Category: Philippine Star

You have always cooked with olive oil and drizzled the extra virgin variant on fresh green salads, but you have never baked with it.

You’ve always believed in the delicious result that using butter achieves, both in your baked products and in the healthy savory dishes that you cook, and you are right. Except that, despite the common practice of using butter when baking cakes, you can actually use olive oil as a lighter and more beneficial substitute for butter.

Ask Chef Jill Sandique, easily one of the metro’s most talented pastry chefs, and she will tell you how good a cake baked with olive oil is. She has done so many times in the past, and she has done it again with this Innobake Chocolate Olive Oil Cake.

It is a dessert that brings back so many wonderful memories for the talented chef, who has always loved baking since she was a child. Back then (and up to now), she looked forward to family gatherings because, as she put it, ‘I knew that the best desserts were to be served – Dark Chocolate Cake, Sans Rival, Brazo de Mercedes, Natilla, Crème Española, Lychee Gelatin, and a lot more. Those were indeed the desserts of yesteryears.’

Now that we’re in the digital age, she still draws wonderful memories from her childhood by baking cakes, such as this Innobake Chocolate Olive Oil Cake.

‘I’d like to share a recipe that’s close to my heart. It’s easy, no-fuss, and outright delicious, and it brings back so many wonderful memories,’ the chef said.

Happy baking!

Innobake Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Vermuyten Topping Royale

1/4 cup fresh or full cream milk

1 1/2 tsps. vinegar

3/4 cup + 2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup + 3 tbsps. Innobake Premium Cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup Beaoliva Olive Oil

1 large egg

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 tsps. instant coffee, dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water

For the chocolate frosting:

90 grams Patissier 61% Artisan Dark Couverture

100 grams unsalted butter

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 tsp. instant coffee, dissolved in 2-3 tsps. rum or brandy (or water)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease, line, grease, then flour an 8-inch round layer pan. Set aside briefly.

2. In a non-reactive container, combine Vermuyten Topping Royale, fresh or full cream milk and vinegar. Stir then set aside for at least 5 minutes.

3. For the cake, sift together flour, granulated sugar, Innobake Premium Cocoa and the remaining dry ingredients into a mixing bowl. Add Beaoliva Olive Oil, egg and vanilla extract. Mix well, then stir in hot coffee. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean. Remove cake from the oven and cool on a rack for 10 to 15 minutes. Unmold the cake from the pan and cool completely.

4. For the frosting, melt Patissier 61% Artisan Dark Couverture in a double boiler or microwave oven. Set aside to cool slightly. In a mixer bowl, combine butter and vanilla, and beat until light. Add confectioners’ sugar and mix for another 2 minutes. Stir in dissolved coffee and melted chocolate. Blend well.

5. To assemble, put the chocolate cake on a serving platter. Spread the chocolate frosting on the top and sides of the cake. Chill for at least 2 hours, then serve.

Yield: One 8-inch cake.

Rina Andrea delos Santos of Ballesteros, Cagayan bested 31 other delegates to emerge as this year’s winner of the Miss Philippines Earth title.

Reigning Miss Earth winner Natalie Puskinova of the Czech Republic crowned the beauteous Cagayan beauty from Region 2.

Andrea was also proclaimed Miss Hana before the Top 15 was announced.

Her elemental court is composed of:

Rina Joy Alamban, Tumauini, Isabela (Miss Philippines Air 2026)

Alyssa Mildred Villarina, Mandaluyong City (Miss Philippines Water 2026)

Patricia Anne Bangug, Agoo, La Union (Miss Philippines Fire 2026)

Roveelaine Eve Castillo, Siocon, Zamboanga del Norte ( Miss Philippines Ecotourism 2026)

The remaining five delegates from the Top 10 were all declared as runners-up. They are:

Hana Tiffany Christen (Passi, Iloilo)

Kirsten Dawn Delerio (Cebu City)

Mary Ganaba (Tupi, South Cotabato)

Nicole Grace Locsin Ampong (Malaybalay City, Bukidnon), and

Alyssa Rae Zabala (Marikina City), automatic placer for winning the People’s Choice Award

It is not just a win for Ballesteros but also for the Cagayan Valley Region, as the other delegate in the Top 2 is from the province of Isabela.

