by JOSE PAOLO S. DELA CRUZ
PeopleAsia trains the spotlight on 12 “Women of Style & Substance” awardees in its latest issue. Leading this year’s list is actress Marian Rivera-Dantes, the primetime queen who has since taken on a real-life leading role in supporting healthcare workers and frontliners.
“Sans a script and a director, Marian acted on her own volition to be there for others—cooking in her kitchen to feed hundreds of healthcare frontliners almost every day,” writes Büm D. Tenorio Jr. in the cover story about Marian, who is also the wife of actor Dingdong Dantes and mother to Zia and Sixto.
Joining her are other women who have also made their mark. Among them are lawyer Pilar Nenuca Almira, the former president and CEO of Cardinal Santos Medical Center and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, two leading medical institutions actively waging war against COVID-19. She is also the newly appointed president and CEO of the Makati Medical Center.
Also being recognized are CNN Philippines’ Pinky Webb, a veteran broadcaster who believes in reporting with fairness, accuracy and truth; Grace Barbers-Baja, a social media darling who has also parlayed her creative mind into the thriving food business Taste by Grace Home, after first gaining fame as the “Spoiled Mummy”; and Dr. Lorena Patrice “Bugs” Caslib an anesthesiologist and frontliner in the daily battle versus COVID-19.
PeopleAsia also lauds women who bring opportunities to their fellow Filipinos. They are BPI executive vice president and head of mass retail segment Marie Josephine “Jojo” Ocampo, who also chairs BanKo, which provides lending and business opportunities for a growing number of self-employed microentrepreneurs; Beautéderm CEO and founder Rhea Tan, whose once fledgling business in Pampanga has grown to have hundreds of branches nationwide, as well as in Singapore and New Zealand; and millennial businesswoman Krizzia Ann Loyang Tanabe, whose Food Caravan, under the iFranchise Business Services Corp. helms 10 franchise brands and provides business opportunities for enterprising Filipinos.
Also on the prestigious list are lawyer, radio personality and Trade and Industry Undersecretary for consumer protection Ruth Castelo, who runs after unscrupulous sellers as she educates Filipino consumers about their rights; and millennial Mayor Donya Tesoro, whose sound leadership enabled her municipality of San Manuel, Tarlac to keep COVID-19 at bay.
Rounding off PeopleAsia’s “Women of Style & Substance List” are seasoned designer Ica Serafica, one of fashion’s first responders in creating PPEs and masks, from the time the Taal Volcano erupted earlier this year; and volleyball player-turned-beauty queen Michele Gumabao, whose Y2P eco-packs have helped thousands of beneficiaries in the time of COVID-19.
PeopleAsia’s “Women of Style & Substance” issue is available at the PeopleAsia store in Lazada. For more information, please call 0917-1047179 or send PeopleAsia a private message via Instagram (@PeopleAsia) or Facebook.
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