Philippine Canadian Inquirer Issue #87

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OCTOBER 25, 2013

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Filipinos want to spit at senators: Miriam

NAIA is world’s worst terminal

People power vs. pork

Global Filipino: Cenen Milan, Jr.

PCI celebrates Spooky Halloween

Execs can’t account for Malampaya Fund Revenue commingling cited

BY TJ A. BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer

MADONNA STATUE AMID RUBBLE A statue of the Virgin Mary with the Infant Jesus is set at a makeshift altar before a pile of rubble from the 180-year-old Our Lady of Light Parish Church in Loon, Bohol province, a day after a 7.2-magnitude quake destroyed the church.

PHOTO BY MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

Relief aid distribution a problem, says official

BY GIL C. CABACUNGAN Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PROBLEM in the earthquake-devastated parts of Central Visayas is not the lack of funds to help the victims, but the distribution of relief stocks, a civil defense official said on Monday.

“There are a lot of people and groups who want to help, but our problem is logistics and distribution on the ground,” Eduardo del Rosario, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC),

told reporters in Malacañang.

“Availability is not a problem because we have a stockpile available,” Del Rosario said, responding to questions about the status of the government’s calamity fund.

Many survivors in Bohol, epicenter of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that devastated the island province, had complained that they had yet to receive help from the government three days after the temblor struck last Tuesday.

Those who had received assistance complained that the aid was too little,

PHOTO FROM GREENWICHTIME.COM

❱❱ PAGE 7 Execs can’t

Bohol ma: I feel my kids are still alive ❱❱ PAGE 9

❱❱ PAGE 3 Relief aid

IF THE Malampaya Fund is “intact,” where’s the money?

Cabinet officials on Monday had a tough time explaining the status of the P136-billion balance of the proceeds of the government’s share in revenues from the gas project off Palawan province, part of President Aquino’s pork barrel funds, the use of which has been questioned in the Supreme Court as unconstitutional.

Briefing senators on the National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2014, Treasurer Rosalia de Leon and Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima agreed that the balance was lodged in a special account in the general fund.

Both officials, however, admitted that there was “no cash” to speak of. But De

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 2

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Philippine News

3 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

Relief aid... good for only one day.

The complaints had people asking whether the government’s calamity fund was drying up.

“We are serving 400,000 people and we cannot say we can reach out to 100 percent,” Del Rosario said.

“There might be 1 or 2 or 3 percent who have not been reached by our relief operations. Once they tell us their location, we can bring the relief items good for 20 families in a barangay (village) in one hour,” he said.

On reports that mayors were giving priority to their allies in the distribution of relief stocks, Del Rosario said the public should give more slack to municipal mayors who were serving 40,000 to 50,000 people in challenging conditions.

“Let’s not impute any political color, probably they are just facing manpower problems in the distribution. We are talking about traveling for four, six hours in areas that could not be reached by land,” he said.

Del Rosario dismissed concerns about lack of funds, noting that the relief centers were well stocked considering that provinces and towns have their own calamity funds to work with.

Maj. Rey Balido, operations chief of the NDRRMC, said the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) had set up 96 evacuation centers in the provinces of Cebu, Bohol, Siquijor, Negros Occidental, Iloilo and Guimaras Island, which were serving more than 109,000 people as well as 271,000 others who were seeking temporary shelter with their relatives or friends.

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Bridges repaired

Of the 37 bridges damaged by the quake, only three—the Hualong, Abatan and Taguani bridges—are still undergoing repairs, Balido said.

He said West Bohol was the hardest-hit among the provinces with 44,781 houses damaged, or 98 percent of the 45,641 total houses distressed by the temblor.

The Department of Public Works and Highways pegged the damage to infrastructure in Bohol at P763 million, or 88 percent of the P867.24 million total damage for Central Visayas.

Balido said the Philippine Air Force had so far conducted 16 flight missions to bring a total of 18 tons of relief and

equipment such as generator sets, water purifiers and medical supplies.

Balido said two more flights were scheduled to bring an additional 50,000 pounds of relief and equipment.

He said the Philippine Navy had also made 20 trips that brought in 512,397 pounds of relief items from the DSWD to Cebu and Bohol.

Balido said the power supply was back in practically all of the towns and municipalities while all gasoline stations had resumed business.

Ready stockpile

Director Resty Macuto of the DSWD said his agency had given out P6.9 million worth of relief, adding that the agency had a ready stockpile of food items at its national headquarters, allowing it to ship 10,000 food packs immediately after the quake.

“We gave out tents, which the people preferred because they were worried about staying indoors due to the continuing aftershocks,” Macuto said.

He said seven helicopters were on stand-by to deliver relief stocks to hardto-reach areas in Tagbilaran City.

Members of the Senate have proposed to augment the calamity fund with unreleased money from the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), which the Supreme Court has ordered frozen temporarily while it handles petitions for the abolition of the pork barrel.

Senate President Franklin Drilon said Monday that the senators were to introduce a resolution to express their sense that the remaining money in the PDAF should be realigned to boost President Aquino’s calamity fund.

More funds

In the House of Representatives, Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said the government did not have to tap into the Disbursement Acceleration Program to aid the earthquake victims.

Colmenares said that besides the P1.4 billion remaining in the calamity fund, there is P3.4 billion in quick response funds in the budget of different agencies and a P14-billion school building fund in the DPWH budget. ■ With reports from TJ Burgonio and Leila Salaverria

President Benigno S. Aquino III distributes relief goods to families affected by the earthquake at the Carlos Garcia Sports Complex in Tagbilaran City in Bohol during his visit on Wednesday (October 16).

PHOTO BY RYAN LIM / MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU

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House urged to start deliberations on FOI bill

BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer WITH THE freedom of information (FOI) bill gaining ground in the Senate, its advocates are hoping the House of Representatives will follow the upper chamber’s lead.

The Right to Know, Right Now coalition said it has met with House public information committee chair Rep. Jorge Almonte and asked him to set a timetable for a vote on the bill and to allow the issues surrounding the measure to be properly heard.

Almonte has promised to act based on the House rules and made a commitment to discharge his responsibility, said Nepomuceno Malaluan of the coalition.

Though there was no specific commitment from Almonte on setting a timetable for the FOI bill, the fact that he met with the group was a good indication that he is open to discussing the issue with stakeholders, said Malaluan.

He noted that the public information committee’s actions will play a big part in determining whether the FOI bill will

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advance in the House or not.

“In the end, it will depend much on how the committee will move, beginning with the organizational meeting,” he said.

Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat, a coauthor of one of the FOI bills, said Almonte had promised to hold the committee’s organizational meeting.

The organizational meeting is necessary before hearings on the FOI bills can be held.

“I hope the committee extends beyond simple organization and the adoption of internal rules toward the committee setting its specific agenda,” Malaluan said.

The FOI bill seeks to lift the shroud of secrecy over government dealings, and to make transparency a state policy.

But several contentious issues surround the bill, such as the inclusion of a right of reply provision that requires media outfits to provide equal time and space to the subject of reports arising from the implementation of an FOI law.

Media organizations oppose the right of reply provision on the ground that it would encroach on editorial independence. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 4

Sulu sultan dies; Sabah claim lives on

BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer THE OWNERSHIP claim of the sultanate of Sulu and North Borneo to Sabah will not be buried with Sultan Jamalul Kiram III. Kiram made this clear to his family before he died at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City, according to Abraham Idjirani, the sultanate’s secretary general and spokesperson.

The 75-year-old sultan, the 33rd crowned ruler of one of the oldest sultanates in Southeast Asia, died from multiple organ failure due to complications of diabetes.

Malacañang offered its condolences to the family of Kiram, who tried to force the government to press his clan’s claim to Sabah through an armed intrusion into the oil-rich territory in North Borneo in February, an adventure that left dozens of Filipinos and Malaysians dead.

But the death of Kiram does not mean the end of the Philippine government’s claim to Sa-

bah, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said.

She said the government’s study of the claim that President Aquino ordered in March was still going on.

Kiram’s wife, Fatima Celia, said her husband died in her arms at the hospital. She said that before he died, he ordered his family and followers to keep alive the historic territorial claim to Sabah.

Sabah intrusion

Although largely forgotten and dismissed as a vestige from a bygone era, Kiram’s sultanate, based in Sulu in southern Philippines, stirred up a security crisis in Malaysia when Kiram’s younger brother, Agbimuddin Kiram, and about 200 followers, dozens of them armed, barged into Sabah’s coastal village of Lahad Datu.

Stunned, Malaysia responded by laying siege on Lahad Datu and trying to convince Agbimuddin to leave and take up his family’s claim to Sabah with the government in Kuala Lumpur.

In late February, the negotiations erupted into violence. Ma-

laysia responded to the death of two policemen by sending in ground troops and launching air strikes on Agbimuddin’s position.

Agbimuddin lost more than 60 followers in weeks of sporadic fighting with Malaysian security forces, who lost 10 of their own.

The fighting eased off in late April with Agbimuddin disappearing and his followers being intercepted by Philippine authorities in the Sulu Sea as they tried to reenter.

an leaders once sent vassals to pay homage to their powerful forebears, Idjirani said.

The Sulu sultanate preceded both the Philippine Republic and Malaysia by centuries.

But overrun by history, the Kirams now carry royal titles and nothing much else.

“I’m the poorest sultan in the world,” an ailing Kiram said in an interview in March at his rundown residence in Manila.

of followers were already fighting a running gun battle with Malaysian forces in Sabah in March.

Idjirani said Kiram had told his family that he wanted to be buried in Maimbung town, Sulu province, regarded as the original capital of the Sulu sultanate.

“The family has submitted themselves to the will of Allah. We know that we cannot do anything if Allah decides to take us,” Idjirani said in a mobile phone interview.

Malaysian lease Charges filed

The Department of Justice has brought charges against the arrested followers of Agbimuddin in a court in Sulu.

Agbimuddin has not been seen since. He is believed to be moving from island to island in Sulu to avoid capture.

Malaysia has governed resource-rich Sabah as its secondlargest federal state since the 1960s.

The Sulu sultanate, which emerged in the 1400s, built a legend for its wide influence at the time and its feared Tausug warriors. Chinese and Europe-

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The Kirams claim Sabah has belonged to their sultanate for centuries and is only leased by Malaysia, which they say pays them a paltry annual rent.

Malaysian officials contend the payments are part of an arrangement under which the sultanate has ceded the 74,000square-kilometer territory to their country. Philippine leaders have relegated the volatile feud to the back burner despite efforts by the Kirams to put it on the national agenda.

President Aquino did not order a review of the claim until Agbimuddin and his small band

3 decrees

Before his death, Kiram issued three decrees to his family and the members of the sultanate, Idjirani said.

First, Kiram ordered his brothers “to love one another and all the members of the Kiram clan.

Second, he wanted his family “to be always united.”

“Lastly, Sultan Kiram said the fight to repossess Sabah from Malaysia must continue for the entire Filipino people,” Idjirani said.

Kiram’s body was in the Blue Mosque, located just across the ❱❱ PAGE 7 Sulu sultan

Philippine News

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Rescuers end search, focus on retrieval, relief work

BY NIKKO DIZON AND MICHAEL LIM UBAC Philippine Daily Inquirer RESCUERS CALLED off the search for survivors of the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that struck Central Visayas, killing at least 180 people and displacing nearly 400,000 others.

“The rescue operations have ended and instead we are now conducting recovery operations,” said Eduardo del Rosario, executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

“We are still looking for 12 others. Our responders are now on site to recover their bodies,” Del Rosario told a news conference.

Del Rosario said the council decided to end the search for survivors after a consultation with rescuers and provincial disaster officials in the region.

The earthquake destroyed or damaged more than 34,000 homes and centuries-old churches in the region, with the tourist island of Bohol, the epicenter of the temblor, suffering the worst damage.

Body bags

NDRRMC spokesperson Maj. Reynaldo Balido Jr. said the Bureau of Fire Protection would send body bags to Bohol.

Balido said it was unlikely survivors would be found five days after the earthquake.

“There are already reports of stench [in devastated areas],” Balido said.

The death toll climbed to 180, according to combined information from the NDRRMC and the Bohol provincial police.

Of the dead, 167 were reported in Bohol, 12 in the nearby island of Cebu and 1 in Siquijor.

Six more bodies were recovered in Loon town and another in the municipality of Clarin, both in Bohol.

The death toll in Bohol stood at 56 in Loon, 5 in Clarin, 2 in Jetafe, 2 in Buenavista, 5 in Calape, 7 in Tubigon, 5 in Balilihan, 4 in Inabanga, 1 in Batuan, 15 in Sagbayan, 1 in Baclayon, 4 in the capital Tagbilaran City, 2 in Loay; 2 in Alburquerque, 15 in Maribojoc, 6 in Bilar, 6 in Cortes, 5 in Catigbian, 13 in Antequera, 10 in San Isidro, 1 in Talibon, 1 in Trinidad, 2 in Da-

Evacuees

There are 90 evacuation centers in the quake-stricken region sheltering nearly 109,000 people.

PHOTO FROM DSWD.GOV.PH

nao, 1 in Sierra Bullones and 1 in Sevilla.

In Talisay City, Cebu province, the latest fatality reported on Friday was a man who was thrown off his motorcycle as the road shook.

Missing

All 12 missing are from Bohol, including the five children who were playing by a waterfall in Sagbayan town when the earthquake struck. Six of the missing are from Loon and one is from Clarin.

The number of the injured rose to 522 yesterday, 431 of them in Bohol, 89 in Cebu, 1 in Iloilo and 1 in Negros Oriental.

The NDRRMC said the quake displaced nearly 400,000 people. Many are still in makeshift tents, terrorized by aftershocks and unwilling to return home.

