It was a grand celebration for ‘people celebrating people’ at the “People of the Year” 2018 Awards Night, held at the Grand Plaza Ballroom of the Sofitel Philippine Plaza in Pasay City. The ceremony was attended by a number of high-profile individuals, which included diplomats, government officials, business leaders, celebrities and members of the press.
Leading this year’s list of awardees is the undisputed “Queen of All Media,” Kris Aquino, who looked stunning in her yellow Roland Mouret gown. Escorted by her youngest son Bimby, Kris made sure to attend the awards night despite feeling under the weather. In an Instagram post, she later said, “I distinctly recall a meeting, in all fairness a very well meaning one—meant to help me get back on track during the 4th quarter of 2016—and 1 of the ‘suggestions’ given to me was to refrain from wearing yellow. Well, as you probably all know I like marching to the beat of my own drum. PINK has always been my favorite color—but I wore a yellow @roland_mouret gown tonight because the fact is—tonight’s recognition happened because KCAP & I did it our way.”
After taking a bow from television a few years back, Kris conquered the digital sphere by amassing more than 3.2 million followers on Instagram, 1.3 million followers on Twitter and over 130,000 subscribers on YouTube for her online video series. Kris further upped the ante when it was revealed that she will appear for a cameo role in the upcoming Hollywood flick based on Kevin Kwan’s international bestseller, Crazy Rich Asians.
Kris was joined by a number of movers and shakers from the fields of entertainment, sports, business, public service, fashion and education – all extraordinary individuals who were being honored for their extraordinary success and inspiring stories. Among them was celebrated actress Bea Alonzo, who has played a number of iconic roles, and has top-billed box office hits and small screen favorites in her 17-year career.
PeopleAsia also honored world-class Filipinos such as Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, who leads the robust infrastructure programs of the Duterte administration; visual artist Ronald Ventura, whose work became the most expensive auctioned item at the Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings auction in Hong Kong in 2011; real estate executive Kevin Tan, who continues building modern, convenient townships for Filipinos through his roles as Megaworld Lifestyle Malls SVP and Alliance Global executive director; and legendary singer Basil Valdez, whose iconic voice has brought to life Filipino classics such as “Ngayon at Kailanman.”
Educators also reigned supreme in this year’s awards ceremony with the inclusion of former teacher Rosalind Wee, who inspires with her ascent from being an underprivileged teen in Jolo to becoming the vice chairman of the multimillion conglomerate W Group Inc. (despite being legally blind due to a previous battle with a brain tumor); Ateneo de Manila University president Fr. Jett Villarin, SJ, who continues to shape free-thinkers in one of the country’s most respected educational institutions; and Philippine fashion’s “Queen of Knitwear” Lulu Tan Gan, who now focuses her efforts on molding a new set of fashion designers as a fashion consultant at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.
Rounding up this year’s “People of the Year” list was Barangay Ginebra San Miguel coach Tim Cone, who is the “winningest” coach in the Philippine Basketball Association’s history (with two grand slam titles to boot).
PeopleAsia also honored former President Fidel V. Ramos as its Max V. Soliven Lifetime Achievement Awardee for 2017. The man who is best remembered for his roles in the 1986 EDSA Revolution, and for paving the way for the Philippines to be called “Asia’s New Tiger” during his presidency, is still very much active as the head of the Ramos Peace and Development Foundation Inc.
The magazine, together with one of its partners, also paid tribute to 28-year-old Norman King, who was named as Resorts World Manila’s “Lucky Person of the Year” Awardee. Proving that a little bit of luck goes a long way when paired with hard work and determination, Norman is the first member of the Aeta community to graduate from the University of the Philippines Manila.
Last, but not the least, PeopleAsia also recognized its “Airline of the Year” — Singapore Airlines, which recently celebrated 70 successful years.
Hosted by Issa Litton, PeopleAsia’s “People of the Year Awards Night” 2018 is the 14th staging of the much-anticipated occasion, which was launched in 2004. It also marked the 18th anniversary of the magazine, which was founded by legendary journalist Max. V. Soliven.
Aside from the sumptuous array of dishes prepared by the Sofitel Philippine Plaza, the spectacular affair was made even more memorable by live musical entertainment of the Marcy David band, and the floral decorations of Dave Sandoval.
The “People of the Year” 2018 Awards Night was held in partnership with the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila, as well as the following sponsors: Volvo, Henann Group of Resorts, Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Megaworld, SM Supermalls, Resorts World Manila, PLDT, Sta. Elena Construction, St. Luke’s Medical Center, Philippine Gaming and Amusement Corp., Penshoppe, Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc., Ultherapy & Merz Philippines, W Group, The French Baker, Marie France & Facial Care Centre, Gan Advanced Osseointegration Center, San Miguel Corporation, Glupa and The Philippine STAR.
See who else made it to this year’s spectacular event below!
Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s Yasmine Hidalgo and Assia Daourova
