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VOL. 6 NO. 272

IDENTIFIED

The photo of Jessie Javier Carlos, the casino attacker, is shown to journalists by Director Oscar Albayalde, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office.

AMANDO DORONILA / PDI

Casino tragedy probe cites long list of lapses

BY ERIKA SAULER AND PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer NO ONE was in “command and control” of the security situation at Resorts World Manila (RWM) when the armed Jessie Javier Carlos went on a rampage in the early hours of June 2, according to the ranking police official leading the investigation into possible lapses on the part of the hotel security personnel.

Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino, head

of the Philippine National Police-Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies (PNP-Sosia), also said there was “no emergency response team” that could have prevented Carlos from wrecking havoc.

“There (was) no concrete reaction team to call. There (was) no command and control or so-called crisis management,” Espino said in a press briefing on Tuesday, revealing the initial findings of the probe that seeks to determine

7

Same old woes mar class opening

11 Qatar says Kuwait trying to mediate, solve Gulf crisis ❱❱ PAGE 21

❱❱ PAGE 9 Casino tragedy

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Video shows militants in Philippine siege plot

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JUNE 9, 2017

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FRIDAY

Philippine News

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

3

Martial law gets Congress approval

LRT-1 soon to increase trips, extend operating hours

BY DJ YAP AND CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer

BY AEROL B. PATENA Philippines News Agency

declaration before the Supreme Court,” Villarin said.

Close fight

In the Senate, the minority bloc acTHE SENATE and the House of Repre- cepted defeat following the junking of sentatives have formally abandoned the its resolution seeking a joint session of holding of a joint session to reject Presi- Congress to tackle the President’s emerdent Duterte’s declaration of martial gency in Mindanao. law in Mindanao. A day after the Senate A day after the Senate voted 12-9 to adopted the martial law resolution, the reject the six-member minority bloc’s House approved late Wednesday a simi- Resolution No. 390, Minority Leader lar resolution expressing full support Franklin Drilon acknowledged that it for martial law. was a close fight since the final tally Allies of President Duterte in Con- could have been 12-10 because Sen. Joel gress on Wednesday drove the final nail Villanueva would have voted with them in the coffin of opposition moves for a on Tuesday night had he been in the joint session to reject his declaration of chamber then. martial law in Mindanao.

“It takes two to tango. So nothing At the prodding of Majority Leader would come out of it,” Drilon told reRodolfo Fariñas, the House of Represen- porters. tatives on WednesDrilon also said his day night passed with group would now just an overwhelming “support any effort vote of “aye” a resoto go to the Supreme Court” after it had lution introduced The executive also seems to earlier expressing initially said it was have no coherent full support for Mr. open to petitioning and holistic Duterte’s Proclamathe high court. assessment of tion No. 216.

Addressing the what necessitated The resolution was 292-seat lower the declaration. introduced after a chamber before the Nor was there a six-hour briefing beclosed security briefclear plan of how hind closed doors by ing, Speaker Pantalethe situation in security officials. on Alvarez reminded Mindanao will be The House leaderthe lawmakers that resolved. ship, to the dismay of their decision whethopposition lawmaker to uphold the Presers, opted not to call ident’s Proclamation a joint session, which No. 216 would “dewould have required termine the trajecmembers of both the House and the Sen- tory of our response to the grave threats ate to vote individually. posed by terror groups,” including the They argued that the 1987 Constitu- Maute group. tion does not specifically require joint voting if neither chamber wants to re- Martial law concern “Will our collective response extend voke the martial law proclamation.

Akbayan Rep. Tomasito Villarin said a helping hand to our Commander in the security briefing left him with the Chief and, consequently, empower him impression that it was just the President to decisively destroy the delusional terror dreams of these extremist groups?” calling the shots.

“The executive also seems to have he said.

“Or will our response be to view the no coherent and holistic assessment of what necessitated the declaration. Nor occasion from ivory towers and, while was there a clear plan of how the situa- disconnected from the realities on the tion in Mindanao will be resolved. Ev- ground, choose to chain the hands of the erything seems to be at the sole discre- President at a time when he needs our full support the most?” Alvarez contintion of the President,” he said.

He said any resolution approved by ued.

Alvarez said he understood why some the House to express support for the martial law declaration would be ren- were wary of martial law, referring to dered unconstitutional by the fact that the country’s experience under the dicit had not been done in a joint session of tatorship of Ferdinand Marcos.

“Let us view the situation not excluCongress.

“Congress failed to exercise its shared sively from the perspective of the past. powers with the President in any mar- Our present Constitution provides suftial law declaration with such move. As ficient safeguards to prevent abuses by such, we will continue to question the agents of the state,” Alvarez said. ■

MANILA — The Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 1 will soon extend its operating hours and increase weekday trips as part of efforts to improve the delivery of mass transport services to passengers.

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Undersecretary for Rails Cesar Chavez said commuters will soon experience shorter waiting time as a result of these improvements.

“The 20-kilometer railway system from Baclaran in Paranaque to Roosevelt in Quezon City is set to implement a new timetable to increase the number of weekday trips, extend operating hours and shorten waiting periods for its clients,” Chavez said in a statement.

LRT-1 concessionaire Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC) will start its morning operations from Baclaran to Roosevelt station at 4:30a.m. which at present starts 5a.m. For the evening operations, the last trip northbound from Baclaran to Roosevelt will be extended until 10p.m. while the last trip south-

bound will leave the Roosevelt station at 10:15p.m.

The new weekday schedule will lead to the increase of trips of LRT Line 1 from the present 512 to 554 daily trips. However, the existing schedule for weekends and holidays will still be in effect.

The speed limit for the LRT-1 north extension from Monumento to Roosevelt stations will likewise increase from 40 kilometers per hour (kph) to 60 kph.

Since it took over operations in September 2015, the LRMC has restored middle cars for the LRT Generation 1 trains from 77 light rail vehicles (LRVs) to 103 LRVs. It further disclosed that the rail line has reached an average daily ridership of 443,000 for the first quarter of 2017, or a 6 percent year-on-year increase.

LRMC is a joint venture company of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation’s Metro Pacific Light Rail Corporation (MPLRC), Ayala Corporation’s AC Infrastructure Holdings Corporation (AC Infra), and the Philippine Investment Alliance for Infrastructure’s Macquarie Infrastructure Holdings (Philippines) PTE Ltd. (MIHPL). ■

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Philippine News

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JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

DOLE suspends deployment of OFWs to Qatar

BY AZER N. PARROCHA Philippines News Agency MANILA — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Tuesday ordered the suspension of the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Qatar stressing that it would be assessing the situation in the Middle Eastern country.

“Effective today (Tuesday) we have ordered the suspension of deployment of OFW in Qatar. This is for us to assess the situation because there are so many wild rumors going around,” said DOLE Secretary Silvestre Bello III in a press conference held at the agency’s main office in Intramuros, Manila.

“Kasi we are foreseeing and possible problem in Qatar. Like for example we know for a fact Qatar does not produce it own food. If anything happens and they ran out of food and food riots take place definitely our OFWs will be the first victims. Kaya kailangan lang may preparatory measures to meet the possible exigency,” he added.

At the same time, he denied rumors of food riots in the Middle Eastern nation.

“Although late last night and early this morning I was able to talk to our labor

Senator Cynthia Villar (in pink) distributes livelihood assistance package to families of distressed overseas Filipino workers.

AVITO C. DALAN / PNA

attache Dec Dicang and he informed me that there are no food riots yet as rumors being spread around. Although I told him that as a preparatory measure we should advice our OFWs in Qatar and our POLO (Philippine Overseas Labor Office) to start making stock of food provisions especially does not have much food production,” Bello said.

He noted that those who are covered by the suspension are newly-hired and returning Filipino workers.

“We stopped all processing and even

those who were scheduled to go. Sorry but we have to suspend first the deployment,” the DOLE chief explained.

Bello added, “Even those who are ready to go we have to temporary suspend for their own protection because we have to assess the situation first before we could allow again the deployment of our migrant workers. This is for their own protection.”

With this, he asked the local recruitment companies to coordinate with their counterparts in the Arab state to ensure that the Filipino workers will be protected in case something happens there.

“We would like to inform you that we informed our recruitment agencies for get in touch with their counter parts in Qatar to see to it that our migrant workers are sufficiently protected if anything goes wrong in that country,” Bello said.

Based on DOLE figures as of last year, there are 141,000 documented OFWs in Qatar. The employed Filipinos there are both skilled and semi-skilled workers such as technicians, engineers, nurses among others.

Asked if there is a need to repatriate workers at this time, Bello said, “We still have to study the situation, but even before this time we have been sending of some augmentation team not only to Qatar but also to the other Middle East countries to meet any possible incidents.”

He noted that the suspension will depend on the assessment they will be conducting there.

“It depends on the assessment that we will be undertaking. We are in close coordination with the Department of Foreign Affairs. Depende kung lala ‘yung situation or baka naman yung anticipated problem will come about. So depende na sa situation iyan,” the DOLE chief added.

On Monday, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Egypt, Libya and Maldives severed ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism. ■

Only legit traders in Duterte delegations, please, Koko urges

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SENATE PRESIDENT Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III has called on Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez to ensure that only legitimate businessmen are made part of presidential delegations during foreign trips.

Pimentel stressed that prospective foreign investors should not only be protected from corruption but also from fraud and deceit.

In a statement, the Senate president urged the DTI secretary to “accredit only honest-togoodness Philippine businesses in the delegations abroad,” con- sidering that foreign trips are meant to entice big-ticket investments and forge closer relations.

Pimentel was referring to Mr. Duterte’s assurance to potential Russian investors there will be no corruption in their dealings with his administration.

Lopez and the business delegation as well as other government officials

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stayed behind in Moscow when the President had to rush back to the Philippines because of the Marawi City seige.

The visit to Russia resulted in the signing of 10 agreements on defense cooperation, tourism promotions, agricultural enhancement, trans- portation technology, international film and art festivals, trade and investments, and industry development.

Pimentel said Mr. Duterte vowed to pursue a drug-free country and a corrupt-free government and even offered to personally take care of complaints aired by Russian businessmen.

“We should also provide them with a fraud-free investment experience in the country,” he stressed.

Apart from securing deals in Russia, Mr. Duterte’s past visits has resulted in $15-billion pledge for infrastructure from the Chinese government and a $3-billion credit facility from the Bank of China.

Japan also offered $ 8.1-billion worth of loans and private investments. ■

5

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

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Philippine News

JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

DepEd urges Marawi evacuees to enroll their children in school PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY

attending classes and this number could still increase.

This year’s school opening is unusuMANILA — The Department of Educa- al because of the ongoing conflict in tion (DepEd) on Tuesday urged evacu- Marawi City that hindered school chilees from Marawi to enroll their children dren from attending classes. to the nearest schools in order for them In the same briefing, meanwhile, to continue their studies.

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto In a press briefing in Malacañang, Abella said that government troops conDepEd Secretary Leonor Briones said tinue to make headway into inner areas the DepEd has waived the usual docu- of Marawi City, adding that the Departmentary requirements for enrollment ment of Social Welfare and Developto give the children of the evacuees more ment (DSWD) has so far released more leeway in going to school. than PHP45 million in augmentation There are 22,000 affected students, assistance to affected families. according to ARMM report. Right now, Abella said that as of 7 p.m. Monday, Briones said there are 1,391 children troops recovered PHP52.2 million cash in from Marawi City who are enrolled in Marawi City. The money has been secured schools outside of the city. and turned over to the headquarters of She said the DepEd is still waiting for Task Force Marawi for safekeeping. the advice of the military when Marawi “This debunks the claim that troops City will get rid of the ISIS-backed have been involved in looting as alMaute group, which means people could leged by some quarters. The AFP clearly also return to their homes. shows it’s doing its job with honor, inBriones also said tegrity and stands on the DepEd officials high moral ground,” have asked local govhe said. ernment units to On the ongoing empty the schools We have had diplomatic rift in the tremendous used as evacuation Middle East after support from centers and assign Saudi Arabia, United all sectors of other appropriate Arab Emirates, Egypt, the country. places so that chiland Bahrain cut off dren could return ties with Qatar, Abella to school and spare assured that the govthem of war trauma. ernment will extend For instance, she its assistance to afsaid there were reports saying that three fected overseas Filipino workers. schools in Iligan are being used as evac“The decision of Saudi Arabia, UAE, uation centers.

Egypt, and Bahrain to cut diplomatic “We should protect our learners and ties with Qatar may have some ripple efour children from conflict because they fects on our overseas Filipino workers,” are not part of all the dramatics going on Abella said. at present. So we also seek your coopera“Concerned government agencies are tion in spreading the word,” Briones said. now looking at the matter and would Meanwhile, Briones reported a extend assistance and other support to smooth opening of classes in the coun- OFWs who may be affected by such actry, which she attributed to the tremen- tion,” he added. dous support of different sectors.

Abella also responded to the state“We have had tremendous support ment of Supreme Court Justice Antonio from all sectors of the country. We also Carpio with regards to the South China have had the benefit and I think this was Sea issue, saying that the President recrucial and the smooth operations yes- spects Justice Carpio’s views. terday of pre-enrollment as early as Jan“We can assure the Justice and the uary… learners were already encouraged people of the Philippines that the polito enroll, and this led to very orderly… cies of this administration are not only pag first day ng June, klase na kaagad,” directed at protecting the sovereignty of Briones said. the Republic,” Abella said.

Although she could not put together He added that the President and his the tentative numbers of the enrollees, Cabinet are working with the governbut for the public sector, Briones said ments of all nations with legitimate inthey were expecting more than 22 mil- terests in the South China Sea to ensure lion learners to attend classes. that the Philippines’ national interests As of June 5, the first day of classes, she are protected and the region remains a said there were over 13,356,989 learners zone of peace. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Philippine News

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

7

Same old woes mar class opening

BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer WHEN MORE than 50,000 public schools open today, the same old problems will greet more than 22.8 million students: shortage in classrooms and teachers, and overcrowding. “We are generally ready but there will be certain schools, especially in far-flung areas, that cannot catch up,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones said. The problems, however, “are not of crisis proportions,” she said.

When more than 22.8 million students troop to over 50,000 public schools at the start of the new school year today, they are likely to encounter the same old problems: shortage in classrooms, teachers and other facilities and overcrowding.

“We cannot say with 100percent certainty that everything is there,” Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Briones said on the eve of the opening of classes.

“We are generally ready but there will be certain schools, especially in farflung areas that cannot catch up,” Briones added.

If it’s any consolation, the problems “are not of crisis proportions,” she told a press briefing.

Offhand, she said the DepEd had a shortage of 66,000 classrooms as of June 2016.

From 2014 to 2016, the DepEd had aimed to build 107,920 classrooms—49,311 for kinder to Grade 10; 57,021 for senior high school (SHS) and 1,588 for technical-vocational schools.

Of this number, 51.59 percent had been completed as of end of May, making available 55,680 classrooms.

6-percent increase

Enrollment is expected to grow by 6 percent with 22.89 million students attending classes in 53,043 public schools—1.84 million in kinder; 13.15 million in elementary; 6.33 million in junior high school and 1.57 million in SHS. DepEd’s projected enrollment in 22,499 private schools, which will open in different dates after June 5, is at 4.08 million, a 19-percent surge from last year’s 3.4 million. A big bulk of this population will be in junior high school with 1.3 million students; 1.27 million in SHS and 1.25 million in elementary.

Briones noted that the continuously growing student population increased the demand for classrooms, which also translated to shortages in school chairs, supplies, textbooks and laboratory equipment, especially with the SHS voucher program now in its second year.

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers on Sunday said that the DepEd also

Several students walk two kilometers going to Barangay Santiago High School during the opening of classes in General Trias City, Cavite on Monday.

AVITO C. DALAN / PNA

lacked 235.4 million instructional and other learning materials, 2.2 million seats for 2016 and 66,492 tableand-chair sets (45 seats and 1 teacher’s desk) and 44,538 computer packages.

The figures were based on a report made by Briones in November 2016, according to the group.

DepEd data also showed that for this school year, the agency created 40,104 new teacher items for K to 10 and SHS to address the huge demand following the full implementation of the K-12 program. Briones said they needed more science and math teachers for SHS. Out of the 196,687 teacher vacancies it created since 2010 for kinder to Grade 10, the agency has hired 190,530 since last year to plug the shortage in public elementary and high schools. It needs 6,157 more to catch up with the sevenyear backlog, data showed.

For SHS, the agency still needs to hire 8,618 new teachers to fill up the 36,788 vacancies. This figure is on top of the first batch of 21,868 teachers it requires for the school year 2017-2018.

public schools in the capital, 75 percent of elementary schools and 69 percent of high schools will continue to adopt double-shift classes.

Menguito said 2.2 million students were expected to attend classes today in the capital’s public schools, where each

Double shifts

To ease congestion, Briones said double shifting would continue to be observed in some schools this year, particularly in Metro Manila, where there was a “lack of buildable space.”

“It is very clear that there is a shortage in classrooms that’s why we have two classes on a daily basis on certain cases,” she said.

“But it is not from lack of trying, the lack of technology and of knowing what the problems are. It’s because, as in the case of NCR, we really lack buildable space even as we want to build more school buildings,” she added.

The DepEd director for Metro Manila, Ponciano Menguito, said out of 780 www.canadianinquirer.net

classroom is expected to hold 45 pupils in elementary and 46 in the secondary schools.

But he was expecting that the first day of classes won’t be as chaotic as in the previous years since the schools conducted a dry run of resumption of classes for two days last week.

“Our learners were asked to report to school so they would already know their assigned classroom and teacher beforehand and that they could have regular classes on June 5,” Menguito said in an interview.

While admitting that the country’s public school system continued to face the same old problems and that some are faced “with really truly horrible situations,” Briones stressed that it should also be acknowledged that things were changing for the better.

“We have to recognize that more schools are better prepared now,” she said.

Education Undersecretary Jesus Mateo also highlighted figures showing a reduction in the classroom-student and teacher-pupil ratio over the years. As of 2016, the classroom-pupil and teacherpupil ratio was 1:36 and 1:43, respectively in elementary schools and 1:32 and 1:26, respectively in high schools. ■

Philippine News

8

JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

Owners of small stores hit tax bill

BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer

Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer, Inc. Correspondents Jane Moraleda Cheng Ilagan Katherine Padilla Deby Mangabat Phoebe Balubar Socorro Newland Bolet Arevalo Administration Head Victoria Yong Graphic Designer Shanice Garcia Photographers Angelo Siglos Vic Vargas For photo submissions, please email editor@canadianinquirer.net For General Inquiries, please email info@canadianinquirer.net For Sales Inquiries, please email sales@canadianinquirer.net PHILIPPINE PUBLISHING GROUP Editorial Assistant Christelle Tolisora Associate Publisher Lurisa Villanueva In cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer digital edition Philippine Canadian Inquirer is located at 11951 Hammersmith Way, Suite 108 Richmond, B.C. V7A 5H9 Canada

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OWNERS OF “sari-sari” stores and “carinderias” are up in arms over the House approval of the tax reform package, which seeks to jack up prices of soda, instant coffee and powdered juice.

“They are taxing the products that the poor are consuming,” said the group’s president, Victoria “Nanay Vicky” Aguinaldo. “This is but unfair.”

Owners of “sari-sari” stores and “carinderias” are up in arms over the impending passage of the administration’s first tax reform package, which threatens to jack up prices of soda, instant coffee and powdered juice.

The Philippine Association of Stores and Carinderia Owners (Pasco) warned that the hefty excise tax of P10 on sweetened drinks under House Bill No. 5636, or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, would exact a heavy toll on their sources of income.

Based on Pasco’s calculation, the price of a sachet of three-in-one instant coffee will rise to P8 from P5, while that of powdered orange juice will go up from P9 to P20, once the sugar tax is imposed.

The price of ready-to-drink juices will rise by P6, while sodas will cost P25 from P16 a bottle, the group said.

Pasco described three-in-one coffee as a “major commodity of the poorer segment of the society.”

A young boy looks at the camera while his mother checks the fit of the white polo uniform on him.

Bargain hunters again troop to Divisoria to buy affordable school uniforms. Stalls like this might be affected by the tax hike under House Bill No. 5636.

JOEY O. RAZON / PNA

cent of the total, comes from the sale of coffee, juice and carbonated drinks, Aguinaldo said.

So, almost half of the store owner’s net income comes from the sale of the sweetened drinks, she said.

Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio.

Economic advance

Siquijor Rep. Ramon Rocamora said the tax package was needed “to move the economy forward.”

“A tax measure is never easy. That is Appeal to Duterte why I admire the House leadership in “President Duterte is our only hope. pushing this very difficult measure, no We call on him to heed our call and matter how unpopular this may be,” he House approval thwart the passage of this bill,” Agui- said.

On Wednesday evening, the House of naldo said.

The Associated Labor Unions-Trade Representatives passed the tax measure Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Za- Union Congress of the Philippines on third reading by a vote of 246-9 with rate said any savings for professionals (ALU-TUCP) warned the move would one abstention. The bill will then be offered by the tax reform package would hit the labor sector hard. tackled by the Senate. be effectively wiped out by correspond“Around 30 million workers will beOpponents criticized the bill for be- ing hikes in the prices of goods. come poorer,” said Alan Tanjusay, ALUing antipoor, arguing TUCP spokesperson. that while it would “The tax measure lower personal inwill hit the poorest come tax, it would of the poor and will burden the public A tax measure is never easy. That is why I push inflation even admire the House leadership in pushing with corresponding higher at a faster rate. this very difficult measure, no matter how new taxes levied on The current inflation unpopular this may be. rate is at 3.4 percent fuel and sugar-sweetin March, the highest ened beverages, in four years,” Tanjuamong others. say said.

Pasco said the exThe measure will cise tax would “most likely double” the price of the most basic “They gave with the left hand, but took also marginalize further the informal commodities in the market. more of it back with the right hand. It’s sector workers who are earning P6,000 “I don’t understand the reason why probably better to leave the tax system a month because of the imposition of exthey are taxing the products that the as is, because if this is the effect on a cise tax on fuel, he added. poor are consuming. This is but un- middle-class individual, the effect will “Productivity of workers will be sefair,” said the group’s president, Victoria be more heavily felt by the poor, because verely affected once they experience “Nanay Vicky” Aguinaldo. they will bear the brunt of price hikes,” more poverty brought about by this tax “I hope our lawmakers would realize he said. reform package,” Tanjusay said. that we do not have extra income, and “Fixed-income earners may at least “There is more reason for us to purthat we will only be burdened by this. have relief due to lower income taxes, sue our standing proposal to President This is just too much,” she said. but what about minimum wage earners, Duterte to give P500 monthly cash A typical sari-sari store owner earns those in the informal sector and with- subsidy for minimum wage workers to an average of P1,000 per day and P300 out source of income? They will have cope with the impending rise of prices of to P400 of that, representing 30-40 per- no benefit at all from this bill,” said ACT goods and services,” he said. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Philippine News

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

9

Controversial Coron resort to push through – DOT

BY JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer

National Capital Region Police Office Director Oscar Albayalde and other police officials brief President Rodrigo Duterte on the CCTV footage of the Resorts World Manila incident.

