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AUGUST 9, 2013
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Palace dreams? Try Senate first, Pacquiao told
Relocation of estero families on
Filipino-Canadian in Focus: Rosemer Enverga
PCI looks at Living Spaces
A reflection on unpaid internships
Bill aims to stop ‘padrino’ setup BY CATHY YAMSUAN Philippine Daily Inquirer IN AN ATTEMPT to curb the “padrino (patron) system” that she says is not exclusive to the customs bureau, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago has filed a bill barring politicians from recommending individuals to any position in any government office. Calling her measure the “Anti-Political Recommendations Bill,” Santiago hopes it will put a stop to the padrino system, a hushed but oft-practiced habit in which appointive or elective officials use influence to force those with hiring and firing powers in the government to employ, if not promote, their protégés and supporters. The senator said padrinos usually get their minions to occupy “lucrative” posts, hence worsening corruption, as these underlings scrounge for ways to pay back their enablers. President Aquino lashed out at Bureau of Customs (BOC) personnel in his State of the Nation Address on July 22 for not collecting about P200 billion a year from goods smuggled into the country.
SHAPE UP OR SHIP OUT. In a closed-door meeting, Customs Chief Ruffy Biazon urged 47 customs collectors from all over the country, whom he called “little commissioners,” to reform their turf to lift the bureau from its crisis mode. (Inset, from left) The so-called Three Kings, Carlos So, reportedly backed by the Iglesia ni Cristo, Regal Gatchalian, reportedly backed by Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, and Ricardo Belmonte, reportedly backed by his brother, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, Jr. PHOTOS BY RAFFY LERMA
Santiago sees plunder in 44 letters BY CATHY YAMSUAN Philippine Daily Inquirer FORTY-FOUR LETTERS from mayors asking for the same multimillion-peso amount from the same funding source, with the money never coming, show a crime pattern that is reason enough to bring plunder charges, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said. “In the case of plunder, one is not re-
quired to submit evidence for each act or separate crime. If [a] person is charged with several counts of plunder, all one has to do is prove the pattern of criminal acts,” Santiago said in English and Filipino in a radio interview. Santiago was reacting to the INQUIRER report that businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles allegedly facilitated requests from 44 mayors through letters
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Philippine News
3 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
Palace dreams? Try Senate first, Pacquiao told BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer SARANGANI REP. Manny Pacquiao has all the right to run for President, but he should get more training in the Senate first before seeking the highest office in the land, according to Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. Belmonte said Pacquiao should not aim for the presidency immediately, but should aspire first for a national legislative post. “He should be a senator first, get some training [in the Senate],” Belmonte told reporters when sought for comment on Pacquiao’s political plans. Pacquiao, 34, has been active in the political scene since being elected to the House of Representatives for the district of Sarangani in 2007. He has been world champion in eight different boxing divisions, but his career stands on the knife-edge after being knocked out by Mexico’s Juan Manuel Marquez last December for his fifth defeat. In a talk with Agence FrancePresse on Sunday, Pacquiao said he wanted to run for President when his fighting days came to an end. “When I started boxing, of course I was planning, you know, and thinking
about getting to become a champion. So when I entered politics it was the same thing,” Pacquiao said. But Belmonte, agreeing with many followers of Pacquiao’s career, said the champion should concentrate first on his fight against Brandon Rios of the United States in Macau in November. Belmonte also noted that anybody could actually run for the presidency as long as he or she meets the minimum requirements. The aspirant must be at least 40 years old, a natural-born Filipino citizen, a registered voter, able to read and write, and a resident of the Philippines for at least 10 years immediately preceding the election. Pacquiao, who did not finish high school but passed an equivalency test, parlayed his fame as world boxing champion in eight divisions into a political career, winning election to Sarangani’s seat in the House in 2007 as an ally of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. He won a second term in May’s midterm elections. But while working as a politician, he also maintains his boxing career. His training for his matches takes him away from legislative work for months. In the 15th Congress, he was one of the House’s top two absentees. ■
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Philippine News
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 4
Santiago sees... asking former Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap for a uniform P5 million for each town from his department’s Agricultural Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (Acef ) from 2006 to 2007. The letters never reached Yap’s office because they were collected by fashion designer Eddie Baddeo who delivered them to Napoles’ office at Discovery Suites in Pasig City, according to a statement he had submitted to the National Bureau of Investigation. The agency is investigating the P10-billion pork scam. One of the local officials who supposedly asked for P5 million from Acef, former Mayor Carina Flores of Oton town, Iloilo province, questioned the authenticity of her supposed request, as it was dated and signed after her term expired in 2007. Flores said she had never met Baddeo. “I don’t think [Baddeo] has ever set foot in Oton,” Flores said in a text message to the INQUIRER. “It’s not true at all that he came to see me.” Flores said Baddeo should clarify who he had seen in Oton ❰❰ 1
about a letter of request. She raised the possibility that her signature in the letter dated Nov. 13, 2007, had been forged by someone who did not know that her term expired on June 30 that year. Santiago, a former trial judge and agrarian reform secretary, said that while she would rather wait for the conclusion of the NBI’s investigation of Napoles’ activities, the INQUIRER report had convinced her that plunder had been committed.
Party have been named among the legislators who allegedly gave shares of their allocations from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), or pork barrel, to Napoles. “[If ] there is evidence against that person, [there is nothing we can do],” Santiago said. “Possibly, it’s because they cannot convince those not allied with them. It cannot possibly work along the same pattern with people who are not their political allies. So you can interpret that in that way,” she said.
Plunder, not malversation
“This is a case of plunder, not just malversation,” she said. “Remember that President Cory Aquino signed a law that says once an amount of over P75 million is pocketed or became kickback, it is considered plunder and is punishable by life imprisonment.” Santiago would not say the specific individuals or public officials who could be charged with plunder in the case of Napoles. But she dismissed as “irrelevant” the observation that only her colleagues who are not members of the ruling Liberal
Bogus NGOs
The NBI investigation has so far identified Senators Ramon Revilla Jr., Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Gregorio Honasan II among those who allegedly gave varying amounts from their PDAF allocations to bogus NGOs allegedly created by Napoles. Eventually, the names of Senators Lito Lapid and Vicente Sotto III also cropped up, but they were linked to another contractor, Victoria Tolentino, whose company received shares from their pork allocations to
buy chemicals for fighting dengue for three towns in Rizal province and one town in Quezon province where there were no outbreaks of the disease. Santiago said the mayors could not be faulted for agreeing to sign the letters asking for P5 million for each of their towns. Crime pattern
“They knew nothing but they signed. If you’re a mayor, you’ll sign a letter to the department secretary. Who wouldn’t like [P5 million]? So they all signed,” Santiago said. “The problem is nothing came out of those letters. But the records showed that P5 million was released to each of them. So who got the money?” she asked. “You can already see that there is a pattern of overt criminal act. … Under the antiplunder law, we don’t have to prove each and every act of plunder. All we have to do is prove a pattern and the pattern is there,” she said. Last week, Santiago filed a bill that would phase out the PDAF over the next three years. The measure received lukewarm response from her fellow senators.
Senate inquiry
Santiago indicated that she was not interested in Sen. Francis Escudero’s proposed Senate inquiry into the pork scam. Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano has said he prefers an investigation by either the Department of Justice or by the Office of the Ombudsman. “I said nothing would happen after a Senate investigation,” Santiago said, referring to Escudero’s call for a Senate inquiry. Santiago said there had been occasions when the Senate ethics committee hesitated to investigate senators who had been accused of irregularities. “Look at the record of the Senate ethics committee, the specific panel designated to investigate senators. Somebody might file cases but nothing happens,” she said. “Even the [committee] chair doesn’t want to convene the committee because it is so awkward and definitely it’s very problematic to probe your coequal colleague. It’s better that a senator is investigated by someone higher than him. That’s why I agree that it’s better to finish the NBI investigation,” she said. ■
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Philippine News
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 6
Court orders arrest of 13 EX-DBP execs BY GIL C. CABACUNGAN Philippine Daily Inquirer FORMER LABOR Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas, newspaper columnist Alexander Magno and 11 other former officers of the state-owned Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) were ordered arrested by the Sandiganbayan for complicity in granting P660 million in loans to a firm owned by businessman Roberto V. Ongpin in 2009. The Office of the Ombudsman has claimed that the loans that DBP issued to Delta Ventures Resources Inc. (DVRI) to acquire the government financial institution’s shares in Philex Mining Corp. were behest loans. Sto. Tomas and Magno were members of the DBP board during the Arroyo administration. Two private individuals were also included in the arrest order, but not Ongpin, a former Marcos trade minister who posted bail five months ago. In a resolution penned by Justice Jose Hernandez and
concurred in by Justices Samuel Martires and Maria Cristina Cornejo, the antigraft court’s third division rejected the various motions filed by the accused. The Sandiganbayan found “probable cause” to issue the warrants after it “personally, independently and judiciously examined and evaluated the resolution and order of the Office of the Ombudsman [and the] records and evidence to support the same.” The antigraft court said it “does not find any need for additional supporting evidence solely for the purpose of determining probable cause” as it rejected moves by the defendants to delay the trial. It said the defendants’ arguments were “matters of defense which are appropriate in the trial proper.” Aside from Sto. Tomas, the Sandiganbayan also issued arrest warrants against Renato Velasco, Ramon Durano IV, Floro Oliveros, Benedicto Ernesto Bitonio Jr., Arturo Baliton, Perla Soleta, Warren de
Guzman, Teresita Tolentino, Marissa Cayetano, Nelson Macatlang and Rodolfo Cerezo. Velasco is a former top aide of then President Gloria MacapagalArroyo. DVRI president Josephine Manalo and Goldenmedia Corp. treasurer Ma. Lourdes Torres were also included in the arrest order. A Sandiganbayan source said Sto. Tomas, Tolentino, Cayetano, Macatlang, Soleta, Oliveros, Manalo and Torres had each posted P40,000 in bail bond. The antigraft court spared from the arrest warrant order Ongpin and 10 former DBP officials led by its then president, Reynaldo David, Franklin Velarde, Joseph Donato Pangilinan, Miguel Romero, Edgardo Garcia, Armando Samia, Rolando Geronimo, Jesus Guevarra II and Crescencia Bundoc because they posted bail five months ago. The case stemmed from the complaint filed by DBP chair Jose Nuñez and DBP president and CEO Francisco Del Rosario Jr. With the issuance of the ar-
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The Sandiganbayan found “probable cause” to issue the warrants for the arrest of former DBP execs. PHOTO FROM WORDPRESS.COM
rest warrants to all accused, the trial is expected to start eight months after Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales indicted Ongpin and the former DBP officials for violations of Section 3 (e) of Republic Act No. 3019 or the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act. The David-led DBP extended two loan facilities (P150 million in April 2009 and P510 million in November 2009) to DVRI despite being undercapitalized; the value of the stocks offered by Ongpin as collateral were below the standards required by the bank and regulator; Ongpin resorted to corporate layering to get the loan; and the proceeds of the second loan were diverted for use in purchasing
DBP-owned stocks in Philex Mining Corp. The Ombudsman claimed that DVRI operated as a securities dealer without license from the Securities and Exchange Commission and that the series of stock transactions it made over a one-year period smacked of insider trading. Two months after indicting Ongpin and the others, Morales removed Bitonio Jr., Magno, Velasco, Velarde, Garcia, Guevarra II, Bundoc, Baliton, Macatlang, Cayetano, Tolentino, Cerezo and De Guzman from the service after having been found administratively liable for grave misconduct and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service. ■
Philippine News
7 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
Relocation of estero families on BY NIÑA P. CALLEJA, MARLON RAMOS, AND NATHANIEL R. MELICAN Philippine Daily Inquirer SOON, HAVING “Manggahan Floodway” as a residential address in Metro Manila will be a thing of the past as the clearing of squatter colonies choking Metro Manila’s waterways finally begins today. The relocation is part of the P351-billion program of the Aquino administration to address flooding in the metropolis, which in recent years has worsened due to clogged waterways, urban sprawl, denuded watersheds and fiercer storms. The first batch of informal settler families, exactly 606, will voluntarily dismantle their dwellings along the San Juan River in Barangay Salapan, San Juan City, so they can relocate to new homes in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan. “The previous administration tolerated that one’s residence could be a floodway. In the address itself, it’s already obvious they are illegal settlers,” Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said in a dinner with the INQUIRER reporters and editors. He was joined by Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman and National Housing Authority chief Chito Cruz. Roxas is spearheading the interagency collaboration among the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to lead the clearing of waterways in the metropolis on orders of President Aquino. The agencies begin the relocation of informal settlers along the San Juan and Tullahan rivers, which the government considers priority areas. The San Juan River is a major tributary of the Pasig River. After the 606 families from San Juan are relocated, 871 more at the Quezon City-side of the San Juan River will immediately follow. 8 critical areas
San Juan and Tullahan are among the eight critical areas identified by the DPWH that
need to be “widened, deepened” and surrounded by a retaining wall, Roxas said. Roxas said more than 104,000 families were occupying areas identified by the government as danger zones, such as railroad tracks, dumps, canals, rivers and creeks. Of these, some 60,000 families are occupying the eight waterways. Roxas likened the eight waterways, which include the Pasig River, Maricaban Creek, Manggahan Floodway, Estero Tripa de Gallina, Estero de Maypajo and Estero de Sunog Apog, to veins in one’s heart that, if not unclogged, could trigger a heart attack. Rainwater from Sierra Madre normally goes into these waterways and flows into Laguna de Bay and Manila Bay but often floods communities along the waterways if the exit points are overflowing. “The flood management master plan (of the DPWH) will not work if informal settler families will not be removed from the waterways,” Roxas said. 20,000 families in a year
The plan is to move 20,000 families in 12 months from the 3-meter easement abutting the waterways. By the end of Mr. Aquino’s term in 2016, all those choking the waterways will be gone, he said. “The point is, we know that annually, 19 or 20 typhoons hit the country. We know that flooding is going to happen. Thus, it is a criminal negligence if we don’t do something about it,” Roxas said. He said the President was bent on clearing the waterways. “On this one, the President is pressing us.” For this year, the DSWD and the MMDA have identified 19,440 families to be moved out of the eight critical areas in the next 12 months. P10B for new homes
Giving the informal settler families new homes will cost the government P10 billion, which is in addition to the P351 billion for the flood-control infrastructure that the DPWH and the MMDA will build. Roxas said the relocation would be done “segment by segment” to make the systems manageable and measurable “rather than moving thousands
but not moving forward.” “After 100 meters have been cleared, the DPWH and MMDA come in to dredge and put up retaining walls. Then we will work on the next 100 meters,” he said. Asked about the possibility of violence erupting in squatter communities, Soliman said the social preparations, including dialogues and tours at the resettlement sites, had made sure that resistance from the relocatees and urban poor groups would be prevented. “They were given options. They were offered relocation off-site, near-site and on-site, and these are explained to them very well,” she said.
Informal settlers were offered amortization rates of as low as P200 for their new houses in the resettlement areas.
Roxas said the informal settler families were offered amortization rates of as low as P200 for their new houses in the resettlement areas and an P18,000 subsidy for those who were still waiting for relocation. He said the amortization would depend on the place of relocation, with on-site resettlement areas commanding higher rates. The families also have the option of setting up organized communities to build mediumrise housings, which will be financed by Social Housing Finance Corp.
allows “eviction or demolition… when persons or entities occupy danger areas such as esteros, railroad tracks, garbage dumps, riverbanks, shorelines, waterways and other public places, such as sidewalks, roads, parks and playgrounds.” A more recent recent law, RA 10121, or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010, says the state should “uphold the people’s constitutional rights to life and property by addressing the root causes of vulnerabilities to disasters,” Roxas said. The law also said the government should strengthen “the country’s institutional capacity for disaster risk reduction and management, and building the resilience of local communities to disasters, including climate change impact.”
Biometrics listing
Billions in losses
Amortization, subsidy
The first batch underwent the biometrics listing initiated by the DSWD to prevent “professional squatters” from taking advantage of the government’s financial aid. Soliman said the government had made arrangements with schools near the relocation site in San Jose del Monte to accommodate displaced students. Officials expect the execution of the program not to be that easy. Cruz said of those whom the government social workers had talked to, 80 percent signified their willingness to be relocated. “We expect opposition from the 10 to 20 percent,” Cruz said. Laws on clearing
Roxas said clearing the waterways was covered by existing laws. Section 28 of Republic Act No. 7279, or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992, www.canadianinquirer.net
Roxas noted that the country was losing billions of pesos to the perennial floods in the capital and that the poor were feeling the full brunt of the disaster. A study has found that students in 813 public schools in flood-prone areas missed 10 percent of the number of school days every year due to flooding, he said. Roxas said the government plan to clear the waterways of illegal settlers was finalized even before the death of then Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo in August last year. During a conversation they had in January, Roxas recalled Mr. Aquino telling him that he had been gravely affected by the number of deaths in the recent storms that hit the country. ‘Sendong,’ ‘Pablo’
“He told me thousands had died in the past two Christmases. It was because of [Tropical
Storm] ‘Sendong,’ Typhoon ‘Pablo’ and habagat (monsoon). He said the government would look inutile if we cannot act to prevent similar events from happening,” Roxas said. “That’s why we’re committed in putting all agencies together and come up with a good plan so that we can say that we’ve done something and not just let nature decide our fate,” he added. As early as 8 a.m. today, representatives of the national government and the local government of San Juan will go to the small barangay of Salapan to oversee the dismantling of houses of informal settlers in the area. Salapan is the northernmost barangay of San Juan. With an area of 17.73 hectares, it is bounded by two waterways: the San Juan River to the west and the Ermitaño Creek to the north and east. Roxas, Cruz, MMDA Chair Francis Tolentino and San Juan Mayor Guia Gomez will oversee the dismantling of houses and other structures along the 3meter easement of the two rivers. The interior secretary will also travel with them to their new home in San Jose del Monte. “These families have agreed to voluntarily move to the relocation site. They have been the most socially prepared for this,” Roxas said. An initial 87 houses in the barangay, mostly between the Ermitaño Creek and A. Luna Street, will be dismantled today. The city government said the affected residents would be relocated to a settlement in Barangay Muzon in Bulacan. Data from the city government show that a total of 1,150 families live along waterways in San Juan. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 8
Henry Sy with $12B tops PH richest 50 list 3 years on, breast-
feeding law not fully followed
The rich get richer BY DAXIM L. LUCAS Philippine Daily Inquirer IF THE LATEST list of the Philippines’ richest compiled by the prestigious Forbes magazine is any indication, the rising tide that is the economy gives a better lift to wealthier ships than others. The latest edition of Forbes’ widely anticipated—and sometimes controversial—“Philippines Rich List” showed that mall tycoon Henry Sy Sr., ranked the country’s wealthiest man for six consecutive years, boosted his net worth to $12 billion as of July, representing a $2.9-billion increase from last year’s figure. (The full list can be found at www.forbes.com/philippines and in the latest issue of Forbes Asia.) “A surge in the economy has lifted the wealth of the Philippines’ richest,” Forbes said in a statement. “The Philippines is among the fastest-growing economies in Asia, expanding 7.8 percent in the first quarter of 2013 on the back of strong domestic consumption.” “The country also received an investment grade rating this year,” it added. Top 50 worth $65.8B
According to Forbes, the top 50 wealthiest Filipinos and their families are worth a combined $65.8 billion, representing over a quarter of the value of the Philippines’ economic output. The financial standing of Sy, 88, benefited from the country’s buoyant stock market which pushed up the value of his flagship firm, SM Investments Corp., to become the single biggest firm in terms of market value, overtaking longtime leader Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT). At the same time, confidence in the business community ushered in by the Aquino administration has also prompted a surge in corporate deal making, which Sy has taken advantage of to consolidate his diverse empire of property firms under one company. Once this merger is completed, Sy’s SM Prime Holdings Inc. will become the Philippines’ largest property developer with an estimated market value of $14 billion—not bad for a man who started selling shoes in
BY CATHY YAMSUAN Philippine Daily Inquirer
Billionaire Henry Sy.
