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SPECIAL REPORT!

MOGULS ANDMADMEN

THE LOST PORTRAITS OF MANILA’S 400

Plus!

RAFAEL ALUNAN III ON APOCALYPSE MANAGEMENT MANOLO QUEZON ON TOMORROW’S PRESIDENTS KIM HENARES ON HUNTING DOWN TAX EVADERS ROGUE MAGAZINE / 220 PESOS

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Armida

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BY TATS MANAHAN

“He was a playboy like all Ponce Enriles.”

T

THE NEGROS BARON Who Became Long Island s

SIGUION-REYNA AN EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT

BIANCA KING Stalking

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARK NICDAO

CONTENTS I S S U E 74

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COVER STORY

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ANYWHERE BUT HERE With fame comes a different kind of power, one that celebrities wield with a certain degree of excess. But for Bianca King, the life of an actress is more than just being a celebrity. Now that she’s crossed network boundaries for her current show, she’s looking to explore more possibilities. Jansen Musico talks to her as she takes a bold step on a new journey.

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PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK NICDAO; BIANCA WEARS JUST CAVALLI PRINTED JEANS, CADA DIA & FALLON BRACELETS FROM CURA V

CONTENTS I S S U E 74

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FEATURES 94

THE SLANT Manolo Quezon on how the motivations of this generation could play a crucial role in nation building.

Danton S. Remoto tests his foresight on the presidential bets of the 2016 elections. Rafael Alunan III on how to strengthen our national security.

102

THE KING OF THE CREEKS Born into an affluent life in Negros, artist-collector Alfonso Ossorio carved his own path in the US, finally settling in his own kingdom in the Hamptons. Known for his extravagant parties, Ossorio’s 60-acre mansion was then the hub of artistic geniuses, such as de Kooning and Dubuffet. Tats Rejante Manahan uncovers Ossorio’s close, turbulent relationship with Jackson Pollock and his forgotten legacy in American art.

112

A 1942 portrait of Dunstan Thompson by the late Filipino artist and patron Alfonso Ossorio (page 102).

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PORTRAITS OF POWER During the post-war era of the Philippines, the world witnessed a young nation struggling to rebuild itself. Years later, the country enjoyed a period of luxury and glamour, a gilded age when society could personally invite photographers to chronicle political parries, parties, adventures, and achievements. Time and Life’s celebrated photographers captured these moments in our nation’s history—portraits of power of men and women from the early years of rebirth to a republic transitioning.

CONTENTS I S S U E 74

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Armida Siguion-Reyna (page 144) with Rosemarie Toda (left) and Inday Dizon (far right) in Rome, October 1963.

FEATURES 124

THE PRICE IS RIGHT Commissioner Kim Henares sees everything in black and white. Heading the Bureau of Internal Revenue with over 10,000 under her looking into the nation’s taxes—should we be scared or relieved?

144

WHO’S AFRAID OF ARMIDA? Before Armida Siguion-Reyna became the great voice behind Aawitan Kita, she was a New York-schooled politician’s daughter who dreamed of the operatic stage. Using exclusive excerpts from her soon-to-be-released biography by Nelson Navarro, the headstrong veteran, now 83, looks back on the halcyon days of her youth.

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A TIME TO BE CRITICAL DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman talks to Rogue about learning from Yolanda, rising above her critics, and planning better for the next climate catastrophe.

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CONTENTS I S S U E 74

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AGENDA 33 STILL LIVES More than capturing faces, these four artists create portraits that go beyond likeness and being.

38 ONCE YOU GO BLACK The south gets a new star neighborhood joint, The Black Pig. 42 THE WORLD OF WES We map out how each of Wes Anderson’s stars are connected in time for his new film, The Grand Budapest Hotel.

44 TROPICAL PUNCH Five local liquor brands that hype up the craft revolution.

46 GRILL SERGEANT Gostoso is the city’s new king of the grill.

48 MONKEY BUSINESS Take our quiz and test your knowledge on the biggest headlines of the past year.

50 THE JUICE PACK A lowdown on five of the freshest and vitamin-packed juices in the market.

Charcuterie and bar, The Black Pig, in Alabang (page 38).

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52 SO YOU WANT TO OVERTHROW A GOVERNMENT? Some of the best political commentators share their thoughts on their best reads.

NIKEVISION.COM

CONTENTS I S S U E 74

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SPACE 57 FROM THE GRASSROOTS A look into the homegrown lifestyle boutique, Urban Abode.

66 BATHS AND BEYOND Four designers show how an ordinary bathroom space can be a source of wonder.

62 WASTE DEEP Petit H Project recycles scraps from Hermès to make new pretty things.

68 THE LIFE ENIGMATIC Belgian architect Gert Voorjans, who has worked for Dries Van Noten and Nina Garcia, clues us in on his celebrated works.

64 A FLASH OF FICTION Mercedes-Benz’s new AMG Vision is a throwback to their Silver Arrow racecars.

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70 HEAR AND NOW A dynamic audio experience courtesy of Audeze’s LDC-X.

The Petit H team (page 62) of Hermès.

72 STAN IN REAL LIFE Stanley Ruiz, fresh from his wins in Italy and France, comes back to Manila to establish his own firm.

74 COPPER TONES Polished tones of bronze and brass give off a touch of modern edge to home décor.

CONTENTS I S S U E 74

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Mike Concepcion (page 86) at his optical salon, Ronnie & Joe.

THE EYE 81 CALL TO ARMS More than just accessories, these watches exude an air of might and authority.

86 THE EYES HAVE IT The newly opened optical salon Ronnie & Joe bring in a range of the really good stuff.

88 FAIR AND SQUARE Step up your A-game with one of the most indispensable pieces in your wardrobe, the pocket square.

90 MAKING THE CUT Felipe & Sons, the metro’s new “barberdashery,” and their serious yet elegant take on men’s grooming.

92 TABLE MANNERS What the desk of a man of influence and wisdom looks like.

154 AFTER MIDNIGHT An affair is a two-way street; a dangerous game played by two people in pursuit of power and pleasure. Witness as it burns and unravels in style.

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EDITOR IN CHIEF CREATIVE DIRECTOR MANAGING EDITOR ST YLE DIRECTOR ASSOCIATE EDITORS

PAOLO R. REYES MIGUEL MARI CARMEL A A. LOPA ANNA C. REYES MARA COSON NICOL A M. SEBASTIAN

ASSISTANT EDITOR EDITORIAL ASSISTANT CONTRIBUTING FEATURES EDITOR CONTRIBUTING ST YLE EDITOR EDITOR AT L ARGE

MICHELLE V. AYUYAO DON JAUCIAN RAYMOND ANG MANO LOTHO TEODORO LOCSIN, JR.

On The Cover Bianca King wears a Banggo Niu skirt; Joel Andrade leather bra top; Stella Luna black pumps from Adora Photographed by Mark Nicdao Styled by L.A. Consing Lopez Makeup by Jen Delica Hair by Celeste Tuviera

ART ART DIRECTOR SENIOR DESIGNER

MIGUEL LUGTU PATRICK DIOKNO

PHOTOGRAPHER AT L ARGE

MARK NICDAO

PHOTOGRAPHER

STEVE TIRONA

ILLUSTRATOR

MENEER MARCELO

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

CLINTON PAL ANCA, JAMES GABRILLO, TRICKIE LOPA, L.A. CONSING LOPEZ, TATS MANAHAN, TEDDY MONTELIBANO, NEAL OSHIMA, GUTSY TUASON, MARTIN VALDES, MARITES VITUG, JJ YULO

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

RAFAEL ALUNAN III, PAMEL A CORTEZ, CHIARA CUI, GINO DE L A PAZ, JEFF FRANCISCO, AMANDA L AGO, ARIANNA LIM, BIANCA LOCSIN, PETRA MAGNO, JANSEN MUSICO, NELSON A. NAVARRO, DANTON S. REMOTO, NASTASIA T YSMANS, MIGUEL ORTEGA, MANUEL L. QUEZON III

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS & ARTISTS

INTERNS

JOHANN BONA, EDRIC CHEN, BRIAN FONTANILL A, NORMAN LLESES, STEPH MANUEL, DAN MATUTINA, JASON QUIBIL AN, CARL A SEBASTIAN, CRES YULO SANTIAGO J. ARNAIZ, ISABEL BINAMIRA, FRUHLEIN ECONAR, MARIA GRIPPO, SAMANTHA MONTINOL A, JESS SANTIAGO, BIANCA YU

ROGUE MEDIA, INCORPORATED PUBLISHER ADVERTISING SALES DIRECTOR SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER ACCOUNT MANAGERS

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For subscriptions, back issues, bulk orders, and other circulation concerns please contact : Nikki Arriola at (632) 729-7747 and nikki@roguemag.net ROGUE MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED MONTHLY, ELEVEN TIMES PER YEAR. THE EDITORS AND PUBLISHERS OF THE MAGAZINE MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES IN RELATION TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THE ADVERTISEMENTS, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES ADVERTISED IN

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PIO ABAD, ERIKA G. AMBATALI OF SALON PRIVAT, KEVIN BARRIGA OF HARLEY-DAVIDSON OF MANIL A, JAY BAUTISTA OF HARLEY-DAVIDSON OF MANIL A, STEPHEN CARTER, RONNIE AND IDA HENARES, DORIS MAGSAYSAY-HO, ANGELINA LEGASPI, PAM DE LORIA, MARGA MADERA, AU MAURICIO OF JED ROOT, YUAN ONGPIN, ANCIE PAMINTUAN, JOYCE PL ATON OF SHU UEMURA, JOHN LEINARD RAMOS, MARY REYES, MICHAEL ROSENFELD GALLERY (NEW YORK), SABRINA YSABELLE REYES, DANIEL A SANAGU, VANESSA SANCHEZ, GIGI USON OF COCO NAILS, MONIQUE VILLONCO, ANITA LOPA-VISTAN, NIK SKALOMENOS DE YNCHAUSTI, INYAKI YUSON

IS FULLY PROTECTED BY COPYRIGHT, AND NO PART OF THIS MAGAZINE MAY BE USED OR REPRODUCED IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER WITHOUT THE WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE EDITORS AND PUBLISHERS.

I S S U E 74

THE EDITOR’S NOTE Ma rch 2 0 14

L

ast summer, on the early-morning train to Newport, Rhode Island to catch the finals of the Tennis Hall of Fame Championships, I was flipping through a dog-eared copy of the Amtrak magazine Arrive. My eyes landed on a headline that was hard to resist: “Angels, Demons, and Savages.”

The article was promoting an upcoming exhibition at the Southampton-based Parrish Art Museum: a three-man show of some 50 or so works by Jackson Pollock, Jean Dubuffet, and “Filipino artist and patron Alfonso Ossorio,” who was referred to as “the middleman” and “forgotten go-between” of the American abstract painter and the French avant-garde master.

I immediately reached for my phone and searched for an old, forgotten pitch by Rogue contributing editor Tats Manahan, who was involved in the restoration of Ossorio’s Church of the Angry Christ mural in Victorias City, Negros Occidental—sugar lands once under the control of the Ossorio-Yangco family.

For many years, Tats had been wanting to pen an investigative piece on this mysterious Harvard-educated fixture of Hamptons society—an eccentric, Gatsby-like figure whose extraordinary artistic output during the mid-20th century was as well-known as his wealth and $25 million estate on Long Island.

With the help of Rogue associate editor Mara Coson (who even flew to New York to meet with the directors and curators of the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery and Parrish Art Museum), Tats spent the last seven months stringing together a thrilling, page-turning feature, “The King of the Creeks” (page 102), which almost reads like fiction.

Over the holidays, journalist Nelson Navarro informed me that he had just completed the

28 M A R C H 2014

biography of Armida Siguion-Reyna, the feisty screen legend and former MTRCB chief. I told Nelson, who had previously written the 800-page memoir of Armida’s brother, Juan Ponce Enrile, that I was interested in running an excerpt before the book launch in April.

Thankfully Armida’s daughter, Monique Villonco, agreed. “An excerpt in Rogue would certainly be a good thing!” she told me a few days before Christmas.

I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Armida, although she was a great friend of my late grandmother, Norma Lopa—the lone bridesmaid in Armida’s 1951 wedding—who passed away before I was born. The surprisingly intimate excerpt, “Who’s Afraid of Armida?” (page 144), therefore became slightly personal as I foraged through the photos, news clippings, and final chapter drafts, where I discovered not only a different side of Armida, but also a new dimension to the grandmother I had never met.

“I’m having lunch with my mom now and told her about your big Rogue feature on her— she is so flattered,” Monique messaged me in late January as we were finalizing the story. “But when I told her who your grandmother was, she suddenly burst into tears! OMG. People around us are wondering what’s happening.”

The flashbacks may have overwhelmed her, I assumed. Nostalgia has the emotional power to do that. And it’s a power that I like to exploit in the magazine. I’ve always considered Rogue to be an ongoing biography of the personalities that color our age, published one month at a time.

And this month’s profiles on Alfonso Ossorio and Armida Siguion-Reyna—both rogues in their own right—are no exception.

Another story that I am very proud of is “Portraits of Power” (page 112), a very rare and handsome collection of photographs that

immortalize the movers and shakers of 1950s Manila—from Vicente Madrigal and Jose Yulo, to Vicky Quirino and Conching Sunico—all taken by the celebrated photojournalists of Time and Life magazines.

When I was in Yale, I had the privilege of attending a few media classes under Richard “Dick” Stolley, the great American journalist and former Editorial Director of Time and Life. One morning, over watered-down coffee at the Maurice Greenberg Center, Dick casually mentioned that, during the 50s and 60s, both magazines had dispatched their top photojournalists to Manila—“Asia’s diamond in the rough,” they called it—to capture the country’s postwar boom.

Later that day, I opted out of happy hour at BAR, a college dive on Crown Street that I frequented with my friends Dominik and Wendell, and chose instead to spend the better part of a beautiful New Haven day inside a fluorescent-lit cubicle of Sterling Library, hunched over a pile of books and a beat-up computer, as I hunted down these elusive photos.

I found nearly 90 of them, and made a mental note to publish them one day.

Last month, I was finally able to edit down my “collection” to 15 quietly powerful photographs with the help of Rogue art director Miguel Lugtu. They have not been in print for over 50 years, so I am quite happy to have them see the light of day again in the pages of Rogue.

Many thanks, Mr. Stolley.

Paolo R. Reyes Editor in Chief

PHOTOGRAPH BY MARK NICDAO

Angels, Demons, and Savages

THE GUEST LIST I S S U E 74

Ma rch 2 0 14

Nelson A. Navarro began his journalism career with Graphic magazine in 1968.

He co-founded the anti-martial law Ningas magazine and later served as columnist for major broadsheets and as co-anchor on ABS-CBN and GMA. He is an author of 11 books, including the biography of legendary journalist Max Soliven.

He edited the memoir of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and recently released his memoir The HalfRemembered Past.

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Manuel L. Quezon III is the chief speechwriter of President Aquino and is editor-in-chief of the Official Gazette (www. gov.ph). He continues to blog and write for publications from time to time to keep from getting rusty.

Edric Chen photographs a wide range of subjects including portraits, women, and travel.

When not on assignment, he spends his time wandering the streets of Manila and contemplating on his next trip. He runs a visual diary online at theedricchen.com.

Rafael “Raffy” Alunan III, served as interior and local government secretary during the Ramos administration.

He chaired the country’s anti-terrorist and national peace and order councils, and continues to interface with the national security community in his private capacity.

Danton S. Remoto is the head of news research at TV5 and anchor of Remoto Control at Radyo 5, 92.3 News FM. He also has a news segment in Andar ng mga Balita and writes a column for www. interaksyon.com. Both are also called Remoto Control. He founded Ladlad LGBP Party, which CNN called “the only gay political party in the world.”

Tats Manahan is a surface decorator and a skilled craftsman specializing in plaster and pigment supports.

Prior to becoming that, she was a television writer and director for musical specials, rock concerts, and historical documentaries. In this issue, she digs deep into the life of abstract expressionist Alfonso Ossorio.

Johann Bona is a photographer previously based in Toronto and is now based in Manila.

Juxtapoz wrote that his photographs “capture equal parts sex appeal and mischief, his beautiful models both embracing and satirizing their own commercialized hyperfemininity.” His works have appeared in GQ Brasil and Nylon Guys.

Neal Oshima is an esteemed art and commercial photographer whose works have been viewed and auctioned in galleries around the world. The first full-profile on him and work appeared in the September 2013 Rogue, which also featured a rare portrait of him shot by Mark Nicdao.

In this issue, Neal photographs power watches that exude the air of authority and elegance.

L.A. Consing Lopez has just completed his masters degree in Global Fashion Management from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. After stints with Michael Bastian and Salvatore Ferragamo USA, the the magazine's former Style Editor returns to the pages of Rogue as a guest stylist for this issue’s Bianca King cover shoot.

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E DI T E D BY

NICOLA SEBASTIAN

AGENDA

ISSUE NO.

74

F O O D + E N T E R TA I N M E N T + C U L T U R E + T R AV E L

STILL LIVES WINNER JUMALON

Jumalon's portraits are large endeavors, both haunting and playful. In many, the face itself is effaced, or faceted, deconstructed with a Cubist wink into non-likenesses that nonetheless bristle with the subject's identity. Early influences include Alfredo Aquilizan's spectrum of materials, Roberto Feleo's "penchant for Philippine myth [and] native materials," and Gerry Leonardo's organic forms. Jumalon (wnr_jumalon@yahoo.com) professes, however, that his first influence and teacher was his father.

A commissioned portrait is more than just a glorified selfie. It’s a rare opportunity to see yourself as others see you. Here, four artists that have redefined the art of portraiture WORDS BY PETRA MAGNO

AGENDA ART

Portraiture medium: Oil on canvas.

Particular difficulties encountered in portraiture: "I've always liked the power of the gaze and the sense of frontality of the portrait. It's easy to paint faces but it's really challenging to make portraits that move you."

First portrait ever made: "I drew my mother from life because she was the only one who was willing to sit [that] long. I was trying to impress her and my father. I also remembered drawing my [crush in elementary school]. I stole her picture from our cork board. I thought that was the only way I could get her attention. I sing well, but my rivals can also sing. The only thing they cannot do is draw."

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Previous page: The Smoker is a portrait Winner Jumalon made of his father, his ďŹ rst inuence and teacher. From left to right: Winner Jumalon's Jigsaw and About Face.

PORTRAIT OF A LADY

Untitled by Nikki Luna, who uses her portraiture work to fund her startARTproject and installation art.

NIKKI LUNA Luna (nikki@nikkiluna.com) prefers conceptual art to portraiture, and has from the beginning funneled the funds from the latter toward the production of the former, which is constantly concerned with political, social, and women's issues. Despite never having sat for her own portrait, Luna's personal favorite portrait artist is the revolutionary Alice Neel, who gave faces to leftwing writers and trade unionists in the 1930s.

Portraiture medium: Oil paint and watercolor.

Rationale and concerns: "Back in 2006, I first started accepting commissioned [portraits] because I would use the money to support two things: to make conceptual and installation pieces, and to help fund my startARTproject: I teach art workshops for women and youth victims of human rights violations, in far-flung provinces in Mindanao and as far as Sierra Leone in Africa. I choose my subjects. I also take a while finishing my portrait paintings. I like to take my time, and only [submit] the portraits when I'm moved by my own work."

Difficulties encountered in portraiture: "I need to feel captivated by my subjects, which isn't that easy since there can only be so much my subjects share with me. There is distance in painting portraits, especially when there's no chance to get to know your subjects."

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PLAIN BEAUTY

MPI by Hanna Pettyjohn, recently part of an exhibit titled Witherland in Taipei.

HANNA PETTYJOHN Pettyjohn's large-scale studies of faces are muted in both color and expression. She works from photographs as reference, but exerts a certain modicum of control over the subject when they sit for a portrait, preferring specific expressions "such as blank eyes." Pettyjohn (hannapettyjohn@gmail.com) sets the portrait up as a challenge, choosing to dress the subject in dull color and texture, an exercise in impressing upon the viewer a view of the unimpressive.

Portraiture medium: Oil on canvas.

Influences: "I think subtlety is an influence. I like people who are willing to be bold by doing something different in a way that doesn't scream. I like Anselm Kiefer and Michael Borremans, [who] makes video art and paintings that are so quiet, somehow so strong in how they are uneventful or even 'bland,' which I really admire."

Dream subject: "The person I really wish I could paint is Renfield from the 1930s Dracula movie, because of his weird eyes."

First portrait ever made: "The first portrait I made was probably one of my sister Mia, who I still like to paint now. She is an easy one to make a portrait of. Her features are really distinct; her nose is round and her eyes are small, and she has curly hair which I really enjoy drawing and painting."

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AGENDA ART

EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Frances and Leibniz

by Eugenia Alcaide, who prefers to work with thread sewn through layered silk screens, which gives her portraits a multidimensional sense.

EUGENIA ALCAIDE Alcaide (eugeniaalcaide@yahoo.com ( m) majored in Painting in UP Diliman's Fine Arts program, but her preferred medium is thread sewn through silk screens. These translucent canvases are layered on top of each other, giving manifold dimensions to a continuous line. In this way, an Alcaide portrait is at once an outline and a hologram, true to the nature of a portrait: only ever an attempt to get under a subject's skin, a practice in revelation and transparency even through necessary reduction.

Process: "I do a straight copy of a photo and usually in black and white."

First portrait ever made: "It was of my mom and dad."

Subject of most recent portrait created: "My son, Leon."

Dream subject: "Clint Eastwood."

Favorite portrait created by someone else: "Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa."

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AGENDA FOOD

ONCE YOU GO BLACK The Black Pig is one more reason to fly south. Need three more? Spanish cold cuts, comfort food degustation, and craft beers on tap WORDS BY PAMELA CORTEZ / PHOTOS BY CRES YULO

THESE DAYS, IT seems as if everyone is all about the pig. The porcine creature has been making a comeback on menus—belly, cheeks, trotters, and all—even popping up frequently on restaurant names. Although The Black Pig (2/F, The Commercenter, Commerce Ave. cor. East Asia Dr., Filinvest, Alabang; 808-1406) does have a leg of the famed, black-hoofed Jamon Iberico on display, that is not what The Black Pig should be known for. Yes, the charcuterie is excellent—salcichon, lomo, morcilla, and de cebo—but the star of this neighborhood joint is the wonderful cooking chef Carlos Garcia is delivering.

Apart from his stints at Restaurant Roussillon and Restaurante

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de Vinis, Garcia was a resident at London staple Gauthier Soho for 10 years, where he met one of The Black Pig’s proprietors Tricia Macdonald. A renowned chef in her own right, she was in the middle of a stage at his one Michelin star restaurant, cooking with Chef Garcia for several months. Convinced to move to Manila rather than just consult, Garcia is now turning out dishess European in style and flavor, but inspired by local ingredients—in fact, aside from the charcuterie, most of what you see on the menu is homegrown. Vegetables are often swapped for what’s in season, and the menu avoids what can’t be sourced in the Philippines. Even the plates are sourced from local artisan potters.

