2025 in Review: All of Esquire Philippines' Covers

As 2025 comes to a close, we look back at the remarkable individuals who not only graced Esquire Philippines' covers in the past 12 months but were also generous in sharing words to live by. From courageous writers and passionate artists to rising stars and industry disruptors, this year's roster highlights the talent and vision shaping our society today. And, as in every year, we presented our Man at His Best honorees, a total of eight personalities who have made a profound impact on the Filipino's way of life.

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Excerpt from the story, "Ruru Rising: 'Malayo Pa, Pero Malayo Na'," by Allan Carreon:

It’s a rather hot and humid afternoon. An offer to ride an ATV up the dusty hill was politely declined even if the hike would be a few hundred meters. As we trek up the rough trail to get to our shooting location, there are no complaints heard. In fact, just behind me, I even hear him make jokes. “Sa araw po na ito, pupuntahan po natin ang ilang endangered species,” he quips in a documentary-style voice-over.

But such humor and positivity in the middle of a rough road is quite reflective of the life journey so far of award-winning actor Jose Ezekiel "Ruru" Madrid.

“Minsan, kailangan mong dumaan talaga sa ganoong klaseng hirap para mas masarap ang tagumpay,” he says later in the evening when we sat down for a chat.

Excerpt from the story, "Manuel Ocampo and the Carnival of Monsters," by Bryle B. Suralta:

If there was anyone in the art world who understands the con, it's Manuel Ocampo. The artist has yet to fold to the weight of the scene's empty theatrics and sanitized expectations. He’s one of contemporary art’s last true rebels—disconnected from the polite white walls of museums or the transaction-heavy gloss of blue-chip galleries. He belongs to the margins, where the sacred and the profane converge. Subversion is a permanent state of mind.

Ocampo paints like how Georges Bataille (referencing in the monograph Fear of a Kitsch Existence (2017)) writes: raw, grotesque, and defiantly unholy. The provocateur paints like a man possessed, a child vandalizing the walls of burning cathedrals. His body of work is a punchline delivered with a shiv, a carnival of contradiction where saints and swastikas, vomit and virtuosity, all merge into a single writhing organism.

Excerpt from the story, "Daniel Padilla is Entering a New Era: 'I'm Very Happy. I'm Very at Peace'," by Maan D'Asis Pamaran:

With a career that spans 16 years, audiences practically watched Daniel Padilla grow from starry-eyed adolescent into a full-grown man. Today the former teen idol says he has found a renewed love for acting, following the path of his father Rommel and uncles Robin and Royette, as a full-fledged action star via his role as renegade former military officer Andres Malvar in the ABS-CBN teleserye Incognito.

“I enjoy the action. This is my first time in full-length action. Ang sarap ng experience,” he tells Esquire Philippines. Padilla describes his character Andres as “very active, very intense, very focused.” He enjoys doing the action scenes, choreographed by director Lester Pimentel Ong.

Excerpt from the story, "Jacob Ang Takes the Wheel," by Alvin Uy and Paul John Caña:

Jacob Ang isn’t quite a household name yet, but within automotive circles in the Philippines, he’s a pretty big deal. As one of the heirs to the vast San Miguel Corporation empire led by his father Ramon Ang, Jacob, or Jake to his family and close friends, has taken on a role helping oversee the operations of the conglomerate’s automotive unit. Besides being a Special Assistant to the chairman of SMC, Ang is currently a director and the Chief Planning Officer of Velocita Motors Inc (VMI), the SMC unit that is the official Ferrari importer, dealer, and distributor in the Philippines. He is also actively involved with BMW Philippines through SMC Asia Car Distributors Corp. (SMCACDC), the importer, distributor, and service provider of BMW automobiles in the country. That means Ang is busy handling both Ferrari and BMW, two of the world’s most recognizable automotive brands.

