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May 1-14, 2016 Vol. XXXIV No. 15

A man personifying despair takes a breather to ponder his state along East Avenue in Quezon City. While everyone has their own opinion on who should be the country’s next President, almost everyone agrees that this just might be the most important election in recent Philippine history. Will the ruling class continue to be at the helm, or will a political outsider be elected into power? Photo by C. Jude Defensor. For more of his interesting snapshots of Philippine life, follow him on Instagram @judefensor

Is the Phl ready for this political outsider?

By CHING DEE

The 2016 Elections wrap-up

ess than 10 days from now, Filipinos will be giving their one good vote to elect a new President who will be incharge of their affairs for the next six years, and who might very well change their lives for good. The past few months have been brutal. Campaign season was the usual dirty, noisy, and expensive shenanigan that it’s always been. Candidates spent billions to further their campaign, voters took sides and netizens flooded (and squabbled on) social media. Here’s a quick look at one of the most heated and talked about election seasons in the Philippines—and around the world.

Survey says… Despite being the last person to file his certificate of candidacy, and the recent backlash due to a few not-so-well-chosen words, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte is now in the lead according to several election surveys conducted by various organizations and independent agencies. In the ABS-CBN-commissioned Pulse Asia survey released on April 24, Duterte got 34 percent of the 4,000 respondents, widening his lead over Senator Grace Poe, who’s in second place with 22 percent. Incumbent Vice President Jejomar Binay is at third place with 19 percent, while current administration Lib-

eral Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas is at a close fourth place with 18 percent. Duterte’s rise in the surveys—despite his “gutter language” and recent insensitive comments on women and persons with disabilities—stems from people’s “frustration and despair,” according to Institute for Political and Electoral Reform’s Executive Director Ramon Casiple. “The top three issues are one, poverty and jobs; two, peace and crime, especially drugs; and three, corruption and government services. Duterte appeals to the frustration and despair of ordinary people on government page 3 actions regarding their lives.

Aquino to terror group: ‘Expect full might of the State’ By CHING DEE

he recent murder of Canadian national John Ridsdel by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) has earned the ire of the international community and continues to test the Philippines' ties with Canada. Ridsdel, 68, was kidnapped by armed men in September 2015 from a resort in Samal Island in Davao together with three other people, including another Canadian. According to reports, a severed head was found at the corner of Mayor Salih Yusah and Sari Ahmad Streets in Barangay Walled City in Jolo, Sulu on Monday night, April 25. It was later determined to be Ridsdel, as confirmed by authorities. 'Cold-blooded murder' In a statement released April 26, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he is outraged by the 'cold-blooded' murder of Ridsdel. Trudeau adds, "Canada condemns without reservation the brutality of the hostagetakers, and this unnecessary page 3

E X P AT N E W S P A P E R

W H AT ' S O N C E BU

MAY 1-14, 2016

Cebu Business Month fetes 20th year this June By RICHARD RAMOS

elebrating two decades of fruitful existence and encouraging more business ventures throughout the region, the Cebu Business Month once again gathers stakeholders in a month-long series of activities and events in the areas of tourism ICTBPM (Information and Communications Technology-Business Process Management), entrepreneurship, and creative industries under the theme “Digital Cebu.” Spearheaded by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), the CBM inspires local businesses to tap technology to boost their competitiveness in the global economy, promote the culture of innovation, grow business through digital strategies and business analytics, and enhance governance through digital innovation. The Grand Opening Salvo starts off with a bang at The Terraces, Ayala Center Cebu on Wednesday, June 1, 5 p.m. onwards, with lots of merriment and hoopla. The whole day 2016 Cebu Digital Transformation Summit takes place the same day and on June 2 as well at the Radisson Blu Hotel. According to Jun Sa-a, event chair, topics will focus on the launch of the first mini-satellite on weather, social media for social transformation, and the latest updates of the business process outsourcing industry. Talking points “There will also be a panel discussion on nurturing and keeping talents to fight the high attrition rate in the industry, analytics on Small and Medium Industries (SMEs), benchmarking practices, and environmentally-friendly buildings,” he declared in a press conference held at Bayfront Hotel. Other topics include the free Wi-Fi services which started in Bohol, the China crisis and low oil prices effects in the IT-BPM industry, Cebu’s seventh place ranking in the Tholons

Photo Copyright by PDP Digital, Inc. Study, bitcoins as a future currency, and the Freedom of Information Bill. Melanie Ng, CCCI president, declared that efforts are made to link start-ups with businessmen in order to merge initiatives into a more sustainable venture. This event aims to widen the awareness and usage of digital tools, technology, and solutions in all aspects of daily activities, develop and nurture technology based local start-ups and encourage more online freelancing, provide a venue and networking opportunity for all stakeholders—industry, academe, support group, ICT councils, LGUs and NGOs for a more collaborative and supportive ecosystem. Calendar of events The Phil Construct Visayas 2016 will be held from June 2 to 4 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel & Casino. Headed by Global Link, the event highlights the latest trends and technologies in the construction industry.

The Business-in-Golf Tournament takes place on Friday, June 3, 4 a.m., at the Alta Vista Golf & Country Club. This is designed to promote camaraderie and healthy competition among the participating entrepreneurs, and promotes balance, coordination and cooperation—skills necessary not only in the game but in the business as well. A special highlight is the 4th Cebu International Film Festival due on Friday, June 10 at the Robinson’s Galleria Cebu. This curtainraiser event serves as a platform for filmmakers, producers, artists, media practitioners, and film enthusiasts to develop and share creative talents and socially-inclined filmmaking experience through documentary films. Archt. April Dequito of the Filmfest revealed that the actual screening and line-up of films will be held on Aug. 20 to 27 at chosen malls and schools situated all over the city to raise public awareness and consciousness. The event has also evolved from a docu-

mentary to a full-fledged film festival that accepts narrative, animation, and documentary entries all over the world. The Job Fair and Tourism Forum will be held on, June 15 to 16, at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel. Topics will highlight the essence of hospitality, guru marketing, and public relations. The Job Fair will be held on the first day with the participation of Human Resources staffers from participating member hotels. Next is the Visayan Pop Song Writing Competition to be held on Saturday, June 18, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the SM Seaside Center Stage. This VISPOP event provides a venue for the creative expression of thoughts, ideas, and sentiments through contemporary Visayan popular music using the Visayan language. The Social Entrepreneurship Conference takes form on June 23 to 24 at the Cebu City Marriott Hotel. The Public-Private CEO Networking Night will start at 6:30 p.m. at the hotel, while Robinson’s Galleria Cebu will host the event proper. The event serves as a platform for knowledge sharing to promote creative, non-traditional strategies and solutions to unsolved social problems and challenges, and shall also lead to rethinking for business enterprise of its usual practices and contribute to a more global sustainable business perspective. The 4th Run for the Rivers will be held on June 25, 4 a.m. at the SM Seaside Mountain Wing in hopes of sustaining the environment via a fundraising campaign for the reforestation and rehabilitation of the riparian zones of the Mahiga Creek and the Guadalupe River. The grand finale, the Grand Chamber Awards closes the CBM on June 30 at the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel as it recognizes outstanding Cebuano entrepreneurs for their performances and applied ethical practices on different categories.

by RICHARD RAMOS

Port Restaurant, located at the ground floor of Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, feted its 18th anniversary by offering “All-you-can-eat Tempura Festival.” Diners can have their fill of fresh shrimp and vegetable tempura cooked right before their eyes. Enjoy this alongside the stuffed bangus relleno and fresh handrolled maki. Better yet, this promo is already inclusive in the PHP299+ lunch buffet (with cheese baked oysters) and PhP399+ dinner buffet (with lechon). Sweetening up the deal is the all-you-can-drink setup featuring three refreshing beverages to choose from. Nightowls also love the place for its PhP189+ Late Night Buffet along with live acoustic band from Thursday to Sunday from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Toastmasters International (TI) District 75 (Philippines) Convention welcomed TI President-Elect Mike Storkey, Distinguished Toastmaster (DTM), to Cebu. He spoke on the topics of inspiration and management before 500 TMs gathered at the Grand Convention Center of Cebu last April 29 to 30. A few days prior, DTM Storkey and his wife Lesley attended TM

club meetings of Taipan and Lexmark, as well as a special session with Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) on their assimilation into local clubs. DTM Storkey also awarded Aboitiz and Co. for integrating TM into their company operations by having established seven TM clubs, among which were Unionbank, VECO, Metaphil, Aboitizland, and others. Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort & Spa presents “Mugna” the third in a series of monthly fashion shows set to take place at the Lobby Lounge on Saturday, May 14, 2016. Event features the collections of noted designers Jun Escario and Mia Arcenas with music from the Three Legged Men. Sample champagne high tea at PhP1,200 net or chocolate high tea at just PhP550 net. All chocolate products are exclusively produced by The Chocolate Chamber headed by Raquel Choa. A special highlight is the Merienda de Mayo at only PhP550 net featuring succulent mangoes and rich homegrown cacao. Upcoming shows are scheduled on June 25, July 16, Aug. 13, and Aug. 31. For inquiries, call (032) 231-0288.

AssociationofGovernmentInformation Officers (AGIO) and the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) recently held a special meeting with media re the power situationer for the upcoming elections. Also present were representatives from the Department of Energy-Visayas (DOE) office, Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines. Preventive actions and contingency measures include 50 vehicles with motorbikes, four mobile generators, 60 on-call personnel, volunteer companies to use own generator to decrease load factor, insulated lines, brownout-free polling places, safeguards against power fluctuation, and the checkup of transformers and connections. European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP-Cebu Chapter) and the University of Cebu (UC-Banilad) will hold the very first summer Game App Development Camp in Cebu. Participants will be grouped and introduced to the Unity Game Engine and Toonboom Studio. They will be trained to create a sidescrolling game where their game characters

maneuver through obstacles of their own design. Classes are from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the UC Animation Lab. Fees are PhP4,200 for ECCP member/student and PhP5,200 for non-members inclusive of daily lunch and two snacks. For details, contact Christine Teves or Patricia Mendoza at (032) 2533387 or email patricia.mendoza@eccp. com or cteves@eccp.com. Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) recently held an information session for Cebu on marketing opportunities in the US. Rose Marie Castillo of the Export Marketing Bureau recommended glutenfree and lactose-free products; organic products; ethical, fair trade and sustainable initiatives and products; wines and spirits, and gourmet products; and official signs of quality. The latter should indicate guarantees of origin, traditional recipe, and respect to the environment. Consumer trends cover individualism issues such as flexible packaging and uniqueness from mainstream. Other factors are convenience (ready to consume or ready-made mixes) and price consciousness (value for money).

