INQUIRER Sports

MANILA, Philippines?Their bittersweet stories started in the slums of Metro Manila. Now they are hoping for a fairytale ending in South Africa.

Dubbed by their handlers as a ?miracle team,? the 11 players who make up the Philippine football team to the 1st Deloitte Street Child World Cup from March 12 to 24 are relishing the experience of representing the country for the first time in their lives.

?We know we have a responsibility to represent our country well,? goalkeeper Roberto Orlandez Jr., 15, said in Filipino.

?We are looking forward to the experience,? added Orlandez, whose family lives in a container van in Manila?s port area.

Two members of the squad, Raymond Elona and Mario Titoy, almost failed to secure passports.

Separated from their parents, Elona and Titoy, who live in Nayon ng Kabataan, had to scour for relatives to help them secure necessary documents.

?This is an incredible team,? said team manager Craig Burrows, who, in coordination with the Henry V. Moran Foundation, helped find sponsors for the team.

The team is mainly supported by Amos Trust which will shoulder the airfare of the players.

Three girls from the Tuloy Foundation Inc. run by Don Bosco?Erica Mae Inocencio, Ladylyn Ampe and Lorelyn Cabana-yan?are also part of the squad.

The Filipinos have been grouped with Tanzania, Ukraine and Brazil. More than the competition, though, the players are gaining life-defining lessons.