FB facebook.com/fredperry_ph IG instagram.com/fredperry_ph

—

Ground Floor Greenbelt 5 Makati City

T +63 2 729 0949 M + 63 917 501 3733 E fredperry@hommeetfemme.ph

FRED PERRY LAUREL

AGENDA FOOD

Chef Garcia's style is perfect for the current dining scene emerging in Manila: it has a local focus, it's relaxed but ambitious, and it doesn't shy away from being boldly simple. It takes guts for a chef to serve plates with just a few ingredients in a town where salty, fat, and sweet dominate.

The food can seem a little understated to some, but the execution makes the ingredients shine and taste more of themselves. A beautifully presented squid ink risotto is probably the best in Manila. Often, a bowl of this can become cloying or heavy, but this is none of that. The squid ink provides an umami-rich accent to the broth, which embraces the rice without coating it in a thick sludge. Accompanying pearls of squid give bite without being rubbery, and the surprise of capers cut through the richness with their acid and brine. Seriously a stunning dish. Another stunner is the poached egg, on top of a deeptasting mushroom puree, with crunchy soldiers of toast as edible spoons for the tasty, viscous mess.

Mackerel is slow-cooked, salty and sour, with shaved radish and a deceptively simple avocado puree that adds an entirely new dimension.

Even the bread, baked in-house daily, was a sleeper hit, the mini baguette echoing a sourdough texture, but with a sweetness requiring no butter or olive oil. Desserts may have been a little weaker, with the exception of a velvetysmooth chocolate praline mousse, straddling the 40 M A R C H 2014

A stunner is the poached egg, on top of a deeptasting mushroom puree, with crunchy soldiers of toast as edible spoons for the tasty, viscous mess. line between bitter and sweet.

Despite a few seasoning errors on a few of their dishes, and the gritty texture of a crustacean bisque, the Black Pig is impressive for such a young little place. It is confident, but never pretentious, and the latest Alabang venture that will soon be the local watering hole, offering specialty cocktails, as well as local micro-brewed craft beers and Holgate beer on tap. The team here is ambitious and knows their stuff: the interiors are tasteful, the wines well-curated and priced, and the food a wonder to eat.

Sometimes, it’s not always about the pig. „

PORK BARREL

Clockwise from upper left: Poached egg on mushroom puree with parmesan crisp and toast; part-owner/sous chef Tricia MacDonald (left) and Chef Carlos Garcia (right), who worked at London's Gauthier Soho for 10 years; the tasetfully decorated restaurant also offers cocktails and local craft beer on tap. Previous page: Slow-cooked mackerel with shaved radish and avocado puree.

AGENDA FILM NATALIE PORTMAN

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GWYNETH PALTROW

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THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY

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BRODY IEN

THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST

DR A

Wes Anderson's eccentric characters come out in full force in his latest film The Grand Budapest Hotel. Can you trace the Anderson connection?

WORDS BY DON JAUCIAN / ART BY STEPH MANUEL

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es Anderson’s latest film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, follows the same journeyman vein of his previous films.

Only this time, the film’s central figures, Gustave H (played by Anderson newcomer Ralph Fiennes), a concierge at the titular hotel, and his lobby boy/confidante Zero Moustafa (another Anderson newcomer, Tony Revolori), find themselves in a mad chase while the changing aspect ratios of the film

THE ANDERSON CODEX

z Bottle Rocket z Rushmore z The Royal Tenenbaums z The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou z The Darjeeling Limited z The Fantastic Mr. Fox z Moonrise Kingdom z The Grand Budapest Hotel Movies both actors have appeared in

follow the three different storylines. Informed by pulp fiction, detective stories, and the films of Billy Wilder and Ernst Lubitsch, Grand Budapest checks all the requisite Andersonian elements—elaborate set pieces, young lovers, art history, highflying dialogue, and multi-character arcs. But the film also breaks new ground as his characters run around amidst the shifting landscape of Europe between the two World Wars.

PHOTO BY WENDELL TEODORO/WIREIMAGE

BRUCE WILLIS

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OLIVIA WILLIAMS

LEA SEYDOUX

BRIAN COX

CRIMES & MISDEMEANORS

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MIDNIG H IN PAR T IS

FRANCES MCDORMAND

ANJELICA HUSTON

WILSO

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HARVEY KEITEL

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TOM WILKINSON

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IPPI MISS ING BURN

THE SH ENGLI T N PATIE

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GENE HACKMAN

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R OSCA AND DA IN LUC

AGENDA DRINKS

Tropical Punch Local liquor has upped its game—and we’re not just talking about alcoholic content.

Here are homegrown bottles that are worthy of your wet bar WORDS BY CHIARA CUI / PHOTOS BY JASON QUIBILAN OF JED ROOT

DON PAPA RUM P980

Distilled at the foothills of Mount Kanloan in Negros, Don Papa is quickly becoming a bar staple. A gussied-up version of a Filipino favorite, with hints of vanilla, honey, and candied fruits, Don Papa is like Tanduay’s fancy cousin who went to boarding school abroad, and you’ll find it stocked in every trendy speakeasy in the city and around the world.

Have it on the rocks, with some Coke, or mix it with some ginger beer for a Dark ’n’ Stormy.

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VUQO PREMIUM VODKA

MANILLE LIQUEUR DE CALAMANSI

AMADEO COFFEE LIQUEUR

Created by Rich Cabael, a USbased Filipino entrepreneur, VuQo is the only vodka in the world that’s made from coconut nectar. Think of it as lambanog reinvented, or a classed-up version of it, at least. Since its introduction in 2009, VuQo has been making waves in cities across the US, and was even stuffing for the Oscars’ swag bags in 2012. VuQo’s even been touted to rival premium brands like Absolut and Grey Goose due to its smooth and crisp taste. Mix it with calamansi or mango juice to amp up the local flavor.

Created by Olivia Limpe-Aw and Stephanie Zubiri, who came up with the idea for the liquor when she was looking to serve guests an after-dinner digestif. This vodkabased liquor, made from the rinds of calamansi from the Tugdaan mountains in Mindoro, is the Philippines’ answer to the Italian aperitif limoncello. Manille Liqueur de Calamansi comes in a vintageinspired bottle reminiscent of perfume bottles of the 1800s that’s befitting of its bougie name.

Have it neat, on the rocks, or as a dessert drink to cap off an indulgent meal.

From the same company behind Manille Liqueur de Calamansi, Destileria Limtuaco & Co., Inc., this rum-based coffee liquor is made from four kinds of coffee beans, including Exelsa and Liberica, the beans used in local barako. It boasts a strong yet not overly aggressive coffee flavor and roasted notes, and pairs well with dessert. Mix it with vodka and some light cream for the perfect White Russian.

P950

P320

P620

AGENDA FOOD

FROM PORTUGAL WITH LOVE

Left to right: The grill platter comes with gambas, or grilled shrimp, their infamous slow-roasted pork ribs, and a bunch of tasty sides; piri piri chicken, the house speciality, was originally a South African dish, here served with their weeklong-marinated piri piri sauce.

GRILL SERGEANT

Authentic Portuguese BBQ and a flaming piri piri sauce that will haunt your tastebuds? Yes, Gostoso just might be the city’s new king of the grill WORDS BY JJ YULO PHOTOS BY MICHELLE V. AYUYAO

SOME OF THE most interesting and accessible food available to the hungry public these days are found on our “food streets”—areas with a concentration of rookie restaurateurs, with the most famous ones being Maginhawa in Quezon City, Aguirre in Parañaque, and Kapitolyo in Pasig, where the spanking new Gostoso (51-B East Capitol Drive, Kapitolyo, Pasig; 477-7330) is located.

This small and handsome space, slightly

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rocking that industrial look but warming it up with lots of wood and quirky graphics on the walls, can be found in the middle of San Rafael Street (in other words, ground zero for Kapitolyo eats, and home of places like Charlie’s Grind & Grill, Epic, and Poco Deli).

Their offering—grilled items, Latin American style-ish (to be explained in a bit). The Portugeseinspired piri piri grilled chicken is the star of the show and, in a country crazy about grilled bird, it makes total sense to introduce it here to the city’s poultry-eating enthusiasts.

Originally a South African dish called peri peri (Right?! Who knew?), it made its way to Portugal where it was made better (don’t tell Cape Town, please). The Portuguese gent behind the food, João Branquinho, explains that the secret is in the sauce—a proprietary blend of peppers, spices, and extra-virgin olive oil that sits and marinates for some time (over a week) for the flavors to deepen and fuse. It’s one of those sauces that are probably close to drugs: smoky and incendiary enough to keep chili heads on their toes. When paired with the milder red pepper sauce (they give you this as a base on which you pile the piri piri sauce) it’s the kind of stuff you can top on their steaming olive rice and eat all by its lonesome. Goodbye

Knorr! You can bet they’re going to sell bottles of this secret ambrosia, so secret that the good chef João is the only one who knows what’s really in it—the other partner, Tattie Trebol-Olondriz, doesn’t even bother to ask.

To round things off, there’s gambas (grilled shrimp) and slow-roasted meaty pork ribs with the skin intact, both melt in your mouth and crunchy at the same time. Get your system going with some appetizers of Portuguese street food, like these balls that resemble croquetas, and little empanadas. And of course, get some sides: a bowl of creamed spinach, creamed corn amped up with spices, and a couple concessions to the carb addicts—deliciously cheesy potatoes and mac ‘n cheese. Down it all with Portuguese beer, and end with these great little ice cream sandwiches.

The beauty of this place is that it has found a way to present food that you will crave for, at prices that will keep you coming back. Latin American food hardly has any presence in our food landscape, but it’s something we have much in common with because of its simplicity. In the sea of fancy establishments that have opened recently, Gostoso is a pleasing breath of fresh air (albeit with the spicy, bracing aroma of piri piri sauce.) Kiss, anyone?

AGENDA POLITICS

MONKEY BUSINESS

If Philippine politics is a joke, then who's laughing? Test your knowledge of the biggest government punchlines of the past year WORDS BY MIGUEL ORTEGA

3

Korina Sanchez might have brought down Mar Roxas’s presidential chances when she started a media catfight with this newscaster.

1

Many questioned Nancy Binay’s credentials before the elections. But why, when her previous occupation was:

2

In the “Binaygate” incident, the alleged line given by Junjun Binay to the Dasmariñas Village guards was?:

A Personal Assistant B Investor Optimization Manager C Dynamic Research Director D Global Accoun tability Repre-

A Anderson Cooper B Katie Couric C Christiane Amanpour D Maria Ressa

A I can buy you, your friends, and this club B I’m sorry. Would it be possible for us to pass through the village?

C Do I need to leave my license?

D Don’t you know me?

sentative

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Despite being sick, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago was still able to tag JPE as the mastermind of the pork barrel scam and call him a what?

The four senators said to have received chump change from Enrile were? *

A Santiago, the Cayetanos, and Trillanes B Revilla, Lapid, Legarda, and Sotto C Marcos, Estrada, Revilla, and Santiago D Guingona, Osmena, Recto, and Drillon

A A stand-up guy B An old fart C A sex addict D A hipster

*They got P250,000 each (a slap-in-theface bribe for a senator)

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Things heated up in the senate when thenSenate President Juan Ponce Enrile allegedly distributed “gifts” through the MOOE to his allied senators, in the form of:

A Queso de Bola B Fiesta Ham C Socks D Php 1.6M

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A Doing great with the “Daang Matuwid” policy B Discrediting non-allied presidential candidates for the 2016 Election C Trying to bring down his movie career D Trying to revive his movie career

A Alfred Romualdez B Norberto Romualdez C Daniel Romualdez D Benjamin Romualdez

Regardless of Defensor-Santiago’s tirade, JPE calmly sat in his chair and played this game:

Four other senators were linked to the PDAF, with Senator Bong Revilla at the top of the list. He then publicly accused Malacañang of:

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Person of the year, Janet Lim-Napoles, tried explaining that her wealth came not from the PDAF but from:

A Candy Crush B Bejeweled C Monopoly D Pong

RANKINGS 9-11: Your deep understanding of how Philippine politics works can land you in the big leagues. Think congressman, senator, or maybe even president, with your very own pork barrel cut. It’s show time!

5-8: Local government’s just about right for you. Earnings might not be as big as regionals, but it’ll let you set up your very own political dynasty and the power to bully posh village security guards.

1-4: You’re an ordinary citizen, oblivious to the ongoing dramas in the government.

We don’t blame you though. That might actually be a good thing considering the sad state of Philippine politics. Walk away and don’t look back, lest you turn into stone.

A Illegal drugs B Pyramid scheme C Coal trading in Indonesia D Jueteng

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After a 14-day search, Janet LimNapoles surrendered to the President of the Philippines on this date *:

A February 25 B August 28 C June 12 D August 21 * You get five new followers on Instagram if you can tell the significance of the other dates

ANSWERS: 1. A 2. D 3. A 4. A 5. D 6. A 7. C 8. B 9. B 10. C 11. B

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Not to be outdone, Roxas had his share of Yolanda media booboos, most notably his YouTube video telling off the Mayor of Tacloban, whose name is?

AGENDA DRINKS

THE JUICE PACK

It seems like everyone’s on the juice these days—the fruity, vitamin-packed kind, mind you.

We taste-tested four competitors to find you the freshest flavors on the market WORDS BY JJ YULO / ILLUSTRATED BY CARLA SEBASTIAN

JUJU CLEANSE

SPRUCE

THE SKINNY JUICERY

JUICE JAB

Fruit notes: Juju Cleanse (0917-5763012; 831-0131) is the most OG of all the juice companies. They were mentioned indirectly as part of a showbiz incident, upping their fame quotient faster than you can buy a nightclub. Their mission is to deliver no-fuss healthful juice fasting direct to your doorstep: each kit contains a day’s worth of juices, and comes in three cleansing levels to match your dietary needs. I know, a juice fast sounds pretty extreme to most foodloving Pinoys—but hey, if you want to get healthy fast, or just reset your system before or after a big feast, then Juju Cleanse gets it done, every time.

Fruit notes: Spruce cold-pressed juices (0917-809-4392; 553-0870) make juicing look good. They get the award for the hippest bottles—a good thing, because it means they care about the details of their product.

Offering the full range of sweet/ savory, fruity/all-veggie, light/heavy in under 300 calories, Spruce caters to anyone’s juice craving, and doesn’t push you to commit to a full-on fast. Using the Norwalk hydraulic press, the best juicer on the market, guarantees that Spruce juices are as fresh, flavorful, and nutritious as humanly possible.

Fruit notes: The Skinny Juicery (0917-320-5329) is the people’s juice.

Believing that juicing can be easy, and for everyone, they make some of the more interesting combinations, and the easiest to drink. Recommended for “beginners,” who need to shoehorn into a cleansing program via familiar flavors. Designed for different cleansing needs, each daily kit has bottles numbered from one to six, which is—you guessed it—the order in which you drink ’em. Simple.

Fruit notes: Juice Jab (0917-8387355) is designed for one thing and one thing only: to cleanse. A jab is basically a three-day cleansing program, or, in their words, “a shot at a clean start”—but you can choose from a three-day jab, a two-day jolt, or a single jab, and select different intensity levels for the cleanse. These folks also use a slow grind-and-press process that maximizes the extraction of nutrients while minimizing the mixing in of air, which means that the juices stay fresher in the fridge.

Juice of choice: "Alkazest," made of grapefruit, pineapple, coconut water, and a hint of Himalayan sea salt, designed to give you a bracing refresher. It’s a fantastic picker-upper—and tastes like breakfast in a glass.

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Juice of choice: "La Furia Roja."

A nod to the Spanish football team, and to its contents: a subtle Bloody Mary-type flavor from red peppers, cucumbers, onion, Bragg liquid aminos (that’s natural Maggi Savor to you), jalapeño, cilantro, olive oil, and other spices. A refreshing drink that you can tell is really good for you— rich in antioxidants and vitamins.

Juice of choice: "Heart Beet." My surprising favorite is guaranteed to be good for you. Made of apples, carrots, beets, ginger, lemon, and pineapple, it’s sweet, and, if you can get past the color of beets, quite delicious. We could use more beets in our diet, and this is a great vehicle for it.

Juice of choice: "Gold Strike," a nowclassic combination of lemon, honey, and cayenne is quite pucker inducing, but is also a punch of much-needed vitamins. You can take this as part of a cleansing program, or even as a oneshot beverage of healthfulness.

AGENDA BOOKS

So You Want To Overthrow a Government?

When the government loses its moral compass and society loses its head, we turn to certain pundits for the diagnosis and the prescription. A few share their go-to books on politics, society, and nationhood WORDS BY BIANCA MICAELA Y. LOCSIN / ILLUSTRATED BY MENEER MARCELO

SHEILA CORONEL

MARITES VITUG

WINNIE MONSOD

Journalist

Journalist

Economist

The Creation of the Media: Politics of Modern Communications by Paul Starr

Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty by Daron Acemoglu & James A. Robinson

The Genius of Impeachment: The Founders’ Cure for Royalism by John Nichols and Grand Inquests: The Historic Impeachments of Justice Samuel Chase and President Andrew Johnson by Chief Justice William Rehnquist

“The book is the story of the emergence of a free press in the United States. I found it remarkably insightful and useful to understanding how the mass media is shaped by technology, political institutions, and social crisis. It talks about 'constitutive moments' when choices are made about the rules that govern media. I think that globally we are in the midst of a constitutive moment, now, as we decide on the future of the Internet.

And certainly the Philippines was in such a moment in 1986, when we put in place new laws and rules that shaped the post-Marcos media landscape. The choices we made then have profound implications on democracy and the distribution of political power.”

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“What’s striking about it is that it’s highly readable—despite being written by academics. It’s definitely not dense! The lessons they share on why countries prosper and why others lag behind are valuable because they did tremendous historical research, as well as looked deeply at institutions, both economical and political. Too bad the Philippines is not included in the study.”

“I wanted to find out how much in impeachment is politics and how much is law. Rehnquist wrote that it came to the American senators overcoming their political loyalties and deciding to judge on the basis of what was right and wrong. That’s why those impeachment trials failed to convict. In Chase’s case, even though the Senate was majority Republican, they would not convict.

It was a test of whether they were going to think of the country first or themselves. America passed the test. The Philippines failed it. To this day I believe the impeachment process of Corona was a farce.”

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY “THE BOOKS that influenced me were Gaetano Mosca’s The Ruling Class, recommended to me by Juan Ponce Enrile when my birthday was celebrated by Marcos in the Palace. Marcos gave me a .32 snub nose with a hidden hammer and a copy of Clinton Rossiter’s Constitutional Dictatorship, which I now realize was his blueprint for martial law; maybe he was inviting me to join his experiment in political deform. All of George Kennan’s books—his diaries, reports from Berlin, his ‘long telegram.’

Sartre’s polemics versus Camus—I loved Sartre’s opening line, 'To start with, an anti-Communist is a rat;' I can’t see any way out of that one and I never will. Political Order in Changing Societies

by Samuel P. Huntington is a key text for all who wish to overthrow the government, but must be read alongside Edward Luttwack’s Coup d’État: A Practical Handbook.”

- Teodoro Locsin, Jr.

Ma rch 2 0 14

SPACE

E DI T E D BY

M I CH ELLE V. AYUYAO

DESIGN + INTERIORS + ARCHITECTURE + TECHNOLOGY

FROMTHE

GRASSROOTS

Husband and wife tandem Mike and Kristine Magturo give us a look into Urban Abode, their elegantly rustic and completely homegrown new lifestyle boutique WORDS BY ARIANNA LIM PHOTOS BY BRIAN FONTANILLA

ISSUE NO.

74

SPACE DESIGN

NATURAL SELECTION

Majority of the shop’s items are made from locally sourced and upcycled materials. Below: In-house designs aside, Urban Abode’s team offers furniture design consultations and custom fabrication services.

URBAN ABODE WOULD be out of place in the pages of your typical home decor magazine.

Firstly, it isn’t governed by one overt theme that neatly pulls everything together, and secondly, it isn’t suspiciously tidy—in fact, you might say it pulls off major organized chaos.

In that sense, owners Kristine and Mike Magturo have Urban Abode (CW Home Depot complex, Doña Julia Vargas Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig; 586-0026) right where they want it.

They describe the personality of their newly opened furniture and home accessories shop as “warm industrial meets rustic chic.” Among the accessories occupying the Ortigas space are antlers imported from South Africa, vibrantly colored tikog banigs sourced from Samar, and angel figurines carved entirely from mango wood. The space could easily be the home of a seasoned traveler who knows he has no business hiding his wares in orderly closets. “To support our furniture of choice, we needed to have an ecosystem of items, otherwise people would have a hard time imagining our furniture in their homes,” explains Mike.

The furniture, all locally manufactured and designed by Kristine, is the Magturos’ attempt at easing a new element into a design arena

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THE SPACE COULD EASILY BE THE HOME OF A SEASONED TRAVELER WHO KNOWS HE HAS NO BUSINESS HIDING HIS WARES IN ORDERLY CLOSETS.

SPACE DESIGN

saturated with modern and sleek styles. It may be quite a departure from what people are used to, but that’s precisely the point. Kristine affirms that, “This feel and this look—having an industrial and rustic chic vibe—we’re trying to fill the gap in the local design and furniture scene.”

The couple’s personal taste are reflected in the pieces they’ve fabricated; their current collections feature rugged coffee and console tables crafted from reclaimed wood, a low-lying couch upholstered in denim, and ottomans adorned in floral print fabric. Most of their pieces are one-of-a-kind, and all of them are customizable.

Though Urban Abode is primarily a retail space for their existing collections, they also welcome customers’ requests to tweak pieces to their liking. If a client prefers the wooden table sans the grooves on the tabletop, or the decorative ampersand piece redone entirely in repurposed wood, they are happy to oblige.

Part and parcel of “filling the gap” is the Magturos’ attempt to veer people away from the comfort zone afforded by the magazine-cutout look. “Your house doesn’t have to look so matchymatchy, you know?” enforces Kristine, “You can have different types of accessories, and it may look like they won’t go together, but once you try it and just go with it, it works well. You don’t have to furnish your house like a model unit.”

There was some initial worry that people wouldn’t take to Urban Abode’s overall look, but reception has been more than enthusiastic.

The store opened late last year, and nearly all their items have since been sold. Mike shares that context is everything; “With our furniture, someone might say, ‘That’s a nice piece,’ but they can’t imagine it in their home without the console table next to it, without the industrial lamp, without the pillows . . . Now that people can see a context for this aesthetic, they’re even asking Kristine to use it [to design] their entire house.”

They’ve been flattered with praise of their shop having an “imported, international feel,” but they take pride in sourcing almost all of their materials from the Island. “What’s local can go global. We don’t have to wait for things to come to us, we can make it right here at home,” 60 M A R C H 2014

BARN FINDS

Above: Urban Abode’s range of of vibrant home scents.

Right: Owners Kristine and Mike Magturo. Below: Urban Abode’s in-house line is currently composed of the Lakeside, Riverside, and Viking collections.

says Mike. Likewise, they actively advocate local art that complements their brand through Urban Abode Mode, their collective of artists and handcrafters.

