OFW Guidebook Author Among TOYM Awardees
DUBAI: A lawyer who regularly runs a legal advice column in The Filipino Times is among this year’s recipients of the prestigious Ten Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) awards in the Philippines.
“I am deeply honored to be included in this year’s TOYM,” said Gulf Law’s Atty. Michael Barney R. Almazar. “I received a call that I was included in the shortlist of candidates for interview by the judges headed by Supreme Court Justice Teresita de Castro.”
Almazar, whose team of legal practitioners also holds weekly free legal clinics at the Philippine Consulate General, said the timing of the award was perfect.
“I have been appointed as chairman of the Middle East and African network of Filpinos in Diaspora under the Office of the President. I represent three million overseas Filipino workers in the Middle East and Africa. This is a good opportunity for us to continue and expand coverage of our legal assistance,” he explained.
First initiated by the Manila Jaycees, an elite business group, on April 6, 1959, TOYM celebrates Filipinos who have made an impact on Philippine society.
It has become an institution over the years and is often referred to as among the benchmarks of the recipients’ accomplishments as it gives them national recognition.
Among past recipients were the late Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., father of the Philippine Pres. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III; Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who is running in the May 2016 presidential race; Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, vice presidential candidate; and Senate Majority Floor Leader Alan Peter Cayetano who is likewise in for the vice presidential race were TOYM awardees as well.
Almazar authored the “Essential OFW Guide to UAE,” which was launched on June 12 this year in time for the 117th anniversary of the Philippine Independence Day.
The book is the A to Z of laws in the UAE that OFWs should be aware of.