Manila: The Football Wonder of Tacloban, a film which tackled how the Typhoon Haiyan devastated the local football players in central Philippines on November 8, was aired in Berne Switzerland, in a campaign for the survivors of the calamity, the United Nations said.
Some 21,000 spectators of a charity match in Berne on March 4 saw a short version of the film which was made by Michael Steiner, which aims to raise awareness for the need to extend more assistance to survivors of the calamity, said the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
The choice of the film’s initial premier was due to football legends and goodwill ambassadors Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldo who have been raising support to create jobs and promote development for central Philippines after it was damaged by Typhoon Haiyan, UNDP said.
During the match in Berne, the film’s one minute tease was beamed to 74 countries around the world, including the USA, Brazil, France, Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines. It will be broadcasted worldwide this week, UNDP added.
Football’s international players gave attention to the Typhoon stricken central Philippines also because of Dan Palami, a native of Tacloban City, who serves as manager of the Azkals national football team, UNDP said, adding the Azkals’ has inspired football players in the Philippines.
John Wayne Regis, 17, also from Tacloban, was inspired by the Azkals and is now one of the group’s players.
Regis father is now working for UNDP’s cash-for-work programme in Tacloban City.
“We are surviving, but we are far from what we used to be,” Regis said during the UNDP’s conference.
UNDP is rapidly moving to support recovery in central Philippines. “This involves reaching out to coconut farmers, fisheries, local government, with a strong focus on women workers and entrepreneurs,” said Luiza Carvalho, UNDP resident representative.
“By telling the story of how the typhoon devastated the lives of local football players, I wanted to tell the story of an entire region and that its recovery is not yet over,” filmmaker Steiner said.
Some 10 million residents in central Philippines were affected by Typhoon Haiyan. Four million of them were rendered homeless.
More than 6,000 were reportedly killed by the calamity, excluding 1,800 who are still missing.
