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Thursday, June 29, 2006
Magsaysay: Francophiles!
By Jo Magsaysay
Whatever
To launch Project: Alliance Francaise de Cebu, and to meet M. Francois Blamont, Conseiller de Cooperation et d’action culturelle, Y. Marie Simon gave a small reception at her St. Michael Village residence last week.
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Like something out of a French impressionist painting, the skylight and spotlights over the atrium of her house caught flashes of sparkling water cascading into the crystal blue of the swimming pool, framed by emerald green ferns, provided a brilliant setting for the cocktail reception. And like something out of a French fashion magazine, Yvette Marie, in a black halter top and fluid white palazzo, met her guests, introducing them to Monsieur Blamont and Fr. Jeanne De Senac of the aristocratic Senac vineyard family, promptly leading the guests to the alcove, where her mother Marcelina Aballe Alfon sat ensconced in her wheelchair as it were her throne. Marcing, as pretty and charming as she was before a fatal stroke robbed her of her speech and mobility, greeted each and everyone who gave obeisance to her honored role. Mayor Tommy Osmeña, with a courtly bow, gallantly kissed her hand and muttered his greetings when Yvette introduced him to her.
Including me. Hizzoner tightened his lips and with a barely perceptible scowl murmured, ‘I know her.’ Tommy does know me indeed, his expression clearly impressionistic. Vice-Mayor Mike Rama, his wide smile lighting up his face and the dim alcove, not only kissed Marcing’s hand but kissed her cheek as well, "She’s my Tita on both sides of the family". The sight of Governor Gwen Garcia moved Mrs. Alfon to tearful sobs, no doubt recalling her kinship with Gwen’s mom, Inday Esperanza Fiel Garcia and the old days. The sight of Gwen was gladdening. It appears her physical attributes grow lovelier as her official stature grows stronger with every significant accomplishment she does for the people and the province. The city’s first lady, Margot Osmeña, fashionably turned out in black and silver and scintillating, greeting all and sundry with her megawatt smile.
Speaking persuasively, if not fluently, in French-accented English, Monsieur Blamont stressed the importance of cooperation in economics, education, social and cultural efforts between Cebu and France, the Alliance Francaise, being here to foster this relationship. No better representation than this alliance is exemplified than Yvette Marie, who is Cebuana and French in one gorgeous person. Growing up in Cebu, daughter of the late Santos "Boy" Alfon, a prominent architect in his time, Yvette was a popular campus coed in USC where she joined the dance troupe and performed at the Osaka World Tour, and sometime later, she became Mutya ng Pilipinas, captivating so many admirers...then Senator Ponce Enrile among them. Cebu lost her to France when she married the French Consul and moved up to Paris where they raised a family of three beautiful daughters, one of them recently sporting a huge diamond engagement ring. Living in Paris for 30 years, she speaks exquisite French, of course, better than most natives (or so I am told by Susan Garcia Farrarons, herself having made Paris her home for 23 years). Susan is the daughter of another old friend, Lourdes Pages, and the wife of Enrique "Kito" Farrarons, top honcho of UCPB in Paris where they raised their children, Chevaz, a Citbibanker married to Annette, a Scandinavian beauty, with whom he has a daughter Linnea. Another son, Chippy, is a trader in Singapore and a daughter, Chelo, is an artist-illustrator of children’s books published by McMillan Publishing House.
Another Cebuana making a name for herself in Paris is Ophelia "Chichi" Fadullon Lizot, author of short stories about Flipinos in France and wife of a French engineer who restructured the Swiss Canal.
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Living in Paris where one of her three apartments is within kissing distance from the Louvre, Yvette Marie, making her daily haunts in the museum, has been absorbing the rich culture and arts of France. When, therefore, during the celebration of the French Spring in Manila, when the Alliance Francais and the French Embassy presented the etchings and lithographs of major French contemporaneous artistes, who but Madamme Marie Simon would be chosen curator of the exhibited works of Corneille, Weisbuch, Engel, Hasegawa, Gaveaum Caguila, Tobiasse that have become part of the permanent collection of the major modern art museums worldwide. A woman of beauty, a woman of substance.
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Still another woman of substance, Amparito Lhuillier. Oh no... not because she is gorgeous, which she is; not because she is a fashion icon – that she is, too. Amparito, to put it simply, cares and shares. Her unrelenting efforts to improve the quality of life of the underprivileged is not as well known as it should be, which is good because she prefers to keep her left hand unaware of what her right hand is doing. Her sponsoring USJ-R scholars is one of her active involvements in helping others.
Her adoption of a whole Gawad Kalinga village, some twenty houses for the needy, should be another to impress even the skeptical. Of course, the formidable fortune of the Lhuilliers is legendary, so what if there’s a mansion a-building in Ma. Luisa Park, so what if she shuttles to and from USA and Europe as if they were her backdoor to visit her grandchildren (there are nine, I understand)... one is Monique’s heir in the USA, and the other–Yvette’s infant daughter in Paris. The good Lord has poured abundant blessings upon them and they share just as boundlessly with those who are less fortunate.
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To complement the Creative Cuisine spread, up to par as usual, Michel Lhuillier brought the superb wines and the champagne.
Circulating among her guests, Yvette Marie had a word or two with Marissa Fernan, her classmate in Ateneo U., Ada Martinez, with whom she plays an occasional golf game in Country Club; with Dr. Ivan Mendoza and his elfin wife, Ninette, a first cousin of Yvette; with Architects Omar Maxwell Espina and Carlito Co, a bashful young man who wrought magic in the remodeling of her house; with Johnny Siao, whose immense mansion on the village is equipped with a jacuzzi in each of the 10 bedrooms. Engaging Monsieur Blamont in an animated conversation on cultural exchange, Juliet Basa, her poise and strong personality, her silvery curls and precise speech, gave her away as a retired school ma’am, wanted to know if Alain Delon, the movie idol of yesteryears, would or could come on a cultural exchange program.
Vicky Hermosisima, a torrent of beautiful French dazzling Monsieur Blamont, expressed great interest in the Alliance. He presented her with a roll of posters for display. A Francophile, who lived and studied in Paris for 3 years, Vicky, another awesome personality, as SEC legal eagle, hopes she can brush up on her French every chance she gets just so "I don’t get rusty", exchanged notes on massage with another Francophile, Fe Sala-Villarica, one of the moving spirits in Alliance Francaise in Fr. Baur’s time. Seems everyone is looking forward to another French cultural exhibit soon under Yvette Marie’s banner.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (June 29, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
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