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Post by juancho on Apr 4, 2012 22:34:20 GMT 8
Another setback for the Italy trip is that at the last minute parents were asked to prepare their ITR and financial documents if they want their sons to go to Italy as the Embassy requires it now. Majority of the parents are not rich people and surely they cannot submit these requirements until next week. The problem with the manager is that they didn't inform the parents last year for this kind of situation and even asked the important documents in last minute fashion (one by one)..
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Post by jonny on Apr 6, 2012 15:39:56 GMT 8
Will the trip to Italy be cancelled now ?
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Post by juancho on Apr 6, 2012 17:25:43 GMT 8
That remains to be seen but I think it will push through although 14 players out of 22 submitted their passports to the Embassy as these are the parents who approved to shoulder the P28,000 fare to Italy.
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Post by jonny on Apr 10, 2012 16:33:44 GMT 8
Any update now ? They will be leaving soon for Italy with only 14 players ?
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Post by teddyandtimmysdad on Apr 11, 2012 11:52:46 GMT 8
it is really a shame that all 22 would not be able to go. from the postings here it sounds like the coordination between the pff and the italian embassy was not the best. hopefully after the first trip, lessons will be learned and the italian embassy will be more comfortable with expediting the visas without a lot of excess requirements (parent's ITR? Why?).
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Post by jonny on Apr 16, 2012 4:01:30 GMT 8
Aside from the U22, there’s also the Little Azkals, who are joining a training camp in Italy. But I’ve read some complaints in a forum that some players couldn’t go because they couldn’t pay for their airfare? I hope that isn’t true. PFF got so much money these days that they could well enough afford to pay for this camp. Besides, these guys are our future senior players, they represent the future of Philippine football and they should get the lion’s share of the support, too. Besides, it’s not nice when you make the team only because you can afford your spot. www.sunstar.com.ph/cebu/sports/2012/04/15/limpag-azkals-little-azkals-opposite-ends-216461
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Post by narko on Apr 16, 2012 9:16:52 GMT 8
Regarding visa issues, one way to address that is to place a little "official" cover on the activity. Even if the activity, like a training camp, was arranged by non-government entities like the PFF and its counterpart, they can engage the governments to help facilitate visa issues and the like.
For example, in the case of the U13, they could have checked if Philippines and Italy have a cultural agreement in place. Sports is usually covered under cultural matters, unless there is a specific bilateral agreement on sports cooperation. Use the activity as an opportunity for the governments to promote Philippine-Italian ties and relations. Italy can highlight the training camp as Italy's way of manifesting its friendship and relations with the Philippines by sharing its expertise in football to our young players. It also provides the Italian government a way in which it can promote Italy to Filipinos and make us more aware of Italy. That's part and parcel of cultural diplomacy. The governments don't spend anything on this, but by making use of the opportunity they can derive benefits from the activity. The least that can be done by governments in this matter is to facilitate official endorsement of the visas.
It's as simple as engaging the Embassies (either the Italian Embassy here or our Embassy in Rome) and making a pitch to them to be part of the activity and use it as a vehicle for promoting our respective countries.
Look at the recent international friendlies with CIFM Madrid and Icheon Citizens. The Embassies of Spain and Korea made use of those opportunities to promote their respective countries by becoming engaged with the organizers of the matches. I remember for the Icheon match there were articles talking about the close relations shared by the Philippines and South Korea because of the Philippines sending a contingent to fight with South Korea in the Korean War, an act that has been appreciated by many Koreans of that generation.
There are many creative ways we can go about helping each other to achieve the common aim of furthering football's growth in our country, the various sectors (private, football community, government) just needs to learn to be more engaged with one another. There are many good ideas out there (there's a lot in this forum alone for a start), perhaps the relevant authorities just needs to listen some more and be more open with the community.
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Post by teddyandtimmysdad on Apr 17, 2012 0:40:10 GMT 8
Hey Narco... great comments, very sensible. I would be astonished actualy if the PFF has not already pursued this though. This especially given the experience with CFIM and Incheon. I wonder why there were so many difficulties this time? Maybe because it involves Filipinos going to their country instead of people coming here - especially young Filipinos?
