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JUNE 28, 2013
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Gov’t to give P18K to each family in estero
Whatever it takes: $1B for Alberta
Singapore suffers worst haze in history
Filipino-Canadian in Focus: Marco Delgado
After Pacman: Marquez, Bradley face off
Canada at 146! BY KATHERINE MARFAL TEVES Philippine Canadian Inquirer
CRUSHED. At least 5 tons of smuggled elephant tusks worth an estimated $10 million are destroyed by a road roller in support of a global effort to
stop the illegal ivory trade. (On Page 4)
PHOTO BY RICHARD A. REYES
3 victims come forward Filipino OFWs from Saudi tell their story to Del Rosario BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer BOLSTERING charges of sexual exploitation against labor officials in Philippine embassies in the Middle East, three female migrant workers came forward on Friday accusing a Filipino labor officer in Saudi Arabia of demanding sefrom them
in exchange for plane tickets to Manila. Foreign Secretary Alberto del Rosario and officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) had a confidential meeting with the three women and one witness to the alleged predatory behavior of an officer at the ❱❱ PAGE 3 3 victims
‘Macho men’ back battered husbands bill ❱❱ PAGE 14
ON July 1, 1867, through the Constitution Act that granted Canada its independence from England, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada were bonded as one country. For over ten years, Canada did not achieve full independence from Britain; it was only in 1982 that the country became fully independent, leading to the declaration of Canada Day as an official holiday. Decades passed before an official Canada day celebration was recorded, because Canadians in the early times identified themselves as British. The official Canada Day celebration was recorded in 1917 in time for Canada’s “golden” anniversary. In 1927, the next Canada Day festivities occurred, while the government first recognized the holiday in 1958, bannered by multitude of colors in Parliament Hill. In time for Canada’s 100th year of independence, the first country-wide celebration was held in 1967. From then on, Canada Day has become a big event every year. Today, this holiday is commemorated with fireworks, cooking showdowns, concerts, and various games. Ottawa, Ontario, being Canada’s capital, hosts the most holiday activities. Numerous festivals and events can be found in city streets, parks and museums. To conclude the festivities, fireworks are launched from the Parliament Hill. ❱❱ PAGE 30 Canada at 146!
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Philippine News
3 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
3 victims... ❰❰ 1
Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Polo) in Riyadh. The statements of the complainants tended to support the disclosure of Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello of the sexual exploitation of distressed migrant workers by labor officers in the Philippine embassies in Jordan, Syria and Kuwait. Bello, head of the House committee on overseas workers’ affairs, said on Tuesday that he learned about the abuse of distressed workers by labor officers from “unimpeachable sources” in the DFA. DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez said the meeting between the alleged victims and the witness and Del Rosario was part of a “continuing effort to get to the bottom” of the “sex for repatriation” racket run by labor officers in Philippine embassies in the Middle East. Del Rosario, three assistant foreign secretaries and one DOLE official met with the complainants. Television network ABS-CBN arranged the meeting, which was held in an undisclosed location. Del Rosario has ordered home the labor officers and the heads of the Philippine missions in Kuwait, Syria and Jordan to explain their side of the scandal. With the emergence of the complainants, the investigation of the scandal has been widened to include Saudi Arabia. Del Rosario has formed a fact-finding body to investigate the scandal and has also called home the Philippine ambassadors to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, Libya and Lebanon for “consultations.” Hernandez said the complainants told Del Rosario how the labor officer in the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh treated them while they were waiting to be repatriated to the Philippines. Del Rosario “listened intently to their sad stories and assured them of protection and appropriate assistance,” Hernandez said. He said Del Rosario urged the women to bring formal complaints against their alleged abuser so the officer could be prosecuted. The complainants accused the still unnamed Polo official of sexual molestation and of pimping them to “clients” to make money for their plane tickets home. Fully covered
The DFA earlier clarified that the costs of repatriating distressed migrant workers are shouldered by the government and cannot be used by embassy officials as leverage in seeking favors from the workers. “We are in the information-gathering stage. With the help of as many people
as possible, we are trying to get all information we can so that we [can] complete our plan and [decide] how we can proceed to deal with the real problems that are being identified in a thorough, objective and expeditious manner,” Del Rosario told the Inquirer yesterday. Del Rosario said the DFA would provide protection and extend assistance to the complainants. “Our objective is to ensure that, in moving forward, our [overseas workers], especially those who are under our care and custody, are protected and treated with respect,” he said. Shelter management
Toward that end, migrant workers’ welfare advocate Susan Ople suggests that the goverment set up a special team to manage embassy-run shelters for distressed migrant workers In a statement issued Thursday, Ople, president of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, said the team should “look into safeguards” in embassy-run shelters to make sure the migrant workers are not subjected to further abuse. “We need a parallel effort to review and improve the conditions of welfare centers for [overseas workers] in various countries,” Ople said. “These shelters and every inch of our foreign posts must be safe havens for distressed women and workers overseas,” she added. Ople received the 2013 Hero Acting to End Modern-Day Slavery Award from the US Department of State in Washington on Thursday for her efforts to combat human trafficking in the Philippines. The award, presented to Ople by US State Secretary John Kerry, coincided with the release of the state department’s annual report on human trafficking. Specialized services
Ople cited the part of the report that said the Philippine government “identified and provided protection to trafficking victims, but did not make significant efforts to increase the availability of specialized services.” She said the government’s InterAgency Council Against Trafficking could introduce such services, including professional management of shelters for distressed overseas workers. The sex for repatriation scandal involves serious allegations that deserve a “sober and impartial probe,” Ople said. “The best defense against this and other allegations is for the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to train and professionalize the staffs that run the shelters and maintain strict and unified standards for embassy personnel access to the wards in these shelters,” she said. ■
Gunmen abduct 2 sisters working on film about Muslims in Mindanao BY JIM GOMEZ The Associated Press MANILA, Philippines—Suspected alQaida-linked gunmen have abducted two sisters who travelled to a dangerous mountainous area in Mindanao to work on a film about Muslim farmers, police and military officials said Sunday. Nadjoua and Linda Bansil were taken by about 10 gunmen Saturday in Sulu province's Patikul town where they filmed coffee farmers. At least three companions of the sisters, who were in a van, fled on a motorcycle or were left behind by the gunmen, Patikul police chief Senior Inspector Christopher Gutierrez said. Police were trying to locate the gunmen and their victims, Gutierrez said. “We're trying to track down the abductors and the victims and possibly launch a rescue operation with the help of the military,'' Gutierrez said by telephone. Marine Col. Jose Cenabre said the gunmen belong to the Abu Sayyaf, but Gutier-
rez said police were still checking if the abductors were from an allied group of young gunmen behind several kidnappings. Gutierrez said the women, who were guests of a Sulu-based sultan, did not coordinate with police before their trip to the dangerous Patikul hinterlands. They reportedly visited Mount Sinumaan, a rugged mountainous area where the Abu Sayyaf maintains a camp, and were on their way back to the provincial capital of Jolo when they were stopped by the gunmen. The sisters were born in Algeria from an Algerian mother and a Filipino father but grew up in the Philippines, where they have been involved in recent years in producing independent films. One of their works, a short film about the travails of impoverished Filipino sea gypsies, has won praise, according to a close relative who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons. Abu Sayyaf militants have been holding a number of hostages in the jungles of Sulu, including two European bird watchers and a Jordanian journalist who were kidnapped last year. ■
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5 tons of smuggled ivory tusks crushed in Philippines in biggest destruction outside Africa BY HRVOJE HRANJSKI The Associated Press MANILA, Philippines—Philippine government workers used a backhoe and an incinerator Friday to crush and burn more than five tons of smuggled elephant tusks worth an estimated $10 million in the biggest known destruction of trafficked ivory outside Africa. The government said that the destruction of the stockpile, gathered from seizures since 2009, demonstrates its commitment to fighting the illegal ivory trade. It also eliminates any opportunity for corrupt officials to resell the ivory, as was the case in 2006 when the largest single shipment of 3.7 tones vanished from the inventory, according to an international network that tracks the illegal trade. “Ivory is known to have disappeared from a number of government-held stockpiles worldwide, so it is vital that
proper protocols are established,” said Colman O Criodain from the World Wide Fund for Nature. The U.S. Agency for International Development and the anti-wildlife-trafficking Freeland Foundation said that they were assisting the Philippine government in conducting DNA analysis of elephant tusks at the Center for Conservation Biology of the University of Washington so that law enforcement agencies will have information on the origin and transit points of the smuggled ivory. It will also help to dismantle criminal syndicates responsible for poaching in Africa. “This not only sends a message to wildlife traffickers that the Philippine government is taking firm action against the illegal ivory trade, but also takes a stand against corruption by burning their ivory stockpile so it cannot be stolen then sold into the black market,” said Steven Galster, direc-
tor of Bangkok-based Freeland Foundation. The Southeast Asian nation has been used as a transit route between Africa and the rest of Asia. Ivory can fetch up to $2,000 per kilogram ($910 per pound) on the black market and more than $50,000 for an entire tusk. The Elephant Trade Information System, which tracks the illegal trade on behalf of the 1989 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, says that the Philippines is among nine countries and territories identified as being most heavily implicated in the illegal trade. The others are Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, Malaysia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China and Thailand. The Philippines is a transit point but also is known for its carving industry producing religious sculptures and artifacts. Last year, National Geographic magazine featured an ivory collection allegedly be-
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BLOOD IVORY. The Philippines became the first country in Asia to destroy its
stores of elephant tusks, which were seized from smugglers who shipped them from Africa from 2005 to 2009. Banned in many countries, ivory trade is driving elephant populations in Africa (and elsewhere) to extinction. Just last year, the National Geographic published an expose that detailed the illegal ivory trade in the Philippines, one fuelled by the demand for ivory figurines of Sto. Niños, the Blessed Mary, and other saints and religious icons. The five tons destroyed Friday was originally 13 tons—the rest were stolen over the years, even after the government had stored them under their care.
PHOTO BY CITES
longing to a Roman Catholic priest, Monsignor Cristobal Garcia, who was suspended in 2012 by the Vatican because of a sex abuse case. The Philippines' National Bureau of Investigation has said it would question Garcia over the origin of the
ivory icons. Officer Sixto Comia said Friday he had not received any reports on the result of the investigation. ■ Associated Press writer Oliver Teves contributed to this report.
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Philippine News
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Solons vow to derail MRT, LRT fare hike BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA Philippine Daily Inquirer PARTY-LIST lawmakers are preparing a congressional investigation into the Aquino administration’s plan to jack up light rail transport fares possibly as early as August. Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares on Friday threatened to block the 2014 budget of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) if the agency insisted on implementing the fare increase. The left-leaning group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) launched public opposition to the plan on Friday, holding a rally at a light rail transit station in Quezon City and gathering signatures to protest the fare increase, which it described as “unfair and anticommuter.” Trying to tamp down public opposition, Malacañang said on Friday the fare increase would be put through “public consultations.” Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya wanted to “get the sentiments” of the public before proceeding with the fare hike. Valte said, however, that she was not sure if the announcement of the fare hike had been cleared with President Aquino. She said officials had intended to discuss the fare increase with Mr. Aquino, but it was not discussed during the Cabinet meeting last week. Reducing subsidy
Looking to cut the subsidy for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Lines 1 and 2 and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT), the administration is considering raising the train fares by P5 starting August or sometime this year and by another P5 next year, for a total increase of P10. The DOTC has been planning to raise the fares since 2010, but has deferred it because of strident public opposition. But to make the light rail transport systems in the metropolis attractive to investors, the administration has to turn them from lossmakers to profit centers and one way of turning them around is raising the
PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
fares. In a talk with Inquirer editors and reporters on Wednesday, Abaya said the fare increase had been long delayed. The fares were last increased in the early 2000s and the government must now catch up, Abaya said. No reason for hike
On the MRT, which services Metro Manila’s belt highway Edsa, the current fare is P15. On LRT Line 1, which runs from Balintawak, Quezon City, to Baclaran in Parañaque City through Rizal and Taft avenues in Caloocan City and Manila, the fare is P15 to P20. On LRT Line 2, which runs from Recto Avenue in Manila to Santolan in Pasig City, the fare is pegged at P15. For Colmenares, the long delay in adjustment is no reason for jacking up the fares now. “Secretary Abaya’s justification for hiking [the] fares defeats the purpose of constructing mass transit systems, which is to provide the public with cheap transportation services,” Colmenares said in a statement. ‘Public service’
“It seems that the Aquino administration is really hell-bent on increasing the [LRT and MRT fares]. [T]hey have been proposing this added burden since 2010, and we will contin-
ue to oppose it,” he said. Colmenares maintained that mass transit systems are a form of “public service” and as such, they “should be subsidized by the government.” “We, in Bayan Muna, will file a resolution to investigate this proposed [fare] hike and may even block the budget of the DOTC if this pushes through,” Colmenares said. Try other options
Outgoing Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño urged the administration to “seriously consider other viable options to help subsidize the light rail transport systems instead of resorting to fare hikes.” Casiño called for a “comprehensive review of the way [the MRT] is run toward making it more efficient, removing unnecessary perks and bonuses to management, and correcting onerous loan and business arrangements entered into during the previous administration.” He said the government should also seek subsidy from “big business establishments” and local governments that benefit from the light rail transport systems. He said the management could put up parking facilities to encourage commuters to ride bikes on their way to the stations. Adding new coaches could www.canadianinquirer.net
attract more riders, increasing revenue, he said. In a statement, Bayan said the government would use income from the fare increase to pay off debts of the light rail transport systems instead of improving the train services. “The justification for the fare hike is that subsidy is being reduced. This means that debt payments will now be taken from the pockets of the commuters,” Renato M. Reyes Jr., Bayan secretary general, said. He said the fare hike was also intended to “sweeten” the public-private partnership deal for the expansion of LRT Line 1 to Cavite province. “The core policy of the Aquino government is to make big business happy, while turning a blind eye to the people’s misery. That is the impact of the government’s public-private partnership [program]. The private operators profit, while the public suffers,” Reyes said. ‘Sham’ consultation
Bayan said any public consultation on the fare hike would be a “sham.” “Unlike utilities, where the proponents of tariff increases go through a regulatory body, the proponents of the MRTLRT fare hike are also the regulators and operators,” Bayan said. “Lower and middle-income commuters, along with stu-
dents, will be hardest hit by the increase,” the group said. “A P5 increase in fares may translate into a P10-a-day increase [in expenses] for two trips, a P50 per week, or P200 per month, additional expense,” it said. “At a time when water rates, power rates and other expenditures are rising, this increase will have a significant impact on the budgets of ordinary people,” the group said. Drop the plan
Party-list Rep. Fernando Hicap of Anakpawis said the planned fare increase “deserves the broadest opposition from the public.” “The government must stop its plan to raise MRT and LRT fares,” Hicap said. “Any MRT and LRT fare increase will be burdensome to the riding public. The government wants to pass on a large portion of its heavy debt burden to commuters through fare hikes,” he said. Hicap called for a public audit of MRT and LRT revenues and operational expenses. He said that based on estimates, 67 percent of MRT and LRT passengers earn less than P10,000 a month, while 15 percent do not have regular sources of income. ■ With reports from Michael Lim Ubac and Miguel R. Camus
Philippine News
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013 6
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Philippine News
7 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
Emulate Sin, Militants in House mull over confess more often, cutting ties with the majority bishop urges priests BY GIL CABACUNGAN Philippine Daily Inquirer
BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer ONE of the country’s youngest archbishops has an advice to fellow priests: Go to confession more often because it will cleanse your soul and make you more humble. In a homily at a Mass commemorating the late Jaime Cardinal Sin’s eighth death anniversary on Friday, Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas also urged fellow priests to practice courtesy and respect in their daily lives, as Sin did. “The mark of a spiritual life in the new evangelization is how often we go to confession, and my brother priests at the confessional, our first duty is not to sit but to kneel because we can only be good confessors after being humbled penitents,” the 52-year-old prelate said. Talking with reporters later, Villegas said the faithful must also follow Sin’s example of going to confession more often, stressing that the first step to knowing God is to admit that “we are sinners and we are in need of his mercy.” St. Peter’s advice
Villegas led the memorial service inside the Manila Cathedral’s burial chamber, where Sin’s tomb lies. Sin died at the age of 76 on June 21, 2005, due to kidney complications arising from diabetes. During the Mass, Villegas recalled how often the late Manila archbishop would go to confession. “He went to confession every two weeks (and) sometimes every week. He went to confession and begged God for mercy,” he said. Villegas also noted how Sin treated his neighbors, especially those who worked with him, with courtesy and respect—values which, he said, must be possessed by preachers. “I cannot resist remembering the first letter of St. Peter when he advised us, evange-
lizers, that in everything that you do, do it with courtesy, with respect and a clear conscience. This is the only method that we must have and this is the only method that listeners of evangelizers consider,” Villegas said. Clear conscience
Villegas said that Sin, even if he was much older than him, always said “Please” every time he asked him to do something and that Sin never forgot to say “Thank you” even if the job he wanted done had not yet been finished. The late cardinal also showed the same courtesy and respect to his driver and helper, who served his breakfast. “There was courtesy and respect and that was the only methodology he knew,” said Villegas. “That’s why when he spoke, we understood him. When he spoke, we believed him because it came from courtesy, respect and a clear conscience,” Villegas said. Sin was a driving force in toppling dictator Ferdinand Marcos in February 1986 when he called on people to go to Edsa and defend the military rebels led by then Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Armed Forces Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos. Sin was also instrumental in the ouster of President Joseph Estrada in 2001 when he rallied thousands to Edsa to force the latter out of office amid corruption allegations. Courtesy and humility
“Courtesy is related to humility and courtesy is recognizing the beauty, the power of the one in front of you. For all his faults, Cardinal Sin only thought me one thing when I started to be his secretary,” Villegas said. “He said, ‘I will not be around all the time, but because you are my secretary, you must make sure that all priests know and experience that they are loved,’” Villegas said. ■
THE Makabayan bloc, a league of militant party-list groups in Congress, is considering cutting its ties with the Liberal Party-led majority in the House of Representatives and adding its voice to the dwindling minority. Former Bayan Muna partylist Rep. Satur Ocampo, president of the Makabayan bloc, said: “If we go minority, we’ll feel freer and more effective in speaking out and taking action, unrestrained by alliance considerations.” But Ocampo added: “We are still deliberating the matter, clearing out questions being raised and hearing out propositions put forward.” The Comelec has declared seven seats in the 16th Congress open to the Makabayan bloc, which includes Bayan Muna (Neri Colmenares and Carlos Zarate), Gabriela (Luz Ilagan and Emmie de Jesus), Kabataan (Terry Ridon), Anakpawis (Fernando Hicap) and ACT Teachers (Antonio Tinio). Makabayan’s ranks could swell to eight as one of its affiliates, the transport group Piston (George San Mateo) is still in the running for five of the 58 seats that have yet to be filled by the Comelec. The Constitution provides that sectoral representatives should account for 20 percent of the House membership. “Despite our good relations with Speaker (Feliciano) Belmonte since 2001, our plan to join the minority in the House hews to what our progressive bloc intrinsically is. We have espoused alternatives to policies and programs that have been carried on by successive administrations, such that even when we were with the majority we stood out as opposition on many issues. Vis-a-vis the PNoy government, we have been critical on several vital issues,” said Ocampo in a text message. Playing second fiddle
Belmonte was able to coax the Makabayan bloc to join the Liberal Party-led majority in the House in the 15th Conwww.canadianinquirer.net
PHOTO FROM KOALISYONG MAKABAYAN ON FACEBOOK.
