Hillary to visit Marikina

Marikina, shoe-perstar. Among the cities of Metro Manila, that is.

The spotlight will be trained on Marikina, known for its well-made shoes, and the center of attention in recent months for the devastation wrought on it by Typhoon Ondoy, because US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is coming to visit.

Clinton will be bringing a “life raft” to tide Marikina through its difficulties. The life raft will be coming in the form of new US relief assistance.

Clinton will visit a relief site in Marikina and hear from Mayor Marides Fernando and local officials about the damages to the city and its recovery. 

Marikina was among the hardest hit by Typhoon Ondoy.

Clinton, who was in the Philippines in 1996 as the wife of a head of state during the Subic APEC summit, is expected to announce a relief package for Philippine typhoon victims during her visit. The relief package, according to sources, will focus on education and health care. I also hear the package is quite substantial.

Incidentally, Clinton is visiting only one other Southeast Asian country on this trip to Asia aside from Singapore — the Philippines.

Singapore is the host of this year’s APEC summit, and before Clinton flies there to assist US President Barack Obama, she will be visiting the Philippines.

I saw then President Bill Clinton at Malacañang’s Kalayaan Hall during his visit in 1996, when the Secret Service virtually took over the building. I saw Hillary later that day at the World Trade Center, where she addressed women’s groups. What I remember most about her speech was her acknowledgement of the Filipinos on her husband’s staff — like his butler Bayani Melvis and his (Clinton’s) personal physician, a Navy officer of Philippine descent named Dr. Connie Mariano.                                                           

Have a Heart, buy Art

In order to raise funds for medical missions for Ondoy’s victims, “Tulong Bayan” was organized in September and has partnered with the NoyMar Good Governance Project for a gourmet Filipino merienda-cena prepared by chef Margarita Fores at the NBC Tent, Fort Bonifacio on Nov. 19 at 6 p.m.

As an added attraction and cultural feature of the event, an Art Sale has been planned showing the works of selected artists who share Tulong Bayan’s concern for the calamity victims. With an expected attendance of 800, the organizers (Phyllis Zaballero, Ed Soler of Astra Gallery, Jonathan Sy of Gallery Big and Paulito Garcia of Gallerie Ricco Renzo) are confident that the artwork will be well appreciated and “hopefully, gladly acquired.” All the proceeds from the art sale will go directly to Tulong Bayan’s Medical Missions project.

The organizing and curatorial work will be done jointly by Astra Gallery, Gallery Big, Gallerie Ricco Renzo and Phyllis Zaballero. The artists who wish to help raise funds for the medical missions should bring their works to LRI Plaza, c/o Astra Gallery, Gallery Big or Ricco Renzo. Their works (painting, print or sculpture) should consist of one medium or two of small size, framed or mounted. Sale options are either total donation to Tulong Bayan or 70 percent of selling price for donation to Tulong Bayan and 30 percent for artist. Works sold at event will either be given to buyer at the end of affair if fully paid or reserved for later delivery until receipt of full payment.

Unsold works will be left for future selling exhibits with Tulong Bayan c/o Phyllis Zaballero until May 15, 2010. After this date unsold works will be returned to the artist.

How Vicky Zubiri brushes off pain

Vicky Zubiri = ultra glam; fashion chic; age-defying beauty; high society icon.

To others who know her a little more, Vicky Zubiri is wife of 40-some years to former Bukidnon Gov. Joe Zubiri and proud mother.

But to her Assumption High School classmates, behind that glossy veneer of celebrity, bravura, jet-setting savvy and signature tinted eyeglasses, Vicky is “Braveheart” personified.

At a recent reunion to plan their class’ fundraiser for Assumption’s missions and scholars, they were awed by the beauty, depth and range of Vicky’s works on canvass: still life (flowers and fruits), landscape and water. Believing that painters’ works are subliminally autobiographical, they discerned then how Vicky’s real persona was marked instead by “quiet strength, terra firma, and the constancy of water that flowed compassionately into parched and needy souls.”

According to her former classmate Boots Anson-Roa, “What was most affirming about our newest insight into Vicky’s inner life was her victory over a decade-old battle with severe pain and partial loss of vision due to a brain tumor that recurred despite repeated surgery and radiation.” As reported by their other classmate Conchitina Sevilla Bernardo, Vicky likens the pain to that caused by “a rock ramming against her eye.” Nevertheless, it is a pain that fails to subdue her irrepressible demeanor and her firm resolve to share her many talents and resources.

Vicky shares her art on canvass with invited guests to the Assumption HS Class ‘60s Exhibit and Auction at 5:30 p.m. today at the Peninsula Manila. Partial proceeds of the auction will go to a mission school in Pasay and the Missionaries of Mercy of Tondo.

In response to many queries from readers, Father Fernando Suarez may be reached through his website www.fatherfernando.com. He holds healing Masses every Saturday and Sunday at 10 a.m. at the Monte Maria Shrine in Barangay Pagkilatan in Batangas. He also has a televised healing Mass over ABS-CBN Channel 2 every third Sunday from 6 to 7 a.m.

(You may e-mail me at [email protected])