Philippine Canadian Inquirer #192 by Philippine Canadian Inquirer

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CANADA’S FIRST AND ONLY NATIONWIDE FILIPINO-CANADIAN NEWSPAPER NOVEMBER 6, 2015

VOL. 10 NO. 192

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Sereno says message is clear: Pork is illegal

P-Noy: ‘I really felt traffic on EDSA’

P-Noy has apologized, Bongbong told

Keystone XL pipeline postponement bid ups pressure

Russian strikes take toll among Syrian civilians

First month, four summits: Trudeau heading to Turkey, Philippines, Malta, Paris

THE LIVING VISIT THE DEAD

BY ALEXANDER PANETTA The Canadian Press

Hundreds of thousands of people walk along the main roads inside Manila North Cemetery on their way to visit the tombs of their departed relatives on Sunday, All Saints' Day in an annual pilgrimage that ends with church services on All Souls' Day, observed today. MARIANNE BERMUDEZ / PDI

Palace acts on NAIA scam P-Noy orders probe of ‘tanim bala’ racket amid outcry BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer MALACAÑANG YESTERDAY vowed to make travelers feel safe again at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) after President Aquino ordered an investi-

WASHINGTON — Justin Trudeau will attend four international summits within his first month in office, making foreign affairs an early front upon which he’ll be tested as a rookie prime minister. There had been doubt about whether he’d have to skip a summit, given that he’s forming a cabinet during the busiest month on the international leaders’ ❱❱ PAGE 20 First month

gation into the “tanim bala” racket that extorts money from airline passengers. In tanim bala (planting bullets), airport staff drop bullets into the bags of unsuspecting airline passengers and demand money from them in exchange

Quebec Skilled Worker Program for Canadian Immigration opens this week

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❱❱ PAGE 26 ❱❱ PAGE 11 Palace acts

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Philippine News

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

SC asked to remove Binay from BSP BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer A NEWLY minted lawyer has filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking the removal of Vice President Jejomar Binay as president of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines, claiming that Binay’s 19-year tenure at the public organization was unconstitutional. In his petition, Jesus Nicardo Falcis III asked the high court to declare that Binay had “acted in grave abuse of discretion” in continuing to serve as BSP head. In the petition for certiorari and prohibition filed last Thursday, Falcis said Binay violated the constitutional prohibition against holding dual or multiple offices. He asked the tribunal to declare Binay’s status as BSP president unconstitutional, and to “prohibit [him] from discharging the functions and duties of the national president of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines.” In his petition, Falcis cited Article VII, Section 13 of the Constitution, which bars high officials—from the president, vice president to Cabinet members, their deputies and assistants—from holding “any other office or employment during their tenure.”

Sui generis

Then Makati Mayor Jojo Binay chats with visitors from the Korean Boy Scouts.

The provision says the officials during their tenure, should not “directly or indirectly, practice any other profession, participate in any business, or be financially interested in any contract with, or in any franchise, or special privilege granted by the Government or any subdivision, agency, or instrumentality thereof, including government-owned or controlled corporations or their subsidiaries.” Noting that Binay, who was first elected BSP president in 1994, has been serving at the post for 19 years, Falcis said that “an actual case or controversy ex-

DOT inspects APEC preparations in Manila BY AZER N. PARROCHA Philippines News Agency MANILA — A tourism official on Tuesday led the inspection of preparations in Manila being done for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit particularly on matters concerning landscaping. Department of Tourism (DOT) Undersecretary Maria Victoria Jasmin told reporters that the DOT will be carrying out inspection through its attached agency, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA). “I’m going to CCP (Cultural Center of the Philippines) to check on landscaping. We took it upon ourselves through TIEZA to assess it,” Jasmin said in a chance interview. She said that inspection will most likely include looking at areas like the Roxas Boulevard, Baywalk, and other key places in the metro to check if Christmas decorations have been set up. “As early as August we wrote LGUs (local government units) and tourism

enterprises to put up their Christmas decors on November,” Jasmin said. The Philippines is known for having one of the longest celebrations of Christmas as early as the start of ‘ber’ months on September until Three Kings’ Day or Epiphany in January the next year. She, however, noted that some areas have already started putting up decorations. The Roxas Boulevard Project, which is expected to be completed by 2016, is a convergence project between the DOT and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) that includes landscaping of seaside and center island, construction of sidewalks, removal of old street lights as well as relocation of the monuments along the boulevard. DOT and DPWH have also tapped renowned Architect Paulo Alcazaren to lead the project. Alcazaren is best known for leading the Ayala Boulevard and Iloilo Esplanade construction. This is only one of the many tourism infrastructure projects under the government’s National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP). ■

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ists.” “The Vice President during his tenure has discharged the functions and duties of BSP president and is continuing to discharge the functions and duties,” he said. Falcis is the same lawyer who filed a petition seeking the legal recognition of same-sex marriage in the Philippines. As immediate relief, Falcis asked the court to issue a temporary restraining order for Binay to “desist” from acting as BSP president, “pending determination of the merits of the case.”

In response, Binay’s spokesperson Rico Quicho said the BSP executive committee was “in the best position to reply at length to the Supreme Court petition.” “Offhand, we can say that the BSP is sui generis, [in] a class by itself. It is not a GOCC (government-owned and controlled corporation) in the strict sense of the word,” Quicho said in a statement. (Actually, the Supreme Court ruled in 2012 that the BSP was a GOCC, not a private corporation, and subject to government audit.) Quicho said BSP officers are volunteers elected every year, and that Binay “does not receive compensation” as organization president. Binay is one of a group of BSP officials accused of concluding an allegedly anomalous land deal between the BSP and Alphaland Corp., which former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado said was “grossly disadvantageous” to the BSP. Mercado, who filed plunder charges against Binay and 16 members of the BSP National Executive Board in connection with the deal, accused the Vice President of taking P651 million in kickbacks from the sale to Alphaland of a BSP property on the corner of Ayala Avenue extension and Malugay Street in Makati City. ■

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Philippine News

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

Palace: Foes twisting remarks on taxes BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer MALACAÑANG YESTERDAY said the election season had allowed President Aquino’s critics to “twist” his justification for not being in favor of lowering personal income tax rates. “We do not want to allow this misinformation, disinformation, to go through because we understand the election season. They say there are a lot of accusations that could be thrown at the government. If it’s true then we will look at it. If it’s a lie, then we will answer it,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said over state-run Radyo ng Bayan. According to Lacierda, Mr. Aquino himself has said that

there was a need for a comprehensive review of the tax laws. “There is a need to review the tax laws but we have to study it in a situation, in an atmosphere, where we can really have an honest-to-goodness debate. Now, everybody is saying, ‘I’m in favor of lowering this, I’m in favor of lowering that’ because it’s campaign season. The elections are near, so you want to get the biggest number of votes [by saying something] that is pleasant to the ears of the electorate,” Lacierda said. But Lacierda said that as the government, “we have to be responsible.” “We recognize there’s a concern. We recognize that some people would like to lower the tax rates and we’re saying, ‘we’re all together in this,’” he

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said. Critics of the President are urging him to support pending legislation proposing to reduce the personal income tax rates. But at a recent forum with the foreign press, Mr. Aquino

explained anew that lowering income taxes should “not be taken as a singular activity.” “If there is a reduction in revenue, there has to be compensation elsewhere,” he said, noting that a “compensatory act” would be to increase the valueadded tax. “The end point is you remove something, you add something, then we have a balance. You remove something, you don’t add something, there is an imbalance. That, in turn, might have negative consequences that we would rather not have to un-

dergo,” he said. The President also said the government was still operating under a budget deficit. “You remove the revenues, you increase the deficit,” he said. Speaker Feliciano Belmonte earlier said he and Senate President Franklin Drilon were planning to seek an audience with the President to convince him to support the measure. There has been no news about whether or not the meeting would push through. The income tax reform bill pending in both chambers of Congress proposes to raise the tax exemption ceiling to P150,000 a year and lower the top income tax rate currently pegged at 32 percent. The bill would also raise from P500,000 to P10 million the trigger for the higher income tax rate and reduce the corporate tax rate from 32 percent to 25 percent. Legislators supporting the measure said that lowering the income tax rates would give the people more disposable income which would in turn stimulate consumer spending. ■

Veterans Bank supervisor held for P29-M theft BY JAYMEE T. GAMIL Philippine Daily Inquirer AFTER ALMOST a year in hiding, a former supervisor of the Philippine Veterans Bank was arrested by the police on charges that he stole P29 million from the company in connivance with fellow employees. The Philippine National Police said Arthur Gadon was arrested in Barangay Esperanza Ibaba, Alfonso, Cavite province, Wednesday morning based on two arrest warrants for qualified theft issued by a Manila court. Supt. Arthur Bisnar, chief of the PNP-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group in the Calabarzon region, said Gadon was accused of conspiring with two bank tellers and a loan www.canadianinquirer.net

bookkeeper to steal P29 million from PVB. Following the discovery of the alleged theft, Gadon was terminated as bank cashier supervisor of the PVB in Legaspi Village, Makati City, in December 2014, Bisnar said. When the case reached the courts, Gadon went into hiding, moving from one place to another in Metro Manila and Alfonso, Cavite, the police official said in a PNP statement on Friday. Gadon was the subject of two arrest warrants issued by Judge Mona Lisa Tiongson-Tabora of Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 21, who recommended no bail for the suspect. The suspect remained in detention Friday at the CIDG office in Cavite, pending his presentation to the Manila court. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

PDP-Laban hits Comelec Recognize paternity leave for the way it vets bets of male married workers, Baldoz reminds employers BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer

CANDIDATES SHOULD not be considered a “nuisance” just because they are not wealthy, according to Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III, who called on the Commission on Elections to review its procedures for disqualifying candidates. Pimentel made the call after the Comelec’s legal department sought to declare Martin Diño, erstwhile presidential candidate of the Partido Demokratiko PilipinoLakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), a “nuisance” for failing to show that he could fund a national campaign. Pimentel, PDP-Laban president, acknowledged the issue was moot since Diño had withdrawn from the presidential race. But he blasted the Comelec legal department for being “arbitrary” and “matapobre [discriminatory against the poor].” The PDP-Laban would have fought for Diño had he not backed out, Pimentel said. The party hopes to substitute Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte for Diño. “With this case of Martin Diño, the Comelec should review its process [for declaring nuisance candidates]. It’s too arbitrary, it’s too antiparticipatory. Even people from the middle class want to serve the country,” said Pimentel. ‘A mockery’

The Comelec law department, in recommending that Diño be disqualified, said he had put the election process

in mockery, had no bona fide intention to run for office, and had not presented proof that he could sustain the financial rigors of a nationwide campaign. “We condemn in the strongest terms the Comelec’s entertaining the idea the candidate of the PDP-Laban is a nuisance. We are a recognized party. We have had both winners and losers [in elections],” Pimentel said. He said the PDP-Laban, an accredited party, backed Diño’s run, so it could not be said that he was not a serious candidate. He said that in questioning Diño’s lack of funds despite being backed by a party, it was as if the Comelec added another requirement for candidates. “Does this mean candidates for President would have to show their bank accounts?” he said. As to the allegation that Diño had no real intention to run, he said the Comelec should have no say in the internal processes of the party. For all it knew, the PDP-Laban could have been considering Diño as its presidential candidate three or for months ago, he said. Moreover, he accused the Comelec of discriminating against PDP-Laban given its statement questioning Diño’s capability to fund a national campaign. He pointed out that PDP-Laban had been accredited since 1982, and had fielded national candidates despite its relative lack of funds. He himself successfully ran for senator in 2013 under the party, although he was also carried by the administration slate. ■

According to Sen. Koko Pimentel, PDP-Laban supports Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte’s presidential bid in 2016. FACEBOOK

PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz on Wednesday reminded employers to comply and recognize the seven-day paternity leave of would-be fathers working in the private sector. “The seven-day paternity leave is mandated by R.A. 8187, or the Paternity Leave Act of 1996. Under the said law, male married workers are granted seven days leave with full pay so they could help in looking after their newborn child and take an active role in child-care tasks,” said Baldoz. The labor and employment chief issued the reminder after Renan Obier, a 29 year old worker who is expecting his first child this October, inquired from the DOLE Call Center on how to avail of paternity leave from his employer. According to action officer Melvin Pelinta of the DOLE S.M.I.L.E. (for Serbisyong Magalang, Mahusay na Impormasyon sa Labor and Employment), she received Obier’s query on how to avail of the said benefit. Pelinta, after getting the necessary information, immediately called up the latter’s agency, JJ Manpower Services and informed the human resource department on the provisions of R.A. 8187. Obier, later told the DOLE Call Center that his manpower agency informed him that he may avail of the seven-day paternity leave with full pay on a staggered basis. “This is not the first time that a caller’s inquiry has been promptly attended to by the DOLE Call Center,” said Secretary Baldoz upon learning of Mr. Obier’s query. “Under R.A. 8187, married male employees, whether they be in the private and public sectors, shall be entitled to paternity leave, provided that it is for the first four deliveries or miscarriages of their respective legitimate spouses with whom they are cohabiting. Those www.canadianinquirer.net

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who want to avail of this benefit must notify their respective employers of the pregnancy of their legitimate spouses and the expected date of such delivery,” she added. The DOLE Call Center hotline is 527-8000. Meanwhile, from 1 to 30 September 2015, the DOLE Call Center S.M.I.L.E. received a total of 4,912 calls, or an average of 189 calls per day. This means that there was an 11 percent increase compared to the 4,429 calls received in August 2015. From the said number of calls, a total of 5,536 queries, or an average of 213 queries per day, were generated from DOLE clients. The said number of queries also marked a nine percent increase from the 5,216 queries generated from the previous month. The total number of queries generated were more than the number of total calls because a caller may have various queries on labor and employment issues. Majority of the queries focused on social protection and welfare concerns numbering to 3,728, or 67 percent of the total queries. The said queries include 3,542 questions on the Department’s services to safeguard fair and just terms and conditions of employment. It is also comprised of requests for information on the DOLE’s

work accidents/illness prevention programs. A great number of queries were on holiday pay rules for the 25 September (Eidl Adha) holiday, numbering to 1,169; separation/termination, 386; resignation, 258; probationary/regularization guidelines, 174; service incentive leave, 126; and availment of SSS, Pag-IBIG, and PhilHealth, 100. Queries on labor relations reached 1,296, or 23 percent, of the calls for September 2015. These include the 515 complaints on nonpayment/underpayment of backwages, a 25 percent increase from the previous 411 complaints received for August. Requests for information on the DOLE’s Employment Program totaled 354 or six percent calls during the reference period. Of these, 86 were for employment facilitation which include 65 queries on local jobs and 21 on overseas employment. About 118 queries were on alien employment permit (AEP), while 40 were on labor marker information. The DOLE Call Center, known as SMILE for Serbisyong Magalang, Mahusay na Impormasyon sa Labor and Employment, is open Mondays to Saturdays from 6:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M. It has a complement of six composite staff from different DOLE Offices. ■

Philippine News

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

Sereno says message is clear: Pork is illegal BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE SUPREME Court has declared the pork barrel system unconstitutional, and Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno hopes the message is clear. Calling for public vigilance on Wednesday, Sereno expressed hope that there would be no future attempts to revive the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), which was struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2013 amid scandal over the P10-billion pork barrel scam. “I hope that the PDAF ruling has already driven the message that the pork barrel system is not going to be perpetrated again,” Sereno said in a forum with fellow members of the Ten Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service Foundation Inc. (Towns). The Supreme Court followed the discovery and busting of the PDAF racket allegedly masterminded by businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles and led to the filing of graft and plunder charges against Senators Bong Revilla, Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile and several former or current members of the House of Representatives. “I hope it doesn’t resurrect in another form. We need the continued vigilance by everyone,” said Sereno, a Towns awardee for law in 1998, when asked how the Philippines could effectively clamp down on corruption. Sereno cited the danger of

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno.

letting down the nation’s collective guard. “If we are not able to win this fight against corruption, the danger is we will all be cynical, the lesson is the right to be dishonest. How can we recover?” she said. She said the nation was still getting back on its feet nearly 30 years since end of martial rule, a period marked by massive official corruption, the illegal wealth from which the state is still running after to this day. “This is a fight of monumental proportions. We cannot afford to lose. It we revert to the dark days of dishonesty, I don’t know what will happen to us again,” Sereno said. She called for a relentless campaign for honesty: “I think this country has to talk about honesty on a daily basis, not get tired of talking about honesty.” Sereno also spoke about lost opportunities in the previous years of accountability agencies such as the Commission on Audit and the Office of the Ombudsman, and even in the judiciary. “If you only had these institutions that guaranteed integrity, including the judiciary, behave in a way that is fearless, that does not recognize gratitude for the appointment as something that must be paid for by corrupt decisions, if we drill into every one’s minds that we must be free from political pressure, we will not be in this situation where some are saying ‘we could have done better,’” she said. ■

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President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers his speech during the 15th National Public Employment Service Office (PESO) Congress at the Reception Hall of the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City. LAURO MONTELLANO, JR. / MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU

Rule of law prevailed, says P-Noy BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer

“Our people can be assured that those representing our country have been continuously preparing for this,” Valte THE RULE of law has presaid. vailed, and President Aquino is Relations with China “[The] government would re“very happy.” Asked how winning the first ally be careful on how to play “We are very happy that the round would affect the Philip- this up… The Apec should be an [UN Permanent Court of Arbi- pines’ relations with China, Mr. opportunity to start mending tration] said it has jurisdiction Aquino said the clarifications fences,” Jay Batongbacal, direc(over the case),” Mr. Aquino made by the tribunal would, tor of the University of the Philtold reporters during a visit to hopefully, be an “avenue for ippines Institute for Maritime Eastern Samar province yester- better relations” between the Affairs and Law of the Sea, told day. two countries. the INQUIRER by phone. He was referring to the UN He said the maritime dispute Batongbacal said the antribunal’s ruling on Thursday was only one of the aspects of nouncement of the tribunal’s that it has jurisdiction to hear the Philippines’ relations with decision coming at the heels the Philippines’ case seek- China. of the United States’ testing ing the invalidation of China’s Before President Aquino freedom of navigation in the claim to almost all of the South spoke yesterday, the govern- South China Sea, as well as the China Sea, including waters ment’s reaction to the tribunal’s upcoming Apec summit, was within the West purely coinciPhilippine Sea. dental but “not The President exactly a good also noted that mix.” the tribunal is The straight path transcends me and “China could expected to rule [the President]; it is a Filipino ideal be taking time on the merits of that has been there long before we to study these the Philippines’ were born and will remain long after things,” Batongpetition against we are gone. bacal said. China “as early President as next year.” Aquino said the “It’s a fast protribunal’s decicess. The discussion is quite decision was subdued and mea- sion would be one of the issues complicated but we can say, sured, especially with the up- to be tackled at the Associawho wouldn’t be happy that coming Asia-Pacific Economic tion of Southeast Asian Nations and we call the rule of law pre- Cooperation (Apec) Economic (Asean) Summit in Kuala Lumvailed?” Mr. Aquino said. Leaders’ Meeting to be held in pur next month. Echoing a Supreme Court as- Manila on Nov. 18 and 19. President Aquino has consociate justice he did not name, Chinese President Xi Jinping sistently campaigned for the the President said the rule of has yet to confirm his atten- conclusion of a binding code of law was the “equalizer” in the dance at the meeting. conduct in the South China Sea relations between a big state Presidential spokesper- between Asean and China. and a small state. sons Herminio Coloma Jr. and “The voice that we bring [to Had the UN tribunal ruled Abigail Valte said in separate the Asean] must have an urthat it did not have jurisdiction statements that the tribunal’s gency, that we finish the discusover Manila’s petition, it would decision would allow the Phil- sions and we have a code of conhave been “the end of such av- ippines to present the merits of enue” for the Philippines, Mr. the case. ❱❱ PAGE 13 Rule of www.canadianinquirer.net

Aquino said, referring to the legal track that his administration follows in resolving the territorial dispute with China.

Philippine News

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

P-Noy: ‘I really felt traffic on EDSA’ BY NIKKO DIZON AND KRISTINE FELISSE MANGUNAY Philippine Daily Inquirer HE CAN “feel” it—and is taking notes about it. President Aquino on Friday said he himself was caught in a traffic jam on Edsa recently and had a firsthand experience of the daily misery endured by motorists and commuters on Metro Manila’s busiest thoroughfare. “Last night, I passed through Edsa and I saw how [it was]. I really felt the traffic that our citizenry go through. Every time I go out of Malacañang, even in the morning, I take note of the areas where there are traffic [problems],” Mr. Aquino told reporters in Eastern Samar province. He had some figures on hand to tick off: Edsa, he said, has a holding capacity of only 13,600 vehicles per hour but is currently being used by 18,000 vehicles per hour. He also cited the exponential growth in car sales in the country but said he was particularly surprised by the number of motorcycle sales at 100,000 units per month. Having 1.2 million motorcycles rolling

Even the Commander-In-Chief is not safe from EDSA’s hellish traffic.

out in one year would indeed eat up a lot of space on Edsa, he said. He said he would like to see lasting solutions to the capital’s traffic congestion for he doesn’t want the next administration to inherit the problem. Directly in charge of easing this perennial urban headache is the Metro-

politan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), where President Aquino recently named lawyer Emerson Carlos as the new chair to succeed Francis Tolentino, who had stepped down to run for the Senate in 2016 polls. Carlos was the MMDA’s assistant general manager.

Army recruits Lumads as part of gov’t equal opportunity efforts BY PRIAM F. NEPOMUCENO Philippines News Agency MANILA — The Philippine Army (PA) on Tuesday announced its decision to recruit Lumads into its rank as part of the government’s equal opportunity program. “The PA is recruiting Lumads to be soldiers as part of the equal opportunity given to them by the government. In fact, at least five percent of our current soldiers’ recruitment in Eastern Mindanao are Lumads,” Army spokesperson Col. Benjamin Hao said. This is unlike the force recruitment of the NPAs, he added. “The recruitment of the PA is based on the clamor of the local Lumad leaders. The PA support the premise of “who else can serve and secure them better than the Lumads themselves,” Hao pointed out. Based on the current strength of the PA today of 85,000, there are 200 indigenous people — 78 officers and 122 enlisted personnel. It was also important to note here that there were also some Lumads who vol-

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untarily joined the militia service to secure their respective communities. “And on the statement that the Armed Forces of the Philippines as human rights violators and doing extra judicial killings, the PA have been very transparent on the issue. We have already answered openly all the accusations against us in all formal investigations conducted by recognized legal bodies of the government and even by some key stakeholders in good governance,” he said. “We have provided the Commission on Human Rights all legal documents needed to express our strict adherence on human rights, international humanitarian law, and the rule of law,” Hao said. What is clear to the PA is the number of admission of the NPAs on killing civilians and soldiers inhumanely, he added. “It is also clear to us that they are recruiting Lumad minors. Most importantly, it is clear to us the purging that the NPAs did to their comrades in arms that are still happening even now. The killing of the Mayor of Loreto and his son is a clear manifestation of this point,” Hao said. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

And as the President pondered the state of Edsa, the MMDA on Friday announced yet another undertaking to improve traffic flow across the metropolis in time for the holiday season. The agency said it would go “fullblast” in its operations to clear the socalled Mabuhay Lanes of obstructions starting Monday. In a statement, the MMDA said clearing operations on the 21 Mabuhay routes cover West Avenue, Quezon Avenue, Mindanao Avenue, Estrella and Barangka Drive, among others. Carlos said MMDA teams will fan out to remove illegally parked vehicles or structures set up by sidewalk vendors. The vehicles will be towed and brought to the nearest MMDA impounding area. Permits earlier issued by barangay officials allowing vendors to occupy the roads or sidewalks are now “deemed canceled,” the MMDA official added. The MMDA can confiscate the vendors’ merchandise if they refuse to leave, he said. “We should educate [residents and motorists] that these alternative routes should be free of obstructions or else we would be clearing them repeatedly,” Carlos said. ■

Philippine News

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

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Tough fight looms as UN court accepts case vs China BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PHILIPPINES is raring to go into Round 2 with China after scoring a knockdown in Round 1 on Thursday, when a United Nations arbitral court ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear Manila’s case seeking to invalidate Beijing’s claim to nearly all of the South China Sea. Solicitor General Florin Hilbay confirmed yesterday that the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration has set Nov. 24 to 30 as the preliminary dates for the Philippines to lay down its case against China at The Hague, the second round of oral arguments on the case Manila initiated on Jan. 22, 2013. “The decision represents a significant step forward in the Philippines’ quest for a peaceful, impartial resolution of the disputes between the parties and the clarification of their rights under Unclos (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea),” Hilbay said in a statement. “The elimination of preliminary objections to the exercise of the tribunal’s jurisdiction opens the way for the presentation of the merits of the Philippines’ substantive claims,” said Hilbay, the Philippines’ agent in the case. A contrary ruling would have led to the termination of the proceedings. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the agency at the lead of the legal action, welcomed the ruling, saying it looked forward to the tribunal’s further hearing on the merits of the case. China rejection

China refused to take part in the arbitration and yesterday rejected the tribunal’s ruling, saying the case would not affect its sovereign claims in the South China Sea. “We will not participate and we will not accept the arbitration,” Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin told reporters in Beijing. “The ruling or the result of arbitration will not affect China’s position,” he added. “It won’t affect China’s sovereignty rights and jurisdiction in the South China Sea, our rights will not be undermined.” The foreign ministry also urged the Philippines to return to the “correct path” of talks to resolve their territorial dispute, a position that Manila has long rejected. Assistant Foreign Secretary Charles Jose, the DFA spokesperson, said the arbitral tribunal was expected to issue further instructions in the coming weeks, including whether the Philippines should submit further pleadings. The proceedings will be held at the

The high-powered Philippine team for the UNCLOS arbitration case being heard by an arbitral tribunal in The Hague has begun presenting the arguments for the Philippine position—with emphasis on the tribunal’s proper jurisdiction to hear and decide the case. PCDSPO

Peace Palace in The Hague, the headquarters of the Permanent Court of Arbitration, an intergovernmental organization that facilitates international arbitration and dispute resolution proceedings. It was also the venue of oral arguments held in July when the Philippines presented its case to convince the tribunal that it had jurisdiction over the case. “The hearing will provide an opportunity for the parties to present oral arguments and answer questions on the merits of the Philippines’ claims and any remaining issues deferred from the jurisdictional phase,” the tribunal said in a statement issued on Thursday announcing the decision. Observers welcome

The proceedings will not be open to the public, just like the July jurisdictional phase hearings. But the oral arguments will be open to interested states who would like to take part as observers. Countries that sent delegations to observe the earlier proceedings “will be informed of the hearing dates,” the court said. Those countries are Vietnam and Malaysia, both claimants in the six-way maritime dispute, Japan, which has its own unresolved disputes with China in the East China Sea, as well as Indonesia and Thailand. “The tribunal had already provisionally sought the views of the parties on the dates for the hearing and will shortly confirm the schedule,” the court said. A final ruling on the case is not expected until next year.