With industry heavyweights the likes of Crate and Barrel and Pottery Barn reportedly coming to the Philippines soon, the Magturos

are slightly concerned that their market will retreat back into the safety of the dependable cookie-cutter catalog look. But so long as there exist people who don’t want their homes looking like everybody else’s, their resolve to forge onward with their novel identity should keep them in the clear.

SPACE FURNITURE

Waste Deep

Embracing the art of upcycling, Hermès gives their leather leftovers a new lease on life with the Petit H project WORDS BY AMANDA LAGO

LUXURY IS OFTEN seen at odds with sustainability, but apparently not for Hermès (G/F Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City; 757-8910). The Paris-based purveyor of luxury goods has elevated recycling to an art with their Petit H collection, a product of the imagination (and packrat tendencies) of Hermès heir Pascale Mussard.

As she takes people on a video tour of the Petit H workshop, Mussard approaches her collection of oddments and crumbs with wide-eyed wonder, calling it her “Ali Baba cavern.” She shares that she has collected everything from buckles with small scratches, to buttons, to scrap fabric and leather.

Don’t be fooled though—Petit H (hermes.com/ petith)items may be made from leftovers, but they are no less luxurious than your standard Hermès creations. In truth, the fact that each piece is one of a kind makes them more covetable than your good old Kelly or Birkin. Petit H creations include everything from the functional (stools upholstered in silk scarves), to the fashionable (a pendant made out of a chipped ceramic dish), to the fantastic (a life-sized fawn created from leather scraps)—dreamed up by designers and artists invited by Mussard, who presides as art director. Shikegi Fujishiro, Nicolas Daul, Julien Demanche, and Florence Bourel are only some of the artists who have crafted wonders for Petit H. The capsule collection finds its home on Rue de Sevres in Paris, which looks more like an art gallery than a retail outlet. But true to its whimsical nature, Hermès’s quirky little counterpart likes to travel the world, showing in temporary exhibitions in fashionable cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Singapore, New York, Beverly Hills, and recently, London’s Bond Street. No word yet as to when it is headed this way, if at all—for now, Manila’s elegant eccentrics will just have to wait.

COLOR BALANCE

Above: Excess Hermès scarves and leather material were used to upholster square top bar stools. Left: Leather-framed mirrors with Kelly bag buckles.

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SPACE MOTORING

Flash of Fiction Sculpted in the image of a “hunting feline,” Mercedes-Benz’s AMG Vision GT is a visionary (and virtual) concept of a super sports car WORDS BY JEFF FRANCISCO

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MERCEDES-BENZ IS WIDELY considered to be the grand-maker of exclusive vehicles for the few with a penchant for prestige and power. But recently they were crazy enough to introduce a new sports car that’s quite literally a click away.

The AMG Vision Gran Turismo of Mercedes Benz (CATS Motors, 1008 EDSA Greenhills, San Juan; 784-5005; mercedes-benz.com.ph) is the ultimate track car for the persevering gamer. Yes, you, the video game magnate.

Unrestrictedly penned by MB’s innovative design team for racing game Gran Turismo 6, this ultimate sports car is not bound to be on the production line, although a full scale model was unveiled for the opening of the MercedesBenz R&D Center in Sunnyvale, California last November. A bold and definitive cut above the rest, the AMG Vision Gran Turismo is set to be the handsome, futuristic Silver Arrow of the virtual racing world—brutally muscular, steely, and sexy. Sitting low and wide, this super sports car passionately embodies the Mercedes design philosophy of sensuous

purity. Gordon Wagener, Daimler AG’s Vice President of Design, has said that “the design of this concept car reflects, to extreme effect, the perfect symbiosis between emotional, sensuous contours and intelligently presented technology.”

The angled headlights, LED grille, and horizontal strip tail light accentuate the lowslung, body shell to emphasize the confident, determined look of the car. The AMG Vision GT shows off its 300 SL and AMG SLS lineage through its graceful gullwing doors. Its aluminum space frame and carbon fiber body houses an AMG bi-turbo engine that produces 577 horsepower— VIRTUAL TENACITY enough for gamers to The 1:1-scale model (above) stylishly outpace the and blueprint (left) of the other rare breeds in the Mercedes-Benz AMG Vision GT, unveiled at the virtual racing stable.

Los Angeles Auto Show Also worth noting in December 2013. is the AMG exhaust system with eight tailpipes, which brings life to the resonating symphony of the tuned racing engine.

Developed to push the pinnacle of car design, race specs, and automotive technology, gamers and car enthusiasts alike can start hoping that future Benz models will borrow major features from the AMG Vision GT. We seriously wouldn’t just want to make tracks within the confines of a big black television set.

SPACE HOME ACCESSORIES

Baths and Beyond

A winner at the 2014 Wallpaper Design Awards, Axor—the premium, designer-made brand of Hansgrohe—reimagines the bathroom space with help of the world’s leading designers WORDS BY SANTIAGO J. ARNAIZ

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1. JEAN-MARIE MASSAUD THE DESIGNER

2. PHILIPPE STARCK THE DESIGNER

3. PATRICIA URQUIOL A THE DESIGNER

4. ANTONIO CITTERIO THE DESIGNER

Jean-Marie Massaud may have a background in Industrial Design, but his aesthetic is rooted deeply in nature. The collection is the personification of Massaud’s hometown of Southern France.

From developing solarpowered vehicles to affordable prefabricated homes, Philippe Starck has spent over 30 years envisioning and building a world where good design is not just beautiful, but accessible.

THE VISION

THE VISION

Educated in Milan by the legendary Achille Castiglioni, Patricia Urquiola is as much a combination of influences as her work. Old and new, minimalist and floral feminine—the awardwinning designer finds design harmony in the most unconventional places.

Hotels and spas the world over recognize Antonio Citterio as an internationally soughtafter master of the craft. Consistently à la mode, Citterio has imbued everything from furniture to buildings with his impeccable sense of style.

Natural scenes in the installations aim to bring man away from the ubiquitous extravagance of everyday, and back to the simple comforts of nature.

As the maxim goes: less is more, and Axor Starck X—one of four collections the French designer has created for Axor—is minimalism in motion.

THE VISION

THE VISION

ELEMENTS

ELEMENTS

Juxtaposing sharp angles with gentle curves, the Citterio collection creates a line of products that both challenges tradition and hearkens towards timeless elegance.

Waterfalls are fashioned into basin mixers, and blades of grass reworked into showerheads to “answer the call of nature.” Through honest design, Axor Massaud builds an oasis in the midst of the concrete jungle, turning mimesis into a practical art form.

While the collection renders almost every bathroom fixture in its near-clinical precision, its centerpiece is the basin mixer. The simplicity of the single slim lever jutting from the center of its chrome-finished base pulls focus away from the machine and back to the water.

Urquiola’s bathroom line puts a premium on character, introducing different products with their own unique charm.

It offers individual pieces you can mix, match, and recreate to your liking, just as they were designed.

ELEMENTS

The Citterio collection poses itself under the Italian designer’s aesthetic of simple luxury. Bold lines and comprehensive options in customizability ensure that everything from the bathtub to the towel racks become tasteful complements to any furniture set.

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Whether you prefer a rain type showerhead over a handheld baton, the collection has each in a variety of styles; strong accents to the rest of your belongings, these pieces come together in a bathroom that aims to be both distinctly Urquiola and distinctly you.

ELEMENTS

AXOR BY HANSGROHE (HANSGROHE.COM) IS AVAILABLE AT KUYSEN, 236 E. RODRIGUEZ SR. AVE., BRGY. DON MANUEL, QUEZON CITY; CALL 740-7509; KUYSEN.COM

SPACE INTERIORS

THE LIFE ENIGMATIC Belgian architect and interior designer Gert Voorjans—who has designed the homes of Mick Jagger and Nina Garcia, and the boutiques of Dries Van Noten—likes to focus on personality rather than aesthetics WORDS BY DON JAUCIAN

THERE’S A CERTAIN dose of effortlessness when it comes to conjuring up “eccentricity” in design. For many people, it might just mean a mash of old-timey looking things from the flea market, or the bright hues of retro-kitsch.

But as Belgian architect and interior architect Gert Voorjans attests, it’s not just simply festooning random things to achieve an atmosphere of strangeness.

“It’s the same as cooking,” says the Antwerpbased Voorjans, 50, who was in Manila last November for a brief holiday. “It’s not just throwing everything in one pot and then you keep it on the fire and you think, ‘Oh, then we are ready.’”

“We don’t like to go only in history and nostalgia,” he added. “We like to do something up-to-date but open for the future, because otherwise it becomes only a look. And I don’t like the ‘look.’ It has to be real and it has to be what you have to feel now.”

Responsible for designing the homes of Marie Claire fashion editor Nina Garcia, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger, and

68 M A R C H 2014

most of designer Dries Van Noten’s flagship stores around the world, Voorjans’s acclaimed aesthetics (which he showcased in his book Interior Life) has swayed the design world for his humanist approach.

His design for Van Noten’s takes on the brand’s personality, doing away with the generic look that most retailers favor. Instead, he chooses to imbue Van Noten’s aesthetics with the local culture where the store is located.

He brought in European renaissance paintings in the Tokyo store, employed brutalism in New York, and beautiful colonial ceramics in Hong Kong—but still true to the building’s origins and the city’s ambiance.

Voorjans has closely worked with Van Noten for more than a decade and it’s this kind of familiarity that he tries to bring into his projects, whether it’s retail or residential, to bring in the personality of his clients, even checking on them after the project is done to make sure that the homes that he has created for them is more than just an expensive showroom but also an expression of individuality.

INTERIOR MOTIVES

Clockwise, from above: The Voorjans-designed Dries Van Noten boutique in Paris with its custom tufted sofa; a portrait of Voorjans, who studied art in Sienna, Tuscany and Sotheby’s in London; the facade of Dries Van Noten in Paris; Voorjan’s book, Interior Life, details his inspiration and design philosophy; the Dries Van Noten women’s store is a homage to the French decorator Madeline Castaing.

“We don’t like to go only in history and nostalgia . . . otherwise it becomes only a look. And I don’t like the ‘look.’

It has to be real and it has to be what you feel now.”

“I try to convince my clients not to live in the generic hotel ambience,” says Voorjan. “You know, the hotel fits for everyone and then they do it all in a very trendy, beautiful way. But it’s not personal. So that’s what I try to convince [them] to really think about.”

13

Number of Dries Van Noten stores around the world

1988

Year Voorjans first worked with Alex Vervoordt

3

Dries Van Noten flagship stores Voorjans was first contracted to design in 1995

90

Percentage of his work comprised of private clients

252

Page count of Voorjans’s book, Interior Life

M A R C H 2014 69

SPACE TECHNOLOGY

Paying close a sound and d Audeze’s L pursuit for WORDS BY C

g, out the lence ANCA

THE POPULAR CONSENSUS is that you have to spend ten times what you’d spend on earphones to own a commensurate stereo system. The new LCD-X X from Audeze (available at The Listening Room, 3/F, SM Megamall B, Mandaluyong; 632-9577; audeze.com) retails at $1,699 through dealers. Does that mean it sounds like speakers worth $169,900? What do speakers that costs $169,000 sound like, anyway?

If they sound anything like the Audeze LCD-X X that was loaned to me over the week, then they’re probably mind-blowing and will have you playing all your music again because you’ve never heard it quite like this. Unlike speakers the price of a Jaguar, though, the Audeze headphones are affordable ff luxury, and I’d splurge on them if I had the money. They’re the head-fi equivalent of a luxury car, with polished wood and soft lambskin earpads.

All the Audeze headphones are planar magnetic headphones, which don’t use conventional dynamic technology, but rather a flat film of magnetically coated material vibrating between rows of very powerful magnets. So they’re huge, heavy, not too pretty (at least not conventionally pretty), and power-hungry.

Despite these drawbacks, the original LCD and the LCD-2 were wildly successful because they have the delicacy of an electrostatic panel but the bass oomph and treble detail of the best dynamic headphones. The main problem was the weight and, frankly, looking stupid.

But the word spread and Audeze has become a head-phile favorite, among both enthusiasts and professionals. The company did a few tweaks, to try and lighten the composition and make it look less like you were wearing airconditioners

on your ears, as well as make them easier to pump sound through, so the new LCD-X can just about be used plugged straight into your iPhone, though like all good headphones they’ll sound better with a dedicated headphone amplifier.

With their growing recognition, it might not be a bad idea to flaunt them, rather than hide them. Audeze has made a closed-back version, which means you can use them in public without everyone judging your tastes in music.

Prepare to hear things in your music that you’ve never heard before. I tried the cans with music from Haim to Holst and it was like hearing them for the first time. And just in case that’s not good enough for you, there’s the flagship LCD-3 at $1,950. Wait, almost two grand for headphones? Maybe those white earbuds aren’t so bad after all.

FORM AND FUNK esigned in 1984 by Steve McGugan, Bang and Olufsen ((available at Living Innovations, 2/F East Wing Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City; 654-2240; bang-olufsen.com) m launched its iconic Form 2 On-Ear headphones to the 21st century with a new name and a few additional features at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show. Now called the Form 2i, the headphones now come with a microphone and a three-button remote integrated into its design. Adjusted to bring more comfort to its user, B&O doesn’t stray too far from the stylishness and lightness of the Form 2, a nod to the integrity of the original design that’s now sitting at MoMA’s permanent design collection.

D

70 M A R C H 2014

SPACE DESIGN

STAN IN REAL LIFE

After receiving Maison & Objet’s Coup De Coeur award in 2008, and Bronze at the 2013 A’ Design Awards in Italy, Stanley Ruiz finds himself back in Manila to establish his own firm, and possibly make a difference along the way WORDS BY MIGUEL ORTEGA

STANLEY RUIZ HAS this

complete lack of

style—so he says.

“No style?” I ask, bewildered.

“Mahirap sabihin eh. Kumbaga, sa pananamit, modest; nothing too ostentatious,” he discloses.

“Sometimes it just comes out. I’m all about the approach,” he continues modestly. Coming from a man whose works have been exhibited across the globe, including the Museum of Arts and Design and the New Museum of Contemporary Art—with a slew of products that have earned shelf spaces at Habitat, Takashimaya, Urban Outfitters, and Anthropologie—you’d think he would give himself a little more credit. Despite his many achievements and accolades, he remains sincere and unpretentious which, predictably, roots itself in his working student beginnings.

A typical UP kid, taking up Industrial Design under the national university’s Fine Arts College, Stanley worked the books while moonlighting under a couple of NGOs. “I had to work. I was poor. Well, I still am,” he jokes, recalling his days in the university. “Pero yun, immersion talaga.

Nakitira ako sa bahay, katrabaho mo talaga yung mga tao doon.” As he gives a rundown of the projects he did in his college years, he suddenly 72 M A R C H 2014

OUT OF THE WOODS

Above: Stanley Ruiz with his Symbiosis collection, which has speakers cast from tree logs. Right: Wheelbarrow chair made specifically for UNICEF’s Auction for Action.

gets fired up describing coconut sheath, “Linid ang tawag. Pinaplancha nila ’yun, and they cut it to size and use it as material for patchwork, for bags, trays, even furniture. It’s like leather!” he announces quite ardently.

And then, straight out of college, he went international.

“Motorbikes and beaches,” says Ruiz, as he attempts to summarize his life in laid-back Bali,

post-university. With no passport and no money, the company had flown him out for an interview and, consequently, a job offer. “A lot of what I know now was from that experience,” describing his stay in Indonesia.

“End of my third year [in Bali], someone offered me a job in New York. I wanted to learn.

I liked it in Bali because it’s very laid back, but I was young and I wanted to explore.” With

SPACE DESIGN

PORTRAIT BY BUBOY CAÑAFRANCA

“I’m passionate about these things but not to the point where I have to be the savior.

I’m not the Jesus of design.

I’m just a regular guy who wanted to be a designer.”

STICKS AND STONES

Clockwise, from top: Symbiosis II (Log-Fi) speakers made in collaboration with Masaeco’s Wataru Sakuma; A piece from the RAW collection, which earned Ruiz the Bronze at the A’ Design Awards; Ruiz has worked under top US design brands such as Jonathan Adler, Real Simple, and Time Warner.

Asia at his back, Ruiz went into studying jewelry design, ceramics, interactive media arts, and electronic media design, during his nine-year stint in the Big Apple.

Come the tail end of 2013, he found himself back in Manila, just a stone’s throw away from UP; his admitted comfort zone.

“I wanted to start my own design studio and I wanted to base it here. I want to have more control over my time,” he says with resolve. Ruiz refers to this as brain gain but it goes beyond that. “Eventually I would like to teach—maybe share my skills and whatever knowledge I have.”

Prospects of teaching aside, replanting himself in the city has him scheming for ways to uplift design locally. “The basic definition of design is to have a purposeful plan of action. So, in essence, it’s present in any human activity. Dapat, part na siya ng [system] natin and sana, whoever is in charge should give weight to it so that it trickles down,” says Ruiz. As an example, he dissects the MRT, Manila’s congestion, and pedestrians, in one go and asks me point blank “Ano ba yung optimum way to service the majority of people?”

I had no idea in hell. And apparently, he didn’t know either. “I mean, I don’t have the answers right now. Though I think it can solved. I don’t think any individual can do it; it’s going to require collaboration between the government and the private sector. And they need to consider design on the onset kasi sa atin parang cosmetic talaga ang design,” he says with a hint of frustration in his voice.

“But, I’m only an observer,” he concedes.

“Wala akong concrete solutions, but maybe if we took time to study it then slowly the presence of design can be more obvious to the general public.

“I’m a designer by trade, that’s what I do everyday.” And if design has taught Ruiz anything, it’s that those damn details make the big picture. “I’m just thinking about these things and I hope they improve. Kahit hindi ako yung maka-solve, okay lang sa’kin. I’m passionate about these things but not to the point where I have to be the savior. I’m not the Jesus of design. I’m just a regular guy who wanted to be a designer.”

So, sure, Stanley Ruiz might not have a style, but he sure does have class.

M A R C H 2014 73

SPACE FURNITURE

COPPER TONES Polished and elegant surfaces of bronze and brass give simple home decor a modern edge

1

2

by Minotti from Living Innovations (2/F East Wing, Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong; 654-2240; livinginnovations.ph).

by Poliform (219 Nicanor Garcia St., Bel-Air 2, Makati City; poliform.it; email design@poliform.ph).

3

4

by Giorgetti at Furnitalia (Crescent Park West, 30th St. corner Rizal Drive, Bonifacio Global City; 819-1887).

by Tom Dixon at Mos Design (3rd level, B2 Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig ; 8562748; mosdesign.com.ph).

LENNON TABLE BY RODOLFO DORDONI

MASSIMO CASTAGNA ORIGAMI CABINET

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MINIMAL KITCHEN WITH BRONZE REFLECTIVE CABINETS

PLUM ICE BUCKET

PARTNER PROMOTION

Bentley Whites team menbers at play. The Zobel Polo Cup is presented by Zobel Foundation chair Dee Zobel, PGA Cars directors Roberto Coyiuto III and Benedicto Coyiuto, and E. Zobel, Inc. CEO Iñigo Zobel.

Benji Toda

Bong Marcos and Irene Marcos-Araneta

Alfredo Roa, Xandra Rocha, Luis Araneta

Henry Sy Jr. and and Cita Revilla

Pedro Roxas, Greggy Araneta, Joey Antonio

The Audi Greys with Dee Zobel (back row,secondfrom left) and PGA Cars Directors Roberto Coyiuto III and Benedicto Coyiuto.

Rogue editor-in-chief Paolo Reyes, PJ Castro, Rogue publisher Ipe Cruz

76 M A R C H 2014

Porsche Cayman S

Maricris Zobel, Philip Cruz, Rosanna Tuason-Fores Bentley Ambassador Iñigo Zobel with the new Bentley Flying Spur

POWER PLAY 11TH ENRIQUE ZOBEL MEMORIAL POLO CUP Now on its 11th year, the recent Enrique Zobel Memorial Polo Cup at the Manila Polo Club continued the prestigious tournament that combined the thrill of the game and the showcase of premium vehicles from Porsche, Audi, and Bentley—including the Cup’s official trophy car, the new Bentley Flying Spur saloon. The Zobel Cup is presented by the Zobel Foundation and PGA Cars. Rogue magazine is the Cup’s official media partner.

Paeng Hechanova and Fred Nasser

Marika Manglapus and Natalia Zobel

Corina Kalaw and Regina Montinola

Ricardo Po

The Bentley Whites (fromleft) Cole Aguirre, Iñigo Zobel, Juan Jauretche, and Gus Aguirre receive their award from Roberto Coyiuto III (fourthfromleft), Zobel Foundation chair Dee Zobel, and Benedicto Coyiuto.

Robert Coyiuto Jr., Ramon Ang, Iñigo Zobel

PHOTOS BY NORMAN LLESES

Members of the Audi Greys and Bentley Whites on the playing field.

M A R C H 2014 77

M A R C H 2 0 1 4 / I S S U E 74

THE ROGUE ARENA Promotions and relevant items, direct from our partners

Bentley Manila director Benedicto Coyiuto (left) and Bentley brand ambassador Iñigo Zobel.

Fluid Motion

Bentley unravels its new high-performance creation with brand ambassador Iñigo Zobel Precision craftsmanship meets state-of-the-art technology in Bentley’s New Flying Spur. Unveiled through a series of exclusive private previews, the New Spur is Bentley’s (201 EDSA Mandaluyong City; 7271919) new benchmark in ultra-luxury performance sedans, boasting superior design and forward-thinking technology. It is the fastest road-going luxury sedan in the world, powered by a 6.0 liter, twin turbo W12 engine, clocking in a 4.6 second sprint at 0-100km/h.

It is also 50kgs lighter than previous incarnations, improving the power-to-weight ratio to 14 percent. The design of the new Flying Spur fuses classic Bentley details with modern flair. LED daytime running lights, dipped headlights, and taillight enhance the front and rear contours. “Bentley’s new Flying Spur is the ultimate ultra-luxury performance sedan with the perfect combination of power, comfort, refinement and hand-crafted quality and we are proud to introduce this newest product of pure British design handcrafted in the UK,” says Bentley General Manager Amado Del Rosario.

Ma rch 2 0 14

THE EYE

E DI T E D BY

ANNA C. REYES

ISSUE NO.