E X P AT N E W S P A P E R

NEWS

MAY 1-14, 2016

Is the Phl ready...from page 1 He promises quick action,” Ralph Jennings of Forbes.com quoted Casiple. In the recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, Duterte is also leading with 33 percent, a six-point jump from the previous month, earning him a comfortable nine-point lead against Poe. "Mayor Duterte has been steadily gaining ground. It's a clear lead. The joke could have affected him in such a way that his score could have even been higher had it not been for that news," SWS spokesman Leo Laroza told Agence France-Presse. ‘A song of nice and fire’ Apart from the historical election in 1986, this year’s national poll is certainly the most talked about in history, not just in the Philippines but even abroad. Why? Because of “The Punisher,” Rodrigo Duterte. Raul Dancel of The Strait Times writes, “[Duterte] is vulgar and uncouth…He has insulted Pope Francis, describes himself unapologetically as a ‘womanizer’ and advocates vigilante killings of suspected criminals. But none of this seems to matter.” “It is the image he has been cultivating

since he was a street-smart thug in his teens, as well as the widespread discontent among the poor and the lower middle class, that is insulating Mr. Duterte, analysts say…For his millions of supporters, Mr. Duterte fits the bill.” While Duterte’s tough guy persona appeals to many Filipinos who are desperate for change, Poe’s pure and motherly image seems to work just as well—a dramatic contrast between the country’s voting populace. The last two weeks before election proves to be the dirtiest of times—with camps digging for the blackest of mud to throw against the most threatening opponent. True enough, Binay, Roxas, and Duterte made headlines because of their word wars—spanning from questionable platforms to mandatory psychological tests. Despite the surplus of black propaganda this season, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago—who was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2014—revealed she is “back to normal” and ready for action, stating that she will not quit or withdraw her candidacy. “I have been the subject of much black propaganda concerning my health,” Santiago said in the third and last Presidential debate on

April 24. “I have never been false to the Filipino people. I have announced the state of my health. I announced having cancer. I am better now, I am telling you now…I am back to normal because I’m on a secret pill which is not yet available in the market.” Election failure? If you’ve read the Wellness Issue of Expat Travel & Lifestyle Magazine, Commission on Elections (COMELEC) chief Andres Bautista agreed that the 2016 elections is one of the most important Presidential elections in recent history. However, despite the election’s obvious importance, a 23-year-old Information Technology (IT) student was allegedly able to hack into the COMELEC website, leading to the biggest leakage of data in Philippine history. On April 20, the fresh-from-college suspect was arrested. He is now in the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation. According to reports, the suspect also has two accomplices who are still at large. Several reports say the suspect hacked into the COMELEC website out of boredom, wanting to show the vulnerabilities of the website in terms cyber

security. Coincidentally, the website containing the database of stolen information (conveniently designed as a search engine to find sensitive information of over 55 million registered voters in the Philippines) was also made public the same day the suspect was arrested. Bautista said he is ready to face the consequences of the massive leak that may be brought against him or his office. In an interview on radio station DZBB, Bautista said, “We are prepared for any case that may be brought against us. Personally, I am not clinging tightly to my position [as commissioner]. Our job here is difficult and we are doing our best to have credible elections on May 9,” adding that the website—including the security systems—were already in place before he was named COMELEC Chairman. Dispelling the fears of an election failure come May 9, COMELEC Commissioner Rowena Guanzon assured the public that the hacking will not affect the upcoming elections, saying, “The computers and security programs that would be used in the automated election system are very sophisticated.”

Aquino to terror group...from page 1 death. This was an act of cold-blooded murder and responsibility rests squarely with the terrorist group who took him hostage." Trudeau expressed his sympathies to the family and friends of Ridsdel and asked the media to respect the privacy of Ridsdel's loved ones in this time of grief. He also emphasized that the Canadian government is continually working with the Philippine government to bring those responsible to justice. "Canada’s first priority is the safety and security of its citizens," Trudeau continued. "The Government of Canada will not comment or release any information which may compromise ongoing efforts or endanger the safety of the remaining hostages." ASG plotted to kidnap Manny Pacquiao, Kris Aquino President Benigno Aquino III has sent a letter to the Ridsdel family, expressing his condolences and a promise to damage the function of the ASG. In a strongly worded statement, Aquino vowed to strengthen the fight against the ISIS-

tied militants. "This murder was meant to terrorize our whole population. The Abu Sayyaf thought they could instill fear in us; instead, they have galvanized us even further to ensure justice is meted out," Aquino said. "We have always been open to talks with those who desire peace; but those who commit atrocities can expect the full might of the State." Aquino assured the public that he is "ready to devote all [his] energies towards ensuring that, at the very least, this (terrorism and the ASG) will be a very seriously degraded problem that [he] will pass on to [his] successor." The President also shared that he has received several threats to his life and safety, as well as intelligence reports about a plot to kidnap his sister, actress and TV host Kris Aquino, and Congressman and world champion boxer Manny Pacquiao. However, these plots "have been, and remain, only aspirations." Aquino, who has roughly two months left in his term, stated that "the public may rest assured that they may go about their daily lives without fear or unease" and the government's

forces will "continue to seriously erode any ability of the ASG to continue to function." Aquino continued, "The full resources of the State are being brought down on the ASG. Our primary objective is to rescue the hostages and ensure the safety of our civilian population. We will leave no stone unturned and are studying every instrument, both military and legal, to ensure success in our areas of operations and wherever else required." With an intensified manhunt for the rebel forces, "casualties are to be expected," said the President. "But what has to be of utmost importance is neutralizing the criminal activities of the ASG. The men and women in our Armed Forces are well-trained, well-equipped, and resourceful. I have full trust and confidence in them." According to Aquino, while his Daang Matuwid (Straight Path) administration has proven that they "will choose all-out justice over all-out war," they have also proven that they "always act from a position of strength." To that effect, the Commander-in-Chief only had feisty words to the ASG and their sup-

porters: "You have chosen only the language of force, and we will speak to you only in that language. We will not stop until the threat they pose to our communities is ended." 'Lived life to the fullest' Ridsdel was from Calgary, Alberta. He was a former reporter and producer of CBC Calgary and the Calgary Herald. After working as a journalist, he worked for Petro-Canada and traveled Asia. When he was captured in 2015, he was working as a consultant for TVI Resource Development Philippines, a subsidiary of TVI Canada. In a statement released by members of Ridsdel's family, they said John "loved life and lived it to the fullest with his family and friends at the center. He was loved by all his friends and adored by his daughters, sister and extended family. Our family is devastated at the loss of our father and brother John Ridsdel whose life was cut tragically short by this senseless act of violence."

E X P AT N E W S P A P E R

F E AT U R E S

MAY 1-14, 2016

DOT CALABARZON launches foodie holiday guide By VIA BAROMA

he Department of Tourism (DOT) Region IV-A hosted the launch of Food Holidays Philippines last April 5 at the General Emilio Aguinaldo Shrine in Kawit, Cavite. Government officials, tourism stakeholders, historians, and food connoisseurs gathered to witness the unveiling of the latest edition of Food Holidays, a gastronomical guide book that aims to revisit Philippine history, heritage and culinary tradition. “Food, restaurants, and historical cuisines in the region could well play an important role in linking and looping together the destinations and attractions in the region,” said DOT Region IV-A Director Rebecca V. Labit after citing the result of a review and product development workshop they organized for tourism stakeholders in 2014. “This event marks the dawning of CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Quezon) region as the center of historical culinary tourism in the Philippines,” she added. “CALABARZON plays a very important role in the history of the Philippines; Kawit, for one, being in the historical map. We all have to work together to put the region in the culinary map of the Philippines, together with its rich history, sources of food and ingredients, to

Photo courtesy of FOOD HOLIDAYS

make the whole travel experience truly a Filipino one,” DOT Assistant Secretary Arturo Boncato said, acknowledging that a large percentage of the country’s tourism receipts were spent for food and accommodation. During the book launch, the chivalry of the “Tagayan Ritual” was also showcased with officials from the DOT led by Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Martinez and other tourism stakeholders taking turns to propose a toast, portraying the poetic and hospitable nature of people of Quezon Province. Guests were also treated to an intimate gastronomic experience featuring delectable dishes by the Culinary Generals and the Razor Chefs of Cavite, reminiscent of CALABARZON’s food history and its contribution to the Galleon Trade. According to publisher, Clang Garcia, Food Holidays took almost two years in the making. “Its launch could not be more timely, as the Philippines plays host once again to the Madrid Fusion Manila that opened the table to a wider discussion of what Filipino food is all about. And it is a dream come true to share with you a product of extensive research into the cooking and dining traditions from the major islands of Luzon, Visayas, and Mind-

anao, encapsulated in one publication,” she added, feeling strongly about the dearth of a good gastronomical guide book in the Philippines. This culinary event forms part of “Eat Your History,” a culinary heritage tour of Cavite, Malolos, Pampanga, Malabon, Antipolo-Ango, and LagunaQuezon, which was also launched at the event in celebration of “Flavors of the Philippines Festival 2016.” It is organized by Garcia in partnership with the respective DOT Regional Offices. “Flavors of the Philippines Festival 2016” is a month-long showcase of the best of the country’s gastronomic offerings ranging from culinary tours, food trucks, bar crawls, concerts, to agricultural fairs, weekend gourmet markets and bazaars. Organized by the DOT and the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), it is ongoing simultaneously in different malls, restaurants and venues across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. “Food Holidays” is available online at www.thekitchenbookstore.com and at major bookstores for PhP500.

The truth about oral glutathione supplementation revealed Glutathione is probably one of the mosthyped health supplements, yet is still basically misunderstood. With so many brands being offered in the market today, how well do you really know this super supplement which is highly popular with Filipinos who want to have whiter, fairer skin? Not too many people know that glutathione is in fact the most potent antioxidant currently known to man. The human body naturally produces glutathione and is considered most important because it is found within the cell. Aware that a big number of Filipinos want to lighten their skin color, most glutathione companies’ marketing strategies have strong focus in its properties to make one’s skin fairer and at the same time, protecting it from ravages of ageing. But there’s one thing that so-called experts in the industry are reluctant to boldly state; one unmistakable fact: L-Glutathione is poorly absorbed orally— whether reduced, oxidized, or any other forms. Glutathione is a single bond tripeptide thiol consisting of three amino acids: are cystine, glutamic acid, and glycine. When taken orally, l-cysteine loses 85 percent of its sulfur group, the active component of glutathione during the digestion process. This inherent weakness of glutathione is due to its unstable bonded, tripeptide form which makes it susceptible to stomach enzyme attack. Simply put, this means that only less than half of the supplemental glutathione is absorbed through the digestive system.