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In its decision, the five-member tribunal unanimously ruled that it had jurisdiction to proceed with the case, rejecting China’s position that the Philippine case was beyond the panel’s jurisdiction. The 151-page decision found that “[t] he tribunal was properly constituted under Annex VII (Arbitration) of Unclos.” “China’s nonappearance in these proceedings does not deprive the tribunal of jurisdiction,” the tribunal said. “The Philippines’ act of initiating this arbitration did not constitute an abuse of process,” it said. “There is no indispensable third party whose absence deprives the tribunal of jurisdiction,” it said. Earlier bilateral negotiations and declarations “do not preclude” recourse to the compulsory dispute settlement procedures” under Unclos, it said. Seven PH assertions

Out of the Philippines’ 15 submissions (or issues for arbitration), the tribunal concluded that it had jurisdiction over seven assertions: Panatag Shoal (international name: Scarborough Shoal) generates no entitlement to an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) or continental shelf. Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef ), Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) and Zamora Reef (Subi Reef ) “are lowtide elevations that do not generate entitlement to a territorial sea, EEZ or continental shelf” and that they cannot be appropriated by occupation. Gavin Reef (Gaven Reef ) and McKen❱❱ PAGE 10 PH rarin’

Philippine News

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

‘Common candidates bad for PH democracy’ BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer THE “ALMOST identical sets of candidates” on the senatorial lineups of major political groups in 2016 is bad for Philippine democracy, according to a senatorial candidate running under Vice President Jejomar Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA). An electoral system that allows so many “common candidates” is giving the citizenry too few choices in the elections, said Buhay party-list representative and former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza. “What we’re witnessing now is the genuine, real distortion of the electoral process,” he said in a statement. Atienza, who is for the return of the two-party system, called for electoral reforms to fix the “current setup of having several political parties with almost identical sets of candidates,” which he said “will only further weaken our democracy.

“The citizenry is not given Moreno, who is on Team GP, democracy in 1986. any choice… Now many senato- has also gotten the endorse“We need to restore the rial candidates of one party are ment of the presidential team- twoparty system to ensure fair also candidates of other par- up of Senators Miriam Defen- elections,” Atienza said. ties. There’s an urgent need for sor-Santiago and Ferdinand He lamented the lack of any reforms and a return to a sane Marcos Jr. “real, organized political parsystem of elections,” he said. Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin ties” in the Philippines. The camps of Binay, former Romualdez, an independent “There will be no election in Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, who is on the UNA slate, has many districts because there and Grace Poe are fielding a also received the endorsement will only be one candidate runnumber of comning and the mon candidates people will have on their senatono choice at all. rial slates. Eventually, this Former Sen. What we’re witnessing now is the political malady Panfilo Lacson genuine, real distortion of the will weaken the is a guest candielectoral process. very foundations date of both the of democracy,” Liberal Party-led he said. (LP) Team Daang Atienza cited Matuwid and Binay’s UNA. Sen. of Defensor-Santiago. as an example the fact that Ralph Recto is a common canAtienza said this situation three candidates for Vice Presididate of the LP and Poe’s Par- necessitated the return of the dent belonged to one party. tido Galing at Puso, or Team GP. twoparty system. Except for Sen. Francis EscuSen. Vicente Sotto III, former The Philippines was governed dero, an independent, and CaSen. Richard Gordon, migrant by a two-party system from the marines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo workers advocate Susan Ople, end of World War II in 1945 un- of the LP, all the candidates runand former Bukidnon Cong. Juan til the dictator Ferdinand Mar- ning for Vice President come Miguel Zubiri, are in the lineup of cos imposed martial law in 1972. from the Nacionalista Party, both UNA and Team GP. It gave way to the multiparty Atienza said, referring to SenaManila Vice Mayor Isko system upon the restoration of tors Marcos, Alan Peter Cayet-

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ano, and Antonio Trillanes IV. Atienza said political parties “have practically rendered themselves inutile and meaningless.” “There is an urgent need to review our electoral processes and the role of political parties in our democracy. This must be done to restore genuine democracy in our country,” Atienza added. He said he would continue to fight in Congress for the return of the two-party system, as well as the restoration of Section 67 of Batas Pambansa No. 881, or the Omnibus Election Code, which required the resignation of any elected official running for higher office. “The removal of this section has allowed a reversion to the malpractice of the past where senators who ran for higher office but lost, could conveniently go back to their positions after the elections,” he said. “This was tailor-made for senators with six-year terms,” Atienza said. ■

Philippine News

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

PH rarin’... nan Reef (Hughes Reef ) are low-tide elevations that do not generate entitlement to a territorial sea, EEZ or continental shelf, but their lowwater line may be used to determine the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea of Binago Island (Namyit Island) and Rurok Island (Sin Cowe Island), respectively, is measured. Mabini Reef (Johnson South Reef ), Calderon Reef (Cuarteron Reef ) and Kagitingan Reef (Fiery Cross Reef ) generate no entitlement to an EEZ or continental shelf. China has unlawfully prevented Philippine fishermen from pursuing their livelihoods by interfering with traditional fishing activities at Panatag Shoal. China has violated its obligations under Unclos to protect and preserve the marine environment at Panatag Shoal and Ayungin Shoal. China has breached its obligations under Unclos by operating its law enforcement vessels in a dangerous manner causing serious risk of collision to Philippine vessels navigating in the vicinity of Panatag Shoal. Seven other submissions “will need to be considered in conjunction with the merits,” the tribunal said. These include the Philippine assertions that: • China’s maritime entitlements may not extend beyond what Unclos states. • China’s nine-dash-line claim in the South China Sea should be declared invalid. ❰❰ 8

• China has “unlawfully aggravated last year outlining its defense against and extended the dispute” through the Philippines’ assertions. preventing Philippine navigation, roThe paper, which the tribunal also tation and resupply of its troops on used in deciding whether it had jurisAyungin Shoal. diction over the case, claimed that the • China’s occupation and construction Philippines sought to settle sovereignty activities on Panganiban Reef violate issues over the disputed reefs and to Unclos. delineate maritime boundaries in the • Panganiban Reef and Ayungin Shoal South China Sea. are parts of the EEZ and continental But the panel ruled that the Philipshelf of the Philippines. pines’ submissions “reflect disputes • China has interfered with the Philip- between the two states concerning the pines’ exercise of its sovereign rights interpretation or application” of Unclos. to resources within its EEZ. “Reviewing the claims submitted by • China “unlawfully failed to prevent the Philippines, the tribunal has rejectits nationals and vessels” from exploiting resources within Philippine territory. The hearing will provide an opportunity

includes the right of parties to initiate arbitration proceedings. “[The] Philippines and China are parties to the convention and bound by its provisions on the settlement of disputes,” the tribunal read. The court also held that “China’s decision not to participate in these proceedings does not deprive the tribunal of jurisdiction.” It shot down China’s claim that the Philippines’ decision to unilaterally initiate arbitration proceedings was an abuse of dispute settlement procedures under Unclos. The UN panel also sustained the Philippines’ decision to seek legal recourse, for the recognizing that it parties to present oral arguments and answer had exhausted bilatChina desistance questions on the merits of the Philippines’ eral options toward a The ruling also “diclaims and any remaining issues deferred from resolution. rects the Philippines the jurisdictional phase. “[T]he tribunal to clarify the conheld that the Philiptent and narrow the pines has sought to scope” of its 15th subnegotiate with China mission: That “China shall desist from ed the argument set out in China’s posi- and noted that it is well established that further unlawful claims and activities.” tion paper that the parties’ dispute is ac- international law does not require a The ruling was released amid tensions tually about sovereignty over the islands state to continue negotiations when it in the South China Sea following a US in the South China Sea and therefore concludes that the possibility of a negoNavy sail-by at Zamora Reef on Tuesday, beyond the tribunal’s jurisdiction,” the tiated solution has been exhausted,” the in a show of US resolve not to recognize tribunal said. court said. China’s expansive claims in the disputed “The tribunal has also rejected the arwaters. gument set out in China’s position paper Other ways of settlement While refusing to participate in the that the parties’ dispute is actually about Contrary to China’s assertions, the case and asserting its “indisputable sov- the delimitation of a maritime boundary tribunal also dismissed claims that othereignty” over the South China Sea, Chi- between them and therefore excluded er dispute settlement mechanisms and na issued a position paper in December from the tribunal’s jurisdiction through earlier bilateral pacts between Manila a declaration made by China in 2006,” it and Beijing had prevented the Philipsaid. pines from seeking relief under Unclos and deprived the tribunal of jurisdiction Not sovereignty issue over the case. The Philippines has long maintained The Chinese position paper identified that the arbitration case does not seek these as: the 2002 China–Association purchase of $35 (before tax) or above an award on sovereignty, or who owns of Southeast Asian Nations Declaration with at least one T&T Brand product which features in the South China Sea, on the Conduct of Parties in the South included. nor does it seek to set maritime delinea- China Sea, a series of joint statements T&T is passionate about T&T Brand tions. issued by the Philippines and China products and make every effort to It says the case instead seeks to invali- referring to the resolution of disputes deliver the best to the customers. date China’s nine-dashline claim, being through negotiations, the Treaty of Am1. High Quality – All the suppliers inconsistent with Unclos, and to declare ity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and products are carefully selected with that China, through its fishing and con- and the Convention on Biological Divercertified food safety standard attained to struction activities in the South China sity. ensure quality that customers can trust. Sea, has violated Unclos by interfering “The tribunal… recognizes that the 2. Value for Money – Dedicated to with the Philippines’ exercise of its sov- parties’ many discussions and consultagive customers the product quality ereign rights within its EEZ. tions did not address all of the matters in comparable to trusted brand names at It also says the Philippines seeks a de- dispute with the same level of specificity a price that offer the best value. termination of the status of maritime that is now reflected in the Philippines’ 3. Authentic Asian Taste – features in the South China Sea—wheth- submissions. This is to be expected and Committed to explore and identify er they should be considered islands, constitutes no bar to the Philippines’ Asian products that stay true to rocks, low-tide elevations or submerged claims,” the tribunal said in its ruling. their authentic taste. T&T’s sensory banks. “Accordingly, and for the foregoing team is comprised of 100%Chinese An island, it says, “generates an exclu- reasons, the tribunal concludes that who carefully select each and every sive economic zone or entitlement to a neither Article 283 [of Unclos, which reproduct. continental shelf” extending to 370 km; quires parties in disputes an “obligation 4. Variety of Products – With over rocks generate a territorial sea entitle- to exchange views], nor the obligation to 100 products and still more to come, ment to 21 kilometers. seek a solution through pacific means, T&T Brand works hard to satisfy Significantly, the decision held that, including negotiation, poses any bar to customers’ needs. despite China’s decision to shun the the tribunal’s consideration of the subFor more details, please go to: www. proceedings, it must respect Unclos missions presented by the Philippines,” tnt-supermarket.com provisions on dispute settlement, which it said. ■

T&T Brand Limited Time Sale T&T Brand will be having a Limited Time Sale between Nov 6 and 19 at all T&T stores* across Canada in which all T&T Brand products will be having discount with extra Blowout Sale items arranged each week. On top of this, more than ten new products like Organic Jasmine Rice from Thailand, Sweet Rice from US, Sriracha Chili Sauce, Chinese Rice Stick, Organic Red Bean and Mung Bean will also be launched during this time to answer customers’ needs. During this period, with any purchase of $35 (after other discounts and before tax) with at least one T&T Brand product included, customers can enter into the Lucky Draw and get a chance to win $2,000 T&T Gift Card! On Saturday and Sunday(Nov 7-8 & 14-15), food sampling booths will be set up at all T&T stores* where customers can try T&T Brand products and collect stamps along the way. Upon collecting four stamps, customers can redeem a $2 coupon which can be used when they make a

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Philippine News

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Palace acts... for the dropping of charges. “The President has instructed Secretary [Joseph Emilio] Abaya to thoroughly look into this so-called tanim bala incidents,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said over government-run Radyo ng Bayan. Pictures of passengers wrapping their bags in plastic, with some writing an appeal to airport staff not to plant bullets in their luggage, have gone viral on social media. Complaints from victims of a recent series of arrests at Naia have caught the attention of lawmakers, who have called for an inquiry into the extortion allegedly involving the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) at Naia. The complaints of foreign victims of the racket have drawn foreign media attention and the reporting has placed the Philippines at the center of a fresh controversy involving Naia, once labeled the worst airport in the world. A party-list group representing migrant workers has urged President Aquino to fire Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Jose Angel Honrado for allowing the racket to thrive at the airport. ❰❰ 1

Disturbing

Lacierda acknowledged that the incidents were disturbing, and promised that the government would look into the allegations of a racket run by a syndicate at Naia. He gave assurance that the government would solve the problem, and promised that the people behind the racket would be called to account. “We want to take away that fear from [passengers],” he said, referring to the public apprehension that followed the series of arrests at the airport involving the same alleged of-

fense. “We will ensure the safety of each and every passenger who uses our terminals,” he said. Too many cases

Lacierda said Malacañang itself became curious about the series of arrests at Naia involving passengers allegedly caught with bullets in their bags. “It’s one too many. In our discussions with Secretary Abaya, he mentioned there were six cases, maybe more,” Lacierda said. He cited the arrest of migrant “President Aquino meets with heads of agencies concerned to investigate the alleged tanim-bala incidents at the Ninoy worker Gloria Ortinez, who he Aquino International Airport.” said “does not seem to fit” the FACEBOOK profile of someone who needed or used ammunition. ter the arrests of Ortinez and said Honrado’s term had been and many of our countrymen Ortinez, 56, has worked in Japanese traveler Kazunobu “marked by mismanagement are deeply longing to see their Hong Kong as a domestic work- Sakamoto, in whose bag OTS and controversy.” loved ones returning home er for the past 20 years. She was staff supposedly found two bulHe said the extortion of pas- from abroad to spend the seaon her way back to Hong Kong lets. sengers involving “shameless” son with them. I hope there will when she was arrested at Naia Two bullets were also sup- airport staff should be the last be no more Aling Glorias,” Pacafter luggage inspectors found posedly found in the bag of straw for Mr. Aquino and the quiao said, referring to Ortinez. a bullet in her bag. US missionary Lane Michael President should fire Honrado. “I am extending free legal asOrtinez, like all the other vic- White, who complained that Sarangani Rep. Manny Pac- sistance by providing lawyers tims, denied knowledge of the OTS staff demanded P30,000 quiao, the world boxing cham- to the victims of [this racket]. bullet, but was turned over to from him in exchange for the pion, has offered free legal as- They (the victims) can contact police for detention. She was dropping of charges. sistance to victims of the racket. one of my lawyers, Atty. Jojo released after two days. “OTS personnel do not only Bondoc, through his mobile Lacierda said Investigation phone, No. 09209211162, for the investigation urged further details on this,” he said. would determine In a statement how the bullets issued to report- In Davao, too? got into the lugOTS personnel do not only ers in General In Davao City, police are ingage of the passhamelessly victimize [Filipino Santos City on vestigating the arrest of a 60sengers through migrant workers], but are also not Friday, Pacquiao year- old engineer from Quezon a review of proafraid to prey on foreigners. condemned the City in whose bag two bullets cedures and the racket and called were supposedly found at the staff involved in for a government local airport on Friday. airport security. investigation. Chief Insp. Milgrace Driz, Initially, he “This [racket] spokesperson for the city posaid, the Department of Trans- shamelessly victimize [Filipino is destroying not only the im- lice, said Augusto Dorde, who portation and Communica- migrant workers], but are also age of our country, but also the is working for a project of the tions will install more security not afraid to prey on foreign- reputation of innocent [mi- Davao City Water District, had cameras at the airport. ers,” said Gatchalian, vice chair grant workers] and [the] other denied owning the bullets. of the House committee on victims,” Pacquiao said. Chief Insp. Eugene Balugo, House probe tourism. Citing the case of Ortinez, head of the local Aviation SeValenzuela Rep. Sherwin On Wednesday, the OFW Pacquiao said: “She was re- curity Group, said Dorde was Gatchalian and Yacap Rep. Car- Family party-list said President leased, but the damage had al- detained but released later on ol Lopez have asked the House Aquino should look into Orti- ready been done.” P120,000 bail. of Representatives to investi- nez’s case and fire the MIAA’s Pacquiao urged Malacañang Balugo said police wanted gate the arrests, citing “inter- Honrado. to do something to protect trav- to determine whether Dorde’s national embarrassment” to OFW Family Rep. Roy Se- elers, especially overseas Fili- case was another incident of the Philippines. ñeres, a presidential candidate pino workers. the tanim bala racket, which Their intervention came af- in next year’s general elections, “Christmas is approaching may not be limited to Naia. ■

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Philippine News

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

After UN court ruling, PH braces for China’s response BY NIKKO DIZON AND TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PHILIPPINES will stay on the “diplomatic track” despite warnings by security experts that the decision of a United Nations arbitral court to hear the country’s maritime complaint against China could make Beijing more aggressive in asserting its claims in the South China Sea. The Palace would not speculate, however, on what China might do next after the UN Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague ruled on Thursday that it had jurisdiction over the Philippine case seeking to invalidate China’s claim to almost all of the South China Sea. “We will not speculate on what further action or reaction [China will take]… China has already spoken on the ruling,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said over government-run Radyo ng Bayan yesterday. Maritime security experts have warned that the UN tribunal’s decision could prompt China into becoming more assertive in the South China Sea. Lacierda said the Philippines has “always resorted to the diplomatic track.” Decision by June

“Obviously, our track is to go by way of arbitration and we will continue to pursue that track. It just helped us. The PCA has looked with favor on our petition, so we look forward to presenting the merits of the case,” Lacierda said. The arbitral court will hear the merits of Manila’s case against China from Nov. 24 to 30. Paul Reichler, chief counsel for the Philippines in the case, said on Friday that a final ruling could come as early as June next year. China has refused to take part in the proceedings, arguing that the Permanent Court of Arbitration, which is more than a century old, has no jurisdiction over the case. After Thursday’s decision, China reiterated its position of not accepting any ruling, or participating in the arbitration. “We will not participate and we will not accept the arbitration,” Vice Foreign Minister

The Philippine delegation, with lawyers and advocates, before the start of Commencement of the 1st Round of Philippines Argument. The delegation will be presenting its case regarding the matter of jurisdiction before the Arbitral Tribunal PCDSPO

Liu Zhenmin told reporters in Beijing. “The ruling or the result of arbitration will not affect China’s position,” Liu said. China insists it has sovereign rights to nearly all of 3.5-million-square-kilometer South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which a third of global trade passes every year. Besides the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam also claim parts of the South China Sea. Taiwan is a sixth claimant, laying claim to all of the sea where islets, reefs and atolls are believed to be sitting atop vast deposits of oil and natural gas. Violation of Unclos

The Philippines says China’s claim to nearly all of the sea is inconsistent with the UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea (Unclos). The Philippines also accuses China of violating Unclos by interfering with Manila’s exercise of its sovereign rights within its exclusive economic zone. Manila mounted the case in January 2013, prompting China to accelerate the construction of artificial islands on reefs and shoals in the Spratly archipelago to present the UN court with a fait accompli. Its action in the Spratlys has drawn opposition from the Southeast Asian claimants and the United States, which challenged China’s claim by sending a guided missile destroyer,

the USS Lassen, within 21 km of one of the artificial islands on Oct. 21. The Chinese monitored the passage of the US warship, but took no other action. China and Vietnam have fought naval battles over their territorial dispute in the South China Sea. ‘Big chance’ of winning

The Philippines has no military muscle to flex, leaving Chinese coast guard vessels unchallenged in shooing away Filipino fishermen from Panatag Shoal (Scarborough Shoal) off Zambales province and harassing civilian ships restocking a small military garrison stationed in a rusting hospital ship on Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) in the Spratlys. Former Justice Secretary Leila de Lima yesterday said there was a “big chance” that the Philippines would win Round 2 with China in the arbitral court. “Although this is just on the issue of jurisdiction and not yet on the merits of the case, it is already a recognition that the issues raised by the Philippines on China’s nine-dash-line claim are cognizable and justiciable under the Unclos,” said De Lima, who was part of the Philippine delegation to the oral arguments called by the tribunal in July. “The challenge now for the Philippines is to make its posiwww.canadianinquirer.net

tion clearer as requested by the tribunal in the same decision. Because of this, I now have reason to be very optimistic that the Philippines has a big chance of winning this case against China,” she told the Inquirer in a text message. De Lima cited the Oct. 21 US Navy sail-by in the Spratlys as an illustration of Unclos provisions that bind nations to respect freedom of navigation in international waters. “We must remember that the provisions of Unclos verily contradict any arbitrary claim to any portion of international waters, such as the West Philippine Sea, especially if this is based on imagined, contrived, and fictional historic claims,” De Lima said, referring to China’s mammoth claim in the South China Sea. She said claims may only apply to land territory, and “never to international waters,” even to artificial islands created through land reclamation, as China has been doing. Lot of hard work

Supreme Court Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza, who was solicitor general when the Philippines initiated the arbitration, is “happy that we have hurdled the jurisdictional phase.” “A lot of hard work remains to be done by our splendid team and we look forward, and hope and pray, that we also win on

the merits,” said Jardeleza, who continues to advise the Philippine legal team. The arbitral court accepted for further proceedings the determination of the status of Philippine-claimed formations in the disputed waters, including Panatag Shoal (international name: Scarborough Shoal), Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef ), Burgos (Gaven) and McKennan (Chigua) reefs, and Mabini (Johnson South), Calderon (Cuarteron) and Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) reefs. An award on whether these features are island or low-tide elevations is important, as a formation’s status determines whether it entitles a country to an exclusive economic zone or continental shelf. A critical issue to be taken up by the panel is the Philippines’ assertion that China has impeded the country’s exercise of sovereign rights to islands within its EEZ, including fishing at the Panatag Shoal. Taiwan speaks

Amid jubilation in the Philippines, Taiwan, a party in the sixway dispute, said yesterday that while it “takes note” of the jurisdiction award, it does not recognize the same. “The Philippines has not invited Taiwan to participate in its arbitration with mainland China, and the arbitral tribunal has not solicited the Taiwan’s views,” said the foreign ministry of Taiwan, considered a province of China under the one-China policy. “Therefore, the arbitration does not affect Taiwan in any way, and [it] neither recognizes nor accepts related awards,” the ministry in a statement. Long asserting its independent claims in the South China Sea, Taiwan has long occupied Itu Aba (Taiping Island), also being claimed by China, Vietnam and the Philippines. Itu Aba is known in the Philippines as Ligao Island. It reiterated its commitment to Unclos and respect for freedom of navigation, noting that it has been defending Itu Aba and other islands “without ever getting into military conflict with other nations.” It called on other parties to do the same to maintain peace and stability in the disputed waters. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Rule of... ❰❰ 6

duct. That would be part of the interventions we will have at the Asean [summit],” he said.

