Faces of the news

Christopher “Bong” Go
Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go is really something special. When he appeared at the Senate inquiry into the Navy frigate deal last week, the Cabinet came out in full force to support him. Outside the Senate, a group of people suddenly materialized to rally behind the official closest to President Duterte. Go, with Presidential Security Group members in tow, denied he intervened in the deal that will see Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) build two warships for the Philippine Navy. He called the accusation that he pushed for HHI to use Hanwha Systems for the warships’ combat management system as “fake news.” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana cleared Go. So did former Navy chief Vice Adm. Ronald Joseph Mercado. At
least two senators also came to Go’s defense. At the end of the hearing, Go said he had been “vindicated.”

Vice Adm. Ronald
Joseph Mercado
The sacked Navy chief wore his uniform when he appeared at the Senate inquiry into the
P16-billion frigate acquisition deal. When he faced the senators and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, who ordered his relief for allegedly usurping his authority during discussions on the deal, he stuck to his guns. He warned that it would be a “nightmare” to maintain the costly frigates since the government had lost its right to choose the combat management system for the vessels to the South Korean supplier. “Because we lost the right to choose [the subsystems] and that this would come from different makers, it is a nightmare to try to maintain it,” he said. As Navy chief, he had insisted the two missile-capable warships be installed with the tried and tested combat systems made by a Dutch company—and lost his job in the process.

Pia Ranada
The Rappler journalist found herself banned from the entire Malacañang complex as President Duterte trained his ire on the news website for its report on the alleged intervention of his right-hand man in the Navy’s P16-billion frigate program. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said Ranada could not cover the President because the Securities and Exchange Commission had revoked Rappler’s registration because of its foreign ownership. But Mr. Duterte’s spokesperson, Harry Roque, subsequently bared a more personal reason of the Chief Executive: “Bwisit sa kanya ang Presidente (The President is annoyed with her).” Rappler described the ban as an attack on press freedom. “The government has set a precedent, and while we may be the pet peeve now, someone else could be next,” it warned.

Carmina “Minnie” Castillo
Carmina “Minnie” Castillo is the mother of hazing victim Horacio “Atio” Castillo III who taught the public something new about the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in the past two weeks: That since her son was killed by his fraternity brothers in Aegis Juris last September, the Catholic school, which supposedly promotes Christian values, never bothered to reach out to their family. And instead of cooperating with the policemen, Carmina said, the school gave investigators a difficult time. Carmina called the university’s silence and indifference on her son’s case deafening and disappointing. To address this, Carmina said their camp would raise the issue with the Vatican. Days after her statement, as if by miracle or divine intervention, UST came up with what Carmina called its first ever action since Atio’s death. The school announced the expulsion of eight students involved in the hazing.

Ricky Vargas
One man’s stranglehold on the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) finally came to an end. And it took a feisty challenge from boxing chief Ricky Vargas to unseat Jose “Peping” Cojuangco from the presidency, the position the 83-year-old official had held on to for over a decade. Vargas bested Cojuangco by a wide margin, 24-15, in a court-ordered election. In 2016, Cojuangco earned a fourth straight term but only after the POC election committee disqualified Vargas, the sole challenger who allegedly failed to meet the required attendance in general assemblies. But Vargas took the issue to court, which later ordered the POC to hold new elections. After the win, Vargas vowed to turn Philippine sports around as the country’s performance in international games has sharply declined since Cojuangco took over in 2004.

Asa Miller
After Filipino skating standout Michael Martinez bowed out, 17-year-old skier Asa Miller took his turn to don the national colors in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Miller debuted in the men’s giant slalom event in alpine skiing, where he tallied a total time of 2 minutes and 49.95 seconds. The Filipino-American finished 31.91 seconds behind gold-medal winner Marcel Hirscher of Austria—a wide gap in a sport where every millisecond counts—to finish at 70th place among 108 competitors. The Portland, Oregon, native, who competed in the 2017 Junior World Championships in Sweden, also served as the country’s flag-bearer during the opening ceremonies. Miller hopes he can continue to represent the Philippines in future competitions. His mother, Polly, traces her roots to Sta. Cruz district in Manila.