Tonyo Cruz

HOTSPOT Senator-judge Robin Padilla is drawing a barrage of criticisms for his statements in Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial. He could be actually beating the Cayetano siblings in drawing public outrage. For me, this is unsurprising. This seems to be Plan B of the pro-Duterte camp of senators, after the ouster of Alan Peter Cayetano as Senate president, and the subsequent arrests of Jinggoy Estrada and Rodante Marcoleta.

HOTSPOT It has become quite ordinary to see “appeals for help” from friends regarding hospitalization, hospital bills, labs and medicines. Many families bear this heavy burden, especially when a member or two would be diagnosed with chronic diseases and serious ailments. We have an eternity to talk about the many problems behind this growing burden for individuals and families. This column is not about that.

HOTSPOT Many are following the Senate impeachment trial hearings on the case against Vice President Sara Duterte. I hope you also watch via livestream or on free TV. Just a couple of weeks or months ago, this trial was almost impossible or not supposed to happen due to many reasons. We should be thankful that it is now underway. The charges against the vice president, called Articles of Impeachment, are serious.