High tea for Georgina Zobel Padilla
Georgina Zobel Padilla has always loved the Philippines, having been born here with wonderful memories of her childhood. It was her good friend, Conchitina Sevilla Bernardo, who made sure to gather a small group of amigas — led by former ambassador to Spain Isabel Caro Wilson, Olivia Romulo, Marylou Lovina, Marga Ortigas, Isabel Guevara, Eva Abesamis, and Miren Berenguer Testa — for high tea at Chef Jessie.
During the afternoon, Georgina spoke fondly of her maternal abuela Doña Fermina Montojo y Torrontegui (second wife of Don Enrique Zobel de Ayala), who would take her out every Sunday to watch a movie, shop at Aguinaldo’s and bond for many hours until it was time to bring her home in the late afternoon.
Schooling in Assumption was delightful, even acing her Tagalog classes with the help of the nuns. At 12 years old, she was sent to a French boarding school but disliked the coldness of the weather, matched with the unfriendliness of the nuns. Moving to an English boarding school was a better alternative. Yet the Philippines has always held a special place in her heart, so she makes sure to spend as much time as she can here despite her numerous residences in Spain.
It has fallen on the shoulders of Georgina and her brother Alejandro Z. Padilla to undertake the Premio Zobel, which was founded in 1920 by their grandfather Enrique Zobel de Ayala to propagate the Spanish language and Hispanic culture in the Philippines. This award, given to the best writing by Filipinos in the Spanish language, is the oldest literary endowment in the country and the only literary prize in Asia that promotes Spanish literature.
Recent winners include Lina Obieta Sevilla, Rosario Manalo, Isabel Caro Wilson, Francisco Delgado, Blas Ople, Jaime Cardinal Sin, Napoleon Rama, Alejandro Roces, Rosalinda Orosa, and Raul Manglapus.
“Georgina is the prime mover of preserving the Spanish language in the Philippines,” Conchitina enthused. “With her brother Alejandro, they sponsored the Premio Zobel, the oldest literary award in the Philippines. She is a main member of the Instituto Española here in the Philippines. She works ceaselessly to help cultural development exchanges between Spain and the Philippines.”
A resort-ful day with Anya
A visit to the serene and lush Anya Resort Tagaytay is the perfect respite from the hustle and bustle of city life. As we left Makati on a Monday late morning, it took barely an hour to reach our destination. We were welcomed by a gentle breeze and immediately offered a tall glass of the sweetest and freshest pineapple juice by an attentive staff. We later learned that these pineapples are grown in the area, so a mental note was made to buy them on our way home.
Since it was lunchtime, host Toni Gregory Palenzuela made sure that a table was ready at Samira, the award-winning dining outlet by chef Chele Gonzalez. Everyone was in agreement that it certainly was worth the trip, with the special culinary delights laid out: a tapas platter, fresh salad greens from Anya’s garden, a delicious paella accented with crispy chipirones accompanied by succulent and tender rib-eye chuletons that satisfied our group of nine very hungry ladies.
Touring the resort was the perfect ending to the delectable meal, as we rode several buggies that brought us around the seven-hectare verdant estate encompassing 81 beautiful suites, an herb garden, and the relaxing Niyama spa.
Resident manager Melody Amacio informed us that weekends are oftentimes full-house, so we all were in agreement to return on a weekday to experience another relaxing stay at Anya Resort.
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For information, visit www.anyaresorts.com.
