2006 Event of the Year

In my books, the grandest event of the year for 2006 was the 5th Philippine Tatler Ball. I've been getting my yearly invitation for four consecutive years, and I've heard that if you don't show up on your fourth invitation, you won't get another for a long, long time. So, I went to the definitely biggest ball ever held by this High Society magazine.

It was indeed very elegant and as exclusive as in the past years. But this year takes the cake as the most fun when the ultra-exclusive set threw caution to the wind and partied to the hilt.

Five-hundred of Philippine's High Society converged at the Makati Shangri-la's Ballroom for the affair where the ladies wore stunning gowns and the gents were in de rigueur black tie.

The evening's Pinnacle Awardee Former Philippine President Fidel Ramos praised the Philippine Tatler for its corporate social responsibility, raising P2.8 million that evening in pledges for Operation Smile, received by Dee Zobel and Ricky Delgado. Pity that I only spotted Monet and Yoly Kilayko representing the Negrense society, although the Iloilo block was in full force with Judgee and Sara Peña, Susan Florete with children Marjorie, Marcelino III, Marissa Gorricetta and Trish, Sandra and Ray Gomez, with Pauline Banusing, Marc and Caroline Gorricetta, swinging Cynthia Patag's mom-Linda Oblizels and John Castigador led by Tatler Iloilo correspondent Nonoy Ybiernas. Through the dinner which boasted a five-course menu consisting of seared tuna pastrami with scallops hidden in a nest of shoestring potatoes, cream of lobster,

Thai basil and pineapple sorbet on blocks of ice, salmon and chicken with Chanterelle mushroom risotto and a dessert of passion fruit chocolate mousse doused with endless Moet Chandon champagne, Carpineto Chardonnay and Toscano wines-Johnny Litton, social editor Maurice Arcache and flamboyant Tessa Prieto-Valdes auctioned off two 7-day cruise tickets onboard any ship of Silversea to a choice destination for $12,000.

Guests were serenaded by Robert Seña and Vernie Varga-Oledan before the year's special awards were announced. Dancing and table hopping followed till the wee hours of dawn, making it a most enjoyable, ultra successful affair-of-the-year that will be hard to beat in glamour, opulence and lots of FUN!!! Hope to see you in this year's Tatler Ball… MY PRAYER Lord, allow Your healing hand to heal me.*