Free To Be HUE: Araneta City celebrates the freedom to shine in every color this Pride Month

 

This June, Araneta City transforms into a vibrant hub of expression and solidarity as it launches “Free To Be HUE,” a month-long campaign that highlights the many stories, identities, and experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community. Through art, movement, and community-driven activities, the City of Firsts reaffirms its commitment to ensuring its spaces remain inclusive environments where everyone feels seen, respected, and truly free to be themselves.

Beyond knowing who we love, we also celebrate those who have come to fully understand who they are and how they choose to express themselves. This is the heart of “Free To Be HUE,” honoring individuality, no matter the colors of your identity, while celebrating the beauty of a community that comes together in diversity. Symbolized by a colorful pinwheel, the campaign reflects every color represented in a community that moves together as one.

“This Pride Month, Araneta City celebrates the freedom to live authentically and express oneself without fear or judgment. Through ‘Free To Be HUE,’ we honor the many identities, stories, and experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community while continuing to foster spaces where everyone feels welcome and respected. As the City of Firsts, we remain committed to building a community grounded in inclusivity,” said Marjorie Go, Vice President for Marketing of Araneta City.

Express yourself at Free to be HUE Mural (June 2)

The City of Firsts will kick off Pride Month with the unveiling ceremony of the Free to be HUE mural, a symbolic and lasting expression of Araneta City’s commitment to inclusivity, acceptance, and self- expression to honor the LGBTQIA+ community and the diverse community. The mural outside the New Frontier Theater along Gen. Roxas Avenue serves as a lasting reminder that every person who steps inside Araneta City is welcomed, respected, and free to be themselves without judgment. Quezon City

Mayor Joy Belmonte and distinguished members of LGBTQIA+ organizations will join the unveiling ceremony in support of Pride and inclusivity, and will also help paint the mural’s final touches to contribute to the shared artwork.

Jog for fitness and inclusivity at Pride Run (June 7)

The aRUNeta Run Club’s Pride Run at the Green Gate of Smart Araneta Coliseum goes beyond fitness by bringing together members of the LGBTQIA+ community and allies in a shared movement for inclusivity and wellness. Joining as allies are candidates of Binibining Pilipinas 2026, further showing their support for the celebration. Participants are also encouraged to wear colors that represent them and bring pride flags to the run, with face painting available to make the celebration even more vibrant. In partnership with the Quezon City Health Department, the event also promotes awareness and safer communities through free HIV self-test kits and on-site screening services.

Bust a move at Quezon City Pride Dance Competition (June 9)

At Farmers Plaza, the Quezon City Pride Dance Competition celebrates identity through movement and performance. More than a showcase of talent, it gives members of the LGBTQIA+ community a platform to express themselves with confidence while sharing stories shaped by their journey and individuality.

Inclusive Graduation Rights (June 11)

At Gateway 2, Quantum Skyview, a special graduation ceremony will celebrate every students’ right to freely express their identities during one of life’s most meaningful milestones, especially honoring graduates who were previously denied the opportunity to march due to their SOGIE. The activity supports ongoing efforts toward more affirming and gender-inclusive spaces for young people. It also reaffirms the Quezon City LGU’s commitment to inclusive graduation rites for all students, as guided by the Department of Education’s Gender-Responsive Basic Education Policy.

Special Pride promo at World Kitchens (June 11)

As part of the City of Firsts’ Pride festivities, World Kitchens will offer a special Pride promo on June 11 — buy one mocktail and get one snack free. Open to all diners, the limited-time offering also serves as a special treat to rainbow graduates taking part in Graduation Rights. Head to Gateway Mall 2 to celebrate Pride Month with good food and meaningful moments.

Safe Space Session (June 18)

The Safe Space Session at Ali Mall will educate Araneta City lessees and staff on creating a more welcoming and respectful environment for LGBTQIA+ mallgoers and communities. Featuring resource speakers from the Quezon City Gender and Development Council, the session aims to encourage inclusivity and understanding in everyday public spaces, with the hope of making Araneta City a safer and more inclusive space for the community whenever they visit the City of Firsts.

