10/14/13

MANUEL RODRIGUEZ



Photo taken 2011
Manuel Abuyo Rodriguez II (b. 13 July 1988) [nicknamed Mannyboy or Yboy] is an advocate of liberalism, democracy, and good governance. He is
currently a law student at the Far Eastern University, Manila and works as a Legal Researcher at Renta Pe Causing and Sabarre Law Firm.

EARLY LIFE
Born in Mandaluyong City, Philippines. His father is the late Manuel P. Rodriguez, a movie writer, actor and director and was part of the electoral college of the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) now known as the Luna Awards. His mother is Helionida Abuyo- Rodriguez a former accountant and currently working fulltime in Christian ministry as a Bible Teacher and Church Elder at the Cosmopolitan Church, Manila.

He was raised in Pandacan, Manila in a Christian Protestant background.

EDUCATION
Cadet 2nd Lt. Rodriguez (2005)
Rodriguez earned pre-elementary education at the Philippine Christian University (PCU), Manila and had elementary education in two institutions namely the Miracle Life Christian Academy in Quezon City and Jesus Reigns Christian Academy in Manila where he had his elementary diploma. He spent his high school years at the Christian Academy of Manila where he was officer of the Mathematics Club and held the rank of Cadet 2nd Lieutenant of the Citizen Advancement Training. During his senior year in High School, he was part of the roster of the school's Basketball team; however he never played a single game due to the school’s pull out of the tournament. 
Rodriguez as a pre-school graduate of PCU
 (Photo taken 1993)

He graduated college in 2009 at the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas in Manila where he was a student athlete with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Legal Management. Upon graduation he immediately entered the pursuit of legal education with the same University. In 2010 he transferred at the Institute of Law of the Far Eastern University also in Manila.

Rodriguez also studied theology and has Certificates of Biblical Studies from the Bible University, Canada (BU) and at Ames International School of Ministry, Fort Myers Florida (AISOM). He is yet to finish his Certificate in Ministry course at the Birmingham Theological Seminiary, Florida.

EDUCATOR
At age 21, Rodriguez became a Professor of the Humanities at the Lyceum of the Philippines University in Manila.


STUDENT LEADERSHIP
During his college years, he held several positions in different organizations in the University. He was Vice President Internal of the Community Achievers’ Association, Vice President Internal of the local UNESCO chapter, Student Council Officer, and a political party Chairperson.
Rodriguez as a political candidate of SDP (2007)

It was in 2007 that the student body elected Rodriguez for a one year term as Public Relations Officer of the Student Council. During his term, he was an advocate of students’ rights and welfare. After his stint in the Student Council, he was elected by his peers to be the Chairperson of their political party, the Students’ Democratic Party (SDP), the oldest “student” political party in the Philippines.

During his term as the Chairperson, SDP was a staunch critic of the unpopular administration of former Philippine President Gloria Arroyo.  He served the term until his graduation in March 2009.

Upon entering the UST Law, he was appointed as Vice President Internal of Batas Tomasino, the official law society of the University of Santo Tomas and Auditor of the UST Chapter of the Legal Network for Truthful Elections, Inc. (LENTE), a non-partisan election watchdog accredited by the Commission on Elections. He later on became President of LENTE but served the term for only a semester due to his transfer to the Institute of Law of the Far Eastern University (FEU).

In FEU, he still excelled on his leadership. He was student volunteer, turned litigation chairperson, turned Secretary General of the Legal Aid Bureau and a Staff Writer turned Articles Editor of the editorial board of the school’s law journal, the Far Eastern Law Review.

In 2011, he helped found a political party based in FEU Law, the Sulong Party. He was also the team captain of the law school’s football team.    

CHURCH LEADERSHIP
Rodriguez is a member of the Cosmopolitan Church in Manila, one of the oldest protestant churches in the Philippines. He served as Treasurer, Secretary, and Vice President of the Christian Youth Fellowship and as Treasurer of the Christian Young Adult Fellowship. He was also a member of the choir of the said church.

RELIGIOUS BELIEFS
Rodriguez was born and raised in a Protestant Christian family. He used to profess the doctrine of the denomination United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP).

Currently, he refuses to be associated with any Christian denomination. He claims himself to be a non-denominational Christian. 
Rodriguez as a paralegal volunteer for LENTE
(Photo taken 2010)

SOCIO-CIVIC ACTIVITIES
Rodriguez was a teacher volunteer in outreach programs of his Church and the Community Achievers’ Association. He had experience teaching both urban street kids and indigenous children in the mountains. As the Litigation Chairperson of the Legal Aid Bureau, he assisted indigent litigants with their cases and was resource speaker in some paralegal seminars.

Prior to the national 2010 elections, he served as a part of the voter’s education campaign of LENTE wherein he was tasked to be a resource speaker in different election forums.

On Election Day of 2010, he worked with election watchdog LENTE by being the coordinator for the elections in the 6th District of the City of Manila.

Rodriguez with Chief Justice Renato Corona (2012)
He was also a paralegal volunteer for the Legal Department of the Government Panel’s Monitoring Committee in the peace process with leftist rebels.  During the impeachment trial of the former Chief Justice, Renato C. Corona, he served as a paralegal volunteer for the defense team.

On 2013 National Midterm elections, he worked as a paralegal on the campaign of re-electionist Mayor Noel Abella Nacar of the Municipality of Dasol, Pangasinan, Philippines.

SPORTS ACTIVITIES
Rodriguez was a practitioner of the martial art Arnis. In 2005, he became Champion of the Unang Pambansang Digmaan Junior Division. An Arnis tournament held at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila and hosted by the Arnis Association International, Inc. (AAII). During his senior high school, he was part of the Basketball Varsity, however he never played a single game due to his school's pull out to the tournament that year.

Rodriguez as captain of
FEU Law Football Team
(2013)

Rodriguez played as striker in all his years as student athlete with the Football Team of UST Faculty of Arts and Letters. Aside from the annual Unity Games, he also represented his school in outside tournaments some of which were the Ang Liga National League and the Beach Football Association of the Philippines annual tournament. He is currently a part of the roster of the alumni team.

In FEU, he served as the team captain of the law school’s football team. He was part of the 2010 2nd runner up team of the annual inter-law school football tournament. On 2011, as captain, he led the team on a first runner up finish of the same tournament.

In 2010, he co-founded the Football Club Manila South.

PUBLISHED WORKS
In the Volume XLIII of the Far Eastern Law Review he contributed "A Nation's Journey to the Long and Winding Road to Peace: Revisiting the Comprehensive Agreement on the Respect for Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law." Published in 2012 by the Far Eastern University.







My photo
Professor of "The Humanities" at the Lyceum of the Philippines University. Law Student at the Far Eastern University, Institute of Law. President and former Auditor of Legal Network for Truthful Elections (UST Chapter) Former Vice President- Internal of Batas Tomasino: The UST Law Society, Former Chairperson of UST-Students' Democratic Party. Former Vice President- Internal of UST UNESCO. Former Public Relations Officer (PRO) of UST Arts and Letters Student Council. Former Vice President Internal of Community Achievers' Association (UST-AB). Bachelor of Arts in Legal Management (University of Santo Tomas, '09) High School Education (Christian Academy of Manila, '05)