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Cash put in 3 bags for Binays, says former vice mayor
4 minutes for P-Noy climate speech at UN
Philippine ferry sinks
Rob Ford out of mayoral race
Mayweather open to fight with Pacquaio
President Aquino invites Spanish investors to do business in the Philippines PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY MADRID, SPAIN—President Benigno S. Aquino III invited Spanish businessmen to invest in the Philippines, saying major achievements of his administration in the economic front and in the
TYPHOON LUIS
RELEVANT SKILLS. MEANINGFUL JOBS.
Typhoon ‘Luis’ exits PHL with zero casualty MANILA—As typhoon “Luis” left the country before noon on Monday, authorities announced that no casualty were reported during the onslaught of the typhoon.
In a press briefing held at the headquarters of National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Interior and Local Government Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II said early preparation and warning from the local government units (LGUs) resulted to no casualty from the typhoon.
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Counter Intelligence group to track scalawags cop—PNP chief PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY MANILA—Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Director General Alan Purisima on Monday said that there is counter intelligence group to tracks the scalawag PNP personnel. Purisima said if the counter intelligence has sufficient information against these scalawag cops they were closely monitoring them (scalawags) to followup the case. "Pag nagkakaroon tayo ng mga impormasyon ng mga gawain po nila, talagang pinatututukan natin ng mga talagang dedicated na policemen kasi sila yung nag-fofollow up mismo sa kaso," the PNP chief explained over a radio interview. He cited the example of cops linked to robbery and abduction incident along EDSA in Mandaluyong City early this month where a CCTV video was uploaded on social networking sites showing five men pointing their guns at a Toyota Fortuner. "Ang mga pulis natin ngayon ay talagang pinamamanmanan natin. Meron po tayong mga listahan po diyan na talagang tinututukan natin. Ang talagang kailangan natin sa isang kaso ay ebidensya, hindi po basta basta pag nagreport ka," he added. Purisima also expressed gratitude to the netizen who uploaded the video and encourage the public to cooperate and report to authorities these scalawags in uniform. "Kami po ay nagpapasalamat sa ating mga kabababayan sa kanilang kooperasyon na pinapakita sa amin, kasi kung hindi po magrereklamo ang ating mga kabababayan, itong mga pulis ay makakawala po. Kaya kailangan na kailan-
gan natin dito yung tulong ng ating mga kabababayan para hindi mapakawalan itong mga pulis na ito para magsagawa uli ng kanilang mga krimen," the PNP chief stressed. He added that they are serious in PNP anti-crime efforts, even if it means arresting and filing cases against their fellow policemen. In a related development, the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) Alumni Association, in a statement, strongly condemned the alleged acts of three of their graduates allegedly involved in the Sept. 1 EDSA incident. "We, graduates of the PNPA, are committed to adhere to promote integrity, service and justice— the core values that we learned from the academy. The recent development in the so-called EDSA gun-poking incident involving three of our graduates have really saddened us. Reports have linked them to an alleged ‘hulidap’ operation and they have all been charged in court," the statement said. "The Board also agreed to submit our erring graduates to a parallel investigation by our PNPAAI Ethics Panel where they may face expulsion from the association if found guilty of the crime against them. We at the PNPA had been very supportive of the effort of the PNP leadership to cleanse the ranks of the police force. We firmly believe that majority of the more than 148,000 uniformed personnel of the PNP are committed to our sworn duty to serve and protect the people," it added. The PNPA was established in June 1978 for the purpose of producing highly-competent and respected public safety officers who will lead the country to a brighter future. ■
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SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
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‘He got 13% for each deal’ Cash put in 3 bags for Binays, says former vice mayor BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer THREE LOCKED duffel bags labeled “J,” “G” and “E” that each contained bundles of cash worth millions of pesos for the family of then Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, for his personal needs and for his campaign kitty for the vice presidency in 2010 were delivered by no less than his then Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado. Testifying before the Senate, Mercado yesterday said he personally gave the bags filled with some P1.5 million to P10 million in cash—kickbacks from the city government’s infrastructure projects—to Binay, now the Vice President, and to the latter’s children and staff members. Mercado said the J bag was for then Councilor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay, the G bag for his father’s finance officer, Gerry Limlingan, and the E bag for his longtime trusted secretary, Ebeng Baloloy. The bags also contained the lists of contractors, projects and the amount of money they gave, Mercado said. Only the recipient of the bags would receive the combination to unlock these bags, via text message from trusted Binay aide and former city engineer Nelson Morales, he added. The money came from the 13-percent kickbacks that Binay allegedly got from the contracts for the city’s infrastructure projects—not just the P2.3-billion Makati City Hall Building II (parking building), according to Mercado. Numerous times
Mercado said that he delivered the bags to the home and offices of the then mayor numerous times and that Binay himself was present during
some of the deliveries. The then vice mayor became involved in this practice since 2008, when he was announced as the next candidate for Makati mayor. The Senate blue ribbon subcommittee investigating the alleged overpricing of the Makati parking building has decided to invite former Makati Mayor and now Vice President Binay to its next hearing on Sept. 25. Mercado said he usually delivered the cash for the Binay family to then Councilor Junjun Binay, handing over the bag in the latter’s 18th floor office, his house on Caong Street, or in the mayor’s office, which he entered through a private door accessible only to a select few. “The person carrying my bag stops at the door and will put down the bag. I’m the only one who enters the office. If Junjun or Mr. Limlingan is there, I will give them the bags, but the mayor (Vice President Binay) is also there,” he said. “He (Vice President Binay) knows what the bags contain,” he added. “I will only say, ‘Sir, this is the one for Junjun. Kuya (Limlingan), this is for our campaign.” During his deliveries to Mayor Binay’s home, Mercado said he would usually go directly to Binay’s library to bring the bag. Binay would tell him to put down the bag and that Junjun would get it later. Garbage contract
Mercado also said part of the money he delivered to Junjun Binay included the monthly P2.4 million in cash for former Makati Mayor Elenita Binay, with the money coming from the city’s garbage contract. He said he was sure the money from the garbage deal was meant for Elenita because she had warned him not to touch it, after she had supposedly complained of his reduction of the city’s “ghost employees.”
Nancy
But when Elenita was mayor, which was from 1998 to 2001, Mercado said he also delivered money to her house, which was received by eldest daughter Nancy, who is now a senator. During Elenita’s term, when he was out of Makati after losing the vice mayoralty to Edu Manzano, Mercado said he had helped her out by checking the documents she handled. He held office at the Makati action center. Later on, the documents stopped passing through him and he heard rumors that her “amigas” (friends) questioned his role. But he said Elenita at one point called his attention and asked him where her money was going. “I told her, ‘ Ninang, I asked you where I should send your money, and you told me to bring it to your house and give it to Nancy. That’s Senator Nancy,” he said. He usually asked his staff to deliver the money, but there were times he personally brought the cash himself and gave this to Nancy. He added that it was a good thing he and Morales kept a logbook of their deliveries, which he showed to Elenita. But this logbook is no longer with him now, since this was back in 1998. “She said, ‘Are you sure you gave this to Nancy?’ I said yes,” he added. Vistamar building
The bags of cash for Binay’s campaign were usually delivered to Limlingan, the mayor’s finance officer then, Mercado said. This was delivered to the second floor of Vistamar Building on Mayapis corner St. Paul Street, or to Binay’s office when Limlingan was there. “(Limlingan) is the one who talks to the private sector. Some
Jejomar Binay.
PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
of these funds were set aside for Binay’s campaign for the vice presiden[cy],” he said. Binay had been aiming to be President since 2001, according to Mercado. Mercado handed over the money for Binay’s personal needs to “Ate Ebeng,” Binay’s trusted secretary since his lawyer days. Mercado made the delivery to Robelle Mansion on JP Rizal Street in Makati, the office Binay uses for his “private transactions.” The bag for Ate Ebeng usually contained the smallest amount, while those for the Binay family and for the campaign kitty contained roughly the same amount. Mercado said he got the bags of money from the late former city engineer Morales, a trusted Binay official, who would call him up whenever the cash was available for delivery. 3 bags for every collection
Morales used the term “bag” or “goods” over the phone when telling him the cash was available and did not use the term money as a precaution in case the phone was bugged, he added. “For every collection, engineer Morales delivers three bags to my office,” the former vice mayor said, pointing to similar bags labeled “J,” “G,”
and “E” that he brought to the hearing. Each bag has a combination lock and Morales sends the code via text message to whoever would receive the bags, he said. “When the bags had no lock, the amounts they received were not correct and a portion was missing. I received calls telling me the amount was not correct. So, engineer [Morales] and I decided to have a lock on these so that they would be the ones to open these,” he said. Asked why he was sure the bags contained money, Mercado said he had been a frequent visitor to Morales’ office. “I can describe how the money was placed in the bags,” he said. List from various projects
He added that since the money did not come from one project alone, the bags included a list of the projects from where the money originated. “It includes which contractor gave the money, what project it came from, and how much was given. That’s why there were different bundles inside, and I saw that. That’s why I am very sure that they contained money,” he said.
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FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS Every week, the Philippine Canadian Inquirer celebrates the unwavering Filipino spirit through a feature called “Filipino-Canadian in Focus.” The feature recognizes the achievements of Filipinos living in Canada who have shown concern for the community, success in spite of trials, and the uniquely Pinoy practice of “bayanihan.” This year, we are welcoming nominations for the next subject of “Filipino-Canadian in Focus.”
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Peace in South at hand ‘Allah’ to ‘Almighty,’ out with ‘devil in the details’ in Moro law BY JULIET LABOGJAVELLANA AND NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer “ALLAH,” “RESERVED” and “general supervision of the President” over the Bangsamoro region were among the contentious details that bogged down work on the final draft of the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL). A high-ranking source told the INQUIRER that a heated back-and-forth ran for weeks between the legal team of the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) over the draft submitted by the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (Transcom). The back-and-forth included a meeting between the President and MILF chair Murad Ebrahim last week. President Aquino finally got the “clean copy” of the draft bill on Tuesday night. “We needed enough time to study every provision in our proposed [law]. This was a long and thorough process, because we went through every detail involved in fulfilling our shared desires for the Bangsamoro region,” Mr. Aquino said. Yesterday, he submitted the proposed Bangsamoro Basic Law to the leaders of Congress in ceremonies held at Malacañang’s Rizal Hall. It was a crucial step in Mr. Aquino’s attempt to end four decades of conflict in Mindanao. “We have taken yet another step toward a more peaceful and more progressive Mindanao,” he said after turning over the bill to Senate President Franklin Drilon and Speaker of the House Feliciano Belmonte Jr. Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles and
Mohagher Iqbal, chief negotiator of the MILF and chair of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, handed over copies of the bill to Drilon and Belmonte. Mr. Aquino called for the passage “in the soonest possible time” of the proposed law that would have the Bangsamoro governing a new autonomous region in Mindanao, which he called a “just and fair deal for all.” It had taken the government and the MILF 17 years to complete a peace agreement and draft a bill that would establish the Bangsamoro autonomous region. ‘Hand-wringing sessions’
The draft was supposed to have been submitted to Congress two months ago, but the government reviewed it and made changes that took both sides three hand-wringing “working sessions” from July to August to iron out. “[There was so much] back and forth. Basically we agree on what has to be achieved, but how do you actually express these in words, that’s where the disagreement came in,” the source said. The source said the very first section—the preamble—had become contentious because it invoked Allah. The government team argued that the Bangsamoro would not only be for Muslims but also for Christians, Lumad and other indigenous peoples in the territory. In the final text of the preamble “Allah” was changed to “Almighty” thus it read in part: “We, the Bangsamoro people and other inhabitants of the Bangsamoro, imploring the aid of the Almighty...” and “...with the blessings of the Almighty, do hereby ordain and promulgate this Bangsamoro Basic Law.”
‘Preferential’ not reserved
The source said the President also objected to the provision stating that the exploitation of resources in the new autonomous territory would be “reserved” for the Bangsamoro people. “How do you operationalize that? Do you have a cedula (residence certificate) dating back to 1521? Is there a list of the owners down to the present in the Koran?,” the source quoted the President as asking. According to the source, the President also pointed out that those who would be deprived of the rights to the resources would object to that provision. So in the final text, “reserved” was changed to “preferential.” Section 11 of Article 13 outlined the “preferential rights of bona fide inhabitants over the exploration, development and utilization of natural resources, including fossil fuels and uranium.” Presidential oversight
But one of the most contentious points, according to the source, was when the draft became silent on the authority of the President over the proposed Bangsamoro region. “When you remove that [provision], how can we say that we are under the same republic? Those who have reservations about you (Bangsamoro), who will they turn to?” the source said, quoting the President. The provision stating that the “President shall exercise general supervision over the Bangsamoro government to ensure that laws are faithfully executed’ was restored in Section 3, Article 6 on Intergovernmental Relations. The terms were so sensitive that the government legal team had to drop the phrase “the devil is in the details” in referring to the nitty-gritty of autonomy.
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A Moro rebel standing in front of a sign describing an intiative by the USAID "Growth With Equity in Mindinao" farming program staged at the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) outpost inside the MILF Camp at Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat, Southern Philippines. PHOTO BY K NAVALES / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
“[Undersecretary] Manolo Quezon objected to the use of “the devil is in the details” because [the MILF] might think they were the devil so we had to change the phrase,” the source said. In the end, both the President and the MILF leadership looked at the historical significance of the Bangsamoro law and the creation of the autonomous region to achieve peace in Mindanao. “[The Muslims] deserve more because they have been left behind,” the source said, quoting the President. Striking a balance
In the end, what came out was a draft law that apparently struck a balance between the interests of the government and the MILF. The bill emphasizes the asymmetrical relationship between the government and the Bangsamoro, “distinct from the relationship between the national government and other local government units,” said the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (Opapp). The Opapp explained that Article X Sec. 20 of the Constitution “confers the Bangsamoro government, as an autonomous region, with legislative powers over such matters as administrative organization, and ancestral domain—which is not grant-
ed to local government units.” “However, similar to local government units, the President’s power of general supervision remains,” the Opapp said. “Supervision,” as lawyers would explain, is a technical term in constitutional law that allows the President to “oversee without substituting his judgment for another’s judgment.” It may mean the President has the need to know everything. “In applying and/or using specific provisions of the Constitution, as they relate to the contents of the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law, a degree of liberality has to be observed, keeping in mind that too restrictive application and/or interpretation of the fundamental law would frustrate our quest and aspiration for peace. We have to be guided by the legal maxim that ‘the will of the people is the supreme law,’” Yasmin BusranLao, secretary of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos and a member of the government peace panel said in a statement released by Opapp. “Flexibility in accommodating proposals, suggestions and positions aimed at reflecting in the draft basic law the spirit and in❱❱ PAGE 12 Peace in
Philippine News
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SEPTEMBER 19, 2014 FRIDAY
A year after siege, Zambo evacuees still struggling Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer, Inc. Managing Editor Earl Von Tapia earl.tapia@canadianinquirer.net Community News Editor Mary Ann Mandap maryann.mandap@canadianinquirer.net Correspondents Ching Dee Angie Duarte Lei Fontamillas Frances Grace Quiddaoen Socorro Newland Bolet Arevalo Graphic Designer Shanice Garcia Photographers Angelo Siglos Solon Licas Operations and Marketing Head Laarni Liwanag (604) 551-3360 Advertising Sales Alice Yong (778) 889-3518 alice.yong@canadianinquirer.net Jennifer Yen (778) 227-2995 jennifer.yen@canadianinquirer.net sales@canadianinquirer.net 1-888-668-6059 PHILIPPINE PUBLISHING GROUP Editorial Assistant Phoebe Casin Associate Publisher Lurisa Villanueva In cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer digital edition Philippine Canadian Inquirer is located at 400-13955 Bridgeport Rd., Richmond, BC V6V 1J6 Canada Tel. No.: 1-888-668-6059 or 778-8893518 | Email: info@canadianinquirer. net, inquirerinc@gmail.com, sales@ canadianinquirer.net Philippine Canadian Inquirer is published weekly every Friday. Copies are distributed free throughout Metro Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto. The views and opinions expressed in the articles (including opinions expressed in ads herein) are those of the authors named, and are not necessarily those of Philippine Canadian Inquirer Editorial Team. PCI reserves the right to reject any advertising which it considers to contain false or misleading information or involves unfair or unethical practices. The advertiser agrees the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of error in any advertisement.
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BY JULIE S. ALIPALA AND JULIE M. AURELIO Philippine Daily Inquirer ZAMBOANGA CITY—A year after Moro rebels attacked this renowned southern City of Flowers, Junior Santander Morte is still trying to put normalcy back to his life while more than 12,000 others are painfully struggling to cope with appalling conditions in evacuation centers. Morte was one of the 198 residents taken hostage by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) since Day One of the siege of Zamboanga—Sept. 9 last year. He was able to escape from his captors seven days later. A soldier-turned-businessman, Morte said he, his wife Quirina and five children were still living in constant fear, especially when they would see men in camouflaged uniform. This, despite the assurance of Senior Supt. Angelito Casimiro, city police chief, that the provincial capital’s 98 barangays are in safe hands following the setting up of a comprehensive defense plan. Called the Guardian Shield, the plan serves as protection to Zamboangueños from possible attacks, but Casimiro refused to give details. Morte said “good intelligence work,” not the number of uniformed personnel patrolling the streets, would thwart any possible attack. “I remember last year, the city had enough security forces but the rebels managed to penetrate the city and everyone was caught flat-footed,” he said, referring to the deployment of soldiers to vital installations following the declaration of independence by MNLF leader Nur Misuari at his house in Barangay San Roque. Barely a month after Misuari’s declaration, residents woke up to a fire fight and reports of armed men taking hostages in Barangays Santa Catalina, Mampang and Talon-Talon. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said 198 people were taken hostage and used as human shields by the attacking forces. Senior Supt. Chiquito Malayo, former acting city police chief, last year told the INQUIRER that about 200 to 300 MNLF rebels attacked the city, occupying some areas near the shorelines of Talon-Talon, Mampang, Rio Hondo, Mariki and Kasanyangan, and the mainland areas of Santa Barbara and Santa Catalina. Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala, spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said the fighting had left 20 soldiers and five policemen dead, and 194 wounded on the government side. Zagala said 208 MNLF members were killed, including their leader Habier Malik, while 294
on the heels of Misuari. “Misuari’s faction was heavily debilitated as a consequence of their failed attack on Zamboanga City. Right now, he is in hiding and eventually, the law will catch up to him,” he said. The AFP spokesperson commended the heroism and sacrifices of government troops who valiantly defended Zamboanga. “We all witnessed the restraint and focus of our soldiers, who successfully rescued the civilians being used as human shields. This manifests the maturity and professionalism and respect for human rights of our soldiers,” he said. September to remember
others were captured. Twelve civilians were killed, including four hostages, while 79 residents were wounded. The DSWD said 118,819 people, or 23,794 families, were displaced during the fighting. Some 2,304 families, or 12,476 individuals, are still in ragged tents at Joaquin F. Enriquez Memorial Sports Complex, which has been turned into a makeshift evacuation center. Appalling conditions in the facility and other smaller evacuation sites have resulted in 167 deaths from diseases and malnutrition in the past year, prompting concerns from local and international humanitarian groups working in the encampments.
Jimmy Villaflores, village chair of Santa Catalina, said that as barangay folk prepared for “September to Remember,” an event commemorating the siege, they wanted the “healing of minds and hearts” of those who went through the experience “so our people can start to move on.” “Every time our people hear about talk of an attack or reported movement of armed men or suspected MNLF forces, they panic and become so afraid,” Villaflores said. Santa Catalina and neighboring Santa Barbara village were the hardest hit during the standoff. “It was not just burning. Houses were destroyed by bombs, bullets and looting,” Villaflores said. “We want to remember how it was and how we can stand up, rise again and restore normalcy in our day-to-day living.” Villaflores said today’s event would be capped with sharing, prayers, vigil, Mass and candle lighting.