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Post by narko on Apr 18, 2012 9:15:16 GMT 8
Teddyandtimmysdad, that is a consideration but what I'm referring to is more than just making representations with the Embassy here. You know how bureaucracy works, all countries have it in one form or the other. Perhaps PFF may have contacted the Italian Embassy with regard to facilitating the visas. However, that will simply be treated as a request by authorities back in Italy and the bureaucracy will still kick in. Italian immigration will simply treat it as a another regular visa request with the endorsement of the Italian Embassy here. Considering that visa matters fall under Immigration which in most countries are separate agencies to Foreign Affairs (which Embassies fall under), Immigration will not feel obliged to act on it positively. Perhaps they will, but that will just be out of professional courtesy. Like you said, the factor that Filipinos are headed there, and young ones at that, will surely play in the minds of Italian immigration authorities.
The point I was trying to make is for the effort to be made to somehow get both governments to have an ownership of the activity, even as simple as allowing them to claim the activity as part of a cultural promotion program done in cooperation with the PFF and its Italian counterparts, including any private sector entities that are also involved. When government gets some ownership over the activity, it can then extend some official "cover" to the activity which could help facilitate simple matters such as visa issuance as this is no longer just about sending some Filipino youths to train in football in Italy, this is also about fostering and promoting Philippine-Italian bilateral relations through a cultural exchange in the field of sports.
In cases like this, you might even get some of the more richer governments to chip in a token financial grant in support of a project. Many Foreign Ministries of major countries who have extensive overseas development assistance programs consider culture as an important tool for promoting their country and in building relations with other countries. This is what cultural diplomacy is all about and they have budgets for this. The U.S. State Department has a sports exchange program called Sports United which they use to promote the empowerment of women around the world. Other countries have similar types of programs, and if not, they have budgets for cultural exchanges, let's go after those programs and funding sources to help complement current efforts. It's just a matter of sitting down with each other and agreeing to pursue a project together with an interested foreign government or entity in pursuit of a common objective through the medium of football.
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Post by teddyandtimmysdad on Apr 18, 2012 12:57:09 GMT 8
yup I get it narko. I guess given the nature of what we have been discussing - youth versus adults/NT - I would have thought that the PFF or others involved would have explored the cultural exchange angle. I know you are quite familiar with these topics, I hope someone from the PFF does a PM to discuss in more detail with you or to solicit your help for our young boys.
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Post by narko on Apr 18, 2012 13:15:03 GMT 8
teddyandtimmysdad, I've had a few discussions with them and provided them copies of some bilateral agreements they might find useful. We have one with Spain for example, this is what Sen. Angara was talking about when he was mentioned in the news last year about exploiting our historical ties and close relationship with Spain to help football development. Of course, Spain is in bad shape economically at the moment but there are other opportunities out there. To be fair to the PFF, they seem to have a lot on their plate at the moment. Perhaps in time they will get around to exploring these other avenues and opportunities.
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Post by benzgm on Apr 18, 2012 14:48:14 GMT 8
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Post by narko on Apr 18, 2012 16:31:46 GMT 8
That's good to hear they pushed through and worked out the issues.
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Post by juancho on Apr 19, 2012 21:03:57 GMT 8
I'm so happy that U14 Little Azkals push thru although some parents will give at least 20T after there kids arrived in Italy.
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Post by stellarboy on Apr 28, 2012 21:47:30 GMT 8
Little Azkals training in Italy, met with PHL envoy in SicilyApril 28, 2012 7:47pm The Philippine Azkals' junior version, the Little Azkals national football team, are currently in Italy to attend a 20-day training camp that started on April 20. The team, composed of players under 13, paid a courtesy call on Philippine ambassador to Italy Virgilio Reyes Jr. in Sicily, last April 21 and 22. "The 'Little Azkals' are in Palermo on a 20-day training camp from April 20 to May 10 in cooperation with Nicolò Ferrante and the Director General and Technical Director of the A.S.D. Sport Village Tommaso Natale," said the Department of Foreign Affairs. Rachel Genco and the coaching staff accompanied the team in their visit to Reyes, who was in Paleromo, Sicily for a two-day visit accompanied by Honorary Consul Domenicò Marciano. — JVP, GMA News www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/256497/sports/football/little-azkals-training-in-italy-met-with-phl-envoy-in-sicily
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