Our Grand Empress of the Hour

To celebrate another glorious year in the life of their well-loved mom, dahlings, Doña Africa Valdes vda. de Reynoso’s children honored her with a special bash at the spacious Ayala Alabang mansion of their sister, vibrantly adorable Emily Reynoso-Laws.

Famille members and guests feasted on an excellently-prepared dinner catered by popular Ilustrado. Several invitees including moi were momentarily taken aback seeing the Laws’ home which was almost an exact replica of the old Reynoso home in Forbes Park. A partner of Doña Africa in all the Sizzling Plate SM outlets, young taipan Hans Sy–who used to frequent the Reynoso abode– and moi almost passed through the garage out of habit!

Adorable and well-loved Doña Africa’s memorable 85th birthday, palanggas, merited almost a month-long celebration. A week earlier, she hosted a fun lunch for the Reynoso clan at her well-decorated Forbes Park home. A week apres the Alabang dinner, another bash was held for the Valdes clan.

A touching part of the bash was when the celebrator hugged her great granddaughter Liane Pierce who had jetted in all the way from Los Angeles with her grandmother Leni Reynoso-Araullo. Apparently, Liane P. wanted so badly to be with her "Granola," Doña Africa, on Liane’s 11th birthday.

Apres the thanksgiving Mass, Doña Africa posed with her daughters. Sorely missed was her daughter, our pal Lorrie Reynoso, who couldn’t take time off from her in-demand chef instructor job at the prestigious New York Restaurant School.

It was definitely a memorable day for our grand Empress of the Hour, that one-of-a-kind persona and everyone’s palangga, Doña Africa Valdes vda. de Reynoso.

Cheers, palangga!

BenCab’s book

The book that every art lover had long awaited from artist BenCab was finally launched at the Meralco Lobby of the Lopez Building in Pasig a full moon ago, dahlings. Published by die-hard BenCab collectors, Southern Baron Manolo Lopez and his wife, Maritess Lagdameo, the 288-page book with 200 full-color reproductions is a must-have for serious collectors and admirers of BenCab’s works.

The first section of the book, Hand Over Heart: A Life for BenCab was written by Palanca Hall of Famer and BenCab’s pal, Krip Yuson. Multi-awarded art critic Cid Reyes explores the colonial and contemporary aspects of Filipino identity in BenCab’s works in The Art of Being Filipino, the book’s second part.

A special collectors’ exhibit was set on one side of the lobby so art lovers could admire some of the artist’s never-before-exhibited paintings. A string quartet played as the ever-reliable Via Mare served a sumptuous cocktail buffet for the guests.

Breezing around were popular writers Larry Francia and Raul Ingles; inseparable pals, mi amigas Bambi Harper and Marylou Prieto; landscape designer Bobby Gopia; one-of-a-kind Adrian Cristobal; high priestess of poetry Virginia Moreno; the grand lady of literature, Chitang Guerrero-Nakpil; gorgeously attractive Gemma Cruz; Virgilio Almario; National Museum consultant and prime asset John Silva; observant Jonathan Best; RayVi and Wendy Sunico; plus others like them from the arty intellectual circle, palanggas.

National Artist Arturo Luz and his wife Tessie; sculptors Ed Castillo, Ramon Orlina, Lor Calma and Claude Tayag; painters Araceli Dans, Manuel Baldemor, Pandy Aviado, Tiny Nuyda, Susan Fetalvero-Roces, Lino Severino, Ramon Diaz and his daughter Romina; BenCab’s close photographer pals, Alex Van Hagen and Wig Tysmans; plus floral designer Antonio Garcia came to congratulate their fellow artist. A surprise guest was the Paris-based Juvy Sanso who practically had just stepped out of his jet plane, having flown in as well for an exhibition of his works at the Art Center in Megamall.

Collectors and admirers of BenCab through over 30 decades, Pitoy Moreno; Ting and Baby Paterno; Susing and Maritess Pineda; Fe Rodriguez; Francisco Dizon; Toots Tolentino; and Patrick de Koenigswarter who came with his son David exchanged stories on how they acquired their first BenCab or how they built up their collection over the years. The La’O Center group came in full force: antique dealers and collectors Ramon Villegas; Kit Roxas; Jomari Trenas; and Paulino and Hetty Que.

Nothing could stop Pinoy rocker "Pepe" Smith from plugging in his guitar and singing three songs as a tribute to his pal BenCab. It was a fitting end to a tres successful book launch the BenCab style.

A blessed day

Dec. 30 last year was a tres blessed day for the townspeople of Nasugbu, Batangas, palanggas, when Cebu’s Archbishop, Ricardo Cardinal Vidal (who had served in Batangas before serving in Cebu) blessed the altar of the new St. Francis Xavier Parish Church during Mass concelebrated with Batangas priests led by Lipa Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales.

The blessing climaxed the parish’s year-long celebration of its 150th anniversary. At Mass’ end, Nasugbu’s very own son and workasonic parish priest, Msgr. Alberto Boongaling, captured the sentiments of Nasugbueños who packed the church (which is 40 percent complete) during the momentous event when he said that the church was "the fruit of all our labors."

Indeed, palanggas, Nasugbu ’s huge new church is the collective labor of love of Nasugbueños and kind supporters who have remained undaunted despite difficulties like the Asian economic crisis of l997 and the continuing economic crunch.

The church was constructed under the initiative of Nasugbu’s then parish priest, the late Fr. Benjamin Percano, in l996. Msgr. Boongaling took over the formidable task when he became parish priest in 1998. Included in the ongoing construction plans, dahlings, is the altar designed by renowned interior and furniture designer Tony Adriano.

To Msgr. Boongaling and the townspeople of Nasugbu, cheers, palanggas, for your tireless efforts!

Have a nice weekend!