Long road
Unfortunate lesson
Nur Misuari, the leader of the Moro National Liberation Front, is on the run one year after his declaration of independence for the MNLF caused armed conflict in the city of Zamboanga. PHOTO BY JFKASSAD / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Zagala announced yesterday that the AFP and law enforcement agencies were putting up a detachment near the seaside Rio Hondo, where the fighting last year was centered. He said the Zamboanga City government had offered a piece of land at Rio Hondo, which had been reduced to ashes. There, the military, the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Coast Guard and the Bureau of Fire Protection can set up its offices, he said. “We will have an area which will have joint law enforcement agencies stationed there that will contribute to the normalization, at least in the security and law enforcement aspect,” he added. “It’s still a long road but we are getting there; I am talking about normalization in terms of law enforcement and security …. On the security side, we have some detachments in place so we have access there, unlike before when there was none. Before, lawless elements can do whatever, but not now,” he stressed. Zagala said law enforcers were close
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Habib Mudjahab Hashim, commander of the MNLF Islamic Command Council, told the INQUIRER by phone that there would be no more such incidents. “We have learned our lessons. It was not a siege. It was supposed to be a peaceful caravan to manifest displeasure with the Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro [that the government signed with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front]. Unfortunately, it resulted in the standoff and fire fights,” Hashim said. The MNLF rebels claimed that they were supposed to march to City Hall to hold a rally. They were, however, armed when they arrived in the city from the provinces of Sulu, Basilan and Zamboanga Sibugay. Peter Medalle, assistant regional state prosecutor, said all captured MNLF members were still awaiting court proceeding for charges of rebellion and violation of international humanitarian law, particularly the use of civilians as human shields. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
Typhoon Luis... “Dahil sa maaga ang pagbigay ng babala, maaga natugunan ng ating mga local chief executives ang kanilang pagkilos, maaga yung preemptive evacuation, at nailayo natin sa kapahamakan ang ating mga kababayan, hindi naman nawalan ng kumunikasyon at wala pong casualty yun ang pinakaimportante dito,” the DILG Chief said. He said the three people killed off Southern Leyte last Saturday were due to maritime incident and could not be directly attributed to typhoon “Luis”. “There were other ships that were plying the route, the incident happened in MV Maharlika is not directly related to typhoon Luis, in fact there were four or five other ships that were along the same route and were plying the same route. Ang initial report was it was dead in the water. So there was something wrong with the ship bago nangyari itong paglubog and ang mahala is there were four or five other ships or vessels that were in the vicinity na ❰❰ 1
nakarating ng safe sa kanilang paroroonan and in fact tumulong sa search and rescue so hindi natin talaga masasabi na directly konektado ito kay (typhoon) Luis,” Roxas explained. For his part, NDRRMC executive director Alexander Pama said the affected families in some provinces who stayed at the evacuation centers are now returning to their homes. According to the NDRRMC, around 1,723 families or 7,801 people were affected and went to 36 evacuation centers in the provinces of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Metro Manila. Flash floods and landslides were reported in San Miguel, Bulacan; Occidental Mindoro; and Cullion, Palawan while a structure collapsed in San Clemente, Tarlac. A total of 43 flights were also cancelled due to inclement weather since Saturday. Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard said in its advisory that as of 10 a.m. Monday, some 541 passengers, 38 rolling car-
goes, four vessels and six motor bancas at ports were stranded due to the typhoon. Pama also said electricity in some provinces in Northern Luzon was shut down for preemptive and precautionary measure for the safety of the public. “May mga linya na naputol na dahil yung ibang mga lugar pinatay din so the name of the game now is preemptive, precautionary so yun ang mga ginagawa natin, kung hindi tayo nagkakamali, karamihan sa mga yan naibalik na, yung hindi pa man, yan ang binibigyan pansin ngayon na maayos,” the NDRMMC explained. Typhoon Luis enhanced the southwest monsoon that brought heavy rains in Metro Manila that resulted to flooding. MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino, however, said that all reported flood in the metropolis have now receded. He also said there are no flood incident reported in flood prone areas like in Navotas and Malabon. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
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Palace renews support to proposal for lifestyle check on PNP execs Philippine News Agency MANILA—Malacanang on Monday reiterated its support for the proposal of Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas to conduct lifestyle checks on police officials. “It’s not something new. That is something that is expected for all of us in government to see whether our means—our lifestyle exceeds our means,” Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a Palace press briefing. Lacierda said the conduct of lifestyle checks on all govern-
ment officials has been ongoing. “Yung lifestyle check naman lahat ng government officials, in one way or another, are also being subject to lifestyle check because we’re supposed to lead lives equivalent to our—to the standards of our compensation, standards of what good governance should be,” he said. Lacierda said everybody thus should welcome the call of Secretary Roxas to conduct lifestyle check on members of the Philippine National Police (PNP). ■
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Philippine News
SEPTEMBER 19, 2014 FRIDAY
4 minutes for P-Noy climate speech at UN BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer IT WILL take all of four minutes but it will be a speech that aims to tell the world the need to step up collective action to address climate change. President Aquino will be one of the world leaders to speak at the United Nations Climate Change Summit on Sept. 23, a high level push led by UN Secretary Ban Ki-moon to reach a consensus among nations at the 2015 UN Climate Change Conference in Paris on cutting greenhouse gases. Also expected to attend the summit are US President Barack Obama, and leaders from China, India and Brazil, among others. Mr. Aquino leaves on Sept. 13 for a five-nation trip to Europe and the United States. He is to meet with leaders of Spain, Belgium, France and Germany in a bid to drum up support for the Philippines in its territorial dispute with China before proceeding to New York. The Philippines’ experience with Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) manifested “what the impact of climate change would look like,” Climate Change Commission Secretary Mary Ann Lucille Sering told the INQUIRER
in an interview yesterday. The Philippines is getting “the raw end of the deal” because while it is not a major emitter of greenhouse gases, typhoons in the country are getting more frequent due to climate change, Sering said. But President Aquino will face the United Nations not so much with the Philippines as a case study for climate change, but more so, to show the world that “we refuse to be defined by our sufferings but we want to be defined by how well we actually recovered.” Sering said Mr. Aquino’s speech would take four minutes. “But (we would be) showing the world we are trying to do the best we can under the circumstances, (that) we are very progressive in our policies and we are trying to be a team player on the world stage to meet what science requires but obviously based on fairness and the principle of equity considering that we are not a major emitter and we need more support, essentially in technology,” she said. “So what we want the President to say on the world stage is that we are taking steps nonetheless in a small little way to contribute to the common but different responsibility depending what the circumstance
of each country can do,” Sering added. PH programs
The Philippines has been pushing for programs in the country that seek to address climate change. These include the Renewable Energy Law passed in 2008, the bus rapid transport which adopts the use of electric vehicles, and the Energy Efficiency Bill pending before Congress, among others. Sering added that the Philippines was among the first countries in Southeast Asia to have windmills as a source of energy and a People Survival Source Fund Board, a specialized funding for local governments to access technical support for re-
newable energy. With winds at more than 300 kilometers per hour, Yolanda slammed across the Visayan region on Nov. 8 last year. The strongest typhoon to ever make landfall, Yolanda killed more than 6,000 people. Over 2,000 remain missing. Rehabilitation and recovery efforts remain underway. While the government said much progress had been made in rebuilding the flattened provinces and towns, most of the victims are dissatisfied, saying that life had barely returned to normal. Preview of new protocols
The fiercer typhoons from the Pacific are concrete examples of global warming that is
one of the results of unabated gas results in climate change. While not part of the negotiations to come up with a new agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol, the UN Climate Change Summit is important because “it gives you an idea of the direction on what the agreement will look like [in] 2015,” based on what the global leaders would declare at the summit, Sering said. “This, I would say, is an attempt to salvage what we failed to achieve in 2009 in Copenhagen,” Sering said. The 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference failed to come up with commitments from nations to cut their greenhouse gas emissions to a safe level, although it came up with an accord that acknowledged that there was a need to keep the global temperature from rising to no more than 2 degrees Celsius. Sering said the global temperature is now at nearly .8 degrees Celsius. The Kyoto Protocol, which set an internationally binding emission reduction targets, was adopted in 1997 and its first commitment period began in 2008 and ended in 2012. A second commitment period was supposed to have taken place from Jan. 1, 2013 to Dec. 31, 2020. ■
President Aquino to meet EU heads, King Philippe in Belgium BY LESLIE D. VENZON Philippine News Agency MANILA—President Benigno S. Aquino III is expected to arrive in Brussels, Belgium Monday night (8:05 p.m. Manila time) in a bid to strengthen bilateral relations between the Philippines and European Union (EU). This is the second stop in President Aquino’s four-nation trip in Europe this week after holding business meetings with various Spanish companies. In Belgium, the President will meet Monday with European Commission President José Manuel Barroso at the Europe-
an Commission Headquarters at 3 p.m. (9 p.m. Manila time). “Topics such as PhilippineEU cooperation and bilateral relations will be discussed,” said Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda in a Palace press briefing. Lacierda said that after their meeting, President Aquino and Barroso will hold a joint press conference and deliver a press statement. He said the President will also have an audience with His Majesty King Philippe at the Royal Palace at 10 p.m. (Manila time) where they are expected to discuss Belgium’s assistance with post-Haiyan rehabilitation and Philippine-Belgium
historical relations. Lacierda said President Aquino will address the Filipino Community in Belgium and Luxembourg at the Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula early morning Tuesday (Manila time). There are an estimated 6,583 Filipinos in Belgium and 436 Filipinos in Luxembourg, and 68 registered Filipino community organizations. After Belgium, President Aquino will proceed to France from September 17 to 18, and Germany from September 19 to 20. He will meet French President François Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls in France. www.canadianinquirer.net
DEPARTURE SPEECH. President Benigno Aquino III makes a short departure
statement before leaving for Europe September 13. PHOTO FROM RAPPLER.COM
In Germany, the Chief Executive will meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel, Federal President Joachim Gauck and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
After his eight-day trip to Europe from September 13 to 20, President Aquino will visit the United States to speak at the United Nations climate summit. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
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Pope Francis raring Yes, hospitals can make you sick associations launch a campaign to beef up infection control to meet PH youth, poor Hospital and prevention programs BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer POPE FRANCIS has given a special blessing for Filipinos, urging them to pray for him, said Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario who met the Holy Father in Rome last week. Del Rosario said the Pope had told him he was looking forward to his trip to the Philippines next January to meet the poor, the youth and those affected by the devastating Supertyphoon “Yolanda” last year. Del Rosario had the opportunity to meet with the Pope last Sept. 3 when he went on a twoday visit to the Vatican to look into the preparations for the papal visit. The Philippine government and the Vatican are in the thick of preparations for the visit of Pope Francis, who is expected to be in the country from Jan. 15 to 19 next year. In a phone interview, Del Rosario said his seven-minute encounter with the 77-yearold Pope was “a very memorable moment in my life.” “I was in awe, humbled and honored,” he said, admitting to being at a loss for words on how to describe the meeting. “Just his presence is overwhelming,” he said of the very popular Pontiff, known for his humble and simple ways. ‘Prominent’ seat
Before his meeting with the
Pope Francis.
Pope, which happened at the plaza in the Vatican where 10,000 of the Catholic faithful had gathered on that “nice and sunny” Wednesday morning last week, Del Rosario met for an hour with his Vatican counterpart, Msgr. Dominique Memberti. Del Rosario said he had a chance to see and hear the Pope addressing the faithful at the plaza, having been given a “prominent” seat just across from the visiting Cardinals. “I was acknowledged publicly (by the Pope) as visiting from the Philippines,” Del Rosario said. The chance to speak with the Pope came after the Holy Father met and spoke individually to the 10 visiting Cardinals. The Pope then went down from where he spoke with the Cardinals and then briefly met with his officials to be briefed on Del Rosario’s meeting with Memberti. Then, he approached Del Rosario and welcomed him “with a big smile”. “The Pope said he was looking forward to his visit to the Philippines,” Del Rosario said. The Pope also told him that he wanted to visit the areas affected by Yolanda “and get together with the people affected by it.” “The message being sent (by the Pope) is that he wants to get together with the poor, the youth and people affected by national disasters in the Philippines. These are his priorities,” Del Rosario said. ■
PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
BY ANNE A. JAMBORA Philippine Daily Inquirer DR. MELECIA Velmonte, founder of the Philippine Hospital Infection Control Society (PHICS), recalled a time, not too long ago, when a patient was admitted to undergo a standard diagnostic test for dizziness. The patient, unfortunately, caught pneumonia in the hospital, developed a bloodstream infection (sepsis) and eventually died. A supposedly routine workup costing no more than P2,700 cost a patient’s life—all because the hospital did not have a solid infection control and prevention program. Hospitals are breeding grounds for thousands of microorganisms, Velmonte admitted. As the rate of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA, a staph bacteria resistant to many antibiotics) rises at an alarming rate, from 17 percent in 2001 to 48 percent in 2012, unsuspecting patients are now at higher risk of getting an infection, even during outpatient consultations. “A hospital is where people go when they are sick, and when they are sick they become more susceptible to various diseases and infections. Hospitals are filled with microorganisms sensitive or resistant to antibiotics, bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites,” Velmonte reiterated. To encourage private and public hospitals to beef up their infection control and prevention programs, the Philippine Hospital Association (PHA), with United Laboratories Inc. (Unilab) and PHICS launched the country’s first Hospital Best Practices in Infection Prevention and Control awards. “Through this initiative, we are hoping to reduce, control, minimize or maybe even eliminate hospital-associated infection… A good infection and prevention control program is a good element of quality care. We want to increase awareness on the importance of infection www.canadianinquirer.net
control, motivate healthcare providers to practice infection control measures, and sustain and institutionalize a good infection control program through strong management support,” said Dr. Ruben Flores, president of the PHA.
Risky procedures
Diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, such as catheterization, respiratory therapy, intravascular procedures and endoscopies, can increase risk of infection. Hospital-associated infection includes hospital-acquired pneumonia, surgical site infection, sepsis and catheterrelated urinary tract infection. Risk begins with the presence of the agent (bacteria, virus, parasites, insects), all transported through either direct contact, air, droplets, vehicles and vectors. All it takes is a susceptible host hovering within the vicinity of one of those agents, a patient whose immune system has been compromised, such as one afflicted with diabetes or cancer, for the infection to spread. “Even if you have a susceptible host, if you have no means of transporting it, usually through either the hands, air and droplets, an infection will not develop,” Velmonte said. Handwashing is one way of breaking the chain of infection, said Velmonte, but it’s not the only way. Proper disinfection and sterilization of the environment—one hospital takes two weeks to disinfect its intensive care unit facilities—isolation precaution, hygienic injection practices, and waste management
play major roles in minimizing hospital-associated infection. Healthcare workers and hospital personnel must be vigilant in their practice of proper hygiene and sanitation. Velmonte said that there are five moments of hand hygiene: before touching a patient, before clean/antiseptic procedure, after touching a patient, after body fluid exposure risk, and after touching the patient’s surroundings. “The problem is, even if healthcare workers attend training programs, if they are not supported by the management of the hospital, nothing will happen. No implementation can occur in that hospital,” she said. Healthcare-associated infections develop in hospitals more than 48 hours after admission, or even several days after exposure to infected patients and outpatient settings, such as in the case of chicken pox that develops after two weeks, she explained. About 55 percent of units become colonized with MDRO. Even with the best of care, or with observance of the best protocol, Flores said 35-40 percent of healthcare-associated infection is inevitable. What’s important is having timely intervention. To join the search, download the application form at these websites: PHA, Private Hospital Association of the Philippines Inc., Philippine College of Hospital Administrators, PHICS. Interested participants may also email mimestrella@yahoo.com or philhospitalassn@ gmail.com. Contest is open to all private and public hospitals. Cash prizes and free seminars await the winners. Awarding will be on Nov. 21. There will be a grand prize, followed by first and second runners-up. There will also be five special awards: Best in Hand Hygiene, Best in Environmental Cleaning and Decontamination, Best in Management of Infection Prevention among Healthcare Workers, Best in Healthcare Waste Management, and Best in Isolation Precaution Management. ■
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Philippine News
SEPTEMBER 19, 2014 FRIDAY
Survivor: ‘Death was in our minds’ while waiting in churning sea after Philippine ferry sinks BY JIM GOMEZ The Associated Press MANILA, PHILIPPINES— Survivors from a ferry that sank after encountering steering problems in the central Philippines said Sunday that they were tossed about by the churning sea in darkness for six hours while praying and clinging to an overturned life raft before a passing ship rescued them. “A few more hours in those huge, huge waves and we could have all died,” said ferry passenger Romeo Cabag, a 32-year-old security guard who survived with his wife, Wilma. “I had cramps in both legs, was exhausted, and at one point I was beginning to pray that if I won’t make it, that God allow at least my wife to live.” Rescuers, including the crew on two passing foreign vessels, plucked at least 110 survivors, including the Cabag couple, from the dangerously shifting waters. They recovered at least three bodies from the M/V Maharlika II, which listed and sank at nightfall Saturday, Red Cross aid worker Edward Barbero said. Search and rescue efforts by air and sea continued Sunday because it was uncertain how many passengers and crew members were aboard the Maharlika, coast guard Capt. Joseph Coyme said. “There are discrepancies in the numbers and we cannot terminate the search and rescue until we’re sure that everybody has been accounted for,” Coyme said by cellphone from the central city of Surigao, where the survivors were taken. As he spoke, an air force helicopter flew low overhead to start a search. Coast guard personnel could be heard using two-way radio to ask civilian ships leaving Surigao’s port to “help look for survivors, life vests” near the scene of the accident and along the coast. Ambulance vans stood at the seaport in Surigao and nearby towns to assist any more survivors. The ferry encountered steering trouble off Southern Leyte
Peace in... tent outlined and manifested in the duly signed Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, has to be applied, provided that the same will not compromise basic constitutional principle,” Lao said. ❰❰ 7
Plebiscite
The Maharlika II ferry was sunk from heavy waves after leaving Surigao City on its way to Liloan in Southern Leyete. GOOGLE MAPS SCREENSHOT
province and was then battered by huge waves and fierce winds whipped up by a typhoon north of its path, Coyme said. With clear weather in the central provinces south of the typhoon, the coast guard cleared the Maharlika to leave Surigao city around noon Saturday for a regular domestic run. The skipper sent the distress call a few hours later and several passengers used their cellphones to call for help when the ferry’s steering mechanism malfunctioned and fierce wind and big waves began to batter the stalled vessel, Coyme and other coast guard officials said. As the ferry frighteningly listed, Cabag said he, his wife and other passengers were handed life jackets. Amid the frenzy and cries for help, they uttered a prayer and jumped into the rough waters in panic. They struggled to swim into an overturned life raft that was not adequately inflated and held to the ropes on its sides for six hours. A passing cargo ship with a spotlight saw them in the darkness but sailed away after failing to maneuver close toward Cabag’s group of survivors be-
cause of the big waves. When a second ship with a search light passed close by, Cabag and his companions used their remaining strength to raise their life jackets with reflectors. “The tanker’s moving spotlight hit the reflectors and they noticed us,” Cabag told The Associated Press by cellphone. “Death was in our minds for several hours in the water until a crew member from the second ship used a megaphone with a message that drove some of my fellow survivors to tears: ‘Hold on, hold on, don’t let go, all of you will be saved.”‘ An elderly man and a woman in their group, however, perished, their bodies still attached to their life ring and jacket, Cabag said, adding that it underscored the ordeal they went through. Frequent storms, badly maintained vessels and weak enforcement of safety regulations have been blamed for past accidents at sea in the Philippines, including in 1987 when the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker, killing more than 4,300 people in the world’s worst peacetime maritime disaster. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
When the bill is passed into law, a plebiscite will be held for the creation of the Bangsamoro autonomous region, which will replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). The ARMM is the political entity created under Republic Act No. 9054, the result of the 1996 peace agreement between the government and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). The ARMM remains impoverished and Mr. Aquino has called it a “failed experiment.” The plebiscite for Bangsamoro will be held in the ARMM provinces—Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi—and areas covered by the basic law. The draft law specifies that the Bangsamoro government, which is parliamentary in form and will be headed by a chief minister, will have fiscal autonomy. “The funding mechanisms employed in this law will allow the Bangsamoro government to become self-sufficient and will no longer need funding from the national government to provide for the needs of its constituents,” the Opapp said. The Bangsamoro government will also get a 75-percent share in the taxes levied by the central government within the Bangsamoro. The bill also provides for an annual block grant, the automatic appropriation to be released to the Bangsamoro government immediately following the year the basic law takes effect. The annual block grant will be the equivalent of 4 percent of the net national internal revenue collection of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. This is less than the internal revenue allotment of local governments, the Opapp said. Development of the region
As part of the normalization process, the draft law says that the central government will provide support for the intensified development efforts for the rehabilitation, reconstruc-
tion, and development of the Bangsamoro. The rehabilitation will focus on the needs of the MILF combatants, internally displaced people and poverty stricken communities. The central government will provide a special development fund amounting to P7 billion for the first year upon the ratification of the Bangsamoro Basic Law. The fund will be increased to P10 billion in the second year, to be paid out in five years amounting to P2 billion a year. The amount will be released at the beginning of each fiscal year of the Bangsamoro government. Central gov’t powers
The draft law also provides for the reserved powers of the central government, which includes defense and external security, foreign policy, coinage and monetary policy, citizenship and naturalization, among other matters. The Bangsamoro Police will be part of the Philippine National Police. The Bangsamoro government, on the other hand, will have 58 exclusive powers, including conducting barter trade and countertrade with Southeast Asian countries, establishing economic zones and industrial centers, exclusive power over ancestral domain and natural resources, and the protection of the rights of the indigenous people in the Bangsamoro in accordance with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Shared powers
Concurrent or shared powers between the central government and the Bangsamoro government will include social security and pension, land registration, human rights and humanitarian protection and promotion, disaster risk reduction and management, and the administration of justice “with due regard to the powers of the Supreme Court and the competence of the Bangsamoro government over Shariah courts and the Shariah justice system. The Bangsamoro Parliament will have a wali, the Arabic term for guardian, who is a respectable member of society. The wali will administer the oath of office of the chief minister and the members of Parliament. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
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Congress first hurdle: Is BBL constitutional? BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA AND DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer IS THE PROPOSED Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) constitutional? This is the primary question members of Congress will need to determine when they begin scrutinizing the legislative measure that would establish a new autonomous region in Mindanao. President Aquino yesterday finally transmitted the draft to Congress, asking its members to “pass this bill in the soonest possible time.” “Now that we have a bill, I fully believe that it is in accordance with our Constitution and with the principles of our Framework Agreement [on the Bangsamoro], and that it reflects our shared efforts toward growth that leaves no one behind,” he said in a speech during turnover rites in Malacañang. “If we are able to legislate this, we can give our Moro brothers enough time to prepare, thus enabling them to nurture the seeds of meaningful governance, which were planted for the Bangsamoro.” ‘Our best shot’
Senate President Franklin
Drilon, who received a copy of the bill for the Senate, said passing it by the end of the year would be “extremely difficult” but that senators would “give it our best shot.” He said a March 2015 deadline would be more realistic and would still provide enough time for a plesbicite to ratify the proposed basic law. “We are confident that we will pass the measure. What we will look at with care is that the Bangsamoro Basic Law should be within the four corners of the Constitution,” he said. “The President has assured [the public] that this is within the constitutional boundaries and we are glad to hear that. That will be one major point of examination.” “Of course, private rights must be respected but at the same time we would want to give meaning to the aspirations of our Bangsamoro people as expressed in the peace agreement and now in the Bangsamoro Basic Law,” he added. Not before yearend
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. received a copy of the bill for his chamber, which is unlikely to be able to tackle it before the yearend, as the House will devote the next two weeks to budget deliberations and, like the
Senate, take two long breaks spread over five weeks. House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II said all pending measures in the House would have to stand aside for plenary debate on the proposed P2.606trillion budget for 2015, scheduled from Sept. 15 to 26. After that, both the Senate and the House will go on a three-week break, resume work for another two weeks, and then take another two-week break, Gonzales told reporters. “I don’t suppose the [Bangsamoro bill] will reach plenary before the end of the year. I’m not confident it can,” he said. For the two weeks beginning Sept. 15, “we’re all budget,” he said, adding that there will be time for other pending measures, even the Bangsamoro bill. Special committee
But yesterday, the House began the selection of the 75 members of a special committee on the Bangsamoro that would deliberate on the bill. Majority members of the special committee chaired by Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez will be composed mostly of lawmakers from Mindanao, Gonzales said. He said the minority would
also be represented in the committee, to comprise 7 percent of the panel, although it would be up leaders of the minority to decide on membership. “I will give them authority to meet next week for organizational purposes before the plenary of budget deliberations . . . maybe at 9 a.m.,” he said. Hard to say
Gonzales said it was hard to tell how much time it would take to pass the Bangsamoro bill. “We do expect that this will be a controversial bill. I myself have not read this. Until we know, that’s the only time we will know [if this] would be a free-flowing debate, or would there be any obstacles along the way due to controversial provisions,” Gonzales said. “The truth of the matter is, there’s no rush to [refer it now to the ad hoc committee]. Anyway the ad hoc committee can meet for organizational purposes even when the bill is not yet referred to it,” he said. Rodriguez, also in Malacañang for the turnover, said
Congress would have to determine whether the Bangsamoro bill “reflects what have been agreed upon” in the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, Framework Agreement on the Bangsamoro, and the four annexes. “The first hurdle is consitutionality,” he told the Inquirer on the sidelines of the turnover ceremony. Must be acceptable
Rodriguez said the proposed basic law should also be “acceptable to the Bangsamoro and the entire people of Mindanao.” In his speech, Mr. Aquino assured Congress that the bill “was crafted to be fair, just, and acceptable to all, whether they are Moros, Lumad or Christians.” Drilon said the proposed law would have “bipartisan support” in the Senate, noting the presence of Minority Leader Vicente Sotto III and Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who chairs the committee on local government. ■
President Aquino... fight against corruption have prepared the country to be an investment haven in Asia. “As the Spanish economy shows encouraging signs of recovery, I believe that this is an opportune time to invite you to invest in a resurgent economy,” President Aquino told the Networking with the Philippine Business Delegation event here. In wooing potential investors, the Chief Executive highlighted the country’s strong economic growth record, noting that from 2010 to 2013, the Philippines registered an average growth of 6.3 percent. He said the investment grade status from Moody’s, Standard and Poor’s and Fitch Group and the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report that cited the Philippines as the ❰❰ 1
most improved country since 2010 are proof enough that the Philippines is a sound investment destination. Even various publications and reputable organizations have referred to the Philippines as “Asia’s bright spot” or “Asia’s rising tiger.” The President said anticorruption efforts to cut red tape would make it easier for businesses to set up shop in the Philippines, while reforms to liberalize industries would open more investment potentials. “All of this, we have to stress, is only the beginning. Our focus has always been on inclusive growth, which necessarily means prioritizing our greatest resource, the Filipino people,” President Aquino said. Acknowledging that the Filipino people are the country’s
President Benigno Simeon Aquino III is warmly received by the Filipino community during wreath-laying ceremonies at the Rizal monument in Madrid, Spain. PHOTO BY RYAN LIM / MALACANANG PHOTO BUREAU
greatest resource, the President said his administration has been focusing on improving the lives of the poorest of the poor. The President said the govwww.canadianinquirer.net
ernment has succeeded in improving the plight of around 2.5 million Filipinos above poverty line. He also said the government is now focusing on pushing the “near poor” away from
the poverty line. “Indeed, we are working to go from strength to strength. Moving forward, we continue to invest in infrastructure, to develop key industries like manufacturing, and to expand the coverage of social services, healthcare, and education—so that more Filipinos can take part and contribute to this economic resurgence,” President Aquino said. “We are determined to prove to the world an important truth about our country: In the Philippines you will find a place where the government is focused on investing on its greatest resource, its people; a nation where entrepreneurs are viewed as partners, and where everyone works to prove that, for tourists and businesses alike: Es más divertido en las Filipinas,” he said. ■
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Philippine News
SEPTEMBER 19, 2014 FRIDAY
There’s enough anti-HIV Builder defends Torre de Manila drugs–DOH vs ‘photoshopped’ complaints BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH) has assured Filipinos afflicted with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that it has enough supply of the antiretroviral (ARV) drug they need, even if the last of three batches of the medication shipped from abroad has yet to be released by the Bureau of Customs (BOC). In a statement, Health Secretary Enrique Ona said the health agency was working on the immediate release of the ARV drugs, which were procured through the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef ), from the BOC. ARV is a combination of medications given to HIV-positive patients to delay the progress of the infection and the onset of full-blown acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Ona said the ARV drugs ar-
rived between Aug. 2 and 14 and was scheduled to be released in three batches after the health agency paid the corresponding duties and taxes. The first batch was released last week while the second was released yesterday. The third batch is expected to be released also this week, said Ona. Ona said that as early as last week the the drugs had been available to patients under the DOH’s HIV treatment program. “Enough supplies are available for these patients even as the DOH awaits the release of those drugs now at the BOC,” he said. Records from the DOH National Epidemiology Center showed that there were 3,090 HIV cases and 309 AIDS cases from January to July this year. In July alone, the health agency recorded 585 new HIV cases, 30 percent higher compared to the same period last year and so far the highest number of cases reported in a month.
