It was a solemn baptismal for little Fiona Elvira Kekert, daughter of Wolf and Kristalle (nee Garcia) Kekert, at the St. Francis Xavier chapel of the Sacred Heart Parish. In a way it was a unique celebration as baby Fiona made her entrance in the arms of her maternal grandmother Lucy Franco Garcia.

Fr. Ramon Ofredo was at the baptismal font. Fiona wore only a nappy throughout the ceremony. It was only after the christening rite that she was fitted with a special creation by Arcy Gayatin. All eyes all throughout was her elder brother Harvey Kekert.

There were a total of 16 godparents, all intimate friends and close relations of Wolf and Kri-Kri: Akiko Kato, Christopher and Carla McKowen, Christina Garcia Frasco, David and Merche (nee Huete) Bastida, Grant Clark, Hans Lienaw, Ireneo de Leon, Robert and Isabelle Vecchioni, Kate Dychangco Anzani, Maki Garcia Evans, Niña Charisse Fruelda, Stefan Dion Garcia and Sabine Kekert, proxied by Ryo Kato.

The aisle leading to the font was lined with white roses and lace. Kate Anzani sent a cart filled with double-petal white lilies.

To celebrate the happy occasion there was a dinner at the main hall of the Cebu Country Club. A sumptuous buffet was served, and there was a special table laden with desserts. A standout was the cake baked by Trina Kokseng. The delicious cross cookies had come from Bernadette Gallego’s La Marea.

Among the tito and tita were Diana Franco Ledesma, Tita Franco Huete, Helen Franco Misa, Boy and Maia Franco with Sony Alonso, Dennis and Petite Garcia with grandsons Nathan and Daniel.

Among those present, too, were Hans and Gilda Lienaw, Nena Espina Garcia with Montito and Liz Garcia, David and Mercedes Estida with their Ainhoa, Choco Laplana, Terry Manguerra with granddaughters Paloma and Sofia Luna, and Chinggay Utzurrum.

Liloan Mayor Duke Frasco received a rush of congratulations for being one of the 10 Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines, with wife Christina and daughter Sofia beside him.

More guests included Grant and Nina Clark, Michael and Rose Hennessy, Acou and Hiroko Sato, Monina Ouano, Ning Ning Salcedo, Gina Kahler, Colleen Garcia, Sam and Menchu Razavi with their Eli, and many more.

Dunlopillo
Dunlopillo opened its plush store of first-class mattresses and pillows at the Ayala Center Cebu. An elegant crowd attended, led by Amparito Llamas Lhuillier and Teresin Mendezona, who at the end of the party declared she had tried out every bed.

Welcoming all were Dunlopillo’s managing directors for the Philippines Imelda Chan and Jam Chan, along with regional sales vice president for Asia Kenneth Alphonso and Dunlopillo International president Borja Garcia.

Garcia is a personable young man whose family is from Zaragoza, Spain, and owns Pikolin, leader in the manufacture and sales of the finest rubber mattresses and bed equipment. Borja is based in Malaysia. This was his first visit to Cebu, and he promises to return.

Being an A-list event, present were Kaye Luym Sala and Cybill Gayatin Guynn, escorted by Kevin Guynn.

Seen: Christine Pelaez, Manolet and Lelet Heredia, Fremont Base, Hopee Solano, Lyndon Angan, Cathay Pacific’s Jasmine Chan and Connie Cimafranca, Marissa Fernan, Elvira Luym, Alice Plaza, Jaime Chua, Nilo and Angeli Domingo, Beth Tagulam, and many more.
BDO honors Lhuillier
Banco de Oro’s top executive at the Fuente Osmeña branch in Cebu City, Jesson Lim, hosted a lively dinner in honor of French Honorary Consul Michel Lhuillier and Amparito Llamas Lhuillier at Tea of Spring, the Chinese specialty restaurant at the Shangri-La Resort in Mactan.

It was a sort of belated birthday celebration for Michel, and well-wishers included sister-in-law Anna Marie Dizon, cousins Rosebud Sala and Margie Taylor, plus dear friends Teresin Mendezona, Carmen Campbell and Mitos Montilla here to escape the harsh winter in Cuenca, Spain, where she habitually resides.

The menu was a gourmet’s dream come true, starting with roast duck salad, deep-fried crispy bean curd skin and tossed jellyfish with vegetables.

After the pumpkin soup with scallops and crab meat came the main courses: deep-fried chicken with lemon sauce, seafood roll wrapped in bacon, steamed crab with egg white sauce, diced tenderloin with bell peppers, braised bean curd with broccoli oyster sauce, and fried rice with fish, prawns and crab meat. Dessert was glutinous rice with ice cream.

Jesson Lim was all smiles as we thanked him with the rejoinder, “Same time and place, next year.”