'Philippine Cocktail Week' teased by The Curator and Southbank Café + Lounge

Organizers led by top Manila bartenders announce dates for the country’s first national cocktail week, but keep full details tightly sealed

BY FELICIANO RODRIGUEZ III

May 6, 2025 06:24 AM

  

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Something is stirring in the city’s drinking scene.

With little fanfare but unmistakable intent, two of the country’s most respected bar institutions—The Curator and Southbank Café + Lounge—have quietly announced what appears to be the Philippines’ first national cocktail week. The reveal, posted on a newly created Instagram page titled “Philippine Cocktail Week,” hints at a multi-day event scheduled for February 5 to 8, 2026. 

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The post gave no further details. But the people behind it say enough.

Fronting the initiative are David Ong, the creative force behind The Curator, and Kevin Corales, executive bartender at Southbank. Together, they’ve helped raise the profile of Filipino bartending through years of steady, uncompromising work—earning international recognition while cultivating a homegrown bar culture.

Now, it seems, they’re doing it for the country.

Though mum on the finer points, David, Kevin, and a group of like-minded advocates appear poised to turn the spotlight on local talent and present a new kind of drinking event—one that puts Filipino mixology squarely on the map. The effort mirrors similar movements across Asia, where cities like Kuala Lumpur and Singapore have used cocktail festivals not just to pour drinks but to shape perceptions. 

The Instagram post kept it brief. Just a date and a name. But in a city where word spreads fast and the thirst for craft runs deep, that was enough.

February 2026 is marked. The rest, for now, stays in the bottle.

Follow @philippinecocktailweek on Instagram for updates.

After winning MUPH, Ahtisa Manalo is bound for Thailand to raise our flag

 

Jerry Donato - The Philippine Star 

Ahtisa Manalo has won the Miss Universe Philippines 2025 title and earned the ticket to represent the country in the Miss Universe edition in Thailand. She is a strong Philippine representative and has the pageant experience to rely on to continue our semi-finals placement and win the fifth crown.

MANILA, Philippines — Miss Universe Philippines has a new queen in the person of Ahtisa Manalo, who, like her predecessor Chelsea Manalo, lived up to their surname, which means to win.

Ahtisa of Quezon Province aced every competition segment, from strutting as a semi-finalist in an identical outfit with the other ladies and in an Albert Andrada swimwear to a dazzling Val Taguba gown and doing the Q&A.

In an interview for the Top 5, Ahtisa was quick to relate her falling on the stage in the evening gown competition that elicited applause from the crowd.

Pageant enthusiasts couldn’t help but remember when Philippines’ bet to the Miss Universe 1999 in Trinidad & Tobago, Miriam Quiambao, tripped on her gown on a loose thread for the presentation show or preliminaries. She stood up and continued her walk. The crowd cheered her on. She also talked about it in the pageant’s Q&A segment after the Top 5 finalists were announced. Her sterling performance awarded her the first runner-up placement and the Clairol Herbal Essences Style award.

Miss Universe fans might also recall that Miss USA Rachel Smith and Miss USA Crystle Steward also, as others may put it, tumbled or fell on stage in the Miss Universe 2007 and 2008 evening gown segments. They also made a fast recovery and handled it well.

Rachel was fourth runner-up and Crystle was a Top 10 finalist in their editions.      

In the recent Miss Universe Philippines, Ahtisa exuded confidence, grace, poise and showed her personality. She had the winning glow that earned her the title of Miss Universe Philippines 2025 and the ticket to represent the country in the Miss Universe edition in Thailand.

The Southeast Asian country hosted the annual beauty pageant thrice (in 1992, 2005 and 2018) wherein its recent staging saw the win of Catriona Gray that gave the Philippines its fourth crown.

Any Filipino Miss U aficionado hopes and wishes that the stars will align for Ahtisa to be Miss Universe and the fifth winner from the country. Gloria Diaz gave the first-ever crown in 1969 and four years later (1973), Margarita Moran won the title. Then, the Philippines waited for 42 years (2015) to have its third Miss U title, courtesy of Pia Wurtzbach.

If a beauty aspirant gleans upon the journey of the Philippine beauty queens, she will know that it’s about hard work and dedication to become the country’s representative at any international pageant like Miss U and being resilient and passionate about achieving her dream also comes into play.

