Faces of the News

Illustrations by Rene Elevera

Margaux ‘Mocha’ Uson

The self-styled “sex guru,” singer, blogger and arguably the No. 1 defender of President Duterte  set off a firestorm on social media when news of her appointment to the Movie Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) broke. While she has a huge following on Twitter, many netizens questioned her qualifications to sit on the board of MTRCB, which requires a member to be a natural-born citizen, with a good moral character and standing, on top of having a multisectoral combination of expertise in films and TV. Communications Secretary Martin Andanar was quick to defend her appointment, saying the leader of the eponymous sexy singing group Mocha Girls is “one of the biggest artists” and “one of the biggest bloggers” in the country.

Andres Bautista

After the successful conduct of the May 2016 Presidential vote for which the Commission on Elections (Comelec) was hailed globally as the Electoral Commission of the year, he has flown under the radar of the nosy local press as he quietly addressed internal squabbles in the poll body. Now, the Comelec chief is in the spotlight after the National Privacy Commission recommended his prosecution over the “Comeleak,” described as the worst breach of a government database. The body concluded that he committed “gross negligence” over the “data breach” last year that exposed almost 77 million voter registration records. Two groups had claimed responsibility for the attack on the Comelec website. Bautista wondered aloud: Why punish the hacked, instead of  arresting the hackers?

Christian Bables

It was a pleasant sight to see newcomer Christian Bables crying unabashedly upon receiving his Metro Manila Film Festival best supporting actor award for his portrayal of a dead transwoman’s dutiful best friend in Jun Robles Lana’s  Tokyo  fest-winning drama, “Die Beautiful.” Yes, he’s straight—and the good-looking actor sees nothing wrong with wearing his heart on his sleeve. After all, it was his sensitivity that got him the coveted trophy. “I experienced a lot of rejections,” he told the Inquirer. Christian’s time to shine has finally come, but he says, “If you open my heart, it isn’t fame that excites me, but the new opportunities coming my way.”

Alvin Yapan

Filmmaker Alvin Yapan is in the news again. But this time, the director of acclaimed indies like “Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa,” “An Kubo sa Kawayanan” and “Mga Anino ng Kahapon” is in hot water over the deaths of two dogs on the set of his true-to-life film, “Oro.” The FPJ Memorial Award they won on Dec. 29 has been invalidated, and the yearlong ban of Yapan, executive producer Feliz Guerrero and producer Shandii Bacolod, from the Metro Manila Film Festival  was announced last Friday. “Why the outcry against dog cruelty, and not over the murder of the miners the film depicts?” Yapan’s defenders protested. Animal welfare advocates quickly retorted, “The actors who played the miners are still alive; the dogs aren’t.” Winning is not everything.

Benjamin Diokno

The budget secretary has been called names on social media when he commented that “Candidate Duterte is different from President Duterte… There are promises you make that turn out can’t be fulfilled when you look at the data.” His comment was in response to the uproar that Mr. Duterte was reneging on his campaign promise to raise the Social Security System (SSS) pension for retirees. Diokno argued that any increase in pension could come only after tax reform. At the heart of the issue is the proposed P2,000 increase in pension for retirees. Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate and his former colleague, Neri Colmenares, retorted that the administration’s economic managers should try to live on the current base pension of SSS beneficiaries which amounts to P40 a day.

Paulyn Jean Ubial

Preening before the cameras, the health secretary declared on New Year’s Day that injuries from firecrackers and fireworks were down to a decade low of 350. For the past 10 years, the average was 1,000, she claimed. And that’s because of President Duterte’s warning to replicate the firecracker ban in Davao City nationwide. “People are now afraid to light firecrackers because of the President,” she said. She spoke too soon. The next day, the health department’s spokesperson, Eric Tayag, reported that the injuries steadily climbed to 524, but still 40 percent lower than the five-year average. The number further rose to 581 the following day. Ubial later said she expected the surge of firecracker injuries to be reported after Jan. 1 due to delayed reports.