Philippine Canadian Inquirer Issue #75

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VOL. 8 NO. 75

AUGUST 2, 2013

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Discrimination against WYD delegate from Bukidnon

P27B pork in 2014 national budget

Canada’s striking diplomats target travel visas

Filipino-Canadian in Focus: Evelyn Pagkalinawan

PCI celebrates Food Day Canada by going on Food Trips

Pacquiao sets his sights on the presidency

BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer

WHAT DENGUE OUTBREAK? Sen. Manuel “Lito” Lapid earmarked millions from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) for chemicals said

to prevent dengue, part of them are still in storage in the Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility in Teresa, Rizal (left). His chief legal officer, lawyer Filmer Abrajano, said the pork-funded projects are “legitimate.”

PHOTOS BY RAFFY LERMA

COA finds misuse of road tax collections ‘Husbands’ lovers may spread HIV’ ❱❱ PAGE 14 ❱❱ PAGE 11 COA finds

VISIT PCI ONLINE!

THE ROAD BOARD, which administers billions of pesos in road user’s tax collected yearly from motor vehicle owners, was found to have set aside only 1.7 percent of its collections in 2011 for pol-

lution control, way below the mandatory 7.5-percent yearly allotment.

“It is the concern of the LTO (Land Transportation Office) to have emission-free motor vehicles or enforce the permissible emission level of vehicles; hence, proper allocation of resources/

❱❱ PAGE 14 Pacquiao sets

Scan this QR code using your smartphone.

BY GIL C. CABACUNGAN Philippine Daily Inquirer

A VERY big cat has just leaped out of Manny Pacquiao’s bag.

The Philippine boxing legend recently revealed in an exclusive interview with the AFP that he is toying with the idea of running for the presidency of the country when he finally decides to retire from the arena.

Dropping undeniable hints towards this goal, Pacquiao—when pressed for an answer—admitted to his desire to run for the nation’s top-spot.

The 34-year-old congressman and virtual national hero, when asked by AFP if he had considered vying for the presidency, simply replied “Yes”.

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Philippine News

3 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

2014 budget, not the devil, is in the details

BY NORMAN BORDADORA Philippine Daily Inquirer THE BUREAU of Corrections undertakes that there will only be 89 escapees from the country’s prisons in 2014, but all of them will be recaptured.

The Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) says it will respond in five to seven minutes to 87 percent of some 5,000 distress calls it expects to receive next year.

Such “performance benchmarks” are a unique new feature of the proposed P2.26trillion budget for 2014 that President Aquino submitted to Congress this week. Already a voluminous document in itself, the proposed expenditure program has attached to it the specifics that government agencies intend to deliver if they are given the funds that they are asking for. “[It] is the single most important budgeting innovation in years,” said a pleasantly amused Senate President Pro

Tempore Ralph Recto, who formerly chaired the Senate committee on ways and means and is a partymate of the President in the Liberal Party.

Recto said Mr. Aquino and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad deserve to be congratulated for the innovation.

“The 2014 national budget has gone micro and I would even say that it has gone overboard in detailing what an agency must deliver,” he said.

“They are now counting the beans ... In the past, the budget of an agency contained only the amount. The one for 2014 includes performance benchmarks. The peso sign now comes with a performance guarantee,” he said in a statement.

Sen. Francis Escudero, the chair of the Senate committee on finance that will go over the budget bill, said it was a welcome variation but could make for lengthier debates during the budget hearings and, perhaps, even on the floor.

Police patrols to escapees

“This is a unique budget presented by the executive. I expect a bit more debates on it.

It’s different but in a good way because for the first time, the executive branch put in each agency’s mission, vision, target and accomplishment rates,” Escudero told a radio interview.

Recto noted that one of the Philippine National Police’s expected outputs are “a minimum 629,258 crime investigations to be conducted next year and a vow to increase by 25 percent the number of foot and mobile patrols.”

In its budget proposal, the BFP commits that it will have a five-minute to sevenminute response time to 87 percent of the 5,185 distress calls it expects to get in 2014, he said.

Recto was particularly amused by the prisons bureau’s stated target.

“Perhaps citing historical records, the Bureau of Corrections said that no more than 89 prisoners will escape but 100 percent of them will be recapwww.canadianinquirer.net

tured,” he said.

Even the normally secretive national defense units got into the spirit of the thing.

“The National Arsenal said it will churn out 30 million ammunition rounds. From the Army comes this assurance that 90 percent of its 176 tactical battalions can be made combat-ready within one hour upon receipt of orders from higher authorities,” Recto said.

Promissory notes

The National Intelligence and Coordinating Agency has chosen not to invoke secrecy as it has made public its deliverables of 39,215 intelligence reports in 2014, he said.

“The beauty of requiring these promissory notes is that big-ticket items get unbundled,” Recto said.

“In the case of the Department of Public Works and Highways, its budget says 1,022 gravel roads will be paved while 605 kilometers of national roads will be built. The

Department of Agriculture has also indicated that it will repair 1,500 kilometers of farm roads,“he said.

Recto said one major recipient of funds for 2014, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), has attached a menu of targets to its budget request.

2.6 million meals

In addition to the beneficiaries of its “mega P62.6 billion” cash transfer program, the DSWD undertakes to serve meals to 2,568,811 schoolchildren next year.

The Department of Education has pledged an 84 percent National Achievement Test passing rate for 12.56 million secondary school students, Recto said.

“This proposed budget has left no stone unturned. Even the expected number of visitors in the country’s museums was included in the computation,” Recto said.

State-run museums expect to open their doors to nearly 900,000 visitors next year. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 4

Possible discrimination by KLM staff member against travel scholar from Bukidnon tribe

BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer ARJEAN MARIE Belco, 18, from the Talaandig tribe of Bukidnon, was en route to Brazil for the World Youth Day. It was her first trip overseas, and she looked forward to representing her country.

Backed by community organization Goodxorg (which raised the funds for the trip) and the non-profit group Cartwheel Foundation (an organization committed to providing education for indigenous people groups), Arjean had all she needed to make the journey: a bank statement, $100 and P3,370 in emergency money, her newly-issued passport, and recently purchased tickets for all flights.

But at the Kuala Lumpur Airport—where she arrived on July 20 from Manila, and was taking a connecting flight from to Rio de Janeiro via Amsterdam– she

was stopped by KLM personnel, specifically a certain Mr. Shawa.

Shawa did not give Belco clearance to board the KLM Airlines connecting flight to Rio de Janeiro via Amsterdam.

Shawa insisted that Belco was “not ready to travel” and that “he was doubtful” despite Belco’s complete and proper documentation. He questioned why her passport was “so new,” why her ticket was “cheap” and only purchased the day before, and how much money she had.

He also demanded to know why the teenage travel scholar was flying through Malaysia given direct flights to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil from Manila.

Belco explained that it was her first trip abroad, and that she took a connecting trip because it was cheaper than a direct flight. She also had a representative from Goodxorg speak to Shawa over the phone.

It was reported by the organization that Shawa was “laugh-

ing while listening” to Goodxorg’s explanation and said that Belco should “just buy another ticket.”

The incident was detailed in a letter of complaint from Goodxorg to KLM. In the letter, which was posted on the group’s Facebook page, Goodxorg said that “Arjean was denied her right to travel,” and expressed their concern “that her denial of boarding was based on other factors than just the information provided above,” adding that this was “unacceptable.”

“This could also be perceived as a possible case of discrimination based on appearance, gender, ethnicity, nationality, age or social status,” it noted.

Belco remained stranded in Malaysia for two nights. Furthermore, a Goodxorg official had to fly to Kuala Lumpur from Manila just to ensure that Belco would be treated properly and allowed to board the next flight out.

In a follow-up post on July 23

After the ordeal at the Kuala Lumpur airport, Arjean was warmly welcomed at the Rio de Janeiro airport by her host family and - which Goodxorg called “a big surprise for Arjean”—by the Ambassador of the Philippines to Brazil, Eva G. Betita, and her husband Mauricio, together with Vice Consul Carlyn Monastrial.

PHOTO FROM GOODXORG FACEBOOK PAGE

on their Facebook page, Goodxorg said that “no immediate solution was offered by KLM,” adding that their group had met with the KLM Ground Services Regional Station Manager.

Nevertheless, the group was happy to announce that “Arjean

finally boarded her flight bound for Amsterdam en route to Rio on the late evening of July 22.”

They added a word of thanks to internet users for their “positively overwhelming” statements of support, which they said helped Belco “immensely.” ■

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Philippine News

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 6

It’s final: GMA to stand trial for poll fraud

BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer THERE IS no more impediment for the election sabotage case against former President turned Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo and former Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos to proceed in a Pasay City court.

The Supreme Court ruled with finality on the legality of the joint Comelec-Department of Justice (DOJ) panel that investigated the complaint and recommended the filing of charges against the Arroyos and Abalos for alleged election fraud committed during the 2007 presidential election.

Voting 13-2, the tribunal denied the motions for reconsideration filed by the Arroyo couple for lack of merit, according to court spokesperson Theodore Te. Justices Arturo Brion and Roberto Abad dissented from the majority opinion that was

penned by Justice Diosdado Peralta. They are expected to issue a separate opinion.

In its ruling, the full court said the issues raised by the Arroyo couple had been “all addressed before and the court finds no reason to disturb its conclusions.”

The Arroyo couple in their motions asked the court to nullify the order creating the joint Comelec-DOJ panel because it undermined the decisional independence of the Comelec, and the DOJ could only conduct a preliminary investigation, but not exercise concurrent jurisdiction, when deputized by the poll agency. They also held that it was the Comelec that had the primary and exclusive authority to investigate election cases.

In its Sept. 18, 2012, ruling, the Supreme Court dismissed the petitions of the Arroyo couple and Abalos questioning the legality of the Comelec-DOJ panel. The court declared valid the Aug. 15, 2011, joint order creating the panel to investigate the three and the Oct. 20, 2011, initial report of the fact-

PHOTO FROM ASIANCORRESPONDENT.COM

finding team.

The high court also declared in its ruling that the preliminary investigation by the joint panel was valid, ordering that the proceedings in Pasay Regional Trial Court Branch 112 “proceed with dispatch.”

In the summary of the court ruling released to reporters, the tribunal reiterated the findings

www.canadianinquirer.net

and conclusions in its September 2012 ruling. “If only to address the motions and to put an end to the questions attached to the creation of the joint panel.”

Among the findings were: The creation of a joint committee is not repugnant to the notion of “concurrent jurisdiction” as authorized by the amendatory law. The doctrine

of concurrent jurisdiction means equal jurisdiction to deal with the same subject matter. There is no prohibition on simultaneous exercise of power between two coordinate bodies.

The conduct of the preliminary investigation against Gloria Arroyo was proper because it was done in accordance with Rule 112 of the Rules on Criminal Procedure. There was no denial of Arroyo’s right to due process when her right to inspect documents was denied.

The documents she requested were not submitted to the Joint Committee and therefore could not be provided her.

The court took judicial notice that Arroyo not only entered a plea of not guilty, she also filed a motion for bail, which was granted. She benefited from the RTC order; she has in fact chosen to seek judicial remedy before the RTC where the electoral sabotage case is pending instead of the executive remedy of going back to the joint committee for the submission of her counteraffidavit and countervailing evidence. ■

Philippine News

7 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

SSS to raise contributions by .6 percent; caution urged

BY MICHELLE V. REMO, TJ BURGONIO, AND AMY R. REMO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE SOCIAL Security System (SSS) is all set to implement an increase in contributions from members and their employers, saying it has the blessing of business and labor groups.

The state-run pension fund for private-sector workers said it was just awaiting formal approval from President Aquino, who already made known his support for an increase in SSS contributions in his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona).

The President said an increase was needed to ensure the viability of the SSS fund, which he warned would be depleted 28 years from now if no adjustment was implemented.

Diana Pardo-Aguilar, an SSS commissioner, told the INQUIRER that the pension fund would implement a 0.6-percent hike in contributions, which shall be equally shared by members and their employers. That is, 0.3 percent is to be shouldered by SSS members and the other 0.3 percent by their employers.

At present, contributions are set at 10.4 percent to 11 percent of salaries of employees. Workers pay 30 percent of the contributions, while employers carry the bigger share of 70 percent.

“We are happy the President mentioned his support [for the proposed hike in contributions] during the Sona,” Aguilar said.

?

Inevitable

Malacañang said that increasing a member’s contribution to the SSS was inevitable.

“These are bitter pills to swallow…. These are the things that we are asking everyone, or the public, or the citizens to bear with us because … at the end of the day, it will be the citizens who would be benefiting from this,” presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said at a briefing.

In recent consultations with various business and labor groups, the SSS got their consent for the 0.6-percent increase in monthly contributions, according to Aguilar.

“The proposed hike has been cleared with the technical

working groups of Ecop (Employers Confederation of the Philippines), PCCI (Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry), joint foreign chambers of commerce and other business groups. It also has been cleared with labor groups, such as TUCP (Trade Union Congress of the Philippines),” the SSS official added.

‘Too many contributions’

But business groups asked the SSS to “exercise caution” before implementing a new round of increase in contributions from its members.

In a phone interview, Miguel B. Varela, chair of Ecop and president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and In-

dustry, said they have not been consulted yet “for this new increase.”

“We will have to see and discuss it with SSS because you know, we cannot just [implement an] increase because it will have an impact on the cost of doing business,” Varela said.

He said the business sector was already struggling with the high cost of energy. “(A)nd here comes another cost… How will investors view this? There are too many ‘contributions’ already so caution is needed.”

Varela said the SSS move might prompt other agencies to seek an increase in their members and employers’ contributions.

Melito S. Salazar Jr., president of the Management Association of the Philippines, said the increase in contributions would be “met by the business sector with initial opposition.”

“Government must show that it has undertaken all moves to improve SSS fund management and operations streamlining, which could fund increased premiums and corresponding benefits,” Salazar said in a text message.

“Properly presented, the SSS plan will be supported given its pretty low percentage increase in contribution compared to the employees’ benefits,” he added.

Unfunded liabilities

The SSS expects Malacañang to approve the proposed increase very soon given Mr. Aquino’s recognition of the financial problems besetting the pension fund.

Mr. Aquino placed at P1.1 trillion the estimated unfunded liabilities of the SSS. He said the amount would grow by an average of 8 percent yearly unless SSS revenues increased.

Unfunded liabilities of a pension fund are obligations at a certain time in the future for which no funds have been set aside. In the case of the SSS, its existing fund would cover liabilities only until 2041, the President said.

Mr. Aquino said it was about time contributions to the SSS were increased. He noted that since the 1980s, contributions had increased only twice but pension benefits had risen 21 times.

He said that if 0.6 percent was added to the contribution rate, this would deduct P141 billion from the unfunded liability.

Invest in future now

“If we begin to invest in our future today, no further problems will be handed down to the next generation of Filipinos,” he said.

Once the 0.6-percent increase in contributions is implemented, the SSS is expected to push for additional increases in the future. If it would have its way, the SSS wanted several increases in contributions in small amounts over a span of several years to help extend the actuarial life of the fund.

“We must all continue to do our best to manage the unfunded liabilities, extend the actuarial life of the fund while improving benefits for our members,” Aguilar said. ■

Palace: Miriam must have read another Sona

BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer MALACAÑANG EXPRESSED disbelief at Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago’s comment that President Aquino’s State of the Nation Address (Sona) sounded like a college paper that missed out on poverty and employment.

“She said that?” a surprised presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a Malacañang briefing when told about the outspoken senator’s re-

marks on the Sona. “Wow.” Contrary to the senator’s observation, Lacierda said Mr. Aquino was “very emphatic” about addressing poverty, unemployment and inclusive growth.

“The President began with ‘we’re not happy with the trickle-down’. What does that mean? Does that mean we’re not addressing poverty? Does that mean we’re not addressing unemployment? When you say inclusive growth, it’s going to identify, it’s going to say, it’s going to enumerate what we are

doing,” he said.

In fact, Lacierda said that Mr. Aquino spelled out several points to boost manufacturing, tourism, agriculture and other industries, and expand the economy “so that we’ll have fiscal space to provide for our less privileged.”

“What more can she not see in the State of the Nation Address? You know it’s… I am speechless,” he said, chuckling. “It’s how many pages?

It was, well, it was 55 pages.

Fifty-five pages long and, if you can’t find any word there www.canadianinquirer.net

on generating employment; if you can’t find any statement there addressing poverty, then you must be reading another Sona or another speech—definitely not from the President,” he said.

Hard on corruption

Lacierda could not believe that Sen. Santiago said President Aquino’s SONA sounded like a college paper.

In his Sona that lasted for an hour and 42 minutes, Mr. Aquino rambled about his administration’s accomplishments for an hour before laying out his legislative agenda, and came down hard on corruption in his administration. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 8

Leila to CIDG exec: Name NBI agent protecting drug lords

BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO AND DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer NAME NAMES or shut up.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima issued the challenge to an officer of the Philippine National Police’s Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) who claimed that three drug lords have a “protector” in the National Bureau of Investigation.

De Lima lamented that the attacks on the NBI by Senior Supt. Jose Mario Espino, the sacked head of the CIDG’s Anti-Organized Crime Division (AOCD), were “getting out of hand.”

Espino said that some NBI agents were protecting Li Lan Yan, alias Jackson Dy, just a day after he claimed that the two NBI witnesses who claimed that his men had taken money and drugs from Dy were lying.

“I challenged them (CIDG) to name them now, as in now!”

De Lima told reporters, shortly after she met with NBI Director Nonnatus Rojas in her office at the Department of Justice.

In this way, she said she would “immediately summon” the concerned NBI agents so she could confront them on Espino’s allegations. “Otherwise, they should shut up,” De Lima said of Espino.

De Lima said she planned to talk to Interior Secretary Mar Roxas about the PNP-CIDG tirades against the NBI, which is under her office.

The other day, De Lima was angered by the CIDG when they identified two NBI witnesses in the Dy case, saying the police unit was liable for violating the confidentiality provision of the Witness Protection Program.

De Lima stood by the two witnesses’ testimony and wondered why the CIDG was “burning our witnesses.”

Espino, for his part, expressed disappointment on De Lima’s statement that she found the testimony of the two witnesses to be believable, thus prejudging the case against the CIDG. The CIDG’s tirades against the NBI came shortly after De Lima lashed out at and de-

manded an explanation from the CIDG when Ozamiz robberyholdup leader Ricky Cadavero and his henchman, Wilfredo Panogalinga Jr., ended up dead on July 15 in the hands of their police escorts.

De Lima had asked why the CIDG did not turn over then newly recaptured Cadavero and Panogalinga to the Bureau of Corrections after it was announced at a news conference held by Secretary Roxas in Camp Crame, the PNP headquarters.

Turning the tables on his accusers, Espino said recaptured drug trafficker Dy and his wife Wang Li Na, enjoyed protection from an NBI official, whom he did not name.

Chinese general’s son

Li Tian Hua, acknowledged as the biggest supplier of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) in the country, also enjoyed protection, “being a son of a Chinese general,” he said without elaborating.

Espino said his team came to know about this when it was investigating Dy’s apartment in San Juan City ahead of the July 13 raid, which led to Dy and Na’s recapture.

Nineteen CIDG officers led

by Espino were dismissed after they were accused by two witnesses of stealing P15 million to P20 million and 80 kilos of shabu from the house of Dy. “When we were investigating and we were about to raid that 311 [apartment number], they really had an NBI protector in that town. Why, because the one who used to live there was a pastor and a lot of people would always knock on his door asking for alms. When Jackson transferred, other people still rang the doorbell,” he told reporters.

When a guard opened the door, a man alighted from his car, showed his NBI ID, and scolded the guard for allowing visitors to enter so easily, he said. “So the guard thought that those living there were bigtime,” he added.

“They can ask that guard because he’s still there and he’s one of the witnesses from whom we got one of the intelligence reports,” Espino said.

He denied the charge that he

and his men took millions of pesos and shabu during the raid, saying the operation against the Chinese couple and Li was a “focused police operation.”

No violation

He also took exception to De Lima’s statement that he violated the terms of the Witness Protection Program by disclosing the identities of the witnesses.

“First, I did not violate the Witness Protection Program because Section 7 is only applicable to those personnel who processed the application. As a [member of the] PNP, we are not privy to that application of their witnesses. So, I did not violate any provision of the Witness Protection Program,” he said.

Second, Espino said he sought to defend himself and his men when De Lima revealed that one of the witnesses had introduced himself as a police officer.

“So we conducted our own internal investigation and it turned out that [the witness] is not a police officer and not a member of the police operation. Which means what the witnesses will say are just lies,” he said.

‘Obviously lying’

In a separate news release issued by his office, Espino said the arrest of Li Tian Hua could have been the culmination of his team’s painstaking surveillance operation, but with the arrest of the Chinese couple, Li was moving to protect his interests.

“The entire drug syndicate is now on the offensive,” he said.

“Their focus now is to destroy and discredit the police unit and their operatives. They can easily do it as they have entrenched connections among law enforcers, prosecutors, judges and even the media,” Espino said.

He said the witnesses against his police team were “obviously lying.”

‘Concocted’

Espino described the allegations against them as “concocted fairy tales about police corruption, riding high on antiwww.canadianinquirer.net

De Lima: I challenged them (CIDG) to name them now, as in now!

PHOTO FROM PCIJ.ORG

police sentiment due to recent negatives reports about some members of the Philippine National Police.”

The media, he said, were “easy prey” for manipulation, “since it always want something sensational, and what can be more sensational than policemen accused of pocketing huge volume of shabu and millions of pesos?”

“After the false exposé, I and my men were placed in the ‘freezer’ and were stopped from monitoring the drug production, drug distribution and money laundering activities of Li Tian Hua,” he said.

Bigger than Dy

Espino said Li was believed to be “higher in rank than Dy and Na and has access to bigger resources and connections from top officials.”

“We were almost there to bust the biggest drug syndicate in the country, but the drug lords are now laughing at us and taking advantage of the inactivity of the AOCD,” he said.

Getting out of hand

On Espino’s latest attack against the NBI, De Lima said the situation was “getting out of hand” as she expressed dismay “why they are resorting to this.”

The justice secretary said Espino should just allow the NBI to do its “mandate,” and con-

duct and complete its investigation of recent “high profile and sensitive” cases that included Li’s case.

“Please don’t throw mud at them (NBI) now because they have very important cases to investigate,” De Lima said.

Napoles angle

She reminded reporters that she earlier said that there would be attempts to sully the image of the NBI after its investigation of Janet Lim-Napoles was revealed in the media. The NBI said Napoles allegedly misused P10 billion in pork barrel of lawmakers by channeling the funds to bogus NGOs and ghost projects.

De Lima expressed hope at the time that the attacks against the NBI was not a strategy to destroy its credibility.

The justice secretary maintained that when she raised allegations of police involvement in the killing of Cadavero and Panogalinga on July 15, she was not accusing the entire organization but certain policemen who were involved.

“But what seems to be happening now is that the NBI is being targeted. Why?” De Lima asked.

She asked Espino where he got his information when he said that one of the two ❱❱ PAGE 11 Leila to

Philippine News

9 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

P27B pork in 2014 national budget But PDAF projects in NGOS to be scrutinized

BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA AND GIL C. CABACUNGAN Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PORK stays and it’s a whopping P27 billion in the Aquino administration’s proposed P2.268-trillion national budget for next year.

