MANILA, Philipppines - What appears in this two-page spread is less than a 5th of the people who joined our team to joyously launch the latest edition of the 440-page Philippines Yearbook. To kick it off at the ballroom of Raffles and Fairmont Makati was STAR’s Johnny Litton on November 28, 2013. A big percentage of the country’s VIPs from all sectors were present, including BSP Governor Amando Tetangco, DFA Secretary Albert Del Rosario, Ambassador Bienvenido Tantoco and Washington Sycip, together with many foreign dignitaries and our country’s first “Miss Worldâ€, Megan Young, who is on the cover of our 2014 edition.
As you may know, the Yearbook started as a spin off from the largest circulated nationwide Chinese language newspaper, The Fookien Times, in 1936. It was founded by Dr. Jimmy Go Puan Seng, the father of Betty Go-Belmonte and Grace Glory Go. Grace’s late big sister, Betty founded The Philippine STAR in 1986, which is today the largest circulated nationwide English language daily in the country.
Grace Glory Go’s son, Vernon Go, president and publisher of The Philippines Yearbook, wrote: “Last year we gave you a macro view of the Philippines, through an eagle’s eye so to speak... Nothing can be as explicit as aerial photography when attempting to depict a country. This year we wanted to bring everything down to earth... and to hear the voices of the young... to bring you the voice of a new generation. We believe it gives us as a nation a glimpse of new thinking and new possibilities. But most importantly we see that the statements herein (across the expressive photos of young and talented photographer Xander Angeles) are filled with perhaps the most precious element that all nations need to progress and grow. And that is hope.â€
Our heartfelt thanks to the hundreds of top corporations in the country who have year after year faithfully supported this time-honored tradition, the only one of its kind, that we have kept publishing for almost eight decades - The Philippines Yearbook of the Fookien Times. Photos by MIKE AMOROSO & joey viduya