With Ahtisa as the country’s representative to the Miss U in Thailand, this sounds exciting for everyone. Proximity-wise, Pinoys can visit the country and watch the Miss U pageant live. They will surely be joined by Filipinos who are based in Thailand. Pinoys from other parts of the world can also come and root for Ahtisa.

She is a strong Philippine representative with beauty, body (the physique) and brains and has the pageant experience to rely on. All this will make her stand out in a bevy of beauties and in front of a selection committee.

It’s another chance for Ahtisa to represent the country after her stints at Miss International 2018 and Miss Cosmo 2024 with impressive first runner-up and Top 10 placements.

Ahtisa is bringing her A-game to raise our flag, as Catriona put it, and taking that privilege to heart. She will make us proud and do her best to win the fifth crown for the country.

Aside from watching Ahtisa on the Miss Universe 2025 stage in Thailand and following her pre-pageant and pageant activities, fans are also excited to get to know the other equally gorgeous and smart beauties that will represent counties from Asia, Americas, Africa and Oceania and Europe and Middle East. Who among them will be the continental queens for this edition?

So far, the country has fared well at Miss Universe with four titleholders and around 30-plus semi-finalists, finalists and special awardees.

Not yet!

BY FR. JERRY M. ORBOS SVD

MAY 4, 2025

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The story is told about a reporter who asked a group of people at a political rally: “Were you forced to come here?” In chorus, they shouted: “No!” Then he asked them: “Were you transported here?” Again, they shouted: “No!” And finally, the reporter asked: “Were you paid to come here?” They forcefully shouted: “Not yet! Not yet!”

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In today’s Gospel (John 21: 1-19), we hear how the resurrection of Christ has not yet sunk into His disciples’ minds, so they went back to fishing, their original work before they followed Jesus. It took time for them to fully accept, that indeed the Lord has risen from the dead. But the Lord did not give up on them. He surprised them, and called them again. Yes, our God is a God of surprises and second chances, and unending calls and chances!

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The Lord continues to reveal Himself to us. He always finds ways and means to make His presence felt, and to remind us of His love. There is always something or someone there to remind us, who are always so forgetful and ungrateful.

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The disciples recognized the Lord when He broke the bread and gave it to them, the way He did at the last supper. May we, too, learn to recognize the Lord, and remember His love for us. “We remember how you loved us through your death; and still we celebrate, for You are with us here; and we believe that we will see You when You come in Your glory, Lord; Yes, we remember, we celebrate, we believe!” (“We Remember” by Marty Haugen)

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Many of us do not yet recognize the Lord in people around us. Why? Because we are too focused on ourselves, in our own agenda, and do not have a heart for others, especially the lost, the last, and the least in our midst. May the Lord, help us to be more mindful and more respectful of other people, our sisters and brothers.

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“Do you love Me?” If the Lord asks you this question now, what would you say? What can you say? Like Peter, may we be able to say: “Yes Lord, You know that I love You.” Like Peter, may we be able to say: ”Lord, You know me, You know my failures and weaknesses, but You also know that I really trying to love You.” A humble and contrite heart, the Lord will not spurn!

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The Lord tells each one of us today: If you really love Me, then love your brothers and sisters, take care of them, work for them, sacrifice for them. True communion with the Lord leads to mission; true mission is motivated and strengthened by our personal communion with the Lord.

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“If God puts you through it, He will get you through it.” (Corinthians 10:13) May we take courage and not be dismayed when we experience that we are not yet strong and consistent in our love for the Lord and in our service to His people.

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We do not yet know who our next pope will be. We have our wishes and hopes, but we know and believe that it is the Holy Spirit that will lead our cardinals in the conclave to choose the next pope, according to God’s loving will and plan.

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The month of May is the month of Mama Mary. Let us not worry about May, for the Lord and our Mama Mary are with us, come what may. Today, we pray: “Our Queen, our Mother, remember that we are your very own, defend and protect us as your personal possession.”

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Let us ask the Lord and our Blessed Mother to defend and protect our people from greedy, corrupt, and nonfunctioning public servants. Many of our people are suffering because of a few people who make us suffer as a nation.

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Sharing with you this beautiful prayer: “Lord Jesus, enlighten what is dark within me; strengthen what is weak within me; mend what is broken in me; bind what is bruised in me; heal what is sick in me; and lastly, revive whatever peace and love that has died in me. Amen.”