gress. Makabayan, however, has played second fiddle in the coalition to its archrival, Akbayan, which has been widely viewed as the favored activist party-list group in the Aquino administration. Akbayan’s key members have been given government posts—Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Ronald Llamas, Commission on Human Rights Chairperson Loretta Ann Rosales, National Anti-Poverty Commission Chairman Joel Rocamora and Undersecretary for Political Affairs Tomasito Villarin. Losing candidate
President Aquino endorsed Akbayan in the recent midterm elections, although its candidate, Risa Hontiveros, was one of Team Pnoy’s three losing bets. But Makabayan members in the House are still reluctant to discuss the crossover to the minority. “We have not yet reached a decision. We might decide next weekend. Anyway, the Sona (State of the Nation Address) is still a way off (July 22),” said Colmenares in a text message. ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio replied: “Abangan (Watch for it).” A party-list lawmaker, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak
for the group, said: “They have been criticizing certain policies of the P-Noy administration. Moreover, their political record shows that they are wont to serve more as fiscalizers rather than constructive partners of any administration.” Belmonte also declined to comment on the plan of the Makabayan bloc to break away from the majority coalition. In a text message, Belmonte said it was difficult to say if the majority coalition would be bigger in the 16th Congress even though the minority lost five seats belonging to party-list groups allied with former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo— Una ang Pamilya, Alliance for Nationalism and Democracy (ANAD), Akong-Ako Kasosyo, Association of Laborers and Employees (ALE), and Ang Galing Pinoy. “As for the party-list groups, we’re still working at it considering each has his or her own interests and even ambitions to advance,” said Belmonte. At least 40 party-list representatives who won in the last election have agreed to form a voting bloc, the third-biggest in the House, to endorse Belmonte as Speaker and seek proportional representation in key positions in the House. The move is expected to further broaden the majority bloc’s control of the House. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013 8
Weighing higher priorities with Russia, US tones down demand for NSA leaker’s expulsion BY LARA JAKES The Associated Press WASHINGTON—Rebuffed by Russia’s president, the Obama administration toned down demands Tuesday that fugitive National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden be expelled from a Moscow airport in a sign that the U.S. believes he is not worth scuttling diplomatic relations between the former Cold War enemies. The White House issued a measured, if pointed, statement asking again that Russia help U.S. authorities capture Snowden—but stopped far short of threatening a cooling detente if he escapes. It was a turnabout from tough talk against China a day earlier for letting Snowden flee Hong Kong instead of sending him back to the U.S. to face espionage charges for revealing classified national security surveillance programs that critics worldwide say violate privacy rights. The outright refusals by Russia and China to co-operate on Snowden served as a fresh wakeup call to the U.S. that it cannot expect burgeoning superpowers to comply with its requests despite recent attempts to overcome longtime suspicions, and improve global partnerships. Secretary of State John Kerry, speaking to reporters in Saudi Arabia, called for “calm and reasonableness” as Moscow and Washington danced around Snowden’s fate. “We would hope that Russia would not side with someone who is a fugitive from justice,” Kerry said. “We’re not looking for a confrontation. We are not ordering anybody.” Russian President Vladimir Putin also said he wished to avoid a diplomatic showdown over Snowden. But he refused to back off his refusal to turn over Snowden to the U.S. “Mr. Snowden is a free man, and the sooner he chooses his final destination the better it is for us and for him,” Putin said. “I hope it will not affect the business-like character of our relations with the U.S. and I hope that our partners will understand that.” Snowden remained for a third
day in the transit zone of Sheremetyevo Airport, and Putin said he was out of Moscow’s reach since he had not passed through immigration and was, technically, not on Russian territory. Snowden was believed to be waiting to fly to an undisclosed location—most likely in South America or Iceland—that would give him political asylum despite frustrated U.S. demands that he be extradited. Experts predicted that Putin, ultimately, will not stop Snowden from leaving or take any steps to help the U.S. catch him. But Washington may have to place Snowden’s escape against the risk of damaging relations as the U.S. and Russia negotiate a number of high-priority issues, including nuclear arms reductions and a peace settlement in Syria. Gary Hart, the former Democratic senator and presidential candidate, doubted that Washington would let Snowden make already poor U.S.-Russian relations any worse. Hart is an expert on Russia and board chairman of the American Security Project thinktank that was created by Kerry and Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel. “An incident like this should not interfere with the ongoing relationship between both countries,” Hart said in an interview Tuesday. “There is too much else at stake to seriously impair a bilateral relationship with both Russia and China. In the grand scheme of things I don’t think it’s going to make much difference.” But Russia hasn’t made it easy for the U.S. Earlier this month, Putin held off President Barack Obama’s call for negotiations to reduce nuclear weapons by noting that any talks would have to involve other nations. And Putin has refused to back down from Russia’s support for the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad and, in turn, has forced leaders of the Group of Eight industrial economies to call for a negotiated Syrian peace settlement instead of Assad’s outright ouster. “For quite some time now, the Russians have shown themselves when the opportunity presents itself to poke a finger in the U.S. eye,” said Andrew Weiss, a Carnegie Endowment for Inter-
national Peace expert who oversaw Russian issues on the White House National Security Council in the late 1980s and 1990s. “At this point, both sides see an interest in not having a huge rupture over Snowden, mostly, I think, over the expectation that Snowden doesn’t want to stay in Russia,” Weiss said. “I think on the U.S. side there’s a desire, with President Obama scheduled to be in Moscow in early September, not to blow up the relationship over this issue.” Kerry also was expected to meet next week with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Brunei. On Tuesday, State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell would not discuss how the Obama administration might respond if Snowden was allowed to leave the Moscow airport unscathed. “We’re not there yet,” Ventrell said. Obama administration lawyers believe Russia has legal authority to deport Snowden, even though Moscow says it does not. Ventrell also noted that the U.S. has returned “many hundreds of criminals over the recent years” to Russia as Moscow has requested, and cited stepped-up law enforcement co-operation between the two countries since the April 15 twin bombings at the Boston Marathon that killed three people. The attack allegedly was carried out by two brothers who are ethnic Chechens originally from the Russian province of Dagestan. Several Republican lawmakers urged Obama to step up pressure on Putin. Sen. John McCain of Arizona, speaking on CNN, called Putin “an old KGB colonel apparatchik.” And Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., a former ambassador, said the Russian leader’s refusal to expel Snowden “reinforces a concern all of us have that these relations are deteriorating.” “There is essentially no respect between these two presidents of these two very important countries,” Coats said. ■ With reports from Associated Press writers Sagar Meghani, Pete Yost, Nedra Pickler, Alicia A. Caldwell and Donna Cassata in Washington, Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Matti Huuhtanen in Naantali, Finland. www.canadianinquirer.net
PHOTO FROM IRRI
Jack Enrile was top campaign spender at P150.8M BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer DEFEATED senatorial candidate Juan “Jack” Ponce Enrile Jr., son of resigned Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, was the top spender in the 2013 senatorial race, according to Commission on Elections (Comelec) records. Enrile, who landed in 15th place, spent P150,797,910.18 on his failed campaign for a Senate seat and also received the biggest contribution from donors at P150,401,072.09, according to his statement of contributions and expenditures (SOCE). Senator-elect JV Ejercito, who ranked 11th in the 12-man Senate race, was the second-highest spender at P138,207,825.76. He spent P2,276,085.01 of his own money and received P135,931,740.75 in contributions. Among his contributors were Iñigo U. Zobel, who gave P15 million. Among those who used their personal funds, Senator-elect Cynthia Villar spent the most, shelling out P131,656,672.84 of her own money. Villar, who ranked 10th in the race, spent P133,979,127.25 and received only P2,616,454.41 in contributions. No more than P156M
Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. said the senatorial candidates should not have spent more than P156 million each in the last campaign. The other top spenders were Alan Peter Cayetano
(P131,044,782.33), Nancy Binay (P128,695,057.10) and Bam Aquino (P124,327,987.81). Grace Poe, who topped the Senate race, ranked 7th in expenditures with P123,448,994.86. She was followed by Juan Edgardo Angara (P120,136,752.86), Chiz Escudero (P100,723,309.10), Risa Hontiveros (P88,628,348.11), Loren Legarda (P83,034,205) and Koko Pimentel (P75,552,863.49). Of the top 12 spenders, Enrile and Hontiveros, who spent P8,835.448.11 of her personal funds, did not win. Among the Magic 12, Senatorelect Gregorio Honasan, who landed in the 12th spot, spent the least at P24,111,848.96, of which P1,009,707.92 came from his own pocket. Senator-elect Antonio Trillanes IV, who secured the 9th slot, spent P30,135,014.77. Comelec law department Director Esmeralda Ladra said they had received the SOCEs of all the senatorial candidates except for Ang Kapatiran’s Marwil Llasos. Ladra said those who still had unspent contributions should also report these to the Comelec since this is taxable. “The candidates still have to report the unexpended balance (because that) is subject to income tax. They should also report that and there shall be an official receipt,” Ladra said. “While contributions are not taxable, any unexpended balance is taxable unless they give it back (to the contributor),” she added. ■
Philippine News
9 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
11 senators-elect face reporting fines BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday decided to fine 11 of the 12 winners of the 2013 Senate elections for “deficiencies” in the statements of contributions and expenditures (SOCEs) they submitted to the poll body. Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes said the commission en banc decided to “adopt in toto” the recommendations of the Comelec campaign finance steering committee to fine the new senators or withhold their certificate of compliance. Brillantes urged the new lawmakers to address the “deficiencies” by June 29 so they could assume office. “We have adopted the recommendations of (steering committee chair) Commissioner (Christian Robert) Lim which means we will be very strict in implementation,” Brillantes said in an interview. Under the Synchronized National and Local Elections Law, no person elected to “any public office shall enter upon the duties of his office until he has filed the statement of contributions and expenditures required.” Brillantes noted that Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano’s SOCE had no deficiency but his political party, the Nacionalista Party (NP), had
President Noynoy Aquino with the senators-elect of the Liberal Party on their oath-taking in June 13. PHOTO BY RYAN LIM/MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU
yet to submit documents. The Comelec campaign finance committee recommended that Cayetano not be issued a certificate of compliance until the NP submits the documents. In his memo dated June 17, Lim recommended that all the newly elected senators, except for Cayetano, be fined for the deficiencies. P1,000 per day
In his memo, Lim said Juan Edgardo Angara and Antonio Trillanes IV should be fined
P1,000 a day until they submit the taxpayer identification numbers (TIN) of their contributors and copies of their donor receipts. “Even if he complies, Mr. Angara cannot assume office until [his political party, the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino] submits its SOCE,” Lim said. He said Bam Aquino should be fined P4,000 because he resubmitted his personally signed SOCE on June 17 or four days after the deadline. Lim said Nancy Binay did not submit copies of the receipts
or invoices of the campaign expenses she listed and recommended a fine of P1,000 per day. Lim also recommended that JV Ejercito and Chiz Escudero be fined P1,000 per day until they submit copies of the receipts they issued to their contributors. Lim said reelected Senators Gregorio Honasan and Loren Legarda also did not attach copies of the receipts to their contributors and invoices for expenses incurred and should be fined P1,000 a day until they comply.
The SOCEs of Koko Pimentel and Cynthia Villar were deemed “not filed” because they were not personally signed. Lim also recommended that they be fined P1,000 a day for failing to submit their donor receipts. Grace Poe, who topped the elections, resubmitted her personally signed SOCE on June 17 but she did not attach copies of the receipts and invoices of expenses incurred and contributions received. Lim said Poe should be fined P1,000 a day until she complies. ■
Haggling for committee chairmanships continues BY CATHY YAMSUAN Philippine Daily Inquirer THE haggling for committee chairmanships among senators continues and Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. hinted that Sen. Franklin Drilon’s ascent to the top post in the chamber could hinge on whether he can make “everybody happy” with their assignments in the incoming Congress. Marcos said senators have already indicated to Drilon, Malacañang’s choice for Senate President, their preferred committee assignments. This is not a guarantee however that all senators would get what they want. In some cases,
two or more senators have publicly indicated their interest in the same Senate committee. “There would have to be adjustments. ‘If I cannot give you this committee, would this other one be fine with you?’ I’m sure you’re all familiar with that process, that’s what going on now,” Marcos told reporters at the Kapihan sa Senado Thursday. Marcos said Drilon must first resolve the issue of committee distribution before he can get majority support for the Senate Presidency. “Nothing is definite… Of course, it’s going to be the issue of committee chairmanships that is going to be key,” he explained. Until Drilon comes up with his final list of committee as-
signments that satisfies everyone, he is still unsure of whether he will helm the chamber, Marcos said. Because of this, Marcos said the Nationalista Party (NP) senators remain “open to anything. We have not yet decided on fielding (or) not fielding (a choice for Senate President).” Marcos said that as it is, the NP feels “it’s very, very early” to tell who becomes the next Senate President following the resignation of Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile on June 5. While the committee assignments remain unclear, Marcos said the senators “really cannot make any decisions now because anything can happen between now and July 22” when www.canadianinquirer.net
the 16th Congress opens. “You could only expect things to become more definite less than one week before the 22nd. I can come and tell you ‘this is what will happen’ but not until then,” he told reporters. Observers noted that Marcos’ statement ran counter to Drilon’s announcement several weeks back in the same forum that he and NP president Sen. Manny Villar have already agreed that senators from the NP and Drilon’s Liberal Party would field a “single candidate” for Senate President. Marcos would not reveal the committee preferences he and his NP partymates submitted to Drilon. “I don’t want to preempt any-
one by saying this or the other thing. Let us just say that everyone has been able to (indicate his or her committee choices),” he said. Earlier reports said the NP has asked that newly reelected Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano be appointed Senate President Pro Tempore and his sister Sen. Pia Cayetano be the majority leader. However, Sen. Loren Legarda, in a huddle with reporters earlier this week, said Drilon has offered the Pro Tempore position to her in “several conversations.” The NP has also asked for the Senate national defense chairmanship for newly elected Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013 10
Gov’t to fix flooding in Metro by yearend DPWH, MMDA set deadline to finish 70 projects BY MICHAEL LIM UBAC Philippine Daily Inquirer SIX months. Promise. In a news briefing at Malacañang on Wednesday, Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair Francis Tolentino announced a selfimposed deadline—until December—to fix the worsening flooding and gridlock that on Monday night paralyzed the capital. Singson and Tolentino were the focus of criticism in the media for Monday’s miseries triggered by monsoon downpours at the outset of the rainy season—the kind that confronted President Benigno Aquino III even before he had warmed his seat in Malacañang at the start of his “daang matuwid” administration three years ago and led to the sacking of the weather bureau chief. Recognizing that the flood control master plan would take some time—full completion won’t be achieved until 2035, or after the terms of four Presidents—Singson and Tolentino asked the indulgence of the public whose patience was wearing thin. “Until December of this year,” said Singson of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) target date for completing at least 70 of the 90 ongoing drainage improvement projects, road-elevation
PHOTO BY REMBCC (FLICKR)
projects and clearing of the eight major waterways in Metro Manila of both obstruction and squatters. Singson did not reveal the progress of each of the 11 projects under the P352-billion flood control master plan that the DPWH announced in August last year and started this year. He said “not all could be completed soon,” pointing out that the problems were a result of decades of neglect. “The funding is not an issue. We just need time to be able to implement all of these major projects that we are undertaking,” he said. According to Singson, the master plan covers 4,354 square kilometers in parts of Metro Manila, Bulacan, Laguna, Rizal and Quezon province. It addresses three major causes of flooding: high water volume, drainage capacity constraints, and the presence of low-lying communities susceptible to flooding. The short-term solution is addressing the waterways’ capacity to allow the unimpeded flow of drainage and floodwater to Manila Bay and Pasig River. Part of the “immediate high
impact” projects are the watershed management and dam construction in Marikina, Singson said. This will take some time to develop, he said. Clearing major waterways
This also calls for clearing of eight major waterways: San Juan River, Tullahan River, Manggahan Floodway, Maricaban Creek, Estero Tripa de Gallina, Pasig River, Estero de Sunog Apog and Estero de Maypajo. When all these waterways are cleared of obstructions, the rainwater falling on Metro Manila will easily find its way into Manila Bay and Pasig River, Singson said. “Comparing it to a human heart, the (arteries are) blocked and the flow of blood is impeded—so the person will experience a heart attack,” Singson said. The MMDA, for its part, has been given funds to upgrade 12 pumping stations in Metro Manila, but Tolentino said constructing or installing each of these stations will take 200 days. To end perennial flooding in the capital, Manila, especially along España Avenue, the DPWH is slated to build www.canadianinquirer.net
a 2.6-kilometer Blumentritt box culvert or “water tunnel” that will run from Dapitan to Tondo. Singson said the tunnel (3.6 meters in width and 2.7 m in depth) would take 12 months to construct. He did not reveal the project’s price tag. The box culvert will accommodate floodwaters coming from Quezon City that end up in España, Dapitan, Laong Laan, Chinese General Hospital, Abad Santos, etc.—all in Manila—and then channeled to Estero Sunog-Apog at Estero de Maypajo waterways. Long term, not piecemeal
But Singson pleaded with the public not to pin the blame on the DPWH for the perennial flooding on España. He said this “isolated flooding should not be blamed on us” because “every year, that area is being flooded. We all know that when it rains, España is flooded, and there are several other places in Metro Manila in a similar situation.” He cited, for example, Maysilo in Mandaluyong City, España-Araneta Avenue area and Tatalon in Quezon City. “These (flood-prone) areas
are not new. So there are solutions being done,” he said. “And, precisely, this master plan was designed to address and come up with a permanent long-term solution—not the (piecemeal approach) every year as if we never learn,” Singson said. Explaining the enormity of the flood problem, Singson said that rainfall from the Sierra Madre mountains, Montalban and San Mateo in Rizal province—“because we don’t have a watershed anymore that will retain that water”—goes to upper Marikina River “all at the same time.” Since the Marikina River is already silted—it has a diminished water-carrying capacity—it tends to overflow during heavy rains and the water goes to lower portions of Cainta, Rizal and Laguna Lake, plus low-lying areas in upper Marikina. Besides the water-carrying capacity of Metro Manila, the master plan will address the plight of low-lying communities in Camanava (Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela) area, Obando and Meycauayan in Bulacan, and all of the lakeshore towns around Laguna Lake by the construction of dikes. ■
Philippine News
11 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
UN, US warn of ‘maximum volatility’ in Golan Heights if Philippine peacekeepers withdraw BY JIM GOMEZ The Associated Press MANILA, Philippines—The United Nations and Washington have separately asked the Philippines not to withdraw its more than 300 Filipino peacekeepers from the Golan Heights, warning of “maximum volatility” in the region after a number of countries decided to pull out their peacekeeping forces amid escalating violence, the Philippines’ top diplomat said Wednesday last week.. Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said U.N. SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry appealed to him in recent talks. He said he told them security for the Filipino forces should be bolstered for the Philippines to consider to keep them in the volatile buffer zone between Syria and Israel. Last month, del Rosario recommended the withdrawal of the Filipinos from the Golan
Heights to Philippine President Benigno Aquino III following two separate abductions of Filipino peacekeepers and the wounding of another in fighting between Syrian government and rebel forces. Austria announced recently that it would remove its 377 peacekeepers from the 911-member U.N. peacekeeping force, which also includes troops from India. That will leave the Philippines as the largest single contributor. Croatia withdrew in March for fear its troops would be targeted. Japanese forces have also withdrawn, according to del Rosario. “This, of course, will create a vacuum in the Golan, that separation stretch which keeps Israel away from Syria,” del Rosario said in a news conference in Manila. He said Kerry and Ban told him that if the Philippines also withdraws, that would “create maximum volatility for the area.” In talks with Ban and Kerry,
PHOTO BY THE ISRAEL DEFENSE FORCES
“I mentioned that we thought that the exposure was beyond
tolerable limits for our people but we’re willing to reconsider
and make a new assessment if the security and safety of our peacekeepers would be upgraded,” he said. Ban has proposed expanding the peacekeeping force to 1,250, and British Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant, president of the U.N. Security Council, said Tuesday there is strong support in the council for the idea. The Filipino troops now in the Golan Heights will stay in the region up to Aug. 3, when they need to be replaced by a fresh batch. But del Rosario said the Philippines may withdraw from the peacekeeping mission if no additional safeguards are put in place to ensure their safety. The Philippines has deployed an assessment team to the Golan Heights to take “a good look as to under what conditions we may be able to stay and not withdraw,” del Rosario said. The team would submit an assessment later this week before Aquino makes a final decision, he said. ■
Wealth sharing at heart of gov’t-MILF stalemate BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer THE secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) said the resumption of peace negotiations in July hinges on whether or not Malacañang’s proposals on wealth-sharing between the autonomous Bangsamoro region and the government would be acceptable. “We still have to look at the papers they gave us…If we find it right, we may have a meeting. But at this point in time, nothing is fixed yet,” MILF chief ne-
gotiator Mohagher Iqbal told the Inquirer by phone. Negotiations brokered by Malaysia hit a snag when Malacañang requested a “review” of the wealth-sharing annex initialed by the peace negotiators. The government’s chief negotiator, Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, announced the other day she had submitted the government’s full proposals on the wealth-sharing issue to the MILF and that formal talks would resume in July. But Iqbal said the peace negotiations would continue to be at a stalemate until they had
another formal round of talks. “We will not respond (to the government) except in a formal setting, nothing has changed yet,” Iqbal said. Asked if the MILF’s trust in President Aquino remained, Iqbal answered in the affirmative but qualified his statement. “Our feeling is he can still deliver. He has said that time and again. The trust is still there but that trust is contingent on the delivery of what has been agreed upon. It is not an absolute trust.” Iqbal reiterated the MILF position was to “stick to the Feb. 27 (wealth-sharing) docu-
www.canadianinquirer.net
ment” that was initialed by the two panels. An Inquirer source privy to the negotiations said the MILF was not likely to agree to a 5050 percent wealth sharing with the central government, more so, going below 50 percent. The source asked for anonymity as he was not authorized to discuss details of the annexes to the draft peace accord between the government and the MILF but was willing to share some details with the Inquirer to provide a clear view of what the controversy over the wealth-sharing annex was
all about. The source said the initialed wealth-sharing annex indicated “something like a 75-25 percent across the board sharing,” in favor of the MILF. The source said the MILF believed the new Bangsamoro entity must get a bigger share than the central government because the resources would come from Mindanao. “That share is for the development of Mindanao. For the MILF, it is legally and morally right for them to demand that (percentage of sharing),” the source said. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013 12
More couples seek to nullify marriages in cities BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer
separate on their own—referred to by the Church as “canonical separation.”
MORE couples in urban centers like Metro Manila are seeking to nullify their marriages, but overall, a drop in annulment cases in the country has been observed this year, according to Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz. Cruz, chairman of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) National Appellate Matrimonial Tribunal, estimated that the number of marriage cases that the Church had recorded for nullity had decreased over the years by at least 10 percent to 15 percent. “As far as our cases here are concerned, it’s less than 10 to 15 percent, but there are also cases that go directly to Rome and no longer pass us,” Cruz told reporters on Monday. He said the tribunal was handling not more than 100 cases every year and out of this number, only about 9 to 10 cases got an affirmative decision. In 2011, the Office of the Solicitor General released data showing that annulment cases had risen by 40 percent in the last 10 years, with at least 22 cases filed every day. It also reported that the number of cases had risen to 8,282 in 2010 from 4,520 in 2001.
Metro Manila and Cebu
‘Canonical separation’
Cruz acknowledged that while the Church might be observing a declining trend in annulments, it could not be true with respect to the courts since those who married civilly would need to go to the courts to obtain annulments. He also pointed out that in order to dissolve a bond formalized in Church, a couple must not only seek to nullify their marriage in the Church but must also file an annulment in the civil court. To avoid the hassles of the proceedings, Cruz said, some would rather
According to Cruz, the majority of Filipino couples seeking annulments come from the urban areas, where the influences of Western countries are more present and felt than in the rural areas. He said among the urban centers where the number of annulment cases were still high were Metro Manila and Cebu. “Marriage is more difficult in an urban setting precisely because of the influence of the First World countries, which [allow] divorce and same-sex marriage, among others,” the prelate said. He also said couples residing in these bustling cities were more preoccupied with matters like “questions of property and support of children.” “They have more concerns than those who are in the rural areas,” he added.
er without marriage. “It’s becoming more and more common… there are fewer cases than before precisely because of the trend that they just live together. So if they do that, they could also part whatever time they like,” Cruz said. But this does not mean that fewer Filipino couples are tying the knot in church, Cruz was quick to add. In fact, new data collected by the CBCP showed a jump in the number of couples getting married in church, he said. Naga weddings
Based on the Catholic Directory of the Philippines, 186,367 couples sought the blessings of the Church from 2012 to 2013— a 12-percent increase from the 165,100 recorded in 2010 to 2011. The Archdiocese of Caceres in Naga City recorded the highest number of church weddings with 23,235. ■
Cohabitation
Cruz also noted that fewer annulment cases were being filed in the Church because many couples were opting to practice “cohabitation,” or living t o geth-
Tarsier found in Manila Golf BY JAYMEE T. GAMIL Philippine Daily Inquirer AS IF finding squirrels weren’t unusual enough in highly urbanized Metro Manila, the posh Manila Golf and Country Club in Forbes Park, Makati City, on Friday yielded another out-of-place creature: a tarsier. The tarsier, one of the smallest known primates in the world, was found by the golf club’s caddies before noon on Friday, general manager San Agustin Albina told the Inquirer in a phone interview. The saucer-eyed creature was found clinging to the low-lying branches of a tamarind tree near the caddies’ barracks, he added. Though squirrels have become regular residents in trees within the country club, it was the first time a tarsier has been found in the premises, the club official said. “It was my first time to see one and I didn’t even see it in Bohol (where tarsiers are usually found) but here [in Metro Manila],” an amused Albina said. He said they had no idea how the creature got into the golf club but surmised that it could have escaped from neighboring residences where it might have been kept as a pet. It might have climbed a tree but was chased down to the lower branches by the squirrels, Albina said. “The caddies decided to capture the tarsier before the squirrels or stray cats could hurt it,” he added. DENR-PAWB
Albina said they immediately called the the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (DENRPAWB) to take custody of the animal. “It seems healthy, but we don’t know what to feed it. We [waited] for the PAWB, who could take care of it better,” Albina said of the creature that had sat quietly inside a cardboard box lined with netting before the PAWB picked it up. PAWB official Theresa Mundita Lim promptly sent veterinarian Esteven Toledo to examine the tiny primate after Sen. Loren Legarda called her up for www.canadianinquirer.net
assistance. “First, it will need a health check,” Lim said of the tarsier. “We’ll have to find out if it’s healthy and in good condition. And if it’s healthy, then it will be transported and possibly reintroduced to the wild.” Lim said the PAWB would also have to determine if the tarsier was a Philippine species and investigate how it got to Forbes Park. “There’s no way it could have gotten there on its own,” she said, adding that a tourist might have smuggled out the creature and decided to keep it as a pet, and that it might have escaped. Tarsiers can leap from tree to tree but are not known to travel long distances, Lim said. Escaped
The DENR-PAWB veterinarian, who came early evening Friday to pick up the tarsier, echoed Lim’s view, saying there was no known tarsier population in Metro Manila. “We believe someone living in Forbes Park [could] have been keeping it and that it escaped,” Toledo said. But the DENR also noted that a baby tarsier was spotted at singer Jose Mari Chan’s house in Forbes Park a month ago, but that it had died by the time the agency came to retrieve it. Toledo said that keeping wildlife is illegal, except among registered breeders and wildlife farms. He added that keeping tarsiers as pets is highly unadvisable because “they are highly strung and sensitive.” Because the tarsier “had already undergone enough stress,” including during transport, Toledo said the DENRPAWB was careful not to touch it any further. It was kept in a box during transport to prevent further handling,” the veterinarian said. Though they could not handle the creature to determine if it was male or female, Toledo said it was an adult and seemed alert. But the vet declined to state categorically if the tarsier was healthy, saying it will be examined over the weekend. “We have to check first because it could be malnourished,” Toledo said. ■ With a report from DJ Yap
Philippine News
13 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
Sellout? Kin of 14 Maguindanao massacre victims ask for P50M to settle case BY JEANETTE I. ANDRADE AND NIÑA P. CALLEJA Philippine Daily Inquirer RELATIVES of 14 victims of the 2009 Maguindanao massacre nearly dropped the murder charges they had brought against members of the Ampatuan clan because of the slowness of the government in compensating them, lawyer Harry Roque said on Monday. Roque, chairman of the Center for International Law and lawyer for some of the relatives of the 58 victims of the Maguindanao massacre, wrote in his blog that the government’s failure to pay compensation to the families of the victims, whose right to life it had failed to protect and promote, had made the relatives consider settling with the Ampatuans. “Fifty million. That was the demand of my clients who are willing to settle,” Roque said in a telephone interview with the Inquirer. In his blog, Roque said his clients signed a “written authority” sometime in February for a third party close to the Ampatuans to negotiate a settlement. Negotiator killed
But the negotiations for a settlement fell through because the negotiator for the relatives was killed two weeks after the signing of the authorization, Roque said in the phone interview. “Under this scheme, the [relatives] were to sign not just a waiver and quit claims, but also an affidavit [in which they would pin] the blame for the massacre on [Maguindanao Gov. Esmail] ‘Toto’ Mangudadatu,” Roque said. He said it was learning about his clients’ attempt to settle that prompted him to seek redress in the United Nations Human Rights Committee (UNHRC). “On the occasion of the 43rd-month commemoration of the [Maguindanao] massacre, [the victims’ families] will resort to a filing of a communication with the United Nations Human Rights Committee for the Philippine government’s failure to accord the victims their rights to an adequate remedy under domestic law and compensation,” Roque wrote in his blog. Roque cited two cases—the death of Philippine Navy Ensign Philip Andrew Pestaño and the killing of Eden Marcella— in which the UNHRC had declared the Philippine government owed the victims. No end in sight
“It’s been almost four years and there is still no end in sight to the criminal prosecution of the Ampatuans,” Roque said. He noted that it took the government almost four years to file the information for the 58th victim, journalist Reynaldo Momay.
