The white house in Cubao is bustling again
Fifteen years ago, when Jorge Araneta was 75 years old, he stood with my brother-in-law Speaker Sonny Belmonte, Stella Marquez Araneta, and Tessie Sy-Coson as ninongs and ninangs at the wedding of my only child Vernon Go and Happee Sy at the Holy Trinity Church on Mckinley Road in Makati.
This year, he just celebrated his 90th birthday with his buddies, business associates and family. He had only two siblings, Judy Araneta Roxas and Maria Lourdes “Baby” Araneta Fores, who sadly both passed away in 2025 and 2023, respectively.
His nephew Mar Roxas was busy greeting guests when I arrived at 7:15 p.m., and though the invitation was for 7 p.m., the place was already half packed.
Jorge has been our friend even before Vernon’s wedding since both Jorge and Vernon enjoy vintage wine. Vernon truly admired Jorge to have featured him in a four consecutive-page spread of just his photos in different poses in the Philippines Yearbook.
When Vernon and Happee expanded PULP Live World to become the first producer of K-pop in the country, we met with Jorge to produce Super Junior at Smart Araneta Coliseum. In fact, I had the privilege to sit with Jorge and Stella in their special booth. They were utterly impressed as the egress took an entire week to set up and before K-pop concerts were a lot simpler.
Jorge “Nene” Araneta chairs the Araneta Group of Companies which engages in property development and hospitality which also encompasses food and dining, such as Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and Dairy Queen, entertainment, leisure, and philanthropy.
I told him he is my “idol,” and I shall aim to be still hands-on when I’m 90 like him. His large dining room with a long wooden table was siksik with delicious food of all sorts. Being a foodie, I absolutely enjoyed it. Dessert was in another room which I chose to skip and just got a bowl of salad for my dessert. Even the dressing was yummy.
One of his best friends and partners, Andrew Tan, CEO of Alliance Global Group and Megaworld Corporation, even sang an a cappella solo for Nene’s birthday, followed by a video show and the first photo was not of the birthday celebrant but of Stella Marquez Araneta when she was Miss Colombia and Miss International. Stella was so stunningly beautiful, we all gasped and clapped so loudly yet it did not drown out Jorge’s “Amore,” my love.
Jorge’s parting words to all of us was, “May the last face you see be mine.”
It was, indeed, a most enjoyable and memorable 90th birthday celebration.
