Philippine Canadian Inquirer Issue #111

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APRIL 18, 2014

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NCCA urges DOT to promote PH arts and culture

Bring love to poor, Tagle urges

Passion, death and resurrection

Filipino-Canadian in Focus: Aureabelle Cruz

PCI celebrates Easter

Russia poses grave threat to world peace, time to rally allies: Harper The Canadian Press

“Legend Lives On” Manny Pacquiao with a very impressive defensive stance, while he and Timothy Bradley throw punches during their WBO welterweight title boxing fight Saturday, April 12, 2014, in Las Vegas.

PHOTO FROM SOLARSPORTS.PH / HBO.COM

BY ROY LUARCA Philippine Daily Inquirer LAS VEGAS—Manny Pacquiao left no doubt about the outcome this time.

The king of Philippine boxing pursued and peppered the previously unbeaten Timothy Bradley with an aggressive performance to win by a unanimous decision and reclaim his welterweight crown at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night (Sunday in Manila).

“He’s a true champion. One of the best fighters ever…. I lost to one of the greatest fighters in boxing,” Bradley said.

It may not have been an over can whelming win but Pacquiao did enough to earn the nod of judges Glenn Trow-

bridge (118-110), Michael Pernick (116112) and Craig Metcalf (116-112) and return to the top of the World Boxing Organization 147-pound division.

The Associated Press scored it 116-112 for Pacquiao.

Pacquiao’s climb back to the top was anything but easy, however.

Bradley provided stiff opposition, especially in the fourth round when he staggered Pacquiao with an overhand right.

But Pacquiao could not be denied his victory as he fired away in bunches to dominate from the seventh round on and recapture the title Bradley stole from him in 2012 via a split decision.

❱❱ PAGE 21 Russia poses

Philippine Canadian Inquirer

Robotic submarine deployed for first time to search for Malaysia jet wreckage EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

❱❱ PAGE 13 “Legend Lives”

OTTAWA—Russian actions against Ukraine are “aggressive, militaristic and imperialistic” and pose a grave threat to world peace, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said today.

Pro-Russian groups have occupied buildings in 10 cities in eastern Ukraine in recent days, prompting Harper to use his harshest words yet against what he called “Russian provocateurs sent by the Putin regime.”

It’s time to rally the world against the danger posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Harper said at a hastily assembled photo-op event with ambassadors from Ukraine, Estonia, Poland and Latvia.

❱❱ PAGE 21

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APRIL 18, 2014

FRIDAY 2

The first to go

nationwide CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:

FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS IN PRINT

We are Now

Every week, the Philippine Canadian Inquirer celebrates the unwavering Filipino spirit through a feature called “Filipino-Canadian in Focus.”

DAILY on the web

The feature recognizes the achievements of Filipinos living in Canada who have shown concern for the community, success in spite of trials, and the uniquely Pinoy practice of “bayanihan.”

everywhere, anywhere This year, we are welcoming nominations for the News at your fingertips daily next subject of “Filipino-Canadian in Focus.”

Mechanics: - All nominees must have (a) Filipino heritage/ancestry - All nominees must be residing in Canada at the time of nomination - Nominees from all industries are welcome (e.g. medical/health, politics, community service, business, entertainment, charity institutions, etc.)

- Who can nominate? Anybody.

Please include the following details: Name of Nominee: Nominee’s Profession: Nominee’s contact info: Why should (nominee) be the next Filipino-Canadian in Focus?

Kindly send your nominations to InFocus@canadianinquirer.net. www.canadianinquirer.net

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Philippine News

3 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

NCCA urges DOT to promote Philippine arts and culture

NCCA chair Felipe de Leon Jr.: ‘Why is the focus of the DOT on beaches and resorts? People go to Paris for culture… All over the world the main tourism attractions involve culture’

BY CATHY YAMSUAN Philippine Daily Inquirer THE HEAD of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) has asked policy-makers for support for the agency’s cultural development plan that would promote local creativity and boost tourism as an avenue for economic development.

NCCA chair Felipe de Leon Jr. made the appeal during the press briefing on the commission’s activities lined up for the Taoid Heritage Program Celebration as part of activities in the observance of May as National Heritage Month.

Taoid, the Ilocano term for “heritage,” is the flagship program of the NCCA’s subcommission on cultural heritage (SCH) led by Commissioner Fr. Harold Rentoria, OSA. This year’s theme is “Pamanang Pinoy: Taoid 2014.”

At the news conference, De Leon noted that creative industries in other countries have helped propel economic development.

Spain, China and Japan, for example, lure millions of tourists because of their cultural treasures, he noted.

In Southeast Asia, De Leon pointed out, 9 percent of Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP) comes from creative industries.

The Philippines, replete with local customs and cultural traditions, can easily swing the attention of travelers.

The problem is helping local communities become more aggressive in attract-

FIRST CROSS MONUMENT. Southern Leyte,

particularly the municipality of Limasawa and city of Maasin, hosted this year’s opening of the Taoid Heritage Program Celebration, spearheaded by the Subcommission on Cultural Heritage (SCH) of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in conjunction with the 493rd anniversary on March 31 of the first Mass in the Philippines.

PHOTO BY SHADOW216 / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

ing people to their crafts.

Father Rentoria’s subcommission plans to focus on cultural mapping, which would involve initially the recording of local practices and heritage in specific areas including those named in the Taoid program.

Focus on Bicol

Albay, Masbate and Sorsogon (AlMaSor) will be the principal venue of the heritage month celebration from May 1 to 4.

On May 1, the Run for Heritage in Albay will stretch from the Cagsawa ruins in Legazpi City to Daraga Church.

A motorcade will go around Sorsogon on May 2 and will pass heritage structures, followed by an ocular inspection of these by Rentoria’s group and a cultural presentation at the capitol building.

On May 4, Rentoria et al will again conduct ocular inspections and technical assessments of heritage houses in Masbate.

De Leon noted in Filipino that local authorities are wont to dismiss their indigenous art like weaving and crafts “because the art taught in school is exclusive to painting, opera and ballet.”

“Nariyan lang sa lugar ninyo ang art, hindi ninyo napapansin. Lahat ng klase ng cultural skills nandiyan, pati pagkain culinary art ‘yan. Kung minsan binabalewala natin,” he pointed out.

De Leon urged Department of Tourism Secretary Mon Jimenez to expand DOT’s promotion of the Philippines to include local traditions instead of limiting the focus on beaches and resorts.

“I asked Secretary Jimenez why the focus of the (DOT’s) promotion efforts is on beaches and resorts. All over the world the main tourism attractions involve culture. People go to Paris not for beaches and resorts but for culture…

The main attraction in tourism is culture,” the NCAA chair stressed.

De Leon said that if apple picking or chestnut baking in the US could be developed as tourist at tractions, the country also has a treasure trove of unique skills that tourists could watch.

The cooking of cashew nuts in Palawan, for example, involves highly developed skills since the acidic fruit could injure workers if mishandled, he noted.

Bicol offers a similar trade. Uncovering pili nuts also involves specific skills to avoid injury.

In Bohol, the making of local chocolate called tablea could also lure tourists interested in how it is done. ■

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Philippine News

APRIL 18, 2014

FRIDAY 4

Bring love to poor, Tagle urges

BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer DON’T LET inconveniences and good offers tempt you to forget God’s love. Accept Jesus this Holy Week by bringing his love to the poor, the oppressed and suffering, especially the victims of natural disasters that hit the country last year.

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, made these reminders to the faithful yesterday as Catholics across theworld flocked to churches to have their palm fronds blessed in celebration of Palm Sunday, which ushers in the Holy Week.

“I think we all agree that the Passion of Christ is a story of love. It is a story of the greatest love that the world has known.

We are invited today to accept his love, follow this love [and] follow our Redeemer in the way he loved,” Tagle said during a Mass he celebrated yesterday at Manila Cathedral.

Also known as Passion Sunday, the celebration commem-

orated Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem a few days before his crucifixion, riding a donkey into the Holy City where crowds welcomed him with palm fronds.

Opening hearts

Tagle hoped that the symbolic ritual—the waving and blessing of palm branches—welcomed and opened the hearts of the people for Jesus.

It was his first time to celebrate Palm Sunday at the country’s premier church in Intramuros since he was appointed to the helm of the Manila Archdiocese in December 2011.

The Manila Cathedral reopened on April 9 after it was closed to the public in February 2012 to make way for major repairs and restoration.

In his homily, Tagle urged the faithful to emulate Christ’s example in not allowing inconvenience to deter him from following and loving God unconditionally.

As people face their daily lives, they encounter “many inconveniences and offers” that

might lure them to abandon obedience to God, he said.

“If we are not careful, we might give up Jesus for these offers,” he warned, adding that if one would prioritize one’s conveniences and desires, it was easy for one to forget God. Solidarity with poor

While Jesus’ love for mankind was beyond human understanding, one can follow his example by showing solidarity with the poor, the lost and confused, Tagle said.

“We have so many neighbors who are longing for love. Like Jesus, go to them, assure them that they are not alone,” Tagle said. “[Let us go] to our brothers and sisters still suffering in Zamboanga, Bohol, Samar, Leyte, Capiz, Aklan, Iloilo, Palawan and Cebu,” he said, referring to the provinces that were hit by a powerful earthquake and by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” last year.

To make Holy Week more meaningful, Tagle encouraged the faithful to empathize with

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Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, made this reminder: Accept Jesus this Holy Week by bringing his love to the poor, the oppressed and suffering.

and show compassion to the people living on the streets, to those enduring pain because they cannot access health services, and the women enduring betrayal and abuse.

“To workers who don’t get

the respect and the just wages they deserve, to these people, let us be the heart of Jesus telling them and assuring them that even if others have left and forgotten you, I am here and I bring you the love of Jesus,” he said. ■

Philippine News

5 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

Last of Moriones mask makers looking for heirs

BY MARICAR CINCO Philippine Daily Inquirer BOAC, MARINDUQUE— With shaky hands and waning eyesight, Jose Manay, better known in this town as Ka Oti, delivered 15 Morion masks a few weeks before this year’s HolyWeek observance.

Ka Oti never kept any photographs or used any models for the bearded, fierce-looking masks, his interpretation of how the Roman soldiers and Syrian mercenaries of the Passion story looked like.

His interpretation was inspired by an actor who played Hercules in a movie that he saw when he was young and that image, he said, was etched forever in his memory.

Manay, 70, is the oldest Morion mask maker on the island and the last in Boac town, the provincial capital.

In the neighboring town of Mogpog where the Moriones Festival originated lives Salvador “Buddy” Liwanagan, 52, the go-to guy for the more elaborate Morion masks.

Unlike Manay’s masks that often look alike, Liwanagan’s masks are personalized.

Once, he made a mask that looked like Joseph Estrada, an order from a Moriones performer who wanted to resemble the former actor and President who is now mayor of Manila.

Most popular

Orders come from Morions in the rest of Marinduque province and from local and foreign tourists who want souvenirs of one of the oldest religionthemed festivals in the Philippines. While there are other mask makers on the island, Manay and Liwanagan are themost popular.

Although referring to the performers who portray the Roman officers and Syrian mercenaries of the Passion story, the term Moriones is derived from morion, the crested metal helmet with a curved peak in front and back worn by soldiers in the 16th and 17th centuries, as did the Spanish soldiers who came here with the conquistadors and whose livery was remembered in local art, with their morions being reinterpreted as helmets and masks of the torturers of Jesus.

Manay said.

Liwanagan said he, too, wanted to own a mask, so he tried making one when he was in high school.

No art training

Both mask makers do not have any formal training in art or wood carving. Manay would watch wood-carvers of relig i o u s images in Manila’s Quiapo district whenever he was there t o

VILLAINS OF LENT. Festival-goers wearing wooden masks, which

sell for CAD$100-120 each, are used during the Moriones Festival, one of the oldest religion-themed festivals in the country. The annual weeklong tradition starts with a grand parade of the Morions on Holy Monday in all six municipalities of Marinduque province. “Morion” derives from the crested metal helmet with curved peak in front and back worn by soldiers centuries ago (also shown in this page).

PHOTO FROM 365GREATPINOYSTUFF.WORDPRESS.COM

That is hundreds of years far off but the historical confusion does not matter in the centuryold Moriones tradition.

Manay’s and Liwanagan’s helmets are invariably plumed, an indication of a lack of knowledge of ranks in the Roman army. And the masks are invariably bearded, again indicating ignorance of Roman military grooming: Like the Greeks, the Romans shaved their beards and they imposed the discipline on the foreign mercenaries who helped them hold their client states.

Lenten highlight

But, again, all that doesn’t matter. The Moriones Festival, a local interpretation of the Passion story, is the highlight of the Lenten season here, drawing thousands of pilgrims and tourists.

Locals wear 1st-century Judean costumes to match the Morions’ simulated Roman bronze cuirass and leather rigs as they parade around the town under the sun, followed by the tourists who enjoy the spectacle and the heat, which they don’t have year-round in their countries.

The mask is the most important part of theMorions’ costumes. Carved out of santol or dap-dap wood, each mask, which comes with a Roman or Syrian helmet, weighs at least 2

kilograms.

Liwanagan buys wood from locals, who source it from Marinduque’s forests. A dapdap trunk costs P500 while santol, a harder material, goes for P1,500. Liwanagan said he could make more than 30 masks out of one trunk.

So does Manay, although he used to gather the wood himself from the forests when he was younger.

Act of penance

To old people in this town, playing Morion at least seven times is an act of penance. Others, like Manay and Liwanagan, say playing Morion brings good health and answers to prayers.

“I’ve been one, way more than [seven times],” Manay said.

Manay started to play Morion when he was 17. He remembered that he was suffering from chicken pox at the time and he was alone. He decided to turn to God for healing.

“It is only God we can turn to when we’re alone. [Playing Morion] has become my vow,” he said.

Manay was 20 when he made his first Morion mask for a contest that he and three friends joined.

“I used to buy [Morion] masks made of papier-maché for 50 centavos each until I thought, ‘Instead of buying one, why not make my own?’” www.canadianinquirer.net

work part-time in construction projects.

Liwanagan said his knowledge in wood carving started as a hobby.

Today, a Morion mask costs P4,000 to P5,000, an increase from around P3,000 four years ago. In the earlier decades, a Morion mask went for P50.

The mask makers attribute today’s steep price to increasing costs of materials, such as the paint, wood and trinkets used on the Syrian headgear that they call “turban.”

“But it really is the labor that we charge for,” Manay said.

Manay produces about 10 to 15 masks a year and he starts making them in December. Still agile and sharp for his age, he can finish amask in 20 days.

Liwanagan, who has two helpers since he also makes other wooden icons, can finish three masks in a day.

No successors seen

He said he had always wanted to organize young mask makers who would take their place and preserve the tradition, but he did not have enough funds for training.

“Unfortunately, we don’t see any new blood [of mask makers] yet,” said Manay, whose

children and grandchildren, although also Morions, never showed interest in mask making.

“The youth today, their interest is in computers and gadgets,” he said.

Festival’s origins

The Moriones Festival started in Mogpog town in 1870.

Apriest, Dionisio Santiago, introduced the Moriones feast to attract more people to Holy Week Masses, according to provincial tourism officer Dindo Asuncion.

“It is believed that people then did not participate in the [Lenten] activities of the church and preferred to drink tuba (coconut wine) instead,” Asuncion said.

The Moriones tradition spread throughout the island, with Boac becoming the center of festivities in recent years.

The festival reenacts the folk story of Longinus, the oneeyed Roman soldier who pierced the side of Jesus on the cross with a lance.

The story goes that the blood and water that spurted out of Jesus’ side hit Longinus’ blind eye and restored his sight.

After witnessing Jesus’ resurrection, Longinus converted to Christianity and started spreading the word about the miracle, the reason he was beheaded by theMorions.

Grand parade

The annual weeklong tradition, drawing “hundreds of thousands,” Asuncion said, opens with a grand parade of the Morions on Holy Monday simultaneously in all six municipalities of Marinduque.

In the evening of Holy Wednesday and on Maundy Thursday, the “cenaculo,” a stage play about the events leading to the crucifixion of Jesus, is held in Boac’s town center. This is followed by the Via Crucis, orWay of the Cross, on Good Friday and the reenactment of the crucifixion at 2 p.m.

The “pugutan,” a reenactment of the beheading of Longinus, takes place on Black Saturday, followed by the “salubong,” the traditional meeting of the images of Mary and the Risen Christ at 4 a.m. on Easter Sunday. ■

Philippine News

APRIL 18, 2014

FRIDAY 6

Bangsamoro draft law ready for P-Noy

BY NIKKO DIZON, RYAN D. ROSAURO AND ALLAN NAWAL Philippine Daily Inquirer THE TRANSITION body tasked with drawing up the proposed basic law for a new so-called Bangsamoro autonomous region following the signing of a peace agreement with the secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is set to submit a draft of the document to President Aquino on Monday, according to senior MILF leaders.

“Yes, we will submit it by 31 as the deadline but it had to Monday to President Aquino,” put the finishing touches to it,” said Mohagher Iqbal, chair of Jaafar said in a phone interview. the 15-man Bangsamoro Transition He said the commission was Commission (BTC) and continuing to refine the draft chief negotiator for the MILF but was expected to finish everything rebels in the peace talks with the before Monday. government that culminated

in The commission met its selfimposed the signing of a comprehensive April deadline to complete peace agreement on March 27. its work. After its submission “It was a very difficult process. to Mr. Aquino, the document will It went through a lot of go to Congress for approval as the stages,” Iqbal said of the drafting Charter of the proposed of the document. Bangsamoro autonomous region.

Ghadzali Jaafar, MILF chief The President has promised for political affairs, confirmed to submit the draft basic law as the transition commission will an urgent bill when he transmits be submitting the draft basic it to Congress. law to Malacañang tomorrow.

“The BTC actually set March need to complete the entire peace process, including the exit agreement, within the term of Mr. Aquino who will step down from office in June 2016.

Iqbal said that after submitting the draft law, he would be engaging the Office of the President, the Congress “indirectly,”

The President during the signing of the comprehensive peace agreement between the Philippine government and the MILF. PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK PAGE OF NOYNOY AQUINO

and the public.

With Mr. Aquino as the main sponsor of the draft law, Iqbal said he could well imagine that the President would pore over it and may even make suggestions on how to improve it.

Congress battleground

It has been suggested that after the tough peace negotiations, the next battleground for the peace process will be Congress. District representatives, especially from the provinces

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that will be affected by the creation of a new Muslimled autonomous region will closely scrutinize the proposed law.

After Congress passes the basic law for the proposed Bangsamoro entity, it will be submitted for ratification in a plebiscite in those areas proposed to be included in the Bangsamoro territory. Localities that ratify the charter will comprise the administrative jurisdiction of the new autonomous entity.

Once the basic law is ratified in a plebiscite, Republic Act No. 9054, or the Organic Law that created the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), will be deemed repealed and the ARMM abolished.

The ARMM, described as a “failed experiment” by Mr. Aquino, was the result of the peace agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), the main Muslim insurgency of which the MILF is a breakaway faction.

A transitional body composed of officials appointed by the President will govern the region until a full set of elected Bangsamoro Assembly members are elected and assume office on June 30, 2016.

Mary Ann Arnado of the Mindanao Peoples Caucus said the official ceremonies for the handover of the draft basic law to Mr. Aquino on Monday will be marked by a rally at Mendiola at 2 p.m. “to mark this significant milestone in the Mindanao peace process.” ■

Philippine News

7 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

Roxas goes on aid blitz in ‘Yolanda’-ravaged areas

BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer

Philippine police raid Abu Sayyaf extremists’ hideout; 2 militants killed, 6 others captured The Associated Press MANILA, PHILIPPINES— Police commandos stormed a southern Philippine hideout of suspected Abu Sayyaf extremists blamed for kidnappings and extortion, triggering a firefight that led to the killing of two militants and the capture of six others, officials said.

Chief Superintendent Getulio Napenas, director of the national police Special Action Force, said his men raided a house Monday in Zamboanga City where an Abu Sayyaf subleader and his followers were believed hiding.

A policeman was wounded in the clash that ensued, while three suspected militants were arrested, he added in his report to National Police chief Alan Purisima. Four pistols and three grenades were recovered at the site.

Three other suspected militants were arrested in a follow up operation in the city, Napenas said. All six arrested

men were taken to the police headquarters in Zamboanga City for interrogation.

On Sunday, security forces also captured a wanted Abu Sayyaf gunman during an operation on Basilan province, near Zamboanga City. A day earlier, Philippine marines patrolling a wooded area near a hill in southern Sulu province’s mountainous Patikul town stumbled on about 30 Abu Sayyaf fighters. An ensuing 30-minute clash killed one militant and wounded an unknown number of other gunmen, marine brigade commander Brig. Gen. Martin Pinto said.

The Abu Sayyaf, which has been blamed for beheadings and deadly bombings, has been blacklisted by Washington as a terrorist organization. It is one of at least three armed Islamic groups outside of a peace deal the government signed last month with the main insurgent group in the south, the 11,000-strong Moro Islamic Liberation Front. ■

ROXAS CITY—Interior Secretary Mar Roxas Saturday capped a whirlwind three-day visit to areas devastated by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” by leading the groundbreaking rites for two multimillion-peso infrastructure projects in his home province of Capiz.

Since his arrival in Tacloban City in Leyte province on Thursday, Roxas—widely seen as Liberal Party’s (LP) candidate for president in 2016—had distributed over P1 billion in financial aid for the rehabilitation of typhoon-stricken communities in the Visayas.

Standard bearer

He also announced that the national govon ernment had earmarked nearly P4 billion more for the towns ravaged by Yolanda in Eastern and Western Visayas under the Grassroots Participatory Budget Process, a new funding initiative of the Aquino administration.

Roxas is strongly touted to be the next LP standard bearer after he stepped aside in 2010 in favor of then Sen. Benigno S. Aquino III, who became the more viable candidate following the death of his mother, former President Corazon Aquino.

This early, the 2016 presiden-

tial derby appears to be off and running following opposition leader Vice President Jejomar Binay’s announcement some time ago of his own presidential ambition.

‘President Mar’

“Thank you, president Mar Roxas,” said Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, addressing Roxas after the latter inthe troduced Abaya as the guest speaker at the groundbreaking for the Philippine Coast Guard’s Search and Rescue (SAR) base in Barangay Culasi here.

“He is the president of our party and of our future plans and endeavors,” Abaya quickly followed up, drawing cheers from the crowd.

Later, after inspecting a new building in the Coast Guard compound, Roxas was met by a group of about 20 local residents chanting: “Kay Mar Roxas kami (we’re for Mar Roxas).”

Visibly surprised, Roxas smiled but politely asked them to stop.

Reap and sow

Abaya also gave the credit to Roxas for the idea of putting the SAR base in the area, telling the audience it was actually the interior secretary who had pointed out to him the benefits of erecting a base there, noting the port’s strategic location in

the waters of the Visayas.

“It was Secretary Roxas who planted, harvested and cooked the rice. It so happened I was at the table to eat it,” said Abaya, alluding to a Filipino saying about someone else reaping what another had sown.

Abaya succeeded Roxas at the Department of Transportation and Communications after the latter was transferred to the Department of the Interior and Local Government by President Aquino following the untimely death of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo in August 2012.

Connectivity

Later in the day, Roxas and Abaya joined Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson at the inauguration of the Culasi Bridge, an integral part of the proposed P140-million circumferential road that would link Capiz and Iloilo.

Singson said the four-lane national highway that would speed up travel between the two provinces could only be realized with the help of the local government units on Panay island.

“We want to have a smooth connectivity all over Panay island and we’re very happy that we’re getting the support we need led by the governors, congressmen and your very own Secretary Mar Roxas,” Singson said at the ceremony. ■

Mar Roxas grilled on CNN with Andrew Stevens.

VIDEO GRAB FROM YOUTUBE.COM

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Philippine News

APRIL 18, 2014 FRIDAY 8

Defense accord with US a ‘security cover’ for PH

BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer THE NEW defense agreement the Philippines and the United States could sign on or before the visit of US President Barack Obama later this month is designed as a “security cover” for the Philippines amid the changing security landscape in the region.

This is how a ranking government official privy to the talks described to the INQUIRER the “Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation” that gives, among other things, a boost to the minimum defense capability posture of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

“It’s more for deterrence, a security cover for the Philippines,” said the official, who requesting anonymity for lack of authority to speak to reporters.

“We are taking our neighbors into account as well,” the official added, without referring to China with which the Philippines is locked in a bitter territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea, the part of the South China within the Philip-

pines’ 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone.

The United States has openly challenged China’s claim to 90 percent of the 3.5-squarekilometer South China Sea and sided with the Philippines as well as Japan in the territorial disputes.

Japan and China are both claiming ownership of the Senkaku Islands (called Diaoyu Islands by China) in the East China Sea. According to the official, the draft agreement does not yet spell out how exactly the US military could boost the AFP’s capability, but “we are headed toward that.”

The official noted that the press statement released by the Department of National Defense (DND) on Friday used exact words that would appear in the text of the agreement, as it announced the end of the eighth round of talks where consensus on key provisions and modalities in the security deal were reached.

Critical points

These are the “very critical points” in the agreement, the

AFP camps “is a nod to Philippine sovereignty.”

Palace: No rush

A US battleship.

official said.

The exact lines in the agreement that were quoted in the defense department’s statement were: The US access to and use of AFP facilities and areas will be “at the invitation of the Philippines and with full respect for the Philippine Constitution and Philippine laws.”

That the United States and the Philippines both under-

stand that the US will “not establish a permanent military presence or base in the territory of the Philippines.”

That the United States agreed that any equipment and matériel that the US military may bring into the country “shall not include nuclear weapons.”

The official said inclusion of the phrase “at the invitation of the Philippines” in the agreement for the US military use of

The Philippine negotiating panel is ready to submit to President Aquino the draft provisions on the key points in the agreement, raising speculation that the new security deal would be signed during or before Obama’s visit on April 28 and 29.

