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Bongbong bashed at VP debate
A walkway on Edsa from Makati to northern Manila
‘There’s cash, why did tillers go hungry?’
A few facts about the Leap Manifesto
Pacquiao unanimously outpoints Bradley
Month-long overseas voting begins PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER
THIN CROWD Unlike in previous Pacquiao fights, many chairs are empty at the military's Wellness Center in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City, during the live showing of the Pacman's last fight on Sunday. GRIG MONTEGRANDE / PDI
Digong slams Mexico with Alan seated beside envoy BY NIÑA P. CALLEJA Philippine Daily Inquirer MEXICAN DRUG lord El Chapo (Joaquin Guzman) can now add another prominent name to his possible hit list: that of Davao City mayor and presiden-
tial aspirant Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte who, like United States presidential hopeful Donald Trump, made denigrating remarks about Mexico during a tourism event over the weekend. In one of his earlier campaign speeches, Trump
Fil-Can in Focus: Marissa Velarde
REGISTERED FILIPINO overseas voters in British Columbia, Canada, started to cast their ballots at the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver on Apr. 9, the start of the monthlong overseas voting for the Philippine national elections this year. Six voters personally cast their ballots on the first day, hoping to get their votes for their favorite candidates for president, vice president, senators and party list representatives counted in the national tally. According to the Consulate, another 39 mailed-in ballots from registered seafarers were also received on the first voting day, which will be counted among the postal votes. Verne Vasquez, an employee of international money remittance chain IRemit, was among the first to cast their ballots. He said he was excited to be able to get his voice heard in the choice of the country’s future leaders. The Consulate clarified that only those who have previously expressed their preference to vote personally before Apr. 5, will be allowed to personally feed their ballots into
❱❱ PAGE 24 ❱❱ PAGE 15 Digong slams
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❱❱ PAGE 20 Month-long overseas
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Duterte is biggest threat Gov’t handling dry spell to democracy since well, insists Palace Marcos – Roxas BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer
BY CIELITO M. REGANIT Philippines News Agency
eradicate crimes in Davao City, where he has served mayor for more that twenty years, how can he make clear to the Filipino people his plans of doing the same OZAMIZ CITY, MISAMIS OCCIDEN- for the entire country in six months)?” TAL — Liberal Party (LP) standard- he said. bearer Manuel “Mar” Roxas II warned “Pambobola ito. Kasinungalingan ito. on Tuesday that his rival from Mindan- At ako, pagod na ako sa panloloko sa maao, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, mamayang Pilipino. Pagod na ang Pilipirepresents the biggest threat to Phil- no sa pambobola, pagod na ang Pilipino ippine democracy since the late for- sa mga matatamis na pangako, at dahil mer President Ferdinand Marcos and ilang beses na silang nabigo (This is a stressed that he would fight anyone who farce, a lie. And I am very tired of people would advocate a return to martial rule. making a fool of the Filipino. The FiliIn a press briefing with the media in pino is tired of false promises and hopes this Northern Mindanao city, the ad- for they have been let down too many ministration bet said that the actions times),” Roxas said. and conduct of Duterte speaks of a dicOn the contrary, he said that his antitatorship. criminality record as Interior and Local “He wants to be judge, jury and execu- Government secretary showed the eftioner. Kung ano lang ang nasa isip niya, fectiveness of modern police methods. ‘yun ang mangyayari, With Lambat Siat kung hindi ka subat, the use of modmunod, kung hindi ka ern police techniques mag-agree dahil iba and equipment has ang paningin mo, iba I would not led to the apprehenang datos, ay iinsulpermit a return sion and detention tuhin ka, mumurahin to days of Martial of 746 out of the 946 ka, o di kaya naman Law when people most wanted persons bala ang isusukli sa just disappeared in the Philippines in iyo (What crosses for no reason just one year. his mind is what will only to end Meanwhile, 368 of happen and nonup dead dahil, 693 known members compliance because quote-unquote, of criminal syndiyou believe in somenaligpit na. cates were likewise thing else, and the apprehended and dedata says otherwise, tained. will incite insults and “It means that curses or worse, bulthrough modern lets),” he said. means of forensics, investigation and He also called the tough-talking detective management, these criminals Duterte a liar, who is just wooing voters could be apprehended without resortby assuring peace and order in the coun- ing to extrajudicial killings and disaptry when in truth Davao remains one of pearances. I would not permit a return the most dangerous places in the Phil- to days of Martial Law when people just ippines throughout his more than 20 disappeared for no reason only to end years as chief local executive of Davao up dead dahil, quote-unquote, naligpit City and chair of the Region 11 peace and na (they have been taken care of ),” he order council. stressed. Roxas said that Davao is Number 1 in “Ang Pilipino ay disente. Ang bansa murder; No. 2 in rape; and No. 3 in homi- natin ay may dangal. Ang bansa natin cide cases based on data provided by the ay dakila. Hindi tayo dapat na mapunta Philippine National Police. sa extrajudicial killing, sa extrajudicial Based on the PNP data, Davao has 245 disappearances, sa pagpatay ng tao na homicide cases, 843 cases of rape and walang proseso. Hindi po tama ‘yan. At 1,302 murder cases from 2010 to 2015. lalabanan ko kung sino man ang mag“So kung hindi niya maipaliwanag aadvocate na manumbalik tayo doon kung papaano niya susugpuin ang kri- (The Filipino is a decent people. Our men sa Davao City lang mismo, kung saan country has dignity. Our country has siya ay naging mayor dalawampung taon pride. We shouldn’t have to resort to exmahigit, papaano niya ipapaliwanag, trajudicial killing, to extrajudicial disappapaano niya lilinawin sa sambayanang pearances, to killing people without due Pilipino na sa loob ng anim na buwan, su- process. That is not right. And I will fight sugpuin niya ang krimen sa buong Pilipi- against anyone who advocates that we nas (So if he cannot explain how he can return to that),” Roxas said. ■
DESPITE CALLS for emergency measures to address the laments of Kidapawan farmers, Malacañang yesterday insisted the impact of the long dry spell on the country has been well managed and food supplies and prices were stable. Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. made the assurance when asked on government radio to comment on Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III’s call for the government to declare a state of calamity in the country due to the widespread impact of El Niño on the agricultural sector. Coloma said the El Niño Task Force, which faced the Senate inquiry into the violent police dispersal of North Cotabato farmers in Kidapawan City last Friday, had reported that different programs put up by the government to address the El Niño were able to ease the drought by ensuring a sufficient food supply as well as stable food prices in the country. He said government actions included providing appropriate production sup-
port for farmers like irrigation and providing seedlings to non-vulnerable and mildly affected provinces. The government also increased the buffer stocks of the National Food Authority and imposed a price freeze in areas that declared they were under a state of calamity. Quoting a report by Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Emmanuel Esguerra, he said inflation data showed that prices of food, particularly rice, “have been low and stable in the past months.” “In fact for March 2016, despite the El Niño phenomenon, rice prices remained lower than in the previous year (-1.7 percent in March from 2 percent in February) and have been declining consistently since October 2015,” Coloma said, quoting from Esguerra’s report. Likewise, the report said the price of vegetables was trending downward and declined by 2.9 percent in March 2016 from the previous month or a total decline of 7.8 percent since beginning of the year, according to Coloma. He said supply and buffer stock management were “being done well with timely purchases.” ■
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Bongbong bashed at VP debate BY TARRA QUISMUNDO AND JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE Philippine Daily Inquirer RIVALS GANGED up on Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. during the first and only vice presidential debate yesterday over his father’s record on corruption and human rights. Most of the people in the audience joined in the bashing of the son and namesake of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos who shared with Sen. Francis Escudero the top two slots in recent voter popularity surveys on the vice presidential race barely a month before the May 9 elections. But the way he was hammered by the other presidential aspirants, the young Marcos appeared to be the man to beat
in the balloting. Marcos had barely begun his opening remarks during the debate sponsored by the Commission on Elections and CNN Philippines when hecklers at the gallery unfurled posters against the senator, chanting “Never again to martial law.” Security whisked them away. At one point, he mistakenly raised the “yes” (green) side of his signboard, albeit briefly, on the first yes-or-no question during the debate: Have you ever been involved in corruption? It did not help that Marcos remarked, “In my 27 years in public service, I have not been tainted by corruption.” Boos from the audience followed, drowning out the loud cheers of his red-clad supporters. Marcos’ statement got the ire of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano
who, drawing a contrast between him and his Senate colleague, pointed out that the dictator’s son never attended a single Senate hearing on any corruption scandal. “I was in Edsa 1 (People Power Revolution), Edsa 2, protested against (Vice President Jejomar) Binay and (former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo). Others would just disappear when there’s a hearing on a corruption issue,” said Cayetano, the independent running mate of Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. This began tense exchanges that would dominate the first hour of the CNN-led debate at the half-filled University of Santo Tomas Quadricentennial Pavilion. “Senator Bongbong said he is not tainted by corruption. But his family stole $10 billion. He
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The six vice presidential aspirants in the May 9, 2016 elections outline their platforms of government during a debate at the University of Santos Tomas JESS M. ESCAROS JR. / PNA
diverted P205 million of his PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) to Napoles NGOs (nongovernment organizations). I don’t know if that’s what you mean by being untainted,” Cayetano said. He referred to jailed businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles, mastermind of the PDAF diversion fund scam where several lawmakers have been implicated. “Just wait if you make him Vice President, the stolen money might reach $100 billion,” Cayetano said. Looking incredulous, Marcos said his opponent seemed to have pulled his numbers out of thin air, and questioned why his fellow senator was raising the matter only now. Unfazed, Cayetano proceeded: “Your SALN (Statement of Assets and Liabilities) says P200 million to P500 million (in assets), but you never worked [outside government]. Where would you get that amount of money?” Marcos said his family had faced all litigation related to martial law: “All orders from the court, we follow them.” He also defended his absence from Senate hearings on corruption cases. “It was very clear to me that what they were doing was not anti-corrruption but politicking,” he said. He also denied ties with Napoles, saying he had been wrongfully accused of involvement in diverting his PDAF to bogus NGOs. “If you read her affidavit, Napoles herself cleared my name. We were never photographed together. It’s clear that I had nothing to do with the PDAF scam and I am surprised that this is coming out just now because of politicking,” Marcos said. Rep. Leni Robredo, the Liberal Party (LP) vice presidential candidate, insisted that the Marcoses should return stolen wealth. Marcos replied: “I cannot
give what I do not have, I have no knowledge of.” Asked on his stand on human rights violations, Marcos said he acknowledged every human right violation in every administration. “It is necessary to do so otherwise we will repeat the mistakes of the past.” He maintained that he had never fallen under suspicion of violating human rights in his 27 years of service in government and said that he had obeyed court decisions on the Marcoses’ ill-gotten wealth, but Robredo argued that the family had not abided by the directives of the courts in the United States and Singapore. “It is so clear that we are in the middle of the campaign period,” Marcos said exasperatedly and claimed that the government itself, “headed by the LP,” was blocking the means by which human rights claimants can be recompensed. “The government must withdraw its claim so the human rights victims will be compensated,” the senator said. Cayetano cut in, “20 years (of the Marcoses in power) was not about peace and order. It was about keeping one family in power.” He claimed that Senator Marcos allied himself with Presidents Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Joseph Estrada to avoid returning $1 billion that his family still possessed, causing Marcos to tell him in irritation, “I do not know where that is coming from. He (Cayetano) has been inventing so many things.” Escudero, the vice presidential candidate of presidential aspirant Grace Poe, said an apology for past mistakes would be moot and academic at this point. It was better to come up with measures such as a human rights compensation bill and an antien-forced disappearance ❱❱ PAGE 7 Bongbong bashed
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Mar downplays meeting with Iglesia ni Cristo brass BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer LIBERAL PARTY standardbearer Mar Roxas yesterday downplayed the significance of his meeting with officials of the politically influential Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) religious sect. “It was a regular meeting where in we formally presented our platforms and priorities,” said Roxas, confirming that he and running mate, Leni Robredo, had sought an audience with the bloc-voting INC. “It happened about one or two weeks ago. But there’s nothing (to it),” Roxas told reporters after attending a covenant signing with urban poor leaders in Quezon City. He doused speculations over the hourlong meeting, claiming that political issues were not discussed. Asked if the INC had assured them of its support, Roxas said: “There was nothing about politics. Support should be given voluntarily.” “We just gave them our plat-
forms. They know our track record and they will make the decision at the right time,” he said. The meeting came as a surprise since Roxas was bitterly criticized by the sect’s members who staged a four-day mass action in August last year to protest what they claimed was the Aquino administration’s interference in the sect’s affairs. The INC members were protesting the justice department’s giving due course to a complaint of kidnapping and illegal detention brought against several of the sect’s leaders by an expelled INC minister. Roxas, the then interior secretary, had asked the protesting INC members to refrain from causing inconvenience to the public after they occupied the corner of Shaw Boulevard and Edsa, greatly incoveniencing commuters and motorists. “While all citizens have the right to be heard and to peaceful assembly, the exercise of these rights cannot impinge on the rights of others or cause inconvenience to anyone,” he said.
Liberal Party presidential candidate Manuel "Mar" A. Roxas II (inset) outlines his platform of government. JESS M. ESCAROS JR. / PNA
Robredo herself disclosed that she and Roxas spoke with INC leaders during the live INQ&A interview with vice presidential aspirants on Thursday. Roxas yesterday said he remained optimistic about his chances of winning the presidency despite his failure to break through to the top spot in the preelection surveys. He said he believed the voters will realize the economic progress that country has experienced under Presdient Aquino’s daang matuwid (straight path) governance. “I’m sure the people want
somebody who has plans, and the competence and experience to implement these plans. That’s my confidence in our countrymen,” he said. “Filipinos are decent. They know to how to distinguish right from wrong and the road they should take. I trust the Filipinos’ ability to choose their (leaders).” “I’m sure they don’t want somebody who sees killing and disappearances as solutions to all the problems. I’m sure they don’t want somebody facing several cases of corruption who, until now, cannnot explain the
source of his (wealth),” he said. In an apparent attempt to boost his candidacy in the capital during the final stretch of the campaign, Roxas yesterday signed a covenant with urban poor groups in Quezon City. He said that under a Roxas presidency, the government would make available in-city relocation housing for some 120,000 families living in so-called danger zones in Metro Manila. “We started this program at the DILG (Department of the Interior and Local Government) and we will continue and expand this,” Roxas said. “I will immediately go to Congress and ask for the passage of a law that would make the purchase of in-city, on-site and nearsite relocation areas faster and avoid being caught in the slow (bureaucratic) process,” he said. According to Roxas, the enactment of a law would make the construction of mediumrise buildings and purchase of resettlement areas for residents of squatter colonies much easier. ■
DSWD cites proper procedures in distribution of requested food packs during emergency situations BY LEILANI S. JUNIO Philippines News Agency MANILA — Local government units (LGUs) and citizen groups seeking for additional food packs from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) should ensure that they have the proper list of recipients, exact locations and contact numbers that are true and valid for easier and transparent verification of the needed assistance. “We should have the list of names, including locations (barangay, town, city), and contact numbers of those requesting assistance so that we can have proper coordination when we bring such assistance and if there are claims that no assistance has been received because we will account that to the Commission on Audit (COA),” DSWD Secretary Corazon J. Soliman clarified on Tuesday. She made the clarification to
ensure that there is transparency in the distribution of food packs and other forms of assistance after she disclosed that while they are willing to extend additional food packs (for those claiming they have not received assistance due to the drought), it is important that they can check and be assured that the assistance really goes to the “recipients with faces and names and are actually in exact locations.” Soliman said that having such list, exact location and contact person will also be of help in establishing responsibility in case of irregularity in the distribution and identifying at the same time the validity of the claim. She made the clarification among reporters while disclosing that the DSWD Koronadal Office in North Cotabato was visited by three men manning a 10-wheeler truck with people asking for food packs to be delivered to farmers affected by drought a day after the rally in Kidapawan City ear-
lier this month. She said that personnel of the DSWD Koronadal office told the group that there is no problem in terms of giving additional food packs needed and they can bring them to the intended recipients anytime of the day and even at night time or beyond office hours so long as there is an actual list of recipients and they can identify the locations and leave the contact person in the area who will receive the assistance through signatures. “Kasi hahabulin kami ng COA kung magbibigay kami at walang pipirma at di alam kung saan dadalhin. Kasi bahagi ng mandato iyan at hinahanap ho ‘yan ng COA sa ‘min,” Soliman said as she narrated what was explained by the DSWD personnel in Koronadal to the group. The DSWD Chief said that the group then agreed to write the telephone numbers and cellular phone numbers of the person to be contacted for the www.canadianinquirer.net
delivery of the requested food packs and then left after they were informed of the procedures mandated by COA which must be strictly followed. She said that unfortunately, upon verification by calling one by one the numbers of the contact person/s left by the group, there were no responses obtained at all until now since the incident. “Pero iyun hong mga telephone numbers na ibinigay sa amin, di sinasagot, so di namin mabalikan ‘yun (But the telephone numbers left to us when contacted cannot be reached, so we cannot really do anything to double-check or confirm),” she added. She further said that for purpose of verifications and to ensure also that there is adequate food packs being received, they instead checked the towns and barangays mentioned by the group and proceeded with the distribution phase in coordination with the local government units (LGUs).
In the provision of food packs, the DSWD provides the assistance to LGUs which then proceed with the distribution through the local municipal social welfare development officers (MSWDO) as mandated by COA regulations. She also reiterated that the assistance of DSWD has been done since November 2015 and supplemented with a second trance in February 2016 through cash-for-work (CFW) scheme as requested by the farmers affected by the drought whose crops were damaged by El Nino phenomenon. She also assured that DSWD assistance is in place and will be provided through the Quick Response Fund (QRF). She further said that the assistance was planned ahead last year when the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, Astronomical and Services Administration (PAGASA) forecast about the occurrence of El Nino. ■
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Enrile, Binay, Marcos assail P-Noy inaction on Kidapawan BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT AQUINO should have taken decisive action and opened the rice granaries when protesters took to the streets of Kidapawan City to demand food from the government, Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile said yesterday. Had Mr. Aquino done so, the government would have known at once whether the protesters were legitimate. “[Mr. Aquino] is a hollow symbol in our society right now. But even then, he should’ve acted on his own behest,” Enrile said at a Senate forum. If he were President, he would have flown to Kidapawan, and ordered the distribution of rice to the protesters “to see whether that is a legitimate rally or just a contrived rally in order to provide a conflict or an encounter.” “If they’re really hungry, they will disperse immediately because they want to cook the rice at least to satisfy their hunger,” he said. Such a move would also have ensured the victory of the President’s chosen candidate, Mar Roxas, said Enrile, who criticized the Chief Executive’s slow decision-making. “If he went there and acted immediately and given them rice, nobody can beat Roxas,” Enrile said. “He missed the boat to make his candidate win.” But the Aquino government has apparently learned nothing about running a country in six years, he said. He called Mr. Aquino a “three-day President,” one who takes too long to make a move. Malacañang shrugged off Enrile’s criticism. “President Aquino is, at all times, focused on the important things that are happening in the country and the whole world to ensure the immediate response of government to all the needs of Filipinos in and out of the country,” Presidential Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said. “Perhaps, the reason behind the thinking of Senator Enrile is the style of governance that he was used to when he was a Cabinet official under former President Marcos under the dictatorship and martial law,” Coloma said.
Enrile said the administration was too focused on the concept growth, he added, but this just pertains to a number or the opinion of economists, he said. Hunger and fear, on the other hand, are immediately felt, he said. He also said that in this democracy, or “demo-crazy,” authorities shoot at people because they have no training in handling social problems, as they don’t know the issues that affect the lives of the people they consider their bosses. “That’s the problem if you were born very rich. You don’t know the feeling of the downtrodden people,” he said. The Kidapawan rally had ended in violence when police decided to disperse drought-hit farmers demanding aid from the government. Three protesters were killed. But police said one of the slain protesters had a positive result during the paraffin test, indicating he may have fired a gun. Government officials also questioned the motive of protesters, saying their ranks had been infiltrated by leftists. Enrile also took to task his colleagues in the Senate for initiating a probe on the Kidapawan incident but purportedly failing to inform fellow lawmakers about it. Vice President Jejomar Binay said the protest in North Cotabato province demonstrated that poverty remained a problem in the country. He lamented that the rally ended in violence. “Everything must have to be handled with compassion,” Binay said. In a statement, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Agriculure Secretary Proceso Alcala should explain how the agency’s budget was being spent. “The DA has a big budget for 2016 but there is a possibility that it is being used for politics and not to support our farmers,” the vice presidential candidate said. For 2016 the total appropriation for the DA is at P48.45 billion, over P2 billion of which was set aside for El Niño mitigation programs. “Seventy percent of the country’s poor are in agriculture… You cannot blame the farmers because they are hungry. You cannot fault them for fighting for their families’ survival,”
Marcos said. The International Association of Democratic Lawyers (IADL) called for the release of farmers still detained and “to bring all those responsible to justice.” IADL president Jeanne Mirer in a statement in New York said Mr. Aquino’s silence on the incident showed that the President “tacitly supported” the police action. The Antwerp-based Progress Lawyers Network expressed “shock and outrage” over the dispersal, citing how the farmers were merely seeking government help as their livelihood suffered due to the dry spell wrought by climate change. The Italian Association of Democratic Lawyers said the violent dispersal violated “the [farmers’] right to life and to be free from arbitrary detention.” “We protest against such actions and the silence of the President,” said the Italian group. The National Lawyers Guild International expressed its support for the National Union of People’s Lawyers in the Philippines in its efforts to seek “justice and accountability at the highest levels for those responsible for the killing of farmers in Kidapawan.” ■
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Bongbong bashed... act to prevent abuses from recurring, said Escudero, whose father was a Marcos agriculture minister. For his part, Sen. Gregorio Honasan, the vice presidential candidate of Vice President Jejomar Binay, said: “Human rights is universal. It does not recognize family names. We have to strengthen our institutions.” Momentarily panning the focus away from Marcos, Robredo asked Escudero if he did anything about discretionary funds such as PDAF during his nine years in the House of Representatives. The question came after Escudero’s response on the corruption question, where he said he and his presidential candidate Poe would clamp down on corruption by identifying all forms of discretionary funds in the government budget. Escudero had said: “Minimizing discretion will minimize corruption. Eliminating discretion will eliminate corruption.” Robredo asked if the longtime lawmaker had taken steps to get rid of the PDAF before the controversy broke out. Escudero, who was Sorsogon representative from 1998 to 2007, said he as senator implemented the Supreme Court order abolishing the PDAF and ❰❰ 4
wrote it into the General Appropriations Act. Robredo, Camarines Sur representative, replied: “Even us in Congress we implemented that. But that’s not my question. You were in Congress for a long time. What did you do to remove the PDAF?” Escudero evaded the question, replying instead: “For nine years, I did not have the PDAF under the Arroyo administration because I fought for the truth.” The senator led impeachment efforts against Arroyo in the House in 2005. But the two candidates seemed to have agreed on one thing when, earlier in the debate, they both aired the need for Congress to finally pass a freedom of information (FOI) law. Escudero, coauthor of the proposed FOI bill in the Senate, said such a law was critical in the fight against corruption. “It will serve as a spotlight and camera on government transactions. It will be easier to spot and catch corruption. Whoever is liable will be held accountable and jailed,” he said. Robredo, coauthor of the FOI bill in the House of Representatives, meanwhile, said her version of the measure was “different from the Senate version,” in that it requires government to release public documents even without the demand. ■
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A walkway on Edsa from Makati to northern Manila–why not? Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer, Inc. Correspondents Jane Moraleda Socorro Newland Bolet Arevalo Katherine Padilla Community Editor Mary Ann Mandap maryann.mandap@canadianinquirer.net Graphic Designer Shanice Garcia Photographers Angelo Siglos Solon Licas Vic Vargas For photo submissions, please send to editor@canadianinquirer.net Operations and Marketing Head Laarni Liwanag (604) 551-3360 laarni.liwanag@canadianinquirer.net Advertising Sales Alice Yong (778) 889-3518 alice.yong@canadianinquirer.net Emy Rose Figueroa salesphilippines@canadianinquirer,net emy.figueroa@canadianinquirer.net Nelson Wu (647) 521-5155 salestoronto@canadianinquirer.net nelson.wu@canadianinquirer.net Amelia Insigne 1-416-574-5121 amelia.insigne@canadianinquirer.net PHILIPPINE PUBLISHING GROUP Editorial Assistant Christelle Tolisora Associate Publisher Lurisa Villanueva In cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer digital edition Philippine Canadian Inquirer is located at 11951 Hammersmith Way, Suite 108 Richmond, B.C. V7A 5H9 Canada Tel. No.: +1 (888) 668-6059, +1 (604) 484-9243, +1 (778) 889-3518 | Email: info@canadianinquirer.net, sales@ canadianinquirer.net Philippine Canadian Inquirer is published weekly every Friday. Copies are distributed free throughout Metro Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto. The views and opinions expressed in the articles (including opinions expressed in ads herein) are those of the authors named, and are not necessarily those of Philippine Canadian Inquirer Editorial Team. PCI reserves the right to reject any advertising which it considers to contain false or misleading information or involves unfair or unethical practices. The advertiser agrees the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of error in any advertisement.
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A six-meter-wide walkway on top of the side walk– ‘Think of Edsa as a spine’ – cooled by tropical plants would spare pedestrians the hazards below, proposes architecturban planner Dan Lichauco BY CATHY CAÑARES YAMSUAN Philippine Daily Inquirer TRAFFIC ALONG Ortigas Avenue in front of La Salle Green Hills was hardly moving, so architect Daniel “Dan” Lichauco decided to walk from his car to his house in New Manila, Quezon City. Forty-five minutes and 6,000 steps later, Lichauco made it home to Balete Drive before his driver caught up. Lichauco joked that he was more peeved that he did not reach the 10,000 steps required by a daily fitness regimen. Along the way, however, Lichauco—the principal partner of Archion Architects— was seriously considering solutions to the seemingly hopeless traffic problem in Metro Manila, particularly along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (Edsa). Lichauco is regarded as a maverick in the field of design. Just before Holy Week, he was invited to speak before construction and design professionals in one of the seminars at the “Worldbex 2016: Uniting Strong Foundations” event held at the World Trade Center in Pasay. The topic assigned the architect— whose company is responsible for the construction of a number of private hospitals, residences and government buildings in the country—was Manila traffic. His talk was dubbed, “Dan Lichauco for President (Or MMDA chairman na lang): Urban Solutions for the Metropolis.” Days before the seminar, Lichauco sat down with INQUIRER Lifestyle and discussed his views about Edsa and Metro Manila. “The design of Edsa doesn’t allow people to cross. It’s very hard for people to move from one side to another,” he observed. He also noted that there is an oversupply of buses along Edsa during periods when these are not required. Fifty percent of these public vehicles, he said, do not even run on full capacity and only clog Metro Manila’s main road. Imagine each bus contributing a ton of deadly fumes to the atmosphere a year, the architect added. Not only is Edsa very unfriendly to pedestrians and commuters with its smoke and sidewalk vendors. Also, the Metro Rail Transit makes it difficult for pedestrians to cross Edsa; commuters must take the bus to reach a point that allows them to cross (most likely an overpass) and then take another bus going back to reach their destination.