The other delegates who made it to the first cut were:

Mikyla Kirkness (Filipino Community of Queensland, Australia)

Phamel Castillo Detumal (Valencia City)

Angel Polines Teruel (Pototan, Iloilo)

Esther Angelika Francisco (Zamboanga City), and

Raihjja Japor Lames (Tayabas, Quezon Province)

The medalists for the Best Cultural Costume award were:

Mae Khyla Garcia (Gold), Cabanglasan, Bukidnon

Kirsten Dawn Delerio (Silver), Cebu City

Princess Dee Maghinay (Lapantan, Bukidnon)

While all of last year’s elemental queens were present during the coronation rites, strangely, it was outgoing queen Joy Barcoma who was in absentia.

Hosted by James Deakin, the 26th Miss Philippines Earth coronation night, showcased in fabulous staging and production, was streamed to a global audience through Carousel Production’s channels on Facebook and YouTube.

An official of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has warned the public against what he described as ‘fake and misleading’ reports on the June 25 peace rally organized by the United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP).

Bangsamoro Minister of the Interior and Local Government Jordan Bayam said exaggerated attendance figures and questionable images were being used to distort public perception.

Bayam said reports claiming that about 400,000 people attended the rally were inconsistent with the official crowd estimate of the Philippine National Police, which placed the attendance at around 30,000.

‘The public deserves truthful reporting, not exaggerated narratives designed to create a false impression of overwhelming public support,’ Bayam said.

According to the minister, the huge discrepancy between the police estimate and the published attendance figure raises serious questions about the credibility of the reports and underscores the importance of relying on official and verifiable information.

Bayam also expressed concern over social media posts that circulated photographs and drone footage purportedly showing a massive crowd during the June 25 gathering.

He alleged that several of the widely shared images appeared to have been taken from the ‘moral governance and anti-corruption’ rally held on June 23 by supporters of a former BARMM official, two days before the UBJP event.

‘If verified, using photographs from a different political gathering to portray another event would amount to misleading the public and undermining the integrity of public discourse,’ Bayam said.

The minister called on media organizations and social media users to exercise greater responsibility in verifying photographs, videos and attendance figures before publication, particularly amid the increasingly polarized political climate in BARMM.

Bayam said the spread of misinformation during such a politically sensitive period only serves to deepen public division and distract from pressing governance issues confronting the Bangsamoro government.

He urged both supporters and critics of the regional administration to engage in responsible political discourse anchored on facts rather than propaganda, emphasizing that democratic debate should be guided by transparency, accountability and respect for the truth.

‘The people of BARMM are best served when public discussion is based on verified facts instead of manufactured narratives,’ Bayam said.

As of press time, organizers of the June 25 peace rally had not publicly responded to Bayam’s statements regarding the attendance figures and the alleged use of misleading images circulating on social media

From countless awards to a commemorative stamp and a trophy named in his honor, basketball legend Ramon Fernandez has finally reached what he calls ‘the summit of his sporting career’ with his installation into the Philippine Sports Hall of Fame at the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) House inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila just recently.

The 72-year-old Fernandez is no stranger to the spotlight, but this honor carried him back to his roots in Maasin, Southern Leyte where a young boy with nothing more than a ball and boundless ambition first chased a dream.

He was inducted alongside a remarkable batch of athletes from across disciplines: Olympic boxer Onyok Velasco, sprinter Isidro del Prado, gymnast turned taekwondo jin Bea Lucero-Lhuillier, tennis great Cecil Mamiit, para powerlifter Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta, and the late Eduardo Pacheco, who donned the country’s tri-colors in both football and basketball.

Fernandez now joins a select group of basketball immortals in the Hall of Fame, including Carlos Loyzaga and the storied 1954 national basketball team that played in the FIBA World Championship in Brazil, Edgardo Ocampo, Mariano Tolentino, Kurt Bachmann, Loreto Carbonell, Ambrosio Padilla, Dionisio Calvo, and Robert Jaworski – a reminder that basketball has always been central to the Filipino sporting identity.

Together they formed a mosaic of Filipino greatness, but Fernandez’s induction carried a special resonance.

