Decades ago as  an advertising copywriter at a large ad agency in Manila  I knew an account executive who had an adorable way of  mangling common expressions.  Wow! he burst into the Creadtive Department one morning.  I was shrugging shoulders with celebrities last night. 

The copywriters  exchanged baffled looks. Don’t you mean rubbing elbows? 

Elbows, shoulders, you know what I mean.

Teddy C. would have been pleased to see me  shrugging shoulders and rubbing elbows with  VIPs last Friday during the Philippine American Business Improvement and Development (PhilAmBid) Gala at the Westgate Hotel.  PhilAmBid’s gala honors ordinary folk who have made contributions to the community. The  Saving Beverly Fundraiser got me into the party but it seems as though the other honorees had done so much more.

Nonprofit founder Jason Paguio  helped organize Chula Vista’s largest parade and community festival, without taxpayer dollars and  is a 5-time  World Champion Drum Major.  Assemblyman Rob Bonta, Esq. is the first Filipino-American elected to the California State Legistlature.   Perla Brownlie has helped the San Diego Youth Symphony bring music into children who would have no access to it otherwise.

Silayan Filipina provides educational and career mentorship for Filipina-American girls through its Youth Leadership Training Programs.

Morrison Healthcare Senior Vice President Teresa Del Mundo oversees a $2 billion national food service company that serves over 600 hospitals and healthcare systems in the country.

But my personal favorite  that evening for general coolness was Hollywood  film storyboard artist Robbie Consing,  who’s worked on over 60  feature films, including Batman Forever, The Minority Report, Iron Man 3, Mission Impossible and The Amazing Spider-Man Franchises. (His was the only photo from the event that my 11-year-old asked to see  the next day.)

Apart from Jason, Robbie and I were the only honorees from the creative community. Over dinner he  confessed to being stumped by his inclusion in the honorees list.  What have YOU contributed to the community? his friends asked. The answer was a no-brainer, at least to me.  Robbie’s films keep folks off the streets and in their seats, watching quietly as mayhem unfolds on a screen before them, instead of committing mayhem themselves. He keeps the peace, 120 minutes at a time. Works for me.

After a remarkably sober dinner, we each received diploma-like certificates:

And a snazzy plaque…

Thank you  PhilAmBid CEO Edna Concepcion and her team of volunteers for throwing us a lovely party at the Westgate!