“This should give us a clue to how long the criminal proceedings will take,” Roque said. Close to 200 people, among them Andal Ampatuan Sr., former governor of Maguindanao province, are being tried for the killing of 58 people, 32 of them journalists, on Nov. 23, 2009. Two of Ampatuan’s sons—Andal Ampatuan Jr. and Zaldy Ampatuan—are among the accused. The killings were allegedly carried out to stop Mangudadatu from contesting the 2010 gubernatorial election in Maguindanao. Criminal aspect
Mangudadatu, who won the election, lost his wife and several relatives in the massacre, the worst case of political violence in Philippine election history. Hearing about the failed negotiations for a settlement Monday, Mangudadatu said he hoped the “criminal aspect of the case would not be affected.” “I have not spoken to Attorney Roque. Assuming it’s true, on our part nothing has changed, because I have not lost hope. We will continue seeking justice,” Mangudadatu told the Inquirer by phone. Roque said that had it proceeded, the settlement would clear the Ampatuans of only their civil liabilities. “But the accused want the relatives to execute an affidavit saying that Governor Mangudadatu was to blame for the massacre. So in that way they want the criminal lialibity to be passed on to Mangudadatu,” he said. How Mangudadatu could be held criminally liable for the massacre in which he lost his wife and some relatives, Roque said he did not know. He said he had plans of going to Maguindanao to gather more information on the supposed settlement and what happened to the negotiator. Government duty
But one thing is clear to him. “The 14 relatives are willing to enter into a settlement,” he said. “Unless the Philippine government complies with its duty to pay compensation, the victims will continuously be tempted with schemes that may eventually cause a miscarriage of justice,” Roque said. He said the government’s duty to compensate the victims of the massacre is different from civil damages in court. “Compensation is due to the victims because the state breached its obligation to protect and promote their right to live. This includes not just monetary compensation, but also all that may be required to restore the emotional and psychological well-being of the victims,” Roque said. ■
38 Makati firms fined for violating plastic ban BY JAYMEE T. GAMIL Philippine Daily Inquirer A NINE-YEAR grace period was apparently not enough time for 38 establishments in Makati which were cited for violating the citywide plastic ban on its first day of implementation on Thursday. In a statement released Friday, the city government said the violators included shops, restaurants, markets and grocery stores in six villages. Their owners were fined P5,000 each for violating City Ordinance No. 2003-095 which bans the use, sale and distribution of plastics and other nonbiodegradable materials like Styrofoam. “Business establishments have no excuse for not complying with the plastic ban mandated by the Solid Waste Management Code of Makati. They were given more than nine years to make the transition to using environmentfriendly materials, aside from the repeated reminders and warnings we
gave prior to the full implementation on June 20,” Makati Department of Environmental Services chief Danilo Villas said. His department was charged by the city government to implement the ordinance. Villas said 327 establishments in eight barangays were inspected by members of the Plastic Monitoring Task Force from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday. Most of the violators were found in Barangays South Cembo and Guadalupe Nuevo which had 12 each followed by Barangay Bel-Air with seven. Barangay [The villages of ] Olympia and Cembo each registered three violators while there was only one in Barangay Poblacion. There were no violators in Comembo and San Lorenzo, Villas said. According to Villas, the task force will continue its inspections until all 33 villages in the city have been checked for compliance with the plastic ban. ■
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‘Macho men’ back battered husbands bill BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer CALL them “machonurin.” Two members of the Senate’s so-called “macho bloc” have expressed willingness to support a bill that would protect battered husbands. Senators Tito Sotto and Gregorio Honasan admit, albeit jokingly, that they sympathize with their beleaguered “bros” since they are both “under the saya” (henpecked husbands). The idea of a law that would protect battered husbands surfaced on Father’s Day after deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte was asked whether Malacañang would be open to such a proposal. Honasan, in an earlier query, said he would support such a measure should one be filed in the Senate. He cited the “equal protection clause and principle in the Constitution” as a basis for this. Birds of same feather
Upon hearing of Honasan’s opinion, Sotto agreed his colleague
the 1980s as among the leaders of a military rebel group that staged several coup attempts against then President Corazon Aquino, the incumbent President’s late mother. Helen and Jane
Sen. Gregorio Honasan hopes to see a bill to protect battered husbands. In jest, he says in a text, ““I am really afraid of Misis, hehehe, like my BFF (best friend forever), Senator Sotto.” Sen. Tito Sotto laments that “No one will testify [as a battered husband]. It will be difficult to pass. The intention is good but no one will come forward to defend it.” PHOTO FROM OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE
would favor such a measure. “Kasi under the saya siya, eh, kaya malakas ang loob n’ya, haha (It’s because he is a henpecked husband, that’s why he can talk so bravely),” Sotto said jokingly in an impromptu interview with reporters. Sotto added that Honasan would not simply support the bill. It is also likely Honasan would file the bill himself. “Tell him I said that. And
when he hears about it, I already know what Greg would answer—‘So is he,’” Sotto said. True enough, Honasan expressed willingness to support moves to protect battered husbands. In a text message, he also acknowledged—in jest—that “I am really afraid of Misis, hehehe, like my BFF (best friend forever), Senator Sotto.” Honasan, a former Army colonel, grabbed the headlines in
Sotto’s wife is the once very popular film star and singer Helen Gamboa, who has become active again in show business. The Senate website says Mrs. Honasan, the former Jane Umali, is a “medical technologist by vocation and an interior designer by training” with whom Honasan has five children. Now that his and Honasan’s support for battered husbands has been established, Sotto said the next concern would be whether a beaten-up hubby would be willing to testify as a resource person in a Senate hearing should his colleagues consider the bill. Bill on wife-beating
Sotto recalled that during the 12th Congress, the Senate women and family relations committee chair, Teresa Aqui-
no-Oreta, held hearings on a bill filed by Sen. Luisa “Loi” Ejercito penalizing violence committed against women, including wife-beating. Sotto said he once stood up to interpellate Oreta when the latter sponsored the measure on the session floor. He asked Oreta and Ejercito why their bill did not include battered husbands. “Are you willing to testify?” Oreta asked Sotto that time. No one will testify
Sotto maintained he still believed that while the Senate would be open to the measure, finding resource persons who would testify that husband battery exists would be difficult— unless a hubby who had endured it would be man enough to admit it. “There are some but not too many,” Sotto said. “No one will testify. It will be difficult to pass. The intention is good but no one will come forward to defend it.” Sotto concluded: “Magpapakalalaki na lang kami (We’ll just have to show them we’re real men).” ■
US hits China bullying in disputed waters Top envoy talks tough in confirmation hearing The Associated Press WASHINGTON—The nominee to become the top US diplomat in East Asia delivered pointed comments about China in his confirmation hearing on Thursday, saying there’s no place for “coercion and bullying” in the region’s seas. Danny Russel told a Senate panel that he will do everything in his power to “lower the temperature” in territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas and push claimants, including China, toward diplomacy. He also said it was “unacceptable” for China to demand only bilateral negotiations with the other claimants, and voiced strong US support for efforts by Southeast Asia to negotiate as a bloc and frame a “code of conduct” to manage the disputes— an issue to be taken up at regional security talks in Brunei
later this month. Russel is currently White House senior director for Asian affairs. He is nominee to become assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, replacing Kurt Campbell, who resigned in February to enter business. Russel is a 28-year career diplomat, less ebullient than Campbell, with long experience in Japan and Korea. His association with Asia began in his 20s when he spent three years studying martial arts in Japan. He has played a central role in the Obama administration’s strategic “pivot” to Asia. That has seen the US stake out a diplomatic position on maritime issues that has irked Beijing, with Washington saying it has a national interest in the peaceful resolution of disputes in the South China Sea (part of which is called West Philippine Sea by US ally the Philippines).
Six claimants
Six countries have overlapping claims to tiny reefs and islands across those resourcerich waters, with China claiming it has sovereignty over virtually all of it. While the United States itself is not a claimant, it says it has a stake in the freedom of navigation in its busy sea lanes, which are crucial to world trade. “I certainly will do everything in my power to try to lower the temperature, push claimants, including China, into a diplomatic track and continue to warn them that the region in which China will flourish is a region of law, a region of order and a region of respect for neighbors, not one in which there is space for coercion and bullying,” Russel said. Standing by allies
He said that President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have raised the iswww.canadianinquirer.net
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sue of China’s behavior on the seas with its leaders, and the Chinese “are in no doubt that America stands by our allies.” The most volatile maritime disputes involving China in the past couple of years have involved US treaty allies, the Philippines and Japan—nations that Beijing has blamed for triggering tensions. While acknowledging USChina competition, Russel said the United States supports the rise of China that is stable, prosperous and abides by international rules and norms. He said
the United States seeks “practical cooperation” that benefits both countries and the region. He said positive cooperation with China would be “essential” in getting North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons. Russel confirmed that he has visited Pyongyang during his time at the White House. He said helping to achieve a halt or rollback in the North’s atomic program would be a top priority if he becomes assistant secretary of state. The full Senate must confirm his appointment. ■
Philippine News
15 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
Also, the National Housing Authority (NHA) will double its efforts to build in-city or off-site permanent relocation areas. “We’re hitting many birds with one stone,” Fernandez said. UPA executive director Denis Murphy, a former Jesuit priest who has been working with the poor in the capital for years, said it would be more prudent to relocate the families when their permanent homes were ready. Proximity to jobs
PHOTO FROM ECHO
P18K per estero family BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer THE GOVERNMENT is offering P18,000 to each of the 20,000 families of informal settlers living along waterways in Metro Manila so they can rent decent and safe homes elsewhere for 12 months while officials are looking for a place to resettle them permanently. But the NGO Urban Poor Associates (UPA) sees the government offer—its monthly equivalent of P1,500 is just enough to rent a room in a squatter colony—as a “band-aid solution” to the housing problem. “We did some pencil-pushing. It’s cheaper if we give them P18,000 to go to a safe place,” Interior Undersecretary Francisco Fernandez, the official in charge of relocating 100,000 families in the metropolis out of danger areas, said in an interview by phone. If the informal settlers choose to stay in their hovels along estuaries or under bridges, the government will end up shelling out more for their relief, rescue, rehabilitation and evacuation when the waterways flood during typhoons, Fernandez said. The relocation assistance for the 20,000 families runs up to P360 million, he said. “It ends up very expensive,” he added. P-Noy’s plan
In 2011, President Aquino unveiled a P50-billion relocation plan for the 100,000 families of informal settlers, or P10 billion a year until he steps down in 2016. It has been two years since, but the program has not taken off yet, mainly because of the difficulty of finding a resettlement place that is not only safe, cheap and decent but also accessible so that the resettlers’ livelihood will not be disrupted. And then the government’s point man, Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, died
in a plane crash in August last year, and local officials requested that the clearing of waterways be put off in view of the elections in May this year. But with the prospect of massive flooding in the metropolis coming with the onset of the rainy season, officials are scrambling to implement the plan. The government aims to relocate 19,440 families to be able to clear eight major waterways that flow into Manila Bay, and ease flooding. Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson last week admitted that the clearing of the waterways could not be completed until year-end. But with the financial incentive for the informal settlers, the job could be hastened. The offer of P18,000, however, doesn’t appear enticing to the UPA, which argues that a poor family may be able to rent a room for a few months with that money, but it will still be in the slums somewhere in the city. “It’s the same,” UPA information officer Princess Asuncion said. “Their solutions are bad and a waste of money. How many urban poor are they planning to relocate, and you’ll give them P18,000 each? All are band-aid solutions.”
Murphy conceded that informal settlers are clogging waterways, but said the ones he knew were moving. “They should make a real effort to develop near-city, in-city relocation and after a year the people will be very happy to move. The people know what’s best for them. If it’s a safe place where the children can play, enjoy fresh air, and it’s near the people’s work, they’ll rush to it,” he said by phone. “Living on esteros is not nice. How to deal with that, that’s where we differ,” he added. Murphy reminded officials about the Urban Development and Housing Act, which set limits on evictions, and the President’s “covenant with the poor,” which restricted resettlement to onsite, in-city and near-city areas. But Murphy did not rule out the possibility that the poor—and the public at
DSWD help
Fernandez acknowledged that with P1,500 a month, the families were likely to find rooms only in slums. But he gave assurance that they would not be fending for themselves, as they would be assisted by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). “There will be counseling and social support from the DSWD. This is like a modified CCT (conditional cash transfer),” he said. As the families leave, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will dismantle their shanties and dredge the waterways, increasing their capacity to carry water during heavy rain. www.canadianinquirer.net
large—are being taken for a spin whenever they are told that they are being relocated for their own good. He said most families were complying with the standard 3 meters away from the waterway, contrary to perceptions that they were blocking the waterways. “This idea that they’re saving lives by getting people out, I don’t know how many of them really believe that,” he said. Slow to build
Sixty percent of the 100,000 families of informal settlers in the metropolis live along waterways. Of these, close to 20,000 are along major waterways: San Juan River, Tullahan River, Manggahan Floodway, Maricaban Creek, Estero Tripa de Gallina, Pasig River, Estero de Sunog Apog and Estero de Maypajo. The NHA has so far constructed 4,500 off-site housing units in Bulacan and Laguna, and is expected to add 3,500 in-city units in Manila, Caloocan and Mandaluyong by October, or a total of 8,000 units. But the job doesn’t stop there. Some 12,000 units more are needed to house all the 20,000 families. That’s why Social Housing Finance Corp. is offering financing for the families of informal settlers to build their own homes within the city, Fernandez said. Families who accept off-site homes, or opt to rent within the city while awaiting for a permanent house, will be given P18,000 each, he said. ■
Opinion
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013 16
THERE’S THE RUB
The Great Flood By Conrado De Quiros Philippine Daily Inquirer GETTING from Katipunan to Greenhills took two-and-a-half hours. This was early evening of Monday. It had been raining intermittently in the afternoon—not furious downpours but relatively light ones. When I left Katipunan, it was only drizzling. It was a breeze getting through the street, but when I got to the bridge just past Ateneo everything stood still. The drizzle turned into a fine rain, and as the wipers swished through the streaks of water and mist on the windshield, one caught flashes of red lights blinking like broken glass from the vehicles stewing there. My favorite nightmare—caught in a monstrous jam—and I hadn’t expected it. The vehicles pushed forward laboriously, heaving in unison every few minutes, gaining a foot or two at a time. I figured the tunnel leading to C5 must be flooded, and the vehicles going there must have usurped all the lanes blocking everyone behind them. After about an hour, I managed to turn right into Tuason, only to find it a huge parking lot as well. I took a left hoping Camp Aguinaldo would be better, but never got there. Instead, I fell into a bigger nightmare, twisting and turning
to avoid the flooded side streets, which everybody was doing, causing ferocious snarls. It took another hour to get out of there. I finally made it back to the part of Tuason near Cubao and just waited the traffic out till I got to Edsa. After about half an hour I was in Greenhills. We were supposed to meet at 7:30 p.m., but I got to our meeting place at 9 p.m. As it turned out, I was the first to arrive. The one coming from Manila arrived an hour later, Nick Joaquin’s favorite city having turned into a Venice without its charm. The one coming from Makati never made it. Five hours later, he was still only on Shaw. Welcome, I said to myself, to the end of summer. I would learn later, though, that roughly the same thing had happened a week earlier. The rains have come pretty much on cue along with the students at the opening of school. But a couple of things are unusual. One is that this has been a long and blazing summer. The dry season, as far as I can tell, began last December in the dead heat of Christmas. Last Christmas was dry and hot as hell, a wild departure from the days when we could get a whiff of Baguio in the early morning. Except for brief and sudden rains, which have come few and far between, the past six months have been unre-
lentingly dry and hot. The rains themselves do not cool the world down; they certainly haven’t these past few weeks. It remains warm to hot afterward. Two is that it doesn’t take a torrential downpour anymore to turn the streets of Metro Manila into a watery grave. I could be wrong, but the rains last Monday didn’t look all that strong and long. Yet they made many streets impassable. Last week, apparently, if some of my friends are to be believed, the water
Frightening as the impending scenario is, there’s something that scares the bejesus out of me more. That is the fact that we are not alone in this plight. in some parts of Sampaloc was waisthigh—and they don’t mean, my friends say, the waist of Hobbits. You have to wonder at the scenario over the next few months as we go deeper into what used to be called the “rainy season,” a category that has been rendered largely meaningless by a messed-up climate. When walls of water come tumbling down a la “Ondoy.” Pity the students, workers, office hands, and sidewalk vendors who have to ply the streets every day. Pity the
commuters who have to huddle in the rain at the end of a long day to scramble for a ride. Pity the slum dwellers, the estero dwellers, the vagrants and homeless that sleep under bridges. P-Noy does well to pity them, and think about assigning a flood tsar to meet the bane. But frightening as the impending scenario is, there’s something that scares the bejesus out of me more. That is the fact that we are not alone in this plight. One may imagine that that is a comfort, misery loves company, we can’t be doing so badly if others are doing worse. But it is one very cold comfort if it’s happening on a planetary plane. It’s one scary nightmare. The floods are everywhere. Central Europe is awash in them, the swollen rivers having overrun their banks and torn through Prague and Germany, forcing 10,000 German families to flee their homes. It’s the worst flooding in 10 years, the interval now getting shorter. Storms and floods have been sweeping across the United States, quite apart from killer twisters. The experience of Hurricane “Sandy” was still fresh in American minds when wind and rain howled over the Midwest. Three weeks ago, a storm caused extensive flooding in Texas. A week later, another storm did the same to Oklahoma, including
the town of Moore earlier hit by a tornado 2.6 miles wide and packing winds of 300 miles per hour. The reason for the storms and floods? Rising oceans caused by climate change. They’re getting warmer, too, whipping up hurricanes and cyclones. This has made coastal areas particularly vulnerable to being swallowed by water. A climate-change conference in Bonn recently identified the following areas as being in harm’s way: Bangkok, Bangladesh, Miami, New York, London, the Netherlands, Venice, Maldives and Cuba. Thankfully, Manila is not there. But what nature has left out, our drainage system, or the lack of it, may not. Curiously, much of the response to it has consisted of finding ways to stop the oceans’ rising waters from engulfing shores, such as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s multibillion-dollar plan to flood-proof his city by building removable flood walls in lower Manhattan and restoring marshes in Queens. Thus far, the focus has not been on stopping the oceans’ waters from rising in the first place by stopping global warming. It’s enough to make you believe in the Great Flood. And I don’t know which is worse, that it owes to the wrath of God or the folly of man. ■
the discussion by focusing on the forces that drive the unbridled commodification of forest resources. She casts a critical eye on her own nation’s possible complicity in the destructive practices that produce this ecological nightmare. It is refreshing to hear voices like hers in a society that has long been known to be allergic to dissent. For, in truth, she speaks not just to Singaporeans but to all of us, and for everyone who cares for the environment. In a commentary posted in the online community paper “The Real Singapore” (6/19/13), MP Ng writes: “I think it is disingenuous for the Singapore government and its people to cry foul over this issue and play a tit-for-tat game. This problem is basically symptomatic of the consequences of unbridled economic growth that we have unproblematically acquiesced to as a society. Would we even care that one of the world’s most concentrated areas of carbon (i.e., peat lands) and pristine forests are being destroyed if the prevailing winds were in the opposite direction?” She calls into question the hypocrisy and short-sightedness that underlie the thinking of those who see only the effects of the haze on their personal health and daily routines. “It certainly says something of our edu-
cation system and values that we only concentrate on the proximate ‘clean and green’ message about the cleanliness of our environment in Singapore without considering the massive ecological consequences of our unsustainable consumption patterns.” More significantly, MP Ng takes to task her own government, zeroing in on Singapore’s strategic position as a financial hub and host to major Indonesian palm oil and pulp companies, including those suspected of starting these fires. She wonders if her own government’s investment firms like GIC and Temasek Holdings are not stock holders in these very same companies. She asks if the Singaporean banks that take care of the money of countless Indonesian tycoons have bothered to check whether some of the accounts they keep do not belong to companies that are involved in the burning of forests. “We in Singapore profit from the paper/pulp and palm oil industry, and to say that all the responsibility [for the haze] lies with the Indonesian government does not recognize its trans-boundary nature, and the different pressure points at different steps of the commodity supply chains that can be utilized, and which would require different types of intervention.” Amen! ■
PUBLIC LIVES
Haze over Singapore By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer SINGAPORE prides itself in having the greenest and cleanest city in all of Asia. Its environmental laws are exacting. A government agency religiously monitors the quality of the country’s air. Smokers are treated like an outcast race exiled to a few corners where they can poison their own lungs without harming the health of others. The cost of owning a car is made prohibitive not just to limit road traffic but also to keep motor-vehicle emissions under control. But, as if to mock the ecological capsule Singapore has built around itself, smoke from the burning forests of nearby Sumatra in Indonesia has crossed over and now shrouds this wealthy city-state. Haze hangs over the city’s skyline like a malignant cloud. Last Friday, Singapore’s air pollution index shot up to 401, indicating a situation deemed so hazardous that the government has asked its citizens to stay indoors and to wear protective masks if they must go outside. Facing his countrymen, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said there is no way of knowing when the deadly haze will dissipate because of the complex confluence of factors that have
brought it about. The forest fires in Sumatra continue to rage, engulfing more forest lands and igniting large swaths of combustible peat land. The weather has been very dry over these parts, and clouds have to be seeded to induce rain. But, there are limits to what human effort can do within the short term. The direction and velocity of the wind have to change. In the long term, the human activities that trigger these wild fires must be stopped. There must be a lesson to be learned from all this. The most obvious, of course, is that Nature does not respect national boundaries. Planet Earth is an indivisible whole. What happens outside a country’s sovereign jurisdiction can affect its people in no small measure. While it is not the business of any nation to intervene in the business of its neighbors, it is certainly every people’s duty to understand international problems and their causes and repercussions, and to know how nations may come together to solve them. Right now, all eyes are on Indonesia. It is natural for the Singaporeans to feel aggrieved over a disaster they think they had no role in bringing about, and to blame the haze on the dysfunctional practices of their less developed neighbor. To their credit, some
of Singapore’s leaders have been careful not to encourage this kind of talk. Beyond offering help to put out the fires, they see no point in blaming the Indonesian government for its failure to stop the fires from spreading. Still, Singaporeans wonder why these fires occur almost regularly at this time of the year, and why the Indonesian government seems impotent to prevent them. A close look at the origins of these fires will suggest
Nature does not respect national boundaries. Planet Earth is an indivisible whole. What happens outside a country’s sovereign jurisdiction can affect its people in no small measure. that most of them are not accidental. They are deliberately started both by small slash-and-burn farmers and large plantation owners to clear away forest growth and claim forest land for commercial crops. It seems that where there’s smoke, there is profit. The other day, a Singaporean member of parliament from the ruling PAP, Irene Ng, took the courageous step of enlarging the scope of
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Opinion
17 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
AT LARGE
Real solutions this time By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer THIS is not the first time reports of the exploitation of female overseas Filipino workers in distress have surfaced. Nor is this the first time that the accused culprits have been identified as Filipino diplomats or staffers of government-sponsored centers meant to offer assistance, counseling and/or protection to workers in trouble. Also not new is the locale— our embassies and welfare offices in the Middle East—although I suppose the reported abuse also occurs in diplomatic postings elsewhere. What did surprise me was the realization that many years after the abuse and exploitation of women OFWs were reported, nothing has apparently been done. And that this time around, the racket has gained a catchy, media-genic tag line: the “sex-for-flight” racket, meaning the grant of sexual favors (or involvement in prostitution) in exchange for repatriation to the Philippines. Certainly new this time around is the denunciation of the racket on the House floor by Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello, who named the diplomats allegedly involved in the exploitation of workers as “Predators One, Two
and Three.” Also unprecedented was the sight of Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario walking down the corridors of the House to visit Bello in order to discuss the accusations he aired. And then there is the testimony of labor officer in Jordan Mario Antonio—given to reporters if not to his superiors—that the accusations against him were the handiwork of illegal recruiters “making up” the stories to get back at him for his crackdown on their criminal activities. *** Politicians have not lost time in boarding the bandwagon, denouncing the exploitation of female OFWs in trouble and calling for an inquiry into the involvement of diplomats or labor officers. It’s hoped that with Secretary Del Rosario getting personally involved, along with Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz who promised “no whitewash” in the probe, and even Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chief Carmelita Dimzon speaking out, this time the matter will not just be investigated but will result in concrete action. I think everyone should hang their head in shame over this scandal. When women workers, distressed by abuse they say they have suffered at the hands of their employers, run to our
embassies for succor, the last thing they would expect is even more abuse and exploitation from the very people tasked to help and protect them. What moral ascendancy can our government assert on foreign states if our own diplomats exploit our women? One suggestion, not exactly novel or revolutionary, is to hire more women as labor officers to deal with women workers seeking aid and relief. This, if only to preclude possible sexual
Many years after the abuse and exploitation of women OFWs were reported, nothing has apparently been done. harassment, rape or pimping of these women by male diplomats. Has this policy been studied or implemented at all? Are male worker-welfare officers all that necessary or preferable? At least for the embassies and centers in Jordan, Kuwait and Syria—where the latest reports have surfaced—can’t the labor and foreign affairs departments agree to send posthaste female worker-welfare officers to deal with the women seeking asylum there? ***
Recently, Pagcor chair and CEO Cristino “Bong” Naguiat Jr. shared good news with a group of women journalists. At the “GOCC Dividends Day” in Malacañang, Pagcor, the government’s sole authority over casino operations in the country, turned over more than P7.5 billion to President Aquino. Pagcor was among the eight government-owned and -controlled corporations counted among the “Billionaire’s Club,” meaning, they each turned over at least P1 billion to the national treasury. The amount turned over to the government is aside from the amount devoted by Pagcor to “high impact” projects geared, so Pagcor says, “toward the improvement of the welfare of the Filipino youth.” So far, says a Pagcor press release, it has allocated P3 billion for building thousands of classrooms in public schools nationwide, provided P100 million in funding for the “Pinoy Bayanihan” project, and P20 million for the “Kasibulan” grassroots football program. A school building built with the help of Pagcor funds in Urdaneta, Pangasinan, is an impressive sight: The building looks, not just spanking new, but also large and substantive, certainly not what one would
expect in a rural setting. It’s also good to know that priority for the school building project is being given to calamity-stricken areas, especially in Northern Mindanao severely affected by Tropical Storm “Sendong.” *** And neither is do-gooding limited to government entities. Recently over lunch, Peter Musngi, who has just retired as head of dzMM, the AM radio station of ABS-CBN, talked about their “TLC (Teaching, Learning, Caring)” program. The program, he says, was born of his concerns about the need for “a sustained public service program” for the various communities they serve. Using funds “left over” from donations made in the wake of the “Ondoy” floods, the station continues to provide free shower facilities (inside a used delivery container) to disaster areas, says Musngi. They have also been involved for the last two years in providing “clinics on wheels” and “classrooms on wheels” for underserved communities, including the parenting sessions for the parents of the children served. But what keeps him excited these days, Musngi says, is his work with ABS-CBN sports, whose coverage of the NBA championships, for one, has been responsible for turning this basketballcrazy country madder for the NBA. ■
parents, the first thing she did upon marriage was to cut that marvelous Rapunzel-like hair. Next, she turned my father’s favorite shirt into a basahan (rag). Sorry, please continue. JR: My mother taught me to read in Amigo de los Niños (The Children’s Friend), an old book [by the Abbot Sabatier translated from the original French to Spanish] that [at the time] had become quite rare. It had lost its cover and one of my sisters cleverly covered it again by pasting a thick blue paper, the remnant of the wrapper of a bolt of cloth, on its back. That night my mother was annoyed listening to me read poorly. I didn’t understand Spanish and couldn’t add expression to the phrases. She took the book from me. After scolding me for drawing rude pictures on its pages, she began to read, asking me to follow her example. My mother, when her sight was not yet impaired, read very well. She could recite and write poetry. How many times during Christmas vacation afterward, she corrected my poems, making very apt observations. I listened to her full of childish admiration. I marvelled at the ease with which she read sonorous phrases from the same pages that cost me so much effort to read and that I deci-
phered haltingly. Perhaps my ears soon got tired of hearing sounds that meant nothing to me. Perhaps due to my natural distraction, I lacked attention to the reading and watched more closely the cheerful flame around which some small moths fluttered with playful and uneven flight. Perhaps I yawned, and my mother noticed I had lost interest. She stopped reading and said to me: “Now I’m going to read to you a very pretty story. Listen.” ARO: Ah, the famous story of the gamu-gamo known by all Filipino children. Prewar “Philippine Readers” carried illustrations by National Artist Fernando Amorsolo, one of you and your mother reading. Who else told you stories when you were a boy? JR: We would go to the azotea or to some window where the moon could be seen, then my aya would tell us stories, sometimes sad and at other times happy, in which skeletons and buried treasure, and trees blooming with diamonds, were mingled in confusion, all born of an Oriental imagination. Sometimes she told us that men lived on the moon, or that the markings we could see on the moon were nothing else but a woman forever weaving. The publication of “Rizal and me” is forthcoming. ■
LOOKING BACK
‘Rizal and me’ By Ambeth R. Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer WHY should students endure boring textbook biographies of Rizal when he practically left an autobiography scattered in the 25 volumes of his compiled writing? Here, Rizal and me discuss his mother. JOSE RIZAL (JR): Without her, what would have been my education and my fate? Next to God, a mother is everything to a man. AMBETH R. OCAMPO (ARO): I agree. JR: She taught me how to read, she taught me how to stammer the humble prayers that I addressed fervently to God, and now that I’m a young man, oh, where is the simplicity, the innocence, of my early days? ARO: What else? JR: My mother is called Mrs. Teodora Alonso de Quintos, of the family of Mr. José Florentino [of Ilocos], granddaughter, if I remember correctly. ARO: I think Florentino was her cousin. Perhaps your literary gifts were inherited from Leona Florentino of Vigan who is one of the few women remembered in our early Philippine literary history. Thus, you are also related to her son Isabelo de los Reyes. Let’s not get distracted,
please continue. JR: My mother was a woman of more than average education. She was conversant with literature and spoke better Spanish than me. She corrected my verses and gave me good advice in rhetoric. She was a mathematician and read many books. Her father [Lorenzo Alberto Alonso], a deputy in the Cortes representing the Philippines, was her teacher. Her brother [Jose Alberto] was educated in Europe and spoke German, English, Spanish and French. He was also knighted with the Order of Isabel la Catolica. ARO: Was it your mother who taught you to read? JR: My first remembrance concerning letters goes back to my earliest age. I must be very small yet because when they polished the floor of our house with banana leaves, I would still fall, slipping on the shiny surface, as did little skilled skaters on ice. It was still difficult for me to climb up a chair. I went down the staircase step by step, holding on to every baluster, and in our house, as in the whole town, petroleum was unknown. Neither had I seen until that time any quinque lamp, nor had any carriage ever passed through the streets of my town that I believed to be the height of joy and animation.