It might be easy to dismiss Jake Ang’s new role as a natural consequence of him having the correct last name, but, if anything, the connection only adds more pressure for him to do his job well. While he acknowledges the major role his father played in influencing his own passion for automobiles, he’s actually cultivated an interest in cars and racing since he was in his teens. In fact, he competed professionally in karting and won a few races locally and abroad.

Excerpt from the story, "‘We Need Heroes, But We Also Need the Truth’: A Conversation With Lav Diaz," by Zach Yonzon:

Sixty-six-year old filmmaker Lavrente Indico Diaz has made some of the most critically acclaimed films in Philippine cinema. From the sprawling, 10-and-a-half hour generational epic Evolution of a Filipino Family to the five-hour crime drama Batang West Side, Diaz tells the stories he wants to tell in the way he wants to tell them.

His mastery of slow cinema has earned for him a notable collection of little golden animals: a Golden Leopard from the Locarno Film Festival in 2014; a Golden Bear from the 66th and 68th Berlin International Film Festivals; and a Golden Lion from the 73rd Venice International Film Festival. The self-proclaimed chronicler who has delivered long, languid glimpses into the Philippine experience goes back 500 years in his latest project to look at Magellan, the man, Lapu-Lapu, the myth, and how their story became the legend we know today.

Excerpt from the story, "Jericho Rosales: 'The Most Reliable, Efficient, Dependable Actors are the Ones Who Know Themselves'":

When Jericho Rosales got the phone call from director Jerrold Tarog offering him the part of Manuel Quezon, it couldn’t have come at a more fortuitous time. The prolific actor, producer, musician, and businessman—always in demand in the entertainment business as much for his authentic and committed performances as for his matinee idol good looks—had recently made the conscious decision to focus on making quality films.

While his plate was never empty, with constant projects running the gamut from soaps, TV commercials, events and online engagements, and other business opportunities, he was looking to do more work for and on the big screen. After all, it’s been years since his last couple of movies; The Girl in the Orange Dress in 2018, and the surfing film Siargao the year before. He began compiling a list of writers, producers, directors he wanted to work with and prayed to God that the right project would come along.

Excerpt from the story, "Sen. Bam Aquino: 'Marami Tayo. Dumadami Pa Tayo. We Shouldn't Feel Powerless'," by Gerry Cacanindin:

If Bam Aquino existed in a parallel timeline, he would have been a different kind of household name, though the summa cum laude in BS Management Engineering would still be part of his resumé. Because brilliance like his is bound to manifest in any universe.

But instead of the Senate floor, maybe you’d find him behind a podcast mic, turning deep dives into binge-worthy entertainment. Or building ventures that made him one of the country’s most admired social entrepreneurs. In this version of the story, politics would have been too messy, too constraining.

After all, he’d be the type to thrive anywhere else—from boardrooms to classrooms, to grassroots communities. Had history tilted even slightly, he could’ve been in Silicon Valley leading a startup, or somewhere in Asia, running an NGO that reshapes lives.

You could even imagine him winning a Ramon Magsaysay Award. It’s not that far-fetched. After all, we’re talking about Bam Aquino.

Excerpt from the story, "IV of Spades: 'Minsan Gusto Namin Mapag-Isa. Pero Okay Din Pala Yung May Mga Kasama'":

What happens when old and new generation Filipino rock savants sit across from each other and talk shop? You get an intriguing stream-of-consciousness conversation about creating a legacy as an artist, the definition of discipline, and what constitutes a true musician.

When we asked newly reunited four-piece pop-rock sensation IV of Spades who they’d like to interview them, they had a common answer: Philippine rock icon Mike Hanopol.

Hanopol is, of course, a living legend. One of the pioneers of the local music scene through his solo work, with seminal group Juan Dela Cruz band, and with Hagibis, he is a highly skilled musician with mastery over bass and guitar (with his signature Steinberger). Told of the request, he willingly obliged and made the trip to Intramuros to meet the boys.

While decades separate Hanopol and IV of Spades, the young and mega-talented foursome are in no way green in the industry. After their debut album that was a critical and commercial hit, the band became household names and certified hitmakers. Later on they went their separate ways to find their own sound.

