Many Filipinos assume that when one is born into a political family, one essentially has a career in public service looming on the horizon. However, for fashion designer Rajo Laurel, this was certainly not the case.

The grandson of President Jose P Laurel opted not to enter the political arena, stating in late 2018, “You do not need [to be in] politics to serve our country. You can help our people not just by being in politics, but by being in the private sector, [and] by doing good on your own.”

Indeed, Laurel has brought honour to the nation through designs that incorporate distinctly Filipino patterns and textile choices. He takes inspiration from the work of those who came before him, yet puts something that is uniquely his own into every garment in his collections. It can even be said that Laurel is no slouch when it comes to research, having cited the books Curated by Federico de Vera, Mark Higgins and Gino Gonzalez’s Fashionable Filipinas, and the seminal work Philippines: An Archipelago of Exchange as points of reference for Archipelago, the collection that marked his silver anniversary in the fashion industry.

Donnie and Crickette Tantoco have the sort of marriage that many others envy: a model and inspiration to those around them. Together, they have raised a family solidly grounded in traditional values and a strong shared ethic. As parents, they have raised their children to be fine and upstanding members of society who are making their own marks upon the world.

Individually, they are both stalwarts of the Philippine retail scene. As president of the Rustan Commercial Corporation, a position he has held since 1993, Donnie is a leader who believes in working alongside his people. Since taking the helm, he has utilised innovation, sound financial practice, discipline, and a strong moral centre to lead his company to success. Crickette, on the other hand, is a marketing maven who has turned global brands like Payless Shoe Source and Joe Fresh into longstanding favourites of local consumers.

With their own children beginning to spread their wings and leave the family nest, they continue to shine as a paragon of love and unity.

Decades after captivating the world as Miss Universe, Margie Moran-Floirendo is still making heads turn – this time in wonderment with the work she has been doing in support of local arts and culture.

Moran, who stepped into the role of chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Cultural Centre of the Philippines (CCP) last year, has been a staunch advocate of the artistic community for many years. As president of the Southern Philippines Foundation for Arts, Culture, and Ecology, she spearheaded various initiatives for promoting and preserving the customs and traditions of Mindanao’s diverse ethnic groups. To make the rest of the country – and the world – more aware of the plight of a region ravaged by religious and political conflict, she also played a part in the publication of the coffee table books Mindanao: A Portrait and Mindanao on the Mend.

Between 2009 and 2018, she served as president of Ballet Philippines. During her nine year term with the country’s foremost dance company, Moran passionately helped promote the art of Philippine dance and pushed for continued support for programmes that would mould a new generation of world-class dancers.

For Moran, art is more than just self-expression or using one’s innate talents to create things. “Art is in our everyday life," she said in an interview done just as she assumed her current position at the CCP. "You need to have an artistic mind to be able to do critical thinking, so art is really a thought pattern.”

Now the incumbent Representative of the 4th District of Leyte, Torres first came into public view in the ‘90s when she enchanted actor Richard Gomez in a long-running (and memorable) campaign for a popular shampoo brand. Interestingly, this led to a romantic courtship, and they have been happily married for the past two decades. 

Time and experience have only served to refine Torres’ beauty. Tall and slender, she projects the vitality of youth tempered by the grace brought by maturity and motherhood. As such, she continues to be a muse for several designers, though she counts the work of Randy Ortiz and the late Joe Salazar among her favourites.

But Torres’ beauty goes beyond her looks. As a congresswoman, she has spoken for the plight of women – particularly working mothers with infant children – by sponsoring an amendment to Republic Act 10028 (Expanded Breastfeeding Act of 2009.) Likewise, through a number of livelihood initiatives, she has helped uplift the lives of Leyteños who were severely affected by Typhoon Yolanda even in the years following the disaster – a truly beautiful act from a woman who is beautiful inside and out.