But Malacañang said yesterday that there is no rush to finish the agreement in time for Obama’s visit.

Speaking on state-run radio, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said President Aquino wanted to make sure the new agreement would be consistent with the Constitution.

“There is no deadline. [T]he instructions of the President is ... to make sure ... everything is laid out well and nothing [is] overlooked,” Valte said.

Asked to state categorically whether the agreement was being rushed so that it could be signed while Obama is in Manila, Valte replied, “At least not for the Philippine side.” ■

Bill hopes to help Filipinos with rare diseases

BY CHARLES E. BUBAN Philippine Daily Inquirer AS THE country observed last month the National Rare Disease Week (every fourth week of March), Sen. Pia Cayetano said a bill is now being pushed to eventually mandate the government to assist individuals with rare disease by means of increasing their access to medical treatment and drugs, and include them in the coverage of the Universal Health Care program.

According to Cayetano, under Senate Bill No. 2098, or the “Rare Disease Act of 2014,” the Department of Health (DOH) will be tasked to establish a National Rare Disease Registry, which will include an inventory of rare diseases in the country, information on diagnosed patients and a list of certified

medicines and medical devices.

Interestingly, similar bills tacking rare diseases are also being pushed in the lower House by Representatives Baby Arenas, Randolph Ting, Alfred Vargas and Gus Tambunting.

A “rare disease” is one that affects less than one in every 20,000 individuals. In most cases the rare diseases manifest during childhood and are genetic in origin.

Hard time coping

Cayetano in a statement explained that patients, who are mostly children, are chronically ill and suffer from pain and isolation throughout their life.

She added that their families also have a hard time coping because treatment is not only very costly but are not readily available in most hospitals and clinics.

Gaucher Disease, Maple

Syrup Urine Disease, Pompe Disease, Galactosemia, Phenylketonuria, Methylmalonic Acidemia, Urea Cycle Defects, Hurler Syndrome, Hunter Syndrome, Prader-Willi Syndrome, Edward Syndrome and Patau Syndrome are just some of the rare diseases now identified in the Philippines.

Rare disease is an issue quite close to the senator considering that in 2001, Cayetano lost her youngest child Gabriel from a rare congenital condition called Trisomy 13 (also called Patau Syndrome). Babies afflicted with Trisomy 13 have a very low survival rate—Gabriel lived for nine months—because they suffer from various ailments that include poor heart conditions, kidney problem, recurring respiratory infections, gastro-intestinal problems, poor eyesight and poor hearing.

Philippine Society for Orwww.canadianinquirer.net

Under the Rare Disease Act of 2014, the DOH will be tasked to establish a National Rare Disease Registry, which will include an inventory of rare diseases in the country.

phan Disorders (PSOD) president Cynthia Magdaraog said: “In a way, we understand how a parent like the senator would feel seeing the suffering of her own child. It is so incomparable that parents would be willing to do anything to save their child’s life.” She also has a son afflicted with Pompe disease, another type of rare condition.

Newborn screening

Both the senator and Magdaraog believe that the number of diagnosed patients with rare

diseases could still rise now that the upcoming newborn screening (NBS) program of the government will be expanded to 28 rare diseases beginning this year.

Newborn screening is a procedure intended for early identification of infants who are affected by certain genetic, metabolic, or infectious conditions that may lead to mental retardation or morbidity if left untreated. The NBS in the ❱❱ PAGE 11 Bill hopes

Philippine News

9 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

Passion, death and resurrection

BY KARL M. GASPAR Philippine Daily Inquirer INSTEAD OF being a time of joy and hope, November and December last year might as well be the season of Lent, a time of grief and despair for some 16 million Filipinos living in 14 provinces along the path of Supertyphoon “Yolanda.”

Battered by the 378 kilometer-per-hour winds of Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) which precipitated a storm surge that hit Samar and Leyte, thousands of Filipinos across the six central regions underwent a calvary.

Struggle to rebuild

Today, five months since the tragic event, a big percentage of the survivors continues to carry a cross as they struggle to rebuild their lives. This is most especially true in Samar and Leyte, specifically Tacloban City, and the towns of Tanauan and Palo.

More than 80 percent of the calamity’s fatalities—estimated by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) at 6,268 individuals as of March 14—were reported from these places. A total of 1,069 persons remain missing and 28,689 were injured.

In the grounds of San Joaquin church in Palo is a mass grave where more than 600 bodies were buried. “I did not want the bodies that were scattered along the road to be subjected to the indignities as in other places,” says Fr. Kelvin Aporillo, the parish priest. “Thus, I made the quick decision to turn the church’s grounds as a mass grave as the bodies were starting to decompose and there was no other place where we could bury them.”

Unidentified

Only 350 bodies were identi-

fied and have marked graves; the others were unidentified.

Anita and Arnold Librea, a couple with three very young children (Kim, age 3; Jean, 2; and Joy, 6) evacuated to Gabriela building in San Joaquin.

When the strong winds smashed the building, followed by the quick rise of the floodwaters, Arnold could no longer hold his eldest and youngest children. Kim and Joy drowned along with more than a dozen others who were trapped inside the building. Their bodies were buried in the mass grave.

The most dramatic graveyard is the one of Pedro Lacandazo’s family; 27 members of this extended family perished in this deluge.

lot, only to find themselves barely able to eke out a living. A city of 221,174 people (National Statistics Office, 2010), Tacloban’s population would expand to 1.2 million during weekdays.

Facing Cancabato Bay

Before Yolanda struck, thousands of households were packed in the coastal barangays facing Cancabato Bay. The majority has returned as there are no other places where the poor could live.

There are rich enclaves and middle-class settlements in parts of Tacloban and the adjacent towns but they constitute a small elite. While the playing field is leveled when a disaster strikes, nonetheless it is the poor who would suffer most.

Passion in poverty

The poverty statistics issued regularly by the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) show that Region VIII (which includes Samar and Leyte), is one of the poorest in the country.

In 2012, the poverty incidence was 63.7 percent in Eastern Samar, 50.0 percent in the rest of Samar, 43.0 percent in Southern Leyte and 39.2 in the rest of Leyte.

Long before Yolanda, these islands’ residents experienced a reality akin to a biblical Passion. From way back to the era of their ancestors, including the hero Agustin Sumuroy and the Balangiga rebels, the Warays have constantly faced hunger, deprivation and powerlessness owing to various factors—slave raiders from the south, oppressive colonization, the vagaries of a tropical climate, the difficulties of producing bountiful harvests despite available fertile lands, the prevalence of schistosomiasis and the tight grip of political dynasties.

Migrants from Samar have flooded Tacloban through the years, hoping to improve their

Climate injustice

For the irony of the world today is manifested in the reality of climate injustice: Those most responsible for climate change—owing to affluent lifestyles and wasteful consumption patterns that involve the burning of fossil fuels—are the least affected when climactic disasters occur. The poor suffer farmore when calamities strike.

This is most certainly true for those relying on fishing and farming, especially coconut farmers. Yolanda damaged 3.3 million coconut trees across 295,191 hectares of land, affecting one million farming households. With 30,000 boats damaged by the storm and fishing equipment such as nets and cages smashed, fisherfolk are desperately hoping they could find livelihood assistance.

The NDRRMC figure of 6,268 deaths is highly contested. Ordinary folks in Region VIII believe the number of deaths can easily be doubled. Some local governments and parishes are doing their own head count.

The parish of San Jose where the airport is located counted

www.canadianinquirer.net

A boy carrying a cross leads a group of children and lay missionaries before Fr. Romeo Obach, CSsR, says Mass in Barangay Anibong in Tacloban City.

PHOTO BY BRYAN ANGAYAN / PDI CONTRIBUTOR

more than 2,000 deaths. This number is already one-third of the official NDRRMC figure. In Barangays 88, 89 and 90 alone in San Jose, the number of deaths is 998.

Ordinary people ask why the NDRRMC has stopped counting the fatalities even as the remains of those who perished continue to be found, although lately, there are no more bodies but just skeletons. People wonder why the state cannot provide the people with an accurate death statistics. They ask: Is there politics in the statistics of fatalities?

Folks on the ground are also asking why there are no longer aggressive action on the part of the police Scene of the Crime Operatives, the Department of Health and the fire departments to check the places where there could be bodies that have not yet been retrieved.

Jesus’ death by crucifixion remains one of the most violent manner of killing a presumed criminal. The death of thousands of Yolanda’s victims was no less violent. The stories told by survivors, who witnessed loved ones die, are harrowing and heartbreaking.

Death is no stranger to the Warays who constantly experience storms. But the numbers of fatalities are usually small, only those who would be hit by GI sheets blown by the strong wind or uprooted trees that fall on them. Yolanda is by far the worst catastrophe in terms of lost lives and property.

Various figures from both state and international aid agencies as to the number of houses damaged vary. Neda’s count is 1,192,091, of which 593,785 are reported to have incurred more than 50 percent damage. The Neda placed the total damage and loss at P572.2 billion.

Violent death

Cross folks carry

Remains still being found

At Barangay 88, the people are convinced that corpses are under the debris and piles of garbage at the boundary of their barangay with Barangay 87.

The net impact of these losses is the cross that the ordinary citizens carry today. Lucky are ❱❱ PAGE 11 Passion, death

Philippine News

APRIL 18, 2014 FRIDAY 10

Manila Cathedral reopens after two years of reconstruction

BY CHING DEE Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE MANILA Metropolitan Cathedral—Basilica or “Manila Cathedral” reopened its intricately carved doors to devotees on Wednesday night (April 9, PH time) after two years of undergoing structural retrofitting.

The new and improved Manila Cathedral now boasts of brighter lights, stronger frame-

work, and CCTV installations, which is just some of the improvements done in the historical landmark.

A mass and a candle-lighting ceremony was held, officiated

by Manila Archbishop Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle. 12 candles were lit, symbolizing the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ.

“After the greeting of Mass, a special ceremony will be held the lighting of dedication candles at the placing of 12 dedication crosses symbolizing that

our Catholic Church is founded on the 12 Apostles of course with Jesus as the head,” said Msgr. Nestor Cerbo in an interview on Radyo Veritas.

A video presentation featuring the reconstruction of the Cathedral was also shown. A cultural program will also be held at Plaza Roma for guests and the general public.

The reopening mass was attended by several Filipino personalities, including President Benigno Aguino III. ■

President Aquino attends the Thanksgiving Mass for the reopening of the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Manila Cathedral) in Cabildo corner Beaterio, Intramuros, Manila City on Wednesday night (April 9). The Manila Cathedral was originally built in 1581 but has since been destroyed and rebuilt several times due to fire, earthquakes, typhoons and bombings in World War II. Also in photo are Presidential sisters Kris Aquino and Victoria Eliza “Viel” Aquino-Dee and Manila City Mayor Joseph Estrada.

PHOTO BY ROBERTO VIÑAS / MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU

Militant legislators bringing PH-US pact to SC

BY GIL CABACUNGAN Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, PHILIPPINES—The militant Bayan Muna partylist group said Sunday it would question in the Supreme Court (SC) the constitutionality of a new defense pact with the United States which the Aquino administration is expected to sign when President Barack Obama visits the Philippines later this month.

Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares criticized the Aquino administration for being in a “mad rush” to finish the Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation (AEDC) in time for Obama’s visit on April 28 and 29, saying the pact was “worse than the Bases Treaty rejected by the Philippine Senate in September 1991.”

“Simply put, it is like a dog’s welcome gift to his master.

They are trying to move heaven and hell so that Obama would be here for the signing of the AEDC,” said Colmenares in a statement.

“The AEDC will practically bring back US military bases to the Philippines without a treaty, without rent and without limits as the Americans may use all the Philippine military facilities.”

Colmenares said Bayan Muna was preparing a case to question the AEDC in the Supreme Court for violation of Article II of the Constitution, particularly Sections 3 (Civilian Supremacy over Military Authority)

Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares.

VIDEO GRAB FROM N5E.INTERAKSYON.COM

and 7 (the State’s Pursuit of an Independent Foreign Policy), and possibly, Section 8 (Ban on Nuclear Weapons).

“This is not a mere executive agreement but a treaty and should be scrutinized by the Senate and the House of Representatives,” Colmenares said.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it expected to conclude negotiations on the AEDC with the US before Obama’s visit, which is part of the American president’s fournation tour of East Asia.

Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino, chief Philippine negotiator, said the AEDC—which would allow

more lenient access for more US troops, aircraft and ships, and provide for warehousing of their equipment for quicker mobilization—was meant to provide “critical and timely support to the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (and the) achievement of the country’s minimum credible defense posture.”

The agreement comes amid a widening conflict with China over territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea. Calling the shots

But Colmenares gave little credence to defense officials’ assurances that the AEDC www.canadianinquirer.net

would ensure full respect for Philippine sovereignty; that there would be no permanent bases or troop deployment in the country; and absolutely no nuclear weapons would be allowed.

“We all know that these can be circumvented by the fact that in reality it is the US government that is the one calling the shots and not the Aquino administration,” said Colmenares.

For example, Colmenares said that Washington could help the Philippine government construct a military base in every province through military aid but it would have “un-

limited” access to these military facilities under the AEDC. “This would also be the framework for the existing bases, in paper it is a Philippine base but in reality it is a US base,” he said.

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate also questioned how Filipinos could be sure that US forces would not bring nuclear weapons into the country when the US government maintains a neither-confirm-nor-deny policy if their ships or planes carry nuclear weapons.

Zarate warned the presence of nuclear weapons in the country “will make us a prime target of US enemies.”

“They already found a way to circumvent the constitutional ban on the presence of foreign troops in the country through the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) but now they will further maximize this and increase US troop presence in the country.

So in truth the AEDC is a very deceptive deal,” said Zarate.

Responding to the criticism, Malacañang reiterated on Sunday that the Philippines was not rushing the new defense agreement in time for Obama’s visit.

Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma maintained that members of the government panel negotiating with their US counterparts were under no “deadline” to complete work on the enhanced defense cooperation (EDC). ■ With a report from Christian V. Esguerra

Philippine News

11 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

Passion, death... the few adopted by extended families or those who receive substantial foreign remittances. But themajority has no choice but to rebuild where their homes used to be.

As relief goods will definitely end soon along with the cash-for-work programs, many of those with no prospects of a livelihood feel very insecure these days.

Many are frustrated by the slow recovery and weak rehabilitation response. ❰❰ 9

Weak bureaucracy

There have been a number of international aid agencies, nongovernment organizations and local business firms offering housing, livelihood and other rehabilitation assistance but their desire for quick action are constantly hampered by a weak and inefficient bureaucracy.

There is also the whole politics in which protecting turf, projecting their own accomplishments to their constituencies to get more funding, favoring the competence of foreigners while belittling the local staff’s experience and operating as lone wolves have blocked the needed collaboration among these agencies.

There have been attempts to set up coordination mechanisms (e.g. the Shelter Cluster), but by and large, the absence of stronger collaborative ties has also hampered fast recovery.

One of themost frustrating reality of working in the Samar and Leyte region has been the weak civil society network and the almost total absence of a public sphere where there could be more information sharing. If there was a strong civil society, pressure could be exerted to get the state and international aid agencies to be more transparent and be accountable in terms of the usage of their resources.

Transparency

With the assistance of The Asia Foundation, the units of the University of the Philippines based in Eastern Visayas, including Tacloban College and School of Health Sciences, sponsored the Yolanda Transparency Forum on March 20. This was an attempt to expand the public sphere and to listen to various voices of civil society and local government units demanding information sharing, transparency and accountability.

Just after this forum, the Tacloban City government issued its Proposed Tacloban Recovery and Rehabilitation Plan. It was prepared by the Tacloban Recovery and Sustainable Development Group, with support from the United Nations Development Program and inputs from the Shelter Program and the Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Reconstruction.

It is an awesome recovery plan on paper, with technical jargon that comes from highly sophisticated think tanks.

But when asked if they knew something about this, a few barangay officials in

3 Ways to Buy a Home for Less Money San Jose answered in the negative.

Resurrection

A month after Yolanda, tarpaulins sprouted with the words Bangon! Tindog! (Rise up! Stand up!) On the part of the ordinary people, there is no doubt that they wish for a speedy recovery.

They hope that their battered economy, the firms that could provide employment, and the institutions of education and health could all recover.

But apart from the well-established business firms with foreign and taipan capital, there is no upsurge of businesses reestablishing themselves. Many buildings housing these firms still need to be built again. Those that can be repaired are not rushing to reopen their doors for business transactions.

Local businessmen seem to take their time discerning if they would reopen and risk their capital once again. Having lost so much, other businessmen may no longer have the funds to set up their firms once again. As the economy is in the doldrums, the informal market remains sluggish.

Bright spot

In all of this, the only bright spot is the hope in the hearts of the Warays.

Through it all, the indomitable spirit of the Warays remains intact. One also hears about heroic acts across the villages in the aftermath of the tragedy, with people manifesting kindness and generosity, a sense of self-sacrifice and compassion.

Melchor Serevilla, a resident of Barangay 89 with two married children and his grandchildren, evacuated to another house with his whole family. When the seawaters smashed the house, he found himself separated from the rest of his family.

Fortunately he was able to cling to a coconut tree above the 20-foot waters.

While clinging to the coconut trunk, he managed to save the entire Odal family with two young children by grabbing them as they floated near him. For three hours they held tightly to the coconut until the waters receded.

Through their trauma and their attempts at healing themselves, they have also gained insights into what their mission in life is. And they are convinced that there are many lessons to be learned—not just by Filipinos but citizens throughout our embattled planet— with the occurrence of climate-related calamities, such as the one brought by Yolanda’s wrath. In its aftermath, they know they cannot ignore the importance of these lessons.

Gifted with a second life, they are committing themselves to living a life of integrity and to be at the service of others. And like the good thief at Jesus’ side, they are making amends that could be the promise of their own resurrection. ■

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Bill hopes... country started in June 1996 andwas integrated into the public health delivery system with the enactment of the Newborn Screening Act of 2004 (Republic Act No. 9288).

There are four NBS centers: Newborn Screening Center (NSC)- National Institutes of Health in Manila, NSC-Visayas in Iloilo City, NSC-Mindanao in Davao City and NSC-Central Luzon in Angeles City. They provide laboratory and follow-up services for more than 3,000 health facilities around the country.

From 1996 to December 2010, the program has saved 45 283 patients. ❰❰ 8

Rare disease

Furthermore, Senate Bill 2098 is also recommending the inclusion of rare disease treatment in the health benefit package of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. with medical drugs and devices used for treating rare diseases be certified by the Food and Drugs Administration to facilitate the public’s access to these products.

Also, the same bill seeks to help patients suspected or diagnosed with rare disease to be referred to regional NSCs, which will then coordinate with the DOH and concerned medical facilities for the “comanagement” of the patient with a specialist.

At present, the NBS in the country includes screening of six disorders: congenital hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, phenylketonuria, glucose-6phosphate

www.canadianinquirer.net

dehydrogenase deficiency, galactosemia and maple syrup urine disease. The expanded screening will also include 22 more disorders such as hemoglobinopathies and additional metabolic disorders, namely organic acid, fatty acid oxidation, and amino acid disorders.

The formal recommendation to expand the coverage of the NBS program was prompted by the results of the study called “Enhancing case detection of selected inherited disorders through expanded newborn screening in the Philippines” and initiated by Doctors Carmencita Padilla and Tomas Aguirre of University of the Philippines Manila.

The screening of more disorders is intended to save more lives and reduce unnecessary negative health outcomes of newborn Filipinos. The data of Filipino newborns screened through the California newborn screening program from 2005 to 2009 revealed that some detected serious disorders were still not included in the existing program of the country. ■

Philippine News

APRIL 18, 2014 FRIDAY 12

New pact set for Obama US president arrives here April 28 for overnight visit

BY NIKKO DIZON AND TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer PHILIPPINE NEGOTIATORS are just about ready to submit proposed “key points” for an enhanced defense cooperation agreement that would give the United States wider access to Philippine military bases, as the two countries ended their eighth round of talks yesterday, raising speculation that the deal could be ready in time for US President Barack Obama’s visit on April 28-29.

“This round brought us much closer to finding full consensus, and the draft provisions on key points of an enhanced defense cooperation will be submitted to the President for his review,” said Defense Undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino in a statement released by the defense department.

The Philippine Ambassador to the United States, Jose Cuisia Jr., expressed optimism that negotiations for the security deal will have already been concluded by the time Obama arrives.

The proposed “Agreement on Enhanced Defense Cooperation” will allow the US wider access to Philippine military bases amid increasing Philippine tensions with China in the West Philippine Sea. Key provisions

Batino said consensus was reached on “key provisions and modalities that would reflect, among others, full respect for Philippine sovereignty, non permanence of US troops and no US military basing in the Philippines and a prohibition against weapons of mass destruction.”

The draft agreement was described as “anchored on mutuality of benefits.”

It states that the US access to and use of “Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) facilities and areas will be at the invitation of the Philippines and with full respect for the Philippine Constitution and Philippine laws.”

The agreement would also state that the US would “not establish a permanent military presence or base in the terri-

tory of the Philippines.”

The Philippine Constitution prohibits the establishment of foreign military bases on Philippine soil.

“Furthermore, the United States has agreed that any equipment and matériel that the US military may bring into the country ‘ shall not include nuclear weapons,’” the statement said.

The agreement will also include the protection of the environment, human health and safety.

The Philippines is seeking a stronger defense cooperation with the US as its territorial dispute with China intensifies.

The US plans to “rebalance” its forces in the Asia-Pacific region, and has similar arrangements with Australia and Singapore, as part of its strategy to contain China’s growing military power.

“After 15 years of the Visiting Forces Agreement and given current realities, challenges and opportunities, the Philippines is ready for a heightened level of defense cooperation.

This agreement, which should stand on mutual trust, is an idea whose time has come,” Batino said.

Batino chairs the Philippine negotiating panel whose members include Ambassadors J. Eduardo Malaya and Lourdes Yparraguirre, Justice Undersecretary Francisco Baraan, and Defense Assistant Secretary Raymund Quilop.

The panel will submit the draft provisions to Mr. Aquino “soonest,” Malaya said in a text message.

“While the panels concluded the eighth round of negotiations, work continues in their respective capitals,” Malaya said.

The talks began in August last year amid China’s increasing aggressiveness in claiming territories in the South and East China Seas, engaging the Philippines and Japan in a bitter maritime row.

No other option

With the changing regional security landscape, the Philippines and the US have no other option but to “make our alliance stronger if we are to maintain international and regional

security,” Yparraguirre said in the statement.

She said the proposed agreement is “a step toward realizing that objective.”

Yparraguirre described the agreement being negotiated as a “new model of security engagement” for the Philippines and the United States.

“As we strive to further enhance our security cooperation, we are looking into new dimensions of significant strategic and operational value,” she said.

Batino said the proposed agreement would provide the Philippines the “critical and timely support” its armed forces needs for its modernization to achieve aminimum credible defense posture.

It also provides for a “more expeditious humanitarian assistance and disaster relief and the provision of jobs and other economic opportunities through the local goods and supplies procurement that will be made by the United States military.”

US to protect allies

The US has categorically said it will protect its allies, the Philippines and Japan, which are engaged in territorial disputes with China in the South and East China Seas.

The Philippines has filed a case with a United Nations tribunal to nullify China’s taking control of shoals and reefs within its 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone.

China, which claims virtually all of the South China Sea, claims that the areas are in the nine-dash-line marker of its official map.

Manila last stop

Manila will be Obama’s last stop in a four-nation swing through Asia, which includes visits to Japan, South Korea and Malaysia.

His wife, Michelle, is not expected to accompany him on the trip, a “working visit that has some characteristics of a state visit,” Cuisia said.

Details of the visit are still being worked out by the White House, said the envoy, but Obama is already confirmed to be meeting with President Aquino and his Cabinet. www.canadianinquirer.net

The Philippine Ambassador to the United States, Jose Cuisia Jr., expressed optimism that negotiations for the security deal will have already been concluded by the time Obama arrives.

PHOTO BY SPIRIT OF AMERICA / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

“[The details] are still being worked out by theWhite House.

We don’t have the details. What we know is, he is going to have a meeting with President Aquino, and of course some Cabinet members. He’s probably going to visit the American Cemetery, but the other activities are still being worked out,” Cuisia said.

“I think the important thing is to precisely reaffirm the strong military and security alliance, strong economic relations and people- to- people exhanges that we’ve had between the US and the Philippines for so many years,” he told reporters following a speech before Philippine business leaders in Makati yesterday.

Obama, who began his first term as US President in 2009, and Mr. Aquino, who was elected president in 2010, have officially met at least three times: in New York in 2010 and 2011 and at the White House during Mr. Aquino’s working visit to the US in 2012.

The last US presidential visit was that of Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush, who made a nine-hour visit in October 2003.

Asked whether Obama will visit typhoon-hit Eastern Visayas, as earlier speculated, Cuisia said the US President had no room for that on his itinerary.

The US is among the largest foreign donors to relief, rescue and recovery operations in the disaster zone, donating $85 million to the effort.

“No, he doesn’t have much time, and the logistics of a residential visit [to a disaster zone] will be very hard. If Secretary

Kerry’s (US Secretary of State John Kerry) visit was hard, [Obama’s] would be harder,” said Cuisia, referring to Kerry’s visit to Tacloban City last December.

‘Really wants to come’

Cuisia said Obama had long been meaning to come, and that he would push through even without “recent developments.”

He said that the visit is pushing through six months after a planned visit in October was postponed because of the partial US government shutdown.

“We’re just one of two treaty allies in Southeast Asia, the other being Thailand. He has not been here in his five years as president, so obviously, he wanted to come. He’s been wanting to come, and he was telling me that in fact he really wanted to come to Philippines,” he said.

“Now, it’s just a coincidence that we are having these ongoing developments. And whether there were these developments or not, he would have still come, being a treaty ally,” he said.

