Philippine Canadian Inquirer Issue #101 by Philippine Canadian Inquirer

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VOL. 2 NO. 101

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

P-noy better than the rest

Revilla plea to stop plunder plobe junked

List of big suspected smugglers disclosed

So you want to be...?

Senator witnesses typhoon aftermath in former homeland

Bruno Mars delivers red hot set at Super Bowl with help from Red Hot Chili Peppers BY CHRIS TALBOTT The Associated Press

GOOD LUCK CHARMS SEEING DOUBLE. Twins Trisha and Trixie Siahingco, 5, hold up horse figurines at their family store in Binondo that sells good luck charms to

welcome the Year of the Wooden Horse. PHOTO BY RAFFY LERMA

Enrile, Estrada: We pocketed not even a cent from pork BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, PHILIPPINES—In life as in everything else, you can only give what you have. Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Juan

Ponce Enrile are not willing to give what they insist they did not have—notwithstanding testimony from whistle-blowers that the lawmakers pocketed hefty kickbacks from their pork barrel. On Monday, they scoffed at the notices

PHOTO BY DENIS SOMOSO

❱❱ PAGE 35 Bruno Mars

Economy grew 7.2% despite disasters ❱❱ PAGE 11

❱❱ PAGE 8 Enrile, Estrada

ANYBODY WORRIED about how Bruno Mars would do on one of the world’s largest stages had obviously never seen the young star perform live. That all changed Sunday night when tens of millions got their first chance to see why he’s one of the most exciting live acts of his generation. Mars, 28, took his high-powered live show to Super Bowl halftime, creating what felt like an intimate show in the arena in East Rutherford, N.J., and supersizing it in what has become a defining moment for those who preceded him

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

FRIDAY 2

ANG PANGAKO AY HABANG BUHAY, 'DI ANG KONTRATA SA TELEPONO.

no term contracts

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Philippine News

3 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

DAP no longer exists, SolGen tells high court BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO AND JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer THE AQUINO administration urged the Supreme Court yesterday to dismiss petitions seeking to declare as unconstitutional the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP)—a savings impounding mechanism purportedly created to pump prime the economy—saying the presidential pork barrel fund was being terminated. Solicitor General Francis Jardeleza and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad were questioned at the resumption of oral arguments on the DAP, which came into light after Sen. Jinggoy Estrada disclosed that additional pork barrel funds were released to senators following the conviction of then Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2012. The questions included whether the President could augment funds for items not for the executive department and the executive department’s definition of savings that can fall under the DAP. Jardeleza met with reporters to say that the government would plead to the high court to dismiss the nine antiDAP petitions because the Palace had stopped its use since mid-2013 because the P149 million it used to pump prime the economy for the past three years had been achieved. Jardeleza said the anti-DAP petitions had become moot and academic because the DAP was “extinct.” He also said government lawyers had submitted to the high court seven memoranda signed by President Aquino authorizing 116 uses of the DAP. Jardeleza said this evidence would allay apprehensions that the President had not authorized the DAP, apparently in reference to Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio’s earlier questions on whether the creation of the DAP had the authority of the President. Abad told the court that the DAP “had already served fully its purpose and that was why the economic managers recommended its termination to the President.” He also said that the use of savings to augment funds of the government had been done in the previous administrations. Abad said the Aquino administration decided to accelerate government spending because early on they had to “plug leakages” in the budget that had slowed down spending and hampered domestic growth. “The DAP is not about the use of savings and unprogrammed funds but a package of reform interventions,” Abad

said. Jardeleza also said the 116 DAP projects were funded with the use of savings and unprogrammed funds and were made in the third and fourth quarters of the year. This showed the augmentation was only done after the appropriations balances became available. He also said Congress had never disagreed with the way the executive branch had complied with its definition of savings found in the General Appropriations Act (GAA) and in the absence of this, the high court “has no occasion to exercise its powers to allocate constitutional boundaries.” Associate Justice Lucas Bersamin said that it seemed the DAP objective was not to stimulate the economy but to “create big pool of savings” based on the “language” of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) memorandum to the President on June 25, 2012. But the solicitor general said the memoranda “do not tell the story of the DAP” but they “simply serve to comply with the laws and the Constitution.” Cross-border augmentation

Bersamin also questioned whether the executive violated the Constitution when it allowed “cross-border augmentation” from one department to another. Abad admitted there were only two instances when the executive had done this—when the House requested additional funding for the establishment of an e-library and when the Commission on Audit requested funding for a good governance project. Bersamin also asked Abad to clarify reports that senators benefited from DAP funds during the impeachment trial of Corona and was told that this was not true. “Those releases were not given to senators,” Abad said, noting the senators merely recommended to use savings to augment certain items deficient in the items of budget of certain departments. Carpio asked Jardeleza if savings used to augment items out of the budget was unconstitutional and the latter agreed with him. Juggling appropriations

Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno and the other justices focused on the supposed defects on National Budget Circular No. 541, issued by Abad in July 2012, which instituted the DAP. One of the controversial provisions in the circular provided for the use of withdrawn allotments to “augment existing programs and projects of any agency

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Philippine News

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

FRIDAY 4

SWS: P-Noy better than the rest BY NIÑA CALLEJA Philippine Daily Inquirer IF PUBLIC perception were the sole judge, democracy in the Philippines is healthy and in a very good shape, with the present administration outperforming the past administration in all respects, according to the Social Weather Stations (SWS). But for the Aquino administration, the unsolved Maguindanao massacre case remains its sore point. The public’s satisfaction with how democracy works hit a new record high in 2013 under the Aquino administration with 74 percent satisfied and 59 percent believing democracy is still preferable to any other kind of government. But some 21 percent “sometimes prefer authoritarianism,” Maghar Mangahas, president of the Social Weather Stations, said in his presentation of the 2014 SWS Survey Review at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City.

The SWS described the net satisfaction rating of President Aquino as “very good” as it garnered plus-51 as of 2013, far higher than his predecessors, even that of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino. No. 1 thing to solve

Mangahas particularly cited the performance of the present administration in “helping disaster victims, providing basic education, defending territorial rights and transparency in government and foreign relations.” “Their work is appreciated. But definitely it should do something on the Maguindanao massacre case. That is the No. 1 thing they should solve,” Mangahas said. He called the country’s worst political massacre in history as the administration’s “sore point.” The Aquino administration suffered a backlash in its task to resolve the Nov. 23, 2009, Maguindanao massacre case, registering aminus-26 net satisfaction rating as of 2013 while the

trend continued to be on the negative since 2009, Mangahas said. Fifty-eight people, including 32 journalists, were killed allegedly by the private army of the influential Ampatuan clan to stop a member of a rival clan from running against them in the 2010 local elections. The Ampatuan patriarch, two sons and several family members have been charged and are in custody. As of December 2013, 86 percent believed that the trial was “much too slow.” “P-Noy’s term is OK. The democracy is healthy from the people’s standpoint. It just shows that the people are content and satisfied,” Mangahas told reporters. Marked by trials

The year 2014, however, has been marked by trials with the Supertyphoon “Yolanda” being the source of the people’s “great suffering.” However, results of the SWS survey showed that 73 percent of Yolanda victims surveyed

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BETTER THAN THE REST. President Benigno S. Aquino III graces the 114th

anniversary celebration of the Manila Bulletin as Guest of Honor, at its main office in Intramuros, Manila Sunday (February 2). In photo with the President are Manila Bulletin Chairman Emilio Yap and former president Fidel Ramos. PHOTO BY GIL NARTEA / MALACANANAG PHOTO BUREAU

were satisfied with the response of the Aquino government during and after the typhoon struck. Peace talks between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front were deemed sign of “persistent hope for peace, much more so among Muslims,” with 59

percent of Muslims expressing hope there would be peace between the military and the Moro rebels. Mangahas noted that while the ratings of the Aquino administration were high compared to the previous administrations, the years ahead “remain a challenge.” ■

Philippine News

5 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

Coronas face trial on graft charges BY CYNTHIA D. BALANA AND CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE OFFICE of the Ombudsman (OMB) has indicted former Chief Justice Renato Corona on eight counts of perjury and eight counts of non declaration of assets, and initiated forfeiture proceedings to recover for the state his alleged unexplained wealth valued at P130 million. In a 22-page resolution that Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales approved on Tuesday, the OMB found probable cause to charge Corona and his wife Cristina criminally in the Sandiganbayan after they were found to have amassed a combined wealth of at least P130,336,212.88. In a text message to reporters, Corona, who was convicted in May 2012 of dishonesty in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) following a highly charged impeachment trial in the Senate, decried his alleged harassment “without letup” by the Aquino administration. “What fairness could we have expected from an Ombudsman who viciously prevaricated and testified against me as a malicious witness during my sham and multibillion-peso, bribe-laden impeachment trial in 2012?” Corona said, referring to claims that senators who voted for his conviction received additional P50 million in pork barrel funds. He lashed out at President Aquino’s “attack dogs,” insisting that what he was “the product of 45 years of hard, honest work.” He added, “I have never been involved in any anomalous or illegal transaction in my life.” The OMB special panel of investigators computed the P8,897, 980, increase in the Corona couple’s net worth in 2010 by adding their 2010 undeclared bank deposits amounting to P134,437, 207.88 and undervalued cost of real properties totaling P17,297, 145 less combined income of P30,369,120.13. From 2001 to 2011, the Corona couple earned a total income of P30,369,120.13, of which P27,145,472.68 was earned by

Corona as an official at the Office of the President, a Justice of the Supreme Court, member of the Senate Electoral Tribunal and member of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal. The resolution said that from 2002 to 2010, Corona’s actual cash deposits ballooned from P1,337,072.28 to P137,937, 207.88, and by 2010 the cumulative discrepancy between his SALN and his actual cash deposits amounted to P134,437, 207.88. It cited the Land Registration Authority records on several properties owned by the couple in Quezon City, Makati City and Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City, which were undervalued by P17,297,145.00. The Department of Trade and Industry certifications showed that the Coronas had no existing business registered in their name, although the former chief justice declared in his SALN for 2003-2009 that his wife was connected with the Basa-Guidote Enterprises Inc. According to the OMB, P130,336,212.88 was a conservative estimate, as it included their cost of living allowance commensurate to the Coronas’ social stature and expenses entailed by their travels abroad. On the charges for perjury, the resolution found that the sworn declarations in Corona’s SALNs were “false,” as he failed to include the numerous peso and dollar bank accounts, a condominium unit at The Columns, Makati City, and a condominium unit at Spanish Bay Tower in Taguig City. Corona was also found to have declared P6,800,000 as the acquisition cost of a condominium unit in Bellagio I in Taguig City in his SALN for 2010, when the true acquisition cost is P14,510,000. In his SALNs from 2003 to 2009, Corona also undervalued the property located at La Vista in Quezon City by P8,000,000. For violation of Republic Act No. 6713 for not filing true and detailed SALNs for 2003-2010, the resolution pointed out that the value of Corona’s declared cash and the actual bank deposits had substantial discrepancies, and that his real assets in Makati, Taguig and Quezon City were not declared. ■

Rice, vegetables, pork brought in illegally BY MICHELLE V. REMO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE GOVERNMENT’S failure to curb smuggling has severely hurt legitimate businesses in the agriculture sector in terms of unfair competition from smuggled products, according to a group of farm producers. At the same time, the government has suffered about P64 billion in forgone revenue over the past two years as a result of the rampant smuggling of rice, vegetables, meat and other agricultural products, said the Samahang Industriya Agrikultura (Sinag). The group placed the forgone revenue at P32 billion in 2012 and at almost the same amount last year. Jayson Cainglet, a spokesperson for Sinag, said the groupwas calling on the government to put more teeth to its antismuggling drive to deal with the adverse impact of smuggling on the economy, particularly the agriculture sector. An umbrella organization of various agricultural groups, Sinag has members from the rice, livestock and poultry, and fisheries subsectors. Rosendo So, a member of Sinag and director of Titan Agricultural Products Inc., said the estimates of government losses from smuggling were based on a comparison of export data released by other countries and the import data reported by the Philippine government. “There has always been a significant disparity between what exporting countries report and our [Philippines’] import figures,” So said in a roundtable discussion with INQUIRER reporters and editors. Rice smuggling

So cited rice, which he said was one of the most commonly smuggled agriculture products. In 2012, exporting countries reported a total of 1.3 million metric tons of rice sold to the Philippines, but government data showed only 600,000 MT were imported that year, Sinag said. Cainglet said Sinag suspected that smuggled rice came mostly from Vietnam, India and China. Of vegetables, the most commonly smuggled were onions, which the group suspects may www.canadianinquirer.net

be coming from Taiwan and China. Cainglet said pork was the most commonly smuggled meat and that this came most likely from the United States, Canada and several European countries. Forgone revenue from smuggling and other problems like tax evasion and inefficiency in tax collection are blamed largely for the government’s budget deficit, which stood at P242 billion in 2012. Other challenges

Cainglet said smuggling was compounding the problems of the agriculture sector, which is already facing other challenges, including declining tariffs on imported goods, lack of technology and facilities, and huge subsidies enjoyed by agriculture sectors in countries that export to the Philippines. “Notwithstanding the gains and various plans envisioned for the agriculture sector, several issues have prevented it from fully realizing its goals,” Cainglet said. Sinag has called on the Bureau of Customs (BOC), which has a new leadership, to implement more effective measures against smuggling. The BOC is now headed by Commissioner John Phillip Sevilla, who was appointed late last year to replace Rufino Biazon. Sevilla, a former finance undersecretary, was assigned to head the BOC as the Aquino administration vowed to institute reforms in the bureau, tagged as the most corrupt among line agencies. Cainglet said rampant smuggling of rice, vegetables, meat and other products was dragging growth in the agriculture sector, which employs about a third of the country’s workforce. Link to poverty

He echoed observations by economists that the poverty incidence in the country remained significant largely because of the poor performance of the agriculture sector.

Data from the Philippine Statistical Authority showed that growth in the agriculture sector slowed to 1.1 percent in 2013 from an already anemic 2.8 percent in 2012. The agriculture sector’s growth was much slower than the 7.1 percent for services and the 9.5 percent for industry. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan earlier said the Philippines so far had failed to substantially reduce poverty incidence despite the robust growth of its economy because of low agriculture productivity. The Philippine economy grew 6.8 percent in 2012 and 7.2 percent last year, becoming one of the fastest-growing in Asia. The country’s poverty incidence, however, remained one of the highest in the region at 25.2 percent in 2012. Given that the agriculture sector accounts for a third of the country’s estimated 40-million workforce, Balisacan said initiatives that would boost productivity and employment in the sector should be pursued. Balisacan said the government intended to do just that. He said the updated mediumterm Philippine Development Plan through 2016, expected to be released next month, would include higher government investments in the agriculture sector. For Sinag, however, development initiatives for the agriculture sector should go hand in hand with strict measures against smuggling. Durian Tan, a member of Sinag, said in the roundtable discussion that the group was hoping that the BOC would be able to implement more effective programs against smuggling under its new leadership. “We don’t know him (Customs Commissioner Sevilla), but hopefully he would be a better performer than the previous commissioners,” she said. ■

Philippine News

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

FRIDAY 6

Ombudsman junks Revilla plea to stop plunder probe BY CYNTHIA D. BALANA Philippine Daily Inquirer THE OMBUDSMAN has denied Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.’s motion to stop the preliminary investigation of the plunder case filed against him by the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in connection with the P10-billion pork barrel scam. In a 13-page Joint Order dated Jan. 28, a special panel of investigators in the Office of the Ombudsman determined that “no prejudicial question exists to warrant the suspension of the preliminary investigation.” The order likewise denied correspondent Richard Cambe’s similar prayer for suspension. In the order, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales said any further unfounded attempts to suspend or delay the preliminary investigation into the cases relating to the pork barrel scam would not be tolerated. The cases, she said, were “imbued with paramount pub-

lic interest.” Revilla filed a motion to suspend the proceedings on Jan. 15, citing the civil case he had filed on Sept. 13 in the Bacoor Regional Trial Court for nullity of documents relating to the pork barrel scam and the return of the money and the payment of damages. In that case, Cambe, a member of Revilla’s Senate staff, intervened as a co-complainant against whistle-blower Benhur Luy and the other defendants. Revilla stands accused along with Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, several current and former representatives, and others of plunder for allegedly taking multimillionpeso kickbacks from their Priority Development Assistance Fund, or pork barrel, using alleged scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles’s network of fake cooperatives. The investigating panel ruled that the civil case had no bearing on the criminal cases filed in the Office of the Ombudsman. The panel considered the

Senator Bong Revilla, Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

civil suit “an afterthought and a ploy” to delay the criminal proceedings, since Revilla apparently knew about the documents pertaining to his PDAF and the issue of the authenticity of his signatures on the documents when he confirmed to the Commission on Audit in 2011 that the signatures were his and Cambe’s. The joint order said the PDAF documents were not the sole or exclusive determinant of the

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existence of probable cause for plunder, malversation or violation of the antigraft law. The panel cited other evidence such as the sworn statements of the whistle-blowers, the business records of the companies controlled by Napoles and the results of investigations conducted in provinces where the PDAF-funded projects were supposedly implemented. Morales dismissed Revil-

la’s countercharge of plunder against whistle-blowers Luy, Merlina Suñas and Marina Sula since the three had been admitted into the Department of Justice’s Witness Protection Program. The countercharge against Petronilla Balmaceda was, however, recommended for further investigation. Revilla’s countercharge against his fellow respondents Dennis Cunanan, Antonio Ortiz, Alan Javellana, Gondelina Amata, Salvador Salacup, Mylene Encarnacion, Nemesio Pablo, Evelyn de Leon, Jocelyn Piorato, John Raymund de Asis and Ronald John Lim was dismissed because it stemmed from similar, if not identical, factual allegations as those filed by the NBI and Field Investigation Office against them who were, in any event, already impleaded. OMB records showed that several respondents had filed various motions for extension of time to file their respective counteraffidavits and other pleadings. ■

Philippine News

7 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

List of big suspected smugglers disclosed

Binay links wife’s case to 2016

Corrupt BOC personnel ignore P-Noy warning

BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer

BY JERRY E. ESPLANADA Philippine Daily Inquirer MORE THAN four months after the launch of the reform project of the Bureau of Customs’ (BOC), about a dozen big traders continue to get “special treatment” from old hands at the agency, where their misdeclared and undervalued imported goods cost the government billions of pesos in lost revenue every year. Under-the-table deals between smugglers and corrupt customs personnel, along with globalization and trade liberalization, are among the main causes of the bureau’s failure to meet its revenue collection targets, a newly appointed BOC official has pointed out. The official, who requested not to be identified, also called the scalawags “proof that President Aquino’s stern warning to corrupt agency officials and employees (to shape up or get out) has been largely ignored.” The President has reportedly been incensed by the irregularities and inefficiencies at the BOC. Customs insiders furnished the INQUIRER over the weekend a list of traders, the supposed consignees and brokers of their imported commodities, among other data, from Jan. 10 to 23. Topping the list is “Big Mama,” identified as a certain Bim Castillo, who allegedly facilitated the release of at least 32 shipments of mostly plastic resin, as well as plastic pipes and packaging materials. The various commodities, mainly from China, were shipped to the country in 83 12meter containers and 20 6- m containers. During the two-week period, at least 13 companies were used by Big Mama’s group as consignees. “Many old-timers know her personally as well as her influence,” said the BOC official. Kimberly Gamboa, et al.

Other traders include the following: A certain Kimberly Gamboa, whose group was allegedly be-

More than four months after the launch of the reform project of the Bureau of Customs, about a dozen big traders continue to get “special treatment” from old hands at the agency, where their misdeclared and undervalued imported goods cost the government billions of pesos in lost revenue every year. PHOTO FROM ARKITEKTURA.PH

hind the shipment of 29 12-m containers of mostly plastic resin. They also shipped two 12-m containers of plastic toys. A certain JR Tolentino, who allegedly facilitated the release of 19 shipments of plastic resin, pipes and fittings as well as packaging materials. The shipments were loaded in 31 12-m containers and two 6-m containers. A certain David Tan, whose group shipped 10 plastic resin, packaging materials and PVC sheeting in eight 12-m containers and 10 6-m containers. Customs insiders claimed he was “one of at least three David Tans” doing business with the bureau. A certain Moso, who allegedly facilitated the release of eight plastic resin shipments, all in 24 12-m containers. A certain Aying Acuzar, whose three shipments of plastic products were brought to the Manila International Container Port in two 12-m containers and one 6-m container. The INQUIRER is checking insiders’ claim that he is a brother of a real estate businessman related by affinity to a high Cabinet official.

The tandem of a certain Bobot and Tagupa, who are allegedly behind the shipment of 16 12-m containers of plastic resin. A certain Eric Yap, who allegedly brought in at least two 12-m containers of plastic manufacturing materials. A certain Bocalin, said to be behind the shipment of two 12-m containers of plastic brushes and other cleaning materials. A certain Joel Teves, the alleged facilitator of a shipment of two 6-m containers of PVC sheets. A certain Jerry Teves, said to be behind the shipment of one 12-m container of packagingmaterials.

VICE PRESIDENT Jejomar Binay said that efforts to besmirch his family’s name ahead of the 2016 presidential election could be behind the revival of a graft case filed against his wife which was dismissed more than two years ago. In a statement, Binay, who had made known his desire to run for the presidency, said the Ombudsman’s Office of the Special Prosecutor “violated the constitutional rights” of his wife, Elenita, when it recommended that she be charged anew following a reinvestigation of the case. “The complaint was filed 10 years ago. It was dismissed by the Ombudsman more than two years ago. But the Special Prosecutor decided to reinstate my wife without even informing her. These are glaring acts of abuse of authority and violation of her rights,” Binay said. The complaint involved the alleged overpricing of hospital beds at the Ospital ng Makati during Elenita Binay’s term as Makati City mayor from 1998 to 2001. The case was filed in 2003 but she was dropped from the roster of the accused for lack of evidence in 2011. Other city officials tagged in the case appealed their indictment, prompting Sandiganbayan to direct the Special Prosecutor to act on the reconsideration plea. Binay’s wife was reinstated as an accused following the review. On Jan. 15, Elenita’s lawyer, Felicitas Arroyo, received by mail a copy of the court mo-

tion from the Special Prosecutor seeking Sandiganbayan’s admission of the amended case including her again among the accused. In a separate statement, Arroyo decried the development, calling it “pure harassment.” “The Office of the Special Prosecutor did not even inform the former mayor of their decision nor did they give her the opportunity to challenge the legal basis for this highly irregular action. This is pure harassment,” Arroyo said. The Vice President said the revival of the case was part of an operation to discredit his family. He said he had received information that “anonymous individuals” will be filing cases against him and his family before the Ombudsman and the Commission on Audit. “By raising these issues, the operators are merely exposing their desperation. They are resurrecting old issues raised by my political opponents in Makati every election season. These recycled issues have remained unproven and unsubstantiated by evidence since the 1980s for one simple reason: they are complete falsehoods,” he said. “For some groups and individuals, the welfare of the people will have to take a backseat to politics, the discredited type of politics that we were supposed to have abandoned three years ago,” said Binay. The Binays have controlled Makati for decades. The current city mayor and a representative of the city in the Congress are children of the Vice President. Another daughter is a senator. ■

‘Tara,’ collection targets

Like another David Tan, the Goliath of rice smuggling in the country, a certain “Ma’am T” and “Mr. T,” among others, these traders can influence the volume of imports handled by the bureau, either by withholding or bringing in more shipments to help the BOC meet its monthly collection targets. That is, if the mutually agreed Vice President Jejomar Binay with wife Elenita. ❱❱ PAGE 12 List of

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PHOTO FROM PH.NEWS.YAHOO.COM

Philippine News

FEBRUARY 7, 2014 FRIDAY 8

Return pork, 4 solons told

Enrile, Estrada...

COA chair: Notices of disallowance sent BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer SENATORS RAMON Revilla Jr., Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Gregorio Honasan have been sent notices by the Commission on Audit (COA) that they have to return the millions of pesos from their pork barrel allotments that were illegally diverted to bogus nongovernment organizations (NGOs). Chair Grace Pulido-Tan has confirmed that the COA has sent notices of disallowance to the four senators, and some others, concerning at least P6 billion of their pork barrel entitlements from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) that went to the questionable NGOs from 2007 to 2009. Claiming that the issue was sensitive, Tan refused to give any more details, except to say that the senators have the right to appeal the notice of disallowance with the COA. “You have to trust us that we’ve sent them [the notice of disallowance],” said Tan who was interviewed after the Senate blue ribbon committee hearing last Thursday on the pork barrel scam. Revilla, through his lawyer, said he would appeal the notice, while Enrile’s lawyers said they were studying how to respond to it. Estrada and Honasan did not reply to requests for comments. Jointly liable

While being grilled by Estrada last October at a Senate hearing on the COA’s 2014 budget, Tan stated that the lawmakers implicated in the pork barrel scam were “jointly liable” for the “disallowed funds.” She said they would be getting notices of disallowance. Estrada scoffed at the prospect of refunding millions of pesos that he said were under the control of the heads of the implementing agencies of their projects, not the lawmakers. P6.2B transferred to NGOs

“That’s the consequence of a notice of disallowance. Those who will get such notices would become jointly and solidarily liable for the return of the money, and that is a matter of law,” the COA chief shot back.

Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Gregorio Honasan and Ramon Revilla Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Tan earlier said that the COA would issue thousands of notices of disallowance after a special audit showed that P6.2 billion in pork barrel funds were illegally transferred to 82 NGOs, including at least eight that had links to alleged scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles, from 2007 to 2009. Among the sources of the illegally diverted pork funds were Revilla (P413.29 million), Enrile (P332.7 million), Estrada (P191.58 million) and Honasan (P14.55 million). The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed plunder complaints in the Office of the Ombudsman against Revilla, Enrile, Estrada, Napoles and 34 others over the scam. [Since the amounts ascribed to Honasan involved less than P50 million, he was not included in the plunder complaint.] The NBI filed the complaints based on the testimonies of whistle-blower Benhur Luy and 11 other former employees of Napoles, not on the COA report. The figure involved in the whistle-blowers’ accounts was P10 billion. This was the amount of pork barrel funds that the whistle-blowers said were diverted to bogus projects of the Napoles NGOs and to the lawmakers involved in the form of kickbacks from 2007 to 2009. ‘Nothing to return’

Revilla, through his lawyer, said there was nothing to return to the COA. “We are contesting that definitely. Senator Bong has nothing to do with the funds illegally withdrawn from the PDAF by Benhur Luy and his cohorts,” said Revilla’s lawyer Joel Bodegon in a text message. According to Bodegon, Re-

sent to them by state auditors that they return millions of pesos in their pork barrel allocations that they gave to phantom projects proposed by bogus nongovernment organizations (NGOs) through what is now known as the P10-billion pork barrel scam. According to the Commission on Audit (COA), the scam resulted in hundreds of millions of pesos in kickbacks for the lawmakers. Even so, Estrada and Enrile maintained that they did not pocket a cent of their pork barrel allocations that the COA said had been illegally funneled to the questionable NGOs. So, they said, they could not return what they didn’t have. ❰❰ 1

villa has filed a suit against Luy and the other whistle-blowers for them to return the money they allegedly “stole” from the government. “Senator Revilla stole no money from the government, much less from the PDAF, and therefore there is nothing for him to return to the government,” Bodegon said. “The COA disallowance does not apply to him as it is without basis whatsoever,” he said. In a privilege speech he delivered at the Senate two weeks ago, Revilla maintained that he did not sign documents endorsing dubious foundations as recipients of his pork barrel entitlements. He claimed that it was Luy who forged the signatures of officials, including lawmakers, in facilitating the racket of converting millions of pesos in pork barrel into kickbacks. the preferred mode shifted to the local government units (LGUs). She cited cases involving Dinalupihan and Pilar towns in Bataan province, and some municipalities of Nueva Ecija province. “There were PDAF findings showing the same modus operandi,” Tan told the committee, noting that the COA reported out its pork barrel findings from 2010 onwards in specific agencies. According to a 2012 audit report of the COA and the Department of Budget and Management, Senators Enrile, Estrada, Revilla, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Vicente Sotto III and Loren Legarda gave millions of pesos from the PDAF entitlements to various LGUs using the same dubious Napoles-linked NGOs. ❱❱ PAGE 13 Return pork

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What’s there to return?

“The money did not pass through us. What is there to return? They should go after the implementing agencies,” Estrada told reporters. “We’re not the custodians of public funds.” Enrile was just as perplexed by the notice of disallowance from the COA. He said: “I did not receive any money from the government. What is there to return?” Enrile said the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) issued a special allotment release order (Saro), indicating the availability of money from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), to government agencies, but not to him. “I did not even receive the Saro,” he told reporters. COA Chair Grace Pulido-Tan confirmed to the Inquirer on Thursday that the commission had sent notices of disallowance to senators and several others concerning the illegal funneling of P6.2 billion from the PDAF to questionable NGOs from 2007 to 2009. Tan said the recipients could appeal the notices to the COA. The senators have six months to appeal. Jointly liable

Appearing at the Senate hearing on the 2014 COA budget last October, Tan said the lawmakers were “jointly liable” for the “disallowed fund,” and as a consequence, would get a notice of disallowance. “That’s the consequence of notice of disallowance.

Those who will get such notice would become jointly and solidarily liable for the return of the money, and that is a matter of law,” Tan said. Earlier, Tan said the COA would issue thousands of notices after a special audit showed that P6.2 billion in pork barrel was transferred to 82 NGOs from 2007 to 2009, including at least eight that had links to Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged brains behind the pork barrel scam. Among the sources of the funds were Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. (P413.29 million), Enrile (P332.7 million), Estrada (P191.58 million) and Gregorio Honasan II (P14.55 million). Revilla, Enrile and Estrada as well as Napoles and 34 others are facing plunder charges over the scam in the Office of the Ombudsman. Revilla, through his lawyer, earlier said he would contest the notice, arguing that there was nothing to return to the COA. Appealing notice

Estrada said he would appeal the notice, maintaining that it was the implementing agencies that received the funds, not the senators. “First, we’ll file an appeal. But knowing COA—the chair of COA is obviously very biased against me—if it’s denied, we will elevate it to the Supreme Court,” he said. Estrada said he expected his other colleagues to take the same course of action. “I’m not afraid because no money passed through us. The problem is, the perception of Juan de la Cruz is that the money passes through us. That’s not true,” he said. Enrile said he would “answer” the notice of disallowance. If at all, the COA should run after the implementing agencies, Estrada said. “We did it in good faith. All the NGOs that were accredited were also accredited by the Department of Agriculture,” he said. ■

Philippine News

9 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

Senate told 50K tons of rice smuggled into PH weekly BY MICHAEL LIM UBAC Philippine Daily Inquirer SOME 2,000 container vans with 50,000 metric tons of rice were smuggled into the country weekly in 2013 (or 2.6 metricmillion tons annually), a customs official told the Senate ways and means committee. At the hearing initiated by Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara to reform the graftridden Bureau of Customs (BOC), Deputy Customs Commissioner Agaton Uvero said that this massive smuggling of rice was reportedly stopped last October, when the new leadership appointed by President Aquino began to assume the helm of the bureau. Angara is the chair of the Senate ways and means committee. Uvero, the new deputy customs commissioner for assessment and operations coordinating group, made the revelation while being quizzed by Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile. “Roughly … 50,000 tons a week … at its height,” Uvero said, citing “anecdotal accounts” and government data. Uvero said the favorite “landing sites” for smuggled rice were the ports in Davao, Cebu and Manila. This practice, however, has been stopped “based on data,” he said. “I don’t have data right now,” Uvero later told reporters. He said he was not “authorized to talk.” Angara was appalled by the magnitude of rice smuggling, telling reporters in an interview after the hearing that revenue that could have been collected by the BOC would have gone to rehabilitating areas hit by Supertyphoon “Yolanda.” Angara said it was “too early to wave the white flag. We [in the government] should do what we can. [The new leader-

ship] should do things differently.” He said the new BOC leadership was still going through the learning curve. “So let’s give them a chance [to do their job].” Angara conducted the hearing to seek the inputs of industry players and concerned government officials on the measures filed in the Senate seeking to reform the BOC—Senate Bill Nos. 168 (the proposed Customs and Tariff Modernization Act), 442 (a proposed Act Amending Certain Provisions of Presidential Decree No. 1464 or the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines), 456 (a proposed Act Instituting Reforms in the Bureau of Customs, Increasing Penalties for Smuggling), 741 and 882 (a proposed Act Amending Certain Provisions of Presidential Decree No. 1464). Running out of time?

At the hearing, Enrile doubted whether the Aquino administration was on track to eliminating smuggling. “You have only two years of administration and I hope you will stay there forever … once this administration exits. What can you do in two years?” Enrile asked Uvero. The senator asked if the BOC could reform the BOC in the remaining years of Mr. Aquino’s presidency. “Why don’t you [ just] implement the law? Forget reformation,” Enrile said. “We have a basic problem of management [at the BOC].” Noting that Uvero and the new set of officials led by Customs Commissioner John Philip Sevilla were just four months on the job, Enrile said: “You have my sympathies, best… of success.” Uvero represented Sevilla at the hearing. Bucket full of holes

Sevilla was appointed last De-

Deputy Customs Commissioner Agaton Uvero said the favorite “landing sites” for smuggled rice were the ports in Davao, Cebu and Manila.

cember, but Mr. Aquino named the five deputy commissioners in October of 2013. “It’s really rooted in the old system,” Uvero said, explaining the underlying reason for the inefficiencies that continued to plague the BOC despite the computerization of the collection system. Enrile noted that “smuggling is worsening” under the present administration. “It has grown now. The level is 30 percent of the imports, of the market, [are] smuggled products,” Enrile said. “Why is it you’re groping in the dark? It seems to me anyway.” To which Uvero responded: “I believe the priorities of previous administrations have been different. We’re talking of reforms [now],” he added. Uvero likened the BOC to a bucket full of holes. “You remove people. If the system is still there, there’s still smuggling.” He said the BOC was looking at systemic solutions using regulations, legislation and manpower solutions. One such measure was to drastically bring down the number of employees from 6,200 to 3,500, and yet he noted that lately the volume of (import) shipment had improved “tremendously.”

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Work of entire government

Enrile told Uvero that it was difficult to cleanse the BOC without the full backing of Malacañang. “You can’t stop smuggling without the participation of Malacañang. And I’m talking from experience. I succeeded somehow during my time not because of myself but because I had the full backing of the Palace. I’m sure the President is interested (in reforming the BOC),” said Enrile, who once headed the BOC. Enrile said defeating smuggling was the work of “the entire government, not just one agency,” and this would include the Coast Guard, Navy and police. “You’re absolutely right. As already indicated, [this] has been an interagency effort to curb smuggling in the country,” Uvero responded. “We have the full backing of Malacañang,” said Uvero, who was an international trade expert before his appointment to the BOC. Uvero said that the BOC had caught a lot of incidents of misdeclaration of imported items that passed through X-rays, which were purchased by the government at a cost of $140 million. “We have been able to reorga-

nize people in Customs in December. We’re moving people around,” he said. But Enrile was unconvinced. “By doing that, I know that your revenue went down, and it will continue to go down. Moving people in the BOC will not mean anything to us, to me anyway.” Uvero disagreed, saying revenue actually went up in January. “The November-December (2013 revenue) showed a 19percent increase, compared to year-on-year, month-onmonth,” he said. He said the 19 percent was way better than the 6-percent increase in BOC revenue for the whole 2013. Accreditation ‘payoff’

Asked by Enrile if the BOC was already meeting its target, Uvero said: “Not yet. But we have very good numbers.” At the same hearing, Jesus Arranza, the Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) chair, disclosed the alleged “payoff in the accreditation” of importers. “I have nothing against the broker but I have a friend who is not working now. He put up his own company. So the first time he would like to import, he called a broker,” Arranza said. The broker then presented a list of 10 companies. “[The broker] told him, ‘Here are the 10 companies. They are already registered, accredited in Customs. Just choose what you want to use,’” Arranza said. He then proposed to the committee that the accreditation of importers or companies be done by the Department of Finance. It was FPI that earlier disclosed that the government had lost more than P1.33 trillion in revenue in nine years, from 2002 to 2011, due to technical smuggling in the country’s ports. ■

Philippine News

FEBRUARY 7, 2014 FRIDAY 10

Solons told: If you have nothing to hide... BY NORMAN BORDADORA Philippine Daily Inquirer SEN. GRACE Poe called on the House of Representatives to speed up the passage of the freedom of information (FOI) bill, saying House members have nothing to fear from the transparency measure if they have nothing to hide. The neophyte senator, who made the remark in a radio interview in which she kept referring to the House as “Congress,” said she was confident the Senate would pass the FOI bill by March. “My apprehension is that in

Congress (sic), we’re no longer certain. It’s different in Congress (sic) because they have many members. We’re only 24 in the Senate,” Poe said. “I suppose they have nothing to fear if they have nothing to hide,” she added. Poe said she has been assured by Speaker Feliciano Belmonte that the House would pass its version of the FOI during his term. Nonetheless, she mentioned two reasons why the House would not be be able to pass the FOI bill as swiftly as the Senate. Not priority

“This has not been certified as urgent. Congress’ (sic) pri-

ority now is amending the economic provisions of the Constitution. So, yes, this might not pass as quickly as we would want it to,” Poe said. She also said she could understand why President Aquino wouldn’t want to certify the FOI bill as urgent despite Malacañang’s repeated expressions of support for theme asure. “This is my own speculation. If you’re the highest ranking executive, FOI would really make you anxious especially if you’re balancing the right of the people to know the transactions of the government and other factors such as national security, investigation of a criminal ac-

tivity or diplomatic relations,” Poe said. “There are many pieces of information that are really sensitive to just be made public. This is perhaps the reason why they want to look at our version to see whether there is protection for the government,” she added. Still, Poe expressed the hope that the FOI bill will be approved into law before Mr. Aquino steps down in 2016. “Before the 16th Congress ends, they might do a ‘photofinish’ approval by the bicam,” she said. Both chambers passed an FOI bill in 2010 during the 14th Congress. A question of quo-

rum on the last session day, however, prevented the House from ratifying the bicameral conference committee report. That meant the FOI had to go back to square one in the 15th Congress. Despite being a campaign promise of the Aquino administration, the FOI didn’t make much headway in the House during the 15th Congress. The Senate, nonetheless, passed its version of the FOI in the 15th Congress—the “people’s ownership of government information” which was sponsored by the then committee of public information chair, Sen. Gregorio Honasan. ■

41 detainees maltreated at secret PNP facility Wheel of torture: 10 cops relieved BY CYNTHIA D. BALANA Philippine Daily Inquirer TEN PHILIPPINE National Police officers have been sacked following revelations they played a so-called “wheel of torture” game at a secret detention facility to extract information from criminal suspects and also to have fun, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said. The CHR is looking into the alleged maltreatment of up to 41 detainees in the PNP facility in Biñan, Laguna province, according to the commission. Under the game, detainees— mostly suspected drug traffickers—were punched if the “torture wheel” stopped at “20 seconds Manny Pacman,” referring to a nickname of popular boxer Manny Pacquiao, or hung upside down if it stopped at a punishment called “30-second bat,” said Amnesty International, the London-based rights group. It called the practice despicable. “It’s horrible,” said CHR Chair Loretta Ann Rosales of the revelation more than three decades after the Philippines emerged from the brutal era of the Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship. “They do it for fun, it’s like a game for entertainment,” Rosales said. “We’re trying to cor-

rect this mindset based on a human rights approach to policing but obviously it may take a lot of time.” Thousands of victims during the Marcos regime won a class action suit in 1992 in Hawaii against the Marcos estate for torture and other rights violations. Marcos was ousted in the peaceful 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution. Rosales, herself a torture victim during the Marcos regime, said that she had discussed the torture allegations with top PNP officials. President Aquino has pledged to take steps to prosecute violators of human rights in past years. Rights groups, however, say violations have continued with impunity under Aquino’s watch. Multicolored wheel

A picture of the multicolored wheel provided by the CHR showed several other torture selections, including “3 minutes zombies” and “30-second duck walk/ferris wheel” but it was not immediately clear how those punishments were carried out. “For police officers to use torture for fun is despicable,” Amnesty International’s Hazel Galang-Folli said in a statement.

“These are abhorrent acts. Suspending officers is not enough. Errant police personnel and their commanding officers should be held accountable in a court of law,” she added. The group called on the Aquino administration “to act immediately to put an end to routine torture.” Mr. Aquino’s communications secretary, Sonny Coloma, said: “We will await CHR’s findings and recommendations on this specific matter as it has the primary responsibility for protecting and promoting human rights.” Senior Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac, the PNP spokesperson, said several officers had been taken into custody and an investigation was under way. CHR spokesperson Marc Titus Cebreros said the officers had been summoned to its office in Biñan and told to submit their counteraffidavits within 10 days. The officers, who had been relieved of their posts, were identified as Chief Insp. Arnold Formento, SPO1 Alexander Asis, PO3 Freddie Ramos, PO2 Marc Julius Caesar, PO2 Aldwin Tibuc, PO2 Melmar Baybado Viray, PO1 Nelson Caribo, SPO2 Bernardino Artisen, PO2 Mateo Cailo, and PO2 Renan Galang. www.canadianinquirer.net

THE TORTURE WHEEL. The CHR is looking into the alleged maltreatment of up

to 41 detainees in the PNP facility in Biñan, Laguna province, according to the commission. PHOTO FROM NEWSINFO.INQUIRER.NET

41 victims

Initial investigation by the CHR revealed the possibility of 41 alleged victims of torture and other forms of ill- treatment at the PNP provincial intelligence branch in Biñan. One of the victims was identified as Greg Montemayor, a detainee who was allegedly tortured sometime in June 2013 and again last Jan. 8. He was hit with a paddle and a baseball bat, his head banged and punched allegedly by respondents Caribo, Viray, Asis and Caesar. Another victim, Leody Cama-

cho, who was arrested on Oct. 17, 2013, was tortured the same day and on Jan. 9, allegedly by the same four policemen who hit him with a steel bar, gun and baseball bat. Other victim-detainees were identified as Rowelito Almeda, Isiah Hadlocon, Jayvee Dimapilis, Neil Castillo, Mark Frederick Lim, Hector Domalaon, Dell Ramos Robertson, Leo Umali Romasanta, Kristofferson Climaco Cesar, Emilio Enesin, Catherine Viray and Jimmy Lectura. Most of them complained they were hit by police officers using a baseball bat. ■

Philippine News

11 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

Economy grew 7.2% despite disasters BY MICHELLE V. REMO, PAOLO G. MONTECILLO AND MICHAEL LIM UBAC Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PHILIPPINE economy grew faster than targeted in 2013 as the adverse impact of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” proved to be more moderate than earlier feared. But most Filipinos said their quality of life worsened last year despite government efforts to make the robust growth “inclusive.” The Philippine Statistics Authority, the newly formed agency that consolidates all government statistics, announced yesterday that the economy, measured in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), grew by an annual rate of 7.2 percent in the past year. This exceeded the government’s official growth goal of between 6 and 7 percent. This also was better than the 6.8 percent recorded for 2012. GDP is the total value of goods produced and services rendered in the country for a given period. In the fourth quarter alone, the Philippine economy grew by a subdued pace of 6.5 percent due to the drag caused by the supertyphoon. Yolanda (international name: Haiyan), which left 8,000 dead and missing after ploughing through central Philippines in November last year, was estimated to have caused P571 billion in economic losses. The amount includes damage to public infrastructure and properties, as well as lost potential income due to the disruption of businesses. Yolanda came after a 7.1-magnitude quake struck some of the country’s main tourist regions in October, claiming more than 220 lives. Asia’s 2nd fastest

In a press conference, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the Philippines’ latest growth performance likely made it the second fastest-growing economy in Asia next to China, which expanded by 7.7 percent. “Other countries have yet to release their official economic growth rates for 2013 but based on latest data, we likely re-

mained one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia, probably next to China,” Balisacan said. The benefits of the robust economic growth apparently did not trickle down to the poor.

paredness for disasters. He said the government had to invest more in disaster-risk management such as better infrastructure and in programs that will promote insurance among the poor. On the same note, Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said last year’s growth proved that the economy had a buffer against risks. “The growth of above 7 percent reinforces our assessment that the fundamental strength of the economy is intact,” Tetangco said.

Life deteriorated

A Pulse Asia survey last December found that 55 percent of Filipinos said the national quality of life deteriorated in the past 12 months. They also expected the situation to remain the same for the whole of 2014. Last year, the poverty rate stood at 25.2 percent. The Philippines likely will miss the Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty incidence to only 16.6 percent in 2015, according to projections. At a briefing, Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma acknowledged that one of the biggest challenges for President Aquino is to halve poverty incidence. Coloma said the Aquino administration was still aiming to reduce poverty by 16 percent, the “halfway mark,” by 2015. “Most important, the government remains focused on achieving inclusive growth by reducing poverty and increasing social protection. The updated Philippine Development Plan emphasizes the spatial or area-specific dimensions of development,” he said. Hence, government spending is directed at increasing the productivity and reducing the vulnerability of farmers, fisherfolk and other marginalized sectors of Philippine society. Social intervention

Coloma cited “specific programs” such as conditional cash transfer (CCT), Philippine Health Insurance universal coverage and K to 12 educational program as parts of the administration’s overarching goal to reduce poverty. The government is banking on an additional P10 billion for the CCT program this year, already earmarked in the 2014 General Appropriations Act, to lift 4.3 million families out of poverty. Balisacan said the updated Philippine Development Plan, which may be released in February, would present government projects and programs seeking to help boost jobs, es-

PHOTO BY DENIS SOMOSO

pecially among the low-income segment of the population. The government intends to invest more in initiatives that will further boost the growth of the manufacturing sector and that will develop tourism, construction and agriculture sectors, Balisacan said. These sectors are seen as more capable than others in providing jobs to poor people. Remarkable despite storm

Balisacan said that if not for the supertyphoon, economic growth in the fourth quarter could have ranged from 7 to 7.3 percent. He also said the calamity chopped off 0.1 percentage point from the economy’s fullyear growth in 2013. “Still, economic growth last year was remarkable despite the impact of Yolanda,” Balisacan said. Originally, growth in the fourth quarter was expected to slow down to as weak as 4.1 percent due to the adverse impact of the supertyphoon. Balisacan, however, said something unexpected partly offset the drag caused by the calamity. The reference was to the unusual growth of the manufacturing sector, which has started to increase its contribution to the economy’s growth. “We saw an increase in investments and an expansion of the manufacturing subsector. This could be attributed partly to the growing confidence of investors, as they see the country’s strong macroeconomic fundamentals,” Balisacan said. The manufacturing subsector grew by 12.3 percent last year, accelerating from only 5.5 www.canadianinquirer.net

percent in 2012. It drove the growth of the overall industrial sector, which accelerated to 9.5 percent from 6.8 percent. The improved performance of the manufacturing subsector was accounted for mainly by increased investments by domestic firms. Balisacan said fundamentals like moderate inflation, the sound fiscal position of the government and the country’s comfortable foreign-exchange reserves encouraged Filipino businesses to invest more in the country. Services, agri slow

On the contrary, the two other key sectors of the economy— services as well as agriculture, fisheries and forestry (AFF)— posted slower growth rates. Services slowed down to 7.1 percent from 7.6 percent while AFF decelerated to 1.1 percent from 2.8 percent. The decelerated growth of the AFF sector was blamed on weather disturbances that dragged farm output. Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said the robust economic growth last year showed the country’s resiliency to shocks such as calamities. He noted that 2013 marked the eighth consecutive quarter that the country’s economic growth stood above 6 percent. “Our strong growth shows the ability of the Philippine economy to weather these challenges due to strong macroeconomic fundamentals,” Purisima said. The finance chief, however, admitted that the country needed to improve its pre-

Target for 2014

For 2014, the country’s chief economist said the government was confident the official growth target of 6.5 to 7.5 percent was attainable. Balisacan said a favorable business sentiment was likely to sustain rising investments. He also said the government was bent on increasing spending on infrastructure and social services to help achieve economic growth. In a commentary published following the release of the economic growth figure, however, Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. said sustaining the strong growth in investments and manufacturing would be a challenge this year amid rising inflationary pressures. The bank projects economic growth for this year to settle at 6 percent. Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto challenged the Aquino administration to take more steps to ensure that economic growth was felt by most Filipinos. “A rising tide must rise all ships. Sadly, big vessels are not as buoyant as small ones. And millions of our people with their heads barely out of the water cling to thrown lifelines,” Recto said in a statement. Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, chair of the Senate committee on trade and entrepreneurship, said the growth rate was “phenomenal.” “Our economic managers indeed deserve to be congratulated. That being said, though, the challenge of translating this economic growth to sustained benefits for our poorest countrymen still continues,” Aquino said. ■

Philippine News

FEBRUARY 7, 2014 FRIDAY 12

80,000 seamen may lose jobs, warns Drilon BY NORMAN BORDADORA Philippine Daily Inquirer MORE THAN 80,000 Filipino seafarers stand to lose their jobs if a bill meant to improve the current system of overseeing maritime workers isn’t passed into law soon, Senate President Franklin Drilon warned. Drilon is the sponsor of Senate Bill No. 2043, or the Marina bill, that seeks to institute major structural changes in the maritime regulatory system. He said the measure needed immediate legislative attention “to avert an impending ban on Filipino seafarers by the European Union,” mainly because of the Philippines’ continued failure “to demonstrate its compliance with the 1978 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and

Watchkeeping for Seafarers, as amended.” Congress has to act fast before the European Maritime Safety Agency completes its latest audit report that will determine if the Philippines is indeed in conformity with the STCW Convention, he said. “I am informed that around 80,000 Filipino workers will eventually lose their jobs if such a ban is implemented by the European Union,” Drilon said. “Worse, if other countries follow the EU’s move, at least 300,000 more workers around the globe—and their families— will lose their precious livelihood,” he added. SB 2043 seeks to establish a single maritime administration, the Maritime Industry Authority, to take charge of overseeing the training and certification of Filipino seafarers,

and ensure that these follow international standards based on the STCW Convention. According to Drilon, the backlash from an EU ban won’t be felt by the seafarers and their families alone. “The country will lose billions of pesos from sea-based workers’ remittances which have aided the economy by fueling domestic consumption and preventing foreign exchange instability,” Drilon said. He said seafarers’ remittances reached nearly $5 billion in 2012. Aside from aligning the Philippine maritime system with international standards and addressing inefficiencies in the current system, Drilon said the passage of the bill would also “bring improvement in the skills and competitiveness of Filipino seafarers.” ■

List of... “tara,” or dirty money, to facilitate the release of the imports is met between them and their contacts at the agency, the customs official also said. From 2002 to 2011, the government lost more than P1.33 trillion in revenue due to smuggling through the country’s ports, according to the 800member Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI). In a 20-page study, a copy of which was given to the INQUIRER, the FPI said the forgone revenue came up to P889.5 billion from 2002 to 2008, P119.65 billion in 2009, and P326.76 billion in 2010 and 2011. The business group arrived at the figures by finding the “disparities in import data” from the BOC and the International Monetary Fund. ❰❰ 7

3 principal mandates

Customs Commissioner John Phillip Sevilla calls the bureau’s antismuggling drive one of the agency’s “three principal mandates,” along with revenue collection and trade facilitation. “These three are equally important. We want to move forward on all these three,” he told the INQUIRER in a recent interview.

