Philippine Canadian Inquirer Issue #119

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VOL. 6 NO. 119

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JUNE 13, 2014

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Silence better than BS

Napoles not most guilty says her lawyer

Kap Bong Revilla delivers ”amazing“ speech

Filipino-Canadian in Focus: Lenore RS Lim

Still at it: Celebrating PH Independence

Miami’s Erik Spoelstra not surprised Pacquiao now hoop coach

BY TIM REYNOLDS The Associated Press MIAMI—Manny Pacquiao is getting into Erik Spoelstra’s line of work.

Pacquiao is taking over as a basketball coach in the Philippines Basketball

UNITY IS STRENGTH

❱❱ PAGE 12 Miami's Erik

UNITED FOR HOME COUNTRY. Led by the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver, several Filipino organizations in British Columbia came

together to celebrate Philippine Independence Day, barrio fiesta style, at the Slocan Park in Vancouver on Saturday. More photos on page 44.

PHOTO BY FREDDIE BAGUNU

COA to 7 lawmakers: Return P1.8B pork

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Philippine Canadian Inquirer

19 notices of disallowance issued this year–Tan

BY CYNTHIA D. BALANA Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, PHILIPPINES—The Commission on Audit (COA) has asked three

senators and four congressmen to return a total of P1.83 billion in Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations irregularly disbursed to

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3 Philippine Senators charged with plunder PHOTO BY JOAN BONDOC

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JUNE 13, 2014

“Mabuhay Usana” excitingly celebrates the 116th Philippine Independence Day with all Filipinos. Our sincere gratitude to Consul General Neil Ferrer and his Staff for their leadership. Mabuhay to all Pinoys and Pinays.

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Philippine News

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Kris Aquino on Revilla speech: Silence better than BS INQUIRER.net MANILA, PHILIPPINES—Actress Kris Aquino on Monday night gave her two cents worth on the privilege speech of Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr., who criticized her brother, President Benigno Aquino, for wanting to jail non-allies.

“Silence is better than BS,” Aquino said on her nightly talk show “Aquino & Abunda Tonight” which she co-hosts with

Actress Kris Aquino.

www.canadianinquirer.net

Boy Abunda.

“I know what their (Revilla) family is going through but I also believe that my brother’s conscience is clean that’s why he has the courage to run after (those who did something wrong),” she said.

Revilla, along with Senators Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile, is facing charges of plunder and malversation of public funds for the alleged misuse of his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). ■

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABS-CBN

Philippine News

5 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

Chinese ships reclaiming more land, Aquino fears

BY TJ BURGONIO AND TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, PHILIPPINES— Expressing concern, President Aquino on Thursday said Chinese ships were moving around other reefs in the West Philippine Sea possibly to reclaim land, but he vowed to see through a peaceful resolution of the country’s territorial dispute with China in the United Nations.

Aquino said Philippine authorities had observed the movement of Chinese ships around Gavin and Calderon reefs in the West Philippine Sea, part of the South China Sea within Manila’s 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone recognized under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Gavin Reef is internationally known as Gaven Reef. Calderon Reef’s international name is Cuarteron Reef.

Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario on Thursday said the Philippines would lodge a fresh diplomatic protest with China if the Chinese activities at Gavin and Calderon reefs proved to be land reclamation, as on Mabini Reef.

“We are taking a good look at what’s happening there. If in fact it’s clear to us that … the status quo there is being changed, then we will take a look at a formal protest,” Del Rosario told reporters on the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) conference on disaster risk reduction in Manila. “Right now, we aren’t sure.”

Aquino said the Chinese ships were similar to the vessels reclaiming land on Mabini Reef, internationally known as Johnson South Reef, in the West Philippine Sea. “We are again bothered that there seems to be developments in other areas within the disputed [waters],” the President told reporters after speaking at the Asem conference.

“The pictures that I saw were of ships that can be used for reclamation. These are just pictures, unlike Mabini where there was a transformation from nothing to a geographical feature,” Aquino said.

In early April, Manila protested China’s reclamation of

land on Mabini Reef in an apparent preparation for the construction of an airstrip or an offshore military base.

Beijing rejected the Philippine protest, claiming Mabini Reef was part of its territory.

Covered by arbitration case

Both Gavin and Calderon reefs are covered by the arbitration case filed by the Philippines against China in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea challenging China’s claim of “indisputable sovereignty” over 90 percent of the 3.5-million-square-kilometer South China Sea. That extensive claim has set China against the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan, all of which claim parts of the South China Sea within their own exclusive economic zones.

Disputed by the six countries are islands, islets, reefs and shoals believed to be sitting atop vast oil and gas reserves.

The South China Sea is also crisscrossed by vital sea-lanes where a third of annual global cargo passes.

Status quo agreement

To avoid clashes among the claimants, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and China signed an agreement, the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, in 2002.

Under that agreement, the claimants are committed not to change the status quo in the South China Sea. The Philippines has standing protests over China’s incursions on its territory, including Mabini and Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) off Palawan and Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) off Zambales province.

If China’s activities at Gavin and Calderon are leading to land reclamation, it would be another violation of the 2002 status quo agreement, Del Rosario said.

He described the situation as worrying, especially since the new reports of Chinese encroachment on Philippine territory came amid repeated incidents that had increased tensions between China and Vietnam in the East Sea, part of the South China Sea within Hanoi’s exclusive economic zone.

Vietnamese expatriates and Filipinos display placards as they join together in a rally in front of the Chinese Consulate at the financial district of Makati to protest the recent moves by China to construct an oil rig near the Vietnamese-claimed Paracels off the contested Spratlys group of islands and shoals in the South China Sea on May 16, 2014. President Aquino on Thursday, June 5, said Chinese ships were moving around other reefs in the West Philippine Sea possibly to reclaim land.

PHOTO FROM ASIA.WIDMI.COM

China moved a deepwater oil drilling rig to the East Sea on May 1, sparking a face-off between dozens of Chinese and Vietnamese ships, with rammings being reported by Hanoi and one of its fishing vessels being sunk.

With China’s apparent “expansion agenda,” Del Rosario said he doubted Beijing’s sincerity in pursuing negotiations with Asean on a code of conduct in the South China Sea, a binding upgrade to the status quo deal that would prevent the territorial disputes from erupting into armed conflict.

“Although there has been some [effort to move] the agreement forward, I’m not very optimistic about whether China is serious about an expeditious conclusion, because I can see the aggressive, provocative acts that we’re seeing now, which is I think in pursuit of their expansion agenda. That’s clear to everyone,” Del Rosario said.

China has a separate territorial dispute with Japan over uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, where it has declared an air defense zone where no aircraft can go through without Beijing’s permission.

The United States and its Asian treaty allies the Philippines and Japan, as well as Australia, Canada and European countries have rejected the air defense zone. www.canadianinquirer.net

1st UN arbitration vs China

The UN arbitral tribunal on Monday ordered China to defend its claims despite its refusal to participate in the arbitration process. It gave China up to Dec. 15 to submit its response to the Philippine challenge.

China rejected the order, reiterating its earlier advice to the tribunal that it was not taking part in the process.

Under the rules, however, the arbitration process may continue even without China’s participation, with the tribunal basing its examination and ruling solely on the Philippine complaint.

The Philippine case is the first to be brought against China related to the territorial disputes in the South China Sea. A second case may be coming, with Vietnam saying last month that it was considering following the Philippine lead and taking legal action against China.

Clarification of rights

President Aquino vowed to press the case against China and see it through.

To resolve the dispute, he said Manila resorted to the “arbitral track” provided for by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. “So at the very least, what we’ll get if they rule in our favor is a clarification: What is the right of any state and what are its obligations?” he said.

Aquino said he recognized China’s right not to participate in the arbitration.

“We’ve invited them to join us [in finding] a peaceful way of resolving the dispute. Now, I have no right to judge why they don’t want to join us in this method of peacefully resolving [the dispute],” he said.

The President declined to speculate on the impact of China’s refusal to take part in the arbitration, but said he hoped that “they would conform” to all the treaties, covenants and agreements, including the law of the sea.

Respect rule of law

“It’s our position... that China should participate, and the object of the whole exercise is to be able to clarify entitlements for everyone,” Del Rosario said.

“If China refuses to participate, I don’t think it’s relevant as far as the outcome is concerned, because the case will proceed with or without China, and an award will be handed down, which [we hope] will be final and unappealable.”

Del Rosario urged China to respect international law.

“I think China, as a world power, would like to be respected and would like to be considered a responsible state. And in order for that to happen, they must respect the rule of law,” he said. ■

Philippine News

JUNE 13, 2014

FRIDAY 6

CBCP tells parents: Don’t let kids watch 1D

BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer

at three times their original price.

PARENTS, PLEASE don’t set your kids in the wrong direction by allowing them to watch the concert of the British pop boy band One Direction in March next year.

Better still, the government should ban the group from coming to the Philippines.

This was the appeal made yesterday by Fr. Conegundo Garganta, executive secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Episcopal Commission on Youth, as a video showing two of the band members smoking what appeared to be marijuana circulated online.

“Do not lead them in the wrong direction… Be discerning on where you are leading your children,” advised Garganta, who also heard the news that some parents had gone out of their way and braved long lines to buy VIP tickets, which cost P17,950 each.

Scalpers were reportedly selling various types of tickets

already make a move before all these measures could take place,” Garganta said. “The government should not only ban the group, it must make a statement because if you are for your people, would you allow your people to be poisoned?”

‘Parents must act’

Thousands of Filipino fans camped outside SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City late last month for the advanced selling of tickets for the band’s concert on March 21, 2015.

“Even if they don’t hear any warning from us, the parents themselves must already act, especially when they see that the people whom their children adore are not being good role models,” Garganta told reporters on the sidelines of a weekly forum hosted by the Catholic Media Network.

“Parents should have the capacity to lead their children in the right direction,” he said.

Hit singles

The leaked video showed One Direction bandmates Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik smoking what appeared to be marijuana.

The other members of the band are Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Harry Styles.

The young band catapulted

Discernment needed

British pop boy band One Direction catapulted to popularity after generating hit singles that include “Live While We’re Young,” “Story of My Life” and “What Makes You Beautiful.”

PHOTO FROM FEATUREFLASH / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

to popularity after generating hit singles that include “Live While We’re Young,” “Story of My Life” and “What Makes You Beautiful.”

Garganta also urged the government to ban the British boy band from traveling to the Philippines and perform to “protect the minds and senses of Filipinos from being poisoned.”

Test them first

The British press reported that the band might be banned

from touring the United States just like British star chef Nigella Lawson, who has been accused of being hooked on cocaine.

Antidrug advocates earlier proposed that before the band could be allowed to perform in the country, its members should undergo a drug test.

Antinarcotic agents were also urged to monitor the band while they are performing onstage to ensure that they are free from the influence of drugs.

“But the government must

TIPID TAWAG

6

“From the start, you will have to cut the ties that will put your people in a bad state,” Garganta said.

He also said that the country was already struggling with “too many poisons” to deal with another one.

“So we better put a stop to this. We can ban them from staging a concert here,” the priest said.

Garganta said that local organizers must also be discerning in picking foreign artists to perform in the country.

“I don’t think our local organizers would like to promote young people who are stoned,” Garganta said.

He said there were other groups or bands popular among the youth not because they “had flipped or are stoned.” ■

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Philippine News

7 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

Gordon: ‘Yolanda’ victims build new houses in no-build zone

BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer NEARLY SEVEN months since tsunami-like waves spawned by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) swept away their loved ones and homes, some families in disasterstricken Tacloban City are back in the danger zone.

Philippine Red Cross chair Richard Gordon disclosed this yesterday, citing a recent visit to Tacloban City where he saw newly rebuilt houses on the coast of Barangay 69 (Anibong district).

Supposedly a no-build zone as designated under the government’s “build back better” program, makeshift houses are back in the section of the city where Yolanda’s deadly storm surge pushed ships to shore, indicating just how powerful the Nov. 8, 2013, monster storm was.

“I have pictures. The roofs on the houses are all new, and they are all beside the sea,” Gordon said in a press briefing at the Department of Foreign Affairs yesterday, where he spoke ahead of the disaster risk reduction and management conference to be held in Manila this week.

He could not say how many families have so far moved back to the coastal barangay. “That’s the area where big ships [were swept to shore]. There’s no way to get those ships out anymore. They’re surrounded by new houses,” the former senator said.

“I asked them, ‘Why are you building there?’ [They said,] ‘We will be relocated but that would be hard for us.’ I told them to take the new lots and still keep their old lots [on the coast], but that they should not live there. [I told them,] ‘If you live here, it would be dangerous,’” said Gordon, a longtime advocate of communities that are resilient instead of reactive in the event of disasters.

There has to be “somebody doing that to the public,” reminding them of the risks of living on the hazard zone, Gordon said.

No one to blame

The Red Cross chair said it was “not a criticism” as nobody—not the government or the typhoon victims—was to blame for what happened.

He, however, noted that more could be done in enforcing the no-build zone— part of the national government’s rehabilitation program that aimed to relocate people away from areas deemed too hazardous for habitation.

“All of us want to build back better.

If the President says this is a no-build zone, that should be implemented by the building official. There should be a relocation area for the people,” Gordon said.

Philippine Red Cross Chair Richard Gordon disclosed that some families in disaster-stricken Tacloban City are back in the danger zone.

PHOTO FROM ANTIPINOY.COM

“If not, it is inevitable that they will come back. You know how resourceful Filipinos are. They won’t wait for [government] to give them new GI sheets.

They will find a way on their own,” he said.

Aside from resettlement, livelihood should also be provided by the government.

In Tacloban’s hazard-prone coast, the main source of income is fishing and heads of households could not abandon the area for fear that their boats might be stolen, Gordon said.

“So I’m suggesting that they be moved to an area that is really safe but not too far. Then [government should] buy a truck to ferry the fishermen [from the relocation area to the coast]. And when a storm is coming, the boats will again be transported to the evacuation area,” he said.

Gordon led the Red Cross in its relief, rescue and recovery activities across the Visayas in the wake of the typhoon, largely independent of the government in terms of funding.

4 Ps

Speaking about his assessment of

Empty houses

A facility such as a marina or pier secured by the police or barangay officials would also be helpful.

“There are many opportunities [to help]. It just takes some getting used to.

Once they get used to it, they will even do it on their own. But if you don’t do anything, they will just go back and rebuild their homes [in the danger zone],” Gordon said.

He had seen this in Iloilo City in the aftermath of Typhoon “Frank” in June 2008, a powerful storm that caused widespread flooding in the city.

“I can say this because I have seen this in areas in Iloilo that were hit by Typhoon Frank. There are resettlement houses that were built there but they’re empty, because they were supposed to be for fishermen’s families who didn’t want to move,” Gordon said.

“This is not a criticism. This is just the reality of the situation,” he said. www.canadianinquirer.net

the overall Philippine response to the Yolanda disaster, one of the worst the country has faced by far, Gordon recommended further preparation and better communication at the community level, among others.

“There’s no rocket science here. You can actually prepare for this kind of disaster if you had the resources,” he said.

He cited how relief and early recovery supplies—food, water, GI sheets, rebuilding materials—could already be immediately prepositioned in areas expected to be struck by disasters, given sufficient funding.

“For me, in any case, whether it’s business, disaster or politics, I always have the ‘4 Ps’: predict, plan, prepare and practice the people ... So that when the disaster strikes, with the four Ps, you can now, cope, mitigate, [provide] relief and rehabilitate,” Gordon said.

He also suggested informing the public about the magnitude of oncoming storms using previous weather systems as benchmarks.

It could be recalled that the term “storm surge” and its impact, as carried in government bulletins warning about the onslaught of Yolanda, were largely unfamiliar even in an area like Leyte often visited by typhoons. ■

Nagbebenta ng mataas na kalidad ng baboy, baka at manok sa mga kainan, palengke at institusyon

Philippine News

JUNE 13, 2014 FRIDAY 8

Time running out on agrarian reform Publisher Alan Yong Editor Melissa Remulla-Briones editor@canadianinquirer.net Associate Editor Laarni de Paula laarni.liwanag@canadianinquirer.net Community News Editor Mary Ann Mandap maryann.mandap@canadianinquirer.net Correspondents Gigi Astudillo Angie Duarte Katherine Marfal Frances Grace Quiddaoen Ching Dee Socorro Newland Thessa Sandoval Bolet Arevalo Graphic Designer Victoria Yong Photographers Angelo Siglos Danvic Briones Solon Licas Operations and Marketing Head Laarni Liwanag (604) 551-3360 Advertising Sales Alice Yong (778) 889-3518 alice.yong@canadianinquirer.net Antonio Tampus (604) 460-9414 antonio.tampos@canadianinquirer.net PHILIPPINE PUBLISHING GROUP Editorial Assistant Phoebe Casin Graphic Designer Shanice Garcia Associate Publisher Lurisa Villanueva In cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer digital edition Philippine Canadian Inquirer is located at 400-13955 Bridgeport Rd., Richmond, BC V6V 1J6 Canada Tel. No.: 1-888-668-6059 or 778-8893518 | Email: info@canadianinquirer. net, inquirerinc@gmail.com, sales@ canadianinquirer.net Philippine Canadian Inquirer is published weekly every Friday.

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Member

BY DJ YAP AND LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer TIME IS running out on a social justice program launched by democracy icon Corazon Aquino 26 years ago.

Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio de Los Reyes yesterday admitted his department would not be able to complete the distribution of lands before the expiration of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp) on June 30.

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) also would likely not be able to serve notices of coverage (NOC) to all private agricultural lands required under the law to be distributed to landless farmers, the official said.

“We’re hoping to serve NOCs to all private agricultural lands by June 30, but I don’t think it’s possible,” De Los Reyes said.

As of May 20, some 14,085 landholdings spread over 88,962 hectares of land had not been issued NOCs. Under the law, the DAR may continue distributing lands that have been issued NOCs even beyond the June 30 deadline.

Non-CARPable

In total, the DAR still needs to distribute some 550,192 ha of land out of the remaining balance of 771,795 ha as of Jan. 1, De Los Reyes said.

He explained that the DAR had deducted from that target some 80,000 ha of those lands that were “non-CARPable,” meaning they could not be covered by CARP because these are creeks, roads, above 18 percent slope, or undeveloped.

Another 150,000 ha have been subtracted from the DAR’s target, as these are expected to be “retained” by landowners, especially those with landholdings 10 ha and below. The CARP law states that a landowner may only retain a maximum of five ha of land.

The late President Corazon Aquino signed the CARP law on June 10, 1988, as the centerpiece of her campaign promise to promote social justice, ease rural poverty and address a simmering communist insurgency.

From 1989, when CARP took effect, to 2013, the DAR distributed some 4.34 million ha to over 2 million beneficiaries, official data from the agency showed.

Bill extends NOCs by 2 yrs

De Los Reyes said he supported a bill filed by Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat to extend by two years the period that agrarian reform officials are allowed to issue NOCs for landholdings.

Baguilat said moving the deadline would mean that more private and government lands that were not among

As of May 20, some 14,085 landholdings spread over 88,962 hectares of land had not been issued notices of coverage or NOCs. PHOTO BY ART PHANEUF - LOSTARTS / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

those targeted for coverage by the DAR could still be included in CARP’s coverage, in order to complete the constitutional mandate for agrarian reform.

President Aquino has certified that bill urgent, a move De Los Reyes said he was backing.

De Los Reyes attributed the slowness of the distribution process to a number of factors, including “complications” in the DAR’s database, bureaucracy, missing land titles, incomplete addresses, incorrect classification of the land, and so on.

“What the public does not understand is we don’t have a central database.

What we’re using is the 2009 list, which we needed to clean first because some of the lands listed there have been distributed, etc.,” he said.

‘No other time but now’

Yesterday, Archbishop Antonio Ledesma of Cagayan de Oro and members of farmer groups led by Task Force Mapalad filed a petition in the DAR seeking the issuance of NOCs to about 35,000 landholdings covering 271,000 ha of land spread out in 22 provinces.

“Time is running out for issuing NOCs and we find no other time but now. Hoping that this letter-petition be given due course before CARPer expires come June 30, 2014,” the groups said in the petition addressed to De Los Reyes.

De Los Reyes said he and his staff had already started poring over the list.

“Based on our initial inspection, we found many entries that have already been issued NOCs, so we will need to consolidate and check it against our own

www.canadianinquirer.net

list,” he said.

De Los Reyes earlier said he did not think an extension of the CARP law was necessary. The law—CARP with reforms, or CARPer—was last extended in 2009.

Systematic deception

Militant lawmakers yesterday lambasted moves to fasttrack the approval of the Baguilat bill.

“Millions of farmers have nothing to gain and everything to lose if CARPer is extended,” said Anakpawis Rep. Fernando Hicap. “DAR has yet to explain and account in detail how it spent the P150-billion CARPer budget from 20092014.”

He added that what was certain was that the President’s family was paid P471 million for the vast sugar estate Hacienda Luisita, which was included in the CARP coverage.

According to Hicap, farmers suspect that the period to issue NOCs would be extended for the benefit of the landlords.

“As far as farmers are concerned, the measure further extending the bogus CARPer was approved in haste to make a milking cow out of the land reform program,” he said.

“The sham CARP is mainly designed to strengthen big landlords’ control over the land,” said Rafael Mariano, chair of the peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, said in a statement.

The 26-year-old CARP law, he said, has run too long. “Not only is it the longest systematic deceit of the farmers, it also happens to be the most expensive land reform in the world,” he said. ■

Philippine News

9 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

3 Philippine senators charged with plunder, receiving kickbacks from funds for the poor

BY OLIVER TEVES The Associated Press MANILA, PHILIPPINES— Philippine government prosecutors filed corruption charges Friday against three senators who allegedly received hundreds of millions of pesos (millions of dollars) in kickbacks from funds allocated for projects for the poor.

Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, former Senate Protempore Jinggoy Estrada and Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. were charged with plunder, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and is non-bailable.

Also charged were about half a dozen other people, including businesswoman Janet Napoles, who allegedly created dummy aid organizations used as fronts to receive government funds intended for agriculture and

livelihood projects and from where the kickbacks were obtained.

The three senators have denied involvement in the scam, which triggered public outraged and a massive anti-corruption rally last year. Another rally has been scheduled for next week.

