Filipina, 62, Aces PH Bar Exam on First Take

Rosula Calacala (Source: The Star | Photo by Ernie Penaredondo)

Rosula Calacala, 62, was one of the 3,812 examinees who passed the 2023 Bar Examinations in the Philippines. She passed the licensure test for lawyers on her first take (See Philstar.com for story).

Fil-Am Places 4th in ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating

Peter Gloseclose (Source: Inquirer.net)

After a five-year hiatus in the global ice skating scene, the Philippines set a triumphant comeback as Filipino American Peter Groseclose came in fourth in the 1000m event and sixth in the 500m event of the ISU Junior World Cup Speed Skating 1 (See Inquirer.net for story).

Jollibee Ordered to Pay $85,000 to Filipino Workers in New Jersey

Jollibee Foods Corp., founded by billionaire Tony Tan Caktiong, has been ordered by the US National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to pay $84,600 (approximately P4.5 million) for the alleged improper termination of nine Filipino employees in Jersey City, New Jersey (See Bilyonario.com for story).

San Miguel Corp. Among Forbes' 50 Best Employers for '23

San Miguel Corporation (SMC) has made it to the top 50 of Forbes' annual list of the best 700 employers in the world. SMC made it to number 43 on the World's Best Employers List by Forbes and market research firm Statista (See Spot.ph for story).

Filipinos Among Top Schengen Visa Applicants

In 2022, Filipinos filed a total of 152,817 Schengen visa applications, according to data from Schengen statistics cited by travel site VisaGuide.World. That number puts Filipinos at 13th place on the list of countries that have filed the most number of Schengen visa applications in the world (See Esquire.ph for story).

Patricia Evangelista's 'Some People Need Killing' Is on NYT's 10 Best Books of '23

Former Rappler reporter Patricia Evangelista’s book, Some People Need Killing is 10 Best Books of 2023. “This powerful book mostly covers the years between 2016 and 2022, when Rodrigo Duterte was president of the Philippines and pursued a murderous campaign of extrajudicial killings” (See New York Times for story).

Quezon City Launches Chatbot to Help vs. Violence Against Women

The Quezon City government has launched “Chatbot Sophia” to help end violence against women. Mayor Joy Belmonte expressed full support and gratitude to partner agencies for choosing Quezon City as the new hub of Chatbot Sophia, a computer program (See Manila Standard for story).

Pinay Entrepreneur Included in BBC 100 Women '23

Louise Mabulo (Source: Philstar.com)

The Cacao Project founder Louise Mabulo has been included in this year's BBC 100 Women list. The BBC annually highlights a hundred influential and inspiring women through research and suggestions by the BBC's network of World Service Languages teams and Media Action division (See Philstar.com for story).