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Manila Bulletin devider Opinion devider Concert time with FL

Concert time with FL

Published Jun 11, 2026 12:02 am  |  Updated Jun 10, 2026 04:04 pm
MEDIUM RARE
Among other things and besides being First Lady and a doctor of laws, Liza A. Marcos keeps a fleet of 150 mobile clinics to serve farflung, hard-to-reach areas. That’s in addition to the “soft” side of her office, which is keeping a score of heritage houses in the Malacañang complex in tip-top shape. One of these is the 100-year-old Goldenberg Mansion, named after its original occupant, an American.
The Mansion’s architecture includes paintings on the ceilings, even in the ladies’, and you can tell they’re old because the art work shows ladies with very long hair in various poses of languor and vanity. I had another look at those high-born ladies exactly one week ago, on June 4, when the FL produced as part of her Goldenberg concert series “A Chamber Music Trio”: Antonio Maigue, flute; Inna Montesclaros, piano; and Renato B. Lucas, cello.
It was an event not to be missed! How often do we get the royal treatment of listening to a cello and flute, solo or duet, live? And how often do we get invited to the Mansion? (On non-concert days, it serves perfectly as a venue for romantic, old-fashioned weddings, and also, not to forget, serious, nonromantic conferences of all sorts.)
Last week, the Chamber Music Trio brought together Jimmy Laya, Ernest Escaler, and Art Panganiban, seated in the VIP section with FL Liza directly facing the stage. Elsewhere, under the glow of chandeliers, Capt. Stanley Ng, Mike Toledo, Lisa Nakpil, Maurice Lim, Mel Robles. A quick count told me there were 60 to 70 seats north and south of the piano.
Cocktails were served after the concert, sometime after sunset, a lovely time to be in the FL’s Glass House – yes, ceiling and roof made of glass, so guests take time to delight in the poetry of dusk turning into night as cocktails are served. White wine, red wine, light fingerfoods and cake, I was happy with a fruit drink that looked pinkly orange, the exact same colors of the sunset!
During the few minutes that the FL joined our table – before she was pulled away – I should’ve asked her to drop a hint to PBBM: How about making a surprise appearance at the next Goldenberg event?

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MEDIUM RARE JULLIE Y. DAZA
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