Snowstorm strands Palace press corps

TORONTO — Stranded in the cold and a long way from home.

Philippine journalists covering the visit here of President Arroyo found themselves literally left out in the cold when a severe snowstorm Thursday forced the cancellation of their flights.

Five male and eight female reporters from print, radio and television were supposed to follow Mrs. Arroyo to New York for the next leg of her trip, but nature momentarily had other plans for them.

Press Undersecretary Carmen "Ching" Suva, who led the group, said they were booked on a Delta Air flight at 1:40 p.m. Thursday when the snowstorm unleashed its fury all throughout the morning.

It was the first snowfall in Toronto, capital of Ontario, since winter began Dec. 21. And what a lot of snow it was.

Local and major international airlines canceled their scheduled flights in and out of Ontario, except for a few flights of Air Canada.

The Philippine media delegation were rebooked on the 5 p.m. flight to New York’s La Guardia airport via Air Canada, but the flight was also subsequently canceled.

The reporters, mostly covering the Malacañang beat, were rebooked on the 7 p.m. flight of Air Canada, but were on the "wait list" along with scores of others similarly stranded.

But after several hours of waiting and gnashing of teeth, the cold and tired reporters were not so lucky to take the last flight to New York.

They were forced to sit out the snowstorm and wait until the next morning’s flight at the nearby Sheraton Hotel, which by a stroke of luck was manned by a kababayan that night.

The Filipino hotel worker was able to give the last remaining rooms to them.

There are 300 Filipino workers in Canada, two-thirds of them in Ontario.