Manila’s Escolta district many decades— and many billions of pesos—ago. Biggest gainer
Tobacco magnate Lucio Tan maintained his position as the country’s second-richest man, with an estimated net worth of $7.5 billion this year from $4.5 billion in 2012. The $3-billion increase made him the biggestgaining billionaire this year, edging Sy’s $2.9-billion wealth hike. Tan’s net worth was boosted in part by a recent $920-million share sale of his flagship LT Group, the largest equity issue in Philippine history. Again, this was made possible by positive sentiments in financial markets, driven by investor confidence. Tan, 79, recently consolidated his companies—Asia Brewery Inc. and a 50-percent stake in Philip Morris Fortune Tobacco Inc.—under the LT Group headed by his son, Michael, in what was seen as the first phase of the tycoon’s keenly watched succession plan. Property developer Andrew Tan (no relation to Lucio) rose to third place from sixth in the Forbes ranking, doubling his wealth to $4.6 billion. The rise was attributed to the strong showing in the stock market of his Alliance Global Inc., a holding firm which also controls Emperador Brandy. At 60, Andrew Tan has set his sights on building a casino resort complex at Pagcor Entertainment City at the edge of Manila Bay, in partnership with Malaysia’s Genting Group. His net worth could receive further boost once he lists his Resorts World Manila under which his casino operations fall. Ranked fourth with $4.5 billion was Enrique Razon
PHOTO FROM CELEBRITYNETWORTH.COM
Jr. whose International Container Terminal Services Inc. operates 28 ports in 19 countries. Razon’s newest venture is Bloomberry Resorts, which owns and operates the Solaire casino hotel complex at Pagcor Entertainment City. Another tycoon who gained from the equity market was George Ty (ranked ninth with $2.6 billion), who added $900 million to his net worth, mainly due to the rise in value of his holding company GT Capital. He benefited from rising revenues in banking, car distribution, real estate and power operations. A notable newcomer to the list is Ramon Ang, president of San Miguel Corp., the country’s largest conglomerate in terms of the market value of its various units. Ang debuted on the 31st spot with an estimated net worth of $260 million. Comeback
PLDT chair Manuel Pangilinan, Ang’s longtime rival in the mergers and acquisitions scene, returned to the Forbes list after many years of absence with an estimated net worth of $105 million—the minimum net worth to make this year’s list, according to Forbes. “His net worth estimate is based on what we can prove, though sources claim he owns higher stakes than publicly known,” Forbes said. Forbes said the list was “compiled using shareholding and financial information obtained from the families and individuals, stock exchanges, analysts and other sources.” “Net worths are based on stock prices and exchange rates as of the close of markets on July 19. Private companies were valued based on similar companies that are publicly traded,” it added. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
THREE YEARS after the Expanded Breast-Feeding Promotion Act was signed into law, many commercial establishments and work places still have not put up lactation stations that provide privacy and comfort for breastfeeding mothers and their infants. Sen. Pia Cayetano, chair of the Senate women and health committees in the 15th Congress, made this observation as the Philippines joined in the celebration of World BreastFeeding Week in the first week of August. “It has been three years since (the law) was passed and two years since its implementing rules and regulations (IRR) were approved,” Cayetano said in a privilege speech. She said the law and its regulations specify the establishment of lactation stations in all public places and work places to accommodate breast-feeding mothers as part of the government effort to promotemother’smilk instead of cow-based instant formula for infants. “I still receive complaints from pregnant and breast-feeding mothers that their offices are noncompliant and although I am happy to see breast-feeding/lactation station in public places like malls and some airports, there are still many places that have not complied,” she said. Cayetano said she would file a Senate resolution to examine the noncomplia n c e with the breastfeeding promotion law. “I take this opportunity to call on all those concerned to
make sure that you embrace the breast-feeding culture and provide the necessary environment to allow a mother to continue expressing her milk while she’s away from home,” she said. Cayetano said the breastfeeding culture depended largely on the environment surrounding mother and child. She said there were “five circles of support” identified by the World Alliance for BreastFeeding Action: A mother’s ownfamily; the healthcare system that provide her with preand postnatal counseling; the mother’s workplace; the government that works to provide legislation ensuring protection and support for lactating mothers; and special planning during crises and emergencies like natural disasters where both mother and infant are at risk. Cayetano said that, so far, the government had ensured that adequate information on the importance of breast-feeding was readily available to mothers. She also noted that there were laws that prohibit the advertisement, promotion and sponsorship of infant formula for babies 0 to 6 months old. However, these still needed to be enforced more strictly. ■
Philippine News
9 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
Agri official scam-happy Accountant figured in fertilizer, pork rackets BY GIL C. CABACUNGAN, RONNEL W. DOMINGO, AND MICHAEL LIM UBAC Philippine Daily Inquirer SHE WAS the public accountant at the heart of an alleged P432-million fertilizer fund scam engineered by then Agriculture Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-joc” Bolante in 2003 which was exposed by journalist Marlene Esperat who was later murdered. Ophelia Agawin was subsequently cleared in that case and has since been promoted assistant secretary for finance in the Department of Agriculture (DA) and gatekeeper of nongovernment organizations (NGOs) sanctioned to accept state money for livelihood projects for the last two years. Agawin is again in hot water after pork scam whistle-blower Merlin P. Suñas tagged her as a conduit of a web of fake NGOs controlled by Janet Lim-Napoles who has been accused of systematically pillaging state funds by undertaking ghost farm projects and paying off lawmakers and state officials. Agawin and Bolante were among 11 DA officials and businessmen who were sued by Esperat in 2003 for buying overpriced fertilizer without any bidding from Philippine Phosphate Fertilizer Corp. (Philphos) worth P432 million. The two and their codefendants—former Agriculture Secretaries Luis Lorenzo Jr. and Arthur Yap; DA officials Edmund Sana, Ibarra Poliquit, Belinda Gonzales, Eduardo Garcia; and businessmen Jesus Varela, Benjamin Tabios and Pepito Alvarez of Philphos— were absolved by the Ombudsman in 2008. The scam was believed to be the precursor of the P728-
Assistant Secretary Ophelia Agawin. PHOTO FROM NEWSINFO.INQUIRER.NET
million fertilizer fund scandal that also involved Bolante and Napoles, whose Jo-Chris Trading (named after her daughter Jo Cristine) was the second biggest supplier of the liquid fertilizer distributed to allies of then President Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004. Napoles visits
A DA official, who requested anonymity for fear of reprisal, claimed that Napoles, the alleged leader of the network of 20 bogus NGOs, had been an occasional visitor of Agawin and her immediate boss, Undersecretary Antonio Fleta, at their second floor office in Quezon City since 2011, when the department tightened accreditation of NGOs in the wake of reports of irregularities from the Commission on Audit. The DA source said the staff remembered Napoles’ visits because of the boxes of pizza
and trays of noodles and spaghetti she brought for the staff and the long meetings between Napoles and Agawin and Fleta, who shared adjoining rooms. “The staff was always full when she came that’s why they remember her. She always came with two assistants, including Benhur Luy, that’s why he was familiar to the staff when he came out to expose the pork barrel scam,” the source said. Napoles has denied having anything to do with Luy, Suñas and the fake NGOs bilking state money. President Aquino has ordered Agriculture Secretary Proceso Alcala to respond to the allegations, according to presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda. “Secretary Alcala is ready to respond to all these allegations, so that’s not a problem for us. If there are new claims, Secretary Alcala will respond to them,” Lacierda told
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reporters. Alcala said an inquiry on the alleged release of state funds through his office to bogus NGOs was expected to produce results within the week. He said he was just waiting for Agawin’s explanation. He denied endorsing questionable projects but added that programs of accredited NGOs were being “revalidated” in light of the whistle-blowers’ claims. “It’s difficult when just anybody can dish out mere accusations,” he said. “It’s not that easy to nurture a reputation.” Alcala said that people in the department, including himself, had worked so hard and should be judged by their accomplishments. One such feat that Alcala proudly points to is his claim that the country is now “practically self-sufficient” in the supply of rice and corn following heavy investments in strategic agricultural infrastructure the past three years. He expressed disappointment at the INQUIRER’s headline in its July 31 issue, which stated that he was himself implicated in the alleged scam. “The text of the story is fine but the headline jumps to a conclusion,” he said. “I should have been given a chance to explain. I don’t deserve this.” Accrediting dubious NGO
Meanwhile, Agawin is lying low. Alcala said she had been going to work religiously, attending meetings and doing her tasks as usual. She declined the INQUIRER’s request for an interview as well as an offer for her to air her side on the matter. Suñas has told the INQUIRER that 11 pet projects of eight representatives in the 15th Congress were endorsed for funding by Alcala in 2011 using Kaupdanan para sa Manguguna Foundation Inc.—Masbate Rep. Scott Davies Lanete (P30 million), Lanao del Sur Rep. Mohammed Hussein Pangandaman (P15 million), An Waray Rep. Neil Benedict Montejo (P14.2 million), Davao City
Rep. Isidro Ungab (P13 million), Bukidnon Rep. Florencio Flores Jr. (P6 million), Abante Mindanao Rep. Maximo Rodriguez (P5 million), Camarines Sur Rep. Arnulfo Fuentebella (P5 million) and Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio Lagdameo Jr. (P1 million). Agawin accredited Kaupdanan even though it had been under fire from the Commission on Audit for its alleged involvement in the P900 Malampaya fund scam said to have been orchestrated by Napoles and former Agrarian Reform Secretary Nasser Pangandaman. The INQUIRER has requested a copy of the DA-accredited NGOs in the last three days but the DA has not responded to it. DA group from Quezon
Fleta is among a core group of officials from Quezon province who were brought to the department by Alcala when he took over in 2010. Upon his entry, Alcala reappointed Agawin and promoted her assistant secretary in February 2012. Fleta is closely affiliated with the Abono party-list group whose representatives and kin allegedly coursed their pork barrel funds to a fake Napoles NGO, the Social Development Program for Farmers. They were Robert Raymund Estrella of Abono (P31.5 million); Conrado Estrella III (P20 million) and La Union Rep. Victor Ortega (P10 million). Alcala himself and his appointee, Agriculture Undersecretary Claron Alcantara, were charged in the Ombudsman for disbursing P3.5 million in pork barrel funds to a dubious NGO when Alcala was a Quezon representative in 2008. Alcala allocated the money to the Alcantara’s family-run NGO, Sir Pelagio Alcantara Development (Spade) Foundation Inc., which made a commitment to give P50,000 each in capital assistance to 65 farmer families, a number of whom have denied receiving the amount. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 10
On anniversary, Cory likened to Francis BY MICHAEL LIM UBAC AND NIÑA P. CALLEJA Philippine Daily Inquirer LIKE POPE Francis. Fr. Catalino Arevalo, the spiritual adviser of former President Corazon C. Aquino, drew parallels between the lives of the late democracy icon and the current Pope of the Catholic Church in his homily at the Manila Memorial Park. “We remember Tita Cory for her austerity and simplicity. And she shares these virtues with our Blessed Pope,” said Arevalo as the former president’s family, friends and colleagues gathered at her tomb to mark her fourth death anniversary. Arevalo said that like Pope Francis, the late president had preferred a simple life and rejected the opulence of Malacañang when she chose the Arlegui Mansion for her official residence. Simple life
“It’s similar to the Pope’s decision not to stay at the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the Pope, and instead live with the other clergy in the Domus Sta. Martha building,” Arevalo said. He recalled a time when the ailing president refused to have a Mass said in her home “because she did not want to bother other people.” The current President Aqui-
‘Safeguard her legacy’
President Benigno S. Aquino III prays before the grave of his parents during the concelebrated Mass to commemorate the 4th death anniversary of his mother and democracy icon, former President Corazon C. Aquino at the Manila Memorial Park in Sucat, Parañaque City on Thursday (August 01). The former president led the 1986 EDSA People Power and remains deeply beloved following her death from colon cancer at age 76 on August 1, 2009. PHOTO BY BENHUR ARCAYAN / GIL NARTEA / MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU)
no joined his sisters Ballsy Aquino- Cruz, Pinky AquinoAbellada and Viel Aquino- Dee and their families in remembering the legacy of their mother, whose death in 2009 elicited an outpouring of public sympathy that eventually prompted then Sen. Benigno Aquino III to run for president in 2010. Kris Aquino, the youngest daughter of the former president, is reportedly in Israel. Mr. Aquino, who wore a black shirt with his trademark yellow ribbon, stood during the entire Mass, giving way to the elderly in canes. Vice President Jejomar Binay, Senate President Franklin Drilon, close family friends, members of the Cabinet and Congress attended the Mass concelebrated by Fathers Are-
valo, Manoling Francisco and Arnold Abelardo. Concern for Filipinos
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, who was the Philippine Army chief and head of the Presidential Security Group during Cory’s administration, also turned up at the Mass, so with Communications Office Secretary Herminio Coloma, Pangasinan Rep. Gina de Venecia and members of the first Aquino Cabinet— Carlos Dominguez ( agriculture) and Jose Gonzales ( tourism). Coloma told the INQUIRER that the homily highlighted the personal qualities of the late leader. “She was not preoccupied with power and authority but more with concern for her fellow Filipinos,” he said.
“One of the greatest things we have learned from Corazon C. Aquino is the work that it takes to maintain and improve a working democracy. So as we celebrate the life she lived, we remain cognizant of the challenges that persist,” said presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, reading the Malacañang statement at a briefing in the Palace. “We thank Cory Aquino once more, while at the same time realizing that the truest expression of gratitude would be the continuation of her work— creating in this country a democracy that is better, stronger and even more inclusive,” he said. The widow of assassinated Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. succumbed to colon cancer on Aug. 1, 2009.
“We remember the life of Mrs. Aquino. After her husband, former Senator Ninoy Aquino, was assassinated on Aug. 21, 1983, the mantle of fighting for democracy fell upon her shoulders, and she responded. In the years that followed, she became the face of the Filipino people’s struggle for freedom— a struggle that culminated with the 1986 Edsa Revolution,” said Lacierda. He said Aquino spent her six- year term “reclaiming our national dignity, rehabilitating our country’s image in the international community and reestablishing institutions to better safeguard our democracy.” “Even after her term ended, she continued her public service through her political activism and through her support for nonprofit organizations,” said Lacierda. In her speech after the Mass, the former president’s daughter Pinky recalled that every time a Mass was said on Aug. 21, her mother would always say: “If I am no longer here, please don’t do this.” Pinky said it was the idea of Margie Juico, chair of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, and members of the Yellow Ribbon Movement to hold the private event. “You can’t stop the people from gathering here to remember a great woman,” said Juico. “It’s our way of showing her our gratitude.” ■
No info committee, no FOI bill BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA Philippine Daily Inquirer
Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora: The majority bloc remains uncertain. PHOTO FROM INTERAKSYON.COM
WHY IS the House leadership dragging its feet in forming the committee on public information? Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora believes the reason may be that the majority bloc remains uncertain about what it wants to do with a freedom of information (FOI) bill, or if it wants one at all. “I’m not sure that the majority is prepared to come up with a clear statement on whether they want the FOI or not,” said Zamora, noting that public information committee is exwww.canadianinquirer.net
pected to tackle only the FOI measure. “Until they are able to resolve that, you should not expect them to come up with a committee,” he said. But Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II denied that the delay in the formation of the public information committee had anything to do with the FOI bill. “Not true. Some committees really take time to form,” he said in a text message. Party-list House member Antonio Tinio (ACT Teachers), a supporter of the FOI bill, said the minority was willing to take the committee “if the majority is not yet ready.” Zamora pointed out that before setting up a committee, the
majority has to first decide the policy. “If I were the majority, that’s exactly what I would be doing,” he said. The chairmanship and composition of the public information committee is deemed crucial to the fate of the FOI bill at the House of Representatives. In the last Congress, the measure’s advocates struggled to get it past the committee that was then headed by Rep. Ben Evardone, a member of President Aquino’s Liberal Party. With strong pressure from the public, Evardone eventually sponsored a version of the bill in the plenary, but that was as far as it went. ■
Philippine News
11 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
President urged to take over BOC BY CATHY C. YAMSUAN, TJ BURGONIO, AND JERRY E. ESPLANADA Philippine Daily Inquirer A NEOPHYTE senator urged President Aquino to temporarily take over the reins of the Bureau of Customs (BOC) until its stables are cleansed if he does not have the heart to fire its head, Ruffy Biazon. Opposition Sen. Jose Victor “JV” Ejercito noted that the President might have qualms about booting out Biazon because he is a member of the administration’s Liberal Party (LP). Malacañang refused to comment on Sen. Antonio Trillanes’ call to the President to crack down on “powerwielders” in the BOC but maintained reforms were forthcoming.
the person concerned is a political ally,” Ejercito said in a news conference. “But if you are the President, your loyalty to the party should only be second to loyalty to the country,” the senator said. Hands-on approach
Ejercito said it would be better if the President himself took a hands-on approach in cleaning up the BOC since he obviously knew those who needed to be removed. In his State of the Nation Address (Sona) last week, President Aquino deplored the BOC for inefficiency and corruption but did not accept the resignation that Biazon volunteered minutes after his speech. “If the President takes the lead in cleaning the agency, who could say no to that?” Ejercito said.
Extensive reforms
Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda declined to confirm Trillanes’ claim that the President knew the padrinos but said the executive department had a complete picture of the situation in the BOC. “Part of the process of instituting reforms is to know the battlefield. It is safe to say that we know the battlefield and we know the lay of the land; and so, what the reforms are will be in response to the lay of the land,” he told reporters in a briefing. Malacañang has vowed to institute extensive reforms in the agency. “Maybe it’s difficult to let go of someone sporting the (party) color,” Ejercito said, apparently referring to the LP’s symbolic yellow when asked about Mr. Aquino’s seeming hesitance to let go of Biazon who has yet to eradicate smuggling syndicates since his appointment to the bureau in 2011. Biazon ran for senator under the LP in 2010 but lost. He was appointed customs commissioner after the one-year ban on losing candidates accepting government positions. Biazon’s father, Muntinlupa Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, is also an LP member and was among the first to pledge allegiance to then Sen. Benigno Aquino III when the party was deciding on a standard-bearer. “We want the President to succeed but it seems he is having difficulty letting go when
Protectors
Biazon and Deputy Customs Commissioner Danilo Lim had been quoted as saying that the backers of corrupt officials in the agency include senators, congressmen and relatives of some top officials. Reports have identified the so-called “Three Kings” in the agency as Ricardo Belmonte, brother of Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.; district collector Carlos So of Ninoy Aquino International Airport and district
collector Rogel Gatchalian of the Port of Manila. Biazon had asked port collectors to relinquish their posts to make way for a revamp. Ejercito said that if the President would not replace Biazon, the commissioner should at least be given a six-month deadline to “make headway” and improve the situation in the bureau. By this, Ejercito said the BOC should reflect better collection efforts and curb the padrino (patrons) system. Full context
Trillanes told reporters he called Lacierda “to explain to him the full context” of the INQUIRER story in which Mr. Aquino was “dared” to name the padrinos in the BOC. “I clarified that I wasn’t demanding anything from the President. I never challenged him,” Trillanes said. The senator pointed out that the demand to name padrinos came from another source—retired Novaliches Bishop Teodoro Bacani—who addressed the challenge to customs officials. True enough, the INQUIRER report only quoted Trillanes saying as he awaits what Mr. Aquino would do about the padrinos “based on what he knows.” Trillanes said the President raised the issue of the BOC’s
lackadaisical performance and its inept employees in the Sona. “For the President to mention it in the Sona means he knows something. He knows the big picture. I’m just waiting for what he will do based on what he knows,” Trillanes said in an ambush interview. “The public is waiting also,” he added. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte responded to Trillanes’ statement by saying: “Let’s just wait for the reforms set to be implemented, and then we can assess from there.” Lacierda said he spoke with Trillanes but claimed they didn’t dwell on the latter’s public challenge to the President to crack down on the power wielders. He said the senator expressed support for Mr. Aquino’s reforms. Lacierda also declined to say if the President had solid evidence against customs personnel when he lambasted them for their incompetence in his Sona. “You will know our reforms ... You know, we don’t want to telegraph what our measures will be. If I answer you one way, there will be a lot of implications or consequences. So the safest answer is to say: you will know,” he said. “This is my last song syndrome with respect to the customs: let’s wait for the reforms,” he added. Include oil smuggling
During the SONA, President Aquino deplored the BOC for inefficiency and corruption but did not accept the resignation that Commissioner Ruffy Biazon, its head, volunteered minutes after the President’s speech. PHOTO FROM RUFFYBIAZON.PH
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Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said he wanted the planned Senate probe of the BOC padrino system to include oil smuggling. It was the Senate finance committee chair, Francis Escudero, who filed a resolution on directing three powerful Senate committees—blue ribbon, ways and means and his own panel— to lead the probe. Recto said Petron Corp. went on record saying that the government was losing yearly between P30 billion and P40 billion in revenue due to the smuggling of refined petroleum products, mainly gasoline and diesel. Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano suggested that whistle-blowers, who identify protectors of smuggling syndicates, be given cash incentives just like those who pinpoint
criminal suspects to aid law enforcers. Full cooperation
Biazon said the BOC would fully cooperate with the Senate in its planned inquiry into the padrino system in the agency. “We will cooperate with inquiries called for by the legislative branch,” he said. In a blog on the padrino system in the agency, Biazon said sometime in March he was “surprised at the number of employees and officials in the bureau who are said to have their own political backers.” “And we’re not just talking about top level or even middle management. We’re talking about even down to the clerk level,” he wrote. He recalled: “One time, there was one person I put in the Customs Navy (floating status). It wasn’t long before I received letters from three congressmen inquiring as to why the person was removed from the post.” “I’m told that one previous commissioner even had a political map of personnel in the bureau, identifying the connections that these personnel had with those in power,” he said. Biazon noted that as early as April, he had pushed for the passage of a Congress measure that would seek to insulate the BOC from political patronage, as well as ban the endorsement or recommendation by politicians and other influential persons in the hiring or promotion of customs personnel. The same bill “should also include the establishment of specific qualifications for anyone to be hired in the bureau. For instance, only those who have taken up customs administration or licensed customs brokers should be hired,” he added. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 12
PH secures US Embassy, Millers refute need to hike bread other facilities prices too much; bakers disagree BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE GOVERNMENT tightened security around the US Embassy in Manila and other potential terrorist targets following a global alert linked to numerous jailbreaks by al-Qaida-linked terrorists in several countries. Following an Interpol alert that prompted the shutdown of American embassies in some countries, National Security Adviser Cesar Garcia ordered increased security around potential targets and the intensification of intelligence gathering across the country. “We are intensifying intelligencegathering and we continue the hardening of targets which are the focus of these alerts, such as the US Embassy,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said over government radio dzRB. Valte said the government could not reveal the specific security measures involved for
obvious reasons. “We can’t divulge the security measures because that is like telling those people who want to harm (us) that ‘these are the things that you should go against,’” she said. Valte declined to comment on whether or not the July 26 explosion at a restaurant in Cagayan de Oro City that killed eight people and wounded scores of others was linked to Islamic extremists. She, however, said the Interpol alert pointed to potential western targets for attacks. She said the actual Interpol alert, “speaks of identified areas like the Arabian Peninsula… the threat is allegedly directed at western targets.” In March 2005, after the Valentine’s Day bombings that killed 12 in General Santos and Davao cities, police intelligence officials told the Senate that the Jemaah Islamiyah, an al-Qaida-linked Southeast Asian network, had continued to provide funding for terror attacks in the Philippines. ■
Ombudsman to probe Pichay, other water execs BY GIL C. CABACUNGAN Philippine Daily Inquirer OMBUDSMAN CONCHITA Carpio-Morales has formed a fivemember team of lawyers to handle the case against dismissed officials of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) led by former Surigao del Norte Rep. Prospero Pichay Jr. who are facing criminal and administrative charges for allegedly injecting some P800 million of LWUA funds into an insolvent bank owned by plastics tycoon William Gatchalian in 2008 and 2009. Morales ordered the panel to conduct a preliminary investigation and administrative adjudication of all related charges filed against Pichay and the oth-
er dismissed LWUA officials— Eduardo A. Bangayan, Aurelio O. Puentevella, Enrique Senen G. Montilla III, Wilfredo M. Feleo Jr. and Daniel A. Landingin. The probe will also cover the shareholders of the shuttered Express Savings Bank Inc. (ESBI) led by Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin T. Gatchalian, Dee Hua T. Gatchalian, Elvira A. Ting, Kenneth T. Gatchalian; the directors of the Wellex Group led by William T. Gatchalian and Yolanda de la Cruz; and Forum Pacific directors Arthur R. Ponsaran, Geronimo Velasco Jr., Peter Salud, Rogelio D. Garcia, Federico Puno, Lamberto Mercado Jr., Weslie T. Gatchalian, Joaquin Obieta and Evelyn de la Rosa. ❱❱ PAGE 14 Ombudsman to
BY AMY R. REMO AND RONNEL W. DOMINGO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PRICES of Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal are set to rise on Aug. 20, after the Department of Agriculture (DA) recommended a hike in the tariff on low-priced Turkish flour. In a joint statement, the FilipinoChinese Bakery Association Inc. (FCBAI), Federation of Bakery Association Inc. (PFBAI) and Philippine Baking Industry Group (PhilBaking) said they would raise the price of Pinoy Tasty by P3 per loaf to P40 and Pinoy Pandesal by P1.50 to P24 per 10-piece pack. FCBAI and PFBAI group bakery chains and neighborhood bakeries together, while PhilBaking represents the country’s biggest bread brands like Gardenia. But the prices of bread and bakery products should not go up anytime soon considering that flour importers increased their imports of Turkish flour as the DA pushed for antidumping duties, according to local millers. Ric M. Pinca, executive director of the Philippine Association of Flour Millers (Pafmil), said that contrary to bakers’ claims, the price of Pinoy Tasty should go up by only 65 centavos per loaf while that of Pinoy Pandesal by only four centavos per piece. The bakers groups said importers of Turkish flour had advised them that supplies would not be available beginning September. Bakers are now panicbuying Turkish flour before it will disappear next month, they said. “The imposition of a 20-percent safeguard tariff on imported flour from the current 7 percent made the lower-priced flour immediately unavailable. Since the cheaper imported flour will no longer be available, www.canadianinquirer.net
bakers will have no choice but to shift to higher-priced locally-milled flour. This will result in higher prices of Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal,” PhilBaking president Walter Co said. Ensure continuous supply
“We cannot get imported flour anymore as there’s already a scarcity in supply, but we have to ensure the continuous supply of Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal for the consumers,” he added. But Pinca refuted this, saying that incoming Turkish flow shipments were expected this month and the next, and at bigger volumes. He said that in July alone, 14,000 metric tons or 594,700 bags of Turkish flour arrived. This was 54 percent more than the volume landed in June, he added. “Obviously the importers are taking advantage of the low duty on Turkish flour,” Pinca said. “This volume (July arrival) is
enough for two months’ consumption. Therefore, bakers do not have any reason to raise prices for the next two months.” He added that additional shipments were scheduled to arrive this month and in September, both in anticipated higher volumes. Trade Secretary Gregory L. Domingo said bakers should not raise the prices of the affordable Pinoy bread products. If necessary, the increase should be parallel with the country’s inflation rate of about 3 percent. A more reasonable increase, if it cannot be helped,
should be somewhere around a peso only. Trade Undersecretary Zenaida C. Maglaya echoed Domingo, noting that the planned price increase by bakers was “too high” and “too early.” Maglaya said the increase was too high because Turkish flour would roughly account for only 30 percent of the flour used in making the Pinoy bread products, so any price impact should not be passed on fully to the consumers. The increase, she added, should be less than P2 per loaf. Also, there are still incoming shipments of Turkish flour, which means that bakers could still further delay the increases they announced. According to Maglaya, the Philippine Association of Flour Millers (Pafmil) had committed to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that local industry players would not increase their flour prices until endDecember this year. Currently, importation carries a 7-percent duty. But the DA has proposed to raise this to 20 percent, a level provided to combat dumping. Dumping is defined as the export of a product to a foreign market at prices that are lower than that prevailing in the home market. Last week, the DA asked the Tariff Commission whether or not provisional antidumping duties may be imposed pending the result of its preliminary investigation on whether the unfair trade practice was actually happening. In a letter dated July 29, Tariff Commission Chair Edgardo B. Abon said such duties “can only be imposed following the affirmative preliminary finding of dumping” and injury to a local industry. Regarding price hikes, Pinca said the bakers had done their math wrong. ■
Philippine News
13 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
Stem cell treatment no panacea, docs say BY JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE Philippine Daily Inquirer
Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr.