One night, when everybody else at home was already asleep, when the lights in the globes had already been put out by blowing them off by means of a curved tin tube that seemed to me the most exquisite and wonderful toy in the world, I don’t know why my mother and I remained watching beside the only light that in all Philippine houses burned all night long, and that went out precisely at dawn, waking the people with its cheerful hissing.
Why should students endure boring textbook biographies of Rizal when he practically left an autobiography scattered in the 25 volumes of his compiled writing? My mother then was still young. After a bath her hair, which she let down to dry, dragged half a handbreadth on the floor, by which reason she knotted its end. ARO: Wow! I have seen 19th-century paintings and photographs depicting Filipino women whose hair reached the floor. My mother once had hair that measured over four feet. As a sign of her freedom from her
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FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
18
Canada News
'Whatever it takes:' Redford announces $1B for 1st phase of Alberta flood relief
NEWS BRIEFS
BY BILL GRAVELAND AND JENNIFER GRAHAM The Canadian Press
CALGARY STAMPEDE TO GO ON DESPITE FLOOD
PHOTO FROM FLICKR
Redford’s announcement came at the same time Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi said almost all of the 75,000 city citizens who had to flee high water from the Bow and Elbow rivers last week could return home. Further east, in Medicine Hat, there was no move to allow people to go home, even though the South Saskatchewan River crested Monday morning. Water that had submerged streets and surrounded homes and businesses was slowly receding. But Ron Robinson, director of emergency measures, warned that protective barriers continued to be “bombarded” by the high and fast-moving river. “The structural integrity of our berms is at issue and we require vigilant monitoring. Substantial flooding continues to impact our berms and (they) could fail suddenly,” Robinson said at an update. About 1,000 homes were hit by high water and 10,000 people who were forced to head for higher ground on the weekend were still out. About 1,500 people were registered at the city’s emergency centre and accommodation had been provided for about 600. Mayor Norm Boucher said it would be at least several days before the city would be “more mobile.” “It’s still not safe for people to return home. The water has moved down but it hasn’t moved down a lot,” Boucher said. “There’s still debris coming out. We have some dams that
are starting to leak a little bit.” Sand-bagging efforts continued as a result, he said. “I know (people) want to go back ... but the reality is they won’t have electricity. They won’t have gas in the house. They can’t run pumps if they have water in the basement.” Anyone trying to go back early “will be stopped,” he said. Medicine Hat officials have said this flood appears to be worse than the “flood of the century” in 1995. The deluge, while serious, was not as bad as had originally been feared after the devastation in Calgary and other communities upstream. Water managed to top sandbag barriers in some areas of the city and there was flooding in some neighbourhoods, but other defences remained dry. Back in Calgary, organizers with the Calgary Stampede said crews were working hard on the rodeo grounds to ensure the world-famous event goes ahead next week “come hell or high water.” President Bob Thompson said workers have been pumping out millions of litres of muddy water. Professional cleaning crews were scraping away mud away and sanitizing buildings. People in High River, the community hardest hit by the flooding, didn’t have much reason for optimism. Mayor Emile Blokland said there was still no timeline for when 13,000 evacuees would be able to return. ■
CALGARY—The president of the Calgary Stampede says the world-famous event will go ahead next week “come hell or high water.” Bob Thompson says crews have been pumping millions of litres of water from the rodeo grounds, which were swamped last week by extensive flooding that hit much of southern Alberta. PREMIER WYNNE TO MARCH IN GAY PRIDE PARADE TORONTO—Ontario’s Kathleen Wynne will make history later this month when she becomes the first sitting premier to march in Toronto’s annual gay pride parade. Wynne, Canada’s only openly-gay premier, says attending pride events is a regular part of summer for her and spouse Jane Rounthwaite. GAS PRICES UNLIKELY TO SOAR AFTER FLOOD TORONTO—The devastating floods in Alberta are expected to have a significant impact on the economy overall, but they’re unlikely to cause a long-term spike in gas prices unless any refineries in the oil-rich area suffer major flooding, economists said Monday. The biggest hit for Alberta itself could be in tourism, as travellers opt to stay away from the area altogether, while the construction industry will see a boom when the reconstruction begins. LOONIE WILL CONTINUE TO DIVE: EXPERTS TORONTO—With the Canadian dollar expected to continue its downward spiral well into the summer, Canadians may find themselves out of luck went it comes to bargain hunting south of the border.”Things are necessarily going to be more expensive,” said Nick Bontis, an associate professor at the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University.
VIDEO GRAB FROM CBC.CA
THE Alberta government is approving $1 billion to kick start the first phase of recovery from what the premier has called the worst flooding in the province’s history. Alison Redford said the money will be used to support people who have been forced from their homes, as well as to run relief centres and to start rebuilding infrastructure. She said the government will provide pre-loaded debit cards to displaced residents to help with their immediate housing needs and dayto-day purchases. Those who qualify will receive $1,250 per adult and $500 per child. “This is going to be a tough week, but we are going to get through it,” she said at a news conference. “We are going to stay committed and we are going to make sure that, in the long term, we do everything we need to ensure that families and communities can feel safe and that we rebuild and honour our past and our future,” she said. “We are going to do—please listen to my words—whatever it takes to get everyone back to a place where they can continue to live their lives.” Redford said the unforeseen expense means Alberta won’t meet its goal of balancing the budget next year. “It is going to affect the budget and I will say right now, because someone is going to ask the question, ‘Are we sticking to the plan to balance the budget?’ No, we’re not,” she said. “The world changed (last) Thursday morning and I think as a Treasury Board we’ve come to terms with that. We think Albertans have come to terms with that. “This is like nothing we have ever faced before and we are up to the challenge.” Torrential rain last week filled up creeks and rivers that were unable to contain so much water in such a short time and surged over their banks to inundate communities throughout much of southern Alberta.
Canada News
19 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
Holborn, TA Global Bhd. and Trump Hotel Collection launch Trump International® Hotel & Tower Vancouver $360-million mixed-use development will transform city’s skyline VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 19, 2013 – Holborn Group and TA Global Bhd. confirmed plans to welcome the city’s first Trump development, Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver®. Situated on Georgia Street in Downtown Vancouver’s Coal Harbour, the premium $360-million Arthur Erickson-designed tower will include a world-class hotel and residences, according to PCI's Alice Yong who attended the news conference with Juan TV's Socorro Newland and Paolo Valdes. In addition to 147 guest rooms, the luxury hotel will include a Champagne lounge, signature restaurant, Trump Spa, and banquet and conference centre. It will also be home to Vancouver’s first pool bar nightclub. Above the hotel will be 218 stylish residences, offering residents spectacular views of the North Shore and beyond. When completed, the twisting tower will stand at 616 feet (63 storeys). “Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver will become a new symbol for Vancouver and will solidify the city’s arrival on the international stage,” commented Joo Kim Tiah, CEO and president of Holborn Group and deputy CEO of TA Global Bhd., the developer of Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver. “The Trump brand is very well-respected and is synonymous with luxury real estate and hospitality. I’m pleased to have a strong relationship with Don, Jr., Ivanka and Eric and look forward to carrying on the entrepreneurial legacy that our parents have begun. Our shared vision and a work ethic that prides itself on diligence and attention to detail will result in a development that is cuttingedge, and matches Vancouver’s vibrant personality.” “We are thrilled to be bringing the Trump flag to Vancouver as it has become a worldclass city in its own right,” added Donald J. Trump. “When looking at expanding our portfolio, we felt this was a market that held great potential for our brand. As we continue to grow globally, our goal is align ourselves with the best opportuni-
ties – and we know the Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver will be like no other hotel and residential offering.” Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver is the latest project to further contribute to the revitalization of the West Georgia corridor. Within four years of the hotel opening, it is expected that visitors to Vancouver will occupy 40,726 room nights per year. In addition to spinoff consultation contracts, the project has created the equivalent of 170 full-time jobs during the construction phase, and will generate 300 full-time positions upon opening. Donald Trump Jr. said, “In adding Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver to our portfolio we continue our global expansion and solidify our presence in Canada, which also includes Trump International Hotel & Tower Toronto. The opportunity to work with Holborn is immensely exciting and we are eager to move forward with this project, one we are confident will be a destination for travellers worldwide and a luxurious place to call home for residents of Vancouver.” Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver will feature Canada’s first Mar-a-Lago Spa by Ivanka Trump, a new boutique spa brand that will reflect the joie de vivre of the timeless 1927 Palm Beach property. The design of the spa will be influenced by the iconic club’s sophisticated and elegant style, seamlessly blending classic and Nouveau. Ivanka Trump will personally select the spa’s luxurious products and treatments. As part of the Trump Hotel Collection, the Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver will offer guests their own Trump Attaché. This dedicated department provides personalized attention by meticulously recording guests’ preferences and updating them with each visit. Attaché services range from making dining suggestions and booking reservations to having pets walked and fed to arranging a romantic picnic in the park – nothing is off limits. The original twisting design of the tower maximizes the window features and views in every suite,
making each unit distinctive, with no two views exactly alike. Attention to detail and personalized service will further differentiate the development. Residences will range from 644 to 2,117 square feet with the penthouses between 3,500 and 4,400 square feet. Sales for the residential suites will begin in October 2013 with project completion expected in summer 2016. For more information about the Trump International Hotel & Tower Vancouver, please visit
www.canadianinquirer.net
PHOTO BY SOCORRO NEWLAND
www.TrumpVancouver.com. ■ Trump International Hotel & Tower® Vancouver is not owned, developed or sold by Donald J. Trump, The Trump Organization or any of their principals or affiliates. West Georgia Holdings
Inc. and West Georgia Development Limited Partnership are the owners and developers of the property, and use the “Trump” name and mark under license from DT Marks Vancouver LP, which license may be terminated or revoked according to its terms.
World News
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013 20
Immigration bill clears Senate test with votes to spare BY DAVID ESPO AND ERICA WERNER Philippine Daily Inquirer WASHINGTON—Historic immigration legislation cleared a key Senate hurdle with votes to spare on Monday, pointing the way to near-certain passage within days for $38 billion worth of new security measures along the border with Mexico and an unprecedented chance at citizenship for millions living in the country illegally. The vote was 67-27, seven more than the 60 needed, with 15 Republicans agreeing to advance legislation at the top of President Barack Obama's second-term domestic agenda. The vote came as Obama campaigned from the White House for the bill, saying, “now is the time” to overhaul an immigration system that even critics of the legislation agree needs reform. Last-minute frustration was evident among opponents. In an unusual slap at members of his own party as well as Democrats, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said it appeared that lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle “very much want a fig leaf” on border security to justify a vote for immigration. Senate passage on Thursday or Friday would send the issue to the House, where conservative Republicans in the majority oppose citizenship for anyone living in the country illegally. Some GOP lawmakers have appealed to Speaker John Boehner not to permit any immigration legislation to come to a vote for fear that whatever its contents, it would open the door to an unpalatable compromise with the Senate. At the same time, the House Judiciary Committee is in the midst of approving a handful of measures related to immigration, action that ordinarily is a prelude to votes in the full House. “Now is the time to do it,” Obama said at the White House before meeting with nine business executives who support a change in immigration laws. He added, “I hope that we can get the strongest possible vote out of the Senate so that we can then move to the House and get this done before the summer
break” beginning in early August. He said the measure would be good for the economy, for business and for workers who are “oftentimes exploited at low wages.” As for the overall economy, he said, “I think every business leader here feels confident that they'll be in a stronger position to continue to innovate, to continue to invest, to continue to create jobs and ensure that this continues to be the land of opportunity for generations to come.” Opponents saw it otherwise. “It will encourage more illegal immigration and must be stopped,” Cruz exhorted supporters via email, urging them to contact their own senators with a plea to defeat the measure. Leaving little to chance, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced it was launching a new seven-figure ad buy Monday in support of the bill. “Call Congress. End de facto amnesty. Create jobs and economic growth by supporting conservative immigration reforms,” the ad said. Senate officials said some changes were still possible to the bill before it leaves the Senate - alterations that would swell the vote total. At the same time, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., who voted to advance the measure during the day, said he may yet end up opposing it unless he wins a pair of changes he is seeking. Senate Democrats were unified on the vote. Republicans were anything but on a bill that some party leaders say offers the GOP a chance to show a more welcoming face to Hispanic voters, yet tea party-aligned lawmakers assail as amnesty for those who have violated the law. The party's two top Senate leaders, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and John Cornyn of Texas, voted against advancing the measure. Both are seeking new terms next year. Among potential 2016 GOP presidential contenders, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida was an enthusiastic supporter of the bill, while Cruz and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky were opposed. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated the legislation will re-
PHOTO FROM SPIRIT OF AMERICA/SHUTTERSTOCK
duce the deficit and increase economic growth in each of the next two decades. It is also predicting unemployment will rise slightly through 2020, and that average wages will move lower over a decade. At its core, the legislation in the Senate would create a 13year pathway to citizenship for an estimated 11 million immigrants living illegally in the United States. It also calls for billions of dollars to be spent on manpower and technology to secure the 2,000-mile border with Mexico, including a doubling of the Border Patrol with 20,000 new agents. The measure also would create a new program for temporary farm labourers to come into the country, and another for lower-skilled workers to emigrate permanently. At the same time, it calls for an expansion of an existing visa program for highly-skilled workers, a gesture to high tech companies that rely heavily on foreigners. In addition to border security, the measure phases in a mandatory program for employers to verify the legal status of potential workers, and separate effort to track the comings and goings of foreigners at www.canadianinquirer.net
some of the nation's airports. The legislation was originally drafted by a bipartisan Gang of 8, four senators from each party who negotiated a series of political trade-offs over several months. The addition of the tougher border security provisions came after CBO informed lawmakers that they could potentially spend tens of billions of dollars to sweeten the bill without fearing higher deficits. The result was a series of changes negotiated between the Gang of 8 and Republican Sens. John Hoeven of North Dakota and Bob Corker of Tennessee. Different, lesser-noticed provisions helped other lawmakers swing behind the measure. In a speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Charles Grassley, RIowa, likened some of them to “earmarks,” the now-banned practice of directing federal funds to the pet projects of individual lawmakers. He cited a provision creating a $1.5 billion jobs fund for low-income youth and pair of changes to benefit the seafood processing industry in Alaska. Sen. Bernard Sanders, I-Vt., issued a statement on Friday trumpeting the benefits
of the first; Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, and Mark Begich, a Democrat, took credit for the two others. Grassley also raised questions about the origin of a detailed list of planes, sensors, cameras and other equipment to be placed along the southern border. “Who provided the amendment sponsors with this list?” asked Grassley, who is a member of the Judiciary Committee that approved an earlier version of the bill. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano “did not provide the committee with any list. Did Sikorsky, Cessna and Northrup Grumann send up a wish list to certain members of the Senate?” Randy Belote, a spokesman for Northrup Grumann, said in an email the firm has “not had the opportunity to review the comments nor... provided the committee a 'wish list' of its systems to consider.” Officials at the other two companies did not immediately respond to a request for comment. ■ Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Jim Kuhnhenn contributed to this report.
World News
21 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
Singapore haze hits worst level yet; Indonesia sends planes, copters to fight Sumatra fires The Associated Press SINGAPORE—Air pollution in Singapore soared to record heights for a third consecutive day, as Indonesia dispatched planes and helicopters Friday to battle raging fires blamed for hazardous levels of smoky haze in three countries. The blazes in peat swamp forests on Indonesia’s Sumatra island have sent massive plumes of smog across the sea to neighbouring Singapore and Malaysia, both of which have grown impatient with Indonesia’s response to the problem that occurs nearly every year. Singapore is suffering its worst haze in history. Its main air pollution index hit a measurement of 401 at midday Friday, exceeding previous highs of 371 on Thursday and 321 on Wednesday, both of which were record readings. Those measurements were classified as “hazardous” and can aggravate
respiratory ailments. The index, which has fluctuated widely this week, eased to as low as 139 by Friday evening, still in an unhealthy range. Singapore’s environment minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, flew to Jakarta on Friday to discuss measures to tackle the forest fires that break out in Indonesia during midyear dry spells because of carelessly discarded cigarettes and illegal blazes set by plantations and farmers to clear land. “People, to be honest with you, are angry,” Balakrishnan told reporters in Indonesia. “People want to see action on the ground.” Balakrishnan’s Indonesian counterpart, Balthasar Kambuaya, pledged that Jakarta will investigate and take stern legal action against those who started fires. Some Indonesian officials have suggested that Malaysian and Singaporean companies might be among those responsible. Sutopo Purwo Nugroho,
an official in Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency, said 10 aircraft were sent to Sumatra on Friday to help extinguish the fires. Three helicopters will lead a “waterbombing” effort to assist more than 100 firefighters on the ground, while planes will conduct “cloud-seeding” to try to chemically induce rain. The dirty, acrid haze has slashed visibility and shrouded many of Singapore’s towering landmarks, forcing airports to take extra precautions, the military to reduce outdoor training and some fast food businesses to suspend delivery services. Elderly residents, children and pregnant women have been advised to avoid all outdoor activity. Plagued by the stifling smell of burning vegetation that crept even into homes and offices in this wealthy city-state, residents flocked to pharmacies to buy protective face masks after Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien
PHOTO BY CHOO YUT SHING
Loong urged people to remain indoors as much as possible. “I don’t know if it’s just my imagination but even indoors, my throat is starting to feel weird,” said business manager Tan Joa-Quim. “I want a mask but my company has a limited supply, which we prioritized for the older and less healthy staff, and a lot of shops have sold out.” Some airports in Sumatra have closed because of poor visibility and pollution levels that exceeded Singapore’s. In neighbouring Malaysia, officials shut nearly 600 schools
Friday in southern districts near Singapore. Most of Malaysia, including the main city, Kuala Lumpur, was not as badly affected, though two southernmost towns recorded hazardous air quality. Malaysia’s environment minister plans to travel to Indonesia next week to discuss the problem. ■ Associated Press writers Sean Yoong in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Ali Kotarumalos in Jakarta, Indonesia, contributed to this report.
Climate talk shifts from curbing global warming to adapting The Associated Press
here.
