Red for charity

The Red Charity Gala 2014 spearheaded by Tessa Prieto-Valdes and Kaye Tinga raised money once again as it presented a dinner that featured a 40-piece collection by Jesus “Jojie” Lloren. The collection centered on the “National Artists as muses” theme. The gala saw a successful auction that helped raise funds for the benefit of the Yolanda survivors in Samar.

Tessa said, “The overwhelming support from our friends made us reach our main vision for this event, and that is to touch more lives as we align our efforts with the Philippine Red Cross and Assumption High School Batch 1981. Also, we’re very proud to feature a world-class Filipino talent like Jesus Lloren.”

Kaye added, “Jesus Lloren is a prime example of Filipino creativity. We are very happy to say that the Red Charity Gala 2014 is indeed a huge success. We promised to make this event bolder, and this was validated by the auction results and his stunning collection.”

All eyes were on the catwalk when models showed Lloren’s designs that clearly translated the paintings of masters such as Fernando Amorsolo, Juan Luna, Victorio Edades, Félix Resurrección Hidalgo and Vicente Manansala into fabric.  “There was a lot of pressure at first, but to let these clothes speak of a very rich culture and history like ours is one of my greatest accomplishments as a designer,” Lloren shared.

Remy Martin was again the official cognac at the event.  Remy-Cointreau Philippines commercial manager Joey Pineda said, “Remy Martin is again most honored to offer our salutations to the organizers for the rousing success of the sixth Red Cross Charity Gala.”

Prior to the event, guests were given Downy-scented roses and were asked to bring these roses to the event to be pinned on the Downy rose wall. Downy promised to donate P1,000 for every rose that a guest brought to the event.

Key persons who helped make the event possible included Rustan’s marketing communications head Dina Tantoco, Sun Life Financial-Philippines CEO Rizalina Mantaring, senior PR manager Mariquit Lintag, Downy country brand manager Nicole Villarojo, P&G’s PR Joy Mabanta, and Makati Shangri-La  general manager Alain Borgers, director of sales and marketing Cecile Weber and director of communications Lesley Anne Tan.

The Red Charity Gala 2014 was directed by Ariel Lozada, while its fashion styling was by Noel Manapat and makeup and hairstyling by Patrick Rosas.

(The event was presented by Downy and Sun Life, supported by Bench, HSBC, Megaworld, Makati Shangri-La and Lifestyle Asia. Special thanks to Coca-Cola, Olay, Patchi, Remy Martin, The Philippine STAR, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Robert Blancaflor Group, Rustan’s, Swatch, W17 and Fuentes Manila.)

The Blood Samaritan

The Quezon City chapter of the Philippine Red Cross produced a successful benefit concert in celebration of its 66th founding anniversary. 

Chapter administrator Annie Torres said, “The concert, titled Blood Samaritan, aims to generate funds that our chapter can use to benefit indigent and charity ward patients who are in dire need of blood.”

Chapter chairman Dr. Hermogenes Jarin added, “The Blood Samaritan fund will be used to cover the cost of the blood processing and testing fees of the blood units that will be issued to the beneficiaries.”

Valencia Place, the concert venue owned by Regal Films matriarch Lily Monteverde, overflowed with attendees who enjoyed the performances of international pianist Raul Sunico, Jose Mari Chan, George Yang, violinist Merjohn Lagaya and actress Lovi Poe.

Vice chair Nesty Isla said, “We are very fortunate to have talent manager Girlie Rodis facilitate the appearance of Rachel Alejandro, Celeste Legaspi, Cris Villonco and maestro Ryan Cayabyab. Their performances wowed the crowd and contributed greatly to the success of our benefit concert.” He added that through fundraising events like Blood Samaritan, the chapter wants to boost its blood services, which is crucial in saving people’s lives.

In 2013, the QC chapter won the Chapter of the Year award of the Philippine Red Cross because of its outstanding service.

To express their support, PRC secretary general Dr. Gwendolyn Pang, governors Rosalind Wee, lawyer Lorna Kapunan and Wilma Sarino graced the occasion.

Others seen at the benefit concert were Malou Choa-Fagar, National Security Council deputy director general Zenonida Brosas, former Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Rodolfo Palattao, former Philippine Marines colonel Ariel Querubin, STAR Entertainment editor Ricky Lo and Jun Nardo.

Torres said, “The success of this benefit concert has once again demonstrated that the QC chapter is able to help advance the mission of the Philippine Red Cross to help alleviate the suffering of humanity. We will continue to provide the best possible service to the people of this great city and find ways to mobilize our chapter to benefit the QC community.”

The Elusive Chanteuse

It was a night filled with the iconic R&B and contemporary music hits of five-time Grammy-award-winning artist Mariah Carey when she performed an electrifying concert titled The Elusive Chanteuse at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

PLDT HOME Fibr brought The Elusive Chanteuse show to Manila. It was the singer-songwriter’s eighth concert tour launched in support of her 14th studio album “Me. I Am Mariah…The Elusive Chanteuse.”

Mariah took the crowd back to the ‘90s and early 2000s with her most memorable classics like Heartbreaker, Hero and I’ll Be There. She, too, sang   popular tunes like #Beautiful, Meteorite and Supernatural from her current album. She also performed crowd favorites We Belong Together, Always Be My Baby and Butterfly.

(For more information on PLDT HOME Fibr, visit pldthome.com/fibr or call 101-3427.)

Privé turns three!

Clubbing patrons and VIPs trooped to Privé Luxury Club to celebrate the club’s third anniversary.

Privé’s board of directors Erik Cua, GP Reyes, Louie Ysmael, Kim Yao, JM Rodriguez and KC Santi were present to welcome partygoers while resident DJs John Monreal and Arnel Genterone wowed the crowd with  their smooth grooves.

JM said, “Privé is not Privé without you, our wonderful and loyal patrons. What makes Privé even more special, what makes it feel like our home and what truly differentiates us from the rest is our impeccable service. So let us take this opportunity to salute our tireless staff — the managers, the bouncers, the servers. These bottles of champagne are not just for the guests, they are also for you, our dedicated Privé team! So drink with us because you are the reason for our success!”

A massive champagne parade then commenced and dozens of sparklers snaked through the crowd as every corner of the club was full of bottles and flutes filled with champagne for the guests.

The sets of DJs Funk Avy, Ace Ramos and Mars Miranda followed and lasted until sunrise. Privé distributed black silk robes and gold key USBs to its guests. 

Happy third birthday, Privé!

(Follow me on Instagram @pepperteehankee.)