History, Good Food and Entertainment at THE TRIBUTE HOTEL

Quezon City is my hood. I've known the people and history here because of our familiarity with the families who live here. For us, Tomas Morato wasn't just a name for a street, but the first Mayor of Quezon City 1939 to 1942. He was a loyal friend to President Manuel L. Quezon, and we heard he never divulged his location to the Japanese back in the day. Today, his family lives in a compound in the middle of Tomas Morato. The property is huge and they now dedicated a part of it for The Tribute Tower, a mixed use building that houses THE TRIBUTE HOTEL, the DON TOMAS restaurant and condominium units meant for the Morato family.

To tell you honestly, I haven't heard of The Tribute Hotel prior to this visit. This was built and delayed during the pandemic (understandable). But just hearing there is one made me so excited because there are little to no hotels here despite the popularity of the area. The actual building sits almost at the corner of Scout Gandia and Tomas Morato Avenue (99 Scout Gandia Street Quezon City). It's pretty huge, so you wouldn't miss it. 

I wanted to stay here merely for a "Staycation", I wanted rest and refuge as it's been a while since I got sleep. Checking in was a breeze, the lobby was enough to fit people before going to the room and they served a welcome drink. There were no lines, so when they handed me my key I went up and connected to WIFI because I still had work LOL.

Here's a reel to immortalize that!

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We also got to talk to the GM Christian Guballa who also is part of the Approche Hospitality Management Corporation who manages The Tribute Hotel and several other Sta. Lucia Realty properties.

After a good nap, we headed on to have dinner at the hotel's very own restaurant called "DON TOMAS". It was also a Friday which means they've got an acoustic band to play for patrons who choose to have dinner and a few bottles at this place. Food is good as they've got international dishes served at this place named after the Mayor. Thanks to Chef Erwin Rarugal who made arrangements for us to dine with sampler dishes since we couldn't make our mind choosing what's good for dinner. Take a look at this!

 

If you plan to dine here, I'd suggest Beef Rendang, Chicken Saté, Beef and Tendon (sweeter and soy based), the Chefs Burger (burger patty is pure beef). They also served us Cuapao Sliders, Calamares Fritos, Soft Taco Mussel Sisig, Squid Bombs, Salmon Kimchi, Chicken Biryani, Nasi goreng, Braised Pork, the Carbonara de Tomas (light carbonara salty bacon strips) and their pizzas. For desserts, I would highly suggest you get the Ube Langka Mochi (It must be eaten whole) and the Basque Cheesecake. If you're a matcha lover, get the Tiramisu Matcha.

Here's how it looks like at Don Tomas!

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Here's our short interview with Chef Erwin Rarugal. He also does the food in other properties of Sta. Lucia Realty, experience is good.

 

There are 2 Room Types in The Tribute Hotel, but you can always merge rooms for groups.

They have conference rooms that could fit over a 100 folks, and stay here too.

 

What's good is that they have an INDOOR POOL which you can enjoy even on rainy days! Plus a gym in front if you need it.

Plus a really good view of the neighborhood and nearby attractions in Tomas Morato!

If you like what you see, go head on and take refuge at THE TRIBUTE HOTEL. They can be contacted via their social pages (facebook.com/thetributehotel) or their website thetributehotel.ph. This property is managed and operated by the Approche Hospitality group. They currently have good rates and I'm going back soon!

CENTURY TUNA SUPERBODS 2026: "My Superbod Era" Finals Tonight

Just got to cover the Century Tuna Superbods 2026, dubbed as "My Superbod Era" and saw how they chose the finalists. If you're not aware, the finals night will be today so I'm wondering who you are rooting for.

Here's a rundown of the male finalists on video:

The Finalists for men was pretty colorful and varied. This includes LGBTQIA+ (first Transman), PWD's, folks from all walks of life. They also had previous qualifiers join in. As of date, the finalists include Aaron Maniego, Ameer Ahid, Herschel Verne Sanchez, MJ Ordillano, Arvin Corpuz, Jay Gonzaga, Austin Dizon Cabatana, Nunoy van den Burgh, Jaco Benin, Paul John Galang, Christopher Ian El Jouni, Joselito Florendo, Prince De Guzman, Rafael Cruz Tan, Ken Batino, Dominic Camozzi, Kim Panique, RC Kashyap, Ricardo De Jesus, and Lorenzo Isip. I cried a bit because of their stories, and I wasn't alone.

