The Peninsula Manila’s golden anniversary: Some PEN-chanted evening
The Peninsula Manila, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, has a fitting nickname, a pet name, if you will: “The Pen.”
It could mean a luxury pen, or an enclosure of treasured memories.
It could also mean a pen, think Montblanc, that writes stories and sagas—some public, others as secret as diary entries.
Whatever you associate with it, The Peninsula Manila is both a crib and a chronicler of treasured memories—and historical ones. Perhaps the hotel’s greatest achievement is the affection of a city that long ago gave it two familiar names, “Manila Pen” and “The Pen.”
For me, The Peninsula Manila stands out in my loot bag of memories because the very first “People of the Year” awards of PeopleAsia magazine, of which I was editor for 26 years, were held at the hotel’s Rigodon Ballroom in 2004.
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Then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, no less, attended the event, which honored, among others, Lea Salonga, then-new couple Mar Roxas and Korina Sanchez, and the overseas Filipino worker, who was represented that night by three OFWS.
It was some PEN-chanted evening. It ushered in 26 more “People of the Year” awards nights, each one honoring Filipino and Asian luminaries.
Thus, 50 years of cherished memories, enduring friendships, and legendary hospitality called for a celebration to remember.
The Pen marked its golden anniversary with a spectacular Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and gala, welcoming some 900 guests to an evening of music, Champagne, fine food, and dancing in its iconic Lobby.
Leading the celebration was Michael Kadoorie, chairman of The Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels, Limited (HSH), accompanied by his son Philip Kadoorie, HSH deputy chairman, and daughter-in-law Audrey; HSH chief executive officer Benjamin Vuchot; chief operating officer Gareth Roberts; and The Peninsula Manila managing director Kevin Tsang.
Joining them were members of the HSH and The Peninsula Manila boards of directors, descendants of founding fathers P.L. Lim and Charlie Palanca, Makati City Mayor Nancy Binay, Trade and Industry Secretary Cristina Roque, diplomats, business and society figures, and generations of friends of The Pen. Among the guests was Mila Magsaysay Valenzuela, or Mrs. V., daughter of former President Ramon Magsaysay and the hotel’s original public relations and social director.
When I approached Mrs. V and introduced myself, tears welled up in her eyes, and she held my hand firmly. I remember the tête-à-têtes we used to have. She once shared with me that a successful person is one who knows and navigates the “pasikot-sikot” to getting things done.
The ‘home of Christmas’
Emceed by musical theater luminary Menchu Lauchengco-Yulo, the program opened with The Peninsula’s 50th anniversary song and a video tracing the hotel’s history since 1976. They didn’t skip the episode when rebel soldiers occupied The Pen, and tanks stormed up the driveway.
Kevin Tsang then welcomed guests to the tree-lighting, recalling The Peninsula Manila’s place in the lives of Filipino families and its enduring reputation as the “home of Christmas.”
For Michael, the occasion was especially personal. He recalled the friendship between his father, Lord Lawrence Kadoorie, his uncle Horace Kadoorie, and their Philippine partners, whose vision brought the first Peninsula hotel outside Hong Kong to Manila in 1976. He also fondly remembered Las Guitarras playing “Cielito Lindo” in The Lobby and paid a heartfelt tribute to the “unmatched Filipino charm” that has distinguished the hotel for five decades. That spirit of hospitality, he observed, has traveled far beyond Manila, carried by Filipino colleagues who have gone on to serve and lead Peninsula hotels around the world.
The evening’s most PEN-chanted moment came when Michael, Philip, Benjamin, Gareth and Kevin joined together to illuminate the hotel’s magnificent 45-ft. Christmas tree and the entire Peninsula Manila. The Mandaluyong Children’s Choir, dressed as miniature Peninsula pages, filled The Lobby with Christmas carols, while the AMP Big Band kept the celebrations going with big band favorites and hits spanning the 1970s to the present.
Peninsula Champagne and red and white wines flowed freely, while lavish buffet stations showcased specialties from all 12 Peninsula hotels worldwide. Soon, guests were dancing in The Lobby and Salon de Ning, surrounded by familiar faces, old friends, and generations of families whose lives have been intertwined with the hotel.
Through 50 years of Manila’s changing fortunes, The Peninsula Manila has remained a beloved landmark and gathering place, a pen that cradles cherished memories and a pen that writes new ones.
And on that golden anniversary evening, 900 guests celebrated the hotel and that part of themselves that lit up, like Abueva’s iconic sunburst ceiling sculpture, every time they walked into the Pen Lobby.
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