In his acceptance speech, he spoke with humility and conviction despite his commanding aura.

‘For any athlete, this is the summit,’ Fernandez said, thanking the PSC, the Hall of Fame Selection Committee, the Philippine Olympic Committee, and the media who chronicled his journey.

He dedicated the honor to his wife Karla, his number one supporter, and left a message for the next generation.

‘Talent may open doors, but character, humility, and consistency determine how far you go.’

Fernandez emphasized that ‘no athlete reaches this stage alone’, sharing the honor with coaches, teammates, opponents, fans, friends, and family who stood by him throughout his journey.

His words carried the weight of experience forged in countless battles against rivals like Robert Jaworski in the Toyota-Crispa duels that defined an era, and in the grind of wearing the national jersey from the 1972 ABC Under 18 Championship to the 1990 Asian Games.

This latest accolade reflects the sheer scale of his career: 19 PBA championships, four MVP awards, nearly 19,000 career points, and records in rebounds, blocks, and minutes played that remain untouched.

Nicknames bestowed by fans and media-‘The Franchise,’ ‘El Presidente,’ ‘Don Ramon’ – captured both his dominance and elegance on the court.

Yet Fernandez reminded everyone that the true measure of an athlete lies not in trophies but in the lives inspired.

Even after his playing days, Fernandez has continued to give back.

He served as commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission, staged the El Presidente Charity Golf, and organized outreach programs through RKF Solar and the RSF Sports and Youth Foundation.

In one outreach program in Argao, his wife’s hometown prior to his induction into the Hall of Fame, Fernandez spoke to children about ambition, hard work, and the importance of education alongside sports.

‘There are no shortcuts,’ Fernandez told them, urging the youth to dream big, study hard, and use sports not only for health but as a pathway to opportunity.

Fernandez’s induction was not just a personal triumph – it was a national moment.

It proved that a ‘probinsyano’ can rise from humble beginnings, honor God, and stand among the greatest names in Philippine sports.

Yes, Jeju Island of South Korea has successfully kept its borders closed to pork from without, all these years, to be able to preserve the purity of its prized BLACK pork breed. The island province also managed to do creative marketing by giving black pig a status as the ‘black pork’ to be had at any tourist restaurant. It, after all, entertains 30,000 domestic tourists and 5,000 international tourists a day – yes, every single day.

Blessed with many wonders of nature, Jeju has famous oranges and tea for tourists to try and maybe also take home. The oranges are called hallabong after the word ‘halla’ which means mountain. They also have the popular department stores and supermarkets you find in other major cities like Seoul and Busan, but with prices surprisingly a little cheaper. So think Korea at a good price and value for money.

Jeju boasts of four distinct UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cutural Organization) designations: World Natural Heritage Site and one of the few in the world with the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, Global Geopark and Intangible Cultural Heritage. How can a province do this? A lot of political will is the answer. Jeju is bigger than Seoul and Busan, three times the size of Singapore yet only lists 600,000 people as its population. There, indeed, is a lot of room to breathe and take in Nature. The different sections can be reached by car in two hours (one end of the island to another, for example) but there are so many tourist places, you will need a day or two to go and visit the main attractions.

That is exactly how we planned to explore the eastern side and the southwestern side. Allocate two days for being a simple tourist and leave a day or two to explore the city. And on all days, discover local fare – pork barbecue, of course, and different kinds of side dishes called ban chan. These appetizers and palate cleansers can range from steamed vegetables to preserved kimchi and sometimes also served with a potato salad, steamed egg and seaweed soup. If you do not eat much pork and skip the meat choices, try the stewed kimchi with mackerel. Every restaurant has their daily offer of ban chan and with the vegetable choices, the possibilities are endless. If you crave for fish, Jeju boasts of two fish choices – the red tilefish or okdom which we had plainly grilled and the hairtail or cutlassfish called galchi, about a meter long which is similar to our espada or swordfish.

