A night of fun-fare

For the first time in my life, I got to see a four-inch electric fan. And I asked, “Where do you use it?” It has a 220 socket and functions like a regular electric fan. It also looks like an industrial fan and a desk fan rolled into one. The cute fan is an innovation of Nikon, one of the leading manufacturers of home appliances in the country.

A month ago, I hosted the Nikon dealers’ night at the Crowne Plaza Hotel attended by over a hundred Nikon dealers all over the country. The celebration also coincided with Nikon’s 24th anniversary. It was great to see a company that started as a wall clock maker and later became a byword brand in every Filipino home. A decade after it started in 1985, Nikon grew to carry a wide range of household appliances including electric fans, gas stoves, rice cookers, oven toasters, blenders/juicers, flat irons and various household appliances.

A combination of dynamic management, continuous product innovation, extensive marketing and distribution and adherence to quality standards propelled the growth of Nikon, both as a company and a highly popular brand of quality yet affordable home appliances in the Philippine market.

Today, the Nikon brand which is stamped in its electric fans, kitchen appliances and house ware products has become synonymous to guaranteed quality and total service.

Nikon president Caroline Yao said that the event was being held to honor its dealers who deserve a much-needed break from the stress of the daily pressures of the retail business. The night was made memorable with the presence of Ogie Alcasid, Jon Santos and Tuesday Vargas. In contrast to last year’s celebration, no dealers’ plaques were awarded this year.

As part of the evening’s program, an audio-visual presentation was held showcasing the new products of Nikon particularly the new version of its patented unique 2-in-1 Oval 4 Way oscillation fan and water dispensers. There is also the big-motor industrial fan which packs a powerful punch in wind power performance.

To cap the evening, a grand prize raffle of a three-night-all expense-paid trip to Bangkok was raffled off and was won by Gaisano Davao representative Helen Alising.

I have been using Nikon electric fan since Nanay bought a unit in Tacloban many summers ago. And we have always been proud to be one of the first families in our town to own a Nikon electric fan.

Today, I am proud to be the Nikon boy.

Tanghalang Pilipino’s Pragres

After its successful run last year, Tanghalang Pilipino (TP), the resident theater company of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) is proud to present once more Pragres, a musical adaptation of Progress, a short story by National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose. The play will have its performance tour in various schools and venues around the country starting in May in connection with the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ 40th anniversary.

Set during Martial Law, Pragres is a hilarious satire on lazy government employees and the entire government bureaucracy under its “The New Society” slogan. It follows the travails of a provincial senior clerk who comes to Manila to seek the endorsement for her promotion. As she encounters one bureaucrat after another, she learns the “under-the-table” business up to the extent of prostituting herself to a sleazy department manager, the clerk drowns in incompetence and corruption. It is adapted for stage by Philippine High School for the Arts’ Dulaang Sipat Lawin Ensemble.

The tour will commence on May 8 at the National Arts Center (NAC), Mt. Makiling, Laguna. From June 17 to 20, the group will perform at the SM Rosales, Pangasinan and at the St. Louis University in Baguio City. In August, the group will also perform at the Philippine Normal University (PNU). The cast includes Skyzx Labastilla, Nar Cabico, and the Dulaang Sipat Lawin Ensemble. Originally directed by Herbie Go, the restaging will have Abner Delina as its repetiteur.

For details, call 832-3661 (telefax) or 832-1125 loc. 1620/1621 or e-mail at [email protected].