Panaad game a hit

By FRANCIS SANTIAGO

MANILA, Philippines � Dana Ramos, a first year University of the Philippines student, is a diehard Philippine Azkals fan.

So when she learned that the national team will be playing against Mongolia in an AFC Challenge Cup qualifier on Feb. 9 in Bacolod City, she skipped going to movie houses for nearly a month to save money for airline tickets.

�I will be absent from class for three days. But it�s okay. I will be with my friends to watch the game live,� Ramos, 17, said.

Ramos, who is set to arrive in Bacolod on February 8 and will stay in her classmates� relatives there, is one of the thousands caught in the football mania that is sweeping the country.

Ramos, who spent around P3,000 for the two-way airfare, is actually lucky to have booked a flight early because reports have it that its already difficult to land a flight close to Feb. 9.

She�s also lucky to have a house to stay in because reports have it that hotels near the Panaad Stadium, the venue of the match, are fully booked.

A quick random check in the hotels and Inns around Bacolod confirmed the reports.

�It�s very unusual to have guests as many as these. And most of our guests will be coming in from Manila to watch the (Azkals�) game,� said Sansan Lacson, a desk officer from Check Inn Pension Arcade, which stands beside the Bacolod City Hall in Luzuriaga Street.

Offering one of the cheapest rooms at P500 per night, Check Inn, about a 30-minute drive from the Stadium, has all its 91 rooms reserved within the week of competition.

Manila Bulletin