Regional peace, stability

The Department of National Defense (DND) welcomed the UN tribunal’s ruling. “It’s a very good development not only for the Philippines but [also] for all nations believing in the Unclos (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea). We will closely monitor the developments in this court,” said Peter Paul Galvez, spokesperson for the DND. He said the DND was optimistic that other nations would adhere to international laws for regional peace and stability. “As long as we maintain freedom of navigation and [overflight] in the [South China Sea], then that is for the stability of the region,” Galvez said. Sen. Grace Poe, a presidential candidate in next year’s general elections, hailed the UN tribunal’s ruling, which she said cleared the way for the hearing of the merits of the Philippine case. “[W]ith this development, which I think the international community will support, I am hopeful that China will respect the ruling and desist from any actions that will negate any decision of the tribunal on the case in the future,” Poe said. China won’t stop

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, head of the Senate committee on national defense and security, said the tribunal’s ruling validated the Philippines’ complaint against China and strengthened its call for global intervention. Trillanes said, however, that he did not believe China would stop intruding into the West Philippine Sea, part of the South China Sea within Manila’s 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone. “China, for fear of losing face, would likely continue with [its] activities and insist on [its] claims even if it eventually loses the case,” Trillanes said. Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III said the tribunal’s ruling was good news, but it did not mean the Philippines would win the arguments on the merits of its case. This is the next challenge for the Philippines, Pimentel said. Senate President Franklin Drilon said the ruling was a “crucial positive step” in the Philippines’ efforts to protect its sovereignty. “The Philippines remains committed to the peaceful settlement of conflicting claims in the West Philippine Sea in accordance with international law, in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” Drilon said. Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. welcomed the tribunal’s ruling, but said the Philippines should not forsake its relations with China. “We must remember that this sea conflict is only one aspect and that through many years our country and its people

have had very close, fruitful ties with China and we intend to sustain that,” Belmonte said in a statement. He said the tribunal’s ruling was a “big relief,” clearing the way for the discussion of the merits of the Philippine case. More assertive China

Batongbacal warned that the tribunal’s ruling could provoke China into becoming more assertive in the South China Sea. “The realities on the ground have changed and they are not in our favor. Possibly, we won the legal round but on the practical end, we might end up with substantial losses,” Batongbacal said. He said he was worried about the Aquino administration’s “overreliance on the legal track.” “Now we could have a hard time with China. We could have developed the diplomatic track to settle the issue amicably. We’ve also lost quite a lot in terms of the strained relations between President Aquino and President Xi Jinping,” Batongbacal said. He said the timing of the tribunal’s ruling, coming only days after the United States tested freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, “was unfortunate.” “I am pretty sure these events are not connected but the Chinese might interpret it as the US being behind it (tribunal decision),” Batongbacal said, adding that it could make China more assertive in the South China Sea. Chester Cabalza, a professor at the National Defense College of the Philippines, agreed. “Since China’s territorial integrity is now challenged by the United States, definitely they will stringently safeguard their air and naval spaces. China will continuously flex muscle and assert sovereignty over the South China Sea,” said Cabalza, who specializes in Chinese affairs. “They will finish their constructions and island-building in the South China Sea that would help them secure their strategic interests with or without the tribunal’s decision,” he said. Cabalza added that even if the tribunal’s final decision on the merits of the Philippines’ petition would be nonbinding, “China will definitely be pressured by the international community.” Code of conduct

He said the Philippines “must accelerate its position in the Asean to call for a mutually binding code of conduct in the South China Sea because of these new developments.” Unlike Batongbacal, however, Cabalza believed President Aquino was right in pursuing the legal track. “Although considered our last resort, notwithstanding our diplomatic and military woes, seeking legal means is the best strategy President Aquino has done,” Cabalza said. ■

NPC undecided yet on who to support in 2016 presidential poll BY SAMMY F. MARTIN Philippines News Agency MANILA — The Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) on Tuesday said that it has not decided yet on who to support in the 2016 presidential elections. NPC spokesman and Quezon Rep. Mark Enverga said that the 12-man executive committee (execom) formed last September need to wait for Dec. 10 before they could decide who to support in the 2016 elections. “The execom will be the one to decide on who to support and we are still waiting for December 10. It will be better if Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte changes his mind before December 10,” Enverga told House reporters during the weekly news forum, Ugnayan sa Batasan. He said he made the clarification because of the misinterpretation that they have supported Senators Grace Poe and Chiz Escudero tandem. Poe had earlier announced that their political party Puso at Galing had chosen Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian as their official spokesperson. Gatchalian is a stalwart of NPC.

Enverga claimed that Gatchalian asked permission from the party when he resigned as NPC spokesman and allowed him to join the camp of Poe – Chiz. He also clarified that Mark Cojuancgo, son of NPC founder Chairman Danding Cojuancgo earlier announced that he was supporting Vice President Jejomar Binay. “When Mark Cojuangco said that he is supporting VP Binay, he is just expressing his own opinion after meeting with the Vice President,” he pointed out. He said that the moment of truth will be on December and most of the members vowed to abide to party stand whoever will be the decision of the execom. When asked if they are also monitoring the case of Senator Poe, Enverga admitted that it may be one of the main reasons why the execom is having a hard time to decide on who to support. He admitted that they cannot convince all members to abide by the decision of the execom on who to support in the 2016 elections because some of them were committed to their personal choice but still not leaving NPC but members said they would respect whatever the party decision. ■

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Philippine News

No RSVP yet from China leader BY JERRY E. ESPLANADA Philippine Daily Inquirer CHINA HAS yet to confirm the attendance of President Xi Jinping at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders summit in Manila next month, but Malacañang is sure it’s not because of the simmering sea dispute with the Philippines. Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma yesterday said the People’s Republic of China (PROC) delegation “will be accorded Filipino hospitality in equal measure with all other Apec delegations.” The Philippines “believes in strengthening its ties with the PROC,” he told the INQUIRER. Coloma, also head of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, reiterated that “the West Philippine Sea issue does not define the totality of our decades-long relationship.” But, “we affirm that global and regional prosperity will be enhanced by freedom of navigation and peaceful resolution of disputes,” he added. Coloma asserted the country wanted “continuing stability” in the South China Sea, or West Philippine Sea. That is why, he said, it is insisting on a code of conduct for China and other claimantstates to prevent territorial disputes from erupting into armed conflict. Aside from the Philippines, China is locked in territorial disputes with Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, all Association of Southeast Asian Nations members, as well as Taiwan, over islets and reefs in the

Chinese President Xi Jinping.

3.5-million square kilometer South China Sea, 90 percent of which Beijing is laying claim to. 10 confirmed attending Ten of the 21 Apec member economies have confirmed their attendance at the Apec economic leaders meeting, or AELM, on Nov. 18 and 19, according to Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., director general of the 2015 Apec National Organizing Council. Paynor said in a media forum on Wednesday that China “has not officially confirmed, but there is no indication that they will not come.” The United States and Russia, among others, have confirmed their attendance, he told reporters. Advance security teams from Apec member countries have arrived in the Philippines to check out the various venues of the event, Paynor added. The Department of Foreign Affairs has said there was no need to send China a special invitation, as no invitations are issued to the annual gathering which all Apec heads of state and government are expected to attend. Assistant Secretary Charles Jose, also the DFA spokesperson, said “there is no special invitation. It will be the same for all the countries. But we would like to see all the leaders of the Apec economies attend the leaders meeting in Manila.” Aside from the United States, Russia, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines, Apec includes Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Canada, Mexico, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Peru, Chile, Papua New Guinea, Australia and New Zealand. ■

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

P-Noy has apologized, Bongbong told BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer MALACAÑANG YESTERDAY dismissed Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s retort that President Aquino should apologize for the deaths of the 44 Special Action Force (SAF) police commandos in the bungled counterterrorism operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao in January. “We have discussed this issue several times because the President has several times given his statements to the nation [on Mamasapano]. He has already laid down the entirety of what happened in Mamasapano. The President has already owned responsibility for this and if you remember, on Feb. 6, the President said ‘I will carry this with me till the end of my days,’” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said yesterday. On Tuesday, President Aquino

President Benigno S. Aquino III was the guest of honor and keynote speaker at the 2015 Community-Based Forest Management – National Greening Program Congress. MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU

said the Marcoses should apologize and make amends for the atrocities committed against the Filipino people during martial law, when the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos ruled for nearly 20 years. Senator Marcos responded by saying that President Aquino should move on, describing his family’s election to public office as a vindication by the

people themselves. “President Aquino has said time and again that there can be no reconciliation without justice. While it may be easy to say ‘just move on,’ we believe that in so doing, we will not be doing justice to the thousands of families whose members suffered violence during the dictatorship,” Coloma said. ■

NDRRMC: Typhoon ‘Lando’ displaced 3M people BY JULIE M. AURELIO Philippine Daily Inquirer TYPHOON “LANDO”-AFFECTED residents has risen to more than three million this week, according to figures released by the the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). The NDRRMC said 697,027 families or 3,041,979 people were displaced by the most destructive typhoon to hit the country this year. There are 5,805 families or 25,443 people still staying in 106 evacuation centers after floods and landslides swept their homes. Another 227,615 families or 989,673 people are temporarily staying with relatives or friends. Government and nongovernment organizations released P121,016,529.30 worth of assistance to affected families in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) and Metro Manila. The NDRRMC said the damages sustained during the onwww.canadianinquirer.net

slaught of Lando has climbed to P10.9 billion. Of the P10,999,431,694.04 damages from the typhoon, P9,692,784,114.04 was in agriculture while P1,306,647,576 was in infrastructure. Earlier, the agency said Lando was the most destructive typhoon the Philippines has seen this year, given the high number of casualties and damages it caused to property. Lando, with its strong winds and massive rains, also damaged 31 health facilities in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon and CAR. Two health facilities were completely ravaged while 29 were partially damaged in the provinces of Pangasinan, Cagayan, Quirino, Isabela, Aurora, Nueva Ecija, Quezon and Mountain Province. The typhoon also caused damage to 134,867 houses in the same regions, of which 18,413 homes were totally destroyed. As of Thursday, the death toll has climbed up to 48, with 83 injured and four victims still missing. The most recently recorded

fatality was Kimberly Manansala, 17, who drowned last Oct. 23 and whose body was recently recovered along the shore of Aringay, La Union. The NDRRMC also monitored 956 typhoon-related incidents in the past week, with 937 floods noted in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and CAR. Flooding in 679 barangay in these regions have already subsided. The NDRRMC said eight provinces, two cities and 13 towns were placed under a state of calamity because of the destruction brought about by the typhoon. Meanwhile, the government has begun clearing thoroughfares previously blocked due to landslides, floods and mud flows, with only 17 roads and four bridges still not passable to vehicles. Power has been restored to areas previously suffering outages, except for the towns of Luna and Balaoan in La Union and Quirino, Sigay and Sugpon in Ilocos Sur, and Casiguran, Dinalungan and Dilasag in Aurora. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Grace, Chiz bare senatorial slate BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA AND MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer A MOTLEY assortment of veteran “common candidates” shared with other parties and “exclusives” makes up presidential aspirant Sen. Grace Poe’s senatorial slate which she says is united in helping improve the country, although each of them has different ideas on how to achieve this. Poe and her running mate, Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who are both running as independents, presented their senatorial lineup at the historic Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan City, calling the group Partido Galing at Puso, or Team GP. The common candidates are Sen. Vicente Sotto III, former Sen. Richard Gordon, migrant workers advocate Susan Ople, and former Bukidnon Rep. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who are also in the lineup of the United Nationalist Alliance; Sen. Ralph Recto, also with the administration’s Daang Matuwid team; and Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno, who has bagged the endorsement of the presidential tandem of Senators Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The candidates exclusive to Team GP are Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo, ACT-CIS Rep. Samuel Pagdilao, Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian, actor and TV host Edu Manzano, and lawyer Lorna Kapunan. Recto was the only no-show in the event yesterday, but he sent his son Ryan Christian as his representative. Recto earlier said that he would be thankful if he would be included in the Poe-Escudero slate, but he would be supporting the Liberal Party’s own candidates. What distinguishes the candidates in her slate is not just

Filipinos prosper. Gordon pushed for higher wages for teachers, which would in turn lead to better educated students. The same should be given to nurses and doctors to improve the delivery of services to people. Election reform and tourism are also crucial areas that need improvement, which could be done through legislation, he added. Compassion and heart

Grace Poe and Chiz Escudero reveal their 2016 senatorial slate.

their excellence, but also their compassion for the downtrodden, Poe said. “In forming this group, our guide was the belief that it was not enough to be excellent and smart to serve the government. What is important is that you have the heart and compassion for your fellow man especially the poor and needy,” she said. The President alone could not solve the country’s problems and would need allies who would help bring about change, she added. No common viewpoint

But she also said she would not require her candidates to share a common viewpoint. “We are not forming one group which only has a single viewpoint. We have to have our own positions and advocacies, but we should not differ in our love and concern for the country,” she said after introducing the candidates. “We would not dictate what you should do. The only thing we would dictate is that you should be honest and you should serve the people,” she added. “We have no conditions,” Poe later told reporters, “We believe we chose them because

they could do something in the Senate regardless of which party they join. Of course, we would prefer that they endorse us.” She added that she would not do to Team GP what she experienced when she ran for the Senate in 2013. At that time, she and Escudero were among the common candidates of the administration and opposition party, but the latter dropped them after they failed to join its proclamation rally and subsequent sorties. “We know how much it hurts when you get an official endorsement and then you would suddenly be removed [from the list],” she said. Poe also sang the praises of her chosen candidates as she explained why she picked them. Promises, promises

Sotto said he was looking forward to returning to the Senate because there would be more debates to join and people to protect. He also acknowledged his close friendship with Poe’s father, the late Fernando Poe Jr., who he said would have wanted him and Poe to work together. Romulo, who had authored bills to improve access to tertia-

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ry education, said he planned to work on other crucial legislation such as the freedom of information bill and the measure to bring down income taxes. Kapunan, a lawyer for 38 years, said she planned to bring courage, competence and integrity to the Senate. She would fight for an honest government, one that does not engage in selective justice. She also wanted to bring about more opportunities for Filipinos to prosper. Colmenares said he would continue the push for income tax reform, higher wages, lower power and water rates, and land reform. He also said he would not shy away from criticizing the United States and China. Gatchalian said he wanted better education services for children and better job opportunities for the people. The country should have a government which helps everybody, not just a few, he said. Zubiri said integrity was important in a public official, and said he was never involved in any corruption issue. Pagdilao, a retired police official, said he would focus on peace and order issues to make Filipinos feel safe and to give them a peaceful life. He also said he wishes to help ordinary

Manzano said he wants to strengthen the Filipino family. Stronger families would lead to fewer drug dependents and can address other social ills, he said. He also planned to reduce the number of overseas Filipino workers by creating more job opportunities and improving social services in the country. Moreno said he understood the hardships that the poor are going through because he himself came from humble beginnings. As a senator, he said he will work to help impoverished Filipinos achieve their dream of a better life. Ople spoke of the need to improve government services for overseas workers. They are often dubbed the new heroes, but the government cannot even protect them from scammers such as those behind the “laglag-bala” modus, or provide them with lawyers when they are in trouble abroad, she said. “We are confident that if elected, they will add value to the Senate,” said Cebu Rep. Ace Durano, the campaign manager of Team GP. “As a group, they represent our battle cry that this is not just about capability, but compassion and heart. That’s what we need,” he added. “As individuals, they are all highly accomplished.” ■

Opinion

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

PUBLIC LIVES

Candidate sharing By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer THIS BIZARRE phenomenon began when popular candidates running as “independent” found themselves in the enviable position of being “adopted” as guest candidates of one or more political parties. This practice has now become widespread. Today, even full-fledged party members don’t seem to have any qualms about accepting, or negotiating, a guest slot in another party’s slate while retaining their place in their own party’s lineup. Sen. Tito Sotto is an official candidate in Grace Poe’s senatorial slate, and also a guest candidate in Jejomar Binay’s party. Sotto is supporting Poe for president. But his choice for vice president is his good friend Sen. Greg Honasan rather than Chiz Escudero. Likewise, Sen. Ralph Recto, a member of the Liberal Party, is an official candidate in Mar Roxas’ Daang Matuwid Team, as well as a guest candidate in Poe’s Galing at Puso Team. Though he did not show up at the formal presentation of Poe’s senatorial slate, he sent his son to represent him. Other examples of shared candidates are: former senator Panfilo Lacson, who filed as an independent but is included in the slate of both the ad-

ministration party and Binay’s Unit- forms. Why does this happen? What We seem to be moving in the oppoed Nationalist Alliance. He would are its consequences to politics? site direction. We had a strong party have set a record for membership in First of all, we are not dealing here system at the time of our country’s inthree separate slates if his name had with parties but with loose alliances dependence from the United States. not been taken out at the last minute driven by convenience. In this game, It was not perfect, but it served the from Poe’s senatorial lineup. Former a candidate’s competence or stand on purposes of political competition. senators Richard Gordon and Juan issues does not have as much value as In 1972, martial law totally dismanMiguel Zubiri are members of both the constituency and preelection sur- tled the party system and ushered Binay’s and Poe’s respective senato- vey ratings he or she brings into the in one-man rule. When Marcos was rial slates. Susan Ople, daughter of alliance. Second, given the high cost overthrown in 1986, the pre-martialthe late former senator Blas Ople and of running for public office, parties law parties had a hard time recovera known champion of overseas work- do not find it easy to complete their ing from their 14-year stupor. New ers, also straddles the Binay and Poe slates and are only too happy to ac- coalitions and nonparty formations teams. These overlapping lists could commodate outsiders who have funds occupied the political space that regrow longer when volved around the presidential aspipopular Cory AquiWe had a strong party system at the time of our country’s rant Miriam Sanno. But Cory herself independence from the United States. It was not perfect, but tiago makes known showed no interest it served the purposes of political competition. her senatorial slate. in creating a party Binay does not seem to mind shar- of their own and have a good chance of of her own that would endure beyond ing candidates. Poe not only does not winning. Lastly, this practice thrives her presidency. mind, she also seems to see non-affil- when voters themselves demand little The 1992 presidential election, the iation to a party as a virtue. “We have from candidates by way of consistency first under the 1987 Constitution, no conditions,” she told reporters and clear stand on issues. mirrored this political incoherence. after announcing her senatorial canIn searching for answers, it is tempt- Eleven candidates contested the didates. “We believe we chose them ing to point to the deeply personalistic presidency, including former Senate because they could do something in nature of our political culture as the president Jovito Salonga of the Libthe Senate regardless of which party culprit. But, this is not unique to us. Po- eral Party and former vice president they join. Of course, we would prefer litical parties in the West were initially Salvador Laurel of the Nacionalista that they endorse us.” held together by the personal charisma Party. Retired general and Edsa 1 This trend contradicts all the of strong leaders. Charismatic leadership hero Fidel V. Ramos won that elecnorms of modern political competi- paved the way for the formation of stable tion by the slimmest of margins. Sation, which prescribe the sharp dif- and disciplined party organizations that longa and Laurel trailed at sixth and ferentiation of candidates and plat- differentiated the party from the leader. seventh places, respectively.

It has been like that ever since. Administrations come and go, unable to renew their power to ensure the continuity of their programs. Ramos’ anointed candidate, Jose de Venecia, lost miserably to movie actor and senator Joseph “Erap” Estrada, who ran under his own party. Barely three years into his term, however, Estrada was ousted. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo took over the remaining term, and, in 2004, won a fresh six-year mandate in an election marred by massive fraud. Arroyo ended her long and dysfunctional presidency with the lowest approval and trust ratings in the nation’s history—a record that doomed the chances of her party’s presidential candidate in the 2010 election. In contrast, P-Noy has remained a popular president throughout much of his term. The Liberal Party grew under his presidency, and Mar Roxas’ chances of winning in 2016 are better precisely because of the administration’s positive record. Yet it is baffling that the LP acts like a weak party. While it cannot tell the opposition not to “share” candidates, it has every reason to demand that its own candidates do not give the public any cause to doubt whom they are supporting for president and vice president. ■

The Assassination of a People By Ching Dee Philippine Canadian Inquirer LIFE—any life—is sacred. All lives matter, regardless of political status, religious affiliation, bank account, or contribution to society. This is why the series of violence perpetrated against lumad (a Cebuano term meaning “native” or “indigenous”) people in Mindanao continue to baffle this writer. Not only because no one should ever have the power to make someone else’s life miserable, but because we as a country pride ourselves in being one of the most hospitable, warmest, most caring people in the world—yet we do the most atrocious things to our fellowmen. “It is a form of ethnocide,” said Dulphing Ogan, Secretary General of Kalumaran. “But it is worse because there are specific characteristics of impunity and killings targeting the lumad. And what is alarming is that it is happening all over Mindanao.” Nobody deserves violence. Nobody deserves rape. Nobody deserves death in the most heinous of ways. This author’s voice may be small and this author’s voice may never be heard, but nonetheless let me add my tiny voice to the chorus asking for justice for our Lumad brothers and sisters. To the chorus demanding the cessation of violence against the Lumad. Stop lumad killings. Now.

These are the numbers behind lumad killings—so far. This is the story behind the numbers. There are 18 ethno-linguistic lumad groups in Mindanao alone. In alphabetical order, these are the Atta, Bagobo, Banwaon, B’laan, Bukidnon, Dibabawon, Higaonon, Mamanwa, Mandaya, Manguwangan, Manobo, Mansaka, Subanon, Tagakaolo, Tasaday, T’boli, Teduray, and Ubo. Several incidents of killings, direct attacks, threats, and abuse against lumad people were reported within the last four months alone. It has gotten so much worse that it has gained the attention of international organizations championing human rights. Ogan, the secretary general of Kalumaran, a confederation of tribes in Mindanao, also believesthere are four reasons why these acts of violence are targeting lumads. “These areas are the best spots to extract gold, nickel, and copper. And these areas are also the remaining forests in Mindanao,” said Ogan. More than 2,700 lumad people have been displaced in the towns of Talaingod and Kapalong in Davao del Norte and Lianga, Surigao del Sur since September 1, 2015. This is a conservative estimate of all lumad members affected by the violence in Mindanao. Roughly 24 schools in Mindanao— most of which are operated by the Salug-

pungan Ta Tanu Igkanugon Community Learning Center (STTICLC) and Mindanao Interfaith Services Foundation Incorporated (MIFSI) Academy were still “not reopened” by June 2015. The Department of Education (DepEd) in Region XI, together with the military, announced that teachers will be replaced by “para-teachers”—these are soldiers who will perform the tasks of teachers. A 14-year-old Manobo girl filed rape charges against three soldiers. After an investigation by the authorities, the military confirmed that the allegations were true and the suspects were in fact soldiers. But the military stressed that the rape charges were dropped after they settled the case with the family by paying PhP 63,000 (US $1,355.55). In August 18 alone, members of the Special Forces killed five lumads—including a 13-year-old and a 17-year-old. The military said they were rebels, the New People’s Army (NPA) said they were civilians. No matter which side these killed lumads were on, the 4th Infantry Division of the military later on accused the NPA of killing them. The next month, on September 18, cops arrested five lumad evacuees in Tandag City for distributing leaflets containing information about the recent attacks on lumad people. After serving 57 search warrants where government forces reportedly

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recovered high caliber weapons and seditious documents, soldiers arrested 11 Manobo tribal leaders in Kitaotao on August 27 and later on declared that the village has been “liberated” from the NPA. In several reports, Kahugpongan sa mga Mag-uuma sa Kitaotao (KMK) spokesperson Isidro Indao said these people were arrested because of their strong stand against human rights violations in their communities. In perhaps the most heinous of all lumad-related killings, three men were killed on September 1 in the village of Diatogon in Lianga, Surigao del Sur. Emerico Samarca, Executive Director of the Alternative Learning Center for Agricultural and Livelihood Development (ALCADEV)—an organization aimed at providing basic and technical education to lumad children in remote areas, was found hogtied inside a classroom. He was stabbed and left with his throat slit open. The same armed men who killed Samarca killed cousins Dionel Campos and Datu Bello Sinzo later that night. The suspedts reportedly showered the two with bullets in front of their entire village. Campos was the chairperson of the Maluhutayong Pakigbisog Alansa sa Sumusunod (MAPASU), an indigenous peoples group calling for the protection of indigenous people and ancestral lands. The next day after Samarca, Campos,

and Sinzo were killed, para-military group Magahat-Bagani burned at least 10 houses—including a luman school and a corn sheller—in the village of Panocmo-an in Lianga, Surigao del Sur. Surigao del Sur Governor Johnny Pimentel described the suspects as "monsters created by the military." However, according to Col. Isidro Purisima, Commander of the 402nd Infantry Brigade, the MagahatBagani group is not part of the CAFGU Active Auxiliary list of personnel. Recently, after over 700 Lumad people gathered at the University of the Philippines campus in Diliman, un-uniformed and uniformed members of the PNP and even the AFP were seen patrolling inside the campus, near the venue of ‘Manilakbayan,’ an event calling for justice and an end to violence against the lumad people. The police and military’s presence direct violation of the law, which states that no outside police or military force can enter the university grounds without prior agreement. Purisima asserts that the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) “adheres to the Law of the Land” and “will continue its constitutional mandate of protecting the people and securing the community.” “We are calling everyone to stop violence and give peace a chance,” Purisima said. ■

Opinion

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

LOOKING BACK

73 bones, 33 teeth By Ambeth R. Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer SOMETIME in March 1930, a grave near Tirad Pass was dug up to reveal 73 bones and 33 teeth that were believed to be the remains of Gen. Gregorio del Pilar. Actually 74 bones were exhumed, but one was too deteriorated for forensic use and analysis. These remains were presented to Dr. Sixto de los Angeles of the University of the Philippines, the same forensic doctor whose opinion was sought on the bones dug up in Maragondon, Cavite, in January 1918, which were believed to be the remains of Katipunan Supremo Andres Bonifacio. Over the years I have come across historical materials concerning the remains of our heroes, like a photograph of Rizal’s skull or the photographs of the cracked skull and other bones that were believed to be those of Andres Bonifacio; and the report on the remains of Antonio Luna. Years of research on Juan Luna led not just to the official death certificate issued by P.P.J. Wodehouse in Hong Kong, but also to two first-hand or, should we say, bedside accounts of

Luna’s last 24 hours. For the 20th century, there are photos of prominent Filipinos whose death or, literally, last breath are documented in the magazine aptly called Renacimiento Filipino (Philippine renaissance or rebirth). Online from the Philippine Diary Project website, one can find the medical record of Manuel Luis Quezon; online from Yale University you can find materials on Leonard Wood’s brain. In the unpublished diaries of Ferdinand Marcos, you can go through lists of medicines and detailed symptoms of his illnesses that suggest a different person from the robust superman image he projected to the public. Other historians ignored or belittled these medical sources as either too trivial or macabre to be of any use; the little I have written about has painted me out as an ambulance chaser. Medical records tell us part of the story of great men and women in our history, which is often hidden from the public. These medical records remind us that our heroes were human, and that sometimes their health affected some of their actions that impacted history and our lives at present.