Not only is Edsa very unfriendly to pedestrians and commuters with its smoke and sidewalk vendors. SCANDI / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Air rights
Lichauco said the challenge for an urban planner confronted with Edsa is to think out of the box. So, how about an elevated walkway on one side of the highway that undulates along the stretch from Makati to northern Metro Manila? If a six-meter-wide walkway cooled by tropical plants and systems reliant on solar or wind power is constructed on top of the sidewalk, pedestrians would no longer have to endure the pollution, crime and other hazards happening below, he said. Lichauco pictures a walkway that allows two meters for people who prefer to walk, two meters for walkalators similar to those in modern airports, and two meters for a bike lane. To begin construction, Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) can convince mall owners to buy the air rights in front of their establishments. These owners would be allowed to include commercial establishments on the walkway—provided these do not intrude into the six-meter space for pedestrians and bikers. He also suggests washrooms at strategic points. Lichauco said the ideas are not entirely novel. SM Megamall in Mandaluyong already bought the air rights over Julia Vargas Avenue before it built the skywalk that connects Building A and Building B. And to imagine what a walkway would look like, Lichauco referred to the elevated path in SM North Edsa that has earned raves from customers. Win-win scenario
Lichauco believes it is a winwin scenario. MMDA would not get into legal tussles with local government units since Edsa is a national highway. Mall
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owners get extra and unexpected commercial space, while pedestrians will enjoy a healthier and safer route, especially if law enforcers are visible along the walkway. Lichauco said it would be realistic to expect a mall owner to consider the purchase of air rights in front of his property. It would be up to the owner if he wants to extend air rights to spaces beyond his mall and enjoy more business space. The architect said the government can take over space whose air rights are not bought. In case it is the government that would have to construct the portion of the walkway in an area, Lichauco said monitors can easily spot overpricing, since construction expenses can be compared to those shouldered by the malls. “Malls are matipid (trying to scrimp) when it comes to that,” he noted. The architect also suggested putting the walkway on the side of Edsa that accommodates more pedestrian traffic. In Makati City, for example, the walkway could be constructed on the southbound side where San Lorenzo Village is located, because it has more pedestrians than the Dasmariñas-Forbes side. In Mandaluyong City, Lichauco said the Greenhills side may be the better location because it has more people than the Corinthian Village side. The architect has another concern, however—that a significant count of Edsa commuters comes from nearby provinces and must endure three hours of traffic just to get to work in the big city. Think of Greenfield along EdsaMandaluyong that has a terminal at the basement and commercial spaces on higher floors. ❱❱ PAGE 13 A walkway
Philippine News
FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
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Ombudsman speaks on SC in turmoil: Justices issue of selective justice bicker over Poe ruling BY PERFECTO T. RAYMUNDO Philippines News Agency MANILA — “The Filipino people are the real victims whenever corrupt public officials steal money,” Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales on Tuesday said in a statement. To politicians with cases before her office, Morales said that “Stop giving the public the impression that you are being politically persecuted. It is the other way around. Every peso lost to corruption means less free medicines for indigent patients in government hospitals and health centers, less textbooks and classrooms in public schools, and less food packs for victims of natural disasters.” The Ombudsman said that political harassment has become the standard “public relations” defense of politicians charged with graft and corruption or plunder. She said that this would not stand in court, and the public is not gullible to believe their claim. Morales said that her office did not distinguish whether it was election period or look at the party affiliation of the politician allegedly involved in corruption. “We decide only on the basis of evidence. After careful and objective evaluation of the evidence gathered, we immediately file cases, if warranted. We are oblivious of the timing of the filing of cases in courts, just as corrupt public officials steal public money every time an opportunity comes,” she said. “Fighting corruption is a 24/7 job. We file plunder or graft
Office of the Ombudsman Building.
cases as soon as we are done with a thorough and impartial investigation. The Office will not be deterred by propaganda and threats in doing our job. As I have said in the past, fighting corruption is the reason for my life,” she added. Accused of “selective justice” by its detractors, the Office of the Ombudsman is indeed selective, Morales said. “Yes, we are selective because the Ombudsman’s charter (Republic Act No. 6770) mandates us to prioritize cases against high ranking government officials, complaints involving grave offenses, as well as complaints involving large sums of money or properties or those against big-time plunderers,” she said. “We are selective because we dismiss cases when evidence is not sufficient. In some cases, we are even constrained to dismiss administrative cases against elected officials because the abandonment of the condonation doctrine is prospective according to the 10 November 2015 decision of the Supreme Court,” she added. “We are pleased that the general public appreciates our efforts to end corruption,” Morales said. She cited the Bilang Pilipino SWS Mobile Survey conducted on March 28, 2016. More than half of respondents had “much trust” in the Ombudsman, giving the constitutional body a net trust rating of +49. The SWS said that the trust rating for the Office of the Ombudsman was “Very Good” (+50 to +69) in Balance Luzon (outside Metro Manila ) and the Visayas, while it was “Good” (+30 to +49) everywhere else. ■
JUDGEFLORO / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer LEAVING THE choice up to the people’s sovereign will, the Supreme Court has upheld its March 8 decision to allow Sen. Grace Poe to run for President even as the justices continue to bicker over her qualifications. Poe’s detractors should now wait until after the election—if she wins, they can bring their cases against her to the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), the body that, according to the Supreme Court, has the authority to decide questions about a presidential candidate’s qualifications. Poe said she felt “unshackled” by the court’s final ruling, as she was now free to concentrate on her campaign. In a minute resolution released yesterday, the Supreme Court retained its 9-6 vote granting Poe’s plea against her disqualification, finding that the Commission on Elections (Comelec) had committed grave abuse of discretion in canceling her certificate of candidacy (COC). “The court resolved, by the same vote of 9-6, to deny with finality the motions for reconsideration, as the basic issues raised therein have been passed upon by this court and no substantial arguments were presented to warrant the reversal of the questioned decision,” the court said in its resolution released exactly a month before the balloting. “No further pleadings or motions will be entertained,” the court said in a three-page notice released four days after the full court made its final decision on the case during its first summer session for the year in Baguio City. While faced with persistent complaints and “vigorous attacks” by the dissenters, the majority said the court only had to rule on Poe’s grave abuse plea against the Comelec in the first place. Citing remedies available under the Constitution, the majority said questions about Poe’s citizenship and residency may and should only be settled when the court sits as the PET www.canadianinquirer.net
through a quo warranto petition—a challenge to a person’s right to hold public office—if she is elected President. The court, the majority said, should be kept away from politics and partisanship. Sovereign choice
“The sovereign choice on who will be the next President of the Philippines must be respected by this court. Only after this choice has been made may we potentially step in,” Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno said in her concurrence, referring to the court when it sits as the PET. Sereno said the court chose to release the final ruling in a minute resolution because “its promulgation would have been delayed by one to two weeks” had the court chosen to issue a full resolution. It was a rebuttal to Associate Justice Arturo Brion’s bristling criticism of the court’s chosen form in settling the case, saying it “clearly [indicates] that the majority was simply banking on the force of numbers.” “The candidates must be allowed to move on; the electorate must no longer be distracted by the skirmishes before this court. It serves no good purpose for baseless howls of protest to amplify today’s ambient noise. No one is benefited except those who want to ‘game’ judicial processes for political ends,” she said. Seeking to hush the “loud minority” of dissenters still asserting Poe’s lack of citizenship and residency qualifications, Sereno said parties against the senator may still ultimately challenge her qualifications at the PET. “Indeed, regardless of the number of justices who have opined that petitioner is a natural-born Filipino, even if it were a near unanimity, the postelection remedy of quo warranto— should petitioner indeed win the presidency—will be available to proper parties on proper grounds,” Sereno said. Postelection remedies
The Constitution “in very clear language has instituted postelection remedies to questions on the qualification of an elected President” and other
top officials, she said. “Because this remedy has been designed by the Constitution itself, it is not the place of the Commission on Elections to question the wisdom of the Filipino people who ratified a Constitution that provides such remedies. This court has no jurisdiction to render inutile a constitutional provision on the basis of [the] Comelec’s ‘fear of instability,’” she said. In his concurrence, Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said Poe’s petitions against her disqualification only sought a ruling on whether the Comelec breached its authority in barring her candidacy. “The Comelec’s insistence that the vote of this court should lay to rest all issues regarding petitioner’s qualifications is a misguided view of the availability of remedies to all voters, a misunderstanding of the difference between certiorari on the one hand and quo warranto on the other, or an attempt to have the Constitution amended so that this court would not be the ‘sole judge of election contests relating to … qualifications for President,’” Leonen said. Explaining why the majority decided to stick to its March 8 ruling in favor of Poe, Sereno said revising the decision would have “authorized [the] Comelec to continue to play politics.” Honest mistake
Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes believed otherwise, saying the court should not have excused a candidate from liability by claiming an honest mistake. Reyes held that Poe is neither a natural-born Filipino nor a 10-year Philippine resident. “Indeed, the lack of deliberate attempt to mislead, misinform or hide a fact from the electorate should not be allowed as a defense in a proceeding for the denial of due course to or cancellation of a COC… The qualifications of candidates should not be easily bargained away by the mere expedient claim of good faith,” he said. Sereno scoffed at the dissenters’ insistence that Poe ❱❱ PAGE 10 SC in
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Philippine News
APRIL 15, 2016
FRIDAY
‘There’s cash, why did tillers go hungry?’ BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer GOVERNMENT AGENCIES have around P50 billion in funds that could be used to mitigate hunger in Kidapawan and other places hit by the El Niño dry spell, noted Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate committees on Finance and Climate Change on Friday. “You are awash in cash. Why don’t you give it to the people who need it the most? Why is it not being spent? Why do farmers have to go hungry and get killed while demanding help?” Legarda asked a panel of agriculture and economic planning officials. Breaking the Senate recess, Legarda called for a finance committee meeting on Friday in the wake of the violent dispersal of protesting farmers in Kidapawan City on April 1, which resulted in the death of three protesters and injuries to scores of others. In attendance were officials of the Department of
Agriculture, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Climate Change Commission, National Food Authority, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), and the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda). Legarda gave the government officials a dressing down for failing to bring timely interventions to farmers considering that funds were available. “Ang bagal-bagal ng gobyerno. ‘Di pwedeng mabagal tayong lahat. (The government is so slow. We can’t all be that slow),” said Legarda. The senator cited the estimated P50billion in combined available savings and quick response funds (QRF) of the Departments of Agriculture, Social Welfare and Development, and the NDRRMC from last year to the current budget. This includes government’s
Senator Loren Legarda, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, directs a question to Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Emerson Palad (left) during the hearing on the government programs to respond to the El Nino phenomenon JOEY O. RAZON / PNA
disaster risk reduction fund of P43 billion for 2016 and P5 billion in savings from 2015; DA’s P496.6 million in QRF for 2016 and a balance of P11.9 million from 2015, and the DSWD’s P1.6 billion QRF for this year and the remaining P703.6 million in savings from last year. “You have not rolled out (projects) and, meanwhile,
people are getting killed. Where are these billions from 2015 and 2016?” said Legarda, at one point pounding the table. “That’s really deplorable. Only in this country do you shoot the hungry,” said Legarda. She assailed the myopic leadership of “imperial Manila, the imperial central government”
Caguioa. “This is an egregious error. The Chief Justice cannot validly exclude the three justices who took part in the deliberations… Notably, the Chief Justice offered no justification, as there is none for excluding the three justices in determining the majority,” he said. But Sereno said the vote of seven justices in favor of Poe “is not unimportant,” and that to belittle the vote “is offensive to the majority’s pride of place.” “The reply to such position is simple: We are 7, you are 5. Seven is a majority in a group of 12. It is time that this reality be accepted. Whether such majority position will be reversed in a quo warranto petition is a future matter, but the odds against its happening are quite telling,” Sereno said.
born Filipino. In his March 8 resolution, Justice Jose Perez cited figures that a child born between 1965 and 1975, the decade when Poe was born, is more than 99 percent likely to be a Filipino, based on figures that the Office of the Solicitor General had presented in court. Poe was abandoned in a church in Jaro, Iloilo province, shortly after birth in 1968. She was adopted later by movie actor Fernando Poe Jr. and his wife, actress Susan Roces, and became an American citizen in 2001. Poe returned to the Philippines in 2005, after her father’s death, reacquired her Philippine citizenship in 2006, and renounced her US citizenship in 2010. “I cannot but passionately stress my disagreement [with] the ruling of the ponencia that petitioner Poe’s citizenship can be established by resorting to the use of statistical probabilities,” said De Castro, who joined Carpio and Brion in voting against Poe in the SET case. Sereno balked at Brion’s view
for failing to bring help to farmers in far-flung areas when discussions and preparations for the dry spell began as early as 2014. “Bakit kayo tipid nang tipid eh ang laki ng pondong hiningi sa amin? (Why do you keep saving when you asked us for huge funds?) I don’t see the point unless you did not know they needed it, which is impossible because we’ve been talking about it since 2014,” said Legarda. But Neda Director General Emmanuel Esguerra, among those invited to the meeting, said the government’s assessment of its El Niño interventions was positive, as there has been no food shortage, food prices have remained stable, and there has be no outbreak of diseases despite limited water supply in certain areas. “Government has been able to successfully mitigate the impact of El Niño…But despite these encouraging numbers, we recognize there could be areas feeling the heavier impact of El Niño,” said Esguerra. ■
SC in... should be disqualified because there was no clear majority in the voting on whether she was a natural-born Filipino, and whether she had met the 10-year minimum residency requirement for presidential candidates. The justices separately voted on the two substantive issues. On citizenship, seven justices held that Poe is a natural-born Filipino, five dissented, while three opted not to take up the question. On residency, seven favored Poe, six voted against her, while two did not take a position. ❰❰ 9
‘No-majority vote’
In a fierce attempt to dismantle the majority’s dominance, Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said there was “clearly no majority vote on the issue of the petitioners’ citizenship,” asserting that eight justices make up the majority on the 15-member court. “Since there is no dispute that there are only seven justices who declared that petitioner is a nat-
ural-born Filipino citizen, there is clearly no majority vote on the issue of petitioner’s citizenship. Seven votes is less than a majority. In short, the issue of petitioner’s citizenship remains hanging and unsettled,” Carpio said. The senior magistrate is among three Supreme Court justices who, as members of the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET), dissented from the majority ruling that upheld Poe’s naturalborn status in a separate case. The reconsideration plea on the SET ruling remains pending in the Supreme Court. “The ruling of the majority will lead to an absurd result. The majority allows a presidential candidate with uncertain citizenship status to be elected to the presidency,” Carpio said. He called the majority ruling “a mockery of the electoral process.” Carpio also accused Sereno of excluding from the vote count the three justices who opted not to take a stand on the citizenship issue—Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Mariano del Castillo and Alfredo Benjamin
Statistical probability
As unconvinced of Poe’s citizenship was Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-de Castro, who scored the court’s reliance on “statistical probabilities” in ruling that Poe is a naturalwww.canadianinquirer.net
that the court itself gravely abused its discretion in allowing Poe to run. In his dissent, Brion scored the ruling as “erroneous” while warning his colleagues against standing by a decision that “has been questioned by different sectors for the confusion it sowed.” Attempt at tyranny
To Sereno, such view was “destructive of the rule of law.” “Protests [against] the majority ruling, both by the dissenters and [by the] respondents, “rail against… the Constitution itself,” she said. “Their main thesis is that a candidate cannot be allowed to run if there is doubt expressed by a loud minority about her lack of qualifications. One of the dissenters (Brion) even characterized the court itself as having committed grave abuse of discretion,” she said. “By their very words, they have arrogated to themselves a place above the court. This is a brazen attempt at tyranny by a noisy part of the minority,” she said. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
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Green Groups urge public to avoid food waste from farm to table to combat Climate Change PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY QUEZON CITY — Reacting to a new study showing that cutting food waste could help fight climate change, local green groups have come up with some practical tips to guide Filipinos in reducing waste from farm to table. “Food waste in a planet where many go to bed hungry is unconscionable. With the release of this new study, we hope that more Filipinos will be made aware of the need to undo all forms of food wastage, which is essential to ease malnutrition and hunger and mitigate climate change in our midst,” said Aileen Lucero, Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition. Last April 7, scientists from Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany conveyed that “reducing food waste would offer the chance to ensure food security, yet at the same time it could help mitigate dangerous climate change.” Globally, it is estimated that some 1.3 billion tons of food — worth US trillion — are wasted every year. The report “Food Surplus and Its Climate Burdens” found that “avoiding food loss and waste may counteract the increasing food demand and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the agricultural sector,” stressing “this is crucial because of limited options available to increase food production.” Lead author Ceren Hic said that “reducing food waste can contribute to fighting hunger, but to some extent also prevent climate impacts like more intense weather extremes and sea-level rise.” Co-author Prajal Pradhan explained that “agriculture is a major driver of climate change, accounting for more than 20
percent of overall global greenhouse-gas emissions in 2010” and that “avoiding food loss and waste would therefore avoid unnecessary greenhouse-gas emissions and help mitigate climate change.” To encourage the public not to waste food, partner groups of the EcoWaste Coalition have come up with a set of practical ideas to help reduce food waste from farm to table. Among the groups who provided food waste prevention tips are Arugaan, Bangon Kalikasan Movement, Buklod Tao, Cavite Green Coalition, Consumer Rights for Safe Food, Health Futures Foundation and the Mother Earth Foundation. To cut food waste at the farm during harvest time, Dr. Jaime Galvez Tan of Health Futures Foundation recommended the following: 1) ensure adequate and clean containers for the produce; 2) keep the harvested crops under the shade or in a clean spot that will not be disturbed by animals; and 3) make sure that the goods are arranged properly and transported in a clean and safe manner. At the policy front, Tan, a former health secretary, suggested that the Department of Agriculture should have more refrigerated storage warehouses (operated as a toll facility) to prolong the freshness of perishable products. Rene Pineda of the Consumer Rights for Safe Food asked consumers to “be brave and buy ugly fruits and vegetables,” arguing that “we can derive more nutrients and assured of safety against chemical inputs when you buy local, indigenous fruits and vegetables, and other fresh produce from your local wet market.” Pineda added: “We are all
Reducing food waste would offer the chance to ensure food security, yet at the same time it could help mitigate dangerous climate change.
blinded by vested food quality policies that corrupted the law of supply and demand. More than half of fresh produce end up as waste because it cannot pass the standard set by giant supermarket chains. Unfortunately, aesthetics is the only criterion of the said standard.” Pineda likewise reminded consumers to “be wary of ‘Unli Rice’ in restaurants as one to two cups of rice is more than enough for nourishment.” He explained that “consuming large amounts of rice per meal will not only make you sluggish and sick when you cannot burn loads of carbohydrates in your system, it contributes to food wastage as you get hooked to avarice.” Breastfeeding champion Ines Fernandez of Arugaan suggested that consumers go to the nearby talipapa (market) instead of going to the mall to buy fresh food cooking requirements for the family’s daily meals, nourishment and medicine. “Go fresh and avoid processed food that come with extra packaging that often goes to the garbage bin,” she said. At the dining table, it’s important to “remind everyone to get only what can be consumed
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and that not even a single grain will be left on the plate,” said entrepreneur and zero waste practitioner Baby Reyes of the Mother Earth Foundation. “Set aside seeds of fruits and vegetables in small containers to produce seedlings. After cutting portions to be eaten, plant stems of kamote tops and the like for propagation,” said environmentalist Joey Papa of the Bangon Kalikasan Movement. Disaster risk reduction and preparedness advocate Noli Abinales of Buklod Tao said that household members should tell food preparers if they will eat at home or not to ensure that only enough will be cooked. “If there is a leftover, use this for packed lunch the following day,” he said. Abinales also made a pitch for kitchen waste management at the household and village level. Every home must have a container for kitchen and table scraps and every barangay must have a materials recovery facility where the collected food waste and other organics can be composted. Households with fruit-bearing trees should also make it a point to harvest the fruits before they fall to the ground. “Share the fruits with relatives and give the
rest to your neighbors,” he said. EcoWaste Coalition partner groups also identified these practical tips to curb food waste such as: 1. Check first what is on your cupboard and refrigerator before rushing to the market. 2. Be a smart shopper: plan your menu for the week, enough to achieve the recommended daily allowance for nourishment, prepare a marketing and grocery list and stick to it to avoid impulse buy. 3. Buy, prepare and cook only what you can consume at a time to avoid spoilage and waste. 4. Only buy extra food items that can be safely stored. 5. Store fruits and vegetables in right places to make them last longer. 6. Eat less beef, chicken and pork, and eat more fruits and vegetables. 7. Do not waste raw or cooked food. 8. Be careful during food preparation to avoid food contamination and waste. 9. Don’t over-serve; adjust the meal portions for kids as they eat less than adults. 10. Use a serving spoon to avoid spoilage of leftover foods. 11. Learn to save, recycle, repurpose and eat leftovers. if leftovers could not be helped and are left forgotten in the refrigerator, compost or feed to pets or birds visiting your yard 12. Find new uses for damaged fruits and vegetables instead of quickly discarding them. 13. Give food scraps to animals or turn them into compost to nourish the soil for healthier food. 14. Segregate biodegradable from non-biodegradable wastes for composting. 15. Train how to do composting and how to grow your own food from your compost. ■
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Philippine News
APRIL 15, 2016
FRIDAY
NBI tracking down hackers of Comelec website PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) – Cyber Crime Division is now tracking down those behind the hacking of the official website of the Commission on Elections last March 27. According to NBI – Cyber Crime Division chief Ronald Aguto, the agency was following a lead that would determine the people that illegally entered the poll body’s website, www.comelec.gov.ph. “We are hoping that in the
next few days, we will be able to identify, arrest, and charge the person responsible,” said Aguto. The NBI official revealed that they were able to track the suspects through the IP address they used as well as human intelligence. He did not provide other details but noted that the hackers were based in the country. “We believe it’s a group and they are inside the Philippine territory,” said Aguto. Two weeks ago, a hackers group, Anonymous Philippines, defaced the website. At the same time, another group, Lulzsec Pilipinas,
claimed to have leaked sensitive personal data sourced from the Comelec database. Aguto noted the agency was looking into both cases separately but it did not discount the possibility that they were one and the same group. “We consider it as two separate incidents,” he said. On the other hand, Comelec Spokesman James Jimenez said they would wait on the recommendation from the NBI regarding their next move. “Of course the Comelec is studying legal remedies against those who intruded on the Comelec website as well as
JV posts P30,000 bail at Sandigan BY GIL C. CABACUNGAN Philippine Daily Inquirer
San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez, who is running for reelection in polls next month.
SEN. JOSEPH Victor “JV” Ejercito yesterday posted P30,000 bail at the Sandiganbayan, which on Monday ordered him arrested for using municipal calamity funds to buy highpowered firearms for the San Juan police when he was mayor of the city in 2008. Ejercito arrived at the Sandiganbayan in Quezon City before 9 a.m., paid his bail in cash and was booked by the Fifth Division clerk of court. The Fifth Division issued a warrant for the arrest of the son of Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Monday after it found “sufficient grounds” to proceed with the graft and technical malversation charges brought by the Ombudsman. After news of the arrest order spread on Wednesday, Ejercito issued a statement pleading his innocence and blaming his legal trouble on local politics in San Juan. “I maintain my innocence and deny any wrongdoing in the purchase of high-powered firearms in 2008. I know I did nothing wrong, and that this case is undoubtedly politically motivated by oppositionists at the local scene,” Ejercito said, referring to former ally House Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora and Zamora’s son, San Juan Vice Mayor Francis Zamora. The younger Zamora is running against Ejercito’s mother,
Coaccused
Francis Zamora is among 14 former and incumbent city officials charged with Ejercito. Zamora also paid P6,000 bail along with former San Juan Vice Mayor Leonardo Celles and City Councilors Andoni Carballo, Vincent Pacheco, Angelino Mendoza, Dante Santiago, Rolando Bernardo, Grace Pardines, Domingo Sese, Francis Peralta, Edgardo Soriano, Jannah EjercitoSurla, Ramon Nakpil and Joseph Christopher Torralba.The other accused in the case are city administrator Ranulfo Dacalos, treasurer Rosalinda Marasigan, lawyer Romualdo de los Santos, budget officer Lorenza Ching and engineer Danilo Mercardo. Conspiracy
“I trust that the court of law will conduct fair proceedings and exercise wise judgment,” said Ejercito, who was elected to the Senate in 2013 after serving one term in the House of Representatives. Ejercito, who was mayor of San Juan from 2001 to 2010, claimed he was only thinking of “the protection and interests of the people of San Juan against lawless elements” when he approved the purchase of submachine guns for the city police in 2008. The Ombudsman alleged that Ejercito conspired with other city officials to use the municipal government’s calamity funds to buy the firearms in
February 2008. Ejercito, according to the Ombudsman, tapped the city’s calamity fund to buy the firearms as “investment for disaster preparedness.” The City Council passed a resolution authorizing the purchase of the firearms. Purchased for P2.1 million were three Daewoo K2 submachine guns and 17 Daewoo K1 submachine guns. Guns not for relief
The submachine guns are made by Daewoo Precision Industries of South Korea and chambered for the 5.56mm ammunition. The Ombudsman found the use of calamity funds for the purchase of the submachine guns irregular, as firearms are not among the things considered necessary for disaster relief and mitigation under a circular jointly issued by the Department of Budget and Management, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government in 2003. Ombudsman prosecutors pointed out that San Juan was not under a state of calamity at the time of the weapons purchase. They also charged that the firearms were acquired without competitive public bidding. The prosecutors noted that the post-qualification documents covering the acquisition of the firearms were dated earlier than the publication of an invitation to bid, showing that “unwarranted benefit, advantage and preference were accorded to the supplier.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
those who are benefiting,” he said. The poll body official added, “Obviously, Comelec has to run after the people who did this once they are identified and apprehended. There will be legal actions taken against them as well as those who have been taking advantage of what they did.” On the claims of Lulzsec, Jimenez said the commission was verifying them. “We are still validating these claims. We don’t if all the 340 GBs they claim to have copied are authentic or if they really came from the Comelec,” he added.
Meanwhile, the poll body has collaborated with messaging app firm, Viber, in order to provide a more extensive coverage and information-sharing method of the May 9 national and local elections. The partnership will be creating an official 2016 polls public chat forum, where users can get updates about the elections as well as subscribe to voter education programs in their mobile devices. Likewise, it will allow Viber users to download a sticker pack, which the public can use to enrich their Viber conversations on elections. ■
Glitches hit 3 voting machines BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer THE COMMISSION on Elections reported Sunday minor glitches in vote counting machines (VCM) in three Philippine diplomatic outposts being used for the overseas absentee voting. One VCM each in Hong Kong, Dubai and Riyadh were temporarily down but the Comelec was already addressing the situation, Election Commissioner Arthur Lim, head of the Comelec Office for Overseas Voting, said. “To avoid interruptions in voting, the voters in the precincts concerned will be allowed to cast or feed their ballots in the adjoining precincts where the rest of the VCMs are operating normally,” Lim told
reporters yesterday. The VCMs that malfunctioned will be shipped back to Manila and will be replaced with new ones. “One replacement VCM will each be deployed tomorrow to Hong Kong, Dubai and Riyadh,” he said. He said there were “no major glitches” when the voting for Filipinos abroad opened on Saturday, exactly one month before the May 9 elections in the Philippines. There are 1.38 million Filipinos abroad who registered for the 2016 elections under the OAV. The figure is more than the 737,000 who enlisted for the 2013 elections. The overseas absentee voters are expected to cast their ballots in 85 Philippine outposts worldwide either by postal, personal manual voting or the automated elections system. ■
National Printing Office personnel test run official ballots to vote-counting machines (VCMs). JOEY O. RAZON / PNA
Philippine News
FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
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A walkway... Lichauco said he had already discussed building structures in cities like Makati and Taguig that have terminals for public vehicles in the basement, commercial establishments on the lower floors and dormitories on the upper floors for provincebased workers. The buildings would be constructed on idle lands or in areas with one-story buildings at present. ❰❰ 8
Dormitories
Bus lane in EDSA.
