'Wonderfully made, a labor of love'

 Inspired by Time Magazine’s commemorative issue on US President Barack Obama on his election last year, People Asia magazine celebrates the election of Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III as the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines with a commemorative issue as well.

We already were putting to bed a June-July regular issue, and it had the theme, “Men Who Matter,” before we conceived this special issue. “Men Who Matter” has been the theme of People Asia’s June issue for five years now. Before the May 10 elections, we deliberated on whether to include Noynoy, then the presidential frontrunner in the “Men Who Matter” lineup as he was certainly the one man who would matter to the Philippines in the next six years.

But we decided that Noynoy and his victory were both too big and too destiny-altering to just put as a regular feature in a regular issue. Noynoy’s election was going to shift the plates of the nation’s landscape and as chroniclers of contemporary history and the people who shape them, People Asia felt only a commemorative issue would do justice to the Noynoy story.

Because advertising is our lifeblood, we would not have been able to launch the issue without advertiser support. And immediately, advertisers saw that this commemorative issue was going to be a hit, and will be treasured by people who knew they were witnessing history and want a keepsake of it. The first three to commit their support were Lucerne, Goldilocks and Thai Airways.

Thus was born our commemorative issue, which hit the newsstands on June 9, the day Noynoy was proclaimed as the 15th President of the Philippines. We are the first glossy magazine with the President-elect on its cover.

The issue begins with a photo essay on Noynoy’s campaign — from photos of him in the hustings to photos of him receiving his first well-wishers — Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao and US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr., even before he was proclaimed. My favorite photo here was taken in the STAR’s editorial office — it shows Noynoy scooping up “dirty” ice cream for the employees of STAR who lined up to shake his hand — and partake of the ice cream he was dispensing with gusto.

We also have a compilation of entries on the “Dear Noynoy” Page on Facebook, which its founder Gang Badoy said was “like photographs of people’s thoughts the day after the polls. This is literally history written by many! History not subject to the bias of one historian.”

There are several articles on the articulate and quotable Noynoy. In one of the articles, “The Rising Son,” Noynoy is asked if he ever felt the burden of bearing the Aquino name because of the great expectations that came with it. He said: “It was and is not a burden because my parents were not wrong. When my father was assassinated, I decided I would not compete with his memory but the priority would be to achieve his dream.”

There is also a very revealing article on the “Women Behind Noynoy,” wherein his sisters describe their only brother the way only siblings can describe each other. Ballsy, Noynoy’s “Ate,” says her only brother is “willing to die for our country.” She adds that Noynoy is the most well-read of the Aquino siblings. Aside from his sisters, find out who are the other women behind Noynoy.

There are rare, never-before published photos of Noynoy in the article “Noynoy at 50.” The photos include those of him in Prep and Grade 1 at the Ateneo de Manila. For those who want a reference on the milestones in the President-elect’s life, there is a timeline of these important events, from the day he was born to the day he was elected President.

The issue includes a love story — that between the bachelor President and Valenzuela City Councilor Shalani Soledad, who says, “Noy is very cool as a boyfriend.”

And finally there is an article on Noynoy’s plans for the future and the promises he intends to keep.

“At the end of the day,” he is quoted in the article as saying, “the people can be assured I have no plans of lying, cheating and stealing.”

Find out more about the country’s 15th President in this special commemorative issue. Shalani Soledad, in a text message to this writer (as People Asia’s editor-in-chief), says the commemorative issue “is wonderfully made, looks like a labor of love.”

(For inquiries, call Jannette Velasco at 892-1854.)

‘Future First’

The incoming CEO of HSBC Philippines Tony Cripps said the other day he was looking forward to working in the Philippines, a “dynamic” country whose prospects for progress were rosy.

“The Philippines is a great country to be,” Cripps said during an intimate farewell lunch to outgoing HSBC CEO Mark Watkinson at the Tosca Restaurant of the Dusit Thani Manila in Makati City the other day. Watkinson will be leaving for Toronto, Canada for his next assignment as executive vice president of commercial banking and regional president for central and eastern Canada. Cripps, who has been with HSBC for 23 years now, flew in from Australia for the hello-and-farewell lunch.

For his part, Watkinson said he will be leaving “a part of my heart behind” when he leaves the Philippines. Aside from tending to the business side of the bank, Watkinson was especially involved with outreach programs for street children, whom he felt were the most defenseless victims of poverty.

During the lunch, Watkinson also announced that three Philippine NGOs had won $118,000 or P5.5 million in funding for projects to improve the lives of Filipino street children under HSBC’s global Future First Program.

An initiative of the HSBC Global Education trust, Future First is a $10 million, five-year initiative collaborating with SOS Children’s Villages — the world’s largest NGO for orphans — and with local charitable organizations in countries where HSBC has a presence, to provide education, health care, counseling and shelter to street children, children in care and orphans.

The program was first launched in the Philippines in June 2007, and since then four local NGOs, namely Childhope Asia Philippines, The Philippine Christian Foundation, HOPE Worldwide Philippines and SOS Children’s Villages Philippines, were each awarded with grants of some $25,000 each for three years.

Watkinson presented the latest batch of grants to SOS Children’s Villages Philippines Young Focus for Education and Development Foundation and SALINLAHI Alliance for Children’s Concerns. SOS will receive $70,876 while Young Focus will receive $22,222 for its community education and life skills project for children in Smokey Mountain. SALINLAHI will receive $25,000 for its kitchen school for street children.

Cripps vowed that HSBC’s commitment to help street children will continue during his watch. Future First gives HSBC a wonderful opportunity to make a significant and positive difference in the lives of Filipino street children.

(You may e-mail me at [email protected])