[Market Rider] Things you may not know about Jinky Luistro

It was a beautiful Monday morning, bright and sunny. The traffic was surprisingly calm and smooth, even as pedestrians and vehicles were beginning to gather while I hurriedly made my way to the Monday Circle breakfast forum last October 26. This pleasant start to the week was a rare surprise these days. But the day’s biggest surprise was yet to come. In an intimate, exclusive moment, the members and guests of the Monday Circle got a rare, behind-the-scenes look into the personal life and career of one of the country’s present most recognizable faces in politics: Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Abanilla “Jinky” Reyes-Luistro .

Luistro has drawn national attention through extensive media and television coverage especially for her prominent role as chairperson of the House committee on justice and lead prosecutor in the ongoing impeachment proceedings against Vice President Sara Duterte. Roots and political fate For Luistro, her entry into the political arena was less of a calculated career move but more of a choice to defend her family’s honor. In 2020, local rivals engineered a severe political hit against her husband, then-Mabini Mayor Noel “Bitrics” Luistro, filing two entirely fabricated counts of rape to derail his planned 2022 congressional run. Forensic verification exposed the shocking truth. The alleged victims were completely fictitious entities cooked up by opponents. Local leaders and supporters urged her to carry the torch for their constituency, so that the seasoned lawyer stepped into the vacuum. Embracing the province’s culture and values, she adopted the punchy moniker “Jinky Bitrics,” seamlessly balancing her identity as a family woman, legal advocate, and community leader. Luistro carries a deep pride for her hometown of Mabini, Batangas…