A lawyer for Revilla, who is a former action movie actor, said he would ask the anti-graft court to first review the evidence and not to immediately issue arrest warrants.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales asked the Supreme Court to create at least two special divisions of the anti-graft court for the trials because of the “far-reaching consequences” of the cases. She said additional graft charges would be filed next week.

The three senators are among the most senior state officials charged since President

Benigno Aquino III took office in 2010 after winning election on an anti-corruption and antipoverty platform.

Aquino’s predecessor, Gloria Arroyo, is in hospital detention on criminal charges and her appointee as Supreme Court chief justice, Renato Corona, was impeached after he was found allegedly hiding much of his assets.

Abigail Valte, a presidential spokeswoman, said the filing of the charges against the senators was “a step forward in the determination of the truth, which will be the basis for exacting accountability under our justice system.”

The government ombudsman, who prosecutes state officials and employees accused of wrongdoing, filed the charges a year after the scam involving the Philippine Development Assistance Fund was exposed.

The 90-year-old Enrile was

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accused of receiving 172 million pesos ($3.94 million) in kickbacks out of 345 million pesos ($7.9 million) from project funds for lawmakers called the Philippine Development Assistance Fund. Enrile was the longtime defence secretary of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos before he broke away from the strongman in 1986.

Estrada, a son of ousted President Joseph Estrada, allegedly received 183 million pesos ($4.2 million) out of 278 million pesos ($6.4 million). Revilla allegedly got 224 million pesos ($5.1 million) out of 517 million pesos ($11.9 million).

Investigators of the ombudsman said in a report in April that Enrile, Estrada and Revilla adopted a “common scheme” under which each allegedly “repeatedly received sums of money from Napoles for endorsing her (nongovernment organiza-

tions) to implement the projects” funded from the senators’ development funds.

It said that Napoles, the main conduit of the funds, made advances of the kickbacks from her own pocket and paid the balance after the Budget Department released the funds to non-existing organizations.

Napoles has been in custody since last year on a separate charge of illegally detaining a former aide who has turned state witness in the case. She has denied any wrongdoing.

Philippine media reports of her family’s lavish lifestyle, including the alleged ownership of elegant houses and condominiums here and abroad, have angered many in a country where nearly a third of the 97 million people live on a little over a dollar a day and about a tenth have left the country in search of jobs and better opportunities abroad. ■

Philippine News

JUNE 13, 2014 FRIDAY 10

COA to... nongovernment organizations (NGOs) in 2007-2009.

COA Chair Ma. Gracia Pulido-Tan said her office issued 19 notices of disallowance to the seven lawmakers early this year, belying the claim of Greco Antonious Beda Belgica Jr. and three others who claimed that the COA had not done so.

Tan said the COA would issue 27 more notices covering P4.96 billion soon.

Belgica et al. petitioned the Supreme Court on Friday to compel Tan and COA Director Susana Garcia to issue notices of disallowance to those responsible for channeling P6.2 billion in PDAF to NGOs. ❰❰ 1

A special audit of the COA, released in August last year, said funds totaling P6.2 billion were transferred to 82 NGOs “in clear violation of the law” from 2007 to 2009.

The audit noted that the NGOs were “either unknown or could not be located at their given addresses, or have given nonexistent addresses, or were traced to mere shanties or highend residences, which turned out to be residences of their owners/officers.”

It said 10 NGOs linked to Janet Lim-Napoles were on the list.

In their petition, Reuben Abante, Jose Gonzales and Mandamus Quintin Paredes told the high court that fellow

petitioner Belgica had sent Tan a letter reminding her of her promise to issue the notices but did not get a reply.

‘Big lie’

“It’s a big lie that I did not answer his (Belgica) letter. I did and our records show it was sent to him by speed mail on Jan. 20,” Tan, a lawyer, said in a text message to the Inquirer.

Tan refused to name the senators and congressmen involved as well as the dates and the amounts covered by the notices.

“Sorry, can’t give (that). As I stated in my letter to Belgica, the NDs (notices of disallowance) are subject to appeal so we have to respect the rights of

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those concerned,” said the COA chair.

Tan furnished the Inquirer a copy of her letter reply to Belgica dated Jan. 20.

On Dec. 8, 2013, Belgica wrote Tan asking her to “fulfill her duty of satisfying the promise she gave the Filipino people under oath at the Supreme Court” that her office would be issuing notices of disallowance to the senators, congressmen and executive officials allegedly involved in the diversion of the PDAF. Not a promise

“At the outset, let me state for the record that my statement before the Supreme Court is not a ‘promise’; It was a state-

ment of fact, it being our duty to do so,” she wrote.

In the same letter, Tan told Belgica that she could not furnish him copies of the notices as a matter of policy and in consideration of the right of the recipient to appeal.

She said that with the issuance of the notices, “the matter has come to a quasi-judicial process; they are subject to appeal should the recipients be minded to take this remedy.”

12 senators, 180 representatives

She said the COA special audit of the pork barrel for 20072009 also showed that P6.2 billion, sourced from the PDAF of 12 senators and 180 representatives, was transferred by different agencies to 82 NGOs. In another report, the COA said P195 million in PDAF of three incumbent senators and a former congressman went to dubious NGOs in 2011.

The audit report identified then Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, then Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr. and then Buhay Rep. Rene Velarde as the sources of the P206 million in PDAF for the Department of Agriculture that was released in several batches in 2009 and 2010.

Of the amount, P201 million was turned over by the agriculture department to ZNAC Rubber Estate Corp., a government-owned and -controlled corporation, which in turn transferred P194.97 million to Pangkabuhayan Foundation Inc. (PFI).

Of the amount received by PFI, P74.69 million came from Enrile’s pork barrel, P106.7 million from Estrada’s, P9.7 million from Revilla’s and P3.88 million from Velarde’s, the COA said.

The COA report further said that the financial statements and income tax returns from 2006 to 2008 indicated that the government was PFI’s only source of funding.

Late last year, Tan confirmed that 10 NGOs with links to Napoles, alleged mastermind of the P10-billion pork scam, illegally got hold of P2.157 billion of the legislators’ pork barrel between 2007 and 2009.

Amid public outrage over the misuse of the PDAF, the Supreme Court declared the pork barrel unconstitutional last December. ■

Philippine News

11 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

Aquino: Estrada has some explaining to do

BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, PHILIPPINES–President Aquino got Janet Lim-Napoles’ mail, all right. But maybe, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada could explain an alleged extortion attempt on Napoles by his father’s expresidential security chief.

The President on Thursday confirmed receiving Napoles’ April 17, 2013, letter to him decrying her family’s alleged harassment by the National Bureau of Investigation over the detention of her chief aide, Benhur Luy. But Aquino suggested that Estrada could shed light on the supposed extortion attempt.

“Basically, she’s saying she’s innocent, and that they have been legitimate businessmen for the past 29 years. And now they’re being harassed by the NBI. That’s the gist,” he told reporters after speaking at the Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) conference on disaster risk reduction in Manila.

In essence, Napoles’ letter was “selfserving,” he concluded.

No notes on letter’s margins

Malacañang released to reporters a purported copy of the two-page letter which bore the stamp “received” by the Office of the President. It has a five-page attachment, including a synopsis of the events leading to the raid on Napoles’ condominium unit, and pictures of the NBI raiding team. There are no notes written on the margins of the letter the reporters got.

At the Commission on Appointments proceedings in the Senate on Wednes-

day, Estrada grilled Justice Secretary Leila de Lima on a host of issues, including a purported Napoles letter to Aquino.

He asked about Aquino’s action on the letter, as well as his purported marginal notes in the letter. He asked De Lima to produce the letter next week when the commission resumes its proceedings on her confirmation.

After confirming it was Estrada who brought up the letter at last Wednesday’s confirmation session of De Lima, the President produced the letter during the ambush interview.

Then he read the fourth paragraph where Napoles alleged that Luy’s then lawyer, Levito Baligod, together with retired Gen. Rodolfo Diaz, demanded P38 million from her lawyer Freddie Villamor in exchange for the dropping of serious illegal detention charges against her.

Luy was rescued by NBI agents in Napoles’ condominium unit in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City in March 2013. He has since turned whistle-blower of the P10-billion pork barrel scam allegedly orchestrated by Napoles.

“I just don’t know if this General Diaz is the same commander of PSG (Presidential Security Group) during President Erap’s time,” Aquino said, referring to deposed President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.

“Maybe Senator Jinggoy would know more about this,” he added.

Estrada: Why me?

In an interview with Senate reporters later on Thursday, Estrada confirmed that Diaz headed his father’s PSG but that he did ❱❱ PAGE 12 Aquino: Estrada

In an interview with Senate reporters later on Thursday, Estrada confirmed that Diaz headed his father’s PSG but that he did not get the letter from him.

PHOTO FROM NEWSINFO.INQUIRER.NET

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P-Noy releases P1B to repair state schools

BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT AQUINO has given the go signal for the release of nearly P1 billion in funds to repair state universities and colleges (SUCs) damaged by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in November last year and other recent disasters, according to Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo, chair of the House committee on higher and technical education.

Romulo said he had the letter from Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. to Budget Secretary Florencio Abad signifying the President’s approval to release the funds.

“A total of P987.3 million is being made available to the 35 SUCs whose reproducible assets such as buildings were impaired or destroyed by calamities in 2013,” Romulo said in a statement.

The order to release the funds came just as classes were about to start, which means some students would return to damaged facilities and would have to wait for repairs to be completed.

Earlier, Sen. Francis Escudero expressed frustration that much of the huge amount that Congress had allocated for various rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts remained unreleased and unused.

The Commission on Higher Education submitted the fund request for the school repairs to the Department of Budget Management (DBM) in March, in the hope they could begin repairs in the summer before classes resume. It was told that budget officials were waiting for the guidelines for the fund release.

The Philippine Statistics Authority also reported that national economic growth went below 6 percent for the first time in nine quarters because of slowerthan-expected government spending.

“These 19 SUCs damaged by Yolanda

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alone support the schooling of more than 157,000 students, so we really have to help them fully rebuild their facilities and services as soon as possible,” Escudero said.

Other SUCs were destroyed in 2013 when a 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck Bohol and nearby provinces, and when rebel forces laid siege to Zamboanga City.

Affected SUCs

The affected SUCs were located in eight regions—Cagayan Valley, Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan), Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninusla, Northern Mindanao and Caraga.

Romulo said the SUCs damaged by Yolanda (international name: Haiyan) were Eastern Samar State University (Borongan City), Eastern Visayas State University (Tacloban City), Visayas State University (Baybay City), Northern Iloilo Polytechnic State College (Estancia, Iloilo), Capiz State University (Roxas City); University of the Philippines-Manila School of Health Sciences (Palo, Leyte), Romblon State University (Odiongan, Romblon), Palompon Institute of Technology (Palompon, Leyte), University of Antique (Sibalom, Antique), Aklan State University (Banga, Aklan), Iloilo State University of Science and Technology (Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo), Western Visayas College of Science and Technology (Iloilo City); Cebu Normal University (Medellin, Cebu), Cebu Technological University (Bantayan and Camotes Islands, Cebu), Leyte Normal University (Tacloban), Naval State University (Naval, Biliran), UP-Visayas Tacloban College (Tacloban); Samar State University (Catbalogan City); and Southern Leyte State University (Sogod, Southern Leyte). ■

Philippine News

Napoles not most guilty, says her lawyer

BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, PHILIPPINES—Following in the steps of Senators Ramon Revilla Jr. and Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, Janet Lim Napoles plans to ask the Sandiganbayan to make a judicial determination of probable cause to try her on a charge of plunder, her lawyer said Monday.

A motion to this effect will be filed once the case has been raffled off, possibly this Friday, to determine which of the Sandiganbayan divisions will handle the case, said Bruce Rivera, counsel for Napoles, the alleged mastermind behind the alleged misuse of the congressional Priority Development Assistance Fund.

Napoles also will file a motion for reconsideration of the Ombdusman’s decision to deny her plea for immunity and to be treated as a state’s witness.

“We are not losing hope at this point,” Rivera told reporters after a meeting with Justice Secretary Leila De Lima at the

Department of Justice.

Rivera said he met De Lima to assure the justice secretary that his client would continue to cooperate in the investigation of the pork barrel scam despite the Ombudsman’s denial of Napoles’ plea to be made state’s witness.

“That is part of our promise to Secretary De Lima, that we will continue to help the government despite and in spite of what happened because don’t we all want the truth? So at this point we have nothing to hide what we had already put out,” he said.

Rivera said that in the motion for reconsideration, he would show that Napoles was not the most guilty as she had shown in the expanded affidavit she submitted to De Lima and which was later turned over to the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee.

Rivera said Napoles would abide by the Sandiganbayan’s decision where to hold those charged in the PDAF racket.

Napoles is currently detained at Fort Sto. Domingo in Sta. Rosa, Laguna on a separate charge of serious illegal detention. ■

JUNE 13, 2014 FRIDAY 12

Miami's Erik...

Association.

The longtime boxing champion was introduced this week as the coach of a new Kia team in that league, with the season opening in October.

And even though Spoelstra is wildly popular in the Philippines, the coach of the two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat might have just lost his title as that nation’s favourite basketball coach.

“Well, I’m not taking a boxing job,” said Spoelstra, a Filipino-American who has close ties to his mother’s homeland.

“But I know he’s a huge basketball fan, so it doesn’t surprise me.”

Pacquiao’s love for basketball is no secret, and he told reporters in the Philippines this week that he was taking the coaching position seriously.

“A great responsibility,” Pacquiao said.

That being said, his next fight is scheduled for November, or shortly after the PBA season begins. The opponent remains unclear, though there’s speculation that it could be a fifth bout against Juan Manuel Marquez.

Pacquiao has been fighting professionally since age 16 and ❰❰ 1

Erik Spoelstra.

PHOTO FROM HEATNATION.COM

is 56-5-2 in his brilliant career.

Spoelstra is planning to visit the Philippines this summer and might cross paths with Pacquiao.

But a Spoelstra-Pacquiao coaching matchup is probably

not going to happen. Spoelstra simply shook his head at that farfetched notion.

“I’ll hopefully be able to see him this summer, see what’s up,” Spoelstra said. “Maybe I’ll check out a practice.” ■

or pork barrel, and hence, there was no reason for Napoles to be close to him.

Camp Crame after the evening meeting at the Palace.

The President also expressed skepticism over Napoles’ reported offer to return P2 billion to the government.

Aquino: Estrada... not get the letter from him. He said a source at the Palace gave him a copy of the letter. He said his point was that Aquino should have looked into the extortion case immediately to determine if Diaz was harassing Napoles.

“They should have investigated him right away,” he said.

Estrada said he was just asking about the Napoles letter to the President and then was suddenly being linked by Aquino to Diaz. He reiterated that he only wanted to know what the President had written on the margin of the Napoles letter.

Aquino said he handed Napoles’ letter to De Lima because she was investigating the case.

Besides, he added, Napoles’ letter was “self-serving.”

The President repeated earlier denials he was close to Napoles.

He said that as an opposition lawmaker, he did not get his share of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), ❰❰ 11

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Photo with Napoles

Aquino confirmed having posed for a photograph with Napoles at a birthday party in Cebu. He said this was one of those requests for a posterity shot with him that he could not refuse then, when he was running for public office.

“That’s part of the risks of the job. She made the request.

Yes, we have a picture together.

But are we close? I think that’s stretching it too much,” he said.

“Again, I’ll go back to the issue: What would she gain from being close to me if she’s after the PDAF?” Napoles went into hiding for two weeks after a warrant for her arrest on the detention case was issued. She surrendered in Malacañang to President Aquino on Aug. 28, 2013, saying she feared for her life. Aquino personally escorted Napoles to

Changing statements

Apart from the fact that her own lawyers have issued conflicting statements on the matter, this ran counter to Napoles’ claim she had no money to pay for her operation at Ospital ng Makati, he said. The 51-yearold Napoles was confined there for two months for the removal of a tumor in her uterus.

“Truth to tell, we’re facing a lot of problems. As regards her changing statements, we’ve tasked our investigators to get to the bottom of the truth,” he said, adding, “We will recover that one way or another, and let the judicial process get to the truth.” ■ With a report from Christine O. Avendaño

Philippine News

13 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

FDA warns vs new stem cell product

BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer STEM CELLS in a bottle? Too good to be true.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned the public not to be taken in by the claims about Inner Power Stem Cells Booster, a purported stem cell product being sold and promoted online.

In an advisory dated May 29, FDA acting Director General Kenneth Go said the bottled product being marketed on a classified ads website, www.olx. ph, was not registered with the FDA either as a drug or a food supplement or human cells, tissues and cellular and tissuebased product (HCT/P). Go also said the online ad carried “deceitful health and therapeutic claims” not supported by scientific or clinical studies.

According to the ad, seaweeds are the primary ingredient of the product “combined with root crops, fruits, vegetables,

legumes, honey and fructoligosaccharides (food for good bacteria).”

The “prebiotic mixture” had been fermented and “had produced a byproduct in the form of a jam,” the ad said.

The ad further claimed that once taken, the product helped in stem cell production “by the process of mitosis that would aid in platelet, red and white blood cells production.”

Sea turtles

The ad also claimed that the product was formulated by a herbalist, Salvador Duco, who supposedly studied and observed the lifecycle of sea turtles.

From his study, Duco supposedly discovered that sea turtles could live up to 500 years because of the nutrients in the food they ate.

“These substances give them long lives. Mr. Duco concluded that if the same are present in humans (sic) food, we may live a longer life, too,” the ad said.

Internet fraudsters

Don’t believe any of that, the FDA advised the public.

Inner Power Stem Cell Booster, which is taken orally, cannot pass as a product for registration as HCT/P, the FDA said.

“All consumers are advised to be more vigilant and critical about online and digital advertisements so as not to fall prey to the marketing schemes of Internet fraudsters,” Go said.

The FDA has ordered all of its inspectors to confiscate the product from stores.

Go reiterated that the FDA in July last year required all HCT/Pbased products to be registered with the agency, otherwise

these products will be considered illegal after Aug. 31, 2013.

“Pursuant to DOH (Department of Health) Administrative Order No. 2013-012, stem cells and stem cell products should be preparations of viable cells that have the capability to replicate and differentiate into different types of cells,” Go said.

“HCT/Ps [are] intended for implantation, transplantation, infusion or transfer into a human recipient. Products containing ingredients that are taken orally, or even applied topically, cannot pass as HCT/ Ps,” he said. ■

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Philippine News

JUNE 13, 2014 FRIDAY 14

Kap Bong Revilla delivers ‘amazing’ speech

BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, PHILIPPINES—As the threat of arrest loomed over him, Sen. Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. on Monday dared President Aquino to do his job with “love,” not hate, and avoid the pitfall of being remembered as the leader who jailed the opposition.

Delivering some sort of a farewell speech, Revilla expressed readiness to be jailed over the alleged P10-billion pork barrel scam, along with co-accused Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada.

In an emotional speech replete with references to love, unity and forgiveness, Revilla thanked his family, his colleagues, and movie fans for their moral support.

Before a huge crowd inside the session hall, including his wife, Cavite Rep. Lani Mercado, and their children, the senator prefaced his speech with a call: “Enough of mudslinging; enough of slandering.”

“President Aquino, the future of this country in the next two years depends on you. I hope that you use your power to solve the problems of our countrymen,” he said.

Urgent tasks

The senator then proceeded to spell out the urgent tasks that lay ahead for Aquino: providing livelihood; speeding up the response to the needs of Super Typhoon Yolanda survivors; intensifying the anticrime campaign; fixing the dilapidated Ninoy Aquino International Airport; promptly responding to the needs of the sick in public hospitals; plugging the looming power crisis to keep the economy afloat; providing education and social services; and ensuring sufficient food on the table

I’m ready to be jailed and sacrifice because I know that at the right time, the truth will come out and prevail,” he said, adding he was confident the courts would let the truth prevail.

‘This is not the end’

Delivering some sort of a farewell speech, Senator Bong Revilla expressed readiness to be jailed over the alleged P10billion pork barrel scam, along with co-accused Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Jinggoy Estrada.

PHOTO FROM ABS-CBN.COM

of Filipinos.

“Lead this country not with hatred but with love. Lead the country toward unity and not partisanship. Push our nation’s interest and not political agenda,” he said, pointing out that only a few are given such a chance to lead the country.

“You still have two remaining years. It isn’t right that you and your administration will be remembered for only jailing nonallies. Jailing your oppositors should not be the only achievement and legacy you will be leaving behind,” he said.

In the same breath, Revilla aired a call for unity and cooperation with the President, saying, “Let’s all work together to make the lives of each Filipino decent, especially those leading hand-to-mouth existence.”

“I have no doubt that the country could rise again through the cooperation of the leaders. There are many brilliant people in Congress, in the

bureaucracy, in the private sector. We only need to join hands.

The remaining two years are still enough. You can still do it, Mr. Aquino. We can do it,” he said in the speech titled “Salamat, Kaibigan (Thank You, Friend).”

Politics of division

Revilla acknowledged that the challenge to every government official was to go down to the grassroots and find out the needs of the people.

“Enough of squabbling. Let’s put a stop to the politics of division. Enough of vindictiveness.

Let the different colors of the flag symbolize our unity, not our differences,” he said.

“My advocacy from now on is to remove distinctions between yellow, green, blue and red.

The same blood runs through our veins, and that is Filipino blood,” he said.

Revilla expressed hope that the pork scandal that tarnished

the image of Congress wasn’t part of a grand design to totally abolish it through Charter change.

Otherwise, Revilla insisted his “conscience is clear” and appealed to Filipinos to let him and his co-accused face the plunder charges filed by the Ombudsman in the Sandiganbayan last Friday.

“Let’s leave it to the courts, and I will defend myself there,” he said.

Anticipating the worst from the indictment, Revilla said he was taking the floor once again, and possibly for the last time “to express his sentiments.”

Congress is adjourning sine die this week, and reopens for the second regular session of the 16th Congress on July 28.

Revilla said the scam had destroyed many names, and yet there was no assurance that one could reclaim one’s integrity once cleared by the courts.

“Regardless Mr. President,

Midway through his 30-minute speech, Revilla said he has his “own list”—and most thought he was speaking of his own list of suspects in the scam, but then he dispelled this when he started to grin.

