JOSÉ “PEPE” ARAULLO IS A WELL- respected banker, philanthropist and Old-World gentleman whose greatest passion is “to instill in the young our beautiful traditions and Filipino values.” Pepe recently launched a book series on thriftiness and savings called “Mga Kwento ni Lolo Pepe.”

“The legacy I leave my beloved country and all the young ones is the love for savings. Taking care of your things at home, school, work and even our environment boils down to savings,” added the board chair of The Real Bank and now icon of kids, palanggas.

Pepe’s mansion had tons of guests led by the energetic Education Undersecretary Vilma L. Labrador and heavyweights in the education circle: Dr. Vicky Fuentes, Ponciano Menguito, Fe Pas, Dr. Rosalinda Tongco, woman of substance and Marylindbert International’s brilliant CEO and president, vivacious Linda Legaspi, and her business magnate hubby Albert Rosal, charming daughter Mikki and mother Isabel. They all gave their support to Pepe’s great passion and advocacy.

A yummy dinner was prepared by Via Mare, which was chosen by Amparing, Pepe’s wife and gracious host.

Undersecretary Labrador and Pepe even read excerpts from the book to the children who attended.

Yes, the books are given free to schools, palanggas.

Turning another year wiser should not only be fun, palanggas, it should also burst with love. And that’s exactly what Cacay Moras had—a celebration of love and fashion. Her nearest and dearest friends, plus loads of the Cebu family, jetted in to greet our birthday gal. Jermaine Brown once more brought his magic on the decks, while guest DJ from Cebu, Hans Congmon, played his own brand of house music. We rocked the dance floor like forever.

A fashion show featured the creations of Niño Angeles, Nicee Atienza and Kaye Morales. The models were dolled up by master hairstylist Ruel Papa and his team, with flawless makeup provided by Make Up For Ever, dahlings.

What’s a birthday bash without drinks? All the invitees, including our young Queen for a Day, held glasses full of free-flowing 42 Below Vodka and Frexeinet Cavas that kept us in the mood to party, palanggas.

Samsung’s latest baby is the awesome Digital Imaging Camera, highlighting the Samsung ST550 and ST500, the latest in compact cameras featuring the innovative Dual LCD on front and back, palanggas.

At the ballroom of Crowne Plaza, the special invitees were welcomed by Samsung Electronics Philippines Corp. They included the hotshot gang of six, headed by CEO and president Spencer Shim; VP for Consumer Electronics Jay Ha; marketing director Glenn Glinoga; sales director for consumer electronics Antonio Mauricio; head for digital imaging sales Nelson Perez; and product manager Candy de los Santos.

Among tons of further fantastic innovations by Samsung is the Smile Shot and Smart Face Recognition. The ST550 and ST500 record HD video, in 1280x720p resolution at 30 frames per second, allows your HD videos to be viewed on any HDTV or HD monitor all in the palm of your hand, dahlings.

After dinner, Samsung’s digital cameras were raffled off, including Samsung’s wow ST550, which made its debut in orange, purple and gold at P21,900.

Samsung’s innovation truly makes it so much easier for all of us, di bala, palanggas?

Jerry Sibal makes every celebration worth remembering. He combines artistry and passion in creating the most lavish and elegant affairs. His first coffee-table book, “An Event to Remember: Designing Spectacular Special Occasions,” launched at the Rizal Ballroom of Makati Shangri-La Hotel was indeed spectacular, dahlings.

In his book, New York-based events designer Jerry Sibal shows us his mega talent for creating spellbinding environments, palanggas.

Our town’s hottest namedroppables were greeted with towering flowers and the New York City skyline as they entered the Rizal Ballroom. Scattered around the venue were six curtained platforms, free-flowing wine and champagne plus a superbly prepared buffet.

Host Ricky Davao welcomed us and invited the chairpersons, architect Willie Coscolluela and Maricris Zobel, to the stage for their welcome remarks. Tabletop arrangements were unveiled by Willie and Marion Coscolluela and Maricris and Dedes Zobel, who’s visiting from her home base in London, dahlings.

Jerry Sibal always brings unparalleled skill and vision to any event here and around the world, dahlings.