balikbayanmagazine.com
DECEMBER 2011 – JANUARY 2012
VOLUME II NUMBER 11
US$ 5.00•PHP 150.00
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Bringing Home Dream the
JOSE MARI DEL ROSARIO 11/29/11 5:11:32 PM
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Century Properties Full Page Ad
RICHARD
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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VoLume ii NumBeR 11
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DeCemBeR 2011 - JaNuaRy 2012
PANDAN, ANTIQUE Discover the hidden beauty that is Pandan Beach Resort.
PUBLISHER & CEO Roger L. Oriel PRESIDENT & CO-PUBLISHER Cora M. Oriel VICE PRESIDENT for BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Raphael John C. Oriel EDITOR-in-CHIEF Lito Ocampo Cruz MANAGING EDITOR Katherine Castillo Eustaquio FEATURES EDITOR Danielle Clara Dandan EVENTS EDITOR Kristine Bernadeth Manaog CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Cynthia de Castro, Rueben Nepales Billy Dela Cruz CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Christina M. Oriel, Jose Victor Torres, Marionette Ocampo-Martinez, Julie Matienzo CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Alvin John Adriano, Cheekie Albay Alvin Chua, Arra Tanghal, Jan Paul Jose
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ANNA PUNO
16 SAY ALA EH! THIS DECEMBER We’re listing down some of the BEST reasons to visit Batangas this December.
38 DOT’S PINOY HOMECOMING PROGRAM Check out what the tourism department has in store for the balikbayans.
21 SA GANANG ATIN A roll call on Noche Buena favorites like the hamon and the Quezo de bola.
48 JOSE MARI DEL ROSARIO Read about how the Microtel brand arrived in the Philippines.
26 A “TOY STORY” Kids’ Christmas wishlist. Now and then.
84 WHAT’S WITH THE PAROL? A young Fil-Am’s take on the most prominent symbol of a Filipino Christmas.
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ST. PAUL MANILA GRAND CENTENNIAL ALUMNI HOMECOMING Its history, its legacy.
SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Richard Erpilo TEAM of GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Alvin John Adriano, Kendrick Tan Joyce Balansag, Bienvenida Salazar, Valory Lim MULTIMEDIA DEVELOPER Nicole Alvaro VICE PRESIDENT for ADVERTISING Noel Godinez VICE PRESIDENT for SALES Sharon Ann Bathan-San Pedro VICE PRESIDENT for CIRCULATION AND SPECIAL EVENTS, PHILIPPINES Vince Samson CIRCULATION & SPECIAL EVENTS DIRECTOR, USA Ed Ferrer MARKETING EXECUTIVE Rowena Mara Diocton CIRCULATION MANAGER Arthur Sibulangcao ACCOUNTING MANAGERS Ria Fabro, Gemma Fabro ACCOUNTANT Joseph Mark Camiring
BALIKBAYAN MAGAZINE is published by Asian Journal Publications, Inc. 2/F Units D&E Fort Palm Spring Condominium, 30th Street corner, 1st Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig 1200 Philippines Tel. (+632) 856-4921
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MARIA BANATAO
42 DAVAO
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage of retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the Publisher. Asian Journal Publications, Inc. regrets that no responsibility can be accepted for unsolicited material, which will be returned only if stamped, addressed envelope is enclosed. Printed in the Philippines. Distributed in the Philippines for newly arrived balikbayans at Duty Free Philippines, as well as at select hotels, resorts, restaurants and cafes and major bookstores and magazine distributors. Circulated at special events and through subscription in the United States of America.
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USA ADVERTISING OFFICES Los Angeles: 1150 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90017-1904. • Tel. (213) 250–9797 San Francisco: 841 San Bruno Avenue West, Ste. 12-14 San Bruno, CA 94066 • Tel. (650) 583–6818 New York: 5 Penn Plaza, Ste. 1932, New York, NY 10001 • Tel. (212) 655–5426 New Jersey: 2500 Plaza Five, Harborside Financial Center, Jersey City, NJ 07311 • Tel. (201) 484–7249 Las Vegas: 3700 W. Desert Inn Rd., Las Vegas, NV 89102 • Tel. (702) 792–6678 WEBSITE www.balikbayanmagazine.com Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/balikbayanmagazine Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/balikbayanmag For subscriptions, email subscriptions@asianjournalinc.com
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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Keeping a Journal By Roger Lagmay Oriel, Publisher
The simple adage, “everything old is new again,” came to mind as we pieced this issue of Balikbayan Magazine together. As another year’s conclusion is upon us, we cannot help but reflect on the holiday traditions that make Christmas in the Philippines so special and regarded as one of the merriest celebrations around the world. Despite modern times, it is heartwarming to observe children of today respectful of age-old Christmas traditions and Filipino-Americans yearning for the aroma of Christmas food staples like puto bumbong and bibingka. Adhering to our theme this month—the intermingling of the old and the new—we recognize the upsurge of second and third generation Filipino-Americans visiting the country to explore their homeland. They are amazed by the natural beauty of their mother country, the hospitality of their people, and the many world-class adventure tours offered in cities like Batangas and Davao, the island paradise of Boracay, and, just recently, in Pandan—a booming ecotourism destination located in the province of Antique—where our team visited the newly opened Pandan Beach Resort. Needless to say, the tourism opportunities extend beyond the wellknown spots and are waiting to be embarked on. And what better time to rediscover our homeland than now, especially with the Philippine tourism department’s effort in pursuing the shared passion of bringing the balikbayans back home with their Pinoy Homecoming Program. A boost in the country’s real estate and hospitality industries is evident in the successful Microtel brand. We feature Jose Mari del Rosario, the visionary who brought the Microtel chain to the Philippines. Our cover reflects the dominant presence of the hotel with illustrations of the nine Microtel properties in the country. Even with success, there is room for growth, as the Microtel dream is gearing up to establish more locations, such as in General Santos City and Quezon City.
At The Sanctuary of Monte Maria in Batangas
The love for one’s country has enabled St. Paul alumni like Maria Banatao, Anna Puno, and my wife, Cora Oriel, to excel in their respective fields both in the US and in the Philippines. We salute these hardworking women for their many contributions in the Fil-Am community and wish them the happiest time as they come home to attend the St. Paul Manila Grand Centennial Alumni Homecoming in January 29, 2012. These times, we see a lot of changes—an intermingling of the old and the new. And yet, in the midst of the clash, the love for one’s country remains in style, regardless of generation, regardless of location. ◆
FOREWORD In all my travels, I’ve never seen people more warm and welcoming than Filipinos. Whether you are in the United States, Asia, or Middle East, no group of people is more ready with a kind smile and that “kababayan” aura that never fail to make you feel less alone especially when you’re traveling solo in an unfamiliar turf. Growing up in Manila—and with my alma mater standing proud right in the middle of España—I’m a witness to the country’s urban evolution. I’ve seen the rise of world-class infrastructure and entertainment hubs not only in Manila but
all over the country; I’ve conquered the many “adventurism” spots that almost made an iron woman out of me; I’ve tasted the freshest produce—including the intriguing durian fruit—and the finest local cuisine each amazing Philippine destination has to offer; and lastly, I’ve witnessed over and over just how strong a balikbayan’s love for the country really is. It is, absolutely, the tie that binds. It is with this fervor that I joined Balikbayan Magazine as the new managing editor. The new editorial team is composed of the so-called “2nd generation”—young blood, as others call it. In these pages you’ll find not only tales of triumph, not just places of interest, not just features on the “most wonderful time of the year”, but the strong, almost intoxicating, element that binds us all—the love for one’s country. As I write this in a coffee shop along Ayala Avenue, I could see the famous avenue light up with its annual Christmas display. I now end this foreword sincerely wishing that may the holiday season light you up with so much joy and may this issue bring you a lot closer to home. Merry Christmas from Balikbayan Magazine! ◆ K atherine C. Eustaquio Managing Editor balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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NTIQUE:
The Game-changer of Pinoy Tourism Named after the big red ants called hantik, Antique is crawling its way up like the big, red soldier ants to be the Philippines’ next nature-adventure destination. This place has the complete package on what an adventure trip should be–extreme, fun, and rough. Forget stories of aswang and manananggal, this place calls for adrenaline rush adventures like river rafting, kayaking, boat paddling, and trekking. Experience life atop of a waterfall by climbing the side of Bugtong Bato Waterfalls in Tibiao or listen to town legends while river rafting in Bugang River in Pandan. Experience adventure, experience Antique. 6
BATANGAS:
The Rarity in the Familiar As the nearest destination hub in the metro, the province of Batangas has a lot to offer. The Batangas City Port serves as an open gate to goods coming from different towns and nearby countries. The city holds a vast collection of rare antiques, century-old books, and ancient relics. Batangas is also home to some of the rarest tree and fish species, fruit bat, and coral reef. Filipino historian Maria Katigbak quoted the locals as the “Super-Tagalogs” because the Batangueños are known to exemplify Filipino values and follow traditions religiously.
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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TRAVEL GUIDE A Sneak Peak of the Philippines’ Top Tourist Destinations
By kristine BernADeth t. MAnAog
BORACAY:
Paradise Again and Again Who can say no to a vacation in this luscious beach? Boracay has the complete package of what a paradise is—fine, white sand, nature trips and activities, mouthwatering dishes, and interesting night life. It’s the must-go vacation spot of students, TV personalities, yuppies, and families. From the pristine beaches to coves and fruit bats, Boracay is the place to relax and have fun. It’s an island meant for self-discovery and friendship-building. Whether you are a beach bum or a guest exploring the island, Boracay’s charming spirit will make you come back for more.
DAVAO:
A Charming Tapestry Davao can be compared to an intricate woven fabric. It’s a combination of colorful threads of picturesque landscapes, virgin forests, rare wildlife, colorful flower gardens, rich fruit plantations, and rapid urbanization. The durian, Philippine Eagle, waling-waling, and Mount Apo are icons that identify Davao the best. The harmonious union of natural beauty, wildlife, and upbeat city life coupled with Davao’s year-round fair weather make it a balikbayan’s favorite destination spot. balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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TRAVEL DESTINATION | Pandan, antiQue
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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antIqUe’s
Unseen BeaUty or how pandan Beach resort serves as the gate to the next ecotoUrIsm destInatIon By kristine BernADeth t. MAnAog
a good vacatIon Is not Based solely on the amenItIes oF yoUr chosen hotel. It may amaze yoU a whIle, yes, BUt the grandeUr Is Useless IF It’s not located near the heart oF adventUre. Better yet, a great vacatIon Is aBoUt the real adventUre away From the hectIc cIty lIFe and the dIscovery oF somethIng entIrely new In a place that the rest oF the world already knew.
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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Marquessa’s Bar & Restaurant
Gigi Bautista, the general manager of Pandan Beach Resort
Bugang River
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Pandan Beach Resort
FAMILY ROOTS Pandan is a progressive town in the province of Antique in the Western Visayas Region. Its proximity to a series of exciting ecotourism sites in the Philippine make the Pandan Beach Resort already a popular destination. Pandan Beach Resort is originally the vacation house of the Bautista family. It is the home where Gigi Bautista, the general manager of Pandan Beach Resort, and her siblings spent their childhood until they pursued their respective careers. Some stayed in Manila and some went to the United States, and the house soon became the place of family gatherings since then. Despite of their achievements, the house still represents the simple and sweet beginnings of the family. “All of us, my siblings, we always come here for vacation, and then we started bringing friends, and I thought there is potential in developing this property, especially since Pandan is close to the very famous Boracay. I thought of turning this into an alternative destination,” Gigi said. When Gigi retired from her post in Philippine Airlines as the Manager of Advertising and Promotions, she went to manage the resort full time. She came up with unique amenities and tour packages that include upland and water activities to promote the resort. “We have something else to offer that Boracay doesn’t have, like nature activities and local immersions,” Gigi added. It is just this April when they decided to officially launch Pandan Beach Resort. It is fabulously designed with colorful paddles, stones, and wood work. The mood is very tranquil. There is something in the air that can easily make you feel comfortable. Since it is a beachfront property, one can hear the whispering of the waves and gaze at the dramatic sunset day after day or, better yet, enjoy the night looking at the star-filled sky while sipping cocktails in the floating gazebo. Committed to bringing the resort’s name to the list of must-see vacation places in the country, Gigi opened the Marquessa’s Bar and Restaurant as an addition to Pandan Beach Resort last October. The place is not just simply a resort but also a place where guests and fellow Pandananons can have a good time feasting on good eats while watching the ocean. Of Beauty and Functionality Imagine spending your vacation in beachfront paradise with the kind of service offered in hotels and the comforts of your own home. The resort offers single and twin-sharing rooms at very affordable prices complete with all the modern conveniences hotel rooms in the city carry. They also have a hut-type accommodation that is good for four people for those who want a laid-back vacation as well as dormitory-type fan rooms that can accommodate up to ten people. Traveling businessmen will have no trouble squeezing in a little work with the resort’s computer and wireless Internet services. To soothe the mind and body, there are body massage and beauty care services to choose from while the kids can enjoy indoor and outdoor sports like beach volleyballs, darts, and many more. Since the opening of Marquessa’s Bar and Restaurant, people nearby are starting to spend their nights here for a great meal, a wide selection of cocktails, mixes, and wines, and hours of good fun. The resort has also become a venue for special events and team buildings. Equipped with an in-house audio and video system, the open social hall / function room can hold up to eighty people and is ideal for seminars and small parties. They also have gazebos that can be used for small functions but, for a more romantic getaway, you can request the floating gazebo for that special candlelight dinner and drinks.
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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Pandan, antiQue | TRAVEL DESTINATION Paradise Awaken As an avid supporter of nature and philanthropic work, Gigi made sure that the tour packages they offer are of great help to promote ecotourism in Antique in protecting the remaining forests that house a variety of endangered plants and species. But most importantly, Gigi wants to help the less privileged by creating more jobs for them. “It is really our passion to promote tourism and I’m actively involved in community service with the family,” said Gigi. “We have a family foundation that helps the less privileged in Pandan. I thought of this facility as profit-generating kind of resort so I can provide jobs to people here in Pandan since there is lot of unemployment here. Since we are active in community service together with other nonprofit organizations, part of the proceeds of the resort goes back to the community. It is our relationship here. Whatever we earn, it goes back to them through projects and collaborations.” The tour packages can be customized depending on what the guests are looking for. They can arrange the type of nature trips you want from river rafting to kawa bathing. There are a number of water and upland activities to try. To give you an idea of their adventure packages, here are several nature trips offered by Pandan Beach Resort: The Bugang River, which has been hailed as the cleanest river in the Philippines after winning the “Gawad Pangulo sa Kapaligiran,” is located in Barangay Zaldivar, Pandan. The river is about five kilometers in length and is a venue for bamboo rafting and paddle boating. It is best to try these activities after a heavy rain because of the high water level. Near the Bugang River is the Malumpati Cold Spring Resort. Also located in Pandan, the lake-river is a venue for people who want to escape the summer heat. The water is very clear, cold, and fresh. It also has a medical property that soothes the tired body. From this area, a thirty-minute trek is required to reach the Malumpati Head Spring, which is home to thousands of new plant species. It is said that under the head spring are a handful of little coves and springs. The actual depth of the Malumpati Head Spring is still unknown even today as the place has not been fully explored. Apart from the nearby communities’ initiatives to protect this haven, folklore has it that a creature with very big ears (similar to the Loch Ness monster) is guarding this place. An hour drive from Pandan will bring you to the town of Tibiao, another ecotourism spot in Antique. Situated along the National Highway in the Municipality of Tibiao is the Tibiao Fish Spa that offers this one-of-a-kind treatment that makes use of small fishes to exfoliate the skin by feeding on dead skin cells. The fish spa uses several species of fish found in Antique instead of importing Garra rufa (doctor fish), which is expensive and difficult to maintain. From the fish spa, a twenty-minute drive is required to reach Tuno, another small town in Tibiao, where a multi-tiered waterfall can be found after a forty-five minute trek. The Bugtong Bato Falls is a favorite place of the locals to relax, have picnics, and take a dip. Visitors will enjoy climbing the sides of falls (with the help of ropes) to reach the top and swimming at the cascading waters. After the trekking, kayaking, and rafting, one may consider trying the kawa hot bath. The idea is to immerse in a big kawa (similar to a wok or a local fryer) heated in a very low temperature to keep the water warm and tolerable. It’s like a Jacuzzi except for the medical benefits it provides. Plus, a good view of the river where the kayaking takes place is very relaxing to watch. Truly, Antique has so much to offer now with the Pandan Beach Resort has unveiled its many ecotourism wonders. Watch out for next year as the province of Antique, especially the towns of Tibiao and Pandan, will unveil more one-of-a-kind adventures trips. ◆
Bugtong Bato Falls
Malumpati Cold Spring Resort
Nightlife at Pandan Beach Resort
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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Shang Properties’ newest development One Shangri-La Place combines the amenities of a five-star hotel with the coziness and comforts of home, placed atop 6 floors of all-new shopping and dining destinations.
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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Shang Properties
presents a most gracious way of living and working The premier developer elevates the urban landscape with properties that boast worldclass design and technology, while being conveniently surrounded by the best the city has to offer. Like its fictional namesake, the idealized world of Shangri-La from James Hilton’s timeless novel Lost Horizon, each Shang Properties, Inc.’s development is a paradise in itself, a luxurious destination that takes pride in impeccable architecture and interiors, and an undeniable air of class. Whether residential or commercial, Shang Properties ensure that it s denizens receive the signature Shang experience—and its roster of illustrious projects continue to prove this. One of the most luxurious office buildings in the country and strategically located in the heart of Makati’s bustling central business district, the award-winning The Enterprise Center has been home to many of the Philippines’ most prestigious companies. Conceived as an office building for top-level decision-makers, the premium GradeA Enterprise Center not only presents enviable facilities but also a firm commitment to the environment—with energy efficiency and conservation concepts, systems and technologies to maximize savings, elevate service quality and minimize energy and power consumption. Also in the Makati Central Business District is the group’s first residential project, The Shang Grand Tower. This traditional art deco 46-storey luxury condominium building opened in 2006 and is home to over 200 residents. At the crossroads of EDSA and at the heart of the vibrant Ortigas Center business district is the integrated community called Shangri-La Place, where the five-star Edsa Shangri-La, the upscale lifestyle hub Shangri-La Plaza—which will soon feature a combined 500 establishments that include the high-end Rustan’s Department Store, its recently renovated supermarket, and the ultra-relaxing five-theater Shangri-La Cineplex, among others—and the towering St. Francis Shangri-La Place are all connected via a comfortable walkway. Fused with outstanding design and the latest state-of-the-art building technology, the St. Francis Shangri-La Place, one of the country’s tallest residential buildings is an architectural landmark. Aptly crowning this stunning glass clad 60-storey edifice are eight individual Grand Penthouse units. These spectacular and exclusive tri-level residences, richly designed with soaring seven-meter high ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass windows, set new standards in high living and offer residents their own corner of the sky. “Shang Properties has steadily gained a reputation for being a premier developer of upscale, high-end properties, both commercial and residential,” says Vicente Formoso, vice-president, CFO, and treasurer of Shang Properties, Inc. “We have breadth and depth in terms of international experience, and we are serious in our commitment to uphold the Shang brand, so tenants and residents are assured that the standards we follow with regards to planning, construction, and design are world-class.” A central component of the Shangri-La Place community is the group’s latest undertaking, One Shangri-La Place, which is poised to enhance the already distinguished neighborhood with its highly-anticipated completion in 2014. In continuing its tradition of building luxury residential and commercial establishments, Shang Properties pulls out all the stops allocating over 12 billion pesos on this mixed use project, as well as an additional 2.4 billion pesos to spruce up the 8.6 hectare Shangri-La Place estate. Spectacular residential and retail plans make One Shangri-La Place unlike any other development of its kind in the city. As a residence, tenants of the 64-storey One Shangri-La Place will experience the “Shang lifestyle” daily what with the property blending the amenities of a five-star hotel with the coziness and comforts of home. An estimated 150 all-new shopping and dining destinations will occupy the first of its six floors. Steel and glass walkways seamlessly connect this exciting commercial venture with the Shangri-La Plaza. “We are not just selling properties,” declares Formoso. “We’re offering the Shang experience.” Indeed they are. From its previous string of successful developments, current undertaking One Shangri-La Place, to ambitious, up-and-coming projects like the 60-storey ShangriLa at the Fort and the high-end Shang Salcedo Place residential development along Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue in Salcedo Village, Makati, every project undertaken by Shang Properties lives up to the company’s reputation for outstanding, world-class real estate. For inquiries, call telephone 635.8300, email info@shangproperties.com or visit the website www.shangproperties.com.
