A super bash for the twins
March 7, 2002 | 12:00am
They were born 10 minutes apart seven decades ago on Dec. 29, 1931, dahlings, to super proud parents, Jose Concepcion Sr. and Herminia Santos Concepcion.
The senior Concepcion was a hardworking employee of Edward J. Nell at that time. Perseverance and dedication transformed him into a self-made gentleman. After the bouncing twins who were the first born, Herminia C. gave birth to two other Concepcion siblings: Mely, who is married to tycoon Rafael Hechanova and mega businessman Rene, who is married to society lady Susan Puyat.
Little did they know that time would come when their twins would immortalize their patriarch’s name in the air-conditioning and food businesses.
The birth of the twin Jose Jr. and Raul, palanggas, brought it with twin fortune. In later years the Concepcions’ multi-million business empire became one of the country’s top industries.
During their younger years, the twins attended De La Salle. Raul graduated from the University of California in Los Angeles where he obtained his Masters in Business Administration. His good management as chairman of the board of the Concepcion Industries Group of Companies attest to his hard work. Call it business acumen but this gentleman really pours his time and effort into any undertaking.
While Raul is a magnum industrialist, Jose Jr. or Joe is a brilliant agriculturist. Tucked under his belt is a BS degree in Agriculture at the Araneta University. A civic worker, Joe heads NAMFREL, a non-government organization that tabulates and monitors votes during elections. He is also the top man at the Republic Flour Mills (RFM) Corp., a conglomerate engaged in agri-business products and beverages.
The twins were also fated to have twin luck in their married life. Raul met and eventually married one of the country’s renowned beauties, one of the de las Alas’s girls, Carmencita "Menchu" de las Alas in 1959. Joe, meanwhile, married Southern beauty and heiress Marivic Lopez Araneta of the illustrious Lopez and Araneta clans, in 1957.
Their respective familles gathered to celebrate the twins’ special day. It was supposed to be a surprise party. But like most surprises, news leaked out before the appointed time, dahlings, although Joe and Raul themselves had no inkling of the memorable event that they were (supposedly) invited to attend!
The well-organized party was the super idea of the Concepcion children: Joey, Marie, Bernie, John, Celine, Vina, Liza and Michelle (Joe and Marivic’s children), and Robie, Jojo, Patrick, unica hija Rica and Ton (Raul and Menchu’s children). By the way, would you believe, palanggas, that Joe has 20 grandchildren while Raul has 14?
At the bash held at the grand Rizal Ballroom of the colossal, posh-y Makati Shangri-La Hotel, Menchu was every inch a fashionable lady in her red long gown perfectly made by Patrice Diaz. Her regal bearing revealed so much of her.
Marivic, meanwhile, that tres soft-spoken lady of class, was visibly radiant in her long gown. The celebrators in turn were dapper in their black coat and but not with matching tie.
The tres elegant party lived up to the expectations of the mega hotshot invitees who made up a 45-karat "Who’s Who" collection of Cosmo Manille’s alta sociedad, palanggas, all dressed to the nines.
Moi was fascinated with the table setting painstakingly prepared by Menchu C., no less. It included twin giant red candles on black iron candelabra with fresh flower accents on top of the round table covered with white linen. The giveaways were a smaller version of the table setting, dahlings. It featured the inscription, "Keep the twin candles burning."
Tres touching was when the twins’ familles gathered on stage following a call from the night’s emcee, Raul Monasterio and Jim Araneta.
Brilliant comedian Willie Nepomuceno elicited interesting tidbits about the twins from the Concepcion wives. Among them were "What is their favorite attire at home?" The ladies’ answer: "Their Jockey shorts!" This had the chi-chi invitees rolling on the aisles with laughter. The twins’ favorite song? Ronnie’s is When I fall in Love, while Joe’s is The Impossible Dream. (If you think about it, life hasn’t been an impossible dream for Joe and Raul who have achieved their dreams while earning the respect of their countrymen.)
Asked about their plans on their 70th year, they both answered: "We will continue what we have been doing – serving the Filipino people in the best we can."
The governments of Australia and the Philippines reaffirmed their strong long-standing friendship, dahlings, during the Australia National Day held in posh-y Forbes Park.
Australian Ambassador John Buckley and Vice President and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teofisto Guingona led the hotshot invitees in the ceremonial toast to celebrate the bilateral ties between the two countries.