The US is the Philippines’ top defense partner, with a $ 50 million allocation for the country this year under its foreign military financing program.

As to whether the new security agreement would enable the Philippines to request for greater US assistance in terms of acquiring defense matériel for its military upgrade, Cuisia said: “We have to tell the US what it is we need.”

The envoy said he knew of ❱❱ PAGE 14 New pact

Philippine News

13 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

Filipino paramedic in United Arab Emirates dies after contracting MERS; 5 others infected

BY ADAM SCHRECK The Associated Press DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES—A paramedic in the United Arab Emirates has died after contracting Middle East respiratory syndrome and five others have tested positive for the virus, the Gulf nation's interior ministry said Friday.

The death came as Jordanian health officials reported a new case of the disease, which is related to SARS, and three days after authorities in neighbouring Saudi Arabia reported that 11 people, including health-care workers, had contracted the disease in the western city of Jiddah.

All six paramedics who contracted the virus in the UAE are Filipino nationals working for the Interior Ministry in the oasis city of Al Ain, according to

a report by state news agency WAM quoting the ministry. It did not provide further details on their identities.

Al Ain is near the border of Oman and is about 160 kilometres (100 miles) inland from the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi. The UAE is a federation of seven emirates that includes Dubai.

The five infected paramedics have been placed under quarantine and people who have recently been treated by them are being checked for infection.

The agency said the five were found to have contracted the virus during routine check-ups.

MERS belongs to a family of viruses known as coronaviruses that include both the com-

m o n cold and SARS, which killed some 800 people in a global outbreak in 2003. It can cause

fever, breathing problems, pneumonia and kidney failure. It was first identified in 2012 in the Middle East, where most cases since have been diagnosed.

W h i l e MERS does not seem to spread as quickly between people as SARS did, it does appear to be more deadly.

Recent studies suggest that camels are the main source of the disease, according to the World Health Organization.

The WHO says a total of 212 people have been confirmed to have contracted the disease

since September 2012, and 88 of them have died.

Among those recently infected is a 52 year-old man in Jordan with underlying medical conditions who recently visited Saudi Arabia and is now hospitalized in stable condition, the WHO announced Friday.

Saudi Arabia is at the centre of the MERS outbreak. It has recorded 66 deaths so far.

Health authorities in the kingdom earlier this week closed the emergency unit at one of the biggest hospitals in Jiddah for disinfection after 11 people in the city became infected, including two who later died. A nurse at the hospital was among those who fell ill.

Other Mideast countries that have reported cases of infection include Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. A small number of cases have been diagnosed in Europe and North Africa. ■

who before the fight was shown blessing his praying son, made a surprise appearance in the ring after the fight and talked to Bradley.

Before the fight, American Idol finalist Jessica Sanchez sang “Lupang Hinirang” powerfully. So did Ashanti with the “Star Spangled Banner.”

Among the celebrities at ringside were former NBA superstars Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller, multiawarded actor Jack Nicholson and boxers Miguel Cotto, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Shane Mosley and Evander Holyfield.

Pacquiao left little doubt about the result of Saturday’s rematch in the same arena where they met nearly two years ago. Bradley’s 2012 win had astonished most ringside observers, who felt Pacquiao had earned a clear decision.

“I knew I had to do more in this fight than I did in the last fight,” Pacquiao said.

the decision when it was announced, and he congratulated Pacquiao in the ring.

“I tried, I really tried,” Bradley said. “I wanted that knockout…. I kept trying to throw something over the top. That’s what we worked on in camp.

That was the plan, but Pacquiao has great footwork.”

Pacquiao was more aggressive and accurate from the opening minutes of the rematch, sticking to trainer Freddie Roach’s pleas to take the action to Bradley.

They exchanged big shots in the opening rounds, but Pacquiao appeared to wear out Bradley with the heavy early pace—and the Pacman never slowed down.

“I didn’t want to get careless,” Pacquiao said. “I picked up more steam in the second half when I made adjustments that Freddie gave me in the corner.

Bradley was much better than in the first fight we had. He hurt me on the chin.” ■

“Legend Lives...” ❰❰ 1

‘My journey continue’

will

“This (victory) is really important,” Pacquiao said in the postfight conference. “It means my journey in boxing will continue.”

It might resume in November when promoter Bob Arum pits him against the winner of the Juan Manuel Marquez-Mike Alvarado tussle onMay 17.

The 35-year-old Pacquiao gave credit to Bradley for making the fight entertaining before a live audience of 15,601 fans.

“This is a much better fight than the first one,” said Pacquiao, who raised his record to 56 wins, 5 losses and 2 draws, including 38 knockouts. “Bradley has improved a lot and we put up a good fight.”

The 30-year-old Bradley absorbed his first defeat after 31 bouts with 12 knockouts.

Pacquiao, Sarangani province’s lone representative in the Philippine Congress, intends to fight a couple ofmore years before hanging up his gloves and running for senator in 2016.

Punch statistics

Showing that he still has the

killer instinct, Pacquiao did try to finish off Bradley when the opportunity came in the seventh and 10th rounds.

But Bradley withstood the onslaught and denied Pacquiao the knockout win that has eluded the Filipino since he stopped Miguel Cotto in 2009.

Bradley accepted his fate bravely, admitting Pacquiao was the better man in the 12-round bout aired by HBO Pay-Per-View.

The punch statistics reflected Pacquiao’s dominance as he landed more blows than Bradley, 198 to 141, despite unloading fewer shots, 563-627.

Pacquiao’s jab was also much more effective, landing 23 percent to Bradley’s measly 11 percent, and the Filipino had a slight edge in landing 148 power punches to Bradley’s 109.

Accidental butt

With the big turnout, there’s a big chance that the PacquiaoBradley 2 PPV buys will surpass the first fight, which drew 800,000.

For his effort, Pacquiao was guaranteed $20 million. Bradley got his biggest purse ever of

$6 million.

With time winding down in the final round, Pacquiao and Bradley gave it their all with the Filipino ring icon sustaining a big cut over the left eyebrow following an accidental headbutt.

The 2.5-cm-to-1.0-cm wide cut took 32 stitches to close and caused Pacquiao to appear nearly an hour late before themedia.

Bradley, on the other hand, sustained a calf injury but refused to divulge details and used it as an excuse for the loss.

Pacquiao will return to Los Angeles on Monday before taking a flight back to the Philippines where his expectant wife, Sarangani Vice Gov. Jinkee, and his four children are waiting.

Surprised by the big show of support by the predominantly Filipino crowd, Pacquiao said he felt like he was fighting in the Philippines. The Fighter of the Decade even joked that he felt even the Mexicans and the Americanswere rooting for him.

Prayer for son

Pacquiao’s mother, Dionisia, www.canadianinquirer.net

Applause for Manny

After the fight, Bradley said he injured his right calf early on. But he also applauded

With reports from AP, AFP and Reuters

Philippine News

RH law now in effect–SC

BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO AND CYNTHIA D. BALANA Philippine Daily Inquirer

everyone should be tolerant and open-minded so that peace and harmony may continue to reign as we exist alongside each other,” it said.

IT’S FINAL. The government may now implement the portions of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RH) Law that the Supreme Court has declared to be constitutional.

The high court yesterday said it has lifted the status quo ante order suspending the implementation of the RH law that it issued in July 16 last year, “insofar as the provisions of Republic Act 10354 which have been declared as constitutional.”

This was stated in the high court’s April 8 resolution on the RH petitions challenging and defending the constitutionality of the RH law, which was only released yesterday.

Unequal distribution

ILLUSTRATION FROM ANASANTOSWRITES.COM

Not unconstitutional

The high court declared that the RH Law was “not unconstitutional,” but struck down eight provisions there for being unconstitutional.

In a decision penned by Associate Justice Jose Catral Mendoza, the high court said it did not find the law unconstitutional insofar as it seeks to “provide access to medically safe, non-abortifacient, effective, legal, affordable and quality reproductive health care services, methods, devices and supplies.”

But the “religious freedom of some sectors of society cannot be trampled upon in pursuit of what the law hopes to achieve,” the high court said.

“In conformity with the principle of separation of Church and State, one religious group cannot be allowed to impose its beliefs on the rest of society. Philippine modern society leaves enough room for diversity and pluralism. And as such,

The high court noted that the RH law sought to address poverty and unemployment in the country, but it said that the cause of these issues was “not the large population but the unequal distribution of wealth.”

“Even if population growth is controlled, poverty will remain as long as the country’s wealth remains in the hands of the very few,” it said.

It said population control “may not be beneficial for the country in the long run,” pointing to some nations in Europe and Asia which adopted population control programs and are now burdened with ageing population.

The battle for the successful implementation of the RH law will now shift to Congress for funding, said Ifugao Rep. Teddy Brawner Baguilat, one of the coauthors of the law.

But Banguilat is concerned that the high court’s ruling striking down a number of provisions could prolong the RH debate at the committee level.

The high court struck down as illegal eight provisions pertaining to providing minors access to contraceptives without parental consent and penalizing public officers who refuse to support RH programs.

Still, Baguilat said the law would go a long way in improving maternal health and giving women the right to choose when it comes to reproductive health.

He said the government should go full speed ahead in implementing the key provisions that were affirmed, like age-appropriate sexuality education and provision of reproductive health services to local government units. ■

APRIL 18, 2014 FRIDAY 14

New pact... earlier Philippine plans to request a long-range patrol aircraft and additional C-130s from the US. ❰❰ 12

US to defend PH

Cuisia also confirmed that the US military provided some assistance to the Philippines in strategizing a recent resupply and troop rotation mission’s evasion of Chinese Coast Guard ships that tried to stop it from getting to the Ayungin Shoal.

Cuisia said US support to the mission was part of its regular

activities under its commitment to Philippine defense under the Mutual Defense Treaty and the Visiting Forces Agreement.

The US has expressed its commitment to defend the Philippines in the face of aggression, most recently reiterated by US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel during a visit to China earlier this week.

While maintaining neutrality in the territorial claims, the US has categorically rejected China’s expansive claim in the South China Sea for lack of ba-

sis and repeatedly expressed support for the Philippine decision to seek arbitration in the UN. Cuisia said a favorable tribunal decision would “strengthen our case as far as international public opinion is concerned.”

He said the Philippines hoped to see the tribunal’s action in the case “within six months,” perhaps through calling for oral arguments “if they deem it necessary.”

But “we don’t see anything happening before 2015,” he said. ■

Stiffer penalty for graft bill filed

BY NORMAN BORDADORA Philippine Daily Inquirer THE SENATE blue ribbon committee has recommended the passage of a bill increasing the penalty for violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act to imprisonment of not less than 12 years to not more than 20 years.

The present antigraft law only carries a penalty of imprisonment of six years and a month to 15 years.

The draft committee report on the P10-billion pork barrel fund scam also recommended increasing the prescription period of filing graft cases from the present 15 years to 200 years.

Both recommendations are embodied in Senate Bill No. 1086, authored by Senate blue ribbon committee chair Sen. Teofisto Guingona III and filed in July last year.

“The reason for the increase of penalty for said offenses is to ensure that the penalties imposed by law are commensurate with the crime committed,” Guingona said in his explanatory note on SB 1086.

Guingona added that the bill sought to ensure that the right of the State to recover properties acquired through the commission of the acts enumerated under Republic Act No. 3019 “shall not be barred by prescription, laches or estoppel.”

The draft committee report also suggested the passage of Senate Bill No. 76 that seeks to amend the Government Procurement Reform Act. “Under this bill, recommendwww.canadianinquirer.net

ing, approving and/or awarding a contract to a bidder that is not legally, technically and/or financially capable will now be punishable,” the report read.

It was found during the committee’s nine hearings on the pork barrel scam that lawmakers endorsed the dubious nongovernment organizations (NGOs) of alleged scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles to receive millions of pesos in their pork barrel allocations in exchange for kickbacks.

Audit NGOs’ gov’t funds

“A law should be passed immediately requiring all government agencies releasing funds to NGOs/civil society organizations/people’s organizations, to validate these entities,” the report also recommended.

It also recommended that Congress pass a law mandating that the Commission on Audit (COA) audit NGOs handling

government funds.

“Considering that government funds transferred to NGOs maintain their character as public funds, a law is needed so that public funds entrusted to NGOs are always subjected to COA rules and regulations,” the report said.

The draft also suggested that a law be passed mandating that NGOs receiving government funds comply with the procurement act.

“Consistent with the policy mentioned in the immediately preceding recommendation, NGOs participating in the utilization of government funds should comply with the Government Procurement Reform Act and its IRR (implementing rules and regulations),” the report said.

The draft report also recommended the immediate passage of the Freedom of Information Act. ■

Philippine News

15 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

‘Mommy D’ steals show as son fights

BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, PHILIPPINES—Did “Mommy D” just put a hex on Timothy Bradley?

A short video has gone viral, showing Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao’s mother, Dionisia, uttering something in front of TV cameras while her son was trading punches with Bradley in a world welterweight title boxing match in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sunday.

Her left hand was clutching a rosary and what appeared to be an estampita (small holy picture), her right middle finger pointing to the cameras. The joke on social media was that she was “casting a spell” on her son’s brash opponent.

Whatever it was, it seemed to work.

And with those precious few seconds during the pay-per-view telecast, Dionisia stole the show from Manny, who would go on to avenge his highly disputed loss to Bradley in 2012.

‘Curse?’

Here was an animated 64-year-old woman, wearing a terno and jumping off her ringside seat during furious exchanges between Pacquiao and Bradley. One photo circulating on Twitter showed her furiously pointing two fingers at Bradley, who had gone off balance.

Seeing Dionisia on the screen, a commentator for the international broad-

cast thought certainly she was utexperience tering some the warmth “curse” in of the unFilipino. At paralleled the end of enthusiasm the fight, she and abiding was shown affection embracing of nearly a defeated 100 million Bradley Filipinos,” while offerCommuing some nications words of Secretary consolation.

Herminio Her an- The joke on social media was that Mommy Dionisia was “casting C o l o m a tics provided a spell” on her son’s brash opponent. PHOTO FROM LOCALPULSE.NET said in a a comic restatement. lief to Filipino viewers mostly curious “We join the Filipino nation in celebratif Pacquiao would get a clear decision ing the magnificent triumph of our naagainst Bradley this time. tional treasure in global sports, CongressStill fresh in his supporters’ minds man Manny Pacquiao.” was his brutal one-punch knockout loss Coloma said Pacquiao embodied the to Mexican Juan Manuel Marquez more world-class qualities of the Filipino in than a year ago. many competitive fields. “We can hold But in his return bout against Bradley, our heads up high by the dint of our inPacquiao, winner of multiple titles in a dustry, hard work and courage.” record eight weight divisions, coasted Deputy presidential spokesperson to his second straight victory since that Abigail Valte described Pacquiao as defeat. “truly an inspiration for so many of our For that, a Malacañang spokesperson countrymen.” said the country would again roll out the red carpet for the boxing superstar.

“We will extend the proverbial red carpet when we welcome home Congressman Manny Pacquiao, who will

DSWD rice in relief packs sold

BY JOEY A. GABIETA Philippine Daily Inquirer TACLOBAN CITY—An official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development in Eastern Visayas (DSWD8) was eating in a small restaurant here when something caught his attention.

Nestor Ramos said he saw that at least 17 sacks of rice stacked at the entrance to the kitchen were marked “DSWD relief supplies. Not for sale.”

He said he confronted the owner of the eatery, Marchita Ygrubay, who admitted that the rice came from the relief packs being distributed by the DSWD to victims of Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” which hit the area on Nov. 8 last year.

Ygrubay explained she didn’t know that buying relief goods was a violation of the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 (Republic Act No. 10121) that prohibits the sale of relief items.

In an interview with the INQUIRER, Ygrubay said three of the 17 sacks containing 25 kilograms each were her al-

location as a typhoon victim. She said she bought the 14 other sacks from other typhoon victims at P600 each, “out of mercy.”

“They begged me to buy their rice because they have no money to buy medicines. I didn’t know it was illegal,” said Ygrubay, 52, who declined to identify the sellers.

Each family affected by Yolanda receives 25 kilograms of rice, 10 sachets of coffee, 10 canned goods and 10 packs of noodles from the DSWD every 15 days.

As of April 2, the DSWD-8 had distributed more than 541,000 sacks of rice to 280,968 family victims, or 1.4million people.

On April 3, Ramos, clad in shorts, shirt and jacket, went to Ygrubay’s eatery on Salazar Street to check out reports that some small restaurants in downtown Tacloban City were serving DSWD rice.

Using his mobile phone, Ramos took pictures of the 17 sacks of rice at the restaurant before these were confiscated.

Ramos said the DSWD would file a case against Ygrubay for violating RA 10121, if the sacks of rice turned out to be stolen. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Symbol of recovery

“After our country was hit by disaster after disaster last year, Manny serves as a symbol of our recovery,” she said.

“Our message to the world is clear: While vicious storms may knock us down, we will always stand back up. The deep faith, solidarity and strength of will of the Filipino people will always prove stronger.”

Coloma added: “In the face of successive calamities and challenges, the Filipino people have demonstrated their remarkable resiliency and steadfast determination to rebuild their communities, guided by their faith in Divine Providence and in their God-given talents and capabilities.”

Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara said Pacquiao’s victory “undoubtedly” brought the country “back on the world boxing map.”

“Congressman Manny did not just reclaim his crown but [also] the respect and admiration of the world,” he said.

Sen. Nancy Binay said Filipinos “take pride in [Pacquiao’s] tenacity, dedication and love for country.”

“You always make us proud that we are Filipino. You embody the hope that every one of us has a fighting chance, as long as we work hard for it, as long as we believe,” she said. ■

Opinion

APRIL 18, 2014 FRIDAY 16

THERE’S THE RUB

Redemption

By Conrado De Quiros Philippine Daily Inquirer THE TIMING of the second PacquiaoBradley fight was fraught with symbolism. As far as I know, this was the first time Manny Pacquiao fought on Palm Sunday (our time), and I thought we’d either get an early Easter or an early Good Friday. We’d either be sent to heights of jubilation or depths of despair.

Before the fight, Pacquiao had an ad that kept appearing on Solar Sports. In it, he spoke of his identification with the people and/or the people’s identification with him. Each punch he delivered, he said, didn’t just carry with it the strength of his fists, it carried with it the force of the nation. A little silly, but conveyed a meaning you grasped intuitively. Pacquiao’s fights have taken on an aspect that goes beyond boxing.

A lot was riding on this fight, as it did when Pacquiao fought Brandon Rios in November shortly after Supertyphoon “Yolanda.” The very survival of the nation was at stake. The very ability of the nation to resurrect was at stake.

It was unthinkable that Pacquiao should lose. It was unacceptable that Pacquiao should lose.

He made sure he would not.

But not without some scary moments there. Of course Pacquiao was

the llamado, or odds-on favorite. He had beaten Timothy Bradley once before, whatever the official result of the fight said, and could be expected to do so again. The fact that he had been robbed of victory the first time around could only add fire in his belly and hunger in his heart. But you never knew, you still harbored the image of him lying on the canvas after Juan Manuel Marquez caught him with a vicious right as he was lunging forward on the last second of the sixth round. And wondering if he would get up—immediately or ever.

The sublime irony there being that Marquez was behind in all the judges’ scorecards, and his handlers were even contemplating throwing in the towel if the fight went on the way it had. There’s always the lucky punch, as Pacquiao has learned the hard way.

Lucky always trumps plucky.

Never happened with Bradley.

Though like I said, there were scary moments there. The first half of the fight was pretty even as reflected in the judges’ scorecards, with Pacquiao taking the first three rounds and Bradley the next three. Round 4 was definitely Bradley’s as Pacquiao tapered off and Bradley caught him with crisp blows, one of which wobbled him. I thought Bradley had swung things around, Pacquiao suddenly looked tired and vulner-

able. That he continued to battle Pacquiao toe-to-toe in the next couple of rounds and had him on the retreat for the better part of those rounds brought my—and that of the others around me—trepidation to a higher level.

But lo and behold, the next half saw Pacquiao recovering his old glory. Maybe it was the chants of “Manny! Manny!” from the partisan crowd of Filipinos. Maybe it was the memory of how utterly lost his countrymen became when he lost the fight against Marquez,

Each punch [Pacquiao] delivered, he said, didn’t just carry with it the strength of his fists, it carried with it the force of the nation. A little silly, but conveyed a meaning you grasped intuitively. and in quite a shockingly incomprehensible way. But suddenly Pacquiao came roaring back. He rocked Bradley with combinations in the seventh round, and Bradley, who had started to gather confidence and a bit of swagger, got reminded of the sting of his fists.

Pacquiao refused to let up and rained combinations on Bradley’s face and body over the next couple of rounds. I myself couldn’t hear anything from the fight anymore, the yells and shouts of

jubilation around me were probably as loud as the yells and shouts of jubilation from the Filipino crowd at MGM. The last three rounds were anticlimactic. Bradley was a spent force, as who wouldn’t be after receiving that punishment, dancing the dance of the defeated, backing off from his tormentor around and around the ring.

The wonder was that he wouldn’t fall.

And it is a testament to his physical strength or mental resolve or sheer pride that he did not. Barring a lucky punch too—and there was always the distant possibility of it landing as he kept throwing wild roundhouses out of desperation—the fight was over.

It was redemption for Pacquiao, it was Easter for the nation. I saw the first fight in Toronto a couple of years ago and that one came as an absolute shock.

The sense of injustice and oppression was monumental. Bradley himself took the decision—that he had won—with disbelief. The non-Filipinos themselves in the pub-cum-pizza place I and some friends watched the fight in howled in derision. As did the world subsequently.

Someone joked last Sunday in the middle rounds that Pacquiao would lose the fight—but be declared winner by the judges. Thankfully, it remained a joke.

But it wasn’t just Pacquiao who found redemption last Sunday.

Bradley did too.

He would reveal some weeks before he fought Pacquiao how his life had changed after he won the first fight— not for the better but for the worse.

He became the most reviled fighter afterward, the butt of jokes and ridicule.

Nobody took him seriously, though he reclaimed some ground after he conquered Pacquiao’s undisputed conqueror, Marquez. So miserable had his life become after he became champion, indeed so thorny had the crown on his head become after he tore it away from Pacquiao, that he was even tempted to end his life.

That didn’t happen of course.

What happened was a wondrous thing: He lost to Pacquiao again, this time officially, and by losing, won what he lost the first time around by winning. He won his dignity, he won his self-respect, he won the respect of the world. Not least by showing graciousness in defeat, showering his opponent with praise afterward.

Ah, but life is truly stranger than fiction. You often find redemption where you least expect it.

I myself found an even better ending to the fight in a text message I got immediately after it. It said: “Congratulations Manny Pacquiao!—Kim Henares.” ■

AS I SEE IT

A Holy Week vacation I can never forget

By Neal H. Cruz Philippine Daily Inquirer THIS IS that time of the year when the temperature sizzles that one thinks of the great wide open spaces out there where cool breezes blow, and sand, surf, sea and sun meet. That is why city folk flee the concrete jungle and stampede to the provinces. I am sure many have their favorite vacation spots. I have one, too, but it is not a resort, has no airconditioned rooms, and has no chef to concoct mouth-watering food. It was only a nipa house in a small barrio in the small municipality of Tubao, La Union.

My classmate at the University of Santo Tomas, Paul Cardenas, invited me and my pregnant wife and my yearling daughter, to spend Holy Week there.

Not having anywhere to go, I accepted.

We took the train from Tutuban to San Fernando, La Union, then a caretela to barrio Amalapay in Tubao. We stopped in the middle of nowhere. I could see no house, only low hillocks and fields full of tobacco plantswaving their broad leaves.

We took our luggage from the caretela and started to walk toward one hillock. At the crest of the hillock, Paul bellowed, calling out the names of his wife and children.

For a while, nothing happened and

we continued walking. Then from the crest of the second, lower hillock, there burst out a group of women and children, all shouting excitedly and waving their arms at us. They were followed by two dogs barking furiously.

When our two groups met, we hugged one another lovingly. Paul’s wife, Auring, introduced us to her mother-in-law. The children gathered around their father and my year-anda-half-old daughter. The dogs continued with their excited barking.

We climbed up the second hillock, and at the top, we saw the nipa hut. It was nestled comfortably in a hollow.

There was a big tamarind tree beside it and a swing swung from one of its branches. Chickens and their chicks scratched about in the yard. A nanny goat was tethered on a grassy patch and two kids nursed at her teats. Caimito trees surrounded thewhole yard.

When we reached the yard, the children invitedmy daughter to try the swing, but she was more interested in the chicks. They gave her some palay and she held out her hand to the chicks. They quickly gathered around her and pecked at the palay in her hands and brought giggles out of her.

We had lunch of dinengdeng and a salad of ferns mixed with the petals of blossoms from a tree whose name

I have forgotten.

The afternoon was spent swapping stories while the children took turns at the swing. The tamarind tree was heavy with ripe fruit and one of Paul’s boys climbed it and shook the branches. The fruits came tumbling down and the children had a merry time picking them up and eating them.

That evening, after supper, when we

We broiled [fish] over hot coals, together with some eggplants and tomatoes. Eaten with hot steaming rice and strong newly-brewed coffee, it was one of the finest breakfasts I had ever had. were getting ready to go to sleep, there was the barking of the dogs, then we heard the shuffle of feet outside and the strums of a guitar. It was the custom in Philippine barrios to serenade a visiting lass, especially from the city.

There were seven of them. They politely introduced themselves to Paul’s mother and told her they were there to serenade my wife.

She laughed. “She’s already married,” she said. “In fact, she is pregnant with her second child. And that’s her firstborn and that’s her husband,”

www.canadianinquirer.net

pointing tomy daughter and me.

“It doesn’t matter,” they said, and asked my permission for them to serenade my wife.