74

FA S H I O N + S T Y L E + G R O O M I N G

L L AC

A TO

S M R e Th ri ? a at he Bvlg nly e O ive h d e t an ls. ak ès wil surv MA t I r f ea Herm le o will OSH w L t tt s f A ris s o a ba ece NE e w autie in epi ED BY t u y m ha al be orit of ti RAPH n h Ca ogic aut hest OTOG l PH ro eir ug ho e th e to r th ba

BVLGARI ALL BLACKS WATCH, BVLGARI OCTO STEEL WATCH

THE EYE ACCESSORIES

82 M A R C H 2014

RACEAGAINSTTIME HERMÈS LAMBSKIN LEATHER JACKET; HERMÈS ARCEAU 38MM TIME SUSPENDED WATCH IN ORANGE ALLIGATOR WATCH, HERMÈS DÉBRIDÉE STERLING SILVER BRACELET, HERMÈS PRINTEMPS STERLING SILVER BRACELET, SCHUTZ BLACK PEEP TOE PUMPS WITH MICRO STUDS (P9450) AT ADORA GREENBELT 5; HARLEY DAVIDSON XL883R SPORTSTER ROADSTER IN VIVID BLACK (ALL PRICES UPON REQUEST)

HARLEY-DAVIDSON MANILA IS LOCATED AT 1008 EDSA, GREENHILLS, SAN JUAN; 784-5006

M A R C H 2014 83

FISTSOFFURY BVLGARI ALL BLACKS WATCH, BVLGARI PARENTESI OPEN WORKS YELLOW GOLD AND DEMI PAVE WATCH (ALL PRICES UPON REQUEST)

84 M A R C H 2014

THE EYE ACCESSORIES

HANDSINREVOLT HERMÈS SILVER BRAIDED BRACELET, BVLGARI OCTO BI RETRO WATCH, HERMÈS STERLING SILVER BRACELET, BVLGARI OPEN WORKS PARENTHESI DEMI PAVE BRACELET, BVLGARI RING, HERMÈS ETCETERA STERLING SILVER NECKLACE, USED AS BRACELET (ALL PRICES UPON REQUEST).

HERMÈS IS LOCATED AT G/F GREENBELT 3, AYALA CENTER, MAKATI, 757-8910; BVLGARI IS LOCATED AT GREENBELT 4, AYALA CENTER, MAKATI

M A R C H 2014 85

THE EYE EYEWEAR

THE EYES HAVE IT No need to wait until your next trip to Barney’s or Colette.

Mike Concepcion redefines the eyewear shop with his new Ed Calma-designed optical salon, Ronnie & Joe WORDS BY GINO DE LA PAZ / PHOTO BY EDRIC CHEN (AT EAST | JED ROOT)

WHEN MIKE CONCEPCION talks about eyewear, he does so with both the enthusiasm of a fan and the authority of someone with a keen interest in sartorial semantics. “I’ve always been known as the guy with glasses,” he mentions between sips of coffee. “It’s not the worst astigmatism, but I’ve always just liked the look.”

As his collection grew—“nothing crazy, some vintage pairs, whatever I could find here and there”—so did his fascination with the industry.

It helped little that traditional opticians in Manila offered a too-slim selection of frames.

Concepcion is all for mom and pop enterprises, but feels they don’t have to be as buttoned up and clinical. “You wouldn’t go to a doctor to pick out your shoes, so why would you go to a doctor to pick out your eyewear?” Four years since, his quiet hobby has taken on quite an interesting form.

While Ronnie & Joe (2/F, SM Aura, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig; 0933 673 9820; ronnieandjoe. com) appears unremarkable from a distance, up close it betrays its luxury. You’d be forgiven for assuming the store—with its all-black façade and moody, industrial interiors, a brainchild of Ed Calma—was SM Aura’s latest, chicest gastropub. Therein, however, lies its genius. In this “dark cage,” as Concepcion puts it, are some of the sharpest, most daring ophthalmic eyewear and sunglasses in, perhaps, the entire city. Both the store and its wares seem as if they hid secrets pretty well.

Blurring the lines between need and want, the tight edit of brands is a source of great pride.

“We decided to stick to a very curated lineup.

86 M A R C H 2014

“I WANT TO PAY TRIBUTE NOT ONLY TO [RONNIE AND JOE CONCEPCION], BUT ALSO RECOGNIZE THE TIME TO WHICH THEY BELONGED—THE — SIXTIES.”

They just do eyewear, which is something I felt very strongly about.”

Foremost is Moscot, a New York F Y City eyewear institution and world-renowned label founded more than 100 years ago by Eastern European émigré Hyman Moscot. “I flew to New York to meet them and it was a great experience walking into their office and saying, ‘I want to bring your brand to the Philippines.’” He got along with Harvey Moscot, who represents the current generation of men at the helm. In turn, the Moscots appreciated “the family nature of Ronnie & Joe and our history. From then on the brands trickled in.”

Sunglasses can have personalities and the ones at Ronnie & Joe, thankfully, whisper their uniqueness. There are prime examples from the recently resurrected Matsuda, alongside those by the A Australian label Ksubi, well-regarded Kiwi talent Karen Walker, and 1950s-inspired pairs by New York-based Y Illesteva, a 2012 CFDA/Vogue A F Fashion F Fund finalist. Ronnie & Joe also carries the cult favorite Native Sons, designed by Tommy O’Gara and Shinsuke Takizawa and meticulously crafted in Japan. “They are stocked in maybe 10 stores worldwide”—such as Dover Street Market in London and Colette in Paris—“and we’re one of the 10,” says Concepcion.

But it was wooden eyewear by Portland’s Schwood that caught my attention. Not only was it shaped in a way that flattered my face, and good at blocking the sun, it also bore a price tag in line with current reality. “These brands have the luxury of pricing themselves a little lower than others because they’re not beholden to logos.”

The young entrepreneur decided to name this latest venture after Raul “Ronnie” Concepcion and Jose ““Joe” Concepcion Jr., the founders of Concepcion Industries and RFM. They are his granduncle and grandfather, respectively. “It was nice to pay homage to two men that have done so much for our country, from the political arena to growing industries to Namfrel. They have been such an influence in my life.”

It was at the twin brothers’ 80th birthday

party in 2012, during a slideshow presentation, when Mike chanced upon a particular image of his grandfather. “It was Joe through the years. In every photo he had on these massive thick black Cazal frames.” The German company’s vintage models are in such high demand among those in the know. “He appreciated great eyewear, so I thought naming the store after them was a cool thing to do. I want to not only pay tribute to them, but also recognize the time to which they belonged: the classic appeal of the 60s.”

With ample space between items on the shelves, the whole atmosphere at Ronnie & Joe is very much of a low-key house party about to happen. Sunglasses, after all, are more affordable ff than a decent watch and less ostentatious than jewelry. Purchasing them should be part practical, part experimental; never like a competition. As Hadley Freeman wrote in The Meaning of Sunglasses: “They make you look cool, they make you look rich, they get you attention because people think you might be famous, and they might possibly stop wrinkles— it’s a wonder the fashion world hasn’t put them up for sainthood.” Now I get it: If you’ve ever wondered what life must look like from behind Elvis Costello’s expertly built spectacles, Ronnie & Joe should be it.

A GOOD VINTAGE

Top: Jose "JoeCon" Concepcion Jr. in the boardroom.

Above: Raul "Ronnie" Concepcion and his wife, Menchu de las Alas-Concepcion, in the 1960s.

Opposite page: Mike Concepcion at his store.

Below: A wall in the Moscot shop in New York.

Inset: A pair of Thom Browne sunglasses, available at Ronnie & Joe.

M A R C H 2014 87

THE EYE ACCESSORIES

FAIR AND SQUARE Give your jacket a shot of attitude with a well-paired pocket square. It's all about the finishing touches. Here are four ways to fold them

1

ST A A

“D 2 oi tb ig ,d oi tr ig ht ,a nd

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88 M A R C H 2014

POCKET SQUARE BY BROOKS BROTHERS, LOCATED AT G/F POWERPLANT MALL, ROCKWELL CENTER, MAKATI CITY & RUSTAN'S, GLORIETTA 4, AYALA CENTER, MAKATI CITY

THE EYE GROOMING

MAKING THE CUT Inside Salcedo Village's new high-end barberdashery Felipe & Sons, men’s grooming is on another level WORDS BY ISABEL BINAMIRA PHOTOS BY EDRIC CHEN (AT EAST | JED ROOT)

ATTENTION TO DETAIL is paramount at local “barberdashery” Felipe & Sons, the ultimate neighborhood boy’s club that offers all the quintessential services of both a traditional barbershop and a modern haberdashery—with a slight twist.

The typical barbershop shave has been lengthened and made more luxurious.

Everything in the haberdashery, from cuff detail to button stitching, is customizable by carefully selected tailors. Felipe & Sons’ inhouse lounge offers other comforts—such as a café and bar service, so customers can watch a sports game or discuss the latest news over a glass of whiskey or a cup of coffee.

The partners at Felipe & Sons (Mezzanine A, LPL Mansion, 122 San Agustin St., Salcedo Village, Makati; 949 7703; felipeandsons.com) believe that the barbershop and haberdashery are cornerstone institutions in a man’s life: “Felipe & Sons was borne out of a desire to find an establishment that caters to all the grooming and styling needs of the modern gentlemen. A place where a man could get a proper shave and a clean hair cut, fit a well tailored suit, and a crisp white shirt. We couldn’t find any. So we built our own.”

“When I was growing up, I wanted a tree house. Isn’t that what every kid wants—a clubhouse of their own?” says partner Marco Katigbak. “That’s what we created here.

A clubhouse. We make sure the people who walk through these doors don’t feel like strangers.”

90 M A R C H 2014

CUTTING EDGE

Gathering all the essential men's grooming and styling needs under one roof, Felipe & Sons—a "barberdashery"—is the first of its kind in the city, offering basic barbershop services and custom clothing of a modern haberdashery, all within the comfort of a lounge.

THE EYE ACCESSORIES

17 16

1 2 15 9

10

13

11

14 12

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92 M A R C H 2014

SHOT ON LOCATION AT TABACALERA, 6/F, ALPHALAND SOU THGATE TOWER, 3258 CHINO ROCES COR. EDSA, MAKATI.

TABLE MANNERS

18

Transform your office into a livable and downright desirable space with these classic desk essentials WORDS BY MARIA GRIPPO PHOTO BY JASON QUIBILAN (AT EAST | JED ROOT)

4

3

HE WON’T SETTLE for anything less than a Vertu, an Hermes ashtray, Cartier pens, and a sleek Dunhill man-bag to carry out the day’s undertakings. When worse comes to worst, he can always rely on the sillage of a premium hand-rolled cigar, or a Diptyque Figuier candle to soothe the stresses of a hard day’s work.

“I owe to the cigar a great intensification of my capacity to work and a facilitation of my self-control,” Sigmund Freud once said. And you can forget the flowers; the only organic elements permitted to sit atop his desk come in the form of meticulously composed, Jurassic terrariums. Manicured, suave, and self-contained—a reflection of the modern gentleman himself. So go ahead, pour yourself a drink, light a cigar, and pull yourself together.

5 1 Alfred Dunhill Briefcase 2 Macbook Air 3 Renzo Romagnoli Desk Set 4 Zoffoli Globe 5 Diptyque Candle 6 Hermès Change Tray 7 Bottega Veneta Bracelets 8 Renzo Romagnoli Bookend 9 Bottega Veneta Wallet 10 Hermès iPad Case 11 Hermès Key Holder 12 Hermès Ashtray 13 AC+632 Letter Opener & Magnifying Glass 14 Louis Vuitton Card Holder 15 Louis Vuitton Agenda 16 Terrariums by Raab Terrariums 17 Roche-Bobois Chair 18 Renzo Romagnoli Golf Set

SEE SHOPLIST (P.166) FOR STORE INFORMATION

M A R C H 2014 93

Ma rch 2 0 14

E DI T E D BY

M ARA CO SO N

THE SLANT

ISSUE NO.

74

OPINIONS + IDEAS + PERSPECTIVES

PHOTO BY KEYSTONE-FRANCE/GAMMA-KEYSTONE VIA GETTY IMAGES

Emilio Aguinaldo (left) and General Leonard Wood (right) at the July 4 celebrations in Manila, 1924.

To the Manner Born

Throne Wars

When Nature Calls

Manuel L. Quezon III

Danton S. Remoto

Rafael Alunan III

If historical events can be understood by the motivations behind the generations that lead them, might it enlighten our current predicament?

The 2016 elections are barely peeking out of the horizon, but presidentiables are already planning their moves to the top. A quick scan of where they’re at.

As political setbacks mound and the climate continues to pummel down on Philippine soil, how can the nation protect itself against nature—as well as its own self?

Manuel L. Quezon III ON FINDING YOUR GENERATION

To the Manner Born What are the conditions that made yesterday’s babies today’s leaders— and what does that mean for us?

E R A O F N AT I O N A L F O U N D AT I O N

am an avid reader of the blog of David Kaiser, an American historian very much concerned with tracking the effects various generations have had on the history and politics of his country. In turn, Kaiser has relied on an idea put forward by William Strauss and Neil Howe: that different groups age in different ways; that each group, or cohort, usually falls into one of four types: Prophet, or idealist; Nomad, or reactive; Hero, or civic; and Artist, or adaptive; that each type, in turn, has a different outlook and behavior.

In their writings, Howe and Strauss propose that these four types of generations in turn exist in different mileaux or eras, defined by a generational event or turning: “High,” which comes after a crisis, where individualism is weak, and institutions are strong—people, fresh from a crisis, want to come together; this is followed by an “Awakening,” where those seeking individual or spiritual freedom attack institutions; leading, in turn, to an “Unraveling,” where besieged institutions are deeply distrusted, and individuals are relatively independent of each other; and then there is the fourth turning, called a “Crisis”—when, in the face of the threat of a general collapse, people turn once more to a sense of community, to renewing cooperation and strengthening institutions. Each of these turnings comprises roughly 20 years, and a full cycle of four turnings lasts 80 to 90 years.

Prophets are born near the end of a Crisis, and as crusaders, they are part of an Awakening. In old age, they become elders guiding generations through the next Crisis. Nomads are born during an Awakening, and as alienated individuals, they are pragmatic during a Crisis. Hero types are born after an Awakening, during an Unraveling: generally self-reliant, they are optimists when young, overconfident when middle-aged, and powerful in old age. As for Artist types, they are born after an Unraveling, during a Crisis.Their quiet years leading to adulthood leads them to being consensusbuilders who are strong advocates of fairness.

For example, they labeled those born from 1901-1924 as the GI Generation, which was a Hero or civic type. After all, they participated in that great group effort known as World War II, which defined them, and in terms of the USA

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GENERATION

GENERATION

GENERATION

GENERATION

FOUNDING FATHERS

CONSTITUTIONAL GENERATION

BATAAN GENERATION

YOUNG TURKS

FORMATIVE ERA

HIGH: OPENING OF SUEZ CANAL, HEIGHT OF SUGAR, COFFEE BOOM

FORMATIVE ERA

AWAKENING: PROPAGANDA AND REVOLUTION

UNRAVELING: END OF SPANISH AND RISE OF AMERICAN CULTURAL INFLUENCE

FORMATIVE ERA

FORMATIVE ERA

BIRTH YEARS

BIRTH YEARS

BIRTH YEARS

1861-1882 (21)

1883-1904 (21)

1905-1928 (23)

1929-1946 (17)

TYPE

TYPE

TYPE

PROPHET

(Idealist)

Rizal (1861), A. Luna (1866), Aguinaldo (1869), Quezon & Osmeña (1878)

NOMAD

(Reactive)

Recto (1890), Laurel (1891), Roxas (1892)

HERO

(Civic)

Magsaysay (1907), Marcos (1917), Gerry Roxas (1924)

CRISIS: COMMONWEALTH, OCCUPATION

BIRTH YEARS

TYPE

ARTIST

(Adaptive)

Ninoy (1932) & Cory (1933) Aquino, Joseph Estrada (1937), Raul Roco (1941), Rey Ileto (1946), Cheche Lazaro (1945)

ERA OF INDEPENDENCE

?

?

GENERATION

GENERATION

GENERATION

FQS GENERATION

MARTIAL LAW BABIES

POST-EDSA BABIES

PRESENT

FORMATIVE ERA

FORMATIVE ERA

AWAKENING: FQS, MARTIAL LAW, EDSA

FORMATIVE ERA

FORMATIVE ERA

HIGH: LIBERATION AND THIRD REPUBLIC

BIRTH YEARS

BIRTH YEARS

BIRTH YEARS

1947-1965 (18)

1966-1989 (22)

1990-2010

2011-PRESENT

TYPE

TYPE

TYPE

GENERATION

PROPHET

(Idealist)

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (1947), Jesse Robredo (1958), Dinky Soliman (1953), Noynoy Aquino (1960)

UNRAVELING: COUPS, IMPEACHMENT, EDSA II AND III

CRISIS: COLLAPSE OF THE OLD GUARD

BIRTH YEARS

TYPE

NOMAD

(Reactive)

Chiz Escudero (1969), Bam Aquino (1977), Grace Poe (1968), Sonny Angara (1972)

HERO

(Civic)

ARTIST

(Adaptive)

THEONLY MAGAZINE THE POWERSET READS FROM COVERTO COVER.

Senator Sonny Angara belongs to the generation of “Martial Law Babies” (see chart on opposite page).

SONNY ANGARA PORTRAIT BY STEVE TIRONA

The Boomers are now fading from the scene, as Gen X (born 1961-1981) developed lacking the sense of endless optimism (and entitlement) of their parents’ generation. they provided much of the leadership—Kennedy, Nixon, Carter, Reagan, and Bush, Sr. came from their ranks. The next cohort was the Silent Generation, also of the Hero or civic type, who, for example, embarked on the civil rights movement as a logical progression of the freedoms espoused by the GI Generation—but this generation never rose to national leadership. They were followed by the Boomers, of the Prophet or idealist type, who questioned and rebelled against the certainties of the GI and Silent Generations, and from whose ranks leaders like Bill Clinton emerged, with their tendency to either extreme liberalism or conservatism.

The Boomers themselves are now fading from the scene, as Gen X (born 1961-1981), of the

Nomad or reactive type, developed as a generation lacking the sense of endless optimism (and entitlement) of the Boomers—a brooding cohort whose life experiences have been on the whole negative when it comes to both institutions and the fulfillment of individual desires, but who seem to have won the respect of their Boomer parents.

I have often wondered if a similar classification—along generational lines, with each generation having its own personality, so to speak—is possible within the Philippine context, and if so, what those generations might be.

Here is how the chart on the opposite page works: a description of the Generation; the characteristics of that Generation (its “Type”); the years in which the generation was born, and what was happening in that era. So Our Founding Father were Prophets (Idealists), born in 18611882, who grew up in a High era, the time of the opening of the Suez Canal, who were active participants in the Awakening known as the Propaganda Movement and the Revolution, and who were the senior leaders in the Unraveling era and elders in the Crisis era of the Commonwealth, War, and Occupation. In this manner, each generation is born into an era, matures and rises to active leadership in the next, and reaches seniority and fades away in the era after that.

Thus in the lifetime of our nation, we have gone through one full cycle and the babies of today will be the ones to complete the next full cycle we’re in.

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Danton S. Remoto ON PRESIDENTIAL BETS

Throne Wars ure, it’s still one and a half years before the November 2015 deadline for the filing of candidacy for the May 2016 elections. But the news behind the news indicates posturing and maneuverings are already going on, whether the presumptive candidates admit it or not.

Vice-President Jejomar Binay is the early blackbird, errr, bird for the presidency. He has already announced his intention to contest the post and thus, has exposed himself early to darts and arrows. The color of his skin and the alleged corruption of his wife, Dr. Elenita and former mayor of Makati, have been raked all over again.

Even the fact that Congresswoman Abigail Binay won a studio condo unit at the Grove in Pasig at a raffle in Rockwell last December has earned the ire of netizens.

But Jojo Binay is the wizened azkal of Philippine politics. From a 2% rating for the VP in November 2009, he jumped to a gamechanging 34%, edging out former Senator Mar Roxas. Right now, he is depending on the wide net cast by the Makati sister-cities campaign, his gazillion contacts in the Apo fraternity, and a campaign vehicle that might be called Kilusan sa Kaunlaran. He will cobble together a coalition under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), with a senatorial slate that might include feisty Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. It’s going to be a colorful group, that much I can say.

Mar Roxas might be the anointed candidate of the Liberal Party, but as in his presidential campaign that slid down to a VP in 2010, he is still coy about it. He said he is focused on his job at the helm of the Department of Interior and Local Government—the same post that VP Binay wanted to have in 2010. It’s a plum post that keeps the secretary in contact with the police and the heads of the local government units—alliances that come in handy during the elections. But Roxas seems to have earned many negative points with his rather bureaucratic handling of the relief efforts at the wake of Supertyphoon Yolanda. Still, his is the only name in the marquee of the Liberal Party.

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98 M A R C H 2014

Other LP names being whispered include Joseph Emilio Abaya (the who? as some wags put it), Leni Robredo (she should have run as senator in 2013), and even Department of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima. Sigh . . .

Or they can field an outsider if he does well.

Former Senator Ping Lacson, who has done an impressive job as Rehabilitation Czar of the areas devastated by Supertyphoon Yolanda. True to his word, he buried all the corpses littering the towns in three days; he has ferreted out the dirty politicos involved in the bunkhouses scandal; and he is coordinating slippery government efforts for the rehabilitation and recovery of Eastern Visayas.

There is nothing that Ilocos Norte Governor Imelda Romualdez Marcos wants than to bury her husband, Ferdinand Sr., at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. It’s a matter of settling scores, giving honors to an alleged war hero, and refurbishing a tarnished name in history. The still-glamorous Imelda, I am sure, would also want to make a last fashionable hurrah at Malacañang, where she lived for 17 years as a “conjugal dictator” with her beloved Ferdinand. But I guess it’s still too early for a Marcos to be a President again. Not now.

Maybe in 2022. If at all.

Senator Bong Revilla was also an early bird for the presidency, courtesy of an announcement from his Lakas-Kampi Party. But after being dragged into the

P10-billion pork-barrel scam—and after giving that rhetorically shameful speech at the Senate— his presidential campaign is dead even before the get-go.

Both UNA and LP will be wooing Senator Grace Poe—who topped the senatorial elections with more than 12 million votes, the biggest votes ever garnered by a candidate in an election—as their VP candidate. Maybe one of these parties will even woo her because they’re afraid that if she does run for President, they would lose. Bright and humble, the senator exemplifies grace under pressure. In her one year at the Senate, she has pushed for the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill—even if Malacañang has a distaste for the bill—among other sensible bills.

Senator Chiz Escudero might also run for the VP post. But he has to look for a party, since he left the Nationalist People’s Coalition in 2010 and ran as an independent senatorial candidate in 2013. Escudero is bright, media-savvy, and has the gift of tongues in both English and Filipino. He can also explain complicated issues in a way that Juan and Juana de la Cruz can understand. If LP asks Grace Poe to run, then UNA has no choice but to invite Chiz Escudero to be its VP candidate. These two are the best of friends, and it will be a very close contest indeed, if both of them run.

And why not Jinggoy Estrada as VP candidate of UNA? Like that of his friend Senator Bong Revilla, his political fortunes also sank with the pork-barrel scam. The court of public opinion is a very biased court, indeed, but he has been judged severely by this court.

It will take a major miracle for his fortunes to shift.

And again, why not his father Erap Estrada for President? His name has been bandied about, and I am sure he still wants to run, but there will be a massive shift in demographics in 2016.

Both he and Jojo Binay will split the poor vote if he does run. The youth vote—and it does exist, fueled increasingly by social media and the multimedia platforms—will not take too kindly on a third Erap Estrada run for the presidency.