PHOTO FROM PHILIPPINENEWS.COM
Brillantes: Abolish barangays, SK BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer SMARTING FROM the unruly hordes of would-be registrants who descended on election offices, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. called for the abolition of the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) systems. Brillantes also said the Election Registration Board (ERB) would go over the list of new registrants to weed out those who had illegally registered on July 22-31. He noted that the Comelec had already recorded 1.2 million new registrants, or 50 percent more than the 800,000 it had expected would sign up to vote in the barangay and SK elections on Oct. 28. “Maybe a good way to stop this from happening again is to abolish the SK and also the barangay. We have been advocating for that for a long time,” Brillantes said in an interview. He urged President Aquino to at least certify pending bills in Congress calling for the postponement of the SK elections in October. “Let’s see whether the barangay will be able to run without the SK. If it can run without the SK, let’s abolish the youth councils,” he said. SK officials are 15- to 25-yearolds who have been accused of following in their elders’ graftridden political ways. ‘Hakot’ system
Brillantes noted that SK candidates also resorted to the “hakot” system of herding supporters to local Comelec offices to register. “We are teaching them to resort to hakot even at their young age,” he said. Brillantes said the unruly scenes outside Comelec offices was unprecedented and “abnormal.” “What happened and the high number of people were abnormal. That cannot be ordinary. Did you see the large number of people? The unruly behavior?
There was even a stampede. Has that happened before? No,” Brillantes said. Hunger, rain, exhaustion
“My assessment is that one candidate herded his supporters and his opponent saw that and did the same. So they (registrants) all ended up waiting ( outside Comelec offices),” he said. Brillantes said he did not believe Filipino voters would, on their own, willingly suffer hunger, the rain and exhaustion just to register to vote. “Ask them why they were willing to suffer the rain, hunger and exhaustion? Are our voters now that motivated? I don’t think so,” Brillantes said.
THE PHILIPPINE College of Physicians (PCP) wants the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to more strictly regulate the use of stem cell therapy, which was being “wrongfully projected as a cure-all.” At a press conference in Quezon City, PCP vice president Dr. Anthony Leachon said the use of stem cell therapy to treat almost all medical conditions was becoming rampant even though the treatment has been tested and approved only for some blood and bone marrow cancers and primary immune deficiencies. This poses serious safety issues, he warned. He said, the use of the treatment to cure other diseases or even slow down aging has not been scientifically proven in clinical studies. He said current government regulations were centered on the proficiency of the medical practitioners and not on the treatment’s use and efficacy. While the therapy has been clinically
Biometrics system
“Most probably they were hakot, transferees, those who were paid, flying voters, and those who were told that they would not get benefits if they did not register. Who told them that? The candidates,” he said. Brillantes said that herding registrants was not illegal but the problem was that this discouraged or disenfranchised legitimate registrants from signing up. Brillantes said the ERB would use the Comelec biometrics system and the Automated Fingerprint Identification System to purge illegal registrants from the list of new voters. “That’s going to be easy because we now have biometrics. We will see who registered twice or who transferred (precincts) without meeting the sixmonth residency requirement,” he said. Illegal registrants
Brillantes said, the Comelec had recorded 2.3 million SK voters (those above 15 but below 18 years old) and 1.2 million regular voters. “We already had 52 million voters registered last May. Why would there be another million? I’m sure we’re going to find many (illegal registrants),” Brillantes said. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
tested to be beneficial in the treatment of cancers in the blood and bone marrow as well as primary immune deficiencies through stem cell transplants from a person’s own body (autologous) or from a donor (allogeneic), it has not been proven effective to cure other health conditions. Leachon said stem cell therapy has been wrongfully projected as a cure for all kinds of illnesses including: diseases of the heart, lungs, skin, and the kidneys; neurologic, rheumatologic and gastrointestinal conditions; as well as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, autism, the human immunodeficiency virus or Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS), and even aging. The president of the Philippine Society of General Internal Medicine (PSGIM), Dr. Antonio Dans, clarified that the PCP is not against stem cell therapy per se but about its effective use in the treatment of health conditions other than blood-related illnesses. He said that simple case reports or individual accounts on the effectiveness of the treatment for certain conditions have “low scientific value.” ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 14
Obama names next envoy to PH BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer UNITED STATES President Barack Obama has nominated a State Department intelligence official for the next United States ambassador to the Philippines. Philip Goldberg, Assistant Secretary at the Bureau for Intelligence and Research (INR) at the US Department of State, will replace outgoing US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry Thomas Jr., if confirmed by the US Congress, the US Embassy in Manila said. Thomas will be leaving the Philippines soon, having completed a three-year tour of duty here. Goldberg, 57, was one of eight officials that Obama nominated to key administration posts on July 30, including the new US envoys to Indonesia, Namibia, Trinidad and Tobago, Cameroon, Argentina and Niger, as well as a new deputy interior
secretary. “I am grateful that these impressive individuals have chosen to dedicate their talents to serving the American people at this important time for our country. I look forward to working with them in the months and years ahead,” Obama said in a statement that the US Embassy released. Goldberg, a career diplomat, has served various posts around Eastern Europe, Africa and Latin America throughout his career. A Boston native, Goldberg served as the State Department’s Bosnia Desk Officer from 1994 to 1996, during the Bosnian War. He returned to the home office as special assistant and later executive assistant to the deputy secretary of state until 2000. He briefly served as acting deputy assistant secretary for legislative affairs in 2001 before being posted in Santiago, Chile, as charge d’affaires and deputy chief of mission until 2004.
Obama names Philip Goldberg (inset) as the new Ambassador to the Philippines. PHOTOS FROM STATE.GOV AND NYMAG.COM
Goldberg then served as chief of mission in Pristina, Kosovo, from 2005 to 2006 before being posted to Bolivia from 2006 to 2008, his last known overseas posting. His time in Bolivia was punctuated by controversy after Bo-
Bill aims... Santiago said the bill was a reaction to reports about the “three kings” in the BOC, who allegedly enjoy the protection of powerful backers. The three kings have been identified as Carlos So, supported by Iglesia ni Cristo; Rogel Gatchalian, said to be a protégé of Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile; and Ricardo Belmonte, the soon-to-retire brother of Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. ❰❰ 1
Widely practiced
In a radio interview, Santiago noted that the padrino system was widely practiced in government offices. Apart from the BOC, Santiago said other offices notorious for the heavy presence of padrinos include the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Transportation and Communications, and the Bureau of Immigration that she headed during the administration of the late President Corazon Aquino. “Why should a senator or congressman meddle and influence
livian President Evo Morales kicked him out of the country in 2008, accusing the US envoy of meddling in state affairs amid the political unrest in the South American state. Bolivia suspected Goldberg of provoking the political oppo-
sition and of ordering US Peace Corps volunteers to undertake surveillance in their areas of assignment, charges that Washington denied. Morales, who figured in the news earlier this month after Europe diverted a plane carrying the Bolivian president suspected of carrying US fugitive and intelligence whistle-blower Edward Snowden, is known to be an ally of Venezuela, a US critic. Goldberg also served as an officer at the US Embassy in Bogota, Colombia and Pretoria, South Africa. In his current posting at the State Department, Goldberg is at the lead of intelligence gathering and analysis “to serve US diplomacy.” His office also “serves as the focal point in the State Department for ensuring policy review of sensitive counterintelligence and law enforcement activities around the world,” the State Department said on its website. His office, the INR, also “analyzes geographical and international boundary issues,” according to the State Department website. ■
Ombudsman to... how an agency of the executive branch hires its employees? If the person you backed turns out to be corrupt, what does it say about you as a politician?” Santiago asked in Filipino. “Worse, the padrino system tends to bypass more qualified individuals in government positions in favor of ones with better political connections. They’re corrupt and unqualified, as well. We should bring back meritocracy to the bureaucracy,” the senator complained. Santiago echoed an observation made by Deputy Customs Commissioner Danilo Lim, who said “invisible forces” within the agency were hampering the administration’s efforts to address corruption and inefficiency in the BOC. Black propaganda
The senator said she knew of instances when corrupt BOC officials would launch black propaganda campaigns against those they felt threatened their operations. Santiago’s bill imposes a P30,000 fine or a one-year jail term on officials who commit “acts of making and soliciting
political recommendations from any public official or employee.” “Passing this bill into law will strengthen our bureaucracy by granting the appointing agencies their rightful discretion over the appointment, promotion, assignment, transfer or designation of their employees,” she said. Santiago lamented that giving protégés employment in the government was often a politician’s way of paying back the support given to him during the campaign. She added, however, that a voter or political supporter should be mature enough to choose whom to campaign for without expecting future employment in exchange. At one point, Santiago singled out Enrile’s protégé during the interview, noting that Gatchalian “is just an ordinary Legal Officer 2, just one of those minor employees” who was suddenly promoted to the rank of Collector 6 “in one of the most lucrative positions as collector in the Port of Manila.” In a previous interview, Enrile said it was Malacañang’s decision, and not his, to give the post to Gatchalian. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
The Pichay and Gatchalian groups have been charged with graft and malversation. The case stemmed from the purchase by the LWUA board, chaired by Pichay, of 445,377 ESBI shares worth P101.363 million from the Gatchalian group in a financial rescue operation that gave the agency a 60-percent equity in the bankrupt bank. The board went ahead with the deal despite warnings from the political opposition, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the Monetary Board and Department of Finance about the ESBI’s fragile financial condition following a due diligence review that showed high liquidity and credit risks. Pichay and the ❰❰ 12
LWUA board later authorized a further infusion of P400 million for investments and P300 million for deposits. Pichay and the LWUA officials were ordered dismissed by the Ombudsman on July 4, 2011. Four days later, the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. placed the ESBI under receivership. The bank, which had four branches in Laguna, had 2,673 deposit accounts worth P608.36 million four months before it was closed. ■
Philippine News
15 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
Benguet tops dev’t index; Sulu is last BY RIZA T. OLCHONDRA Philippine Daily Inquirer RESIDENTS OF Benguet province may take a bow. Benguet was named the best province in terms of human development in the Philippine Human Development Report (PHDR) that was launched at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Pasig City. The PHDR is an update on the progress of the country’s provinces in terms of the income, health, and knowledge of their residents. Other provinces in the Top 10 are Batanes, Rizal, Cavite, Bulacan, Bataan, Laguna, Nueva Vizcaya, Ilocos Norte and Pampanga. These provinces are all in Luzon. Sulu was named the least developed province, followed by Maguindanao, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga, Agusan del Sur, Davao Oriental, Sarangani, Zamboanga del Norte, Masbate and Lanao del Sur. All of these provinces, except for Masbate which is in the Bicol Region, are in Mindanao, the most conflict-ridden part of the country where a communist insurgency and a secession war being waged by Moro groups have been raging for decades. Human development, as defined by the Unites Nations Development Program (UNDP), is a way of giving people more life choices. 3 basic dimensions
For people to lead better lives, they must enjoy health and long life expectancy, have knowledge as measured in terms of literacy and enrollment ratios, have enough sources of income to meet a decent standard of living, and be able to participate freely in community life and collective affairs. Average achievement in three basic dimensions (a long and healthy life, knowledge and a decent standard of living) make up the human development index used in ranking the provinces in the 2013 PHDR. On average, adults in the Top 5 provinces have 10.1 years of schooling or 73 percent more than adults in the bottom five provinces, according to the PHDR. Adults in Sulu, for example, have only 4.6 years of schooling. In terms of purchasing power per person, those in the Top 5 provinces are estimated to have almost three times more than those in any province in the bottom five. Life expectancy is also longer in the top provinces. The province with the longest life expectancy, however, is not in the Top 10. Waste of resources
La Union has the highest life expectancy at 76.4 years, which is 22.8 years
Human development, as defined by the Unites Nations Development Program (UNDP), is a way of giving people more life choices. Benguet was named the best province in terms of human development.
more than that in Tawi-Tawi, which has the shortest life span at 53.6 years. The report noted that “traditional” setups such as the pork barrel system have institutionalized wastage of resources and overlapping investments. These arrangements have also resulted in the implementation of many small projects with little or no developmental value (e.g. town or village entrance arches, multipurpose pavements and waiting sheds) and duplication of programs regardless of the scale, synergy and integration of larger markets. Economist Toby Melissa Monsod said that overly centralized development planning and implementation by government agencies helped contribute to the concentration of development in cities. “The aim of economic integration is to reduce the distance of people, especially the poor, to economic opportunities wherever the latter may be found. This is not the same as ‘bringing jobs to the people,’ which is easily misunderstood literally as promoting industry in lagging provinces,” Monsod said in a presentation at the PHDR launch. She said the first was concerned with the welfare of people and the second with the fate of places.
turing national government agencies (such as the Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of Agrarian Reform), and a formal mandate for provinces to lead rural-urban efforts
Recommendations
Monsod recommended that government make infrastructure more connected, provide basic education and health services where needed, and give local authorities more say on what priority developments should be undertaken. “In the best case, empowering provinces must include: reform legislation to strengthen their role in the provision of public goods, a larger tax base, restrucwww.canadianinquirer.net
within their geographical jurisdictions. The UNDP country director, Toshihiro Tanaka, said in a speech that the PHDR highlighted the development variations brought about by geographic influence. The PHDR is a useful reference in development planning and will especially assist local governments in reviewing policies and interventions to maximize their efficiency in accordance to geographical uniqueness. One way local governments can use the PHDR is to understand geography’s impact on human development and apply such learnings to address rising inequality and disparity between urban and rural areas, Tanaka said. Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan noted that the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016 was being updated and the PHDR findings were helping policy makers as they consider how to make growth more inclusive. The launching of the 2013 PHDR comes months after the release of the UN Human Development Report in the first quarter of the year. The Philippines ranked 114th (out of 187 countries) in the 2013 UN Human Development Report. ■
Opinion
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 16
THERE’S THE RUB
Rituals By Conrado De Quiros Philippine Daily Inquirer IT’S NOT as if we don’t expose them. We do, to spectacular lengths. This past month or so alone, media have regaled us with spectacular cases of corruption, ones that involve spectacular sums and spectacularly high-placed officials. We’ve had the Czech ambassador complain of an effort by DOTC (Department of Transportation and Communications) officials to extort $30 million, subsequently reduced to $2.5 million after being forthrightly rejected. We’ve had senators and congressmen reported as entrusting huge chunks of their P200-million and P70million pork funds respectively to a shadowy organization that plows them into shadowy projects, a scam that has cost us all of P10 billion over the past 10 years. We’ve had at least a bit of good news in that 13 former high-ranking officials and board members of the Development Bank of the Philippines have been issued warrants of arrest for giving out a P660-million behest loan to Bobby Ongpin during Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s time. And of course there’s P-Noy himself lambasting Customs for its fail-
ure to check rampant smuggling, a thing, he broadly suggested, that owed to his officials being stricken blind. On the side, we had things like the local governments’ complicity in the pork scam and Malampaya’s own ghost projects. The latter has to do with Palawan, which shares P3 billion from the earnings of the Malampaya Gas Project, assigning P20 million uniformly to all roads and bridges. That is not the crime, though that alone is a telltale sign of something wrong. The crime, as shown by the Commission on Audit, is that the roads and bridges are nowhere to be found. Nobody can accuse us of not exposing corruption. But everybody can accuse us of not doing much about it. I remember again someone telling me years ago in an Asian media forum how enviable we were to be so free to call crooks out in the media. I said that was the good news. The bad news was that nothing really happened. You’d think being exposed was punishment enough. When the exposed didn’t even have the decency to feel ashamed. Without the threat of being jailed or having their loot seized, they just laughed at the exposés and got the bishops to pontificate,
“Let’s move on.” Of course, to say that we do nothing to punish the erring is grossly unfair, particularly today. The fact that the Sandiganbayan has issued arrest warrants for those involved in the Ongpin loan must suggest something is being done. Indeed, the fact that P-Noy has not been loath to berate erring, errant, and/or errorprone public officials when he is invited to their anniversaries must suggest he
Nobody can accuse us of not exposing corruption. But everybody can accuse us of not doing much about it. personally is willing to move heaven and earth to curb corruption. Shaming crooks has been known to produce effects, as other countries have shown, and the President himself doing the shaming can always do the trick. It’s something we, the public, should be doing as well. But clearly these are not enough. Not by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, the astonishing thing is that the sheer plethora of scams being penned in the press is matched only by the sheer paucity of the scam-
mers being penned in the correctional. No big fish has really landed in jail. The only really big fish that has been caught in the net is former Chief Justice Renato Corona, and he is not in jail to watch faded pop musicians performing on a small CRT TV, he is merely on hiatus freely watching the oldies perform at Araneta Coliseum live. Arroyo has been sprung from house arrest; her husband is nowhere near to experiencing it. You’d think deteriorating health was punishment enough. That’s not justice, that’s karma. In fact, the astonishing thing is not the surfeit of scams we hear about and the scarcity of wrongdoers being jailed that we see. It is that we are not at all astonished by it. It is something we expect. It is something we shrug our shoulders over and make text jokes about. The explosiveness of the exposés is not matched by an explosion of public outrage. We are not furious. We do not protest. We do not march down the streets howling at the top of our voices: “Tama na, sobra na, tigilan na!” Which is how corruption thrives, however government is at pains to stop it. Which is how we keep reading in newspapers or watching on TV exposé after exposé, however P-Noy
desperately tries to stop corruption. There is no public opprobrium to deter it, there is no public taboo to stop it. Unlike other Asian countries where public opprobrium is so ingrained in the culture it can compel the dishonored to commit harakiri to prevent the dishonor extending to the family. How many Angelo Reyeses do we have? Unlike the Western countries where the belief that corruption is stealing from the citizens is so ingrained in the citizens’ minds it can compel transgressors to resign posthaste and slink away in ignominy. From Spanish times, we’ve always thought civil—and church—officials were entitled to plunder, provided they did not plunder too grossly. Public opprobrium, revulsion, seething anger—that’s what’s lacking in the equation. It’s what makes our efforts to fight corruption not unlike our politics and our religion, a lot of form but not a lot of substance. So long as we have elections, we can rape and pillage and still call ourselves a democracy. So long as we go to Mass, we can rape and pillage and still call ourselves Christians. So long as we expose scams, we can go on raping and pillaging and still call ourselves heroic. We do so love rituals. ■
age mothers to become more confident while breastfeeding in public.” Breastfeeding Pinays partnered with Kaya Women Empowerment and Support Group, LATCH (Lactation, Attachment, Training, Counseling, Help), Arugaan, Newlyweds@Work, Tickled Moms, Davao’s Mommy Sense, Cagayan de Oro’s Mommy Bright Side, the Bacolod Mom and Baby Club, and bloggers Jenny Ong (Chronicles of a Nursing Mom) and Eliza Ypon (The Painter’s Wife) in organizing this activity. *** THEY are joined in their advocacy by UN organizations in the Philippines: the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef ) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Breastfeeding “is a natural way of providing complete nourishment to a newborn baby from the first hour of birth to six months,” says a UN statement. Ideally, breastfeeding should continue as complementary feeding up to two years of age and beyond. Indeed, adds Dr. Abdul Alim, Unicef Philippines representative, “on the basis of these inherent benefits, Unicef upholds and advocates breastfeeding as a cost-effective strategy for survival, growth, development and protection of infants and young
children from birth up to two years.” *** IN TERMS of laws and regulations, there should be no problem promoting breastfeeding in the Philippines. The National Milk Code and the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act regulate the marketing, and sales of breast milk substitutes or infant formula. Hospitals are no longer allowed to give new mothers a can of formula to take home with them when they leave the hospital or clinic. But reality has a way of frustrating the law. For instance, women’s participation in wage employment (formal work) has increased over the years, but many of these forms of work still leave women vulnerable. “With the fear of losing their only source of income, working women find it hard to continue exclusive breastfeeding even just until their babies reach six months; some are forced to give up exclusive breastfeeding altogether,” says ILO Philippines Director Lawrence Jeff Johnson. Dr. Julie Hall of WHO likewise observes that while the Philippines may have “among the best laws (on breastfeeding) in the world, serving as models for other countries, what are urgently required are resources and partnerships for their full implementation in workplaces and communities.” ■
AT LARGE
Latching on By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer AFTER THE birth of my daughter in 1986, I went back to work with a vital accessory: a small cooler filled with empty feeding bottles and a breast pump. During breaks, I would park myself in the kitchenette leading to the restroom and express breast milk, then bring the filled bottle to the canteen kitchen where I stored it in the refrigerator. When someone wanted to use the restroom, the rest of the staff of Veritas, a newsmagazine that was proudly part of the anti-Marcos “mosquito press,” would pound on the locked door, shouting: “What are you doing there? Playing with yourself again?” Otherwise, whenever I left the kitchenette with a full bottle, a wise guy would invariably quip: “Ahh, just in time, I need some milk for my coffee!” But that’s small potatoes compared to the harassment and public embarrassment that other breastfeeding mothers experience. One told me that when she started breastfeeding her bawling child while aboard a jeepney, the rest of the passengers turned away while one old lady reprimanded her: “Hija, that’s not something you do in public.” Other mothers breastfeeding
their babies inside malls have been told off by security guards to do their “thing” in more private spaces. That is, until shopping malls opened nursing rooms in their premises, billing it as part of their “corporate social responsibility” program. But if you think nursing a baby is something better done in the confines of a bedroom or home, then you should bring yourself over to the Rajah Sulayman Park in Malate, where more than 100 mothers and their babies, their other children, husbands, families and members of their support system are banding together in an event called “Hakab Na!: A Breastfeeding Mob.” The event will be held simultaneously with similar gatherings in Davao, Cagayan de Oro and Bacolod and is billed the “first of its kind in the Philippines.” *** ORGANIZERS of the event, who call themselves (on Facebook) “Breastfeeding Pinays,” say they are hosting the public nursing gathering “to promote women’s right to breastfeed and the importance of providing proper support to breastfeeding mothers.” August happens to be “Breastfeeding Awareness Month,” and Aug. 1-7 is “World Breastfeeding Week,” under the auspices of the World Alliance for
Breastfeeding Action. The theme of this year’s celebration is “Breastfeeding Support: Close to Mothers.” “Breastfeeding in this country is a national health crisis,” declares Velvet Escario-Roxas, one of the administrators of Breastfeeding Pinays. “Although breastfeeding rates have steadily gone up over the years through efforts [of] different government, nongovernment organizations and medical communi-
With the fear of losing their only source of income, working women find it hard to continue exclusive breastfeeding even just until their babies reach six months; some are forced to give up exclusive breastfeeding altogether. ties, there is still so much to be done. Forming this online support group of mothers and gathering together [are] one of our contributions to the cause.” Organizers add that the breastfeeding mob “aims to remove the stigma of nursing in public.” Benz Co-Rana, founder of Newlyweds@Work, an online community of parents promoting breastfeeding, says they “want to create a harmonious culture of breastfeeding in the Philippines. We want to encour-
www.canadianinquirer.net
Opinion
17 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
PUBLIC LIVES