I gave it and they sang several songs and then asked my wife to sing in return. It so happened that my wife was the vocalist of an orchestra, a winner in amateur singing contests, and had composed and written songs for recording companies. So there was a long concert until the wee hours of the night in that little barrio, until the serenaders ran out of songs and thanked us all and said goodbye and then walked off into the night.

We could tell where they were by the barking of the dogs in the villages that they passed. Finally, the barkings grew fainter and finally stopped.

The next day, Paul invited me to go to a sandbar not far from Amalapay.

It was connected to the mainland during low tide but became an island during high tide.

We arrived there by midmorning. The sandbar was lined with coconut trees; under them were fishermen’s huts.

We took off our shirts and immediately dove into the surf. Afterwards, Paul asked one of the fishermen to climb a coconut tree and bring down some nuts.

The coconut water tasted a little salty.

Afterwards, we lay down on the

beach talking and watching the sun sail slowly to the west. Lulled by the cool breeze, the lapping of the waves on the sand, and the swishing of palm fronds overhead, we fell asleep.

We were woken up by the waves lapping at our feet. The tide was coming in. We moved higher up the beach and went back to sleep.

When we woke up again, the sun had set and the moon had come out. Out in the distance, we could see the bobbing lights of the fishermen in their small boats. The high tide was now in full force.

We were cut off from the mainland.

We spent the night on the beach, now and then waking up to see the bobbing lights of the fishermen out at sea.

In the morning, we bought some of the fish the fishermen had brought in.

We broiled them over hot coals, together with some eggplants and tomatoes.

Eaten with hot steaming rice and strong newly-brewed coffee, it was one of the finest breakfasts I had ever had. Just the aroma of the coffee combined with the smell of the roasting fish, and the smell of the steaming rice, keeps me thinking of that interlude again and again.

By midmorning, the tide had gone out and we could walk across the sandbar back to the mainland.

That was a Holy Week vacation I will never forget. ■

Opinion

17 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

VIEWPOINT

Express lane

By Juan L. Mercado Philippine Daily Inquirer MULTIPLE “historical firsts” explain why all roads lead to Rome on April 27—where all hotels have been booked solid. Institutions like Pontificio Collegio Filippino on Via Aurelia are similarly crammed. Pope Francis will declare on that day Popes John XXIII and John Paul II saints.

It will be the first double papal canonization in two millennia. Rites have been simplified. “Sobriety is the order of the day,” Italian daily La Stampa reported. There’ll be a prayer vigil in 11 Rome churches the night before. The tapestries to be used are from the prior beatifications. “The low-frills style of Pope Francis is having an effect,” notes the Associated Press.

Only 250,000 can cram into Piazza di San Pietro and Via della Conciliazione.

Thus, giant screens have been set up in Rome and provision has been made for the world press. The two women, whose healing is attributed to John Paul II’s intercession, will be present.

Will Pope emeritus Benedict XVI attend the rites? He became the first pontiff to resign since 1415 AD when Pope Gregory stood down to avoid schism. If he does, two living and two deceased popes will figure in one his-

toric ceremony.

Francis splices, in one ceremony, two schools of thought on what a pope should be. A simple parish priest figure, like Angelo Roncalli of Italy and a globe-trotting superstar like Karol Wojtyla of Poland. It’s “a masterstroke that’s already stirred dissent,” Agence France Presse reports.

“Reform the church?” asked then Archbishop Roncalli. “Is such a thing possible?” He was the son of Italian sharecroppers who couldn’t afford the bus fare to his ordination. But in 1958, the nearly 77-year-old Roncalli was elected by wary cardinals who pegged him a transition pope.

Humor has always been the handmaid of sanctity. “Anybody can be pope,” Roncalli joshed. “The proof is I’ve become one.” Asked how many people worked in the Vatican, he deadpanned, “About half of them.” In his Hospital of the Holy Spirit visit, the flustered mother superior introduced herself. “Holy Father,” she said, “I’m the superior of the Holy Spirit.” “You’re very lucky,” was the reply. “I’m only the vicar of Christ.”

As John XXIII, Roncalli, stunned many by calling out: Apertura a sinistra. “Open the windows and let the fresh air in.” Few foresaw that the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II),

which he convened, would jolt a sclerotic Church to its founding fervor.

John XXIII died in 1963 before Vatican II ended. What emerged recast the Church as the “People of God, with full participation of all the baptized, yet always in need of reform.” Council adviser Fr. Joseph Ratzinger defined this as perennis reformatio. He repeated that theme as Benedict XVI. Vatican II reached out to other faiths and built bridges to a world hurtling into a digital age. It asserted its

It will be the first double papal canonization in two millennia. “prophetic role,” smudged by cozy accommodation with assorted dictators.

“I have the bishops by their balls,” Ferdinand Marcos scoffed before Pope John Paul II came to the Philippines in January 1981. Marcos touted a cosmetic lifting of martial law.

Imelda decked out the Coconut Palace for the Pontiff. But John Paul politely declined and lodged instead at the sparse nunciature in Pasay City.

“Even in exceptional conditions… the state cannot claim to serve the common good when human rights are not safeguarded,” John Paul II

told a poker-faced Marcos and cronies in his Jan. 17, 1981, speech at Malacañang Palace.

Then, he went to Luneta where he beatified now St. Lorenzo Ruiz, then flew to Bacolod. There, he pressed for an end to the exploitation of sacadas.

“This is war,” fumed a Negros sugar planter.

John Paul II returned in 1995 to preside over World Youth Day where over four million people flooded Luneta to attend the closing Mass. That’s the current world record for the “largest papal gathering in Catholic history.”

On entering St. Peter’s Square in May 1981, John Paul II was shot four times by by Mehmet Ali Agca who was sentenced to life. The Pope forgave Agca. At John Paul’s request, Agca was pardoned by Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, and was deported to Turkey in June 2000.

The rule books say five years must pass after a person’s death before even a beatification process can begin. It took 341 years for Pedro Calungsod of the Visayas to be canonized and 28 years for St. Therese of Lisieux, France.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta was beatified in October 2003—less than six years after her death. John Paul II allowed the immediate opening of her canonization cause. Seen in this con-

text, the April 27 rites for John XXIII and John Paul II are on express lane.

This February, the Archdiocese of Cebu submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, in the Vatican, the conclusion of a 3-year study into the life of Bishop Teofilo Camomot.

The late prelate was known to hock even his pectoral cross to help the poor.

Msgr. Dennis Villarojo has been named as postulator for the beatification process.

At the end of John Paul’s funeral Mass in 2005, throngs chanted “Santo Subito!” What were they really saying in the demand for “Saint Now”? asked Chicago Tribune’s Kenneth Woodward. “They were crying out that in Karol Wojtyla, they saw someone who lived with God and lived with us.”

Fr. Thomas Rosica, in a September 2013 article, said this of John Paul II: In over 27 years, as the 263rd successor to Peter the Fisherman, John Paul II “traveled the world, bringing to men and women the gospel… beyond all geographical boundaries…. he also crossed continents of the spirit, often far from one another and set against each other… to make room in the world for the peace of Christ.

Truly he has been Pontifex, a builder of bridges in a world that too often erects walls and divisions.” ■

AT LARGE

Gloom, doom and Holy Week’s meaning

By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer PALM SUNDAY, was, for me, always a day of anticipation. First, the gathering of the faithful in churches, carrying palm fronds folded, bent, decorated in fanciful shapes. Then, waiting for the priest to arrive, followed by acolytes bearing at times a small silver urn filled with holy water, with a balltipped rod with which to sprinkle the palms and the people. (Nowadays, a squeezable plastic bottle will also do.)

As the priest neared, the entire church and congregation seemed to shiver with eagerness, as Mass-goers held their palms aloft, shaking the leaves in the air, filling the surroundings with the swish and sway of dried palms. The sound increased with fury as the priest made his way through the crowd, and one could with little effort imagine the scene in Jerusalem, as Jesus made his way through a palmwaving crowd laying out blankets and capes for His donkey to step on.

But there was more than just the ceremony to anticipate. Palm Sunday marked the start of Holy Week, a time of both meditation and relaxation for Filipinos. From childhood, we had been indoctrinated in the meaning of the Holy Week, of the need to reflect on

the sufferings of Jesus, and of how “our sins” had contributed to His pain and passion. As children, my siblings and cousins and I were admonished to keep a solemn silence in my grandmother’s house where we were all gathered, with the piano silenced and our gleeful laughter shushed. Holy Week was a time of togetherness and shared misery, and only the grand Good Friday procession, glimpsed through the windows of Lola’s house, broke the boredom and almost suffocating silence.

But as we matured, the stern standards of our elders relaxed. And we, as adults, memories of miserable Holy Weeks still haunting us, broke from tradition. I remember how my mother and aunts were scandalized when we announced that we, with our small children, would be going to the Hundred Islands on a Good Friday. “You’re going swimming?!” an aunt exclaimed. “The water will turn red with the blood of Jesus!” *** Nowadays, of course, the struggle over the “proper” way to observe Holy Week has been resolved, in favor of the sybarites.

These days, the four or so days of imposed vacation have turned into a grand national excuse to indulge in leisurely activities: swimming, eating, drink-

ing, cavorting. True, there is the “Visita Iglesia,” a tradition in which families try to visit at least seven churches in each of which they follow the “Way of the Cross.” But lately, even this ritual has been observed more as an excursion, a tour of heritage structures, an excuse for fellowship and bonding.

So that may be why Palm Sunday, with its ritualized blessing of the palms and the long dramatized Gospel of the passion and crucifixion of Christ, is

From childhood, we had been indoctrinated in the meaning of the Holy Week, of the need to reflect on the sufferings of Jesus, and of how “our sins” had contributed to His pain and passion. viewed as a preview not to a week of meditation but to a grand vacation.

Rare is the family where all members, especially the breadwinners, are free to take time off work for an extended session of bonding. So even if only for four days, we look forward to shedding our workaday responsibilities and stepping out of our worker personas.

Everyone is a vacationer on Holy Week, and if only for this, maybe the Lord will forgive us if we forget how much He suffered, and choose instead to be grate-

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ful for the time He made available for us to be our truest, best selves. *** You would think, given the gloom and doom of Holy Week, that we would welcome Easter Sunday with wild rejoicing, with feasting and celebration.

But we seem to have favored—or had drummed into our heads—the darkness of the Passion, forgetting the bright and glorious Resurrection that is its true climax. Holy Week, after all, doesn’t end with the crucifixion, even if our fetish for Gothic touches has endowed the bloody “whip-lashing” and the simulated nailing on the cross a sense of things reaching their logical, dramatic end.

Still, things do not end there. Our Catholic faith teaches us that Christ rose from the dead, and that the blood and horror of the march to Golgotha and the crucifixion were washed away in the end by the empty tomb, and the appearance of the transcendent Christ.

Maybe it’s because the rituals of Easter are gentle and benign, bereft of the blood and drama of Christ’s mortal death.

Compared to a procession in which a Christ impersonator stumbles and falls while bearing a heavy Cross, the Easter Sunday “salubong,” the joyful meeting

of the resurrected Christ with his grieving mother, dramatized in the Church plaza, is child’s play. A child, in fact, is the central figure, dressed as an angel and hoisted on a primitive pulley to remove the veil of mourning from Mary’s face.

We bid the heavy shroud of guilt and penance that enveloped Holy Week good riddance, but can’t quite reconcile ourselves with the rejoicing that is supposed to be ushered in by Easter. *** True, we Filipinos have tried to incorporate the brighter traditions of Easter in nations less obsessed with guilt, death and eternal damnation.

Shopping malls and some churches sponsor “Easter Egg Hunts,” bidding children to roam the premises and search for brightly colored eggs. But there is about these exercises the air of simulation, of pretend-celebration.

And now that we, as a society, have chosen to chuck the gloom and doom of Holy Weeks of old, the meaning of Easter is ever more lost on us. What more is there to celebrate, anyway, when we have spent a week in relaxation, in companionship, in heedless leisure?

We have broken free of the restraints of guilt and penance on this week, but maybe we have also lost the real meaning of the event we will observe. ■

FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

18

Canada News

Flaherty’s final days, weeks, filled with friendship, family, golf dreams

NEWS BRIEFS

FROM THE CANADIAN PRESS

BY LEE-ANNE GOODMAN The Canadian Press OTTAWA—Jim Flaherty’s fleeting three-week retirement featured treasured dinners with family, friends and plans for a summer golf trip to Ireland with some of his closest buddies.

The former finance minister’s sudden and shocking death reverberated on Parliament Hill on Friday as politicians paid poignant tribute in the House of Commons.

The dominion carillonneur played Irish melodies from the Peace Tower at noon, shortly after MPs remembered Flaherty for his dedication to public service and his good-natured sense of humour. Many of them wore green ties in honour of the longtime parliamentarian.

Details also emerged about Flaherty’s final days and hours.

A government source said that Labour Minister Kellie Leitch, a medical doctor, administered CPR to the 64-year-old Flaherty before paramedics arrived at his condo in Ottawa’s Byward Market area on Thursday.

Leitch and Flaherty lived in the same building, and had dined together on the eve of his death. Flaherty enjoyed a hamburger and was in good

900 SINS STOLEN FROM CRA WEBSITE

The Honourable Jim Flaherty.

spirits during their dinner.

The source says Leitch went to his condo the next day in a frantic attempt to save her mentor. The labour minister declined to comment on her heroics when reporters asked her about it outside the House; she cited patientphysician confidentiality.

A witness outside the condo building said she watched at about 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday as a flurry of RCMP, police and paramedics descended upon the scene.

PHOTO FROM PM.GC.CA

About an hour later, she said she saw Flaherty, his body largely concealed beneath medical paraphernalia, being wheeled out of the building, a distraught woman by the side of the gurney. He had died of an apparent heart attack.

“They had covered him with equipment,” said the witness, who didn’t want to be identified because she is a government worker. “I saw his feet.”

An emotional Leitch delivered her

VANCOUVER—Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau is positioning his affluent upbringing as a selling point after partisan shots this week that his early home life means he just can’t connect with most Canadians.

“I was lucky in my life,” he told reporters Friday after a speech to a Vancouver business crowd. “But I believe from the way I was raised

that it is important to do what one can to serve one’s community and give back.”

New Democrat Leader Tom Mulcair aimed squarely at Trudeau’s personal life Sunday while rallying party faithful in Ottawa ahead of the next election.

“The problem is, Justin Trudeau will never know what middle-class means,” he told the NDP’s federal council on Sunday.

He said Trudeau “just doesn’t understand” the challenges Cana-

MANITOBA TORIES RAISE MORE CASH THAN NDP WINNIPEG—Manitoba’s Progressive Conservatives continue to raise more money than their political foes—and the gap is widening. Newly released figures show the Tories received $1.5 million in donations last year, compared with $949,700 for the NDP and $132,290 for the Liberals.

❱❱ PAGE 36 Flaherty’s final

Trudeau rejects attack he can’t connect, paints ‘lucky’ upbringing as strength

BY TAMSYN BURGMANN The Canadian Press

OTTAWA—The federal tax agency says the social insurance numbers of roughly 900 people were stolen from its systems, which were left vulnerable by the so-called Heartbleed bug. The Canada Revenue Agency blocked public access to its online services for several days last week until it addressed the security risk, but said Monday there was nonetheless a data breach over a six-hour period.

dian families are facing. “Never has.

Never will.”

The rebuff from Trudeau came after he made a campaign-style speech at a Vancouver Board of Trade luncheon, during which he outlined his broad proposals for creating sustained economic growth.

He told the well-heeled crowd that if he becomes prime minister, he’ll contrast the current Conservative government tact by “strength❱❱ PAGE 40 Trudeau rejects

OSFI ISSUES NEW RULES FOR MORTGAGE INSURERS OTTAWA—Canada’s financial regulator is looking to issue new guidelines governing high-risk mortgages in the country’s housing market. The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions has asked for comments on the guidelines that would compel mortgage insurers to do due diligence on the ability of borrowers to service their debts and also require them to tighten monitoring procedures.

GUILTY VERDICTS IN STANLEY CUP RIOT BEATING VANCOUVER—Three young men have been convicted of beating a so-called Good Samaritan during Vancouver’s Stanley Cup riot, while another man has been acquitted. Robert MacKay was assaulted on June 15, 2011, outside the Bay department store as a riot spread through the city’s downtown after the Canucks lost in Game 7 of the playoffs.

Canada News

19 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

Canadians returning to Boston Marathon one year after deadly bombings

BY DIANA MEHTA The Canadian Press JEAN-PAUL BEDARD clearly remembers the ear-piercing blasts, the ominous plumes of smoke and the total pandemonium that erupted moments after two bombs went off at last year’s Boston Marathon.

The enormity of the situation only hit home days later though, when the 47-year-old was back in Toronto looking at a video his wife had taken of him crossing the finish line— there, in a short clip, appeared to be one of the backpacks authorities believe contained explosives which ripped through the crowd.

“She was just standing there in harm’s way that whole time,” he said of the footage the couple later sent to the FBI. “I was a bit late, an hour later than I normally am and if I had been an extra 20 minutes, she would have been right there.”

The realization triggered an avalanche of emotions and Bedard, an avid runner, initially vowed never to return to the Boston Marathon again.

Yet, like many other Canadians, the English teacher is now heading back to the city and plans to run the course again next week. Bedard, however, plans to run the marathon not once, but twice in the same day.

“I needed to go back there,” Bedard said, adding he had secured permission from race authorities to run a double marathon.

The twin blasts which killed three people and injured more than 260 others on April 15 last year came to symbolize a turning point in Bedard’s life.

Just weeks before last year’s race, Bedard told his family about sexual abuse he suffered as a child. During the marathon, he had a breakdown and was stopped by medics but managed to convince them he was hurting mentally, not phys-

ically, and carried on.

He finished the race, returned to his hotel room for a quick shower and was back outside with his wife, 100 metres away from the finish line on a parallel street when the bombs went off.

When he returned home, the combined stress of his personal issues and the bombings led to Bedard being diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder.

After a year of treatment, he’s returning to confront the trauma and move past it.

“I feel a lot of weight on my shoulders in doing this,” he said. “But at the same time I feel like I’m being carried by a lot of people to get through this.”

Bedard is among a number of Canadians who were at the marathon last year and felt the urge to participate once more.

“It’s something that I need to do and I want to do,” said Dean Smith, a Newfoundland native who was one kilometre away from the finish line when

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he was stopped by race officials last year.

The 46-year-old recalls trying to calm some of the panicked runners around him as word of the explosions spread.

The worst part for Smith was not being able to call his mother for hours, to let her know he was safe.

Smith only realized much later that a fall earlier that day, which had slowed him down considerably, likely saved him from being among the victims.

“I could have very easily been at that line,” he said, his voice shaking. “It really isn’t sinking in until now.”

The blasts also made Linda Hensman realize how fortunate she was.

“Every so often you need something to bring life back into perspective. To slow you down, to make you appreciate what you have,” said the 62-year-old who was also stopped before she could finish the race last year.

“I just wanted to go back under what I hope will be normal circumstances...I don’t think you can let these events hijack your life.”

Race officials say 2,447 people from Canada have registered to take part in this year’s marathon, up from 2,032 registered last year.

Four days after last year’s blasts, police killed one of the suspected bombers, 26-yearold Tamerlan Tsarnaev, in a shootout and captured his brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, who was 19 at the time, soon after.

Prosecutors say the Tsarnaev brothers built two pressure cooker bombs and planted them near the race’s finish line.

The brothers had lived in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan and the Dagestan region of Russia before moving to the U.S. with their family about a decade before the bombings. ■

World News

APRIL 18, 2014

FRIDAY 20

Police ID suspect in attacks on Jewish sites near Kansas City as known white supremacist

BY MARIA SUDEKUM The Associated Press OVERLAND PARK, KAN.—The man accused of killing three people in attacks at a Jewish community centre and Jewish retirement complex near Kansas City is a well-known white supremacist and former Ku Klux Klan leader who was once the subject of a nationwide manhunt.

Frazier Glenn Cross, of Aurora, Mo., was booked into Johnson County jail on a preliminary charge of first-degree murder after the attacks Sunday in Overland Park.

At a news conference, Overland Park police Chief John Douglass declined to publicly identify the man suspected in the attacks. But an official at the Olathe jail, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the case, identified the suspect as 73-year-old Frazier Glenn Cross, of Aurora, Mo. “Today is a sad and very tragic day,” Douglass said at the news conference.” As you might imagine we are only three hours into this investigation.

There’s a lot of innuendo and a lot of assertions going around.

There is really very little hardcore information.”

According to police, the attacks happened within minutes of one another. At around 1 p.m. a gunman shot two people in the parking lot behind the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City. He then drove a few blocks away to a Jewish retirement community, Village

Shalom, and gunned down a woman or girl there, Douglass said. Officers arrested him in an elementary school parking lot a short time later.

Police said the attacks at both sites happened outside, and that the gunman never entered any buildings. Douglass said the gunman also shot at two other people during the attacks, but missed.

Authorities declined to release the victims’ names pending notification of their relatives, and the identity of the person shot at the retirement community was still unknown early Monday. However, the family of the first two victims put out a statement identifying them as Dr. William Lewis Corporon, who died at the scene, and his 14-year-old grandson, Reat Griffin Underwood, who died at Overland Park Regional Medical Center.

They were both Christian, and the family thanked members of their church congregation, among other people, for their support.

“We take comfort knowing they are together in Heaven,” the family said. It asked for privacy to mourn.

Rebecca Sturtevant, a hospital spokeswoman, said family members told her Corporon had taken his grandson to the community centre so that the boy could try out for a singing competition for high school students. Reat was a freshman at Blue Valley High School and an Eagle Scout.

Douglass said the suspect made several statements to police, “but it’s too early to tell

Police said the attacks at both sites happened outside, and that the gunman never entered any buildings.

PHOTO FROM NPR.ORG

you what he may or may not have said.” He also said it was too early in the investigation to determine whether there was an anti-Semitic motive for the attacks or whether they will be investigated as hate crimes.

The Jewish festival of Passover begins Monday.

“We are investigating it as a hate crime. We’re investigating it as a criminal act. We haven’t ruled out anything. ... Again, we’re three hours into it,” he said.

Although the suspect was booked under the last name Cross, he is probably better known as Frazier Glenn Miller. A public records search shows he has used both names, but he refers to himself on his website as Glenn Miller and went by the name Frazier Glenn Miller in 2006 and 2010 campaigns for public office.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, said it reached Miller’s wife, Marge, by phone and that she said authorities had been to their home and told her that her husband had been arrested in Sunday’s attacks. Calls by The Associated Press to a num-

ber listed as Miller’s on his website were met by a busy signal or rang unanswered.

According to the law centre, Miller has been involved in the white supremacist movement for most of his life. He founded the Carolina Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and was its “grand dragon” in the 1980s. The Army veteran and retired truck driver later founded another white supremacist group, the White Patriot Party, the centre said.

Miller was the subject of a nationwide manhunt in 1987 for violating the terms of his bond while appealing a North Carolina conviction for operating a paramilitary camp. The search ended after federal agents found Miller and three other men in an Ozark mobile home, which was filled with hand grenades, automatic weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition. Miller tried running for U.S. House in 2006 and the U.S. Senate in 2010, espousing a white power platform each time.

SITE, a U.S.-based terror monitoring group, said Monday that Miller is a prominent

member of the Vanguard News Network and has posted thousands of messages—including frequent calls for genocide against Jews—on the neo-Nazi forum’s website. His most recent post was Saturday.

The attacks rattled Overland Park, a suburb of about 180,000 residents south of Kansas City.

President Barack Obama released a statement expressing his grief over the attack, and Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback vowed to bring those responsible to justice.

“My heart and prayers are with all those who were affected by today’s events,” Brownback said in a statement. “We will pursue justice aggressively for these victims and criminal charges against the perpetrator or perpetrators to the full extent of the law.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave his condolences to the families of the victims.

“We are condemning the murder which according to all signs was committed because of hatred of Jews,” Netanyahu said in a statement. “The state of Israel ... together with all civilized peoples is committed to fighting against this plague.”

Michael Siegal, chair of the Jewish Federations of North America, also said in an emailed statement that “no community should have to face a moment such as this one.”

“Today, on the eve of Pesach, we are left to contemplate how we must continue our work building a world in which all people are free to live their lives without the threat of terror,” he said. ■

Venezuelan journalist freed 8 days after kidnapping; motive not yet clear The Associated Press CARACAS, VENEZUELA— A Venezuelan journalist was freed Monday, eight days after she was kidnapped by masked men in front of her house.

Interior Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres told a news con-

ference that 3,000 people had been hunting for Nairobi Pinto, chief correspondent for the Globovision television station, and “the police pressure played an important role” in prompting the captors to free her. He said nobody had been arrested and did not say if a ransom was paid.

Rodriguez Torres said offi-

cials have not wanted to speculate about a motive for the kidnapping, though he noted that Pinto is a university law student and member of a Christian group as well as being a journalist. While kidnapping for ransom is a widespread problem in Venezuela, Pinto’s family said earlier they had received no www.canadianinquirer.net

messages from the abductors.

Pinto herself appeared briefly alongside the minister and said she could not identify her captors because her eyes were always covered.

“They treated me well. They never touched me, never mistreated me. I ate all three meals,” she said.

She said she could not give more details for reasons of security.

Three armed men in masks seized Pinto in front of her house in Caracas on April 6 and she was freed at a hospital in the town of Cua, about 60 miles (100 kilometres) south of the capital. ■

World News

21 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

Robotic submarine deployed for first time to search for Malaysia jet wreckage

BY MARGIE MASON The Associated Press PERTH, AUSTRALIA—Search crews sent a robotic submarine deep into the Indian Ocean on Monday to begin scouring the seabed for the missing Malaysian airliner after failing for six days to detect any signals believed to be from its black boxes.

Meanwhile, officials were investigating an oil slick about 5,500 metres (3.4 miles) from the area where the last underwater sounds were detected, said Angus Houston, the head of a joint agency co-ordinating the search off Australia’s west coast.

