90 cheers for Nena Benitez

Rain clouds hovered but eventually cleared away for the 90th birthday celebration of Conchita Liboro Benitez, widow of the illustrious Ambassador Tomas C. Benitez. Family and friends converged at Mira Nila, the Benitez family’s Quezon City home, to greet NenaBo, as she was fondly known growing up as the only daughter of Dr. Agustin Liboro (a pioneer in gastroenterology and professor at UST) and his wife, Socorro Lopez de Liboro of Balayan, Batangas.

NenaBo’s children and grandchildren converged from all over the world for this gathering of old family friends and relations. Benitez matriarch, educator, civic leader and former Senator Helena Z. Benitez led family and guests to the beautiful chapel where Mass was held, followed by merienda cena in the gardens of Mira Nila. Family friend Mitch Valdes regaled guests with happy memories of NenaBo’s hospitality at the family’s beach house in Matabungkay, Batangas, during a short program filled with stories, laughter and music. The inimitable Mitch said that the secret to NenaBo’s long life was the gin tonics she served during the cocktail hour.

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This year of the dragon marks Wynn Wynn Ong’s second decade in jewelry design. Famed for her meticulous artistry, her collection was eagerly snapped up by fashionable guests at the exclusive cocktail held at the Makati Shangri-La. This exhibit represents the designer’s continuing commitment to use sustainable or renewable materials, which Mother Earth so badly needs.

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Mira Nila, the Benitez ancestral house in Quezon City