About 109,000 people are sheltering in government-run evacuation centers in Bohol and Cebu.

President Aquino, back in Malacañang after a two-day trip to South Korea, ordered his Cabinet to begin the rehabilitation of damaged infrastructure and intensify relief operations to help the survivors and the displaced.

Speed up relief

In a brief arrival statement, Mr. Aquino said that if South Korea could rise from destruc-

tion caused by war in the 1950s to become a prosperous industrialized country, so could the Philippines.

In effect, Mr. Aquino was saying Central Visayas could rise from the tragedy of the Oct. 15 earthquake.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a radio interview yesterday that the President had ordered Cabinet officials “to make sure that relief efforts in Bohol and Cebu are moving.”

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto and other provincial officials met again to make sure relief goods were reaching even isolated places, Valte said.

Valte said 10,000 food packages had reached nine of the 47 towns in Bohol and the capital Tagbilaran City. The towns finally reached by relief were Antequera, Calape, Carmen, Catigbian, Loon, Maribojoc, Panglao, San Isidro and Tubigon.

A statement from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) said, however, that 19 towns and Tagbilaran City had received relief aid.

Valte could not say if relief had reached Danao, a fifth-class interior municipality 95 kilometers northeast of Tagbilaran City. www.canadianinquirer.net

Hungry residents of Danao told journalists that they had yet to receive food and other aid from the DSWD. Valte said 1,000 food packages and tents were to be sent to Tagbayan.

There are 90 evacuation centers in the quake-stricken region sheltering nearly 109,000 people.

Nearly 270,000 other displaced people are staying in makeshift tents outside the evacuation centers.

Of the evacuation centers, Bohol has 65, sheltering more than 103,000 people, with nearly 260,000 others staying in makeshift tents outside the evacuation camps.

Cebu has 25 evacuation centers sheltering more than 5,400 people, with more than 6,000 people staying in improvised shelters outside the evacuation centers.

Soliman gave assurance that the relief operations will continue until life in all the towns has returned to normal.

She said more than a hundred volunteers had been helping the DSWD pack relief goods since the earthquake struck.

Soliman thanked netizens for mobilizing support for the relief operations.

Neighboring countries have extended their sympathies to the Philippines for the death and destruction in Central Visayas.

Cebu as base

Relief operations picked up speed with the authorities’ decision to make Cebu the relief base instead of Manila, from which Philippine Air Force C-130 transport planes and Philippine Navy vessels had been ferrying the goods to Bohol.

Adding to the speed of relief delivery was the reopening of 11 national bridges in Bohol that were damaged by the earthquake.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said yesterday that Camayaan Bridge, Tultogan Bridge, Bacong Bridge, Anislag Bridge and Daet Bridge, all located along Tagbilaran North Road, were now passable.

Five bridges along Tabilaran East Road were reopened after repairs. Passable again to light vehicles are Bonkokan Bridge, Banban Bridge, Balbalan Bridge, Panangatan Bridge and Agape Bridge along Loay Interior Road.

Camayaan Bridge along the Loboc interior road in Loon is also passable again, the DPWH said.

Malaysian donation

Malaysia’s World Children Welfare Fund, an organization led by Rosmah Mansor, wife of Prime Minister Najib Razak, donated P1.4 million for the children affected by the earthquake in Bohol and Cebu.

The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur said that Rosmah turned over the donation to Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Eduardo Malaya.

The World Children Welfare Fund provides aid to children caught in conflict and natural disasters around the world.

Malaysia’s volunteer relief organization Mercy Malaysia is also sending a five-member team to Cebu and Bohol tomorrow to help in emergency operations, with two more teams expected to follow soon, the embassy said.

Najib, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Toshinao Urabe have extended their sympathies and expressed solidarity with the Filipinos on behalf of their countries. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 6

Miriam says Filipinos want to spit at senators

BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer “EVERY SINGLE Filipino wants to spit at a senator, including myself, within spitting distance.

We’re severely damaged.”

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago in a telephone interview with the INQUIRER described the depths to which the Senate had been mired in the wake of the alleged raids of billions of pesos in the past decade by senators of state coffers of funds meant to ease poverty and the plight of storm victims.

“So far, it’s beyond remedy,” said the feisty senator who has been elected to the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Whether senators get around to deleting the congressional Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) in the 2014 national budget, the image of the Senate is in tatters because of the pork barrel scandal, Santiago said.

Senate President Franklin Drilon claimed that several

senators had written him of their desire to have their own pork barrel excised from the P2.268-trillion proposed 2014 budget.

But this might not be enough to redeem the chamber, Santiago indicated. “That’s why I’m not in a particular hurry to go back,” said the senator, who is on official leave due to chronic fatigue syndrome.

The only remedy is for the senators to “voluntarily resign” and give way to young people untainted by corruption, she said.

Senators Ramon Revilla Jr., Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile were charged with plunder in the Office of the Ombudsman on Sept. 16, together with businesswoman Janet LimNapoles and 34 others over the P10-billion pork barrel scam.

Shortly after, Senator Estrada divulged in a privilege speech that several of his colleagues received P50 million in additional pork barrel after the Senate convicted Chief Justice Renato Corona for dishonesty in his statement of assets, li-

The only remedy is for the senators to “voluntarily resign” and give way to young people untainted by corruption, according to Sen. Santiago.

PHOTO FROM PINOYREPUBLIC.NET

abilities and net worth in May 2012.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad has confirmed 20 senators received additional pork barrel amounting to P1.107 billion months after Corona’s conviction.

Abad said the P1.107 billion was coursed through the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), an impounding mechanism for government sav-

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ings introduced in 2011. The legality of the DAP has been questioned in the Supreme Court.

Santiago, who voted against the conviction of Corona along with Senators Joker Arroyo, now retired, and Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said the largesse constituted bribery.

Constitutional law expert Fr. Joaquin Bernas and former Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Malacañang was not autho-

rized under the Constitution to transfer items in the General Appropriations Act from one department to another.

It turned out the senators’ priority projects received varying amounts.

For instance, Drilon, then the Senate finance committee chair and pork barrel dispenser, got an allocation of P100 million; Sen. Francis Escudero, P99 million, and then Senate President Enrile, P92 million.

Some senators admitted that even before Corona’s impeachment trial they were asked to submit a list of projects worth P100 million, but expressed surprise that the funds were coursed through the DAP. Santiago maintained that she advocated either instant or gradual abolition of the pork barrel, but she wasn’t among those who had written Drilon that they wanted their PDAF allocation deleted from the 2014 budget.

“Abolition must be universal… We should make sure that what you renounce will go to the public,” she said. ■

Philippine News

7 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

Execs can’t...

Leon qualified that the fund was commingled in the general fund and that cash would always be available when needed.

Earlier in the day, during the hearing on the 2014 budget on the Department of Finance, Sen. Ralph Recto managed to elicit an answer from De Leon on the whereabouts of the Malampaya Fund.

“Don’t mislead the public and make them think there’s P137 billion available in cash by saying it’s intact,” said Recto, who chaired the hearing on the finance budget.

“There’s something wrong there. Tell the public what is the truth. That this is commingled with the general fund; that’s what it is,” he said.

De Leon replied: “We can use the cash … If there’s an expenditure to be funded, the cash will be made available.”

When Recto asked if that entailed borrowing money, De Leon said yes. Recto said: “Let’s call a spade a spade.”

De Leon explained that the fund was intact “in the sense” that the Bureau of the Treasury was monitoring the disbursements out of the fund.

Asked if there was a separate item of the fund in the bank, De Leon said this was a special account in the general fund.

Recto later explained to reporters: “If they need to borrow money, they will make it available because that is what you call an appropriation balance.

That’s all accounting. If we talk of proper cash management, it’s not a good practice. Even the secretary of finance said so.” ❰❰ 1

Constitutionality

The constitutionality of the discretionary manner in which the President can use the government share in the operation of the Malampaya gas and oil fields is one of the twin issues to be decided by the Supreme Court next month, along with the congressional Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF).

Widespread public indignation over the channeling of PDAF into ghost projects and kickbacks has prompted three petitions to the high tribunal to declare lump sum allocations to lawmakers unconstitutional, along with the Malampaya Fund disbursements.

During the NEP hearing, Sen. Serge Osmeña III asked why the government had not spent the balance of the Malampaya Fund on projects. Purisima said: “The cash has been spent but there is no borrowing.”

Purisima explained that there was an “unusual account”—Account No. 151 created by Presidential Decree No. 1234—allowing the Malampaya Fund to be used by the government. He said the Aquino Cabinet tried to understand this when it took over in June 2010.

Then De Leon butted in: “There’s no more cash.”

Osmeña retorted, “You know you’re going to get us in trouble.”

De Leon and Purisima, together with other members of the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC), briefed Osmeña on the NEP. Automatically appropriated

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, a DBCC member, ex-

plained that the Malampaya Fund was “automatically appropriated.”

“Anytime we need to fund an energy-related project, you will always have appropriation to fund that project,” he told Osmeña. “In case of balance, what you have is available appropriation. If we need appropriation, we provide it with cash.”

“The P130-billion balance is really P130 billion of appropriations that is available,” he added.

According to the Treasury headed by De Leon, the government had collected P183.57 billion for the Malampaya Fund from 2002 to Oct. 9 this year.

The balance stands at P136 billion.

Presidential Decree No. 910 of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos provides that royalties and proceeds from the exploitation of energy resources should form part of a special fund to finance energy development projects of the government.

However, it also authorizes the use of the fund for other projects approved by the President without seeking legislative sanction. Critics said that this undermined the constitutional mandate to the legislature of its power of the purse.

Purisima blamed PD 1234 for the confusion on the nature of the Malampaya Fund.

“It authorizes double accounting. It says it’s a revenue every year from 2002 and yet, on the other hand, it has a ledger that says there’s a number that represents authorized appropriation that can be used in accordance with the law,” he told Osmeña.

Confusing decrees

Earlier in the day, Purisima explained to Recto that Account No. 151 under PD 1234 allowed the Malampaya Fund to “straddle between a special fund and a general fund.”

“It’s not a special fund in the truest sense of the word. But if it’s a special fund, it can’t be… under the general fund. If you use the cash from the special fund to the general fund, there’s some liability to the special fund,” Purisima said. “With Account No. 151, you have to be in two places at the same time.”

Purisima agreed with Osmeña and Recto that the martial-law era decree should be amended to include the fund in the General Appropriations Act, or the national budget.

A couple of weeks ago, Recto commented that the fund could not be accounted for. Treasury officials later said this was “perfectly intact.”

The Treasury said that from 2004 to 2009, P23.3 billion worth of nonenergy-related projects and P303 million worth of energy-related projects were financed using money from the Malampaya Fund.

Under the Aquino administration, it also said, releases against the Malampaya Fund, amounting to P18.45 billion, were all for energy-related projects.

Off-budget items

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago has filed a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that the President submit all off-budget items, including the Malampaya Fund, to Congress’ scrutiny every year.

Santiago said money from

the Malampaya Fund, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. should be included in the Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing (BESF).

Santiago said these off-budget funds violated the constitutional provision that states: “No money shall be paid out of the treasury, except in pursuance of an appropriation made by law.”

She said these funds were created during martial law and excluded from the national treasury in violation of the “one-fund” concept, which she said is a “sound concept.”

“At present, these off-budget funds are under the complete control of the President, without an appropriation made

by Congress. The practice of off-budget funds is an evil that should be struck down on its face for violating the Constitution,” Santiago said.

While the President submits the BESF report and the NEP to Congress, it’s the latter that has the sole power to appropriate the revenues earned by government, the senator said.

“The BESF report contains the sources of government revenues and their corresponding amounts, and a proposal on how these funds shall be spent for the next fiscal year,” Santiago said.

While it’s supposed to contain all the sources of government revenues, in reality, the BESF Report does not include the off-budget sources of revenues.

“These three major sources of national revenues are used, distributed, and disbursed outside the budget process,” she said. ■

Sulu sultan... sultan’s modest home in Maharlika Village, Taguig City.

Idjirani said the family was arranging a flight to take Kiram’s body to Jolo, Sulu, so they could bury him within 24 hours after his death in accordance with Muslim tradition.

From Jolo, he said the body would be immediately transported and buried in a cemetery in Maimbung, 6 kilometers from Sulu’s capital town.

Idjirani said Esmail Kiram II, being Kiram’s oldest surviving brother, will be crowned next ❰❰ 4

leader of the sultanate, which does not enjoy any political power over its “territory” in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi, unlike existing sultanates in Brunei and Malaysia.

Kiram talked to brod

Idjirani said Kiram talked to Agbimuddin. He did not say how or where Agbimuddin was.

But he made it understood that Agbimuddin was in Sabah by saying that Agbimuddin decided not to return to Sulu for Kiram’s burial to secure the areas controlled by the sultan-

ate’s forces. “[Agbimuddin] knows he cannot do anything to undo what has happened. He was happy that they were able to talk,” Idjirani said.

Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao offered his condolences to Kiram’s family.

“We pray that Allah’s mercy be upon him,” Hataman said.

Sulu Vice Gov. Abdusakur Tan said he went to Kiram’s house yesterday to pay his last respects to the sultan “as a Tausug leader and a relative.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Sultan Jamalul Kiram III, 75 years old sultan and the 33rd crowned ruler of one of the oldest sultanates in Southeast Asia, died from multiple organ failure due to complications of diabetes.

PHOTO FROM FREEMALAYSIATODAY.COM

Philippine News

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 8

Road user’s tax spent faster than Malampaya

BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA Philippine Daily Inquirer

With alleged smuggler, David Tan’s group reportedly bringing in an average of 1,000 containers per week, the government loses an estimated P5.76 billion in revenues a year.