ROBERTO VERZO / FLICKR
MMDA to bus firms: Produce erring drivers caught thru ‘no-contact’ BY KRISTINE FELISSE MANGUNAY Philippine Daily Inquirer BUS OPERATORS continued to raise concerns about the no-contact policy to be implemented on all motorists starting April 15, but the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) stood firm, saying the measure was necessary to discipline drivers. More than 30 bus companies sent representatives to a meeting with MMDA officials on Friday, the second to be called by the agency to explain the new system that will rely mainly on the more than 250 closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed around the capital. The high-definition CCTVs can capture a vehicle’s license plate markings, the MMDA earlier said. When a vehicle is caught on camera violating traffic rules, the MMDA will send a summons to the registered owner of the vehicle, or to the operator in the case of public utility buses. During Friday’s meeting, MMDA Chair Emerson Carlos explained that the driver—not the operator—would be fined if the vehicle was cited for a “moving violation” like reckless driving, beating the red light, violating the number coding scheme, illegal loading and unloading, encroaching on yellow boxes at intersections, etc. Need for cooperation
He differentiated this from administrative violations that mainly involve irregularities in the vehicles’ documents. “The one who has a (moving) violation is the driver, not the operator. We
need your cooperation. Once you receive the (violation) ticket, give us the name of the driver and other details so we can send (the ticket) to him instead,” Carlos told the bus company representatives. Ronnie Rivera, head of the inspectorate and speeding unit of the MMDA, said a bus would be placed “under alarm” if the bus operator who received the summons “did not act on it” within seven days upon receipt. Once the driver in question receives the summons, he or she still has the opportunity to contest the issuance of the ticket and file a protest in the MMDA traffic adjudication division.
Lichauco recalled a conversation with acting Makati Mayor Kid Peña in which the architect questioned the wisdom of giving away free housing to informal settlers. Instead, Lichauco said, why not save half of these and convert them into dormitories for province-based employees working in the city? “A worker can submit an employment certificate, have his boss vouch for good character and the city can have regular inspections. This means the worker must present proof he is really working in the city. And there should also be limits on how many persons can stay,” he pointed out. Lichauco said it would be easy to persuade employers to shoulder the housing cost. After all, who doesn’t want employees coming to work alert and on time?
Lichauco added that housing restrictions are necessary since building systems are destroyed when they are overpopulated. Sewerage and sanitation, for example, are usually the first to go when a building hosts more than it can handle. The architect also envisions Edsa as a canyon, with the two rows of buildings on either side as the land forms that tower over the road or “gorge.” To transform Edsa into a selfsustaining ecosystem, the MMDA can require all owners of buildings along Edsa to arrange vertical gardens in the frontage of their properties. This way, not only would the plants help combat pollution, they would also contribute in making travel on the proposed walkways a pleasant experience. In the meantime, local governments would do well to seriously consider electric buses to lessen the risk of respiratory diseases among constituents. Of course, the government would have to show political will, a huge amount of discipline, and ensure private sector cooperation to make this all happen. But Lichauco insists the proposal can be feasible. “An urban planner’s job is to push the envelope. Let’s challenge the current thought that Edsa is hopeless or is only for cars. Think of Edsa as a spine we can connect to everyone, or as the longest shopping strip in the world,” he mused. ■
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Respond to Canada’s need for immigrants.
‘Incorruptible’
If the violation is upheld, the driver should pay the penalty through Metrobank or directly at the MMDA within seven days from receipt of the final decision. Failure to do so would prompt the MMDA to alert the Land Transportation Office. The driver would not be able to renew his license until the fine is paid, Carlos said. Rivera stressed that the CCTV cameras could not be “corrupted” and would get personal contact with MMDA traffic constables out of the equation in the apprehension of traffic violators. “What is wrong is wrong. If before you could talk your way out of a violation or ‘fix’ it (pay a bribe) through an enforcer, that can’t be done now,” he said. “What we want is to instill discipline in our drivers. What happens is that we only follow (traffic rules) if someone is watching,” added Neomie Recio, head of the MMDA’s traffic engineering center. ■
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APRIL 15, 2016
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FRIDAY
Philippine News
FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
15
Heckling started even before Marcos spoke BY NIÑA P. CALLEJA Philippine Daily Inquirer THE BOOS resounded even before Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. spoke. Five hecklers unfurled a banner and chanted “Never again, never again!” as the namesake son of the late dictator began to deliver his opening remarks during the vice presidential debate sponsored by the Commission on Elections and CNN Philippines yesterday. Marcos supporters in the audience countered by chanting “BBM, BBM!” The hecklers were immediately hustled out of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) pavilion while chants of “Magnanakaw (Thief ), magnanakaw!” erupted. Outside the UST gate, placard-carrying anti-Marcos protesters had also converged before the debate. At the bleachers of the UST pavilion were supporters of the candidates, clapping and stomping.
It was an “oops moment” for Marcos when he initially said “yes” to the question whether the candidates had been engaged in any corruption activities in the past. Marcos raised the thumbsup sign to the question but changed it to the thumbs-down sign after realizing his mistake. He was caught in the photos circulating online smiling after his mistake. The blunder drew laughter and boos from the audience. For a brief moment, the camera focused on Vice President Jejomar Binay, who was in the audience to support his vice presidential candidate, Sen. Gregorio Honasan. This was after Honasan said he objected to trial by publicity, echoing the usual line of Binay, the standardbearer in the United Nationalist Alliance. Binay is facing several allegations of corruption for allegedly taking kickbacks and rigging contracts during his time as Makati City mayor. He has denied the claims, saying they were meant to undermine his
presidential bid. “This is a serious issue. This should be decided by the courts at the right time,” said Honasan. This then prompted Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Binay’s lead inquisitor in the Senate, to chime in. “I disagree. That’s Vice President Binay’s line. That is not true. The reason why we’re investigating is because, based on documents, I believe Vice President Binay is corrupt,” said Trillanes. Binay could be seen booing Trillanes. Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano acted as the main Marcos tormentor. In response to a question by a UST medical student as to the appropriate penalty for plunder, Cayetano said that corruption was so ingrained in Philippine society that the capacity to plunder had become the basis of occupying electoral posts. “If you steal big, you become a congressman. You steal bigger, a senator. If you are friends with [Janet Lim-] Napoles, you
are cleared and you become VP (Vice President),” Cayetano said in Filipino, adding, “Our lives are pervaded by corruption, unless we change the system.” Marcos quipped, “Is that how you became congressman? How you became a senator? That’s not what I did.” A miffed Cayetano retorted with a dig at Marcos’ allegedly fake diplomas while claiming that he would not have gone to the People Power Revolution if he had been corrupt. “Where were you whenever we talked about corruption? You’re never there. During the Napoles hearing, he was angry at me for summoning Maya Santos who turned out to be his and Napoles’ in-between,” he said. Marcos replied the Senate hearings were purely political exercises. “I will not take part in that kind of politicking. They claim it is anticorruption but they are only glorifying themselves,” he pointed out. The “love triangle” among Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte,
Marcos and Cayetano was raised in the course of the altercation. “Mayor Digong had said it, if the problem of criminality is not solved in three to six months, he will hand over the presidency to Bongbong,” Marcos said. Before Duterte announced his presidential run, the two had both courted him serve as his running mate. Cayetano, in his response, said Duterte was being “playful” when he endorsed Marcos before Ilocano voters. “But he said in his sorties all over the country, ‘If you won’t vote for Alan, don’t vote for me,’” Cayetano said. Trillanes asked Cayetano: “How could you say you can fix criminality in three to six months when Davao is the fourth city in the country with the highest number of crime cases?” Cayetano told Trillanes to ask the most beautiful woman from UST to walk around Davao City. “If she is harassed or raped, Mayor Duterte and I would no longer run,” Cayetano said. ■
(NAITAS) on Friday afternoon.
late flight from Palawan province to Manila. The mayor has gained notoriety for being habitually late in speaking engagements, and had once blamed “a lot of people wanting to have selfies” with him as being behind his tardiness. The mayor’s speech centered on how the tourism industry would improve if peace and order were established in the country, and dovetailed with his vaunted platform of ridding the country of drug addiction and criminality within six months after taking office.
Duterte’s remarks about Mexico, Villaseñor said, “Mexico is the number one foreign investor in the Philippines... and is active in helping the (country). We have done many agreements to promote tourism and cooperation.” His country has invested over $7 million in the Philippines and has helped the country’s inbound tourism, the envoy added. Duterte, however, did not show any remorse after the event and said he had nothing to apologize for.” “Totoo naman. I was telling the truth,” he said. The mayor also did not hold
back on his trademark expletives during the event, where he again hit the country’s problem with illegal drugs and criminality. “People curse when they’re angry,” he said. “I don’t hide my anger. I even cursed in front of a President,” Duterte said, recounting an incident when he gave an official a dressing down in front of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. ■
Digong slams... called for a ban on Mexican immigrants for being “rapists, and bringing crime and drugs to the US.” Doing The Donald one better (or worse), the tough-talking Duterte also scored Mexico for its criminality, even with the Mexican ambassador to the Philippines sitting on the front row. “Bakit ka pa pupunta sa Mexico with all the kidnappings and killings (Why would you go to Mexico, with all those kidnappings and killings)?” Duterte said during the event organized by the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies ❰❰ 1
Awkward laughter
His speech resulted in awkward laughter as the crowd at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City noted that Mexican ambassador to the Philippines Julio Camarena Villaseñor was seated right next to Duterte’s runningmate, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano. Perhaps realizing his blunder, the presidential candidate added, “It could be Russia. It could be Egypt.” Duterte, who was received like a rock star by throngs of supporters, came an hour and a half late for the tourism event, and attributed the delay to his
$7-million investment
Asked for his reaction to
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APRIL 15, 2016
FRIDAY
ANALYSIS
Disaster at the airport: Abaya has to go By Amando Doronila Philippine Daily Inquirer LAST WEEKEND’S five-hour power outage at Naia Terminal 3 broke the record as the most disruptive power breakdown ever to visit the country since the opening of the terminal in 2006. Because of the huge power failure, 82 Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines domestic flights were canceled and 79 international flights delayed, affecting more than 15,000 passengers and highlighting the paralysis of the Philippine aviation industry. The blackout hit Terminal 3, which services mostly domestic flights, late on Saturday, and power was not restored until early Sunday. Terminal 3 handles an average of 350 domestic and international flights daily. It is one of four terminals in a complex that was once slammed by the travel website Guide to Sleeping in Airports as the “world’s worst due to leaking toilets and creaking facilities.” According to Octavio Lina, Naia Terminal 3 manager, the electrical system broke down when power supplied by a Meralco substation tripped at around 8:45 p.m. on Satur-
day. Naia officials closed down the fa- pened. The two men were not even outage was most likely the result of cilities, resulting in heavy passenger given a slap on the wrist. There was negligence, and that all the terminals congestion and chaos at the terminal. no effort to hold Abaya responsible have preventive maintenance proceThe power outage struck as the for the fiasco at the terminal. True, dures for generator sets. administration of President Aquino they were summoned to a meeting Said the engineer: “The generawas winding down. Oddly, he had with the President, but a statement tor sets without [electricity] load are earlier faced an aviation industry in later issued by Malacañang said Mr. tested weekly. A complete test for disarray, as well as a demand from an Aquino had also instructed airport of- generator sets with load is conducted outraged public for the dismissal of ficials “to maintain vigilance so that twice a month. These are all planned his controversial transportation sec- the safety of travelers will be assured and scheduled.” retary, Joseph Emilio Abaya. One so- continuously.” The generator sets should be quickcial media tweeter described Abaya The response of Honrado appeared ly running should electricity trip at as “the worst and most incompetent as unconcerned as the Palace response. any terminal, the engineer said. “It [transportation] takes less than 10 secretary.” The diseconds for power to As public demand mounted for the head of Abaya to roll, saster at Terminal go back but the outthe President fueled more outrage with his appalling response to 3 is but the latest load has to be recalls to hold his transportation secretary responsible for the Black of the snafus durset, so, all in all, the Weekend at the airport. ing Abaya’s term in equipment should the Aquino Cabinet, be running within a which is exiting in public disgrace. “As far as I know, this is the first time minute.” He said each set has a “priorAs public demand mounted for the this happened,” he said. “We are look- ity load” for critical areas, including head of Abaya to roll, the President fu- ing into the real cause of the prob- the passenger movement area, which eled more outrage with his appalling lem—how the power supply tripped.” must, he pointed out, never have a response to calls to hold his transpor- He added that he and his officials were power outage. The blackout “would tation secretary responsible for the scheduled to meet with managers of not have happened if the generator Black Weekend at the airport. Instead Meralco, the retailer of power in Metro sets were well-maintained.” of issuing a strong reprimand to Aba- Manila and nearby areas, to determine The insensitive statement of ya, the President merely directed him the cause of the outage. Malacañang amounts to a whitewash and the airport general manager, Jose In a report, the INQUIRER quoted to absolve Abaya and keep him in Angel Honrado, “to adopt measures an unidentified engineer at the air- the Cabinet up to the last day of the to avoid a repeat” of what had hap- port as saying that the prolonged Aquino administration. This means
that until then, we will be saddled by Abaya’s presence despite his sordid record at the Department of Transportation and Communications. That record is marked by not only last weekend’s blackout at Terminal 3 but also by his disgraceful management of the Metro Manila railway systems, which are saddled with accidents as well as breakdowns, including recent incidents in which commuters were trapped inside trains whose doors would not open. Under Abaya’s management, the urban railway systems remain a threat to the life and limb of passengers commuting from home to work and back. The trains, some leaking and decrepit, have been described as “rolling coffins.” This administration has a sorry record of transport mismanagement marked by power outages and mechanical breakdowns in the railway systems. This is the most compelling reason why Abaya has to go immediately, to make way for a Cabinet revamp in the twilight of the administration. But then we learn that Abaya is an untouchable sacred cow: He is acting president of the ruling Liberal Party. Nevertheless, he has no reason to stay in the Cabinet a minute longer. ■
PUBLIC LIVES
The antipolitical in politics By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer ONE OF the puzzling things about the political situation in our country today is that while President Aquino enjoys continued public approval by a majority of the people (the latest Pulse Asia report puts this at 52 percent)—quite unprecedented for a chief executive nearing the end of his term—his own anointed successor, Mar Roxas, has not been doing well in preelection polls. The disconnect is even more baffling in light of the fact that the country has recorded high rates of economic growth in a stable political environment in the last six years, enjoying a level of investor confidence not seen in previous decades. How does one account for these seeming contradictions in public opinion? There might be three reasons: (1) the reality of unfulfilled expectations; (2) the absence of a strong party system; and (3) the growing disenchantment with politics itself, which has spawned an ironic style of politics that resonates with the public with its antipolitical messages. Let me explain. The political system needs a mirror by which to be able to see and orient itself, and that mirror is public opinion. Public opinion is thus to
politics as the market is to the econ- Region and the “D” segment of the in these caucuses, weeding out indiomy. Opinion surveys are the most population. viduals who are basically outsiders popular way of determining public Weak party system. In a political to the party. But Trump’s stunning opinion, but they are not the only system with strong and stable par- performance in these caucuses signiway. We need other studies that try ties, there would be no room for “pri- fies that the Republican grassroots to dig into the complex origins of the vateer” presidential aspirants like constituency has changed in ways choices that informants make as they Rodrigo Duterte and Grace Poe who that the party itself may have failed respond to the usual survey ques- are running on the sheer strength of to recognize. tions. their personal popularity. (I borrow Antipolitics. I amled to think that a Unfulfilled expectations. My the term “privateer” from the world lot of this has to do with the postmodhunch is that with increasing eco- of motor sports where it refers to ern turn against politics itself. Rather nomic prosperity, a growing segment individual competitors who are not than see politics as a necessary and of the public also begins to be aware backed by a corporate team.) But, inescapable component of social life, of the restricted access they have to Philippine political culture being people begin to view it as the source the limited goods of all that is wrong and opportunities in society. Voters The implicit message seems to be that the inherited institutions available. Against then go for candiof modern governance have failed to solve the problems of Filipinos. the backdrop of risdates who defy all ing expectations, the existing norms the reality of their exclusion becomes what it is—a system that favors idio- of political correctness and profesmore pronounced. They become syncratic personal narratives over sional conduct, and who, unafraid more aware of the sharp inequali- party-backed political programs—it and uncensored, say what they feel ties in the growing economy. That is doesn’t seem surprising that a party like saying, and don’t seem to care why the most politically disaffected leader like Roxas is trailing in the about winning. do not necessarily come from the race. Duterte has tapped into this antiranks of the very poor but from those We are also beginning to see this political vein in an amazing way. He who have freed themselves from the phenomenon in American politics loves to tell his audiences that he shackles of absolute poverty and are today in the rise of Donald Trump. himself could not decide whether he determined to flourish. The latter’s It is threatening the stability of the wanted to run. He tells them to vote level of frustration and anger tends US two-party system where candi- for any of his opponents who have to be much higher. Consider the dates go through a grueling series of prepared for the presidency all their groups that are virtually rejecting the party caucuses at the state level be- lives. “Just remember, I am your last administration in preelection polls: fore the actual national convention card,” he says—a clever pitch for auThey mostly come from the relative- itself. Party ideology and structure thenticity in a time of despair. ly more prosperous National Capital are supposed to assert themselves But, it is important to differentiate
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the current support that Americans are giving Trump from the Filipinos’ present love affair with Duterte. While the wellsprings of both are antipolitical, the former is a reaction to the exhaustion felt in the recurrent gridlock that besets modern democratic politics, while the latter arises from the feudal yearning for a willful autocrat who can unite, restore order in, and protect the nation. The implicit message seems to be that the inherited institutions of modern governance have failed to solve the problems of Filipinos. They need someone who will make the decisions and solve the problems for them, unencumbered by due process and debate. The tough-talking strongman from Davao thus forms a pair—not with the Bible-quoting Alan Cayetano—but with Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. who is running on the mantra of national unity. The young Marcos says that politics has divided us against ourselves, that we need to forget the antagonisms of the past if we are to face the future with hope. As we may note, the 2016 presidential election is not entirely a contest of personalities. It is also a battle between traditional and modern leadership, between the old and the new mode of governance. ■
Opinion
FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
17
AT LARGE
An afternoon with P-Noy By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer IT WAS concern for the environment that brought His Serene Highness Albert II, Prince of Monaco, to the country earlier in the week. He was due to leave for El Nido, Palawan, the day after the luncheon in Malacañang hosted by P-Noy on Thursday, and from there would visit Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, about five hours away by boat. Part of his itinerary, it’s said, is to shoot a documentary on climate change, with the Philippines a focus because of our vulnerability to the environmental impacts of this weather phenomenon. But also part of his visit, said the prince in his response to P-Noy’s remarks, was to highlight the “need to protect” the reefs, given their status as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Home and “incubator” to the majority of fish and sea life in our part of the world, as well as a nesting site for birds and marine turtles, Tubbataha is certainly a most valuable—and vulnerable—resource that deserves to be protected from the incursions of illegal fishers and exploiters. The Philippines, noted the prince, the son of the late Hollywood star Grace Kelly and the late Prince Rainier of Monaco, suffers from “the dra-
matic effects of climate change,” one cies and local governments had taken have the chance to sit down for an exof which is the searing heat we are steps to address the impending crisis, tensive period of time with the Presiexperiencing this season, as well as he said, and stressed that indeed we dent?) to even take the emotional El Niño, which is causing devastating had already passed “the worst” phase temperature of the moment. drought that has resulted in depleted of this climate phenomenon. The only time I recall P-Noy showharvests and stunted crops. Since P-Noy had asked that matters ing a bit of sentiment was when he That is a reality that the Philippine taken up that afternoon be kept confi- was asked about the photos displayed government needs no encourage- dential, we can only speak in generali- behind his desk, including that of his ment to address. Despite accusations ties here. But a major impression left father Ninoy in his famous pose on of negligence, if not indifference, by our two-hour exchange is the sheer the cover of Asiaweek taken during his to the impact of El Niño on farming range of concerns that any president plane ride back to Manila in 1983, and communities, especially given the has to confront each day in office. P- a montage of his mother Cory and the deadly dispersal of farmers rallying Noy displayed a clear and remarkable Blessed Mother. With these images in Kidapawan City, the President grasp of the issues he faces, from the behind him, he seemed to say, How stressed that the national govern- personal to national politics to foreign could he ever forget not just his perment has long been sonal duties but also aware of the imthe family legacy? With these images behind him, he seemed to say, How could he pending impact of But beyond this ever forget not just his personal duties but also the family legacy? El Niño and preparmoment, P-Noy aping to mitigate the peared upbeat, and worst of its effects. affairs. One thing I think I can share when we began apologizing for taking *** with readers is that the President is up so much of his time, he smiled and INDEED, it took but a single question well prepared for the day he has to said he welcomed this break from rouabout the Kidapawan dispersal for P- leave Malacañang, saying that in fact tine. “Otherwise I would have been Noy to convene an impromptu tête- he has already begun to pack his things, obliged to face the thick pile of docuà-tête with a group of media women and that the Aquino family home on ments waiting for me,” he said. after the departure of Prince Albert Times Street in Quezon City is underHe even complained goodnaturedand his party and of most guests to going renovation for his move there. ly about his current schedule that the state function. *** called for him to look after affairs of He had charts and graphs aplen- SOMEONE asked me on social media the state in the morning and then “go ty to show that the government, if the afternoon was not tinged with out helping in the campaign for the through Pagasa and the Department sadness. rest of the day.” of Agriculture, had been aware since To be honest, I think we were too *** last year of the impact of El Niño and caught up in so many topics of inter- PERHAPS in the near future P-Noy the nature of the phenomenon. Agen- est (how often does a media group will have time and opportunity to look
back on his six years as president and ponder the matter of “legacy.” But now, even as he has barely a month left of his term and should be in the process of wrapping up, he still faces a most contentious campaign and nagging concerns about the continuity of policies and programs hard-won from a bruising battle against corruption and decades of economic stagnation. Indeed, it seems ironic that the Philippines—and by extension PNoy himself—enjoys better press and more convivial company from foreign media, ratings institutions and leaders around the world. To listen to leaders of the opposition, the country is on the verge of collapse and on the threshold of destruction. The only common program, from what I glean from the media and press releases, that all candidates will pursue seems to be the “4Ps,” otherwise known as the conditional cash transfer program. But this only after the most obvious beneficial effects have made themselves felt, and judging from the positive feedback of the beneficiaries. But even the “4Ps” program is vulnerable to corruption and exploitation by the most cynical of political players. Protecting it from politics and patronage should be counted as one of the P-Noy administration’s major legacies. ■
LOOKING BACK
Smell and the Filipino identity By Ambeth R. Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer WHENEVER I see bomb-sniffing dogs in airports or at the entrance of posh hotels, I am reminded of my mother’s highly developed sense of smell that could track down a cockroach that had strayed into her immaculately clean bedroom. When she caught the scent of a cockroach she would not sleep until it had been dispatched by a deftly manipulated slipper. At breakfast she would brag about her successful hunt, such that my father claimed that to make his wife happy he would often bring home a cockroach in a matchbox and release it in their bedroom. My mother’s sense of smell was perfectly deployed in the kitchen, where she would check on the taste of food simmering in pots simply by taking a whiff, while others needed to take a spoonful to taste. I used to think she was pulling our leg until I heard about Gregoria de Jesus Nakpil, widow of Andres Bonifacio, who was a celebrated cook. I was told that “Oriang” could tell whether something cooking on a stove was good or not simply from its aroma. She took
one sniff and knew exactly what was lacking to perfect the dish. This made me wonder in what other ways she deployed her sense of smell during the Philippine Revolution. But it seems my mother and Oriang would not have been exceptional in 19th-century Philippines, if we are to believe the Frenchman Jean Mallat, who noted in 1846 that: “Indios have an extraordinarily fine sense of smell; there are servants who recognize the shirts of their master, after returning from the wash, among those of 10 or 12 other persons only by the odor. It is also claimed that if a man finds himself beside a woman of whom he is enamored, she guesses his sentiments from the odor of his perspiration, and vice-versa. As a sign of tenderness, they ask for a shirt which has been worn by the loved person, and when it has lost its odor, they change it with another one; for them it has the effect of a lock of hair in Europe.” Ferdinand Blumentritt, friend of Jose Rizal, never set foot in the Philippines but wrote a lot about the country and its people. In one of his research papers he said that Filipinos “exchange clothes in order to be near
their beloved by smelling the clothes. In cases where the smell of the attire is already lost, other pieces of clothing may be exchanged. According to [Sinibaldo de Mas] from whom I have taken the above information, [Filipino women] are able to find out whether the man near them are sexually excited or not through their sense of smell.” Reading Mallat reminded me of elderly aunts who greeted us with a different kind of kiss. This wasn’t an ordinary peck on the cheek. It looked like the modern beso-beso (translated from the Spanish as kisskiss), where one kisses a person on both cheeks; the same motions are deployed by some who do not actually kiss but merely go cheek to cheek with the other, sometimes making the sound “mwah” with each “kiss.” Elderly aunts performed the second type of beso-beso but they would sniff you audibly, such that you felt they were sniffing away at your soul— or perhaps checking on your sexual excitement? Mallat also reminded me of lovers today who exchange used pillows, towels or articles of clothing when one went away on a trip. I amtold there are even websites
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that cater to this fetish by supplying used socks and underwear for a fee. As an historian, I have read many travel accounts of the Philippines and Filipinos, from the earliest and most detailed by Antonio Pigafetta, Magellan’s chronicler, who left us with his notes on the country in 1521, to many others in the first decades of the 20th century that historians label the “American period.” Foreigners claim that Filipinos exude a particular scent but cannot describe it, while Filipinos are more descriptive and venture on a typology based on smell: Indians approximate spicy curry, Americans are supposed to reek of beef, Thais exude the aroma of patis (fish sauce), and so on. But ask Filipinos to describe the typical Filipino scent and they will reply that we don’t smell because we bathe every day. The modern world is filled with perfumes, colognes and deodorants that have changed the olfactory landscape. I would presume that to foreigners, we Filipinos could smell like adobo or sinigang or bagoong. Josephine Craig, sister of the historian Austin Craig, came to the Philippines as a schoolteacher early in the 20th century and in one of her let-
ters home she provides us with what may be the only account I know that documents the Filipino smell: “You may have heard of a brown taste in one’s mouth—Manila has a decidedly brown smell, so I amextra glad that we shall live in a part of the city well aired by sea breezes.” Craig might have been racist, but what is this brown smell? On her trip from Manila to Calapan that she described as “rough and smelly,” she added copra and coconut to her catalogue of Philippine smells and other “stenches to be avoided.” Her description of the general atmosphere during the Misa de Aguinaldo in Calapan was “very odiferous.” One of her complaints was about Filipino lavanderas (washerwomen) who supposedly returned her clothes tattered “and with an unspeakable odor.” There is much historical and ethnographic material to keep an anthropologist busy defining not just the concepts of fragrant and foul to a Filipino but also, more importantly, how our smell (what delights or repels us) defines who we are. Smell just might be one way to catch that elusive thing we call national identity. ■
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APRIL 15, 2016
FRIDAY
Canada News
Stick with me, Mulcair urges NDP delegates with job as leader hanging in balance THE CANADIAN PRESS EDMONTON — Tom Mulcair is making one last pitch to the New Democrat faithful to allow him to stay on as leader. Just a couple of hours away from a vote that could determine his fate, Mulcair is urging rank-and-file members to stand with him, saying there is too much work ahead for the party to remain divided. Mulcair says he takes responsibility for the mistakes of last year’s disappointing election campaign, but insists he is re-energized, reinspired and re-engaged after six months of meeting grassroots supporters. Billing himself as a hard-
nosed political fighter, he says only New Democrats will continue to battle against income inequality, because the Liberals and the Conservatives are too loyal to their corporate backers and the status quo. He says the federal Liberal budget proves that when it comes to child care and health care, the principle of universality — the cherished legacy of party founder Tommy Douglas — is in peril And he is renewing a push for electoral reform, saying that the Liberal government of Justin Trudeau has already started to back away from its promise to end the current first-pastthe-post system, which he says effectively discounted some
nine million votes in October. Today’s vote, which is to determine whether the party should hold a leadership review, comes less than six months after an election in which the party was outflanked by the Liberals and dropped back to third place in the Commons. The party started the campaign as the official Opposition and led the polls at the beginning, only to suffer a catastrophic campaign and lose half its seats on Oct. 19. An internal political postmortem of the election results blamed the disaster on a decision to offer cautious change instead of the sharp change promised by the Liberals and a failure to prepare for campaign challenges. ■
Tom Mulcair.