Unfazed by the alleged P10billion pork barrel scam, the executive branch still opted to include the regular allocation for the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

“Unlike in the past when only the ‘soft’ portion was in the budget and the ‘hard’ portion was tucked in” in government agencies, the new budget proposal shows the “whole and complete PDAF,” said Budget Secretary Florencio Abad.

Soft refers to projects involving social services; hard involves infrastructure projects.

“The P27-billion PDAF is provided and that is a special line item for PDAF in this budget,” Abad said when he submitted the national expenditure program to the House of Representatives.

However, Malacañang is considering measures that would subject nongovernment organizations (NGOs) implementing PDAF projects under closer scrutiny by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

NGOs accredited by DSWD

“We are still in the process of determining whether our role will be limited only to registration or expanded to include accreditation and licensing (of NGOs),” Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman said in a telephone interview, referring to talks with the Department of Budget and Management.

President Aquino made

PHOTO FROM SOLARNEWS.PH

no mention of the pork barrel scandal in his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona), which lasted nearly two hours and tackled other police and corruption scandals under his watch.

The Makabayan bloc earlier filed a bill seeking to abolish the entire pork barrel system in government, including the President’s Social Fund. Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares urged Mr. Aquino to make the bill “irrelevant” by not including the PDAF in the 2014 national budget.

Each senator usually gets P200 million in PDAF every year, while members of the House of Representatives receive P70 million each.

The National Bureau of Investigation is currently looking into allegations by six whistleblowers that P10 billion in pork barrel funds of five senators and 23 congressmen had been lost over the past decade in ghost projects implemented by dummy NGOs. P842B in social services

The P27-billion PDAF alloca-

tion is no match for the P62.6 billion in cash doles under the conditional cash transfer program (CCT) in the national budget.

The amount was raised from the existing P44-billion budget this year to cover “4.44 million households and 10.2 million children beneficiaries.”

The new amount dwarfs the P21.1-billion budget set aside for the construction of irrigation systems, and the P12billion allocation for building farm-to-market roads in the proposed national budget.

“We’ve already witnessed the steady and consistent improvement of the country’s economic performance under the Aquino administration,” Abad said.

“Now, we’re bringing these successes to bear on the lives of every Filipino.”

In all, “social services” will corner the biggest portion of the proposed national budget at 37.2 percent, or P842.8 billion. The amount represents a 20.5increase from the P699.4 billion set aside in the current budget.

The CCT took off from the “Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino

www.canadianinquirer.net

Program” first introduced by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who is now on her second term as a Pampanga congresswoman.

Expanded CCT coverage

The program has had its share of supporters and critics considering its mechanism that provides P300 or P500 to poor families with a maximum of three children up to age 14 or a total of P1,400 per month.

As recommended by the government think tank, Philippine Institute for Development Studies, the administration expanded the CCT program to include “high school-aged children” from 15 to 18.

“It clearly makes sense from a poverty reduction point of view to make that additional investment on the education of the child to ensure that he/she finishes high school,” according to the institute’s study by Celia Reyes.

“A high school graduate will have more employment opportunities and higher pay. If the program aims only for graduation in the elementary level,

and does not provide an effective exit strategy, the possible returns are very minimal to matter.”

The DSWD has been conducting registration, accreditation and licensing of NGOs involved in social welfare services, Soliman said.

The department has even accredited several NGOs as recipients for the “soft” projects of pork barrel funds and that the DSWD has the system in place to cover projects beyond social welfare, she said.

In the registration process, Soliman said the DSWD would immediately filter out fake NGOs. She said the accreditation process was more stringent as NGOs would be required to have working program in place and good governance standards.

Sen. Ralph Recto said he had no objection to the grant of NGO gatekeeper to the DSWD. “I am open to the idea. The DSWD has performed well. It is correct to have an accreditation process and adopt safeguards on the use of PDAF,” said Recto in a text message. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 10

COA uncovers P66-M pork scam at DOTC

BY GIL C. CABACUNGAN Philippine Daily Inquirer THE DEPARTMENT of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) has failed to account for roughly P66 million worth of computers and equipment bankrolled by pork barrel funds of nine lawmakers led by former Quezon City Rep. Matias Defensor Jr. In its report released on DOTC’s performance and financial transactions in 2011, the Commission on Audit (COA) noted “deficiencies” in the agency’s procurement of information technology (IT) equipment using the Priority Development Assistance Funds (PDAF) of the members of the House of Representatives.

The COA specifically questioned the lack of official documents showing that the 762 donated computers were indeed received by the barangays, schools and municipalities and DOTC’s decision to drop the computer purchases from its books without resolving questions on their delivery.

In one of its

findings, the COA said only one person, who was not even the user or beneficiary, signed invoice receipts of property (IRP) involving more than 500 sets of IT equipment. It said the serial numbers of the computers did not match the IRPs. “The deficiencies noted understated the recorded

equipment of the national government and the accountability and responsibility over the unrecorded or unbooked equipment were not completely fixed and established,” it said.

The report covered DOTC’s operations in 2011 when the agency was led by Jose “Ping” de Jesus (June 2010 to July 2011) and Manuel Roxas II (July 2011 to October 2012).

The DOTC is currently headed

by Secretary Joseph Abaya.

The bulk of the donations was made by Defensor, who allocated P49.25 million of his pork barrel to purchase 500 computers (or P100,000 each) for 37 barangays in the third district of Quezon City. Defensor, as chair of the committee on justice, was the main figure behind the rejection of attempts to impeach then President Gloria MacapagalArroyo.

Other lawmakers

The other eight lawmakers tagged by the COA were former Representatives Victor E. Agbayani of Pangasinan (40 sets worth P3.999 million), Rene Velarde

of Pampanga and Albert Garcia of Bataan (combined 30 sets worth P2.999 million), Jesus Crispin Remulla (30 sets worth P2.999 million), Darlene R. AntonioCustodio of General Santos (51 sets worth P1.966 milion), Fredenil H. Castro of Capiz (40 sets worth P1.982 million), Junie Evangelista Cua of Quirino (16 sets worth P589,824.00),

and Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez (55 sets P1.969 million).

In a phone interview, Remulla denied having allocated part of his pork barrel to donate computers for the DOTC program and that he doubted whether the funds used for the computers came from pork barrel funds.

“I think that since most of the so-called donors worked on major committees involved in the budget process, these funds were probably ‘accommodations’ from the agency for our work. I think the COA should have verified with us whether we allocated our pork barrel funds for this project. The COA should have presented us with papers that we signed attesting to these pork barrel releases before making this report to avoid misleading the public,” Remulla said.

He pointed out that six of the lawmakers identified by COA— Defensor, Agbayani, Velarde, Custodio, Castro and Cua—had stepped down after the 14th Congress in July 2010. Remulla and Garcia left after the end of the 15th Congress.

Remulla said that lawmakers did not hold the pork barrel funds but merely directed governm e n t agencies w h e r e to spend them. He said that in this case, the COA report itself pinned the blame for the missing computers on the DOTC for not making sure whether the computers were purchased and delivered.

The COA said that based on its recommendations, the DOTC management had already asked the various agency-beneficiaries to submit their documents before dropping the computer purchases from the department’s books.

These records are necessary to “fix and establish accountability and responsibility in safeguarding the equipment against misuse or possible loss,” the COA said. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

PhilHealth president Alexander Padilla PHOTO FROM PHILHEALTH.GOV.PH

Philhealth firm on claim: 81% of Pinoys covered

BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PHILIPPINE Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) stood by its claim that 81 percent of Filipinos are now covered by the government’s universal health program.

PhilHealth president Alexander Padilla said the 81 percent enrollment figure was based on “actual counts of members and dependents” from the agency’s database.

“Admittedly, there were concerns previously on data due to double entries, duplication and use of multipliers in getting the numbers,” Padilla said in a statement.

“But as the corporation continues its data cleanup, more efficient registration and reporting system, the 81 percent enrollment as reported are actual counts of members and dependents from PhilHealth database,” he said.

“These numbers may change as we continue our data clean up but not much,” he added.

The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) on Tuesday questioned President Aquino’s claim in his State of the Nation Address that 81 percent of Filipinos are now covered by PhilHealth.

“If we assume that the total population of the Philippines is

100 million, then 81 percent of Filipinos who are supposedly enrolled in PhilHealth numbers to around 81 million,” said Leo Olarte, PMA president.

“If we follow this kind of logic, a total of eight out of 10 hospital admissions across the country should be PhilHealth cases,” he added.

However, Olarte said reports from various hospitals nationwide did not support this claim, pointing out that the 2008 National Demographic Health Survey showed that only 38 percent of respondents were aware of at least one household member enrolled in PhilHealth.

He also noted that PhilHealth’s information and communication technology system was so problematic that scientific data gathering would “definitely be affected.”

“If you go and enroll yourself today at PhilHealth, chances are you will be given a piece of paper (and) not an electronic ID,” Olarte said.

However, Padilla said Olarte’s claims were based on “estimates” and not from actual data from PhilHealth.

“We are giving the public the numbers based on our actual database count … the pronouncements of (the) PMA president, according to him, is based on estimates,” Padilla said. ■

Philippine News

11 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

Leila to...

NBI witnesses had claimed he was a policeman.

“I never said anything of that sort. Neither did the witnesses say anything of that sort. The witness knew who he was and I knew exactly who he was but not a policeman,” De Lima said.

Rojas, who spoke to reporters after meeting with De Lima, also dared Espino to name the NBI agents protecting Li so that he could act on it.

“This is the first time that the CIDG has accused the NBI of such a serious charge, so we ❰❰ 8

also want to know the truth. If indeed, there are NBI agents acting as protector, wewill not hesitate to act on this immediately,” Rojas said.

Simple misunderstanding

Interior Secretary Roxas said the feud between the NBI and the CIDG might have resulted from a simple misunderstanding.

“I think it was only a misunderstanding of the statements that got blown out of proportion, and [some people] couldn’t control themselves

[from speaking out],” he told reporters in a briefing.

“The point is the CIDG said they had been investigating Jackson Dy… so I ordered CIDG director Frank Uyami to prepare a report to prove that there was in fact a surveillance operation against Jackson Dy for three weeks, and that they were coordinating with other agencies as they did so,” he said.

He noted that the CIDG team had been insistent that the operation against Dy was not connected to the deaths of Cadavero and Panogalinga.

No feud

efficient traffic lights and road safety devices, and air pollution control.

messages or phone calls, thus there was no paper trail on the actions taken by the staff/evaluator.”

The state auditor noted that the board’s evaluation body did not have an updated highway development and management system (HDM-4) to guide them on the current condition of the roads and an updated list of road and bridge information application (RBIA) to determine whether the roads being maintained were national roads.

It said the board could not countercheck whether requests for implementing preventive and maintenance road projects were for priority roads or whether there was overlapping or duplication of projects.

“In the HDM-4, we noted that there were 2,022 roads that were classified as ‘poor’ and ‘fair’ in Regions 1 to 13.

However, none of the roads listed in the HDM-4 that need to be repaired were approved by the Road Board for funding and implementation,” the COA said.

“These projects should have been taken into consideration in the selection of priority projects to be funded under the MVUC funds. In addition, it was also noted that there were funds released for NCR (National Capital Region) and ARMMalthough the roads in the two regions were not evaluated and included in the said HDM-4.”

The DPWH argued that the prioritization of MVUC projects were not solely based on the HDM-4 because “it is essentially a computer generated

But when pressed later on to elaborate on the NBICIDG feud, Roxas said: “I don’t see any feud. I don’t feel any feud. Maybe it’s only the media that want to see a fight. For me, each agency is only doing its duty. Whoever needs to assume responsibility must do so. Whoever did wrong must be made answerable.”

“We will not spare anyone.

We will only follow what’s right and proper. Our policy is very clear,” he said. ■

COA finds... budget shall be observed to its law enforcement to intensify and effectively carry out its programs,” said the Commission on Audit (COA).

Studies show that women in Metro Manila have one of the highest breast cancer rates in Asia, which could be due to emissions from motor vehicles.

Old habits die hard at the Road Board, which collects at least P10 billion a year from motor vehicle owners and acts as the “road maintenance arm” of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).

It was again found misallocating funds, engaging in questionable procurement practices and forsaking its pollution control mandate that were the subject of a COA report five years ago.

In its 2011 report on the Road Board, the COA cited “lack of effective procedures” in the evaluation of 1,011 projects amounting to P7.99 billion in 2011 by the regional offices/district engineering offices of the DPWH that resulted in the use of the road user’s tax for handpicked, nonpriority projects while turning its back on the deteriorating national roads. ❰❰ 1

Poor evaluation standards

The COA said the board’s poor evaluation standards had led to an increased risk of misallocation of funds and the non-maintenance of priority national and local roads.

It said P62.52 million earmarked for engineering and administrative overhead expenses were not used for road

maintenance, resulting in “misallocation of funds, overstatement of project costs and eventually in an inadequate quality of road maintenance.”

This practice of using the motor vehicle user’s charge (MVUC) to “cover up the vacuum” of foregone MOOE (maintenance and other operating expenses) of DPWH personnel “will result [in] an abuse in the use of the MVUC funds,” the COA said.

It said the P62.52 million diverted to overhead expenses for DPWH engineers in 2011 was 284 percent higher than the average P15.31 million overhead budget of the DPWHfrom 2008 to 2010.

One of the glaring transfers was made to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao where the COA said the DPWH did not have any need for an MOOE. The COA questioned why the Road Board released this “unreasonable amount” without consulting the budget secretary (who sits on the board) or reviewing whether these expenses fell within its charter.

The Road Board was established in 2000 to ensure the efficient management of the funds, 80 percent of which should go to the special road support fund, 7.5 percent to the special road safety fund, 5 percent to the special local road fund and also 5 percent to the special vehicle pollution control fund.

Under its charter, the road user’s tax should be used for road maintenance and the improvement of road drainage, the installation of adequate and

Singson ex-officio head

The seven-member Road Board is composed of the public works secretary, who serves as the ex-officio head, and the finance, budget and transportation secretaries as ex-officio members. The remaining three members come from transport and motorist organizations.

Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson introduced in 2011 a process for requesting projects and formulated standardized unit costs in the identification and selection of MVUC projects which would require a program of works (POW) to eliminate indiscriminate release of funds and address overpricing as baseline during bidding.

Despite Singson’s reforms, the board’s evaluation process remained vulnerable to abuse.

“The rechecking of the computation of the items and unit cost and the verification of the documents submitted could not be considered sufficient evaluation procedures since these relied only on the records submitted by the (DPWH officials).” the COA said.

No paper trail

“The actual condition of the roads as shown in the documents submitted for evaluation was not conclusive information that should be relied upon. For projects that were found defective, the concerned district engineering offices were informed by the staff only through text www.canadianinquirer.net

listing of proposed projects that were obtained from reports of various engineering districts from the previous year.”

Because it takes a year before road damage can be reflected on the HDM-4, it will not accurately show the preventive maintenance needs of the country at any given time, the COA said.

From 2001 to 2008, the Road Board collected a total of P55.8 billion, according to the COA. Based on the schedule of fees posted on the LTO website, MVUC rates for private and government passenger cars range from P1,400 to P12,000 depending on the age and weight of the car.

The starting rates for private and government utility vehicles (UV) and sport utility vehicles (SUVs) are P2,000 and P2,300, respectively. A rate of P240 is collected for private and government motorcycles without sidecars and a rate of P300 for those with sidecars.

Private and government trucks and buses are charged at least P1,800 while the rate for private and government trailers is equal to their gross vehicle weight (GVW) multiplied by 0.24.

Passenger cars for hire are charged P900 to P5,000 depending on the weight of the vehicle while motorcycles for hire are charged P300 and SUVs for hire, P2,300.

The rate for UVs for hire and truck buses is equal to their GVW multiplied by 0.30 while the rate for trailers for hire is equal to their GVW multiplied by 0.24. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 12

P-noy protector’s cover blown with Sona spotlight

BY MICHAEL LIM UBAC Philippine Daily Inquirer AFTER WORKING for 30 years behind the scenes, his cover was blown, as it were, in circumstances beyond his control.

The man singled out by President Aquino during his fourth State of the Nation Address (Sona) as “loyal to your flag, Constitution and the Filipino people” would have wanted to stay behind the scenes until his retirement on Aug. 31.

Brig. Gen. Ramon Mateo U. Dizon, outgoing commander of the Presidential Security Group (PSG), would have preferred a simple pat on the back from the Commander in Chief himself.

But Dizon, 55, was thrust into the spotlight at Batasang Pambansa on July 22, when all eyes were on the President as he delivered his annual report to the nation before a joint session of Congress.

Dizon was there as PSG chief, a special unit tasked with only one mission: Ensure the safety of the President and his family.

While guarding the steps leading to the podium, where the President was delivering his speech, it did not cross his mind that he would form part of the Sona.

“This is your Sona,” declared the President, reminding the nation that it was the people— whom he referred to as his bosses—who made change possible.

And then the unthinkable happened: the President turned to him, praising him to high heavens.

“For Gen. Ramon Mateo Dizon, soon-to-retire head of the PSG, who stood alongside me even in facing coups d’etat during my mother’s term: Up until my presidency, you have protected me,” Mr. Aquino said.

“I am able to go to different countries and to far corners of the Philippines with full confidence. Chito (Dizon’s nickname), you have done your part in changing our country.

You are truly loyal to your flag, to the Constitution and to the Filipino people. Of course, you could not have accomplished all this without your wife Jo Ann (Josefina Antonia Tiongson) by your side. This is your Sona as well.”

Applause filled the plenary hall of Congress as cameras panned to Dizon, who could not believe what he was hearing.

The awkward moment seemed like eternity.

When the INQUIRER sat down with Dizon for an interview at his office in Malacañang Park on Friday, he said he was thankful for such gesture coming no less from his boss.

“Thank you, Mr. President, for appreciating my work,” he said.

His spouse, Jo Ann, and his mother, Elma, must have been super proud. He often teases that he’s “separated” from his wife as he stays in the PSG compound 24/7. He goes home on some weekends to date his wife, he said with a beguiling smile.

Disciplinary action It was his late father, Mateo, who forced him to enter the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) in 1979 because he could use “some serious disciplining.”

At that time, he was a freshman geology student at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City.

“I would rather cut than attend classes,” he admitted.

A member of PMA Class of 1942, his father spent his entire life working at the foremost institution for military officers in the land—first as math instructor, then assistant commandant, before he became assistant superintendent until his retirement in 1969.

While at the PMA, his father ordered him to “violate everything but never the honor code.”

Dizon carried this same message when he faced PMA cadets last July 13 in Baguio City when the institution honored him with a testimonial parade and review.

“We live by a code. We never take undue advantage. Honor is our way of life, and it must be so even after we leave these hallowed grounds,” he said in his speech.

Dizon is not afraid of change and failures.

“Don’t be afraid of change.

Nothing in this world is permanent. But know what is right and wrong. Do not stray to the easier path of corruption. Live a simple life. Don’t have very high expectations for yourself.

Be thankful for the little things you have,” he said.

“Your first priority is to the country and mission accomplishment,” he added.

Meeting Cory

Dizon served three presidents—Corazon “Cory” Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos and now Benigno Aquino III. After graduating from the PMA in 1983, he joined the Philippine Constabulary (PC) and became a founding member of its Special Action Force (SAF).

He was stationed in Mindanao for a year before the fall of the Marcos dictatorship.

His date with destiny came less than a month after President Cory took office.

On March 13, 1986, he said he was assigned by the PC to the Office of the Group Commander of the PSG. “I was drafted into the Cory PSG one week after Edsa (People Power Revolution),” Dizon recalled.

He was the most junior officer handpicked by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, then PSG chief, during the incumbency of President Cory, Mr. Aquino’s mother.

Dizon stayed with the PSG until 1988, went back to his mother unit and from 1990 to 1991, briefly served as military assistant of Ramos, who was then defense secretary.

Although he was not with the PSG at that time, he found himself protecting the Aquinos during the 1989 coup—the bloodiest power grab against President Cory staged by the Reform the Armed Forces Movement.

Dizon was then company commander of the PC’s SAF’s 3rd Light Reaction Company, assigned to protect Camp Aguinaldo.

His proximity to Greenmeadows Subdivision in Quezon City had allowed him to extend a protective blanket over some members of the Aquino clan who lived there during the coup.

After a stint at the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, he rejoined PSG in July 1992, when Ramos became President.

Dizon rose from the ranks, from commanding officer, chief of training branch, deputy operations officer, commander, executive officer to commandwww.canadianinquirer.net

President Aquino at the 2013 SONA PHOTO FROM INTERAKSYON.COM

ing officer of the PSG. He again left the PSG in March 1999 or eight months after Joseph Estrada became President, only to return to familiar territory a decade after.

This time around—his third tour in the PSG—he came back as its commander.

“Now everyone listens to my orders,” he said, unlike when he was yet a junior officer in the PSG when “there were a lot of things I did not agree with, (but) no one listened to my suggestions.”

A Scout Ranger, Dizon was trained in explosive ordnance, counterrevolutionary warfare, intelligence and counterterrorism.

He also underwent courses in scuba diving (from open water, advance open water to rescue levels), basic airborne, VIP protection, financial statement analysis, command and general staff, joint transition course and joint combined war fighting.

Asked about his private life, Dizon quipped: “Do I have a life? I have P-Noy (Mr. Aquino’s nickname).”

Security nightmares

Protecting the President is a 24/7 job, and Dizon expects security nightmares even during sleepless nights.

The PSG members could not let their guard down until the President goes back to his presidential residence called Bahay Pangarap in the PSG compound, which sits across the Pasig River from Malacañang.

Low-key security

Every day, Dizon seems to dread the moment the Presi-

dent steps out of the Palace, after a grueling day, and tells him—at the last minute: “Chito, let’s have dinner at…”

But that’s vintage Mr. Aquino, who has preferred low-key security arrangements in his daily movements compared to his predecessors.

But as a President’s top guard, Dizon has learned to work around the President’s abhorrence for cordon sanitaire and trappings of power that come with the territory.

Since 2010, the PSG chief has developed an unobtrusive way of providing ample security to Mr. Aquino despite the President’s no wang-wang (siren) policy.

However, the President does not see the need for his presidential convoy to occupy two to three lanes of the highway during his land trips.

“Why?” he would repeatedly ask Dizon, forcing the latter to retreat to his familiar line: “I need to protect you, Mr. President.”

According to Dizon, other members of the Aquino family also prefer less security.

While preoccupied with security concerns, Dizon still managed to institute reforms in the PSG such as providing meal and per diem allowances for PSG members accompanying the President in his out-oftown sorties.

He has also instituted various training and regular skills evaluation for his command, ensuring that the stone-faced members of the unit “can shoot” efficiently.

“Nothing is impossible. You just need to be creative or think out of the box,” he said. ■

Philippine News

13 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

BI warns of ‘agents’ harassing foreigners

BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer

PHOTO FROM GULFTIMES.COM

Word war reaches Palace; Roxas-de Lima meeting set

BY MICHAEL LIM UBAC Philippine Daily Inquirer THE WORD war between officials of two law enforcement bodies over the handling—or mishandling—of highprofile suspects has reached the ears of President Aquino.

The President summoned Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Interior Secretary Mar Roxas to Malacañang for a meeting ostensibly to talk things over away from the spotlight.