Shop at the Pride Bazaar (June 26 to 28)

Araneta City partners with the Quezon City Small Business and Cooperatives Development and Promotions Office to bring the Pride Bazaar to Farmers Plaza, providing a space for members of the LGBTQIA+ community who are also part of the local business sector to showcase food, crafts, trinkets, and other products that reflect their talent, creativity, and personal stories.

Celebrate authenticity at Lovelaban sa Araneta (June 27)

One of the most anticipated events of Araneta City’s Pride celebration is LoveLaban sa Araneta, in partnership with Pride PH, featuring performances from members of the LGBTQIA+ community. As Araneta City brings the spirit of LoveLaban closer to the community, attendees can catch performances from some of their favorite drag performers while celebrating pride, self-expression, and inclusivity. This marks the second year Araneta City will host a separate LoveLaban event apart from the other LoveLaban events across Quezon City.

“Pride Month is a celebration of identity, community, and the freedom to be yourself. At Araneta City, we believe inclusion goes beyond Pride Month and should be practiced every day through the spaces we create and the experiences we share. We remain committed to making the City of Firsts a place where everyone feels welcome, valued, and empowered to express themselves freely,” said Go.

The same Brutalist icons, but not as you know them

PNB Financial Center-scanned from PNB 100 coffee table book

 It is said that Brutalist architecture asked for patience. Its language was not immediately inviting and resisted quick affection for it stands firm in raw concrete and heavy, geometric forms.

Appreciation for this style came with distance. That return happened around 2019 across cities, including in the Philippines, when the culture began to look again and see intent behind the weight. Buildings that were once dismissed as severe began to draw in a new audience. Architects, designers, and the public revisited them with a fresher perspective.

Lobby PNB Makati Center

Iconic properties of the Metro skyline

In Makati and Pasay, two such structures are among those that gained renewed attention: the PNB Makati Center and the PNB Financial Center, properties managed by PNB Holdings Corporation (PHC).

Spaces, PNB Makati Center, PNB Holdings

From the street, both buildings read as resolute. The PNB Makati Center, designed by Filipino architect Carlos Arguelles, a key figure in modern and Brutalist architecture, holds its place along Ayala Avenue with a sense of order, set against a district in constant evolution.

On the other end, the PNB Financial Center, found nearer the bay, stretches across a wide footprint of almost 90,000 sqm. Designed by noted Filipino architect Gabriel Formoso, it carries the same material honesty, set against an open horizon.

When PHC assumed stewardship, the shift began at the threshold. They ensured not to erase time but work with it, leaning toward adaptive redevelopment. They ensured that the structure remains legible and that interventions respond well to present-day use.

PNB Financial Center Events Spaces Grand Atrium meetings exhibits conferences

When one steps inside the PNB Makati Center, the experience becomes less measured. Light softens the entry as the lobby leads with clarity. Materials move from exposed concrete to finishes that are easier on the eye and touch.

Workspaces, found from second to penthouse levels, follow a similar intent. Color pops in controlled accents and seamlessly blends with the structure. They feature layouts that support employee interaction without forcing it. There are open zones for team collaboration, alongside areas that allow for focus. The choices reflect the building’s current priorities—health, safety, and a more human-centered way of working.

At the PNB Financial Center, the narrative expands. The building has long functioned as a headquarters. Its expansiveness allowed it to house offices and institutional tenants over time. Under PHC’s direction, parts of the complex have taken on a new role.

Certain interiors have been adapted into event venues. This move leans on the asset that Brutalism provides, volume. Large spans and high ceilings offer a flexible canvas. The spaces can host formal gatherings or more relaxed assemblies. The bay area setting adds another layer. Natural light shifts across the day and gently spills through the windows. The edge between inside and outside becomes part of the event experience.

This reprogramming extends the building’s original identity. Where there were once purely administrative spaces, there are now areas, such as The Grand Atrium, that invite the public in a variety of ways.

Both buildings show that preservation is not fixed, but a process where change unfolds with discipline, allowing the original architecture to remain clear as new interventions settle in with intent. And, when updated with care, they can support contemporary life without losing character. The current work at PNB Makati Center and PNB Financial Center reflects precisely this.

For those who pass by, the first impression may still be distant. The silhouettes have not softened. Yet beyond the facade, the spaces tell a whole new story, one that considers how people move, gather, and work today. In this way, the buildings continue to shape the spaces they hold. They define their legacy not only by what they were, but by how they are used today.