Asked about the operations of big-time smugglers, the former finance undersecretary for privatization said: “Now you have three high-profile people with nicknames. But are they the only ones?” Entire ecosystem

“We’re talking of an entire ecosystem here…. I’m trying to understand how it works not from the point of view of three individuals but from how the system works,” he added. Earlier, Sevilla’s predecessor, Ruffy Biazon, said that “commissioners come and go, but the kalakaran (way of doing things) remains the same as it has always been.” “That’s because people have always looked at smuggling as the be-all and end-all of the problem. If you remove one corrupt individual and yet the same environment prevails, the risk for the replacement to go bad remains high,” Biazon said. Biazon said the problem of smuggling did not just crop up during his tenure. “It is a problem that hounds every BOC administration, not just here but around the world. Even the most technologically advanced customs agencies face the same problem. The only difference is the magnitude of the problem and the dy-

namics of the system prevailing in each country,” he said. The former Muntinlupa City legislator said reforms would contribute greatly to the antismuggling efforts of the bureau. “While the basics remain the same, that is, the apprehension of those involved in smuggling from within the BOC and corrupt businesses, institutional reforms will gradually change the environment at customs and make it difficult for the culture of corruption to continue,” Biazon said. Face of corruption

In a report, titled “Uproot Corruption, Reboot Customs,” the Department of Finance noted that “a long history of backroom deals, institutionalized theft and impunity has made the Bureau of Customs one of the most prominent faces of corruption in the government.” But “this is beginning to change with drastic shifts in leadership, personnel and processes already taking place as a result of the administration’s reform agenda,” the report said. “Our aim is to revitalize the bureaucracy, uproot the culture of corruption and jump-start a virtuous cycle of integrity and true public service in the bureau,” it added. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

British Foreign Secretary William Hague with President Aquino. PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK.COM

UK seeks stronger trade, security ties with PH BY JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer THE UNITED Kingdom seeks increased security and trade ties with the Philippines and other Southeast Asian countries but London also wants to see reforms that advance open societies and economies, visiting British Foreign Secretary William Hague said. In a policy speech delivered at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City, Hague said the United Kingdom is determined to build an even stronger relationship with the Philippines, which he said “clearly has the potential to be one of Asia Pacific’s great success stories.” “[We] want to support you in that, to the benefit of both our peoples,” Hague said, as he lauded the Philippines’ strong economic policies, the Filipino workers’ hard work here and abroad, and good governance. “I am here in Manila today because the UK government is set on building an even stronger relationship with the people and government of the Philippines: a relationship that is forward-looking; characterized by optimism, dynamism and trust, and founded on our common values,” he added. He said economic growth was achieved not only in “vibrant democracies” such as Taiwan, Japan and the Philippines, but also in countries such as China, Vietnam and Laos that retain single-party rule and have a legacy of state-ownership of businesses.

“Some people think Asia’s economic success has called into question the value of open economies and societies. Those people argue that Asia’s rise proves autocratic forms of capitalism are just as capable of economic success as stable democracies, and that countries can do without the values of individual liberty, free markets and the rule of law,” he said. Hague said individual liberty, free markets and the rule of law are “universal values” that work, and would count a lot in sustaining economic growth as Asian countries face challenges such as aging population, middle-income trap and corruption that threaten development. He said the challenges can be met by improving competitiveness, enhancing innovation and raising productivity. “To achieve sustainable growth and long-term prosperity, a commitment to free societies and open economies of the kind I have encountered in Indonesia and the Philippines is, in my view, vital, matched by sensible policy and good leadership,” he said. He enumerated five principles which he said underpin sustainable growth and will be crucial for the stability and success of countries in Asia and elsewhere as they adapt to a changing world: a lean but effective public sector; rule of law to encourage investment and enhance competition; respect and protection for individual freedoms; commitment to free trade; and investment in human capital and infrastructure. ■

Philippine News

13 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

3 GOCCs linked to pork scam abolished BY MICHAEL LIM UBAC Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT AQUINO has ordered the abolition of three government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) linked to the P10-billion pork barrel scam—Philippine Forest Corp. (PhilForest), ZNAC Rubber Estate (ZREC) and National Agri-Business Corp. (Nabcor). A Malacañang spokesperson noted that the three GOCCs had been implicated as “conduits of fake PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations.”

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the decision was based on financial viability, adding that the three agencies neither fulfilled the purposes for which they were created nor had a tangible social impact. She said the three GOCCs might not be the last to be abolished. “More GOCCs may be abolished as the GCG (Governance Commission for GOCCs) fulfills its mandate to rationalize the government-owned and -controlled corporations of the country,” she said. The decision of the President to abolish the three GOCCs was in pursuit of “max-

Return pork... All six senators denied any wrongdoing. In the same hearing, Tan said the COA was preparing to file malversation charges against officials of government agencies for unliquidated cash advances running into billions of pesos dating back 10 years from 2011. In Cebu City, the local government evacuated at least 500 families or 2,000 individuals from coastal areas. ❰❰ 8

Cebu on alert

Acting Cebu City Mayor Edgar Labella activated the barangay disaster risk reduction council and directed city health department officials to make sure that barangay health centers would be open 24 hours in case of emergency. At Mactan Cebu International Airport, MCIA public affairs head Mary Ann Dimabayao said flights going to and from Surigao and Siargao were canceled. In Tacloban City, more than

2,000 families in various tent cities in Barangay San Jose and in other areas were evacuated on Friday by the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (CDRRMC). The families, composed of more than 10,000 persons, were directed to stay at the Tacloban Convention Center, also known as Astrodome, said Federico Anido, chief of the Tacloban CDRRMC. The astrodome has a capacity of 5,000. Those living along the coast of Anibong district, where eight cargo vessels have been washed inland during the onslaught of Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” have been moved to the Anibong Elementary School. Anido said he decided to evacuate some families living in tents since these could be blown away. The city government, through its CDRRMC, has also identified other evacuation centers such as Leyte Normal University. ■

imizing efficiency and promoting accountability.” “The decision to abolish them was based on a financial viability and relevance to national development plans study conducted by the Governance Commission for GOCCs, which is the regulatory agency for such corporations,” Valte said. She said that from the start of his administration, Mr. Aquino had pursued a policy of promoting efficiency in government corporations, “to ensure that they serve as a means for fostering national development and not as a conduit or facilitator of selfish agendas and crimes.” Separation package

“Seeing that the three agencies neither fulfill the purposes for which they were created, nor had a tangible social impact, and that furthermore, they were no longer financially viable, the President gave his clearance for the formation of a technical working group to wind down operations and transfer relevant functions and operations (to other offices), as well as to attend to the separation pay for employees in keeping with Civil Service rules,”

Valte said. However, she stressed that any separation packages would be withheld for those found to have committed graft or other corrupt practices. Nabcor and ZREC are among the five state entities that Malacañang wanted abolished in the wake of the misuse of PDAF, the graft-ridden pork barrel which financed the pet projects of lawmakers. The others are PhilForest, an agro-forestry arm of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); Technology Resource Center (TRC) of the Department of Science and Technology; and the National Livelihood Development Corp. (NLDC) of Land Bank of the Philippines. It was Environment Secretary Ramon Paje who earlier disclosed that President Aquino had asked the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel to study the abolition of the five state entities. Paje said Aquino was “extremely disappointed” with how the pork barrel scam continued into his administration, particularly with the release of the P428.5 million PDAF of two

senators (Gringo Honasan and Lito Lapid) and 24 members of the House of Representatives to the five state companies. The P428.5-million pork barrel was released from October 2010 to December 2011 to nine fake nongovernment organizations (NGOs), which do not belong to the network of bogus NGOs put up by detained Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged mastermind of a P10-billion scam. Apart from being linked to the scam, Nabcor has incurred huge debts from the Agriculture Enhancement Competitiveness Fund that it could no longer recover, Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala said. A party-list representative, however, wondered why NLDC was not among those abolished. Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said the NLDC was used to funnel P1 billion in pork barrel funds into seven fake NGOs reportedly controlled by Napoles from 2008 to 2012. Colmenares noted that this was no different from the three state firms that were ordered abolished. ■ With a report from Gil C. Cabacungan

Palace hits use of child soldiers by rebel group BY MICHAEL LIM UBAC Philippine Daily Inquirer MALACAÑANG DESCRIBED as “repulsive” the use of child soldiers by the hardline Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a breakaway Moro rebel group that is now the target of bombing raids by government troops in Maguindanao. “Beyond the fact that it violates so many laws—not just ours but international laws—we condemn the practice of using child soldiers in these hostilities,” said deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte in a radio interview. She said the use of child soldiers to perpetuate violence “has no place” in a civilized society. The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has a strict www.canadianinquirer.net

policy against this, she said. “In relation to the situation that is happening with the BIFF, there’s a very disturbing report of … (bodies of ) three child soldiers that were recovered,” Valte said. “That news that they (BIFF forces) used three child soldiers, child warriors, is repulsive,” she said. The three child soldiers were among 53 people killed in a week of fighting with government forces. Col. Dickson Hermoso, spokesperson for the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, reported that of the 53 bodies of slain BIFF fighters recovered on Friday, three were those of minors. Hermoso said the children, aged 15 to 16, were wearing fatigue uniforms “with BIFF markings and possessed firearms.”

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the use of child soldiers to perpetuate violence “has no place” in a civilized society. PHOTO FROM MALINDANGBUHILAMAN. WORDPRESS.COM

Valte said the security forces of the government are against the deployment of child soldiers or child warriors. She said the AFP had not tolerated this practice, even as she appealed to parents against allowing their children to be recruited for any armed struggle. ■

Philippine News

FEBRUARY 7, 2014 FRIDAY 14

DAP no... and to fund priority programs and projects not considered in the 2012 budget but expended to be started or implemented during the current year.” The petitioners claimed the withdrawn allotments may not be declared as savings and using them on items not considered in the budget violated the Constitution. Section 25 (5) of the Constitution states: “No law shall be passed authorizing any transfer of appropriations; however, the President, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the ❰❰ 3

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the heads of Constitutional Commissions may, by law, be authorized to augment any item in the general appropriations law for their respective offices from savings in other items of their respective appropriations.” Sereno noted the “unfortunate language” used in the circular while Justice Marvic Leonen said the court would have to give priority to what the text of the Constitution stated. Written by ‘neophytes’

Justice Arturo Brion pointedly asked Abad if he was cer-

tain that the document was not written by “neophytes,” and went on to question the budgetary expertise as well as knowledge in “statutory construction” of the DBM lawyers that crafted the document. Sereno said it was also possible that the one who crafted the circular was merely after monitoring of agencies’ targets and performances without referring to “statutorily required observances.” Abad had to apologize repeatedly for the provision and promised, as requested by Sereno, to provide a “history” of the circular.

Sereno said the court wanted to know the precise constitutional issues and what standards to apply with regards to restrictions provided in the budget. She recalled that in the United States, Congress had insisted that it was the president’s duty to enforce the budget law. She also asked if it was possible that the the circular was only talking about projects for which there were no specific appropriation restrictions under the law, or that it was possible that the circular was the “product of a failure to distinguish between what are statutorily required observances and

those which are just needed for monitoring.” Leonen also asked why the executive branch did not just wait for next year’s session of Congress to seek funding to stimulate the economy. Jardeleza said the President made an “executive decision” to use the funds. Justice Roberto Abad questioned the bases of the executive department’s decision that a project had been “abandoned” so that funding for it can be diverted. He said if this was done then, in a way, the executive department could had altered the will of Congress. ■

Senators take home P1.4M a month–Miriam BY NORMAN BORDADORA Philippine Daily Inquirer SEN. MIRIAM Defensor-Santiago, hobbled by a chronic fatigue syndrome, made a rare appearance in a committee hearing, batting for the swift passage of the freedom of information (FOI) bill and urging the inclusion of a provision that would allow voters to determine if school dropouts in the Senate deserve their P1.4 million monthly pay. Santiago told the committee headed by Sen. Grace Poe that the transparency measure should require the publication in a website of the basic salary, allowances and other incomes of all government officials amid widespread public outrage at the fat bonuses executives of the Social Security System and other state-owned firms had awarded themselves. “It is urgent to stop corporate greed in the state bureaucracy. Those people help themselves to outrageous allowances and bonuses as if the government is an enterprise for profit. That is a sclerotic view of public service,” the feisty former trial judge fumed. She was particularly scathing on the emoluments of members of the upper chamber based on computations by its finance and administrative services department. “The basic monthly salary of a senator is P90,000. But if you add all other legitimate sources of income such as al-

lowances and honoraria, the total monthly income of a senator could be placed at some P1.4 million,” she said. “There are some senators who did not finish high school or college. Do we really want to pay them this high a salary? That is a valid concern that voters might want to address, if they have access to information,” she said. Santiago said she wanted the public to compare the monthly income of the highest paid public official, the President, with the income of the “lowest paid janitor in the bureaucracy.” “In the corporate world, there is an algorithm for determining how much should be the salary of the highest ranking officer, because it cannot be more than the salary of the lowest employee, when multiplied by a certain factor. That should also be the practice in the public sector,” Santiago said. Conflicting provisions

The senator also cited the maintenance and other operating expenses (MOOE) given to every senator’s office every month. “It is long past overdue to dismantle the MOOE which is a secret source of additional

income for every senator,” she said. “We should tear apart the veil of secrecy which covers total incomes of politicians. A public website should allow the citizen to access every senator’s sources of income, including MOOE, chairmanship of certain committees, membership in the Commission on Appointments, or in the

spondence shall be inviolable. On the other hand, the right of the people to information on matters of public concern shall be recognized,” she said in a statement. “We have to be able to finish the antagonism between these two provisions lest critics question the constitutionality of the FOI law in the Supreme Court.” Santiago added that the FOI bill should be reconciled with the existing Data Privacy Act and other laws as well. Duty to disclose

o v e r s i g h t committees,” she added. Santiago said that while she was an ardent supporter of the long-pending FOI bill, there are two constitutional provisions which might clash with each other in the proposed measure. “Under the Bill of Rights, on the one hand, the provision of communications and correwww.canadianinquirer.net

In her interpellation, she said that the law must draw a distinction b et w e e n the mandatory duty to disclose and the duty to permit access to information. Santiago said that in some countries, an FOI act covers only information under control of the state. She acknowledged the need for “presidential communication privilege” and that other executive officials are entitled to the “deliberative process privilege” to preserve the quality of decision-making. She suggested that the FOI

include among its exceptions those already provided under the National Internal Revenue Code, AIDS Prevention and Control Act, and InterCountry Adoption Act, “in addition to information provided by foreign governments.” Santiago added that a previous Supreme Court ruling stressed the provision in the Philippine Mining Act requiring the Department of Environment and Natural Resources “to maintain the confidentiality of confidential information supplied by contractors who are parties to mineral agreements.” Campaign promise

Various FOI bills have been introduced in Congress over the years. Senate Bill No. 1733 seeks to grant the public access to government information, excluding only sensitive national security issues. Most legislators are against the bill, fearing publication of government workings that public officials would rather keep from the people. President Aquino, who had promised to support the bill during the 2010 presidential campaign, has expressed reservations over a provision that would make transcripts of Cabinet meetings available to the public, except those pertaining to national security and diplomacy. With such a provision, a Cabinet official may think twice about making statements in such meetings, Mr. Aquino said. ■

Philippine News

15 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

‘Failure not an option: There’s no Plan B’ BY NIKKO DIZON AND MICHAEL LIM UBAC Philippine Daily Inquirer FAILURE IS not an option for the government in implementing the peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), according to President Aquino’s peace adviser. “There’s no Plan B. We can do it,” Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles told reporters. Deles stressed that it was President Aquino himself who “shaped” the peace initiative with the MILF when he assumed office in 2010. In his instructions to the government peace panel, Deles said, Mr. Aquino outlined the kind of peace agreement with the MILF that he wanted: It should be constitutional; it should have learned lessons from the past; everything should be deliverable, and it should be inclusive and transparent. All that because if a peace deal is clinched, it will happen during Mr. Aquino’s presidency, Deles said. “He wanted something he could deliver,” she added. Deles was also confident that Congress would pass the Bangsamoro basic law that would be written by the Transition Commission and would be certified urgent by the President. Asked if the abolition of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), a pork barrel that channels funds to congressional districts, would not affect the legislators’ decision on the proposed Bangsamoro law, Deles said: “There can be matters where people will rise above themselves. Definitely, the people in Congress will tell us that (President Aquino) still has high political stock.” “We didn’t go through all of this if the President did not, was not that committed [to this agreement’s] implementation,” Deles said. The proposed Bangsamoro basic law would establish a more powerful, better-funded and potentially bigger Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao. To be called Bangsamoro, it would replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Although congressional leaders have pledged support for the administration’s peace efforts, President Aquino expects dissenters when he hands the Bangsamoro bill to Congress. Charter change

Speaking to reporters in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Mr. Aquino denied that the Bangsamoro bill was a pretext for amending the Constitution. “Perhaps we should appeal (to the

fore making conclusions. He dismissed “insinuations that this is not in accordance with the Constitution” as “baseless.” Mindanao plebiscite

lawmake r s that they) should not be too apprehensive,” Mr. Aquino said, referring to legislators who still do not have “complete information” about the peace process with the MILF but have what he called “fear of the unknown.” The President explained that from the start, the “framework” of the peace process between his administration and the MILF has been the Constitution. He said he instructed the government negotiators to make the talks transparent, including concessions discussed in closeddoor sessions, “so that there won’t be surprises.” Government and MILF negotiators agreed on the fourth and last deal for a final peace agreement in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Jan. 25, with the MILF signing on to the deactivation of its 11,000-strong fighting force in exchange for an autonomous Bangsamoro region in Mindanao. Last year, both sides signed agreements on power-sharing, wealth-sharing and transitional arrangements. The four annexes to the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro will be the basis for a final peace accord between the government and the MILF that they hope to sign in a few weeks.

Mr. Aquino did not answer directly when asked if he expected the Bangsamoro basic law to be approved in a plebiscite in Mindanao, saying instead that he expected many to oppose the proposal “because of the many benefits that will be given to Bangsamoro.” He was referring to the wealthsharing agreement, which would give to the Bangsamoro government the larger share of revenues from taxes and natural resources, except for income from fossil fuels, which the government and Bangsamoro would split equally between themselves. Explaining those concessions, Mr. Aquino said the ARMM had been neglected for so long. “Now we want to be fair… to every Filipino. Those who have been left behind [in development] should perhaps be given [more] so that they could catch up with the other [regions],” Mr. Aquino said.

‘Baseless insinuations’

Mr. Aquino denied that amending the Constitution is a condition for the final peace agreement. Referring to a lawmaker’s talking about a provision in the framework agreement on a possible need for constitutional amendments, Mr. Aquino said the provision did not mean the government had committed to introduce changes to the Constitution. The President appealed to critics to wait for the draft of the Bangsamoro basic law that would be written by the 15member Transition Commission bewww.canadianinquirer.net

MILF serious, too

Government chief negotiator Miriam Coronel-Ferrer said the MILF was also “serious about ending the war honorably and with their principles intact.” “They have already done that shift from advocating armed struggle to really pushing for what can be achieved through peaceful means [and] that was already a big step that facilitated the success of the negotiations,” Ferrer said. What if Congress decides to write its own law? “I think we stand a really good chance of passing a law that captures the spirit and the intentions of the annexes and the comprehensive framework agreement. There is a wide public support to find a really good political settlement to the conflict and to that extent, our politicians will also listen to the sentiments of the people,” Ferrer said. Support from business

Businessmen urged the enactment of the Bangsamoro basic law. In a statement, the Makati Business Club pledged to support the final phase of the peace process and to help harness the economic potentials of the future Bangsamoro autonomous region. ■

Opinion

FEBRUARY 7, 2014 FRIDAY 16

THERE’S THE RUB

Sense of proportion By Conrado De Quiros Philippine Daily Inquirer I WAS struck by three things last week that stood out for their breathtaking lack of sense of proportion. The first was the news about Vhong Navarro. It came—or exploded—early last week alongside news about government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MILF) signing the last of the protocols governing peace, the one about the MILF “decommissioning” or disarming itself. By Tuesday last week, the first had shoved the second aside as headline story. It was so in several TV news—a partial CCTV footage of what transpired in the apartment Navarro visited in Global City leading the way, followed by several stories that examined the video, that interpreted the video, that showed various reactions to the video. By then the peace talks had been reduced to a follow-up story on the fighting between government troops and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. The Navarro incident continued to have a long shelf life, dominating the news the rest of the week. By weekend, I’ve gotten the joke about the Presidential Security Group apparently mistaking P-Noy’s command to

beat up Bong and not Vhong a dozen times on my phone. The end seems nowhere in near sight as I write this. This is by no means the first time it happened, and it won’t be the last. It’s the perfect tabloid stuff, reeking of sex and violence, a combination that grabs residents of rich and poor countries alike. Though it tends to sink its claws deeper on us. The other times it happened were when Ernesto Maceda bared the Brunei Beauties, figuratively speaking, and when Bong, not Vhong, went to town on Katrina Halili and—showing the impact these things have on the national consciousness—succeeded in climbing to the top of the senatorial polls. Whose curiosity isn’t pricked, no pun intended, by things like this? You’d be a hypocrite to say you ignored the story or did not join friends in speculating on what really happened there. But what makes this a little more tragic, or cringe-worthy, is that it happened alongside one of the most important, indeed historic, events in this country’s history. The hostilities in Mindanao have dragged on for as long as anyone can remember, dating back to Spanish times whence originate our moromoro pageants. At no time has the prospect of real peace been more within grasp than with the signing of

the disarmament protocol. And we can’t see beyond the misadventure of Mr. Suave whose face looked anything but suave at the end of it? The sensation is not unlike the Daily Express headlining a man who was electrocuted while climbing an electric post on the day Ninoy Aquino was laid to rest. Except that that disconnect was brought on by a muzzled press in the pit of a tyranny. This one we’ve just freely inflicted on ourselves.

“[W]hat makes [the Navarro incident] a little more tragic, or cringe-worthy, is that it happened alongside one of the most important, indeed historic, events in this country’s history.” The second was the story about the Sandiganbayan sentencing nine public officials of Sarangani to life imprisonment for malversation of funds. I was about to applaud when I saw the story’s head, until I read on and saw the amount the nine officials—two current and seven former—were going to spend the rest of their days in jail for. It was all of —P475,000! I was about to applaud because I thought it was high time the courts took graft and corruption seriously

and made this country realize that serious things bore serious consequences. I was about to applaud because I thought stealing from an impoverished place like Sarangani was like stealing from the victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” it drove home the cruelty of it. I was about to applaud because I thought at least the Sandiganbayan had the resolve to do what government prosecutors had failed to do, which was prosecute offenders; and what the other courts had failed to do, which was to send the convicted to jail. But life imprisonment for nine people for P475,000! Let us be clear: Of course public officials should be punished for stealing, whether they steal P1 million or P1,000. Particularly, as I said, in places where a thousand bucks can mean the difference between life and death. The fact that people who are accused of stealing tens or even hundreds of millions have not yet been prosecuted, convicted and jailed is no reason to not prosecute, convict and jail people accused of stealing a few hundred thousands. Even if that raises all sorts of conundrums about selective justice. We have to start somewhere and this is as good a place to start as any. But you want to make a statement, make sure your statement will not

be lost in the gales of laughter that will greet it. Life imprisonment for nine people who stole a collective P475,000 is not the sort of thing the public will look upon with awe and admiration, it is the sort of thing the public will look upon as a joke. It is not the sort of thing that will be touted as proof Lady Justice is blind, it is the sort of thing that will be cited as proof the Sandiganbayan is insane. The way it struck me was the way Rodrigo Duterte’s not very facetious proposal to kill the rice smugglers in Davao City struck me. Some things are way out of proportion. And lastly, there’s Imelda Marcos dropping in on Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and being horrified by her condition. “It’s inhuman,” she said about Arroyo’s continuing detention. Her sentiment was echoed by the bishops who visited Arroyo as well, which included the ones who got the CBCP to vote to continue to support Arroyo after the exposure of the “Hello Garci” tape, and the one who dismissed the charge of cheating against Arroyo by saying, “Everybody cheats anyway.” They miss the point. What is inhuman is not the fact that Arroyo continues to be detained, what is inhuman is the fact that they continue to be free. ■

cept of a revolutionary government. Accordingly, a provisional constitution was hastily written, giving her immense powers to dismantle the infrastructure of the Marcos dictatorship and pave the way for the “restoration” of democracy under a regular constitution. Except for a handful of Marcos loyalists who refused to recognize her as president, the rest of the Filipino people accepted the self-description of the Cory government as a revolutionary transition government. In contrast, Arroyo could not draw her mandate from people power because she was never a part of it, unlike Cory who became its symbol. Thus, any attempt on Arroyo’s part to assume the presidency on the basis of the revolutionary act of the people would have been rejected outright. The only route available therefore was to justify her succession as something explicitly mandated by the Constitution. The ensuing narrative thus took the following form: President Erap had become incapacitated. Therefore, Vice President Arroyo had the duty to succeed. The problem with this account is that, so long as it tried to justify the succession in constitutional terms, it had to explain how the vacancy in the presidency occurred in the first

instance. “Constructive resignation,” the concept subsequently conjured by the Supreme Court to account for Erap’s exit from the presidency, never quite took hold. Legitimacy in modern political systems, as we may see, is no longer something that is guaranteed by elections or by rulings of constitutional courts. Yingluck Shinawatra and her brother Thaksin both took power with huge electoral margins. And yet their hold on governmental power remained shaky. On the other hand, royal endorsement, such as the opposition Democrat Party in Thailand seems to enjoy, no longer suffices either as a source of legitimacy. That is why they are having a hard time winning elections. One can almost foresee the dysfunctional return of the Thai military to politics in the wake of the Thai impasse. This does not solve the problem of political legitimacy; it only postpones it. Thai politicians must realize, sooner or later, that political systems in the modern world can no longer rest on tried and tested means for securing legitimacy. What they are looking for in the final analysis is a way of justifying political power that is appropriate to the contingencies of politics in a modern and more complex Thai society. ■