What he stated next was a list of people he wanted to thank, and this was topped by God whom he thanked “for walking with me during these times of trial.”

He next thanked his father, ailing former Sen. Ramon Revilla Sr., for giving him strength, saying “Daddy, I love you. We will rise again,” as well as his wife and their children for their love.

Unlike his first privilege speech, Revilla Sr. didn’t show up at the Senate this time.

He thanked his colleagues one by one, expressing a personal message to each one.

To Estrada, he gave this message: “Kosa, do we need to be together on this? Perhaps, Daboy (Rudy Fernandez) is having a good laugh at us. Kidding aside, this is not the end for us. God is just preparing us for something better.”

“If my imprisonment is the key to the door of justice, I will gladly accept this. There will be true justice, if not now, at the perfect time,” he said. “I may be jailed, but not my dreams and love of country.”

“Don’t worry, I will not disappear. I shall return,” he said.

To cap his speech, he switched on an audio-visual presentation about himself as a public servant, accompanied by his original composition, “Salamat, Kaibigan.” ■

Philippine radio anchorman killed by gunmen The Associated Press MANILA, PHILIPPINES—A radio anchorman was killed Friday by gunmen on a motorcycle in the western Philippines, police and media freedom advocates said.

Nilo Baculo Sr., who anchored a program at local radio station dwIM, was the 25th journalist killed in the Philippines since President Benigno Aquino III took office in 2010 and the 143rd since 1986, the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility said.

Senior Superintendent Ronaldo de Jesus, the provincial police chief, said Baculo was fatally shot in Oriental Mindoro’s Calapan City.

Baculo, 67, had filed a petition in 2008 requesting court protection, saying he had discovered a plot by elected officials www.canadianinquirer.net

at that time to kill him after he had reported on their involvement in illegal drug deals, said his lawyer, Harry Roque.

The Supreme Court granted him temporary protection, but when the case was remanded to the Court of Appeals, the lower court denied Baculo’s plea. It

said he failed to prove his life was in danger.

“His killing today is what happens when the court errs in their appreciation of evidence,” lawyer Roque said. “There is blood in the hands” of justices who refused to give Baculo protection, he said. ■

Philippine News

15 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

1,000 firearms sold to NPA with unwitting aid of top cops

BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer

the insurgents,” he said.

No evidence of kickbacks

MORE THAN 1,000 high-powered firearms worth P52 million have been sold to communist insurgents since 2011 with the unwitting assistance of 19 senior police officials at Camp Crame, police said yesterday.

The Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) discovered the irregularity by investigating President Aquino’s disclosure in December last year that a cache of AK-47 assault rifles disappeared after its papers were being processed by the Philippine National Police.

Director Benjamin Magalong, CIDG chief, said that among those to be charged is Chief Supt. Raul Petrasanta, the director of the Central Luzon police who is touted to be the likely successor of PNP Director General Alan Purisima.

A 1984 graduate of the Philippine Military Academy, Petrasanta used to head the Presidential Security Group team assigned to the residence of the President’s family in Quezon City.

Magalong said two more active police directors, an active police chief superintendent and a retired chief superintendent would also face charges for facilitating the licensing and sale of the firearms to New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Mindanao.

“The documents for the firearms went through their offices. It is incumbent upon them to exercise due diligence in examining the documents,” Magalong told a news briefing at Camp Crame.

“If they only did what they had to do, those firearms should not have ended in the hands of

Asked if Petrasanta and the other police officials received kickbacks from the sale of the firearms, Magalong said: “We do not have evidence showing that they earned money from the transaction.”

Besides Petrasanta, Directors Gil Meneses and Napoleon Estilles, Chief Supt. Regino Catiis and retired Chief Supt. Tomas Rentoy would also be charged along with 14 other police officials and 10 private individuals for graft and for violation of the anti-illegal firearms law.

The suit will be the first to be brought against law enforcers despite longstanding reports of police and military personnel selling weapons and ammunition to communist and Moro rebels.

BIFF client, too

Yesterday, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a splinter of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that has signed a peace agreement with the government, claimed that it was buying ammunition from sources in the Philippine Army.

Petrasanta and Estilles formerly headed the PNP Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO), the police unit that handles gun licensing, while Meneses used to head the PNP Civil Security Group.

Rentoy is a former chief of the PNP Supervisory Office for Security and Investigative Agencies, while Catiis is a former licensing officer at the FEO. Meneses and Estilles are already on nonduty status, as they are due to retire from the police service in the next few months.

Sought for comment, Estilles

said in a text message: “The allegations are mere fabrications bereft of evidence.”

Perfecto Tagalog, secretary general of the Coalition of Filipino Consumers, questioned the result of the CIDG investigation, saying “there could be politics behind this.”

“The transactions ... went through the procedures. The [users] should be the ones to face charges,” Tagalog said.

“The timing of the announcement that [the CIDG] would charge the (police) officials is suspicious,” he added.

One-man job

Magalong, however, insisted that it was only businessman Isidro Lozada who facilitated the sale and licensing of the guns and that he did not deal directly with the PNP officials.

“This is the handiwork of just one man. It was Mr. Lozada who facilitated the licensing and at the same time sold the guns,” he said.

Using the permit issued to Caraga Security Agency, a security company that Lozada owned, the businessman was able to import AK-47s and register them with the FEO from 2011 to 2013, he said.

Magalong said 1,004 AK-47s were bought by Lozada from licensed gun importer Twin Pines Inc. then sold the assault rifles to communist rebels over the two-year period.

During the investigation, Magalong said, Lozada admitted that he sold assault rifles to communist rebels for P52,000 each.

“The guns were not sold to the insurgents in just one transaction, but in tranches of 30 or 50 units per transaction,” Magalong said.

He said Lozada also disclosed that he used the names of min-

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The Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), a splinter of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) that has signed a peace agreement with the government, claimed that it was buying ammunition from sources in the Philippine Army.

ing companies, security agencies and other juridical entities in applying for the import permits and licenses for the firearms.

“Mr. Lozada said the money came from the NPAs [and] he directly gave [it] to Twin Pines.

He did not deal directly with any FEO personnel,” Magalong said.

He said Lozada delivered the firearms “very casually” to the NPA rebels in public places like markets and transport terminals.

“The system was simple. He would pick up the firearms from the Twin Pines store in Butuan City then the NPAs would contact him. They would then meet at their agreed meeting place and hand over the guns as if they were [ordinary] baggage,” he said.

“Mr. Lozada claimed he was forced to facilitate the sale of the guns after the insurgents threatened to kill him and his family,” he said.

Some rifles found

According to Magalong, the CIDG sought the assistance of the Philippine Army in the search for the missing assault rifles.

On orders from Army chief Lt. Gen. Hernando Irriberi, the military turned over 44 AK-47 rifles that government forces had recovered from NPA rebels during recent encounters in the Caraga region and Western Mindanao, Magalong said.

“Our technicians cannot restore the serial numbers of the 39 other firearms because they were [badly damaged]. But it’s obvious that they came from the same missing shipment of firearms,” he said.

During the forensic examination of the firearms, he said, five of the recovered rifles bore the serial numbers of the AK-47s that Lozada bought from Twin Pines.

Magalong said Lozada had expressed willingness to cooperate with the CIDG in the investigation. ■

Opinion

JUNE 13, 2014 FRIDAY 16

THERE’S THE RUB

At last

By Conrado De Quiros Philippine Daily Inquirer AT LAST it has happened. Last Friday the Ombudsman announced the indictment of Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Bong Revilla and six others for graft and corruption. The others include Janet Napoles, the alleged brains behind the pork barrel scam, and Gigi Reyes, Enrile’s chief of staff.

Rejecting the motions for reconsideration of the accused, Conchita Carpio Morales said her ruling is the product of careful thought. The Ombudsman’s determination of “probable cause,” she said, “is not based on suspicion but on the sworn complaints, testimonies of witnesses, PDAF public documents, COA Report, business ledgers, corporate papers of Napoles’ NGOs, results of field verification, and admissions of some respondents themselves in their submissions…. (The accused) willfully, unlawfully, criminally amassed, accumulated and/or acquired ill-gotten wealth… through a combination of overt criminal acts.”

The indictment paves the way for the nine to be arrested.

And the warrant of arrest can be served on the senators even while the Senate is in session. A senator’s immunity is voided in cases where the

crime is grave, and the law rules that plunder is as grave as it goes. “But as a matter of courtesy,” says Senate President Franklin Drilon, “I will not allow them to arrest the senators in the session hall while we’re having a session. Not as a legal issue, but as a matter of respect for the institution.”

Why ever not? It’s the best thing that can happen to us in a long time.

I can’t think of a more forceful, and completely instructive, lesson in crime and punishment, in law and justice, than that. I myself would like nothing better than to see on TV, played again and again in the news, a group of law enforcers barging into the Senate floor, asking the three senators to put their hands behind their backs, and clamping handcuffs on them. With or without telling them, “You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can, and will, be used against you in a court of law.”

Some movies are better than others. Some fantasies are more real than “Ang Panday.” Nothing will drive home the point about our seriousness in fighting corruption more than that.

The image of them being handcuffed in the Senate should have more impact than the one about Erap being fingerprinted in a police station. What you will see underneath the mug shot

isn’t just a set of numbers, it is the caption “common criminal.”

In fact, nothing will show more respect for the institution than that. You can’t have a better respect for the Senate than ridding it of its dregs. You can’t have a better respect for the institution than cleansing it of the elements that have tainted it, that have brought shame to it. The Senate is more than its individual members, it is even more than the sum of its parts. The Senate will not be demeaned by the law enforcers coming in to enforce the law in the

The image of them being handcuffed in the Senate should have more impact than the one about Erap being fingerprinted in a police station. halls of the Senate, it will be elevated by it. The Senate will not be lowered in the nation’s esteem by the authorities coming in to impose the authority of law in the Senate, it will be raised in it.

But however the three senators are arrested, it will be the biggest thing to have happened to us since Independence. That is so for a couple of reasons.

First is that it will be the most satisfying (potential) arrest of “big fish” we will ever see. In fact it will be the only one.

At first blush, the arrest and detention of Erap more than a decade ago represented bigger fish—he was nothing less than the president. But that is so only at first blush. The whole process was tainted by political motivation—and machination. Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown, said Shakespeare, and so it was for Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo after Edsa 2. It wasn’t merely that the ousting of Erap was being challenged not least by the American press, it was, and far more so, that the taking over by her of Erap was being challenged not least by the Edsa 2 advocates. So long as Erap remained free, so long would the crown teeter precariously on her head.

That is quite apart from the fact that from the start, the public saw her as a bigger crook than the one she jailed.

Today, of course, the three senators, Jinggoy especially, have been trying to cast their indictment in that mold. To no effect. Nobody believes it, probably not even themselves.

And while at that, nothing feels more satisfying, particularly for the victims of martial law, than for them to see one of their greatest nemeses finally felled—if not by God, at least by greed. And like Arroyo seemingly at a moment of triumph.

Second, it will demonstrate to us

with stunning force that it can be done. The unthinkable can become thinkable. It’s the psychological impact of their jailing—permanently if they can be proven guilty in court, and Morales has importuned the Supreme Court to form two divisions to devote themselves full-time and full-force to this case—that will have the deepest and most lasting effect on us. On the way we think, on the way we do, on the way we naturally expect things to be.

Far from showing selective justice, it will show universal justice.

Not least because it makes it worlds easier, and not harder, to prosecute the others as well. The others are just as guilty? Well, their time will come, and forthwith.

But more than that because it makes us see something our neighbors have seen all this time, whether they are democratic or authoritarian, whether they are communist or capitalist, whether they are religious or secular. Justice, like rain, falls on the rich and the poor, or it’s not justice at all. We need to punish the guilty however high up they go, not because it is a nice thing to do but because it is the right thing to do.

The arrest of the three senators should open our eyes.

At last. ■

Commander in Chief. Act decisively.

Focus on the masterminds, the guys who issue the orders, not the subalterns who execute the orders, satoriseeker urged. Remember the assassination of former senator Benigno Aquino Jr., and Ferdinand Marcos, Danding Cojuangco, Fabian Ver and Luther Custodio? Focus on the brains.

“What is my viewpoint?” e-mailed cry_freedom. Strip them naked and feed their bodies to the dogs. Unfortunately, even the dogs wouldn’t touch them. Dogs are a better lot or better yet, heat the Inferno 77x7x7 and throw them in alive. The Evil One would be happy to retire, what with these very able replacements.

Is Admiral Pio Carranza still alive and still untouchable? asked tarikan in his e-mailed query. “Only an admiral, and yet he can unnecessarily waste those many lives?”

Where are these 10 Navy officers linked to Pestaño’s murder? asked virgoyap. Are they now in jail? They inflicted a grave injustice on this righteous Navy officer. I hope Pestaño will be given the honor that is due him.

Please, please, show that justice will prevail and jail all those Navy men who killed Ensign Pestaño,

wrote Taga-Masid. “Where is the pledge of brotherhood that PMA [cadets] swear to on graduation?”

One suggestion, e-mailed AllaMo. Rename the farcical sounding Marcos Highway into Pestaño Highway.

Kruger differed: “Bring back the death penalty, line these cowards up and shoot them in the face! And kindly stop this rename-this-renamethat BS!” Why dismissal only for the 10 Navy men? asked eirons1043. What about the civil and criminal liabilities of those involved in the Pestaño case, especially the officers who covered it up? Why has the state not disbarred those involved in corruption? That is why corruption persists.

Wouldn’t it be great for a nation addicted to gold braid and uniforms, plus “first places at table,” to have Navy headquarters named after a lowly ensign? e-mailed Manuel de la Torre from Idaho. Clothes or uniforms do not make a man.

Almost a hundred years back, the Chinese writer Lu Xun said, “All blood debts must be repaid in kind: the longer the delay, the greater the interest.” What recompense and compounding interest are adequate for the blood debts incurred against Pestaño and his men? ■

VIEWPOINT

Blood debts

By Juan L. Mercado Philippine Daily Inquirer REACTIONS VIEWPOINT column “Restitution” (6/3/14) have cascaded in. The column reported that the Court of Appeals had reaffirmed Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales’ order: Fire the 10 Navy men linked to the 1995 murder of Ensign Philip Pestaño.

An Ateneo honor student, Pestaño joined the Navy after graduating from the Philippine Military Academy in 1993. As cargo master for the ship BRP Bacolod City, he refused to load illegal logs and drugs.

Enrique Angeles helped elevate Pestaño’s murder to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.

From California, Angeles wrote: Maybe a one-day international conference for Philip’s 20th death anniversary in 2015 should be organized. It could focus on the lessons of that cover-up for the nation’s justice system.

Invite President Aquino, Ombudsman Morales, the UN Commission on Human Rights representative, plus those with some involvement in the case. They can endorse renaming the Navy headquarters after Philip.

Dr. Carolina Camara from Butuan City added: Invite the families of the missing enlisted men who had helped

Pestaño: PO2 Zosimo Villanueva and PO3 Fidel Tagaytay. They were liquidated. And compensation for them is long overdue.

Art Alfriz and Jess Sapala agreed with the idea of renaming the Navy headquarters after Philip, “after the closure of the case finding [him] a hero, not a heel.” Count me in, emailed Jimmy D. Blas of 185 Evergreen Drive in Westbury, New York.

Blas commended all who had “raised the level of awareness to go after the murderers of a principled Filipino.”

Buninay1 e-mailed disagreement.

“The Navy failed him when it did not ferret out the truth about his demise… The Navy does not deserve to be given a makeover as shallow as a name change if it cannot live up to its mandate of protecting the country’s interest.

“I would prefer that the Pestaño name be lent to an academic institution to inspire the youth… It’d be folly [to allow] the Navy to bask in the honor of a comrade who perished on orders from those whose nefarious activities Pestaño sought to frustrate.

Nay, it will be the model of absurdity to allow the victimizer to reap honors for the victim.”

Twenty sacks of shabu? inquired AlexanderAmproz. But .02 grams

gets five years in jail for small potatoes. Our hopes remain with the fearless “Tres Marias.” Mr Moonlight noted that “in Japan, when a man loses his honor, he commits suicide.”

Henri_See added: The PMA should be proud of its graduate Ensign Pestaño. Hell, every Filipino should be proud of Pestaño.

Said asarin: PMAers… code of silence.

Those conspirators still living must be put on trial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, Ben Aquino argued. This kind of crime in

An Ateneo honor student, Pestaño joined the Navy after graduating from the PMA in 1993. As cargo master for the ship BRP Bacolod City, he refused to load illegal logs and drugs. the military is not acceptable. If continued to be hidden, it spreads fear among the troops and destroys their morale. Even retired conspirators are still liable.

Ben Aquino added: If a cadet like Aldrin Cudia is dismissed from the PMA for being late for two minutes, this crime should be solved immediately. Mr. President, you are the

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Opinion

17 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

ANALYSIS

China’s reclamation move sparks PH fears

By Amando Doronila Philippine Daily Inquirer CHINA disdainfully brushed aside on Friday Philippine government reports of new Chinese land reclamation on reefs in the South China Sea. In response to reports that Philippine officials, including President Aquino, had expressed concern over Chinese ships moving around Gavin Reefs (Gaven Reefs) and Calderon Reef (Cuarteron Reef ) in the West Philippine Sea—part of the South China Sea within the Philippines’ 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ) recognized under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos)—possibly to reclaim land, the Chinese foreign ministry said Beijing had “indisputable sovereignty” over “Nansha (Spratly) Islands and adjacent waters.”

“Any action by China on any island falls within China’s sovereignty and has nothing to do with the Philippines,” said foreign ministry spokesperson Hong Lei. Photographs taken by the Philippine military showing Chinese ships engaged in reclamation off Malvar Reef (Eldad Reef ) were published

by the Inquirer on Saturday. But Malacañang said the military had not confirmed actual land reclamation at Gavin Reefs and Malvar Reef.

Malvar Reef is located northeast of Mabini Reef (Johnson South Reef ), where China has been discovered to have been reclaiming land that the Philippine government fears could be used to build an airstrip or an offshore military base right in the heart of the Philippines’ EEZ. Gavin Reefs President Aquino spoke to reporters on Thursday about the movement of Chinese ships toward Gavin Reefs, possibly to reclaim land.

The President gave no details, but Gavin Reefs—two reefs in the Tizard Bank of the Spratly Islands that are also claimed by Vietnam—are already under Chinese control. (Internet information describes them as having a supply platform and a reef fortress.

The supply platform is described as having antiaircraft guns, search radars and radio communications equipment.)

A Palace spokesperson said the information received by the President was that “some ships have been sighted [and they] are capable of transporting reclamation materi-

als.” But the President “has not mentioned if indeed the reclamation has started,” said his deputy spokesperson, Abigail Valte.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was monitoring the ship movements and it was considering a diplomatic protest if the land reclamation was confirmed.

Philippine officials said last week that China was reclaiming more land in the South China Sea to bolster its military presence in the disputed

The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was monitoring the ship movements and it was considering a diplomatic protest if the land reclamation was confirmed. waters where its increasing assertion of its territorial claims had brought it into standoffs with its neighbors, particularly the Philippines and Vietnam, according to a report by The Associated Press.

The Philippines protested in April after discovering that Chinese dredging ships had reclaimed a large patch of land on Mabini Reef, in the Spratlys, that could be used to build an

airstrip or a military outpost far from the Chinese mainland.

China rejected the Philippine protest, saying Mabini Reef was part of its territory.

Aquino bothered Mr. Aquino said he was bothered after seeing surveillance photos of ships capable of reclaiming land in the vicinity of Gavin Reefs and Calderon Reef.

“We are again bothered that there seems to be developments in other areas within the disputed [waters],” he told reporters on Thursday.

Gavin Reefs and Calderon Reef are covered by the arbitration case filed by the Philippines against China in the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea challenging China’s claim of “indisputable sovereignty” over 90 percent of the 3.5-millionsquare-kilometer South China Sea. The extensive claim has set China against the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and Taiwan—all of which claim parts of the South China Sea within their EEZs. Disputed by the six countries are islands, islets, atolls and reefs believed to be sitting atop vast oil and gas reserves, in a sea that is also crisscrossed by vital sea-lanes where a

third of annual global cargo passes.

Status quo agreement In 2002, China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) signed an agreement, the Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, under which the claimants committed not to change the status quo in the disputed waters.

The Philippines has standing protests against China’s incursions on its territory, including Mabini Reef and Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) off the island-province of Palawan and Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) off Zambales province.

If China’s activities at Gavin Reefs and Calderon Reef are leading to land reclamation, it would be another violation of the 2002 status quo agreement, according to Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario.

Del Rosario described this development as worrying in the light of new reports of Chinese encroachment on Philippine territory and amid repeated incidents that had increased tensions between China and Vietnam over Beijing’s moving an oil drilling rig to parts of the South China Sea within Hanoi’s EEZ.. ■

prepared by staff in the provinces of Bataan, Zambales, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Aurora.

Collectively, they titled the Festival “Pamilyang Pilipino: Itawid, Isulong, Itaguyod (The Filipino Family: Bridge, Promote and Support).”

Though widely varying in terms of production quality and clarity, the videos presented moving, elating, eye- and heart-opening stories of the families’ journey from “survival” to “subsistence,” to “self-sufficiency.”

Joining us were DSWD staff from all over the region, excitedly awaiting the film showing and cheering lustily before and after each video production. *** “Diploma” is narrated by a young man in Bulacan telling his mother’s story, her journey from a povertystricken youth who as a child would walk to and from school; and after having to leave school prematurely, struggled to provide for her family’s needs. But as a “4 Ps” mother, she is able to send her children to school, and with help from the National Housing Authority is qualified to own her own small dwelling, find a job through Tesda, and—wonders—is finally able to earn a diploma in education, qualifying as a teacher!

“Which is why,” says her son, the narrator, “she has inspired me to stay in

school and seek a diploma for myself.”

From Aurora comes the story of a group of boys engaged in the hazardous work of harvesting coconuts, scampering up trees without safety gear or nets, and selling their harvest for P1 a coconut. But when their families join the “4 Ps” program, the boys are encouraged to leave their dangerous occupation, attend school regularly, and even begin to dream of working as policemen and soldiers.

“Gapas” meanwhile introduces Marilou Francisco, a single parent with two school-age children. She dreams of sending her children to college. But to do so, she realizes, she must leave the country and seek work abroad. “Masakit pero kailangan (Painful but necessary),” she states, while her boy and girl quietly sob behind her.