CANADA'S NDP / NPD DU CANADA / FLICKR
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Canada News
FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
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Attawapiskat First Nation declares state of emergency after suicide attempts BY NICOLE THOMPSON The Canadian Press
so they tried to end their lives, she said. “There’s different layers of grief,” she said. “There’s normal grief, when somebody dies from illness or old age. And there’s complicated grief, where there’s severe trauma, like when somebody commits suicide.” Charlie Angus, the MP for the area and NDP indigenous affairs critic, said northern communities aren’t given the resources to deal with complicated grief. “When a young person tries to commit suicide in any suburban school, they send in the
crisis response unit is being sent to the community. On Twitter, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the news AFTER AN increasing numfrom Attawapiskat “heartber of young people attempted breaking.” to take their lives in a remote “We’ll continue to work northern Ontario First Nation to improve living conditions last week, the chief and council for all indigenous peoples,” have declared a state of emerTrudeau tweeted. gency. In an emailed response, The suicide epidemic in AtHealth Canada representatawapiskat started in the fall, tive Sean Upton wrote that two when a number of people tried mental health counsellors were to kill themselves, said Jackie being sent along with that team. Hookimaw, a resident of First “We recognize that there are Nation on James Bay. serious and long-standing isHookimaw’s great niece sues of mental health and adSheridan took her own life in diction in some First Nations October. She communities,” was 13 years old. Upton wrote. Hookimaw said Upton added Sheridan had a that Health Canbig heart, but she [...] it’s been a “rolling nightmare” ada provides Atwas plagued with of more and more suicide attempts tawapiskat with multiple health among young people throughout the funding to supconditions and winter. port community was bullied at services, includschool. ing $340,860 for More recentmental health ly, Hookimaw and wellness said, she was at the commu- resources, they send in the programs and $9,750 for the nity’s hospital where she saw emergency team. There’s a National Aboriginal Youth Suia number of teenage girls be- standard protocol for response. cide Prevention Strategy. ing treated after purposefully The northern communities are But Angus said that often, the overdosing on drugs. As she left on their own,” he said. “We work of grief counselling gets was leaving, a man came in for don’t have the mental health left to untrained community treatment. Later, she would service dollars. We don’t have members who are dealing with learn that he, too, had tried to the resources.” their own grief. take his own life. He said it’s been a “rolling “It’s the local cops, it’s the The Attawapiskat First Na- nightmare” of more and more local teachers, it’s parents,” he tion, which has been plagued by suicide attempts among young said. suicides for decades, is home to people throughout the winter. And now, Hookimaw said, about 2,000 people, and HookiThey didn’t think it could get some of the youth are taking maw said the community needs any worse than it was in March, healing into their own hands. more resources. he said. But April brought even Youth from Attawapiskat and She said the latest round of more attempts. neighbouring communities youth suicide attempts started It’s that situation that led the held a healing walk last week to with Sheridan’s death. Attawapiskat chief and council create awareness, she said. Sheridan’s peers were griev- to declare a state of emergency “They said, ‘We will not give ing, Hookimaw said. They on Saturday. up, because our youth are killdidn’t have the support they The designation has meant ing themselves ... We will not be needed to manage their grief, that a Nishnawabe Aski Nation defeated.’” ■
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A few facts about the Leap Manifesto THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — The Leap Manifesto is a document that calls for a radical restructuring of the economy as Canada swiftly moves toward ending the use of fossil fuels. It was crafted by best-selling author Naomi Klein and her husband, documentary filmmaker Avi Lewis, and released last September in the midst of the federal election campaign. During that campaign, NDP Leader Tom Mulcair touted his party as a moderate, pragmatic alternative to the Conservatives, promising to balance the federal budget, to hike no taxes other than a “slight and graduated” increase in the corporate tax rate, to sustainably develop Alberta’s oil sands and to be open to free trade deals. That cautious agenda was soundly rejected on Oct. 19, with the NDP finishing a distant third. As New Democrats gathered in Edmonton mull the future of the party and prepare to review Mulcair’s leadership this afternoon, a joint resolution from the ridings of TorontoDanforth and Vancouver East is calling for a future debate on the policies contained within in the manifesto. Here’s what the manifesto calls for: • Shift swiftly away from fossil fuels so that Canada gets 100 per cent of its electricity from
renewable resources within 20 years and is entirely weaned off fossil fuels by 2050. • No new infrastructure projects aimed at increasing extraction of non-renewable resources, including pipelines. • “Energy democracy,” in which energy sources are collectively controlled by communities instead of “profitgouging” private companies. • An end to all trade deals “that interfere with our attempts to rebuild local economies, regulate corporations and stop damaging extractive projects.” • Expand low-carbon sectors of the economy, such as caregiving, teaching, social work, the arts and public-interest media. • Vigorous debate on the idea of introducing a universal guaranteed minimum income. • Declare that “austerity — which has systematically attacked low-carbon sectors like education and health care while starving public transit and forcing reckless energy privatizations — is a fossilized form of thinking that has become a threat to life on earth.” • Pay for it all by ending fossil fuel subsidies, imposing financial transaction taxes, increasing resource royalties, hiking taxes on corporations and the wealthy, introducing a progressive carbon tax, and cutting military spending. ■
Canada News
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Month-long overseas... the vote-counting machines (VCMs) provided by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). Majority of the more than 33,000 registered voters in Western Canada will receive their ballots in the mail and are required to accomplish and mail them back to the Consulate before the May 9 deadline for voting. “Voters are urged to accomplish their ballots and mail them back to the Consulate in Vancouver before the close of the voting period on May 9, in order for them to be included in the national tally,” Deputy Consul General Anton Mandap said. PCG Vancouver is one of 84 foreign service posts mandated under the law to conduct overseas voting. It is also one of only 30 which have been entrusted with the conduct of automated voting for this year’s elections. The Comelec earlier adopted mixed voting in 17 Philippine posts overseas namely To❰❰ 1
kyo, Osaka, Seoul, Singapore, Rome, Milan, London, Madrid, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Washington, Agana, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco. Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista said Filipinos overseas can either cast their votes by mail or through personal voting. “If you are a voter abroad, you have two options: you can either vote personally by going to the embassy or consulate, or you can mail your ballot,” Bautista said. The Vancouver Consulate expects the turnout to be much heavier this time than in previous overseas elections because of the vast increase in voter registration and the growing interest of the overseas Filipinos in their country’s governance and domestic affairs. Comelec projected an overseas voter turnout of 50 to 60 percent of the total of 1.3 million registered overseas absentee voters. ■ MRM with reports from PCG Vancouver
Verne Vasquez of I-Remit International casts his ballot on Apr. 9, at the Philippine Consulate in Vancouver during the first day of overseas voting (OV). With the start of OV, the Comelec reminds all candidates that campaigning abroad is no longer allowed. PCG VANCOUVER
APRIL 15, 2016
FRIDAY
Federal revenue agency targets $2.6B in missing taxes over five years BY ANDY BLATCHFORD The Canadian Press OTTAWA — The Canada Revenue Agency is boosting its efforts to hunt down tax dodgers — including those who shelter cash offshore — under an expanded plan expected to recoup $2.6 billion in unpaid taxes over the next five years. The agency shared some specifics Monday on how it will improve detection, auditing and prosecution of tax cheaters with help from a five-year, SHUTTERSTUCK.COM $444-million government commitment — an investment nearly one-sixth of the anticipated three jurisdictions that will operation and Development, return. go under the microscope. She which uses the tax gap measure “We really want to put the axe said she didn’t want to tip off to help develop policies that into everything that touches tax dodgers and give them the target evaders. tax evasion,” Revenue Minister opportunity to transfer their She said she will attend an Diane Lebouthillier told a news offshore assets to avoid being OECD meeting this week in conference. caught. Paris that will address the issue “There are people today, I The agency will also launch of tax shelters. Ottawa plans to imagine, who must be nervous.” a special program aimed at collaborate with international Details of the agency’s plan stopping groups that create partners on the matter. follow media reports on the so- and promote tax evasion and Lebouthillier also announced called Panama Papers, a leak tax avoidance schemes for the that a new advisory committee of 11.5 million records from a wealthy. It said it will be able has been created to explore the Panamanian law firm that shed to increase its investigations of issue of offshore tax evasion light on the use of offshore tax such schemes 12-fold. and aggressive tax planning. havens around the world. The new government money The committee will be made The extra government fund- will allow the agency to hire up of seven experts and chaired ing to fight tax evaders was an- more auditors and specialists, by Western University law nounced in last professor Colin month’s budget. Campbell. The Under the vice-chair will plan, Ottawa be Dalhousie will intensify its It’s unthinkable and it’s also University prodetection work intolerable that people can pay fessor Kimberly abroad by examspecialists to allow them to evade Brooks. ining all intertaxes. Prime Minnational funds ister Justin transfers over Trudeau said $10,000 to and last week that from Canada. So the Panama Pafar, the agency said it has al- who will focus on “high-risk” pers highlighted the concerns ready collected information on individuals and multinational people around the world have all such exchanges since Janu- corporations. about political leaders and othary 2015. “It’s unthinkable and it’s also er powerful figures using offThe agency will also zero in intolerable that people can pay shore accounts to avoid paying on four selected international specialists to allow them to taxes. jurisdictions this year for deep- evade taxes,” Lebouthillier said. So far, about 350 Canadian er scrutiny. “There are people who de- interests are mentioned in the The first on the list is the Isle fraud the government, who do leaked documents and there’s of Man, which saw $860 million not pay their part.” no indication any of them have worth of electronic transfers Her agency also reiterated broken the law. with Canada over a 12-month that it will begin work to estiLast week, Canada’s financial period. The agency said it has mate the so-called “tax gap,” intelligence agency announced assessed the risk for all 3,000 the difference between what is it had fined a Canadian bank transactions involving about owed in taxes and what is actu- more than $1 million for failing 350 individual taxpayers and ally collected. to report suspicious dealings 400 companies. Lebouthillier has indicated and transfers. The agency has Lebouthillier declined to re- Canada will work with the Or- refused to say which bank was lease the names of the other ganization for Economic Co- fined. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
Canada News
FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
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Child care advocates fear consequences if Liberal funding promise falls through BY JORDAN PRESS The Canadian Press OTTAWA — A federal promise to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a national child care system is not a sure thing — and advocates are wondering happens to the money if the Liberals can’t reach agreements on a long-sought day care framework. The government promised to spend $500 million next year on child care, tying it to ongoing talks with the provinces about a national child care framework that would establish the ground rules for federal involvement in an area of provincial jurisdiction, not unlike health care. Included in that promise is $100 million for First Nations child care on reserves, an area for which the federal government has direct responsibility. Federal officials say the mon-
ey is intended as an incentive to the provinces to entice them into signing onto a child-care framework and to demonstrate that the federal government wants to be a willing partner in the child care system. But what if there is no agreement by next year — or only a handful of provinces sign on to a framework? Employment and Social Development Canada, the federal department overseeing the initiative, would only say that the details of the “disbursement of unused funds are still being determined.” Don Giesbrecht, executive director of the Canadian Child Care Federation, said his group plans to hold the federal government to its promise for spending. He sees no reason why the provincial, territorial and federal governments wouldn’t be able to reach an agreement on
child care. The funding proposal matches what child care advocates quietly asked for behind the scenes in the months befo dre the budget. But that’s what they were hoping for in this fiscal year — not next — to help lower day care fees, among other issues. “We sort of thought, to use a phrase, there was some lowhanging fruit there that perhaps could have been addressed immediately, but it wasn’t,” Giesbrecht said. “That’s OK. We’ll build and work towards something that is really robust and progressive in terms of policy.” Social Development Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said in February that he thought the provinces, territories and federal government were on a fast track to a child care framework, building on the work done a decade earlier when the Paul
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Martin government signed child care agreements with the provinces. Duclos cautioned at the time that each province had unique needs and programs in place that meant the framework couldn’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. Carolyn Ferns of the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care said the families in those provinces have much in common.
She said there are issues of affordability, accessibility and the quality of child care in every province. “The provinces are all a lot more the same than they are different,” she said. “This flexibility talk — while it is important to be flexible, it’s also important to have a strong, principle-based framework that builds a program that will last.” ■
Life insurance industry wants assisted dying treated differently than suicide BY GEORDON OMAND The Canadian Press VANCOUVER — Life-insurance providers have told the federal government its members are willing to lift the standard two-year exemption for suicides and pay out policies on people who end their lives through physician-assisted death, says the head of the industry’s professional association. Frank Zinatelli of the Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association said if someone follows the legislated process, which is expected to be announced as early as next week, then providers would pay out on policies that are less than two years old. “The industry has determined that this is obviously something that the Canadian population wants and we’re not going to stand in the way of that,” Zinatelli said in an interview. “We talked with our mem-
bers and we determined that it makes sense that if the governments all make a decision along these lines that this should be ? permitted then we want the policy intent to be carried out.” Life-insurance policies typically contain an industry-standard clause releasing providers from paying if a client commits suicide within two years of signing the contract. “If you follow the process, which is outlined by the government or governments, then that possible exclusion won’t be applied,” Zinatelli said, adding that the law might differ between provinces. The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association’s website says it was established more than 120 years ago. The voluntary association represents 99 per cent of the country’s life- and health-insurance businesses. Providers would not pay if a client misrepresented his or her health when signing the contract, as is currently the
case, or if a policy specifically exempted the particular illness for which the holder sought a medically assisted death, added Zinatelli. He also encouraged the government to include the underlying condition on a person’s death certificate, though he had no objection to including a reference to assisted death also being noted. Zinatelli said he didn’t anticipate the legislation would result in an increase to premiums, adding that the policy change likely wouldn’t have a big overall impact on the lifeinsurance industry. Representatives from the wills and estates industry had differing views on the anticipated impact of the pending legislation. Tim Grieve, who chairs the Canadian wing of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, expected the repercussions to be minimal. Estate planners and litigators are well positioned to acwww.canadianinquirer.net
commodate legal changes that would allow Canadians to include an advance directive for assisted dying in their wills, he said. That would include people being able to ask in advance for a medically assisted death if later diagnosed with a competence-impairing condition, such as dementia. The Canadian Press has reported that the upcoming law is unlikely to include such provisions, citing sources who are unauthorized to speak publicly about the imminent bill. “Our job as estate planners has always been first and foremost to understand the wishes of our client and to document those wishes in a way that would survive challenges from people who don’t agree with those wishes,” Grieve said. His industry specializes in establishing mental capacity, namely whether people are fully informed and aware of the implications of their wishes. “This is what we’ve always
done. We have to make sure that people are coming across clearly to us and that we clearly put into the documentation what they wish to happen,” he said. “This really just adds one more wish that we’ll be documenting.” Shelley Waite, vice-chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s national wills and estates branch, anticipated more significant fallout from the law. Legislation around advancecare directives differs between provinces, meaning work would have to be done to ensure the laws are consistent so that wishes around medical assistance in death would be portable across the country, she explained. “What happens if you get diagnosed in Alberta but you wish to live with your parents in British Columbia because that’s where they reside?” Waite asked. “Those are the types of questions that I think will need to be answered.” ■
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World News
APRIL 15, 2016
FRIDAY
G-7 foreign ministers push nuclear disarmament in Hiroshima BY MARI YAMAGUCHI The Associated Press HIROSHIMA, JAPAN — Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven industrialized countries, meeting Monday in the atomic-bombed Japanese city of Hiroshima, called for a renewed push for flagging nuclear disarmament efforts as they wrestled with some of the intractable global problems facing their nations. A joint communique condemned the usual suspects: recent extremist attacks from Turkey and Belgium to Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Pakistan; North Korea’s nuclear test and missile launches; and Russia’s “illegal annexation” of the Crimean peninsula in Ukraine.
The international community used to share common values that maintained stability and prosperity, Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said at a news conference. “Today, the world is now facing challenges to change such common values and principles unilaterally, such as terrorism and violent extremism,” he said. On terrorism, the top diplomats from the U.S., Japan, Britain, Canada, France, Germany and Italy pledged to complete a G-7 action plan that the leaders of their nations can adopt at their summit in Japan’s IseShima region in late May. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said it’s essential to reduce the number of terrorists who may try to return home from Syria and other areas. He
also said it’s key to stem the flow of refugees around the world. “The refugee crisis demands a global response, and we all agreed on that here,” he said. A separate statement took aim at China’s land reclamation in the South China Sea, where it is enmeshed in a series of overlapping territorial disputes with Southeast Asian nations. “We express our strong opposition to any intimidating, coercive or provocative unilateral actions that could alter the status quo and increase tensions,” the statement said, without mentioning China by name. It also expressed concern about the situation in the East China Sea, where Japan and China both claim some uninhabited islands. Japan gave the issue of nucle-
ar nonproliferation added significance by making Hiroshima the venue for the two-day foreign ministers meeting. Kerry — the highest-ranking American official to visit Hiroshima since World War II — and the foreign ministers jointly laid flowers for the victims of the U.S. atomic bombing in 1945. They issued two statements on nonproliferation, including a “Hiroshima Declaration” that calls on other political leaders to visit Hiroshima. “In this historic meeting, we reaffirm our commitment to ... creating the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons,” the declaration said. The task is made more complex, it said, by the deteriorating security environment in countries such as Syria and Ukraine,
as well as by North Korea’s “repeated provocations.” The Hiroshima declaration aims to revitalize and restart the effort toward a nuclear-free world, which seems to have shrunk, said Kishida, the Japanese foreign minister. “To that end, it was significant that the G-7 ministers saw the reality of the atomic bombing,” he said, noting that the group includes both nuclear and non-nuclear states. “It is crucial for both nuclear and non-nuclear weapons countries to co-operate and together raise awareness of what happens when nuclear weapons are used.” ■ Associated Press writer Bradley Klapper contributed to this report.
Fujimori leads Peru election first round, heads to runoff BY FRANKLIN BRICENO The Associated Press LIMA, PERU — The daughter of jailed former President Alberto Fujimori held a strong lead in preliminary results from the first round of Peru’s presidential election and appeared headed to a showdown with another centre-right candidate in a June runoff. With 40 per cent of the ballots counted late Sunday, Keiko Fujimori had 39 per cent of the vote, while former World Bank economist Pedro Kuczynski held 24 per cent. Leftist congresswoman Veronika Mendoza, who had made a late surge in pre-election polls, was in third at 17 per cent. Final results were not expected until sometime Monday, but Kuczynski’s supporters celebrated in the streets outside his campaign headquarters in Lima after two unofficial quick counts indicated he would edge out Mendoza for the right to face Fujimori on June 5. Such counts have been reliable predictors of results in previous Peruvian elections. The centre-right Fujimori was the runaway front-runner for months and looked poised
to outdo even the most-optimistic first round scenarios in polls published on the eve of voting. But she will face an uphill battle in the second round because of how polarizing a figure former President Fujimori remains among Peruvians. While her father is remembered fondly by many, especially in the long-overlooked countryside, for defeating Maoist-inspired Shining Path rebels and taming hyperinflation, he is detested by large segments of the urban middle class for human rights abuses and his order for the military to shut down Congress. Almost half of Peruvians surveyed said they would never vote for anyone associated with the former leader and thousands took to the streets a week ago to warn that Keiko Fujimori’s election could bring back authoritarian rule. In a bid to project a more moderate image, Fujimori promised during her campaign not to pardon her father, who is serving out a 25-year sentence for authorizing death squads during his decade-long rule starting in 1990. On Sunday night, she told supporters it was time to bury the past. “Peruvians want reconcili-
ation and don’t want to fight anymore,” she told supporters while standing on a truck parked outside a luxury Lima hotel. If Kuczynski holds on to the No. 2 spot, it will ensure Peru continues along a free-market path after Mendoza’s rise in the polls spooked investors. It also represents another setback for South America’s left, which after sweeping into power across much of the region during the past decade’s commodities boom has suffered a string of electoral losses in Argentina, Bolivia and Venezuela. After finishing a strong third in the 2011 election, Kuczynski threw his support behind Keiko Fujimori in that year’s runoff. He later said he regretted that decision but considered it necessary in trying to prevent the election of leftist Ollanta Humala, who held close ties to socialist Venezuela and had led an army rebellion in his youth. Once in office, however, Humala kept up a pro-business policy framework. The constitution barred him from seeking a second, consecutive term. Kuczynski, 77, is now urging Peruvians to turn the page on the widespread corruption and human rights violations associwww.canadianinquirer.net
Keiko Fujimori.
ated with the Alberto Fujimori years. But with an elite pedigree, heavily accented Spanish and until recently a U.S. passport, he may face a hard time connecting with regular Peruvians, especially in rural areas where the older Fujimori is still revered. Sunday’s elections were marred by the worst guerrilla attack in Humala’s presidency. On Saturday, Shining Path rebels killed eight soldiers and two civilians as they were travelling in a caravan to a remote village to provide security during the vote. Maritza Sacsara, one of the many rural voters who cast votes for Fujimori, called her “a born leader” and credited the candidate with campaigning fiercely in small towns and villages often ignored by Peruvian politicians. Fujimori’s Popular Force party secured an estimated 60 seats in the 130-member con-
CONGRESO DE LA REPÚBLICA DEL PERÚ / FLICKR
gress, while five other parties split the remaining seats. Sunday’s elections provided notable defeats for traditional politicians. Two former presidents, Alejandro Toledo and Alan Garcia, finished near the bottom of the 10-candidate field, while the congressional slate for Garcia’s almost century-old APRA party barely got by the minimum 5 per cent threshold to hold onto its legal standing. Adding bitterness to the race, two candidates, including Fujimori’s strongest rival, were barred from the race by Peru’s electoral tribunal for campaign violations or technicalities, decisions questioned by the Organization of American States. ■ Associated Press writers Rodrigo Abd in Peru’s Ayacucho region and Joshua Goodman in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report.
World News
FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
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3 militants killed in Sporadic fighting mars first attack on Russian day of cease fire in Yemen police station BY AHMED AL-HAJ The Associated Press
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MOSCOW — Two militants were killed and a third blew himself up in an attempt to attack a police station in southern Russia on Monday, police said, adding that no police officers or civilians were hurt. The identity of the militants who attacked the police station in the town of Novoselitskoye in the Stavropol region was not yet clear. The Stavropol region is close to the North Caucasus, where an Islamic insurgency has simmered for years. In Dagestan, the centre of the insurgency, many of the bombings and attacks have targeted police and other officials. Dagestan also has proved to be a fertile recruiting ground for the Islamic State group, with hundreds estimated to have travelled to Syria to join IS forces there.
The attack could raise security concerns for the 2018 World Cup, since the Stavropol region will host four training bases for national soccer teams competing in the tournament. The bases are all about 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the site of Monday’s attack. The militants set off explosives when they tried to break into the police station, Russia’s counter-terrorist agency said. Russian news reports said the blasts damaged the building and vehicles parked outside. Schools and day care centres In Novoselitskoye were evacuated, as well as the local hospital, with the exception of 14 seriously ill patients and medical personnel. In a possible indication that law enforcement agencies fear more attacks, security was stepped up at schools, day care centres and hospitals in the Stavropol region, the Interfax news agency reported, citing the governor. ■
The attack could raise security concerns for the 2018 World Cup.
SANAA, YEMEN — A U.N.brokered cease-fire was mostly holding across war-torn Yemen on Monday except in the besieged city of Taiz where shelling killed at least one person and wounded five, according to residents. There were also sporadic exchanges of gunfire in other parts of the country after the truce between the Saudi-led coalition, which backs Yemen’s internationally recognized government, and the Shiite rebels known as Houthis went into effect at midnight Sunday. The truce is meant build confidence between Yemen’s warring sides ahead of the U.N.sponsored peace talks scheduled to take place in Kuwait on April 18. Residents of Taiz, which has been besieged by the rebels for over a year, are blaming the Houthis for the overnight random shelling that killed one civilian and wounded four. In the capital, Sanaa, which has been under the Houthis’ control since September 2014, the coalition largely halted its airstrikes. But in the district of Naham, on the fringes of Sanaa province, fighting continued overnight between armed men backing the government and the Houthis, according to residents there. The residents in both in Taiz and in Naham spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for their safety. The Saudi-led coalition has
said it will commit to the openended cease-fire and halt its yearlong air campaign against the rebels. Earlier, the alliance’s spokesman, Brig. Gen. Ahmed al-Asiri, told The Associated Press that the coalition’s commitment to the truce will depend on the extent that the Iranian-backed Houthis abide by the Security Council resolution stipulating the rebels pull their forces from the cities and hand over heavy weapons to the government. The U.N. special envoy for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, urged all parties to work to ensure that the cessation of hostilities is “fully respected.” “This is critical, urgent and much needed. Yemen cannot afford the loss of more lives,” Ould Cheikh Ahmed said in a statement Monday. He added that preparations were underway for Kuwait peace talks, which are to focus on key issues such as withdrawal of militias and armed groups, handover of heavy weapons and resumption of an all-inclusive political dialogue. The coalition, comprised of mostly Arab countries, launched its campaign against the Houthis in March 2015, several months after the rebels overran Sanaa and forced the internationally-backed government into exile. Since then, more than 9,000 people have been killed in Yemen’s civil war, including more than 3,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. The fighting has also
displaced 2.4 million people. One of the most daunting consequences of the war has been the spread of hunger across Yemen. The impoverished nation of 26 million, which imports 90 per cent of its food, already had one of the highest malnutrition rates in the world, but in the past year the statistics have surged. The number of people considered “severely food insecure” — unable to put food on the table without outside aid — went from 4.3 million to more than 7 million, according to the World Food Program. Ten of the country’s 22 provinces are classified as one step away from famine. The U.N. children’s agency warned that the children of Yemen are bearing the brunt of the conflict. UNICEF said in a statement that at least 900 children have been killed — a seven-fold increase, compared to the number of fatalities among children in 2014. The agency also said that child recruitment increased five times, and that the “disruption in the delivery of basic services has deprived thousands of children of their fundamental rights to education and health.” “The incidents that the United Nations was able to verify represent the tip of the iceberg,” the agency said. Earlier, Yemen’s warring parties agreed to a weeklong ceasefire in December to pave the way for peace talks in Geneva but the collapse of the talks led to the resumption of the fighting. ■
World Food Programme assists Fiji in cyclone rehabilitation PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY SUVA — The Fijian government and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) signed a letter of understanding on Monday to formalize the partnership for special assistance to needy families affected by Tropical Cyclone Winston that ravaged the Pacific island country earlier this year.
