Amal@MAP
Published Sep 10, 2020 10:00 pm
Arnold Salvador, executive director of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP), has never been tireless in farming out e-invites to join the organization’s monthly meetings conducted via Zoom and other available apps.
In his latest invitation through Webinar he said the meeting will proceed amidst the difficulty of gathering international speakers because of the pandemic.
I can fully understand Mr. Arnold as I peruse the line-up of the speakers: Dr. Terry Apoteker, chair and chief economist of France-based TAC Economics, a leading provider of economic, financial and risk advisory services; Dr. Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of New York-based Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). Launched in 2012, SDSN operates under the auspices of the United Nations and is designed to mobilize scientific and technical expertise in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. For the regional perspective, there’s Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi of Indonesia, the secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
What really caught my attention was Atty. Amal Alamuddin Clooney. Yes, she’s no less than the pretty wife of award-winning actor George Clooney. She’s a barrister, and special envoy of Global Media Freedom, British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
What’s the back story here?
“I was having my early morning walk around our village, to meet half of my self-imposed 10,000 daily steps, when the idea of inviting Atty. Amal crossed my mind,” MAP president Francis Lim narrated. As the head honcho of an association, Atty. Francis has to think out of the box to beguile members to attend the Web Conference. The challenge is: topics have to be absolutely timely, must have social-relevance, and are relatable. And the speakers, beyond respectability.
Excited of what you might call “divine enlightenment,” Atty. Francis presented to the committee the possibility of George Clooney’s wife to be one of the speakers. Of course, everyone agreed, though there was a bit of a struggle due to time difference. But Atty. Amal consented, including the topic assigned to her: Media Freedom in Global Crisis, for opinion framers or news interpreters.
Mr. Francis and Madame Amal have one common denominator: both are handling Rappler’s Maria Ressa’s cases.
Atty. Amal is not altogether foreign to the Philippine situation. In June last year, she raised before the UN General Assembly the issue of cases filed by the Philippine government against Rappler’s Maria Ressa. She is among Maria’s battery of international legal counsels.
And, who would ever forget. More than five years ago, she filed a case against the sovereign before the UN’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention against the continued confinement of then former President-turned-Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The working group, a body is under the UN Commission on Human Rights.
Curious, I did a bit of crowd sourcing if it is only me who is star-struck on Atty. Amal speaking before the MAP membership. I received mixed comments from “famous, pretty human rights advocate, but I am not sure how committed and intelligent she really is,” to “quite aggressive,” to “Wondering what her view is on this global topic and how she’s using her platform to responsibly raise this global issue.”
And, the best positive reaction I received was one congratulating MAP: “Despite her youth and beauty, Amal is a great mind and believable resource person on media freedom. MAP has picked a good speaker on currently relevant issues.”
To Atty. Francis and his MAP team, congratulations. I look forward to Tuesday next week for MAP’s Web CEO Conference, which by the way is open, at no cost, to students as well. I raise my glass. Salud!
Talkback to me at [email protected]
In his latest invitation through Webinar he said the meeting will proceed amidst the difficulty of gathering international speakers because of the pandemic.
I can fully understand Mr. Arnold as I peruse the line-up of the speakers: Dr. Terry Apoteker, chair and chief economist of France-based TAC Economics, a leading provider of economic, financial and risk advisory services; Dr. Jeffrey D. Sachs, director of New York-based Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN). Launched in 2012, SDSN operates under the auspices of the United Nations and is designed to mobilize scientific and technical expertise in support of the Sustainable Development Goals. For the regional perspective, there’s Dato Paduka Lim Jock Hoi of Indonesia, the secretary-general of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
What really caught my attention was Atty. Amal Alamuddin Clooney. Yes, she’s no less than the pretty wife of award-winning actor George Clooney. She’s a barrister, and special envoy of Global Media Freedom, British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
What’s the back story here?
“I was having my early morning walk around our village, to meet half of my self-imposed 10,000 daily steps, when the idea of inviting Atty. Amal crossed my mind,” MAP president Francis Lim narrated. As the head honcho of an association, Atty. Francis has to think out of the box to beguile members to attend the Web Conference. The challenge is: topics have to be absolutely timely, must have social-relevance, and are relatable. And the speakers, beyond respectability.
Excited of what you might call “divine enlightenment,” Atty. Francis presented to the committee the possibility of George Clooney’s wife to be one of the speakers. Of course, everyone agreed, though there was a bit of a struggle due to time difference. But Atty. Amal consented, including the topic assigned to her: Media Freedom in Global Crisis, for opinion framers or news interpreters.
Mr. Francis and Madame Amal have one common denominator: both are handling Rappler’s Maria Ressa’s cases.
Atty. Amal is not altogether foreign to the Philippine situation. In June last year, she raised before the UN General Assembly the issue of cases filed by the Philippine government against Rappler’s Maria Ressa. She is among Maria’s battery of international legal counsels.
And, who would ever forget. More than five years ago, she filed a case against the sovereign before the UN’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention against the continued confinement of then former President-turned-Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The working group, a body is under the UN Commission on Human Rights.
Curious, I did a bit of crowd sourcing if it is only me who is star-struck on Atty. Amal speaking before the MAP membership. I received mixed comments from “famous, pretty human rights advocate, but I am not sure how committed and intelligent she really is,” to “quite aggressive,” to “Wondering what her view is on this global topic and how she’s using her platform to responsibly raise this global issue.”
And, the best positive reaction I received was one congratulating MAP: “Despite her youth and beauty, Amal is a great mind and believable resource person on media freedom. MAP has picked a good speaker on currently relevant issues.”
To Atty. Francis and his MAP team, congratulations. I look forward to Tuesday next week for MAP’s Web CEO Conference, which by the way is open, at no cost, to students as well. I raise my glass. Salud!
Talkback to me at [email protected]