Crews have collected an oil sample and are sending it back to Australia for analysis, a process that will take several days.

Houston said it does not appear to be from any of the ships in the area, but cautioned against jumping to conclusions about its source.

The unmanned underwater vehicle, the Bluefin 21, was launched from the Australian navy ship Ocean Shield, the U.S. Navy said. The autonomous sub can create a three-dimensional sonar map of any debris on the ocean floor.

The move comes after crews picked up a series of underwater sounds over the past two weeks that were consistent with signals from an aircraft’s black boxes, which record flight data and cockpit conversations.

The devices emit “pings” so they can be more easily found, but their batteries only last about a month and are now believed dead.

“Today is day 38 of the search,” Houston told a news conference. “We haven’t had a single detection in six days, so I guess it’s time to go under water.”

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott raised hopes last week when he said authorities were “very confident” the four

strong underwater signals that were detected were from the black boxes on Flight 370, which disappeared March 8 during a flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing with 239 people on board, mostly Chinese.

But Houston warned that while the signals are a promising lead, the public needs to be realistic about the challenges facing search crews in the extremely remote, deep patch of ocean—an area he called “new to man.”

“I would caution you against raising hopes that the deployment of the autonomous underwater vehicle will result in the detection of the aircraft wreckage. It may not,” Houston said.

“However, this is the best lead we have, and it must be pursued vigorously. Again, I emphasize that this will be a slow and painstaking process.”

Houston, a retired Australian ❱❱ PAGE 44 Robotic submarine

Russia opens...

“I know this is of great concern to our NATO allies in the region, but it should be a great concern to all of us,” Harper said.

“When a major power acts in a way that is so clearly aggressive, militaristic and imperialistic, this represents a significant threat to the peace and stability of the world and it’s time we all recognized the depth and the seriousness of that threat.”

He said he’s dispatching Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird to talk with allies in eastern Europe. Baird will then head on to the Middle East.

Baird echoed the prime minister in blaming Russia for the latest events, scoffing: “I don’t know who the Russian federation thinks it’s kidding when it tries to pretend that it has nothing to do with them.”

“There are very clear and disconcerting parallels between what is happening in eastern Ukraine and events leading up to Russia’s illegal invasion and annexation of Crimea,” Baird ❰❰ 1

continued, urging Russia to back down.

Canada is prepared to impose stronger sanctions against Putin’s regime, Harper said.

“But as I say, the most important thing we need to do is to rally all of our allies throughout the western world and throughout the greater global community to understand that peace and stability is being threatened here in a way that has not been threatened since the end of the Cold War.” Putin is fighting history and will lose, he added.

“We also know from history that anybody who makes it their historical mission to turn the clock back, as Mr. Putin has determined to do, that those kinds of missions always fail in the end. But we will do all in our power to make it fail.”

Harper also paid tribute to the people of Ukraine, saying their determination to secure their freedom and independence has no limit. ■

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Immigration

APRIL 18, 2014

FRIDAY 22

Certain immigrants appear to face ‘unreasonable’ hurdles with OAS, critics say

BY DIANA MEHTA The Canadian Press BRANKO SUCIC has been waiting a long time for his Old Age Security pension.

His daughter says the 78-yearold has been faced with a barrage of government demands for decades-old documents ever since first applying for the payments in 2004, but 10 years later she feels he’s no closer to getting what he deserves.

“He could die by the time this goes through,” said Marianne Rukavina, whose father immigrated to Canada in 1970. “This is so wrong...and I just want to make it right.”

Sucic, however, doesn’t seem to be alone—some advocates for seniors and immigrants claim certain applicants who came to Canada from other countries appear to be treated unfairly when they apply for OAS.

“This is more particular to people who have come into the country some time through their life and moved in and out of the country apparently,” said Susan Eng, a Toronto lawyer and vice-president for advocacy at CARP, a group that defends seniors’ interests.

“I think it’s a practical problem of barriers that are very difficult for people to overcome.

If you ask the average citizen whether or not they kept their travel documents from 20 years ago to prove how long they spent some place they would have a hard time coming up with them.”

Service Canada says OAS payments are available to most people aged 65 or older who meet legal status and residence requirements. Applicants living in Canada typically need to be Canadian citizens or legal residents at the time their application is approved and must

have lived in Canada for at least 10 years after turning 18.

To satisfy requirements, all applicants must provide “supporting documentary evidence” to prove all the dates they entered and exited the country.

“It is important to establish periods of Canadian residence because, not only does residence determine eligibility to the OAS pension, it can also affect the amount of pension the applicant will receive,” said Eric Morrissette, a spokesman with Employment and Social Development Canada. “An application for an OAS pension cannot be approved until all eligibility requirements have been met.”

Those dissatisfied with decisions from Service Canada can request a reconsideration of their case but it must be made in writing within 90 days of being notified of the decision.

Sucic’s daughter can’t believe

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how onerous the process has been for her father, who grew up in what is now Croatia. He left the country for Italy in the late 50s with his wife, before moving to Australia in 1959, where he became a citizen of that country.

He then brought his family to Canada in 1970, where he lived and worked until December 1993, when he moved back to Croatia to support his extended family during the war in former Yugoslavia. He returned to Canada in 1997 and has lived here ever since.

With three failed applications behind them and a fourth underway, Rukavina has now made it her mission to ensure her father succeeds.

In their latest communication with Sucic, Service Canada asked for his exact residences from birth until present, Rukavina said, including her father’s “current address” in Australia, despite the fact that he hasn’t been back to the country since 1970.

“This is absolutely insane, the amount of documentation wasted, sent, not acknowledged—the things that they’ve asked for they have received,” said Rukavina, who has also raised the case with the office of the minister for employment and social development.

“If this is happening to my dad, there’s other people out there that this is happening to.”

Ed Janicki would have been

Immigration

23 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

in the same situation if not for an old luggage tag he found while rummaging through his mother’s possessions.

The 67-year-old came to Canada with his family at the age of three from a refugee camp in Germany. Although he got his citizenship in 1955, served in the military and worked in Canada all his life, Service Canada demanded he show proof of his original arrival at a port in Halifax.

Janicki didn’t find any landing papers, but he did find the luggage tag from the family’s journey to Canada which was stamped with the date they landed.

The government accepted the tag as a landing record and allowed his OAS application to proceed, but Janicki wonders what would have happened if that tag hadn’t been saved.

“It just doesn’t make any sense the way this government treats some of the immigrants,” he said. “You spend your whole life working, you spend your whole life giving taxes and then they’re going to say we’re going to make you jump through a hoop.”

Avvy Go, director of Metro

Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic in Toronto, said she sees such cases at least a few times a year.

“The OAS issue affects, I think, certain immigrant populations more so than others,” she said. “A lot of times we feel that people are being denied in an unreasonable manner.”

Defining the scope of the problem, however, is tough because there are no official figures available on rejected applications for the OAS pension. The anecdotal evidence that is available though, is enough for advocates to ask questions, said Go. She recounts a case where a husband and a wife who had immigrated to Canada and had exactly the same residency records applied for OAS only to have one spouse denied while the other’s application was accepted.

“They start out with an assumption that certain people are not actually living in Canada and are taking advantage of our benefits,” said Go. “This assumption of immigrants and seniors, questioning whether their tie is with Canada or their home country, that really is the issue behind these cases.” ■

Ashton College’s

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA—In partnership with Canadian Immigrant Magazine the Lilian To Bursaries are rewarded to four outstanding students to cover full-time tuition at Ashton College in Vancouver, British Columbia. The bursaries cover a wide range of Ashton College programs and courses.

Canadian citizens and landed immigrants who have arrived to Canada for the first time within the past five years qualify for the Lilian To Bursaries. Four full-time tuition bursaries will be rewarded (excluding books, application fee and material fee) to a maximum of $8,000 each. Eligible programs include Bookkeeping, Sales & Marketing, and Human Resources to name a few.

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Lilian To was a crusader for immigrants and the longtime executive director and CEO of S.U.C.C.E.S.S—a multi-service community organization that provides assistance to new immigrants. After Mrs. To’s sudden death in 2005, the bursaries were created to ensure that her work with immigrants continues by addressing the challenges they face when trying to secure a stable career in Canada.

Last year’s winners included Rabia Ikram, Avril deSouza, Qunying Xue, and Frances Grace Quiddaoen. Each winner has a full year to redeem their bursary for the Ashton College program of their choosing. The winners are chosen by an external panel of four judges after submitting an essay detailing financial

struggles, past education, community involvement, and future career plans. A reference letter from a previous instructor/ employer is also required. Once these criteria have been considered, the four most outstanding applicants are chosen. ■ Ashton College is located in Vancouver, British Columbia.

The college has been in operation since 1998, helping students gain practical skills and knowledge to start rewarding and successful careers. Ashton College offers both in-class and online programs taught by industry professionals. Ashton College is internationally recognized for its value and quality of instruction, helping students reach their full potential in a variety of careers.

Seen & Scenes

APRIL 18, 2014

FRIDAY 24

MOSAIC JOB FAIR Mosaic held its 3rd Annual Vancouver Job and Trades Fair on April 8 at the Croatian Cultural Centre, with over 40 organizations participating and actively recruiting new hires.

REV. FR. JOE PENA 25TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION It was a grand day at the Our Lady of the Airways Church in Malton, Mississauga last Sunday, when Fr. Joe Pena celebrated his 25th Anniversary of Priesthood. Several religious groups (Bukas Loob sa Dios, O.L. of the Airways Church ministries, Sisters of St. Marie de Leuca, Block Rosary Crusaders of Toronto, and many other religious groups.) attended his 25th Anniv, Mass to show their appreciation to their Spiritual leader Fr. Joe Pena.

ATENEO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION CANADA (AAAC) HOLDS ITS 2014 SPRING DINNER-DANCE The AAAC held its annual Spring Dinner-Dance, its first fundraising activity for the year 2014, last Saturday, March 29, 2014 at the North Thornhill Community Centre in Vaughan, Ontario, its preferred venue for many years now. The AAAC, now in its 19th year of existence, has held 13 (since 2002) annual spring (or post-Christmas Holiday) fundraising Dinner-Dances in the form of “Winterludes” and/or Spring Dances.

These activities were originally held in January in order to help dancers beat the winter blues, but have since been moved to celebrate the start of spring, held in the month of March to provide more time for preparations.

Fr. Joe with gu Senato Edgar

Fr. Pena was born in Catanduanes, Bicol. He came to Canada more than a decade ago.

Pastor Fr. Basil Breen, assigned him as an Associate Pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle of Markham, Ontario. He was transferred to O.L. of the Airways, assigned as Pastor at Angus Catholic Church in Northern Ontario, Msgr. E and is now assigned to the Airport Catholic Crusad Chapel in the Pearson International Airport. lores V

The bulk of funds raised from this event will provide additional funding for full college (or University) scholarships, which today total twenty-two scholarships and funding grants, at various Ateneo Universities in the Philippines. It may be noted that over the years, while the bulk of funds raised at the AAAC’s affairs have been used for scholarships, a small portion of its funding has been used to aid the victims of typhoons in the Philippines, including grants for housing and via the Gawad Kalinga Program.

With the conclusion of the AAAC’s Spring Dinner-Dance, scheduled key activities (details currently being finalized) will follow, which include the Annual Scholarship Dinner-Dance scheduled in November 2014, celebrating the Association’s 19th Anniversary. At this early stage, preparations are also being made for the AAAC’s milestone 20th Anniversary event next year, to which the AAAC is requesting the continued support of its Alumni and supporters. Jun Dabu

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

Rev. Fr. Joe Pena celebrating the Mass at O.L. of the Mississauga,The Mass was con-celebrated with three Pastor of St. Francis Xavier, also a Bicolano) and Rev. O.L. of the Airways Church and other priests.

Seen & Scenes

25 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO ENGINEERING TEAM WON IN THE NATIONAL WOMEN AND SCIENCE IN ENGINEERING CONFERENCE

PHILIPPINE TOURISM EXPANDS PRESENCE AT OTTAWA TRAVEL SHOW

The University of Toronto Engineering “Team WISE+1”, composed mainly of FilipinoCanadians, competed in the 2nd Annual National Women and Science in Engineering Conference and won 1st place in the Cisco Social Impact Consulting Challenge. This 2nd Annual Conference held in the recent Engineering week in Toronto that was held at the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute of St. Michael’s Hospital.

6 April 2014 – The Philippine Embassy in Ottawa reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) led a contingent of Philippine exhibitors at the 20thOttawa Travel and Vacation Show (OTVS) on 5-6 April 2014 in a bid to intensify its marketing campaign atop a consumer fair platform.

Photo above shows the "Team WISE+1" L>R : Saaliha Khadim (Civil Eng.), Anna Kotlov (Industrial Eng.), Tiffany Ongtenco (Civil Eng.), Nicholas Nico Poblete Valenton (Civil Eng.), and Monina Cepeda (Mechanical Eng.). Tiffany, Nico and Monina are Filipino-Canadian U of T Engineering students.

Joining TPB at the Philippine booth were Department of Tourism (DOT)-National Capital Region, DOT-Cagayan Valley Region, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority (CEZA), the Municipality of Nasugbu, Philippine Airlines, Rajah Tours Philippines, and Mart Evers Travel as well as the Philippine Embassy.

Hundreds of potential Canadian travellers to the Philippines visited the large Philippine booth for an introduction to Philippine destinations and tour packages including the soon-to-be launched Winter Escapade 2 to Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor and Manila on 30 January – 6 February 2015.

The exhibitors were gratified by the massive turnout at the OTVS which put together this year over 200 travel and vacation exhibits representing over 50 countries for some 16,000 Canadian visitors planning vacations overseas.

Mayor Charito Apacible of Nasugbu and CEZA Administrator Jose Mari Ponce seized the occasion to confer with Ambassador Gatan and Minister Eric Tamayo on economic opportunities in their respective regions.

“Tourism promotion is a major pillar of the Embassy’s economic diplomacy program. The OTVS validates Canada’s huge outbound tourism market as participating Philippine tour operators have realized. I am pleased

by TPB’s initiative to assemble Philippine sellers for this show,” Ambassador Gatan stated.

e Pena and Fr. Lorenzo Salandanan, uests George R. Poblete, Hon. or Tobias C. Enverga, Jr., and Msgr.

Pan.

TPB’s participation in the OTVS comes on the heels of a tourism roadshow and business mission in Vancouver, Toronto, and Winnipeg from 1 to 4 April 2014.

Edgar Pan, with the Block Rosary ders of Toronto: Lita Abesamis, DoV. Poblete and George R. Poblete.

e Airways Church in Malton, e Monsignors (incl. Msgr. Edgar Pan, v. Fr, Lorenzo Salandanan, Pastor of

GUSTO MO BANG MAGING YOUNG ENTREPINOY? The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) and the Business Development Bank of Canada, in partnership with the UP Alumni Association in British Columbia (UPAABC), the Ateneo Alumni Association in British Columbia (AAABC), Philippines Canada Trade Council (PCTC) and the Kapisanan ng mga Nagkakaisang Mamamayan (KANAN), held an info session for getting loans, mentorship and preparing business plans on April 10 at Max’s in Burnaby. The CYBF funds youth 39 years old and below. www.canadianinquirer.net

(L-R) TPB’S sales and marketing chief Susan del Mundo, CEZA Administrator Jose Mari B. Ponce, Philippine Ambassador Leslie Gatan, former Mayor Conrado Apacible and Nasugbu Mayor Charito Apacible at the Philippine booth

Embassy, TPB and DOT representatives man the booth along with exhibitors from PAL, Rajah Tours and Mart Evers

APRIL 18, 2014

FRIDAY 26

FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS:

Aureabelle Cruz

BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer MOVING TO a new city—or, more so, to a new country—can be a rather daunting experience. Perhaps one of the more overwhelming aspects of a move is the question of where to move to. Ask just about anyone who has gone through the process of packing-up and relocating their lives, and they will most likely tell you that choosing the right city, the right neighborhood is key to a positive move!

Filipino-Canadian Aureabelle Cruz is well-aware of the perils and pitfalls of making the wrong choice of locale or neigbourhood, just as she is well-versed with the pluses of making the right one. Having immigrated to Canada from the Philippines in 1996, Aureabelle, then in her teens, recounts her biggest struggle as an immigrant was “generally adapting to a new environment and culture.”

“I felt I had no opportunities because I was home sick, missed my friends, relatives, and felt sad leaving my childhood in the Philippines behind,” she said.

She adds that specific to Montreal, the language barrier proved challenging, as did the bitter winter cold. “The specific challenges I faced in Montreal are mostly related to the language barrier. I had to attend a French high school where I only knew my brother, I found it difficult to fit in and make friends.

There’s a level of peer pressure when you encounter both Filipinos and non-Filipinos at your new Canadian school—everyone expects you to act a certain way based on where you came from. It was important to find my way and become an individual. The weather was also a tough adjustment for me—the winters are crazy here!” she revealed.

Many years after the move, Aureabelle—now a well-adjusted 33-year-old professional—shares nuggets of wisdom gained over the years: “It’s important for immigrants to end up in an area that has what they need—this is a huge asset for having a confident settlement experience,” she shared.

Hence, the inception of Navut.

A timely idea

As Aureabelle explains, “Navut is an online web application for people moving to a new city to find the best neighbourhood.”

This impressive start-up web app was founded by four immigrants to Montreal: three Brazilians and one Filipino; Aureabelle. They created an algorithm that enables users to input facts about their lives; such as how much money they make, the type of amenities they need and desire, their mode of transport to work, if they need schools for their children, what languages they speak, and more.

The site does the math and provides a map which indicates suggested neighbourhoods, based on the user’s lifestyle.

Navut specifies all the properties for rent in the desired areas, and connects the user directly with realtors, property managers or landlords.

And as if that were not amazing enough, the site likewise provides information on local amenities; such as cable and Internet options, restaurants and bars in the area, school options, and just about anything a newcomer would need to feel successfully—and happily—integrated into the community.

Aureabelle shares that the next step they are looking into for the web app would be to connect users looking to buy a home, with properties on the market. “We’re in the process of having qualified real estate agents list their properties on the site so our users can browse homes in their budget and connect with a realtor who has what they need,” she said.

Now I am no technology bug, but this is definitely an idea whose time has come!

The sky’s the limit

Since moving to Montreal, Aureabelle has discovered that the opportunities for those who set out after them are, in fact, quite vast. As she so aptly puts it: “I eventually realized there are lots of opportunities for everyone in Montreal. Nothing is impossible if you persevere, be patient, be brave, work hard

ABOVE Filipino-Canadian Aureabelle Cruz, busy at work as Navut’s co-founder and graphic designer.

OPPOSITE PAGE Infographic on Filipinos in Canada, designed by Aureabelle.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF NAVUT / GRACE MITCHELL

and most especially trust in God.” Her perseverance and persistence have paid off. Aureabelle happily devotes her time to Navut in the capacity of graphic designer, a job and commitment which she finds not only fulfilling, but also pleasurable.

“Being a designer is like having my own world. I'm able to think freely and be imaginative. There are no restrictions or boundaries with graphic design—the sky’s the limit!

The best part is being able to do what you love to do and be able to help people at the same time,” Aureabelle explained.

From process and pen and paper, to product

As a graphic designer, Aureabelle describes her style as minimalist; preferring to keep things “simple, easy to use, and nice to look at.”

“My day-to-day process for whatever task I’m working on always begins with looking at the whole picture and analyzing every little detail. I think about how something should work, behave, and look. I still start out with the good old pen and paper to sketch out my ideas. If I begin to feel stuck with an idea I take a break—I’ll go for a walk, cook or bake, spend time with my family—anything that’s unrelated to designing to clear my head,” she revealed.

Listening is also a skill that www.canadianinquirer.net

she has honed for the advancement of her craft, especially when it comes to ideas that clients—those hard-to-please or otherwise—may have. When dealing with clients, Aureabelle advises to stay patient, as “you can always find middle ground if you stay patient.”

She does not like to procrastinate, generally opting to get things done prior to deadlines and to always be productive; no Mañana Mentality here, thank you!

As a woman in the graphic design world, Aureabelle feels that the oft stereotypically associated female ability of multitasking is a plus, while men tend to focus on one big project at a time. Although she is the first to admit that it is “hard to generalize in this field though, everyone has a different style and work ethic!”

Motivations, inspirations, and sound advice

Aureabelle looks forward to an even bigger, better and brighter future with (and for) Navut. “My professional goals revolve around helping Navut grow to its full potential—we have lots of new features to introduce soon and plan on expanding the site to the United States and accommodate even more newcomers,” she disclosed.

She is moved by these goals, as she is likewise inspired by

fellow-Filipinos who strive to attain their own.

“Any other Filipino I’ve met who started a new life from scratch in a foreign land where they speak different languages and have a totally different culture really inspires me. I know people from the Philippines who moved to Montreal and can barely speak English or French, but are persevering to provide a better future for themselves and their families back home. That personal motivation speaks volumes about the Filipino immigrant community,” Aureabelle said.

This designer also has a word or two for those (especially the youth) seeking to—if I may play with words—design their own destinies: “My advice for Filipino youth is to keep trying different things, step outside your comfort zone and find your passion. Do things that will make you productive, keep feet on the ground, and don’t forget God. No matter where you end up living, try to never forget where you came from. Never stop learning! “ And if there were an algorithm we could apply to life, Aureabelle’s advice would be it. ■ Learn more about Navut by scanning this QR code.

Bible Stories

27 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

28

PCI celebrates Easter!

Easter: From Empty Tomb to Easter Eggs and Everything in Between

BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer EASTER. A holiday most frequently—and rightfully so—associated with the Christian commemoration of Jesus Christ's resurrection. It is a celebration of faith, hope and love; a recollection and honouring of the highest price paid for humanity, the passion and death of the Christ, and the empty tomb.

Yet oddly enough, it is also a celebration of spring, multicolored Easter eggs, an oddenough Easter Bunny, leg of lamb and Easter ham dinners, and a cornucopia of yummy sweet treats (marshmallows, jellybeans, chocolate eggs and bunnies, to name a few of the most popular.)

So how did we get from empty tomb to the Easter bunny?

Christian beliefs founded on Christ

Easter is perhaps the most revered and celebrated festival of the modern Christian church.

The holiday celebrates Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead after three days in the tomb, marking the culmination of His passion and death. It is identified with the Passover (hence, today’s traditional Easter lamb dinner) and Exodus from Egypt, as recounted in the Old Testament, through the Last Supper Jesus celebrated with His disciples, and and His crucifixion and death before His resurrection. The New Testament tells us that Jesus gave the Passover meal a new meaning when He made Himself the ultimate Passover meal, symbolized by the Last Supper, and fulfilled

by His passion and death.

Easter Sunday itself (and the Holy Week before it) is known as a moveable feast, in the sense that there is no fixed date for its celebration. It is, rather,

determined on a lunisolar calendar, similar to the Hebrew calendar, and falls on the first Sunday following the full moon (also known as the Paschal Full Moon) after the March equinox. There are also differences in the way believers of Eastern and Western Christianity determine the date, with the former using the Gregorian calendar, and the latter, the Julian calendar.

Western Christianity comprises 80% of Christians across the globe, including the Roman Catholic Church and all denominations derived from it: Anglican Communion, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, Methodism, Protestantism, Born-again Christianity, and offshoots thereof.

Most Western Christians celebrate an entire season leading up to Easter Sunday. This season is known as Lent, a 40day period of fasting and penitence to commemorate the 40days Jesus spent fasting in the desert. Lent, which begins on Ash Wednesday, is observed in preparation for Easter and lasts forty days (excluding Sundays).

During lent, the devout pray, fast, and do penance to atone for their sins.

Strangely enough, in many cultures, this “holy season” is preceded by one big and excessive party; one “last hurrah”, if you will, before the fasting and penitence begin. The festivities take place on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, commonly known as Fat Tuesday, with the most popular (and notorious) celebrations being the Mardi Gras and Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.

The week before Easter is known as Holy Week, which begins with the Palm Sunday.

The Wednesday before Easter is known as Spy Wednesday, while the last three days before Easter (also known as the Easter Triduum, Latin for "Three

Days") are Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday (sometimes referred to as Silent or Black Saturday). During Holy Week, the faithful pray, fast, and—in many parts of the Christian world—reenact the Stations of the Cross, and Jesus’ passion and death.

Pagan roots and the goddess Eostre

Ironically enough—and, as you can imagine, hotly contested by the devout—historical accounts show that much of Easter as we know it is rooted in pagan traditions.

The celebration coincides with pagan rituals to mark the Vernal equinox, which falls on the 21st of March every year.

This marked the end of the winter months, and the arrival of spring, the season closely associated with rebirth.

In ancient Teutonic mythology, spring was believed to come forth from the Eostre, the ancient Greek goddess of spring.

It was a widely held belief in ancient Greece that every year, the goddess Eostre returned to Earth after a long, cold winter, bringing with her the much anticipated and awaited light and warmth of spring. To welcome, honour and thank Eostre—and to signal the start of spring— joyous pagan festivals were held across Greece.

As you have probably guessed, and by no far stretch of the imagination, the name “Easter” is said to have derived from “Eostre;” thus fueling the belief that the Christian festival was heavily influenced by pagan rites.

Some historians and scholars point out—even more ironically—that the very celebration meant to glorify Christ was influenced by pagan traditions, with the purpose of diminishing Christ’s power. How do I mean? It is noted by scholars that the leaders of the early

Eastern Orthodox icon depicting the Jesus Christ’s Harrowing of Hell or Descent into Hades after His death and before His Resurrection.

PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Christian church were intimidated by the strength of Christ’s followers; as such, did all they could to “water down” their faith and influence.

Those on the Christian side of the fence, however, say otherwise: that the Church changed the Pagan festival from a celebration of spring to a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus in order to wipe out pagan traditions.

