A grand rollout

Legisperit Publications Inc. gathered the country’s top legal minds for the exclusive launch of its much-anticipated 2025 Syllabus-Based Bar Review Collection at the elegant Casa Ibarra in SM MOA, Pasay City.

The event celebrated the release of the comprehensive series, crafted by respected law deans, professors, and seasoned practitioners, designed to equip bar takers with essential tools for the upcoming 2025 Bar Examinations. Also unveiled were key textbooks, including Casebook on Philippine Legal and Judicial Ethics by lawyers Hilarion Buban and Judy Lardizabal and The Family Code of the Philippines annotated by dean Viviana Martin Paguirigan.

Deans Cecilio Duka and Sergio Ceniza, lawyer Hazel Riguera, dean Alberto Deslate, and judge Belle Deslate

Exciting new titles on pivotal legal subjects were likewise announced, much to the delight of the country’s legal academia and aspiring barristers.

Adeel Dominic, Pops Fernandez, Lianne Quebic, Elmer Ngo, architect ReyJ Lorca

Dubai real estate eyes bright future

Social entrepreneur Lianne Quebic and architect ReyJ Lorca celebrated a promising new business collaboration with Dubai-based D&K Properties at an exclusive two-day affair held at the Grand Hyatt Manila in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City.

Marissa Fenton, Manolyne Taylor, Yoli Ayson, Malaysia ambassador H.E. Abdul Malik Melvin Castelino, Liza Mapagu, and Dilip Bidaraguppa Manjunath, Ana Presto, Czarina Ong, Mila Sering, Cora Rodrigo, Seherjanna Em HilarioNojor, Seher Dominic

The event, attended by distinguished guests from the government, diplomatic, business, and entertainment circles, marked the official launch of a venture that opens doors for Filipino investors eyeing the Dubai real estate market. With property prices in this renowned city now rivaling those in Makati and BGC — sans real property tax, capital gains tax (CGT), and value added tax (VAT) — the partnership offers a golden opportunity for Filipino entrepreneurs to expand their portfolios, apply for a Golden Visa, and even set up shop in the United Arab Emirates.

The Viennese Ball Committee (seated, from left) Johann Strauss Society of the Philippines (JSSP) vice president Gambia Consul Agnes Huibonhoa, Margie Moran Floirendo, JSSP president and event chairperson Olga Severino Martel, Austrian Ambassador Johann Brieger and wife Roswitha Brieger, JSSP chairman and Monaco Consul General Fortune Aleta Ledesma, treasurer Virginia Lane, and Nene Leonor with (standing, from left) Lilibeth Campos, Beging Soriano, Marissa Fenton, Fanny Blanco, Carmen Afzelius

Of waltzes and wonders

The ever-elegant Johann Strauss Society of the Philippines (JSSP), led by dynamic president and event chairperson Olga Severino Martel and chairman Monaco Consul General Fortune Aleta Ledesma, in collaboration with the City of Vienna, is set to host a spectacular Viennese Ball and Presentation of Debutantes on June 25 at the Rizal Ballroom of the Makati Shangri-La, Manila in Makati City.

Co-chairpersons of the event are Marissa Fenton for the Debutantes, treasurer Virginia Lane, and vice president Consul of Gambia Agnes Huibonhoa for ways and means.

In celebration of Johann Strauss II’s 200th birth anniversary, the evening promises an enchanting program featuring the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) under the baton of maestro Rainer Roos, with stirring performances by soprano Rachelle Gerodias and baritone Byeong In Park.

Guests can expect a dazzling waltz by the debutantes and a musical journey through beloved operettas and timeless waltzes, all in support of JSSP’s assistance to music scholars and other worthy organizations like the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) and the Philippine Cancer Society (PCS), among others.

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Johnny Litton by Jayelles PH and on Instagram: @jayellesph.