Pinay maid-turned-photographer Xyza Bacani lands on Forbes list of under 30 achievers 

Filipina-maid-turned-photographer Xyza Cruz Bacani was among the Filipinos who made it to Forbes magazine's "30 Under 30 Asia List" populated by "promising young leaders, daring entrepreneurs, and game changers."

The 29-year-old Bacani made the cut in the Arts category along with Ronson Culbrina, 24.

"Bacani takes black-and-white photos of Hong Kong street life, building on her knowledge of the city as a domestic worker there for 10 years," Forbes said.

Bacani came to Hong Kong when she was 18 years old to be with her mother, who as among the 300,000 other women working as maids in the city. Her inspirational journey started with a camera bought with money borrowed from her employer.

"Bacani took an interest in photography when in college, but she could not afford a camera then," Forbes said.

Using her camera, Bacani, who won a Magnum Foundation Human Rights Fellows award last year, took photographs at every opportunity she had, whether out buying daily produce for her employer or ranging across Hong Kong on Sundays off work.

"Her documentary photos have revealed conditions of domestic workers facing human rights issues," Forbes noted.

Other Pinoys on the list

Meanwhile, singer Charice Pempengco, 23, who holds the distinction of being the second Filipino to rank on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, joins Japanese tennis player Kei Nishikori and Korean singer Yuna, and actress Australian actress Ruby Rose in the Entertainment and Sports category.

Leandro Leviste, 22, leads the Manufacturing and Energy list, receiving recognition for his work in Solar Philippines. Forbes said Leviste's company has completed building the largest solar farm in Luzon.

Also on the list were 29-year-old Henry Motte-Munoz of Bantay.ph and Edukasyon.ph and SALt CFO Raphael Mijeno, 28, who are both under the Social Entrepreneurs category.

Under the Health and Science category was inventor Ahmed Dialiv "Amin" Hataman who, at 15, was one of the youngest on the list. Hataman was credited for inventing a bag made from nata de coco.

Helping people find love through dating app Peekawaoo helped Valenice Balace, 27, land a spot under Consumer Tech, while Rachel De Villa, the 23-year-old founder of Cropital, was listed under Finance and Venture Capital.

Loudbasstard co-founder and CEO Koh Martinez Onozawa, 23, also drew attention in the field of Retail and E-Commerce. —AT/KBK, GMA News