Secret finger signs at Victoria Peak
It was poet-journalist Frank Cimatu’s idea for three of us to line up for a shot at the far side of the topmost deck at Victoria Peak, with instructions on forming finger signs to spell out WPS, in reference to the body of water behind us. This way, he said, it would remain a secret territorial claim in case VHS cameras also covered where we stood.
Trust a perennial winner in matters of geography, climate, and discreet language to pull off the trick, while the rest of our group posed for the obligatory souvenir shots with Hong Kong’s more familiar high-rise towers before Victoria Harbour, that prized tongue of the South China Sea.
Cimatu had written an article months before, titled “Perfect storm hits Ilocos and Abra tobacco farms.”
“(Officials) came out with the following precautionary and remedial measures: cultural management practices of all tobacco types; Package of Technology (POT) through the use of flood-resistant and high-yielding varieties; more efficient tillage operation like plowing at a depth of eight to ten inches instead of the usual practice of six inches depth and the adoption of the ridge-type planting instead of the furrow method; and the construction of canals to drain excess water during heavy rains.”
The conclusive listing of such factoids helped him win the Tobacco Story of the Year category in the 15th edition of PMFTC Inc.’s Bright Leaf Agriculture Journalism Awards contest. The topmost prize, his fourth, primes him for a Hall-of-Fame distinction formally billed as the Oriental Leaf Award—achieving which would mean that we’ll miss him in subsequent tours of neighboring countries that are part of the hefty prizes.
Oh well. Having supped and shared liquid spirits with him in Beijing, Hanoi, Singapore, and now in Hong Kong in July 2023, may be enough, until Baguio calls for his next poetry book launch.
For this 2022 iteration of the annual contest, the Hong Kong tour actually draws level with those of the last two years, for which the tours were deferred on account of the pandemic. The 2023 contest scheduled later this year will have its tour prize conducted early next year.
For the three-day Hong Kong jaunt, two of the 11 winners couldn’t join: Vina Medenilla who had won for Best Agriculture Feature Story National, and Reuel John Lumawag for Best Agriculture Feature Story Regional.
That left eight other winners besides Cimatu: Tyrone Jasper Piad for Agriculture Story of the Year; Jordeene Sheex Lagare for Best Agriculture News Story National; Rachel Ganancial for Best Agriculture News Story Regional; Rhoy Cobilla for Agriculture Photo of the Year; Laila Austria for Tobacco Photo of the Year; Karlston Lapniten for Best Online Story; Norah Sagayo for Best Agriculture Radio Program or Segment; and Amielle Alexandria Garcia Ordoñez for Best Agriculture TV Program or Segment.
Chaperones were contest judges Philstar.com online editor Kristine Bersamina, business columnist J. Albert Gamboa, this writer as chair of the judges, and PMFTC Inc.’s Didet Danguilan and Cor Renes.
We lodged at Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel at Harbour City, where the back exit leads to the popular gathering place for tourists for photos at 8 p.m. of the Symphony of Lights show featuring the buildings across the water. I found out that it was also the closest area for my smoking breaks.
First on the itinerary was the Bauhinian Buffet Dinner Cruise from the North Point Ferry Pier. This started early to allow diners to go up to the top deck for some breeze and pre-sunset group shots.
Our second day was fully devoted to Disneyland Park, where most of the group (except this super-senior on his nth childhood) treated themselves to a few rides. But it was too hot and humid in the afternoon that most of us decided to skip the lights and sounds entertainment for which we would have had to wait till nighttime. That was fine with me, as I had already picked up the Disney toys for the little girls back home.
The change in itinerary led us back to Harbour City for early dinner instead at the Crystal Jade resto close to our hotel. It would also give the inveterate shoppers more time to make it on their own to the night markets nearby. Among the special dinner treats were Peking Duck and a dish billed as Hairy Melon, which caught our attention. It was actually slices of upo or bottle gourd with pork meatballs adorned with spiky hair that was hibi or small dried shrimps, all bathing in tasty broth. I had to take pics to remind me to try to recreate it at home.
Well, what else was there to do in Hong Kong, besides shopping, than to stuff oneself silly? It seemed we spent more time around meal tables than we did on the tour bus. And memories of special dishes get shuffled, so that I can’t recall now where we had the roast goose. Was it at lunch at Moonious after riding the funicular down from Victoria Peak? But no, that resto was in Kowloon.
Still imbedded in memory was our farewell dinner at Café Marco, which included lobster done two ways, plus an array of Western desserts. Now, I couldn’t just have imagined that roast goose. I insist we had it earlier than the more customary Peking Duck. And yes, it was on the day we claimed back the West Philippine Sea with secret finger signs at Hong Kong’s highest viewpoint.