For the love of art, good food & Kit Ongpin Roxas
La grande doyenne of Philippine antiques Ma. Cristina Ongpin Roxas, known simply as “Kit” to the country’s top collectors, was fêted in a grandioso dinner hosted by the southern gentleman with the media touch Jaime Ponce de Leon, founder of one of the Philippines’ most sought-after auction house León Gallery, palanggas.
The lavish dinner took place at the gallery’s main sale room, superbly transformed by Liliane “Tats” Rejante Manahan into a “terra cotta vision.” Tats had also art-directed the stately Arnedo Table, once the property of Pampanga’s richest haciendero capitan Joaquin Arnedo. On its elegant, polished length have dined heroes and princes, and even a president of the United States. That night, it was covered in precious, exquisite silver, the finest linen and the rarest of blooms.
XAmbeth Ocampo, Maribel Ongpin
Orchestrating the evening, dahlings, was Claude Tayag who masterminded a to-die-for seven-course dinner with only the best of Pampanga’s famous cuisine, including a Menudo de Sulipan, named after the legendary Arnedo palace on the Rio Grande.
On the walls were priceless paintings with impeccable pedigrees such as Amorsolos from the Melian-Zobel and Ynchausti houses and Manansalas from Pio Pedrosa, plus other well-known collectors. There were priceless works by Lorenzo Guerrero (who taught Juan Luna how to paint, and is great-granduncle to brilliant curator Lisa Guerrero Nakpil), Ang Kiukok, BenCab (including a very rare oil “Larawan”), Lao Lianben, Macario Vitalis, Manuel Rodriguez Sr., Oscar Zalameda, and Jose Joya. Now, namedropping artist is definitely hard to beat!
Pico Gonzalez, Gabrielle Ferreira
Gathered to honor Kit Roxas was the creamiest of the cream from Manille’s culturati, historians and writers, industrialists and investors, media men, mega collectors and cognosenti across several generations. Ambeth Ocampo, Daniel and Remy Zuellig, as well as Georgina Zobel de Padilla, Maribel Ongpin of the Asian Cultural Council, Bambi Harper, and Linda Panlilio were on either side of Kit.
Ina and Manny Dizon
Seen talking were publisher Gaspar Vibal, noted author and technocrat Jaime C. Laya, the hard-to-beat collector Paulino and gorgeous Hetty Que and the influential multi-million businessman Butch Campos and his wife the beautiful Ollie Mabanta Campos; legal eagle Rod Libunao and young turks Robert Bjorn Santos and Remy Chua alongside power couples Mike and Dada Beltran with George and Lala Wong.
Art impresarios Tonico Manahan, Miguel Rosales, Pico Gonzales and Derek Flores (with constant companion Melot Sunga), renowned designer Anton Mendoza, property man Paul Campos, furniture mogul Timothy Tan, ace reporter Abner Mercado, gallerists Lori Juvida and Luis Ojeda completed the list.
Lala and George Wong
That was a night of fabulous mind-boggling dinner and gazing at the wall’s incredible paintings, dahlings, only at Jaime Ponce de Leon’s auction house, palanggas.
Tuna indulgence
The author Maurice Arcache, Lorrie Reynoso
Our groupie went directly to the not-to-be miss in Inagiku Restaurant, Shangri-La Makati and before we knew it we had practically cleaned our plates to the hilt, palanggas, as we downed it with chilled sake, natch!
(Seated) Federico Olbes, Maripi Muscat, (back) Patrick Reyno, Cecile Reynoso
Among the eight yummy dishes featured were everyone’s favorite sizzling tuna, tuna sashimi with carpaccio sauce and tuna with miso Hamburg steak.
Choy Cojuangco, Johnny Velasquez
