Goodbye for now

The clock is rapidly ticking towards the closing of one of the multi-awarded business hotels in the Philippines. Almost a second home to many, the Mandarin Oriental, Manila is distinguished for its outstanding facilities, exceptional service and world-famous fine dining restaurants and bars. 

Mandarin’s restaurants The Tivoli, Tin Hau, Mandarin Deli and Martinis already closed their doors recently. A tinge of sadness was felt by those who enjoyed The Tivoli’s classic modern European dishes, Tin Hau’s authentic Chinese cuisine, the Mandarin Deli’s sumptuous deli fare (it was so much in demand that, for some time, it maintained a mall outlet at Araneta Center in Quezon City) and, of course, Martinis. 

A few of the more recent events held at The Tivoli and Tin Hau come to mind, which your columnist now chronicles in what is probably our last commentary for the wonderful iconic and great hotel — the Mandarin Oriental, Manila. However, hotel habitués still have the Paseo Uno (a pioneer in multinational buffets, modern Asian and Western specialties), which is set to serve its last dinner on Sept. 8, and the most popular meeting spot, the MO Lounge to enjoy before the hotel takes that long break on Sept. 9 this year.

The hotel will continue to take reservations and will remain in operation until closing day. It will reopen in 2020 — a new luxurious 275-room hotel in the center of the city. 

Our deepest gratitude goes to Mandarin Oriental, Manila general manager Torsten van Dullemen and communications director Charisse Chuidian. Each party wouldn’t have been complete without you. Six years is a long wait but, rest assured, we will share in the joy on your opening.

A worthwhile journey

Pretty doctor Jazel Anne Agnes distinctly remembers wanting to pursue subspecialty training in Interventional Radiology while on her second year as a resident at Makati Medical Center. Interventional radiologists are board-certified physicians specializing in minimally invasive surgeries aided by technology like ultrasound, fluoroscopy or CT scan. Such procedures often require smaller incisions, have fewer risks of complication, and take less recovery time than traditional surgery. At that time, Jazel wanted to try her luck and train abroad as it was a relatively brand-new specialty in the Philippines.

It took two years of continued application before Jazel finally heard from The Ottawa Hospital in Canada. They initially thought it was a hoax — receiving an application from a second-year resident at that! To make a long story short, Jazel was able to get in and later became the first Filipino to be formally accepted in the hospital’s Fellowship Training Program of the Angiography and Vascular Interventional Radiology.

One of the highlights of Jazel’s training program was when she won the Best Case/Best Fellow during the Canadian Interventional Radiology Association Summit in 2012. It was the first time in five years that the hospital had won this award.

An interventional radiologist by profession, Jazel’s main practice is in various hospitals in Bulacan. She is also a visiting consultant at St. Luke’s Medical Center.  Keep up the good work!

What are friends for?

Good friends took the time to fete five members of their group who celebrated their birthdays recently — Sen. Cynthia Villar, Minerva Tanseco, Nini Layug, Chichi Laperal and Pitang Tiongson.

A sumptuous buffet lunch was hosted by Alice Briones and Minerva Tanseco at the new Holiday Inn & Suites at Glorietta 1 in Makati City and had the ladies sharing a myriad of topics from the mundane to the heavy that stretched to the late, late afternoon. 

You have my best wishes, ladies!

Visiting dignitaries from Peru

Peru’s Foreign Affairs minister and director general for Asia Pacific and Oceania, Ambassador Juan Carlos Capunay, visited the country recently in time for the planned trip of Peruvian president Ollanta Humala to the Philippines by the end of this month.

Capunay’s delegation included Peruvian Ambassador to Thailand Felix Denegri and Peru Consul General Dr. Francis Chua. 

Capunay was able to meet with Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and his lovely wife Gretchen and other distinguished members of the local business community at a dinner hosted by Consul General Francis Chua at the Century Seafood Restaurant in Manila.

Looking forward to the official visit of the head of state of Peru!