The Rolling Stone Philippines Hall of Fame inaugural ceremony took place on November 20 at The Peninsula Manila, where the country’s leading figures across art, journalism, music, film and tv, sports, and media gathered together to celebrate the Hall’s six first-ever inductees.
Each inductee was presented by a hand-picked figure whose own contributions to their respective fields echo the legacy and influence of the honorees themselves.
Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, an Asian Games Gold Medal-winning equestrian, actress, and International Olympics Committee board member, presented the honor for the Sports category to Paeng Nepomuceno, who is a six-time World Bowling Champion and one of the country’s most celebrated athletes.
“Bowling was one of the first sports I ever tried, so of course I knew exactly who Paeng was,” said Cojuangco-Jaworski. “He was one of those athletes who really made other young Filipino athletes like me believe that there is a space for Filipinos on the world stage.”
Not a Lone Act
For the Art category, writer, filmmaker, and curator Erwin T. Romulo took the stage to present the honor to National Artist Kidlat Tahimik, a pioneer of Filipino indie filmmaking and a mainstay in local installation art.
Romulo, who wrote the profile on the National Artist for Rolling Stone Philippines’ Hall of Fame issue, said that his most cherished moment with Tahimik was their interview. “We were doing that interview during a typhoon,” said Romulo. “We were waiting because of the storm, and he couldn’t really commit because he was on call for [his wife, Katrin de Guia] the whole time. So we didn’t know… but then it happened, and it just so happened to be his birthday.”
De Guia, who at the time required continuous medical attention, was unable to join Tahimik and Romulo for the interview. “But we saw her afterwards, and she was glowing,” said Romulo. “You could feel it. I’m an atheist, and I don’t believe in the supernatural, but she was incandescent.” Earlier this October, De Guia passed away shortly after the interview at the age of 75.
“With Kidlat, he’s definitely special… but now I know that it was never just him doing it alone,” continued Romulo. “He says it in the interview and his speech, and it isn’t lip service: his wife was always behind him, and so were his family.”
Dedicated Work Ethics
Rico Hizon, a veteran journalist and the host of ANC’s Beyond the Exchange, presented the Journalism category. The honor went to Jessica Soho, the multi-awarded broadcast journalist, for her decades of work in journalism. “I worked with Jessica for about seven years at GMA News and Public Affairs,” said Hizon. “I really admired her because she really went across the battleline and into the battlefield, especially in Mindanao! She was always so brave to report in war zones.”
Anne Curtis, best known for her tenure as a host of It’s Showtime and for her lead roles in projects such as BuyBust, No Other Woman, and the recent Netflix series It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, presented the Media category to Vic del Rosario Jr., the founder of Viva Communications Inc. and the leader behind Viva Films, Viva Records, and more.
“I’ve been with Viva my whole career, since I was 12,” said Curtis. “I’m forever grateful [to] them because they’ve kept their promise to my dad, which was that they’d make me into… what I am today, basically.”
Curtis went on to voice her appreciation for both del Rosario and his daughter Veronique, who is her current manager. “I’m a true blue Viva baby, and I like that they don’t cage me in,” said the actress. “They give me the liberty to do what I want and excel in my craft.”
Climb to the Top
Tirso Ripoll, the guitarist of rock band Razorback, presented the Music category. The honor went to the legendary rock band Juan Dela Cruz. Mike Hanapol, the band’s surviving member, received the honor on the band’s behalf. He was joined by Beebop Smith, son of the band’s late drummer Pepe Smith, and by Johnny Gonzalez, son of the band’s late guitarist, Wally Gonzalez.
“When [Razorback] was just coming out, we’d heard [Juan Dela Cruz’s] stuff and thought, ‘Wow, this is amazing,’” said Ripoll. “We couldn’t stop playing their stuff. We’d been listening to Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and they were good, obviously, but Juan Dela Cruz just sounded different. Our first few sets were just us playing all their songs.”
Ripoll went on to note how Razorback had crossed paths multiple times with Juan Dela Cruz, from Hanapol coming to see one of their gigs to Gonzalez watching them open for Metallica. “I found out later on that in an interview, [Gonzalez] had said, ‘I was in the audience and this band… they were playing all my songs back to me!’” Ripoll recalled.
For the Film & TV category, Film Development Council of the Philippines chairman and CEO Jose Javier Reyes presented the honor to Charo Santos-Concio, a seasoned actress and former CEO of ABS-CBN. “Oh she was my classmate!” Reyes recalled when asked about Santos-Concio. “Back in college, we were both students under Dr. Doy del Mundo at De La Salle University. She was very quiet… if I had known where she’d be going in life, I would have been nicer to her! (Laughs).”
Reyes went on to describe Santos-Concio’s dedicated work ethic, which he saw as they worked together in ABS-CBN and Regal Entertainment. “She broke a lot of glass ceilings,” he said, “and she practically redesigned the entire ABS-CBN. She was the first female president of the largest multimedia broadcasting company in the country, and even today, even after retirement… her lifetime is a constant process of reinvention.”
Rolling Stone Philippines Hall of Fame
With Ploom
And Nordic Spirit
Major Partner NUSTAR Online
Official Beverage Partners Remy Martin and The Glenlivet
Official Giveaway Partner
Provizo Corporation
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