Some glutathione brands are formulated with alpha lipolic acid (ALA) which is supposed to be a glutathione booster. However, ALA is yet another form of unstable acid that loses much of its sulfur and sulfuhydryl components, making it practically useless as a glutathione booster. Taking all these studies to heart, the KB Glutathione plus NAC (or simply as KB Glutanac) has come up with a unique formulation of glutathione, the only kind that is available in the market today. It is complete with three freeform amino acid components l-cysteine, glycine, glutamic acid plus formulated with N-ACETYLCYSTEINE (NAC) and cystine, which is another glutathione precursor. To further complement this oneof-a-kind blend that is recommended to be taken once a day only, the complete package also comes with a 30 capsules KB Rosehips,

which is also a great help in amino acid absorption because it aids in its synthesis. But what is NAC? Dr. Robert Atkins of the famed “Atkins’ Diet” emphasized that glutathione cannot be discussed apart from NAC. It has the property to raise the body’s glutathione level that cannot be achieved by oral supplementation alone, thus leading it to be considered the best glutathione booster. Glutathione levels cannot be increased by orally ingesting it since it is being processed inside the cell. However, the manufacture of glutathione in cells depends on the concentration of its precursor, cysteine. Thus, supplements that increase glutathione must provide this amino acid. The fact remains that glutathione levels cannot be increased by ingesting oral cysteine because it is potentially toxic and spontaneously destroyed in the gastrointestinal tract.

N-acetylcysteine is the bioavailable form of cysteine and dramatically increases the body’s production of glutathione, the brain’s most important scavenger of free radicals. Silly as it may sound, others will mislead you that glutathione is known as a skin whitener. The complete fact is this: skin will only become fairer and younger looking if there’s a precursor that can increase the glutathione levels. Furthermore, it is a great injustice to peddle around the idea of raising the body’s glutathione levels as a mere skin whitening method. Through the years, KB has continuously evolved with consistent high-quality standards of glutathione in order to keep up with the best formulation. 30 capsules (500mg) of KB glutanac is only PhP1,195 and already comes with 30 capsules of KB rosehips. Value pack is also available for only PhP439 inclusive of 10 capsules of KB Glutanac and 10 capsules of KB Rosehips or KB one-day regimen for only PhP45. As a way of saying thank you to all loyal supporters, there’s an ongoing KB Beauty promo: one month supply of KB Glutanac (30 capsules) and KB Rosehips (30 capsules) plus three bottles of (30 tablets per bottle) of KB Collagen for Php2,695 (save PhP750) available at all www. asianskymall.com.ph resellers. For comments and suggestions, please text (0917) 812-5836. For more information, visit www.ilovekb.com or www.yumeimise.net.

E X P AT N E W S P A P E R

MAY 1-14, 2016

IN FOCUS

A tale of the (very) unexpected origins of Mother’s Day By ANGIE DUARTE

he flow of female monthly blood, birth waters, breast milk. Overworked servants. War; and the ravages thereof. A grief-stricken daughter; her mother’s death anniversary. An asylum. All part and parcel of what has mutated into yet another Hallmarkcard, warm-and-fuzzy-in-your-tummy occasion: Mother’s Day. Ancient origins: The Great Mothers The celebration of Mother’s Day can be traced all the way ancient Greece and centuries-old spring festivities (involving flowers, singing, dancing, and copious amounts of wine) in honor of Rhea, the Mother of Gods (she bore Hestia, Demeter, Hera, Aides, Poseidon, and Zeus). As the goddess of female fertility, motherhood, and generation: Rhea’s name means "flow" and "ease." She married Kronos (Time), and thereby represented the eternal flow of time and generations. As the Great Mother (Meter Megale), the "flow" was menstrual blood, birth waters, and milk. Rhea was also attributed as the goddess of comfort and ease of living. It is said that Kronos, in order to thwart a prophecy against him, ate his children. This prompted Rhea to hide her youngest son Zeus; concealing him and keeping him safe in the crevice of a cave, in an act of maternal instinct and love. The Romans had a similar spring festival, the Hilaria, in honor of the Roman goddess Magna Mater (Great Mother). Dating back to 250 BC, the celebration was made on the Ides of March by making offerings in the temple of Cybele. This lasted for three days and included parades, games and masquerades. And very presumably, copious amounts of wine, as well. The celebrations were notorious enough that followers of Cybele were banished from Rome, so one can only imagine the madness and mayhem that took place in mother’s honor. Similarly, across Celtic Europe and the British Isles, there was a festival known as Spring Mother’s Day, celebrated in honor of the goddess Brigid, who brought the gift of the sun's growing light and the abundance of the earth. Later on in history, circa the early 1600s, the Christian Church in Europe (specifically, England) – in their quest to eliminate all things “pagan” – took the celebration and attributed it to the Virgin Mary, Mother of Christ. Let them eat cake Not long after, the Christian Church in England broadened the celebration to honor all mothers; an event they called “Mothering Sunday.” Celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent, children brought gifts and flowers to pay tribute to their own mothers, after holding prayer service in homage to the Virgin Mary. Beneath this seemingly ideal tradition, however, lay a way harsher, much less ideal reality. In those times, many of the England's poor worked as servants for the wealthy. Most jobs were located far from their homes; hence, the servants – very often overworked and underpaid – would live at the houses of their employers. On Mothering Sunday, the servants would have the day off and were encouraged to return home and spend the day with their mothers; or return to their children, as the case may have been. A special cake, called the mothering cake, was often brought along to provide a festive touch, and possibly assuage guilt borne from absence. As Christianity continued to spread throughout Europe, the celebration eventually focused on honoring the "Mother Church," for Her spiritual, life-giving, protective power. This custom was brought to American shores by the English colonists, but this eventually died out because of the busy-ness of pioneer life and lack of time.

War, carnage, and crusades for peace America 1858: the ravages and carnage of the Civil War tempered the times. Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis, a young Appalachian homemaker from West Virginia, grew tired of the carnage and decided to devote herself to the healing of the nation after the Civil War. She organized and taught women through what she called "Mothers Friendship Day," mother's day-work clubs designed to empower women and teach them to establish more sanitary living conditions for their families, as well as to reconcile Union and Confederate neighbors. These clubs also tended wounded soldiers of both sides during the US Civil War from 1861 to 1865. Jarvis was instrumental in saving thousands of lives by instructing women in the basics of nursing and sanitation – things she learned from her famous physician brother James Reeves, M.D. – at her Mothers Friendship Clubs. At about the same time, and inspired by the efforts of Jarvis, American Civil War social activist Julia Ward Howe (author of lyrics to the Battle hymn of the Republic) devoted her efforts to a peace crusade; passionately making an "appeal to womanhood" to take a firm stand against war. She composed her powerful plea, which came to be known as the Mother’s Day Proclamation, in Boston and later on translated it into several languages and distributed it widely. It was in 1872, at an international Woman's Peace Congress in London, that Howe began promoting the idea of a "Mother’s Day for Peace” to be celebrated on June 2, honoring peace, motherhood and womanhood. She actively worked to make the celebration official, although this concept of Mothers Day was primarily for women to stand-up against war. Howe’s efforts came to fruition in Boston, where the Mothers’ Peace Day was observed every second Sunday of June, for a period of 10 years. A mother’s death, a daughter’s grief However, Mothers’ Day as we know it – or, more accurately, as we thought we knew it – is credited to Anna Jarvis, daughter of Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis. Anna spent several years looking after her ailing mother, and was terribly grieved by her death in 1905. In 1907, moved by her inconsolable loss, Anna persuaded her mother's church in Grafton, West Virginia to celebrate Mother's Day on the second anniversary of her mother's death, the second Sunday of May. The day was intended to honor her mother; as well as other mothers, living and dead. It was symbolized by Anna Jarvis's mother's favorite flower, the white carnation; which came to represent the sweetness, purity and endurance of mother-love. Since then, the red carnation has become the symbol of a living mother, while white signifies that one's mother has died. Anna Jarvis pushed for Mother’s Day to be celebrated across America, with the intention of each child celebrating their own mother; an intimate commemoration of love between a mother and her child, hence, the name Mother’s Day, as against the collective Mothers’ Day. Mother's Day came to be observed in several US cities and states; and in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson officially set aside the second Sunday in May for the holiday. Anna Jarvis’ efforts had paid off. Or so she thought; for in the end, she vehemently wished they hadn’t. A bitter end Anna Jarvis’ desire for an intimate Mother’s Day snowballed, against her will, into a lucrative business. Entrepreneurs jumped on the mother-love bandwagon, fueled by commerce and the desire for personal gain. Flowers, candies, greeting cards and the exchange thereof replaced the original spirit of self-sacrifice,

honoring fallen sons, and committing to the preservation of peace and life; much to Jarvis’ utter dismay. In a strange twist of fate, the woman who once pushed for the holiday to be established, now fought to abolish it. She organized boycotts, threatened lawsuits, and went to the extreme of decrying First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt for using Mother's Day for various fundraising activities. The younger Jarvis dedicated the remainder of her days – and her hefty inheritance – to returning Mother's Day to its more significant and reverent heritage. But it was not to be so. Flowers, candies, cards had captured the public eye, and had won-over the collective heart of humanity. The commercialized version of Mother’s day spread like wildfire. Anna Jarvis died in 1948; defeated, alone, broke, suffering from dementia in a public asylum. She could have used the holiday for personal gain; yet she didn’t. She fought against those; who did, and it cost her everything. Make it meaningful There you have it: the tale of the much un-

Photo courtesy of Idiva expected origins of Mother’s Day. A tale that may be difficult to digest, but one that hopefully motivates us to make it meaningful, this time around: quality time spent together (maybe work on a scrapbook together, or interview the mothers in your life, you may just find some nuggets of wisdom there); homemade cards and presents; a home-cooked instead of restaurant meal; genuine displays of appreciation and gratitude, for instance. After all, mothers deserve the real deal. To moms far and wide: may you have a happy, meaningful, Mother’s Day!