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TRAVEL DESTINATION | bATANgAS
say
ala eh! thIs decemBer FIlIpIno cUltUre Is certaInly Incomplete wIthoUt FestIvals. towns and provInces In thIs 7,107 Island terrItory Boast oF theIr respectIve UnIqUe Feasts that gather toUrIsts From all aroUnd the gloBe. By DAnielle ClArA P. DAnDAn Batangas province, for one, prides itself with a number of festivities coming from its 31 towns and three municipalities. Just imagine, you have 34 reasons to visit Batangas for the whole year round! But for many balikbayans, getting to experience all of them is near to impossible until Batangas spearheaded the Ala Eh! Festival four years ago under the administration of Governor Vilma Santos-Recto. The aim was to showcase the specialties all towns and cities could offer to the world in one sitting. Well, at least not literally. This year, Ala Eh! Festival runs from December 1 to 8 in the atchara-filled town of Calaca. Since December is the time when balikbayans fly back to their homeland to experience the genuine Filipino warmth and hospitality during the holidays, Ala Eh! Festival is surely a worthwhile vacation treat. Several activities are lined up for
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eight consecutive days so as to keep tourists and locals pleasantly busy. Day 1 caters to the opening ceremonies of the entire festival starting with a Holy Mass. It also marks the first day of the Photo Contest Exhibit with entries coming from prominent photographers from Manila who toured Batangas last October. The Parade of Mutya ng Batangan, Trade Fair, and the DepEd Night are also some of the activities to look out for. Day 2 is set to boost employment around the province through the huge Job Fair. On Day 3, sports enthusiasts will enjoy the Motorcross and Mountain Bike events as well as the Mutya ng Batangan Pageant Night. Day 4 will cover more sports-related events like the Car Show, Shoot Fest (Airsoft), and will end with the annual Sanggunian ng Kabataan (SK) Night that will feature rock bands and highlight the popular dances from the
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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sound,” he said. Mayor Ona is very proud of his townspeople’s hospitality. “You can enter any house and expected to be fed with delicious local dishes, especially during fiestas.” The town is a comfortable drive from Manila. You could take two routes: one passing by Tagaytay and another passing by Pontefino Hotel. Either way, it will take you more or less two hours to reach the town of Calaca. If you choose to take a glimpse of the popular Taal Volcano, make sure to pass by the exclusive entertainment center called Fantasy World Castle along Diokno Highway. The whimsical, Medieval-style castle charges P1,000 for a group of ten. The Fantasy World Castle is one of the most recognizable landmarks along Diokno Highway, as it attracts curious travelers coming from different parts of the region. There’s also an abundant view of nature when traveling to Calaca. Pineapple farms are everywhere as well as fruit stands where you can buy sacks of pineapple at very cheap prices. As you draw nearer to the town, the feel of a genuine countryside becomes clearer. Governor Vilma Invites You All Batangas is fast becoming a famous tourist spot for locals and foreign travelers alike. Apart from the abundance of pristine beaches and scenic spots, the recognizable warmth and hospitality of the Batangueños is proudly Filipino. To futher boost the Batangas tourism, Governor Vilma Santos-Recto’s administration spearheaded the country’s first-ever Ala Eh! Festival four years ago and she is inviting balikbayans from all over the globe to come and experience genuine Batangueño hospitality. ◆
Batangas Governor Vilma Santos-Recto
1960s all the way to the hip hop era. For visitors looking for more health and fitness events, they can join the Mini Olympics that will be held on Day 5 when the much awaited LGU (Local Government Unit) Night will be held. Day 6 and Day 7 are for locals and tourists who are yearning for the spirit of friendly competition as the festival presents the Voices, Songs & Rhythms (VSR) 2011 Grand Finals. The Ala Eh! Festival concludes on December 8 with a Concelebrated Mass and the much-awaited Street Dancing and Float Parade. This Year’s Host: Calaca If you happen to love atchara (a local type of sweet and sour dip made of papaya), then experiencing this year’s Ala Eh! Festival is a sure hit for you. Calaca, the host town of the festival, is famous for its version of this Filipino favorite so make room for several bottles of atchara in your pasalabong baggage. Mayor Sofronio Ona, Jr. is most proud of the personal values of the local people– trustworthy, friendly, kind, and honest. “Any tourist could be assured that he could walk around safe and
Calaca Mayor Sofronio Ona, Jr.
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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FRONTLINERS | Hermilindo I. Mandanas Many people think that when it comes to the beautiful beaches in the Philippines, the most visited one would be the island of Boracay. But Congressman Hermilando “Dado” Mandanas is quick to correct the misimpression. “There are more tourists going to Batangas than Boracay,” he proudly said.
CONGRESSMAN DADO MANDANAS’ MAJOR THRUSTS FOR BATANGAS By Cynthia De Castro and Rowena Diocton 18
Tourism, Power, and Real Estate “Tourism, power plants, and real estate. I believe these are the top three areas of concentration for Batangas. But of course, other areas of need and concern should also be addressed for the common good and for an even greater Batangas,” stressed Mandanas. A first-class province in Luzon, Batangas is one of the most progressive provinces in the Philippines. It is also the most popular tourist destination in Luzon, with its many world-class resorts and hotels, excellent diving spots such as Anilao, spectacular beaches like Matabungkay in Lian, Punta Fuego in Nasugbu, and Calatagan and Laiya in San Juan. Batangas is also home to the world’s smallest volcano, Mount Taal, which is located right in the middle of the picturesque Taal Lake. According to a 2006 study made by American Marine Biologist Dr. Kent Carpentier, Batangas Seas host more than half of the world’s species of coral reefs. It is also home to dolphins and, once in a while, the passageway of the world’s biggest fish—the whale shark or butanding, as the locals call it. “With so many natural and man-made attractions, Batangas is really a premiere tourist destination. That is why, tourism will remain to be our major thrust for the province,” Mandanas said. “Especially now with the Southern Tagalog Arterial Road (STAR) Tollway connecting Batangas and the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX), you can get to Batangas in just over an hour from Metro Manila.” Batangas City is the principal port for ferry access to Mindoro, Tablas, Romblon, and other islands. There is also the Batangas Seaport Terminal which is a modern passenger terminal for travelers to other parts of the country. Batangas hosts the second most important international seaport in Luzon. Next only to that of Manila International Port, the Batangas International Port is a primary entry point of goods coming from various parts of the world. Another major thrust for the province according to Congressman Mandanas, is in the area of power. “More than one-half of
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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the power requirements of Metro Manila come from Batangas as well as sixty percent of the needs of the whole province of Luzon,” Mandanas said. “But in three years’ time, kukulangin na tayo to supply the needs of the Luzon. So, we need to set up more power plants. We are currently working for another 1,600 megawatts power plant in the province.” With the completion of the STAR Tollway and the consequent major reduction of the time it takes to travel from Batangas to Metro Manila and vice versa, another big thrust in Batangas lies in real estate development. “Aside from a lot of major real estate developments like world-class resorts, health and recreation centers, retreat, meditation, and conference centers like the one in Monte Maria, Batangas is also seeing quite a number of housing complexes, subdivisions, and commercial centers,” Mandanas added. The Sanctuary at Monte Maria is a place for meditation and well-being. It is located along Batangas Bay’s Verde Island Passage, which was declared in 2006 by the World Bank as the “Center of the World’s Marine Bio-Diversity.” Now nestling cloisters for solemn retreats, the Sanctuary at Monte Maria continues to build a community on a plateau, which will eventually house an oratory, amphitheater, convention center, rosary and meditation gardens, Way of the Cross, marina, fitness center, and a statue of Monte Maria designed and executed by internationally renowned art sculptor Ed Castrillo. To serve both as a tourism and real estate spot, the Sanctuary at Monte Maria invites future pilgrims and visitors to a rejuvenating journey as well as a permanent residence in one of the spot’s future developments. So Much to be Done Asked about his future plans after his last term in Congress, the hard-working politician simply smiled and said, “I can’t answer that yet. I just want to focus on the work I have to do in Congress, for my province of Batangas, and for my fellow Batangueños. There is so much to be done.” A true-blooded Batangueño,Representative Hermilando I. Mandanas first won election to Congress way back in 2004. Congressman “Dado” (as he is fondly called by family and friends) served as the Governor of Batangas for three consecutive terms from 1995 to 2004. Re-elected to Congress in 2007, and again in 2010, Congressman Mandanas is
The statue of Monte Maria
St. Michael Parish
Beautiful Batangas view
currently the Chairman of the Ways & Means Committee and the Vice-Chairperson of the Economic Affairs Committee. He is a member of the Majority of the following committees in the Lower House, namely Banks and Financial Intermediaries, Bases Conversion, East ASEAN Growth Area, Energy, Foreign Affairs, Globalization and WTO, Government Enterprises and Privatization, Millenium Development Goals, National Defense and Security, and Trade and Industry.
Indeed, Congressman Mandanas’ work, especially as the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, leaves him with little time for anything else. But, since he has devoted his life to serving his province, there have been a lot of developments in Batangas. With his wife, Atty. Regina ReyesMandanas, beside him in all his endeavors, Congressman Dado Mandanas fearlessly faces the future, passionately serving his province, his country, and his people. ◆
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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SA gANANg ATIN | TASTEbuDS
hAMOn Filipinos are fond of pork dishes like lechon kawali, adobo, and sinigang. Comes Christmas season, every family’s table is made complete by that special jamon dulce or sweetened ham. Even for the old folks and figure-conscious individuals, the festive holiday is a time to take a mouthful of these soft, delectable, and juicy hamon slices.
chrIstmas season In the phIlIppInes Is one oF the longest and most revered In the world. the yoUng and the old antIcIpate the month oF decemBer, Inwardly wIshIng For prosperoUs days In the comIng days UntIl JanUary. By rowenA DioCton On the tiangges and fund-raising bazaars, litters of luminous bulbs are sold to spruce up usually bare windows, doors, and yards. And the Christmas trees never fail to draw a smile even from the weariest faces. Active window shoppers appear to walk in perfect rhythm with the melody and words of classic carols joyously looped in malls in the months approaching the “big day.” Still, another reason most Filipinos get riled up during the season is the scent of freshly cooked Christmas feast. For Filipinos, the array of delectable dishes that succeed in pleasing the taste buds is partly due to a history of multicultural occupation. To this day, some provinces are coined with the specific type of food usually served on special occasions especially
Christmas, fiestas, and New Year. The Ilocanos, for instance, are known for preparing their dishes with bagoong. The Pampanguenos’ sisig and kambing fares are renowned for their delicate preparation and fresh ingredients. Bicolanos’ spicy dishes like the Bicol Express is a favorite pulutan during all-nighters or drinking sessions. For most parts of the Christmas season, the late night parties and early morning masses are the ones hoarded with a multitude of food vendors lodging on lots right outside the churches or along the highways. Who would turn down any of these season’s delicacies? With their out-of-the-oven scents wafting into one’s nose and sending images of soft bread topped with coconut sprinkles, each thought is triumphant in making anyone yearn for a bite. balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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Bibingka
Queso de Bola
Puto Bumbong Fruit Cake
Bibingka Ask any Filipino about the first thing that comes to mind when you say Christmas and you’ll surely get someone shouting out, “Bibingka!” This round and yellow rice cake is a product of mixing glutinous rice dough, coconut milk, eggs, sugar, and yeast. Cooked in a coal-heated mold called hurnuhan, the bibingka is browned by live coal above and underneath it. The result is a tasty smokyflavored cake complemented with its banana leaf covering and best garnished with margarine, sugar, cheese, salted egg, and shredded coconut meat. One bite of the native deli can transport old souls back to the days when they attended Simbang Gabi with their whole family, close friends, and even their first love. Puto Bumbong One of the main choices for people to snack on after the Misa de Gallo (Midnight Mass), is the purple tubular sticky delicacy popularly known as puto bumbong. Despite being tagged as puto, this rod-like creation’s taste is similar to the more popular rice-based kakanin, suman.The puto bumbong’s shape is due to the bamboo tubes where it is molded and steamed. Its standout color comes from its main ingredient, the naturally purple sticky rice also known as pirurutong. Queso de Bola Tracing its origin to Netherland’s Edam cheese, the Filipino Queso de Bola consists of a round, processed cheese core covered
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in red paraffin wax. The cheese ball is known for its mild taste in other countries but it is common to find saltier versions in the Philippines, mainly due to the companies’ desire to please the market. Thanks to its bright red, Christmas ball-like appearance and a long history of bringing gustatory delight to many Pinoy families, a Queso de Bola on the table adds to the Noche Buena’s festive touch. Tsokolate For the breezy nights and chilly morning masses, nothing can warm the body more than a large mug of tsokolate or salabat. The tsokolate’s dark, rich, and native cacao taste easily pleases everyone with an instant endorphin rush. What better way to keep those cold thoughts away than a warm, bittersweet drink to get you to your happy place? Fruit or Buko Salad The sweet mix of fruits, cheese, milk, and the occasional coconut meat or buko is the top choice for dessert during the holiday season. Celebrating the Filipino attraction to mixed dishes like chopsuey and pinakbet, this dessert hits home when it comes to conjuring various tastes in one bite.
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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Suman
Fruit Salad Tsokolate
Pastillas
Pulvoron
ESPASOL
Suman sa Latik and other kakanin Being a largely agriculturally-driven economy, it is not surprising for common field crops such as rice, wheat, and corn to largely contribute to the Filipino diet. During special occasions, like Christmas, the suman—a mixture of glutinous rice wrapped in banana or palm leaves—is a crowd pleaser. Best partnered with coffee or tsokolate, the recipe varies depending on which province makes it. In Pangasinan, for instance, the malagkit or glutinous rice is mixed with coconut and sugar then grilled over burning coals to produce the famous tupig. The Visayan suman moron mixes malagkit and cocoa to produce that chocolate variant. Apart from rice, other suman delicacies make use of cassava with coconut milk and sugar to produce suman sa kamoteng kahoy. Fruit Cake With the Filipino affinity for wines and spirits, the fruit cake—a spiked mix of candied fruits, nuts, and other spices—is a total delight. Especially popular as holiday gifts, fruit cakes have thrived throughout the years due to its longstanding shelf life and that special fruity kick.
Polvoron, Pastillas, and Other Provincial Favorites When it comes to treating the young ones and the young at heart to a filling merienda, the top choice for Pinoy homecomings and reunions are major provincial favorites like polvoron, pastillas, and espasol. The polvoron is a powdery mixture of milk, flour, sugar, and butter, mostly requested by grandparents wishing to reminisce their childhood without upsetting their delicate stomach and teeth. The pastillas, on the other hand, is a creamy mixture of milk, butter, and sugar tightly wrapped in colorful cellophane. It is a highly popular fare that you’ll find not only in retails stores but also in famous food chains and high-end restaurants that have perfected their own signature taste. ◆ balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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NOSTALgIA | A “TOY STORY”
a look at kIds’ chrIstmas wIshes, then and now By rowenA M. DioCton
PhotogrAPhy By JAn PAul Jose
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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“Playstation!” says the 11-year-old Reymart, when asked what—from the bottom of his young heart—he really wants this Christmas. For a moment, a ray of light went past his wide protruding eyes, revealing that excited glimmer angled towards joyful expectation. This kid, though a member of the basketball varsity team, desires a little more techie than the usual new pair of rubber shoes and shorts that he needs for the sports. Like almost everyone in his 6th grade class, he is fixated on a toy that will hold his attention for hours, even days; the kind of toy that, for girls and boys his age, only high technology can deliver.
Reymart’s mother, an overseas Filipino worker based in Hong Kong, agrees that just a decade ago, this would hardly be the case. After weekday classes and during weekends, most children spend their time out on the streets, enjoying the breezy afternoon weather and awaiting supper while in the company of their childhood barkada or playmates. Reymart’s older brother, on the other hand, was a hard-headed boy to deal with. The time most kids today spend on computer shops and arcades, the older brother spent on rounds of biking, tumbang preso, yoyo, and sipa. But the times, they are changing. The years go by in an exhausted engine sort of way. Often, it blazes with a bang, sometimes it coughs as if hit by a plague, but always, it leaves legacies large enough to be handled by the smallest hands and large enough to
be played; like toys with wheels, now transformed into remotecontrolled mechanisms—RC (remote control), as we call them. With the shift in the dunes of time, the smallest things that amaze the youngest minds have also shifted, including their Christmas wishes. Decades When Dirt is Key Children born during the ‘90s often look back to the days when the toys they enjoy were made by their parents or by themselves. Often by hand, these toys include traditional Filipino favorites like the goma (rubber band), which is played by cupping the hands downwards to see who gets to blow the rubber bands farthest. For the girls, goma is weaved into a long strand to form a “Chinese garter” they can play with. Do-it-yourself paper balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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Back then, all the children need are their playmates and an old collection of homemade toys, and they’re off the hook. Well, until its suppertime, that is. It’s not unheard of to have been scolded for the soiled clothes, sweaty bodies, and dirty hands. So when adults of today joke about once playing dirty, they meant it. Literally.
balls were used in the Filipino version of dodge ball, known as “touching ball” or “touch ball”. Store-bought cardboard cards like pogs, teks, and paper dolls were widely popular because of the minimal cost and the wide use of a child’s imagination. The traditional toys Filipino children played for the longest time (before the computers lured them with astonishing graphics and virtual adventures) were facets of the culture the country once shared with its occupants. The Western-originated football, soccer, or rugby finds its local counterpart with sipa or sepak takraw, which makes use of rattan—not rubber—balls. The American hopscotch sees a likeness in piko, where girls use pebbles, chalk, or even charcoal, to draw lines they can hop over. Most parents need not worry about the cost of these materials as they are easy to make or cheap to buy. Manufactured toys like the colorful, wide-eyed dolls girls sew dresses for used to be prized possessions of a typical child. Girls coax their mothers to expand their doll collections with assorted hair accessories, even miniature furniture for their dollhouses. Apart from dolls, parents often buy stuffed toys and teddy bears for their daughters, adapting to the image of a young girl tucked in bed with her teddies around her. Two to three year old boys often gasp at the sight of a talking robot, whose torso twists and turns while chanting, “Defense, defense!” Robots and cars have been the top choices of ninongs and ninangs (godparents), who want to make a young boy light up in glee. Though most of the toys mentioned here require at least an effort to buy or create, other popular past time back then require no toy at all. The luksong baka or luksong tinik, for instance, only needs its players to bend over so another can lukso (jump) over them. In patintero, children just had to form two teams and draw lines on the streets, and then guard the intersections to keep the opponents from passing through. The same team principle applies to base, which roughly translates to “rival bases”, the winner of which is determined when one team takes over the other’s base.
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“The Hunger Games” Borrowing from Suzanne Collins’s science fiction book title in 2008, the concept of children being put in an arena where they engage in battle is similar to how children today take part in their computer games. To a more literal sense, the engagement the children of today really does translate to playing hunger games, that is, they play until they’re hungry. The connected family computer, or now the desktop, that everyone keeps at home with the idea of having information at one’s fingertips, is home to many virtual games kids are fond of. Online role playing games like the World of Warcraft, Age of Conan, and Guild Wars allow children play with other gamers from all over the world without leaving the country. At a time when the Internet was merely a tool for data gathering and education, its presence was celebrated for the convenience it provides. Now that it houses numerous applications, websites, programs, images, videos, and other multimedia sources largely unfiltered for general patronage, parents are becoming wary. Had they known that easier network plans and coding tools will be bringing that large red 75 grading mark on their children’s test papers, they would have lobbied for far more than online parental controls. For some, online access is not needed to play a myriad of strategy, adventure, and arcade games. The Final Fantasy Series, Counter Strike, Call of Duty, Elder Scrolls, Battlefield, Age of Empires, Half Life, Sim City, and Starcraft are all easily installed in a computer’s hard drive. The intricate memory capabilities of recent computer systems have also evolved to meet the market of gaming enthusiasts, allowing them to charge extra on what players really want—high resolution, large memory, and enduring processors. More and more companies also recognize the trend towards portability when it comes to just about everything. The electronics shops at various malls are now swarmed with easy-to-carry and battery-operated gadgets that aim to meet a child’s entertainment needs. The portable game console and media player market owes a large chunk of its sales from parents who buy them for their kids. For the Fun of it With the advent of computer shops and cheaper network bundles, the country, in a sense, is seeing the rise of the machines. The children, with their sponge-like memories and short attention span, are the ones most wanting of an upgraded gadget each month. The days of playing in a vast green garden, with one’s sweat dripping under the sweltering sun, may be a mere memory in the coming years. One thing everyone knows about technology is that it is gradually evolving. Every day, a new research adds up to the technology that everyone once loved, making knowledge forever on the move. For a child on the cusp of adolescence, enjoyment is a factor that parents or guardians can ponder on. Playthings are present to promote a surge of happiness for a child whose limbs are still adapting to its sensory motor skills, whose minds are nimble enough to imagine a world of fancy with only an 8ball in hand, and whose delicate heart is filled with longing for that perfect gift that the Christmas season promises to bring. ◆
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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INDUSTRY | vicki belo
By Rowena M. Diocton
By Rowena M. Diocton
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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In this fast-paced world, it’s refreshing to know that there’s a place where the physical manifestations of stress can be averted. When in the city of Makati, beauty guru and “doctor to the stars” Vicki Belo’s Greenbelt branch offers a wide range of services to retain one’s beauty in its full glory. To step through those wide glass doors greeted by the office’s charming staff is a luxury in itself. The Branch: An Icon for an Icon Elegantly crafted by famous interior designers Ivy and Cynthia Almario, the Greenbelt Makati branch is a strong statement of how royalty should treated. With high ceilings and lush interiors in gold motif, each ray of natural light passing through its glass facade bursts in a cacophony of lights, showering the interior with a radiance one can only describe as ethereal. A much talked-about mother of pearl wall lies to the left of one’s sight, a shout out to that world-class demand one’s soul had long been searching for.