Social heavyweights, palanggas, were tres visible like Acting Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador Anatoli Khmelnitski; suave Presidential Spokesperson Bobby Tiglao; super popular former President Fidel Ramos; taipan Washington Sycip; Rep. Teddy Boy Locsin; lawyer Miguel Varela, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Associate Justice Artemio Panganiban; Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr., Presidential Adviser on the Creation of one-million jobs; Petron chairman Nicasio Alcantara; Sen. Leticia Ramos-Shahani; and former Finance Secretary Bobby de Ocampo.
The chi-chi pack were serenaded by the Philippine Airforce Band, tenor Nazer Salcedo and the Australian Embassy’s Second Secretary, super talented Clare Gatehouse who sang the anthems of the Philippines and Australia with such enthusiasm and bravado.
Carefully selected Australian food, dahlings, was excellently prepared by the Mandarin Oriental Manila’s creative chefs.
"The Philippines is a democratic, predominantly Christian country with a long exposure to Western culture and a relatively well-educated, English-speaking population has much in common with Australia," said Thelma Gecolea, the Australian Embassy’s Press Officer. "The strong relationship is underpinned by a growing Filipino community in Australia of more than 180,000. Australia and the Philippines share a common outlook on key regional, economic and security issues. Considerable effort has been made to ensure that the bilateral relationship is strengthened. The two countries collaborate closely in programs to reduce poverty and to promote sustainable and equitable development. The Philippines is Australia’s fourth largest development cooperation partner apres Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Vietnam. A number of joint projects have been initiated to promote development efforts and ensure that access to and quality of education is improved."
Australia, palanggas, has a long-standing and productive defense relationship with the Philippines. This includes training (both in the Philippines and in Australia) and naval and air exercises. Royal Australian Navy warships are frequent visitors to Philippine ports, including Cosmo Manille and Cebu to maintain a stable political and strategic environment in the Asia-Pacific region.
In the meantime, media practitioners have cited the importance of broadcasting in encouraging respect for cultural diversity and tolerance in the global information village during the media forum, The Role of Broadcasting in the Global Information Village, held recently at the University of Sto. Tomas, Manila.
This forum was held in conjunction with the launch of the Australian
Broadcasting Corp. Asia-Pacific Television Service in Manila. The service is currently airing in major cable networks including, Sky Cable, Home Cable, Destiny Cable and Dream Broad Corp. Yes, dahlings, we finally have an Australian Channel again.
Well, that’s our town, palanggas, not bad huh? Not bad at all!
Don’t forget, drive safely. See you.
The senior Concepcion was a hardworking employee of Edward J. Nell at that time. Perseverance and dedication transformed him into a self-made gentleman. After the bouncing twins who were the first born, Herminia C. gave birth to two other Concepcion siblings: Mely, who is married to tycoon Rafael Hechanova and mega businessman Rene, who is married to society lady Susan Puyat.
Little did they know that time would come when their twins would immortalize their patriarch’s name in the air-conditioning and food businesses.
The birth of the twin Jose Jr. and Raul, palanggas, brought it with twin fortune. In later years the Concepcions’ multi-million business empire became one of the country’s top industries.
During their younger years, the twins attended De La Salle. Raul graduated from the University of California in Los Angeles where he obtained his Masters in Business Administration. His good management as chairman of the board of the Concepcion Industries Group of Companies attest to his hard work. Call it business acumen but this gentleman really pours his time and effort into any undertaking.
While Raul is a magnum industrialist, Jose Jr. or Joe is a brilliant agriculturist. Tucked under his belt is a BS degree in Agriculture at the Araneta University. A civic worker, Joe heads NAMFREL, a non-government organization that tabulates and monitors votes during elections. He is also the top man at the Republic Flour Mills (RFM) Corp., a conglomerate engaged in agri-business products and beverages.
The twins were also fated to have twin luck in their married life. Raul met and eventually married one of the country’s renowned beauties, one of the de las Alas’s girls, Carmencita "Menchu" de las Alas in 1959. Joe, meanwhile, married Southern beauty and heiress Marivic Lopez Araneta of the illustrious Lopez and Araneta clans, in 1957.
Their respective familles gathered to celebrate the twins’ special day. It was supposed to be a surprise party. But like most surprises, news leaked out before the appointed time, dahlings, although Joe and Raul themselves had no inkling of the memorable event that they were (supposedly) invited to attend!
The well-organized party was the super idea of the Concepcion children: Joey, Marie, Bernie, John, Celine, Vina, Liza and Michelle (Joe and Marivic’s children), and Robie, Jojo, Patrick, unica hija Rica and Ton (Raul and Menchu’s children). By the way, would you believe, palanggas, that Joe has 20 grandchildren while Raul has 14?