Biggest rice smuggler pinpointed

BY GIL C. CABACUNGAN Philippine Daily Inquirer THE HEAD of a newly formed farmers and fishers group, former Abono party-list Rep. Rosendo So, urged government to look into reports that a certain “David Tan” was the head of the country’s biggest rice smuggling syndicate.

At least two Bureau of Customs officials, one former and one current, have estimated revenue losses from rice smuggling up to P6 billion a year.

Many questionable rice shipments, they alleged, were arranged by “David Tan” in cahoots with corrupt customs officials.

So, president of the Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag), said the government should investigate “this David Tan who is wreaking havoc on our agricultural industry. We want to know who is David Tan and why the authorities have allowed him to allegedly manipulate rice imports for his own and his group’s profit?”

Sinag was launched at Club Filipino.

So said even if David Tan was only an alias, he reportedly still managed to get an import permit from the National Food Authority (NFA) during the term of its former chief, Lito Banayo.

“His (Tan’s) import permit apparently became a license to bring in any amount of rice. That is why we are happy that Secretary Proceso Alcala decided not to issue any more rice imports three months ago,” said So. So said he received reports

that “Tan went to the extent of paying individuals to buy up NFA rice to create the illusion of a rice shortage and force the hand of Alcala to authorize more rice imports.”

So also claimed an independent probe by the DA also yielded the same findings as the one made by his group—that some financiers could afford to spend millions to ramp up the price of rice because of massive profits in the illicit rice trade.

A former BOC official and a recently appointed BOC official, both of whom refused to be named for fear of reprisals, claimed that all dealings on unauthorized rice imports with unscrupulous customs officials were centralized through Tan to minimize suspicions in the agency. The BOC official claimed that Tan was said to have paid off key officials of the BOC in exchange for looking the other way when the smuggled rice were brought in through ports in Manila, Cebu and Davao, and some times at the Subic freeport.

A twenty-foot container can hold least 500 sacks of rice and supposed to be charged at least P240,000 in duties. So claimed that Tan’s smuggled rice was reportedly levied only P120,000 or half the official rate.

The resigned BOC official alleged that between P2 billion and P4 billion of these foregone revenues go to the pockets of unscrupulous BOC officials.

With Tan’s group reportedly bringing in an average of 1,000 containers per week, the government loses an estimated P5.76 billion in revenues a year,

said So, adding that farmers then suffer from lower profits due to the supply glut.

The BOC source said this could be the same “David Tan” tagged in a Senate committee report released last February as one of two financial backers of the rice cartel operating during the term of Banayo.

The committee report said: “There is sufficient basis to conclude that the financiers are behind the anomalous transactions, and testimony and documents obtained in the hearings establish without doubt that these financiers exist and have employed dummies to rig the bidding process.” The committee, however, failed to ascertain Tan’s real identity but recommended the filing of graft charges against Banayo and other NFA officials linked to rice smuggling.

Banayo resigned in September last year to run for a House seat in Agusan del Sur. So said players in the local agriculture sector decided to band together and form Sinag to show their collective anger not only at the rampant smuggling of rice, pork, poultry, fish and other farm products but also at the indifference of the Department of Finance. So accused the DOF of favoring big foreign business groups with fat perks.

Meanwhile, lawmakers used the misery of the farming sector as pretext to pilfer taxpayers’ money from Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP), he added. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

THE GOVERNMENT’S third biggest source of tax revenues appears to be getting depleted even faster than the now controversial Malampaya Fund, which represents the royalties from the Malampaya oil and gas operations off Palawan.

As of December last year, the government has collected some P90.72 billion of the Motor Vehicle User’s Charge (MVUC), or the road user’s tax, based on the Department of Budget and Management’s Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing (BESF) report.

But only P10.69 billion is left of the fund as of the end of 2012, meaning a total of P80.02 billion has been spent since the MVUC was first collected in 2001.

When former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo stepped down in 2010 after nine years in office, only P8.34 billion remained of the MVUC, despite an average annual collection of P7 billion.

In the case of the Malampaya Fund, administration Sen. Ralph Recto earlier claimed that of the P170 billion in royalties collected since 2002, a total of P130 billion was “gone.”

Recto said the Arroyo administration had used up P25 billion while President Aquino has so far spent P15 billion.

Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged brains behind the P10billion pork barrel scam, is fac-

ing another set of charges for allegedly pocketing P900 million in Malampaya funds that were supposed to have been spent for typhoon victims. Also charged were Arroyo and three of her Cabinet members.

The MVUC was created by Republic Act No. 8794 in 2000.

The proceeds from the tax was supposed to constitute a “special road fund” to be spent “exclusively” for the improvement and maintenance of drainage systems in national primary and secondary roads.

The General Appropriations Act of 2013 expanded the scope of the fund’s use to cover the “maintenance of roads and bridges.”

The total MVUC collection and how it is spent are contained in the BESF, a report made available together with the President’s National Expenditure Program, under “earmarked revenues, special accounts in the general fund.”

A comparison of the BESF and the Bureau of Treasury reports suggested discrepancies in the amount of MVUC collections deposited since 2001.

That year, the BESF showed a deposit of P3.69 billion, but the Bureau of Treasury amount was lower at P3.17 billion.

The P90.72 billion in total MVUC collections can be broken down into four items: special road support fund (P72.57 billion), special local road fund (P4.53 billion), and the special road safety fund and the special pollution fund, which represented an identical amount of P6.8 billion. ■

The government has collected some P90.72 billion of the road user’s tax, based on DBM’s Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing (BESF) report. But only P10.69 billion is left of the fund as of the end of 2012.

Philippine News

9 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

Bohol ma: I feel my kids are still alive

BY CARMEL LOISE MATUS AND NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer SAGBAYAN, BOHOL—Mother’s intuition is telling Genara Somoro that her two children are still alive even if they are believed buried under 3 meters of rock, mud and branches of trees.

Somoro, 43, sat in a corner watching rescuers digging with a backhoe the mound of debris from a landslide caused by last Tuesday’s 7.2-magnitude earthquake that brought down part of Bayong Falls in Katipunan village here.

Her children, Jonalyn, 13, and Joellene Somoro, 11, their cousins, Jess Marvin, 10, and Meme Jane Empinado, 8, and their uncle Reynald Sipsip, 14, were swimming in the river below the falls when the earthquake struck that morning.

The children were never seen again.

But Somoro is not giving up hope that her kids are alive.

“I am a mother. I feel that my children are still alive,” she told the Inquirer.

In the nearby town of Clarin, another mother was asking her son for a sign that would help rescuers find his body.

Proper burial

Estela Tagsip said she had accepted that her youngest son, Roger, did not survive when boulders and trees fell on him and his two cousins during the earthquake.

The children were fetching water from the Kawasan River in Villaflor village when the quake struck.

Tagsip said she wanted her son’s body to be found so she could give him a proper burial.

“Dong, give us a sign to let us know where you are,” she sobbed.

Workers kept digging on Monday at Katipunan and Vil-

laflor, but had yet to find the missing children.

Lack of equipment made the search slow and painful.

Capt. Lolito Destajo, commanding officer of the Philippine Army’s 6th Special Forces Company handling the retrieval in Villaflor, said his men were using shovels and crowbars to dig through the mud and turn up boulders in the part of the river where the children were believed to be when the earthquake struck.

Three more bodies were recovered in Bohol province on Sunday, bringing the death toll from the earthquake that hit Central Visayas to 188, officials said on Monday.

At the San Isidro de Labrador church which was toppled down by the 7.2 magnitude earthquake. In Sagbayan, Bohol, Genara Somoro, like many others, is not giving up hope that her kids who went swimming in the river by Bayong falls when the earthquake struck were still alive.

No second quake

Also on Monday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) debunked rumors that spread over the weekend that another major temblor was going to shake the provinces of Bohol and Cebu anew.

Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum appealed to the public, especially netizens, to be more circumspect in passing information they see on social media and in text messages.

“There’s a very, very small chance of another earthquake as strong as 7.2 magnitude happening in Bohol and Cebu,” Solidum said in a press conference at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Solidum explained that the north offshore fault in Bohol, which most likely generated last Tuesday’s earthquake, would have to “save up enough energy for hundreds of years before it could move the northern side of Bohol and Cebu again.”

Moreover, no one can really predict when and where an earthquake would happen, much less how strong it would be.

“So to our countrymen, the

PHOTO FROM GREENWICHTIME.COM

netizens, don’t believe what’s written on Facebook and SMS unless you hear the civil defense, Phivolcs, local officials, talk about an earthquake.

Let’s not add to the confusion, if there’s still confusion, by spreading hoax text messages.

This does not help anyone,” Solidum said.

Sixteen Phivolcs scientists and information specialists have been going around Bohol to study the fault plane that was likely the source of the Oct. 15 earthquake on the northern side of the province, as well as educate local officials and residents in the aftermath of the temblor.

With the recovery, there were four dead reported in Sevilla; 56 in Loon; Clarin, five; Getafe, two; Buenavista, two; Calape, five; Tubigon, seven; Balilihan, five; Inabanga, four; Batuan, one; Sagbayan, 15; Baclayon, one; Tagbilaran City, four; Loay, two; Alburquerque, two; Maribojoc, 15; Bilar, six; Cortes, six; Catigbian, five; Antequera, 13; San Isidro, 10; Talibon, one; Trinidad, one; Danao, two, and Sierra Bullones, one.

Earlier, the NDRRMC reported that 12 people were killed in Cebu province and one in Siquijor province.

11 still missing

Aftershocks

The Phivolcs recorded 2,255 aftershocks, but only some 50 to 100 of them were felt.

As of Monday, the NDRRMC and the Bohol police said there were 188 reported fatalities.

The recovery of the three bodies in Sevilla town on Sunday brought to 175 the estimated number of dead in Bohol.

The dead were identified as Agripina Mira, Cristino Digawam and Paterno Mutia.

www.canadianinquirer.net

Eleven people were still missing in Bohol, including the children of Somoro and Tagsip.

Police Senior Supt. R’win Pagkalinawan said the aftershocks hampered the search for the children.

Nearly 600 people were reported injured: 489 in Bohol; three in Siquijor; one in Negros Oriental, and one in Iloilo.

Bohol Gov. Edgar Chatto said the retrieval operations continued despite the pullout of some

rescue groups.

Chatto said two teams from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) returned to Manila on Sunday night.

But one team from the MMDA stayed to plan a disaster training and preparedness program for Bohol, he said.

A team from Makati City and another from Dumaguete City also went home on Sunday, he said.

Despite the departures, Chatto said, many volunteers continue searching for bodies in Loon and Sagbayan towns.

Somoro said her children did not ask for permission to take a bath in the river below the waterfalls on Oct. 15.

She said she would not have allowed them to go because they would have to walk 3 kilometers downhill to get to the falls.

The children were threshing paddy rice harvested from the family’s small farm when she and her husband, Joel, told them to tend to their vegetable garden instead.

Bye, Ma

“Goodbye, Ma. Goodbye, Pa,” Joellene said to her parents before going.

Somoro said she was puzzled.

She said she told her husband, “What’s with Joy? She kept saying goodbye.”

Then the earth shook.

When the children did not return home, Somoro said she started to worry.

It was only later, she said, that she learned that her children joined their cousins and uncle in going to the river to take a bath.

When she and her husband went to the river, they found the part of it under the cataracts covered by boulders, mud and tree branches that had been brought down by a landslide.

They called out to the children.

There was no answer. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 10

Death toll hits 150; quake affects 3M

BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer RESCUERS RACED to reach isolated communities in earthquake-devastated Bohol province, as aftershocks tormented survivors and the death toll surpassed 150.

A 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Bohol, Cebu province and Siquijor Island in Central Visayas on Tuesday morning, toppling bridges, tearing down centuries-old churches and triggering landslides that engulfed entire homes.

President Aquino and Cabinet officials visited Bohol yesterday to distribute relief goods and inspect the damage firsthand.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) told a late afternoon news conference yesterday that more than 3 million people from Bohol, Cebu and Siquijor were affected by the earthquake.

The towns of Loon and Maribojoc in Bohol, the epicenter of the quake, were isolated after bridges collapsed and landslides rendered roads impassable, the council said.

The two towns could be reached only by sea, it said.

By yesterday afternoon, the death toll had climbed to more than 150.

Reynaldo Balido, spokesperson for the NDRRMC, said more bodies were found under the rubble of collapsed buildings, including a hospital in Bohol.

First responders retrieved the bodies of two persons from the rubble of Cong. Nicasio P. Castillo Sr. Memorial Hospital in Bohol, he said.

Balido said the death toll was 144--134 in Bohol, nine in Cebu and one in Siquijor.

Higher figure

But the Bohol Provincial Police Office reported 144 deaths in Bohol, with Loon town having the most number of fatalities at 42.

In the town of Jetafe, the police said there were two fatalities; Clarin, four; Buenavista, two; Calape, five; Tubigon, seven; Balilihan, five; Inabanga, four; Batuan, one; Sagbayan, nine; Baclayon, one; the capital Tagbilaran City, four; Loay, two; Alburquerque, two; Maribojoc, 15; Bilar, six; Cortes, two; Catigbian, four; Antequera, 13;

San Isidro, 10; Talibon, one; Trinidad, one; Danao, two; and Sierra Bull ones, one.

Of those who died, 14 remained unidentified.

PO3 Carl John Legazpi, Bohol Police Office operations clerk, said 186 people were injured and 22 were missing, believed to be trapped in their homes.

