Once more, with feeling!

Where will the country’s most powerful, most influential, and most admired people gather on Jan. 9, 2006?

At the Rizal Ballroom of Makati Shangri-La Manila for the much anticipated "People of the Year 2005" Awards Night of PEOPLE Asia magazine.

After its highly successful "People of the Year" awards 2004, PEOPLE Asia will once again set the stage for a glittering awards night that will honor the most fascinating people of 2005.

Top broadcast journalist Korina Sanchez and STAR columnist Johnny Litton will emcee the exclusive event.

Among the awardees is Precious Lara Quigaman who clinched the Miss International 2005 title after the country’s 26 years of drought in beauty pageant victories. At a time when everything seemed downhill, Precious’ victory was an instant shot-in-the-arm for all the Filipinos.

Fresh from their historic win in the 23rd Southeast Asian Games, the bemedalled Filipino athletes will also take center stage.

Three government officials will take a bow for their significant contributions this year. Remarkable is House Speaker Jose De Venecia’s rally for Charter Change and his steering of what could be an otherwise fractious Congress.

Tourism Secretary Ace Durano’s persistence and groundbreaking management careens the country’s tourism industry to an all-time high. Sen. Alfredo Lim stakes his name on the free higher education and anti-political dynasty bills.

Socorro Ramos, Ernst and Young’s "Entrepreneur of the Year-Philippines" award for 2004, is being honored the strong entrepreneurial spirit, passion and hard work that made National Bookstore the institution that it is today. It must be the same spirit that drove Rolando Hortaleza to transform Splash Corp. from an acetone-bottling backyard business into a multibillion-peso personal care products company that remains all-Filipino to this day.

Susan Roces, widow of presidential candidate Fernando Poe Jr., elevates not only her quest for truth but also the image of the often underrated actor/actress with her vision and insights.

Shangri-La Philippines head Tom Zita Jr. shows us how his leadership even during political and economic crisis has attracted more visitors and businessmen to the prestigious Shangri-La hotels and resorts in the Philippines.

Gina Lopez of ABS-CBN Foundation is recognized as a low-profile philanthropic muse whose numerous programs for Bantay Bata 163, Bantay Kalikasan, Bayan Foundation and E-media have made a difference in the lives of Filipinos.

Laudable is lawyer Felipe Gozon’s tenacity to introduce novel and quality programs that have made GMA-7 number one in the country. Cesar Montano is an example of a world-class actor and director as his Panaghoy sa Suba is becoming an international film fest favorite, coming on the heels of his Hollywood movie, The Great Raid.

Doyee Tumpalan took the stigma out of multi-level marketing by fair business practices that have spawned livelihood opportunities for hundreds of thousands, getting a green light from government trade authorities.

Al Rivera, Food and Beverage director of JW Marriott Hotel in Washington DC, founded an international exchange program that enables Filipinos to train and work in Marriott hotels abroad.

Bea Valdes is the country’s pride as her intricately beaded bags have caused quite a stir in America, following a feature in US Vogue.

Another "People of the Year" awardee is Juliet Torcelino van Ruyven, who exemplifies a from-rags-to-riches life and now inspires Filipinos with her book The Tale of Juliet. Computer wiz Rafael Garcia III manifests his willingness to help government organizations, even if it means not getting paid and spending more than he has to.

Clearly, the "People of the Year" Awards Night, presented in cooperation with Volvo Cars, Air France-KLM and Standard Chartered Bank, celebrates the skills, compassion and strength of the Filipino.

PEOPLE Asia is published by STARGATE Media Corp. with Max V. Soliven as chairman and publisher. It celebrates its sixth year this December.