Faces of the news

Illustrations by Rene Elevera

Catriona Gray

Singer-model Catriona Elisa Magnayon Gray made history when she bagged the most coveted crown at stake in the Binibining Pilipinas pageant on March 18 at Smart Araneta Coliseum. By winning the Miss Universe Philippines title, the 24-year-old Albay beauty became the first Filipino woman to compete in both the Miss Universe and the Miss World pageants, arguably the two most prestigious international beauty contests. In 2016, Gray took home the Miss World Philippines crown in her first attempt at a beauty pageant. She eventually finished fourth in the global Miss World contest held in the United States. Gray bagged the lion’s share of special awards in both the 2016 Miss World Philippines and 2018 Binibining Pilipinas pageants. Born in Cairns, Australia, to an Australian father and a Filipino mother, Gray holds a master’s certificate in music theory from the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts.

Roy Cimatu

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu was one of three Cabinet officials who signed a recommendation urging President Duterte to close Boracay Island to tourists for six months, starting on April 26. For Cimatu and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), according to the agency’s spokesperson, the temporary closure would mean leeway to undertake drastic rehabilitation efforts on the island, primarily to improve dilapidated sewer lines and provide sewage treatment plants. The department says untreated wastewater get directly discharged into the sea. The closure would also allow government agencies to demolish illegal structures violating the 30-meter easement from the waterline. As of March 19, the DENR had issued 381 notices of violation to establishments violating the Clean Water Act, 948 show cause orders to illegal occupants on forestlands, and 103 notices of violations of the easement requirement.

Salvador Medialdea

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea found himself dragged into the Janet Lim-Napoles issue after the pork barrel scam suspect’s lawyer, Stephen David, bared the former’s role in her case. David told the Sandiganbayan that Medialdea and Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II had advised him to seek the court’s permission to transfer Napoles to a safehouse following her provisional acceptance into the Witness Protection Program. In true lawyer fashion, Medialdea denied giving David legal advice. But he did not deny meeting with Napoles’ lawyer. As it turned out, Aguirre later admitted that he, David, and Medialdea discussed Napoles’ custody situation during a meeting in Malacañang. But what Medialdea gave David was not advice, just his “opinion” that a Sandiganbayan motion has to be filed to transfer Napoles’ custody, said Aguirre.

Sandra Cam

At least 48 congressmen have called for the resignation of former “jueteng” whistleblower and now Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) Director Sandra Cam after a heated exchange during the House games and amusements committee hearing on Feb. 28. The lawmakers, led by Minority Leader Danilo Suarez and Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr., also sought contempt hearings against Cam who, they said, accused Teves of being a Small Town Lottery (STL) operator involved in illegal gambling in Negros. In a text message to the Inquirer on Saturday, Cam said the move of Teves and Suarez was an attempt to “protect their STL operations.” “Only the President and the Filipino people can take me out of the PCSO,” she said. Barely a week after Duterte appointed Cam as director in December, she exposed the “extravagant” PCSO Christmas party that, she said, cost some P10 million. Then PCSO Chair Jose Jorge Corpuz and General Manager Alexander Balutan denied the allegations.

Mark Zuckerberg

Amid skidding share prices, an investor lawsuit and a congressional investigation, Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg apologized for the data breach involving British firm Cambridge Analytica (CA) and vowed to spend “many millions” in fixing problems at the social media giant. The scandal erupted when a whistleblower revealed that CA had created psychological profiles on 50 million users via an app that scraped data without permission. The scandal caused Facebook’s market capitalization to drop by $50 billion in just two days. A shareholder also filed a class action suit which may involve hundreds of thousands of complainants. The data breach also prompted several governments to demand an explanation. Zuckerberg said he was willing to testify before the US Congress.