‘I’m a lawyer’ turmoil ousts press secretary

“A harmful truth is better than a useful lie.”

—Thomas Mann

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

CLAIRE Castro is a lawyer, but she definitely isn’t one of the best presidential spokespersons in the Philippines.

In fact, some of the best Filipino press secretaries or spokespersons weren’t lawyers like the late Rodolfo Reyes, Jesus Sison, and Francisco “Kit” Tatad, who did not have a college degree.

One also doesn’t need to be a law practitioner for a job that requires primarily to communicate to the press vital information that the president wants to convey to the nation when he is not around.

Since democracy was restored in the Philippines via EDSA Revolution in 1986 until today, some of the press secretaries who have served Malacanang Palace were Teodoro L. Locsin and Alice C. Villadolid (1986), Teodoro C. Benigno Jr. (1987–1989).

They were followed by subsequent appointees under various administrations through the 1990s and 2000s that included Adolfo S. Azcuna, Tomas B. Gomez III, Horacio V. Paredes, Rodolfo T. Reyes, Jesus C. Sison, Hector R.R. Villanueva, Ricardo V. Puno, Jr., Noel C. Cabrera, Rigoberto D. Tiglao.

 

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Also, there were Silvestre C. Afable, Ignacio R. Bunye, Hernani A. Braganza, Milton A. Alingod, Jesus G. Dureza, Cerge M. Remonde, Conrado V. Limcaoco, Jr., Crispulo Icban, Jr., and Cornelio M. Baliao, Jr., Herminio B. Coloma, Jr.

Dave Gomez (ad interim/appointed July 2025), Cesar Chavez (Acting: Sep 2024–Feb 2025), Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil (Dec 2022–Sep 2024; OIC Oct–Dec 2022), Rose Beatrix "Trixie" Cruz-Angeles (June 30, 2022–October 4, 2022), Jose Ruperto Martin M. Andanar (July 1, 2016–June 30, 2022), and Claire Castro.

Not all of them are lawyers or were hired because qualifications required they should be lawyers.

Thus, recently ousted White House press secretary Katie Zacharia didn’t have to lie she was a lawyer when she assumed the position vacated by the more articulate and non-lawyer Karoline Leavitt, 29.

 Zacharia, 42, was forced out of her role October 16 only after five days on the job, a rare reversal by the White House that capped a week of upheaval.

Zacharia had gained President Donald Trump’s attention as a conservative commentator. She had gotten off to a shaky start as the 37th White House press secretary with her first and only press briefing on October 13.

 

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After largely reading off a script and ended questioning after just five and a half minutes followed by an onslaught of headlines about whether she had misrepresented herself as a lawyer, she caught the attention of critics.

Mr. Trump had called her “an attorney” despite failing her bar exam.

Subsequent interviews Zacharia gave in the media, in which the mother of four tried to defend herself by pointing out how unprepared she had been to go before the Washington press corps, also went poorly.

Finally, after days of unrelenting press coverage, the Trump administration decided on Friday afternoon to do something it almost never does: It folded.

According to New York Timnes, Mr. Trump was walking across the South Lawn to depart for a midterm rally in Georgia when he stopped to talk to reporters, telling them how he’d just encouraged his press secretary to “reconsider” her new job.

“Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,” he told the reporters, recounting his conversation with her. “Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this.”

Three people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions, said Zacharia was ousted from her role as press secretary.

The president told reporters that Zacharia might continue to work for him “in some form, but maybe a more pleasant form.”

The NYT added that later Friday, Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said that Ms. Zacharia would be “transitioning into a new role that will be announced at a later date.”

(The author is based in New York City and used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

Accept she is human, so we won’t be disappointed

“Either way, never be sorry about things you have no control over. You’ll just give yourself ulcers. Never half-ass anything. Drink plenty of wine.”

―Sylvain Neuvel, Only Human

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

AS long as we don’t accept human beings aren’t perfect, we will continue to wallow in disappointments, which come from the gap between our expectations and reality.