Headed by Managing Physician, Dr. Regina Llorin, who has been with Belo since 2004, the branch is assisted by two Associate Physicians, Drs. Joey Muñoz and Jenny Sison-de Leon, who have both served Belo for the last decade. Branch Manager Vivian Limpin oversees operations and ensures that the front and back ends of the business run smoothly. The Greenbelt Makati Clinic is proud of its top-of-the-line treatments that ensure clearer, tighter, and more noticeable skin minus the hassle and pain. Their popular painless Thermage is a non-invasive treatment against wrinkles that lifts and tightens balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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skin. The results can be seen right after the first treatment so it’s perfect for on-the-go men and women. In 2007, Dr. Vicki Belo was distinguished as the top doctor to have performed the most Thermage treatments in the world. The Firm Plus treatment targets telltale signs of aging through the use of radio and infrared light. TiteFx, a non-surgical body contouring treatment, targets fats in problem areas with the use of high voltage pulses. The clinic’s Fraxel treatment, on the other hand, uses a dual laser system to treat acne scars and melasma. Its Erbium glass 1550 nm laser improves pigmentation and scars and the Thulium 1927 nm laser works on skin texture and evens out its color. The signature Belo Body Scrub with bleach is the ultimate, natural fix to get that coveted clear and milky skin. Rough skin is exfoliated with a combination of sea salt scrub and essential oils while grape seed extract is applied to naturally whiten skin. With the recent tie-up with Dr. Zein Obagi, the “guru” of skin health, the Belo Medical Group enjoys the exclusive marketing of his line— Zein Obagi Skin Health. Sharing the same ideology in innovation and skin care, the partnership is testament to the Belo Medical Group’s world-class standing. Drive for Loyalty “To have loyal patients who have stayed with Belo for the past 15 to 21 years, and who continue to refer patients to us, is the most meaningful accomplishment we have achieved,” says Dr. Vicki Belo beaming with pride for the newly opened Belo Medical branch in Makati, January this year. On the way to becoming the very icon of beauty in the Philippines, “Belo” is already a household name in the country. With her aesthetic services catering to the biggest stars like Jinkee, the wife of boxing champ Manny Pacquiao, Kris Aquino, Ruffa Gutierrez, Anne Curtis, Claudine Barretto, Piolo Pascual, and Derek Ramsay, among others, Dr. Belo has gone a long way into being a doctor for the stars. Despite the glamour the showbiz world drags her into, she points out, “In Belo, everyone is given a VIP treatment, whether you’re famous or just an ordinary person. Our service is not selective.” This very attitude is reflected on the Belo Skin Care Clinic branch in Greenbelt, Makati. When one enters the wide glass doors of the place, a feeling of splendor rises, spreading only good vibes to one’s person. Belo appeals to all age groups- from teenagers suffering from acne to 70 year olds wanting to restore their youthful look. The group expresses versatility in its management, adding that they do not also want to limit themselves locally. “We would like to attract international patients, in line with our efforts to promote medical tourism,” Belo remarks, adding that 20 percent of their patients are medical tourists recommended by Filipino friends, usually coming from the US or the Middle East. On the way to local and international recognition, the clinic is proud to have bagged the Reader’s Digest Trusted Brand 2010 Platinum Award. Dr. Belo herself graciously received the Quadricentennial Award for Exemplary Service from the University of Santo Tomas (UST). When asked more about her plans of expansion, Dr. Belo says that the group is continuously growing and is always looking for opportunities to expand. “We want to do it carefully because we would like to make sure that we are able to keep the quality and standards of our services intact. I want my personal touch to remain in all my clinics. I want to able to visit my clinics regularly.” With that attitude in mind, the continuous expansion of the Belo Medical Group is a clear manifestation of Vicki Belo’s goal to make the Philippines more and more beautiful, one person at a time. ◆ balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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An engine of investment, employment, growth, and national development and government’s dynamic instrument for tourism development Manila, PHI - May 12, 2009 – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law the Republic Act No 9593, also known as the National Tourism Policy Act of 2009, on the conclusion of the two-day One Visayas Summit on Climate Change at the Imperial Palace Water Park Resort & Spa. The law will jumpstart a higher phase for the Philippine Tourism Industry in terms of promoting the country to newer heights as the premier destination in Asia with the Visayas region as its main feature. The Tourism Act 2009 declares that tourism is “an engine of investment, employment, growth, and national development.” This also states that tourism is an “indispensable element of the national economy and an industry of national interest and importance, which must be harnessed as an engine of socio-economic growth and cultural affirmation to generate investment, foreign exchange, and employment, and to continue to mold an enhanced sense of national pride for all Filipinos.” This will position the Department of Tourism and its agencies to implement these policies effectively and efficiently, coordinate the functions and resources of government for tourism promotions and development programs, as well as eliminate overlaps of functions. Changes includes the reorganization of the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) into the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), the Philippine Convention and Visitors Corporation (PCVC) into the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), and the Duty Free Philippines (DFP) will become the Duty Free Philippines Corporation (DFPC), all of which are attached agencies under the Department of Tourism. TIEZA: The Next Phase of PTA The Republic Act 9593 reorganizes the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) into the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone
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Authority (TIEZA), a body corporate mandated to designate, regulate, and supervise tourism enterprise zones (TEZs) as well as develop, manage and supervise tourism infrastructure projects in the country. The Act provides the TIEZA a capitalization of P250 million to be subscribed by the national government. The funding for TIEZA will come from 50 percent of travel tax collections; a reasonable share from the collections of the Office of Tourism Resource Generation; income from projects managed by the TIEZA; and subsidies or grants from local and foreign sources. Taking over the functions of the now-defunct Philippine Tourism Authority as Department of Tourism (DOT)’s infrastructure arm for tourism development, with the legal policy and frameworks firmly in place, the newly-transformed agency, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) continues to pursue its avowed mandate of providing the country with the needed infrastructure underpinnings to aptly respond to the market demands and challenges in this dynamic era of technology and globalization. TIEZA’s Main Man Mark T. Lapid formally took his oath last April 14, 2009 as the official General Manager of the Philippine Tourism Authority. As the next level of PTA comes in with the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), all eyes are on for the youngest General Manager to date with some questions being raised. 1. The recent signing of the Tourism Act 2009 establishes PTA as The new Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone (TIEZA). What is the difference of TIEZA to PTA? Ano ang ipinagkaiba ng TIEZA sa PTA? 2. You recently took the oath as the Official General Manager of PTA, now to be called as TIEZA. How does it feel to lead the Tourism Agency to its new phase? Ano ang pakiramdam na ikaw
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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ngayon ang mamumuno sa TIEZA, na ngayon ay siyang panibagong anyo ng PTA? 3. What upcoming projects the public and foreign investors need to look forward to? Ano ang mga bagong proyekto na dapat antabayanan ng mga Foreign Investors? 4. What will the public expect from the TIEZA as the attached agency to the Department of Tourism? Ano ang pwedeng asahan ng publiko sa TIEZA? 5. Now that TIEZA has a focused and comprehensive mandate, do you foresee any dramatic increase in foreign investors? May inaasahan ka bang pagtaas ng foreign investors dito sa Pilipinas ngayong mas komprehensibo na ang function ng TIEZA? The Authority envisions to be a self-sustaining government corporation contributing to national development objectives, serving as the epitome of public service as it pioneers sustainable, environmentally responsible, socially responsive, culturally catalytic tourism development. TIEZA aims to be the recognized leader in tourism development at par with international standards, responsive to cultural, environmental, and social concerns pursuant to its mission. Embracing a culture of excellence and nourishing the best qualities of its workforce, enables the agency to focus primarily on the national policies geared towards growth sustainability to contribute to the national thrust in crafting the tourism industry as an engine of socioeconomic growth. These can be thrived in collaboration with the private sector, other government agencies, and the local government units. What’s New? The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority is mandated to allocate, control, and manage tourism enterprise zones (TEZs) and various tourism infrastructure projects in the country. RA 9593 also establishes “tourism enterprise zones” in strategic areas, including Cebu, Davao, Bohol, Laguna, Cavite, Boracay, Palawan and Iloilo, to lure foreign investors and tourists to visit places rich in history and culture which, then will generate jobs and open additional channels for the establishment of much-needed investments, as well as give the people the power to pull themselves out of the economic recession. Moving to the forefront of the efforts to fully develop the country’s tourism industry, TIEZA is in the process of expanding its management information system to effectively and efficiently designate, regulate, and supervise the Tourism Enterprise Zones
(TEZs), particularly of cultural, historical, and environmental sustainable significance. What to expect? The TIEZA will function as a more focused Corporate Body attached to the Department of Tourism that has continuous comprehensive development of Tourism infrastructures in the country that is set to gain international stature in the Tourism’s global arena and be recognized as one of the competitive countries that offers worldclass tourism spots that are perfect for investment which then will create jobs for the Filipinos. Maximizing the efforts of developing the country’s tourism industry, TIEZA operates and manages several entities. These are the Balicasag Island Dive Resort in Bohol, a ‘Class A’ resort that offers SCUBA diving and snorkeling; Banaue Hotel and Youth Hostel, situated 4,000 feet above sea level overlooking the magnificent Banaue Rice Terraces with 90 fully-carpeted rooms; Club Intramuros Golf Course, a historic 18-hole par 66 course enthralled within the ‘city of walls and the only golf course that offers night golfing; Gardens of Malasag Eco-Tourism Village, a botanical garden and resort located in Cugman, Cagayan de Oro; Hilaga Northern Philippines (formerly Paskuhan Village), a tourism, cultural, historical, trade, and entertainment consolidation of the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon Regions, and the Cordillera Autonomous Region (CAR); Intramuros Lights and Sounds Museum, a retrospect of chunky bits of history between dramatic narration of significant phases in the Filipino life and an animated document of our cultural and historical era located in the ‘city of walls’.; and the Zamboanga Golf Course and Beach Park, a par-72, course rating of 70 with a yardage of 6,404 course and one of the oldest golf course in the country, situated at the seaward fringes of the golf course is the beach park that occupies a stretch of about one kilometer and is dotted with picnic sheds/tables and food stalls. As in the past, the challenges are daunting as they are exciting with issues such as competitiveness, environmental protection, and sustainability, have to be addressed, TIEZA will play a fundamental role towards spurring the country’s growth providing job opportunities taking into account the preservation of inherent tourism bounties, ensuring long-term sustainability of the industry. Should you have queries with regard to this article, you may contact the Media Affairs and Communications Office at (02) 524-7141 loc. 365 or (02) 525-6265. ◆ balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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LIfestyle & culture | pinoy homecoming program
The Balikbayans Return to ‘Paradise’
How the Philippine Department of Tourism Makes Balikbayan Arrivals Extra Special By Rowena M. Diocton
After years, even decades, of working in a foreign land, the Filipino expats—balikbayans, as we call them—are finally coming home.
With the year 2011 tagged as “Pinoy Grand Homecoming Year”, the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) continues to encourage Filipino expats to visit their homeland—a paradise just waiting to be rediscovered. The Pinoy Homecoming Program reaches out not only to individuals but also to Filipino organizations and business groups abroad to come home to nurture their cultural roots and experience their hometown in a whole new light. “We’re looking at raising the profile of the Philippines among the Filipino overseas population and try to get more than just ten percent of the 3.3 million residents—Filipino residents—in the United States,” Assistant Secretary for Tourism Planning and Promotions Chicoy Enerio said in an official interview. He expressed how getting close to achieving this figure is a triumph in itself as the tourism, hotel, retail, property, and related industries can expect positive growth and expansion with the help of the balikbayans. A Perk-Filled Paraiso With the promise of a special rewards system plus various discount packages on tours and hotels, our dear balikbayans are in for a pampering vacation they will surely enjoy.
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DOT continues to come up with incentives that will entice our fellow Filipinos to spend their vacation in the country. The Pinoy Homecoming Program is duly mandated by Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III in appreciation of the balikbayans’ role in the country’s economy. Enerio explains that the homecoming program provided amendments to the Balikbayan Law (R.A. 6768). The tourism department will roll out a calendar of events, balikbayan testimonials, special tours and packages, as well as print and online ads to reach out to all Filipino individuals and groups overseas. Through traditional advertising and online efforts, the tourism department aims to make the following privileges known to members of the Pinoy Homecoming Program: ● Upon arrival at the airport, they will receive a Welcome Bag bearing the Balikbayan Magazine, a special gift from DOT, and a series of helpful travel brochures. ● Members will enjoy the benefits of Duty Free’s Balikbayan Plus Card. ● Members will receive a Globe SIM card that they can use for communication and a means to get more discounts from other partners.
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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PhotogrAPhy By kCe
Gift coupons from tourism establishments will be handed over for their use. ● Online registrants have the chance to join exciting contests that raffle of weekly, monthly, and annual grand prizes. ● More exciting opportunities with future DOT partners! To further promote the program, Enerio cites the need to tap into relevant companies that will help be of great help for the balikbayans’ arrival, an example of which is the airline industry. Balikbayans will be excited to hear of the additional perks the department can offer in the coming years. Magnificent beaches, world-class diving spots, virgin islands, sumptuous Filipino cuisine coupled with the undisputed Filipino hospitality...how else does one define a vacation in this tropical paradise? ●
GREATER PRIdE OF PLAcE “By going here, we hope to inspire a greater pride of place,” Enerio said when asked what the program aims to accomplish. DOT’s Pinoy Homecoming Program is a statement towards the
love of country the department hopes to nurture not only to the Baby Boom Generation it hopes to attract, but most importantly, to the second generation of overseas Filipinos who may be excited to see the land of their heritage and bloodline. The five-year program now reflects on similar provincial initiatives it has inspired. The local government units of Daet, Bohol, and Butuan have already launched their own “Balik Probinsya Programs” in recognition of the contribution of the program participants to their provinces’ growth and future expansion. The department is also cooperating with the different embassies knowing that these are the places overseas Filipinos run to for more information. You’ve been away for such a long, long time. Don’t you think it’s about time you return to your homeland paradise? ◆ balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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move wIth ease From san lorenzo place Makati is under considerable traffic gridlock every morning and evening rush hour. That is why, when it comes to choosing a residence near your Makati office, you should look at whether it offers you one distinct advantage: mobility. Being the only transit-oriented development in Makati today, San Lorenzo Place offers residents easy access to the financial capital. Take the Magallanes MRT station right in front your home to the Ayala station to reach your office. And when the day ends, also pass by the Ayala station and reach your loved ones in a zip. This way, you hardly experience traffic at all. “Since San Lorenzo Place is directly connected to the MRT, you get easy access not only to the Makati central business district but to Ortigas as well via the train stations. In a metro where almost every family has a need for a car and its This 2-bedroom model unit previews associated costs, you get to design options for homeowners in the San Lorenzo Place showroom at the project site. save on transportation costs while doing your share for the environment by taking the more earth-friendly trains versus cars and buses,” noted
Empire East Land Holdings Inc. President Anthony Charlemagne Yu. Empire East is the developer of San Lorenzo Place, which is strategically located at the corner of Chino Roces Ave. (Pasong Tamo) and EDSA. The mobile San Lorenzo Place is the only transit-oriented development in Makati today. advantage of San Lorenzo Place extends to other interesting places in the metro. Go to the shopping mecca of Cubao in 20 minutes via the MRT. To cure your shopping itch further, trek to the bargain haunts at Divisoria by taking an LRT2 coach from Cubao. Once your shopping gig concludes, take the trains again to reach home at San Lorenzo Place. The skyline of Makati plus the views of the treeline from your project’s neighbor, the exclusive San Lorenzo Village, will welcome you home. Other features that will relax you after your shopping trip include a swimming pool, tennis court, jogging path and outdoor spa at the sixth-level play deck.
As for the children’s educational needs, top institutions such as Don Bosco and Assumption College are well within five minutes from San Lorenzo Place. This means you’ve got easy access to office, school and shopping activities right from the comforts of your home. For as low as P13,800 a month for a 1-bedroom unit, your family can look forward to being mobile in Makati from San Lorenzo Place. Two-bedroom and three-bedroom units are also available for families that require bigger living spaces. To learn more about San Lorenzo Place, visit the showroom at the project site at the corner of EDSA and Pasong Tamo. Or call leading mid-income developer Empire East at 810-3333 or visit www.empire-east.com.
Play hard at the sixth-level play deck of San Lorenzo Place.
experIence Interconnected lIvIng at manhattan garden cIty In today’s fast-paced, high-tech world, you need a residence that will connect you to places of interest – work, play and commute – in an instant. Only one condominium project in the metro satisfies all of these life necessities: Manhattan Garden City at the Araneta Center. The Araneta Group, the main proponent behind the country’s first lifestyle and shopping mecca, has continuously enjoyed success in its partnership with Megaworld Corporation, the country’s largest residential
Manhattan Garden City is set to make the Araneta Center shopping mecca a residential haven as well.
condominium and townships developer, to make the Araneta Center a thriving and sustainable mini-city. “Manhattan Garden City is where residents will experience true connectivity in life, not just with their loved ones, but the other important aspects of life, such as work and leisure,” noted Megaworld Central Properties Inc. President Anthony Charlemagne Yu.
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From your stylish executive studio, 1- or 2-bedroom suite at Manhattan Heights, the newest phase of Manhattan Garden City, you can take a leisurely walk along the interconnected walkways to reach the play amenities not just within Manhattan Heights but the other phases Manhattan Garden city is the only transit-oriented as well. Take a dip in development that is linked to both LRT2 and MRT3 train lines. the lap pool, host some games for the kids at the play area, or run for a kilometer along the jogging path. With more than 40 amenities and counting for the first three phases alone, you will surely have a grand time everyday, especially during weekends, with your loved ones. Of course, many other play amenities abound within your new home: the Araneta Center. Shop to your heart’s delight at Gateway Mall. Cheer wildly for your favorite PBA team, or watch any of the upcoming concerts, whether of foreign or local acts, at the Big Dome. Or book a romantic dinner for two amidst the paradise setting of the Oasis. Instead of going down for some me time, you can also go up: all four towers of Manhattan Heights host sky gardens at the top four levels. Finish reading the latest thriller in a corner nook beside vibrant landscaping. Or just let time and all your worries pass by as birds and butterflies keep you company.
The same connecting walkways will lead you to a fast commute around the metropolis and your place of work, via the LRT2 or MRT train station. Reach Ortigas and Makati within 20 minutes via the southbound train. Or commute and hawk goods at Divisoria in half an hour. Reach the University Belt at the same amount of time and be connected to places of learning and history. By living at Manhattan Garden City, you won’t necessarily need a car, and by taking the trains, you lessen your carbon footprint and contribute against further greenhouse gas emissions. “This is actually one of the features that makes Manhattan Garden City a sustainable project, because it was designed to encourage residents to walk, take the trains and make their own contribution for the environment. In here, you are connected not just to the important things in life but to the world as well,” Yu noted. To experience the benefits of interconnected living at Manhattan Garden City, please call 810-3333 or visit the showroom at the 3rd level of Gateway Mall.
More than 40 amenities, including the sky gardens at the Manhattan heights phase, await residents of Manhattan Garden city.
