Arts & Culture
Come Home to Seda Ayala Center Cebu
Proud of its Filipino DNA, Seda Ayala Center Cebu is familiar and at the same time, new, to Cebuanos.

After news blew up about a certain hotel brand closing its doors last year, Cebuanos were left stunned—understandably so, considering that it had been serving Cebu for twenty years, helping it turn into a global business center.
And while many were wondering what was going to happen next, it was a pleasant surprise to learn that Ayala Land Inc.’s homegrown hotel brand, Seda, would be taking the reigns.
After seven months of refurbishment, Seda has opened its flagship property in the Visayas, the 301-room Seda Ayala Center Cebu at the heart of the Queen City’s dynamic financial district.
It’s the 8th Seda property of Ayala Hotels and Resorts Corp. (AHRC), and is the only hotel within the Cebu Business Park, the preferred location of multinational and international firms. Seda Ayala Center Cebu will target travelers doing business, as well as guests on leisure trips.
Even before it officially opened on August 19, the hotel—with quick access to the myriad restaurants and stores of the Ayala Center Cebu—was already receiving requests to reserve guest and function rooms up to early 2019, according to Frances Alfafara, director of sales and marketing.
Residents of the second largest city of the Philippines look forward to experiencing first-hand Seda’s brand of Filipino hospitality aligned with global standards and the warm contemporary interiors associated with the chain which is present in seven other key locations nationwide.
“When Seda entered the industry in 2012, the homegrown Filipino brand prioritized establishing properties in locations that lacked or needed modern hotel facilities such as Bonifacio Global City, Cagayan de Oro and Davao,” Seda senior group general manager Andrea Mastellone explains. Next in line were Nuvali in Laguna, Iloilo, Quezon City, and most recently, Bacolod.
“We felt Seda was ready to compete with all the other established hospitality brands in Metro Cebu,” Mastellone continues, based on the brand’s success in all the destinations where it is present.
Seda Ayala Center Cebu’s guest rooms, function rooms and amenities are all newly-refurbished, drawing from the plans of architect and interior designer Conrad Onglao. The guest rooms underwent a dramatic makeover and now offer a modern, minimalist layout in soothing earth colors supported by modern conveniences. The function and meeting rooms have also been updated and sport a lighter and brighter look with contemporary finishes and design accents.
But the lobby, which now exhibits Seda’s signature open layout, reflects the most striking change. Seating has been expanded and the reception area now flows seamlessly into the bank of iMacs for the free use of guests at the e-lounge and onto the all-day dining facility Misto.
Guests have always found the hotel convenient, a springboard to Ayala Center Cebu and all its entertainment and retail options, as well as to the key offices of multinational and international firms within walking distance.
Like all other Seda properties, Seda Ayala Center Cebu is expected to have many repeat guests. Mastellone points out that high repeat business is primarily the result of delightful service from the hotel’s front-liners.
“The team of Seda ACC is determined to become market leader and eager to provide the best ‘Filipino Hospitality’ to each traveler walking through our doors. Whichever way you look at it, excellent service and superior location represent great value, the key benefit of every Seda hotel. We have no doubt that Seda Ayala Center Cebu will also be known for the same, as well as the seamless experience it offers to its guests.”
Arts & Culture
Chaos and Clarity: Zen Aesthetic in Oj Hofer’s Art

by Jing Ramos |
Oj Hofer, our fashion contributing editor, is a Fine Arts graduate from the University of the Philippines. Though he began painting at the age of eight, his artistic journey took a transformative turn in 2013. While volunteering as a costume designer for Siddhartha: The Musical, he encountered Venerable Master Hsing Yun’s One-Stroke Calligraphy, sparking a deep devotion to Japanese sumi-e painting and kanji calligraphy. Over the years, he refined his craft, using his art to share the Dharma through exhibitions while supporting the Hsing Yun Educational Foundation. In 2022, his spiritual path deepened at Nan Tien University, where he embraced Zen and Humanistic Buddhism, shaping his artistic philosophy.

“Plum Blossoms in Moonlight.” Serigraphy on abaca.
In his recent works, Hofer merges traditional calligraphy with serigraphy, drawing inspiration from his friend Charles Lahti—an internationally recognized New York-based painter and printmaker. Lahti, known for his collaborations with post-war American artists like Robert Rauschenberg, Donald Judd, Andy Warhol, and LeRoy Neiman, introduced Hofer to silkscreen techniques. Through a workshop Lahti conducted in Cebu—arranged by their mutual friend Greg Urra—Hofer integrated silkscreen into his Zen artworks, particularly those on abaca.