At the bash held at the grand Rizal Ballroom of the colossal, posh-y Makati Shangri-La Hotel, Menchu was every inch a fashionable lady in her red long gown perfectly made by Patrice Diaz. Her regal bearing revealed so much of her.
Marivic, meanwhile, that tres soft-spoken lady of class, was visibly radiant in her long gown. The celebrators in turn were dapper in their black coat and but not with matching tie.
The tres elegant party lived up to the expectations of the mega hotshot invitees who made up a 45-karat "Who’s Who" collection of Cosmo Manille’s alta sociedad, palanggas, all dressed to the nines.
Moi was fascinated with the table setting painstakingly prepared by Menchu C., no less. It included twin giant red candles on black iron candelabra with fresh flower accents on top of the round table covered with white linen. The giveaways were a smaller version of the table setting, dahlings. It featured the inscription, "Keep the twin candles burning."
Tres touching was when the twins’ familles gathered on stage following a call from the night’s emcee, Raul Monasterio and Jim Araneta.
Brilliant comedian Willie Nepomuceno elicited interesting tidbits about the twins from the Concepcion wives. Among them were "What is their favorite attire at home?" The ladies’ answer: "Their Jockey shorts!" This had the chi-chi invitees rolling on the aisles with laughter. The twins’ favorite song? Ronnie’s is When I fall in Love, while Joe’s is The Impossible Dream. (If you think about it, life hasn’t been an impossible dream for Joe and Raul who have achieved their dreams while earning the respect of their countrymen.)
Asked about their plans on their 70th year, they both answered: "We will continue what we have been doing – serving the Filipino people in the best we can."
Australian Ambassador John Buckley and Vice President and Foreign Affairs Secretary Teofisto Guingona led the hotshot invitees in the ceremonial toast to celebrate the bilateral ties between the two countries.
Social heavyweights, palanggas, were tres visible like Acting Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Ambassador Anatoli Khmelnitski; suave Presidential Spokesperson Bobby Tiglao; super popular former President Fidel Ramos; taipan Washington Sycip; Rep. Teddy Boy Locsin; lawyer Miguel Varela, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Associate Justice Artemio Panganiban; Secretary Luis Lorenzo Jr., Presidential Adviser on the Creation of one-million jobs; Petron chairman Nicasio Alcantara; Sen. Leticia Ramos-Shahani; and former Finance Secretary Bobby de Ocampo.
The chi-chi pack were serenaded by the Philippine Airforce Band, tenor Nazer Salcedo and the Australian Embassy’s Second Secretary, super talented Clare Gatehouse who sang the anthems of the Philippines and Australia with such enthusiasm and bravado.
Carefully selected Australian food, dahlings, was excellently prepared by the Mandarin Oriental Manila’s creative chefs.
"The Philippines is a democratic, predominantly Christian country with a long exposure to Western culture and a relatively well-educated, English-speaking population has much in common with Australia," said Thelma Gecolea, the Australian Embassy’s Press Officer. "The strong relationship is underpinned by a growing Filipino community in Australia of more than 180,000. Australia and the Philippines share a common outlook on key regional, economic and security issues. Considerable effort has been made to ensure that the bilateral relationship is strengthened. The two countries collaborate closely in programs to reduce poverty and to promote sustainable and equitable development. The Philippines is Australia’s fourth largest development cooperation partner apres Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and Vietnam. A number of joint projects have been initiated to promote development efforts and ensure that access to and quality of education is improved."
Australia, palanggas, has a long-standing and productive defense relationship with the Philippines. This includes training (both in the Philippines and in Australia) and naval and air exercises. Royal Australian Navy warships are frequent visitors to Philippine ports, including Cosmo Manille and Cebu to maintain a stable political and strategic environment in the Asia-Pacific region.
In the meantime, media practitioners have cited the importance of broadcasting in encouraging respect for cultural diversity and tolerance in the global information village during the media forum, The Role of Broadcasting in the Global Information Village, held recently at the University of Sto. Tomas, Manila.
This forum was held in conjunction with the launch of the Australian
Broadcasting Corp. Asia-Pacific Television Service in Manila. The service is currently airing in major cable networks including, Sky Cable, Home Cable, Destiny Cable and Dream Broad Corp. Yes, dahlings, we finally have an Australian Channel again.
Well, that’s our town, palanggas, not bad huh? Not bad at all!
Don’t forget, drive safely. See you.
BrandSpace Articles
<
>
