Atty. Levi Baligod's Sensible Advice for Celebrities Sharing on Platforms

Got the chance to talk to Atty. Levi Baligod over lunch yesterday and found out how impressive of a lawyer he is. The man who represented Benhur Luy, the person who became the whistleblower in the PDAF scam. He hails from Baybay City in Leyte and finished his law degree in San Beda and UE in the late 90's. He's a formidable trial lawyer, represented victims of the Teves terror group.

His high profile cases colorful life certainly would have been perfect for a movie. He even mentioned how he wanted Richard Gomez and Lucy Torres Gomez to portray them in their life story, primarily because of regional pride, the moreno and tisay skin which they both have. He wants to serve the 5th District and solve pressing matters that have hounded the province, to hopefully change the lives of his constituents... which he wants to do with the highest standards.

Atty. Levi says "Hunger is still prevalent in the country, some even eat harmful root crops that they lay on the river to remove toxins, to eat. The answer of some officials is dole outs. It's the worst form of government programs, because it will only encourage dependency. It even says in the bible to teach people how to fish, funds could be used for different projects for food security like putting up Barangay food centers. They would be the ones who would purchase directly from farmers, to have lesser middlemen... cheaper farm to market price. They've already done similar things in Davao del Sur. They helped in processing rice and farm products instead of traders. This produced higher earnings for farmers, and more affordable."

He adds "Sadly now, you can't buy something for 30 pesos that is edible even for chickens. This would also become easier for calamities because you have food ready in communities. I have represented farmers who also had defective seeds, to help them recover damages by suing the company that supplied them with it. I want the hard cases, to help those who are being wronged."

 

He also advises showbiz stars not to use their platforms for spreading unverified information because it can be harmful to do that and influence people with it. He also mentioned how he would want to run based on credentials rather than hiring a celebrity to endorse him. 

Make sense.

Maisen Opens Biggest Branch in Megamall

The well loved Maisen from Tokyo just landed in Manila. It's been dishing out the best Tonkatsu in the land of the rising sun since 1965. It also just opened a bigger store in SM Megamall and by the looks of it, it's the first one to open in any SM branch for that matter. When I asked the servers, they said they haven't really run out of people in this one and says sales have been phenomenal. The best Tonkatsu in the world is proving it's worth and we were there to witness its  grand launch a few days ago. It was also witnessed by celebrities Ruru Madrid, Gabbi Garcia, Enzo Pineda, male supermodels River Viiperi, Kevin Hub Smith, Eian Scully and executives from Suyen Corporation. The Maisen franchise has been acquired by Suyen Corporation, CEO Ben Chan, famous Chef Florabel Co - Yatco, restaurateur Rikki Dee (who's got several restaurants in his belt), Richard Gomez, Congresswoman Lucy Torres Gomez and the Queen of all media Ms. Kris Aquino. Izutsu Maisen Co. Ltd.'s very own President and CEO Takeshi Okamoto and Corporate Planning Director Tadakazu Fujishiro were also there to bear witness, they flew all the way from Japan. As for it's authenticity, Japanese expats who originally had it in Tokyo plus tourists who also tried it recently said it tasted the same. Now if that doesn't get you interested in trying out Maisen's Tonkatsu, you're going to have to watch this!

MAISEN Tonkatsu SM Megamall Launch by kumagcow

Maisen has their existing Greenbelt 5 branch for those in the south, whilst they also have another in SM City North Edsa for those up north. The biggest one in SM Megamall has a stand alone beverage area so service is impeccable. The Tonkatsu by far is the softest I've ever had in my entire life. I thought it would have crunch out side but it kinda just crumbles and melts in your mouth when you bite into it. It's that good! For this occasion, they also flew in Yorkshire pork for us from Japan. It was one for the books! You can imagine how the sauce, their own home made like bread crumbs, makes Maisen the number 1 Tonkatsu maker in the world! 

Now head on to SM Megamall's 3F Building A right in front of the Cinemas. Maisen isn't a fad, it's the real thing! It's legit!

For more information about the best Tonkatsu in the world:

Maisen Philippines

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http://www.instagram.com/maisenph

6200 MISSION POSSIBLE: Bench and Congresswoman Lucy Torres-Gomez

A couple of days ago it was my first time to go to the new Fairview Terraces owned and operated by Ayala Malls. It was a bit special because Bench and Congresswoman Lucy Torres Gomez was launching 6200 Mission Possible, a charity that would benefit 6200 fishermen and their families by giving them their own fiber glass bancas that can last them for generations to come.

Lucy told us the story behind this cause. Initially Mr. Ben Chan was trying to help Yolanda victims through Ms. Lucy Torres Gomez. He usually gives funds to create these awesome bancas for the fishermen and their families. One became 5, then another, then another. They decided later on to make this formal and get the public to help with the cause. It's even easier now because it'll be through purchases in Bench stores that you'll be able to help.

Each 500 peso purchase of any Bench products will have a percentage of this sale go to the charity making it POSSIBLE for them to give these fishermen hope that they can work the next day and stop begging for relief goods by working again to feed their families. It's a more permanent way of solving the problems in that area.

Aside from Mr. Richard Gomez beside Congresswoman Lucy Torres Gomez, Bench and Suyen Corporation executives also chipped in to get these on head way. They also postponed their Christmas celebrations and donated the fund for this cause. They are still far from the target but they have already helped thousands of fisher folk through this charity. The rest would be up to you now. Just buy something for you or your loved ones in Bench stores and it'll automatically help them get the bancas they need to make a living.

Then a couple more celebrities came in to help

That's Kim Chiu, Enchong Dee, Marky Stroemm, Joseph Marco and the hot Teng brothers. 

Karylle, Lovi Poe, Richard Gomez, Rachelle Ann Go, Sir Ben Chan and Lucy Torres Gomez

Hello Kim Chiu! =)

As a symbolic gesture we also signed the commitment wall then floated a few paper bancas to symbolize our support for the cause. I loved this part!

To make you see the coverage even better, I got some of it on video. Apologies I was shooting with my DSLR on my right hand and holding my phone on the other. Hench it's a little shaky.

If you want to know how to help, please check out the channels below:

For more information about their stores:

Bench/ lifestyle + clothing

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http://www.benchtm.com