PNA

Casino tragedy... the administrative liability of NC Lanting Security Specialist Agency, which provided guards for Resorts World.

RWM had an in-house security team but they are not covered by the PNP-Sosia investigation.

“The guards on duty at the time were really for fixed posts at the parking area, the entrance and exits and one roving guard for the whole mall area,” Espino said. “So when you ask for a quick reaction team, they did not know who will run because they have their own post to secure.”

Espino said the incident, which left 38 people dead, including Carlos who took his own life, also showed that RWM’s security personnel “relied so much on the PNP.” “They waited for the PNP. But what if the PNP station is far away? Who will now react?” he said. “If we will review (what happened), there was no command and control at that time.

As a colleague said, the Chief PNP was waiting (to know) what was happening but no one could tell him immediately. There was no ground commander.” “(The PNP chief ) was informed that everybody was evacuated (but it turned out) there were those left behind.

That is what we are pointing out in command and control,” he added.

The RWM incident prompted Espino and other PNP officials to require other resorts, malls and hotels to submit security plans on which they could base their drills and rehearsals.

Their managers were also reminded “not to scale down” their security detail after midnight or during the graveyard shift, if they are operating 24/7. ❰❰ 1

“That is what we learned. Because of the scaling down of personnel, this thing happened and it escalated, which should not be.” Espino said.

Security guards should always “operate on a buddy system,” he added, noting that at RWM that early morning “those manning the entrances and even the security guard who was roving were alone.”

These guards explained during the probe “that it was the instruction of the management that there should be only one.

It is now being investigated. We are asking where is the written directive that you will only have one guard during that time,” he added.

Administrative offenses are penalized with fines. The PNPSosia probe would determine next whether NC Lansing as a company or individual security guards would be made to pay the penalties, the official said.

On Monday night, members of the Special Investigation Task Group “High Roller” returned to the Pasay City complex to review footage from closed-circuit television cameras and conduct an ocular inspection of the crime scene.

Speaking to reporters after the inspection, Chief Supt. Tomas Apolinario Jr., head of the Southern Police District, said the fatalities were found in three main areas: the VIP room, the high roller slot machine area, and the comfort room.

Apolinario said there was a door in the VIP room that leads to a fire exit but the victims stayed inside the pantry “Maybe when shots were fired, they got scared and hid there. When they had difficulty breathing because of the smoke, it was too late for them to go out,” Apolinario said. ■

Not ‘underwater’

The developer, Coral World Park Undersea Resorts Inc. (CWP), had clarified that the project was not an underwater theme park, but an underseathemed project that would be land-based.

Teo said the project was not under the auspices of the DOT and that the developer was dealing with the local government

NO CORALS would be destroyed.

This was the only assurance that Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said was needed from the proponents of the Nickelodeon resort, which would be built on a 100-hectare area on Coron island, one of Palawan province’s top tourist destinations.

From a tourism perspective, the is excited about the idea.

“They’re going to push through with it,” Teo said in a television interview.

“We are not going to destroy and the Department of Environthe corals,” Teo said. “We will ment and Natural Resources. preserve them.”

Teo said she had been conIn a statement that followed vinced to support the project the interview, Teo said the De- after the developer showed her partment of Tourism (DOT), maps and development plans. though “excited” about the project, would have to defer to Extra effort to explain “appropriate agencies” for the Local government officials, permits and approval that the who had expressed opposition project proponents needed to to the project, “probably did start construction. not understand it,” Teo said.

“From a tourism perspective, She said the developer had the DOT is excited about the made an extra effort to explain idea,” she said. “that’s why I got it.”

www.canadianinquirer.net

The project would feature a floating restaurant designed to have transparent floors to allow patrons to see the coral reefs underneath, Teo said.

She said proponents had thought of bringing the project to Indonesia but chose the Philippines instead.

The developer would also build hotels and condominiums, she said.

Nickelodeon project

Nickelodeon’s parent firm, Viacom, announced the project in January. Famous Nickelodeon characters, like “Spongebob” and “Dora,” would be features.

That statement had said “underwater restaurants and lounges will be located about 20 feet below sea level with vivid views of the world beneath the ocean.”

Former Environment Secretary Gina Lopez had publicly opposed the park, citing concerns about the marine ecosystem.

Netizens also launched an online petition opposing the project. ■

DOT

10

JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

Marawi attack could be part of oust plot vs President Duterte — Aguirre

BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD T. CALIWAN AND AZER N. PARROCHA Philippines News Agency MANILA — Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Wednesday said that the terror attacks in Marawi City which was perpetrated by the Maute group is possibly a part of the destabilization plot against President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration.

Aguirre made the statement, pointing out that opposition lawmakers led by senators Paolo Benigno “Bam”’ Aquino and Antonio Trillanes IV and certain families met in the city weeks prior to the Marawi siege.

Aguirre said it was possible that the May 2 meeting which, according to him, was also attended by Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano and former presidential adviser on political affairs Ronald Llamas could have “sparked the terrorist attack” in the city.

“Because sina Senator Bam

Aquino, hindi naman, sinasabi ko lang, he went to Marawi on April 24, and April 28, and they stayed, they had a meeting at lake view resort hotel on May 2. Present were Sen Aquino, Ronald Llamas, Alejano, Trillanes and some clans doon sa Marawi. Mga Moro family.

So hindi ko malaman why after they went there, nagkagulo na after about two weeks,” Aguirre told reporters during the press conference held in DoJ. When asked on who are the families who were present in the meeting, Aguirre said it include members of the Lucman and Alonto clans, two of the prominent families in the area. <>He said it was possible the meeting could have “agitated” groups in the city, adding it could even be part of the moves to destabilize the Duterte administration, though he admitted that facts and evidences were needed to support this.

The DOJ chief also said the intelligence community should also check if the opposition lawmakers were the ones who brought money to Marawi in

the wake of the discovery by the military of some PHP79 million in cash and checks from a house used by Maute members in the ongoing clashes in Marawi.

“But, I don’t want to connect it, unless there is evidence on the money seized, so let’s wait for the result of the investigation,’ he clarified.

Aguirre also showed the media a photo purporting to show the meeting that took place in Marawi. He, however, hid his phone after the media tried to capture the photo in his phone.

Asked if the government is looking into that meeting, Aguirre answered “I will suggest it will be looked into, (because) I only received this information yesterday (Tuesday).”

He said that he will talk to his asset who was present at the meeting.

Sought for a comment, Senator Aquino said that there was never any meeting among the individuals mentioned by Aguirre.

He said that on May 2, he was the PUP commencement speaker at the PICC and attended the

AFP Spokesperson Brigadier General Restituto Padilla provides updates on the conflict in Marawi City. Also in the photo are Presidential Communications Assistant Secretary Kris Ablan (left) and Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella.

PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

session at the Senate.

“My trip to Marawi was on May 19, 2017 to launch the first Negosyo Center in the ARMM and I had with me an AFP escort throughout my trip, which can easily be verified through the AFP. Vice Gov. Bombit Adiong, B/Gen. Rolando Joselito Bautista and Gen. Nixon Fortes were also with me during the event,” he said in a statement.

He added that DTI Sec. Mon Lopez has already publicly clarified and confirmed that he was in Marawi City for the Negosyo

Center launch and these are easily verifiable for anyone who cares to find the truth.

“It would be prudent for Sec. Aguirre to clarify dates, seek evidence and request for official statements from legitimate government agencies before he makes yet another false accusation. This tragedy could have been an opportunity to unite the Philippines against a common enemy. Instead, it’s being used to further political interests and further divide our country,” the lawmaker said. ■

Philippine lawmakers ask top Villegas asks faithful to court to nullify martial law pray vs terror, violence THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Philippine opposition lawmakers petitioned the Supreme Court on Monday to review and nullify President Rodrigo Duterte’s imposition of martial law in the southern third of the country.

The petition filed by six House lawmakers led by Rep. Edcel Lagman said there was no revolution or invasion where public safety required the declaration of martial law and suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. It said the proclamation contained “fatal inaccuracies and falsities.”

The petitioners said congressional leaders and the majority of lawmakers allied with Duterte were derelict in their constitutional duty by refusing to convene a joint session of Congress

to vote whether to revoke the martial law proclamation.

Duterte made the declaration May 23 after extremists allied with the Islamic State group laid siege to Marawi city. The declaration lasts through midJuly but could be extended with the consent of Congress.

The martial law proclamation said the militants openly attempted to remove that part of the country from its allegiance to the Philippine government by taking over a hospital, establishing several checkpoints in the city, burning down certain government and private facilities, and flying the flag of the Islamic State group in several areas.

But the petitioners said the military acknowledged the conflict in Marawi was precipitated by an attempt by troops to capture Isnilon Hapilon, a highprofile militant commander.

They also said the claim that militants took over a hospital and Duterte’s claim that a local police chief was decapitated both turned out to be wrong.

“The president’s proclamation of martial law in Mindanao has no sufficient factual basis as it is feebly based on mostly contrived and/or inaccurate facts, self-serving speculations, enumeration of distant occurrences and mere conclusions of fact and law on the purported existence of ‘rebellion or invasion,”’ the lawmakers said.

They said the martial law imposition was “flawed” because Duterte “acted alone without the benefit of a recommendation from Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana or from any ranking officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” as Lorenzana acknowledged during congressional briefings. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

BY FERDINAND G. PATINIO Philippines News Agency MANILA — The Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan has called on the faithful to pray against acts of terror and violence plaguing the country.

In his Facebook post, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) President Archbishop Socrates Villegas on Sunday asked the prayer entitled, “Angelus Prayer against Terror and Violence.”

“I urged the faithful in the archdiocese to recite this prayer,” he said in a text message.

When asked on whether the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) will be issuing an Oratio Imperata, Villegas said the move is up to the discretion of bishops.

“Each bishop has to make a regulation in each diocese. CBCP

cannot issue Oratio Imperata. We only propose. Every bishop decides for every diocese,” he said.

An Oratio Imperata is an obligatory prayer issued by the bishop of a particular diocese for a special intention.

Villegas added that many people would be supporting the prayer even if they are not under the archdiocese.

“Many have committed to pray it even those from outside Lingayen-Dagupan,” he said.

The move comes amid the ongoing clashes between government troops and Maute terrorists in Marawi City and the attack at the Resorts World Manila in Pasay City last week.

The conflict has so far killed some 170 people and displaced thousands of residents while the attack at the luxury hotel casino left 37 people dead and over 50 others injured. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

11

Video shows militants in Philippine siege plot

BY JIM GOMEZ AND TODD PITMAN The Associated Press MANILA, PHILIPPINES — It was an audacious plot sketched out in chilling detail with blue pens on the back of a paper calendar: Islamic militants in the Philippines, including one of the world’s most-wanted militant leaders, would take over a key southern city in their boldest attack to date.

With unsettling calm, they spoke of taking hostages from a school, sealing off roads and capturing a highway “so the people will get scared.”

Video footage and a separate screen-grab image of that secret meeting, obtained exclusively by The Associated Press, offer a rare glimpse into the clandestine operations of insurgents who followed through two weeks ago with an unprecedented assault on the lakeside city of Marawi, parts of which they still occupy today.

The images also provide the first visual proof that a nascent alliance of local Muslim fighters are not only aligned with the Islamic State group, but co-ordinating and executing complex attacks together.

Among those at the table was the purported leader of the Islamic State’s Southeast Asia branch, Isnilon Hapilon, who is on Washington’s list of mostwanted terrorists and has a $5 million bounty on his head.

The footage is believed to be the first of Hapilon since he and several other Filipino militants pledged allegiance to IS in 2014. The military had said he was wounded in a January airstrike; in the video, however, there are no indications that he is injured. Hapilon appears sitting with other militants at a table, wearing a yellow and black headscarf with a pistol beside his folded arms.

Military chief of staff Gen. Eduardo Ano confirmed the identities of those present, including Hapilon, who resembles other images said to be of him, such as those on FBI wanted posters. The militants have no spokesman and do not generally issue statements.

The images show that the insurgent alliance “has this intention of not only rebellion, but actually dismembering a portion of the Philippine territory by occupying the whole of Marawi city and establishing their own Islamic state or government,” said Ano. The military has an interest in allowing the AP to make the footage public. On Monday, six lawmakers petitioned the Supreme Court to nullify President Rodrigo Duterte’s imposition of martial law in the south — homeland of minority Muslims in the largely Roman Catholic country — casting doubt on the gravity of the crisis there.

Ano said the reality that “a fullblown rebellion” is underway should convince skeptics that this is not just “a small problem.”

Government troops discovered the video on a cellphone they seized during a May 23 raid on a Marawi safe house where Hapilon and other militants were believed to be hiding. They said the video had been filmed a day or two earlier. It was not possible to independently verify that claim.

But a separate screen grab of the same meeting, obtained by the AP from an anti-terrorism agent, showed a calendar the militants were writing on that was dated 2017.

An army official allowed the AP to record the video as it played on a laptop computer.

Ano said the insurgents had been planning to attack Marawi on May 26, the start of Ramadan in the south. But the raid cut their preparations short

President Rodrigo Duterte visited the 102nd Infantry Brigade Headquarters in Ipil, Zamboanga Sibugay.

PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

and triggered instant clashes.

Had the assault not been preempted, the militants likely would have seized more territory and inflicted far more damage.

As it stands, the fighting has been unprecedented; while militants have launched major attacks before, never before has any group occupied territory in the heartland of the Philippines’ Islamic faith for this long. Two weeks after the conflict began, at least 178 people have been killed and the army is still battling to regain control with airstrikes and artillery.

The militants, who are believed to be holding a Catholic priest and many other hostages, have torched buildings and destroyed at least one church. Ano said they occupy 10 per cent of the city and have positioned snipers in tall buildings. Much of the city centre has been devastated.

The crisis in Marawi, combined with fears that the Islamic State group is breathing new life into Muslim insurgencies in Southeast Asia, has put the Philippines and the region on edge.

On Friday, when a masked gunman began shooting and burning gambling tables in a Manila casino, terrified pa-

www.canadianinquirer.net

trons immediately assumed an Islamic State siege was underway. The radical group claimed responsibility for the attack, in which dozens of people died of smoke inhalation, but there has been no evidence to back that claim. Police insist the motive was robbery, and the gunman’s family says he was a disgruntled gambling addict.

Still, the episode highlighted what House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez described as the “unsettling inadequacy” of public security in the capital. The attack, he said, should “serve as a wake-up call” to do something about it.

A security conference this past weekend in Singapore attended by defence ministers and experts from 39 nations produced a flurry of alarmed statements. Among the topics: a fear that places like Marawi could become a new base for the Islamic State group as it loses territory in the Middle East.

“If the situation in Marawi in the southern Philippines is allowed to escalate or entrench, it would pose decades of problems,” said Singapore Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen. “All of us recognize that if not addressed adequately, it can prove a pulling ground for would-be jihadists.”

The southern Philippines already is.

Of the 120 militants killed in Marawi so far, at least eight are known to be foreign fighters, including a Chechen, a Yemeni and several Malaysians and Indonesians, according to Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

Hapilon’s pledge of allegiance, meanwhile, may have already paid off. His faction has received a “couple of million dollars” from the Islamic State, Lorenzana said.

In the video clip obtained by the AP, which runs for just over two minutes, a long-haired man identified by the military as Abdullah Maute addresses other militant leaders gathered around a white plastic table.

Pointing to a crude sketch of Marawi’s main streets and speaking in Tagalog and Marawi’s Maranao dialect, he declares, “We’ll take this first and then here.”

“Or,” he says, “we can go here first. We seal this off so you’ll have a passageway. But we need to capture a highway so the people will get scared.” Another militant can be seen videotaping the clandestine meeting.

Maute is the leader of a militant group called the Islamic State Ranao — one of about 10 small armed Muslim groups that have also pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and have forged a loose alliance that now flies IS-style black flags.

Although virtually unheard of a few years ago, the military says they contributed over 260 of the fighters who attacked mosque-studded Marawi. Along with Hapilon’s group, they were blamed for a night market bombing in September that killed 15 people in the southern city of Davao, Duterte’s hometown.

Also appearing in the video ❱❱ PAGE 11 Video shows

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Philippine News

JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

11 soldiers killed in airstrike; probe on

BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA AND PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer A MILITARY investigation is under way to determine how an airstrike directed at Maute terrorists holed up in Marawi City hit and killed 11 soldiers and wounded seven others instead, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said on Thursday.

Speaking to reporters in Malacañang, Lorenzana said Gen. Eduardo Año, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, ordered the investigation to determine whether it was miscommunication, pilot error or mistakes by people on the ground that led to the deadly friendly fire.

A converted SIAI-Marchetti S-260 jet was on a bombing run over Maute positions in Marawi on Wednesday when one bomb hit Army troops locked in closerange combat with the terrorists who had taken cover in buildings and houses, Brig.

Gen. Restituto Padilla, spokesperson for the AFP, told reporters at military headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

The plane had made three successful bombing runs before dropping the wayward bomb, Padilla said.

In Malacañang, Lorenzana said two aircraft were involved in the air-support mission. The first plane hit its targets but the second apparently made a mistake and hit an Army position on its last run.

He said the aircraft used conventional bombs on that mission.

Standard procedure during airstrikes include constant communication between pilots and controllers on the ground, and ensuring the coordinates of the target are clear, Lorenzana said.

Fog of war

“Sometimes in the fog of war

a lot of things could happen.

Accidents happen, like this,” Lorenzana said.

The friendly fire deaths brought to 171 the number of people killed in the Marawi crisis.

The death toll includes 19 civilians and 32 government forces.

The bombing accident came during the first offensive deployment of fixed-wing aircraft on the ninth day of the military operation to flush out the terrorists who laid siege to Marawi on May 23 after a failed military operation to capture Isnilon Hapilon, the Abu Sayyaf leader who had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) jihadi group in Iraq and Syria.

The military may limit airstrikes against the terrorists in Marawi as a result of the friendly-fire incident, but Lorenzana said he would leave the decision to the ground commanders.

cessfully hit it,” Padilla said.

“But unfortunately, on the fourth instance, something happened and the bomb landed where it wasn’t supposed to land. That is what the board of inquiry is going to investigate,” he said.

Padilla declined to identify the casualties, as the military was still informing the families.

Mission first AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla (at rostrum), said there will be no suspension of air strikes in the ongoing clearing operations in Marawi City during a media briefing at Camp Aguinaldo.

JOEY O. RAZON / PNA

cated in a heavily built area of the city, where buildings make it hard for the military to hit targets with artillery, he added.

Lorenzana said he believed Hapilon, who is allied with the Maute group, was in the area.

In Camp Aguinaldo, Año said he had ordered the AFP Inspector General to form a board of inquiry to investigate the friendly fire.

available ground, air and naval equipment “to resolve this crisis quickly.”

Converted trainer planes

Padilla said two SF-260s had been thrown into the fight against the Maute group in Marawi.

The Italian- made SF- 260 is Running out of smart bombs a trainer plane, but Padilla said Lorenzana said the milithe military used the version tary had prethat could be fitcision bombs, ted for combat. but the supply Padilla said of those munithe accident tions was dwinWe will continue to stay focused h a p p e n e d on the things that matter most to dling and that around noon on Canadians. was why some Wednesday durattack planes ing an assault by carried convenground troops tional bombs on on a hilly area of Wednesday.

Marawi.

The board will be headed by “If you drop that incorrectly “There was an encounter at and after you dive, its release Maj. Gen. Rafael Valencia, he the time and they had the enwould either be early or de- said. emy in front of them ... It’s a The aircraft and its pilots hilly area outside of the houses. layed, and you may not be able have been grounded, he added.

It was on top of the hill,” Padilla to hit the target,” he said.

“It was very unfortunate and said, describing the terrorists’ Lorenzana said there was only “one strong pocket of re- no one wanted it to happen,” position.

He said the SF-260s were sistance” in Marawi and if the Año said.

“I am deeply saddened and not carrying smart bombs that military could concentrate on that area, there may no longer the whole AFP commiserates could find targets on their own. with the bereaved families,” he be any need for airstrikes.

“Someone [ on the ground] The terrorists are holed up in added. was directing where the plane Año said the military may was going to deliver [its paybuildings and snipers are hindering the movement of gov- stop using the SF-260 while the load]. That is why there were investigation was going on, but three instances that the SF-260 ernment forces, he said.

The terrorists’ position is lo- it would continue using other was given a target and it suc-

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Lawmakers and former Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro called for sobriety as news of the friendly fire deaths spread on Wednesday.

In separate statements, Teodoro, Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano and Muntinlupa Rep Ruffy Biazon said an investigation should come “at a later time.”

“All efforts must be directed at this time toward accomplishing the mission. We have to trust ... the wisdom and the judgment of our defense establishment, and pray for the safety of our troops on the ground, in the air, and on water,” Teodoro said in a post on Facebook.

Alejano, a former Marine, urged Lorenzana to “reconsider airstrikes and bombing runs and artillery bombardments in built-up areas.”

He said airstrikes would result not only in casualties but also “tremendous damage” to property in Marawi.

Biazon, vice chair of the House defense committee, said friendly fire was “bound to happen under the existing conditions.”

He said the military investigation should be conducted first “to determine any adjustment in tactics and later on for accountability and appropriate penalty if warranted.” ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

Voucher scheme: Poor students’ lifeline to better education

BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer KRISHA CIASICO grew up attending public schools, where classrooms were always filled to the brim and computers had to be shared with a classmate or two.

So when the Department of Education (DepEd) last year offered the senior high school (SHS) voucher program to help subsidize Grade 10 finishers who wanted to pursue SHS education in private schools, Ciasico grabbed the opportunity.

The 17-year-old enrolled at STI College in Ortigas-Cainta—a 30- minute ride from her home in Binangonan, Rizal—in accountancy, business and management (ABM).

STI is one of more than 4,500 private schools offering SHS, the last component of the K-12 basic reform program that was rolled out in June 2016.

Ciasico, who will enter Grade 12 this school year, said it was the nearest private institution that offered the ABM academic strand.