Allocating responsibility By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer IT HAS been roughly two weeks now since the INQUIRER first broke the news about the pork barrel racket that allegedly permitted businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles to siphon as much as P10 billion in public funds into her private accounts, supposedly splitting the proceeds with her clients in Congress who wielded the power over these funds. That is quite a long time for any issue to remain in the news. One can imagine how many PR operatives are now being deployed by politicians to contain the damage. I think it’s important that we don’t drop the issue at this point. I understand that the level of public interest is beginning to wane. It will stay alive only if the reportage avoids repeating stale information. If they are so minded, the media can help the public gain a better understanding of corruption in government by focusing on the big picture, and resisting the urge to find a scapegoat. It is important to keep in mind that corruption is a system whose operation is made possible by the collusion, encouragement, tolerance, negligence, fear, incompetence, and sometimes willful blindness of many peo-
ple. The complex web of corruption in which individuals are entangled in various ways makes it extremely difficult to pinpoint responsibility. That is why, in many instances, it is the lowest clerk, the most vulnerable in the chain of authority, who is made to carry the onus of guilt that belongs to the entire system. By maintaining a systemic view, we may begin to understand the external and internal conditions that sustain and reproduce the whole. Beneath the normalcy of things, tension accumulates over a long period of time, surfacing as occasional complaints about poor performances. When basic services and infrastructure, for example, show no sign of improvement despite the funds annually appropriated for them, people start to ask where the taxes they pay go. Next year’s budget sets aside P27 billion for the so-called Priority Development Assistance Fund. In the light of this pork barrel exposé, people now want to know how the PDAF from previous years had been spent. Demanding accountability is clearly something that is learned. But, the reality is that the average citizen hardly cares whether it is right or wrong for legislators to be allocated pork barrel projects in the national
budget. His only concern is that he is attended to whenever he runs to any public official for help. Indeed, he very likely does not mind if part of the PDAF goes into the pockets of legislators; he understands that politicians sometimes need to dig into their pockets to help their constituents. Thus, we may blame the ordinary citizen for partaking of the fruit of corruption and allowing this to happen. But
Beyond the preoccupation with assigning blame for its woes is the need for a society to know how it is moving in time. that would not be very different from blaming people for being poor and dependent and ignorant. Blaming the victim is like blaming external forces for our problems: It sheds no light on the nature of responsibility and offers no ethical guide. Those who have the power to make decisions in the people’s name, those who are expected to see farther and more clearly on account of their education, training, and experience, those who have the time and the leisure to reflect on their actions, those who can teach and act on the truth
as they see it but do not—it is they, I think, who ultimately must bear the greatest responsibility for what happens to the human community. Sixty-eight years ago almost to the day, America dropped an atom bomb on Hiroshima, followed by another one on Nagasaki a few days later, killing in an instant a quarter of a million people. It was the first time such a lethal force was unleashed against any nation. The use of the atom bomb forced the surrender of Japan and put an end to the Pacific War. Japan’s humiliating defeat, capped by the subordination of the Japanese Emperor’s godlike authority to the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers, triggered an internal debate about responsibility that continues to this day. The debate centered on the question of who was to blame for Japan’s aggressive foray into other nations that culminated in defeat. Many Japanese blamed their government, specifically the military, for misleading the people. But, others thought more broadly. One young woman from Nagano prefecture was quoted as saying: “Naturally the government that deceived us is bad, but are we people who were deceived without crime? That stupidity, I think, is also a kind
of crime.” Indeed, throughout that period, Japan had an elected parliament that gave its imprimatur on military plans. Almost completely forgotten in this self-referential national conversation about the war was the scale of the atrocities that the Japanese forces inflicted on other Asian peoples. Not many Japanese knew about the barbaric behavior of their soldiers abroad as they took one country after another. Lacking in selfinsight, they could only mythicize the courage and spirit of sacrifice of their own war dead. John Dower, author of the classic “Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II,” observed: “Many Japanese were sensitive to the dangers of such a myopic fixation even as they eulogized their dead compatriots as tragic victims of forces beyond their control.” Beyond the preoccupation with assigning blame for its woes is the need for a society to know how it is moving in time, what impact it is having on the rest of the world, and whether its people are growing in self-awareness. What this demands of each one of us is an ability to imagine our society as a collective work in progress, and ourselves as both its authors and characters. ■
AS I SEE IT
What’s DOJ up to in suits against bank officials? By Neal H. Cruz Philippine Daily Inquirer SOMETHING is not right in the Department of Justice. In December 2012, after finishing its preliminary investigation of two criminal suits against top officials of the Standard Chartered Bank, the Makati prosecutor filed the cases. The DOJ took over jurisdiction of the cases, only to send them back to the Makati prosecutor, then take them back again. What were the DOJ officials thinking? Justice Secretary Leila de Lima herself signed Department Order No. 347, dated May 20, 2013, designating DOJ prosecution lawyer Caterina Isabel Caeg to conduct the preliminary investigation of the two related cases. But seven days later, on May 27, De Lima issued DO 417 sending them back to the Makati prosecutor and designating senior assistant city prosecutor Amador Pineda to conduct the preliminary investigation. Then, on June 18, De Lima issued a third order, DO 460, revoking DO 417 and reinstating DO 347. In all three instances, she gave no explanation for the orders. Lawyers are asking why the DOJ was so keen on intervening in the cases such that it issued three conflicting
orders, when the findings on the preliminary investigation are subject to review by the justice secretary anyway before their filing in court. Moreover, the cases were filed in court in December 2012 and the Makati Prosecutor’s Office admitted it had already finished its investigation before the DOJ orders were issued. Although the Makati prosecutor’s findings had not been promulgated, his recommendations had already been approved and would have been signed were it not for De Lima’s orders. Lawyers are puzzled why the justice secretary would subject herself to such a herky-jerky process and even spark suspicions that she, or someone in her staff, was influenced to issue the orders. What kind of confidence would that arouse in people? What are these cases that attracted so much attention from people at the DOJ? The two criminal suits stem from a corporate rehabilitation proceeding where top executives of Standard Chartered Bank are accused of withholding information to the detriment of the asset management company Philippine Investments Two Inc. (PI II), the local unit of the defunct Lehman Brothers of New York.
Based on case records, beginning in 2007, Standard Chartered extended P819 million in loans to PI II, for which it got $90 million in securities from Lehman Brothers, and the market value of which is now some $100 million. The US financial crisis of 2007 brought Lehman Brothers to bankruptcy and PI II was placed under the receivership of the Makati court with former SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) chair Monico Jacob as its administrator. The com-
Lawyers are puzzled why the justice secretary would subject herself to such a herky-jerky process and even spark suspicions that she, or someone in her staff, was influenced to issue the orders. pany’s creditors, including Standard Chartered and Metrobank, were made part of the management committee. Allegedly, Standard Chartered forgot to inform the court and the other creditors that it was already holding more than enough collateral for its exposure. It could have foreclosed
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on the collateral, sold it and returned the excess to PI II. Instead, it played dumb and was able to collect some P240 million in payments from PI II. Worse, a PI II complaint states, Standard Chartered’s parent in New York also applied for and got relief for the same PI II loan with the New York bankruptcy court for Lehman Brothers. In effect, the bank allegedly got double payments for the same loan; Standard Chartered withheld this information and in fact denied this in pleadings and testimony submitted to the local court, prompting PI II to file the criminal charges. Metrobank said the situation suggested that there was indeed double payment on a single loan and it urged the court to disqualify Standard Chartered from the rehabilitation process, and it was removed from the management committee. Metrobank is claiming an exposure of more than P400 million. There are no complaints that the loans were over-collateralized. No one has accused the bank of trying to collect double payments. Unlike Standard Chartered, Metrobank has never been sanctioned by US regulators for concealing transactions with rogue nations over 10 years, nor is it under investigation
by Singapore for colluding with other banks to fix bank rates. PI II’s rehabilitation process is still ongoing, but it has derailed the company’s program to settle all its debts. As expected, the litigants are represented by some of the most expensive lawyers in the country. So the case is not just about the questionable dealings of one of the largest banks in the world and some senior bankers. It is also about the struggle of a company undergoing rehabilitation. It is also about fairness and justice. De Lima should dispel suspicions that she is favoring litigants or, worse, delaying justice. This could have been done simply at the start through formal replies to lawyers’ questions, but there were none. President Aquino keeps talking about reforms. The DOJ is still doing things the way they have always been done. So what reforms are we to talk about? *** In answer to numerous queries about the next gig of supersinger Margaux Salcedo at the Manila Hotel’s Tap Room, it is on Aug. 12, a Monday, starting at 9 p.m. Margaux sings old favorites popularized by some of the world’s most acclaimed singers. ■
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
18
Canada News
‘Lost Canadian’ court action looks to overhaul citizenship laws
NEWS BRIEFS
BY KIM NURSALL The Canadian Press VANCOUVER—CANADIAN CITIZENSHIP laws may need to be overhauled if a so-called “lost Canadian” wins her legal battle. Jackie Scott, 68, was refused citizenship even though she came to Canada with her British mother and Canadian father at the age of two. A judicial review of that refusal was scheduled for July, but Scott put it on hold so she and her lawyers could broaden the court action. Documents filed Friday in Federal Court in Vancouver show Scott is petitioning for “declarations” from the court that could have serious ramifications for Canadian citizenship, including whether Parliament has total control over who is considered Canadian. Scott said even though she would have loved to settle her own citizenship dispute back in July, her fight has become about much more than herself. “It would be very selfish of me just to say it’s about me, because it’s not,” she said in an interview on Monday. “If we’re successful we can finally resolve the issue for many people.” Scott was born in England in 1945 to a Canadian serviceman and a British woman and later migrated to Canada. The government claims Scott’s father was legally considered a British subject at the time because Canada’s first citizenship act did not come into effect until 1947. The government argued in previous court documents related to Scott’s case that “Canadian citizenship is a creation of federal statute. In order to become a Canadian citizen, a person must satisfy the applicable statutory requirements.” However, Scott and her lawyers argue that citizenship has existed outside of statutory law since long before 1947. They are willing to take the case all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada to prove their claim. In July, they debated pursuing a class action, but decided the application they filed last week was more appropriate.
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“The declaratory order will have the same force and effect legally,” James Straith, one of Scott’s lawyers, said via email. It will “bind the federal government and resolve most, if not all, of these lost Canadian cases.” The application asks for Scott’s judicial review to be “converted to an action” that would allow the court to make declarations regarding six main questions, including whether Scott’s father was a Canadian citizen and whether citizenship exists as a legal concept and/or right independent of the 1947 Citizenship Act. “Enough of this nonsense. We want to set precedent,” said Don Chapman, the founder of the Lost Canadians. Chapman said too many people are being forced to pursue a lengthy court process because gaps in citizenship law have not been properly addressed by Parliament. Chapman estimates there may be thousands of people like Scott, but adds no one knows for sure. “The entire area of citizenship is a disaster that has now evolved into a catastrophe,” said Straith, referring to statements made in May by the Chief Justice of the Federal Court. Chief Justice Paul S. Crampton wrote in a court judgement involving a woman from China that “this case is yet another example of why something needs to be done to address the unacceptable state of affairs
concerning the test for citizenship in this country.” Although the case did not involve the status of Canadian citizenship pre-1947 or the passage of citizenship from parent to child, Straith said the comments “apply to the entire spectrum of problems in this area” and the government’s continued failure to address them. One reason Scott and her lawyers decided to put her judicial review on hold was because the narrow nature of such a proceeding prohibited them from introducing evidence related to broader citizenship issues. Specifically, a document they brought before the court in July—a 1943 pamphlet issued to Canadian soldiers—deals “with the historic rights of Canadians as they were going overseas,” Straith said. It states that the soldiers “were fighting as citizens of Canada, not as merely British subjects,” he said, noting the presiding judge ruled it could not be considered. Scott and her lawyers said the pamphlet is just one of many documents that prove their case. In fact, one of the questions in their application is whether the Canadian government is forced to grant citizenship to people like Scott’s father because of previous Crown actions, such as issuing the pamphlet. ❱❱ PAGE 27 ‘Lost Canadian’
TORONTO—Canadian miners are reining in spending to cope with plummeting gold prices, a move that analysts say is likely to hurt their production volumes several years down the road. ``Mining is a long-term business, so you want to be mindful that you don’t cut out a cost today that will generate value in the future, for example, exploration,’’ said Jay Patel, the mining and metals transactions partner at Ernst & Young. TAXMAN SEEKS CHEATERS IN NORTHERN B.C., YUKON OTTAWA—The unregulated couriers, paramedics and drivers who work on contract for big resource firms have become the Canada Revenue Agency’s newest headache. A pilot project focusing on British Columbia’s remote Peace River region found hundreds of smalltime operators who haven’t been paying taxes. GOVERNMENTS, INDUSTRY TEAM UP ON PIPELINE RESEARCH EDMONTON—At least three governments and two energy industry groups are leading what they hope will be a ``pan-Canadian’’ approach to find ways to improve the country’s pipelines. As three controversial megaprojects generate headlines across the country, the Canadian Pipeline Technology Collaborative is to look for ways to make the system safer and more efficient, said industry spokeswoman Brenda Kenny. MONTREAL PEDESTRIAN KILLED AFTER BEING HIT BY FALLING METAL SLAB MONTREAL—The first day back after Quebec’s traditional two-week construction break proved fatal for a Montreal pedestrian on Monday when he was killed after being hit by a falling slab of metal from a construction site.
Canada News
19 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
CMHC cap on mortgage backed securities to hike home costs, cool market BY JULIAN BELTRAME The Canadian Press OTTAWA—CANADIANS MAY soon be paying more for new home loans as Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. begins to clamp down on guarantees for mortgage-backed securities. The government agency has notified banks, credit unions and other mortgage lenders that they will each be restricted to a maximum of $350 million of new guarantees this month under its National Housing Act Mortgage-Backed Securities (NHA MBS) program. This year, the federal Crown corporation was given authority to guarantee up to $85 billion under the program but by the end of July, $66 billion had already been committed. “As a result of this unexpected increase in issuance volumes to date and to better manage
volumes going forward, CMHC will be introducing a formal allocation process in late August,” CMHC said in an Aug. 1 note to lenders. Analysts say the cap will make it harder and more expensive for banks to obtain funds to lend to their customers, which would likely be passed on by way of a bump in mortgage rates. “The combination of steps the government has taken in the last year, coupled with the beginnings of a sell-off in the bond market... will put a bit of upward pressure on mortgage rates,” said CIBC chief economist Avery Shenfeld. “Overall, the days of very cheap mortgages are going to be replaced by cheap mortgages.” TD economist Diana Petramala, who specializes in the housing market, estimated rates could rise anywhere from 20 to 65 basis points, or the
equivalent of 0.2 to 0.65 of a percentage point. She noted that historically, this is a minor increase. “Affordability will still remain in the housing market,” she said. The conversion of loans into securities with CMHC backing is a way for lenders to tap funds from a broad range of investors and enable banks to issue more mortgages at a lower cost. Analysts said Canadian banks should have no difficulties securing international markets for funding, but it will come at a higher cost. CMHC-backed securities are attractive for both banks and investors since they are largely default-proof. Fearing an overheated housing market could infect the larger economy, and result in defaults which the government must bear, Finance Minister Jim ❱❱ PAGE 27 CMHC cap
Canadian Inquirer
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World News
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 20
IOC presidential candidate Ng Ser Miang: 'quiet diplomacy' at work on Russian anti gay law BY STEPHEN WILSON The Associated Press LONDON—The International Olympic Committee is engaged in “quiet diplomacy” with Russian leaders to make sure the Winter Games in Sochi are not affected by the country’s new anti-gay legislation, IOC presidential candidate Ng Ser Miang said Monday. Ng, an IOC vice-president from Singapore, said Vladimir Putin’s government has much at stake in the 2014 Olympics and won’t want to do anything that jeopardizes the success of Russia’s first Winter Games. “The IOC has made a very strong point that they will be against any action that would discriminate against participants at the Sochi Games, whether it’s officials, media, visitors or the athletes,” Ng said. Russia recently introduced a law that bans so-called “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations” and imposes hefty fines on those holding gay pride rallies. Ng said Jean-Claude Killy, chairman of the IOC’s co-ordination commission for Sochi, has been in talks with the
supports
“highest authority in Russia” to resolve the issue. “I believe there will be a good solution to that,” Ng told reporters in London. “I believe that this issue will be resolved to the satisfaction of all.” Russia’s sports minister said last week that the law would be enforced during the Sochi Games, appearing to contradict assurances to the contrary from the IOC. There has been speculation that the law could be suspended for the Olympics, which will be held Feb. 7-23 in the Black Sea resort. “In such cases where diplomacy is at work, we should limit to the effectiveness of the quiet diplomacy,” Ng said. “But I can say that Russia has invested a lot into the games and definitely they want to have a great success. This is the common objective of Russia and the IOC. I’m sure that we’ll make every possible efforts to make sure this will be the case.” Ng is also a diplomat, serving as Singapore’s non-resident ambassador to Norway. He previously was also nonresident ambassador to Hungary. As the IOC’s point man on the Sochi Olympics, Killy has forged strong ties
PHOTO FROM MSN.FOXSPORTS.COM
with Putin. That relationship is crucial in the talks on the ant-gay issue, Ng said. “I would not want to pre-empt the outcome of the negotiation,” he said. “It’s more effective to make sure that both sides have room to view the issue, and with six months to go, you definitely do not want to make any move that would jeopardize the games. We want to make sure that we create a great environment for the athletes to perform during the games.” Ng noted that the IOC had similar concerns over Italy’s anti-doping legislation ahead of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin. “I think through quiet diplomacy we managed to resolve that and it was good games,” he said. Some politicians and critics of Putin have called for a boycott of the Sochi Games, an idea that has not gained support in the Olympic world. “I think the idea of a boycott is misplaced,” Ng said. “We have learned from history that the ones who really suffer will be the athletes who have spent years preparing for the games. I do not think we have the right to deprive them of the opportunity to take part in the games. “We have to spare no efforts in making sure that the discussions, the negotiations will go on to make sure the issue is resolved to the satisfaction of both sides.”
Ng is one of six candidates in the race to succeed Jacques Rogge, who steps down as IOC president next month after 12 years in office. The other candidates are Thomas Bach of Germany, Sergei Bubka of Ukraine, Richard Carrion of Puerto Rico, Denis Oswald of Switzerland and C.K. Wu of Taiwan. Bach, an IOC vice-president from Germany, has long been viewed as the frontrunner. In what seemed like a dig at Bach, Ng went out of his way to cite the release of a report that claims West German athletes were systematically doped with government backing for years. On Saturday, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper published details from the unreleased 800-page report, alleging that the state financed experiments with performance-enhancing substances including anabolic steroids, testosterone, estrogen and EPO, going back to 1970 at least. The investigation was initiated by the German Olympic Sports Confederation, which is headed by Bach. “It is mind boggling that any government would engage in systemic doping,” Ng said. “We hope the report will come out as soon as possible and full action could be taken. The credibility of the Olympic movement is dependent on the integrity of sport.” ■
CAR BOMBS KILL 36 PEOPLE IN IRAQ BAGHDAD—A wave of bombings, mainly targeting markets in and near Baghdad, killed 36 people on Tuesday, officials said, the latest in a surge of violence that has gripped Iraq. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, meanwhile, vowed to defeat ``terrorists’’ behind the relentless attacks and chase them out of the battered country. WESTERNERS EVACUATED AMID TERROR FEARS IN YEMEN SANAA—A suspected U.S. drone killed four alleged al-Qaida members Tuesday in Yemen, as the U.S. and British embassies evacuated staff amid reports of a threatened attack by the terrorist group. As Yemen bolstered security by sending tanks and troops into the streets of Sanaa, the capital of the impoverished country, militants shot down an army helicopter, killing all eight people aboard, the government said. www.canadianinquirer.net
World News
21 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
WASHINGTON—U.S. diplomatic posts in 19 cities in the Mideast and Africa will remain closed for the rest of the week amid intercepted “chatter” about terror threats, which lawmakers briefed on the information likened to intelligence picked up before the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. One lawmaker on an intelligence committee called it the most serious threat he had seen in several years. Another lawmaker said the chatter was specific as to certain dates and the scope of the operation; others said it suggested that a major terrorist attack was being planned by the al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the decision to keep the embassies and consulates closed is a sign of an “abundance of caution” and is “not an indication of a new threat.” Diplomatic facilities will remain closed in Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Yemen, Saudi
Arabia and Kuwait, among other countries, through Saturday, Aug. 10. The State Department announcement Sunday added closures of four African sites, in Madagascar, Burundi, Rwanda and Mauritius. The U.S. decided to reopen some posts on Monday, including those in Kabul, Afghanistan, and Baghdad. The intelligence intercepts also prompted Britain, Germany and France to close their embassies in Yemen on Sunday and Monday. British authorities said some embassy staff in Yemen had been withdrawn “due to security concerns.” France said Monday it would extend the closure of its embassy in the Yemeni capital through Wednesday. Interpol, the French-based international police agency, has also issued a global security alert in connection with suspected al-Qaida involvement in several recent prison escapes including those in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan. The Obama administration announced Friday that the posts would be
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closed over the weekend and the State Department announced a global travel alert, warning that al-Qaida or its allies might target either U.S. government or private American interests. The intercepted intelligence foreshadowing an attack on U.S. or Western interests is evidence of one of the gravest threats to the United States since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, according to several lawmakers who made the rounds on the weekend talk shows. “This is the most serious threat that I’ve seen in the last several years,” Sen. Saxby Chambliss told NBC on Sunday. “Chatter means conversation among terrorists about the planning that’s going on—very reminiscent of what we saw pre-9-11.” Chambliss, the top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said it was
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that chatter that prompted the Obama administration to order the Sunday closure of 22 embassies and consulates and issue a global travel warning to Americans. Congressman C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, told ABC that the threat intercepted from “high-level people in al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula” was about a “major attack.” Yemen is home to al-Qaida’s most dangerous affiliate, blamed for several notable terrorist plots on the United States. They include the foiled Dec. 25, 2009 effort to bomb an airliner over Detroit and the explosives-laden parcels intercepted the following year aboard ❱❱ PAGE 39 US: Diplomatic posts
Immigration
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 22
Helping new immigrants integrate in the Canadian labour market BY CYNTHIA MURPHY THE CANADIAN Immigrant Integration Program (CIIP) helps immigrants to succeed in the Canadian labour market. Launched in 2007, CIIP provides free pre-departure orientation to economic immigrants while they are still overseas during the final stages of their immigration processes. The current phase of CIIP, started in 2010 and funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, serves Federal Skilled Workers, Provincial Nominees, their spouses and adult dependents from 25 countries through offices in China, India, the UK and the Philippines. The Association of Canadian Community Colleges designed and manages this innovative program, and works with partners from across Canada to deliver high-quality, up-to-date information and services that prepare newcomers for economic integration. CIIP clients attend one-day Group Orientation sessions, and personalized My Action Planning sessions.
