Tuesday, September 16, 2008 A royal journey to Swazilandia By Mila C. Espina In my diary
HAVE you heard of Swaziland? My Swaziland discovery came about when Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia was invited by King Mswati III to be one of the selected distinguished guests in the Double Celebration marking the 40th birthday of the king and the 40th anniversary of the Kingdom of Swaziland.
Our governor stood proud representing Cebu, Philippines, in the royal assemblage led by the king, the Indlovukazi and Queen Mother, the excellencies and heads of state of various countries, including Fraisier Jendayi.Assistant Secretary of State, USA, along with the much applauded controversial Mugabe, Minister Lekota of the Republic of South Africa, and the 13 princesses of the Royal Court, royal ministers and counselors.
It was a royal experience for board members Wilfredo “Willy” Caminero, Wenceslao Gakit, and Teresita Celis, protocol officer Ronald Conopio and me.
We were privileged to accompany our governor. I represented the media and the tourism sector. We touched base with the royal emissaries of the king as well as the ethnic cultural groups, with natives proudly donning their Swazi costumes, stocky physique, bare and rounded breasts, bulging hips and buttocks and sturdy legs. Oh, we all looked so fair and tiny.
Despite some hitches in our booking from Johannsburg to Swaziland, we got lucky and reached Swaziland with the efficient teamwork of the Philippine Embassy in Pretoria. The team was headed by Ambassador Virgilio Reyes Jr., Vice Consul Eric Aquino, Admin Officer Gina Magsumbol, Cynthia Ricafranca and Consular Assistant Earl Alonzo. We also thank the Office of the High Commission, Kuala Lumpur, led by Ambassador Mpumelelo Hlophe and the Royal Swazi Airways GM Charles Jele who constantly coordinated with the Office of the Governor through Bess Francia and Amor Sarmiento.
When everything got settled, we were all ready to be immersed in a royal journey, the Swaziland way. Oh, how different indeed: the food, climactic change, the long rituals and ceremonial amenities, the music, the rigid royal protocol and the structured pacing of activities. But our governor had the royal treatment upon instruction of the King and Queen Mother. ”
She truly made a statement; how stunning in her terno!” observed ambassadors Reyes and Hlophe. Our governor attended
the State Dinner in the King’s Palace in Sept.5, Friday, the first gala affair.
She sat at the special table for the princesses and the royal children. Gov. Gwen was amazed at how solicitous the princesses were in attending to her.
Ah, the resources of Swaziland were limitless. We were billeted in the luxurious Royal Spazi Hotel and rode in BMW’s and Mercedes Benz. I was told the King bought all these for the event. No wonder there
were some silent apprehensions . The polarization of the rich and the less privileged was evident.
The king received loud cheers from thousands of people who attended the double celebration at the National Stadium, Sept. 6 (Saturday). We all came in our formal and national attires. The ladies were requested to wear fashionable hats, as what the natives do, as a sign of respect to their spouses.
The long program featured the different contingents, the Guards of Honor and Defense Force for the arrival rituals for and security of every royalty; cultural presentations, congratulatory messages and the 45-minute speech of the king, who announced his thrusts for the next eight to10 years, namely: education, arts and heritage, human resource development, tourism and investment.
In a private conversation with Gov. Garcia, King Mswati III, who, by the way, visited Cebu last year, promised to come during the 440th anniversary of the Province. Both are looking forward to a viable partnership.
The Garden Party was held in the Ludzidzini Royal Residence of the Queen Mother, evening of Sept. 6. The setting combined traditional and contemporary religious music featuring a live band. No speeches, this time, but purely fellowship and exchange of tokens. After some dancing and singing, fantabulous fireworks marked the finale of the Celebration.
We barely had time to shop because we decided to have the land trip from Swaziland to Pretoria (the capital of South Africa ) to Johannsburg, Sept. 7, Sunday, after a hosted lunch by the Filipino community at the residence of Cebuano Lolit and Iranian spouse Nabi Mohseni. Gov. Gwen spoke before 50 Pinoys and informed them of the progressive programs of Cebu.
It was a heartwarming time to know that some 200 of our people work as teachers, nurses, factory workers and technicians. The Cebuanos, who used to only see Gov. Gwen on TV, were so thrilled to see her in person and rob elbows with her. The cameras and videocams clicked almost endlessly.
We thank Ambassador Reyes for orchestrating all the events, especially, the facilitation of our transit visa. His articulate wife, Maria Felisa Luarca, never left us. In Pretoria , we had a late afternoon and evening tour of the city and the malls.
The Union Buildings, which house the residence of the president, glittered at night.The Reyeses hosted our dinner and overnight stay in their beautiful residence where we had a longer time to interact. The cordial Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to South Africa Virgilio A. Reyes has some 27 years of service as a career diplomat and was Third, Second, then First Secretary in the Philippine Mission to the United Nations in New York.
He served as Minister and Consul General in the Philippine Embassies in Mexico, Chile and Myanmar. An Atenean, he finished AB in humanities; masters in communication at UP; and masters in government and politics at the St. John University in New York. He has various study grants and post-graduate enrichment courses. Ambassador Reyes is a linguist and writer. No wonder he is considered one of the most deserving diplomats of the Philippines .
All is well that ends well. The long haul travel—which had some tensions created by the South African Airline due to the temporary dislocation of some few luggages, and the waitlisted blues of some of us—was compensated with the unique and interesting cultural insights we encountered.
There was the special attention and honor the king and his royal court accorded our governor, which once again put Cebu in the global map. There was the helpfulness, friendliness and hospitality of the Philippine Embassy in Pretoria, especially Eric and Gina. Most of all, there was the congeniality of Ambassador and Mrs. Virgilio Reyes. We appreciate the assistance of the officials of Cathay Pacific who monitored our arrival and departure and connecting flights. Thank you, Connie and Janice. My next article will feature the Swazilandia and Pretoria in the Travel Section of Sun.Star Cebu.