PUBLIC LIVES

Elections in Thailand By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer NEIGHBORING THAILAND goes to the polls today (Sunday) with the hope of resolving the festering political conflict that has taken an increasingly violent turn in the last three months. The opposition is not just boycotting these elections; it is threatening to disrupt the voting itself. The government has offered to postpone the elections, if necessary, provided the opposition agrees to a moratorium on demonstrations. But the latter is unyielding in its demand for the resignation of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, and the immediate handover of government to a provisional “people’s council.” This political impasse should be of interest to us Filipinos because, on two previous occasions, we were more or less in the same situation as the Thais today. In the course of challenging the right of the incumbent to continue wielding the powers of government, we sought to recast the meaning of legitimacy in such a way that it does not rest solely, or primarily, on winning an election. The first was when the forces that formed around Cory Aquino’s campaign against Ferdinand Marcos in

the snap polls of February 1986 rejected the purported results of the election. That election was supposed to produce convincing proof that Marcos still enjoyed the popular support of the Filipino people. Ignoring calls for a boycott, the then opposition, which grew out of the protest movement spawned by the Ninoy Aquino assassination, opted to take on the electoral challenge even as its leaders knew they would be cheated. The second time we unseated an incumbent president was in January 2001. When the impeachment trial of then President Joseph “Erap” Estrada abruptly ended without producing a decision, the venue of political contestation shifted from the halls of the Senate to the parliament of the streets once more. As Erap began to lose control of the levers of government, he offered to hold a snap election to settle the question of political legitimacy. It was too late. His voice was drowned out by the clamor for his immediate ouster. Seeing the looming power gap as a stage fraught with danger and uncertainty, forces loyal to then Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo moved quickly to install her as constitutional successor in the light of the incumbent president’s growing inability to

enforce his orders. The outcome was a masterful coup not just against Erap but also against those who had hoped the crisis would be the ignition point for a comprehensive reform of the whole system of corrupt governance. Although Edsa 2 tried very hard to mimic Edsa 1 as a direct expression of people power, there were fundamental differences between the two that are worth noting. Legitimacy was not a problem for Cory Aquino, whereas it remained so for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo throughout the more than nine

Legitimacy in modern political systems, as we may see, is no longer something that is guaranteed by elections or by rulings of constitutional courts. years she was in office. It is useful to dig into how this happened. It may allow us to understand better the events that are unfolding in Thailand today. Cory could not draw her mandate for the presidency from the snap election. The official count produced by the Marcos-controlled Commission on Elections showed that it was the dictator who won that election. Ninoy’s widow had no choice but to assume the presidency under the con-

www.canadianinquirer.net

Opinion

17 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

VIEWPOINT

Reading beyond labels By Juan L. Mercado Philippine Daily Inquirer LIKE THE proverbial bogus coin, this issue keeps turning up: Do expiration dates on medicines mean anything? “Medicines are still effective even after expiration,” Dr. Diana Sarmiento wrote Wednesday in “Yahoo She.” “Very often, we review the contents of our medicine cabinet and find a few of the drugs we stored have gone beyond their expiration date. Out they go, into the trash bin.” The Poison Control System of the California School of Pharmacy’s latest study zeroed in on 14 medications still packed in original, sealed packages from 28-40 years ago. Conclusion: 12 of the 14 drugs retained more than 90 percent of their potency. This new data supports the advocacy of the Shelf-Life Extension Program in the United States. “So, the next time you do a general cleaning of the medicine cabinet, don’t be too rash in chucking those out-of-date tablets,” Sarmiento added. Here, this question often erupts in COA (Commission on Audit) reports. Auditors routinely strafe officials for having, in stock, medicine beyond expiry dates. Critics earlier raked the fundstrapped V. Luna Hospital for accept-

ing donations of drugs nearing expiry dates. Our soldiers deserve better than lapsing—and “ineffective”— medicine, the argument went. The stamping of expiration dates on drugs started in 1979. They “stand for something,” Harvard Medical School says in its Family Health Guide. “But it’s probably not what you think it does.” The Harvard article forms part of “updating literature” for all US doctors. Excerpts that may be useful for the COA, local governments and families follow: Much of what’s known today about drug expiration stems from a question the US military lobbed over to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA): Should it junk its $1-billion stockpile of medicine every two or three years? The FDA studied more than 100 drugs. It found that 90 percent of prescription and over-the-counter medicines were perfectly good for use even 15 years after the expiration date. “Expiration dates don’t indicate a point at which the medication is no longer effective or has become unsafe,” the Harvard note states. “This is the date at which the manufacturer can guarantee the full potency and safety of the drug.” “Many drugs stored under reasonable conditions retain 90 percent of their potency for at least five years after the expiration date on the label,

and sometimes much longer,” notes Brigham Young University Health Center. A simple way, such as “placing a medication in a cool place, such as a refrigerator, helps a drug remain potent for many years.” Some medicines that the FDA tests found effective after their expiration dates include Bayer’s antibiotic Cipro and aspirin and SmithKline Beecham PLC’s Thorazine, a tranquilizer. Wyeth-Ayert’s antidote to chemical poisoning was still effective 15 years beyond the expiration date.

The FDA studied more than 100 drugs. It found that 90 percent of prescription and over-the-counter medicines were perfectly good for use even 15 years after the expiration date. The FDA’s findings saved the US military $263.4 million on its initial grant of $78,000 for the study. We extended shelf lives instead of “destroying large quantities of still-useful medical products,” says Francis Flaherty who oversaw the FDA testing program. This has implications for the Philippines and other poor nations. Here, government clinics are perennially short of drugs—from simple aspirins

to anti-tuberculosis drugs. “TB or not TB is the congestion,” Woody Allen wisecracked. But TB is no joking matter here. TB incidence in the Philippines is triple that of Thailand’s. But many turn down drug-company donations if they’re within a year of expiration dates. Is misinformation depriving sick people of medicine? “Is there no balm in Gilead?” cried the ancient writers. “Unless you have nitroglycerin, insulin and liquid antibiotics, you can pretty much be assured that your medication expires years beyond the date it says it does,” notes Dr. Joseph Mercola, author of “Total Health Program.” “The major tragedy is many Third World countries needlessly discard the drugs that… could actually be saving lives, due to lack of appreciation of this concept,” adds Mercola. So, are expiration dates just a marketing ploy? “Look at it another way,” the Harvard note suggests. “Expiration dates are very conservative to ensure you get everything you paid for. If a manufacturer had to do expiration-date testing for longer periods, it would slow their ability to bring you new and improved formulations.” Drug-industry officials don’t dispute the results of the FDA’s testing

within what is called the “Shelf Life Extension Program,” reports Wall Street Journal’s Laurie Cohen. “They agree expiration dates have a commercial dimension. But they say relatively short shelf lives make sense from a publicsafety standpoint as well.” “Two to three years is a comfortable point of commercial convenience,” Cohen quotes Mark van Arandonk of Pharmacia & Upjohn Inc. “It gives us enough time to put the inventory in warehouses, ship it and ensure it will stay on shelves long enough to get used.” When faced by the drug expiration date dilemma, the Harvard note suggests a rule of thumb: If the expiration date passed a few years ago and it’s important that your drug is absolutely 100-percent effective (as for stroke, cancer, etc.) “You might want to consider buying a new bottle.” Or ask your doctor. The COA and other agencies unquestioningly abide by what’s stamped on medicine label. But it may be time to hone that mechanical response with current medical knowledge. Far too many Filipinos are poor and cannot afford medicine. It would be a crime to deny them perfectly good drugs due to the inability to read beyond a label. “If you don’t have a cold,” the Chinese say, “you need not fear to eat watermelons.” ■

But we know how unpredictable politics in this country can be—and the road to the Bangsamoro is undoubtedly rife with politics. Already, we are seeing the beginnings of the worst case scenario, as the military battle it out with the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, a breakaway group of the MILF. And there is Nur Misuari of the Moro National Liberation Front making loud, threatening noises in the background. Meanwhile, says Deles, they know of two petitions filed with the Supreme Court contesting the constitutionality of the draft law, even before it’s to be submitted. So, not an easy road ahead. *** But, consider the potential rewards waiting at the end of the road. Citing a prospective report of Standard Chartered Bank, the government paints a picture of what awaits the nation—even if only economically—with the success of the peace process. Economic growth in Mindanao can accelerate to double-digit levels; Mindanao could end up with a higher GDP and per capita GDP “than any other in the Philippines”; the Bangsamoro region’s per capita income could rise from P26,000 to P50,000 by 2017; and the rest of Mindanao’s GDP could conceivably double.

In the initial years after the creation of the Bangsamoro, the agriculture and fishing sectors could benefit the most, with the industry and services sectors picking up; domestic and foreign investment could gain ground; while improved infrastructure and cost competitiveness could speed up economic development. These gains will benefit not just Mindanao, but the rest of the country, with the Philippines meeting its long-term growth target of 7-8 percent a year. Now isn’t that better news than the outcome of the Vhong-DenieceCedric imbroglio? *** Congratulations to my friend, and a regular at the “Bulong Pulungan sa Sofitel” media forum core group, Frank Evaristo, who was recently elected president of the Manila Rotary Club, the first such club in Asia. Evaristo is a former Jaycees national president, current president of the Alay Lakad Foundation, and is very active in many civic causes. Outgoing president Rudy Bediones and district governor-nominee and chair of Comelec Obet Pagdanganan announced the results of the election held recently at the Manila Polo Club. Induction ceremonies will be held on July 3. ■

AT LARGE

Road to peace By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer HAVE WE now had our fill of the evolving drama swirling around Vhong Navarro, Cedric Lee and Deniece Cornejo? Admittedly, even as we bemoaned the “media circus” around the triangle du jour, our dinner conversation still centered on the ins and outs of this cause célèbre. And this was during the dinner before the “round table” with the panel members of both the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the government. At the back of our minds, of course, we recognized that we were in the midst of what is undoubtedly the bigger, more significant story, one with potential impact on the nation’s life long after people would have forgotten that an actor/ comedian named “Vhong” (and not “Bong” as a much-texted joke avers) ever occupied our attention. But it’s hard to compete against a story with the trifecta of sex, violence and influence (read: showbiz) going for it. What the near-completion of the peace process between the government and MILF offers, in turn, is a circuitous path, with many questions still left unsettled, and old fears and prejudices still lurking in the background. And as the adage goes: The media hate complexity.

So to boil it down to tabloid-ese, let’s just quote Mohagher Iqbal, chair of the MILF peace panel, on what’s transpired: “There is no other option. The only option is peace.” You can’t get any clearer—or simpler—than that. *** Admittedly, despite the decades spent fighting on the ground and then talking across the negotiating table— sometimes at the same time—we’re still in the early days of the process to create an elected Bangsamoro government, with the armed forces of the MILF (and, it is hoped, the other armed groups in Mindanao) integrated into the national police and military. We’re still a long way from the day we can write “finis” to the conflict in Mindanao, and exhale a sigh of relief, relishing the “peace dividend” that till now remains in the realm of the imagined but is nonetheless possible and reachable. With the Bangsamoro Transition Commission in place, and the agreement and annexes signed and submitted, work now begins on drafting the basic law creating the Bangsamoro. This work includes consulting with all affected parties, including the Christian and lumad (indigenous) populations of Mindanao.

Once the draft basic law is completed, it will be submitted to the President who is expected to certify it as urgent. Should the bill be passed into law (“we have the support of the leadership of both Houses,” assured peace adviser Ging Deles), the Bangsamoro Transition Commission will be abolished and a referendum held in the proposed Bangsamoro territory. This signals the “winding up” of the affairs of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, to be replaced by the interim ministerial government, to be known as the Bangsam-

‘There is no other option. The only option is peace.’ Mohagher Iqbal, chair of the MILF peace panel oro Transition Authority. The proposed timetable calls for the holding of elections simultaneously with the 2016 national elections, after which the elected Bangsamoro government, and officials, shall take office. *** Just a cursory review of the proposed timetable shows a rather tight schedule, and one that will work only if all parties cooperate, and no roadblocks are placed in the way.

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FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

Canada News

Elections law changes would register robocalls, raise spending caps The Canadian Press OTTAWA—The Harper government is introducing legislation to toughen up parts of Canada’s election law, while loosening the rules that govern political donations and party spending. The bill includes a mandatory public registry for automated election calls and jail time for anyone convicted of impersonating an elections official, said Pierre Poilievre, the junior minister in charge of democratic reform. “It closes loopholes to big money, imposes new penalties on political impostors who make rogue calls and empowers law enforcement with sharper teeth, a longer reach and a freer hand,” Poilievre said. The legislation would move the office of the commissioner of elections under the mantle of the public prosecutor’s office. The commissioner is responsible for enforcing the elec-

tions law. Yves Cote, the incumbent commissioner, has more than five years left in his term. In future, the commissioner would be appointed by the director of public prosecutions to a non-renewable, seven-year term. And the legislation bars former political candidates, political party employees, ministerial or MP staffers or employees of Elections Canada from being named commissioner. The changes would also raise the individual political donation limit to $1,500 from $1,200 and increase party spending limits by five per cent. Union and corporate donations are still banned. The legislation would also tighten ID requirements for voters. Having

someone vouch for another’s identity at the polling place will no longer be permitted. And it would also lift a long-standing ban on the premature transmission of election results, allowing voters in Western Canada to know what’s happening before going to the polls. Poilievre said the bill will make laws stricter, but also easier to follow. “The Fair Elections Act will ensure everyday citizens are in charge of democracy by putting special interests on the sidelines and rule-breakers out of business.” NDP critic Craig Scott, who responded immediately after Poilievre’s news conference, said the legislation demands a close examination, and predicted the devil would be in the details. “Do we trust this government without reading every word as carefully as possible?” Scott said. “We have to see exactly what the wording is.” Scott said he fears the bill may be salted with obscure provisions that would serve to help the Conservatives in the next election. ■

An editorial from the Waterloo Region Record, published Feb. 1:

Editorial Exchange: Trudeau’s Senate plans are lacking BY WATERLOO REGION RECORD The Canadian Press JUSTIN TRUDEAU’S bold call for Senate reform is a lot like a shiny, red apple made out of plastic. It looks delectably fresh, inviting and appetizing. But bite into it and there’s nothing there beyond an empty space inside an indigestible package. It’s true that throwing 32 Liberal senators out of the Liberal caucus and proposing a non-partisan appointment process for future members of the Upper Chamber this week grabbed the federal Liberal leader front-page headlines. It got

the entire country buzzing about more than the lousy January weather we’ve been getting. That’s an accomplishment. Trudeau’s plan also showed he could think and act decisively. Here was a way to renovate the decrepit and expensive political house that has for so long enraged Canadians and confounded their elected leaders without opening the Pandora’s box of the Constitution. Here was something to show Trudeau was different from, and maybe smarter than, the other federal party leaders. And here was a reminder to voters of the muddle Prime Minister Stephen Harper has made of the Senate by appointing people like

Mike Duffy, who was ordered to repay $90,172 in improperly claimed expenses. A skilled amateur boxer, Trudeau certainly connected with a few jabs and scored a few points in all this. However, we doubt his plans for Senate reform will go the distance. Consider first his attempt to cut all the ties between him and the senators who had been sitting as Liberals. Supposedly, this is Trudeau’s first shot at cleansing the Senate of political partisanship and transforming it into a model of impartial and independent wisdom. The trouble is, the senators he ejected, the people he referred to as ❱❱ PAGE 22 Editorial Exchange

NEWS BRIEFS

FROM THE CANADIAN PRESS

CYBERBULLYING LAW FACES FIRST COURTROOM TEST HALIFAX—A unique law will be tested in a Nova Scotia courtroom for the first time when government lawyers argue later this month that someone accused of making online threats should be ordered to stop the alleged cyberbullying. Attorneys for the province’s Justice Department will present the case in the Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Halifax on Feb. 11 under the Cyber-safety Act, one-of-a-kind legislation aimed at addressing the rising number of cyberbullying claims. TD SAYS HOME PRICES 10 PER CENT OVERVALUED TORONTO—Canadian home prices are likely about 10 per cent overvalued given the expectations for rising interest rates, TD Bank said in a report Monday. However, the bank also noted that the overvaluation in markets like Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa is likely more significant than in others across the country. CANADA WATCHING NEW FLU, FEELS RISK STILL LOW TORONTO—The number of H7N9 bird flu infections continues to climb rapidly in China. But the Public Health Agency of Canada says it believes the risk the virus poses to Canadians remains low. The agency’s director general for immunization and respiratory infectious diseases said Canada is monitoring the situation in China, and continues work on an update of the national pandemic preparedness plan that was begun in the aftermath of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. Helen Branswell IMF: CANADA CAN BE FLEXIBLE ON 2015 DEFICIT WASHINGTON—The federal government can loosen its efforts to balance the budget by 2015 in the event of an economic downturn, the International Monetary Fund said Monday. The Harper government has made a zerodeficit target a central goal of its mandate, with some of its biggest promises from the last election contingent on a return to balanced books.

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World News

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

FRIDAY 20

Pope tells controversial missionary group to respect bishops, culture when spreading faith BY NICOLE WINFIELD The Associated Press VATICAN CITY—Pope Francis told members of a missionary movement Saturday they must respect local customs and bishops’ guidance while globally spreading the faith, saying the Catholic Church’s overall unity is more important than the details of their own practices. Francis held an audience with several thousand members of the Neocatechumenal Way, a community founded in Spain in the 1960s that seeks to train Catholic adults in their faith and is known for sending

teams of large families out as missionaries around the globe. The group, whose growing membership is reported at around 1 million, is one of the socalled new religious movements in the church, emboldened by the Vatican’s call for renewed evangelizing, but also criticized for divisive practices and alleged liturgical abuses that greatly concerned Pope Benedict XVI. Francis is less a liturgical purist than his predecessor, and has said he wants a missionary church that goes out to the peripheries of the world to spread the faith. But in his audience with the Neocatechumenals, Francis made clear the commu-

nity still had issues that needed addressing. While encouraging 40 new teams of missionaries, he told the families and the movements’ founders their priority must be keeping the church unified. “Communion is essential,” Francis said. “Sometimes it might be better to renounce living what your path calls for in all its details for the sake of guaranteeing unity.” The movement’s Saturday evening liturgies, celebrated in small groups around a table as if it were Jesus’ banquet, have been a source of concern among Pope Francis. ❱❱ PAGE 36 Pope tells

PHOTO BY GIULIO NAPOLITANO / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Man says he ate fish, birds, turtles while drifting 13 months across Pacific Ocean BY NICK PERRY The Associated Press WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND—It’s a story that almost defies belief: A man leaves Mexico in December 2012 for a day of shark fishing and ends up surviving 13 months on fish, birds and turtles before washing ashore on the remote Marshall Islands thousands of miles (kilometres) away. But that’s what a man identifying himself as 37-year-old Jose Salvador Alvarenga told the U.S. ambassador in the Marshall Islands and the nation’s officials during a 30-minute meeting Monday before he was taken to a local hospital for monitoring. Alvarenga washed ashore on the tiny atoll of Ebon in the Pacific Ocean last week before being taken to the capital, Majuro, on Monday. “It’s hard for me to imagine someone surviving 13 months at sea,” said Ambassador Tom Armbruster in Majuro. “But it’s also hard to imagine how someone might arrive on Ebon out of the blue. Certainly this guy has had an ordeal, and has been at sea for some time.” Other officials were reacting cautiously to the Spanishspeaking man’s story while they try to piece together more information. If true, the man’s ordeal

would rank among the greatest tales ever of survival at sea. Mexico’s Foreign Relations Department says the man told Mexico’s ambassador to the Philippines, Julio Camarena, that he set out from an area near the coastal town of Tonala in southern Chiapas state, which would mean his journey covered a distance of more than 6,500 miles (10,460 kilometres), if he drifted in a straight line. Armbruster said the soft-spoken man complained of joint pain Monday and had a limp but was able to walk. He had long hair and a beard, the ambassador said, and rather than appearing emaciated he looked puffy in places, including around his ankles. Otherwise, he added, Alvarenga seemed in reasonable health. Armbruster, who speaks Spanish, said the survivor told the following story: He’s a native of El Salvador but had lived in Mexico for 15 years and fishes for a man he knows as Willie, catching sharks for 25 pesos ($1.90) per pound. On Dec. 21, 2012, Alvarenga left Mexico in his 23-foot (7-meter) fiberglass boat for a day’s fishing, accompanied by a teen he knew only as Ezekiel, who was between 15 and 18. A storm blew the fishermen off course, and soon they were lost and adrift.

“He talked about scooping up little fish that swam alongside the boat and eating them raw,” Armbruster said. “He also said he ate birds, and drank birds’ blood.” After about a month, Ezekiel died, the survivor told officials. Alvarenga also talked about eating turtles. Once near Ebon, he swam ashore. “He thanked God, initially, that he had survived,” the ambassador said. “He’s very anxious to get back in touch with his employer, and also with the family of Ezekiel. That’s his driving motivation at the moment.” In Costa Azul, a fishing hamlet near Tonala, fishing boat owner Villermino Rodriguez Solis, who assumes his son is the “Willie” that Alvarenga referred to, said Alvarenga and a companion had gone missing on Nov. 18, 2012, which would imply the sea odyssey lasted 14 1/2 months. “Here, his colleagues went out in boats to look for them. They spent four days looking for them,” said Villermino, who expressed surprise that Alvarenga had been found alive in the Marshall Islands. Residents of Costa Azul said they didn’t know Alvarenga’s real name. He had shown up looking for work years before, but worked from fishing camps along the coast. They knew him only by a nickname, “La Chanwww.canadianinquirer.net

cha,” used to describe heavy-set people. It was clear he was an experienced fisherman, they said. Armbruster said the man said he had no family in Mexico but he does have three brothers who live in the U.S., although he could not immediately provide officials with contact details. The Mexican government also quoted the man as saying he had no family in Mexico. Gee Bing, the acting secretary of foreign affairs for the Marshall Islands, said he was somewhat skeptical of Alvarenga’s account after meeting with him Monday. “It does sound like an incredible story, and I’m not sure if I believe his story,” Bing said. “When we saw him, he was not really thin compared to other survivors in the past. I may have some doubts. Once we start communicating with where he’s from, we’ll be able to find out more information.” Bing said the man had no identification with him, and other details of his story remained sketchy. Camarena said Alvarenga gave his hometown as Garita Palmera, in El Salvador’s Ahuachapan province. Mexico said it was co-ordinating with the Salvadoran government to provide assistance to the man. The survivor’s vital signs appeared good except that his blood pressure was a bit low,

Bing said. After doctors give him the all-clear, Bing said, officials hope to repatriate him to Mexico or whatever country is appropriate. Erik van Sebille, a Sydneybased oceanographer at the University of New South Wales, said there was a good chance a boat drifting off Mexico’s west coast would eventually be carried by currents to the Marshall Islands. He said such a journey would typically take 18 months to two years depending on the winds and currents, although 13 months was possible. “The way that the currents in the Pacific work is that there is a very strong westerly current just north of the equator and that basically drives you directly from Mexico all the way toward Indonesia and in the path, you go right over the Marshall Islands,” he said. There have been other cases of people surviving for months adrift in the Pacific. In a case with similarities, three Mexican shark fishermen in 2006 said they were lost at sea for nine months before being rescued near the Marshall Islands. In 1989, four men survived nearly four months in the Pacific Ocean near New Zealand after their multi-hulled boat capsized. ■ Associated Press writer Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this report.

