Esquire Philippines’ Man at His Best is back to recognize the outstanding men and women who continue to define the times. Each continues to raise the bar in their respective pursuits in 2023, empowering different industries and the lives they ultimately alter along the way.
This year, we’re celebrating eight mavericks and living legends in film, music, business, politics, and entertainment. From National Artists Ricky Lee and Kidlat Tahimik to Mayor Joy Belmonte and tycoon Ramon Ang, here are the 2023 honorees who exemplify what it means to be a Man at His Best.
#EsquireMAHB2023 #EsquireManAtHisBest
This year, we’re celebrating eight mavericks and living legends in film, music, business, politics, and entertainment. From National Artists Ricky Lee and Kidlat Tahimik to Mayor Joy Belmonte and tycoon Ramon Ang, here are the 2023 honorees who exemplify what it means to be a Man at His Best.
#EsquireMAHB2023 #EsquireManAtHisBest
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CreativityTranscript
00:00 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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00:39 At the moment, I'm not considering higher office,
00:41 so no.
00:42 It's tough.
00:43 It's a tough job.
00:45 Even if you have the right intentions,
00:47 they say you might be good, right intentions,
00:50 but there's the issue of money and machinaria.
00:52 And that's the reality of things.
00:54 Luckily, that is not my dream in life.
00:56 My dream is just to make a difference in the spaces
00:58 that I've been given.
00:59 At this moment, it's just the city.
01:01 So my goal is just to really improve the lives
01:04 of the people in this city, give them
01:06 what they deserve, the kind of service that they deserve.
01:09 I want to leave the city healthy financially.
01:12 I want to leave the city where more people have choices
01:15 in life, where the youth are able to study,
01:18 get better education, people-- women
01:20 have better opportunities.
01:22 I want to make this an innovative city,
01:24 the center of innovation.
01:25 I want this also to be the most inclusive city.
01:28 I want everybody to feel at home in this city,
01:30 that they are in a safe space when they're in Quezon City.
01:33 I want this to be the center of good governance.
01:35 I want it-- my dream is that when people say,
01:38 what is a well-governed city?
01:39 [SPEAKING IN TAGALOG]
01:41 [MUSIC PLAYING]
02:01,
02:29 Yeah, there's this notion of [SPEAKING IN TAGALOG]
02:34 But at the end of the day, I say we're all human.
02:37 And I think it's really part of life
02:39 to just showcase your emotions.
02:41 There is a time and place to do that.
02:43 I think we just have to get rid of that stereotype
02:45 that, you know, guys shouldn't show their emotions.
02:48 I guess it really depends.
02:49 It really depends per person.
02:51 There are people who are more open to being
02:54 super vulnerable and transparent to a lot of people
02:57 around them.
02:57 But there are those also who choose to, like, cry alone.
03:00 [SPEAKING IN TAGALOG]
03:02 And then talk to their friends about it or whatever.
03:05 So it really doesn't matter how you do it.
03:08 But it is very important to be in touch with your own emotions
03:11 and know how you feel.
03:12 And talk to people about it, you know?
03:14 A lot of the times, that's why people get anxious.
03:17 And that's why they feel lonely, is because they just
03:19 keep it bottled up.
03:20 Just don't be afraid to talk about it.
03:22 Because at the end of the day, people
03:23 are also going through it.
03:24 It's not just you.
03:25 And there are so many things we tend to overthink
03:28 that isn't really reality if we don't talk about
03:31 or, like, keep in touch with our emotions.
03:33 So it's very important.
03:35 [MUSIC PLAYING]
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04:06 [SPEAKING IN TAGALOG]
04:09 [SPEAKING IN TAGALOG]
04:12 [SPEAKING IN TAGALOG]
04:28 [SPEAKING IN TAGALOG]
04:35 [SPEAKING IN TAGALOG]
04:38 [MUSIC PLAYING]
05:02 If you ask me personally, it's really my commitment
05:05 to the craft, the dedication and the passion for it.
05:08 I didn't know I was cut out for it.
05:10 I didn't know I was going to last this long.
05:12 When I moved to the States, I thought,
05:14 I already left the Philippines.
05:15 I already left Manila.
05:16 I tried it out many times.
05:17 I never broke out.
05:18 When I was in the States, I would audition.
05:20 I would save up so I could do workshops.
05:22 And I would still audition.
05:23 So I could feel in my heart that there
05:24 was something else for me.
05:26 So I quit my job in the States.
05:27 I moved back here.
05:28 I said, ma'am, five years lang.
05:29 And then I'll go back there again just
05:31 to, of course, keep my citizenship.
05:33 And then it just dragged on from five to 10, 20, now 30 years.
05:36 I guess I've always had so much respect for my craft,
05:40 so much passion for what I do and what it can give me
05:43 and how it can make me grow, not just as a person,
05:45 but as an actor.
05:47 I've seen myself lose my temper.
05:50 I've seen myself be victorious.
05:52 I've seen myself feel defeated as an actor, as a producer,
05:56 as a businessman, and just keep on going while I can.
05:59 I don't want to waste it.
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06:16 [MUSIC PLAYING]
06:41 I think the Western concept of genius
06:43 is an individual who excelled in his fields or her fields.
06:49 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
06:51 All kinds of things.
06:53 And therefore, that individual genius--
06:56 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
06:57 --Nobel Prize, award.
06:59 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
07:02 Although [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] cultural clashes,
07:05 people like Rizal, I consider him one of our Indio genius,
07:08 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
07:11 But it is a cultural influence that
07:19 made the genius of their indigenous ways came out.
07:24 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
07:36 It supports people.
07:38 It's food security for all these Cordillerans.
07:42 And that's what we have to acknowledge.
07:44 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
07:45 Just because we want to be like them in New York.
07:49 How can we understand the Filipino psyche?
07:51 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
07:53 Let's look for a methodology to study the Filipino psychology
08:02 based on our core values.
08:05 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
08:08 It's central Filipino core value that distinguishes us
08:13 from other cultures.
08:16 Any decision we make, [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
08:19 Letting the Indio genius be the engine.
08:25 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
08:28 So that we can become a respectable nation in the world.
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08:50 (electronic music)
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