DRESSING UP ASEAN

Charisse and myself at ASEAN DAY exhibit

Trust Manila Collectible Company's Charisse Aquino Tugade to come up with ideas like these. She called me one morning to ask if I could help her with costumes. I said yes, not thinking what it was all about, only to be pleasantly surprised that I wasn't designing anything but putting up costumes for an ASEAN exhibit.

Mrs. Grechen del Rosario and NCCA Chairman Jun de Leon cutting the ceremonial ribbon

 It was two-pronged. The first area was her take on the evolution of the Philippine weaving techniques and the second was the exhibit of ASEAN national costumes. It was a hectic three days of set-up for the team. I worked for two days. 

T'nalak from original to contemporary

The other  fabrics featured were the ikat, the inaul, the pina, and yakan. These fabrics have retained their ancient weaving techniques through the centuries but have adapted to modern times. As for the national costumes it was set up in two days. The costumes were sent by the ASEAN member nations and each embassy made sure hat the costumes represented their countries in the most dignified way possible.

Maria Clara and Barong Tagalog with a salakot with silver finials

Despite the similarities in the costumes the Maria Clara and Barong stood out as somewhat different. This says a lot about our colonial past. the blusa and panuelo were made of Pina while the sobre falda and saya were of a silk and polyester blend. The barong tagalog also done in pina was embroidered in Lumban and had a finely detailed pechera complimented with a salakot that had silver finials. Very elegant... very refined.

traditional wedding costumes from Cambodia

The costumes say a lot about each nation's national identity. Although most of the other ASEAN member nations featured sarongs (long skirts for the women) and sampot (multi-folded trousers for the men) they added a distinct feature from their country of origin. Show-stoppers were the Thai national costumes which showed a very sublime use of beading for the women's sarong complete with accessories and the ornate Cambodian wedding finery with all the heavy gilded  jewelry to adorn both bride and groom.

Thai traditional costumes

The men's outfits were quite sedate and stately. Even Vietnam's cobalt blue version of the Ao Gam (men's silk robe) complete with headgear showed restraint. The colors were electric but also appropriate for the ocassion.

Vietnamese AoDai and AoGam

The event was the 47th ASEAN DAY, in which all the ASEAN ambassadors were present to commemorate the establishment of the ASEAN to promote culture, the arts and economic and political stability in the region. Mrs. Grechen del Rosario (wife of DFA secretary Alberto del Rosario) and NCCA Chairman Jun de Leon were present to cut the ceremonial ribbon to open the exhibit. 

Diplomats at the exhibit

The diplomats were then treated to a short program with no less than Raul Sunico, chairman of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and a lively children's choir, as well as soprano Annie Luis and a young pianist Regina Montesclaros honored the distinguished guests with their outstanding performances. The buffet of ASEAN dishes was created by chef Jessie Sincioco. What a glittering event!

Traditional Balinese headress

Incidentally, the exhibit will run for two weeks at the DFA lobby and then the NCCA will tour the collection around schools in the metro.

Cambodian wedding finery with head piece, armlets, cuffs and anklets

ONGOING ORDEAL

Patients waiting their turn for consultation

I love my job as a Mabuhay Guide... don't get me wrong! There's just one drawback: the yearly accreditation renewal. I wish they had a better way of doing it for deserving guides. It's just a hassle to have to do it every year. I started getting things ready in May so I can get the accreditation renewal by the time June rolls in. I went to do the necessary medical exams, the police clearance. etc. As soon as I got my medical results, i headed off to the Manila City Hall to get my Health Permit and my Work Permit. Guess what? They no longer accept medical results issued by your personal doctor. All results have to be from the required Manila Health Offices. I thought just any health office in Manila could handle it so I went to the Ospital ng Maynila at the corner of Roxas boulevard and Quirino street. I came in the afternoon with the necessary papers in a folder only to be told to return the following day as the consultations end at noon. The next day i came at nine a.m. and had to contend with a sea of patients that needed more medical attention than myself. I patiently waited and when my turn came up, there was this nice intrern from the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila who gave the requisite tests. Finally, by the time the tests were concluded, it was noon. Then I went back to Manila City Hall to file an application for my health permit.