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travel destination | davao
Adventurous Holiday in
Davao City By Danielle Clara P. Dandan
It’s the most wonderful time of year again. Do the festive atmosphere and holiday trinkets make you homesick for the Philippines? If you’ve been dreaming of an adventurous holiday vacation back home, then a visit to Davao City should be on top of you to-do list this year. In fact, a vacation in this dynamic city might just fulfill every single thing you listed down in your bucket list and we’ll tell you why.
photography by davao wild water adventure & cheekie albay
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Known as one of the most disciplined places in the Philippines, Davao City is truly a hassle-free destination for all age groups. Davao Regional Director Arturo Boncato Jr. for Tourism commends Mayor Sara Duterte “for instilling discipline among her constituents and conscious efforts in barangays.” Davao’s natural gifts continue to flourish because of the positive and disciplined attitude of its people. The city is bursting with so many possibilities that the usual 3 days/2 nights stay is, most likely, not enough for all the city touring, fruit shopping, fine dining, ziplining, hiking, and clubbing that await you in the “Home of the Great Bird of Asia.” The ‘King’ Requests Your Presence The Philippine Eagle Center (PEC) is a research and breeding facility for Philippine Eagles, which is the largest bird in the world. Located at the foot of Mount Apo in Malagos, Baguio district, the facility allows everyone to see these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat and appreciate their lineage and beauty. ‘Crocs’ of a Different Kind Since its opening in 2006, the Davao Crocodile Park remains as one of the most popular wildlife attractions in the city. From a safe distance, guests can now take a closer look at several freshwater and saltwater crocodiles, which can be found in Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. If you’re not a big fan of these king reptiles, you can also check out humongous Bengal Tiger and other interesting members of the Philippines’ wildlife. Your Journey to Eden Imagine yourself enjoying healthy dishes made with organic vegetables and fresh herbs that came from the resort’s own garden. In Eden Nature Park and Resort, which is located 3,000 feet above sea level, you can enjoy that and more, while watching colorful peacocks roam around the park in all their feathered glory in this magnificent, vast garden resort. The cool, Baguio-like climate is part of the reason why the mountain resort is a favorite venue for weddings and honeymoons. Delightful Davao! Dining in Davao is a real cultural treat. You could opt for local favorites like barbeque chicken or inasal-style chicken served in many restaurants all over the city. You can ask locals for advice on which one tastes best,
or you can just try them all—food trip bell ringing! If you fancy some fine dining, European cuisine is best served in the posh Claude’s Café de Ville, which also boasts of its well-preserved colonial architecture. The Oboza Ancestral House, where Claude’s is situated, was built in 1929 by the late Engr. Alfonso Oboza. He was named the first municipal mayor appointed by Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon before Davao became a full-fledged city. For scenic reasons, it would be ideal for guests to drive to Claude’s at dinnertime to enjoy city lights. Let’s get ready to paddle! Once your taste buds are satisfied and you’ve rested well, it’s time to take on one of the Davao’s best water sports: white water rafting. Make sure you bring suitable clothes for this epic experience and brace yourself for hours of adventure in this 13-kilometer challenge. Asia’s Longest Zipline For another extreme adventure, your next stop should be Camp Sabros (short for Sacdalan Brothers), which is a two-hour drive from the city. The famous zipline stretches up to 820 meters, while the two short ones are about 380 meters and 400 meters long. There are several options in getting to Camp Sabros from the checkpoint: you can ride horses, motorbikes, or 4x4 vehicles. You can also hike for 20 to 30 minutes and immortalize the view of Mount Apo in your memory. You could end the night by clubbing around the Damosa Gateway area. It’s a safe place for a wild night—literally safe—because liquor ban is strictly followed after 2 a.m. Fruit Basket of the Philippines If you can’t get enough of the gastronomic feast Davao City has to offer, then you can shop for fresh durian, marang, pomelo, and mangosteen at the Magsaysay Park. A trip to Davao isn’t complete without tasting the durian fruit. You can buy it fresh but the best way to take it home is to buy the frozen ones. Flavored pastillas, candies, pies, and piyayas are also crowd favorites and you can get them cheap if you buy in bulks. In the recent years, Davao City has become a favorite tourist destination for Filipinos and tourists all over the world. In fact, by 2013, Davao City will once again host the prominent MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conference, Exhibitions) Conference after it won the stringent assessment and bidding. Way to go, Davao City! ◆ balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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comFortaBle lIvIng In style
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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CHIC AND UNCONVENTIONAL, THE PICASSO BOUTIQUE SERVICED RESIDENCES IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL PLACE FOR REST AT THE HEART OF THE CITY. STRATEGICALLY LOCATED AT THE CENTER OF MAKATI’S CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT, THIS EIGHT-STORY PROPERTY FEATURES 136 FULLY FURNISHED ROOMS WITH KITCHENETTE—EACH SUITE UNIQUELY DIFFERENT IN DESIGN.
Named after the most influential artist of the 20th century, The Picasso is the ideal place to lodge in style. Showcasing local and international artwork at every corner,the property’s very own inhouse gallery adds to the comfort and artistic leisure that greet guests upon arrival. Modernity and art aside, each guest is entitled to a complimentary pass to the exclusive Makati Sports Club, and is given full access of the 24-hour WiFi lounge on the 2nd floor and full use of the two-story gym on the 5th and 6th floors. Besides the exciting city life that Makati has to offer, visitors may also choose to indulge in the sumptuous mix of cuisines offered by The Picasso’s in-house restaurant, Brasserie Boheme, located at the ground floor.
Where art and passion live. adress: 119 L.P. Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City, Philippines 1227 Telephone Number: +63 2 828.4774 Fax Number +63 2 828.9141 email: reservations@picassomakati.com Website: www.picassomakati.com
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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~ Nuevo at the Picasso! Feliz Ano Start the year right at The Picasso and avail of our irresistibly exciting rates for the first quarter of 2012! Advance reservation is required.
Room Types
Rates
Malaga or Madrid Studio Room Andalucia Premier Studio Barcelona or Montparnasse Suite
Php 5,500 nett per night for Single / Double Occupancy Php 6,500 nett per night for Single / Double Occupancy Php 7,000 nett per night for Single / Double Occupancy
Terms and Conditions s Special rate is valid from January 01 to March 31, 2012. s Room rates are inclusive of breakfast for two (2) at Brasserie Boheme. s Room rates are per room, per night and are subject to availability. s Room rates are inclusive of service charge and applicable government taxes.
For reservations, call +632 828 4774 or visit www.picassomakati.com www.picassomakati.com. 119 L.P. Leviste Street, Salcedo Village, Makati City, Philippines 1227 T: +63 2 828.4774 F: +63 2 828.9141 E: reservations@picassomakati.com W: picassomakati.com
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MANAGED BY:
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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INDuSTRY | JOSE mARI DEL ROSARIO
Jose marI
del rosarIo BrIngIng home the mIcrotel dream By DAnielle ClArA P. DAnDAn
they say that one’s passIon can Be traced Back to one’s chIldhood. thIs Is very mUch the case For Jose marI del rosarIo, presIdent and chIeF execUtIve oFFIcer oF mIcrotel Inns & sUItes (pIlIpInas) Inc. and mIcrotel development corp.
“Happy guests come back simple formula.” BBMAGDECJAN_Inside_Nov29.indd 48
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Microtel Boracay
his father, Ramon del Rosario Sr., was the first Filipino cEO of an American multinational firm in the 1940s and subsequently, Philippine ambassador to Canada, Japan, and Germany. Since Mari was youngest in a brood of seven kids, his father took him along on these diplomatic postings, an adventure that allowed him to see and experience many hotels around the globe. Apart from being a welltraveled lad, it could be said that Mari literally grew up in the hotel industry. This rich exposure prompted the young Mari to dedicate his career to the hospitality industry. He graduated from one of Switzerland’s renowned hotel schools and later went to Cambridge, Massachusetts to get his master’s degree. Despite his academic achievements from international institutions, Mari told himself that experience would be the best teacher; off he went for a year-long management training program at the Peninsula Hotel Manila and another year at the iconic Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. One may wonder what could make a hotelier—especially someone who has built his career in a five-star hotel business—venture into a limited service hotel chain. “The typical hotelier schooled in the five-star category would always want to stay there,” Mari said. “I guess after I did my MBA, I shifted my brain to the most practical realistic business side for the Philippines.” Mari admitted that he looked at many hotel brands but he decided that Microtel was the one suitable for the Philippines. He believed that this no-frills hotel concept was the perfect model to upgrade the quality of accommodations in key destinations all over the country. At the same time, this would address the needs of the underserved midmarket. PIOnEERInG LIMITEd SERvIcE hOTEL In ThE PhILIPPInES In a separate interview, Mari revealed how Microtel came to existence in the Philippines. The unassuming and soft-spoken hotelier recalled the big blow he faced for Microtel in 1997. It was at the height of the Asian financial crisis when Mari left New York and went to Atlanta to meet with Charlie Pereira, then Microtel’s Director for International Development. Charlie, a 70-year old hotelier, asked Mari when they first met to take off his necktie. This emphasized the casual, down-to-earth style of business that Microtel was all about. Mari got the message. The hotel business was still about business. The highbrow aspect of hotels was second to offering good value for less money. Thrilled by the prospect of bringing the hotel brand to the
Microtel Palawan
Philippines, Mari had to face the hard-nosed skepticism of the senior Del Rosario. The elder business leader was wary of the looming real estate bust that did come true soon enough. But Mari was stubborn enough not to give up his conviction that Microtel was invulnerable to the economic crunch. If it weren’t for his determination, the Philippines would not have a single Microtel today. He theorized that the hotel business was not merely a real estate play. The first Microtel in the country was built in 2000 in Tarlac, the home of the Cojuangco-Aquino clan. The Microtel Philippines team made a presentation to the late President Corazon Aquino and convinced her that the hotel would be a perfect complement to The Aquino Center; the most modern convention facility in the province which also houses a museum showcasing the memorabilia of the late Ninoy and Cory Aquino.
In the beginning, the brand did face a series of challenges in building the name of the first limited service hotel in the country. The name itself was one. “It was a challenge. People kept on thinking of Microtel to be something else,” Mari quipped with hearty laughter. “Others would ask ‘Ano ba ‘yan, telcom (telecommunications company)?’ Even in the U.S., it was not well-known (as a hotel) kasi nasa secondary cities lang.” Gradually, Microtel gained a solid reputation with ever-widening patronage in the Philippines as the pioneer of limited service hotels. From the start, Mari has been on the lookout for ‘regional hubs and resort locations’. “We’re going for versatility,” Mari said. “We usually open where a major chain is not visible.” balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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“Checking in at a Microtel property in Las Vegas would be similar to checking in at a Microtel hotel in the Philippines,” Mari said.
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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JOSE MARI DEL rosario | INDUSTRY True enough, Microtel became the first international chain hotel to open its doors in the pristine island of Boracay, Cabanatuan, and Puerto Princesa. Microtel of Today At present, Microtel boasts of nine strategic locations in the Philippines: Tarlac, Batangas, Cavite, Baguio, Boracay, Davao, Cabanatuan, Puerto Princesa, and the 150-room flagship in Mall of Asia (also the biggest Microtel chainwide). Microtel hotels in the Philippines embody every characteristic of Microtels in America. “Checking in at a Microtel property in Las Vegas would be similar to checking in at a Microtel hotel in the Philippines,” Mari said. In terms of service and customer satisfaction, the hotel chain promises to surpass US standards and quality as the franchise is very strict in seeing to it that all Microtel hotels pass the Wyndham Hotel Group chain standards plus adding on the world renowned Filipino hospitality. “Families will find value for money in Microtel. We have all the conveniences that you could find in five-star hotels. I can assure the pressure of water (hot and cold), Internet connectivity, keycard entry system, and fire safety system. The only thing we don’t give are flowers in the room. We don’t want to overcharge guests with little meaningless things,” Mari said firmly. “We only give what is essential. Our rooms are very, very clean and the hotels are safe. I go around the properties personally. Guests’ comments are very critical to me. When we have a shortcoming, we fix it immediately.” Happy guests come back, talk about us resulting in more patrons - simple viral formula,” Mari noted.
Expansions and Aspirations: Sketching the Future of Microtel With the business soaring in the country, Microtel shows little sign of slowing down. In fact, three more locations will soon be served by Microtel. The 10th property is targeted in General Santos City. It will have 66 rooms and true-to-form will be the first international chain hotel in the city. Microtel Gensan is the second franchise of Damosa Land / Floirendo Group after Microtel Davao. Meanwhile, the dynamic commercial place of Libis, Quezon City (across from Eastwood on C-5) will be the 11th home of Microtel in the country. A total of 84 rooms are set for Microtel Libis. Moreover, Microtel is also gearing itself for its 12th property in UP AyalaTechnohub in Quezon City. The Go Negosyo Outstanding Tourism Entrepreneur added that he wanted to help the tourism sector of the country. “The Philippines has an image challenge that we want to work on. Maybe we can reach the tourism numbers of Thailand,” Mari said. “We’re partnering with the Department of Tourism, airlines, and travel agencies to explore synergies on how we can work together to bring more travelers and balikbayans home. “We envision a network of Microtels nationwide. Travelers, on business or leisure, will be able to go anywhere at all and enjoy the certainty that they can have a good night’s sleep in a safe, clean, comfortable, reasonably priced hotel room in a nearby Microtel.”◆
Microtel Management Team strategic meeting at Microtel Davao.
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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From its humble beginning as a Novitiate in 1911, St. Paul University Manila remains a training center for young Filipino women generation after generation. Answering to the call of the people in its Malate neighborhood, then St. Paul Institution started with a kindergarten class of six girls. Upon reaching the second grade, the Institution opened an additional grade in the succeeding years. By Rowena M. Diocton By 1928, the school had produced its first three high school graduates, paving the way to its college department in 1936. After four years, the Institution changed its name to St. Paul College of Manila (SPCM). When WWII broke out, the College was one of the most affected during the bombings. The Japanese army bombs leveled the SPCM buildings to the ground. The College’s Chapel of the Crucified Christ’s facade, however, remained standing amidst the rubble, an incident many would call miraculous. The College rebuilt after the war, after which the Administration Building was inaugurated. Its facilities consisted of impressive Renaissance features, massive columns, and wide staircases. Its Fleur-delis auditorium was designed and painted by the creative Reynoso brothers while its lobby was graced by National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco’s mural, Evolution of Philippine Culture.
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In 1957, SPCM became the first college to be accredited by the Philippine Accrediting Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities (PAASCU). During the ‘60s, St. Paul Manila immersed in its own “golden age of the arts.” Annual plays and Broadway musicals were released, among them Miracle Worker, Sound of Music, Carnival, Brigadoon, Showboat, Thirteen Daughters, and Carousel. A decade after its PAASCU accreditation, the college started moving out its kindergarten, grade school, and high school departments, helping create St. Paul College Pasig. The ‘70s and ‘80s have been rough years in the history of the country, and the College went through the turbulence as well. At the rise of the first People Power Revolution, the College stood with fellow countrymen in protest and in prayers. Commitment to tertiary education was also a major decision the management had to keep, which resulted in the College’s expansion.
During the ‘90s, the St. Paul Center for Renewal was built in Alfonso, Cavite, now offering its facilities for retreats, seminars, meetings, team buildings, overnight accommodations, and more. It was also in 1992 that the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS) cited SPCM as one of the 17 excellent colleges and universities in the Philippines. An Award of Distinction and full autonomy status was granted in 2001. By 2003, the school started its graduate program. A year after, on February 10, 2004, SPCM became a part of the St. Paul University System, the first one recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED). St. Paul University Manila was officially born. A century later, St. Paul University Manila celebrates its centennial year with an array of activities that reflect the values the institution instills in its students—service to the Church, family, and society. ◆
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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ST. PAUL MAN I LA MY SECOND HOME
It is 1948. The war is over, and people are picking up the pieces of their lives. My family has moved back to the city after spending the war years in our hometown, Bacoor, in Cavite. Our parents, Florentino and Stella Ocampo, have looked for a school not too far from our house in Pasay, and have brought my sisters, Amelia, 54
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Florella, and me to St. Paul College of Manila. I am seven years old, but because I was accelerated twice in the province, I am now in Grade Five. Like edelweiss, I am small and white (read “pale”), clean (at least in the morning) and bright (though not discernible yet). By MARIONETTE OCAMPO—MARTINEZ balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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St. PAUL MANILA | NOSTALGIA St. Paul College of Manila is just recovering from the ravages of the Liberation of Manila, which practically razed it to the ground. The Chapel of the Crucified Christ was almost completely destroyed, but the façade, with the life-like statue of the Savior on the cross remained intact, as if to proclaim that the goodness of God will triumph over the rampage of the infidels. Our classrooms are on the Georgia (now L. Guerrero) side of the campus, those of the high school on the Florida (now M. Orosa) side. The chapel is right in the center of the campus as Christ is right in the center of the Paulinian’s life. Most students run up the stairs to the chapel before going to class (ah the joys of having strong bones!). We have regular confessions, first Friday holy hour and benediction, first Saturday Mass for the Blessed Virgin in the chapel, whose wooden floors are kept shining by Madre Victor and Mang Gregorio. There are acacia trees all over the campus. They provide shade and the comfort of green, but they are also home to “higads” which periodically fall and cause a lot of itch and discomfort. We have physical education classes in “the shelter” and we wear big ugly black bloomers as we walk on balance beams to the tune of “Glow little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer.” Our favorite game is playing tag while jumping on the stone benches beside the grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes. She must be watching over us for no one has fallen from the slippery benches. After class, we look curiously at the Sisters’ starched cornettes drying on iron sheets outside the laundry. We wait for our “sundo” at the Tennesse (now Malvar) gate, and Mang Romulo calls out our names. It is 1952. The Administration and College building is blessed. Our waiting area has been moved to the Herran (now Pedro Gil) side. The school is beautiful. There are acacia trees sheltering the statue of Jesus and St. Margaret Mary Alacogue. In front of the statue is a fish pond, with pretty goldfish swimming between lotus
fronds, and all around the circular driveway are flame trees adding a burst of color to the scene. We sit on the front steps of the new building and wait for our cars entering the driveway. It is 1953. St. Paul has hired a speech and drama teacher for the high school—a young Ateneo graduate, Onofre Pagsanghan. He is a fireball, a dynamo, and he infects his students with his zeal and passion for the stage. We have a presentation of dramatic interpretations—from Shakespeare, Poe, and the like. Since I am such a pipsqueak, still small and white (read pale), he cannot give me anything dramatic. He gives me the humorous “Casey at the Bat,” for which (surprise), I get the silver medal. Cristina Castañer (Ponce Enrile) gets the gold for her interpretation of Lady Macbeth’s sleepwalking scene (no surprise). To this day, in my old age, Fr. James B. Reuter, SJ, still calls me Casey at the bat.The St. Paul Glee Club is making waves in the musical scene. I join the glee club (mainly to avoid home economics) and remain all the way to college (as a forgettable soprano two). It is 1957, and we are saddened by the realization that progress has a price. The Fleur-de-lis Auditorium is built, and the acacia trees, the goldfish pond, and the flame trees are gone, the statue of Christ and St. Margaret moved to another location. We are privileged to be the first college batch to graduate in the auditorium, but the excitement is not without a tinge of regret. For many years, I have watched graduations in the quadrangle, and I have dreamed of going up the stage and delivering a speech with my toga fluttering in the warm March breeze and the stars twinkling naughtily in the night sky. I am delivering a speech—the Address of Thanks—from a new rostrum in a new auditorium, but part of me wishes I were outdoors, with my toga fluttering in the warm March breeze and the stars twinkling naughtily in the night sky. It is June 1958. In February, Mother Socorro and Mother Gabriel called me to their office and asked if I wanted to teach in St. Paul. I
The author, Marionette Ocampo-Martinez
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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said yes of course for I had taken Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science in Education, and teaching in my alma mater seems just right. So I am facing my first class, first year high school, teaching them English grammar and composition. (These students are now the centennial golden jubilarians.) I take my master’s in English literature in the Ateneo on Padre Faura, walking to the school with Mila Usi, a co-teacher, and feeling very self-conscious as we pass outside a whole corridor of law students hanging out between classes and “watching all the girls go by.” Nineteen sixty-two is the golden jubilee of St. Paul Manila. We have an international fair in the quadrangle, with booths of different countries selling food and drinks and souvenir items to hundreds of Paulinians, their families and friends. There are rides too, the most popular of which is the ferris wheel. It is located right in front of the chapel, and when the cars stop at the top of the wheel, one looks into the eyes of the crucified Christ and forgets any romantic ideas. Soon, I am moved up to teach in the college, and at this time, drama in St. Paul Manila takes wings and flies—nay, soars-to unprecedented (and unrepeated) heights. It is the age of the annual plays in SPCM: Miracle Worker and then, the Broadway musicals—Sound of Music, Brigadoon, Carnival, Thirteen Daughters, Carousel. I am a teacher now and my involvement is mostly on the sidelines—diction coaching, publicity, executive production. It is 1972 and I have just been designated Dean of Liberal Arts. Despite the turbulence of the city outside (and the rest of the country), St. Paul Manila remains a happy place. Loyal Paulinian, great teacher, and prolific writer, Estelita G. Juco, keeps the community informed of social and political issues but we help keep the students on an even keel. Some do go to the extreme, a couple going up to the mountains, but as a whole, SPCM rides the storm. It is EDSA I. My husband and I go to EDSA, and when it is safe enough, we bring our three children (Stevie, Rina, and Anna) there too—so they can feel the pulse of the nation and become a part of the history that they will read about in books in the future. We are all proud of June Keithley and the role she has played in the revolution. It is the March 1986 graduation and we invite June to honor her for her achievement. I give her a copy of The Little Prince, in exchange for one she gave me when she was my student in high school and on which she wrote “To Miss Ocampo… for you have drawn me a sheep.” Nineteen eighty-eight. I have come to
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a difficult decision: to stop teaching (in St. Paul and elsewhere) and to move to Colegio San Agustin Makati (but not to teach). The decision came when I found myself peering at my class record from all angles to decipher the grades I had written on those small boxes. I love teaching; I love being in the classroom with 40 or so different personalities, different minds, reacting differently to what I say or do not say, what I do or do not do. Teaching is, to my mind, one of the most exciting professions in the world (violent objections
anyone?) But now, I have to end my teaching career. After I receive my award for 30 years of teaching, I give my speech of thanks, and when I get to the rostrum, I realize that this is the same rostrum, where 30 years ago, I gave my valedictory. Now I am again giving my valedictory (except that no one knows it is that). For the next 14 years, I am in Colegio San Agustin Makati, first as Director of Research and Human Resources, then as Institutional
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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St. PAUL MANILA | NOSTALGIA
Communications and Public Relations Officer. It is a different culture, a different kind of work, but I easily adapt and learn to love the school, the people, the job. Of course, the fact that my children are studying here counts a lot too. I miss the daily classroom teaching, but I am given many opportunities to teach—teachers, office staff, maintenance personnel, students (for special topics). School policies dictate a retirement age. I am extended for a year, but I do retire in 2002.
