Innholdsfortegnelse for Dec-21 i Tatler Philippines

TATLER PHILIPPINES On the cover is the multi-award-winning broadcast journalist Karen Davila, who discusses her long career—which has spanned print media, radio, TV and YouTube—and how she is using her public profile for a deeper purpose. TATLER INDONESIA Anggun is a singer and TV personality who has achieved enormous fame both in her home country of Indonesia and around the world, with her albums charting in France, Italy and the US as well as in Southeast Asian nations such as Malaysia and the Philippines. She has also worked as a UN Goodwill Ambassador, campaigning in particular to end world hunger. TATLER MALAYSIA Malaysian serial entrepreneur Kevin Wu discusses how he runs three very different businesses simultaneously: a law firm, a furniture retailer and a cricket farm that produces insects for…

MARK NICDAO As one of the country’s sought-after photographers, Nicdao has an impressive portfolio that echoes his unique style, which led his works to land on several glossies, publications and commercial campaigns in the Philippines and abroad. In this issue, he photographs the multi-awarded journalist and one of this year’s Asia’s Most Influential honourees, Karen Davila. The Manila-based artist is a passionate painter and sculptor, too. LIZ UY Fashion-forward celebrity stylist Uy is the founder of Stylized Studio and online cookie store, Mood Bake. In the past, she has garnered international recognitions from online media outlets such as Vogue.com and Into the Gloss. These days, she is actively involved in her businesses and enjoys spending quality time with her family. This month, Uy styles the cover story titled, Grace and…

Attorney Martin Loon, president and CEO of Cocolife since in March 2019, has a wealth of experience to his name. He pursued his juris doctor degree from the University of the Philippines College Law and is a member of the Order of the Purple Feather of UP College of Law’s Honor Society. Loon also obtained a masters of law from Georgetown University, and is a founding partner of his own law firm Yebra, De Jesus, Loon Law offices. To further educate himself and expand his understanding of his field, Loon attended courses on Agency Transformation in Shanghai, Insurance Risk in Japan and Global Life Insurance in Taipei; he is currently finishing his courses at the Harvard Business School. “I think it’s the ‘service-comes-first’ mindset,” he reflects. “That is one of…

Bearing the family name Ashida is not easy but Japanese fashion designer, Tae Ashida consistently rises to the challenge. Her father, Jun Ashida (pictured below), was one of Japan’s most respected fashion designers, serving as personal designer to Empress Michiko, and designing for royalty, sports teams and national brands. After his death, Ashida took the reins of her father’s eponymous brand as creative director while helming her own Tae Ashida line. While continuing her father’s legacy, Ashida also reinterprets the brand in line with her own style, and continues to forge her own path, celebrating her 30th anniversary as a designer this year. She presented the 2022 Spring Summer collection in an unprecedented way at Tokyo Fashion Week 2021, combining state-of-the-art volumetric video technology with the brand’s traditional approach, rooted…

ICE QUEEN Combining cryotherapy and facial acupressure techniques from Traditional Chinese Medicine, Charlotte Tilbury’s reusable Cryo-Recovery Mask helps to refresh and revive tired skin. Freeze for about 30 minutes, then strap it on for ten and let the ice-cold mask work its magic. ARCTIC ROLL Skin Gym’s Ice Coolie Face Roller uses a stainless steel head, which keeps cold for ages. (Bonus: it’s easy to clean.) Gently roll the tool in an upwards direction to prevent sagging, focusing on areas that feel inflamed or puffy. BOOK A SPA DAY Nicole Caroline’s Luxury Facial Set includes a sphere mould, handmade skincare essence powder blends, lush head wrap, reusable silicone sheet mask, and a rose gold funnel for pouring the essence liquid into the sphere. Freeze the ice overnight so it’s ready…

ENCHANTED FOREST Dior’s luxury goody box this year contains 24 days of surprises. The calendar itself is a work of art—designed by illustrator Alice Shirley, the box is decorated with navy blue illustrations of flowers and accented with steaks of gold to create a mystical winter garden. The miniature gifts include nine scented and fragrance products, seven make-up products, seven skincare products, and a Dior 30 Montaigne candle. 25 DAYS OF CULT FAVOURITES Count down to Christmas with a new beauty product each day from Net-a-Porter’s 2021 offering. Containing 17 full-sized and eight travel-sized products, you’ll find cult-favourite products such as Dr Barbara Sturm’s Lifting Serum, Omorovicza’s Deep Cleansing Mask and Augustinus Bader’s The Rich Cream. (And for when the holiday shopping gets a little too much, there’s a bottle…

1 They are really rare Before its closure last year, the Argyle Diamond Mine [in South Africa] supplied approximately 90 per cent of the world’s pink diamonds. A year’s worth of production fits into a single champagne flute, making these diamonds the rarest of the rare. 2 They are very expensive Some medium-quality pink diamonds attract prices 20 times higher than their white diamond equivalents. The current record auction price was for the Pink Star, which was sold by Sotheby’s Hong Kong in April 2017 for US$71.2 million. 3 They haven’t been around long Pink diamonds are the youngest diamonds to exist, at roughly one billion years old. White diamonds typically take between one and three billion years to form, which is approximately 25 per cent to 75 per cent…

Khatia Buniatishvili has been lauded as a breath of fresh air in the classical music scene; a much-needed injection of young talent into a genre that can be seen as out of touch. The newly minted Cartier ambassador is of the opinion that jewellery and music have plenty in common. “They have both existed since humankind started creating art. Not everything survives through time, but the worthwhile ones do—that’s why we still listen to Bach and Mozart. Art may be subjective, but time defines its objective qualities.”…

Annie Darling Executive Style Editor of Tatler Asia Making five- and-six-figure timepieces with materials borrowed from cutting-edge industries is something Richard Mille excels at, and the high-end watchmaker’s state-of-the-art RM 07-01 Coloured Ceramics do not disappoint. Three editions have been rendered in a unique combination of coloured ceramic. The Pastel Blue model, which combines light blue with turquoise accents, is particularly cool but these watches will sure set you back a pretty penny, with a retail price of US$163,000.…

Award-winning DJ and producer Steve Aoki has partnered with Bulgari to create a luxury watch that will set you back US$3,050. A special-edition addition to the watchmaker’s Aluminium watch, which came to prominence in the Nineties, the Aluminium Steve Aoki Special Edition boasts a lightweight 40mm aluminium case and rubber bezel, while the Super-LumiNova dial is fitted with the musician’s signature logo. “Time is one of our most valuable currencies,” says Aoki. “I’m beaming with pride and excitement to share this new timepiece with the world.”…