Going back to the autopsy on Gregorio del Pilar’s remains, while these were obviously incomplete, they still provided some individual particularities that made identification conclusive. Doctor De los Angeles, after a thorough study of the 73 bones and 33 teeth, concluded that the remains belonged to a Filipino male, 20 to 25 years of age. Born in 1875, Del Pilar was shot by enemy soldiers in pursuit of Emilio Aguinaldo in 1899—meaning, he was 24 years old at the time of death. Based on the bones, Doctor De los Angeles calculated the height of the individual to be 165 cm, with the circumference of the head measured at 52.5 cm. Extant clothing of “Heneral Goyo” were also presented and his uniform and caps fit the reconstructed skeleton very much like how Cinderella fit into her glass slipper. De los Angeles further stated that the deterioration of the remains suggested that the corpse had been buried for about 30 years in the same grave where it was found. History tells us that Del Pilar died of a gunshot wound. In art, Del Pilar is often shown being hit by a bullet as

he was astride his white horse. One eyewitness account says that Del Pilar was standing, while all his men were crouched on the ground. He was thus easy target for the enemy. Doctor De los Angeles could not confirm the cause of death from the remains, and merely commented on “fractures of the mandible and base and the left side of the skull and the corresponding secondary lacerations of the brain substance.” Whatever that means. Only one of Del Pilar’s shirt buttons, fashioned from bone, was found with the remains, confirming an eyewitness account about enemy soldiers stripping the fallen Del Pilar of his uniform and accessories for war booty. Del Pilar was buried in his underwear, probably because none of the enemy soldiers wanted to take him home as a souvenir. Del Pilar’s whistle was eventually returned to the Philippines and deposited in the National Museum. As for the rest of his effects, especially his goldplated revolver and the love letters and personalized embroidered hankies given to him by admirers, which were looted from his pockets, we can look forward to their being handed back to

us, like the Balangiga bells. Heneral Goyo was identified through his dental records. Peculiarities regarding his teeth were recorded as: “irregular growth of the lower teeth; the slightly protruded lower jaw, the asymmetrical appearance of the lower part of the face; the gold filling at the right superior central incisor, the existence of multiple dental caries…” The actual report is too detailed to be shared in this space, but the remains were matched with details taken from interviews with friends and relatives who said that in 1897, Del Pilar was in Hong Kong as part of Emilio Aguinaldo’s group that went into exile following the terms of the Peace Pact of Biak-na-Bato. While in Hong Kong, Del Pilar had his supernumerary tooth extracted and had one tooth filled with gold. According to my dentist-friends, Del Pilar had two extra teeth and needed braces to correct crooked growth. They guess that he probably chewed his food on the left side of his mouth. All these data disprove the saying that dead men tell no tales; in fact, their remains tell us much more than we bargain for. ■

all, Halloween is not even native to cash in. One will make a killing now, *** the Philippines, but a feast we appar- the other … later.” WHAT?! No Serge’s, Goya’s or, horently copied from the United States Wells says the American National rors, Choc-Nut? and other Western climes. There is Confectioners Association predicts I’m dating myself, but these are apparently a native “version” of it, that this Halloween, “Americans will chocolate and candy brands that Filwhere gangs of youths invade the spend $2.6 billion … that’s $8 for ev- ipino kids growing up in the 1950s yards of neighbors, carting off house- ery man, woman and child.” Let’s and 1960s lusted after. They’re still hold implements which the owners not kid ourselves. Though the can- around, though eclipsed somewhat are supposed to “ransom” from the dy-grubbing is indulged in by young by newer and multinational brands. mischief-makers in exchange for monsters and ghosts, Wells says “half But I remember a time when the avcash or preferred goodies. But the the candy in junior’s plastic pumpkin erage Filipino kid could find nothing Halloween that has entered our ur- is going straight to [a parent’s] secret but those brands and a few other loban consciousness is one mimicked stash as you lamely explain, ‘I don’t cal products in the corner sari-sari from Hollywood, from movies and want you to get a sugar high, sweet- store. Sure, richer kids could buy TV shows showing children clad in ie.’” Yeah, right. imported chocolates from the bigger all kinds of outrageous costumes I remember watching a movie in supermarkets or even PX outlets. and going door to But not for them door, clamoring for the joys of walkMany of us may have grown out of our “mental colony” sweet “treats” from ing away from the which once held that anything imported was always better the householdcorner store and than the local counterpart. ers or else they’d munching on Chocbe “tricked,” usually by having their which the events transpire on Hal- Nut, letting its choco-peanut goodtrees garlanded with toilet paper. loween. I don’t remember much ness stick to the roof of your mouth So if we were to indulge in a “for- about it, except for the scene at the and slowly melt as you savored every eign” and “colonial” practice, who home of the town’s richest resident, morsel. was I to tamper with one of its es- who kept a huge cauldron by his enI still buy Choc-Nut from time sential ingredients? That ingredi- trance filled with the most scrump- to time in the nearest supermarket, ent is candy, and a point of the feast tious chocolate bars and candy though I must say the size of the latest is apparently to bring children to a brands for giving away to little ex- versions leaves much to be desired. I sugar high from which they won’t tortionists. Since imported choco- would buy them mainly to bring to be able to recover until after Christ- lates are still quite expensive in these relatives and friends abroad yearning mas. HALLOWEEN, says Jane Wells parts, such generosity left mein awe. for a taste of home (and childhood), of the business website CNBC, and According to Wells, the Top 5 most along with dried mangoes, polvoron apparently a connoisseur of candy, popular Halloween candies in the and pastillas. is the “one night candy makers and United States are: KitKat Bar, Hershey Lately, I’ve discovered a most decdentists come together, preparing to Bar, Snickers, M&Ms, and Reese’s. adent version of dried mangoes, with

slices dipped or dunked in chocolate, the sweet chocolate contrasting pleasantly with the piquant mango. That’s bringing local sweets a step up the confectionery ladder! *** STILL, I very much doubt that today’s Pinoy kids would cherish a trick-or-treat bag filled with ChocNut, polvoron, pastillas and dried mangoes, even chocolate-dipped ones. The Filipino child’s fondest Halloween memory, I bet, would consist of digging into a hard-earned stash of, yes, KitKat, Hershey’s, Snickers, M&Ms and Reese’s, and their ilk. The secret, I would venture, is branding, which lends the imported confectioneries not just familiarity and catchy slogans, but also a “guarantee” of quality and taste. Many of us may have grown out of our “mental colony” which once held that anything imported was always better than the local counterpart. We have since discovered otherwise, but not, it seems, when it comes to candies and chocolates. And when it comes to sweets, the Halloween loot bag has come to symbolize greed and avarice, yes, but also the last carefree time of our lives, when we feasted on sugar bombs and didn’t have to worry about calories, cavities and, looking further forward—dentures. ■

AT LARGE

The Halloween loot bag By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer ONE HALLOWEEN many years ago, expecting my nieces and nephews to drop by the house for our All Saints Day observance which falls a day after this scary feast, I decided to prepare “healthy” treats for the kiddies’ “trick or treat” loot bags. So I filled these with boxes of raisins, fresh apples, oranges, dried mangoes, home-baked (all right, ordered from a home cook) cookies, and healthy oatmeal bars. Watching me fill up the loot bags, the hubby shook his head and asked: “What do you think you’re doing? You think that’s what children want for Halloween?” So it was with a smirk when he looked my way after I distributed the healthy Halloween loot bags. “Ay, raisins!?” said a nephew, tossing aside the little red box. “Wala pong candy?” politely asked a cousin of his, searching in vain through the bag. “Ma, are we supposed to eat this?” queried my son. Promptly, the little traitor and his cousins put their loot bags aside and scrambled to grab as much candy as they could from aunts and uncles more savvy—and less politically correct—about what children crave come Halloween. I should have known better. After

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NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

Canada News

Existing Syrian refugee program in flux as all eyes on new commitment BY STEPHANIE LEVITZ The Canadian Press OTTAWA — A customary blackout on flights to Canada for refugees after Dec. 15 has been lifted this year as immigration officials toil to get through thousands of Syrian refugee case files while also preparing for ambitious new Liberal resettlement efforts. But officials can’t say whether they’ll be able to make good on their plan to get through the existing inventory of refugee files before the end of 2015. It’s one of a series of uncertainties around the effect the Liberal pledge to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees by year’s end will have on previous Syrian refugee commitments and on Canada’s immigration system as a whole. “Whenever you take on something as big as this, you have to ask yourself, where are those resources coming from and if so, are they going to be taking resources away from something else to make this happen,” said Brian Dyck, chair of the Canadian Sponsorship Agreement Holder Association. “You can either add new staff and new programs or you can

borrow from things that exist, and I think a lot of sponsoring groups would be concerned that if this has an impact on private sponsorship of Syrians and Iraqis.” Each year, refugee arrivals are put on hold as of Dec. 15 due to holiday-related closures in visa offices and in settlement organizations. Lifting that blackout this year is one of many steps Citizenship and Immigration is taking to expedite matters following the public outcry this fall over the pace of Canada’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis overwhelming Europe and the Middle East. The Liberal commitment to resettle 25,000 refugees was also a response to that outcry, along with a promise of $100 million more this year for resettlement and encouraging the private sector to sponsor more people. The files immigration officials are working on at present connect to a promise made by the outgoing Conservative government in January to resettle 10,000 people by 2018. That deadline has since been moved up, with the department saying in September they intend to meet that target in a year’s time.

“The government’s goal is for all Syrian applications received as of Sept. 19, 2015, to have a decision by the end of December,” the department said at the time, but would not reiterate that pledge when asked this week. “It is premature to comment while we await the appointment of a new minister on Nov. 4,” Citizenship and Immigration spokesperson Jessica Seguin said in an email. Of the 10,000 spaces promised in January, about 60 per cent were expected to be absorbed by private groups. Since January, the Immigration Department has received applications from those groups to sponsor 5,593 Syrians. Rules around those sponsorships were also eased in September, including making it easier for non-official sponsors, known as groups of five, to sponsor people themselves. But only 10 groups have so far filed formal applications. The remainder of the 10,000 are to be resettled by the government directly, in partnership with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, as well as other non governmental organizations who assist in identifying and processing refugee cases.

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Only 228 people have arrived in Canada as part of that group so far. To identify the 25,000, the Liberals would work with the same organizations; whether the UN actually has the capacity to even identify 25,000 people is unclear. Documents obtained under the Access to Information Act show the UNHCR has struggled in the past to meet Canadian targets for refugee resettlement, in part because the Canadian government didn’t give them enough lead time to identify cases given the global body’s own resources constraints. The Liberals have promised a further $100 million to the UNHCR, but Dyck noted it’s

unknown whether that money is for aid or the organization’s own capacity. Dyck said what he’s also watching for is how the Liberals handle the commitment to Syrians in addition to the demand from within Canada and abroad for Canada to resettle refugees from other parts of the world. Ten per cent of Canada’s annual intake of about 260,000 immigrations are humanitarian cases, including refugees. The Syrian promise alone takes care of that quota, he noted. “Again, the question is where do you get that? Do you make the immigration pie bigger or do you make the humanitarian immigration slice of the pie bigger?” ■

Investigation of alleged abuses by Quebec police to have woman observer THE CANADIAN PRESS QUEBEC — A woman will be named as the independent observer of an investigation into alleged police abuse of aboriginal women, Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard said Tuesday. Couillard told reporters he’s narrowed down the list of possibilities to a few names and hopes to announce the appointment soon.

Eight Quebec provincial police officers have been suspended amid allegations of assault, sexual misconduct and other abuses of power against aboriginal women. Couillard is meeting with the chiefs of the Assembly of the First Nations of Quebec and Labrador on Wednesday in Montreal to discuss the allegations. Assembly chief Ghislain Picard has said native leaders

would like a monitor of their choosing to also keep tabs on the investigation, which has been handed over to Montreal police. Picard is on the record as saying the observer should be a woman. “I think we are in sync with our colleagues from the aboriginal communities that it should be a woman,” Couillard said Wednesday. “We are dealing with an issue that, first and www.canadianinquirer.net

foremost, involves women in a very vulnerable position.” The alleged incidents are reported to have occurred in the northwestern Quebec town of Val d’Or over several years and were the subject of a RadioCanada investigative report. Couillard has said his government would also be willing to launch a public inquiry into relations between natives and non-natives in the province. Any such inquiry, however,

would be “complimentary” to a national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women promised by the governing Liberals. Picard also called on the federal government to open a public, national inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal woman within 30 days of being sworn into office. Prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau and his cabinet are to be sworn in Wednesday. ■

Canada News

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Keystone XL pipeline postponement bid ups pressure on Energy East proposal BY BRUCE CHEADLE The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Keystone XL is dead! Long live Energy East! Like a game of pipeline whack-a-mole, a bid by TransCanada Corp., to suspend its controversial, north-south Keystone XL pipeline proposal has elevated the west-east Energy East pipeline plan to the top of Canada’s political agenda. “With Keystone now delayed, even more important we approve Energy East,” Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall posted on his Twitter account Tuesday while the U.S. State Department was still chewing over TransCanada’s postponement bid. “There’s no doubt it puts a whole lot more attention now on Energy East,” Donald Arsenault, New Brunswick’s energy minister, told The Canadian Press in an interview. TransCanada’s proposed 4,600-kilometre Energy East pipeline is designed to move 1.1-million barrels of crude oil a day from Alberta and Saskatchewan to refineries in Eastern Canada. Pipeline politics have been a Canadian staple for the past decade and that won’t change with the departure of Stephen Harper’s Conservatives and the arrival of Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in Ottawa. Trudeau will be sworn in Wednesday as the 23rd prime minister and his newly appointed cabinet can expect to begin fielding pipeline calls almost immediately. “We’ll definitely get on the horn right away to make contact with the minister and show how important this project is for not only New Brunswick but for the country,” Arsenault said. Trudeau’s Liberal team was rocked in the final week of last month’s federal election after The Canadian Press revealed his campaign co-chair Dan Gagnier was advising TransCanada on how to lobby a new government on Energy East. Gagnier resigned and the Liberals went on to a stunning majority, but the incident raised the hackles of conservatives and progressives on either side of the polarized pipeline debate. Trudeau has always supported Keystone XL, a 1,897-kilometre pipeline that would move 830,000 barrels a day of Alberta bitumen to Nebraska and then on to Gulf Coast refineries. The Liberal leader has been more ambivalent about Energy East, saying it needs a more rigorous environmental assessment. Trudeau has also been a vigorous proponent of a more aggressive Canadian climate change policy — something environmental groups say cannot co-exist with new pipelines,

Pipeline opposers in Washington.

RENA SCHILD / SHUTTERSTOCK

which equate to expanded oil sands production. “There’s just no way to square taking strong action on climate change and moving forward with these pipelines,” Adam Scott of Environmental Defence said Tuesday. Scott predicts Energy East will become the next big battleground for environmentalists. “If it’s possible to kill a project like Keystone, then you can sure bet that Energy East will face an even stronger opposition.” That’s not to say the Keystone developments are all unwelcome for the incoming government. TransCanada’s postponement of its licence application could clear a significant Canada-U.S. irritant just as Trudeau begins an intense month of international summitry, during which he’ll repeatedly rub elbows with U.S. President Barack Obama. Keystone, which Prime Minister Stephen Harper once called a “no-brainer” despite Obama’s misgivings, had become an awkward reminder of diverging Canada-U.S. directions on climate policy. TransCanada’s postponement bid may provide an honourable out for both governments, said David McLaughlin, the former head of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy and a one-time chief of staff to prime minister Brian Mulroney. It might even win TransCanada some brownie points with the new government. “A decision deferred that doesn’t require saying no to a friend and ally is probably a better outcome for the

current (U.S.) administration,” said McLaughlin. “It means Trudeau, in his first meeting with President Obama, doesn’t have

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to be queried on whether or not he lobbied on Keystone. It removes an irritant. They can focus on the things they want to and not clean up Mr. Harper’s leftovers.” McLaughlin argues Trudeau’s strong majority government with seats spread across the country, combined with Rachel Notley’s NDP government in Alberta, presents an opportunity to forge a strong climate policy consensus and get a new pipeline to tidewater approved. New pipeline capacity, oil sands expansion and climate degradation are inextricably linked for the environmental movement and McLaughlin argues Trudeau will never be able to untangle them. “What he can do, though, is satisfy a broader swath of Canadians that he’s taking climate change seriously,” he said. “Get a good, effective climate policy in place and use that to promote market access,” said McLaughlin, who couldn’t resist noting that’s exactly what the round table on the environment proposed before the Harper Conservatives killed it off in 2012. ■

Canada News

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Desire for fresh approach undercurrent in interim Conservative leadership race BY JENNIFER DITCHBURN The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Adopting a positive tone, severing ties with the old Stephen Harper team, bilingualism — they’re all undercurrents in the race to pick an interim Conservative leader this week. There are currently eight MPs running for the position, with a vote expected to take place during Thursday’s caucus meeting. Each candidate will have three minutes to address the group — an important opportunity with about a third of the caucus brand new. That gathering is expected to include heated discussions about what happened during the election campaign, what the party needs to do now, and whether senators should be allowed to vote for interim leader. Behind the scenes, candidates are being criticized and praised by their supporters for different reasons — being too closely associated with Harper’s team, or the former leader’s tone, for instance. One of the barbs being used against former cabinet minister Erin O’Toole, for example, is that he has too close a relationship with campaign manager Jenni Byrne, and that the team built up around Harper might run the Opposition leader’s office. Byrne has been blamed by some as having bungled the campaign organizationally, while others view the loss as more about the campaign’s message and tone, carried by a leader disliked by the public. Byrne told The Canadian Press on Tuesday that she is not playing any role in the interim leadership and is planning a move away from the capital. “Following the conclusion of my contract with the Conservative Party of Canada it has been my long-time plan to move on to opportunities outside of Ottawa,” Byrne said in a statement. “As such, I will play no role in the interim leadership of the (party) and by extension a future

Former prime minister Stephen Harper has stepped down as leader of the Conservative Party FACEBOOK

(Opposition leader’s office).” A Conservative MP, speaking on condition of anonymity, called it nonsense to fear that Harper’s former acolytes will be moving in to control the show again. “They’re all leaving,” said the MP. “They put in their time. They’re exhausted.” Caucus members are also talking about the need for a change in image for the party leadership — whether it’s a generational change, a gender change or just an overall fresh approach to the job. The ability to speak French is being actively discussed as a requirement for the interim leader. After the party managed to increase its seat count in Quebec during the election, bilingualism will be a factor scrutinized by some Conservatives. Finley is able to speak French with ease, while the others have various levels of laboured or weak French-language skills. MPs Michelle Rempel and Denis Lebel are running on a single ticket. Newly elected MP Gerard Deltell said he will be supporting Lebel, whether or not he runs with Rempel. “I don’t know how we can accept that the leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons wouldn’t be able to express themselves easily in both languages,” Deltell said. “For me, that’s a very impor-

tant condition.” Conservative senators were meeting Tuesday to discuss a variety of issues before them, including the prospect that they might be blocked from voting for the interim leader. Changes to the Parliament of Canada Act, originating with a private member’s bill by Conservative MP Michael Chong, will require MPs to vote on four matters at their meeting Thursday. One of those specifies that only the Commons caucus is eligible to vote for the interim leader. “We’re electing the leader of the party, not the leader of the House of Commons, and we’re members of the party so clearly we should have a say in who the interim leader is,” said Sen. Don Plett, who added he is supporting Finley’s candidacy. O’Toole and MP Candice Bergen are hosting meetand-greets with colleagues on Wednesday to promote their candidacies. Bergen specifically addressed her email to both MPs and senators. “I would like the opportunity to explain in-person my thoughts on the interim leadership and answer any questions you may have,” Bergen said. The interim leader position comes with a $80,100 pay bump, a car and driver, and accommodation at the Stornoway residence in Ottawa’s tony Rockcliffe neighbourhood. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

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First month... calendar. But it was confirmed Monday that after his swearing-in this week Trudeau will go to a G20 leaders’ meeting in Turkey on Nov. 15-16, then an APEC summit in the Philippines, a Commonwealth leaders’ gathering in Malta and climate talks in Paris starting at the end of the month. “Canada must be fully and firmly committed on the international stage, not only for our own success, but also for the success of others around the world,” Trudeau said in a statement. “Being engaged internationally is critical for creating economic growth, good-paying jobs for the middle-class, and broad-based prosperity for all Canadians.” Some of the big international issues he’ll have to manage soon after taking office are: Canada’s climate-change commitment, the contribution to fighting Islamic rebels in the Middle East and his position on the new 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership deal reached during the campaign. He’d already announced plans to be at the climate summit with provincial premiers. His decision to attend the earlier meetings means he’ll get facetime with counterparts before the high-stakes Paris talks. A U.S. official briefing journalists on the APEC summit said he hasn’t heard yet of any changes in Canadian policy with respect to the Asia-Pacific gathering. “Canada has a new prime minister. We welcome the prime minister into the APEC family,” the State Department’s Matt Matthews told reporters in Washington. “But Canada is not a new member. Canada is a very sig❰❰ 1

nificant and important member of APEC — one which we work with very closely.” There have been questions raised in Washington about what a new Canadian government might mean for the ratification of the TPP deal and for the international coalition against ISIL. But the Obama administration hasn’t publicly expressed concern on either front. In fact, at Monday’s briefing, when TPP came up it was in response to a question about whether the pact faced trouble in Malaysia. Matthews conceded the deal could face a bumpy road to ratification in different places — including in the U.S., where an intense struggle is expected next year in Congress. He expressed confidence, however, that it would ultimately be approved in all 12 countries. “It doesn’t mean that it won’t take a lot of work,” said the U.S. official. “Even in our own country we anticipate it’s going to be a major effort to make sure we do a good job of explaining the actual outcomes of TPP and what the benefits are. “But we remain optimistic. And we remain optimistic across all the participating economies.” Matthews laid out some of the objectives for the gathering of Asia-Pacific leaders. One is to nail down a commitment to eliminate tariffs on exported alternative-energy products like solar panels and wind turbines. There’s also a plan to get each country to review its fossil-fuel subsidy programs. Also on the agenda are the free flow of data between countries; marine debris; and a stillembryonic, long-term project to create a Pacific Rim trade deal larger than the TPP. ■

Four summits in his first month as prime minister? Justin Trudeau has his work cut out for him. FACEBOOK

Canada News

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

As he departs, Joe Oliver hopes finance successor will limit promised deficits BY ANDY BLATCHFORD The Canadian Press OTTAWA — In his final hours as Canada’s finance minister, Joe Oliver has some parting words for his Liberal successor: don’t allow the plan to run deficits to spiral out of control. On the day before prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau was to name the Liberal MP who will replace him, Oliver reflected Tuesday about his tenure overseeing the crucial Finance portfolio. And while he’s proud of the Conservative government’s track record, he said the next finance minister will have to grapple with ever-present challenges like enhancing economic growth and creating jobs. The Tories ran their campaign on a pledge to continue to pursue balanced budgets, while

the Liberals vowed to pump public cash into projects like badly needed infrastructure upgrades in order to stimulate the economy. They also promised to run deficits of up to $10 billion in each of the next three years — a strategy with which Oliver hopes the new government doesn’t get carried away. “I assume they’re going to pursue a deficit-spending approach,” he said when asked about the incoming government. “I hope that it won’t get out of control. So, I think that would be one thing I would hope the new finance minister watches carefully.” Beyond that, Oliver said, it would be inappropriate to offer advice to his successor, whomever that turns out to be. In losing his Toronto riding last month, Oliver became the first sitting federal finance

minister to go down in defeat since 1993, when Gilles Loiselle of the Progressive Conservatives lost his Quebec City seat. “It’s obviously bittersweet,” said Oliver, who was defeated by Liberal challenger Marco Mendicino in the riding of Eglinton-Lawrence. “We, I think, as a government did very well, but the campaign clearly didn’t convey that fully and we encountered a very strong wave for change.” Oliver’s own term as finance minister, which began when he succeeded Jim Flaherty in March 2014, was marked by tumultuous — and unexpected — economic times. The steep, late-2014 oil-price plunge surprised the government and forced Oliver to delay his spring budget by a few months. The goal was to give his department more time to assess the extent of the damage to Canada’s bottom line.

