My City, My SM launch highlights the best of Cebu
MANILA, Philippines - The recent launching of My City, My SM at the Northwing of SM City Cebu celebrated the best of the Queen City of the South — its history, its music, its artistry, and vibrant spirit of entrepreneurship.
The event, which is a collaboration of SM and the Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, highlighted Cebu, Cebu, with exhibits and performances of world-class talents from the country’s oldest city, which is a bustling metropolis with its own international airport.
SM paid tribute to Cebu where it has its fourth largest supermall in the My City, My SM campaign featuring Teresin Mendezona, the doyenne of social gatherings in the city; and the Aldeguer brothers Jay, Michael, and Chris, who through their diverse businesses showcase its bustling economy.
Just in time for the upcoming Sinulog Festival, the program featured a dazzling fashion show by designer Philip Rodriguez and show-stopping musical performances by Dulce, Raki Vega, and Eva Santos, who have made all Filipinos proud by winning major international music festivals. The Peace Philharmonic Double String Quartet provided the music during the event, which was highlighted by a tribute to global Cebuanos — master artist Romulo Galicano, internationally acclaimed furniture designer Kenneth Cobonpue, fashion czar Philip Rodriguez, master photographer Billy Mondonedo, jewelry designer Annie Chen, Dulce, Raki Vega, Eva Santos, the Aldeguer brothers, and Teresin Mendezona. Cebu City First Lady Margot Osmeña and SM Prime Holdings vice president Marissa Fernan led the star-studded tribute.
Mallgoers also had the rare opportunity to appreciate the best talents in Cebu in the exhibit, which is on view until today, Jan. 17, at the Northwing Atrium of SM City Cebu. These included paintings by Romulo Galicano, a son of Carcar, Cebu, who is undoubtedly the most sought after portraitist with his ability to capture not only the likeness, but also the soul and personality of the sitter. His portrait of Eddie Chua received top honors in the prestigious 2005 Portrait Society of America Competition in Boston.
The exhibit also included a showcase of the world- class furniture of internationally acclaimed designer Kenneth Cobonpue, including the Bloom chair, which was awarded the Coup d’Cour prize by Home Magazine at the September 2009 Maison et Object Show in Paris. Kenneth, whose mother Betty Cobonpue, founded a furniture and manufacturing company known for its innovative use of rattan, studied in the Pratt Institute for Industrial Design. Upon returning to Cebu, he integrated his traditional design heritage with his industrial training, using a wide array of native, natural materials like palms, seagrasses, bamboo, abaca, and rattan in his works. The results reflect his mixed background with certain pieces looking like they belong in a thatched hut in the tropics, while others look for a starkly minimalist office or modern home.
Annie Chen’s limited-edition solid sterling jewelry and accessories in precious stones, and Billy Mondonedo’s breathtaking photographs from the Cebu: Pride of Place book were also showcased, as were the gowns of Sinulog queens.
The Cebu launch was the second in the My City, My SM campaign, wherein prominent personalities from key cities in the Philippines take the reader through a visual tour of his or her city and SM. The first, I Left My Heart in San Fernando, which was launched in SM City Pampanga, featured internationally acclaimed director Brillante Mendoza and Mutya ng Kampampangan 2006 Nicolette Henson.