ILLUSTRATION BY MENEER MARCELO

Binay, Mar, Grace Poe, Ping, Chiz—who stays and who goes in the 2016 presidential elections? In spite of wild cards and dark horses, it might already be time to tell

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Rafael Alunan III

ON STRENGTHENING NATIONAL SECURITY

When Nature Calls Four months after Yolanda made a victim out of the Visayas and brought a government down to its knees, did our mistakes lead us towards the right path or did it lead us to hell? upertyphoons, polar vortexes, tornados, warming oceans, record-breaking heat, mega-quakes, floods, drought, volcanic eruptions, choking smog, melting glaciers,rising sea levels—these are intensifying signs of the times. Extreme weather is getting worse worldwide alongside rising temperatures. Death, destruction, economic losses, and grief lie in their wake. Scientists have me convinced it’s humanaided climate change and global warming.

“Yolanda” struck 14-million Filipinos in 171 towns and cities across 24 zones in three regions within 24 rampaging hours of fierce winds and surging seas. After three months, they’re still identifying unburied bodies. Now, how many were afflicted by post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) after losing their families, homes, incomes, properties, and communities? To what extent did Filipinos join the ranks of the unproductive and dysfunctional? Would the count be in the hundreds of thousands, you think?

In one fell swoop, with baggage from other disasters piling higher and shrinking government’s capacity to cope, our already weakened state of national security from years of plunder got whacked some more in “Yolanda’s corridor”:

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critical infrastructure destroyed food and energy supply severely curtailed jobs, livelihood, and incomes wiped out local governments crippled public safety and civil defense services

in deficit capacity of the Armed Forces to transport,

communicate, and operate at night woefully limited slow, disorganized, and ineffective national agencies

It’s a good thing that the global community came out in full force when we needed help the most, just like the Cavalry in the movies arriving in the nick of time.To them we extend our hands, hearts, and minds in gratitude.

What will it take for us to rebound to a higher level? A “whole of nation”approach I would think, no less, because full spectrum national security is a joint responsibility. It’s the nation’s wellbeing we’re dealing with here; and so, it’s everyone’s business. It starts with modifying our mindsets to start fending for each other, which should trans100 M A R C H 2014

ILLUSTRATION BY DAN MATU TINA

“You must remember that you are a Romualdez and he is an Aquino” established beyond doubt that politics, not rescue-relief, was the main agenda. late into new land use policies, urban plans, and building codes to save lives, protect assets, preserve our communities, and sustain incomes.

That sense of mindfulness constitutes a crucial mix of aptitude, enlightened attitudes, and relevant measures, without which the vulnerabilities and exposure to Nature’s howling fury and manmade colossal errors would never be mitigated.

A random inventory of oversights, malpractices, and inaction before, during, and after Yolanda reveals the weak state of our national security: Dispatching crisis managers to Tacloban

instead of Camp Aguinaldo, where they were needed to manage the rescue-relief effort Failure to order the deployment of military assets already primed for action right after Yolanda’s exit Underestimating Yolanda’s strength and storm surge Failure of common sense and pro-action Informal settlers and communities located on danger zones Sub-standard temporary shelters Urban plans and building codes ignored

To disgusted observers, politics dominated the rescue-relief efforts starting with that weird demand for the crippled Tacloban city council to constitute itself and pass a resolution “allowing” the national government to take over the city.

“You must remember that you are a Romualdez and he is an Aquino” established beyond doubt that politics, not rescue-relief, was the main agenda. It was an unprecedented and inhumane waste of time arguing over turf when thousands lay dead around them and tens of thousands more were desperate for food, water, and escape.

Stories of inadequate preparations to pack and store rapid response supplies; failure to inform potential donors of the desired standard relief pack to avoid repacking delays; malpractices in relief goods distribution that further upset an already shocked nation that Yolanda’s victims would suffer more letdowns. It painted a picture of a crisis management council that had no idea of how to prepare for emergencies and execute its plans.

More bad weather has wrought added misery to Yolanda’s victims to-date. Sec. Panfilo Lacson,

the country’s rehab and recovery czar, has his hands full beyond realistic. His reliance on the private sector to spearhead reconstruction and economic recovery is sensible. But while there’s a reasonable basis for that strategy, Sec. Lacson, and his successors, will need the official authority to impose their will on national agencies and local governments to stay clean and keep within standards, budgets, and timelines.

So far, he’s restricted to mere coordination and monitoring. A still to be unveiled master plan to revive three regions is foreseen to cost some 360 billion pesos from multilateral soft loans, national budgets, international donors, and the local private sector’s contributions combined. Sec. Lacson aims to complete Phase One by Dec. 15, 2015.

Can that be met without the authority to crack the whip, even if he’s able to obtain this early a commitment to work together from all concerned? It’s a tall order and only time will tell.

Assuming he obtains the authority to command and control, he will still need presidential pressure and timely interventions to bear on government underperformers—executive, legislative, and local governments. Where national security is concerned, there should be no tolerance for slackers and dysfunctions. A “whole-of-nation” mindset with “all hands on deck” must predominate in clawing back to full recovery with nononsense leadership across-the-board and downthe-line. This is what it boils down to.

Fourteen percent of the population were impacted by Yolanda, among which were the public sector, uniformed services, religious, big business, entrepreneurs, students, farmers, fisherfolk, all socioeconomic classes, all demographic levels. The mission is to get them back on their feet. Since national security is about assuring the nation of its wellbeing, only a conscious decision of the government and the citizenry to collaborate for the long-term can make it happen.

This must be the “new normal.” Although it looks like we’re on the eve of destruction, Filipinos are not helpless. They can choose to unite and rescue the future instead of giving up in resignation.

In that case, they must learn to adapt to climate change with new forward-looking policies committed to build “stronger and safer habitats.”

They must recover to live long and prosper.

M A R C H 2014 101

THE KING OF THE

CREEKS

PHOTO BY RUSSELL TURIAK/GETTY IMAGES

For nearly 40 years, Negros sugar heir Alfonso Ossorio and his partner, Ted Dragon, ruled over The Creeks, the largest waterfront estate on Long Island, where the Filipino-American artist became a great patron to Jackson Pollock and hosted the grandest parties the Hamptons had ever seen. Tats Rejante Manahan finds a real-life Gatsby whose immense wealth overshadowed his tortured, tormented brilliance

friend’s death.

As he silently wept over Pollock’s split-skulled corpse, splayed on the ground in a pool of blood, he covered the painter’s face with a handkerchief embroidered with his monogram: A.O.

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lfonso Ossorio, a Harvard-educated heir to a sugar-refining fortune in Negros Occidental, Philippines, was at the center of Hamptons society for nearly 40 years. An artist ahead of his time and a staunch supporter of Abstract Expressionism, Ossorio’s prolific artistic output was as well known as his wealth.

In 1997, Newsday labeled him as “The Man Who Had Too Much.”

“For all [his] accomplishments, [his] wealth was often a major distraction, the money obscuring his talent, spreading his reputation as a dilettante; his cultured manners disguising his passion,” the article noted. “His work was purchased by only a few collectors who liked his particular style. But, of course, he didn’t have to sell anything to make a living. The result was a poor little rich kid never quite taken seriously.”

PHOTO BY FRED W. MCDARRAH VIA GETTY IMAGES / PHOTO IN PREVIOUS SPREAD BY RUSSELL TURIAK VIA GETTY IMAGES / OSSORIO PORTRAIT COURTESY OF THE ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

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n August 11, 1956, on the way to a benefit concert hosted by a wealthy Filipino-American artist-collector in his East Hampton mansion, a dangerously inebriated Jackson Pollock decided that he didn’t want to attend the party after all.

The painter was driving his green Oldsmobile, still intoxicated after an afternoon of heavy drinking. In the passenger seat was his 26-year-old mistress, art student and ex-model Ruth Kligman, and her friend, Edith Metzger. His wife, Lee Krasner, had just gone away to Europe, angered by Pollock’s affair.

Outside the gates of The Creeks, the artist-collector’s grand estate, he suddenly swung a big U-turn in a violent rage. The girls pleaded desperately for him to stop. Speeding down the wooded highway, Pollock smashed into a tree and was thrown several yards out of the car, killing him on impact.

Kligman survived, Metzger was crushed.

As the distant echo of ambulance sirens drifted into The Creeks, the artist-collector—who on many occasions had rescued Pollock from his drunken escapades—received a telephone call informing him of his dear

LETTER COURTESY OF THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION, WASHINGTON DC / ART WORK COURTESY OF MICHAEL ROSENFELD GALLERY LLC, NEW YORK, NY

“In our culture, we tend to expect artists to be poor and bohemian and suffering,” says Klaus Kertess, a former curator of the Whitney Museum. “It is hard for people to accept the fact that someone who is wealthy might still be a good artist.”

Born into a life of tremendous affluence in Manila on August 2, 1916, Ossorio was the fourth of six sons of Don Miguel J. Ossorio, a Spanish sugar baron who founded the North Negros Sugar Company in 1917 and the Victorias Milling Company in 1919, both situated in the island province of Negros Occidental. His mother, Maria Paz Yangco, descended from a wealthy Chinese-Filipino shipping clan. “It was a world of being taken care of,” Ossorio once said of his life in Negros. “Each child had his own nurse. You never took your own shoes off.” His father would later live in America, and his mother in Europe. The family would gather mainly for summer holidays in seaside resort towns such as San Sebastian in Spain and Saint-Jean-de-Luz in France.

His downline lineage begot two well-established artists on both sides.

On his father’s maternal Luzurriaga line is filmmaker Peque Gallaga; and on his mother’s side, the Yangcos, is the late artist Anita Magsaysay-Ho. (Though not related by blood, genealogy from this end traces the shared ancestry to an alleged affair between Ossorio’s grandfather, Luis Yangco, and Magsaysay-Ho’s grandmother, Ramona Arguelles vda. de Corpus, that bore them a son, Teodoro Yangco, presumably out of wedlock.)

At eight years old, Ossorio left the Philippines and studied in England, then later at Rhode Island’s Portsmouth Priory, a Benedictine school whose motto “Laborare Est Orare” (To Work Is to Pray) made a strong impression on him. It would unwittingly become a motivating mantra in his career.

It was from here that religion, oftentimes subject to his own musings and philosophies, began to figure quite prominently in his lifework. An early piece, Sidrach, Misach and Abednego, which depicted the prophet Daniel’s three companions in the Babylonian exile of the Jews, was praised by critics for its “strong composition with balanced decorative detail,” but called it “fairly grotesque.” Ossorio’s fascination for Christian iconography ran deep,

THE BEAUTIFUL AND DAMNED

Left: Alfonso Ossorio, 42, at a Grace Hartigan exhibit in New York's Tibor de Nagy Gallery, 1959. Above: Untitled (1944), a morbid watercolor-and-ink painting

by Ossorio, influenced by the medical drawings he made during WWII. Right: One of his “Recovery Drawings,” created while he was hospitalized for heart failure in 1988. He died of a ruptured aneurysm in 1990.

Previous spread: An aerial view of The Creeks, whose glittering parties demanded the company of artists from Rothko to Duchamp, and social figures from Capote to the King of Spain.

as evidenced by “Spiritual Influences on the Visual Image of Christ,” his senior thesis at Harvard University, where he graduated with a Fine Arts degree in 1938.

His work was a hybrid of excellent draftsmanship, which critics compared to Durer’s, and had an added quirkiness associated with surrealism. His portrait of Bridget Hubrecht, a Spanish-Irish divorcee whom Ossorio married against his parents’ will in 1940, had the deftness of illustration, depicting her head emerging from a conical seashell, each tendril of hair articulated, highlighting her Pre-Raphaelite beauty. His attention to anatomical perfection sometimes verged on cadaverous, if only to underscore a kind of deathly foreboding, which he captured in the glassy stares of his subjects.

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THIS SIDE OF PARADISE

Above: Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner in East Hampton, 1949. Infidelity marred their marriage, ultimately leading to his tragic death. Right: A 1951 letter to Pollock from Ossorio, his greatest patron.

Opposite page, clockwise from left: Ossorio’s 1941 portrait of his ex-wife Bridget Hubrecht; French modernist Jean Dubuffet, whose entire Art Brut collection hung in The Creeks; Ted Dragon (extreme left), Ossorio (center), and Pollock (far right) by the steps of The Creeks, 1954.

PHOTO BY MARTHA HOLMES / TIME & LIFE PICTURES / GETTY IMAGES / LETTER COURTESY OF THE ARCHIVES OF AMERICAN ART, SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

That same year, following his discovery by legendary Manhattan art dealer Betty Parsons, Ossorio held his first exhibit at the Wakefield Gallery, where he eventually had five solo exhibits. It was also Parsons who picked up Jackson Pollock after his patron, the heiress Peggy Guggenheim, closed her famed gallery, Art of This Century, and moved to Venice, where her museum of modern art now stands.

“A certain morbidness clings to [Ossorio’s] beautifully executed watercolors and drawings . . . a surcharged religious symbolism is also in evidence,” Howard Devree described his work in The New York Times.

Classical subjects such as “Apollo and Daphne,” as well as religious-inspired, albeit dark Biblical themes such as “Job on the Dung Heap” belied his Catholic indoctrination.

His marriage to Bridget Hubrecht, whom he lived with in D.H. Lawrence’s New Mexico ranch, was brief: a month after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, on January 6, 1941, the Ossorios separated. Shortly after, he

COURTESY OF MICHAEL ROSENFELD GALLERY LLC, NEW YORK, NY / PHOTO BY APIC / GETTY IMAGES / PHOTO COURTESY OF 27EAST.COM & ATENEO ART GALLERY

THE“GUILT,” ITISPRESUMED,WASOVERHISATTRACTIONTOTHESAMESEX,AND HISVORACIOUSAPPETITEFORPORNOGRAPHY—PARTICULARLYOFCOLOREDMEN. HISWIFE,ANOPIUMADDICT,DIEDTHATSAMEYEAR. was hit by a taxi and broke his leg. Conjecture has it that Ossorio’s possible depression over his broken marriage, anxiety over the opening of his second exhibit, and a growing guilt may have caught him off kilter. Suppressed by a somewhat Victorian upbringing, the “guilt,” it is presumed, was in his confirmation and acceptance of his attraction to the same sex, and later, his voracious appetite for pornography—particularly of colored men.

Hubrecht, who was purportedly an opium addict, died that same year.

In his second exhibit, following the accident, the mix of the beautiful and the morbid was even more pronounced. He was drafted into the army as he recovered from his injury, and was assigned to Mayo General Hospital in Galesburg, Illinois, where he did medical drawings for three years, perched on a ladder above an operating table while emergency cases were being treated. The blood, gore, entrails, and various cases of warinduced atrocities would become the ghoulish inspiration for his paintings.

He continued these sketches even after his discharge from the army in 1946. Twenty-two of these drawings were exhibited at the Mortimer Brandt Gallery in New York and he was labeled by critics as “a surrealist,” “a classic draftsman with a fantastic vision,” one that was “tortured.”

“Dali is kid stuff compared with [Ossorio’s] weird demonic visions,” critic Emily Genauer commented. What followed for the artist was a period of deep confusion.

In the summer of 1948, he met the dancer Edward “Ted” Dragon Young. According to Steven Gaines, author of Philistines at the Hedgerow, an explosive book on the Hamptons’ most eccentric personalities, their meeting was nothing short of an idyllic pastorale.

Ossorio, who had rented a house for the summer in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts, was sketching in a meadow engulfed by wild summer flowers. Dragon, who was also there as a scholar of dance company

THE ICE PALACE

In contrast to the grandeur of The Creeks, Pollock and Krasner lived in a modest barn house (right)—with no heating—in the Springs, the less gentrified area of East Hampton. Ossorio once described their home studio as "lamentable borderline squalor."

Opposite Page: Ossorio's monumental 1953 artwork, Beachcomber, currently with the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery in New York.

Succeeding spread, top right: Preparing for his one-man show at the Betty Parsons Gallery, February 1961.

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n the spring of 1949, Ossorio purchased the first of many works of Jackson Pollock, whom he called “the man who had gone beyond Picasso.” It was a large 8x4 panel entitled Number 5, purchased from Betty Parsons’s gallery for $1,500 and the only Pollock painting sold in the exhibit.

Dragon recalled Ossorio saying, “You’ll be very surprised by the painting that’s going to be delivered today. I don’t think you’ll like it at all. It’s by a painter named Jackson Pollock—and it’s all drips!” When the painting arrived damaged, Parsons arranged for Pollock and his wife, Lee Krasner, to have a look, so that it could be fixed in “The Springs,” Pollock’s home in East Hampton.

Ossorio and Dragon, curious to see the Hamptons for the first time, loaded Number 5 into their Ford station wagon and drove out to see Pollock. It was, to them, a shock to discover his living conditions: a 200-hundred-year-old tumbledown house with no heating (save for an old stove) in the midst of nowhere, which Ossorio described as “lamentable borderline squalor.”

When Pollock finally returned the “restored” painting, it was, much to Ossorio’s surprise and horror, an entirely different work. Nevertheless, Ossorio politely accepted it. By then, the two artists had forged a most unlikely friendship: Pollock, a homophobic drunkard who was known in New York art circles to eat with his hands and unabashedly paw at women; and Ossorio, a handsome, soft-spoken, boarding school-mannered homosexual artist, who became the biggest collector and staunchest patron of Pollock. Throughout his life, Pollock received a $200 monthly stipend from Ossorio, who would even pay for his weekly theater trips to watch Westerns or sci-fi movies. Pollock’s Lavender Mist (1950) had been singled

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out by Ossorio as his potential masterpiece when he purchased it for $3,000. True to his discerning eye, the work is now the most coveted of Pollock’s oeuvre.

If there was one artist whom both men admired, it was the French modernist Jean Dubuffet, whom Ossorio promptly visited in Paris upon the suggestion of Pollock. Dubuffet was not well known in America, yet his concerns about denying “the validity of past academic traditions” were all too familiar to both Pollock and Ossorio.

Like Ossorio, Dubuffet came from a comfortable background, but the French avant-garde master pursued art at a much later stage in life, first working in his family business before plunging himself entirely into an art form he called L’Art Brut, which he defined as raw works “uncontaminated by artistic culture” and the “hangovers of classical or fashionable art.”

Ossorio thoroughly bought into this view, once more a kind of rebellion to the structures that defined his life.

D

ubuffet’s aesthetic was greatly influenced by psychiatrist Hans Prinzhorn’s 1922 book, Artistry of the Mentally Ill. This influence, in turn, resonated with Ossorio profoundly, particularly when Dragon became unstable and slowly spiraled into a phantasmic world of his own, eventually spending periods of time in mental asylums.

In 1952, Ossorio hung Dubuffet’s entire L’Art Brut collection in his home. The strong bonds of friendship between the three artists saw each of them supporting their respective endeavors, many times exchanging paintings among themselves and even writing forwards for each others’ books.

In 1949, Ossorio’s father, Don Miguel, demanded that he return to the Philippines to paint a church in Victorias City that was being built as a memorial to their family’s sugar plantation.

Ossorio, along with untrained Filipino assistants, spent 11 months in Victorias painting a 36x20 yard mural called “The Angry Christ” which dominated the back wall of the altar. “The church had been oriented so that the sun would come in and strike the celebrant as he stood at the altar with this enormous figure behind him . . . and although they loathed it at the time, it is almost now a place of pilgrimage,” Ossorio said of his work years later.

Explaining how such a radical, irreverent image was allowed by a conservative provincial community, Ossorio said: “The patron who pays the piper calls the tune. In other words, it was one of my brothers in charge of the whole operation. If he hadn’t been behind me, the local bishop or parish priest would likely have said no.” Dubuffet, in his fascination for his

PHOTO BY JASON ANDREWS VIA GETTY IMAGES

Jacob’s Pillow, was traipsing in the same meadow picking nosegays.

After a “peripatetic courtship” that lasted until the following spring, the 33-year-old painter asked the 25-year-old dancer to move in with him.

The son of a French-Canadian mother and a restaurateur father, Dragon first aspired to be a concert pianist. Later, he took up ballet, first casted as a Broadway chorus boy in the 1941 production of Agnes de Mille’s One Touch of Venus. (It was de Mille who told Dragon to omit “Young” from his name.) Although his dance background was limited to training at a local YMCA, his handsome angular features, natural stage presence, and flair for the dramatic helped him realize his goal of dancing ballet, earning him roles at the Paris Opera and New York City Ballet. His partnership with Ossorio would last almost 50 years until Ossorio’s death in 1990, which made him the artist’s sole heir and executor of all his properties.

COURTESY OF MICHAEL ROSENFELD GALLERY LLC, NEW YORK, NY

Filipino friend’s work, wrote nearly 30 pages of notes and commentaries regarding the Church of the Angry Christ, based on the 300 drawings Ossorio had made for the commission. hile Ossorio and Dragon were in Paris in August 1951, a large East Hampton property, once owned by the wealthy artist couple Albert and Adele Herter (their family’s interior design firm furnished the homes of J.P. Morgan and William Vanderbilt), was put up for sale. Pollock immediately cabled Ossorio and suggested that he buy it.

After World War II, East Hampton had become a refuge for European artists—particularly and notoriously, the Surrealists. Salvador Dali, Piet Mondrian, Marc Chagall, and Max Ernst were among those who had visited or had lived in the area. This artistic exodus came upon the instigation of Jazz Age socialites Gerald and Sara Murphy, following their return to Long Island after years of living in the French Riviera.

Gerald Murphy, heir to the Mark Cross leather-goods fortune, was an artist himself who had collaborated with Picasso and designed sets for ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe. Famous for their ragtime parties and glamorous circle of friends, the Murphys became F. Scott Fitzgerald’s inspiration for Dick and Nicole Diver in his 1934 novel Tender Is the Night.

Spearheaded by Pollock, the Abstract Expressionist movement had its origins in this small, well-heeled village at the East End of Long Island, eventually putting New York—and in particular, the Hamptons—at the center of the art world.

Ossorio, having decided to purchase the Herter property for $50,000, asked Dragon if he would give up his dancing career to permanently move in with him. Dragon consented, but only after a dramatic exit performance at the Nice Opera. Partnered with the great Russian dancer-choreographer Serge Lifar, Dragon performed the pas de deux from Paul Dukas’s “La Peri,” allegedly in drag and dressed in chiffon ff and diamonds.

Ossorio and Dragon built their domestic nest in this moneyed artist colony by the sea. Their 60-acre East Hampton estate, on the picturesque edge of Georgica Pond, was christened “The Creeks” and was crowned by a 40-room Italianate villa.

The rambling mansion had nine fireplaces, a library of 15,000 books, a four-car garage, a 6,000-bottle wine cellar, a studio-theater, a dramatic oval pool, and a view of the Atlantic. The main door led to a diverse ethnographic collection of artifacts from all over the world: African masks, carved ivory dragons, Indian temple friezes, Filipino wind chimes, Victorian chandeliers, Oriental carpets, and exotic caged birds.

