The Red Circle celebrates a year of storytelling

On this day in 2020, an integrated publication was launched at the height of the pandemic. As industries continue to be disrupted, stories remain. Thus, there was a need to share them with the public not only to inform them, but to share good news and help uplift lives — This is The Red Circle.

Over the past year, The Red Circle has had the pleasure of sharing stories that are relevant, meaningful and thought-provoking. It bannered the excellence of the Filipino heart, mind, and spirit, and collaborated with different brands and personalities in communicating their narratives and experiences.

In celebration of its first anniversary, The Red Circle looks back on the top stories that resonated most with you, our dear readers.

10. “A little different, but the fun remains”

The Red Circle’s premiere cover story featured Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat. When the national government placed Luzon under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), the tourism sector was also hit badly. Sec. Berna shared how they helped in ferrying stranded tourists and then adopting digital tourism in partnership with Grab Philippines & Talino Venture Labs. She also shared her outlook on tourist spots as restrictions eased, and these are the ‘travel bubbles’ which we now see to help revive Philippine tourism. Read more.

9. Caring for the long drive

During ECQ, car owners were not able to seek professional care for their vehicles following the prolonged period of not being in use due to the restrictions. This resulted in heavy clear paint swirls due. To help them take proper care of their vehicles, we wrote a story on Ceramic Coating – a liquid polymer solution applied by hand to the exterior surface of a vehicle. It blends with the car’s factory paint, which creates an extra layer of protection, long-lasting shine and boosts a vehicle’s scratch resistance and easy maintenance. Read more.

8. True Philippine Horror Stories: 2020 Edition

Monsters and ghosts are real and scary, but evil in real life with real people is much more horrifying than any of these creatures. The Red Circle listed down its own version of True Philippine Horror Stories from the mysterious cases of missing government funds, double standards in the justice system, the killings of activists, questionable arrests and decisions of the government up to the absence of the President during a calamity — these stories continuously haunt and frighten the mind and everyday lives of Filipinos. Read more.

7. The art, the artist, and everything in between

Although the digital space has been a big help, the struggle of every artist amidst the global pandemic continues to persist, and they are left with limited ways to present their art. The Red Circle featured young artists including: Raymond Guevarra who found a greater love for art despite the pandemic’s challenges; Vyankka Balasabas whose art reflects her personality and emotion during the creation process; and,Bayani Galera whose works reflect the country’s education system and students’ means reach their dreams. These three Filipino Artists use different media, share diverse stories, and are all optimistic about continuously learning and creating art pieces despite the difficulties of the pandemic. Read more.

6. Be safe in style

The Red Circle also featured local fashion designers Patty Ang, Adrian Pe, Jean Alta, Chynna Mamawal who created and designed sustainable masks and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the new normal. Patty Ang introduced her style of minimalist and classic aesthetic PPE. Adrian Pe, who is also a medical frontliner, created Teletubbies- and Power Rangers-inspired PPEs to give frontliners protection and a dose of positivity. Jean Alta, who specializes in formal wear made from ‘pinukpok’ or abaca fabric, created a mask that exudes the same elegance as her other designs. Chynna Mamawal, a young fashion designer, added contemporary elements in her design PPE and protective dresses that use combined patterned fabric and different textures. Read more.

5. What is a woman’s worth?

TeamAsia President and Founder Monette Iturralde-Hamlin wrote a feature about ninth-grader Ajunath Sindhu Vinayala from Thrissur, Kerala, who painted a picture of his mother’s daily routine. Monette took notice of this work because it detailed how much unpaid work women are doing. Pre-pandemic, UN Women reported that, on average, women spent three times as many hours as men on unpaid domestic and care work. During the pandemic, UN Women studies revealed that women continue to do most of the work. Many women today are losing their jobs more than men as they shift to full-time child care. Just like Ajunath, she calls on everyone to help in lifting the burdens and responsibilities on every mother’s shoulders. Read more.

4. Japan opens up for PH travels

One of the first brands to reach out to The Red Circle is Japan Airlines. In this feature, we highlighted the flag carrier’s JAL FlySafe initiatives, which are a series of hygiene and precautionary measures on the ground and in the air to keep passengers and crew safe. JAL also equipped its airplanes with High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters that are 99.97% effective at removing viruses, and the air circulation onboard is renewed with fresh air every 2-3 mins, ensuring safe breathable air even while in transit. Read more.

3. Moving Homes. Moving Offices.

Among the many challenges that Monette faced is letting go of their office. She wrote a piece on the difficulties of keeping her company alive in the midst of COVID-19. Because their 18/F Aeon office has not been used for several months, they decided to move on to a smaller G/F space in Polaris. Saying goodbye to their home for four years, every corner of every room was full of memories. Monette shared that it is hard to keep moving places, but what is left there is just a brick and mortar. For her, the building doesn’t define TeamAsia; it’s the people, and home is where its people are. Read more.

2. How to spot if your bae is actually a Filipino mythical creature

For Halloween, The Red Circle went ahead and joined in on the festivities. We’ve rounded up several Filipino mythical creatures and highlighted the characteristics that you should be on the lookout for because these creatures may be your significant other. Readers were quick to share this article after spotting quite a number of similarities with a White Lady, Kapre, Manananggal, Tikbalang, Diwata, Nuno, Tiyanak, and Mangkukulam. Read more.

Special shoutout to our awesome artist Zeke Rifareal (@the.art.zee) who worked on the spot-on character designs.

1. Philippine National ID: What, why, and how?

Finally, The Red Circle’s top story proves to be quite a relevant one and it is none other than the Philippine National ID. In this feature, we shared details about the value of this ID apart from creating a single identification card for all citizens and residents of the Philippines. It is also intended to speed up the delivery of services, eliminate multiple forms of identification when transacting in government and private sectors, and lessen fraudulent transactions. We also listed down the steps which are very easy to follow, and also remind everyone that getting the Philippine National ID is free of charge unless it is for a replacement. Read more.

What an incredible year it has been for The Red Circle and we look forward to more years and stories. Whether you’re a brand or an individual, as long as you have a meaningful story to share, we can make it part of The Red Circle.

We would also like to celebrate the wonderful and amazing ladies and gents behind our stories: Angelica Sunga, Joanne Bariring, Aiya Rodjel, Mayren Guico, Althea Kalalo, Nina Tambal, Raffy Santamaria, Sam Oliquino, Ralph Hernandez, Elton Gagni, and Cid Santillan. These are the people who chased after stories for the past year and we honor their invaluable contributions to the growth of The Red Circle.

Cheers!