“Because all my life I went to a public school, I wanted to try studying at a private school and experience its facilities,” she told the Inquirer in an interview.

Her parents agreed because she was automatically qualified to receive a voucher subsidy worth P17,500 for two successive years and was also eligible for a scholarship, having finished Grade 10 at the top of her class.

Ciasico only has to pay for other expenses, such as books, educational tours and school events.

“If not for the voucher and the scholarship, never in my life would I study in a private school,” she said, noting that what her father earns from occasional carpentry work was not enough to send two children to school.

There were other 1,499 recipi- ents of the SHS voucher program in Ciasico’s school. In all, 1,740 students had enrolled last year in the programs offered there: science, technology, engineering and mathematics; general academic; IT in mobile app and web development; hotel operations, tourism operations, restaurant and bar operations and culinary arts.

For many poor students like Ciasico, the program is a lifeline to a better education, providing beneficiaries a DepEd subsidy ranging from P8,750 to P22,500.

“Not all public high schools offer all four tracks of the SHS program. The tracks offered in schools depend on the requirement of the community, province and the region,” Undersecretary Jesus Mateo explained.

The SHS program has four tracks: academic, technical-vocational-livelihood, sports and arts & design.

The DepEd conceived the program to assist Grade 10 finishers to pursue a specific track not offered by their current school, Mateo said.

Private junior high finishers may apply for the subsidy—up to 80 percent of the voucher amount.

Applications are processed early in the year, or at the close of the previous school year, not at the opening of classes.

Contrary to common misconceptions, the subsidy is neither given directly to students in cash nor does it shoulder the entire cost of tuition and other school expenses.

The voucher only allows beneficiaries to claim a “discount” or a deduction from the cost of tuition and other fees charged by a non-DepEd SHS—which include private high schools, colleges and universities, local universities and colleges, state universities and colleges and technical and vocational schools. ■

Video shows... clip are two of Maute’s brothers — Omarkhayam and Maddi — and another militant known as Abu Humam. Humam is a member of Khilafah Islamiyah Mindanao, a small group linked to a 2013 bombing that killed eight people in a bar in Cagayan de Oro, not far from Marawi.

The new armed groups are the latest offshoots of a decades-long Muslim separatist conflict fueled by wrenching poverty, weak law enforcement and a surfeit of weapons in the southern Philippines.

The two biggest Muslim rebel groups,

❰❰ 11

which have engaged in peace talks with the government, have not backed the militants who attacked Marawi and offered to help bring the siege to an end.

Hapilon’s militant alliance aims to establish a “wilayat,” or a provincial territory, that will form part of a caliphate in Southeast Asia, according to experts.

Duterte says government forces will never allow them to do that or break away from the Philippines. ■ Associated Press writer Annabelle Liang in Singapore contributed to this report. www.canadianinquirer.net

13

Opinion

14

JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

Local charity Billion Steps Goal donates 150 Laptops All Over Myasthenia Gravis in honour of Canada’s 150th Birthday OAKVILLE, ONT. – In honour of Canada’s 150th birthday, Oakville charity, Corporations for Community Connections (CFCC) is providing 150 refurbished laptops to World Vision Canada.

These laptops will support education initiatives in Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Laptops in classrooms have been proven to increase literacy, numeracy, and critical

thinking – skills needed for a child to flourish and reach their full potential. The 150 refurbished laptops will support World Vision’s education programs such as computer labs, after school training programs and tutoring.

The refurbished laptops have been generously donated

by Siemens Canada Limited, a key partner of Corporations for Community Connections. ■

MG CANADA’S slogan “$tep up for MG Fit” launches an ambitious national campaign for Myasthenia Gravis Society of Canada – 1 step at a time - specifically at least 1 billion steps starting May 28, 2017 at our MG Canada Support meetings across Canada.

“It’s time all Canadians know what Myasthenia Gravis (MG) is, who gets MG and how and where to get professional health care MG treatment,” said Cap Cowan, president, Myasthenia Gravis Society of Canada.

Canadians everywhere should know the signs of MG crisis, what to do and where to get help. MG Canada estimates over 30,000 Canadians could have MG but many don’t know it so they are often misdiagnosed with other conditions,

putting them in mortal danger of suffocation or worse.

MG Canada’s first national fundraising campaign aims to assist in dramatically improving awareness and support of Myasthenia Gravis for Canadian MG patients and caregivers, MG health care professionals and MG researchers, one step at a time valued at a penny per

step. MG Canada is a registered not-for-profit organization with Charitable # 81155 1431 RR0001.

For more information, sponsorships and donations please visit www.MGFit.org contact Cap Cowan at 905 642 2545 or email BillionSteps4MG@MGCanada. org. Give directly @ www.MGCanada.org

PUBLIC LIVES

What if you were there at Resorts World?

By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer Even as we grieve and condole with the families of the victims of the attack by a lone gunman at the Resorts World Manila casino and hotel, the question that will linger in our minds is what we ourselves would have done if we had been there on that fateful evening.

Would we have rushed to the nearest exits at the first burst of automatic gunfire? Or would we have retreated into our hotel rooms, or sought refuge in the nearest restroom, upon hearing the word “Isis” shouted in panic by terrified guests?

At the Resorts World the other night, the best course of action for the guests would have been to get out of the building as soon as the gunman started shooting and setting fire to the place. But, that’s all in hindsight—only because we now know the gunman did not aim his gun at anyone, and that he was alone. In other words, he couldn’t have been a terrorist. It would have made perfect sense to get out of the place at the first sign of trouble.

And that’s exactly what Department of Health spokesperson Eric Tayag, in the aftermath of this tragedy, advises the public to do in case of fire. “Just go out because the fire consumes oxygen and emits car-

bon monoxide or toxic gases. Do not all, of the 37 dead victims died have been ordered, prompted, or inspired by the Isis. Their connecnot have second thoughts, just go from suffocation.

The terrorist network Isis has tions to the Isis or any other terror out. Don’t waste time.”

This, indeed, is what common- taken responsibility for the at- network may be real or imagined. sense dictates—in a preterrorist tack, claiming the solitary gunman It makes no difference anymore.

Whether we like it or not, the Isis world. The same advice could get as one of its own. But Philippine one killed in a real terrorist attack. security officials are one in say- has succeeded in lodging itself in In past terror incidents abroad— ing this was not an act of terror- our minds like a worm. The enorat airports, concert venues, and ism. The gunman didn’t fire at the mous fear we associate with it now other public places where many guests, or at anyone for that mat- inescapably frames our experipeople are gathered—people have ter. He burned a few gaming tables ence of the everyday world. Govbeen observed to instantly flee as though in fury, and raided the ernments invoke its dark menacing if they could, or to drop to the room where the casino kept the presence to justify further restricground and not move, aware that gambling chips. According to the tions on fundamental freedoms, or any movement could be a magnet police narrative, he then entered to use repressive measures to go after the state’s perfor gunfire. ceived enemies.

At the Resorts It is encouraging World complex, They may or may not have been ordered, prompted, or to hear the Philipthe guests beinspired by the Isis. Their connections to the Isis or any pine National Pohaved precisely other terror network may be real or imagined. It makes lice immediately according to their no difference anymore. discount terrorism perception that as a motive in the this was a terrorist attack. They panicked at the sound one of the hotel rooms on the fifth Resorts World attack. Perhaps this of the word “Isis.” Those who were floor, and—in what seemed like an is its way of calming down a public near the exits quickly made their act of madness—wrapped himself that has just been introduced to the way to the street outside, unmind- in a petrol-soaked blanket, and set threat of a looming Isis caliphate in ful of the possibility that gunmen himself on fire. All this, according Marawi City. Or, maybe this is an could be waiting for them at the to the police, doesn’t fit the por- attempt to stem the negative publicity that turns tourists away from ground floor exits. Those who trait of a typical terrorist.

But, what is a typical terrorist? the gigantic gambling and enterwere caught inside froze where they were and sought safety in the Everywhere in the world nowa- tainment havens that have become company of others, behind the il- days, we hear of the most bizarre the vanguard of the modern tourlusory security of locked restroom and outrageous attacks being com- ism industry. Whatever the reason doors. Little did they suspect that mitted by individuals who employ might be, it hasn’t erased the Isis the whole place would soon be the oddest means imaginable to from our minds.

Over in Mindanao, President plunged in darkness and envel- inflict the greatest harm on innooped in thick toxic smoke. Most, if cent people. They may or may not Duterte is making the case that

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terrorism and drugs are now conjoined as a twin evil, thus implying the necessity of conflating the war on drugs with the war on terror. If true, this makes everyday police operations an integral part of a permanent war without boundaries. It also makes the assertion of human rights and civil liberties in the face of a grave national security threat seem selfish and misplaced.

Writing one year after the 9/11 attacks, the American philosopher Richard Rorty warned against the dangers posed by an undeclared national security state that has grown in response to the terrorist threat. “We may have the strength to keep our democratic institutions intact even after realizing that our cities may never again be invulnerable…. But we shall only do so if the voters of the democracies stop their governments from putting their countries on a permanent war footing—from creating a situation in which neither the judges nor the newspapers can restrain organizations like the FBI from doing whatever they please, and in which the military absorbs most of the nation’s resources.”

Rorty didn’t live long enough to see the worst of his fears confirmed—the election of Donald Trump as US president, and the rise of strongmen who ride on the wave of populist paranoia. ■

Opinion

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

15

AT LARGE

Accountability

By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer GOING BY the numbers alone, the “siege” of Marawi City certainly outranks, in terms of news value, the rampage of that supposed lone gunman in Resorts World Manila.

Authorities have put the number of the dead in Marawi at 107— including 21 soldiers, seven policemen, 63 Maute gunmen, and 16 civilians—with 93 wounded.

The count doesn’t yet include the number of children, the elderly and others who have sought shelter in evacuation centers and moved in with relatives in the area who have been falling ill due to unsanitary conditions in the centers as well as from the lack of medicines, food and water.

Of course, this is not to minimize the depth of the tragedy at Resorts World, where a supposed “longtime guest” and player shot up the place and set

playing tables on fire in the casino. His actions resulted in the deaths of 37 customers and employees of Resorts World, and he set himself on fire and shot himself (the exact sequence has yet to be established).

That these two events took place at the same time, with the Marawi crisis preceding the Resorts World shoot-up by a week but still continuing as this is being written, highlights all the more the troubles visiting this country. The threat of martial law, now in place in the entire Mindanao with the possibility of being escalated to nationwide coverage, cannot but add to the overall tension. These are times of peril and threat, fear and loathing, and whether at home or abroad, it seems like right now, it sucks to be Pinoy. *** News of the gunman’s rampage in one of the first establishments to be put up in

the grand plan to establish a “gaming city” in Manila filtered through social media late Thursday evening.

At once, given the tragedy unfolding in Marawi, people couldn’t help but link the shooting to the threat of nationwide martial law. Was this the “excuse” the President needed to broaden the coverage of martial law, which he had been threatening to do for days?

Certainly, the ease with which the gunman entered the casino while toting a long firearm (rumors are spreading that he was even heard shouting an Islamic call to battle) sparked speculation that first, he wasn’t acting alone, and second, he would be taking hostages next.

The morning after, given the gunman’s supposed suicide, authorities are busy downgrading both his motivation and capability. The latest I heard is that he was a disgruntled gambler who

had lost quite a bundle at the tables and decided to steal millions of pesos worth of casino chips before getting his revenge by burning the place down. (One question: Where did he plan to use the chips if Resorts World was turned into ashes?) *** Quite apart from the questions being raised about the gunman’s quirky actions are queries about the preparedness of Resorts World’s management and personnel to deal with emergencies and safeguard their customers.

Makati Rep. Luis Angel Campos Jr. has issued a statement saying that “the loss of lives (in Resorts World) is simply unacceptable.” He said the management of public spaces need to “constantly review and upgrade their security plans and emergency preparedness, especially their procedures in safely evacuating patrons and staff to

avoid a repeat of the tragedy.”

The 37 who died at Resorts World suffocated from smoke inhalation. One question that pops up, at least to my amateur mind, is why no one was prepared to wield a fire extinguisher at the burning tables once the gunman had turned his back. Survivors report that members of the staff were among the first to flee the premises, although there have also been reports from other survivors that they were directed to nearby exits so they could safely leave the building.

Indeed, a probe needs to be carried out regarding the preparedness and capability of the management to ensure customers’ safety should (God forbid) a similar incident take place again. Meanwhile, all we can do now is pray for the souls of the dead in Resorts World and in Marawi, and hold all those responsible accountable for their actions, or lack of them. ■

History in the Ateneo de Leitmeritz (then Municipal, now Imperial), I dedicated with special predilection the study of the Philippine Archipelago. In my studies was born the affection for the Filipinos, the interest with which formed part of their political aspirations. Despite my affection for the country I never inspired separatist nor antiSpanish sentiment, I hit hard at the Spaniards and the friars residing in the Philippines. Their stubbornness and blindness, their insults did not hinder me from sustaining the defense of the rights of the Filipinos in front of the whole world.

“I was visited [here, in Leitmeritz] by: T. H. Pardo de Tavera, Jose Rizal, Maximo Viola, Eduardo P. Casal, Mariano Abella, Ariston Bautista, Fernando Canon, Felipe Agoncillo and Juan Luna; I also maintained close relations with: Mariano Ponce, Marcelo del Pilar, Eduardo de Lete, [Graciano] Lopez Jaena, Tomas Arejola, Isabelo de los Reyes, Pedro

Serrano [Laktaw], Antonio Ma. Regidor Jurado, Jose Basa, Jose Alejandrino and other patriotic Filipinos.

“In the columns of La Solidaridad I defended the interests of the Filipinos following the conclusion of peace [resulting from the SpanishAmerican War] I advocated, in German and Austrian newspapers, the recognition of the independence of the Philippines, because in my opinion the islands had all the rights for independence and its inhabitants had all the capacity to sustain their independence.

I was always against the revolutions and civil wars that destroy but do not construct. In my opinion it is possible to attain a compromise between the initiatives and aspirations of the Philippines and America: to proclaim the independence of the Philippines under a US protectorate. It is myonly wish, before I die, to see the Philippines free and independent.” ■

LOOKING BACK

Beer and Blumentritt

By Ambeth R. Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer BEER CAME to mind during my recent trip to Ceske Budejovice, also known as Budweis, the region that brews authentic Budweiser beer, not the fake American brand. Travelling on the highways I read directional signs to another brewing area called Pilsen that reminded me of the words “Pale Pilsen” on the trademark brown bottles of our homegrown San Miguel beer. The real historical link that binds the Philippines and Czechia, aside from beer, is the friendship between Jose Rizal and Ferdinand Blumentritt, whose trail led to the archives of the Jihoceske museum in Budweis, where 28 boxes of Blumentritt papers were prepared for me to work on in two days. One box contained clippings from the magazine Renacimiento Filipino that reproduced a handwritten autobiography of Blumentritt written for Mariano

Ponce in 1908. Although far from complete, the text is not well known so I made a quick translation from the original Spanish that reads: “I was born in Prague, capital of the province of Bohemia in Austria on September 10, 1863.

My father was an official of the Imperial [Hacienda]. In my family there is a tradition that the grandmother of my father was a descendant of the GovernorGeneral of the Philippines Alcazar. An aunt of my father was the widow of a criollo from Peru who died in the combat of Ayacucho on the side of the loyal troops. This aunt returned to Prague and in her house I received that impression that directed my life to the affection for the colonial world of Spain.

When I had reached reading age, my favorites were comprised of books by historians and travellers to Latin America and the Far East. In school, my classmates called me El Español. [The Spaniard].

“I must add that my moth-

er, Amalia Schneider, was the daughter of an Imperial Treasurer, Andres Schneider. That my grandfather was very fond of reading travel accounts of South America; in a manner that my affection for those countries already existed in my veins, as they say in a Bohemian proverb. In order to read these books in the original languages I learned: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, English and Italian while I was young and without a teacher. When the Emperor Maximilian established his throne in Mexico, I applied for admission in the Escuela Militar de Chapultepec near Mexico. While I obtained permission to do so, the North Americans impeded the entry of Austrian military volunteers to Mexico so my admission was not effected.

“Of all those countries and peoples, what inspired me the most was the interest in the country and people of the Philippines, and when I was named Professor of Geography and www.canadianinquirer.net

16

JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

Canada News Ontario unveils employment strategy for people with disabilities

BY MICHELLE MCQUIGGE The Canadian Press TORONTO — Ontario businesses with at least 20 employees should do their part to tackle unemployment rates among the disabled community by committing to hire at least one person from that demographic group, the provincial government said Monday.

A long-awaited, fourpronged employment strategy for people with disabilities also promised to create opportunities for disabled youth to get job experience, roll out a supported employment pilot project and have the province work harder to lead by example as a barrier-free employer for disabled workers.

Ontario’s disability advocacy community said it’s reserving judgment on whether the strategy will live up to its own expectations and bring about material change for the people it’s supposed to help.

Rich Donovan, CEO of business research group Return on Disability, praised the government for a sweeping vision and enlisting three ministries to bring it to fruition. But he said the government will soon realize that words are not enough when dealing with an issue as complex as accessible employment.

“It’s a happy day because of the announcement, but when you start to assess what has to happen next, that should scare the crap out of you,” Donovan said.

The province’s call for ac-

tion comes as it tries to tackle stubbornly high unemployment rates among people with disabilities, which Statistics Canada figures show are at least twice the national and provincial levels at all age groups.

The government’s plea for more businesses to hire disabled staff is neither binding nor enforceable, but Accessibility Minister Tracy MacCharles said it could create 56,000 new jobs and reduce the number of unemployed Ontarians with a disability by 30 per cent if heeded.

MacCharles said Ontario must address the needs of a growing population — the provincial and federal governments currently estimate one in seven people has a disability and expect the number will rise as the population continues to age.

Businesses with fewer than 20 employees may find it more difficult to comply with the government’s request, MacCharles said, but all companies should step up to tap into an overlooked talent pool of welleducated, highly motivated workers.

“It’s a call for action ... because it’s good business,” she said in an interview. “We want to challenge employers to work through any barriers they have, whether it is how to find people with disabilities or systemic barriers they have, and tap into that untapped labour pool.”

MacCharles said the government is launching a new online hub to make it easier for employers to get on board.

She said the platform will help connect businesses with people with disabilities, but offered few other details. The government is also creating the Employers Partnership Table — a working group of businessleaders who will share best practices with the government.

The focus on business is one part of the employment strategy, which the Ontario Liberals first promised to develop in 2013.

Another major component is the need to start creating employment opportunities for people with disabilities at a young age. Like adults, disabled youth are currently twice as likely to be unemployed as their able-bodied peers, the government said.

The strategy promises to build an employment component into the Ontario Disability Support Program, the province’s primary social assistance offering for the demographic.

It said a new case management approach for youth in the program will help identify job goals and make plans to attain them.

The government also promised to support job-related learning experiences for students and help with the transition from school to the workforce.

Students with autism spectrum disorders will be particular targets of the government’s early transition efforts. The strategy did not offer details on how the programs would look.

The third piece of the employment strategy involves integrating and co-ordinating employment services, MacCharles

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OLDER INFANTS

eas of focus are the right ones to help raise the importance of creating inclusive environments and increasing that persistently low employment rate for persons with disabilities,” MacCharles said.

Advocates largely agreed, but could only take their optimism so far in the absence of a more detailed plan.

“At this point I’m not clear what the entire strategy is,” said Peter Athanasopoulos, senior manager of government relations with Spinal Cord Injury Ontario. “I just know that there’s four pillars, and they sound like the right pillars. So what does that mean overall for Ontarians seeking employment?”

Activist David Lepofsky of the Access for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance offered modest praise for the government’s efforts to reach out to youth, but criticized the long delay in announcing the strategy and called for more concrete details.

“Unemployed Ontarians with disabilities better not be holding their breath before they see concrete action and more jobs,” he said. ■

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said, adding that a shift towards a supported employment approach is part of that picture.

A supported employment program would offer a range of services for employers and employees alike, featuring everything from job-readiness training to on-the-job coaching services and financial support for adaptive technology.

MacCharles said the government will run a pilot project in 2018 by testing the program in three Ontario communities, Timmins, Belleville and Cornwall. If successful, she said the program could expand provincewide.

The fourth component involves the government itself taking a more proactive role in hiring people with disabilities, who currently comprise 12 per cent of the public services workforce.

The government provided few figures on the costs of its initiatives, only saying it budgeted $1 million for public education related to the new strategy and an additional $2 million for employment supports under the ODSP. “I’m confident that the ar-

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17

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

From Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberal MPs Mula sa inyong Punong Ministro Justin Trudeau at mga Liberal MP

Happy Philippine Independence Day! Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan

Rt. Hon. Justin Trudeau Papineau

John Aldag Cloverdale–Langley City 604.575.6595

Gary Anandasangaree Scarborough–Rouge Park 416.283.1414

Bill Blair Scarborough Southwest 416.261.8613

Randy Boissonnault Edmonton Centre 780.442.1888

Shaun Chen Scarborough North 416.321.2436

Sukh Dhaliwal Surrey–Newton 604.598.2200

Peter Fonseca Mississauga East–Cooksville 905.566.0009

Ken Hardie Fleetwood–Port Kells 604.501.5900

Hon. Kent Hehr Calgary Centre KentHehrMP.ca

Hon. Ahmed Hussen York South–Weston 416.656.2526

Darshan S. Kang Calgary Skyview 403.291.0018

Iqra Khalid Mississauga–Erin Mills 905.820.8814

Kamal Khera Brampton West 905.454.4758

Michael Levitt York Centre 416.638.3700

Hon. John McKay Scarborough–Guildwood 416.283.1226

Ron McKinnon Coquitlam—Port Coquitlam 604.927.1080

Marco Mendicino Eglinton–Lawrence 416.781.5583

Hon. Bill Morneau Toronto Centre 416.972.9749

Mary Ng Markham–Thornhill 905.479.8100

Joe Peschisolido Steveston—Richmond East 604.257.2900

Hon. Jane Philpott Markham–Stouffville 905.640.1125

Hon. Clara Qualtrough Delta 778.593.4007

Yasmin Ratansi Don Valley East 416.443.0343

Hon. Harjit Sajjan Vancouver South 604.775.5323

Randeep Sarai Surrey Centre 604.589.2441

Hon. Amarjeet Sohi Edmonton Mill Woods 780.497.3524

Geng Tan Don Valley North 416.443.0623

Hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould Vancouver Granville 604.717.1140

Salma Zahid Scarborough Centre 416.752.2358

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18

Canada News

JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

Trudeau says he’ll stay focused on Canadians’, and Quebecers’, real priorities

BY JOAN BRYDEN The Canadian Press

“I prefer to talk with Canadians about things that matter deeply to them,” Trudeau said during a news conference with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, adding that means staying focused on improving the lot of the middle class.