The Creeks soon became the hub of artistic and social activity in the

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Hamptons. Aside from the Pollocks, it saw the comings and goings of Willem de Kooning, Mark Rothko, Jasper Johns, and Marcel Duchamp, as well as Truman Capote, Mrs. Douglas MacArthur, and a young King Juan Carlos of Spain. There were performances by opera singer Enrico Caruso and dancers Anna Pavlova and Isadora Duncan. There were piano concerts for the benefit of Guild Hall, the Hampton’s cultural center where local artists and intellectuals gathered. Conservative East Hampton was really coming alive artistically, and this transition was sealed upon Ossorio’s opening of the Signa Gallery in 1957 with artists John Little and Elizabeth Parker.

Ted Dragon took his place as host and master organizer extraordinaire, arranging the furniture and artwork, minding the table settings for themed dinner parties that included elaborate flower arrangements. He was also adept at needlepoint and loved to cook.

It was, as Dragon recalled, “a magical time,” recounting the night when the mansion was lit with 1,000 candles as opera singers walked about singing Mozart. “They say Ossorio owned The Creeks, but it was Dragon to whom The Creeks belonged,” observed Steven Gaines.

“Alfonso was one of the most brilliant and broadly cultured people I’ve known,” B.H. Friedman, the art critic who authored Ossorio’s 1972 monograph, told The New York Times, describing an artist who spoke eight languages, including Latin and ancient Greek. “He had an elegant generosity of a kind that doesn’t exist any more.” And of Dragon, he said: “Ted could take a weed and make it absolutely extraordinary.”

The two often had to contend with Pollock, their most frequent guest at The Creeks, whose Lavender Mist was the centerpiece of the main dining room. As Pollock’s ever-munificent friend and collector, Ossorio was a patron of remarkable patience, putting up with Pollock’s violent outbursts when the painter threw himself overboard with drink.

Once, Pollock stormed into a black-tie party and began to bang down on the piano, appearing to mock Dragon. Pollock then got up and returned with an ice pick from the kitchen and smashed all the ivory keys of the Steinway, leaving Ossorio with a bill that amounted close to what he had paid for Lavender Mist.

Despite the frequent social events at The Creeks, Dragon was often distant, feeling that the celebrities that peopled the champagne-soaked affairs ff did not take an interest in him. Insecure that they regarded him as “some kept thing,” he would many times disappear at the height of the evening. Little by little, Dragon supposedly started to display strange behavior.

While Ossorio was away on tours and art exhibits, Dragon—lonely, bored, and angry at being left behind—would allegedly steal furniture from his Hamptons neighbors (antiques, paintings, dueling pistols, fourposter beds, and china, but never cash or jewelry), only to bring them back refurbished. (Taking his cue from a Mickey Spillane novel, a sneaker-clad Dragon would reportedly carry out the burglaries on rainy days, so the water would wash away his tracks.) Some neighbors, though puzzled by this strange gesture, would even send him thank-you notes. “I just loved beautiful things so much, and sometimes I was appalled at how badly the furniture was being kept,” Dragon was quoted by Gaines in Philistines at the Hedgerow, who considered Dragon’s actions the “scandal of the decade.”

The East Hampton police, finding no plausible explanation for the thefts, would heavily penalize Dragon. Ossorio would courteously pay the penalties and even bankrolled Dragon’s psychological treatment, the last being at a private asylum in Connecticut. Soon, the more conservative of Hamptons society re-named The Creeks as “The Creeps.”

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But Ossorio, a proud man humiliated by a public scandal, unconditionally stood by Dragon throughout the entire ordeal—from his arrest to his release from the asylum two years later.

“You mustn’t ever think [Ted Dragon] was one of my charities. This was an act of love.” Ossorio told B.H. Friedman at the time. The incident only “cemented our relationship,” Dragon later disclosed, adding that Ossorio was “a rock, the rock of Gilbatrar . . . How could you ever turn away from a person who has stood by you like that?”

Dragon, embracing his new notoriety as the “Robin Hood out on Long Island,” supposedly took to wearing wigs, large flowing caftans, outlandish costume jewelry, and became known as a “questionable fashion guru.” Amused by his partner’s eccentricity, Ossorio declared to Dragon, “You’re like one of my paintings.”

Upon Dragon’s return from exile in 1961, fashion designer Harry Acton Striebel hosted a party for him. Halfway through the evening, as noted by Gaines, a large hoop of cloth doused in kerosene was hoisted up, and to the strains of Stravinsky’s “Rites of Spring,” it burst into flames. From the burning hoop’s center emerged Dragon, resplendent in a costume of gold brocade, to the thunderous applause of his friends. ssorio’s art arrived at a creative breakthrough during this period, as it continually evolved into more grotesque forms. Unlike Dubuffet’s ff work, which was executed in a naïve manner, Ossorio’s was complex and colorful, displaying the same brand of meticulously crafted details inherent in his earlier drawings and paintings. Like Dubuffet’s ff work, Ossorio’s sculptures put a face to the twisted aesthetic of the mentally ill. Critics who were expecting to see a three-dimensional representation of Ossorio’s brand of Abstract Expressionism instead got an entirely different ff art genre, described as a “montage,” “collage,” and eventually “assemblage,” a term invented by Dubuffet. ff He christened his new technique “congregations,” for its religious connotation. Larger and more detailed works emerged, but now the religiosity was darker, more distorted and grotesque, frightening even.

The found objects—a demolition contractor’s pile of rubbish, shells, driftwood, glass eyes, human teeth, bones, sheet metal—were enameled in colors of medieval Christian symbolism: red for charity, blue for hope, white for faith. However, this translated garishly on the pieces. Critics dissed the work, comparing it to “something a pinball threw up.” The New York Timess went as far as calling it “exuberant models of excess and bad taste.” Later works, however, made the critics stand up and notice. The remarks were a little kinder, and they hailed him as a “serious surrealist.”

Ossorio’s work, unlike today’s so-called “found object art,” was highly polished, impeccably constructed, its concepts resulting from deep meditations and personal beliefs rather than just mere socially reactive commentary. His materials were tediously researched, his techniques carefully tested. These methods were typically Ossorio’s modus. While working on the “Angry Christ” mural, for instance, his search for a suitable binder led him to Ralph Meyer, a respected author of painters’ handbooks, who recommended ethyl silicate, which to this day has helped keep the mural intact. Being a wealthy artist had its perks—not only did Ossorio enjoy a full education in fine art and design (from Harvard and the Rhode Island School of Design, no less), he had the luxury to source and purchase materials he wished to use.

But his home, The Creeks, whose black painted walls served as backdrops to works of Dubuffet ff and Pollock and other modernists, would remain Ossorio’s single most important “congregation,” his Factory of

Dreams, the artistic extension of himself. A canvas big enough for Ossorio’s bold vision, it was here where he retreated, where “the exchange between life and art is more congenial than in the city.”

“A lot of people say [The Creeks is] kitschy and tchotchke,” Dragon said in an interview.

“But it’s organized. There is a sense of order, just like Alfonso’s congregations.”

In the 1970s, these once crowded congregations gave way to massive, brightly colored, geometric-shaped outdoor sculptures, which were softer and cleaner-edged.

“There is a great deal of distance from internal strife in the new sculpture—an almost classical simplicity,” observed Newsday. To which Ossorio admitted, “There’s more acceptance, less revolt . . . the struggle [has become] less personal.”

PHOTO BY FRED W. MCDARRAH / GETTY IMAGES

O

ssorio passed away from a stroke on December 5, 1990 at the age of 74. Shortly after his death, Dragon put The Creeks, their palatial “Disneyland for esthetes,” on the market.

It was valued, to Dragon’s amazement, at $25 million. Among those who showed interest in buying the estate were German princess Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, publishing mogul Mort Zuckerman, and the wife of Texas oil tycoon Sid Bass.

Dragon also held the largest yard sale ever to take place in East Hampton. Aside from sixfoot-long elephant tusks, lamps from Venice’s Grand Canal, rare Persian rugs, Waterford crystal goblets, and a Chinese opium bed, there was a human skeleton, unopened cans of paint, and a dried shark.

In 1993, he finally sold The Creeks and its contents to cosmetics tycoon Ron Perelman, its current owner, for $12.5 million and moved into a small cottage on Pantigo Road. (The sale included many of Ossorio’s outdoor sculptures, scattered amongst the exotic evergreens that he had planted during the last 20 years of his life— an arboretum that was hailed as “the eighth wonder of the horticultural world.”)

After Dragon created the Ossorio Foundation in 1994, whose purpose was to “educate the public on the life and work of Alfonso Angel Ossorio y Yangco,” he spent his final years in quiet solitude: hearing daily mass and contributing generous tithes at the East Hampton’s Most Holy Trinity Church, helping cash-strapped friends, and just living simply. He died without fanfare in his Pantigo Road cottage on October 2, 2011.

“They had a very special thing going,” said Gaines, commenting on Ossorio and Dragon’s 42-year relationship. “You have to be really lucky to find that in your lifetime.”

More appreciated in his time as a collector than as an artist, and dismissed as “a gilded eccentric fluttering on the edges of postwar American art,” interest in Ossorio’s work has piqued more interest today than it ever did in his lifetime.

“The idea is to take the most ordinary things and make them extraordinary . . . I want to show the richness of even the most disagreeable bits of life,” once said Ossorio, an artist for whom fame was fugitive and elusive, but whose search for himself successfully translated to an aesthetic

extension, substantiating a long suspected theory that art and angst are inseparable.

“Wealthy artists are often regarded as dilettantes until the entire body of work is unearthed, typically after their deaths as with Gustave Moreau or Marcel Proust . . . and their seriousness and productivity can no longer be questioned,” explained Friedman. “Since Ossorio’s life and work have been singularly visible, there was no reason to wait.”

But while Alfonso Ossorio’s artistic legacy now hangs in the walls of Whitney, the Guggenheim, the Smithsonian, the Met, and the MoMA, offering the public unrestricted access to extraordinary oeuvre, Ted Dragon’s private documents are archived under lock and key at the Harvard Art Museum, where they will remain unopened until 2026. Only then may we fully comprehend if the oneness of Ossorio’s life and art were, indeed, a celebration of his personal fulfillment or, perhaps, torment.

MICHAEL ROSENFELD GALLERY (100 11TH AVENUE, NEW YORK; MICHAELROSENFELDART.COM) HAS WORKS AVAILABLE BY ALFONSO OSSORIO FROM THE ROBERT U. OSSORIO FOUNDATION

M A R C H 2014 111

PO W E

The war was over. Glasses were raised to the flags of independence and the Philippines celebrated the Fifties with unrestrained promise. By day, statesmen reigned over a republic emerging from the ashes; and by night, newly minted fortunes revealed themselves in the glamorous affairs of the old guard and socially ambitious parvenus. On the sidelines lurked the celebrated photojournalists of Time and Life magazines, dispatched to Asia’s “diamond in the rough� to immortalize the power and the glory of this gilded age

P O R T R A I T S O F

PHOTO BY MICHAEL ROUGIER//TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES

THE NOBLEM A N Photographed shortly before the 1953 elections, where he lost his re-election bid to Ramon Magsaysay, President Elpidio Quirino (center) quietly retired to his country house in Novaliches, shunning politics until his death. A 57-year-old widower when he became president, the Vigan-born lawmaker was linked romantically to various socialites, “including Conchita Gaston and Mercedes L. Araneta,” wrote his biographer. Ever the nobleman, he was hailed as a “gentleman of the old school.”

PHOTO BY MICHAEL ROUGIER//TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES / OPPOSITE PAGE: PHOTO BY HANK WALKER//TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES

THE STATESMEN President Carlos P. Garcia (opposite page, seated second from right) and House Speaker Daniel Z. Romualdez (extreme right) at a dinner party in Malacañang Palace with US President Dwight Eisenhower (center), June 1960. Garcia’s anti-colonial “Filipino First” policy, which favored Filipino businessmen over foreign investors, endeared to him to tycoons and technocrats. Romualdez, who was responsible for bringing his Tacloban-based niece Imelda to the capital, was married to Paz Gueco-Romualdez—a Kahirup Ball fixture, Ramon Valera patron, and aunt of Ninoy Aquino—who introduced Imelda to the young congressman Ferdinand Marcos. Garcia assumed the presidency after the tragic death of Ramon Magsaysay (above, with First Lady Luz Banzon-Magsaysay), a well-loved president whose take-noprisoners approach to progressive governance made him a “man of the people.”

The future heir to the Ayala Corporation, Jaime Zobel de Ayala (center), 22, photographed at the Sheraton Plaza ballroom in Boston, Massachusetts, November 1956. The photo, taken during Zobel’s student days at Harvard University, where he graduated in 1957 with an Architectural Science degree, was published in a photo essay, “Bostonians whirl gracefully at first Waltz Night of the season,” in the December 1956 issue of Life magazine.

PHOTO BY YALE JOEL//TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES

THE GR A DUATE

PHOTO BY JACK BIRNS//TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES

T H E GR A N D DA M E Society doyenne Conching Sunico, the well-connected granddaughter of turn-of-the-century taipan Don Telesforo Chuidian, in May 1958. One of the golden “It” girls of the 1950s, Sunico was a pre-war Manila Carnival Queen and Miss Philippines. “She was the grand dame of Manila society,” remembered her close friend, philanthropist Chito Madrigal. During the Marcos administration, the town's top hostess was appointed Tourism Commissioner and the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Theater.

PHOTO BY JOHN FLOREA/TIME & LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES / OPPOSITE PAGE: PHOTO BY MICHAEL ROUGIER//TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES / PHOTO BY HOWARD SOCHUREK//TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES

T H E J E S T E R , T H E WA R H E A D, A N D T H E N E W R E P U B L IC Eulogio “Amang” Rodriguez (opposite page, top), one of the country’s longest-serving Senate Presidents, was the compleat politician famous for his biting humor (“That was a great speech! It should be published posthumously,” he once teased Eisenhower). Ambassador Carlos P. Romulo’s wife, former Manila Carnival Queen Virginia Llamas-Romulo (opposite page, bottom) with US Secretary of State and “Cold Warrior” John Foster Dulles at a Magsaysay luncheon in Malacañang, September 1956. The first sovereign of the new republic, President Manuel Roxas (above, left), photographed in July 1946 with Jean Faircloth-MacArthur, wife of General Douglas MacArthur and daughter of Nashville banker E. C. Faircloth, who left her a substantial fortune.

PHOTO BY JACK BIRNS//TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES / OPPOSITE PAGE: PHOTO BY LISA LARSEN//TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES

T H E DI PL OM A T, T H E D OY E N N E , A N D T H E F I R S T DAU G H T E R The celebrated diplomat Carlos P. Romulo (pictured) at a conference in Bandung, Indonesia, April 1955. An ocean away, in prosperous postwar Manila, the shipping heiress Chito Madrigal (opposite page, bottom) was one of the capital’s rising social figures along with fellow “swans” Conching Sunico, Chona Recto Ysmael, and Mary Prieto. Another young woman in society’s spotlight was Vicky Quirino (opposite page, top), who, at 17, became the country’s de facto First Lady during the reign of her widowed father, Elpidio Quirino. She would later marry Luis Tuason Gonzalez and Francisco Delgado.

Shipping tycoon Vicente Madrigal (top left), the wealthiest man in the Philippines when he passed away in 1972, photographed in his Balete Drive home, October 1949. Among his many properties was the 7,000-hectare estate Canlubang, which he sold to sugar baron and former House Speaker Jose Yulo (above right) and his wife, Cecilia Araneta-Yulo (sister of Cubao industrialist J. Amado Araneta). Yulo ran for president in 1957 but lost to Garcia. Other politically inclined members of the oligarchy were Fernando Lopez (above left)—younger brother of tri-media mogul Eugenio Lopez Sr.—who served as Vice President under Quirino and Marcos, and Speaker Jose Laurel Jr. (top right, with Jose Laurel III), son of President Jose P. Laurel.

CLOCKWISE: PHOTO BY JACK BIRNS//TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES / PHOTO BY JAMES BURKE// TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES / PHOTO BY JACK BIRNS//TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES

THE HIGHFLIER S

PHOTO BY JOHN DOMINIS//TIME LIFE PICTURES/GETTY IMAGES

THE W IDOW First Lady Luz Banzon-Magsaysay, 41, photographed during the state funeral of her husband, President Ramon Magsaysay, who passed away on March 17, 1957 when his C-47 plane perished in the misty slopes of Mount Manunggal, Cebu. “He burst into public life like a fresh wind after a long suffocating day,” former President Sergio Osmeña said in his eulogy at Malacañang Palace. “He died in the night while his people, once more enjoying security and once more full of hope, peacefully slept.”

THE PRICE IS RIGHT Ruling the Bureau of Internal Revenue with an iron fist and punching Manny Pacquiao’s recent victory out cold over allegations of tax evasion, it seems nobody messes with Commissioner Kim Henares WORDS BY NASTASIA TYSMANS / PHOTOGRAPHED BY EDRIC CHEN

IN FOCUS

B

ureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) Commissioner Kim Henares has a reputation that precedes her. According to the media and those that lend their voice to the stream, she is the gun-wielding, stern, ball-busting sheriff of the tax office who’s out to exact dues from those who don’t pay. Headlines in recent history lend credence to this image, what with a determined BIR Commissioner going after revered boxing champ turned congressman, Manny Pacquiao. Henares is tasked with the unenviable role of playing tax collector in a democratic country where paying tax is an integral yet painful exercise of political participation. Nothing compares to the gut-wrenching sensation that overcomes all of us when we contend with monthly income statements detailing the value of our work in measly pesos and automatically subtracting the price we pay to belong here.To add insult to injury, it’s not too often that we also see where the money paid as tax goes.

It was somewhere in between this rock and this hard place that I met Henares. She entered the conference room adjacent to her office with little fanfare, passing around a business card to all present, after which she sat down and peered at us to indicate that she was ready to begin. When pressed about whether she had been fairly represented by media, she surprised us by saying outright that it didn’t really matter.

“Basically this is my philosophy with media.

I understand they have a job to do. As far as I’m concerned, that’s how they do their job. As long as I know what the truth is, and [what’s said] is not too much below the belt I don’t really care.

What I care about is if they make my agency look stupid. That’s the only time I complain,” she says.

After all, through the media’s headlining of the recent Pacquiao controversy, it has inadvertently helped the BIR inform the public of its iron fist.

(And as for her “tough,” hardened image, she clarifies: “I think you can see [in] all my pictures, I’m always smiling.”)

Her loyalty to her post is neither unsubstantiated nor hackneyed. Henares knows the BIR like the back of her hand, having worked with them in her capacity as a practicing tax and corporate lawyer before assuming the position of Deputy Commissioner in the period of 2003-2005. More importantly, she has a clear understanding of who the players are and what’s at stake. Henares explains that “[she] has a very well-rounded exposure [to those on] the tax table: you have the client, the tax representative, the lawyers, the accountants that represent them, and the BIR personnel. That’s basically the people [on] the table, and I’ve played all those roles. I understand all those things. I’ve [also played] the additional role of a multilateral agency trying to help [institute]

reform. So when I was in the World Bank, I was talking from experience, balancing the demands of the tax payer and the requirement of the tax administrator to make sure people pay the right taxes.” It’s what she says last that sets the record straight and clarifies what she’s been tasked to do.

Why? “Because at the end of the day, let’s recognize that, at least in the Philippines, if people can get away with not paying taxes, they will,” Henares claims. “If the people are willing to pay taxes, then [the system can become] more customer-centric.”

She goes on to explain her role as an administrator with a familial anecdote: “If you’re a parent with two children and one child is very mabait (good), studious, responsible, you normally don’t regulate because you have confidence that he will do what is right. But say you have another child

ACCORDING TO THE MEDIA, SHE IS THE GUN-WIELDING, BALL-BUSTING SHERIFF OF THE TAX OFFICE WHO’S OUT TO EXACT DUES FROM THOSE WHO DON’T PAY. who’s bulakbol, who tries to get away with things, who doesn’t study, who [often comes] home early in the morning, your tendency every hour is to try to check on where he is.

It’s the same philosophy here: once tax payers are more compliant your regulation become less, but if they’re not compliant then you regulate them more.”

This idea of stricter enforcement is also descriptive of her management style within the BIR, where she has over 10,000 people working under her. Apart from process engineering, she’s managed to clarify the roles and responsibilities of her people, creating a clear sense of accountability among them. Perhaps, as she claims, it will take a while to see this reform trickle down but she remains hopeful, stating the need to lead by example and above all, be consistent. “I’m a person who believes that the world is really black and white,” Henares explains. “You should have very few grey areas.”

Another point of contention often raised by critics is the seemingly arbitrary selection that Henares employs when deciding who to investigate for tax fraud. Public response to this has been to encourage staying below the agency’s radar, hoping not to be noticed.

“We investigate. I administer the whole tax code,” says Henares. “We collect the taxes, we implement the tax code, any (and all) tax laws.

Then if you don’t comply, there are criminal, penal provisions in the tax code.”

As controversy courts Commissioner Henares, the public also demands an explanation for the agency’s thrust toward meeting revenue collection targets above all else. The simple answer of course is that the government cannot spend if there is no money to spend, but Henares clearly states that the thrust of the BIR is to make sure people who have income pay the right taxes. If everyone does that, the target is easy to hit.

Beyond meeting targets, Henares makes a case for the distinction of her job relative to other branches of government. “The work that I do is basically bringing back the principle in taxation. The interpretation of the tax code should be strictly interpreted. The role of the tax administrator is not to engage in policy consideration.

If there is something wrong with the law, you should not expect the BIR to be the one adjusting. It should be the legislature who should come up with the amendment,” she says.

As for taxpayers, the BIR has found discrepancies owing to people’s neglect of basic obligations and responsibilities. Entities register and seek authority to print invoices without engaging in business in the first place—or, worse, they end up selling invoices to people who cannot account for certain purchases because they don’t have receipts.Typically, these items are stolen, smuggled, or bought from businesses that don’t issue receipts. The government stands to lose revenue in big numbers that are difficult to estimate.

Another cause for concern is the dismal attendance during BIR-offered seminars for new business owners. Henares cites how clients often send their personal drivers and housekeepers to the classes and complain later on when certain penalties are imposed on them when they are unable to meet requirements. “Well, whose fault is that?” exclaims Henares.

All issues aside, the real challenge, according to Henares, is to change the attitude of the people.

When asked if she is hopeful for the country, she says, “Actually, if I was not hopeful for the country I would not have come back to government. The reason why I came back is [that] I felt that these six years are maybe the last chance for the country. And because of that, I think everyone should help to make it successful.”

Does fame ever fulfill its promise of power?

After portraying the same stereotypical bitches and contrabidas, Bianca King now hardly thinks so. Going beyond the trappings of celebrity, she has not only broken through network borders for her current show but has started to prove her mettle outside show business. Jansen Musico talks to her as she navigates uncharted waters

PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARK NICDAO / STYLED BY L.A. CONSING LOPEZ

BIANCA KING IS IN CHARGE. The proof is scattered along EDSA: 50 feet and larger than life, billboards featuring a mestiza with blood red lips, soft cheekbones, and doe eyes, flanked by two men, coveted yet unattainable. But this is all a ruse. The real deal is in gym wear, sitting in front of me at a restaurant. This woman— humming a giggle while picking out chilies off her plate—is far from the cunning little vixen on TV. At 10 years old, Bianca had already exhausted a to-do list of extracurriculars: she had joined a drama club, practiced ballet, and played the piano and drums. But the itch to do something big led her right into her very first TV commercial. It was for Milo, as one of the backup girls with less than five seconds of screen time. “I just remember thinking, ‘This is a set. There are cameras. Wow! This can be [my] life,’” she tells me.