Excerpt from the story, "Dennis Anthony Uy: ‘Digital Connectivity Today is a Basic Human Right’":

When Dennis Anthony Uy talks about technology, his eyes light up with the same energy he must have had as an 11-year-old boy tinkering with broken refrigerators in his uncle’s supermarket. “At that young age,” he recalls, “I discovered my passion and interest in technology. I remember thinking, ‘One of these days, I want to be like all these skilled technical people.’ That’s where my passion for technology began.”

That spark—ignited in a dusty backroom filled with motors and wiring—would, decades later, lead to one of the Philippines’ most transformative companies: Converge ICT.

Today, Uy is one of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs—a self-made technologist whose foresight and grit have reshaped Philippine internet connectivity. In 2020, the initial public offering of Converge ICT became one of the most successful in Philippine history, raising nearly P30 billion and catapulting Uy and his wife, Maria Grace Uy, into the ranks of dollar billionaires. Yet, he remains rooted in the same hands-on, engineering-driven mindset that powered his journey from China and then to Pampanga and eventually into the boardrooms of global investors.

Uy’s story is one of relentless curiosity and transformation. From the early days of repairing Betamax players and arcade machines to experimenting with dial-up connections and cable TV, he’s always had a knack for spotting the next wave before it crests.

Actor Mon Confiado in conversation with Quezon co-star Jericho Rosales:

JR: I used to hate so many things about my job because hindi ko pinagbibigyan yung sarili ko. Lahat ng ine-expect ko na mangyari sa sarili ko, inaasa ko sa soap opera. Kasi yun ang mundo ko e. Pag matinee idol ka, kasama ka sa isang love team, ‘yun na lang ang ginagawa mo paulit-ulit. Love stories There's nothing wrong with that. But there's also the stage. There’re commercials. There's also film, which I love so much. So ‘yung film dreams ko, binubuhos ko sa isang area ng industry natin. So nagkakaroon ako ng sobrang daming frustrations. Bakit ganito? Bakit ganyan?

Fast forward… I spent 40 years getting to know myself and up to now, I'm still getting to know myself. But I'm enjoying the process. Now I’ve accepted it. I understand na soap opera is soap opera. Stage is stage. Ads are ads. Series are series. And films are films. Magkakaibang media yan. So nung pinagbigyan ko ang sarili ko, I’m going to do film, sumaya na ako.

Film critic Zach Yonzon in conversation with filmmaker Lav Diaz:

ZY: How do you weigh the importance of telling the truth against creating a piece of art that’s very niche and has limited reach. How do you spread the truth to as many people as possible?

LD: Yeah, problematic yung discourse na yan in terms of ... if you consider cinema as art, then you don't really think about the audience. You work hard on aesthetics, on being honest with it. So ang diskurso ng cinema ko, I don't want to rush on the issue of education kasi you don't need an easy fix eh. We cannot educate our people that way. Kung labinlimang pelikula every year or 25 na pelikula, it's all commercial. Yes, kumikita nga sila. They're being experienced. Pero nae-educate ba sila? It's all facade. It's all entertainment. Yes, we need entertainment, pero mas deep, mas deeper kasi yung role ng art sa akin, eh. Part of it is education and part of it is also transcendence. We have to see life. We have to understand the human condition more. Importante yun. We don't rush that, especially given the situation now with the information highway, the internet, everything. Mas gumawa tayo ng…I don't want to say mabagal, pero solid yung foundation where people can go back and understand life more. Mas importante sa akin yun.

Political commentator Gerry Cacanindin in conversation with Sen. Bam Aquino:

GC: Going into 2028, in your opinion, what are the most important qualities that the next leader of the Philippines should possess?