“We have an awful lot of big challenges on our plate that I know Canadians are more than capable of surmounting and even showing leadership to the world,” he said.

“That doesn’t happen when we get bogged down in the wording of the Constitution.

I’m going to stay focused on the things that matter to Canadians, including Quebecers, and quite frankly, that’s what Canadians expect of me.”

Trudeau said Canadians elected a Liberal government “on a very clear platform” to focus on their real priorities —

Quebec representation on the Supreme Court, increased provincial control over immigration and a veto over future conOTTAWA — Canada faces a stitutional changes — the same lot of challenges that won’t five conditions Couillard is resget addressed if the country urrecting now. gets “bogged down” in anEfforts to remedy the provother round of constitutional ince’s so-called exclusion from haggling, Justin Trudeau said the Constitution in the Meech Monday.

Lake and Charlottetown acThe prime minister was cords failed, exposing deep diexpanding on his blunt, imvisions in the country and trigmediate rejection last week gering a national unity crisis of Quebec Premier Philippe that led to Quebecers coming Couillard’s plan to eventually within a hair of voting to sepasecure recognition of his provrate from Canada in the 1995 ince’s distinctiveness in the referendum.

Constitution.

Couillard’s initiative has the Trudeau was criticized in potential to mushroom into some quarters for being too constitutional squabbling over dismissive of Couillard’s inia host of thorny issues that tiative, before the premier had could once again threaten naeven formally unveiled a 200tional unity. page rationale for restarting Saskatchewan Premier Brad a nationwide dialogue about Wall put his own constitutional Quebec’s longdemand on the standing conditable last week: tions for formalfixing the equally signing onto ization program the country’s We will continue to stay focused that he asserted on the things that matter most to highest law of takes $500 milCanadians. the land. lion a year out Bloc Queof his province becois Leader while providing Martine Ouel$11 billion annulet said Monday ally to Quebec. that Trudeau’s dismissal, be- economic growth, job creation Ontario Premier Kathleen fore he’d even read Couillard’s and climate change — and that’s Wynne adopted a more concilmanifesto, was a “slap” in the what he intends to do. iatory tone Monday but nevface of the most federalist pre“We will continue to stay fo- ertheless appeared to indicate mier Quebec has ever seen and cused on the things that matter that reopening the Constitufurther evidence that indepen- most to Canadians and expend tion is not among Ontarians’ dence is the only solution. our political energies on serv- priorities.

Trudeau did not say Monday ing Canadians and their prioriWynne said Ontario is “abwhether he’d had time yet to ties, and that does not include solutely committed” to workread Couillard’s document. reopening and renegotiating ing in partnership with Quebec But he remained resolute the Canadian Constitution.” on joint ventures, such as the when asked to explain why he Last week, Trudeau was more two provinces’ electricity trade refuses to consider even talking succinct: “You know my opin- agreement and cap and trade about reopening the Constitu- ion on the Constitution. We’re program, “and I think that is tion some day. not reopening the Constitu- what is preoccupying us at the tion.” moment and certainly the peoTrudeau’s father, Pierre, pa- ple of Ontario.” triated the Constitution in 1982 In any event, Wynne said over the objections of Quebec’s Couillard is not asking that the then-separatist government.

Constitution be reopened.

Since then, successive Que“I understand that he’s put bec premiers have reiterated forward a statement about Quetheir province’s conditions bec’s place in the country and I for formally signing onto the think that the most important Constitution: recognition of thing we can do is to build those Quebec as a distinct society or strong relationships to continue nation, limits on the federal to foster a strong federation. spending power, guaranteed That’s what I’m interested in.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.

RALPH GOODALE / FACEBOOK

Canada’s threat level constantly being ‘examined and reassessed’: Goodale

BY KRISTY KIRKUP AND JIM BRONSKILL The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Municipal, provincial and RCMP officers from across the country will be involved in executing a plan to ensure Canadians are kept safe on July 1, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Monday, noting this will involve “seamless collaboration” among security and intelligence agencies.

“The threat to the country is constantly being examined and reassessed,” Goodale said, just before a meeting of the Senate national security committee.

There is no known information that would prompt Canadian security officials to change the threat level from “medium,” where it has been since October 2014, he added.

The House of Commons paused for a moment of silence on Monday to honour seven people killed in the weekend terror attack in London, including Christine Archibald, a 30-year-old from British Columbia.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also spoke by phone with U.K. Prime Minister The-

resa May and the two leaders agreed to continue to co-operate to counter the threat of terrorism and radicalization, a spokesperson said.

Later at a joint news conference with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, Trudeau would not specify if additional security measures will be required for Canada Day celebrations.

“We continue to look at every necessary measure to ensure that Canadians can be safe and can have confidence in their safety as we celebrate this wonderful anniversary as a country,” he said.

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson admits no amount of preparation can guarantee absolute safety.

“When you see a tragedy that took place in London and on London Bridge and in Manchester, you think, ‘Could that happen here?’ and sadly, the answer is yes,” Watson said on the weekend. “There’s no 100-percent solution to terrorism.”

Intelligence-gathering in advance of the Canada 150 celebrations and extreme vigilance during the Parliament Hill events will be key, said Chris ❱❱ PAGE 21 Canada’s threat

World News

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

19

Putin dismisses US claims about Trump, Russia and elections

BY HOPE YEN AND JULIE PACE The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Russian President Vladimir Putin says claims about Russian involvement in U.S. elections are untrue, and says the United States actively interferes with elections in other countries.

And he is dismissing as “a load of nonsense” the idea that Russia has damaging information on President Donald Trump.

“I never met with him. We have a lot of Americans who visit us,” Putin said in an interview with NBC’s “Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly.” He added: “Do you think we’re gathering compromising information on all of them right now or something? Are you all — have you all lost your senses over there?”

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia meddled in the presidential election to hurt the bid of Democrat Hillary Clinton. Trump himself has been dogged by questions about any business dealings with Russia — he says he has none — as well as reports of a Russian dossier of damaging personal information.

“Well, this is just another load of nonsense,” Putin said.

“Where would we get this information from? Why, did we have some special relationship with him? We didn’t have any

relationship at all.”

Putin again denied any Russian involvement in the U.S. presidential election and any knowledge of Russian contacts with the Trump campaign. A special counsel appointed by the Justice Department and congressional committees are investigating.

Former FBI Director James Comey, whom Trump fired after allegedly asking him to drop an investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn and his Russian contacts, is scheduled to testify Thursday before the Senate’s intelligence committee.

In the NBC interview, Putin was asked about reports of Trump adviser and son-in-law Jared Kushner’s attempt to set up a secret communications channel with Russia. Putin said he knew nothing about it and that he had not discussed with Ambassador Sergey Kislyak any meeting with Kushner.

“Had there been anything significant he would have reported it to the minister. The minister would have reported it to me,” Putin said. “There weren’t even any reports. There’s nothing to even talk about. There wasn’t even any kind of specific discussion about sanctions or anything else. For me, this is just amazing. You created a sensation out of nothing.”

Putin suggested that skilled hackers anywhere, including the U.S., could shift the blame for hacking onto Russia. He also

FREDERIC LEGRAND - COMEO / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

alleged that the U.S. actively interferes with electoral campaigns of other countries.

“Put your finger anywhere on a map of the world, and everywhere you will hear complaints that American officials are interfering in internal electoral processes,” he said.

As far as the findings of U.S. intelligence agencies, Putin said, “They have been misled.”

As the Senate prepared for Comey’s appearance, Trump appeared unlikely to try to block him from testifying. The public hearing is expected to shed light on his private conversations with Trump in the weeks before his dismissal, including any discussion about the Flynn investigation.

There’s been no final decision as to whether Trump would invoke executive privilege, and the matter remains under discussion, according to two administration officials

who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. Trump is known to change his mind on major issues.

On Sunday, lawmakers from both parties urged Trump not to stand in the way of Comey’s testimony.

“Clearly, it would be very, very troubling if the president of the United States is interfering in investigations that affect potentially the president and his closest associates,” said Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee.

Sen. Roy Blunt, a Republican member of the intelligence committee, said Comey’s testimony would be critical to address mounting questions about possible obstruction of justice. The Senate intelligence committee also has invited the top spy of the U.S. and law enforcement officials to testify

Wednesday at a hearing about the federal law governing foreign intelligence collection.

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein also are expected to testify.

For Thursday’s hearing, Trump could invoke executive privilege by arguing that discussions with Comey pertained to national security and that he had an expectation of privacy in getting candid advice from top aides. But legal experts say Trump likely undermined those arguments because he publicly discussed the conversations in tweets and interviews. Trump’s argument in favour of privilege also may be overcome because the investigation is focused on corruption and possible obstruction of justice.

Warner spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union” and CBS’ “Face the Nation.” Blunt appeared on “Fox News Sunday.” ■

N.Korea rejects S.Korea group’s offer for malaria help

BY HYUNG-JIN KIM The Associated Press SEOUL, KOREA, REPUBLIC OF — A South Korean civic group said Monday that North Korea has rejected its offer to provide anti-malaria supplies to protest Seoul’s support of fresh U.N. sanctions on the country.

The rejection could complicate efforts by South Korea’s news liberal President Moon Jae-in to try to expand civilian exchanges with North Korea as

a way to improve strained bilateral ties. All major co-operation programs between the rivals remain stalled amid an international standoff over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

In late May, Moon’s government allowed the Seoul-based Korean Sharing Movement to contact North Korea. It was South Korea’s first approval of cross-border civilian exchanges since January 2016.

The civic group subsequently exchanged emails with North Korea and was supposed to de-

liver anti-malaria items such as insecticides, diagnostic reagent kits and mosquito repellant to North Korea this week, according to group official Hong Sangyoung.

But North Korea told his organization Monday that it won’t allow the visit because of U.N. sanctions adopted last week that Seoul has vowed to implement, Hong said.

Despite the lack of South Korean assistance, North Korea has in recent years reported declining cases of malaria thanks largely to anti-malaria aid prowww.canadianinquirer.net

grams by international organizations. According to World Health Organization records, North Korea had 21,850 malaria cases in 2012, but 7,010 cases in 2015.

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Friday to add 15 individuals and four entities linked to North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs to a U.N. sanctions blacklist. It’s unclear if and how much the new U.N. sanctions would sting North Korea, which is already under multiple rounds of U.N. and other international sanc-

tions.

Since Moon’s May 10 inauguration, North Korea has testfired three ballistic missiles in an apparent show of its resolve to expand its weapons arsenals to cope with what it calls U.S. hostility. Moon’s government has said it will evaluate expanding civilian exchanges with North Korea, while sternly dealing with its missile and other weapons tests.

North Korea is pushing hard to build a nuclear-tipped missile that can reach the continental United States. ■

20

World News

JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

3 giant pandas return to China from Japan under agreement THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BEIJING — Three giant pandas born and raised in Japan have returned to China under a standard agreement to improve the breeding success of the rare animals.

The 6-year-old twins and their 4-year-old sister had been living at Wakayama Adventure World in southern Japan.

The three arrived Monday night in the city of Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province

that is home to most wild pandas, as well as sanctuaries and breeding centres.

The official Xinhua News Agency said the three were travelling Tuesday to the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding where they will be quarantined for a month while they acclimatize to their new home before being displayed to the public.

“They are expected to adapt to changes in food, environment, language, and even the taste of bamboo. We will per-

form health checks on the pandas,” Yang Zhi, a disease prevention expert with the centre, was quoted as saying by Xinhua.

Wakayama Adventure World and the Chengdu base have been co-operating on panda breeding research since 1994.

The program has led to the births of 15 pandas, eight of whom have now returned to China, according to Xinhua.

Around 420 pandas live in captivity, the majority within China, while an estimated 1,864 live in the wild.

Panda in Ueno Zoo, Tokyo, Japan.

China for decades gifted friendly nations with its unofficial national mascot in what was known as “panda diplomacy.” The country more recently

SHANICE GARCIA / PCI

has loaned pandas to zoos on commercial terms.

Most loans last from 10 to 15 years, with fees of as much as $1 million per year. ■

Are new Trump hotels exploiting presidency or just business?

BY BERNARD CONDON The Associated Press NEW YORK — The name of the new hotel chain is American Idea. It was inspired by stories heard in small towns on the campaign trail. The owner is now president of the United States.

That said, the Trump Organization wants to make something perfectly clear: It is not exploiting the presidency for profit.

The suggestion is “pure, unadulterated nonsense,” said Eric Danziger, CEO of the company’s hotel division, Trump Hotels. “I’m sure you’ve heard of American Express. I’m sure you’ve heard of American Airlines. ... We didn’t invent the word American.”

President Donald Trump has been criticized for raising membership fees at his Mar-aLago club in Florida, boasting of his new Washington hotel that has become a favourite spot for foreign diplomats, and benefiting from trademark approvals from China for possible future business there.

Now comes his company’s latest venture: a hotel chain.

The American Idea chain was unveiled Monday night in New York at a Trump Tower party hosted by the president’s two adult sons, Eric and Don Jr., and featuring a video showing the Washington Mall.

The first family plans to franchise the mid-market ho-

tels, taking a cut of revenue, ments of the American dream. Danziger wouldn’t say how and leaving the management Sons of a refugee from India, many American Idea hotels he and ownership of the buildings Suresh and Dinesh Chawla hopes to build, but he talked big to other developers. The first spoke of an America full of in an interview. three are planned for Missis- promise and profit, if you work “It can go anywhere in the sippi. hard enough — and maybe get United States, anywhere there “They’re cashing in on the advice from a real estate mogul is an extended stay or mid-scale red states,” said Kathleen Clark, along the way. (hotel), that can be an Ameria government ethics expert and Suresh told the story of can Idea,” he said. law professor at Washington how his late father, founder of The Trump Organization is University in St. Louis. “I’m not Chawla Hotels of Cleveland, also opening a fourth property surprised that the Trump fam- Mississippi, was brazen enough with Chawla Hotels under its ily would look to opportunities to call Donald Trump looking Scion brand, a more upscale, to commercially exploit his po- for money for his new hotel boutique chain launched last litical success.” chain more than quarter of a year. That one will open in Ethics expert Edwin William- century ago.

Cleveland, Mississippi. Danson, a former State Department Trump turned the immigrant ziger said in March that he legal adviser, isn’t so bothered down, calling his venture “small hoped to open as many as 100 by the new chain. He noted that fry.” But he did spend time on Scion hotels in three years. the president is Wa s h i n g t o n not bound by the U n i v e r s i t y ’s federal ethics Clark said the laws that limit new chains raise When it rains, it pours. I’m thankful for other public ofmany conflicts of the opportunity given to me. I’m going ficials from purissues questions: to embrace it. suing business Do the developinterests while ers have other in office, and said motives in strikhe thinks Trump ing a deal with critics and the media are too the phone, said Suresh, giving the president’s company, perfast to see conflicts of interest advice on ways to secure a loan haps to influence public policy? where there are none. elsewhere. Chawla Hotels now Will local governments help the “There may be people who owns 17 hotels. developers in securing zoning want do business with them beAs a franchising fee, Trump changes or permits to curry facause they are the president’s Hotels CEO Danziger said he vour with the president? sons. But I don’t know what expects to earn less than the The new chains are “probyou do about that,” William- typical 9 to 12 per cent cut of lematic for the same reason all son said. Anyway, he added, the revenue charged by others, at his other businesses are probdeals struck will probably be least initially while the chain is lematic: It provides opportu“normal business transactions rolled out. nity for people to influence him that meet the standard of the The Chawla brothers plan to by sending business his way,” marketplace.” convert three Mississippi ho- Clark said.

The first outside partners for tels now under other franchisee The rollout of the Scion chain American Idea were introduced names to the American Idea hit a snag earlier this year beMonday and quickly estab- brand, one each in Cleveland, cause of just such conflicts islished their appeal as embodi- Clarksdale and Greenville. sues. A Dallas developer who www.canadianinquirer.net

had signed a letter of intent with the Trump Organization revealed that he planned to raise money for a Scion hotel in the city from unnamed investors from Turkey, Qatar and Kazakhstan.

The Trump Organization cancelled talks with the developer after several news articles raised questions about whether the foreign investors might try to use their investments to influence the new administration.

Danziger said the Dallas developer would never have gotten past his company’s vetting, which had only begun as the media got hold of the story.

Before Trump took the oath of office, he announced a series of steps to help address concerns that his sprawling business holdings could lead to conflicts. He handed management control of his company to his two adult sons, vowed to make “no new foreign deals” while president and hired an outside council to vet any new deals his sons would strike in the U.S. Danziger has expressed confidence that these steps can help avoid any ethical trouble.

As far as the Chawlas are concerned, Danziger said, they’ve been vetted fully. Their company, he said, is 100 per cent owned by the two brothers. And he suggested they were perfect partners for a company under scrutiny.

“I wish I had their clean background,” he quipped. “It was easy to approve.” ■

World News

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

21

Islamic State claims Qatar says Kuwait trying responsibility for to mediate, solve Gulf crisis London terror attack

BY JON GAMBRELL The Associated Press

PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY LONDON — The so-called Islamic State (IS) has claimed responsibility for Saturday’s London attack, British media reported Sunday.

BBC reported on its website that the group’s news outlet Amaq, on the messaging app Telegram, said “a security unit of Islamic State fighters carried out the London attacks yesterday.”

Meanwhile, The Telegraph reported that an IS group propaganda outlet exhorted

would-be jihadists to carry out vehicle and knife attacks on civilians just hours before three terrorists went on a rampage in central London.

According to the report, the message sent out on an encrypted messaging app, urging attackers to “gain benefit from Ramadan” and “kill the civilians of the Crusaders. Run over them by vehicles.”

British police said 12 people have been arrested so far after the attack, which left seven people dead and 48 injured.

Among the wounded, 21 people are in critical condition. ■

Canada’s threat...

Mathers, a former RCMP officer who now works as a crime and risk consultant.

“There will be people scanning the crowd,” Mathers said.

“There will be tactical teams, there will be bomb-disposal teams. From now on at any large gathering, that’s what you’re going to have. It’s just inevitable. The costs are astronomical.”

Police and security officials “know who the bad guys are” and will be watching them closely, Mathers said, adding it is difficult to know when a lonewolf attacker might act.

“You decide you’re going to drive a vehicle into a bunch of people and then get out and start stabbing a bunch of people, how do the security services find out about that? If you don’t say anything to anyone, you just get it in your head to do it, it’s very difficult to stop.”

Jantine Van Kregten, Ottawa Tourism’s director of communications, said she’s seen no evidence that people are changing plans to be in Ottawa for Canada Day, given the recent terrorist activity overseas.

Security is always top of mind for special events in Ottawa, and Canada Day is one of the biggest of them all, Van Kregten said.

“That is the biggest day of the year, so it is not something ❰❰ 18

they’re just addressing now because of recent attacks in London,” she said in an interview.

“It is a reality of our lives today that in our communities we need to be vigilant.”

The government will ensure Canada remains a top tourist destination and people from all around the world should visit Parliament Hill, Tourism Minister Bardish Chagger said Monday.

“This place belongs to the people,” she said in an interview. “We will do everything we can to ensure their safety.”

Dan Brisebois, the City of Ottawa’s director of operations and special events, would not divulge safety plans for Canada Day for security reasons but said staff have been preparing for the event since early this year.

“The Office of Emergency Management is working with internal and external stakeholders to develop a Canada Day emergency management plan to provide for a safe and secure Canada Day for residents and visitors,” he said in a statement.

The National Arts Centre, which plans to unveil a rejuvenated building on July 1, said Monday it plans to triple security for Canada Day. It is also requesting all staff go through safety training for large crowds. ■

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Kuwait is trying to mediate a Gulf crisis between Qatar and its Arab neighbours, which have severed ties with the energy-rich travel hub and moved to isolate it from the outside world, Qatar’s foreign minister said Tuesday.

The biggest diplomatic crisis in the Persian Gulf since the 1991 U.S.-led war against Iraq pits several nations against Qatar, which is home to some 10,000 American troops and a major U.S. military base. Airlines suspended flights and residents nervous about the peninsula’s lone land border closing cleaned out grocery store shelves.

In an interview with Dohabased satellite news network Al-Jazeera, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said Kuwait’s ruler had asked Qatar’s emir to hold off on giving a speech about the crisis late Monday night.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani “received a call from the emir of Kuwait asking him to postpone it in order to give time to solve the crisis,” Sheikh Mohammed said.

Still, the minister struck a defiant tone, rejecting those “trying to impose their will on Qatar or intervene in its internal affairs.”

The state-run Kuwait News Agency reported Kuwaiti ruler Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad AlSabah spoke with Qatar’s emir Monday evening and urged him to give a chance to efforts that could ease tensions. The call came after a senior Saudi royal arrived in Kuwait with a message from the Saudi king. An Omani diplomat travelled to Qatar on Monday.

Meanwhile, the Philippines announced it will temporarily suspend the deployment of Filipino workers to Qatar. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said the ban took effect Tuesday, but there is no plan yet to repatriate the more than 200,000 Filipino workers in Qatar. More than 1 million Filipinos reside and work in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain.

Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates www.canadianinquirer.net

Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.

ADAM BROWN / CROWN COPYRIGHT

announced Monday they would cut diplomatic ties. Yemen’s internationally backed government, which has lost the capital and large portions of the wartorn country, also cut relations with Qatar, as did the Maldives and one of conflict-ridden Libya’s competing governments.

The move came just two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia and vowed to improve ties with both Riyadh and Cairo to combat terrorism and contain Iran. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the move was rooted in longstanding differences and urged the parties to resolve them.

Soccer’s governing body FIFA said it remained in regular contact with Qatar, which will host the 2022 World Cup. It did not elaborate.

Saudi Arabia said it was cutting ties due to Qatar’s “embrace of various terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at destabilizing the region,” including the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaida, the Islamic State group and militants supported by Iran in the kingdom’s restive Eastern Province. Egypt’s Foreign Ministry accused Qatar of taking an “antagonist approach” toward Cairo and said “all attempts to stop it from supporting terrorist groups failed.”

Qatar long has denied funding extremists, though Western officials have accused it of allowing or even encouraging funding of Sunni extremists like al-Qaida’s branch in Syria, once known as the Nusra Front.