I have to share a new discovery, a Jeju specialty which is like a bubbling anchovy sauce served with the barbecue pork slices. You dip the grilled pork in this sauce, which is a cross between patis and bagoong balayan. It also has garlic and chili and some say mixed with some soju (Korean wine). Whatever the house recipe is, it complements the grilled black pork freshly-cut (with scissors) into dainty pieces which makes it so easy to eat, with fresh lettuce leaves, pickled radish slices and shredded green onions. Another extra feature of the black pork set meal is how the fat drips onto kimchi on the barbecue pan (one restaurant had a closed pan for the grill, instead of a grate), now drenched in liquid pork fat. The taste is glorious and worth coming back for. So that is another lesson to remember: grilling can be done on a closed pan.

I went around the fish sauce section of the biggest supermarket to find this sauce to bring home but realized every restaurant had their house version. Nothing compares to eating it in Jeju itself. Further, they have a street called ‘Black Pork Street’ where each restaurant serves only this Jeju specialty – black pig or its meat, black pork.

Another indulgence I did not expect to have is abalone. Women divers, now famous as they have become a tourist attraction, dive in shallow waters without scuba gear and harvest these mollusks for their livelihood. These free divers called haenyeo can go to depths of 10-20 meters without oxygen tanks to harvest abalone, sea urchins and octopus. They, however, come up every two to three minutes to catch some air and then go down again. Most if not all are over 60 years old and sadly, none of their children have followed suit. So this special occupation will soon disappear as one of Jeju’s interesting tourist attractions.

The abalone, which is quite a pricey seafood, can be had in Jeju for a song. I had porridge with abalone, bibimbap with abalone and many soups and hot pots come with an assortment of seafood that includes this specialty. You can say I had my fill of the various fish and shell fish while in Jeju. To balance your caloric intake, you can have grilled pork at lunch and fish for dinner.

For snacks one can have their fill of fruits from the Dongmun market. Jeju takes pride in growing Hallabong and Cheonghyehyang oranges, mangoes and all kinds of berries, too.

The tour we took also brought us to fields of green tea run by the O’sulloc tea company and a tea museum where you will need to stop yourself from buying everything – there is matcha tea, green tea and many other products for health and beauty.

What I enjoyed is being able to eat a variety of vegetables, fruits and meat which are mostly probiotic, healthy and offers a balanced meal at all times. Even when we were told we would have a vegetarian buffet, there was cutlass fish and boiled pork for the non-vegetarians.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a new destination in Jeju. It is visa-free for Filipinos, though the effort is in connecting flights as there is no direct flight to the island from Manila. Other than that minor drawback, it remains a beautiful option for those who love Nature, Korean food and everything natural and eco-friendly.

A tricycle driver was badly wounded in a grenade explosion that ripped through a predominantly Maranao residential enclave in Barangay Curahab in Malabang, Lanao del Sur on Thursday afternoon, June 25.

Officials of intelligence units of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region and the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade covering Lanao del Sur had told reporters that there is a possibility that the bombing was perpetrated by remnants of the now defunct Dawlah Islamiya helplessly trying to stir an impression that they are capable still of perpetrating terror attacks to intimidate villagers from whom they intend to collect “protection money’ on a periodic basis.

Capt. Steffie Salanguit, spokesperson of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, told reporters on Friday that the 22-year-old blast victim, Saipoden Esmail Bliss, was immediately transported by emergency responders to the Doctor Serapio Montañer Hospital in Malabang for treatment.

Officials of the Lanao del Sur Provincial Police Office and Salanguit had separately told reporters that one of the men riding a white minivan together hurled a fragmentation grenade into a residential yard in Barangay Curahab that landed and went off close to the spot where Bliss was walking by.

The white minivan ridden by the bomber and his companions, reportedly overheard threatening villagers of more grenade attacks in Maranao vernacular, immediately sped away, leaving the injured Bliss behind.

Local executives and investigators from the Malabang Municipal Police Station are cooperating in identifying the culprits for prosecution, according to Salanguit.

After teaming up with Venus Williams, Alex Eala this time may cross paths against another legend in Serena Williams in the highly anticipated Wimbledon starting on Monday at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London.

The road to an elusive Grand Slam breakthrough for Eala could possibly go through a loaded bracket of greats, current stars and rising ones, including no less than former World No. 1 and 23-time Grand Slam champion Williams in Round 2.

