May 312017
 

Ifugao Representative Teddy Brawner Baguilat has expressed serious concern that President Rodrigo Duterte is dangerously close to becoming a dictator and it may just happen without Congress doing its constitutional role to be a check against abuses by any other equal branch of government …

May 312017
 

Every January, during the renewal of local business permits, I collect anecdotes from our staff, specifically actual stories of the challenges faced while processing the business permits of our clients. They range from the usual timewasting queue in certain local government offices to technical issues. At times the problem is not even a technical issue — like a local government unit’s refusal to process an application simply because the latest sales figure is lower than the previous year’s.

May 302017
 
Barney Almazar wins SEA Young Lawyer of the Year

Filipino lawyer Barney Almazar has been awarded the South East Asia Young Lawyer of the Year by the 13th Asian Legal Business Law Awards. Barney Almazar [via Facebook] Almazar, the director for Gulf Law Consultancy which provides legal assistance to Filipinos in the UAE, bested 450 other nominees for the award. In his Facebook post, the University of the Philippines and La Salle Greenhills graduate wrote about how special the award was for the next generation of lawyers who are living and working in streets and homes instead of the court or corporate boardroom. The Young Lawyer of the Year also considers the award as posing a challenge to young lawyers to make the legal profession more than just a career path but rather a vocation. “I come from a country where human labor is considered as a ‘commodity’ for export, a means to an end for more than 10 million Filipinos around the world. The very reason why for the past 4 years, I have devoted my practice in bringing foreign investments to the Philippines, promoting Philippine brands in the Middle East, creating more jobs back home,” wrote Almazar about his advocacy work at the UAE. The Asian Legal Business awardee also challenged lawyers to remember to use the practice of law to democratize wealth, ensuring social justice.   The post Barney Almazar wins SEA Young Lawyer of the Year appeared first on Good News Pilipinas. Related posts: Dubai lawyer advocates migrant Filipino rights, receives award Young’s Town sardines Read More …

May 302017
 
Carmen Legarda is 1st Filipina UK MP candidate

The Green Party in the United Kingdom has fielded human rights advocate Carmen Legarda as its candidate to be a member of parliament for Hendon- the first Filipina to be given the distinction. Carmen Legarda [via Facebook] The British-Filipina Legarda stands on a platform of human rights, stating that as a woman, an ethnic minority of Spanish-Filipino heritage, and as a human resources worker in 30 countries she “experienced firsthand how our society labels and segregates, rather than unites.” The University of the Philippines graduate has facilitated equality and diversity seminars worldwide, and is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (FCIPD). She is currently a consultant for immigration and employment law advice. Consistent with her political party’s Green Politics, Legarda espouses ecological concerns citing the Barnet Green Party monitoring that identifies parts of Hendon with air pollution at double the legal limit. The Green Party candidate is also proposing better community coordination with police about crime in Hendon, more affordable housing and university tuition for students. Legarda is running for the British general election which will be held on June 8, 2017.   The post Carmen Legarda is 1st Filipina UK MP candidate appeared first on Good News Pilipinas. Related posts: Filipina is Asia’s Next Top Model 1st Runner-up Filipina is 1st Asian, female President of a P&G global business Carmen’s Best local ice cream goes global Filipina is World’s Greatest Bartender

May 302017
 
Nico Santos cast in Crazy Rich Asians movie

Nico Santos [via Facebook] Comic Nico Santos has been cast in the upcoming Warner Bros. romantic comedy movie, “Crazy Rich Asians.” Santos, who plays the role of Mateo in the NBC hit comedy series “Superstore,” confirmed on twitter his inclusion in the film a day after Deadline Hollywood published an article announcing Santos’ joining the cast that includes Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Ken Jeong, Gemma Chan, and Awkwafina. “Crazy Rich Asians” is based on Kevin Kwan’s first novel in a trilogy, adapted to film by Adele Lim and Peter Chiarelli and directed by Jon M. Chu. The movie tells the story of Rachel Chu (Wu) who is surprised to find out her boyfriend Nick Young (Golding) is a member of an influential family in Singapore and needs to adjust to new friends and enemies to prove she is worthy to be the wife of Asia’s most eligible bachelor. The bio of the Philippine-born and raised Santos states he began his career in the United States as a stand-up comic in San Francisco, who immediately “became a popular fixture in the Bay Area comedy scene with his acute observations and quirky characters.” “Charming audiences with his sarcastic wit and outrageous sensibility, Santos has that rare ability to be crass and snarky while at the same time remaining completely likable,” his Superstore bio adds. The Superstore actor who plays a queer and undocumented Filipino worker competing against lead star Ben Feldman’s character Jonah, has also appeared in “2 Broke Girls,” Read More …