Faces of the News: April 6, 2025
Eusebio Tanco
Three years after launching what is now one of the country’s most popular digital entertainment games, Eusebio Tanco made his debut on Forbes Magazine’s list of the world’s billionaires. He joins veteran Forbes topnotchers in the country, such as real-estate mogul Manuel Villar and ports tycoon Enrique Razon Jr.
With a net worth of $1.2 billion, Tanco, who chairs DigiPlus Interactive Corp. and STI Education System Holdings, was the sole Filipino newcomer on the list released on April 1. He got richer than some of the tycoons who were kicked out of the list after many years, including Lance Gokongwei of JG Summit Holdings and William Belo of Wilcon Depot.
The rise in wealth of 75-year-old Tanco comes as one of the fruits of BingoPlus, the livestreaming bingo platform of DigiPlus. Since venturing into digital entertainment, DigiPlus has grown its user base to 40 million and tripled its profit to P12.6 billion last year.
Tanco’s company is now headed to Brazil after securing a federal license to operate online games in the South American country, where he promises games catering to the football-crazy population. —MEG J. ADONIS
Lucas Bersamin
After welcoming the Senate inquiry into the arrest of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte, Malacañang later changed its mind and decided that it was done with the probe. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin wrote to the Senate last week to “respectfully decline” further invitations.
Bersamin earlier told reporters that he wanted to prevent President Marcos’ Cabinet secretaries from being forced to answer questions on Duterte’s arrest that were already within the scope of executive privilege.
He said Sen. Imee Marcos’ invitation to the April 3 hearing of the Senate foreign relations panel included specific topics that might be covered by that prerogative. This led him to write to the Senate “so that they would be formally informed that in that hearing, our Cabinet secretaries and other executive officers will not be forced to respond to questions concerning these matters.”
In his letter, the Palace official said the officials already made “extensive disclosures” in an earlier hearing on Duterte’s arrest and that “future participation may no longer be necessary at this time.” He also cited the possibility of them violating the sub judice rule. —JULIE M. AURELIO
Nicholas Kaufmann
American writer Nicholas Kaufmann would have never imagined such a plot. Sharing a similar name—save for an extra N on his surname—with Nicholas Kaufman, the British-Israeli lawyer of detained former President Rodrigo Duterte, made him the unwilling focus of attention of Duterte’s loyal Filipino supporters.
The Facebook profile of Kaufmann, author of bestselling horror novels, got swamped with messages from pro-Duterte netizens in the days that followed the ex-president’s arrest on March 11.
Kaufmann on Tuesday complained of being persistently “flooded with followers and commenters” who refused to believe that he was not Kaufman despite repeated clarifications on his page.
His posts later generated comments from anti-Duterte individuals apologizing on behalf of so-called “die-hard Duterte supporters,” or DDS.
In an email to the Inquirer, the author said that while he appreciated the apologies, it had become “part of the problem.” He said he was “not enjoying” the “utterly overwhelming” experience and pleaded that he be spared by the online brouhaha. —KATHLEEN DE VILLA
Romeo Brawner Jr.
Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. told troops under the Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) to prepare for the evacuation of some 250,000 Filipinos from Taiwan in the event the self-ruled island is invaded by China.
Speaking at the Nolcom anniversary program at Camp Aquino in Tarlac on April 1, Brawner said the command should extend the sphere of its operations because the Philippines would “inevitably” be involved in such a potential conflict north of the country.
In reaction, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said certain people in the Philippines should not make “unfounded remarks” on Taiwan, warning that “those who play with fire will burn themselves.”
The AFP later explained that Brawner’s order was just a “prudent measure” to ensure military readiness for “noncombatant evacuation operations.”
On the part of the Palace, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the AFP chief’s remarks should be no cause for alarm since the country was only preparing for any eventuality but “we are not going to war.” —NESTOR CORRALES
Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced his “Liberation Day” set of tariffs, leading to a plunge in world financial markets and triggering recession fears. Trump announced a minimum tariff of 10 percent on global imports that was to go into effect on April 5.
He raised the tariff barriers to a high of 34 percent on imports from China, on top of a previous 20-percent tariff levied on the Asian economic giant. Smaller, poorer countries in Asia were slapped with tariffs as high as 49 percent.
The Chinese commerce ministry called the American action “unilateral bullying.” On Friday, China announced it would impose retaliatory tariffs of 34 percent on all US products beginning April 10, in the worst escalation of a trade war between the world’s top two economies.
“China played it wrong, they panicked—the one thing they cannot afford to do!” Trump wrote in all caps on his social media platform. The European Union is divided on how best to respond to Trump’s tariffs. Countries, such as Ireland, Italy, Poland and Scandinavian nations, for example, were cautious about retaliating