BY DORIS C. DUMLAO Philippine Daily Inquirer
have gotten some P52 million or 13 percent, he said. But he believed other officials also profited from the infrastructure projects, though he had no personal knowledge of this. Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III asked where the cash came from, whether from the contractor or withheld from City Hall.
P120 million for the campaign of his party during the 2010 elections, but he got P80 million. Mercado said the Vice President told Morales to stop giving money to the former vice mayor, since they were already political rivals by then. Mercado had a falling out with Binay after the latter withdrew support for his election campaign in the mayoral race in Makati.
BREAKING ITS silence, the developer of the controversial Torre de Manila maintained that the project stands on solid legal ground and claimed that media photos of the rising condominium were part of a mere “propaganda” to make it appear very close to the Rizal Monument. DMCI Project Developers Inc.—a company under the Consunji-led DMCI Holdings— stressed that the project had obtained all the required permits and approvals. The company issued a statement on Tuesday, four days after the Knights of Rizal filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking Torre’s demolition for ruining the view of the national shrine. DMCI lamented that complaints against Torre had centered on the project becoming part of the background of the Rizal Monument, which it said had nothing to do with the law. “Our project is almost one kilometer away from the monument and even a bit on the right side. But to grab public attention, some parties took to the unethical approach of virtually juxtaposing pictures of our project right behind the monument,” DMCI said, without naming the parties. “In effect, their claim of ‘pho-
PHOTO FROM DMCIHOMES.COM
tobomb’ (or Torre being an intrusive object that ruins a picture) was photoshopped. It was a success as far as getting the public to believe their propaganda, but it was at the expense of truth,” the firm said. DMCI attached to its statement photos showing what it considered the “actual” relationship or distance between the project and the Rizal Monument. (The Inquirer stands by the integrity of the photos used for earlier reports on the Torre de Manila controversy.) “Our zoning permit, issued on June 19, 2012, specifically allows us to build 97,549 square meters. This was confirmed when the building permit was issued the following month showing that we were cleared to build a 49-story project (not 46, as earlier reported),” DMCI said. The statement noted that in September 2012, the Manila city
government’s legal department opined that “aesthetic offensiveness” was not among the legal bases that would merit the suspension of the project. The opinion was issued in response to the request of the city council then to suspend the building permit. DMCI further noted that by November 2012, the National Historical Commission cleared the project, saying it “is outside the boundaries of Rizal Park and well to the rear (789 meters) of the Rizal National Monument.” But for future projects, it said it might ask the city government to designate a buffer zone around the park and regulate building development. Finally, the company said the present city council confirmed and ratified all the permits and approvals issued by city hall for the project early this year. “For all intents and purposes, we are legally solid,” DMCI said. ■
election of Makati Rep. Abigail Binay. Asked about the Binay camp’s allegation that Mercado, Morales and former general services director Mario Hechanova had formed the “triumvirate of corruption” for rigging the bidding for projects in Makati, Mercado noted that after he and Hechanova had broken away from Binay, Morales stayed with the mayor. Mercado also said that when he was councilor, he regularly received envelopes of cash containing P10,000 to P70,000, and was told he’d received this as long as he would be a “good boy.” The members of the blue ribbon subcommittee on
the Makati parking building chaired by Pimentel are Senators Antonio Trillanes IV, Teofisto Guingona III, Sergio Osmeña III, Grace Poe, Bam Aquino, Cynthia Villar, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, Lito Lapid, Francis Escudero, Pia Cayetano, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Loren Legarda, JV Ejercito, Jinggoy Estrada, Gregorio Honasan II and Binay. Ex-officio members are Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Alan Peter Cayetano and Ralph Recto. Only Pimentel, Cayetano and Trillanes were present at yesterday’s hearing. Senator Binay early on said she would inhibit from the hearing out of delicadeza. ■
‘He got’... He added that Morales would not have put locks on the bags if these contained only dirty laundry. The deliveries of bags of cash did not take place at regular intervals. These would depend on how many infrastructure projects were taking place in Makati, he said. The amounts would also vary. “It depends on whether there are many projects being undertaken,” he said. Mercado also said he could only speak of the kickbacks he delivered for his boss, then mayor and now Vice President Binay. For example, if Phase 1 of the Makati parking building cost P400 million, Binay would ❰❰ 4
Promised P120M
Mercado surmised the money came from the contractor, since there was no other source from where Morales could get the money. Mercado was not left empty handed for his role. He said Binay and Morales promised him
P1B for VP campaign
He said Morales also disclosed that he was directed to raise P1 billion to be used for Binay’s campaign for the vice presidency, for Junjun’s campaign for mayor and for the rewww.canadianinquirer.net
Philippine News
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
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8 QC cops busted in fake Edsa drug bust BY JULIE M. AURELIO Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, PHILIPPINES— Who are the eight Quezon City policemen who allegedly abducted two men on Edsa, a brazen act that went viral through a photograph uploaded on Twitter last week? Two of them are officers belonging to the Class of 2001 of the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA), while the rest are police noncommissioned officers holding the ranks of PO2 and SPO1. The oldest of the band is a 47-year-old with the rank of SPO1, while the youngest is a 28-year-old who holds the rank of PO2. All of the eight policemen, save for one, are assigned to the La Loma police station in Quezon City as detectives. The eighth cop is assigned to the public safety battalion of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD). The Philippine National Police (PNP) said it was looking at the involvement of a ninth suspect, a police official dismissed in 2006 for similar kidnapping allegations. On Monday, La Loma police station’s Chief Insp. Joseph de Vera, Senior Insp. Oliver Villanueva, SPO1 Ramil Hachero, PO2 Weavin Masa, PO2 Mark de Paz, PO2 Jerome Datinguinoo and PO2 Ebonn Decatoria, and PO2 Jonathan Rodriguez of the QCPD’s public safety battalion found themselves in the headlines after being tagged in the Sept. 1 alleged abduction and robbery on Edsa in Mandaluyong City. Also implicated was former Insp. Marco Polo Estrera, who was dismissed from the PNP in 2006. De Vera, 39, and Villanueva, 38, were classmates at the PNPA where they graduated with a Bachelor of Science de-
Loma police station since 2011. He was also assigned to the Batasan police station in 2008. As a fresh PNPA graduate, he was detailed with the Special Action Force (SAF) in 2001. Awarded medals
Two of the eight Quezon City policement who alledgedly conducted a brazen daylight kidnapping were from the Philippine National Police Academy Class of 2001.
gree in Public Safety in 2001. De Vera, who was the officer in charge of the La Loma police station, was arrested before dawn on Sunday by the Eastern Police District director, Chief Supt. Abelardo Villacorta, and the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief, Director Carmelo Valmoria. Rodriguez was arrested by QCPD tracker teams later on Monday, according to the QCPD chief, Chief Supt. Richard Albano. A source, who declined to be named for lack of authority to speak to media, said at least three of the wanted policemen were at the La Loma police station before dawn on Sunday when Villacorta and Valmoria paid a visit. “The policemen were just looking at the visiting police officials from afar. They sensed that something was amiss since these officials were not from the QCPD. When they realized that they might be on to them, they slipped away with no one noticing,” the informant said. While initially denying any knowledge of the incident, De Vera eventually admitted that they carried out an antinarcotics operation against their two victims, Ustadz Samanodin Abdul Gafur and Camal Mama,
who were employees of a Lanao del Sur-based contractor of the Department of Public Works and Highways. It was De Vera, apparently caught between the headlights, who scribbled down on a piece of paper the names of the eight other policemen, maintaining all the while that it was a legitimate operation. However, he was unable to present any documents supporting this claim. There was no spot report or blotter entry nor any precoordination papers with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA). Abducted at gunpoint
The victims claimed they were abducted at gunpoint and then brought to the La Loma police station where they were held for seven hours without being told of the charges against them. They were released at 9 p.m. of Sept. 1, with the broken windshield of their white Toyota Fortuner repaired. However, the victims claimed that the P2 million from their boss, payment for heavy equipment they were supposed to buy, was allegedly taken by the policemen, and P119,000 withdrawn from their ATM cards. Documents showed that De Vera has been assigned to the La
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De Vera underwent training in intelligence, surveillance, criminal investigation and detective management, jungle environment and survival, and civil disturbance management during his 13 years in the PNP. De Vera was also awarded several medals for efficiency, merit and commendation from 2002 to 2014. His classmate, Villanueva, was also assigned to the La Loma police station in 2008 until 2011. He returned in 2012 as chief of the Station Investigation and Detective Management Service. His first assignment, like De Vera, was with the SAF in 2001 upon graduation from the PNP. Oldest
The oldest of the eight active policemen is 47-year-old Hachero, who entered the service in 1989 when the force was still known as the Integrated National Police. He has been assigned to Quezon City since 1993 and posted to La Loma police station in 2008. Decatoria, 40, became a policeman in 1997. Before his assignment at the La Loma police station in February this year, he was assigned to the Project 4 and Masambong police stations, also in Quezon City. He was also with the district public safety battalion. The 38-year-old Rodriguez’s current assignment is with the District Public Safety Battalion (DPSB). He joined the PNP in 2001. However, he was posted at the La Loma police station from 2009 to 2012, and in 2013. In February this year, he returned to the La Loma police station but was transferred to
the DPSB in August. De Paz, 28, became a policeman in 2008. He was with the DPSB in 2011 and was assigned to the La Loma police station in 2012. The following year, he moved back to the DPSB and returned to the La Loma police station in June this year. Like De Paz, Masa, 28, joined the PNP in 2008. He was with the NCRPO for three years until he was assigned to the QCPD. In 2012, he was posted at the La Loma police station. Youngest
Datinguinoo, 28, is the youngest among the suspects. He entered the police service in 2009. He was with the NCRPO until 2011 after which he was transferred to the QCPD, where he stayed until 2013. In June last year, he joined the La Loma police station. Estrera was dismissed from the PNP in 2006 in connection with the alleged abduction of drug suspects, demanding P100,000 for their release, under the guise of an antinarcotics operation. Van owner
De Vera was tagged after it was learned that his silver gray Toyota Hiace Commuter van with conduction sticker YF 9767 was one of four vehicles that blocked a white Toyota Fortuner bearing the two victims. The blue Honda Civic with Plate No. ZJB 149, another vehicle in the viral photo, is owned by Estrera. A black Toyota Fortuner which also blocked the victims’ vehicle turned out to be Villanueva’s. The license plates and conduction stickers of the vehicles were finally known after the PNP got surveillance camera footage along Edsa in a bid to trace the incident, which was photographed by a netizen and uploaded on Twitter minutes after the crime on Sept. 1. ■
Opinion
16
SEPTEMBER 19, 2014 FRIDAY
THERE’S THE RUB
Still, a bad idea By Conrado De Quiros Philippine Daily Inquirer ABIGAIL VALTE would say the following day it was just a joke. Listen to his tone when he said it, she said. That was P-Noy saying at the Agenda-Setting Dialogue with allies in Malacañang last Friday: “I know that the 2016 elections are already on the minds of some. Indeed, the time will soon come when the straight path will choose a new candidate. I hope it isn’t me.” Maybe it’s a joke, the laughter that greeted it would certainly suggest it. But if so, it is a bad one. This country has had jokes played on it over the years, so it can be forgiven if it does not laugh along with the guests at Malacañang. The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines did beg the President a couple or so weeks ago to say once and for all whether he’s running or not to stop the uncertainty. And while I am not a great fan of the CBCP, remembering its repeated injunctions for us to move on in the face of “Hello Garci,” I do think it has a point. This “joke” isn’t going to put things to rest, it is going to roister them. Why make a joke about it at all? Why not just say perfectly seriously so we can all, well, move on, “Dream on but it’s not go-
ing to happen”? Why quip, “I hope it won’t be me”? Why not just say, “I assure you it won’t be me”? Valte says look at the context and see if what P-Noy said wasn’t said lightly. In fact, you do look at the context, or the broader context at least, which is P-Noy’s effort to rally the troops for one final push, and you’ll wonder if it was said entirely in jest. You look at the broader context, and you’ll wonder if P-Noy doesn’t have enough carrot and stick at this point to make him halfserious about running again. The stick is this: The Liberal Party has no winnable candidate. Mar Roxas is out of the equation, as P-Noy’s silence on him itself suggests. Franklin Drilon’s notion that Roxas’ fortunes will experience a rocket boost from a P-Noy endorsement, enough to thrust him into the frontlines, is just whistling in the dark. That endorsement has been there for the last four years and more. He has been given every opportunity to shine all this time, the “alter ego” of the President while being just another secretary. It’s not as if he would be a surprise pick. How much more endorsement does he need? He’s just not gaining any traction. The carrot is this: That is conserving the gains P-Noy has made, or continuing his reforms, or perpetuating
his legacy, however you want to put it. Are those gains plain for all to see? Oh, yes, and quite magnificently so. Two things in particular are so, which have greatly elevated the country’s status before the world. One is the tremendous growth the country has experienced over the last few years at a time when many countries have fallen into tremendous straits. Two is the forging of peace in Mindanao at a time when many countries are being wracked by conflict and war. Both are world-class achievements and do
...the presumption is that only P-Noy’s allies in the Liberal Party or P-Noy himself is capable of reform. If none of P-Noy’s LP allies can run and win, it behooves him to do it. need being seen through by the next governments. There’s another stick that goes with that carrot. That is that the leading “presidentiable” right now is Jojo Binay, who is also a leading candidate for being a casualty of the daang matuwid. While it remains for his detractors in the Senate to prove their case against him, the doubt alone about his predilections or predatory
bent that this raises cannot qualify him as the best candidate to continue P-Noy’s work. P-Noy running again, however, is a solution that’s worse than the problem. At the very least there’s the no small matter of symbolic reverberations. Inside looking out, they can always say, “What’s so wrong about it when we mean well?” P-Noy himself explicitly says that in life he has been “called upon to rise to challenges” and that “none of my decisions stems from personal interest.” That may be believable when it comes to him, but not so when it comes to the people around him. The idea that Roxas and Butch Abad and the Liberal Party want him to run again not from personal interest but from a compelling need to serve the people strains credulity. Outside looking in, P-Noy could find himself alongside Gloria Macapagal Arroyo whose word is rubbery, with unsavory consequences for his credibility. Or worse, alongside Marcos who tried to change the Constitution to run again. The latter may be farfetched, but that is a narrative that particularly with his confrontation with the Supreme Court would be put forward and not just by the Left. At the very most, there’s the no smaller matter of presumptuous-
ness. The presumption specifically that the P-Noy administration is as close to perfect at it gets, any deviation from it represents a regression or fall. When poverty remains harsh and rife despite the unassailable record growth. More than that, the presumption is that only P-Noy’s allies in the Liberal Party or P-Noy himself is capable of reform. If none of PNoy’s LP allies can run and win, it behooves him to do it. When someone for example like Tony Meloto who is perfectly honest, reformist and dedicated to stamping out poverty can always do the job, if not better. Of course he doesn’t want to run, but the example should show up the conceit. Which has been particularly troubling of late with the conceit morphing into an attitude of “You are either with us or against us.” If you are against us, you are against the people. The last time I heard someone put things that stridently or belligerently was when Arroyo adopted Dubya’s line after 9/11 on this country, saying “You are either with me or against me. If you are against me, you are on the side of terrorism.” Leaders start saying those things, and I don’t get moved, I get scared. P-Noy himself keeps making jokes like “I hope it isn’t me,” and a lot of Pinoys will start agreeing with him. ■
AS I SEE IT
VP Binay’s biggest mistakes By Neal H. Cruz Philippine Daily Inquirer THE DUMBEST mistake of Jejomar Binay was to double-cross his vice mayor and bagman. The second big mistake was to allow himself and his family to become too greedy. And the third was to aspire to be president of this country. Binay had promised his vice mayor, Ernesto Mercado, that he would be the next mayor of Makati when his own term expired. Binay broke his promise and made his son Junjun the mayor instead. If you were Mercado, wouldn’t you be infuriated and try to repay his treachery? The stupid thing was that Mercado was his bagman, the aide who delivered duffel bags of money from real estate developers and contractors to him and his wife and children. There were separate bags for each of them. As his closest aide, Mercado knew everything. Isn’t it dumb to double-cross such a person? If Binay had remained loyal to Mercado, the latter would not be singing his heart out now and Binay’s secrets would still be secrets today. Binay did not learn from his pre-
decessors. Mob boss Al Capone could not be nailed by the Federal Bureau of Investigation until Capone’s own accountant betrayed him to Eliot Ness and his Untouchables. The same thing happened to Janet Lim Napoles. It was her former employees who spilled the beans on her pork barrel scam. Still, Binay would not have been in this deep doodoo had he not been too greedy. Why couldn’t he and his family be satisfied with just a little? But like the ogre in “Jack and the Beanstalk,” they wanted more, more, more! But even with that frailty, they could have gotten away with it had not Binay prematurely announced his candidacy for the presidency. When he was only a mayor, the people were not so much interested in what he did in his turf. But like Julius Caesar, he was ambitious and aspired for the highest post. So the people became interested in his qualifications to be president. And, to borrow a movie title, “Tinimbang Siya Ngunit Kulang”—he was weighed but was found wanting. And so, like Julius Caesar again, his own former allies are now trying to slay him politically. Binay could not face the Sen-
ate investigators to defend himself. Why? Probably because he knows he is guilty. An innocent man would not be afraid to face his accusers and his judges. Instead, he announced that he is going to address the nation today. No, not to announce that he would no longer run for president (as many Filipinos fondly wish) but to defend himself. His defense will most likely
President Aquino did not invite [Binay] to a meeting in Malacañang with Liberal Party members, political and civil society allies and other supporters ... The snub should banish all hopes of Binay to be anointed as P-Noy’s successor—a wish that Binay is probably praying for every night. be the same mantra that he and his allies have been saying over and over: that the charges are politically motivated, that his accusers and their witnesses are lying and are really the corrupt officials in Makati, and that the Senate should stop its investigation because the Ombudsman is already investigating the case.