More hopeful is “Baon,” the story of Merly Dastor who, before her family joined the “4 Ps” was hard put to send all her seven children to school, sometimes sending them to walk to the nearby school without an allowance.

But after joining “4 Ps” and becoming a parent-leader, Dastor avails of a loan to buy piglets and successfully raises the pigs with the help of her husband and children. The closing scene shows her happily sending off her children who cheerfully walk away with an allowance in their pockets.. ■

AT LARGE

Surviving the flood

By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer RELIGIOUS leaders in the United States, it’s said, are “divided” over their verdict on “Noah,” a huge Hollywood blockbuster that tells the story of the biblical boat-builder. It is Noah, with the help of his family, who rescues humanity and much of creation from destruction after God decides to eradicate much of the world due to the sinfulness of Man. Guided by visions, Noah builds an Ark to house his family and pairs of animals to help them survive a great deluge that the Lord will be sending down, and repopulate the Earth anew.

The conflict among religious leaders revolves around concerns that the movie is not “Biblical” enough, since it introduces many elements (such as the names of Noah’s family members) that are not found in the brief Biblical telling. In the Middle East and other Muslim countries, “Noah” has been banned outright, mainly because of the Islamic injunction against a human portrayal of Biblical figures, including Noah.

Certainly, those of us familiar with the outlines of the story of Noah—the building of the Ark, the pilgrimage of animals entering the Ark in pairs, the Great Flood, the significance of a

dove with a tree branch in its mouth, and the emergence of a rainbow as a symbol of God’s renewed promise to humanity—will find many puzzling, indecipherable elements in the movie.

While those weaned on grade school biblical tales view Noah as a largely paternal figure, in the movie, Russell Crowe presents a more robust, masculine, and obsessive Noah, one convinced that his mission from “the Creator” is not just to save creatures from dying in the flood but also (spoiler alert!) to ensure that all of mankind will disappear when his youngest son passes away. *** Thus “Noah” is much darker, brooding and frightening than our childhood memories of this story. But it is also chock-full of thrilling special effects, action and passion—not the usual fare in so-called “bathrobe epics.”

I personally found the movie to be rather ponderous and slow-paced for my taste, but those in search of a more thoughtful and challenging treatment of Biblical stories will find a lot to chew on.

A special shout-out, too, to Emma Watson, portraying Ila, a survivor whom Noah adopts but on whom the central conflict turns when she becomes pregnant by Noah’s son Shem.

I can’t think of any young female star

who could have portrayed Ila with the same level of maturity, energy and gravitas as Watson, and it feels good to realize that for actors, there is life after Harry Potter, after all. *** Part of our “field trip”—an orientation on how the “4 Ps” program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development functions; followed by a “sensing journey” among some “4 Ps” families—was a “Festival of Success Stories” prepared by DSWD staff in Region 3.

Thus “Noah” is much darker, brooding and frightening than our childhood memories of this story. But it is also chock-full of thrilling special effects, action and passion—not the usual fare in so-called “bathrobe epics.”

“It’s just a simple attempt to tell the stories of our beneficiaries,” explained DSWD Region 3 Director Adelina Apostol. “We did not have enough money to spend on cameras and other equipment,” she recalled, “but with the help of academe in the region, and the use of cell phones, we were still able to produce these videos.”

It’s an impressive-enough “festival,” showcasing 10 presentations

www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

18

Canada News

BY KEVIN BISSETT AND MICHAEL MACDONALD The Canadian Press MONCTON, N.B.—As Elaine Gray emerged from the sombre, dimly lit auditorium where three slain Mounties lay in flagdraped coffins, the Moncton woman dabbed her reddened eyes with a tissue and squinted in the blazing sunshine.

Gray was among hundreds of people who attended a public visitation Monday for constables Fabrice Georges Gevaudan, Douglas James Larche and Dave Joseph Ross, who were all shot dead in the line of duty last week in Moncton’s north end.

“I just wanted to say thank you again and again to these people,” Gray said. “(What happened) was so senseless and such a shame and such a loss.

I didn’t know any of them personally. I know all of them now.”

About 200 people were lined up as the doors swung open to the Wesleyan Celebration Centre. At the front of the auditorium, the coffins were placed end to end, each one with a Mountie’s brown Stetson on top.

On a stage behind the coffins were several wreaths and large bouquets, most of them laden with red and white blooms.

In front of the wreaths were displays featuring framed photos of each of the victims and their brown

leather boots.

As the crowd filed past, six RCMP officers in red serge were there to greet them. Amid a murmur of voices and a few heavy sighs and sobs, each Mountie took turns shaking hands and accepting quiet thanks and personal tributes from the mourners.

Most of the people in the auditorium were older, but as the line grew longer the range of ages widened considerably. One woman brought two small children, a boy and a girl in their Sunday best.

Some people wore formal outfits, others were in jeans, shorts and sandals as the temperature outside rose above 25 C. Aline Chiasson from nearby Dieppe said she wanted to show her support for the Mounties.

“We came down because we’re really sorry for those people and their families, having to go through such terrible stress and sorrow,” she said, her Acadian accent highlighting the area’s strong bilingual roots.

“It’s too often that we criticize the RCMP. But what would we do without them? We need them to protect us.”

The visitation service was held as the city prepares for an RCMP regimental funeral service Tuesday. Mayor George LeBlanc said he expects between 5,000 and 7,000 police officers from across Canada to attend at the Moncton Coliseum, which will be preceded by an RCMP parade. The service will be televised.

LeBlanc said the city’s outpouring of support for the families of the slain officers has been one of the bright lights in a dark time.

“If you just look around here today, it won’t take you long to see somebody coming up and shaking the hands of an RCMP officer,” LeBlanc said before attending the visitation service. “That is the goodness ❱❱ PAGE 35 People gather

More flights possible between Winnipeg and Manila after deal struck The Canadian Press WINNIPEG—Winnipeg may soon have more flights to the Philippines.

Canada and the Philippines have reached an expanded air transport

agreement making more flight options and routes possible.

Pascal Belanger of the Winnipeg Airports Authority says there’s a huge demand for more flights in Manitoba.

He says there are more than 60,000 Filipinos living in the south-

ern part of the province and about 35,000 passengers a year who travel between Manila and Winnipeg.

Belanger says the airports authority has been talking to carriers in the Philippines for years. He says the new developments will accentuate those talks. ■

NEWS BRIEFS

FROM THE CANADIAN PRESS PHOTO FROM PM.GC.CA

People gather in show of support at visitation service for slain Mounties

DEADLINE NEARS FOR FEDERAL PIPELINE DECISION VANCOUVER—Some time in the next 10 days, the federal government is supposed to announce its final decision on the Northern Gateway pipeline—the multibillion-dollar political minefield dividing the West. Even detractors expect the federal government to give the $7-billion project the go-ahead.

IMF ENDORSES SETTING PRICE FOR CARBON MONTREAL— The head of the International Monetary Fund says energy powerhouses like Canada need to be proactive when it comes to protecting the environment and not simply wait for a deal to be reached on replacing the Kyoto Protocol. Christine Lagarde told an international economic conference in Montreal that whether it’s a carbon tax or a cap and trade system, a mechanism is need to reflect the cost of emissions that will encourage less consumption.

HEALTH CANADA PULLS DRUG WHOLESALER’S LICENCE TORONTO—Health Canada has suspended the licence of pharmaceutical wholesaler Canadadrugs.com over what it calls “significant concerns” about its manufacturing practices, discovered during an inspection. Suspension of the company’s establishment licence means the Winnipeg company cannot wholesale drugs to retail pharmacies, other distributors or wholesalers until these concerns are fully addressed, Health Canada said in an advisory Monday.

B.C. TEACHERS HOLD VOTE ON FULLSCALE STRIKE VANCOUVER—A vote Monday and Tuesday

by British Columbia’s unionized teachers asking members to approve full-scale strike action threatens chaos for the last days of the school year. The B.C. Teachers’ Federation wants its 40,000 members to support a strong strike mandate as a pressure tactic to get a new collective agreement.

Canada News

19 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

Trade minister says tour of Canada with Southeast Asian leaders marks progress

BY DAVID FRIEND The Canadian Press TORONTO—Federal Trade Minister Ed Fast took leaders from Southeast Asia on a tour through parts of Canada this week, a move intended to build the foundation for a stronger trade relationship with the region.

The minister wrapped up the “road show” tour on Thursday, which he called a step towards strengthening partnerships that would boost the existing $17 billion of trade already made between the 10 countries and Canada.

Ministers and senior officials from the Asian nations spent time meeting with Canadian executives in various sectors, including financial services, innovation, heath services and energy in Vancouver, Toronto and Niagara Falls, Ont. The tour didn’t conclude with

any promise of major investment, whether it was signals of possible free trade negotiations or a supply deal with a Canadian company. The only tangible sign of unity was a photo opportunity Fast staged with the leaders, linking hands in a chain across the stage for the cameras.

Fast said he believes the tour was a success in improving the relationship between Southeast Asia and Canada, one that languished under past governments.

“We’ve just scratched the surface of the potential that’s there,” he said in a speech. “We should have been there many years ago, but I can tell you our government is committed to doing this right.”

Southeast Asia, a region that includes countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, has a combined population of roughly 600 million people.

Fast said trade with these countries has consistently grown over the past decade, with bilateral trade rising seven per cent last year, while Canadian exports to the region increased by 10 per cent.

Several Canadian companies have already secured agreements that will solidify their presence in the region, including Open Text (TSX:OTC), which will manage technology behind the ASEAN information management systems.

Sun Life Financial (TSX:SLF), Canada’s third biggest insurer, is putting a higher priority on growing its operations in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, to capitalize on the growth of the middle class.

Manulife Financial Corp.

(TSX:MLF) opened an office in Myanmar last month to tap into the growing region, where business has been in an upswing after a change in leadership sig-

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Federal Trade Minister Ed Fast.

nalled a major shift in social and economic reforms. Fast plans to visit Myanmar in August.

However, major trade and investment agreements have long been a point of contention for the federal government, after delays in ratification have left deals with both Europe and China sidelined.

In testimony before the Commons trade committee last week, Fast said a comprehensive trade deal in principle with the European Union and a foreign investment deal with China are not stalled, but rather tied up in complex matters.

He said the trade agreement

PHOTO FROM EDFAST.CA

with Europe was complicated due to the translation of at least “1,000 pages” of legal text.

“It takes a lot of work,” Fast said at the trade event on Thursday.

“That work is ongoing, it’s progressing satisfactorily and I’m confident this legal text will soon be finalized and will be available for the public to review.”

The deal with China has been delayed by ongoing litigation by the Hupacasath First Nation in B.C., which wants to block the deal. The Federal Court ruled against the Hupacasath last August, but the band of about 300 has since appealed. ■

World News

JUNE 13, 2014

FRIDAY 20

Newseum memorializes 77 journalists killed in 2013 amid calls for standing up to fear

BY CONNOR RADNOVICH The Associated Press WASHINGTON—The Newseum on Monday honoured the 77 journalists who were killed around the world in 2013 by adding 10 names to its towering memorial.

At a rededication ceremony for the memorial, Associated Press Executive Editor and Senior Vice-President Kathleen Carroll called on journalists to fight indifference and reaffirm the importance of standing up to corruption and fear. If journalists fail to do so, she said, “then you are giving up things that these people died to fight for, and that’s unconscionable.”

“Across the world, journalists are not submitting. They fight for the right to freely chronicle the actions of the powerful and the humble,” Carroll said.

Last year, 28 journalists were killed in Syria, making it the

deadliest place in the world for journalists.

The memorial now contains the names of 2,256 journalists who have died while covering the news since 1837, said Gene Policinski, Newseum chief operating officer. He said advances in digital media have put more journalists at risk, since they now have larger audiences and can attract more attention.

Journalists continue their work despite that risk, Carroll said. She noted that Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus had said she kept going back to dangerous parts of the world “because it’s what I do.” Niedringhaus was killed in April 2014 by an Afghan police officer within weeks of making that statement, Carroll said.

In the same attack, veteran AP correspondent Kathy Gannon was wounded.

This year, the Newseum decided to add 10 names to the memorial, rather than the

names of all who were killed while working, as they have done in the past. Policinski said the change was made because the advent of digital media had made it more difficult to determine who is a journalist and who has died pursuing the news.

About 50 friends and relatives of journalists named on the memorial were present.

Some reached for tissues as the circumstances behind the deaths were read.

Washington Post reporter Daniela Deane flew in from London for the ceremony. Her husband, Mick Deane, 61, was shot and killed by a sniper while covering a violent protest in Cairo last year. He had covered wars and other major events for CNN and Sky News for nearly 40 years.

“It’s been 10 months, so I can finally, sort of, take in some of this warmth,” Deane said.

Besides Deane, the other

journalists memorialized were: • Akhmednabi Akhmednabiyev, 53, from Russia, killed for reporting on government corruption and human rights violations.

• Yasser Faisal al-Jumaili, 35, from Iraq, killed in Syria trying to film the civil war.

• Mikhail Beketov, 55, from Russia, who reported on government corruption and died last year of complications from a 2008 attack.

• Ghislaine Dupont, 57, and Claude Verlon, 58, both from France, who were killed in northern Mali while reporting on violence there.

• Rodrigo Neto, 38, from Brazil, gunned down while working on a book about suspected police involvement in a murder.

• Sai Reddy, 51 from India, who reported on a 20-year fight between Maoist rebels and police; he was killed when armed Maoist rebels attacked him.

The Journalists Memorial at the Newseum is a soaring, two-story glass structure bearing the names of reporters, photographers, editors and broadcasters as far back as 1837 who represent all those who have died in the line of duty.

PHOTO FROM NEWSEUM.ORG

• Fernando Solijon, 48, from the Philippines, whose reporting had linked some local politicians to illegal drug trade; he was shot multiple times by masked gunmen who fled on a motorcycle.

• Olivier Voisin, 38, from France, who died three days after he was hit with shrapnel while reporting in Syria. ■ Associated Press writer Emmilyne Victor contributed to this report.

Supreme Court says immigrant children have to go to back of line for visas after turning 21

BY CONNOR RADNOVICH The Associated Press WASHINGTON—A divided Supreme Court ruled Monday that immigrant children who waited for years with their parents to obtain visas still have to go to the back of the line when they turn 21.

In a 5-4 decision, the justices sided with the Obama administration in finding that immigration laws offer relief only to a tiny percentage of children who “age out” of the system. The majority no longer qualify for the immigration status granted to minors.

The case involved Rosalina Cuellar de Osorio, a Salvadoran immigrant who was in line for a visa along with her 13-year-old son. But after years of waiting, her son turned 21 and government officials said he no longer qualified as an eligible child. He was placed at the back of the line, resulting in a wait of sev-

eral more years.

The family won its challenge before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, but the Supreme Court reversed that decision.

Writing for the majority, Justice Elena Kagan said the law directs immigration officials to automatically convert a 21-year-old child’s petition into a category for adults. The only immigrants who can maintain their spot in line are those who would already qualify under the valid new adult category.

The case does not have any impact on the recent influx of thousands of immigrant children travelling on their own to cross the U.S. border from Mexico.

Because approving families for green cards can take years, several thousand immigrant children age out of the system each year, according to government estimates. Congress tried to fix the problem in 2002 when it passed the Child Status

PHOTO BY CONSTANTINE PANKIN / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Protection Act. The law allows aged-out children to retain their child status longer or qualify for a valid adult category and keep their initial priority date.

But appeals courts have split over whether the law applies to all children or only those in specific categories. The Obama administration argued that the www.canadianinquirer.net

law applied only to a narrow category of immigrants, leaving out most of the children affected. Government attorneys said that applying the law too broadly would lead to too many young adults entering the country ahead of others waiting in line.

Immigration advocates as-

sert that the law was passed to promote family unity. According to Catholic Legal Immigration Network, an advocacy group, forcing an aged-out child to go back to the end of the line would increase his or her wait time by more than nine years.

By contrast, it says keeping the child’s priority dates would increase the wait time for others by just a few months.

In dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor said the law should be read to allow all aged-out children to keep their place in line.

A group of lawmakers who served in Congress when the law was passed— including Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.—submitted a brief arguing against the government in this case.

Immigration reform groups were hoping the issue would be addressed in Congress, but lawmakers have delayed plans to overhaul immigration laws. ■

World News

21 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

Airport attack poses stark challenge for Pakistan’s government as militants vow more violence

BY REBECCA SANTANA AND ADIL JAWAD The Associated Press KARACHI, PAKISTAN—The Pakistani Taliban threatened more violence Monday after a five-hour assault on the nation’s busiest airport killed 29 people— including all 10 attackers—raising a new challenge for a U.S. ally trying to end years of fighting that has claimed thousands of lives.

With recently started peace efforts stalled, the cautious government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif may be dragged closer to a decision on whether to take on the militants in earnest across a country with a long history of ambiguity when it comes to dealing with militancy.

A further weakening of stability in the nuclear power whose tribal regions are already a hotbed of foment could ripple to neighbouring Afghanistan as international combat forces prepare to withdraw from that country.

“Everywhere is a threat,” warned Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. “Every area is a target, every building is a potential target.”

Such an attack in Karachi, Pakistan’s business centre, will likely discourage foreign investment at a time when its economy is struggling.

The Taliban said the assault on the Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, was in revenge for the November killing of the militant group’s leader in a U.S. drone strike.

In a telephone call to The Associated Press, the group’s spokesman, Shahidullah Shahid, warned that “such attacks will continue until there is a permanent cease-fire.”

The attack began late Sunday when 10 gunmen, some disguised as policemen, stormed into a section of the sprawling airport where a terminal for VIP flights and cargo is located. They opened fire with machine-guns and rocket launchers, sparking a battle with security forces that lasted until around dawn.

Heavy gunfire and multiple explosions were heard coming from the terminal amid the fighting. A major fire rose

from the airport, illuminating the night in an orange glow as the silhouettes of jets could be seen.

At least some of the gunmen wore the uniform of the Airport Security Force, said an official near the terminal. All the attackers wore vests of explosives, some of which were detonated when they were shot at by the police, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.

The attack started about the same time that airport security personnel and the staff from the Pakistani International Airlines engineering wing were changing shifts, said two of the PIA employees. The employees asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

A cargo building was left completely gutted by the fire and the explosions, said Rizwan Akhtar, the chief of Pakistan’s elite paramilitary Rangers.

Just before dawn, security forces regained control of the airport, and all 10 attackers were dead, Akhtar said. Some of the attackers appeared to be Uzbeks, he added, but officials were still investigating.

The attackers intended to destroy aircraft or possibly take people at the airport hostage, Khan said, adding that 19 people were killed. Most of the dead were airport security personnel who took the brunt of the assault.

During the battle, airport operations were suspended and all incoming flights were diverted. It reopened Monday afternoon.

Shahid, the spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan— as the Pakistani Taliban are known—said the attack was to avenge the death of Hakimullah Mehsud, the Taliban chief who was killed in an American drone strike in November 2013.

Mehsud’s death was the last major killing of a militant commander under the controversial drone program. The AP reported in May that the program has largely wound down over Pakistan, and there hasn’t been a drone strike in the country since December.

The claim further diminished prospects for a resumption of

peace talks with the Pakistani Taliban that officials had hoped could bring an end to the group’s years-long campaign seeking to overthrow the government.

Sharif’s government has advocated a policy of trying to negotiate with militants to end the insurgency, but the talks have floundered recently. The Taliban called off a cease-fire they had declared during the negotiations. Since then, Pakistani troops have hit hideouts with airstrikes in the troubled northwestern region, killing dozens of suspected militants.

But Samina Ahmed, senior adviser for South Asia from the International Crisis Group, said part of the problem is that Pakistan doesn’t have a clear policy on dealing with the militancy.

“There is already a military

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operation,” she said, referring to the airstrikes. “But that operation is reactive and tactical.

It’s not strategic, and it’s not sustained.”

If Sharif were to get serious in taking on the militants, there could be serious blowback in Pakistan, including in his home territory of Punjab province that has been relatively insulated from the violence. Many of the militant groups draw support from Punjab province, and critics question whether Sharif’s party, which controls the Punjab government, has the political will to take on the militants there.

Imtiaz Gul, director of the Islamabad-based Center for Research and Security Studies, said the government has been worried about attacks on Pun-

jab province if it pushes for a large scale military operation.

“That’s one of the considerations,” he said. “They believe they can develop Punjab into an island of peace and prosperity.”

Karachi has been the site of previous attacks, including one in 2011 against a naval base that lasted for 18 hours and killed 10 people, deeply embarrassing the military. Security officials have been worried that a breakdown in negotiations could result in a spike in violence in Karachi, which has seen the Pakistani Taliban gain a major foothold in the city in recent years. ■ Santana reported from Islamabad. Zarar Khan, Munir Ahmed and Asif Shahzad in Islamabad, and Adam Schreck in Dubai contributed to this report.

Immigration

JUNE 13, 2014

FRIDAY 22

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Immigration

23 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

PANGARAP : SO, OUR JOURNEY BEGINS

So, How Many Times Did You Feel You Were Alone?

BY BOLET AREVALO MIGRATING, WITH OR WITHOUT YOUR FAMILY, STILL MAKES YOU FEEL ALONE SOMETIMES. BUT SOON YOU WILL DISCOVER THAT THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE OUT THERE AND THERE IS A LIFE OUTSIDE OF YOUR PREVIOUS ONE. I trust that anybody who has been approved as a principal immigrant, whether out of sponsorship or independent application, is somebody who is determined, persistent, brave and strong-willed. He is also a type of person who knows what he wants and will work for what he wants. Such being, he is willing to go to great lengths, to walk the mile to get there.

I really, really admire the bravery of people who migrate, who do not even have any relatives or friends to welcome them or assist them in beginning of their new life. It is hard enough that you are coming to a strange place, and it is worse if you are a complete stranger in this new place.

Call this extreme, but I should say coming over was to me like going through what they call the different emotional stages of cancer—Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. This is more scientifically known as the Kubler-Ross Five Emotional Stages of Grief. The author Kubler-Ross originally applied this theory to people suffering from terminal illness and eventually to just about anybody who is experiencing personal catastrophe (death, loss of job, income or freedom, etc).