Since 1839, Patek Philippe has mastered traditional Genevan watchmaking artistry, with full creative freedom to design watches that aficionados consider to be the world’s finest. The chronograph has always been on top of Patek Philippe’s line-up of complicated watches. In 2005, a complete range of chronograph movements, with or without additional functions, was developed by the manufacture. It was during this year that Patek Philippe launched calibre CHR 27-525 PS, the world’s thinnest split-second chronograph movement. Fast forward to the present, where a collection of Patek Philippe chronograph calibres is offered in more than 20 variations. This year, three variations of the 5204, 5905 and 5930 models have been released, fortifying Patek Philippe’s expertise in the field of complications, particularly in the measurement of short times. An heir to one…

As the president and CEO of the food giant RFM Corporation, Joey Concepcion, in effect, has helped in supplying nearly four decades’ worth of pantry goods to Filipino households. Concepcion Industrial, where he is a director, produces appliances that make up a third of the air-conditioning market. As the founder of the non-profit organisation Go Negosyo, he has mentored and assisted millions of micro businesses. Concepcion has been the presidential adviser for entrepreneurship since 2005. During the pandemic, the entrepreneur has infused capital into Go Negosyo to alleviate the negative impacts of business closure on micro businesses. With micro-entrepreneurs making up 99 per cent of the business sector, Concepcion has empowered Filipino businessmen with free lectures, seminars and services. Among his flagship initiatives, Project ARK-PCR has provided the most relief.…

She has been dancing, teaching and raising funds for dancers from all walks of life over the past two decades. After retiring from her professional career in Ballet Philippines, Sofia Zobel Elizalde established her own school, STEPS Dance Studio. The dance centre follows the syllabus of the Royal Academy of Ballet (RAD), with the aim of building the confidence and technical skill of Filipino dancers for the gruellingly competitive world stage. When Elizalde observed that many of her students were dropping out due to the fees or personal challenges, she decided to devote her efforts to providing scholarship programmes that support their training, equipment and basic education. Elizalde launched the STEPS Scholarship Foundation and partnered with The Ayala Foundation’s Center for Excellence (CENTEX) to provide for their basic education. To…

The founder, president and CEO of her own company, Sta Elena Construction and Development Corporation, Alice Eduardo shifted her family’s rice business into the very successful enterprise it is today. Alice Eduardo is a driven mother of three and the dynamo who founded and runs Sta Elena Construction and Development Corporation, a highly successful construction and engineering company. Sta Elena has grown into a serious player in the market: an AAA and Large B firm, which means it qualifies to bid for any billion-peso project. Gender these days is hardly an issue; in fact being female has come to be an asset. Her team’s involvement in the building of substructures or what is called the foundations of buildings was what led her to one of Sta Elena’s landmark projects, SM’s…

Fashion maverick Rajo Laurel has an expansive fashion career that began with making clothes in his grandmother’s basement. His first creations were dresses for his sister’s dolls. Later, he dressed his own mannequins as they walked down a runway. Since his debut in the fashion scene in the early Nineties, Laurel has gone on to become a model himself for the country’s talent with a global perspective. In 2013, right at the 20-year mark of his fashion empire, Tyra Banks wore one of his creations on America’s Next Top Model. The celebrity fashion designer has counted many of his celebrity clients among his friends. Recently, his works were worn by the Filipino athletes at the Tokyo Olympics. His feminine yet verbose signature style deserves the stage, an opportunity sorely missed…

She has been the face of luxury brand campaigns in the pages of international magazines and a head-turner on the billboards at New York’s Times Square. Her impeccable style and arresting presence have made her a darling of the world’s most luxurious maisons and fashion weeks. In the last few years, Heart Evangelista has earned a shoutout, from Harper Bazaar’s “Real Crazy Rich Asians” list and, most recently, been placed in the coveted Vogue 100. Even as a famous local teen actress and commercial model, Evangelista’s star would shoot out of orbit. A rumour that some might remember involves her role as Harry Potter’s love interest, Cho Chang. She still denies auditioning for it today, amidst talks of her filming for Kevin Kwan’s big screen sequel and Netflix’s Bling Empire.…

The burden of beauty was placed upon the head of Pia Wurtzbach when she was crowned Miss Universe 2015 in the most unforgettable pageant mix-up of the last decade. The host, Steve Harvey, mistakenly announced Miss Colombia as the winner, only to correct himself minutes later and shift the attention to Miss Philippines. As if the modelling industry wasn’t brutal enough, she also became the target of ire from the entire Latin American continent. Wurtzbach handled this with grace, however, and stood as she famously holds herself: “confidently beautiful with a heart”. Through this ordeal, not once did a shadow of doubt creep into the spotlight that shone on her as a rightful queen. Today, Wurtzbach’s bright smile and infectious charm make an impact beyond the covers of magazines and…

Farmer and sustainability advocate Cherrie Atilano has been teaching low-income farmers to plant their own food since she was 12 years old. Growing up on a sugarcane farm, her love for land is rooted in her childhood. As such she has acquired a perspective of the role of a woman in the field. Atilano is the CEO and Founder of AGREA, a social enterprise that is building the One Island Economy Model from one of the poorest but most bountiful provinces in the Philippines. Based in Marinduque, she is creating a circular economy for 250,000 Filipinos across over 50,000 hectares of agriculture land. AGREA has also become the platform for women empowerment, the alleviation of poverty and zero waste initiatives. Her efforts were recognised by the UN through the Global…

He is the president and CEO of Ayala Corporation, his family’s 187-year-old conglomerate with a diversified interests from real estate to banking, telecommunications and a lot more. As a senior member of the seventh generation, Fernando Zobel de Ayala has been working in tandem with his brother Jaime Augusto, in leading their family business into the 21st century. Fernando has held chairmanship and director roles in various subsidiaries involved in telecommunications, finance and investments, healthcare, logistics and energy. As a member of the Philippine Legion of Honour, he received the rank of Grand Commander in 2010. Since his new post, which took effect at the end of 2020, Fernando has focused on new ventures entered during the pandemic. He spearheads the effort for net zero greenhouse gas by 2050, investing…