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Only a day after Mercado’s second bombshell, Binay was hit by another big blow: President Aquino did not invite him to a meeting in Malacañang with Liberal Party members, political and civil society allies and other supporters. That means P-Noy does not consider Binay an ally, as the latter has been pretending all the while. The snub should banish all hopes of Binay to be anointed as P-Noy’s successor—a wish that Binay is probably praying for every night. Even with the endorsement of PNoy’s sisters and uncles, it seems Binay does not impress the President at all as fit to fill his shoes. How can P-Noy, whose policy is to eliminate corruption, endorse somebody accused of bigtime corruption? The Binay we now know is no longer the poor human rights lawyer who supported their mother during the dark days of martial law. He is now very rich, as reflected in his own declaration in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth. The next thing that the Senate or Ombudsman should do is to make him explain how he acquired his wealth because, not having any business, his family income comes only from their salaries as public ser-
vants. How did he become so rich? If he is not able to explain satisfactorily, that is unexplained wealth and should be forfeited to the government. *** Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada has lifted the truck ban in the city to help decongest the ports of the container vans that have accumulated there. But is the truck ban really the cause of the port congestion and the resulting traffic gridlock when the giant cargo trucks were given express lanes? Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, the city’s traffic czar, will explain the situation this morning at the Kapihan sa Manila at the Diamond Hotel. What next for Manila and its citizens? How long will the ban be lifted? How long will Manila’s citizens suffer? Isn’t there any other way to take the container vans in and out of the ports without creating those monstrous traffic jams? Can’t the railroad tracks from the piers be rehabilitated so that cargo can be taken in and out of the port on railroad cars without going through the narrow streets of Metro Manila? Valenzuela Mayor Sherwin Gatchalian will also give his proposals to ease the traffic situation. ■
Opinion
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
17
PUBLIC LIVES
Encountering the ‘Noli’ at the opera By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer RIZAL’S TWO novels, “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo,” shook me to the core of my being when I first read them as a young student for reasons that I could not explain. No other books have since had that kind of impact on me. They were dangerous in their time, and they remain dangerous to this day, because, I think, these books challenge us to reflect on what it means to live in an unjust society protected by arms and sanctified by religion, in which those at the top rule by deceit while looking down with contempt on their cowed and gullible subjects. It is easy for literary works of this nature to become no more than repositories of resentment, inciting among the weak an anger that dissipates before it could fuel the instinct to rebuild a life through struggle. But not the “Noli” and “Fili.” In these novels, Rizal not only exposed the excesses of Spanish colonialism but also, more importantly, diagnosed the disease that afflicted the minds of the dominated. In doing so, he produced an enduring portrait of the subjugated individual that will always serve as a mirror for Filipinos of all generations so long as freedom remains an enjoyment of only a few.
It was these thoughts that I brought with me the other night to the Newport Performing Arts Theater at Resorts World Manila, where a grand production of Felipe de Leon and Guillermo Tolentino’s opera “Noli Me Tangere” was having its gala evening. I had regretted not being able to watch Dulaang UP’s production of the same opera a few years ago. The Wilfrido Ma. Guerrero Theater at Palma Hall was so close to where I lived that I kept postponing when to go, until it was too late. But a chance to reconnect with an old friend from UP days, Loida Nicolas-Lewis, the moving spirit behind this marvelous production, prodded me to brave the rush-hour traffic and go all the way to the Resorts World Complex fronting Naia 3. I was very glad that I did. The performances were stirring, punctuated by ovations, and the gala night was not crowded at all. I expect that the cavernous Newport Theater will fill up with students and teachers coming in buses from all over Luzon to watch the show, which runs from Sept. 11 to 28. It is heartwarming that Loida, who does not hesitate to stake her considerable wealth and influence behind worthy causes, has mounted this effort, securing contributions from the country’s leading business groups so that subsidized tickets (the price of
a movie) could be offered to Filipino students and teachers. It will be a stunning experience for our schoolchildren who may know Rizal but have not really read any of his works, who may have seen movies about Rizal, but have never been to the opera. The “Noli” is a complex work that can be read at different levels. Every character stands for a distinctive
It wasn’t just Rizal’s criticism of Spain or of the clergy that made [his] works subversive. What made them so rather was his unwavering belief in the emancipatory power of education. He knew that, for as long as they were mired in ignorance, his people would not be able to see and articulate their situation for what it was. figure in colonial society. For many, however, its most compelling character is Sisa, the mother who lost her mind desperately searching for her missing sons, Basilio and Crispin. I cannot forget how my mother shed tears when she first told me about the “Noli.” The story she narrated was all about Sisa, and only tangentially about Crisostomo Ibarra com-
ing home from his studies abroad and being thwarted for wanting to share the blessings of education with the children of his town. I thought of Sisa as our beloved country. I was in Grade 6 when one day my father brought home the English translations of Rizal’s novels by Charles E. Derbyshire. I think it was the first time my parents, who were students at UST before the war, read Rizal’s novels. It must have been, for them, the equivalent of eating the forbidden fruit. My father talked of nothing else for weeks but the hero’s unique vision. Yet, it was my mother’s infectious storytelling that drew me to the novels—like a moth to the flame, to use a more apt metaphor. They were the first books that I read from cover to cover. At 11 years old, I probably did not understand half of what I was reading. But, thanks to my parents, I knew more or less what the books were about, and I was keen to know for myself what dangerous ideas they held that had made them prohibited reading. It wasn’t just Rizal’s criticism of Spain or of the clergy that made these works subversive. What made them so rather was his unwavering belief in the emancipatory power of education. He knew that, for as long as they were mired in ignorance, his people would not be able to see and articulate their
situation for what it was. It had nothing to do with courage or lack of it; it had everything to do with their inability to step out of the skin of the colonial culture in which they were trapped. No one has put this point more eloquently than Rizal. Replying to Vicente Barrantes, a Spanish writer who negatively reviewed the “Noli” and portrayed its author as “a spirit twisted by a German education,” Rizal bristled: “[T]he spirit that breathes in me I have had since a child before leaving the Philippines, before I had learned a word of German. My spirit is ‘twisted’ because I have been reared among injustices and abuses, because since a child I have seen man suffer stupidly and because I too have suffered. My ‘twisted spirit’ is the product of that constant vision of moral ideals succumbing before the powerful reality of abuses, arbitrariness, hypocrisies, farces, violence, and other vile passions. And twisted like my spirit is that of hundreds of thousands of Filipinos who have not yet left their miserable homes, who do not speak any other language but their own, and if they would write or express their thoughts, they would leave my ‘Noli Me Tangere’ very puny indeed and with their volumes there would be enough to raise pyramids for the corpses of all the tyrants.” ■
AT LARGE
Those pre-wedding seminars By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer THE RECOMMENDATIONS for the implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law presented by the women’s health NGO Likhaan also contains a portion devoted to the role of civil society organizations (CSOs). In Likhaan’s view, if government is leery of opening the door to discussions of “taboo” subjects like adolescent sexuality and fertility, unsafe abortion and sexual orientation and gender identity, then CSOs should take the lead and “initiate public discussions and debate” on such touchy matters. This could then “foster greater understanding of these issues” and perhaps lead to expanded access to services addressing such concerns. CSO leaders and members also “must use their various talents and skills—as artists, educators, researchers, writers, lawyers, health professionals and others—to advocate and achieve a higher level of sexual and reproductive health” for everyone. Likhaan also urges the nongovernment sector to use its credibility and mobility to “lead in the independent monitoring of the access to sexual
and reproductive health, identifying and reporting weaknesses and violations in order to correct errors and improve access” to such services. More importantly, “CSOs must help address structural barriers to sexual and reproductive health, like poverty, gender discrimination, poor governance, and religious fundamentalism by integrating these concerns in SRH [programs] and participating in solutions to address them.” In line with this, says Likhaan, “CSOs must lead in the further elaboration of SRH services consistent with sexual and reproductive rights and to guard against efforts to derail and undermine existing programs.” THEY may be beyond the reach of state and civil society, but there is something disturbing about the conduct of the premarriage seminars, or “pre-Cana” requirements that couples who want to get married in Catholic Church rites must undergo. Recently, the daughter of a good friend posted about her and her fiancé’s recent pre-Cana experience (so-called after the wedding at Cana where Jesus Christ performed his first miracle in public by turning water into wine). More than half of the counseling session, she observed, was devoted to
criticism of the RPRH Law, and admonitions against contraception. This bothered my friend’s daughter a lot because one, she’s a fierce advocate of reproductive health and rights, and two, she’s no pushover, being a lawyer and thus not inclined to accept anyone’s views unquestioningly. Later, her fiancé posted on Facebook that undergoing such tedious requirements must mean one really loves one’s intended, and should be
In the course of his counseling, the priest inquired: “How many children do you intend to have?” We hemmed and hawed and said, “Maybe two, or three.” But were we shocked when the priest raised his voice: “You’re wrong! The correct answer is: Whatever the Lord will give us.” seen as a test of a true and enduring love. How sweet naman. But the premarriage orientations conducted by government offices are no better. Most of them consist of some city hall employees reading aloud from a pamphlet on the different family planning methods
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available. And unless the couple are a pair of pimply adolescents, I would hazard a guess that the engaged couples already know of these methods, if they hadn’t practiced them yet. A waste of time all around. *** WHICH brings me to my own “preCana” experience, too many years ago, conducted by an elderly prelate with a shock of white hair and clad in an all-black soutana or priestly habit. In the course of his counseling, the priest inquired: “How many children do you intend to have?” We hemmed and hawed and said, “Maybe two, or three.” But were we shocked when the priest raised his voice: “You’re wrong! The correct answer is: Whatever the Lord will give us.” My future husband and I looked at each other. Apparently, in the Church’s eyes, we would have no say on the number of children we would beget, even if the Lord needed our cooperation to produce the number of children He intended us to have. I think a reproductive health advocate was born right that minute. I didn’t know it then, but this is precisely what sexual and reproductive health and rights is all about. It’s all about a couple deciding freely and
responsibly “if, when, how often” they are to get pregnant. Parenthood may be God’s will, but it is also a choice made by a couple, who are, after all, God’s “partners” in procreation and in child-rearing. It’s precisely the idea that everything is “up to God” that leads to unbridled and irresponsible parenthood. AND NOW to more pleasant and heartwarming matters. Before the opening of the gala night presentation of “Noli Me Tangere: The Opera” on September 11 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World, two opera stalwarts were recognized for their lifetime achievements. The two artists are divas Irma Ponce Enrile Potenciano and Fides Cuyugan Asensio. While the two are known in the industry as outstanding performers, Noli Opera Manila honorary chair Loida Nicolas Lewis says they are also “respected music educators responsible for mentoring generations of voice students at the UST Conservatory of Music and UP College of Music.” Today, adds Lewis, “some of their students are the most sought-after singers of world-class music companies which extends their impact as mentors not only to the performing arts in the country but all over the world.” ■
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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
Canada News
Rob Ford out of the mayoral race, but is the Ford saga really over? BY ALLISON JONES The Canadian Press TORONTO—In the end, it wasn’t the crack-cocaine scandal, or racial, sexual and homophobic remarks, or even the machinations of his political opponents that crushed any hope the world’s most infamous mayor had of remaining in power. It was a potentially cancerous tumour that forced the typically bombastic Rob Ford to pen a last-minute statement from his hospital bed to announce he was dropping his reelection bid. He will instead run for his old council seat, a spot he could easily win. But don’t write him off just yet, said one political observer. “If you would have asked me if this is the way that it was going to end I would say I would never have guessed it, but at the same time is it really over?” said Gabriel Eidelman, a University of Toronto professor of public policy and governance. “With Rob Ford at council he’s still part of the game and so I don’t think the story will end. It’s not the end of Rob Ford.” While one Ford got out of the mayoral race, another Ford got in. Doug Ford—the mayor’s city councillor brother—entered the race mere minutes before the 2 p.m. deadline. Friday’s news brings to an end Rob
PHOTO FROM WEST ANNEX NEWS / FLICKR
Ford’s attempts to establish his reelection campaign as one of redemption, with vows that he was a changed man after spending two months in rehab over the summer. Ford’s time at the helm of Canada’s largest city brought round after round of personal and professional implosions—he lost most of his powers, most of his staff, his radio and TV shows, most of his council allies, the beloved high school football team he coached and any measure of privacy he may have previously enjoyed—and through it all he remained standing. In the decade Ford spent as a city councillor he established himself as a brash outsider, landing in hot water on multiple occasions for insulting fellow councillors and uttering racial slurs. “Oriental people work like dogs...
They’re slowly taking over,” he said at a council meeting. “If you are not doing needles and you are not gay, you wouldn’t get AIDS probably, that’s bottom line,” Ford said at another meeting while voting against AIDS funding. He opposed grants for arts or social causes and railed against a “war” on cars. As a city councillor Ford said that when cyclists were hit and killed by vehicles it was their own fault. A disregard for city hall rules nearly cost him his job on a technicality by the time he was mayor. Throughout his tumultuous mayoralty, Ford’s message of low taxes and fiscal restraint was loudest of all, winning him a group of core supporters known as Ford Nation. He prided himself on watching taxpayer dollars and looking out for “the little guy.” His “customer service” approach to being mayor included returning every phone call made to his office and getting potholes fixed. But his in-your-face style of running the city alienated most of city council, even before his drug scandal. Ford was seen as a divisive politician, favouring suburban Toronto over downtown interests. “We probably have never seen a more polarizing figure at least in this city and perhaps even across the country,” Eidelman said. ❱❱ PAGE 32 Rob Ford
Bad connection: Prison cell phone seizures rising as officials seek solution BY ALLISON JONES The Canadian Press OTTAWA—Annual seizures of mobile phones from federal prisoners have more than doubled in recent years as correctional officials try to prevent their clandestine use in drug trafficking and organized crime.
Officials confiscated 137 phones from inmates across the country through the first 10 months of the fiscal year, according to the latest numbers from the Correctional Service of Canada. That’s up from 51 phones in 200809 and 94 devices in 2009-10, figures released under the Access to Information Act show.
Officials are grappling with how to keep the phones out of institutions and stop inmates from using the devices that do slip behind bars. “Worldwide, prisons are struggling to deal with the problem of how to keep cell phones out of the hands of inmates,” says an internal brief❱❱ PAGE 37 Bad connection
NEWS BRIEFS
FROM THE CANADIAN PRESS
QUEBEC SOVEREIGNTISTS LEARNING FROM SCOTS
MONTREAL—Quebecers who’ve spent decades fighting without success to form their own country are now finding themselves living vicariously through the Scots. As the Scottish referendum nears, the strong push by Scotland’s separation movement has been a source of inspiration for Quebec’s sovereigntist cause at a time when it finds itself battered and fragmented. LARGE POLICE PRESENCE IN SW ONTARIO CENTRAL HURON—A heavy police presence descended on a quiet farming community in southwestern Ontario this past Sunday after a man was fatally shot near a wildlife conservation area, leaving some residents bewildered and looking for answers. The man died in a shooting around 5 p.m. Saturday on the outskirts of Clinton, in the municipality of Central Huron, Ontario Provincial Police said in a release issued Sunday afternoon. OPEN LETTER ASKS CRA TO STOP POLITICAL AUDIT OTTAWA—More than 400 academics are demanding the Canada Revenue Agency halt its audit of a think-tank, saying the Conservative government is trying to intimidate, muzzle and silence its critics. In an open letter, the group defends the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, a left-leaning think-tank that was targeted for a political-activity audit partly because it was deemed by the agency to be biased and onesided. UKRAINE’S NEW PRESIDENT TO VISIT CANADA OTTAWA—Petro Poroshenko will address Parliament and will also meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper during his Sept. 17 visit, a news release from Harper’s office said. Harper has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine in its ongoing dispute with Russia and has been a trenchant critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Canada has said it will send observers to the October 26, 2014 Ukraine Parliamentary elections.
Canada News
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
Regina dental patients going to Alberta because of long wait lists for surgery THE CANADIAN PRESS REGINA—Some residents of Regina are travelling to Alberta to have oral surgery rather than put up with dental pain for up to a year because of long wait lists. There are currently only two oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the city and each is booked for months in advance. One is currently booked solid until the end of April 2015 while the other has a wait list of about eight to 10 months for a consultation and then another three months after that for the surgery. Mark Ogrady, department head of surgery with the Regina Qu’Appelle Health Region, tells radio station CJME the shortage of oral surgeons is partly due to a number of recent retirements. He says the region’s hands are tied right now in what it can do to reduce wait times but it does have a recruiting program in place. Some who say they can’t take the pain any longer have gone to oral surgeons in
Alberta to get their teeth fixed. Morgan Brady, 25, needed to get her wisdom teeth removed but was told she would have to wait for more than a year. “The pain is unbearable,” says Brady. “And tooth pain, it’s different, it gives me bad headaches. It’s hard to concentrate.” Brady called a surgeon’s office in Calgary and says she got an appointment for the following week. She had her consultation appointment and surgery on the same day. According to the College of Dental Surgeons of Saskatchewan, the wait time in Saskatoon is quite a bit shorter than in Regina, with five oral and maxillofacial surgeons in that city. Jerod Orb, executive director of the college, said dentistry isn’t always on the top of the list for the provincial government because it’s more in the realm of private health care than public. Orb said they’ve improved efforts to recruit dentists and specialists into the province, but the programming isn’t really there to retain or bring them in. ■
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Canada News
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
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Rob Ford... That was true even before he became known the world over as the “crack-smoking mayor of Toronto,” a title he’s unlikely to shake any time soon. As his troubles grew, so did his celebrity. People lined up for hours to buy Ford bobblehead dolls. When Ford appeared at public events, he willingly posed with hordes of people who clamoured for a photo with him, even though it was a photo that marked the start of his crack-cocaine woes. News of Ford’s drug use first exploded in May 2013 with reports from the Toronto Star and U.S. website Gawker that a video appeared to show him smoking crack cocaine. Neither outlet was able to obtain a copy of the video, but they published a photo of a sweatsuit-clad Ford with his arms around a man who was murdered weeks later and two alleged gang members. Ford, who was first elected as a city councillor in 2000, had been a controversial figure long before his crack-cocaine
use skyrocketed him to global infamy. The scandals of old included domestic disturbances at his home and a 1999 arrest in Florida for DUI and pot possession—the drug charge was later dropped. But then came the allegations of crack use, which Ford admitted to months later by saying he had likely done it in one of his “drunken stupors.” The seemingly off-the-cuff confession did nothing to quell the firestorm surrounding him. In fact, it solidified his celebrity status. A string of other embarrassing incidents, including a video of Ford in an expletive-laced tirade talking about killing someone and a crudely sexual remark on live television made him a staple of American latenight television for several weeks running. The material was gold for comedians—both of the professional and arm-chair variety— but gravely serious allegations lay at the heart of Ford’s troubles.