Signs of spring, rebirth, and fertility

No matter on which side of the fence you find yourself, the Easter as we have come to know and celebrate bears the undeniable hallmarks of spring. Flowers and butterflies, birds and bees, brightly colored eggs and a basket bearing bunny (more accurately, a hare—but that would ruin my “b” alliteration): spring (and Easter) is most def-

initely in!

Ancient symbols of fertility— such as the egg—are also evident in Easter traditions, such as brightly-colored Easter eggs and frenetic egg hunts. Fertility is naturally tied in with rebirth, which is integral to Easter customs. Furthermore, the ancient Egyptians, Persians, Phoenicians, and Hindus all believed that the world began with an enormous egg; thus, the egg is also a symbol of new life.

It is unsure when and where the long-held favourite tradition of coloring the eggs started, but historical accounts show that this custom has been going on a long time. Early practices include people boiling eggs in water stewed with flowers (to herald spring), and the natural dyes from the flowers would tint the eggs. Also, some early ❱❱ PAGE 31 Easter: From

PCI celebrates Easter!

29 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

An Eggs-tra Special Easter

BY CHING DEE Philippine Canadian Inquirer BUNNIES. EGGS. Sunday.

What do these words have in common?

All these words have something to do with Easter—the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

And with such a huge event to commemorate, we know we have to pull out all the stops on this one.

Here are some new ways to remember Easter.

Egg-lectic Crafts

An Easter egg hunt is a great way to welcome spring and to get the kids to spend some quality time under the sun—away from mobile gadgets.

But before heading out, of course your kids need a bag or basket to hold all the eggs they’ll find. Prepare a small crafts area for your kids (and even neighbors) can decorate their baskets or bags. Prepare glue, tape, colorful pieces of paper, some glitters, washi tape,

Easter Eggs & Daffodil.

and kid-friendly scissors.

After taking care of the baskets, it’s time for eggs.

If you plan on using actual eggs for the hunt, best to use hard boiled eggs. To strengthen the shell, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of vinegar in the boiling water.

This will also help the paint stick to the shell better.

To make sure that everybody’s safe, use non-toxic paint.

As much as possible, use organic materials to decorate the eggs. To color the eggs, you can use crayons, water color, acrylic paint, markers, dyes, or even melted crayons—just make

KOODO_Q1 LD Print_AB Philippine Inquirer.indd 1

PHOTO BY FOTOHUNTER / SHUTTERSTOCK

sure you supervise the kids at all times.

Basket: Check. Eggs: Check.

Bunny?

Another crafty way to get your kids to sit down and stay quiet for at least 30 minutes is by giving them the task of creating their own bunny ears for the hunt. Bunnies, for some reason, represent spring—so better use bright springtime colors for decorations. And don’t forget the carrot!

To document your Easter festivities better, adapt a wedding idea for Easter: Hang a giant Polaroid-like frame from a tree

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Easter Crafts with Kids.

where kids can stand and take their pictures. On the wide side of the frame, write the hashtag you want to use if they (or their parents) will post pictures on Instagram, Twitter, of Facebook.

Eggs-citing Activities

Easter bunnies leave eggs around. Perhaps bunnies carrying eggs around may not be the best representation of a holy resurrection, but it has been a grand tradition in most western countries (and even eastern ones) and to let your kid go through his/her childhood

PHOTO BY SNEZANA IGNJATOVIC / SHUTTERSTOCK

without this fun experience should be considered a travesty.

To avoid one kid from hoarding all the eggs you’ve hidden oh-so-cleverly, try this idea from Pinterest: use colored eggs and assign one color for each kid. This way, they can only collect the eggs assigned to them and everybody enjoys crawling on their knees and finding a colored gem.

If you’re using plastic eggs (those that can be twisted open), fill it with notes (Bible verses would be great), writ❱❱ PAGE 34 An Eggs-tra

2014-04-15 2:19 PM

PCI celebrates Easter!

APRIL 18, 2014

FRIDAY 30

More than bruises

BY FELICHI PANGILINANBUIZON Special to Philippine Canadian Inquirer “I WILL never have a CT Scan again.” These were my mom’s words after undergoing her very first computed tomography scan. She explained how her arms had to be raised with a needle inserted on one arm pumping in a dye (contrast material). “I was remembering our Lord on the cross. It must have been terrible. And my procedure only took 45 minutes.”

As she showed me the unattractive bruise on her arm, like a splash of dark ink left unattended, it reminded me of my dad’s hand when he came from the ICU. It was badly bruised. It was more black-and-dark purple than black-and-blue. A pitiful sight that it moved my little nephew to immediately give it a comforting kiss when he saw it.

My doctor-sister explained that it was due to the repeated nee-

dle insertions for intravenous hydration and medication.

As I pondered on my aging parents’ bruises, my thoughts were directed to Christ. Media has presented a sanitized version of His suffering and crucifixion, for if needles can cause such bruises, what about nails, thorns and jagged whips on a sleep-deprived body? Not only was Jesus savagely beaten, but our sinless Savior also experienced the agony of bearing the weight of all our sins. I cannot imagine His physical and internal turmoil. What a destructive combination. “He was wounded for the wrong things we did. He was crushed for the evil things we did. The punishment, which made us well, was given to him.” (Isaiah 53:5) No wonder it says in the book of Isaiah 52:14 that our Lord Jesus was so disfigured that he was no longer recognizable after all he went through in Calvary. Amazing love, how can it be that You, my God, would die for me?

Gratitude filled my heart and

simultaneously, shame, for the times I doubted His love.

There are times in our lives when we face unrelenting challenges and we are tempted to think that the Lord has forgotten us. That is a lie. The voice of truth in Isaiah 49:15 shouts, “Even if your mother forgets you, I will never forget you.”

Never is a long time. The voice of truth in John 3:16 shouts, “For God so loved the world

that He gave His only Son…” He will give up His Son before He gives up on you. The voice of truth repeated in Psalm 136 shouts, “His love endures forever.” No matter what season you are in life, His unchanging love is not diminished but directed toward you.

This season of Lent, let’s take time to reflect upon Christ’s selfless love. Every pain He endured was for you and for me.

He was forsaken so that we may never be. He gave His life that we may regain ours. He was wounded that we may heal.

“Loving Father, thank you for the gift of your Son. Thank you for His sacrifice, for the shedding of His blood that I may be forgiven. Please forgive the wrong things I have done that put your Son through such agony. Be my Savior and my Lord.

Help me begin anew. Amen.” ■

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PCI celebrates Easter!

31 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

Easter: From...

Christians would dye the boiled eggs red; a remembrance of the blood and sacrifice of Jesus.

Still some would colour them green, to reflect the new growth of leaves and foliage. In ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome and Persia, eggs were dyed the colours of spring for spring festivals; while in medieval Europe, beautifully decorated eggs were given as gifts (eventually evolving into highly-prized custommade bejeweled gold eggs made by the House of Faberge.)

The Easter Bunny—originally known as the Easter Hare— is yet another of Easter’s most identifiable characters and symbols. Peculiar, perhaps; but nonetheless part and parcel of the festivities. Rabbits and hares are notorious for their fertility, having frequent multiple births (we’ve all heard the idiom “breed or multiply like rabbits”), and are commonly representative of fertility.

The Bunny is to Easter what Santa is to Christmas. In many parts of the world today, on Easter Sunday morn, children wake up to find a basket filled with chocolate and candy “from the Easter Bunny.” They also find that eggs they had decorated all week long have mysteriously gone missing; playfully hidden around the house by the Bunny spirit, leaving all-toowilling children no choice but to hunt for them. Thus, the Easter Egg Hunt.

The egg hunt dates back to old world Europe, when children would go from house to house—much like they would on Halloween—asking for Easter eggs. This was called paceegging. Neighbours eventually started hiding them in grassy areas around their houses, be❰❰ 28

cause (for some strange reason) children back then believed that rabbits “lay eggs in grass.” This general misinformation led to what has become one of Easter’s most fun activities (and perhaps, highly confused children.)

In other countries, Easter eggs are also symbolic of the stone rolled away to reveal Jesus’ empty tomb. Children play games of egg rolling to commemorate this.

As for other Easter favourites? Colours are sunny yellows, pastel pinks, verdant greens, and sky blues: the palette of spring! Easter flowers are—among a whole bunch of picks—usually White Lilies, symbolic of Jesus, and of His divinity and purity; Daisies, for purity and placidness; and Azaleas, which show temperance and passion. Popular Easter food includes hard boiled eggs (of course!), honey pastries, Hot Cross Buns, other cakes blessed by the Church, roast lamb (symbolic of the Passover Meal), and ham (in pioneer America, settlers cured the meat they could not consume in the fall, to be eaten in the spring.) And— thanks to the unavoidable spirit of commercialization—lots and lots of candy, marshmallows and egg or bunny-shaped chocolates (fun fact: over 90-million chocolate Easter bunnies are made every year)!

There you have it; everything Easter. Rebirth and new life are the common threads that run through the colourful, interesting, intriguing, Easter fabric. And these threads have endeared the tradition in the hearts of many; for who does not need an occasional dose of renewed hope?

We tip our flower bedecked, highly decorated hats to Easter! ■

Visita Iglesia in Toronto: Seven churches you can visit

BY THESSA SANDOVAL Special to Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE CUSTOM of Visita Iglesia (“church visit”), which is well known in the Philippines, is not part of Lenten practice in Canada. Though, if you still want to spend a day visiting churches to pray and meditate on the Passion of Christ, Toronto is the perfect place for it as it is home to many historic Catholic churches.

Visita Iglesia or Seven Churches Visitation is a pious Roman Catholic tradition that has been practiced by many Filipinos since the Spanish colonization. According to a post written by Rev. Fr. Louie Coronel on Online Visita Iglesia, it is traditionally done on Maundy Thursday, right after the Mass of the Last Supper. However, it is now common to do it any day during the Holy Week.

Since the number seven has significance to Christianity (e.g., seven last words, seven holy wounds, seven scripture passages in the trial of Jesus, seven ancient Roman Basilicas), seven churches are commonly seen.

Some devout Catholics, though, made a variation to it, doubling the number of churches to 14 and reciting the 14 Stations of the Cross at each site.

No matter how many churches you visit this Holy Week, whether more or less than seven, keep in mind the true purpose of this old tradition: to remember the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

These seven Toronto churches are not just beautiful, but also have interesting histories: 1. Our Lady of the Assumption Church

OSTARA (1884) BY JOHANNES GEHRTS. The goddess Eostre flies through the

heavens surrounded by Roman-inspired putti, beams of light, and animals.

PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Located at the West End, this beautiful and spacious church is home to the Filipino Catholic Mission. This Church was established to serve the pastoral and spiritual needs of the changing Filipino demographics in Toronto and the province of Ontario as well. If interested, you can also take part in this parish’s traditional Filipino Lenten activities, such as Pabasa and Salubong.

Location: 2565 Bathurst St. www.canadianinquirer.net

Sacre-Coeur Catholic Church, Toronto.

PHOTO BY SIMONP / CC BY-SA 3.0

Stained glass at Corpus Christi.

2. St. Michael’s Cathedral

St. Michael’s Cathedral is one of the oldest churches in the city and has a stunning architectural style. It is also the principal church of Canada’s largest English-speaking archdiocese.

Despite being situated in the heart of the city, just a few minutes away from the Eaton Centre, it is a quiet sanctuary for prayer and reflection.

Location: 65 Bond St. 3. St. Patrick’s Church

St. Patrick’s is an English and German speaking parish, also located in Downtown Toronto.

It is run by the Redemptorists of the Edmonton-Toronto Province and is the national shrine of our Mother of Perpetual Help.

Location: 131 McCaul St.

PHOTO BY GAVIN B.

man Catholic Church founded to serve the French- Canadian community in Toronto.

It has been both a cultural and spiritual center for its Frenchspeaking parishioners. Francophone or not, everyone’s welcome to visit and pray in any language in this church.

Location: 381 Sherbourne St. 6. Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi is located in The Beach, a popular tourist destination in Toronto. Behind the main altar, you’ll see beautiful stained glass made by Italian-Canadian master Guido Nincheri. The City of Toronto declared it as a heritage building in 1973.

Location: 1810 Queen St. E. 7. St. Paul’s Basilica

4. St. Basil’s Roman Catholic Church

St. Basil’s is the third oldest church in the city of Toronto, next to St. Paul’s Basilica and St. Michael’s Cathedral. It is located within the heart of Downtown Toronto and is the collegiate church of the University of St. Michael’s College. Since late 2007, St. Basil’s Parish has been the home of the National Televised Mass, which is broadcasted six days a week.

Location: 50 St. Joseph St. 5. Sacre-Coeur Parish

This parish is the first Ro-

End your Visita Iglesia at St. Paul’s Basilica, the oldest Roman Catholic congregation in Toronto. The parish was established in 1822 and the church was completed in 1824. It is renowned for its antiquity and beauty. The late Pope John Paul II elevated St. Paul’s rank to a Minor Basilica by an Apostolic Decree on Aug. 3, 1999.

After almost two centennials, the church is still a center of liturgical and pastoral life in the diocese.

Location: 83 Power St. (one block east of Parliament Street on Queen Street) ■

FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

32

Entertainment

MISS B’S ENTERTAINMENT REVIEWS

The return of Jazz pianist and international recording artist Boy Katindig to Vancity with OPM Legend Ms. Joey Albert

BY BABES CASTRONEWLAND

IT WAS the night when Manny Pacquiao was to avenge his defeat to the unbeaten Timothy Bradley in a controversial bout back in 2012. The Pac-Man came back on top after defeating Bradley in WBO welterweight title match by unanimous decision.

And while MGM Grand Las Vegas was completely a-blaze with the grueling boxing rematch, right about 1,353 miles away, another venue was the frenetic spot for Vancouver, B.C.’s willing social butterflies, participatory young artists/musicians and middle-aged cultural omnivores.

Otherwise referred to as Jazz enthusiasts. They trooped down to The Stadium Club of Edgewater Casino to rekindle the music of International Filipino-American Smooth Jazz Pianist, Sir Boy Katindig. This was his return engagement after performing last year at the same location.

True to his promise, and presumably mesmerized by Beautiful British Columbia, “BK” as he’s fondly called, came back to Vancity in no time. He also incorporated a visit to one local elementary school music students at St. Patrick’s. BK gave an encapsulated jazz music aware-

ness session to a good number of would-be aficionados. What a welcoming respite from mundane academic classrooms. BK also found the opportunity to visit watering holes like that of Ed & Salve Dayao’s Java Jazz Bistro and at the Executive Inn’s Copper Lounge where Ms. Joey Albert’s Manila Band regularly performs. BK was spotted jamming a number or two in these popular venues.

Back at the Edgewater Casino, BK and his equally exciting local musicians—Joe Cruz (lead guitar), Miles Hill (bass), Chico Teves Zambrano (percussions), Dave Say (saxophone) and Randall Stoll (drums) —were magnificently tight and precise.

They’ve given opening salvos Ronnie Laws’ “Always There” and Ramsey Lewis’ most timely tune, “Spring High” back to full life! Followed by their unique

renditions of “What I Feel”, “Your Eyes” and “He Loves You”.

But not until OPM Legend Joey Albert came out to croon BK’s eponymous hits, “Away From You” and “I Will Always Stay In Love This Way”, stamping them with her innate jazzy flair and artistry. The crowd, including this writer, could no longer contain such euphoric nostalgia in the air upon hearing these popular 70’s-80’s ditties. Some were even teary-eyed as the songs reminded them of “home”. Yes, those were undoubtedly the tunes that became BK’s playlist staples through the years. And are still being revived by many phenomenal Filipino recording artists like Jaya, Lea Salonga, and Ogie Alcasid, to name a few.

“Madami nang yumaman sa mga awiting ito (many have made fortunes from these songs), except me,” BK mused.

(L-R): Dave Say, Randall Stoll, Chico Teves Zambrano, Joey Albert, Joe Cruz and Miles Hill.

The real showstopper of the night was Boy Katindig’s take on Louie Ocampo-Joey Albert’s immortalized hit, “Tell Me”.

BK’s unique keys arrangement has provided yet another dimension to the song. In reciprocity, Ms. Albert took her vocal prowess to the next level. It was simply beautiful and magical. Just like hearing an all-time classic for the very first time.

No doubt, Sir Boy Katindig or “BK”, Ms. Joey Albert and

her equally tight and affable backup singers, with the rest of seasoned musicians, made it all worthwhile entirely missing out on the Pac-Man and Tim Bradley boxing rematch.

I’m pretty sure there’ll be other boxing matches in the foreseeable future for our dear PacMan. But spectacular smooth jazz events where two legendary Filipino music icons sharing center stage together could come in a very rare while. ■

Entertainment

33 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

Moving forward against all odds Join the Club almost gave away their sophomore album

BY CATHY YAMSUAN Philippine Daily Inquirer AFTER FIVE years of toiling under the radar, pop-rock band Join the Club launched its sophomore album, “Gera ng Balarila,” performing to a packed crowd at the ’70s Bistro late last year.

While frontman Biboy Renia described the feeling of being onstage and playing new music as “exciting and exhilarating,” the events that led to that moment were anything but.

JTC was one of the many promising bands that debuted and enjoyed considerable radio airplay in the mid-2000s.

With its first album, “Nobela,” spawning the hits “Lunes,” “Tinig” and “Nobela,” the band seemed well on its way to a fairly solid career.

Speed bump

But due to “management issues,” JTC—currently composed of Renia, Congie Lulu (bass), Migs Mendoza (guitar) and Brian Lotho (drums)— hit a speed bump.

Renia related that the band’s former management label, Redrum Music, fold-

ed in the middle of recording “Gera” in 2008. A few lineup changes, Renia added, also made things challenging.

“Funding the album was a struggle.

We used our own money … savings from past gigs,” Renia told the Inquirer.

Day jobs

“Fortunately, we all had day jobs,” added Lulu.

They finished the album in 2010. But without a label or a distributor, releasing “Gera” became a hurdle.

“We came to a point where we considered giving away copies of the album for free,” said Renia, “because we didn’t want our efforts to go to waste.”

Luckily for JTC, Trix Parco of Twice 2 Beat Management noticed, and took the group under his wing. Renia related that Parco helped JTC release two singles from the album—“Bagong Panimula” and “Balewalang Pag-ibig”—which gained radio airplay and figured in the Myx charts in 2012.

“We wanted to assure fans that we were still around,” Renia said. “Both songs did well, motivating us to release the album.”

The buzz piqued the interest of Uni-

Zsa Zsa Padilla allegedly dating an architect

JTC (from left): Brian Lotho, Congie Lulu, Biboy Renia, Migs Mendoza

versal Studios, enough to release “Gera.”

Said Renia, who’s now promoting “Rakista,” the third single: “The band was on a hiatus for a while and other labels were a bit skeptical, especially since the new album sounded different from the first.”

Though the songs in “Gera” are more synth-heavy and intricately arranged, Renia insisted that the newer works have the same sensibilities as the songs in “Nobela.” “There are lots of things going on … but if you listen closely, you’ll hear the old JTC sound—only more mature,” he said, adding that they listened to a lot of 1980s rock, classic rock and

More reflective

He noted that, unlike “Nobela,” which generally tackled love, the 11 tracks in “Gera” are more reflective and socially relevant.

Playing in front of a mix of familiar and new faces during the album launch was overwhelming. So much so that, Renia jested, “Wala pa akong asawa, pero para akong ikakasal. I was satisfied, pero bitin!” It was almost as good as starting over. “Seeing our hard work pay off makes us all happy.” he said. ■

“Attracting and retaining the best international talent to fill skills shortages in key occupations is critical to Canada’s economic success.”

- Hon. Jason Kenney, P.C., M.P.

Minister of Employment and Social Development

BY KATHERINE MARFAL-TEVES Philippine Canadian Inquirer

nowned architect Conrad Onglao.

At the concert of Gary Valenciano at the Araneta Coliseum on April 13, the 49-year-old singer-actress was seen MANILA—Two years after King of Com- seated beside renowned architect Conedy Dolphy passed away, Zsa Zsa Padilla rad Onglao. is rumored to be dating again.

Some insiders added that the two The guy she’s allegedly dating—re- were holding hands at the coliseum’s hallway.

ABS-CBN News asked Padilla if she’s really dating anyone now, and this was her reply, “I'm very inspired. That's what I can say. He's nonshowbiz.”

When Onglao was interviewed by the Philippine Star recently, he said that his ideal woman is someone who “has her own passions, aspires to be good at what she does, is intelligent, has a sense of humor, a certain breeding, an individPHOTO FROM ZSA ZSA PADILLA’S INSTAGRAM ual sense of style.” ■

post-punk while working on the album.

Respond to Canada’s need for immigrants.

Become a Regulated Immigration Consultant Full-time | Part-time | Online Apply online at www.ashtoncollege.com or contact a program adviser at (604) 899-0803.

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www.canadianinquirer.net

Entertainment

APRIL 18, 2014 FRIDAY 34

“The Legal Wife” stirs up strong reactions from loyal celebrity viewers WITH ITS top caliber cast, realistic plot, beautifully written script, and fiercely passionate scenes, ABS-CBN’s most followed ‘TV affair’ “The Legal Wife,” topbilled by Angel Locsin, Maja Salvador, JC De Vera and Jericho Rosales, continues to stir up strong reactions of support from primetime TV viewers, including some celebrities who follow the show since day one.

“People love to watch something which they think can resolve their questions about life.

That’s what ‘The Legal Wife’ offers! It has a simple story but we’re sure that it’s really happening and anyone can easily identify with the characters of Angel, Maja or Echo,” shared actress-TV host Janice de Belen.

Like Janice, actress Dimples Romana admires the honesty of primetime series that has turned into a nightly affair that viewers look forward to. She said, “When I’m watching ‘The Legal Wife,’ I’m seeing reality. The audience, particularly couples, can really learn a lot from the show, especially when

it comes to protecting the marriage.”

For Senator Sonny Angara and wife Tootsie, married couples can pick up lessons from the challenges faced now by Monica (Angel) and Adrian (Jericho). They also believe that the show can serve as an eye-opener not only to husbands and wives but also to people caught in an illicit affair.

“For those women involved with married men, they should realize that they are not only causing pain to the wives but also to the whole family of the couple,” said Tootsie.

Will Adrian and Nicole (Maja) completely fall into the trap of infidelity? How will Monica fight for her marriage and protect their family?

Don’t miss the nation’s most followed ‘TV affair,’ “The Legal Wife” after “Ikaw Lamang” on ABS-CBN Primetime Bida. For more updates about the show, simply visit its official social networking sites at Facebook. com/thelegalwife2013, Instagram.com/iam_thelegalwife, and Twitter.com/IAmTheLegalWife. ■

Hot cross buns.

PHOTO BY TAMA 2012 / SHUTTERSTOCK

An Eggs-tra...

Carrot Cupcake.

PHOTO BY CHING DEE

ten rewards (i.e., “additional 30 minutes TV time”), and even sweet treats so that the fun doesn’t stop when the egg hunt does.

If you want to introduce a bit more Biblical knowledge into your Easter festivities, a puppet show depicting a Bible story would be a great way to spend Saturday afternoon. That way, you can present the puppet show with your kids to friends and family on Sunday lunch or dinner. Ask your kids to help you create the puppets/characters and tell them Bible stories as you cut here and paste there.

Turn the egg hunt into some sort of scavenger hunt by providing clues where the eggs are hidden. To marry faith and spring happily, use Biblical clues to lead them to the right location.

Another way to get your kids involved in your community is to volunteer as a family if there are Easter events at your local church or municipality.

You can also incorporate practices that some cultures use to celebrate Easter around the world for an added touch of cultural education and excitement. For example, in some parts of Europe, a bonfire is lit at a hilltop on Easter’s Eve. In the Netherlands, a cross is traditionally adorned with flowers and ribbons. ❰❰ 29

Eggs-travagant Feast

For most Westerners, Easter www.canadianinquirer.net

feast won’t be complete without a succulent ham or lamb roast at the table. The Jews usually serve lamb during the Passover. Meanwhile, in the United States, ham is more popular because it usually comes from the stock of cured meat that was prepared during winter.

For a more modern approach to traditional fare, why not try making a lamb roulade or incorporating ham in salads or appetizers?

Most people who celebrate Easter also serve hot cross buns—spherical bread (usually spiced) with a cross on top made of sugar syrup.

For an added curiosity on your dining experience, why not serve a simnel cake?

A quick Google search for “simnel cake” revealed that these are actually a lot like the fruit cake and it contains 11 balls made of marzipan, which represent the 11 faithful disciples.

This might sound a bit too much for the weekend, but lament not. Here’s a super easy carrot cupcake recipe—courtesy of yours truly—to serve for dessert to quench your little bunnies’ craving for sweet treats.

HUNNY BUNNY CARROTRAISIN CUPCAKES Ingredients: • 3 cups grated carrots • 1 cup raisins • 3 cups all-purpose flour,

sifted • 4 large eggs • 1 cup melted butter • 1/2 cup buttermilk • 1 3/4 cups brown sugar • 2 tsp baking soda • 2 tsp baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon salt FROSTING: • Whipped heavy cream • 8 oz. cream cheese, softened • 1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar • Optional: Walnuts (1 cup), cinnamon (to taste), chocolate chips Pre-heat your oven to 180 degrees.

In a bowl, combine eggs, sugar, buttermilk and melted butter.

Make sure your melted butter is room temperature so you won’t end up with sweet scrambled eggs.

In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients: sifted flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Combine the egg mixture to your dry ingredients. Mix well.

Add grated carrots and raisins.

Stir well.

Pour into lined cupcake tin.

Bake for around 25 to 40 minutes at 225 degrees.

Cream together heavy cream, cream cheese, and confectioner’s sugar. Pipe on top of cooled cupcakes. Decorate as desired.