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From there, the economy slipped into technical recession by contracting over the first two quarters of the 2015. The slide was largely blamed on the drop in crude prices and the failure of other sectors to pick up the slack. In recent months, the economy slowly started to grow again. Until the Liberals take power Wednesday, Oliver will technically remain finance minister, though he described his role since the election as more of a caretaker. By Tuesday, the once-demanding cabinet job that took him around the planet and saw him shake hands with political leaders from the world’s major economies had largely wound down. Oliver said he spent his final day writing reference letters for his staff. “There isn’t anything specific to do,” said Oliver, who plans to

attend one final Conservative caucus meeting on Thursday. “I’ll have a chance to say my goodbyes to everybody, so I’m looking forward to that.” The party, he added, will examine what went wrong during the campaign and how it can improve moving forward. The 75-year-old former Bay Street investment banker has also been contemplating his own future. “I have a lot of energy and I want to be involved and contribute and I’ll see what opportunities become available,” said Oliver, who hopes to land part-time work in the private sector. “I don’t need to acquire a fulltime job and I’m definitely not looking to do that.” Oliver also plans to spend more time with his family, including his grandson. “He’s nine years old and they grow up fast.” ■

World News

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

Taiwan, Chinese presidents to meet for first time since ‘49 BY CHRISTOPHER BODEEN AND RALPH JENNINGS The Associated Press BEIJING — The presidents of China and Taiwan will meet this weekend for the first time since civil war divided their lands 66 years ago, their governments said Wednesday, a highly symbolic move that reflects quickly improving relations between the formerly bitter Cold War foes. The meeting Saturday in Singapore between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Taiwanese counterpart, Ma Ying-jeou, could be China’s last chance to press its case for closer economic and political ties before Taiwan elections in January that may put the brakes on Ma’s pro-China initiatives. Ma’s ruling Nationalists have been lagging in polls for the presidential and legislative elections. Saturday’s meeting could boost their credentials for driving progress in relations with China, but also carries the risk of appearing too close to Beijing, further damaging their chances with voters wary of the mainland’s government. Presidents of the two sides have not met since Chiang Kaishek’s Nationalists lost the Chinese civil war to Mao Zedong’s Communists and the Nationalists rebased in Taiwan, 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the mainland, in 1949. The two sides have been separately ruled since then, with Taiwan evolving into a freewheeling democracy. Communist Partyruled China insists that the two sides eventually reunite, by force if necessary. Confirmation of the meeting from Chinese Cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office came hours after the Taiwanese side announced the meeting earlier Wednesday. Xi and Ma would be meeting in their capacity as “leaders of the two sides” of the Taiwan Strait, office director Zhang Zhijun was quoted as saying in a news release posted on the office’s website. They would address each other by the title of “Mr.” and attend a banquet after their meeting, the office said. “This is a pragmatic arrangement under the situation of the irresolution of cross-strait political differences on the basis of the one-China principle,” Zhang said.

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The arrangements avoid the phrases “countries” and “president,” in line with Beijing’s insistence that Taiwan is not a sovereign nation, but part of China as a single country. However, they give the two leaders equal status, a concession that could blunt criticism from Taiwan’s pro-independence opposition, which accuses the Nationalists of pandering to China’s ruling Communists. The two sides never talked formally until Ma, president since 2008, set aside old hostilities to allow lower-level official meetings. China and Taiwan have signed 23 deals covering mainly trade, transit and investment, binding Taiwan closer to its top trading partner and the world’s second-largest economy. Taiwanese presidential spokesman Charles Chen said in a statement Wednesday that the two would exchange ideas about relations, but would not sign any deals. The choice of Singapore as venue is significant. The Southeast Asian city-state with an ethnic Chinese majority population has strong relations with both Taiwan and China and is seen as neutral ground. Singapore hosted breakthrough talks between unofficial Taiwanese and Chinese negotiators in 1992 that estab-

lished a formula whereby they acknowledge that there is only one China, of which Taiwan is a part, but differ on the exact interpretation. Although Beijing insists on the so-called “1992 consensus” as the basis for talks, Taiwan’s main opposition Democratic Progressive Party has refused to embrace it, calling it meaningless and unrepresentative of popular sentiment on the island. In a statement, the DPP criticized Ma for planning the meeting in secret and said it appeared to be directly targeted at influencing the elections. “This once again shows the Ma government’s tendency to do things in a black box, violate democracy and evade oversight, and the public will have difficulty accepting this,” the statement read. Ma is stepping down as president next year after his maximum two terms, and the DPP’s candidate Tsai Ing-wen is considered the front-runner to replace him. Beijing has hoped that economic inducements would lead to greater acceptance among Taiwanese of eventual political reunification. A DPP victory could prompt Beijing to reassess its policies and become more hard-line in pressuring Taiwan into a political union. www.canadianinquirer.net

Ma’s government has come under increasing criticism at home for cozying up to China, amid fears Beijing will eventually leverage economic relations to exert more power over the island. Such sentiments helped the DPP to a landslide victory a year ago in local elections, raising the possibility it might win not only the presidency but also a majority in legislative elections also being held Jan. 16. The Nationalists replaced their presidential candidate Oct. 17, highlighting their disarray. Given the chances of a Nationalist defeat, China is likely to proceed cautiously to avoid further alienating Taiwanese voters. Xi warned Taiwan in 2013 against putting off political differences from generation to generation. China has long advocated a Hong Kong-style one-country, two-system form of joint rule, in which Beijing controls Taiwan but the island of 23 million retains control of its political, legal and economic affairs. That approach has little currency in Taiwan, where most favor the current state of de facto independence. The statement from Chen, Ma’s spokesman, said the two presidents will meet to “solidify Taiwan-mainland relations and

keep the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.” “To hold a meeting across the Taiwan Strait is the consistent goal of leaders on both sides,” Chen said. “President Ma recently has repeated many times that ‘at the right time and on the right occasion and in the right capacity’ he would not rule out a meeting.” Taiwanese officials planned to hold a news conference about the Singapore meeting later Wednesday, and Ma planned to hold one on Thursday. In Washington, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the U.S. would welcome steps taken on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to try to reduce tensions and improve relations, but added, “we’ll have to see what actually comes out of the meeting.” Ma is likely hoping for some reassurance from Xi over the use of force and closer economic ties that could help Nationalist presidential candidate Eric Chu in the polls, said Hong Kong Chinese politics expert Willy Lam. Xi, for his part, also hopes a friendly, non-threatening meeting gives the Nationalists a boost, while showing mainland Chinese that he could be the best bet in decades for achieving unification. Sean King, senior vice president with the consultancy Park Strategies in New York and a frequent commentator on Asian affairs, doubted the meeting would help Taiwan’s ruling party stay in power. “This meeting will only hurt the Nationalists at home, as it will cause them to even more be seen as Beijing’s preferred Taiwan party,” King said. “This could be the mainland’s last chance to liaise with the Nationalist Party, while it’s in power, for years to come.” Pro-independence demonstrators rallied outside the legislature in Taipei to protest the planned meeting. One banner urged Ma, “Don’t come back if you go.” “We will resolutely oppose this,” Hung Te-jen said. “Ma is sneaking around to sell off Taiwan.” ■ Jennings reported from Taipei. Associated Press writers Ian Mader in Beijing and Matthew Pennington in Washington contributed to this report.

World News

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Syria journalist killed amid TransCanada denies politics violence in Damascus suburb behind Keystone delay request BY ALBERT AJI The Associated Press

the process needs an “unbiased mediator” while “Russia is a partner in the aggression on the Syrian people.” Russia earlier this year hosted two DAMASCUS, SYRIA — A Syrian journal- meetings with government representaist was killed Tuesday in a suburb of the tives and members of the political oppocapital, Damascus, amid intense clash- sition, which did not include the Syrian es and shelling between government National Coalition, the main Westerntroops and rebel fighters as diplomatic backed political opposition group. efforts to end the country’s civil war However, Syria’s Deputy Foreign Mincontinued to falter. ister Faysal Mekdad said during a visit to Batoul Mokhles al-Warar, a broadcast- Tehran Tuesday that there was nothing er at Noor al-Sham TV channel and Da- “official” about a meeting between the mascus radio station, was killed by mor- Syrian opposition and the government tar rounds fired by “terrorists,” the SANA and rejected any discussion about a ponews agency said. The Britain-based Syr- litical transition in Syria. ian Observatory for Human Rights said “There is no transitional period in Syrthe journalist was killed in shelling of ia. It only exists in the mind of those who the government-held Dahiyat al-Assad are far from reality,” he said, according neighborhood, which has been frequent- to the semi-official Tasnim news agency. ly targeted by rebel attacks. International talks to pursue a new The Observatory said government peace effort involving Syria’s Iraniantroops shelled the rebel-held Damascus backed government and opposition suburbs of Douma and Daraya. There groups were held in Vienna last week. were reports of clashes and casualties on The negotiations left open the thorny the outskirts of both question of when suburbs. Assad might leave Violence in Damaspower, and it was cus suburbs where unclear whether he rebels have been enThere is no or disparate rebel trenched for years has transitional groups fighting to claimed the lives of period in Syria. topple him would thousands of civilians. It only exists sign on to any peace Overall violence in the mind of proposal. in Syria has surged those who are A new round of since Russia, a top far from reality. talks is expected to ally of embattled take place within two Syrian President weeks. Bashar Assad, began Emboldened airstrikes around the by the Russian air country on Sept. 30. Moscow says it is campaign, Syrian government troops, targeting militant groups, but civilians backed by an increasing number of Iraand Western-backed rebel groups have nian and Lebanese Hezbollah fighters, also come under attack. have been on the offensive on several Russian news agencies quoted Deputy fronts in an attempt to secure supply Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov as routes and regain control of strategic arsaying on Tuesday that Moscow aimed eas. Iran is another strong ally of Assad. to host talks between Syrian officials On Tuesday, Iran’s semi-official Fars and opposition leaders next week. He news agency said an officer with the elite said the Syrian government had agreed Revolutionary Guard force had been to participate, but it was unclear which killed in Syria. Col. Mostafa Ezzatollah opposition groups would attend. Soleimani died in fighting in Syria’s conHe did not give a specific date for the tested province of Aleppo, the report said. proposed talks. The proposed talks were Seven Revolutionary Guard comexpected to be discussed Wednesday at a manders were killed in Syria in October, meeting between Russian Foreign Min- Fars said. ister Sergey Lavrov and U.N. Syrian enIran has provided Assad’s government voy Staffan de Mistura, Bogdanov said. with military and political backing for Ahmed Ramadan, a senior member of years, recently saying it has increased the Syrian National Coalition, told The the number of advisers from the RevoAssociated Press that the opposition lutionary Guards on the ground there. group has not received an invitation to However, Tehran denies having combat Moscow and would not accept such a troops in Syria. ■ meeting anyway. “The coalition believes that Moscow Associated Press writers Nasser Karimi is not an appropriate place to hold any from Tehran, Iran and James Heintz meetings related to reviving the politi- from Moscow and Sarah El Deeb in Beical process in Syria,” he said, adding that rut contributed to this report.

BY ALBERT AJI The Associated Press TORONTO — The head of the Canadian company behind the proposed Keystone XL pipeline denied Tuesday that political motivation drove its decision to ask the U.S. government to delay consideration of the project. TransCanada’s request that the State Department suspend its review of the Alberta-to-Texas pipeline could delay any decision until the next U.S. president takes office in 2017, potentially leaving the fate of the controversial project in the hands of a more supportive Republican administration. The request comes as many anticipate President Barack Obama will reject the project, which has been a flashpoint in the debate over climate change and source of friction between the United States and Canada. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the front-runner for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination, opposes the pipeline but the Republican candidates support it. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the State Department is con-

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sidering TransCanada’s request, but added that Obama intends to make a decision about the pipeline before leaving office. Earnest said it was important to consider what could be motivating TransCanada’s request. “It seems unusual to me that somehow it should be paused yet again,” Earnest said. TransCanada chief executive Russ Girling denied that the request has anything to do with an anticipated rejection of the pipeline. The company said a suspension of the review would be appropriate while it works to secure approval of its preferred route through Nebraska in the face of legal challenges. TransCanada anticipated it would take seven to 12 months to get approval from Nebraska authorities. “We have worked very hard for seven years try to keep our head down and work our way through every twist and turn and every additional request to the regulatory process and we are intent on continuing to do that until you get the regulatory approval and we have solved people’s issues through that process,” Girling said on a conference call with ❱❱ PAGE 24 TransCanada denies

World News

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Afghans swell migrant tide as they flee war, unemployment BY LYNNE O’DONNELL The Associated Press KABUL, AFGHANISTAN — As a recent high school graduate from a middle-class Kabul family, Mohammed Fahim Aazar has the means to go to college and pursue a profession in Afghanistan, but instead he’s acquired a $5,600 visa and a plane ticket to Turkey, where he will embark on the migrant trail to Europe. The 19-year-old said he has had enough of his country’s never-ending wars and dismal job prospects. “Every day there is another suicide attack, and when a person leaves his house he cannot be sure he will make it back alive.” Bound for far-off Finland, he’s joining the largest wave of global migrants and refugees since World War II, hundreds of thousands of people seeking a better life in Europe. Afghans make up the second largest nationality — after Syrians — arriving on Europe’s shores, accounting for nearly a fifth of total arrivals, according to the U.N. Their flight is driven by despair in a country that remains mired in war and poverty despite a 14-year U.S.-led intervention and billions of dollars in international aid. And their ranks include middle and upper-class Afghans with skills needed to rebuild the war-torn country. “Even those who are working or studying are not sure they will be able to change the future of Afghanistan — it is not possible,” Aazar said. “Everyone has lost hope and trust in this country and that is why they leave.” He calls his own decision to depart a “matter of life or death.” He paid for the visa and plane ticket by using a parcel of land as collateral for a loan. He plans to meet up with friends who will help him with the trip to northern Europe. In the years after the 2001 invasion that toppled the Taliban, more than 5.8 million Afghans returned home, but the rate of return slowed five years ago, according to the U.N. refugee agency, as

the insurgents regrouped and reconstruction stalled. Over the past two years, as the U.S. and NATO withdrew most of their forces and the Taliban advanced, aid and investment dried up, leaving few opportunities even for educated Afghans. Unemployment hovers at 24 percent, according to the Ministry of Work and Social Affairs, as once-promising industries like mining have been crippled by the unrest and lack of investment. An estimated 120,000 Afghans have left so far this year, according to Hossain Alemi Balkhi, the minister for refugees and repatriation. He expects that number to reach 160,000 by the end of the year, four times the number who departed in 2013. Among them are educated Afghans who had fled previous bouts of violence but returned when things appeared more hopeful. Mohsen Hossaini, an artist and performer, fled war with his family as a child, but came back after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. He welcomed the election last year of President Ashraf Ghani, an American-educated technocrat whose daughter is an artist in New York. But Ghani has yet to deliver on promises of peace and jobs. “I have tried very hard to stay here in Afghanistan, but I cannot.” Hossaini said at a garden cafe in Kabul last month, the day before he left on a flight for Norway with his wife and two sons, 12 and two years old. He recalls a suicide bombing in central Kabul in 2011, and how he and his son were trapped at the scene when police shut down the surrounding roads. “I was in Iran for 20 years and I blamed my parents for not providing a better life for us,” he said. “Now that I am a father I realize this is not a good place for my children.” Balkhi, the minister for refugees, says ominous news from the front-lines in recent months may have hastened people’s decision to leave. The Taliban briefly seized the northern city of Kunduz

in September in their biggest foray into an urban area since 2001, and militants loyal to the Islamic State have a growing presence in the east, where they have waged turf wars with the police and the Taliban. He said U.S. President Barack Obama’s announcement that 9,800 U.S. soldiers would remain in the country through next year, instead of halving the number as originally planned, provided some reassurance. But those who have left say the country’s problems extend far beyond security, to a corrupt government, thuggish local warlords and a deeply-rooted Islamic conservatism that limits freedoms. Shekib Mosadeq left five years ago and now lives in Berlin with his wife and daughter. They come from the relatively safe city of Herat in the country’s far west, where he sang in a rock band called The Ants. “We sang songs that were very anti-government, antiTaliban, anti-warlords,” he said during a brief return to Kabul to produce a CD of songs about the migrant experience. “Even though the threats were a problem for me, I could have found a way to live with them, but frankly it was not right that my daughter should be threatened, too,” Mosadeq said. “Now, in Germany, she is having the childhood that I never had.” With a visa that allows him to live and work in 26 European countries, Mosadeq can come and go. But he has no plans to return to Afghanistan permanently. “Everything that we achieved in the years after 2001 — freedom of speech, cultural development, education and rights for women — is disappearing,” he said. “Our leaders and those who use Afghanistan as a battleground for their own strategic aims don’t think about us, about young people who have the ability and the desire to do something for their country. So we are leaving. That’s it.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY

TransCanada denies... analysts and media. The Keystone XL project has undergone repeated federal and state reviews since TransCanada announced the project in 2008. The 1,179-mile (1,900-kilometer) pipeline would run from Canada through Montana, South Dakota and Nebraska, where it would connect with existing pipelines to carry more than 800,000 barrels of crude oil a day from the Alberta oil sands to refineries along the Texas Gulf Coast. Opponents say the development of Alberta’s oil sands require huge amounts of energy and water and increases greenhouse gas emissions. They warn pipeline leaks could potentially pollute underground aquifers that are a critical source of water for farmers in the Great Plains. Supporters maintain it will create jobs and reduce U.S. reliance on Middle Eastern oil. They argue that pipelines are a safer method of transporting oil than trains, pointing to recent derailments. The State Department is not obligated to grant TransCanada’s request to halt the review, which is required as part of the application process because the $8 billion pipeline would cross an international border. “The chance of approval is slim,” said Wenran Jiang, an energy expert and former special adviser to Alberta’s Department of Energy. “They are looking to avoid a rejection and they are not betting on the slim possibility of being approved. They are waiting for the next administration so it’s a bit of a delay but a better chance.” Delays in approving the pipeline have caused friction between the Obama administration and the government of Canada’s outgoing conserva❰❰ 23

tive prime minister, Stephen Harper. Canada, which relies on the U.S. for 97 percent of its energy exports, needs infrastructure in place to export its growing oil sands production. The recent election of Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau could change the contours the Keystone debate. Trudeau, who will be sworn in Wednesday, supports Keystone but insists relations between the two countries should not hinge on it. Trudeau might also persuade a Democratic-led White House to approve the project if Canada is aggressive about reducing greenhouse gas emissions, said David Goldwyn, a former energy official in the Obama administration. Alberta has the world’s third largest oil reserves, with 170 billion barrels of proven reserves. Despite a sharp decline in oil prices, Girling said Keystone and other proposed pipelines remain viable. He said production has grown rapidly in Alberta and in the Bakken region since the company first applied for the permit in 2008. He said output is already high enough to make Keystone viable and added that pipelines are a cheaper option than moving oil by rail. “This project remains very much in demand by our customers,” Girling said. “Oil prices will not stay low forever but even if you think of when we made this application in 2008, the price of oil was $40 per barrel. The price of oil is $40 per oil again today.” ■ Associated Press writers Josh Lederman and Matthew Daly in Washington and Grant Schulte in Lincoln, Nebraska, contributed to this report.

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World News

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Russian strikes take toll among Syrian civilians BY BASSEM MROUE The Associated Press KADIRLI, TURKEY — The 4-year-old Syrian girl was ending her first trip to her grandparents’ house. Posing for the last family photos before returning to Turkey with her mother, Raghad dressed up in a pretty blue-and-white polka dot dress and put her hair up in ponytails with red barrettes. About an hour later, the family heard Russian warplanes overhead and the missiles struck. Raghad, her grandfather and another relative were killed. The girl is among dozens of civilians who activists say have been killed in the Russian air campaign in Syria, which Moscow says is aimed at crushing the Islamic State group and other Islamic militants. But the month-old Russian bombardment has killed more civilians than it has IS militants, according to the main activist group tracking the conflict, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Despite Russian boasts to be going after the extremists more ferociously than Americans have, the Observatory’s figures also suggest the air campaign waged by a U.S.-led coalition the past 13 months has killed IS members at a higher rate while harming civilians less. The Observatory said it has so far confirmed 185 civilians killed in Russian strikes the past month — including 46 women and 48 children — while the toll among IS fighters was 131. The heaviest toll came among Syrian rebels not connected to IS, with 279 dead, the group said. In contrast, the U.S.-led air campaign has killed 3,726 IS members — an average of 252 a month, and 225 civilians — according to the Observatory’s statistics. The Russians have flatly dismissed all claims of civilian casualties or damage, saying they use various intelligence sources to plan each strike to make sure there is no collateral damage. U.S. Central Command, which is responsible for U.S. forces in the Middle East, confirmed two civilian casualties from a Nov. 5, 2014 U.S. airstrike in the vicinity of the Syrian city of Harim, and has seven open

investigations into civilian casualty allegations, said Col. Pat Ryder, spokesman for Tampa, Florida-based CentCom. Ryan said U.S. forces work hard “to be precise in our airstrikes” and “reduce the potential for civilian casualties and collateral damage.” “In regards to the statistics others may have reported, we can’t comment on the standards they use to arrive at those numbers other than to say again that we take every allegation seriously and look into each one,” Ryan said. Activists say most Russian strikes have targeted Syrian rebels not connected to IS, including U.S.-backed factions, with the aim of tipping the civil war in favor of Moscow’s ally, President Bashar Assad. For example, Raghad’s grandfather, Col. Abdul-Razzaq Khanfoura, was a defector from the Syrian military who until recently was a senior commander in the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, though it is not known if he was the target of the Oct. 1 airstrike in the village of Habeet in the rebel-held province of Idlib. When the Khanfoura family heard the Russian warplanes overhead, Abdul-Razzaq’s wife Zahra scooped up her granddaughter Raghad and rushed to a shelter in the house’s garden. Just as she handed the girl to a cousin in the shelter, the missiles hit the house. “The explosion was above me,” the 48-year-old Zahra told The Associated Press as she lay in a hospital bed in this southern Turkish city, where she is being treated for the extensive burns from the blast. “After that I have no idea what happened.” Civilians in the areas that have borne the brunt of the air campaign, like the northwestern and central provinces of Idlib, Hama and Homs, have taken a heavy toll, activists and rebel commanders say. Assad’s forces have launched ground offensives against rebels, trying to benefit from Russian air support. The combination of strikes and the offensives has fueled a surge of 120,000 Syrians who fled their homes in October, according the U.N. figures. The Observatory gathers its figures through activists on the ground who confirm identities

Airstrikes in Syria.

of the dead with relatives and officials. Witnesses can usually distinguish Russian airstrikes from those by the Syrian air force because the latter’s strikes are relatively crude and have lower technology. Russian warplanes often move in large squadrons that people on the ground can see and strike from higher in the sky with more powerful ordnance. The activist groups also check reports against Russian daily announcements of the areas targeted. In the case of the strike that hit the Khanfoura family home, the Observatory reported the attack in Habeet at the time, saying three people were killed. The next day, the Russian Defense Ministry put out a statement of targets over the past 24 hours that included Habeet, saying it struck “a facility used by the rebels as a temporary base and ammunition depot.” Russia has pushed back hard against reports of civilian deaths. Dmitry Peskov, President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, denied accusations of civilian deaths, saying Russia “pays special attention to the fact that there will be no harm for the civilian population.” Russia’s Defense Ministry has said that its forces only strike facilities away from populated areas. On Tuesday, it released satellite pictures it said refuted the claims of damage to civilian areas. Human Rights Watch last week said at least two airstrikes on Oct. 15 that killed a total of 59 civilians, including 33 children, “apparently violated the laws of war.” It said the strikes www.canadianinquirer.net

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were apparently by Russian warplanes: One hit a house in the village Ghantou and killing members of the extended family of an FSA commander, including women and children, and the other struck near a bakery in the neighboring town of Ter Maaleh, killing an FSA commander and 13 civilians. The Syrian National Coalition, the main Western-backed Syrian opposition group, said Russian attacks “amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity” and should be condemned by the U.N. Security Council. Russian bombardment targeting the Islamic State group has also affected civilians. Anwar Ahmad Abdullah fled with his family to escape Russian strikes on the central Syrian town of Palmyra, which was captured over the summer by the extremists. He, his wife and three children ranging from 10 months to 7 years old, fled to the Islamic State group’s de facto capital, Raqqa. There, a school where they were staying was hit in a strike, so they fled again, making their way to Turkey. “We had no intention to leave our country at all. But the Russian airstrikes made us leave,” Abdullah’s wife, Hind, said in the southern border Turkish city of Reyhanli. When asked whether he was scared in Syria, her 7-year-old son, Ahmad waved his hand as if it is a plane and said: “Yes from the plane. It goes like this wooooooooo, booom!” “I used to close my ears and cry,” he said. In Habeet, Raghad and her

mother had come to visit from Turkey, where they have lived since late 2011, soon after Raghad’s birth. It was the young girl’s first trip back into Syria. Her grandfather, Abdul-Razzaq, defected from the military in 2012 and founded the Ahbab al-Mustafa Brigade, one of the early factions that made up the Free Syrian Army. But earlier this year, he stopped rebel activities to stay at home. In the chaos after the nighttime bombing, Abdul-Razzaq’s son Ward ran to the top floor and found his father, bleeding from a shrapnel wound in his stomach. Ward recounted to the AP that he carried his father to a car that rushed him to a nearby clinic. Abdul-Razzaq died two hours later. Ward then made his way to the shelter in the garden, which he found buried under debris. He dug frantically and found Raghad, face down. She was dead, with severe damage to her skull. A nephew of AbdulRazzaq, 19-year-old Ahmed Khanfoura, lay dead beneath her. Raghad’s mother was in another part of the house when the missile struck and survived unharmed. Ward heard his mother Zahra screaming in pain. She was caught under a fence that fell on her. “I recited the Shahada and surrendered to God,” she said later, referring to Islam’s profession of faith, “There is no God but God and Muhammad is his messenger,” which Muslims pronounce when they fear they are about to die Ward got her to a clinic, and the next day she was taken across the border into Turkey and to a specialized burn hospital in Kadirli. Four weeks later, Zahra still doesn’t know that her husband and granddaughter are dead. Every time Ward visits her, she asks why Abdul-Razzaq hasn’t called or come to see her. Ward tells her his father hasn’t been able to cross to Turkey and the phones aren’t working, When she asks him to send him a message saying hello, Ward acts as if he’s writing a message on his smart phone and tells her he sent it. ■ Associated Press writers Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Lolita C. Baldor in Washington contributed to this report.

