The Top Newsmakers of 2008

Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante

· Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante – He was an agriculture undersecretary when the fertilizer funds scam, of which he is believed to be the main operator, was brought into the open in 2005. He disappeared amid an ongoing Senate inquiry that same year and later surfaced in the US seeking political asylum. Bolante returned to the Philippines this year after a failed asylum bid and, at the Senate investigation, denied that there was even such a thing as a fertilizer fund scam.

Eliseo dela Paz and the other “Euro generals

· Eliseo dela Paz and the other “Euro generals” – Former Police Comptroller Eliseo dela Paz were arrested at the Moscow International Airport for carrying €105,000 – which was beyond the allowable limit, besides being undeclared. They had just attended the 77th general assembly of the Interpol at St. Petersburg. Philippine National Police (PNP) Director-General Jesus Versoza subsequently ordered that they be slapped with criminal and administrative charges. Shortly after returning to the Philippines, Dela Paz surrendered to Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who had him placed in the custody of Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Jose Balajadia, Jr.

Commanders Bravo and Kato of the MILF

· Commanders Bravo and Kato of the MILF – Abdurahman Macapaar, a.k.a. Commander Bravo of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), landed in the news for the attacks that his group staged in Lanao del Norte, including against a number of communities, following the aborted signing of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MoA-AD) with the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP). Ameril Ombra Kato, also of the MILF, had figured in skirmishes in North Cotabato resulting from provocations by the military starting June 30. Following the collapse of the GRP-MILF peace negotiations, the government ordered a manhunt for the two commanders.

Willy Wang

· Willy Wang – He won for the Philippines a gold medal for wushu, a demonstration sport at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This, in effect, makes him the only Filipino athlete to have brought home a gold medal from Beijing last year.