BA: Napakarami. I guess we have to learn from everyone na dumaan. I'll go back to the Jesse Robredo 'MM'—matino at mahusay. I think 'yung pagiging matino, noong time ni PNoy, 'yun 'yung kanyang plataporma. And then for some reason naging negative siya. Parang, "Oh, masyadong nagmamalinis” or “Kayo na lang 'yung tama," mga ganun. But, 'yung basic na hindi ka magnanakaw, 'yung basic na hindi ka magpapayaman ng mga kaibigan, 'yung pera ng bayan mapupunta sa tama. Kasi Gerry, ang raming pera ng Pilipinas.

We have a P6.7 trillion budget. We have a P350 billion budget in 2025 for flood control. This year. it's P243 billion pesos. Ang raming pera ang pinag-uusapan natin, nakakalula siya. Kung 'yung perang 'yan napupunta sa tama, ang raming Pilipinong matutulungan. Ito mga issues natin sa kalusugan, sa edukasyon, marami diyan mabibigyan ng tamang pansin if the right funding actually gets to the right programs. So 'yung pagiging matino, sobrang mahalaga 'yan. Di siya pwedeng mawala.

'Yung pangalawang M, mahusay. Hindi pwedeng matino ka lang e. Kailangan effective ka, kailangan may performance ka. And this is what I keep telling our allies and friends, especially coming from the 2025 elections. Kailangan may performance tayo. Hindi ka lang iboboto dahil magkakulay tayo o dahil you took a stand on certain issues. Kailangan talaga maipakita mo na kaya mong baguhin 'yung buhay ng mga kababayan natin. May plano ka, may track record ka, may plano kang nagawa mo na talaga at kaya mo pang gawin.

Matino at mahusay pa rin ang hinahanap natin. Throughout our history, I guess varying degrees. Hopefully, the next president, who will have so many challenges—napakaraming challenge na haharapin ng susunod na presidente, can exhibit both. Hopefully, we find the right person.

Former Juan de la Cruz Band bass guitarist Mike Hanopol in conversation with rock band IV of Spades:

MH: How do you personally define what it means to be a musician? How do you define that? And with that definition, would you say you truly see yourself as a musician?

Zild: Ang musician ay isang taong gumagawa ng music at mahilig, mahal yung music. And para sakin, nakikita ko yung sarili kong musician. Kasi kahit sa free time ko, ang naiisip ko gumawa ng music. Kahit pag gising ko, gusto ko gumawa ng music. Pag malungkot ako, gusto ko gumawa ng music. Pag masaya ako, gusto ko gumawa ng music. Nakikita ko yung music as a coping thing bilang isang tao. Kaya, kino-consider ko siguro siguro naman, musician talaga ko.

Badjao: Mako-konsider ko yung sarili ko ng musikero dahil yung lumaki rin ako sa mga pamilya musikero. Tapos, nakikita ko yung ginagawa nila, kunyari yung bring your parents to school. Yung isa banker, yung tatay ko, musikero. Sabi ko, 'Ay, wala, mas astig tatay ko.' So, sabi ko, gusto ko maging musikero kasi nakikita ko na masaya sila sa bahay, kumakanta lang. That's it.

Blaster: Siguro para sa akin, ang isang musician, yung taong na yung innate na may pangalawa kang lingwahe outside sa mother tongue. Yung music, para sa akin, pag sinabing musician, parang parte siya ng buhay mo. Para syang pagsasalita.

Unique: Para sa akin, yung pagiging musikero, ang nakikita ko, tool tayo para ma-express yung mga emotions. Mga feelings na hindi na-express kadalasan ng mga tao.

Startup founder and artificial intelligence expert Carlo Almendral in conversation with Converge ICT CEO Dennis Anthony Uy:

CA: If you look back, if you could meet your 11-year-old self who just moved here, didn’t speak any Philippine languages yet—what would you have told him that might have helped his future?

DU: Whether or not you face hardship, you have to push yourself to take action. Consistency is key. Follow your passion and stay committed to it. Always keep your promises—your track record and character matter. How you treat people and approach others is important, too.

