Chinese ships aiding
stranded vessel

Yesterday’s big story in the Manila dailies was the report that six Chinese ships were off the coast of Palawan to assist a vessel stranded on a reef in a shoal.

The Chinese frigate is reportedly stuck on a reef of Hasa Hasa shoal, just 60 nautical miles from the Rizal town of Palawan.

The Philippine Coast Guard reportedly offered to help salvage the stricken frigate. “If assistance is required, then we’re duty bound to render ‘assistance’… dispute or no dispute,” said a PCG spokesman.

In short, that incident places the Philippines in a quandary. Does it have to file a diplomatic protest against Chinese vessels patrolling inside Philippine territory? Or simply fold its arms and offer to aid the stricken frigate?

That’s a $64 question.

Let’s watch for further developments.

I missed yesterday’s major story. That was the brief visit here of Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan.

When I spotted Lt. Gen. (ret.) Roy Kyamko yesterday afternoon at the McDonald’s along 6th and Lacson streets, he told me that Gringo had just left for the Silay airport as he was going back to Manila.

Nobody had learned the fact that Gringo was here to attend the reunion of the Ballesteros clan in Negros and Iloilo. There were other family members from the areas of the country.

Kyamko’s wife is a Ballesteros from Toboso. So he was there for the reunion also, although as a husband of a Ballesteros.

Well, I said I did miss a chance to interview Gringo.

The reason why I was there much earlier yesterday afternoon, with Athena Barde was that we had a meeting with the Fabricanians, an association of former Barangay Fabrica, Sagay City, residents.

Joy Sato was a bit late. But that did not distract us from the topic of the meeting.

Actually, it was a discussion on the December 8 general assembly and election of the association. Still six months off, but we just wanted to be sure that every Fabricanian is given the chance to attend the grand reunion and the election of the new set of officers.

Yesterday, the board accepted the need to appoint a Comelec of three to five members and to charge every registrant P100 for registration and possibly P300  for the meals for the grand reunion.

Joy Sato was asked to negotiate for the Bacolod Pavilion for the place.

The awards committee which I head also recommended that we present certificates of appreciation to all Fabricanians, especially abroad, who had helped the two mercy missions of Fabricanians to Paraiso and Fabrica during the last floods that devastated the barangays.

“We managed to respond fast to the emergency because of the timely assistance by Fabricanians from everywhere,” said Mrs. Sato, the president.

It’s proper that those who made it possible deserve our gesture of appreciation for their timely help, said Sato.

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Meanwhile, President Honorato Tonogbanua of the Bacolod Capitol Lions Club yesterday officially sent a letter of invitation to the Mikawa Lions Club of Japan to attend the joint induction of several Lions Clubs in Bacolod on September 29.

This was after Tonogbanua received the gong and gavel from Marlou Mills, the outgoing president at the turnover rites at Business Inn.

Antonio Uy who congratulated the club for having two past-presidents Eusebio Marañon and Marlou Mills, for having received two diamond-studded awards from Lions International for keeping intact the club’s membership and adding to it.

K. Yamaguchi, the landscaper who handled the construction of the Japanese hot spring bath at the  Mambukal Resort, assured the Bacolod Capitol Lions Club officers and members  that Mikawa club members had intimated that they will come in droves to attend the club’s induction this year.

The induction includes the Bacolod Capitol, Fort San Pedro of Iloilo City, the Cebu Capitol Lions Club, the Sagay Kabingahan, the Guimaras Mango Club and possibly another club.

It’s a long way off yet, but the plans had been finalized and completed and preparations are already in place before the Sept. 29 affair.

Uy also announced that Bacolod Capitol had won with 14 others the excellence awards for this Lions Year.*

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