Jose Paolo Dela Cruz, Author at PeopleAsia

Love, love, Lavender

By JOSE PAOLO S. DELA CRUZ July is almost at an end, which means that the lavender fields of Provence have most probably peaked already. And while you might have missed that flight to Southern France to witness it — due to the numerous travel restrictions in place — you…

Techglobal’s Vesbo Pipes leads quest for potable water

Having observed that a majority of water infrastructures were made from galvanized iron (GI) pipes – materials that are prone to rusting and leakage – entrepreneur Antonio Chua moved to improve water-piping systems in the country in 1995. More than two decades later, the innovations he introduced lives on. During…

‘Teledermatology’ is skin care’s new normal

BY JOYCE A. RAMIREZ By now, it’s a well-known fact that COVID-19 has, indeed, pushed many industries to reinvent, re-calibrate and innovate their methods to adapt to the new normal. The silver lining: some of these changes are actually for the better. Recently, I discovered the convenience of having my…

Captain Ri is back for Bench… and he “loves you”

Aye, aye, Captain! Hyun Bin fever rages on as homegrown fashion brand Bench brings back the Korean superstar for a 30-second video that will surely send hearts aflutter. “Salute! It’s the captain and he’s got a message for you,” reads the caption for the video released by @BenchTM on Instagram…

One of the first images of Hyun Bin for Bench has landed

The cat -- or should we say, the hunk -- is finally out of the bag. Local clothing giant Bench has finally released its first image of Hyun Bin in his first endorsement of a fashion brand here in the Philippines. The Captain for Bench The photo, sent to PeopleAsia…

One of the first images of Hyun Bin for Bench has landed

The cat -- or should we say, the hunk -- is finally out of the bag. Local clothing giant Bench has finally released its first image of Hyun Bin in his first endorsement of a fashion brand here in the Philippines. The Captain for Bench The photo, sent to PeopleAsia…

Filipinos & the Fourth of July: ‘A reminder of shared values’

By: Jose Paolo S. dela Cruz With approximately 4.3 million Filipinos and Filipino-Americans currently residing in the US, and with the deeply rooted connections the country shares with the Philippines in terms of diplomacy, business and more – Fourth of July carries a greater significance for Filipinos than one would…

For now, happy celebrations come in a box!

by JOANNE RAE RAMIREZ I recently marked a milestone even if it was somebody else’s birthday — the exquisite Che Uy’s! Che Uy celebrates her birthday with a Zoom party. Che’s party was a milestone for me as it was the first social event I attended under the “new normal.”…

SM ‘safeguards’ mallgoers in the new normal

By Jose Paolo S. dela Cruz As SM Supermalls president and “Men Who Matter” 2020 awardee Steven Tan shared to PeopleAsia last June, “Filipinos are very sociable people. I don’t think their need for malling will ever go away. We, as a people, will continue to seek physical convergence points.”…

“Bigger, faster, better.” Hyun Bin returns in Smart’s new commercial

Captain Ri – and the Smart execs – definitely know how to keep their promises. As previously announced, Smart Communications has posted a second commercial featuring Korean heartthrob Hyun Bin. Released last June 20, the video has been viewed on the Smart Facebook page almost 400,000 times and has garnered…