The Gulf countries ordered their citizens out of Qatar and gave Qataris abroad 14 days to return home to their peninsular nation, whose only land border is with Saudi Arabia. The countries also said they would eject Qatar’s diplomats.

The nations said they planned to cut air and sea traffic to Qatar. Doha-based satellite news network Al-Jazeera reported trucks carrying food had begun lining up on the Saudi side of the border, apparently stranded. The Qatar Stock Exchange fell more than 7 per cent in trading Monday.

Qatar Airways, one of the region’s major long-haul carriers, has suspended all flights to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain until further notice. On its website, the carrier said the suspension of its flights would take effect Tuesday and customers are being offered a refund.

Saudi Arabia meanwhile said it will revoke Qatar Airways’ operating licenses and close the airline’s offices in the kingdom within 48 hours.

The Saudi ports authority says Qatari-flagged shipping vessels are barred from docking. It’s ordering shipping agents not to receive any vessels owned

by Qatari companies or Qatari nationals and not to unload any goods from Qatar.

The air route between Doha and Dubai is popular among business travellers and both are major transit hubs for travellers between Asia and Europe.

FlightRadar24, a popular airplane tracking website, said Qatar Airways flights already had started to be affected.

“Many of Qatar Airways’ flights to southern Europe and Africa pass through Saudi Arabia,” the site said. “Flights to Europe will most likely be rerouted through Iran and Turkey.” ■ Associated Press writers Jim Gomez in Manila, Philippines, and Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.

22

Community News

JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

Allure of Seas

BY BRUCE GATES THE WORDS of Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville waft across the pool deck of Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas. It’s another day aboard what was the world’s largest cruise ship until Allure’s younger sister, Harmony, grabbed the title last year. But what’s a few thousand tons between sister ships? Allure is plenty big, weighing in at a hefty 225,000 tons, nearly 1,200 feet long and almost 200 feet wide. Big enough for its own park with real trees, grass and flowers – appropriately named Central Park, since it runs down the middle of the better part of Deck 8.

Our ship glides languidly through the warm Caribbean waters of the Atlantic Ocean, its passengers soaking up the sun on another near-cloudless day.

The clock on the pool deck’s wall says 4 p.m. but most of the passengers are oblivious. This is a time to relax, sunbathe, go for a dip in one of the pools, sip a cold drink in the whirlpool, or grab a chair in the shade by the picture windows and watch the sea.

We’re on a seven-day cruise out of Fort Lauderdale heading for Labadee, Haiti; Falmouth, Jamaica; and Cozumel, Mexico.

The cruise aboard the Allure

Central Park, which runs through Deck 8 on Allure of the Seas contains trees, flowers and original art by artists from around the world.

Table 199 was our go-to spot for dinner every evening in the American Icon dining room.

fulfills a long-held desire of my older daughter, so my wife, Nida, and I make it a family affair. There are nine of us in all, including our two daughters, their husbands, the in-laws of my older daughter and a family friend.

We’re regulars at the 8 p.m. dinner in the American Icon, a glitzy dining room on Deck 3. This is family time for us, a chance to share stories of our days ashore or on board. Here’s where we meet Cynthia and Mitzi Arevalo, sisters from the Philippines who work as our dining room staff at Table 199.

They, and head waiter Ronaldo Diaz, make our evening dining experience something to look forward to all week long.

Filipinos are the backbone of many cruise ships’ staff.

They’re engineers, entertain-

ers, cleaners, security guards, cooks, bartenders, waiters, sales clerks and guest services representatives. Allure’s workers lead a busy life, especially kitchen staff, who must prepare 18,000 meals a day for nearly 6,000 guests. That’s a lot of food. And with 25 different restaurants to choose from (the specialty eateries charge extra), it’s no wonder everyone gains weight after cruising.

Mind you, there is a fully equipped fitness centre on board, and a Flow Rider surfing feature, zip line, rock-climbing wall, basketball court, ping pong tables and miniature golf course for a little exercise. We can stroll through seven distinct “neighborhoods” and even go ice skating when the indoor rink isn’t being used for shows.

We take our chances with the

slots in the casino – and we actually win a few dollars. More money to spend in the stores, where purchases are tax-free.

If we don’t want to spend any money, there are plenty of shows at the main theatre and lots of bars playing live music.

There is more than enough to do to make the seven days go by all too quickly.

Too soon, we’re back in Fort Lauderdale. Nida’s and my flight home to Toronto isn’t until the following day, so we rent a car and drive to Dania Beach, where later that evening we watch the Allure set sail again with a new complement of passengers. Watching the ship sail past and disappear over the horizon, we wish we were once again sailing away with her.

If you go

Cruising is a great way to see the world. The ships are floating cities with every creature comfort, but remember that

key word – floating. If you are prone to motion sickness, bad weather can take its toll. One solution is to take along fresh ginger or ginger tablets, or to place a motion sickness patch behind your ear. Ships vary in size and onboard experiences.

Choose one that best suits your interests. Also, if you are cruising out of Fort Lauderdale, check with cab companies beforehand to confirm the fare between airport and Port Everglades. We were told the price was between $12 and $15 U.S. One cabby tried to charge us $30 U.S., which we refused to pay. Here’s another tip: Most cruise lines charge you an automatic gratuity for every day on board. The money goes toward tips and is divided among all crew members. In some cases, you can ask the cruise ship to waive that fee and just pay a cash tip to the crew members of your choice. Check with Guest Services on your ship. ■

Largest Philippine bank just landed in Canada, launches BDO Remit office in Toronto PHILIPPINE-BASED BDO Unibank moved closer to the hearts of Filipinos living and working in Canada by putting up a remittance office in Toronto, Ontario.

“After three (3) years of hard work, BDO Unibank opens a new channel (for Filipinos in Canada) as the Filipino market continues to make BDO Unibank their preferred bank for remittances and as the Bank remains committed to make their lives easier and make available offerings for them,” summed up Ms. Genie Gloria, Senior Vice President and Head for the Remittance unit of the biggest bank in the Philippines.

BDO Remit office at 2004 Yonge Street had been officially

inaugurated last May 13, with Toronto-based Fil-Canadians and BDO officers in attendance.

The Office will be headed by VP Bong Morcillo as general manager with SM Edgar Mararac, as operations head and Deanna Ceria, service assistant. Among the guests during the inauguration were: Ambassador Neil Reeder and his wife Irene Reeder, Consul General Rosalita Prospero, Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese Fernandez, Alfredo Lagman (Vice Chairman of the Phil. Trade Council) and Roberto Roldan (Foreign Representative, Philippine SSS). Also present were BDO partners from Western Union, Atin Ito, My Remit,

IRemit, Royal Bank of Canada, Gemini Express, Luminus Financial Services, Ria, and Reliable Peso Remit. Manila-based BDO Unibank Management was represented by EVP Anthony Chua; SVP Genie Gloria, and Ferdinand Bacungan, First Vice President and Head, BDO Remittance Business Development and Network Support.

According to Ms. Gloria, the BDO Remit office will be more than a remittance center but is envisioned to be a business hub to serve the needs of Filipinos in Toronto, including their need for a place or meeting rooms to come together for social meetups and events.

Ms. Gloria also emphasized www.canadianinquirer.net

the Bank’s commitment to all their remittance partners in this side of Canada whom she acknowledged that without their years and years of support, they could not have done so well in this business sector.

The Philippine Consul General in Toronto, Ms. Rosalita Prospero, validated BDO Unibank’s decision to set up a business hub in the city as she emphasized that there at least more than 230,000 Pinoy remitters in Toronto alone even as she reminded everyone the important role that remittances play in keeping the Philippine economy afloat and pursuing the development efforts of the country.

In keeping with Filipino “house” blessing traditions, the ceremonies included the official ribbon-cutting presided over by the Consul General of the Philippine Embassy in Toronto. Catholic priest Rev. Fr. Joel Pabilona Jr. officiated a short religious ceremony with prayers of thanksgiving and acknowledgment of God’s presence during the momentous occasion. The throwing of the coins for good luck and prosperous business was explained

by Mr. Edgar Mararac, which was immediately followed by the excited crowd grabbing the loonies, toonies and quarters ❱❱ PAGE 26 Largest Philippine

23

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JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

Entertainment No limitations for Jolens in reunion movie with Marvin, hubby says

BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer THIS YEAR, Jolina Magdangal is set to appear in a Star Cinema-produced movie opposite former screen partner Marvin Agustin.

Surprisingly, Jolina’s husband Mark Escueta (drummer of rock band Rivermaya) is one of those most excited about the reunion movie.

“No limitations for Jolens (Jolina’s nickname),” Mark gushed. “I just told her to enjoy and always be thankful for the projects that are coming her way.”

Jolina’s hubby claimed he never felt jealous of his wife being paired with Marvin, although the two dated in the 1990s.

“I have this running joke with my band members. When they introduce me during gigs,

they sometimes call me Marvin Agustin. It’s really no big deal,” Mark revealed.

“I’m also friends with some of their (the former love team’s) supporters, who respect our family and Marvin’s,” he added.

Marvin has twins, named Santiago and Sebastian, with an exgirlfriend who is not from the biz.

“I [also] want twins,” declared Jolina. “They say multiple births are possible, especially if this trait runs in your family. Sadly, both Mark and I don’t have it. But I’ve heard that you can increase your chances of having twins through science. I’m very open to that.”

The 38-year-old actress said she wished to have as many as five kids. “I don’t know if that’s still possible now, so I’m OK with having three. I gave birth to Pele via Caesarian section, that’s why it took me a while to recover. I didn’t start exercising until six months later, because

I was scared that my C-section incision would reopen.”

She is convinced that her son, 3-year-old Pele, is ready to be a big brother. “He would often get excited having other babies around. He is very patient and careful around them. He was very cautious whenever Melai (Contiveros) was around [while she was pregnant]. He made sure not to bump her tummy.

I take that as a sign that he is ready to having siblings,” Jolina said during the recent media launch of Super Twins Baby Pants Easy Wear, which she endorses with Pele and Mark.

Melai, one of Jolina’s cohosts in the weekday morning talk show “Magandang Buhay,” gave birth to her second child, Stela Rosalind, in April.

When it comes to parenting style, Jolina said she would make sure hers was in sync with Mark’s. “Being parents requires teamwork. We both play the

DANE ALEGANA / FLICKR

role of the disciplinarian. When Mark reprimands Pele, I don’t try to soothe the boy’s feelings.

I remain firm. Mark does the same,” she explained. “Mark is the patient type. He reprimands Pele only when the boy gets really stubborn.”

She added: “There was this instance when we both decided that we should give Pele a spanking. The boy was repeatedly told not to go to that portion of the house where Mark

assembles the parts of his remote-controlled drones, but Pele still kept going there even when Mark already barricaded the area. That’s when Mark really got angry.”

Now that Pele is old enough, Jolina said she and Mark have agreed to not raise their voices at him, “because he can already understand us and remember instructions. When he gets unruly, we will just use foam slippers on him. ■

Richard Gutierrez on his supporting role in ‘KathNiel’ starrer: I’d be stupid to refuse it

BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer I DIDN’T expect this offer.

I’d be really stupid to refuse it,” said Richard Gutierrez on Wednesday on joining the cast of the fantasy-adventure series, “La Luna Sangre.”

Richard plays Zandrino—the supreme vampire—in the latest ABSCBN fantaserye starring Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, aka the “KathNiel” love team.

“An offer like this doesn’t come very often. I’m not going to take it for granted,” added Richard.

He said he prepared for the role because he knew it would be physically demanding.

“I’ve been doing my own ing long hours at work.” and Angelica Panganiban. stunts for the longest time, and “When it rains, it pours. I’m I’m aware of the demands. I Pointers thankful for the opportunity know that I will be made to use When asked for pointers for given to me. I’m going to emharness in most scenes and that Daniel, Richard said: “Daniel brace it,” Richard told reportit will require a ers. “It felt good lot from my lowto have been giver back. I had to en such a grand strengthen that,” welcome here. I he explained.

When it rains, it pours. I’m thankful for amhappy to be the opportunity given to me. I’m going On working where I am now. to embrace it. with KathNiel, I will give my Richard said best, now that he already met I am with ABthem and found SCBN.” them to be “very Richard was nice kids.” has a great team behind him. last seen on television in the He added: “I’m excited to I’ll just tell him to enjoy the TV5 adaptation of Carlo J. Cawork with them. At a young age, journey.” paras’ “Ang Panday.” On the they have already accomplished Richard will also be part of big screen, his last project was a lot. I respect that. I used to be the Star Cinema-produced film, the 2014 GMA Films-produced part of several love teams, so I “Wife, Husband, Wife,” which thriller, “Overtime.” know how it feels to be spend- will also feature Angel Locsin “I’ve been away for a while. I www.canadianinquirer.net

chose to rest, to step back and reflect on what matters to me and my family. I chose to reenergize myself,” he recalled.

“While I was away from the limelight, I couldn’t help but ask if show biz was really for me. I thought maybe I could go somewhere else. I guess God has other plans for me,” the 33year-old actor added: GMA 7 recently revived the fantaserye “Mulawin,” which Richard helped popularize in 2005. It is now titled “Mulawin vs Ravena.”

On being a cast member of a competing fantaserye, Richard replied: “I’m thankful for what GMA 7 has done for me.

It helped shape me as an individual, but I am happy where I am now.” ■

Entertainment

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

25

‘Wonder Woman’ is a hit that Daughter from ‘The even Hollywood can’t ignore Cosby Show’ stands by comedian at trial

BY JAKE COYLE The Associated Press

NEW YORK — Batman is the superhero with the callingcard beam of light, but Wonder Woman sent a signal over the weekend that even Hollywood couldn’t miss.

Patty Jenkins’ “Wonder Woman” grossed $103.3 million in North America over its debut weekend, a figure that easily surpassed industry expectations, set a new record for a film directed by a woman and bested all previous stand-alone female superhero movies put together.

(There aren’t many and there hasn’t been one in 12 years.)

Strong reviews (93 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes) and word of mouth (an A CinemaScore) pushed the film into must-see status. Wonder Woman, that Amazonian warrior-princess last in the spotlight in ‘70s, lassoed the zeitgeist. By Monday, Warner Bros. had to increase its weekend estimate up by almost $3 million because audiences kept coming on Sunday.

“Wonder Woman” is a hit, and in a movie industry that has seldom put female filmmakers behind the camera for its biggest blockbusters, it could be an important one. It certainly had that feel opening weekend, where droves of moviegoers came wearing “We are all Diana” T-shirts, young girls flocked in Wonder Woman outfits and even movie stars were blowing kisses at the movie and calling it a “game changer.”

“I am a filmmaker who wants to make successful films, of course. I want my film to be celebrated,” Jenkins said before her film’s debut. “But there’s a whole other person in me who’s sitting and watching what’s happening right now who so hopes, not for me, that this movie defies expectation.

Because I want to see the signal that that will send to the world.”

Jenkins’ objective appeared to be met by the opening of “Wonder Woman,” a heavily marketed $150 million movie that spent a decade in development before finally — after hordes of other superheroes — making it to the big screen.

“Wonder Woman” didn’t

BY MICHAEL R. SISAK The Associated Press

KATHY HUTCHINS / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

surpass the openings of previous DC Comics adaptations: the terribly received “Batman v. Superman” and “Suicide Squad.” But unlike those releases, “Wonder Woman” is good enough to play strongly through the next few weeks.

“The momentum is with us in every way,” said Warner Bros. distribution chief Jeff Goldstein.

That was decidedly not the case heading into the weekend.

“Wonder Woman” came on the heels of disappointing DC Comics films and a lacklustre early summer box office where little besides “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” has caught fire.

But more importantly, Jenkins and “Wonder Woman” burst through Hollywood’s glass ceiling with one of the rarest things: a summer blockbuster helmed by a woman.

“Maybe this raises awareness that female directors are a force to be reckoned with,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore.

That’s been especially hardto-miss this summer. Sofia Coppola, whose upcoming June release “The Beguiled” remakes the 1971 Don Siegel-Clint Eastwood movie from a female perspective, last week became just the second female filmmaker to win best director at the Cannes Film Festival.

“I try to keep making work and I have a female point of view that I embrace,” Coppola said recently. “I don’t want to speak so politically. I just feel like that’s not my role. But

I’m happy to put my work out there.”

Cannes juror Jessica Chastain also drew widespread applause for questioning the quality of the female characters on view at the festival. Her fellow jury member Maren Ade, the German director of “Toni Erdmann,” spoke about the dearth of female filmmakers.

“I found after a while always being surrounded by men doing this job, the impression comes up that it’s maybe not a good job for a woman,” Ade said. “I think that’s completely wrong and I think we need much more women doing films. We all want the film business to reflect modern society.”

With its action movies and comic-book films, summer has long been the most male moviegoing season of the year — one where even female Ghostbusters are enough to spark a tempestuous culture war.

But Jenkins and Coppola have some company this season.

Next week, Lucia Aniello, a writer and director from “Broad City,” will release her bachelorette comedy “Rough Night.” In August, Kathryn Bigelow returns with her Detroit riots thriller “Detroit.” It’s shaping up to be an atypically tough summer for misogyny at the multiplex.

Yet researchers who have spent years charting the lack of progress for female directors in Hollywood are skeptical much has changed. ❱❱ PAGE 28 ‘Wonder Woman’

www.canadianinquirer.net

NORRISTOWN, PA. — Bill Cosby’s TV daughter said she came to the courthouse on the first day of his sexual-assault trial because she would want similar support if “the tables were turned.”

Keshia Knight Pulliam, who played Rudy on “The Cosby Show,” said Monday that “ultimately it’s about standing by your truth.”

And, she said, her truth was to be at court and to be supportive.

“I want to be the person that I would like to have if the tables were turned,” said Knight Pulliam, 38. “Right now it’s the jury’s job and the jury’s decision to determine guilt or innocence.

It’s not mine or anyone else’s.”

Cosby, 79, is accused of drugging and violating an employee of Temple University’s basketball program at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in 2004.

He could get 10 years in prison if convicted.

Knight Pulliam says she’s sensitive to the gravity of the charges, given her Kamp Kizzy Foundation’s mission to promote self-esteem, empowerment and motivation in girls.

She said that she is praying for everyone involved.

“I don’t condone sexual assault in any way, shape or form, but, at the end of the day, our court system is set up ... you’re innocent until proven guilty,” she said. “The job now is for the two sides to prove their cases, and I accept whatever verdict is handed down.”

Cosby was beloved as America’s Dad for playing Dr. Cliff Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” from 1984 to 1992. His Twitter account on Monday sent out a message thanking “Cliff and Claire’s 4 year old daughter (Rudy) and the Brilliant Spelman Alumnus.” ■

Keeping It Casual:

Bieber defends wearing Penguins jersey on Instagram THE CANADIAN PRESS JUSTIN BIEBER took a stand on social media for casual hockey fans everywhere.

The Canadian pop superstar drew the ire of hockey fans for his shifting team loyalties last Wednesday when he posted a photo of himself on Instagram wearing a Penguins jersey ahead of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup final between Pittsburgh and the Nashville Predators.

Bieber, from Stratford, Ont., about 150 kilometres west of Toronto, took exception to the criticism, posting several tweets on the nature of his fandom on Monday night as the Pens and Predators met in Game 4 of the best-of-seven series.

“I support all sports I’ll put ANY jersey from ANY pro team if I’m whack for wearing jerseys they give me out of love then I’m Whack,” said Bieber on his verified account with 96.2 million followers. “Leafs above all but other than that u give me ANY JERSEY THAT LOOKS COOL ILL THROW IT ON” He then added that he’s only a casual fan but enjoys the athleticism of elite sports.

“I also don’t know enough about sports to Really have valid opinion but I do enjoy sports!! And enjoy any high level sports game. Any team,” said Bieber, adding a series of kissing emojis in a separate tweet.

The Stanley Cup final is currently tied 2-2 with Game 5 in Pittsburgh on Thursday. ■

26

JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

Lifestyle Celebrities share the best advice they ever got from dad

BY LEANNE ITALIE The Associated Press NEW YORK — Dads sometimes know best.

In time for Father’s Day on June 18, a range of artists from film, television and music shared the most valuable lessons from their own dads with The Associated Press: PATTY JENKINS, “Wonder Woman” director, daughter of a Vietnam War veteran: “Perseverance and focus, first of all, because I think that that kind of job of being a fighter pilot is strangely difficult. You’re on your own and you just have to put one foot in front of the other, figuratively speaking, to get things done and to deal with whatever comes up. And that actually comes up. That is very present in my life as a director every day.”

JAMES TAYLOR, music legend: “Just to be there for your family. I’ve tried to be as much as possible. If there is a struggle, that’s it, trying to balance family life and life on the road.”

HUGH JACKMAN, “Logan” star: “Education. He preached education. And passion, like find whatever you’re good at then do everything you can to learn every bit of it, and don’t go out into the world until you’ve studied.”

ASHLEY CAMPBELL, daughter of Glen Campbell, who is battling Alzheimer’s: “This one piece of advice really stuck with me. We were on tour and it was toward the end of the tour, so he

was definitely not as there, not as with it. So moments of clarity were very noticeable. He looked at me and said, ‘How’s your music going?’ I, joking, said, ‘It’s going well. I am going to be a superstar!’ Very self-deprecatingly. And he got really serious and he said, ‘Be a super person and the superstar will follow.’ That’s Glen wisdom.”

CONNIE NIELSEN, Hippolyta actress in “Wonder Woman”: “My father always said, ‘You belong in that room.

No matter what, you can do whatever you want.”’

KATE MARA, star of the film “Megan Leavey”: “The one that I sort of use every day, I guess, is just a good handshake because in this business, specifically, but I’m sure everybody meets new people on a daily basis, a firm handshake, I think, goes a long way. To this day there’s nothing worse than kind of a half-ass handshake from someone. I think it says a lot about your character.”

BRYAN CRANSTON, star of “Wakefield”: “You reflect on being a son, you reflect on being a father, and it’s a good time.

For past issues that I’ve had with my father, now he’s passed and you kind of think of things differently. But the joy for me is being so proud of my daughter, who’s now 24 and an actor in her own right, and independent and a freethinking, funny, talented young woman.”

MAYIM BIALIK, co-star of “The Big Bang Theory”: “He taught me a lot of lessons. My dad had a really big personality, and he was a really gracious

person. I don’t know if it’s a lesson in particular but it was a way that he was. He wasn’t afraid to let his big personality show, and sometimes that was a good thing and sometimes it was a bad thing. But when he walked into a room you knew it.

That’s a powerful lesson, to see the presence of a person.”