He first made waves in the design field with his bamboo chairs that were sold in Bloomingdales New York in the Seventies. Budji Layug’s pioneering concept of Filipino design fit seamlessly into the narrative that he would expand his knowledge, experience and network through trade expositions, particularly CITEM. Layug then partnered with the architect Royal Pineda to establish their well-known design and architecture firm Budji+Royal. Their collaborative effort is a total design approach that marries function and flow into the spaces that surround the homes and structures of their clients. Layug’s style is present but changing. The designer captured this in his coffee table book, BUDJI: Design Journey, which launched in 2019. The pre-pandemic effort took four years to complete and details an extensive portfolio and a rich broad view…

Many will remember Angel Locsin’s slim figure on not one, but two, covers of FHM as the World’s Sexiest Woman twice, in 2005 and in 2010. The actress was in big TV roles for local productions of Mulawin, the K-drama adaptation Only You and Lobo. In 2008, she earned a nomination for an International Emmy Award for Best Performance by an Actress and holds a sterling record on best actress awards for various top grossing films from 2013. One of her most iconic roles to date was Darna, the Philippines’ own mythical version of Wonder Woman. During filming and training to do her own stunts in 2016, the fit and active Locsin incurred a spinal injury that put her out of the spotlight, to both her own and her fans’…

Her success in technology does not only continue to develop the IT landscape of the Philippines but also celebrates woman empowerment in a male-dominated industry. Myla Crespo Villanueva, chairman of local tech giant MDI and Novare Technologies, is responsible for over three decades of digital transformation in the country. After an exciting college education in Silicon Valley, she found herself back home. Eventually, her first big project came in the re-engineering of the Social Security System. Soon after, she founded the mobile app development firms Wolfpac and Meridian Telekoms. When the country braced itself for the threat of the Y2K bug, Villanueva’s technical know-how pushed her bullish move to sell her companies to Smart Telecom. MDI was her fifth start-up, but it is now an enterprise doing multi-billion-peso deals with…

She came into the world of fashion and jewellery at birth. Her family spans three generations in the business and she grew up in a household of embellishments and beauty. Bea Valdes’ own path towards the craft was natural, and so the pieces that she creates come to life as naturally—even if they’re made out of scraps, discarded shells, or broken stones. The signature Valdes style incorporates Filipino craftsmanship, weaving and materials while impressing the culture and mindset of a global traveller. Valdes studied interior design at the Inchbald School of Design in London, and even applied to Central Saint Martin Academy for Jewellery Design. It was here that her application, which featured panels of semi-precious stones, saw the potential of being transformed into bags—a possibility yet unexplored by Valdes,…

Before there were Influencers, there was Bryanboy Yambao. He has ushered in an age for bloggers to sit at the front row of Fashion Weeks and to collaborate, if not inspire, the biggest fashion houses’ campaigns. Bryanboy has ticked these off in his list of achievements, since he started broadcasting his thoughts online from his parents’ home. This was 2004: before Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. The 20-something from the Philippines was uploading photos on his blog and writing about his commentary on fashion from the Third World. He was so sharp that his quips constantly got picked up by fashion websites that lacked what he had: a unique voice and his own perspective. (Not to mention, he had androgynous features that made him easily photographable himself.) In 2008, he drew…

She is among the world’s billionaires, with a net worth of US$6billion on her start-up Canva. The half-Filipina techpreneur Melanie Perkins has not only achieved this status, but she is also one of just two women to make it to such heights. Based in Australia, Perkins has created a light and seamless tool to make visually appealing decks that focus on the best parts of a pitch: the idea. The best part is that anyone can use it. She has eliminated the need for a design background or degree, leaving storytellers in this modern content-creating age to communicate their message. Just this year, Canva’s valuation rose to US$40billion after another round of funding infused US$200million worth of capital into it. With a dominant population working from home, Canva is even…

After 50 years of work and over a thousand trips around the globe, Palafox has named his legacy project in the country The Aerotropolis, which is currently being built in Bulacan by the San Miguel Corporation. The envisioned expanse will be among the largest airports this side of the world and will serve as the base of a model green industrial city by 2050. For the principal architect and designer of Palafox Associates (his namesake company that is the first Filipino architectural firm to be included in the Top 500 Architectural Firms in the World), there is no overnight success to be had in such a dream; but true to his values for environmental planning and sustainability, the significant impact will require time and cooperation. Palafox has mentored hundreds of…

ARCHITECTURE & DESIGN Paulo AlcazarenRamon AntonioCarlo CalmaEd CalmaMaricris Floirendo-BriasJonathan MattiMarga NogralesRoyal PinedaAlfred Wieneke THE ARTS Jam AcuzarAndres BarrioquintoTrickie Colayco-LopaMarcel CrespoJigger CruzJaime Ponce de LeonPatrick FloresGeraldine JavierCedie Lopez-VargasIsa LorenzoGab MejiaLeeroy NewMark NicdaoLisa Ongpin-PeriquetBj PascualJon PettyjohnPaulino QueHannah Reyes Morales EDUCATION Fred AyalaAlex Madrigal EduqueFelicia Hung-AtienzaHenry Motte-Muñoz INDUSTRY AND ENERGY Danel AboitizFelix AngRenna Hechanova AngelesDavid ChuaMichael CosiquienChristopher PoLeo Po ENTERTAINMENT John ArcillaJon Jon BrionesGeorgina Wilson-BurnandMoira dela TorreRachelle Ann GoToni GonzagaCatriona GrayJo Koy HerbertSolenn HeussaffJohnny ManahanErik MattiBrillante MendozaMartin NieveraApl PinedaArnel PinedaDerek RamsayIsabelle Daza-SemblatPaul SorianoChristopher “Cris” SyGary ValencianoRegine Velasquez FASHION AND BEAUTY Mark BumgarnerBianca Gonzalez-IntalKim JonesCamille Co-KoroJosie NatoriPam QuiñonesVania RomoffRissa Mananquil TrilloPaloma Urquijo ZobelLiz Uy FINANCE AND VENTURE CAPITAL JJ AtencioMariana Zobel-AboitizLauro Baja IIICesar Luis “Louie’ BateEmmanuel “Noel” BautistaRobert Coyiuto, JrRenato “Bing” de GuzmanRicky DelgadoFrederick DyLance GokongweiJean Henri LhuillierFrederico “Piki” LopezOscar LopezKatrina RazonMartha SazonHans SicatVivienne…