The official signing of the letter of understanding took place in Suva between Fiji’s Ministry of Agriculture, Rural and Maritime Development and National Disaster Management, Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation and and the WFP’s Pacific office. As per the document, the WFP will provide some USD2.2 million toward supporting 13,000 households registered under Fiji’s Ministry of So-
cial Welfare’s Poverty Benefit Scheme, Care And Protection Allowance and 8,000 individuals registered under the Social Pension Scheme, in the 12 areas that were most affected by Tropical Cyclone Winston, which swept through Fiji in February, claiming 44 lives and leaving a path of destruction. The food assistance is part of the overall efforts by the Fijian government coordinated by the National Disaster Management www.canadianinquirer.net
Office, according to Fiji’s Department of Information. “Winston took away food, crops and livestock, and for many, the roof over their head... WFP is proud to work with the government of Fiji to help the most vulnerable families to buy nutritious food while they get back on their feet,” said Florent Chane, head of the WFP Pacific Office. “The Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation
expresses its sincere gratitude towards the World Food Programme for this initiative which will benefit particularly the poorest of the poor living in the affected areas,” said Rosy Sofia Akbar, Fiji’s minister of women, children and poverty alleviation. The WFP established its office for the Pacific region in Fiji in September 2015 with the aim to support governments in their emergency preparedness and response measures. ■
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APRIL 15, 2016
FRIDAY
FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS:
Marissa Velarde: A woman of courage BY LAARNI LIWANAG Philippine Canadian Inquirer MARISSA VELARDE has dreamed more than the “impossible dream” and emerged triumphant. By facing the many challenges that came her way head on, she became more courageous and successful. A native of Camarines Sur, Marissa was born and nourished by adventures and challenges. Right after graduating from university, she jumped from various companies and sought out to be challenged continually. A testament to this is her acceptance of assignments to media-deemed dangerous zones in Cagayan Valley. She saw it as a personal challenge, and not just a job. Migrating to Canada and leave a flourishing Accounting practice and a relatively very good life not knowing what lies ahead is also a challenge she faced head on. To top it all, founding Canada based Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountant in the adopted country was a challenge she took by heart. Marissa faced them all… And through courage and determination, she succeeded. Her Immigrant Story
Marissa was a “hesitant immigrant” not because she was scared of an uncertain future but because she was too busy with her successful Accounting practice that she took her 10 years to finally decide to submit her one-page application to the Canadian Embassy. When she finally decided to submit her application and suc-
cessfully passed the interview and medical exams, she again had second thoughts. Her accounting practice was flourishing in the Philippines. If she opted to go to Canada, that meant starting all over again. But then her adventurous nature overcame her hesitation. She finally left Philippines for Canada one month before her visa expired in June 1995. “I promised myself to give it a try that if after 6 months and I am unsuccessful to find a lucrative job, I will go back to the Philippines, my practice and my clients.” Challenges in Canada
Her early weeks in Canada were frustrating. Possible employers gave her the “you lack Marissa Velarde. Canadian experience” excuse. In one interview for a job she professional support in her the Philippines in 1996, she applied for and given the same field, especially for Filipinos inquired from PICPA headno Canadian experience excuse, who were recognized profes- quarters how to go about esshe challenged the employer: sionals in the Philippines. tablishing a PICPA Vancouver “Try me for a week without pay “Something is needed. Some- Chapter. The requirement was and give me Canadian Experi- thing must be done.” for her to sign up 20 active PICence and see for yourself that I She is a passionate PICPA PA members in Vancouver. can deliver.” advocate, being a Director of It may seem easy to get that Looking back, magic number she found this but considering very brave. But, her considershe found herably short stay in self as someUpgrade your skills and keep on Canada and not body who really upgrading to be competitive. knowing a lot of knows her proEven if you are equipped with the people, coupled fession by heart. professional knowledge and skills with the moveThe employer these mean nothing in Canadian ment of people took the chalequivalency. from one provlenge. She was ince to another, given the job. the process beFew months came tedious, after arriving in Canada in 1995, PICPA – Laguna Chapter, and and the requirements seemed Marissa was in search for a PIC- the idea of establishing PICPA inconceivable. PA organization where she can Vancouver to be a support orFinally, it paid off when in get professional support, only ganization to Filipino accoun- 2002 – after about 7 long years, to find out there was none. tants consumed her. which to her seemed like eterniShe felt there was not much When she went home to ty – she finally got the required
number of active PICPA members. And so the association was registered in 2003. Now, all PICPA active members are assesssed a Level 4 and pace level equivalency by the CGA BC and CGA Canada. Likewise, all members who have been denied the equivalency in November 2002 were approved the Canadian level 4 equivalency provided the school or university is approved by the Commission of Higher Education in the Philippines. Today, PICPA Vancouver has about 300 members. Under her leadership, PICPA members are now being assessed by CGA BC and CGA Canada as 4th level and Pace Level CGA students. As Founding President of PICPA Vancouver, Marissa is always on top of the welfare of the association and remains an active Adviser to all PICPA Presidents, over the years. Marissa has this advice to Filipino accounting migrants, “Upgrade your skills and keep on upgrading to be competitive.” She added, “Even if you are equipped with the professional knowledge and skills these mean nothing in Canadian equivalency.” To practice what she preached, Marissa did not hesitate to pursue a CGA degree in Canada. In 2005 she was conferred the CGA designation. Marissa Velarde who considers life as a big challenge is happily married to Tom, has a successful career, a contented family life, and a meaningful existence as a professional in the Accounting field. What more can a woman of her courage and determination can ask for? ■
Pakistan PM under fire over offshore accounts leak THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ISLAMABAD — Pakistani opposition leader Imran Khan on Sunday called on Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to resign over documents leaked from a Panama-based law firm that he said indicate that the premier’s sons own several offshore companies.
Addressing a news conference at his residence in Islamabad, Khan warned he would stage a rally outside Sharif’s residence in the eastern city of Lahore if the prime minister does not quit. He attached no date to the ultimatum. Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid rejected Khan’s demand, saying Sharif will not quit over “baseless allegations.”
Last week, Sharif announced the establishment of an independent judicial commission to probe whether his family illegally owns offshore companies and property, as indicated in the so-called Panama Papers. Khan said the Panama Papers show Sharif himself is linked to at least two companies. Khan also alleged that Sharif and his family were involved in www.canadianinquirer.net
corruption and tax evasion. A massive leak of more than 11 million documents from Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca — one of the world’s largest creators of shell companies — has been dogging political leaders around the world. Khan, a former cricket star, is the leader of Pakistan Tahrike-Insaf, which made a strong
showing in the 2013 elections. The following year, he staged a sit-in outside parliament for weeks, demanding Sharif step down over allegations of fraud in the election. The demonstrators gradually dispersed, and the protest was formally ended after a Taliban attack on a school in the city of Peshawar in which 150 people, mostly children, were killed. ■
World News
FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
Global day of action to protest Kidapawan massacre FILIPINOS AND concerned citizens around the globe held simultaneous acts of solidarity and support on the Global day of Actioin for Kidapawan Farmers on Apr. 8. In Vancouver, Filipino-Canadian groups, human rights groups, students, and various community groups are holding a rally on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Organized by Migrante BC, the Canada-Philippines Solidarity for Human Rights and the International League of Peoples' Struggle, the mass action serves to highlight the brutal dispersal by the Philippine police of the blockade of farmers with their families and children. The police opened fire on the farmers resulting in the deaths
of two farmers, the wounding of over a hundred, the arrest and detention of 74 people and of 88 people still missing. With seven months of drought, the farmers, 6000 strong, demanded rice to feed their families and for calamity relief to help their communities survive the drought. The response of the government and its police has not been to distribute rice to feed the hungry but to fire at its own hungry and starving citizens. The day after the brutal and bloody dispersal, the police were awarded medals for their actions in the dispersal. Also on Apr. 8, a delegation went to the Philippine Consulate General to deliver a letter of concern addressed to the Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino. ■
Germany mulling Turkish demand to prosecute comic BY GEIR MOULSON The Associated Press BERLIN — Germany is considering a request from Turkey to prosecute a TV comedian who wrote a crude poem about the Turkish president, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman said Monday. The request poses an awkward choice for the German leader as she relies on Turkey to reduce the influx of migrants to Europe. Turkey sent a diplomatic note making “a formal request for criminal prosecution” of comedian Jan Boehmermann, Merkel spokesman Steffen Seibert said. Boehmermann read the poem on ZDF television two weeks ago to illustrate what he said wouldn’t be allowed in Germany, contrasting it with another channel’s satirical song that also poked fun at Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Germany’s ambassador was summoned to the foreign ministry in Ankara last month to hear a protest over that song. Mainz prosecutors told the dpa news agency late Monday that Erdogan had also filed his own complaint accusing Boehmermann of slander, adding that it would be considered as part of the ongoing investigation. While the German government defended the song as legitimate free speech, it has strongly distanced itself from the poem. Seibert has said that Merkel and Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu agreed the poem was “deliberately offensive.” Germany’s criminal code provides for up to three years in prison or a fine for insulting a foreign head of state. How-
ever, it stipulates that such offences are only prosecuted if the country in question seeks prosecution and the German government allows it. Seibert told reporters Monday that officials would take several days to decide whether to allow prosecutors to proceed in the case, but stressed that Merkel holds free speech in high regard. It is “negotiable neither at home nor abroad,” he said. German officials have appeared at pains to avoid causing further friction with Erdogan, steering clear of direct criticism of the president in recent weeks amid Turkey’s sharp response to German satire. Merkel championed the European UnionTurkey deal for Ankara to take back migrants who travel illegally to Greece. Seibert said he was stressing Merkel’s dedication to free speech “to counter the impression that the freedom of opinion and art ... no longer has the necessary high value for the chancellor just because she, along with other Europeans, wants to resolve the refugee question in partnership with Turkey.” In Turkey, Erdogan spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said that “this kind of attack, including insults and rude statements to a country’s president and also targeting a society, has nothing to do with freedom of expression or with press freedom.” A senior German opposition lawmaker called on Merkel to reject the Turkish call for Boehmermann’s prosecution. “If Merkel caves in in the Boehmermann case, he will be able to strike at will in Germany as well in the future,” she said. ■ Frank Jordans in Berlin and Dominique Soguel in Istanbul contributed to this report. www.canadianinquirer.net
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APRIL 15, 2016
FRIDAY
Travel TRAVEL NEWS:
National Park Week, seders, yoga retreats BY BETH J. HARPAZ The Associated Press National Park Week
Free admission to national parks and park events themed on social media are among the plans for National Park Week, April 16-24. The week celebrates this year’s ongoing centennial of the National Park Service. While some of the more than 400 national parks around the country are free all the time, there are 127 sites with entrance fees, and those fees will be waived during National Park Week. Events during National Park Week include National Junior Ranger Day, where kids can earn a badge and take part in various programs, and Earth Day projects, such as park cleanups and other volunteer activities, April 22. The parks are also sponsoring “InstaMeets” on April 23, where you can gather with others in a designated place at a specific time to take photos and short videos to post on Instagram and other social media, using hashtags like #FindYourPark. April 24 is Park Rx Day, with
parks hosting recreational activities to encourage healthy lifestyles and physical and mental well-being. Other free days in the national parks this year are Aug. 2528, when the National Park Service founding day is observed; Sept. 24, National Public Lands Day, and Veterans Day, Nov. 11. Details at https://www.nps. gov/findapark/national-parkweek.htm .
http://www.Chabad.org/Seders. Most of the seders are free but organizers ask that you let them know that you’re coming so that they’re prepared to serve the right number of guests. New website for booking yoga retreats
Passover seders
If you’re on the road during Passover but would like to attend the holiday meal known as a seder, the Jewish outreach organization Chabad Lubavitch sponsors hundreds of these celebrations around the world, from Australia to Zanzibar. Chabad will host community seders on the first two nights of the eight-day holiday, which begins at sundown April 22. Typically, a seder includes prayers, readings, songs and special food, including matzo. Locations include hundreds of college campuses, both in the U.S. and overseas. With Orlando, Florida, becoming a popular Passover vacation spot, Chabad-Lubavitch of South Orlando will host two large seders in both Hebrew
Book that yoga retreat now!
and English, using handmade matzo and other kosher-forPassover food delivered by two tractor-trailers from New York, where Chabad is headquartered. Chabad seders are also being organized for both locals and spring vacationers in Cancun and Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and on a number of Caribbean islands. Farther afield, seders are expected to attract businesspeople, expats, diplomatic staff and others around Africa, including in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Namibia, Rwanda, Ghana and Angola.
The seders are a big tradition in Nepal, a favourite destination for Israeli backpackers. An earthquake caused massive damage in the country last year but the seders are going forward as usual, with some 1,500 guests expected at a seder in Kathmandu. Other seders are planned for Pokhara, Nepal, near the famous Annapurna trail, and in Manang, Nepal, which claims title to hosting the world’s highest seder at an altitude of 11,545 feet. Three seders are planned in Brussels, Belgium, which is recovering from recent terror attacks. To find a seder near you, check
A new website is launching to help travellers find yoga retreats and yoga teacher trainings around the world. More than 250 yoga vacations from 34 countries are listed at http://www.BookRetreats.com. Prices run from affordable to luxury, with destinations and lengths of stay ranging from a 28-day retreat in Kathmandu, Nepal, to a weekend in upstate New York. Listings include couples’ retreats, yoga for beginners, and retreats themed on wellness, healing, meditation and spa vacations. There’s even a category that combines yoga and surfing. Yoga retreats in Italy promise wine and fresh mozzarella, while a program in Occidental, California, offers “yoga on the farm.” Different styles of yoga are offered as well, including ashtanga, vinyasa and kundalini yoga. The listings are integrated with TripAdvisor reviews. ■
Pampanga’s balloon fest to feature Taiwan’s top hot air balloon PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — This year’s 2016 Lubao International Balloon Festival, which will run from April 14-17, 2016 at Lubao, Pampanga, will feature Taiwan’s Taitung No. 1 Hot Air Balloon called “Kid’s Hooray.” This was after the Taitung County Government and the Lubao International Balloon Festival Inc. (LIBF) signed a “memorandum of understanding” (MoU) to have a better collaboration to further promote
hot air balloon festivals in the region. They have also invited the LIBF to join the Asia Hot Air Balloon Alliance which aims not only to promote Hot Air Balloon Festivals but also multi-destination travel in Asia. During the event, Taiwan’s Taitung County Government Tourism Department Vice-Director Wang will lead two pilots and Taitung’s “Kid’s Hooray” during the launching ceremony on April 14. “Kid’s Hooray”, which is the first ever legally registered bal-
loon in Taiwan, was a created by five elementary students in the East Rift Valley of Taitung, Taiwan. Taitung is the third largest county in Taiwan, located in Eastern Coast and they are much known for their hot air balloons because of their strategic location. “Kid’s Hooray” serves as a good-will ambassador representing Taitung, which has already flown in countries, such as Australia, Vietnam, Canada, New Zealand and Spain. The Taitung County Government expressed confidence www.canadianinquirer.net
that participating in the LIBF would enhance Taiwan-Philippine substantial relation and people-to-people understanding. Wang noted that Taiwan’s participation in the balloon festival symbolized the friendship between pilots of Taiwan and those of the Philippines under the bright sunshine in the heartwarming province of Pampanga. This is the third Lubao Hot Air Balloon Festival in Pampanga and is the biggest annual hot air balloon festival in the Southeast Asia. A total of 40
beautiful balloons will join the festival. Concerts, aerial and land exhibitions, street activities, games and many attractive events are prepared for all the guests. The organizers expect to draw more than 100,000 visitors to this event. ■ The 2016 Lubao International Festival is organized by the LIBF & Forthinker, Inc in cooperation with the Arts, Culture and Tourism Office of Pampanga (ACTO) and with the support from Provincial Government of Pampanga.
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FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
British royal couple to be eagerly watched during India trip BY MUNEEZA NAQVI The Associated Press
Perez Boulevard in Dagupan.
P199 / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Dagupan City’s tourism potentials hailed PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY DAGUPAN CITY — The city museum, hailed as the centerpiece or microcosm of tourism in urban Dagupan, is the only one of its kind in the fourth district of Pangasinan and possibly in the whole province. This was bared by Christopher de Venecia, son of former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and Pangasinan Fourth District Rep. Gina de Venecia, a theater artist, writer and director who as a boy starred in the television sitcom “Billy Bilyonaryo”. De Venecia, 29, said Dagupan has two national artists in the persons of Victorio Edades, for visual arts; and Salvador Bernal, for theater arts, but sadly are not yet fully known by their city mates. De Venecia, now running for congressman after substituting her mother Gina under the Liberal Party, said he will talk to Mayor Belen Fernandez to allow the home exhibits of the works of Edades and Bernal in the Dagupan Museum. He noted that the works of Bernal were already exhibited at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and it is about time his works and those of Edades be shown to their province mates. With the works of the two national artists on home exhibit in the Dagupan Museum, they can entice tourists from all over the country and the world to visit Dagupan City, he said. He said another place in Dagupan worth converting into a museum is the Home Economics building at the West Central School which was the first command post of General Douglas Mac Arthur in Luzon upon his landing in Dagupan as head of the Allied Liberation Forces that recaptured the Philippines from the Japanese. The young De Venecia said he wants to join the city government and with the help of the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NCCP) in developing this building as a war memorial
museum to remind the new generations of the role played by their grandfathers in the liberation of the Philippines. With good exhibits in this museum, we can attract Filipino, Americans and Japanese nationals to visit the place once every year in order to boost the city’s tourist arrivals, he said. Dagupan is the only place in the Philippines where the towering moment of Mac Arthur is located. This can be found in the shores of the Bonuan Blue beach where the U.S. soldiers commanded by General Krueger landed. Combine these with the Dagupan City Island Tours of the city government initiated by Mayor Fernandez and it would be a complete delightful tourism package especially if it will include a visit to the 32-hectare National Integrated Fisheries Technology and Development Center (NIFTDC) in Bonuan Binloc. De Venecia hailed the Island Tours, using three uniquely-designed flat boats, each one capable of accommodating 25 persons, but which must be continuously innovated with the inclusion of new sights and entertainment for tourists. Today while taking the Islands Tours, fishermen on board boats would come near and sell to tourists fish that they just caught from the river. The NIFTDC is now actually an agrotourism site where up to 1,000 students around the world are going to further study the art of aquaculture. It is at NIFTDC facility where a research center for a variety of aquatic fish, including milkfish; the Asian Fisheries Academy as well as the Fish Cemetery, the first of its kind in the world, and the Dagupan Fish Processing Plant are located. Touring the 32-hectare facility by foot, with a stop-over at every research site, can be done in one day. Dagupan is also historically famous because the first commuter train built in late 1800 ended in Dagupan after its launch in Caloocan. ■
NEW DELHI — When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrive in India on what’s being called their most ambitious tour to date, they’ll encounter starry-eyed giddiness along with a hint of nostalgia harkening to a 1992 visit by Princess Diana. Prince William’s mother created a firestorm of attention when she posed alone in front of the Taj Mahal, the marble mausoleum known as a monument to love because it was built by a Mughal emperor to entomb his beloved wife. Newspaper headlines crowed suggestions that Diana was delivering a hidden message about the end of her marriage to Prince Charles. And the photo, as well as her close relationship with Mother Teresa, helped make Diana hugely popular in the country. India, despite its fractious past in the British Empire, has always loved reading about the British royals, especially the duke and duchess. Their young children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, will not join the trip, which begins Sunday in Mumbai. Local media are speculating on what the Duchess of Cambridge, the former Kate Middleton, will wear: the work of local designers, perhaps an Indian outfit to cope with the sizzling April heat? “There will be a lot of interest and a lot of coverage, but it’s mostly going to be about pretty people and pretty pictures,” media analyst and columnist Santosh Desai said. “Photos, photos and more photos. It’ll be silly to think that there will be any deeper significance to the visit,” said Shailaja Bajpai, media critic with the Indian Express newspaper. But high-level visits create equally high expectations for economic ties and cultural exchanges. The two allies share
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their imperial history and India inherited the British judicial and parliamentary systems, along with a vast railway network. Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron has visited India twice. “Royal visits improve atmospherics, leading to better political and economic ties,” said former Indian Ambassador to Germany and France, T.C.A. Rangachari. “Such visits also provide an opportunity to the royalty to familiarize themselves with a vast country like India.” Celebrities including cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan are attending a grand ball with the royal couple in Mumbai on Sunday night. William and Kate are also expected to visit the Taj Palace hotel targeted in a 2008 attack on the city. In New Delhi, they have a scheduled lunch with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a nod to William’s conservation efforts, the couple will visit Kaziranga National Park in Assam state that has two-thirds of the world’s population of Indian one-horned rhinos as well as endangered swamp deer. They then will visit Bhutan at the invitation of the Himalayan kingdom’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck and Queen Jetsun Pema. They plan to wind up the South Asian tour with a closely watched visit of the Taj Mahal. “He feels incredibly lucky to visit a place where his mother’s memory is kept alive by so many who travel there,” the Cambridges’ communications secretary Jason Knauf told reporters. It’s unclear if they will pose for photos at the same bench where his mother was pictured smiling shyly for the camera. ■ Associated Press writer Ashok Sharma contributed to this report.
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Community News
APRIL 15, 2016
FRIDAY
PH food and beverage products debut at SIAL Javate, Orquiza and Relleve.
3 FilCans shortlisted in RBC’s Canadian Immigrant Awards THE CANADIAN Immigrant magazine has begun the online voting stage for the eighth annual RBC Top 25 Canadian Immigrant Awards 2016. This year, three Filipinos namely Renan Qrquiza, Perla Javate and Alvin Relleve are among the 75 finalists. Below are their immigrant stories. Renan Orquiza
Philippines-born Renan Orquiza arrived in Canada on May 31, 2013, and unlike other newcomers who were struggling in adapting and landing their desired job within their professional field, he seemed to have planned things out and was able to transition his life smoothly. He signed up with Career Edge, a non-profit organization that helps bridge internationally trained immigrants into their careers in Canada. And he was hired by a geo-environmental consulting firm based in Markham, On, as an environmental project manager within four months. While employed, he also participated in a four-month Engineering Bridging Program offered at Humber College, which helps engineering students with networking, resume preparation, interview skills, and software skills among others. He also learned that networking and volunteering were also important to your career in Canada. With that in mind, he looked for non-profit organizations that he could help. He started volunteering at the Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) Mississauga Chapter as a committee member. He helped facilitate a bridge building competition for high school students and was asked to assist in other events within the PEO. In early 2015, he was elected to become one of the executive board members and is currently appointed as the environmental committee chair.