The carrots in the photo is made from air-dried royal icing. ■

Entertainment

35 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

MTV Movie Awards showcases upcoming Hollywood studio blockbusters

BY JESSICA HERNDON The Associated Press LOS ANGELES—Last year, the MTV Movie Awards moved up its broadcast date from June to April to incorporate a summer movie plug-fest. Sunday night’s show cemented that change, as clips from anticipated blockbusters debuted at the madcap ceremony.

In its 22nd year, the MTV Movie Awards show has become an important event for Hollywood studios. And oh yes, there were some awards, too.

At last year’s show, which saw an average of 3.8 million viewers, up from 3.2 million for the previous year’s telecast, included new footage from “Iron Man 3” and the world premiere of “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” trailer, which was introduced by one of the films’ stars, Liam Hemsworth.

Sure, an abundance of golden popcorn-shaped prizes were again presented for fun fair, like the award for best shirtless performance, which Zac Efron accepted, well, shirtless. But it’s the summer movie teasers—and the stars attached to them—that really make the show.

Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone (who will also appear in Woody Allen’s “Magic in the Moonlight,” July 25) and Jamie Foxx, star in the seventh installment of Sony’s “SpiderMan” franchise, which kicks off the summer movie season

on May 2. The trio introduced a clip of the film showing SpiderMan (Garfield) and the sparkling blue villain Electro (Foxx) battling in New York’s Times Square.

Also expected to dominate at the box office, Fox’s “X-Men: Days of Future Past” was touted with an intro by one of its new stars, Ellen Page, who will take on the role of Shadowcat. The upcoming film, out May 23, sees the X-Men joining forces with their younger selves and introduces a number of new mutants—Blink, Sunspot, Warpath and Bishop.

There to present the award for best fight was Aaron TaylorJohnson, the star of Warner Bros.’ “Godzilla,” which opens May 16. A short clip of the film, showing the monster preparing to wreak havoc, aired before Taylor-Johnson appeared on stage.

Seth Rogen, Dave Franco and Efron, who lead Universal Pictures’ comedy “Neighbours,” out May 9, also presented the award for best kiss together.

No clip was shown for Disney-Marvel’s opted against showing a clip of “Guardians of the Galaxy,” a bit of a superhero spoof set in space, this year. But Chris Pratt, the star of the film, out August 1, checked in at the show as well with a long speech encouraging viewers to vote for their favourite nominees online.

First-look footage from Fox’s “The Fault in Our Stars,” starring

The award for best shirtless performance was accepted by Zac Efron, well, shirtless.

PHOTO FROM MOVIES.MTV.TV

Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, showed the beginnings of the onscreen couple’s romance in the heartfelt comedy.

Mark Wahlberg, who received the generation award at the show, touted his upcoming “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” saying the Paramount Pictures’ flick would be the biggest movie of 2014. Some of the crew of the hit HBO show “Entourage” presented Wahlberg with his award and the presence of Adrian Grenier, Jerry Ferrara and Kevin Dillon reminded us that the “Entourage” movie is being readied for 2015.

Starring in two possible summer hits, Channing Tatum will appear in both the buddy cop comedy “22 Jump Street,” out June 13, with Jonah Hill (who picked up the best comedic performance award for “The Wolf of Wall Street”), and sci-fi fantasy “Jupiter Ascending,” out July

18, with Mila Kunis (who scored the title of best villain for “Oz the Great and Powerful”).

Both Kunis, looking very pregnant in a short, loose black dress, and Hill presented Tatum with his Trailblazer Award.

And not to be missed was Josh Hutcherson’s mention of Philip Seymour Hoffman, who died on Feb. 2 from a combination of heroin, cocaine and other drugs.

Hoffman appeared in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire,” which earned the evening’s top prize of movie of the year.

“If Philip were here he would think this was really cool,” said Hutcherson, one of the stars of “Hunger Games” and the best male performance recipient.

“To have him in our movie was one of the coolest things,” Hutcherson said. “We think about him every day on set. This definitely goes out to him as well.”

“The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 1” will release later this year.

No MTV awards show would be complete without a few music numbers. Ellie Goulding sang “Beating Heart,” while Zedd took the stage for “Find You.” Both tracks appear on the “Divergent” soundtrack.

Host Conan O’Brien kicked off the ceremony, which aired live from the Nokia Theatre, with a challenge to gain 50 celebrity cameos for his opening segment. And of course he came through with many stars like Paul Rudd and Adam Sandler, who have films expected in the coming months.

The MTV awards had some stiff competition from other networks on Sunday night, including the latest installment of HBO’s popular “Game of Thrones” and the final season premiere of AMC’s “Mad Men.” ■

Wally Pfister and Johnny Depp reunite for sci fi mystery ‘Transcendence’

BY JESSICA HERNDON The Associated Press LOS ANGELES—For more than a decade, cinematographer Wally Pfister brought director Christopher Nolan’s cinematic visions to life. Now, he’s the one calling the shots.

His directorial debut, the new sci-fi mystery “Transcendence,” has many elements of a Nolan blockbuster—eye-popping visual effects, a mind-bending story and an A-list lead in Johnny Depp. All of those things trans-

late into high expectations for Pfister, who jokingly likens his newly christened director’s seat to an “electric chair.”

In the film releasing Friday, the mind of Depp’s terminally ill scientist, Will Caster, is uploaded into a computer after his death, spawning an eerily unruly machine. At the heart of the story is the disrupted relationship of Will and his wife, Evelyn, played by Rebecca Hall.

“Transcendence,” which was executive-produced by Nolan and written by first-time screenwriter Jack Paglen, hooked Pfis-

ter because of the emotional weight put on the study of husband and wife and the increasing reliance on technology. “We start to wonder where it’s all going to go,” he says.

“We are dependent on technology. It’s got us,” affirmed Depp in a recent joint interview to promote the film.

Depp, 50, first met Pfister, 52, when they worked on Paul McCartney’s 2012 video for his romantic ballad “My Valentine,” in which Depp and Natalie Portman starred and Pfister was the director of photography. www.canadianinquirer.net

“I was immediately intrigued and curious from (the) initial reading,” says Depp of “Transcendence.”

“So many things come into my mind as far as the dangers of technology. Say I’m suddenly holding a gun,” Depp illustrates, lifting his left hand as his formidable engagement ring with Amber Heard sparkles. “The gun is not inherently bad. It’s a tool. It’s what we do with it. I think it’s the same with technology.”

For his first directing gig, Pfister, who’s worked on everything from “Memento” to “The Dark Knight Rises,” swayed

from doing a big action film.

“I’d done a lot as a cinematographer,” he says. “What was important was telling some sort of character-driven story. Exploring human emotion. That is the logical reason to jump from visual storytelling to narrative.”

Nolan will also release a thought-provoking sci-fi film this year: the time travel-focused “Interstellar,” out in November. But Pfister assures he’s not in competition with his long-time collaborator. “Chris is an old friend,” he says. “He has been incredibly supportive of my move into this.” ■

FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

36

Lifestyle

Starting a new life as first-time parents

BY KATHERINE MARFALTEVES Philippine Canadian Inquirer NEW HOPE, new life.

This year’s Easter celebration is uniquely special for me and my husband because of an answered prayer—the impending birth of the newest member of our family, baby Zaro.

There is light, there is hope, and there is life. Every single day, there is that unexplainable excitement that is fueling us to be better individuals—and more so, better partners in life.

We also look forward to a new life (or is it lifestyle?): Parenthood. We know that this new journey will be filled with challenges. And so, just like all expectant parents out there, we will make sure that we are prepared for this new beginning ahead of us.

Here are helpful tips for firsttime parents: • Seek help. For expectant moms: After carrying your baby in your womb for nine months and after going through painful labor and delivery—you will need help.

This can come from doctors, nurses, family, friends, and of course, your husband. Get all the information that you need

when it comes to nursing or bottle feeding. Don’t hesitate to ask your doctor or your parents for advice on how to cradle, change diapers, burp and care for your baby. Give your body the time to fully recover. While you are doing that, you can ask help from your parents or relatives to assist you in taking care of your newborn. If no family member is available, you can always hire a trusted baby specialist to play the role. Make it a habit to communicate your thoughts with your husband.

Some new moms experience postpartum depression, so it is crucial that your husband knows what you’re thinking and how you’re feeling.

• Practice. Spending time with newborns can be a big help. I find it helpful that I am spending some time with my 8-month-old nephew. When he was born, I was able to cradle him. I learned that proper hygiene plays an important role in handling newborns. Washing or sanitizing your hands before cradling a baby is very crucial. I was also advised to support the head and the neck of my nephew when laying him down and when holding him upright. It is also a no-no to shake the body of your newborn if you want to wake him/her up; a tickle in

the feet or a gentle touch on the cheeks can do the trick.

• Bond with your newborn.

Studies found that bonding with your newborn contributes to his/her emotional growth, which also helps in his/her physical development. There are many ways by which you can bond with your baby. The simple touching strokes can absolutely make a difference. As parents, you have that innate ability to make your child feel special. You can also consult your doctor about infant massage so you will be enlightened about its benefits.

Aside from plainly cradling your baby, you can also sing lullabies to your precious one to strengthen your bond. Parents’ voices, while stimulating the hearing ability of newborns can also make the parent-child bond tighter.

• Do not worry. Panicking cannot help you as first-time parents.

"Many new parents have overblown physical reactions to spitting up, vomiting, and other things a baby does,” New York City psychoanalyst Leon Hoffman, MD said.

He explained that a newborn can absorb the anxiety of his/ her parents, so it is better to be relaxed at all times.

• Let your newborn cry.

"Babies are designed to cry,” Atlanta-based pediatric nurse Jennifer Walker, RN said. She underscored that even your newborn was wellfed and perfectly diapered, he/she could still cry. In relation to this, she advised first-time parents to check first if something is really wrong, such as, if the baby has rashes, fever, severe swelling and other valid causes for alarm. If there is nothing serious, remember that most of the time newborns just cry because it is part of their nature.

• Get enough sleep. After putting your baby to sleep, try your best to sleep as well.

Walker added that there’s no need to wake up your baby just to breastfeed. It is more important, she said, that the mom and the baby get enough sleep.

• Take care of your marriage.

Having a child may be overwhelming for first-time parents.

John C. Friel, PhD. Friel is a licensed psychologist with pri-

vate practices in Reno, Nevada, and Minneapolis emphasized that it is very important to keep your marriage bond tighter.

"Staying connected within the marriage when you first have a child is really important and can be overlooked.

Any weakness in that relationship will get magnified by having a child. And while you have to focus a lot on the new baby, you must somehow maintain a sense of being a couple,” he explained.

The journey towards parenthood requires two individuals who understand, respect and love each other. Sail on this new journey together and surely, you will never get drowned.

Let us celebrate a new and meaningful life. Happy Easter Sunday, everyone! ■

condition called bullous pemphigoid, routinely told friends and colleagues that he was on the mend and feeling good.

Even in his resignation statement, Flaherty insisted he was “on the road to a full recovery” and that his decision to step down wasn’t related in any way to his health.

But others said they’d worried he was exhausted and struggling with his condition. Liberal MP Scott Brison, who also paid tribute to Flaherty in the House, said that he met with the finance minister at his Parliament Hill office in late January and was

concerned.

“I hadn’t realized how much discomfort he was dealing with,” Brison said in an interview.

“But despite the obvious pain he was in, he continued to serve and didn’t complain a bit. In his career and in his life, he had ups and downs, he had defeats, but these defeats didn’t stop him or define him.”

Chisholm Pothier, a former spokesman for Flaherty, said his friend’s final weeks had been pleasant despite his ongoing health issues.

He had recently celebrated

the birthday of his triplet sons in Ottawa, and the one-time finance minister and his friends were excited about their upcoming golf trip.

“They were planning their annual Ireland trip; they were working on that,” Pothier said.

“They go and they golf and they have a couple of pints and have a great time. It was something they were really looking forward to.”

Pothier added ruefully: “Three weeks was not enough for him to enjoy his just rewards.”

Leitch agreed that Flaherty was looking forward to a bright

future since stepping down as finance minister.

“Here’s a fellow who had the opportunity for a next great career,” she said.

“He had had a bit of a weight taken off his shoulders, and he was looking forward to spending the summer sailing and spending time with his triplet boys.

But you know, the business world was one that was open for him, and I know that he had had many individuals approach him because they wanted his intellect. They wanted his brilliance at the boardroom table.” ■

Flaherty’s final... party’s tribute to Flaherty in the House of Commons on Friday.

“I loved you immensely, my fierce friend, and I will miss you forever,” she said.

Flaherty’s wife, Ontario MPP Christine Elliott, and his three 23-year-old sons were gathering on Friday to make arrangements for his funeral. There was no immediate word on where or when the funeral would be held.

Since his retirement last month, Flaherty, known for stoicism in the face of his battle against a rare and painful skin ❰❰ 18

Lifestyle

37 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

Ask a Designer: Go early, bring cash, and other tips for flea market shoppers of home decor

BY MELISSA RAYWORTH The Associated Press THE ARRIVAL of spring means that flea markets are reopening for business around the country. Shoppers will hunt for treasures amid acres of used goods.

A few will come home with just the right vintage art or quirky piece of furniture to make their home more beautiful.

Jaime Rummerfield, co-founder of Woodson & Rummerfield’s House of Design in Los Angeles, sometimes mixes flea-market finds with high-end new furnishings to decorate the homes of her celebrity clients.

“The beauty of flea markets,” she says, “is you never know what you will find.

There’s nothing like being outdoors or in a place off the beaten path rummaging through old treasures.”

Los Angeles-based interior designer Brian Patrick Flynn, creator of the FlynnsideOut design blog, also hunts for vintage pieces: “I shop second-hand regardless of my project’s budget or client’s level of taste,” he says. “Vintage and thrift is the best way to add one-ofa-kind flair to a space without insanely high cost.”

There is luck involved, of course. But skill also plays a role. As you browse crowded tables of used things this spring, how can you find the treasures that will give your home an infusion of style while avoiding decorating disasters?

Here, Flynn, Rummerfield and another interior designer who shops for vintage decor—Lee Kleinhelter of the Atlanta-based design firm and retail store Pieces—tell how they do it.

When to go

Winter and early spring are perfect for flea-market shopping, says Flynn.

“Since ‘thrifting’ and ‘antiquing’ are often associated with gorgeous weather and weekend shenanigans, many people shy away from hunting for their vintage finds when it’s cold or gloomy,” he notes, so go now and go early.

“I usually show up just as the flea market opens to ensure I see every new item as it’s put out on display,” he says. “When you wait until the end of a flea market’s run to check out its stuff, you’re likely to find mostly leftovers, things priced too highly which others passed over, or things that are just way too taste-specific for most people to make offers on.”

“It is amazing to see what people cast away,” she says.

“I personally hunt for Sasha Brastoff ceramics because of his unique California heritage as a set decorator and artist.” She has also found vintage Billy Haines chairs and Gio Ponti lighting at flea markets.

So read up on the designers and artists from your favourite periods, and then hunt for their work or impressive knockoffs.

A single flea market might offer goods from every decade of the 20th century.

Can you put a lamp from the 1970s on a table from 1950? Yes, if the shapes and colours work well together, Kleinhelter says.

If your home has contemporary decor, Rummerfield says it can be powerful to add one statement piece—a side table, say, or a light fixture—from a previous era.

But “a little bit goes a long way. Use vintage in moderation with contemporary spaces,” Rummerfield says. “It will highlight the uniqueness of the vintage item. You don’t necessarily want to live in a time capsule.”

Flynn says. “Stick with those which have similar scale and proportion, then recover them in the same fabric.”

Once you get home, use flea market finds sparingly, Flynn says, mixing them in with the pieces you already own: “A few big pieces mixed with some smaller ones added to your existing stuff can instantly take an unfinished space and make it feel way more finished and remarkably personal.”

Money advice

“The best way to get an amazing deal is to buy a bunch of different items from the same vendor,” says Flynn. “This way, they can actually lower their prices since you’re guaranteeing them more sales, which in turn also makes their

Fixer-uppers

You may assume that old upholstered furniture should be avoided, especially if the fabric looks dirty or damaged. But these designers say it’s actually a great thing to hunt for: “Hands down, upholstery is the best deal to walk away with at flea markets. Just make sure you train your eye to pay no attention to the existing fabrics,” Flynn says. “Zero in on the lines of the frames instead.”

Kleinhelter agrees: “I usually gravitate toward the bones and frames of vintage pieces, and I make them my own by adding fun fabric or lacquering the base.”

The same goes for lighting. Buy it if you love it, but get the wiring updated by a professional. Flynn usually estimates an extra $50 to $75 per fixture for updating the wiring, so keep that cost in mind as you bargain.

Time travel

Rummerfield occasionally finds signed artwork and ceramics by noteworthy artists at flea markets and antique malls.

Mix and match

Be on the lookout for pieces you can use together. “You don’t need multiples of the same chair or sofa to make a room work,” www.canadianinquirer.net

packing up and leaving much easier.”

You should bargain, but don’t go so low that you’ll insult the seller. “If something is marked $185, it’s probably not ideal to offer $50,” Flynn says. One option is to negotiate for a 25 per cent to 35 per cent discount.

And do bring cash. “Mom and pop dealers don’t have the luxury of taking credit cards due to the charges acquired,” Flynn says. “If you bring enough cash with you, you’re more likely to be able to negotiate successfully.”

Personal taste

Above all, choose items that delight you.

“I never focus on eras or hunt for specific designers,” Kleinhelter says. “Pick what you like.”

And be open to serendipity.

“When I’m looking for furniture, I always stumble across a good vintage jewelry or clothing vendor and end up with a fun bauble of a bracelet or necklace,” Rummerfield says. “Prices are usually so reasonable, you come away with a good amount of loot. It is always a day well spent.” ■

APRIL 18, 2014 FRIDAY 38

www.canadianinquirer.net

39 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

www.canadianinquirer.net

Business

APRIL 18, 2014 FRIDAY 40

Bank study says economic cost of weather catastrophes is under appreciated

BY BRUCE CHEADLE The Canadian Press OTTAWA—As a return on investment, Duff’s Ditch has been a spectacular success.

Manitoba’s Red River Floodway, built by premier Duff Roblin for just under $63 million in the mid-1960s with the federal government covering 60 per cent of the cost, has spared the city of Winnipeg an estimated $30 billion in flood damages in the nearly half century since it was completed in 1968.

Now, with severe weather events becoming increasingly frequent and costly, economists are urging government policy-makers to consider the long-term benefits of major infrastructure investments.

A new report Monday from TD Economics lays out the confluence of factors that is dramatically hiking the cost of natural catastrophes—and the economic indicators that tend to mask the true toll of such disasters.

Toss in crumbling public infrastructure that is increasingly likely to fail under severe conditions and experts say it’s high time for a clear-eyed assessment by governments and business.

“There is an infrastructure deficit in Canada to begin with,” Craig Alexander, TD Bank Group’s chief economist, said in an interview Monday.

His report with economist Connor McDonald notes that storms in Canada that used to come along only every 40 years are occurring every six years in some regions.

“As a consequence, not only do you need more infrastructure spending to replace the aging infrastructure and to meet the needs of a growing population, but you also need infrastructure that helps mitigate the consequences of severe weather,” Alexander said.

The Harper government has been working on a national mitigation strategy for natural disasters for more than five years, but funding has been slow to materialize. The latest Conservative budget delivered in February provided no money this year for the initiative, but promised a modest $200 million spread over five years starting in 2015-16.

However, Ottawa did shell out more than $2 billion last year under the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangement, most of it for the flash floods in Calgary. That’s more in one year than the program had spent in total since it was created in the 1970s, according to the Parliamentary Budget Office.

The PBO has just started work in an effort to estimate how much the federal government should be setting aside each year for the unfunded disaster assistance program, given the new climate reality.

The flooding in Calgary in 2013.

“We were asked, ‘Geez, is this something as parliamentarians we should be aware of?’ because $2 billion is a big bill to walk into Parliament with,” said Peter Weltman, the assistant parliamentary budget officer.

TD Economics says natural catastrophes could cost Canadians $5 billion per year by 2020 as more frequent severe weather combines with an increasingly urban population.

But the report suggests the way we measure economic growth masks the cost of severe weather events and the need

for major new infrastructure spending.

Signposts such as gross domestic product and financial market movements may tell us nothing about a major natural disaster. All the frenetic rebuilding is not weighed against the cost of what was lost.

“You end up with a perverse situation where we have a terrible flood in Calgary that actually comes with a very high toll in terms of economic, social and personal fall-out, and the economic numbers actually mean we have to upgrade our growth forecast for Alberta,” said Alex-

ander.

“It leads to an under-appreciation of how disruptive increased severe weather is.”

A catastrophic flood in Winnipeg in 1950 spurred the move to build the massive floodway bypassing the city, but it took more than a decade for someone to find the political will to pull the trigger.

When Roblin, the Progressive Conservative premier, convinced fellow Conservative prime minister John Diefenbaker to share the cost, some called it a massive waste “approximating the building of the pyramids of Egypt in terms of usefulness.”

Within a couple of years of completion, the floodway had been pressed into use and it has been used more than 20 times since—including during the 1997 “flood of the century” that ravaged Grand Forks, N.D., and much of southern Manitoba, but largely spared the capital city.

“The challenge that policymakers have is there’s a big upfront cost to investing in upgraded infrastructure,” said Alexander.

“The savings may be farther down the road than the next electoral cycle. And even if you do the infrastructure and avoid the damage from the severe weather, you’re going to have a tough time going to your constituents and telling them how much money you saved.” ■

Trudeau rejects... ening the middle class.”

It’s a message the son of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau has been cultivating for some time. The Liberals, under the guidance of their leader, have been seeking to win wide favour by appealing to mid-income voters.

Talk of consensus building, and synthesizing the talents of all Canadians, is a strategy he began employing even before he won party leadership.

His young life was criticized then, too.

At a leadership debate in February 2013, then-candidate ❰❰ 18

Martha Hall Findlay raised Trudeau’s privileged background as a potential obstacle for him to empathize with Canadians. Hall Findlay later apologized, saying the jab overstepped her bounds and that she did not intend to question his character.

On Friday, Trudeau again swept aside Mulcair’s attack. He said he plans to ignore the comments and carry forward meeting people from all walks of life.

“I’ve heard people are struggling and I’ve talked a lot about the kinds of solutions we need,” he said. “I’m going to continue to work hard on that.”

Trudeau began his speech to the sold-out crowd of nearly 800 business people by paying respects to former finance minister Jim Flaherty, who died on Thursday.

He said Flaherty was an “extraordinary man.” “(He) was a great public servant, someone who was committed to his community and to his province, to his country.

Who listened and engaged with people who differed in ideas from him, and who really represented, for me, what was great about public service.”

The next election will be held Oct. 19, 2015. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Trudeau told the well-heeled crowd at a Vancouver Board of Trade luncheon that if he becomes prime minister, he’ll contrast the current Conservative government tact by “strengthening the middle class.’’

PHOTO BY ARINDAMBANERJEE / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Sports/Horoscope

41 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

Pacman power: Even without KO wins, Manny Pacquiao is back on top after dominating Bradley

BY GREG BEACHAM The Associated Press LAS VEGAS—The old Manny Pacquiao returned for thrilling bursts, hounding Timothy Bradley onto the ropes and battering the welterweight champion with whip-quick combinations that recalled the Pacman’s magical prime.

The older Pacquiao couldn’t finish the trick, however.

Although he tried mightily, Pacquiao didn’t stop or even really hurt Bradley during 12 mostly exciting rounds Saturday night, settling for the lucrative revenge of a unanimousdecision victory.

“I didn’t want to get careless,” Pacquiao said.

Pacquiao (56-5-2) proved he

is still one of the world’s most exciting boxers with his second straight win, even if he might never recapture his most destructive form. His hands and footwork are still inimitable, but the eight-division world champion’s power and timing weren’t good enough to stop Bradley—or any of his opponents since late 2009, the date of his last knockout.

Pacquiao apologetically showed up to his post-fight news conference well after midnight at the MGM Grand Garden, a large bandage concealing 32 stitches in a deep gash on his left eyebrow from a head-butt. Trainer Freddie Roach had filled the time by praising his fighter while simultaneously acknowledging Pacquiao’s days of highlight-reel knockouts have faded.

Manny Pacquiao won a 12-round unanimous decision over Timothy Bradley on Saturday to avenge his controversial 2012 loss to the previously unbeaten American.

PHOTO FROM SOLARSPORTS.PH

“I think he was doing his best to stop him,” Roach said. “He was throwing combinations. I told him, ‘All you have to do is outbox this guy. You can outbox him in and out, all night long.’ ... I thought he had the killer instinct. When he had (Brad-

ley) on the ropes, he opened up pretty well. It just didn’t seem like he had the power he usually has. It was a little bit slower than he seemed in the past. I don’t know why, because in the dressing room, he was on fire.”

Bradley, still classy after his

first career defeat, gave a mixed review of Pacquiao’s physical skills in comparison to their first fight.

“He still has the real sharp snap on his punches,” Bradley said. “(But) I believe in the first fight, his punching power was way harder. I was able to take it. He went for the knockout, he definitely did.”

Pacquiao still beat up one of the world’s best boxers with relative ease, and his next bout in the fall will be among the biggest happenings in sports.

His mostly likely opponent is a fifth meeting with Juan Manuel Marquez, who fights Mike Alvarado on May 17.

But Pacquiao and promoter Bob Arum still hold out hope of ❱❱ PAGE 46 Pacman power

HOROSCOPE ARIES

CANCER

LIBRA

CAPRICORN

(MARCH 21 - APRIL 19)

(JUNE 22 - JULY 22)

(SEPT 23 - OCT 22)

(DEC 22 - JAN 19)

You need to pull yourself up by the bootstraps, Aries. Why not take a few steps back and try to look at your life more objectively? Regardless of what you might be thinking at the moment, you do have a terrific life. Stop and count your blessings. Make a list and keep it in your wallet to refer to at low moments. Force yourself to be festive tonight. It will do you good to get out.