On September 22, 2021, the Couture Council of The Museum at FIT (MFIT) hosted its Couture Council Luncheon honouring Wes Gordon, Carolina Herrera’s creative director. Held at Cipriani South Street in New York, it gave Gordon the 2021 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion. The annual event benefits MFIT, New York’s only museum dedicated exclusively to the art of fashion and open to the public free of charge. During her opening remarks, FIT President Dr Joyce F Brown raised her glass to the re-emergence of the fashion industry and celebrated the 40th anniversary of Carolina Herrera. About Gordon, she said his “vibrant, bold and dramatic [designs] are themselves celebrations, filled with exuberance and joy... and carry on the timeless elegance and sophistication that made the Carolina Herrera line a…

Her curiosity took her from hosting a TV shopping channel to producing and managing her own. So Hiyasmin Neri-Soyao built her company, Shoppertainment Live, the Philippines’ first full-production livestreaming agency that enables big advertising agencies, multinational companies and e-commerce giants to properly sell their products. An instant hit, it now works with more than 90 brands and recently expanded its studios to a 1000sqm space. I think my proudest moment thus far is when we grew our business to over 90 trusted brands, expanded our studios to 1000sqm and increased our manpower to 35, without additional investment funds—simply with our initial capital and bootstrapping. It was a challenge to sell our service because it was not familiar to the Philippines, especially in the marketing industry. Live Commerce is…

Karl Lagerfeld’s penchant for detail will be on full display this month as Sotheby’s sells the contents of the celebrated designer’s eight luxuriously furnished residences. Hundreds of pairs of fingerless gloves will be among more than 1,000 lots presented at two online auctions. The first will take place until December 6, with the second running from December 6 to 16. There will also be live auctions in Monaco from December 3 to 5; Paris from December 14 to 15 and Cologne in March 2022. Pierre Mothes, vice-president of Sotheby’s France, believes most lots will exceed their estimates because of their connection to the German fashion designer. “Most estimates don’t take into account the power of memorabilia items—those linked with Karl Lagerfeld’s daily life.” In addition to Lagerfeld’s wardrobe, which includes…

Cold weather tends to cause havoc on the skin: the winter months can mean dryness, chapped lips and cold urticaria, and skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis can flare up. So why are people dunking their heads into ice water and rubbing ice cubes on their skin in the name of beauty “Using ice carefully and methodically can help to reduce inflammation, irritation and puffiness in the skin by constricting blood vessels,” celebrity facialist Melanie Grant tells Tatler. “It’s a great way to energise your complexion in the mornings, post-flight or during that time of the month [menstruation] by gently boosting circulation, flushing stagnant fluid and leaving you with a rosy glow.” Grant is a big advocate of ice plunging—the practice of immersing your face in cold water for…

If you’re looking to shimmer this holiday season without damaging the environment, opt for Bioglitter, a plant-derived product certified to be biodegradable in freshwater environments. Regular glitter is made up of pieces of microplastic that’s toxic not only for the environment, but also our bodies. If you can’t find the brand in time for your next gathering, look for biodegradable glitter, and avoid those which are cellulose-based, or contain modified regenerated cellulose (MRC) or mica which can also cause ecological damage to rivers and lakes.…

SILVER LININGS With more men experimenting with jewellery than ever before, genderless gems are having a moment and Gucci is right at the forefront. Some prefer layering diamond-decked pieces, while others spark up outfits with lashings of colour, but those seeking a more modest alternative should opt for the brand’s Interlocking G designs, which are perfect for everyday wear. CELESTIAL MAGIC Van Cleef & Arpels is known for making some of the world’s most exquisite high jewellery imaginable, and its new 150-piece Sous Les Étoiles collection is mesmerising. The maison’s exceptionally talented craftspeople fuelled their imagination with dramatic images of the night sky, and the resulting creations are spectacular, defined by bold colour palettes mixed with shimmers of white gold.…

Panerai has introduced You Are My Glory star Dilraba Dilmurat, also known as Dilireba, as its first female global brand ambassador. The TV show, which aired in August, proved so popular that during an episode where Dilmurat’s character marries fellow Panerai ambassador and Chinese actor Yang Yang, the Tencent Video streaming service crashed. In a statement, the watchmaker said that Dilmurat’s “characteristics align with Panerai’s standards of a female role model”. Jean-Marc Pontroué, the brand’s CEO, said: “As a bold and confident individual, [Dilmurat’s] spirit is in line with Panerai’s brand philosophy. She represents China’s contemporary women who are bold and forward-thinking.” To announce the news, Panerai revealed photographs of Dilmurat wearing its Piccolo Due PAM01123 in 38mm.…

For over a century, Rolex has created some of the world’s finest timepieces with impeccable intricacy. The multiple design variations and features the brand has revealed have become power statements both for men and for women. Once again, Rolex pays homage to women who continue to rise in positions of power and influence with three premium quality watches. The Datejust 36, Day-Date 36 and Lady-Datejust celebrate these women with ultra-precise technology combined with strong feminine designs. The new dials on the Oyster Perpetual Datejust 36 feature a palm motif, inspired by tropical forests, or a fluted motif that incorporates one of Rolex’s signature aesthetic styles. Olive green, silver or golden, they are made from age-old materials such as copper, zinc, nickel, chromium, titanium and silicon, combined with cutting-edge technology to…

She had her big break on Star for a Night, and she hasn’t stopped shining since. Sarah Geronimo or The Popstar Princess, as she is called, won PhP1million and a management contract from the local singing competition in 2002. Soon after, ABS-CBN followed with an offer that put her in primetime soap operas and landed her big screen roles. Ultimately, however, it was her down-to-earth persona and powerful voice that has kept the recording artist in the hearts of millions of Filipino fans over her 20-year-long career. Over the decades, she has risen through pop music charts and appeared in mainstream blockbuster movies. In 2013, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts recognised her as a Goodwill Ambassador for Music and presented her with its signature Ani ng Dangal…

He was recently appointed executive vice president of International Container Terminal Services, Inc (ICTSI). Christian Gonzalez’s involvement began in 1997, when he joined the family business through the newly privatised Manila International Container Terminal (MICT). During this time, the Asian financial crisis was looming on the horizon, making it a challenging period not just for international trade, but for Gonzalez’s job as the general manager. His strategic leadership and problem-solving tactics became assets, however, and he soon found himself at the helm of 14 of the conglomerate’s companies and subsidiaries. Through the pandemic, Gonzalez, together with ICTSI chairman and president Enrique “Ricky” Razon, Jr, has been on top of the acquisition of vaccines for the private sector. In June 2021, over 7 million doses of Moderna vaccines made their way…