Immigration

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

Quebec Skilled Worker Program for Canadian Immigration to Open November 4 CIC NEWS THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP) will reopen in under a week, with postal applications to be accepted from November 4, 2015. The QSWP is a popular Canadian immigration program, with successful applicants and their families obtaining Canadian permanent resident status. A maximum of 6,300 applications will be received for this program. The most recent QSWP application cycle opened in 2014 with an intake of 6,500 applications. This cap was reached within four months, and it is expected that demand for the upcoming application cycle will be similarly popular, perhaps even more so than the 2014 cycle. The 2014 QSWP application cycle operated on a firstcome, first-served basis, and no changes to the imminent application cycle have yet been announced. This feature marks the QSWP as a more assured and straightforward way of obtaining Canadian permanent residence compared with the federal economic immigration programs that are processed through the Express Entry selection system. If an applicant is eligible for the QSWP and submits a complete application within the timeframe set by the government of Quebec, he or she may have a clear path towards Canadian immigration. Over the past number of months, the government has made slight changes to the QSWP criteria, including the release of a new Area of Training list. In addition, in August, 2015, the government of Quebec lowered the pass mark required to obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate/certificat de selection du Québec (CSQ) and, at the same time, removed the ‘adaptability’ factor from the points-based program. Consequently, candidates who may not have been eligible for a previous application cycle of the QSWP may now be eligible to submit an application. The government of Quebec has announced that the application cycle will be split into

two periods. The first, which will run from November 4 to December 15, 2015, will accept up to 3,500 postal applications only. The second, which will run from January 18 to March 31, 2016, will process up to 2,800 applications online. The government of Quebec had previously announced that an online system would be in place for this application cycle and, while the government remains true to its word, the fact that a postal intake period will precede the online processing period is a welcome bonus for potential applicants, as it gives them an opportunity to submit an application quickly before the online system is launched. Moreover, it remains to be seen how the online system may operate. The QSWP: How does it work?

The QSWP uses a pointsbased system, where points are awarded for an applicant’s area of training, work experience, age, language proficiency, prior relationship with Quebec (through visits or family), the human capital factors of the applicant’s spouse or commonlaw partner (if applicable), and whether or not the applicant has a validated job offer in Quebec. If an individual satisfies the minimum points requirement for these factors, he or she may then gain additional points for any accompanying dependent children and proof of financial self-sufficiency. Candidates should note that a job offer is not required for the QSWP. Applicants should also note that they may be awarded points for French proficiency, though it is not an eligibility requirement for the program. Applicants who do not have knowledge of French, but who have strong credentials in other areas, may still be eligible to apply. A single applicant must score at least 49 points, while an applicant with a spouse or common-law partner must score at least 57 points. Once a CSQ has been issued, applicants must then successfully complete medical and security examinations conducted by the federal government in order to be granted permanent resident

City of Quebec.

status. Potential applicants to the QSWP should note that they should have the intention to reside within the province of Quebec. Pursuing a federal and Quebec application simultaneously

For now, the QSWP remains a first-come, first-served immigration program. In contrast, the Express Entry selection system for the federal economic immigration programs selects potential applicants on a priority basis from a pool of candidates who have made an expression of interest in immigrating to Canada. According to the governments of Quebec and Canada, candidates can apply under the QSWP and submit an Express Entry profile, as long as they withdraw one when either a CSQ or Invitation to Apply (ITA) is issued. The QSWP may be an enticing option for individuals who wish to make an application to immigrate to Canada without having to be invited to apply, as well as individuals who are in the Express Entry pool and wish to increase their chances of successfully immigrating to Canada. First-come, first-served

“This application cycle of the www.canadianinquirer.net

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Quebec Skilled Worker Program could be one of the last of its kind, a way to apply for and obtain Canadian permanent residence on a first-come, firstserved basis. I would encourage candidates who may be eligible for both the Quebec program and one of the federal economic programs to consider pursuing both options, thereby increasing their chances of establishing a new life in Canada,” says Attorney David Cohen. “Moreover, this application cycle follows a series of positive and welcome announcements from the government of Quebec. Compared with previous application cycles, applicants are now presented with a simplified documentation checklist, an Area of Training list that rewards occupations that many people have experience in, and a new and more efficient online application system. “I have had the good fortune to reside in Quebec for most of my life, in the vibrant city of Montreal. It is an exciting place with unique career opportunities, as well as a nearperfect place to raise a family. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the towns and cities of Quebec to any potential newcomer to Canada.” Note: Though applications

for a CSQ through the QSWP submitted before the announcement of the start of the official period for receipt of applications will be returned to applicants in most cases, candidates in one of the following situations may submit an application for a CSQ at any time: • The applicant is eligible for and has submitted an application under the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ, or Quebec Experience Program); or • The applicant has enclosed a validated employment offer with the application for a selection certificate submitted under the QSWP; or • Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) has informed the applicant that it has agreed to process the application for permanent residence in Canada; or • The applicant is a temporary resident in Quebec and eligible to submit an application for a CSQ. ■ To find out if you are eligible for the Quebec Skilled Worker Program, or any of Canada’s over 60 immigration programs, please visit www.canadavisa.com. Content published with permission from CIC News.

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia (ISSofBC) provides support services to immigrants and entrepreneurs STARTING A new life in another country can be very hard, especially when you’re unfamiliar with the culture, language and laws. If you’re new to Canada, the Immigrant Services Society of British Columbia (ISSofBC) can help. Since 1972, ISS of BC has been providing a variety of support services for immigrants and refugees to help them get settled, find careers and learn all they need to know about starting their new lives in Canada. Through our dedicated staff, volunteers and community partners, we provide settlement, education and employment services for over 30,000 clients every year. ISSofBC is the largest agency of its kind in Western Canada, with targeted programs for refugees, women, children and youth, plus support services in over 45 languages. Their programs and services are available throughout Metro Vancouver and Squamish. Here are some programs that are designed to

serve your specific needs: Are you looking for employment in retail or administration? ISSofBC can help you reach your potential with two new programs—English Now and Skills Now. English Now is a 10-week workplace English training program to help participants gain the language needed to further their careers in retail and administration. Skills Now is a job readiness training program to advance participants skills for retail and administration employment. Skills Connect Program is currently accepting intakes. For new immigrants who are eitherunemployed or underemployed. If you want to get information about a training support, funding and how to get a job that is related to your pre-arrival skills and experience, call or email ISS of BC. They have helped a great number of professionals including engineers, accounting professionals, live-in caregivers and

Bing's Kitchenette.

trades people find work. Employer Solutions has a free weekly Job Board directly from employers. They create Hiring Fairs and Industry events to connect the employers and the

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jobseekers. There is a Job Fair happening on Nov 6th at 333 Terminal Ave at 1pm. There are hundreds of jobs in retail, administration, finance, IT, engineering and entry level positions.

If you are unemployed or looking for new job opportunities? Job search can be challenging and sometimes frustrating. The Employer Relations Specialists from various ISSofBC programs and locations receive hundreds of job leads from accredited employers who are looking for the right candidates. Hundreds of employers have benefitted from the various programs of ISS of BC, including mentorship, internships and wage subsidies. They fully support entrepreneurs. One of their employer partners, Bing’s Kitchenette, recently expanded their restaurant /catering operations in Delta. The owners, Bing and Dong are both immigrants and proudly supports the program for new immigrants in their quest for a better life. The various programs of ISS of BC help the jobseekers to be job ready. For more details, please call 604-684-5378 or email them at skillsconnect@ issbc.org ■

Community News

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

Team PH-Canada holds Economic Diplomacy Workshop Models dons sheets of abaca and floral lace appliqués for the updated take on the typical Filipiniana, complete with sleek silhouettes and artful layers.

Jaki Penalosa unveils collection in Fabric Philippines BY MARY ANN R. MANDAP Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE CENTERPIECE of the upcoming Philippine Fest on November 7, is a fashion show entitled, “Fabric Philippines,” a tribute to renowned Filipino designer, Jaki Penalosa, and her unique creations using indigenous fabrics from the province of Iloilo. Jaki has made it her calling to breathe new life into Iloilo’s ancient past as textile capital of the Philippines. As prime mover of the Iloilo Designer’s Guild (DGI), she is scaling new heights with designs made from hablon, piña and abaca. In fact, her collections have already hit the runways of fashion capitals in Asia, United States and Europe. “Hablon is a hand-woven cloth made of cotton blends in plain or plaid patterns popularly woven in the towns of Miagao, Oton, Badiangon, Duenas and Igbaras.” “It’s about the tonality, texture, and wearability,” Jaki said of the hablon pieces. “I am simply fascinated by their patterns.” Jaki mixes locally-produced fabrics with imported materials for a more modern take. The result is an array of free-flowing frocks with handembroidered appliqués, dramatic cocktail dresses and soft, flowy gowns spiffed with artisan-quality embroidery. Jaki, whose designs were worn by Miss World and Miss Earth contestants last year, is also the official designer of the Ms. Republic of the Philippines beauty pageant contestants.

She has been invited to grace the London Fashion Week in February 2016. This adds another feather to her cap, since the clothing trade show is one of the big four fashion events in the world, together with New York, Paris and Milan. Her business acumen, rooted in early years, helped Jaki earn her mark here and abroad. Later this month, she will be off to do a show in Calgary and a Vancouver finale by the end of November. Hablon, if the Ilongga designer had her way, will soon dominate catwalks in the Philippines, Asia and the whole world. Meanwhile on Philippine Fest day, Aberdeen Centre will be transformed into a bargain mecca of authentic Philippine cuisine, gifts, jewellery, handicrafts, garments, bags and Christmas décor. People can feast their eyes on

artworks done by Dimasalang artists, as they take their artworks outside of museums and galleries and bring them to the festival for everyone to enjoy. Participants can likewise learn the intricate art of making the traditional Christmas lantern or “parol”. Community advocate Demi Avendano will hold a parol-making workshop with free materials on hand. Winners will be awarded prizes. Valuable prices such as a round-trip air ticket from Philippines Airlines; scholarship from Sprott Shaw College; diamond ring by Artic Diamonds; Sony smart phone by Pure Channel Communications; phone accessories; home phones; and many more are at stake for game show participants. Philippine Fest is a welcome addition to Vancouver’s Pinoy festivals and promises to be a whole afternoon of fun and festivity. ■

Jaki Penalosa (R) with model Yuhlia Khouri wearing one of her creations.

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TEAM PHILIPPINES in Canada, comprising all diplomatic and consular officials of the Philippines assigned to Canada, honorary consular officials as well as those from other agencies designated as contact persons and residing in the United States, recently converged in Winnipeg, MN to hold their annual Consular Consultations and Economic Diplomacy Workshop. Led by Philippine Ambassador to Canada Petronila P. Garcia, Team Philippines in Canada tackled issues affecting the delivery of consular and community services to the 700,000-strong Filipino diaspora in Canada, as well as assessing ways to move forward in further strengthening and enhancing various aspects of economic relations between the Philippines and Canada. In a province that saw the first major wave of migrants to Canada, Team Philippines discussed the various challenges and opportunities in providing timely and efficient services to the Filipino community spread across vast expanse of the country. The Philippines continues to be the top source country for new migrants for Canada, with 40,000 new Filipino migrants coming into the country in 2014. It has consistently figured prominently in such a trend in the past five years. Parallel to the entry of new migrants, and up until 2013, the Philippines was also the top source country for temporary workers into Canada. The growing number of Filipinos in Canada was front and center of discussions during the historical state visit to Canada of Pres. Benigno S. Aquino III last May. There are approximately 15,000 Canadians residing in the Philippines. The migration of Filipinos to Canada started via Winnipeg, as Filipinos now contribute to migrant dispersal across Canada. Large concentrations can be found in Ontario, British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. Filipinos are third largest visible minority in Canada and Tagalog is the fastest growing language in the country. The agreements signed during the visit of the President capped a period of a flurry of other significant developments that have tak-

en place – including the designation of the Philippines as a country of focus for development cooperation, as a priority emerging market under the Global Markets Access Plan (GMAP) of Canada, and extended privileges of Philippine exporters to bring in their goods into Canada at reduced tariffs under the General Preferential Tariff (GPT) program. The two countries also recently updated their Air Service Agreement making the Philippine carrier Philippine Airlines the only Asean carrier to have direct flights to and from Canada. The Philippines is the 14th largest trading partner of Canada in the Asia-Pacific. The trading relationship spans various sectors. Total merchandise trade stood at C$1.79 billion as of 2014. Trade in services trade totaled almost half a billion dollars. Canada ranks 7th largest source for tourists of the Philippines and Filipinos in Canada are among the highest source or remittances on a per capita basis. Team Philippines in Canada is composed by the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa, the Consulates General in Toronto and Vancouver, the office of attached agencies from the Department of Labor and Employment, and the accredited office of the Department of National Defense, the honorary consular officers in Charlottetown, Edmonton, Halifax, St. John’s and Winnipeg, and the contact points from the Department of Agriculture in Washington, DC, as well as both the Department of Tourism and the Department of Trade and Industry in New York and San Francisco. The Philippines is among Asia’s fastest growing economies. In the past five years, it has received numerous credit upgrades from various investment ratings organizations, and has made significant improvements in its global competitiveness rankings. As a major manufacturing hub and host of free ports, its major export products include electronics, transport equipment, garments, copper products, petroleum products, coconut oil and fruits. It has become a leading global business process outsourcing center in voice and other-non voice informationtechnology services. ■

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

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NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

Entertainment

‘Heneral Luna’ gives thanks BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer IT WAS a three-in-one celebration. Not so coincidentally, the thanksgiving party of “Heneral Luna” fell on the same day as the 149th birth anniversary of revolutionary Antonio Luna on Oct. 29. The big bash was held at the Sampaguita Gardens in Quezon City and the entire cast—led by Heneral Luna himself, John Arcilla—trooped to the venue. Also spotted at the party were cast members Ronnie Lazaro, Nonie Buencamino, Joem Bascon, Bing Pimentel, Mon Confiado, Archie Alemania, Ketchup Eusebio, Alex Medina, Mylene Dizon and Paulo Avelino, among others. Producers Fernando Ortigas and EA Rocha and filmmaker Jerrold Tarog beamed all night,

mighty proud that the historical epic earned P253 million after eight weeks in cinemas. The producers also announced at the party that the second part of Tarog’s historical trilogy, “Gregorio del Pilar,” is now “officially in development.” Avelino is being eyed to reprise the Del Pilar role, which he portrayed in “Heneral Luna” as well. “I hope ‘Del Pilar’ will match, if not surpass, the success of ‘Luna,’” Avelino said. The gathering also feted the producers’ five entries in the Circle Competition of the recently concluded QCinema International Film Festival: Lemuel Lorca’s “Water Lemon,” Chuck Gutierrez’s “Iisa,” Mihk Vergara’s “Patintero: Ang Alamat ni Meng Patalo,” Cesar Hernando’s “Gayuma” and Jet Leyco’s “Matangtubig.”

Arcilla, who had just returned from a concert tour in Europe, has run out of words to express his gratitude. “I initially felt the project’s success when the audience took ownership of the film on its second week in cinemas. They started promoting it on social media. As early as then, I had already thanked God and congratulated everyone in the production—especially Tito Nando (Ortigas) for having full confidence in the film.” Ortigas never imagined that “Heneral Luna” would become not just a box-office sensation, but a social media phenomenon as well. “I still have another wild dream … that ‘ Heneral Luna’ would make it at the Oscars,” Ortigas said. “Heneral Luna” is the country’s bet in the best foreign language category of the Academy Awards in 2016. ■

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Double victory for PH in beauty competitions BY ARMIN P. ADINA Philippine Daily Inquirer OCTOBER PROVED to be a rewarding month for the Binibining Pilipinas Charities Inc. ( BPCI) as two of its candidates bagged international recognitions, including a historic first victory for the country. Kapampangan beauty Ann Lorraine Colis was proclaimed the first Filipino Miss Globe winner on Oct. 11 in Toronto, Canada, while Baguio- based Parul Shah placed fourth in the

2015 Miss Grand International contest on Oct. 25 in Bangkok, Thailand. These results were sort of a pleasant surprise to these two beauties. When Shah and Colis received the Bb. Pilipinas-Tourism crown in 2014 and 2015, respectively, there were no global tilts for them. But just before Shah’s contract with the BPCI expired in September, the group’s chair Stella Marquez- Araneta sealed a deal with the Miss Grand International organizers. Araneta later struck an agreement with the Miss Globe pag-

eant, so Colis became the first of the 2015 queens to compete abroad. “When I got to Toronto, I didn’t expect anything. I just told myself that I would do my best to make the Filipino people proud,” Colis, 22, told the INQUIRER during her homecoming press conference at the newly- opened Novotel at the Araneta Center in Quezon City. And not only did she make her countrymen proud, her victory also served as an inspiration for her fellow beauty queens. “This will serve as a great in-

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spiration and motivation for us to win in our respective pageants,” added 2015 Miss Universe Philippines Pia Wurtzbach, who will represent the Philippines in the 2015 Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Dec. 20. Shah, meanwhile, expressed elation over her performance in the Bangkok- based pageant, which she said was a culmination of her pageant career. “I’m so proud of where I stand today. Hopefully, this is not the end of my journey, [ and] hopefully, a new chapter will begin,” said Shah, 27, at her homecom-

ing press conference, also at the Novotel. Proof unnecessary

Her 2014 batchmate, Bb. Pilipinas- Supranational Yvethe Santiago, said: “We all know you won that night. You don’t need a crown to prove that. I hope you inspire a lot of girls.” Wurtzbach, who also joined the 2014 national pageant where Shah bagged her local crown, said: “This is truly a lucky year for us, and I hope the streak continues until the end of the year.” ■

Entertainment

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Mendoza to work Tears, trials, triumph with Asian directors for Shamaine BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer TOKYO — Filipino filmmaker Brillante Ma. Mendoza said he would never pass up the opportunity to work on an omnibus film with two other directors from Japan and Cambodia because it would mean having another shot at representing the country in the global film industry. The project, called “Asian Three-Fold Mirror,” is a coproduction of the Japan Foundation Asia Center and the Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF). “The project will reflect each country’s society and culture in three different angles and presentations,” the TIFF said in a statement. Aside from Mendoza, Japan’s Isao Yukisada and Cambodia’s Sotho Kulikar will be working on the omnibus film. The world premiere of their completed project will be at the 29th TIFF. It is also expected to tour major film festivals and to be released in Japan in 2016, the TIFF statement stated. “TIFF organizers went to Manila in 2014 to ask me if I would be amenable to doing it and I said ‘yes’ immediately. I liked that we would be given 100-percent creative freedom on how we would execute the film,” Mendoza told the INQUIRER in an interview at the Mori Tower Cinema Lounge in

Filipino director Brillante Mendoza.

Roppongi Hills here. “We’ve already met twice— the first was in July,” Mendoza said. The second discussion happened on Oct. 23, a day after the 28th TIFF opening ceremony. They all agreed that the three films would have one unifying thread. Elderly “I can’t divulge the details, except that the films will be about the elderly. There will also be one object that will link all three. Mine will be shown first.” The TIFF project is not the first multinational omnibus for Mendoza. He did a fiveminute film for a project produced by the Hong Kong IFF, and another, a one-minuter, for the Venice IFF. “However, this is the longest so far at 30 minutes. It’s a privilege to work with Asia’s best artists,” he said. Mendoza stressed that he would not be competing with the other two directors. “What’s important are the lessons the directors will be able to impart to their audience,” he noted. “They’re both very professional and are willing to listen to my ideas.” The 28th TIFF organized a retrospective of Mendoza’s works. Among those featured in the festival’s Crosscut Asia section were “Foster Child,” “Lola,” “Serbis,” “Thy Womb” and “Taklub.” TIFF ended on Oct. 31. ■

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BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer ON THE FEAST day of Our Lady of Sorrows in September, actress Shamaine Centenera Buencamino prayed for a sign that her late daughter Julia was at peace. Specifically, Shamaine asked for an origami crane because Julia had patiently folded “close to a hundred paper cranes” for older sister Delphine’s wedding in April. Interestingly, the first time she attended a Mass for the dead at the columbary, Shamaine found what she prayed for at Julia’s crypt: an origami crane. “Julia has taught me to completely put my trust in God,” she said. It was a year of devastating lows and exhilarating highs for Shamaine and her husband, fellow actor Nonie Buencamino. She acted in two plays, “Juego del Peligro” and “33 Variations”—both showered with rave reviews. He was in the cast of the movie, “Heneral Luna,” a critical and commercial smash. “This year, Nonie and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary,” she told the INQUIRER in a Face Time interview. “This year, we also had our first wedding in the family. Our eldest, Delphine, got married in April. I also turned 50 this year. Then our daughter Julia died in July.” She said the last sentence without dramatic flourish— even though the media made a big fuss of the passing of her youngest daughter Julia, who took her own life after struggling with depression, “the invisible war,” for years. She was only 15. On the day of the INQUIRER interview, Shamaine had a consultation with a psychiatrist—her first appointment. She shared the results of the “psychological autopsy session” on Facebook to encourage other young people to seek help. “We learned that Julia had both high IQ and EQ (intellectual and emotional quotients). That was why she was able to hide what she was going through for three years,” www.canadianinquirer.net

Shamaine Buencamino with late daughter Julia. @SHAMAINEBUENCAMINO / INSTAGRAM

Shamaine wrote on Facebook. “She suffered so much but being young, she didn’t want to be perceived as ‘broken’ and thought she could cope on her own.” Shamaine recalled that Julia had stopped three of her friends from committing suicide, “but she couldn’t save herself.” God’s ‘different plan’

If there is a lesson she has learned in the tumult and tears, it’s how fleeting life is. “Life is indeed short,” she told the INQUIRER. “We have to live moment by moment. We cannot wait for the future. We have to appreciate what we have in the here and now.” Like any mother, she had high hopes for Julia, who was not only a budding actress and a mainstay in a popular TV series (ABS-CBN’s “Oh My G”) but a gifted poet and artist. “I was expecting my child to be around forever,” she said. “I was hoping to watch her grow up. I was looking forward to becoming a grandmother to her children. But God had a different plan.” She has found strength in her faith There are mornings she would wake up with a start, startled by the thought that her daughter was gone. “When I wake up, the realization that my daughter has died shocks me every time,” she said. “The only thing that keeps me strong enough to face the day is going to Mass and lifting everything up to the Lord.” Spiritual journey

She said there were numerous obstacles in her spiritual

journey. “Even if I declare ‘Thy will be done’ most of the time, like any human being I would still believe in my own power to direct my life, to choose what I want, to will my future,” she said. Her daughter’s passing taught her otherwise. “Our life is truly in God’s hands. We just have to accept the difficult trials, illness, death, sadness and trust that He has a good plan for us,” she said. “I have to believe there is a plan, that trials are not a punishment. We just have to do His will.” Her faith became her anchor. She has been a “cooperator’ in the Catholic personal prelature Opus Dei for the past three years. She has been attending Mass daily, along with regular spiritual studies and retreats. Strength from family

She has also turned to her husband, Nonie, and their three kids for solace. “We rely on each other a lot,” she said. “Since we have experienced so much sorrow, the whole family has become closer. We watch out for each other. We give each other strength.” Tragedy made them grow together as a family. “We realized how fleeting life is. Sometimes we assume our loved ones will be around all the time. We really need to give importance to each other because we don’t know God’s plan. We have to tell each other ‘I love you’ as often as we can.” Her family and her faith pulled her through. ❱❱ PAGE 32 Tears, trials

Entertainment

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Elton John reflects on past year at annual AIDS gala BY JOHN CARUCCI The Associated Press NEW YORK — Elton John says changes in the U.S. over the past year have positively affected the LGBT community, including the Supreme Court’s decision on marriage equality. But he says “there’s more history to be made” in the fight against HIV/AIDS. John made his remarks at “An Enduring Vision: A Benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation,” Monday night in New York. He also broke down the numbers, stating that 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV/AIDS. To rousing applause, John told the crowd that each of them is “an individual that deserves dignity.” The evening’s festivities was hosted by Anderson Cooper. Before the event, John and husband David Furnish walked the red carpet and spoke candidly about the foundation, new issues in fighting the disease, and his upcoming album. But the philanthropic rocker was less forthcoming on his upcoming Broadway musical. “We have a new musical in the works,” John said but was quickly hushed before going on about the secret project.