It is 2008. I find myself back in St. Paul Manila, now St. Paul University Manila, having been invited last year by the President, Ms. Wynna Medina (who was my student— HS ’68, AB ’72) to help in institutional communications and alumni relations. I have come full circle. I do not know what feng shui experts will make of it, but to me it is simply serendipitous: coming to SPCM for the first time in 1948; graduating in 1958; retiring in 1988; and coming home in 2008. On many occasions, I have been asked
to emcee major programs in the Fleur-delis Theater (then called Auditorium), and whenever I stand behind the rostrum, a wave of nostalgia comes unbidden. It is the same rostrum I stood behind in 1958 and in 1988, for my two valedictories. I have indicated to Sr. Lilia Thérèse Tolentino, SPC, University President, and the other Sisters that if ever they decide to “retire” the rostrum, they could give it to me, as a remembrance of the long and colorful life I have had in St. Paul Manila—truly my second home. ◆
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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OUTSTANDING PAULINIANs | maria banatao Mr. and Mrs. Diosdado “Dado” P. Banatao
Maria Banatao was selected as one of 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in 2010 at the Filipina Women’s Network (FWN) Awards.
They say that behind every successful man is a woman. In the case of Dr. Diosdado “Dado” P. Banatao, who has been dubbed as the “Bill Gates of the Philippines”, the woman behind his success is a Paulinian alumni and former high school teacher, Maria Cariaga Banatao. BY Cynthia de Castro 60
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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maria banatao | OUTSTANDING PAULINIANs
Mr. and Mrs. Diosdado “Dado” P. Banatao
At her daughter’s wedding
At the PhilDev Forum in New York
At the PhilDev Forum in Manila
Maria’s multi-awarded husband, Dado, is a Silicon Valley serial entrepreneur and computer guru in the United States. He is also the Presidential consultant for the Philippines’ Engineering Research and Development for Technology (ERDT). Among his many achievements in the high-tech industry, he is credited for creating the first single chip—the 16-bit microprocessorbased calculator—during his days at Commodore International. His pioneer work with the Personal Computer (PC) chip sets and graphic acceleration architecture remain as key technology foundations for the PC of today. Moreover, his success in the development of key semiconductor technologies earned him the title of a Silicon Valley visionary. While Dado is the more well known of the Banatao couple, Maria is successful in her own right as well, and as Dado will quickly agree, is “the better half ”. Born and raised in the Philippines, Maria earned her bachelor of arts degree major in psychology from St. Paul College Manila (SPCM) in 1967. She graduated cum laude and then started working as a high school teacher in SPCM. For one school year, Maria taught Freshman Geography and handled the Reading Program for the entire High School Department using the SRA Reading Improvement Program. Then, Maria moved to Washington, USA and worked in the Files Department at the Fireman’s Fund Insurance in Seattle, Washington. In 1969, Maria decided to enroll at the University of
Washington in Seattle to get her master’s degree in education, major in educational psychology–counseling. “Upon arriving in the US, I realized that I really needed to pursue graduate studies. My first year, I worked as a file clerk in an insurance company. My supervisor saw potential in me and right away gave me more responsibilities and the opportunity to take further training. However, I had my mindset that I would do graduate work in education. Having graduated from St. Paul College Manila with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, I wanted to do further studies in educational psychology and counseling,” Maria recalled. After getting her further studies, Maria worked at Tongue Point Jobs Corps Center at the University of Oregon as a residential counselor. “I was then counseling young women from 16 to 21 years old from all over the US who were taking their General Educational Development (GED) and vocational training for job placement back in their community.” In 1972, Maria got married to Dado Banatao and moved to California. For two years, she worked as a counselor. “The City of Palo Alto established and funded a Rehab and Career Center. I worked as one of five counselors at the center. My role was to assist former drug addicts to find suitable careers that will help them in their rehabilitation program,” Maria said. Eventually, she moved on to the City of San Jose Youth Placement Center where she helped young teens in finding balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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OUTSTANDING PAULINIANs | maria banatao
Photo with some of the graduates and current scholars of the Banatao Family Scholarship Program with the Asian Pacific Fund during their 2011 Gala.
part time jobs while in school. A year later, Maria worked as a residential counselor at the San Jose Job Corps Center run by Singer Education Programs. She assisted young men and women aged 16 to 21 years old in their career choices, vocational training, and eventually, placement in a job in the local community. In her job with the Santa Clara County Social Services, she worked as a Career Counselor to drug and alcohol recovering addicts receiving financial assistance. She has also worked at the Foothill- De Anza College Community College District Occupational Training Institute (OTI) in a grant-funded program under the Labor Department’s Program to assist economically disadvantaged people to receive training and job placement assistance. From 1981 to 1995, Maria was the Program Director of OTI, while jointly serving for one year as Dean of Applied Sciences for De Anza College. “As program director, I took OTI from a locally known training program to receiving acknowledgement nationally as a model program in training at community colleges. I helped expand the program through grants from national and state agencies and established new training curriculum in various state of the art technologies with the cooperation of private sector companies in Silicon Valley. We achieved high standards in job placement and retention among other training programs in the State. We also began programs for refugees and summer programs for youth that were model programs in the State of California. “I was also invited to serve by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in Washington, D.C, and the Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office in Sacramento to various review boards evaluating grant applications for funding,” Maria shared. During her work at De Anza, she received the College President’s award for her leadership and accomplishments for her role as OTI Director.
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“In 1995, I decided to leave my job and devote my full time effort in my children’s school,” Maria continued. “With a daughter who was an athlete at school, I served as team mom to her school and club teams. Eventually, Menlo School asked me to serve on their Board of Trustees.” “Focusing on my interest in education, I also now serve at the University of California Berkeley Foundation Board of Trustees, and Philippine Development Foundation (formerly Ayala Foundation USA),” she said. Together with her husband, Maria believes in giving back to her homeland and the community for all the blessings and success that have come their way. With this is mind, the couple is focused in helping the Philippines through their work with PhilDev. whose goal is to help the country develop a robust ecosystem of programs and partnerships in science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship. With all her successful professional achievements and philanthropy, Maria said that her greatest achievement is raising her three children. “Rey is 37 years old and he graduated from UC Berkeley in Microbiology and continued on to UC San Francisco for his PhD in Biotechnology,” she shared. “He is now married to Gabby Ereno Banatao and lives in Santa Monica. They are proud parents of three kids. Izzy is 10 and is in 5th grade at Crossroads. Ben will be eight in December and is in 2nd grade at Crossroads, Chloe is two years old and is in pre-school. “Desi is 35 years old. He also graduated from UC Berkeley with a degree in engineering major in material science. He continued on to finish his master’s degree in engineering also in material science. He is married to Jinah Lee Banatao and they have two kids—Nathan is three years old and in pre-school while Kayla will turn one year old in February.
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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maria banatao | OUTSTANDING PAULINIANs “Tala, our daughter, is now 32 years old. Also a graduate of UC Berkeley, she has a degree in mass communications and political science. She went on to Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in San Francisco and Los Angeles where she was selected best in her class during her completion of the programs in fashion merchandising. Her son, Lucas, is 8 years old and is in 3rd grade at George Peabody Elementary School in San Francisco. She recently got married to Thomas Growney. “All three are entrepreneurs who have started their own businesses. The two boys are now involved in Bio-Resins and have their own company—Entropy Resins. Tala runs her own children’s clothing line, Tala Bee kids,” Maria shared. When asked how her background in St. Paul College Manila has helped her in life, Maria has much to say. “I believe my college experience in doing community work greatly influenced me in my career choice. While in school, two people—Ms. Juco and Sister Fe Consolata—influenced me greatly. They gave me self-confidence and self worth that made me believe in myself. “Miss Juco exposed us to many social, political, and community events that no regular classroom education can give you. We met writers, politicians, foreign diplomats, artists, and various people from all walks of life. She shared her own lifetime experiences that made me feel motivated to do more for myself and to stay focused on achieving whatever I set my mind to do. “Sister Fe was our college and guidance counselor. She was also my psychology teacher and mentor. She showed us compassion for people especially those most in need. She found ways of challenging us to deal with difficult issues and inspire us to be good student leaders. She was always there to listen to our problems and assist us in finding ways to resolve them ourselves. “Independence is one of the many attributes that I learned while in school,” Maria continued. “St. Paul College Manila also taught me to be a good leader. There were many opportunities provided students to show their leadership capabilities in many fields. You can be involved in social, religious, political, academic, arts, whatever maybe your interest. I was very involved while in school in many of these activities. I was in Glee Club, Student Catholic Action, Sodality, and public relations, and even dabbled in some writing for “The Paulinian”, the school paper. I served as President of the Glee Club while a junior in college and then led our Student Catholic Action as President in my senior year. I was also voted as an officer for SCA Archdiocesan Council, the national leadership for SCA during that time. “Working with the poor and needy was another passion I learned while still in school. We taught catechism to elementary kids in Malate public schools, visited the sick and needy at Philippine General Hospital, and worked with abandoned kids housed in orphanages and many other charitable works through the school organizations and activities,” shared Maria. “My love for music was developed too at SPCM. The school’s Glee Club then was nationally known. We sang with foreign Glee Club visitors from the US, with the Manila Cathedral Choir, the Manila Symphony Orchestra, and other well-known opera singers in the country. With big Broadway shows produced and directed by Father Reuter, there were many opportunities to be on stage and/or work backstage as a crewmember. “What I remember is that not only was I prepared to build a career for myself but I was also well prepared to work with people from all walks of life,” Maria stressed. As Maria Cariaga Banatao is proudly Paulinian, her alma mater is certainly also proud to have her in the SPC family. ◆
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMS FUNDED AND ESTABLISHED BY DADO AND MARIA BANATAO 1. BANATAO FAMILY Filipino American Scholarships through Asian Pacific Fund in San Francisco, CA. A five to four-year renewable scholarship for Filipino-American high school seniors who will be attending college and majoring in science and/or engineering. Currently, there are twenty-two scholars attending various universities in the US that include Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UCLA, University of Southern California, UC San Diego, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and the California Institute of Technology. 2. UC Berkeley BANATAO Family Scholarship for community college transfers who are Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) majors. Priority is given to transferring FilAm students. 3. In the Philippines, through the Rosita and Salvador Banatao Foundation, the philanthropist couple has funded a computer center at Dado’s hometown in Malabbac, Iguig, Cagayan. Apart from teacher training, they provide assistance to students who are preparing for science high school entrance exams. It offers scholarships for science high school students and college scholarships for graduating high school seniors who are taking up engineering majors. 4. At the University of the Philippines, the couple funded Dado and Maria BANATAO Institute for Engineering Research as well as the Professor Fellowships, a program that allows UP Professors to train with UC Berkeley professors for 6 to 12 months. 5. At the University of California, Berkeley, the couple funded and established the Dado and Maria BANATAO Institute for GLOBE (Global Learning and Outreach from Berkeley Engineering) through CITRIS (Center for Information Technology in the Interest of Society), a program that was also co-funded by the Banatao family.
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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OUTSTANDING PAULINIANs | ANNA PUNO
Photography by: Joseph Montesa Make-up by: Angel Tecson
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Anna Puno at the press conference of AS 1 with Martin Nievera and Gary Valenciano
Anastacia “Anna” Co Puno
Concert Empress, Beauty Ambassador & Champion of Filipino Pop Music By Cynthia De Castro
A full-blooded Paulinian, Anna studied at St. Paul College Manila from kindergarten to college where she graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in food and nutrition. Excelling not only in academics but also in sports and other extra-curricular activities, Anna was the captain ball of the volleyball team, head cheerleader, and president of the Nutrition organization in campus. After graduation, she was exposed to the exciting world of concert production, working with Rico J. Puno who was then president of KAMPI (Kapisanan ng mga Mang-aawit ng Pilipinas), an organization that had the vision of bringing singers in the Philippines together. She started out as a production coordinator and expanded her knowledge in events and concert production. From 1979 to 1982, Anna handled a lot of shows for the organization and in 1983, wanting to experience working abroad she went to the United States and worked as a hotel front office manager. After a few years, she decided to come back to the Philippines. In 1987, she convinced her brother, Felix Co (now deceased), to produce a concert entitled “Romansang Pinoy”, a Valentine concert
which turned out to be very successful. This paved the way for them to set up Maxi-Media International (MMI), an entertainment company that produced concerts and supplied talents to various hotels. As executive vice president of MMI, Anna got hands-on experience in bringing foreign talents to perform in Manila like Chicago, Burt Bacharach, Paul Anka, America, Dionne Warwick, and Patti Austin. She was also involved in producing local shows in Manila with top Filipino entertainers such as Gary Valenciano, Martin Nievera, Lea Salonga, Regine Velasquez, Pops Fernandez, and Ogie Alcasid. “In 2002, Maxi Media decided to go to the U.S. to try it out,” shared Anna. “We brought Martin and Regine and filled the UCLA Pauley Pavilion and the San Francisco Cow Palace, which both have a seating
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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Anna Puno with Vice Ganda K Brosas Jon Avila MC and Lassy at the press conference of Comedy Knockout 2011.
capacity of 10,000. Not wanting to miss out on the opportunity and the hype that the Martin-Regine tandem created we soon decided to bring Martin and Pops to do a show in the US. People were so excited to see and watch Martin and Pops live, curiously wondering, “magbabalikan kaya sila”. We then made a mark for ourselves being the first Filipino multimedia company to bring top quality concept shows in the US.” In 2004, Anna decided to go solo and established Starmedia Entertainment that is based in Glendale, California with an office in Manila. Creativity and innovation are the virtues the company adheres to, thus, Anna makes it her commitment to deliver excellent concert and stage productions. “Our clientele deserves nothing less than quality, well-conceived, and brilliant productions and entertainment,” she said. “That is why we always have our customers in mind every time my team and I brainstorm for the next production.” Starmedia Entertainment has grown from a small startup company to a full service production powerhouse, growing substantially each year mainly as a result of an extremely high client retention rate. Undoubtedly, it has become the most aggressive, consistent, and original producer of live musical entertainment in all types of venues— from mammoth coliseums and stadiums to the most intimate hotel lounges and free-standing theaters. “Our biggest project was the AS ONE concert in collaboration with Genesis which brought Martin Nievera and Gary Valenciano together on stage for the first time. In the Mall of Asia, 30,000 people watched our concert. We took the concert tour to 20 cities in U.S., Canada, and the Middle East,” Anna said. “It was unprecedented and it beat all of my concerts. All the concerts were sold out long before the shows were staged. But I had a hard time putting the two of them together, it nearly took me a decade since both Martin and Gary had very busy and difficult schedules.” Anna admits that Starmedia Entertainment’s main competition is itself. Every project the company has to come up with should be something better than the previous one. The team has to be constantly on their toes to bring the audience not just song and dance shows but a spectacular concept production every time. “Ticket buyers tend to be picky. They appreciate quality more than quantity. Hindi pwedeng magdala ka lang ng sangkatutak na artists who will do a song or two each,” said the Empress of Concerts. “I don’t do concerts where artists just say ‘hello, hi!’ without really performing. I want our audience to say that they really got their money’s worth
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Anna Puno with Manny and Jinkee Pacquiao Lito Camo and GMA Executives Marivin Ariyata and Redgie Magno.
especially now when times are hard. They are choosy.” Her recent concert, Comedy Knockout, featuring comedian Vice Ganda with K Brosas, was another astounding success. “I believe in this time of recession, kailangan ng tao tumawa. Hindi basta kantahan lang,” she explained. For her outstanding work in concert production, Anna has received several awards including the Filipino Gawad Award in San Francisco in 2005 where she bagged the title Concert Producer of the Year. She also received an award for the same category in Reflections XVI in Los Angeles and again in the Uliran Awards 2005.
A “Beautiful” Partnership
Anna is always in the lookout for new challenges and the entrepreneur side of her saw another business opportunity that she passionately pursued. “During my times in the U.S., I’ve seen how Filipinas are very concerned with how to make themselves more beautiful. Since I’m business-oriented, I went to Dr. Vicki Belo, who’s my friend, and asked her ‘why not put up a clinic here in the U.S.? People are looking for you because you are an icon of beauty.’ Thank God, she trusted me and said she was just looking for the right partner,” related Anna. Together, they set up the Belo Skin Care, the first U.S. clinic of Dr. Vicki Belo, in Glendale, California. “Vicki is good in promoting beauty. I am good in marketing so we’re good partners,” she said. “It took a lot of time to set this up. We had to pattern it after the Belo Clinics in Manila, even the way it looks. I learned everything about the business. But I’m a fast learner. It only took me two months to learn all about the treatments and the products,” admitted Anna.
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Anna with her loving 90-year old father Gonzalo Co It who serves as her inspiration.
Starmedia Entertainment’s successful past concerts include: • Jasmine Trias Live in Manila • The Songbird and The Songwriter
Anna Puno as Managing Partner of Belo Skin Care USA with Dr. Vicky Belo, David Foster and Yolanda Hadid clinic opening Anna with her kids.
Anna Puno as one of the Principal Sponsors at the wedding of Ogie Alcasid and Regine Velasquez.
Like all her past ventures, Anna’s “new baby” has been an astounding success. “We have been overwhelmed with the response of the market. Patients have been coming all the way from the East Coast and other states like Alaska, Baltimore, and even from Canada. They’re mostly Filipinas–from the wealthy ones in Beverly Hills to business owners and nurses to regular employees. These Pinays say they want to make themselves beautiful because it makes them happy and confident and raises their self-esteem. We’ve also launched our own line of Belo products that have been selling like hotcakes.” Belo Skin Care in California only offers non-invasive treatments. For patients needing surgery, they refer them to the Belo Clinics in the Philippines. “Our medical director is Dr. Eli Alegado who’s been practicing for over 30 years here in the US and in Canada. Vicki visits the clinic about once a month to hold beauty seminars,” said Anna.
Going Further
When asked where she gets her inspiration to excel both in her work and her life, Anna answers with pride that she gets it from being a proud mother to her two kids, Janine and Adrian. “Janine is 22 and Adrian is 15. Janine is following in my footsteps, helping me manage Starmedia. She took up Multimedia arts in St. Benilde and continued her studies in TV and Film production at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles). I trained her to be like me - creative and strongwilled. Adrian studies at the Colegio de San Agustin and is very much into music. He
plays the drums and has his own band at a very young age.” Aside from producing concerts and making women more beautiful, Anna is pretty excited in the forthcoming SPC Alumnae Centennial Homecoming in January 2012. “All the lessons I’ve learned from SPC built my foundation in life. It’s a very good foundation, perhaps the main reason why I became successful. That’s why I’m very happy and proud to be a Paulinian. Anywhere I go in the world, I always look for Paulinians,” shared Anna. A proud Paulinian, Anna joins the likes of Katrina Ponce Enrile, Charo Santos, the Revilla sisters, Sharon Cuneta and Pinky Marquez who also excel in their respective fields. Anna’s 1977 batch hosted one of the Alumni Homecomings in the past which was a star-studded event that included performers Regine Velasquez, Ogie Alcasid, Rico J Puno, Marco Sison, Hajji Alejandro and Basil Valdez. “Because of my close relationship with Regine and Ogie, I got them to perform for us Paulinians then,’ said Anna. To all SPC students aspiring to be successful, Anna has this advice: “Education is very important. It is your foundation for success. So you have to concentrate and excel in your academics and extra-curricular school activities. A good education coupled with experience equals success.” Asked for an advice to achieve your dreams, Anna has this to say: “If you really set your heart and mind into it, topping it with hard work and dedication, you will be able to accomplish your dream. I did.” ◆
USA • Tour 2004 top billed by Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid • The Greatest Hitmakers USA Tour 2004 top billed by Rey Valera, Marco Sison, Rico J. Puno, Nonoy Zuniga, and Hajji Alejandro • Sharon the Mega Tour USA 2005 in Atlantic City • Queens on Fire USA & Canada Tour 2005 & 2006 top billed by Regine Velasquez and Pops Fernandez • Forever After USA Tour 2006 top billed by Regine Velasquez, Ogie Alcasid, Ai-Ai delas Alas and Rico J. Puno • Namamasko Po!!! Willie Revillame USA 2006 • Sarah - The Other Side Dubai and Abu Dhabi 2007 • Love 2 Laugh USA & Canada Tour 2007 top billed by Ogie Alcasid and Ai-Ai delas Alas • Namamasko Po!!! Wowowillie sa Guam 2007 top billed by Willie Revillame • Up Close & Personal with Regine Velasquez USA Tour 2008 • The Main Event–Duel of the Divas USA & Canada Tour 2008 top billed by Regine Velasquez and Lani Misalucha • Ogie Alcasid 20/20 Manila 2008 • Eat Bulaga LA Grand Fiesta USA July 2008 • The Songbird and The Songwriter in Guam 2009 top billed by Regine Velasquez and Ogie Alcasid • Divas 4 Divas Los Angeles 2009 top billed by Kuh Ledesma, ZsaZsa Padilla, Pops Fernandez, and Regine Velasquez • As One (AS 1) top billed by Martin Nievera and Gary Valenciano 2009, As One (AS 1) The Repeat in 2010 and As One (AS 1) Part 2 in 2011 - USA & Canada Tours • Heart 2 Heart USA & Canada Tour 2010 top billed by Regine Velasquez, Ogie Alcasid, Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera • Ang Ganda Diva USA & Canada Tour 2010 top billed by Vice Ganda and Lani Misalucha • Unstoppable USA & Canada Tour 2011 top billed by Aiai delas Alas and Pops Fernandez • Comedy Knockout USA Tour 2011 top billed by Vice Ganda with guests K Brosas, Jon Avila, MC and Lassy
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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PAULINIAN NAMED SUPREME COURT JUSTICE
Another feather has been added to the cap of St. Paul University Manila with President Benigno Aquino’s appointment of Estela Perlas-Bernabe (High School 1968, BSC 1972) as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. Justice ESTELA M. PERLAS-BERNABE completed her Bachelor of Science in Commerce, major in Banking and Finance, magna cum laude, in St. Paul College of Manila and earned her law degree from the Ateneo College of Law, graduating as Class Salutatorian in 1976. She passed the bar examination in 1977 with a bar rating of 85.156%.
