Faces of the news

MILF chair Murad Ebrahim. AP FILE PHOTO

Soraya Post

A delegation from the European Parliament (EP) came to Manila without much fanfare. They called on Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, and later visited Sen. Leila de Lima in her Camp Crame cell without making any controversial remarks that otherwise could have raised alarm bells in Malacañang. “As we are friends, we are very interested in the development of the situation of human rights in the Philippines,” said Soraya Post, chair of the EP delegation of the subcommittee on human rights. Sure, there’s a rash of killings of drug suspects, but the problem of human rights is not exclusive to the Philippines, Post said. “It is across the world,” she said. They left with an appeal: Do not revive the death
penalty.

Madeleine Albright

Wearing a sun-shaped brooch that shows her respect for the Philippines, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright addressed a forum on Wednesday in Manila by sticking to her script. She came in peace. “I think I’ll wear the pin of a very active man with a loudspeaker,” she quipped when asked what pin she’d wear when she meets President Duterte. She’s known for collecting pins and brooches that reflect her opinions on various international issues. She didn’t comment on the country’s growing coziness with China and Russia, but stressed that the Philippines and the United States “need to treat each other with respect.” She expressed the hope that the arbitral ruling on the West Philippine Sea would not be overtaken by events. “It is there, and I think it will be useful.”

Murad Ebrahim

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has found itself in an unsettling situation. After the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) was shelved in the previous administration, it has stayed the course of peace. And then the Marawi siege broke out on May 23. MILF chair Murad Ebrahim said that the Islamic State-linked terrorists had asked the group to broker their withdrawal from the besieged Marawi City, but he rebuffed them. “I said it will be hard for us to intervene because the President is very clear in his statements that he will not negotiate with the terrorists,” Murad said. Recently, MILF leaders were in Malacañang for the submission of the new draft of the BBL bill to President Duterte. Anything less than certifying it as urgent would “bring back old memories” of its fate under the past administration, the MILF said.

Martin Delgra III

After drawing flak from commuters for their decision to crack down by July 26 on Uber and Grab drivers who do not have franchises to operate, Delgra turned the table against the transport network companies (TNCs), whom he assailed for making the LTFRB appear like the enemy of the commuting public. Delgra minced no words as he called out the TNCs for their “rampant” and open violation of the law when they accredited thousands of drivers despite knowing that there was a moratorium on new franchise applications for transport network vehicle services. “Don’t turn the commuters against us because it is a mess that you [TNCs] created,” a visibly irritated Delgra said. When Delgra assumed office last year, he committed that he would work on ensuring that the processing time of transactions in the agency would be reduced by up to 50 percent.

Matthew Wright

Matthew Wright may have been with Gilas Pilipinas for just a brief period, but the Filipino-Canadian wingman has shown he’s one of the future cornerstones of the national men’s basketball program. Wright has put on a show with his hot shooting in the Gilas’ campaign in the Jones Cup Invitational in Taipei. And for a team that boasts no advantage in height and heft, Wright’s deadly sniping had come in handy. In one game, the 6-foot-3 wingman torched Chinese Taipei A with four triples in a 17-point outing that helped Gilas hack out an 88-72 upset. “He is a great shooter, he is strong, he’s tough and he’s a great defender,” said national team coach Chot Reyes. So is Wright now Gilas’ best shooter? Not quite yet, said Reyes, but added: “He’s willing to learn, he has the tools, he’s athletic and very smart.”

Lonzo Ball

Never mind his loudmouth father as Lonzo Ball showed he just might be the next big star of the Los Angeles Lakers. The preseason games hardly generate any buzz, but the 6-foot-6 Ball changed all that with an impressive performance that earned him the Most Valuable Player award and the Lakers the 2017 NBA Summer League championship. Known for his precise passing and playmaking skills, the No. 2 overall rookie pick averaged a league-best 9.3 assists that went with 16.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals. The former University of California, Los Angeles star guard also registered the tournament’s first triple-double in seven years, before dropping a second in another game. So even if his father LaVar does all sorts of theatrics in the background, the 19-year-old silenced critics and proved he’s the Ball to watch.