PeopleAsia’s ‘Women of Style & Substance’ 2015: Having ‘It’ All

MANILA, Philippines - We were all born equal. That means all of us have the makings to be on top — male and female, we all have dreams of a good life. But somewhere down the line, it becomes a “man’s world” complete with “glass ceilings.”

But not for these women.

In PeopleAsia magazine’s 10th “Women of Style & Substance” issue, the glossy trains the spotlight on women who have “it.”

For the first time, PeopleAsia features a nun on the list: Roman Catholic nun Sister Marivic Sta. Ana, whose “it factor” is her calling. The executive director of the Laura Vicuña Foundation, which takes care of sexually abused children from ages seven to 18, Sister Marivic narrates how she traded in her life as an heiress in Bacolod, to becoming an icon of hope for child victims of sexual molestation.

“We take care of street children, most of whom are sexually abused or are exploited for labor, and help guide them to blossom into women who can fully function in society,” Sister Marivic, a Salesian, proudly says.

Joining Sister Marivic this year are the multi-talented “It” Girls: Isabelle Daza, Solenn Heussaff and Liz Uy.

Aside from their beauty, this issue’s cover girls also impress with stories of their personal successes. Isabelle, an athlete and daughter of beauty queen Gloria Diaz, talks about life away from showbiz, one filled with triathlons, baking mind-blowing brownies and traveling around the globe; while Solenn, who co-authored Besties, shares her passion for painting and her foray into indie films, as well as her thoughts on style and womanhood. Meanwhile, Liz opens up about her ascend to the pinnacle, from being a former editorial assistant to finally emerging as one of the country’s most successful celebrity stylists and author of Stylized, among other things.

Joining the ‘It’ Girls are three alpha females from business: “Woman of Steel” and construction magnate Alice Eduardo, whose Sta. Elena Construction and Development Corp. virtually built all the foundations along the Entertainment City. Alice is also “firing up the country” by building power plants with foreign partners in strategic areas; Gina Lorenzana, who strives to inspire a generation of world-class Filipinas as Unilever Philippines’ VP for personal care; and Crickette Tantoco, who is known for leading popular lifestyle brand, Payless.

Three newsroom mavens also make it to this year’s list: ABS-CBN’s Marie Lozano, who breaks the myth on TV reporting’s glamour with her witty stories on guts and gore; and Bloomberg TV Philippines anchors Jean de Castro, and Shawn Yao, both of whom lend their beauty and talent to the local version of one of the world’s top business channels.

Other “Women of Style & Substance” awardees include top lawyer and DIWA party-list Rep. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar who, at seven months pregnant, talks about fighting or the plight of laborers; accessories designer Carissa Cruz-Evangelista who talks about her globally renowned brand Beatriz; and photographer Shaira Luna who spills the beans on her transformation from child genius to a bold and beautiful artist.

Rounding up the list are magazine editor and socialite Mia Borromeo, who talks about her active role for the Child Protection Network Foundation; and philanthropist Linda Ley, who cares for underprivileged children through Angels for Street Kids.

PeopleAsia believes that “nothing is impossible for the woman who believes she can.” As awardee Gina Lorenzana says, “Within my sphere of influence, I’m very, very happy that the women who’ve worked for me have always said, ‘I never had to give up anything’ because they can have it all. I take real pride in that. If I create a whole new generation who can succeed and do things for themselves, and at the same time, be there for the people that they love, that’s great!”