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A police investigation into the mayor’s activities led to drug charges for his friend Alexander Lisi, who was also later charged with extortion for alleged attempts to retrieve the so-called crack video. The police allegations came out in a stunning series of documents investigators used to obtain search warrants, ordered released by a judge. The allegations have not been proven in court. Ex-staffers painted a picture of an often erratic man, by turns ill-tempered and weepy, and one who they suspected was an alcoholic. They told police the mayor drove drunk, one time nearly hitting one of them, police wrote in the documents. As police listened to wiretaps during a gang investigation, they overheard discussions about delivering drugs to the mayor and possibly blackmailing him with compromising images, according to the police documents. The chaos surrounding Ford relatively abated after city council stripped him of most of
his mayoral powers—a move he likened to attacking Kuwait. He publicly swore off alcohol and said in a television interview that he had a “come to Jesus” moment. But scandal once again reared its head when a video appeared on YouTube showing a largely incoherent Ford using Jamaican swear words and insulting the city’s police chief. It came just weeks after Ford had professed newfound sobriety and he admitted he had been drinking the night the video was surreptitiously filmed, calling the incident a “minor setback.” Confronted with reports of a new video showing him allegedly smoking crack cocaine, an audio recording of the mayor spewing profanities and making lewd comments about a fellow mayoral contender, and witness accounts of him snorting cocaine at a city nightclub, Ford took a leave of absence to seek “immediate help” and entered rehab. In response to criticism Ford often fell back on variations
of “I never said I was perfect,” which dovetails with his selfprofessed image as the common man. Ford railed against the “establishment,” though he had been at city hall for more than a decade, and ranted against the “elites,” though he drove a luxury SUV and his family owns several Florida condominiums as well as a cottage north of Toronto. The family also owns a labels business started by their late patriarch. With Ford pulling our of the mayoral race, his opponents no longer have the chance to defeat him politically, said Ryerson University politics professor Myer Siemiatycki. But with Ford running for city council and his brother running for mayor, the Fords may well be an ongoing presence in Toronto politics, he said. “It has certainly been a wild ride for these past four years,” Siemiatycki said. “(But) I wouldn’t jump to conclude that the Ford years in Toronto are over.” ■
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Maldives promises Chinese president support for his modern ‘Silk Road’ initiative
Facing death for refusing to reject Christianity, Sudanese woman relied on her faith
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MALE, MALDIVES—Chinese President Xi Jinping began a weeklong tour of South Asia on Monday, choosing the tiny island nation of the Maldives to tout his vision for a modern maritime “Silk Road.” Maldives President Yameen Abdul Gayoom said his country was ready to participate actively in the initiative to create a shipping route from China to Europe via West Africa. Smaller Indian Ocean nations like the Maldives and Sri Lanka could become key stops along such a route, and China has already begun investing in ports along the way. The original Silk Road was a series of overland routes that linked China with the Mediterranean Sea, opening the way for economic, political and cultural interchange.
PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
China’s involvement in the Maldives has increased rapidly in recent years, with Beijing opening an embassy in 2011 and funding projects such as a national museum and a conference centre. Almost a third of the tourists to the Indian Ocean nation are Chinese, with the number rising. The two countries signed nine agreements during Xi’s visit, including ones on the expansion of the Maldives’ main international airport, a power station project, road construction, and
a bridge to connect the capital island of Male with nearby Hulhumale. The value of the projects was not announced. Xi, the first Chinese president to visit the Maldives, also pledged to help the country cope with rising ocean levels that will result from climate change— a major threat to its 350,000 people and 26 tropical atolls. Maldives state media quoted Xi as saying that “China will continue to pursue close co-operation with it (the Maldives) on climate change, human rights and other issues.” China is the world’s biggest emitter of carbon dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas which contributes to global warming, followed by the United States. The Chinese leader, who arrived in the Maldives late Sunday, is to visit Sri Lanka on Tuesday and meet with new Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday. ■
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MANCHESTER, N.H.—The Sudanese woman imprisoned for refusing to reject Christianity said in a televised interview airing Monday night that she was resolved to keep her faith even if it meant death. Meriam Ibrahim, who now lives in Manchester, New Hampshire, was sentenced to death over charges of apostasy, the abandonment of a religion. Her father was Muslim, and her mother was an Orthodox Christian. She married Daniel Wani, a Christian from southern Sudan, in 2011. Muslim women in Sudan are prohibited from marrying non-Muslims, and children must follow their fathers’ religions. In an interview on Fox News Channel’s “The Kelly File,” Ibrahim said she was given three days to recant her faith after being found guilty.
“While I was in prison, some people came to visit me from the Muslim Scholars Association,” she said, according to a transcript provided by Fox ahead of the broadcast. “These were imams that created an intervention by reciting parts of the Qur’an for me. I faced a tremendous amount of pressure. “I had my trust in God,” she said. “My faith was the only weapon that I had in these confrontations with imams and Muslim scholars, because that’s what I believe.” Sudan initially blocked Ibrahim from leaving the country even after its highest court overturned her death sentence in June. The family took refuge at the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum. The family returned to Manchester on Aug. 1. Ibrahim was pregnant during her imprisonment and said her daughter, Maya, was born under difficult conditions. ■
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Seen & Scenes: Vancouver
SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
FRIDAY
ASEAN-CANADA BUSINESS COUNCIL HOLDS SPECIAL MEETING The Asean-Canada Business Council held a special meeting on Sept. 10, at Max’s Restaurant to discuss various projects like Invest Philippines (c/o Alan Yong); welding school (c/o Cindy Tang and Bob Montes); IDRC & Myanmar trade mission (c/o Jessee Ronquillo and Dana MacCartney); solar power (c/o Alan Yong and Cris Sotana); education (c/o Natie Sotana ); coal- fired power plants (c/o Ed Tapia and Paul Cheung); medical kits (c/o Norma Vito); welding school—Vietnam (c/o Andy Dong); welding school—Indonesia (c/o Liza Wahjong); Barrick Gold (c/o Vic Ingco and Ruben Versoza). Also present were Dawna Sundara , representing Laos, Cambodia, Dir. Bayu and Deputy Director Akhbar, representing Indonesia Trade Promotion Center. Newly appointed officers were Millie Chan as vice president to replace Terry Bahar; and Liza Wahjong as treasurer.
I-REMIT OPENS NEW BRANCH I-Remit Global Remittance, the largest non-bank Filipinoowned remittance company, opened it’s newest branch on Sept. 15, at Joyce’s BBQ on Joyce St., Vancouver. I-Remit is known for having revolutionized the remittance industry by using the latest IT technology and Internet platform to cut down remittance period to only seconds. It currently maintains its presence in 26 countries and territories throughout the world through its network of more than 1,400 remittance outlets. Present during the blessing were Fr. Rey Usman, Deputy Consul General Anton Mandap, President for International Remittance Canada Ltd. Albino Chua, I-Remit Provincial Head Gigi Astudillo, Bernie Vasquez, officer-in-charge of Joyce Branch, Jenny Lumabi of I-Remit Richmond, community leaders, members of the media and friends.
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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
Seen & Scenes: Toronto
TORONTO PCG SHOWCASES SAN’ TO’ ART EXHIBIT In the second of a series of Art @ Philcongen exhibits, the Philippine Consulate General in Toronto proudly hosts San’ To’, a two-man show of Philippine Artists Group (PAG) members, Romeo “Omel” Masalunga and Antonio “Jun” Afable,Jr., for a period of two months, starting Aug. 28. San’ to’, according to Masalunga, is the shortcut or slang for the Filipino expression “Saan ito?” (Where is it?), featuring more than 20 paintings of famous street corners in the city of Toronto. Most of the paintings in oil, ink, watercolor and acrylic were mounted in century-old frames. The event was geared once again to promote the talent and creativity of the Filipino artists in Canada and drum up appreciation of Philippine art and culture among the Filipino-Canadian community Ontario-wide.
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Community News
SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
FRIDAY
Brodie seeks return to Richmond mayor’s seat RICHMOND MAYOR Malcom Brodie announced from his office in city hall that he is seeking another term as mayor. “We’ve achieved so much in Richmond over the last term and in my years as mayor, yet so much lies ahead,” Mayor Malcolm Brodie said as he officially announced his intention to run again for Mayor of Richmond, BC. “Richmond has become an international city. With the Canada Line, the Olympic Oval, the 2010 Winter Olympics and our relationships with Pacific Rim countries, Richmond has enhanced its international relations and international image. Yet we have a large challenge in managing our growth—especially in our city centre where we expect to see most of the added density.” “Environmental factors are always important in making decisions. Richmond has been a leader in addressing climate change and generally enhancing the en-
vironment. We’ve increased our waste diversion over the last few years while we’ve increased our parkland such as the Railway Greenway, improved our key recreational areas, preserved our agricultural land and sought to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. We are also investing in facilities such as the Minoru Aquatic and Older Adults Centre, the City Centre Community Centre, and the Fire Halls,” Brodie said. “With well over 100,000 riders per day on average, the Canada Line takes cars off our streets not to mention the convenience it provides moving people in and out of Richmond,” Brodie said. “New development, particularly in the city centre is converted towards the use of public transportation by residents. We must make sure the entire public transportation system provides an effective alternative to the use of the motor vehicle.” “The Richmond Olympic Oval was a premier venue
for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. It now welcomes the community for a multitude of sports, recreation, fitness and wellness activities. It also supports our Sport Hosting Strategy with many events from local to international in scope.” “Community safety will always be important as we improve our quality of life. Though our crime rate has decreased, we are always prepared in the event of an emergency.” “Like most cities in the Metro Vancouver, Richmond is growing,” said Brodie. “The challenge is to manage that growth and protect the quality of life that Richmond residents enjoy. We need to enhance the development of our city centre as a legacy for the future of Richmond. It is important that our city be affordable so that everyone from youth to seniors can live here. I hope to continue to focus on these and many other objectives as Richmond mayor for the next four years.” ■
Filipino-Canadian drowned while rescuing young boy A FILIPINO-CANADIAN from Ottawa died a hero when he tried to save a 12-year-old boy from the Ottawa River. Michael Lumahang, 39, drowned near the Champlain Bridge, while the boy, Laurent Peralta, was treated for mild hypothermia. Ottawa paramedics said they responded to a drowning call near the Champlain Bridge just before 7 p.m. When they arrived, paramedics treated Peralta for mild hypothermia. Police said a 24-year-old man who helped rescue the boy was uninjured. Ottawa Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Norman Garibay said Ambassador Garcia and other officers of the embassy, attended the wake and funeral mass of the deceased at Assumption Church. The police marine and dive unit said it took them several hours before they found Lumahang’s body. The deceased’s step-father and mother were at Bate Island when told of their son’s death. Michael Tremblay, the man’s
Michael Lumahang
step-father said, “Michael was always helpful. He was ready to extend a helping hand to everyone.” Meanwhile, Cynthia Peralta, mother of Laurent Peralta said, “I owe him my son’s second life. He is my hero.”
The Lumahang, Tremblay and Soque families have opened an account for Eva, Michael’s widow to help cover funeral expenses. The account is with TD Canada (account number is 794-6417855). ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
Mayor Malcolm Brodie announces his bid for a 6th term as Richmond’s mayor.
Vancouver Consulate invites participants to Winter Escapade 2 THE PHILIPPINE Consulate General in Vancouver invites participants to the 2nd Winter Escapade Tour (WE2) which will be held on Jan. 20 to Feb. 6, 2015. WE2 will feature the four island destinations of Dumaguete, Siquijor, Bohol and Cebu. Tour participants get to experience “Baile ng Bayan” in Dumaguete; the rich cultural heritage of Cebu; a mystical tour of Siquijor; and the natural wonders of the Chocolate Hills in Bohol. Culminating the tour will be the fifth destination, Manila, with a planned audience and courtesy call on President Benigno Aquino III or a studio tour. Deputy Consul General Anton Mandap clarified during the launch of WE 2 on Sept. 12, that the tour is open to everyone, including Canadians, who
want to discover or explore the Philippines. Annette DumlaoBeech of Victoria who joined WE 1 last year, said she enjoyed the tour so much and vowed to encourage more participants to this year’s program. The eight-day, seven-night tour package costs CAD 1,185 per person (twin-sharing) and includes domestic airfares, airport and seaport transfers, accommodation, some meals, fees and travel insurance. For further details, contact Josephine A. Nacisvalencia of the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver at telephone number 604-685-1619 ext. 101 or email us at vancouverpcg@ telus.net or cultural_philcongen@yahoo.ca. Online registration can be done at www. winterescapadeph.com not later than Nov. 3. ■
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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS:
Jay Florante Catalan Cruz
Co-founder of The Network Hub and Tulayan Filipino Diaspora Society
BY EARL VON TAPIA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANY IMMIGRANTS share the same stories from their journeys such as being taken from a familiar home and culture, being placed into the unknown, not finding their own peoples, and then having to interact with other cultures in their new home out of necessity. That’s the story shared by Jay Florante Catalan Cruz, this week’s Filipino-Canadian in Focus. Jay faced those challenges head-on and, together with his fellow immigrant co-founders, managed to establish a successful and rapidly expanding business. After finding success, Jay then found a way to give back to his community by giving his original culture an outlet to grow in his new homeland. Jay came to Canada in 1987 along with his siblings to meet with their parents who had arrived shortly before them. The reason for the move was to reunite them all with his mother’s side of the family that immigrated to Canada in the 70s. The move came as an immediate shock to him. “Moving away from the only community you’ve known your whole life, for a country you know very little about, was a daunting prospect. However, as kids, we did not have much choice in the matter”, he said. Now in Canada, Jay was faced with the typical challenges that accompanied new immigrants. “The biggest initial challenge was adjusting to the culture and the language. We all learned English in elementary school in the Philippines, but it took a long while before I was comfortable enough to speak out in class”, he said.
“Navigating and learning the cultural norms of a multicultural public school in East Vancouver took some time to adjust to as well”, he added. As he continued his schooling into university, he found that he wasn’t encountering many other Filipinos in his classes. Jay said that he only met two other Filipinos in his computer science classes during his entire time at the University of British Columbia. “We didn’t know very many Filipinos who pursued a university education because the general sentiment in the Filipino community at the time seemed to be to aim for something more affordable and practical”, he said. Despite these circumstances, he still found a way to connect with his peers and fellow immigrants. Jay met Minna Van and John Van, Vietnamese immigrants who came to Canada in the early 90s, while taking his computer science classes at UBC. Together, the three of them found a common interest in computer programming and website development. Then they decided to start their first business together. “We decided to apply what we were learning in class by actually starting a web design company while still in university. This allowed us to improve our skills, learn business through practicing it, and earn some money while we were at it”, he said. Their web design company was doing well, and it ultimately provided the path towards their future business: The Network Hub. “As our business grew, it became more difficult to work from home. Our clients were requesting for a more professional space to hold meetings
Jay (front-row, right), John (front-row, middle), and Minna (front-row, left) founded The Network Hub as a response to their booming web design business back in their university days.
other than the local Starbucks. We initially tried working from executive rental suites downtown, but it quickly felt too corporate and stuffy for us. We wanted a workspace that felt inspiring to go to, but affordable and flexible enough for a small business or startup”. Thus on September of 2006, The Network Hub co-working space officially opened its doors in downtown Vancouver. Co-working places such as The Network Hub feature open desk spaces that anyone can rent by the month or longer, as well as amenities that one would expect to find in a regular corporate office such as a stable internet connection, a common kitchen space, a reception area, mailbox services, and private meeting rooms. The open nature of the workspace is meant to facilitate a cross-breeding of ideas between the different disciplines of the occupants, as
well as possible collaboration on projects. At first The Network Hub was a bit of a challenge to sell to potential occupants, as the idea of co-working was not really big at the time it started. “The initial challenge was getting people introduced to the idea of co-working, and getting people to see that there’s a benefit to becoming a member of a shared workspace, instead of being isolated in a private office”, he said. But with the rise of freelancers, lean startups, and online workers in Vancouver and around the world, the idea of co-working spaces has really taken off. “Over the years, the increase in freelancers and startups in Vancouver has helped us greatly as these groups tend to be more open to the idea of a sharing economy and a co-working community”, he said.
The Network Hub opened up a second location in 2011 in New Westminster, a suburb of Vancouver. At the end of 2013, they opened up their third location in nearby Whistler village. From here, the team is looking into potentially franchising out The Network Hub, which could see the company brand explode nationally and beyond. After establishing The Network Hub, Jay has found time to keep in touch with his Filipino roots and give back to the community by growing the Filipino culture in his adopted homeland. He is co-founder of the Tulayan Filipino Diaspora Society along with several other Filipinos he has met through the years. Tulayan (a Tagalog phrase that means ‘to bridge the gap’) is a group that aims to connect the ever-growing Filipino community through programming around Filipino culture, history, and language. They offer Tagalog lessons and use their network to promote Filipino community events. Jay has some advice for Filipinos entering new surroundings, and that is to make sure to remember where you came from, but to also make sure to connect with the other cultures in your new surroundings. “Do not forget your roots, and celebrate your culture as you celebrate others. Take advantage of the unique learning opportunity that Canada’s multicultural landscape provides. Make an effort to learn about other immigrants’ stories, and make sure they know yours,” he said. ■ You can find out more information about The Network Hub at www.thenetworkhub.ca. For information on the Tulayan Filipino Diaspora Society, please visit www.tulayan.org.
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Immigration
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FRIDAY
PANGARAP : SO, OUR JOURNEY BEGINS
So, What is Volunteerism? BY BOLET AREVALO THE WORLD witnessed for the first time how volunteerism put a president into the Oval Office. The thousands of Obama volunteers successfully worked together to defy history and barriers of colors and beliefs. That Obama campaign defined victory for volunteerism and showed that it can be a key ideology and strategy for success. In Canada, some people say that you cannot call yourself “Canadian” if you have not volunteered for something. According to Statistics Canada, one-half of Canadians call themselves volunteers, each one with an average of 96 hours of volunteer work a year, involving more than 150,000 charitable and non-profit organizations, and generating more than $100 billion of value in one year for the country. It is important to examine your objectives when volunteering for an organization. There are two levels of objectives that may surface—one for altruistic reasons, and one for personal reasons. I do not exactly feel comfortable with talking about volunteerism as a strategy to find a job. To me, volunteerism is a sacred act, and the nobility of its purpose is not to be misappropriated as a trick or a technique to a motive. Even still, such a motive might be meant to feed one’s family or spell one’s survival in an economic society. Nature rules that what goes around comes around. What you have given will come back to you in ways you may never have planned or imagined. Thus, whether or not you in-
tend to look at volunteerism as a springboard to a future job opportunity, the fruits of your genuine labour will come back to you a hundredfold. The places you volunteer at may not have a job for you in the end. But as you hone your skills and gather enough exposure, there will be one waiting for you out there. Why and Where Should You Volunteer? Giving one’s time for free is noble in and of itself, and hundreds of organizations out there are waiting to be beneficiaries of this worthy gesture. However, as an individual, you owe it to yourself to find a volunteer opportunity that is aligned with your interests, and also allows you to make use of your talents. You should not volunteer at a sports association if you are not passionate about sport, for instance. What you see, what surrounds you, and what you expect to accomplish must be worth looking forward to each day that you go
out volunteer. Some volunteers take the effort further by choosing to volunteer for organizations where they want to be hired for a job if and when an employment opportunity presents itself. Is that bad? Not at all. It’s a smart idea. But you must never lose sight of your good intentions and faithful service while volunteering. There are two personal objectives that should guide you in volunteering: firstly, to be able to apply your skills and hone them in the process; and secondly, to meet as many people as possible in your new community. You have always heard about the term “global”, and you might have a vague idea that it means thinking about the world within your grasp. But the reality of going global happens when you meet peoples of differing nations every single day as you ride the bus, walk in the mall, dine in the food court, celebrate mass, go to a PTA meeting, hand in a resume,
go shopping, make a call, or do your volunteer work. Any type of volunteer work will enable you meet all kinds of people from differing ethnicities, cultures, and religious backgrounds. However, the more significant part of it is how the volunteer work will make you understand them and start to learn to live more harmoniously with them. Even I realized that, until you find yourself in this situation, you will never know how to act and react. When you are in your own country, where you consider yourself a dominant and first-class citizen, you do not find the need to ever learn about other races or adjust to them. At the back of your mind, the adjusting is not yours to initiate or even do at all. Canada, being called the great land of immigrants, pushes you right in the middle of this dilemma. It almost leaves you no choice but to make the adjustments to people of different cultures because you will
co-exist with them for the rest of your life. On a day-to-day basis, you may sometimes get away with ignoring, avoiding, or keeping to a minimum any interaction with people of other races. But when you do your volunteer work, the classroom-like education begins. It is different when you start seeing them every day, and talking and working with them on a regular basis. In the beginning, when you feel that you need time to learn to live with other peoples, then you might be better off volunteering with an organization whose cultural affiliation you will better understand or cope with. It is always good to take things slowly, but surely. Nevertheless, it would be a disservice to yourself if you will not strive to blend yourself with the reality that, if you intend to stay as an immigrant, people of other nations will be your neighbours, co-workers, church-mates, classmates, friends, and partners. Consider volunteering a serious commitment. Thus, find a good reason for you to look forward to doing your volunteer work. Volunteer for work that interests you and that will make good use of your talents and skills.It is inevitable to meet people of various colors or persuasions in volunteer work. Welcome it as an opportunity to learn, understand, and blend with other cultures. ■ Bolet is a marketing communications practitioner and dabbles in writing as a personal passion. She is the author of the book The Most Practical Immigrating and Job Hunting Survival Guide, proven simple steps to success without the fears and the doubts. Please check out https://www. amazon.com/author/ boletarevalo
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Immigration
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
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Fugitive Dutch dentist ordered held pending removal from Canada BY SIDHARTHA BANERJEE The Canadian Press MONTREAL—A Dutch dentist arrested in New Brunswick and wanted in France for allegedly mutilating patients through botched procedures will remain detained pending his removal from Canada. Jacobus Marinus van Nierop, 50, had a detention review before an Immigration and Refugee Board commissioner on September 5. Speaking from the Southeast Correctional Facility in Shediac, N.B., he told the commissioner in Montreal he doesn’t object to being held while authorities finalize plans to have him removed from the country. Van Nierop is facing charges stemming from his dentistry practice in Chateau-Chinon, located in the Burgundy region of France. In a strange twist, van Nierop told the hearing he thought he was being held in connection with the murder of his wife in the Netherlands in 2006. That piece of information caught both the Canada Border Services Agency and the commissioner hearing the case off guard. “Where does this information come from?,” a surprised
IRB commissioner Yves Dumoulin asked van Nierop, who had just informed a CBSA agent next to him about the murder. Another CBSA agent, Tanya Benic, who presented the case from Halifax, said the agency was not aware of the development. “We have not confirmed any of that but we will be looking into that after this hearing,” she said. Van Nierop told the hearing he has no problems returning to Holland to “face consequences”, adding that “I hope it will be as soon as possible.” But it wasn’t clear if he’d object to being sent to France, where criminal allegations against him have been written about extensively. “There is a provisional extradition warrant from the Embassy of France for Mr. van Nierop,” Benic told the hearing. “Mr. van Nierop is accused of voluntary violence causing mutilation or permanent disability while practising dentistry in France.” Benic said some of the allegations against van Nierop include piercing patients’ jaws with poorly placed implants or leaving pieces of dental tools lodged in patients’ gums. In some cases, he is accused of pulling out perfectly healthy teeth.
