A Christmas reception
While we were in Manila, we had the opportunity to get together with friends in “one shot” during the most celebrated social event of the year — Christmas.
I was pleased to host a Christmas cocktail buffet prepared by renowned chef Jessie Sincioco. Chef Jessie was the one who created the dishes served for Pope Francis during his visit to the Philippines in 2015, and was also the one tasked to prepare the four-course Filipino-Asian meal for the gala dinner of leaders and dialogue partners during the 2017 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit in November 2017.
Pleased to renew ties with friends that include (from left) Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Sen. Manny Pacquiao, Japanese Ambassador Koji Haneda and Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and husband lawyer Mike Arroyo.
For the cocktails, Chef Jessie served the winning sisig that she helped prepare with Philippine Embassy chef Abie Sincioco-Mateo. It won both the People’s Choice and Judges’ Choice awards during the 2018 Embassy Chef Challenge in Washington, D.C.
It was good to renew ties with good friends from government, business and the diplomatic circle enjoying the evening as we engaged in light conversation. Among those who joined us were Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and husband lawyer Mike Arroyo, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Sen. Ping Lacson and Sen. Manny Pacquiao, who was deluged with requests for “selfies.”
(Left) Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and PeopleAsia editor-in-chief Joanne Rae Ramirez. (Right) Kevin Belmonte and Martin Romualdez.
My business friends like SM Investments Corp.’s Tessie Sy-Coson, ICTSI’s Ricky Razon, Jorge Araneta, Felix Ang, Ricky Delgado, Fausto Preysler, Opap Villonco and Dennis Uy of Phoenix Petroleum took time from their busy schedules to join us.
From the diplomatic circle, we had Ambassadors Koji Haneda of Japan, Kok Li Peng of Singapore, Igor Khovaev of Russia, Franz Jessen of the European Union and John Holmes of Canada, Thai Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Urawadee Sriphiromya and US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission John Law, who came on behalf of Ambassador Sung Kim who was out of the country.