“We are hoping they are still alive and will be found soon,” Balido said.

Executive Director Eduardo del Rosario of the NDRRMC said some of the missing may not be trapped in their homes but could be in hospitals.

Why lower figures

He said the NDRRMC had lower figures compared with those from the provincial disaster response offices because of the “delay in the reporting system” caused by fallen communication lines.

Data from the provincial regional office would be more accurate, he said.

Del Rosario said initial casualty figures being reported were “subject to validation.”

The figures become official only after the dead have been identified and their deaths confirmed by the Department of Health, he said.

Legazpi said most of the dead were crushed under collapsed homes and were buried in landslides.

Some of them died from a heart attack, he said.

Among the dead were 3-yearold Dario Amba and 5-year-old Ivan Gabuya, both from Alburquerque. They were pinned to death when their houses collapsed during the quake.

In Cebu, eight of the dead were crushed in fallen buildings. The ninth fatality, 4-yearold Shaiza Mila Petulina, died in a stampede in Pinamungajan town.

One died in Talisay City, five in Cebu City, and two in Mandaue City.

Isolated communities

With toppled or damaged bridges, ripped-open roads and power outages fragmenting the island of about 1 million people, Balido said it was proving difficult for police and government rescuers to reach isolated communities.

At Loon, a small coastal town of about 40,000 people just 20 kilometers from the epicenter of

establishments to close temporarily, he said.

Evacuees

Ten churches, many of them dating back to centuries of Spanish colonial rule of the Philippines, were destroyed or badly damaged in Bohol and the neighboring island province of Cebu.

PHOTO BY LOBOC VICE MAYOR PABLIO SUMAMPONG

the earthquake, shocked survivors wandered around the rubble of buildings looking for relatives.

Farmer Serafin Megallen said he dug with his hands, brick by brick, to retrieve his mother-inlaw and cousin from the rubble of their home.

“They were alive but they died of their injuries three hours later.

There was no rescue that came, we had to rely on neighbors for help,” Megallen said in interview with Agence France-Presse.

Megallen said a neighbor with a truck tried to drive the bodies to Loon’s funeral parlor, only to find out the bridge across a river on the way was destroyed.

The bodies were then taken across the river in a boat.

“But no one will give them last rites because the church was also destroyed,” Megallen said.

Ten churches, many of them dating back to centuries of Spanish colonial rule of the Philippines, were destroyed or badly damaged in Bohol and the neighboring island province of Cebu.

Loon’s limestone Our Lady of Light Church was reduced to mounds of crushed rocks.

Damage to infra

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said that damage to roads and bridges in Bohol and Cebu had been estimated at P75.15 million.

In Bohol, 23 bridges that collapsed cost P57.8 million. In Cebu, partial damage to seven bridges amounts to P17.67 million, the DPWH said.

The agency said four major roads and 13 bridges in Bohol were destroyed or damaged by the quake.

Public Works Secretary Rogelio Singson said the Tagbilaran North, Tagbilaran East, CortesBalilihan-Catigbian-Macaas www.canadianinquirer.net

and Loay Interior roads were impassable.

“Aside from cracks, settlement of asphalt and concrete pavements, as well as slips, landslides also made the roads impassable,” Singson said, quoting a report from the DPWH Central Visayas office.

Three of the 13 bridges— Abatan and Moalong, both spanning the Tagbilaran North Road, and the Tagbuare Bridge over the Tagbilaran East Road— collapsed, Singson said.

Damaged and impassable are the Camayaan Bridge in Cortes town; Tultogan in Calape; Tagbuane in Albur; Hunan in Buenavista; Palo, Hinawanan, Bonkokan, Banban and Panangatan, all spanning the Tagbilaran East Road, and Agape in Loay.

Two other bridges—Suarez over the Dawis-Panglao Road and Salog over the Tagbilaran North Road—were also damaged but still passable, Singson said.

A flood-control structure on the Tagbilaran East Road was “totally destroyed,” Singson said.

In Cebu, the Carcar-Barili and Sibonga-Dumanjug roads had cracks but remained passable, he said.

“Other than the centuries-old Basilica Minore del Santo Niño in Cebu City, the Dalaguete town church and the provincial high school in the same municipality, no major damage has been reported on national government structures in the province,” a report from the DPWH Cebu office said.

Cebu City Disaster Office Operations Officer Alvin Santillana said the earthquake caused P331 million in damage to the city, mostly to private and public structures.

He said the estimate did not include economic costs. The quake forced some commercial

Balido said more than 30,000 people were staying in 51 evacuation centers in Bohol and Cebu.

More than 1,000 families chose to stay with their relatives and friends, he said.

Electricity has been restored in only 67 percent of Bohol, he said.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) released P10 million in “additional standby fund” for the relief needs of the survivors.

Meanwhile, Maribojoc and Loon towns reported loss of power and lack of water.

Maribojoc Mayor Leoncio Evasco Jr. said water could not be pumped to homes because there was no electricity.

At least 25 percent of Bohol’s 47 towns were without electricity, but the Department of Energy gave the assurance that power would be restored in the entire province in three days.

Army Lt. Gen. Roy Deveraturda, commander of the military’s Central Command based in Cebu, said the government’s response to the emergency was good.

“All agencies are helping each other. The objective is to bring the situation back to normal at the soonest possible time,” he said.

Aftershocks

Deveraturda said Bohol would be needing relief goods and the evacuation centers would be needing tents as survivors did not want to return to their homes or go inside buildings for fear of aftershocks.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said, however, that aftershocks should not be a cause for panic.

Phivolcs said there would be weeks of aftershocks, but those smaller-magnitude temblors are normal after the main quake. “[People] might be alarmed or overwhelmed by the number of aftershocks we record, but a lot of them are only detected by our instruments and they are too slight to be felt by people,” Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum said.

He said Phivolcs sent two teams to Bohol and Cebu to conduct an information campaign and assess hazards in the aftermath of Tuesday’s earthquake. ■

Philippine News

11 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

Farmers, fisherfolk seek reform, overhaul of DA

BY RONNEL W. DOMINGO Philippine Daily Inquirer AN UMBRELLA group of farmers and fisherfolk called for a massive reform and overhaul of the Department of Agriculture (DA) which it said had no business getting P148 billion in taxpayers’ money in 2014 until such a retooling is carried out.

The Alyansa Agrikultura, which counts 42 federations and organizations in its membership, said the DA is poised to

get a P78-billion in next year’s budget as well as control of P70 billion from the coco levy fund.

Arsenio Tanchuling, president of Alyansa Agricultura, said the group’s opposition to the DA’s being allowed to handle so much funds is borne of the agency’s “faulty funding mechanisms (that) allowed the channeling of scarce resources meant for poor farmers and fisherfolk to unscrupulous nongovernment organizations and people’s organizations.”

Tanchuling said that one way

for the DA to make amends is to allow the budget committee of the National Agricultural and Fishery Council (NAFC)—in which his group is represented—to take part in a thorough investigation of the funds misuse and file appropriate charges against the guilty parties.

The Alyansa made the statements amid a controversy involving the DA and agencies under its supervision which were found to have been made conduits for the corrupt use of lawmakers’ Priority Develop-

ment Assistance Fund (PDAF).

Tanchuling said millions of pesos were released to questionable NGOs and people’s organizations because of the DA’s lax and poor accreditation system, while funds have been “irresponsibly released” through entities like the NAFC itself “(The DA) should also institute massive and deep reform, especially in the budget formulation and monitoring process, where significant private-sector participation is assured,” he said. ■

Naia keeps dubious title as world’s worst terminal

BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer NINOY AQUINO International Airport (Naia) 1 has retained its dubious distinction—it is the world’s worst air terminal, according to a blogger.

In rating Naia 1 the world’s worst this year, travel blog “The Guide to Sleeping in Airports” ( w w w. s l e e p i n g i n a i r p o r t s. net) bestowed the 30-year-old airport the same notoriety it earned in 2011.

The website, an online community for travelers looking to cut costs by catching some sleep in airports instead of booking hotel rooms, said users voted this year’s 10 worst airports based on “comfort, amenities and overall experience.”

“When selecting an airport to declare as the ‘worst,’ travelers were asked to consider the four Cs: comfort, conveniences, cleanliness and customer service,” the site said in releasing the list.

It said the world’s airports were rated based on comfort and availability of seats for travelers experiencing delays or layovers, poor signage and availability of food and transportation services, and the quality of staff services, including “immigration officers who prefer to play Angry Birds than process travelers’ documents.”

Naia 1 is the only Southeast Asian airport on this year’s list.

It is joined on the “not list” (in this order) by the Bergamo airport in Italy, the Calcutta airport in India, the Islamabad airport in Pakistan, the Paris

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), which runs the airports, begged off comment, saying all issues raised by travelers—including “stinky toilets,” in particular—had been addressed.

PHOTO FROM AIRLINESPLANET.COM

Beauvais airport in France, the Chennai airport in India, the Frankfurt-Hahn airport in Germany, the Mumbai airport in India, the Fiumicino-Leonardo da Vinci airport in Rome, Italy, and LAX in Los Angeles, California.

The travel blog said this year’s results were “based entirely on user votes in our site polls and surveys” from September 2012 to August 2013.

Singapore’s Changi airport was voted this year’s best.

Naia 1 was also rated as the worst airport in Asia in 2012.

The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA), which runs the airports, begged off comment, saying all issues raised by travelers—including “stinky toilets,” in particular— had been addressed.

The Naia 1 terminal manager, Dante Basanta, said the implementation of the terminal’s P2.5-billion rehabilitation plan

announced by the Department of Transportation and Communications would begin this December.

The yearlong work includes “structural retrofitting and architectural upgrading” of the terminal.

The air terminal was built for 6 million annual passengers following expansion in the 1990s.

It has, however, exceeded its capacity, hosting 8 million travelers in 2012.

Reviewer Angrycat stayed true to its username in a review posted on the website in December 2012.

While the reviewer found the Naia 1 airport staff courteous, Angrycat thought “everything else sucked.” The traveler had just returned from a trip to Hong Kong and had to line up for 45 minutes at the immigration counter.

“The terminal was chaos upon arriving at the baggage www.canadianinquirer.net

area,” the review said. “There’s a band performing in the middle of the hall which was really noisy and inappropriate.

“I was trying to look for my mother and grandmother and with the band performing so loudly, it not only added to the stress, it made it hard for me to make a phone call with all the noise.”

A traveler that signed in by the name world traveller 328 complained about all the excessive charges that airport staff and one taxi driver demanded.

In a review posted on Sept. 6, the traveler even cited an encounter with a pilot who said “he was sorry for the corrupted officials in Naia and said that the ‘management’ would fix them.”

“Philippines, a great country with friendly natives and beautiful beaches. That was what I thought before I arrived in Naia,” said the reviewer, who

cited being charged P3,000 by a porter and P4,000 by a cabbie.

It was not all bad, however, as the airport still received some praise.

A review by user enzym posted in July found the airport clean and the ground staff kind. He had arrived in Manila late at night and decided to pass the time inside the terminal as “getting to the city is a bit complicated late at night.”

The traveler also enjoyed the free Wi-Fi. “The presence of the guard made me feel safe enough to even leave my stuff there when I went to the toilet (which was very clean, many staff cleaning it regularly),” the post said.

“Great thing was the cheap, many choices. The airport is calm at night and gets busy around 5 a.m. But even after that time, sleepers are tolerated and not interrupted,” the post read.

While not designed to accommodate travelers who stay overnight, Naia offers a dayroom for sleeping for a fee of $18 (P775) for 24 hours for those who decide to spend a day at the terminal to wait for their flight or for arriving passengers who would like to pass the time before leaving the airport.

The MIAA said it had been making efforts to refurbish the old terminal even before 2011, the first time Naia was rated the worst airport in the same travel blog.

In particular, repairs include fixing—and, at times, completely replacing—toilet facilities and implementing improvements in passenger areas. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 12

People power vs pork starts PDAF destroying democracy, says Puno

BY TINA ARCEO-DUMLAO Philippine Daily Inquirer RETIRED CHIEF Justice Reynato Puno has begun to marshal the resources and support of large civil society organizations to launch a campaign for a people’s initiative for passage of a new law that would abolish the corruption-tainted pork barrel and ensure the proper accounting of every peso that goes in and out of the state treasury.

Puno said it was vital for the country to get rid of the pork barrel—officially called the Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF—in all its forms, as he said it was “the worst violation of human rights” that has led to the “failure of democratic institutions and to a large degree destroyed our democracy, principle of separation of powers, and doctrine of checks and balances.”

“The PDAF is destroying our democracy. You look at how the money was spent. Congress does not act on the basis of law but based on its own interests,” said Puno in an interview at the Intramuros headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce of the Philippine Islands (CCPI).

The CCPI is the oldest business chamber in the Philippines, dating back to 1886, and is one of the organizations that Puno is counting on to help in achieving the numbers needed to bring about a people’s initiative through which the Filipino people, by direct action and bypassing Congress, can enact the necessary law to abolish the hated pork barrel system.

Earlier this month, Puno, the country’s 22nd Chief Justice, issued a statement saying that a new law had to be put in place through a people’s initiative as Congress “cannot legislate against its own selfish interest” and that “legislators have lost the moral authority to be the guardians of the people’s money.”

Reserve power

According to Puno, the Filipino people have a “reserve power” to enact laws under Republic Act No. 6735, which provides for a system of initiative and referendum. Under this law, the people can directly propose

Earlier this month, Puno (inset), the country’s 22nd Chief Justice, issued a statement saying that a new law had to be put in place through a people’s initiative as Congress “cannot legislate against its own selfish interest” and that “legislators have lost the moral authority to be the guardians of the people’s money.”