Milagros Garcia-Glodava has received a number of awards and honors here and abroad, such as: ICSC, Archbishop Thomas J. Murphy Award, First Place; Woman of the Year, Arvada-Norwest and Colorado Business and Professional Women; Manuel L. Quezon “Medalya ng Karangalan”; Aurora Gold Award for “Go and Make Disciples.” She is listed in the Marquis Who’s Who in the West, Marquis Who’s Who of Women, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who in American Women
Florina Galang-Reynoso (High School 1965, BSN 1970) was among the INOVA Fairfax Hospital nurses who were recognized recently for outstanding work in their individual areas of expertise and assignments. Nina was recognized for: 1. Commitment to Community Involvement--based on her volunteer work with the Medical Mission of Mercy, the DC Filmfest, and the Philippine Nurses Association. 2. Commitment to Professional Development and Engagement— based on her case management work and participation in unit based initiatives targeting colorectal patients in development of a pre-op educational program
Maria Concepcion Cariaga-Banatao (High School 1963, AB 1967 cum laude) was chosen as one of 2009’s 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the U.S. (Standing second from left)
SPCM High School 1962 graduate, Herminia Festin, MD received the Excellence in Teaching award from the Boston University Medical School. The award was given by the Chairman of the Rehabilitation Medicine Department in Ruth’s Chris Steak House in the Old City Hall recently.
The Philippine American Foundation for Charities Inc. awarded Realista Realica-Rodriguez in September 2009 the Dakila Achievement Award in the field of education for being “an innovative and accomplished educator.”
Wilhelmina Lara-Armstrong, High School 1954, brought honor to her school and to her country when she was recognized by the people of
Bairn millio a hos
Past and present Paulinians would be proud to know that there have been four Philippine Ambassadors who are from their alma mater. Cristina Castañer Ponce-Enrile (shown in photo left with daughter, Katrina) was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Vatican.
The Rey Mak from The She who
Dr. Irma Makalinao, High School 1978, has been chosen one of the Ten Outstanding Teachers 2008 by the Metrobank Foundation, Inc. (second from left) Filipina poet Dory Pamatmat-Maganito won two major awards at the recently concluded 22nd World Congress of Poets in Greece. Maganito, a nurse, bagged first place in the Free Verse category and second place in the Open Form category on July 3, 2011. She also received a citation with an Excellence in Poetry Award from the United Poets Laureate International. Born and raised in the Philippines, Dory obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in St. Paul College, Manila
Mrs. Belina Diaz-Perez, nurse manager of Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City, was the recipient of the prestigious Nurse Leadership Award 2010 on the occasion of the Nurses Week Celebration on May 9-13 2010. Mrs. Perez was cited for her outstanding leadership and contributions to nursing practice in the Mt. Sinai Hospital
Elizabeth Cordova, High School 1968 received the Hans Manneby Memorial Fund Museum Development Awards for her work in museum development in Negros Occidental. Lillibeth, director of the Museo sang Bata sa Negros in Sagay City, will receive the award in Stockholm, Sweden on November 10, 2011.
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SOME
Another milestone for the Philippine hospital industry has been achieved. Atty. Pilar Nenuca P. Almira, Manila Doctors Hospital’s Hospital Director, was recently conferred the 2011 CEO EXCEL Award by IABC Philippines, the country chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. Atty. Almira is a High School 1970, BSC 1974 graduate of St. Paul Manila.v Wilhelmina Lara-Armstrong, High School 1954, brought honor to her school and to her country when she was recognized by the people of Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia for having raised nearly a million dollars to open an oncology and dialysis ward in a hospital there.
OUTSTANDING PAULINANS
The fourth Paulinian in foreign service is a gentleman, Domingo L. Siazon, Jr. former Ambassador to Japan. The ambassador belongs to a large family of second generation Paulinians, their mother Rafaela LimSiazon being a Paulinian herself.
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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Ms. Affa Rela cont Insti
he The ent
hool her le of
proud ppine . photo sador ican.
man, pan. ond im-
The Gawad Parangal Awardees 2008
The Honorable Agnes Torres-Devanadera Solicitor General, Republic of the Philippines
Her Excellency Maria Cristina CastaĹˆer Ponce-Enrile Philippine Ambassador to the Vatican
The Honorable Estela Perlas-Bernabe Associate Justice of the Court of Appeals Republic of the Philippines
Her Excellency Maria Consuelo Puyat-Reyes Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Chile
Mrs. Maria Cecilia Guidote-Alvarez Executive Director National Commission for Culture and the Arts
The C ar it a s C h r is ti C e n t e n ni a l A w a r d e e s 2 0 1 1 - 2 0 1 2
Retired Supreme Court Justice Ameurfina Melencio-Herrera
Congresswoman Estelita G. Juco
Dr. Felicidad M. Mendoza
Fr. James B. Reuter, SJ
Atty. Benita Marasigan-Santos
OUTSTANDING PAULINIANS IN MEDIA AND ARTS Bairnsdale, Victoria, Australia for having raised nearly a million dollars to open an oncology and dialysis ward in a hospital there.
Celeste Legaspi
The Ambassador to Chile is Ma. Consuelo PuyatReyes, AB 1957, who has also been Congresswoman of Makati. Baby received an award for government service from SPU Manila in January 2008. The third Paulinian diplomat is considerably younger. She is Laura Quiambao del Rosario, High School 1964, who has been Ambassador to India and Vietnam.
Sherry Lara
Tina Santos-Wahl
Pilita Corrales
Janet Basco
Ms. Del Rosario has been recently appointed Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for International Economic Relations. In addition to her new assignment, she will continue to serve as the Director of the Foreign Service Institute. New info.
Baby Barredo
Noemi Manikan and June Keithley, Prima Ballerinas
Maniya Barredo
Charo Santos-Concio
Cynthia Patag
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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TRENDS | ALAN DEL ROSARIO
hollywood’s latest passIon
alan del rosarIo—From cIvIl engIneer Board topnotcher to hot hollywood desIgner alan del rosarIo was a cIvIl engIneer Board topnotcher (he placed In the top FIve) Back home when he Flew to the U.s. In the late 80s. he was 27 BUt UnlIke most people arrIvIng In the states, the ceBU natIve wasn’t BrImmIng wIth hopes and dreams. By ruBen v. nePAles 70
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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alan del rosario | TRENDS “To be perfectly honest, I was kind of lost,” admitted Alan, who practiced civil engineering for two years. “I knew I had to make a major change in my life. I wasn’t happy doing what I was doing. I knew I was meant to do something else. I was planning to check some schools to study film. By sheer luck, I ended up checking the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM). I can still clearly remember that day and how everything hit me that this was what I have been looking for all my life.” Alan’s serendipitous discovery of the FIDM’s Los Angeles campus led to a dramatic turning point in his life. From a young man searching for direction in his life, Alan found focus, embarking on a successful journey in America’s fashion world, earning several awards on the way and becoming the first Filipino to compete in the Oscars Designer Challenge. Going back to school, this time at the institute that nurtured top designers including his fellow Cebuano and friend Monique Lhuillier, made a strong impact on Alan. “FIDM gave me all the tools I needed to become a designer,” said Alan, blessed with a boyish smile and the friendly disposition of the folks from the Queen City of the South. His officeatelier in the industrial side of downtown LA is a colorful jumble of fabrics, sample dresses and gowns and sketches. The University of San Jose-Recoletos alumnus recalled his “advantage” at FIDM: “That I was not fresh from high school gave me an edge. I always delivered professional quality projects. I aced all my subjects and earned a major scholarship to go for advance studies.” When Alan earned the Bob Mackie Scholarship after only a year at FIDM, it spoke volumes about his talent. The sweet, easygoing Alan is, unsurprisingly, not bitter about taking a different path at first. “Back then, I felt that the only choices I had after high school were engineering,
law, accounting, or anything in the medical field,” said the designer who went to St. Paul School of Medellin for his elementary and high school education. “Anything that has to do with creativity was not encouraged. To make my parents happy, I decided to take civil engineering. I wouldn’t say that I didn’t like it because I did. I always try to give 100 percent to anything I do.” But finding his calling in designing was nirvana for Alan. He faced the odds against him with his usual equanimity. “I am very fortunate that I have the support of friends and family,” he intoned. “I never felt that I had to overcome something to become a designer. Yes, the fashion industry is tough. But any industry out there is just as tough if you are in it for the wrong reasons. I love what I do and that is more than half of the battle. It all comes down to how you view
things in general. I happen to believe in positive mentality.” He rattled off the breaks that he is grateful for. “First, winning scholarships that honed my craft really helped,” said Alan, who has met Bob Mackie, the legendary fashion and costume designer. “Then, winning California’s ‘Designer of the Year 2000’ and Gen Art LA’s ‘Fresh Face Designer’ in 1999. And being chosen to participate in the first Oscars Designer Challenge. Above all, every time I get a major order, I consider it part of an ongoing series of lucky breaks.” Alan’s contemporary line, Burlapp, is a major brand at the Anthropologie stores. He has two other lines–Essere for bridal and event dresses and Alan del Rosario for couture. Other stores that carry his labels include Neiman Marcus, B l o o m i n g d a l e ’s , Nordstrom, Dillard’s and over 600 boutiques across the US. Alan claimed that he didn’t have any expectations when he was selected as a finalist in the first Oscars Designers Challenge in 2009. “It has always been my style to just enjoy whatever I’m doing,” he said. “It was an awesome experience, win or lose. I felt like a winner regardless of the result. It was enough for me to be chosen from among the many who participated. I was in good company. There were designers competing with me whom I highly respected.” We met Alan for the first time when he and the other finalists and their gown entries, worn by models, were presented to the media at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences headquarters in Beverly Hills. Walking down the ramp with model Morgan Hewitt wearing his mermaid gown of French lace, Alan was visibly just enjoying the moment. He chivalrously kissed Morgan’s hand after their much applauded walk.
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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“I was very happy,” Alan recalled that moment. “Who would have thought that a boy from Cebu was going to be a part of this major event?” Alan said that from that experience, he “learned that I do have something to say. My design aesthetics became clear to me. I realized that I have my own style that people seem to react positively to.” Even as a student at FIDM, Alan already felt the elation of seeing his label being worn for the first time. “I jumped for joy!” he exclaimed. “I started this small business in which I did oneof-a-kind hand-painted t-shirts that I sold to Fred Segal. I was watching the TV game show ‘Hollywood Squares’ and there it was – one of the celebrity guests was wearing my t-shirt – Whoopi Goldberg.” In our interview with the “Glee” cast on the Paramount Studios lot, Lea Michele wore a dress from Burlapp. It turned out that Burlapp is one of Lea’s favorite labels. “I’m over the moon!” he remarked when asked how he feels hearing stories about celebrities wearing his dresses. “It makes me smile every time. I remember the first time I saw Michelle Pfeiffer wearing my gown. I cried. She told me to get used to it. She said that one day, celebrities will become my fans rather than the other way around.” Other personalities who’ve worn Alan include Drew Barrymore, Taylor Swift, Debra Messing, Minnie Driver, Filipino singing sensation Charice, Julie Andrews and Paula Abdul. Lisa Vanderpump, one of “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” wore Alan’s designs throughout the reality show’s first season. Alan appeared in the finale episode. On seeing women going about their everyday life in his clothes, Alan commented, “It’s a different experience each time. I’m proud and shy at the same time. I am very happy knowing
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that my clothes are worn by real women. I remember seeing my clothes worn by someone about to make a speech at an event in Hollywood and she mentioned me during her speech. That was a cool and humbling experience.” Alan’s sense of humor, one of his appealing qualities, is reflected in his anecdote that even women pulling each other’s hair on TV wear his dresses. He revealed, “One time, I laughed uncontrollably when I saw a woman wearing my dress on ‘The Jerry Springer Show.’ She was fighting another woman.” It hasn’t always been an upbeat journey for Alan. He’s had challenges with financial partners that didn’t work out. “It was very frustrating,” he remarked. “I don’t know if I will ever change. I am too trusting. My family and friends helped me a lot during those times. I got out of that experience knowing that it was not my designs that failed me but the people who were managing the money. Buyers always told me that my stuff was selling. I am in a better place now with my partnership. I am with people I can trust completely, even with my life.” This present group of trusted colleagues includes business partner Brian Sullivan, whom he met through Monique when the three of them were students at FIDM. “He is smart, funny and full of life,” Alan said of Brian. Asked what he learned from the earlier setbacks, Alan answered, “I’m a firm believer in karma. I learned that I can always recreate myself. My design capability is mine and no one can ever take that away from me. With that in mind, I just move on. I try to be positive about it and take the lessons that I learned with me.” For the designer–inspiration–especially in coming up with his collections (his Burlapp line was well-received in a show held during the LA Fashion Week early this year), comes from everywhere.
“At times, it comes to me when I’m people watching at a mall or clubs,” he said. “I also get inspired by movies, paintings and music. I love all types of photography. Colors and fabrics inspire me too. It’s the organic characteristics of different fabrics that allow my imagination to fly. Lately, I’ve been loving the ‘20s and the ‘50s eras. I love fusing the two. I’m also loving a lot of the ‘70s disco era–think Bianca Jagger and Jerry Hall. I’m drawn to confident and strong women. They know what they want and go for it without reservations.” Alan’s hometown inspires him too. “Cebu, to me, is still home,” said Alan of the city where he grew up in, the second of seven children of Angelo and Sylvia del Rosario, who have both passed away. “The most interesting thing about Cebu is that it has all the benefits you get from a big city but it still has the feel of a small community. You are close to nature–a thirtyminute drive away from the city will take you to the beach or to the mountains. And Cebu is steeped in tradition and history. The cathedrals and churches were built during the Spanish times. As a kid, I clearly remember looking at all those stained glass windows in churches and being in awe. Our Spanish legacy has a lot of influence in my design aesthetics.” Time pressure also spurs his creative adrenaline. “Deadlines always get my creative juices flowing,” he said with his winning grin. “Before starting a collection, I study the trends out there. This is the business part of me.To be an effective designer, one has to know what people want – what is selling, the hottest colors, etc. Then I decide and narrow down the colors, fabrics and prints I use for that season. I start drawing ideas which later on have to be edited. This process of designing happens five times a year–spring 1, spring 2, summer transition, fall 1 and fall 2. Sometimes I do a small holiday collection between fall 1 and fall 2.”
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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alan del rosario | TRENDS When it gets too stressful, Alan said that he tends “to always look for the silver lining and remind myself that this, too, will pass. Then, I go for a drive. Driving always calms me down.” For him, the most frustrating moments are “when someone wastes my time and when people in our industry promise something and don’t deliver.” On the other hand, Alan is happiest when he gets “some down time for myself which is rare nowadays. I also feel over the moon when I get a huge order. It’s a validation that I’m doing something right.” Alan’s busy schedule has prevented him from going on a well-deserved homecoming. He hasn’t been back to Cebu since 1994. “I miss my family and friends,” he confessed with a sigh. “I miss the fruits. God, I crave them. I look forward to rediscovering our country. I heard that so much has changed. I miss our beaches.” Laughing, he envisioned how someday he will simultaneously catch up on all these things he has been missing: “I will see my family and friends while eating fruits and fresh seafood by the beach.” While he pines for his hometown, Alan credits Los Angeles for being the place where he found his true calling. “Los Angeles is home
away from home,” he said. But New York’s fashion scene is beckoning him. “I see myself as bicoastal in the next few years but I will always be based in LA. My connections are all here. I’m very grateful.” Asked for his advice to aspiring designers, Alan replied,“Be true to yourself. And remember that it’s also a business. It’s not a hobby. You have to be able to financially support your creativity.” He added, “Start designing early. Stop worrying about what others may think or judge what you do with your life. Live it. It’s yours and it’s short. Don’t waste it.” For parents of creatively inclined kids, he shared, “I would advise parents to encourage their kids to pursue what they’re passionate about. At the end of the day, we all like to feel fulfilled in our lives.” Looking into the future, Alan said he has goals and dreams but no long term plans. Why? “Because I see myself never retiring,” he stressed with his impish grin but we knew he meant it. “It’s going to be a never-ending journey. I love what I do. My goals and dreams are to be internationally recognized as a major designer; do a fashion show in New York and possibly in Paris; have a billboard on Times Square; to style a major film; to publish a
fashion book; to take up photography; to have a beach house in the Philippines and Greece; to own a house in Hollywood Hills and a studio in New York; to start a men’s line; and to support or start a foundation that helps unfortunate kids.” We’ve heard him rhapsodize about some of these dreams. Who knows? If he can transform himself from a civil engineer to a top designer, he has the power within him to make any or all of these dreams come true. What is definite is that wherever his continuing journey takes him, Alan is proud of his heritage. “I am proud knowing that in my creative journey, my diverse ethnicity as a Filipino enables me to make an influence,” he said. “That allows me to offer something that I feel is uniquely my own. My biggest dream is to become a universal influence in the fashion world as a Filipino-American designer.” He is stumped–momentarily–when we asked him what have been his proudest moments so far. “That is a tough one,” he remarked. After a long pause, Alan said, “Everything that I have accomplished in my life, be it big or small, is close to my heart. It’s a humbling experience. I just wish that my parents were here with me. They would have been proud.” ◆
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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travel destination | boracay
The Unbeatable Island of Boracay By Kristine Bernadeth T. Manaog
Situated in the northwest corner of Panay Island found in Western Visayas, the island of Boracay enchantingly outshines other tropical islands when it comes to crystal-clear waters, powderlike sand, and awe-inspiring sceneries. In fact, this magnificent island ranked second in TripAdvisor’s Traveler’s Choice 2011 beating twenty other pristine tourist destinations from all over the world. Also this year, Boracay ranked fourth in the World’s Best Awards 2011 by Travel + Leisure, a New York based magazine.
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY ARRA TANGHAL
In recent years, Boracay remains as the beach lover’s favorite goto destination to unwind and have fun. But did you know that this so-called “beach party central” used to be the home of the Ati tribe? Decades before world knew about Boracay, very few Filipinos knew that the island even existed. It was only during the ‘70s when tourism and development in the island began. By the mid ‘80s, it became a popular beach choice of backpackers and not only those from the Philippines but also from the western part of the world. At the turn of the 21st century, Boracay became the most recognizable tropical paradises in the world and the rest, as they say, is history. The Boracay Island is comprised of three main villages–the Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak. These villages are all under the Philippine Tourism Authority to preserve and protect the island’s treasured beauty. Boracay is basically made up of two outstanding beaches, namely Bulabog Beach and White Beach, which are made famous for hosting huge water sports events like kite boarding, wake boarding, and wind surfing. Apart from backpackers and vacationing families, the island has attracted even the most seasoned jetsetters from all parts of the world with an array of the hottest and hippest events. In each Boracay station you’ll find a wide selection of restaurants that offer delicacies from Mexican, Greek, Indian, Mongolian, and Filipino cuisines to suit your gastronomic cravings. For those eager to feel that party vibe, there are many bars and clubs where you can
enjoy great cocktails while dancing to reggae, party, and jazz music. Shopping for souvenirs is never a problem in this island. Head to Talipapa Market to get the best shirt souvenirs, bags, and island lamps that you can take home. And since a beach vacation isn’t complete without that trademark beach tattoo, look for Noel’s tattoo studio in Talipapa Market. The Stables Boutique and Plazoleta Shopping Plaza in Boracay are great places to score amazing handmade souvenirs made by local craftsmen. The D’Mall Shopping Center has interesting knick knacks and beach wears while the Lonely Planet shop features amazing local furniture as well as exclusive hand-painted shirts. Despite being labeled as one of the busiest cosmopolitan tourism destinations in the Philippines, the island of Boracay is, in fact, an interesting mix of a beach party central and a serene tropical paradise. The northern part of the island is one of the most serene places where one can just lounge on a beach chair to read your favorite novel or indulge your senses to a relaxing massage in the private cove of Baling-Hai Beach. Apart from the now usual water sports, you can head to the Bat Cave for a different kind of adrenaline rush or discover less crowded beaches like Diniwid Beach and Puka Shell Beach. With its majestic beauty and interesting finds, the island of Boracay remains as the unbeatable tourist destination in the Philippines that has earned quite a reputation as one of the best island destinations in the world. ◆
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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LIFESTYLE & CULTURE | CHRISTMAS starting SEPTEMBER
Why do Filipinos celebrate Christmas starting September?