“The warrant also contains allegations that Mr. van Nierop was fleeing his home country of the Netherlands where he was facing similar charges,” Benic said. “At this time, these are unconfirmed allegations.” According to a statement of facts in the case, the RCMP went looking for van Nierop after receiving a complaint and determining he was the subject of an Interpol notice. Van Nierop, who also goes by the first name Mark, was first located by Canadian authorities on Labour Day in an apartment in Nackawic, west of Fredericton. A woman answered the door, but van Nierop was locked in a bathroom. The statement of facts says that when officers decided to enter, they found that van Nierop had tried to commit suicide. He was hospitalized until September 3 at a Fredericton hospital, when he was arrested by the Canada Border Services Agency upon being discharged. Benic said the plan now is to return van Nierop to Holland, a scenario that could change if French authorities demanded his extradition. “Should the RCMP get an extradition request from France, the RCMP would have jurisdic-
Alberta man charged with human smuggling across U.S. border The Canadian Press LETHBRIDGE, ALTA.—A central Alberta man is accused of trying to smuggle a woman into Canada from the United States at a border crossing near Lethbridge last fall. The Canada Border Services Agency says officers found a woman concealed in a vehicle at Carway on Oct. 26, 2013. The agency says the woman had been previously refused entry into Canada. Mark Brian Abramenko of Red Deer is charged under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Dutch dentist Jacobus Marinus van Nierop is wanted in France to face charges of mutilating his patients while he was practicing dentistry there.
tion and take over,” Benic said. “At this point, we are working on removal of Mr. van Nierop (to his) home country, which is the Netherlands.” The RCMP did not immediately return calls seeking comment. Van Nierop entered Canada last Dec. 18 with the plan of meeting up with a woman he’d met online, despite being under conditions not to leave France. That relationship ended in May, but van Nierop remained in Canada beyond the time he was permitted, partly because he had no financial means to leave. He denied facing criminal charges abroad when questioned by the Canada Border Services Agency. The Dutch man seemed confused by parts of the September 5 proceedings, saying he wasn’t sure about several documents
Nova Scotia consultant fined for immigration scam The Canadian Press
He is to appear in Lethbridge provincial court on September 15. Border Services says it’s the second time this year that the agency has laid a criminal charge for human smuggling in
Alberta. Richard James Watt was sentenced in June to 16 days in jail and fined $8,000 for aiding and abetting a foreign national to contravene the immigration act. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
he had received. He also told Dumoulin he is having memory problems, saying he “lives from day-to-day” and doesn’t remember a lot. There was no lawyer or representative for van Nierop, who maintained several times he wants to return to the Netherlands. He even signed a document waiving a right to a preremoval risk assessment by Canadian authorities. “I have to be here (in jail) until I go back to Holland, I understand that,” van Nierop said. “I have no problem to go back to Holland.” He asked that he be allowed to meet with a representative of the Dutch government in Canada. In the end, Dumoulin agreed that van Nierop represented both a flight risk and danger to himself. ■
HALIFAX—A Halifax consultant who helped clients lie on their Canadian immigration applications has been handed a conditional sentence and fined $75,000. Ziad El Shurafa of Bedford pleaded guilty in April to five charges of counselling misrepresentation under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. The head of Canada 2000 Immigration and Business Services Inc. was sentenced this past September 11 in Halifax provin-
cial court. Judge Michael Sherar said the courts must deter people like El Shurafa from trying to deceive the system. The judge placed El Shurafa on house arrest for the first year of his conditional sentence, and that will be followed by one year with an 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. El Shurafa is still allowed to work while he’s serving the conditional sentence and can travel to the United Arab Emirates for business purposes as long as he gets the court’s permission. ■
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Entertainment
Iza Calzado on her dad, new role, and ‘date’ with Piolo BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer ACTRESS IZA Calzado recently spoke about her showbiz breaks, her father, and a surprise “date’ with Piolo Pascual. Iza, whose career as an ABSCBN talent is ever on the rise, credits her success to her father, Lito Calzado who was a choreographer and TV director before he passed away. “Daddy is no longer here to see how I’m getting all these opportunities—it’s a bittersweet feeling,” she said at the media gathering for her new film, “Maria Leonora Teresa” by Wenn V. Deramas.
“I miss him so much but I feel his presence. I know that he’s happy for me. I want to keep working, to make him and my mom (Antonia) proud,” Iza, who lost her father to cancer, said. Her mother and her stepmother, Myrna, likewise succumbed to the dreaded disease. In “Maria Leonora Teresa,” Iza takes on the role of Faith, ha woman who loses her daughter in an accident. And although no stranger to loss, Iza pointed out a vital difference between her real life nature and her movie persona. “Unlike my character in the movie,” she said, “I didn’t experience depression. I got my dad’s positive outlook—that
helps me a lot,” she said. She shared that for her role as a mother, she drew insight from her relationship with her stepbrother: “I help take care of my 11-year-old stepbrother—doon ako humuhugot.” Aside from pulling from this experience, Isa also shared that she expects directors to help set the course for her role portrayal for whatever film she takes on. “I expect them (directors) to guide my portrayals because they see the bigger picture; more than anyone, they know the story that they want to tell,” she said. Recalling that it was Direk ❱❱ PAGE 32 Iza Calzado
Iza Calzado.
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Gabby Eigenmann—Still coping with loss of dad BY LEI FONTAMILLAS Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA—It has been two weeks, perhaps the longest weeks for Gabby Eigenmann, the son of the late Mark Gil who died on September 1. When asked about how he feels, Eigenmann replied, “Still coping.” He added,” There are days
Bea Alonzo and Zanjoe Marudo at the red carpet of the 8th Star Magic Ball. FACEBOOK PHOTO
Zanjoe Marudo: I’ll propose when the time is right BY LEI FONTAMILLAS Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA—Zanjoe Marudo is not fond of celebrity trends, whether it’s about the Ice Bucket Challenge or celebrity couples getting engaged. “I see, engagement is really the trend right now, just like the Ice Bucket Challenge,” Marudo joked when asked if he will propose to girlfriend Bea Alonzo this year. But in all truthfulness, Marudo admitted that he is indeed preparing for it. However, he does not want his partner to feel rushed. “I want the engagement to be special for the both of us,” said
Marudo. “It’s something that should be done carefully, and not rushed. Right now, we don’t feel the need to join the bandwagon because we are waiting for the right moment.” Zarudo will be part of the “Maria, Leonora, Teresa,” movie from Star Cinema film. He will be joined by Jodi Sta. Maria and Iza Calzado. He shared that his role as a father in “Annaliza” helped him prepare for his role in his newest movie. “I am generally fond of kids so it was not hard for me to adjust,” said Marudo. Maria, Leonora, Teresa will hit the big screens on September 17. It was directed by Wenn Deramas. ■
when I feel that everything is okay. But there are nights that I still cry because I can’t help but miss my dad.” Eigenmann also shared that he is taking each day as an opportunity to move on from the loss of their family. Thinking about happy thoughts, and how his dad is now in a better place together with God and all his angels definitely helps. “The only thing that keeps
me going and the whole family also are the memories that he left behind. All those memories are all we have,” said Eigenmann. Eigenmann recalled how his dad prepared them for what might happen to him. Apparently, Gil asked them to accept his fate and to move on with their lives happily. This paved the way for them to move on in peace. ■
‘Bonifacio’ film brings Vina and Robin together again BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer IT WAS an unlikely tandem, but one that has definitely proven its worth in bucks at the box office. Robin Padilla, the silver screen’s ultimate rough-andtumble “bad boy;” and Vina Morales, innocent-faced and demure, did not—at the onset— seem like your perfectly paired couple But the on-screen chemistry between Robin and Vina in their first film together, “Ang Utol Kong Hoodlum,” which was released in 1991, put all misgivings to rest. This was followed by “Miss na Miss Kita” (1993), “’Di Puwedeng Hindi Puwede!” (1999) and “Eto na Naman Ako” (2000). In 2011, over a decade after their last film together, they once more wowed audiences in a “Maalaala Mo Kaya” episode. Robin and Vina will again start opposite each other in Fil-Am director Enzo Williams’upcoming film, “Bon-
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Robin Padilla.
ifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo.” Padilla stars as Philippine revolutionary, Andres Bonifacio, and Morales plays Grogoria (Oryang), Andres’ wife. Williams was originally eying Iza Calzado for the role of Gregoria, but plans fell through the cracks on account of conflicts on schedules. It was then that Robin suggested Vina for the part, a suggestion Williams knew was perfect when he first
saw the two enact a scene together, The movie, which is an official entry to the 2014 Metro Manila Film Festival, also stars Daniel Padilla and Jasmine Curtis-Smith as the young couple in modern times, learning about the lives of Andres and Gregoria. The film also features other big names like Eddie Garcia, Jericho Rosales, Isabel Oli and Gabby Concepcion. ■
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Titles are not important to me, says Dennis Trillo BY LEI FONTAMILLAS Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA—During the grand launch of GMA’s newest primetime series last September 11, the network baptized Dennis Trillo as “Drama King.” Trillo’s reaction was a mixture of happiness and embarrassment. “I am not ready for these types of tiles because I’m not really after them in the first place,” said Trillo during the interview after the event. “It does not really matter what they call me.” Added the 33-year-old ac-
Dennis Trillo.
tor, “But if the network gives it, then so be it. Though, I really find it awkward.” It has been a year since the phenomenal success of Trillo’s “My Husband Lover,” which he starred alongside Tom Rodriguez and Carla Abellana. In the show, Trillo played a gay character who is madly in love with
Rodriguez. His acting prowess showed through and a lot of viewers commended him for that. Currently, he has a medicaldrama show in GMA titled “Sa Puso ni Dok.” When asked if he is choosy with regard to the roles he played, Trillo flatly denied it. “I am not picky. It’s my network that selects the roles that I will play because GMA knows that I like playing out-of-thebox characters,” said Trillo. “I have played a lot of roles—good husband, typical boyfriend.” He added, “It gets boring, and I need to challenge myself with difficult roles.” ■
Iza Calzado... Wenn who was at the helm of her very first soap-opera with the Kapamilya network, Iza says that she “always enjoys” working with the Wenn, and describes him as “fun to be with.” The role of Faith for “Maria Leonora Teresa” was actually first offered to Judy Ann Santos, but Iza took this all in stride. “I asked for Ate Juday’s blessing through my manager, Noel Ferer, who is also the manager of her husband, Ryan Agoncillo. I don’t mind being second choice. Nothing will happen to my career if I let my ego get in the way of important decisions,” she shared. “I’d like to be remembered ❰❰ 30
as someone who gave a lot to her craft, to the industry…as an excellent actress.” She mused, when asked about what she would like to achieve, as an actress. Finally, the question that was on everyone’s mind, why did Iza go to the Star Ball with Piolo, and not with her boyfriend Ben Wintle? The answer was quite simple. “I normally go to show biz functions alone. I merely asked Piolo if we could share a table. He said, “Why don’t we just go together?” It was like the king asked me! I was suddenly Piolo’s date!” To follow-up on this, Iza said that boyfriend Ben is “very secure” about their relationship, and took her “date” all in stride. ■
Erik Matti berates Lovi Poe on issue of “Tiktik” sequel BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA—A social media tirade against actress Lovi Poe from director and producer Erik Matti has caused a group of talent managers to rally behind the actress. Poe starred in Matti’s 2012 movie, ”Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles,” and was likewise cast for the film’s sequel, ”Kubot: The Aswang Chronicles';” but Matti claimed that it was difficult for them to get Poe to return to the film despite a ”solid contract”. ”For months now, we, the producers and the production have been struggling to negotiate with Lovi and her managers to shoot the opening sequence. Over a month ago, we got word that she does not want to do it because it was just for two days. We dangled every possible option just to get her to agree with us EVEN WHEN WE HAVE A SOLID CONTRACT TO HOLD HER UP TO THIS 2nd film, but she and her manager Leo Dominguez still said no. (Even if, by the way, our new lead actress, Isabelle Daza is also coming from the same manager),” Matti said in a Facebook post. According to Matti, his camp exhausted all means possible to get Poe back to the movie, but their efforts were to no avail
Erik Matti.
”The final straw that made us decide it would be impossible to get Lovi Poe to do the role was when they said yes but demanded a ridiculous amount of money for it. There I realized, (Filipino expletive omitted), wala talagang plano ‘tong Lovi na ‘to na gawin ‘tong sequel. Huhuthutan lang kami nito na parang nangongotong na pulis!”’ the irate Matti added. The Professional Artists Managers, Inc. (PAMI) said that they did not approve of Matti’s
Lovi Poe.
social media post, as they criticized the director’s choice of words. The group further stated that Matti’s statement was ”arrogant and reckless.” ”After careful deliberation, PAMI expressed its support to Dominguez and condemned the reckless, arrogant, and vulgar statements of Matti in his social media account,” the statement read; referencing Leo Dominguez, Poe’s talent manager and a PAMI member. Matti’s actions were defendwww.canadianinquirer.net
ed by Dondon Monteverde, who cited the director’s right to express his own opinion. In a post on his Facebook page, Monteverde said: ”I totally understood what Erik felt when he posted that Facebook complaint about Lovi and Leo. The Aswang Chronicles is blood, sweat and tears not just for me and Erik, but for everyone involved in it.”’ ”As for the final words of Erik Matti that I do not wish to repeat again, I always put in perspective what I learned from
PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
the best. My mother, Mother Lily, is all heart when it comes to fighting for her passion and her right. Something wrong was done to me and Erik as producer and director. I totally respect the opinion of my friend, Erik. What he said may be a bit harsh, but he has every right to his freedom of expression. To some, or to most even, it may be unpopular, but his honest, irreverent burst of anger straight from the heart, is something that I fully respect,” he added. ■
Entertainment
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U2’s freebie at Apple’s iPhone event continues evolution of music business BY CHRIS TALBOTT The Associated Press SINCE U2 stunned the music world by delivering a surprise album at Apple’s iPhone 6 unveiling and making it available to a half-billion iTunes users for free, they’ve gotten an avalanche of publicity. But who’s listening to it? The answer is still unclear. Apple has not released official download rates for “Songs of Innocence” and U2’s manager, Guy Oseary, also said he didn’t know how many people had actually downloaded the album. But that really wasn’t the point: The album will live on in users’ iCloud, and the band envisions new listeners accessing it for the first time for years to come. “We’re quite happy that 7 per cent of the planet has this album, and they can enjoy it at their leisure,” Oseary said. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers’ move was hotly debated within the industry as people tried to assess whether it was another stroke of genius from a band that has been a top-selling juggernaut for decades or a ploy by an aging group trying to make a splash in a landscape that has vastly changed since it released its last album in 2009. Even though that album went platinum, its sales were a bit of a disappointment for the band. Back then, frontman Bono told The Associated Press, “We felt that the ‘album’ is almost an extinct species, and we (tried to) create a mood and feeling, and a beginning, middle and an end. And I suppose we’ve made a work that is a bit challenging for people who have grown up on a diet of pop stars.” That diet has gotten even more extreme since then, with
Rock band U2 released their latest album for free to a half-billion iTunes users during Apple’s iPhone 6 launch event. The move is being hotly debated within the music industry. PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
album sales continuing to plummet industrywide, singles dominating and streaming services including Spotify and even iTunes helping to diminish the impact of a cohesive art form album. So what is U2 trying to achieve with its latest Apple alliance? Oseary said the band achieved one goal: keeping the integrity of “Songs” intact by releasing it as an album. As far as U2’s larger business goals? “I don’t expect everyone to get everything now,” Oseary said. “Maybe in a few years things will start making sense or they won’t. But that’s not our job. Our job is to make sure the music is in as many hands as possible. This was an incredible opportunity to do that.” U2 joined Jay Z, Beyonce and a growing number of artists who are working out exclusive corporate deals and employing guerrilla ad campaigns rather than moving the album through the typical marketing plan of singles release and slow build to launch date.
Like Jay Z and his Samsung partnership to launch “Magna Carta ... Holy Grail” last year, U2 and Interscope Records get handsomely paid—something that’s no longer guaranteed from album sales alone—and the money comes on up front. Apple continues a high-profile relationship with a longtime business and philanthropic partner, plus earns more credit for innovation. Fans get something for free and those who don’t want it can just ignore it. “I applaud each of those artists creating a stir and not just falling into a predictable marketing strategy,” longtime producer and Sony Music Entertainment executive Clive Davis said. “I think in the case of Beyonce and Jay Z, they had successful results triggering so much extra media attention and coverage because they didn’t do things in a formulaic kind of manner.” But there may be penalties to pay later if physical retailers refuse to stock the album, as Target did when Beyonce sur-
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prise-dropped her self-titled LP exclusively on iTunes last December for a week (it was still a top-seller worldwide). And there are still lots of questions. Will fans now buy a physical copy, released Oct. 14? Will the band lose some of its cool? Even the unflappable Jay Z suffered backlash when the app he and Samsung used to distribute his album to 1 million customers cataloged user information, and there have already been complaints from some who didn’t want a U2 album on their cloud — even as a gift. Rob Beckham, an agent with William Morris Endeavor Entertainment who handles some of country music’s biggest stars, thinks any negatives that might emerge have already been offset. All acts suffer a cooling of interest when their careers reach into the decades, he said, and the trick is to find ways to rekindle interest and build new audiences. A win for U2, for sure, but in some ways he feels the excitement over an innovative move will inspire the in-
dustry. “People still have to have a passion for the music,” Beckham said. “They have to have a passion to buy it, the passion to steal it or the passion to copy it. To me, the best part of this is they’re getting new music into the marketplace. I think the hardest part is going to be at some point if record labels are not able to sell music and make money, then you’re going to see a lot fewer artists and a lot less music in the marketplace.” There’s no question the album’s arrival got the meter moving in a year that’s been light on buzzy releases. Reports surfaced earlier that the band would not release an album until 2015 after teasing its imminent arrival earlier this year. Now, it will be one of 2014’s most memorable musical moments. Oseary declined to release financial details of the deal and said he was not privy to Apple’s spending on its advertising campaign. The band is focused on next month’s deluxe edition release, which will include four unreleased songs and acoustic versions of album tracks, and he said they’re not ready to talk about the forthcoming album “Songs of Experience” or speculation that a tour announcement is imminent. He encouraged everyone to think differently. “I think it’s great for music,” he said. “Someone right now may have seen this happen and they may decide they want to do something amazing with artwork or with lyrics or something amazing with a video or photos. We don’t know what someone else will innovate, but it’s great to see something exciting happen and see big companies launch something with new music.” ■
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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
Lifestyle
Hundreds of varieties of heirloom vegetables, herbs being offered to consumers BY SUSAN GREER The Canadian Press LONDON, ONT.—It’s obviously incorrect to say heirloom vegetables are “new” to Canadian kitchens. But it’s fair to say the interest in them “has increased very dramatically over the last decade,” says a spokesman for the Organic Council of Ontario. More and more heirloom foods are being grown by home gardeners and small-scale farmers, says Jacob Pries, operations and outreach manager for the Caledon-based council, and being offered to consumers. “I think you’ll find the range of what is available, particularly in farmers markets, is much bigger than it was 10 or 15 years ago because there’s more demand,” says Mark MacDonald, head of communications for West Coast Seeds in Ladner, B.C., south of Vancouver. “Heirloom” is a designation generally given to seeds whose lineage can be traced back more than 60 years, to before the Second World War, although some proponents suggest it should be 100 years. The re-emergence of many varieties unfamiliar to modern consumers is the result of efforts by seed companies, seed libraries and seed exchanges to gather and verify the genealogy of these products and then to make them available in today’s marketplace. Many have been traced back to the specific family who brought them to North America and many heirloom seeds have been passed down through generations. Thus they are sometimes called “heritage” seeds. A decade ago, heirloom tomatoes had the highest profile in the genre. Today hundreds of varieties of heirloom vegetables, herbs and even flowers are available. There are round French zuc-
chinis, black Spanish radishes, small round lemon-coloured cucumbers and others that look like Granny Smith apples, large blue Australian squashes and yellow pear-shaped tomatoes. There are heirloom peas, carrots, potatoes, onions, peppers, all kinds of beans and much more. Brandywine tomatoes, one of the original beefsteak tomatoes, are more flat than round, heavily ridged at the stem end and can grow up to 18 centimetres (seven inches) across. Italian chioggia or candystriped beets, are red or bright pink on the outside but, when cut crosswise, show off spectacular alternating red (or pink) and white stripes. “More and more people are realizing the breadth of what’s out there,” MacDonald says,
adding that just 10 years ago, “radicchio and even arugula were seen as unusual.” Now consumers are getting used to things like kohlrabi, an octopus-looking, traditional northern European vegetable that, raw, tastes like a mild radish, or cooked, like mild cabbage. Many of these foods fell out of widespread favour when mechanized and industrial farming revolutionized North American agriculture after the Second World War. That’s also when hybrid seed, chemical fertilizers and DDT use became commonplace, MacDonald says, and why most people agree “heirloom” foods must be traceable to before the war, although some go back much further. Appearance and taste play a big role in the growing popular-
ity of heirloom cultivars. Modern hybrid tomatoes produced for the mass market, for example, may be bred for short maturation times, uniformity of size and colour, freedom from blemishes and ease of transport but not necessarily for taste. “In theory, if I grow the same heirloom tomato my greatgrandmother grew, I’m going to be eating more or less the same fruit, tasting the same sweetness, the same qualities that they chose to grow back in her day.” Some claims have been made for superior nutritional benefits of heirloom products, but MacDonald warns against over-generalizing. “There are some hybrid seeds with a more modern type of breeding which produce a very nutritious vegetable.”