World News

21 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

Italy’s justice ministry announces probe into Knox judge for media comments BY COLLEEN BARRY The Associated Press MILAN, ITALY—Italy’s justice minister on Monday announced an investigation into comments to the Italian media made by the judge who read the guilty verdicts against Amanda Knox and her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito. Annamaria Cancellieri said in a one-line statement that she has asked the inspector general to make a “preliminary assessment” of the remarks published by two Italian newspapers over the weekend. The newspapers quoted Florence judge Alessandro Nencini as saying, among other things, that Sollecito’s decision not to testify on the witness stand deprived the defendant of a voice. The judge also commented on the difficulty of reaching a verdict, due to the vast amount of evidence as well as the intense media attention, and acknowledged that assigning a motive

for the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher was one of the most “controversial” aspects of the case. A Sollecito attorney, Luca Maori, said earlier Monday that the comments on the defence strategy are “serious” and could form part of their appeal to Italy’s highest court on last week’s verdict. Maori said the defence team would seek an investigation into the judge’s comments with the ministry, as well as the magistrates’ oversight body and the high Court of Cassation. “This is not a vendetta because a judge handed down a verdict other than what we expected,” Maori said by telephone on Monday. Knox defence lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova said in an emailed statement that the interviews were “not appropriate,” but he reserved comment on any action until the court’s reasoning for the verdict is issued, expected within 90 days of the sentence. Knox’s defence also is planning to appeal the verdict. “She

feels that it is a mistake and she will continue fighting for her innocence,” Dalla Vedova said. Members of the magistrate’s governing body also said they will request an inquiry, saying Nencini had violated the secrecy of deliberations, anticipated arguments in the yet-published reasoning, and made comments on the defence trial strategy that suggest “partiality,” the news agency ANSA reported. Disciplinary measures could include a transfer or monetary penalties. Nencini was the presiding judge on a panel that deliberated for nearly 12 hours on Thursday before upholding a lower-court’s guilty finding against Knox, 26, and Sollecito, 29, in the 2007 murder of 21-year-old Kercher. Kercher, who shared an apartment with Knox in the university town of Perugia, had been sexually assaulted and her throat slit. The case made its way to a second appeal after Italy’s highest court vacated a Perugia appellate court’s 2011 acquittal, challeng-

ing its failure to include some evidence as well as its logic. Knox remained in the United States for this trial, having been freed on the earlier appeal. In his ruling, Nencini did not issue any precautionary measures against Knox, noting she was legitimately in the United States. He ordered Sollecito’s passport to be revoked. In the comments published on Saturday, Nencini told the Corriere della Sera and il Messaggero newspapers that the judicial reasoning will comment on why the court decided not to separate the positions of Knox and Sollecito in their deliberations and verdict. Nencini said one clear difference in the Knox and Sollecito defences is that Sollecito had never been questioned directly, besides during the investigation, even by the prosecution, according to il Messaggero. “The ability not to be heard in a trial is a right, but it deprives the subject of a voice,” il Messaggero quoted Nencini as saying. Sollecito’s defence lawyer, Giulia Bongiorno, had requested

in her closing argument that the jury not consider Sollecito as an extension of Knox, but look at him in his own right. The two defence teams, nonetheless, remained very close in their arguments and maintained a common alibi that the couple had spent the night of the murder together in Sollecito’s apartment. Maori pointed out that the prosecution never requested Sollecito’s testimony. Nencini on Monday denied having made any judgment on the defendants’ legal strategy. “If my words generated a misunderstanding about the absolute legitimacy of the choice of a defendant to make voluntary statements, I regret it,” the news agency ANSA quoted him as saying. He said he had spoken “casually” with journalists he ran into in tribunal corridors and who had presented him with “rumours and inferences” about the deliberations. “My intention was to clear up possible misunderstandings,” Nencini was quoted as saying. ■

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Immigration

Reuniting Families Faster 5,000 complete Parent and Grandparent program (PGP) applications now received since start of 2014 OTTAWA—Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander today launched the next phase of the government’s plan to eliminate backlogs in the Parent and Grandparent program (PGP). As promised, earlier this year, the government reopened the PGP program to accept 5,000 new applications. As Citizenship and Immigration Canada has now received 5,000 complete applications, new intake into the PGP program will again pause until next year. By the end of 2014, Canada expects to welcome an additional 20,000 parents and grandparents to Canada, marking a substantial reduction in wait times for all applicants. According to Minister Alexander, “Our government understands the importance of spending time with family and loved ones and we committed to improving the immigration system so that families can be

reunited more quickly. Canada has the most generous family reunification program in the developed world. Complementing this program, the new Super Visa remains a convenient option with a high approval rate for those who wish to visit their families in Canada for up to two years at a time.” Including spouses and dependants, the 5,000 PGP applications will represent about 9,000 individuals. Eligible sponsors can bring their parent or grandparent to Canada temporarily under the Super Visa, which is a multiple entry visa, valid for up to 10 years, that allows a parent or grandparent to stay in Canada for up to 24 months at a time without having to renew their status. The PGP program will reopen to new applications in January 2015. Further details will be available closer to that date. ■

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

FRIDAY 22

Editorial Exchange... “formerly Liberal senators” are still members of the Liberal party and friends with Liberal MPs. Contrary to Trudeau’s assertion that they can no longer call themselves “Liberal” senators, they agreed to go by the name of “the Liberal senate caucus,” according to James Cowan who will continue to lead the official Opposition in the Senate. So what’s changed? We know that a fowl that looks like a duck, quacks like a duck and walks like a duck cannot be styled an independent bird. And we heard Cowan when he declared, “I’m not a former Liberal. I’m a Liberal. And I’m a Liberal senator.” So much for the beginning of the end of Senate partisanship. Next, consider Trudeau’s big idea for a better way to appoint senators, one that would take the selection out of the prime minister’s hands and employ an open, transparent process for nominating worthy candidates, much the way recipients of the Order of Canada are chosen. So who selects the people ❰❰ 18

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Justin Trudeau during a visit in B.C. PCI FILE PHOTO

who will select the future senators? Would being a member of a political party disqualify a person from either category? How can you rid a political entity—the Senate—of party politics, or prevent politicians—the senators—from being politically partisan? Isn’t it better for people to wear their political affiliation— if they have an official one—on their sleeves rather than pretend to be neutral and unbiased? It sounds like Trudeau’s plan would have one group of unelected, unaccountable officials choosing

another bunch of unelected, unaccountable officials. That’s not progress. And in its delivery, it’s not that different from the do-as-I-say style of politics Trudeau supposedly repudiates. In the past, Trudeau has told Canadians he wants to consult them and enlist their help in effecting change. Pity he didn’t consult a few more people before trotting out what seems to be a unilateral, pet plan. Meet Trudeau’s new Senate—same as the old Senate. Perhaps some sober, second thought is in order. ■

Immigration

23 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

Provinces to make Kenney counter offer on Canada Job Grant in meeting Tuesday BY LEE-ANNE GOODMAN The Canadian Press OTTAWA—The provinces are poised to present federal Employment Minister Jason Kenney with a counter-offer to his Canada Job Grant proposals on Tuesday, but there’s scant indication that any deal with the feds is imminent. Officials from emissary provinces New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and British Columbia will meet with Kenney in Toronto after all the provinces and territories agreed to the terms of the counter-proposal last week. They’re united on measures that would give them more leeway in how they fund the program. The provincial proposals would also make it less financially onerous for small businesses to participate in the Canada Job Grant. But an official close to the talks says the provinces are

seeking flexibility in funding that goes well beyond what Kenney offered them in a revised Job Grant proposal in late December. The Canada Job Grant is slated to take effect on April 1. Under the original proposal, the government would have issued $15,000 grants to eligible Canadians, with the cost divided three ways between Ottawa, the provinces and interested employers. The goal of the program is to compel employers to train their future and current workers, and to encourage provinces to focus on training that will result in actual employment. Ottawa currently provides the provinces with $500 million a year in funding under existing labour market agreements that expire on March 31. Under the Job Grant, the provinces would have lost $300 million of those funds, or nearly 60 per cent. Amid vehement opposition from the provinces and territories about the $300 million hit,

the government then revised its original proposal by offering to cover the provincial share, bringing its own contribution up to $10,000 per grant. Kenney said he accepted that the provinces didn’t have the ability to match Ottawa’s funding, and was intent on seeking common ground. Nick Koolsbergen, a spokesman for Kenney, said Monday that the minister is looking forward to the meeting with provincial officials. “The federal government has listened to provinces’ concerns and significantly restructured the offer based on their feedback,” he said in an email. Brad Duguid, Ontario’s minister of training, colleges and universities, suggested last week that there remains daylight between the provinces and the federal government when it comes to the Job Grant program. He said Kenney’s revised offer would still divert $300 million

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Employment Minister Jason Kenney.

from existing programs aimed at helping aboriginals, immigrants, women, youth, older workers, people with disabilities and those with low literacy levels—a move he said has left him “perplexed” because of the success rate of those programs. Another trouble spot is the fact that the provinces would be on the hook for any funding shortfalls that could result from a lack of business participation in the program. Duguid said the provinces shouldn’t have to bear the financial responsibility for a national program that’s untested and untried. But other stakeholders have complained that under Kenney’s revised offer, the number of grants will be reduced— lessening the impact of the pro-

gram— because the federal government isn’t offering up any new money. Indeed, several labour unions and trade associations preferred the Job Grant in its original form, before revisions. Its boosters included the Canada Building Trades Union, the Progressive Contractors Association of Canada and the National Association of Career Colleges. “The Canada Job Grant is an attempt to realign priorities, to nudge provincial and other partners, to effectively improve training delivery in Canada,” said Robert Blakely, director of Canadian affairs for the U.S. labour federation AFL-CIO. “This is the kind of action Canadians should expect from government at all levels.” ■

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

FRIDAY 24

GLOBAL FILIPINO:

The (Funny) Book of Love

BY RUEL S. DE VERA Philippine Daily Inquirer EVERYTHING BECOMES a story for Noreen Capili. Everything. The thirtysomething writer has lived an eventful life that’s been transmuted into funny, insightful stories—and that’s just as Noringai, the nom de plume she uses in her popular blog and best-selling collection of essays, “Parang Kayo Pero Hindi.” As Noreen Capili, she has written hundreds of episodes for several TV series—you’ve probably seen one or two. Noreen Besmar Capili is the youngest of four siblings born to the late businessman Celestino Capili and homemaker Editha, in Parang, Maguindanao. The armed conflict in Maguindanao in the 1980s forced the Capili family to relocate to Davao, where this young writer grew up. After high school at the Assumption School of Davao, Capili decamped to Manila where she took up Creative Writing at the University of the Philippines Diliman. What followed was a series of jobs, starting with an unsuccessfully stint as a realtor. “I didn’t sell a single house or lot,” she confesses. Among her early jobs was as regular advice columnist for the healthy lifestyle magazine Lifeline. Only 22 then, Capili read relationship books and relied on common sense to answer the anguished letters of lovestruck readers. “I was only in my twenties then, what did I know?” she recalls in a mix of Filipino and English—which is also how she writes. “What I gave them were options. I didn’t tell them what to do; they had to choose the answer for themselves.” It was as web editor for a maritime company in 2006 that Capili began attending workshops on comedy writing at ABSCBN. Reluctant to let go of her day job, she went on leave every Monday to attend for three months the workshop then led by veteran TV and movie director Jose Javier “Joey” Reyes. “He handpicked me to write for sitcoms,” Capili remembers. Writing for the screen had long been a dream for Capili. Having watched Reyes’ movies

BESTSELLER. The book went into its third printing recently.

Noreen Capili.

“May Minamahal” and “Pare Ko,” she longed for the same kind of creative work. “I want to see my name on TV and for people to say, ‘hey, it’s Noreen Capili! She was my classmate!’ My dream was as simple as that.” Now writing for one of the country’s biggest networks, Capili cut her teeth on the weekly romance series “Your Song” in 2006 and moved her way up the writing ladder. She wound up writing the series “Idol” (2010), the Jessy Mendiola-starrer “Sabel” and “My Binondo Girl,” which starred Kim Chiu, among many others. Most recently, Capili wrote the mermaid telenovela “Aryana” featuring Ella Cruz, and 30 episodes of the series “Wansapanataym.” Coming up later this year is the Julia Barretto vehicle, “Mira Bella.” In 2007, Capili took the plunge. “I quit my day job,” she says. Everyone was against her decision. The company she had worked for made a counter-offer with double the pay and a managerial position, but she had made up her mind. “It was really a risk. But this was what I really wanted to do, write for TV,” she says. “You can’t serve two masters. I prayed for it for a long time. It was one of the best decisions I ever made.” Today, she writes full-time for ABS-CBN. It wasn’t the only writing she had been doing. She started a popular blog (noringai.blogspot.com) in 2001. “I

PHOTO BY JAKE VARGAS (@JHAKEVARGASJAKE) / TWITTER

was bored at work,” she says of writing technical manuals for a telecommunications company. “It was an outlet. Everyday, because I had free Internet, I would just blog,” she says. At the start, she was delighted with the anonymity it offered. “Writing a blog at that time was great. It was like walking around naked with your head covered. They only knew me as ‘Noringai,’” a name her friends in college friends had made up. Her blog proved an effective training ground for writing both drama and comedy for local TV. In her blog, Capili drew on both the side-splitting laughter and the silence-inducing sadness of her own and her friends’ experiences. As Noringai, she gained a loyal following, which also followed her column for the site Peyups.com. Despite the anonymity, she recalls being surprised when some readers recognized her while she was waiting for a jeep in Makati. “Strangers were keeping track of my updates,” she says in amazement. It seems that Filipinos love romance and that’s what drew people to Capili’s blog. “I’m a senti (sentimental) person. The Pinoy is really romantic,” she says. She recounts that when she still had an actual love life and would blog about it, the hits would increase. Over time, she realized that her readers were yuppies, people in college, young Filipinos. www.canadianinquirer.net

In January 2011, Capili had a medical crisis that would change her life. “I almost died,” she says, adding that the stressful pace of her job, her drinking and smoking must have contributed to it. Not knowing she had hypertension, she found herself reeling from a severe headache that made her throw up. Initially, she thought it was the result of too much partying over the holidays. But when the headache persisted, she dialed her head writer who lived in the same building to tell him about it. Her boss thought she was just making up an excuse to miss her deadline, but when the pain brought on tears, he decided to bring her to a nearby hospital. At the emergency room, Capili fell into a coma for three days. When she woke up, she was told of her ruptured aneurysm and the need for surgery. After being operated on, she has since fully recovered and now lives a much healthier lifestyle. That brush with mortality triggered something in Capili. “I worried that I didn’t have enough time,” she recalls. “Aside from seeing my name on the screen, one of my dreams was to have my own book. If it didn’t find a publisher, I was ready to self-publish, print a hundred copies and give them to my friends just so I can say ‘I’m a published author.’ ” It was then that she started

putting together the short essays from her blog and Peyups. com column. She had initially approached a publisher but received no response, until she mustered enough courage to consider Anvil Publishing and submit her manuscript in 2013. To her delight, she received a positive response, with Anvil’s publishing manager Karina Bolasco asking for more stuff. Flooded with over a hundred essays from Capili, Anvil decided to split her prodigious output into two books. The first, “Parang Kayo Pero Hindi,” came out in September, climbed National Book Store’s best-seller list and went into its third printing recently. Covering about 10 years of Capili’s life, the essays are brief but bright, offering an honest take on everything from the food she had ordered to more provocative incidents. “I changed some of the details,” she admits, “to protect the privacy of some people.” The best essays are those dealing with some aspect of the contemporary dating scene in the Philippines, such as the titular essay. Refreshingly straightforward but loaded with punch lines and points to reflect on, Capili’s essays provide a closer look into the life of a modern Filipino woman living on her own. ❱❱ PAGE 44 The (Funny)

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

So you want to be…? Your Destiny Awaits! Step Out Into It! BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer “VARIETY IS the spice of life.” A saying, which—for the most part—is worth its weight in gold. Take your pick from White Gold; Rose, Pink, Red Gold; Green Gold, known as electrum ; Blue Gold; Purple Gold; or Black Gold. And let’s not even get started on carat options. But then, this is neither a piece on metallurgy nor is it one on precious metals, so let’s get on with it. Variety is key to spicing most everything up: Food, friendships, marriage (as long as variety doesn’t mean different partners!), hobbies, entertainment; just about anything! Except your résumé, that is. Sadly, most employers don’t usually look favorably upon a person who jumps around from job to job in a short-ish span of time. I have a résumé that reads like a glossy variety magazine, with a little bit of everything and then some. To give you a glimpse into what I mean, I have done everything from professional modeling, to pastoring a youth group and teaching at a local Bible school; from working at a hotel concierge, to training at the stock market; from twice holding a marketing position with a top retailer in Manila, to holding a post at a travel agency; and from hosting children’s parties (which I

STILL do), to—of late—managing a rock band and freelance writing for travel, features, news, and photography publications. Whew. No rest for the wicked, or for the semi-struggling freelancer. Although there are days when I wish I HAD eked out a stable career path in banking—usually on days when my wallet grumbles loudly from starvation— for the most part I wouldn’t trade the experiences I have had in this whole gamut of jobs for a suit and loads of money. Well, maybe for the loads of money… maybe. *Wink, wink.* You see, in my case, my varied résumé does not indicate a lack of stickitoitivity (longest jobs I’ve held lasted 17 and 15 years, modeling and pastoring, respectively; with the hosting coming in third at 13 years) or a lack of commitment. Neither does it indicate a lack of skill or smarts. In fact, and to ever-so-slightly pat myself on the back—I graduated from University with Summa Cum Laude honours. Au contraire, this variety reflects my many, extremely varied, passions and skills. I am a variety show, all rolled into one. Now all I need are some big-time backers. Or some employers to change the way they think, and break out of that stuffy, constrictive corporate box. Believe In yourself

No matter what you choose

to do in life, the very first step to success is believing in yourself. This is the platform from which you will spring forth into all that life has in store for you. This is the catapult that will launch you into your destiny. This is also the foundation upon which others will buildup their belief in you; although maybe not right away. Like the Little Red Caboose whose “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can…” mantra enabled him save the train from rolling down a mountain, and finally become as respected as his admired steam engine at the front of the train, we, too, should convince ourselves that WE CAN. Oh, and quit comparing yourself to others—it is good to admire others, but never to the point that you let this comparison bring you down. Take a look at those you admire, and believe YOU CAN achieve that which is worthy of admiration, too. Do what you love, and love what you do

Ok, so no now you believe you can, but can WHAT??? Well, what is it about which you are passionate? What stirs you and moves your heart? What brings you joy? What do you love to do? Because chances are, that is what you were born to do; and that is what you should do. Find what you love, and do it. This is the only way to do great work, and one of the only ways to live a truly happy and ful-

filled life. Will the money follow automatically? Not necessarily; and probably not for a while after. I am STILL working my rear-end off to live a slightly better than “just-getting-by” life. Will the net be there when you take a leap? Truth is, you may very well fall flat on your face, the first time you set out to do what you love. But set out anyway. And wear your crash helmet. Do not fear failure, for failure is a great teacher. Will it be smooth sailing do-

ing what you love? Oh no. Remember, we live in this world; and it rarely ever offers us calm seas. Problems and challenges will come; but your love for what you do will help you overcome these. Will you have to work hard, doing what you love? A resounding “MOST DEFINITELY.” Especially if you want to be excellent at what you love. I hold many jobs, as I have varied passions. And I strive to be❱❱ PAGE 30 Your Destiny

So you want to be…?

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

FRIDAY 26

If you can’t find it, make it: Making your niche BY CHING DEE Philippine Canadian Inquirer WE LIVE in a world where almost everyone is spending most of their time earning a living rather than actually living their lives. Most of us—most of us, not all—in the middle class are usually stuck in a job that pays well even if it doesn’t give us an ounce of joy. There are reasons to stay in a job that doesn’t pay so well, but most of those reasons can only be afforded by the more affluent lot.

The author in action.

manage to submit their application are not qualified. According to employers, one of the biggest reasons for the lack of competent applicants is that skilled workers opt to work abroad for better pay. Another reason is that those who seem capable often have problems when it comes to the work schedule or office location. Here are 43 of the most indemand yet hardest-to-fill jobs in the Philippines according to DOLE—ranging from the understandably sporadic job (see: herbologist, forester, geodetic engineer, metallurgist) to the surprisingly common vocation

High Demand, Low Supply

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) recently released the list of most in-demand jobs in the Philippines. These jobs are also the hardest to fill, according to DOLE. DOLE came up with the list based on vacancies posted by companies and industries. These companies are struggling to fill the following posts because there are only a few applicants, and those who do

(see: carpenter, cashier, accountant, computer programmer). 1. Accountant 2. Agriculturist 3. Accounting staff 4. Air-conditioning technician 5. Animator 6. Carpenter 7. Cashier 8. Civil engineer 9. Chemical engineer 10. Computer programmer 11. Draftsman 12. Electrical engineer 13. Electrical technician 14. Florist 15. Food technologist 16. Forester

17. Geodetic engineer 18. Heavy equipment operator 19. Herbologist 20. Human resource manager 21. IT specialist 22. Industrial engineer 23. Instrumentation technician 24. Landscape artist 25. Legal transcriptionist 26. Librarian 27. Machinist 28. Mason 29. Materials engineer 30. Mechanical engineer 31. Medical technologist 32. Metallurgist 33. Nutritionist 34. Painter 35. Pharmacist 36. Physician 37. Plumber 38. Sanitary engineer 39. Software developer 40. Systems analyst 41. Veterinarian 42. Web designer 43. Welder

mental plants—flowers and what-nots—for commercial use. And did I mention I took up agriculture at the University of the Philippines - Los Baños? Yeah, so you know it’s a great curriculum. To be honest, before I made a mess of my college education, I wanted to be a laboratory instructor in the university. The more time I spent learning, the more I wanted to share the knowledge. I love sharing information and getting my hands dirty (figuratively and literally). The science and technicalities of agriculture never extinguished my loved for the art of communication—my first love—so I decided to give it a shot now that I have the freedom to do so. Even back in my elementary years, I actively participated in inter-school writing congresses and excelled in writing competitions within our school. In highschool, I was president of the English Club and editor-in-chief of our school paper. I loved communications and it loved me back.

‘Based on a True Story’

I studied agriculture and I majored in horticulture, the science and technology of cultivating plants for human use. I specialized in growing orna-

❱❱ PAGE 30 If you

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27 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

So, you want to be a writer? BY KATHERINE MARFALTEVES Philippine Canadian Inquirer “I AM a writer. I have to be sure about that. After all the obstacles I have been through I want to believe that it is true enough.” This is an excerpt from my first published article in Manila Bulletin in 2005. As young as 14 years old, I already knew that I wanted to express myself through the written word. And so I did—despite all the odds. Luckily, I was given the chance to write for our school publication in elementary and high school—this gave me hope that someday I would be a writer. So, when it was time for me to choose a course to take up in college—no other option came to mind—but a writing course, of course! I took up entrance exams in major universities in the Philippines, but failed to pass any of them—except for Philippine Normal University—a state university for aspiring teachers. What a shift! But perhaps, it was really my destiny to enroll in that particular educational institution, as my parents and late grandparents were determined enough for me and they convinced me to give teaching a try. Belonging to a family of teachers, I have forever believed in the nobility of this profession—but still, I found it hard to discard my love for writing. It was there, waiting, until I could finally give it focus. My four-year stay at PNU was not smooth; there was even a time when my graduation had to take a backseat for one semester so I could accommodate a writing opportunity at a local publication. (I could not resist) But the delay was worth it, as it jumpstarted my career in writing. After graduation, however, I gave in to the request of my parents to try teaching for one school year. And though it was short, it was a great experience. In my pursuit to find my writing voice, I tried a lot of writing jobs—from web content writing, to sports writing, scriptwriting, children’s story writing, and the most recent—news

New York City female firefighters trying to boost numbers BY COLLEEN LONG The Associated Press

writing. I am fortunate enough that in those writing jobs, I have had mentors who not just taught me, but inspired me to be a better writer, piece after piece. So, if writing is really your passion, follow it; it may not be an easy journey, but it is definitely worth the ride. Here are some helpful tips, so you can fulfill your dreams to be a writer: 1. Take up a writing course in college. Though my circumstances did not allow me this pleasure, it is still my belief that a formal education in writing will be the best jumping point if you want to valiantly enter this profession. 2. Read good books. My instructor in a literary writing workshop once said, “You are not a writer if you don’t read good books.” She advised reading one novel every two weeks (read at least 30 minutes a day) and newspaper everyday no matter how busy your schedule is. 3. Believe that you are a writer. As I was just starting out, I had a lot of insecurities, because I did not have a formal education in the field I’ve chosen. But l was lucky that I have a very supportive family who always pushes me to pursue my passion. Apart from the support of your family, you, yourself, must claim that—yes—I am a writer! 4. Take up writing workshops as often as you can and be always on the lookout for them. With every workshop you will attend, moving lessons will remain in you. I was personally moved with Ricky Lee’s advice to his work shoppers that “Writing is 100% rewriting.” He advised us to not be contented with first or second drafts; instead, go for fifth or sixth drafts as our final output.

Another moving advice I’ve received was from Rio Alma, a National Artist for Literature. He said that writing will always be filled with storms, but if you’re determined enough you’ll sail forever in this field. 5. Take risks and get out of your comfort zone. “It is when you take risks that you are able to know what you want,” a mentor from a scriptwriting workshop once said. He explained that the most successful literature are the ones that are rooted in unconventional ideas. 6. Consider rejections as a challenge. I would not forget a mentor saying, “Writing is not for the frail of heart.” You have to accept the fact that not all your articles will be published, or received warmly by an editor or the public. But don’t be depressed; instead, try again. Most often, editors will pinpoint what’s missing on your piece. Take note of these pointers and make the appropriate changes. 7. Practice and practice. The best way to hone your writing skills is to practice it. Though, you already have a writing job, it will still help if you can find other venues where you can write during your free time. Try to blog. This way, you can express yourself freely while practicing your writing skills. One mentor said, “A writing skill is like a machine that you need to use so it will function properly.” 8. Update or upgrade your writing style. You don’t necessarily need to change your writing style, but you can definitely improve it. You can do this by reading good authors you admire—use them as your inspiration to give that edge, pizzazz and a whole lot of wonderful to your writing style. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

NEW YORK—As a New York City firefighter, Sarinya Srisakul didn’t work with another woman for five years, and when she did, she took pictures because it was so rare. “We were so excited to see each other,” she said. “For me, that just doesn’t happen.” There are only 37 women out of 10,500 uniformed firefighters in New York City, about a third of 1 per cent, among the lowest percentage of any department in the nation. But that number is expected to grow after a record number of women took the latest exam following heavy recruitment spurred by a court order two years ago. Six women entered the fire academy just this week. “Out of a city of 8 million people, there cannot be only 37 women who are qualified enough and interested in being firefighters—that’s just ridiculous,” said Srisakul, the president of the women’s firefighters association, which has made boosting numbers a priority. She is working to help women pass the rigorous physical exam and meet fire academy expectations to graduate into the job. Nationwide, the firefighting profession remains overwhelmingly male, with women making up only 3.4 per cent of the total workforce, according to federal labour statistics. Arguments for why there are so few women on the job are common: They don’t want to work in a dangerous, dirty industry, and they just aren’t strong enough to deal with the

physical demands, which include wearing up to 125 pounds of gear or carrying unconscious victims down a darkened stairwell. “We’ve tried to recruit women. The reality is for whatever reason, it doesn’t seem to be an attractive job,” said Steve MacDonald, spokesman for Boston’s fire department, which has 18 women out of a force of 1,470. None of those arguments really holds water, according to Marc Bendick, an economic consultant who did a study on female firefighters nationwide. He found that men and women who take the physical fitness test known as Candidate Physical Ability Test, developed by fire chiefs around the country, pass at about the same rate as long as the test is administered fairly. “It’s not every woman in the U.S. who could pass that test,” Bendick said. “But the kind of women who apply for fire jobs, very athletically inclined, they pass. And not every man can pass it either.” Bendick said other big-city fire departments have more balanced numbers, such as 16 per cent in Minneapolis and nearly 5 per cent in Denver. And he noted that previously male-dominated jobs, such as military combat and policing, have already made better strides. New York City’s police department, for example, has more than 6,000 female officers out of about 35,000—or about 18 per cent. Bendick’s study, which researched the experiences of ❱❱ PAGE 31 New York

Seen & Scenes

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

FRIDAY 28

FILIPINO - CANADIAN SENATOR TOBIAS C. ENVERGA, JR. IN THE PHILIPPINES Filipino Canadian Senator Tobias Enverga, Jr. (3rd from right) during a reception recently at Malacanang Palace hosted by Philippine President Benigno Aquino III. Also in photo with him are Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines Neil Reeder and his wife, Irene; Mrs. Rosemer Enverga; and the Senator’s daughter Rocel. This was the second time that the only Filipino Canadian legislator in the Parliament of Canada met President Aquino III – the first was when he accompanied Prime Minister Harper during the latter’s state visit to that country in November 2012. Senator Enverga, Jr. visited the victims of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in Estancia and four other towns in Iloilo where he was met with a rousing welcome by the town’s grateful community. More photos and the story on page 46. Photos courtesy of the Office of Sen. Tobias Enverga, Jr.