WASHINGTON—Efforts to curb global warming have quietly shifted as greenhouse gases inexorably rise. The conversation is no longer solely about how to save the planet by cutting carbon emissions. It's becoming more about how to save ourselves from the warming planet's wild weather. It was Mayor Michael Bloomberg's announcement last week of an ambitious plan to stave off New York City's rising seas with flood gates, levees and more that brought this transition into full focus. After years of losing the fight against rising global emissions of heat-trapping gases, governments around the world are emphasizing what a U.N. Foundation scientific report calls "managing the unavoidable." It's called adaptation and it's about as sexy but as necessary as insurance, experts say. It's also a message that once was taboo among climate ac-
In March, President Barack Obama's science advisers sent him a list of recommendations on climate change. No. 1 on the list: "Focus on national preparedness for climate change." "Whether you believe climate change is real or not is beside the point," Bloomberg said in announcing his $20 billion adaptation plans. "The bottom line is: We can't run the risk." On Monday, more than three dozen other municipal officials from across the US will go public with a nationwide effort to make their cities more resilient to natural disasters and the effects of man-made global warming. "It's an insurance policy, which is investing in the future," Mayor Kevin Johnson of Sacramento, California, who is chairing the mayors' efforts, said in an interview Friday. "This is public safety. It's the long-term hazards that could impact a community." Discussions about global
National preparedness
PHOTO BY THE US NAVY
tivists such as former US Vice President Al Gore. In his 1992 book "Earth in the Balance," Gore compared talk of adapting to climate change to laziness that would distract from necessary efforts. But in his 2013 book "The Future," Gore writes bluntly: "I was wrong." He talks about how coping with rising seas and
temperatures is just as important as trying to prevent global warming by cutting emissions. Like Gore, government officials across the globe aren't saying everyone should just give up on efforts to reduce pollution. They're saying that as they work on curbing carbon emissions, they also have to deal with a reality that's already www.canadianinquirer.net
warming are happening more often in mayors' offices than in Congress. The Obama administration and local governments are coming up with thousands of eye-glazing pages of climate change adaptation plans and talking about zoning, elevation, water system infrastructure, and most of all, risk. "They can sit up there and not make any policies or changes, but we know we have to," Broward County, Florida, Mayor Kristin Jacobs said. "We know that we're going to be that first line of defense." University of Michigan professor Rosina Bierbaum is a presidential science adviser who headed the adaptation section of the administration's new National Climate Assessment. "It's quite striking how much is going on at the municipal level," Bierbaum said. "Communities have to operate in real time. Everybody is struggling with a climate that is no longer the climate of the past." ❱❱ PAGE 22 Climate talk
World News
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013 22
Climate talk... ❰❰ 21
Still, Bierbaum said, "Many of the other developed countries have gone way ahead of us in preparing for climate change. In many ways, the US may be playing catch-up." Harsh teacher
Hurricanes, smaller storms and floods have been a harsh teacher for South Florida, Jacobs said. "Each time you get walloped, you stop and scratch your head … and learn from it and make change," she said. "It helps if you've been walloped once or twice. I think it's easier to take action when everybody sees" the effect of climate change and are willing to talk about being prepared. What Bloomberg announced for New York is reasonable for a wealthy city with lots of people and lots of expensive property and infrastructure to protect, said S. Jeffress Williams, a University of Hawaii geophysicist who used to be the expert on sea level rise for the US Geological Survey. But for other coastal cities in the United States and especially elsewhere in the
poorer world, he said, "it's not so easy to adapt." Rich nations have pledged, but not yet provided, $100 billion a year to help poor nations adapt to global warming and cut their emissions. But the $20 billion cost for New York City's efforts shows the money won't go far in helping poorer cities adapt, said Brandon Wu of the nonprofit ActionAid. At UN climate talks in Germany this past week, Ronald Jumeau, a delegate from the Seychelles, said developing countries have noted the more than $50 billion in relief that US states in the Northeast got for Superstorm Sandy. Philippines in context
That's a large amount "for one storm in three states. At the same time, the Philippines was hit by its 15th storm in the same year," Jumeau said. "It puts things in context." For poorer cities in the US, what makes sense is to buy out property owners, relocate homes and businesses and convert vulnerable sea shores to parks so that when storms hit "it's not a big deal," Williams
said. "I think we'll see more and more communities make that decision largely because of the cost involved in trying to adapt to what's coming." Jacobs, the mayor from South Florida, says that either people will move "or they will rehab their homes so that they can have a higher elevation. Already, in the Keys, you see houses that are up on stilts. So is that where we're going? At some point, we're going to have to start looking at real changes." It's not just rising seas. Sacramento has to deal with devastating droughts as well as the threat of flooding. It has a levee system so delicate that only New Orleans has it worse, said Johnson, the California capital's mayor. The temperature in Sacramento was 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) this past week. After previous heat waves, cities such as Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., have come up with cooling centers and green roofs that reduce the urban heat island affect. Jacobs said cities from Miami to Virginia Beach, Virginia, are
coping with mundane efforts: changes in zoning and building codes, raising the elevation of roads and airport runways, moving and hardening infrastructure. None of it grabs headlines, but "the sexiness is … in the results," she said. For decades, scientists referenced average temperatures when they talked about global warming. Only recently have they focused intensely on extreme and costly weather, encouraged by the insurance industry which has suffered high losses, Bierbaum said. $110 billion in damage
In 2012, weather disasters— not necessarily all tied to climate change—caused $110 billion in damage to the United States, which was the second highest total since 1980, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said last week. Now officials are merging efforts by emergency managers to prepare for natural disasters with those of officials focused on climate change. That greatly lessens the political debate about human-caused global
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warming, said University of Colorado science and disaster policy professor Roger Pielke Jr. It also makes the issue more local than national or international. "If you keep the discussion focused on impacts … I think it's pretty easy to get people from all political persuasions," said Pielke, who often has clashed with environmentalists over global warming. "It's insurance. The good news is that we know insurance is going to pay off again." Describing these measures as resiliency and changing the way people talk about it make it more palatable than calling it climate change, said Hadi Dowlatabadi, a University of British Columbia climate scientist. "It's called a no-regrets strategy," Dowlatabadi said. "It's all branding." All that, experts say, is essentially taking some of the heat out of the global warming debate. ■ With reports from Seth Borenstein with Karl A. Ritter in Bonn, Germany; Jennifer Peltz in New York; and Tony Winton in Miami.
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Global Filipino at Work in Canada
23 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
BC Certification Process: Powering up with Power Engineers (Part 1 of 2) BY LIZETTE LOFRANCO-ABA NEW immigrants have always been a source of great talent for the trades, skilled work and the technical industries in Canada. However, the process of getting one’s credentials from his country of origin may not always be easy. In fact, horror stories abound of how immigrant professionals go through the eye of the needle to get into the profession where they had been in their native country, all the while painstakingly enduring survival jobs to get by daily life. While many immigrant workers and professionals come with a wealth of talent, they face a lot of hurdles to get their qualifications accepted in Canada. Most commonly pinpointed are in the area of oral English communication skills, the lack of knowledge in navigating through the credentialing process, and the credentialing process itself. However, in the midst of the much-reported—and yes, justified--claims and real-life experiences that immigrant professionals endure severe hardships, there are true-to-life stories that provide hope and inspiration. Though there are tales that bespeak of the typical new immigrant’s via dolorosa, some jut out from the common path with surprisingly successful twists. Let us take the case of two Filipino Power Engineers. John Concepcion worked in Property Maintenance at the Engineering Department of the Westin Philippine Plaza Hotel. When John arrived in Canada in May 2010, he wasted no time in getting his feet on the front steps of the Property Maintenance field. He felt that to get back to what he was doing in the Philippines where he worked as Property Maintenance Supervisor, he had to start somewhere not minding an entry level Maintenance job at the Sandman Hotel. John recalls that he was considered initially for a landscape maintenance position and while working he got exposure in Building Maintenance. While working at Sandman, John enrolled in a part-time program, Building Caretaker Certificate through the Burnaby Community and Continuing Education, completing it in 3 months attending on-ground classes twice a week. John then furthered his education by attending BCIT’s course in Power Engineering. This course although doable in six months is usually completed in one year. John was able to complete the online course in 11 months’ time. Successful completion allowed John to prepare and take the 5th Class Power Engineer exam through the
BC Safety. John successfully passed his courses and exam and achieved his BC license as 5th Class Power Engineer. Soon after that, John eventually was promoted to become the hotel’s Maintenance Manager in record time. John shares a few insights into his journey since he landed on Canadian soil. “Importante sa success ng isang immigrant yung may kilala ka sa area na gusto mong pasukan or magkaroon ka ng network.” (I consider it to be an important success factor for a new immigrant to know someone in the field he wants to go into and be able to network with others.) In John’s case, his brotherin-law who was an engineer back in the Philippines was one of his industry network contacts who provided him with tips in fast-tracking the road towards the Power Engineer field. “It’s important to have someone who is willing to help you.... I also knew of one kababayan (compatriot) who was well-experienced. He worked in Construction in Saudi Arabia and was trying to get into the trades/skilled industries. I took him in and hired him into my team. It is great to have someone walk you through the path that leads to where you want to go.” John also points to the value of going back to school. He adds that having a Canadian educational credential, no matter how short a course it might be, helps build credibility and therefore a better- looking resume for the candidate to present to would-be employers. Moreover, now that he has gotten to the field where he had been, John realizes that going back to school does pay off in the end. “Sa atin kasi, okay lang mag-remedyo. Tayong mga Pilipino marami tayong pwedeng gawing mga temporary fix kahit na sa mga building o engineering requirements. Filipino ingenuity, ‘ika nga, magaling tayo doon. Pero dito sa Canada, kailangan rin natin maintindihan na iba ang standards nila dito, at medyo mataas ang mga standards, lalo na sa safety, mas matindi. A temporary fix should not be made into a permanent fix. Yun ang value kung bakit kailangan din tayo mag-balik aral at alamin ang mahalaga para sa kanila.” (For us, it was okay to come up with remedies. We Filipinos we are able to come up with a lot of temporary fixes even in addressing building and engineering requirements. Filipino ingenuity, that’s what we’re good at. However, here in Canada, we have to realize that they have different standards, especially when it comes to safety standards. A temporary fix should be made into a permanent fix. That’s the value of why we also would need to go back and refresh our level of professional develop-
ment or education and appreciate Canadian standards.” Currently, John is Maintenance Manager/Chief Engineer at the Pinnacle Hotel at the Pier in North Vancouver as. He is currently pursuing his 4th Class Power Engineer designation. Note from the author
Power Engineers are employed in industrial and manufacturing plants, hospitals, universities, government, utilities, hotels, and other commercial establishments. Power Engineers “operate and maintain various types of boilers, pressure vessels and associated auxiliary equipment to provide heat, light, power, and other utility services for commercial, industrial, and institutional buildings and other work sites.” Average hourly wages for Power Engineers / Stationary Engineers range from
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$20 – 40, although this could go higher for some companies. For information on various classes of Power Engineering certification and finding employment in this field, please refer to: http://www.welcomebc.ca/Work/find-a-job/occupational-guides/Occupation/Stationary%28Power%29-Engineers.aspx ■ To be continued.... (Please note that the statements expressed herein are those of the author’s. They are provided for general information purposes only. This column is not intended to provide specific professional advice and should not be relied on as a basis for any legal decision. The writer is a Certified Human Resources Professional. She may be contacted at hopefortheflowers.2012@yahoo.com.)
Seen & Scenes
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013 24
Sir Joe Damasco, KGOR addressing the members of PICD, KOR, KR and Guests at the Monument of Dr. J.Rizal
Toronto Congen Juvener Mahilum West pose with the members of the different associations who attended the Philippine Independence Day Flag Raising
Philippine Independence Council members leading the parade at Queens Park, Toronto
PIDC officials and their guest take a break by reading news from Philippine Canadian Inquirer
Kababaihang Rizalista joins the celebration. L-R: Lady Zeny Zagala, Lady Rose Cruz, Prexy, Lady Estrella and guest
PITAC members take time to read Philippine Canadian Inquirer
ZETAZATE FAMILY REUNION Ms. Magdalena Zetazate (2nd from left), the matriarch of the Zetazate family in North America will lead the reunion of her children which will be held next month in New Jersey. Her children include: Romy and Tess, Albert, Linda and Claro de la Cruz, Elizabeth, Jun, Edna, Wilma, Oscar, and Rudy. Dindo Orbeso, St. Jamestown News Service
PHILIPPINES HISTORAMA RIZAL BIRTHDAY Dr. Jose Rizal’s 152nd birthday was celebrated by the Knights of Rizal, Canada Regional Council at the Earl Bales Park. Consul General Hon. Junever Mahilum-West led the wreath laying on the Rizal Monument.
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Philippines Historama, a cultural show that depicts important periods of Philippine History in short plays, songs and dances beginning 20,000 years ago to the present, held a very successful show in Victoria on June 23.
Seen & Scenes
25 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
MIGRANTE’S SUMMER SOLSTICE WITH GATES PARTICIPANTS With the longest day of the year, also called the summer solstice, still just a couple of days past, Migrante BC gathered at the Grays Park in east Vancouver to celebrate the onset of summer with the women participants in the Gabriela Transitions Experiences Survey (GATES) and the Migrante BC network of members and families, friends and solid supporters for an afternoon of good food and a good time with friends. Bernadette Laxamana of Your HomeTown Company sponsored the park event and provided the food, from noodles to spring rolls to delicious native desserts. MLA Mable Elmore of Vancouver Kensington brought lechon to everyone’s gastronomic delight. Information on the GATES research can be found at www.migrantebc.com . See also the GATES Face book page: http://www.facebook.com/gatescanada
▲ Leticia Sarmiento shares her story of human trafficking ▼ MLA Elmore with former caregivers & GATES participants
▲ MyHomeTown’s Bernadette Laxamana, Sponsor of Summer Solstice event ▼ Migrante group photo
GATES participants
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Filipino-Canadian in Focus
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013 26
FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS
Marco Delgado BY MELISSA REMULLABRIONES Philippine Canadian Inquirer MARCO DELGADO has a legacy to Philippine Christendom that not very many people know about. It started with passion, and a mission. Ambassador Antonio C. Delgado, Marco's grandfather and the First Philippine Ambassador to the Vatican, made it his personal advocacy to have a Filipino saint canonized. This became a reality with the beatification in 1981 and canonization in 1987 of San Lorenzo Ruiz. An issue came up, however, when the sculptor started work on the likeness— whose face? It was then that Marco's grandmother took out a picture of the boy Marco (who was then living with them) and thus, immortalized him as the face of the patron saint of the Philippines, the Filipinos and interestingly, the Overseas Filipino Workers. More passion, more mission
Although he had deep roots in Vancouver, Paris, New York and Japan, Marco is all Filipino. “I think I credit that to my mother, Mercedes Prieto. She raised my sister Karla and myself to be very Filipino, to be very nationalistic and proud of our heritage. But I can also credit my grandmother and my grandfather. Although they were international and they lived in Rome and travelled the world, they were all about God
and country. Growing up with them and growing up with the influence of my mother, it was very clear that no matter where I am, whether it's Canada or Europe or the States, that's secondary to what I am, which is being Filipino.” In fact, at age 13, he was the first Filipino and the only Filipino student at St. George's School for Boys in Vancouver, and he did not mind. What struck him, however, in this experience and his other experiences abroad was his discovery that “we're all equal; every person is not more special than the other.” His idealism nurtured (by family, by school, by life), Marco found as his truth that he needed to believe in himself and in what he does. Idealism
It was this idealism—the desire to make a difference—that led him to wind turbines, his current business. It started with a phone call and a decision to go back to Vancouver. Marco said, “My wife and I decided that we wanted to raise [our children] where we felt comfortable, where we felt that the values that we held dear were ingrained as a part of people's living. That's why we chose Vancouver. We thought that it was a wholesome place to raise a family.” Upon arriving, he got in touch with his old friends from St. George's and one of them, Peter Schriber, who had a wind farm business in Alberta, invited him for a meeting. The rest, as they say, is history.
Jampy Flores, Marco Delgado and Alan Yong
Marco with his mother and sisters at their restaurant across Malacañang Palace, Casa Roces, an old ancestral home of the Roces clan that Marco’s mother converted to a restaurant serving family recipes and other favourites.
“When I joined him at Energy Logics, we grew that business from a small 10 MW wind farm in Alberta to over 1,000 MW in Alberta-Montana. I convinced that company to invest in the Philippines. I wanted to do that because it gets me back to the same ideals. There was an opportunity in the Philippines to develop a renewable project because there was none. There was the one wind farm that is in Ilocos but I just found that this is a way I can contribute. So this Canadian company eventually was sold to a Spanish group but I ended up with the whole Philippine project. That's how I ended up in wind power in the Philippines.” Energy Logics Philippines is currently working with the big boys in the Philippines—Meralco, the Department of Energy, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Energy Regulatory Commission. Marco thinks that in general, his participation in the power sector in the Philippines is welcomed by the private sector and the government. He says, “[We are] providing energy security so that we're not dependent on oil and diesel. I firmly believe that I'm doing something that's not only good for the environment but good for the Philippines.” Marco's group even flew the Commissioner of the California Electricity Cooperative to the Philippines to help educate the lawmakers and the public on the benefits of renewable energy. “I think part of what I do is all about education and educating the public, educating the politicians, educating the leaders that there is a place for renewable energy and there's a value www.canadianinquirer.net
in having renewable energy in their portfolio, the country, in their departments,” he adds. Within seven years, Energy Logics plans to put up wind farms that can generate a total 420 MW, and a solar power portfolio that can produce more than 250 MW in additional capacity. The proposed projects may require $1.8 billion in investments. Advice to entrepreneurs
Marco shares an important lesson he learned from working for the then Chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Richard “Dick” Gordon. “He [Dick Gordon] taught us so many things—being strong and believing in what you do, but also not being intimidated by money or politics or these big names in business and politics, and to just do it.” Marco has one of those 'big names' in the business world. He acknowledges that it afforded him a privileged upbringing, but despite this, he knows hard work and its value. “My grandfather, my grandmother, my father, my mother... all of them taught me so many things about work and about the value of working.” He confesses, “You know, not once did I ever feel that I could sit back and relax and receive money. Sometimes I wish that I did,” he said in jest, “but we were never given anything that we wanted. We were always given perhaps a safety net—we knew that our health and our education will be taken care of, but none of us were ever given fancy cars, or a lot of money. Nothing came free and we had to work for what we have.” He tells entrepreneurs: “Valuing what money can get you in terms of your business
idea is very important not just from an individual standpoint. I think it is really important to think about saving and to build up your savings so that you can invest. It is actually much simpler than what many people think. I think it should be a habit for every Filipino who earns any form of salary, that even of the simplest of jobs, as long as you are able to provide for what you need, there's no need to go into buying so much of what you want.” Needs and wants are delineated concepts for Marco. “Putting the difference of what you need and what you want into the bank allows individuals to be enterprising. And I think Filipinos are very enterprising. It's a natural inclination for Filipinos to want to do a business, whether it's a corner sari-sari store, or an ice cream cart. There's always an enterprising individual there. That's a good start.” His final advice, “As an entrepreneur you need to be resilient. There's a lot of setbacks all the time. But don't be afraid to dream great and to pursue your passion. I think passion is important in any profession but especially as entrepreneurs, you need to believe in what you do, you need to believe in yourself.” ■ The Philippine Canadian Inquirer turns its focus on Filipino-Canadian entrepreneurs, top honchos, connectors, community leaders and movers and shakers who are willing to mentor fellow Filipinos in a series of entrepreneurship workshops to culminate in “The Philippine Canadian Inquirer” Appreciation and Awards Night and Gala. If you have someone in mind who fits the bill, please e-mail editor@canadianinquirer.net.
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FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
28
Canada Day
What’s golden, sticky-sweet and Canadian all-over? Maple syrup, of course. BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer A STACK of fluffy buttermilk pancakes; topped with crispy strips of bacon and a slab of butter; loaded with thick, rich, golden Canadian maple syrup. I am convinced that there is nothing that this hedonistically delicious combo cannot resolve. Whether satisfying a midnight-craving; appeasing a tummy-rumbling; providing a dose of blues-combating comfort; perhaps even solving world-peace issues: all within its infinite power. Ok so maybe the last one IS a bit of a stretch. Then again, who knows? Imagine my delight to have recently been gifted with a large glass bottle of pure maple syrup, as Canadian as they come?!? None of the stuff with labels that read “REAL Maple Syrup flavor.” In tiny letters. The dreaded fine print. No siree. This was the real, delicious deal; with all the luxurious self-indulgence and none of the sinful decadence. Real maple syrup, as it turns out, is not only good, it is good for you. Time to geek-out a bit on a treat I have always loved. Barking up the right tree
Maple syrup is derived mainly from the sap of any of six species of Sugar Maple or Hard Maple (scientifically, acer saccarum) trees. Other commonly used maples are the Red Maple (acer rubrum or Swamp Maple), the Silver Maple (or Soft Maple) and the Ash-Leafed Maple (or Box Elder). Sugar Maple trees provide the highest quality sap, containing approximately 2% sugar. Saps from other varieties contain half to two-thirds as much, and the syrup made from their saps
is darker and less flavorful. Although commonly found in several areas of the world, Sugar Maples need a specific climactic environment for maple sugaring; the most conducive of which are parts of southern Ontario, Quebec, the Maritimes in Canada, the New England States in the USA, and ten other states reaching as far west as Wisconsin and Minnesota. Sugar Maples can grow up to 100 feet tall, and take up to 40 years before they are ideal for sapping. A sappy story
For hundreds of years now, the production of real maple syrup has remained essentially the same. Sap from the Sugar Maple tree is carefully and painstakingly collected, drop by drop. On a warm, spring day, Sugar Maples can yield up to 12 quarts (litres) of sap, and can continue to do so for 100 years. The maple sugaring season lasts for roughly 6 weeks starting early spring (March-April), with the average output of each tree being between 35 and 50 quarts (litres) of sap; a yield which will produce between 1 and 1.5 quarts (litres) of Pure Maple Syrup. The process is not easy, neither is it instant: the sap must first be collected, filtered and then carefully distilled and super-heated. This ensures the highest possible quality of completely natural, totally pure syrup. No fine print. No additives. No nasty chemicals or preservatives. Just wonderfully yummy,
into buckets. Then they would either throw hot stones in the bucket, or allow the sap to sit overnight, as a means of increasing its concentration. Native Americans consumed the sap as a sweet drink, or use it in cooking, curing their meats with the sticky substance. Maple syrup-cured meats are enjoyed by many, to this day. Later on, the Native Americans passed their discovery on to French and English settlers. The production process was further refined with the introduction of iron and copper kettles for boiling the sap into syrup. The heating process remains an important part to the technology, as – which may come as a surprise – fresh maple sap is thin, colorless, and hard sweet. The distinctive maple taste and golden color we all know and love (at least I do) are achieved only through boiling. Sweet surprises
healthy-for-you, liquid gold. Sticky beginnings
It is widely believed that maple syrup has its origins in Native American history. Members of the Algonquin tribe called their discovery 'sinzibuckwud', literally, 'drawn from wood', and consumed the sap as a source of energy and nutrition. With the use of their tomahawks, they would first cut Vshaped incisions in the trees. Then they would collect the sap by inserting reeds or concave pieces of bark into the tree, and wait for it to trickle down
Though Maple Syrup has about the same caloric content as white cane sugar (50 cal/tbsp), it is by far more beneficial for you. It contains high amounts of potassium (35 mg/tbsp), calcium (21 mg/tbsp), small amounts of iron and phosphorus, and trace amounts of Bvitamins. Plus, it has a low sodium content of a mere 2 mg/tbsp. Aside from its natural sucrose content (3%-5%, of its total solids) the sap is rich in organic acids (mostly malic acid) and minerals (mostly potassium and calcium). It also contains phenoliccompounds (responsible for its aroma), and trace
amounts of amino compounds and vitamins. The spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down, as it were, is beneficial in its own right. Long as it’s maple sugar in the spoon. Just desserts (and beyond)
Maple syrup is the perfect ingredient to give your desserts the love they deserve. Then, they can love you right back. Pancakes, waffles, muffins, and other baked goodies are made a whole lot more lip-smacking with a generous dollop of maple syrup. But it is also fruit and beverage friendly, proving the ideal sweetener atop fresh fruit salads, in a cup of piping-hot tea, or in a pitcher of ice-cold freshly-squeezed juice. Proving its versatility, Maple syrup is the perfect match for savoury dishes, as well; adding that robust “oomph” to baked beans, glazed vegetables and cured meats. And, as earlier mentioned, it may just help pave the way to world-peace. ■
29 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
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Canada Day
Canada at 146! ❰❰ 1
Check out these events, activities, and destinations to celebrate Canada with in your area: PARLIAMENT HILL
• 9 a.m. — Changing of the Guard Ceremony • 9:30 a.m. — Flag Raising Ceremony • 10 a.m.— Carillon Concert • Noon to 1:30 p.m. — Canada Day Noon Show (Broadcast Live) • 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. — Various Street Performers • 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. — Canada Day Evening Show (Broadcast Live) • 10 p.m. — President’s Choice® Canada Day Fireworks VANCOUVER
Granville Island What: Granville Island’s huge Canada Day celebration includes a Parade, a Truly Canadian Pancake Breakfast, an official Canada Day Ceremony, live jazz, performers, and MELA!, a South Asian cultural fair.