If you put all these together, I believe anyone can succeed, not just me. Be yourself, stay focused, and recognize that opportunities are always there, but you need the right timing. You must transform, embrace new things, and keep learning as you go.

Actor-restaurateur Marvin Agustin in conversation with Chef Jorge Mendez:

MA: A lot of chefs are inspired by how you work. Ang dami mong recognitions, awards. What advice can you tell those who want to get into the profession?

JM: My advice is, number one, be a sponge. Absorb everything that you can and ask the right questions when you need to. Cherish the moments you're working because later on, it will be a story. So at least you will have a story to tell everyone, especially to your future team. There will come a time when your instinct, your skills will tell you that you're ready to have your own space or restaurant. Trust that everything has its right timing. Huwag nating pilitin. Kung bata ka pa o kulang pa ang experience, ‘wag muna. Kasi darating din ang time na ikaw mismo ang magsasabing, ‘Kinakabahan lang ako, pero kaya ko na.’ Build your foundation first, learn a lot of things. Marami ka pang matututunan, at darating ang panahon na lahat ‘yan magsasama-sama sa isang toolbox—at doon mo na sila magagamit nang buo at maayos.

Broadcast journalist and documentarian Atom Araullo in conversation with Rappler co-founder Glenda Gloria:

AA: Should journalists take a stand on issues?

GG: Journalists should take a stand on issues. To me personally, journalism is activism. On all issues, no. Human rights, addressing the climate crisis, gender equality, transparency in governance. It's taking the side of humanity.

AA: But where do you draw the line?

GG: When I say journalists should take a stand, it's really on the focus of the story. Does that mean that you go to the rallies? No. Does that mean that you issue a statement? No. It only means that a newsroom's focus is to expose human rights violations, but do it in a way that only journalism can do.

Sarge Lacuesta in conversation with fellow writer Butch Dalisay:

SL: You're one of the few writers who grew into their confidence early on. You would do the material you wanted to do.

BD: I'm not even sure what confidence means in that sense. I mean, if you're talking about today's environment where young writers, I suppose, have to struggle for recognition or, you know, to break out of the pack—

SL: Basically, struggle to be heard or be seen.

BD: —To be heard and to be seen. We wanted to be recognized, but there were the Palancas, and then you would get published in Focus Magazine, which was almost the only thing happening in those days. I don't think recognition was such a big thing then as just getting it done and then surviving. There wasn't any money in it to begin with.

There was no such thing as being published internationally. What I'm saying is, we just wrote to make ourselves happy and hoping that in some future these would get published, and would be read and appreciated, and maybe that's happened since. But in those days without social media, where were you going to brag? So our fulfillment was in finishing the story and maybe getting it out there in the few venues open to us, and maybe winning a Palanca, and we were happy with that.

Excerpt from the story, "James Cameron: 'I can't predict the future, but I do know that we've got a good film'," by Esquire US:

Our journey into the Cameronverse begins at Lightstorm Entertainment in Manhattan Beach, the independent production company founded by Canadian director, technologist, and explorer James Cameron in 1990. Inside, it resembles a museum more than a traditional film studio. To reach Cameron’s office, you first walk through a hangar filled with an extensive collection of movie props. Here, life-size statues of Jake and Neytiri, the blue protagonists of the Avatar saga, stand alongside the steel skeleton of the Terminator, a replica of the infamous Queen from Aliens, and two models of the Titanic—representing both the massive structure used for underwater shots and the wreck featured in the documentary.

This impressive display perfectly sets the stage for a meeting with the visionary filmmaker behind legendary works like The Terminator and Aliens. Cameron has earned the title of box office king, with his movies—including Titanic and the two Avatar films (so far)—grossing $7.5 billion worldwide. A relentless storyteller, his passion for the ocean began with The Abyss, much of which was shot underwater in a 7.5 million-gallon tank at a decommissioned nuclear facility, continued with Titanic, which won 11 Oscars, and is now culminating in the highly anticipated third instalment of his Avatar series: Fire and Ash, set to hit theaters on December 17th.

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