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Murray Hertz Founding Publisher (1928-2014) Butch C. Bonsol President & Managing Director Timothy Jay Araneta Ibay Editor-in-Chief Suzette Defensor Consultant Angie Duarte Richard A. Ramos (Cebu) Senior Writers Via Baroma Ching Dee Staff Writers Leah Egamino-Palaña Advertising Coordinator Jennifer Codera Billing, Credit and Collection Supervisor Nikki Joy Habana Macjanry Imperio Design & Layout Circulation/Classified Ads Officer Our Headquarters: Unit 207, Cattleya Condominium Bldg. 235 Salcedo St., Legaspi Village, Makati City Our telephone numbers: (+632) 840-2996 or (+632) 812-0987; Fax (+632) 840-2988 You can also reach us at: expatmag@gmail.com and for sales and advertising: expatcomsales@gmail.com Cebu Mailing Address: MJ. Cuenco Avenue cor. C. Mina St., Mabolo, Cebu City Telefax: (032) 412-8000 Statements, views and opinions expressed by the writers, contributors, and advertisers are their own and do not necessarily represent those of the publisher or the management.

MAY 1-14, 2016

Have a rootin’ tootin’ Texas Roadhouse roundup!

By ANGIE DUARTE

The legendary steakhouse opens its doors for the first time, ever, in Manila

race yourselves, foodies, gastronomes, and steak-lovers across the metro: you are in for one heck of a great rodeo at the country’s first-ever Texas Roadhouse restaurant! The now legendary brand established by Kent Taylor in 1993, in Clarksville, Indiana flung open its barn doors to Manila’s ravenous public on April 28, 2016. Big, bold Southwestern flavors, juicy hand-cut steaks, scrumptious signature dishes, and superb service await within the rustic, Instagramworthy interiors of Texas Roadhouse’s first branch on the fourth floor of Uptown Texas Roadhouse's eye-catching rustic interiors. Mall, Bonifacio Global City.

hands (or, for sharing – these combos can feed up to four folk) include Pork Chops, Beef Steak Tips and Shrimp platter for that surf-n-turf feel, or the Crispy Chicken Strips, Sirloin and Beef plate. Soft dinner rolls pop out of the oven every five minutes – literally – and are a must-try, while waiting. Spread on some of Texas Roadhouse’s honey cinnamon butter, and Yeehaw! You have for yourself one might tasty hot bun! Also, customers get a complimentary bucket of salted shelled peanuts to nibble on, and be warned: these nuts are highly addictive.

Rockin’ rodeo Texas Roadhouse does not only promise one big, beautiful, highly pleasurable chow-down, but also one heck of a rockin’ rodeo! Hand-cut hotties at the hoeSimply put, a whole lotta fun! This down is likewise why renowned restauraWhile there are heaps of teurs on the Philippine food scene, mouthwatering dishes from The Bistro Group, sought to bring which to choose at Texas the acclaimed restaurant chain to Roadhouse, the hotties at this local shores. Texas Roadhouse’s exhoedown (pardon the cowcellent food, brand of service, and boy jargon) are definitely the fun atmosphere is reflective of The selection of hot, fresh-off-the Bistro Group’s own commitment open flame grill steaks. High to the same. quality, premium hand-cut “The Bistro Group played a key steaks – which include USDA role in our decision to open here in Choice Sirloin, Dallas Filet, the Philippines and one of those Filet Medallions, Ft. Worth reasons is we know they will take Ribeye and Bone-in Rib- Top executives of Texas Roadhouse USA and The Bistro Group cut the ribbon at the launch of the care of our brand and represent eye- are grilled to perfection, restaurant's first Manila branch. it well in South Asia,” said Hugh according to your preferred Carroll, Texas Roadhouse VP for ety of other signature specialties that you can doneness, and are simply International, during his recent visit bursting with flavor, natural juices (thanks to take to the square dance – in your belly, that to the country. “Texas Roadhouse has a lot of drool-worthy, even marbling throughout the is. Favorites of every cowboy and cowgirl in- energy and fun, which when combined with meat), and just the right touch of smoky char. clude RattleSnake Bites, (diced jalapeños and the flavors of our food, will make it a fun place Meat-lovers can also sink their teeth into jack cheese, rolled into balls, hand-battered to be. I think our food is a natural fit for the the restaurant’s slow-cooked ribs, guaranteed and lightly fried, served with ranch dressing), Filipinos’ taste.” to fall right off the bone in a flavor-rich, savory fresh and crisp salads with various homemade Grab your partner (and your family and explosion. The ribs at Texas Roadhouse are dressings (ranch, honey mustard, Italian and friends, too!), swing them ‘round, and do-siso good that the dish has, in fact, won several bleu cheese, and Caesar), and big and meaty do down to Texas Roadhouse! burgers (among these, All-American Cheeseawards across the US. Experience Texas Roadhouse at the 4th floor, burger, Smokehouse Burger, Mushroom Jack Uptown Mall, BGC. For more information, visit Chicken, Buffalo Burger, and Sliders). Signature specialties facebook.com/TexasRoadhousePH or the InstaPopular platters for burly, hungry cow- gram page at TexasRoadhousePH. At Texas Roadhouse, there are a vari-

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Flavorful and juicy ribeye steak

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MAY 1-14, 2016

Thai street food at its best!

By VIA BAROMA

Photos courtesy of MANGO TREE

Mango Tree brings the best exotic flavors from the streets of Thailand

romising to bring “Thai cuisine at its best,” Mango Tree goes beyond the norm for that authentic Thai gastronomic experience renowned the world over. If there is anything that Thailand is best known for, it is definitely their street food. And with their reputation as a global destination for street food, particularly with their annual Songkran Festival or Thai New Year’s festival, Mango Tree and Mango Tree Bistro held a Thai Street Food Festival in Manila, which is ongoing until May 15. Songkran literally means “astrological passage,” and with the symphony of visual delights and an explosion of unique, gastronomic flavors and spices, diners in the metro can expect an in-depth culinary passage leading to the authenticity of Thailand’s flavor. “Thai street foods are very charming. It has its own charm of touching the culture and touching the people. And it’s a good chance to bring some culture and dishes here [in the Philippines] where people like it so much,” Mathuros Wongpradoo, operations director

of Mango Tree shared with Expat. “Mango Tree offers Thai cuisines or delicacies that’s something new or with a different presentation but we always make sure to maintain its authenticity,” Mathuros added. Meanwhile, Chef Prapun Sampungp o n g ( a k a C h e f Tu m) , the new executive chef on board, Larb Pla Meuk has meticulously designed an interesting line-up of dishes and street food favorites from across Thailand. These include items such as Tom Yum Chicken Poppers, Salmon Skin Crisps, Tom Yum Fries and Pork Dynamite. Other items to look forward to include the Pla Meuk Thod or Fried Squid Rings; the Goong Phad Wonsen or Stir-fried

Glass Noodles with Shrimps; and the Larb Pla Meuk or Spicy Squid Salad. And definitely not to be missed is the Thai style halo-halo (perfect for the unforgiving summer heat). Mango Tree is a global Thai food brand and this month-long event, which will take place in all Mango Tree and Mango Tree Bistro branches, is a testament to Thailand’s culture, authenticity and bursting flavors. The Thai Street Food Festival is in cooperation with Singha Beer and the Thai Trade Commission. Located at 7th Ave. Bonifacio High Street Central, Bonifacio Global City, Mango Tree is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily. Mango Tree Bistro, located at

the 3rd level of TriNoma in Quezon City is open from 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., while the Greenbelt 3 branch in Makati, operates from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. daily.

Thai Halo-halo

Café Seol Hwa: Serving ‘cold desserts with warm hearts’ Text and Photos by CHING DEE

ummer is here! And as much as you love getting that perfect tan this summer, we also know you’re looking forward to a cold, refreshing treat to cool you off (because this heat is only acceptable if you’re by the beach). Bingsu (or bingsoo or bing su) means “shaved ice” (not crushed) that looks and feels as fine as the first snowfall. The ice particles are so small and finely shaved that it instantly melts the moment it hits the tongue. When bingsu became famous in South Korea roughly three years ago, Guwoon Jung decided to bring this unique and healthy dessert concept to the Philippines. So, after careful planning and delicious experimentation, Jung opened the very first Café Seol Hwa branch on March 2015 at Century City Mall in Poblacion, Makati. According to Jung, “seol hwa” means “snow flower,” which is their way of branding their beautiful and delicious dessert creations. In their very first media interview, Jung told Expat about the challenges of starting a business in the Philippines, and how thankful she was for the help of her husband (who also owns a coffee shop in Metro Manila) and employees. Through her manager-on-duty and translator Daniel Choi, Jung shared that her Filipino staff members willingly helped her take care of the necessary requirements for the business, even when it comes to English translations. For Jung, she found Filipinos to be “very kind” and “bright,” always displaying a positive atti-

Gochujang Dduk Bok Gi

tude towards life. For Jung and Choi, the success of Café Seol Hwa is rooted in two major differences of their bingsu compared to other bingsu desserts and even the Filipino halo-halo. First, every component in Café Seol Hwa’s bingsu are either naturally grown (fruits, nuts) or handmade by Jung herself. Second, the variety of toppings offered at Café Seol Hwa is extensive, which means they can cater to all sorts of diners— from fruit lovers to chocoholics and even lacto-vegetarians. Another major difference between Café Seol Hwa’s bingsu and the Pinoy halo-halo is the ice. Café Seol Hwa uses milk-flavored ice to produce finely shaved milky particles as the base of their bingsu, as opposed to the usual water/ice-based halo-halo. Aside from said differences, Choi pointed out a very important concept behind the establishment of Café Seol Hwa. “Our purpose is to provide a comfortable place [where people can interact] while enjoying good food,” Choi told Expat. “We always say that we serve cold desserts with warm hearts.” If you’re planning to drop by Café Seol Hwa (as you should), make sure to try their best-selling Mango Cheesecake Bingsu (yes, Jung made the creamy cheesecake with just the right amount of sweetness and saltiness), Berry Cheesecake Bingsu (yes, that lip-smacking blueberry whipped cream is homemade, too), and the Brownie Bingsu (yes, she made the irresistibly fudgy brownies, too).

