Faces of the News: April 20, 2025
Rolan Espinosa
It was supposed to be a simple campaign sortie. But little did Rolan “Kerwin” Espinosa, a confessed drug lord and now a mayoral candidate of Albuera town in Leyte, know that it would put his life at risk. Espinosa, 47, was shot and wounded while waiting for his turn to address the crowd during a sortie inside the covered court of Barangay Tinag-an on April 10.
Also injured were his sister and running mate, Mariel, and the daughter of one of their candidates for councilor. Espinosa, who survived the attack, condemned what had happened, saying it was meant to derail his bid to become the next mayor of Albuera. Espinosa, once tagged as the biggest drug lord in Eastern Visayas, is running on a platform to rid the town of illegal drugs.
The Leyte Police Provincial Office (LPPO) on April 14 filed cases of illegal possession of firearms and violation of the election gun ban against seven police officers who were considered “persons of interest.” According to Col. Dionisio Apas Jr., the LPPO director, the complaints were just “initial” filings as investigators continue to pursue leads for possible charges of frustrated murder. —JOEY GABIETA
Teresita Ang-See
Chinese-Filipino civic leader Teresita Ang-See said President Marcos should order a thorough scrutiny of the police force following three kidnappings that victimized ethnic Chinese, including businessman Anson Que, over a span of just five weeks.
Ang-See, founding chair of the Movement for the Restoration of Peace and Order, said it was time for Mr. Marcos “to check who his law enforcers are,” stressing that the relief of Brig. Gen. Elmer Ragay, the chief of the Philippine National Police’s Anti-Kidnapping Group (AKG), was not enough. There should be a command responsibility in the PNP, she said.
She also suggested that the AKG should revert to a task force, saying it had become merely “a stepping stone for promotion” and nobody had actually been focused on doing antikidnapping work and case buildups. Que and his driver Armanie Pabillo were found dead in Rodriguez, Rizal, on April 9, almost two weeks after they went missing.
The police and the Department of Justice said they were looking into Que’s possible dealings with a Philippine offshore gaming operator that led to his kidnap-slay. His family strongly denied this. —NESTOR CORRALES
Sara Duterte
After spending nearly a month in The Hague to assist her father in his case in the International Criminal Court (ICC), Vice President Sara Duterte came home to a better ranking in the latest survey by Pulse Asia released on Wednesday.
Duterte saw her approval numbers slightly jump to 59 percent in March from 52 percent in February. Her trust ratings also improved to 61 percent from 53 percent in the same period. The only daughter of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte with Elizabeth Zimmerman was the only high-ranking official who enjoyed an increased poll ranking. (She has yet to comment on the poll results, which her staff said she would address after the Holy Week break.)
A political analyst linked Duterte’s higher approval and trust scores to the disinformation regarding the arrest of her father. To Inquirer columnist Manuel L. Quezon III, the poll numbers look promising for Duterte and candidates who are aligned with her, but a look beyond the results hints that they are “not as much of a boost to Veep” since she only has “popularity,” and no “machinery.” —KATHLEEN DE VILLA
Sonia Bea Wee-Lozada
On April 16, the Commission on Elections (Comelec), through its Task Force SAFE (Safeguarding against Fear and Exclusion in Elections), filed motu proprio a petition to disqualify a Pasig City congressional candidate for alleged violation of the poll body’s Resolution No. 11116, which prescribes guidelines on fair campaigning, including curbs on discriminatory speech.
Comelec Director Sonia Bea Wee-Lozada, task force head, said the disqualification case against Christian Sia, who is running for Pasig’s lone House seat, is the first to be filed invoking the resolution. “We wanted to emphasize the importance of safe spaces not only in the general public, which we usually enjoy, regardless of the time.
Even if there’s no election, our public spaces should be safe spaces,” she said. Lozada issued a show-cause order (SCO) to Sia on April 4, for allegedly making a sexist joke about single moms during a campaign speech the previous day. He was issued another SCO on April 8 after making another joke about the physical attributes of his female staff at another campaign event. The task force has so far issued SCOs to six other candidates. —JEROME ANING
Rory McIlroy
As Rory McIlroy sank the putt that secured his long-awaited triumph at The Masters, CBS Sports play-by-play commentator Jim Nantz delivered a perfect description of the winning moment. “McIlroy has his masterpiece,” Nantz said in commentary after McIlroy became the 2025 champion of the event held at Augusta National in the US state of Georgia on April 13.
The 35-year-old Irishman finally got to wear the famous green jacket to complete golf’s career Grand Slam, having won the British Open, US Open and PGA Championship. It was his fifth Grand Slam victory, but perhaps the most special of them all, especially after numerous close calls at The Masters, including his collapse in 2011 when he squandered a fourshot lead going into the final round.
This time, he had a two-shot lead after 54 holes, only to shoot a 1-overpar 73, and was eventually forced into a playoff by England’s Justin Rose. But McIlroy would birdie the first playoff hole on the way to his date with destiny, pulling off one of the game’s famous victories in recent memory. —JONAS TERRADO