For the women, they are Alana Maris Montemayor, Janica Reloxe, Maan Marquez, Aleiah Torres, Jarly Verceles, Jasmine Rovelle Paguio, Anna Valencia Lakrini, Ashley Cayuca, Chucel Njigha, Ronalyn Lalimo, Jilliane Robillos, Rovin Mizuse, Diane Querrer, Donnabelle Erno, Kristen Bea H. Chua, Thalia Joaquin, Vienne Luna, Gee Canlas, Lou Yanong, and Gia Gonzales. Although I think I saw Lou Yanong quit the lineup a couple weeks ago, she withdrew because of personal reasons and wished the best to the rest who chose to do the finals.

Today is the day. I am so excited to see who the judges would choose because I've seen them a few weeks ago. I am putting my bets on the tall ones, their proportions and life lessons during the interview might prove to be their best bet. They are all in their Superbod Era, and from the looks of it, they are all qualified to be on top!

The finals will start at 4PM today, make sure you watch it all happen on their social channels.

VERN KAYE Stars in VMX's "HAPLOS NI MILAGROS"

The VMX platform just gives you variety these days and this one is interesting. The story of HAPLOS NI MILAGROS goes to folklore and stories that hail in the Philippine provinces where faith healers are still found. The main character Milagros is quite different because her power hails from her capability to remain only if she doesn't fall in love, pure and innocent. Otherwise, it'll all be gone!

Vern Kaye explains "Milagros is kind, brought up in the farm. She doesn't even go out that much, and this is what caused good and bad things to happen to her. She had the power to heal, said to be like a saint in the province. She is a virgin, and if not she will lose all her powers, Erwin will be the bane of her existence!"

John Mark Marcia says "I play the role of Erwin, a city boy, who got sick of something, a condition he could not cure. He had to go to Milagros for that cure."

New actor Mauro Salas plays a driver who also got involved with his boss, a bit complicated. He is also going to be a party to this. While he is new to showbiz, he has been doing pageants and modeling in the past. He's quite good looking and might give other actors a run for their money. Here's the media conference on video:

HAPLOS NI MILAGROS is Directed by Christopher Novabos for the VMX platform. Go and see it today on this streaming service starting August 14! 

Micaella Raz, Mon Confiado for VMX's "ANG MODISTA"

It's been a while since I've covered movies from Viva, kinda crazy but it's true. Must be the weather. Anyway, we got to check out a few with their popular arm VMX, a platform available for subscription. Folks adore their content, and hope they see this promising one that includes actor Mon Confiado, and the very lovely Micaella Raz who's been out of VMX for a few months now. She's back with a vengeance!

"ANG MODISTA" is about a clothes maker, but she's quite a character. She does something more than the usual, and with the customers she meets. That's where the story gets interesting, because they get involved with personalities that either like it, or despise them because of their relationships.

Mon Confiado says "I am so proud to be part of this project. Micaella and Kim delivered, and I'm very thankful why I'm doing this in VMX. I don't look at genres, I only look at the story and material, I am not looking at it that way because it is a themed project. I am confident, more than 30 years in the industry means I can portray things, the role and character was challenging. It's very deep, about family, frustrations, hurtful because my character goes through a lot. Being a contrabida is easy, at this age doing scenes here is hard to execute, to not look cheap. I used to do Seiko stuff, but they were all contrabidas too, VMX is different and not ordinary, they have twists and I get challenged." 

Micaella Raz adds "This is my third time working with him, I am grateful because this is my comeback film. I really learn a lot about films like these because of the work they do, I get inspired by them. I also did my research because I had family who did it. I am eager, especially since I'm doing this for work. I wanted it to look legitimate. In character, Elsie is a bit of a tease, so I did something special even before that, like side quests. Elsie found something in Joel, I was a bit comfortable because we already worked together in previous projects and he is very humble."

Kim Yashii "He helped me, pressure was on me because he is a seasoned actor. The confrontation scenes were difficult for me but he gave me pointers. Gigi is the daughter of Joel and she's a little bad."

The Director Ronald Batallones made sure the profession was also lengthy explained, they had to make sure the artist had a background of knowing how to really sew things. He also mentioned how Mica did it without help, without doubles, and how she picked up right away. 

While it is a niche movie, you'll love the release of inhibitions between the Modista and the client. This could be wild and a very fashionable ride. It will be out starting on August 7th on the VMX platform.