PHOTO FROM NAQUIEM.BLOGSPOT.CA

and enact laws, he said.

“Under our 1987 Constitution, the power to enact laws is no longer exclusively vested in Congress but can now be directly exercised by the people in recognition of the doctrine that the people are the real sovereign and not their elected legislators,” he said.

Puno said the people should use this power “to make laws whenever their elected representatives default in the performance of their sacred duty to enact laws to promote the general interest, or worse, whenever they betray the public trust.”

To get a law passed through a people’s initiative, the proposed law should be endorsed by 10 percent of registered voters—equivalent to about 6 million—and at least 3 percent of the registered voters of every legislative district.

Puno said that after these numbers are secured, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will then publish the proposed law for public discussions.

Then after about 45 days, the Comelec will hold a referendum where voters will be asked to vote either “yes” or “no” to the proposed law. A simple majority of the votes cast will be enough for the law to pass.

The real problem

Puno believes it would not be

too difficult to get the 10 percent of registered voters to sign on to the proposed law to do away with the PDAF, as everyone is fed up with it.

What will be difficult, he said, would be to get the mandated 3 percent of the registered voters of all legislative districts, considering that many of these districts are tightly controlled by political dynasties, which would want to keep their hold on millions of pork barrel funds.

But the 73-year-old Puno said he was not daunted and was determined to see the people’s initiative through.

“It is important that this first attempt to enact a national law succeeds. It has never been done. If this succeeds, we can use it to enact a freedom of information (FOI) law and to extinguish the political dynasties.

In effect, we will use the power granted to the people in the Constitution to enact changes,” he said.

“To me, this is a very crucial issue. The people are united (against the pork barrel). You’ll be hard put to find anyone who says he or she is in favor of the PDAF. The only problem really is that you are going against the politicians,” said Puno.

The CCPI has committed to host meetings where Puno will be holding forth on the people’s initiative. The chamber was www.canadianinquirer.net

once the depository of the Official Gazette of the laws that have been passed in the country.

CCPI president Jose Luis U. Yulo Jr. said the chamber will also help in getting signatories for proposals to pass laws that Congress refuses to pass, including laws abolishing the pork barrel and political dynasties, and the FOI bill.

Puno, who has also started talking to church-based organizations and lawyers’ groups, said other organizations need to join the people’s initiative campaign as opposition to it would be fierce.

“You need to organize. Your opposition are the traditional politicians, the vested interests, everyone who wants to preserve the stinking status quo, those are all your enemies,” he said in Filipino.

Empower COA

Puno said that under the proposed law, which he would like academics, auditing experts and economic experts to work on, more power should be given to the Commission on Audit (COA) to make sure that taxpayers’ money is spent wisely and none goes to line the pockets of elected officials.

He explained that one major reason why politicians have been able to get away with using

the pork barrel funds to enrich themselves was that not enough auditing was carried out.

“The examination is done only once a year. It should be done more often,” said Puno, who also proposed that the COA should have more people and that it should be given prosecutorial powers to cut through bureaucratic red tape.

Under the current system, COA findings are merely submitted to the Department of Justice and the Ombudsman and made the basis for the filing of cases.

People are angry

Puno admitted that the people’s initiative campaign would be an uphill climb and would be opposed by entrenched politicians. He is banking, however, on the people’s disgust with corruption to ensure its success.

“If the politicians oppose the people’s initiative campaign and they again use money, force and fraud, we don’t know what will happen next. This people’s initiative is the last safety valve for the people not to go to the streets,” he said.

“The country’s leaders will try to block it again. But they will come to regret this in the end.

They had better think again because the people’s anger is overflowing,” Puno said. ■

Philippine News

13 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

CA to conduct own probe of Ma’am Arlene

BY JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer

Senate faceoff: COA chief tells Jinggoy he may get ‘P200-M bill’ soon

BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer DESPITE HIS protestations, Sen. Jinggoy Estrada may yet get a notice to refund close to P200 million of his pork barrel released to questionable nongovernment organizations (NGOs) from 2007 to 2009, Commission on Audit (COA) Chair Grace Pulido-Tan indicated.

Grilled by Estrada for more than an hour over her agency’s report on the pork barrel scam, the COA chair turned the tables on him and said lawmakers were “jointly liable” for the “disallowed fund.”

“Why are we being asked to return the fund? We never received the money,” Estrada protested during the Senate hearing on COA’s 2014 budget after Tan confirmed that lawmakers would be asked to refund the money.

Tan replied: “That’s the consequence of a notice of disallowance (ND). Those who will get such a notice would become jointly and solidarily liable for the return of the money, and that is a matter of law.”

She earlier said that NDs would be issued over some P6 billion worth of pork barrel that a special audit from 2007 to 2009 found was illegally funneled to questionable NGOs. In that special audit, the COA reported that P6.2 billion in the congressional Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) was transferred to 82 NGOs from 2007 to 2009, including at least eight controlled by Janet Lim-Napoles, the alleged brains of a P10-billion pork barrel scam.

The funds were sourced from Senators Bong Revilla (P413.29 million), Juan

Ponce Enrile (P332.7 million), Estrada (P191.58 million) and Gregorio Honasan (P14.55 million), among others.

At the hearing, Estrada told Tan it was premature for her to announce the issuance of NDs for legislators. He insisted that it was the heads of implementing agencies, not the lawmakers, who had control of the funds.

“Why gang up on the legislators who don’t have control of the funds?” said the senator, who was charged in the Office of the Ombudsman with plunder together with Revilla and Enrile over the Napoles racket.

At this point, Tan indicated that Estrada might get one such notice.

Tan replied: “Sir, with due respect, I can’t answer your question now because once the notices of disallowance are issued, you have the right to appeal in the event that you get one of these. And it will come to the commission proper, so I don’t want to prejudge.”

Taken aback, Estrada asked why she was giving such a statement. Tan retorted that she was just replying to his question.

“It is our function to issue notices of disallowance, and the effect of a notice of disallowance is that we’re asking you to return the money,” Tan said.

When Estrada pressed her on why the COA was bent on issuing the notices to legislators, Tan said this was a “proper matter for appeal.”

Estrada’s questioning used up close to one and half hours of the finance committee’s hearing on the COA budget to grill Tan, who held her ground.

Nobody in the committee, chaired by Sen. Francis Escudero, managed to ask about the COA’s budget. Another hearing was set for this. ■

THE COURT of Appeals will conduct its own investigation of “Ma’am Arlene,” an alleged “decision broker” or one involved in “fixing” cases at the tribunal, a Supreme Court official said.

Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez said the appeals Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr. has ordered an internal probe about the activities of a certain “Ma’am Arlene,” said to be a clerk in the appeals tribunal.

“While we have jurisdiction over the Court of Appeals, the Presiding Justice also shares our jurisdiction. He vowed to conduct a thorough, impartial probe,” Marquez told reporters, adding that Reyes will be submitting a report on his findings and recommendations within 30 days.

Marquez earlier said there were apparently three “Ma’am Arlenes” who are suspected to be involved in case-fixing in the appeals court. However, only the “Ma’am Arlene” who is a judiciary employee will be investigated, he added.

Marquez’s office has already obtained

her real identity but chose not to reveal it pending the results of the investigation.

The second and third “Ma’am Arlenes” are reportedly a former employee at the Manila Regional Trial Court and a staffer at the Manila City Hall.

Marquez earlier said the alleged illegal activities of the three “Ma’am Arlenes” should not be compared with those of the pork barrel scam’s suspected mastermind, Janet Lim-Napoles.

Marquez’s office has already started a separate investigation on the activities of a “Ma’am Arlene” in the recently concluded elections of the Philippine Judges Association. The winning president, Judge Ralph Lee of the Quezon City regional trial court, and runners-up Judges Rommel Baybay of Makati City RTC and Felix Reyes of Marikina City RTC, were ordered to submit a comment in writing regarding the issue.

Only Reyes submitted his comment to Marquez’s office.

Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno accepted Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s offer to tap the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a parallel probe on the criminal aspects of the controversy. ■

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Philippine News

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 14

Senators wary after PH buying SK fighter jets finding P548M in Combat planes to help defend Manila’s claim to Spratly isles DTI budget

BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer

BY NORMAN BORDADORA Philippine Daily Inquirer REVELATIONS OF grandscale malfeasance in government have made everyone wary of fiscal matters involving the people’s money.

A Senate finance subcommittee last week deferred approval of the Department of Trade and Industry’s relatively small P3.9-billion budget for 2014 after finding more than half-abillion pesos had been set aside for unspecified antipoverty programs in local government units.

The allocation of P548 million in the proposed DTI budget for its Priority Poverty Reduction Project (PPRP) apparently raised an alarm with finance subcommittee chair Sen. Sergio Osmeña III who said he was reminded of the P10-billion pork barrel scam allegedly perpetrated by Janet Lim-Napoles and her cohorts in government.

“Parang Napoles lahat ito, ganyan ang nangyari [This is just likeNapoles, this is what happened],” Osmeña said to Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo and other DTI officials during the Senate budget hearing.

“We don’t know we’re appropriating P548 million and we don’t know how it came about.

We don’t know to whom it’s going, we don’t know who’s going to spend it. We don’t know who is going to implement it.

You can’t explain it to us and it is under your budget,” Osmeña said.

Under the PPRP, provinces and municipalities are allotted different amounts but the items to be funded have yet to be finalized. A trade department official said it was the LGUs that proposed projects to the regional poverty reduction committees.

During a break in the hearing, Domingo promised to submit to the committee certain proposals regarding the use of the P548 million.

Doesn’t have to be exact

“It doesn’t have to be exact.

Even the concepts will do. But we are not motivated to approve that P548-million proposal,” Osmeña told him.

The senator said he would schedule another hearing on the DTI budget in connection with the antipoverty programs for the LGUs. “The budget of theDTI is really too small—it’s only P3.9 billion—nobody’s going to question that. But there’s a new item there for P548 million to promote antipoverty programs in every town,” Osmeña told reporters after the hearing.

“I questioned this because I don’t understand how this will be implemented if you’re just going to give P1 million or P2 million to every municipality.

If that’s what they want, we can just give it to the Department of the Interior and Local Government. So we have to refine that concept,” he said.

Napoles, several lawmakers and government officials have been charged with plunder and other related charges in the Ombudsman for the alleged scam that saw some P10 billion of the legislative Priority Development Assistance Fund, or pork barrel, end up in their hands.

Under the scam, pork barrel funds earmarked for livelihood programs were channeled to Napoles’ fake NGOs and from there were deposited into her bank accounts.

The lawmakers may have been given their share of the kickback earlier by Napoles, who then proceeded to pay off her other coconspirators in congressional and other government offices.

Regarding the DTI budget, Osmeña nonetheless said after the hearing that he was “encouraged” by the DTI’s “one town, one project” program.

“And it’s going to be expanded to a clustering, so it will be several towns [having] one project.

Or several towns, two projects,” Osmeña said. “[This clustering of towns for a program] has been an immensely successful concept in many countries, particularly Japan,” he added. ■

SEOUL—Move over. The big boys are coming.

President Aquino said the Philippines was close to finalizing a deal with a state-owned Korean aerospace firm to buy a squadron of FA-50 fighter jets worth P18.9 billion—a move seen to bolster the country’s aerial power and defend its territory in the disputed West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).

Mr. Aquino said he discussed the procurement of 12 brandnew multirole combat aircraft from the Korea Aerospace Industries Inc. (KAI) when he met with South Korean President Park Geun-hye at the Blue House, South Korea’s seat of power.

He said it was part of the commitment of both countries to improve their military cooperation, in line with a memorandum of understanding they entered into. “(These are) Korean lead-in fighters. The purpose of this (procurement) ... is to maintain our ability to fly jets, at least for the Air Force to fly jets,” Mr. Aquino told the Philippine media covering his visit.

Last fighter jet

Mr. Aquino noted that the last jet fighter the Air Force had, the US-made light fighter aircraft F-5, last flew in 2005.

“While we have (fixed-gear) aircraft, those are just propeller-types. So you slowly lose your expertise to fly jets,” he said.

The KAI website describes the FA-50 as a combat aircraft capable of carrying up to 4.5 tons of weapons, such as air-toair and air-to-surface missiles, machine guns and precision guided bombers, among others.

The aircraft is also equipped with a night vision imaging system with day and night capability.

‘Now we can fight’

Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, who signed the agreement, said the Philippines and South Korea would sign the contract for the purchase of the fighter jets within the year.

He noted that the Korean made military aircraft were more affordable than the fightwww.canadianinquirer.net

GIVING FORCE TO PHILIPPINE AIR. This is the kind of fighter jet—called the

FA-50—the Philippines hopes to acquire from South Korea following President Aquino’s two-day visit to Seoul. This combat aircraft can carry an array of weaponry, such as air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, and precision-guided bombers, and is equipped with a night vision imaging system.

PHOTO FROM KOREAAERO.COM

er jets made in other countries and that their maintenance would be easier as the spare parts for them were readily available.

Asked how the FA-50s would fare with Chinese fighter jets which fly by the West Philippine Sea, Gazmin said: “Pwede na nating labanan siguro yun (We probably can now fight them).”

Gazmin said the hefty price tag would also include the training of Filipino pilots who would fly them.

No delivery date yet

He expressed confidence that the purchase of FA-50s would help the Air Force resuscitate its fighter jet program, which took a nosedive when the military decided to focus on buying helicopters and smaller jets for its counterinsurgency campaign and domestic security program.

Mr. Aquino said there was as yet no definite delivery date for the military aircraft but that both Korea and the Philippines had pledged to expedite the process of procurement.

