Faces of the News: September 8, 2024
Gerardo Padilla
In a House hearing on Aug. 28, the former warden of the Davao Penal and Prison Farm (DPPF) said he was subjected to “intense pressure” from Royina Garma, one of former President Rodrigo Duterte’s most trusted police officers, to go along with a plot to kill three Chinese convicts in the DPPF in 2016. Gerardo Padilla, who is two months away from retirement, appeared nervous as he asked the House quad committee for an executive session where he promised to tell all about the operation that killed convicted drug lords Chu Kin Tung, Li Lang Yang and Wong Meng Pin. He said Garma, then the chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in Central Visayas, called him up and warned him to “not question” the operation and to “cooperate—or you will be sorry.” Asked by Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante why Garma “had that power and influence [over] you” when they were about the same rank, Padilla said he believed that Garma had the backing of “higher-ups.” —Krixia Subingsubing
Monalisa Dimalanta
Local energy players and stakeholders were greeted with a shocking development in the first week of September, as the Office of the Ombudsman ordered the six-month preventive suspension of Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chair Monalisa Dimalanta. It was to pave the way for an investigation into the complaint filed by a consumer interest group accusing her of neglect of duty. According to the National Association of Electricity Consumers for Reforms Inc., the ERC under Dimalanta’s helm failed to “recalculate the rate of Meralco that protects the interest of the public” due to delays in the regulatory process. The suspension order from Ombudsman Samuel Martires, said that charges against the ERC official involved “grave misconduct, grave abuse of authority, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.” Reached for comment, Dimalanta deferred issuing a statement , saying she would first wait for copies of the document. —Lisbet K. Esmael
Benhur Abalos
“Don’t judge my character based on one photo.” Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos had this to say on Saturday after receiving strong criticism for his controversial photo with dismissed Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo in Indonesia. Guo was all smiles posing for a cutesy photo with Abalos and Philippine National Police chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil while in Indonesia. Guo, who was arrested in Tangerang City on Sept. 3, was seen seated between Abalos and Marbil on a couch inside a room. “If you are going to judge my character just because of one picture—don’t be like that, don’t be like that,” Abalos told reporters in Quezon City. He insisted that the photo was taken for documentation purposes only. He also said he doesn’t personally know Guo, adding that “we are not close.” He, however, admitted that he already met Guo once during an event in Tarlac province organized by Gov. Susan Yap. “I don’t know Alice Guo. It’s only that time that I was able to talk to her so closely,” he said. —Nestor Corrales
Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark’s much-publicized rookie season in the WNBA not only ended the Indiana Fever’s long playoff drought but also made a league milestone. A game after securing the Fever’s place in the postseason, Clark became the first rookie to register a second triple-double in the season. She delivered 24 points, pulled 10 rebounds, and dished out 10 assists in Wednesday’s 93-86 victory over the Los Angeles Sparks. Clark is also the fifth WNBA player to have at least two triple-doubles in a season, joining Alyssa Thomas, Courtney Williams, Sabrina Ionescu and Candace Parker. Clark’s achievement came with Indiana having won five straight games and is 7-1 since the league took a break because of the Paris Olympics. Indiana is going to the playoffs despite starting the season at 1-8 as Clark and the Fever slowly climbed their way back and have an 18-16 record as of this writing. The Fever clinched a playoff berth after defeats by the Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky, who are led by fellow rookie and rival Angel Reese. —Jonas Terrado
Nicolas Maduro
While the political opposition protest and accuse him of stealing the last presidential election and many in the international community question his victory, President Nicolas Maduro decreed last Monday that Christmas in Venezuela would be celebrated earlier this year. “To honor you all, to thank you all, I am going to decree the beginning of Christmas on October 1,” the autocratic leader told a seemingly delighted crowd, CNN reported. Hours earlier, a Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant for his election rival, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who is accused of “crimes associated with terrorism.” Also, 2,400 are in jail for protesting the election results. Many more are hiding at home, fearing arrest and intimidation by Maduro’s supporters. “September smells like Christmas,” he declared. The country’s Catholic bishops decried the move, saying the religious event “is not to be used for political or propaganda goals.” “Christmas commences on December 25,” the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference said in a statement.
