as panel discussants. Dr. Vina Lanzona, director of the UH Center for Philippine Studies, will be the moderator. The event is being sponsored by the Congress of Visayan Organizations (COVO) on the occasion of its 27th anniversary celebration, and the UH Center for Philippine Studies.
The presentation will feature the daring journey of a Philippine-born Hawaiian resident who braved the Pacific Ocean, alone, in pursuit of a bold dream. He accomplished what no man has ever done before, and proved to the world that, armed with courage and steadfastness, what seemed to be an impossible dream can be achieved.
The Man and the Journey
Florentino Das was born in 1918 in Samar, Philippines. He stowed away to Hawaii on a British freighter in 1934. In Hawaii, he married the former Herminia Cipriano with whom he had six children: Florentino Jr., Ronald, Dennis, Justin, Luisa, and Sylvia, all of whom are in the United States. To support his family, Florentino Das worked as a fisherman, a prize-fighter, a carpenter, and a Pearl Harbor shipyard worker.
In 1955, Florentino Das, then a resident of Maili, Waianae, and with support from the erstwhile Timarau Club of Honolulu, embarked on his dream of crossing the Pacific Ocean and reaching the Philippines from Hawaii. What made him decide to do this could have been a combination of homesickness – he wanted to see the family he left behind in the Philippines – and a desire to prove that the Pacific can be conquered. There were people who thought him crazy but he persisted. On May 14, 1955, he left Kewalo Basin aboard his home-made 24-foot wooden boat named "Lady Timarau," powered only by two 25-hp outboard motors and a canvas sail, and with no modern communication devices or navigational instruments to guide him except a simple compass and the stars. A month into his solo voyage, having encountered several storms and with his boat taking in water, he was aided and towed by a Japanese fishing vessel to Ponape, in Micronesia, where he stayed for several months repairing his boat. While there, he was instructed by his sponsor, the Timarau Club, to abort his journey and return to Hawaii, but he refused because he felt that "Filipino national pride was on the line." He continued with his voyage, passing by Truk and Yap islands, and reached the island of Siargao, off the northeastern part of Mindanao, Philippines, on April 25, 1956. From Siargao, he sailed to Allen, Samar, his place of birth, before being escorted by the Philippine Navy and Coast Guard to Manila where a hero's welcome awaited him. For his formidable feat and patriotic zeal, he was received and honored by no less than then Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay who bestowed on him the Legion of Honor and the honorary title of Commodore of the Philippine Navy. He was also given the keys to the City of Manila by then Manila Mayor Arsenio Lacson.
After the initial adulation, however, Florentino Das slipped into obscurity. Abandoned by his sponsors and with no money, Das was unable to return back to Hawaii as he planned. He became ill with diabetes and its complications. Impoverished and without work, Das was admitted to charitable hospitals and was completely blind when he succumbed to uremia on October 7, 1964 in Manila. He was 46 years old.
Das kept a diary of his voyage from Honolulu to Ponape that he sent to his sponsors, the Timarau Club, from whom the Star-Bulletin acquired sole publication rights. Portions of the diary were published but the diary itself can no longer be found.
In Commemoration
For almost three decades, nothing was done to commemorate Das’ achievement. In 1990, through the initiative of the Congress of Visayan Organizations (COVO) and then Philippine Consul General Buddy Gomez, with financial support from the City and County of Honolulu, a replica of his boat was constructed. It was initially housed at the Hawaii Maritime Museum but has been on display at the Philippine Consulate General since 1996.
In 2006, upon the initiative again of the Congress of Visayan Organizations, a project to put up a bronze commemorative plaque at Kewalo Basin was approved and made part of the Filipino centennial celebration. The plaque was installed on May 14, 2006 at the Kewalo Basin Park pavilion. The event was selected as a Filipino centennial event because of its historical significance and educational value, particularly to the Filipino youth. In that centennial year, it served as a reminder of the unique achievements that members of the Filipino community in Hawaii have accomplished during the past century.
Then, in 2010, the Congress of Visayan Organizations approved a project to produce two books on Florentino Das: a biographical book based on the research of Cecilia Noble, a Ph.D. student in sociology at the University of Hawaii, and a children’s book (with an accompanying curriculum) for elementary grade students to be developed by Dr. Patricia Halagao, a professor of education at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The books are expected to be finished by May of this year.
It is hoped that these events and projects not only celebrate Florentino Das' "bold dream," his "uncommon valor" and his intrepid journey - a feat that is worthy of adulation and emulation – but will also serve as an example of man’s ability to succeed against all odds.
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