A fairy-tale debut

It was a night to remember for one special girl, Tara Bianca Rustia, who celebrated her 18th birthday in style at The Peninsula Manila. The entire Rigodon Ballroom was converted into an enchanting, Hollywood-style Candy Land for the lovely daughter of businessman Joel Rustia and wife Joy.

At the entrance of the ballroom, a giant ice cream cone, colorful candy-bearing trees, lollipops and lots of sweet treats greeted guests.  The dining area, on the other hand, was transformed into a shimmering rainforest with dangling crystals and sequined tablecloths with a glitter-clad dressmaker’s mannequin for a centerpiece.

Tara was pretty as ever, wearing a strapless, convertible pink outfit that provided three different looks for the night. The talented debutante also sang and danced with her friends, which the audience truly enjoyed.

There was non-stop dancing as her relatives and family friends that included Muebles Italiano president and CEO Noel Gonzales and showbiz denizens Marian Rivera, Dingdong Dantes, John Estrada and wife Priscilla danced the night away.  

Cheers, Tara! You have your whole life ahead of you!

Extraordinary men of compassion

Congratulations to the 2013 Extraordinary Men of Influence awardees who were feted during the annual Best Dressed Women of the Philippines Awards Gala at the Makati Shangri-La. The eight gentlemen were honored for their contribution in aiding the less fortunate Filipinos afflicted with cancer through the Philippine Cancer Society, the event’s main beneficiary. Photo shows (from left) Best Dressed event chairperson and Angola Consul Helen Ong with the awardees: McDonald’s Philippines founder and chairman George Yang, Las Piñas Rep. Mark Villar (representing his father, former senator Manny Villar Jr.), Dr. Z Teo, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., The French Baker founder and CEO Johnlu Koa, Universal Harvester vice president for operations William How  Jr., ICCT Colleges founder and chairman Dr. William Santos Co and Mark Belo (representing his father, Wilcon president and CEO William Belo).  Many thanks to our generous sponsors that included PAGCOR, BA Securities Inc. and Czarina Foreign Exchange.

Weathering the ‘storm’

Great news! Bohol’s premier five-star hotel, The Bellevue Resort, withstood the chaos of the recent earthquake that hit the Visayan province. As the powerful tremor struck Bohol, the hotel’s highly-efficient staff went beyond their call of duty ensuring the safety of guests as they promptly and calmly gathered everyone and brought them to the hotel’s newest facility, The Bellevue Pavilion, an air-conditioned tent with top-of-the-line amenities.

Once everything had normalized, The Bellevue Hotels and Resorts (BH&R) management team led by chairman Johnny Chan, together with sons managing director Patrick Chan, marketing and communications corporate director Ryan Chan and deputy general manager Dustin Chan, further ensured the integrity of the hotel by acquiring a safety certification from Monolith Construction & Development Corp. The said company was represented by engineer Wennie Jay Elmedolan and attested by Megawide Construction Corp. through representative Manuel Melchor Bongulto. The said certification indicated that after a thorough inspection of the entire building structure of the hotel, there was “no structural defect whatsoever.”

Members of the Chan family also extended their assistance to those affected by the earthquake and typhoon Yolanda by giving financial aid to the Philippine Red Cross. The hotel staff also helped in the repacking and distribution of relief goods.

Kudos to The Bellevue Resort team for showcasing the Filipino bayanihan spirit!