Rappler’s executive editor Glenda Gloria is named Journalist of the Year, earning recognition alongside seven other individuals who have made a mark in the fields of film, politics, literature, music, food, and business
MANILA, Philippines – Rappler’s executive editor Glenda Gloria was named Journalist of the Year at Esquire Philippines’ Man at his Best 2025.
Gloria has a career spanning decades — first becoming a journalist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer just one month before the 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution. In 2001, she co-founded the investigative magazine Newsbreak until it eventually became a part of Rappler, a digital news company she co-founded alongside 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Ressa.
“Our personal vision when we put up Rappler was really to create an independent newsroom. Maria and I had worked in newsrooms that were run by big business,” Gloria told Atom Araullo in Esquire Philippines‘ feature.
“Independent in all ways, in terms of its thinking, in terms of where its business is derived. And then to create the kind of journalism that really connects with the communities that it serves.”
Before becoming Rappler’s executive editor, Gloria worked for The Manila Times, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, ANC (where she served as chief operating officer), and for international news agencies throughout her career.
At Rappler, Gloria co-leads a digital newsroom where journalists seeking to uphold the truth are put up against millions of content creators on social media, which she believes no longer pushes the news, but what is “entertaining and viral.”
With this, Gloria tells young journalists: “This is the best job in the world. It brings you to the corridors of power. But also mandates you to speak truth to power. You also have the mandate of the public to actually demolish that power if it does wrong.”
She shares the spotlight with seven other “architects of tomorrow” who are making a difference in film, music, politics, food, literature, and business.
Visionaries in other industries also awarded
Acclaimed filmmaker Lav Diaz won the Creative of the Year award. Diaz’s Magellan was selected as the Philippines’ official entry to the 98th Oscars. Some of the auteur’s other celebrated works include Batang West Side (2001), Melancholia (2008), and Norte, the End of History (2013), to name a few.
Jericho Rosales, meanwhile, was named Actor of the Year. Rosales has starred in films and shows like Forevermore, Baler, WalangForever, Luck at First Sight, Lavender Fields, Pangako Sa’Yo, and The Legal Wife. Perhaps his most groundbreaking performance is in the 2025 film Quezon, where he takes the shape of former president Manuel L. Quezon in the Jerrold Tarog-directed production.
Taking home the Music Artist of the Year title is four-piece band IV of Spades, whose surprise reunion marked a milestone of its own in the local music industry in 2025. The band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2020, two years after its vocalist Unique Salonga announced his departure from the group. In July, they dropped “Aura,” their first single in years with all of its original members: Salonga, Zild Benitez, Blaster Silonga, and Badjao de Castro.
Now, they are set to headline their first two-day concert at the Mall of Asia Arena in December.
Jorge Mendez is Chef of the Year. 2025 has been an eventful year for Mendez, as two of his restaurants were recognized by the Michelin Guide when it explored dining establishments in Manila, its environs, and Cebu. Modan was Michelin-selected, while Some Thai earned the Bib Gourmand distinction.
Mendez also runs other restaurants like Makanai, Ohayo Comfort Food, and Mugen Ramenya.
Senator Bam Aquino, meanwhile, is named Maverick of the Year for his contributions in the realm of politics and governance. Aquino’s first term ended in 2016. His run as a senator was put on hold when he lost his re-election bid in 2019, after which he took on the role of campaign manager in vice president Leni Robredo’s 2022 presidential campaign.
He returned to the senate in 2025 after a successful midterm elections campaign. Aquino is known to be a staunch advocate for education and esports.
Dennis Anthony Uy is Businessman of the Year. Hailing from Angeles City, Pampanga, Uy is the CEO and founder of Converge Converge ICT Solutions, Inc.
Multi-awarded writer, essayist, and playwright Jose “Butch” Dalisay then won the Icon of the Year award. Dalisay is a highly celebrated figure in Philippine literature, having won a total of 16 Palanca awards in the genres of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, screenwriting, and drama. These accolades led to his inclusion in the Palanca Hall of Fame in 2000.
Among Dalisay’s many works are Killing Time in a Warm Place, Soledad’s Sister, Ang Ika-Labing Isang Utos: Mahalin Mo Asawa Mo, and A Richness of Embarrassments and Other Easy Essays, to name a few.
Man at His Best is Esquire Philippines’ annual campaign, where they recognize the men and women who have made significant contributions to advocating for a “more progressive country” in their respective fields. – Rappler.com
