Celebrating camaraderie through golf

A gathering of noted individuals from the diplomatic and business circles took place at the Makati Shangri-La, Manila for the MercedesTrophy Sponsors and Champions Night. The said gathering was the kick-off event for the 9th MercedesTrophy Philippines, the annual golf tournament series organized by CATS Motors, Inc., the local general distributor of Mercedes-Benz. Past champions and VIPs celebrated with the current tournament sponsors and executives of CATS Motors, Inc. led by chairman Greg Yu, president and CEO Felix Ang and his lovely wife Grace, executive vice president Wilfredo Pe Jr. and public relations director and MercedesTrophy country captain Emy Arcilla. Among those in attendance were Japanese ambassador Toshinao Urabe, Indian ambassador L.D. Ralte, Pakistani ambassador Safdar Hayat, Indonesian ambassador Johny Lumintang and PLDT Enterprises International and Carrier business executive vice president and head Eric Alberto. Meanwhile, Makati Shangri-La general manager Alain Borgers, together with the hotel’s team of expert chefs, presented a mouthwatering array of hors d’ oeuvres to everyone present. The annual competition among Benz owners once again boasted of a huge number of participants for this year’s ninth edition making MercedesTrophy Philippines one of the highly-anticipated golf events in the country. Cheers to Greg, Felix, Wilfredo, Emy and the entire CATS Motors, Inc. team for this successful affair!

An unforgettable farewell

A farewell dinner was organized by gracious couple Israeli ambassador Menashe Bar-On and wife Eti in their opulent home in Makati for the highly-efficient Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) assistant secretary for the Office of Middle East and African Affairs Petronila Garcia. The said affair resembled a foreign diplomatic meeting as prominent names from the diplomatic, government and business circles were in attendance including US ambassador Philip Goldberg, Canadian ambassador Neil Reeder and wife Irene, Egyptian ambassador Mahmoud Mostafa Ahmed, Indian ambassador L.D. Ralte and wife Lal Thansiki, Mexican ambassador Julio Camarena, and Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario and wife Gretchen. Everyone was treated to a hearty feast of mouthwatering dishes while overflowing drinks were served throughout the evening. Cheers to Ambassador Menashe and Eti Bar-On for hosting this notable gathering!