Believe the best of everybody.” – Rudyard Kipling
Established in 1913, the Order of Quissam Alaouite or The Royal Order of Al-Alouie was given by the command of the King of Morocco to civilians and military officers who have either displayed the spirit of true heroism in combat or have shown exemplary and meritorious service to the country.
In a special private cocktail reception at South Forbes Park, Sta. Elena Properties president and Rustan Group of Companies member of the board Bienvenido “Rico” Tantoco Jr., was recently honored for his loyal and dedicated work as consul general ad honorem of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Republic of the Philippines. Moroccan Ambassador Dr. Samir Arrour (in behalf of His Majesty King Mohammed VI) conferred to honorable Bienvenido Tantoco Jr. the military decoration for Quissam Alaouite Grand Officer in appreciation of his commendable service to the said state. The memorable moment was joyfully witnessed by the honoree’s family members including his father Rustan Group of Companies chairman Ambassador Bienvenido Tantoco Sr., his wife Nena, eldest son Donnie and wife Crickette, sons Robbie, Gippy with wife Hindy, Paolo with wife Dina, daughters Bea and Katrina with husband Paolo Lobregat. Also in attendance during the special evening were guests from the diplomatic circles including United Arab Emirates Ambassador Moosa Abdulwahid Alkhajah, Qatari Ambassador Abdulla Ahmed Yousif Al-Mutawaa, Kuwait Ambassador Waleed Ahmad Alkandari and Bruneian Ambassador Malai Halimah Yusoff.
To our dear friend Rico, congratulations!
Experiencing Webber in Sydney
Lunchbox Theatrical Productions, in partnership with Philippine Airlines (PAL), sent a group of Manila journalists to a special preview of the spectacular masterpiece The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber at the Lyric Theatre in Sydney, Australia. The members of the media were captivated watching the finest Australian theatrical performers reliving Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 14 most timeless Broadway hits. They were also treated to a majestic cruise and captivating city tour of some of its famous landmarks.
The finest of them all
Congratulations to the brilliant Gianna “Ginny” Maceda who graduated valedictorian among 132 Sacred Heart Preparatory students during the 113th commencement ceremony on the Sacred Heart Schools campus in Atherton, California. Gianna is enrolled to attend Yale University in the Fall. Proud parents Manny and Lyra Maceda and beaming grandparents Ernest Rufino Jr., and Josie Padilla Rufino as well as Marichu and Ernie Maceda couldn’t be happier for Ginny.
Greetings
Happy birthday to our celebrators today, Louie Ablaza, Vicky Veloso-Barrera, Viring Ongkeko, Tommy Manotoc and Edgardo Tordesillas.
Advance birthday greetings to The Bellevue Hotel GM Patrick Chan, former Vice President Teofisto “Tito” Guingona, Peter Go Pailan and Johnny Velasquez, July 4; Ramon Atayde, Kitty Jacinto and Antonio Roxas-Chua Jr., July 7; Rafael “Paing” Hechanova, Andrew de los Reyes and Alfonso Reyno Jr., July 8; former Foreign Affairs Secretary and former Ambassador to Japan Domingo Siazon Jr., Edward Go and London MBA graduate Cheryl de Leon, July 9.
So, how was your week?
(For comments or inquiries, please e-mail me at jjlitton@indanet.com)