When: 8 a.m. to midnight Canada Place - Waterfront Party & Canada Day Parade What: Canada Place hosts Downtown Vancouver’s biggest Canada Day celebration with a Waterfront Party that includes live music and entertainment on three stages, followed by the annual Canada Day Parade. It also co-produces the Burrard Inlet Fireworks. When: Waterfront Party: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; parade starts at 7 p.m. Burrard Inlet Fireworks Show What: Cap off your Canada Day celebrations with this pyrotechnic extravaganza! Happening in Burrard Inlet, the 5th annual Fireworks Show will be visible from Downtown, West Vancouver, North Vancouver, and Vancouver’s west side. When: 10:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Steveston Salmon Festival What: Steveston, Richmond’s historic fishing village, attracts over 70,000 visitors to its joint Canada Day and Steveston Salmon Festival. The festival includes a parade, craft shows, cultural events, and Steveston’s famous salmon barbecue, where over 1200 pounds of wild salmon filets are grilled over
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013 30
open fire pits. When: 6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Cloverdale Millennium Amphitheatre, Surrey What: OK, this one is not actually in Vancouver....But it has to go on this list because Surrey’s Canada Day celebration is both the biggest Canada Day event in western Canada and one of the biggest outdoor concerts in B.C. And it’s all FREE! The Fruiticana Fireworks Spectacular follows the concert. When: 10 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. EDMONTON
Fireworks Finale What: Enjoy the magnificent fireworks display over Edmonton’s river valley parks and the North Saskatchewan River. When: 11 p.m. City Hall & Plaza What: Show off your Canadian pride by celebrating our nation’s birthday with free Canada Day activities at City Hall. When: 1 to 4 p.m. Muttart Conservatory When: Noon to 4 p.m. Fort Edmonton Park When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mill Woods
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When: 1 to 11 p.m. Boyle McCauley What: Boyle Street Community League BBQ When: Noon to 2 p.m. Heritage Chinatown Night Market When: 4 to 9 p.m. Borden Park When: Noon to 4 p.m. Alberta Legislature When: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Art Gallery of Alberta When: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. TORONTO
Mel Lastman Square, North York • 5 p.m.—dance performances and arts and crafts activities for children • 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.—aerial acrobats • 8 p.m.—performance by the Aboriginal pop group She King • 9:15 p.m.—performance by two-time Juno-Award winner Derek Miller • 10:15 p.m.—fireworks show CALGARY
Prince’s Island Park When: 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Stephen Avenue Art Walk (10 AM - 5 PM)
What: Local artists will be displaying their paintings, photography, carving, pottery and more. Fireworks at 10:45 p.m. When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. RiverWalk (11 AM - 11 PM) When: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Calgary Eats (12 - 5 PM) What: Riverfront Avenue will be transformed into a unique food hub. When: Noon to 5 p.m. Olympic Plaza Pow Wow (1 - 5 PM) What: Vibrant Aboriginal culture will be showcased. When: 1 to 5 p.m. Fort Calgary (9 AM - 4 PM) What: Classic Car Show & Shine; pancakes, live entertainment, ponies and more! When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. WINNIPEG
Lower Fort Garry What: Come celebrate Canada’s birthday and national historic sites by exploring Lower Fort Garry’s rich history. Oak Hammock Marsh What: Celebrate Canada day at the Marsh. Bring the family for an exciting day of outdoor fun, face painting, and crafts. When: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Canada Day
31 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
Eh?
The basics, the off-beat, the did-you-know? about Canada.
BY APRIL SESCON Philippine Canadian Inquirer FAST FACTS
• Canada is the second largest country in the world after Russia. • “A Mari Usque ad Mare,” the official Canadian motto, translates to “from sea to sea.” • The Maple Leaf (l'Unifolié) came to be the national flag only 48 years ago, on February 15, 1965. Prior to that, the Canadian Red Ensign with the British flag at the top left corner was on flagpoles across the country. • Canada has two official languages: English and French. The English-speaking (Anglophones) and French-speaking (Francophones) have a long and conflicted history. ODD TRIVIA Iceberg for your skin
• Canada harvests icebergs on the coast of Labrador and Newfoundland. Massive chunks of ice break off of the glaciers in Greenland and float down to the coast’s “Iceberg Alley.” Resourceful residents hack away at the ice
to turn it into beer, wine, vodka, and even a skincare line that uses iceberg water. (Iceberg water, it seems, is almost at the same pH level as skin—it’s less “dehydrating” than mineral water). Welcome, aliens
• In 1967, a UFO Landing Pad was mounted in St. Paul, Alberta. No less than the Minister of National Defence inaugurated the pad by landing in a helicopter. A bathtub race
• For reasons best known (or kept) to themselves, Nanaimo City in Vancouver hosts an annual Bathtub Race. It began in 1967. Two hundred “tubbers” fought for the finish line along a course 36 miles long. Fortyeight made it. To date, they hold the race on the last weekend of July. Say cheese!
• Canada loves its cheese. 350,000 tons of at least 32 varieties of cheese were produced in Canada in 1997, and each person ate an average of 23.4 pounds that same year.
HOH OHO
• Canada Post answers kids’ letters to Santa. To date, they've replied to more than one million letters in at least 30 languages, including Braille. The postal code: HOH OHO. CANADA CULTURE
IN
POPULAR
Justin Bieber; Neil Young. Pamela Anderson; Christopher Plummer. Sci-fi scribe Robert James Sawyer; literary icon Anne Carson. Comic book artist Brian Lee O’Malley; the painter, Agnes Martin. Canada has faces known in film, TV, music and the arts. But here, perhaps, is the most famous of all—a bear called “Winnie,” one who lived on in the hearts of children (and children-at-heart) everywhere. Winnie the black bear was bought from a hunter by one Lt. Harry Colebourn during World War I. He named her after his hometown—Winnipeg. Colebourn and troops were on their way to Europe and this bear became their mascot, albeit unofficial. She was loaned to the
London Zoo. There, she was befriended by one Christopher Robin Milne. The rest was history: Christopher Robin became THAT “Christopher Robin.” He named his teddy bear after Winnie, and dad A.A. Milne immortalized him, Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Owl, Rabbit, and the denizens of the Hundred Acre Wood in children’s literature. STRANGE TOWN NAMES
Canada is in no shortage of “Welcome to—” signs worthy of a double-take. Among the strangest in North America: • Balls Falls, Ontario – a waterfall region in southern Ontario. The scenery’s beautiful, according to all reports. • Crotch Lake, Ontario – another testament to how Ontario seems rather keen on the nether regions. • Swastika, Ontario – The swastika is in fact a symbol that means “to be good.” Its origins lie in Indian religions like Buddhism and Hinduism, which still use the swastika to date. Swastika the town insists that the town assumed this name
long before its association to Nazism. According to residents, the Ontario Department of Highways used to erect new signs that the residents would tear down at night: they're sticking with "Swastika." • Dildo, Newfoundland – No one knows how or why it took on this name. While residents have petitioned to change the name (as did another Newfoundland town formerly called Gayside, and another called Silly Cove), others yet are fighting to keep “Dildo” on the welcome sign (among them a white-haired old man, Lloyd George—a rather dignified man, he is—whose family has lived in Dildo for three generations). • Saint-Louis-Du-Ha!-Ha!, Quebec – a parish municipality near Lake Témiscouata. The name comes from an old French expression of surprise—as in, “Ha! Ha!” or “Haha!”, exclaimed upon encountering a dead end— in this case, the lake. ■ Sources: RandomHistory.com, Reader’s Digest Canada, The Hour, Wikipedia
Superman: Not as ALL-American as you think BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer UP in the sky, look: It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman! Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound…everyone and their grandmother knows that about the all-time favorite, caped-crusading, justice-defending icon from DC Comics. But this all-American super dude has Canadian connections of which most of us were probably unaware. That’s right. The Man of Steel is part Krytonian (Kal-El), part earthling (Clark Kent), and – as his early inceptions would have it – part of the rare species we call Canadian (Eh?!?) Here are some of Superman’s connections to the Great White North; The Land of “Owt and Abowt”: 1. The Superman character was co-created by Canadian artist Joseph Shuster. Born in Toronto, Shuster spent some of his childhood years peddling The Daily Star newspaper in the heart of the city in the 1920s. The young
boy’s fertile mind quickly became lost within the comic pages of the daily; and these pages provided the seeds which eventually grew to become Superman. The character was eventually created in 1935 by Shuster and his friend, American writer Jerry Siegel. 2. In a rare press interview before his passing in 1992, Shuster told The Star that Superman’s Metropolis was, in fact modeled on downtown Toronto, particularly the old Star building on King St. W. 3. The paper in the original comic, which made its public debut in 1938, was called The Daily Star, Shuster’s homage to the influence the Toronto daily had on him in his formative years. In 1940, under a New York editor’s directive, the paper was renamed The Daily Planet. 4. Actress Margot Kidder, who played Lois Lane to Christopher Reeve’s Superman in four movies from 1978 -1987, was born in Yellowknife, in Canada’s Northwest Territories. 5. Robert Beatty, who was born in Ontario, played a tanker captain in Superman III, and the U.S. president in “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace”; while
Glenn Ford, who was born in Quebec, played Jonathan Kent in the 1978 “Superman” movie. 6. Most of the city scenes in the movie “Superman III” were filmed in Calgary, Alberta; while the fictional town of Smallville, Kansas—including the Kent house—in “Superman III” was set in High River, a small town in southwestern Alberta. 7. Several actors on the longrunning Superman TV Series, “Smallville” are Canadian: Kristin Kreuk (Lana Lang) was born in Vancouver; Erica Durance (Lois Lane) was born in Alberta; while Aaron Ashmore (Jimmy Olsen) is a native of Richmond, B.C. 8. “Smallville” the series was filmed in British Columbia. 9. Numerous Canadian comic book artists, pencillers and illustrators have worked on Superman projects. The list includes Tom Grummett of Saskatoon, Stuart Immonen of Toronto, and Denis Rodier of Quebec. 10. Winnepeg folk-alternative rock band Crash Test Dummies’ overwhelmingly popular hit was the 1991 single, “Superman’s Song,” which earned the band the Juno Award www.canadianinquirer.net for Group of the Year. ■
PHOTO FROM DC COMICS
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
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Entertainment
FOR YOUR ENTERTAINMENT, CANADA!
Tarlington Training Showcase 2013: A Resounding Hit! BY BABES NEWLAND babescastronewland@ gmail.com
What does Emily Perkins (Fantastic Four, X-Files,Stephen King’s IT, Twilight Zone), Nicole Leduc (Supernatural, Kyle XY, Supernatural), Emily Hill (These Arms of Mine, Sight Unseen, Millennium), Aliza Vellani (Little Mosque on the Prairie, The Cult, The Troop), Gig Morton (Mr Young, The Haunting Hour, Flashpoint, Supernatural, Smallville), Genevieve Buechner (Caprica, Supernatural, The 4400), Britt Irvin (V, Smallville, Growin’ up diff’rent, Quarantine, Angels in the Infield) and Tyler Johnston (Flashpoint, Smallville, Supernatural) have in common? They all are alumni of Tarlington acting school of British Columbia. It is Canada’s Premier Professional Actor Training School for Youth. In stage acting, it’s the action, not the acting that really gets reviewed. Such was not the case for me after witnessing this year’s culmination of Tarlington Training Showcase staged at The Cultch Vancouver Theatre on June 11th. It was a packed audience of families, friends,
talent scouts/agents and other industry luminaries who all gave their two thumbs affirmation to all of the 65 aspiring young actors who strutted their stuff to provide convincing performances that night. And each year, dozens of young people between the ages of 10 and 17 audition for one of the spots available in the acting school’s Professional Showcase Program. One of the anointed ones who landed himself (after passing rigorous training and interview) a plum role in this year’s Junior & Senior Masters was 11-year old Filipino-Canadian Ralph “Rayne” Lazaro. Diminutive Rayne’s depiction of a child who pretended being an adult to get him into setting a blind date with his ultimate “crush”-- a girl of about 5 years his senior, was truly credible and amusing. His dialogue delivery seemed effortless. Rayne’s stage blocking and role substantiation was seamless. I couldn’t contain my own elation over this young boy. After all, he was at one time under my own tutelage in singing and stage performing for television. What a joy watching the Showcase! BC is lucky to have Tarlington Professional Acting School that offers classes and workshops to working and aspiring young actors. Tarlington Training is a proud partner of the Delta School District Acting Academy. ■
PHOTO BY BRIDE AND BREAKFAST ON FACEBOOK
How did Maricar Reyes get her stunning look on her wedding? BY KATHERINE MARFAL TEVES Philippine Canadian Inquirer MARICAR REYES made a beautiful bride. The actress married singer-songwriter Richard Poon earlier this month. The couple had an intimate Christian wedding. The makeup artist who made her glow was Mickey See, known also for his handiwork on Priscilla Meirelles, Jolina Magdangal and Kristine Hermosa on their respective wedding days. This was Style Factor’s exclusive interview with Mickey See. Mickey says that he abided by the look that Maricar herself wanted on her special day. The commercial model-turnedactress preferred a fresh and blooming look.
Mickey chose flesh tones and pink shades to complement the bride’s fair skin tone. He used airbrushing for the base. Airbrushing refers to the method of applying foundation toward a flawless finish. Unlike traditional foundations, airbrushing makes the flawlessness look natural. Mickey adds that Maricar didn’t want her makeup too dramatic. He also used false eyelashes with fine hair for a more natural look. He applied eyeliner on the upper and lower lash line, and followed the arch of the actress’ eyebrows with a light taupe shade. The bride looked stunning with peach blush on the apple of her cheeks, highlighting the cheek bones. And for the final touch, Mickey mixed shades of beige, nude and pink for a pouty and rosy finish on the lips. ■
Instagram photo shows James Yap with a blonde girl
Ralph “Rayne” Lazaro (middle) with the other actors of the Tarlington Professional Acting School
MANILA, Philippines—Another girl is now linked to Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) superstar James Yap. A photo posted on Instagram by Yap, showing him and a blonde girl together, has elicited rumors that the girl is the cager’s new girlfriend. On his Twitter account, Yap “tagged” the photo with #italy and #niceview. Meanwhile, his estranged partner Kris Aquino wondered where he was on
Sunday—she was expecting the 31-yearold to pick up their son, James “Bimby” Yap Jr., in time for Father’s Day. In 2010, Yap and Aquino went through a highly-publicized breakup. The popular actress and TV host accused her exhusband of chasing skirts. After a rough custody fight, Yap was allowed by a Makati trial court to visit his son regularly, but he was still prohibited from going within 100 meters near Aquino. ■
Entertainment
33 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
Same fest, same stars MMFF this year has no ‘Enteng,’ ‘Shake,’ ‘Panday’... but check out all the familiar names BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer NOT EVEN the monsoon rains could stop the 39th Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) from making its top eight film choices, said Francis Tolentino, chair of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, which spearheads the annual event. Still, the announcement was delayed by three hours last Tuesday because Tolentino was called to an emergency meeting in Malacañang. Deluged
Alluding to the inclement weather, Tolentino said the MMFF had proven that the industry was “deluged with talent,” as illustrated by the selected films: Joyce Bernal’s action-drama “10,000 Hours” (starring Robin Padilla); Francis Villacorta’s religioushistorical drama “San Pedro Calungsod, Batang Martir” (JM de Guzman); Wenn Deramas’ comedy “Boy, Girl, Bakla, Tomboy” (Vice Ganda, Maricel Soriano); Jeffrey Jeturian’s romantic-comedy “Be Careful With My Heart” (Jodi Sta. Maria, Richard Yap); Frasco Mortiz’s thriller “Pagpag” (Kathryn Bernardo, Daniel Padilla); Chris Martinez’s comedy “Kimmy Dora: Prequel” (Eugene Domingo, Piolo Pascual); DonDon Santos’ action-fantasy “My Super Kap” (Ramon “Bong”
Revilla Jr., Toni Gonzaga); and Bernal’s comedy-drama “Torky and My Little Bossing” (Vic Sotto, Kris Aquino). No franchises
Noticeably absent are festival franchises like “Enteng Kabisote,” “Ang Panday” and “Shake, Rattle & Roll.” Tolentino said it was the producers’ decision to “expand” the fest this year, genre-wise. Even so, the franchises’ stars Sotto and Revilla; plus Aquino and Vice Ganda (who top-billed last year’s top-grosser “Sisterakas”), have entries. Missing from the lineup are Jeorge Ejercito’s true-life epics. In the last two years, Ejercito fielded film-bios of controversial figures like Asiong Salonga and Emilio Aguinaldo. This year, Ejercito’s mob drama “Boy Golden” failed to make the grade. Diversity
Tim Orbos, screening committee chair, said organizers had a hard time trimming the list of entries. Alu Dorotan, secretariat head, added that the MMFF made sure regulations were followed, to ensure diversity. “We can have only two films per genre; an actor can top-bill just one film; a filmmaker can direct only one movie.” Thus, director Bernal, who is attached to two films (“10,000 Hours” and “Torky”) will have to give up one, said Dominic Du, screening committee member. ■
PHOTO FROM OFFICIAL FACEBOOK
‘SAS’ no copycat, says GMA exec BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer THE new GMA7 variety show “Sunday All Stars” is not a copycat of the 1980s talent search program “That’s Entertainment,” says network vice president for Entertainment TV Marivin Arayata. Arayata admits, though, that “That’s Entertainment” producer German Moreno is one of the consultants of the show. “He was very pleased to see the well-rehearsed production numbers when he watched the program live last weekend,” Arayata tells the Philippine Daily Inquirer. In the new Kapuso show, which premiered June 16, the mainstays are divided into four groups, each with a leader. The groups will perform one production number each week. Talent showcase
Reformed “bad boy” Robin Padilla stars in “10,000 Hours” by director Joyce Bernal, set to screen in the 39th Metro Manila Film Festival. PHOTO FROM OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE
Unlike “That’s Entertainment,” Arayata says, the new program features four judges— Ogie Alcasid, Regine Velasquez, Janno Gibbs and Jaya—who choose the group that delivers the best performance for the week. Also known as “Big Four,” the judges’ votes account for www.canadianinquirer.net
60 percent of a group’s score. Viewers’ SMS votes account for 20 percent; online votes, the remaining 20 percent. Arayata says the production numbers are designed to showcase the performers’ talents as a group, and then as individuals. “Four new team leaders will be picked each month,” she adds. For June, the groups are led by Mark Bautista, Jolina Magdangal, Christian Bautista and Jennylyn Mercado. “Each team has its own writer, stylists, choreographer and dancers. Members are allowed to invite guest performers. Jennylyn’s group got Andre Paras and Sonny Parsons to join them,” Arayata notes. Last week’s winner was Mercado’s team, composed of Andrea Torres, Max Collins, Rocco Nacino, Maricris Garcia, Sef Cadayona, Yassi Pressman, Julie Anne San Jose and Ruru Madrid, along with the Sexbomb Dancers. Their number was inspired by the Filipino rock group Hagibis. Mark’s group performed a number that featured contemporary songs. His team included Barbie Forteza, Rachelle Ann Go, Derrick Monasterio, Mark Herras, Rochelle Pangilinan, Frencheska Farr, Rita de Guzman, Denise Barbacena,
Kylie Padilla and the Mxmvmnt Dancers. Magdangal’s team, composed of Aljur Abrenica, Kris Bernal, Sam Pinto, Alden Richards, Louise de los Reyes, Enzo Pineda, Jonalyn Viray, Kris Lawrence, Diva Montelaba and the Addlib Dance Crew, did various interpretations of the Parokya ni Edgar novelty song “Mr. Suave.” Christian and his group mates Glaiza de Castro, Solenn Heussaff, Bea Binene, Jay-R, Aicelle Santos, Kristoffer Martin, Winwyn Marquez, Julian Trono and the MNVRS Dancers did an all-OPM (Original Pilipino Music) presentation. Fears allayed
“The leaders were apprehensive when they were first told about the plans for the show two weeks before its launch,” recalls program manager Ruth Marinas. “They were understandably worried about not being good enough to lead their teams. But after we assured them of our support, they embraced the idea.” Marinas describes Mark as a leader who’s “very open,” Magdangal as “very hands-on,” Christian as “strict but very encouraging” and Jennylyn as the quiet type but with “wild and nontraditional” ideas. ■
Entertainment
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013 34
Judge in Ai-Ai delas Alas case issues gag order BY JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA, Philippines—A Quezon City court on Wednesday ordered comedienne Ai-Ai delas Alas and her estranged husband businessman Jed Alvin Salang to refrain from making any public comments on a case involving the two of them. Both parties immediately complied with the order of Judge Roslyn RabaraTria of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court’s Branch 94, replying “No comment” and “Gag order” to questions from reporters asking them what happened during Wednesday’s court hearing of a charge of violation of the anti-violence against women and their children act of 2004 filed by Delas Alas against Salang and a a permanent protection order (PPO) sought by the actress. Tria had issued last month a temporary protection order against the car dealer after Delas Alas filed on May 24 a petition seeking to prevent Salang from coming within 100 meters of her, members of her family as well as staff and
other household members. The court order also prohibits any form of communication by Salang through text messages, phone calls, or e-mails with Delas Alas, who made the request for the TPO on the claim that she was afraid of what her estranged husband might do to her and members of her household. The comedienne had included in her petition a prohibition on Salang discussing their previous relationship, including their short-lived marriage, in the media and on the Internet. The TPO was for 30 days only but would automatically be renewed after it lapses if the judge hasn’t yet resolved the petition by then. Delas Alas alleged in her complaint that she was subjected to physical abuse by Salang on several instances before and after they were married. The couple got married on April 3 at a civil wedding in Las Vegas, Nevada, and separated on May 2. Delas Alas claimed she ended their marriage following a violent fight with Salang over where to celebrate their first “monthsary.” ■
PHOTO BY THE CABLE SHOW
Jennifer Lopez gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame: 'I cried like almost 15 thousand times' BY MARCELA ISAZA The Associated Press LOS ANGELES, Calif.—"Jenny from the Block" has a spot on the most famous block of all—the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Jennifer Lopez received the 2,500th star Thursday surrounded by her boyfriend Casper Smart, her 5-year-old twins Max and Emme, and friends including Jane Fonda, Keenen Ivory Wayans and "Selena" director Gregory Nava. "I cried like almost 15 thousand times," she said afterward. "It was so crazy. But I kept promising everybody I wasn't going to cry and they were like, 'Cry!' 'You're not helping!' But it was an amazing moment." Lopez relished the chance to "kind of
walk down memory lane" with Wayans— "he's the reason I moved to Los Angeles because I got that job as a fly girl"—and Nava, who put her in her first movie. "You realize you've been at this for a long time and you've been fighting and getting it," she said. "It's a real kind of landmark day for me and I am just glad my family was here to share it with me." Just don't ask Max and Emme what the fuss was all about. "I just told them, 'Mommy is getting a star today,'" said Lopez. "They don't really know what that means but they were great." A committee selects celebrities eligible for a star and those who accept pay $30,000 in costs and fees. "For a romantic like me, it's forever and I believe in that. I believe in forever. It's a good day," Lopez said. ■
3 Easy Beauty Tips from Angel Aquino BY KATHERINE MARFAL TEVES Philippine Canadian Inquirer DO YOU want to look young in your 40s? Angel Aquino model, award-winning actress, and one of the ageless-looking ladies in Philippine showbiz has some wisdom to share. Here are three fundamental tips from the dusky-skinned beauty: 1. Keep yourself hydrated. If you need to be up and about for 14 hours, drink at least 14 glasses of water. She suggests drinking water slowly—not gulping it down. Water removes toxins from your system. www.canadianinquirer.net
2. Use aloe vera on your face. It’s nature’s most powerful moisturizer. 3. Rub coffee granules on your elbows and knees to make them lighter and softer. ■
Entertainment
35 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
Brad Pitt on his big gamble to build a better blockbuster with 'World War Z' BY JAKE COYLE The Associated Press NEW YORK, N.Y.—Brad Pitt wanted to build a better blockbuster. During the years Hollywood shifted toward increasingly bigger spectacles and superhero tentpoles, one of the movies’ biggest stars largely stayed on the sidelines, focusing instead on ambitious ensembles (“The Tree of Life,” ‘‘Inglourious Basterds”) and unlikely dramas (“Moneyball”). But the zombie apocalypse “World War Z” is Pitt’s bold, long-gestating, big-budget effort to enter the franchise fray. It’s his attempt to engineer not just a disaster thrill ride like 1974’s “The Towering Inferno” (a beloved film to Pitt, who saw it repeatedly as a kid growing up in Missouri), but to make a thought-provoking action flick filled with geopolitical questions. It’s been a humbling crusade. “These films are much more difficult than I realized,” Pitt said in a recent interview over coffee at a restaurant off Times Square. Based on the 2006 sci-fi novel “World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War” by Max Brooks (son of Mel), the $200 million-plus film has had a rocky path to theatres. It’s gone through a swarm of screenwriters, several key crew changes,
a postponed release date and, most notably, a reshot ending. But most moviegoers that make it to the film—far from the flop many predicted—will likely wonder what all the fuss was about. As Pitt’s producing partner Dede Gardner points out, no one ever says: “Honey, let’s go to this movie this Friday. I swear it was on-budget and on-schedule.” The reviews have largely been positive for “World War Z,” a riveting, brisk thriller with a refreshingly—and, for summer movies, atypically—human protagonist who relies purely on his intellect and experience as he shuttles around the world trying to solve the zombie pandemic that’s engulfed most of the planet. Pitt’s former United Nations investigator has no superpowers, no gun, and as Pitt says, “can’t even run that fast.” It may sound paradoxical, but though “World War Z” is awash with gruesome hordes of snarling zombies, it is—alongside Superman and Godzilla-sized sea monsters—one of the most human-scaled blockbusters of the summer. While Hollywood awaits the film’s box office performance with bated breath, Pitt is confident. He’s shaped the film as a producer since his production company, Plan B, acquired the book rights in 2006. “I know it works,” the 49-year-old actor says. “I know everyone involved is going to
be happy. It’s just a question of how happy. We’re proud of it. When you get involved with a film like this at this scale, at this cost, there’s more responsibility to meet that number immediately.” Not unlike his character, Pitt has been flying around the world to promote “World War Z.” He spent Father’s Day with his family, but at 40,000 feet, he says. “I’ve got a few countries to go,” he says with a grin. Though he acknowledges the film has been “a learning experience,” he’s upbeat, repeatedly citing the “good fun” of making a big movie for the multiplexes. Adapting the book—a series of first-person dispatches from around the globe—required not just finding a narrative drive to the story, but capturing the novel’s theorizing of how selfinterested nations would fare in a global catastrophe. (Faring well, for example, is walled-off Israel, the location of the film’s most extreme set piece, shot in Malta with some 900 extras.) But in the end, the principles of making a popcorn-friendly movie often bested the filmmakers’ higher ambitions. Much of the allegory had to be cut. “It got too dense,” Pitt says. “We got too weighed down on it. We spent a couple years on it. We couldn’t get it into one movie. We had to walk a line between using the film as a Trojan horse for some of that, but these things have to be fun. And we were bored, ourselves.” Instead, the filmmakers, including director Marc Forster (“Quantum of Solace,” ‘‘Stranger Than Fiction”), wrestled with finding what Pitt calls “the pace of the summer action film, the cadence it needs.” “Movies have a DNA,” says Gardner. “They have their own identity. This one just fought back. It fought back, ultimately, in a way that I really appreciate because it sort of met our ambitions for it with its own ambitions.” The most painful part of taming “World War Z” was deciding that the third act—a largescale battle with the zombies in www.canadianinquirer.net
Moscow’s Red Square, filmed in Budapest—didn’t work. It was a gut-wrenching realization, made after the filmmakers and Paramount executives screened the film. “It was abysmal,” says Pitt. “It was really painful. What it means is that after you’ve put in that much work, you go, ‘Oh, we’re so far away.’ It just means we got a lot more to go. You go home, you have one too many beers and you get up the next day and you go, ‘OK. This is what we got to do.” While tinkering with a movie in post-production is normal, hiring screenwriters (Damon Lindelof, Drew Goddard) to write an entirely new ending is quite uncommon. Instead, a more quietly tense sequence set in Wales was constructed, with production resuming for a $20 million reshoot. “We just decided it wasn’t good enough,” says Gardner. “I see that as a good thing. We were very fortunate to have partners at Paramount who were interested in doubling down. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for that.” The need for such a reshoot, though, contributed heavily to early perceptions of the film. While Pitt admits the production was initially difficult, he
says once solutions were found, the process was “really fun.” (Forster was not made available for this article.) Gardner, too, chafes at what she calls the unfair over-scrutinizing of the film. “You often hear of the artists in a studio not getting along,” says Pitt. “This was absolutely a really nice experience. (Paramount) has been so supportive and came to the table with great creative ideas.” Whether “World War Z” will spawn sequels, as was the initial hope, will have to wait for the box-office response. In a packed summer schedule, the film will have to compete with “Man of Steel” in its second week of release. After a long battle with “World War Z,” Pitt (who’ll this fall star in David Ayer’s World War II thriller “Fury”) says he’s just “not really the franchise kind of guy.” “We spent so much time on this,” he says. “We’ve got so many good story lines stemming from the book or inspired by the book and then just generated from our own powwows. It might still be fun. We’ve got enough material, that’s for sure. We’ll see, we’ll see how this works, we’ll see how everyone feels afterward.” ■
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
BY ATHENA SZABO Special to Philippine Canadian Inquirer ANNEMARIE* is a deaf woman in her early twenties who has been roaming the streets since childhood. Annemarie visits the Trinity Lutheran Church on Timog Avenue on the rare occasions where she drifts through the area. Her ghostly presence here is a penance of respect to Ms. Ma. Liwanag Caldito [Ed: An article was written about Ms. Caldito in PCI's last issue], a simple expression of gratitude to the woman who tried to save her life many years before. Annemarie came into Ms. Caldito’s life when she was only fourteen years old. She was found by an organization for street children and referred to Ms. Caldito’s advocacy organization, Support and Empower Deaf Children (SEADC) upon the discovery that she was deaf and had likely run away from home due to abuse. Ms. Caldito was able to converse with Annemarie in sign language, as the girl had previously attended a hearing school and had picked up sign language during her lifetime. Annemarie was born deaf, likely due to her mother’s poor nutrition when she was pregnant with Annemarie. She explained to Ms. Caldito that she hailed from a divided family of impoverished informal settlers. Under the care of her stepfather, he had taken advantage of her inability to hear or scream—he had raped her in their home. She ran from home to escape his abuse, and after many weeks, she was horrified to learn that she was pregnant.
