Faces of the news

Illustrations by Rene Elevera

Fatou Bensouda

Imagine the relief of many Filipinos when the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague recently announced that it was opening a preliminary examination of crimes committed in the Duterte administration’s brutal war on drugs. That job fell on the lap of ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, a Gambian lawyer. In her 2016 interview with The Guardian, she said she aimed to do what other courts couldn’t: Hand down justice to war criminals and genocidal despots. Depending on the facts, she said she would decide whether to initiate an investigation, continue to collect information, or decline to open an investigation. President Duterte told the ICC to go ahead, and said he was willing to face Bensouda in a room. “I welcome you. If you want to find me guilty, go ahead. So be it. Find a country where they kill people with a firing squad and I’m ready,” he said.

Gwendolyn Garcia

For the second time under the Duterte administration, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales’ attempt to oust a sitting member of Congress fell flat. This time, it was Deputy Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia, who was found guilty of grave misconduct for her failure to secure the provincial board’s authorization for a P24.47-million project to backfill a largely underwater property when she was Cebu governor in 2012. But Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez refused to enforce the Ombudsman’s directive, citing constitutional restraints and claiming that only Congress could dismiss one of its members. Garcia questioned the timing of the Ombudsman’s order, saying it was meant to derail her prominent role in the ongoing impeachment proceedings in the House against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

Jude Josue Sabio

While heartened that his complaint against President Duterte in the International Criminal Court (ICC) was moving forward, lawyer Jude Josue Sabio admitted he feared for his life. “I always assume that my life is in danger, especially now that my enemy is not only the President,” the 51-year-old Sabio told the Inquirer on Sunday. “He has tentacles everywhere, and they are killers.” The prosecutor of The Hague-based ICC has begun preliminary action on Sabio’s 77-page complaint accusing the President of the mass murder of thousands of suspects in his administration’s drug war. The lawyer of confessed Davao Death Squad hit men Edgar Matobato and Arturo Lascañas maintained that he was not out to get Mr. Duterte. “My purpose is not to destroy him, embarrass him, or shame him. My purpose is to fight for justice,” he said.

Roy Cimatu

The pressure is on for Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu after President Duterte gave him a six-month deadline to clean up the world-famous island destination of Boracay in Malay, Aklan province, which the President described as having become a “cesspool.” Cimatu blamed the water pollution primarily on the improper sewage disposal and treatment by the 340 businesses operating along the beach. Following the President’s remarks last Feb. 9, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources announced on Feb. 14 that it had already issued notices of violations to 51 establishments for noncompliance with the Clean Water Act, mandating waste water disposal through a treatment facility. The number is expected to increase. Cimatu warned of outright closure if establishments failed to comply with sanitary requirements.

Michael Christian Martinez

It didn’t turn out to be the result Michael Christian Martinez wanted, but the Filipino figure skating standout made the nation proud just the same. The 21-year-old failed to advance after finishing 28th in the short program of the men’s single figure skating in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Still, he pulled off a clean performance for a total of 55.56 points despite a late call-up. Martinez—the first Southeast Asian skater to compete in the Winter Olympics when he qualified in the 2014 Sochi Games—earned a slot just three weeks ago following the withdrawal of Sweden’s Alexander Majorov. He was first on the waiting list in case of withdrawals after finishing just a rung short in the 2017 qualifiers. “I teared up when I landed in Korea and saw the Olympic rings,” Martinez said. “It’s a miracle.”

Bienvenido Marañon

In a dominating show in front of its home fans on a very wet day, Ceres-Negros FC launched its Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup campaign with a 9-0 shutout of Cambodian champions Boeung Ket. Bienvenido Marañon, one of three players who scored a brace, led the Busmen to the most lopsided victory yet in the continental competition at Panaad Stadium in Bacolod City. “We went out there to fight because we never expected an easy game,” said Ceres coach Risto Vidakovic. The win matched the biggest margin in AFC Cup history set by Uzbekistan’s Nasaf Qarshi in its triumph over Dempo of India in 2011. Takumi Uesato set the tone with a close-range strike in the 15th minute, then Marañon doubled the lead 4 minutes later. The duo again slotted in a goal each, before Marañon helped make it 5-0 by setting up OJ Porteria for a strike inside the box.