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A moment with the Lord:

Thank you Lord, for you are patient and forgiving to us who are not yet that strong in our faith and in our loving. Amen.

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momentswithfrjerry@gmail.com

The children that were left behind

BY ELEANOR PINUGU

MAY 5, 2025

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For most of his adult life, Arnold (not his real name), along with his wife and two kids, lived in a kariton and survived through begging. He tried finding work in several establishments but could not consistently hold a proper job because his inability to read often led to certain challenges. “Tulad po ng simpleng pagsakay sa jeep. Kailangan tanungin saan papunta dahil hindi ka makabasa (As simple as riding a jeepney, I need to ask where it is headed because I could not read the signs),” Arnold shared. Once, he was able to land a job at a gasoline station, only to realize that he had unknowingly signed a contract for a salary that was much lower than what was verbally promised to him. He felt cheated and ashamed and found himself constantly worried that he would be taken advantage of.

Arnold’s struggles began in childhood. In school, Arnold had trouble learning how to read. But even without meeting the basic learning competencies, his teachers kept promoting him to the next grade level. He lost interest in his classes because he could barely understand what was being discussed. Eventually, he completely stopped going to school.

When children struggle with reading, it can quickly lead to a downward spiral if their learning needs are left unaddressed. Multiple studies show that students with poor reading skills had higher levels of anxiety, depression, and feelings of social isolation compared to their peers. These emotional challenges make it even more difficult for them to keep up in school because it negatively affects their motivation to learn along with their ability to stay engaged in class. Consequently, they’re more likely to have behavior problems and drop out entirely.

Unfortunately, even those who stay in school do not necessarily fare much better. According to the 2024 Functional Literacy, Education, and Mass Media survey, an estimated 18.9 million Filipinos who completed junior high school are considered functionally illiterate. This means that they still do not have the necessary reading, writing, and comprehension skills to thrive in real-world situations. For example, they may be able to write their name or read simple sentences, but they struggle to understand paragraphs and complex written instructions.

As illustrated by Arnold’s sharing, a functionally illiterate person faces limited job prospects and is often confined to low-paying work. Even when employed, they are less likely to receive promotions or professional training. In an information-driven society, those who cannot read and write are systematically excluded from being able to fully participate in economic, civic, and social life.

Children of functionally illiterate parents often inherit the same struggles, leading to intergenerational disadvantage. Studies consistently show that a child’s literacy levels are deeply tied to their literacy environment at home. When parents cannot help with homework, are unable to read bedtime stories, and cannot model a love for learning, their children are less likely to thrive in school.

The Department of Education has introduced several initiatives in the past year to help improve reading skills among public school students. Last week, Education Secretary Sonny Angara reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to strengthening literacy reforms. I am hopeful that this will translate into meaningful investment, not just into programs, but also into the people expected to carry out the interventions. In previous columns, I have written about the quiet but powerful work of many public school teachers to help nonreaders catch up. Their requests are often the same: give them (1) more time in their schedules so they have enough bandwidth to carry out remedial programs, (2) more flexibility to tailor their lessons to the skill level of their students, and (3) more age-appropriate learning resources to guide them in developing the sessions. If we want to see real change, we must listen to these calls.

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Escaping the middle-income trap

In 2013, Arnold met a Catholic missionary couple who helped him slowly improve his family’s life. The couple gave him some financial assistance, which allowed him to have a more permanent home, and helped him secure a job as a dishwasher at the cafeteria social enterprise that I run.

But the most life-changing gift was that they were able to find a volunteer who would sit down with Arnold after work and his then 5-year-old son to teach them how to read. At 38 years old, Arnold finally learned how to decode basic words. His goal was not anymore to read books; he was just grateful he could understand the world around him a little more each day. What gives him hope is that his son might have a better future.

While Arnold was very fortunate, most adults in his position are unlikely to receive the same support. That’s why we cannot solely rely on individual acts of charity; we need to scale up interventions to enable those who were left behind the opportunity to catch up, while also addressing the systemic gaps that caused (and are continually perpetuating) these problems. Only then can we ensure that no child today slips through the same cracks.

Is the Black Forest in Germany as scary as the name implies?

Volker Eichener

4,119 followers

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Professor at Hochschule Düsseldorf

Studied Political Science & Sociology at Ruhr University BochumGraduated 1999

Is the Black Forest in Germany as scary as the name implies?

It is not scary at all. In fact, it is lovely.

