Saturday, May 24, 2008 Davao football group withdraws POF participation By Romy Sabaldan
TUBOD, Lanao del Norte -- The Davao Football Association (DFA) has withdrawn participation in the roster of eight National Sports Association (NSA) football entries in the ongoing 3rd Philippine Olympic Festival (POF) at the sprawling Mindanao Civic Center of this municipality.
The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) secretariat and Lanao officials have expressed surprised over the non-participation of the Davao City team in the POC-organized prestigious athletic competitions.
Cecilia Juntereal, head of secretariat of the POF organizing committee, said "as far as I know, the Davao City football team is arriving" when informed of the withdrawal, adding that we have done all our best to coordinate with the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) in Manila.
"I even have all the list of the POF telephone numbers and my own cell phone number available to all the NSAs to iron out any problems that may arise in the preparation stages of the event," Juntereal said of the Mindanao qualifying games participated in by eight football NSAs and eight other NSAs in seven events.
Davao City, however, is not in the list of 16 other local government unit (LGU) supported teams participating in a total of 21 events that include wrestling, muay and powerlifting.
Lyndon Calica, provincial information oficer of Lanao del Norte, expressed sadness of Davao's decision not to see action.
Coach Noel Presto of the U-17 Davao City football team was dismayed over the seeming lack of coordination and interest of DFA and PFF officials in sending the team to Tubod.
"We have done our best in preparing the team, which included Asian Football Confederation campaigners Darwin Salavia and Ken Kazou Hager and Sweden's Gothia Cup player David Angelo Diamante," Presto said.
DFA president Gerry Romero-Salas cited many reasons of the withdrawal, including lack of finances in the POF games that gives support to NSA participants in billeting and foods.
