LAST weekend's 2009 Philippines-Malaysia Veterans Football Championship which was made possible with the visit here of the Malay Mail veterans football squad owned and managed by Kuala Lumpur-based sports journalist Tony Mariadas is without a doubt a shot in the arm for Philippine football.

Not only did the event rekindle the traditional football kinship between the two Southeast Asian neighbors, more importantly it was able to re-ignite that special football link between Bacolod City and Malay Mail which was started in 1991 when the Malaysian squad visited the City to compete in the President's Cup invitational tournament organized here by former Bacolod councilor and then Negros Occidental Football Association (NOFA) president Cano' Tan.

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Of course, both in 1991 and now, the coming over of Malay Mail was made possible through the arrangements made by former Philippine Football Federation (PFF) general secretary (and now PFF grassroots committee head) Edward Magallona who is a longtime friend of Mariadas.

Last Saturday, Malay Mail veterans' team members gave out jerseys and other football paraphernalia to young footballers belonging to the Handumanan United FC of Barangay Handumanan, Bacolod City in simple ceremonies at the Panaad field following Malay Mail's match against Erco Cebu FC.

Sunday, Malay Mail was scheduled to take on Bacolod United Football Club, without a doubt the leading 40-above side in Negros in a match we failed to watch for reasons that we had to beat our deadline. But somehow we already had a hunch about the match's outcome after BUFC posted a 2-0 win against the Malaysians during their elimination round clash last Saturday.

Nevertheless, we salute Malay Mail for initiating this football exchange between the two nations which is sanctioned by the two country's FAs and which we were told will henceforth be an annual event here at the Panaad stadium in Bacolod City through the initiative of the PFF represented in this event by general secretary Cyril Dofitas and local organizing committee head Rafael Lizares of Executive Village FC.

It is a shot in the arm for RP football in the sense that the event comes at a low moment in Philippine football when the country cannot even afford to send a team to the Southeast Asian Games, and coming as it does after the RP Under-16 side was haplessly booted out of the recent AFC U-16 2010 Group E Qualifiers when it went down to powerhouse Japan (12-0), to Indonesia (9-0), to Chinese Taipei (4-1), and to lowly Bangladesh (1-0).

At least we did expect our former national team campaigners in Bacolod United FC to carry the nation's football pride (or whatever is left of it) in this two-day competition, which we hope will somehow fan the flames of a football resurgence in the country.

And why do we say resurgence? Well, was it not in 1991 when a then gangling Norman Fegidero Jr., now playing for BUFC, booted in the lone goal that eliminated Malaysia in the Manila Seagames in a bit of RP football history?

But of course, as to what type of sequel this bit of history has in store for us is something we can only speculate at this moment in time.

At any rate, thanks so much Malay Mail for bringing RP football some much-needed raindrops during this arid football season our country is currently experiencing. May your tribe increase, Tony Mariadas and company!