MATT SMITH, star of “The Crown” on Netflix: “My dad said to me very early on, ‘It’s not the disappointments, son.

It’s how you get over them.’ And that, that — I’ll pass that onto my son, you know? Yeah. He was 70 (recently) so we kind of celebrated his birthday. He’s a very important man in my life, my dad. Probably the most important.”

LUCY DAVIS, Etta actress in “Wonder Woman”: “One of the things he said to me was, ‘If you give, you get. But not if you give to get.’ And I love that. And it made you realize that you just have to be the person you want to be just because that’s what you want to be, not because you think there’s going to be a reward at the end.”

TOM BERGERON, host of “Dancing with the Stars”: “Well we’d go out in the back 40 and, you know, clear some of the brush, slaughter a few hogs and then have a big meal. That’s in the old days, though.” ■ Associated Press reporters Ryan Pearson, Marcela Isaza, Nicole Evatt and Michael Cidoni in Los Angeles, John Carucci in New York and Kristin Hall in Nashville, Tennessee, contributed to this report.

www.canadianinquirer.net

Largest Philippine... that were thrown in the air.

Sending remittance to BDO Kabayan Savings is the flagship service of BDO Remit, which goes beyond sending and receiving money. It has features that support the overall goal of Overseas Filipinos which is to provide a better life for their families back home.

With regular remittances and savings, qualified remitters get life and accident insurance coverage for free. Account holders may also qualify for BDO Rewards, the Bank’s loyalty program in the Philippines, and earn points that can be used to buy basic needs at The SM Store and partner establishments in the Philippines. By having an account, a customer may easily avail of other products and services of the Bank when they visit the Philippines.

Another available option to ❰❰ 22

receive remittances is via Cash Pick-up from over 8,000 locations across the Philippines including BDO Unibank’s more than 1,000 branches; BDO Remit counters inside SM locations; BDO Unibank subsidiary One Network; as well as rural bank and pawnshop partners.

With the presence of BDO Remit in Toronto, Ms. Gloria, assured all their partners in Canada that BDO Remit has been set up not necessarily to compete with them for remittance business but to support them and their clients in making our kababayans’ life easier as they desire to help their families in the Philippines and fulfill some of their banking needs back home. ■ For more information or inquiries about BDO Remit, please visit BDO Remit Canada webpage - bit.ly/BDORemitCanada

Lifestyle

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

27

Fast food finds

BY PAM PASTOR Philippine Daily Inquirer INSPIRED BY our love affair with KFC Sisig, we decided to go on a fast food tour with our favorite Japanese gal Fuchiko.

Here are our new (and old) discoveries: Jollibee’s Choco Mallow Pie P32 for one, P89 for three

We first spotted Jollibee’s Choco Mallow Pie in a Facebook post written by someone who had eaten three in one sitting. “Whoa,” we thought. And then, the next day, we ate three in one sitting.

Jollibee’s Choco Mallow Pie is tiny but mighty chocolatey.

Some people complain that it’s too sweet but these are the same people who will complain that s’mores are too sweet. We like our sweets sweet. (Also, we love s’mores so much that we can eat them every day.) And that’s essentially what the Choco Mallow Pie is—our beloved bee’s take on the classic campfire treat: a mix of melted chocolate and gooey marshmallow trapped not between graham crackers but inside a chocolate

Wendy’s Vanilla Frosty.

Jollibee’s Choco Mallow Pie.

version of that Peach Mango Pie crust we all know and love.

Pasta as an option, life would truly be perfect.

Yellow Cab’s My Stuff P195

Wendy’s Vanilla Frosty P38 for small, P60 for medium, P74 for large

Every phone call to Yellow Cab is a struggle especially when we’re alone. We always want a taste of all our favorites—#4 Cheese pizza, Hot Wings and pasta—and so we always end up over-ordering, overspending and overeating. But Yellow Cab has put together their greatest hits in one box: My Stuff, giving you pizza, pasta and wings in an affordable package. And you get to pick what’s in your box: Pepperoni or #4 Cheese pizza pouch?

Charlie Chan Chicken Pasta or Spaghetti with Meat Sauce? Garlic Parmesan, Sriracha, Barbecue Chicken or Hot Wings? Now if they’d only add Chicken Alfredo

For decades, we believed that we lived in a world that had only one kind of Frosty— chocolate, that cold creamy cross between soft-serve ice cream and milkshake that we loved so much we used to play hooky and skip classes so we can grab a cup. It was only recently that we found out that Wendy’s had introduced a new variant in 2006— vanilla. We discovered it at a tiny stall in Greenhills. It was cold, creamy and comforting—it offered such a relief from the summer heat.

We liked it so much we wanted to inhale it. But when we asked the Wendy’s girl if we can use a straw to slurp it up, she said, “Ma’am, mahihirapan po kayo.”

We’re done kicking ourselves for not finding out about Vanilla Frosty sooner. We’re now in the process of making up for the lost time by enjoying at least one cup every week. And, while writing this, we just ordered Twisted Frosty Salted Caramel Crunch, Twisted Frosty Classic with Oreo Cookies and Frosty Tops - Mango Graham Burst.

Dunkin’ Donuts’ Cheese Trickles P35 for 5 pieces

Something has stolen the crown from our Dunkin’ Donuts favorites: Cheese Trickles, which they introduced in 2015.

These little munchkins are balls of delight. (I like to think of them as baby ensaymadas.) They’re

sweet, salty and cheesy and you can’t stop at eating just one.

McDonald’s Creamy Truffle Shake Shake Fries P70 for medium, P139 for BFF

Can’t deny it, we’re obsessed with truffle everything (the thought of Va Bene’s truffle tagliatelle fills us with joy) so of course we had to try McDonald’s Creamy Truffle Shake Shake Fries. Did it taste like our favorite truffle fries from Diamond Hotel? Not really. We still enjoyed it though. You get a whiff of that rich and earthy scent when you rip open the packet of powder and, once you’re done sprinkling and shaking, you can enjoy creamy, cheesy, chive-y fries with a hint of truffle flavor. It’s the most affordable truffle fix we know.

What’s next, Quarter Pounder with Foie Gras? ■

System aims to recreate challenging mountain climbs in gym

BY MICHAEL CASEY The Associated Press HANOVER, N.H. — After spending time in Switzerland studying and hiking in the Alps, Dartmouth assistant professor Emily Whiting wanted to relive those climbs back home.

Upon her return to the United States, she and a group of colleagues contemplated how they might recreate the climbs indoors.

Using 3-D modeling and digital fabrication, the team developed a system that replicates the hardest stretches of climb, so that it can be practiced on indoor climbing walls. In a presentation at a human computer interaction conference last month, the team demonstrated how they replicated a climb in Rumney, New Hampshire, and a sandstone crag near St. George in Utah.

Fellow postdoctoral scholar

Ladislav Kavan, who is now at the University of Utah, did the work out of Utah while Whiting was in New Hampshire.

The two, along with their team, also wanted to address problems that vex many seasoned climbers — the challenges of mastering a route that might be a world away or one that might be too fragile to practice on.

“What if you could take the experience of climbing places like these monuments but not climb the physical thing, actually bring it home to your local gym,” Whiting said. “You would still have the physical experience of climbing it without causing the erosion and damage to the location. There is also the aspect of accessibility, like if this is some place in Thailand or some remote location and you want to train for the route.”

Whiting and her colleagues first did a 3-D reconstruction of a wall using hundreds of photos

at different angles. Then, they combined that with video showing the climber’s movements.

That data helped the researchers identify the key parts of the climb, allowing them to create fabricated holds which were then attached to a climbing wall.

“When you are climbing it, you’re grasping onto small portions of it and so we wanted to determine where rock climbers actually grabbing onto the rock face,” she said.

There are plenty of tools in climbing gyms to practice, including the campus board, a series of slats that hang on a wall at various angles so that climbers can practice strength training. And a few years back, Matyas Luzan replicated a tough stretch of a climb in Germany — he crafted the holds from wood and varnished them to feel like the rocks.

The system that Whiting and Kavan, now at the University of Utah, came up with might be www.canadianinquirer.net

seen as an extension of Luzan’s efforts.

Eventually, the researchers envision a system that could one day ingest photos and video. A database of outdoor climbs could then be created, from which holds could be manufactured and available to climbing gyms. They also want to improve the texture of the holds so they feel more like the actual rocks. And there is the visual component — which Whiting hopes one day could be solved by adding virtual reality or projecting images of the climb to a wall.

The climbers that have given the new system a try say their outdoor ascent matched their experience indoors.

“I was kind of blown away at just how precisely the body movements on the indoor climb recreated the outdoor movements,” said Billy Braasch, a Dartmouth grad student and climber who participated

in the study.

But while Braasch said this could serve as a good practice tool, he acknowledged it might not be for everyone.

“One aspect of climbing that I really love is travelling to a new place and exploring new terrain,” he said. “There is something special about being in a new place and testing yourself against a new climb.”

Mike Morin, the Northeast regional director of the climbing group Access Fund, who was not involved in the study, also said the system has potential.

Climbers might find it “novel” to challenge themselves on iconic routes — or even those closer to home.

“If you’re a climber in Boston working on the route at Rumney mentioned in the study, you’d probably be pretty psyched to be able work on the movements of the climb during a training session at your local climbing gym,” he said. ■

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Lifestyle

JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

The right fit: Many pet shelters choose more ‘open’ adoption

BY LINDA LOMBARDI The Associated Press JILLIAN BEHRAM of Burkittsville, Maryland, has acquired pets in just about every possible way. She found one of her cats as a stray and got the other from a “free to a good home” post on social media. Her dogs have come from a breeder, rescue groups and an animal shelter. Another one moved in with her fiance.

Of all the formal adoption processes she’s been through, the most straightforward was when she adopted Lucy, a pit bull mix, from the Washington Animal Rescue League (now Humane Rescue Alliance) in Washington, D.C., last year. After walking through the kennel, Behram asked to meet all the female puppies from one litter. She had one in mind, and in particular didn’t want the biggest one.

But the puppies had other ideas. “To my surprise, the one I assumed would be the good match turned out to be the worst match, and the biggest one turned out to pick me,” she says. “She couldn’t stop loving on me.” The caretaker agreed.

“It was so obvious that he said, ‘that’s your dog.”’

There wasn’t much more to it. After a chat and some paperwork, “They took my application, and about 20 minutes later she was mine,” she says. “I think I was there an hour a half total.”

This story may surprise pet adopters who recall filling out long forms and waiting days for home visits and reference checks. But many shelters are

moving toward more open adoption processes, which they have found to be better for both adopters and pets.

“We’ve stopped policing adopters. We try to match lifestyle with lifestyle and not be judgmental,” says Joe Elmore, CEO of one such shelter, Charleston Animal Society in South Carolina.

Rather than check off a list of black-and-white requirements, they look for the right fit.

“If you’re at home all day and can walk them every hour and play with them, then you can get those high-energy dogs,” he says. If you’re gone at work 10 hours a day, that doesn’t mean you’re rejected — the shelter helps you look for an older dog who’ll be OK sleeping on the couch most of the day.

Charleston Animal Society, founded in 1874, is one of the oldest in the nation, and serves a diverse county of about 380,000 people in urban and rural areas. They are open admission, meaning they never turn an animal away. The change in policy has had an impact on the number of animals they save.

“We’ve seen a big decrease in euthanasia,” Elmore says.

“Back in 2007 or 2008, we were putting down upward of 7,000 animals a year, both cats and dogs.” Now it’s more like three or four hundred, including extreme medical cases they can’t save.

The idea of simpler, quick adoptions may be unnerving to some. How can you be sure these are good homes?

Emily Weiss, vice-president for research and development at the ASPCA, say there was no systematic research behind the

standard questions on adoption applications.

“As an organization, we started tackling the question scientifically: What is the real impact on the bond, or the likelihood of the pet being well cared for, when somebody adopts outside of those parameters?” she says.

Weiss developed a program for shelters called Meet Your Match that moved away from strict rules.

“The person fills out a simple survey about their lifestyle. For instance, for cats, one of the questions is, ‘Is your home like a library, middle-of-the-road, or like a carnival?”’ The answers are meant to open up a conversation about which pet might meet your expectations.

In shelters that implemented the program, adoptions increased and returns decreased, and follow-up studies showed no difference in quality of care.

Weiss argues that this kind of process is harder to fake, so it’s actually more of a barrier to people with bad intentions.

“It’s much easier for them to do harm by simply figuring out how to fill out the application correctly, or get their friend to come in for them,” she says.

“It’s much more difficult if we have an honest, open, eye-toeye conversation that’s focused on this individual animal and you as a person.”

Fe e s are another factor intended to keep the bad guys away. But many shelters now do reducedfee or free adoption events, and research has shown that their only effect is to put more animals in homes, more quickly.

Again, there’s no difference in the return rate or how the pets are cared for.

Weiss observes that people get cats, in particular, from all kinds of places for free. Eliminating fees makes the shelter better able to compete with those sources, and shelters’ vaccinated, spayed and neutered animals won’t contribute to pet overpopulation in the future.

Not all shelters have moved in this direction. Some still have long forms; some under-

important to consider the larger picture and to continue counting the numbers of women working on screen and behind the scenes so we can have a conversation about women’s representation and employment that is grounded in a verifiable reality.”

According to the centre’s latest Celluloid Ceiling study, women comprised 7 per cent of directors working on the top

250 domestic grossing films of 2016. It was 9 per cent in 1998.

Stacy L. Smith, director of the Media, Diversity and Social Change Initiative at USC Annenberg, cited the initiative’s three-year study that found female directors “face a steep fiscal cliff as they attempt to move from independent to more commercial filmmaking.”

Of the 41 women directors in-

terviewed, 44 per cent said they were interested in directing action films or blockbusters.

“We would all like to hope that the success of ‘Wonder Woman’ will open doors not only for Patty Jenkins but for other female directors,” Smith said. “However, research and theory suggests that until the narrow definition of leadership behind the camera changes, it

resourced shelters don’t have the staff f o r elabor a t e screening processes.

And you’re still likely to find more involved procedures at private rescue groups, for a variety of reasons, including a focus by some on animals with special needs.

“Because of the dogs that we take into our program, our adoption requirements are pretty significant,” says Heather Gutshall of Handsome Dan’s Rescue for Pit Bull Type Dogs, whose dogs come both from shelters and from large-scale dog fighting raids. “We are the last stop for many dogs with significant medical and behavioural issues.”

Theirs is still a multi-step process involving phone calls, reference checks and home visits, which may take several weeks.

So simplifying the adoption process may not be appropriate for every organization. But if you haven’t adopted in a while, you might find that things have changed at your local shelter, even though the goal hasn’t.

“The important part is finding a good match,” says Weiss.

“Not only do we want people to make adoption their first option, we want them to be successful when they do so.” ■

‘Wonder Woman...’

“High-profile cases, such as Kathryn Bigelow and Patty Jenkins, can dramatically skew our perceptions of how women are actually faring as film directors,” said San Diego State University professor Martha M. Lauzen, executive director of the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film. “While their successes are encouraging, it is ❰❰ 25

www.canadianinquirer.net

will be an uphill battle for more women to work as directors on these types of movies. The female talent is there, it is the hiring process and the imaginations of executives and producers that represent the true barrier to progress.” ■ Associated Press writer Sandy Cohen contributed to this article from Los Angeles

29

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

Sports Azkals face China- Lions gore Tigers; Tams, side in friendly Archers prevail

BY CEDELF P. TUPAS Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PHILIPPINE Azkals fly to Guangzhou on Monday for its most high-profile international friendly yet aimed at sharpening them for the AFC Asian Cup Qualifying game against Tajikistan.

The Azkals face China on Wednesday night at Tianhe Stadium in Guangzhou, marking the first time in recent memory that the two countries are facing off.

But the more important match for the Azkals will be on June 13 in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, where they are gunning for a second straight win in Group F of the qualifying stage against Tajikistan at Central Republican Stadium.

Azkals coach Thomas Dooley has called up 23 players for the trip to China and Tajikistan, including veterans Phil and James Younghusband and newcomer Ace Villanueva of Meralco Manila and Ceres-Negros stalwarts Manny Ott, Kevin Ingreso, Iain Ramsay, Luke Woodland, Junior Munoz and Jeffrey Christiaens.

Also in the lineup are Global Cebu’s Patrick Deyto, Nicholas O’Donnell, Misagh Bahadoran, Amani Aguinaldo, Dennis Villanueva and Pika Minegishi, Kenshiro Daniels and Antonio Ugarte of Kaya Makati, Fitch Arboleda of Stallion Laguna and Dominic Del Rosario of Ilocos United.

JPV Marikina defender Camelo Tacusalme was also included in the squad, which will be beefed up by foreign based players Javier Patino (Henan Jianye), Daisuke Sato (Iasi) and Mike Ott (Angthong United).

First choice goalkeeper Neil Etheridge said he was skipping the two matches in preparation for his move to Cardiff City in the English Championship, which is just a level below the English Premier League.

“I’ve always put the Azkals first, but this is a slightly personal move for me, a massive move in my career and I can’t jeopardize it,” Etheridge told the Inquirer.

Etheridge's contract with Cardiff starts on July 1.

“I hope everyone understands my decision. I can’t jeopardize this move.” ■

BY CEDELF P. TUPAS Philippine Daily Inquirer FLASHING ITS depth, San Beda had 18 players scoring as it blasted University of Santo Tomas, 8659, last Sunday to stay unbeaten, while Far Eastern U bounced back from a stunning defeat in the Filoil Flying V Premier Cup. Getting a huge lift from Justin Baltazar and Aljun Melecio in the endgame, La Salle also prevailed over University of the East, 77-71, for its fourth win in six games at Filoil Flying V Arena With Arvin Tolentino finding his groove early, the Tamaraws responded to their loss to University of the Philippines with a 7253 tripping of Adamson.

Aside from grabbing 10 rebounds, Tolentino, a transferee from Ateneo, finished with 22 points, including 17 in the first half where he nearly outscored the entire Adamson team, which struggled mightily from the field.

The Tamaraws opened up a 24-point lead following a Wendell Comboy triple at the 5:25 mark of the fourth period.

“It isn’t everyday you are going

FILOIL FLYING V SPORTS / FACEBOOK

to shoot that way, but I will take it,” said Tamaraws coach Olsen Racela, whose team routed the Falcons off the boards, 52-34.

All the players fielded in by coach Boyet Fernandez scored for the Red Lions, who exploded for 44 points in the first half en route to their fifth straight victory.

The Lions showed sharped form in blowing out the toothless Tigers, who absorbed their sixth loss in seven games in the preseason tournament.

“We gave everybody a chance to play today and all our players played well,” Fernandez said.

“It was a character test for us today. The starters dictated the

tempo and everybody followed the starters.”

Javee Mocon turned out to be the best scorer for San Beda with nine points. But it hardly mat- tered as the Lions led by as many as 83-55 in the final period.

The Archers held the Warriors scoreless in the last three minutes to complete the comeback from 69-71 down. Melecio hit the go-ahead triple, before Baltazar put the finishing touches in the victory.

“We didn’t play our game and there are also players who didn’t play their game so our depth was really tested today,” said La Salle coach Aldin Ayo. ■

Bohol boxer to fight in South Africa

BY AZER N. PARROCHA Philippines News Agency DAVAO CITY — Boholano boxer Lito “Naruto” Dante will be challenging International Boxing Organization (IBO) World minimumweight champion Simphiwe “Chain Reaction” Khoco of South Africa on June 10 at the Emperor’s Palace in Kempton Park, Gauteng, South Africa.

It will be the first title defense of Khoco, who won the crown by dethroning his fellow South African Nkosinathi Joyi via a unanimous decision last

Nov. 20 at the Orient Theatre in East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

“Ok lang ang kundisyon ko ngayon at timbang ko naman walang problema,” (My condition is just ok and I have no weight problem),” said Dante.

“I’m now only 106 lbs. My opponent is also a good boxer and has been a champion many times already,” said Dante, who previously captured the vacant WBC International minimumweight title via a unanimous decision against Jay Loto last March 25 at the Manila Hotel.

“Pero gagawin ko ang lahat para manalo sa laban na ito. Ito

yong matagal ko nang pinapangarap na makalaban sa world championship. (But I will do all my best to win this fight. This is the one that I have long been dreaming — to fight in a world championship), said Dante.

Dante and his manager Art Monis and trainer Tacy Macalos, a former IBF world champion, arrived in South Africa on June 4 after more than 13 hours of travel from Manila.

They arrived together with current World Boxing Organization (WBO) Asia Pacific welterweight champion Jay-Ar “Hitman” Inson of Davao City www.canadianinquirer.net

and his trainer Samson Amongo.

Inson of the MP Davao Boxing Stable is also fighting Thulani Mbenge of South Africa in the undercard.

Both fighters are still undefeated. Inson has 13 straight wins with nine knockouts and no draw while Mbenge has won 10 straight wins all by knockouts.

Inson of the MP Davao Stable previously captured the WBO Asia Pacific welterweight crown by stopping Ryota Yada by a technical knockout.

Inson also won the interim WBO Oriental lightweight title

in 2015 via a TKO over Victor Mausul at the SM City Annex.

“Walang problema sa condition ko. Okay lang ako,” (There’s no problem on my condition.

I’m okay) said Inson. “Pero dili ko puede magkumpiyansa dahil magaling din ang kalaban ko,” (But I can’t be complacent since my opponent is also good) added Inson, who is being accompanied by his trainer Samson Amongo.

Mbenge, on the other hand, pummelled to submission Shaun Ness also in the 7th round to win the South African welterweight crown last April 23 at the Emperor’s Palace. ■

30

JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

Business P27-B Manila-Tagaytay toll road eyed SMC says proposal received by gov’t agencies much earlier than Metro Pacific’s

BY DORIS DUMLAOABADILLA Philippine Daily Inquirer CONGLOMERATE SAN Miguel Corp. has submitted to the Duterte administration a P27-billion unsolicited proposal to build an alternative tollroad that will link Tagaytay to Metro Manila via Cavite and Batangas.

The proposed 29-kilometer tollroad called Tanauan-Tagaytay Expressway is envisioned to be an extension of the South Luzon Expressway (SLEx), according to a letter submitted

by South Luzon Tollway Corp. technical head of infrastructure Norberto Conti to Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.

A copy of the proposal was also submitted to Public Works and Highways Secretary MarkVillar.

SMC president Ramon S. Ang said the Tanauan-Expressway project had been submit- ted to the government way ahead of

any similar tollroad alignment proposed by any other group.

South Luzon Tollway is among SMC’s infrastructure businesses.

