The Koreans were impressed

The first group of South Korean golfers came to Negros Occidental yesterday and they were impressed by what a Zest Air official called an unprecedented reception for them.

No less than Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr. welcomed the group headed by Zest Air director Arturo Alejandrino, ModeToour president Kijung Hong, and Se You president Kim Sang Kuk, reports said.

Among those who feted the visitors were Silay City Mayor Jose Montelibano and provincial museum director Lyn Gamboa and hubby Neil Gamboa.

What made the chartered direct flight from Inchon, of Seoul, more memorable was that the plane’s pilot was Sunny Chan, a St. John’s Institute Class ’91 graduate, reports also said.

Later, Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia turned over the Symbolic Key to the city to Mode president Kijung Hong. He was accompanied by Councilor Em Ang, Rep. John Orola, Dr. Ver Lacson, Imogene Kana-an, and Butch Erasmo together with Modesto Sa-onoy. Orola was former tourism attaché to Japan and South Korea. That makes his role more significant.

There were 120 tourists on the chartered flight. The reports also said that the 180-seater Zest Air planes will be directly flying from Korea to the Silay Airport at least twice a week.

But Alejandrino expects to increase the number of flights to Negros Occidental from Korea and other areas.

The provincial government, with Gov. Marañon, hosted dinner at the Capitol Social Hall. The guests were also honored by a welcome in Silay City. Later, the city tourism tour operators hosted dinner for the visiting guests at the L’Fisher Hotel Saturday.

But while Negros Occidental look expectantly to the Koreans to increase in volume visits to the province, one thing that caught my attention was the designation by Gov. Marañon of Grace Horii, former tourism attaché to Japan, as consultant of the province.

Grace can help generate more interest among Japanese for Negros Occidental. She and Eleanor Fukuda, president of the ODAN-J, the Organization of the Development Advancement of Negros Occidental in Japan should be able to encourage more Japanese nationals and businessmen to come to the province for both visits and possible business opportunities.

ODAN-J is mostly made up of Filipino spouses of Japanese husbands. They are mostly from Bacolod and are well-knit.

I remember way back in 1989, when Sen. Gringo Honasan launched his 1989 military coup against then former president Aquino, the ODAN-J husbands cried openly on hearing about the group. Their frustration – it forced them to review their plans to retire in Negros Occidental. They believed then that is would be almost impossible for them to retire in Japan.

As tourism offensive in Japan, Horii and Fukuda could work wonders for Negros tourism industry.

Perhaps, they can start off with a local reunion of ODAN-J members in Negros Occidental. Just like the global Magkit-anay Kita 2012 sa Kabankalan that brought in some 150 Kabankalanons expats.

In short, this development of the Koreans coming in opens door to a more promising year for the province. And Gov. Marañon deserves all the backing from us and former descendants of Japanese nationals in the province now in Japan.

Yesterday the millions of Catholics in Manila shrugged off the warning from President Benigno Aquino III about a terrorist plot to sow terror to disrupt the procession for the Quiapo Black Nazarene. And they kept on surging along the streets of Manila confident the Black Nazarene was going to protect them.

Exposure of the alleged plot plus the alert to the security and police force may have convinced the plotters to abort their plans.

They never reckoned with the fact that the fanatical devotees would have overwhelmed them had they tried to go through with their intentions.

Of course, as usual, there were scores injured in the scramble for the towels and handkerchiefs to be rubbed on the statues of the Black Nazarene. Many of the male faithful clambered up the carriage that held the statue. But, despite their press, they just jumped back into the crowd. Of course, some of them simply found themselves trampled by the crowd that continued to press toward the carriage of the Nazarene.

I still have to hear what happened to the feeding and medical mission in Sitio Cabugao of Kabankalan City by the Toti Quizan clan. But there were some 200 schoolchildren feted at a Jollibee food festival by the eatery and by the Quizan family members.

A tribute to the 2012 global Kabankalan reunion this year that made the Sinulog 2012 more memorable for the residents of the Southern City.*

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