MICHELLE DEE, CROWNED MISS WORLD PHILIPPINES 2019

Michelle Marquez Dee, 24, from Makati City was crowned Miss World Philippines 2019 Sunday night at the Araneta Coliseum.  Michelle earns the right to represent the country for Miss World 2019 slated on the 16th of December in London, England.  Michelle stands 5'10" and is an advocate of helping children with special needs.  She is also into photography and sports like motorbiking and does boxing to keep her fit.

Like her famous mom 1979 Miss International Melanie Marquez, Michelle is also a top model.  Will she also win an international crown like her mom?  Unlike Miss Universe, the Philippines has only one Miss World titleholder (Megan Young) though there were a couple of 1st runner-up placements (1973 and 2011).

#missworldphilippines2019
#michelledee

STARMAGIC BALL 2019 STUNNERS

Once again ABS-CBN held it's annual Starmagic Ball attended by Kapamilya stars and other celebrities including 2015 Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach, held at Shanri-La The Fort, Taguig City.  This year, the ball will benefit the "Bantay Edukasyon" program of Banta Bata 163, which airm to grant scholarships to children in need and celebrities wore Filipiniana inspired dress and barong

Richard Gutierrez and Bea Alonzo were named Best Dressed of the Night.  Bea wore a single sleeve modernized black lace terno with slit designed by Jun Escario while Richard wore a  Barong Taggalog with modern twist.  Richard and partner Sarah Labhati were named Couple of the Night.  Other winners were chosen by sponsors.

Other stunners were Liza Soberano, Kathryn Bernardo (who wore a Michael Cinco gown), and Julia Barretto.  .The LGBT community were represented by Vice Ganda and teen gay youtube sensation Aura Briguela.  Vice wore two outrageous outfits but didn't get much attention. Another youtube star and ex-PBB housemate Fumiya Sankai wore a Japanese inspired barong.  

Netizens and ssome sites chose Liza Soberano and Kathryn Bernardo as the best dressed for female while Francis Magundayao and Johsua Garcia are among the best dressed male celebrities.

Photos courtesy of ABS-CBN, Mega Magazine and Rappler.com.
#ABSCBNBall2019

                  

VICE GANDA REPLIES TO SENATE PRESIDENT TITO SOTTO’S RANTS VS TRANSGENDER AND SOGIE BILL

The controversial issue resurfaced when Gretchen Custodia Diez, a transgender woman who was prevented by a janitress from using women’s restroom in a Cubao mall in Quezon City.   Diez took a video of the encounter which enraged the janitress who dragged her to the security room.  Diez was detained by the cops, handcuffed and shamed.  Diez says "I didn't think that I will be treated like a criminal." The incident went viral and the transwoman was asked to air her side at the Senate and issued a statement urging President Duterte pass the SOGIE Equality bill.  

“Mister President, naumpisahan na natin. Sana ipagpatuloy na natin ang pagpapasa sa SOGIE equality bill (Mister President, we already started it. I hope we follow through with the passage of the SOGIE equality bill),” Diez said in a press briefing at the Quezon City Hall.

Senate President Vicente Sotto II AKA Tito Sotto issued his stand on the COGIE Bill which draws mixed reactions from Netizens.

"If you are a man, you will never be a woman, no matter what you do, because you cannot reproduce. You cannot give birth, you do not have ovaries. You will never be a woman. So this, to me, the SOGIE Bill is a bill against women's rights." – Senator Tito Sotto

TV-Host and Unkabogable Gay Superstar Vice Ganda posted on his IG his response to Senator Sotto’s rants against transwomen and this is what he had to say:

Joke po ba ito Hon. Senate President Tito Sotto ??? Sinasabi nyo po ba na naniniwala kayo na ang pagiging BABAE ay nasusukat lamang sa pagkakaroon ng obaryo o matris at sa kakayahan lang na mabuntis o magka-anak? E paano po yung mga nagkaroon ng matinding karamdaman at tinanggalan ng obaryo? Di na po ba sila BABAE? Wala na ba silang karapatang tawaging BABAE? O bumaba na ba ang uri ng kanilang PAGKAKABABAE? Paano din po yung mga baog at walang kakayahang magka-anak? Ano po sila? Di na din sila BABAE? Mga wala na ba silang kwentang mga BABAE? At paano naman po yung mga BABAENG choice nila na wag mag-anak dahil ayaw nila dahil sa kanilang mga personal na rason? Di na din ba sila matatawag na BABAE? Paano din po yung mga BABAE na may obaryo pero pinayuhang wag magbuntis dahil sa medikal na kondisyon at maaring mameligro ang kanilang buhay? Di na din sila BABAE? Ano na po sila? Paano din po yung mga BABAENG may obaryo pero wala pang anak dahil ayaw naman nilang magpatira kung kani kanino? Ano na sila? Parang ang baba naman po pala ng tingin nyo sa mga BABAE. Naniniwala po ako na ang mga BABAE ay BABAE di dahil sa obaryo at sa kakayahang bumukaka at umire. Sila ay BABAE dahil sila ay BABAE. At MAY HALAGA sila may matris man o wala, magbuntis man o hindi,may anak man o wala dahil sila ay ay TAO at sila ay BABAE. Sinubukan ninyong maliitin ang konsepto ng pagiging TRANSGENDER sa paraang tinapakan nyo rin ang dignidad ng mga tinatawag nyong TOTOONG BABAE. Paumanhin po HON. SENATE PRESIDENT."  

ARE FILIPINOS READY FOR SOGIE BILL?

SOGIE is an acronym for the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Equality Bill.  The SOGIE BILL is also known as the Anti-Discrimination Bill (ADB). Accordingly, the bill was first filed in 2000 by the late Senator Defensor Santiago and former Akbayan Party-List Represetative Etta Rosales.  The bill passed the 3^rd reading in the House of Representatives but stalled in the Senate.  Similar measures were filed by other Senators in the 15th and 16th congresses which failed to see progress.^[3] The bill was re-filed by Defensor-Santiago in every congressional period in the Senate until the end of her last term in 2016. The counterpart bill in the House was also filed continuously by the representatives of Akbayan party-list.

It is intended to prevent various economic and public accommodation-related acts of discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.^[1] The current versions of the bill are championed by Kaka Bag-ao, Geraldine Roman, and Tom Villarin in the House of Representatives, and Risa Hontiveros in the Senate. The version in the House of Representative passed its third reading most recently on September 20, 2017, but died in the Senate.^[2] It has been refiled for the 18th Congress.