Diners are also encouraged to try their Dduk Bok Gi (or tteokbuki) with a twist. Dduk bok gi is a popular Korean dish made of sweet and chewy rice cakes swimming in a spicy red sauce, but for that Café Seol Hwa twist, they added ramen noodles to make the dish a bit more substantial and filling. Guests can choose from two levels of hotness: Gochujang, which is recommended for those who are not used to eating spicy fare (but take note: it still packs quite a chili punch!); and Yeobgi, which is, as they say, “Korean spicy.” According to Choi and Jung, yeobgi dduk bok gi is about three to four times spicier than gochujang. When asked why many Koreans are very fond of spicy food, Choi explained, “Us Koreans, we believe that when we sweat, our stress is also released. Eating spicy food is [our way to de-stress].” Today, Café Seol Hwa has branches in Century City Mall, BF Homes in Parañaque City, Solenad Mall in Nuvali in Sta. Rosa, Laguna, and Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. They are also busy with their plans of opening their fifth branch at McKinley Hill. Also, look out for the upcoming additions to Café Seol Hwa’s menu, featuring cake-based desserts—Jung’s way of saying “thank you” to the Philippines for Owner - GuWoon Jung making her so “happy.”

Berry Cheesecake Bingsu

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T R AV E L

MAY 1-14, 2016

European Epiphany Text and photos by TIMOTHY JAY IBAY

Gorgeous view of Prague’s Old Town from the highly recommended Terasa U Prince restaurant

his is not your usual travel feature that limits itself to highlighting, albeit sugarcoating, the very best of what a destination has to offer. This resembles more an epiphany about a place deemed “more fun,” brought about by a group of countries that has done a remarkable job of progressing from its recent history once veiled by the Iron Curtain. This is what happened when a Filipino, who has only experienced one other country outside his native land, sees a world that’s gone through similar sovereign struggles, yet has become vastly different from the unprogressive society he calls home. This is his journey toward discovering Central Europe, and his accompanying realizations of how a proud sovereign state

should be. Visual treat One of the largest cities in the European Union, and one of the most popular in the world (according to London-based international research firm Euromonitor), Budapest, would be the first stop of the “Discover Central Europe” media familiarization trip organized by the Hungarian National Tourism organization in partnership with the respective tourism boards of Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland. Hungary’s political, cultural, commercial, industrial and transportation center, Budapest, has emerged as one of the most attractive touristic cities in the world. And following the short drive from the Buda-

pest Ferenc Liszt International Airport to the city center along Andrassy Avenue, it was clear why the capital city is as esteemed as it is. From the more industrial districts that surround the airport, Budapest is quick to transform and show off its beautiful aesthetics, thanks in large part to its preserved architecture that is a majestic mix of all that is world renowned. From the Gothic and Neo-Gothic (Hungarian Parliament Building and the Matthias Church), to Renaissance and Neo-Renaissance (Hungarian State Opera House, St. Stephens Basilica), to Baroque, Classical, Art Nouveau; Budapest blends them all in a truly unique cityscape where historic and contemporary designs bril-

liantly co-exist. Having lived in Central London close to a decade ago, this writer’s eyes wasn’t exactly a virgin when it came to this sort of a grandiose visual treats, but Budapest’s significantly wider and far less condensed streets allowed for its beauty to shine brighter, particularly on that surprisingly sunny mid-March day. Epiphany After checking into Hotel Moments (perhaps the newest hotel in the city, and staffed with some of the most hospitable bunch you could find in the world), which is conveniently located in the heart of Andrassy Avenue (a short walk toward the tourist spots like the Opera House, St. Stephens Basilica and Vörösmarty Square), I

Spring looms along Andrassy Avenue in Budapest – the perfect home base to experience everything the vibrant city has to offer

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A trip to the South Bohemian city of Cesky Krumlov is virtual time travel with 13th century structures gloriously preserved took advantage of the welcome sun that allowed for Budapest’s hues to come out and play with my foreign senses. Walking around the streets that surrounded the hotel, one detail was quick to strike. It wasn’t the beautiful architecture that pervaded every corner or its pedestrianfriendly streets and motorists; it was the omnipresence of trash bins, smoker’s poles and ashtrays. This most likely would not strike a chord in any other tourist, but to a visitor coming from a country of notorious litterbugs, this small (yet crucial detail) struck as a game changer. Yes, you shouldn’t be smoking anyway, and even if you did, you should have the decency to hold on to your butts until you come across a bin. But coming from a nation so inherently devoid of the common sense to keep your surroundings clean, it opened my eyes to a renewed sense of civic responsibility. As a note, this wasn’t something exclusive to Budapest during our tour. As we hopped from city to city across Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland (the Visegrád Four), this was the rule rather than the exception. It didn’t matter if we were in a castle, a palace, or any of the several UNESCO heritage sites we visited; you were given no excuse to litter—a collective commitment to common sense, which is unfortunately such a foreign concept to Filipinos. A similar commitment to architectural heritage preservation was another aspect of Central Europe that both amazed and tugged at me during the two-week trip. While I was

continually wowed by traversing cobbled streets not far removed from how it was in the Middle Ages and the accompanying structures from the same period, it also dawned on me how the powers that be back home unfortunately failed to recognize the importance of doing the same. Bratislava, Krakow, Prague—all progressive cities—have managed to synthesize the changing of the times with respective nods to their histories. Across the V4 countries, Old Towns are clearly separated from New Towns, with legislation often setting height limits for structures in Old Towns. Imagine if majority of the city of Manila still possessed the charming aesthetics of yesteryears—Spanish subdivisions akin to the walled city of Intramuros, side by side with American colonial districts that characterized Manila of the 60s. It not only visually adds character to the place we call home, but also elicits a sense of pride and an overall feeling of a better quality of life. Speaking of which, a recent report came out estimating the amount of time Metro Manila residents waste on due to the incorrigible traffic. The report estimates that metro dwellers waste about 28,000 hours of their economic lives stuck in traffic, effectively turning them into prisoners during their daily commutes. Residents of the V4 countries know no such hell. With a public transportation system comprised of trams, tube lines and electric buses, along with a healthy dose of bike lanes, and pedestrian areas closed out to vehicles, getting around the Central European cities is not only seamless, but a joy to do so.

The stunning vista of Budapest as seen from the hills of the city’s Buda side

Oligarchic fatigue The realizations expressed in this article do not mean I love the Philippines any less because of what I experienced. They mean that I’ve consciously decided to love it differently; by doing my part, however small it seems, to try and make a difference. Be it by appropriately disposing of litter or going against the flow and driving less like a character from the video game Grand Theft Auto, I’ve come back home with a revitalized commitment to do my country right. That it happened barely a month before the crucial May 9 national elections is perhaps mere coincidence. Or maybe, a sign of things to come. The lead up to the tightly contested Presidential and Vice Presidential elections has been crazier than usual – with the public getting invested more in the candidates’ platforms and character as opposed to how game they are to making complete fools of themselves by dancing to the corniest pop music has to offer. As Richard Heydarian wrote in The World Post piece titled “The End of Philippine Democracy,” the Filipino people are increasingly considering political outsiders – a product of what he coined “democratic fatigue,” which is really exasperation from the oligarchic rule. And as such, if the surveys are to be believed, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte – he who has been called a crass, classless, federalist – crude Pope comments and rape jokes in tow, have captured the people’s imagination. Heydarian points out that “the demise

of the Marcos dictatorship in 1986 provided a perfect opportunity for the country to rebuild its foundations.” But as the past three decades have shown, the same revolving door of names have promised freedom (whatever that means), prosperity and peace – promises, which suffice to say, have stayed just that – promises. The V4 countries have done so much more with freedom and sovereignty in a much shorter span of time. Democratic fatigue could very well then mean an overall reconsideration of what freedoms Filipinos need to embrace. We enjoy great freedom of speech in this country; as well as the freedom to drive after a night of heavy drinking without any real consequences; the freedom to litter and piss anywhere we please. Unlike Hungary, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland, however, we do not have the freedom to go to work without slogging through infuriating traffic; freedom to use our mobile phones without fear of it getting snatched away; and freedom to get sick without it taking away our life savings. Central Europe has reopened my eyes that what is possible, and what freedoms we Filipinos truly need to refocus on and embrace. That it was a group of countries inundated with beauty and history only adds to the longing for a return trip. For more information on traveling to the Czech Republic and the rest of Central and Eastern Europe, please contact Menchie B. Gregorio, Managing Director at Travel Excellence Corp. at (02) 892-6006 and (02) 892-6012, or visit their office at Room 421, Peninsula Court Bldg., 8735 Paseo de Roxas cor. Makati Ave., Makati.

The always Instagram-worthy St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest

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EVENTS

MAY 1-14, 2016

MMQ Theatre and Event Group: Endings and beginnings By VIA BAROMA

n afternoon of looking back and paying it forward was highlighted during the gathering of friends and members of MMQ Theatre and Event Group together with its two worthiest charities: EVA Charity Foundation and The Stairway Foundation. As American best-selling author Mitch Albom once stated, "All endings are also beginnings." And before formally closing its doors last March 29, MMQ Theatre and Events Group occluded its business here in the Philippines by opening new windows to assure that it's mission to serve as a vehicle in helping the less fortunate will keep on going. MMQ donated both its physical and monetary assets to two of the worthiest charities in the Philippines; EVA Charity Foundation (for the MMQ AETA School in Bataan, Mt. Pinatubo) and the Stairway Foundation (for its theatre program that serves as therapy production for homeless and abused children from Manila and Puerto Galera). Since its inception in 2007, MMQ has produced fun and exceptional theatrical performances, with the proceeds devoted to worthwhile women's and children's charities throughout the Philippines. "Our mission is to produce art that is exceptional, multi-cultural, and unique. [Then] with those theatre and events, we're able to give the money to where it is needed the most; to the women and children who are disadvantaged in this country," shared Michelle Washington, president and founder of MMQ.

"The vehicle to help the less fortunate is to bring together the expat and Filipino community through performance and art; so what we've done is to develop a network of foreigners/expats and Filipinos to give something meaningful," Sandra Tockes, vice president of MMQ added. EVA Charity Foundation builds schools for the Philippines' indigenous children. Through their work with the Bureau of Indigenous People, EVA takes requests from AETA communities and assists in finding resources and building educational institutions in their neighborhoods. From its first Le Cabaret show, MMQ donated the seed money to build schools for the AETA community in Bataan. And before closing its doors, MMQ donates again to the EVA AETA School in order to maintain the school's future. “It all started in 2007, I saw the plight of the aetas and I said, ‘They looked like me. I need to help them.’ Two years later, we went up the hill to Bataan and I heard the children laughing; and I knew then that we we’re on to something. We’re gonna’ help more children.” Michelle Washington beams. Meanwhile, MMQ donated all its theatrical properties to the Stairway Foundation to help enable future productions and therapy for many children they serve throughout Manila and Puerto Galera. Stairway Foundation has produced original theatrical performances as therapy for hundreds of homeless and abused children.

