MANILA BULLETIN CELEBRATES ITS 112TH ANNIVERSARY ON FEBRUARY 2, 2012.

MANILA, Philippines — The tiny cobbled streets of Intramuros were packed with cars leading to the office of the Manila Bulletin, the nation’s oldest newspaper, which was celebrating its 112th anniversary.

To last this long, the Manila Bulletin must be doing something right! As their newest lifestyle columnist, I was invited by the kind editors to grace the anniversary and I could not help but say yes to the invitation because of the warm welcome I received from my new extended family, now being led by the youthful and energetic Emil Yap.

I was coming from a late lunch with my sis Grace Lee, the Korean TV and radio personality that the president had acknowledged as the girl he is seeing. Our late lunch was girl bonding over tuna tartare, seafood pasta and the yummiest foie gras burger when her manager, Arnold Vegafria, called to tell Grace some urgent news.

Arnold then joins our girlie lunch and continues to discuss business matters with Grace when out of the blue, ABS CBN showbiz reporter Mario Dumawal comes in and chats with us. He said that he was scouting around for restaurants to hold his 25th anniversary dinner. Now, I do not know if that was just a clever script to get inside the restaurant and chat with us in our little unobtrusive corner. And then mister suave Mario does what he does best-churns out the most intriguing questions to ask whom he calls, the woman of the hour. Grace, being the grace-ious (pun intended) woman that she is, answers Mario’s questions out of respect for the veteran TV journalist.

So, contrary to other reports saying this was a publicity stunt or that it was a planted interview, I have to say as an eye witness, that it was indeed an ambush interview! As a news reporter for GMA 7, Grace had to give a short interview to Nelson Canlas after GMA heard that ABS had conducted an ambush interview. Nelson was coming from a press conference being held at the hotel right across where we were having our lunch. So, everyone now knows what Grace thinks of the president-that he is probably the most intelligent man she has met.

Later on, sis Grace and I proceeded to Intramuros to attend the Manila Bulletin anniversary, arriving later than the President. As we enter the penthouse of the Bulletin headquarters, President P-Noy sees his Seoul mate Grace and stands up to give her beso and introduces her to the other VIPs like Mayor Alfredo Lim, and Grace proceeds to exchange pleasantries with former president Fidel Ramos, Secretary Coloma and Bulletin chairman, the Dr. Emilio Yap.

As we went around, I saw people enjoying the sumptuous catering by the grand dame, Manila Hotel. Happy 112th anniversary to the Bulletin and may the paper continue to create balanced news significant for nation building (apart from the Bulletin being the reason for the first public appearance of the dating couple).