“We’re just finishing some things both in their laws and our laws regarding the procurement,” Mr. Aquino said. “The bottom line is that both sides agreed to expedite the arms purchase and the delivery of these planes.”

Defense cooperation

Included in the agreement both countries signed were cooperation in the defense industry, exchanges in military technology, exchange of defense-related experience and information, and exchange of visits by military

personnel and experts.

They also agreed to share experiences in military education and training; research and development; logistics and maintenance; humanitarian assistance and international peacekeeping activities; military sports and cultural activities; and military medicine and health services.

Col. Miguel Okol, Air Force spokesperson, said that at present the military only has four S211 military trainer jets. They saw action during military operations against Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebels who attacked Zamboanga City.

Okol said the Air Force also flies three C-130 military transport aircraft, 18 basic trainer airplanes, a fleet of UH-1H and MG-520 attack helicopters and eight Polish-made Sokol combat choppers.

Territorial claims

Mr. Aquino also said he relayed to Park the Philippine concern about the security of 50,000 Filipinos living and working in South Korea every time there is a military confrontation between North and South Korea.

He also thanked Park for South Korea’s support for a peaceful settlement of the conflicting claims over oil-rich isles in the West Philippine Sea “consistent with international law.”

“They can choose to stay quiet but expressed their interest being a very large trading country.

I thanked them for the promotion of stability and the easing of tensions in these disputed waters,” Mr. Aquino said. ■

Philippine News

15 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

Bishop to Ka Freddie: Age doesn’t matter but wait till she’s 18

BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer IN LOVE and marriage, age doesn’t really matter.

Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz, the head of the National Appellate Matrimonial Tribunal (NAMT) of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, weighed in on the May-December affair that had sent netizens abuzz over the enamored singer of “Anak.”

“There are people who are old but behave like children and there are children who are young yet they behave like adults. I don’t remember any case that the marriage did not work simply because one of them was young,” Cruz told reporters who sought his views on the revelation by 60-year-old music legend Freddie Aguilar that he’s taking a girl 44 years his junior to the altar.

“No, I am not supporting (that relationship) neither am I objecting. I am just accepting reality. These are just my thoughts based on my experience in the NAMT,” the outspoken prelate said.

Cruz heads the highest Church body that handles cases of annulment for Catholic marriages in the country. These cases are elevated to the NAMT—which functions like the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court— from lower tribunals of the Catholic Church. Cruz has been the judicial vicar of the tribunal since 1989.

News of the veteran musician dat-

News of the veteran musician dating a 16 year-old girl broke out when they were seen together at the 5th Star Awards for Music program last weekend at Solaire Resort & Casino in Pasay City.

PHOTO FROM PINOYSTOP.COM

ing a 16 year-old girl broke out when they were seen together at the 5th Star Awards for Music program last weekend at Solaire Resort & Casino in Pasay City.

It drew mostly negative reactions in the social media, with some netizens calling Aguilar, who had been separated from his spouse for more than a decade, a “cradle snatcher.”

Cruz said it was easy to criticize someone like Aguilar who fell in love with someone much younger.

“But the moment you are already in-

volved in such a relationship, it’s not easy to be very objective about it,” he said. “Love is never objective … for those involved [in this kind of relationship], it is not that easy because there are a lot of emotional ingredients that are personal and not really objective.”

But if Aguilar has plans to marry his

Manila trial for MNLF leaders, members OKd

BY JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer THE SUPREME Court has approved the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request for the transfer of the venue of the hearings for the cases of rebellion and violation of international humanitarian law filed against Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chair Nur Misuari and other MNLF leaders and members accused of directing or participating in the 21-day bloody siege in Zamboanga City.

“The request of Prosecutor General Claro Arellano requesting for a change of venue was endorsed to the Court en banc which approved the transfer of the venue from Zamboanga City to the appropriate regional trial court of Taguig City,” Supreme Court spokesperson Theodore Te said in a press conference.

The transfer of the venue would also mean the transfer of the detention of 57 MNLF members who were captured by or who surrendered to authorities during the Zamboanga attacks.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima earlier said DOJ prosecutors had requested the Supreme Court to transfer the venue of the trial of Misuari and his coaccused from Zamboanga City to “anywhere in the National Capital Region” for security reasons.

The Zamboanga City Regional Trial Court Branch 13 issued warrants of arrest against the suspects on Oct. 8 for rebellion and violation of Republic Act No. 9851 or the “Philippine Act on Crimes against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide, and other Crimes Against Humanity.”

They were accused of committing “acts of murder, pillage, disorder, looting, arson and destruction of private and public properties.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

young girlfriend, Cruz said, he must wait until she has turned 18 as required by both civil and Church laws, otherwise the marriage would be considered void.

There is no reason why such a marriage would not work if “they open their persons to one another and become patient toward each other,” he said.

They can avail themselves of the many Church programs and activities aimed at guiding new couples, such as seminars given by the Family Life Apostolate and preCana seminars, the bishop added.

“It’s not always a guarantee that when two adults marry, it will automatically work,” Cruz said, citing one case he handled in the NAMT in which a couple, both aged 34, decided to separate immediately after the honeymoon.

“It’s not something that happens daily but what I am saying is it is not necessarily true that if you’re both old, everything is okay,” he said.

He advised Aguilar and his young girlfriend to be more prayerful in view of their “extraordinary” relationship.

“They cannot afford not to pray about this matter because this is not something ordinary, knowing that age difference also (shows) a difference in levels of maturity. Consequently, a lot of special help is needed here.” ■

Opinion

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 16

THERE’S THE RUB

Fall and rise

By Conrado De Quiros Philippine Daily Inquirer THIS IS by far the steepest P-Noy has fallen in the ratings, a friend said. She couldn’t remember anything comparable in the past.

I said I could, but then P-Noy wasn’t P-Noy then, he was just Noy, the candidate who came out of the blue to zoom past everyone who was being touted to become the next president.

He came streaking in like a meteor.

And almost ended up like a meteor.

After blazing forth in the electoral firmament, notching record ratings in all the reputable surveys, which made him a shoo-in to Malacañang, he started slipping steadily. By lateJanuary 2010, he had taken so steep a dive he was only three points away from Manny Villar, the survey-takers proclaiming they were in dead heat.

That was when P-Noy, or then Noy, really stared at the precipice. Eventually of course he rallied, pulled away from Villar, and finished well ahead of the pack.

How did he do it?

What had brought him down to begin with was forgetting his roots. From being the only alternative, the one who carried the torch of Edsa, he became an ordinary candidate, just a notch

better than his rivals. What made him so were the people around him, Mar Roxas, Butch Abad and the other Liberal Party stalwarts, originally assembled to make Roxas president. They took over the campaign, shut out the volunteers, and stamped trapo politics on everything. Overnight, the “Noynoy phenomenon” evaporated.

What turned things around was the Noynoy campaign recovering the Edsa spirit, aided in no small way by the campaign running through the Edsa anniversary. Roxas, who had begun thinking he had made a mistake stepping down because his ratings had soared when he had tacked his fortunes on to Noy, persisted in the same path that had brought the campaign crashing. He paid the price. By the time he discovered his folly, discarding his blue shirt for yellow, it was too late.

Just as well, what turned things around was the Noynoy campaign managing to show Villar not just as a poor second but as night to day. When the smoke cleared, Villar wasn’t just biting Noynoy’s dust, he was biting Erap’s. His fall was so hard it could be heard from Aparri to Jolo.

History repeats itself, the first time as near-tragedy, the second time as complete farce.

Can P-Noy extricate himself from this sticky rut, rally back and get to

the finish line with room to spare?

The 2010 campaign shows how. But it won’t be so easy this time.

The second tack, which is showing up his enemies the way he showed up Villar toward the end of the campaign, is the easier one. There’s a limit to how far that opposition can keep up its barrage against government. There’s a limit to how far it can take the public for a ride. The people are not fools, their attention may be seized by golpe de gulat for a while, but their sense of proportion will reestablish itself

Can P-Noy extricate himself from this sticky rut, rally back and get to the finish line with room to spare? The 2010 campaign shows how. But it won’t be so easy this time. eventually. Despite the P-Noy government’s own transgressions, it is still worlds better than the one it replaced.

And the one that is likely to come.

Certainly it is still worlds better than the world Janet Napoles and the senators and congressmen who stand accused with her represent. The best defense is offense, and two can play that game. Once the Senate hearing on Napoles begins, once the hearing of the

senators and congressmen begins, indeed once the trial of Gloria Arroyo herself begins—lest we forget, the justice department has already charged her with plunder—the public gaze is bound to rivet back to the ones that have done this country the biggest harm.

Provided of course government’s communication doesn’t bungle it, provided of course government controls its own damage by scrapping pork and the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP).

It’s the second, rediscovering the roots, the idealism, the vision, that’s a lot more problematic. That is because of the company P-Noy keeps.

More than pork, the DAP and the P50 million that went the way of the senators who voted against Renato Corona, it’s P-Noy’s lieutenants that stand in the way of his repeating his Houdini, or Lazarus, act in the campaign. They are Roxas, Abad, and the other stalwarts of the Liberal Party, the same people who brought P-Noy’s campaign crashing down, the same people who turned him into little better than the disease he proposed to cure. As they did during the campaign, they have taken over government today, shutting out everyone who is not one of them, putting their stranglehold on everything.

It’s not just giving cannon fodder to P-Noy’s enemies, it’s feeding bile to

P-Noy’s supporters. I’ve heard it again and again from those who gave of themselves freely, unstintingly, enthusiastically to help in P-Noy’s campaign: “Was this what we did it for? To this day, I trust P-Noy, but I do not trust the people around him. To this day, I believe P-Noy means well for the country, but I do not believe the people around him do.”

These are the people who until recently, when they got hit by tumbling ratings, have been reveling in the thought that even better than Gloria and her people, they were going to enjoy 12 years of power. A belief encouraged by P-Noy defending them at every turn— this is the only government where the President’s men will not take a bullet for their President, they will have their President take a bullet for them—commending them to the world at every turn. Which raises all sorts of questions: Is our President the president of the country or the president of the Liberal Party? Are Mar Roxas, Butch Abad and the Liberal Party the greatest legacy he means to bequeath to us?

The hardest to see is not what’s far, it’s what’s near. The biggest enemy is not outside, it is inside. Fall and rise?

Maybe. But it’s hard to rise when there’s deadweight pulling you down.

It’s hard to float when your feet are tied to a hollow block. ■

AT LARGE

Quake a timely, urgent reminder

By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer AMONG THE saddest sights from the damage wrought by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake that hit Bohol and surrounding provinces were the ruins of old churches in Bohol and Cebu.

It was difficult to discern, amid the pile of rubble, crumpled corrugated roofs, and tumbled adobe blocks the churches we had visited in the past, and whose ancient relics, inspiring frescoes and brilliant-colored windows we admired and took delight in.

I was especially saddened at the pictures showing the churches of Loboc, Baclayon and Dauis in ruins.

Just last year, the Jimenez clan held its annual observance of the “Flores de Mayo” in Bohol, considered the “second home” of my uncles and aunts who had spent their teen and preteen years in the province and where old family friends still resided.

Taking prominent place in our memories of Bohol were the churches of Baclayon and Dauis, whose interiors we had toured. I remember that Dauis Church was even especially decorated for a wedding, while the members of the Loboc Children’s Choir practiced in the background.

We would encounter the wonderful voices of the Loboc Children’s Choir a few days later, when we held our culminating Mass at Loboc Church, with the choir members joining us in the traditional offering of flowers and the novena to “Mama Mary.” It was truly saddening to behold in pictures the current state of Loboc Church, its wonderful and elegant interiors exposed to the elements after an entire wall had collapsed.

Also dismaying was the damage sustained by the BasilicaMinore de Santo Niño de Cebu, said to be the oldest church in the archipelago. If faith and devotion alone could hold together bricks-and-mortar structures, then the basilica, the pilgrim site of countless of the faithful, should have withstood the test of time and human folly. Alas, we are helpless against the elements, against an act of God. All we can do is pray that the death and destruction caused by the temblor would no longer escalate, and that the historical structures laid to waste be rebuilt with goodwill, historical accuracy, and respect for the legacy of faith the old structures bore. *** BEYOND the physical damage, there are the lives lost, counted at 28 as this is being written, with some 33

reported injured.

There was an air of fatalism around the table at the Bulong Pulungan sa Sofitel media forum I took part in yesterday. There was, as usual, mention made of our being part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and a sense that “it is just a matter of time” before another earthquake hits closer to home—that is, Metro Manila.

The Visayas earthquake is a timely reminder, once more, of how much preparation we need to carry out be-

The Visayas earthquake is a timely reminder, once more, of how much preparation we need to carry out before disaster strikes. fore disaster strikes. Warnings have proliferated: how in some areas around Taguig houses have begun sinking and ominous cracks have appeared in walls and streets; how much of the city of Manila would sink underwater should the country fall prey to a tsunami; how we badly, as in yesterday, need to carry out a review of public structures and take note of what repairs and renovations need to be carried out before an earthquake strikes.

This is Nature giving us a heads-

www.canadianinquirer.net

up, and it is up to us to decide whether we should heed the warning and respond to the coming crisis, or proceed as if everything is hunky-dory and there is nothing to worry about. *** LAST year, the Civil Service Commission conducted a random audit of Government Service Insurance System offices around the country as part of the provisions of the AntiRed Tape Act (Arta). Sadly, reports GSIS president and general manager Robert Vergara, the 13 branches surveyed “failed” the test, with an average grade of 63 (the passing grade was 70).

