Fond memories of her growing-up years in Lahug (the 1950s and 1960s) prompted Pilar “Polly” Velez Garilao to ask her daughter Kara to write about the place. Since Kara had been spending vacations with the family in the Velez ancestral home in Lahug for many years, she took Mom’s request to heart and started the ball rolling for the book, “Lahug: Gikan Sa Tudling.”
As the project initiator, she organized a team of writers that included historians Katherine G. Lacson, Laya Boquiren Gonzales and Jeremy Gerald F. Clemente. Also on the writers’ list are Louella E. Alix, Noah Iñigo Toledo Tan, Virla Jeaeve Castillanes and Jay Nathan Jore. But, of course, Maria Karina “Kara” Velez Garilao (a heritage management and interpretation consultant with over 20 years of experience here and abroad) tops the list, not only as a writer but also as editor.
“Lahug: Gikan Sa Tudling” tells the story of Lahug from its beginnings through the succeeding years, all the way to the Lahug of today. Launching day was one of those occasions that saw families, former neighbors and longtime friends gathering to reconnect, reminisce about the good old days, and reflect on the changes in their beloved Lahug. The venue was Harold’s Hotel, which sits on a strategic corner in Lahug and was once upon a time the site of the Faelnar mansion.
***
Talk of the town is the newest award given to our Mactan-Cebu International Airport. For the second consecutive year, MCIA has been named Best Airport in Asia Pacific (5–15 Million Passenger Category) at the ASQ (Airport Service Quality) Customer Experience Award in Istanbul, Turkey, last week. MCIA was also given Level 3 Accreditation for Passenger Experience during the ongoing Airports Council International Airport Experience Summit 2026. These laudable achievements affirm the synergistic partnership between Aboitiz InfraCapital Airport Corporation, headed by ACAC GM Ricia Montero and the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority, under GM/CEO Julius Neri Jr.
***
Mott 32 at NUSTAR proudly offers a Seasonal Menu created by Group Executive Chef Lee Man Sing until Oct. 14. The exclusive limited-edition menu features exceptional ingredients associated with Chinese luxury dining, like codfish, grouper, crab meat, fish maw, mantis shrimp with roe, black truffle, abalone sauce and more. Michelin-starred Chef Lee uses refined techniques and a contemporary approach in his interpretation of Chinese cuisine.
The Seasonal Menu was launched during a lunch gathering of media personalities from Cebu and Manila. On hand to welcome the attendees were NUSTAR GM for Hotels Udo Wittich, VP-Marketing Vincent Fajardo, Senior PR Manager Apollo Santos and the marketing team. Flying in from Hong Kong were Pallava Goenka, CEO of Maximal Concepts (the hospitality group behind Mott 32) and Regional Marketing Director Gloria Law. Man of the hour was Chef Lee, who took time to explain every dish on the menu. He is truly a creative chef!