When what we hoped, planned, expected, or assumed would happen do not match what actually occurs, we become bitter, disenchanted, dejected, and rancorous.

Athletes, for instance, are only human beings with physical limits, prone to setbacks, and capable of being subdued just like anyone else.

No one is infallible.

Every athlete, coach, team, or referee is human and capable of making mistakes, losing, or failing. No matter how tall, big, fast, talented, dominant, or experienced someone is, perfection does not exist in competition.

Greatness can never be permanent, even as growth isn’t linear. This includes the greatest champions like Manny Pacquiao, Rafael “Paeng” Nepomuceno, Efren “Bata” Reyes, Carlos “Caloy” Yulo, who had their own share of humiliations, losses, injuries, and human failure.

Placing them on an untouchable pedestal turns natural human setbacks into public punishment or resentment when expectations are not met.

 

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This was apparently what happened when many fans of Alexandra “Alex” Eala couldn’t believe (and accept) she suffered three consecutive three-set losses in her recent late-2026 Asian hard-court and multi-sport appearances after winning the first set in each match.

The debacle first rolled off on September 24, 2026, when Eala, ranked no. 18 in the world, was bundled out by world No. 117 Tatiana Prozorova 6–4, 5–7, 3–6 in Round 16 of the Singapore Tennis Open.

This was followed by a disastrous 6-3, 3-6, 2-6 loss to world No. 49  Wang Xiyu in the semifinals of the recent Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on October 1, 2026 where the young Filipino tennis star openly and sadly confessed “I really wanted the gold.”

To complete the humiliation, Eala succumbed to world no. 217 Shi Han 6-4, 3-6,3-6 in the Round of 64 in Wuhan Open on Oct 12, 2026.

The breathtaking defeats were hard to swallow for many Eala fans who had expected her to roll past one tennis player after another in a masterful and dominant binges after she became the toast of the tennis community and darling of the crowd wherever she played.

 

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Of course, these setbacks could happen because primarily she is only human. Even a machine conks out.

Even IBM's supercomputer Deep Blue lost to human chess champion Garry Kasparov in their first 1996 match, 4-2, in Philadelphia though IBM later beat him in a 1997 rematch.

A humanoid robot developed by Beijing Innovation Centre of Humanoid Robotics (and another model named Lightning by Honor) successfully beat Usain Bolt’s iconic 100m world record of 9.58 seconds.

During the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, a robot clocked an unprecedented 9.39 seconds, reaching peak speeds of 14.5 meters per second.

In long-distance running, the autonomous robot Lightning shattered human benchmarks by finishing the Beijing half-marathon in a blistering 50 minutes and 26 seconds, surpassing the official human world record of 56:51.

Humanoid robots built by tech companies like X-Humanoid cleared 2.88 meters in a standing jump format, shattering the human high jump world record of 2.45 meters set by Javier Sotomayor.

 

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Many fans though Eala was invincible and possessed supernatural ability and talent that no tennis player in the planet could measure up to her skills—except that they forgot she’s also human being.

Especially when she bursted into our imagination with scintillating performances in her best and most significant career wins that included major tournament titles and high-profile upsets against the following WTA Top 10 players:

—2026 Mubadala D.C. Open where she defeated world no. 3 Jessica Pegula 4–6, 6–4, 6–0 in the finals to capture her first career WTA Tour singles title (WTA 500), pushing her into the WTA Top 20 for the first time.

— 2025 Miami Open quarterfinals where she stunned world no. 2 Iga Swiatek 6–2, 7–5 during a breakout wild-card run.

— 2025 Miami Open third round where she shocked world no. 5 Madison Keys 6–4, 6–2.

— 2026 Wimbledon third round where she upset world no. 3 Iga Swiatek 7–6(9), 6–2 on grass.

— 2026 Indian Wells Open third round where mowed down World no. 4 Coco Gauff 6–2, 2–0 ret.

— 2026 Berlin Tennis Open where she clobbered world no. 2 Elena Rybakina 7–5, 6–4 in the second round and world no. 8 Elina Svitolina 6–3, 6–4 in the quarterfinals.

