Saphir de Joie

A trailblazer in the jewelry industry, Miladay Jewels recently launched its Saphir de Joie collection at the Acacia hotel in Alabang. The collection is a playful and captivating interplay of colored sapphires and white diamonds.

On hand to welcome guests were Miladay chairman Mark Dayrit and VP for marketing and advertising Christine Dayrit. 

“Go for a fun and vibrant look and let your personality shine through with each piece of Saphir de Joie,” said Christine, who is also the chairman of the Cinema Evaluation Board and a travel columnist for The Philippine STAR.   

The event was also highlighted by a fashion show spearheaded by the students of De La Salle University — Princess Lim, Patricia Mendoza, Maxine Co and Neil Mindanao — who took their apprenticeship in marketing at the 48-year-old jewelry brand.

Acacia hotel, a lifestyle haven in the south of the metro, served mouthwatering dishes like tandoori chicken wrap, dimsum, anchovy pasta with aioli, puttanesca and soba among others. The delicious fare was prepared by Acacia hotel sous chef Aldo Palaypay.   

Working with chef Aldo was like celebrating the past for siblings Mark and Christine because the former was a very good friend of their late father, Ting Dayrit. In fact, Christine said, chef Aldo was also helpful in training their Benihana chefs in the ‘90s.

Miladay Jewels, founded in 1966, chose the Healing Servants’ Foundation as its beneficiary for the event. The foundation is directly responsible for the education of the poor and deserving students of the Divine Healer Academy in Cabid-an, Sorsogon.

High hopes for Philippine motoring tourism

Racing enthusiasts, members of the diplomatic corps and members of the media all trooped to the Atrium of Resorts World Manila to toast the launch of the Asian V8 Championship Series, an international racing event that hopes to put the Philippines on the motoring tourism world map. The event was presented by the Department of Tourism/Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority.

Free-flowing booze and sumptuous hors d’oeuvres were served to guests that included Tom Pastor of the Philippine Formula Autosports Foundation Inc. (PFAFI); Ed Cox of Orion Motorsport, a race team that participates in late-model NASCAR USA; and Alain Veyssiere of Scorpus Team Motorsport, a race team that participates in NASCAR Whelen Euro Series in Europe. Also present were International racecar drivers Christian Jones and Callum Whatmore of Australia and Joe Mezier and Heid Assuncao of Macau. Filipino racing champion Enzo Pastor and his brother Don Pastor (representing the US) were also there.

Present from the diplomatic corps were Togo Consul Evie Costa, Namibia Consul General William Co, Gambia Consul Agnes Huibonhoa, Monaco Consul General Fortune Ledesma and Swiss Embassy First Secretary and Consul Hans-Peter Fitze.

Tom Pastor said, “With this partnership, we are all revved up to bring the Philippines back on the global map of motorsport tourism.”

The Asian V8 Championship Series will showcase eight stock cars with brand-new V8 engines using the late-model NASCAR-spec racecars. And 16 international racecar drivers from all over Asia will be flying to the Philippines and troop to Clark International Speedway to race these vehicles on April 5 and 6. The winners of the race will have the chance to compete in the US and Europe racing events.

The staging of the Asian V8 Championship Series on April 5 and 6, June 7 and 8 and in July will be aired on Fox Sports International TV every Wednesday and Friday at 4:30 p.m.

Fox Sports will also air the 2013 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series where Filipino Enzo Pastor competed and was awarded by NASCAR USA. The moment was historic as it was the first time for an Asian/Filipino to walk up the stage in the hometown of NASCAR in North Carolina.

A commitment to Filipino couples

A long and lasting love is the desire of every couple.

Menarini, the world’s largest Italian biopharmaceutical company in the world, recently gathered top celebrity couples Anthony and Maricel Pangilinan, Paolo and Suzi Abrera, and Lander and Regine Vera Perez for the launch of the “Commit to Control PE” advocacy for couples recently at the Marquee Hall of EDSA Shangri-La Manila.

The event, which was hosted by STAR columnist RJ Ledesma, provided significant insights on how couples can build a more lasting and satisfying relationship by addressing the issue of premature ejaculation (PE), which is considered to be the most common sexual dysfunction in men. Studies reveal that one in three men reportedly experience premature ejaculation.

Also present to lend their expertise on the topic were Dr. Margie Holmes, the most sought-after psychologist on sex therapy; Dr. Dennis Serrano, associate professor of surgery and chief of the division of urology at the University of the Philippines-College of Medicine at the Philippine General Hospital; and Dr. Cay de Quiroz, Menarini’s medical director.

The event aimed to create awareness on the issue.Menarini believes that more than a physiological issue among men, the dysfunction also affects relationships between couples.

“We are focused on bringing to the forefront the issue of PE among Filipino couples. We’d like them to know that they do not need to suffer from the condition because there is an effective solution coming soon,” said De Quiroz. “You may consult your doctor or visit the website we built to help sufferers find the doctor for the proper treatment.”

(For more information, visit www.controlPE.ph.)