A memorable meeting (times three)

Whew! Max B. here, after another busy but fun day in the Philippines. Monday was spent touring several of Zamboanga's most memorable sights, including Fort Pillar and Paseo de Mar. Afterwards we had a great get-together at District Governor James Makarsiar's beautiful home, where we got to meet several members of the local Rotary, and I got to test my vocal abilities (There was a band there, so thankfully I wasn't the only one on the mike).

Today I visited the offices of the Zamboanga Times and Zamboanga Today, the city's two daily newspapers. I chatted with Roy Ramos and JV Faustino, the two editor-in-chiefs of the papers. They had a lot of questions for me about my paper and my hometown. It was quite the role reversal, a reporter getting questioned, but I learned a lot from them and hope to apply that knowledge to the Minuteman.

Later that day the team met with Mayor Celso Lobregat. We got a great overview of Zamboanga and all it has to offer, and got to ask some questions about the city, the mayor's goals, and how he plans to spread the word about its beauty. I've interviewed many a city official before, and at one point I wondered why I didn't have my recorder with me. Guess you can take the reporter out of the newsroom but you can't take the newsroom out of the reporter, eh?

Well, that's all for now. I'm off to the west chapter of Zamboanga's Rotary Club for a Valentine's Day party. I'll try not to sing this time.

Max B.