Faces of the News: November 10, 2024
Eduardo Acierto
Former police Col. Eduardo Acierto testified at the House quad committee that he had gone into hiding because ex-President Rodrigo Duterte and his close aide and now Sen. Bong Go wanted him dead—and had even placed a P50-million bounty on his head.
Addressing the panel on Nov. 7 via a video call, Acierto maintained that his 2017 confidential report linking ex-presidential economic adviser Michael Yang and Allan Lim to the illegal drug trade was solid, but that Duterte and Go tried to discredit him and his team by hurling just about any accusation at them. He said he became such a target apparently because was able to piece together, through intel work and certain photos, that Duterte and Go served as the “protectors” of Yang and Lim.
Acierto was deputy director for administration of the Drug Enforcement Group of the Philippine National Police when he was dismissed from the service in 2018. He then disappeared after being linked to gun smuggling operations supposedly to help arm the communist New People’s Army, and later to the drug trade as well. —JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE
Sherwin Gatchalian
Am I my family members’ keeper? Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian may have asked himself this question after a pricey sport utility vehicle with protocol plate No. “7”—a marker reserved for senators—was caught on video nearly hitting a traffic enforcer to avoid being flagged down for illegally using the Edsa busway.
Seeing the Nov. 3 incident that happened in Makati City, many netizens heaped scorn on Gatchalian as the investigation later revealed that the white Cadillac Escalade was owned by a company whose top officers include his brother Kenneth and father William Gatchalian, the country’s Plastics King. Known for keeping a calm demeanor, the senator found himself in a bind as he tried to distance himself from the issue.
While he was not in the vehicle at the time of the incident, Gatchalian refused to confirm if the Escalade indeed belonged to his relatives, saying he would rather let the Land Transportation Office conclude its investigation. He also stressed that he had never tolerated abuse of authority throughout his years in government. —MARLON RAMOS
Kamala Harris
What could have possibly gone wrong? Soon after US President Joe Biden stepped aside in July and let her replace him as the Democrat bet for the White House, Vice President Kamala Harris hit the ground running with only three months left to campaign.
Buoyed by her party’s enthusiasm, a growing popularity, and the endorsement of A-list celebrities (Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Arnold Scwharzenegger, Leonardo DiCaprio, Eminem, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, to name a few), she pole-vaulted in the surveys, going head-to-head with Republican rival Donald Trump. The 60-year-old former California attorney general seemed certain of shattering the glass ceiling to become the first female US president.
Then came Election Day. In the end, party mates laid the blame for Harris’ defeat on Biden’s feet, saying the octogenarian should have decided early on not to seek reelection and that his low popularity rating added to her baggage. For other critics, however, Harris’ struggle to differentiate herself from Biden ultimately cost her the race. —PRESS RELEASE
Donald Trump
As of this writing, Donald Trump has garnered 301 Electoral College votes— way above the 270 threshold and Kamala Harris’ 226—to win the White House for the second time. He also won the popular vote to pull off a stunning comeback. And as the dust further settled, the once-disgraced ex-president also emerged as the runaway winner in the swing states.
Yet until the voting counting began, all these seemed unimaginable. After he lost to Joe Biden in 2020, his supporters stormed Capitol Hill, adding to his political career’s dark history. In the next four years, he was indicted four times, convicted on 34 felony counts, found to have inflated his assets in a civil fraud trial, and found liable for sexual abuse. He also survived two assassination attempts during the campaign.
But the 78-year-old billionaire turned these mishaps around— thanks largely to the Biden administration’s own missteps. Voters were in a bad mood about the economy and high border crossings. White voters in favor of the Republican have also increased, and so have Latinos. Suddenly, the stars aligned, so to speak, to give Trump four more years in power. —PRESS RELEASE
Chot Reyes
Chot Reyes steered TNT to a successful defense of its PBA Governors’ Cup title on Friday, beating Barangay Ginebra and his good pal and former superior Tim Cone in six games. “If you’re asking me what my reflections are about this victory, it’s just really the gratitude I feel for everything that has transpired, everything that has happened.
Especially gratitude for the trust and the effort of my players. I guess that’s the best way to summarize how I feel right now,” the former national coach said shortly after the clincher game that drew more than 14,000 fans to Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Reyes captured his 10th PBA title and helped the telco franchise also to its 10th championship since joining the league.
TNT also joins Magnolia (formerly Purefoods), the now-defunct Alaska, Barangay Ginebra and San Miguel Beer in the prolific roster of teams with double-digit PBA titles. Reyes stressed that the latest victory was a collective effort—mainly involving Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, Jayson Castro, Roger Pogoy, Calvin Oftana and Kelly Williams. —DENISON REY A. DALUPANG