He also volunteers with Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) Authority promote their environmental programs and share information with the public about maintaining and preserving the conservation areas. Orquiza wanted to give back to the community where he and his family were living in, as well as to help conserve the environment for future generations. Because of his efforts, he received a long hours service recognition from CVC. He was also selected as the 2014 recipient of the Newcomer Gem Volunteer Award by the Volunteer MBC. As a member of the grad panel and an alumni of the Engineering Software Skills Enhancement Program at Humber College, he spoke to recent candidates of the program about what his story and tips. One of his proudest accomplishments is mentoring others, which provides him with the opportunity to touch people’s lives personally and to get to know others better. Even though he is mentoring others, he realizes that he, too, is learning and growing through the experience. Recently, he decided to take this passion to another level by officially becoming a mentor within the Mentoring Partnership program by the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council (TRIEC) and the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE). At present, he is a registered professional engineer (P.Eng.) within Ontario and working as a project manager at Watters Environmental Group Inc., an environmental consulting firm based in Vaughan, On. Perla Javate
As president of the Philippine Heritage Council of Manitoba, Perla Javate works to preserve, promote and maintain Philippine culture. Under her leadership, the non-profit group be-
came a council, currently works with 32 various Filipino organizations in Winnipeg, and the Province of Manitoba declares annually the week of June 12 as Philippine Heritage Week. A teacher by profession, Javate is also the current Filipino community liaison officer for the Winnipeg School Division, providing open support to newcomer students and their families. With a vision to empower students and parents through mentorship and having mastered the process of integrating newcomers into Canadian culture by creating a welcoming atmosphere, she is now the person that everyone goes to for guidance. Javate has gone above and beyond to counsel not only students, but families, and to provide advice on struggles and challenges of adjusting to Canada. She is active in the community and volunteers her time in several organizations. She sings in her spare time (cultural singing in Tagalog, a Philippine language). She also is the head of the new women’s group that was launched officially this year in March for International Women’s Day. She is also responsible for heading the Envisioning Event for Filipinos in Manitoba, in conjunction with the United Way (envisioning the future of the Filipino community in 50 years, 100 leaders in the community gathering to formulate data). She is a winner of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in recognition of her contribution to peers, community and Canada. Javate continues her broad contributions to the Winnipeg and Filipino community by imbuing confidence and poise in her students and their families, who in turn pass along their knowledge and become mentors themselves. ❱❱ PAGE 30 3 FilCans
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PHILIPPINE EMBASSY
conut products such as Extra Virgin Coconut Oil and Coconut Butter); Ilocos food prodFROM MANILA to Montréal, ucts (chichacorn, sweet potato Philippine food and beverage chips, banana chips, sugarcane products make their debut at wine); Jamla Corporation (Althe 2016 Le Salon International fonso’s Classic Tablea, instant de l’Alimentation (SIAL) Mon- choco and champorado); JPM tréal at the Palais des congrès Japan Philippines Malunggay de Montréal in Montreal, Que- Eco Farm Inc (Moringa dried bec, Canada running from Apr. leaves, powder flakes, capsule, 13 to 15. and tea); Mapagmahal Foods The Department of Agricul- (calamansi juices, dalandan ture, through its Agribusiness Juices, calamansi extract as and Marketing Assistance Ser- condiment); Pearlfoods Intl. vice (AMAS) is spearheading Inc. (mini-coconut pie variants, a delegation comprising food fruit juice with nata de coco and beverage producers in the bits); Refmad-V Enterprise Philippines who will be exhibit- (dragon fruit, wines, vinegar, ing their diverse food products ice cream, pastries, soap). lines at the Palais des congrès All in all, 850 exhibitors from de Montréal. 60 countries, and over 15,000 The delegaprofessional vistion is also acitors, are expectcompanied by ed to converge Dr. Josyline Jaat the Palais des velosa, PhilipThe congrès de Monpine Agriculture Department tréal. SIAL Monofficer based in of Agriculture, tréal is part of the Washington DC; through its growing internaJohn Paul Iñigo, Agribusiness tional food exhiPhilippine Trade and Marketing bition events of and Investment Assistance the SIAL Group representative Service is that started with based at the Philspearheading SIAL Paris. ippine Trade a delegation Similar trade and Investment comprising fairs take place in Center (PTIC) in food and China, in United New York City. beverage Arab Emirates, As a city havproducers in in Canada (Moning the largest the Philippines. tréal and Toronnumber of resto) and in Brazil. taurants per In 2014, the SIAL capita in North Group launched America, and a new trade show having a dynamic and diverse in the Philippines called SIAL culinary scene, Montréal pro- Asean. vides a fitting backdrop for According to Philippine ConPhilippine exhibitors welcom- sul General in Ottawa Eric Geing visitors to the Philippine rardo Tamayo, Canadian food booths. The Philippine exhibit retailers have begun to orient showcases quality and value their marketing campaigns and to discriminating buyers and product offerings to cater to the guests in a bid to seal sales and expanding ethnic populations supply agreements and pro- in Canada - including the growmote Philippine cuisine and ing Filipino community. Filipino delicacies. Amb. Petronila Garcia indiThe Philippine companies cated that Philippine participataking part in the Conference tion at the SIAL Montréal is the and Exhibit are: Amarich Mar- culmination of a country-team keting Intl. (Monk’s Blend effort in recognition of the disCoffee, Skinny Organic Island cerning culinary market of CanGem All Natural Jam/Spread); ada, and the 700,000-strong GreenLife Coconut Products Filipino population in the Philippines Inc. (Organic Co- country. ■
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FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
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APRIL 15, 2016
FRIDAY
Philippine Opera Company goes on a cultural mission tour in Canada PHILIPPINE OPERA Company celebrates it’s 15th year anniversary and will set out on a cultural mission tour in the United States and Canada in commemoration of the 118th Philippine Independence Day. Philippine Opera Company (POC) is the only opera company in the Philippines that produces regular opera productions and has been the leading classical music agency for over 12 years and a member of The Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group (PHILSTAGE), the country's only organization of professional performing arts companies. Founded in 1999, it is managed by classical performing artists whose thrust is to sustain as well as develop more audiences for classical music theatre in the Philippines. It is committed to extending opera beyond its elitist pedestal by performing in malls, churches, community centers, parks, and schools as well as in theatres thereby making opera more accessible to more audience. To celebrate the fusion of music and drama, to share this passion for opera and help nurture this medium in our country – to this goal the
Philippine Opera Company is committed to, most of all in developing a new generation of classical singers and audiences, and to develop our own Filipino style of presenting opera. POC also helps develop opera appreciation among Filipinos by performing outreach programs for schools, government agencies and private corporate organizations throughout the country. Over the years, the Philippine Opera Company also witnessed the sudden uptrend in the awareness and appreciation of opera and classical related performances by Filipinos particularly the young, educated segment of society. This favorable development has led POC to launch its very first annual opera season in the country. After the successful launching of the 2006 Opera Season with Terence McNally’s Tony Award Winning piece “Master Class” with award-winning actress Cherie Gil playing the lead role, “Operanow 2: An Evening of Puccini”, “Opera-lite … the first opera bar tour”, and Mozart’s “Magic Flute”. In 2008, Philippine Opera Company embarked on its full-length opera production of Puccini’s
most loved opera, “La Boheme” at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Philippine Opera Company is committed to promote and preserve Philippine’s music heritage through its cultural arm, “HARANA” which performed in Amsterdam and garnered 3 standing ovations from the foreign community. Philippine Opera Company received the “Maria Carpena Memorial Award for the Arts” for POC’s contribution in the promotion and appreciation of the traditional Filipino music. This coming June, Philippine Opera Company’s “HARANA” will perform in Canada to showcase the evolution of Philippine music through song, movement and drama. The repertoire is composed of six suites. Each suite is theatrically presented with authenticity, originality and visual excitement. The creation of each Harana suite is a product of thorough research with the commitment to preserve indigenous Philippine music and its appropriate dance and folklore. It aims to promote international goodwill through performances at home and abroad. ■
organizing the annual Philippine Days Festival event, a two-day celebration of Philippine culture and the arts, a kaleidoscope of traditional dances and an exposition of Filipino cuisine. The event, celebrating its 10th year anniversary this 2016, has now been recognized by the City and Dstrict of North Vancouver as a landmark festival of the North Shore, as it reached an attendance of more than 25,000 people. Kuya Alvin, or Big Brother Alvin, as he is known in the community also spearheaded the annual declaration of a day in June each year as ‘A day for Filipinos’ with the Philippine flag raised each year in a ceremonial flag raising event at the North Vancouver City Hall. He with other community leaders organized the first Hataw Pinoy Summer Festival
event, the first Paskong Pinoy Christmas Gifts and Food Fair, and other events geared toward an atmosphere of co-operation, collaboration and friendly celebration of Filipino families and friends from the mainstream community. He also spearheaded the founding and development of the Maharlika Awards, recognizing the contributions of outstanding Filipino Canadians and Filipino organizations in British Columbia. When typhoon Haiyan or Yolanda devastated the Philippines, Relleve immediately called and gathered a good number of leaders of the community and organized Bangon Kababayan – a community telethon and Photographers Shoot for a Cause dual fundraising events for the victims of the worst disaster in the Philippines. This project, which was directly co-
ordinated with the Canadian Red Cross raised a total matched contribution of $124,000, or the equivalent of almost five million in Philippine pesos. Relleve also organizes and conducts various marketing, sales and community engagement training programs to professionals and entrepreneurs in the community for individual skills enhancement and product development. Attendees to his training programs include financial advisers, insurance agents, realtors and mortgage consultants. Relleve was a recipient of the Queen’s Jubilee Medal for his leadership and dedicated service to the Filipino Canadian community in North Vancouver. ■
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Alvin Relleve
Alvin Relleve immigrated to Canada from the Philippines, with his wife and three children, in October 2000. They settled in a small basement apartment in North Vancouver and, just like any new immigrant family, immediately felt the struggles and challenges of assimilation and settlement. Lacking the necessary Canadian experience, coupled with the recession of the times, and aggravated by the bus strike of 2001 which lasted for months, the couple found themselves struggling for employment and faced with depleting savings. Nine months of the same was simply a grueling test of determination to keep on going. On Canada Day in 2001, an advertisement in the newspaper looking for a lot boy at the newly established car dealership in
North Vancouver changed everything. Relleve was offered a position with the sales team on the floor, and there was no looking back. He went on to finish the year 2001 as salesman of the year, and then again awarded the same in 2002. By January 2003, he was invited by a new dealership to join to be one of the pioneer salespeople and, sensing the familiarity of the product line within his community, and the potential of being able to serve them best, he joined the new company, where he became salesman of the year in 2003 and 2004. With a burning desire to serve the community even more, he gathered a group of seven professionals one evening in April 2006 and formed what is now the Metro Vancouver Philippine Arts and Culture Exposition Society (MVPACES) with its main goal of
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FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
Entertainment
Sandara, forever a Filipino darling
‘Sa airport pa lang, feeling ko I’m home,’ said Penshoppe brand ambassador Sandara Park who was in the country last week for a series of events BY PAM PASTOR Philippine Daily Inquirer IT’S INEVITABLE. When you’re interviewing Sandara Park, you will end up switching to Tagalog. It shouldn’t be a surprise, really, because long before she became 2NE1’s Dara, she was the Philippines’ “Pambansang Krung Krung,” who first stole hearts with her tearful Star Circle Quest audition. Penshoppe flew Sandara to Manila last week for a series of events. “Sa airport pa lang, feeling ko I’m home. Pagbaba ko ng plane, ang dami na tumatawag sa akin, “Si Sandara, si Sandara.” Wow, I’m back,” she told members of the media at her press conference. Sandara isn’t just fluent in Filipino, even her sense of humor is very Pinoy. When asked about her life as a student, she said, “Hindi ako mahilig magaral. Favorite ko talaga ‘yung recess time and lunch.” Penshoppe signed Sandara as one of their ambassadors last year, adding her to their lineup of supermodels and Asian superstars. “Who wouldn’t say yes to Penshoppe? I love their clothes and lalong mahal ko ang Penshoppe because they’re really funny, they’re really cool. They’re very easy to work with.” Sandara, who has been wearing Penshoppe since her high school days in the Philippines, added, “Sobrang masaya akong naging part ng team Penshoppe, parang dream come true. Feeling ko bagay na bagay kami ng Penshoppe.” “Dara’s fun and quirky personality and take on fashion represents very well what Penshoppe stands for,” said Jeff Bascon, Penshoppe’s brand director. It’s remarkable how real, grounded and endearingly unassuming Sandara has remained despite her fame. “Si Sandara ‘ to,” she introduced herself, first at the press conference at Edsa Shangri-La
Hotel and then later that day at Penshoppe’s DenimLab fashion show at Trinoma’s Activity Center, as if they didn’t know who she was, like she wasn’t the reason people had flocked to the hotel and the mall in droves, like she wasn’t the cause of their fervent screaming. The next day, at her Meet and Greet event at SM North Edsa’s Sky Dome, she expressed concern for her fans. “Do not push para walang masaktan… Nakita ko ‘yung picture niyo nakapila sa labas at mainit so nag- worry ako sa inyo.” She had talked about her Filipino fans at the press conference too. “My fans are very passionate and mabait, cute. Lalo na ‘yung mga fans ko dito sa Philippines, iba talaga sila. Since 2004 noong nasa SCQ pa ako, hanggang ngayon nandito pa sila so every time nakikita ko sila sobrang natatouch ako and thankful. May kakaibang friendship na kami.” When her fans sang to her at the Meet and Greet, she said, “The best kayo!” She was grateful for the chance to see them, she said. “Ang daming tao! Konti lang ‘yung chance na magkita tayo so thankful ako sa Penshoppe for making this happen.” She showed her gratitude in many ways. First, by accommodating 50 more fans for the meet and greet than the originally planned 100, gamely posing with them and greeting each one with hugs and her trademark warmth. And then by making the effort to get out of the car to say hi to the fans who weren’t lucky enough to get inside the venue and who had waited for her for hours outside. When the meet and greet was over, she didn’t want to go. “Ayoko umalis, pa’no ‘yan?” she asked host Robi Domingo. Then she turned to her fans, “Sobrang mahal ko talaga kayo.” The feeling is mutual. Seventeen-year-old Angela Breze said, “Grabe ang pagmamahal
ko kay Sandara because of her Filipino heart. Kahit saan siya pumunta, lagi niya kaming dala and ganon din kami sa kanya, lagi siyang nasa puso namin.” Chris Althea Macaisa, 15, was still holding a placard as she gushed about Sandara after the meet and greet. “Gustong-gusto ko po ‘yung pagiging cute and mabait niya lagi, parang hindi siya tumatanda.” Sandara may have left the country but she is looking forward to coming back for her future projects with Penshoppe. “More pictorials, sana meet and greet pa sa ibang cities like Cebu, sana, wish ko lang.” Five minutes with Sandara
How does it feel to be back in the Philippines? It feels so good. Ito lang ang hinintay ko sa Korea. I was looking at the calendar, one more day, one more day. You’ve worked with Penshoppe for a while now, what do you like about the brand? First of all, I like the clothes and ‘yung mga taga Penshoppe are very easy to work with and hardworking. Every time may photo shoot kami, ang ganda ng mga concept so sobrang nagenjoy ako. Do you have other favorites from the new Penshoppe collection? Kanina kinuha ko ‘yung mga wide-leg pants and cropped… Maraming styles ‘yung jeans nila eh. I wear them with Tshirts, simple T-shirts with sneakers. Are you excited about the meet and greet? Of course! Sobrang nervous ako and excited. Tinext ko ‘yung manager ni Mario Maurer, what do you usually do ‘pag may meet and greet? We play and take pictures so wow, I’m really really excited. Do you know some of the fans who will be going? I know them, I know their faces, kanina sa press con nakita ko rin sila. I’m expecting them tomorrow, pati ‘yung mga bago. www.canadianinquirer.net
Sandara may have left the country but she is looking forward to coming back. SON HOANG TRAN / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Your Filipino fans are incredibly loyal, what would you like to tell them? ‘Yun nga eh, loyal talaga sila. Minsan parang gusto ko umiyak kasi parang iniisip ko ano bang binibigay ko sa kanila at nandiyan pa rin sila hanggang ngayon? Wala akong masyadong projects kasi sa Korea medyo mysterious ang group namin, wala kaming masyadong TV shows pero nandyan pa rin sila. Wala akong masabi, thank you and talagang mahal ko sila. How long are you staying on this trip? Four or five days lang. Kasi meron akong TV show sa Korea, every Wednesday ang taping, ‘yung “Sugar Man.” What other projects should your fans watch out for? My upcoming movie. ‘Yung iba, syempre I would like to try different things like Koreanovela. Tell us about the movie. The movie is about the music. We’re done filming, we’re editing it now. Very interesting, it’s about music. ‘Yung role ko,
meron akong disease na I can’t hear music. ‘Pag may lumalabas na music, nakikita ko ‘yung as a color so parang, stop it, stop it. I know you always meet up with old friends, what else are you doing? I’m planning to meet with some of my friends pero naku, sana hindi magtampo ‘yung iba kasi ang dami kong friends pero since wala akong time I can’t meet all of them pero babalik naman ako eh. Na- realize ko ang lapit lang ng Korea sa Philippines, three hours and twenty minutes. I can come back any time I want. We know you love Filipino food, what was the first thing you ate when you landed? Yesterday? Unang-una, may nagbigay sa akin ng Jollibee, ‘yung peach mango pie. Kinain ko agad. Tapos nagpunta ako sa may Luneta Park tapos kumain ako ng sinigang, sisig. What else do you want to eat on this trip? Marami eh. Pero I’m sure I’m going to eat sisig and sinigang again. ■
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Entertainment
APRIL 15, 2016
FRIDAY
Luis Manzano on gay rumors: ‘Nothing wrong with being gay’ BY JANE MORALEDA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA — With speculations that he is a homosexual, Kapamilya actor-host Luis Manzano simply laughs it off but stresses that “there is nothing wrong with being gay.” Although not part of the LGBT community, Manzano is still “angry when people use the word as a way to hurt me.” He says: “Bakla (gay) is not a derogatory term. What’s foul is that it is given a wrong connotation and is used to attack
other people.” Already rumored for his sexual preference, the 34-year-old Kapamilya star’s former girlfriend actress Angel Locsin is also allegedly said to be a lesbian. Aware of this, he has this to say: “It’s part of the industry… We’re so used to name-calling. In this industry, I’ve proven that the saying ‘where there’s smoke, there’s fire’ is not true at all” Manzano also thanks his exgirlfriend for defending him and his sexuality. The former celebrity couple still maintains a good working relationship despite their split a couple of
months back. “We’ve been through a lot. As a couple and as individuals. We’ve both become more mature. Yes, we felt uncomfortable for a while, but not anymore. At this point, we’re friends. I don’t want to add color… Let’s just leave it at that,” he says at the press conference of his game show “Family Feud” as reported by the Inquirer.net. Despite all the controversies, the television host looks up to his mother Batangas Governor Vilma Santos-Recto who he claims has well been able to handle her own share of issues. ■
@LUCKYMANZANO / INSTAGRAM
DOLE pushing for 8-hour work Heart Evangelista, limit in TV, film production ready to reconcile BY JANE MORALEDA Philippine Canadian Inquirer
with Marian Rivera?
MANILA — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has been set to meet with the heads of television networks and production companies for the effective implementation of an eight-hour work limit for artists and production staff during tapings and shootings. The Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) has drafted the directive and submitted it to DOLE, which in turn will discuss the proposed cut-off to concerned parties in the film and television industry, aiming to secure the welfare of workers in the said industry. Should the eight-hour ‘normal hours of work’ need to be extended, the ‘maximum hours of work’ shall not exceed 14 hours in any 24-hour period, as stated under one of the provisions. With regards to the ‘waiting time,’ (when employees are required and engaged by the network to wait and are not able to spend such time for own purposes), this too shall be included in the ‘working time.’ And aside from imposing a work limit, the directive has also sought for transportation means or allowances given to
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The ‘maximum hours of work’ shall not exceed 14 hours in any 24-hour period, as stated under one of the provisions.
the workers to and from the set of tapings and shootings. Welcoming the proposed changes, scriptwriter Ricky Lee emphasized that the welfare of the artists and production staff should always be a top priority. “I think tama na magkaro’n ng cut–off ang mga actors. More than that, I think ’yung mas tamang mindset which is mahalaga ang mga pelikula at TV shows na ginagawa natin, but in the end, mas mahalaga tayo,” Lee said in an interview with
TV Patrol. (I think it’s right for actors to have a cut-off. More than that, I think the better mindset is that films and TV shows that we do are important, but in the end, we are more important.) It can be recalled that movie and television directors Wenn Deramas and Francis Xavier Pasion both recently died due to cardiac arrest. Their deaths have since been blamed to the ‘inhumane’ working hours in the industry. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
HEART EVANGELISTA might have hinted at a possible reconciliation with Marian Rivera with whom she had a feud way back in 2011 while they were filming scenes for the remake of the movie Temptation Island. At a recent pocket interview for her upcoming soap on GMA, Juan Happy Love Story, Heart confirmed that she’s ready to mend ties with people she had previous misunderstandings with. “Yeah, naman! Kailangan lahat happy, happy ‘no? Ang hirap ng buhay, dapat happy na lang. You’ll never know when time’s up, di ba? [Yes, of course. Life is difficult as it is so it’s better to just be happy. You’ll never know when time’s up, right?],” she revealed. Being two of their generation’s finest actresses, it was inevitable that
Heart and Marian’s fans would pit them against each other whenever the opportunity arises. However, in spite of their rivalry, both Kapuso actresses have declared that they have moved on from the incident. So now, showbiz denizens can all just wait and see how and when their reconciliation will happen. ■
Entertainment
FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
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‘American Idol’ crowns 15th and final winner as TV show ends BY LYNN ELBER The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — The first “American Idol” finale in 2002 was a battle of the sexes, with Kelly Clarkson the victor over Justin Guarini. The last contest settled the score as Trent Harmon defeated La’Porsha Renae for the crown. Harmon tumbled to the stage in surprise as host Ryan Seacrest announced him as the 15th and final winner of “American Idol,” which ended its remarkable run Thursday. “I know that I have a Godgiven ability, but I didn’t want to take it for granted. I wanted to work so, so hard, and she pushed me to do it,” a tearful Harmon said of Renae, who stood poised and smiling by his side. Harmon, 25, who described himself as just a “dude from Mississippi,” waited tables at his family’s restaurant in Amory before trying out for “American Idol.” He won viewers over with his supple vocals and increasingly assured stage presence, and they voted him into history as the show’s last champion. Harmon earned a record contract along with the honour. Renae, 22, also from Mississippi, the town of McComb, is a single mom who inspired viewers with her triumph over domestic abuse as well as a richly powerful voice. On Wednesday’s “Idol,” Re-
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nae invoked Clarkson’s name as the inaugural winner and goodnaturedly vowed that “a woman started it and a woman’s goin’ finish it.” “American Idol,” once a ratings powerhouse that influenced TV and music, had suffered steady audience erosion before Fox decided it would end this season. Series executive producer Nigel Lythgoe promised the finale would celebrate its large ranks of contestants, not big-name guests as in previous years, and he stuck to that pledge. The show opened with a harmonizing chorus of white-clad winners and contenders including Scotty McCreery, Taylor Hicks and Diana DeGarmo. Other familiar faces from years past popped up in solos and group numbers, including Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, David Cook, Fantasia,
Ruben Studdard, Jordin Sparks and Kimberley Locke. Judges got in on the act as well. Keith Urban and Underwood dueted, while Harry Connick Jr. saluted a music centre in New Orleans’ Katrina battered-Ninth Ward by inviting a young student, Marley Fletcher, to join him on “It’s a Wonderful World.” Jennifer Lopez performed her new single. Clarkson, who’s expecting her second child soon, appeared in a pre-taped performance. There was a brief nod to nostalgia, with clips from past auditions presided over by original judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul and Randy Jackson. Abdul and Jackson showed up to salute Seacrest for his longevity, with Cowell strolling on stage belatedly to steal the spotlight. “I’m feeling quite emotional now,” said the usually acerbic Cowell.
President Barack Obama was the unexpected opening act. In apparently pre-taped remarks, Obama congratulated the show on its long run and noted that it motivated millions of young people to vote for contestants. Then he made a pitch for Americans to demonstrate that same eagerness at the polls, calling voting the most fundamental and sacred rite of democracy. “I believe it should be almost as easy as voting on ‘American Idol.’ And we’re working on that,” Obama said. Seacrest got the final — if enigmatic — words Thursday. “Good night, America,” he said. Then as the screen faded to black, he added, “For now.” “American Idol” debuted in June 2002, during the summer broadcast doldrums, an indication that Fox didn’t have high hopes for the imported singing contest based on producer Simon Fuller’s hit British series “Pop Idol.” But the show proved a revelation. Viewers ate up the contestants’ performances and personalities, good, bad or downright ridiculous. They relished the bickering of Cowell and Abdul and, from Jackson, the reassuring familiarity of the trademark “Dawg” that prefaced his critiques. With Fox carefully protecting “American Idol” as a oncea-year event, the show’s ratings zoomed and its influence did as well. While America has long embraced the idea that everyone
is a potential star — that means you — “American Idol” coined an updated version of the dream. Its nationwide tryouts opened the door to people in big cities and small towns and made the shot at fame and success democratic by letting fans weigh in. Fox’s competitors responded. The networks that were increasingly favouring reality shows over scripted dramas began searching for their own talent show hits, spawning everything from skating to dance contests. Some remain, such as ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” and NBC’s “The Voice,” which overtook the aging “American Idol” in the ratings. No other TV talent show has achieved the same track record of fame for contestants, although the power of an “Idol” win ebbed in recent years. But dreamers didn’t let go, with about 75,000 people swarming to auditions in five cities this season. The show’s ratings slumped, the fate of even durable TV performers. “Idol,” which averaged more than 30 million weekly viewers at its 2006 peak and ranked No. 1 for nine consecutive years, averaged about 11 million last season (still enough by today’s standards to land it in the top 20, but with fewer advertiser-favoured younger viewers). It’s pulled about the same viewership this year, despite its well-publicized farewell season. ■
‘The Force Awakens’ wins top honours at MTV Movie Awards BY SANDY COHEN The Associated Press BURBANK, CALIF. — “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” took the top prize at the 25th annual MTV Movie Awards. The audience at Warner Bros. Studios waved what looked like red and blue lightsabers as star Daisy Ridley and director J.J. Abrams accepted the final golden popcorn trophy at Saturday night’s ceremony. The prize capped off the irreverent awards show, which presents fan-voted film awards and touts upcoming releases.
Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart hosted the show, opening it “Mad Max” style by riding through Warner Bros. Studios strapped to the front of a tricked-out truck. Later, they performed a rap song about the year’s films that repeated the refrain “Leo got (expletive) by a bear” in reference to “The Revenant.” Will Smith and Melissa McCarthy each received special honours, and their heartfelt speeches were respites of sincerity in an expletive-laden show that featured more Fbombs than awards. Smith told the audience that
he is “dedicated to being a light in this world” when he accepted the show’s highest honour, the Generation Award. “I want to help people,” Smith said after being introduced by Queen Latifah and Halle Berry. “I want to be a light. I want to display love. I want to play roles that have dignity. I want to help in this world.” McCarthy, who crowd-surfed her way to the stage to claim the Comedic Genius Award, said that while she is the first woman to receive the recognition, “I am certainly, certainly not the first one to deserve it.” She thanked everyone who www.canadianinquirer.net
buys tickets to her movies or watches her shows. “You are absolutely the single reason I get to keep doing what I love doing so much,” she said. Charlize Theron won the first award of the night: best female performance for “Mad Max: Fury Road.” She thanked the film’s director, her son, Jackson, and daughter, August. “The story of ‘Fury Road’ is in part a story of the power of women and the power to create our own destinies,” Theron said as she accepted the award in her daughter’s name. “Pitch Perfect 2” co-stars Rebel Wilson and Adam Devine
created an intimate destiny for themselves as they claimed the prize for best kiss, pretending to be overcome with passion and collapsing in an embrace on the stage. Other winners included Chris Pratt (action performance for “Jurassic World”), Amy Poehler (“virtual performance” as Joy in “Inside Out”) and “Straight Outta Compton,” which won for true story. Ryan Reynolds won two prizes for “Deadpool”: comedic performance and best fight, which he shared with Ed Skein. ❱❱ PAGE 35 ‘The Force’
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Pope emphasizes flexibility over rules for modern families BYNICOLE WINFIELD AND RACHEL ZOLL The Associated Press VATICAN CITY — In a sweeping document on family life that opened a door to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics, Pope Francis insisted Friday that church doctrine cannot be the final word in answering tricky moral questions and that Catholics must be guided by their own informed consciences. Francis didn’t create a churchwide admission to Communion for divorced and civilly remarried Catholics as some progressives had wanted. But in the document “The Joy of Love,” he suggested that bishops and priests could do so on a case-by-case basis in what could become a significant development in church practice. The pope also strongly upheld the church’s opposition to same-sex marriage. The 256-page document, two years in the making and the product of an unprecedented canvassing of ordinary Catholics and senior churchmen, is a plea from Francis’ heart for the church to stop hectoring Catholics about how to live their lives and instead find the redeeming value in their imperfect relationships. “I understand those who prefer a more rigorous pastoral care which leaves no room for confusion,” he wrote. “But I sincerely believe that Jesus wants a church attentive to the goodness which the Holy Spirit sows in the midst of human weakness.” The document is cleverly worded: Francis selectively cited his predecessors, making clear he is working within their tradition but omitting the sometimes harsh, definitive language that is an anathema to his mercy over moral priorities. He cited himself repeatedly, making some of his most significant points in strategically placed footnotes, rather than
the text itself. “It’s the classic case of an organic development of doctrine,” said Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, the archbishop of Vienna who presented the document at a Vatican news conference. “There is innovation and continuity. There are true novelties in this document, but no ruptures.” Gay Catholics were highly critical, saying Francis had failed them. The document offered nothing significant beyond existing church teaching that gays are not to be discriminated against and are to be welcomed into the church with respect and dignity. It repeated the church’s position that same-sex unions can in no way be equivalent to marriage between a man and woman. “He has ignored submissions and appeals by lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Catholics,” said British gay rights advocate Peter Tatchell. “Gentler words do not assuage Vatican opposition to gay equality.” On thorny issues such as contraception, Francis stressed that a couple’s individual conscience educated in church teaching — and not just dogmatic rules imposed on them across the board from above — must guide their decisions and the church’s pastoral practice. “We have been called to form consciences, not to replace them,” he said. He insisted the church’s aim is to reintegrate and welcome all its members. He called for a new language to help Catholic families cope with today’s problems. And he said pastors must take into account mitigating factors — fear, ignorance, habits and duress — in counselling Catholics who fail to live up to the ideal. “It can no longer simply be said that all those in any irregular situations are living in a state of mortal sin and are deprived of sanctifying grace,” he wrote. Even those in an “objective situation of sin” can be in a
state of grace, and can even be more pleasing to God by trying to improve, he said. Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago, a Francis appointee, said the pope was telling Catholics they should cultivate their consciences “with the light of the Gospel” as their guide. “He’s recovering something that we may have lost sight of,” Cupich said at a news conference in his archdiocese. The document’s release marks the culmination of a divisive consultation of ordinary Catholics and the church hierarchy that Francis initiated in hopes of understanding the modern problems facing Catholic families and providing them with better pastoral care. The most controversial issue that arose in two meetings, or synods, of bishops was whether Francis would loosen the Vatican’s strict opposition to letting Catholics who divorce and remarry receive Communion. Church teaching holds that unless these Catholics receive an annulment, or a church decree that their first marriage was invalid, they are committing adultery and cannot receive the sacrament. Conservatives had insisted the rules were fixed and there was no way around Christ’s teaching on the indissolubility of marriage. Liberals had sought wiggle room to balance doctrine with mercy and look at each couple on a case-by-case basis, creating a path to reconciliation that could lead to them eventually receiving the sacraments. Francis took a unilateral step last year and changed church law to make it easier to get an annulment. On Friday, he said the rigorous response proposed by the conservatives was inconsistent with Jesus’ message of mercy. “By thinking that everything is black and white, we sometimes close off the way of grace and of growth and discourage paths of sanctification which give glory to God,” he said. “Let us remember that a small step www.canadianinquirer.net
Pope Francis.
