Angie, Pagcor president Jorge Sarmiento and wife Wawie
THERE has been a renewed sense of Pinoy pride as urban development continues in the metro. I was particularly impressed at the opening of the Marriott Grand Ballroom, the Philippines’ largest ballroom at 8,000 square meters.
The vast venue, constructed with a dominant Filipino theme, is now being positioned as the “leading, premier meeting destination in the country.” The hotel’s management isn’t shy about calling it a “game changer” in the Philippine MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions) industry.
The Marriott Grand Ballroom officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 1, officiated by Marriott international executive Karl Hudson, Craig Smith and Bruce Winton, Alliance Global executives Kevin Tan and Kingson Sian, Stephen Reilly of Resorts World, and Pasay City mayor Antonino Calixto.
The entire complex has a main ballroom that can accommodate 2,500 guests for a sit-down affair, but up to 4,000 guests at maximum configuration. The state-of-the-art technology behind the ballroom includes SkyFold, vertical folding partitions that come from the ceiling, which is all of 12 meters above the floor and star-studded with 176 programmable pillow lights.
Surrounding the ballroom are 28 multifunction spaces, including several meeting rooms, six VIP boxes, two smaller ballrooms and three dining outlets.
The launch was celebrated with a five-course gala dinner prepared by executive chef Meik Brammer. It was also my hubby Dennis’ birthday, so I figure we saved money by celebrating at the Marriott.
Better yet, we were in the company of foreign dignitaries, politicos, corporate bigwigs, high society and A-list celebrities. And since the entire ballroom does not have a single pillar to obstruct one’s view, it was fantastic to see everyone in the ballroom.
Dinner entertainment was as over the top as the ballroom itself. Las Vegas-based diva Lani Misalucha started the ball rolling; the highlight was a concert by Grammy-winning singer James Ingram.
It’s fairly obvious that the Marriott Grand Ballroom will be the next big thing in our city’s event scene.
Michelle Garcia, Marriott’s director of marketing communications, told me that there are already over a hundred weddings booked until December this year.
One of those beautiful weddings will surely be the Kester Tan and Kelsey Cheng nuptials. Kester is the younger brother of Kevin, and the couple was matched by my son, Bryan Prieto, who knew Kester and Kelsey when they all used to work in Singapore. Our best wishes to the young couple!
Mega Pinoy pride
In the publication scene, Pinoy greatness was also celebrated at the Mega Pinoy Pride, the fashion magazine’s annual Independence Day Ball at the Rizal Ballroom of Makati Shangri-La.
It has been the tradition of Mega to acknowledge global Pinoys and their accomplishments, but this year it honored the new Filipino game changers who are putting the Philippines on the world map. These radical individuals are making a tangible difference in the lives of Filipinos everywhere.
The event started with the national anthem, our flag carried by Alonzo Muhlach and “Lupang Hinirang” sung by Markki Stroem, one of Mega Man’s cover models in the June issue. Peewee Reyes-Isidro, Mega editor in chief formally welcomed all the guests.
Pinoy Pride awardees included choreographer Georcelle Dapat-Sy, who also graced the stage with a powerful dance performance with G-Force; Rissa Mananquil Trillo and Jacque Yuentian-Gutierrez, founders of Happy Skin cosmetics; Francis Flores of Jollibee Foods; and well-known fashion designer Michael Cinco. It was great to see many familiar names honored this year.
Wonder treatment
A Filipino doctor has been making waves in the medical beauty arena. Dr. Cristina Puyat, one of the country’s top dermatologists, was the keynote speaker at the Nabota grand launch last month at Edsa Shangri-La Hotel.
Dr. Puyat delivered an informative lecture on Nabota and Perfectha to a rapt audience of fellow doctors and guests. I found out that Nabota is a novel Botulinum Toxin Type A, manufactured by Daewoong Pharmaceuticals.
That sounds scary, like when we first saw the TV ad with those famous words in a robot voice saying, “lactobacilli shirota strain,” and only later appreciated that there are such things as good bacteria for our digestion.
In the case of Botulinum Toxin Type A, it turns out to be a wonder treatment developed from over 30 years of Daewoong research on how to achieve natural beauty safely and effectively.
Flying in from abroad was professor Joon Pio Hong to explain it all.
Call 6355665; visit nabota.info
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