THE KNIGHTS OF RIZAL CANADA AWARDS PCI The Knights of Rizal Canada awards Philippine Canadian Inquirer on the day of 117th Martyrdom of Dr. Jose Rizal for featuring the hero and the activities of his Knights. PCI’s Joe Damasco (left) received the award of appreciation on behalf of PCI. Giving the awards were George Poblete (middle), KGCR Canada Region Commander and Jimmy Marasigan (right), KGOR Deputy Region Commander.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), through its Deputy Commissioner Craig Callens, realizing that the RCMP “serves increasingly diverse communities that rely on [their] ability to recruit, retain and develop a workforce that relates to the people in B.C.“, has made a commitment to ensure that B.C. communities and RCMP’s employees have an opportunity to participate in dialogues about diversity.

RCMP LAUNCHES DIVERSITY INCLUSION CAMPAIGN

The Commanding Officer’s Cultural Diversity Advisory Committee, an external committee, also advises the Commanding Officer on cultural diversity and aboriginal issues and acts as a conduit between the diverse communities and the RCMP. Mr. Nick Noorani, co-chair, also spoke on behalf of the Committee during the diversity potluck held on January 21 to launch this campaign. There were several activities including a turban demonstration on A/Commr. Norm Lipinski by S/Sgt. Baltej Dhillon.

For photo submissions, please email info@canadianinquirer.net. www.canadianinquirer.net

Seen & Scenes

29 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

FRIENDS OF STO. NINO CELEBRATES 17TH ANNIVERSARY The Friends of Sto. Nino Association of British Columbia celebrated its 17th anniversary via a dinner and dance at the St. Patrick’s Gymnasium. Photos courtesy of Angelo Siglos

MARRIAGE PREPARATION COURSE PRINCE OF PEACE CHURCH, SCARBOROUGH The Marriage Course Conductors of the Prince of Peace Church in Scarborough finalized their schedule for the 20 couples who will be attending the course this year. This six week course is geared to guide the couples, who will get married in the church this year, on how to handle the various situations and important subjects they will encounter in their married life, particularly in their early years of marriage. These Marriage Course Conductors, who are all happily married for over 35 years, will explain the important subjects on marriage and discuss with them on how to handle possible problems they may encounter in their married life.

MHHS’ TATAY TOM CELEBRATES 85TH BIRTHDAY Photo above shows the Marriage Course Conductors for this year staring on February 8, 2014. Sitting (L>R) are Dolly Poblete, Nina Wijangco, Cynthia Acayan and Malou Andrada. Standing (L>R) are George R. Poblete, Ed Wijangco and Rommel Acayan. (Not in the photo are Deacon Eustace and Gloria Beausoleil and Rene Andrada)

Community leader Tatay Tom Avendano of the Multicultural Helping House Society recently celebrated his 85th birthday in the company of his supporters, well-wishers and friends, including Juan TV’s Gigi Astudillo. The MHHS is a registered non-profit society and charitable organization dedicated to servicing the needs of newcomers to Canada.

www.canadianinquirer.net

So you want to be…?

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

FRIDAY 30

Your Destiny... come better and better at each of these. Mastery is one step towards greatness. Can I just quit my job today to do what I love? Don’t be foolish—plan your path. Money won’t buy you happiness, but it will put food on your table and pay your rent or mortgage. Figure out what you love to do, and plan how to make this profitable. Put money aside as savings for the lean times that may come. THEN leap out in faith. Steve Jobs gave a speech at a ❰❰ 25

Stanford University graduation in 2005. I absolutely adore that speech, for it contains many valuable nuggets of wisdom and inspiration. One such nugget is this: “Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do

what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.”

created and born to do. Don’t settle for a job that makes you unhappy and frustrated. It’s never too late to begin again; to start over with your career. It may be a tad harder, but anything worth having is worth the sacrifice. I started writing professionally later in life—in 2007, to be exact—and although I may not be as far down the

It’s never too late to begin again

If you...

Don’t settle for anything less than that for which you were

So, about a year after leaving college, I found myself screening and training English tutor applicants. I enjoyed my job tremendously—not only did I have the opportunity to give dozens (if not hundreds) of people a job, but I get to hang out in an office with great teammates with superior English skills. I mean, we all get each other's punchlines! Despite the fun I was having, I knew I wasn’t earning enough. So, I decided to look for greener pastures for the sake of my family. No matter how much I love what I was doing or how much I appreciated my teammates, I know that when push comes to shove, I will put my family first. I work so I can provide for them. We all do. I've also learned that if your priorities are lined up just right, the execution might not be painless, but the choice is easy. Love is not easy, as it often requires sacrifice at some point; but I say, the sacrifice is worth it if you know who you're doing it for. ❰❰ 26

Do you have what it takes?

In early 2013, I saw a job opening at the Philippine Canadian Inquirer. They’re looking for a writer! It was something that I’ve always wanted to do. I dabbled into freelance

path as my friends who started way earlier, I am happy I am ON THE PATH. Let this be the year you find your path and get on it. You’ll be glad you did. And when—like mine—your résumé reads like a glossy variety magazine, then perhaps you’ll know you’re truly LIVING. ■

writing—most of which were online and anonymous (see: SEO)—but nothing as big deal as being a writer for a newspaper. Certainly nothing as big as a newspaper distributed outside the country! But, as inexperienced as I was, I decided to take that leap of faith. So, I sent my application and now you’re reading my article on the Philippine Canadian Inquirer. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t take that chance—that leap of faith. If I stayed within the confines of my university education, if I decided to put the dreams of my youth to the back-burner, if I didn’t explore my options, I wouldn’t be here. Be brave enough to take that scary and albeit ridiculous leap. People may think you’re out of your wits, that you’re aiming too high. Some may even try to pull you down “back to reality.” But you owe it to yourself to explore your horizons because you deserve so much more. So, go ahead and take that leap. In Coldplay’s words, “if you never try, you’ll never know.” If you cannot find your place then know that you can make your niche. Explore the possibilities, embrace opportunities, and know that you have what it takes to make yourself productive and happy at the same time. ■

Get ready to take the plunge! PHOTO FROM INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH INSTITUTE (WWW.ITRI.ORG.TW)

www.canadianinquirer.net

So you want to be…?

31 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

New York... about 600 female and 600 male firefighters, cited as reasons for the lack of women in firefighting an unreasonably high physical standard unrelated to the job duties, a lack of recruitment and hostile behaviour by male colleagues. Srisakul, who has been a firefighter for nine years, said only 78 per cent of the firehouses in New York are outfitted with facilities for women. Other female FDNY firefighters say they have been harassed, and sexist posters were regularly displayed. At least one recently filed a gender discrimination lawsuit that was settled out of court. In Chicago, there are about 5,000 firefighters and around 120 are women—and a federal judge just awarded $2 million after ruling the department discriminated against women with a physical fitness test that was measuring brawn over the ability to do the job. In New York, which has the nation’s largest fire department, the FDNY is under court order to hire more diverse classes, but that legal battle has ❰❰ 27

focused mostly on minority men. Members of a black firefighter’s union sued; only about 9 per cent of the firefighters are black or Hispanic, though more than half its residents identify with a racial minority group. A federal judge ordered a new written test and better recruitment efforts by the department to boost numbers of minorities. Of the latest class of 319 probationary firefighters that entered the academy this week, 46 per cent are minorities. To recruit more women, the FDNY launched an aggressive campaign, including attending events organized by Nontraditional Employment for Women, the U.S. military and female athletic clubs and organizations. Candidates are offered additional support through the mentoring program that pairs current female firefighters with female candidates. “Our extraordinary and unprecedented outreach has resulted in the largest group of potential female candidates ever—and we’ll soon have more women as firefighters than ever before in the FDNY,” Fire Commissioner Sal Cassano said.

New York’s written test is given every four years. Depending on scores, test-takers are asked back for a physical fitness exam and finally for slots in the academy—usually about 300. The 42,161 would-be firefighters who took the most recent fire exam were the most diverse group ever—nearly 46 per cent were minorities. And nearly 2,000 women took the written test—the most ever. New recruit Choeurlyne Doirin, a mother of two, trains about six days a week to prepare for the rigours of the academy and says she doesn’t feel intimidated. She had already worked in emergency services and decided she wanted to be a full-fledged firefighter because she wanted to give back to her community. “I’ve always been the oddball everywhere I go. I’m prepared for whatever that may come,” she said. “I don’t expect for it to be easy but whatever comes, I’ll deal with it.” She is among at least a dozen women who attend training sessions twice a week held by the United Women Firefighters.

During a recent session, former Marine Thompson Plyler put a group of about seven women through a grueling course of leg and grip strengthening. “I want to know you can carry my loved ones to safety,” he shouted as the women did hundreds of squats and lifts and ran stairs wearing 50-pound w e i g h t vests. One woman fled to puke in the bathroom as Srisakul hollered. “We want to make you stronger,” she said, as the temperature climbed in the workout

room. “You want to know how many flights of stairs I walked up during Sandy?” Srisakul said. The answer? 100. ■

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FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

Entertainment

FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT, CANADA!

Timmy Pavino Heart’s Day Concert BY SOCORROBABES NEWLAND

ROMANTIC LOVE is a wildly misconstrued although immensely sought after but oftentimes elusive malfunction of the heart which enfeebles the brain, causes cheeks to blush, eyes to sparkle, blood pressure to rise and the lips to pucker. But whatever state of mind you are in, there is one Valentine’s Day event in this part of town that you wouldn’t want to miss. First major concert in Canada

Come February 14, 2014, all roads will lead us to the elegant Chandos Pattison Auditorium in Surrey, BC. This is the venue for Timmy Pavino’s first major solo concert in Canada. Son of the late Ted Cowan-Pavino and Vallie Aquino-Inocentes, Timmy started singing when he was only 2 1/2 half years old. At 7, he had his first formal voice lessons under the tutelage of his famous aunt, the singer and legendary songwriter of Original Pilipino Music, Ms. Cecile Azarcon-Inocentes. Timmy attended the Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, and majored in Classical Opera. His first stage performances came at tender ages of 7-9 at the historical Nippon Kan Theatre in Downtown Seattle and the Meany Hall of the University of Washington. In the years to

come, Timmy was set to share center stage with some of the Philippines’ OPM legends like Sharon Cuneta, Kuh Ledesma, Sharon Cuneta, Martin Nievera, Gary V, Regine Velasquez, Pops Fernandez, Basil Valdez, Christian Bautista, Jericho Rosales, Isabella, Angeline Quinto, Piolo Pascual and Lani Misalucha, just to name a few. He mounted his first major concerts last year in the Philippines at the Music Museum and another one at the prestigious Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA, USA. Both SRO concerts were raved upon by Philippine and Seattle media, respectively, as being one of the top most successful concerts performed by a budding young artist. Filipino-American Sensation

YouTube

Prior to moving to the Philippines from Kirkland, WA, U.S.A. roughly two years ago, Timmy became known as a Filipino-American YouTube Sensation possessing youthful looks and soothing vocals. Setting his heart to pursue his love and passion for singing heartfelt ballads, Timmy produced a YouTube male cover of Angeline Quinto’s “Patuloy Ang Pangarap”, a ditty written/ composed by Himig Handog awardee, Jonathan Manalo. This video became one of the most-viewed on YouTube while maintaining his post amongst the Top 100 most-subscribed musicians/artists in the Philippines of all time. He guested

on GMA-7’s Walang Tulugan and performed his first OPM recording, “Nothing Without You”, music and lyrics by other Himig Handog awardees Soc Villanueva and Arnel de Pano, and musically arranged by Marvin Querido. Immediately after that, Timmy guested at ABSCBN’s most popular weekend variety show, A.S.A.P. Rocks! where he performed “Patuloy Ang Pangarap” with Angeline Quinto. The right formula to success

No one can predict success. But one can work hard to attain it with the right attitude. The year 2012 marked Timmy’s official debut into the Philippine music recording scene with the release of his first OPM single entitled, “Pag Pwede Na Ang Puso Mo”, written by Soc Villanueva. This fusion brought together other highly-acclaimed young Filipino songwriters working on Timmy’s first all-original OPM album. The result: Star Records inked a distribution deal for the album to include repackaging into what is now known as The OPM Album Deluxe Edition. It contains 10 original tracks and minus ones; two of which are Timmy’s own compositions and is now available on iTunes. Ms Kuh Ledesma was once quoted as exclaiming about Timmy Pavino’s vocal artistry, “Wow! What a big voice! I predict that he is going to be worldclass!” Indeed he truly is worldclass. He defines vocal artistry

Timmy Pavino

not only with an innate refined tonal delivery. He never misses any emotional connection to his songs. He takes everything notches higher. Timmy bagged the lead role of Matt in the Philippine stage adaptation of The Fantasticks directed by no less than veteran stage thespian, Julie Borromeo. Timmy provides inspiration to his family and friends with his sincere and grounded ways while putting God First. He takes no qualms in helping fellow budding artists hone their crafts. All these basic ingredients plus his gigantic talent can only spell nothing but unparalleled success for Timmy. He deserves nothing less. Spreading Love & Music on Valentine’s Day

Timmy has been considered an adopted son to Vancouverites, performing in various Filipino-Community events for the past few years, but it was Mr. and Mrs. Joel dela Cruz of Glisten Productions who offered to produce Timmy’s first major concert as its maiden produc-

tion offering. Providing musical accompaniment and direction to Timmy will by The Rosario Strings and Kimwell del Rosario. This is also the first time that Timmy will be performing with some of Lower Mainland’s most promising young artists headlined by pre-teener delight, Glisha dela Cruz. Other local artists include group spot numbers by Powerhouse Station Entertainment Artists J.J. Cepeda & S.P.I.C.E. (Andrea Legaspi, Chantel Cruz, Dominique Mailleux & Mia Torres), AC Bonifacio, Jasmine Stacey and Ralph Lazaro. Also featured are Pauline & Blessy Rivera, La Riva Dance Group, Anjela Gerardo, Alyssa Gutierrez, Nicole Lontayao, Melanie Archie, LJ Justo, Janelle Buenavidez, Mia Teodocio and Trisha Zamora. Timmy will not only perform songs from his OPM Album but also some of the world’s timeless ballads in celebration of “Love and Music”. For tickets and information, please call: (604) 595 1536; (604) 329-6698.

Entertainment

33 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

Kuya Kim supports Vhong BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer KIM ATIENZA, “It’s Showtime” and “Matanglawin” host and “TV Patrol” weatherman, has had a few health scares. He had a mild stroke in 2010. In October 2013, he landed in the intensive care unit—for several days after being diagnosed with Gullian-Barre Syndrome, a rare disorder triggered by an infection and affecting the nervous system. This last ailment was most terrifying, admitted ABSCBN’s Kuya Kim. “This illness paralyzes your muscles, starting with your feet and hands,” Atienza, 47, explained to the INQUIRER. “It was a close call. My whole body went numb; I was resigned to a complete systems failure.” Now, three months later, “Everything is back to normal,” he said. “I was lucky it was detected in its early stage.” Best of all, he said, that trial strengthened his faith. “We fully realize God’s

power when we are powerless,” Atienza said during his launch as endorser of Novuhair Topical Scalp Lotion. How did your mild stroke change your life and your relationships? It turned me into a day-today person, a “now” person. It taught me that I could lose everything at the snap of a finger. I also became closer to God. I’ve always had a good relationship with my family. But now I spend more time with them than with friends. What is the real Kim Atienza like? Very OC (obsessive-compulsive). When I get interested in something, I read everything I can find about it—dogs, wild animals, crystals… now I’m into plants. How do you manage your time? There’s a science to time management. Put everything down on paper.

What’s it like to be in a controversial show like “It’s Showtime”? I’m stlll in awe. I used to be just Kuya Kim, the weather man. Now, I’m cracking jokes with my cohosts. It’s been four years since the show was first launched. All these controversies are bound to come out at some point. I’m sure we’ll have a lot more of these in the future. However, we’re like a family. We have a strong support system. We show support by defending each other… when needed. Speaking of which, how are you supporting your “Showtime” cohost Vhong Navarro (who has filed several charges against Cedric Lee and company)? I’m always on the phone with Vhong. I visited him in the hospital the day after the incident, when only a few people knew what happened. I was able to pray with him. He was very emotional. He needed all his friends with him for emotional strength. It was the lowest point in his life.

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PHOTO FROM JPFENIX.NET

What steps do you take to improve your hosting skills? This work is continuously evolving. I have to evolve with it, too, integrate social media in everything I do. Also, there’s a technique in explaining a subject in the shortest possible time: Good and concise writing. I have to be able to fully explain a piece trivia in 20 seconds. That’s very challenging.

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Do you have a say on the topics tackled in “Matanglawin?” I am always consulted. I don’t do anything I’m not passionate about. ■

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FEBRUARY 7, 2014 FRIDAY 34

Iza proud of her body BY MARINEL CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer “BIGGEST LOSER” host Iza Calzado, who admitted to having had cosmetic procedures to look fit, says she’s intent on losing weight the natural way, having found a formula that works for her. Iza, 31, says she’s laying off short cuts “for the time being.” She’s proud of her body, she adds, because “I worked hard to achieve this. It’s far from perfect but I love it.” When she was much younger, she reveals, she tipped the scales at 220 pounds; now she weighs 130. The reality show is about losing weight. She’s not swearing off cosmetic surgery. “A person should always have an option. I wouldn’t discourage anyone, but I’d remind them of the side effects.”

Iza finds it so much better to have someone to work out with. She and constant date Ben Wintle, a Filipino-British businessman, are partners in that aspect. “We do sprints, lift weights ... we did muay a lot in Thailand on vacation. Do you feel pressured to look fit because you’re a celebrity? Of course. I wouldn’t be as (body) conscious, otherwise. Food is my biggest struggle. Mothers should instill healthy eating habits in their kids and set an example. What did you learn from hosting the show? I’m naturally talkative; I realized that I should listen more. But did you empathize with them? I was with them at least twice

a week. I cried a lot. They would sometimes catch me off-guard and reveal things about themselves na bigla akong tatamaan— sometimes about their fathers. How does one get back in shape? First, make the decision. Set your goal— it could be health, fitness or vanity- related. In the past, I tended to relax when I didn’t set a goal. Can heartbreak be a motivation? I enrolled in Crossfit (a corestrengthening program) when I was heartbroken. Other people are motivated by revenge, like a girl who got dumped. Working out is a priority for me. I’m into swimming, too, and about to start running again. I still do a bit of yoga, lift weights and do

Navarro, Cornejo set to meet again BY KATHERINE MARFALTEVES Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA, PHILIPPINES—TV host-comedian Vhong Navarro and model Deniece Cornejo will meet again. This, after the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that they will consolidate the charges filed by both parties In connection with the mauling incident that happened to Navarro on Jan. 22, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) filed a criminal case against Cornejo, businessman Cedric Tan, and six other men. In an interview with Yahoo! Philippines on Feb.2, Sunday, Prosecutor General Claro Arellano said, “We will consolidate the cases to expedite the PI (preliminary investigation) and also to avoid conflicting findings.” An office order for this purpose, according to Arellano, will be issued. An all-female PI panel composed of Assistant State Prosecutors Olivia Torrevillas, Hazel Decena-Valdez and Marie Elvira Herrera will consolidate Navarro’s complaint and Cornejo’s counter-charge. Last week, Navarro filed six cases against Cornejo, busi-

“It’s not perfect, but I worked hard on it.”

Crossfit. Will you soon have your own self-help book? In a few more years, maybe. “Maalaala Mo Kaya” will tell my story. Often, one’s physical condition is a reflection of what she’s going through inside.

Regine Velasquez’s father, Mang Gerry, takes a bow BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. AND KRISTINE ANGELI SABILLO Philippine Daily Inquirer

PHOTOS: COURTESY OF ABS-CBN AND FACEBOOK PAGE OF DENIECE CORNEJO

nessman Cedric Lee and six other alleged accomplices. These are charges of serious illegal detention—a non-bailable offense—serious physical injuries, grave threats, grave coercion, unlawful arrest and blackmail. After Navarro filed the respective cases, Cornejo, through her lawyer Howard Calleja also went to file a counter-charge of rape against Navarro before the Taguig City prosecutor’s office. Cedric Lee, Deniece Cornejo, Bernice Lee, a certain Ferdinand Guerrero and Zimmer Rance, an alias Mike, and two other unidentified men will be summoned to appear before the panel and answer the charges. According to the NBI, the evidence presented by Navarro,

such as his statements and the CCTV footage from the building where the incident happened— would support the version of Navarro, making Cornejo’s rape claim “highly improbable.” Though a trial court hasn’t issued a hold departure order yet or watchlist order to prevent Lee, Cornejo and the others from leaving the country, the DOJ had placed them under the lookout bulletin order of the Bureau of Immigration. In a separate interview with GMA-7’s Startalk on Sunday, Feb. 2, Cornejo defended Lee and his companions, saying that all they did was to defend her against Navarro. She also appealed to Navarro to be man enough to face the consequences of his actions. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

I’ve had my share of struggles, and not just about weight. There was a reason for my obsessive food intake. The “MMK” episode is not my entire life story. It’s just a phase of my life that I’d like to share, to inspire more people to start the change. ■

MANILA, PHILIPPINES–Gerry Velasquez, the father of singer-actress Regine Velasquez, passed away Monday. He was 76. The singer-actress confirmed the news on Instagram: “The leader of the band, Mang Gerry, joined his creator at 1:39 p.m. Thank you for praying for him during all this time that he has been fighting for his life. God bless you all.” Singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid, Regine’s husband, told the Inquirer: “God comforts [my wife] always.” Earlier Monday, Velasquez had just met with select members of the press to promote her coming Valentine concert, “Voices of Love.” She arrived late at the lunch gathering, explaining that they just had a family emergency. Her father was rushed to the hospital the day before and she had slept late, she explained. She expressed the hope that her father would be able to watch the show set on Feb. 14 at

the Mall of Asia Arena. “We are hoping he’d be strong enough to watch,” she said. “If not, we cannot do anything about it.” Known in show business as Mang Gerry, he was fondly remembered by his daughter’s peers as a “regular” in her concerts and shows. Singer-actress Lea Salonga said on Facebook: “Rest in peace, Mang Gerry. I will always remember you as a fixture by Reg’s side at gigs from when we were young ones in the biz. Always present, forever supportive. I don’t think of Reg without thinking of you. To Ogie and Regine, you are in our prayers and we send hugs to you and your family.” Singer-actress Rachelle Ann Go, who was discovered on the talent show “Search for a Star” (which was hosted by Regine), remembered Mang Gerry as a good man. “He was always on the set, guarding Ms. Reg. He was always generous with compliments.” Mang Gerry had been credited for training the Asia’s Songbird during her youth, when she used to join numerous singing competitions. ■

Entertainment

35 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

Bruno Mars... on the list of halftime performers in the big game. The Grammy Award-winning singer eliminated any doubters from the second he appeared on screen in a skinny tie and gold jacket almost as dazzling as his smile. He played a deep-groove drum solo while rolling across the field on a raised, motorized platform, then joined his smoking-hot live band for a series of energetically executed hits that were clearly not lip-synced. He then seamlessly integrated the Red Hot Chili Peppers into his set. “There were a lot of doubters and my man delivered,” Fox commentator Howie Long said after the performance. Hard to disagree. There were no flubs, no negative moments that will live on at the water cooler Monday morning. And while you can argue about the entertainment value of watching shirtless Chili Peppers gambol about the stage, the 50-yearold Rock and Roll Hall of Famers managed to match Mars’ energy in a brief appearance that was no less memorable. Mars trades in shared memories, taking the best of acts that have come before like the infectiousness of Sting and The Police, or the groove of James Brown, and updating them with lyrics and sounds that capture the freshness of the current moment. He opened by displaying the beauty of his high tenor with the sing-a-long-inviting “Locked Out of Heaven” and “Treasure” before transition❰❰ 1

ing to “Runaway Baby.” That song, with its Brownflavoured beat, allowed the Hawaiian-born singer to dance in homage to “Soul Brother Number One,” complete with an impressive gymnastics-style split as part of his moves. He broke down the band to silence and killed the lights for a moment, allowing the crowd’s screams to be heard at home, before transitioning to the Chili Peppers and the funky “Give It Away.” The Chili Peppers, which included singer Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea sans shirts in temperatures that hovered in the 40s, powered through the song, then joined Mars and his Hooligans in a quick few bars from Black Sabbath. Mars and his eight-piece band, The Hooligans, were dressed from head-to-toe in custom-made clothes from Saint Laurent by Hedi Slimane. Fox cut to video segments of soldiers around the world dedicating the next song to loved ones before going back to Mars. He appeared alone on a small stage in the centre of the field where he sang the ballad “Just the Way You Are” with the stands full of lights and the sky aflame with the biggest fireworks display in NFL Super Bowl history. It was a powerful moment and compared favourably to past performances by stars like Prince and Bruce Springsteen. There was never a dull moment. That’s about all you can ask, especially in a game that was full of them. ■

Bruno Mars (L) and Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers perform during the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Show at MetLife Stadium on February 2, 2014 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. PHOTO FROM CELEBUZZ.COM

