Redefining Elegance

The elegant and hardworking Monaco Consul General Fortune Ledesma got the ball rolling for the glitzy crowd with her opening speech during the awarding of Elegant Filipinas 2018. “Three years ago, we set out to do something very significant — redefine elegance and celebrate Filipinas who embody this distinctive quality. To this end, we focused our search on women who, to paraphrase Coco Chanel, ‘had inner selves that were just as beautiful as their appearance.’ Women who possessed refined grace, taste and style, intelligence, wisdom and compassion. Above all, these admirable Filipinas parlayed their influence to make a positive contribution in their respective communities.”

Carol Masibay Garcia, Babette Aquino-Benoit, and Alice Eduardo.

With my eagle eyes, I spotted the organizers, benefactors and friends — Elegant Filipinos 2018 head Tingting Cojuangco, the awardees and their families, the Elegant Filipinas committee with author and civic woman of substance Bing Carrion.

 Event sponsors were Diamond Hotel Philippines (“the home of Elegant Filipinas”) and, naturellement, PLDT HOME Fibr. Through their generous sponsors and the guests, the Elegant Filipinas is able to support the noble work of PLDT-SMART Foundation’s Gabay Guro program, which organizes and facilitates teacher training across the nation. To date, it has conducted training sessions for over — take note, palanggas — 20,000 teachers, our unsung heroes in nation-building. And if chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan and Chaye Cabal-Revilla, chairman of Gabay Guro Foundation, have their way, 10,000 more teacher-scholars will be added to the roster. I bow to that, dahlings, for this is a dream come true.

Tingting Cojuangco, Diamond Hotel general manager Vanessa Suatengco, Monaco Consul General Fortune Ledesma.

“I would also like to acknowledge those who have invested their time, talent and energy to make this event a success. May I ask for a big round of applause for these dedicated colleagues?” said Tingting.

“When we started this work in 2015, we determined that a model of elegance builds and leaves behind a legacy of grace, wisdom and compassion. So I can say with conviction that this is a truly elegant crowd. Thank you once again and may all the beauty and goodness you have brought to others’ lives be returned a thousandfold. Have an elegant and memorable evening, everyone,” added Tingting to loud applause from the truly chic crowd, dahlings.

Myanmar Ambassador Win Naing, Dette Tan, Evie Costa, Panama Ambassador Rolando Guevarra-Alvarado.

A gathering of wine merchants and connoisseurs

To celebrate wine is to celebrate diversity. It is the key to both its survival and propagation, as well as its ultimate gift to humanity for there is none that surpasses our freedom to choose,” said Ralph Joseph, president of Ralph’s Wines and Spirits.

(From left) Raymond Lim Joseph, vice president; Ralph Lim-Joseph, president; Robert “Bobby” Lim Joseph, chairman; and Ronald Lim Joseph, director of the Philippine Wine Merchants; with Bruce Winton, GM of Marriott Hotel Manila; host Johnny Revilla.

I was lucky enough to witness the biggest and grandest wine gathering in Southeast Asia, which was presented by the Philippine Wine Merchants (PWM) at The Grand Ballroom of the Marriott Hotel Resorts World Manila, Philippines.

This year, dahlings, allow yourself the privilege of discovering new and wondrous selections that will whet your appetites and challenge your palates with over 500 wines, spirits, beers, and yes, sakes, along with an amazing buffet to satisfy all your cravings. Let go and get lost in a pastiche of amaranthine pleasures.

Melissa de Leon Joseph with Pops Fernandez, Anthony Pangilinan, Toni Abad, Angie Laborte,

“No two wines are the same and neither are those who enjoy them. With thousands of grape varieties expressed in an endless myriad of ways, multiplied by our multifarious tastes and preferences, and the permutations of experiences that arise are simply immeasurable,” explained Philippine Wine Merchants chairman Bobby Joseph to the applauding connoisseurs and guests, palanggas.

The Philippine Wine Merchants is the largest family-owned wines and spirits distribution company in the Philippines since 1975.

For inquiries, visit grandwineexperience.com.