Luchie Mendoza Allen Paul Mendoza Allen Ruby Sexon Con Gen Mary Jo Aragon Hosts Vin d’ Honneur to celebrate 114th Philippine Independence Day

1. Con Gen Mary Jo Aragon Hosts Vin d’ Honneur to celebrate 114th
Philippine Independence Day
► Words and photography by Rene Villaroman
LOS ANGELES – The Oxford Dictionary defines Vin d’ Honneur as a reception with wine and
snacks. Other less formal definition states “wine formally offered in honor of a special guest.” In
France, the literal definition of Vin d’ Honneur is “wine of honor.” The reception held at the
Philippine Consulate General on June 12 is a vin d’ honneur, only it was not stated in the
invitations as they had done in past Philippine Independence Day celebrations.
The last two Philippine Consulate-hosted Independence Day celebrations this writer had
attended were held in a Little Tokyo hotel and an elegant event center in Alhambra, and this
last one, apart from having been less known to the media – we had to call the Consulate media
officer to request coverage – was held at the Rizal Hall of the Consulate General in mid-
Wilshire. We surmised it must have been due to the belt-tightening measures going on in the
PNoy administration.

3. This reception was not as magnificent and colorful as past vin d’ honneurs, given that the
celebration was radically scaled down, compared to celebrations in the past, most of them
held at hotels and event centers. We missed the colorful native folk dances, the zarzuelas, and
the native costumes. But, viewed under the prevailing economic condition in the old country, it
did not take a lot of imagination to understand why this vin d’ honneur, tendered also as
a symbolic despedida party for the outgoing Mary Jo Bernardo Aragon whose posting ends this
month, was
austere.
There’s no reason to complain about the array of snacks and finger food served by an excellent
Filipino caterer, whose attentive assistants are always at the ready to offer guests with delicious
skewed grilled shrimps or slices of sinfully tasty pastries and other desserts. The native songs
and music, performed by a coterie of local Pinoy musicians and singers, from actor-singer Gelo
Francisco to amateur balladeer and newsman Romy Borje, were nothing new and failed to
overpower the cacophony of a hundred odd guests conversing at the same time, only
occasionally semi-conscious of the performances going on. Andy Tecson’s and Rhony
Laigo’s kundiman duet was a nonevent, made even less engaging due to the long time it took
them to synchronize their instruments and to mix the sound system to its optimum level of
sonority.
When it was time for the Con Gen to deliver the speech, everyone was already sufficiently
satiated by the food and mildly inebriated by the ample supply of champagne and other wines
and spirits from the open bar. It was not every day that a struggling member of the community
press could saunter to the bar, and without concern for how much money he had in his
wallet ask the bartender, “Could I have a glass of champagne, please?”
The Con Gen, resplendent in a yellow terno, is the celebrant and host at the same time. Earlier,
she had stood near the entrance to Rizal Hall with her affable and ever-smiling Deputy Consul,
Daniel “Dan” Espiritu, welcoming members of the diplomatic corps of other countries and Fil-
Am guests and city officials. It is hard to fathom whether she is feeling exuberant because her
posting in L.A. is going to end this month, or she is happy because she will be home in Manila to
await her next posting. Being a seasoned diplomat, Con Gen Aragon encapsulates the qualities
which define her position. Always gracious and welcoming.
There was really nothing new to report, the vin d’ honneur having come on the heels of
President Benigno Aquino III’s visit the week prior. The diplomat retold the glowing, PR-oriented
economic report and on-going programs under the aegis of P-Noy’s administration. The
members of the media that covered the President’s brief stopover in Los Angeles know the deal.
But it was essential for Mrs. Aragon to make that report for the diplomats in attendance, as well
as other members of the Fil-Am community who did not attend the reception for P-Noy at the
LAX Hilton. It was also the ConGen’s practice to update everyone about the outreach
services of the Consulate and the latest legislations in the Philippines and in the
US Congress that affect Fil-Ams in her jurisdiction.
As is the usual custom, there were numerous photo opportunities with the Mrs Aragon and other
local Fil-Am officials who greeted and gave the ConGen glowing citations – from Walnut,
represented by Mayor Tony Cartegena to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, represented by City Hall’s

4. chief of protocol, and Mayor Jim Dear of Carson, as well as some members of the diplomatic
corps of other countries.
This reception could be the last social event with the Con Gen’s signature. For now, we can only
speculate who will take over the post of the largest Philippine consular jurisdiction in the United
States.