Hail to the Azkhals!

The gods of Philippine football rose to the occasion. They barged into the semi finals of the Suzuki Cup via the vaunted Vietnamese booters.

Sadly, they fell prey to the apathy of the Republic that they wanted to honor. The PH Azkhals' run ended yesterday, losing to the superb Indonesian team 1-0.

Still, these Pinoy youngbloods stood tall in a foreign stadium packed with 70,000 of their opponent's infantrymen. Despite the noise, the collective hate and the fierce attacks, only Uruguay-born striker Christian Gonzales' thunderbolts penetrated Neil Etheridge's defense.

I must admit that I was heartbroken. No losing basketball game could have made me feel so proud. Come to think of it, I can't remember watching a game that made me feel so damaged, so butchered up inside. I knew that the boys wanted to win for us, even if it killed them.

Dear President Noy,
The only way to honor these Azkhals, and all the greats who took the football warpath in the past, is to let the PH team play in front of our countrymen.You should make it happen.

This is something that only the President of the Republic of the Philippines can do and should do.

(Note: I purposely chose to put the Gatorade Ad of the Azkhals to give due credit to the corporation that came to the aid of the booters.)