One of the memorable occasions which allowed me to balance my editorial work and my past teaching career will be revived late this month.
It is the Philippine University Games, which returns to its home city for the first time in 10 years. The Unigames 26th Season games will be held on Oct. 24-31 with the Negros Occidental Provincial Government as the main sponsor. It is also supported by the Bacolod City LGU.
As a newsman and media practitioner, I have also been engaged in sports journalism in the past four decades.
The sportswriting phase of my journalism career stemmed from my interest in sports and the lack of writers who cover the discipline, especially at a time when sports reporting was starting to flourish in a province that has a rich sporting history.
Another milestone in my experiences in sports journalism was when I headed the Media Center of the 2005 Southeast Asian Games in Bacolod City, which hosted four major sports – football, indoor volleyball, beach volleyball and weightlifting. There were also years of coverage of the Palarong Pambansa and National PRISAA Games.
The Unigames was founded in 1996 by the late Br. Rolando Dizon, during his term as president of the University of St. La Salle, which hosted the event for four straight years since it was started and six other years later.
As a journalism instructor in the university, I was tasked to organize the Unigames Media Center, a function I performed for all 10 years the school hosted it, the last time in 2013 (the 2015 edition was also held in Bacolod but the games were played in various venues outside of the university).
As the Media Center head, I managed the overall operations, including the production of the newsletter, invitation, coordination and the serving if the needs of local, regional and national media organizations that covered the event.
Prior to the era of the social media and digital news, the job of putting together the newsletter issue was a daily challenge which my students and I dutifully worked on – from the coverage to the taking of photos, writing and editing of articles and the designing and printing of the issue until the copies were delivered to the delegates’ quarters by the end of the day.
I have been privileged to work with UNIGAMES officials Roger Banzuela, Malot Lozada and later, Br. Felipe Belleza and others who have remained active in running the organization. Coach Roger has once more requested my assistance in manning the media-related operations this year.
The games have also been held in Dumaguete City (six times), Iloilo City (five times), Roxas City, Dasmariñas City and Dipolog City, host of the 2024 edition.
This year, athletes from at least 30 universities and colleges are seeing action in the sporting competition, which is dubbed, “The Games that Bring Us Together for Unity and Peace”.
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And writing about peace… on the same day this week – on Oct. 2 – the global community marks two related events: International Day of Non-Violence and World Farm Animals Day.
You might, perhaps, wonder what the idea of non-violence has to do with animals.
The connection has been in the life of the late Indian leader and peace advocate, Mahatma Gandhi. The Day of Non-Violence is observed on the birth anniversary of Gandhi, who was among others, known as an animal welfare activist.
His crusade for peace included all living beings.
Two of his famous quotes reflected that concern on caring for animals:
“I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man…” and “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
The day which is marked two days before the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron of animals and ecology, raises awareness and takes action for animals.
A related observance falls on the saint’s Feast Day – World Animal Day, which is held to advance the cause of creatures which cannot always defend themselves.
We join the global community in celebrating peace and animal welfare.
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Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. (Ecclesiastes 3:19) | NWI
