BY JOSE PAOLO S. DELA CRUZ
“When the going gets tough, the tough gets going.”
As such, PeopleAsia honors the unconquerable men and women who continue to rise above the challenges brought about by COVID-19, by training the spotlight on the real lives and real stories of survivors, front liners and more in its May 2020 digital issue.
Gracing the cover of PeopleAsia’s first purely digital edition are Sen. Sonny & wife Tootsy Angara and their kids Manolo, Ines and Javier, whose lives were recently rocked by the pandemic. The Angara couple recall their family’s roller coaster journey on how Sonny, who first tested positive for COVID-19 on March 26, was able to beat the disease with the help of family, front liners and friends — before once again testing positive on May 1. Fortunately, Tootsy tested negative both times.
Aside from being an emotionally charged experience, the battle against COVID-19 also influenced the senator’s plans for future legislation. “One clear lesson is the need for advance preparation. Strengthening the public healthcare system around the country will enable us to deal with this better in the future,” he shared.
Joining the Angaras on this issue are other inspiring survivors such as “invincible woman” Chuchi Serrano-Villar, a glamorous grandma who traded in her couture gowns for a hospital gown as she battled the disease; Pastor Milo Rivera and his wife Lalaine, whose faith was tested – and fortified – after both were infected by COVID-19; and Rogelio Bueno Jr., whose story went viral on the Internet as the fully recovered “Patient 358.”
PeopleAsia also dedicates its pages to numerous health workers from some of the country’s most esteemed hospitals, who opened up about life at the front lines. Among them are young doctors Bugs Caslib who, at times, would have to intubate as many as five patients, within a day’s work; and CB Javier, who manned his hospital’s emergency room for 21 straight days after the community quarantine was imposed in Metro Manila.
The magazine also honors the men and women who make sure that our front liners are well-fed, well-protected and appreciated. They are Chef Jessie Sincioco, whose team prepares hundreds of meals for front liners regularly; event stylist Dave Sandoval who spreads a message of hope through beautifully crafted floral arrangements that he delivers himself to front liners in the hospitals; and fashion designers Rajo Laurel, Michael Leyva, Philip Rodriguez and Jun Escario, among others, who have pooled their talents and resources to donate thousands of face masks and PPEs. Also featured are chemist Pinky Pe Tobiano and her teams at Progressive Laboratories and Qualibet, whose products continuously disinfect hospitals, government institutions and elderly homes
Sadly, the issue also marks the magazine’s farewell for its beloved columnist and designer Ito Curata, who hangs his hat at the pearly gates with his partner Robert Miller, after his battle with COVID-19. Here, they are lovingly remembered by friends whose lives they’ve touched.
Read all about them in PeopleAsia’s May 2020 issue, which you can now download on Magzter, the Apple App Store and Google Plus. You may also read the issue for free by taking advantage of Magzter’s 30-day trial.
