Faces of the News: February 9, 2025
Edwin Mercado
Barely a day being sworn into office as president and chief executive of Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Feb. 5, Dr. Edwin Mercado quickly put on his surgical gloves, so to speak, for his new task: stop the bleeding of the state insurer’s finances.
He promised to push reforms to plug “leakages” in PhilHealth’s benefit management and collection system, citing his experience as former head of a private hospital and medical service provider Qualimed. Mercado hopes to see PhilHealth further expanding benefits for members despite the lack of government subsidy in 2025.
He also vowed a reduction in the members’ out-ofpocket expenses in keeping with the objectives of the Universal Health Care Act. Mercado’s appointment came after months that saw a rising clamor for the ouster of Emmanuel Ledesma Jr., the man he replaced in the top PhilHealth post.
Ledesma had been hounded by controversies, from alleged mismanagement, the impounding of P89.9 billion in PhilHealth’s “excess funds,” to a database breach that may have exposed the private information and medical records of members. —MELVIN GASCON
Sara Duterte
On Feb. 5, Sara Duterte became the first vice president in Philippine history to be impeached by the House of Representatives, where 240 out of 306 members endorsed the last of the four impeachment complaints filed against her since December last year.
The complaint accuses her of betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, graft and corruption, and other high crimes. Among the incidents cited was her self-revealed plan to have President Marcos, first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez killed should an alleged kill plot against her succeed.
But at a press conference two days later, Duterte again denied making an assassination threat. She also disclosed that she had formed a legal defense team and that her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, wanted to be on it.
As to the complaint, the Vice President said she was just “okay” with it, belittling its impact. It is “more painful being dumped by a boyfriend or a girlfriend,” she said, than to be impeached by the House. Still, Duterte refused to answer at least five questions from reporters. —DEMPSEY REYES
Barbie Hsu
Filipinos join the fandom mourning the loss of Taiwanese actress and singer Barbie Hsu, who died of pneumonia on Feb. 2 after contracting influenza while on vacation in Japan. She was 48. Dee Hsu, her sister and the other half of pop duo S.O.S, broke the news. Her role as Shan Cai in “Meteor Garden” propelled her to stardom in the Philippines and the rest of Asia. Shan Cai’s fairy tale story made her a beloved character.
Her costars wrote their tributes for her including Jerry Yan who played Dao Ming Si in the show. He wrote in Chinese social media platform Weibo, “Thankful for meeting you. In your carefree, childlike years, you always said to live everyday as if it were your last and enjoy it to the fullest.
I hope this time, you will go slowly and from now, in another world, there will be no troubles, and the years will be peaceful.” Van Ness Wu, Ken Chu and Rainie Yang posted their tributes for her. Hsu is survived by South Korean musician DJ Koo, whom she wed in 2022, and her two children from entrepreneur Wang Xiaofei. Her ashes were returned to Taiwan on Feb. 5. —RUTH L. NAVARRA
Beyonce
She is the man, and she knows it. Pop icon Beyoncé finally won last week the Album of the Year award that had eluded her for years—and after four “snubs”—at the Grammy’s. It was her nod to country music that made the R&B singer clinch the Recording Academy’s highest honor, besting the likes of Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter.
Peppered with interludes from country icons Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, among others, the album, “Cowboy Carter,” was the Texas-born artist’s tribute to the genre’s black roots as it offered fresh takes on classics “Jolene” and “Blackbird” while introducing newer ditties alongside Miley Cyrus and Post Malone.
Earlier in the show, Beyoncé also won Best Country Album—surprising the Destiny’s Child alum who had to fend off racist remarks on the black community’s right to singing country and all things Americana. Blasting critics in her lyrics, she sings: “Then the rejection came, said I wasn’t country ’nough. Said I wouldn’t saddle up, but if that ain’t country, tell me, what is?” —IRA P. PEDRASA
Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis
Getting a generational superstar seems to have become a habit for the Los Angeles Lakers, who on Feb. 2 shook the NBA world by acquiring Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. The blockbuster trade came following a Lakers win over the New York Knicks.
For the deal to be completed, the Lakers had to give up Anthony Davis, a key fixture in their 2020 title run. The trade triggered excitement among those rooting for the purple-and-gold team, bewilderment among Mavs supporters, and utter shock among the neutrals.
By getting Doncic, the Lakers are poised to have a top-caliber player who will likely take on the mantle once LeBron James, still one of the league’s best at 40, finally retires. Dallas, on the other hand, hopes to justify the decision made by general manager Nico Harrison to send away Doncic and replace him with Davis at the helm.
Losing Davis meant that LA had to work another trade to fill a void in the middle. For this, the team eventually got Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for rookie Dalton Knecht. —JONAS TERRADO