But there are other important reasons to support heirloom products. “Heirloom varieties give us diversity in our environment,” Pries says. “The more different kinds of tomato crops we have, for example, the more resilient we are.” He points to the mid1800s Irish potato famine, when the only two varieties of potatoes cultivated both got diseased and a million people starved to death. “So if we get blight on our tomatoes, we need to have some varieties that are resistant to that and also attract different pollinators. A healthy ecosystem is based on diversity.” But many heirloom varieties do not lend themselves to mass production. Some have a longer and more unpredictable growth patterns than modern vegetables and “they don’t travel well,” Pries says. Consequently, you more often find them seasonally at farmers markets than in large quantity at supermarkets. He says many heirloom varieties “have increased resistance to diseases or drought because they were grown 200 years ago when we didn’t have chemical fertilizers or pesticides so the plants developed those traits themselves. Small-scale farmers are realizing heirlooms are actually easier to grow and more resilient and therefore less of a risk.” Heirloom varieties also provide an answer to modern concerns about genetically engineered crops since they are not genetically modified, MacDonald says. Neither MacDonald nor Pries anticipate any waning in the interest in heirloom foods. Whether you grow them yourself or buy them, “It improves the conversation,” MacDonald says. “There’s a bit of pride, there’s bit of history, there’s a sense that you’re carrying the torch.” ■
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Lifestyle
SEPTEMBER 19, 2014 FRIDAY
Cancer that claimed Terry Fox now highly curable, other sarcomas still challenging BY SHERYL UBELACKER The Canadian Press TORONTO—At the time Terry Fox was treated for the bone cancer that claimed his leg and eventually led to his death in 1981, few patients survived that kind of malignancy, known as an osteosarcoma. But advances in treatment over the last few decades have dramatically altered that grim prognosis, with the majority of patients today not only keeping their limbs, but many also surviving the cancer. When the B.C. 18-year-old was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in his right leg in 1977, doctors immediately amputated the limb above the knee—the standard treatment then—and he embarked on a 16-month marathon of chemotherapy, a drug regimen for this kind of bone cancer that was still somewhat experimental at the time.
For many Canadians, the heroic runner’s name has become synonymous with osteosarcoma, the most common form of primary bone cancer to affect children and teens, and one that also occurs rarely in older adults. “And that’s always a good and bad analogy because they know who he is but that he had his leg cut off and died—and that’s not the typical scenario now,” says Dr. Jay Wunder, an orthopedic surgeon at Mount Sinai in Toronto who specializes in sarcomas. “Most bone sarcoma patients now don’t have amputations. Most get limb-sparing or limbreconstructive surgery,” says Wunder. “Now the cure rate’s almost up to 80 per cent in younger patients. In older patients it’s more like 70 per cent. “So that’s a pretty big turnaround in a couple of decades.” When Dave Lambert, 63, was diagnosed with sarcoma in his left knee almost two years ago,
Osteosarcoma, the cancer that immortalized Canadian Terry Fox, is no longer an automatic death sentence thanks to breakthroughs in cancer research.
he was initially unaware of the connection to Fox, nor that the path he would follow had been made so much easier by the determined teen who set out in 1980 to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. The businessman from Aurora, Ont., just north of Toronto, had developed a bump on his left knee, which rapidly grew into a large mass and burst open when he tripped and fell.
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His doctor told him a biopsy had confirmed it was a sarcoma. “He just looked at me and said, ‘Remember Terry Fox?”‘ “I’m an older man and when I was growing up anybody who had cancer, they just died,” says Lambert. “And when you heard the word ‘Terry Fox,’ the immediate vision I remember, all that flashed in front of my face, was Terry Fox losing his leg and I could picture him running and then being dead.
That’s all I thought of when he said that word to me and then I just went into shock, total shock.” But during a referral appointment with Wunder the following week, Lambert learned his cancer was no longer considered an automatic death sentence. Surgery did not mean losing part of his leg; instead the tumour was removed and tissues in and around the joint were reconstructed. “It was a very humbling experience,” says Lambert, who was up walking within weeks of the operation and says his knee “looks great.” While much progress has been made in treating osteosarcoma, there is still much work needed to advance treatment for most of the 50 or so other sarcomas, which in overall cancer terms are still considered rare. Sarcomas are tumours that arise in connective tissues, such ❱❱ PAGE 39 Cancer that
Lifestyle
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
Light exposure, adjusting to local time among ways to help stave off jet lag BY LAUREN LA ROSE The Canadian Press TORONTO—After succumbing to afternoon sleepiness during a visit to Paris, Colleen Friesen was determined not to let jet lag extinguish her energy on a return trip to the City of Light. Even as rain poured in the French capital, Friesen was intent on being outdoors to help acclimate to the time change. But even before she embarks on trips across multiple time zones, the frequent flyer has developed a system to help stave off jet lag. “The darker your bedroom, the better for your sleeping. So, I take an eye mask and ear plugs, I do the whole sensory deprivation thing,” said Friesen, a Vancouver-based travel writer who has visited more than 50 countries including India, Syria and the U.K. Three nights prior to departure and three nights after arrival, she takes melatonin prior to bedtime. Health authorities recommend individuals consult with their doctor prior to taking the supplement. Once Friesen arrives at her destination, she adopts the local time—which includes staying out in the light as long as possible. “There’s a couple of moments where you’re tired the first couple of days at inopportune times but nothing that’s debilitating, and certainly something that you can walk through.” Friesen’s approach to fighting jet lag is in line with advice from medical experts who suggest individuals spending extended time abroad should adjust their routines to the local time of their destination. Jet lag occurs when there is a mismatch between the time of a person’s internal clock—or circadian rhythm—and the local time as a result of rapid travel between different times zones, said Dr. Jay Keystone, medical director of the Medisys Travel and Adult Immunization Clinic in Toronto. The circadian clock is centred in the hypothalamus in the lower part of the brain and is responsible for modulating blood pressure
and heart rate. Next to the hypothalamus is the pineal gland which produces melatonin, which Keystone described as “the hormone of darkness.” The release of melatonin is what signals to the body that it’s time to sleep. “Darkness increases melatonin production, light stimuli reduces it,” said Keystone, staff physician in the tropical disease unit at Toronto General Hospital. “But the problem is... as soon as you go through multiple time zones, your time clock is now thrown off and it takes at least a couple of days—two to three days—before it can catch up to the current time zone. And that’s why we wind up with jet lag. Dr. Gregory Belenky, research professor at the Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington State University Spokane, said tourists should get acclimated to the local time with respect to the normal light-dark cycle, meaning bright light exposure in the morning and dim light in the evening, he added. “Someone who’s not a frequent traveller ... the best recommendation is to sleep as much as you can on the plane, take melatonin two hours before you want to fall asleep on the plane and continue the melatonin two hours before the new bedtime in the new location.” Belenky said most people have a slight tendency to stay up late and sleep in which is why most typically find it easier to travel west than east. “The problem with going to be bed early is that your body temperature is rising. It peaks around 10 in the evening, and so you’re not going to be able to fall asleep much before 10:30 usually unless you’re really sleep-deprived.” Jay Olson had always seen jet lag as a necessary component of travelling over many time zones and never tried to use a particular strategy to reduce its effects. “I would just sleep when I was tired at the destination, but
oft e n that would lead to me missing out on exploring the city and all the things you like doing when travelling,” said Olson, who is completing a master’s in psychiatry at Montreal’s McGill University. He developed Jet Lag Rooster while working as a psychology teaching assistant at B.C.’s Simon Fraser University. The website and mobile app allow travellers to create a customized plan to help shift their body clock in order to reduce or prevent jet lag. Users key in their cities of departure and arrival and their typical sleep-wake patterns and have the option of shifting sleep schedules to the new time zone before departure, after departing on the plane or after arrival. The plan also offers guidelines to “seek light”—go outside in sunlight or use a portable light box— as well as ideal sleep periods and other tips to reduce fatigue. Olson said the method was based on research published in scientific papers for decades. “What was missing was a simple method of translating this knowledge into some of these particular trips, because the guidelines vary for each person based on when they sleep and for how many time zones they travel.” He first tried the method himself a few years ago when he flew from Vancouver to New York by starting to shift his body clock before he flew and said he experienced no jet lag. Keystone said for travellers heading eastbound more than three time zones, they should try to go to bed a little earlier each night for two or three days before departure because the day is shortening. If travelling westbound, it’s the opposite— snooze a little later. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
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Bad connection... ing note prepared for senior Public Safety officials. New Zealand, Ireland, Australia, France and Mexico are using jamming technology in some prisons, says the March 2012 note, disclosed under the access law. The United States introduced legislation in 2009 to allow jamming in institutions, though the bill died the following year. “As you are aware, access to a cell phone provided inmates the continuous potential to be involved in criminal activities outside the institution— including drug trafficking and organized crime activities— from within an institution,” the note says. Controlling and monitoring inmate communication is necessary in order to maintain a secure facility and to allow for measures that encourage rehabilitation, the note adds. “All other types of ‘outside access’ have necessary limits.” For instance, says the note, the Correctional Service’s inmate telephone system allows the service to monitor and control access to telephones that are used to communicate with members of the public. Cell phones, on the other hand, permit inmates to “completely and continuously circumvent” the prison service’s system. “Finally, cell phones, especially smart phones, provide inmates unfettered access to the Internet and social media sites, including taking and sending of videos,” the note says. “All of the above poses challenges to good corrections, rehabilitation and public safety.” Court records show that at ❰❰ 18
the Mission Institution in British Columbia a cell phone was seized in 2011 from an inmate who was heavily involved in the prison’s drug subculture and who had continued to foster links with organized crime. Correctional Service spokeswoman Veronique Rioux refused to make an official available for an interview. However, she said in an emailed response to questions that the prison service continues to work with phone-service providers and other criminal justice system partners to “monitor advancements in the field of detection of illicit cell phone usage.” The prison service constantly evaluates security equipment and procedures to ensure a safe and secure environment, Rioux added. Two years ago, the service posted a tender for a study of solutions to deal with the contraband phone problem. The Correctional Service “continues to explore potential solutions,” Rioux said. However, the internal note warns that any measure—legislative or otherwise—would need to consider the possibility of: —inadvertently jamming signals beyond the perimeter of an institution, preventing police, ambulance personnel or fire fighters from using their cell phones; —jamming technology interfering in national security investigations by the RCMP or Canadian Security Intelligence Service;—effects on human health, as cell-jamming equipment would emit waves similar to those of cell phones;—effects on animal species such as bees. ■
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Business
SEPTEMBER 19, 2014 FRIDAY
CRA targets small businesses BY EVELYN JACKS THE CANADA Revenue Agency is acting to shore up compliance for small business owners. Both tax practitioners and their clients will be engaged in a “Get it Right the First Time” initiative, which includes office visits by the CRA. Today there are millions of small businesses in Canada. They are led by small business owners of every type—retail store owners, consultants, professionals, commission salespersons, farmers, fishermen, and bed and breakfast owners— all of whom are working hard to make money for their families, employees, and communities and build equity. Thanks largely to improvements in communications technology, all generations can now make lifestyle decisions to work from home in a self-employment capacity. Entrepreneurship, in fact, is on an upward trend in Canada.
Up to 150,000 new business are expected to emerge in the next 10 years. Canada also has the lowest insolvency costs in the G20, and we have recently recruited thousands of new immigrant entrepreneurs as well. Business owners are distinct from other types of taxpayers. They are people who invest their time and money now to reap the rewards of both profit and equity in their enterprises later. There is lots of risk involved, too. Small biz tax breaks
The Canadian tax system takes this into account. Business owners can write off business losses against other income of the year. They can also split income by hiring family members to work in their enterprises. When they sell their qualifying Canadian Controlled Private Corporations, each shareholder may also qualify for an $800,000 capital gains exemption for 2014; an increase
over the $750,000 amount available in years 2007 to 2013. But many of these potentially successful ventures of the future will face potential failure because they have not prepared themselves for their relationship with the CRA. By law, they have to keep proper books and records, and they have to collect sales and payroll taxes for various levels of government and remit them properly and on time. And they have to pay personal and corporate income taxes. Recently, two Winnipeg men faced the consequences of noncompliance. On May 16, 2014, the Manitoba Provincial Court fined a Winnipeg small-businessman a total of $12,000 after he pled guilty to charges of failing to file his tax returns from 2007 to 2012. The Court gave him 60 days to file the missing returns. Failure to comply could lead to jail time. In another case, a photographer was fined $48,719 on March 13, 2014, for evading taxes. The fine
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represents 75% of the total federal and excise taxes that were evaded. Both small-businesspeople were given 12 months to pay their fines. Get expert record-keeping help
Keeping proper records and filing correct tax returns is a prerequisite to successful business development. Make a great decision: See a tax and/or bookkeeping services specialist for help as a first line of defense. Working with a qualified
professional can help you focus on what you need to do well— making income and building equity—rather than risking non-compliance with the CRA, which can erode both. ■ Courtesy Fundata Canada Inc. © 2014. Evelyn Jacks is president of Knowledge Bureau. This article originally appeared in the Knowledge Bureau Report. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved. This article is not intended as personalized advice.
Business
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
Purchase of ‘Minecraft’ maker could help boost Microsoft’s mobile reach BY MAE ANDERSON AND BARBARA ORTUTAY The Associated Press NEW YORK—Microsoft’s decision to spend $2.5 billion for the creator of the hit game “Minecraft” could help the Xbox maker grab attention on mobile phones, a new priority for the company. But the move carries risks, as gamers can be fickle. Although the Lego-like multiplayer game is currently the top paid app for the iPhone and Android devices in the U.S., today’s popular hit could be tomorrow’s dud. The maker of the much obsessedover “Candy Crush Saga,” for example, rode the game’s popularity to go public this year, only to see its stock falter. In addition, the founders of Mojang, the Swedish company behind “Minecraft,” aren’t staying with Microsoft. That could raise questions about Mojang’s ability to create another big hit. Then again, a big hit was not what co-founder Markus “Notch” Persson was after when he created the game, according to a blog post Monday from Mojang and a note from Persson himself on his website. “It certainly seems like the founders of ‘Minecraft’ didn’t want to continue forward,” Gartner analyst Brian Blau said. “It was something too big for them. ‘Minecraft’ is best in the hands of somebody who can take it in the direction it needs to go for the user.” Microsoft has made mobile phones and Internet services priorities for the company as its traditional businesses—Windows and Office software installed on desktops—slow down or decline. With “Minecraft,” Blau said, Microsoft gains a new type of customer—mobile players. “‘Minecraft’ is very popular on mobile,” Blau said. “It has an audience that wouldn’t necessarily think of Microsoft first. The mobile audience is typically Apple and Samsung.” “Minecraft” is an “open world” game in gamer lingo, meaning it has no plot or outlined objectives. Players can explore and
Minecraft, the game that has been likened to virtual lego, was purchased by Microsoft for $2.5 Billion. The purchase is expected to help boost Microsoft’s gaming and mobile divisions. PHOTO BY WESLEY FRYER / FLICKR
create virtual worlds built from blocky 3-D objects— thus the frequent Lego comparisons. “It can also be about adventuring with friends or watching the sun rise over a blocky ocean. It’s pretty. Brave players battle terrible things in The Nether, which is more scary than pretty. You can also visit a land of mushrooms if it sounds more like your cup of tea,” Minecraft’s website explains. Besides iPhones and Android devices, the game is available on Windows, Macs, Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation. Microsoft said it will continue to make “Minecraft” available on all those platforms after the deal closes, expected this year. With an all-ages “E” rating, the game has been downloaded 100 million times on personal computers since its debut in 2009, and it’s the most popular online game on Microsoft’s Xbox console. Microsoft, which released the first Xbox in 2001, also owns the blockbuster “Halo” video game franchise. Unlike “Halo,” though, “Minecraft” is especially popular with younger gamers whose parents might not be comfortable with them going on wild alien shootouts. Microsoft is not alone in trying to reach that audience. Activision Blizzard Inc., the maker of the “Call of Duty” shooter series, also makes “Skylanders,” a kids’ video game that’s played using toy figures. Now, it will be Microsoft’s job to keep Minecraft’s loyal
fan base happy. It’s something raised any time big, established corporations buy little, muchloved independent companies. It happened when Facebook bought photo-sharing app Instagram in 2012 and more recently when Amazon.com Inc. agreed to buy Twitch, the online network that lets people watch live and recorded footage of others playing video games. “Change is scary, and this is a big change for all of us. It’s going to be good though. Everything is going to be OK,” Owen Hill, Mojang’s “chief word officer,” wrote in a blog post Monday. “Minecraft will continue to evolve, just like it has since the start of development. We don’t know specific plans for Minecraft’s future yet, but we do know that everyone involved wants the community to grow and become even more amazing than it’s ever been,” he continued. The acquisition will help Microsoft expand its gaming division. Besides “Halo,” it includes the “Forza” racing game. In a statement, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that with “Minecraft,” Microsoft is getting “an open world platform, driven by a vibrant community we care deeply about, and rich with new opportunities for that community and for Microsoft.” Blau said it helps that Microsoft knows games. “It’s got the Xbox,” he said. “So overall ... it’s a good move and a good fit because they have experience in the game industry.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
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Cancer that... as bone. But most types develop in soft tissues like muscle, nerves, skin, fat and blood vessels. The cancer can spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs, which occurred in Fox’s case and ended his Marathon of Hope on Sept. 1, 1980 just outside Thunder Bay, Ont. “They’re harder to treat,” Wunder says of soft-tissue sarcomas. “If we do good local surgery for those patients, we can cure a fair percentage, but a lot of those patients relapse and there’s no effective curative chemotherapy for them.” “In fact, if we had effective chemo, (these tumours) would probably be transformed the way osteosarcoma was and we could treat those people very differently.” In 2010, 1,175 Canadians were diagnosed with soft-tissue sarcoma; about 470 died of the disease in 2009, according to the Canadian Cancer Society, citing the most recent years for which statistics are available. The cause of sarcoma is unknown, although genetics may make some people more susceptible to the cancer. Various research groups around the world are investigating whether aberrant stem cells might give rise to these tumours, but that still to be determined. Much of the research focus is on finding new drugs to treat various types of sarcomas, and there has been modest progress in that area. For instance, a once “uniformly fatal” abdominal sarcoma called GIST, is now being treated with a molecular drug that specifically targets a genetic mutation found in these tumours, leading to “an overnight change in outcome,” says Wunder. His colleague at Mount Sinai and the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, oncologist Dr. Albiruni Razak, says before the drug’s discovery, GIST patients had an average life expectancy of nine months; survival for some patients now is measured in years, and for some it can be as long as 15 years. Drug development is a key goal of the sarcoma research team at Mount Sinai, which includes genetic studies using samples of patients’ cancerous tissues that are frozen and stored in the hospital’s tumour bank—a collection of innocuous-looking metal containers. “This is the whole critical path of the future, because if you ❰❰ 36
don’t do this, you can never improve anything,” Wunder says of storing tumours for study. Cell lines grown in the lab from tumour samples are used to look for potentially effective drugs. Tiny quantities of the cells are put in “dishes,” then mixed with candidate drugs by robotic equipment in a so-called high-throughput lab at the hospital. The technology can test thousands of compounds at one time. “That’s kind of a needle-in-ahaystack thing, but we have the opportunity, we have the tissue, and so if you don’t try you never know,” he says. “And lots of new drugs get found that way. For cancer especially, it’s amazing how often people are finding new, potentially active drugs through that.” Razak says chemotherapy has for many years been given using a “blunderbuss approach,” trying different combinations in the hope of killing a patient’s cancer. That’s increasingly giving way to a more focused strategy, called personalized medicine, in which oncologists hope to match particular drugs to an individual, based on their genetic profile or that of their tumour. “Another way to look at it is to try to individualize per person, not to individualize per disease,” he says. “The whole idea that just because you have sarcoma ... we give you a standard chemo, that approach is not scientific enough now.” Lambert attributes his survival to Fox, and the scientific advances spurred by the millions of dollars raised by his marathon and the annual events run in his name. “If they could really understand the true good this money has gone to achieve. I’m walking now. I have my leg now. I’m alive now because of people like Terry Fox and the people who have supported the Terry Fox run over the years. “Without that, I’m not here.” On Sunday, an estimated 200,000 Canadians will join Terry Fox runs in almost 800 communities across the country, and an estimated three million participants will take part in runs hosted by 9,400 schools throughout September. Since Fox began his Marathon of Hope, $650 million has been raised in the fight against cancer. ■
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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
Travel
Potatoes in every shape and form plus history on display at N.B.’s Potato World BY KEVIN BISSETT The Canadian Press FLORENCEVILLE-BRISTOL, N.B.—Driving along the TransCanada highway in northwestern New Brunswick, people will see an intriguing sign for a local attraction—Potato World. Yes, a museum about potatoes. And why not? The town of Florenceville-Bristol, headquarters for McCain Foods, is known as the french fry capital of the world. This farming community that straddles the St. John River is picturesque with its lush green fields, winding roads and walking trails. It’s located roughly halfway between Fredericton and Edmundston and just minutes from the Canada-United States border. Just after exiting the highway you’ll spot a red-and-white, barn-style building on your right, with a sign out front to show you’ve arrived at Potato World. Inside you’re drawn into an inviting structure with vaulted ceilings and exposed beams, smiling staff and a cafe well-known for its homemade delights. We’ll get back to the cafe later. Tammy Fowler, the museum’s manager, has a simple answer when asked, “Why a potato museum?” “Well, we are the french fry capital of the world and this is where McCain Foods started,” she said. She said the museum was started by Marilyn Strong, who was Harrison McCain’s personal assistant for 46 years. Fowler said it was Strong’s dream to honour local farmers, and the museum opened in 2004. “Everything in our museum is non-profit, so all the machinery and everything have been donated or on loan from local farmers in memory of family members,” she said.