in the midst of great human limitations can be more pleasing to God than a life which appears outwardly in order but moves through the day without confronting great difficulties.” Francis didn’t explicitly endorse the “penitential path” of bringing such civilly remarried Catholics to Communion that was advocated by leading progressives such as Cardinal Walter Kasper. But he repeated what the synod had endorsed of the need for pastors to help individual Catholics over the course of spiritual direction to ascertain what God is asking of them. And he went further by explicitly linking such discussions of conscience with access to the sacraments. In a footnote, Francis cited his previous document “The Joy of the Gospel” in saying that confession should not be a “torture chamber,” and that the Eucharist “is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.” The Rev. James Bretzke, a Boston College theologian, said the document will give cover to and empower those priests and bishops who want to apply a broader understanding of the confidential discussions between priests and divorced and civilly remarried Catholics — a concept known as the “internal forum solution.” “He does not outlaw that, whereas John Paul II specifically outlawed (it),” he said. Still, Mark Brumley, president of Ignatius Press, an
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English-language publisher of the writings of retired Pope Benedict XVI, said Francis’ emphasis on conscience “doesn’t mean this is a free pass to do whatever you want.” He said the document tries to navigate the difficult path of upholding church teaching while allowing the civilly remarried to participate in the life of the church. “It’s a very tricky thing,” Brumley said. Such recourse to the use of a “well-formed conscience” and the internal forum in negotiating moral issues is not new by any means. But it has been de-emphasized by the past two popes. “This is not about a reform of rules. It’s about reform of the church,” Cupich said. In many ways, the document is most significant for what it doesn’t say. While Francis frequently cited John Paul, whose papacy was characterized by a hardline insistence on doctrine and sexual morals, he did so selectively. Francis referenced certain parts of John Paul’s 1981 “Familius Consortio,” which until Friday was the guiding Vatican document on family life, but he omitted any reference to its most divisive paragraph 84, which explicitly forbids the sacraments for the divorced and civilly remarried. In fact, Francis went further than mere omission and effectively rejected John Paul’s ❱❱ PAGE 44 Pope emphasizes
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Pen and paper Graphic jewelry, trench coats better than laptops in Igorot weave triumph in the classroom? in LOOK of Style Awards Micki Olaguer and technical theater grad Eugene Michael Experts weigh in Jeweler Tidalgo are off to Istituto Marangoni in London BY SINDI SKENDERI The Canadian Press
tool, and tools are complementary.” Some educators said technology can offer a distinct TORONTO — Some stud- advantage in certain cases to ies suggest students who take handwriting and can even be a notes using pen and paper re- necessity. member more than those typ“If your fine motor skills ing their notes on a computer, are not developed to the point but experts and educators cau- where you’re able to write tion such findings should be quickly enough or legibly taken with a grain of salt. enough, maybe the technology Factors other than the meth- can help you keep up or take od of note taking can be far more more legible notes,” said Kevin significant when it comes to Bradbeer, with the Toronto memorizing material, they say. District School Board. “Your long-term or shortIn 2016 the University of Waterm memory depends a lot on terloo did a study on students what you’re interested in and who typed an essay with one what you value,” said David hand versus two hands. They Cameron, research director generally found that students with the activist group People who typed with one hand — for Education. equated in the One study that study to handgarnered interwriting — wrote national attenbetter essays. tion gathered Computer “We’re not information technology saying that stufrom hundreds is a tool, and dents should of students from tools are write their term Princeton Unicomplementary. papers with one versity and the hand, but our reUniversity of sults show that California in Los going fast can Angeles. It found have its drawstudents who used laptops to backs,” says the study authored take notes didn’t retain the in- by professor Evan Risko. formation for long. “This is important to conIn contrast, according to the sider as writing tools continue 2014 study by Pam Mueller and to emerge that let us get our Daniel Oppenheimer, students thoughts onto the proverbial who handwrote their notes had page faster and faster.” a better understanding of the A study by People for Educainformation. tion in 2014 found 79 per cent of “I’ve seen many classrooms students in Ontario had been inwhere kids have copied the tegrating technology into their entire board in terms of les- learning since kindergarten. son structure and plan and Cameron says that while goal, and then you walk up and handwriting and technology will ask and he says, ‘Well, I wasn’t co-exist in education, we won’t reading, I was just copying off be reverting to solely handwritthe board’.” ing notes anytime soon. Ester Cole, a Toronto-based He believes tablets will probchild psychologist, said both ably be mandatory for students skills — handwriting notes and in the future. typing them on laptops — are “You (now) expect a kid to valuable if students want to do come with a pencil and a pawell. Children need to be able to per,” he said. “You’re probably utilize both fine-motor and dig- also, at a certain point, (going ital skills to best complement to) expect a kid to come with what they’re learning, he said. some sort of interactive digital “Computer technology is a device.” ■
BY CHECHE V. MORAL Philippine Daily Inquirer AN HONORS graduate of industrial design and a technical theater grad bagged this year’s plum prizes for LOOK of Style Awards (Losa), the annual fashion-design tilt that gives away all-expense-paid study grants to prestigious fashion schools in the United Kingdom. Jeweler Micki Olaguer and apparel designer Eugene Michael Tidalgo impressed the panel of judges composed of Philippine fashion stalwarts, with their respective capsule collections that embodied the year’s theme, “I Am a Filipino Designer”—she with her graphic jewelry using motherof-pearl, and the latter with his classic trench coat collection using Igorot fabrics. Short-course scholarships
Losa, which debuted in 2010, is a contest for up-and-coming fashion designers, organized by INQUIRER Lifestyle, LOOK Magazine and the British Council. Previous winners have been awarded short-course scholarships to famous UK design schools like Central Saint Martins, London College of Contemporary Arts and Sheffield Hallam University. This year’s partner school is
Istituto Marangoni, the Milanfounded institution, which has a campus in London. The winners will take a three-week fashion course of their choice. This year’s major sponsors were Bench, SM Accessories and SMAura. Tidalgo, 28, had the highest score in the apparel category, with a good six points more than his closest competitor, besting nine other finalists. His witty take on the trench coat, a British classic, mixed with the colorful weaves of the indigenous people of the Cordilleras, won over the panel of judges composed of Ben Chan, Inno Sotto, Randy Ortiz, Michael Salientes, Apples Aberin, Jackie Aquino and Istituto Marangoni’s Emanuele Colombo. He said his use of Igorot weave in contemporary design elevated the fabric in the same way as the Scottish tartan. The judges were also impressed with how the technical theater major styled his capsule collection, with colorful beanies and booties with pompoms. Sustainable materials
Tidalgo, a College of Saint Benilde alum who has had short stints with homegrown fashion brands like Harlan + Holden and Viktor Jeans, was a Losa finalist in 2014, but lost to that year’s winner, Viña Romero.
A Fine Arts cum laude graduate of the University of the Philippines, Olaguer, 24, won the accessories category with her mini collection of artisanal jewelry that also underscored ethically sourced and sustainable materials. The judges said her collection had the sophistication and polish of a professional line of jewelry. Like Tidalgo, Olaguer has received other design awards, including the Red Box prize given design upstarts by the Department of Trade and Industry’s Center for Trade, Expositions and Missions (Citem), and will present her wares for the first time at Manila FAME this month. The fashion show and award ceremonies last week were held at Samsung Hall at SM Aura Premier. It was directed by SM creative consultant Anthony Nocom. “I really hope they take up a creative course, not something related to business,” said Colombo of the winners, recalling the judges’ interviews with the finalists. More than a few said they planned to enroll in the three-week fashion business course if they won. Colombo, who’s the education director of Istituto Marangoni’s Shanghai campus, added: ❱❱ PAGE 37 Graphic jewelry
‘The Force...’ Reynolds said he worked for 10 years to get “Deadpool” made, but he added that “it was not all unicorns and cocaine” during production. The MTV Movie Awards serves as a marketing platform for summer movies. Most presenters were principals from upcoming films, including Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele of “Keanu,” out later this month. Theron took the stage with Jessica Chastain and Chris Hemsworth, her co-stars ❰❰ 33
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from “The Huntsman: Winter’s War.” Devine presented alongside Anna Kendrick and Zac Efron — the three star in “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.” Other presenters included Seth Rogen, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Common, Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid. Ariana Grande, Halsey and Salt-N-Pepa provided musical performances. The show also included neverbefore-seen footage from “Suicide Squad” and “Captain America: Civil War.” Eddie Redmayne
unveiled the world premiere of the trailer for “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Ridley and Abrams accepted the night’s top prize from Samuel L. Jackson and Alexander Skarsgard, who co-star in the forthcoming “The Legend of Tarzan.” Skarsgard came onstage wearing a tuxedo jacket and no pants, saying: “You got to give the fans a little skin.” The MTV Movie Awards are set to air Sunday on MTV, Comedy Central and other Viacom channels. ■
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Business
Despite El Niño, global rice output may rise in 2016 BY RONNEL W. DOMINGO Philippine Daily Inquirer GLOBAL RICE output in 2016 may grow by 1 percent due to expectations of recovery in the Philippines and other major rice-growing countries, according to a United Nations-supervised monitoring system. Based on the latest monthly market report of the Agricultural Market Information System (Amis), worldwide production of rice is now pencilled in at 495 million tons. Along with the Philippines, better prospects are also seen for India, Thailand and the United States. “In the Philippines, the dry season crop conditions are favorable in the northern regions and mixed in the southern regions due to insufficient water and intense heat brought about by prolonged dry spells,” the Amis said. Amis, which is supervised by the Food and Agriculture Organization, said the El Niño continued to cause concern and
impact conditions in Southeast Asia, especially in Thailand. “The ongoing El Niño continues to decline from its peak strength in late 2015, with neutral conditions expected by June,” the Amis said. Citing estimates by United Nations agencies, the climatic phenomenon has already resulted in 60 million people affected by droughts, floods and extreme weather. “Its aftermath impact on food security is expected to continue well into 2017,” the Amis said. As for global rice trade, Amis said this was tentatively forecast to decrease to reflect reduced import demand by several countries in Asia. Trade volume is now pegged at 44.1 million tons, down by 1.7 percent from the estimated 44.9 million tons traded in the previous year. Last week, National Food Authority administrator Renan B. Dalisay said there was yet no need for fresh importation as national inventory of milled rice was sufficient.
Along with the Philippines, better prospects are also seen for India, Thailand and the United States.
“The national inventory — is good for 94 days, of which 34-days’ worth of rice is with the NFA and the rest is with commercial warehouses and households,” Dalisay told the Inquirer. NFA’s most recent purchase from abroad was for a total of
750,000 tons, for which staterun suppliers in Vietnam and Thailand were contracted through a bidding conducted last year. Of the total volume, 250,000 tons arrived during the fourth quarter of 2015 while the rest arrived during the first quarter
this year. Dalisay said there was no decision yet on whether importation would be needed for the months of lean supply which starts in July. This would depend on the assessment of the supply situation in the runup to the lean months. ■
Regulators push retail power open access BY RIZA T. OLCHONDRA Philippine Daily Inquirer GENERAL SANTOS CITY— The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) is finalizing rules that seek to promote competition in the emerging retail power industry by requiring distribution utilities with affiliated electricity suppliers to offer capacity to those outside their corporate family. ERC chair Jose Vicente B. Salazar told reporters that the commission had just issued a resolution that generation companies (gencos), distribution utilities (whether private firms or electricity cooperatives) and their affiliates might resume applying for retail electricity suppliers (RES) licenses. Next up will be rules defining
restrictions on RES, among others, he said. “Today, there are applications pending, so we will process those. Next, we will issue rules on contestability and restrictions,” Salazar said. The quasi-judicial/quasilegislative body, Salazar said, would include restrictions that would prevent conglomerates from taking unfair advantage of having both RES and clientfirms within their group of companies. Contestability rules will also state the dates by which contestable customers, who are big-ticket power users, can start getting power supply from an RES instead of their local distribution utility. On widening open access participation to users below 1 megawatt, Salazar said ERC
would state in soon-to-be-published rules that instead of making it mandatory in June this year, due to delays in finalization of the rules, participation of those using 1,000kW would still be voluntary up to Dec. 26 this year. For those consuming 750 kW and 500kW, participation will remain voluntary until June 2017 and 2019, respectively. Commissioner Alfredo J. Non said there would also be restrictions to be set. “While it was already in the old provision in 2013, we were saying that if you are a RES and you are intending to supply only affiliates, we cannot allow that because it will limit especially large RES like Ayala and SM. They are the ones capable of getting big [power] suppliers and at a lower cost, with the www.canadianinquirer.net
savings to be passed on to their affiliates. It’s unfair to other customers,” Non said. He said such large companies would also, in effect, be acting like an aggregator, for whom ERC did not have any rules yet. ERC will limit their capability to supply affiliates exclusively, Non said. “For example, if they need to supply 2,000MW to their affiliates they must get 4,000MW of power,” Salazar said. At the same time, if an RES of a distribution utility such as Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) has capacity of 2,000MW, it must supply only half of that to affiliates and the rest must be made available to other contestable customers.” In 2014, the Retail Electricity Suppliers Association of the Philippines, Inc. (Resa), an or-
ganization of electricity suppliers in the competitive regime of the industry, questioned in a local court the ERC’s revised rules which excluded gencos, D.U.s, and their affiliates from being awarded RES licenses. Since the other players, such as the Independent Power Producer Administrators (IPPAs), are being allowed to secure RES license, the group noted that the ERC ruling would discriminate them in what could have been envisioned as widened base of industry competition. On imposition of market share limitations and supply procurement cap, Resa said the amended RES Rules “erroneously apply Section 45 of the Epira (Electric Power Industry Reform Act) or the Republic Act No. 9136) to the RES contrary to the intention thereof.” ■
Business
FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
Graphic jewelry... “You’re a young creative. You pick a design course, or even fashion styling. That’s what you do in the birthplace of punk. You go there to get inspired.” Salientes, a fashion stylist and onetime fashion editor of Details Magazine in New York, concurred. “You don’t go to London to study business [if you’re a fashion designer],” he said. “I mean, it’s London! Just looking at the store windows will blow your mind.” ❰❰ 35
Bench award Retail visionary and Bench founder Ben Chan picked apparel finalist Andrea Lopa, 24, as winner of the Bench Love Local Award, for a reworked button-down top and skirt. The 10 apparel finalists were asked to pick two garment pieces from major sponsor Bench and recreate a look. SM Accessories, also a major sponsor, gave a special award to Cebu bag designer Meme
Dakay, for her clutch purse collection using marble-dyed polyhemp. She was also a Losa finalist in 2014. The other finalists for apparel were Joseph Bagasao, AJ Bernabe, Daryl Maat, Wilbur Lang, Tipay Caintic, Princess Tan, Gabbie Sarenas and KCNiña Pusing. For the accessories category, Ma. Rosa Fe “Rups Kiddo” Cruz and Bagasao were also finalists. Istituto Marangoni was founded in Milan in 1935, and now has campuses in London, Paris, Shanghai, and soon in Florence. Among its famous alumni are Domenico Dolce of Dolce & Gabbana and Franco Moschino of Moschino. Previous Losa winners are Pablo Cabahug (2010), Geof Gonzales (2011), Roland Alzate (2012), Rei Escario and Neil Felipp (2013), and Viña Romero and Nere Ku (2014). Losa 2016 had the support of MAC Cosmetics, Jing Monis Salon, and Cravings. ■
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Exports of coco-based products down 11% in 2015 Only oleochemicals posted increase in shipments BY RONNEL W. DOMINGO Philippine Daily Inquirer EXPORT EARNINGS from coconut-based products fell by 11 percent to $1.63 billion in 2015 from $1.83 billion the previous year, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. Shipment volume also fell by 4.3 percent to 1.49 million tons in copra terms from 1.56 million in 2014. The decline was worse than the preliminary estimate of 3.9 percent from the United Coconut Associations of the Philippines (Ucap), although Ucap estimates monitored major exports only. Final figures from PSA showed that outbound shipments of coconut oil (CNO) decreased by 0.5 percent to
853,153 tons. Also last year, the volume of copra meal plunged by 29 percent to 378,085 tons while that of desiccated coconut fell by 38 percent to 67,259 tons. Onthe other hand, the volume of oleochemicals rose by 15 percent to 30,365 tons. Copra shipments fell by 14 percent at 480 tons. In December alone, PSA data showed a better picture as overall exports increased by 26 percent to 70,262 tons in copra terms from 55,992 tons in the same month of 2014. However, December receipts were 8-percent lower year-onyear at $84.19 million mainly on low prices. December exports of CNO shot up by 30 percent to 36,823 tons while cargoes of oleochemicals surged by 88
percent to 2,090 tons. However, shipments of copra meal dropped by 36 percent with 32,159 tons while the volume of desiccated coconut fell by 12 percent to 5,093 tons. There was no shipment of copra last December, but there were 72 tons sent out in the same month of 2014. According to Ucap, virgin coconut oil (VCO) continued to firm up its status as the Philippines’ topearning nontraditional, coconutbased export, with monthly shipment volume and value surging in December 2015. Citing latest data from the PSA, Ucap said nine niche coconut products chalked up more than $100,000 each in export earnings for the month. Of these, the top three rang up more than $1 million each in receipts. ■
Reports: Panama firm usurped name of Red Cross to hide money BY TIM DAHLBERG The Associated Press PARIS — The law firm at the centre of the Panama offshore accounts scandal routinely usurped the name of the Red Cross and other charities to help obscure the origin of millions of dollars in questionable funds, two newspapers involved in the investigation reported Sunday. There’s no suggestion that the charitable groups had any idea their name was being used in this way. International Committee of the Red Cross spokeswoman Claire Kaplun told The Associated Press on Sunday that the revelation was “a total surprise and something we find extremely shocking.” France’s Le Monde and Switzerland’s Le Matin Dimanche said Mossack Fonseca created dummy foundations with high-minded names such as the “Faith Foundation” to hold shares in around 500 offshore companies. The foundation’s beneficiary was routinely listed as “the Red Cross,” a designation
which served the dual purposes of hiding the firms’ real beneficiaries and of draping them in an “NGO aura,” the papers wrote. Mossack Fonseca didn’t immediately return an email seeking comment, but a leaked email cited by the publications appeared to lay out the firm’s reasoning. “Given that banks and financial institutions are today asked to obtain information about economic beneficiaries, it has become difficult for us not to divulge the identity of those of the Faith Foundation’s,” the email said, according to the papers. “That’s why we’ve implemented this structure designating the ‘International Red Cross.’ It’s easier that way.” Another email cited by the papers suggests Mossack Fonseca deliberately kept the Red Cross in the dark about the manoeuvr. “According to Panama law, the beneficiaries of a foundation can be used without knowing it,” the email said, according to the papers. “That means the International Red Cross
doesn’t know about this arrangement.” Kaplun, the Red Cross spokeswoman, said that using the group’s name or logo without its permission is barred by international law — and could put the group’s staff in jeopardy. “We work in conflict zones. We work without weapons. Our protection is our name, our emblem, the faith that people have in our reputation,” she said in a telephone interview. “Let’s say this money was linked to a warring party in a conflict. Imagine what consequences that could have.” The newspapers’ examination of the Faith Foundation turned up a host of questionable connections. Both said that the Faith Foundation was a relay in the money trail leading back to former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner and his wife, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, who succeeded him in 2007. The foundation also played a role in a complex London real estate transaction involving Emirati leader Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, www.canadianinquirer.net
International Committee of the Red Cross spokeswoman Claire Kaplun told The Associated Press on Sunday that the revelation was “a total surprise and something we find extremely shocking.”
the papers said, adding that another Panama-based foundation played a similar role in obscuring the finances of Elena Baturina, the wife of Moscow’s ex-mayor and repeatedly listed as Russia’s wealthiest woman. Meanwhile, the offshore scandal made for awkward exchanges at a meeting between French Prime Minister Manuel Valls and his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmalek Sellal. Coverage of the meeting has been overshadowed by a partial French media boycott which kicked in after Algerian authorities refused to issue visas for
journalists from Le Monde and Canal+. The former had used the Panama files to explore the finances of several high-profile Algerians, one of whom was pictured embracing Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. Valls had previously condemned the visa refusal. Quizzed during a joint news conference Sunday, Sellal complained that Le Monde had “dared to attack” the “honour and prestige” of the presidency. ■ Aomar Ouali in Algiers, Algeria, contributed to this report.
