Thursday, May 08, 2008 Utzurrum: Iconic sapphires and a Santacruzan By Chinggay V. Utzurrum The scene
CLOTHERS for Life Foundation (CLF), the Hotel, Resort & Restaurant Associationn of Cebu (HRRAC) and Marco Polo Plaza Hotel Cebu (MPPHC), in cooperation with Smart Communications bring to focus once more the culture, heritage and tradition of the spectacular Santacruzan, on Saturday, May 10 at MPPHC.
Guests will be treated to a feast of fashion and flowers as 35 reinas (queens) and sagalas (personages in social and religious history) parade in a semi-procession, under floral arches. The parade will be led by the glamorous Mariquita Salimbangon-Yeung as Reina Emperatriz. Her court of honor includes Fiona King as Reina Elena and the lovely sagalas dressed to the nines by Cebu’s top couturiers. As this is a Maytime festival, various titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the litany, biblical and historical events, are represented by the sagalas.
The Santacruzan, as we observe in this city, is not only a religious and cultural feast, but also a fund-raising event for the following beneficiaries: Operation Smile, Clothes For Life Foundation, and the Mission Society of the Philippines, the latter being a group of Filipino missionary priests who spread the word of God in Asia and the Pacific region.
Tickets for this glittering event are at P800 per person inclusive of dinner and raffle, and available at the following outlets: MPPHC, Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, and from the participating designers of CLF.
******
Nokia, as we’re all familiar with, is the world leader in mobility, driving the growth of the converging Internet and communications industries. The conglomerate manufactures a wide range of mobile devices and provides people with experience in music, video, TV, and other businesses and imaging games through these devices.
The company recently upped the ante in style and sophistication when it launched its latest gem, the Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte at the posh Marquee of Shangri-La’s Mactan Island Resort and Spa.
They chose eight, a lucky number in any calendar, iconic Cebuanos to be part of Nokia’s Movement of 8. Each one of the eight Cebuanos had a distinct personality bound by passion and desire to live a life of significance and style, and represented also a unique feature of the Nokia 8800 Sapphire Arte.
A party Cebuanos will not easily forget, the event was graced by Nokia general manager William Hamilton Whyte and his wife, Angelique Repapis. No less than super-emcee Bunny Pages added zest and zing to the posh affair.
And just who are these eight icons?
As a philantropist, Mariquita S. Yeung harneses material wealth and tempers it with social responsibility. As founder of the MSY Charitable foundation (named after her initials), she sponsors the yearly Operation Smile project.
Very much like the Nokia strength of materials, leather, metal and glass, entrepreneur Glenn Soco, stands out as managing four companies. Youthful and athletic, her runs Cebu’s biggest manpower service group, owns and manages the Coffee Dream chain, and G.A. Satellite Ventures.
An epitome of physical, as well as inner beauty, is former beauty title holder Yedda Kittilsvedt-Romualdez, whose titles also include her socio-civic activities through her husband’s (Rep. Martin Romualdez of Leyte) projects.
Like Yedda’s inner beauty, Nokia boasts of a stunning Oled display and 1 GB built-in memory.
Knowing what you want, and having the passion to go for it, is what characterizes and separates businessman John Paul Chiongbian from the crowd. He is CEO of Formo, Club Vudu, Paseo and Holy Kettle Corn.
Similarly, the Nokia 8800 Sapphire heats up, through an exclusive soundtrack of graphic grooves from master producers Kruder & Dorfmeister.
Art? Nokia has it all: celebrating the art of individuality, by way of natural light and the way it reflects, flickers and glows.
The Sapphire Arte translates something rare, like Marguerite Lhuillier, who’s the exclusive designer and president of Infini Handicrafts Collection.
Margie, as she’s popularly known, was awarded by the Philippine Cancer Society as one of the Best Dressed Women of the Philippines.
As president and chief designer of Kenneth Cobonpue Furniture, Kenneth C’s talent as a craftsman is his ability to create masterpieces with exquisite attention to detail. Testament to this is the many local and international awards he has received. Just like the Sapphire, which utilizes premium leather from Eastern India, Kenneth’s top-of-the-line materials also include leather and precious stones.
The Nokia 8800 uses a range of accessories, including touch-sensitive volume control earpiece, stylish desk stand etc. which makes it similar to Butch Carungay’s Avatar Accessories Inc.’s materials. He has at least a dozen various local and international awards for his one-of-a-kind jewelry!
When people’s voices and actions change at the wave of your hand, and your presence at an event causes people to look and listen, you are influential, just like our Gov. Gwen Garcia, the first female governor of Cebu. As user of many hats, Gov. Gwen’s sphere of influence is far and wide! But she, too, can wave her hand and quiet things down. Just like the Nokia, with its unique silencing mechanism, which is activated when the Sapphire Arte is turned over, screen down!
All the eight icons occupied round tables and had eight chosen guests, courtesy of the company, and that’s not all. The lucky eight each received a gem of gift, the Sapphire cell phone itself!
