Pinoyspotting: Fancy Meeting Them There, and There
/Ronnie del Barrio
Ronnie del Barrio
Ronnie del Barrio modeling for Italian designer Ermenegildo Zegna
In London, I met Ronnie del Barrio, dancer, actor and model. Ronnie went to London in 1991 as a lead dancer with Kokuma Contemporary Dance Company. Since then, he has modeled for Italian designer Ermenegildo Zegna and other companies, and performed with the London casts of Miss Saigon and South Pacific. Ronnie is currently the Artistic Director of Lahing Kayumanggi, a Filipino folk dance company based in London.
Remy Reyes & Jamie Tapales
Remy Reyes (left) and Jamie Tapales Oakes (right), both London residents, are active in the Filipino community in London.
Also in London, I reunited (albeit briefly) with a college classmate from the University of the Philippines. Jamie Tapales Oakes arrived in London with her Brit husband and son in 1974 and has lived there ever since. Her dad, Ramon Tapales, was the former Dean of the UP College of Music. Jamie is active in the arts community and promotes Filipino and Southeast Asian arts and theater.
Her friend, Remy Reyes, is a doctor who went to the UK in 1972 and pursued postgraduate medical studies in pathology and oncology. Besides London, she has also lived in Oxford and the West Midlands region of England. Now retired, Remy serves as an adviser to the Filipino Women’s Association of the UK.
Elmer Dizon
Elmer Dizon has lived in Paris since 1966 and works at a Tom Ford store. Vive les philippins!!!
Walking into a Tom Ford store in Paris on a side street facing Place Maurice Barres, we serendipitously met a kababayan from Abra province, Elmer Dizon. He immigrated to Paris in 1966, raised his family there, and currently works as a Tom Ford sales associate.
On a side note, I was tempted to purchase the newest Tom Ford cologne from Elmer, but decided to spend the 200 euros in Parisian bistros instead—a sensible decision, as it turned out!!
Voltaire Gungab
Voltaire Gungab is based in San Francisco and currently retired after working in advertising/marketing and editing scientific articles. A self-professed foodie and recipe hound, he follows the San Francisco food scene avidly and occasionally prepares theme dinners for friends.
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