As unique human beings, the stages to be cited may not come chronologically or end immediately. Some may stay at different lengths of time at every stage, or may even go back and forth at some stages. But the conclusion is we need to be able to go through all the stages to be able to experience full healing.

Only with healing can we begin to live life again to its fullest. So, what are these stages?

DENIAL in the Big C is not accepting the fact that you have

it. “No, this could not be happening to me.” To me, denial in this situation is sometimes, or perhaps just at the early stages, not being able to accept the fact that suddenly all things seem to be behind you now.

You are left with memories and are confronted by a blank wall, not knowing for sure where to start or how to start all over again. Perhaps fear grips you and you want to believe that this could not be happening, and is probably just a dream. If the first few months become really difficult, then you become angry.

ANGER, not necessarily in the sense that you do not like what has happened or where you have ended, and not in the cancer sense in which the afflicted questions God why, of all people, you got the big C. But more of anger in the sense that you are questioning yourself as to whether the decision to go and turn your back from your past life was the right decision.

This is anger in the sense that you are wondering whether you are sick with masochism because, perhaps from a life of comfort, you moved to a life

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of self-sacrifice. Suddenly the word sacrifice hits you in the head. You remember that you said you were willing to sacrifice everything because you are doing this for your children or your family and not for yourself alone. You come face to face with the reality that you cannot do this alone, but with family, and better yet, with your God. So you decide to bargain.

BARGAINING is striking a deal, perhaps promising to be good if you do well. Begging, praying, wishing. Doing something for the sake of getting

something in return. “I am willing to take this menial job, with a meagre salary just to be able to pull us through.” I will do this for only three years until I get my citizenship, and then go from there.” “I just need to see my children graduate from college or get their own job, and I will be fine.” “I promise to bear every pain and sacrifice so that my children can have this opportunity for a better life, just help me get a job, please.”

Usually the deal is made with the Higher Being to whom the individual’s faith lies. In return, you promise to be a better mother/father, a better friend, or a better worker.

DEPRESSION is an overwhelming stage. I would think that everyone who gets completely uprooted goes through depression, but at different levels of intensity. Such intensity, I believe, depends on a person’s strength of character and faith in his God. Such intensity also spells the difference of how long you are going to stay in this stage. Some may even call for professional help.

But never look at it as a sign of ❱❱ PAGE 35 So, How

JUNE 13, 2014

FRIDAY 24

FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS:

Lenore RS Lim

BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer LENORE RS Lim. The name rings a resounding bell among lovers of art and fine prints everywhere. After all, Lenore is a master in the modern techniques of lithography, etching, monotype, collagraph, and serigraphy; printmaking skills which she honed at the School of Visual Arts and the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop in New York.

This dedicated printmaker is quite the prolific artist, having exhibited across the globe in Austria, Canada, France, Iraq, Italy, Japan, Jordan, the Philippines, Peru, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.

She is likewise a recipient of the Philippine Presidential Award for Arts, as well as the Jackson Pollock-Lee Krasner Foundation Grant. Adding a feather to an already heavy cap, in 2005, she published a book entitled, "Profound Afterglow: The Prints of Lenore RS Lim." All the acclaim Lenore enjoys in the circle of the arts extends to yet another circle—one that, although different in nature, requires just as much artistry: the realm of motherhood.

The subject of daughter / author Marie Claire Lim-Moore’s top-selling book, “Don’t Forget the Soap: And Other Reminders from My Fabulous Filipina Mother”, Lenore is lovingly described as the Un-Tiger mom, who taught her children a healthy life-balance, and never pushed them to the point of overachieving.

Filipina-Canadian, Lenore RS Lim, is indeed the epitome of a (phenomenal) woman.

Early start in art

Lenore traces her early beginnings in the arts to childhood; as a young girl growing up in the Lim Raquel- Santos

Lenore RS Lim. "Gingko."

household.

“When I was a child, my father, Arsenio Raquel-Santos bought me my first art book when he noticed my growing inclination for drawing. In high school, Sister Araceli, my art teacher at the College of the Holy Spirit, gave me free art lessons outside the classroom every Saturday morning.

Without their support and encouragement, I might not have developed as a dedicated artist that I am today,” she recalled.

These efforts of those close to Lenore paid off in big ways.

In 1967, she graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Architecture and Fine Arts, and later went on to teach art at the International School Manila from 1968 to 1974. Simultaneously, she taught at Assumption Convent in Manila from 1968 to 1970.

Wanting to contribute even more to the field of arts education, Lenore became secretary of the Philippine Art Educators Association (PAEA) in 1973; a position she held for one year.

As destiny would have it, her teaching career brought Lenore to Mobile, Alabama USA in 1975, as an Art Resource Teacher in the Mobile county Public School System. After which, she moved to Vancouver, Brit-

ish Columbia to start a family.

In Vancouver, she gave art lessons at Place des Arts from 1984 to 1985.

The art of mothering

Upon starting a family in Canada, Lenore decided to put the same effort into mothering her two young children, as she did into honing her craft.

“To understand and learn more about bringing up my two young children, I finished a Certificate in Early Childhood Education at the Douglas College in New Westminster, B.C. in 1985. I then started a multi-cultural pre-school for Our Lady of Lourdes School in Coquitlam, British Columbia in 1985. I served as the preschool’s supervisor until 1988 when I accepted to teach Early Childhood at the United Nations International School in New York,” she shared.

And all these efforts paid off richly, as Lenore continues to “mother” with finesse and aplomb.

In her book, which has taken online shopping site Amazon by storm, daughter Marie Claire reveals that she puts her mother “on a pedestal,” and rightfully so.

“When it comes to what defines you as a person and your time in this world, no one has

Lenore with her family—granddaughter Isabel, son-in-law Alex, Lenore, daughter Claire, husband Jose, and grandson Carlos. (son Justin was not in photo)

a better outlook than my mother,” Marie Claire writes. “And for this reason I hold her in the highest regard.”

Artful balancing act

In being true to practicing her own preaching about finding balance in life, Lenore successfully managed all her commitments and responsibilities as an accomplished artist, dedicated mother, and fulfilled woman; battling through early immigrant woes.

“I was newly married and we had no job yet. I was already

working as an art teacher at the International School Manila, and in Canada, they asked me for Canadian experience,” Lenore says, recalling their early days on Canadian soil.

Also, she admits to having grown “in a house with some helpers,” as such, she “didn’t know how to cook and do housework.”

But, as driven folk often do, Lenore overcame the obstacles, and pressed on towards success.

On top of all that she had going on, she even found time to involve ❱❱ PAGE 33 Filipino-Canadian in

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25

Celebrating Philippine Independence Day Week 2

The ‘Forgotten People’ in Philippine History

BY THESSA SANDOVAL Philippine Canadian Inquirer SINCE TIME immemorial, we Filipinos are being taught in many of our history classes who our national heroes are. We see photos of them on posters on the walls of our classrooms and their statues in our school grounds. Jose Rizal, Andres Bonifacio, Emilio Aguinaldo, Apolinario Mabini, Melchora Aquino, and Gabriela Silang are the names that come up right away when asked who our greatest heroes are. But behind the colorful, illustrious stories told about each of our national heroes were the unsung heroes, also called as the “forgotten people,” who also became part of the Philippines’ fight for freedom during colonial times.

Without their contributions, whether big or small, we would not be enjoying the same freedom we enjoy today.

There is a long list of lesser-recognized Filipino heroes and here are just a few of them:

Agueda Esteban

The other Agueda in the account of Philippine revolution was the wife of a Katipunero known as “Tungkod.” She was responsible for receiving materials to be used to make gunpowder and bullets from Katipuneros and delivering them from Manila to Cavite. She would travel far and hike through the mountains to ensure the safe delivery of the materials. During the American invasion, she served as the messenger between her husband and Gen. Artemio Ricarte and delivered papers on war. Her husband was then caught and exiled to Guam, where he died. She married Gen. Ricarte in 1911 and resided in Japan with him and their family for almost two decades.

National Heroes Monument, Manila City Hall Park.

and would bring them to their base. Espiridiona was killed along with his brothers Ciriaco and Procopio by Emilio Aguinaldo’s forces when Andres was arrested.

Jose Torres Bugallon

Abella was one of the “13 martyrs of Bicol” executed in Bagumbayan. He was a surveyor who became interested in joining the Katipunan. After he had become an official member of the movement, he went to Mount Isarog in Camarines Sur and recruited the Negritos in the province. The Spaniards discovered about his activities, which led to his and his father’s arrest. They were jailed in Fort Santiago, where they were tortured and insulted by the Spaniards. He and his father were sentenced to death after being tried on allegations that he received a consignment of arms from Florencio Lerma, another Katipunero, to massacre the Spaniards. The sentence was carried on January 4, 1897. Abella together with his father and the other martyrs of Bicol was executed by firing squad.

Jose T. Bugallon entered the seminary at age 16, but left after realizing that becoming a soldier was what he wanted. He took up the military service exam, passed it, and was granted a scholarship to study military organization and warfare at the Academia Militar in Toledo, Spain. Upon his return to the Philippines, he was commissioned into the Spanish Army and became an official. After the Treaty of Paris was signed on December 10, 1898, he obtained clearance papers. When the Americans came, he joined General Antonio Luna’s staff as aide-de-camp. His knowledge in military organization became valuable in reorganizing the Filipino army and instilling discipline in them.

A day after the Philippine-American war officially began, on February 5, 1899, Bugallon led the Battle of La Loma. He was shot in the leg during the battle, which caused his death.

Espiridiona Bonifacio

Agueda Kahabagan

Domingo Abella

Espiridiona is the youngest sibling of the Father of Philippine Revolution, Andres Bonifacio. She had served the Katipunan even after the death of her husband, Teodoro Plata, one of the cofounders of the movement. At a designated spot, she would wait for the rebels who would hand her the guns stolen or collected from attacks on the Spaniards.

After gathering the weapons, she would hide them all under her big “saya” (skirt)

She was the only woman general in the Philippine revolution and was known as “Henerala Agueda.” She fought in the field of battle and even helped Gen. Miguel Malvar during an attack on Spanish garrisons in San Pablo, Laguna. She was often seen dressed in white during battles, armed with a rifle in one hand and a dagger in the other. After surviving the battles against the Spaniards, she also joined the fight against the Ameri-

PHOTO BY OBRA19 / CC BY-SA 3.0

can Forces. Reportedly, she was appointed as General on January 4, 1899.

Do you know of other unsung heroes?

Let us also remember them as we celebrate our 116th Independence Day. ■

Happy Philippine Independence Day Hon. Teresa Wat MLA for Richmond Centre

Richmond Centre Constituency Office 300-8120 Granville Avenue Richmond, BC V6Y 1P3

Tel.: 604-775-0754 Fax: 604-775-0898

Celebrating Philippine Independence Day

JUNE 13, 2014

FRIDAY 26

Pepe’s Home

BY CHING DEE Philippine Canadian Inquirer “RIZAL’S HOUSE in Calamba is not just a tourist spot, it is a place that should inform, educate and inspire. It should open our eyes to new ways of seeing,” wrote Ambeth Ocampo, renowned historian and former chairman of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines or NHCP. While the kids of today are busy exercising their fingers on the latest tablet or phone (or their hybrid called ‘phablet’), our national hero spent his childhood roaming around his home in Calamba.

Every corner was an exploration, every afternoon an adventure.

Here’s a look at Pepe as told by his childhood abode—the walls that shaped the man we came to know as José Protasio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda, or simply José Rizal.

The shrine that was once a home

When Rizal was exiled in Dapitan, he longed for his childhood home “like a weary swallow.”

The Rizal Shrine—once the refuge of the Rizal family—is perhaps Calamba’s top tourist destination. While Pansol has hot springs and Paete has wood carvings, Calamba has always had Rizal’s house.

It may be a typical bahay na bato that was built during the Spanish regime, but it was the biggest residence in Calamba at the time.

According to the NHCP, the house we see today is a reproduction of the original house where Rizal grew up—with a few pieces of original furniture placed here and there (more original pieces are found at the Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago, Manila). The original house was destroyed during World War II and the Philippine government decided to

buy the ruins for PhP 24,000 (or CAD$600) through Executive Order No. 145 of President Elpidio Quirino. National Artist for Architecture Juan F. Nakpil supervised the reconstruction and the house was inaugurated on what would have been Pepe’s 54th birthday on June 19, 1950.

According to museum curator Olga Palacay, Juan Nakpil regularly consulted Pepe’s youngest sister Trinidad during the reconstruction to maintain the original look as much as possible.

Several modern additions were made on the house and entire property, including an audio-visual room and museum holding historical artifacts in 1997, CCTV cameras, an elevator for guests on wheelchairs, as well as a new azotea leading to the exit. On the centennial celebration of Jose Rizal’s death, artist Dudley Diaz created a sculpture of a young Pepe and his dog. It is now on display in the property grounds, near the replica of Pepe’s nipa hut.

The Lawn

Even with today’s standards, the Rizal property—or rather, the Mercado property—in Calamba is massive.

When Pepe was about four years old, his uncle Manuel and uncle Gregorio—his mother’s cousins—taught him life lessons he cherished ‘til the very end.

Seeing the boy’s frail state, Uncle Manuel taught Pepe to appreciate nature in all its beauty and get as much fresh air as possible. Meanwhile, Uncle Gregorio said to young Pepe, “Work hard and perform every task very carefully; learn to be swift as well as thorough; be independent in thinking and make visual pictures of everything.”

Before heading off to Biñan to start his formal education, young Pepe spent many afternoons in his small nipa hut by the lawn. This is where he

PAGBATI MULA SA

Pepe's bahay kubo.

Statue of a young Rizal.

created sculptures and wrote poems—most of which we still know today.

In fact, Pepe wrote his first poem "Sa Aking Mga Kabata" at the tender age of eight.

Today, the lush lawn has a replica of Pepe’s nipa hut, a sculpture of a young Pepe with his dog, as well as several fruit bearing trees like santol and mabolo.

The Ground Floor

The ground floor is made of stone and bricks, which served as a garage for a carriage or two as well as a stable for their horses.

Today, the ground floor contains several facsimiles of Rizal’s birth certificate, notes, and even a doodle of himself.

The Living Area

Ascending the grand wooden staircase to the second level, one will see Pepe’s father’s caida, which also serves as a library.

The wooden floor and furniture—framed by the light filtering through the capiz windows— creates a nostalgic feeling.

Pepe himself discovered worlds through his father’s library by reading books. On a personal note, I believe this is the birthplace of Pepe’s consciousness—his thirst for education and wisdom that fueled him to be a poet, an artist, a doctor, a writer, and most of all—a hero.

PHOTOS BY CHING DEE AND LEOVIC ARCETA

The lack of electricity and modern methods of entertainment means more time with the family, and the Rizals were no exception. After having dinner, the family would often gather to the living area—a table with seats by the huge window—to listen to their parents’ stories.

The Bedrooms

The upper level has three bedrooms—one for the girls, one for the boys, and the master’s bedroom for Pepe’s parents Francisco Mercado and Teodora Alonzo.

The girls’ bedroom has a fourposter bed, a vanity, a cabinet, and Trinidad’s original sewing machine.

The master’s bedroom was kept simple: just a four poster bed—where Pepe was born, a vanity, and a table with two chairs by the capiz window overlooking the street.

Pepe and his older brother Paciano—whom some consider as Pepe’s best friend and confidante—slept in the boys’ room, which still has the two-sink vanity for the boys. Palacay shared on a GMA News report last year that the sisters—all nine of them—would often drag their banig and sleep in the boys’ room to swap stories with them.

It is said that it was in his room that Pepe learned his prayers.

The Dining Hall and Kitchen

The second level also contains the formal dining hall where the Rizal couple welcomed guests for get-togethers.

Even today, the heavy wooden table and accompanying seats are well maintained.

Despite having a fancy dining table, the family often shared meals in their informal dining room near the kitchen. A punkah—a manually operated fan of Indian influence—hung over the table and kept the family cool during the meal.

According to historians, the kitchen was Pepe’s first classroom where he learned the alphabet with the help of his mother when he was only three years old. One year later, he started learning latin with his father’s former classmate Leon Monroy.

Just outside the kitchen door is the azotea, where Pepe often listened to his yaya’s “skeletons and buried treasures, and trees that bloomed with diamonds.”

More than edible nourishment, Pepe was surely filled with education and imagination in his home. ■ Rizal Shrine is located at F. Mercado Street, Calamba City, Laguna. It is open from Tuesday to Saturday at 8:00am to 4:00pm.

It is easily accessible by jeep or by tricycle from the Calamba City Central Terminal.

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Celebrating Philippine Independence Day

27 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

Philippine Flag 101

BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer A SYMBOL of national identity, sovereignty, freedom and independence, a country’s flag is undoubtedly among a nation’s biggest sources of pride.

The sight conjures up a plethora of emotions, including one of thankfulness; for to belong somewhere is perhaps one of humanity’s greatest needs. No matter the misgivings one may have, or the shortcomings of one’s nation, having a land to call your own is essential to the make-up of our very being.

And nothing better represents this sense of belonging than the national flag. Just watch any Pacquiao fight and you’ll know exactly what I mean.

A country’s flag serves as its rallying point, in times of crisis and dire need; as evidence in the aftermath of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in November 2013. Set against a backdrop of devastation, flags were hoisted from atop of houses and buildings reduced to rubble; a state-

ment of hope: We shall overcome.

On a bigger scale, national identity brings order and organization, and enables us to make sense of this world in which we live. Of course, the opposite side of that pole is less the ideal: national identity can also rip us apart; as in times of war, with country pitted against country, flag versus flag.

With Philippine Independence Day to be celebrated on June 12 by Filipinos on local shores, as well as by kababayans on shores across the globe, let’s increase our flag IQ with some facts every Pinoy should know: • The first flag was (shock of shocks) “imported.” Aguinaldo, who designed the elements of the flag while in exile, commissioned its fabrication in Hong Kong. It was sewn by Marcela Mariño de Agoncillo, a daughter of a rich family in from Batangas, who moved to Hong Kong when her husband, Filipino lawyer and jurist Don Felipe Agoncillo, was exiled.

The original flag was predominantly hand-sewn of fine silk,

with Agoncillo being assisted by her eldest daughter, fiveyear-old Lorenza, and Mrs. Delfina Herbosa de Natividad, Jose Rizal's niece. The process was far from easy, and took its toll on their eyesight and hands.

At one point, they had to redo the flag after the rays of the sun were not in the proper direction. The flag was finished in 5 days; with the women’s arduous labour.

• The first unfurling of the flag was NOT on Independence Day, as we know it. It was— contrary to popular belief—on May 28, 1898, in Cavite City, then known as Cavite Nuevo

(New Cavite) or Cavite Puerto (Cavite Port) where the Cuartel Heneral (the revolution’s HQ), the Teatro Caviteño, was located. Spanish officials had learned of a shipment of ammunition which had arrived at the Cavite port two days earlier and had been shipped to a revolutionary bailiwick in the small barrio of Alapan, Cavite.

They sent a group of a little under 300 soldiers to the barrio, with the intent of confiscating the weapons. They, however, did not anticipate the fierce fight the revolutionaries would put up. The gun battle—which lasted from 10 in the morning

until 3 in the afternoon—resulted in the victory of the Filipinos, however unlikely that was thought to be. The exuberant revolutionaries took their Spanish prisoners to the headquarters in Cavite that same day, where Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo, leader of the Philippine Revolution, waved the Philippine flag, to cheers and shouts of victory. The Katipunan had its own flag, but this was the first time ever that the flag of a dreamed-about, sovereign Philippines was displayed. It was an inspirational act, meant ❱❱ PAGE 30 Philippine Flag

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29 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

Celebrating Philippine Independence Day

Baybayin: Symbol of Freedom and Independence

BY LEI FONTAMILLAS Philippine Canadian Inquirer “THIS LANGUAGE of ours is like any other, it once had an alphabet and its own letters that vanished as though a tempest had set upon a boat on a lake in a time now long gone.”

“To My Fellow Children”, attributed to Jose Rizal, 1869 English translation by P. Morrow History has written the story of a bloody revolution that led to the country’s independence.

But what is long forgotten in the country’s fight for independence is that, what also inspired the revolution was the fact that before the invaders came, the Philippines was a free country, with a culture and a language of its own.

Even before the Philippines gained its freedom from invaders during the period of colonization, the country’s independence is already depicted in its language and writing. The country’s ancient form of writing is the symbol of the Filipinos literacy long before the Spaniards came.

Contrary to what some Spaniards are claiming, the country was not made of bewildered settlers and chaotic settlements.

For some scholars, it was a country with more than just separate, fierce and barbaric tribes. Native settlers in the country already had a colourful civilization, though far more different than that of the colonizers.

The fact that ancient Filipinos already created a civilization of their own, with a system of government, of language and literature is a symbol of the Philippines’ pre-existing freedom. It was a symbol of the native communities’ independence,

which Filipinos during the Spanish times have fought for.

Independence in Language History

The Spaniards found the country in what seems to be an age of native literacy. People in Manila and various parts of the country were already writing on bamboo and palm leaves specially designed for writing using knives.

Various scholarly accounts have showed that the early Tagalogs had already been writing with a native form of language called the Baybayin, which was derived from the Tagalog word “baybay,” meaning “to spell.”

Though Baybayin traces its roots from the early Indian scripts, the Philippines’ Baybayin had its own history and form. There are several theories but the script’s real origin is yet to be ascertained.

One theory for instance, as explained

by Daivid Diringer, says that the scripts were derived from Kavi script or the Old Javanese script, an indirect offshoot of the Buginese language. These accounts suggest that the country’s native scripts are of Buginese origin because the scripts have final syllable consonants underrepresented. On the other hand, another theory suggested by Fletcher Garner indicates that the writing was derived from Brahmi scripts and was directly transmitted to the country by Indian priests The ancient Tagalog script had 17 basic symbols which already contained the modern-day vowels a, i, and u. Yet as the script evolved through time, it has also undergone several revisions and improvements specially coming from priests who studied the native language during the Spanish period of colonization.

Sadly, after its introduction which is believed to be around AD 1000-1200, the

Happy Filipino Independence Day! MOSAIC has worked with newcomers to Canada for over 35 years, offering programs to help families and individuals with settlement issues, language classes and employment services.

