Long before “drag” as an artform and a source of entertainment emerged from the underground scene to global mainstream consciousness, an unassuming but already groundbreaking resto-bar in Malate, O BAR, has long opened its doors to serve as a safe space for the queer community. Sixteen long years later—a few changes in its zip codes, and even with a few other establishments tailing its success, O Bar continues to break through the mold and redefine what a gay bar is and should be, holding itself proud not just as a mecca of talent to some of the most celebrated drag talents in the Philippines, but a heart that continues to pulsate equality, respect, and love for all.

In a wide and ever-changing sea of beautiful faces in entertainment, Iza Calzado stands out and makes an unrelenting stand. As the critically-acclaimed multi-hyphenate continues to take on a diverse slate of marked roles with close to two decades in the business under her belt, not only does she continue to be an acting marvel, she serves up her platform for good, to bring about culture-shaping discussions on empowerment, body positivity, mental health, and self love. Editor Leo Balante looks closer as Calzado shows us what it means to not just be a once-in-a-lifetime showbiz tour-de-force but, more importantly, a complex, uncompromising, but remarkable human being.

Introduced to the mainstream scene with a widely-recognizable surname hailing from a rich lineage of dramatic actors and action stars, Kylie Padilla has since staked her claim in the entertainment industry, making her 15-year-stay in the business as fruitful as it is storied, with a growing body of work and unrelenting conviction as an artist and a human being with an ever-evolving sense of self. For The Vision Issue, Rank Magazine works with HUAWEI, through the new MatePad 11, to translate her concept of empowerment, from a physical medium of acrylic on canvas to a sleek but powerful digital companion.