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VIDEO STORY: Padyak boy dreams of football


In the Philippines, football is more often played by privileged athletes from elite schools. But the world's most popular sport is also gaining ground in some of Manila's poorer communities, partly thanks to a few football enthusiasts who are introducing the sport to underprivileged kids. As football's World Cup entranced millions around the globe the past several weeks, the sport already had twelve-year-old Chrisval de Castro from Tondo, Manila under its spell. He pedals a pedicab to help out his family after school. But the passion that consumes the rest of his time is shared, if not by the majority of Filipinos, by much of the world. Chrisval dreams of playing for the national team some day. He belongs to a local football club called Futkal, a non-profit organization that uses "street soccer" to educate and develop disadvantaged youth. Also responsible for popularizing football in Tondo are the Salesian priests of the Don Bosco Youth Center, who have been teaching the sport to local boys since the 1970s. Groups like Futkal and Don Bosco believe that teaching football to young boys like Chrisval will give them the chance to stand out in a country where basketball-heads are a dime a dozen. If he masters the sport, Chrisval may some day win a football scholarship from a good high school and then university. His ultimate dream is to one day play for the Philippine national team. But more importantly, playing football is teaching Chrisval discipline, dedication, and how to turn weaknesses into strengths. "Hindi puwedeng puro paa ka lang," the boy says, "Dapat may utak ka rin. Para kahit saan ka mapunta, may magagawa ka." (You can't get by on just your feet. You need brains, so that wherever you end up, you can accomplish something.") Sounding wise beyond his 12 years, the boy might just have the world at his feet. - HS, GMANews.TV

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