First lady breaks bread with woman ambassadors

By Catherine S. Valente and Kristina Maralit, Manila Times

(UPDATE) First lady Liza Araneta-Marcos recently bonded with resident woman ambassadors by hosting a luncheon for them in Malacañang.

DAMES OF DIPLOMACY First lady Louise ‘Liza’ Araneta-Marcos poses with resident lady ambassadors inthe Philippines in Malacañang on Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2022. Mrs. Araneta-Marcos hosted a luncheon to thank the envoys for supporting theadministration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. SCREENSHOT FROM RTVM VIDEO

Those who attended the gathering last Wednesday were Ambassador Mary Kay Loss Carlson of the United States, Ambassador Bartinah Ntombizodwa Radebe-Netshitenzhe of South Africa, Ambassador Betty Palaso of Papua New Guinea, Ambassador Bita Rasoulian of Austria, Ambassador Shobini Kaushala Gunasekera of Sri Lanka and Ambassador Folakemi Ibidunni Akinleye of Nigeria.

Also present were Ambassador Annika Gunilla Thunborg of Sweden, Ambassador Grete Sillasen of Denmark, Ambassador Anke Reiffenstuel of Germany, Ambassador Michèle Jeannine Andrèe Boccoz of France, Charge d'Affaires Monica Theodora Geertruida van Daalen of The Netherlands and Charge d'Affaires Lhuana Pamella Lopez Amorim of Panama.

"Thank you for supporting my husband's administration. I hope we get to do this more often," the wife of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in her brief speech as shown in a video posted by Radio Television Malacañang online.

In response, Carlson said the first lady plays just as an important role as the President.

"I really appreciate the atmosphere here of women supporting other women and their important roles. And that's why we are so honored to be here for your (Araneta-Marcos) official engagement. As a very important woman in this country, and frankly, in this region, it's a very challenging position to take on, and we are very grateful for the opportunity to be here," the US ambassador added.

Prior to sharing a sumptuous meal at the Rizal Dining Hall where the visitors were also treated to a brief cultural show, the first lady gave them a walking tour of the Palace where she also shared tidbits of its colorful history.

Meet Miss Philippines-Earth's Top 20 for 2022

All 20 candidates will vie for the Miss Earth-Philippines 2022 crown tonight in Coron, Palawan. PHOTOS BY RENE H. DILAN

By Arlo Custodio, Manila Times

FROM 41 Miss Philippines-Earth (MPE) 2022 official candidates introduced in May, the final Top 20 who will compete on coronation night were presented to the media on July 28.

Held with Okada Manila's The Fountain for a backdrop — the wonder that is touted as the world's largest multicolor dancing fountain — the candidates proceeded to compete in the swimsuit preliminaries at this meet and greet. At each one's turn on the runway, the girls likewise presented their respective environmental advocacies in keeping with pageant tradition and theme.

The day's emerging standouts were Mandaluyong's Jennifer De Asis, who won the Gold for her presentation, and Santa Ignacia, Tarlac's Jenny Ramp and Manila's Justiene Ortega, who were awarded Silver and Bronze, respectively.

Completing the Top 20 are Merhyl Kit Paraluman representing Alabel, Sarangani Province; Trisha Van Eldik, Balagtas, Bulacan; Nice Lampad, Bayugan City, Agusan; Jayra Aliyah Olvinada, Cadiz City; Kiara Liane Wellington, Cebu City; Rache Santos, Dipolog City; Chrisdalyn Yvonne Abrenica, Dubai, UAE Filipino Community; Jimema Tempra, Jasaan, Misamis Oriental; Bea Cecilio, Las Piñas City; Eryka Vina Tan, Legazpi City; Trina Martinez, Makati City; Micaela Legarda, Muntinlupa City; Jazmine Calma, Pateros; Lourdez De Leon, Quezon City; Jarizz Borcela, Sagay City; Jasmine Paguio, Toronto, Canada Filipino Community; and Angel Santos, Trece Martires City.

The finals and grand coronation of MPE 2022 will unfold tonight, August 6 in Coron, Palawan. The pageant will have a next-day telecast on August 7 on A2Z Channel 11 from 10 a.m. to 12 noon.

The international Miss Earth 2022 competition is once again set in the Philippines towards the end of the year, with organizers already announcing Vietnam as the host country for 2023. Fittingly Miss Earth 2018 Nguyen Phoung Khanh of Vietnam has already agreed to be the event emcee.

Seasoned actress Cherie Gil passes away

By Iza Iglesias  and Aric John Sy Cua, Manila Times

AWARD-winning veteran actress Cherie Gil passed away on Friday. She was 59.

Her talent manager Annabelle Rama posted the news on social media, saying, "Cherie Gil just passed away at 5 p.m. today please pray for her."

A few hours later, Gil's nephew actor Sid Lucero confirmed it through a couple of Instagram posts.

Sharing a photo of her aunt, he wrote, "I love you;) big hug:) #bugluv" Followed by a video of crying emoji he drew from his phone.

The reason for her passing, however, has yet to be disclosed as of press time.

It was in February this year when she was reported to have moved out of the Philippines and started a new life in New York to be with her kids.

Explaining in her Mega magazine cover wherein she revealed a shaved head bald look "as a symbol of rebirth," the actress grew tired of herself and "felt angry and unhappy" at the same time.

"I got rid of all the clothes I had that symbolized a past life. I'm completely finding myself and coming to terms with who I really am. It's just great to have this opportunity and to be alive to start over. It's like a rebirth of sorts," she told Mega.

"I just had to make sure that first and foremost, my mental, emotional, spiritual states were getting the priority. I was getting tired of myself. And I was just so angry and unhappy, so I sold everything and packed up," she added.

Evangeline Rose Gil Eigenmann in real life, Gil is known in the entertainment industry as the Philippines' "La Primera Contravida" for her versatility in acting, especially with portraying villain roles.

Through her 50-year career, Gil won a number of awards, including from Famas. She was a recipient of the Ani ng Dangal (Harvest of Honor) award by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, and a Hall of Famer at the Metro Manila Film Festival in the "Best Supporting Actress" category.

In 2015, Gil won the highly coveted "Best Actress" trophy at the Asean International Film Awards. The same year, she also won "Best Lead Actress in a Foreign Language Film" at the 2015 Madrid International Film Festival. In 2019, she won her first Gawad Urian Award in the category "Best Supporting Actress" for her portrayal in "Citizen Jake."

Gil came from a family of actors. She is the daughter of showbiz luminaries, the late Eddie Mesa and Rosemarie Gil. Her brothers are Michael de Mesa and the late Mark Gil.