De Lima and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Alfredo Caguioa had a 2:30 p.m. appointment with the President, according to Malacañang Appointments’ Office.

At a briefing, presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda confirmed that De Lima was scheduled to see Roxas, who supervises the Philippine National Police, at the Palace.

“So how can it be messier (when) the two department heads will be talking to each other? So let’s wait for the (result of the) discussion between Secretary Mar and Secretary Leila,” Lacierda said.

He said this in the course of commenting on the word war between De Lima and a ranking PNP official over the killings of two robbery gang leaders in Laguna province last week, and the recapture of a drug trafficker and his wife in San Juan City on July 13.

As justice secretary, De Lima is the immediate superior of the National Bureau of Investigation, which is looking into the possible culpability of Senior Supt.

Jose Mario Espino, the sacked chief of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group’s Anti-Organized Crime Division, and 19 CIDG officers.

Expecting spot promotion

The CIDG team has been accused by two NBI witnesses of stealing P15 million to P20 million and 80 kilos of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) from the house of recaptured drug trafficker Li Lan Yan, alias Jackson Dy. Espino, the leader of the team that

raided Dy’s apartment in San Juan, said he and his agents would bring perjury charges against the two witnesses.

He called a news conference and lashed out at De Lima for taking the witnesses’ statements as “gospel truth” and for “prejudging” them.

“We were expecting a spot promotion.

Instead, we were placed under a spot investigation,” Espino said. “Worse, our enemies now are our fellow government officials.”

Espino maintained that the CIDG officers did not find drugs and money from Dy’s apartment, saying the two witnesses were “lying.”

A peeved De Lima turned the tables on the CIDG raiding team, saying she would get back at them for revealing the identities of two witnesses who were under government protection.

The justice secretary also blew her top last week when she learned about the killings of Ozamiz robbery gang leaders Ricky Cadavero and Wilfredo Panogalinga Jr. in San Pedro town, Laguna province, on July 15, while in police custody.

THE LEADERSHIP gap at the Bureau of Immigration (BI) may be to blame for the extortion of foreigners by unscrupulous persons posing as immigration agents.

Immigration OIC Commissioner Siegfred Mison said he had received reports of persons claiming to be BI intelligence agents “going around, harassing and threatening foreigners with arrest and deportation,” after Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David resigned last week.

“It’s obvious these unscrupulous people are trying to take advantage of the transition in the bureau to make money from their unsuspecting victims,” said Mison in a statement.

He said the perpetrators could either be errant BI personnel or impostors who want to “profit from the situation” arising from David’s resignation, which has left the bureau without a permanent leader.

David quit after President Aquino publicly berated him over several incidents where foreigners as well as Filipinos involved in criminal cases in the

Rubout

PNP Director General Alan Purisima acknowledged that the killings of the two men by their police escorts were a “rubout” and approved the administrative charges against the 14 policemen involved.

De Lima welcomed Purisima’s decision, but also insisted that the arrest on July 12 of Cadavero and the arrest of Dy the following day were related, contrary to claims by the CIDG. Lacierda said there was no need for a “gag order,” when asked if the President would not be asking De Lima and Espino to stop quarreling in public.

“You know, there is an investigation right now … Secretary Leila de Lima has stated what’s her position,” said Lacierda, adding: “We are not privy to what’s going on there. There’s an investigation going on, so let’s wait for the investigation if it’s going to turn out one way or the other.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

country were allowed to escape through the airport.

Mison, who was appointed officer in charge of the bureau by Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, urged those who may be approached by so-called immigration agents to contact the BI through email (xinfo@immigration.gov.ph) or on Facebook and Twitter.

“We have not issued any directives authorizing our agents to conduct operations since Commissioner David resigned last week,” said Ma. Antonette Mangrobang, BI acting intelligence chief.

Mangrobang said any operation conducted by BI agents without a mission order from the commissioner was unauthorized and therefore illegal.

Mison meanwhile warned immigration personnel assigned to the airports not to take advantage of David’s resignation and connive with human traffickers and illegal recruiters to sneak their victims out of the country.

He said immigration officers who give “escort services” or, at the other extreme, allow illegal aliens to enter the country would be dismissed from the service for gross misconduct. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 14

‘Husbands’ lovers may spread HIV’

“When I started boxing, of course I was planning, you know and thinking about getting to become a champion.

So when I enter politics it's the same thing,” Pacquiao expounded, creating an analogy between his boxing and his political careers.

“But, you know, it's far away,” he said, interjecting that “it's God's will.”

In the more immediate future, however, Pacquiao—with a record of 54 wins, five losses and two draws—will get in the ring yet again to face US fighter Brandon Rios at the Venetian resort-hotel in Macau, 10:00 am on November 24, 2013.

Filipinos and Boxing aficionados the world-over are sure to tune-in to the fight , fullyaware that this could be the “make or break” bout for Pacquiao's boxing career.

Despite two successive losses, the fighter remains positive that he will win over Rios, refusing to entertain thoughts of retirement or a third-in-a-row defeat.

In a recent interview, Pacquiao said he was “100 percent” sure he would beat Rios and regain his credibility, as well as once more bag a world title.

“He's OK but I can say he's a greasy fighter and he loves to fight inside, he loves to fight ❰❰ 1

BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer HOW MANY Filipino husbands have male lovers?

If the Department of Health (DOH) is to be believed, some five percent of the nearly 700,000 Filipino men who have sex with men (MSM) are married, while 30 percent also have female sex partners, a gay rights activist said yesterday.

Jonas Bagas, network president and executive director of the TLF Share Foundation, said this segment of the MSM community was critical because it may become the “pathway” for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to spread from the gay community to the general population.

He noted that the HIV epidemic in the country was expected to worsen with five Filipinos getting infected by the virus every hour by 2015, up from one infection every two hours today.

“It’s just a question of time.

If we ignore the HIV epidemic among the MSM, it could easily jump to the general population,” Bagas said during a forum on “Ending the Stigma and Discrimination on HIV and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity” in Pasig City.

“The story we see on ‘ My Husband’s Lover?’ That’s a reality,” said Bagas, referring to the controversial primetime TV series.

“And if we are going to apply public health to that narrative, that shows the possible pathway of the HIV epidemic to the general population,” he said.

Bagas said estimates of Filipino MSMs ranged from 390,733 to 689,529. A 2011 DOH study showed that five percent of them were married.

This means that 19,637 to 34,476 Filipino married men had sex with another man within a month before the study was conducted.

A still “unofficial” 2012 DOH study showed that 30 percent of MSMs also had a female sexual partner within six months to a year before the study was made, Bagas added.

To stop the spread of HIV among the MSM community and prevent it from spreading to the general population, Commission on Human Rights Chair

Pacquiao sets... toe-to-toe,” he said in the interview, officially kicking-off a promotional tour for the fight.

“This is going to be a good fight—more action in the ring.

Hopefully he won't run away,” he added.

“There's a little bit of pressure for this fight but I believe in myself that I can still fight and improve,” he said. “I still can knock somebody out in the ring.”

“I never think negative. I only think positive,” Pacquiao said.

The boxer, however, did admit that those nearest and dearest to him are anxious for him to finally retire.

“Especially my mother,” he admitted. “My mother doesn't want me to fight any more, she doesn't like it,” he told AFP. “She wants me to focus on serving people.”

Freddie Roach, Pacquiao’s trainer and legendary boxing figure in his own right, has flatly stated that should the Filipino fighter lose to Rios it will be the last time he sets foot in the ring.

“If he loses, I will tell him to retire,” he told ESPN in an interview.

Pacquiao is set to prepare for the upcoming fight beginning next month, with “light training for conditioning” leading up to intense workouts in the weeks before the bout. ■

■

Loretta Ann Rosales, Bagas and other lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) activists called on Congress to pass an anti-discrimination law.

“The Philippines is sitting on an HIV time bomb. The DOH estimates the actual number of cases is twice the reported cases, which means that every hour, one Filipino is infected with HIV. That’s pretty bad,” Rosales said at the forum.

“Compare that to where we were in 2008 when the Philippines was reporting one HIV case every year.

“The ferocity of the spread of the HIV epidemic is such that, by 2015, the DOH estimates that 36,910 Filipinos will be

living with HIV. That’s 101 HIV cases every day or five cases every hour,” she said.

Rosales and gay rights activists blamed the stigma and discrimination against LGBTs for the “fast and furious” HIV epidemic in the Philippines.

“When we stigmatize communities vulnerable to HIV, what happens is they go underground and they don’t access crucial and lifesaving HIV services. This is what we mean when we say the stigma is driving the epidemic,” Bagas said.

“Because of homophobia and transphobia, MSMs and TGs find it difficult to access life-saving HIV services,” said Ruffa Torregoza of the group Gayon. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

PHOTO FROM MP8.PH

Philippine News

15 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

Don’t just protest, act–Bam tells youth congress

BY NORMAN BORDADORA Philippine Daily Inquirer STUDENT LEADERS, officials of nongovernment organizations and young professionals from across the country attended the Second Philippine Model Congress, a two-day youth conference on public service over the weekend at the Senate building in Pasay City.

Sen. Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, the youngest current senator at 36, called on the delegates to be part of the development process, saying the youth movement wasn’t just about voicing one’s opinions in protest.

“We’re never too young to contribute to society. We’re never too young to take that challenge and say, ‘I’m ready to join the development process,’” Aquino said.

“It’s not enough to just voice our opinions. The biggest challenge is going from voicing your opinion to going toward working in communities where you’re actually changing people’s lives,” he said.

Lean Leviste, son of Sen. Loren Legarda and one of the congress founders, said this year’s congress was better than last year’s as organizers managed to invite members of Congress to address the

Senator Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV

delegates and “hopefully” champion the causes of the youth. “(Last year), it was not clear where those ideas would end up. This year we

PHOTO FROM IVOTEPH.COM

invited guest speakers from both houses of Congress to receive those ideas themselves and hopefully champion the youth causes in government,” Leviste

What’s Malacañang’s problem with FOI bill?

BY NORMAN BORDADORA Philippine Daily Inquirer A FREEDOM of information (FOI) act apparently isn’t one of Malacañang’s priorities and the new chair of the Senate committee on public information wants to know why by holding “heartto-heart discussions” with officials of the administration.

Sen. Grace Poe said passing an FOI law was one of her priorities as chair of the information committee despite President Aquino’s apparent lack of interest in the measure.

“I really want to conduct hearings on this [bill]. This is the backbone of public information,” said Poe at the weekly Senate news forum.

Poe filed a resolution calling on the appropriate committees to deliberate on the transparency measure in aid of legislation.

At least six bills mandating an FOI law have been filed in the Senate, including a direct initiative submitted by the Right to Know Right Now Coalition.

“I don’t think there will be much discussion but the cause that I would like to give attention to obviously is the side of Malacañang because there is no denying

that it is not their priority measure and they have some reservations, and they filed their own version,” said Poe. The FOI bill was passed by the Senate twice in the last two Congresses. Only the House of Representatives had stood in the way of the measure becoming an enrolled bill.

Despite being a campaign promise of President Aquino’s in 2010 and even after Malacañang drafted its version of the bill, the measure languished in the committee on public information and barely made it to the House plenary in the 15th Congress.

Poe said she wanted to know what Malacañang’s reservations were, “because the executive is a significant part of this whole process and the people had given President PNoy an overwhelming mandate.”

“We really also have to take into consideration what the President thinks about it, there are other points to ponder here,” she added.

“Obviously, it’s not their passion but they’re also not doing anything to kill the bill,” she noted.

Poe said it was important to have an FOI law in order to institutionalize public access to government information, before the Aquino administration bows out in 2016. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

told reporters.

Aside from Aquino, who spoke to the congress on Saturday, Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara addressed the youth delegates on Sunday.

“I congratulate the organizers of the model congress led by Lean Legarda Leviste for gathering several outstanding and promising achievers and leaders to exchange ideas and meet some of the nation’s officials during the model congress,” Angara told the INQUIRER after his speech. Angara said the congress delegates “give us hope for a better future for the country and, at some point in the near future, some of them may be called upon to serve the nation.”

“It is important that they are prepared not only intellectually, but morally and spiritually as well,” Angara said.

Tricia Peralta, one of the conference organizers, said the congress served as a venue to cull ideas for proposed legislation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

“The interesting thing for people who come to this conference is that they essentially want to have a venue to crowdsource bills and at the same time find champions to push the ideas they want forwarded in Congress,” Peralta said. ■

Opinion

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 16

THERE’S THE RUB

Measure of ‘katuwiran’

By Conrado De Quiros Philippine Daily Inquirer OF COURSE it was an unconfirmed report. But if true, then it’s quite disturbing. That’s the one that said President Aquino was leaning toward accepting the resignations of two of the six Customs deputies but not Ruffy Biazon’s.

Why ever not? There’s such a thing as command responsibility. If Customs is as deep a pit of iniquity as PNoy suggested when he savaged it last week, then it must owe in huge part to its head. Either he doesn’t know what’s happening under his nose or he’s turning a blind eye to it. Either he is inefficient or tainted himself.

The two deputies whose resignations P-Noy is expected to accept instead are Danny Lim’s and Juan Lorenzo Tañada’s. They are two of the more efficient people in Customs, they are two of the more honest people in Customs. Their disappearance will truly effect a revamp in Customs—in the direction of leaving the field to the people who like to make hay while the sun shines. The Palace knows who they are: Taking them out is not a question of wit, it’s a question of will.

From farther afield, there’s another development that looks more like a retreat than an advance in the war

against corruption. I applaud P-Noy’s tack of embarrassing or shaming devious officials in public. But it carries an enormous burden too. You do that and people will ask questions, or issue challenges, about why you took some errant knaves to task but not arrant others.

Particularly those others closest to you.

Which brings me to DOTC officials’ reported attempt to extort from Inekon.

Allegedly it happened when Mar Roxas still headed the Department of Transportation and Communications and was done by his favorite people. The story burst in the other week but has steadily slipped away from the papers, disappearing from Malacañang’s view, disappearing from public view, disappearing from reality and plunging into the whirlpool of fantasy. It’s as if it never happened.

It was Dante Ang who exposed it.

According to him, a group of DOTC officials, led by Al Vitangcol, MRT general manager, met several times with Czech Ambassador Josef Rychtar and several officials from Inekon, a Czech company bidding for a project to expand and modernize MRT 3. Vitangcol wasn’t there during the fateful meeting but participated in it nonetheless. That was when Wilson Rivera proposed that a contribution of $30 million from Inekon would greatly improve DOTC’s appreciation of their proposal. When Inekon flatly re-

jected his overture, he said he would talk to Vitangcol and see if he could bring the amount down. Rivera called up his boss and subsequently proposed a steep discount—now only $2.5 million.

Edwin Lacierda’s reaction to this was to say that in the absence of any definite accusation by the Czech ambassador to that effect, he was not giving credence to it. “If you look at the story there are no quotes from the Czech ambassador. We are asking

P-Noy’s tack of embarrassing or shaming devious officials in public carries an enormous burden. People will ask questions about why you took some errant knaves to task but not arrant others. the Czech ambassador to present us with evidence so we can investigate.”

I purposely did not say “Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda” because I’m not really sure whom he is spokesperson for. Is he the spokesperson of P-Noy or Roxas? Is he the spokesperson of the President who won in an Edsa masquerading as an election or of the vice presidential candidate who lost but is now the DILG

head masquerading as the president?

One is tempted to say that this is a case where you really should be careful what you wish for. Rychtar may just grant Lacierda his wish, throwing government—PNoy’s and not Mar’s—into a tailspin. He’s probably banking on the idea that the Czech ambassador will balk at creating a diplomatic scandal, or at least will do everything in his power to protect Czech interests in this country. But you never know, everything has its limits. We already have a reputation for treating foreign investors shabbily. We need more of it like a hole in the head.

But quite apart from that, and far more importantly, we do have it straight from the horse’s mouth. Boo Chanco wrote some weeks back that he came into the possession of a letter from Rychtar to P-Noy. It said: “In early April 2013, I was able to secure a meeting with Sec. Emilio Abaya to report an incident between some officials of his department and myself, together with the top management of Inekon.... I had hoped that Sec. Abaya would have dealt with this issue in a swift and judicious manner before it reached this embarrassing and untenable state of affairs.”

How much more do you need to investigate this “incident”?

By any ranking of rottenness in types

of corruption, extortion is pretty high on the list. It doesn’t matter if the amount is $30 million or $2.5 million—and it is a testament to how freely these people bandy money about that they can jump from this high to this low without batting an eyelash, baka lang makalusot. Extortion is extortion and exudes a stench.

At the very least of course, the principle here, as in Biazon’s, is command responsibility. Indeed, more so here than there: This thing didn’t just happen under Roxas’ watch at DOTC, it happened under the direct command of one of his protégés. “Mga bata,” as the boss says in the Tagalog movies.

Either Vitangcol struck out on his own or he gave him his blessings. The first doesn’t do wonders for his leadership, the second for his character.

The real test of the daang matuwid is not taking action where it feels good, it is taking action where it hurts. It is not taking action with the people farthest from you, it is taking action with the people closest to you. It is pursuing evidence wherever it leads to, it is pursuing guilt whomever it points to.

The daang matuwid is not a well-paved road, it is a thorny path. The measure of katuwiran is sacrifice. The measure of katuwiran is blood, sweat and tears.

The measure of katuwiran is katwiran. ■

P44 billion last year—to help 4.3 million of the country’s poorest families.

Under the CCT, these families get P1,200 a month—P300 per child for a maximum of three children, plus P300 for the mother. In return, families commit to keep children in school and, with their mothers, regularly get checkups at the public health center. President Aquino has managed, so far, to beat off scavengers from gorging on this resource What underpins once-basket-case Bangladesh’s surge? Among other moves, Dhaka blended government policy and the work of nongovernmental organizations. Bangladesh’s low-interest-rate Grameen Bank and BRAC reach out to the neediest.

BRAC is the world’s largest NGO. Established by Sir Fazle Hasan Abed in 1972, BRAC organizes the isolated poor, especially women. They’re helped to increase access to resources and support projects, from a dairy to a chain of retail handicraft stores. The organization is 7080-percent self-funded.

“As a result, there has been a dramatic fall in the fertility rate. And girls now outnumber boys in education,” Sen notes. “All this has been achieved despite Bangladesh having half the per capita income of India.”

Here, JLN Corp.’s bogus NGOs are

said to have fleeced willing senators of their pork barrel: Bong Revilla, Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Gringo Honasan. All 20 NGO conduits for JLN were allegedly fraudulent.

After the book’s torrent of facts and figures, should one despair? No, say the authors. Indian states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh provide examples of how social investments have reaped dividends in economic growth.

Often, what holds countries back is not lack of resources. The hardest chains to break are lack of clearsighted, long-term policies and the political will to implement them. Yet, the muddled consciences of the crucial middle classes can be stirred to usher in reform.

Sen, however, admits to “intellectual wonder”: Why don’t more people see that economic growth without investment in human development is unsustainable—and unethical?

The only photograph in Sen’s Cambridge study is that of the poet Rabindranath Tagore with a flowing white beard. “Tagore was too patient,” Sen says today. Kazi Nazrul Islam, Bengal’s other great poet, was the rebel urging action who wrote: “Patience is a minor form of despair, disguised as a virtue.” ■

VIEWPOINT

‘Absurd paradox’

By Juan L. Mercado Philippine Daily Inquirer NOBEL LAUREATE Amartya Sen posed a simple question in his new book, “An Uncertain Glory.” Where do more than 600 million Indians defecate? asked this Cambridge and Harvard professor. “Half of all Indians have no toilet.” That triggered an international uproar.

Towering condos are redrawing India’s skyline. But many of them lack toilets. Servants relieve themselves in byways. “It’s a combination of class, caste, gender discrimination—and shocking,” Sen writes with coauthor Jean Drèze.

Hold that smirk. We also flub the smell test from lack of “loos”: Here, 26 million can’t get to a latrine, reports the World Health Organization and UN Children’s Fund. This survey is conducted every two years.

Of these 26 million, 7.4 million “openly defecate,” notes Unicef Water, Sanitation and Hygiene specialist Michael Emerson Gnilo. They’re clustered among the 20 percent poorest: in Masbate, Northern Samar, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

A “wrap and throw” practice disposed of excreta in parts of north Cebu, the late Fr. Wilhelm Flieger, SVD, found. “Conditions in Ban-

tayan and Camotes were almost disastrous.” This University of San Carlos demographer authored the path-breaking study “Cebu.” However, the latest edition of “Cebu” documents improvements.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro seeks an ideal ratio of one toilet for every 50 students. He has whittled down the backlog and estimates that, this year, 90,000 toilets have to be built. There are funds for them in the P55.9billion budget of the Department of Education.

“The Need for Impatience” is the title of the last chapter in Sen’s book.

It zeroes in on the vast Indian middle classes. Like their Filipino counterparts, “many seem indifferent to the wretched lives of neighbors.”

This is “unaimed opulence.” And it morphs into “the absurd paradox of people having mobile phones but no toilets.” That includes us, right? Filipinos hefted 106,987,098 cell phones in 2011.

But the number who crap behind bushes bolted by 12 percent in just a decade.

“An Uncertain Glory” jabs at India’s amourpropre. It stacks Delhi’s track record against that of China, then jacks up pressure by tracking south Asian neighbors. “Bangladesh is much poorer than India.” But 56 of every 100 Bangladeshis “increased access to improved sanitation.” It’s 34 for Indians.

China invested in massive expansion of education and health care in the 1970s. The “under-5 mortality rate” for China nose-dived to 15, while it remains 61 for India. It slowed down to 25 for the Philippines—far below the 12 that Sri Lanka achieved, says the “State of the World’s Children 2013.”

Economic growth makes no sense if the generated wealth is monopolized.

What does it profit a development model that underscores luxury shop-

This is ‘unaimed opulence.’ And it morphs into ‘the absurd paradox of people having mobile phones but no toilets.’ ping malls but inflicts misery on millions from lack of basic sanitation?

“Huge social investments proved critical to sustaining China’s impressive economic growth,” Sen’s book argues. “Without comparable foundations, India’s much-lauded economic growth is faltering.”

Here, the Aquino administration earmarked a 42-percent increase in the Conditional Cash Transfer program for 2014 to serve the poorest.

This allocates P62.6 billion—up from

www.canadianinquirer.net

Opinion

17 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

PUBLIC LIVES

A hard look at the pork barrel

By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PORK barrel system of allocating public funds to benefit a local constituency is a feature of politics we borrowed from the United States.

Under this system, elected representatives are given the opportunity to insert allocations for their pet projects in the spending program of the national government. Any expenditure not explicitly recommended by the president in the national budget is thus, in theory, part of the pork barrel.

At first blush, there appears nothing fundamentally wrong about this system, especially where one is dealing with a federal government that has its own priorities. In practice, however, it tends to contradict the whole logic of rational budgeting. Instead of subjecting congressional insertions to careful scrutiny or debate, legislators find it easier to allow everybody to feed from the pork barrel. In the process, some get more than the others, depending upon how close they are to the appropriations committee.

As chief executive, the President has the power to veto any expenditure item that he does not agree with.

A few American presidents do this, particularly when a congressional

insertion entails having to reallocate a huge chunk of the national budget.

Most presidents, as a rule, avoid antagonizing Congress and risking failure to pass the budget. They prefer to accommodate the political needs of legislators by reserving a certain portion of the national appropriations measure for their projects. In return, astute presidents expect the priorities laid down in the national budget to remain basically untouched.

