Sun, surf and spicy lechon
by Michelle Joy L. Padayhag
Correspondent
HEINRICH “Henry” Haffner so loved Cebu that he kept coming back to enjoy the sun, the surf, the sandy beaches and spicy lechon.
Recalling the night before the 31-year-old German engineer was fatally shot at dawn of Jan. 20, Sheila Jane Gimutao said her boyfriend finished a kilo of the roast pork delicacy at Rico’s Lechon.
“He ate one kilo that night. Some foreigners don’t really like oily food, but in Henry’s case, he really loved lechon which he ate with puso (hanging rice),” Gimutao said at Haffner’s vigil wake at the Cebu Rolling Hills Memorial Chapels.
Haffner was a regular visitor to the country and would spend his two-month vacation here each year.
He also volunteered for relief aid missions in Bohol and Bantayan islands after the 2013 earthquake and typhoon Yolanda.
Last night, a farewell tribute was set to gather his friends here and abroad through live streaming on Skype. Gimutao said arrangements were being made to send his remains home to Germany with the help of the embassy and consulate.
The couple was in a serious relationship for almost two years. She recalled that Haffner loved eating balut or boiled duck embryo and was fond of prawn crackers which reminded him of crab chips in Germany.
Gimutao said the German loved to stay in Cebu because the traffic was less congested than Manila, and was a gateway to other islands since he loved going to the beach.
“He said he noticed that although Cebuanos loved to party, during the daytime they still work hard at their jobs,” she said.
Aside from Cebu and Bohol, he had visited Boracay, Palawan, Zamboanga, Bacolod, and Legazpi City in Albay, home of the Mayon Volcano.