Another year down. Esquire Philippines looks back on its 2023 cover stars. It was our pleasure to sit down with some extraordinary people, from titans and stars, both old and new, to all the other mavericks in between.

January: Dolly de Leon

Dolly de Leon Is the Captain Now

"I think a lot us feel like we’re underdogs, in the losing end of it. We want to have that hope that we can rise above that and end up as winners."

Excerpt from the story by Bryle B. Suralta

De Leon is in cruise control at the moment. As she stirs the ship onwards elsewhere, she is again reminded of the great dramedy that is life. "Nabo-bore ako kapag pare-pareho lang ginagawa ko," she quips. Maybe that's just who she is. It says a lot about where she's going, as well. She's lived the life of a seafarer, after all. And the waves, we all know, never die. "Wala naman akong permanent residence. Palipat-lipat lang ako kung saan man masarap mag-create."

February-March: Lewis Tan

Lewis Tan: 'Movies Are a Great Way to Challenge Peoples' Ignorance'

"When you watch a film, you don’t have to live in that country or live in that person’s life for a long time... And you get to see a story that can change your perspective about another person, another culture. I think movies are extremely powerful, art form wise.”

Excerpt from the story by Jill Tan Radovan

“It’s a struggle for actors of color,” he says. “I think it’s a struggle for us and we’re continuing to progress the conversation but I still feel like it needs more attention and accolades, not just my projects, but all of them.”

April-May: Dennis Trillo

Dennis Trillo: 'It's an Important Thing to Fight For What Is Right'

“I didn't have a solid dream. I was too happy-go-lucky when I was young. But I knew that something would happen in my life. I just didn't know what it was."

Excerpt from the story by Mario Alvaro Limos

And it’s something that radiates out of him. He notices the small things, the small gestures, and the sacrifices of the people around him. Despite a loaded day, Trillo thanked all the people he met during the shoot. There was no ounce of entitlement about him. I sensed exhaustion, but he still followed the instructions of the shoot’s producer and photographer.

June: Piolo Pascual

The Great Piolonaissance Is Upon Us

"If you're just going to make me feel or look dumb, then you're just wasting my time."

Excerpt from the story by Bryle B. Suralta

Think back to the first time you ever heard about the name Piolo Pascual. This was right before the fascination of his stardom became a national pastime. Before people were arguing for him as the Philippines' closest thing to a Brad Pitt. There was a time when we simply knew him as just a gorgeous man. And he was. He still is. Papa P makes sense on a visceral level as a celebrity because he was a bona fide pretty boy who felt distinctly Filipino somehow. There was a crisp, golden, brown everyday-man sexiness to the guy you just couldn't ignore. 

July: The Art Issue

Quiccs Doesn't Give a Damn About Your Rules

"Art history dictates that it's the game changers who kind of become remembered the most. The rule breakers are the ones who stick out like a sore thumb."

Excerpt from the story by Bryle B. Suralta

Quiccs remembers a time when the art toy scene was in its infancy at the turn of the 21st century. He had already been fixated on the potential of the movement in the early 2000s. It was at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong (what used to be the epicenter of the contemporary Filipino art scene) that he first caught a glimpse of Michael Lau’s figures. "Since seeing them in American Boulevard, I've always dreamt of creating my own versions someday," the three-time Designer Toy Awards Artist of the Year says.

Isabel Santos Is Caught Up in the Afterglow

"Sometimes, deconstructing an image, nakaka-satisfy siya, e. Nililito mo 'yung eyes mo kasi sanay ka with this or that. You add another element and then it becomes, for me, more interesting."

Excerpt from the story by Bryle B. Suralta

Santos says she's always had a keen fascination with the '40s and '50s, particularly the music and movies in the West at the time. We think of these decades as sort of lost years, a period of war and disarray for most of the globe. But it was nevertheless a period that built the foundations of the modern world and contemporary art. This was around the same time as the Golden Age of Hollywood, one of the great epochs in American cinema, as well as the Mad Men generation of (at times, sleazy) outdated ads. Line, color, bold patterns, and composition were used to dictate moods. From these came the emergence of a certain mid-century aesthetic entirely its own. 

A Portrait of Ronald Ventura As a Global Phenomenon

"Nandoon 'yung secret talaga ng art: sa play. Doon pala ang naging start."