You like to feel needed, Cancer, but today you might throw up your hands and say, “Enough!” You’ve given so much of yourself for so long that friends and loved ones tend to think of your largesse as a right rather than a privilege. Today, remind them of their error. Take a day off from indentured servitude. Go to a fancy restaurant and enjoy being waited on. Don’t forget to leave a big tip.

If you aren’t careful, there’s a strong possibility that you’ll overindulge today, Libra. Your career frustrations may manifest in the form of overeating, excess drinking, or reckless spending. These are just symptoms masking the real problem. If you can take some time to meditate, you’ll calm your nerves and reveal the root of your frustration. It will be easier to devise an effective solution.

Today’s planetary aspects indicate that this is likely to be a day of excess, Capricorn, some of it good, some of it not so good. Take care not to overindulge in food and drink. You could be merely acting out your stress with such behavior. You’d be better served to meditate and get to the root of the problem. On the other hand, money could come your way, possibly a lot of it!

TAURUS

LEO

SCORPIO

AQUARIUS

(APRIL 20 - MAY 20)

(JULY 23 - AUGUST 22)

(OCT 23 - NOV 21)

(JAN 20 - FEB 18)

A particularly tricky situation could occur at work. If you aren’t careful, you could lose your cool. Make a concerted effort to keep your wits about you, Taurus. It could be that a colleague is baiting you, but that’s no reason to take it. Keep to yourself as much as possible today. Close your office door. At home, go to bed early. Relax with a good book. All will be calmer tomorrow.

You could be overwhelmed with information today, Leo, as you receive more phone calls and email messages than you can possibly answer. Be clear about your priorities and stick with them. Otherwise, you’re likely to spend the day being batted around the court like a tennis ball. Take a lot of deep breaths throughout the day and make an effort to keep your temper in check.

You’re too hard on yourself, Scorpio. If things haven’t gone exactly as planned over the last few days, there’s no sense in berating yourself over it. As long as you did the best that you could, what’s the problem? It’s likely you’ve experienced a delay and not a cancellation. All signs indicate that your goals will come to fruition even though it might take longer than you’d anticipated.

This is the ideal moment to address once and for all the questions that have been on your mind for the last three weeks, Aquarius. Pay particular attention to questions that touch on your sentimental side. If you’re currently involved in unsatisfactory relationships, don’t be afraid to leave them behind. And if you’re fretting about a request you made that has yet to be answered, let it go.

GEMINI

VIRGO

SAGITTARIUS

PISCES

(MAY 21 - JUNE 21)

(AUG 23 - SEPT 22)

(NOV 22 - DEC 21)

(FEB 19 - MAR 20)

Boy, your life seems seriously out of balance, doesn’t it, Gemini?

Today provides an opportunity to rethink what is truly important. Consider exercise as one way to improve your health and manage your stress level. Once you get started with a healthy regimen, you’ll see how it helps you gain perspective.

It’s likely that the cause of all this stress can be eliminated when viewed through a different lens.

Your mind is like a sponge today, Virgo, eager to absorb all sorts of information. Take care that the information you’re absorbing is accurate. There’s a high likelihood that the fascinating news you hear is mostly a mix of fantasy and fiction. Go to the source and get the facts before acting on this information. If necessary, do your own research online or in the library.

You’re especially intuitive today, Sagittarius. If this is a fairly new occurrence for you, you could be at a loss as to how to make the most of this gift. Only you can know for sure, but one suggestion is to reflect on changes that you’d like to make at work. Pitch them to your boss. With today’s keen insight, you’ll almost be able to read his or her mind and anticipate any objections.

www.canadianinquirer.net

Like your compatriots, Pisces, something is coming to an end concerning the lack of confidence you have in yourself. You have been hesitant to stand in the spotlight for quite a while now, feeling you aren’t quite ready. Well, no more excuses! Ready or not, you’re going to have to push forward. The only thing you risk losing is your pride, and that, Pisces, is your most resilient asset.

FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

42

Travel

A Weekend in Seattle WITH SEATTLE being so close across the border, even with the high exchange rate, Seattle is an attractive weekend destination.

It is a great place for fine dining and hip late night drinking. I recently discovered the Speakeasy scene in Seattle….places that seem somewhat seedy or holes in the wall but when you get inside, they are decadently decorated Prohibition-style bars serving all types of drinks from a different era.

Before drinks, you have to get some good food and Seattle has a great selection. Two of my favourites are: Toulouse Petit—hip, young crowd, great affordable small plate New Orleans cooking and very reasonably priced wines…. an unbeatable combination!

Get there early on the weekends. Try the Dungeness Crab over Fried Green Tomatoes or the Crispy Fried Chicken Gumbo. How about some Crawfish Beignets or Jambalaya?

The menu is stuffed with great dishes…say hi to Joe, manager/ sommelier extraordinaire. 601 Queen Anne Avenue North.

Tel: (206) 432-9069.

RN74—Michael Mina’s restaurant focusing on great Burgundy food and wines. Pretty casual and reasonably priced.

The atmosphere is great and the food is as hot as the crowd.

Try the Kale Caesar Salad or any of their steaks. Ask for Helen, who is a great waitress. 1433 Fourth Avenue at Pike Street.

Tel: (206) 456-7474.

OK, now that you are full,

Seattle cityscape.

time to go back in time to the Speakeasy themed bars. Speakeasies were popular in the Prohibition era when alcohol was illegal. These are hard to find places but if you put in the effort, they are well worth the search.

Backdoor at Roxy’s—you enter through the back door of Roxy’s Deli. It looks like a back alley but once you get inside, you feel like you are transformed back in time. Great ambiance and atmosphere but the drinks are the star. Almost every drink is unique. I had a Ryan Gosling, which is a mixture of rye, rum, crème de cassis, some citrus juices and champagne. 462 N 36th Street.

Tel: (206) 632-7322 Knee High Stocking Company—the only way to snag a reservation here is to text them.

What number? You gotta do your research to get this one!

When you get there, from the outside it looks like an office but what is inside is something elegant and timeless. 1356 East Olive Way. Happy drinking and eating in Seattle! ■ Tony Kwan is prominent lawyer practicing real estate development and corporate law in Richmond, B.C. Between high profile developments and transactions, Tony loves to travel the world in search of great food and wine.

See more about his wine and food recommendations at www. facebook.com/coolinchina or twitter.com/chinacool88

New Brunswick and Maine team up on travel marketing in bid for visitors

BY KEVIN BISSETT The Canadian Press FREDERICTON—If you’re planning a trip to Atlantic Canada or the northeastern United States this year, then tourism officials say pack your passport and enjoy a “Two-Nation Vacation.”

The tourism departments in Maine and New Brunswick have jointly launched a promotion encouraging visitors to make their visit to the region an international experience.

“A visit to Canada and the United States allows you to explore the history and culture shared by these two regions while experiencing the breathtaking scenery, distinctive seafood and unique culinary fusions, and the warm hospitality of these two neighbouring countries during one fun-filled trip,” is the opening line of a website that outlines the promotion.

New Brunswick Tourism Minister Trevor Holder said while the two jurisdictions have been promoting a regional vacation for a number of years, efforts are being made this year to ramp-up that effort.

“The whole idea of crossing a border is exciting to people,” he said. “Our research tells us that people like the idea of having an international experience.”

Holder said there are many ways to explore the region, from driving to cycling, from bus tours to cruises that are offered by Blount Cruise Line in New Brunswick and Maine.

One of the many recommended places to stop is the Roosevelt Centre on Campobello Island.

The picturesque island just off the coasts of New Brunswick and Maine features the former summer home of president Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the international park there, which is jointly

Have a two-nation vacation. Visit Maine and New Brunswick.

PHOTO FROM TWO-NATION-VACATION.COM

operated by the Canadian and United States governments.

“Our mission is to celebrate the friendship between the two nations so a two-nation vacation for us is just a perfect fit,” said Ron Beckwith, superintendent of the Roosevelt Centre.

Beckwith said the requirement for passports at the border after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States caused a large reduction in the number of visitors to the island, but the numbers have recovered.

“In the last four years we’ve seen visitation increase in excess of 40 per cent,” he said.

The island features camping, and an extensive network of hiking trails and scenic lookouts.

Elsewhere through New Brunswick you’ll find many places to sample seafood, such as fresh lobster, travel on rivers and streams, and view the rugged coastline.

Suggestions include the Fundy Trail and Fundy National Park where you can experience the high tides of the Bay of Fundy.

Another attraction is Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, Maine.

Park ranger Wanda Moran welcomes the idea of a two-nation vacation as a way to better educate people from each country about their neighbours.

“I grew up in Maine and really didn’t know much about New Brunswick until I started working at Acadia and talking

to people who came here from New Brunswick,” she said.

The park, with its mountains and ocean coastline, gets about 2.2 million visitors a year.

“We have a wonderful system of carriage roads that were originally designed by John D. Rockefeller Jr., and people cycle on those, walk on those and go horseback riding,” she said.

Carolann Ouellette, Maine’s director of tourism, said key to the whole promotion is the location with both Maine and New Brunswick less than a day’s drive from major cities like Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Montreal and Toronto.

“We are looking for folks who are looking for an international experience and for people who are looking to connect with the culture experience where they are meeting new people and trying new things,” she said.

“It’s a fun mix of culture, food and landscape.”

Asked for the best way to plan a trip through Maine and New Brunswick, Ouellette said just grab a map and head off on your own.

“You can follow the coastline and tailor your trip to your specific needs,” she said. ■ If you go...

For details on the promotion and things to do: www.two-nation-vacation. com, www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca, www.visitmaine.com, www.mainetourism.com

Travel

43 FRIDAY APRIL 18, 2014

Road trip guide for Holy Week

BY ANNE A. JAMBORA Philippine Daily Inquirer FOR THOSE who want to do a road trip this Holy Week, here is a destination guide. Those who like to stay longer in a place and burrow themselves can also pick out options from these.

Pila, Laguna

This heritage town , declared a national landmark by the National Historical Institute, is one of the earliest recorded settlements in the Philippines.

Established before 1000 AD, Pila is where the country’s oldest dictionary, Vocabularia de Lengua Tagala, was printed. It is also home to the second printing press in the Philippines.

A walk in the town plaza will take you back in time. Lined with Spanish colonial houses and homes built in the early 1900s or postwar period, this charming little town has preserved the design of town planners from the 16th century. In this layout the church is the center of town life.

The 200-year-old St. Anthony of Padua Church is at the heart of the municipality, a stone’s throw away from the town plaza and the Pila Museum. The Pila Museum used to be the old Escuela Pia, a Churchsupervised educational institution established in the 17th century.

Pre-Hispanic treasures, 12th-century pouring vessels and a 900 AD copper plate containing possibly the oldest written record in the Philippines are among the historic relics on exhibit at the museum.

Casa San Pablo

No two rooms are alike in this bedand-breakfast country inn in San Pablo, Laguna. One room houses the owner’s collection of Hot Wheels miniature cars, while another contains the birdcage collection.

There are 18 rooms to choose from, whether you’re traveling solo, as a couple or with the family.

Managed by husband-and-wife team Boots and An Alcantara, it also has a swimming pool, videoke facilities, Fris-

bee, board games and acoustic band (for an extra fee).

On a clear evening, the staff can even arrange a stargazing night for you by setting up torches, candles and mats on its sprawling lawn.

Ugu Bigyan Potter Garden

A three-hour ride south of Manila is Ugu Bigyan Potter Garden. Owned by pottery artist Augusto “Ugu” Bigyan, it is a restaurant/gallery/pottery workshop studio in Tiaong, Quezon, established when the artist decided to open his home to the public in 1986.

If you’re lucky, you might catch him giving a cooking workshop.

Reserve a day in advance, as the restaurant operates on a reservations-only basis.

Among its popular dishes are the Pako Salad, Spicy Prawn in Coconut Milk, Kulawo, Grilled Ribs and Sweet-and-Sour Fish.

Patis Tito Garden Café

Formerly known as Kusina Salud, this restaurant in Putol, San Pablo, offers country cooking at its finest.

Owned by fashion designer Patis Tesoro, the kitchen is run by its Ilonggo sous chef Frank Rabara. Hence, its bulalo is flavored with guinamos, the Visayan version of shrimp paste that’s made from small fermented fish. Its spicy grilled chicken is made flavorful and aromatic by lemongrass.

You can dine in its lush garden.

Villa Escudero Plantations and Resorts

This coconut plantation founded in the 1880s by Don Placido and Doña Claudia Escudero is now one of the country’s sought-after vacation hideaways. It offers nipa hut day rentals for those just passing through, as well as accommodations for longer stays.

The estate has tennis facilities, volleyball, basketball, fishing, bird watching, mountain biking , bamboo rafting, obstacle course, hiking, palo sebo and other Filipino games. There’s a chapel, a clinic, jeepney service, carabao carts, bar, restaurants, videoke, auditorium and a wedding center.

Its museum has the vast collection of co-

lonial religious art and memorabilia from the travels of the Escudero ancestors.

Ilog Maria Honeybee Farm

One of the more popular bee farms in the country is just over an hour’s ride away from Manila. It is open for tours on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays (a week’s advanced booking is required), and healing via apitherapy.

According to its website, apitherapy, detoxifying the body with bee products, will help prepare guests for the Bee Sting Therapy that’s supposed to reboot the immune system into top shape after a period of continuous sessions.

You can go there to watch the beehives— with a guide. They also sell bee products, ranging from fresh bee pollen to royal jelly hair oil, honey and spice glycerin soap to green tea and honey soap, honeymint beeswax lip balm to feminine wash.

There’s also the popular virgin honey, honey cider vinegar, propolis gold, fresh frozen royal jelly.

Binangonan Cave, Rizal

This is not about the rush of seeing stalactites and stalagmites and an army of reeking bats. In the cave of Binangonan are petroglyphs, the oldest work of art in the country known as the Angono Petroglyphs.

Discovered in 1965 by National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco, the petroglyphs date back to the late Neolithic age.

There are 127 drawings engraved in volcanic tuff. There’s no need to worry about roughing it up. A viewing deck has been constructed around the petroglyphs.

who drove a spear into the right side of Jesus at the cross. His eyesight supposedly returned when Jesus’ blood touched him, and he converted to Christianity and became a fugitive.

Here you’ll see men and women garbed in the locals’ vision of Roman soldier costumes, all penitents searching for Longinus, who is hiding from house to house, with the entire town playing along this act.

This week-long festival ends on Easter Sunday, when Longinus is captured and beheaded. Not for real, of course.

Monasterio de Tarlac

Located on a hilltop known as the Mountain of Resurrection in Barangay Lubigan, San Jose, Tarlac, this monastery holds the only relic of Jesus’ cross in Asia.

Authenticated by a papal seal, the relic is believed to be part of the cross discovered by the mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, St. Helena, in Jerusalem.

Pilgrims flock to the “one true cross” each year to celebrate the resurrection of Christ, where they are allowed to touch the relic after the morning Masses and on Sunday afternoon.

Kamay ni Hesus Healing Shrine, Quezon

Founded by the healing priest, Rev. Fr. Joseph Ayala Faller, this healing church attracts people each year who want to be healed physically, emotionally, psychologically and spiritually.

Among the sites to see in the property, apart from Kamay ni Hesus Healing Church, is the Gallery of Saints, Garden of Eden, Noah’s Ark, Via Dolorosa Grotto, Marian Park, Angel’s Hill, the Murals.

San Pedro Cutud Lenten Rites

This Holy Week reenactment of the passion and death of Jesus Christ draws thousands of devotees and tourists each year.

Located a mere 3 kilometers from San Fernando, Pampanga, this ritual is not for the fainthearted. There is a procession of flagellants, bloodied backs in full view, and this culminates with some devotees—men and women—nailed to the cross with a 2-inch stainless-steel nail.

Moriones Festival Villa Escudero Plantations and Resorts.

PHOTO FROM INQUIRER.NET

This reenacts the story of St. Longinus, the half-blind Roman centurion

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The City of Pilgrimage, Antipolo

Closer to home is the Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buenviaje, or the brown Virgin Mary, brought all the way from Mexico to Antipolo City in 1626. The safe voyage of galleons was credited to the blessed image.

The shrine of Our Lady of Peace and Good Voyage is among the popular church stops for Holy Week’s Visita Iglesia. Today, some devotees trek on foot to Antipolo each year, believing that special prayers will be answered after the completion of their journey. ■

APRIL 18, 2014

Driving Anxiety and Stress—when the pain is more than physical!

I CANNOT tell you how often clients tell me about their physical injuries but neglect to mention the mental stress and turmoil that they are feeling following an accident. In many cases clients have stopped driving for fear of another unwanted event. Post-accident stress and anxiety can be disabling.

The law is clear that mental and emotional injuries following an accident are just as compensable as physical injuries.

In the recent case of Rizzotti v. Doe, the Plaintiff was involved in 3 accidents. Following the accidents she developed terrible depression and anxiety. Though she tried to resume her life as before the accident, she was fearful on the roads and often avoided driving. The court listened to the Plaintiff’s ongoing psychological symptoms and awarded $60,000 in general damages.

Personal injury claims come in all shapes and sizes. Most insurance companies only want to compensate a person for the injuries that are “objective” or easily identifiable. Post-traumatic stress, driving anxiety and depression are difficult to assess, but they are very real injuries that should not be ignored. If you are feeling stress and anxiety following an accident I recommend that you contact us and sit down to discuss your case. ■ The author, Joel Zanatta, is the managing partner of Hammerberg Lawyers, one of Vancouver's foremost law firms specializing in personal injury and ICBC claims. Joel and his team of lawyers have represented thousands of injury victims throughout British Columbia. Questions? call 604 269 8500 x126 or email jzanatta@hammerco.net

FRIDAY 44

Robotic submarine... chief air marshal, called the search “one of the largest search and rescue, search and recovery operations that I’ve seen in my lifetime.”

The Ocean Shield had been dragging a U.S. Navy device called a towed pinger locator through the water to listen for any sounds from the black boxes’ beacons.

The Bluefin sub takes six times longer to cover the same area as the ping locator, and the two devices can’t be used at the same time. Crews had been hoping to detect additional signals before sending down the sub, so they could triangulate the source and zero in on where the black boxes may be.

The submarine will take 24 hours to complete each mission: two hours to dive to the bottom, 16 hours to search the seafloor, two hours to return to the surface, and four hours to download the data, Houston said. In its first deployment, it will search a 40-square kilometre (15-square mile) section of seafloor.

The black boxes could contain the key to unraveling the mys❰❰ 21

tery of what happened to Flight 370. Investigators believe the plane went down in the southern Indian Ocean based on a flight path calculated from its contacts with a satellite and an analysis of its speed and fuel capacity. But they still don’t know why.

A visual search for debris on the ocean surface continued Monday over 47,600 square kilometres (18,400 square miles) of water about 2,200 kilometres (1,400 miles) northwest of the west coast city of Perth. A total of 12 planes and 15 ships joined the search.

But Houston said the visual search operation will end in the next two to three days. Officials haven’t found a single piece of debris confirmed to be from the plane, and he said the chances that any would be found have “greatly diminished.”

“We’ve got no visual objects,” he said. “The only thing we have left at this stage is the four transmissions and an oil slick in the same vicinity, so we will investigate those to their conclusion.”

Complicating matters further is the depth of the ocean in the

search area. The seafloor is about 4,500 metres (15,000 feet) below the surface, which is the deepest the Bluefin can dive. Officials are looking for other vehicles that could help to retrieve any wreckage that might be located.

Searchers are also contending with a thick layer of silt on the bottom that is tens of meters (yards) deep in places, which could hide debris that has sunk.

U.S. Navy Capt. Mark Matthews said the silt poses a challenge, but it does not make the mission impossible.

“Our experience shows that there will be some debris on top of the silt and you should be able to see indications of a debris field,” Matthews said. “But every search is different.”

A British vessel, the HMS Echo, has equipment that can help map the seafloor in the area, which is more flat and rolling than mountainous, Houston said. ■ Associated Press writers Kristen Gelineau in Sydney and Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, contributed to this report.

Have you been in a car accident?

Know your rights.

You have rights, entitlements, and choices with your ICBC claim and should never be told differently.

Joel leads our team of personal injury lawyers. They’ve worked successfully on thousands of files winning significant settlements for people just like you. We will help resolve your claim comfortably and get you the time you need to recover fully before returning to work.

We provide a translator and also welcome your enquires at no cost to you.

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APRIL 18, 2014

FRIDAY 46

WIND Mobile introduces a range of new plans to mark its 700,000 subscriber milestone

Record Q1 sales and continuing growth for WIND Mobile as it enhances service offerings to add additional value for consumers TORONTO—On April 3, 2014, WIND Mobile announced a plethora of new unlimited options as part of the company’s continued dedication to true mobile freedom in Canada. This announcement comes as WIND continues its success in the Canadian market and as its customer base exceeds the 700,000 active subscriber mark.

A known industry-changer, WIND Mobile’s new plans will offer yet more value to address customer’s needs, including a new plan that offers real unlimited service in Canada and across the U.S.A. The additional new plans, effective April 7th 2014, will be as follows: • The $25 per month plan featuring Unlimited Canada-wide Talk and Text is perfect for those who don’t use much data but want to stay connected Canadawide.

• The $35 per month plan is the perfect smartphone starter plan, featuring Unlimited Data, Talk and Text plus a $150 handset subsidy, allowing customers access to the latest entry-level smartphones from $0.

• Introducing the $60 per month plan, the first monthly plan to include Unlimited Data, Talk, Text, in Canada and across the U.S.A, Voicemail+, World Saver plus a $500 handset subsidy or service credits.

These new plans join a strong service line-up which includes both the existing WIND40 and WIND50 unlimited plans.

“We have seen great growth across

Canada from customers turning to WIND Mobile for contractfree options and fair, transparent pricing” said Pietro Cordova, Chief Operating Officer, WIND Mobile. “Our new plans show that we are continually looking at ways to improve our service offering to better meet the needs of our customers. We know they want more choice, more options and more freedom than ever before. The addition of these new unlimited plans means WIND offers something for every customer’s need.”

In 2014, WIND Mobile set industry standards by becoming the first Canadian carrier to offer U.S. unlimited roaming for only $15 per month. Today’s announcement aims to, once again, shake up the industry by introducing the first Canadian plan to include unlimited data, talk and text in Canada and across the U.S. for only $60 per month. As the wireless industry sees prices continue to rise, WIND Mobile has retained a strong price-point while adding more value for customers. This is a value proposition that is clearly working, as WIND's subscriber base continues growing in strength, assisted by record sales in the first quarter of 2014. As Canada’s fourth wireless carrier, WIND recently surpassed the 700,000 subscriber mark; this is just the beginning for the fastgrowing mobile company.

“We are a relatively young challenger

Editor Melissa Remulla-Briones editor@canadianinquirer.net Associate Editor Laarni de Paula

in wireless but we’ve already accomplished so much,” said Cordova. “Hitting 700,000 subscribers reiterates that Canadians are looking for competition in the wireless industry and consumers trust us to bring them the very best value. Without being required to sign a contract, our customers consistently have access to the newest phones and the best plans in the market. Our 700,000 subscribers prove that Canadians stay with WIND Mobile because they want to, not because they have to.”

WIND Mobile continues to offer customers great value plans and the latest mobile devices and is excited to welcome iconic new devices such as the new Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One (M8) later this month. Customers also have the option of bringing their own device, including the iPhone 5S, iPhone 5C, Nexus 5 and many others, for up to $500 in service credits. See ‘Why WIND’ for more information on how WIND Mobile is bringing true unlimited plans with no hidden fees to mobile consumers in Canada. ■

a fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr., even while the distance between the two fighters appears to grow, both inside the ring and out.

“It’s really hard to talk about that,” Pacquiao said. “It’s been how many years we’re talking about that? How many years, days, months we’re talking about that? The line is open 24 hours.

If he’s awake and he wants to fight, the fight will be.”

Arum became nearly apoplectic when asked about the possibility of a Pacquiao-Mayweather bout, claiming Pacquiao has already agreed to all of the unbeaten Mayweather’s previously stated conditions.

“The only people that can make Floyd Mayweather fight Manny is the public,” Arum said before urging fans to boycott Mayweather’s bout against Marcos Maidana on May 3.

While Pacquiao reaffirmed his pound-

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

Pacman power... ❰❰ 41

Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer

In cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer digital edition

for-pound stardom, Bradley raised his profile again despite his first career defeat.

It’s tough to remember Bradley was considered a boring fighter just four fights ago. Although he’s not an HBO pay-per-view star, he’ll likely have his choice of intriguing opponents for his next bout—maybe Brandon Rios, or a rematch with Provodnikov.

Bradley’s decision to load up and wait for a knockout blow against Pacquiao was roundly debated by fans, but Bradley’s ring charisma and heart should raise his stature.

“That was the only way I was going to win the fight,” Bradley said. “I knew the rounds were going to be close. Pacquiao knows how to land punches. I was shooting for the knockout, too.”

Across the Philippines, large numbers of Filipinos, including army soldiers, jumped in joy, threw punches in the air and applauded after watching Pacquiao

beat Bradley on giant screens in public gymnasiums and town plazas, emptying usually traffic-choked streets.

“Everybody is celebrating here,” said Ricardo Salazar, a jobless polio victim on a wheelchair who watched the bout at a gymnasium in Manila’s Tondo slum district. “I had no doubt he will win and even if he lost, it wouldn’t matter because he’ll always be my idol.”

Presidential spokesman Herminio Coloma Jr. said Pacquiao’s victory reflected the Philippines’ struggle to bounce back after a series of natural disasters last year, including a monster typhoon that killed more than 6,000 people.

“When he comes home, he will feel the tight embrace of nearly 100 million Filipinos who idolize and love him,” Coloma said. ■ Associated Press writer Jim Gomez in Manila contributed to this report.

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FRIDAY 48