She has experienced highs and lows these past few years. Across 7,107 islands in the archipelago, Berna Romulo Puyat had successfully led a campaign that made domestic travel one of the most exciting experiences in the country. Within a month of the pandemic breaking, though, all that changed. Not only was travel restricted, but the industry saw a record-breaking loss in jobs, even lives. She traversed public service from being the Undersecretary of Agriculture to her current position as the Secretary of the Department Tourism. Through the pandemic, she has worked closely with local government units to devise recovery plans. Baguio, particularly, has already opened up to tourism for fully vaccinated individuals and efforts in Bohol to establish a Covid-19 clinic have been underway to contain outbreaks in the tourist…

Gabi Wilson, better known as H.E.R., is a multi-awarded recording artist. Donning her cool shades and taking on a stage name, H.E.R. is shifting the focus away from her identity to all about her music. While her Grammy’s, Oscar’s, MTV Video and Billboard Awards are undoubtedly defining accolades, many of her fans can’t help but celebrate her Filipino-African American descent. H.E.R. stands as a representative of these two music-loving cultures in a modern world and her international acclaim is nothing short of an impactful statement to these minorities. Growing up in a household of karaoke and band sessions in California, H.E.R. is very much in touch with her roots. She first learnt how to sing when she was six years old, belting out ballads by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey…

He has been on the train of Internet start-ups since he completed his MBA at Stanford Graduate School of Business. A short stint in Amazon, a shot at his own e-commerce platform, and jumping from one Rocket Internet company to an Alibaba acquisition have spelled out the last decade for Ray Alimurung, the first Filipino CEO of Lazada. Now that he’s behind the wheel of the Philippines’ leading e-commerce platform, his driving force is the impact online retail has on the lives of Filipino businessowners. Alimurung recognises the massive influence that online shopping has made on digital banking, policymaking and consumer behaviour. Even before the pandemic, his strategic direction of growing the platform was focused on getting more sellers onboard and creating ease of use between payment and consumption. As…

International fashion designer Michael Cinco’s opulent creations have dressed models and celebrities from the Miss Universe pageant to Paris Fashion Week runways, from the cover of Harper’s Bazaar to the reality TV series America’s Next Top Model and from the Golden Globes and Cannes Festival to the MET Gala. His signature impalpable style is sought after the world over and places Filipino fashion design on the map. Particularly, he works out of the Middle East’s centre of luxury and splendour. Cinco moved to Dubai in 1997 and launched his fashion line in 2003. In between, the UP Fine Arts graduate immersed himself in the elegance of Paris and London, where he was enrolled at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design. Cinco has been sashaying at the top of…

Pandemic or not, art goes on. This, Margie Moran Floirendo assures, being the chairman of the board of trustees of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). Under her leadership, the CCP Committee on Artistic Matters initiated projects that benefited displaced artists, such as giving grants to arts organisations with innovative projects; and the Kanto Kultura series with its online music competition called Kanto Canta, which showcases original Filipino musical works that incorporate traditional musical instruments to create a “new Pinoy sound”. Though theatres were closed, Floirendo with the CCP board and management made sure the different CCP programmes continued its activities online. Like the Cinemalaya Film Festival and the launch of this year’s Thirteen Artists Awards. Floirendo is an art advocate to the core. Though a career in ballet,…

He used to be the president of SM Prime Holdings, Inc, which handled the property and asset developments of the family’s mall business. Today, Hans Sy keeps his position as adviser to the Board of SM Investments, Chairman of China Banking Corporation, Chairman of National University and non-executive director at SM Prime. Having a net worth of US$2billion, his life’s work is hardly done. True to the Sy name and the legacy of his father, Henry Sy, Sr, who founded the ShoeMart conglomerate, the fourth son is busy with efforts in sustainability and disaster reduction. In 2014, Sy spearheaded the installation of over 5,000 solar panels on the flagship SM North EDSA multi-level carpark. The Solar Rooftop Project extended until 2019, when up to 10 malls nationwide were added to…

Ever since she discovered her passion for Italian cuisine, her destiny of becoming Asia’s Best Female Chef (a title she received from World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2016) and the UN’s ambassador for gastronomy tourism serendipitously unravelled. Margarita Forés began with catering under her company, Cibo Di M, which would later branch off to other collectives such as Fiori Di M (food and flowerscapes) and Casa Di M (a home line) to complement her creative concepts and prolific nature. Casa Artusi Philippines, the first and only Asian offshore campus of the Forlimpopoli culinary centre, was established to mimic the home-style warmth and cooking philosophy that she herself imbibed when she went on a four-month immersion in Italy. Her restaurants, however, are the breakthrough to her commercial culinary success. Forés established…

The award-winning chef Tony Boy Escalante has put Tagaytay on the map as a food destination in Asia. Once a shady dirt road that led to a secret garden, the Antonio’s Group of Restaurants can be found in various locations across the countryside. His name, too, is not lost in the various food bibles and lists of top restaurants and chefs in the world. The multi-awarded chef has consistently placed in The Miele Guide from 2008 to 2014, making it an easy path to becoming named the Manitowoc Restaurateur of the Year in the 2014 World Gourmet Summit. A year later, the namesake Antonio’s fine dining became the first Filipino restaurant to be included in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants, debuting at the 48th spot. Even through the pandemic, it remains…

The award-winning stage actor Lea Salonga blazed the trail in the international stage not just for Filipino talents, but for other Asian performers as well. Her portrayal of Kim in the debut production of Miss Saigon at West End and later, on Broadway were historic moments. Her performances have caught the world’s attention, enough to recognise the enormous talents in theatre and the arts in this part of the world. Her voice has wowed audiences since her professional debut in 1978, when she was only 7, via the musical The King and I. This was followed by major roles in productions such as Annie and The Sound of Music. Salonga’s performance as Kim in Miss Saigon won for her the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical in 1991, the…