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script became short-lived having came to extinction in the late 18th century.

Today, two scripts remain intact and have survived the test of time: those used by the Tagbanwa, an ethnic group from the island of Palawan, and those used by the Mangyan from the island of Mindoro.

Historians would describe the language as a “simple and elegant” system characterized as “syllabary” Which means that each symbol in the script is representing a complete syllable. This “syllabary” element of the Tagalog script accounts for the difficulty found by most Filipinos using the said language.

In 1914, Dean Paul Versoza of the University of Manila renamed the Baybayin to alibata, a term derived from alif, ba and ta, which were the first three letters of the Maguindanao Arabic letter arrangement. Some scholars, however, criticized this, saying that the name is totally unrelated to the entire writing system.

Language and literacy of for all

Long before the revolution against the colonizers sparked, Filipinos already have a concept of independence: a sense of freedom from discrimination and control of the elites. The natives already had an implied concept of “literacy for all,” attributed to the strange use of language in writing in the country during the ancient period. www.canadianinquirer.net

Most historical accounts of various ancient cultures have reserved the art of reading and writing for the “selected few” that belongs to the elite classes.

A good example for this is the ancient Indonesian and Egyptian civilization where writing was exclusive among priests and scribes who write history and make accounts of their daily experiences.

Surprisingly, that of the Philippines’ was a civilization with a culture of language and writing used by everyone. It was an unrestricted art, open to all and made for all Filipinos.

Several written accounts from priests who studied the ancient language during their arrival in the country indicated support to the idea that language during the ancient times in the country were not meant for writing science and history. It was used by ordinary natives in their daily conversations, in writing poetry and in their early business and trade engagements.

They say that an independent state is composed of people living in a territory with a government of its own and with sovereignty over its territories.

But there is more to this standard definition of an independent state.

A country’s ability to read and write with a developed system of writing is a sign of a country’s independence from external control; a sign of freedom and independence. ■

Celebrating Philippine Independence Day

JUNE 13, 2014

FRIDAY 30

Philippine Flag... to celebrate what was considered their first major victory, and to fuel the revolutionaries onward in the battle.

• The second and official unfurling—which most erroneously believe to be the first time the flag was displayed in public—was on June 12, 1898 in Cavite el Viejo (“Old Cavite”, now Kawit), Cavite Province.

This was the Declaration of Independence, as proclaimed

by Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo: The independence of the Filipinos and the birth of the Philippine Republic “under the protection of the mighty and humane North American Union.” June 12 is celebrated to date as Philippine Independence Day. • The Philippine flag, in accordance with Republic Act No. 8491 (the Flag and Heraldic Code of the Philippines), is twice as long as it is wide, so that the diagonals of the equilateral white triangle lie on the lines connecting the opposite corners of the flag.

• It is sectioned into three ❰❰ 27

main parts: a royal blue field, symbolizing peace, truth, and justice; a scarlet red field, symbolizing patriotism and valor; and a white triangle, symbolizing equality and brotherhood.

The first shade of blue used in the flag was patterned after the Cuban flag, and gradated through the years from shades of sky blue to navy blue. Republic Act No. 8491 has decreed it at royal blue.

• Historically, however, the document of the Declaration of Independence says that the white triangle signifies the emblem of the revolutionary Katipunan.

• The document also says that the flag's colors commemorate the flag of the United States as a manifestation of gratitude for American protection against the Spanish during the Philippine Revolution; something that would probably cause more than a raised nationalistic eyebrow or two.

• The eight-rayed golden sun commonly perceived as the center of the white triangle is actu-

ally not exactly dead-center of the triangle, but shifted slightly to the right. The sun symbolizes unity, freedom, people's democracy, and sovereignty, with each ray representing one of the first eight provinces that started the 1896 Philippine Revolution against Spain. The eight provinces are listed officially as as Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac, Laguna, and Batangas.

Original documents have Bataan listed instead of Tarlac.

• The official design features an eight-ray sun, whose rays are

spaced 3.75°apart. There is an oft-mistakenly used eight-ray sun, whose rays are spaced 5° apart.

• There are three five-pointed stars, one for each of the triangle's points, representing the three major geographical island groups that comprise the Philippines: Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Although originally, one of the stars represented the island of Panay (rather than the entire Visayas region).

• The flag was banned during the American occupation starting from 1907 until 1919 when

the law that banned its display was repealed.

• It is the only national flag which may be hoisted inverted—red side up—when the Congress of the Philippines has declared a "state of war". Normally, the flag is hoisted blue side up.

• The flag is required by law to be hoisted or displayed at certain establishments, like government buildings, official residences, public plazas, and schools every day throughout the year. However, local citizens may also display the flag on their house, doorways, and such from May 28 to June 30.

As long as you remember that it is prohibited by law to use the flag as a drapery, curtain, festoon, table cloth, or fashion accessory (among other regulations). Neither can the flag be displayed in discos, bars or nightclubs, casinos, and other places of “vice and frivolity.”

Happy Philippine Independence Day! Let’s wave our flag high! ■

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31

Entertainment

Some of the best Tony moments: A bouncing host, a tearful mom, and two Carole Kings

BY JOCELYN NOVECK The Associated Press NEW YORK—Hugh Jackman hopping his way into the theatre, Neil Patrick Harris licking the eyeglasses of Samuel L. Jackson. A little history, and a slew of genuinely heartfelt speeches. The Tonys are often the most entertaining awards show of the year, and this year, again, they didn’t disappoint.

A look at some of the evening’s most memorable moments, including some you didn’t see on TV: Was he a bunny or a kangaroo?

He never really said. But Jackman’s entrance, bouncing like an indefatigable doll into the theatre, down the aisles, up to the stage and off to various other places, epitomized the spirit of this winning host, who was in good shape and game for anything. When, at the end, he asked all the Tony winners to come onstage and bounce along with him, not all had the energy.

We can’t all be Hugh Jackman.

More love for NPH

Well, maybe only Neil Patrick Harris can be Hugh Jackman.

The frequent (and much-admired) Tony host wasn’t performing those duties this year, but he still gave the show one of its most memorable moments, performing “Sugar Daddy” from “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” As Hedwig, a transgen-

der East German singer, Harris sauntered around the stage in his giant blonde wig, then ventured into the crowd, giving a lap dance to Sting and licking Jackson’s glasses. Later NPH was awarded the Tony for best actor in a musical. The orchestra starting to play him off wasn’t the best move.

to see themselves when they watch a repeat of the telecast.

Rosie's wisdom

And more glory for Audra

Her win for playing Billie Holliday in “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill” gave Audra McDonald six Tonys, a record; She’s now won in all four acting categories. She got the biggest ovation of the night—the entire theatre was on its feet—with a tearful speech in which she thanked her parents for ignoring doctors’ orders to medicate her as a hyperactive child, and instead encouraging her to try the theatre. Even more touching was McDonald’s shout out to her daughter: “Do you understand, Mommy is nothing without you!”

A happy genie

James Monroe Iglehart was one happy genie, and it was hard not to catch the happy bug as the ebullient, portlyyet-graceful actor broke into a “praise shout” and a glorious, well, happy dance while accepting his award for featured actor in a musical for “Aladdin.” Iglehart said later at the Tony afterparty that he is “having the best time doing ‘Aladdin’—I’m a big kid in a Disney show!”

Lena Hall, Neil Patrick Harris, Audra McDonald and Jessie Mueller attend the 68th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall on June 8, 2014 in New York City.

PHOTO BY KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY IMAGES FOR TONY AWARDS PRODUCTIONS

What's the score?

Though this was a theatre crowd, Jackman made sure to update the audience during several commercial breaks on the score of the NBA Finals game between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs. Of course, Jackman noted that virtually everyone in the theatre had a mobile device, and that he probably wasn’t telling anyone anything they didn’t know.

In fact, he asked people to raise their hands if they HADN’T been using a mobile device during the show; only a scattered few replied in the affirmative.

Speaking of the NBA

At least one actor used an NBA reference to describe the joy of winning at the Tonys: “It’s like winning Game 7,” said Bryce Pinkham, whose “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and

Murder” won best musical over some flashier, bigger shows.

“When we opened in November, we were just hoping to get to the new year,” Pinkham said at the after-party in the Plaza Hotel. “And now we win best musical. I’m so thrilled because this means more people will come and see this show—and I’ll get to do it more. I would root for this show even if I weren’t involved with it.”

You can bring children, but they may not stay awake

“Les Miz” star Ramin Karimloo, who plays Jean Valjean, brought his two young sons to the Tonys, but before his category—leading actor in a musical—was announced, the kids were dozing. Karimloo said he didn’t wake them, figuring he wouldn’t win (Harris won the category.) But they’ll be able

Rosie O’Donnell came on early in the show to accept an award for her philanthropy.

She made a touching speech about how, growing up on Long Island, she became fascinated with theatre. “Hollywood was vague and an illusion, but Broadway was real and tangible,” she said, speaking of how she would wait outside stage doors, holding her “waxy program.” In remarks that doubtless warmed the hearts of many theatregoers, she added: “To this day for me, sitting in a velvet seat and watching the orchestra warm up is better than Prozac.”

Two Carole Kings

It’s pretty hard to resist Carole King—the real one, and also the way Jessie Mueller plays her in “Beautiful: The Carole King Musical,” for which she won leading actress in a musical at the end of the night. Earlier, performing from her show, Mueller began to sing “I Feel the Earth Move,” and King appeared onstage to sing it with her. It was the second time the two had sung together—the first was at a curtain call of the show when King finally came to see it. King told the crowd that once she’d summoned up the courage to see “Beautiful,” it became her favourite show on Broadway. ■

Entertainment

JUNE 13, 2014 FRIDAY 32

Jasmine comes into her own

BY ALLAN POLICARPIO Philippine Daily Inquirer AFTER LIVING with big sister Anne for the past couple of years, TV5 actor Jasmine Curtis-Smith said she was ready and excited to live on her own.

Curtis is set to move into her new condominium unit anytime soon. “Ito na siguro ang pinakamalaking gastos ko ever sa buhay ko!” she quipped, giggling.

Turning serious, the 20-yearold talent said she wanted to invest in something while she was young and it was heartening to see the fruit of all her hard work starting to materialize.

“It feels good knowing that soon, every time I go home, I can relax, knowing that I’ve earned this and deserve everything in here,” the Filipino-Australian celebrity told reporters at a recent press conference for her new, self-titled television series, “JasMINE.” “I’ve already transferred my belongings to my new home.

Ako na lang ang lilipat,” Curtis said.

Hectic schedule

Though she was looking forward to being independent, Curtis admitted that she was starting to miss Anne. “I’m starting to feel anxious, especially since my mom returned recently to Australia. I’ll have to adjust. But since Anne is usually out of the house because of her hectic schedule, I’ve had a little practice,” she said.

Asked what she was going to miss most once she moved out of Anne’s place, Curtis said: “It’s the comfort of knowing that my ate is always just there. We usually eat breakfast together and, when I have nothing to do, I can talk to her. But that’s about to change.”

What about her rumored boyfriend Sam Concepcion?

Will he be allowed to visit her in her new home? “He can but there has to be a chaperone ... May visiting hours,” Curtis quipped, as she assured everyone that her relationship with the singer-dancer remained strong despite recent intrigues.

Earlier this year, there were reports that a drunk Anne confronted and humiliated Concepcion during Vice Ganda’s

birthday party in a posh bar.

“We’re OK and we always make it a point to make time for each other,” Curtis said. She added that all was well between Anne and Concepcion.

“Communication was key,” she said. “I immediately talked to both of them to clarify the issue. I made sure to hear both sides; I didn’t want to side with anyone because they’re both important to me.”

The Kapatid star, however, declined to go into details about the conflict, saying it was a very “private matter.” “There’s no need to discuss it further,” she said.

Curtis said she was fortunate and blessed to have a show named after her—something many newbies do not get to experience.

Directed by Mark Meily, “JasMINE” is a collaboration between TV5, commercial and film production outfit Unitel Entertainment, and advertising agency Ace Saatchi and Saatchi.

Rivals, stalkers

Curtis plays a fictional version of herself in the series, which tackles the dark side of

Jasmine Curtis-Smith

show biz—like conniving people who sabotage rivals and fanatical stalkers.

Curtis said she was lucky that she had not encountered those people in her three years in the biz. “So far, all the actors I’ve worked with were very real ...

Walang plastikan,” she said.

She added that she was similar to her character, who preferred doing indie films instead of mainstream projects. “There has to be a balance,” pointed out Curtis, who won best supporting actress for “Transit” at the Cinemalaya film festival in 2013. She also got a best supporting actress nomination from the critics’ group Urian

PHOTO FROM WENTOT.COM

for the same film.

“There are things you can learn in mainstream that you can apply in indie movies and there are things in the indie scene you won’t get to experience when making mainstream films,” she said.

Curtis is one of the main stars in Perci Intalan’s indie suspense-drama “Dementia” and will also be in a mainstream film under Regal.

“Filmmaking isn’t all about art—there’s also a business side to it. There are lots of great scripts in mainstream, too,” she said.

“JasMINE" airs on Sundays, 9:15 p.m. ■

Saab Magalona mauled by drunk gatecrashers

BY CHING DEE Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA—Saab Magalona, daughter of late Francis Magalona, was allegedly mauled by drunk gatecrashers in a party held in a hotel at Pasig City.

In a report aired by GMA News, Saab was said to have attended a party organized by Ely Buendia, last weekend.

According to the report, the incident happened after some

alleged gatecrashers came in which started a brief commotion.

Saab tried to stop commotion, but was mauled by the gatecrashers.

Her mother, Pia Magalona, told reporters that they were shocked about the event but have already filed a report to the police after Saab was brought to the hospital for medical examinations. ■ With reports from GMA News

PBB All In kick off.

MTRCB ‘alarmed’ over nude challenge on Pinoy Big Brother

BY CHING DEE Philippine Canadian Inquirer

Saab Magalona.

PHOTO FROM GMANETWORK.COM

PHOTO COURTESY OF ABS-CBN ENTERTAINMENT.

MANILA—The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) called out ABS-CBN after the ‘nude painting challenge’ posed by ‘Kuya’ www.canadianinquirer.net

(Big Brother) on primetime reality TV show “Pinoy Big Brother: ALL IN.” As their weekly task, four housemates were challenged to pose naked for a painting in the show.

MTRCB showed their distress on their Twitter handle,

saying the board was “alarmed over alleged gender-insensitivity” apparent in the said task.

“We have received the invitation from MTRCB. We will cooperate and attend the conference on June 11,” Bong Osorio, ABSCBN spokesperson, said in response to MTRCB’s summon. ■

Entertainment

33 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

Filipino-Canadian in... herself with community work to promote Philippine culture.

“In Vancouver, my husband and I were regularly involved in various projects that promoted and contributed in showcasing the Philippine culture in Vancouver to promote international understanding. That took the form of sponsoring and hosting Philippine Nights at different parishes, as well as presenting concerts, and shows featuring different Filipino performing artists from the Philippines,” she said.

Lenore continues to do all she can to help aspiring Filipino artists, as well.

“Since I left the Philippines in 1974 to go to the US, I have been involved in assisting Filipino artists in any way I can. In Vancouver, I co-founded a nonprofit music foundation that regularly sponsored performances of world class Filipino performers. When I relocated to New York, I focused more on assisting Filipino visual artists both from the Philippines and abroad by encouraging them, giving them ideas based on my personal experiences, as well as helping them put up art shows. I also hold art workshops and demonstrations for some of them,” she shared. ❰❰ 24

Evolutions of art and life

The winds of change blew upon Lenore’s journey in the late 1980’s, heralding the onward evolution of life and art; for—as many an artist will tell you—the two are tightly intertwined.

Lenore disclosed, “Our family’s move from a Canadian suburb to New York in the late ‘80s was the biggest change in my life. There were museums, galleries, art stores with extensive choices of art materials, art schools and of course, people. I was constantly around exceptional artists from all over the globe. Living in New York opened new perspectives and insights in me from which I derived new ideas and inspirations in my art. Over the years, I have continued to learn and grow as an artist in New York and the influence is undeniably reflected in the development of my work.”

A strong reawakening

An accident suffered in New York, in the same time frame as her move, left Lenore injured and bedridden for some time. Still, she used the challenge to her advantage; finding inspiration as she pored through page after page of an art book she was gifted with by a friend.

“To occupy my time, I began to turn the pages of a beautiful book entitled 'Impressionism and Post Impressionism' given by a dear friend Victor Huang.

All of a sudden there was a strong reawakening feeling, a renewed sense of commitment and dedication to pursue my art when I recovered. It was a pledge I made to myself and was to be an important turning point in the way I would relate to art again. I began to take cours-

es in printmaking and computer art at the School of Visual Arts (SVA) from 1990—1995. I interacted with artists and teachers who were pioneers of computer art, among them Larry Wright, Gunars Prande, Elaine Breiger and David Sandlin. Since then, I have explored new techniques [that] combined traditional modes with the current computer programs,” she revealed.

Chalk it up to kismet or fate, or perhaps to human fighting spirit, or better yet, to both; but what could have destroyed Lenore and her dreams only served to make her stronger, emerging with a renewed zeal for her artistic vision.

Fresh perspective

“In 1991, the Museum of Modern Art had a show of seven printmakers. One of the artists that left a great impression on me was Robert Rauschenberg. He had big, beautiful art pieces. I thought that perhaps I should concentrate on printmaking and one day I could come up with equally wonderful work. On my first trip to Boston in the early 80s, my friend Emy Masigan Mercado took me to a gallery and got me interested in some etchings of Salvador Dali. I like his prints so much and that incident led me to decide to take lessons in printmaking.

I took many art classes at the school of Visual Arts in New York.”

She details that fellow-Filipinos, Ambassador Philip and Mrs. Mabilagan, were key to her newfound artist perspective, and were instrumental in encouraging her to apply for a grant.

“Ada Mabilangan was the first to refer to me as an ‘established artist’. A subsequent grant for the Pollock Krasner Foundation cemented the self confidence necessary for me to continue my career upward,” she said.

it in New York. Or, when I go on holiday to the Philippines, I may pick up a few inspirations and materials and bring them back to New York to work further on them. Eventually I would come out with a number of artworks based on what I have experienced in Manila, but flavored, crafted, and blended in a North American setting. I guess I can say I do my art whatever, wherever, and whoever I am at any given time but the influence of New York manifest itself clearly in the finished product.”

Lenore likewise recounts her exposure to the United Nations community as having a significant impact on her art.

“In New York where I taught and was exposed to the United Nations international community, I learn a lot from the diversity of cultures. There are different points of view on divergent subjects and even simple discussions on current issues can be a very interesting and enriching experience,” she said.

A master’s mark

One person who Lenore singles out as having made a great mark on her artistic soul is renowned printmaking master and artist, Robert Blackburn.

“The Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop in New York City offered me the sanctum and environment where I explored, experimented and collabo-

Her many influences

Lenore shares the many influences on her identity as an artist; going back to early years in the Philippines.

“The memories of early childhood while growing up in the Philippines come naturally to me and they inspire every day … the tranquil and idyllic countryside, the lush green fields, the mountains and rivers, the clear blue skies, the sunsets, the people, and everything in the Philippines. 'The Land of the Morning', the 'Pearl of the Orient Seas' are pictures that I will always carry with me and will continue to be an influence on what I do in art.”

This global Filipina also notes that her “three worlds”— the Philippines, Canada, and New York—greatly influence her work. She details the three worlds at work as follows: “New York City by itself is always a living and vibrant influence on any artist who lives and works there. I may conceive an idea while taking a quiet walk by the water in Vancouver but eventually continue to work on www.canadianinquirer.net

rated with my visions in prints. Robert is a very special person who will leave a mark on many contemporary artists who have had the good fortune to meet and work with him. Even in his later years, he continued to reinforce the belief that artists, black, white, young and old, native and foreign born all matter. Their expressions affirm the most important elements of humanity. He believed that the light cast by artists illuminates us all. I have had the pleasure to know him personally and visited him before he passed away. He has touched my life so deeply that I feel I have the responsibility to continue what he passed on to us through my art. I have to maintain a high level of creative and artistic quality, support and encourage innovation, and pioneer opportunities for third world and minority artists,” Lenore recounted.

Moving forward, giving back

In a nutshell, Lenore sums up her future plans: “I hope to give back even a fraction of the blessings I have received.”

With her commitment towards the furtherance of the arts (specifically, the art of printmaking) across global communities and her resolve to champion the development of Filipino artists, we can expect these blessings to be given back in abundant measure. ■

Events

JUNE 13, 2014 FRIDAY 34

Vancouver EVENT

DATE/TIME

Philippine National Day Gala Dinner and Dance

VENUE

ORGANIZER

Renaissance 6 p.m., June 13

Hotel Vancouver

10 a.m.-6 p.m.,

Waterfront Park,

Days Festival

June 14

North Vancouver

116th Philippine Independence Day

11 a.m., June 14

Celebration Independence Day Dinner Dance

6 p.m., June 14

Metro Vancouver Philippine

Society (MVPACES) Filipino-Canadian Association

Cranbrook B.C.

of East Kootenay

Cedar Hill Recreation

Victoria Filipino-Canadian

Centre

Association

10:30 a.m.

North Vancouver

Vancouver

June 15

City Hall

DATE/TIME

VENUE

Canada Philippine Fashion’s

5:30 p.m.,

Canadian, The Royal

Biggest Night

June 13

York

The Best of OPM Live

11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Kalayaan Cultural Community Centre

Salu-Salo Potluck Community

9 a.m.,

Picnic

June 14

Pistahan sa Toronto

June 14-15

Philippine Earl Bales Park

Arts & Culture Exposition

Canada Philippine Fashion Ball

Society (MVPACES)

Richmond

Filipino Friends in Richmond

Nathan Philips

Filipino Centre Toronto

Square

5:30 p.m.,

The Concert Hall,

Kol Hope Foundation

June 14

The Royal York

for Children

4 p.m., June 19

Jose Rizal

Rizal Monument, Earl

Knights of Rizal,

Bales Park

Scarborough Chapter

Heritage Court

7200 Cariboo Road,

7 p.m., June 22

153rd birth anniversary of Dr.

