The shows, platforms, and fundraisers to look out for
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” – Steve Jobs
My passion for fashion and love of charity share equal footing in my heart. I can fully express my excitement for both whenever we plan our annual Red Charity Gala (RCG) with my co-chair Kaye Tinga. Celebrating our 14th anniversary of interweaving style and philanthropy, RCG 2026 is featuring the quiet elegance of JC Buendia.
After years of dressing his clients in his understated luxury and refined tailoring, JC has reinterpreted the modern Filipiniana into formal and casual wear. He interjects eveningwear with absolute comfort. “This time, I’ll be reimagining eveningwear through Asian-inspired silhouettes that celebrate rather than confine the body,” JC shares.
Being friends for many years now, JC has one of the most refined taste in fashion and designs with grace and elegance. He creates fashion with unbothered confidence and makes luxury breathe with flowing fabrics.
For his upcoming collection, JC will deliver a masterclass in quiet drama. Graceful dresses with fluid fabrics and restrained embellishments dominate the look of the collection. He leads with sophistication through subtlety rather than excess. This truly defines his design aesthetics.
He joins the rest of the elite roster of past featured visionaries—including Dennis Lustico, Furne One, Jojie Lloren, Michael Cinco, Ezra Santos, Joey Samson, Chito Vijandre, Rajo Laurel, Cary Santiago, Ivar Aseron, Rhett Eala, and Lulu Tan Gan—in raising vital funds for the Assumption HS 81 Foundation, the Hope for Lupus Foundation, and the Philippine Red Cross.
We are grateful to all our sponsors and table donors for their continued trust as we mount RCG 2026 on Oct. 3, 2026 at The Peninsula Manila.
Table talk
To get the excitement started, we hosted the gala launch party at Shang Summit show suite in Quezon City. It was also the inaugural edition of Table Talks, the newest and most exciting experiential platform of Inquirer Property. This signature event brings together a small, carefully curated mix of thought leaders, executives, creatives, and tastemakers in highly exclusive gatherings designed to feel more personal and engaging.
Think socials but with a little more depth and purpose. There is still plenty of fun but there is also time to sit down, exchange ideas, hear different perspectives, and actually get to know the people around the table beyond their place cards.
Experiencing the show suite was the goal so I engaged the guests to move around and check out the scale model and model units. They gathered around the table, laughed over the games, and lingered over dinner and champagne.
As for Shang Summit itself, it marks Shang Properties’ first residential development in Quezon City, rising in South Triangle as a two-tower development. Its East Tower alone will offer 1,019 well-appointed residences, from studios to three-bedroom homes, with architecture by P&T Group together with Casas + Architects and interiors by Italian firm FM Architettura.
Dinner was catered by the wonderful Happy Ongpauco-Tiu, who prepared a Spanish-inspired menu that was just right for the evening. We started with salad, cheese, and charcuterie, along with tapas such as albondigas, mushrooms al ajillo, and jamón croquetas before moving on to the equally sumptuous mains: salpicao, Iberian chicken, seafood paella, and porchetta. We ended it on a sweet note with some churros con chocolate.
There was a live band, too, and of course, I had to throw in a game. Guests had 10 photo tasks to complete around the Shang Summit show suite. It was an absolutely fun way to get people moving around the space and enjoying beyond the dinner table.
Even the giveaways followed the Table Talks idea. I wanted something simple and useful for the home, things guests could actually enjoy after the evening instead of another souvenir that ends up tucked away somewhere.
Drive for support
Apart from my RCG charities, I also support EPCALM Hope Foundation. As the first and only nonprofit in the Philippines dedicated exclusively to serving adult leukemia patients, EPCALM delivers personalized programs and services that address the medical, psychosocial, emotional, and spiritual needs of patients throughout their leukemia journey.
To raise funds, the foundation is mounting the Hope Invitational Golf Tournament on Sept. 21, 2026 at Sta. Elena Golf and Country Club in Santa Rosa City, Laguna. The fundraising tournament aims to generate support for the EPCALM Hope Fund, which enables the foundation to provide vital assistance and comprehensive, family-centered care to adult leukemia patients and their families.
By participating in or sponsoring this tournament, we become valued partners in bringing hope, compassionate care, and life-changing assistance.
For inquiries, please contact the EPCALM Foundation through: (02) 8727-5012, 0905-928-9896 or 0919-955-6149.
Father’s legacy
To celebrate my upcoming birthday, I have planned to spend my Sunday at Sisters of Mary Girlstown in Silang, Cavite. It is a nonprofit project of the late Venerable Aloysius Schwartz, affectionately known to all as Father Al.
Father Al provided impoverished children with food, shelter, clothing, medical care, and an education, setting them up for a better future. Until today, his schools teach a complete range of subjects to prepare students for a productive work life outside of graduation. Intensive vocational training, also offered for free, teach students a multitude of skills they can apply in local industries; there are classes in carpentry, cooking, automotive mechanics, dress and jewelry making, computer drafting, accounting, and graphic design, to name a few.
As I celebrate another year of blessings and good fortune, I am delighted to be sharing these with students who will one day be giving back as well. The energy of good karma will spread and be rewarded bountifully in many ways. What a heartwarming way to celebrate my birthday this year!
