"International Women’s Day gave recognition to every woman for the gains and accomplishments of the movement to advance the condition of the world’s women against feminized poverty, gender-based violence and inequality."
SC Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide Jr., who was guest of honor and speaker at the event, was conferred the first honorary membership to UNIFEM Philippines.
Among the artists included are, in random order, Paz Singson Abad-Santos, Julie Lluch, Yasmin Almonte, Tita Lacambra Ayala, Rosario Bitanga, Mailah D. Baldemor Balde, Impy Pilapil, Ivi Avellana Cosio, Baidy Mendoza, Susan Fetalvero Roces, Imelda Cajipe Endaya, Araceli Limcaco Dans, Remy Boquiren Concepcion, Teresita Mapua and Maria Victoria Rufino.
"The company stages the Filipino version of the dark comedy that shows Copi’s disdain for the late Evita Peron who has been recognized as a beacon of inspiration during her husband’s reign over Argentina. Dramatis Personae’s director Lito Casaje translates the play (originally written in French) into Filipino for its open-air ‘picnic recital’ at the Puerto Real Inner Garden, Intramuros which is made possible through the support of the Intramuros Administration and the Tourism Department.
"During the play’s initial run (in English), audiences were treated to a display of the unexpected, sounding off bursts of laughter as Copi’s version of the final hours of Evita’s life unfolded. Superb portrayals from Dingdong Rosales as the vain, neurotic and distraught Eva Peron, and Gio Respall, Eva’s clueless foxy blonde nurse who idolizes her, entertained the packed theatre with spontaneous antics and spirit. Veteran actors Daniel Robert Magisa, Alfonso Deza and Linda Lupton also star in this story of love, submission, greed, and deception. Costumes are by Frederick Peralta; jewelry, by French designer Muriel Biraghi.
"Eva Peron will be on a first-come-first-served basis on Friday, March 18. AF invites all interested parties to join the picnic at the Puerto Real Inner Garden. Baskets of French delicacies and wine, as well as picnic blankets, will be available from 7 p.m. Show starts at 8 p.m."
"An appropriate marketing scheme for Bay Area resident Marianne Villanueva’s collection of short stories, Mayor of the Roses, would be to offer a coupon for a cocktail with each copy; you will need something to lift your spirits.
"Don’t let the title fool you – there is nothing remotely flowery about this book. In fact, the said mayor rapes a young beauty queen for thrills. Sound harsh? Then brace yourself, because that’s just the first story in a volume of haunting tales about characters (largely hailing from the Philippines) experiencing loss, isolation and insecurity.
"But even though the stories are disheartening, that doesn’t mean they are not worth reading. Indeed, with the exception of two stories (the weakest link is Extinction, which reads like an encyclopedia passage), the collection is perfected prose crafted so richly it’s difficult to discern whether the author created a memoir or a fictional account. From the sharply written Selena, which delves into the life of an aging husband on the verge of cheating on his wife, to Lenox Hill, December 1991, a powerful piece about a character coping with the sudden illness of a sister, each piece grips you and doesn’t let go until you’ve closed the book.
"Mayor of the Roses is essentially about strangers living in a strange land, whether that land is the Bay Area, New York or simply their own skin."