There was no way Bianca could have known what her words entailed when she, after her freshman year of college, walked right up to her parents with an announcement: “I’m 18. And I’m going to do this showbiz thing.”

“People pass judgment on me,” she says of the common occurrence.

Throughout elementary and high school, she’d already been subject to the ire of her alma mater’s mean girls, who would vandalize the girl’s bathroom and the gym with profanities about her. “I didn’t know why . . . but I already knew then that you kind of take it with a grain of salt.”

Click, the 2004 GMA-7 teenybopper series, had thrown her into the mosh pit of teleserye-loving masses who would either let her crowdsurf on their arms or fall on her ass. The reaction was instantaneous. Overnight, she was typecast and had to deal with misconceptions about her.

“Showbiz is crazy. Sometimes you feel like a slave to it. You feel, um, so marginalized by it . . . so judged. It kind of renders you powerless. Kung hindi ka talaga matibay na tao, hindi ka tatagal sa industriya . . . I move on quickly . . . and just take what I need to evolve.”

Her following project, Mulawin, was a ratings juggernaut during its

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2004-2005 run. She played Aviona, one of the leads’ winged humanoid allies. By this time, people really began taking notice of her. “I didn’t know, like, how it impacted the network and the audience. It was only years after when I had moms going up to me saying they named their daughters Aviona. For me, I was just learning how to act. . . . There wasn’t one significant point where I said to myself, ‘I’m famous!’” Another hummed giggle.

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here are two kinds of leading ladies in Philippine television: those who get the role on their first try and those who do not. Bianca is one of the latter. “I think there are bigger stars than me. I’m an actress. I appear on TV, but fame is secondary to how I value the quality of work, your reputation.”

Her protagonist role in GMA’s Sinner or Saint in 2011 was seven years in the making, seven years she needed to shape up. “If it were offered sooner . . . I wouldn’t know how I would’ve been able to handle everything,” she says bluntly, creating a checklist of things she couldn’t screw up. “I have to deliver . . . I have to memorize all my lines. I have to be present at every single promotion and be able to talk about my show. I have to be available to fans . . . make my online presence stronger, you know? All these things go into carrying a show.”

But lucky number seven felt right. She grabbed the opportunity not because it promoted her from second fiddle duties but rather because it gave her newfound freedom to play against type. “Masayang maging kontrabida, kung iisipin mo, kasi masarap magtaray. But [if ] you’ve been doing it for seven years? You’ve got to move on. You have to grow and try other roles, too.”

Late last year, she signed a deal with TV5 to satisfy her “innate curiosity of working with another network.” She’s been very vocal of how, in an

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ideal world, artists can freely switch networks whenever they choose and without judgment. “If you could be hired based [solely] on merit . . . on being the right fit for the role, and not because of the network you’re tied to . . . wow.”

In Obsession, her first TV5 soap which premiered in January this year, she plays Vanessa, the newly created alter ego of actress Neri Naig’s Bernadette, who went under the knife. Vanessa is described as confident and sexy, as opposed to Bernadette’s old shy and insecure self.

It’s almost art imitating life, or vice versa. “I have insecurities,” Bianca says. “I’m aware of what I am and [am not] good at . . . I’m flawed, but I always try . . . I know how to act but there’s so much more I want to learn. I’m also confident in my ability to make decisions because I am always guided by the values my parents have instilled in me.

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he once took on a three-year filmmaking course on a full scholarship. But given the amount of tapings, guestings, and mall shows she was committed to, three years had turned into five. “It was hard enough to go to school, but I was working at the same time, not just because of passion but necessity. . . . When I entered showbiz, I took it upon myself to be financially independent. When I realized that the money I was making from acting could support a family, I never thought twice about sharing with my parents whenever they needed me.

“Being an only child means I am one-third of a partnership,” she explains. It also means “they had no one else to reprimand but me.” She lets out a louder giggle. Bianca often flies to Canada to spend time with her folks, mostly to act as their driver and dote on them the way they did with her. Here, she spends time tending to her favorite lola, who was diagnosed with cancer last year.

She had dabbled in directing, and apprenticed under director Erik Matti. It was producer Dondon Monteverde’s idea to take Bianca in

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as a temporary member of his production outfit Revolver Studios. She shadowed Matti, who took her through the end-to-end process of commercial production.

“Until now, people keep saying [I’m an actor] slash director . . . I don’t think it’s a title I deserve yet.” She has directed a few music videos that have aired on TV but feels she needs to do more to merit the title of director. There was a time Bianca could say she was set on being a commercial director—watching Matti in action has that effect—but a sobering heart-to-heart snapped her out of it. It was a simple question from her current boyfriend: “Why don’t you talk about film as much as you talk about your other interests?”

“I’m kind of at a crossroads now. I’m slowly coming to realize that the greater purpose of me taking up film was to aid my skills as an actress. Technical knowledge helps. . . . My patience increased. It also helps my confidence . . . I’m more self-aware.”

Bianca is a leading lady, a fact she takes to heart. Last year she flew to LA, disappearing for a month to tackle The Adler Technique III at the Stella Adler Academy for Acting and Theatre. This, she says, helped set aside old acting conventions. Though brief, her LA stint had opened her up to new ways of approaching things.

“I’m looking forward to the next opportunity,” she says. “Like when I [do] something, I really get so consumed by it. I still have so much passion for [filmmaking], but right now, I’m just so much more into discovering my other interests.” Bianca found a knack for cooking and design, and is currently preoccupied with Brera, a deli she runs with a few of her neighbors. She’s also set her sights on finishing culinary school this year and interior design some time in her 30s.

“I know that showbiz isn’t forever, so you need to find something you really like to do, and try to make a living doing it,” she says. But there’s still something in the industry that continuously reels her back in: a promise of something better.

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MAKEUP BY JEN DELICA HAIR BY CELESTE TUVIERA PRODUCTION DESIGN BY ADFIX PRO PHOTOGRAPHER ASSISTED BY JAMES BAUTISTA, PHIL NICDAO, CHRIS SOCO, AND EGOY STYLIST ASSISTED BY RIA CASCO AND MEG MANZANO

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ARMIDA? Before Armida Siguion-Reyna conquered the screen and became the all-powerful voice behind Aawitan Kita, she was Don Alfonso Ponce Enrile’s feisty daughter, a boarding-school debutante with operatic ambitions. In an exclusive excerpt from her forthcoming biography, the veteran performer—now 83— unravels the bandages of a broken childhood home, while Nelson A. Navarro recounts how a rebellious bride-to-be almost called off her wedding

Mama [Purificacion “Purita” Liwanag Ponce Enrile] said I was born in Malate, Manila and the family moved to Maysilo, Malabon on my first birthday.

Or rather, they moved, they being my parents and my siblings on my father’s side: Mario, Nena, Teresing, Edeng, and Carmeling. The family grew larger with the birth of my younger sister, Irma, and brothers Chito and Toti.

My eldest sister Lita and I lived with our maternal grandparents, Lolo Enteng and Lola Nena, in Pinaglabanan, San Juan. With us also were my Tio Tanchong and his wife, Tia Manay, and my great-grandmother, Lola Goria. But you see, I stayed in Pinaglabanan only during weekdays and was fetched and brought to Maysilo during the weekends. That was how it was until I was eight years old.

Unlike Lita, I was not my Lolo’s favorite. It was difficult living with a very strict Lolo, a Mason who forbade us to go to a Catholic church, even for just a paseo; to stand by the windows and watch people walk by; to talk to neighbors, especially to boys. We were required to be on time for meals and baths.

It was not only my Lolo who was the sole disciplinarian in the household. There was Tio Tanchong. I was five years old when I plugged a silver teaspoon into an electric socket, which caused a short circuit and burned the tip of the teaspoon. Tio Tanchong put me in an empty sack of rice, secured the cord around my armpits, and hung me by the window.

My throat was hoarse from screaming when he took me out of the sack, placed me on top of a round marble table in the sala, and ordered: “Ahora, canta lo que quieres cantar (Now, sing what you want to sing)!” And I sang Donde Estas, Corazon? (Where Are You, Heart?) in between sobs.

I WAS EIGHT YEARS OLD. Two days before Christmas, Papa’s driver, Marcial, was showing off his new white sharkskin suit to my Lolo’s employees in Pinaglabanan.

I followed him as he was going to his room. He was still making yabang about his suit when he was called to do an errand. He hung his suit in the room and rushed out.

I stared at the suit, took the blazer down, laid it neatly on a table, got hold of a sharp razor lying on the window sill, and sliced the collar to fringes without cutting any part of the blazer.

I was punished for that. No noche buena for Armida, who was kept alone in a bedroom. I was sorry for Marcial but I was angry and fed up with all the dont’s in Pinaglabanan!

Shortly after that incident, I was brought home to Maysilo.

THE PONCE ENRILE HOUSE in Maysilo, Malabon was a simple, two-floor, white wooden house with tin roofing. In the ground floor was a bedroom for the eldest son, Mario; one bathroom; a dirty kitchen; and quarters for the driver and houseboy. We had three bedrooms upstairs—one for Papa and Mama, another for Nena, Teresing, Edeng, and Carmeling, and the third one for Irma, Chito, Toti, and myself. There was a sala, a dining room, a kitchen, and a balcon, which served as the entrance. Two maids ( Juana and Turing, both Bicolanas) slept upstairs with us.

I was free to roam the neighborhood and made friends with our neighbors, one of whom was Lydia, daughter of a poor farmer who had five chil-

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dren. They lived in a small kubo at the corner of the street where our house stood. There was a stream or river right beside their kubo where we’d spend hours fishing. Sometimes, I had lunch with them—small fish and caligay, which are tiny shells. You use a toothpick to pick the flesh out.

Afternoon fare would sometimes be a swim with Lydia and her brothers. Well, wading as far as I was concerned, because I didn’t learn to swim until I was in high school. The water was so clean and cool and reached up to our waist when it was low tide. Or we would play piko or patintero until early evening.

I also explored the different yards of the barrio. No one really minded.

Mama was always busy cooking or sewing and was free of her responsibilities with my other siblings on my father’s side. Their weekends were spent with their mother, who lived in Manila.

I loved climbing our trees. A favorite was our balimbing tree, where I must have fallen off several times while trying to pick the most succulent balimbing fruits. One time, a branch cracked.Tirso, our gardener, heard the break of the branch and rushed to catch me. In his arms I fell, but he started to shake and dropped me on the ground. Epileptic pala si Tirso.

At bedtime, Mama would tell us stories of her youth.

There were nights when Papa [lawyer and politician Alfonso Ponce Enrile] and Mama would have a really bad fight. Mama would gather us into the car and we would go to Tia Salud’s house in Ermita. (Salud Siojo was one of Mama’s closest friends. She was a widow with three children—Naty, Francis, and Nene, who would later be known as Greg Martin, a handsome new actor on the Sampaguita Studios lot). Papa would always come to get us at, siyempre, happy na naman ang pamilya. Despite this, life was happier in Maysilo compared to Pinaglabanan. I had friends, the river, and the fruit trees.

Maysilo was a scenic, peaceful barrio with a river just about 80 meters away from our gate. The livelihood of the barrio was making sampaguita garlands that were brought to Manila and sold in Quiapo and Sta. Cruz. I learned to string the fragile sampaguita flowers when I was a child.

Our house stood on a one hectare lot with 17 different kinds of fruit trees—mabolo, sampalok, suha, atis, langka, balimbing, chico, caimito, bayabas, bananas, ratiles, rimas, mangga, santol, avocado, guayabano, papaya.

Our garden was simple, no grass—impossible with all those trees—just clean earth and a deep well at the back near the fence.The fragrance of sampaguitas scented the air all day and the heady aroma of ilang-ilang flowers wafted the evening breeze.

Croquet became a favorite pastime of my parents. Nagpagawa pa ng lawn sa likod ng bahay at doon sila naglalaro ng kanilang mga kaibigan. This wellkept lawn became a vegetable garden during the war that provided us food during those difficult times.

An added attraction on some days was having movie stars as guests— Norma Blancaflor, Lilia Vizconde, Angel Esmeralda, Purita Santamaria, and Fernando Poe. Ang guapo niya! My Tia Carmen Concha, Papa’s sister, was a director and I believe the first Filipino woman to become one. She’d sometimes use our house as the location setting for her films.

Masaya kami kahit hindi umuuwi gabi-gabi si Papa.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MONIQUE VILLONCO & NORMA LOPA-REYES

At five years old, I already knew I had two homes, two families. I had brothers and sisters who came into my life not as babies but already young men and women.

A TIME FOR EVERYTHING

Clockwise, from above: Siguion-Reyna (seated, center) with her boarding school classmates at Camp Jeanne d'Arc, an exclusive summer camp for girls in Lake Chateaugay, Adirondack Mountains, 1947; graduation day at Brentwood with her mother, Purita Ponce Enrile (left), and sister Irma (right); at the Lopa summer house in Baguio with Terry Cojuangco-Lopa, Norma Lopa-Reyes, Baby Gutierrez-Paras, and Anita Lopa-Vistan, early 1950s; winter in Central Park, New York with Ginny Lichauco-De Leon (left); her father, Don Alfonso Ponce Enrile, one of the top corporate lawyers of his time, in 1925; Previous spread: With actor and and Sampaguita Pictures star Pancho Magalona.

THE LAWYER'S WIFE

Clockwise, from top: A 21-year-old Armida Ponce Enrile before walking down the aisle at Paules Church, behind her is bridesmaid Norma LopaReyes; with her husband, Atty. Leonardo "Seggy" Siguion-Reyna, at their Forbes Park home, 1967; a Manila Times society page clipping of Siguion-Reyna (standing, second from left) at a Bayside Club party with her sister, Irma Potenciano, and friends Imelda Ongsiak0-Cojuangco, Thelma Gallego-Villonco, Norma Lopa-Reyes, Lulu CojuangcoRivilla, and Gunding Noguera, among others; the Manila Bulletin announcement of her November 24, 1951 wedding; playing the lawyer's wife in Germany with Imelda Cojuangco, Fely Abaya, and Charing Africa, 1970s.

“I took off my engagement ring and put it in Seggy's hand. ‘We’re breaking off, there is no more wedding.

If you, from here on, will dictate what I am to do— I cannot accept that.’”

PAPA, P MY DARLING PAPA, P did not come home every night. And sometimes, when he did, he and Mama would quarrel in their room. Even as a child, I sensed something was wrong; an emotional disturbance.

My father was a palikero (playboy) like all Ponces and all Enriles. Pero mabait siya. As I matured, I would discover I acquired similar traits of my father’s.

Iyakin ako. Madaling umiyak ang Papa ko kapag galit, masaya, o malungkot.

He loved traveling by car. Kung minsan bibili lang ng mani, pupunta sa Baliwag kahit a las otso ng gabi and be back to Maysilo. In my case, and this was when I was in show business already, I’d drag my writer, Marina Feleo Gonzalez, who lived in Caloocan, to Everybody’s Café in San Fernando, Pampanga for lunch and we’d end up in Vigan, Ilocos Sur for the night.

Papa had a quick temper, too. One time after sharing a lively moment with Mama, he angrily hurled a cup of taho out the window. “Napaka-tabang naman niyan!” he told Mama. “Ano “ bang klaseng pagmamahal ang ibinibigay mo sa akin!”

And if we were not down in the garage by seven o’clock in the morning for school, he would gather all our bags and books from the car, throw them out into the driveway, and drive off alone to Manila for work.

I guess my children, colleagues, and friends can fill the pages of my diary with similar outbursts of mine.

My mother was a gentle woman who loved so much—my father, my siblings, and my father’s other children. There was always something warm and soothing radiating from her.

Mama gave me my first voice lessons when I was 14. Even before I left for New York to prepare for an operatic career, I already knew the stories of La Traviata, La Bohème, Rigoletto, Lucia di Lammermoor, Aïda, Tosca, Il Trovatore, and the world-renowned singers—Enrico Caruso, Amelita Galli-Curci, Rosa Ponselle.

And closer to home, she taught me the kundimans of her compadre Nicanor Abelardo (Bituing Marikit, t Himutok, Kung Hindi Man, and Nasaan Ka Irog) g and those composed by Francisco Santiago (Pakiusap, Anak ng Dalita, and Madaling Araw).

Many years later, she was to put me on stage to sing the operas and kundimans I grew up with. She was part of everything I did until the day she died.

I WAS SENT TO FINISH HIGH SCHOOL in faraway USA to discourage my desire to appear in the movies. Before I was shipped to study at the Academy of St. Joseph, I was offered ff to appear in the juvenile lead of a movie that was to be produced by Palaris Films, a production outfit of Fernando Poe. I had Mama’s support to accept the offer, ff but Papa was against it. And so on August 1946, I was sent to Brentwood, New York to finish secondary school.

One evening, in February 1949, while tuned in to the radio program The Original Amateur Hour hosted by Ed Sullivan, an announcement for auditions to the new Rodgers and Hammerstein Broadway musical, The King and I, was aired. I decided to try it, but did not tell Sister Blanca and Mother Ignatia Roberta about it. I only told them that I was going to New York

STAGE PRESENCE

"Opera attracted me because it involved not only singing but the very core of my passion—drama," says Siguion-Reyna, pictured above performing at the Philippine Women’s University in 1957. This love of the stage would later manifest in her career as an actor, host, and producer, most notably in her longstanding TV show, Aawitan Kita.

City for the weekend with Gladys Almarza and her sister. But in truth, they accompanied me to the broadcast station near Radio City Music Hall. We must have waited for almost an hour before my name was called.

Inside the audition room was a pianist and two others who were conducting the try-outs. I chose to sing Deanna Durbin’s “Italian Street Song” with a high-C at the end, which suited my coloratura soprano voice. They asked me to repeat the song in a lower key and I did. Pleased with my singing, they asked me to return for a second audition two weeks after. Someone important was going to listen.

Thrilled with the expectation, I told everybody about the audition when we got back to the Academy. My friends and classmates were just as excited for me, except for Sister Blanca and Mother Ignatia Roberta, who gave me a good scolding. Sister Blanca told me it was not proper for me to have gone ahead with the audition without informing them first. Mother Ignatia, on the other hand, was more creative. She pretended to be hurt because her dream was for me to audition for the Metropolitan Opera House. “Surely,” she said, “I was not going to pass that up for a mere Broadway musical.”

Moved by what she said, I was still determined to go back to the audition.

After all, it was only an audition. I just wanted to try my luck, that’s all.

Then they threatened me with expulsion.They called up my father. I cried all night. The next day, I wrote to Papa and Mama and appealed for their support.To make a long story short, the ending was like the movie offer ff three years earlier. Papa said that I should not exchange the opportunity to appear on Broadway for a high school graduation, which would lead me to college.

Tama naman, but I felt bad. Another let down. Kailan pa ako makakawala sa ganitong sitwasyon? But, I had no choice and so I went back to my daily vocalizations and studies of arias.

In college at Georgian Court, I learned more operatic arias such as “Una Voce Poco Fa” (Barber of Seville), “Bati, Batti” (Don Giovanni), “Ophelia’s Mad Scene” (Hamlet), “Je Suis Titania” (Mignon). Maning-mani sa akin lahat yung mga kantang ’yan dahil magaang-magaan pa ang boses ko, sumusunod sa lahat ng gusto kong gawin.

After I arrived in Manila from New York, my mother was proud of the progress I’d made with my coloratura singing. Both Papa and Mama wanted to show me off to their friends. And that was when we began to hold the tertulias—musicals s held at homes where hosts and guests sang or played musical instruments. Our tertulias were held at least twice a month followed by a merienda cena.

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My father was a palikero like all Ponces and all Enriles. He did not come home every night.

Even as a child, I sensed something was wrong; an emotional disturbance.

RUNNING THE SHOW

Hosting the IBC13 talk show Undertones, which aired from 1969 t0 1970 with socialite Chito Madrigal as co-host. Siguion-Reyna interviews then-teenagers Gabby Lopez (left), t now Chairman of ABS-CBN, and Lisa Yuchengco, publisher of Filipinas magazine and daughter of banker-industrialist Alfonso Yuchengco.

Soon after, I met Maestro Jose Mossesgeld Santiago, who would train me for my soon-to-be operas. The Maestro at that time was the only Filipino who had performed at the La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy.

Opera attracted me because it involved not only singing but the very core of my passion—drama. I realized that I did not have the superior vocal gifts of Conching Rosal, Fides Cuyugan, Celerina Pujante Cayabyab, Luz Morales, Irma Ponce Enrile, and Lilia Reyes, all intelligent and excellent singers.

But with all due respect, in my opinion, they did not have half of my passion for theatre. And with vocal training and hard work, in time, I would have nothing to be ashamed of.

I plunged into work, even if at times I wanted to scream back at Maestro Mossesgeld for making me vocalize and sing operatic arias for three hours during my thrice-a-week lessons with him, in addition to my daily two-hour vocal practice. Years later, the ill effects ff of this rigid routine would affect ff my vocal chords.

On July 1951, I made my operatic debut as Lucia di Lammermoor at the Far Eastern University auditorium. It was a glittering affair ff sponsored by the Jaycees for the benefit of Operation Brotherhood. My family was proud of me, and so was my fiancé, Atty. Leonardo Siguion-Reyna.

I was 21 years old.

The wedding of aspiring opera singer Armida Ponce Enrile and young lawyer Leonardo “Seggy” Siguion-Reyna nearly dissolved under hot heads and cold feet, recounts her biographer Nelson A. Navarro in the following excerpt. The headstrong bride-to-be was not to be stopped by a husband who called the shots.

As the twoo found their better halves, they tooo found their compromise.

Seggy and Armida’s wedding date of November 24, 1951, was announced in the Bulletin just days after Armida’s La Traviata performance.

Things appeared to be under control in early November, when an unexpected development threatened to derail the wedding itself.

Driving home to Maysilo one night from an afternoon bridal shower, the occupants of Don Alfonso’s car were in a happy mood. Purita asked Armida a seemingly harmless question: “What happens next? You can’t appear in opera anymore after you’re married.”

Before Armida could answer, Seggy butted in to make light of the situation.“Oh, not necessarily so. Opera and concerts are okay, but not the Manila Grand Opera House shows with Pugo and Tugo.”

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Everybody in the car let off a big laugh. Except Armida, who gritted her teeth and just kept quiet.

“As soon as we got off the car in Maysilo,” she says, “I took off my engagement ring and put it in his hand. ‘We’re breaking off, ff there is no more wedding.’ Seggy became as pale as a radish and said, ‘What did I say?’ ‘You just told me that from here on, you will dictate what I am to do—I cannot accept that.’”

Armida’s tantrum, she says, delighted her father, who wanted to immediately call up the newspapers and announce that the wedding was off. ff Her mother replied that this would be very embarrassing because the wedding gifts had started to arrive and were piling up. Don Alfonso’s solution was to send all the gifts back to the senders.

