Maguindanao Massacre hits PAL Interclub

By Al S. Mandoza

I FIRST got wind of it from Jun Canton.

I was to board my PAL flight at the Mactan International Airport when I bumped into Jun, a top gun at PAL Cebu.

This was mid-December last year, after I had stood as godfather of Master Mico P. Limpag at the Sacred Heart Parish in Jacosalem, Cebu City.

That was a year-capper to behold, especially in light of Mico’s historic arrival to humankind.

For, if it weren’t for Mico, I’d have probably waited a little longer before I could finally meet Pachico Seares in person.

Hey, it’s always a chance of a lifetime to shake the hand of someone who owns a city as big as Cebu. Even had beer with him.

Way to end the year.

Anyways, back to Jun Canton.

“Don’t quote me, but I was told that if it should happen at all, it would be done for security reasons,” Jun said. “I will text you once I get confirmation.”

The confirmation came days later.

Not from Jun Canton, though, but from the Main Man of the PAL Interclub Golf Championship himself, Atty. Doming Duerme.

Amid the frenzy of holiday greetings via the cell phone, I received this text-message from Davao:  “Happy New Year, Al! Am here in the farm waiting for the coming of the New Year! And, yes, confirmed! We go to Bacolod from Cagayan de Oro for the 62nd staging of the PAL Interclub.”

Doming, the perennial chairman of the PAL Interclub, added:  “Same dates. C U February.”

See what the Maguindanao Massacre had done?

Gruesome as already it was after the macabre act cost 57 lives, including 30 of my colleagues, the massacre claimed yet another scalp – that of the PAL Interclub’s – in a way, that is. ‘s quite miles away from Maguindanao, Cagayan de Oro, because it’s a city in Mindanao, had lost the tournament. Drat!

And, easily going down the drain are millions of pesos lost in revenues for Cagayan de Oro.

There was this stingy issue of refunding money to those that had advanced hotel bookings in CdeO.

But through the representations made substantially through Doming and his staff, the kinks had been ironed out with everybody happy, so to speak.

Cagayan’s loss has been Bacolod’s gain.

May Bacolod prove to be a worthy host – yet again.

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