Actually, nobody knows why this mountain range is called “Black Forest”. The ancient Romans called it “Mons Abnobae”, after the Celtic goddess Abnoba (Diana in Latin). The word “Black Forest” (“svarzwald”, “silva nigra” in medieval Latin) appeared for the first time in a document from 868, and we have no clue why. (One theory says it was just a writing error, because the name was derived from the Latin word “Nicer” for the river Neckar.)

Over the centuries, the Black Forest changed its appearance several times. Originally, it was a dense forest of leafy trees (mainly beeches) and coniferes. Then, almost all the trees were cut in order to use the wood. After that, it was reforested with fast-growing firs which have a darker appearance. Today, the forest stewards let it grow naturally, so the leafy trees are becoming more rife.

Anyway, it is a region which is perfect for hiking and mountain-biking.

Most trails are wide as shown in the picture above. There is nothing dangerous in the woods, no aggressive animals and not poisonous plants. The only dangerous thing is the common tick (however, I have never got bitten in 50 years). And maybe a hangover after having a glass wine too much in the evening before.

EDIT:

Here an excerpt of Avienus, Rufius Festus: Descriptio Orbis Terrae from the 4th century:

A votive stela for goddes Diana Abnoba, still visible in Badenweiler:

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When trials, failures strike us

BY FR. BEL R. SAN LUIS, SVD

May 3, 2025 00:30 AM

  

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WORD ALIVE

There was a “fake news” that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead because the grave was borrowed. The wealthy owner, Joseph of Arimathea, was getting it back allegedly since he needed it.

That’s not true. Jesus wanted to prove what he predicted and promised that he would rise on the third day.

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The gospel of this 3rd Easter Sunday relates how the risen Christ appeared at the Sea of Tiberias.

His appearances served to strengthen and reinforce the faith of his close followers, telling them that he was really their Master who was crucified, died, and resurrected.

* * * 

Just as the apostles had believed in the Risen Lord and his teachings, so we his present-day followers should do the same. It’s easy enough to believe in Jesus when life is stress-free and comfortable. However, it’s not so when trials, failures, and adversities strike us.

* * * 

I had a friend who was very active in her parish as member of the Legion of Mary, Cursillo and other organizations. When she migrated to the USA, she continued her pastoral involvement.

Everything went well, until she was diagnosed to have cancer of the uterus.  The finding devastated her. But she and church co-workers prayed earnestly, trusting the Lord would heal her. 

* * * 

Instead of getting better, the insidious sickness spread and became even more painful. The lady got so dejected that she stopped praying altogether. Not too long after, she passed away. When I learned about it, I felt very sad and enunciated prayers, asking the Lord to understand her physical and mental disposition then. To paraphrase Jesus’ last word, “Father forgive her for she did not know what she was doing.”

* * * 

There are other adversities and challenges we encounter like financial difficulties, unjust treatment from one’s superior or employer, family problems, to mention some.

Do I reflect that, perhaps, the fault lies in me as, for instance, I incur lung cancer due to cigarette smoking? Or, drinking too much of alcoholic beverages? On the national level,  is our economy slow in progress because of corrupt officials and leaders? 

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“Letting go” means getting rid of our negative attitudes and practices that hamper personal and national progress.

In the context of Easter, it means dying to our bad traits and vices, and rising to a new life. 

 

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Moral integrity in election

Do not vote on the basis of popularity, affinity or friendship or candidates who’re known plunderers, tax evaders and vote buyers. We should also show concern by volunteering as poll watchers of authorized groups like NAMFREL and PPCRV.

A leader may be the best economist who can solve the country’s financial woes but if he is corrupt, stealing from the government coffers or pocketing multi-million-pesos from ghost projects, then his talent is all trash.  

That’s the reason why a country cannot prosper economically.

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How true are the words of the Greek philosopher Plato: “Poverty consists not in the decrease of man's possessions, but in the increase of one’s greed.”

Another writer puts it, thus: “There’s enough resources for every one’s needs but not enough for every one’s greed.”

* * *

Help seminarians. A benefactor wrote: “Father. I would like to adopt a seminarian. This is my way of giving back some of the blessings the Lord has given to me.”

May I appeal to others to “give back some of the blessings God has given to you”  by donating an amount or sponsor a seminarian's schooling for a year. For inquiry, e-mail: belsvd@gmail.com.