Jenny Wallum, President & Founder of EVA Charity Foundation; Sandra Tockes, Vice President of MMQ Theatre and Events Group; Robert Lane, Chairman of the Board, EVA Charity Foundation; Michelle Washington, President & Founder

Faith Escobar, Trustee of MMQ Theatre and Events Group; jo Flour, Co-Proprietor of Le Cellier Wines; Mari Moya, Trustee of MMQ Theatre and Events Group; and Sandra Tockes, Vice President of MMQ Theatre and Events Group

Michelle Washington, President & Founder, MMQ Theatre and Events Group and Sandra Tockes, Vice President, MMQ Theatre and Events Sandra Tockes, Vice President of MMQ Theatre and Events Group and Geraldine Tan Group

Peter Wallace and Sandra Tockes, Vice President of MMQ Theatre and Event Group

(L-R) Robert Lane, Chairman of the Board, EVA Charity Foundation; Jenny Wallum, President & Founder, EVA Charity Foundation; Geraldine Tan; Mari Moya, Trustee, MMQ Theatre and Events Group; Sandra Tockes, Vice President, MMQ Theatre and Events Group; Michelle Washington, President & Founder, MMQ Theatre and Events Group; Bing Carrion, Area 5 Director, ZONTA; Faith Escobar, Trustee, MMQ Theatre and Events Group; Stuart Bloom; Jo Flour, Co-Proprietor, Le Cellier Wines; Bekah Padua, Executive and Events MMQ Theatre and Events Group

Sandra Tockes, Vice President of MMQ; Michelle Washington, President & Founder of MMQ; Bekah Padua, Executive and Events of MMQ; Jenny Bekah Padua; Sandra Tockes; Michelle Washington; Mari Moya; Faith Escobar; and Jo Flour Wallum, President & Founder, EVA Charity Foundation; and Bing Carrion, Area 5 Director, ZONTA

E X P AT N E W S P A P E R

EVENTS

MAY 1-14, 2016

Beyond skin-deep

The “most advanced anti-aging neck cream” was presented recently to the country’s top dermatologists at the Balesin Islander restaurant inside The City Club in Makati City. NeoStrata’s Skin Active Triple Firming Neck Cream was the highlight of the dinner symposium on rejuvenating beauty products. Manufactured by US-based NeoStrata, the high-performance, clinically-proven product is distributed locally by D’Mark Multisales Corporation, a market leader in the distribution of anti-aging skin care headed by Nikki Tang as CEO. Makati Medical Center’s Department of Dermatology residency training program residents’ selection committee chairperson Dr. Lucia Lourdes Castro-Fores was guest speaker. For beauty solutions beyond compare, trust beauty entrepreneur Nikki Tang and D’Mark Multisales Corporation

DermAsia Corporation sales and marketing manager Charles Mandy, Nikki Tang, Research Insitute for Tropical Medicine and Asian Hospital’s Dr. Ma. Teresita Gabriel, Makati Medical Center and Asian Hospital’s Dr. Filomena Legarda-Montinola, and your columnist

DermAsia Corporation and D’Mark Multisales Corporation CEO Nikki Tang with Makati Medical Center’s Department of Dermatology residency training program residents’ selection committee chairperson Dr. Clare Palabyab with her daughter Dr. Anna Palabyab-Rufino and Jayelles’ Roselle Rebano Dr. Lucia Lourdes Castro-Fores

(Seated from left) Dr. Zharlah Gulmatico-Flores, Dr. Sharon Tepeng, Dr. Maria Suzanne Datuin, (standing from left) Eric Pascual, Nelson Yuvilla, Nikki Dr. Z Teo, Dr. Lucia Lourdes Castro-Fores, Dr. Aivee Teo, Medical City’s Dr. Cherry Salipsip, and St. Luke’s Global City’s Dr. Maria Deanna Ramiscal Tang, Dr. Raissa Pasion, May Guillermo, Cookie Nadal, and Dr. Michelle Sison

For the love of good food The country’s premier real estate developer Robinsons Land Corporation (RLC) under the excellent leadership of president Frederick Go continues to promote a distinctive lifestyle among its patrons and urbanites as it put up a number of exceptional gastronomic events at its residential properties. Makati foodies were in for a sumptuous treat as RLC’s upscale brand Robinsons Luxuria and its retail partner Mothership F&B Enterprise organized a one-of-a-kind food festival, Valero Eat Street. Held at the atrium of Signa Designer Residences, Robinsons Luxuria’s first-rate project in Makati City, the said event featured an exclusive selection of gourmet dishes from Signa’s top-notch restaurants as well as well-known and up-and-coming restaurants and food establishments from around the Metro. A unique culinary journey was had by Ortigas foodies as an exclusive dining event was organized by Sobremesa, a concept dining restaurant located at the Promenade of The Sapphire Bloc, one of the prime projects under RLC’s urban lifestyle brand Robinsons Residences. Congratulations to Robinsons Land Corporation and partners for these successful culinary events! For more information on Signa Designer Residences, call 0925-8888888 or visit www.robinsonsluxuria.com. For more information on The Sapphire Bloc, call 0925-3333333 or visit www.robinsonsresidences.com.

Cooking show host Sabrina Artadi with her students for her interactive workshop

MC Sison and Jenn Hernandez

Mothership F&B Enterprise co-owner and the brains behind Valero Eat Street, food blogger and restaurateur Erwan Heussaff Blues singer Hoochie Coochie Mikkie performs in Valero Eat Street

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E X P AT N E W S P A P E R

MAY 1-14, 2016

ARTS & CULTURE

Compiled by VIA BAROMA

EXHIBITS Eric Guazon’s My Shadow Will Fly to Heaven Ongoing until May 7; Hiraya Gallery, United Nations Avenue, Ermita, Manila; for more information, call (02) 523-3331 or email dididee@hiraya.com or visit www.hiraya.com

A word need be said about the execution of these works: their craftsmanship, so smoothly and elegantly the wonders of the lathe machine, commands attention for their flawless execution. The deployment of the relief figures, while looking so arbitrarily strewn, have the rhythmic spontaneity of notes strung on a stave. It is as though Guazon drilled his relief figures, treating them as human emblems, with disciplined precision. Signs to the Soul: new and old works by Eleanor Giron Ongoing until May 17; SET Artist Run Space, Unit S-III B3rd Floor, The Gallery Building, Amorsolo Street, Makati; for reservations and inquiries, call (0936) 921-5981 or (0917) 644-3340 or email setart.info@gmail.com

Hiraya Gallery opens the art exhibition titled “My Shadow Will Fly To Heaven,” a collection of recent works by Eric Guazon that constitutes a visual meditation on the meaning and consequences of armed conflict between states and ideologies. “The exhibition looks at the many dimensions of war. The technologies of war are founded on the visible and material as well as that which is intangible,” said Guazon. There is an ironic orderliness and formality in Guazon’s use of the grid that aggressively satirizes the shattering destructiveness and horrific chaos of warfare. Paramount is the allusion, indeed the use in relief, of the children’s plastic soldier toys, as though war were merely child’s play. And as “Guernica” was dominated by a palette of gray, black and white, so too are Guazon’s works bathed in a pale monochrome of gun-metallic grays, like an enveloping leaden sky. His battlefields, titled “Bombsites,” are a top-view arena of conflict, with the multitude of relief figures sprawled on the battle ground, a veritable graveyard, certainly site-specific, in fact, viewed by “presences and shadows,” per the artist’s avowed themes. Indeed, the title piece of the show, “My Shadow Will Fly to Heaven,” adverts to the drones, those dangerous flying robots, unmanned aerial vehicles of surveillance and destruction, like their souls ecstatically soaring to their just reward.

Known for her unabashed strokes of hyperrealism that paint glimpses of her personal life, 25-year old Filipina artist Eleanor Giron raises money to pursue her dream of representing the country in the contemporary art scene of New York through the official launch exhibit of SET Artist Run Space. Signs to the Soul will feature Giron’s old and new works. The show captures snapshots of the painter’s intimate encounters and internal struggles as she searches for herself and life’s ultimate meaning. “I offer you an intimate glance of the struggles of a hopeless romantic, of pain, loss, and growth. Like my process, I am a work in progress, and you are invited to take part in my journey. When I am vulnerable, I am strong, and so are you. It is an honor to cross paths with you, my dear,” the young artist said. Sensual and subversive, the strength of Giron’s works lie in its ability to express vulnerability without losing power. By stripping her subjects of all material pretenses,

and affectations, Giron is able to bare their soul naked. “The quest for a deeper meaning through the flesh, through romance, and growing up was always apparent. The path is clearer for me. Maybe showing my journey so far will give insight to those who are on their own search. This path is essential. Feed your soul,” she said. A Manila-based visual artist and art teacher, Giron graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Fine Arts with a degree in Painting. She has been featured in various local and international exhibits. In 2013, she was invited to stay at New Zealand for an artist residency program where she toured her artwork from the North to the South Island. Part of the rapidly growing artist-led spaces in Manila, SET Artist Run Space will help Giron raise money to fund her participation in a group exhibition in New York City where she will represent the country, and let the world see a different kind of Filipino art. Led by Pinto Gallery mastermind Dr. Joven Cuanang, the aim of New York show is to expose local artists to a wider audience. Just A Hint Of Mayhem by Ernest Concepcion Ongoing until May 20; 1335MABINI, 1335 Mabini Street, Ermita, Manila; for more information, call (02) 254-8498 or (0917) 704-2962 Ernest Concepcion, in his second solo exhibit at 1335MABINI titled “Just A Hint Of Mayhem,” comes up with new works that explore possibilities in painting in relation to photograph-based imagery and abstraction. Cited last year as one of the CCP Thirteen Artists awardees, Concepcion works tangentially on the idea of representation based on references in Filipino culture from an expressionistic stance; mainly he is interested in his experimentation with medium and ground as he pushes paint to a level of rich, brightly-colored impastos. Charles Buenconsejo’s exhibition Ongoing until May 21, 2016; Main Gallery, The Big Room, The Inner Room, Artinformal, 277 Connecticut Street, Greenhills East, Mandaluyong City.

