Filipinos who know Edward Chico usually know him one of two ways: as the lawyer explaining a Supreme Court ruling on the evening news, or as the guy on their feed making them laugh at that same ruling.
On December 17, both versions share a stage at the Newport Performing Arts Theater for Laugh Control: The Atty. Ed Chico Show, a pre-Christmas set built around politics, current affairs, and jokes at the expense of his own profession.
If you haven't seen him live yet, here's what you're missing.
The lawyer part is not a gimmick
Chico is a partner at a law firm. He teaches civil and commercial law review, lectures bar reviewees, and advises government offices and private companies. Networks call him in as a legal expert and political analyst.
So he isn't a comic who happens to hold a law degree. He's a practicing lawyer who turned out to be funny.
Tondo kid, working student
Chico paid his way through college and law school. At Ateneo Law, he finished the program in four years while juggling three jobs as chief legislative officer for the late Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, assistant editor at BSP Magazine, and anchor of a Saturday afternoon program on DWSS called "Youthspeak.” He was valedictorian in both elementary and high school.
Daily Tribune columnist Darren de Jesus, who caught one of his sets in May, wrote that Chico grew up in a broken home in one of the poorest parts of Tondo, Manila. It's material he uses on stage without asking anyone to feel sorry for him.
Journalism came first
Before the courtroom and long before the comedy clubs, Chico took up journalism at UP Diliman. He never really left the media. He writes columns for newspapers and magazines, including the Daily Tribune. He has been on Radyo Veritas since 2012, and Vanguard Radio Network carries his program "Batas Batas" across its stations at the same time nationwide.
That training shows. His sets are built like arguments, not like lists of jokes.
ANC once named him among the country's funniest
According to his professional bio, ANC included Chico in a list of the 10 funniest Filipinos in 2020. He has been working the local circuit since, with a style that runs on point of view rather than punchline count. He co-founded the comedy troupe Insanithink, belongs to Comedy Cartel, and signed with Viva Artists Agency in 2024.
Even other lawyers say he's good
Former COMELEC commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal watched Chico's "Hawak Mo Ang Bits" show in Quezon City on April 12 and wrote about it in his Manila Bulletin column. He described Chico's reading of Philippine politics as one of the wittiest he had come across, and said the jokes landed without belittling anyone in the room.
What stayed with Larrazabal was how Chico folded hard truths into stories about a difficult childhood told with resolve rather than a bid for sympathy.
He wants you to think first, then laugh
Chico is upfront about how hard that combination is. In an interview with Abogado.com.ph, he explained the trade-off:
"Sa comedy in general, pag gusto mo magpatawa, madali. Pero if you want to make a statement, you want to get across certain points, mahirap siya i-combine. Kailangan mo ng discipline para gawing nakakatawa,” he said.
That discipline is the whole selling point. He wants the audience to realize something first, then laugh at what they just realized.
Philippine politics gives him the most material
On "Your Honor," the GMA vodcast, Chico said politics here is already one big comedy because of how officials carry themselves. Turning them into material, he added, is at least a way of getting even with people who are genuinely infuriating to watch. The episode aired May 30.
Weeks earlier, he filled a bar in Bonifacio Global City owned, as it happened, by the Senate President's family, for a set that ran close to two hours and covered everything from family to the absurdities of Philippine governance.
Expect fresh material for the Newport show
"Laugh Control" is not a repeat set. The December show is billed as new material, personal stories, social commentary, and his take on whatever is trending by then. Given the Philippine news cycle, that's a lot of runway.
If you're planning to go, take a look at these:
ā Show: "Laugh Control: The Atty. Ed Chico Show"
ā Date: December 17, 2026
ā Venue: Newport Performing Arts Theater, Newport World Resorts
ā Tickets: On sale September 30, 2026 at 12 p.m. via newportworldresorts.com and ticket2me.net
ā Inquiries: (+63) 917 179 7688
Presented by VIP Access Media Productions and Lakbay Productions.