The Teen Future Philippine Azkals dominates Australia’s Kanga Cup (Kangaroo Cup)

High hopes for future Azkals

SYDNEY – Former Philippine national football team standout and now Philippine Football Federation (PFF) consultant in Australia Mike Moran said the other day the outlook is bright for the promotion of football relations between the Philippines and Australia with the recent victory of the Philippine U-18 squad at the Kanga Cup in Canberra a portent of things to come.

Moran, 58, is based in Sydney and begins work with Osaka-based Japanese multinational finance company Invast Securities next month. He has been involved in foreign exchange trading for over 35 years with expat postings in Singapore, Tokyo and Hong Kong.  Before starting his Invast engagement, Moran is busy paving the way for an active two-way football program.

Last week, Moran was in Canberra to witness the Philippines, playing as the Carranz Football Club, post a 6-0 record in capturing the U-18 championship of the Kanga Cup which assembled 256 teams of over 4,000 players to compete in three-tier age groups from 8 to 18 for boys and girls. The Philippines sent an 18-man lineup composed of 14 homegrown locals and only four based overseas.  Head coach was Marlon Maro with Alvin Carranza and Jefferson Cheng as managers. The 18 players came from a 38-man pool being trained as "Teen Azkals."

The Philippines will tap the nucleus of the Kanga Cup title squad for the Asean Football Federation (AFF) U-19 Championships in Surabaya on Sept. 9-22.  The "Teen Azkals" are bracketed in Group A with Laos, Singapore, Australia, Cambodia and Timor Leste.  Group B is made up of Brunei, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia. The Philippines opens its campaign against Laos on Sept. 9.

Moran said the Filipinos impressed Australian scouts with their ability and quickness in Canberra.  "We went up against bigger boys and we were clearly at a disadvantage physically but we weren't outplayed," he said.  "One of our players Arnel Amita of FEU was spotted by Argentinian coach Gabriel Wilk of the Cooma club of Canberra, the No. 1 club in the Australian Capital Territory.  Wilk is inviting Arnel to his camp.  Arnel is like a little Maradona.  On the field, he amazed the fans with his ball tricks, speed and intelligence."

The Philippines got off to a strong start with a 1-0 win over the Capital Football Senior NTC then crushed Gosford City, 5-2, Taylor Lakers, 20-0, Woden Valley, 2-0 and John Paul College, 6-0 before repeating over the Capitals, 1-0, in the Kanga Cup finals.  "We got better with every game," said Moran.  "Against Gosford, we were down 0-2 but never gave up and eventually won, 5-2.  That showed the team's character."

Dean's Corner ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

Writer Jaime Pimentel of Ang Kalatas Australia paid tribute to Amita. "He menaced forwards in the backfield, opened opportunities in the midfield and taunted defenders in attack," wrote Pimentel.  "In a show of defiance of Capital's superior ball skills and robust defensive tactics, the pint-sized dynamo ruled the midfield as he hustled to terrorize anyone and his shadow who dared cross his territory."  Amita, 17, stands only 5-5.

The others in the champion team were keeper Enzo Cheng, keeper Raphael de Guzman and David Diamante of La Salle, Mark Besana, Daniel Gadia and Raphael Resuma of UP, Mikko Benedicto of San Beda, Junell Bautista, Jan Clarino, Harold Alcares, Doug Carranza, Yoshiharu Luciano Koizumi, Val Calvo, Nicholas Bollier, Rey Diaz and Amani Aguinaldo of FEU and Kevin Hartmann. 

Moran said since his appointment by the PFF, he has explored football tie-ups with former Australian national player Gus Cerro and Fil-Aussie coach Leigh Gunn.  "Gus is training a Fil-Aussie Kenneth Dizon who's 16," said Moran.  "He thinks Kenneth has the potential to become a major player with the Azkals in the future.  Gus is now creating a broad data base of Filipinos playing in Australia. He's married to a Filipina so that explains his closeness with the Filipino community.  Both Gus and Leigh are excited about the possibilities of working with the PFF."

PFF secretary-general Edwin Gastanes said the U-18 team's participation in the Kanga Cup was the country's first-ever training mission in Australia.  "This was unchartered waters," Gastanes told Moran.  During the trip, Carranza was introduced to Fil-Aussie player John Chris Canayama who is 18.  Moran said slowly, the doors are opening to discover more Fil-Aussie players.  "The Kanga Cup is more of a grassroots level of competition," he said.  "I drove to Canberra which is a 3 1/2 hour drive away from Sydney to meet the team which I thought was important as it was a first for the Philippines.  I've been contacted by scouts from out of the blue since word got around of my PFF appointment so we're moving forward with plans to develop a two-way relationship."

Moran played 10 years with the Philippine national team from 1972 to 1982.  "I spoke with the boys during the Kanga Cup and told them to represent our country with honor, to wear our flag on their jersey proudly," he said.  "It's a different feeling when you're playing for your country out there.  I think the boys showed a lot of heart in winning the championship."

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United Nations tribunal starts arbitration process on Philippines -China sea dispute

A United Nations tribunal has been convened in the Netherlands to look into a complaint filed by the Philippines questioning the legality of China's massive territorial claim in the resource-rich South China Sea.

