My encounter with a winemaker

I loved her stiletto boots. There’s something about pointed boots that make women sexy and powerful. And Laurie Hook is both sexy and powerful. She also happens to be one of the world’s best winemakers. Based in the Napa Valley in California, Laurie makes some of the best tasting wines for Beringer. On Private Conversations with Boy Abunda (PCBA), we talked about wines and vines and grapes and soil – elements integral to winemaking. Now every time I go to a bar or restaurant, I ask for Red Beringer wine. Laurie, without trying very hard, converted me to Beringer. I love red wine. But I’m far from being a connoisseur. There are wines I like and some I don’t. How do I know? I simply taste them. There are those that my Samareño palate likes while some just violate my taste buds. Beringer caresses. And yes, it has something to do with Laurie Hook, who in that conversation, made me respect the art of winemaking. That like artistic endeavors, it takes a lot of instinct and risk to do great wines. And there is Mother Nature that expert winemakers respect. The vines, the fruits are affected by the sun, the wind and the earth. Winemakers Mother Nature so that the best grapes would grow. Great winemakers love the earth. They know that the earth produces the grapes that make the best wine. Listening to Laurie was completely fascinating and you know that she is a lady who truly loves what she does. From the opening of the bottle, to the swirling and enjoying the aroma of great wine – I had a blast with Laurie Hook.

Thank you Kathy Yao Santos of Happy Living Philippines Corp. for bringing Laurie into my life!

Another Love Story

There is a love story like many others. Don Ramon Bagatsing, grandson of the beloved former Mayor of Manila Ramon Bagatsing, met Grace Custodio on a blind date arranged by friends when she came home to Manila from the US. They were both very young then, barely in their twenties. Grace and her family were based in the US. She was studying in UCLA. After meeting Don, she was relentlessly pursued by the young man who eventually decided to study in California to be near her.

When Don returned to Manila, he wooed Grace by telephone (twice a day), and letters (at least one letter a day), until she finally gave in and decided he was the man for her. Grace left her job and her family, and came over to Manila to be with Don. They are now married with a little son named Donito. Grace has no regrets. Even now that Don is running for vice-mayor of the City of Manila under Mayor Lito Atienza’s party, Grace is giving him her full support. She goes with him to feeding programs, vaccination projects, and to the "Buhayin ang Maynila" sorties in support of Mayor Atienza’s prime project.

She yearns to be a role model, to be totally supportive of her husband’s endeavors, to be a little like Mrs. Atienza, who advises her, "Treat your husband like a King, so he would treat you like a Queen and always include God in your relationship and you’ll never go wrong."

Don, for his part, is proud of his wife’s accomplishments and her support. He gives Grace credit for his many successes.

Don topped the race for councilor on his first term when he was 23, the youngest ever in the City of Manila. Today, at 29, he is still considered by his opponents as too young for the role of vice-mayor – inexperienced and immature.

"It’s exactly the same situation when I was running for councilor," he muses. But Don believes he has proven his detractors wrong. The fact that Mayor Atienza chose him to be his running mate over many others is testimony to his capabilities as a public servant.

Don is excited about the many challenges he would face if and when he gets elected as vice-mayor. The Manila beautification project has now extended to Rizal Avenue, and he says will eventually include Escolta, Mehan Gardens, Recto, and the Central Market area.

Programs will also include setting up of public libraries in public schools and public places. My beloved Metropolitan Theater will soon be converted into a public theater for the masses, after a Memorandum of Agreement was made between the City government and the GSIS. These and other problems like poverty, peace and order and unemployment will also have to be addressed to make the city a proud example to the world.

Papogi On ABS

Know the secrets behind the marketing and packaging of a leader as Papogi: The Imaging of Philippine Presidents starts airing tonight at 9 on ABS-CBN.

Produced by the Philippine Institute for Investigative Journalism, Papogi is a 90-minute documentary that chronicles and analyzes the modern Philippine presidential elections’ long history of image and myth making for various candidates who have sought the most powerful political position in the country.

Aired by ABS-CBN as part of its special election coverage, Papogi shows the striking parallelisms of how presidential candidates (from the time of Manuel Quezon to Joseph Estrada) have been packaged, launched and marketed to win votes.

Using rare archival footage and photos, Papogi will show the reel and real images of past presidential candidates who made it to Malacañang and will feature insightful interviews with key image-makers and communication specialists who have been instrumental in manufacturing the "stagecraft" of successful presidential candidates. Political analysts Adrian Cristobal and Manolo Quezon, and the country’s first Press Secretary (under President Ramon Magsaysay) Dindo Gonzales, will also appear in the documentary.

Papogi’s script and narration is by multi-awarded screenwriter/director Jose Javier Reyes. Direction is by Antonio Jose "Butch" Perez.