The Potato World museum.
PHOTO FROM YURBED.COM
One-third of the world’s frozen french fries are produced in Canada.
Inside the museum you’ll discover an impressive collection of farm implements and machinery dating back to the 1850s and learn about the progression of potato farming since. Fowler said many people comment that their grandparents had similar machinery and tractors, reminding them of fond memories of their youth. “They like the museum for the history and for the heritage,” she said. Among the tractors is a 1916 International that runs on kerosene. A local farmer drove the tractor from his farm right into the museum for display. You also can try your hand at cutting your own seed potato, planting it in a dish and tak-
Round potatoes are best for boiling and oblong potatoes are best for baked potatoes.
ing it home. On another part of the tour you get to cut and make your own homemade french fries, cook them and eat them before you leave. “We also tell the history of where the potato was found down in South America in the 1500s by the Spanish,” Fowler said. “They went looking for gold and they found potatoes between Peru and Bolivia in a place called Lake Titicaca.” She said the Spanish found that their livestock was very healthy after eating potatoes so they started eating them too. They took potatoes back with them to Spain, France, England and Ireland. There are videos that show how potatoes are processed,
and interactive displays to test your knowledge of spud trivia. Did you know there are more than 7,500 varieties of potatoes in the world? Did you know China grows the most potatoes but they are rated as 27th in the world for their quality? Did you know round potatoes are best for boiling and oblong potatoes are best for baked potatoes? Hungry yet? Fowler said while she’s providing a lot of information about potatoes, she often learns new things from the 3,000 visitors who pass through the doors each year. “There was a woman here last year from the Andes Mountains
and she said when you go to the markets there to buy potatoes, you look at the lady’s hat,” she said. “She will have different bands of colour on her hat to match the colour of the potatoes she has available ... orange or purple or blue.” Michael and Allison Giroux of Brockville, Ont., said they learned about Potato World in their CAA tour book and thought it would be interesting to drop in. “I saw lots of interesting equipment and how they do it,” Allison said. “It’s a very nice building and I like the fact that things were donated from original people who did it, and their name will live on.” The museum offers live concerts on selected nights though the summer and, of course, celebrates National French Fry Day every year on July 13. The tour ends in the cafe, where you can get home-style meals, and potatoes in their many forms, including french fries, poutine and even dessert fries. “We cook them and shake them with icing sugar and can drizzle them with caramel or chocolate sauce,” Fowler said. “We also have fries that have cinnamon sugar on them and you can have them with caramel or homemade maple syrup drizzled on them.” ■ If You Go...
The museum season runs from June 1 to the Thanksgiving weekend in October. Admission for the self-guided tour is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and $3 for students, but double those rates if you want the experiential tour that includes a guide and the opportunity to cut seed potatoes and make french fries. For more information, visit tourismnewbrunswick.ca and potatoworld.ca. Potato World is also on Facebook.
Travel
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
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New $300M Aga Khan museum and complex now open in Toronto BY COLIN PERKEL The Canadian Press TORONTO—A $300-million showcase complex that includes the first North American museum devoted to Islamic art opened on September 12, an initiative of the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world’s Ismaili Muslims. The complex, designed by some of the world’s top architects, aims to foster knowledge and understanding among Muslims as well as between Islamic societies and other cultures. Located on 6.8-hectares, the museum building with its open-air, glassed-in courtyard is linked via a landscaped park featuring five granite reflecting pools to a cultural religious centre dominated by a towering glass roof over its prayer hall. “You can see that the play of light throughout the building has different nuances and just creates an incredible ambience,” said Farid Damji, a volunteer with the Aga Khan Council for Canada. The Aga Khan, the community’s 49th hereditary imam, is also a wealthy philanthropist who, along with members of the faith, bankrolled the new complex.
Aga Khan Park and Museum courtyard. PHOTOS FROM AGAKHANMUSEUM.ORG
Despite the close association with Ismailism—part of the Shia branch of Islam—the museum intends to reflect the diversity of cultural expressions within Islam, Damji said as workers put the final touches to the interior and exterior elements this week. “It’s not an Ismaili museum,” he said. “It’s a museum of Islam and Muslim civilization, so it’s really meant to display that diversity.” Designed by award-winning
Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, the museum building has at its centre a “courtyard of light,” with heated floor tiles to help snow drain, and a 350-seat auditorium. The exhibition space itself contains more than one-thousand objects and pieces of art— manuscripts, drawings, paintings, tapestries, metalwork, ceramics—from the 8th to 19th centuries. In the centre of one display area sits a 16th-century fountain made of marble and sand-
Gemini (May 21-June 21) A great opportunity to meet new people will come knocking at your doorstep this week. Do not let the wind just blow this chance away. This activity will allow you to build and expand your network as well as develop your confidence for a better personality. Cancer (June 22-July 23) There will be bigger challenges in your workplace this week. You will be faced with changes that will test your might in adopting with innovations and development. Keep in mind that sticking to the status quo is still highly recommended. Leo (July 24-August 23) Loads of unnecessary activi-
ties will be consuming most of your time this week. This will be very unproductive for your personal and professional engagements. Virgo (August 24-September 22) The stars are saying that this week is the best time to prioritize some activities to help strengthen your romantic life. Be open to invites and do not hesitate to say yes on developing relationships for a happier and more fulfilling future. Libra (September 23-October 22) You may have been failing to balance your personal and professional time. This might cause conflicts on either or both your personal and workrelated relationships. Try to
stone in geometric formations that would have been in the reception hall of a palatial residence in Cairo. Nearby, a large 12th century copper candlestick from eastern Iran fills a display case. Ruba Kana’an, a historian of Islamic art and head of education at the museum, called the collection special. “It’s a significant collection of the art of Muslim societies from different parts of the world,” Kana’an said. “It has a variety of masterpieces—works that are unique in either their beauty or their historical significance.” Paris-based museologist Adrien Gardere designed the interior of the museum and the multimedia elements that are part of the permanent and temporary displays. The pieces are not meant to be seen in isolation, he said in
an interview, adding that the days of a single artifact floating in space in a beam of light are over. “The world of artifacts is a world of connection and dialogue,” Gardere said. “We’re in a place where the artifacts dialogue in a transversal way.” The Ismaili Centre is part of a global network of such facilities, including one in Vancouver. The latest addition to the network—the handiwork of renowned Indian architect Charles Correa—features a lounge, library, classrooms and administrative offices as well as the prayer centre with its glass roof and its Arabic-calligraphy reflective wood. About 100,000 Ismailis, part of an estimated 15-million strong community in 30 countries, live in Canada. ■
manage your time. Scorpio (October 23-November 21) Find some time to join activities that will improve the spiritual aspect of your life this week. You may have been lacking on one of the most important journey you should be focusing on. Sagittarius (November 22-
avoiding future conflicts by always keeping in mind that you have to be reasonable at all times. Aquarius (January 20-February 18) Being very cautious with your words will help you avoid argument and misunderstanding this week. When speaking with friends, workmates or even family members, remember the principle: less word, less mistake. Pisces (February 19-March 20) You may find yourself wanting to seek for a friend’s help this week. Go, ahead, Pisces. Asking for help does not make your personality weak. It actually resounds a stronger you, willing to admit and improve on your weakness.
HOROSCOPE Aries (March 21-April 19) You will achieve the much desired inner peace this week if you will develop the art of reflection. Find a day where you can relax alone and revisit the activities you’ve been engaged to for the past month. Evaluate your actions wisely and you’ll be rewarded with that inner peace and growth! Taurus (April 20-May 20) Do away with the unnecessary purchase this week. There will be an upcoming financial need that you should be preparing for. Keep in mind that the best time to spend is when you spend for profit. It may not be obvious at a glance, but your money’s value will keep on diminishing.
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December 21)
There is one important factor about yourself that you should improve this week, and that is, confidence. Believing in yourself all the time will help you perform better personally and professionally. Capricorn (December 22-January 19) Depending on facts and sound logic may help you make the best decision today. Try
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Sports
SEPTEMBER 19, 2014 FRIDAY
Mayweather leaves open possibility of big money fight with Manny Pacquiao BY TIM DAHLBERG The Associated Press LAS VEGAS—Floyd Mayweather Jr. may have boxed himself into a corner by outboxing Marcos Maidana in their rematch. And it might open the door—if just a crack—for the fight with Manny Pacquiao that boxing fans have been craving for years. “If the Pacquiao fight happens, it happens,” Mayweather said Saturday night after disposing of Maidana for the second time in four months. “You can ask the same questions and get the same answers. I call my own shots.” That Mayweather is even acknowledging the possibility of a fight with Pacquiao is significant, since his previous stance had been to ignore his Filipino rival. But it may be that Mayweather has little choice but to turn to Pacquiao for a huge money fight as the careers of both fighters draw to an end. A lot of that will depend on the pay-per-view numbers for the second Maidana fight. What they say about Mayweather’s drawing power likely will deter-
mine his next steps. The first fight didn’t sell well on Showtime—at least by the lofty standards of the pay-per-view king—and with the promotion for the second clouded by Mayweather’s comments on Ray Rice and domestic violence, the general feeling among boxing executives is that the rematch may have done even worse. Add the fact that Mayweather didn’t win any fans by mostly playing defence against Maidana and it’s hard to see how that will change for his next bout, which likely will take place next May. “We’re not sure what the game plan is,” Mayweather said. “I’ll probably fight in May. I may not fight until September.” Mayweather’s most probable opponent for a fight in May would be Britain’s Amir Khan, who took himself out of contention for Saturday’s fight because he wouldn’t be able to train properly while observing Ramadan. But while Khan would help boost sales overseas, he has lost two of his last five fights and is not popular enough in the U.S. to help sell pay-per-view. Mayweather’s continued re-
fusal to fight Pacquiao or any other fighters promoted by Bob Arum limits the pool of possible opponents. That’s why Maidana got a rematch despite no real outcry by boxing fans for it but it may be beginning to cost Mayweather where it really hurts—in his wallet. Mayweather’s $32 million payday for Maidana brought his earnings in the past year to $100 million in three fights, but he has only two fights left on a sixbout deal he signed with Showtime. The network would like to see him fight someone who might help him sell more PPVs, and Mayweather himself would earn more money from his cut of the revenue if he boosted sales. Mayweather had little trouble against Maidana in their rematch, moving from side to side and frustrating the Argentine while winning many of the early rounds. But the crowd at the MGM Grand booed at times because Mayweather wouldn’t engage in the brawl that Maidana desperately needed. In the end, two ringside judges scored it 116-111 for Mayweather, while the third had it 115-112. “I felt sharper in the first
Floyd Mayweather(left), after defeating Marcos Maidana(right) this past Sunday, has opened up the possibility of a super-fight between him and Manny Pacquiao in the future. PHOTO FROM TSMPLUG.COM
fight, my rhythm was off,” said Mayweather who was roughed up by Maidana in May on his way to a majority decision. “I got hit with some shots tonight I shouldn’t have gotten hit with. But that comes with the sport.” Mayweather was in control of the bout until the eighth round, when he claimed Maidana bit him on the hand in a clinch after first trying to hit him below the belt. He said he couldn’t use his left hand the rest of the right because it went numb. Maidana denied biting Mayweather, and said Mayweather was sticking his glove in his eye in the exchange. “How can he say I bit the glove with my mouthpiece?”
Maidana asked. “I’m not a dog.” Mayweather said before the fight that his last two fights will take place next year, and that he would retire with a 49-0 mark. Many in boxing, however, believe Mayweather would go for a 50th win to surpass the unbeaten mark of 49-0 held by the late heavyweight Rocky Marciano. That could mean a megafight with Pacquiao in the spring of 2016, perhaps to open a new arena being built by the MGM on the Las Vegas Strip. Asked if a fight with Pacquiao would be realistic, Mayweather was as evasive as he was in the ring with Maidana. “What is realistic is I am 470,” he said. ■
Indonesia confident it will host next Asian Games, and bring the event forward to 2018 BY ALI KOTARUMALOS The Associated Press JAKARTA, INDONESIA—Indonesian officials are confident they will return from the Asian Games in South Korea with confirmation that their country will host the next edition, and are pitching a two-city event that they’d like to stage a year ahead of schedule. Vietnam initially was awarded the rights to stage the Asian Games in 2019, but backed out in April citing a lack of funds. Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest nation and home to a fast-growing economy, has since emerged as the strongest candidate to host the event. “Hopefully, I will bring home not only medals from Incheon,
but also a decree stating that Indonesia is the host of the Asian Games,” said Agum Gumelar, a former army general who is leading Indonesia’s contingent to the South Korean city of Incheon, where the 2014 games start next week. “I dare to say that I’m 90 per cent certain that Indonesia will be the host.” President-elect Joko Widodo said last month he was “99 per cent” certain Indonesia would host the event. The Olympic Council of Asia had planned a five-year break after Incheon to stop the games falling in the same cycle as the Winter Olympics and the soccer World Cup. However, Indonesia’s Olympic committee president Rita Subowo said it seemed likely that the OCA would accept Indonesia’s re-
quest to bring the event forward by a year to avoid a clash with the country’s presidential elections in 2019. Indonesia suffers from chronic infrastructure problems including notoriously bad traffic in the capital and elsewhere, along with poor air quality, shoddy public service and rampant corruption. More than half of the population lives on less than $2 dollars a day, but athletes and others can expect a friendly welcome. Last month Wei Jizhong, the honorary vice-president of the OCA, visited Jakarta to assess the country’s readiness to host the event. Widodo told journalists that Wie had said Jakarta, home to some 19 million people, would make a suitable host city. “It is an honour as a nation www.canadianinquirer.net
to be able to hold such a prestigious sport event,” said Widodo, widely known by his nickname Jokowi, who will take office Oct. 20. “It will be an opportunity not only to promote Indonesia but also to show the world that we have strength and capacity in all aspects, and I believe we can do that. It is not just about sports, but also about pride.” Subowo said the country could rely on the support of Southeast Asian nations during the decision process, which is due to take place on Sept. 20 during the games in South Korea. It is unclear whether any other country remains in the bidding process. The Indonesian bid involves events being staged in the town of Palembang in southern Sumatra. That city hosted the 2011 Southeast Asian Games and
the Islamic Solidarity Games, which drew competitors from 57 countries earlier this year. Jakarta is building a 50,000 seat stadium close to its northern coast and will need to refurbish other venues. But construction in Palembang for the 2011 Southeast Asian games should ensure the country doesn’t need to build any more large-scale sports venues, greatly reducing the cost of staging the games. The 2011 SEA Games were overshadowed in part by corruption connected to the building of the venues. Two members of the ruling party of outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono are serving prison terms for accepting large kickbacks in connection with construction of a housing complex for athletes at the games. ■
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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
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Seen and Scenes
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SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
PCG VANCOUVER REACHES OUT TO FORT MC A consular outreach program was held from Sept. 5 to 7, by the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver headed by Consul Melanie Diano, at Merritt Hotel & Suites in Fort McMurray, AB. Below are highlights of the three-day outreach.
ENVERGA ATTENDS ENTREPRENEURS’ GALA
Enverga (2nd from L) and awardees. Photos from FB of Senator Enverga.
Senator Enverga talks with Chinese-Canadian businessmen during the entrepreneurs’ award gala night in Richmond Hill, On. Senator Enverga gave an inspiring talk entrepreneurship during the 3rd Outstanding Entrepreneurs Award Presentation Gala at the Premiere Ballroom and Convention Centre in Richmond Hill, On. on Sept. 12.
For photo submissions, please email info@canadianinquirer.net. www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY
Events
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 19, 2014
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It’s Showtime Canada Live in Edmonton By 3J Events Services WHEN/WHERE: 4 p.m., September 21, Show Conference Centre, Halls ABC, 9797 Jasper Ave., Edmonton, AB. MORE INFO: Call 780-440-4282 ext 3 (Zed); 780-938-7373 (Girlie). Tickets at $50, $85, $100, $125, $250 Bamboo World Tour By MCY Entertainment WHEN/WHERE: Sept. 27, Century Casino, Calgary
YUKON NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
CANADA EVENTS
NUNAVUT
View all events by scanning this QR code or visiting
http://bit.ly/ PCI-Events
San’ To’ By Philippine Consulate General in Toronto WHEN/WHERE: ongoing till Oct. 28 at PCG-Toronto 7th Flr., 160 Eglinton Ave., East Toronto, On. MORE INFO: featuring the works of Romeo Masalunga and Antonio Afable, Jr.
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Press Forum: Filipino Political Aspirants
ALBERTA
By Philippine Press Club Ontario NEWFOUNDLAND
MANITOBA
SASKATCHEWAN
ONTARIO
QUEBEC
Tau Gamma Phi By Tau Gamma Phi Fraternity WHEN/WHERE: 6 p.m., Sept. 19 at Victoria Drive Community Hall, Vancouver, B.C.; 6 p.m., Sept. 20 at Riverside Banquet Hall, Richmond, B.C. MORE INFO: Call Bong Valeriano 778-862-1963; Anthony de Castro (778) 554-4883 or email us @ tgfsvancouver@gmail.com
The Singer & The Songwriter Featuring Ms. Joey Albert and Mr. Dennis Lambert By MediCard Philippines Intl.. in cooperation with Harana Entertainment & St. Clare of Assisi Parish WHEN/WHERE: 7:30 p.m., September 27 @ Michael J. Fox Theatre, Burnaby B.C. MORE INFO: Tickets at $40, $50 and $100. Call Harana Entertainment 604-763-2590
Summer Hip Hop Dance Showdown & Ballroom @ the Square WHEN/WHERE: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., September 20 @ The Shipbuilders Square, Wallace News Rd., North Vancouver, B.C./ for Ballroom 5 p.m. to 12 mn. MORE INFO: Free admission; For dinner-dance event: $25/person
Zumbacoustic Neon Party WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m., Sept. 27, Latin Fitness Studio, 5595 Kingsway Ave., Burnaby B.C. MORE INFO: Part of benefit will go to Quezon province children and schools affected by Typhoon Glenda.
Filipino Canadian New Era Society 12th Anniversary By FilCanes WHEN/WHERE: 12 noon to 6 p.m., Sept. 21, Capri Hall, 3925 Fraser St., Vancouver, B.C.
Hotdog Live in Vancouver By Juan Radio, Times Tel and Even8 WHEN/WHERE: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m., September 28, The Stadium Club @ Edgewater Casino, 750 Pacific Blvd. South Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: Also featuring Goldie
29th Annual Aids Walk for Life By Scotiabank WHEN/WHERE: Sept. 21, at Sunset Beach, Vancouver, B.C.
Food Safe Course By Victoria Filipino Canadian Association WHEN/WHERE: 2 to 8:30 p.m., Sept. 28, Bayanihan Community Center, 1709 Blanshard St., Victoria, B.C.
Bamboo World Tour Live in Canada By Great Smile Denture Inc., MCY Entertainment and TFC WHEN/WHERE: 6 p.m., Sept. 26 @ Massey Theatre, New Westminster, B.C. MORE INFO: Sept 27 – Calgary; Sept 28- Winnipeg; Oct. 3 – Saskatoon; Oct. 4 – Toronto; Oct. 5 - Edmonton
Language Diversity and Mother Language Lovers By Vancouver Foundation WHEN/WHERE: 5 to 8 p.m., Sept. 28, at Poplar Island Room, Queensborough Community Centre, 920 Ewen Ave., New Westminster, B.C. 4th World Poetry Canada Intl. Peace Festival By World Poetry Reading Series Society WHEN/WHERE: Oct. 6 to 26, grand opening 1:30 to 4:30 p.m., Oct. 19, at Simon Fraser University, Harbour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street, Room 7000, Vancouver, B.C. www.canadianinquirer.net
WHEN/WHERE: 6:30 p.m., FV Foods Restaurant 280 Wilson Ave., North York, Toronto, On. MORE INFO: $10/pp Buffet Dinner The Filipino Comedy Tour By Apl de ap Foundation WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m., Sept. 19, Macmillan Theatre, Toronto 9th Annual Kalayaan Centre Walkathon By Kalayaan Cultural Community Centre (KCCC) WHEN/WHERE: 8:30 a.m., Sept. 20, KCCC, 5225 Orbitor Dr. Mississauga, Ont. MORE INFO: For a donation or pledge of $25 or more, you get a tax receipt, a free T-shirt and you also get to eat delicious Filipino and Canadian cuisine breakfast afterwards. To get your registration form, please email coordinator.kccc@bellnet.ca or call 905-602-0923. Ontario Solopreneurs Network Meet & Learn By OSN WHEN/WHERE: 2:30 to 5 p.m., Sept. 20 at Rm. 1 North York Public Library at 5120 Yonge St., ON Boracay Escape with Ray “Nono” Solarte By Casa Manila WHEN/WHERE: 10 p.m., Sept. 20, at CasaManila, 879 York Mills Rd., Toronto, On.
To have your events featured on PCI, please email events@canadianinquirer.net
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CANADA
AD SALES The Philippine Canadian Inquirer—Canada’s first and only nationwide Filipino-Canadian newspaper, is looking for dynamic sales executives from Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Edmonton. Each sales executive must be a dynamic self starter who will treat this opportunity as their own exclusive business with the potential to earn serious money. That’s just Step 1. Wait till you hear about Step 2.
Be part of an amazing in-store team!
Interested? Send us your resume now and let’s change your life!
We are currently recruiting for Sales Associate and Customer Service Representative to join us in Promenade, Toronto.
Email your resume to info@canadianinquirer.net
We’re looking for confident, sales and customer service oriented team players with: · Passion for telecom products and services · High standards of customer service · Excellent English communication skills · Previous retail experience You will be responsible for: In return, we will provide you with: · Selling long distance, · Professional sales training homephone, Filipino TV · Ideal pay package with channels commission and incentive · Providing an opportunities* exceptional customer · Career growth with service experience internal promotional · Sharing product opportunities knowledge information · Flexible hours
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