I Met Again Dina Bonnevie After 40 Years

Ni Oggie Medina

It was a surprise to me to meet again actress Dina Bonnevie after 40 years at the welcome reception night for the participants of Way of the Weave ASEAN Trade Expo (from November 10 to 12, 2026) where heritage meets global trade at Sinag, Okada Manila. It focuses on an immersive exhibition bringing together 11 ASEAN member states and partner countries, featuring over 200 women-led enterprises and artisans and showcasing craft, heritage, enterprises, and women-led businesses.

I first interviewed her years ago for the defunct National Midweek Magazine. She was the first actress I interviewed when I started in showbiz writing.

Dina is now an entrepreneur and advocate known for La Bonne Vie, an indigenous textile and fashion brand founded by Bonnevie that promotes, preserves, and sells traditional Inabel Iloko handloom-woven fabrics from the Ilocos region. The brand offers handwoven items for home goods, clothing, shoes, and bags, supplying major local retailers and appearing at events like the Manila FAME and Likhang HABI Market Fair.
She also co-owns Victorino Restaurant with her late husband, former Ilocos Sur governor Deogracias Victor Savellano. The said restaurant specializes in traditional Ilocano comfort food and dishes like bagnet, bagnet chips, poqui-poqui, and warek-warek.
Dina Bonnevie is indeed an active entrepreneur whose business ventures focus primarily on cultural preservation, local craftsmanship, and the food industry. Over the years, she has successfully integrated her passion for Filipino heritage with her entrepreneurial spirit.