Men of Privilege

Fifteen men of distinction were recently chosen as “Men of Privilege” by Hennessy V.S.O.P at the ceremonies held at Opus in Resorts World Manila.

Feted were Laguna Rep. Justin “Timmy” Chipeco; Aurora Rep. Sonny Angara; Secretary General of the Technical Education Skills Development Authority Joel Villanueva; Supreme Court spokesperson, Chief Public Information Officer and Court Administrator lawyer Midas Marquez; Harbour Centre Port Terminal, Manila North Harbour Port, Inc. and Air Asia Philippines CEO Dr. Michael “Mike” Romero; chairman of Acuzar Construction Jose Cris “Jon” Acuzar; Opus chef Carlo Miguel; president and creative director of the Jing Monis Salon Jing Monis; president and CEO of Pilipinas Teleserv Jun Yupitun; actor, restaurateur and concert producer Marvin Agustin; director for equity sales/trading of UBS Security Philippines Mike Jacob; investment director at the ATR-KIM ENG Capital Partners Julian “Jun” Tarrobago; president of CRUSH Philippines Ad Agency and Star columnist Rod Nepomuceno; Folded & Hung president Ronald Pineda; and DJ Manolet Dario.

Hennessy V.S.O.P. is a cognac of rich tradition and complexity, which perfectly balances smoothness with strength. These are the qualities embodied by Hennessy’s 15 chosen “Men of Privilege.” The event also coincided with the launch of the first collector bottle in the “Privilege Collection by Hennessy,” Hennessy V.S.O.P. Helios.

Each table at the event was topped with a limited edition bottle. Hennessy V.S.O.P. was free flowing throughout the evening as guests enjoyed the cuisine prepared by Opus chef Carlo Miguel.

(From left) Ryan Singh, Catherine Joaquin, Enzo Regala, Fernan Mabanta and Charlyn Joaquin.

Needless to say, with such a group and all their friends around, the party lasted almost until sunrise!

Who will you nominate for the Tatt Awards?

There are more than 25 million Filipinos who are Internet users. As I write this column, the number of those who join the social networking sites definitely increases.

To celebrate the pioneering online efforts of individuals who have used the social media space as their platform to ignite inspiration, Globe-powered Internet brand Tattoo recently launched the Tatt Awards. Setting it apart from other Internet-centric awards, the upcoming Tatt Awards breaks the awards mold by looking not just at how many online followers an individual has but how he or she has expressed an opinion, created a work of art or spurred socially-relevant changes.

Globe social media manager Coy Caballes explains the mechanics of the Tatt Awards nominations.

The launch at the Opus in Resorts World Manila was a humor-filled evening with side-splitting performances from improvisational comedy group SPIT led by Gabe Mercado. There were also breathtaking acrobatics acts from homegrown talents of the ZION show.

Guests included social media luminaries like digital activist Tonyo Cruz, blogger Noemi Dado, Tech Talk TV host and creator of wheninmanila.com Vince Golangco, president of Philippine Blog Awards Juned Sonido and RockEd Philippines founder Gang Badoy.

Tattoo head of nomadic broadband business Dong Ronquillo says, “Tattoo stands for making your own definition of greatness and pursuing your vision with all your power. The holding of Tatt Awards is therefore our venue to recognize individuals who have created a social media space to share what they are most passionate about, in a way that has moved the online world.”

The Tatt Council, a group of celebrated online thought-leaders led by Ronquillo, will serve as judges to determine the winners in 10 Tatt Awards categories. The council members are award-winning journalist Maria Ressa, Gang Badoy, lifestyle blogger and Star columnist Cecile Zamora-Van Straten, tech blogger and Tattoo ambassador Rico Mossesgeld, video blogger and director Kring Elenzano, radio DJ Chico Garcia and Internet and Mobile Marketing Association president Hans Roxas-Chua.

Tech blogger supreme and Tattoo ambassador Rico Mossesgeld.

Nominate your favorites for the Tatt Awards by visiting http://tattoo.globe.com.ph/tattawards. Public votes through the Tatt Awards portal and the scores of the Tatt Awards Council will determine the winners, who will each receive P100,000 in cash and premium broadband products from Tattoo. Expect the big announcements by next month!

Shoe fest!

Women, so to speak, went shoe crazy recently when CMG relaunched its Power Plant Mall branch as its flagship store. The store now exclusively carries the brand’s latest collection of shoes and accessories.

At the launch, members of the press and stylists were invited to a one-on-one meeting with CMG president Victoria Chan and Celine director Mitzi Joy Chan-Tan as they unveiled the CMG Fall 2011 Collection.

Celine’s Mitzi Joy Chan-Tan and CMG president Victoria Chan.

Studded high heels from the “Bling” collection welcomed guests at the store entrance followed by a brief walk-through to view the entire collection. Favorites included five-inch platforms, rubber-soled pumps and sling backs. Like other CMG branches, CMG Rockwell also houses imported brands Staccato, Matthews and Oro Nero.

The modern contemporary design, which features eco-friendly materials, is also exclusive at this branch.

Check out CMG Rockwell today!

Lyca Puno, Daryl Chang and Pauline Suaco-Juan.