This quid pro quo remains a feature of modern politics, as shown by the menu of compromises that have had to be negotiated in recent debates over the US federal budget.

Deadlock lurked at every point, so much so that reasonable heads from the two major parties have had to come together repeatedly to break the intransigence within their respective parties. In recent days, John McCain, President Barack Obama’s principal rival for the presidency in 2008, played the unlikely role of an Obama stalwart by softening the resistance of his own Republican colleagues in order to help his erstwhile opponent get his budget through.

McCain’s own agenda is to prevent the defense budget from being cut.

Since he can count on friendly majorities in both chambers of Congress,

President Aquino faces no such problems. But, this does not mean that he can treat his allies any way he chooses.

He knows the realities. He knows he won’t be able to govern unless he takes care of the politics. So, while he has the option to remove the pork barrel portion from the budget, he has to be mindful of the need to marshal steady political support for his agenda in the remaining half of his term.

It is not to say that the rest who availed themselves of their annual allocation are all corrupt. But they must realize that the pork barrel is a tainted resource.

We don’t expect P-Noy to take the initiative to abolish the pork barrel.

Still, it is imperative that we keep the pressure on for the investigation of pork barrel misuse and its eventual elimination. At the same time, we await the promulgation of the safeguards that Budget Secretary Florencio Abad promised in a recent interview. He and the President, who were both members of Congress for many years, ought to know what kind of controls will work to minimize corruption in the utilization of the pork barrel.

It is important to stay focused on the key issues. I don’t think that the Filipino electorate is against the idea of giving legislators the prerogative to identify infrastructure and social services projects that are meant primarily for their districts and constituents. Indeed, they expect this function to be the biggest part, if not the sole component, of their role as elected representatives of the people. What our people object to is the waste and the diversion of funds to private pockets.

Honest legislators who believe that this is not part of the work of legislation have every reason to refuse their pork barrel allocation. We salute former senator Ping Lacson for doing so during his entire term. It is not to say that the rest who availed themselves of their annual allocation are all corrupt. But they must realize that the pork barrel is a tainted resource. They have the obligation not only to erase any suspicion that the money went into their pockets, but also to make sure that it was actually spent for the designated projects or the intended beneficiaries.

No legislator who taps into his pork barrel should have recourse to the excuse that monitoring and auditing are not their responsibility.

Maybe legally, they are not. But ethically, they are. I think that any senator or congressman who nominates a project for “priority development assistance” must be presumed not only to have done the proper studies but also to be concerned enough to want to know whether a project has been carried out as planned and has benefited the community it is meant to serve. To argue that these are not part of his duties—as Sen. Lito Lapid recently did in his defense of his allotments for supposed antidengue chemical sprays for communities that had no dengue problem—is not only self-serving but utterly irresponsible.

Clearly, what is terribly wrong about our present pork barrel system is that it is designed to work as a powerful inducement to corruption.

The sheer availability of allotments for as yet unnamed projects serves as an invitation for creative suppliers like JLN Corp. to conjure and offer to their clients all kinds of projects that have no higher aim than to monetize the allotments. It is almost as if the facility was put there precisely to make every politician complicit and quiet while this annual robbery is routinely perpetrated on a helpless nation. ■

AS I SEE IT

Why not compromise on controversial hotel sale?

By Neal H. Cruz Philippine Daily Inquirer HERE IS the latest on the controversy over the sale of the long-abandoned McAdore Hotel in Dagupan City: The buyer of the hotel, Amb. ALC Holdings and Management, wants a change of venue for the trial of a pending petition seeking to nullify the sale of the hotel last January because it believes it won’t get a fair shake from the courts in Dagupan.

The apprehension of the winning bidder in the public auction of the hotel about not getting justice in Dagupan is well-founded. In most local communities outside Metro Manila, politicians hold sway not only over local government units but also over local courts. Already, it is becoming clear that the judge handling the case wants to please the political bosses rather than dispense true justice. A new venue, therefore, is ALC Holdings’ best resort.

For those who tuned in late, here is a backgrounder on the case: The seven-story McAdore Hotel was built 20 years ago in the middle of Dagupan’s bustling business district as the “Pride of Dagupan City.” However, the bank foreclosed on the loan for the construction of the hotel when the borrowers

defaulted on their payments. The Dagupan City government bought it for P50 million, planning to convert it into the new city hall to replace the old one which was crumbling. But the city government was unable to do that for lack of funds. So the city council decided to sell the property and authorized then Mayor Benjamin S. Lim to initiate the sale of the property.

A public bidding was held and ALC Holdings submitted the highest bid. It paid the city government P119 million, plus other expenses for the transfer of the property.

In the May 13, 2013 elections, a new mayor was elected. Mayor Belen Fernandez now wants the sale nullified and has filed a petition in the Dagupan Regional Trial Court. She says the property was underpriced and was worth double the price paid for it by the buyer. Her suit also claims that due process was not followed in the sale.

Exactly a week after Fernandez emerged as the winner of the May 13 elections, Judge Mervin Jovito Samadan declared null and void a resolution that authorized former Mayor Lim to initiate the sale of the property. The buyer said it is obvious that the judge is intent on coming out with a ruling that would please Mayor Fernandez.

The new owners (titles to the property have already been issued to them) claim: “It is totally baffling how Mayor Belen Fernandez, the main political foe of ex-Mayor Lim during the elections, could question the sale of McAdore Hotel. In her capacity as city council presiding officer, she signed and was party to the second resolution that reinforced the authority of Lim to sell the property.

“So how can she question the legality of a city council resolution that she had been party to?”

How can Dagupan City Mayor Belen Fernandez question the legality of a city council resolution that she had been party to?

ALC Holdings said the sale of the property during the Lim administration complied with all requirements of the law. It was done by virtue of two council resolutions authorizing Lim to initiate and complete such sale. The Commission on Audit set the floor price for the sale of the property, a regular public bidding was held and had never been questioned, the property was formally awarded to the winner without ob-

www.canadianinquirer.net

jections from other parties, and all incidental expenses for the transfer of the property have been fully paid by its new owners.

In fact, there is no actual case against the sale of McAdore Hotel.

The pending petition is to annul the council resolution authorizing Lim to sell the property.

In an interview with Mayor Fernandez, she said she wants to convert the hotel into Dagupan’s new city hall, the reason it was sold by the government bank to the city at such a cheap price in the first place. Even at P119 million, the amount paid by the buyers, it is still very cheap, she said. The present city hall is very old and unsafe, she said, and it is embarrassing for outsiders to see it in that condition.

Does she have the funds to remodel it? I asked. Lim was unable to remodel it because of lack of funds.

I can find the money, she answered.

However, she added that she is still willing to sell the property—“if the price is right” and if the correct procedures are followed. Based on the value of adjoining properties, the hotel is worth twice what ALC Holdings paid for it, she said.

In that case, as a compromise, why not create a three-man committee

that would evaluate the true market value of the property? It should be composed of the city assessor, a real estate broker (not from Dagupan so he would not be under the influence of the city government), and a representative of COA. If ALC Holdings finds the new price acceptable, then the property should go to it. If not, then there should be a new public bidding that would follow all the correct legal procedures and in which ALC Holdings should be allowed to participate.

But that also raises the following questions: ALC Holdings has already been issued the title to McAdore Hotel, making it the legal owners. Can the title still be taken away from it without the correct court procedure?

The argument of the city government is that “if the resolution authorizing the sale of the property is void, then the sale itself is void.” Is that a justifiable reason to nullify a perfected sale?

A long-drawn out court case can take many years, considering the slowness of our courts, so the building will deteriorate further and decrease in value while the case drags on. A compromise would avoid all that—and the hassles and expenses for legal services. ■

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

18

Canada News

Moving oil by rail requires special care, not just tinkering: safety advocates

NEWS BRIEFS

BY JIM BRONSKILL The Canadian Press OTTAWA—The sort of disaster that struck Lac-Megantic may thankfully be rare but the consequences are so grave when serious derailments involving oil do occur, extraordinary measures must be taken to prevent them, say proponents of stricter protocols.

A Montreal, Maine & Atlantic train carrying 72 tank cars filled with oil exploded after it unexpectedly began rolling and went off the tracks in the small Quebec town on July 6, taking an estimated 47 lives.

The disaster— one of the worst rail accidents in Canadian history—has prompted as many as nine investigations and extensive discussion about how best to prevent a similar tragedy.

Many seek urgent solutions given projections of steadily rising petroleum shipments by train.

The Canadian rail industry points to an improving safety record, noting the number of derailments—including those involving dangerous goods—is stable or decreasing.

There were six main-track derailments involving dangerous materials from January to May of this year, below the 2008-12 average of eight for the same time period. Derailments involving hazardous goods on secondary tracks stood at 34 for January to May this year, below the 2008-12 average of 37 for these months.

The Railway Association of Canada says 99.9977 per cent of all dangerous goods shipped by rail reach their destination without a release caused by a train accident. It adds that the oil spillage rate is lower for railways than for pipelines.

Those who study catastrophes say the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

A major derailment of a train carrying large quantities of oil is what disaster experts call a low-probability, highconsequence event. In other words, it’s not likely to happen, but if it does the fallout may well be devastating.

“These are totally different from other types of train crashes,” said Ali Asgary, an associate professor of

MIGRANT WORKER GETS $23,500 IN RIGHTS ABUSE CASE TORONTO—Ontario’s human rights tribunal has ordered a migrant worker to be paid $23,500 in damages after ruling he suffered racial abuse while working at a greenhouse in Leamington, Ont. The tribunal found that Adrian Monrose, a St. Lucian migrant worker who came to Canada under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program in 2009, was subjected to racist slurs while working for Double Diamond Acres Ltd.

LAC MEGANTIC CANADA JULY 14: Downtown Lac Megantic after the worst train disaster in

ELDERLY AT HIGHER RISK OF SUICIDE IN CANADA

Canadian history. 50 people were killed in this humanitarian disaster.

PHOTO BY MEUNIERD / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

emergency management at York University in Toronto.

The rail industry has a very good safety record compared with other modes of transportation, said Manish Verma, an associate professor at McMaster University’s DeGroote School of Business in Hamilton, Ont. But that means only so much when dozens of tank cars filled with oil are passing through a community. “Even if something minor happens, the consequence could be very, very huge,” he said.

Previously a train might have a handful of tank cars carrying chlorine or other such hazardous goods, notes Keith Stewart, climate and energy campaign co-ordinator with Greenpeace Canada. Now a train might have scores of cars transporting oil to a refinery.

“That’s relatively new, and it’s a lot more dangerous because the consequences when something goes wrong are much higher,” Stewart said.

“I’d look at it as loading the dice in favour of disaster.”

In 2009, major railways moved just 500 carloads of crude oil, but that has jumped to about 140,000 carloads a year, the railway association says.

While only about three per cent of Canadian crude moves by rail, one industry estimate has the figure rising to as high as 25 per cent by 2035.

Last week, in a preliminary response to the Lac-Megantic derailment, Transport Canada issued a series of emergency orders. From now on, at least two crew members must work trains that carry dangerous goods. In addition, no locomotive attached to a tank car filled with dangerous materials can be left unattended on a main track.

But those concerned about the hazards of transporting oil by train say much more must be done.

“You can never have absolute safety with moving fossil fuels, but it can be a lot safer than it is today,” Stewart said.

“We just think the federal government hasn’t done its job, which is to set the rules in a way that protects community safety and the environment.”

Among the suggested solutions: ensuring the tank cars used to move crude oil will not easily rupture, giving trains with large amounts of crude priority in order to avoid unnecessary stops and delays, divert❱❱ PAGE 38 Moving oil

TORONTO—Studies show that Canada’s elderly are at a much higher risk of suicide than adolescents, and there is growing concern among mental health experts that psychological care may be out of reach for most seniors.

Dr. Marnin Heisel, a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Western Ontario, says lack of public awareness of the issue is a key problem that affects not only the elderly, but their families and the public in general.

WOMAN’S FOOD TAMPERING APPEAL DISMISSED CALGARY—A woman who was convicted of putting dozens of sharp metal objects into food products at a Calgary grocery store has lost her appeal. Tatyana Granada was found guilty last year of mischief and trespassing for placing needles, pins, nails and other objects into bread, cheese and produce at the city’s Oakridge Co-op.

DEPENDENCE, DEATH LINKED TO BENZO USE TORONTO—Adverse reaction reports are voluntarily filed to Health Canada by doctors, pharmacists or members of the public when a person experiences a side-effect while taking a drug. Although summaries of the reports are publicly available through an online database, the more complete, detailed reports outlined below were obtained from Health Canada through Access to Information requests.

Canada News

19 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

Foreign service staff escalate job action at 15 missions, target travel visas

BY MIKE BLANCHFIELD The Canadian Press OTTAWA—The unprecedented job action Monday by Canada’s striking diplomats sparked recriminations in the tourism sector as an estimated 150 visa officers walked off the job in 15 foreign missions.

The Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers escalated the rotating job action after an attempt to seek binding arbitration with the federal government broke down last week.

Canada’s tourism association blamed the diplomats for walking away from binding arbitration.

“We are disappointed the union has walked away from the mediation process, just as we were profoundly disappointed that they purposefully chose this time of year for their action—when we have the highest volumes of both visitor and student visas,” David Goldstein,

president of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada, said in an emailed statement.

But union president Tim Edwards said it did no such thing; he said the government imposed six untenable preconditions that would have prejudiced the outcome in its favour.

“That’s patently false. We’re the ones who offered binding arbitration in the first place.

We would have preferred that it happened without preconditions,” Edwards said in an interview.

Edwards said the union agreed to three of the government’s preconditions but had it accepted the other three, it would have stacked the deck in the government’s favour and predetermined the outcome.

“They’re the ones who walked away from the table,” said Edwards. “I can’t emphasize this enough. Binding arbitration is still on the table, even with the three preconditions we’ve agreed to.”

Edwards agreed that the ef-

fect of the continuing job action, now almost two months old, is having a “mounting and severe” impact on the tourism sector as well as foreign students and seasonal workers.

The tourism industry estimates that the job action will cost it $280 million this year.

In recent weeks, it has shown little sympathy for the union, saying the government should consider back-to-work legislation or replacement workers.

However, Paul Davidson, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, wasn’t taking sides even though he said the job action is taking its toll on foreign students, their families and Canadian post-secondary institutions that rely on business from abroad.

“Both sides have their strategies, have their tactics,” he said in an interview.

Foreign students contribute about $8 billion annually to the Canadian economy.

Davidson couldn’t estimate

Canadian Inquirer

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PHOTO FROM NEWS.CA.MSN.COM

the overall cost of the strike as some students, their visas requests to Canada stalled, chose to study in other countries such as the United States or Britain.

“The concern is a reputational impact if the word gets out that it’s awkward, difficult, uncertain about whether you’ll get a visa from Canada. That will do a lot of damage to Canada’s reputation.”

Davidson said that although Treasury Board President Tony Clement is directly responsible for negotiations with the union, other federal cabinet ministers have a stake in the talks and should be seized with finding a solution.

He identified Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, Trade Minister Ed Fast and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander.

“We are disappointed that

the union has refused our reasonable offer,” said Clement’s spokesman Matthew Conway in an email.

He said the union “breached good faith bargaining principles by releasing confidential negotiating documents.”

Last week the union publicly released confidential correspondence from Clement’s office to demonstrate the preconditions that it was being asked to agree to.

Monday’s job action took place in Beijing, Mexico City and New Delhi, London, Paris, Abu Dhabi and Shanghai, among others.

The union wants wage parity with counterparts in other federal departments who the union says earn as much as $14,000 more for doing similar work. ■

World News

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 20

In shift of tone, Pope Francis reaches out to gays, says he won’t judge gay priests

BY NICOLE WINFIELD The Associated Press POPE FRANCIS reached out to gays on Monday, saying he won’t judge priests for their sexual orientation in a remarkably open and wide-ranging news conference as he returned from his first foreign trip.

“If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” Francis asked. “We shouldn’t marginalize people for this. They must be integrated into society.”

Francis’ predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, signed a document in 2005 that said men who had deep-rooted homosexual tendencies should not be priests.

Francis was much more conciliatory in his first news conference as pope, saying gay clergymen should be forgiven and their sins forgotten.

The comments did not signal any change in church policy. Catholic teaching still holds that homosexual acts are

“intrinsically disordered.” But they indicated a shift in tone under Francis’ young papacy and an emphasis on a church that is more inclusive and merciful rather than critical and disciplinary.

Gay leaders were buoyed by Francis’ non-judgmental approach, saying changing the tone was progress in itself, although for some, the encouragement was tempered by Francis talk of gay clergy’s “sins.”

“Basically, I’m overjoyed at the news,” said Francis DeBernardo, executive director of the U.S.-based New Ways Ministry, a group promoting justice and reconciliation for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people.

“For decades now, we’ve had nothing but negative comments about gay and lesbian people coming from the Vatican,” DeBernardo said in a telephone interview from Maryland.

The largest U.S. gay rights group, Human Rights Campaign, said in a statement that the pope’s remarks “reflect a hopeful change in tone.”

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Still, said Chad Griffin, the HRC president, as long as gay individuals, couples and youth alike “are told in churches big and small that their lives and their families are disordered and sinful because of how they were born—how God made them—then the church is sending a deeply harmful message.”

In Italy, where politicians are generally sensitive to Vatican policy, Italy’s first openly gay governor, Nichi Vendola, urged fellow politicians to learn a lesson from the pope.

“I believe that if politics had one-millionth of the capacity to ... listen that the pope does, it would be better able to help people who suffer,” he said.

Francis also said he wanted a greater role for women in the church, though he insisted that they cannot become priests.

He was funny and candid during the 82 minutes he spent with journalists on board the plane returning from Brazil.

He didn’t dodge a single question, and even thanked the journalist who raised allegations contained in an Italian news magazine that one of his trusted monsignors was involved in a gay tryst.

Francis said he investigated the allegations according to canon law and found nothing to back them up.

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He took journalists to task for reporting on the matter, saying the allegations concerned matters of sin, not crimes like sexually abusing children. And when someone sins and confesses, he said, God not only forgives—but forgets.

“We don’t have the right to not forget,” he said.

Gov. Vendola, who leads the southern Puglia region, praised the pope for drawing a clear line between homosexuality and pedophilia.

“In only one blow, he carried out a very brilliant operation, separating the theme of homosexuality from that of pedophilia,” Vendola said in a chat with journalists. “We know that a part of reactionary clerical thought plays on the confusion between these two completely different categories.”

The directness of Francis’ comments suggested that he wants to put the matter of the monsignor behind him, while also setting a new tone of openness as he focuses on his key priority of reforming the Holy See bureaucracy.

Francis was also asked about reports suggesting that a group of gay clergymen exert undue influence on Vatican policy.

Italian news media reported this year that the allegations of what they call the “gay lobby” contributed to Benedict’s

World News

21 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

decision to resign.

The term “gay lobby” is bandied about with abandon in the Italian media, and is decidedly vague. Interpretations of what it means have ranged from the benign concept of a group of celibate gay priests who are friends, to a suggestion that a group of sexually active gay priests use blackmail to exert influence on Vatican decisionmaking.

Stressing that Catholic social teaching calls for homosexuals to be treated with dignity and not marginalized, Francis said he would not condone anyone using private information for blackmail or to exert pressure.

“A lot is written about this ‘gay lobby. I still haven’t found anyone at the Vatican who has ‘gay’ on his business card,” Francis said, chuckling. “You have to distinguish between the fact that someone is gay and the fact of being in a ‘lobby.”’

The Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit author and commentator, saw the pope’s remarks as a sign of mercy.

“Today Pope Francis has, once again, lived out the Gospel message of compassion for everyone,” he said in an emailed

statement.

Speaking in Italian with occasional lapses in his native Spanish, Francis dropped a few nuggets of news: • He said he is thinking of travelling to the Holy Land next year and is considering invitations from Sri Lanka and the Philippines as well.

• The planned Dec. 8 canonizations of Popes John Paul II and John XXIII will likely be changed—perhaps until the weekend after Easter—because road conditions in December would be dangerously icy for people from John Paul II’s native Poland travelling to the ceremony by bus.

• And he solved the mystery that had been circulating since he was pictured boarding the plane to Rio carrying his own black bag, an unusual break from Vatican protocol.

“The keys to the atomic bomb weren’t in it,” Francis quipped.

The bag, he said, contained a razor, a prayer book, his agenda and a book on St. Terese of Lisieux, to whom he is particularly devoted.

“It’s normal” to carry a bag when travelling, he said, stressing the style that separates him

from other pontiffs, who until a few decades ago were carried around on platforms. “We have to get used to this being normal.”

Francis certainly showed a human touch during his trip to Rio, charming the masses at World Youth Day with his decision to forgo typical Vatican security so he could to get close to his flock. Francis travelled without the bulletproof popemobile, using instead a simple Fiat or open-sided car.

“There wasn’t a single incident in all of Rio de Janeiro in all of these days and all of this spontaneity,” Francis said, responding to concerns raised after his car was swarmed by an adoring mob when it took a wrong turn.

“I could be with the people, embrace them and greet them— without an armoured car and instead with the security of trusting the people,” he said.

He acknowledged that there is always the chance that a “crazy” person could get to him; John Paul II was shot in 1981.

But Francis said he preferred taking a risk than submitting to the “craziness” of putting an armoured wall between a shep-

herd and his flock.

Francis’ news conference was remarkable and unprecedented: Pope John Paul II used to have on-board talks with journalists, but he would move about the cabin, chatting with individual reporters so it was hit-or-miss to hear what he said. After Benedict’s maiden foreign voyage, the Vatican insisted that reporters submit questions in advance so the theologian pope could choose three or four he wanted to answer with prepared comments.

For Francis, no question was off the table—no small thing given that he is known to distrust the mainstream news media and had told journalists en route to Rio that he greatly dislikes giving interviews because he finds them “tiresome.”

Francis spoke lovingly of his predecessor, saying that having him living in the Vatican “is like having a grandfather, a wise grandfather, living at home.”

He said he regularly asks Benedict for advice, but dismissed suggestions that the German pontiff is exerting any influence on his papacy.

On the contrary, Francis said he has tried to encourage Bene-

dict to participate more in public functions at the Vatican and receive guests, but that he is “a man of prudence.”

In one of his most important speeches delivered in Rio, Francis described the church in feminine terms, saying it would be “sterile” without women.

Asked what role he foresees, he said the church must develop a more profound role for women in the church, though he said “the door is closed” to ordaining women to the priesthood.

He had harsh words for Monsignor Nunzio Scarano. The Vatican accountant has been jailed on accusations that he plotted to smuggle (euro)20 million ($26 million) from Switzerland to Italy and is also accused by Italian prosecutors of using his Vatican bank account to launder money.

Francis said while “there are saints” in the Vatican bureaucracy, Scarano isn’t among them.

Asked if closing the bank is a possibility, Francis said: “I don’t know how this story will end.” ■ Frances D’Emilio contributed from Rome

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Immigration

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 22

PANGARAP: SO, OUR JOURNEY BEGINS

So, Does Your Support System Support You?

