ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Without any local or international support, the Filipino community in the Kurdistan Region capital city Erbil has organized a men's basketball and women's volleyball tournament for their community members, playing once a week on Fridays. The basketball and volleyball games, with four teams participating in each tournament, will last two months and a half. The men's and women's matches are run by a committee of six referees - also all Filipinos. The organizing committee hopes to get sponsors to invest in the activity. "Every Friday we have some activity to do and of course, we are doing this without a sponsor," Dominador Sta. Rose Jr, organizer of the Filipino volleyball and basketball tournaments in Erbil said. "We are hoping that someday, somebody will sponsor us so they can handle all our expenses." More than 2,000 Filipinos live in the Kurdistan Region and work across various sectors including service industries, oil and gas companies, the medical field, and baristas. Most Filipinos in the Kurdistan Region work six days a week, and they consider Friday's sports activities also a cultural gathering for the community members to catch up and feel at home. As soon as the games end, the Filipinos share a traditional meal at the Akkad Ankawa Sports Center, the place where the weekly matches take place. The Philippines has an embassy in Baghdad, but no consulate in the Kurdistan Region.