Williams, coming out of retirement at 44 to play in a Grand Slam for the first time since her US Open stint in 2022, is a wildcard set for a tall order against rising star Maya Joint of Australia.

The 20-year-old Joint, WTA No. 53, is the tormentor of Eala in 2025 when she denied her a first pro title in England and could well serve as a tough opponent for the Filipina star.

The trek to the summit of the queen of grass then gets steeper from there with world No. 3 Iga Swiatek, No. 14 Jasmine Paolini, No. 8 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine projected to stand in the way of Eala from the third round to the quarterfinals.

Either one from No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan, No. 6 Amanda Anisimova of USA or her kryptonite Linda Noskova of Czechia, No. 10, could be waiting at the semifinals to complete the bracket.

The other bracket features other big guns in No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, No. 4 Jessica Pegula of USA, No. 4 Mirra Andreeva of Russia and No. 7 Coco Gauff of USA, who are tipped to slug it out for the other final ticket.

But that’s if – and a big if – Eala takes care of business in the first round against Mexican veteran Renata Zarazua, who beat her in the 2024 Cary Tennis Classic in the United States, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3.

Eala, in a blooming career, has not gotten past the first round of any Slam main draw since being eligible for direct entries from a wildcard and qualifier last year.

If there’s a giant stepping stone she’s out to capitalize though, it’s being the first Filipina seeded player in Grand Slam history at No. 29 – thanks to an impressive grass season. At WTA No. 30, Eala moved up in the seeding following the withdrawal of world No. 9 Victoria Mboko of Canada due to a knee injury.

‘I really like grass,’ said Eala previously in the middle of her impressive grass campaign. “I think I have arrived in a much improved state than where I was last year so I’m happy about that.’

Eala sported a 9-3 record in grass tournaments this year, marked by winning her second WTA title in the Birmingham Open and a Final Four finish in the Berlin Tennis Open.

In Berlin, Eala scored massive wins against World No. 2 Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and No. 8 Elina Svitolina of Ukraine before partnering for the first time ever with Williams of the USA, also a former world No. 1 and seven-time Slam queen in the Bad Homburg Open.

The 21-year-old Eala and 46-year-old Williams reached the quarterfinals of the Bad Homburg tilt, where the latter described the Pinay pride as the ‘best partner’ for an extra fuel entering the Wimbledon.

Apart from the singles, Eala will also play in the doubles with Nikola Bartunkova of Czechia, falling at the upper bracket with a tough opening campaign against the eighth-seeded pair of Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia and Sofia Kenin of USA.

The Williams sisters are in the same doubles tourney as a wildcard albeit in the lower bracket for a long shot duel.

Christi Angeli Espolong bowed to Kazakhstan’s Zarina Yergen yesterday to pocket a silver medal in the women’s junior combat -59 kg class of the Asia and Oceania Sambo Championships at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium yesterday.

It came just hours after Johann Matthew San Miguel and Daniel Justin Virtudazo bagged bronze medals.

San Miguel bested Mongolian Mungu Gomboryechib but succumbed to Uzbek Asadbek Ruzmetov in the semis of the men’s junior combat 58 kgs while Virtudazo fell to Kazakhstan’s Maulen Yerzhanuly in the men’s junior combat -88 kgs semis in this competition presented by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Taiwan Excellence, in partnership with the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Mapua University, Start Up Village, and ScaleNCR, formally announced the opening anew of its global proposal campaign.

Simply dubbed “Go Healthy with Taiwan,” a presser held in Manila’s Bayleaf Hotel discussed how participants can design healthcare for the future together, with Taiwan as a teammate or partner.

Last year, 638 proposals were submitted from 58 countries, including the Philippines.

The criteria for selection revolves around health benefits, connection (Taiwan synergy), innovation, and feasibility. The proposals must address areas like biking, smart healthcare, and fitness and sports technology.

“Your idea is for a healthier future. Health achieved through technology and partnership. We need champions for change,” said Claire Yang, director of the Taiwan Trade Center in Manila.

“This is an invitation for innovation of ideas, which will create a lasting impact for communities,” she continued. “Taiwan has a long standing commitment to health and wellness; which in turn will inspire commitment around the world.”

The competition is open to government agencies, companies, legal and non-legal entities, as well as all interested individuals.

