Panel of judges selects their top picks for VP Choice Awards 2019

Village Pipol starts deliberation with a panel of judges for VP Choice Awards last Thursday, December 19 at the Vanderlust in The Podium, Mandaluyong City. The editorial team invited a group of experts to evaluate nominees in three major categories: Travel, Lifestyle, and Entertainment.

Panel of judges select their top picks for VP Choice Awards.

The panel of judges includes fashion designer and celebrity stylist Chynna Mamawal, movie director RC delos Reyes, board-certified dermatologist Dr. Homer Cudel and tech blogger (TechPinas.com) Mark Macanas. Village Pipol’s Editor-in-Chief Jim Reynold Zamora and PR & Advertising Manager Josh Austria awarded them certificates of appreciation after their voting process.

Chynna Mamawal on VP Choice Awards.

On choosing her picks for VPCA.

Mamawal, the Fashion Head of the Judges’ Committee, expressed her feelings in being part of the first-ever VP Choice Awards. She also counted being a judge as a huge responsibility.

“Of course, I’m very honored to be part of the committee and to be with other industry’s experts. At the same time, it’s also a huge responsibility because it will be their honor to get these awards. So, I really had to think about who deserves to win… It’s very professional and I love working with Village Pipol because you can see how passionate they are in what they do.”

“It was hard for me to choose [my top picks]. Some of the artists, I’ve met them already but I have yet to be given the opportunity. So, I have to come from a different angle when I choose. I can’t be biased and I really have to think about the factors and aspects involved in choosing which one would win.”

Leaning towards diversity and inclusivity.

As a fashion designer herself, Chynna looks for diversity and inclusivity in the industry. When it comes to influencers, on the other hand, she would like them to be natural on being diverse and inclusive.

“Fashion is how you express yourself. For me, very important ang diversity. If you look at the brands, sometimes you feel that they only focus in one body type. So, for me, I want fashion influencers to be diverse… I don’t want them to be fake, I want them to be their natural selves because that will reflect and who will follow you.”

“With some designers, if you’re a bit big, they won’t accept you. In reality, it would be easier to dress up someone who is slimmer. For me, I go against the flow. I want everyone to feel confident with the clothes they wear from me. So, I’m really all for diversity.”

L-R: Dr. Homer Cudel, Chynna Mamawal and Direk RC delos Reyes

Director RC delos Reyes on VP Choice Awards.

On choosing his picks for VPCA.

Delos Reyes expressed how honored he feels in ranking the nominees. He, then, noted how he decided on selecting his top picks.

“It’s an honor to be chosen as one of the people in the industry to rank these big names from different fields. I’m happy to be part of this… Basically, [I rank them based on] first, familiarity. For me… If there’s a recall, that’s a big percentage. Second, [I based it] in terms of services and what I have gained from using it. For example, for Hotel [of the Year], kamusta ba ‘yung service nila. For a product, I base it on the effects it had on me… Third, it’s more of the design, beauty and aesthetics of everything.”

On considering a box office hit and a critically acclaimed film.

As the Entertainment Head of the Judges’ Committee, Direk RC also shared the reasons why he would choose a film or TV series as his number one pick. He, then, pointed out that there should be a balance between being critically acclaimed and being a box office hit.

“If it’s a film [or a TV Series], I considered it on how it affected the audiences, the story itself, how it was made and if it uplifted the Philippine cinema. Yes, there can be a box office hit and commercially successful movie pero hindi naman maganda ‘yung pagkakagawa. I really have to be in the middle because for me, I’m a mainstream person. I believe that cinema should always be art and at the same time, commercial, as well. It’s for yourself and for your audience.”

Dr. Homer Cudel on VP Choice Awards.

On choosing his picks for VPCA.

Dr. Cudel finds it exciting to be the Travel and Lifestyle Head of the Judges’ Committee. He, then, detailed that brand recall and familiarity may be important. However, that’s not the only thing that counts.

“It’s exciting and at the same time, it’s also good to see the variety of options that these brands offer to the people. At this time, you can compare and you have this time to think about what’s best, what’s not-so-good and what really catered to the people… I’m fortunate enough to be able to experience most of the brands… That’s why my basis would be what I liked and based on my firsthand experience, as well as what I least liked.”

“[Brand recall and familiarity] are very important, of course, but at the end of the day, it’s not just the brand. It’s also the excellent service and excellence of the products, as well… We cannot endorse something that we haven’t tried or didn’t have firsthand experience. How will we know if something is good if we haven’t seen it or tried it? To make a recommendation, I don’t usually [reason out] that it’s a popular brand. I have to see, feel, taste or experience a product before telling people about it.”

On people’s opinion of beauty being defined as superficial.

When asked about the rise of beauty aesthetic clinics defining beauty as superficial, Homer had an interesting answer. He pointed out that it is but it also isn’t. He puts us in the place of understanding that beauty actually comes from within.

“Yes and no. Yes, because the mainstream idea or concept of beauty is looking good which, of course, you can get from a variety of things. For example, the products that you use which are very important, your lifestyle, diet and everything. Then again, the reality of it is it’s not actually just superficial. It’s actually something that comes from within you like your attitude but most importantly, it’s what puts you into that position.”

Mark Macanas on VP Choice Awards.

On choosing his picks for VPCA.

Macanas feels honored to be part of the first-ever VPCA. He makes choosing a little bit more personal. With that said, he shared his way of selecting his top picks through his firsthand experience.

“I really feel so honored and it’s a real pleasure for me to be a part of the VP Choice Awards, especially it’s the first-ever. I feel blessed to have been given a chance to really rank all of these amazing personalities, all of these great breakout personalities, in the field of social media, entertainment… in the field of giving knowledge or giving value to the Filipino people.”

“For me, I always try to be fair in my choices but I always base it, as well, on my experience… So, it’s a personal experience. It’s really based on how I felt reading their content or how I felt watching them on the screen. For example, in the field of [food] and [travel], it’s also my experience in trying their services.”

On brand recall’s importance.

As the Tech Head of the Judges Committee, Mark finds brand recall a product of actual hard work. He, then, shared his own experience in promoting a brand for more people to know about.

“I think that brand recall is a byproduct of the brands’ or the personalities’ hard work to get their names out there. So, it’s also something you can’t ignore because they worked hard to be recognized. I also run a blog which is TechPinas.com. I understand how hard it is to build a brand.”

“[I also understand how hard it is] to be able to promote a brand for more people to know about. Definitely, it has weight for me but it’s not the only thing I look at. I also look at other aspects because if you read the descriptions for each awards, there are certain criteria that you have to take a look at.”

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