— 2026 Dubai Tennis Championships second round where she manhandled world no. 8 Jasmine Paolini 6–1, 7–6(5).

— 2022 US Open where she captured the US Open Girls' Singles title, becoming the first Filipino to win a junior Grand Slam singles crown.

(The author is based in New York City and used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

Dropping 3 impeachment articles akin to Fischer’s first 2 games loss in chess match

“Belatedly I was having second thoughts. I had no reason to be taking this risk. I could be halfway out already. I said I wouldn’t do this anymore. Overconfidence and these half-baked plans will be the death of me.”

―Audranasa

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

WAS it a case of hubris on the part of the prosecution panel? Or overconfidence? 

Or both?

Whatever was the reason behind their decision to drop the three of the four impeachment articles against Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio, they may have already smelled victory, or a conviction based on the damning pieces of evidence unveiled in the testimonies of forensic financial analyst Alexander Cabrera in Article II, which accuses Mrs. Duterte-Carpio of amassing unexplained wealth and failing to disclose assets or divest from prohibited business interests.

We don’t need a bazooka, a revolver, and a bayonet because we have sharpened the Samurai?

Two early to celebrate? Not so fast, folks.

Charlie Parker once warned that the desire for victory is a common trait that connects all life on planet Earth.

A tree will grow in the direction that provides the most sunlight for its leaves to maximize its probability of survival.

Lionesses will mate with the strongest male lion to maximize the probability of their offspring’s viability and success.

But no matter how hard we try, we can never guarantee victory and success.

 

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If there were a person who could guarantee victory every time, that person would become the richest person in human history, Parker emphasized.

Imagine a quarterback who could never lose, or a scientist who always came up with the perfect formula.

Cocksure of becoming the first American-born world chess champion, Robert James “Bobby” Fischer supposedly “threw away intentionally” the first two games of his world chess championship match against defending champion Boris Spassky of Soviet Union in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1972.

But unlike the late American genius who would become the sixth non-Russian world chess champion even after the 0-2 deficit, there is no clear sign yet that the prosecution panel’s shocking decision to drop the three articles of impeachment will result in the conviction of the beleaguered Philippine vice president.

As of this writing, the prosecution panel continued to receive flaks even from supporters who didn’t agree with their decision.

After yielding the first two important games in the 21-game championship series played at the height of the Cold War, Fischer, then 29, faced heavy criticism for self-destruction, lack of emotional control, and erratic behavior.

Despite the disastrous start, Fischer wrested the world chess title by a commanding 12.5-8.5 points victory over the then 35-year-old Soviet champion on September 1, 1972.

 

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Fischer’s Game 2 loss drew widespread condemnation for throwing a temper tantrum, protesting the noise and TV cameras in the hall, and failing to show up to the board. This self-inflicted default put him in a 2–0 hole against Spassky.

Soviet and Western analysts alike suggested that Fischer allowed his nerves and temper to crack under the massive pressure of the match, letting Spassky lure him into an emotional collapse.

There were concerns and fears from chess officials, the media, and even United States representatives that Fischer’s constant saber rattling, paranoia, demands, and refusal to show up would sabotage the match or lead to a complete embarrassment.

There were pundits who claimed, however, that Fischer did not actually sacrifice two games against the reigning Soviet world champion; rather, he lost the first game by over-the-board play (after miscalculating a bishop move) and forfeited the second game by failing to show up.

In Game 1, Fischer really lost, the pundits claimed, when he played a controversial bishop sacrifice (29...Bxh2), which trapped his piece. Some conspiracy theories or speculative opinions suggested he might have miscalculated or played bizarrely on purpose, but many chess historians viewed it as a real miscalculation or risky struggle rather than a deliberate game sacrifice.

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)

 

 

Talarico, the Vico Sotto of the United States, ‘leads’ in Texas

“Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.”

—General George Patton

 

By Alex P. Vidal

 

IF the Philippines has Vico Sotto, the United States, many pundits say, has James Talarico.

