The annual Fila Polo Cup in the Philippines was recently held at the Manila Polo Club. This year’s edition was for the benefit of Operation Compassion and iFoster, a campaign that aids in the foster care of children waiting for their permanent home.
The 2017 Fila Polo Cup’s theme was “Heritage x Vintage,” a nod to the sportswear brand’s roots in Italy.
The glitzy and glamorous event had guests wearing Italian summer outfits—dresses for the ladies and pastel-colored polos for the men. Fila’s upcoming collection will feature international model Drew Gendron.
Fila Philippines chair Butch Albert, playing with the red team, opened the event with the low-goal game, which the team won.
Meanwhile, Fila Philippines CEO and Butch’s better half, Cris Albert, was with the Young Presidents Organization (YPO) introducing the rules and materials used for the game of polo, with guest speakers David Reynolds and Adrian Garcia.
The East Terrace of the Manila Polo Club had white tents filled with fresh flowers, with accents of wine bottles hanging from the sides of the tents, designed by Robert Blancaflor.
Program emcees Tim Yap and Tessa Prieto Valdes introduced Alba Berenguer-Testa who sang the National Anthem.
Tessa joined Cris for the ceremonial champagne toast before the start of the high-goal game pitting the Blue team against the White team.
Leading the Blue team were players Benjamin Urquiza and Ignacio Ithurburu, and the Aguirre brothers Gus and Cole.
The White team also had two Argentinian players, Dirk Gould and Juan Jauretche, together with Manot Montilla and Tommy Bitong.
The intense match had the Blue team winning.
Laid out at the buffet table were various Italian dishes including pesto, puttanesca and Alfredo pastas, pizza, as well as mini burgers.
Drinks were courtesy of Ralph’s Wines and Spirits.
After a fireworks display, guests stayed on and enjoyed live musical performances.
Life’s engrossing themes
Love and life through poetry and art was the theme of the “Hai[na]ku” exhibit at S Maison in Conrad Manila.
The event, a collaboration of S Maison, National Book Store and Anvil Publishing, coincided with the first anniversary of the book “Hai[na]ku and Other Poems,” a collection of poetry by author and lifestyle editor Arnel Patawaran.
The book explores life’s most engrossing themes: love and pain, solitude and reflection, arrivals and departures, and the tenuous threads that make up everyday life, with paintings by Heart Ongpauco Escudero.
Guest of honor was National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose, who came with his wife Teresita.
Also in attendance were SM Prime Holdings executive committee chair Hans Sy, Anvil Publishing president and National Book Store managing director Alexandra Ramos-Padilla.
Romance was in the air as excerpts from the book were read by spoken-word artists, and interpreted by performers. Words Anonymous’ Jihad Mambuay and Louise Meets read “The Day After Tomorrow”; Romancing Venus’ Kooky Tuason, Mary Tengco and Jing Jorge interpreted “When Was the Last Time You Saw Her” through song.
Daphne Osmeña-Paez read “The Last Summer Before Extinction”; Maja Concio from the Company of Ateneo Dancers performed an interpretative dance of “Walkers’ Paradise” with a recorded reading by Ultima Todino Martin; and Peta’s Gio Gahol’s reading of “It’s Not What I Thought” was a hit with the audience.
Landers’ new branch
Landers Superstore, the newest membership grocery franchise in the metro, gave shoppers the opportunity to try its newly opened branch in Otis, Paco, Manila.
Everyone loved the superstore’s well-lit, spacious aisles packed with a wide assortment of goods from the United States, Canada and Australia, as well as high-quality local and exclusive products.
Pinky Angodung, marketing director of Landers Superstore, welcomed the guests. She discussed the shopping offers and discounts available to members. “We’d like to invite everyone to visit Landers Superstore where members can enjoy and shop at their own leisure.”
Membership costs P800 with option to avail themselves of one extension card for an additional P400. Business membership fee is P1,000 with option to avail of up to four extension cards. Membership is valid for 12 months.
So, if you dread going to crowded supermarkets, head off to Landers for a more relaxed shopping experience.
Landers Superstore is at 1240 Edsa Balintawak, Apolonio Samson, Quezon City; and 1890 Paz Guazon St., Paco, Manila; visit landers.ph
ERRATUM: In the Feb. 24 issue of “Without Batting An Eyelash,” the caption to one of the photos should be Marianne Po, Maurice Arcache and Kitkat Zobel. My apologies, palangga.