But Armida knew that she had made her point and Seggy would surrender. By midnight, he was back with his worried aunts and uncles who prayed the rosary as the couple talked things over.

For the first time since they met and got engaged, she was emphatic about what she expected of their marriage and what roles the two of them would play. Theirs was not going to be a conventional wedding with the husband calling the shots and the wife meekly following his wishes. It would have to be different ff from her own parents’marriage that had caused so much unhappiness to her mother and all the children and other parties involved.

A penniless lawyer in 1951 when Armida seriously considered him, Seggy or Nardy, as he was known to friends, was a wealthy and influential man by 1967. Secure and confident about his standing in Manila circles, he was in a position to support and bankroll his wife’s interests in the competitive fields of music and, later, film.

The family’s relocation from Maysilo to booming Makati and Seggy’s increased influence enabled Armida to carve out her own name in music, television, and films. She developed the confidence, some say the audacity, to create a high-profile career as close to her own terms as she could get because her husband was unfailingly behind her. Monique Villonco says, “Daddy always backed her up, even against his better judgment. He loved her so much.”

Without Seggy’s silent but vital encouragement,son-in-law Opap Villonco points out, there would have been no Aawitan Kita, no kundiman revival to blaze the trail for Original Pilipino Music (OPM) or the Manila Sound, particularly during those lean years for Philippine music, when most big stars on television, film, and recordings preferred to sing only foreign songs.

One of the most unyielding advocates for free expression and traditional Philippine music and culture would have been silenced before her causes could even start bearing fruit.

Excerptedd from Armida by Nelson A. Navarro, edited by Teodoro Locsin Jr., designed

by Manuel G. Chaves, to be published this year by ABS-CBN Publishing, Inc.; © 2014 Valmora Investments Management, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The photographs and news clippings aree from the collections off Monique S. Villonco and Norma Lopa-Reyes.

STAY TUNED

Clockwise, from top: At the Undertones set with guests Mary Prieto (far left), Elvira Manahan (far right), Atty.

Carlos Platon, and scriptwriter Oscar Miranda; conducting TV interviews in the streets of Manila; a round-table discussion with her Undertones co-host Chito Madrigal and businessman Jaime Zobel de Ayala, 1970; in Oscar Miranda's play, Mga Ibong Mandaragit, which took Siguion-Reyna out of opera and into theater. When applause broke out during the curtain call of her theater debut, she "heard a little voice in me whispering that this, not opera, was my calling."

IN FOCUS

A Time To Be Critical Roofs and accusations may fly, but DSWD Secretary Dinky Soliman, emerging from Typhoon Yolanda, says “bring it on” to her detractors and the catastrophic challenges that may come INTERVIEW BY JESS SANTIAGO / PHOTOGRAPHED BY PATRICK DIOKNO

I

n 2013, Corazon “Dinky” Juliano-Soliman and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) faced an earthquake in Bohol and Cebu and an armed crisis in Zamboanga City before dealing with the aftermath of history’s strongest storm: Typhoon Yolanda—a daunting task for a woman known for her optimism and sunflowers,and,almost a decade ago, for her stand against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo through the Hyatt 10. Nearly four months after Yolanda’s devastation caught worldwide attention,Secretary Soliman reflects on the first days after the super typhoon and responds to the critics who slammed her department’s slow and allegedly unethical response.

Looking at the crises of 2013, specifically Yolanda, what is your reaction to the criticism that the [government’s relief response] was slow?

When we [Soliman, UN organizations, and the NDRRMC] landed [on Nov. 9], we were the first C130 that landed in Tacloban. I don’t know of any situation where in less than 24 hours after the biggest natural event in the world, in history, that a C130 lands in place.

When we landed, everything was in shambles.

Everything was curled iron sheets, trees on top of the other, cadavers all over the place, traumatized people.

And when we got to the city hall, there were only about five to six people cleaning up, and [they] did not have any of the food packs because all of the pre-positioned food packs of the city, of the regional office of DSWD, were all inundated with water. When we got there we had 600 food packs from the C130. Only 20 of the 200 police came in, and people were just moving about like zombies, and there suddenly was a long line to go out of Tacloban through the C130.

Why am I describing this?

All those who criticized did not see the enormity of the devastation, and that all those who were supposed to respond in the first instance could not. And there was nothing that we could mobilize. The trucks were there [but] the key was not there. Why? The person was missing. There was no water available; it had to be brought in.

That was all on November 9.

So, when they criticize us, I think the first

question I have to ask is: Against what standards are they criticizing us?

There was news going around in social media that relief goods sent to Mactan Airbase were being repacked into DSWD bags. You already said these were just quality checks, but someone responded online saying there was no quality check happening.How did you ensure that there was a quality check?

First of all, when I heard that and saw that [on Facebook] I immediately contacted the regional director in Cebu, and I asked them to explain to me what happened. We really have to check expiration dates, so that means we have to open the goods that were sent by foreign donations.

Second, we have to look at the packs and in [those] Indonesian goods there was a ketchup bottle. We do not pack our goods in boxes. It’s wrapped in plastic bags and then put in packs.

So that [ketchup bottle] will break, so that was what was taken out. And then, third, we put it in DSWD bags because what is being given are just canned goods and noodles, but we need to bring in the 6-kilo packs of rice. So the 6-kilo packs of rice, with the canned goods, is placed in a DSWD bag and that’s what is brought [for relief ].

I guess my take on social media [is that] it’s so easy to say “that’s not true.” But if we explain and somebody says it’s not true, how can we respond to that? We’ll explain and, as I always say: Give us the evidence.Tell us exactly when it happened. Do you know the people [behind it]? Where did it happen?

Was there anything that you wish you could have done better in terms of your response?

I wish we had more helicopters. I wish we had higher buildings where we should keep our prepositioned goods. I wish that we had more trucks immediately, because the trucks came in after the fourth day in their numbers; we had only two military trucks on the first day and up to the third day. I think right now the lesson is we should preposition more goods in areas where we know are vulnerable to stronger typhoons, not necessarily storm surges, but stronger typhoons.

What I’m explaining to you is that the logistics of it [relief response] is something that we are improving now, and that we want to put up

evacuation centers that are resistant to a 250 [kph] wind. And we’re doing that right now—“we” meaning DSWD with World Food Program and Office of Civil Defense. And we most likely will identify certain schools in vulnerable areas which the Department of Science and Technology are identifying now. There is now a map of storm surge areas, and there’s a map of landslide areas to the level of barangays. And what we’re doing now is identifying in the next six to 10 months what is the most likely area [that] will be visited by a typhoon. And that’s where we will have stronger and more resilient evacuation centers that we hope to be doing between now and June.

Since it’s the start of the year, as DSWD secretary, what do you think is the state of the nation right now?

I think, just based on my own observation—I’ve just been in Tacloban on Friday and Saturday [ January 31 and February 1, 2014]. I went to Eastern Samar. I also went to Mindoro. My stance is that people are actively engaged in making life better, are believing in themselves and then believing that the dreams that they have are slowly coming to life. Even in the areas where the devastation of 2013 was quite strong. And I don’t mean just the Yolanda-hit areas. [I mean] in Zamboanga and in Bohol.

In Bohol, for example, this week we’re going to ground-break the house building that’s going to happen for all the destroyed houses in the 17 municipalities in Bohol. So I just have this sense that the people who I’m touching base with are eager to what I call “gallop to reform,” because of the Year of the Horse. There’s eagerness. There’s a desire to “Let’s do it, let’s do it, let’s get moving.”

And that’s maybe because I’m an optimist and maybe because I see the more positive side of life. Not in a “Pollyanna” way but in a more “realistic hope.”

The naysayers will always be there. The critics, especially in media, will spin negativity. But I always challenge those who are negative to give us creative solutions to what you think are problems. Join us in making solutions instead of just criticizing. Because if you’re just going to criticize and criticize and criticize, you don’t want to be part of the solution.

after midnight

photographed by johann bona (at east | jed root) / styled by anna c. reyes

ON HER Louis Vuitton head scarf, earrings, ring Neil Barrett tuxedo blazer Topshop bikini top and bottom Damiani onyx ring Bottega Veneta clutch

ON HIM Neil Barrett tuxedo blazer and pants Topman shirt Jaspal Man tie

ON HER Mary Katrantzou blouse Topshop bikini top and bottom Louis Vuitton belt Jimmy Choo shoes Cartier watch Tiffany & Co. bangle Roberto Coin ring and earrings ON HIM Jaspal Man tuxedo blazer and turtleneck

ON HER Jimmy Choo leopard stilettos ON HIM Neil Barrett tuxedo blazer and pants Interview bow tie Prada shoes Topman shirt

ON HER Valentino ivory lace blouse Topshop bikini top Louis Vuitton necklace, earrings, ring, and bracelet

ON HIM Jaspal Man tuxedo blazer Louis Vuitton leopard silk scarf

This page: Louis Vuitton scarf Yellow(used Printed Shirt (P10,000) as head wrap) from Marc Jacobs Topshop bikini top Carven Two-tone and bottom Cashmere Cardigan (P21,998) from Univers Olive Panelled Trousers (P23,898) from Comme des Garรงons Giuliano Fujiwara Black Shades (P27,398) from Univers

makeup by amanda padilla (at east | jed root) hair by borge aloba (at east | jed root) modeled by tanya (ideal models) and stephen carter Shot on location at Azumi Boutique Hotel See shoplist (p.166) for store information

M A R C H 2 0 1 4 / I S S U E 74

THE ROGUE ARENA Promotions and relevant items, direct from our partners

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M A R C H 2 0 1 4 / I S S U E 74

THE ROGUE ARENA Promotions and relevant items, direct from our partners

Greenbelt serves as the home of luxury brands

Retail Therapy The most sought after fashion brands used to be miles away from Manila. Almost a glossy fantasy at a certain degree, people used to fly to fashion capitals such as Paris, Milan, and New York, or cities like Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore to catch up on the trends as they trickle down to the stores from the runways. Now that style has gone global, with updates on the latest collections streaming on ground from the shows to mobile screens, high-flying fashion has gradually set foot in the country for the past few years. In Manila, Greenbelt 4 (Makati Ave. cor. Dela Rosa St., Ayala Center, Makati) is home to the biggest luxury brands. The gallery of choices ranges from the flagship stores of Louis Vuitton, Prada, Marc Jacobs, and Gucci, to the famed fashion houses of Burberry, Salvatore Ferragamo, and Emporio Armani. Go places with precious finds from the Italian elegance of Tod’s, Jimmy Choo’s stunning Spring/Summer collection, or the sensual beauty of Bvlgari’s latest jewelry collection. Stay up to date in style with the exquisite timepieces of Charriol, the extraordinary handbags of Bottega Veneta, and the finest sartorial picks from Ermenegildo Zegna. Experience this celebration of timeless style and grace at Greenbelt 4.

Clockwise: Pleasurable shopping experience at Greenbelt 4; Gucci Nouveau clutch; The only Louis Vuitton flagship store in the Philippines; Bottega Veneta Women’s Shoes Spring Summer 2014 .

Ma rch 2 0 14

SHOP LIST Where to buy the products featured in this issue

AC+632 2/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City ACCA KAPPA Rustan’s, Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati City; Rustan’s Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City; Rustan’s Alabang Town Center, Muntinpula City; Rustan’s Gateway Mall, Quezon City ADORA 2/F and 3/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center Makati City adora.ph

DAMANT Adora Department Store, 2/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City

L’OCCITANE 2/F Greenbelt 5 Phase 2, Ayala Center, Makati City; G/F The Powerplant Mall, Makati City

DAMIANI Rustan’s, Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati City

LEXUS 3402 8th Avenue cor. 34th Street, North Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City; lexus.com.ph

DEXTERTON 157 Sgt. Rivera St., Quezon City; 362-1111; dexterton.com DIOR Homme et Femme, 3/F Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong

ALFRED DUNHILL Rustan’s Makati, Courtland Dr., Makati; 8133739

DRIES VAN NOTEN Homme et Femme, 3/F Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City

ALTER EGO alteregolingerie.wix.com

ELIE TAHARI Rustan’s Makati, Courtland Dr., Makati; 8133739; Rustan’s Shangri-la EDSA, Mandaluyong City; 6334636, Rustan’s Alabang; 8505532

BMW PHILIPPINES 33/F & 34/F, Philamlife Tower, 8767 Paseo de Roxas 1226, Philippines BANG AND OLUFSEN Living Innovations, 2/F Makati Shangri-La, Ayala Ave., Makati; 830-2230; livinginnovations.ph BENSIMON Center of Gravity (Forbes Town, Burgos Circle, Centris Walk), Shoe Salon, Glorietta 3, Power Plant Mall, Rockwell, Robinson’s Ermita, Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Trinoma), Shoe Thing (Bonifacio High Streetm Eastwood Mall, Greenbelt 5) BEYOND THE BOX Rockwell East Tower, Rockwell Drive, Makati BMW 2324 Pasong Tamo Ext., Makati; 892-8127; bmw.com.ph BOSE bose.com BOTTEGA VENETA G/F Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati City BROOKS BROTHERS Powerplant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City BVLGARI 2/F Rustan’s, Ayala Center Makati City; G/F Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center Makati City; G/F Alabang Town Center, Muntinlupa City; G/F Newport Mall, Pasay City BULTHAUP Living Innovations, 2/F Makati Shangri-La Hotel Retail Arcade, Ayala Avenue, Makati City. 8302230 CADILLAC cadillac.com CALL IT SPRING 2/F SM Aura Premier, Taguig, Greenbelt 3, Makati; (632) 7574926; Newport Mall, Pasay; G/F Ayala Center Cebu CARTIER Rustan’s, Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati City; Rustan’s Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City; Rustan’s Alabang Town Center, Muntinpula City; Rustan’s Gateway Mall, Quezon City CALPHALON Rustan’s, Ayala Center, Makati City; Rustan’s Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City; Rustan’s Alabang Town Center, Muntinlupa City; Rustan’s Gateway Mall, Quezon City CHANEL Rustan’s, Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati City; Rustan’s Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City; Rustan’s Alabang Town Center, Muntinpula City; Rustan’s Gateway Mall, Quezon City COMME DES GARÇONS Univers, G/F One Rockwell, Rockwell Center, Makati City CUISIPRO Rustan’s, Ayala Center, Makati City; Rustan’s Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City; Rustan’s Alabang Town Center, Muntinlupa City; Rustan’s Gateway Mall, Quezon City CURA V 2F Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City; 3F Adora Greenbelt 5

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ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA Rustan’s, Ayala Center, Makati City ETAM 2/F North Wing SM Mall of Asia; +63 2 846.8384; 2/F SM Aura Premier; +63 2 843.3154 FOCUS GLOBAL Pioneer cor. Reliance, Mandaluyong City; 634-8578 FOREVER 21 2/F SM Megamall Bldg. A, Mandaluyong; 477-2733, G/F SM Makati, 553-0448 FRED PERRY LAUREL G/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City FRENCH CONNECTION Rustan’s Makati, Courtland Dr., Makati; 8133739; Rustan’s Shangri-la EDSA, Mandaluyong City; 6334636, Rustan’s Alabang; 8505532 FURNITALIA Crescent Park West, 30th St. Corner Rizal Drive, Bonifacio Global City; 819-1887 GIVENCHY Adora, 2/F and 3/F Greenebelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City, adora.ph GQ INTERNATIONAL Landmark (Trinoma and Glorietta) and all major department stores nationwide HERMAN MILLER Unit C224-C228 2/F Serendra, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig

LIVING INNOVATIONS Unit 207 2/F Makati Shangri-la Hotel Retail Arcade, Ayala Avenue, Makati City, Metro Manila; 830-2230, 812-2649; livinginnovations.ph LONGCHAMP Rustan’s Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Mandaluyog City; Rustan’s Ayala Center, Makati; Rustan’s Ayala Center Cebu, Cebu Business Park, Cebu City; Duty Free Ninoy Aquino Airport, Terminal 2, Pasay City; Duty Free Fiesta Mall, Paranaque City LOUIS VUITTON G/F Greenbelt 4, Makati Ave., Makati City. 756-0637 MAAJI Rustan’s Makati, Courtland Dr., Makati; 8133739; Rustan’s Shangri-la EDSA, Mandaluyong City; 6334636, Rustan’s Alabang; 8505532 MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA Univers, G/F One Rockwell, Rockwell Center, Makati City MARY KATARANZOU Univers, G/F One Rockwell, Rockwell Center, Makati City MAZDA 2245 Pasong Tamo Ext., Cor. Sabio St., Makati City; 751-2235 to 37; mazda.ph MERCEDES BENZ 1008 EDSA San Juan City MINI COOPER 5th Avenue Corner 26th Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig MO S DESIGN B2 Bonifacio High Street, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig NEIL BARRETT Adora Department Store, 2/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City NIKE STADIUM 2/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City; UG/F Bldg. A, SM Megamall, Mandaluyong City; 2/F Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati City; 3/F SM North EDSA, Quezon City; 2/F 2/F Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City; 2/F Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City

HERMÈS G/F Greenbelt, 3 Ayala Center, Makati City; 757-8910

NEIL BARRETT Adora Department Store, 2/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City

HOMME ET FEMME Shaw Boulevard 3, Shangri-La Plaza, Manila

NOVAMOBILI 2/F, Building 6, 11th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City; 738-2430

JAGUAR 3904 Quingua Street, Makati City; 32nd & 4th, Crescent Park West, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City; jaguar.com

PAUL SMITH G/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City

JASPAL MAN Adora Department Store, 2/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City JEWELMER Mezzanine Level, The Peninsula, Ayala Avenue, Makati City; Makati Shangri-la Hotel, 2/F Shangri-la Hotel, Ayala Avenue, Makati City; G/F Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati; Greenbelt 5, Space 2-031, Filipino Zone JIMMY CHOO G/F Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati City JUST CAVALLI Rustan’s Makati, Courtland Dr., Makati; 8133739; Rustan’s Shangri-la EDSA, Mandaluyong City; 6334636, Rustan’s Alabang; 8505532 KARTELL Dexterton, 157 Sgt. E. Rivera St., Quezon City; 362-1111; dexterton.com LACOSTE G/F Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City; G/F Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City.

PERRY ELLIS Shangri-La Plaza East Wing, Glorietta 5, SM Aura Premier, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, Robinsons Magnolia PIERRE HARDY Univers, G/F One Rockwell, Rockwell Center, Makati PRADA G/F Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati City RANGE ROVER 32nd & 4th, Cresent Park West, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig RENZO ROMAGNOLI Rustan’s Makati, Courtland Dr., Makati; 8133739 RIMOWA G/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City; Power Plant Mall, G/F Rockwell Center, Makati City; G/F Newport Mall, Newport City, Pasay; 2/F Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Shaw Blvd. cor. EDSA, Mandaluyong City

ROCHE BOBOIS 2100 Don Chino Roces Avenue Ext., Makati City; 519-8240 SALVATORE FERRAGAMO G/F Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati City; G/F Rustan’s Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati City; G/F Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City; G/F Alabang Town Center, Muntinlupa City; G/F Rustan’s Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City; G/F Resorts World Manila, Newport City, Pasay City SAINT LAURENT Univers, G/F One Rockwell, Rockwell Center, Makati City SAMSUNG samsung.com.ph SIMMONS GALLERY SM Megamall 4th Floor Bldg. A Tel# 584 5345 Shangri-La Plaza 4th Floor Tel# 638 1649 Powerplant Mall, Rockwell Center R2 Level Tel# 659 4062 SONY sony.com.ph SPERRY TOP-SIDER B2 Bonifacio High Street; 2/F Trinoma Mall; G/F Glorietta 3; 2/F SM Mall of Asia, Entertainment Mall; 2/F SM North Edsa, The Block; 2/F Robinsons Place Manila, Pedro Gil Wing STELLLA LUNA Adora, A2/F and 3/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati; adora.ph SWAROVSKI 1st Level Rustan’s Gateway, Araneta Centre Cubao, Alabang Muntinluba Ayala Alabang Town Centre TERRARIUMS BY RAAB terrariumsbyraab.tumblr.com; raab.bustamante@gmail.com TIFFANY & CO. Rustan’s, Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati City; Rustan’s Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Mandaluyong City; Rustan’s Alabang Town Center, Muntinpula City; Rustan’s Gateway Mall, Quezon City TOD’S G/F Greenbelt 4, Ayala Center, Makati City TOM DIXON MOs Design, B2, Bonifacio High Street; 856-2745; mosdesign. com.ph TOMMY HILFIGER 1/F Greenbelt 5 Mall, Ayala Center; G/F Newport Mall Resorts World Manila Newport City; 3/F Shangri-La Plaza Edsa Corner Shaw Boulevard TOPSHOP G/F Greenbelt 3, Ayala Center, Makati City; 1/F SM Aura Premier, Bonifacio Global City; 2/F Shangri-La Plaza Mall, Edsa cor. Shaw Boulevard, 2/F Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City TUMI Southwest 1st Floor, Bonifacio High Street Central , Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City VOLKSWAGEN 938 28th St., Bonifacio Global City; 459-4562; volkswagen. com.ph VOLVO 2272 Chino Roces Ave., Makati; 893-6621; volvocars.com/ph UNIVERS G/F One Rockwell, Rockwell Center, Makati City W17 2241 Pasong Tamo, La Fuerza Compound, Makati City WHAT FOR Adora, 2/F and 3/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati; adora.ph

ROBERTO CAVALLI robertocavalli.com

ZARA G/F Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center, Makati City; G/F Glorietta 3, Ayala Center, Makati City; G/F Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati City; UG/F Shangri-La Plaza, Mandaluyong City; 2/F SM Mall of Asia, Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City; 3/F Trinoma, Quezon City

ROBERTO COIN Rustan’s, Glorietta 4, Ayala Center, Makati City

ZOFFOLI Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-la Plaza Mall

FAMOUS ROGUE Ma rch 2 0 14

MAR ROXAS, politician After playing the sacrificial lamb in the 2010 presidential elections, Manuel “Mar” Araneta Roxas II proved how “Bayan muna bago ang sarili”—the words of his grandfather, President Manuel Roxas—could still be relevant in an age when politicking and mudslinging come first before public service.

After the Wharton-educated investment banker made Wall Street his playing field during the 1980s, he successfully ran for Capiz congressman in 1993, replacing

his cancer-stricken brother Dinggoy. He continued to climb the political ladder in the 2004 senatorial elections, winning an unsurpassed 20 million votes as “Mr. Palengke,” a popular dogtag that recognized the public market as the most essential economic unit of the country. He has since passed landmark laws on health, education, and trade, effectively lowering the cost of medicines and pioneering the country’s BPO and IT boom. Now, as interior secretary

of his forming running mate, President Noynoy Aquino, he has had his fair share of controversy in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan. But Roxas remains the President’s most trusted ally, and the likely anointed successor in the next presidential elections.

“It’s important to know who you are,” he told Rogue in 2008. “Being congressman, secretary, senator—these are just titles, these are just jobs. You can’t take these titles too seriously.

Otherwise you’ll get all screwy.”

"Congressman, secretary, senator—you can’t take these titles too seriously. Otherwise you’ll get all screwy."

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