‘Women of Style & Substance’ in the spotlight
With or without their masks on, a powerhouse group of women stole the spotlight as PeopleAsia recognized its 14th batch of “Women of Style & Substance” 2019 awardees in a unique masquerade ball at the Grand Ballroom of the City of Dreams Manila in Parañaque City.
Leading this year’s list of esteemed awardees were Sen. Pia Cayetano and Makati City Mayor Abby Binay. Also present to receive their awards were Skin 101 medical director and CEO Dr. Jennie Diaz, PAGCOR chairman Andrea Domingo, BPI Family Savings Bank president Maria Cristina “Ginbee” Go, veteran broadcast journalist Pia Hontiveros, DPWH’s “Build, Build, Build” committee chairman Anna Mae Lamentillo, Timson Securities founder Marissa “Small” Laude, entrepreneur and real estate developer Carmen Jimenez-Ong of Menarco Development Corp., PLDT SVP and group controller and Smart’s CFO Chaye Cabal-Revilla, restaurateur Happy Ongpauco-Tiu; singer-composer and certified hitmaker Moira dela Torre; and Che Uy, who sits on the board of several companies including Phoenix Petroleum, and serves as the corporate treasurer of Udenna Corp.
Other “Women of Style & Substance” awardees for this year included fashion blogger Laureen Uy and obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Rebecca Singson, one of the pioneers of robotics surgery in the Philippines.
To kick off the evening’s masquerade-themed awards night, PeopleAsia editor-in-chief Joanne Rae Ramirez, who was fashionable in a fuchsia Randy Ortiz number, said in her speech, “We wear our most beguiling masks tonight — not because we have something to hide — but because we have something to show off.”
Ramirez was joined by PeopleAsia associate publisher Jose Rodriguez, City of Dreams COO and SVP Kevin Benning, Sta. Elena Construction and Development Corp. president Alice Eduardo, Singapore Airlines general manager Lee Yong Tat, Belo Medical Group medical director Dr. Vicki Belo and Stores Specialists Inc. marketing communications head Mitch Suarez in presenting the awards. Meanwhile, MVP Group Media Bureau head and The Philippine STAR columnist lawyer Mike Toledo, served as the night’s master of ceremonies.
Aside from being a meaningful celebration of woman power, PeopleAsia’s “Women of Style & Substance” awards night also doubled as a spectacular and beguiling masquerade, thanks to the visual styling of Dave Sandoval and the technical prowess of Black Tie Entertainment. Charriol also picked businesswoman and socialite Joy Wambangco Rustia, wearing a black terno also by Randy Ortiz, as the “Star of the Night” from among hundreds of equally elegant guests, and rewarded her with a coveted handbag from the famed Swiss brand.
PeopleAsia’s “Women of Style & Substance 2019” awards night was held in cooperation with the City of Dreams Manila, and was sponsored by Charriol, Chelsea Logistics Holdings, Buskowitz Energy, Singapore Airlines, Pilipinas Shell, M Residences, SM Supermalls, Bluewater Day Spa, Belo Medical Group, Titania Wine Cellar, Glupa and The Philippine STAR. * Photos by Bernardo Batuigas and Joey Viduya
