Zonin into L'Incontro

The new L’Incontro Ristorante Italiano by Tina Pamintuan was actually launched in July of this year. After the continuing refurnishing and renovation of the place by Miguel Rosales and the fine tuning of the kitchen, they are now in full mode to have big parties! So they kicked off their event and party mode to a great start with an intimate wine dinner. The special guest of honor for the night was Lorenzo Zonin, who is based in Veneto from the family and vineyards of Casa Vinicola. Zonin flew to Manila exclusively for this event. He graced the evening by sharing his vast knowledge of wine and deep family heritage. Export area sales manager for Zonin wines Asia Luca Ardiri from Verona in Italy also came along to share wine experiences and stories with the guests.

Tina created a five-course dinner paired with six Zonin wines — Italian bites and prosecco special cuvee; antipasto of duo colore carpaccio, salmon and chilled marinated octopus in garlic, lemon zest and fresh herbs with Classici Pinot Grigio; zuppe of aragosta bianco (baby lobster cooked in Zonin Chardonnay) with Chardonnay Principi di Butera; primi of ravioli of chestnut and ricotta with Porcini Cream with Ripasso Valpolicella, a crowd favorite and one of the best selling wines; secondi of roasted tagliata beef tenderloin in cabernet au jus with beef cheek ragout and truffle oil paired with both Cabernet Principi di Butera and a special vintage of Conte Bolani 2001. All the wines were brought by Lorenzo himself as a nice surprise for all the guests of L’Incontro. Guests finished the sumptuous dinner with a platter of formaggio en fruitta with baccorosa dolce rose.

With great food, great wine and great company , what more can one ask for?

 (Check out the new L’Incontro Ristorante Italiano at 207 Nicanor Garcia St. (former Reposo Street), Bel-Air, Makati. Call 899-0635/ 899-0638 for inquiries or reservations.)

Better medication compliance for Filipinos

In pursuit of helping Filipinos manage chronic diseases to achieve better healthcare, Watsons Personal Care Stores Inc. introduced its breakthrough medication compliance program, which aims to promote better adherence to drug regimen among patients suffering from hypertension and diabetes.

Watsons unveiled in Makati Shangri-La its new program “Compliance is Key,” emphasizing the vital role medication compliance plays in effective disease management.

Watsons COO Robert Sun said, “With the alarming rise in mortality rate in the Philippines due to chronic diseases, Watsons wants to further push efforts that are geared towards alleviating the effects of these diseases. Through our compliance program, we’re reiterating our advocacy of instilling the value of better medication compliance among customers so they would live longer, healthier lives despite their illness.”

To ensure that its compliance packs will be high quality and affordable, Watsons has partnered with Pharex Health Corp. whose president and CEO Tomas Marcelo Agana III said, “Pharex has always been committed to provide high-quality medicines and programs that educate and raise awareness of the public on diseases and their management. Through the Watsons Patient Compliance Pack, we are able to give more customers access to medicines they can afford and information to help them manage their disease more effectively.”

Health Undersecretary lawyer Alex Padilla expressed his support for the program, which is in accordance with the Aquino administration’s Universal Healthcare for all Filipinos program. Padilla said, “This medication compliance program couldn’t come at a better time as the government is now keen at providing better health for all Filipinos in the next six years. It is indeed a big leap in ensuring easy access to better healthcare and serves as a template that can be followed by other private sector organizations who want to help in giving access to better healthcare.”

During the launch, a short overview of chronic diseases was discussed and how poor compliance to medication leads to increase in mortality rate. Another factor is the high cost and poor access to prescribed drugs, which sadly continues to be a dilemma among disadvantaged patients. With the Patient Compliance Pack, it will be easier for patients with these diseases to adhere to their drug regimen.

Guests were given free blood sugar and blood pressure tests as well as free consultation with a doctor to check their health and risk for hypertension and diabetes.