ZAMBOANGA CITY, October 29, 2002 (STAR) By Wilson Lee Flores - "Shoot for the moon! Even if you miss it, you will land among the stars!" These words were uttered by then 94-year-old Dr. Norman Vincent Peale in his last speech in May 1992 at the Ohio Wesleyan University.
One of the risk-takers who will literally wrestle with anyone who dares dismiss the Philippines as hopeless is Tourism Secretary Richard "Dick" Juico Gordon. Unlike many of our hopeless politicians who enjoy pandering to the crowd to woo their votes, Gordon is obstinate in his straight-talking, cajoling, urging way. He even lectures pessimistic people to share his vision of a resurgent Philippine tourism. One of the staunch believers in Gordon’s bold vision of tourism as a source of Philippine economic salvation is 52-year-old topnotch American architect David S. Froelich. Dave is the man behind the bold and headline-grabbing plan to construct a 450-room beach and golf resort in Basilan province in Mindanao.
Furniture tycoon Leandro "Dinky" Lopez-Rizal Bantug on September 20 invited this writer to lunch at Dulcinea Greenhills with his friends Dave Froelich and his lovely Filipina wife Joyce Limjoco Tioseco. Dave established the Manila office of the world-famous Skimore, Owings & Merrill architectural firm in the early 1980s for design work of the US$100 million Asian Development Bank (ADB) project in Ortigas Center. He was also director of architecture and engineering for the Universal Studios projects in Osaka, Japan, also those in Orlando, Florida and California. When I half-jokingly suggested to Dave to design a resort project for Basilan province which will surely become world-famous, he said: "I already have made such plans. In fact, I’ve already written President Gloria Arroyo about my plans on November 12, 2001. I will also be meeting Secretary Gordon to ask his support in making Basilan a tourist destination."
In his letter to President Gloria Arroyo, the American architect said: "I am pleased that your plan to eradicate the Abu Sayyaf includes socio-economic development. Highly visible development and new jobs on their home turf of Basilan will eliminate such extremists... The beauty of Basilan is yet untapped for the tourist market... Here is what we propose be built by November 2004: a 450-room beach and golf resort that will create 900 permanent jobs, a regional airport that will create 250 permanent jobs, a hotel management school that will create 100 permanent jobs…roads and bridges. This development will be built as a self-contained, defensible village..."
Froelich was very glad that unlike most Filipinos who dismissed him as crazy or were shocked to hear of resort plans for Basilan, Secretary Gordon pledged all-out support and later announced to the mass media such plans. The landowner of the proposed Basilan project is the Alano family, whom Froelich got to know through the introduction of his friend Conrado Benitez II of Philippine Women’s University. His proposed name for the resort is "Kireihama," which is Japanese for "Beautiful Beach." Froelich can read and written Chinese and Japanese characters.
When almost all of his prominent Filipino friends expressed skepticism, pointing to the country’s terrible peace and order conditions, and saying his Basilan dream is too ambitious, Froelich would reply: "People always ask me if I would be successful in this dream project. What’s unacceptable to me is not trying to do this exciting and feasible project."
What budget does Froelich need to accomplish this resort project and who will fund it? He said US$150 million, and he wants to solicit a consortium of international investors, including wealthy Muslim nations in the Middle East and perhaps overseas Chinese business groups in Asia. When this writer commented that perhaps the capital needed was too high, the gray-haired Dinky Bantug gave an impish smile and replied: "If our politicians and military leaders are spending so many billions of pesos and wasting so many young Filipino lives in their long and unsuccessful war against the Moro rebels, why don’t we get private investors to fund this resort and help seek a permanent solution to the socio-economic crises in these islands of Basilan, Sulu and other places? I believe in the future of Philippine tourism."
If only Dave's dream became a reality ... tsk...tsk..tsk... Quo Vadis Philippines, my Philippines? Incidentally, Dave Froelich is married to my sister..the lovely Joyce ( hehehe), and Dave is more Filipino at heart, than anyone I know ! I always told him that he should've been an Honorary Consul to the Phil. I hope somebody from the DFA is reading this....
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