Search for Japanese soldiers brings boon to GenSan

GENERAL SANTOS CITY — Truth or hoax, the bizarre tale that two Japanese soldiers may have been living in the jungles of this coastal city since the end of World War II has attracted a swarm of news locusts, providing a boom and a boost for a place better known for tuna and deadly bombings.

A 100-odd contingent of free-spending Japanese journalists has descended on General Santos in what may be the largest Japanese presence here since World War II.

Local residents have never seen anything quite like this, with twists that include rumors of a clandestine $250,000 payment to get the men safe access to rebel territory — and the possibility that it may all be a scam or the figment of someone’s fertile imagination.

Rumors of Japanese troops holding out nearby have persisted ever since the end of the war. Then came word Friday that two men, believed to have stayed in the jungles rather than face a possible court martial after being separated from their unit six decades ago, were ready to meet with Japanese embassy officials and return home after 60 years in the nearby mountains.

Stories don’t come much tastier than this.

Two Japanese news crews chartered separate flights from Manila to bring in staff and equipment. Others paid thousands of dollars in excess baggage on about a ton of television broadcast and satellite equipment.

Hired vans and cars quickly overflowed one hotel’s small parking area and into those of neighboring establishments. Enterprising rental companies have doubled the rates for a car to around P6,000 a day.

The influx of cash even affected the Philippine currency, with some local foreign exchange dealers offering only P50 to P52 to a dollar, compared with P54.40 at the close of market trading Friday in Manila.

City Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr. said General Santos is now able to promote its tourism and economy through the positive media attention on this port city.

Last Valentine’s Day, General Santos City had been the scene of a terrorist bombing later attributed to the Abu Sayyaf.

"GenSan is once again placed on the map but this time it is not about bomb explosions carried out by terrorists," Acharon said.

He cited the city economy — mostly the hotel and entertainment industry, rent-a-car services and even the local media — had been boosted by the story.

Monet Odango, manager of the Phela Grande Hotel, said about 80 percent of the hotel’s 58 rooms had been booked, mostly by Japanese news agencies, along with some Japanese embassy staff.

"I am thankful because business has been boosted and GenSan is back in the news, but not in a bad light," Odango said.

"It’s very unusual that our rooms are fully occupied and people are checking in and checking out," said Sheila Rivera, a front desk officer of the hotel.

In recent years, the city has been the scene of several deadly bombings blamed on al-Qaeda-linked Muslim extremist rebels operating on the troubled main southern island of Mindanao.

Daisy Bucol, who owns Kurdapoy’s grilled chicken restaurant, welcomed the large Japanese presence.

"Of course, this means additional trust (in the city)," she said.

"People here had lost hope — from a booming city to a bombing city. We have prayed very hard to bring back the booming days."

Rose Tagayong, a front desk officer of Hotel Filipino, said the presence of Japanese journalists in the city had greatly helped their sales go up. — AP, John Paul Jubelag