ABU DHABI: Dusit Thani’s Onyx Ballroom shone with elegance the evening of Nov. 6 as Ambassador Constancio R. Vingno, Jr. and spouse, Madame Yoko Ramos, head of the Philippine Ladies Circle, welcomed a delegation from the Philippine Department of Agriculture led by Undersecretary Ranibai D. Dilangalen, and the Mindanao Development Authority (MDA) chaired Datu Hj Abul Khayr D. Alonto.
A team from the Department of Trade and Industry was also present at the event graced as well by H.E.Abdulla Abdul Qader Al Maeeni, general manager of the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA).
But more than talks about halal and an impending trade treaty between the Philippines and UAE, the evening had its glitz and glamor hue as everyone came in their best, among them, Dilangalen who had been practicing law for 10 years at the Maguindanao Public Defenders Office before taking on her post as DA undersecretary for special concerns.
“It’s made of a Maguindanao traditional fabric called Inaul,” she told The Filipino Times. “Specifically, sutla.”
Indeed, the long-sleeved majenta dress was handwoven and imbedded with beads. She also wore a head cover or tandong, likewise having beads.
“Pinapasadya ko talaga ang mga ito. Marami pa akong iba. Actually, simple pa ito,” the graduate of Notre Dame University in Cotabato.