BY BOLET AREVALO

COMING AS A WHOLE FAMILY IS A CHANCE FOR EVERYONE TO GATHER VICTORIES TOGETHER, THIS TIME WITH EVERYBODY AWARE OF THEIR INDIVIDUAL ROLES AND NEED TO CONTRIBUTE. ANYBODY WHO has experienced being away from home will agree that being able to leave with your family is better than having to leave alone.

Those who had gone alone would attest to the fact that there is nothing like having your family beside you when you struggle and meet the challenges of starting a new life. That seems non-debatable.

But in fairness to those who have other opinions, some do choose to start the struggle alone. To some, it seems

more practical to secure a job first and gain firm footing on new grounds before bringing family over. Perhaps the mindset is that you can better concentrate on a job hunt if there are no distractions or additional worries of having to break in the whole family at the same time. It can also be true that sometimes the family does not function as expected, and some members instead of being able to help, contribute to the problems.

I must admit I was tempted to start on my own and send for the rest of the family when that ideal job came along.

This was not because the other family members would have been distractions, but rather because some mothers or fathers love their family so much that they do not want them to experience the hardship of starting all over again.

There were also practical reasons, as the expenses would have been much less, considering the job search was just beginning.

However, as I believe I have mentioned before, bringing your whole

family with you upon landing is a chance for everyone to start together and gather victories as a unit, this time with everybody aware of their own roles and what they can contribute.

It may be possible that none of your children have it in their conscious memory how hard you worked for them all your lives. Landing together is a way for everyone to live life all over again, but this time holding each other by the hand and winning together, laughing and crying together as a family.

There is no hard and fast rule on this debate. Of course, money is a big factor. If you have enough, then it is best to be together because you will be thinking about them and worrying about them anyway.

Whether the family lands and stays with you, or chooses to wait back home till you get a stable job, family will remain the best support system for a person starting life all over again.

You could be lucky to have the choice whether to bring the whole family or send for them when you have the job.

There is no hard and fast rule, but family has always been defined as being together. Landing together is a way for everyone to live life all over again. In general, family must fulfill its role as the best support system, not a deterrent to hastening the job search and desired stability in a new life.

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RELATIVES WILL INEVITABLY INFLUENCE SOME PARTS OF YOUR LIFE. YOU NEED TO BE PERCEPTIVE AND CIRCUMSPECT, BUT CONTINUE TO BE KIND ANYWAY. There are certain nationalities whose definition of family is really a bit more extended. Even if you have been brought up having relatives or extended families around you and taught how to be respectful and grateful, blood or origin does not determine whether you have a heartfelt desire to be kind to everyone.

“Charity begins at home.”

This is one best-loved quotable quotes that pounds your head every time you realize that you need to reach out and give. It seems wrong to be cited as a philanthropist if any of your relations is starving.

There is no generalization that needs to be made. Man is a rational being. He should be able to figure out by himself if there was an abuse or excess of support being asked or demanded of him. To us, watching from the sideline, we hate that and wish that the one being abused or burdened cry foul.

But it is true that there is such a word as masochism. It’s not that this person wants to hurt himself, but that he is a person who takes pride in being solicited upon. Perhaps this is a

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person who wants to assert his authority over others by assuming the giver role. He could also be someone who is matriarchal or patriarchal in spirit. Being such, they therefore have to play the role as the one providing and leading. Why? Simply because he is what he is. He may complain sometimes, but it is a role that he still wants to play.

Relatives or not, people will influence some parts of your life and you need to recognize that yourself. While we hear sob stories about non-immediate families overburdening a migrant worker or immigrant with their own problems, we also hear of happy stories where the first people you can run to are these non-immediate family members.

There are some migrants or immigrants who purposely hide from or prevent closeness with these relatives for fear of being solicited upon, especially monetarily. We cannot blame some of them because we do not know their complete stories, like how they have been abused, defrauded, or misled by their own relatives.

But they can still form part of your support system. Going back to our question in this chapter, just make sure this support system also supports you. They may not have the material things you need to get by, but you should be able to turn to them for advice, a few errands, important information, or simply comfort—a listening ear and words of encouragement.

Again, whether you are dealing with relatives or non-relatives, it is important to be very perceptive and circumspect.

Yet, there is always reason to be kind or extend kindness. I cannot teach you not to be. As a rational being, you certainly know what you should be or should not be doing.

Relatives and extended families are born with you. They will influence your life, but you can turn that towards something positive. You can choose to be guarded while continuing to be kind. ■ Nobody ever said that our journey, will be easy. But as I write and as you read, we share our strengths and we can hold to the promise that “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them,” Matthew 18:20.

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

Immigration

23 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

Canadian experience A thing of the past?

BY CHING DEE Philippine Canadian Inquirer A REPORT from the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) said, “A strict requirement for “Canadian experience” is prima facie discrimination (discrimination on its face) and can only be used in very limited circumstances. The onus will be on employers and regulatory bodies to show that a requirement for prior work experience in Canada is a bona fide requirement.”

While the said practice of including “Canadian experience” in job requirements is slowly becoming a rare occurrence in job ads, the attitude is a different story, which resulted to some people questioning Canadian companies as being discriminatory. More often than not, the attitude is mainly the fruits of unconscious biases toward employees without any prior experience working in Canada, as stated by Toronto Region Immigrant Employ-

ment Council’s Learning Initiatives manager Rose DeVeyra in an interview with HRM Online.

“Often employers don’t realize it is a form of discrimination.

It’s usually an unconscious bias towards someone with Canadian experience. The best way to address it is to surface the bias.”

A lot of companies have realized that today, a culturally diverse group of employees can actually be an advantage in terms of making deals with an equally diverse group of suppliers and customers, even if the business mainly focuses on their region or location.

“The risk as an employer is that you’re screening out people who could possibly be better candidates for the job,” DeVeyra said.

DeVeyra encourages employers to make changes in their hiring process. She calls for employers to focus on the applicant’s skills and job experience by not paying attention to the applicant’s name or ethnicity, contrary to companies’ practice of being thorough when read-

ing an applicant’s resume.

“When the person screening looks for very specific examples of that competency, then the focus is on what the person has to offer rather than who the person is,” DeVeyra said.

DeVeyra adds that companies should maximize the internet when it comes to validating or confirming credentials.

Meanwhile, labour and employment lawyer Lia Chairotto from Heenan Blaikie said that the Commission’s policy is consistent with Canadian case law.

Chiarotto furtheroffers the following reminders for employers regarding Canada’s human

rights legislation: • Do not require Canadian job experience in a job posting or ad, or ask for qualifications that could only be obtained by working in Canada.

• Be clear about the specific qualifications and experience you are seeking instead of using catch-all terms like “Canadian experience”.

• Only ask about job-related qualifications (e.g., communication skills, ability to manage projects, familiarity with Canadian industry standards, etc.).

• Assess candidates on an individual basis and consider all relevant work experience regardless

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of where it was obtained.

• Do not make assumptions about the quality of work experience gained outside of Canada. In particular, do not discount or devalue foreign work experience. Find out about the candidate’s job-related skills and qualifications.

• Use objective and standardized criteria when choosing candidates to minimize the chances that discrimination will play a role in selection.

• Be prepared to show how you chose the successful applicant. ■ With report from Caitlin Nobes

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Seen & Scenes

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 24

8TH AMBASSADORS, CONSULS GENERAL, TOURISM DIRECTORS’ TOUR OF THE PHILIPPINES WITH DELEGATES FROM CANADA AND THE US First row from left to right: Delegates of the Ambassadors, Consuls General, Tourism Directors’ tour; Assistant Director Manuel Ilagan of the Philippine Tourism Office in Los Angeles, California.

MARK PIANO’S BDAY CELEBRATION

Second row from left to right: Second generation overseas Filipinos from the United States and Canada; The ACGTD is organized by the Philippine Foreign Service Posts (FSPs) in North America, Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT), and Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA); matinee idol Piolo Pascual with some delegates of the tour Third row from left to right: Chosen delegates joining some segments of the highly engaging show; Filipino Young Leaders Program winner, ACGTD delegate and Guam Senator Dennis Rodriguez and TFC Connect host Dimples Romana; delegate Katrina Paule opening the show

PINOY PRIDE VANCOUVER

Mayor Gregor Robertson at the official launch of Pride Photo by Santi Pelaez

PINOY FIESTA AND TRADE SHOW

Bayan Grocers owners Richard and Charles Sy with th Commerce – Toronto (PCCT) at the “Pinoy Fiesta and Ace Alvarez, Albert Sun, Richard Sy, Charles Sy, PCCT Pagao, Joseph Alilio and Albert Frias.

Angie Igona of Multicultural Helping Housing Society (MHHS) Seniors Club celebrates her 66th birthday.

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

Seen & Scenes

25 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

VISITING UP DIGNITARY Dr. Prospero “Popoy” De Vera was feted with a dinner hosted by the UP Alumni Association in British Columbia (UPAABC) officers and members, and the Philippine Consulate in Vancouver led by Deputy Consul General Anthony Mandap at the River Rock Hotel on July 15, 2013.

BIENVENUE FROM MONTREAL’S PISTA SA NAYON Filipino Association of Montreal and Suburbs (FAMAS) 50th anniversary was a great success at the Pista sa Nayon celebration at the Mckenzie King Park in Montreal. Highlight of the event are the performances by GMA Pinoy TV stars, Aljur Abrenica and Kris Bernal. They were an immense hit in Montreal, screams of delight and exhilaration filled the whole Mckenzie King Park.

“This must be the biggest Filipino Canadian crowd in Montreal” as Randy Malapas exclaimed as he enters the park grounds .

de Week at Vancouver City Hall.

he officers of Philippine Chamber of d Tradeshow sa Toronto”. (L to R): T President Oswald Tugadi, Steve

The excitement of the crowd was raised by performances from the PCCF beauties.

Rendition by Miss Philippines Canada 2013, Caitlin Pantaleon , Little Miss Philippines Canada2013, Anjali Pathnamathan, Miss Teen Philippines Canada2013, Alannah Saguici and Mrs. Philippines Canada, Chona Stinson and the busload of Torontonians was also the crowd’s favourite in Montreal.

FAMAS president Aurora Osdon, thanked all their officers and supporters with special mention to GMA Pinoy TV Consultant, Rosemer Enverga and Romy Rafael of Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation for making the festivities a day to remember for everyone. She added “Au Revoir for now, till next year’s visit and performances.”- Gloria Rafanan

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Filipino-Canadian in Focus

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 26

FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS

Evelyn Pagkalinawan

BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE SPIRIT of volunteerism: a truly noble characteristic present in a chosen few.

Volunteerism is defined as “the performance of formal service to benefit others or one's community without receiving any external rewards; such programs may or may not involve structured training and reflection.”

Simply put, I like to think of true volunteerism – the kind that seeks no recompense, does not do it for show, and does it with a joyful heart – as compassion in action. It is one thing to be moved by a situation. It is another to act on it.

Not everyone is cut-out to be a volunteer, it would seem. Busy schedules and pre-set priorities; the stability of one’s comfort zones; the distractions of life; the apathy so rampant in “modernized” society: the excuses “NOT TO” run rife.

Then there are those who seem to be the ultimate volunteer. The eternal volunteer, if there were such a thing, whose dedication to serving others is neither defined by limits of age, constraints of

time, nor absorption with self.

Such are the likes of Evelyn Pagkalinawan: wife and mother, hardworking employee, former business woman, current community leader, recipient of the Diamond Jubilee Award, and volunteer par-excellance.

Transcribing the interview sent to me by my Editor-in-Chief, it was at once evident that Evelyn is a go-getter who exudes confidence and positivity. She comes across as good-natured and pleasant; and her intelligence is evidenced by her articulate manner.

But perhaps her very core as a person is revealed as she speaks on her advocacies: compassion rings undeniable in her voice, cutting through all other emotions.

Canada Calling

It was in the late ‘70’s – 1977, to be precise – that Evelyn and her husband heard the call of distant shores. Like many, they were gripped with a curiosity of life in the Great North. Though this curiosity was mixed with a sense of trepidation, they decided to test their fortunes and move to Toronto, Canada.

It was thus that the young mother of one

Minister Michael Chan and MPP Reza Moridi with Diamond Jubilee Medal recipient Evelyn Pagkalinawan during the awards ceremony on January 24, 2013.

(a boy, in his toddler years at that time) and her husband packed their bags and set forth.

Fortune favored the Pagkalinawans.

Within 2 weeks, Evelyn landed a job in Toronto; her husband soon followed suit.

Evelyn recalls months spent pining away for Manila. They arrived in the winter, and Toronto’s biting cold season made her all the more homesick for the tropics of her birth.

Thankfully, though, the gnawing heartache was not long-lasting. Evelyn assimilated well, and rather quickly, as new immigrants go. She credits this to being surrounded by a good bunch of people in her workplace (her first fulltime job was at BBC’s satellite office in Toronto), as well as loving her job.

If I were to hazard an educated guess, though, I would say that outlook had loads to do with it.

Baby boy number two followed shortly after they immigrated, and a careerchange lay further down the road for Evelyn. She joined the Operations and Leasing Department of Ivanhoe Cambridge, where she has had her heels firmly planted for the last 19 years.

Community Calling

Evelyn, despite how smoothly things were going, did not get stuck within the confines of her comfort zone. She chose to give back to the community, in the hopes of helping others integrate as effectively as she and her family had. www.canadianinquirer.net

She started volunteering in 1999 with what was then called Philippine Independence Day Celebration (now Council), working with different associations in celebrating the Philippine Independence Day. Since then PIDC has evolved into organizing festivals and other community events. Eventually, she became involved with the Philippine Chamber of Commerce- Toronto, helping small business owners and organizing trade missions to the Philippines. This was her way of uplifting the lives of new immigrants, as well as boosting Philippine economy in whatever manner possible.

It was on one of these trade missions to the Philippines that she came across a community-based livelihood project that caught her fancy: bags made of recycled juice doypacks. With the help of a Canadian businessman, she began distributing these bags in Toronto, venturing into a small business of her own, borne out of desire to help others. The business thrived for some time, but eventually suffered at the hands of stiff, larger-scale competition. Unwilling to give up on the community of women producing the bags, she continued purchasing these on her own budget, to be given away as presents.

Evelyn’s service to the community seems to know no bounds. She served as Vice President in the Board for Tahanan Non-Profit Homes Corporation.

The Tahanan is a housing project that was established through the initiative of a group of Filipino community leaders

27 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

over 20 years ago. The Board is tasked to oversee the operation of the project, helping residents with various issues and legal matters.

In the middle of all this, she still finds time to do volunteer work with her company, which involves itself in community-based projects such as planting trees, fundraising for women’s shelters, United Way, and other worthwhile endeavors.

Perhaps nothing moves her heart more, however, than the plight of the unwanted elderly and abandoned children. She dreams of someday establishing a center and retirement home for these sectors of society.

Driven by these passions, Evelyn has volunteered for visitation of the elderly in their homes, bringing cheer and comfort to those often neglected by their own families. She also volunteers for Herbie Fund at the Sick Kids Hospital whenever her services are called for.

Currently, she is preoccupied with organizing the Mabuhay! Philippines Festival, to be held at the Harbourfront Centre on August 16-18, 2013. Working with vendors and exhibitors, Evelyn is putting her strength and expertise into helping create yet another event for the benefit of the Filipino-Canadian community.

What does this dynamo enjoy on her precious downtime? Evelyn laughingly reveals her guilty pleasure: watching Filipino teleseryes (soap operas) with her husband. “I really love Susan Roces,” she shares, and faithfully follows the current soap starring the veteran actress. She adds that watching The Filipino Channel is her connection to her homeland, and she enjoys watching the news, “however frustrating, bothersome or disappointing it may be.”

Evelyn also enjoys visiting the local venues surrounding her downtown Toronto residence and engaging in the events these places have to offer.

Unexpected Surprise

Although never after the recognition or compensation, it was a pleasant – and much unexpected –surprise for Evelyn to be accorded the Diamond Jubilee Medal in January of this year, for her contributions to the community.

She recounts the joy and honour she

felt at the awards ceremony at Queen’s Park, as the Minister of Immigration and Citizenship awarded her the medal.

She shares that it is an honour she will “carry throughout life.”

A new chapter

At 62, Evelyn is positioned to begin a new chapter of her life. She retires from her job at the end of this year, and is looking forward to spending time with her granddaughter in the Philippines.

Does she plan on slowing down?

Doubtful. Although she admits wanting “to enjoy her life while still young and healthy,” she does not see an end to her volunteerism anytime soon.

“I want to continue my volunteer work both here and in the Philippines. In the immediate future, I plan to be involved with the PanAm games, set in Canada in 2015.” She also cites Gawad Kalinga and the Yellow Boat of Hope Foundation (a group which builds bancas (paddle boats) to ferry school kids across rivers in various provincial areas) as organizations with which she wants to hook up in the Philippines.

On life and living in Canada

By way of a parting shot, this admirable woman shares her advice to new immigrants to Canada: “Try to be as honest as you can. Think about what you can contribute to Canada, because Canada has a lot to offer to everyone of us.”

“There are so many opportunities here; if you just look around and seek help, you will find it. There are many programs designed to help new immigrants. Skills programs, housing programs; all kinds. Groups, community centres are there to help with open arms. Just don’t abuse them,” she adds.

“Do the legwork. Everything is there for you. Just go out and reach for your desires and goals.”

Precious gems of wisdom from a woman with an immense wealth to offer. ■ Interview with Ms. Pagkalinawan conducted by Melissa Remulla-Briones, Philippine-Canadian Inquirer.

Interview transcribed and article written

by Angie Duarte, writer, Philippine-Canadian Inquirer.

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28

Food Trip

PHOTO FROM FOODDAYCANADA.CA

Country welcomed to praise Canada's bounty on Food Day Canada this weekend

BY LOIS ABRAHAM The Canadian Press TORONTO—It’s been a decade since food crusader Anita Stewart encouraged Canadians to support farmers in the wake of the mad cow crisis threatening their livelihood by launching the World’s Longest Barbecue.

BSE, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, has dropped from the headlines, and Stewart’s event has now morphed into Food Day Canada, a day in which chefs and home cooks across the country can applaud Canada’s incredible bounty.

Not only are people encouraged to create their own spread from produce purchased at farmers markets, but they are also able to dine at any of the about 275 restaurants from across the country that are participating this Saturday with menus featuring uniquely Canadian ingredients.

Stewart—who has worked tirelessly to promote Canadian food culture, earning her an

appointment as a member of the Order of Canada and a twoyear stint as the University of Guelph’s honorary food ambassador—hopes people will post their menus and describe their plans on the Food Day Canada website. There are plenty of recipes there too for inspiration.

An interactive map includes the locations of farmers markets and Food Day restaurants across the country “so it should be a guide of how to eat Canadian,” she explains. The idea is “you can go and buy your good stuff here and here are the restaurants where you too can go and eat.”

Despite 16-hour days leading up to the event—always held the first weekend of August— chief party planner Stewart couldn’t be prouder.

“I’ve got a really serious list of A restaurants across the country. I can’t believe it. It’s fantastic, it really is,” Stewart said in a recent interview from her home in Elora, Ont. “The list is really, really rich this year. That’s what I like

about it. Because it’s almost like, OK, this is finally the year I don’t really have to explain myself and restaurants are saying, ‘Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard about it and we’d be really happy to participate.”’

Among events across the country, a series of farmers markets in Nova Scotia is kicking off a week of celebrations on Saturday. The Local Community Food Centre in Stratford, Ont., has fingers crossed for good weather for its outdoor picnic, while downtown restaurants in Sherbrooke, Que., led

by Danny St. Pierre of Auguste Restaurant, are holding Bouffe ton Centro and hope it will become an annual affair.

Despite the floods that ravaged Calgary, the River Cafe, located on Prince’s Island Park on the lagoon where the Bow River passes though the downtown area, plans to mark Food Day Canada.

Winnipeg chef Mandel Hitzer, who serves beef, bison, lamb, chicken and fish sourced from Manitoba, will have a special menu at his Deer and Al-

mond. The creative young chef even had a pop-up restaurant in a tent on the Assiniboine River in January, Stewart says.

Executive chef Roary MacPherson of Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland is doing a popup restaurant in downtown St. John’s with a half-dozen or so other local chefs and then they’re all going back to their own restaurants to do their own Food Day commemoration, she adds.

In conjunction with Food Day Canada, the man who spearheaded the promotion and development of pulse crops in Canada since 1972 will be honoured Thursday with the Pulse Legacy Award by the Saskatchewan Pulse Growers.

Dr. Alfred Slinkard, 82, professor emeritus with the University of Saskatchewan, put Canada on the lentil production map. This country now produces 67 per cent of the world’s lentil supply. It’s the 35th anniversary of his Laird lentil variety, which is still the standard or benchmark for green lentil research around the world.

“As soon as Dr. Slinkard came to Canada he started processing or breeding lentils in hopes that it would be eventually a crop and now of course we’re the largest producer on the planet which is pretty astounding really,” says Stewart, the author or co-author of 14 books on Canadian foods and wines.

“He’s the godfather. He absolutely is. I love being able to honour somebody like that.”

Stewart plans to be in Saskatoon for the presentation to Slinkard, then she’ll head to British Columbia for a Food Day visit to the Kelowna Farmers’ and Crafters’ Market. On Saturday evening, she’ll join Mission Hill Winery executive chef Matthew Batey who is slated to welcome back the winery’s former chef Michael Allemeier, now a culinary arts instructor at SAIT Polytechnic in Calgary. ■ Online

Food Day Canada, fooddaycanada.ca Saskatchewan Pulse Growers, http://www.saskpulse.com/

Food Trip

29 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

Savoring Sagada

BY CHING DEE Philippine Canadian Inquirer A TRIP to Sagada, or any place for that matter, wouldn't be complete without savouring the uniquely modern yet traditional cuisine this side of the Mountain Province.

The things mentioned barely scratched the surface of the wide array of food choices in Sagada and for sure, I still have a lot of delicacies to try when I go back up there. But meanwhile, if you do plan to go to Sagada soon, make sure you don't miss these treats—tested and approved by yours truly.

Even before heading 395 kilometers north of Manila, I've made up my mind that I have to try the famous lemon pie from the Sagada Lemon Pie House.

So on my first day, I bought a map from one of the souvenir shops and located the Lemon Pie House on the map. It’s located downtown and it was quite a walk, which was good because I need to make some room for dessert. When I got there, I thought it was closed but a lady opened the door and invited me in with a smile that can warm any visitor in this cold, cold mountain. It was Auntie Katrina, the owner and maker of these heavenly pies.

I made my way to the shelves where the pies were displayed and my mind was swimming with excitement, I couldn't make a decision. So I bought a slice of the lemon pie (PHP20/ slice or CAD$0.50/slice) and a slice of egg pie. I washed it down with a cup of warm mountain tea. I know, I know! I cannot even remember how I made all of it fit in my belly but they all mingled together wonderfully—making my first day in Sagada incredible. The lemon pie was tangy and sweet, with a wonderfully flaky crust and the mildly crunchy top because of the drizzled caramel. The custard (on both pies) was smooth and creamy, it just melts in your mouth. The mountain tea was very mild. It’s the perfect match for the pies.

And since I couldn’t help it, I already placed my order for three lemon pies (PHP150/pie or CAD$3.50/pie) to be picked

Beef Tapa and Red Mountain Rice

up on Monday morning, which I brought back to Laguna.

