Faces of the news

ILLUSTRATION BY RENE ELEVERA

Alan Peter Cayetano

Just 11 months into his watch, Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano earned the ignominy of getting a Philippine ambassador—a career diplomat at that—expelled, for antagonizing an important Middle East ally and host country to some 260,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). President Duterte’s losing running mate, known for his political belligerence when he was a senator, was said to have ordered diplomatic personnel to aggressively rescue distressed OFWs in Kuwait to beat the April 22 amnesty deadline for undocumented workers. Cayetano was obviously unprepared for the consequences after the Department of Foreign Affairs released on social media a video of one such rescue mission that turned out to be uncoordinated with Kuwaiti authorities. His apology proved unacceptable and to date, four Filipino personnel believed to have joined the rescue mission remain detained in that Gulf state country. Cayetano has so far vowed that if he can’t solve this crisis, “I shouldn’t be secretary of foreign affairs.” His words would soon be tested.

Aldrinne Pineda

The Boy Who Wanted To Live. Aldrinne Pineda was hanging out with a friend at Vitas Slaughterhouse in a slum area in Tondo, when he was shot in the stomach by Manila Police District’s PO2 Omar Malinao on March 2. The 13-year-old boy, who might have been shaped and molded by the tough place he grew up in, vowed to fight for his life. The vow was broken just hours later after Pineda underwent an operation at Tondo Medical Center. It was bad enough that Malinao stole the boy’s life and ended his chance to graduate and get a better life. Worse was to come when Pineda’s mother and the Commission on Human Rights discovered that the boy’s kidneys had been taken out without his family’s knowledge and consent. In a television interview, his doctor said nothing was amiss, the kidney was injured, and the hospital did everything it could to save the boy’s life. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said he would have the incident investigated to see “if there had been negligence or misconduct.”

Moon Jae-in

South Korean President Moon Jae-in made history on Friday when he co-starred in a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. The son of northerners who fled the communist regime, the 65-year-old Moon had espoused the reunification of the Korean Peninsula since his days as a rights activist and lawyer in the turbulent 1970s. But Friday’s summit was more than just a validation of an aspiration; it was also a step toward South Korea’s goal of becoming a global superpower. According to investment bank Goldman Sachs, unification would open the door to cheap labor and natural resources from the North. Combining this with the technological know-how and economic infrastructure of the wealthy South could result in an economy larger than that of Japan by 2050. Both countries still have a long way to go, but there appears to be a global consensus that a peace regime is a good start.

Kim Jong-un

For most of his 30-something years, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been ensconced in a number of secret residences all over North Korea. His meeting on Friday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in was certainly an international debut before an amazed world. Kim had already built nuclear missiles and traded insults with US President Donald Trump, accomplishments rare among the world’s young leaders. The summit was more likely about protecting the reign and wealth of his family, as well as the legacy his father, Kim Jong-il, and grandfather, Kim Il-sung, the founder of North Korea. It was also about more than 25 million North Koreans who live in grinding poverty under international economic sanctions. If Kim proves true to his word, a regime of peace with South Korea could bring unprecedented wealth to the communist state, with economic production hitting $6.06 trillion from its current $1.92 million. And in this unfolding story of the Korean Peninsula, Kim Jong-un has the most to gain.

Proceso Alcala

Proceso Alcala, a member of the Aquino Cabinet, would face trial on graft charges over a “garlic cartel” in the Department of Agriculture (DA) that monopolized the market from 2013 to 2014, and led to skyrocketing prices of the condiment, the Office of the Ombudsman said on Tuesday. Ombudsman prosecutors said there was probable cause to indict the former Agriculture Secretary, along with 23 others, including garlic traders and officials of the Bureau of Plant Industry. Alcala was accused of conspiring with the officials and garlic traders in a modus operandi that allowed importers and affiliates of the Vendors Association of the Philippines Inc., chaired by Lilia Cruz, to corner the market. Cruz was one of the respondents who had been designated by Alcala as chair of the National Garlic Action Team (NGAT) in July 2013. She also acted as a representative of garlic importers, assisting the DA in the processing and issuance of import permits. Issuances by NGAT allowed Cruz and her association to monopolize practically all garlic imports, according to prosecutors.