Faces of the news

Junjun Binay

Former Mayor Junjun Binay may return to public office in his family’s Makati City stronghold after the Court of Appeals (CA) recently reversed the Office of the Ombudsman’s decision perpetually barring him from public office. This was after the CA cleared Binay and other city officials of the charges filed against them by the Ombudsman over the alleged overpriced construction of the P2.28-billion Makati City Hall parking building. In its May 3 decision, the CA justices cited the “Aguinaldo doctrine,” which absolved public officials of administrative liabilities after their reelection. The CA said it was still applicable to Binay because the allegations against him happened after his reelection in 2013—or two years before the Supreme Court ruled to abandon the doctrine in November 2015. Binay and his father, former Vice President Jejomar Binay, are still facing graft charges in the Sandiganbayan over the construction of the P1.3-billion Makati Science High School, which the Ombudsman said was also overpriced.

Clint Ramos

After winning his first Tony Award for best costume design in 2016, New York-based Filipino designer Clint Ramos is a favorite to bag another Tony, this time for director Michael Arden’s acclaimed revival of “Once on This Island,” starring Lea Salonga in the role of Erzulie, the goddess of love. As noted by Inquirer entertainment columnist Ruben V. Nepales, the Cebuano theater practitioner has created costumes for a long list of actors, including Jake Gyllenhaal (“Sunday in the Park with George”), Bradley Cooper (“The Elephant Man”) and Lupita Nyong’o (“Eclipsed”), for which he won his first Tony. Ramos received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts from the University of the Philippines (UP), where he was active in Dulaang UP. He earned his MFA in Design for Stage and Film at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. The winners of the 72nd Annual Tony Awards, to be decided by 841 voters, will be announced on June 10.

Lorraine Cincochan

Riding high on last year’s successful initial public offering of Wilcon Depot, the retailer’s president and chief executive officer, Lorraine Belo-Cincochan, landed on Forbes Asia’s inaugural “Emergent 25” list that honors stellar businesswomen who are making their recent mark in regional enterprises. The 39-year-old is the only Filipino who made it to the list of 25 honorees, who were handpicked to “reflect the broader impact women are having in the Asian business world, and were chosen for the money they generate, the influence they wield, and the ideas and trends they are advancing.” The daughter of Wilcon founder William Belo has computerized Wilcon’s manual systems and led the burgeoning family business on its most aggressive expansion yet.

Cirilo F. Bautista

After a life spent living the epic nature of the written word and Philippine history, National Artist for Literature Cirilo F. Bautista died on May 6 at Philippine Heart Center due to muscular dystrophy. He was 76. Best known for his epic poetry, Bautista also wrote fiction and essays in both English and Filipino. He was a respected literary critic and a beloved teacher. Bautista taught at De La Salle University and at his alma mater, the University of Santo Tomas. He won nine Palanca Awards and the National Centennial Literary Awards in 1998. He remains the only Filipino to receive an honorary degree when he attended the prestigious University of Iowa International Writing Program as a fellow. He was inducted into the Order of the National Artist in 2014 by President Benigno Aquino III. “For artists, art does not just imitate life,” he said in 2012. “Art becomes the life.”

Mahathir Mohamad

Ninety-two-year-old Dr. Mahathir Mohamad surprised the world on May 10 when his Perkatan Harapan (PH) political coalition ruled Malaysia’s 2018 general election. Riding on public anger over low wages, a new sales tax and persistent allegations of corruption in government, PH won over about half of the 12 million people who went to the polls. Mahathir, affectionately called “Doctor M” by his compatriots, did it by joining an opposition coalition that included his former deputy and foe, Anwar Ibrahim. PH’s win was not the biggest in the country’s electoral history, but it was large enough to oust the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition, headed by former Prime Minister Najib Razak, that had ruled the country for 45 years. In the process, Mahathir became the world’s oldest incumbent head of government. On Saturday, he reiterated his campaign promise to crack down on corruption and yield the premiership to Anwar after two years. He also prohibited Najib and his wife from leaving the country.