In “Name, Kind, Application, Date Last Opened, Date Added, Date Modified, Date Created, Size, Tags,” Charles Buenconsejo referred to the categories used to arrange the files on one’s computer; magnifying yet another aspect of everyday life, tailored specifically for the 21st century viewer. Moving away from the hard matter of objects, he turns his attention to the seemingly soft, abstract world of computed data: the insurmountable amount of knowledge that has been encoded algorithmically and uploaded to the web. Inducing boredom, fascination, or pure terror, Name, Kind, etc… asks just how much can we know in the face of all that has been made knowable.

To this, Buenconsejo shows massive grids of images drawn from the Internet, which, even at this scale, still represent but a tiny fraction of what is out there. By using the web as both material and concept, the works in in Name, Kind, etc… fall into a growing catalog of Post-internet art practice, referring to the Internet as (yet another) metaphor for the universe. Despite his training in commercial photography, this show abandons the slickness of past work in favor of an unfinished, unedited aesthetic. Simple search queries like “red car” mingle with day-to-day shots of the Buenconsejo household – both part of the endless feedback loop of a reality that has become indistinguishable from what can be retrieved onscreen. Despite the systematic arrangement and obsession with order that we are shown in his prints and videos, this insider look into the Buenconsejos’ domestic life also evokes something more poetic, sentimental even. In that even as the works in this series represent not the life of the mind, but a mind with a life of its own, Name, Kind, etc… is carved out of a more specific universe and an idea of the infinite that is drawn from his intimacy with a given space.

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E X P AT N E W S P A P E R

S P OT L I G H T

Purveying heritage How a family is preserving history through ancestral houses

Text by CHING DEE Photos by LEOVIC ARCETA and CHING DEE

here’s something about the sentimental charm of ancestral houses. For this author, a home is one of the most accurate outpours of one’s culture, beliefs, and personality. That’s why we pour so much of our style and taste in decorating—or at least attempting to decorate—our lair. One of the most prominent families in the quiet town of Taal, Batangas is doing more than decorating to showcase Taal’s colorful history. They’re restoring and maintaining ancestral houses for the next generations to see. The gift In 1870, Don Eulalio married Gliceria Marella and gave her a house as a wedding gift. Being part of two of the wealthiest families in Taal, this gift—to this day—is considered extravagant. Together, the power couple owned and managed several businesses—land, rice fields, along with sugar and tobacco plantations. They also owned a steamship called Bulusan, which they donated to the cause of the Katipunan during the 1896 revolution. They did not just provide the Katipunan’s first warship, they also gave them financial support and even opened both of their homes to the Katipuneros when needed. There were stories that when a certain General Jamarillo of the Spanish Brigade took over the wedding gift house in 1897, brave Gliceria would stealthily listen to the General and his men as they plot their tactics. She would then report her findings to the Filipino revolutionaries in Calaca. The remarkable couple’s involvement in the Katipunan eventually sent Don Eulalio to prison. When he passed away in 1898, his widow Gliceria carried on with their patriotic duties. The same year, the Spanish forces surrendered and the wedding gift house was returned to its rightful owners. The Philippine flag, Marcela Agoncillo’s masterful creation, was admired—for the first time ever—from the wedding gift house. The house survived World War II and even served as a hospital for American soldiers during the American occupation in the Philippines. Today, Don Eulalio’s childhood home is known as Casa Villavicencio, a heritage museum open to the public. The 1870 Villavicencio Wedding Gift House, built just a few meters away from his childhood home, is now a bed and breakfast and a museum all in one.

MAY 1-14, 2016

A grandiose testament to love - Don Eulalio's 146-year-old wedding gift to his beloved Gliceria is now open to the public as a cozy bed & breakfast, as well as a museum filled with their family's memorabilia. Historical B&B This writer has had the privilege of staying at the Villavicencio Wedding Gift House a couple of times and I must admit, I have plotted—several times—a feasible life plan that will enable me to work and live in Taal. But alas, the city calls. Staying in this bed and breakfast was like staying in a page from a children’s storybook— colorful, whimsical, almost surreal. Everywhere you look, you’ll find vibrantly painted patterns, making the home look more inviting while keeping its antiquity untarnished. The colors actually made the house seem less creepy (a dramatic tendency in most ancestral houses) even in the dark of night. Siblings Jorge Joven and Joyce Joven-Quiblat inherited the Villavicencio houses. They

are the fourth generation of Villavicencios since Don Eulalio and Doña Gliceria. Their grandfather, Vicente Ilustre was the son in-law of Eulalio and Gliceria Villavicencio. He was the first commissioner to Mindanao under F.B. Harrison. And, oddly enough, “Vicente Ilustre was Jose Rizal's inspiration for the character of Isagani in his famous novel ‘El Filibusterismo.’ With the help of Joyce’s husband, Benny, they took the responsibility of restoring the house to its former glory. In 2003, the 1870 Villavicencio Wedding Gift House was fully restored. At that time, Joyce decided that the wedding gift house—just like how it sheltered weary Katipuneros back in the day—could also shelter tourists. “We were aware that there were no places for visitors to spend the night in Taal, thus the idea came to mind to open up the house for bed

and breakfast,” Joyce told Expat. “In between, we started putting together some memorabilia from the family's historical past and put it on display. We took this inspiration from my cousin Ernie Villavicencio, who, together with other stakeholders from Taal, started and organized the Taal Active Alliance Legion (TAAL). This group was conceived to help promote and preserve Taal Heritage.” Through the initiative of concerned residents and the media, “Taal has gone a long way from the Spanish colonial town in the early 17th century to a vibrant small town rich in cultural heritage with an illustrious past preserved to its old glory.” Despite the perils of opening the 146-yearold home to the public, Joyce shared the best part about owning and running a bed and breakfast. “What I love most about opening up the house to tourists [as a] bed and breakfast is meeting so many wonderful people, personally or through correspondence, that serve as my inspiration to share the Filipino heritage to everyone here and abroad, making us proud of being a Filipino.” The bed and breakfast has a family room downstairs, and two bedrooms upstairs that can both accommodate two people. According to Joyce, she tries to limit the number of guests making reservations are necessary. “This way, the guests can enjoy the house and experience living in it as if it is their own ancestral home.” The hearty breakfast is one of the reasons why I will surely go back to Taal. The unforgettable Taaleña breakfast is a collection of Taal’s greatest culinary hits: Tapang Taal (cured beef), Fried Daing (dried fish; crispy and perfect with garlic vinegar), eggs over easy, freshly steamed rice, Taal Suman (sticky rice cooked in banana leaves), and the famous Tsokolate Eh (thick hot chocolate) from authentic Tablea (cocoa balls) made in Batangas. They say, “Home is where the heart is.” True enough, for the Villavicencios of Taal (and countless other families who are themselves purveyors of heritage in their own way), their grandparents’ home is a place where we can know about the legacies of their patriotism from the heart. The 1870 Villavicencio Wedding Gift House is located along G. Marela Street (near Zone 14 arch), Taal, Batangas. For more information, contact Ms. Joyce Joven-Quiblat at (0917) 8970363.

E X P AT N E W S P A P E R

MAY 1-14, 2016

U R BA N S C E N E

Compiled by VIA BAROMA

Magnifique getaway at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila

TĀZA Fresh Table breakfast offerings

Escape to an urban oasis for much needed respite from the bustling workweek with your family, friends and loved ones. Enjoy a relaxing sojourn as Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila presents a collection of tastefully-fitted accommodations and a luxurious haven of bliss in its selection of recreational facilities and dining destinations. Spend your summer getaway at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila where a wealth of options awaits the discerning leisure guest. The season’s special is available at PhP7,000++ and includes breakfast for two adults and two children (11 years old and below) at Spiral, unlimited in-room family movies and use of the extensive selection of recreational facilities. Golf aficionados may venture out for a round of mini golf in an 18-hole putting green looking out to the stunning bay waters. Practice your backhand with a few sets of tennis in an outdoor tennis court or go for a fun run through our scenic trail. Relax with a good book or spend quality time with the family and simply lay back in the So Chill area with featured hammocks, Adam and Eve seating and the cozy Love Nest. For our young VIPs, a royal treatment awaits princes and princesses with Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila’s Le Petit Prince. Pampered with a rich calendar of activities and treats, young guests may enjoy one hour complimentary access at the La Villas des Enfants kid’s tent and partake in the selection of programs including Arts and Crafts by Kiddy’s Art Town available at a nominal fee. Enjoy a complimentary scoop of ice cream at the poolside 1 p.m. daily or put on baker’s hats with cookie-making lessons at 1 p.m. on Spiral’s Sunday brunch. For families staying in our selection of Club Rooms, Mom and Dad can enjoy welcome reprieve with cocktails available exclusively at the Club Millésime Lounge from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. while kids are ushered to the La Villa des Enfants Kid’s Tent for some complimentary snacks. Bask in the great outdoors for some fun under the sun. Slip and slide in the refreshing turquoise waters of the iconic swimming

pool with featured falls and water slides. Then, retreat to the outdoor playground complete with slides, swing riders, seesaws, swing sets, climbing wall and spider web. With featured programs including Gym Play, which is available at a nominal fee, engage your children with active and educational activities under Gymbore. As you unwind, recreational venues including Le SPA, Nail Artisan, Vietura Aesthetic Lifestyle and Philippe Tordjman Le Salon offer a menu of services and signature treatments to help guests relax from your roots to your fingertips. For family meals, Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila’s selection of restaurants and bars spearheaded by the most interactive dining destination, Spiral restaurant is a haven of gastronomic delights to cater to discerning palates. With featured offerings including the Spiral Sunday Brunch, Private Wine and Cheese Class and the signature lunch and buffet meals spanning 21 dining ateliers, indulge in gastronomy and wine in the only address for a truly elevated dining experience. For a bit of fresh air, dine al fresco and enjoy signature specialties at Sunset Bar with featured Barbecue Buffet and local entertainment every Fridays and Saturdays. Unwind at the end of the day in a lavish setting enhanced by live entertainment brought to you by Le Bar. Enjoy your wine of choice from featured wine stations or indulge in the rich offerings of its featured a la carte menu. For late night cravings, Snaps Sports Bar is the ideal haunt featuring bar fare favorites and an extensive selection of wines and spirits. Open 24-hours, Snaps Sports Bar presents an easy and laidback respite from the weekend bustle. Experience the treasure trove of luxurious holiday options at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila. Accor Advantage Plus members may enjoy 10 percent discount on the Magnifique Getaway special. For more information, inquiries or reservations, call (02) 551-5555 or email H6308@ sofitel.com.