Joel Reglos Revisits the Architecture of Faith and Form in 5th Solo Exhibition, "Reminiscence”

 Filipino visual artist Joel Reglos is set to unveil his highly anticipated fifth solo exhibition "Reminiscence" a profound visual homecoming that explores the intersection of artistic evolution and spiritual endurance. In partnership with Altro Mondo Creative Space, the exhibit will be opening this May at the Gateway Gallery. The collection serves as both a retrospective of Reglos’s foundational aesthetics and a deeply personal testimony of the faith that sustained his rise in the Philippine contemporary art scene.

​In "Reminiscence," Reglos deliberately steps back from the present to re-engage with the raw energy of his formative years. Known for his mastery of the impasto technique and his signature use of heavy, sculptural textures, Reglos utilizes this exhibition to honor the specific palettes and vertical color compositions that first defined his voice. The works are not merely recreations of the past, but rather a sophisticated dialogue between the artist he was and the master technician he has become.

​The exhibition title captures a dual meaning: a technical looking back at the language of abstraction and a spiritual accounting of the "wilderness years." For Reglos, the path to his current success was paved with significant personal and professional hurdles.

Joel Reglos at work

​"This collection revisits a period of intense struggle and sacrifice," Reglos shares. "It was a time when I had to surrender my path to the Divine, trusting that the journey had a destination I couldn't yet see. These pieces are reminders that the trials we endure are not obstacles, but essential parts of a larger, beautiful plan."

​The aesthetic of the show is characterized by its tactile intensity. Reglos’s canvases are famous for their "verticality"—cascading layers of pigment that suggest movement, growth, and the passage of time. By returning to his "root" palettes, he invites the viewer to witness the "season of abundance" that follows a long season of sowing. Each thick stroke of paint serves as a metaphor for a prayer answered or a hardship overcome, transforming the canvas into a three- dimensional landscape of gratitude.

​"Reminiscence" is more than a display of abstract virtuosity; it is a narrative of resilience. Reglos asserts that every trial has a purpose that only reveals itself in the fullness of time. For the collector and the casual observer alike, the exhibition offers a chance to experience art that is grounded in the grit of real-world labor and elevated by an unwavering spiritual conviction. It is a reminder that through persistent hard work and faith, every struggle eventually resolves into a masterpiece.

​The exhibition marks a significant milestone in Reglos’s career, following a string of successful showcases, including recent participation in the Philippine International Furniture Show and features in major business and lifestyle publications. As a resident of Lucena City and a proud representative of the Quezon Province art community, Reglos continues to bridge the gap between regional identity and the global language of abstraction.

"Reminiscence" opens on May 23, 2026, at the Gateway Gallery. The public is invited to witness this milestone exhibition and explore the textured depths of an artist who continues to find beauty in the memory of the struggle.

CCP, BENCH HOLD TERNOCON WORKSHOP & EXHIBIT IN BINAN CITY, LAGUNA

 

With the mission to preserve and promote the Philippine dress,  the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), in partnership with Bench/Suyen Corporation and the local government of Binan City in Laguna, will hold a terno-making workshop from May 19 to 24, and an exhibition from May 22 to June 28, at the Sentrong Pangkultura ng Binan, Binan City, Laguna.

Billed as “Fashioning the Terno,” the workshop series kicked off in October 2025 with its Mindanao leg in Iligan City, followed by its Visayas leg in Iloilo City last April.

The next series, the Luzon leg, will be participated in by 24 local designers from the National Capital Region and various provinces in Luzon, including Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan,  Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Bulacan, Batangas, Mindoro, and Laguna.  

The exhibition will feature the ternos designed by the Ternocon 2025 winners and finalists, Peach Garde, Bryan Peralta, Ram Silva, and Windell Madis, with pieces by mentors Ezra Santos,  Rhett Eala, and Lulu Tan Gan.  