"The Philippine government is pleased that the Arbitral Tribunal is now formally constituted, and that the arbitration process has begun," Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez told a press briefing Tuesday.

The progress in the Philippines's legal challenge against China comes amid increasing animosity between the two Asian neighbors due to their long-standing territorial conflict.

Manila and Beijing recently traded diplomatic barbs over the Philippines's decision to seek international arbitration - the latest manifestation of a longstanding territorial feud between the two countries over South China Sea territories.

Recently, the conflict was reignited with tense confrontations between Chinese and Philippine vessels in two disputed shoals – Scarborough and Ayungin – off Manila's western coasts.

At their first meeting on July 11, the President and Members of the Tribunal designated The Hague in the Netherlands as the seat of the arbitration and the Permanent Court of Arbitration as the Registry for the proceedings, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

Part of the process is to determine if the tribunal has jurisdiction over Manila's complaint. The case will only proceed once the tribunal decides that the complaint filed by the Philippines has legal merit and falls under its jurisdiction.

"Whether they have decided jurisdiction, they will publicly announce this," Hernandez said.

Manila pledged its "fullest cooperation" with the tribunal "in order to assure a fair, impartial and efficient process that produces a final and binding judgment in conformity with international law."

Set of rules

At the July 11 meeting, the tribunal approved a draft set of Rules of Procedure to govern the proceedings, which were sent to the Philippines and China for comment.

The tribunal requested both parties to submit their comments by August 5, along with their proposed schedule for the submission of their written pleadings.

With or without China's response, the proceedings will carry on, Hernandez said.

The Philippine government and its counsel, Paul Reichler of Foley and Hoag, are now studying the draft Rules of Procedure, and will submit the required documents requested by the tribunal, Hernandez said.

The DFA, he added, will issue statements from time to time to keep the public informed about the progress of the arbitration.

Information will also be made available to the public on the website of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

Source of conflict

The Philippines sought arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) last January to try to declare as "illegal" China's nine-dash claim, which covers almost all of the South China Sea, including sections that have been declared as the West Philippine Sea.

China has resisted Manila's move to let a U.N. body intervene in the disputes, saying the Philippines' case was legally infirm and carried unacceptable allegations.

China prefers to negotiate one on one with other claimants, which would give it advantage because of its sheer size compared to smaller rivals that have less military force.

The South China Sea - a strategic waterway and major trade route – had been a source of conflict among competing claimants the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, China and Taiwan.

The vast waters are dotted with islands, reefs, cays, shoals and rock formations. The region is believed to be rich in natural gas and oil deposits, and analysts say the competing claims could spark a military conflict in the region.

Tensions in the area spiked anew last year after the Philippines and Vietnam separately accused China of fresh incursions in areas they say fall within their sovereign waters. - VVP/YA

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Korea's biggest delegation of 182 Executives to arrive the Philippines for Investment

The Philippines' Department of Trade and Industry & Korea Importers Association (KOIMA) 

K-Biz to visit Philippines in search of trade opportunities

The biggest delegation of South Korean businessmen will arrive this week to look at potential trade, investment and tourism opportunities in the Philippines, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).

DTI said a 182-strong mission composed of chief executives and senior officers belonging to the Korea Importers Association (KOIMA) will visit the Philippines from July 17-20.

KOIMA groups over 8,000 public and private importers that handle 70 percent of South Korea's major imports such as agricultural produce, consumer goods, food and industrial products.

DTI-Bureau of Export Trade Promotion (BETP) said this is the biggest inbound business mission to come from South Korea.

"We view the delegation's visit as an opportunity to further improve our economic relations with South Korea. We also look at it as support to our efforts in raising awareness about the Philippines' supply capabilities and sustaining the current momentum of tourism interest among Koreans," Trade Undersecretary Ponciano C. Manalo Jr. said in a statement.

"The DTI also sees the opportunity to develop and expand the current inventory of Philippine exports by exposing the group of Korean importers to alternative products and services. Examples of these products are organic chemicals, oleo-chemicals, minerals other than copper, electronics, motorcycle parts," Manalo said.

The visiting South Korean business mission will attend a DTI-led trade and investment seminar as well as a business matching session with Filipinos, and will also join a Department of Tourism-led (DOT) tour at a plantation resort.

DTI quoted KOIMA as saying that the group's Philippine visit is "one of the major activities of the association backed by [the South Korean] government."

"This year, the Philippines was selected over Thailand and Myanmar as the country to be visited by KOIMA's summer buying mission," Manalo said.

DTI-BETP data showed that two-way trade between the Philippines and South Korea last year reached $7.4 billion. Philippine imports outnumbered exports, with the former increasing 1.19 percent to $4.5 billion last year from $4.4 billion in 2011—making South Korea the fifth largest source of imports. But Philippine exports rose at a faster 27.93 percent to $2.9 billion last year from $2.2 billion in 2011, making South Korea the sixth biggest export destination.

The Philippines and South Korea enjoy free trade under the Asean-Korea Free Trade Agreement (AKFTA).

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