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“I can’t tell you any more than that,” he said as he broke into laughter because the project is still under wraps. The jovial laughing continued as Furnish responded, “Good answer.” As for the new record, John says he can’t wait to promote it. “It’s like a throwback to the 70s, but sounding even punchier. It’s a rock ‘n’ roll record up-tempo, joyous. I’m thrilled,” he said. “T-Bone Burnett and I produced (it), my band play on it. It’s called, ‘Wonderful Crazy Night,” he said. As for the foundation, both John and Furnish said they’re happy with all that it has accomplished, but still feel there’s more work to be done to combat the stigma of AIDS among some people and to educate young people who no longer see it as a health threat. “I’m proud of what we’ve done, but the journey is not complete. I won’t be proud un-

til the journey is complete,” John said. Furnish, who is the foundation’s chairman, shared the advancements the organization has made since it began in 2001. “We’ve come so far with treatment that actual treatment is prevention. You can reduce the load virus so low now in someone’s body that the risk of passing it on to someone else is practically zero,” Furnish said. But he also stressed that awareness of the disease leaves much to be desired. “What hasn’t changed is the mindset associated with knowing your status and testing and then living a positive happy life if you are HIV-positive and staying on the medications,” he said. John said some people have become cavalier about the disease. “It bothers me a lot because people should know by now with the amount of information out there, and the amount of medication available that you shouldn’t be - in this day and age - you shouldn’t get infected.” He said that attitude is “less of a problem in sub-Saharan Africa than it is sometimes in educated countries. People think, ‘You know what, it’s a livable disease.’“■

FRIDAY

Tears, trials... “More than anything else, the best thing is to be prepared spiritually,” she said. “Life can never really prepare you for grief. Sometimes we are not even ready for happiness.” ❰❰ 31

Personal triumph

In a year of tribulations, Shamaine also got a taste of personal triumph—she was nominated for best actress at the 9th Asia Pacific Screen Awards (Apsa) for her work in Sigrid Andrea Bernardo’s “Lorna.” The awards ceremony will be held in Brisbane, Australia, on Nov. 26. This year, she is the only Filipino to be nominated, which gives her the rare chance to be inducted to the Apsa academy, too. Previous Apsa nominees and academy members from the Philippines include actress Nora Aunor and filmmaker Brillante Ma. Mendoza, who both won for “Thy Womb” in 2012. Real fulfillment

The Asia Pacific Screen Academy, according to its website, is comprised of the “most influential names in film” in the region. When Shamaine learned of her nomination, she was not her usual “ecstatic” self. “I didn’t jump up and down,” she said. Perhaps her daughter’s passing had a sobering effect on her. “After my daughter’s death, one thing I learned is there are

more important things in life,” Shamaine said. She is no stranger to accolades, having won best supporting actress at the Asian Film Awards for “Niño” in 2012. “I was thankful,” she said of the Apsa nomination. “Then I saw the list of nominees—from Russia, Iran, Japan, South Korea.” It was a formidable list. She will travel to Brisbane to attend the ceremony—as a bonus, she gets to bring her husband as her “plus one.” Her aunt, based in Australia, is sponsoring her husband’s trip. On the Apsa red carpet, she will don a terno by renowned designer Patis Tesoro. “I’ll travel all the way to San Pablo (Laguna) for [fittings of ] my ‘national costume,’ as requested by Apsa,” she said. “The trip [to Patis’ shop] is like therapy for me. Patis is very generous—not only with her time and talent but also with her wisdom. And the gown will be awesome!” For someone who has seen life from both sides now, as the song goes, Shamaine has become more reflective about awards and show business. “The fulfillment is not in the awards for your work in a film,” she said. “It is in the process of making the film. The real fulfillment is in seeing, believing and feeling you have given life to a character. Awards are just a bonus. Your validation should come from the people who’ve enjoyed and loved the film.” ■

Justin Bieber completes sentence in egg vandalism case BY ANTHONY MCCARTNEY The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Justin Bieber’s cleanup work at a homeless shelter has paid off, with a judge agreeing Monday to take him off formal probation in a vandalism case filed after he damaged a neighbor’s home with eggs. Bieber’s attorney presented proof Monday that the pop singer had completed 40 hours of community labor, the final term of his sentence in misdemeanor case.

A program manager at a homeless shelter where Bieber completed many of the hours praised Bieber for being willing to get “his hands dirty” by performing maintenance and janitorial work, according to a probation report filed Monday. Bieber was required to perform community labor, repay around $80,000 in damage to his neighbor’s house and undergo anger management counseling as part of his sentence. His progress completing work at the homeless shelter was slowed by an ankle injury,

but Bieber has received favorable reports from probation officials throughout the case. Bieber was sued earlier this year by Jeff and Suzanne Schwartz, his former neighbors whose home he damaged in January 2014. Jeff Schwartz’s suit also accuses Bieber of terrorizing his family with loud driving, unsafe driving and claims the singer spit in his face during one incident. Bieber, 21, has since moved out of the gated community. He did not attend Monday’s hearing. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Pop sensation Justin Bieber.

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FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Lifestyle

From Bautista’s bat flip to embarrassing bands, the perils of timely tattoos BY VICTORIA AHEARN The Canadian Press TORONTO — Just hours after slugger Jose Bautista made an indelible mark in Toronto Blue Jays history with his nowfamous bat flip, Byran Bevins sought to make the moment even more permanent. The factory worker from Oshawa, Ont., got a tattoo of Bautista doing his celebratory bat toss in Game 5 of the series versus the Texas Rangers — less than 24 hours after it happened. Baseball hysteria in Toronto would ultimately last just a little over a week longer before the Jays were eliminated by the Kansas City Royals. But Bevins has no regrets about his inked image, which is on his upper-left thigh and took more than six hours to create. “Well, maybe when I’m older and it starts to fade and kind of looks dumb,” says Bevins, who has six other tattoos. “But that would be only because of looks, not because of what it is.” Bevins got the tattoo after FY Ink in Toronto took to social media to recruit one Jays “superfan” to get the bat-flip image inked on their body for free. It was a gimmick, but it points to a growing trend that’s been noticed by Mike McLaine, owner of Precision Laser Tattoo Removal in Toronto. “It seems to be a trend that now you get some kind of event, something going on in the news, and invariably somebody decides to go out there and mark the occasion irreversibly with a tattoo,” says McLaine. FY Ink made headlines for a similar campaign two years ago, when one of its apprentices got a tattoo of then-mayor Rob Ford smoking a crack pipe. “He thought it was cool until the second day when all the comments (on the story) were pretty friggin’ harsh,” says FY Ink owner Lee Baxter. “He was just like, ‘Man, my

Blue Jays’ Jose Bautista.

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parents are ... pissed off at me,”‘ der the required age of 18, even “I’d rather make sure that he added, using an unprintable if they’re with their consenting person gets it done somewhere expletive. parents. that’s really safe and clean and I A love of certain musicians Baxter once turned away a know we’re notable for that, so or bands seems to drive many 17-year-old girl who went in why not?” he says. impulsive tattoo requests. A cli- with her mother asking for lyr“It’s a form of expression. ent at FY Ink, for example, got ics from a Nine Inch Nails song Something that I might have one of Chris Brown’s face. Bax- to be tattooed from her wrist to an opinion on, somebody else ter says many clients want to her armpit. might disagree. So where do ink musical artyou really draw ists’ autographs, the line?” while McLaine M c L a i n e has had several thinks the trend clients ask to reIt seems to be a trend that now you is partly a result move those types get some kind of event, something of tattoos beof tattoos. going on in the news, and invariably coming so ubiq“We’ve actusomebody decides to go out there uitous, resulting ally removed the and mark the occasion irreversibly in a mentality of name of a boy with a tattoo, “everybody has band off somea tattoo, so why body,” he says. shouldn’t I get While some one?” he says. tattoo parlours have their own He takes body placement se“The second part, a disturbcode of ethics, Baxter’s isn’t as riously. ing trend is this undercurrent strict. He calls himself “more “If someone comes in and of ... ‘Well why shouldn’t I get a of a businessman” who believes they say ‘Go Jays go’ and they tattoo, because I can always get that a parlour “should offer want to put it on their forehead, it removed.’ While that’s true, from A to Z tattooing” while well I’m probably going to tell it’s a time-consuming, painful, focusing on hygiene and quality them it’s a real bad idea and we expensive process.” work. don’t really want to have anyThe cost of full tattoo removBut he takes a harder line thing to do with it,” says Baxter. al at his clinic depends on the with younger clients who have But if they’re persistent size of the work. McLaine says lofty ideas, especially those un- about it, he won’t refuse. at the low end, it’s about $1,700. www.canadianinquirer.net

And clients need about four to eight treatments to get one fully removed, depending on the depth of the ink (faded ink is easier to remove). McLaine estimates a work like the Bautista tattoo would cost about $3,000 and take a few treatments to get rid of. Of course, Bevins isn’t concerned with that right now. After all, Bautista praised it on his Instagram account and met with Bevins in the team’s locker room. “I started showing Bautista the tattoo and (the other Jays) all just kind of kept calling each other over until pretty much the whole team was surrounding me,” recalls Bevins. “I was just standing there in my underwear showing them my tattoo.” While the Blue Jays buzz was worn off, Bevins is still proud of the piece. “They still did really well in my eyes. They really pulled together and still made things happen, made for a good season.” ■

Lifestyle

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

Online recipes adapting with quick, slick social media video format BY LOIS ABRAHAM The Canadian Press

Jamie Oliver.

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Jamie Oliver calls on Canada to bolster child nutrition BY LOIS ABRAHAM The Canadian Press TORONTO — Jamie Oliver is calling on Canadians to push Justin Trudeau to develop a strategy for child nutrition, including more education, a crackdown on junk food advertising and better labelling on food products. “You’re in a really exciting time because you’ve got a new prime minister and that means hope and possibility, but no one’s talking about what the strategy is for child health in this country,” said the British celebrity chef during an interview in Toronto. “I think that’s a bit worrying.... Should all kids in Canada learn how to grow and cook at school? Because they should. And to not is wrong, and to not is damaging to the economy in the future.” The outspoken advocate for better food education around the globe thinks Canadians should demand more from the new incoming Liberal government. “The moms and dads and the teenagers of Canada need to ask for that because if we don’t ask, we’ll just crack on with work and that’s a problem.” Oliver was in Toronto to promote his new cookbook, “Everyday Super Food” (HarperCollins), and TV show, “Jamie’s Super Food.”

Although he’s not averse to using bacon and beef in his recipes, he “completely supports” the World Health Organization’s recent declaration that processed meats raise the risk of colon and stomach cancer and that red meat is probably also harmful. “The message from the World Health Organization is ‘Wind it back, guys. You’re eating too much of it,”‘ Oliver said. “Processed meats are a joy and a pleasure,” he added, but they can be high in salt, fat, and preservatives. “Bit of bacon for breakfast, bit of ham in a sandwich for lunch, and a nugget or a burger for dinner. We repeat that and it causes disease and that’s what they’re saying.” In his new cookbook and TV series, which airs Sunday on Food Network Canada, Oliver focuses on using simple everyday ingredients that have health benefits when cooked together. “There’s no golden bullet. There’s no one thing that fixes everything or has everything. Even things that are very, very good and nutrient dense are not complete in everything you need, so it’s really about the context of bringing a cluster of various things together to make a wicked dish,” said Oliver, who also announced the first Jamie’s Italian restaurant in North America is expected to open in December at Toronto’s

Yorkdale Shopping Centre. “So super food to me is food that’s balanced, controlled calories, nutrient dense and food that’s going to fill you with good stuff and ultimately make you feel better.” In the TV episodes, Oliver visits places identified as having people who live significantly longer and healthier lives, including Okinawa, Japan, the Greek island of Ikaria, and Costa Rica. Back in the United Kingdom, he incorporated the diet secrets he uncovered into recipes for the show and cookbook. In the process, he said he dropped some weight and got an energy boost. “I think, ultimately, it made me a bit more streetwise about making myself the most happy and optimal that I can be. Probably, like most people, I just want to be a good dad, a good husband, a good boss and feel good.” He also suggested that people aren’t taught enough about how to shop smart and it’s at the supermarket that mistakes generally occur. “Trade up from, say, white rice to brown, couscous, whole breads. Fibre is the next big thing over the next 10 years, so go for it,” he said. “If you get wiser, you live longer, you’ll be happier, you’ll probably do better in your job and you will probably be on the planet for a bit longer.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

“(And) I thought it was pretty cool that after making these apple roses, I clicked on the hashtag and was like ‘Wow, look TORONTO — It seems you at all the others’ and got to see can’t scroll through Facebook people from all over the world anymore without coming doing the same thing I was doacross another slick, quick vid- ing. eo recipe. “I didn’t even realize it at the A Tip Hero video tutorial time. I thought that was pretty demonstrating how to make special.” baked apple roses went viral Katherine Holland, a 31-yearprior to Thanksgiving and has old Toronto-based photoggarnered 200 million views rapher, was also lured by the on Facebook. video recipe and Red velvet brain said she apprecakes and other ciated that she edible zombie could see the frights were whole process trending last I think the from start to finweek. videos are ish in just over a Rayna Marreally great minute. lee Schwartz, a because ... “Whereas if freelance prop it breaks it you’re watching and craft stylist down step ... the Food Netin Toronto, saw by step and work, to make the apple roses I know I (can) one of those recipe — which watch it over things you’re involves rolling and over committing to 35 slices of the fruit again as I go. minutes and by with puff pastry the time you’re and baking them done you’re like: in a muffin tin to ‘I have no interresemble a flowest in this anyer — online and more. That is the decided to give it a try. amount of time I could have ac“I think the videos are re- tually made that,”‘ she said. ally great because ... it breaks it If there’s a drawback to getdown step by step and I know ting hooked on the social media I (can) watch it over and over recipe trend it’s trying to find again as I go,” said Schwartz, 28, the right instructions when you who shared her results on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. ❱❱ PAGE 39 Online recipes

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Travel

CHING DEE / PCI

Dumaguet-in on!

Let’s get it on in Dumaguete: The land of great food and gentle people BY CHING DEE Philippine Canadian Inquirer WHEN YOU ask travelers about what to do in Dumaguete City, you will most likely hear just one activity: EAT! And they are right for a deliciously good reason. From Vegan to European to downright Pinoy cuisine, you have hundreds of dining choices when in Dumaguete. Here are three foodie stops you should definitely check out on your visit to the University Town. Feeling young and fun? Head on to Panda Ice Cream Haus at Ma. Cristina Street to sample a Dumaguete original: Fried Ice Cream. It’s crunchy and chewy bread-like exterior when bitten will give way to their sweet and creamy homechurned ice cream (you can choose from vanilla, mocha, and ube). It’s like a party of textures and sensations inside your pie hole. Or in this case, your ice cream hole. Craving for Italian home cooking?

Right on the corner of V. Locsin and Sta. Catalina Street is the only Italian restaurant in the city rightfully called Pasta King. From olio to rosso to biancha, this place is home to delicious pasta, whether you prefer it creamy or tangy or both. And don’t get me started on their pizza! Their food is simply something that you’d have to taste for yourself in order to understand. They have a wide variety of choices for appetizers, pastas, pizza, and beverages. They also offer Filipino dishes like adobo and sinigang. Fine dining in the city just across the famous Rizal Boulevard? No problem. Just walk on to Casablanca Delicatessen and Fine Dining. Named after the famous Humphrey Bogart classic, this restaurant will surely steal your heart and fill your bellies with great food. The establishment boasts both its fine food choices and delicatessen, where you can buy imported cold cuts and cheeses. Their servings are enormous, which might make date night a bit tricky, but believe me – the giant serving is the least

of your worries when the food tastes this good! Their food is delicious and priced just right. I strongly urge you to try their oven potatoes with truffle cream, which will make your dining experience even more memorable. Now, before you start worrying about

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packing a few pounds during your visit, know that the city is just big enough that you can walk around without getting dangerously lost. And should you find yourself about-to-cry-for-mommy kind of lost, be reminded that this city is known as the City of Gentle People. ■

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

Business

Millennials seen as new growth driver for banks BY DORIS DUMLAOABADILLA Philippine Daily Inquirer UNLIKE THE generations before them, today’s young people are not afraid or shy to tap bank loans to buy gadgets, cars, condominium units or to set up businesses. These millennials in their 20s to early 30s are thus becoming a new growth driver of consumer lending, now accounting for about 20 percent of the personal loan portfolio of BPI Family Savings Bank, the country’s largest thrift bank. “Most borrowers are still in the age of 35 to 50 but we have noted an increase in propensity among the younger age group,” said Ginbee Go, senior vice president for retail loans at BPI Family. “They usually start with personal loans, then they move to auto loans. They want to have their own cars. I think that for most young ones entering the workforce, that’s their trophy. It’s interesting to see them borrowing for a home (purchase). Usually after five years of working, they start thinking of in-

vesting even in a small studio sibly, not to lend excessive hand at entrepreneurship, at(condominium) unit,” Go said. amount that young people tributing this to the introducThe millennials now ac- could not afford. The bank tion of entrepreneurship classcount for 5 to 10 percent of BPI also helps to educate these es and other specialized courses Family’s other retail banking young people and assists them in schools and universities. segments like car, housing or with lower rates and more af“Interestingly, the young “KaNegosyo” (business) loans. fordable financing. are being more creative. They For car loans, the average age For personal loans, Go said are so into creating their own of borrowers is about 30 years the millennials typically could business. You see the growth in old while housing loans are borrow an amount 1 to 1.5 times online business, in some form dominated by 40-something their monthly salary and am- or another—whether it’s develpeople while the “Ka-Negosyo” ortize the loan for as long as 36 oping a software and offering loan is mostly them to compatapped by people nies or online in their 50s. But commerce per se Go noted that by putting up eyounger borrowInterestingly, the young are being commerce sites. ers in their 20s more creative. They are so into These are new to early 30s repcreating their own business. industries that resent an emergwere not in place ing key segment. before and you “In the past, see more and normally they (young people) months at a rate comparable more of the young gravitating would be afraid (to borrow). to the cost of transferring out- toward that,” she said. Our parents will tell us, don’t standing balance in credit cards Banks like BPI Family are borrow because it’s scary. Save or about 2 percent per month. willing to extend as low as money,” Go said. “But now, the So a millennial earning P25,000 P100,000 in loan to fund startyoung have the propensity to can borrow as much as P40,000, up businesses although the avget a loan not because they’re typically to buy a new gadget or erage loan size under the “Kanot aware of the risks but they to travel. Negosyo” offering is P3 million. know that with employment, Overall, the BPI group re“Franchising is a way by with regular cash flow, they can ported P173 billion in total re- which the young—and even our put their money to better use, tail loans as of the end of 2014. retirees—can try their hands so they can invest. And they are At present, the group has a re- at entrepreneurship,” she said, good payers.” tail client base of about 180,000. noting how a number of young She said it was a practice of Go also noted that millenni- people were likewise trying out BPI Family to lend respon- als were bolder in trying their this option. “There’s a lot of www.canadianinquirer.net

buzz about entrepreneurship.” “The young ones go for franchises which are affordable and easy enough to manage,” she said, citing brands like “Potato Corner” or “Generika” (generic pharmacy) as examples. Overall, BPI Family is upbeat on lending more to households and small businesses, where average loan yields are higher at 8.5 percent compared to lending to top-tier corporations. This is in line with the bank’s strategy to focus on growing retail loan volume by at least 15 percent each year. “We have a growing population. The increasing disposable incomes point to opportunities for us and we have barely skimmed the surface,” she said. After doubling its business in the last five years, BPI Family sees its business becoming more broad-based, with more auto loans going into more affordable brands and models, more housing loans on the mass and affordable housing segments and more “Ka-Negosyo” loans among the micro, small and medium enterprises. Getting the millennials into the net is also a way of riding on the country’s demographic dividends. ■

Business

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

PH drops in World Bank ranking on doing business BY JANE MORALEDA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA — The Philippines slips six notches from 97th to 103rd place among 189 countries in the 2016 edition of the World Bank-International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) annual “Doing Business” report, which gauges economies in terms of ease of doing business in a country for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The Doing Business report measures and tracks regulatory quality and efficiency based on detailed diagnostics on the business regulations affecting 10 areas in the life cycle of a business, namely: starting a business, dealing with construction permits, getting electricity, registering property, getting credit, protecting minority investors, paying taxes, trading across borders, enforcing contracts, and resolving insolvency. Despite the government’s efforts to expedite ways of starting businesses and drive inclusive growth within the country, the Philippines still lags behind due to low DTF scores in the indicators and the increasing competitiveness of other countries. PH slips in ASEAN ranking as well

Previously at the 5th place among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members, the decline in the 2016 rankings also pulled the Philippines down to the 6th spot. Singapore, on the other hand, topped the ease of doing business list for the 10th consecutive year. It is followed by Malaysia (18th), Thailand (49th), Brunei (84th), and Vietnam (90th) which comprised the top five ASEAN economies where doing business is easier compared to its neighboring countries. Other East Asia nations Indonesia, Cambodia and Laos also improved, while the Philippines becomes one of the lowest in the region. Stable position, tougher competition

The World Bank report, however, does not measure all aspects of the business envi-

The Philippines slips six notches from 97th to 103rd place among 189 countries in the 2016 edition of the World BankInternational Finance Corporation’s (IFC) annual “Doing Business” report. SHUTTERSTOCK

ronment such as corruption, level of labor skills, proximity to markets, macroeconomic stability, and regulations specific to foreign investment or financial markets, according to IFC operations officer Roberto Galang. Moreover, World Bank Country Director for the Philippines Motoo Konishi stresses that despite the drop, the Philippines “is increasingly characterized by strong economic growth, low inflation, healthy current account surplus, more than adequate international reserves and a sustainable fiscal position— a combination never before seen in history.” Konishi notes that the country remains in a stable position in terms of doing business but needs to step up further its game to address the tougher competition and be at par with its neighboring countries. “[The Philippines is] now in a much tougher, much competitive environment. Even Hong Kong which is third ranked had four reforms last year. The top is moving all the time, therefore we have to move faster for the Philippines to gain ground,” he says. “The Philippines has been doing reforms, it simply needs to accelerate to compete with others in the neighborhood,” he adds. Galang believes it will be easier for the Philippines to concentrate on regulatory reforms that do not entail the passage of new laws as it would only take an increase of 7 DTF points to put the country into the top third of countries.

The IFC operations officer also mentions that a specific area that can be improved is tax collections as the mandatory 36 payments annually cost SMEs 193 hours of work. “Without reducing any taxes, we could make life easier for SMEs by simply asking for annual payment for VAT or for PhilHealth,” he says. NCC expresses disappointment, questions report

The National Competitiveness Council (NCC), for its part, disputes the results of the World Bank’s latest Doing Business report, asserting that the report has undergone methodological changes in four of the last five years which made it confusing and unreliable for measuring change. The council also claims that the report fails to reflect some of the on-going changes due to reforms in business regulations announced earlier this year. “Despite our efforts to introduce reform projects to improve the ease of doing business in the Philippines, IFC shows different sets of scores and rankings every year due to a change in methodology,” NCC head Guillermo Luz says in a statement. “The changes are applied retroactively so even prior years’ results are changed without our knowledge. This makes it difficult to tell whether we are on the right track or not using this instrument. It has become unreliable,” he adds. Through its Gameplan for the Ease of Doing Business, www.canadianinquirer.net

the NCC makes improvements by streamlining processes and introducing reforms across the indicators under starting a business. Two reforms have already been implemented to impact the indicators. One is a simpler and easier process in starting a business. From the previous course of 16 steps over 34 days, entrepreneurs now only have to undergo six steps over eight days. With this reform, the SEC is currently able to process 13.182 filings daily— an increase of 24 percent for the April-September 2015 period as compared to the number of filings processed in the same period last year. Another reform is with regards to paying taxes. As part of the e-government initiatives, PhilHealth and Pag-ibig payroll-related payments can now be transacted online and the E-Court system provides access to court employees and judges also via the internet. “We have done so much to improve doing business in the Philippines. However, the Doing Business report doesn’t capture these initiatives and the constant methodology change and recalculation of ranking every year is of no help. We need consistency in the diagnostic tool to monitor ourselves, and better measure our performance,” Luz says. “What we need is a tool that tells us accurately if we did well or worse.” “We recognize we need to continue introducing reforms and improvements in the ease of doing business and will continue to do so. Continuous improvement will take place

through high levels of collaboration and cooperation across government agencies and between the public and private sectors,” he adds. It can be noted that the Philippines has gained a total of 45 spots in the last five years. It has been ranked at 95th place from the original report published last year but has been revised to 97th after adjusting for data revisions and the changes in methodology. Luz then compares the Doing Business report with the World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Competitiveness Index which has only been through five changes in the past 20 years. “They’re shooting themselves in the foot because the report loses credibility as a result because the numbers and the rankings keep changing… It’s a serious problem because while they may be just changing measurements, we are in fact instituting reforms in order to improve based on these metric which takes a lot of effort and time,” he says in a report. “We have a lot to fix, and we will continue to do so, but how do we measure what to fix? This tool is starting to become unreliable and maybe we need a different tool,” he adds. Purisima backs NCC

Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima backs the NCC and slams the World Bank report as “erratic” and “unsound.” “The Philippines believes that the Doing Business survey methodology of collecting sample data from one or only two cities makes it inappropriate to present the report as reflective of the state of doing business for an entire economy,” Purisima says in a report. “Countries, especially developing ones like the Philippines, will have bright spots of promise in some areas and not in others,” he adds. “With this methodology, the DB (Doing Business) survey should be aptly titled as ‘Doing Business Across Cities’ to provide a better representation of the results of the report” The World Bank, for its part, admits that their survey only focused on each country’s “largest business city”— which is the Quezon City for the Philippines report. ■

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

Sports

New Toronto FC president says he was embarrassed at club’s playoff meltdown BY NEIL DAVIDSON The Canadian Press TORONTO — The shockwaves from Toronto FC’s humiliating post-season exit continued Tuesday as the team’s top executives acknowledged the franchise needs a major defensive upgrade. A first-ever playoff appearance quickly turned into a postseason flop as Toronto was thumped 3-0 last Thursday by the Montreal Impact. New team president Bill Manning watched the debacle at chilly Saputo Stadium with Larry Tanenbaum, chairman of owner Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. “I was embarrassed,” said Manning, who has been on the job for all of two weeks. “I was embarrassed as a president and a CEO . . . It’s not something that’s acceptable for me in terms of going forward.” GM Tim Bezbatchenko echoed his new boss. “We laid an egg,” he said. “When we got to the game, we didn’t show up .... I’m embarrassed for myself, I’m embarrassed for the team. I think all the players and the coaches are. And I think the ownership is as well,” he added. Captain Michael Bradley, still upset over the loss, said the team must use its frustration and anger to move forward. “Nobody’s happy with going out in the first round of the playoffs,” he said. “Not even close. “It leaves a bad taste in your

mouth and that’s not something that’s going away any time quickly.” There were positives, none more so than a potent offence built around Italian Sebastian Giovinco, who led the league in scoring. But franchise single-season records for wins (15), home victories (11), points (49) and goals scored (58) — admittedly modest marks given the team’s lacklustre history — were forgotten in the wake of the playoff collapse. While improving a porous defence was the theme of the day, no one seemed to have an explanation for why Toronto failed to answer the bell in Montreal. Bezbatchenko said the debrief was not yet complete. Manning said coach Greg Vanney will return but with expectations of an improved product. Toronto (15-15-4, 49 points) was sixth in the Eastern Conference this season and has yet to finish above. 500 in nine years in Major League Soccer. “I think Greg deserves the opportunity to continue what they’ve started here,” said Manning, who nevertheless acknowledged he had thought hard about the coaching position. The top priority is fixing a defence that leaked 58 goals this season. “Goals change games and we gave away too many goals,” said Vanney. Manning says the objective next season is to concede no more than 45 goals while collecting 50-plus points.

