iceuck wrote:there was an article in the inquirer yesterday (lower left portion of the front page) regarding nakata's visit. he was here (not as a football star, since he's already retired) to see for himself, the other side of the world which he doesn't know (poverty). i guess we are the perfect example of an impoverished nation. he went to payatas and was awed by how "happy" the people looked
i've read that! i was touched by how he wanted to see the other side of life which he is not familiar with. kaya pala pumunta sya dito dahil may filipino friend sya at ni recommend na dito sya unang pumunta para makita nya philippine ghetto!...astig may pinoy friend pala sya!!! OMG! pwede syang maging ambassador of good will!
LOW-KEY VISIT TO PAYATAS
Japanese football star drops in
By Tina Arceo-Dumlao
Inquirer
Last updated 03:28am (Mla time) 10/29/2006
Published on page A1 of the October 29, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer
FOR 7-year-old Nestor Lopez Jr., the day began like any other, waking up in the familyfs cramped, one-room shelter with a view of a mountain of trash in Payatas, Quezon City.
So it came as a surprise when Lopez and his family were visited yesterday morning by 29-year-old Hidetoshi Nakata, a former Japanese soccer player and one of the most famous Asian football players of his generation.
Nakata talked with Lopez for 10 minutes, unmindful of the little boyfs allergies that left his skin riddled with sores.
Nakata ended his short visit by giving Lopez a brand new football. The little boy wordlessly thanked the global sports star by flashing a wide smile.
It was that smile and all the other smiles from the residents of Barangay Payatas B that left the biggest impression on the former star of Japanfs last World Cup team and two-time Asian Football Confederation Player of the Year (1997 and 1998).
gIt was impressive,h Nakata told the Inquirer as he navigated with ease the narrow streets of Payatas B. gI am sure they do not have an easy life but they do not look sad or depressed to me. They seem very positive.h
He visited Payatas as part of a personal quest to have a better understanding of the social ills that plague less developed countries, especially in Asia where he comes from. He said he wanted to see another side of the world that he hardly saw when he was a world-class professional athlete.
Soccer star
Nakata began playing professionally in 1995 at 18. He played for Italian premier league teams Perugia and AS Roma. He also played for Japan in three FIFA World Cup tournaments and in the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.
Last year, he was made Knight of the Star of Italian Solidarity, one of the Italyfs highest honors, for improving the countryfs image overseas.
In July this year, the attacking midfielder announced his retirement from professional football, after Japanfs early exit from the World Cup in Germany. Now he had more time and freedom to travel, he said.
Fashion icon
The Philippines is the first stop in his Asian tour, thanks in part to a friend of Nakata, who happens to be Filipino.
gAs a professional football player, you only get to see one part of the world [usually, from] five-star hotels,h he said, gbut Ifve always known there was more [out there] and this is what I would like to see in my future travels.h
Nakata is known as a fashion icon and wears designer fashion and sports colorful haircuts. Walking around in Payatas, he was equally comfortable in a plain white tee, Bermuda shorts and Nikes.
He said he had no grand plans of suddenly becoming an ambassador of goodwill or to publicly fight for a cause. He was simply visiting urban poor communities to deepen his understanding of their living conditions. The trip was arranged by the local office of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP).
New journey
gWhen you get to see the other side, you will have an idea of what you can really do to help,h Nakata said, gmaybe then you can start to ask yourself what you can do about their problems.h
As he said in an open letter to his fans when he announced his retirement: gThe time has come to take leave from this journey called professional football. I want to start a new journey which will allow me to discover a new world.h
He arrived in Manila late Friday from Tokyo and toured Payatas yesterday morning.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
Unforgettable
PCUP head Percival C. Chavez said before Nakata left Payatas, he suggested to local officials to consider developing a park in the area where children can play, perhaps even learn football.
Nakata also went to Rosario, Pasig to take part in the Football sa Kalye (Football in the Streets) program for street children where he played a little, gave away some footballs and then visited a UNDP solid waste management project, also in Pasig.
He said that when he returns home, he would talk with other professional athletes and share with them the gnew worldh he has seen from his travels.
gYou cannot really control their reaction to what I will tell them, but at least I will get to share my experiences,h Nakata said.
His experience with 7-year-old Lopez and the rest of the Filipinos was not something he would soon forget.
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