Leno says goodbye to ‘Tonight’ again and late night TV; for his next act, comedy clubs, cars BY LYNN ELBER The Associated Press BURBANK, CALIF.—Jay Leno, as affably efficient backstage as he is in front of the camera, avoids waxing poetic about his 22-year “Tonight Show” run that draws to a close Thursday. Instead, he relies on numbers to tell the story. Leno’s tenure is second only to Johnny Carson’s 30 years; “Tonight” was No. 1 among viewers when he took it over and will be when he hands it off to Jimmy Fallon; he’ll have taped more shows than any predecessor, Carson included, with the final and 4,610th one. His dry assessment also may stem from a case of deja vu. After all, he lived through this before when he surrendered “Tonight” in 2009 to Conan O’Brien, only to reclaim it after NBC’s messy bobbling of the transition and O’Brien’s lacklustre ratings. But this time it’s different, Leno contends, offering another hard fact: The older generation has to make way for the younger one. Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II can keep 65-year-old Prince Charles cooling his heels. Leno doesn’t have the power to do the same with Fallon, 39. The “Late Night” host is moving the show from its longtime Burbank home, near Johnny Carson Park and off Bob Hope Drive, to its New York birthplace when he debuts as host on Feb. 17. “It’s been a wonderful job but this is the right time to leave,” said Leno, whose once-dark mop of hair is now a neatly groomed silver. “I’m at that age where I don’t really listen to the (current) music anymore. I’m not a big tweet guy. A 63-yearold guy reading Miley Cyrus’ tweets is a little creepy. Move on.” He makes the argument with the precision of one of his reliable monologue jokes, just as he did when he claimed to understand NBC’s decision to evict him for O’Brien— even as he reamed the network on the air. The years between then and www.canadianinquirer.net

Jay Leno.

now have seen changes come at a quickening pace, with an ever-more crowded late-night arena and a shifting media environment. Fallon’s parody music bits with contemporaries like Justin Timberlake are perfect cut-and-pastes for sites like YouTube that drive young viewer attention and offer new potential for ad sales as network revenues shrink. In 2012, “Tonight” laid off 20 staffers and Leno took a 10 per cent pay cut. The show has averaged a 3.5 million nightly viewership in the past 12 months, which pales in comparison with the double-digit audiences it once claimed. Leno is planning to expand the comedy club gigs he never abandoned and various outlets for his automotive passion, including the Web show “Jay Leno’s Garage,” and the magazine and newspaper pieces he writes. He insists his schedule won’t include another latenight show, which could only be what he calls “Tonight Light.” “It’s hard to re-create this moment. It’s like the fighter coming back. You got to be world champion, so it’s kind of silly,” he said. “Tonight,” which launched in 1954, was shaped by original host Steve Allen and nurtured by successors Jack Paar and Carson. Following them represented the pinnacle for comedians, and it was the role Leno coveted and won upon Carson’s 1992 retirement. His first few months were marred by Leno’s longtime

PHOTO BY FEATUREFLASH / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

manager Helen Kushnick, who, as his first “Tonight” executive producer, was blamed for instigating nasty guest booking wars and fired in what then was characterized as one of TV’s biggest publicity nightmares. Worse was to come, when NBC’s “Tonight” host succession plan hatched in 2004 went awry. Leno, who stoically endured insults from Jimmy Kimmel and others who portrayed him as having stolen O’Brien’s job, says the past is past. CBS’ Letterman, who once jockeyed with Leno for Carson’s throne, echoed that. “How long can I carry this with me?” he told Howard Stern during a SiriusXM interview Friday. He spoke of calling Leno when his second “Tonight” departure was announced, their first conversation in several years, and tipped his hat to his rival when Stern asked if Leno sounded sad. “I wouldn’t say sad. There’s nothing to be sad about. He’s had a tremendous career there,” Letterman said, graciously. Others have chimed in. “Politically Incorrect” host Bill Maher, a regular “Tonight” guest, and Seth MacFarlane (“Family Guy,” “Ted,”) serenaded Leno last week to the tune of “Thanks for the Memories.” It was reminiscent of Bette Midler’s saucy “You Made Me Watch You” tribute to Carson. This parody was edgier. “You’ve been retired and twice been fired for being No. 1. ❱❱ PAGE 38 Leno says

Entertainment

FEBRUARY 7, 2014 FRIDAY 36

Doctor: Philip Seymour Hoffman’s death ‘epitomizes the tragedy of drug addiction’ BY SANDY COHEN The Associated Press LOS ANGELES—Philip Seymour Hoffman suffered from a chronic medical condition that required ongoing treatment. An admitted drug addict who first sought professional help more than two decades ago, Hoffman apparently succumbed to his illness with an overdose despite a return to rehab last March. A father of three with a thriving career, the Oscar winner died Sunday with a needle in his arm and baggies of what appeared to be heroin nearby. New York City medical examiners were conducting an autopsy on Hoffman’s body Monday as investigators scrutinize evidence found in his apartment. His death, which came after a long period of sobriety that ended last year, “epitomizes the tragedy of drug addiction in our society,” said Dr. Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “Here you have an extraordinarily talented actor who had the resources, who had been in treatment, who obviously realized the problem of drugs and had been able to stay clean,” she said, adding that Hoffman’s case shows how devastating addiction can be. Success has no more bearing on drug addiction than it does on heart failure, doctors say: Both can be fatal without consistent care. And while rehab may be part of treatment, it’s no antidote. Amy Winehouse and

Cory Monteith had both been to rehab before eventually dying from overdoses. “Addiction is a chronic, progressive illness. No one can be cured,” said Dr. Akikur Reza Mohammad, a psychiatrist and addiction-medicine specialist who works as a professor at USC’s Keck School of Medicine and is founding chief of Inspire Malibu Treatment Center. “If someone is suffering from addiction, they cannot relax at any time. The brain neurochemistry changes... so these people are prone to relapse.” The younger a person begins using drugs, the more likely he is to develop an addiction, Volkow said. Hoffman wasn’t specific about his poisons when he told CBS’ “60 Minutes” in 2006 that he used “anything I could get my hands on” before cleaning up with rehab at age 22. He said in interviews last year that he sought treatment for heroin addiction after 23 years of sobriety. Addiction causes chemical changes in the brain that remain long after a person stops using the substance, said Volkow, who described the condition as “a chronic disease with a very long duration.” Abstinence or substitute medication is often required to prevent the addict from losing control around his desired substance. And just as someone who hasn’t ridden a bike for 20 years will still know what to do with a bicycle, an addicted brain exposed to its drug—even after a long break—will relapse to its

old levels. Studies have replicated this in animals, Volkow said: “Give them a tiny amount and they immediately escalate to same levels of drug taking as before”—which is why addiction is considered a chronic disease and overdose is common. Hoffman’s “is a story that unfortunately is not infrequent.” she said, “to have an individual who takes drugs in 20s and stops for 20 years relapse in 40s and overdose.” It’s not clear what motivated the actor’s return to drugs and what, if any, ongoing treatment he received after his rehab stint in 2013. Director Anton Corbijn, who was with Hoffman at the Sundance Film Festival last month to promote the film “A Most Wanted Man,” said Hoffman’s death “came as much as a shock to me as to anyone else I’d imagine.” He said that when he spent time with the actor two weeks ago, he “seemed in a good place despite some issues he had to deal with,” but Corbijn did not elaborate. Hoffman spoke to The Associated Press about the film at the festival, where he was dogged by paparazzi but otherwise calm. The actor, who could transform so convincingly into such varied characters on stage and screen, was generally a private person—something he said went with the job. “If they start watching me (in roles) and thinking about the fact that I got a divorce or something in my real life, or

in Japan, the Philippines and elsewhere in Asia and Europe have accused the movement of wreaking havoc in their dioceses and have tried to limit the Neocatechumenals’ activities, shutting their seminaries and complaining to the Vatican. The archbishop of Tokyo penned an article in 2011 noting the country’s bishops wanted to suspend the Neocatechumenals’ work completely in the

country for five years. The archbishop of Lingayen-Daugupan in the Philippines, Monsignor Socrates Villegas, went so far as to bar the community from seeking new recruits and revoked existing members’ right to teach catechism lessons. Francis appeared to have taken such criticisms seriously, telling the group that they must be patient and merciful with all they encounter.

Philip Seymour Hoffman in the press room for OSCARS 78th Annual Academy Awards. PHOTO BY EVERETT COLLECTION / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

these things, I don’t think I’m doing my job,” he said in the “60 Minutes” interview. “You don’t want people to know everything about your personal life, or they’re gonna project that also on the work you do.” Because addiction has a genetic predisposition, celebrities are as likely as anyone else to suffer, though working in a field that may be more tolerant of drug use can increase a person’s chances. “Addiction does not discriminate, the same way high blood pressure and diabetes do not discriminate,” Mohammad said, adding that 100 people die in the U.S. each day from drug overdoses. Those numbers are increasingly fueled by prescription painkillers, which tend to be opiates, like heroin. Recovery from drug addic-

tion is possible with treatment, lifestyle changes and awareness, doctors say. They may recommend inpatient rehabilitation for up to six months, followed by ongoing therapy and self-help meetings, such as those offered by 12-step programs. While intensity and type of treatment vary according to individual needs, Volkow said continuous treatment over five years has yielded the best results in studies so far. “Continuity of care improves outcomes for individuals who are addicted to drugs,” she said, adding that it can be a “graded approach” that changes with time. “But you need continued awareness of the possibility of relapse. No matter how long you’ve been clean, if you take the drug, you’re at high, high risk of relapse.” ■

“The freedom of each person must not be forced, and you must respect even the possible choice of those who decide to search for other forms of Christian life outside the Way,” he warned. One of the community’s cofounders, Francisco “Kiko” Arguello noted during the audience that missionaries are only sent to places where bishops request them. Benedict was mostly con-

cerned about alleged liturgical abuses in the movement and had instructed the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to study whether its Masses violated church regulations, according to a 2012 report in L’Espresso magazine. Francis has reportedly called off the study ordered by Benedict, and he made no mention in his remarks Saturday about liturgical problems. ■

Pope tells... bishops who find such practices confuse the faithful. The Vatican has yet to approve the liturgical practices. Francis also told the groups’ members to respect the authority and guidance of local bishops, and to pay attention to cultural differences when they go about seeking converts. While appreciating the movement’s religious zeal, bishops ❰❰ 20

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FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

Lifestyle

In wake of Captain and Tennille split, what prompts longtime couples to divorce? BY LAUREN LA ROSE The Canadian Press TORONTO—The ubiquitous “Love couldn’t keep them together” headlines blanketed social media and websites after news broke that musical duo Captain and Tennille—who are both in their 70s—are divorcing after nearly four decades of marriage. The couple had no children together and no reason was given for the split. While there are all kinds of factors at play when part-

nerships in business and love dissolve, is there anything in particular that can distinguish couples who divorce after decades together? Markham, Ont.-based registered couple and family therapist Shyamala Kiru said after more than 10 years in practice, it’s a pattern she’s seeing more frequently—particularly among retired couples who’ve made the decision to separate. While it’s sometimes a mutual decision, oftentimes it’s one partner who decides to leave the other. And anecdotally, from her own practice, Kiru

said increasingly it’s women who are leaving men later in life. “This generation that we’re looking at is women in their 50s and 60s leaving their partners,” said Kiru, chair of public relations for the Ontario Association for Marriage & Family Therapy. “Years ago, it wasn’t as OK to make that choice. There weren’t as many resources available to women.” She added: “I’m finding that as they’re getting at a different ❱❱ PAGE 38 In wake

Honey honey BY JOSEPH LOPEZ Special to Philippine Canadian Inquirer PERHAPS IT was the smog in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Or the fact that I was underdressed the chilly night before. I was coughing incessantly and I could not sleep. The following morning the hotel concierge suggested I walk around the corner to a honey store. A honey store? It was a fairly big shop, the walls of which, and glass counters, were all filled with hundreds if not almost a thousand bottles of honey from different floral source or blends creating a spectrum of colors. The clerk suggested a teaspoon before bed. Later that evening, it was snooze recovery. Honey is often cited in the Bi-

ble as nourishing for the body. Indeed, a study conducted by Pennsylvania State University’s College of Medicine found honey to be more effective than over-the-counter cough syrup for calming coughs. A Tulane University research indicates eating raw local honey helps in the reduction of allergy symptoms. Consumption of raw local honey inoculates because the individual is digesting presumably the pollen causing the allergic reaction. What gives honey its healing properties are attributed primarily to its enzymes. Enzymes are proteins which catalyze or accelerate normal biochemical reactions in the body. There are many enzymes in ❱❱ PAGE 44 Honey honey

Lifestyle

FEBRUARY 7, 2014 FRIDAY 38

WIND Mobile to launch unlimited U.S. data, talk and text in a first for Canadian telecom industry WIND’s Unlimited Data, Talk and Text Will Give Canadians the Freedom to Stay Connected When Travelling in the U.S.

In wake... stage—whether in the family life cycle or in their career—and they’re experiencing a little bit more freedom, they’re also experiencing that freedom to make different choices and to think differently about what they want.” Toronto-based couples therapist Karen Hirscheimer said the question of why any couple breaks up is complicated, but boils down to the primary focus on love, partnership and goodwill getting “lost to other things,” citing resentment, unresolved grievances, neglect and diminished trust as possible examples. Kiru recalled working recently with a couple who had been married for 37 years and were contemplating separation. Looking back at their relationship history, there had been issues that surfaced during the time of their engagement that were never really addressed. Whether it’s financial pressures, launching careers or having kids, there are many pressing issues that may need the immediate attention of a newly married couple—possibly causing the relationship itself to be left on the back burner, she noted. “Now that kids have moved out and moved on, careers are winding down, and then you actually look at each other and say: ‘Wow, we never really dealt with this stuff, and I’m not sure that I would have stayed in this marriage that long.”‘ Kiru said a common struggle for couples is negotiating closeness and distance: how much time is spent together versus apart. On a practical level, that could involve addressing whether to have separate or individual bank accounts or sharing the same friends or activities, she noted. “Oftentimes in a relation❰❰ 37

ship, one partner will want to do things one way and another partner will have a different idea about closeness and distance. And when you have that sort of argument or conflict over a number of years, it can feel like: ‘I just don’t want to do this anymore. I want a partner I can go skiing with every year. I want a partner that wants to go to the gym with me everyday.”‘ Hirscheimer said many couples don’t have the practical tools or skills to communicate in order to avoid getting into the problems that eventually occur and come between them. Much of the work she does is to help couples establish effective communications strategies and principles to follow that can help them keep—or recapture— the spark in their relationship. She said if couples feel that they’ve reached a stalemate, feel like roommates or are lacking a connection, they should seek help sooner rather than later. “I think there’s nothing wrong with trying to attempt to resolve it on their own, but if they’re getting stuck ... if they see that they’re just not going anywhere, what tends to happen is a lot of people get frustrated and so they stop talking about it,” Hirscheimer said. “Then it becomes a worse problem sometimes, or other problems start to emerge because they’re not talking.” Hirscheimer said ideally both parties should be involved in counselling, but oftentimes, one person can come in and that’s sometimes enough to instigate change. “The reality is, the relationship is a huge investment of time, energy, and nothing affects our mental well-being more than our relationship with our significant other,” she said. “It’s really important to keep that relationship healthy and connected.” ■

TORONTO—Beginning Monday, February 3, 2014, Canadians can stop worrying about roaming fees and start enjoying travel more as today WIND Mobile announces its Unlimited U.S. Roaming add-on, that will give customers unlimited data, talk and text across the United States. WIND Mobile’s Unlimited U.S. Roaming add-on will be available for only $15 per month and will offer subscribers complete peace of mind and worry-free travel, anywhere in the USA. “With more and more Canadians visiting the United States for work or pleasure, we know how important it is for them to keep in touch with family and friends or take care of business back home,” said Mirko Rugarli, Chief Marketing Officer, WIND Mobile. “This new add-on gives customers the freedom to stay connected to their world while travelling. Consumers will be able to use their smartphone however they like, without limits, check maps if they get lost,

update Facebook and Twitter, send photos of their trip, check the local weather – and all for only $15 a month. No more headaches, no more surprises.” This historic new offering is the latest innovative step by WIND Mobile as they continue to revitalize the Canadian telecom industry. As the first Canadian wireless company to bring true mobile freedom to consumers travelling south of the border, WIND continues to offer customers real value at a time when the telecom industry continues to experience fluctuating rates1 and as more Canadians are hoping to benefit from increased competition. “While wireless prices in the Canadian marketplace remain very high, we at WIND Mobile continue to challenge expectations and offer our customers real value” said Pietro Cordova, Chief Operating Officer, WIND Mobile. “As part of the VimpelCom group, a global company that covers 17 countries and serves nearly 220 million users,

WIND Mobile has the expertise, international perspective and the capability to provide Canadian consumers with this value and flexibility.” Both new and existing customers will be able to subscribe to the Unlimited U.S. Roaming add-on starting Monday, February 3, 2014. More information will be available on www. windmobile.ca

Leno’s favourite Q&A is that those queried about how Mount Rushmore was formed often reply, “erosion.” His head-shaking reaction: “The wind and rain not only picked four presidents, it picked four of our greatest presidents!” Was he the most daring, most innovative, most surprising force in late-night? His critics and even clear-eyed admirers said no, and Leno doesn’t argue with them—but that’s not what counts, he adds: “Whether you like the host or not, you cannot say it’s not been a success. A football team might not have the most sophisticated players but can win the Super Bowl.” Leno cannot be called unsophisticated but he is determinedly un-show biz. He makes note of his modest New England upbringing, the high school friends he remains close

to, his three-decade marriage to wife, Mavis, and the many “Tonight” staffers who remained loyal throughout his tenure. Hollywood has been a place to get to tell jokes to a big audience, reap millions of dollars to be carefully saved and keep a safe distance from the circus. “When this is over, I don’t get to my table at (posh restaurant) Morton’s and”—here, he feigns dismay as he mimics a maitre d’— ‘Sorry, Mr. Leno, this is Mr. Fallon’s table.’“ Instead, the day after Leno steps off the “Tonight” stage, the one designed for him, he will travel to Florida for a handful of club dates, his wife at his side. And, he said, he’ll be content with that. ■

About WIND Mobile

WIND Mobile is dedicated to improving the Canadian wireless experience by offering customers simple and transparent plans, including real unlimited voice/data/text with no-term contracts and no hidden fees. Committed to becoming the country's fourth national carrier, WIND has more than 650,000 happy customers in Canada and is a part of Amsterdam-based VIMPELCOM Ltd., a global company with nearly 220 million customers. Learn more about WIND Mobile at www.windmobile.ca. ■

Leno says... How stupid they are,” the pair sang, zinging NBC as a surprised, bemused Leno watched. Maher was expansive when asked to comment on Leno. “As a performer trying to make it in show business, and as a human being, you cannot do better than ask, ‘What would Jay do?”‘ Maher said in an email Saturday. Leno’s final show will feature Billy Crystal, his first “Tonight” guest, and Garth Brooks. Leno’s legacy—a word that makes him squirm—might include expanding the show’s opening monologue; a memorable mea culpa from Hugh Grant after he was arrested in 1995 with a prostitute; the first interview with a sitting president, Barack Obama, in 2009; and the “Jaywalking” fixture, which trips up people with simple questions. ❰❰ 35

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AP Television Writer Frazier Moore in New York contributed to this report.

Lifestyle

39 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

Palau’s president says the Pacific island nation will ban commercial fishing, promote tourism BY EDITH M. LEDERER The Associated Press THE PRESIDENT of Palau declared Tuesday that his Pacific island nation will ban commercial fishing and become a marine sanctuary. President Tommy Remengesau Jr. said in a keynote address to a U.N. meeting on “Healthy Oceans and Seas” that once current fishing contracts with Japan, Taiwan and some private companies expire only fishing by island residents and tourists will be allowed in its 200-nautical-mile exclusive economic zone. Remengesau said establishing “a 100 per cent marine sanctuary” will enable Palau to preserve “a pristine environment” and promote snorkeling, scuba diving and ecotourism as an alternative way to grow its economy. “It will make a difference if it’s just a matter of feeding ourselves and feeding the tourists,” he told a news conference. “As it is right now, we’re feeding the tourist and ourselves plus millions of people outside the territory.” Palau’s population of about 20,000 people is spread across 250 islands. It shares maritime boundaries with Indonesia, the Philippines, and Micronesia. The country announced in 2009 it was creating the world’s first shark sanctuary by banning all commercial shark fishing in its territorial waters. It has also adopted the most restrictive law against bottom trawling. In 2012, its Rock Islands Southern Lagoon was named a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Remengesau, a fisherman, said he has seen fish stocks dwindle and the size of fish grow smaller around his island nation. With a marine sanctuary, he said, “we will do our part of making sure that there’s a healthy stock of fish in Palau that then can migrate to other places.” Remengesau said snorkelers and scuba divers come to Palau to see sharks, which can live up to 100 years. According to a study, he said a live shark is worth $1.9 million as a tourist attraction compared to a dead shark which is worth several hundred dollars for its fins for shark fin soup, which is an Asian delicacy. To enforce the ban on commercial fishing, Remengesau said Palau is working with potential partners to obtain radar equipment and drones to monitor its waters. Remengesau said climate change and global warming have been having a serious impact. “For us in Palau and the Pacific islands, there’s been a tremendous amount of what we call unpredictable weather patterns that brings typhoons and storms and all kinds of destructive forces to the islands,” he said. “We have other problems of sea level rises.” Palau is also urging the United Nations to adopt a new goal to clean up the world’s oceans, restore fish stocks and bring some equity to resources being taken by others. Remengesau said “the fishing revenue has been breadcrumbs—it’s been nothing compared to, or in fairness to the billion dollar industry that this whole fishing industry is.” ■

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Business

FEBRUARY 7, 2014 FRIDAY 40

YAMANG PANGKINABUKASAN

Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) THE TAX-FREE Savings Account (TFSA) is the most unique plan in personal savings. Information on Tax -Free Savings Account (TFSA) is everywhere—from brochures from the bank, advertisements on TV, and on the internet. You may already have sufficient information about it. The real question is do you have the right information about TFSA? A Tax -Free Savings Account (TFSA) is a flexible and general-purpose savings vehicle that allows Canadians to earn tax-free investment income to more easily meet lifetime savings needs. A TFSA itself is not an investment—it is a registered plan, a type of account that holds investment assets including many different types of funds such as Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs), mutual funds and bonds, depending on an investor’s preferences and risk tolerance. Your investments and savings will grow tax-free throughout lifetime. Canadian residents, age eighteen and older with a Social Insurance Number, can contribute up to $5,500 annually to TFSA regardless of your income (in 2013, the contribution limit of a TFSA has been raised to $5,500 to account for inflation by the Federal Gov-

ernment.) There are several advantages • Investors do not pay tax on investment earned income, including interest income, dividend or capital gains and tax free money grows. • Investors do not only avoid tax on TFSA withdrawing as well as sums withdrawn are not taxable, but furthermore, there is no need to worry about penalties. • Unused TFSA contribution room is carried forward and accumulates in consecutive years. • Contributions are not tax deductible. • Both earned incomes or withdraws from TFSA do not affect eligibility for federal income-tested benefits and credits, such as Old Age Security, the Guaranteed Income Supplement, and the Canada Child Tax Benefits. (If your net income exceeds $70,000, your OAS payments will be taxed 15 percent on the net income exceeding the threshold amount.) • There is no minimum balance and no fees. For example, an individual contributing $200 a month to a TFSA for 20 years (assuming an average annual return of 5.5 percent) will accumulate about $11,045 more in savings than if the investment had been made in a taxable savings vehicle.

Any contributions above that amount would be subject to tax unless you have carried over contribution room from previous years. TFSA offers wide range from conservative to aggressive of investment depending on your objectives. You may even hold multiple TFSA accounts, as long as your annual contributions are under your contribution limit. (Additional deposits may be subject to tax.) All Canadians have a reason to save to fulfill important lifetime goals. Whatever your reason, the TFSA can help you achieve your objectives. People can use the TFSA to start saving early for a range of needs they may have in the future. The TFSA complements existing registered savings plans like the Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSP) and the Registered Education Savings Plans (RESP). Whatever investments you choose in your TFSA, you can enjoy these investments that grow tax-free. ■ For more information about this topic and other valuable financial information listen to our weekly radio program – “YAMANG PANGKINABUKASAN” every Saturday from 1:30pm to 2pm on JUAN Radio 96.1 FM, hosted by Surrinder Varpaul and Kuya Boy.

BSP: Fed move doesn’t threaten PH Sound fundamentals to ensure economy’s health BY DORIS C. DUMLAO Philippine Daily Inquirer PHILIPPINE OFFICIALS yesterday tried to calm the domestic markets, which were battered by the news that the US Federal Reserve would further reduce the monetary stimulus that has been propping up the American economy since late 2009. One official said that the country’s “strong fundamentals” should set it apart from other emerging economies once the dust settles. Most financial markets were in the red on Thursday after the news of the reduction broke out. Philippine share prices dropped across the board. Likewise, the peso touched a fresh three-year low before closing at 45.32:$1, despite testing the 44 level. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. welcomed the Fed’s announcement (Thursday morning, Manila time), explaining that it eased some of the uncertainty that has plagued asset prices of emerging markets since last year. “When the dust settles, we hope markets would distinguish between emerging market economies that have weak

current accounts and those that have strong fundamentals, such as the Philippines,” Tetangco said in a statement. He said volatile conditions should remain, in the meantime, as fund managers accelerate the adjustment in their portfolios to favor advanced economies like the United States. “Our domestic participants would be well served if they continue to keep their eyes on the fundamental story of the country,” Tetangco said. Despite the devastation of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” and other natural calamities, the Philippine economy grew by 7.2 percent in 2013, beating most analysts’ estimates and the government’s own target of 6 to 7 percent. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) announced another $10billion reduction in the Fed’s monthly asset purchases starting February, following an initial cut to $75 billion this month. The Fed’s bond-buying program, through which it buys mortgage-backed securities and medium-tenor US Treasuries, was introduced in 2009 to drive interest rates down, aiding the recovery of America’s crisis-ravaged economy. ■

PH seen overcoming global capital woes BY DORIS C. DUMLAO Philippine Daily Inquirer EMERGING MARKETS have yet to see the worst of a global capital shakeout but the Philippines can hurdle this episode given its strong economic fundamentals, investment experts from global insurance giant Sun Life of Canada said. Any pullback in local equities, which are relatively expensive compared to regional peers, is an opportunity to take a long-term position, Hong Kong-based Michael Manuel, managing director for Asia investments at Sun Life of Canada, said in a recent briefing. On equities, the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi)

may rise by a modest 10 percent to about 6,500 this year, saidMichael Gerard Enriquez, chief investment officer at Sun Life Financial Philippines. He said this would be supported by a 6to 8-percent average growth in corporate earnings. “The Philippines is one of the better stories in Asia but it’s expensive,” Manuel said. As such, Manuel said priceto-earnings multiples (P/E) of Philippine stocks were not likely to rise significantly this year, as investors would not likely pay too high a price relative to projected earnings. He said the P/E ratio of Philippine equities would likely hug the long-term average of only about 15x, with the 5,500 level offering a very strong support for the PSEi.

