Mayor fulfills promise, returns lost ring of Thai bet in Ms. Earth 2008

ALAMINOS CITY, Pangasinan – “I promised to get her ring back.”

Mayor Hernani Braganza fulfilled his promise and returned the platinum and diamond ring of Piyaporn Deejing, Thailand’s bet to this year’s Miss Earth contest.

Deejing lost her ring when it dropped during an activity on Clave island, Hundred Islands National Park, last Thursday morning.

Braganza said the divers tried to scour the area where the ring fell but failed because of high tide last Thursday.

A tearful Miss Thailand said the ring has sentimental value because it was her grandmother’s ring and she is the third generation to own it.

“It’s a good thing they remembered where the ring fell,” the mayor said.

Last Friday night, Braganza and the divers went to the Microtel Inn and Suites in Capas, Tarlac where 14 of the 85 candidates were staying to return the ring to Deejing, who was so happy she hugged the diver who found her ring.

“Good thing it was low tide this (Friday) morning,” diver Romeo Tapang told The STAR, adding that they dug for about 50 minutes before finding the ring buried in about 12 inches of underwater sand.

The candidates visited this city and led several activities, such as feeding of hundreds of daycare pupils and indigent children, planting trees in mountainous Barangay Sabangan and mangroves in Barangay Bued.

They also visited the Hundred Islands and launched the Giant Clam Garden of Asia in Clave island, where they joined city officials, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and Lions Club International officials in reseeding clams in the area.