Like Sotto, the incumbent mayor of Pasig City in Metro Manila, Talarico, member of the Texas House of Representatives, has surged in popularity as the Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate in Texas by combining a unique faith-based public identity with an economic populist message.

Both the Filipino and American politicians are thirty-seven years old and seen by their admirers and political backers as future presidential candidates.

Talarico frequently draws on his classroom experience to advocate for public education and working-class families as a former middle school teacher in San Antonio through Teach For America.

As a Presbyterian seminary student and former state representative, Talarico explicitly roots his politics in Christian scripture and morality, frequently criticizing Christian nationalism and arguing for policies like healthcare, education funding, and economic equity from a faith-based framework.

Instead of framing politics strictly through a left-versus-right lens,

Talarico positions his message around working people and families versus powerful elites, corporate money, and billionaire mega-donors.

 

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According to the recent YouGov poll, younger voters choose Talarico over Republican Ken Paxton.

Around two-thirds of voters ages 18–29 (69 percent) and ages 30–44 (62 percent) said they were voting for Talarico. Only 27 percent and 34 percent, respectively, said they were supporting Paxton.

Voters between the ages of 45 and 64 were more split on the race, with 46 percent siding with Talarico and 48 percent for Paxton.

More than half of voters age 65 and above (55 percent) said they were voting for Paxton, while 38 percent said they supported Talarico.

Overall, according to Fox 7 Austin, Talarico led the poll by six points over Paxton, 50 percent to 44 percent, with 2 percent saying they would vote for someone else, 3 percent undecided and 1 percent of those polled saying they would not vote.

The poll also asked voters who made a choice if they would consider another candidate.

Among voters who said they were voting for Talarico, Fox 7 Austin reported that 3 percent said there was a chance they could change their minds and vote for Paxton.

Paxton voters were also mostly locked in on their candidate, with 4 percent saying they would consider voting for Talarico.

Vico Sotto, nephew of former Senate President and incumbent Philippines Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III, represents a new generation of ethical leadership in the Philippines and is so popular nationwide.

 

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Penciled to be the next president of the Philippines, Sotto’s age prohibits him from running in the 2028 presidential elections. The son of popular comedian Marvic Valentin “Vic” Sotto gained widespread national and international recognition by choosing public service over his family's entertainment spotlight and breaking a decades-long political dynasty.

Vico Sotto implemented deep institutional reforms focused on transparency, a move that earned him national fame

He championed Metro Manila's first local Freedom of Information (FOI) ordinance, launched 24/7 public complaint hotlines, and live streamed government bidding processes.

Vico Sotto’s administration is known to have significantly lowered city project costs by eradicating supplier kickbacks and corruption.

Meanwhile, according to Northeastern Global News analyst Tanner Stening, the Democratic Party is positioned to make gains in the 2026 midterm elections, which are now less than a month away “if history is any judge.”

 

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Quoting associate professor of political science at Northeastern University Nick Beauchamp, Stening observed that on average, the party in power loses about 25 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives during the off-year elections, which take place midway through a president’s four-year term and typically serve as a referendum on the incumbent party.

He wrote that Beauchamp viewed power shift usually as a result of several baseline factors — presidential approval and the state of the economy, which tend to account for a lot of what’s driving public sentiment.

The midterms determine control of the House and Senate and include races for seats in thousands of state and local offices. The Republicans hold a slim majority in the House, with 218 members to the Democrats’ 214. They also command the Senate.

“Election observers note that while the progressive wing of the Democratic Party has enjoyed electoral success in the primaries, that impact has mostly shone through in smaller, less consequential races,” observed Stening.

“The Nov. 3 contest, they contend, will involve larger structural forces that trump ideology. They include the anti-incumbency mood that has swept elections around the globe, a deepening dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump as shown in several national polls, the economy and rising inflation tied to the U.S. war with Iran.”

(The author, who is now based in New York City, used to be the editor-in-chief of two leading daily newspapers in Iloilo, Philippines.—Ed)