Daily Star LogoOpinions
Bacolod City, PhilippinesMonday, March 19, 2012
Front Page
Negros Oriental
Star Business
Opinion
Sports
Police Beat
Star Life
People & Events
Eguide
Events
Schedules
Obituaries
Congratulations
Classified Ads
Twinkling
with Ninfa Leonardia
OPINIONS

Football na, boxing pa

Ninfa Leonardia

It was not a very good week for Philippine athletes. The Azkals lost what everyone thought was a winning game until the very last few minutes. Almost all the reports in the national papers called it “heartbreaking” and we confess to also using the same adjective because it was the most accurate one. Having kept the Turkenistans off all the way, they were not able to stop them from scoring two unbelievable goals in the last 15 minutes or so. The country’s sports organizations should have declared a day of mourning.

***

And then the female boxer, Ana Julaton, who traveled to Argentina to fight with Jessica Marcos, an undefeated fighter, lost her super bantamweight title, even after she had knocked down the Argentinian in the second round. But it was a unanimous decision, so there was nothing Julaton and her camp could do, not even to protest. But Ana should be given a medal for being brave enough to go and fight in Argentina. Wasn’t it there where a Pinoy boxer was almost lynched by the fans of his opponent when he was declared winner? Maybe Ana should even be glad that she lost. She may have been subjected to the same treatment had she won.

***

Why is it that more fires break out in the country during the month of March which has, ironically, been proclaimed as Fire Prevention Month? One of the worst was that one in Caloocan City, where the fire that broke out Friday took two days before firefighters could declare it under control. Hit was the big Gotesco Mall. The fire started at about 10 p.m., so, fortunately, the buildings was uninhabited.

***

But that is also the reason why questions have cropped up about the cause of the conflagration. An investigation is reported to be underway, because the blaze seemed uncontrollable despite so many firefig