They also receive referrals to partners in Canada including colleges, provincial governments, settlement agencies, regulatory bodies, sector councils, and other immigrant-serving organizations. Located in Manila, the Philippines field office is CIIP’s busiest site. As of June 30, 2013, more than 5,755 newcomers have been served by the Philippines CIIP team, an energetic and informed group that is dedicated to the provision of excellent service. CIIP’s “graduates” enjoy sharing their success stories to inform other immigrants of techniques that led them to find appropriate employment commensurate with their education and experience. Graduates also like to share how CIIP played a key role in helping them on their journey to their new lives in Canada. One such Philippines graduate, Janice arrived in Edmonton in 2011, and in less than a month secured employment as a store manager, her area of expertise. Following the advice of her CIIP Orientation Officer, she joined Canada Infonet,
Kim Nati and Janice Parcon at their workplaces in Canada.
an online forum that provides mentoring as well as access to resources and services to help internationally-trained business people integrate into Canadian society. This mentoring enabled her to prepare a resume that impressed potential employers. To ensure that she was well informed, she also connected with the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, and consulted key information sources prior to her departure for Canada, such as
the Essential Workbook for Newcomers and the Working in Canada tool. Although it was her occupation in the Philippines, Janice was surprised to be hired right away as a Store Manager since she had no previous Canadian work experience. She attributes her success to CIIP and its partner services for giving her the confidence to apply, and for helping her to be well prepare for interviews. Kim is another CIIP Philippines graduate who accessed
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the Canadian labour force in a short period of time. He secured work as a computer programmer with a web marketing company within a month of his arrival in Winnipeg. Like Janice, he credits his participation in CIIP for his success, saying that, “I owe a big part of this accomplishment to CIIP, since they gave me guidance on my job search and provided the necessary steps, assistance and an actual Action Plan even before landing here in Canada. More importantly, they supplied the necessary contacts and referrals to Canadian organizations like Manitoba Start and its Employment Solutions for Immigrants program, the groups of people who helped me bag the job that I have now.” CIIP is committed to informing potential immigrants so they are better prepared to enter the Canadian labour market and transition to their new life in Canada. For more information, visit www.newcomersuccess.ca. ■ Cynthia Murphy is the CIIP Program Director.
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Immigration
23 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
Premiers vow to fight Ottawa's controversial jobs training scheme BY MARIA BABBAGE AND PAOLA LORIGGIO The Canadian Press NIAGARA- ON-THE -LAKE, ONT.—Canada’s provincial and territorial leaders vowed Thursday to fight Ottawa’s controversial plan to fund jobs training for workers, saying the new scheme would require them to come up with more than half a billion dollars in extra cash. There’s concern across the board over the Canada Job Grant, said Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, who is hosting the Council of the Federation meeting. “There really was a very strong feeling that the program as it exists won’t work,” she said. The Harper government wants to divert some of the money it gives to the provinces and territories to the new program, which would provide a grant of $15,000 per worker. The provinces and territories, as well as the employers, would each kick in $5,000. But the premiers are worried that it won’t give them enough flexibility to direct the money where it’s needed most and could jeopardize existing provincially run programs. Small businesses aren’t interested in taking part in this program either, Wynne said. The provinces and territories, who have jurisdiction for skills training and labour market programs, would have to find more than $600 million to maintain their current programs as well as match the cost of the Canada Job Grant, they said in a joint statement Thursday. “Premiers reiterated that federal funding agreements or initiatives such as the proposed Canada Job Grant must allow jurisdictions to opt out, with
Canada’s premiers gather at the Council of the Federation summer summit in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK.COM
full compensation,” it said. British Columbia Premier Christy Clark and New Brunswick Premier David Alward will look into the issue and report back to their counterparts this fall, said Wynne. “We are all calling for a federal, provincial, territorial ministerial meeting to discuss these important issues, because we do not believe the way the program is designed that it will work,” she said. Employment and Social Development Minister Jason Kenney agreed to meet with the premiers this fall and “move forward with timely implementation of the Canada Job Grant.” “The federal government’s focus remains on job creation, economic growth and longterm prosperity,” he said in a statement. Behind the scenes, Ontario and B.C. say they’re open to negotiating an arrangement that works for everyone. But Quebec Premier Pauline Marois, one of the most vocal opponents of the Canada Job Grant, suggested that some provinces would rather opt out entirely. But she wouldn’t name names. “We do not want to have the invasion of the federal government,” she said. The program, which is supposed to kick in April 2014, is
contingent on negotiations with the provinces that were set to start this summer. The federal Conservatives have started reaching out to some of the provinces, such as British Columbia and Alberta. But others, like Ontario, didn’t get the memo. The nine-page document— entitled “An Offer to Provinces and Territories to Transform and Renew the Labour Market Agreements, and Implement the Canada Job Grant”—says Ottawa is “looking to discuss the detailed design” with the provinces. “As soon as possible, the government of Canada will arrange a bilateral meeting to discuss the elements of the proposal in more detail and initiate negotiations toward new agreements as quickly as possible to ensure they are in place by April 1, 2014,” says the draft, obtained by The Canadian Press. The offer also makes it clear that the provinces and territories must give the federal government credit for the program once it is in place. One provincial official speaking on condition of anonymity said they don’t have a problem sharing credit with Ottawa for jobs training. What the provinces want are programs tailored to their individual needs, which they’re best equipped to www.canadianinquirer.net
provide. It’s clear the Harper government, which spent a great deal of money on ads extolling the virtues of a program that doesn’t yet exist, is trying to pit some provinces against the others, said NDP critic Libby Davies. “One can only surmise that this is a calculated decision to divide the provinces, and to play one off against the other, and to give some information, and others no information,” she said. “That creates a very unstable situation, makes it more difficult for the provinces themselves to work together.” Wynne wouldn’t go that far, but acknowledged: “None of us is happy with the program as it’s either been rolled out, or the process around it.” There were divisions among the provinces on developing a national energy strategy, however, with Quebec and British Columbia still refusing to sign on. “But everyone stayed at the table, everyone was interested in the discussion,” Wynne said. The issue will crop up again Friday, when the leaders are expected to talk about the transportation of oil and other dangerous goods. Complicating matters is the Lac-Megantic derailment disaster, which has
some groups calling for a review of all forms of transportation, including pipelines. The premiers will likely touch on a proposed west-east pipeline to transport Alberta oil to foreign markets. Wynne said she raised it at Thursday’s meeting, but it wasn’t an “in depth discussion” and no agreement was struck. In terms of the proposed pipeline, Wynne said she wants the highest safety and environmental standards to be met, that aboriginal groups and communities be consulted and that current consumers of natural gas be protected, since the project would involve converting an existing natural gas pipeline to transport oil instead. But the Council of the Federation isn’t the forum for discussing potential pipeline project, said Alberta Premier Alison Redford. Last year, Clark left the meeting early, saying she wouldn’t participate in energy talks until the public feud over the proposed Northern Gateway pipeline was resolved. “The pipeline conversation is a conversation about independent approval processes that don’t take place at Council of the Federation, and commercial projects, which again aren’t part of what we do at the Council of the Federation,” Redford said. ■
Seen & Scenes
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 24
KABABAYAN SENIORS
PINOY PRIDE VANCOUVER
A group of seniors of the Kababayan Multicultural Centre held a reunion recently at Congee Queen in Toronto. Among those who attended the gathering are shown seated from left: Tony Sicat, Rudy Priscilla, Flor Dandal, Alvin Dandal, and Perla Andaya. Second row: Maring Carlos, Nelly Sicat, Cely Agustín, Carmen Hukuman, Caring Alegre, Linda Lejarde, Charo Francisco, Lourdes Domingo, Saling Mascara, Fely Daligdig, and Mameng Guidayan. Photo by Linda Hermo
The Pinoy Pride Vancouver entourage beaming with p August 4, 2013. A total of 125 float entries made their 500,000 participants and spectators. This year’s theme Photos by Stella Reyes
FJCC SENIORS CAMPING Photo shows Pastor Teck Uy (front row, middle), head of the Friends of Jesus Christ Canada (FJCC) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, together with some of the senior members of the congregation during the group campaing activities on June 29, 2013 to July 1, 2013 at Brockville, Ontario, Canada. Romy Zetazate, St. Jamestown News Service
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Seen & Scenes
25 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
pride at the Vancouver Pride Parade on Sunday, r way down Denman Street to a record crowd of over e is acceptance and celebration of our diversity.
OPENING OF QOOLA August 5 - At the opening of Qoola Frozen Yogurt Bar at the Richmond Center with Rene Hipolito, Qoola’s Franchising Manager, Deputy Consul General Anthony Mandap and Qoola’s friends and supporters.
FJCC MEMBERS GOES TO OTTAWA Members of the congregation of the Friends of Jesus Christ Canada visited Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario recently. Shown in photo from left to right include Herbert Tagorda, Percival Ricky Jonayon, Saling Correa who is celebrating her birthday, and Romy Zetazate, news coordinator of St. Jamestown News Service. - Dindo Orbeso
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Filipino-Canadian in Focus
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 26
FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS
Rosemer Enverga BY CHING DEE Philippine Canadian Inquirer PHILANTHROPIST, WIFE, mother, friend, Filipina. Rosemer Enverga is all that and so much more. As the wife of Senator Tobias Enverga Jr. and mom to their daughters, she continues to serve the Filipino community in Canada at the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation, which her husband founded in 2008 roughly 25 years after moving to Canada. A Relationship that Stood the Test
Rosemer moved to Canada four months after marrying Sen. Tobias, whom she lovingly calls “Jun.” Their relationship stood the test of time and proved that long-distance relationships work. “At that time, when Tobias Enverga, Jr. (now a Senator in Canada) was my boyfriend (I fondly call him, Jun), he left for Canada to seek adventure and greener pasture, so to speak, leaving me behind in the meantime. After a year and having found some economic stability in this country – by accepting an entry level position with one of the chartered banks in Canada, Jun went back to the Philippines to marry me. We married in January 1983. By April of that year, I came and joined him here.” In a few years time after migrating to Canada as a happily married woman, she was promoted to become a team leader at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. She recalled managing over 90 people at that time.
Rosemer Enverga with husband Senator Tobias “Jun” Enverga
A Day in “Greener Pastures”
She delightfully recalled her first few months living on the other side of the world. “First challenge was the climate,” she said. “Coming from a tropical country, like the Philippines, Canadian winters were very harsh for a new immigrant.” Other than battling with environmental conditions she never had the chance to prepare for, she had to tackle other changes after moving to Canada: cultural differences and missing home. “[I had to adjust] to the culture. Homesickness was also an issue. Coming to Canada was the first time that I had been away from my family and friends in the Philippines.” As time went by, she got used to the lifestyle and environment she now considers her second home. With a growing family of her own, she was able to do more than cope up with this new place - she started making a difference.
An Appointment to Remember
“Being the wife of a Senator can be very demanding, but interesting.” she beams. Since Sen. Tobias’ appointment in 2012 as a senator, a lot of things have changed in the Enverga household. “This role now comes with new expectations and responsibilities, not just our kababayans in Toronto, but now all over Canada. A major change was the traveling involved between Toronto and Ottawa for the Senator, resulting to greater responsibilities to organize and attend events in Toronto. My daughters are also involved with the community as well and are adjusting well to this change.” With all the changes going on in and around their household, the senator’s wife and their family experienced disappointments as well in the form of “crab mentality.” She recalled how much people tend to “dwell on the negative when someone steps up in the ladder of life.” Making a Difference
Giving back to our community was always important to us. This was because we believed that we are so blessed here in Canada that we should share our blessings.
“Giving back to our community were always important to us. This was because we believed that we are so blessed here in Canada that we should share our blessings.” This strong conviction gave birth to the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation in 2008. Sharing the same passion for community enrichment, husband and wife worked to help their less fortunate kababayans by organizing events for the Filipino community in Canada. www.canadianinquirer.net
“The “Pinoy Fiesta & Trade show sa Toronto” and the Pageants take a lot of work to organize and prepare. Some of the difficulties we faced include managing the team to organize these events. But as the saying goes, difficulties come with their own rewards, too. For example, it is gratifying to see Pinoys in the country unite and work together for the fruition of these events, and on the pageants, the confidence that is instilled in our young ladies. As you know, by nature Filipinos are coy. Best of all, we do all these aimed at helping our poor kababayans, while having fun.” Other than actively participating in PCCF events in Canada, they also support various charitable institutions back home in the Philippines. She considers the opportunity of helping Filipinos as a huge privilege. “The charities I support include ANCOP (acronym for “Answering the Cry of the Poor), Kapuso Foundation, Archdiocesan Filipino Catholic Missions (AFCM) and victims of calamities. (More info can be found on www.philippinecanadianfoundation.com/beneficiaries). You see, long before Jun became a Senator, at the bottom of all his email messages he sends out was a Japanese proverb, stating, 'Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare'; and I share that saying with him.” Mrs. Enverga believes that if someone is blessed beyond their means by the grace of God, it is impossible to live each
day without compassion for the poor. With this, she shared a quotations from poet and educator Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, “The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service.” When asked about their future plans for the charities they support, she said she would like to extend their “support to special needs children in the Philippines.” Also in the works is a scholarship grant for one of the deserving and poor students of St. Scholastica College of Manila, her Alma mater. She dreams of expanding their influence in order to help more people in the Philippines and Canada. On being an Inspiration
“Stay [focused] on their goals; persevere.” Making a difference is not easy, but it’s worth every struggle. “The challenges they may face will enable them to work harder and achieve greater things. As I mentioned earlier, 'difficulties come with their own rewards'.” ■ The Philippine Canadian Inquirer turns its focus on Filipino-Canadian entrepreneurs, top honchos, connectors, community leaders and movers and shakers who are willing to mentor fellow Filipinos in a series of entrepreneurship workshops to culminate in "The Philippine Canadian Inquirer" Appreciation and Awards Night and Gala. If you have someone in mind who fits the bill, please e-mail editor@canadianinquirer.net.
27 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
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info@canadianinquirer.net (Tickets worth $198)
‘Lost Canadian’... “There is a concept in Canadian/Commonwealth law called the doctrine of the ‘Honour of the Crown,’ which primarily has been used in land claims cases where the Crown has basically tried to void earlier agreement made with First Nations,” said Straith. “Just as this government has been restrained by the courts from breaking the Crown’s legal word to First Nations, we believe that under this ‘Honour of the Crown’ principle the Harper government will again be restrained from breaking its word to veterans and their families,” he said. If they lose, Chapman said “we might as well go over to Europe and scratch the maple leaf off (the) gravestones” of Canada’s war dead. For Scott, such a denial would be much more personal. “When I had that last denial, and I ❰❰ 18
saw them say that my father wasn’t a Canadian citizen and he’d fought for his country, as a Canadian citizen, then it made me very angry,” she said. “I’ve asked many people who have ancestors who have gone off, fathers or grandfathers that have gone off, and fought for Canada, ‘Did they fight as a Canadian citizen?’ They say ‘Yes!’, and they’re appalled when they hear that they’re not.” But Scott said she cannot even hope to describe how happy she would be if they won. “It’s hard to put into the words the emotion that you feel when you can finally say that you’re part of the family, and also to be able to give the people that should have their citizenship confirmed just that,” she said. The government has until August 30 to file a response. Scott’s new application will likely be heard in court in September. ■
CMHC cap... Flaherty has taken a number of steps in recent years to stem the flow of mortgage credit. Last summer, he introduced tighter rules for mortgage lenders and borrowers—a change that the real estate and lending industries say was the main reason for a slowdown in residential property sales that began last August and continued through the first part of 2013. As well, the finance minister acted to limit taxpayer exposure to a housing crash by setting limits on banks’ ability to buy bulk insurance from CMHC. Still, Flaherty has been frustrated that banks were priming the house mortgage pump too aggressively, oblivious to the fact that Canadian household debt continued to climb. At 165 per cent of annual income this spring, household debt reached heights similar to the peak in the United States prior to the 2007 crash that literally broke several banks. This spring, the minister went so far as to publicly chastise some banks for dropping their mortgage rates too low. The moves worked for awhile, but in ❰❰ 19
the past few months, housing has been on an upswing, with starts again reaching unsustainable levels near 200,000 annually, sales picking up and prices continuing to record new highs. “We are starting to see the impact of the changes wearing off... prices in most markets are now rising faster than income,” Petramala said. “So it makes sense that the federal government, CMHC, may want to limit some of the risk-taking in the housing market.” In last month’s monetary policy report, the Bank of Canada cited the recent developments in the housing market as the top made-in-Canada risk to the economy. “This renewed momentum would produce a temporary boost to economic activity and inflation, but more importantly, it would exacerbate existing imbalances and therefore increase the probability of a more severe correction later on. Such a correction could have sizable spillover effects to other parts of the economy,” the central bank concluded. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
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Of men and mice. And small spaces. BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer A SMALL living space may be viewed by some as a nightmare: a journey into a realm known only to mice; akin to the proverbial mouse-hole-inthe-wall. Call me Squeaky, then, because I live in a decidedly small space. Like way fewer-than50-square-meters small. As a turn of events would have it, I recently moved from a large-ish home to my own little hole-in-the wall. And although it definitely has its set of challenges, compact living also has its perks: being in the heart of the city, it’s near my place of work; everything is within reach (almost at once); cleaning up is a cinch and does not take huge chunks of time out of my day; it forces me to be creative with my design ideas; and it has taught me to edit my life. Ok, so maybe I am still learning the last bit, not having fullymastered the art of organizing and reducing the stuff I need, versus the stuff I want. Desire, after all, can be a very powerful motivator. But what to do if you are a mouse with big dreams for your small space? Rented or otherwise, living in a small space can be more rewarding than frustrating. And you don’t have to give up on your dreams of having a stylish space to call your own. Here are some tips I learned along the way that helped me make the most of my small space: 1. Play with color. Deep, dark colours – contrary to popular belief – create depth and warmth, giving the illusion of a larger area. If your lease prohibits you from touching the walls, play around with the colour of your cabinets and shelves, furniture and acces-
sories. Add touches of vibrant, sharp and intense hues as repeating accents throughout the room, to give the space a cohesive feel. 2. De-clutter! Get rid of the unnecessary. You only really need 4 basic pans to whip up most meals, for example. Clutter creates a stressful atmosphere, and hinders the flow of good energy. It also eats up your precious space. Self-confessed sentimental packrats (such as I) should store precious mementos in space-saving storage options (think under the bed containers, stacking containers, or pretty boxes that double-up as book stands and side-tables). 3. Determine your priorities. You need to know what is important to you and your new small-space lifestyle. Determine what your needs are. For instance, my writing dictates that I have a small desk on which to work. As such, I skipped the dining table, in favour of a writing desk. Meals are eaten on the couch, off a portable folding table. Traditional living arrangements will have to take a backseat to the dictates and demands of your lifestyle. 4. Measure away. Next to creativity, your tape measure is your best friend when trying to figure out how to arrange your space. Write the measurements down, and find furniture that fits. 5. Go for “multi-tasking” furniture. Opt for multi-purpose pieces wherever possible. My couch folds out to a comfy enough bed, with hidden storage compartments on either armrest. A daybed is also another good option. A nifty little kitchen trolley or kitchen island doubles as my cooking space (with just enough room on the counter top for a small electric range) and storage for dishes and oft-used kitchen gadgets).
ABOVE: The Wooly Pocket Gardening Company, as
featured in Apartment Therapy, makes amazing planters and plant boxes for you own little indoor pocket or vertical garden. A stellar idea for giving your place a relaxed and refreshing feel. RIGHT: Simplymod.com highlights these Danish-made
floating nightstand shelves. Practical and functional, while not sparing a clean, attractive aesthetic sense. Bold frames add interest and further define the space. BELOW: This bed with a hidden storage compartment, as
shown by Apartment Therapy, is a great example of multitasking furniture. Multi-purpose pieces are a must-have for small spaces.
