Faces of the News

David Lim Jr.

As his girlfriend tried to restrain him, he fired his .22-cal. pistol at nurse Ephraim Nuñal in the heat of a traffic altercation in Cebu City. The video of the incident has since gone viral. Days later, after eluding policemen who raided his home, he surrendered in the wee hours to the regional police, and claimed self-defense when he shot the unarmed Nuñal. The gun is missing. It turned out Secretary Bong Go facilitated the surrender of Lim, a scion of one of the city’s wealthiest families. And befitting his status, he was detained at the office of Chief Supt. Noli Taliño, instead of the city jail. He was later moved to this stockade, where he occupied a cell by himself after the female detainees were transferred. All these as Nuñal lay in hospital bed, wondering if he could get justice against his influential assailant.

Gary Alejano

Gary Alejano stirred up a hornets’ nest last week when he became the first person to try to unseat President Duterte through impeachment. He accused the President of the mass murder of 8,000 suspected drug offenders and amassing P2.2 billion in unexplained wealth. In response, Mr. Duterte mocked the Magdalo representative by challenging him to lead the charge in a war against China. To which the former Marine captain replied: “Can I borrow his Jet Ski? Because it’s already rusting from nonuse”—a pithy allusion to Mr. Duterte’s campaign pledge in April 2016 to ride a Jet Ski to the Spratlys region to plant the Philippine flag. As a consequence of the filing, Mr. Duterte’s allies, including Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, have trained their guns on Vice President Leni Robredo, and threatened her with an impeachment complaint.

Avelino “Billy” Andal

Bugs, called “cocolisap,” have infested more than 100,000 coconut trees in Zamboanga City that may necessitate the declaration of a state of calamity. But this is the least of his worries. As administrator of the Philippine Coconut Authority, his job is on the line over a controversy linking him to coco lumber cutting and transport permits. He has been suspended pending investigation by the agency’s governing board chaired by Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr. He vowed to defy the “bogus” order and continue to discharge his functions as PCA chair. “This is an evil scheme against the administrator and the President of the Republic,” he said. He is the third presidential appointee to face complaints of irregularities after Tourism Promotions Board Chair Cesar Montano and resigned National Irrigation Administration Administrator Peter Laviña.

Florin Hilbay

Former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay must have missed being grilled by the “gods of Padre Faura” as he represented detained Sen. Leila de Lima in questioning the legality of her arrest before the 15-member Supreme Court. After defending the government on various legal issues as the top state counsel of the previous Aquino administration, Hilbay found himself on the other side of the fence, arguing against his successor, Solicitor General Jose Calida, in the oral arguments of De Lima’s petition for certiorari. The University of the Philippines law professor, who topped the 1999 bar exams, told the tribunal that De Lima should be freed at once due to the glaring defects in the drug case filed by the Department of Justice, among them the failure of state prosecutors to present the physical evidence during the preliminary investigation.

Ramon Fernandez

Basketball legend and Philippine Sports Commissioner Ramon Fernandez has always been critical of Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. and the way the 82-year-old former lawmaker has been running the POC. Stung by criticisms from the four-time Philippine Basketball Association MVP, Cojuangco resurrected a long-forgotten issue: Fernandez’s alleged game-fixing during his PBA career. But Fernandez, who also has the backing of PSC Chair William Ramirez, won’t be silenced. He is planning to file a libel case against Cojuangco in Cebu, where Fernandez is now based. But calling himself a “true sportsman,” the 63-year-old Fernandez said he wouldn’t pursue the case if Cojuangco retracts his statement, issues a public apology and resigns as POC president.

Russell Westbrook

National Basketball Association scoring leader Russell Westbrook last week made NBA history by becoming the first player to achieve a triple double with perfect shooting from the court and free throw line. It was also the first time in his career that he was perfect on every shot. Westbrook’s 35th triple double of the season, when he powered the Oklahoma City Thunder over visiting Philadelphia, 122-97, was highlighted by a 6-for-6 performance on the floor and free throw line as he went on to score 18 points. He also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and issued a game-high 14 assists. He needs six more triple doubles in the final 11 games of the Thunder to match the all-time one-season record of 41 triple doubles set by Oscar Robertson in the 1961-62 campaign. He averages 31.4 points, 10.5 rebounds and 10.3 assists.