Independence Day Council

Metro Vancouver Philippine

Lansdowne Centre,

June 21

Jeff Rustia

Kalayaan Gala

Knights of Rizal Celebration of Pagdiriwang 2014

ORGANIZER

Arts & Culture Exposition

Key City Theatre,

Flag Raising at North

EVENT

Bayan Society

Harbourside Hotel

Angat Pinoy Philippine

Toronto

Philippines Cultural Pista ng

Quasar Productions

Burnaby

One Kapamilya Go

6 p.m., June 21

Direct Energy Centre

The Filipino Channel

Toronto Parang Kailan Lang, Live Concert featuring

Van Tech Auditorium, 8 p.m., June 27

2600 East Broadway,

Florante

Care Card Pilipinas

Pinoy Fiesta and Trade Show sa

9 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Metro Toronto

Philippine Canadian

Toronto

June 28

Convention Centre

Charitable Foundation

7 p.m., June 28

Toronto Pavillion

Vancouver

Philippines-Canada Friendship Ball

6 p.m., June 28

Hilton Vancouver

Multicultural Helping House

Metrotown

Society (MHHS) Barangay

Summer Serenade with Jose

Hotel Ballroom

North Vancouver Filipino

Mari Chan and Jamie Rivera

6083 McKay Avenue,

Community Center Victoria

Burnaby, BC

Bayanihan Community Centre

EVENT

with Operation Pagbangon

EVENT

DATE/TIME

VENUE

ORGANIZER

Kalayaan Philippine Independence Day

Council of

Celebrations:

Edmonton

Interfaith Mass; Philippine and Canadian Flag Raising; Cultural Presentation; Free

10a.m. to 3 p.m., June 14

Edmonton City Hall

6 p.m. to 1

Independence Day Gala

The Sutton Place Hotel,

a.m.

10235 101 Street

Filipino Canadian Independence Day

6 p.m., June

Celebration

28

Sawridge Inn and

Volunteers

EVENT

6 p.m., June

Ball

13

Fluvial Parade and Picnic

Organizing Committee of

Mall

Calgary

DATE/TIME

VENUE

ORGANIZER

Philippine Canadian

CEFA

Welcome to our Bagong Dating

2 p.m., June 8

PCCM

Celebration of Faith

7 p.m., June 9

PCCM

6 p.m., June 10

Tyndall Park School

7 p.m., June 11

PCCM Daniel McIntyre

Philippine Heritage

6 p.m., June 12

Collegiate Institute

Council of Manitoba

Filipino Canadian Association of

Mafti Cultural Evening

Fort McMurray

Fort McMurray

Cultural Exchange

ORGANIZER

Lolas

9 a.m., June 7

Day Committee of Ottawa Valley

10 a.m., June

Lac Leamy Lake picnic

Philippine Community

15

grounds

Centre of Ottawa

Philippine Independence Ball

Picnic in the Park

Centre of Manitoba (PCCM)

(DMCI)

Philippine Independence St. Elias Centre

lot) Pacific Place

Ceremony

An Evening with our Lolos and

Annual Independence Day

14-15

ORGANIZER Philippine Independence

Flag Raising and Opening

Conference Centre,

VENUE

9 a.m., June

VENUE T & T (parking

(CEFA)

Aboriginal and Filipino

DATE/TIME

DATE/TIME

Associations

Ottawa EVENT

Entertainment

Winnipeg

Filipino

Lunch and Raffle Draws

and JMG Infinity

Calgary Independence Day Parade

Edmonton

P & O Productions

6 p.m., June 13

Marborough Hotel

11 a.m. to 4:30

Kildonan Park,

p.m., June 15

Shelter A & B

Unveiling of Rizal Memorial

10:30 a.m.-1

at Dr. Jose Rizal Park

p.m., June 21

Sewa Crescent

View all events by scanning this QR code or by visiting

http://bit.ly/PCI-Events

www.canadianinquirer.net

Entertainment

35 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

Daughter of ‘Real Housewives of Vancouver’ star injured in shooting

❰❰ 23

mental illness. It is a natural response to a great personal catas-

“Real Housewives of Vancouver,” which chronicled the daily lives of a group of wealthy socialites, which often descended into gossiping and arguments.

Lark Productions, which produced the show, released a brief statement expressing its concern for Deakin, who also uses her mother’s surname, Claman, but offering no details about what happened.

“We are sorry to hear the news of the events of last night,” said the statement, released Monday.

“We wish Mia a very speedy recovery and our thoughts are with the Claman family at this time.”

Several former “Real Housewives” co-stars reacted to the news on Twitter.

“My heart goes out to the Claman family at this time,” wrote

Ronnie Negus. “Spoke to Jody several times last night. We are all praying.”

Mary Zilba tweeted: “My prayers go out to (at)MiaClaman and her family tonight.”

The show ran for two seasons on Slice.

Shaw Media, which owns Slice, announced last year that the show would not be returning for a third season as the company considered potential changes to the cast or location.

Meanwhile, Fincham said the 27-year-old man who was also injured fled the scene and was later located by police and taken to hospital. He had an outstanding warrant for driving while prohibited, said Fincham.

“He was cleared medically, released from the hospital and arrested by police,” said Fincham. ■

trophe.

At this stage, you may feel numb, totally out of control. All the bitterness, anger, pain, frustration and helplessness may overcome you. But as we are taught, an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. To me, the cure starts with the awareness that it could happen and trying to keep yourself busy. The environment and quality of life in Canada, for example, is such that it is to your own fault if you have nothing to do—with or without pay.

ACCEPTANCE is different from a feeling of resignation.

Resignation may come in the form of bearing the situation in silence and moving on as if drifting or simply coasting along.

Acceptance here is making a conscious decision: Accepting that you have now entered into a new reality. Acknowledging that your past life is gone, that you and your family’s lives may be forever changed. You then need to re-adjust your life, reorganize tasks, re-assign new roles to yourself and to your loved ones.

But the best part of Acceptance is realizing you can make new connections, new relationships, new interdependencies, new friendships. And that in this, you can also be happy. And that you can start this new life and re-enter the workforce either in an entirely new role or function and can hope to like it, be the best in it, and make a liv-

Tuesday at 1 p.m., when the service begins.

Gevaudan, Larche and Ross were gunned down Wednesday evening after responding to a report of a man with firearms in a residential neighbourhood in the northwest area of Moncton.

Two other officers—Constables Eric Dubois and Darlene Goguen—were wounded and released from hospital.

The shootings and the ensuing 30-hour manhunt for the alleged killer brought the city to a standstill until an arrest was made just after midnight Friday.

Schools reopened Monday and counselling services were

made available to students.

Books of condolence were also set up at various city halls and RCMP detachments throughout New Brunswick.

Gevaudan, 45, originally of the Paris suburb of BoulogneBillancourt, was remembered in his obituary as an advocate of women’s rights who adored his wife and “Twin Flame,” Angela, and stepdaughter Emma.

“While he died protecting the lives of the individuals in his community, his spirit tells us he died as he lived—a happy man,” it says.

The obituary for Larche, 40, of Saint John, N.B., says he died while working as a plainclothes

officer who “without fear or hesitation ran towards danger to protect his community and family.” He leaves behind his wife Nadine and three daughters and “little princesses” Alexa, Laura and Mia. Ross’s obituary says the 32-year-old dog handler died doing what he loved. He is survived by his wife Rachael and son Austin, with another child expected in the fall.

The RCMP released a statement from Ross’s wife and father saying his love of dogs brought the couple together.

“Dave’s first dog, Art, played a special role in their relationship,” the statement read.

The Canadian Press VANCOUVER—The daughter of “Real Housewives of Vancouver” star Jody Claman was among two people injured during a drive-by shooting in the city’s east side, Global News reports.

Global said Mia Deakin, who was a frequent guest on the Canadian “Real Housewives” spinoff, was shot Sunday night at a gas station in Vancouver.

Vancouver police refused to confirm Deakin’s identity, but a spokesman said a 28-year-old woman was hit in the shoulder while a 27-year-old man who was with her received minor injuries.

The shooting happened Sunday evening at about 7 p.m., said Sgt. Randy Fincham. The woman and man were standing outside their vehicle when someone in a grey or silver SUV pulled up and started firing, he said.

Fincham said the shooting “was not random,” but he declined to speculate about the target or the motive.

Global cited an anonymous source who reportedly said the man, not Deakin, was believed to be the intended target.

Fincham said the woman underwent surgery for her injury and was in stable condition on Monday.

Deakin was a routine guest on

So, How...

Mia Deakin, daughter of 'Real Housewife' Jody Claman, was injured in a driveby shooting in Vancouver on Sunday, June 8, according to media reports.

PHOTO FROM TWITTER

ing out of it, surrounded by newfound friends and relations.

In the extreme, many consider migration as a personal “catastrophe,” not necessarily in the sense of wreck or damage to one’s future life but instead sudden loss of a past life.

As such, it presents a situation in which one has to undergo the five natural states of emotional grief, Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance, to eventually experience complete healing. And the best result of healing is being able to hold the new reality hand in hand with new relationships and friendships, and being able to function in a new role. ■ Nobody ever said that our journey, will be easy. But as I write and as you read, we share our strengths and we can hold to the promise that “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them,” Matthew 18:20.

Bolet is a marketing communications practitioner and dabbles in writing as a personal passion.

She is author-publisher of the book: The Most Practical Immigrating and Job Hunting Survival Guide, proven simple steps to success without the fears and the doubts. The book is available in Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo, the Reading Room and other online bookshops worldwide, and in National Book Store and Power Books in the Philippines. Please check out https://www.amazon. com/author/boletarevalo

People gather... of Moncton shining through.”

The city has set up at least five other sites where people can gather to watch the funeral. Residents have also been asked to volunteer their homes as billets for travelling police officers.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Opposition Leader Tom Mulcair and Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau will travel together to Moncton to attend the service. Gov.-Gen. David Johnston was also scheduled to attend.

The office of Premier David Alward has asked people to observe a moment of silence ❰❰ 18

www.canadianinquirer.net

“When Dave and Rachael would hold hands, Art would often try to nose their hands apart because he wanted all of Dave’s attention. These were very special memories the couple shared.”

LeBlanc said the deaths of the officers are difficult to fathom.

“It’s hard to accept that this is reality,” he said. “It’s hard to find words to describe it.”

Justin Bourque, 24, of Moncton is facing three charges of first-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder.

He made a brief appearance in provincial court Friday and is scheduled to return to court July 3. ■

FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

36

Lifestyle

Aging is inevitable, but there are ways to cope The battle of the bulge requires discipline; food taken after 9 p.m. turns into fat the next day

BY CORY QUIRINO Philippine Daily Inquirer THERE ARE FUNDAMENTALS on health, beauty and wellness that we overlook. It’s time to review the basics of good health and true beauty, so here are answers to often asked questions.

Help me regain the skin radiance I have lost. My complexion looks dull and tired in the morning.

When I think of tired complexion, my first thought is dehydration. Skin is 75 percent water.

You may think there is no link between skin and a waterdeprived kidney. Well, you’re wrong. For one, you could be dehydrated, and second, you may not be getting enough sleep.

Also, how are you managing your stress? Do you find time for

relaxation and recreation? If you are all work and no play, then chances are your stress levels are high.

Stress can cause all sorts of imbalance in the body and affect your hormones, immune system and the vital organ functions of the heart, liver, nervous system.

Rescue remedies: 1. Drink 10-15 glasses of water daily.

2. Sleep seven to eight hours nightly (if you work in a call center, find a way to get the minimum seven hours).

3. Before bedtime, take one evening primrose oil capsule and one cod liver oil capsule.

4. Increase vitamin C supplements to 2,000 mg daily.

5. Facial scrub: Combine 1 tbsp sugar (preferably muscovado, although coconut

sugar is tolerable) and 1 tsp virgin coconut oil. Rub concoction on the face using circular strokes. Avoid the eye area.

6. Drink 1 tbsp of extra virgin coconut oil before breakfast.

My 50-year-old body is slowing down. And it is more evident at the gym when I go through my weekly routine. I tire easily and have difficulty losing weight. How can I be as strong as I used to be in my 30s?

There are many approaches to recapturing one’s youthful and energetic body. Can we actually be 30 again? Biologically, yes—meaning, you can restore your body’s health profile to that of your 30-year-old version.

Chronologically speaking, you cannot. You have earned the title of 50-year-old—older but wiser.

Accept the 50, but challenge yourself to reverse to 30. This is possible.

You need to realize

that at the heart of any regimen is the body’s ability to assimilate nutrients from the food and beverages you consume.

At 50, your body produces less stomach acids. (Hydrochloric acid is a clear, colorless, highly pungent solution of hydrogen chloride in water that is highly corrosive and used for industrial purposes. It is found naturally in your stomach.)

To do: 1. Consume digestive enzyme capsules during every meal.

2. Take probiotic capsules like acidophilus with bifidus in order to maintain digestive health balance.

3. Eat healthy (50 percent vegetables, 30 percent carbohydrates, 20 percent protein).

4. Exercise daily—20 minutes cardiovascular exercises, 45 minutes weight training, alternating with a dance like Zumba and mind-body regimen like yoga every other day.

5. Increase supplementation of vitamins C and B complex as well as calcium, magnesium and zinc. Or take a multivitamin, multimineral supplement.

6. Sleep before 11 p.m. every day. Be a morning person from now on. Start the day early.

7. Avoid midnight snacking. Whatever you eat after 9 p.m. turns into fat the very next day.

8. Avoid any form of sugar intake after 6 p.m. if you intend to control your weight.

9. Consult your ob-gyn and endocrinologist who can prescribe

bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

These are plant-based, natural, nonsynthetic hormones that can bring your hormone levels back to how they were in your 30s (if you wish) or simply restore hormonal balance in your body.

If your testosterone levels are down, both your body’s metabolism and heart are affected.

Dr. Chris Enriquez, a cardiologist and endocrinologist (Rapha Health Institute and Antiaging Center, tel. 7573335), said that the lower the testosterone, the slower you lose weight and the faster you gain weight.

Meanwhile, unexplained pimple breakouts, emotional lows, mood swings, tempers and hot flushes could be addressed by maintaining hormonal balance of estrogen, testosterone, thyroid, progesterone.

My husband’s stomach is enlarging at an alarming rate.

How can I help him?

Ask him first if he wants to take control of his life. If the answer is yes, then he will welcome your intervention.

1. Consult your doctor. Bring him for an executive checkup.

2. Enroll him in a gym. Consult a wellness coach to design his wellness regimen.

Let me share the story of Andres, a husband in his 60s who had the habit of eating a pack of chocolate bars before sleeping for the last 10 years. He never exercised and ate voraciously.

One day, after his executive checkup, the hospital ordered him to stay behind for further tests.

He was a walking time bomb and could be a victim of a heart attack anytime.

Scared out of his wits, he took his prescribed wellness regimen seriously. Today he is 50 lbs lighter and is a semivegetarian.

Today’s affirmation: “I can and I will.”

Love and light! ■

Lifestyle

37 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

With sandal season upon us, it’s time to remember the pedicure dos and don’ts

BY HELEN BRANSWELL The Canadian Press TORONTO—With sandal season finally upon us the instinct to pretty up your cracked heels, leathery soles and unpainted toes is a natural one. And with the proliferation of inexpensive nail bars in recent years, pedicures are within reach, pricewise, for a lot of people.

But if you luxuriate in the foot soaking and secretly relish the callus shaving part of a pedicure, what follows is advice you won’t want to read.

The people who face the at times serious problems created by pedicures that go awry say there are definite dos and (mostly) don’ts to consider when you set off for some foot pampering.

Dr. Jacqueline Sutera lists the potential consequences of infections triggered by a pedicure.

“These can be very small and benign and treatable with like a topical antibiotic or soap. And in worst-case scenarios, especially in the elderly or people with diabetes or poor circulation, this can be limb- and lifethreatening, if not treated right away,” says Sutera, a spokesperson for the American Podiatric Medicine Association.

“I have seen people lose parts of their toes, parts of their foot and even their leg from ingrown toe nails that started as bacterial infections.”

Here is some advice from podiatrists, who spend years in school learning how to tend to one of our most precious body parts, our feet: DO: Bring your own instruments.

Dr. Joseph Stern, president of the Canadian Podiatric Medical Association, says nail bars should have lots of sets of tools so they can autoclave them between uses—clean them in a sterilizing device that uses high-pressure hot steam. But not all do.

The way around that concern is to bring all your own equipment. That becomes especially important for items that are sometimes reused but which won’t withstand autoclaving.

“The question is— if they use a pumice stone on you, how does the pumice stone get

cleaned so they can use it on the next person?” asks Stern, a Vancouver-based podiatrist.

“I don’t know if you can really, truly clean a pumice stone.”

Sutera agrees. “For any type of instrument that cannot be sterilized, it is especially important to bring your own stuff to the salon, such as pumice stones or the wooden sticks for your cuticles, nail files, nail buffers, foot files. Any of that stuff should be your own, that no one else uses.”

DON’T: Get your calluses shaved.

Sutera says cutting is surgery and should only be done by someone trained to do it. “In the salons, the most that I think is appropriate is just filing some of the calluses. And that should be done gently.”

Both Stern and Sutera say they advise patients that if they need calluses tended to, they should get that work done by their podiatrist. Both say they do what Sutera calls a pre-pedicure—treating calluses and trimming nails properly. Then patients can go to a nail bar to get their toe nails painted.

DO: Time your pedicure strategically.

There is a risk that when a salon is really busy, instruments and foot baths won’t get properly cleaned between clients, says Sutera, a podiatrist who practises in Manhattan and northern New Jersey.

She suggests people get a pedicure early in the day on a weekday.

DON’T: Soak in the whirlpool.

They feel great on the feet, but whirlpool foot baths need to be thoroughly cleaned between uses, including drains where sloughed-off skin can get trapped. And there have been reports of people picking up bacterial and fungal infections by immersing their feet in whirlpool foot baths.

“You’ve got to be worried about who was there before you,” says Stern, who suggests a foot massage with lotion as an alternative.

Some salons now use plastic liners in their foot baths, says Sutera, while others offer dry pedicures.

DON’T: Shave your legs be-

fore going for a pedicure.

Shaving leaves micro-tears in the skin— perfect portals for bacteria which might be floating around that foot bath you may insist on using despite the

www.canadianinquirer.net

advice above.

DO: Give your toe nails a breather.

Nail polish should be removed at least every two to three weeks, says Sutera. Oth-

erwise the nails get dehydrated.

Stern says he advises his patients to give their toe nails a break come September and October, when sandals are put away. ■

Business

JUNE 13, 2014 FRIDAY 38

Stock split may clear way for Apple to join Dow Jones, plus 4 other things to know about move

BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO—Apple’s resurgent stock may have as much to do with financial engineering as the company’s technological wizardry.

Monday marked Apple’s first stock split in nine years, a move designed to make it more affordable to buy shares of the iPhone and iPad maker.

The manoeuvr provided a boost even before it was completed. Since the split was announced in late April, Apple’s stock has climbed 25 per cent, creating more than $100 billion in shareholder wealth while the Standard & Poor’s 500 edged up just 4 per cent.

Other factors contributed to the Apple rally: The company raised its quarterly dividend, committed an additional $30 billion to buying back its stock, struck a $3 billion deal to buy headphone maker Beats Electronics and previewed its latest software for iPhones, iPads and Mac computers.

But the stock split helped renew investor interest in Apple Inc., already the world’s most valuable company.

The split could attract more investors

The reason has more to do with psychology than logic.

Splits lower a stock’s trading price by substantially increasing the number of outstanding shares. Even though the company’s market value remains

is the “$3 trillion question,” says Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst for S&P Indices.

Splits are falling out of fashion

Stock splits once seemed reflexive whenever a company’s share price neared $100. In recent years, though, splits have dwindled as companies became more comfortable allowing their stocks to trade for hundreds of dollars.

Even though the overall stock market has been soaring, only 57 splits have been completed since 2009 among companies in the Standard Poor’s 500.

That compares with 375 splits from 1997 through 2000, a period that coincided with the dot-com boom.

This isn’t Apple’s first split Apple store logo on December 30, 2011 in New York City.

PHOTO BY SONGQUAN DENG / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

the same, the prospect of a lower price per share often excites investors who previously shied away from a stock because it looked too expensive.

Companies executing splits hope to attract more buyers by making the stock appear more affordable.

Apple executed a 7-for-1 split.

That means every Apple stockholder received six additional shares for every share they owned as of June 2. The distribution will increase Apple’s outstanding stock from about 861 million shares to about 6 billion shares.

To adjust for that swing, Ap-

ple’s stock price fell dramatically from Friday’s closing price of $645.57 to $92.22. On Monday, the shares rose $1.48 to close at $93.70. …And bring prestige

Apple

more

Although it’s unclear if this was Apple’s intent, the lower price could clear the way for the company to be included among the 30 stocks in the Dow Jones industrial average. The closely watched benchmark is supposed to mirror key sectors of the economy, a role that seems perfectly suited for Apple given the popularity of the company’s

products and its $171 billion in annual revenue.

But Apple’s high stock price made it impractical to include the company in the Dow. That’s because the Dow’s value is calculated in a way that gives greater weight to the companies with the highest stock prices. The method has discouraged the Dow Jones selection committee from picking companies with stock prices trading at more than $300. Visa Inc. is the only Dow Jones company with a current stock price above $200.

Whether Apple will now make it into the Dow Jones

Apple has completed 2-for-1 splits on three previous occasions: May 1987, June 2000 and February 2005. The stock rose 2 per cent in the first year after the 1987 split and surged by 60 per cent in the first year after the 2005 split. The shares plunged 57 per cent in the first year after the 2000 split, which occurred amid a steep downturn in technology stocks.

You’ll need to adjust the bar

Before the split, the all-time high for Apple’s stock stood at $705.07. With the split, that peak has now been revised to $100.72. Apple went public in December 1980 at a split-adjusted 39 cents per share. ■

Demand for credit up in Western Canada; national debt load still high: Equifax The Canadian Press TORONTO—Credit monitoring agency Equifax says demand for credit has increased for four consecutive quarters in Western Canada, while demand in the Eastern provinces continues to slow.

Equifax says first-quarter statistics show that consumers’

overall debt, including mortgages, remains high at around $1.4 trillion, up from $1.33 trillion in the same period last year.

But Equifax says while consumer demand for credit nationally is still heading up—it was up 2.7 per cent in the quarter versus the same period a year ago—debt levels remain manageable.

