD and ask them about coach Jess. They know about him. He’s their football hero.

For this Deloitte-SCWC tournament, Jess’ assistants and trainers are all former street kids and homeless players who represented the country in the 2008 Melbourne and 2009 Milan Homeless World Cup teams; two projects that were supported by The Henry V. Moran Foundation in partnership with the UOFC Foundation of American social entrepreneur, Bill Shaw.

THE Philippine team training program is now in its 2nd phase with the start of the weekend football camps in ‘Tuloy sa Don Bosco Street Children Village’ under the supervision of Tuloy president and founder- Father Rocky Evangelista. Yup, Father Rocky (a Salesian priest) played a lot of football  in his youth and is a familiar footballer with many of the Filipino National players of his days. Father Rocky’s role is to turn this team into a football family. He has five (5) weekends before departure to tweak and fine tune this squad — values formation, sportsmanship, etiquette, and everything else that comes along with teaching the kids the joys of playing inside a football field.

With the days counting down to departure, it’s still all in keeping with the concept of “street kids taking care of street kids”, and this is turning out to be a truly indescribable experience for many of us.

Published on: 12. 02. 2010 | Read more »

Blueshark

He is a player who doesn’t live inside a child center. His name is “BlueShark”. Everyone calls him Blueshark…and not Manuel as written on his birth certificate.

Shark plays for the Muntinlupa United Football Club. That’s a team based in the area around New Bilibid prison. It is a team organized and maintained by coaches Leah Madrid and Mac Dampil. Players of the club all live around the area of the Maximum Security Compound in New Bilibid. The football club is mostly made up of children of prisoners and prison guards.

He’s a pandesal (bread) boy. He wakes up at 3:30am and begins walking around the area selling pandesal as early as 4am. By 5am he is done with selling. He goes back to the hut he calls home; pumps water and bathes for 15 pesos a pail. He is in school at 6:00am. Blue Shark is a 4th year graduating student in a public school nearby. But after all that daylight activity ……… he plays football. He eats breakfast, lunch and dinner in the pandesal bakery. That’s his salary … they feed him, he sells their pandesals. He eats 3x a day because of this set up…and hasn’t seen family in years.

Now all this was yesterday’s news.

TODAY: Since being named to the SCWC team, Blueshark now gets a daily allowance so that he can sleep till 5am and not have to sell pandesal. He also eats a more balanced meal in his coachs’ house. He sleeps inside a house now and no longer outside in a nipa hut or balcony. And, thanks to coaches Leah and Mac, Blue has found an older sister and his mother . Yup…..a family reunion looks in the making.

Blue likes the life he lives and lives the life he likes. He likes the street freedom and is afraid of being “holed-up” inside a center. We don’t know for sure how this sojourn to South Africa will end for him, but we promise to do our part to guide him home.

That’s our Blue Shark. He’s got a name. He’s original. If he ever makes it big time, at least he has a screen name to begin with.

The 1st Philippine street children team is ever grateful to all it’s Ninongs and Ninangs: Danny Moran, Fern Pena, Monchu Garcia, Mike Camahort, Inaki Alvarez, Robs Delfino, Dicky & Cathy Rivilla, the Football Alliance group and Manuel de Jesus…(and we continue to pray for many more).

Craig Burrows and I would like to say THANKS to Marielle Benitez for making arrangements for the support of Bayanihan -”the national dance company of the Philippines”; Thank you to the Stone Baptist Church for their donation; Thank you also to the RIFA Group (Raul Albarece, Bob Manlulo and Sugar Guttieres) for allowing our street kids team to join their football festival last weekend in Ateneo; Thanks to Maripaz Custodio and Darren Hartmann for the tune-up games with Euro International School; Thanks to Eva Lawas for the Nayon field; To Brother Felipe for the La Salle Field; and to Father Rocky for the Tuloy field. Thank you all.

And many, many, many more thanks to our major sponsors, who are making sure we get to Durban in great shape: Amos Trust, the Angus Lawson Memorial Trust, Deloitte, Deutsche Bank, Amici Pizza Pasta and The Henry V. Moran Foundation.

Published on: 12. 02. 2010 | Read more »

Deloitte Street Child World Cup Diary : “About Berth”

Berth is a goal keeper. A pretty good one. He’s suppose to be 15 years old. Below is his story… an important part in the diary of our street children team that is participating in the Deloitte Street Child World Cup tournament in Durban, South Africa this coming March.

Berth’s case category is called ’street child rescue’. In 2002, he was found walking around aimlessly somewhere in Manila and was picked up by an old lady who brought him to a center. He could have been anywhere from 8 to 10 years old then. He said he had ran away from home somewhere in Muntinlupa City because of maltreatment by his father. In 2005 he was taken back by a social worker to Muntinlupa City to try find his home. He couldn’t remember. The City landscape had changed with development since 2002. If he had wanted to see his folks, there was just no way he would have found them. And so he was brought back to the center. This is clearly a case of a ‘found’ boy who at his tender young age experienced separation from his parents.

Berth’s love of football got him sent by his center to the SCWC try-outs. He was chosen to be a part of the team because of his skills; and was being groomed to be the team captain of our 1st-ever Philippine Street Children team.

Everything was perfect until …. until, well, he needed his official birth certificate from the NSO records. To our shock and disbelief, his coach came back to us one day with terrible news. His official birth certificate stated that Berth was 18 years old and not 15 as listed in his records at the child center. And because of this, Berth was all of a sudden ‘not qualified’ for the tournament in South Africa. After all this time, Berth, our future team captain, the potential star of our team, and one of the most liked, is not traveling to South Africa as a member of the Philippine Team.

But….there is new light in the horizon because of this odd turn of events. Berth can now be possibly reunited with his family. He may have a chance to start all over again. Because of his newly found birth certificate, the center believes his parents will be found. And Berth might see them again after all these years. And perhaps, and hopefully, he’ll return home.

And so we thank God for football … for this time, although our country may have lost a star, we know our star player may have gained more with this development. Our role has become more than teaching street kids to kick that football around. There’s a gift of football that has come our way and we should all be joyful to give it to those for whom it is meant. This one was meant for Berth. For you and I, it could be something else.

For the story of our long lost street boy may have come to an end, not with a chance to save balls for his country, but with a chance to save his hope for a real family. Berth’s got another chance…Berth’s got another crack at taking in a real mother’s hug…the football will come in time. He’s only grade 6.

“For the love of the game, here’s to you, Berth!”

The 1st Philippine street children team is ever grateful to all it’s Ninongs and Ninangs: Danny Moran, Fern Pena, Monchu Garcia, Mike Camahort, Inaki Alvarez, Robs Delfino, Dicky and Cathy Rivilla, the Football Alliance group…(and we pray, many more).

“Thank you” to Maripaz Custodio, Darren Hartmann and Euro International School for allowing us to play tune up games with them and allowing us to participate in the Euro International School German Cup Festival last weekend at Nomads; Thanks to Marielle Benitez for making arrangements for the support of Bayanihan -the national dance company of the Philippines. And thanks again to Valerie for the funds raised by her church in the UK.

And “gracias, gracias” to our major sponsors: Amos Trust, the Angus Lawson Memorial Trust, Deloitte, Deutsche Bank, Amici Pizza Pasta and The Henry V. Moran Foundation.

Published on: 28. 01. 2010 | Read more »