Later that afternoon, after enjoying a scenic walk around the quaint town, I decided to have a little snack at The Yoghurt House. I had a serving of their home-made yoghurt with all the toppings—strawberry preserves, bananas, and their home-made granola mix. It was a religious experience. An absolutely scrumptious treat from yoghurt heaven! I mean, I came from UP Los Baños, where DTRI and PCC made yoghurt everyday—and yet, this yoghurt was far and beyond any yoghurt I have ever tasted.

Come dinner, I headed off to Masferre Café and had the burger steak. It was very tender and savory, I didn't have to wrestle with it to cut off a piece.

The vegetables were cooked well, they weren't soggy and it even goes well with the steak gravy. Those vegies were delicious – take it from a no-vegiesas-mush-as-possible-please person like me. I bet the vegetables were freshly picked from somewhere near.

The next day, after hiking to Mount Kiltepan at around 4AM (to watch the sunrise), I had breakfast at The Rock Inn. I had the beef tapa, as recommended by the inn owner's son. It was served with a generous portion of red mountain rice (something new for yours truly), egg over-easy, and a side salad. The beef tapa was very good and tender. The red rice was a good background for the tapa's smoky marinated flavor. I also had a glass of their freshly squeezed orange juice— straight from their orange orchard at the back of the inn. You

Hiker’s Delight

Lemon Pie

can actually go around the inn compound and visit their orange orchard and rock garden – free of charge!

After my morning hike, I went back to The Yoghurt House for lunch. I ordered their yoghurt with granola and bananas (of course!) and pasta carbonara.

The serving was, just like everywhere else in Sagada, gargantuan. I had to take some of it back to my guest house. The pasta was al dente and the sauce was already mixed with the pasta, so there's more than enough— the way I like it. The sauce was heavy and creamy, sweet with some bits of carrots, mushroom and ham. When I woke up the next day, I ate my leftover carbonara and believe it or not, it tasted better. I didn’t even need a fridge to keep my leftovers because it was SO COLD. On my last night in Sagada, my dinner was extra special. I joined three other Manila girls and their tour guides from the Sagada Genuine Guides Association (SAGGAS) to Lake Danom, where we watched the www.canadianinquirer.net

Fully Loaded Yoghurt

Sagada has many natural wonders, including the world-famous Rice terraces.

sunset and dined al fresco—having the authentic “pinikpikan” (or killing-me-softly-chicken) and “etag” (salt-cured meat), Mountain Province’s answer to the Italians’ pancetta. I do not want to elaborate on the procedure of preparing “pinikpikan”, just Google it on your own. All you have to know is that the meal was awesome. And even if I didn't know these people at all, I had a great time sharing a meal with them by the bonfire. While the pinikpikan dinner was being cooked, we roasted some

hotdogs by the fire and toasted some bread. The tour guides told us stories about Lake Danom and Sagada as the four of us tried to keep ourselves warm. It was so freakin' cold!

About an hour and a half later, the pinikpikan dinner was ready. Our tour guides laid down pieces of fern (yes, fern) on the ground and started scooping the freshly cooked steamed rice on top of it. Then, they placed the pieces of boiled ❱❱ PAGE 30 Savoring Sagada

Food Trip

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 30

Savoring Sagada... etag and pinikpikan on top of the rice.

We then sat on the ground around the food and ate with our hands. We used plastic cups to sip the broth where the pinikpikan and etag were cooked. It was such a very hearty meal, simply because it was authentic Sagada cuisine.

The broth was very very tasty and perfect, especially because the broth was really hot and the temperature around Lake Danom was 10 degrees Celsius. The pinikpikan chicken was sort of bitter and savory at the same time. It was very tender since it was slowly cooked. The etag was my favorite, it's so simple and yet it was really delicious.

Tender and juicy, etag surely touched my heart as it made its way towards my belly. Dinner was fun, because all the girls (including yours truly) had a hard time remembering how to eat with our hands. The three girls were from Makati, I'm from Quezon City—I personally cannot remember the last time I ate without utensils. All in all, the night was perfect. I always loved how food can bring even strangers together. ❰❰ 29

Each of us (us four girls) only paid PHP 100.00 (or CAD$2.50) for that meal. It was the cheapest meal I had in Sagada, and oddly enough, also the most memorable The next day, before heading off to Manila with a heavy heart and a full tummy, I had brunch at The Yoghurt House. I had their Hiker's Delight, which is a pancake stuffed with bananas and their home-made yoghurt, served with scrambled eggs and a piece of buttered toast. You can also choose between a cup of coffee or orange juice, which comes with the meal. It was so heavy, which was perfect because a seven-hour ride back to Baguio City was ahead of me.

Other than the usual keychains, shirts, and boxes of Lemon pie, I recommend that you figure out a way to fit a few jars of their local blueberry jam in your luggage. You can buy it from the Strawberry Cafe near the Log Cabin. That blueberry jam is spot-on. It was unbelievable! It didn't last longer than two days in my apartment.

Now, wipe that drool off your chin and start planning your trip to Sagada. Happy trails! ■

Eating Etag and Pinikpikan

Burger Steak with Vegies

www.canadianinquirer.net

Pinikpikan on Fern

Food Trip

31 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

Sampling cuisines from all over the world

BY KATHERINE MARFALTEVES Philippine Canadian Inquirer DISCOVERING AND experiencing new and good food every time we go out has been my regular bonding activity with my then boyfriend, now husband—who also fittingly works as a chef. Yay! Our movie dates and random activities for the day are usually followed by a (self-imposed) quest to locate a new and unique restaurant. If we are in a mall, we will go to all the floor levels just to find the perfect food for our fuming-grumbling tummy (we only eat a little prior to going to a restaurant, because we are, well, sort of getting ready for a battle).

Our favorite, tickling our palates by going on food trips around the world without leaving the sweet confines of (beautiful, hot, traffic-infested) Manila.

Oody’s Bar and Restaurant— Thai Food

Being a Bicolano, my husband is a fan of spicy food, so we decided to try this Thai restaurant at Greenbelt 3—Oody’s Bar and Restaurant.

I was personally enticed by its relaxing ambience, and the lighted candles on the dining tables. First off, we tried their Pandan Iced Tea. Its taste was a mixture of herbal tea touched by pandan, and it was a great way to start our dinner (we are avid tea drinkers!). Then, we ordered Bagoong Thai Rice and Thai Curry for our main dishes—also the restaurant’s best sellers.

Bagoong Thai Rice is sprinkled with a variety of vegetables and itlog na maalat (salty egg), a fusion of Thai and Filipino cuisines and good for sharing.

Though almost full after our first dish, we attacked our our second dish with equivalent fervor—Thai Curry. It is really spicy, but is satisfying to the palate.

We thought we were done, but our tummy echoed that we still want a dessert (yes), so we had our final order—Thai HaloHalo, which is served in a bowl of crushed ice with cream, with beans, nata de coco, and 2 fruit flavors, all separated in 4 small cups.

Unlike the Pinoy Halo-Halo,

Oody’s Bar and Restaurant’s Bagoong Thai rice

Seoul Garden’s hotpot

Mangan

Kimono Ken

it is not so sweet, but is like drinking sweet tea with flavored sliced fruits.

Gumbo, A Taste of New Orleans

My husband told me that this restaurant is “a fusion of West African, French, Spanish, German, and Choctaw culinary cultures.”

After only a couple of visits, Gumbo has been one of our favorite restaurants. I personally find their recipes as “definitely tasteful”. One of the restaurant’s main attractions is also its crews wearing entertaining headdresses. (customers can also wear the headdresses and have their pictures taken).

Your visit to Gumbo would not be complete if you don’t experience their classic Seafood Jambalaya. It contains mussels, clams, squids and shrimps.

The seafoods blend well with the Cajun spices. It really has strong flavors! I can really say that the rice itself is as good as one full meal.

If you are a meat lover, you will like their Pizza Meat Extravaganza. But it is hefty, and heavy, I don’t think you can still squeeze in one more full meal after finishing it.

Seoul Garden Hotpot—Korean Food

After hearing good reviews from friends and foodies, saying that it offers authentic but

affordable Korean cuisine, we opted to try Seoul Garden HotPot. Seoul Garden Hotpot offers an array of authentic Korean dishes like Bibimbaps, Hot Pot and Jjigae sets, among others.

Quoting Korean foodies, “An authentic Korean restaurant not only offers Kimchi (a traditional fermented side dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings).”

They serve carrot, cucumber and radish as free appetizers.

What we ordered: one beef and one chicken bulgogi bap with gochujang on the side, which is good for sharing, and Korean coleslaw salad.

Lightness—this may be the fitting term upon finishing our Korean food. The flavors and sauces blended just well. Anyone who wants to munch on a healthy but delicious meal will surely enjoy Seoul Garden Hotpot offerings.

Kimono Ken—Japanese Food

Kimono Ken may be one of the most affordable Japanese restaurants in Manila. Having dined at other Japanese restaurants on special occasions, we could probably say that the taste of Kimono Ken resembles that of other authentic Japanese restaurants.

Our personal favorites include California Maki, tuna sashimi platter and beef teriyaki. www.canadianinquirer.net

Gumbo’s Jambalaya

Mangan—Filipino Food

It was a refreshing sight to behold a Filipino restaurant amidst foreign restaurants at the SM Mall of Asia. Craving for “lutong bahay” (home-cooked dishes), we entered Mangan— which is the Kapampangan word for eat.

Some of the menu are also categorized in Kapampangan: Ispesyal Ning Bale, Ispesyal na handa at Mula Dagat (House Specialty, Special Offering, and From the Sea).

Their best sellers include Queso de bola and salted egg, Puto Bumbong with grated coconut and mascuvado, tofu sisig, sisig ni Mely, Pritong manok (fried chicken), Lechon Kawali (deep fried pork liempo), garlic pugo (quail), Pritong tilapia (fried St. Peter’s fish), Pritong biya at sari-saring sawsawan (variety of condiments).

PHOTO FROM OURAWESOMEPLANET.COM

Here are some tips to make your food trips more satisfying: 1. Research ahead. Restaurant review sites such as Zomato,Yelp, Open Table, Urban Spoon, Menu Pages, Restaurantica and Yahoo! Local are just some websites you can visit to locate the restaurant that would satisty your palate.

2. Be an Inquirer. Do not think twice about asking the origin and best sellers of the restaurant. By doing so, you will appreciate the food better. The best person to ask is the restaurant manager. Don’t be hesitant, I am sure he/she will be glad to answer your questions.

3. Be adventurous. Frog legs, deep fried crickets, ant eggs, or spicy food for that matter, may not be as unsavory as you think.

You might even enjoy it. And well, we only live once. Bon appetit! ■

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

32

Entertainment

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Vancouver B.C.’s PRAISE TEAM - A Send-Off Dance Concert to Las Vegas World Competition BY SOCORROBABES NEWLAND

DUBBED AS “Grease Lightning” Dinner-Dance Party Concert held at at Surrey’s Don Bosco Community Centre was to raise funds for BC’s unbelievably talented dance crew— Praise TEAM. Founded in 1997, PT sets themselves apart as it distinguishes hip hop from other forms of dance, i.e., engaging in freestyle (improvisational) moves and techniques. PT travels far and wide to challenge other groups in blitzkriegs colloquially referred to as battles.

While hip-hop dance can be a form of entertainment or a hobby, BC.s Praise TEAM take their terpsichorean trainings as no mere hobby. These kids of varying ages mean serious business. They are highly competitive. Out of the 11 crews competing for World Hip Hop Dance Championships on August 5th11th at Red Rock Resort, Las

Vegas, Praise TEAM has 4 of its own groups. It has a total of 52 dancers competing. And that’s no simple feat-- Competing in the Junior Division (9–12 years old): Cookies N/ Cream (Mekaela Reyes, Marlowe Reyes, Olivia Poquiz, Dominiqu Mailloux, Mia Torres, Kaelyn Malcolm, Sheridan De Joya and Josh Zaporteza with choreographer Paul Otterbein and Mickee Reyes); Dreamchazerz (Chris Demetillo, Nathan Gavlan, Michel MacLean, Maxx Morciall, Chase Deza and Elijah Uy with choreographers Gino Coronado and Anthony Grant); Varsity Division (13-18 years old)Brotherhood (Michael Delleva, Francis Aranton, Jesko Guiang, Adrian Vendioa, Jacob Soriano, Dave de Guzman, James Tejada and Jerome Hocson with choreographers Scott Forsyth and Alo Galedo); Mega Crew Division (mixed ages)-Praise TEAM Sr.Showcase (Kevin Locsin, Larissa Simpson, Menelaine Valencia, Abby Zaporteza, Michael Delleva, Francis Aranton, Adrian Cabanos, Joanna Reyes, Anthony Grant, Carmen Delos

Santos, Alicia Soo, Scott Forsyth, Tyron Calaquian, Gabriel Galedo, Aiko Yajima, Navid Charkin, Jacob Soriano, John Batica, Joanna Balaois, Wendy Ubial, Adrian Vendiola, Maria Villanueva, Angela Mendoza, Delfina Afoakwah, Jesko Guiang, Marielle Macaraeg and Melissa Medalla with choreographers Missy Reyes, Matthew Flojo and assistant creative crew—Mickee Reyes, Lanie Valencia, Gino Coronado and Alo Galedo).

“Dance is a special gift, and to be able to dance is a special blessing from God who loves us all. And for Him these dancers gratefully dance. Whether you have known Praise TEAM and have enjoyed our works over the years or even if you are just learning about us please support our young dancers as they work their way to represent their beloved country, their passion and their faith,” said Managing/Artistic/Founding Director, Mary Elizabeth Ebo-Reyes.

Every dollar raised will go a long way to achieving their goals and reach new heights. Please check out this: contact: praiseteam@ shaw.ca for details.

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DJ Babes “Ms B” Newland

Natie and Cristie Sotana

Irene “DJ I” Yatco

Entertainment

33 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

Rachel Ann Go plans to hold a worship concert Philippine Canadian Inquirer

PHOTO FROM YOUTUBE.COM

Kim Chiu still mum on relationship with Xian Lim Philippine Canadian Inquirer KAPAMILYA ACTRESS Kim Chiu does not want to label her relationship with love team Xian Lim. During the press conference of her first movie with Xian, “Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo?,” Kim said: “Kasi kung sabihin namin kung kami o hindi ay wala rin naming mangyayari at saka wala rin namang mawawala o madadagdagan sa inyo. Hindi naman importante ‘yung label as long as nakikita n’yo kami, napapanood n’yo kami, napapasaya namin ang mga tao, ‘yun na ‘yung pagbasehan natin. (If we decide to reveal something about our relationship, nothing will happen or change. Putting a label in our relationship is not important as long as you see and watch us. We entertain people, let’s just rely on that).”

The press, still persistent to know the status of their relationship asked again, and this was Kim’s reply: “Status? Single.

Female. Male. Ano ba? Masaya naman po na kasama si Xian. Nakikita naman po natin na palagi siyang nandiyan para sa akin nakakatuwa kasi nandiyan ‘yung pasensiya, oras, paghihintay, willingness. Hindi rin namin minamadali ang mga bagay-bagay. Katulad ko, ang dami ko nang mga kaganapan sa buhay. Ako, dinadahan-dahan ko ‘yung mga nangyayari sa akin ngayon ( I am happy to be with Xian. We can see that he is always there for me. I am glad because he is patient and willing to wait. He also allots time for me. We don’t want to rush things. With all the things that had happened in my life, I just want to take things slowly).”

“Bakit Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo?” opened in theaters on July 31. ■

ASIDE FROM singing, Rachel Ann Go is also busy attending religious-themed events.

Now, she is gearing up for a worship concert. “I’ve asked Kuya Ogie (Alcasid) if he can join me in a worship concert I want to produce,” she said.

Next to a concert can be a worship album.

She came up with this idea because she believes that it is the purpose of her career, “It’s not about the fame or money.

My purpose is about what God’s plan for me is, kung saan niya ko dadalhin. Basta may ma-touch ako kahit isang tao sa kanta ko, masaya na ako (It’s not about the fame or money. My purpose is about what God’s plan for me is, wherever it is He will bring me. As long as I touch someone with my song, I am already happy).”

Happiness for her is as simple as staying on the beach, gazing at the stars, and singing with her family.

When asked if she is open to renewing her romantic relationship with ex-

No retirement yet for Leo Martinez Philippine Canadian Inquirer VETERAN ACTOR Leo Martinez, who plays a retired family man seeking fulfillment after retirement in the black comedy “Tuhog”, said retirement is far from his mind.

Martinez who has been in the business for 45 years now said he’s lucky that “there’s no such thing as ‘retirement’ in show biz.” He quips, “Otherwise, do I just spend the days drinking?”

“I don’t see myself retiring. Acting is my life, and I will continue to do it as long as I can. Look at Eddie Garcia,” he adds.

Aside from “Tuhog", he is also part of GMA-7’s teleserye “Kakambal ni Eli-

ana”, and he appeared in recent films such as “On the Job”, which was shown in the Director’s Fortnight of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and “Alagwa.”

Martinez, who is the Director-General of the Film Academy of the Philippines, also shared that he has already finished shooting “Ibong Adarna”, which is directed by Jun Urbano.

If there’s something that he enjoys doing, it is sharing his knowledge and experience with young actors. He said, “If I can contribute anything to the industry, it would be teaching. It’s my way of giving back.”

Martinez started as a theater actor, and co-founded the Repertory Philippines in 1967. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

PHOTO FROM CHICKA.COM

boyfriend Christian Bautista after his breakup with Carla Dunareanu, Rachel Ann just laughed, and asked for the next question. ■

Entertainment

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 34

Billy Crawford and Nikki Gil admit breakup Philippine Canadian Inquirer BILLY CRAWFORD and Nikki Gil, through a press release released by the ALV Talent Circuit, the agency that manages the career of the two stars, quietly admitted their breakup.

The statement reads: “On behalf of our artists, Billy Crawford and Nikki Gil, we are greatly saddened by their admission that they have indeed mutually agreed to end their relationship of more than 4 years. With due respect to their privacy, we are refraining for

(sic) issuing any other facts or statements related to the issue at this critical juncture.”

It was cleared that no third party is involved. It would be recalled that Billy Crawford was once linked to sexy star Bangs Garcia, but this was immediately denied by the then couple.

Last Sunday, Nikki Gil, the 25-year-old “ASAP” mainstay, was reportedly emotional at the dressing room of the noontime show. Meanwhile, Billy Crawford is still seen hosting “It’s Showtime.”

Many were shocked upon hearing the news as the two

Ogie transfers to TV5 Philippine Canadian Inquirer IT WILL be a different journey for Ogie Alcasid as he has decided to transfer to TV5, but the good thing is he got the blessings of his former bosses in GMA-7.

In a statement sent to Yahoo!

Philippines OMG!, GMA Corporate Communications consultant Butch Raquel said: As Ogie Alcasid moves on to explore new grounds, GMA Network, his home for almost 2 decades, wishes him all the best. We thank him for being a part of the Network’s success all these years.

His achievements as a singer, songwriter, comedian, host and actor make Ogie the icon that

he is now. And the Kapuso Network is proud to have been with him throughout this journey.

Alcasid’s contract with the Kapuso network expired last June 30.

Reportedly, he will return to “Tropang Trumpo,” the gag show where he first started his T.V. career. He was also assigned by TV5 chairman Manny Pangilinan to head the Music Department of the network, where. he is expected to write the theme songs of various TV5 shows.

However, Alcasid cleared that under the contract, he is still free to write theme songs for GMA-7 and Star Cinema.

He refused to divulge the other details of his contract with the Kapatid network. ■

PHOTO FROM OGIEALCASID.BLOGDRIVE.COM

were very vocal about their love for each other. In an interview with Nikki Gil last January, she seemed so sure that Billy is the man she would want to marry in the near future, “Parang in terms of, kumbaga, checklist, check na check lahat. Mga 98 over 100 siguro.” (In terms of a checklist, all items are checked.

His grade: about 98 over 100).

While Crawford, also in a previous interview said “(he) couldn’t ask for more” in their relationship. “Hindi naman siya perfect... wala namang relationship na perfect, but it’s more than perfect for me.” ■

PHOTO FROM YOUTUBE.COM

No sexy roles for Lovi Poe in two upcoming projects Philippine Canadian Inquirer A NEW Lovi Poe will be seen in her two upcoming projects with GMA network.

Known for portraying sexy roles, the award-winning actress is set to unveil the other side of her through teleseryes “Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas” and “Titser.”

“I’m very happy talaga with these two projects of mine na malapit nang ipalabas. But of course, I’m also pressured. On ‘Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas’. I’m working for the first time with Ms. Helen Gamboa. It’s an honor really. First time ko rin to work with Cesar Montano.

Sa pictorial namin, naiilang ako kasi dati pinapanood ko lang sila, pero ngayon makakatrabaho ko na (I’m very happy with these two projects of mine which will air soon. But of course, I’m also pressured.

On ‘Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas’.

I’m working for the first time with Ms. Helen Gamboa, it’s an honor really. It’s also my first time to work with Cesar Montano. During our pictorial, it felt awkward because before, I was just watching them, but now I am already working with them),” Lovi said.

On “Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas,” Lovi plays Lovella, a girl who goes through hardships in life to fulfill her dreams. While, on “Titser” Lovi portrays Michelle, an intelligent woman www.canadianinquirer.net

PHOTO FROM INTERAKSYON.COM

who aspires to be a teacher.

The title “Primera Aktres” brought both honor and pressure to Lovi. “When they told me about it, I was so surprised. Naiyak ako kasi hindi ko inaasahan.

Sabi ko nga may mga bagay na binibigay sa ‘yo na nakakahiyang tanggapin. Ang feeling ko, at tanong ko sa sarili, ano ang ginawa kong tama to deserve it?

So I guess I just have to do my best in everything I do. Kailangan ibigay ko lang yung best ko.

Mas lalo akong na-inspire after that, mas lalo akong ginanah-

ang mag trabaho (When they told me about it, I was so surprised. I cried because I didn’t expect it. There were things that are given to you which makes you feel uncomfortable to accept. I asked myself, what did I do right to deserve it? So I guess I just have to do my best in everything I do. I just need to give my best. After knowing that, I became more inspired to work).”

Lovi’s co-stars in “Akin Pa Rin Ang Bukas” include Rocco Nacino and Solenn Heussaff. ■

Entertainment

35 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

Analysis: A volatile summer for Hollywood, with big budget flops and genre surprises

BY JAKE COYLE The Associated Press NEW YORK—ON and off screen, it’s been a bruising summer for Hollywood.

Every weekend, the multiplex has been under siege like it has rarely been before. One after another, they have come: Big-budget, globe-trotting blockbusters backed, like goliaths with air support, by marketing budgets in the hundreds of millions.

As the studios have focused increasingly on the fortunes of monster-sized “tentpoles,” as they’re known in the trade, weekend real-estate in the summer months has become precious, fraught territory. In the season’s packed schedule, there’s little breathing room for the blockbusters: They need to open big, right away.

Some of these films have succeeded. Some have flopped. But more than most summers, the content of this year’s seasonal crop of spectacles has felt like a pummeling, leaving both moviegoers and some in the industry dazed from the onslaught.

Zombies swarmed over much of the planet in “World War Z.” Sea monsters rose from the ocean and battled giant robots in “Pacific Rim.” Superman’s Metropolis was haphazardly laid to rubble in “Man of Steel.”