My TV now sits atop a fairly large buffet hatch, surrounded by a few of my daughter’s artwork. Hidden, expandable panels pull-out from atop drawers, and serve as a serving table for meals. A large bookcase does not necessarily have to be used solely for books. When put in a central part of the room, it can hold books on one shelf, dishes
on another, flatware and other small items tucked away in baskets on the other shelves. 6. Visualize your space prior to arranging. It is best to do this when the space is still empty. Do not make any rash decisions as to furniture arrangement; give yourself time to play around with it in your head, or draw it out if pos-
sible. Most people resort to putting all pieces of furniture against the wall, but this does is not always the best move towards maximizing the area. If the room is large enough, divide it up in to zones in order to make the space more functional. A good way to create ❱❱ PAGE 30 Of men and
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Floating homes a splashy alternative to typical housing for some Canadians BY MEGAN COLE The Canadian Press VICTORIA—Making a move from a six-bedroom, four-bathroom Edmonton university house to a floating home in Victoria would be an adjustment for most, but when Briane Andersen and his wife moved into their new home at Fisherman’s Wharf, he encountered something he didn’t expect: seasickness. “I was sick for the first eight days we lived in the house,” said Andersen. “We didn’t have much wind either, but after a while you don’t even notice that you are moving unless you get a powerful wind.” The Andersens spent a lot of time visiting Victoria before they found their houseboat six years ago, but from the time they first saw it—and when they decided to buy it about 20 min-
utes later—they knew they were set to join a unique community. The floating home community at Fisherman’s Wharf is made up of 33 houses with nearly 66 residents. “Our first objective was to find a community,” said Andersen. “I grew up in a smaller town in Alberta, and I liked that when we moved here you had an instant group of people we could associate with, and that’s what we were looking for and we certainly found it in this community.” The community might be similar, but the houses are different. The floating homes are constantly moving, and how much they move depends on the currents, tides and winds. The Andersens’ home is also different than their floating neighbours in that their twostorey house has a small crawlspace with a furnace. “It is a fully modern house,”
he said. “We have a kitchen with all of the appliances, including a dishwasher, and so it is a regular home but we’re on the water.” The floating homes at Fisherman’s Wharf may be comparable to standard landlocked houses, but the homes on the Northwest Territories’ Great Slave Lake, near Yellowknife, are much different than those in B.C. Daniel Gillis built his home (which is also the Yellowknife Bay Floating Bed and Breakfast) three years ago, and unlike the Andersens’ house, Gillis’s is completely off the grid and requires generators, solar panels and internal filters for water. “Basically it’s a full house with a few extras,” said Gillis. “For plumbing, fortunately for us we can take our water straight from the lake and filter it through a house filter and it is beautiful water. For waste no-
Float homes in downtown Vancouver’s Coal Harbor. British Columbia, Canada.
body out on the lake has flushing toilets, so there is no such thing as black water. Everyone brings their solid waste to the dump and that’s no problem.” Gillis installed an additional filter on the boat for grey water that converts it back into drinking water. Residents of the 35-home community on Yellowknife Bay are almost landlocked for sev-
en to eight months of the year when the lake freezes. “We can actually drive up and park right next to our house on about five feet of snow,” said Gillis. “It’s actually quite convenient in the winter. The house doesn’t move in the winter so you have to be sure to make sure your house freezes level or you’ll spend the next eight months on a slope.” ■
From ghost-proofing to sealing in good luck: a home-buyer’s guide to house hunting BY CHING DEE Philippine Canadian Inquirer MOVING INTO a new place can be very exciting and very laborious at the same time. It involves a lot of preparations -from choosing where you’re going to live, to hiring the moving van, to bubble-wrapping your belongings and so forth. But in some parts of the world, moving into a new house entails more than mundane planning. It is an activity that involves your faith and various systems of beliefs. Superstitious beliefs are not new to us Filipinos. As kids, we were told not to pursue our destination if a black cat happens to walk by. As young adults, we were scolded when we clear the table before everybody’s finished their meal. Not because it’s impolite, but because of the fear of never getting married because the table was cleared before one was done eating (we were also told to spin our plate counter-clockwise to battle the effects of the horrible sting of eating too slowly). And as working married men and
According to Granville Island Broom Co., a company in Vancouver that specializes in the art of handcrafted broom making, a new broom brings good luck and harmony to a home. PHOTO FROM BROOMCOMPANY.COM
women, we were told to never bring our packed lunch home if it is uneaten for it might mean that your husband or wife will return you to your parents, as if you were mail shipped to the wrong address. Each country probably has its own set of superstitious beliefs about moving into a new home. Here are some superstitions about moving into a new home. Whether you practice them or not, it’s up to you. The Philippines is teeming with superstitions. Here are a few. • When moving into a new house, make sure you enter
the door with a loaf of bread and a new broom. • For protection from the entry of evil spirits, salt should be sprinkled in all the rooms and across doorways. • Schedule your move-in date when the moon is full. • If someone brings a set of knives as a housewarming gift, by all means, do not accept it. Lest you want that someone to become an enemy of yours. • This is, perhaps, the creepiest one. If there’s a staircase in your new home, count off the steps one by one by going “oro, plata, mata” (gold, www.canadianinquirer.net
silver, death). Of course, the last step shouldn’t fall on “mata.” Otherwise, who knows what kind of doom shall befall you and those living in your home. • Scatter coins in the living room when moving into a new home. This means you are inviting prosperity to reign in your home. • Black ants are well-wishers of good luck. So, don’t shoo them away if you see any in your new home. • Of course, the rest of the world isn’t new to beliefs like these. According to Listomania, in West Africa, it is bad luck to sweep the floors at night. They say this will brush away wealth from your home. From the same source, Russians believe that if it rains on your wedding day, wealth will follow! So, better wish for rain on your wedding day so you’ll have enough money for a new house. Further surfing around the world wide web will lead you to other superstitious beliefs about new houses. There’s one that says that you shouldn’t buy
a house at a T-shaped intersection. They say it’s a “bad omen,” often means that you will become a push-over in time. You can also use plants and food items to keep your home safe. According to Alamanac. com, branches of a Hazel tree picked on Palm Sunday can protect your house from lightning, while hanging a fennel over your door will protect your home against witches. To keep bad spirits away, hang strands of garlic around your house. You can also hang a horse shoe on your front door for good luck, or paint your front door a “haint” blue, because apparently ghosts hate water. Other ways to “ghostproof” your new home can be found at Credit Sesame Daily. Thanks to Colin Dobrin’s infographic. There a hundreds, probably thousands, of other superstitions around the world about moving into the new house. Just ask your grandparents. But whether you believe it or not, it is still up to us how we’re going to turn our new house into a home. Happy househunting! ■
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Of men and... “zones” would be to utilize floor rugs, and learn to use furniture creatively. In some cases, it might be best to keep your couch "floating" in the middle of the room, with your TV on the wall facing it. This way, the space on the other side of the couch can be utilized as an office or dining area. If space allows, putting a console behind the couch makes for added storage for both zones. 7. Make the most of wall space. DIY floating shelf systems are readily available at major hardware or home centers, easy enough to install without much fuss, and perfect for a variety of items. Fill empty, unused wall space up with bold frames to define spaces. With some decorative hooks, bare walls near your dressing area can double as a “display case” for necklaces scarves, and other accessories. 8. Have a smart storage system. Employ smart storage, such as hidden or secret storage like stow away plastic bins, decorative boxes and ❰❰ 28
hampers (great for storing extra linen, towels, seasonal clothes, craft items, kids’ toys, what-have-you!), shelves hidden underneath skirted tables (pretty exterior, hides a functional interior), and other such wonderfully sneaky space savers. Open storage, on the other hand, such as open shelves, metal racks, etcetera, are an awesome alternative to kitchen storage space. Use baskets or bins to hold small items on the shelves. 9. Mirror, mirror on the wall. Still one of the best ways to create an illusion of space. 10. Think green. Small potted plants by the window sill or lining a balcony are very therapeutic and create a relaxation zone. Personally, I must have plants. I get very antsy without the soothing touch they bring. As such, my tiny balcony has been transformed into a pocket-garden (my plants seem to thrive on city pollution, and are now lusher than ever). If you cannot have plants, for whatever reason, add some outdoorsy touches to your space: color-
ful garden stools brighten up a space and make for good impromptu side or coffee tables. 11. Give your space some personality. Add your own sense of style and flair with accents and accessories: pillows, candles, vintage items; whatever defines you can also help to define your space and make it homier. Create a feel of luxury by giving windows the treatment they deserve, and put up some good-quality drapes. 12. Light it up! Proper lighting is key to creating warmth and ambience; no matter the size of your home (I prefer a natural, yellow glow to white light, which is often harsh and glaring). Add a lamp or two, either on an end table or in a corner (again, a nifty space-maximizing trick) behind a piece of furniture. Do I ever imagine myself in a slightly bigger place? Oh, yeah. For now though, this tiny mouse-hole is where I set down my cheese; and I never have to wonder who moved it. Literally. ■
www.canadianinquirer.net
Better Homes and Gardens shows us how to “float” a couch. A great way to define zones, while maximizing both spaces behind and in front of the couch.
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Important considerations in buying a house for the first time BY KATHERINE MARFALTEVES Philippine Canadian Inquirer NOT ALL newlyweds come home to a place they can call their OWN. Same is true with me and my husband. After being married for almost 9 months now, we know that the clock is ticking! Meaning, we should take a giant leap towards sealing a deal that will lead us to our OWN HOME. Even before tying the knot, we were already discussing this BIG PLAN, among our family, especially with my father, who is a Real Estate Broker. Growing up, I had witnessed how scrutinizing property buyers could be. What my father thought as closed deals, most often turned otherwise due to last minute change of minds. But my father said its okay, adding that investing hard-earned money must be planned and thought of several times. So, when our turn to look for a property came, he told us the same thing, “No rush please.” At this point of our marriage, he already had provided us list of properties that we can choose from. Patience is indeed a virtue as we had learned a bunch of lessons in buying a house for the first time. Here are some of them: 1. Find properties online and make a shortlist.
It pays to follow the 100-103-1 rule. It means that homebuyers should create a shortlist of 100 properties which can be found online. Afterwards, narrow it down to 3 properties, and send letters of intent to the owners of the selected properties. In the end, buy the best property that meets all your requirements. “Hanap lang nang hanap,” my father told us. (Just continue looking). He reminds us that looking at more properties will leave us with the best choice. 2. Set criteria
I would always hear him asking his clients to discuss among family members the property that they REALLY WANT and NEED, explaining that it is not enough that they just want a property,
they should also need it. Location, plans of living or working overseas and price range are among the factors he deemed important in choosing which property to buy. He adds that first time home buyers should also choose a particular type of residential property: should it be a singledetached or a mid-rise or a high-rise condominium unit? 3. Buy within your means
The rule in shopping for a new house is the same as shopping for dresses, gadgets and many other things—do not overspend. “Do not buy a property that will leave you with financial woes,” he told us. He adds that our first home is not necessarily our permanent residence, and so we should not be pressured to get the best property, especially if we can’t afford it at the moment. Monthly amortizations and banks/lending institutions’ guidelines are important considerations, according to him. He reminds: “The maximum monthly amortization that you should pay is 40% of your net income.” Make yourself pre-approved for a loan so you can determine your budget. He said it is practical to choose the longest term possible, paying the maximum your combined income can afford at the lowest fixed rate which also enables you to save on the interest. 4. Inspect thoroughly
the
property
Age, condition, safety and security, vicinity and neighborhood of the property should be included in a property inspection checklist of any first time homebuyer. It should cover all exterior (roof, gutters, walls, foundations, etc.) and interior (general, living room, dining room, kitchen, bedroom, etc.) It will also help to bring a foreman in order to identify necessary repairs and improvements. One more important consideration: Make sure that the property you plan to buy is not a flood-prone area or an earthquake-prone area. Legal matters are of equal im-
portance. Secure the certified true copy of the Transfer Certificate of Title or Condominium Certificate of Title (TCT/ CCT) and ensure that the tax declaration was already transferred. Other things to check: Clearance ensuring that the property has no amount outstanding and no illegal occupants. 5. Secure a life insurance and mortgage redemption insurance
To protect your family, make sure that your property is insured and covered by a life insurance and/or mortgage redemption insurance (MRI). An MRI is insurance upon the life of a mortgagor providing for payment of any unpaid balance of the mortgage loan at the insured's death. There are arguments, however, that obtaining traditional life insurance over MRI is better because the former maintains its face value throughout the lifetime of the policy, whereas the latter promises to pay out an amount equal to the client's outstanding mortgage debt at any point in time, which is inherently a decreasing sum. Thus, it is said that MRI is extremely profitable for lenders and/or insurers and equally as disadvantageous to borrowers. 6. Find the most affordable property
“Be patient. You will soon find a property that you can buy low and sell high,” my father told us. Though you are primarily looking for a property for your own use, you can make it as well an investment that you can profit from. Just recently, my father showed us a property near our family’s residence; it is rather old and requires major overhaul. We asked him, why should we buy it? He told us that it’s a very cheap property, considering its big land area, adding that people who have a vast knowledge in real estate will consider buying the property because of its good location. Perform calculations
Learning important statistics
❱❱PAGE 44 Important considerations
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House of cans: 1 man's quest to throw nothing away, even beer cans, becomes Houston landmark BY RAMIT PLUSHNICKMASTI The Associated Press HOUSTON—A child of the Great Depression, John Milkovisch didn’t throw anything away—not even the empty cans of beer he enjoyed each afternoon with his wife. So, in the early 1970s when aluminum siding on houses was all the rage, he lugged down the cans he had stored in his attic for years, painstakingly cut open and flattened each one and began to wallpaper his home. “The funny thing is that it wasn’t ... to attract attention,” said Ruben Guevara, head of restoration and preservation of the Beer Can House in Houston’s Memorial Park area. “He said himself that if there was a house similar to this a block away, he wouldn’t take the time to go look at it. He had no idea what was the fascination about what he was doing.” Milkovisch passed away in the mid-1980s, but his wife, Mary, still lived there. Her sons would do work from time to time, replacing rusty steel cans with new ones and restoring a hurricane-destroyed beer wall. And when they feared for her safety because of the gawkers, they put up a privacy fence, embedding beer cans in that as well. The neighbourhood has rapidly transformed since Mary Milkovisch’s death in the mid1990s, going from a working middle-class area to today’s condo- and loft-lined upperclass sector. But the home remains a well-known entity. Determined to preserve this accidental piece of folk art, local non-profit Orange Show Center for Visionary Art bought the property about 10 years ago, began a careful restoration of the house and opened it to the public. “It shows the human nature of the individual is supreme. You can take the simplest thing, and it can actually affect a lot of other people,” said Houston resident Patrick Louque, who lived in the area when it was John Milkovisch’s pet project. “It’s totally grabbed me, and it’s probably totally grabbed the imagination of more people
than I could possibly imagine.” The back wall of the canopied area became a cacophony of colours—sunlight playing tricks as it shone through the beer bottles and marbles. Then, he moved on to the side and the front, using long-collected materials and gathering discarded items from the railroad track nearby, where he worked as an upholsterer refurbishing rail cars. Lugging home the things he wanted in a satchel or a wheelbarrow he inherited from his father, Milkovisch would spend a few hours each day outside, where his wife—who barred him from doing too much to the interior—had given him free rein. “He used cans, bottles, marbles, redwood,” Guevara said. “He drank a lot of beer, him and Mary, and he collected all the beer cans that he would drink. He stored them because he knew he was going to use them, but he didn’t know for what.” A lot of beer it was, too. The art centre estimates Milkovisch had 50,000 cans that piled up by drinking a six-pack daily over the span of 20 years. For 17 months, working from bottom to top, Milkovisch coated the home with cans of Budweiser, Texas Pride, Shiner— really, whatever brand was on sale. He created long, decorative garlands from beer can tops and hung them along the eaves at the front and sides of his home. “The front of the house, when that went up, that’s when all the buzz began,” Guevara said, referring to the garlands that nearly hide the entire front porch and door. People would drive by, slow down, stare and honk. Often, they would stop and ask questions. So, Milkovisch would do what came most naturally to him. Invite them in for a beer. ■ If You Go...
BEER CAN HOUSE: 222 Malone St., Houston, http:// www.beercanhouse.org/visit.php . Open Saturday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m. year-round, and Memorial Day to Labor Day WednesdayFriday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday, noon-5 p.m. Admission to Beer Can House grounds, $2. Guided tours including inside of house, $5.
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Entertainment VILMA Santos thanks fans, her “fellow bit players” and the film’s guest stars.
‘Ekstra’ is Cinemalaya top grosser BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer JEFFREY JETURIAN’S “Ekstra,” with Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos in the title role, topped the box office in all four venues of the just concluded Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. Santos told the INQUIRER that the film’s success left her at a loss for words. “I was so nervous, since this is my first indie film,” she said. Hearing that people had lined up and were entertained melted away all her apprehensions. Santos thanked the viewers who flocked to the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Greenbelt, TriNoma and Alabang Town Center (ATC). “I am so thankful to the fans… the entire ‘Ekstra’ team, my costars and my fellow ‘bit players’ in the film. I also owe a lot to the big stars who agreed to make cameos in the movie.” Santos found the film’s strong performance inspiring. “I hope to [make more indie films in the future]… but being a public servant is still my priority,” she said. According to figures (as of Aug. 2) provided by fest organizers, “Ekstra” bested four other Directors’ Showcase entries. Other hits
In the New Breed section, different films emerged as
box-office front-runner: Jason Paul Laxamana’s “Babagwa” at CCP; Hannah Espia’s “Transit,” Greenbelt; Joseph Israel Laban’s “Nuwebe,” TriNoma; and Leo Abaya’s “Instant Mommy,” ATC. The box-office hits had repeat screenings in their respective venues on Sunday. Said Tess Rances, deputy festival director, “It’s interesting how the box-office results (for New Breed) vary per area.” In second place were: At Greenbelt, Jerrold Tarog’s “Sana Dati” (DS) and “Instant Mommy” (NB); at Trinoma, Cesar Evangelista’s “Amor y Muerte” (DS) and “Instant Mommy” (NB); at ATC, “Sana Dati” (DS) and Christopher Ad Castillo’s “The Diplomat Hotel” (NB). Chris Millado, festival director, told the INQUIRER: “As of Aug. 2, CCP figures had already hit P3 million, which was last year’s benchmark. We expect to break the record. Based on audience attendance and sold-out screenings, this year’s fest is definitely more successful than last year.” Jeturian noted: “I’m pleased that the audience liked our film. I am especially happy for Ate Vi that her first foray into indie films is a commercial and artistic success.” Santos remarked, “Mabuhay ang mga extra ng pelikulang Pilipino! (Long live the bit players of Philippine movies!)” ■
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Natie and Cristie Sotana
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Frank Macapagal and Surrinder Varpaul
Entertainment
33 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
Anne Curtis thinks she’s a little too late for indie
Filipino hired in “Apprentice Asia” Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA, PHILIPPINES—A Filipino is finally hired in “Apprentice Asia.” 11 weeks is all that Filipino product manager Jonathan Allen Yabut needed to prove that he is the most worthy candidate in the region. Yabut, who is a University of the Philippines graduate, bested 11 other promising apprentices from China, Singapore and Malaysia to win in the pilot season of the show inspired by the US reality program starring business luminary Donald Trump. The 27-year-old Filipino apprentice won an apprenticeship under AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes, the show’s version of Trump. Back in the Philippines, Yabut is definitely a force to reckon with as he is a recipient of the Mansmith Young Market Masters Award in 2012, including him in the top seven Filipino marketers under age 35. Entrepreneur-model Celina Le Neindre was the other Fili-
Philippine Canadian Inquirer
27-year-old Jonathan Allen Yabut won an apprenticeship under AirAsia group CEO Tony Fernandes.
pino contender in the competition, but was “fired” in the seventh episode. Earlier this month, the Manila-based product manager said he enjoyed doing household chores behind the scenes.
He remarked that the strategy that helped him pull off the win was his being visible and competitive, “I did [verbalize] that I wanted to be project manager but it was edited out.” ■
“I THINK I might be a little too late for that,” Anne Curtis said of the idea of doing an indie film. The 28-year-old host-actress, however, cleared that she is not closing her door on doing indie films in the future, “We never know. Well, I did an indie film in the States (“Blood Ransom”) that has yet to come out so we’ll wait for that.” For now, she expressed her happiness with what’s happening in the career of her 19-yearold sister, Jasmine Curtis, who stars in the indie film “Transit,” an official entry to the ongoing Cinemalaya Film Festival. “I’m super excited for Jasmine because she’s doing something that I’ve never been able to do so I’m really, really happy for her,” she said.
Anne and Jasmine’s parents flew all the way from Melbourne to Manila to support the latter in her first big project. Jasmine is excited and nervous at the same time. She adds that more than receiving an award, she wants the people to understand what’s really happening to the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) in Israel, “I hope they understand the troubles that the OFWs face in there. I didn’t even know what’s happening in Israel before I read the script.” She adds, “I hope this film brings the message to everyone here in the Philippines, because lahat tayo (all of us) we know what OFWs are going through in America, in Japan, in Canada pero (but) in Israel we hardly know what’s going on. I’m just glad to be part of the film that could do that job for the OFWs there.” ■
The daughter’s time to shine ‘I had to let go of Mara and be Saling; but we’re the same in a way because she’s very quiet’ BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer “I’M NOT my mom. She’s a completely different person. But we don’t compete,” said Mara Lopez, who’s invariably tagged “daughter of actress and former beauty queen Maria Isabel Lopez.” Mara said, “I don’t mind; I really am her daughter. But it’s also good that I’m starting to have my own identity. She once told me that she heard someone say, ‘Isn’t that Mara’s mom?’ Mom promised to always be there to support and guide me.” Born Maria Isabella Lopez Yokohama, Mara, 22, first appeared on television via the GMA 7 drama anthology “Magpakailanman” in 2003. She then played minor roles in several drama programs on ABS-CBN. In 2011, Mara joined the Kapuso reality show “Survivor Philippines.” Last year, she starred in the Ato Bautista sex drama “Palitan,”
which won for her a best actress award from the annual Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival. Next came one of two lead roles in Alvin Yapan drama “Debosyon,” an entry in the New Breed category of the just-concluded 9th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.
How much did you working on the film?
How is your mom reacting to your success?
How did you prepare for the role?
She is very proud and supportive. For the first time in three years, she does not have a Cinemalaya entry. She said, “Anak, it’s your time to shine.” She was more excited about it than I was. I’m so proud of “Debosyon.” It’s a masterpiece. What can you say about your character in “Debosyon”? My character, Saling, lives in the forest. She is sort of a deity and the keeper of a very dark secret. I play opposite Paulo Avelino, who plays Mando. He gets lost in the forest. I find him, and our love story begins.
enjoy
We shot the film for five days in Bicol. It was my first time there— I was mesmerized by the majestic Mayon Volcano the first time I saw it. The shoot was relaxing, even though we were in the jungle. Luckily, it didn’t rain. I had to learn how to let go of Mara and be Saling for a while. She is very quiet because she lives a secluded life. We’re the same in that sense because there are times when I like being alone. As for my character’s look, we took advantage of my real long hair. I wore very light makeup here, but since she is like a goddess, dapat maganda pa rin ako. Saling is the representation of a magayon (beautiful) woman so she has to look… majestic. That’s something I had to learn. Direk Alvin advised me to be conscious of my posture. Howwas Paulo as a costar? www.canadianinquirer.net
Maria Isabel Lopez and daughter Mara Lopez. PHOTO FROM GMANEWS.COM
It was a lot of fun working with Paulo. I learned a lot from him. Since this movie is in Bicolano, we helped each other read lines for every scene. During breaks, we would talk in Bicolano with our language coach. Paulo made me feel comfortable, especially when shooting our intimate scenes. Since we play lovers here, there were scenes that required us to be physically close to each other. Can you describe Yapan as a director?
He’s a strong-willed person. He will not be easily swayed into accepting something that contradicts his position. He is awesome. Actually, the whole
production team of “Debosyon” is amazing. I felt at home with them right away. I became such good friends with them, that I started seeing some of them after the shoot. You seem to be enjoying acting a lot.
I’ve learned a lot about filmmaking from directors Ato and Alvin. It was “Palitan” that ignited my passion for acting. Direk Ato taught me a lot of things that I was able to apply to this film—like how to live my character and to forget about being Mara. These two directors both helped improve my craft. Now I know that this is what I really like to do. ■
Entertainment
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 34
Recharged, refocused
The Megastar at a show with Aga Mulach.
PHOTO COURTESY OF TV5
BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer SHARON VISITED Boston College, where she studied for a year in 1997, with husband Francis and kids Frankie, Miguel and Miel. INQSnap this page to view more photos and watch a video. SHARON Cuneta admits that after her TV5 talk show “Sharon: Kasama Mo, Kapatid” was yanked off the air in January, she found time to take stock of things. “I got to stop and mull my problems… apart from my weight,” she quipped, only half in jest. Cuneta, dubbed Megastar in local show biz, went about her business, unmindful of the resulting intrigues, including an allegation that she sent feelers to return to former channel ABSCBN. “Someone lied,” she said. “Since I left last year, I have yet to talk to my former boss (Gabby Lopez). We are professionals. We never talked or texted about work… certainly not about me returning.” In May, she went on a twomonth vacation to the United States with her family. She squeezed in a concert at Cache Creek, California, that same month and
a TV5 Independence Day parade in New York in June. The breather allowed her “to regroup, refocus and collect myself. I stayed 99-percent stress-free, which is very rare.” Quality time
Needless to say, she got the chance to spend quality time with her husband,
former Sen. Francis Pangilinan, and their three kids— Frankie, Miel and Miguel. “I loved that whole time so much— even more than my yearlong stay in Boston in 1997,” she said. “We went around both the East and West Coasts. Our family was together all the time, almost 24/7.” In New York, they watched Broadway shows and went sightseeing. They made time to visit the Boston house that they rented when Pangilinan studied in Harvard. They fulfilled a long-cherished dream to meet the stars of the US reality show “Cake Boss,” which top-bills baker Buddy Valastro. Mega and her girls Frankie and Miel are loyal fans of the show. “It had long been our plan to visit [his bakery] if we ever found ourselves in Hoboken, New Jersey.” Cuneta described that family outing as “a super blessed day.” “We first met Buddy’s sister, Maddalena Castano. She was the sweetest! Maybe she had fun with us, too, because, all of a sudden, we found ourselves in their factory and we met the rest of the show’s cast, including Buddy.”
of that free time with them,” she said. In a month or so, the kids will be back in school. Sharon, for her part, is currently busy with tapings for the TV5 series “Madam Chairman,” which will premiere in the last quarter of the year. The show marks a departure for her. She plays Bebeth, a housewife and maker of kakanin (native delicacies) who unwittingly assumes the chairmanship of her barangay. To prepare for the series, she viewed episodes of the TV5 show “Face to Face,” which tackles barangay issues. She met with chair Concepcion S. Malañgen of Barangay Doña Imelda, Quezon City, where the Alagang Kapatid Foundation had a read-along session with 100 schoolchildren. Last week was her first taping day. “It was wonderful. I didn’t realize how much I had missed acting. I asked Direk Joel (Lamangan) for drama scenes, but we’re shooting the light-hearted sequences first,” she related. She had to walk in the rain that first day and fell sick right after, but was raring to go back to the set as soon as she recovered.