Excerpt from the story by Bryle B. Suralta

The mastery of Ventura's work lies in his sense of rhythms or in the lack thereof—how it fluctuates, how it's exploited. He pushes or slows down the tempo as he goes, breaking from the convention and monotony of routines. "Most of the time, I just set everything up to make things flow. 'Yung flow na parang wala ka doon sa system. Medyo complicated na 'yung mga bagay 'pag masyado mo sinunod yung sarili mo." Every part of his process, he says, needs to feel natural, with a cadence entirely its own. The more natural it is, the more he can look at himself and his motivations to dig a little deeper. Hence, a beautifully twisted way to produce great art.

ALSO READ:

The Great Piolonaissance Is Upon Us

Dolly de Leon Is the Captain Now

August: Eric Nam

Eric Nam on Being a Korean-American Superstar: 'It's Important to Have a Sense of Self, What You Stand For and What You Believe In'

"I'm always looking out for interesting thoughts or phrases, or something interesting that people are saying in culture or in everyday life. And that to me becomes like a tagline. Like, this is a theme, or this is the main lyric that we want to build upon."

Excerpt from the story by Jill Tan Radovan

"Singing was always part of my life," Nam says. In fact, he did it a lot at home—full-blown performances—even in the shower, which drove his parents crazy. He got into posting videos of himself singing either from the bathroom or their basement. Eventually he caught the attention of a Korean TV station and was invited to compete in a singing talent competition, where he was honored as one of the Top 5.

September: James Reid

The Things We Don't Understand About James Reid

"You know, [people sometimes think] that they can do something before they believe they can. And I'm here to say that's completely false. You're supposed to be terrified of the things you can't do yet."

Excerpt from the story by Bryle B. Suralta

For a second there, it felt like everyone had Reid all figured out. He was plugged into the Filipino entertainment system as a teenager fresh out of Pinoy Big Brother, and just made sense as a would-be matinee idol. And he was. Reid was good at it, too. The public responded accordingly, evidenced by a legion of fans who followed him and his former partner, the equally stellar (President) Nadine Lustre, everywhere they went, hanging on to every small thing they said. Ah yes, the love team culture wars. What a very real, very serious thing for the Filipino celebrity content machine. What would we do without it, aye? 

October: Johnny Manahan and Sparkle

How to Sparkle in Show Business, According to Legendary Starmaker Johnny Manahan

"At some point, there's that, 'I can do this. I can do that,' moment. So I did everything. I started being a floor director, set decorator, taga-walis, studio hand—everything. Then I would watch them do the shows."

Excerpt from the story by Maan D'Asis Pamaran

Manahan shares those whom he knew right away were destined for stardom. "Meron talaga e. Like I said, you can't define it, but you feel it. Examples of this are Piolo Pascual, Jericho Rosales, John Lloyd (Cruz), and Bea Alonzo. People like that, you have the feeling right away, so you put them through the process, and train them, and you refine them, but eventually, something, the X factor, nasa kanila iyon eh. It comes out."

November: Man At His Best

What I've Learned: Ramon Ang

"It's a given that you cannot please everyone. Not all will align with your vision. For me, what is important is I am doing everything I can, pouring all my energy and our company’s resources into helping our country."

Excerpt from the story by Paul John Caña

On paper, Ramon Ang is the very definition of success. As vice chairman, president and CEO of San Miguel Corporation, Ang leads one of the biggest diversified conglomerates not just in the Philippines but in Southeast Asia, with interests in food and beverage, infrastructure, packaging, energy, fuel and oil, cement, property, and banking. He is the third-richest person in the Philippines, according to rankings by the business news platform Forbes, with a personal net worth of nearly $4 billion (around P223 billion).

For Joy Belmonte, Quezon City Is Still a Dream

"'Pag nagci-criticize sila, I think to myself, 'Okay, saan nanggagaling tong taong 'to? Ano ba talaga yung kailangan niya? Saan kami nagkulang? Nakulangan pa [sila]."

Excerpt from the story by Bryle B. Suralta

Quezon City, however, seems to be running on a different kind of fuel. It started out as a city of contradictions: a utopia-to-be for the working class (even if it did owe its patrimony to authoritarianism). Today, it sort of feels like the only city that makes sense. A place that feels free from the common urban rot every other Manila city and its constituents have. Swift action. A pioneer of modernization. The most dynamic economy in the country. Values held dear. Texture found everywhere. Freedom of thought, of expression, of choice, celebrated and shared. A local government that works for its people. What was once an imagined city has become—and remains as such—the dream...Its image is now being reshaped by its 11th mayor, Ma. Josefina "Joy" Belmonte. 

