Last November 29, 2025, Lydia Mar Manila (LMM) celebrated its Christmas Party at the Le Parc Event Hall, Pasay City. The venue was transformed into an enchanted forest, to fit the evening’s theme of fantasy and magic. The holiday event was also the culmination of a year-long celebration for Lydia Mar Manila’s 35th Anniversary.
To open the festivities, Mr. Alberto Gomez, Chairman of Lydia Mar Manila, gave a speech that highlighted the company’s history as it celebrates 35 years in crewing, Although LMM was established in 1990, Mr. Gomez highlighted the year 1968, when Aug. Bolten, the parent company of Lydia Mar Athens, hired the first Filipino seafarers onboard German vessels.
That crew proved that Pinoys can work successfully on foreign ships, and it started the industry that continues to be dominated by Filipino seafarers.
Although the names of that first crew and their vessel have been lost to history, we still took a moment to remember the contributions of those who came before us, and to thank them for starting the journey of Lydia Mar Manila.
Recognition was also given that evening to the longest serving crew of Lydia Mar Manila who had been with the company for over 20 years. And as a special surprise, Mrs. Rodelita “Baby” Homecillo, president of LMM, was also gifted a crystal vase of fresh flowers, that represented her homecoming and one of her earliest memories in LMM—which she shared during the Christmas Party.
According to Baby, she passed out in the office during an earthquake in the 90’s. To help her, the janitor poured (dirty) water from a vase, and into her mouth. She lived to tell the tale but resigned in less than 2 years. However, in 2021, she returned to LMM to become its President.
Several principals, or rather partners, of LMM, flew all the way to the Philippines to celebrate with their crew and team of Lydia Mar Manila. In attendance were representatives from FCM Group, Prysmian Powerlink, Lydia Mar Athens and Hamburg, Nova Marine Carriers, and Mastermind Shipmanagement.
Another surprise of the evening was the presentation of an anniversary gift to the Lydia Mar Manila staff from their principals, represented by Nikolas Adami of Mastermind Shipmanagement. Ms. Jenny Delgado accepted the gift on behalf of her LMM colleagues.
Meanwhile, the Lydia Mar Manila staff gave the final surprise of the night through a series of song and dance numbers that the team had been preparing for several months.
The party also featured raffle prizes for the crew, games, performances by the Escola de Samba de Manila, and plenty of drinking and dancing! You can watch all the highlights from the party by visiting https://bit.ly/lmmchristmas2025 or by scanning the QR code below.
Merry Christmas!