She has embedded her dedication to causes such as health, nutrition and education in her life. As a Trustee of the Enrique Zobel Foundation (EZOBEL), Dedes Zobel continues her family’s work in the public education system, particularly for marginalised members of society. The foundation’s main beneficiaries are the physically disabled, school dropouts and ethnic minorities in the Philippines. Besides building schools and providing scholarships, it has also supported various hospitals across the country. This generosity extends to the arts, with her recent (though definitely not infrequent) patronage of Ballet Philippines. Over the pandemic, she granted full scholarships to the dancers, facilitated the acquisition of a foreign artistic director and supported the transition to ballet.ph. The show must go on, indeed. As Emeritus Trustee for Women International UK Board Trustees, she…

With 17 million Instagram followers, Bretman Rock Laforga has clearly set the paradigm for Influencer success in the 2020s. Well, for starters, Laforga has crossed over to reality TV shows, debuting the pilot of MTV’s Following: Bretman Rock with six million views on YouTube. His other show, 30 Days With: Bretman Rock, on the same channel features him on a week-long jungle isolation that reveals an unglamourised version of the fashion, beauty and pop culture star. He was still, of course, quite glamourous despite the circumstances that it may be the defining characteristic of the social media personality. Laforga captured Internet virality after a series of comedic makeup videos in 2015. He has since hosted the Miss Universe Red Carpet. Born in the Philippines, Laforga is based in Hawaii, where…

Businessman and investor Kevin Tan is the CEO and Vice-Chairman of Alliance Global, Inc, a holding company that includes real estate through Megaworld Corporation, fast food through Golden Arches Development Corporation, hospitality and property management through Travellers International Hotel Group, Inc, and liquor through Emperador Inc. The young businessman took over the family business in 2018. His father, Dr Andrew Tan, founded the company in 1993. Now, Tan is at the helm of Emperador, the world’s largest brandy producer, giving his father the space he needs to pursue his passion for mixing and blending liquor in his retirement. Only in his early forties, Tan has lofty ambitions. Tan had previously targeted the company to become carbon neutral by 2030, a goal that was pushed back to 2035 by the pandemic,…

An entire nation watched with bated breath as Hidilyn Diaz lifted, in one swift motion, 127 kilogrammes in the clean-and-jerk event of the Tokyo Olympics 2020. The Philippines joined her as she cheered and cried. She had earlier lifted 97 kilogrammes in snatch, bringing her to a 254-kilogramme total that qualified for a historic gold. It is the country’s first Olympic gold medal in over a century and the first for a Filipina in the sport. For Diaz, it’s a first in a career that has been obstructed by financial difficulty, defeat and injury. Even as she successfully won silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, she sustained a knee injury that added to the problems taxing her mental health. Midway through training for the pandemic-delayed Tokyo event, she ran out…

God’s Love We Deliver, New York City’s leading provider of medically tailored meals for individuals living with severe illness, held its 15th annual Golden Heart Awards in a hybrid format. The event, held on October 18, 2021, had both an in-person gala at The Glasshouse in Manhattan and a virtual programme for guests tuning in from home. The evening kicked off with a NYC-themed cocktail hour featuring speciality drinks from Bemelmans Bar. An auction of an original piece of art, made exclusively for this year’s event by artist, graphic designer and art director Eric Haze, was held exclusively for the attendees. For dinner, guests were treated to dishes from some of the Big Apple’s most iconic restaurants, including Sardi’s, Russ & Daughters, Dame, Pinch Chinese, Bolivian Llama Party, Frenchette and…

“If I may play the devil’s advocate…why do we need their approval?” says chef Claude Tayag. Over recent years, Filipino cuisine has garnered much more global recognition—but how important is recognition, really? At this year’s Asian Culinary Exchange (ACE), culinarians like chefs Tayag and Margarita Forés participated in deep-dive discussions about Filipino cuisine. “Instead of learning about the cuisine of our neighbouring countries”, ACE founder Angelo Comsti explains, “we take a deeper look at our own from the lens of the past, the present and the future.” The event also featured chefs championing Filipino food abroad and local chefs modernising Philippine cuisine, engaging them in thought-provoking debates. Ultimately, three central themes emerged: recognition, preservation and (re-)discovery. RECOGNITION As one of the only chefs cooking Filipino cuisine in Paris, Erica Paredes…

Alexa Chung has teamed up with Mulberry for a limited-edition capsule collection as part of its 50th anniversary. The model describes her creative process to Tatler and explains why the collaboration with the brand is a dream come true. What does design mean to you? Design means a lot to me. From how a song is designed, to buildings or clothes—I really pay attention to and enjoy the aesthetic. Are you more of a tote, handbag or crossbody person? I like all bags! Currently, I guess I’m more of a handbag person. What has inspired you recently? For this collection, I was looking at pictures of Lauren Hutton and Charlotte Rampling, and also thinking about films like Working Girl (1988) and 9 to 5 (1980), this army of “boss women”…

Love, mystery, excitement—qualities found in the Eternal City of Rome, and where Bulgari finds inspiration for its latest treasures in leather goods and accessories for spring-summer 2022. Named “Amoroma”—a portmanteau of the word amore (Italian for love) and Roma for Rome—the new collection proudly showcases the passion that Bulgari has for this ancient city. As Rome was not built in a day, so was Amoroma the product of much time and thought. Every detail on each precious leather item exudes the spirit of the Eternal City, from its chic silhouette to its graceful curves and exceptional material. There is an unexpected revival of the house’s emblematic Serpenti, one that finds a fresh take on each design. Amoroma begins with a revelation of the brand’s newest Infinitum motif. Inspired by the…

ICE SCULPTING “Take an ice globe or a semi-melted ice cube and gently glide it over any areas of concern. I usually focus on my eye area, jawline and cheeks after cleansing, using the contours of my face as a guide,” says Grant. Chan adds: “Ice and cold packs should be wrapped in a cloth before application to the skin, and should not be used for prolonged periods [more than 10 continuous minutes] to prevent frostbite.” ICE PLUNGING “An ice plunge is a cure-all. It’s great for puffiness, fatigue and dullness and puts a real pep in your step, especially if you didn’t sleep well the night before,” Grant says. “Simply empty a tray or two of ice into a bowl, cover with clean water and submerge your face in…

HOLIDAY GLOW Holidays are reserved for sentimental get-togethers. Whether you’re doing it online or in person, you should always strive to look your young and glowing self. Chanel’s N°5 makeup collection can make anybody stand out with a seemingly natural glow. For the lips, the Allure N°5 is available in five shades, including two new releases: Emblématique and Légendaire. The collection can also offer a luminous complexion through the Enlumineur which melts into the skin and ensures long-lasting comfort. Lastly, the Baume Essential can accentuate the high points of the face with its beige shade. STRESS BARRIERS The outside world is a place where our skin inevitably damages itself. It is full of harmful free radicals that can impair cells, causing illness and ageing. Thankfully, skin-care products like the Neoretin…