The report says consumer bankruptcies are down and the

overall delinquency rate— bills due past 90 days— is down by 3.9 per cent.

It also says the instalment loan and credit card sectors showed significant increases of 11.8 per cent and 4.8 per cent year over year, respectively.

Equifax says while more new credit cards were issued, on average consumers are carrying smaller balances. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Sports/Horoscope

39 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

No rest for the weary: French Open champ Rafael Nadal hopes to ‘play well again’ at Wimbledon

BY HOWARD FENDRICH The Associated Press PARIS—His ninth French Open title behind him, Rafael Nadal already is thinking ahead to what’s next: Wimbledon.

That’s why he planned to waste no time and go directly from France to Germany on Monday to get ready to play in a grass-court tuneup tournament.

Nadal’s collection of 14 Grand Slam titles, only three shy of Roger Federer’s record for men, includes two championships at the All England Club. But the most recent came in 2010, and Nadal’s past two trips to Wimbledon were quite brief: He lost in the second round in 2012, and the first round in 2013.

“I want to try to play well again in Wimbledon,” the No.

Rafael Nadal.

PHOTO BY NATURSPORTS / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

1-ranked Nadal declared Sun-

day night after beating No. 2

Novak Djokovic 3-6, 7-5, 6-2, 6-4 in the French Open final to improve to 66-1 at the clay-court tournament. “I’m healthy. That’s the most important thing, I feel.”

The big question about Nadal always was longevity, and whether his 6-foot-1 (1.85-meter), 188-pound (85-kilogram) body would hold up to the constant pounding from his relentless style.

Well, now he is the only man with at least one Grand Slam title in 10 consecutive years. And having turned 28 last week, the Spaniard is roughly two months older than Federer was when he got his 14th major.

But Nadal was slowed by a bad back during a loss in January’s Australian Open final. Of more concern: his knees. He decided not to defend his Wimbledon

title in 2009, then was sidelined for the last half of 2012 because of a problem with his left knee.

“I hope my knee will have the positive feeling on grass, because I feel my knee (is) better than last year in the rest of the surfaces,” Nadal said. “Grass always was a little bit harder for me after the injury.”

This part of the tennis schedule is unforgiving, allowing two weeks to adjust from clay to grass between the French Open and Wimbledon. That changes next year, when a third week gets added.

For now, there is time to contemplate story lines that will matter when Wimbledon starts June 23.

Djokovic, for example, will try to set aside his latest disappointment ❱❱ PAGE 43 No rest

HOROSCOPE ARIES

CANCER

LIBRA

CAPRICORN

(MARCH 21 - APRIL 19)

(JUNE 22 - JULY 22)

(SEPT 23 - OCT 22)

(DEC 22 - JAN 19)

“Confidence” is your word for this day. Yesterday may have been a troublesome experience but you will be able to face this day by believing in yourself.

The stars have conspired to help you make this day better than any other days in your life. Trust and build that spark of “confidence” and you will end this day with a smile.

To see is to believe. This is what you have always believed in. But today, the tides will change and you will be encountering a person that will make you believe in something you’ve always doubted.

A person will come to you today and will make you realize that seeing is not always the way to believe.

TAURUS

LEO

(APRIL 20 - MAY 20)

(JULY 23 - AUGUST 22)

You have gone a very long way and the tiresome journey has added a lot in your bag of experiences. Use them wisely and re-create the good vibes and values you’ve gathered. Whatever storm you may encounter today, the rainbow will always be waiting for you after the rage, because you are stronger now, than you were in any other days in your life.

You have always been informed that to succeed in life, you must always be one step better than anyone and that you need to compete to keep going.

But today, you will learn the value of working with your friends and workmates. Finally, you will realize the importance of unity and working not alone, but with those who believe in you and your abilities.

You are full of potentials. You just have to ignore those words of discouragement you have heard from friends who tried to dissuade you from pursuing your passions. You do not have to live by what they think is right for you, so have the will to decide on your own. Your career should only depend on what you believe you wanted. Live with freedom from peer pressure and believe in yourself.

SCORPIO

Despite the criticisms you will be receiving today, you will eventually realize that you can actually benefit from them. Use their words as a challenge to better improve your work. Remember that everyday is a day of making mistakes and of learning from those mistakes.

AQUARIUS (JAN 20 - FEB 18)

(OCT 23 - NOV 21) You may have been through a difficult time handling your financial responsibilities, but today, you will be getting a rare opportunity to be financially capable. Do not let this opportunity pass. And once you have achieved it, manage it wisely and you will never have to worry anymore!

You have been avoiding interacting with friends lately.

But today, you’ll find that somewhere in your life, you need others to help you and guide you in your work. You will that life is better shared with people who will always be there to accept you, and now is the right time to accept them too.

GEMINI

VIRGO

SAGITTARIUS

PISCES

(MAY 21 - JUNE 21)

(AUG 23 - SEPT 22)

(NOV 22 - DEC 21)

(FEB 19 - MAR 20)

You are now beginning to realize that life is not always the way you want it to be. Though there may be instances in your life that you feel like the angels have conspired against you, do not worry. Destiny always has the most surprising way of telling you that this may not be your day, but tomorrow, you will be crowned for being courageous in your journey.

The easiest way to becoming a great leader is by becoming a good follower. This is an important note that you have to bear in mind today. You may not be able to lead the group you are in for now, but by becoming a very good follower, you are getting one step closer to leading the group and the path of life you are taking.

You might be a little disappointed with the way some of your friends will treat you today. But remember that every action does not necessarily have to go with an equal reaction. Your temper may not do you any good, so hold it in. Your friend may be suffering from a problem that is way greater than yours. Stay calm and be patient.

www.canadianinquirer.net

A friend of yours or someone dear to you has hurt your feelings yesterday. You have been feeling emotionally ill because of that past encounter but today, you free yourself from this stress.

“Forgiveness” is the only way. Learn to accept that you cannot live with that feeling of anger forever, so let it go, and give yourself a chance to feel better.

Events

Florante

JUNE 13, 2014 FRIDAY 40

Filco-op Summer Camping

By CareCard Pilipinas and ICS Filipino Healthcare WHEN/WHERE: 6 p.m, June 27 Van Tech Auditorium, 2600 E.Broadway, Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: To reserve tickets, call 604773-6641 or 778-862-5675

By Filipino Cooperative

Independence Day Dinner-Dance

WHEN/WHERE: June 28-July 1, Church of the Ascension Parish Camping Grounds at 887 Wembley Road, Parksville, B.C., (Nanaimo Island)

By Victoria Filipino Canadian Association and BCHS

MORE INFO: Register to Social and Team Building Committee c/o Marilyn Paulin 604-842-0191/ Jojo Palencia 604780-206.

WHEN/WHERE: 6 p.m., June 14, Cedar Hill Recreation Centre 3220 Cedar Hill Road Victoria, B.C.

Free Community Workshop Canadian Citizenship Preparation (Tagalog)

By Mosaic Settlement Services WHEN/WHERE: 5-8:30 p.m., June 17 & 19, Mosaic Vancouver, 1720 Grant St. MORE INFO: Registration required. Call 604-254-9626

YUKON NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Flag-Raising in North Vancouver

NUNAVUT

By Metro Vancouver Philippine Arts & Culture Exposition Society WHEN/WHERE: 10:30 a.m., June 15, North Vancouver City Hall

Pagdiriwang: Halina sa Richmond 2014

By Times tel

BRITISH COLUMBIA

ALBERTA

WHEN/WHERE: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., June 21 Lansdowne Centre, Food Court 5300 No. 3 Road, Richmond, B.C.

SASKATCHEWAN

MORE INFO: Celebrating the 116th Philippine Independence Day featuring cultural dance, music and art. Call Lita Nuguid - 604-765-8396 and Dante Aviso 778-881-5815 for details.

116th Philippine Independence Day By the Filipino-Canadian Association of East Kootenay WHEN/WHERE: 11a.m. to 3 p.m., June 14, Key City Theatre, Cranbrook

Prayer Rally

MORE INFO: Admission by donation for typhoon Haiyan victims. Food ticket at $5. For details, call Lourdes at (250)582-0126.

Organized by Tapsilog (Filcan Network for Truth and Justice) WHEN/WHERE: 12 nn to 1 p.m., June 19 China Consulate 3380 Granville St., Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: In protest of the incursions of China into Philippine waters

MANITOBA

Kapamilya Summer Caravan

By TFC WHEN/WHERE: June 15 at the Waterfront Park, North Vancouver MORE INFO: Makisaya sa Philippine Days Festival with Richard “Ser Chief.” Sama-sama tayong mag celebrate ng 20th www.canadianinquirer.net Anniversary ng TFC!

Events

41 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

CANADA

Sulong Kalayaan: “Bangon Pilipinas, Ipagdiwang ang tunay na PagkaPilipino”

EVENTS

View all events by scanning this QR code or visiting

http://bit.ly/ PCI-Events

By Philippine Independence Organizing Committee of Calgary WHEN/WHERE: 9 a.m., June 14 and 15, Pacific Mall (T&T) TICKETS: VIP - $50 General admission- $25 MORE INFO: Proceeds will go to rehabilitation and livelihood of survivors of Typhoon Haiyan. Call Vangie Caoile – (403) 554-4742; Reth Bernachea (403) 803-0706

Miss Philippines Canada Pageant

By Philippine Canadian Charitable Institution WHEN/WHERE: June 28, at Pinoy Fiesta & Trade Show to be held at Hall A of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre

NEWFOUNDLAND

MORE INFO: Jessica Torrano, Louise Lagman, Stephanie Huertas, Lyka Mae Castillo, Camille Manosca and Regine Taguinod are some of the candidates in this year’s Miss Philippines Canada Pageant.

QUEBEC 153rd Birth Anniversary of Rizal

By Scarborough Chapter of the Order of the Knights of Rizal

ONTARIO

Manny Yanga

WHEN/WHERE: 4 p.m., June 19 Earl Bales Park in North York, On. MORE INFO: Highlight of the affair will be the wreathlaying before the bust of Dr. Rizal Earl Bales Park.

Contact Manny Yanga, head of the Scarborough Chapter of the Knights of Rizal at mannyyanga@gmail.com or call him at 416 - 858 - 0616. (St. Jamestown News Service)

Consular Outreach in Regina, Sk By the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto WHEN/WHERE: June 21-23, at the Holy Child Parish, 2636 7th Avenue East, Regina, SK S4N 6A3. On Monday, June 23, the venue will be at Sandman Hotel Suites and Spa Regina, 1800 Victoria Avenue East, Regina, SK S4N 7K3.

MORE INFO: Contact PCG-Toronto at www.philcongen-toronto.com/ www.canadianinquirer.net

To have your events featured on PCI, please email events@canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

42

Travel

Icebergs, growlers and bergy bits: a banner year for big ice off Newfoundland

BY SUE BAILEY The Canadian Press ST. JOHN’S, N.L.—Visitors from across Canada and around the world were awestruck as their tour boat steamed within view of a mammoth iceberg off Cape Spear, N.L. They had lined up at a pier in St. John’s for their chance to view the best season for big ice off the province in at least a decade.

The sight of a giant glacial sculpture moored in 50 metres of water, a perfect archway carved right through it by surf and waves, did not disappoint.

“Absolutely beautiful—never seen anything like it before,” said Pete Kottenstette, who relocated to Mount Pearl, N.L., from Dallas as part of his work in the oil and gas sector.

Jean-Pierre Renaud of Laval, Que., was equally impressed.

“It’s incredible. It’s just beautiful, seeing the size of it, the colours coming out of it when the sun is on it, it’s just amazing. It’s breathtaking.”

Prehistoric towers and slabs of ice moulded by the sea into shapes of all description have arrived to the delight of tourists as mariners take warning.

“It’s phenomenal, really,” said Capt. Barry Rogers, president of Iceberg Quest Ocean Tours, as he paused from a hectic schedule in the wheelhouse of his popular vessel.

“We’ve had some great ice years, but I think this one is going to be the biggest year of all.

We’ve just had a huge flow of icebergs coming from Greenland.”

The rare display of frozen natural beauty is attracting people from across the globe, Rogers said.

“Folks are coming from all over the world. They’re just totally intrigued with icebergs.

“I guess it’s one thing to hear

about them and yet it’s a totally different thing to be up within several hundred feet of them.”

But Rogers is careful to keep a safe distance.

“That iceberg is quite large underneath and quite dangerous as well,” he told his guests over a microphone as he approached the site where it ran aground near Cape Spear. It’s gorgeous to look at but can break apart or roll over with little warning, he explained.

Rogers also cautioned passengers in the rise and fall of North Atlantic swells to hang on at all times. One hand on the camera, one hand on a safety rail, he urged them.

As people crowded the pulpit bow taking photos, Rogers pointed out the berg’s striking shades of brilliant aqua and deep blue, the grooves cut by waves and small waterfalls running from melting sections.

He said it likely took around 18 months to three years for that iceberg to arrive.

Creeping glaciers that cover much of Greenland crawl towards ocean cliffs before snapping off in giant slabs that then float south toward the coasts of Labrador and Newfound-

land. When spring sea ice is especially thick it keeps the icebergs, believed to be at least 12,000-year-old specimens of pristinely pure water, more intact as they travel.

They float because the density of the frozen berg is less than that of sea water.

Smaller “bergy bits” are especially hazardous as they can be harder to see in waves but can easily cut through a steel hull.

Rogers steered toward a soaring rocky cliff to give passengers a closer look at a sparkling piece of sunlit ice less than five metres

long. Such remnants are known as “growlers” for how they hiss as they melt, releasing air.

Trudy Wohlleben, a senior ice forecaster for the Canadian Ice Service, said a long trail of bergs extending down the Labrador coast is now concentrated off northeastern and eastern Newfoundland.

She said it’s the most sea ice and resulting bergs since 2003, though it’s not clear why.

“Climate has many aspects to it,” Wohlleben said from Ottawa. “Whether it’s natural variability or it’s part of a longer

term trend, it’s a little difficult to say.”

It’s expected that icebergs will be visible off Newfoundland for at least the next several weeks.

If you go

Check out the Iceberg Finder map at www.icebergfinder.com for updates.

A warm coat, hat and gloves are recommended for offshore viewing.

For tips on travel to Newfoundland and Labrador: www. newfoundlandlabrador.com ■

Ph:604.805.3440

Travel

43 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

Pagdiriwang: Celebrating the Filipino soul TEN YEARS ago, a group of friends who called themselves Filipino Friends in Richmond (FFIR), thought about marking Philippine Independence Day with a free event celebrating Philippine culture. Thus was born Pagdiriwang, meaning celebration, the biggest Philippine festival in the city of Richmond, B.C. Now, Pagdiriwang has become an ideal venue for presenting Philippine arts and crafts, music, dance, history and for providing a better understanding of our heritage.

Pagdiriwang offers insights into Filipino traditions like learning the rhythmic Tinikling, a popular folk dance using bamboos; or watching the colourful costumes of singkil dancers. The latter is a more complicated Muslim dance also known as the Royal Maranao Fan Dance, that never ceases to amaze visitors. Guests are likewise brought closer to home by a kundiman singer expressing his undying love for a beloved. The annual gathering showcases Philippine fashion in the Santacruzan procession held at the start of the event. All performers in their finest Filipiniana attire parade within the mall.

The event draws over 300 visitors every year, including dignitaries like Suzanne Anton, the current minister of Justice and attorney general of British Columbia; Alice Wong, MP for Richmond; Mable Elmore, MLA for Vancouver Kensington; Malcolm Brodie, Richmond mayor; members of the city council and more, according to Lita Nu-

guid, founding member of FFIR. Nuguid said, “This is my way of giving back to the community.” With the help of her friends Norbert Chingcuanco, owner of Ace Hardware (which became Home Hardware in Richmond), Andy Naval and Marilou Yodogawa they have made this event the bigger and bigger each year.

“Elena Agala also volunteers her time with the group. This FFIR is open to everyone who wants to volunteer and support the get-together we do every year,” Nuguid added. She wants to thank media sponsors like Philippine Canadian Inquirer, Juan Radio, Dahong Pilipino, Philippine Journal, Planet Philippines, Philippine News Today and Philippine Chronicle. She also wishes to acknowledge Lansdowne Mall, Times Tel, the Philippine Consulate in Vancouver, The Federal Conservative Party, I-remit, Sprott Shaw College, Costco Richmond, Megaworld International, Old Manila Bakery, Success Richmond, Kumare, Little Ongpin, Canadian Western Richmond Branch, Even8Events Production, Desjardins, Sunlife, One La Salle Association of British Columbia, and Rudy Tuliao, Luchie Lirio and Elvira Castillo for bringing food.

This year’s festival will showcase the talents of Cipriano de Guzman and Kay Balajadia, baritone and soprano singers from the Philippines; Tonette Gatus Bayanihan Dance; Haydee de Pedro; and the MHHS Cultural Dancers. ■

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No rest... in Paris, coming up short again in his bid to complete a career Grand Slam. Djokovic has won six major titles— four at the Australian Open, plus one each at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open— but he has lost in the finals at three of the last four Slams.

That includes a defeat at the All England Club a year ago, when Andy Murray became the first British man to win the title since Fred Perry in 1936. So Murray would be the centre of attention, anyway, and he gave everyone another reason to keep a close eye on him by hiring former women’s No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo as his new coach.

The fourth member of the Big Four, Federer, has lost before the quarterfinals at three of the last four Slams, a stretch that began with a second-round exit at Wimbledon.

It will also be worth watching how players who had breakthroughs at the French Open follow that up. Ernests Gulbis, for one. Simona Halep, Andrea ❰❰ 39

Petkovic and Garbine Muguruza, too.

And then there are a couple of previous Wimbledon winners who followed very different paths in Paris.

Serena Williams was the defending champion at the French Open, and departed in the second round, beaten 6-2, 6-2 by Muguruza. Williams vowed to “go home and work five times as hard to make sure I never lose again.” After her last early exit at Roland Garros— in 2012’s first round— she went on to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

Sharapova, meanwhile, earned a second French Open title and fifth major overall, overcoming a dozen doublefaults in her three-set victory over Halep in the final. Now it’s on to Wimbledon, where Sharapova won her first Grand Slam championship at age 17 in 2004.

“Even though you always remember those incredible moments of holding that trophy,” Sharapova said, “you got to try to erase that from your mind because you got to create new ones.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Experience Journey to

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Seen & Scenes

JUNE 13, 2014

PH FLAG RAISED IN NEW WESTMINSTER Since 1986, the Royal City Sister City Society, the support organization for New Westminster and Quezon City’s official sisterhood has been organizing the celebration of Philippine Independence Day in the city of New Westminster. Annie Miles (second from L), head of the society, is shown with guests during the day-long festivities. Photo from Janice Lozano’s FB page.

FRIDAY 44

PISTA NG BAYAN HOLDS COMMUNITY PICNIC RIGHT: Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer’s message highlighted the theme for this year's Independence Day celebrations, "Pagsunod sa Yapak ng mga Dakilang Pilipino, Tungo sa Malawakan at Permanenteng Pagbabago," a fitting tribute to the men and women who founded our nation and struggled against colonial rule.

He said the same message rings true to the contemporary Filipino, who has yet to unite with the rest and share the burden of pursuing inclusive and lasting development for our country and our people.

New Westminster City Councillors Jonathan Cote and Chuck Puchmayr, MP Burnaby-New Westminster Peter Julian and MLA Burnaby-Edmonds Raj Chouhan mark Independence Day with Filipinos in New Westminster B.C.

His Worship Mayor Wayne Wright and Consul General Neil Ferrer mark Philippine Independence Day in a flag-raising ceremony in New Westminster. Also in photo is Rudy Tuliao, president of Circulo Cagayano.

RAMOS CROWNED ‘MOTHER OF THE YEAR’ Asuncion Ramos (seated) was crowned ‘Mother of the Year’ of the Silayan Community Centre at the social hall of Toronto's Holy Rosary Church.

She was escorted by her youngest son, Nelson Ramos. George Poblete, regional commander for Canada of the Knights of Rizal and Consul Shirley E. Banquicio crowned the winner. ST. JAMESTOWN NEWS SERVICE, Romy Zetazate

YANGA TALKS WITH TRANSPORT MINISTER RAIIT Manny Yanga (R), Ward 7 trustee candidate for the Toronto Catholic District School Board, talks with Lisa Raitt (L), Minister of Transport as she announces an expanded CanadaPhilippines Air Transport Agreement that allows for more flights between the two countries. St. Jamestown News Service

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

Seen & Scenes

45 FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

BELOW: Taking a break from his Overseas Voting Registration outreach duties, Jandy Zulita, consular assistant at the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver, showcased his power chords on stage.

A staple dish during fiestas is the lechon, or roasted whole pig. Volunteers are seen chopping the lechon to be shared to the community. Photo by Treenee Lopez

ABOVE: Baritone Cipriano De Guzman and Soprano Kay Balajadia Liggayu sang Kundimans, traditional Filipino love songs, to the crowd’s delight.

The Philippines Cultural Pista ng Bayan Society execom members (from L) Gigi Astudillo, Annie Miles, Joel Castillo, Lita Nuguid, Elena Agala, Tomas Avendano, Consul General Neil Ferrer, Mike Calingo and Deputy Consul General Anthony Mandap receive a proclamation from MP Vancouver South Wai Young (in black) thanking them for helping build bridges for a strong multicultural society. Not in photo is Carmelita Tapia.

VANCOUVER PCG OPENS REGISTRATION BOOTHS The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver opened a registration booth for overseas voters at the New Westminster Independence Day festival. All qualified Filipino nationals are advised to bring copies of their passports when they attend the various Independence Day festivities in Metro Vancouver.

I-REMIT CEO MEETS ENVERGA Bansan C. Choa (R), chairman and chief executive officer of I-remit Global Remittance meets Filipino-Canadian Sen. Tobias C. Enverga, Jr. (2nd from R) during the 25th anniversary of the Philippine Reporter on May 31, at the Rembrandt Banquet Hall, Toronto, On. Also in photo are Rosemer AlboviasEnverga and Belinda Lim Herrera, country head and managing director of I-remit. St. Jamestown News Service, Romy Zetazate.

www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY JUNE 13, 2014

46

CANADA

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FRIDAY 48