Ms. Universe once saved Isagani Yambot’s life

ALL SET TO GO Inquirer publisher Isagani Yambot, with his coat slung on his shoulder, takes one last look. JOAN BONDOC

It was sometime in 1998 when I was a public relations consultant for the opening of Fairways and Bluewater Resort at Newport, Boracay, when I first met Philippine Daily Inquirer publisher Isagani “Gani” Yambot. My boss, Mike Toledo and I, were hosting the International Publishers Association Congress with the late Max Soliven as its chairman.

Gani, a delegate for the Philippines, was quiet and unassuming—and perhaps the only sober man at the event. He was the only one who did not dance with me, as I was the only woman in the welcome party that evening.

Early the next day, as the fisherfolk were winding up with their catch, I spotted Gani walking toward the deep-blue waters of Boracay while I was having breakfast at the veranda of Boracay Terraces. I waved at him and wished him an enjoyable swim. He waved back and with a loud voice, declared, “I will just wet my feet because I can’t swim.”

I do not know any other man who does not know how to swim. I wondered if his father knew how to swim.

Floating body

Just as I was having my last sip of coffee, I saw a body floating upside down in the distance. I froze for a split-second when I realized there was no one else swimming and the one floating could only have been Gani.

My adrenalin shot up as I ran to save him, shouting at the fishermen on their boats to get him. Four swam to his rescue, and worry overcame me as he was carried, face down, to the shore. A paramedic gave him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and pumped his stomach until he coughed out water from his lungs.

When he finally opened his eyes, he looked at me and said, “I told you I don’t know how to swim.”

Since then, whenever he greets me, he tells his companions that I saved his life. I am not a doctor and I have not had the opportunity to save a life again. It is an unexplainable feeling to save a life—even if it’s just calling for help when a person is close to death.

Never missed ballet shows

Gani is an unusual man. Though he did not know how to swim, he is one of the few men I know who enjoyed the arts. He never missed a Ballet Philippines performance. The last one he attended was the world premier of “Pusong Wagas” on February 17, shortly before he was taken in for surgery.

He seemed to have enjoyed the show thoroughly as I spotted him walking around with his iPad with an excited look on his face, taking photos of the dancers after the show. He even had one taken posing with the lead dancers and had a childlike look of satisfaction after.

I may not have stopped Death from claiming him this time around, but I hope that every time he got to watch a performance he fully enjoyed, it made his life richer and so much more meaningful until the very end.

(Editor’s Note: Margie Moran-Floirendo is the president of the board of trustees of Ballet Philippines.)