It was reported two weeks ago that an infrastructure holding firm led by businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan, Metro Pacific Investments Corp., was working on a proposal to build new expressway that will connect Metro Manila to Tagaytay City in Cavite. The P25billion unsolicited proposal, dubbed as the Cavite-TagaytayBatangas Expressway, was to cover 46 kilometers, an official from the Department of Public Works andHighways had said.

SMC’s letter dated Feb. 24 addressed to Tugade and marked as “received” by the department on Feb. 27 said the proposed Tanauan-Tagaytay Expressway was meant to improve traffic flow in Tagaytay City and locate an alternative alignment linking Metro Manila and Tagaytay.

The Tagaytay expressway proposed by SMC was envi-

sioned to start from SLEx toll road 3 passing through Tanauan City in Batangas and the municipalities of Silang, Amadeo and Indang in Cavite all the way to Tagaytay City through the Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway.

The proposed tollroad is designed to have the following five interchange locations that will provide entry and exit access to the expressway: SLEx Interchange; Calamba-Tagaytay Road; Santa Rosa-Tagaytay Road; Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo Highway, and Tagaytay-Nasugbu Highway.

“We firmly believe that the proposed alignment will provide a safe and efficient route that will aid in resolving traffic congestion and reducing travel time in going to and from Tagaytay City,” Conti said.

“As such, this will further enhance tourism in the area, and improve economic productivity through safe and reliable transport of people and goods in the provinces of Cavite, Laguna and neighboring provinces,” he

South Luzon Expressway (SLEx).

added.

In his letter, Conti sought Tugade’s approval of the concept design and clearance to proceed in conducting further studies and due diligence, including detailed design, limitations and corresponding cost.

A few years ago, both San Miguel and Metro Pacific submitted separate proposals, using different road alignments, for a connector road that will

MANILASPIRIT / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

link the South Luzon and North Luzon expressways. The Aquino administration accepted both tollroad projects, both of which are now under construction.

In the case of the Tagaytay tollroad project, the proposed road alignments are similar. It remains to be seen which proposal will be given original proponent status by the government. ■

DTI calls for hike in inventory of goods in Mindanao

BY KRIS M. CRISMUNDO Philippines News Agency MANILA — The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is closely in talks with manufacturers and distributors of basic goods to increase their inventory of goods in Mindanao.

In a press briefing Tuesday, Consumer Protection and Advocacy Bureau (CPAB) Officerin-Charge Lilian Salonga said the DTI had installed an alert system on supply of goods in Mindanao in order to ensure that supply of basic commodities would be adequate.

Salonga said the alert system on supply of goods was in collaboration with various manufacturers.

These include manufacturers of instant noodles, canned

goods, bread, and milk as well as meat processors.

She cited the commitment of distributors and suppliers to load more than the usual twoweek stock of goods.

“They ensure that between three to four weeks [worth of inventory], so that there’s enough buffer supply and inventories,” she said.

DTI Undersecretary for Consumer Protection Group Teodoro Pascua noted that big manufacturers had one month to one and half months worth of inventories in Cagayan de Oro, which is the gateway of goods going to Iligan City, Marawi City and other parts of Lanao del Norte as well as Misamis Occidental and Caraga Region.

“Supplies of goods are adequate. And if there’s a need for

more supplies, manufacturers can source it to other points — from Mindanao and Visayas,” Pascua said.

DTI officials including Secretary Ramon Lopez and Pascua immediately went to Cagayan de Oro and Iligan City on Monday after reports during the weekend that rice prices in the area and Marawi City jacked up by 100 percent to around Php 5,000 to Php 6,000 per 50-kilogram sack.

Pascua said there were no retailers selling in that price range in main markets of Iligan City. But some sari-sari stores in Baloy, at the boundary of Iligan City and Marawi City, were seen to sell commercial, premium, and “fancy rice” at the said price level.

He noted that the price freeze only covers basic commodities, www.canadianinquirer.net

and commercial rice is not covered by this.

“This is not NFA rice. These is commercial, premium, fancy rice selling at Php 5,000 per [50-kilogram] sack,” the official said.

Pascua mentioned that the increase in prices of commercial rice in some stores in Baloy was mainly due to the logistics constraint brought by the conflict in Marawi City.

The fastest way of delivering rice going to Baloy is through Marawi City, but due to the clashes between troops and terrorist group, distributors have to go longer routes which adds to the logistics cost and increases the price of the commodity, Pascua explained.

He added that Baloy was a Maranao area, in which large percentage of population were

Muslims and preferred commercial rice than NFA rice.

“So, it’s about supply and demand. You have limited supply because of the logistics constraints and you have demands since they prefer the commercial rice,” Pascua said.

In a text message to reporters, Lopez said retailers, distributors, and manufacturers were not concerned with the martial law in Mindanao. Instead, the declaration made them to feel safe and secure amid the conflict in Marawi City.

“Only slight issue cited is more traveling time for deliveries due to checkpoints, but they understand the importance and willing to cooperate, and they just adjust delivery time. [They are in] full support to government efforts,” the DTI chief added. ■

Business

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

31

Danish firms plan to raise trade, RBI CEO strikes investment in PHL: envoy conciliatory tone with disgruntled Tim Hortons franchisees PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY

MANILA — More Danish companies will increase trade and investment in the Philippines over the next few years, encouraged by the opportunities offered by the country, which they refer to as “The Bright Shining Star of Asia”, and positive initiatives taken by the Duterte administration, an envoy has said.

In an exclusive interview with the Philippine News Agen@JANTOPDK / TWITTER cy, Ambassador Jan Top Chris- Ambassador Jan Top Christensen. tensen shrugged off worries on the declaration of martial law well-educated people. that makes them very competito solve serious security prob“It is (thus) important for tive.” lems in Mindanao, which was the Philippines to keep up the “If you look at exports from based on the Constitution. quality and the pipeline of well- the Philippines to the EuropeHe expressed hope that the educated seafarers to make an market, including Denmark, government would soon re- sure that no other nations step (it) has gone up substantially solve the problems in Marawi in and replace the Philippines,” and we do expect that it will go City and move forward with he said. up further exactly because of peace negotiations with the Christensen referred to the GSP arrangement,” he said.

Moro Islamic Liberation Front Philippines as “The Bright Meanwhile, Christensen and the Moro National Libera- Shining Star of Asia”, with noted some positive initiatives tion Front. abundant human capital and taken by the Duterte adminis“The Philippines continues natural resources, noting that tration, which are “in the right to attract attention from Dan- “if you use that in a rational way direction.” ish companies. Big, small and and develop that, you definitely “An executive order on freemedium-sized Danish enter- have a bright shining future.” dom of information was issued prises are interested in doing As the two countries enhance already almost a year ago. It business in the Philippines,” he trade relations, Christensen is, indeed, very much needed said. to fight the still Christensen too high level of said Danish firms corruption. Less have presence corruption will The Philippine manufacturers have in all sectors in lead to more fora golden opportunity to sell more the Philippines, eign investment products to the European market, including food, and more jobs including to Denmark. pharmaceutical, for Filipinos,” he agriculture and said. fashion indusChristensen tries. expressed hope In 2016, four Danish delega- further said Danish export to that Congress would soon foltions came to the Philippines to the Philippines rose 10 percent low up on this and pass a bill explore opportunities in vari- from 2015 to 2016. that would widen the scope. ous sectors, such as fisheries “With the preferential trade He also cited the signing of an and technologies, health and status, the so-called GSP+ executive order on reproducpharmaceutical and energy ef- (Generalized Scheme of Pref- tive health, the government’s ficiency, he added. erences), granted from the EU ambitious target to substan“We also see an interest from (European Union), the Phil- tially reduce poverty, and inDanish companies setting up ippine manufacturers have a creased investment in agriculBPOs (business process out- golden opportunity to sell more ture. sourcing offices). Because of products to the European mar“Implementation of the govthe English-speaking popula- ket, including to Denmark,” he ernment’s huge infrastructure tion here, it is a very attractive said. program, ‘Build, Build, Build’, proposition for Danish compaThe ambassador stressed will help get rid of many botnies to set up (BPOs),” the am- that the preferential trade tlenecks for economic develbassador said. treatment under the GSP+ is opment and then open up for He also cited a number of beneficial to Philippine manu- creating more jobs. Danish Danish maritime companies facturers “because they can get companies are already involved employing about 6,000 Filipi- their products to the European in interesting infrastructure nos because of the country’s markets without any tariff and projects,” he added. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

BY ALEKSANDRA SAGAN The Canadian Press OAKVILLE, ONT. — The head of Tim Hortons extended an olive branch Monday to disgruntled franchisees, saying he is now willing to directly discuss their concerns with them about how the coffee-and-doughnut chain is run.

Daniel Schwartz, CEO of Restaurant Brands International (TSX:QSR), said he has been meeting with some store owners who have accused the company of mismanagement, including using tactics such as intimidation to improve the bottom line.

“We’re just constantly trying to get better and trying to improve and we’re willing to listen to good feedback from people,” Schwartz said in an interview after RBI’s annual general meeting in Oakville, Ont. RBI has been in a public tussle with a rogue association of Tim Hortons cafe owners called the Great White North Franchisee Association (GWNFA), which formed to raise franchisee concerns. The group has held town halls across Canada, hired a public relations company and secured legal representation to get their message across.

Schwartz said while their input is welcome, he would prefer it if they relayed it privately.

“I don’t think it makes sense to argue and debate about how to run the brand publicly,” he said. “But we’re always wel-

come to hear feedback if it’s constructive and done in a respectful private way.”

His discussions with members of GWNFA signal a reversal, as he has said previously he would not have direct communication with the association.

Schwartz encouraged the franchisees to run for a seat on the chain’s franchisee advisory board in the fall.

GWNFA said Monday in a statement that two meetings with RBI have taken place in the last two weeks, but “no commitments have been made on any issue.”

“We are open to a constructive partnership with RBI, but have made clear that this will not be through the advisory board,” the statement said. “We will not be co-opted into an undemocratic mechanism that is under RBI’s control.”

Marc Caira, the former CEO of Tim Hortons and current vice-chairman who engineered its US$11-billion sale to RBI three years ago, said GWNFA’s rumblings are a distraction from what should be its focus: its customers.

“I, as a shareholder, do I like this noise?” said Caira when asked about the recent negative media attention surrounding Tim Hortons. “Of course not. ...

“What I want them focused on — both management and franchisees — is to focus on the consumers, bring out innovative products and services to grow the business profitably over the long term.” ■

Unlicensed operators... don’t have certification.”

Hugenholtz said there is no simple solution. He said Transport Canada has legislated guidelines that clarify drone regulations and brought in fines. It is also possible to anonymously report unsafe drone activity.

Technology may also offer a way to deal with the problem. ❰❰ 33

“There’s a technology called geo-fencing and what that does is look at the GPS of the drone and will prevent the drone from either taking off or entering airspace where it shouldn’t be,” Hugenholtz said.

“Another one is to use small new radar systems that can actually detect drones in airspace where they shouldn’t be as early warning systems.” ■

32

JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

Technology Apple unveils ‘HomePod’ speaker, first new product in years

BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE AND BARBARA ORTUTAY The Associated Press SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Apple nodded to several up-and-coming technology trends, unveiling a new “smart” home speaker and device features touching on virtual reality, online privacy and a form of artificial intelligence called machine learning.

The “HomePod” speaker unveiled Monday is similar to devices from rivals, some of which have been on the market for years. Like the Amazon Echo and Google Home, the HomePod will play music while also helping people to manage their lives and homes. Siri will be voice activated to respond to requests for information and other help around the house.

It is the first new device Apple has announced in almost three years. It unveiled the Apple Watch in September 2014.

Apple “can’t afford to yield valuable real-estate in the heart of people’s homes to Amazon, Google and others,” said Geoff Blaber, research analyst at CCS Insight. That’s especially important because people are starting to access information, entertainment and search in a more “pervasive” way that’s less dependent on smarthphones, he said.

The speaker will sell for about $350 in December in the U.S., U.K. and Australia.

Amazon sells the main version of the Echo for $180; Google’s Home speaker goes for $130.

The Echo, released in 2015,

and Google Home, released last year, were the first entrants in a promising market. The research firm eMarketer says than 35 million people in the U.S. are expected to use a voice-activated speaker at least once a month this year, more than double its estimate from last year.

Keeping it real with VR

New iMacs unveiled Monday at Apple’s annual conference for software programmers are getting better displays and graphics capabilities. Apple said that makes the Mac a great platform for development virtual-reality “experiences.”

But Apple is late to the game on VR. Samsung and Google already have VR systems centred on their smartphones. Facebook, HTC and Sony have highend VR systems, too.

Virtual reality has been described as the next big thing for decades. But so far, interest has been strongest among gamers, developers and hardware makers rather than everyday users.

Apple’s entry into the market could change this. Its entry into digital-music sales with iTunes, and into the smartphone market with the iPhone, upended those industries and gave them mass appeal.

New iPhone features

New features coming to iPhones and iPads include messages that sync to Apple servers in the cloud. These devices will only keep the most recent messages in local storage.

For photos, Apple is turning to a “high efficiency” format to

replace the widely used JPEG standard. Although the format is not exclusive to Apple, it’s not yet clear how well the photos will work with non-Apple software and devices, which mostly use JPEG. Apple is also bringing the ability to send money to friends or other people through its payment service, Apple Pay. So far, the service has limited payments to purchases of products and services from companies and other organizations.

The free software update for mobile devices, iOS 11, is expected in September, when Apple typically releases new iPhones.

Mac gets an upgrade

Apple CEO Tim Cook unveiled the latest operating system for Mac computers. Called High Sierra, it recognizes more faces automatically, which should make it easier to organize photos, and will offer more photo editing tools.

Safari, Apple’s web browser, seeks to make users’ online experience smoother and less annoying. It will allow users to automatically block auto-play videos by detecting videos that shouldn’t be playing when you open a webpage to read an article, for example.

The browser’s new “intelligent tracking prevention,” meanwhile, will use machine learning to identify and block digital-ad trackers in order to keep advertisers from following and profiling users. It will not block the ads themselves, though.

www.canadianinquirer.net

The Apple HomePod.

Sizing up the iPad

Apple is introducing an iPad Pro in a new size in an attempt to revive interest in its once hot-selling line of tablets. The new 10.5-inch model offers room for a full-size keyboard, something the 9.7 inch model couldn’t. Yet it isn’t as bulky as the 12.9-inch model.

With consumers less interested in buying new tablets, Apple has increased its focus on designing tablets for professionals to do much of the same work that they usually perform on a laptop computer. It’s also what Microsoft is targeting with the Surface Pro; a new model comes out on June 15.

The new iPad Pro also comes with a better camera — the same one found in the iPhone 7 — along with more storage, a better display and faster re-

APPLE

freshing of moving images. The new model starts at $649 and will start shipping next week.

Watch the Watch

Apple is also updating the operating software for its Apple Watch, including new watch faces, more personalized alerts that use machine learning to tailor information to you based on your routines and tastes.

It also enhanced its workout app to, for instance, support high intensity interval training. It will also be possible to exchange data between gym equipment and the watch.

In a nod to Amazon streaming fans, Apple is also bringing Amazon Prime to its Apple TV app. ■ Ortutay reported from New York

Technology

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

33

Internet extremism and how to combat it

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN The Associated Press DETROIT — In the wake of Britain’s third major attack in three months, Prime Minister Theresa May called on governments to form international agreements to prevent the spread of extremism online.

Here’s a look at extremism on the web, what’s being done to stop it and what could come next.

Q. What are technology companies doing to make sure extremist videos and other terrorist content doesn’t spread across the internet?

A. Internet companies use technology plus teams of human reviewers to flag and remove posts from people who engage in extremist activity or express support for terrorism.

Google, for example, says it employs thousands of people to fight abuse on its platforms.

Google’s YouTube service removes any video that has hateful content or incites violence, and its software prevents the video from ever being reposted. YouTube says it removed 92 million videos in 2015; 1 per cent were removed for terrorism or hate speech violations.

Facebook, Microsoft, Google and Twitter teamed up late last year to create a shared industry database of unique digital fingerprints for images and videos that are produced by or sup-

port extremist organizations.

Those fingerprints help the companies identify and remove extremist content. After the attack on Westminster Bridge in London in March, tech companies also agreed to form a joint group to accelerate anti-terrorism efforts.

Twitter says in the last six months of 2016, it suspended a total of 376,890 accounts for violations related to the promotion of extremism. Threequarters of those were found through Twitter’s internal tools; just 2 per cent were taken down because of government requests, the company says.

Facebook says it alerts law enforcement if it sees a threat of an imminent attack or harm to someone. It also seeks out potential extremist accounts by tracing the “friends” of an account that has been removed for terrorism.

Q. Why are technology companies clashing with governments over extremist communications?

A. Since Edward Snowden’s 2013 disclosures about National Security Agency surveillance, several tech companies have started encrypting — that is, scrambling them to thwart spies — instant messages and other data so tightly that even the companies can’t read them.

Governments are not happy about that.

After the 2015 mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, and again after the Westmin-

ster Bridge attack, the U.S. and U.K. governments sought access to encrypted messages exchanged by extremists who carried out the attacks. Apple and Facebook’s WhatsApp refused, noting that they didn’t hold the keys needed to unscramble such messages. Both governments eventually found other ways to get the information they wanted.

Some in government — including former FBI Director James Comey and Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California — have argued that the inability to access encrypted data is a threat to security.

Feinstein has introduced a bill to force companies to give the government so-called “backdoor” access to encrypted data so that investigators could read messages on these services.

Q. Shouldn’t tech companies be forced to share encrypted information if it could protect national security?

A. Weakening encryption won’t make people safer, says Richard Forno, who directs the graduate cybersecurity program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Terrorists will simply take their communications deeper underground by developing their own cyber channels or even reverting to paper notes sent by couriers, he said.

“It’s playing whack-a-mole,” he said. “The bad guys are not constrained by the law. That’s

why they’re bad guys.”

Building backdoors into encryption could also weaken it in ways that hackers, criminals and foreign agents could exploit. That could potentially jeopardize all sorts of vital data, from personal communications and documents to bank accounts, credit card transactions, medical history and other information that people want to keep private.

But Erik Gordon, a professor of law and business at the University of Michigan, says society has sometimes determined that the government can intrude in ways it might not normally, as in times of war.

He says laws may eventually be passed requiring companies to share encrypted data if police obtain a warrant from a judge.

“If we get to the point where we say, ‘Privacy is not as important as staying alive,’ I think there will be some setup which will allow the government to breach privacy,” he said.

Q. Is it really the tech companies’ job to police the internet and remove content?

A. Tech companies have accepted that this is part of their mission. In a Facebook post earlier this year, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company was developing artificial intelligence so its computers can tell the difference between news stories about terrorism and terrorist propaganda.

“This is technically difficult as

it requires building AI that can read and understand news, but we need to work on this to help fight terrorism worldwide,” Zuckerberg said.

But Gordon says internet companies may not go far enough, since they need users in order to sell ads.

“Think of the hateful stuff that is said. How do you draw the line? And where the line gets drawn determines how much money they make,” he said.

Others say the focus on tech companies and their responsibilities is misplaced. Ross Anderson, a professor of security engineering at the University of Cambridge, says blaming Facebook or Google for the spread of terrorism is like blaming the mail system or the phone company for Irish Republican Army violence 30 years ago. Instead of working together to censor the internet, Anderson says, governments and companies should work together to share information more quickly.

Former Secretary of State John Kerry also worries about placing too much blame on the internet instead of the underlying causes of violence.

“The bottom line is that in too many places, in too many parts of the world, you’ve got a large gap between governance and people and between the opportunities those people have,” Kerry said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” ■

Unlicensed operators responsible for more near misses involving drones

BY BILL GRAVELAND The Canadian Press CALGARY — A new study says there are more drones in the air than piloted aircraft and the numbers of close calls between the two continue to rise.

The University of Calgary study, published online in the Journal of Unmanned Vehicle Systems, examined drone incident data from Transport Canada’s civil aviation daily occurrence reporting system database.

“They clearly show in the last several years that inci-

dents involving drone use in Canada has been on the rise,” said associate professor Chris Hugenholtz, who co-authored the study with Paul Nesbit and Thomas Barchyn.

The data shows there were 355 drone incidents reported in Canadian airspace between November 2005 and December 2016. The numbers rose substantially after 2013 when drone technology became more readily available.

“Drone use has skyrocketed, and with that comes new potential safety concerns,” said Nesbit, who led the study.

Of the reported incidents, 66.5 per cent were drone sightings with 22.3 per cent involving close encounters between drones and piloted aircraft.

“We are very concerned that just based on probability with more incidents occurring, the chances for something far more severe start to rise,” Hugenholtz said.

Hobbyists have been flying model aircraft safely in Canadian airspace for decades, he said.

But in recent years, drones requiring substantially less skill to operate have integrated into the airspace. www.canadianinquirer.net

Hugenholtz said many drone operators are licensed by Transport Canada.

“Those people would know all the rules and would be following the conditions,” he said.

“We surmise that the vast majority of these incidents are people who are unaware or are choosing to ignore rules and ❱❱ PAGE 31 Unlicensed operators

JUNE 9, 2017

34

CANADA

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Optional accommodation available at no charge on a live-in basis. (This is not a condition of employment).

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Completion of highschool graduate equivalent in Canada.Optional accomodation available at no charge on a live-in basis. (This is not a condition of employment)

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Wanted: Real Estate Secretary

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www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

35

Travel How to make plane trips easier on pets, and owners too

BY MELISSA RAYWORTH The Associated Press

extra time to pass through security and avoid crowds at the gate.

And if the pet isn’t comfortable with strangers, arrive early, request priority boarding and keep children from reaching into the carrier.

GABBY SLOME rarely vacations without her dog Pancho in tow. He is a fullfledged family member. And just as “you wouldn’t leave your child at home,” Visit your vet Slome says, she doesn’t leave Pancho Most airlines request proof of a pet’s either — even if that means an airplane good health and recent vaccinations, flight or two. so learn the rules for your airline and Travelling with pets has become easi- schedule a visit to a vet. Discuss any coner thanks to pet-friendly hotels. But air cerns about your pet’s age, health and travel is a bigger challenge than a road breed. trip, and many owners worry about risks The Humane Society advises owners to the pets’ health and life. of short-nosed or “brachycephalic” pets, Air travel is usually quite safe for dogs such as pugs and bulldogs, to consider and cats, says veterinarian Julia Lang- the risk of respiratory problems due to fitt, who has treated pets in the U.S. and heat or limited oxygen.

