CITY OF SAN FERNANDO –- For businesswoman and Aqua Blue Resort proprietor Bing Sablan, her fancy for replicas of frogs in various shapes and forms comes just as natural as her love for business, the city where her business lies, and the lush environment she lives in the midst of an urban jungle.

So surprised, after much curiosity, were officials of the City Government of San Fernando on Thursday during the launch of the 7th Annual Frog Festival at the popular resort in Telabastagan to find out Bing had a large collection of the city’s icon of its “leapfrogging” success.

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“Kaya pala dito tayo nag-press conference dahil maraming palaka dito,” jested Mayor Oscar Rodriguez, who revealed he himself has a collection of the adored amphibian.

Bing, as she simply preferred to be called, told Sun.Star: “Well, I have had this fancy for frogs really. I have collecting frog replicas of all shapes, size and made, from sculpture to stuff dolls of frogs from all over the world for ten years now, although much of it is really found locally. Through those times, I was able to build this 400-piece collection.”

She said most of the frogs in her collection are her favorites, but points to a smiling frog, gifted to her by a relative, as “closest to her heart” as it makes her smiles all the time and perks up her day.

A great found however, is a P1,000 metal replica of the wetland hopper which she bought in Baguio City, describing it as “by far the most expensive frog I’ve seen and had.”

“Oh, and frogs are good for business too. Like this Chinese Feng Shui frog with a coin on its mouth. It helps me in my business as customers continue to drop by and patronize the place,” she said.

Doing a lot of research on frogs, she quipped: “Did you know that there are about 4,000 species of frogs all over the world? And there is this kind living on tree tops and really never go down the ground?”

But Bing laments that in the city, the marsh leapers, especially the edible ones are fast vanishing because of rapid urbanization.

“That will really be sad if they will be gone from our surroundings. What I learned today, because of the fruitful discussion, will certainly lead us to preserve and protect the frogs from extinction as they are, like anything else, part of our lives, just like this collection which I share with enthusiasts,” she said. (JTD)