For the third time, Roland Emmerich destroyed 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in “White House Down.” A fiery Rapture engulfed “This Is the End.” Studio balance sheets have been hardly less volatile.

The latest bomb came over the weekend with “R.I.P.D.,” in which Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds star as ghost cops.

The poorly reviewed Universal film opened with just $12.7 million, suggesting it won’t come close to recouping its $130 million-plus price tag. The failure was all the more pronounced because of the robust opening ($41.5 million) for Warner Bros.’ “The Conjuring,” an oldfashioned horror film made for under $20 million.

It’s become a recurring theme of summer 2013: Non-sequel,

Johnny Depp at “The Lone Ranger” Premiere, Disney’s California Adventure, Anaheim, CA. Disney had hoped the movie would ignite the same interest as the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series that also teamed Verbinski with Johnny Depp.

PHOTO BY S_BUKLEY / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Pacific Rim is a science fiction, monster movie directed by Guillermo del Toro, which sadly underperformed. However, it has made $110.3 million overseas.

PHOTO FROM PACIFICRIMMOVIE.NET

big-budget films have struggled to find audiences. Most striking was Gore Verbinski’s “The Lone Ranger,” which Disney had hoped would ignite the same interest as the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series that also teamed Verbinski with Johnny Depp.

But although “The Lone Ranger” was an admirable attempt to update the Western, the film’s imbalanced tone fell extremely flat with moviegoers.

Made for some $215 million, it has earned $81.3 million domestically in three weeks.

Also underperforming, to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, has been: • “White House Down” ($68.5 million domestically in four weeks, despite its silly popcorn fun and Channing Tatum’s rising star).

• “After Earth” ($60 million domestically in eight weeks, despite Will Smith’s steady history as a box-office draw).

• Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim” ($68.2 million domestic, despite its well-crafted pop sensibility). Launched with franchise aspirations, “Pacific Rim” may end up in a better situation, since it has quickly made $110.3 million overseas.

So what IS working? Many of Hollywood’s classic genre standbys: • Low-budget horror (“The Conjuring,” “The Purge”).

• Animated family films (“Monsters University,” “Despicable Me 2”).

• Some A-list star vehicles (Robert Downey Jr. in “Iron

Man 3,” Brad Pitt in “World War Z,” Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy in “The Heat”).

Of course, Reynolds, Smith and Tatum would be the exceptions here.

But when Hollywood puts its eggs in fewer baskets, the risks— along with the rewards—grow.

In June, even Steven Spielberg, the father of the modern blockbuster, bemoaned the business’ swelling trajectory.

“There’s going to be an implosion where three or four or maybe even a half-dozen megabudget movies are going to go crashing into the ground, and that’s going to change the paradigm,” Spielberg said at an industry gathering.

His comments reverberated because of their source: If even Spielberg is giving up, what hope does anyone else have?

Certainly, Hollywood—a perpetually fickle industry built on the rare megahits—has often been a victim to over-the-top “the-sky-is-falling” worries.

The box office to date is, after all, up 12 per cent from last year.

This year’s movies followed one of the more robust Oscar seasons in years, one that saw a slate of both lucrative and acclaimed best-picture nominees that together totalled more than $1 billion in box office.

But the movies are undergoing yet another period of transformation. With the increasing appeal of cable and digital entertainment, and the bottoming-out of the home video market, Hollywood has tried to lure www.canadianinquirer.net

The minions from Despicable Me 2 were again a hit.

PHOTO FROM DESPICABLEME.COM

moviegoers with bigger (and more expensive) 3-D extravaganzas.

As usual, there’s rebellion in the works from filmmakers who feel marginalized by the studios’ shrinking purview. Spike Lee on Monday announced that he would seek financing for his next feature film through the online crowd-sourcing site Kickstarter.

“Super Heroes, Comic Books, 3-D Special EFX, Blowing up the Planet Nine Times and Fly through the Air while Transforming is not my Thang,” wrote Lee on his film page, where he’s asking for $1.5 million. “To me it’s not just that these Films are being made but it seems like these are the only films getting made.”

Some filmmakers, most notably Steven Soderbergh, have fled to cable television, a medium that in some cases offers more creative freedom. Soderbergh earlier this year released his $23 million Liberace biopic, “Behind the Candelabra,” on HBO. He has quit Hollywood for now and is prepping the 10-episode series “The Knick,” starring Clive Owen, for Cinemax.

Yet, there’s plenty for Hollywood to be proud of right now. The summer’s smaller

counter-programming has included Ryan Coogler’s devastating debut, “Fruitvale Station”; Richard Linklater’s serial romance “Before Midnight”; an acclaimed rendition of Shakespeare from Joss Whedon (“Much Ado About Nothing”); and possibly the best Woody Allen film in a decade (“Blue Jasmine”).

The summer isn’t over yet.

If audiences have any stamina left, there are several big action films coming before Labor Day, including Hugh Jackman’s “XMen” spinoff “The Wolverine”; the cop thriller “2 Guns,” with Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg; and Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi epic “Elysium.”

Blombkamp, whose latest film cost $115 million to make, broke out with the $34-million sci-fi smash “District 9.”

That and the recent success of “The Conjuring,” “Monsters University” and “The Heat” show that sometimes a movie doesn’t need to cost $200 million-plus, run 2 1/2 hours or put the fate of the world in peril.

Thankfully, human-sized tales with a little wit or a bit of fright still get the job done. ■ Follow AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jake—coyle

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

36

Lifestyle

PPV’s slogan is “Out and Proud, Pinoy Proud!”

Pinoy Pride Vancouver joins the 35th Annual Vancouver Pride Parade VANCOUVER, BC (July 29, 2013)—A crowd of 650,000 attendees and participants are anticipated for this year's Pride celebrations, which take place on Sunday, August 4th and Pinoy Pride Vancouver has a message for everyone taking part in one of the city's largest civic events of the year.

PPV Co-chair Stella Reyes says “The Pride Parade is a celebration of acceptance, tolerance and equality. We encourage non-LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual/Transgender, and Queer/Questioning) members to march with us to show that we are ready to embrace diversity in our community. Our group is very delighted to join the parade and we invite our friends and supporters to join the PPV family in taking part not only on the big parade day but also in the various activities during Pride Week.”

Gary Lising, Co-chair adds, “We are very fortunate to live in Vancouver, a city with a reputation where LGBTQ people can be open about who they are.

This year has also been a good year as other countries have passed laws that lead to marriage equality. This is a clear sign that public attitudes towards same sex marriage are changing, which is a cause for celebration.”

MLA Mable Elmore (Vancouver-Kensington) also stresses the importance of the community’s participation during Pride festivities, “Pride Week is important for all of us so we can work towards the end of homophobia and transphobia, to ensure that every person regardless of sexual orientation or gender expression can live with dignity and respect. It is important for the queer Pinoy community to participate fully in Pride events and mainstream society to take our place in the Canadian multicultural mosaic.”

For individuals and groups who wish to donate to PPV’s Pride Fund, here is the account info: Account Name: Pinoy Pride Vancouver, TD Canada Trust Acct. No. 0926-5225916, TR#94630-004.

The City Council of Vancou-

ver has granted the parade civic status and approved a $34,500 grant to stage the event in 2013.

The Pride flag was raised outside Vancouver City Hall on Monday to mark this year's celebrations.

Madame Imelda Mae Santos of Pinoy Pride Vancouver PHOTOS BY GRACE CUENCA

About Pinoy Pride Vancouver

Established in May 4, 2010, Pinoy Pride Vancouver is the first Filipino-Canadian LGBTQ group of its kind in British Columbia. The group was created to encourage understanding and acceptance of, as well as provide support to LGBTQ members within the Filipino community. The organization brings together families, friends, allies and supporters to promote inclusiveness.

Pinoy Pride Vancouver’s mission is to increase visibility, raise awareness, and promote acceptance of its members, as well as to provide a safe and respectful space for the FilipinoCanadian LGBTQ community.

For more information, please call Stella Reyes , Co-Chair, Pinoy Pride Vancouver at (778) 865-5982. ■

PPV’s Angel Ruiz showing off his true colours at last year’s Pride Parade.

Lifestyle

37 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

Utamaro and his six women

BY CONSTANTINO C. TEJERO Philippine Daily Inquirer UTAMARO COMES to Manila and—what do you know?—it has to be in a children’s museum. We did a double-take on learning such adult art as his found its way to such venue.

Sample this art form in the exhibit “Ukiyo-e: Art and Tradition,” 26 traditional Japanese woodcut prints on view until Aug. 4 at the Karapatan Hall of Museo Pambata, Roxas Boulevard cor. South Drive, Manila.

This is part of the Japan Foundation, Manila’s participation in the Philippine-Japan Friendship Month and the 40th anniversary of the Asean-Japan Friendship and Cooperation. It has been organized in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan, Museo Pambata, and the Philippine Association of Printmakers.

A children’s printmaking workshop by the PAP has been scheduled in the venue on Aug. 3, 9 a.m., as part of the exhibit’s educational component.

On Aug. 10, the artworks will go to Baguio Museum, where Japanese artist Haruka Furusaka will hold a woodblockprinting workshop in cooperation with the Cordillera Green Network.

Featured in the exhibit are representative works of the master artists of the Edo and Meiji periods: Kitagawa Utamaro, Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige, Suzuki Harunobu, Keisai Eisen, Torii Kiyonaga, Chobunsai Eishi, Toshusai Sharaku, Eishosai Choki. The first three are the most wellknown to Westerners.

Evanescent world

In the late 19th century, japonisme (the influence of Japanese culture on Western art) became fashionable among European artists. Van Gogh instantly recognized its significance and impact: “We wouldn’t be able to study Japanese art, it seems to me, without becoming much happier and more cheerful, and it makes us return to nature, despite our education and our work in a world of convention.”

Utamaro’s and Kiyonaga’s “emphasis on flat planes and strong linear outlines” and Hiroshige’s “odd angles and

“THE GEISHA Itsutomi” (from “Selected Geisha of the Gay Quarter”), by Eishi

shapes in viewing landscapes” had a profound influence particularly on Van Gogh and Degas. Their introduction to the West one may even trace in the development of Art Nouveau.

What those Europeans saw were the Japanese color prints called ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”). Richard Lane, in his book “Images from the Floating World,” says the name refers to a conception of an evanescent world, of fleeting beauty, and a realm of entertainment devoid of responsibilities, just pleasures.

That concept is conjured by 17th-century novelist Asai Ryoi in this passage: “Living only for the moment, turning our full attention to the pleasures of the moon, the snow, the cherry blossoms and the maple leaves; singing songs, drinking wine, diverting ourselves in just floating… refusing to be disheartened, like a gourd floating along with the river current.”

Thus this plebeian art reflects contemporary urban life, domestic activities, the pleasure quarters, kabuki actors and famous beauties, landscapes and seascapes, no politics, just amusements, the simple preoccupations of the commoner. No matter how earthy the subject is, however, each ukiyo-e piece is done with utmost refinement.

Urban pleasures

The dynamic art form contrasts with the official court-

“THREE Favorite Beauties,” by Utamaro

“RED Fuji” (from the series “Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji”), by Hokusai

approved style of painting called kanô. It can range from the subtle eroticism of Hokusai’s “The Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife” to the brazen erotica of Eishi and Kiyonaga.

Its visual tones are as wideranging, from the dramatic dynamism of Hokusai’s “Fishing Boats at Chôshi” and Sharaku’s “Otani Oniji as the Servant Edobei” to the utter delicacy of Hiroshige’s “Camellias and Sparrows in the Snow.”

The subtlety of its color tonality can be best appreciated in Kubo Shunman’s use of all shades of gray in his triptych masterpiece “Departure Night for a Poetry Competition.” Hawww.canadianinquirer.net

ronubo was the first to produce full-color prints in the mid-18th century.

Hans Olof Johansson’s guide contextualizes it: “The art of ukiyo-e originated in the metropolitan culture of Edo (Tokyo) during the period of Japanese history when the political and military power was in the hands of the shoguns and the country was virtually isolated from the rest of the world. It is an art closely connected with the pleasures of theaters, restaurants, teahouses, geisha and courtesans in the even then very large city. Many ukiyo-e prints by artists like Utamaro and Sharaku were, in fact, post-

ers advertising theater performances and brothels, or idol portraits of popular actors and beautiful teahouse girls. But this more or less sophisticated world of urban pleasures was also animated by the traditional Japanese love of nature, and ukiyo-e artists like Hokusai and Hiroshige have had an enormous impact on landscape painting all over the world.”

Extraordinary story

How the Impressionists got hold of them is an extraordinary story in itself.

Rupert Richard Arrowsmith, ❱❱ PAGE 38 Utamaro and

Lifestyle

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 38

Utamaro and... in “The Transcultural Roots of Modernism: Imagist Poetry, Japanese Visual Culture, and the Western Museum System,” narrates: “Following the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan became open to imports from the West, including photography, which largely replaced ukiyoe. It fell so far out of fashion that the prints, now practically worthless, were used as packing material for trade goods. When Europeans saw them, however, they became a major source of inspiration for Impressionist, Cubist and Postimpressionist artists… The prints also influenced early Modernist poetry in many important ways, as in imagery and aesthetic sentiments.”

Manet, Degas and Monet had long been collecting those cheap color woodblock prints but it was Postimpressionist Van Gogh who almost singlehandedly popularized the painting style in the West. He said at one time: “All my work is based to some extent on Japanese art.”

In fact, he did three copies in oil on canvas—his famous japonaiserie (the art of copying Japanese woodcut prints)— only enhancing the colors and adding borders filled with calligraphic characters: “Plum Tree in Bloom (After Hiroshige),” “The Courtesan (After Eisen),” and “The Bridge in the Rain (After Hiroshige).” ❰❰ 37

Mundane yet ethereal

Characteristics of the ukiyoe include: “ordinary subject matter; distinctive cropping of their compositions; bold and assertive outlines; absent or unusual perspective; flat regions of uniform color; uniform lighting; absence of chiaroscuro; emphasis on decorative patterns”—features that viewers of this singular exhibit can readily see. Every piece here is one of “grace and warmth that is not found in any other form of printing.”

The four pieces of Harunobu look mundane yet ethereal, dramatic yet exquisite, limning lithe beauties at a verandah; at a shrine in the rain; during a typhoon in early autumn; or picking plum blossoms from a neighbor’s garden.

Sharaku, who was a kabuki actor at one time, depicts actors in disguise as a courtesan or a

“OTANI Oniji as the Servant Edobei,” by Sharaku

“CAMELLIAS and Sparrows in the Snow,” by Hiroshige PHOTOS FROM INQUIRER.NET

Moving oil...

“FISHING Boats at Chôsi,” by Hokusai

servant. Even his three beauties on the road assume theatrical poses.

Eishi has two pieces: “The Geisha Itsutomi” (from the series “Selected Geisha of the Gay Quarter”); and “Flower Arrangement” (from “Six Cultural Accomplishments of Women”).

Hiroshige has four: images of a teahouse, a shrine, a riverbank, and a morning view, from the series “The Fifty-Three Stations on the Takaido” and “One-Hundred Famous Views of Edo.” Hokusai also has four: “The Great Wave at Kanagawa”; “Flock of Chicken”; “View from Hongan Temple at Asakuso”; “Red Fuji” (from “Thirty-Six Views of Mt. Fuji”). The master’s versatility is displayed in his handling of color and form, from the vivid redness of feathers to the blue-gray of water, from the majestic stillness of the mountain to the tempestuous drama of the sea—and that animal still life is so moderne.

Utamaro, known for his portraits of beautiful women, is here with six of his beauties: “Takigawa of the Ogi-ya,” “Heron Girl,” “Okita of Naniwaya Serving a Cup of Tea,” and “Three Favorite Beauties.”

The fragile figures are rendered mostly in muted or monochromatic tone, so that the sudden

appearance of “Heron Girl” (of such vibrancy and color) is dumbfounding.

Supreme skills

These prints were reproduced by the Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints using the same skills, techniques and materials of the printmakers of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Traditional woodblock printmaking is combined efforts and specialized skills of artist (designer), engraver (woodblock cutter), printmaker (printer), and publisher. The creation of a piece is a delicate and arduous process. Each is composed with numerous blocks of cherry wood on a single paper sheet (made from the inner bark of the mulberry tree), using a separate block for each color.

With reproductions numbering in the thousands, one can only imagine that kind of rigor and precision.

So now we can apprehend why this delicate Japanese art was terribly admired by those Western artists, and how farreaching its influence is on Western art.

Van Gogh has a way of putting it: “Just think of that; isn’t it almost a new religion that these Japanese teach us, who are so simple and live in nature as if they themselves were flowers?” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

ing trains carrying oil away from towns and cities, and shielding populated areas by reclaiming land around tracks or building barriers to protect people.

Stewart would like to see broad public hearings on the movement of oil by all modes, including rail, truck, pipeline and ship.

The Railway Association of Canada refused to make anyone available for an interview.

However, in a recent commentary posted on the association’s website, president Michael Bourque says operators continue to improve safety when it comes to transporting crude oil and other dangerous goods.

A May 2012 Transport Canada memo, obtained by Greenpeace Canada, said the department had “identified no major safety concerns with the increased oil on rail capacity in Canada, nor with the safety of tank cars that are designed, maintained, qualified and used according to Canadian and U.S. standards and regulations.

“Indeed, Canada and the U.S. work collaboratively to ensure the harmonization of rail safety requirements.”

The same wording appears in versions of the memo prepared as recently as January. ❰❰ 18

Asked during a conference call with reporters last week whether Transport Canada stands by that assessment, Gerard McDonald, the department’s assistant deputy minister of safety and security, declined to discuss the internal memo.

Stewart points to a Transportation Safety Board recommendation that stricter safety provisions apply to all Class 111A tank cars that carry crude oil, not just a limited segment.

A 2013 board assessment says the watchdog will continue to monitor the issue, concluding that “a large number of the existing tank cars carrying dangerous goods will be vulnerable to puncture, even during derailments at moderate operating speeds.”

Verma acknowledges that altering routes to avoid populated areas would be expensive, but says it should be a collaborative effort between rail operators, governments and regulators.

Asgary fears the possibility of an oil-fuelled derailment fire in a large city.

“We should look at the worstcase scenarios when we are dealing with these type of activities and how we can handle them—or if we can handle them, really.” ■

Business

39 FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

Budget deficit way below ceiling set for H1

BIR tightens rules on granting of tax breaks

Gov’t failed to spend as much as it should in 1st 6 months

Move forms part of efforts to plug leakages

BY MICHELLE V. REMO Philippine Daily Inquirer

BY MICHELLE V. REMO Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE BUDGET deficit fell below the ceiling set for the first semester, as the government failed to spend as much as it should during the period.

The Department of Finance reported that the budget gap in the first six months amounted to P51.29 billion, nearly 40 percent below the cap of P84.66 billion set for the period.

But the deficit was still 49 percent higher than the P34.38 billion recorded in the same period last year.

“Our commitment to fiscal sustainability still stands,” Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima said in a statement.

The deficit in the first six months of the year came about as government revenues amounted to P839.46 billion, while expenditures reached P890.75 billion.

In June alone, the budget deficit reached P8.45 billion—27 percent lower than the P11.63 billion reported in the same month last year.

Revenues for the month

amounted to P131.09 billion, while expenditures reached P139.54 billion.

The Finance department noted that, even though revenue agencies failed to meet their collection targets, the budget deficit was still lower than expected.

This was because the shortfall in expenditures was bigger than the revenues collected.

Expenditures during the sixmonth period were P54.9 billion short of the target, while revenue collectors missed their goal by P21.58 billion.

Government agencies have been told to streamline their procedures so that expenditures for vital public works may proceed without a hitch, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad said.

Although expenditures fell short of the target, the amount was still much higher than that of last year, Abad stressed.

He described the rise in public spending to be a key economic growth strategy of the government.

Expenditures in the first six months of the year rose by 12 percent from the P795.30 billion posted in the same period

last year.

The growth in expenditure was partly driven by infrastructure.

As earlier reported, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs—the two biggest revenue earners for the government—failed to hit their respective collection targets during the period.

But officials added that the government’s revenue still grew on a year-onyear basis.

They explained that the shortfalls in collection came about because the targets were set too high.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue, which accounted for about 70 percent of the government’s total revenue, collected P593.71 billion. This was 4 percent short of the P620.28-billion target.

But the figure was 13.9 percent higher than the P521.16 billion reported in the same period last year.

The Bureau of Customs, which accounted for 17 percent of total revenue, collected P145.13 billion. This was 11 percent short of the P163.85 billion target. Still, it was 1.2 percent higher than the P143.42 billion collected last year. ■

THE BUREAU of Internal Revenue has tightened the rules on the granting of tax exemption to nonprofit organizations—including schools, religious groups and charitable institutions.

In a memorandum order issued this week, the BIR said all tax-exemption certificates received by nonprofit organizations after June 30, 2012 would be effective for only three years from the date of issuance.

Tax exemptions granted prior to the said date would be valid only until Dec. 31 this year.

Tax exemption privileges may be renewed but an organization has to apply for renewal, submit necessary documents and pass evaluation to be conducted by tax personnel.

Evaluation entails the scrutiny of revenue sources and expenditures of the non-profit organization. For instance, a non-profit organization will lose its tax-exempt status if a portion of its net income will be found to personally benefit an individual.

“No part of the corporation or association’s net income shall inure to the benefit of any private individual,” the BIR said in Revenue Memorandum Order No. 20-2013 signed by Revenue Commissioner Kim Henares.

Also, the BIR said, trustees of a non-profit group should not be receiving any compensation or remuneration to keep the organization’s tax-exempt status.

The tax bureau likewise clarified that tax-exempt non-profit groups still have to remit to the government withholding tax and fringe benefits tax on compensation of their employees, as well as documentary stamp tax.

The BIR also said that income derived from sources other than those specified in the application for taxexemption was taxable.

“The memorandum aims to minimize tax leakages arising from inaccurate interpretation of relevant tax laws and administrative issuance,” the BIR said.

The memorandum also stated that tax exemption is granted only to Filipino non-profit organizations. Branches of foreign non-profit groups subject to taxes, it added. ■

central bank and various statistics offices of the government showed that, for the rest of the year, economic growth would remain robust.

Higher fuel prices have also been offset by recent reduction in water rates by Metro Manila’s concessionaires, the BSP said.

Tetangco said external inflation pressures also remain benign at the moment.

“Global economic prospects are likely to stay subdued going

forward, thus tempering upward pressures on commodity prices,” he said.

However, the BSP warned that volatility in the financial markets could result in a weaker peso, which would make imports more expensive for consumers. ■

Regulator keeps key policy rates steady Central bank exercises caution, citing economic uncertainties

BY PAOLO G. MONTECILLO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) kept key interest rates on hold during a policy meeting as monetary officials chose to exercise caution amid an uncertain global economy.

BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr. said while price pressures remained benign, the Monetary Board (MB) chose to stay conservative in light of unstable financial market conditions.

“Financial market volatility persists, owing to concerns over the timing of the tapering of the monetary stimulus in advanced economies. This suggests caution in assessing the

policy stance,” Tetangco said.

Overnight borrowing and lending rates were kept at record lows of 3.5 and 5.5 percent, respectively.

The interest rates for special deposit accounts (SDA) were also maintained at 2 percent across all maturities.

