Merry-go-round events

Ambassador Francisco “Frank” Benedicto played host to a few media friends over lunch at Laguna Garden Café at The Terraces and announced his retirement from foreign service for good. Frank was Ambassador to Singapore (of which we were the first group of media practitioners to visit him), Korea, Brazil, Canada, India and China. It was during his tenure of office that so many Cebuanos were able to visit him anywhere he was assigned.

Well-loved and generous, Frank will solely be missed by his media friends. Albeit he will still be around even if he has retired from his diplomatic post. He now returns to private life and will be concentrating to his business and family. Au revoir our friend and Godspeed!

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Speaking of goodbyes, Dr. Jill Basa, a popular medical practitioner in Barstow and Orange County in California, breezed into town and paid a visit to her dear parents, Augusto and Juliet Basa. So brief was her visit that she didn’t have time to hobnob with friends and classmates. But she promised, next time… “my stay will be much longer!”

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Parklane International Hotel celebrated its five years of great Cebuano Service. And as its way of saying “thank you” to all those who have believed and become part of Parklane’s commitment to delivering warm and world-class Cebuano service, irresistible promos were laid out for the taking during the anniversary month.

Highlight was the unveiling of the Diorama by Governor Gwen Garcia assisted by Vice Governor Agnes Magpale and hotel owners Mrs. Eugenia Ting and son Basil Ting, as well as GM Cenelyn Manguilimotan. After which, a sit-down dinner where all the food served were done in Cebuano style which is now being offered at the hotel’s newest specialty restaurant Kan-anan located at the 4th floor of the hotel. Cebuano cuisine offered are Ginabut, Pochero, Kalderetang Kanding, as well as Labtingaw of Bantayan and Bakasi of Cordova, and many others.

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Rey Carmelo Remonde had a fast break when he marked a milestone a full moon ago. He hosted lunch for relatives and friends of wife Ava and later in the evening, dinner at the Grand Convention for his relatives and friends. It was quite hectic for Rey to have two affairs in one day, but he had to do it before he went back to Gensan for his work was waiting for him. To Rey, take care!