36
Lifestyle
DREAMING OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Suffering in Silence: The Story of Annemarie After consulting with many shelters who refused to take in a deaf client, Ms. Caldito brought Annemarie to the Reception and Action Center (RAC), a shelter for women run by a local government unit. Because the shelter offered only temporary care, and could not provide interpretation resources for a deaf ward, Annemarie had to be transferred. With Ms. Caldito’s help, Annemarie was able to stay with the Kaisahang Buhay Foundation in Cubao: a temporary shelter for pregnant
women. Again, the lack of sign language interpretation caused Annemarie to suffer in isolated silence. Unable to communicate her anger, sorrows, fears, and hopes to another soul within the shelter, she attempted to commit suicide several times. Ms. Caldito was shocked by the lack of resources for the deaf in the shelters. With no alternate environments available for the rehabilitation of Annemarie, she eventually went to live with her real father, who had never abused her.
The baby was born while Annemarie was in the care of her real father and stepmother’s family. Here, she was no longer a victim of violence—instead, she was a victim of suffocating silence. Like the social workers at the shelters where Annemarie had stayed, her own family members were unable to communicate with her in any way. The barriers between she and her family consisted not only of a lack of sign language interpretation, but also, illiteracy, which made it impossible for them to
converse with visual, written language. Unable to bear the silence any longer, Annemarie left her family behind and returned to the streets, where she roams to this day. ■ *Name changed to protect identity. Athena Szabo is a FilipinoCanadian student at UBC who went to the Philippines for a volunteer internship with the Human Development and Poverty Reduction Cabinet.
Lifestyle
37 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
Gift or gaffe? Wedding Picture Speaks A Thousand Words present spurs online debate
FAST FOOD FOR THOUGHT
BY MICHELLE MCQUIGGE The Canadian Press
Melissa Villa
BY RUDY M. VIERNES
IT is said that a picture speaks a thousand words. This photo of a young girl whose small frame is covered by soot and grime and blank stare said it all. It stirs a thousand, nay hundred thousand words. She sits amidst filth and squalor, an empty jute sack in hand where she puts charcoal she scavenges in Sitio Ulingan. Ulingan is a blighted area in Tondo, Manila, so-called after the charcoal factories that dot the area. She sells the charcoal for pittance to augment her family's income. This depressing photo was taken by Belgian photojournalist Sidney Snoeck and posted on Facebook back in 2010. Sidney goes around Metro Manila to record with his lens on-yourface poverty and this powerfully depicts one. The environs envisage like hell's ferment with maze of fumes swirling around that can cause respiratory and heart ailments. It's a macabre scene that you witness and feel. If you are unmoved your heart must be made of stone. Melissa Villa, a FilipinoAmerican who is based in San Francisco saw it and that started the tale of the founding of Project Pearls which she formed with her daughter, Francesca Villa Mateo, her
brother Juan Villa, and a small group of relatives and friends. She also allied herself with Pedro Gerardo Silo, a kindred soul and a photographer who is just as compassionate and passionate about helping the children of Ulingan. Today, Project PEARLS, under the leadership of Melissa, is composed of dedicated core team leaders: Juan Villa, Raymund Dames, Sidney Snoeck, Pedro Gerardo Silo, Stephanie McGuire and Sherril Salangsang; and of at least 20-30 regular volunteers. They have it incorporated in the State of California as a taxexempt, non-profit outreach organization (501c3) and it is also registered as a non-stock, non-profit and non-partisan organization registered under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Before she immigrated to the U.S. Melissa grew up in a depressed area in Caloocan City and she saw abject poverty all around her. The name was derived from their old business in San Francisco, that of gems and pearls. Melissa said her non-profit organization aims to stir social awareness of the plight of and radiate some light in the life of the less of our brethren in the home country. Project Pearls mission is to help the poorest of the poor children to have a better life by giving them PEACE,
EDUCATION, ASPIRATION, RESPECT, LOVE, SMILE, acronym for PEARLS. At present there are numerous organized groups with kindred mission that had aligned themselves with Project Pearls, like nurses, doctors, corporations and citizen volunteers, all modern Pracletes or Comforted of the Afflicted. The Filipino-Americans of Northern California (FANCO) embraced Project Pearls scholarship program to benefit qualified students. The scholars receive 2 sets of uniform, pair of shoes, backpack, school supplies, daily sandwich, groceries every month and opportunity for special field trips for the top scholars. Project Pearls now takes equal billing in Melissa's life with messianic zeal, passion and whole-souled devotion. She said Project Pearls isn't a fancy outreach ministry. It isn't large or grandiose, although has world impact because of the photo. You, my dear readers, may want to chip as individual donor. Any form of donation in cash or in kind, are welcome and appreciated. Checks are made payable to Project PEARLS and mail to Project PEARLS, 1330 The Alameda #373, San Jose, CA 95126. Cash donations are tax deductible. For more info, please check their website: www.projectpearls.org and their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/projectpearls1 ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
AN online controversy that erupted over a wedding present may be the gift that keeps on giving to an industry in need of some etiquette guidance, experts suggested Thursday. Social and mainstream media alike have been abuzz with details of an exchange between a Hamilton bride who became irate after receiving a gift basket at her wedding to a woman and the couple who prepared the now controversial present. The bride first requested the receipt for the basket, then berated her guests for filling it with oils, biscuits and pasta alongside less upscale items such as sour patch kids and marshmallow spread. “Weddings are to make money for your future.. Not to pay for peoples meals. Do more research. People haven't gave gifts (sic) since like 50 years ago,” the bride wrote in one of the messages. “You ate steak, chicken, booze, and a beautiful venue. To be exact the plates were $97 a person... But thanks again for the $30 gift basket my wife can't even eat.” She called upon the couple to take a survey of “normal functioning people” to gauge modern gift-giving practices, claiming only cash-stuffed envelopes were appropriate in this day and age. The couple took her up on her challenge, forwarding the testy text message and Facebook dialog to a local media outlet and inviting readers to weigh in. The reaction was vehement. While some felt the bride's disgust with the present was warranted, the majority accused her of breaching fundamental good manners by both criticizing the gift and making direct monetary comparisons. Karen Cleveland, a Torontobased etiquette writer, said the story stands as a timely reminder that the high-pressure wedding industry and those involved in it have lost sight of the importance of basic good manners. “I was delighted to read it because now brides have a perfect example of how not to behave,”
Cleveland said in a telephone interview. “Weddings and etiquette around gifts are not complicated. It's remarkably simple,” she said. “Couple gets gift, couple writes thank you note communicating gratitude for said gift, couple and wedding guests live happily ever after. It's that simple.” Once local media printed the exchange—which quickly devolved into name-calling and jibes at same-sex marriage—the Internet rushed to weigh in. Many offered support for the gift-givers, either praising the food basket itself or taking the bride to task for lack of gratitude. “Brides chose how much to spend on their wedding, guests choose how much to spend on a gift. We all have budgets,” one Twitter user wrote. Others focused on the etiquette of the situation, deciding common politeness would demand a different approach. A few spoke up in defence of the bride and challenging the appropriateness of the controversial present. “Haven't read the texts, but the guy is cheap. You give a basket like that for a housewarming, not a wedding gift,” a Twitter user wrote. Cleveland said the contents of the gift basket should not enter into the discussion at all, adding both prospective newlyweds and their guests are feeling a growing sense of pressure in an increasingly stressful industry. Modern etiquette guidelines suggest brides and grooms are free to stipulate gift suggestions via a registry and to conduct their big day in whatever manner they choose, she said. Similarly, guests are under no obligations to follow those guidelines and are welcome to offer whatever gifts they feel are appropriate. Marriage celebrations are meant to mark a life milestone rather than turn a profit, she added. “There's various things that underpin how weddings are done differently, but one thing that's consistent and that supersedes weddings is that when someone gives you a gift, you thank them graciously for it, full stop.” ■
Lifestyle
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013 38
Is grief a mental illness? Psychiatrists, critics face off over revised diagnostic guidebook BY LINDSAY TANNER The Associated Press CHICAGO—In the new psychiatric manual of mental disorders, grief soon after a loved one’s death can be considered major depression. Extreme childhood temper tantrums get a fancy name. And certain “senior moments” are called “mild neurocognitive disorder.” Those changes are just some of the reasons prominent critics say the American Psychiatric Association is out of control, turning common human problems into mental illnesses in a trend they say will just make the “pop-a-pill” culture worse. Says a former leader of the group: “Normal needs to be saved from powerful forces trying to convince us that we are all sick.” At issue is the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, widely known as the DSM-5. The DSM has long been considered the authoritative source for diagnosing mental problems. The psychiatric association formally introduced the nearly 1,000-page revised version in San Francisco. It’s the manual’s first major update in nearly 20 years, and a backlash has taken shape in recent weeks: • Two new books by mental health experts, “Saving Normal” and “The Book of Woe,” say the world’s most widely used psychiatric guide has lost credibility. • A British psychologists’ group is criticizing the DSM-5, calling for a “paradigm shift” away from viewing mental problems as a disease. An organization of German therapists also attacked the new guide. • Even the head of the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health complained that the book lacks scientific validity. NIMH director, Dr. Thomas Insel, tried to patch things up as he and the psychiatrists group issued a joint statement saying they have similar goals for improving the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness. The manual’s release comes at a time of increased scrutiny of health care costs and con-
cern about drug company influence over doctors. Critics point to a landscape in which TV ads describe symptoms for mental disorders and promote certain drugs to treat them. “Way too much treatment is given to the normal ‘worried well’ who are harmed by it; far too little help is available for those who are really ill and desperately need it,” Dr. Allen Frances writes in “Saving Normal.” He is a retired Duke University professor who headed the psychiatry group’s task force that worked on the previous handbook. He says the new version adds new diagnoses “that would turn everyday anxiety, eccentricity, forgetting and bad eating habits into mental disorders.” Previous revisions were also loudly criticized, but the latest one comes at a time of soaring diagnoses of illnesses listed in the manual—including autism, attention deficit disorder and bipolar disorder—and billions of dollars spent each year on psychiatric drugs. The group’s 34,000 members are psychiatrists—medical doctors who specialize in treating mental illness. Unlike psychologists and other therapists without medical degrees, they can prescribe medication. While there has long been rivalry between the two groups, the DSM-5 revisions have stoked the tensions. The most contentious changes include: • Diagnosing as major depression the extreme sadness, weight loss, fatigue and trouble sleeping some people experience after a loved one’s death. Major depression is typically treated with antidepressants. • Calling frequent, extreme temper tantrums “disruptive mood dysregulation disorder,” a new diagnosis. The psychiatric association says the label is meant to apply to youngsters who in the past might have been misdiagnosed as having bipolar disorder. Critics say it turns normal tantrums into mental illness. • Diagnosing mental decline that goes a bit beyond normal aging as “mild neurocognitive disorder.” Affected people may find it takes more effort to pay
bills or manage their medications. Critics of the term say it will stigmatize “senior moments.” • Calling excessive thoughts or feelings about pain or other discomfort “somatic symptom disorder,” something that could affect the healthy as well as cancer patients. Critics say the term turns normal reactions to a disease into mental illness. • Adding binge eating as a new category for overeating that occurs at least once a week for at least three months. It could apply to people who sometimes gulp down a pint of ice cream when they’re alone and then feel guilty about it. • Removing Asperger’s syndrome as a separate diagnosis and putting it under the umbrella term “autism spectrum disorder.” Dr. David Kupfer, chairman of the task force that oversaw the DSM-5, said the changes are based on solid research and will help make sure people get accurate diagnoses and treatment. Dr. Jeffrey Lieberman, the psychiatry association’s incoming president, said challenging the handbook’s credibility “is completely unwarranted.” The book establishes diagnoses “so patients can receive the best care,” he said, adding that it takes into account the most upto-date scientific knowledge. But Insel, the government www.canadianinquirer.net
mental health agency chief, wrote in a recent blog posting that the guidebook is no better than a dictionary-like list of labels and definitions. He told The Associated Press he favours a very different approach to diagnosis that is based more on biological information, similar to how doctors diagnose heart disease or problems with other organs. Yet there’s scant hard evidence pinpointing what goes wrong in the brain when someone develops mental illness. Insel’s agency two years ago began a research project to create a new way to diagnose mental illness, using brain imaging, genetics and other evolving scientific evidence. That project will take years. The revisions in the new guide were suggested by work groups the psychiatric association assigned to evaluate different mental illnesses and recent research advances. The association’s board of trustees decided in December which recommendations to include. Advocacy groups have threatened Occupy-style protests and boycotts at this week’s meeting. “The psychiatric industry, allied with Big Pharma, have massively misled the public,” the Occupy Psychiatry group contends. Organizers include Alaska lawyer Jim Gottstein, who has long fought against
overuse of psychiatric drugs. The new manual “will drastically expand psychiatric diagnosis, mislabel millions of people as mentally ill, and cause unnecessary treatment with medication,” says the website for the Committee to Boycott the DSM-5, organized by New York social worker Jack Carney. Committee member Courtney Fitzpatrick, whose 9-yearold son died seven years ago while hospitalized for a blood vessel disease, said she has joined support groups for grieving parents “and by no means are we mentally ill because we are sad about our kids that have died.” Gary Greenberg, a Connecticut psychotherapist and author of “The Book of Woe,” says pharmaceutical industry influence in psychiatry has contributed to turning normal conditions into diseases so that drugs can be prescribed to treat them. Many of the 31 task force members involved in developing the revised guidebook have had financial ties to makers of psychiatric drugs, including consulting fees, research grants or stock. Group leaders dismiss that criticism and emphasize they agreed not to collect more than $10,000 in industry money in the calendar year preceding publication of the manual. ■
Dining
39 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
Recipe for the best fried chicken you’ll ever eat at home BY J.M. HIRSCH The Associated Press AS recently as eight months ago, I’d have told you I don’t really care for fried chicken. It wasn’t so much that I disliked it, but rather I simply never felt it was worth the trouble. Certainly too much trouble to make at home. Even eating it out seemed more bothersome than it was worth, what with the greasy hands and bones and such. I recognized I was in the minority on this, but that’s just how it went. Then last October I got to play Tyler Florence’s sous chef for a night. It was fun and delicious all around, but the transformative moment was when he fed me some of the fried chicken the rest of his team had been working on. I’d heard people rave about his fried chicken, a menu staple at his San Francisco restaurant, Wayfare Tavern. Nonetheless, I cautioned him that I didn’t like fried chicken. Except it was wonderful. Rich with rosemary and sage and salt and pepper. Crisped to perfection, yet moist and tender inside. Suffice to say, I’ve spent far too much time since that bite trying recreate some approximation of it at home. And with time and many, many attempts—as well as some tips from Florence—I finally created a fried chicken that was delicious and memorable and crave-worthy. It’s still a far cry from Florence’s version, but I think it is honest to the spirit
of it. But there was a problem. The recipe was almost impossible to share. You see, part of what makes Florence’s chicken so perfect is that he cooks the meat sous vide (basically a long, slow bath in moderately hot water) before it is deep-fried. I was actually so obsessed with this recipe that I enlisted my electrical engineer father to construct a sous vide cooker for me. Trouble is, most people don’t have sous vide cookers. And most people retain enough of their sanity to not buy or build one just for a fried chicken recipe. Hence, the difficulty in sharing the recipe, which also happened to take roughly five hours to produce enough chicken for six people. So I went back at it and tried to find a workaround that lets the home cook use a similar two-step cooking method without requiring any special equipment. The solution ended up being poaching the chicken. Not quite the same, but still pretty great. This method also allows you to prep the chicken right up through the breading stage, then refrigerate it for up to a day before flash frying just before serving. One important caveat. Though inspired by Florence’s chicken, this is not his recipe. He helped me get the seasonings right, but it is by no means his. His is much better. But in the event you won’t be able to make it out to his restaurant any time soon, this is a great chicken to make for yourself at home. ■
PHOTO BY NICOLAS MCCOMBER
THE BEST FRIED CHICKEN YOU’LL EVER EAT AT HOME
Start to finish: 1 hour Servings: 4 For the poaching: • 6 cups chicken broth • 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, gently bruised • 1 tablespoon lightly crushed black peppercorns • 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt • 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs For the breading: • 1 cup all-purpose flour • 12 fresh sage leaves • 2 large sprigs fresh rosemary leaves • 1 teaspoon garlic powder • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme • 2 teaspoons kosher salt • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper • 3 cups panko breadcrumbs • 1 cup buttermilk • 3 eggs, beaten with 1 tablespoon water • 1 quart peanut oil To poach the chicken, in a large saucepan combine the broth, rosemary, peppercorns www.canadianinquirer.net
and salt. Bring to a bare simmer, then add the chicken thighs. Return to a simmer, then cover and cook, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain just below a simmer, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meat reaches 165 F. Meanwhile, prepare the breading. In a food processor, combine the flour, sage, rosemary, garlic powder, thyme, salt and pepper. Process until the seasonings are finely ground and mostly undetectable. Transfer the mixture to a gallon-size plastic bag. Place the panko in a second gallonsize plastic bag. Once the chicken has finished poaching, transfer the thighs to a cutting board. Let cool until easily handled, then pat dry. Place the buttermilk in a wide, shallow bowl and the beaten eggs in another similar bowl. One at a time, soak each thigh briefly in the buttermilk then remove, shaking off any excess, and place in the bag with the flour mixture. Gently shake the bag to lightly coat the thigh. Remove the thigh from the flour mixture, then dredge though the eggs. Remove the thigh from the eggs, shaking off any
excess, then place in the bag with the panko. Gently shake to coat. You may also need to pat the panko onto the meat. Set the fully breaded chicken thigh on a rimmed baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining thighs. If toward the end your panko becomes too moist to coat the thighs, add a bit more to the bag. Once all of the chicken is breaded, you can either proceed with the recipe and fry immediately, or cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 1 day. When ready to fry, heat the oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium-high heat to 400 F. You will need a fry or instant thermometer to monitor the temperature. Also, heat the oven to 200 F. Once the oil reaches temperature, carefully set 2 thighs into the oil at a time and cook, turning once, for 10 to 15 seconds, or until golden brown and crunchy. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to transfer the fried chicken to a clean rimmed baking sheet and set in the oven to keep warm. Allow the oil to return to 400 F, then continue cooking the chicken in batches.
