MANILA, PhilippinesThe true state of the nation might have beenfar from rosy for a growing number of Filipinos reeling fromsoaring food and gas prices, but President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,wearing a fuchsia gown to advance her case, thought otherwise.
For several hours Monday afternoon, crisis-weary Filipinos setaside their money woes to get a glimpse of their favoritepoliticians and their significant others as they did their versionof the Red Carpet.
In true show biz fashion, Arroyo's 8th State of the Nation Addressto a joint session of Congress at the Batasang Pambansa in QuezonCity invariably became a much-awaited annual fashion spectacle,complete with its share of victims and victors.
Leading the stellar lineup is Arroyo herself in JC Buendia'supdated version of the Maria Clara made of and dyed in fuchsiausing the sabang plant's bark extract. Threads used for theembroidery were also dyed using coconut husk extract.
"La Herminia weavers from Aklan wove the fabric," said Buendia, oneof Arroyo's favorite designers, in a pre-SONA e-mail. "An heirloompink zircon brooch will hold the President's panuelo in place."
Buendia also did Assunta de Rossi-Ledesma's draped silk chiffonterno. For the afternoon event, the statuesque former actress andwife of Representative Jules Ledesma opted for an unembellishedteal number.
De Rossi-Ledesma drew attention to her neck and chest by wearing aJewelmer necklace consisting of dangling white and yellow pearls --a wedding gift, she said, from husband Jules.
"The occasion may seem like a show biz event, but I always adviseclients, even those who come from the ranks of the old rich, totone it down," said one designer who requested not to beidentified. "Instead of wearing their diamonds, I tell them to wearpearls or simple heirloom pieces. As public servants, it's alwaysbetter to look understated than to appear ostentatious especiallyduring hard times."
Ostentatious she certainly wasn't. Still, Senator Loren Legardamanaged to generate her fair share of attention in Paul Cabral'sblack backless, off-the-shoulder silk crepe number with a stylizedhand-embroidered panuelo by embroiderers from Lumban.
Legarda accessorized her look with a huge cameo pendant and amother-of-pearl minaudiere by Celestina, the high-end branddesigned by former model Tina Maristela-Ocampo. She also wore apair of medium-sized gold tambourine earrings she inherited fromher late mother.
"You could say I chose black as a way of mourning [over] thePresident's unfulfilled promises," said Legarda, who was one of thelast politicians to do the Red Carpet. "At the same time, I wantedto make a statement that you could still look simple and elegantcourtesy of world-class Filipino talents from Cebu, Laguna andBulacan."
Another proud owner of a Celestina minaudiere was society columnistMons Romulo-Tantoco, daughter of Foreign Affairs Secretary AlbertoRomulo. She wore a powder pink chiffon terno with laser-cutleatherette sleeves resembling doilies by Lebanon-based Cebuanodesigner Cary Santiago.
Next to Rajo Laurel, Cabral probably made the most number of gownsand barongs in this year's SONA. He also did the ternos of DeputySpeaker Amelita Villarosa, Representative Lorna Silverio, LaniMercado and Baby Arenas.
Mercado, wife of Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla, wore an empire-cutterno with pleated detailing. Arenas, mother of RepresentativeRachel Arenas, opted for white Mikado silk with layers of Frenchlace and silk organza from the hips down.
Rodora Nograles, wife of House Speaker Prospero Nograles, almostforgot to have an outfit made for the SONA. She had a lime greenchiffon terno accented with undulating organza ruffles on the skirtrushed for the occasion.
Since two of her favorite designers, Patis Tesoro and Laurel, weretoo busy attending to previous orders, she took her chance withCabral. She seemed happy with the results.
"It slipped my mind since this is the first SONA where my husbandis speaker," said Nograles, who wore a set of heirloom jewelryconsisting of a pair of ruby earrings, brooch and ring.
"These pieces are special to me because I was with my mother whenshe bought them in Escolta," she said. "I was only in high schoolback then, which was a long time ago. That's why I asked Paul to doa gown that would make me look younger."
Representative Cynthia Villar, wife of Senate president MannyVillar, on the other hand, wore a semi-beaded and modernized kimonaover a strapless lavender dress by Nolie Hans.
Apart from Revilla, Cabral also did the barongs of Senators Jose Jinggoy Estrada and Francis "Chiz" Escudero.
Escudero's wife Christine, however, wore Frederick Peralta'sCastilian-inspired terno made of duchess satin and embellished withgeometric details and an overlay of black point d'esprit. Thedesigner also did the gray and silver jusi and terno of MimiZamora, wife of Representative Ronaldo Zamora.
No one could have worn a more stylized Maria Clara than Senator PiaCayetano, who donned a shirred, off-shoulder, Grecian-inspiredolive dress by Mia Urquico. She spruced up the look with afloral-inspired multi-colored necklace she bought from South Africaand a pair of borrowed dangling earrings.
"I'm not really very much into jewelry," she said. "I was in ahurry that I forgot to bring a pair of earrings with me thismorning. I had to borrow earrings from my chief of staff, AttorneyDG Uy."
Veteran politicians had to share the spotlight with younger andarguably more fashion-forward wives of congressmen and senators.Majority of them also glided down the Red Carpet either in updatedternos or stylized Maria Claras.
Audrey Zubiri, wife of Senator Miguel Zubiri, one of the mostphotographed women in last year's SONA, again tapped Laurel to doher terno, a draped silk tulle number in deep turquoise with silverand crystal beading.
Tootsie Angara, wife of Aurora Representative Sonny Angara anddaughter-in-law of Senator Edgardo Angara, was also a repeatcustomer who came in Laurel's pale pink and white chiffon ternowith a tiered skirt.
Laurel also did the SONA outfits of more than a dozen congressionalwives, including Nettie Agabao, Candy Biron, Zona Teves and JennyBarzaga. He also transformed a white-and-orange sari fabric intohis three-piece version of the Maria Clara for RepresentativeJocelyn Limkaichong of Negros Oriental.
Angela Arroyo, wife of Representative Mikey Arroyo, held her own inDennis Lustico's Thai silk terno with orchid motif, beadwork andhandpainting, while Jit Remulla, wife of Representative CrispinRemulla, wore Jojie Lloren's modernized silk Maria Clara, completewith baro, panuelo and sobrefalda, and a slim pair of checkeredpants.
She finished off the look with an heirloom piece, a chunky necklaceconsisting of several strands of semi-precious stones. The look,she reportedly said to one reporter, was "global Filipino," whichtook its cue from Arroyos yet-to-be-delivered SONA message.
Statements were not confined on the Red Carpet. Akbayanrepresentative Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, wearing a fuchsia terno ofsilk and organza, held a press conference at the Batasan some threehours before Red Carpet parade.
As expected, she and fellow sectoral representative Liza L. Maza ofGabriela boycotted Arroyo's SONA. True to form, instead of goingfor a mainstream designer, Hontiveros-Baraquel went for amarginalized dressmaker.
"Suki Yula, a single mother living with cancer, did my terno," saidHontiveros-Baraquel, a former broadcaster. "She used to work forAureo Alonzo, and now works out of her home in Mandaluyong."
Meanwhile, reporters and photographers, in show biz parlance, hadto "make lagare," (work double-time) as guests used two entrancesto glide to the session hall. Wearing a gray terno, actress DawnZulueta, wife of Representative Anton Lagdameo, skipped the RedCarpet altogether and went directly to the congressmen's offices assoon as she arrived.