The defence has been the elephant in the TFC room all year. Losing veteran centreback Steven Caldwell to a career-ending injury and fullback Mark Bloom to a season-ending injury early in the year did not help the cause but Toronto never found replacements. “I always try not to make excuses, especially end of season,” said left fullback Justin Morrow, who somewhat worryingly proved to be the team’s best option at right fullback. “But when I look back on it, it always felt like we were trying to plug a hole somewhere.” Morrow, Caldwell, Ashtone Morgan, Damien Perquis, Ahmed Kantari, Josh Williams, Nick Hagglund, Eriq Zavaleta, Daniel Lovitz, Marky Delgado and Brazil’s Jackson all saw action on the backline. Chris Konopka replaced the injured Joe Bendik in goal. Judging from Bezbatchenko, reinforcement ‘keepers may be coming. “We weren’t good defensively and goalkeepers are part of that,” he said. “Maybe they’re the most important piece.” Vanney admitted his full year at the helm was a learning experience. He may have overcomplicated things with everchanging formations. Striker Jozy Altidore said the goal has to be to settle on one style of play. “We definitely need to find whatever it is we’re going to play and stick with it,” he said. Leadership is also an issue although players spoke out in support of Bradley, saying he

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Toronto FC.

leads by example and that no one works harder for the TFC cause. Manning said the team appeared “a little bit overwhelmed” in Montreal. Vanney said players need to step up and complement Bradley. “Michael is our captain but it takes a lot of guys to lead a team,” said Vanney. Bezbatchenko and Manning took solace from the team’s core, starting with designated players Bradley, Giovinco and Altidore. Giovinco scored 22 goals and Altidore added 13. “We have something to build on, more so than ever before,” said Bezbatchenko, who ex-

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pects all three DPs to return. On the minus side, the team has limited room under the salary cap. It could save some money by letting go of free agent forward Robbie Findley (US$255,000 salary this season) although Morrow ($179,560) is due a new deal. With more stadium renovations in the works, Toronto will start the 2016 season with perhaps as many as eight straight road games. Manning says his goal is eight points from those eight games. Toronto had nine in going 3-4-0 on the road to open this season. ■

Sports

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Parks makes it to NBA D-League RAY PARKS hopes to become the first local-born player to see action in the NBA D-League after the Texas Legends picked him first in the 2015 Rookie Draft Saturday (Sunday in Manila). “He’s a quiet player but he gets the job done,” said coach Nick Van Exel after his Legends—the developmental team of the Dallas Mavericks—made the 22-year-old Parks their first choice and the 25th overall pick. Parks, a two-time UAAP Most Valuable Player for National University, was left undrafted in the 2015 NBA Rookie Draft last June but wound up playing for the Mavericks during the NBA Summer League. This time, the son of the late American Bobby Parks, a former seven-time PBA Best Import, and Filipino Marifer Barbosa, hopes to do well in the DLeague in a bid to become the first Filipino to play in the NBA. “I love Bobby Ray Parks,” Van Exel, a former NBA All-Star, said in a video of the team’s post-draft party. “He’s the guy who can shoot the ball well. He can attack the basket, he’s a great defender, he plays the passing lanes.” The Legends kick off their

Online recipes... need them, said Nada Bakraky, 29, who also shared a photo of her apple roses on Twitter and Instagram. “I made these pumpkin cream cheese muffins before from Pinterest, but when I went to find it again there were so many variations I couldn’t figure out which was the one I’d used the first time,” said Bakraky. “I started writing them down in my own cookbook. But I’ve stopped buying cookbooks. Everything’s online.” She also admits that her tech toys have taken some abuse since discovering online recipes. “My iPad, when I’m baking, it’s covered with flour and egg and everything. It’s just thrown on the kitchen counter. I’m touching it with my dirty hands,” she said. “(But) so far it’s been OK,” she added with a laugh. Holland, who can’t eat gluten, dairy or eggs, said she also loves that online recipes commonly have comments attached that help her make her own tweaks. “People says things like, ‘I changed out these six things,’ or ‘I cooked this for an extra eight minutes and I found this solved this problem,”‘ said Holland. “You’d never get that from a cookbook.” Even the pros have embraced the online chatter around reci❰❰ 3

BY JASMINE W. PAYO Philippine Daily Inquirer

Bobby Ray Parks Jr..

SCREENSHOT FROM GD’S 14-15 HIGHLIGHTS ON YOUTUBE

campaign versus the Austin Spurs on Nov. 13. Another notable pick in the Draft was Jean Victor Nguidjol, the Cameroonian center who suited up for Lyceum in the NCAA this season. He was selected 16th overall by the Spurs. Parks is the second localborn player to get drafted in the NBA D-League since the Santa Cruz Warriors selected Ginebra player Japeth Aguilar in the

seventh round in 2012. But the Warriors later waived Aguilar, who played for NCAA Division I school Western Kentucky in college. The 6-foot-4 Parks averaged 3.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 10.5 minutes in the Summer League. “He has got a lot of upside and and could really develop into an effective player for us,” said Legends president Malcolm Farmer. ■

pes and are adapting. British-based chef Yotam Ottolenghi, owner of five London restaurants and author of the new “Nopi” cookbook, started using Twitter about four years ago and now also posts on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. “It’s been very useful for me, first of all, to engage with people and understand what’s going on and also because I like to get a good idea of what people do with the food,” he said while visiting Toronto. “I think it’s really important when you write cookbooks to get this kind of input of what’s actually happening.” When Gourmet magazine abruptly shut its doors in 2009, Editor-in-Chief Ruth Reichl said she was buoyed by the sympathetic Twitter community and embraced the interactivity social media offered. “I’d always felt totally alone in my kitchen and suddenly with Twitter it was like I was cooking with a group of people and I could actually say, ‘I have these bananas. What should I do?’ And people from all over the world would answer me,” Reichl said while in Toronto to promote her new book “Ruth Reichl: My Kitchen Year.” “It was exciting. It was like having the Gourmet test kitchen right there in my own kitchen.” ■

Connor McDavid goes hard into end boards, leaves game with injury BY SHANE JONES The Canadian Press EDMONTON — Connor McDavid won’t be playing hockey for the Edmonton Oilers any time soon. The 2015 first-overall draft choice suffered a significant injury in Edmonton’s 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday. Coach Todd McLellan said it will be a while before the 18-year-old rookie can play again. “He’s got an upper-body injury that is going to keep him out long term,” said McLellan. “It was a hockey play, he went

to the net hard like he always does, he comes off that wing with a lot of speed. Three guys got tangled up in the corner. It was a hockey play. “I’m not sure if he lost his balance, but it’s unfortunate.” With the Flyers leading 2-1 and 1:44 remaining in the second period, McDavid had a partial short-handed breakaway but fell awkwardly and was ridden hard into the boards by Philadelphia defencemen Michael Del Zotto and Brandon Manning, who also lost their balance on the play. McDavid left the ice favouring his left shoulder. He was seen wearing a sling in the hall-

way behind the dressing room and did not return for the third period. Multiple media reports say he broke his collarbone. Manning said the collision into the boards developed quickly. “He had a step on the outside and I turned and (Del Zotto) came across and between the two of us he went into the boards awkwardly and wasn’t able to protect himself,” he said. “I kind of pushed off on him and I don’t know if he fell, but he was sliding on his way into the boards. You could tell he couldn’t protect himself.” McDavid was off to a solid start for the Oilers, registering www.canadianinquirer.net

12 points in his first 12 games and was named the rookie of the month for October. Teammates were feeling his pain post-game, unsure of when he will be able to return to action. “It’s never good when someone doesn’t come back in a game and he’s a guy who would be on the ice any time he could, so that doesn’t bode well,” said Edmonton left-winger Taylor Hall. “We’ll see what the prognosis is, but you never want to see a guy out of the lineup, especially one just starting out his career. He was doing so well, he was becoming a leader in our locker room even though he’s

18.” McDavid recorded 120 points in 47 games from the Ontario Hockey League’s Erie Otters last season, and 49 points in 20 playoff games before being selected at the top of his draft class by Edmonton this past summer. “He’s disappointed. It’s disappointing to get injured,” added McLellan. “It’s his rookie year, things are going really well and he wants to be part of the group, which he still will be, just not in a uniform for a little while. I have a 19-year-old, I can’t imagine how he would feel if he was in the NHL in his first year and got hurt.” ■

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

Technology

HP, a Silicon Valley icon, is ready for its break-up BY BRANDON BAILEY The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — One of the nation’s most storied tech companies will split in two this weekend, another casualty of seismic shifts in the way people use technology - and big-company sluggishness in responding. Hewlett-Packard was an early pioneer of what became the model for Silicon Valley startups: Founded in 1939 by two Stanford graduates in a Palo Alto, California, garage, HP was long celebrated for its engineering know-how and laidback corporate culture. It made hefty profits as it grew into a multinational giant that sold a wide range of computer gear and commercial tech services. But after struggling to keep pace with recent trends like the rise of smartphones and cloud computing. HP’s board decided last year to create two smaller companies, each with a narrower focus. HP Inc. will sell personal computers and printers; Hewlett Packard Enterprise will sell commercial computer systems, software and tech services. Starting Monday, each will trade separately on the New York Stock Exchange. The old HP “missed the emergence of the Web,” said tech analyst Peter Burris at Forrester Research. “They missed the emergence of mobile.” HP’s current chief executive, who pushed for the split, says the new spinoffs will be more nimble. CEO Meg Whitman will run HP Enterprise, while PC industry veteran Dion Weisler will lead HP Inc. Each will be independent, with “flexibility to respond to a constantly evolving market,” Whitman told an investor conference last month. “With less to focus on,” she added, “each company will do core things better.” By dividing HP into roughly equal halves, analysts estimate,

Google founder hopes alphabet spells innovation BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE The Associated Press

HP building in Santa Clara, USA.

each spinoff should produce more than $50 billion in sales next year. But skeptics say neither will have the clout of the old HP, which became a leading consumer brand while using its vast size to negotiate volume discounts with suppliers and big contracts with business customers. “They won’t have the impact that HP once had, now that they don’t have the depth of portfolio they once had,” predicted Rob Enderle, a longtime industry analyst. “It’s not clear what HP is anymore.” Each of the spin-offs will face significant challenges: Demand for PCs and printers is continuing to decline, as more people use mobile devices and store their documents and photos online in the cloud. And in the commercial computing sector, more businesses are using online software instead of buying servers and other hardware from companies like HP. HP recently said it’s giving up on competing directly in cloud computing, a growing business in which companies large and small run software in remote data centers operated by Amazon and others. The same trends are rocking other long-time tech giants. Microsoft has been forced to

KEN WOLTER / SHUTTERSTOCK

change the way it sells software, as fewer people buy PCs that run its Windows operating system. PC-maker Dell is shifting its focus to corporate data centers, paying $67 billion to acquire commercial computing giant EMC Corp. IBM, meanwhile, has sold off units that made personal computers, servers and microprocessors as profits declined in each. It’s investing in new sectors with more growth potential, such as data analytics, cybersecurity and cloud computing. Along with external pressures, HP has struggled with internal problems - a series of controversial CEOs, botched acquisitions and scandals involving top executives and directors. Critics still debate the wisdom of an earlier decision to spin off a unit that made scientific testing and measurement gear. That was HP’s original, and some believe its most innovative, business. It became Agilent Technologies in 2000. As for the new spinoffs, Forrester’s Burris said he’s not ready to count them out. “It’s reasonable to think both can be thriving companies, but a lot will come down to the quality of their management.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

public traded stock in early October. The idea for Alphabet’s name came from Google’s other SAN FRANCISCO — Google founder, Sergey Brin, according founder Larry Page is hoping to Page. Several other names his newly created company were considered, Page said, but called Alphabet becomes syn- he declined to disclose them onymous with innovation. in case they are used for other In a Monday night appear- subsidiaries. The new holding ance, Page described Alphabet company will begin reporting as a way to give engineers and Google’s financial results sepascientists the independence rately from its other subsidiarthey need to develop break- ies, known as “other bets,” in through products that have January with the release of its little or nothing to do with fourth-quarter results. Google’s Internet search and Alphabet’s rudimentary advertising business. name was chosen, Page said, Along the way, Page hopes because it isn’t supposed to Alphabet will take the drudgery overshadow Google or any of and bureaucracy the other brands out of work. in its portfolio. “Companies “I didn’t want it have pretty bad to be too catchy,” r e p u t a t i o n s,” Alphabet’s Page said. “It’s Page told a dinrudimentary really for emner audience name was ployees, more gathered in San chosen, Page than the customFrancisco for a said, because ers.” forum presented it isn’t If there is a role by Fortune magsupposed to model for Alphaazine. “It’s not overshadow bet, Page said it like a lot of peoGoogle would probably ple wake up in or any of be Berkshire Hathe morning and the other thaway, the holdsay, ‘I want to go brands in its ing company work for a comportfolio. that billionaire pany.’ They do Warren Buffet it because they has built through have to.” acquisitions and Monday ’s investments in a 20-minute appearance marked wide variety of industries. Page’s first public remarks Alphabet could become like since he announced in August a Berkshire Hathaway, with a that Alphabet would become “technology, science and engiGoogle’s holding company, as neering bent,” Page said. Acquiwell as the parent of riskier sitions will be part of Alphabet’s ventures involved in self-driv- plan to expand, although Page ing cars, Internet-beaming indicated the company will balloons, Internet-connected probably focus on startups with appliances and medical re- interesting ideas and relatively search. few employees. Page now oversees the There are few other compahodgepodge of companies as nies besides Berkshire HathaAlphabet’s CEO. He turned over way that Page wants to mimic. the Google CEO job to his top “I wish I could look at someone lieutenant, Sundar Pichai. Al- else and say, ‘I wish we were dophabet supplanted Google as a ing that,’“ he said. ■

Technology

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

South Korea pulls plug on child monitoring app BY RAPHAEL SATTER AND YOUKYUNG LEE The Associated Press SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA — The most widely used child surveillance app in South Korea has been pulled from the market after security specialists raised serious concerns about the program’s safety. Moon Hyun-seok, a senior official at the Korea Communications Commission, told The Associated Press that “Smart Sheriff” has been removed from the Play store, Google’s software marketplace, and that existing users are being asked to switch to other programs. The government plans to shut down the service to existing users “as soon as possible,” he said. Smart Sheriff’s maker, an association of South Korean mobile operators called MOIBA, declined comment. Smart Sheriff’s disappearance is a blow to South Korea’s contentious effort to keep closer tabs on the online lives of its youngest citizens. Less than a year ago, the government and schools sent letters to students and parents to encourage them to download Smart Sheriff.

SHUTTERSTOCK

While security was one of the reasons that led to the removal of Smart Sheriff, the KCC official said the regulator had decided earlier this year to suspend the app at the end of December. The faster-thanexpected availability of free monitoring apps from private companies prompted the regulator to remove the app two months sooner than scheduled, he said. A law passed in April requires all new smartphones sold to those 18 and under to be

equipped with software which parents can use to snoop on their kids’ social media activity. Smart Sheriff, the most popular of more than a dozen state-approved apps, was meant to keep children safe from pornography, bullying and other threats, but experts say its abysmal security left the door wide open to hackers and put the personal information of some 380,000 users at risk. Pulling the plug on Smart Sheriff was “long overdue,” said independent researcher Col-

lin Anderson, who worked with Internet watchdog group Citizen Lab and German software auditing firm Cure53 to comb through the app’s code. In a pair of reports published in September, Cure53 described the app’s security as “catastrophic.” Citizen Lab, which is based at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs, said the problems could lead to a “mass compromise” of all users. MOIBA said in response then that the vulnerabilities had

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been dealt with in the six weeks preceding publication of the reports. But the researchers said in new reports published Sunday that the fixes were mainly cosmetic. Anderson said they were “akin to putting a lock on a few of the doors but then leaving the keys to the locks outside.” Mario Heiderich of Cure53 said it wasn’t his place to say whether it was right to mandate the installation of monitoring apps on children’s phones. But he said Smart Sheriff’s implementation of the surveillance was disastrous. “If you are going to do it at all, you have to do it right,” he said. “And this was not done right at all.” Anderson said there was no guarantee that the other monitoring apps didn’t also have security issues. If the government requires its citizens to use specific programs, citizens should demand more transparency and more information from the government as well as from the companies that create the apps so that anyone can audit the programs, said Ronald Deibert, director at The Citizen Lab. ■ Satter reported from London.

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Events

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

Embassy Chef Challenge By IBD Foundation WHEN/WHERE: 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., Nov. 5, Victoria Hall John G. Diefenbaker Bldg., Sussex Dr. Ottawa

FRIDAY

CANADA EVENTS

To have your events featured on PCI, please email events@canadianinquirer.net

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New WelcomePack Canada Distribution Centre By WelcomePack Canada Inc. WHEN/WHERE: 1 to 5 p.m., Mon, Tues, Thu & Fri at the Filipino Centre Bldg., 597 Parliament St., Suite 103, Toronto, On MORE INFO: Call (416) 928-9355

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Tagalog Class By FCT WHEN/WHERE: 10 to 11 a.m., every Saturday, Filipino Centre Toronto

BRITISH COLUMBIA ALBERTA

Pinoy Connect By Mosaic WHEN/WHERE: Sundays until Dec. 20. Settlement services:12 to 2 p.m.; Bayanihan Support Circle: 2 to 4 p.m.; Employment Law Clinic: By appointment only at Mosaic Burnaby Centre for Immigrants, 5902 Kingsway, Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: Call 604-254-9626 Public Speaking Without Panic: Learn Effective Strategies to Communicate with Confidence By Mosaic WHEN/WHERE: 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesdays, up to Nov. 10 at 1522 Commercial Dr., Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: Learn strategies and techniques for building self-confidence to communicate your ideas and opinions in a group setting. Call 604-254-9626 Temporary Foreign Workers Uncontested Divorce Clinic By Law Courts Center WHEN/WHERE: Saturdays from 2 to 4 p.m., at the Justice Education Society at the Provincial Court of BC Room 260 800 Hornby St., Vancouver B.C. MORE INFO: To book an appointment, call/text 778-322-2839 or email: tfw.divorce@gmail.com Seniors Book Club By the Richmond Public Library WHEN/WHERE: Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. to 12 nn, at the Brighouse Main Branch, the Living Rm., 7700 Minoru Gate, Richmond, B.C. MORE INFO: Seniors ages 55 and older are invited to read books and exchange ideas with likeminded. To register visit any branch of Richmond Public Library, call 604-231-6413 or register online at www.yourlibrary.ca/events

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Homework/Tutorial Class By FCT WHEN/WHERE: 11a.m. to 12 nn, every Saturday, Filipino Centre Toronto, 597 Parliament St., Suite 103, Toronto, ON MORE INFO: For registrations, call 416-928-9355. The office, at 597 Parliament St., Suite 103, Toronto, is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 1 to 6 p.m.

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The Voice of Timmy Pavino By Even 8 Events Management Production WHEN/WHERE: 6:30 p.m., Nov. 6, Hyatt Hall, 843 Seymour St., Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: With special guests Russel Figueroa and Jerrica Santos Philippine Fest By Symphony Hill Management and Even 8 Events Management Production WHEN/WHERE: 1 to 4 p.m., Nov. 7, at Aberdeen Centre, Alderbridge Way, Richmond, B.C. MORE INFO: Featuring the Fashion Designs of Jaki Penalosa, renowned Filipino fabric couturier. Free Event. Dance N’ Love By Bukas Loob sa Diyos WHEN/WHERE: 5:30 p.m., Nov. 7, at Fraserview Church Gym, 11295 Mellis Dr., Richmond, B.C. Disco Fever By New Westminster Philippine Festival Society WHEN/WHERE: 6 p.m. to 12 a.m., Nov. 7, at Our Lady of Mercy Gym, 7481 10th Ave., Burnaby, B.C. Right footed: A Documentary about FilipinaAmerican Jessica Cox By the Vancouver Asian Film Festival WHEN/WHERE: Nov. 7, at International Village Mall, Vancouver, B.C. Karoling Festival Showcase By Karoling Festival Vancouver WHEN/WHERE: 6 p.m. Nov. 15, 7200 Cariboo Road, Burnaby, B.C. MORE INFO: A night of music and fun where various groups will showcase their "Karolings" www.canadianinquirer.net

NOVA

Christmas Carol SCOTIA Filipino way. UP Alumni Association in B.C. Celebrity Night By UPAABC WHEN/WHERE: 6 p.m. to 12 mn., Nov. 28, Floral Hall, VanDusen Garden, 5251 Oak St., Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: $25 per person FilCan Network for Truth & Justice Christmas Party By Tapsilog WHEN/WHERE: 5:30 p.m. to 12 mn at St. Patrick Recreation Centre, Main St., Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: Features Gawad Ulirang Ina at Ama and Bb. Maharlika 2015 Open Philippine Folk Dance & Music Workshops By Kababayang Pilipino WHEN/WHERE: Dance Workshops – Nov. 29, Dec. 6 & 13, 2 to 2:30 p.m., Jandali Studio Music Workshops – Nov. 29, Dec. 6 & 13, 2 to 2:30 p.m., Zagar Studio MORE INFO: Cost $20 for 3 workshops, $10 drop in fee English Now: No Cost Language Training for Jobs in Administration or Retail By ISS of BC MORE INFO: Contact 604-684-2325 or englishnow@issbc.org Free Drop-In English Conversation Circle for Temporary Foreign Workers By Mosaic WHEN/WHERE: Mondays, 6:30–8:30 p.m. until Dec. 14, at Mosaic Vancouver Community Room, 1720 Grant St. Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: 604-254-9626 ext. 487

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

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NOVEMBER 6, 2015

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:

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 “FilipinoCanadian in Focus.”

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

Fill up the nomination form online by scanning the code with your smartphone or by visiting InFocus.canadianinquirer.net.

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FRIDAY

Seen & Scenes: Vancouver

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

CONSULAR OUTREACH IN VICTORIA On Oct. 26 and 27, the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office sent a team led by Deputy Consul General Anton Mandap and Labor Attache Jimmy Jimenez to Victoria, B.C. to conduct consular outreach services at the Bayanihan Community Centre.

HISTORAMA CAST AT PHIL FEST The cast of Historama, a cultural show consisting of short plays about significant events that shape Philippine history, recently practised their segments in preparation for Philippine Fest on Nov.7, at Aberdeen Centre in Richmond, B.C.

AKLANON HALLOWEEN PARTY The Aklanon Sto. Nino Association of British Columbia Halloween Party 2015 is both frightening and fun (Photos from Luz Saluta McGillivrayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s FB).

ATENEO BEACH VOLLEYBALL TOURNEY No matter the season or skill level, the Ateneo Alumni Association in B.C. had fun during their indoor beach volleyball tournament. Here are some pictures of the players (Photos by Amado Mercado III). www.canadianinquirer.net

Seen and Scenes: Toronto

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

FRIDAY

WALKATHON The 9th annual 5K Walkathon was organized recently by the Kalayaan Cultural Community Centre (Photos from KCCC FB).

SPOOKY HALLOWEEN The Kalayaan Cultural Community Centre turned their quarters into a haunted grand hall on Oct. 30, to celebrate Halloween 2015. Here are some pictures of the event (Photos from KCCC FB).

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

FRIDAY NOVEMBER 6, 2015

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