But now he has good news. When a new Arta survey was conducted this year, the results for the GSIS were far better. Five branch offices were rated “Excellent” by the CSC, with the Bacolod branch office conferred a “Seal of Excellence” for obtaining a rating of 91.57. Even better, four other GSIS branches “rebounded” from their failing marks last year, earning excellent scores to date.

Vergara, whowas the guest at the Bulong Pulungan, said that under his administration, the focus of the GSIS is to reach out to its members and improve their service delivery.

Part of this are plans to build more

GSIS kiosks, stand-alone outlets where members can check their status and balances and transact (via the Wireless Automated Processing System) with the main office. From an initial 750 kiosks, he said, the GSIS has rolled out 350 more units all over the country, including “rapid-deployment” portable kiosks that can be easily installed in areas beset by disasters. *** GSIS income reached a new high of P93.2 billion in 2012, while payments for claims for retirement, pension, disability and funeral benefits increased by 23 percent. So obviously, the rise in assets has not affected at all (on the contrary) the GSIS’ ability tomeet the needs of their members.

This is why, Vergara said, his primary goal is really “to make the GSIS more accessible to its members,” which he sees as turning transactions with their offices “more enjoyable as they interact with our employees.”

One of his new policies, he said, is putting full-time, experienced employees in front-line positions. “I want to make sure that the people dealing with our members are the best, the most knowledgeable, with the most favorable attitudes toward serving our public,” he stressed. ■

Opinion

17 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

PUBLIC LIVES

Meditation on earthquakes

By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer ACTIVE GEOLOGICAL faults, or fractures in the Earth’s crust that show movement over time, have been known to cause most earthquakes.

Fault lines lacerate virtually all the islands that form our archipelago, Palawan being the sole exception. With the magnitude-7 earthquake that struck Bohol the other day, this beautiful island off the coast of Cebu now has two in a row in a span of two decades. The first, which occurred on Feb. 8, 1990, produced a temblor of intensity 6.8.

One wishes the energy accumulated from the straining of tectonic plates were released gradually, in small amounts. But geologists tell us this correction process that occurs in nature is difficult to predict. Thus they worry when a known major fault has not shown any activity for an extended period. Still, they cannot warn the public too loudly lest they create panic.

Nature’s time is vastly different from that which governs the routines of our daily lives. We tend to minimize the risks posed by conditions we cannot see with our naked eyes. It is easier for the market to estimate losses in terms of profits foregone in the short term, than to assign values to the incal-

culable danger to which it exposes people. The human mind, says the author Gregory Bateson, must learn to find its way back to its home in Nature.

At this writing, at least 97 people have been reported killed by the Bohol earthquake. Many more might be buried under the debris of collapsed buildings. It was astounding to see on TV so many people gathered in the streets in one of the affected small towns, watching as a large crane lifted the concrete slab of a collapsed medium-sized building to free the passengers of a van on which the slab had fallen. What a fortunate thing, I thought to myself, that this crowd was not near this building when it crumbled. In my mind’s eye, I imagined the throng of people that gathered in Manila the previous day to receive medical assistance and bags of food from the Iglesia ni Cristo’s whole-day mission, and wondered, if the earthquake had happened in Manila, how many would have been trampled to death in the ensuing stampede. Sheer density would have changed the scale of the tragedy.

In Bateson’s classic work, “Mind and Nature,” there is a fascinating section titled “Sometimes Small is Beautiful,” in which he writes: “The elephant is afflicted with the prob-

lems of bigness; the shrew, with those of smallness. But for each, there is an optimum size. The elephant would not be better off if he were much smaller, nor would the shrew be relieved by being much bigger. We may say that each is addicted to the size that is.” In this, and in the sentence that follows, Bateson encapsulates a lesson about size that hubris, all too often, prevents us from seeing.

The big one in Bohol that destroyed the massive Spanish churches must give Metro Manila’s housing developers pause.

“There are purely physical problems of bigness or smallness, problems that affect the solar system, the bridge, and the wrist watch. But in addition to these, there are problems special to aggregates of living matter, whether these be single creatures or whole cities.”

If one is not an engineer or an architect, one can only be awed by the height of the apartment buildings that are rising in the metropolis these days, their soaring slenderness matched only by their tiny footprint. One has to marvel at the way they are able to

cramp hundreds of little rabbit hutches into limited space. The plaster in which these buildings are wrapped gives them an aura of solidity that, one hopes, can withstand a magnitude-9 earthquake. But, as if to sneer at the risks, some of these structures are actually built on ground overlooking the Marikina Fault.

Bateson sounds almost as if he had these in mind when he wrote: “Problems of mechanical instability arise because, for example, the forces of gravity do not follow the same quantitative regularities as those of cohesion. A large clod of earth is easier to break by dropping it on the ground than is a small one.” Indeed, size alone may not mean anything. It is its interaction with other variables, “whose curves are discrepant,” says Bateson, that spells the difference between tolerance and change.

“For instance, gradual growth in a population, whether of automobiles or of people, has no perceptible effect upon a transportation system until suddenly the threshold of tolerance is passed and the traffic jams. The changing of one variable exposes a critical value of the other.” The problem clearly arises when the partial perspectives of individual players permit them to add more and more

of a desired thing without taking into account the interaction of this growth with other factors. Let’s not even talk about the impact of these high-rise housing settlements on traffic, air quality, water supply, garbage disposal, etc. Let’s focus on how they might fare in a strong earthquake.

The big one in Bohol that destroyed the massive Spanish churches that had withstood past earthquakes across centuries must give Metro Manila’s housing developers pause. The national building code requires that these structures be able to absorb the power of an intensity-9 earthquake.

The engineering provisions for such contingency are obviously complex, the more so as these buildings increase in height. But, in addition, builders must take into account the fact that an earthquake’s action can be sideways, top-down, or even wave-like.

I know that the Japanese are coming up with ever new technologies for making buildings earthquake-proof.

But there are limits. For the coconut tree, Bateson observes, “the limitation of height is simply a normal part of its adaptation to a niche. The sheer mechanical instability of excessive height without compensation in girth provides its normal way of death.” ■

AS I SEE IT

Will the looting never end?

By Neal H. Cruz Philippine Daily Inquirer IT APPEARS now that there is widespread looting in the government in spite of P-Noy’s anticorruption and “daang matuwid” stance. It is not only in Congress where vultures are feasting on the people’s money and corruption is rampant but also in the executive branch, the government-owned and -controlled corporations, and, in the unkindest cut of all, the judiciary.

Like pigs, all three branches of government are wallowing in the same mud. What is happening? Is P-Noy losing control of his administration?

Is this administration sincere about instituting reforms, curbing corruption, and cutting wasteful spending?

Members of Congress are still fighting to keep their beloved pork barrel in spite of appeals by the people to abolish it; the Departments of Agriculture and of Agrarian Reform have been shown to be willing conduits of funds for nonexistent projects of bogus nongovernment organizations; directors of GOCCs have been giving themselves million-peso bonuses; and now it was discovered that there is at least one syndicate that fixes the results of court cases for a fee, and also the result of elec-

tions for the association of judges. If there is a “Ma’am Janet” in the pork barrel scam, there is an influential “Ma’am Arlene” in the judicial scams.

No wonder there are skewed decisions in all the courts, including the highest one. Apparently, all that wealthy litigants have to do is go to “Ma’am Arlene” and the judges’ decision would be in their favor.

How can the poor get justice in the Philippines when the rich can buy justice?

How does “Ma’am Arlene” do it?

The same way “Ma’am Janet” did it, with a five-letter word: MONEY. You may have the evidence and the smartest lawyer on your side, but if the money is on the other side, what chance have you got, with the current abysmal quality of our judges and justices?

Reform is much more imperative in the judiciary than in the executive branch because the former is the dispenser of justice. Without justice, everything else fails. *** Equally abominable is the timing of the grant of million-peso bonuses to directors of the Social Security System. The extravagant bonuses were given at the same time that the SSS increased the premium payments of its members. The reason given is that the

SSS needs funds to shore up its dwindling financial situation. Why would it not dwindle when the officials who are supposed to safeguard it are looting it? Premiums increase but not the members’ pensions.

SSS members spend many, many years—almost a lifetime—paying the monthly premiums, expecting that when they grow old and retire, they would have a nest egg to comfortably live on. When they retire, they get a pittance, not even enough for medicines in their old age. But as soon as a director is appointed, he gets P14,000

What is happening? Is P-Noy losing control of his administration? just for attending a meeting that lasts maybe only four hours, a car and allowances, plus a P1.7-million bonus near the end of the year, not counting the 13th-month pay.

In his first State of the Nation Address, President Aquino denounced the excessive pay and perks of officials of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System. With a regular annual payroll of P51.4 million, MWSS executives get P81.1 million in additional benefits and allowances.

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In short, of the water firm’s P211.5million annual budget, 66 percent comprised additional perks.

As a result of his discovery, P-Noy formed the Governance Commission for GOCCs (GCG) to curb abuses by the boards of directors who have a penchant for giving themselves lavish perks.

But that only made things worse.

Now all that the corporations have to do is go to the GCG and ask permission to give their officials millionpeso bonuses, and the latter gladly grants it. Now 20 GOCCs have given themselves fat bonuses, with more millions coming this Christmas.

Bear in mind that many GOCCs are subsidized by the national government, which means by taxpayer money. When will the looting stop? *** Will the problems of Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon never end? After failing to meet his collection target and to curb smuggling, Biazon was scolded publicly by P-Noy. He was so humiliated that he offered to resign, but the President told him (according to Biazon) to stay on.

To curb corruption and increase collection, Biazon reshuffled his key subordinates. They took him to court and refused their new assignments. Why? The judge surprisingly granted

a temporary restraining order on the transfers. To top it all, his boss, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, claims just now that he did not approve the transfers. What a boss!

In order to stop corruption and increase collections, Biazon decided to computerize operations. The project introduces a modern and internationally accepted system of transacting with the Bureau of Customs without any personal contact with any of its employees or officials because all computations of tariff duties are immediately processed by computers. The system speeds up transactions up to 20 times faster than the current system.

The project was lawfully awarded to Webb Fontaine last May and was about to be implemented, but the disqualified bidder, Omni prime Marketing Inc., was able to secure an injunction from the Manila Regional Trial Court.

(Ma’am Arlene, were you there?)

Since then, this worthy project has not been able to move because of the injunction. This prejudices not only Webb Fontaine, which has brought in expensive equipment, but also the government because its effort to curb smuggling is again hampered.

The injunction has derailed BOC efforts to stop smuggling. Poor Biazon. ■

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

18

Canada News

UBC curriculum to make students more culturally aware after ‘Pocahontas’ chant The Canadian Press VANCOUVER—A controversial chant based on the Disney movie “Pocahantas” used by students at the University of B.C. has set off a series of measures to help students better understand First Nations.

The changes were announced in a report arising from frosh events sponsored by the Commerce Undergraduate Society last summer.

“The report released today shows us there is very little awareness of indigenous peoples and their concerns among the students we interviewed,” Louis Cowin, UBC’s vice president of students, said in a news release Monday.

“Clearly, UBC has a role to play in educating students to become more culturally competent.”

The report found that student leaders at the Sauder School of Business selected the “Pocahontas” theme and created the chant.

The chant used by the group was: “Pocah, Pocah, Pocah, Pocahontas— white man took our land. . . Pocahontass, ass, ass, ass,” the report said.

The chant was sung for the first time at orientation activities this

Pocahontas Statue, by William Ordway Partridge, erected in 1922, representing Pocahontas the favorite daughter of Powhatan, who ruled the Powhatan Confederacy.

year, Cowin said in an interview.

“The university is going to undertake a role in ensuring that all students who have responsibility for leading orientation events in the future have attended a university-provided workshop around matters of

aboriginal, indigenous understanding such as equity and social justice.”

Other measures including curriculum development on indigenous topics, events to build awareness around diversity, respect and ethical leadership, and on First Nations issues including systemic racism.

Hanna Butson, of the university’s First Nations Study Program, said staff and students of the program were disturbed by the allegations of demeaning, anti-aboriginal and sexist stereotypes in addition to the previously publicized rape chants.

“If these new reports are accurate, they speak to a profound lack of understanding about indigenous peoples, as well as a seeming lack of empathy or context for why these matters might be offensive.”

In September, UBC’s undergraduate society was involved in a chant glorifying abuse of underaged girls and after controversy exploded around the chant, offered $250,000 for sexual abuse counselling and education for students.

Two student executives with Sauder quit in September and the society ended its frosh events after students took part in the change that appeared to endorse rape. ■

Drop, cover and hold part of B.C.’s earthquake drill

BY DIRK MEISSNER The Canadian Press VICTORIA—The loud rumblings of a mock earthquake screeched over the public address system at the British Columbia legislature Thursday, signalling the start of a provincewide earthquake drill that included massive rehearsals of the potentially lifesaving drop, cover and hold manoeuvres.

Sirens followed and government workers joined hundreds of thousands of British Columbians, including school children, who all hid

under their desks and then evacuated their buildings to safety.

But while the mock earthquake drill was setting off alarm bells across the province, it was eerily quiet at Natural Resources Canada near Victoria where seismologists measure earthquake activity.

“I can’t see any earthquakes,” said seismologist Alison Bird, who checked the graphs and found nothing had registered. “It was little bit boring around that time, I’m sorry.”

But she said B.C. has been rattled recently by tiny aftershocks from a quake off Haida Gwaii last month.

While those quakes register on

equipment, they are seldom felt by the public.

B.C. Justice Minister Suzanne Anton said up to 690,000 British Columbians participated in the Great British Columbia ShakeOut, which saw many people crawl under their desks during the mock earthquake drill.