Asia, and is now based in the U.K. Also discuss hydration: Langfitt says “Pets kind of live in the moment,” to hydrate pets well before a trip, and she says. “Once they’re on the plane, be sure they have access to clean water they just kind of settle down and accept while flying. One solution: Teach your what’s happening.” cat or dog to use a “sipper bottle” like Owners, on the other hand, are of- hamsters and rabbits use. Attach one ten “very, very worried about how the to the inside of the carrier door several animal’s going to feel weeks before flying. and how stressed the Place a bit of appealanimal is going to be ing food on the end of in the carrier.” the water spout, and As the summer the pet will quickly Pet owners who are travel season belearn how to get warelocating can ter from the bottle. gins, how can ownhire a service Upon arrival, esers make flying safer to handle their pecially after long for their pets and less pets’ flights, flights or multiple stressful for themimmunizations selves? plane changes, Langand even fitt suggests having a immigration Cargo versus cabin vet check the pet for into a new Pets who fly as dehydration and percountry. checked baggage are haps give fluids intraexpected to be kept in venously. a safely pressurized and temperatureContainer concerns controlled cargo hold. But summer heat Make sure the pet’s carrier is approved can pose risks. So choose flight times by your airline. For pets travelling in the that won’t have your plane waiting on cabin with you, a soft-sided carrier may the tarmac during the hottest part of the be approved, but as cargo they must be day. Many airlines won’t transport pets in a hard-sided crate. as cargo if the temperature is expected Slome and Langfitt both recommend to be 85 degrees Fahrenheit or above. introducing pets to their carrier as Therapy animals can ride in the cabin early as possible. Slome kept some of with their owners, and some airlines al- Pancho’s toys in his carrier, and kept low other small pets in the cabin. But it open as a place to nap and play. She there are fees and restrictions on the even fed him meals there to make it size, weight and type of pet, as well as the more familiar. type of carrier. Contact the airline diDogs who are not crate-trained may rectly when planning a trip, and confirm have a harder time during a flight, Langby phone the arrangements and cost to fitt says. But she doesn’t advise loadhave your pet travel with you. ing up the carrier with toys or blankets.

If your pet will ride with you, leave “Less is more,” she says. “Just bring the

Pets likely need vaccinations and health clearances within a specific timeframe, which can range from 30 days to just 48 hours before departure.

pee pad.”

It’s also important to clearly label the pet’s carrier with your name, the pet’s name and your contact information, especially if they’ll travel as cargo.

Know your airports

Airports serving more than 10,000 passengers per year are required to offer “pet relief stations” in each terminal.

But facilities vary: Some have just a tiny patch of fake grass, while others offer real grass and play rooms.

TSA facilities at airports also vary.

Some have animal inspection rooms, which might be less frightening to a pet than being removed from a carrier at crowded security checkpoints.

Time and planning

For international flights, investigate local laws, airport rules and airline rules.

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Pets likely need vaccinations and health clearances within a specific timeframe, which can range from 30 days to just 48 hours before departure.

Pet owners who are relocating can hire a service to handle their pets’ flights, immunizations and even immigration into a new country. But the costs can be high.

Door-to-door service for an international move can cost as much as $2,500 per cat, Langfitt says, and $3,000 to $4,000 per dog. And these services may need several months to handle all the paperwork and examinations.

Slome, a canine nutritionist who runs the New York-based pet food delivery service Ollie (myollie.com), suggests thinking ahead to your pet’s arrival: Familiar items such as a blanket can make a hotel room seem like home, and it helps to feed the pet the same food they eat at home. ■

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Travel

JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

Tours for chocolate lovers not just about sampling sweets

BY BETH J. HARPAZ The Associated Press NEW YORK — A tour for chocolate lovers in Brooklyn, New York, isn’t just about tasting the final product. It also gives a peek at factories, neighbourhoods and even business plans.

The chocolate tour offered by A Slice of Brooklyn takes visitors to four chocolate-makers around Brooklyn. “I love chocolate,” said Christine Dietz of San Diego, who was treated to the tour by friends throwing her a bachelorette party in New York.

“But it’s really cool that we also get a bit of a tour of the city.”

But A Slice of Brooklyn’s chocolate tour is also part of a bigger trend. Confectioners and tour companies around the country are offering chocolate tours catering not just to the public’s sweet tooth, but also to consumer interest in learning where the products they eat and drink come from.

Educating consumers

“Customers care about what they put in their mouths — especially millennials and GenXers,” said Pam Williams, founder of the online academy Ecole Chocolat School of Professional Chocolate Arts. “They want to know where their food comes from and how it is processed.”

And while everybody knows that wine comes from grapes, “very, very few actually under-

stand that chocolate comes from the seeds of a tree,” said Williams, who is also co-founder of the Fine Chocolate Industry Association. Inviting customers “into the factory to see the beans and the machinery that turn those beans into chocolate is a very good way to educate consumers on fine chocolate.”

From Hershey’s to hipsters

The granddaddy of U.S. chocolate tours is Hershey’s Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It’s hosted more than 100 million guests since opening in 1973. The free tour takes guests on rides following chocolate from bean to bar, with singing cows along the way and treats at the end.

But chocolate tours are offered in many other destinations around the country, from factories to visits with artisanal chocolatiers. Just be sure to plan ahead, as some tours are offered only on certain days and times and some require reservations. Some are free, but others are pricey. The Brooklyn tour is $50.

Mars Chocolate (makers of M&Ms, Snickers and Dove) offers tours and tastings of its Ethel M premium chocolate brand at the Ethel M factory in Henderson, Nevada, near the Las Vegas strip.

Theo Chocolate welcomes more than 50,000 visitors a year to its Seattle factory . The tour shows how the brand sources

organic fair-trade beans, right through the bar-making process.

In Oregon, Portland Walking Tours’ Chocolate Decadence tour visits multiple chocolatiers for tastings in every form: whipped, melted, liquid, beans, bars and more.

Lake Champlain Chocolates offers free factory tours and tastings in Burlington, Vermont.

In Somerville, Massachusetts, Taza Chocolate offers an Intro to Stone Ground Chocolate factory tour , and for children under 10, a Chocolate Story Time weekend mornings.

In Connecticut, you can even take a train from Thomaston to experience Fascia’s Chocolate Factory tours in Waterbury, with wine and chocolate pairings along the way.

At Dandelion in San Francisco, factory tours are so popular they book up more than a month in advance.

Dallas By Chocolate offers several different tours, including Chocolate a la Mode with four stops.

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, the Cacao Santa Fe Chocolate Factory tour offers a look at everything from roasting, winnowing, grinding and tempering of chocolate to the finished product.

In the hipster ‘hood of East Nashville, Tennessee, Olive & Sinclair offers a bean-to-bar factory tour in a historic building.

Hershey’s Chocolate World.

Never mind beignets and pralines: The New Orleans Chocolate Crawl samples everything from fudge to gelato.

In North Carolina, Videri Chocolate Factory offers staffguided tours of its facility in Raleigh’s newly revitalized downtown Warehouse District.

Even in New York, A Slice of Brooklyn only skims the cream off the city’s chocolate offerings. Consider tours at Mast Brothers in Williamsburg , Brooklyn; the soon-to-open Harlem Chocolate Factory ; and the 5,000-square-foot Jacques Torres Chocolate Museum in Manhattan.

Slice of Brooklyn tour

First stop on A Slice of Brooklyn’s chocolate tours is Jacques Torres’ shop in DUMBO , an industrial district turned chic enclave between the Brooklyn and Manhattan bridges. Next, at The Chocolate Room in the Cobble Hill neighbourhood, owners Jon Payson and Nao-

KOBBY DAGAN / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

mi Josepher explain that they opened the business because they loved going out for dessert but had limited options for sitdown, restaurant-style dessertonly experiences.

In Red Hook, a workingclass waterfront area of modest homes and warehouses, the tour strolls to a pier with a view of the Statue of Liberty before hitting Raaka Chocolate to see how the company’s artisanal bars are made, from processing cacao pods to wrapping bars.

Flavours include smoked chai and pink sea salt. Last stop: Li-Lac Chocolates in Industry City, a revived business complex in the Sunset Park neighbourhood. Li-Lac has been selling chocolates since 1923 and is known for creamy, old-school recipes, but only recently relocated to the Brooklyn site.

And for those who love the idea of touring Brooklyn, A Slice of Brooklyn also offers pizza tours and Christmas lights tours. ■

Dagupan’s Tondaligan Blue Beach eyed as top wind surfing site PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY DAGUPAN CITY — The Tondaligan Blue Beach here holds a big promise to become the new wind surfing capital as well as a diving site throughout the country that could thrill local and foreign visitors.

This was bared by former city councilor Liberato Reyna IV, an engineer, who was designated chair of the water sports event of Dagupan’s Platinum Year celebration this coming June 20.

Reyna is a diving enthusiast, one of the few in Pangasinan today.

As a former city official, he acknowledged that the Tondaligan Blue Beach by the Lingayen Gulf was much better because of the dramatic changes introduced by the present city administration.

It’s potential as a wind surfing paradise was discovered when the Philippine Wind Surfing Association (PWSA) came to Dagupan from May 27 to 29 to introduce wind surfing as a sports to local youth.

The PWSA was invited by

Mayor Belen Fernandez as she wanted wind surfing to become a permanent activity at Tondaligan Blue Beach similar to beach volleyball promoted earlier here by the Beach Volleyball Republic.

The coming of the PWSA coincided with the demonstration testing of watercraft sports of Als Marine Inc., the local dealer of Yamaha sports water crafts, like jet skis, speed boats, banana boats, band wagon and kayaks at Tondaligan Blue Beach, and gears like life jackets, helmets and others.

Reyna said that on the part www.canadianinquirer.net

of PSWA, it brought here members of the national team to hone up for the World Wind Surfing Competition slated in Vietnam on June 10 this year.

Reyna said the only known beaches where wind surfing was a regular activity were Anilao, Batangas; Caliraya, Laguna; Boracay and Palawan.

But he is confident that after some more promotional activities, Tondaligan Beach will also become one of the best known wind surfing sites in the country because of the gentle breeze from the Lingayen Gulf, especially at this time of the year.

The former councilor said they could promote both wind surfing and diving at the same time at Tondaligan Blue Beach since both sports events were complementary with each other in order to attract more tourists to Dagupan.

He attested that the new images of cleaner Tondaligan Blue Beach, minus its old unsightly beach sheds, being posted many times on Facebook were real and not photo-shopped.

Reyna said any one could check this by going to the beach themselves for picnic, rest and recreation. ■

FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

37

Food This Summer berry trifle is perfect for a barbecue THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA THE STARS aligned when our forefathers signed the Declaration of Independence right in the middle of berry season. And while maybe that wasn’t part of Thomas Jefferson’s agenda, we really ought to take advantage of it.

Showing off the summer’s fresh berries, layering strawberries and blueberries (or whatever you like best) with a sweet diplomat cream and tender yellow cake, it’s everything you could ever want in a summer dessert.

A trifle is a layered dessert made from cake or ladyfinger cookies, sweet custard, and some whipped cream to lighten things up. Trifles are basically the apple pie of England, where they often include sherry wine, brandy, and jam, and, like many things we love today, they were created as a way to use up leftovers.

Diplomat cream combines two of the best things in the world: pastry cream and freshly whipped cream. Pastry cream is basically just vanilla pudding, so imagine that plus whipped cream. Then imagine that layered with fruit and cake. It’s all too exciting!

Because it is part of so many classic recipes, like profiteroles, fruit tarts, and eclairs, pastry cream is one of the fundamentals every CIA baking and pastry student must master before moving on with their studies.

Don’t let that intimidate you, though, because with some patience and a strong whisking arm, preparing pastry cream is a walk in the park.

The flavours in this trifle are simple and classic, but there are so many opportunities to experiment. You can flavour your pastry cream by steeping ingredients like coffee, cardamom, or cinnamon in the milk mixture.

You can add layers of chocolate fudge, dulce de leche, or baked streusel, or brush flavoured simple syrup or liqueur onto the cake layers. Take this recipe straight

through farm stand season, experimenting with ripe fruits like plums, peaches, and eventually poached apples and pears.

When planning a party, makeahead items are key, and this dessert is one of them. All of the components for your trifle can be made a few days ahead (the cake can even be prepared weeks before and frozen), and then assembled the night before. It will only get better as the cake soaks in some of the cream and juice of the berries, so you can put it out of your mind until it’s time to serve dessert.

We’ve made the trifles in individual jars for serving, but you can use these ingredients to make one large trifle to serve family-style. Any vessel will work, but a clear glass serving dish will show off the layers, and the vibrant colours of the berries are like a centerpiece all on their own.

Summer berry trifle

Servings: 12 individual trifles Start to finish: 2 hours 50 minutes (Inactive: 2 hours)

• Yellow Butter Cake (recipe follows) • Pastry Cream (recipe follows) • 1 cup heavy cream • 1 quart strawberries, stemmed and diced • 2 pints blueberries Place the cake, bottom parchment still intact, on a clean work surface. Place a second piece of parchment over the cake. Holding both pieces of parchment taut, carefully flip the cake so that the fresh parchment is now on the bottom. Carefully peel the parchment paper from the cake, then return it to loosely cover the cake.

Use a rolling pin to gently roll the cake into an even layer. Remove the parchment and use a 2 1/2-inch circle cutter (or whichever size best fits your serving vessels) to cut 24 circles from the cake.

Meanwhile, transfer the chilled pastry cream to a clean bowl and gently beat with a rubber spatula until it is smooth.

Makes 12 servings (about 2 cups) • 1/4 cup cornstarch • 3/4 cup sugar (divided use) • 2 cups whole milk (divided use) • 4 large egg yolks, lightly beaten • 1 pinch salt • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Set aside.

Whip the heavy cream in a chilled bowl until it holds a medium peak when the whisk is turned upright. Working by hand with a spatula, fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream in 2 or 3 additions, folding just until evenly blended.

Place one circle of cake at the bottom of a small jar. Top with about 2 tablespoons strawberries, followed by 2 tablespoons of the pastry cream mixture.

Add another cake circle, pressing down lightly to compact the layers, followed by about 1 1/2 tablespoons of blueberries, and another 2 tablespoons of pastry cream mixture. Repeat the steps with the remaining jars, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Yellow butter cake

Makes 12 servings (one 18-by 13-inch cake)

• 1 3/4 cups cake flour • 1 cup sugar • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder • 1?4 teaspoon salt • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, diced, at room temperature • 1/2 cup milk (divided use) • 2 large eggs • 1 large egg white

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Preheat the oven to 350 F. Coat a rimmed baking sheet (about 18-by-13 inches) with spray oil and line with parchment paper. Set aside.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and 1/4 cup of the milk. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.

Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, blend the eggs, egg white, the remaining 1/4 cup milk, and the vanilla extract. Add to the batter in three additions, mixing for 2 minutes on medium speed after each addition.

Scrape down the bowl between additions.

Pour the batter into the baking sheet and spread into an even layer. Bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back when touched lightly in the centre, about 24 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes, then use the parchment paper to carefully lift the cake from the pan and transfer to a cooling rack. Cool completely before using.

Pastry cream

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Combine the cornstarch with 1/4 cup of the sugar in a mixing bowl, then stir in 1/2 cup of the milk. Blend the yolks into the cornstarch mixture, stirring with a wooden spoon until completely smooth.

Prepare an ice bath. Combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups milk with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the salt in a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat.

Temper the egg mixture by gradually adding about onethird of the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly. Add the remaining milk mixture to the eggs. Return the mixture to the saucepan and continue cooking over medium heat, vigorously stirring with a whisk, until the mixture comes to a boil and the whisk leaves a trail in the pastry cream, 5 to 7 minutes. As soon as the pastry cream reaches this stage, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and the butter.

Transfer the pan to the ice bath. Stir occasionally until the pastry cream is cool, about 30 minutes.

Transfer the pastry cream to a storage container and place parchment or waxed paper directly on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Cover the storage container tightly and refrigerate until needed, up to 3 days. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 419 calories; 190 calories from fat; 21 g fat (12 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 155 mg cholesterol; 170 mg sodium; 54 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 32 g sugar; 7 g protein.

38

Food

JUNE 9, 2017

FRIDAY

Serve Warm Steak and Potato Corn gazpacho Chip Salad on Father’s Day is a great starter for a July 4 party

BY SARA MOULTON The Associated Press

IN HONOUR of Father’s Day, I’ve conjured up a recipe featuring an arsenal of steakhouse delights, starting with steak itself and including potatoes, spinach and blue cheese. But I’ve prepared and combined these ingredients in a way that’s slightly healthier than usual, namely in a salad. The bulk of it is given over to spinach, tomatoes and cucumbers. It’s topped with warm sliced steak (only a little over 3 ounces per person), blue cheese dressing and ovenbaked (not deep-fried) potato chips.

Given that the classic steakhouse steaks — strip, filet mignon and porterhouse — are so doggone pricey these days, this recipe features a chuck steak. Increasingly available at your local supermarket, chuck steak is cut from the shoulder.

It’s tougher than the others I mentioned but still plenty flavourful. And if you’re careful to cook it no more than mediumrare and then slice it very thin against the grain, it won’t seem chewy at all.

The oven-baked potato chips are a snap to make and a heck of a lot less messy than the deep-fried kind, especially if you own a mandolin and some parchment paper. The mandolin allows you to slice those taters paper-thin (be sure, though, to use the guard when you slice them!), and the paper keeps them from sticking to the sheet pan, which eliminates the need for a lot of oil.

Still, you want to be careful not to let them become too brown because they’ll begin to taste burned. (It’s OK to remove them from the oven when they have a few paler spots.) Fair warning: These chips can be addictive, even though they’re not deep-fried.

I promise that your man will be able to dig into this dish with no insult to his masculinity ... and the rest of the family will be thrilled, too.

Start to finish: 1 hour 40 minutes (40 minutes hands-on) Servings: 6

BY SARA MOULTON The Associated Press

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus extra for brushing on the potato slices • 1 large russet potato (about 12 ounces), scrubbed but not peeled • Kosher salt • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce • 2 teaspoons minced garlic • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil • 1/3 cup sour cream • 3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup) • 1 1/4 pounds chuck steak (1-1 1/4 inches thick) • Black pepper • 10 ounces baby spinach • 2 cups cherry tomatoes • 2 cups sliced English cucumber Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line two sheet pans with parchment and brush the parchment lightly with some oil. Slice the potato lengthwise 1/8-inch thick, preferably using a mandolin, and arrange the slices in one layer on the sheet pans. Brush the tops of the slices lightly with oil and working with one sheet pan at a time, sprinkle the potato slices lightly with salt and bake them on the middle shelf of the oven until they are golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes, removing the chips to a paper towel lined plate as they become golden.

(They may not all brown at the same pace.) Do not let them get too dark in colour; it is OK if they have a few lighter patches.

In a bowl whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Add the oil slowly in a stream, whisking, until all of it is added.

Whisk in the sour cream and gently stir in the blue cheese.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a large skillet heat the oil over high heat. Add the steak, seasoned on both sides with salt and pepper; cook it for 5 minutes a side for medium-rare. Transfer the steak to a plate and let it rest for 8 minutes before slicing it.

To serve: Add any juices from the steak plate to the blue cheese dressing. Slice the steak very thin at an angle across the grain. In a large salad bowl combine the spinach with the tomatoes and cucumber slices, add some of the dressing, reserving a little to drizzle on top and toss the salad well. Mound the salad on each of six plates, top with the steak slices and the potato chips, broken into large pieces and drizzle each portion with a little more dressing. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 523 calories; 353 calories from fat; 39 g fat (13 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 84 mg cholesterol; 580 mg sodium; 17 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 24 g protein. www.canadianinquirer.net

I WAS inspired by the classic Spanish gazpacho, but swapped out the tomato broth for corn liquid. Of course, any pureed vegetable will thicken a soup, but corn contains starch, which adds a seductive creaminess.

(It’s cornstarch in a box that’s used to thicken Chinese dishes.)

The supporting ingredients are the usual gazpacho players — tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and garlic — supplemented by a lineup of some Mexican cousins: chile, lime juice and garlic croutons flavoured with chile powder. You can deepen the recipe’s Mexican connection by topping it off with diced avocado and chopped cilantro.

(I used basil instead of cilantro because I can’t resist the combo of basil and corn.)

A bowl of this cold corn soup is the perfect starter for a Fourth of July party, but simply adding some protein — boiled shrimp, say, or shredded rotisserie chicken — will turn it into the persuasive main course of any summer meal.

This dish is pretty quick to make, but you can make it even more quickly by losing the garlic croutons in favour of some crushed tortilla chips. And, happily, it improves in flavour if you prepare it a few hours — or a few days — ahead of time.

Doing so in anticipation of the Fourth would allow you to check it off your list well before the fireworks begin.

Corn gazpacho with garlic croutons

Start to finish: 2 hours 55 minutes (55 active) Servings: 4

For the soup: • 4 cups fresh corn kernels • 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped peeled English cucumber plus 1 cup diced peeled English cucumber • 1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled • 1/4 cup lime juice • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil,

preferably grapeseed • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt • 1 cup halved or quartered cherry tomatoes • 1 cup diced red bell pepper • 1 tablespoon minced serrano chile with the seeds • Shredded fresh basil for garnish For the croutons: • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, preferably grapeseed • 1 teaspoon minced garlic • 1/2 teaspoon chile powder • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt • 3 ounces (about 3 slices) firm white bread, crusts removed and cut into 1/2-inch dice (you should have about 2 cups) Make the soup: Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil, add the corn and boil for 1 minute. Drain the corn into a colander and run cold water over it to cool it down. Set aside 1 cup of the kernels and in a blender combine the remaining corn kernels, the coarsely chopped cucumber, garlic, lime juice, oil and salt and puree until very smooth.

Transfer the puree to a bowl and stir in the remaining corn kernels, diced cucumber, tomatoes, red bell pepper and chile.

Taste and adjust seasoning and chill for at least 2 hours and up to two days ahead before serving.

Make the croutons: Preheat the oven to 300 F. In a bowl combine the oil, garlic, chile powder and salt, add the bread cubes and toss well.

Spread the croutons out on a parchment-lined rimmed sheet pan and bake them on the middle shelf of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bread squares are crisp and beginning to brown. Let cool.

To serve: Divide the soup among 4 bowls and top each portion with the croutons and some shredded basil. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 359 calories; 139 calories from fat; 16 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 409 mg sodium; 55 g carbohydrate; 7 g fiber; 11 g sugar; 8 g protein.

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FRIDAY JUNE 9, 2017

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JUNE 9, 2017

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FRIDAY