PeopleAsia’s ‘Men Who Matter’ 2024 Awards Night: A storm of hope
Not even their heels, ternos and formal suits and barongs could slow down guests and awardees alike at the recent PeopleAsia “Men Who Matter” Awards Night, as they heeded the magazine’s call to raise funds for victims of super typhoon Carina, mere hours after it left the Philippine area of responsibility.
Leading this noble effort was PeopleAsia publisher (on leave) Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez who donated $1,000 at the start of the program to PeopleAsia’s chosen charity, The Philippine STAR’s Operation Damayan.
“Tonight will be a great celebration, but at the same time it’s a sad situation, what with all the floods that have taken place in Metro Manila. And so I have asked our editor-in-chief Joanne Ramirez to see if we can start a fundraiser in our event tonight,” he told members of the audience at the Manila Marriott Hotel in Newport City.
On that note, PeopleAsia’s “Men Who Matter” 2024 awardees immediately sprang into action. Legacy Awardee Gary Valenciano, PAGCOR chairman Al Tengco, Secretary Frederick Go, Rep. Toff De Venecia, Potato Corner’s Joey Alvero, Conrad Manila’s Fabio Berto, The Bellevue Manila’s Patrick Chan, Citi’s Paul Favila, talent manager Jojie Dingcong, Opulence Design’s Gerry Sy and chef Sau del Rosario took the stage, not just to receive their awards, but also to offer words of encouragement and make pledges for the victims of the typhoon.
Aside from performing some of his hits alongside Stevie Wonder songs, “Men Who Matter” Legacy Awardee Gary Valenciano also sang Make Us Whole Again, to inspire those who are going through hard times.
“Passing Marcos Highway and seeing the roads closed because the mud level had gone beyond the average person’s height is heartbreaking. That is why I stand with Operation Damayan. If there is any way I can help to reach even more people, let me know. I’d love to be there,” said Mr. Pure Energy.
The event’s well-heeled guests also took part in the fundraising, as they started making donations immediately after the show. Among them is Sta. Elena Construction Corp. president and CEO Alice Eduardo, who donated 200 sacks of rice to Damayan.
In addition to P328,000 in initial donations including a pledge for $1,000 from Romualdez, Special Assistant to the President Frederick Go, one of the night’s awardees, gave P300,000 to the fundraiser. The following donors also sent in donations through the event: Cristina Cuevas, P50,000; The De Venecia family, P50,000; Vesticom chairman and CEO Ramon J.A. Cruz, P25,000.00; Potato Corner COO Joey Alvero, P20,000; Renato V. Puno, P10,000; Susan Joven, P10,000; Connie Haw, P10,000; Joy and Joel Rustia, P10,000; Linda Ley, P10,000; and an anonymous donation of P1,000.
With the amount raised, Operation Damayan is set to provide relief to residents of hard-hit Barangay Silangan in Quezon City. Low-lying areas of the barangay are prone to flooding due to its proximity to the Marikina River. As of press time, a number of families from the area remained situated in evacuation centers due to heavy damage to their dwellings.
Ensconced within the spectacular Modern Filipino décor of Randy Lazaro, guests at PeopleAsia’s “Men Who Matter” 2024 Awards Night also enjoyed an energetic opening number by no less than “Concert Queen” Pops Fernandez and The G-Force Dancers. The Manila Marriott Hotel in Newport City later treated guests to a sumptuous Filipino-inspired feast and free-flowing wines.
PeopleAsia’s “Men Who Matter” 2024 was brought to you by Manila Marriott Hotel, United Coconut Planters Life Assurance Corp. (COCOLIFE), Store Specialists Inc., BOSS, X10 Technologies, Ideal Vision Center, Police Lifestyle, Shell Pilipinas Corp., Wilcon Depot, DongFeng Motor Philippines, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA), Robinsons Land Corp., Metro Pacific Investments Corp., SM Supermalls, Belo Medical Group, Singapore Airlines, Fundador Brandy, JC Premier, Randy Lazaro Events and Lifestyle, FuTech Innovations and The Philippine STAR.
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