Illustrations by Rene Elevera
Ed Monreal
When a Xiamen Airlines jet skidded off the runway last week—throwing Ninoy Aquino International Airport into maddening chaos—it was up to the airport’s general manager, Ed Monreal, to steer the country’s premier gateway through its first major crisis in years. The jury may still be out on whether or not he succeeded, but the former Cathay Pacific station manager emerged from it with a palpably resolute demeanor and a keen sense of pride in his agency. “I can look people in the eye and say I did my best,” he said, although normal operations did not resume until five days after the incident. Monreal was unabashed in his assessment of the situation, admitting at one point that he was “disappointed” with how airlines had handled thousands of their stranded passengers. He pledged at the height of the “unpredictable” situation: “We will only rest once this crisis is over.”
Mahathir Mohamad
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad this week spoke boldly about taking down a 9-kilometer wall surrounding the Malaysia-China Industrial Park in Kuantan, Pahang, after a news site quoted Chinese workers as saying that they were not allowed to go beyond the wall, while Malaysian officials were kept out. Said Mahathir: “An industrial park is not a foreign country, it should be under the laws of Malaysia; cutting out entry to local officials is not the right thing to do.” In his recent visit to China, Mahathir also defied caution when asked by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang if their countries were in agreement about upholding free trade. Free trade should also be fair trade, Mahathir said, adding: “We do not want a situation where there is a new version of colonialism happening because poor countries are unable to compete with rich countries.”
Hidilyn Diaz
The best thing about Hidilyn Diaz this week is not that she again played the heroine’s role for the Philippine delegation by winning the country’s first—and so far only—gold medal in the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta. It was how, after the tears that blurred her vision dried up enough to give her some clarity of sight, she has set her priorities moving forward: Gun for an Olympic gold in Tokyo. Help young kids change their lives through sports. “It can be done, an Olympic gold can be won,” Diaz said after her victory in the Asiad, worth P6 million so far. She plans to continue training with Chinese mentor, Gao Kaiwen, who spent two months restructuring her technique to achieve her gold target in Tokyo 2020. Diaz also wants to exit her career with a bang, hoping that her influence will help raise the profile of her sport and “help kids realize their dream in weightlifting.”
Pope Francis
As Pope Francis starts his weekend visit to Ireland for the World Meeting of Families, he faces a guarded crowd traumatized by reports of decades of sex abuse and maltreatment of children, orphans and unwed mothers in church-run institutions. The visit comes on the heels of a grand jury report from Pennsylvania that exposed how some 300 priests had sexually abused at least 1,000 minors in a cover-up that lasted for 70 years. In a letter to the “People of God,” the Pope said: “With shame and repentance, we acknowledge as an ecclesiastical community that we were not where we should have been, that we did not act in a timely manner, realizing the magnitude and the gravity of the damage done to so many lives.” But an apology isn’t enough, said the victims, adding that the Pope must order the opening of the secret files on predator priests and their names made public.
Imee Marcos
Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos ignited a firestorm when she asked people to “move on” from martial law. During the 35th anniversary of Ninoy Aquino’s assassination, Marcos tried to paint the issue as a feud between the Marcos and Aquino families. She even roped in the millennials, saying that they’ve moved on from the issue, and so should people from her generation. But the millennials and other generations weren’t having it, and slammed Marcos’ statement, saying there would be no moving on while the family of the late dictator remained unrepentant over martial law abuses and refuses to return their ill-gotten wealth. The Ilocos Norte governor has close ties to President Duterte, who credited her for helping him in the 2016 campaign. Her Solid North bloc also recently formed an alliance with Hugpong ng Pagbabago, the political party of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.