“The Circle of Harmony” Serigraphy and Calligraphy on abaca.
Hofer’s cross-disciplinary approach challenges conventional Zen aesthetics. His layered paintings on abaca may seem far from tranquil at first glance, but closer contemplation reveals a meditative core. His serigraph of an Enso circle, for example, initially appears chaotic, filled with Tang Dynasty poetry and overlapping, repetitive forms. Yet, by focusing on a single calligraphic element, the viewer experiences a moment of clarity—a glimpse of awakening within the visual complexity.

“Monkey Mind” Serigraphy and Calligraphy on abaca.
Even more engaging is his diptych Monkey Mind. At odds with the traditional Zen emphasis on negative space, this piece is deliberately busy, reflecting the restless nature of the mind. A distracted viewer may struggle to find a focal point, but one attuned to emptiness and presence will perceive clarity amidst the seeming disarray.

Ink and intention—creating calligraphy in support of one of my advocacies.
By fusing Zen philosophy with the discipline of serigraphy, Hofer invites his audience to look beyond surface impressions and discover stillness within movement, balance within complexity. His art does not merely depict Zen—it embodies the paradoxes at its core, offering a path to mindfulness through the act of seeing and the experience of doing.
Arts & Culture
What is Sappia? The Rice Myth Goddess of Bohol Who Helped Feed the People During a Great Famine

by Emma Gomez
The story began when the people of Bohol started to experience hunger and famine. All the livestocks were inedible and the fields were dried out leaving only weeds planted on the ground. The people prayed to the goddess of mercy, Sappia, to ask for food.

Sappia, the rice myth goddess of Bohol
Sappia, from the heavens, heard the cries of the people. She saw the dense population of weeds and offered to help them. Sappia thought of nourishing the weeds to be edible and healthy for the people of Bohol. Straightaway, she sprinkled the weed with milk from her bossom. She emptied each breast until blood came out. Before she left, she whispered to the weeds that they may be nourished and be able to feed the people.
When harvest season came, the people of Bohol quickly gathered the nourished weeds. They observed that the ones sprinkled with milk were white, while the other were red. They called the new plant rice and they replanted these in honor of Sappia, and for the people to devour.
Arts & Culture
Kimsoy’s Canvas of a Lifetime in Full Display

by Diana Gillo
There is nothing more fascinating than seeing an artist’s lifetime of work in one room. Such is the experience in Jose “Kimsoy” Yap’s third solo exhibit entitled “Kimsoy: Episodes of Mastery,” at Galerie Raphael Cebu. This serves as the truest form of homage to his enduring journey, showcasing works that span over decades.

Kimsoy with his student and muse, Zhara Rivera Mercado, at the entrance of Galerie Raphael
The exhibit speaks greatly of Kimsoy’s evolution as an artist, with his shifting mediums and remarkable variety of subjects. His creations range from heartfelt portraits of individuals he encountered along his journey to detailed landscapes inspired by the different walks of his life. The room’s layout carries the weight of his years of craft with one wall lined with pastels, another with watercolors, and another with oil painting.

As the River Flows Onward by Kimsoy Yap 2020 | Oil on canvas | 82×48 inches
The exhibit transcends beyond just the commemoration of Kimsoy’s masterful periods. It wanders more into a sense of intimacy reflecting Kimsoy’s life’s journey—from his roots as a young boy in Negros Oriental, through his pursuit of greater artistic mastery in New York, to his prominence in Cebu’s art scene. All his work freehanded, created both with his left and right hand, depicts the ways in which we all leave traces of ourselves in our work and in the world.

A Friend of Mine 1979 | watercolor on paper | 24×18 inches

In a Relaxed Mood 1977 | water color on paper | 16×19.5 inches
The opening ceremony featured Ambassador Jose Mari Cariño, alongside special guests Ivy Ang Gabas, Paolo Li, Angbetic Tan, Laurie Bouquiren of the Visayas Art Fair, and Valerie Go of Galerie Raphael Cebu. The exhibit is open until March 21, 2025.
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