These days, you can easily see that the social life of the metro is breathing again. After being empty for more than two years, my social diary is filling up day by day… and I’m not complaining. It feels good to be able to interact face-to-face with friends, after being entirely dependent on Wi-Fi connections just to say “hello” to people we know.

Song of the Negroes

The newly reopened Ayala Museum recently hosted its first event for the well-attended launch of Dr. Victoria Bantug Hoffarth’s latest book, Song of Negros: Myths and Culture in the Philippines. It contains fifteen beautifully illustrated myths, legends and folk tales of Negros and explains the significance of these tales to the culture of the provinces in particular and the Philippines in general.

Former Tourism Secretary Narzalina Lim moderated the afternoon program and introduced the event’s keynote speaker, Dr. Rene Samaniego, a prominent psychiatrist and psychotherapist at Makati Medical Center. He said that mythology is a projection of our unconscious, representing the totality of human experience.

The author, Dr. Hoffarth, grew up in Victorias, Negros Occidental, and left his province to study at Maryknoll College in Manila, then to New York for a master’s degree in psychology from Columbia University and a doctorate in media. New York University Ecology.

Married to a German economist, she spent many years in Europe teaching in business schools and advising on women in management. She now divides her time between Manila, London and with her son in Berlin.

Song of Negros: Myths and Culture in the Philippines is now available at all fully booked stores nationwide.

Virtus Awards 2022

The 43-year-old Hotel Sales and Marketing Association launched its prestigious 2022 Virtus Awards at its first face-to-face general membership meeting of the year at the newly opened Kingsford Hotel Manila.

With the theme “Breakthrough 2022”, this year’s awards, which will be presented in a live ceremony on October 25, will highlight the efforts of hotel sales and marketing professionals across the country to be freed from the shackles of various global quarantine restrictions.

The keynote speaker for the event was Rosvi Gaetos, Deputy Secretary of the Trade and Investment Promotion Group of the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Fresh out of our country’s participation in the Dubai Expo, Asec. Gaetos shared with HSMA members the outstanding developments and pavilions at Expo as well as the opportunities and ideas that our local hoteliers could learn from.

With support from the Ministry of Tourism, Tourism Promotions Board, Atlantis, Bambunet and Kingsford Hotel Manila, this year’s Virtus Awards promise to uncover another group of outstanding hotel executives, who are at the center of the industry world-renowned hotel company in our country.

The annual search for these exceptional icons of hospitality is under the auspices of Rose Libongco, President of the Virtus Prize; Margie Munsayac, President of the HSMA; and Benjie Martinez, president of HSMA.

Information on eligibility and entry requirements for the Virtus Awards can be obtained at www.hsma.org.ph.

Maria’s room

Acclaimed international entrepreneur Maria Ozawa, in partnership with M88 Mansion, Asia’s premier gaming destination, recently launched Maria’s Room at The Cove of Okada Manila, in a scintillating event titled “One Night Only: Live In Manila”.

Maria’s Room is a dedicated online game portal designed by M88 Mansion and offers exciting online games recommended by Maria Ozawa herself. It guarantees excellent and engaging games for players and also features exclusive videos and photo gallery of Ozawa.

During the launch, M88 Mansion also featured exclusive workout kits, inspired by health and fitness enthusiast Ozawa, through her “Monday Mornings with Maria” on Facebook and her Youtube channel. These and many more are in Maria’s room which anyone can access via https://m88.com/maria-ozawa

YOUR MONDAY LAUGHTER

I was having dinner with Garry Kasparov (world chess champion) and our table was covered with a checkered tablecloth. It took him two hours to pass me the salt!

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