Faces of the News: June 6, 2021
Alfonso Cusi
One is bound to realize the drawbacks of “wearing different hats,” especially when problems crop up simultaneously.
Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, as vice chair of the ruling party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, presided on May 31 over a controversial national council meeting in Cebu City, which had the blessings of the party chair, President Rodrigo Duterte, but not of the party president, Sen. Manny Pacquiao.
The meeting took place just as the Luzon power grid was hit by a shortage of electricity supply, a situation which the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines warned about in April but was deemed unlikely by the Department of Energy (DOE).
With the ensuing brownouts not only vexing millions but also putting refrigerated COVID-19 vaccines at risk of spoilage, Pacquiao later took to the Senate floor to excoriate Cusi for supposedly prioritizing politics instead of doing his job in the DOE. Cusi explained that his agency was not just him but an entire team working hard to deliver.
Still, the Luzon red alert went on for three straight days.
—Ronnel W. Domingo
Gilbert ‘Gibo’ Teodoro
After years with hardly a blip in the national scene following his loss in the 2010 presidential race, former Defense Secretary Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro appeared set on reviving his political career as he met last week with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.
Teodoro, according to his friend, former Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr., is running for vice president in the 2022 elections.
A “done deal,’’ Andaya said of the Sara-Gibo tandem, although the President’s daughter remained mum about the meeting amid all that ambient chatter about her vying to be her father’s successor.
The meeting was described as having “ended very well,” but with Teodoro also drawing some scrutiny from the Department of Health (DOH) after the Tarlac resident got himself inoculated against COVID-19 while in Davao.
The DOH said it would investigate but was also was quick to say it was not that strict about the “geographic limitations” of its own vaccination protocols. Teodoro is expected to return to Davao for his second dose.
—Nestor Corrales
The Eternals
Much like how Jack Kirby cocreated the Marvel Universe, the Eternals were super-powered, long-lived individuals created by the spacefaring race called the Celestials to oversee life on Earth, first appearing in “The Eternals” #1 comics in 1976.
A schism within the Eternals led to a faction leaving Earth to establish a colony on Titan — later leading to the birth of Thanos — yes, that Thanos.
The Eternals who stayed on Earth were often mistaken for and worshipped as gods.
In 2006, Neil Gaiman wrote a new “Eternals” miniseries with the Eternals living as ordinary humans with no memories of their true natures — until Ikaris awoke and went about awakening the other Eternals to find out what happened.
In 2018, it was announced that “Eternals” would be the 26th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), announced for a Nov. 5 release and heralding the vaunted Phase Four.
The movie received much attention after its awe-inspiring teaser trailer dropped on May 24.
—Ruel S. De Vera
Naomi Osaka
“The truth is I have suffered bouts of depression since the US Open in 2018 and I have had a really hard time coping with that,” said world No.2 Naomi Osaka after announcing her withdrawal from the ongoing French Open.
The four-time Grand Slam winner said she was “already feeling vulnerable and anxious” in Paris, which was why she decided to “exercise self-care and skip the press conferences.”
She added that on the eve of the French Open, the press interviews were having a detrimental effect on her mental health.
The 23-year-old superstar was fined $15,000 for skipping her postmatch interview in the first round and was threatened with disqualification.
Accepting that her timing and manner of relaying her message was far from ideal, Osaka decided “the best thing for the tournament, the other players and my well-being is that I withdraw so that everyone can get back to focusing on the tennis going on in Paris.”
Other athletes along with her fans have shown support for Osaka after that announcement.
Yair Lapid
Yair Lapid has brought Israel to the brink of “change.” Some 30 minutes before a midnight deadline on Wednesday, the former broadcast journalist who leads the centrist opposition party Yesh Atid (There is a Future) announced a coalition for a new government that is likely to end Benjamin Netanyahu’s 12-year rule as prime minister.
Lapid, once hailed as one of Israel’s most desirable men when he was a TV host, was a key ally of Netanyahu before joining the opposition in 2015.
The 57-year-old is on the verge of removing Netanyahu from office after uniting politicians from all sides against Israel’s longest serving premier.
Lapid reportedly supports statehood for Palestinians but rejects calls to divide Jerusalem. He even managed to enlist Islamist Mansour Abbas whose party represents Israel’s 21-percent Arab minority.
The Abbas-led bloc gives Lapid’s coalition a slim majority in Parliament. In 12 days, the Knesset will vote on the fate of the coalition, but Netanyahu is doing all he can to have Parliament reject the new government.
