The only ‘Men Who Matter’ that matters

Often imitated but never equaled, PeopleAsia’s “Men Who Matter” awards select men who exemplify what it means to “man up” — as they roll up their sleeves and take part in the action, onscreen or off, day in, day out.

Leading the roster for 2023 are  Local Government and Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos and “King of Primetime” Coco Martin, who each command attention on the magazine’s two solo flip covers.

What makes them stand out from the crowd is the way they think and confront challenges.

“When you’re solving a problem, always think out of the box. Get out of the box and look at it — what happened before, what are the gaps and what should be done?” says Abalos, who, as DILG chief, is in charge of facing head-on the war on drugs, ensuring disaster preparedness, curbing corruption and maintaining peace and order in a country composed of 117 million people living in 81 provinces and 33 highly urbanized areas.

For his part, Coco, who cemented his status as one of the country’s superstars with the phenomenal success of his hit TV series, including the top-rated FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano, which ran for seven years, producing a record 1,696 episodes, subscribes to consistency and constancy to keep and win over more fans. “I’m not saying that we shouldn’t endeavor to improve ourselves, but there are also certain aspects of who we are that make us unique, which are better left alone,” he says.

Then there’s Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Romando Artes, who believes in moral ascendancy when it comes to doing his job. “What moral authority would we have to enforce discipline among citizens if we ourselves, from the top management down, are not disciplined? Instilling discipline is really one of my priorities,” he shares.

Josh Boutwood, corporate chef of the Bistro Group, is in charge of menu development, costing and marketing of 137 restaurants, including such iconic names as TGIFriday’s, Italianni’s, Olive Garden and Denny’s, among others. “Everything in my restaurants is catered around guests with the objective of creating memories for them to remember for years,” he says.

Trust comes when you deliver on your promises in the best way you can. Greg Camacho, director for deliveries of Grab Philippines, which includes GrabFood, GrabMart and GrabKitchen, makes delivery his business and his mission statement. “Whenever there are consumers and there are restaurants to serve, we want to be there helping them out.” he says.

Priest, preacher, pilgrim, person — Fr. David “Dave” Concepcion is a rock star of sorts in priestly robes. “God will not spare you from the storms of life. Maybe God is teaching you something. Just like muscles are formed by carrying weights, spiritual muscles are formed by the weight of trials,” says the chaplain of the Sto. Niño de Paz Chapel in Greenbelt.

There’s also “serial entrepreneur” Fred Hui, CEO of NexGen Asia and several other businesses. He advises aspiring entrepreneurs to “invest in yourself early on. Put the time and effort to learn and improve…so that you’ll be someone people would like to do business with.”

For artist Leeroy New, whose huge, jaw-dropping, but ephemeral installation art pieces have gone global, taking up space in such places as Nevada to Austria, Quezon City to Toronto, “art is not about permanence. The idea of permanence has something to do with accruing value for collectors. Perhaps, the idea of preserving art is more connected with collectors, the economics of art.”

Dr. Jose “Brix” Pujalte Jr., medical center chief of the Philippine Orthopedic Center, puts into context the importance and difficulty behind his work as the country’s foremost bone surgeon. “Surgery is a cerebral and manual skill,” he says. “You have to train your brain, but your hands have to (do) work. And for your hands to get better, you have to operate on as many cases as you can.”

Lawyer and former presidential spokesman Michael Toledo, director of government public affairs of the Metro Pacific Investments Corp., head of the MVP Group media bureau and chief operating officer of Silangan Mining Company Inc., offers this unsolicited advice to those thinking of blazing their own trails in reputation management: “You may win in the court of law, but you can still lose in the court of public opinion.”

Sandeep Uppal, HSBC Philippines’ president and CEO, brings with him the entire length and breadth of his global experience as part of HSBC, with professional stints in Hong Kong, India, Mauritius, the United Kingdom and, now, the Philippines. “I believe the key to corporate success is developing the right strategy, creating an appropriate organization structure, and then fulfilling that with talented staff,” he shares.

Actor-turned-politician Alfred Vargas, councilor of Quezon City’s fifth district, is a three-term congressman who has either supported or authored and passed 93 laws and 1,200 measures that benefit, among others, cancer patients, PWDs and the riding public. “Politics is 10 times more stressful than showbiz, but 10 times more fulfilling,” he says. “Showbiz will always be my first love, but public service is my true love.”

Last but not the least, there’s Chris Yu, Volvo Philippines’ executive marketing director, who holds the torch as a fourth-generation businessman in the Filipino-owned vehicle automotive importer and distributor. “Keeping the legacy alive is certainly one of our motivations to keep working,” he says, confident in the fact that the quality of the vehicles they carry speak for themselves.

Indeed, we celebrate these extraordinary gentlemen not just because they’re male, but because they embody the best qualities of humanity that matter to all, including women, children and the LGBT community. *