Mega-fan
A surprise
She was a mega-fan that day, to say the least. “I almost cried when I saw Buddy. I think he’s the best baker in the world.” (Cuneta herself dabbles in baking and sells her cakes and pastries in stylist Fanny Serrano’s salon in Quezon City during the holiday season.) “I’m hung over from that trip; I often wish I was back there,” she confessed. The best part was realizing she could “live far away” from the spotlight. “There’s no price you can put on peace.” Last long break
It could be their “last long break together,” Cuneta said. “The kids are moving from a local school to one with an American calendar, so I took advantage www.canadianinquirer.net
“I am so different in this show; it’s a surprise,” she quipped. The new role reminded her of her “Crying Ladies” character, she said, a swindler-turned-professional wake weeper. “Bebeth is Stella Mate v.2.1— Stella with a higher purpose in life. She’s a cheerful, but reluctant, leader. She doesn’t know that her heart is big enough for her entire community.” On her way home from taping, she got stuck in traffic and decided to read the scripts submitted to the Mega Scripts 2013 search in the van. She will award P250,000 to the chosen screenplay, which will be produced as an indie film. “We got lots of scripts via email (megascripts2013@gmail.com).” ■
35 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
www.canadianinquirer.net
Entertainment
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 36
'2 Guns' shoots past 'Wolverine,' 'Smurfs 2' to take No. 1 position at weekend box office BY DERRIK J. LANG The Associated Press LOS ANGELES—”2 Guns” is No. 1 at the weekend box office. The Universal action film starring Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg pulled the trigger to capture the top spot with $27.4 million, according to studio estimates Sunday. “2 Guns” is based on a graphic novel of the same name and features Washington as a DEA agent and Wahlberg as a Naval Intelligence officer who must team up for an undercover operation involving drug traffickers and the CIA. Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, said “2 Guns” opened at the studio’s expectations and attributed the film’s success to Icelandic director Baltasar Kormakur and the first-time pairing of Washington and Wahlberg. “It was super casting,” she said. “There was remarkable chemistry. The two of them work so well together. You see it on screen. Baltasar really gave
them the energy to be able to do what they did in this film.” Fox’s Japan-set superhero flick “The Wolverine” starring Hugh Jackman as the clawed warrior scratched out the No. 2 spot with $21.7 million in its second weekend, bringing the Marvel icon’s total domestic haul to $95 million. “The Smurfs 2” launched in the No. 3 position with $18.2 million. While Sony’s kid-friendly computer-generated sequel based on the blue-hued cartoon franchise debuted below expectations in North America, “Smurfs 2” earned $52.5 million in 43 international markets. “It is one of those films that seems to resonate on every continent,” said Rory Bruer, Sony’s president of worldwide distribution. “We have about 36 big territories to go, including China. They love the blue ones.” The Warner Bros. haunted house tale “The Conjuring” crossed the $100 million mark at No. 4 after exorcising $13.7 million in its third weekend. Elsewhere at the box office, Sundance Film Festival
Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg in “2 Guns” PHOTO FROM FILM.COM
favourite “The Spectacular Now” starring Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley earned $190,000 in four theatres in its debut weekend, while “The Canyons” made just $16,000 at two theatres, though “Canyons” distributor IFC Films said the erotic thriller starring Lindsay Lohan is performing strongly through video-on-de-
mand services. Other smaller films continued to perform solidly at the box office, including Sundance winner “Fruitvale Station” with $2.7 million in 1,086 theatres and director Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine” with $2 million in 50 theatres. “Summer is not just about blockbusters,” said Paul Derga-
rabedian of box-office tracker Hollywood.com. “It’s also about Woody Allen. It’s about specialized films that challenge the audience— or are just different from the traditional, cookiecutter, summer-style movie.” Overall ticket sales this weekend were up more than 15 per cent over the same weekend last summer, Dergarabedian said. Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released on Monday. 1. “2 Guns,”$27.4 million. 2. “The Wolverine,” $21.7 million. 3. “The Smurfs 2,” $18.2 million. 4. “The Conjuring,” $13.7 million. 5. “Despicable Me 2,” $10.4 million. 6. “Grown Ups 2,” $8.1 million. 7. “Turbo,” $6.4 million. 8. “Red 2,” $5.6 million. 9. “The Heat,” $4.7 million. 10. “Pacific Rim,” $4.6 million. ■
Rapper faces arraignment in domestic violence and vandalism charges
Ryan Seacrest to host NBC's 'The Million Second Quiz'
BY LINDA DEUTSCH The Associated Press
The Associated Press
LOS ANGELES—Rapper and actor 50 Cent faces arraignment on charges that he attacked his ex-girlfriend and trashed her condo. The hearing for the singer, whose real name is Curtis Jackson, was scheduled for Monday. If convicted, the “In Da Club” singer faces up to five years in jail and $46,000 in fines. The woman told police that during a June 23 argument, Jackson began destroying property at her Toluca Lake condo before she locked herself in a bedroom. She says Jackson kicked open the bedroom door and kicked her, causing injury.
Curtis Jackson aka 50 Cent
Police estimated about $7,100 in damage to the home. The woman told police she had been in a three-year rela-
PHOTO BY HELGA ESTEB / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
tionship and has a baby with Jackson, who has referenced drug dealing and violence in many songs. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
NEW YORK—NBC says Ryan Seacrest will host “The Million Second Quiz,” a new live game show the network hopes will become event programming for two weeks in September. The network said Monday it is constructing a giant hourglass-shaped structure in Manhattan for the game, which will involve contestants testing their trivia skills over a million seconds, or 11 days, 13 hours, 46 minutes and 40 seconds. A contestant leading the game earns $10 per second for sitting in the “money chair,” with a potential payoff of millions of dollars. The show will air for six straight nights starting Sept.
9, then return for four nights starting Sept. 16. Seacrest is host of “American Idol” on Fox and “New Year's Rockin' Eve” on ABC. ■
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
37
Lifestyle
More than half of Canadians Who's guano pay that? Beauty say they use the web to self care clients dropping $180 for diagnose symptoms: poll bird poop facials at luxury NY spa BY MICHAEL OLIVEIRA The Canadian Press TORONTO—More than half of Canadians recently polled about their tendencies to self-diagnose an ailment with a Google search said they had researched a health-related issue in the past month. According to some doctors, that’s good news, even if patients sometimes wildly misdiagnose themselves. As part of its regular online polling with Internet users in 24 countries, Ipsos asked more than 1,000 Canadians whether they had recently used the web to research something related to their health. About 55 per cent said they had, which was higher than the global average of 48 per cent. Nearly two-thirds of the Canadian female respondents said they did some Googling about their health in the past month, while 45 per cent of the men said the same. The youngest respondents, ages 35 and under, were also found to be more reliant on the web for health information, with 58 per cent saying that had recently launched a medical search, compared to just more than half of the respondents over 35. Health-care professionals have come to expect that the majority of the patients they see will have done some online research into what might be happening with their bodies, said Dr. David Esho, a staff family physician with Toronto’s Western Hospital. “Among my colleagues we would all definitely say that the Internet is becoming more important in terms of our patients seeking medical information and how it colours the interaction we have with our patients as well,” said Esho, adding that he considers his patients “well informed” most of the time. “When they come in and they quote something that I’m not entirely sure is consistent with what we commonly accept in medical practice then I use that as an opportunity for us to both go on the website and look. But I’d say the majority of people do have good sourced information.” While occasionally he’ll hear that a pa-
tient has delayed seeking treatment based on research they did online, Esho said that more often than not their Googling triggers a prompt visit to see a doctor. “They’ll Google something and they think they have this interesting or rare medical condition based on a constellation of symptoms. And then they’ll come in asking for specific treatments or tests because they think they have some strange viral fever that’s only found in Africa,” he said. “One thing I ask them to do is look at who is hosting the website, so is it something that has been affiliated with a known society like the Canadian Diabetes Society or the Mayo Clinic, for example. Is it something that seems to be quoting research-based evidence or is it something that seems to be using anecdotal stories? Is there any bias in that source?” Dr. Kendall Ho, who works in Vancouver General Hospital’s emergency room, said he too deals with patients who are far off-base with their self-diagnoses, but he doesn’t mind. “It’s not uncommon that a patient comes in thinking they have a certain disease and in fact we diagnosis them with the right disease, there’s nothing wrong with that and in fact I encourage (their online research) because that means the patient really wants to take care of themselves,” Ho said. “I don’t count them as mistakes.” And he doesn’t blame patients who get stressed out by a new symptom and become convinced they have a terrible malady. Most of the people he’s worked with have been there too. “When people go through medical school there’s something called medical school student syndrome: every disease you study you think, ‘I have it,”’ Ho said. “The illness is just a pathological extension of our normal functions and so it’s easy for us to misinterpret information. I really appreciate the patients that are interested enough to look up their own information because that means they care about their own health and they want to actively take part in it. And in the medical literature that suggests the patient will have a better outcome.” ■
BY VERENA DOBNIK The Associated Press NEW YORK—Bird poop for beauty? That’s what goes into facials at a luxury spa where the traditional Japanese treatment using imported Asian nightingale excrement mixed with rice bran goes for $180 a pop. About 100 women and men go into the Shizuka New York skin care salon, just off Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue, each month to get the treatment, which is ❱❱ PAGE 38 Who’s guano
Facial using bird poop, anyone?
Lifestyle
Piolo’s goal: ‘A triathlon before I’m 40’
Who’s guano... promoted as a way to keep the face soft and smooth using an enzyme in the poop to gently exfoliate the skin. Spa owner Shizuka Bernstein, a Tokyo native married to an American, has been offering what she calls the Geisha Facial for about five years. “I try to bring Japanese beauty secrets to the United States,” said Bernstein, who learned the treatment from her mother. The Geisha Facial poop treatment, while relatively rare in the United States, is no secret in Japan, where it was first used in the 1600s by actors and geishas. “That’s why Japanese grandmothers have beautiful complexions,” said Duke Klauck, owner of the Ten Thousand Waves health spa in Santa Fe, N.M., which offers a Nightingale Facial for $129. On a recent afternoon in Manhattan, Mari Miyoshi arrived at the sixth-floor Shizuka New York spa to try the treatment for the first time. “I’m a stressed-out New Yorker,” the 35-year-old occupational therapist announced as she reclined on a table, relaxing amid aromas of camellia, lavender and rose. The treatment begins with steam to open the pores and soften the skin. Cream is applied. And then comes what Bernstein ❰❰ 37
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 38
calls “the nightingale part.” She pours the cream-colored poop, dried and finely ground, into a bowl, mixing it with the rice bran using a small spatula. She applies the potion to Miyoshi’s face with a brush, rubbing it in with her hands. Does it smell? “Yes, but like toasted rice,” Miyoshi said. After about five minutes, it comes off with a foaming cleanser and Miyoshi’s face is draped in a warm, wet towel bathed in lavender and geranium essences. Finally, the grand finale—a green-tea collagen mask. “Sooooo nice,” Bernstein said softly, looking at Miyoshi’s radiant face. Dr. Michele Green, a Manhattan cosmetic dermatologist, said that while the nightingale facial “definitely has some rejuvenating effect, I don’t think it’s any different than, say, an apricot scrub or a mask that you could buy in a local pharmacy.” A common misconception is that any old bird poop, even from pigeons, is used. Bernstein said only droppings from birds of the nightingale species are used because they live on seeds, producing the natural enzyme that is the active ingredient. “We don’t do Central Park facials,” she said, “because those birds eat garbage.” ■
Now 36, he is biking seriously, and hopes to get into swimming soon–but finding the time to train is the busy actor’s biggest challenge BY ANNE A. JAMBORA Philippine Daily Inquirer THERE’S A REASON actor Piolo Pascual is often seen mounted on his bike these days. He enjoys working out his lower body more than, say, sculpting his biceps or pecs. And so it was a natural progression for him to shift from running to biking. Since his initiation into outdoor sports four years ago, diving into a five-week running crash course for 10k in 1999 with coach Rio dela Cruz and setting a record now known as the “sub-Piolo,” the actor has been busy entertaining the idea of doing the whole nine yards someday—run, bike and swim for a full triathlon distance. But that, of course, is still way into the future. Pascual has yet to run his first full marathon— unfinished projects in Manila foiled his plan to join the Berlin Marathon last year. He had been training for a sub-four record then, a doable goal for a guy whose 21k personal record is a sub-two. “That was very traumatic for me. I had already made arrangements six months prior to the race. And I didn’t get any refund,” he said during a phone interview with the INQUIRER. For now, the 5’11” Pascual is content to be on the Timex relay team, where he is set to do the 90-km bike event during the Cobra Energy Drink Ironman 70.3 Philippines on Aug. 4 in Cebu. Kicking off with a 1.9km swim off the white sands of Shangri-La Mactan Resort and Spa, the two-loop 90-km bike course will race toward the main island of Cebu, covering the cities of Lapu-Lapu, Mandaue, Cebu and Talisay. Pascual, however, is a little anxious about the race. He hasn’t been training as hard as he used to. He is currently juggling many projects at the same time, and squeezing in time for training, no matter the dedication, has proven very challenging on most days. He trains mostly in Clark these days, enjoying the crisp, clean provincial air. Strength and stamina
Only poop of birds from the nightingale species is used for the facial cream.
“Devoting an hour or two www.canadianinquirer.net
Piolo with Coach Rio dela Cruz
whenever I can into training is not enough. I have only trained a distance of no more than 60 km. And I need the strength and stamina to finish 90 km,” he said. Come race day, he hopes not to encounter major hiccups along the way—such as a flat tire that could ruin not only his time, but his team’s overall ranking, as well. “The important thing is to not give up and finish the race. I just hope to finish the race straight, without going over my maximum heart rate,” he said, laughing. Between running, biking and swimming—yes, he does swim, but not competitively yet—Pascual finds biking the easiest part. Both running and biking demand strength from the lower body, but that’s probably the only thing both sports have in common. Running requires you to have strong calves; biking, strong thighs. Cycling is riding a machine that propels you forward, he said, cruising and gliding occasionally, unlike the weightbearing running where you stop the forward motion the second you stop moving. Regardless of the similarities and differences, though, Pascual said it is important to feel passionate about which one you do. “I really feel the passion for being able to do a triathlon someday. That’s on my bucket list. So I always find time to get the feeling of being fulfilled physically—how much faster I can go, how much longer I can last. I like being able to push myself further each time,” Pascual said.
PHOTO FROM KRISSYFIED.COM
Swimming is his waterloo. Right now he is swimming as part of his fitness program, and he’s not quite warming up to the sport yet. When the time is right—when he has the time to devote to training, that is— we will see Pascual swimming competitively. “I’d like to be able to do a triathlon before I turn 40,” the 36-year-old actor said. The silver-screen heartthrob now feels he’s getting, well, old, even if he has strength and endurance that can put the regular 20-yearold kid to shame. The only thing getting in the way of his dreams is time. Unless he is willing to work less in order to devote hours to training, he won’t be able to do even a Half Ironman. At present, he said, he is married to his job. “I respect the people who are able to allot time to training. People who have jobs, careers, a life, and yet they are able to train. I think you need to find a balance in life. Right now I find a way to train, no excuses. I set my heart on it. When it’s time to train, I train,” he said. One of the benefits, he said, of constantly training and exercising is being able to eat whatever you want. Pascual said he doesn’t restrict any food group in his diet because he burns anywhere from 1,000-2,000 calories during training. He also makes sure he takes his daily vitamins and honey, and gets to sleep six to eight hours a day. “You have to commit to a certain lifestyle—clean living, healthier choices. And always, always find time to exercise,” he said. ■
Lifestyle
39 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
Star of Tod’s collection is Sella purse Iconic D-bag goes couture. Limited edition is hand-embroidered with crystals– and weighs more than a supermodel veers far away from its roots, and thus does not alienate its core customers. The coming Fall-winter season is no different; it is a collection that is a nod to “the quality and craftsmanship of Made in Italy.” BY CHECHE V. MORAL Philippine Daily Inquirer TOD’S IS ONE of the most successful leather goods brands because it neveTod’s has been masterfully reinventing its classic wheel. Apart from new iterations of its signature Gommini driving shoes—in polka dot suede, and zebra stripes and mottled calf pony for women this season—some of its Fall bags are reinterpretations of its classic styles, including the iconic D-bag. The D-bag has five limited-edition couture styles, one of which is fully hand-embroidered with crystals. It weighs more than a supermodel. Star
The star of Tod’s 2013 Fall-Winter collection, however, is the Sella purse, inspired by saddlemaking but interpreted in a minimalist, feminine, curved shape. It comes in three sizes: a full-size shopper in dark purple or brown calfskin; a small satchel in several colorways; and a stunning mini version with a detachable
Clockwise: SILVER metallic python loafer for women, one of the couturestyle D-bags, fully beaded with crystals, leopard-print mini Sella in calf pony
shoulder strap—in yellow, orange, hot pink, turquoise, nude and black. The mini Sella also comes in zebrastriped and leopard-print calf pony. The bigger sizes have variants in crocodile and python. The Italian company, one of the last brands to still craft all its products in
Italy, incorporates an often-used signature element—the Gommini pebbles— on the dressier women’s footwear, on the heels of its calf pony booties and metallic pumps. Tod’s fans will also find saddle straps on its other booties and boots styles, done in either plain calf or calf pony.
Two loafers get the metallic treatment, with the vamp embossed with the Tod’s emblem. At the recent presentation at Tod’s Greenbelt 4 in Makati City, the Stores Specialists Inc. (SSI) team highlighted Tod’s’ made-to-order men’s footwear business, offered only at the Italian flagship store in Milan. It’s a luxury space called Sartorial Touch, akin to an English men’s club, and includes a bar and a lounge. (SSI is Tod’s’ exclusive distributor here.) The iPad presentation underscored each step of the handcrafted process, from the choice of leather to the painstaking hand-dyeing, all the way to the finished product. Tod’s also offers made-to-order luggage, bags and small leather goods. But if a trip to the Milan flagship isn’t an option, men can choose from the new season’s in-store collection that includes boots with elastic bands on the uppers, classic calf loafers, and suede or calf pony Gomminis, as well as sturdylooking lace-ups with boot-lacing details reminiscent of trekking shoes. ■
You are invited to
BBQ
in the Park with
MLA Teresa Wat PHOTO BY SYDA PRODUCTIONS / SHUTTERSTOCK
US: Diplomatic posts... cargo flights. Congressman Peter King, the Republican who leads the House Homeland Security subcommittee on counterterrorism and intelligence, told ABC the threat “was specific as to how enormous it was going to be and also that certain dates were given.” Friday’s warning urged U.S. travellers to take extra precautions overseas, citing potential dangers involved with public transportation systems and other prime sites for tourists. It noted that previous terrorist attacks have centred on subway and rail networks as well as airplanes and boats. It suggested travellers sign up for State Department alerts and register ❰❰ 21
with U.S. consulates in the countries they visit. The alert expires on Aug. 31. The Obama administration’s decision to close the embassies and the lawmakers’ general discussion about the threats and the related intelligence discoveries come at a sensitive time as the government tries to defend recently disclosed National Security Agency surveillance programs that have stirred deep privacy concerns and raised the potential of the first serious retrenchment in terrorismfighting efforts since Sept. 11. ■ Associated Press writers Alicia A. Caldwell and Michele Salcedo contributed to this report.
MLA for Richmond-Centre Minister of International Trade, Minister Responsible for Asia Pacific Strategy and Multiculturalism
Date:
August 10, 2013 (Saturday)
Time:
12:30-3:00PM
Place:
Dover Neighbourhood Park 5855 Dover Crescent
You are welcome to make a food donation to the Food Bank FREE ADMISSION AND FOOD!!! FUN FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY!!!
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Business
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 40
ING raises PH growth forecast for 2013 Gov’t urged to BY PAOLO G. MONTECILLO Philippine Daily Inquirer DUTCH FINANCIAL giant ING has raised its growth forecast for the Philippine economy, citing the country’s unexpected resilience in the face of weak global demand—a trait shared by few other markets in the world today. Most emerging markets may experience a slowdown in capital inflow over the next several months, but the Philippines is still expected to perform better than its peers due to strong consumer spending, ING said. However, policymakers will need to sustain this rate of expansion to ensure that the millions of Filipinos still living below the poverty line also benefit from the country’s bright prospects. “All economic indicators, excluding trade, are good, and this will drive growth,” ING Philippines chief economist Joey Cuyegkeng said.
ING expects the Philippine economy to post a growth rate of 7.8 percent in the second quarter of the year, matching its first quarter numbers. “We will still beat China by the skin of our teeth,” Cuyegkeng said. China, Asia’s largest economy, grew by just 7.5 percent in the three months to June. For the whole of 2013, growth is expected to clock in at 7.3 percent, higher than the previous forecast of 6.1 percent issued last February. ING’s forecast is above the government’s own growth target of 6 to 7 percent for the year. Cuyegkeng said remittances from migrant workers, which support domestic demand, and the increase in government spending would drive the economy forward this year. So far, the Aquino administration has brought up the country’s average annual growth to around 6 percent, Cuyegkeng said. He said this was better than
the 5 percent average recorded under the past three presidents. Citing the challenges now facing the country, he urged the development of the local agriculture sector and manufacturing industry, which will lead to more jobs in the countryside and healthy growth levels that actually reduce the incidence of poverty. Also, economic developments abroad now threaten the flow of foreign capital to the Philippines, ING said, referring in particular to the US Federal Reserve’s eventual tightening of monetary policies. Fortunately for the Philippines, the expected foreign capital flight, brought on by the Fed decision, may be offset by the entry of P1.4 trillion into the country’s financial system. The amount will be drawn from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ special deposit accounts. Cuyegkeng said this would benefit local businesses by reducing their borrowing costs. ■
State pension fund gives lenders a break GSIS may condone unpaid penalties, surcharges BY PAOLO G. MONTECILLO Philippine Daily Inquirer STATE-RUN GOVERNMENT Service Insurance System (GSIS) has announced a restructuring program for delinquent members with housing loans, in line with efforts to clean up the fund’s balance sheet. In a statement, the GSIS said the restructuring program would help the fund’s members settle their arrears or update their housing accounts without being overburdened by penalties. “The GSIS will condone all unpaid penalties and surcharges and grant extended payment terms for those qualified to restructure their accounts,” GSIS President Robert G. Vergara said. Members whose homes have already been foreclosed are also eligible for the restructuring program, as long as the properties have not yet been auctioned. “Even those with current accounts will benefit from the program, as their monthly amortization will be reduced through an extended payment term if they
According to the GSIS, members whose homes have already been foreclosed are also eligible for the restructuring program.
apply for restructuring,” he said. The GSIS said the auction of the property may be postponed and the foreclosure case or cancellation of the Deed of Conditional Sale account will be withdrawn. The program also grants incentives for accounts with arrears that the borrowers intend to pay in full. Those with arrearages of not more than six months will get 100 percent discount on unpaid interest, penalties and surcharges. “Those accounts with arrearages of more than six months will get discounts based on their payment performance record,” Vergara said.