Business
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013 40
Markets still shaken as peso rebounds Currency hits intraday low of 44.17:$1 in volatile trade BY DORIS C. DUMLAO AND PAOLO G. MONTECILLO Philippine Daily Inquirer
PH economy on solid ground, to weather storm BY PAOLO G. MONTECILLO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE Philippines is expected to stay strong despite the recent volatility in financial markets that has sent share prices and the peso crashing as investors fled emerging markets to return to the recovering US economy. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) on Friday said remittances from migrant workers, income from business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, and tourism receipts would support the Philippine economy this year. The monetary authority’s optimism comes amid weakness in the peso, which breached the 44-to-a-dollar level on Friday, the first time since early 2011. “Peso developments are motivated by global events. We think the external payments dynamics (of the Philippines) will continue to provide fundamental support to macroeconomic stabilization,” BSP Assistant Governor Cyd Tuano-Amador, head of the central bank’s monetary policy sub-sector. The BSP on Friday released its revised forecast for various
indicators that affect the country’s balance of payments (BOP) position, which is a summary of foreign exchange transactions between the Philippines and the rest of the world. The central bank sees remittances from overseas Filipino workers growing to $22.5 billion in 2013, up 5 percent from $21.4 billion last year. Export revenues are also expected to rise 11 percent, made up mainly of coconut, bananas, other agriculture products, and minerals. This is better than the 12.8-percent dip in export revenues recorded in the first quarter reported by the National Statistics Office, mainly because the central bank did not count “consigned” exports in its count. Income from the export of consigned products—which are goods such as electronic components that are shipped in and merely assembled in the Philippines and sold abroad—are booked by the BSP under “services.” These are expected to offset any dip in foreign investments coming into the country, the BSP said. ■
AFTER hitting its lowest point since early 2011, the peso managed to post a rally Friday, ending four consecutive days of decline. Also, the US Federal Reserve’s signal to end its aggressive monetary stimulus, alongside jitters over China’s economic slowdown, continued to dampen local financial markets. The peso slumped to as low as 44.17 against the dollar at the start of the trading day before it clawed its way back to the 43-level to close at 43.72— stronger than the previous day’s rate of 43.80. The intraday low was the weakest since February 1, 2011, when the local currency closed at 44.21 against the greenback. The peso was at its strongest at 43.63: $1. Trading volume was lower at $1.08 billion from $1.40 billion the day before. One trader said the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), through its open market operations, had to step in to stem the decline and smooth out the volatility that had weighed on the peso the past two weeks.
Asian currencies have been falling since May 22, when US Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke announced that the Federal Open Market Committee would scale back its bond-buying program and put an end to its easy money policy. In a statement on Thursday, Bernanke toned softened his stance and said that the Fed’s bond-buying program would continue but at a slower pace, taking into consideration the improvement in America’s labor and housing markets. Yesterday, the BSP said the peso’s recent fall could have been an overreaction to the US Fed’s statements, which prompted most investors in the region to pull funds out of emerging market assets to prepare for a return to the United States. “Once the noise settles down and once the gyrations are over, we will see that the peso value will be driven by the favorable narrative on Philippine economic prospects,” said Cyd TuanoAmador, BSP assistant governor and head of the central bank’s Monetary Policy Sub Sector. At the Philippine Stock Exchange, the main-share index lost 144.5 points, or 2.28 percent, to close at 6,182.17, weakening for a third straight session.
The local bourse tracked the decline in most markets across the region. The index lost 60.09 points, or close to 1 percent, during the entire trading week, marking a stark decline from last week’s finish of 6,242.26. All counters were in the red but the mining/oil counter was the most battered during the day, dipping by 9.55 percent due to the sharp decline in Semirara (-11.54 percent) and Philex (-11.42 percent). Dealers said the drop reflected the slump in global commodity markets. Foreign investors continued to pull out funds from the local market, resulting in a net foreign selling of about P2.27 billion for the day. Total net foreign selling amounted to P9.12 billion, while there had been a net buying of about P6.85 billion, based on PSE data. Other big index decliners were RLC (-10.67 percent), AP (-9.94 percent), MWC (-8.84 percent), EDC (-7.63 percent), FGEN (-5.98 percent), Megaworld (-5.93 percent), JG Summit (-4.41 percent) and SM Prime (-3.94 percent). Value turnover was heavy at P12.97 billion. There were over four decliners for every single gainer at the market. ■
PH foreign debt down by 2.1% BY PAOLO G. MONTECILLO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE country’s foreign debt stock dropped by 2.1 percent to $59 billion at the end of the first quarter of the year from $60.3 billion as of end 2012, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. “This was due to negative foreign exchange revaluation as the US dollar strengthened, particularly against the Japanese yen, which reduced the dollar value of yen-denominated loans,” the BSP said in a statement released on Friday. Year-on-year, the country’s external debt stock dropped by $2.6 billion. External debt refers to all obligations of Filipinos from overseas. www.canadianinquirer.net
“Major external debt indicators remained at comfortable level in the first quarter,” BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. said in the statement, noting that the BSP’s foreign exchange reserves were enough to pay 8.6 times of the country’s maturing obligations. As a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), foreign liabilities declined to 22.8 percent from 26.9 percent last year. The BSP attributed the improvement in the foreign debtto-GDP ratio to the expansion of the Philippine economy in the first quarter, clocking it at 7.8 percent. This was the fastest growth rate in all of Asia and the highest so far under the Aquino administration. The country’s external debt service ratio, or the ratio of debt payments to income from ex-
ports and services, improved to 7.8 percent as of March from 9.4 percent a year ago. The BSP said this was well below the international benchmark of 20 percent, reflecting the “sufficiency of foreign exchange (income) to meet maturing obligations.” More than 83 percent of the county’s external debt is considered medium to long-term. A larger share of long-term debt means maturities are spread out over time, reducing the risk of sudden shocks that may come from a steep depreciation of the peso, which makes foreign debt more expensive. In contrast, private sector foreign debt rose to $16.1 billion from $15.2 billion in the same period as local firms borrowed more cheap money from all sources to fund their expansion. ■
Sports/Horoscope
41 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
After Pacman: Juan Manuel Marquez, Timothy Bradley put Pacquiao wins aside to face each other BY KEVIN BISSETT The Canadian Press BEVERLY HILLS, Calif.—Juan Manuel Marquez could have fought Manny Pacquiao for a fifth time. Timothy Bradley could have had a rematch with the Filipino congressman. They both turned down chances to follow up on the biggest victories of their boxing careers. Marquez and Bradley wanted to face each other instead, and they will meet in a welterweight title bout Oct. 12. Marquez (55-6-1, 40 KOs) and Bradley (30-0, 12 KOs) are looking for a chance to be seen outside Pacman’s enormous shadow, and they’ll get it at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. “I feel like I won the last three fights against Pacquiao,” Marquez said Thursday at the Beverly Hills Hotel. “Now that I finally beat
him, I want to keep this feeling for a while. I want to keep it, and I want to fight somebody else.” Top Rank promoter Bob Arum would have signed either fighter for a rematch with Pacquiao, who instead will take on Brandon Rios in Macau in November. When Bradley and Marquez chose each other, Arum tentatively booked the fight for Sept. 14 before moving it back four weeks when Floyd Mayweather Jr. declared his intention to fight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on the same day. Arum is still confident the matchup will be one of the most intriguing pay-per-view bouts of the year. “They could have made more money, but this fight isn’t only for money,” Arum said of Bradley and Marquez. “They’re looking to make history.” Marquez’s bit of history is obvious: He could become the first Mexican boxer to win five titles
in five weight classes, even doing it after his 40th birthday this summer. Marquez knocked out Pacquiao last December, ending a near-decade of frustration against his nemesis with a big overhand right in the sixth round. “If I want to be the best, I need to beat the best,” Marquez said. “Bradley is the champion. His style and my style make a great fight. I’m training very hard on my speed, especially for this fight, because speed is the most important thing in it.” Bradley is seeking history through redemption. The unbeaten bruiser won a decision over Pacquiao last year, but almost nobody outside of Bradley’s corner agreed with the verdict. Bradley stewed for months over the perceived disrespect from a fight he still believes he won. Although that frustration still hasn’t abated much, he’s confident he’ll finally get the respect he deserves by trouncing Marquez.
“This is the opportunity that I had in the Pacquiao fight that slipped away due to the controversy,” Bradley said. “I want to become a superstar in boxing. I want to be a household name. I’m a four-time champion, and I’m still not on everybody’s pound-for-pound list. I want to be a superstar, but nothing you get in life is easy. You have to go take it, and that’s what I’m going to do when I win this fight.” Bradley showed up in Beverly Hills sporting a beard and looking fully healed from his thrilling brawl with Ruslan Provodnikov in March. The Palm Springsarea fighter won new fans while showing a recklessness few imagined he possessed, recovering from severe punishment and dishing out his own shots to win a decision in his first fight since beating Pacquiao. Bradley has been criticized as a boring fighter with little knockout power, but his win over Pro-
vodnikov altered his reputation. That bout even intrigued Marquez, who has been a brutally effective puncher throughout his 15-year pro career. “I’m trying a different way to train,” Marquez said. “He’s a very different style of fighter from (Pacquiao). I’d like to win this fight because he has never lost a fight.” Marquez’s win over Pacquiao boosted his status, but the Mexican star’s buff physique also prompted numerous whispers about the way he achieved it. Marquez and Bradley have signed contracts for their fight, but they’re still sniping about the various methods and agencies for random drug testing. Bradley said the fight would be off if Marquez doesn’t comply with unnamed testing conditions in the fighters’ contracts. “I want to prove I’m a clean fighter,” Marquez said. “It’s no problem.” ■
HOROSCOPE ARIES
(MARCH 21 - APRIL 19) Today is a terrific day for taking the plunge or making an investment, Aries. Luck and prosperity are in your favor, and you have the opportunity to make some very profitable financial decisions. Your intuition is right in line with what you need to do. Make the best deal possible and provide a fair and secure future for you and your investment.
TAURUS
(APRIL 20 - MAY 20)
CANCER
LIBRA
(JUNE 22 - JULY 22) You may feel like you’re coming up against a brick wall, Cancer. Your emotions are a bit stifled and you may find that you’re more stubborn than usual. There is a large and beneficial force that you can tap into today, as long as you keep your intuition open. The less you search for it, the more likely it will come to you. Something may spur you to act.
LEO
(SEPT 23 - OCT 22)
There may be a battle between old and new in your world today, Capricorn. A reserved and oldfashioned perspective has a strong hold on the prevailing sentiment. This feeling is likely going to hit you square in the face as you lean toward the unconventional and more revolutionary approach to life. See what sort of past lessons you can learn from as you build the future.
SCORPIO
AQUARIUS
(JULY 23 - AUGUST 22)
GEMINI
(MAY 21 - JUNE 21)
Smile at the world today, Leo. Be thankful for the things you have and the people around you. Amplify the cozy, warm feeling inside and spread this love to others. This is a very expansive time for you in which you can get quite a bit accomplished if you set your mind to it. Radiate your true nature through every cell in your body and watch as the opportunities come your way.
VIRGO
The pieces of today’s puzzle may not fit into place, Scorpio, and it’s possible that you have no idea why. Don’t stress over something you don’t quite understand. The key to making things work out is listening. Adjustments will definitely be needed on both sides, but this can only happen if both parties are willing to open their ears and understand one another’s perspective.
SAGITTARIUS
(AUG 23 - SEPT 22) Today is a very expansive day for you, Gemini. Your emotions can lead you into favorable situations with others. The pace of the day may seem a little slow, but this can be used to your advantage. Examine every detail with care and try not to leave any piece of the equation unaccounted for. You should enjoy a stable, caring mood that radiates out and draws others toward you.
(NOV 22 - DEC 21) Today isn’t the best day to play practical jokes, Virgo, so put away the disappearing ink. Stick close to home. Find security in doing things you know how to do best. Hang a painting and cook a scrumptious dinner. You can inspire others with your smile, so use it. Don’t get down if your thoughts aren’t flowing well with the group. This is a sign that you should spend some time alone.
(DEC 22 - JAN 19)
There may be a great deal of opposition in your way today, Libra, but try not to dwell on it. The key is to stay levelheaded and maintain a positive outlook. This is a day in which you can bring a great deal of balance to issues by understanding and respecting the other side. Have charity for those who are making sacrifices so that you may have a more comfortable ride.
(OCT 23 - NOV 21) The key to being successful today is to maintain an air of stability. If others see you as too flighty and off the wall, they will hesitate about putting their trust in you. Make sure you do those things in your power that will help boost your clout. You will need this support from others later. Make a solid base to build on.
CAPRICORN
Today can be an extremely productive day, Sagittarius. You’re in a good space from which to work and this will aid you in all your endeavors. Today is also excellent for looking at some of the long-term trends moving through your life now. Consider the next five or ten years and think about how your actions will affect your future. Plan ahead to get ahead.
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(JAN 20 - FEB 18) People may seem a bit stubborn today. Your powers of adaptation may be put to the test, Aquarius. The people around you are likely to call on your tender, sympathetic nature. Offer a nurturing ear and strong shoulder for others to cry on. Keep things low key and steady. The more grounded you are, the easier it will be to get along with the energy of today.
PISCES
(FEB 19 - MAR 20) When you go up a flight of stairs, take one step at a time today, Pisces. Skipping up the staircase two at a time could result in you falling back to the bottom. Trying to rush things today will leave holes in your projects. Finish jobs completely by making sure that every step is thoroughly taken care of. Don’t ignore the details.
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
42
Travel
Tourists flocking to discover a place lost in time: Myanmar BY ELLEN HALE The Associated Press BAGAN, Myanmar—The rising sun streaked a light blanket of fog with pink and yellow. Suddenly, pagodas popped out from the mist, some grand and intricate, others squat and modest, some crumbling, others glinting with gold—a carousel of Buddhist temples amid fields of sesame, tamarind and scrub. If not for a monolithic red brick silo in the middle of this scene, you could almost imagine yourself in the 11th century, when the ancient city of Bagan was home to the first kingdom of Burma. But the silo, with an exclusive restaurant and viewing platform, towers above the temples in the country now called Myanmar. The structure was built in 2003 by a crony of the generals who have run Myanmar for decades. The modern building is a major reason the ancient temples were denied world heritage status by the United Nations. This is the magic and folly of Myanmar. Closed off for years by a repressive, corrupt military reign, much of the country seems lost in time and truly untouched by signs of globalization like fast food chains. Women here still chalk their faces with thanaka, a paste made from tree bark. Men wear longyi, wraparound
skirts gracefully knotted at the waist. Monks carry begging bowls through town in the early morning ritual of seeking food. But now that the government is opening Myanmar to the outside world, tourists are rushing to experience the country before it changes. While numbers remain small, they are increasing: About 260,000 arrivals from January to October 2012 compared to 175,000 in the same period in 2011. Tours frequently sell out and start-up airlines are sprouting up. Foreign cellphones won’t work here and credit cards are rarely accepted (though tourists can use Visa and MasterCard to change local currency at private banks), but Western attire is now seen in cities and “O’Burma” T-shirts showed up after President Obama’s recent visit. There’s also a palpable sense of possibility and change, making it an exciting time to visit. The Governor’s Residence hotel in Yangon recently set up a screen on the lawn for guests to watch Luc Besson’s “The Lady,” a film about Aung San Suu Kyi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and liberation heroine whom the government released in 2010 after 15 years of house arrest. The film screening would have been unheard of two years ago. Barbed wire still tops the wall around Suu Kyi’s home, a must drive-by in Yangon, formerly Rangoon, which was Myanmar’s
capital until the military built a new capital two hours away. Yangon is also home to Myanmar’s most sacred temple: the 320-foot tall (97 metres) Shwedagon Pagoda, whose golden dome is visible throughout much of the city. Its tiers are plated in gold, studded with diamonds, and capped by an orb bearing 4,500 diamonds, with a single 76-carat diamond on top. The temple’s origins are said to date back some 2,500 years, but it has been rebuilt over the centuries, and is encircled by hundreds of smaller temples, shrines and pavilions. While the Shwedagon is the star attraction in Yangon, Bagan and Inle Lake are the two most entrancing areas to visit elsewhere in the country. But Yangon’s colonial architecture is also notable. Crumbling and neglected, the buildings nonetheless recall an era when Rangoon was a bustling port. They also represent one of the largest remaining examples of original British colonial architecture. Advocates are pushing for their restoration but critics fear they’ll be replaced by highrises. Downtown Yangon is also home to sidewalk stalls selling tasty street food, fresh-rolled leaves of betel nut to chew, books and phone service. Pick up local handicrafts, a longyi, or well-priced lacquerware and antiques at the sprawling British-era Scott Market. Ubiq-
PHOTO BY MATT WERNER
PHOTO BY THOMAS SCHOCH
uitous teahouses offer multiple choices of strength, sweetness and milkiness. During the most heinous periods of military rule, the teahouses served as a pipeline of communication for activists, journalists and dissidents. Not many Western tourists venture to Mandalay: It’s flat, dusty and traffic-congested, despite the romance attached to its name. Even Rudyard Kipling, who wrote the poem “On the Road to Mandalay,” never went there. But it’s a vibrant commercial and internal transportation hub. Mandalay also teems with monasteries and ancient culture, including the Mahamyatmuni pagoda, which shelters the country’s second-most sacred Buddha image, an enormous seated Buddha. Here, you can watch pilgrims applying wisp-thin sheets of gold to the Buddha. So much is applied that statues at some temples become unrecognizable blobs of gold. At monasteries like Mahagandayone, you can witness the morning meal procession. Access to the monasteries is so wide open throughout the country that visitors can stroll through and see close up how the monks live, from meal preparation to laundry. For shoppers, Mandalay is a centre for traditional crafts, including wood carving, silverware, goldleafing and tapestries. Southeast of Mandalay is Inle Lake, where members of the
Intha ethnic group use boats to tend their crops on floating gardens. White egrets and birdsong are a constant, with the occasional kingfisher, flamboyant in green and blue. Intha women, their hair twined in scarves balanced atop their heads, sell produce in roving markets that move among the villages. Getting around requires a launghle, a long motorized canoe. How the opening up of Myanmar will affect its rich unique culture and traditions is an issue of much discussion, and a major reason for the current tourist stampede. Yet experts and local tour guides point out that what little has been done to preserve and restore the ancient temples and sites has been at best amateurish and at worst destructive. Even Suu Kyi has spoken out about the faulty restorations, saying last year: “One cannot just go about restoring the temples using modern material and without adhering to the original styles.” A case in point: Hundreds of centuries-old, crumbling coneshape temples called zedi at Inndein, near Inle Lake, lean haphazardly, trees sprouting from some. Local villagers speed their ruin by removing stones for use elsewhere, including building new zedi. “Every time I come here, there are fewer of them,” said San San Myint, a tour guide with a deep love of her country’s history and traditions. “It makes me so sad. I worry that one day they will be gone.” ■
Travel
43 FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
Cyclists, walkers, skateboarders take to Fredericton’s impressive trail system BY KEVIN BISSETT The Canadian Press FREDERICTON—Whether it’s for the scenery, the exercise or just getting around, an impressive trail system in New Brunswick’s capital city is getting lots of use by residents and visitors alike. Fredericton has more than 88 kilometres of trails, ranging from wide paved routes to footpaths through parks and woodland. “We are very fortunate here in this area,” said Barbara Trenholm of Fredericton. “They’ve done a nice job on the trails and they’re well used.” In fact, more than 105,000 people use the city’s trail system each summer. Mike Glynn, trail co-ordinator for the city, said the trails are used by walkers and joggers, but also by cyclists and skateboarders. He said efforts have been made in recent years to pave the main routes. “We have about 12.6 kilometres of asphalt trail in the city
and we’re looking to add another 2.6 kilometres this year,” Glynn said. Fredericton is in central New Brunswick and the city straddles the St. John River. The city is picturesque with the river, parks, tree-lined streets and large old homes. Glynn said the main trails provide a lot of scenic views. “You’re looking at the St. John River, which is beautiful with lots of boats on the river,” he said. “Along the south side there are lots of trees and greenery, plus the art gallery and the river, so it’s a very peaceful location.” The trails also run by a number of hotels, some of which offer bike rentals, making the trail system a great way to get out and explore the city. A focal point on the trail system is the 580-metre-long Bill Thorpe walking bridge— a former railway bridge—that provides a wide and safe route for people to cross the St. John River. The bridge is welcomed by Blair Davenport of Noonan, N.B.
bridge, and said that her grandchildren, who live in Fredericton, use the trail system to bike to and from school. People using the trails are asked to keep right and must put dogs on a leash. Cyclists need to wear a helmet, and are asked to give the right-of-way to walkers and joggers. Aside from the growing network of trails through Fredericton, the routes also connect with bike lanes on the roads and are part of the Trans Canada Trail system. “We love the trails, the scenery and the exercise,” Trenholm said. ■ If You Go... PHOTO FROM WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
When he visits Fredericton he parks on the north side of the river and crosses the bridge in his motorized wheelchair. He then connects to the paved trails that lead into the downtown. “I think they’re excellent,” he said. “It works out perfect for me, especially with the wheel-
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chair.” Maria Devries of Ottawa was taking advantage of a hot, sunny day to bike the trail along the south side of the river. “I think it is wonderful,” she said. “I ride my bike along the Ottawa River, so it is comparable to the same beauty here.” She remarked on the walking
• www.fredericton.ca/trails • www.frederictontrailscoalition.com • Fredericton Trail Visitor Centre, http://www.frederictontrailscoalition.com/TVC. html, 506-460-2023 • Copies of the trail map are available at the visitor centre at Fredericton City Hall on Queen Street and at the Trail Visitor Centre on Station Road.
FRIDAY JUNE 28, 2013
44
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Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer Editor Melissa Remulla-Briones editor@canadianinquirer.net
An Independence Night to Remember BY MONETTE LEDESMA Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver, in partnership with the Philippine Cultural Pista ng Bayan Society and I-Remit, held a 115 th Phlilippine Independence Day Dinner and Dance at the Floata Seafood Restaurant last June 14 with several Vancouver Filipino organizations and associations in attendance. Emceed by Irene Yatco, the program began with the singing of the two countries’ national anthem, O Canada and the Lupang Hinirang. Gigi Astudillo of Times Telecom prayed the Invocation. An inspiring Welcome Address was delivered by Tomas “Tatay Tom” Avendano, Sr., President and Chief Executive Officer of the Multicultural Helping House Society. Word from the Philippines
Philippine Overseas Labor Office Labor Attaché, Atty. Bernie Julve, read Philippine President Benigno Aquino III’s Message, which in part, states: “To-
day, our people remain united in independence, and are now fighting another battle—to free ourselves from the shackles of ignorance, corruption, injustice, and poverty. May you ignite the patriotism and bayanihan spirit in your hearts, as together, we build and fortify the structures on which our nation is built; and may this event be an opportunity to further promote our cultural heritage and uphold the Philippines’ revived distinction in this globalized, multicultural milieu.” ‘Huwag Maging Dayuhan sa Sariling Bayan’
“Don’t be a stranger to your own country” was the message of Acting Head of Post and Deputy Consul General Anthony Mandap. His rousing speech, spoken in flawless Filipino, also encouraged everyone to invest and visit the Philippines, send more remittances and to continue to perform charitable projects through partnering with reputable private and other charitable organizations in the Philippines. He also expounded on the benefits of dual citizenship and
ended with a plea for unity in the Filipino community. Entertainment
TFCKat winner Russel Figueroa sang several nostalgia-inducing OPM songs, while the cast of Philippines HISTORAMA led the singing of the stirring, “Handog ng Pilipino Sa Mundo” (The Filipino’s Gift to the World). Historama is a cultural show that depicts important periods of Philippine History in short plays, songs and dances beginning 20,000 years ago to the present. The Kababayang Pilipino Rondalla likewise serenaded the guests with Filipino ballads, while dinner, consisting spring roll with fresh fruit salad, shredded chicken with fish maw soup, “ginataang kalabasa at sitaw” (squash and beans in coconut milk), pork adobo, “bistek”(Filipino style beef steak), deep-fried crispy chicken, pan-fried fish fillet, fried rice and almond cookies, was being served. Several prizes, including a cellphone from Times Telecom, were raffled off. There was non-stop dancing until the night wore off. ■
Associate Editor Laarni de Paula Editorial Assistant April Sescon Correspondents Lizette Lofranco-Aba Gigi Astudillo Angie Duarte Maria Ramona Ledesma Katherine Marfal Frances Grace Quiddaoen Agnes Tecson Graphic Designer Victoria Yong Illustration Danvic Briones Photographers Solon Licas Ryan Ferrer Angelo Siglos Operations and Marketing Head Laarni de Paula (604) 551-3360 laarni.liwanag@canadianinquirer.net Advertising Sales Alice Yong (778) 889-3518 alice.yong@canadianinquirer.net Antonio Tampus (604) 460-9414 PHILIPPINE PUBLISHING GROUP Editorial Assistant Phoebe Casin Graphic Designer Shanice Garcia Association Publisher Lurisa Villanueva In cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer digital edition Philippine Canadian Inquirer is located at Suite 400, North Tower | 5811 Cooney Road, Richmond, B.C., Canada Tel. No.: 1-888-668-6059 or 778-8893518 | Email: info@canadianinquirer. net, inquirerinc@gmail.com, sales@ canadianinquirer.net Philippine Canadian Inquirer is published weekly every Friday. Copies are distributed free throughout Metro Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto. Member
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