Engr. Romelen Tresvalles, DOST’s regional director for the National Capital Region, noted that the country faces complex health problems.

“The Philippines has a thriving community of innovators, which strengthens the innovation ecosystem, advancing it beyond borders. With this campaign, local ingenuity meets Taiwanese technology,” said Tresvalles, adding that “great ideas can come from anyone.”

The semi-finalists will be determined by September 5, while the finalists will be named in November.

Finalists will defend their proposal before a panel by December, where the Top 3 proposals will be announced. Deadline for the submission of entries is on August 1, 2026.

The Top 3 winning proposals will each receive $30,000 (P1.84 million), aside from funding grants. Observers believe that with the Philippines winning the Top Proposals for 2022 and 2024, it will once again win top honors this year!

Lawyers can’t roll in the gutter. They have to be noble, civilized, and way dignified. At least, that’s the goal.

That is why when lawyer Jesus Falcis III went on social media in 2018 with curse words, the Supreme Court had no choice but to sanction him. Sure, it was regarding an ongoing dispute with celebrity Kris Aquino, and Atty. Falcis had no other venue available to him then to air his grievances. Allegedly. And perhaps, the rules on social media posts by lawyers were still unclear at that time. Some lawyers have indeed claimed that their ‘private’ posts are beyond the review of the courts. But, nah. In a decision handed down some eight years later, Atty. Falcis was meted with a year’s suspension from the practice of law.

To his credit, Falcis accepted the penalty. He agreed he had to be held accountable for his tweets and posts, and made no further fuss. But taking advantage of the moment, Falcis did make a dig at the pending disbarment cases against former Prez Digong Duterte and the vice president (still?), Sara Duterte. Remember those?

In particular, the case arising from a 2011 incident where the vice president was then mayor of Davao City. She had violent objections about a demolition being implemented by a court sheriff. So violent, that the sheriff, one Abe Andres, suddenly found himself on the receiving end of four punches administered by none other than the mayoress. Socked and shocked!

In 2013, reports aired that disbarment cases were filed by a lawyer and sheriffs as a result of Mayoress Duterte’s assault. Thirteen years later, what do we have? What action has been taken?

Normally, disbarment cases are referred to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) for non-binding recommendations. Has the local IBP been able to huddle, shudder, gulp, and then issue said recommendation to theSupreme Court? What did they recommend? Or, and this is difficult to swallow, are those complaints still sitting with the IBP?

In 2018, there were news reports of a lobbyist trying to get Sara’s disbarment cases withdrawn. However, it was Sara who publicized this nugget, saying that she had no hand in the lobbyist’s efforts, and that he was allegedly currying favor with her or her papa towards an appointment in the Supreme Court. How do we process this self-serving revelation?

Prior to that, or in 2012, Sara had reportedly apologized to Sheriff Abe against her counsel’s advice. Hard to deny she socked him good if this was extensively documented by the Press. How could an apology hurt? Sadly, that apology was ineffectual, if the case was still hanging around in 2018.

More than 2,000 people just reacted to a Facebook post by the politically-vigilant Voice of Millennials, asking what happened to Sara’s disbarment case. Good question. What’s the status, indeed?

Perhaps, it would make more sense to non-lawyers if there is method to the disposition of disbarment cases. If these cases are resolved in a timelier fashion. If there are timelines we should be aware of. And if there are penalties imposed on IBP chapters who dilly-dally on resolving complaints.

The pending impeachment case that will soon play out before our television sets and alternate screens has revived interest in Sara’s disbarment anew, and might even reveal more. News flash: Sheriff Abe has been named as a witness by the prosecution. How will the sheriff’s testimony contribute towards deciding Sara’s guilt for the Constitutional violations she is accused of committing? Will it help result in her impeachment? Who knows. But it is good publicity, yes?

Because we shouldn’t forget that disbarment case. More citizens should start thinking about its disposition. The noisier we should become. And perhaps, for those who are tasked with deciding the case (paging IBP?), it’s time to clean up the docket.

Should Madame Duterte be disciplined? Will she be disbarred? Minor issues compared to her impeachment case, but still. For lawyers, and those accusing the legal profession of sliminess in general, this is important.