The Benevolent Genius: Ricky Lee's Lasting Impact on Filipino Storytelling

"Actually, that bigger world, I was already seeing sa mga librong binabasa ko at sa mga magazines and comics na binabasa ko at sa mga pelikulang pinapanood ko, kasi ang feeling ko, ang liit-liit ng mundo ko sa Daet at ang liit-liit ko."

Excerpt from the story by Thea Alberto-Masakayan

The National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts takes you to the days he left the sleepy town of Daet, Camarines Norte, and gained a profound understanding of disparity, deprivation, and the unfairness of life. Never jaded, he continues to foster an unshakeable empathy toward the marginalized and underprivileged, giving light to their stories, believing in the goodness of strangers, and why he’ll continue to pay the kindness forward for the rest of his life.

What I've Learned: Piolo Pascual

"I'm a sucker for good stories. When you give me or offer me or pitch me something that I can't resist, I'll make sure I'll make it happen. I'll make sure to find a way to squeeze it into my schedule."

Excerpt from the story by Paolo Chua

You want to be able to, not just reinvent yourself, but really just get out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself to do something you haven't done before. That's where my passion is coming from. That's where my excitement is being drawn from, knowing that this is something I can probably do, not knowing the outcome, but at least I took it on because it got me out of my comfort zone. It challenged me and it made me grow.

Michael V on Comedy: 'My Willingness to Entertain Has Been My Driving Force'

“I think at the core of it all, it doesn't matter kung drama ka or comedy or kung anong medium na gamitin mo for expression. Basta ako, yung willingness ko to entertain, it's been my driving force ever since."

Excerpt from the story by Thea Alberto-Masakayan

The uniqueness of Michael V's artistry lies not just in his ability to entertain but in the sheer unlikelihood of replication. His humor, though rooted in the context of its time, possesses a timeless quality that transcends generations. His characters, whether the iconic Junie Lee, Bebang, or the magnetic Bitoy himself, are etched in the collective memory of audiences.

Ez Mil Is in the Company of Legends

"Here's Em's words when I came to meet them in Dr. Dre's studio. He said, 'Yeah, man, I was just scrolling through some rappers, and when I saw you (in 'Up Down'), I was like, 'Who the heck is this? He's singing and he's got bars, and it don't (sic) sound corny like that.'"

Excerpt from the story

Born and raised in Olongapo, the Filipino-American rapper made headlines when he signed with Shady Records and Aftermath Entertainment, the record labels of Eminem and Dr. Dre. It's one thing to be signed by Eminem or Dr. Dre, but to be signed by both is a feat that only two other artists have accomplished: 50 Cent and Stat Quo. The GOATs saw Miller for what he was, and through his music, the rest of the world is starting to catch on as well.

Donny Pangilinan: 'You Need to Find Value in Your Work. It's Not About Saying Yes to Everything'

"I think we just learned to slowly also become extroverts when we need to be, but there are times, when we just want to be by ourselves. I guess that is ironic being in showbiz because you're always around people. But I learned to love it, too I guess. Opportunities just kept coming in."

Excerpt from the story by Maan D'Asis Pamaran

Children of popular personalities often have the pressure of performing at the level of their parents' success, but primetime heartthrob Donny Pangilinan takes it all in stride. His upright upbringing was a huge factor in how his life is playing out, as one would expect from having actress and former parenting magazine editor Maricel Laxa-Pangilinan and motivational speaker Anthony Pangilinan as parents. He credits his parents who shaped, influenced, and motivated him to place his feet firmly planted on the ground despite his showbiz success.

Talking Duendes, Perfumed Nightmares, and the Indio-Genius With Kidlat Tahimik

"Somehow, 'yan [ang] ginuhit ng tadhana, I found a way going into accidental nooks and crannies. [Gumagawa] ako ng mga low-budget or no-budget films. This led me to coming back home."

Excerpt from the story by Bryle B. Suralta

Rare are the forces as powerful as the duende. Looking around Ili-Likha, they can be found everywhere. You just have to know how to look. Holding up his little Rizal statue standing inside this fever dream of a theater, Tahimik is as loud as he's ever been. If Ambeth Ocampo examines Rizal under the overcoat, then Tahimik imagines Rizal without the wooly salawal. To see Rizal in a bahag is an unfamiliar image. But it works as a visual metaphor; an attempt to contend with the ironies of our national hero. "What's really underneath the overcoat?" he asks.

December: Leila de Lima

Sen. Leila de Lima Is a Woman Unchained