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALVIN q. CHUA
Christmas in the Philippines is an economic Christmas—a festive season where the celebration is measured by how much money you have in your pocket at the start of the season. And, mind you, Christmas here no longer starts in the first days of December. In the Philippines, Christmas begins as early as September. By Jose Victor Z. Torres For the parents and grandparents of today’s generation, Christmas is celebrated during the last month of the year. The September days are just sequels to the rainy days in August. October is the month when people prepare for All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day and November is when they go to the cemetery to visit the dearly departed and reunite with the visiting relatives for some sort of an impromptu reunion. Lastly, December is the much-awaited month with all its festive Christmas gatherings, long work vacation, and the coming New Year’s celebration. Today, however, it seems that all the holidays of the last quarter of the year are lumped together in one single, long season of mixed-up traditions. How and when did this happen? Let’s take a look at today’s “early” Christmas season and changes it has caused. “BER” Months, Mall Sales, anD “Christmas” Bonuses In the Philippines, we’ve always associated Christmas with the cold season, which begins around September and lasts until February. We call it the “BER” months to mimic the “brrrr…” sound we make when we’re
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cold. So, people find these months—September, October, November, and December—an appropriate time to schedule the Yuletide season earlier than usual. Then a chain reaction starts. September and October become mall sales months. Ad banners appear on highways and full-page announcements in newspapers are published as early as late August proclaiming big discount sales in malls. Of course, these sales are part of the brands’ gimmicks and marketing strategies to get rid of their stocks to make room for their Christmas items to be sold during the coming Yuletide season. A disconcerting result is that most department stores now have a hodge-podge of display items of the holidays in the next three months. In one such store I saw the following: Halloween costumes for trick or treats; All Saints’ Day candles in remembrance of the dearly departed; and, finally, Christmas balls, Santa Claus items, and other Christmas decors all in one open display while Christmas songs play over and over the store’s speakers. The early Christmas season also compelled some private and
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY jan paul jose
government offices to release their Christmas bonuses early. While that sounds like a good idea, the problem is that it can no longer be called a “Christmas” bonus as it is not given during the Yuletide season anymore. It is now officially known as the “13th month pay” and due to its necessity, the President usually rules that the first half of this so-called pay must be given in June for enrolment purposes. Christmas Countdowns The Christmas countdown has become a familiar part of the broadcast news. To make it more thrilling, it has to start during the first day of the first “BER” month—September. In fact, it’s quite amusing that after a myriad of bad news broadcasted live, the news anchor would cheerfully announce that is “so-so number of days before Christmas!” And yet, it brings to us a sense of relief that after all the news of hardship, political squabbling, news of crimes and famine, and showbiz issues, the fast approaching holiday remains a season of joy. Yuletide Values and Traditions The longer “Christmas” season mean more money to give and to receive. Gift-buying and gift-giving starts in October (“Trick or treat!”) to November (donations for prayers for the dearly departed) to December (“Namamasko po!”). And now, we wonder, just what kind of values this tradition has taught the young generation? It’s the parents’ responsibility to teach their kids how to celebrate the extended holiday. Like, explain to them that Halloween is on October 31 only and not to go around the village shouting “Trick or Treat!” on November 1. Caroling traditionally starts on December 15, which follows that first morning of Simbang Gabi, and not to go chanting “Merry Christmas po!” as early as November 30. Here’s the sad truth: the traditional singing of Christmas carols has been transformed into a money-making venture. After shouting a few token lyrics (“Sa maybahay ang aming bati / Meri Krismas na maluwalhati…”) accompanied by a primitive yet distinct beating of empty milk can with a pair of sticks, we’re expected to shell out a few coins. In yesteryears, it was food or a small gift. Back then, money was just an option. Divisoria and the Noche Buena Dire straits have reduced the hearty feast of Christmas mornings to a meal of simple fare. Once, a taxi driver told me that he and his family just ate instant pancit canton with bread one Christmas. He rushed home after earning his day’s fare to buy their Noche Buena from the corner store just as it was about to close. “Para makaraos lang ng Pasko (just to let the Christmas celebration pass),” he said. Due to the economic crunch, the traditional leg of ham has shrunk to a fist-size ball (hamon de bola) and even ham slices that are available at Excellente Ham along Echague Street in Quiapo. The Christmas cake
is now just a plain loaf of bread from your neighborhood bakery and the favorite fried chicken will be served with pansit or spaghetti. Dessert is chocolate candy. No more wine. Just juice or Coke. Another result of the early Christmas in September is this: it made Filipinos resilient in times of cost-cutting. That’s why Divisoria has become the Christmas shopping capital any time of the year, but of course, the place becomes super-crowded during the holiday season as it carries almost everything you can think of—from cheap ceramic bric-a-bric to inexpensive Made in China gadgets ranging from P25 to P300; T-shirts sold for P35 each or three for P100; Christmas lights by the meter for as low as P20; and toys sold by the bundle for just P100. But here’s the catch: you must be prepared to go to Divisoria physically, mentally, and financially. Navigating the place amidst a huge crowd is a feat in itself and you can spend minutes just haggling over the price of a particular item. And yet, Divisoria remains as the go-to place for Christmas shopping as more and more people prefer to shop there to save money even during mall sales. Lighting before Christmas Early Yuletide also made people bring out an old tradition even before the season—Christmas lights. As early as September, you can already see people putting up their lights display. I remember, a long time ago, Christmas decors only come out of their dusty boxes on December 15—the night before the Misa de Gallo. After the morning mass comes the lighting of the Christmas tree, festooned for the season with shiny balls and blinking lights. Now, you’ll see Christmas trees all dressed up as early as September. Still, Christmas is the Season of Hope The early Christmas celebration has brought an interesting array of attitudes and gimmicks for the season. So, no matter how tragic the event that happened months or even days before December 25, we Filipinos always make Christmas a happy one. It is, after all, more than a season of joy and hope. But let us admit it. Changes have crept into our Yuletide customs especially in the city. No, they did not disappear. They just got a bit altered. And the changes made were bound to the economic ups and downs of our everyday lives. But even though some traditions have changed, the more precious ones remain: We still savor the lavender-colored puto bumbong, freshly-steamed and pushed out of their bamboo tubes onto banana leaves to be slathered with margarine and sprinkled with sugar and grated niyog (mature coconut). And nothing beats munching on a bibingka (rice cake), baked with charcoal heat (top and bottom) in metal molds, and served warm with melted butter, grated niyog, and a slice of salted egg on top while sipping a cup (Styrofoam, not china) of hot salabat (ginger tea) or tsokolate. Parols are still hung on windows. In fact, the symbol of the Bethlehem star has become an elaborate display of lights and colors. The Filipinos improved on the belen. The Holy Family,three kings,the shepherds, and the animals are now made of dried straw, tree branches, papier-mâché, cardboard, and rag stuffing. Cheap but beautiful; and this is proof of our way of making do with what we have. Churches are still crowded during Misa de Gallo and the final Misa de Aguinaldo on Christmas Eve. The Noche Buena meal is still a reunion. A single dish or a buffet table makes no difference when the family comes together for that one special moment. More importantly, the children still kiss the hands of their godparents—a remarkable Filipino trait that has survived over the decades. Lastly, we Filipinos know of the one inexpensive but absolutely thoughtful gift we can give to everyone—our Christmas greeting couple with a smile and a share of goodwill. And you just can’t find that anywhere else in the world. ◆ balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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industry | faith bautista
Faith Bautista on being a king maker, seeing things differently, and being stuck in a car during a typhoon By Kristine Bernadeth T. Manaog
It’s an extraordinary experience to sit and dine with people of importance. As a young professional exploring the “real world”, these brief encounters are unique and vital for they leave you wise life lessons that you may never learn if not for these people. But the encounter I had with Faith is different—especially when you both experience two calamities while on the road. 78
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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“I can give you all examples of defeat but I always know that these things shall pass.”
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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I guess we are the unluckiest of all travelers. Who would have thought that we would be stuck on the road for almost ten hours for choosing Baguio over Boracay to avoid typhoon Pedring. We had to return to Manila the following day because the typhoon Quiel is on its way to Baguio. And now, here we are, stuck in the car for another ten hours of driving, as we watch the trees sway to the gushing winds. Yes, this is the setting of my interview with Faith. Nevertheless, it’s the perfect time for her childhood memories, social commentaries, and most importantly, how an optimistic young lady finds her way to be one of the most influential Filipinas in the United States. When a Barrier is Not a Barrier “When I stepped in the United States, I asked my mentor how I can make it through here when you are a Filipina—you have accent, you’re short, and you are less educated than all your peers,” Faith started. “He turned to me and answered that all the things I have mentioned is to my advantage. And true enough, it is all for my advantage.” The words Faith uttered may just be the very reason as to why she’s exactly where she is right now. A businesswoman, an advocacy leader, and a communicator—this woman has proven herself to be a force in changing the landscape of the minority groups, especially the Filipinos in America. She is optimistic and purpose-driven. Throughout the interview, she constantly reminds me that when a door closes, another door opens, and sometimes, five doors open all at the same time. “Always remember that a door has to close first before another one opens,” she added. This is the same spirit Faith brought with her when she migrated to America. This is the very spirit of a lady raised from a small, simple family in Pandan, Antique. Her journey to the US is not because of ambition but because she is needed to be there to assist her sick father. A marketing graduate from the Philippine School of Business Administration, this woman had no expectation of her coming to America. “I am not expecting anything. I just want to be there to see my father. I guess, what you don’t know will not hurt you,” she answered. Surprisingly, this quick answer is very unlikely for a Filipino. At the age of 19, she was already on the roll in her new journey in the US. She worked in Hewlett Packard, but eventually left her post because, according to her, she is not an employee person despite the reasonable salary and additional benefits she received. She had other jobs but never considered them as simply jobs. Her ‘real job’ started when she decided to become an entrepreneur at the age of twenty-six. She founded the San Diego Advertising Specialties in 1986 which turned out to be a million-dollar company. Because of her dedication, hard work, and spirited personality, she has been hailed as one of the best lady entrepreneurs from a minority group in the United States. Out in the Open Come year 2004 when Faith decided to form the Mabuhay Alliance, a non-profit organization that united almost eighty Filipino organizations in the US. “Before, Filipino is the second biggest Asian group in the US yet we are invisible,” Fiath explained. “Filipinos are a minority among the other minorities. Filipinos are not raised to become civil rights advocates. They don’t want to rock the boat. I started it because I see so much potential.” She began the organization knowing that the Filipinos have so much to offer. It is the investment of patience Faith allotted
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Faith Bautista with her two lovely daughters, Ariel and Amanda
to encourage Filipinos to position themselves in the society and to persuade companies, politicians, and government officials to believe that Filipinos are a good market. Filipinos are a culture and a group of people of that is never a liability of the US because of their high educational attainment and high household income. Filipinos are group of people that can be leveraged, a fact that is evident in their abounding remittances in the banks. It is a winwin situation, according to Faith. But the very heart of this organization is to encourage Filipinos to assert themselves and occupy top positions in the corporate arena, politics, economics, and eventually, the Forbes 100 list. “I want to be a king maker,” said Faith in a very firm and confident tone. From the success of Mabuhay Alliance, Faith took one step further and formed the National Asian American Coalition (NAAC). Through NAAC, Faith became the united voice of different minorities in the US. Through the collective collaboration amongst minorities, the NAAC has become the most influential Asian organization in America. Through it, Faith has been able to meet with top-ranking officials like the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, Comptroller of the Currency, and CEOs of big corporations to improve laws and regulations that affect Asians the most. Through NAAC, minority groups now has an influence in the decision-making in areas like public policies, home ownership, loan modifications, loans for small businesses, and reduction of tuition fees. They have provided assistance in credit scoring and broadband literacy among others. NAAC is recognized by politicians and corporations in fighting for program implementations. Faith made sure that NAAC is not a profit organization but an advocacy organization that makes a difference. When asked about the low points she had when starting the organization, she simply said, “I can give you all examples of defeat but I always know that these things shall pass. Even if it is the worst thing that could happen to you, I always remember that there is something in it for me.” Being in Faith Surely, this one-of-a-kind trip we shared is not meant to be forgotten or to be ignored. Despite of the big achievements and recognitions has received, she remains that sweet and downto-earth little lady, who, whenever on vacation, gather the little children of her small hometown to share with them the wisdom she acquired through years of experience. She teaches them little lessons about life and reminds them that there is hope despite of their individual situations. For only it is only when they keep their faith, can they conquer their dreams. ◆
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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The West Tower at One Serendra: Life Begins within a Stunning Setting
With the launch of The West Tower, Ayala Land Premier offers buyers a final chance to be part of its uncommon urban sanctuary, One Serendra. The combination of a unique location in Bonifacio Global City (BGC), a flourishing environment within, and graceful spaces makes The West Tower at One Serendra a truly singular residence. “In the West Tower, we are combining the comforts of larger, more thoughtfully planned living spaces, greenery and open spaces usually found in subdivisions with the conveniences of access only an urban location like BGC provides,” says Leya Moya, Head of Residential Buildings of Ayala Land Premier. One Serendra is nestled in an urban oasis at the heart of the Bonifacio Global City, one of the most progressive commercial districts in the metropolis. Known as “The Home of Passionate Minds”, BGC fosters the harmony of work, home and play set in an open environment as rich in natural greenery as it is with the vibrancy of life. To be a part of the One Serendra community is to live with the convenience and excitement of an urban lifestyle and to experience day in and day out the tranquility of a suburban neighborhood. The low-rise clusters of homes, the East Tower, and soon, the West Tower that make up One Serendra form a refuge for its residents from the busy world outside. The green landscapes and flowering gardens surrounding One Serendra open up to the trendy commercial complex of The Shops at Serendra, continuing on to Bonifacio High Street. Here, fashionable retail and dining outlets give residents and well as visitors a place to dine, relax, mingle and even walk their dogs. However, if one were to prefer to look for sanctuary, the grounds of One Serendra offer a variety of options. At completion, half a hectare of fitness and wellness facilities will be available: including an exclusive spa to residents, multiple pools, courts and a putting green, or one may simply decide to stroll around the gardens, or sit in the gazebo by the koi pond. Entertaining is also easy with multiple social venues available to host parties of various sizes. Above all, the West Tower offers an enhanced sense of gracious suburban living. “With a home that rises 50 storeys above the city, you can easily slip into your sanctuary in the sky at the West Tower,” Moya says.
Floor-to-ceiling windows in each living room and private balconies in almost
every unit present a view of the cityscape below like no other, and also bring in plenty of natural light and ventilation into the homes. There is room to breathe as consideration for freedom of movement, and, ultimately, ease of living, is given to every layout. “Each home feels spacious, light and airy — each home is detailed to provide homeowners a sense of abundance – in terms of light, natural ventilation and well-being,” Moya says. The space and light enhance the premium finishes of each unit as well. Engineered oak and stone floors, granite countertops, homogenous tiles and bath fixtures from Kohler or Grohe, Blum pull-out drawers in main kitchens are just some of the carefully appointed features of the West Tower’s units. And, like the East Tower, limited edition units are available at the topmost floors Sky Pool or Sky Garden residences. A Sky Pool unit indulges its residents with a dip in a plunge pool in the privacy and comfort of their own home with a view of the horizon. The Sky Garden unit affords more space for relaxation, a place to ponder over views of the horizon or maybe a cocktail party at sunset. The West Tower Garden units would be just as special as living on top. They come in a one-bedroom garden terrace, one-bedroom garden flat, one-bedroom garden loft or a one-bedroom atrium unit. Each unit is designed to maximize natural light and feeling of space, with some units having 13-foot high ceilings. “One Serendra is the perfect setting for the rest of your life,” Moya says. Inside your home is a lush garden while the city awaits just outside your doors.” With the perfect balance of city living and suburban lifestyle, life couldn’t get any better at One Serendra.
For more inquiries on the West Tower at One Serendra, please contact us: US Toll Free No. 1-877-atAyala (282-9252) email: ask@ayalalandpremier.com or visit: www.atAyala.com
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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lifestyle & culture | what’s with the parol?
“What’s with the parol?” By Christina M. Oriel
Christmas mornings have a similar scene—a family gathering around an ornate tree that towers over boxes wrapped in glossy paper; each person’s countenance reveals a mixture of excitement and restlessness. Red and green decorations fill the room, as does the dialogue from the 1946 American Christmas drama film, It’s a Wonderful Life. The simple joy associated with the holiday season, without fail, revitalizes each year. It is the result of the culmination of weeks of preparations, generally beginning once December arrives, or in the Philippines, even as early as September. As a young Filipino-American, Christmas has always been twofold, almost as if I celebrate the holiday twice. I have never celebrated Christmas in the Philippines, but my family makes an effort to integrate some of the aspects of a Filipino Christmas here in America. The night before Christmas begins with attending Simbang Gabi (Midnight Mass), then returning home to a dining table filled with pancit, Marca Pina queso de bolas, and rice desserts. These traditions have been observed for years, but as each Christmas arrives, the same question looms in my mind: “What’s with the parol?” The parol, a five point star-shaped lantern, is the prominent symbol of a Filipino Christmas, the counterpart of the Yule tree in Western tradition. Driving around Los Angeles in December, you could hardly see a parol hanging on a house window, but you can spot one on occasion if you are lucky. My fascination with the parol resurges in the middle of December when the main street of Historic Filipinotown in Los Angeles is illuminated by large parols of different variations suspended on sidewalk lamps. I could just imagine the ubiquitous parols adorned in shopping malls, churches, streets, and homes throughout the Philippines.
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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photography by alvin q. chua
Lights, in general, contribute extra meaning to the Christmas holiday. Symbolically, light is a source of illumination during dark times. In the West, the arrival of winter manifests through shorter days and colder weather. Winter’s starkness is offset by store displays, sidewalk posts, and homes wrapped with flashing, colorful lights that generate a sense of warmth and coziness. Light radiated by the parol possesses a spiritual significance, as it represents the star of Bethlehem that led the Magi to Jesus. Traditionally, parols are made out of bamboo sticks and thin Japanese paper and lit by candles or coconut oil lamps. They would hang from windows and lead people to the nearest church. But more importantly, the parol is very indicative of the celebration of Christmas in the Philippines. Unlike Christmas trees whose price tags range from thousands of pesos to just a few hundreds, parols are more affordable and can even be made at home. More recent designs of the parol reflect resourcefulness and creativity as some are made using recyclable materials like plastic, soda cans, wrappers, and shells. My fascination with the parol has led me to understand all the more my cultural heritage. I now understand this festive lantern not only symbolizes the star of Bethlehem but it also reflects the Filipinos’ love, joy, and hope whose shine can be seen and felt halfway across the globe. ◆ balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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Artwork By ke nDriCk tAn
LIFESTYLE & cuLTuRE | 9 THINgS, 9 mORNINgS
As we faithfully listen to the preacher’s sermon and enjoy the cool December breeze, let us also devote these nine days to cover the perks of a Pinoy Christmas with these suggestions: 1. EAT PUTO BUMBOnG And BIBInGkA Christmas will never be complete without eating these two traditional Christmas foods that remind us of kids caroling on the streets, families hanging up their parols, and the cool, festive holiday atmosphere. Nothing beats buying puto bumbong and bibingka after the Simbang Gabi and having them for breakfast. Whether you’re buying the homemade version sold on the streets or the fancy type offered in many high-end restaurants, these two delicacies will always distinguish a Pinoy Christmas celebration from the rest of the world. 2. JOIn cARLOS cELdRAn’S “WALk ThIS WAY” TOUR It’s Manila like you’ve never seen and heard before. Join Carlos Celdran, Manila’s very own “Tour Guide Extraordinaire”, as he changes the way you look at Manila through witty narrations and inside gossips of its once glorious past. This December, he will be featuring the Livin’ La Vida Imelda! Tour that takes you back to the 1970s—an era of disco, political controversies, and freedom. This nostalgic trip will be a great experience for balikbayans who have been out of the country for so long. Let’s visit Manila, the city of great contrast. Imeldific!
