Philippine Daily Inquirer

FACES OF THE NEWS

- Illustrati­ons by Rene Elevera

Nestor Espenilla

He rose from the ranks, and knew the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) like the palm of his hand, having worked in economic research, internatio­nal operations and in the Office of the Governor before being appointed deputy governor in 2005. Still, he was surprised when President Duterte picked him to replace Gov. Amando Tetangco Jr., given the “very tough competitio­n.” Bankers, economists and lawmakers praised his appointmen­t. Tetangco himself said that with Espenilla at the helm, the BSP will “continue to be a pillar of support to the economy.” He was a “great choice,” said John Forbes, senior adviser of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine­s. Espenilla vowed to carry on the BSP’s advocacy for relaxing the bank secrecy law and promote financial inclusion.

Roy Cimatu

Hardly has former Environmen­t Secretary Gina Lopez recovered from the Commission on Appointmen­ts’ rejection of her appointmen­t when President Duterte announced Roy Cimatu as her replacemen­t. The appointmen­t of Cimatu, a former Armed Forces chief of staff who was posted as envoy to the Middle East under different administra­tions, drew howls of protest from green groups seeking Lopez’s reinstatem­ent. “The problem with somebody who has no track record or background is he wouldn’t see the importance of a healthy ecosystem to maintain the economy,” said Vince Cinches, political campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia Philippine­s. Cimatu asked that he “be given time to scan and study the terrain in an agency which impacts considerab­ly on our very life as people.”

Eduardo Año

Close on the heels of Roy Cimatu’s appointmen­t, President Duterte tapped the Armed Forces chief of staff to head the Department of the Interior and Local Government. Año can’t assume the post until after he retires from the military on Oct. 26. And already, rumors are rife that he will be asked to retire earlier to give way to another official to assume the top Armed Forces of the Philippine­s post. His impending appointmen­t has given rise to criticisms that the Cabinet is being “militarize­d.” At least four other former generals hold key government posts. In fact, Mr. Duterte’s joke that the “junta” would be complete with the entry of Año did not sit well with Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Communist Party of the Philippine­s. “It can be a joke or a threat at the expense of the peace negotiatio­ns, the people and Mr. Duterte himself,” he said.

Agnes Callamard

The UN special rapporteur on extrajudic­ial, summary or arbitrary executions has been in the government’s cross hairs since announcing her plan last year to come here and investigat­e the killings in the administra­tion’s brutal drug war. When she quietly flew in last week to attend an academic forum on illegal drugs, she came under attack by President Duterte’s spokespers­ons. Not only did she fail to notify the government of her visit, she had no interest in getting the government’s perspectiv­e on the drug problem, presidenti­al spokespers­on Ernesto Abella charged. But Callamard said Malacañang had been informed of her visit. In the face of the attacks, she said: “The general assembly of the world’s government recognized explicitly that the ‘war on drugs’ ... does not work.”

Menardo Guevarra

Following Agnes Callamard’s visit, Filipino officials presented the country’s report on its human rights records at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. The team, led by Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra, said the government had always sought “to uphold the rule of law.” His cohead, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, said there was neither a state-sponsored killing nor a sudden wave of killings. Several Western countries raised concerns, with Canada specifical­ly calling on the Philippine­s to end the extrajudic­ial killings, among others. The council adopted a report comprising 257 recommenda­tions from 95 states, telling Manila to report back “with a clear position” in September. Guevarra said the government would review and determine its course of action on the recommenda­tions.

Kobe Paras

Kobe Paras wants to be known more as a basketball celebrity than a social media celebrity. And with his current school unable to help his cause, Paras is taking his talents elsewhere. Paras, son of comedian and ex-PBA player Benjie Paras, told Filipino journalist­s via a video conference that he will leave Creighton to transfer to Cal State University Northridge. Northridge is about an hour away from his old high school stomping grounds. Paras played one season for the Bluejays and got to experience the NCAA March Madness with them, but his limited playing time played heavily in his decision. The Bluejays were eventually eliminated by Rhode Island. “I am happy to say that I have verbally committed to play at Cal State University Northridge. Can’t wait to be back on the court playing!” Paras said in a social media post.

 ??  ??
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Philippines