Faces of the news

Illustrations by Rene Elevera

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters

Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters became the second South African woman to win the Miss Universe title when she bested 91 other aspirants in ceremonies staged in Las Vegas last month. She kicked off her reign with a visit to the Philippines from Dec. 5 to 10, together with her predecessor, Iris Mittenaere, who was crowned in Manila in January. Joining them were 13 delegates in the November pageant, including Miss Universe Philippines Rachel Peters. The ladies went to Intramuros in Manila and to Batanes, Bohol and Camiguin. They also walked the runway in two fashion shows. Nel-Peters promotes women empowerment and has launched a campaign to teach self-defense to women after her encounter with car thieves in South Africa. She handed over her car keys but the thieves tried to force her into the car. She punched one in the throat and ran away.

Janette Garin

After quietly fading from public view when her term ended in June 2016, the former health secretary was thrust back into the limelight, no thanks to the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia furor. Since she was involved in the initial phase of the immunization, the public looked to her for answers. She briefly explained that the vaccine program was implemented “in line” with the guidelines of the World Health Organization (WHO). The story doesn’t end there. According to ABS-CBN, quoting a Department of Foreign Affairs report, she met with executives of the vaccine maker Sanofi Pasteur in May 2015 in Paris, to discuss the price of Dengvaxia, creating a demand for it in the Philippines, and justifying a budgetary allocation for it, and even toured the Neuville Dengue Facility in Lyon. She denied the meeting, but confirmed the tour.

Dr. Ng Su Peing

Sanofi officials scrambled to ease the panic it had set off when it advised against prescribing Dengvaxia to people who have not had dengue in the past since it may cause severe diseases in the long run. They said it was part of the government’s health program, and not a clinical trial. The vaccine was released commercially because clinical data at the time showed it was safe and effective, and hence, Filipinos were not guinea pigs, they said. “In highly dengue-endemic areas, there are far fewer cases, significantly fewer cases of severe dengue and dengue hospitalizations in those who’ve been vaccinated against those who didn’t receive the vaccine,” said Sanofi global medical head Ng Su Peing. The WHO denied recommending Dengvaxia to the Philippines for its immunization program.

George San Mateo

In the age of Instagram and Twitter, you can be charged and hauled off to jail for violating a 1936 law. It happened to transport leader George San Mateo, who was charged with violating Commonwealth Act No. 1946 for leading the February protests against the government’s program to modernize jeepneys. Enacted in 1936 during the Commonwealth period, the law prohibits the withholding of public services from the people. Ironically, the president of the transport group Piston was arrested by policemen while about to appear at a Quezon City court for bail proceedings, triggering a scuffle between his supporters and the agents. He was later freed after posting a P4,000 bail. A senator questioned the timing of the arrest, which came two days after San Mateo called off a transport strike on Dec. 4 and 5.

Hillary Andales

The Grade 12 student who won P20 million worth of prizes in a global science competition early this week said she had always looked up to two kinds of stars: one that illuminated the skies and the other, who inspired her with their genius. But Hillary Diane Andales, 18, a student of the Philippine Science High School, Eastern Visayas Campus, in Palo, Leyte, has also been something of a star herself. She bested 11,000 other students from 178 countries in the Breakthrough Junior Challenge Prize, using animation to explain the Theory of Relativity and Equivalence of Reference Frames. “What we observe is always relative to us, relative to our perspective, or relative to our reference frame,” said the girl from Abuyog town. She hoped her award would inspire young people “to look up and be scientists themselves,” she said. “The stars we should look up to.”

Tab Baldwin

Ateneo coach Tab Baldwin made good on his promise as his Blue Eagles celebrated their conquest of the UAAP men’s basketball championship. When Ateneo settled for a runner-up finish against La Salle last year, the Kiwi-American mentor boldly said: “We shall return and be champions.” True enough, Ateneo got back at its rival as the Blue Eagles dethroned the Green Archers in a Game 3 thriller, 88-86, for their first title in five years. “They say in moments like this, you think about the most important things. And I just think about how hard we’ve worked,” said Baldwin, who leaned on Thirdy Ravena, Matt Nieto and Isaac Go. “They just responded every step of the way and when we ran into real adversity—none bigger than that tremendous La Salle basketball team—they found a way. And a lot of it is their heart, soul and courage.”