Have a great summer at Diamond Hotel

A great summer awaits the whole family at Diamond Hotel Philippines. Stay in plush accommodations, frolic under the sun by the swimming pool, and savor refreshments at the poolside bar until the end of May 2016. Perfect for the family’s city escapade, your stay at Diamond Hotel starts at PhP7,000 nett inclusive of an overnight stay in a Deluxe Room with breakfast for two persons per stay, 20 percent off on beverage at the Sky Lounge

and Poolside Bar, 20 percent off on massage services, and free shuttle service to the mall on Saturdays and Sundays. As an additional perk, the hotel will also provide snacks good for four persons (two adults and two kids) per stay via Room Service from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. If you are lounging by the poolside or splashing in the pool, avail of amazing summer deals on food and beverage. Partake of flavorful barbecue specialties every Saturday and

Sunday for only PhP780 nett per platter. The Poolside Bar’s Fresh & Healthy juice selection is an absolute must to cool down in a healthier way. Kids 12 years old and below will surely enjoy unlimited hot dogs, burger sliders, cotton candy, ice cream, popcorn and iced tea for only PhP680 nett per child. Diamond Hotel Philippines is located at Roxas Boulevard coner Dr. J Quintos Street, Manila. For room reservations at Diamond

There is a new breakfast destination in Tagaytay. TĀZA Fresh Table’s Chef Jayme Natividad has created a new breakfast menu that will surely be worth the trip. The brunch menu is composed of comfort fare like Steak and Eggs, Eggs Benedict, Southern Fried Chicken Served with Waffles, French Toast and Omelette. A good addition to the original menu, breakfast will cater to guests who want to take their mornings easy. The restaurant’s popular fares will also be offered during breakfast such as Taza Salad, Kale Salad, Pizza (Margherita, Four Cheese, Salsa Verde with Pancetta), Pasta (Papardelle Caccio e Pepe), Tomahawk Pork chop, Homemade Bacon and Desserts such as Molten Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Bean Custard, Olive

Oil Ice Cream and Cannoli with Ube Ricotta and Langka Cream. TĀZA Fresh Table, Taal Vista Hotel’s restaurant is located at The Ridge overlooking the Taal Lake and Volcano. The name TĀZA is derived from the Arabic word Taaza which means fresh. The country garden inspired restaurant features a scenic 180° view with glass walls and an open kitchen where guests can have an enjoyable dining experience. TAZA Fresh Table is located at Taal Vista Hotel along Kilometer 60, Aguinaldo Highway, Tagaytay City 4120 Philippines. For inquiries and reservations, please call +63 (2) 917-8225, +63 (46) 413-100 or +63 (917) 809 1254.

Hotel Philippines call (02) 528-3000 or book via the website at www.diamondhotel.com. Room rate is exclusive to local residents and prior reservations are recommended. Two kids 6 years old and below dines free at the breakfast buffet.

E X P AT N E W S P A P E R

U R BA N S C E N E

MAY 1-14, 2016

Compiled by VIA BAROMA

SHOW

CHARITY BALL u 2016 Latin Charity Ball:

u “Open Ticket” Circus Show

May 14; Fairmont Makati Hotel; for more information or sponsorship opportunities, call Club de Damas Latinas (0977) 827-9755 or email cludedala@gmail.com

May 17; Samsung Hall, SM Aura, Taguig City; for more information or reservation, contact Clementine Turgeon of France-Philippines United Action at clementine.turgeon@ccifrancephilippines.org or (02) 831-6374 loc. 109.

“50 Years of Giving with Love”

For 50 years, the Club de Damas Latinas of Manila (Latin American Women’s Club) has been an inspiration in “Giving with Love” to children organizations. One more time, this actively empowered group is wholeheartedly planning the traditionally blissful and remarkable fundraising Charity Ball, one of the most anticipated parties in Manila. For years, the Latinas group has been passionately carrying out fundraising efforts to support two beneficiary children institutions: Holy Family Home Foundation (Makati) and Eugenia Maria Ravasco Day Care Center (Parañaque). The Latin Charity Ball and Silent Auction is one of the most prestigious fundraising events in the country. More than 350 diplomats, dignitaries, expats, executives of multinational companies and other special guests attend the ball, which generates funds for the clubs’ main beneficiaries. Prime yourself for this exciting night of celebration for a worthy cause with well-known vendors along with splendid ambiance, food and the allure of the dynamic Latin culture and music with Mai Castro and Banda Latina, and DJ Mateo Munevar.

WORKSHOPS u Shui Mo: Chinese Painting

Summer Workshop

Begins on May 7; Yuchengco Museum, RCBC Plaza, Corner Ayala and Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenues, Makati; for more information, call (02) 889-1234, (0917) 836-0091 or email: cpmartinez@yuchengcomuseum.org The Shui Mo: Chinese Painting Workshop, originally scheduled to begin April 23, has been rescheduled to commence on May 7. The 10-day workshop schedule will be as follows: May 7, 14, 21, 28; June 4, 11, 18, 25; July 2, and 9. Learn traditional Chinese painting techniques and release your inner artist, calm your mind, and meet new friends this summer through Yuchengco Museum’s Saturday Chinese painting workshop. Traditional Chinese brush painting is one of the oldest continuous artistic traditions in the world, showcasing the harmony between man and nature. “Shui Mo” (water and ink) is a freestyle technique created using a brush dipped and water and onto rice paper. Pieh Tsai Shiu-Yuin (Arsenia Lim) will teach the ten-Saturday classes and is open to intermediate students with painting experience. In this fun painting class for adults, Ms. Lim will demonstrate traditional Chinese painting techniques and coach participants as they create their own brush paintings, with a focus on dahlia, narcissus, azalea, and bougainvillea flowers, as well as grapes. Workshop fee is PhP6,500, which does not yet include materials. Supplies can be purchased from the instructor on the first session. Ms. Lim maintains strong bonds to three places: China, where she traces her ancestral roots; Taiwan, where she received her university education and art training; and the Philippines, her birthplace and family residence. She has been teaching Chinese painting fulltime since the mid-60s, and has been conducting her Shui Mo painting classes at Yuchengco Museum for 10 years. u KULTURE KLASH: A Bank Bhuwakul Dance Workshop May 13 and 14; Korean Wave Hall, Korean Cultural Center, Bonifacio Global City Put on your dancing shoes and groove K-Pop style this May! Bank Bhuwakul, brother of GOT7’s Bambam will visit Manila for a two-day dance workshop called “Kultura Klash.” Blue Bird Production and B House Studio together with Korean Cultural Center team up to bring a workshop that will surely enhance your K-pop and hip-hop dance moves straight from Thai choreographer Bank Bhuwakul. The dance workshop The workshop is priced as follows: PhP1,000 for a class; PhP1,900 for twoclass package; and PhP2,750 for three-class package.

from France

Get a chance to watch the French circus collective, “Open Ticket” perform their show “A Nonsense Story” while contributing to rebuild houses for Typhoon Yolanda victims on May 17 at the Samsung Hall of SM Aura. This is an event organized by the Alliance Francaise de Manille, together with the Embassy of France and France-Philippines United Action. Tickets are priced PhP1,000 for Orchestra seats and PhP600 for Balcony seats. Half of the proceeds will go to the projects of the foundation and will serve to build disasterresilient villages and create livelihood for the victims of Typhoon Yolanda. Seats are limited and will be on sale until May 13.

CONCERT u Of Monsters and Men May 12,; World Trade Center, Gil Puyat Ave. Extension corner Diosdado Macapagal Blvd., Pasay City. Hailing from the spellbinding country of Iceland, five-piece band Of Monsters and Men are bringing their indie folk genius to Manila shores! Catch live performances of their top hits “Little Talks,” “Dirty Paws” and more from the band’s 2015 record “Beneath the Skin.” Tickets are priced PhP4,500 for VIP and PhP3,000 for Gold. Tickets are available at SM Tickets (www.smtickets.com) and Ticketnet outlets (www.ticketnet.com.ph) nationwide. u Cinemalaya Institute’s 2nd

Intensive Film Workshop with International Faculty May 24 to July 2 and June 6 to July 1; Central Digital Lab, 3/F Jupiter Center Bldg., 22 Jupiter Street corner Galaxy Street, BelAir Village, Makati and Shooting Galleries Studios, 3177 Zapote Street, (Vito Cruz extension), Makati; for inquiries, call (02) 832-1125 loc. 1705 Film professors from the New York Film School and the London Film School will teach advanced courses in screenwriting, editing and directing at the Cinemalaya Institute. Sophia Wellington, an expert in script development and instructor at many film schools including the London Film School and London Film Academy, will teach Writing the Feature-length Screenplay, on May 24 to July 2. Designed for students with scriptwriting experience and with outlines or drafts of existing screenplays, the course will take students through the process of refining a feature idea, creating strong characters, developing a story arc, writing a step outline and a draft of the screenplay. The workshop will cover plotting, visual storytelling, scene writing and dialogue as they meet the challenge of a robust outline. At the end of the course, students will have a step outline and scenes to enable them to complete a draft of their feature screenplay. Meanwhile, Jon Hammond, a freelancer editor at BBC, ITV, C4, and many others, will teach film editing on June 6 to July 1. The Film Editing Class is an advanced and intensive four-week course featuring lectures and exercises. Key areas to be studied and explored are editing fiction, making the cuts (conventions and reasons), structure (the architecture of the film and editing as final rewrite), dramatic point of view (subjective and objective shots), editing dialogue scenes, montage sequences, action sequences and transitions, linear time, non-linear time and alternative realities. The course is highly recommended for editors with some experience in non-narrative or narrative forms, but would like to master the art of editing narrative fiction films. Carlos Siguion-Reyna is an award winning film/theatre director. Siguion-Reyna will teach Basic Filmmaking: The Silent Film, on May 24 to July 2. This is a six-week course in directing. In this course, students will apply the basics of film language in film exercises and achieve a basic mastery of the classic conventions and tools of the film directors. Venue for the editing course will be at the Central Digital Lab while the Screenwriting and Directing courses will be held at the Shooting Galleries. The Cinemalaya Institute is the training arm of the Cinemalaya Foundation. Through the Cinemalaya Institute, the Cinemalaya Foundation focuses its efforts on providing education, training and accreditation of practitioners in key aspects of film production.