“I’m not saying the rally will pan out but it will be a slow rise from here,” Manuel said. The PSEi ended higher for five consecutive years beginning 2009. Manuel said emerging markets would remain out of favor with global investors this year, as they were just beginning to catch up with the recovery in developed markets like the United States, Eurozone and Japan. “The [Philippines] is well-positioned to take on this hiccup in emerging markets,” Manuel said, noting that the country was on a much better fundamental footing compared to the last Asian turmoil that started in 1997. Before the Asian currency turmoil of 1997, Manuel said www.canadianinquirer.net

the Philippines was trying to fix its exchange rate at P26:$1. The country was afterward forced to devalue its currency and hike interest rates as capital flight hit the region. Today, the country is on a floating exchange rate amid a record low interest rate regime. Manuel said the Philippines likewise enjoyed vast foreign reserves but said the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas was unlikely to use this ammunition to defend the local currency to address a temporary situation. “It will not be immune to a currency weakening in global markets but as the outflows subside, it will get back to a stronger level,” Manuel said, adding that the country’s external surplus was supported by a

steady flow of overseas remittances unlike other emerging markets, which were dependent on portfolio flows. Another big difference from 1997 is the sound footing of the Philippine banking system at present, Manuel said. Previously, he said banks were crippled by high interest rates and a large stock of nonperforming loans. “From the perspective of emerging markets, you will see the Philippines react, but I will take that as an opportunity to buy,” Manuel said, noting that the downward pressure on asset prices would lead to them is pricing of local assets versus fundamentals and therefore a chance to build up long-term positions. ■

Sports/Horoscope

41 FRIDAY FEBRUARY 7, 2014

2 Filipinos in S. Africa open-water swim event BY CYNTHIA D. BALANA Philippine Daily Inquirer FILIPINO SWIMMERS Betsy Medalla and Julian Valencia in Cape Town, South Africa, will attempt to be the first Filipinos and Asians to complete the symbolic Robben Island Swim. Speaking from Cape Town, Buddy Cunanan, honorary consul of Georgia in the Philippines and swim organizer, told the INQUIRER yesterday that he met with officials of the Cape Long Distance Swimming Association (CLDSA) in South Africa on Friday to discuss the continued training of Medalla and Valencia in Cape Town and details about the actual swim, which is scheduled for Feb. 8 or 9, depending on weather conditions. “I want to assure the Filipino people that all measures are being taken to guarantee the

PHOTO FROM OCEANSWIMS.COM

safety ofMedalla and Valencia. Nothing is being left to chance,” Cunanan said. “A Rainbow of Hope: a Celebration of Philippines-South African Friendship—The 1st Robben Island Filipino Swim 2014” is the first attempt by Asians to take part in a historic open-water swim, where they will go out into the deep waters with temperatures ranging from 12 to 15 degrees Celsius, stretching 7.2 kilometers from the shores of Robben Island to

the suburb of Bloubergstrand in Cape Town. The swim will commemorate the life of the late Nelson Mandela and a gesture of thanks to South Africans for their help for Supertyphoon “Yolanda” victims, and raise money for the survivors of the calamity. “It pleases us very much that Filipinos are attempting this swim. Aside from the highly symbolic and noble objective of the event, we are eager to build lasting friendships and add Filipinos to our ranks and record books,” said Peter Bales, CLDSA chair. Cunanan said both Medalla and Valencia will be accompanied by at least one guide boat, which will be skippered by CLDSA Operations and Safety Chief Derrick Goodman. Joining Goodman on board will be a rescue swimmer and Cunanan himself. ■

Palami plans expansion of national pool BY CEDELF P. TUPAS Philippine Daily Inquirer WITH A new coach set to take over, the talent pool for the Philippine football team that will see action in the AFC Challenge Cup will also be expanded, giving more players a chance to crack the 25-man lineup. Azkals manager Dan Palami said they plan to come up with a 40-player pool from where the lineup for the Challenge Cup in the Maldives in May will be selected. “We’re giving more players a chance to prove their worth,” said Palami. “This is part of our goal to build a stronger local core.” Palami has selected former US skipper Thomas Dooley as Azkals coach, succeeding German Michael Weiss.

Armed with plenty of experience playing at international level, the Azkals’ head coaching role is a first for Dooley, who is flying to Manila to finalize the deal with the Philippine Football Federation. As news of Dooley’s impending appointment leaked Friday night, the PFF was quick to clarify that he has yet to agree to terms with the federation. “I think his experience as a player and as a coach will help us,” said Palami of Dooley who skippered the US in the 1998 World Cup. “After talking to several candidates, who also had good credentials, we think that he is the best choice.” Dooley’s immediate task is to whip a team into fighting form for the Challenge Cup that serves as qualifier for the AFC Asian Cup in Australia next year. ■

HOROSCOPE ARIES

CANCER

LIBRA

CAPRICORN

(MARCH 21 - APRIL 19)

(JUNE 22 - JULY 22)

(SEPT 23 - OCT 22)

(DEC 22 - JAN 19)

Your upbeat and active nature is exactly what turns people on to you, Aries. Attention is apt to turn in your direction today when social acquaintances realize what an incredibly capable person you are. Focus on your strengths and accentuate these points in everything you do. The people around you will find you irresistible. You have a solid green light when it comes to love and romance tonight.

More than likely there was at least one time in your life in which you felt like the ugly ducking, Cancer. Perhaps this had something to do with your weight. Whether this feeling of insecurity or self-consciousness was self-imposed or not, it’s time to rid yourself of such thoughts and feelings. Today is a day to love every bit of yourself. Have pride in your body inside and out.

While long-term trends in your life may not be going exactly the way you want them to, Libra, you certainly have plenty of short-term pleasures to enjoy, especially today. Feel free to indulge in things that you might normally say no to. There is a great opportunity now to form an extremely powerful bond with someone close to you. Find this connection by immersing yourself in the things that you love to do the most.

Be careful about getting caught up with people who are careless or fickle, Capricorn, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. Your tender emotions are too sensitive to endure the thoughtlessness, bluntness, and ultimately the rejection of someone who simply wasn’t a good person for you to hang around with in the first place. Try not to invest yourself emotionally in situations or people today.

TAURUS

LEO

SCORPIO

AQUARIUS

(APRIL 20 - MAY 20)

(JULY 23 - AUGUST 22)

(OCT 23 - NOV 21)

(JAN 20 - FEB 18)

Today is one of those days when you could feel lethargic and downbeat, Taurus. For some reason, even if you have a driving urge to get up and do something, it seems as if there’s a two-ton weight sitting right on top of your head. You’re probably better off this way. Learn from others’ mistakes when they land flat on their face. Gather information so you know best how to proceed on your own.

Duels of love and romance are apt to come to a critical climax, Leo, and you’ll find that the person who is challenging you has quite a bit of gunpowder at his or her disposal. Your best assets are your abilities to communicate and to see both sides of an issue. The key is to not get too emotionally involved, although that’s much easier said than done.

You may be anxious to fit things in your life into pigeonholes, Scorpio. When it comes to matters of love and romance, this may be hard to do, especially on a day like today. Call upon your pioneering spirit to seek something new and not limit yourself to what you originally had in mind. Perhaps there is something bigger and better waiting for you. You’ll only find it if you dare to accept something outside the norm.

Your luck has just turned with regard to issues of love and romance, and wow! Has it turned for the better, Aquarius! You should be sitting on cloud nine today when it comes to matters of the heart. If, for some reason, you aren’t, perhaps you should consider who is sitting next to you on that cloud. Maybe it’s time for a change. This is your day to be happy.

GEMINI

VIRGO

SAGITTARIUS

PISCES

(MAY 21 - JUNE 21)

(AUG 23 - SEPT 22)

(NOV 22 - DEC 21)

(FEB 19 - MAR 20)

Your heart is apt to beat much more rapidly than usual, Gemini. Love is in the air, the trees, and the people around you. Whatever you do today, make sure that you spend the evening with someone special. Love is apt to be very expansive for you. Just the smallest seed will blossom into a gorgeous flower right before your eyes. Experience the full-body sensation of being immersed in love with the world around you.

Your extremely overpowering emotions are apt to scare people off today, Virgo, especially when it comes to matters involving intimate relationships. Unless your desired result is to convince everyone around you that you’re completely insane, it may be best for you to back off. Let someone else take the lead today and you may be quite pleasantly surprised at where you and this special person end up.

You may feel like going back to being a student in junior high, Sagittarius, just going through puberty and joining the other kids in animated discussions about who likes whom and who’s going out with whom. Follow your whim with phone calls to close friends who’d be happy to share in your childlike nature. Wear something red today in order to serve as a reminder of the radiance of your loving heart.

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Romance is in the air, Pisces, and all of a sudden you notice that all around you couples are walking hand-in-hand, exchanging longing gazes. This could get you thinking about your own situation. If you want to make a move toward someone in the department of love and romance, feel free to go ahead, but don’t get too hung up on positive results. If you get your hopes up too high, you might end up falling hard.

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Travel

From zoo to science to beer, St. Louis at 250 has plenty to offer visitors BY JIM SALTER The Associated Press ST. LOUIS—St. Louis is turning 250 this year, and visitors who want to join in the celebration can find plenty to do without spending a dime. The Gateway City was founded by Pierre Laclede and Auguste Chouteau on Feb. 15, 1764. A series of anniversary events are planned throughout the year. Some are serious, including a reenactment of the founding on Feb. 15 at the Laclede’s Landing area on the Mississippi Riverfront downtown. Others are more whimsical, like a “Burnin’ Love” festival in which 250 couples are expected to become engaged on Valentine’s Day. Amid the hoopla, there’s plenty to do for free, including visits to one of the world’s biggest breweries, two popular animal attractions, a science centre and a towering monument that has come to define St. Louis.

courthouse was the site of the famous Dred Scott case that played a role in eventually freeing the slaves. Construction of the Arch, designed Eero Saarinen, began in 1963. The final piece connecting the two legs was installed in 1965, and the Arch opened to visitors on May 25, 1968.

Gateway Arch

Anheuser-Busch brewery tour

The iconic Arch, built as a monument to westward expansion, stands 630 feet tall (192 metres) along the banks of the Mississippi River. For a fee, visitors can ride a tram to the top of the Arch and gaze over downtown St. Louis to the west or the cornfields of Illinois to the east. But many attractions at and around the Arch are free. That includes the Museum of Westward Expansion in the basement of the Arch, focusing on life in the West in the 1800s. Visitors can also wander the expansive Arch grounds, where a multi-million dollar upgrade project is under way and expected to be completed by 2016. Also free are visits to the Old Courthouse in downtown St. Louis, also operated by the National Park Service. The

Gateway Arch

Anheuser-Busch plant

The Busch family sold Anheuser-Busch to the Belgian brewer InBev in 2008, but the massive brewery remains an integral part of St. Louis, making some of the nation’s bestselling brews, including Budweiser and Bud Light. The complimentary tours are open to visitors of all ages— but only those 21 and older can taste the finished product after the tour. Younger visitors get soft drinks. Visitors not only get a glimpse of how the beer is made but see the Budweiser Clydesdales, kept at stables on the brewery site. Reservations are required. Anheuser-Busch also offers a more comprehensive “Beermaster Tour” and “Beer School,” though neither is free. The brewery itself is in the

PHOTO BY BEV SYKES / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

eclectic Soulard area near downtown. Soulard Market nearby offers a variety of fresh produce, meats and other goods. Grant’s Farm

The 281-acre Grant’s Farm is owned by the Busch family. It got its name because the property was founded as a farm by Ulysses S. Grant, the Civil War general who later became the nation’s 18th president. The farm, in St. Louis County just south of the city, is home to more than 900 animals. Among them: Another group of Budweiser Clydesdales. More than 24 million people have visited Grant’s Farm since it opened in 1954. Reservations are required. St. Louis Zoo

The St. Louis Zoo in sprawling Forest Park is considered one of the best in the nation, and one of the few that with no admission fee. Funding comes from a cultural tax district, the Metropolitan Zoological Park and Museum District, though fees are charged for some special attractions. The zoo is home to more than

Hermann Fountain, Saint Louis Zoological Park PHOTO BY ROBERT LAWTON / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

18,000 animals, including some rare and endangered species. A “Zooline Railroad” takes visitors to various locations and is popular, especially among children. The zoo’s origins date to the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, when the city purchased the Flight Cage from the Smithsonian Institution. Over the years, new exhibits and animals were added. The zoo is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. most days; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve; and closed on Christmas and New Year’s Day. St. Louis Science Center

The Science Center, also part of Forest Park and funded

through the same cultural subsidy as the zoo, is among the few free science centres in the U.S. It was founded as a planetarium in 1963. Today, the centre includes more than 750 exhibits in 300,000-plus square feet (28,000 square meters) of space, making it one of the nation’s largest science centres. About 1.2 million people visit it each year. The centre itself is free, but fees are charged for admission to some special exhibits and planetarium shows. An Omnimax Theater also charges for admission. The centre features an enclosed walkway over Interstate 64 in which visitors can monitor the speeds of cars travelling below. ■

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

FRIDAY 44

Honey honey... honey but three predominate. Diastase (or amylase) which helps in metabolism, boosts energy, prevents indigestion or acid reflux. Invertase which increases immunity. Glucose oxidase which generates the antibacterial hydrogen peroxide. Honey has been reputed to treat skin rashes like eczema or fungal infections The amount of enzymes in honey depends on the floral source. The popular ones like clover and orange blossom are in the low end. Multiflorals are in the middle. And at the high end are eucalyptus and the fetid nectar from buckwheat. An article in Vegetarian Times a year ago quoted the socalled Bee Doctor, Chris Harp, co- founder of Honeybee Lives– a New York based organization which promotes public appreciation on the role of honeybees in our ecology. Mr. Harp citing a U.S. Federal Drug Administration report that 75 percent of the honey in retail is not the real McCoy said, “Most of what’s on the market today is ultrafiltered, with the pollen removed, so all you have is the sugar content. ❰❰ 37

Also honey is naturally thick, but you’ve got these factories that want to fill bottles quickly. Heating honey to thin it kills the enzymes and the microbes that make it a healing product. It still tastes good, but there’s no longer the healing benefit. So buy local, and look for raw honey, which has never been heated.” Research done by the National Honey Board in the U.S. concluded “heating and filtering honey does not completely eliminate all enzymes, nor does it have a negative effect on honey’s mineral and antioxidant levels.” This statement is saying that some enzymes do get zapped. The bee doctor is partly right–the enzyme’s hustle slows down with heat. It is therefore not advisable to microwave honey. If you need to liquefy crystallized honey, immerse the container

cream like. Is honey better than sugar for managing diabetes? The Mayo Clinic said there is no advantage in substituting honey for sugar in a diabetic eating plan. But other medical experts suggest that al-

in lukewarm water. For the consumer, before you pay for it, make sure you eyeball the rawness in every bottle. Suppliers have different meanings of “raw”. Real raw honey is unheated, unpasteurized, and unfiltered. It should therefore look almost solid, crystallize or

though honey is 25 per cent sweeter than sugar, the metabolism of honey is different from table sugar because honey is heavily fructose and glucose while sugar is sucrose. There are claims that honey does not affect patients with diabetes the same way sugar does. One thing everyone agrees

by strong Filipino women. Siy says Capili gets the context and so do the readers. “Gets agad kami ng readers, kasi we are one with them,” agrees Siy. Galvez says there is a big audience for this type of books. “They are targeted toward young female readers who are avid consumers of romance books. The sales figures attest to the enormity of this segment of the reading public. Women readers derive pleasure and encouragement from semibiographical literature because they can relate to the stories that are usually aspirational or confessional.” Siy says single women and “those searching for a relationship,” are a particular market. She describes Capili’s book as “self-help… that also makes for an enjoyable read.” She adds: “In a way, the book is inspiring and enlightening without being preachy. It’s like talking to an older sister who’s very understanding and saying ‘papunta ka pa lang, pabalik na ako’ (I’ve been there) in a very, very

sweet manner.” Capili is more self-effacing about her book. “Surreal,” is how she describes her experience as an author, adding that she still remembers the first time someone asked her to autograph her book at a booksigning event at the Manila International Book Fair. When she saw her book on the shelves for the first time, she actually took a photo with her phone, she confides. Her next book, “Buti Pa Ang Roma May Papa” is due out later this year. But that’s not all she’s been busy with. Capili actually has a third dream: to write a movie. She’s getting that chance as well, with her own book, no less. When “Parang Kayo Pero Hindi” became a publishing hit, broadcast executives and directors approached her for a possible screen adaptation. “I thought they were just joking,” she says. But when Star Cinema, ABSCBN’s movie arm, entered the scene, she took the offer seriously. With Capili herself writ-

ing the screenplay, “Parang Kayo Pero Hindi” the movie is coming out late this year. The book’s imminent arrival at local cinemas is only the latest in a series of book-to-movie transformations. Beginning with Eros Atalia’s “Ligo Na Ü, Lapit na Me” in 2011, a conga line of books about Filipino lives has seen their adaptation into movies, including Ramon Bautista’s “Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo?” in 2013. Out this month from Viva is Bob Ong’s “ABNKKBSNPLAko?!” starring Jericho Rosales. Soon to follow is HaveYouSeenThisGirl’s “Diary Ng Panget.” Galvez says these movies have a built-in audience because the readers are bound to watch the movie version: “There’s always an audience for films that have been previously read. Young readers like to see their favorite artists give life to stories that capture their imagination. Young females are also a significant sector of movie watchers.” Given the deluge of writing jobs that await her, does Capili

on: honey is an excellent source of carbohydrates, enhancing performance, endurance and reduces muscle fatigue. Now I take a spoon of honey before I head out to the gym. There are web sites that recommend drinking honey, mixed with a few drops of lemon juice and a glass of water at room or lukewarm temperature, to combat obesity. No definitive studies confirm this assertion. By the way, honey is the only food in the world which will never spoil. Why so? According to Jonas Luster of the Huffington Post, honey is acidic and supersaturated (it sucks off the water from any microorganism) thus there is no chance for survival for any bacteria. WARNING: Under no circumstances should you give honey to an infant a year old or younger. It can cause botulism to which an infant does not have immunity yet. Before embarking on a honey therapy, consult your physician. ■ Questions? Contact the author via e-mail: telljosephlopez@ gmail.com

The (Funny)... In his introduction, Capili’s mentor, Jose Javier Reyes, describes her work as “extraordinary because these writings carry humor with quiet pain.” Beverly “Bebang” Siy, the author of the best-selling autobiographical book “It’s a Men’s World,” gets the charm. “Napaka-friendly ng wika niya. (It’s an) easy read. And her descriptions of her feelings about love and relationships are very realistic.” She adds: “I can relate because the essays are easy to understand.” Anvil Publishing marketing manager Gwenn Galvez says Capili’s title alone grabs the reader. “Her title is very intriguing. It appeals to women of all ages as it deals with relationships of a romantic nature. The title also uses a very contemporary phrase ‘parang kayo’ referring to a couple or people in relationships.” Additionally, Siy’s and Capili’s books speak of a strong following for tell-all books written ❰❰ 24

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still find time to do other stuff? What does she do when she’s not writing? “Tumunganga (space out),” she quips. Not that she’s getting a lot of time to do that, as writing for TV takes up a lot of her time now when she’s not walking the malls, shopping or listening to good music. Ironically for a writer who has become known for writing about love, Capili says her own love life which used to be “colorful,” is now “non-existent,” with potential partners “probably scared off.” She adds: “I used to tell people my love life was like a book or a movie, an indie film in 2012. Now I want a love life that’s a romantic comedy instead.” Not that she has reason to complain. Writing for TV, authoring a book and writing a movie screenplay is not for the fainthearted, but it’s something she has already achieved. Recalls Capili: “One of my friends asked: now that I have all three, could I die now? And I said, not yet!” ■

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FEBRUARY 7, 2014

FRIDAY 46

Senator witnesses typhoon’s aftermath in his former homeland ‘All of us are very thankful to the Canadians’ BY MATTHEW FISHER Postmedia ESTANCIA, PHILIPPINES—Canada’s first Filipino-Canadian senator, Sen. Tobias Enverga of Toronto, was greeted a bit like a rock star everywhere he went last week during a tour of one the areas that was hardest hit by last November’s killer typhoon. As a camera crew from a top-rated Filipino television network followed Enverga’s every step, grateful Filipinos queued up to thank the senator for work that had been done by the Canadian military’s Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) after Typhoon Haiyan— known locally as Typhoon Yolanda— slashed across the northeastern corner of Panay Island, causing more than 100 deaths and hundreds of millions of dollars of damage. “Speaking to these people makes me realize that Canada responded really well,” Enverga said after making five stops in and near the town of Estancia, where he surprised and delighted everyone by speaking his birth language, Tagalog with, among others, fishermen who had lost everything in the storm and schoolchildren whose lives had been uprooted by it. Confessing that he was overwhelmed by the welcome he had received, the senator added, “Everyone I have talked to, from the mayor to the little kids and their parents, they are highly appreciative of our help. … People tell me the DART team came in a very timely manner. The team is a real winner for Canada.” As if on cue, Estancia Mayor Rene Cordero told his visitor, “All of us are very thankful to the Canadians. They were good and they got here fast to help

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us.” The city of Tacloban—where thousands died during the storm—understandably received most of the international media attention and was the focus of the main U.S.-led relief effort. But Cordero said Estancia had also been in urgent need of assistance and that the Canadians had “surprised us by answering our prayers.” “You cannot compare the devastation with Tacloban, but there are real challenges here, too,” said Mark Kane of Save the Children U.K., which helped facilitate Enverga’s visit. “So it was brilliant that the Canadians came to provide critical assistance. “In such situations it is about mobilizing resources quickly to make sure that everyone who is suffering can be reached, and that is what Canada did. It was important that they were willing to work away from the headlines. They made a huge contribution.” With considerable Canadian help, World Vision co-ordinated food deliveries to about 80,000 families on Panay at the height of the emergency. “What made a big difference for us was the choppers,” said Minnie Portales of World Vision, referring to the three helicopters that Canada had airlifted from Edmonton on a Royal Canadian Air Force C-17 jumbo transport. “Those helicopters got food and other help into remote places nobody else could get into.” Estancia’s police chief, Insp. Lorenez Losario, told Enverga he would never forget the Canadians because two of them had bunked down for a time in his own office. As well as helping to clear away debris, provide first-line medical care and produce fresh drinking water, the Cana-

dians had helped in some unusual ways. Although they were able to get home just before Christmas, part of their legacy here is in the maps that they made, which are still being extensively used by Philippine officials as well as by the UN and international agencies working to get Panay back on its feet. The loudest sound by far these days in the centre of Estancia—as it was when the Canadians were here—is still the constant drone of generators. About half of northern Panay remains without power. Great stacks of twisted corrugated tin roofing have been gathered. But many trees lie where they fell during the storm, which is thought to have packed winds of up to 200 km/h. Canada’s greatest visible contribution in the Philippines was a tidy tent city in Estancia that is still home to 125 families. They were forced out of their homes when an oil bunker broke free from its moorings during the storm, spilling 1.4 million litres of oil when it crashed through coral reefs before hitting the coastline. “Even before the storm came in, Filipino-Canadians were asking what we (the government) were going to be doing about it,” Enverga said after having a look at some of the worst damage in Estancia. “They were also concerned that we were giving our money to the right people. That is one of the reasons that I came here.” Then, in a reference to the Senate spending scandal back in Canada, Enverga, who was appointed two years ago by Prime Minister Stephen Harper, good-naturedly made clear that he had paid the entire cost of his four-week trip here which he described as being an equal mixture of work and vacation with his Filipino kin. ■

Editor Melissa Remulla-Briones editor@canadianinquirer.net Associate Editor Laarni de Paula Correspondents Gigi Astudillo Angie Duarte Katherine Marfal Frances Grace Quiddaoen Ching Dee Socorro Newland Graphic Designer Victoria Yong Photographers Angelo Siglos Danvic Briones Operations and Marketing Head Laarni de Paula (604) 551-3360 laarni.liwanag@canadianinquirer.net Advertising Sales Alice Yong (778) 889-3518 alice.yong@canadianinquirer.net Antonio Tampus (604) 460-9414 antonio.tampos@canadianinquirer.net PHILIPPINE PUBLISHING GROUP Editorial Assistant Phoebe Casin Graphic Designer Shanice Garcia Associate Publisher Lurisa Villanueva In cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer digital edition Philippine Canadian Inquirer is located at 400-13955 Bridgeport Rd., Richmond, BC V6V 1J6 Canada Tel. No.: 1-888-668-6059 or 778-8893518 | Email: info@canadianinquirer. net, inquirerinc@gmail.com, sales@ canadianinquirer.net Philippine Canadian Inquirer is published weekly every Friday. Copies are distributed free throughout Metro Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto. The views and opinions expressed in the articles are those of the authors named, and are not necessarily those of Philippine Canadian Inquirer Editorial Team. Member

Filipino Canadian Senator Tobias Enverga, Jr. with wife, Rosemer, and daughter, Rocel, and Canadian Ambassador to the Philippines Neil Reeder and wife, Irene, join Philippine government officials led by President Benigno Aquino III (center) for a souvenir photo at the reception given for the participants of Winter Escapade 2014 organized by the Philippine Diplomatic Mission in Canada.

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FRIDAY 48