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3. vISIT SAnTA cLAUS In cASA SAnTA MUSEUM In AnTIPOLO Just thirty minutes away from the city proper, Casa Santa Museum is an internationally recognized museum dedicated to that jolly old man in the red suit—Santa Claus. With more than 3,000 Santa Claus collectibles, most of which are personal collection, the young and the young at heart will surely enjoy the visit. After all, what better way to tell Santa what you want for Christmas than visiting his headquarters here in the Philippines? 4. SPLURGE In BAZAAR FIndS ‘Tis the season to go shopping and balikbayans will surely love hunting for great bazaar finds in the many Christmas Bazaars scheduled this December. Head to Market! Market!, St. Francis Square, Greenhills Shopping Center, and Tiendesitas for interesting wood furniture, beaded jewelry, and fashion staples that will surely cater to everyone’s taste. A list of bazaar schedules can also be found in the issue so you don’t have to look for it elsewhere. 5. WITnESS ThE UP LAnTERn PARAdE If you love the fire lantern scene in Disney’s animated movie Tangled, then you’ll surely love the UP Lantern Parade that takes place every third Friday of December at the University of the Philippines Diliman Campus. The much-awaited annual event symbolizes the unity of UP students, constituents, teachers, and alumni celebrating the holiday. The intricately designed lanterns
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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In most cultures, the number nine represents perfection, harmony, and eternity. It has been widely used as a symbol in literature, history, and religion, and speaks highly of achievement and development. In the Filipino culture, it’s no wonder that we dedicate nine mornings to attend the age-old tradition of the Simbang Gabi (Midnight Mass). By Kristine Bernadeth T. Manaog
will surely inspire and enlighten you in more ways than one. 6. Drink Red Wine and Be Merry Christmas season is the best time to try new wines as you pair it with ham, roasted chicken, and all the festive trimmings on Christmas Eve. Most supermarkets in the metro carry good selections of red wine but if you really want the best deals, ask a wine connoisseur in specialty wine stores and host a wine tasting party with your friends before the big day. You can also check out the extensive wine selection at the Wine Story website (http:// www.winestory.com.ph/).
8. Buy a Pinoy Parol This iconic Christmas symbol surely defines what a Filipino Christmas is. The five-pointed star, which is usually made of bamboo and colorful paper embellished with various lights, signals the early Christmas season at the start of the month of September. This season, buy one and hang it outside your home as a continuing remembrance of the Lord’s guidance to one’s life just like guidance given by a shining star to the Three Wise Men’s journey to baby Jesus. Better yet, witness the Giant Lantern Festival in San Fernando, Pampanga as they showcase all these fabulously made parols.
7. Indulge in Luxury Chocolate Chocolate has always been the universally accepted symbol of love and passion. May it be in the form of a warm, homemade tsokolate tablea drink, a bar of Snickers, a pack of M&M’s, or warm fudge on top of your favorite vanilla ice cream, chocolate never fails to warm our hearts with joy and comfort. This season, take your passion level a little higher by checking out specialty stores like Royce’ Chocolates and Patchi for that perfect chocolate gift for your loved ones and, of course, yourself.
9. Experience “White Christmas” in Star City’s Snow World Check out Snow World’s “White Christmas” setup complete with a beautifully designed Christmas tree, an igloo, an ice slide, and ice sculptures from around the world. The temperature is below 15 degrees Celsius, so better bring your own jackets, scarves, and a pair of gloves. Kids will surely enjoy this winter wonderland while playing with snowballs or bouncing around the huge inflatable playground. ◆ balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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Duo in providing service for Baguio Travelers By Kristine Bernadeth T. Manaog
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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The metro is starting to get busy—long wait in the taxi lane, people bumping to each other in the streets, and the unexplainable heat you try to despise as you travel even at night. These are just some of the signs that Christmas day is near and even if you want to feel the cold breeze of December wind, you wish yourself luck as you just can’t have it here in the crowded metro. With all these, a vacation in the City of Pines in December has always been in my list of must-dos. I always want to have a white Christmas but, I guess, a December vacation in Baguio is a good alternative. So when my good friend Hershey arrived from the US, Julie and I planned a surprise visit to her hometown—Baguio. Lucky for us, Microtel Baguio is offering a rainy-day promo. On top of that, it has recently opened its new restaurant, which I heard is worth trying. I hurriedly pack my bags and book the bus trip online (yes, online!) via the trusted Victory Liner. As a regular Baguio-bound passenger, the boredom that stems from the six-hour travel time still haunts me. Though the seat is very comfortable, boredom is really an unfriendly company. Sleep and food are of no help especially when you already have lots of it. And even if Julie is here beside me, she just sleeps like a baby. So it’s good to know that Victory Liner buses have free WiFi for net-savvy travelers like me. With up to 2mbps, I can check my email, read some blogs online, watch some videos on Youtube, and even chat on Facebook. Just imagine my skyrocketing phone bill if I do all that without the free WiFi onboard the Victory Liner bus. After six hours of pleasant trip and some good sleep, we immediately check in at Microtel Inns & Suites Baguio, which is right beside the VLI terminal. How convenient is that, right? After a quick call to Hershey, Julie and I take our seats at the new restaurant in Microtel Baguio for some girl talk and good food—tapas style! Te Quiero is fashioned after the Spanish tapas restaurants that serve as a coffee shop as well. The dishes are served in small plates or bowls to encourage conversation while eating. The menu consists of tapas, pastas, and Wagyu steaks. A must-try is the Gambas al Ajillo and Caldereta de Cabra, two of the restaurant’s signature dishes. Another thing that one should be excited about is the Spanish cocktails and wines. Te Quiero also has live music performances on weekends and special holidays to entertain its patrons. We meet Hershey at Te Quiero and just like us, is also fascinated by the chic ambience of the place. The interior is painted in red, yellow, and black and feels like we are transported in an authentic tapas restaurant in Spain. We ordered the Gambas al Ajillo and paired it with white wine. The shrimp is a little spicy yet one can taste a tinge of lemon in it. The combination of shrimp and wine is perfect as the wine
neutralizes the strong flavors of garlic, chili pepper with the shrimp. The night is perfect for catching up with old friends and listening to good music. It’s one thing to travel long hours just to meet balikbayan friends. A gesture that’s quite hard to do, actually, if your friend’s hometown is 10 hours away but with the convenience of online booking for bus trips and inexpensive, comfortable lodging, it leaves me with more time to discover new places soon. ◆
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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if you’re not a fan of long lines—like the ones you find in box-office cinemas—and you want to get your Victory Liner ticket fast, then we recommend you log on to http:// www.victoryliner.com or www.VictoryLiner.com. The website enables travelers to enjoy the online convenience of getting their bus tickets to Baguio and Cagayan Valley with just couple of clicks on the internet. The best part is that once purchased, the tickets will be delivered at your very doorstep in just a few days! But first things first, you must log on to Victory Liner’s official website and click “Reservations.” after the new page has uploaded, you will be able to see a short video presentation by Victory Liner, which you could opt to watch immediately or save for later. Below it are expounded terms and conditions that you need to know before purchasing your ticket online. once you finished reading, you could click the bottom link that says, “i understand the terms and conditions and wish to proceed.” you’ll then be directed to the “Fastrak Ticket ordering service” page where you will need to fill up a form. Be sure you type in the correct details, especially your name and address, since this will be the reference for your ticket delivery. Review your answers before clicking the “submit Reservation” button below. a confirmation email will be sent to your email the following day. This contains bank details you will need when you deposit your fare to any metrobank branch near you. it’s advisable to print out the email and bring it with you and pay the necessary amount no later than the following day or you can just pay via Paypal. you can either email the payment slip
to Victory Liner at customerservice@victoryliner.com and customerservice@victoryliner.com or fax it to (632) 3637607. again, a confirmation email will be sent to you before the mailman hands to you the actual ticket in just a few days. Remember to arrive at the terminal 20 minutes before your scheduled trip. Please take note that for cash payments, you must make your booking at least eight working days prior to your trip. For those who will pay in check, booking must be made at least 10 workings days before your scheduled departure. ◆ For more inquiries,
you may call Victory Liner’s main branch in Caloocan at (02) 361-1506 or at (02) 361-4665 to 66.
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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Experience Filipino Traditions at THE
Mabuhay Manor
Ever heard of a Balikbayan Hotel? In case you haven’t, then The Mabuhay Manor should give you an idea. As the first balikbayan hotel in the country, The Mabuhay Manor brings back all the great Filipino traditions for the balikbayan to enjoy. Since they have been away from the country for so long, they would definitely want to relieve those practices and culinary delights that they have missed. The Mabuhay Manor is so designed as to be as balikbayanfriendly as it can, from its cuisine to its rooms. No new guest can get past the door without a welcome drink in the form of sago’t gulaman. As soon as he enters the festive Mabuhay Manor, everything Filipino is displayed and ready to be enjoyed. There are sungka and dama boards at the lobby, games seldom played nowadays. From here on, the balikbayan guest can choose from Mabuhay Manor’s abundant list of things to do. “Usually, a balikbayan can afford to stay in a five-star hotel but the thing is, they are all the same. At The Mabuhay Manor, we celebrate the Filipino spirit. We offer stuff you won’t find in any other hotel,” says Dennis Sebastian, the hotel’s property manager. Sebastian is referring to among others, the hotel’s unique menu that includes balut and iced candy. Yes, balut, that love-it-or-hate-it delicacy made of fertilized duck egg. He explains, “We have a resident balut vendor—actually a staff dressed up as one—who goes around the hallways shouting ‘Balut!’ every 30 minutes, from 7 to 10 p.m. It’s a big hit among our balikbayan and foreign guests,” he says. Another unique Mabuhay Manor feature: the big rooms. Every room is designed to be spacious so as to accommodate the balikbayan boxes that guests carry with them. “We found out that they bring an average of 8 to 15 balikbayan boxes, so the rooms have ample space for these. We also noticed that balikbayan usually arrives by himself or with his travel companions on the first day. On the next day, the number of occupants have increased due to the arrival of their relatives, “he laughs.” “We are always ready for these sudden increases in numbers.” True enough, guests can choose from The Mabuhay Manor’s wellappointed rooms. These are the Balikbayan, Executive, Family, and Team suites, as well as Deluxe, Premium and Superior rooms. The Mabuhay Manor has three restaurants that offer Pinoy cuisine. Lola’s, found at the second floor, showcases traditional Filipino breakfast
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fare as dried fish and kakanin. Sutukil is The Mabuhay Manor’s favorite and brings to the merry mix of sugba (grilled), tula (simmered in broth), and kilaw (drenched in vinegar). Guests can choose their seafood and have it cooked the way they want it. Or they can dine off to Sala at the lobby where light Pinoy snacks and lunches such as bibingka, beef steak, binakol, pancit guisado, and the hotel’s signature banana chocolate chip cake. “Our foreign guests love our breakfast spread because it comes with our specialty rice cakes and a puto vendor. At night, we have the harana by the poolside. Balikbayans love to sing along to kundiman songs,” Sebastian says. The Mabuhay Manor continues the Pinoy way with even more traditional favorites. How about playing piko (hopscotch)? The hotel has areas for this game, with the staff willing to moderate the round. Guests will soon be able to check out the Manor’s shelves for their fill of classic movies. They can borrow these discs and watch them in the comfort of their own rooms. Since it’s all about coming back together at The Mabuhay Manor, the hotel is offering a reunion package for homecoming parties. Sebastian adds, “We will be the one to organize your class reunion for you. We will do your invites, we will ask for the database and do the calls & even set up the videoke. We are going to take the pictures and put them together in an album. Once they leave, we’ll hand them the album as well. Just tell us how you want it and we will customize your budget.” “We are on the right track.” He declares. “We take the concept of value for money very seriously. The Mabuhay Manor has lot more in store in the coming year, and we are confident that balikbayans, foreign travelers and locals will be proud of what they will experience here. ◆
The Mabuhay Manor is located at 2933 F.B Harrisson cor. Ortigas Street, Pasay City. For more information call (02) 702-2700 or (02) 519-7893 to 98 or log on to www.mabuhaymanor.com.ph.
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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BaZaar:
ConCerTS/ MuSiCalS/ THeaTerS plaYS:
2 Bazaar for all Seasons 3: christmas Wishes Bazaar UP Ang Bahay ng Alumni, R. Magsaysay Ave., UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City (Dec 2-3)
1 Sound of Music Newport Manila, Dec 1- 11 Clara C Music Museum
dear Santa christmas Bazaar The Megatent, Meralco Avenue, Ortigas City (Dec 2-4) World Bazaar Festival 2011 December 2-18 at the World Trade Center, Metro Manila Organizer: Worldbex Services International Contact: 5316374, 5332026 3 holiday Rush Bazaar Year 3 Tower 3, Rockwell Business Center Ortigas Ave., Pasig City December 3-4 4 Triple Treat Tiangge UP Ang Bahay ng Alumni, R. Magsaysay Ave. UP Campus, Diliman, Quezon City December 4, 2011 / 9am – 7pm3mm 5 Global Pinoy Bazaar 2011 Rockwell Tent, Makati City November 5-6, 2011 8 Secret Santa Bazaar When: Dec 8-9, 2011 10:00AM to 8:00PM Where: THE TENTS AREA, Alphaland Southgate Tower, 2258 Chino Roces cor. EDSA 9 noel discovery Bazaar 2011 World Trade Center & PICC Forum, Metro Manila December 9-18 (PICC), 21-23 (WTC) Grand Bazaar ’11 @ the Big Tent Isidora Hills, Holy Spirit Drive, Don Antonio Commonweath, Quezon City December 2-4, 9-11, 16-23, 28-30 10 PORT 88: Ready, Set, SALE! The Megatent Events Venue, Pasig City December 10–11 17 holiday Sugar Rush dessert Festival Corinthian Hills Clubhouse, Quezon City December 17-18, 2011 21 noel discovery Bazaar 2011 December 21-23 at the World Trade Center, Metro Manila
2 Balet Philippines, The Sleeping Beauty CCP , Dec 2 - 11 Jose Mari Chan and Richard Poom- The songwriter and the crooner PICC The Little Mermaid Meralco Theater, Dec 2-11 3 Glenn Millen Orchestra SMART Araneta Coliseum 4 Roger Sanchez live at Republiq Kaskade live at Republiq (second week) 5 Metro Manila Film Festival Dec 25- Jan 7
DeCeMBer FeSTiVal (from dot.gov.ph)
kAMUndAGAn FESTIvAL December 1- December 31 | Naga City PASkO SA SUGBU December 1- December 31 | Cebu chRISTMAS In BAGUIO December 1- December 31 | Baguio City LITTLE And GIAnT chRISTMAS TREES AT ThE PLAZA December 1- December 31 | San Carlos City, Negros Occidental BELEn MAkInG cOnTEST December 1- December 31 | Plaza, Bago City, Negros Occidental nEGROS AnnUAL cULTURAL TOUR December 1- December 31 | Silay/Bacolod City GALIcAYO FESTIvAL December 1- December 9 | Manaoag, Pangasinan RIMAT TI AMIAnAn December 1 18 | San Fernando City, La Union SInUkWAn FESTIvAL December 1- December 10 | San Fernando, Pampanga
hUGYAWAn dALAnSAYAW December 1- December 10 | Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental chRISTMAS FESTIvAL December 1- January 31 | Opol, Misamis Oriental chRISTMAS SYMBOLS December 1- December 31 | Naawan. Misamis Oriental PASIGAhAn SA BALInGASAG December 1- January 7 | Balingasag, Misamis Oriental BELEn In A TREE December 1- January 7 | Iponan, Cagayan de Oro City cAROLInG And BELEn cOnTEST December 1- January 2 | Cagayan de Oro chRISTMAS TREE/chRISTMAS SYMBOL cOnTEST December 1- January 1 | Cagayan de Oro chRISTMAS AT GInGOOG cITY December 1- January 1 | Gingoog City LIGhT UP BUTUAn FOR chRISTMAS December 1- December 31 | Butuan City MInE SAFETY WEEk December 1- December 7 | Baguio City LUGLUGAn - PAncIT MALABOn FESTIvAL December 1 10 | Malabon City kALAMAY FESTIvAL December 2 | San Enrique, Iloilo SInAdYA SA hALARA FESTIvAL (ThAnkSGIvInG) December 3- December 8 | Roxas City, Capiz PASkUhAn SA MARAYkIT December 3 | San Juan, Batangas A traditional celebration of yuletide season at Maraykit. YUGYUGAn FESTIvAL December 3- December 12 | Pagsanjan, Laguna chRISTMAS SYMBOLS FESTIvAL December 5- January 5 | Tangub City
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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BATANES PROVINCE
kARISYOhAn hAn PASkO hA PALO December 6- January 6 | Palo, Leyte PAGOdA And cARAcOL (FLUvIAL PARAdE) December 7- December 9 | Malabon City
BABUYAN ISLANDS
KALINGA APAYAO
ILOCOS NORTE
REhIYOn-REhIYOn December 8 | Marikina City
ABRA
SInAdYA SA hALARAn December 8 | Roxas City
ILOCOS SUR
CAGAYAN
MT. PROVINCE
ISABELA
IFUGAO LA UNION
IMMAcULATE cOncEPTIOn dAY December 8 | Cotabato City
BENGUET
NUEVA VIZCAYA QUIRINO
PANGASINAN
FEAST OF IMMAcULATE cOncEPTIOn December 8 | Puerto Princesa City
AURORA
NUEVA ECIJA ZAMBALES
TARLAC POLILLO ISLANDS
PAMPANGA BULACAN QUEZON
FEAST OF IMMAcULATE cOncEPcIOn December 8 | Puerto Princesa City
RIZAL
BATAAN CAVITE
CAMARINES NORTE LAGUNA CATANDUANES
BATANGAS CAMARINES SUR
SAn TEOdORO dAY And IMMAcULATE cOncEPTIOn FEAST December 8 | San Teodoro, Mindoro Oriental
MARINDUQUE ORIENTAL MINDORO
ALBAY
OCCIDENTAL MINDORO
cOcO FESTIvAL December 8 | San Teodoro, Mindoro Oriental
ROMBLON
SAMAR CORON ISLANDS
ANTIQUE
SOUTHERN LEYTE
CEBU
SIARGAO ISLAND SURIGAO DEL NORTE
PALAWAN NEGROS ORIENTAL SIQUIJOR MISAMIS ORIENTAL
ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE
SURIGAO DEL SUR
AGUSAN DEL NORTE
AGUSAN DEL SUR
MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL BUKIDNON LANAO DEL NORTE
ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR
LANAO DEL SUR DAVAO NORTH COTABATO
DAVAO DEL SUR
DAVAO ORIENTAL
MAGUINDANAO
cOFFEE FESTIvAL December 11- December 16 | Lipa City, Batangas
SAn FERnAndO GIAnT LAnTERn FESTIvAL December 14 20 | San Fernando, Pampanga
NEGROS OCCIDENTAL
BOHOL
PASkOnG hIMIG SA LUnGSOd nG PASIG December 11- December 17 | Pasig City
kAnYOnG kAWAYAn FESTIvAL December 14 20 | Kidapawan City, North Cotabato
LEYTE ILOILO
GUIMARAS ISLAND
PAMPAnGA dAY December 11 | San Fernando, Pampanga
FESTIvAL OF LIGhTS & MUSIc December 12 | La Carlota City
EASTERN SAMAR
CAPIZ
BOnGGAhAn SA vALEncIA December 10 | Valencia City, Bukidnon
PARAYAn FESTIvAL December 12 | Pototan, Iloilo
BILIRAN ISLANDS
AKLAN
TAG-AnITOhAn December 8- December 9 | Tudela, Camotes Island, Cebu
kASAdYAAn FESTIvAL (MARdI GRAS) December 12- December 14 | Dumaguete City, Negros Oriental
NORTHERN SAMAR
MASBATE
FLUvIAL PROcESSIOn AT TAAL December 8- December 9 | Taal, Batangas
PAScOcOWAYAn December 10 | Isabela City
SORSOGON
BURIAS ISLANDS
BASILAN
SULTAN KUDARAT SOUTH COTABATO
SULU
TAWI-TAWI
BOd-BOd FESTIvAL December 14 16 | Tanjay City, Negros Oriental
chRISTMAS LIGhTInG December 16 | Santa Barbara, Iloilo
LAnTERn FESTIvAL December 15- December 31 | Bacolod City
PASkUA SILAYnOn December 16- December 31 | Silay City
ShARIFF kABUnSUAn (ISLAM) December 15 19 | Cotabato City / Maguindanao
IWAG chRISTMAS LIGhTS FESTIvAL December 16- January 3 | Pototan, Iloilo
PAnTATAn FESTIvAL December 15- December 19 | Zarraga, Iloilo
MISA dE GALLO December 16- December 24 | Nationwide
balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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balikbayan December 2011 – January 2012
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