LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Founders of the Spirit of Football recently visited the province to advance its advocacies against climate change and for the development of renewable sources of energy that will guarantee the preservation and protection of the environment aside from promoting gender equality and the promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples (IPs).
Spirit of Football (SOF) is a not–for–profit community interest company dedicated to promoting a very special ball as the “star of the beautiful game” in the run–up to each World Cup.
‘The Ball’ has already been signed by more than 7000 people from 12 countries around the
world. It is also football’s equivalent to the Olympic Torch.
Andrew Aris and SOF delegates paid a courtesy call to Gov. Melchor Diclas at the Provincial Capitol where the governor committed to support the movement and sustain the implementation of appropriate climate change adaptation measures and the development of renewable sources of energy that will contribute in the global campaign to mitigate the effects of global warming.
Diclas also affixed his signature to the ball and vowed to aggressively promote the football game as one of the alternative sports of the youth for them to be able to replicate the success of members of the national team who have displayed sterling performances in local, regional, national and international football competitions over the past several years.
The provincial chief executive informed the SOF delegates of the practice of a municipality in the province where couples that intend to be married should first plant at least 10 fruit-bearing or other tree species within their property and for them to care for the planted trees as part of the efforts to help in preserving and protecting the environment.
The SOF delegates also paid a courtesy call to Vice Mayor Roderick Awingan where the latter vowed to uphold the ongoing advocacies of the movement and for La Trinidad to be part of this advocacy considering that one of the major thrusts of the municipal government is for the protection of the town’s remaining communal forests to prevent these from being encroached by informal settlers.
Aside from conducting regular tree planting, tree caring and weeding activities in the different plantation sites in the municipality, Awingan informed the SOF delegates of the combined efforts of municipal officials and residents to regularly conduct cleanup activities along the stretch of the Balili river, one of the major river systems in the municipality that trace its headwaters to various communities in Baguio City.
Vice Mayor Awingan, Secretary to the Sanggunian Edward Juanito and Fire Superintendent Jessie Annaswi, Benguet provincial fire marshal, also affixed their signatures to the ball in support of the advocacies of the global movement.
Also affixing their signatures to the ball were Acting general Manager Engr. Ramel Rifani and James Palicdon, community relations officer, of the Benguet Electric Cooperative (BENECO) who vowed that the electric cooperative will continue to venture on the development of sources of renewable energy to lessen its dependence on coal as a source of electricity and to help in sustaining its cheap power rates for the benefit of the consumers.