The program is open to: borrowers whose accounts are current or updated, awardees of accounts with cancelled deeds of conditional sale but are not yet sold, and accounts under foreclosure proceedings. The GSIS said heirs of deceased borrowers who will be able to meet the eligibility criteria and documentary requirements would also be allowed to restructure their loans. “However, borrowers whose properties have been auctioned and who were already issued a certificate of sheriff sale can no longer avail themselves of the program,” Vergara said. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
honor contracts Public sector warned against ‘changing rules midstream’ BY AMY R. REMO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE EUROPEAN Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines has urged the government to honor the sanctity of contracts and refrain from taking any action that may result in a “huge trust deficit.” “The government has to understand that ‘trust’ is an asset it has to have. It’s precisely because of changing the rules midstream that investors are more and more reluctant to invest long-term,” explained Henry Schumacher, vice president for external affairs at the ECCP. “Who guarantees that the rules agreed with this administration will be honored by successive governments? Remember, PPPs (public-private projects) in infrastructure will last 25 years.” The ECCP official cited as an example the case of water concessionaires Manila Water Co. Inc. and Maynilad Water Services Inc. “The bashing that Manila Water and Maynilad Water went through recently in connection with their concession agreement with MWSS illustrates the difficulty in doing business with government. These billings have been in place for more than 15 years, were agreed to by MWSS in the concession agreement it signed with them in 1997, and which is effective up to 2022,” Schumacher said in a statement. “After all these years, the MWSS suddenly found something wrong with the water charges. This controversy, another midstream change, will certainly end up in the Supreme Court.” Schumacher also cited as an example the case of local ener-
gy developer San Roque Power Corp. The company has been fighting to get from the government what it was granted a decade ago: Duty- and tax-free importation of capital goods. According to Schumacher, San Roque Power represents many investors who may be short-changed by the government if the Supreme Court does not change its verdict to “progressive” from “retroactive.” In February this year, the Supreme Court overturned the decision of the Court of Appeals, which allowed San Roque to receive a tax refund worth P483.8 million. In its decision, the high tribunal only noted that San Roque Power was ineligible to claim the refunds “based on technicalities.” “Are there other examples? Yes,” Schumacher said, citing the review of the Mining Law and the attempt to change the Mining Fiscal Regime. “Will new miners come? Unlikely. Will existing miners go? More likely,” he said. “The RP Energy case in Subic is another example. Infrastructure projects of national significance—as Luzon badly needs additional baseload plants—should be given priority and importance. They should be insulated from unfounded issues that only result in costly delays in the implementation of such projects.” As it is, investors already expect to “navigate the country’s bad infrastructure, the rigid labor market, red tape and remaining pockets of corruption.” Schumacher added that investors “are certainly not keen on tripping over the fine print of laws and implementing rules and regulations, and local power brokers with agendas at odds with Manila.” ■
Sports/Horoscope
41 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
Chinese on the horizon PH defeat creates early-collision scenario with China BY FRANCIS T.J. OCHOA Philippine Daily Inquirer A COUPLE of games shook things up in the Fiba Asia championship Saturday night, one more obvious—and painful—than the other. As defending champion China sputtered to a 1-2 record going into the second preliminary phase, the Philippines lost the classification game it wanted to win the most, falling 79-84 after a roller coaster game to Chinese Taipei at Mall of Asia Arena. Both developments steered the two countries into what could be a quarterfinal collision, a scenario Gilas Pilipinas had hoped to avoid when they began plotting their route back to the world stage by picking to join the easier Group A of the tournament.
Skipper Jimmy Alapag put a different spin to it. “We’re going to have to play one of [the top] teams anyway,” said Alapag, brushing off suggestions that the loss to Chinese Taipei, where Gilas Pilipinas trailed by 11 in the first half and led by 13 going into the fourth, doomed the country’s bid to nail one of three slots to the Fiba World Cup in Spain next year. “One game doesn’t decide a tournament,” added a subdued Marcus Douthit, the team’s starting center. Chinese Taipei used the three-point shot as a potent weapon Saturday night, silencing a crowd that had gone nuts in the third quarter, when Larry Fonacier knocked down shot after shot to help the Filipinos to a 13-point buffer, 68-55, entering the final period.
Fonacier, however, was not on the floor in the fourth quarter, with coach Chot Reyes feeling that a few minutes on the bench would refuel the group that had battled back from 11 points down in the first half. By the time he was sent back in, though, Fonacier had cooled off and the Taiwanese heated up, draining five triples in their comeback and finishing with 15 in all. “There’s really no words to say,” said Fonacier of the loss. “We just have to start from here and get ready for the next round.” There were some, though, who were able to put words to the loss. “It hurt a little bit more,” said swingman Gabe Norwood after emerging from a somber locker room. “[This loss] weighed heavy in our hearts.”
PHOTO FROM FILIPINOTEAM.COM
The game had political implications, after all. This was the first game between the two sides since a shooting incident at sea left a Taiwanese fisherman dead and Filipinos in Taiwan victims of retaliatory attacks. Reyes, in fact, minced no words in reeling in the incident during his postgame speech: “I would like to apologize to our countrymen, our OFWs, in Tai-
wan. We wanted to win this one for them because I know they have been a victim of a lot of abuse.” While the loss puts Gilas possibly in China’s path, none of the Nationals are looking at the other bracket just yet. “We know the situation; we’ve paid little attention,” said Norwood. “But our focus is on our next three games. Because of Lebanon’s withdrawal, all Group B teams advance to the second preliminary phase. But to make sure Japan, Qatar and Hong Kong don’t have a disadvantage of playing fewer games when they merge with Group A survivors, the format will have the Philippines, Chinese Taipei and Jordan advancing minus the result of their games against eliminated Saudi Arabia. That means the Philippines, with a 2-1 record, will enter the second preliminary phase with a 1-1 slate. Chinese Taipei, now 3-0, will advance with a 2-0 card. Jordan is 1-2 but will advance at 0-2. ■
HOROSCOPE ARIES
CANCER
LIBRA
CAPRICORN
(MARCH 21 - APRIL 19)
(JUNE 22 - JULY 22)
(SEPT 23 - OCT 22)
(DEC 22 - JAN 19)
Information gleaned from friends could find you focusing on a new goal, Aries. You may have a lot of ideas about projects you want to take care of, and today you may realize which one has top priority. Start moving! Whatever you do, find out what you need before you start. There’s a chance you might waste time running from place to place looking for necessary materials.
Dreams and visions might come and go today, Cancer, as unconscious images surface. Some of these impressions could represent old traumas and phobias that have outlived their usefulness and need to be released. You could draw creative inspiration from these perceptions and use them as a basis for artistic projects. By day’s end you may feel emotionally lighter.
Romantic desire tempers spiritual passion today, and you may want to pursue both, Libra. Perhaps your romantic partner is as spiritually inclined as you, and you aspire toward the same ends. Much of the passion you feel wells from deep within. So if you’re creatively inclined in any way, you may want to memorialize these feelings through writing, painting, or music.
A previously untapped talent may emerge today, Capricorn. You could decide to train this talent and create a new skill that can help you with just about any type of work you’d be doing. This is the day to do this. You should be full of energy and enthusiasm, capable of assuming any formidable task. You should be feeling physically strong and well. This is a day of challenges and new enterprises.
TAURUS
LEO
SCORPIO
AQUARIUS
(APRIL 20 - MAY 20)
(JULY 23 - AUGUST 22)
(OCT 23 - NOV 21)
(JAN 20 - FEB 18)
A possible change in direction might arise today. You could meet someone new or run into someone you haven’t seen in a while who offers you a chance to change careers. Or it could become clear that you need to pursue your art or hobby full time. Whichever it is, Taurus, this is a great day to pursue it, even if you have doubts. Your past accomplishments afford you an advantage.
GEMINI
Social events or group activities could put you in touch with many people, Leo, both close friends and casual acquaintances. A new person may come into your life who makes a difference. Issues may come up that you feel strongly about. You aren’t likely to refrain from expressing your opinions. This is fine if you’re tactful. Others will appreciate your honesty.
You’re easily persuaded to bite off more than you can chew. Instead, you need to use caution managing your time and priorities. Tonight, pay close attention to intuitive impressions when the Leo Moon aspects Neptune. Couples, it’s ancient history. There’s no need to dredge it up again now.
Romantic passion might motivate you to improve your physical appearance, Aquarius. You might decide to exercise, change your diet, and experiment with new clothes or haircut. You’re likely to produce the results you want. With the vast amounts of energy and enthusiasm churning within you today, you might surprise yourself with this task or anything else you decide to do.
VIRGO
SAGITTARIUS
PISCES
(AUG 23 - SEPT 22)
(NOV 22 - DEC 21)
(FEB 19 - MAR 20)
(MAY 21 - JUNE 21) You may feel especially emotional today, Gemini, reacting strongly to just about every image you see, whether it’s a war photo or a kitten on a doorstep. Spiritually, you’re highly motivated and longing to know more about the world. You might find yourself thinking of making a pilgrimage. If you’re serious, make your plans now.
Physically, Virgo, you should feel strong and energetic and ready to take on just about anything that comes your way today. This is good, as some powerful challenges may come up that bring new purpose to your life. Enthusiasm permeates your being right now. You’re likely to face with determination anything that comes your way, undeterred by the enormity of the task.
An invitation to an important social event could come today, Sagittarius. This may be a chance to meet important people who could advance your career in some way or who might be involved in a field that interests you. Your own energy and enthusiasm won’t be lost on them. You will obviously be speaking from the heart when you discuss what’s on your mind.
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You might take on the world, Pisces. Excitement, enthusiasm, and purpose could fill your soul, yet you may wonder where it comes from, as nothing has really changed since yesterday. Don’t waste time wondering - just harness it! Tackle a class or exercise program. Start a project. This energy comes from deep in the unconscious. It should be channeled into the conscious world!
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
42
Travel
Lace up, see sights, break a sweat: Guided runs offer alternative take on tourism
PHOTOS FROM TORONTOGUIDEDRUNS.COM
BY LAUREN LA ROSE The Canadian Press TORONTO—There was no need to fumble with a map, navigate an app or even glance up at street signs: Christiane Nilles simply laced up her runners and let Sue Pulfer lead the way. The Luxembourg resident decided she wanted to tour Toronto in much the same fashion as she had traversed such European hubs as Berlin, Rome and Lyon: as a sightjogger. To do so, Nilles enlisted the help of Pulfer, founder of Toronto Guided Runs, who crafted a personalized tour of the city for the pair to travel together. Amid the relative calm of an early Saturday morning free from the clog of traffic congestion that typically clutters the roads, the duo set off to see the sights and break a sweat in the process. Pulfer acted as both running partner and tourist guide, highlighting distinctive neighbourhoods and landmarks dotting Toronto’s downtown core. Along their journey, the pair threaded their way swiftly along University Avenue, past the University of Toronto, through the eclectic enclave of Kensington Market and alongside the sprawling exterior of the Art Gallery of Ontario with its notable wood and glass facade. “I think it’s much more personal than going on a bus tour,” Nilles said following her nearly hour-long guided run. “It’s nice jogging along and looking at all of the sights. And another reason is I remember much better when I jog along the streets and look at the monuments, at the buildings. It’s much better than just walking.” Pulfer learned of sightjogging during a visit to Berlin in 2009 where she took part in a running tour in the German capital and relished the experience. The re-
tired software executive started to research whether anyone was offering a similar opportunity for tourists in Toronto. Pulfer aims to lead guided runs between five and 10 kilometres that usually take between 45 to 60 minutes, depending on the speed of sightjoggers. “We’re not racing—we’re just jogging. We want to chat and see the sights.” Pulfer said she’s found most clients are more interested in taking part in a “beautiful run,” like travelling along the water. To that end, she seeks to highlight scenic and historic areas that may not be as recognizable to outsiders as other familiar landmarks. The running enthusiast counts the Leslie Street Spit among her favourite routes: a man-made peninsula that extends five kilometres into Lake Ontario with Toronto’s famed skyline as a backdrop. “I think that anybody that comes to town, they know about things like the CN Tower or the Rogers Centre. But what they don’t see is some of the more beautiful little neighbourhoods whether it be Rosedale or Cabbagetown ... or along the Beaches where there’s a beautiful boardwalk,” Pulfer said. “Those are areas that people wouldn’t normally see if they were just here staying at a downtown hotel. I try to take them to some of those outof-the-way spots that are also beautiful to run in.” Chris Kennedy of Whistler Running Tours said he has little time to jog for leisure as he leads guided runs, logging in the vicinity of 60 to 70 kilometres a week on foot. Visitors from across Canada, the Pacific Northwest and as far away as Europe and South America have signed up—and laced up—for treks Kennedy rates similarly to ski runs in town: green circle or beginner-type runs
THE BEACHES RUN START POINT: Ashbridge’s Bay entrance
CABBAGETOWN RUN START POINT: Wellesley Subway at
at Coxwell Ave and Lakeshore Blvd E. S/W corner
Wellesley and Yonge N/E corner
DON VALLEY TRAITS (SEASONAL) RUN START POINT: LESLIE ST. SPIT (SEASONAL) RUN START POINT: Entrance to
Leslie Street Spit at Leslie St. and Unwin St.
from five to seven kilometres to the double black diamond run of 20 kilometres and up. The avid runner said he fields many requests to see the real wilderness trails, old-growth forests and glacier-fed lakes in a bid to experience “the true Whistler.” “I have a number of customers who’ve indicated that they just wouldn’t feel safe exploring the wilderness areas that we do if they were by themselves,” said Kennedy. “Some of the best places to explore in Whistler are off the beaten path that only the local folks would know about.” “We use just two feet and a heartbeat to get out there and explore, which is nice,” he added. Dan Craig runs roughly 10 kilometres daily and his wife has participated in several marathons. So it was a natural fit for the couple to fuse their planned workout with a little sightseeing during a guided run of New York. With City Running Tours, first-time visitor Craig was able to eye iconic landmarks and learn details about the Big Apple from their guide as they travelled across the Brooklyn
Broadview Subway Station N/E corner of Danforth and Broadview
Bridge and through several hotspots including Chinatown and Little Italy. “There’s no better way than to get on the streets and walk the streets to get a real feel for the geography and the smells and sights of the city than to be right on the ground,” said Craig, who hails from Richmond Hill, Ont. “If you’re a runner at all and you’re going to hop out of a hotel in New York and go for a run, half the time you’d be worried about getting run over, and the rest of the time, you’d be worried about: ‘Did I leave a trail of breadcrumbs and do I know where I’m going back here?’ And with this, the guy knows all the areas and you do this sort of massive loop, and you get a bit of a history and a lesson at the same time.” Karl Pawlewicz has been with City Running Tours since 2007, which operates in 11 different U.S. cities. The New York City manager said the company has seen an increase in the number of runners signing up each year, which included 60 Canadians in 2012. He believes the appeal stems from the popularity of the
sport, and a desire among people to find ways to stay healthy and active while travelling—beyond the hotel gym. Pawlewicz said his company has seen clients with experience levels that have spanned the spectrum from seasoned runners training for marathons to a recent visitor from California who had just started running five weeks prior and participated in a seven-kilometre tour. “The nice thing about tours— running tours in general—is that you have somebody to go with you, whether it be a group or a guide, so it helps make the time and distance go by faster,” he said from New York. “A lot of the times I take runs out and we’ll finish and the person running goes: ‘Wow. That was eight miles? It didn’t even feel like it.”’ ■ Online
City Running Tours: www. cityrunningtours.com Toronto Guided Runs: http:// torontoguidedruns.com Whistler Running Tours: http://www.blackdiamondfitness.ca/running/
FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
43
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FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 44
Important considerations... in real estate is a big asset of any homebuyer. Here are basic calculations you need to perform when buying a home: • Focus on investment returns and make comparisons. The normal marked up rates are from 10% to 20%, make sure you are aware of this to avoid buying an overpriced property. • Make negotiations to arrive at the best price possible. • Another factor that you need to compute for is the Return on Investment (ROI). Returns can be created through rental income and property appreciation. ❰❰ 31
7. Renting over buying
Another option that my father gave us is to rent than buy a property, considering the high interest rate in buying a property. He instructed us to buy an incomegenerating asset first and have it rented to cover the amortization and monthly interest rates. Then, we can buy another property when we already have enough money. 8. Buy from banks
Buy from auctions, sealed bidding or negotiated sale through banks. He remarked
that apart from the given fact that banks are reputable sellers, they can also finance our purchase and give us long payment terms with low interest rates. Banks only need to recover their investment so they can lend money again. 9. Look for foreclosed and inherited properties
As a couple, we are looking for a property sold at a lower price. As per my father’s advice, we constantly search for either foreclosed properties or real estate assets that need to be liquidated immediately. Owners of these kinds of properties are motivated to sell because they are either leaving the country or needing to pay for their sick relatives’ medical expenses. While some who inherited properties simply want to make money out of it because they don’t have enough knowledge about real estate. All of them can sell properties at a lower cost. 10. Transact developers.
only
with
reputable
In our quest to find a property that will meet our requirements, we came across a developer that is offering several properties. The first thing that we did
The author looking at a prospective home.
was to google the developer’s name, and investigate if the company is legitimate and reputable. Another important thing to check: Does the developer and/or its projects have the required license to sell from the Housing and Land Use Regulatory
paghetter S ia La
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FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013 46
Young and not willing: An intern reflects on unpaid internships BY LOREN AYTONA
Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer
MY FELLOW interns: If you haven’t noticed already, we’ve become media darlings as of late (who says 20-something CEOs get all the fun?). Unpaid working arrangements are a hot topic these days. From intern activism in the U.K. to mass Internet backlash on the West Coast, debates surrounding this highly contested rite of passage continue to gain momentum among organizations, job seekers and policy-makers. Two camps consistently emerge in the discussion: those who cry exploitation and those who laud the benefits of internships. The former argues that unpaid internships are essentially entrylevel positions in disguise, carried out at no cost by highly qualified candidates such as post-graduate students and even senior workers in career transition. There’s also the notion that internships are inherently classist—occupied by those who can literally afford to work for free and hindering the mobility of other social groups. Also don’t forget that pesky legal snag. These types of working arrangements, when unpaid, are in violation of most provincial labour laws. What some deem as exploitative, advocates of unpaid internships consider advantageous. Professional development is perceived as a substitute for monetary rewards, because learning and mentorship are the currencies in this exchange. Supporters of unpaid internships argue that this is an adequate, perhaps even a superior method, to managing junior workers. After all, why should one pay for inexperience? In fact, some employers and interns propose that the lack of compensation is, in fact, beneficial for workers—that it is character building and sends a good message for future employers. So what is a grad student who’s done her fair share of co-ops and internships supposed to do? I struggled with the paid/unpaid debate while searching for co-operative work experience during my undergrad. My father often spoke to me about the axis of opportunity and compensation, encouraging me to always keep my eye on the sweet spot without veering to its parameters when looking for work. Like all 20somethings, I rolled my eyes and told him he knew nothing. After all, this was post-2008. Competition was so fierce that to me, a “foot-in-thedoor” was equitable to compensation. I still remember landing my first coop job, literally feeling like I had won the lottery. It was a position in the industry of my choice, with a reputable employer
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 Ching Dee Stella Reyes Graphic Designer Victoria Yong Illustration Danvic Briones
and paid. Nevertheless I firmly reminded myself that this stroke of luck would never “change me,” that passion would operate at the forefront and I would continue to pursue the best opportunities for my career no matter what the cost. Entitled millennial, I was not. Looking back on my employment history, I feel very fortunate to have built my resume on opportunities that were fairly compensated. While I initially considered this as sheer luck of the draw, I realize now that my choices were far from arbitrary. I gravitated to-
I made the decision sometime ago that I would no longer support unpaid internships. ward paid opportunities because I knew my lifestyle couldn’t afford the pay cut, even if temporary. I negotiated for my one unpaid internship to be a part-time arrangement. And I’m one of the lucky ones—there are many bright candidates who will never get a chance to prove themselves because of financial constraints more dire than mine. One can have passion but sentiment does not pay the bills. Most importantly, wage was the safety net that ensured protection as I swung
from one potential career path to another, trying to figure out what role was best suited for me. Paid internships meant opportunities for professional reinvention, to fully explore my interests as a young worker while also developing a diverse skillset that would benefit my future employers. And here I am still, a recovering marketer and creative type trying her hand out at research and policy—thankful for a position where learning, accomplishments and even mistakes are all still considered part of a day’s work and wage. I made the decision sometime ago that I would no longer support unpaid internships—this meant no longer exercising my privilege to apply and educating myself and others about the issues surrounding youth and work. While this may sound trite, it was a significant paradigm shift for me, especially having previously worked in an industry where paying your dues meant, well, not getting paid. While I recognize the ramifications of such a stance, I stand by my views. I want to know I’m alongside the most talented people in the field. This means recognizing and removing barriers to access. My employers did for me, and I owe my generation no less. ■ Loren Aytona is a research intern at the Higher Education Quality Council of Ontario and an M.A. student in the Communication and Culture Joint Graduate Program at York and Ryerson universities. Her blog first appeared on HEQCO website and was republished in the Globe and Mail (online edition) on July 26th.
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Photographers Solon Licas Ryan Ferrer Angelo Siglos Operations and Marketing Head Laarni de Paula (604) 551-3360 laarni.liwanag@canadianinquirer.net Advertising Sales Alice Yong (778) 889-3518 alice.yong@canadianinquirer.net Antonio Tampus (604) 460-9414 PHILIPPINE PUBLISHING GROUP Editorial Assistant Phoebe Casin Graphic Designer Shanice Garcia 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. Copies are distributed free throughout Metro Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Winnipeg and Toronto. Member
47 FRIDAY AUGUST 9, 2013
Celebrate Steveston’s waterfront heritage at the spectacular Britannia Shipyards National Historic Site. Enjoy food, music, artists, storytellers, dancers and more. Bring a “lost” single sock to make a one-of-a-kind puppet, fold origami swans and create an interactive soundscape from reclaimed materials. On Friday, help set a Guinness World Record* by singing Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Then, stay to enjoy a concert by The Nautical Miles. But whatever you do, don’t forget to visit the bounty of beautiful boats moored at the 190-metre (600-foot) dock, including the tall ship Lady Washington, as seen on the television series, Once Upon a Time. Free and fun for all ages, the Richmond Maritime Festival is one of Metro Vancouver’s biggest, don’t-miss summer events. *register by Aug 7 to be part of the World Record Challenge at richmondmaritimefestival.ca
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