MANILA, Philippines - All roads lead to the Grand Plaza Ballroom of the Sofitel Philippine Plaza as PeopleAsia fetes its “Women of Style and Substance” 2014 in a special awards night. The awardees — all of whom were featured in the magazine’s August-September 2014 edition — were chosen for going beyond being beautiful, and breaking the glass ceiling through their achievements and advocacies.
In this year’s batch of awardees are three of the country’s most renowned female stars — Cream Silk brand ambassador, actress, TV host and singer Toni Gonzaga; Miss International 2013 Bea Rose Santiago; and award-winning actress and TV5 personality Alice Dixson.
Beauty queens also reign supreme on this year’s list, as Binibining Pilipinas-Universe 2014 Mary Jean Lastimosa, Binibining Pilipinas-International 2014 Bianca Guidotti and Binibining Pilipinas-Supranational Yvethe Marie Santiago ascend PeopleAsia’s stage.
Also receiving their awards are volleyball player Ateneo de Manila University’s top Lady Blue Eagle and UAAP Most Valuable Player for volleyball Alyssa Valdez; model cum philanthropist Jenny Rockett; Asian Carmakers Corp. (distributor of BMW in the Philippines) Maricar Parco; and internationally-acclaimed broadcast journalist and Peabody awardee Kara David.
Other awardees are Pinkerton ice cream founder Alexandra Rocha-Araneta, performer Iya Villania, Cebu-based designer Mia Arcenas, blogger Ingrid Chua-Go, jewelry designer Malou Romero and scientist Reina Reyes.
“Women of Style and Substance” 2014 also marks the first major event at Sofitel Philippine Plaza’s newly renovated Grand Plaza Ballroom. Reminiscent of 19th-century architecture and design, the renovated ballroom boasts palatial-style floor-to-ceiling veneer doors, handles akin to pieces of steel sculpture and classic French scrolls, as well as an architrave of 30 pillars and towering murals.
A grand 180-degree winding steel staircase, which will serve as the pièce de résistance of the new ballroom, will also be revealed during the ballroom’s official launch on Oct. 8.
To add a more feminine touch, the venue will also be dressed in green hedges and flowers to evoke an elegant garden setting. A matching De-light cuisine will also be served, in order to provide guests with a healthy yet sumptuous feast. Featuring an array of anti-aging super foods, calorie-sparse and nutrient-dense, they pack a lot of punch for their weight as far as goodness goes.
To be hosted by Markki Stroem (who will also render a musical number for the guests), the event will also showcase a scintillating Flamenco number from the Quinto Flamenco group.
PeopleAsia’s “Women of Style and Substance” event is brought to you by The Sofitel Philippine Plaza, Cream Silk, Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., Hartmann, Charriol, ViseVersa, Jewelmer, Laura Mercier, Nars, Dessange, Phyto, Zen Zest, Crossover and The Philippine STAR.