President Benigno Aquino III yesterday said he and the rest of the Filipino people congratulate the Philippine Azkals for winning the first leg of their prequalifier match versus Mongolia in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup at the Panaad Sports Stadium in Bacolod City Wednesday night.

“I am grateful to you for bringing pride and honor to Filipinos the world over,” Aquino told the Azkals.

The Azkals won 2-0 over Mongolia with the winning goals delivered by Chieffy Caligdong and Phil Younghusband.

“Your two goals showcased both Filipino creativity and the hard work you put in to master your sport. You brought our people together, and reminded us once again that, united, we can reclaim our nation’s glory,” the president said..”

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri yesterday said he is committed to help the Negros Occidental provincial government access funds for the expansion of the Panaad Sports Stadium in Bacolod City so it can accommodate bigger crowds.

Zubiri, who was hoarse from cheering for the Philippine Azkals in their match versus the Mongolian national team in Bacolod City Wednesday night, said that in  increasing the Panaad crowd capacity to 40,000 from the current 20,000, its bleachers will have to be expanded and roofs will have to be built over them.

The provincial government already has a plan and it will cost about P100 to 150 million, he said.

Philippine Football Federation president Mariano Araneta yesterday apologized for the failure of PFF to distribute the promised free tickets for the football match between the Philippine Azkals and the Mongolian national team at the Panaad Sports Stadium in Bacolod City on Wednesday.

“I apologize for the miscommunication,” he said.

The PFF did not distribute the free tickets at the Panaad on the day of the game because match commissioner ER Subramaniam of Malaysia did not allow it. He did not want the Panaad to be too full of people early,  on the day of the match for security reasons, Araneta said.