Residents at Ospital ng Maynila helping the needy

The process is excruciatingly lengthy. One needs to fill up a form for the work permit, line up and submit to the desk after paying the necessary fees, go to the health desk section and get a clean bill of health prior to the work permit being released. Sounds easy? Noooo! There are a million job seekers in Manila! Lucky that I am not a food server so I don't have to submit stool samples. but you guessed it, I needed a drug test and sputum sample which I can only get from Quiricada street Manila Health Services. There was virtually noone there when I got in after lunch, only to be informed that tests were conducted from 8-12 and 1-2 Mondays to Thursday and half day on Fridays. The drug testing exam facility was three blocks away, actually. So I did that first, just so I didn't waste any time going there on a Friday afternoon. So I went the following Monday to get my sputum test done. Paid my fees (nothing is free in Manila's health services anymore), and was told to come back in three days. After which I filed it back in City Hall Health services division which also accepts only in the morning. In between tours I would flit in and out of City Hall to get things done. When I finally got both the health permit and the work permit from City Hall, I had to drop by the Committee on Tourism office in Manila. I was told to call first before I get the certificates and all. and when I came back, the OIC was on leave. Until today I have yet to get my guiding certificate from the Manila City Hall. Needless to say, between the commute to the dingy health offices and hospitals and the waiting amongst a sea of hungry job applicants, I had to get in line with everyone else. I had no problem. I was able to eat something...

Patients waiting at the Ospital ng Maynila

Then I went to the accreditation division of the Department of Tourism. It was noble of them to go paperless. However, their service providers need to be told that not everyone has scanners and fast internet service. Tour guides normally are not techno geeks. I could not access my account on the DOT website simply because I had to change my email address and could not recall my previous password. Ergo, my email is inactive. I had to write an appeal for a change of email address which will be sent to their service provider and acted upon so I can be informed, through email that the settings on my DOT account were now accessible. It has been two weeks... My accreditation is done every June of every year. It is now nearly the end of August. So by the time anyone has read this post, I have been working on my renewal for four months. What is wrong with our government offices?

MUSEO ORLINA

Museo Orlina perspective from the ampitheater

What is it about mountains and wide open spaces that spur artists' creativity? Is it the rugged terrain? is it the cool mountain air? The temperate climate? the scenic vistas? All of the above? No one really knows... But often, artists tend to seek respite from the maddening crowd and in their solace find a cradle of inspiration for their craft.

Mr Orlina on the stairway

If Baguio has the BenCab Museum, Tagaytay now has Museo Orlina! Conveniently nestled in in idyllic hillside with a commanding view of Taal Volcano, this spanking new museum/art gallery gives one a glimpse of Ramon Orlina as a person and an artist. Needless to say, Ramon Orlina's work has been hailed internationally and his glass sculptures have earned him accolades and top prizes in art competitions the world over.

one of the galleries

I first met Mr. Orlina when I was a contributing writer for Lifestyle Asia. I was doing an article on exclusive art pieces to decorate Manila's finest homes. That required a visit to his studio in Sampaloc, Manila to view the artistic process of cutting, polishing and finishing designs. I would bump into him every now and then and sometimes exchange pleasantries (sometimes through text messages.) So when the opportunity to do a tour of Tagaytay came up, I decided to get in touch with him again to inform him of my tour group's impending visit. 

Thai guests

The museum is a  multi-level  building situated in Tagaytay's "sweet spot". Four stories of galleries each one named after his four children, the  place is kept immaculate by a friendly staff ready to answer questions if needed. It has an ampi-theater that can hold small concerts and events and a garage that has souped-up vehicles with an indelible stamp of the artists who enhanced (personalized?) them. 

Sabel- inspired Beetle by Benab

color blocked Volvo by Orlina

Some items in the gallery are for sale. His pieces are of different media, but naturally, his glass sculptures are at the fore front of it all. There are even consigned works by other artists who have become his friends over the decades. His museum is so well planned and conceived his touches can be seen everywhere. An architecture graduate from the University of Santo Tomas, he used his knowledge in building by taking note of Tagaytay's humidity... Even the walls of his museum absorb moisture and the mist and dew are funneled down to ducts within the building. 

a sculpture entitled Pilita with the moisture absorbing walls in the background

He made the visit more meaningful by personally regaling my guests with personal anecdotes and stories to complement the art pieces they were viewing. One particular art piece was for the UST's Quadricentennial  which is now in the university campus. My guests being Thai, he related the story of how he found this factory in Bangkok that does the execution of his installations in the international art market. He even showed us his inner sanctum; his hide-away of sorts when he wants to isolate himself to work. we would have stayed longer during our visit, but we had a lunch appointment elsewhere so we had to made our leave at half past twelve.

scale model of UST sculpture

The Museo Orlina is located at Hollywood Street, Hollywood Subdivision, Tolentino East, Tagayatay City. You can't miss it if you're going there via the Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay road. Your landmark should be the Econo-Inn with its viewing deck. It's worth a go-see!