The Luzon participants will undergo intensive hands-on training on terno making with relevant lectures by experts led by Ternocon founding artistic director Gino Gonzales, Ternocon former mentor Lulu Tan Gan, Ternocon current artistic director Ricardo Eric Cruz, 2020 chief mentor awardee Abdul Gaffar,  Carolina de Leon,  Ternocon 2020 Bronze Medalist Dinnes Obusan, Ternocon 2025 Silver Medalist Bryan Peralta, and Ternocon 2025 Mentors’ Choice Award Windell Madis.

All workshop participants from Mindanao, Visayas, and Luzon are qualified to submit proposals for the competition slated for February 2027.

Out and About with Cetaphil Sun: #GotYouCovered While You Touch Grass

 

In a world where being constantly online is the norm, more Filipinos are starting to feel the weight of digital fatigue. Long hours on screens, fast-paced routines, and limited access to restful spaces have left many feeling overstimulated yet disconnected.

Answering this growing need to unplug and reconnect, Cetaphil Sun held the Cetaphil Sun Crawl, entitled Out and About with Cetaphil Sun: Expert Sun Protection #GotYouCovered, a thoughtfully curated day of outdoor experiences designed to encourage presence, movement, and meaningful connection, all while staying protected under the sun.

Rooted in the rising “touch grass” mindset, the Cetaphil Sun Crawl reimagines everyday outdoor moments as opportunities to reset without worrying about sun damage. Because stepping outside shouldn’t come with hesitation: especially when your skin is supported by expert protection that’s #GotYouCovered.

A Morning in Motion

The day began with a short morning run, setting the tone for an energizing start outdoors. Led by fitness coach Cass Salandan, the guests which included fitness personalities, outdoor enthusiasts, and lifestyle content creators were guided through an accessible, yet invigorating routine designed to ease them into movement.

The session featured a full-body warm-up followed by a 20-minute LIIT (Low Intensity Interval Training) workout and a squat-and-shuttle finisher. It concluded with a dedicated cool-down to bring participants back to a state of rest. The experience encouraged participants to reconnect with their bodies, moving not for intensity, but with intention.

Wellness, Slowed Down

From movement to mindfulness, guests transitioned into a Wellness Wind Down at Washington Sycip Park, where the pace softened, and the focus shifted inward.

Guided by yoga coach and mindfulness teacher Carina Silverio, the session began with a gentle arrival and grounding practice, allowing guests to settle into the space. This was followed by guided movement and breath work: simple, accessible exercises designed to release tension and bring awareness back to the body.

Participants then engaged in an outdoor connection activity, encouraging reflection and presence within both the environment and the group. The experience closed with quiet rest and integration, offering space for stillness — something often missing in everyday routines.

Expert Conversations

The day concluded with an intimate lunch, bringing guests together for meaningful conversation around modern wellness and skin health.

Dermatologist Dr. Gaile Robredo-Vitas highlighted the growing need for balance in today’s hyper-connected world. As people seek more intentional offline moments, even simple outdoor habits, like walking, dining outside, or spending time with friends, can significantly improve overall wellbeing.

However, in a country like the Philippines where UV exposure is a daily reality, these small outdoor moments come with cumulative effects on the skin. Prolonged exposure can lead to sensitivity, dehydration, premature aging, and long-term damage.

Dr. Robredo-Vitas emphasized that effective sun care today goes beyond protection. It must also support hydration and strengthen the skin barrier: especially for those navigating heat, pollution, and urban stressors. Gentle, well-formulated products are key to minimizing irritation while ensuring comfort for daily wear.

Ultimately, skin protection should feel enabling, not limiting. With modern, science-backed formulations designed to be lightweight and suitable for sensitive skin, people can confidently spend more time outdoors, fully present in real-world experiences.

#GotYouCovered Wherever You Go

The Cetaphil Sun Crawl is a reminder that “touching grass” doesn’t require going off grid, but it’s about finding balance in small, everyday ways. Whether it’s a morning run, a quiet moment in the park, or simply stepping outside, these intentional habits help break the loop of digital fatigue.

With Cetaphil Sun, outdoor time becomes what it’s meant to be: freeing, effortless, and worry-free. Because when your skin is cared for, you can stay longer, connect deeper, and fully embrace life beyond the screen.

Cetaphil Sun is available at all leading retailers like Watsons and Mercury Drugstore, and in all leading e-commerce such as Shopee, Lazada and TikTok Shop.