PEARL PARADISE Pearls are anything but boring when Mikimoto’s involved, and for its latest high jewellery collection, titled The Japanese Sense of Beauty, the maison has designed an outstanding necklace worn here by Japanese fashion model Ai Tominaga. Natural conch pearls take centre stage, and are elevated by zoisites and dazzling white diamonds. NATURAL WONDER The carefully considered design of Gübelin’s newly unveiled Cascading Springs cocktail ring is inspired by the powerful waterfalls that crash into the lush tropical forests and rolling green valleys of Colombia. For added drama, the central stone—a cushion-cut emerald weighing 8.68 carats—is elevated by a pair of pear-cut emeralds, which sit within a river of baguette- and brilliant-cut white diamonds. BRANCH OUT The renovation of 30 Avenue Montaigne, which was once Christian Dior’s townhouse and…

Tell us about your favourite jewellery piece. I have a little Van Cleef & Arpels heart that my grandfather gifted me when I was 18 years old. I’ve never not worn it, and it’s very emotionally valuable to me. My favourite Nouvel Heritage piece is the Mood bangle, which is perfect for stacking. What inspires you? Architecture, fashion and travel. I spend a lot of time observing things and people, and this gives me time to daydream and get inspired. Describe the woman who wears your jewellery. She’s independent, confident and cares about the story behind her jewellery. What’s your first memory of jewellery? Sitting in my grandmother’s room, rifling through her jewellery box while she tells me how she acquired each piece. If you weren’t a jeweller, what would…

GOLD STANDARD Classically beautiful and effortlessly feminine, the pictured watch, crafted from 18-carat yellow gold, is the latest gem-set addition to Rolex’s already impressive Oyster Perpetual Lady-Datejust line-up. This watch’s President bracelet, which was created in 1956 and features semicircular three-piece links, is stunningly dramatic and shimmers with dazzling diamonds, making it the ideal gift for that special someone. GAME FACE Omega has been the official timekeeper of the Olympics since 1932 and, to celebrate this year’s games, the watchmaker has debuted the Seamaster Aqua Terra Tokyo 2020 Gold Editions, which are housed in one of two yellow-gold cases that measure 38mm or 41mm. Polished blue ceramic dials pop with a laser-engraving inspired by the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Games emblem, and sapphire case backs are etched with the words “Tokyo…

Tell us about your most treasured watch. My 18th birthday present was my great-great-grandfather’s pocket watch. The very first thing I bought and sold was also a pocket watch from a flea market in France when I was about 13 or 14, which I sold on eBay. It sounds like you’ve always had a passion for watches. I kind of had an unofficial background in watches but I didn’t consider myself a “watch guy”. I just saw how things were changing in the luxury market and discovered that there was nothing particularly sophisticated for second-hand watch buyers and sellers online. How has this changed over the years? It’s changed radically. The industry has been led by a number of transformation actors like Chrono24 and Watchfinder & Co, but also by…

He is the chairman and CEO of DoubleDragon Properties, a listed real-estate company that develops the CityMall chain of malls. Injap Sia, however, is more popularly known as the founder of Mang Inasal, an affordable unlimited rice and chicken franchise that grew to over 300 branches nationwide, enticing Jollibee Corporation’s hand to buy it out in 2011. Jollibee head Tony Tan Caktiong then took the new billionaire Sia not just under his wing, but beside him on a runway towards bigger, brighter enterprises. Tan Caktiong now co-chairs DoubleDragon Properties. DoubleDragon Properties’ subsidiary MerryMart has continued to invest throughout this pandemic. In 2021, it acquired a majority stake in Carlos SuperDrug, a pharmacy that has 27 branches nationwide. It’s a small piece to a larger cog that includes a grocery portfolio…

Seventeen million followers on Instagram and 14 million followers on Twitter can attest to the magnetism of Anne Curtis. This Filipino-Australian beauty began an acting career in the Philippines during her early teens. It didn’t take long before she became box office royalty, raking in a gross worth of PhP1.5 billion from her seven films since 2010. Her prolific career has spanned across numerous TV shows, commercial endorsements, magazine covers and even an advocacy as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador. She didn’t stop there either. She pursued a dream of becoming a singer and let her charm do the performing. “Listen at your own risk,” she told her fans. She recorded and released an album that went platinum in 2011, setting off a series of concerts that took her to North…

He has everything the Filipino people looks for in a political leader: movie star good looks, a rags-to-riches story (he was a scavenger as a child before he was discovered by a talent manager at a wake) and relatability with the masses (he is colloquially referred to Yorme). It’s the version of a fairy tale trajectory in Philippine culture and a natural path for the once-poor Isko Moreno who now wants to serve the poor through his position. His reformation of the city of Manila is so apparent as he drove businesses to a record high with tax reforms and technological investments. The city got a face lift and became, for lack of a better term, Instagrammable. Most importantly, he launched a successful mass housing campaign that provided low-cost homes…

Also known as PacMan, Manny Pacquiao holds many titles not just in the boxing ring but also the world of sports. He is a G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) on the most informal lists, a spot currently held by Muhammad Ali, and talks about his Hall of Fame status is certain. In the history of boxing, he is the only eight-division world champion, with 12 major world titles, and the first Asian four-time welterweight champion. Over his 24 PPV bouts and 26-year-long career, he is reported to have earned US$1billion in revenue. PacMan has come a long way from 1995, when he first entered professional boxing at 16, a poor boy with a dream. In 2021, he finally, though reluctantly, retired at the age of 42. Now, he is among…

He is on a mission to reverse the “brain drain” in the country, not so much by discouraging the youth from travel—as he himself is a product of international education and experience—but in enriching the opportunities that allow the normal Filipino to have a global mindset. Gigi Montinola is the chairman of Far Eastern University, which has a student body of 40,000 young people. Besides that, he is an alumnus of the IES Abroad programme, for which he and his siblings have created the Aurelio Javellana Montinola, Jr IES Abroad Scholarship in honour of his father. He is the outgoing president of the Management Association of the Philippines, chairman of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, a director of Bank of the Philippine Islands, chairman of the National Advisory Council of…