“The Monetary Board is of the view that prevailing monetary policy settings remain appropriate,” Tetangco explained.

The central bank chief said inflationary pressures remained subdued, despite healthy growth in bank loans and the country’s money supply.

In a separate statement, Tetangco said inflation for July would likely settle between 2.2 and 3.1 percent, coming from

2.8 percent in June.

For the whole year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas expects inflation to average at 3.3 percent, or near the low end of the target range of 3 to 5 percent.

Tetangco noted that the rate of rise in consumer prices did not accelerate significantly, even though the economy grew by a healthy pace.

It indicated that the economy has the capacity to absorb the additional money being pumped into the country’s financial system, he explained.

The Philippine economy grew by 7.8 percent in the first quarter, making it Asia’s best performer.

BSP Deputy Governor Diwa C. Guinigundo said leading indicators watched by both the www.canadianinquirer.net

Sports/Horoscope

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 40

Two more stars whip up Global pips Brunei side Sanchez lifts Manila booters in stoppage time NBA frenzy in PH

BY JASMINE W. PAYO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PHILIPPINES has yet to get over its high over the visit of superstar LeBron James and already, two more standouts planed in to thrill local fans anew for the next three days.

James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Eric Gordon of the New Orleans Pelicans arrived for the NBA 3X Philippines 2013 presented by Sprite to inspire and cheer on kids vying for the 3-on-3 crown.

“I really didn’t know I had a fan base here until I came here,” said Harden, who came to Manila for the first time in 2011 for a couple of exhibition games with stars like Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose and Kevin Durant.

Much has changed since his last visit as Harden moved from Oklahoma to Houston last season and recently got a new teammate in All-Star center Dwight Howard.

“I’m excited to have Dwight,” said Harden, who answered the question despite media being forewarned that no questions on Howard would be entertained during the press conference at Sofitel Philippine Plaza.

“He’s a great talent and the best big man in the NBA. Obviously, last year he had a down year because of injuries and things like that. But this year he’s hungry. He’s focused on the ring and I am, too.”

The 3X tournament featuring boys and girls divisions in seven age groups fires off at SM Mall of Asia Music Hall and Philippine International Convention Center. ■

BY CEDELF P. TUPAS Philippine Daily Inquirer SINGAPORE—Rufo Sanchez showed why Global went to great lengths to have him for the Singapore Cup. Doing what he does best, the Spanish striker struck deep into stoppage time to lift Global to a narrow 1-0 victory over S-League side DPMM Brunei in a pulsating opening leg of their Singapore Cup quarterfinal tie at Jalan Besar Stadium here.

The United Football League top scorer, who is on loan from UFL champion Stallion, cleverly used the back of his head to direct a long Jeffrey Christiaens free kick into the bottom corner, sparking wild celebration by Filipino supporters.

The sequence in the 96th

minute turned out to be the final play of the game, leaving Global—making its first appearance in the tournament— needing just a draw in the second leg on Saturday to advance to the semifinals.

“I think the result showed the resilience of the team,” said Global owner Dan Palami. “I’m glad we were able to adjust. We were ready to take the draw, but the players never gave up and with that goal from Rufo, we got the cushion that might just help us pull through.”

The other Filipino side, Loyola Meralco, was battling another S-League team, Tanjong Pagar, in another quarterfinal duel last night.

Global paraded a retooled roster that included Dutch Eredivise veteran Paul Mulders. But the UFL season run-

ner-up looked sluggish early on in its first game in more than a month and seemed to be struggling adjusting to the JBS pitch, considerably wider and longer than the UFL’s home, Emperador Stadium.

And while the 2012 UFL champions had the better chances, the Filipinos still struggled to cope in the second half where goalkeeper Roland Sadia was forced to thwart a string of long-range efforts from a fit DPMMside.

Sanchez had an easier chance near the end of the first half when he raced into the box unmarked only to miskick the ball from six yards.

“There’s no better time to score than the last play, but we can’t get carried away because we still have the second leg (on Saturday),” said Global coach Brian Reid. ■

HOROSCOPE ARIES

CANCER

LIBRA

CAPRICORN

(MARCH 21 - APRIL 19)

(JUNE 22 - JULY 22)

(SEPT 23 - OCT 22)

(DEC 22 - JAN 19)

Make practical use of the thoughts you’ve synthesized in the last few days, Aries. Stretch your boundaries and extend your wisdom to the people around you. This is a day to take action. Connect with your heart and move forward with your plans.

We normally think of our hearts as soft, tender, and vulnerable. Think of your heart today as tough, strong, and adventurous.

You might come across strong opposition today. Someone may seem to want to cut straight through to your heart, Cancer. In reality, this is a message reminding you to think about things in terms of the collective, the oneness of all. Be aware of a greater perspective in which you see more than just your side of the issue. Discuss the issues with others before making any major decisions.

People may want to talk a great deal, but they’re avoiding their feelings today, Libra. Put your emotions on the back burner and let your mind take over. Deal with the facts and make sure your emotions don’t interfere with the information you receive.

Things can get clouded if you don’t stay true to the communication that’s taking place. Be conscious of the impact of your words.

TAURUS

LEO

SCORPIO

(APRIL 20 - MAY 20)

(JULY 23 - AUGUST 22)

(OCT 23 - NOV 21)

This is an important day to make valuable connections, Taurus. You will be engaged in fast-paced, witty conversations and debates from which you can learn a great deal. You’re good at seeing both sides of an issue. The problem is that this can lead to indecisiveness and an inability to commit. Choose a path and stick to it.

GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUNE 21) It may be hard for you to get a handle on things today, Gemini.

Your focus seems to jump from one problem to the next without finding resolution. This isn’t a day to find a solution. You’re better off researching, questioning, and gathering facts. Keep your channels of communication open, and don’t try to pin anyone down for answers. You’ll accomplish a lot by keeping active and light.

Act on your instincts and you won’t go wrong, Leo. You may need to give up control and put logical thinking aside. Let the wind take you where it will.

Explore your feelings and how others influence them. It will be just about impossible to solidify any plans today. You’re better off exploring options and comparing notes with others. Don’t pigeonhole yourself into one way of thinking.

You should be able to evaluate your emotions from a detached perspective today, Scorpio. Use this opportunity to take action based on what you discover. Make sure your actions are based on practicality and you aren’t acting rashly in response to someone else’s hasty maneuvers.

You will be amazed at the incredible things that develop if you think first.

VIRGO

SAGITTARIUS

(AUG 23 - SEPT 22)

(NOV 22 - DEC 21)

You have the missing piece that people need in every situation today, Virgo. Engage in light conversation in social situations, and turn your charm up high. You have the ability to make favorable impressions on just about everyone, so set the day off on the right foot. Get out of bed earlier than usual and get your blood pumping with a brisk walk.

If you’re talking about another person today, Sagittarius, don’t say anything that would upset them if they were standing next to you. Gossip may run rampant, but that’s no excuse to contribute to it. Be aware that what you say has a strong impact on the people around you. It’s likely to spread to many more ears than you think.

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It’s important to take action on a day like this, Capricorn. Trust yourself and your instincts. Often you have the perfect counsel for everyone but you. Keep in mind that you might have to turn to others for the best advice for you. Talk things out and then take action. Hesitation will only have negative consequences. You have all the facts you need.

AQUARIUS (JAN 20 - FEB 18) You might be unfocused and confused about which way to go, Aquarius. Your baffled look isn’t giving others much confidence in your ability to make a good decision. Don’t feel obliged to stay in an unhealthy situation. It may be time to let go and break some ties to things that are no longer working for you. Feel good about extracting yourself from old habits.

PISCES (FEB 19 - MAR 20) It’s important to get outside and feel the wind, Pisces.

Reconnect with nature and be aware of the four elements, especially the air. Take deep breaths and fill your lungs with the energizing life force.

Imagine yourself on a mountain looking over a vast ocean. Expand your awareness so that nothing escapes your attention. Keep your head clear of clutter and be open to new adventures.

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The joys of road-tripping!

BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer BECKONING, WIDE open spaces. The seemingly endless stretch of highway, and the contrasting, picturesque charm of back roads and byways. Destinations bearing the promise of adventure and exploration, ever closer, as rubber hits the road. Nothing quite compares to a road trip.

Barring the cacophony of “Are we there yet?” on loop from children in the back seat, road trips can be quite therapeutic. Back when I had a car, I looked forward to driving longish distances; favorite playlist – usually ‘90’s glam rock or torch songs with major chord progressions and dramatic, angsty vocalizations – blaring from the speakers, with me singing along at the top of my lungs. Now, I am happy to be a passenger on board someone else’s car, or on a bus. And it generally doesn’t matter what is blaring from their speakers. That’s what earphones are for.

My most recent road trip was in February this year, across Laguna, en route to Lucban in the province of Quezon. I tagged along with Norma – who was on holidays from Kamloops, BC – and her group of childhood galpals, many of whom are now semi-retired, but still extremely active. After a quick breakfast at a local fast-food chain (which, in the Philippines, is how many road trips begin) we piled into a rented SUV. This was quite the spur-of-the-moment adventure for me and another friend who tagged along, so seating arrangements had not been preplanned. You know the ‘70’s “how many people can you fit in a phone booth” craze? That’s kind of what it felt like. Nonetheless, once we had figured out an “in-out-in-out” strategy for our rear ends, we hit the road with the excitement and enthusiasm of school graders on a field trip.

The San Bartolome Apostol church in Poblacion, Nagcarlan, has charming Moorish inspired blue-tiled interiors.

Light-hearted banter and the chatter that generally marks a gal-pal-get-together filled the car, as crooner music from the girls’ ‘50’s and ‘60s idols played in the background.

Laguna boasts many historical spots, old churches, heritage homes, yummy eateries, and quaint shops. First stop was San Pablo Church, in the town of San Pablo. I am a sucker for old structures, and this neoclassical stone church built by the Augustinian order in 1680 is no exception: I was officially on “oooh-ahhh” mode. The church, which was completed in 1714, has a fascinating structure of columns, a Romanesque domed roof and a four-storey octagonal bell tower adding to its beauty. Right outside the church, religious sundries are sold by peddlers, young and old alike. Of particular interest to me were the boy and girl shaped vigil candles, in assorted colors (each color representing a specific petition). I thought them interesting, and – I must say – a tad reminiscent of hoodoo rituals, albeit in pretty colors.

Back on the road, our driver (who had spent some time living in the area) asked if we would like to go to some shops selling native sweets. Though not part of the agenda, we gladly took him up on his offer. After all, what is a road trip

without some unplanned stops along the way? Store after store of yemas, bucayo, pastillas, and other goodies greeted us, the all-too-willing sweet-toothed road-trippers.

Driving through the town of Poblacion in Nagcarlan of course merited a quick stop at the San Bartolome Apostol church. I absolutely loved the grandeur of its red stone exteriors, as well as the charm of its blue-tiled, Moorish inspired interiors. Three tableaus of antique santos featuring remark❱❱ PAGE 42 The joys

San Pablo Church, in the town of San Pablo was built by the Augustinian order in 1680. This neo-classical stone church has a fascinating structure of columns, a Romanesque domed roof and a four-storey octagonal bell tower.

Liliw is a shoe-lover’s haven. Badong is the oldest shoe manufacturer in the area, and perhaps the most wellknown store.

Travel

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013 42

The joys... able wood craftsmanship, stained glass windows portraying Christ and the saints, and a rather interesting rendition of Purgatory in a mural await inside the church.

Shoe-shopping was next on the agenda, for this is the thing to do when in Liliw, the “Tsinelas” (slippers) and shoecapital of Laguna. A stretch of stores and mini-boutiques (Badong’s is perhaps the most wellknown) selling all kinds of footwear dictated that we would be at Liliw for at least a couple of hours. This was a shoe-lover’s dream; hopping from shop to shop, getting intoxicated on that smell of new shoes; a heady mixture of leather, rubber, dye and glue. A few other things caught my fancy: sidewalk vendors of fresh veggies, fruits, Laguna cheese, snails, etcetera; heritage homes on the inner streets; a few odd-looking statues on a balcony.

While the rest of the group got lost in shoe-wonderland, I followed a narrow back road, which opened up to the spacious courtyard of the magnificent St. John the Baptist Parish Church.

The church, which was built in 1605, is at once awe-inspiring ❰❰ 41

Beautiful heritage homes, in pristine condition, line the inner-roads of Liliw.

Back roads double up as main roads on the drive to Lucban, Quezon, and are dotted with picturesque views, babbling brooks, and breathtaking waterfalls.

and intimidating, as it is romantic and whimsical. Inside the church’s centuries-old stone walls: a grand altar with several tableaus; beautiful stained glass windows; high wood-carved ceilings; stone archways with intricately painted details; the occasional glass dome ceiling detail; and patterned, tiled floors. Outside, statues of patron saints; sets of footprints cast into a stone path; and other such touches of whimsy. Truly a sight to behold.

On the road again, this time for a bit of a stretch as we drove to Lucban in Quezon. What I thought were back roads were apparently the main roads by which to get to our next and final destination: the Kamay ni Hesus (Hand of Jesus) shrine.

Of course, being the insatiable sight-seer that I am, I coerced the driver into stopping by the road side for some photos of a breathtaking waterfall, which we viewed from atop a small bridge.

Dodging oncoming traffic to get back in the SUV was a bit tricky, as there were surprisingly more than a few vehicles for such a small rural road. All the same, the view was well-worth it, and we made it back in one piece.

Kamay ni Hesus was really quite the surreal sight: huge statues depicting the Stations of the Cross, positioned on different levels atop a hill, a giant Noah’s Ark Scene, and various other Biblical stories told in clay and stone. The sprawling, verdant area is a favorite destination of Catholic pilgrims during Holy Week. I am admittedly not very religious (being more the faithful type), and could not resist the urge for some wacky shots when no one was looking. All within the realms of reason and religious respect, of course. We capped the afternoon off with merienda at a restaurant within the complex, which proved the perfect spot for some of Lucban’s famous, super-tasty longaniza. Pity that I did not get to take a photo of these yummy meat sausages; I was too busy wolfing them down. In the midst of a sudden downpour (typical, in that neck of the woods) we sat and munched away, safe and dry, spirits un-dampened by the wet weather.

Back in the SUV, Manilabound, the girls planned their next adventure. I drifted off to sleep, visions of road trips dancing through my head. ■

Some practical tips for your road trip

The grandeur of its red stone exteriors, as well as the charm of its bluetiled, Moorish inspired interiors make the San Bartolome Apostol church in Poblacion, Nagcarlan a must-see.

The magnificent St. John the Baptist Parish Church in Liliw, built in 1605, is at once awe-inspiring and intimidating, as it is romantic and whimsical.

1. Always have the vehicle checked prior to departure.

Better safe than sorry.

2. Make sure you have the necessary tools, spare tire, car accessories, flashlight needed for an emergency.

3. Research your destination, including main and alternate routes. Know if there are any scenic back roads that are worth the detour.

4. Pack a reliable road map.

5. Make sure you are good on gas.

6. If renting a car (or taking the bus), do so from a reliable company of good repute.

7. Pack a first-aid kit with basic medication, bandages, antiseptics, etc.

8. Pack eating utensils, snacks, sufficient water, paper towels.

9. When travelling with kids, make sure to bring their favorite portable toys; take along engaging games, puzzles, activity books to keep them entertained. Never leave kids unattended in the car. www.canadianinquirer.net

Biblical stories depicted in clay and stone at Kamay ni Hesus, with the exception of a rather silly flesh-and-blood writer!

10. Prepare your favorite playlist of songs.

11. Buckle up!

12. Never drive sleepy. Stop at a local inn or hotel if you must.

13. Take turns at the wheel, on long drives.

14. Have an agenda and itinerary, but do not push the time.

Make your schedule lose and free-flowing enough to

account for possible delays due to traffic, unexpected road conditions, etc. Factor in stops for sight-seeing, bathroom breaks, food breaks.

15. Set expectations beforehand with those traveling with you: things to see and do, activities, etc. so that everyone is as satisfied as possible.

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2013

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One word can make you a Guinness World Record holder

RICHMOND, BC—You can make your mark in history on August 9 by becoming a Guinness World Record holder. All you have to do is sing just one word of the classic nursery rhyme Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

In celebration of its 10th anniversary, the Richmond Maritime Festival will be challenging the Guinness World Record for “The Most People Singing in a Nursery Rhyme Relay.” In a song relay, the first participant sings the first word of the song, the next person the next word, and so on. The words must be sung in proper tempo with musical accompaniment, but not necessarily in tune. For an example of how fun and off-key it can be, check out the YouTube

video of festival friends attempting a round of Row, Row, Row Your Boat at www.youtube.com/CityOfRichmondBC. The world record to beat is 154 participants; the festival is hoping to register 200 participants for the attempt.

Festival organizers are recruiting singers to launch the record attempt. All participants will be entered in a draw to win a $200 Richmond Centre Mall gift certificate. Participants must be at least 12 years of age; participants between 12 and 17 must have parental or legal guardian consent. All participants must be at the festival site, Richmond’s Britannia Shipyard National Historic Site, from 3 to 6 p.m. on Friday, August 9. Participants must

pre-register at www.richmondmaritimefestival.ca.

All participants will receive a commemorative button and certificate. Participants are encouraged—but not required—to wear maritime-themed costumes, so feel free to channel your inner pirate, sailor, mermaid or sea creature.

The official record attempt will occur between 5 and 6 p.m. on Friday, August 9, with popular local comedian David C. Jones presiding as emcee.

Official judges of the world record attempt will include Richmond’s own Olympic rowing silver medalist Darcy Marquardt.

World Record Challenge participants, their supporters and the general public are invited to enjoy a free outdoor public

concert immediately following the world record attempt. The hour-long concert begins at 6 p.m. and features the popular alt-folk group, Nautical Miles.

Bring a dinner picnic and a blanket and enjoy!

The 10th annual Richmond Maritime Festival runs from August 9 to 11 at the Britannia Heritage Shipyard National Historic Site. British Columbia’s oldest shipyard will come to life with festive, maritimethemed décor, colourful characters and ingenious exhibits with surprises around each corner. There’s free boarding of the tall ship Lady Washington (featured in CTV’s Once Upon A Time as the “Jolly Roger” and Pirates of the Caribbean) and other unique vessels, along with engaging historic exhibits about Canada’s West Coast fishing industry and the lives of those who worked in the canneries, shipyards and on the boats.

Festival goers will be entertained by music, roving performers, painters, wood

carvers, potters, stilt walkers, puppets, storytellers, dancers, drummers and much more.

Visitors can learn local lore, try their hand at a variety of arts and crafts, be captivated by friendly pirates and other unexpected unique characters.

Festival activities run from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Admission is free. For details visit www.richmondmaritimefestival.ca.

The Richmond Maritime Festival is produced by the City of Richmond. The presenting sponsor is Port Metro Vancouver. Additional corporate sponsors include Canadian Western Bank, Vancouver Airport Authority, RE/MAX Lower Mainland Agents, Coast Capital Savings, River Rock Casino Resort, Onni Group, Fortis BC, Granville Island Brewing and Peller Estates. Media sponsors are CTV, QM/FM, 24 Hours, the Richmond Review and the Philippine Inquirer. Community partners are the Richmond Arts Coalition and Britannia Heritage Shipyard Society. ■

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Botanical garden, herbs, trees and fountains all straddling the border

BY CHINTA PUXLEY The Canadian Press BOISSEVAIN, MAN.— Shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, then-Prime Minister Jean Chretien reportedly mused that we should create a place on the border dedicated to the friendship shared between Canada and the United States.

Little did he know, such a place was created two years before Chretien was born. Since 1932, the International Peace Gardens has quietly straddled the border between the two countries with Boissevain, Man., on one side and Dunseith, N.D., on the other.

It’s one of the few places in the world where you can cross the border—repeatedly—without an official document.

Over the years it has grown from a few flower beds and man-made lakes to the 970-hectare botanical gardens it is today and beyond. It now includes a memorial to the Sept. 11 attacks made up of actual girders from the twin towers, as well as a peace tower built on the border that runs through the gardens.

There are numerous campsites, lakes and even a game warden’s museum dedicated to wildlife law enforcement and conservation. At the interpretive centre, chefs create an array of mouth-watering dishes using local ingredients, many grown on the grounds themselves.

If you’re feeling particularly peckish after a stroll in the sunken gardens, feel free to forage about the vegetable patch or apple trees for a snack.

The site was picked after founders looked east to west for a shared property in the 1920s. They found much of the border is water until you reach Manitoba and North Dakota. It is the shared piece of land that’s closest to the geographic centre of North America in Rugby, N.D. It was also a blank canvas bursting with potential.

“This was all flat, prairie ground from Calgary across all the way to Winnipeg. This is one of the three elevations in Manitoba,” said CEO Doug Hevenor during a recent tour of the gardens. “It’s forested and this area was glaciated so there are lots of scalped little lakes that are on the property that made it kind of neat and interesting.”

With the hard labour of the U.S. Civilian Conservation Corps, the land was cleared, lagoons built and the garden’s main lodge erected from North Dakota stone and Manitoba logs. Slowly, flower beds and paths were carved out of the landscape while some parts of the Canadian side of the property were left a semi-cultivated chaos of wildflowers,

Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer Editor Melissa Remulla-Briones editor@canadianinquirer.net Associate Editor Laarni de Paula 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 PHOTOS FROM PEACEGARDEN.COM

plants and trees.

But it wasn’t until a few years ago that the founders’ vision of marrying an outdoor garden with a year-round conservatory was realized. An edible “victory garden”—so named after the vegetable gardens that proliferated following the Second World War—full of kale, herbs, peas and strawberries was added adjacent to the conservatory restaurant.

Sprawling out in front of the conservatory is the sunken garden. The theme of four is played out here, as it is around the garden grounds. There are four manmade streams spilling into a central octagonal pond. Further down along the border lies the peace towers, made up of four pillars jutting up 37 metres into the sky.

“The philosophy being that peace has to exist in all four corners of the earth and it starts with the relationship between Canada and the United States,” Hevenor said.

A sad reminder of how elusive peace is lies nearby. Ten 10-foot girders from the World Trade Center make up a simple but powerful memorial to the terrorist attacks of 9/11. People are encouraged to reach out and touch the girders while a listing of the victims and their country of origin is on display in the nearby Peace Chapel.

The garden’s extensive grounds provide other places for quiet reflection or family fun. There are camping sites

throughout the gardens, playgrounds, picnic tables and barbeque pits. Walking trails wind their way around the garden grounds while canoes and kayaks are welcome in the many lakes dotting the property.

There is also plenty of wildlife—beavers, raccoons, loons, deer and moose to name a few.

“I defy anyone to come to this garden and not see some type of wildlife,” Hevenor said. “I have had an opportunity to travel and have been to a lot of places ... this is a phenomenal spot. It really is. It’s amazing.”

And while you won’t need official documentation to cross the border within the garden grounds, you should still bring your passport. No matter which country you are heading to when you leave the gardens, you will need to pass through customs. ■ If You Go...

Getting there: From Winnipeg, drive west on the Trans-Canada Highway until Brandon, then south on Highway 10 towards Boissevain. Pass through Boissevain and the park will be on the righthand side. It’s about 325 kilometres from Winnipeg, 475 kilometres from Regina.

Admission: $10 per vehicle.

For more info: Phone 1-888-432-6733, or visit peacegarden.com.

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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 Associate 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.

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