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Manny Pacquiao unanimously outpoints Timothy Bradley BY TIM DAHLBERG The Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Manny Pacquiao may not be ready for retirement just quite yet. Pacquiao returned from the biggest loss of his career with a bang Saturday night, knocking down Timothy Bradley twice on his way to a unanimous 12-round decision in their welterweight showdown. Pacquiao shook off the ring rust from a layoff of nearly a year after losing to Floyd Mayweather Jr. to beat Bradley for a second time in the rubber match between the two fighters. In doing so, the Senate candidate in his native Philippines showed he may have to reconsider his plans to retire and devote his full time to politics. Pacquiao (58-6-2) knocked down Bradley (33-2-1) in the seventh round, though Bradley seemed to have slipped. He left no doubt in the ninth with a big left hand that sent Bradley sprawling. The fight was scored 116-110 by all three ringside judges. The Associated Press had it 117-110. In the final seconds, many in the crowd of 14,665 at the MGM Grand arena were on their feet chanting “Manny! Manny!” as Pacquiao tried to end the bout with a flourish. He never came close to finishing off Bradley, though he was so far ahead on the ringside scorecards that it didn’t matter. If the fight was indeed the end of the 37-year-old Pacquiao’s career, it was a remarkable one. Aside from the loss to Mayweather last year he did little wrong in winning eight
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weight class titles in 21 years as walked into shots.” for what referee Tony Weeks a pro. Both fighters took some time ruled a knockdown. “As of now I am retired,” Pac- to get untracked, with the early “He was very quick, very exquiao said. “I am going to go rounds offering little action. plosive,” Bradley said. home and think about it but Pacquiao seemed a bit rusty Ringside punching stats I want to be with my family. I from his layoff and Bradley showed Pacquiao landing 122 want to serve the people.” was unwilling to get inside and of 439 punches to 99 of 302 for Pacquiao had no problems trade punches. Bradley. with the right Pacquiao said shoulder he inbefore the fight jured against that he felt reMayweather as freshed after his he stalked BradI am going to go home and think layoff and stronley across the about it but I want to be with my ger than ever. He ring, looking to family. I want to serve the people. hadn’t scored a land big shots. He knockout at 147 landed enough pounds since of them to make stopping Miguel Bradley wary, Cotto in 2009, and the knockdown in the ninth Pacquiao began picking up and went after Bradley with big round seemed to take the rest of the pace and stalking Bradley, left hands to try to break that the fight out of Bradley. though, coming in behind a streak. “Manny was strong the right jab and following it with “I was looking for a knockout entire fight and he was also his left hand. In the seventh in every round,” Pacquiao said. very patient,” Bradley said. “I round, he seemed to graze “He’s a very tough fighter and a wasn’t professional enough Bradley with a pair of punches very good counter puncher.” to stay patient myself and I and Bradley went to his knees Pacquiao, who was guaran-
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teed $7 million, was fighting for the first time since losing to Mayweather last May in the richest fight ever. He lost a unanimous decision in that fight, blaming his lacklustre performance on the shoulder injury that flared up in the fourth round and required surgery afterward. Still, Pacquiao was a 2-1 favourite against Bradley, who beat him on a controversial decision the first time they fought before losing a unanimous decision in the second fight in 2014. Bradley vowed this would be his best fight, with new trainer Teddy Atlas in the corner giving him instructions. Atlas fulfilled his job, jumping into the ring after each bell to lecture Bradley, sometimes having to be pushed out of the ring by Nevada boxing officials so the next round could start. “Teddy obviously made a difference,” Pacquiao said. “This was the best Timothy Bradley I have faced in the three fights. If it was Pacquiao’s last fight, he goes out as one of the biggest pay-per-view attractions in the sport. Pacquiao headlined 22 pay-per-view fights, generating more than 18 million buys and $1.2 billion in PPV revenue. His next career probably won’t be as lucrative, with Pacquiao running for the Senate in elections next month in the Philippines. Should he win — and he is one of the favourites — it would be almost impossible to remain an active fighter. Pacquiao said in the days leading up to the fight that his family — particularly his wife — wanted him to retire. “Thank you boxing fans,” he said in the ring afterward. ■
Sports
FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
39
Ryan Cochrane the headliner, Mutko: No criminal but women dominate charges over Russia’s Canada’s Olympic swim team doping scandal BY DONNA SPENCER The Canadian Press TORONTO — The gender imbalance on Canada’s Olympic swim team is one women can celebrate. Nineteen women and eight men were named to the team Sunday night to conclude six days of trials at the Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre. Canada’s top contender in the pool is male, however. Distance freestyler Ryan Cochrane of Victoria is a double medal threat. “I think our women are definitely the strong suit,” Cochrane said. “We don’t have a lot of quantity on the men’s side, but I think we have the quality.” Cochrane leads Canada’s 27 swimmers into the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro from Aug. 5 to Aug. 21. Swimming runs Aug. 6-13 at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium. A top-two result in a trials final combined with racing under an Olympic qualifying time was required to claim a berth to Brazil. The trials were emotionally draining as some Olympic dreams came true and some were dashed. Successful swimmers consoled disappointed teammates and celebrated their accomplishments simultaneously. Both the Olympic and Paralympic teams were introduced Sunday. Montreal’s Benoit Huot, who will compete in a fifth Paralympics, and rising star Aurelie Rivard of St-Jean-SurRichelieu, Que., headline the 22-swimmer Paralympic squad. The 2016 Olympic team ranges in age from 15-year-old swim sensation Penny Oleksiak to 32-yearold Audrey Lacroix heading to her third Summer Games. The 2012 team numbered 31 — 18 women and 13 men. Canada’s three Olympic swim medals in London were won by men. The women’s side is much deeper for Rio, particularly in freestyle speed which bodes well for the relays. “I don’t want to swear right now but I’m so excited about the women’s team, by far and away the fastest women’s team
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Ryan Cochrane won bronze at the men's 400 metres freestyle in Kazan in 2015 CHAN-FAN / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
we’ve ever had,” backstroker Hilary Caldwell said. “We’ve got some amazing big hitters and some great relays. On the men’s side we’ve got less, but strong, strong guys.” Cochrane is coming off a pair of bronze medals in last year’s world championship in Kazan, Russia. The 27-year-old will swim the 400 on the first day of swimming at Rio and the 1,500 on the final day. “I’d ideally like to be on the podium twice this summer,” Cochrane said. To accommodate North American television time zones, the heats will be at 1 p.m. and the finals at 10 p.m., which is an irregular schedule for swimmers. The Canadian team was in a rebuild after 2004, when the country was shut out of swim medals in Athens for the first time in four decades. Cochrane won a 1,500-metre bronze in 2008 followed by a silver in 2012. Retired swimmer Brent Hayden took bronze in the 100-metre freestyle and Richard Weinberger of Surrey, B.C., claimed bronze in the open-water swim in London. Seven men’s finals in Toronto didn’t produce a Rio swim. Cochrane and freestyle sprinters Santo Condorelli of Kenora, Ont., and Yuri Kisil of Calgary were the only men qualifying in more than one event. Others to watch in Rio include Weinberger again in the marathon swim and Emily Overholt of West Vancouver, B.C., who was a bronze medallist in the 400-metre individual medley in Kazan. Freestyle sprinters Condorelli, Chantal Van Landeghem of
Winnipeg and individual medley specialist Sydney Pickrem of Oldsmar, Fla., made the finals there and placed in the top six. Oleksiak was the breakout performer at trials. Six foot one and still growing, the Toronto teen broke a world junior and Canadian record in the 100-metre freestyle. She’ll also represent Canada in the 100-metre butterfly and 200 freestyle. Family swim ties run through the 2016 edition. Ashton Baumann, the son of former Olympic gold medallist and world-record holder Alex Baumann, will race the 200-metre breaststroke in Rio. Women’s relay team member Kennedy Goss’s father Donald (Sandy) Goss won relay silver in 1984. Criteria for the Paralympic swim team was different. Swimmers in different classifications raced each other and points were awarded for times. The Rio Paralympics are Sept. 7-18. The para-swim team won 16 of Canada’s 31 medals four years ago in London, including four gold. Canada’s Paralympic medal count has been dropping as more countries compete harder and put more resources into parasport. Huot won five gold medals in 2004. The 32-year-old pointed out the times he swam in Athens would not have put him on the podium in London. “Imagine what it’s going to be this summer,” Huot said. “A medal in Beijing would not be on the podium in Rio. “The objective is 14 (medals). Are we going to get the 14? I believe we can.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
Mutko said some players had taken meldonium while it was still legal but that Russian ofMOSCOW — No one will face ficials feared it could have recriminal charges over the worst mained in their bodies. doping scandal in Russia’s his“If an athlete or a group of tory, the country’s sports min- athletes took it in October or ister said Friday. November, we don’t know if it’ll A report in November by a be found or not (in testing),” World Anti-Doping Agency Mutko said in comments recommission alleged system- ported by the state news agency atic, state-sponsored drug use Tass. “We’re minimizing risks.” in Russian track and field and a Russian Hockey Federation widespread coverup of doping. president Vladislav Tretiak had The former head of the Rus- said the roster change was “tacsian track federation was also tical,” but the federation admitaccused of a role in extorting ted Friday the switch was actu450,000 euros ($500,000) from ally due to meldonium. a marathon runner and was latThe federation claimed that er banned for life. players stopped using the sub“The General stance in the fall Prosecutor’s ofof 2015 when fice carefully WADA ruled it examined the rewould be banned port in question If an athlete for 2016. Removand did not find or a group ing the under-18 a single legally of athletes team from the supported fact took it in world champito open any kind October or onship was an of case,” Russian November, attempt to “deSports Minister we don’t fend the rights of Vitaly Mutko know if it’ll young athletes,” told sports porbe found it said. tal Sportfakt. or not (in It was the latThe WADA retesting). est in a string of port led to Russia surprise team being suspended changes in Rusfrom internasian sports in retional track and cent weeks. field, including the Olympics. The entire national men’s Mutko also admitted Rus- curling team was changed a sia had been forced to with- day before its world championdraw players from its national ships, with the Russian Curling teams at major competitions Federation denying a link to because of the risk they could meldonium. The replacement test positive for meldonium, team went on to lose nine of 11 a drug for patients with heart games. disease which was widely used In volleyball, Russian club as a supplement in Russian Gazprom Yugra dropped its top sports but was banned for 2016. players ahead of the final of the The ban prompted a spate of European CEV Cup, which it positive tests among top Rus- lost. No explanation was given. sian athletes, including Maria UK Anti-Doping, which is Sharapova. handling testing in Russia since Mutko’s comments came the Russian agency is suspenda day after almost the entire ed, declined to comment when Russian national under-18 asked if it would target testing hockey team was cut from next at team sports where meldoweek’s world championships nium use is suspected. and replaced with an apparThe squad changes were “a ently weaker under-17 squad. matter for the sport and counThe change was announced the tries concerned, and not someday before the under-18 team thing for UK Anti-Doping to had been expected to fly to the comment on,” the organization United States. said in an emailed statement. ■
40
APRIL 15, 2016
FRIDAY
Technology
SpaceX delivers world’s 1st Police hope changing inflatable room for astronauts technology will reduce bogus 911 emergency calls
BY MARCIA DUNN The Associated Press CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. — SpaceX has made good on a high-priority delivery: the world’s first inflatable room for astronauts. A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday, two days after launching from Cape Canaveral. Station astronauts used a robot arm to capture the Dragon, orbiting 250 miles above Earth. The Dragon holds 7,000 pounds of freight, including the soft-sided compartment built by Bigelow Aerospace. The pioneering pod — packed tightly for launch — should swell to the The SpaceX Dragon cargo spaceship is grappled by the International Space size of a small bedroom once Station's Canadarm2. filled with air. NASA / FLICKR It will be attached to the space station this Saturday, but when the Dragon was plucked in more places, like Mars. His it won’t be inflated until the end from orbit by the big station ambition is to establish a city of May. The technology could arm. on Mars. change the way astronauts live “It looks like we caught a NASA also has Mars in its in space: NASA envisions in- Dragon,” announced Brit- sights and looks to send astroflatable habitats in a couple ish astronaut Timothy Peake, nauts there in the 2030s. In ordecades at Mars, while Bigelow who made the grab. “There are der to focus on that objective, Aerospace aims to launch a pair smiles all around here,” NASA’s the space agency has hired U.S. of inflatable space stations in Mission Control replied. “Nice companies like SpaceX to dejust four years for commercial job capturing that Dragon.” liver cargo and, as early as next lease. year, astronauts For now, the to the space staBigelow Expandtion. U.S. astroable Activity nauts currently Module — BEAM have to hitch for short — will SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk rides on Russian remain mostly wants to reuse boosters to save rockets. off-limits to the money, a process that he says will In a display six-man staopen access to space for more of commercial tion crew. NASA people in more places, like Mars. space, a Dragon wants to see capsule is sharhow the experiing the space stamental chamber tion for the first functions, so time with Orthe hatch will be sealed except SpaceX is still reveling in bital ATK’s supply ship named when astronauts enter a few the success of Friday’s booster Cygnus, already parked there times a year to collect measure- landing at sea. two weeks. ments and swap out sensors. For the first time, a leftover The Dragon will remain at This is SpaceX’s first delivery booster came to a solid verti- the space station for a month for NASA in a year. A launch ac- cal touchdown on a floating before returning to Earth with cident last June put shipments platform. SpaceX chief execu- science samples, many of them on hold. tive Elon Musk wants to reuse from one-year spaceman Scott SpaceX flight controllers at boosters to save money, a pro- Kelly. He ended his historic company headquarters in Haw- cess that he says will open ac- mission last month. Cygnus will thorne, California, applauded cess to space for more people stick around a little longer. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
BY JOHN COTTER The Canadian Press FALSE 911 emergency calls continue to be a problem for police in Canada despite changes in cellphone design that are expected to reduce cases of inadvertent “pocket” dialing. Concerns about how such calls bog down emergency dispatch centres prompted the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police to complain to Ottawa about cellphones that can dial 911 with a single button push. The wireless industry responded with assurances that cellphones with that feature are no longer being sold and those still in use will be gradually replaced by consumers. But problems persist, including nuisance calls from people who dial 911 in non-emergency situations. Saskatoon Police Chief Clive Weighill, president of the chiefs association, said bogus calls are a waste of time and resources. “We had a call here — she forgot her pastries at Safeway and wanted us to go pick them up for her,” Weighill said. “Sometimes you just get calls you really shake your head at. Why would anybody phone 911 for that?” Weighill estimates that about one-third of the estimated 62,000 emergency 911 calls made in Saskatoon last year were either misdialed or for non-emergencies. The Edmonton Police Service says of 388,736 calls made to 911 last year, 152,320 were not for emergencies — about 39 per cent. Christine Lyseng, Edmonton’s 911 supervisor, said people have called in to report a lost dog and for a parking dispute. One call was over a noise in
the fireplace. “While my operators are tied up with the bogus calls, someone with a life-threatening emergency is trying to get through,” she said. Another challenge is false 911 calls made by young children, including babies, from old cellphones that parents give their kids to play with. Lyseng said as long as a cellphone has a battery charge, it can call 911 even if it no longer has a subscription with a service provider. “Quite often we will hear babies gurgling, teething, gnawing on these phones. Sometimes we can convince a toddler to let us speak to Mommy or Daddy.” Lyseng said emergency operators pride themselves on answering 911 calls within seconds and must phone back every false call to ensure that it is not an actual emergency. Some provinces have legislation that allows for people to be charged for making false calls. In the United States it is a felony in some jurisdictions with fines of up to $10,000. Weighill said police services in Canada favour awareness campaigns that encourage people to call a different phone number for non-emergencies, such as 311 in some cities. The Edmonton Police Service is using social media and an ad campaign this spring to raise awareness. It’s the third time police have reached out to the public about 911 since 2012. Weighill said a new 911 system under review by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission should help. “What we are looking at for the future of next-generation 911 services will be so people can text in their 911 call so we can get it in the call centre that way.” ■
Technology
FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
41
US cites Chinese Internet filters as trade barrier BY JOE MCDONALD The Associated Press BEIJING — The American government has cited Chinese Internet controls as a trade barrier in a report that comes as Beijing tries to block its public from seeing news online about the finances of leaders’ families. Chinese filters, which block access to websites including the Google search engine and social media such as Twitter, are a “significant burden” on businesses, the U.S. Trade Representative said in an annual report on trade conditions. It gave no indication Washington plans to take action but highlights the economic cost of pervasive Chinese censorship that also draws criticism from human rights and pro-democracy activists. On such issues, Washington is at odds with Beijing, which sees strict control over information as essential to protecting the Communist Party’s monopoly on power. China restricts access to online materials by requiring traffic to pass through state-controlled gateways linked to the global Internet. Controls have
been tightened since President Xi Jinping became party leader in 2012. The filters, known informally as the Great Firewall of China, are in line with Beijing’s advocacy of “Internet sovereignty,” or allowing governments to impose control on the freewheeling Internet within their borders. Xi called in a speech in December for the creation of a global “governance system” for cyberspace. This week, Chinese Web users have been blocked from seeing news reports about documents from a law firm in Panama that say relatives of political figures including Xi own offshore companies. State media have carried brief reports on the revelations but with no mention of Chinese figures. Chinese regulators block access not just to websites operated by human rights or prodemocracy activists but also to dozens of news, entertainment and social media services that operate freely in other countries. “Outright blocking of websites appears to have worsened over the past year, with eight of the top 25 most-trafficked glob-
al sites now blocked in China,” the USTR says in its National Trade Estimate. It said much of the blocking appears to be arbitrary, including a home improvement website in the United States. Asked about the complaint, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Beijing welcomes foreign investment and protects the rights of foreign companies. “Polices aimed at attracting foreign investment will not change, nor will policies to protect their lawful rights and interests and to create a good business environment,” said Hong Lei on Friday at a regular briefing. “We hope all countries can respect another nation’s choice of the route for Internet development, Internet management and Internet public policy, as well as its right to participate in regulating the international Internet.” Foreign and local companies in China that rely on the Internet for sales, accounting and other internal functions complain the filters hinder their operations. Almost 80 per cent of companies that responded to a survey released in January by the
American Chamber of Commerce in China said they were “negatively impacted” by the controls. More than half said they were blocked from using online tools or accessing information. Only 5 per cent said they were not hindered in any way. Chinese also complain the filters hamper their ability to interact with customers or business partners abroad or apply to foreign universities. Some get around the filters by using virtual private networks, or VPNs, that route traffic through unblocked websites, but Beijing has begun to block them as well. “This censorship not only prevents this country’s people from getting information quickly, but it also, bit by bit, isolates China’s Internet companies internationally,” said a posting on the Sina Weibo social media service signed by Bao Beibei, an investment manager for a Beijing technology company. U.S. officials previously have labeled Beijing’s Internet controls a barrier to business but have yet to file a complaint in the World Trade Organization or take other action.
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In 2011, the U.S. trade envoy, Ron Kirk, asked Beijing to explain its controls, citing WTO rules that require member governments to publish details of restrictions that might affect business. Kirk said the filters create “commercial barriers” that hurt U.S. companies. The USTR never indicated whether Chinese authorities replied. In 2009, a WTO panel ruled China’s censorship system for movies improperly restricted imports and Beijing promised to change it. Chinese authorities have released few details of how they pick which online material to block. When asked about specific incidents, government spokespeople sometimes suggest a technical problem abroad must be to blame. However, researchers have traced some blockages to servers operated by state-owned China Telecom Ltd. The controls have allowed Chinese Internet services such as search engine Baidu to flourish by blocking or slowing access to foreign competitors such as Google that dominate other global markets. ■
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Events
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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 Tagalog Class By Filipino Center Toronto WHEN/WHERE: 10 to 11 a.m., every Saturday, Filipino Centre Toronto
APRIL 15, 2016
San Beda College Men’s Team Tryout By Durham Crossover Basketball and Naba WHEN/WHERE: 6 p.m., Apr. 16, at Northview Hts. School 550 Finch Ave., West North York On. MORE INFO: Tryouts will be conducted by Coach Benjie Paras and Team Manager Jude Roque. Call Mike Cruz 416-795-8985; Edgar Tojino 416-824-1967; and Adrian Vicencio 416-821-5494.
Pag-Ibig Fund Forum for Community Leaders Homework/Tutorial Class By the Home Development Mutual Fund By FCT and PCG Toronto WHEN/WHERE: 11a.m. to 12 nn, every WHEN/WHERE: 2:15 p.m. Apr. 16 at the Saturday, Filipino Centre Toronto, 597 PCG Toronto Office on 7th Floor, 160 YUKON Parliament St., Suite 103, Toronto, ON Eglinton Ave., E. Toronto, On. MORE INFO: For registrations, call 416-928MORENUNAVUT INFO: Pag-Ibig Fund CEO Darlene NORTHWEST 9355. The office, at 597 Parliament St., Suite Berberabe will present various programs TERRITORIES 103, Toronto, is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, the Fundi is offering to Filipinos in terms of Thursdays and Fridays from 1 to 6 p.m. purchasing real property in the Philippines.
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CANADA EVENTS
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Formal Wear Showcase Dinner Dance By Samahang Ala Eh! Ng Ottawa Valley WHEN/WHERE: 5:30 p.m., Apr. 30, Centurion Conference Centre, 170 Colonnade Rd., Ottawa, On.
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WHEN/WHERE: Apr. 14 to 16 at Holiday Inn Hotel, Wyse Road, Dartmouth N.S. MORE INFO: Joining Team Ottawa are Labor Attache Leonida Romulo and Eunice Osunero (Toronto-POLO) and duly deputized Comelec officials for overseas voting.
Consular Outreach in Halifax By PhilippineNEWFOUNDLAND Embassy in Ottawa
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Family History with a Smartphone First Workshop By Pacific Canada Heritage Centre – Museum of Migration WHEN/WHERE: 1 to 4:30 p.m., Apr. 17, Asian Centre Auditorium, 1871 West Mall, University of British Columbia. MORE INFO: Please register here: https://www. eventbrite.ca/e/family-history-with-a-smartphoneworkshop-1-tickets-24497742407 Youth Employment Connect Program Info Session By S.u.c.c.e.s.s. WHEN/WHERE: 2 p.m., Apr. 19, at Tri-City Service Centre at 2058-1163 Pinetree Way, Coquitlam. MORE INFO: Interested persons please call 604468-6007, or email to: youthemploymentconnect@ success.bc.ca.This is a free employment program funded by the government. The program provides skills training for youth aged from 15 to 29. Program participants will learn resume writing and interview skills and receive short-term certificate trainings in a four-week group based environment. Free Tax Clinic for Low-Income Newcomers By Mosaic WHEN/WHERE: For full eligibility criteria, please visit www.mosaicbc.com/settlement-services. Call to make an appointment: Vancouver: 604-254-9626 (serves permanent residents, work permit holders and naturalized citizens) Burnaby: 604-438-8214 (serves permanent residents only) 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 778322-2839 or email: tfw.divorce@gmail.com Skills Now: Project-based Training for Immigrants in Retail and Administration By ISS of BC WHEN/WHERE: Call or email at 604-684-2581 (ext 2193 Nanki) skillsnow@issbc.org MORE INFO: Receive a certificate or skills training in retail or administration; job search workshops; and strong employment opportunities. Mentoring Programme for Immigrant High School Students: Breakfast & Baon 101 By Mentorship & Leadership for Youth Programme WHEN/WHERE: 10 a.m. to 12 nn at Corpus Christi College (near UBC) 5935 Iona Dr. Vancouver BC. Free pick up and drop off service. MORE INFO: Meet young professionals plus learn to cook. Call/text Anna de Quito 604-763-2210. Free Counselling Support Group By Mosaic WHEN/WHERE: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., every last Monday of the month, at Mosaic Burnaby Centre for Immigrants, 5902 Kingsway, Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: Call Darae (604)254-9626 Richmond’s Lulu Series: Art in the City asks ‘can art end poverty?’ By Richmond City Hall www.canadianinquirer.net
WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m., Apr. 21, at Richmond City Council Chambers, 6911 No. 3 Road, Richmond, B.C. MORE INFO: Seating is limited, so please reserve your seats by emailing lulu@richmond.ca. Christian Vistan Exhibit at Monthly Open Studio: Sunset Table By Project Space WHERE/WHEN: 8 to 11 p.m., Apr. 22, 2-236 E. Pender St., Vancouver, B.C. Tagalog Talaga By University of British Columbia Phil. Studies Series and Tagalog Today WHEN/WHERE: 5 p.m. Apr. 23, at Multipurpose Rm. UBC Liu Institute, 6476 NW Marine Dr., Vancouver, B.C. Lighthouse Christian Church 10th year anniversary worship WHEN/WHERE: May 8, 2016 10:30 am to 12:00pm, 15353 92 Avenue, Surrey BC V3R 1C3. MORE INFO: Free admission. A gala reception will be at 5:00pm to 11:00pm at Riverside Signature Banquet Hall at 13030 76 Avenue Surrey BC V3W 2V6. For ticket reservation – 604-363-438. Breaking Isolation: Engaging & Empowering Older Women Against Violence & Abuse By ISS of BC WHEN/WHERE: 9 a.m. to 12 nn, Tuesdays & Thursdays from Apr. 26 to May 19, at R, 200-504 Cottonwood Ave. Coquitlam, B.C. MORE INFO: Contact Liza dela Rosa 778-861-8499 or email at liza.delarosa@issbc.org
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APRIL 15, 2016
FRIDAY
Food
Would you eat canary seed? Health Canada says gluten free grain is safe for humans BY LOIS ABRAHAM The Canadian Press TORONTO — Move over, feathered friends: canary seed has been approved for human consumption by Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The high-protein, gluten-free grain — similar in size to flax seed and sesame seed — can now be incorporated whole into energy and snack bars and sprinkled on hamburger buns and bagels. It can also be ground into flour for use in cookies, muffins, crackers, breads, tortillas and pasta. It’s good news for farmers in Saskatchewan, where the bulk of the world’s canary seed crop is grown and exported. It’s hoped the approval for human consumption will broaden the market, says Kevin Hursh, executive director of the Canaryseed Development Commission of Saskatchewan. Carol Ann Patterson, a food scientist with The Pathfinders Research and Management Ltd., in Saskatoon, had been working with the commission since about 2006 as regulatory approval was sought for the seed to be used as a cereal grain, similar to oats, wheat, barley and rye. “From a protein perspective, compared to other cereals, canary seed ranks up there,” says Patterson. “And that’s why it’s so good for glutenfree applications because right now a lot of the flours that are used ... don’t have the same nutrient composition as canary seed would have in terms of fatty acids, in terms of the vitamins, in terms
of fibre and in terms of protein content.” Roasted canary seed has a nutty flavour with a pleasant aroma, she says, and many baking trials were carried out using the grain because of its glutenfree quality. “It provides a bit more taste than some of the other products that go into glutenfree foods. If you’re using it with tapioca starch or whatever other starch types we think that it will probably have an application in the gluten-free market because that has been a growth area,” says Hursh, who grows canary seed at his farm near Cabri northwest of Swift Current. Another bonus is canary seed can be substituted for imported sesame seed. Sesame has been identified as one of 10 priority food allergens by Health Canada. However, canary seed may not be suitable for consumers with a wheat allergy because there’s one protein that wheat and canary seed have in common. Canary seed for human consumption will need to be labelled with an allergy warning while research is done to see if the restriction can be removed, Hursh says. The cereal grain originated in the Canary Islands — hence the name — and has
been used to feed tame birds for centuries. It’s also been consumed by mainly Spanish
a n d Hispanic cultures in the Mediterranean basin. In recent years, some health-food markets in North America have ground the seed, hull included, and used it in smoothies or soaked it in hot water for a
tea, says Hursh. In Canada, canary seed started being grown in the late 1800s near Indian Head, 70 kilometres east of Regina. It fell out of favour, then was revived in the 1970s and ‘80s, says Patterson. The human food approval in Canada and the U.S. covers hairless (glabrous) canary seed varieties, with both brown and yellow seeds. ■
Pope emphasizes... suggestion in that document for people in civil second marriages to live as brother and sister, abstaining from sex so they can still receive the sacraments. In a footnote, Francis said many people offered such a solution by the church “point out that if certain expressions of intimacy are lacking, it often happens that faithfulness is endangered and the good of children suffer.” Similarly, in discussing the need for “responsible parenthood” and regulating the number of children, Francis made no mention of the church’s opposition to artificial contraception. He squarely rejected abortion as “horrendous” and he cited the 1968 encyclical “Humanae Vitae,” which deals with the issue. But Francis made no mention of the “unlawful birth control methods” cited and rejected in “Humanae Vitae.” In❰❰ 34
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stead, he focused on the need for couples in their conscience to make responsible decisions about their family size. Francis made a single reference to church-sanctioned family planning method of abstaining from sex during a woman’s fertile time. He said only that such practices are to be “promoted” — not that other methods are forbidden — and he insisted on the need for children to receive sex education, albeit without focusing on “safe sex.” The document devoted an entire chapter to love and sex in marriage — at times explicitly. Schoenborn acknowledged that Francis dared address such issues even though bishops and cardinals in two separate synods essentially ignored the question. Schoenborn suggested the celibacy of the synod fathers was perhaps responsible for the omission in synod documents. ■
Seen & Scenes: Vancouver
FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016
FORUM ON GOOD GOVERNANCE Lodi Nicolas Lewis, chair and CEO of the multinational food company TLC Beatrice LLC, a renowned philanthropist and civic leader, spoke at a forum entitled, “How the Values of Anti-Corruption Can Firmly Take Root in Filipino Culture.” The event was held from 1:30 to 4 p.m., Apr. 10, at the basement of St. Patrick’s Parish on Main St., Vancouver (Photos by Laarni Liwanag-De Paula).
I REMIT DINER WITH PAG-IBIG FUND REPRESENTATIVES
From left Amado Isabelo Dizon III Vice President, International Operation Group, Barry Ponce-Iremit Vancouver Branch Manager, Nanette AbilayDepartment Manager III Business Development Sector, Atty Darlene Berberabe President and CEO Of Pag-ibig Fund, Carmen BaladadAlberta and Manitoba Iremit Provincial Head, Jennifer Lumabi-Marketing Officer Iremit BC, and Vice Consul Ma. Charmaine D. Guevara
From left Amado Isabelo Dizon III Vice President, International Operation Group, Nanette Abilay- Department Manager III Business Development Sector, Atty Darlene Berberabe President and CEO Of Pag-ibig Fund, Mr. Albino Chua-President of Iremit Canada, Labatt Jaime Jimenez, , Carmen Baladad- Alberta and Manitoba Iremit Provincial Head, Barry Ponce-Iremit Vancouver Branch Manager, Maria Dolores Joson-Asst. Finance Officer Vancouver Branch, Arnold Choa-, Vice Consul Ma. Charmaine D. Guevara, and Jose Verne Vazquez- Iremit Vancouver staff
SAMPAGUITA YOUTH DANCERS The Sampaguita Youth Dancers joined the Greater Victoria Performing Arts on Apr. 8, at Claremont School. The youth dancers performed Tinikling and Sakuting (Photos from the Bayanihan Cultural & Housing Society).
PAG IBIG FUND INFO DRIVE The Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), more popularly known as the Pag-Ibig Fund, in cooperation with the Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver, held an information and membership campaign among FilCans last Apr. 9, at St. Patrick’s Social Hall. President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Pag-Ibig Fund Darlene Marie B. Berberabe and Vice President for International Operations Amado Dizon led the PagIbig team which marketed their various investment and housing loan services. Vice Consul Cham Guevarra welcomed the team to Vancouver.
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Seen and Scenes
APRIL 15, 2016
FRIDAY
FILCAN CATHOLIC PARENTS The Filipino Canadian Parents Association in Catholic Education (FCPACE) during its recent general meeting elected a new slate of 23 officers and directors for the 2016-2017 term. FCPACE is composed of Filipino parents and guardians of children who are studying and/or have studied at Catholic secondary and elementary schools in Toronto, On. Among those chosen for a two-year term are: President-Paulina Corpuz; Executive Vice President - Manuel M. Ching; Vice President- Joseph Redoblado; Secretary - Ruth Oliveros; Asst. Secretary - Jerrilyn Garcia; Treasurer- Marla Tanuan; Asst. Treasurer-Christine Manrique; AuditorMichele Serrano; Business Manager - Maria Guiao; Public Relations Officer - Ronnie Dela Gana; and Directors : Joey Abrenilla, Myrna Alforte, Nilo Ang, Rose Apilado, Therese Baduria, Randy Bucao, Cielito Drapeza, Francisco Galema, Perly Laganas, Manny Lim, Joel Pine, Jun Saludares and Tony A. San Juan.
BICOL CANADA COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION Photos taken during the recent election of officers and directors of the Bicol Canada Community Association (BCCA) the Our Lady of The Assumption Church Parish Hall in Toronto including the new 2016-2017 members of BCCA's board of directors led by Rafael " Paeng" Nebres of Action Honda-Toronto (Photos taken by Earl Dacara).
POLITICAL FORUM Pictures from the Political Forum held Apr. 9 at St. Bonaventure Parish Centre with the theme, "2016 - Our Time to Rise". Loida Nicolas-Lewis, TLC Beatrice founder and FilAm community leader was guest speaker. Other guests seen at the event were Sen. Jun Enverga, Michelle Serrano, Marcy Bernal and Annabelle Migalbin (Photos by Amelia Insigne).
WESTERN UNION LUNCHEON Scenes taken during the luncheon at Kababayan Multicultural Centre hosted by Western Union employees headed by Flordeliz Dandal for Chito Gonzalez and John Chua (Photos by Amelia Insigne).
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