In 2021, GCash stands at the top of Globe president and CEO Ernest Cu’s list of achievements. The e-wallet platform has grown exponentially over the pandemic and Cu’s earlier decisions to prepare for this moment have paid off. Besides that, the telco market leader is also in the process of building 1.4 million ports for fibre lines by the end of the year. That’s twice the number of ports that were built in 2020 and it comes as a response to more Filipinos working from home. Cu has been quick to act on what the customers need today. This wasn’t always the case. When he was first elected to the top position in the company back in 2009, Globe was utility-centred with a lacklustre customer experience. Cu, who comes from…

As the president of Stores Specialists, Inc (SSI), a publicly listed company that operates the Philippine franchises for some of the world’s top brands, Anton Tantoco Huang is still the brand manager that he was when he entered the family business. He is all about the customer experience of the luxury and fashion industry in the Philippines. Pre-pandemic travels meant curating fast fashion and luxury brands that would fit into the local market. Over the years, he’s developed a keen eye and sense of style that informs the customer mindset in the Philippines. He started in 1987 with a handful of household names synonymous to SSI—Ferragamo, Gucci, Marks & Spencer—and now has over 100 brands that bring generations of shoppers to their network of more than 600 stores. From easy…

She is an ordinary Filipino citizen whose one small act of charity started a nationwide movement. Ana Patricia Non is the initiator of Community Pantry Philippines, a network of autonomous civilian initiatives to provide free goods to neighbourhoods around the country. It started when Non set out a bamboo cart on an intersection near her house with the sign, “Take according to what you need. Give according to what you can.” The small food bank contained excess canned goods, vegetables and instant noodles from her grocery hoard during the first series of lockdowns announced in Metro Manila. She shared the effort on social media to inform the people in her area where to find it—and woke up to over 15,000 engagements on her post. In days, donations poured into her…

The visionary Alfred Ty holds various high positions in the family business. He is the vice-chairman of GT Capital Holdings Inc, which is involved in banking, automotive, real estate and insurance. Ty is a director at Metrobank and chairman of Lexus Manila and Federaland, Inc. As chairman of Toyota Motor Philippines, he is the head of one of the largest markets of Toyota in Asia and in the world. Since Toyota began its local operations in the Philippines in 1989, the automotive company has sold almost 2 million vehicles. Toyota has received Triple Crown recognition for 19 years straight, pertaining to their consistent keep of the titles for Best in Passenger Car Sales, Best in Commercial Vehicle Sales and Best in Overall Sales. A logistics hub worth nearly 5 billion…

When former PLDT head honcho Manny V Pangilinan hang up his jersey after 23 years, Al Panlilio stepped in as its president and CEO. He has been with the MVP group of companies since 1999, starting as a senior vice president in the Corporate Business Group before taking the lead at the telco’s Carrier Business Group. He spent a few years in Meralco and most recently, grew the business of mobile phone Smart. It bodes well that he is a team player, since the conglomerate has over 16,000 employees. Panlilio is also the president of the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas, first vice president of the Philippine Olympic Committee and president of the MVP Sports Foundation. As a sportsman himself, he has used his position to support Filipino athletes through the…

Pasig City mayor Vico Sotto is the son of two popular Filipino celebrities, but this isn’t why he’s influential. He has made a name for himself—hardly using his parents’, or his uncle’s (who is a senator since 1992)—as the mayor of Pasig, a city with a booming central business district and upscale residential addresses. Serving a term on the city council before his mayorship, which unseated a 27-year-old political dynasty, Sotto only had nine months before the pandemic hit to enact a platform of universal health care, greater access to public information and anti-corruption. Yet, he accomplished these and even more when the coronavirus put the entire country in a gridlock. His tenure has been modern, progressive and highly accessible due to his candid but informative social media presence and…

The artist Ronald Ventura has won many awards, but his most notable recognition might be in breaking through the competitive, traditionally snobbish international art scene. In 2011, his painting Grayground sold for US$1million at the Sotheby’s Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Paintings auction in Hong Kong. This is the most that any Southeast Asian work has gone for from a modern, living artist—one who continues to live and work in the Philippines. Ventura dishes out a whiff of his Manila culture, pleasant or not, in his art, with his signature strokes: a mix of realism with graffiti, cartoons and religious iconography. From the Third World, he projects the human condition as though it were high-definition animation, and the First World pays to view it on demand. He has participated in…

Jose Arnulfo “Wick” Veloso is the President and CEO of Philippine National Bank (PNB) and the President of the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP). Veloso has more than 30 years of banking and capital markets experience, garnering various industry recognitions throughout his career. Prior to PNB, he was President and CEO of HSBC Philippines, the first Filipino CEO in HSBC’s 144 years of operations in the country. After only a few months with Veloso at the helm, PNB showed significant turnaround in profit and strategy, growing by over 20 per cent in total assets. By 2020, PNB was recognised by The Asian Banker as ‘Best Managed Bank’ and Veloso as ‘Best CEO’ during its annual Leadership Achievement Awards. The Bank earned the distinction for demonstrating excellence in its response…

Renowned journalist Maria Ressa is a Nobel Peace Prizewinning journalist in one of the world’s most dangerous places to be: the media. Ressa admits to being afraid but musters up the courage to stand up for press freedom every day. She doesn’t do this for the Philippines alone. Her books Seeds of Terror: An Eyewitness Account of Al-Qeda’s Newest Centre of Operations in Southeast Asia and From Bin Laden to Facebook report the rise of terrorism in the region, while her latest title Standing Up to a Dictator will see publication in 2022. Ressa has done all these as her digital news website Rappler faces cases of tax evasion and cybercrimes as attempts to be silenced by the government she so vocally criticises. Before the Nobel Peace Prize, Ressa has…

As the world begins to recover from the onslaught of the pandemic, and establishments—retailers, restaurants, accommodations, etc—are reopening their doors to patrons, we put together our list of go-to places and destinations for this year. This is the second edition of Tatler Philippines’ Black Book, a brief compendium of some of the best places to eat, stay, shop and avail yourself of various services and utilities on and offline. When we came out with the first Black Book late last year, we considered how things changed because of the pandemic: many restaurants and retailers pivoted from brick-and-mortar stores to an online presence. Health and wellness, particularly access to clinics at a time when many people were afraid to go anywhere near hospitals and medical centres, gained a following through telemedicine,…