Pinoy Pride nga ba? No particular ethnicity is predisposed to greatness. Everyone is and Filipino Pride is just as authentic as Japanese Pride or Aussie Pride or British Pride or any other type of national pride. It is one thing to shout out Pinoy Pride and it is another to use that as a jump-off point for one’s expedition for his own pinnacles. That anyone could be the Michael Cinco of their own towns or the Lea Salonga of their communities is a belief one should cling on to. By Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes

Up and coming UAE-based Filipino designers create green fashion from ordinary everyday bits and pieces, recycled materials and found hardware that celebrate diversity in expression, textures and artistic interpretation

A platform for budding creative talent, Illustrado Scrapbook showcases the works of UAE-based Adelle Lumalang and Jaime Tasarra

Illustrado’s resident Pinay Power advocate Lalaine Chu-Benitez pays simple tribute to the male species for a change in “Men: How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” “And so it goes, and quite rightly so – we dedicate this month’s issue to our men, who make this life so much more colorful and enjoyable. And if it weren’t for them, we would be merely half of a whole.”