Hold the lengua for Hawaii gov

Except for the ox tongue, Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle had what she called the "trip of a lifetime" during her eight-day visit to the Philippines.

Lingle flew back to Hawaii Tuesday night.

And, to paraphrase Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Lingle said she might return.

The governor did not continue on with the rest of the visiting Hawaii delegation to Cebu, which was disappointing to some members of the group who are from the area.

The governor said it was also a big disappointment to her that she was not going. However, she said she had to return to Hawaii to prepare for next week’s opening of the legislature and the State of the State Address.

"I tell everyone it’s a reason to come back," Lingle said.

Vivian Aiona, the wife of Lt. Gov. Duke Aiona, whose family roots are in Cebu, will represent Lingle in the visit to the province.

During her visit, Lingle paid a courtesy call on President Arroyo, signed an agreement to help improve nursing education at the University of Northern Philippines, and unveiled a statue at Port Salomague in Ilocos Sur dedicated to the sakadas, or contract plantation workers. The port was the departure point for many of Hawaii’s Filipinos.

The governor led a delegation of 178 people to the Philippines to mark the 100th anniversary of Filipino immigration to Hawaii.

"I think we were able to strengthen existing relationships between our state and the country," she said.

The governor said she was impressed with the ties that immigrants to Hawaii maintain with the Philippines.

"Clearly, Hawaii is very important to the people of the Philippines," Lingle said.

"Our people at home have given dump trucks to the city. They’ve given library materials, computers to the city. The Aloha Medical Mission has built a clinic. It’s unbelievable that the ties are that strong no matter how long they’ve lived in Hawaii."

On Tuesday, Lingle also met with US Chargé d’ Affaires Paul Jones at the US Embassy together with the Hawaii Filipino Chamber of Commerce. Lingle said she asked Jones to assist businesses with product placement in the Philippines. Jones was also asked to have the US Commerce Department be present during a big Philippine trade expo in December in conjunction with the centennial celebration.

During the many breakfasts, lunches and dinners hosted by Filipino mayors and governors of areas with sister-city or sister-province relationships, Lingle tasted a variety of Filipino foods, among them higado, a dish of pig liver and peas; dinakdakan, whose main ingredient is sliced pig’s face; and lengua or braised ox tongue. The governor said she ate everything that was put in front of her, but thought that ox tongue was "an acquired taste."