In March of 1988, I had the good fortune of joining a group of both young amateur and professional
astrornomers which had gathered in the City of General Santos (Mindanao) purposely for the observation of the Total
Solar Eclipse event that transpired over that area. Among the professional astronomers- actually two of them
from the Manila Observatory at the Atteneo University (in Loyola Heights, Quezon City), was the late FR. FRANCIS HEYDEN,
S.J. (the other was FR. VICTOR L. BADILLO who was also with the Philippine Astronomical Society). . .
I took that same opportunity to disucss with Fr. Heyden about his letter to me with regards to his professional-
as well as personal, opinion of the subject of Anomalous Aerial Phenomenon. In that letter, Fr. Heyden professed to
me his belief on the physical reality of the UFO phenomenon, as the discussion and exchange of information centered on the
alleged sighting experience of one of the Observatory's staff, FR. ANGEL HIDALGO, S.J., who was the officer-in-charge
of the observatory's archives.
A writer of science history, Fr. Hidalgo was at first constrained to releave the sighting report and make
the experience known to the public, but made reconsiderations later on to disclose the same in the interest of science.
He had encouranged the public who have also sighted the same object to give him a call at the Observatory.
On the night of the 28th of February of that year (1984), Fr. Hidalgo was at the observation
deck of the Observatory, at aroud 9:30 in the evening, trying to contemplate on the events that transpired earlier in the
day when his attention was briefly called by a "glowing spherical object" that just "suddenly appeared" due east and
had seemed to be moving in a northerly direction following a flight altitude of roughly (estimated) about a kilometer above
the Markikin Valley and parallel to the mountain range that could be viewed unobstructively at the distant
horizon.
According to Fr. Hidalgo, he had just followed the rising moon when the beutiful sight manifested itself
for a brief, few seconds, before disappearing from sight.
Described as being about twice the (apparent) size of the (full) moon and "tear-shaped with a spherical
front part, while the rear end appeared to be "conical" in shape.
The front part was glowing with a whitish hue, with the rear part displaying semi-circular arcs of different
oolors, and appearing to be "solid" based on the non-nebulous but "well-defined" outline of the object.
Apparently (because of the considerable distance of the object from the observer) no sound of any kind,
either directly coming from the object or associated with the apparition, has been observed.