Anton said the drop, cover and hold moves are critical first steps in the event of a real earthquake, but so are practising home, school and business escape routes and preparing earthquake kits to keep survi❱❱ PAGE 27 Drop, cover

NEWS BRIEFS

FROM THE CANADIAN PRESS

RIFT IN HARPER CABINET OVER SECESSION RULES MONTREAL—A split has emerged in the Harper government over a fundamental principle: the rules governing the potential breakup of Canada. The Conservatives’ senior Quebec minister has declared in two media interviews today that a 50-per-cent-plus-one vote for separation is enough for a province to secede.

TRADE DEAL LIKELY TO PASS BEFORE 2015 VOTE OTTAWA—Canadians will soon get a chance to view the text of the recently announced trade deal with the European Union, but aren’t likely to have an opportunity to pronounce final judgment in an election campaign. Conservative ministers began the sales-pitch phase of the new Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement at a news conference Monday, announcing a series of cross-country events to demonstrate the benefits of the deal.

FACEBOOK MULLS OPENING SITE TO PRETEENS TORONTO— Some privacy advocates were rankled when Facebook announced changes to its policies last week that allow teens to post public updates that can be viewed by anyone in the world. But Facebook has contemplated another rule change that could prove even more controversial.

VEHICLE EXHAUST POSES HEALTH RISKS: RESEARCHERS TORONTO—Traffic-related air pollution poses major health risks for the one-third of Canadians who live or work close to high-traffic roads or highways, say researchers, suggesting there are steps that can be taken to mitigate the danger. Pollutants from vehicles’ tailpipes have been linked to the development of asthma in children and adults, says a commentary in Monday’s issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Canada News

19 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

PEOPLE VOTING in Quebec’s local elections could be forgiven for feeling less than confident these days that their scandal-plagued municipalities are about to elect a better batch of leaders.

In the last few days one candidate for the Nov. 3 elections was arrested. One went on vacation. One had his criminal record, for causing the death of his wife, featured in news reports.

And one candidate for Montreal municipal council was repudiated by her party—not because of her recent work as a prostitute, but because of an investigation into other business activities by Quebec’s stock-market regulator.

She was allegedly trying to create a new international currency and seeking money from people in an existing tender—namely, stacks of euros—to make

that dream a reality.

This was supposed to be Quebec’s season of hope and change, after a series of scandals. With so many municipal politicians recently resigned, or arrested, and so much scrutiny over ethics issues, a wave of new candidates promising better days has applied to fill these vacant seats.

But over the last few days local media have been filled with tales of the more unusual antics of several candidates.

In Laval, Que., there’s a race for mayor after two successive municipal leaders were forced to resign. One of the candidates to replace them has decided that he’ll be spending the rest of the campaign in Cuba.

Regent Millette is a perennial political candidate. The 78-year-old has run in as many as 25 federal, provincial and municipal elections over the years and, except for one instance, has never finished higher than last place in any of them.

Now, he’s seeking to follow in the

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footsteps of the federal NDPer who got elected in 2011 after a campaign trip to Las Vegas.

Millette, 78, is travelling to Cuba with a friend who is in poor health. He left his spokesman to handle his campaign.

“I talked him into going—but when I did so I was under the impression he’d go once the campaign was over,” spokesman Rick Blatter said in an interview.

Blatter said local media had largely been ignoring Millette, and independent candidates have been shut out of local debates. So sticking around might not have made much of a difference.

Millette left on Saturday and isn’t due back in town until Nov. 9. “(That’s) un-

less he gets elected (Nov. 3), then we’ll call him and he’ll come back earlier,” Blatter said.

Things have been even stranger in Montreal—where a dark-horse candidate, Melanie Joly, has catapulted out of the shadows to become a perceived top challenger to former federal minister Denis Coderre, according to the latest polls.

Now, there’s greater scrutiny of her slate. And the spotlight’s glare made for an uncomfortable weekend.

Late last week, a newspaper reported that one transgendered candi❱❱ PAGE 44 Arrests, scandals

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World News

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 20

French, Thai experts, Greek police release photos of high tech sonar join suspected ‘Maria’ abductors, search for Lao Airlines benefit fraud probed plane and black box

BY NICHOLAS PAPHITIS The Associated Press

BY JERRY HARMER The Associated Press PAKSE, LAOS—Teams of French and Thai experts plied the muddy Mekong River with high-tech sonar equipment Saturday, ramping up the search for the remnants of a Lao Airlines plane and more than a dozen bodies still missing from the crash three days earlier.

On the riverbank, a group of orange-robed Buddhist monks performed a prayer ceremony for the 49 people who were aboard Lao Airlines flight QV301, all of whom are presumed to be dead.

The ATR-72 turboprop aircraft crashed Wednesday as it prepared to land in stormy weather at Pakse Airport in southern Laos. The plane then skidded into the Mekong River, the largest in Southeast Asia, and disappeared. Half of those aboard the flight were foreigners from eight different countries.

By Saturday afternoon, 36 bodies had been found and authorities were still trying to identify several of them, said Yakua Lopangkao, directorgeneral of Laos’ Department of Civil Aviation. The ATR aircraft was delivered in March, raising questions as to why a virtually new plane crashed.

Until Saturday, the search for bodies and the plane’s flight data recorder, or black box, had been stalled by lack of manpower and equipment in the poor Southeast Asian country, which lacks capabilities in disaster management.

“We have not been able to locate the plane yet, but the teams from France and Thailand have arrived,” Yakua said.

“We have split them into several teams to do simultaneous searches at two or three spots.

We believe that one of these spots is where we will find the black box.”

The French and Thai teams set out on small boats Saturday

to scan the water’s surface with the sonar equipment, a stark contrast to previous days of searching that included Lao villagers peering into the murky water from long-tail boats.

Thai navy scuba divers were conducting underwater searches for the flight data and voice recorders, which could help determine whether the crash was caused by human error or a technical problem.

Thailand also sent a C-130 military transport plane with specialists and equipment, including several high-tech sonar systems, to locate objects on the river floor.

France’s air accident investigation agency, the BEA, said it sent four investigators to help Laos with the probe. It said the team would work with technical advisers from ATR, the French-Italian manufacturer of the aircraft.

The chief pilot has been identified as 56-year-old Young San of Cambodia, who had more than 30 years of flying experience.

Cambodia’s civil aviation security director, Mak Sam Ol, said he was briefed by Lao authorities on final instructions from the control tower.

“Due to a storm and strong winds, as the plan approached landing, the air controller told the pilot to change course,” Mak Sam Ol said in a telephone interview. “He followed instructions, but the plane faced strong storms and couldn’t get through.”

According to the airline, 44 passengers and five crew members were on the flight. The passengers included 16 Lao nationals, seven French, six Australians, five Thais, three Koreans, three Vietnamese and one person each from China, Malaysia, Taiwan and the United States. ■ Associated Press writers Jocelyn Gecker and Thanyarat Doksone in Bangkok and Sopheng Cheang in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, contributed to this report.

ATHENS—Greek police on Monday released photographs of a couple charged with abducting a girl and judicial authorities put the pair in pre-trial custody, as an international search for the child’s biological parents intensified. Authorities also scrambled to uncover fraudulent birth declarations related to possible welfare benefit scams involving the couple and others.

Investigators trying to establish how the girl known only as “Maria” came to be with the detained Gypsy couple are considering a range of potential scenarios, from child trafficking to even simple charity.

The suspects were also identified as 39-year-old Christos Salis and a 40-year-old woman who used the names Eleftheria Dimopoulou and Selini Sali.

They were arrested last week, after police found the girl when they raided a Gypsy, or Roma, encampment near the central Greek town of Farsala. Her DNA shows she is not the couple’s child.

Authorities allege Dimopoulou claimed to have given birth to six children in less than 10 months, and 10 of the 14 children the couple had registered as their own are unaccounted for. It is not clear whether the 10 children are real or were made up to cheat the Greek welfare system.

Police say the two suspects received about 2,500 euros ($3,420) a month in subsidies from three different cities. In Athens, municipal authorities suspended the director of the capital’s records office as well as two senior officials pending the conclusion of a fraud investigation.

The couple has given conflicting accounts of how they came to have the girl, according to police. A defence lawyer has said they were motivated by charity, after being approached by an intermediary for a destitute foreign mother who reportedly could not afford to www.canadianinquirer.net

A girl was shown in an undated photo released by Greek Police who requested international assistance to identify her. The child was found living in a Gypsy camp with a couple arrested and charged with abducting her from her birth parents.

PHOTO FROM AP PHOTO / GREEK POLICE

raise the child.

Photographs released of “Maria” have triggered a global outpouring of sympathy and possible tips to police but no breakthrough yet in identifying her or her parents.

The “Smile of the Child” charity, which is caring for the girl, said it had received more than 8,000 calls and thousands of emails—some with details and photographs of missing children—from people in the United States, Scandinavia, other parts of Europe, Australia and South Africa.

“The case has touched a chord with lots of people from many countries,” Panayiotis Pardalis, a spokesman for the charity, told The Associated Press. “This case is now giving hope to parents of missing children.”

He said the charity had forwarded all tips to the police but that most people were just conveying their concern.

A dental examination showed the child is older than previously thought, 5 or 6 years old instead of four, the charity said.

“We had been seeking details for a girl aged 4. So the fact that she is older changes the nature of the search,” charity director Costas Yannopoulos said. “One thing that has impressed us is that the little girl is not asking for anyone ... She is relaying the kindness she has been shown for the last three days to her dolls.”

In Britain, tabloid newspapers drew parallels with missing girl Madeleine McCann, who disappeared at age 3 from a Portuguese resort six years ago.

The mother of Ben Needham, a British boy missing in Greece since 1991, said she was thrilled by the news of the girl’s recovery. Her toddler was 21 months old when he vanished.

Interpol, the international police agency, has 38 girls younger than 6 on its missing persons database but none of them reportedly fit the mystery girl’s description.

Police have raided dozens of Gypsy settlements across Greece in the last few weeks, including four more camps Monday in Athens and Thessaloniki—triggering concern by human rights groups that the Gypsy community as a whole was being targeted for an alleged crime involving a few of its members.

“I must say that we are flabbergasted with the hastiness, the hypocrisy ... in all this affair,” Gregory Valianatos, of the rights group Greek Helsinki Monitor, told AP. “Certainly we care about the (child) ... But we are not prepared to see another pogrom in the name of law and order against Roma lifestyle.” ■ Theodora Tongas and Derek Gatopoulos in Athens, Costas Kantouris in Thessaloniki, Lori Hinnant in Paris and Raphael Satter in London contributed.

World News

21 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

Obama: ‘No excuse’ for health care signup problems, website builders say they saw red flags The Associated Press WASHINGTON—President Barack Obama on Monday offered “no excuses”—and little explanation—for the cascade of computer problems that are marring a key element in his health care law and giving his opponents fodder to criticize his signature legislative accomplishment.

The troublesome rollout of HealthCare.gov, the website where many Americans are supposed to be able to sign up to for insurance plans, has been a glaring embarrassment for the Obama administration and could impact next year’s congressional elections as well as the president’s legacy.

The health care law is intended to extend health insurance coverage to millions of Americans who lack it. Republicans, who argue that taxes and requirements associated with the 3-year-old law are costing jobs, have repeatedly failed to thwart its implementation. Their latest attempt triggered a 16-day partial government shutdown that initially overshadowed the problems with the rollout of the website.

The computer issues have called into question whether the administration is capable of implementing the complex policy and why senior White House officials—including the president—appear to have been unaware of the scope of the problems when the exchange sites opened on Oct. 1.

Software developers tasked with building the site said they saw signs a year ago that the debut could fail.

One source of the troubles appears to be the testing procedures employed before the rollout three weeks ago. Several developers of the website told The Associated Press they were worried for months about the system’s readiness and whether the software meant to link key computer systems was being properly put through its paces.

Obama insisted that the problems would be fixed and all Americans seeking insurance would be able to sign up.

But it was not clear how quickly that would happen. The administration is beefing up call centres and encouraging more people to enrol over the phone while the website problems persist.

“There’s no sugarcoating it,” Obama said. “Nobody is more frustrated than I am.”

The president acknowledged that the failures would provide new fodder for opponents of the law, often referred to as “Obamacare.” With the website not working as intended, “that makes a lot of supporters nervous,” he said.

But he said, “it’s time for folks to stop

rooting for its failure.”

People have until March 31 to sign up for coverage. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office had projected that about 7 million people would gain coverage through the exchanges during the first year.

The president on Monday guaranteed that everyone who wants to get insurance through the new health care exchanges will be able to, even if they have to enrol over the phone or fill out a paper application.

Obama, in his most extensive remarks about the health care problems, insisted Monday that the health care law is about more than just a website.

“The essence of the law, the health insurance that’s available to people, is working just fine,” he said during his 25-minute remarks.

Administration officials initially blamed a high volume of interest for the frozen computer screens that many people encountered when they first logged on to the website. Since then, they have also acknowledged issues with software and some elements of the system’s design.

However, the White House has yet to fully detail exactly what went wrong with the online system.

It appears the problems were wellknown to some of those designing the system. One developer said that in the weeks leading up to the Oct. 1 launch, he and his colleagues huddled in conference rooms trying to patch deficiencies in computer code.

“It was an extremely tight deadline,” said the developer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was told not to talk to the news media about his work.

The White House says more than 19 million people have visited HealthCare. gov since the site went live on Oct. 1. Officials also say a half million people have applied for insurance on the federaland state-run websites.

Administration officials have so far

refused to say how many people have actually managed to enrol in insurance plans. Without enrolment numbers, it’s impossible to know whether the program is on track to reach the projections from the Congressional Budget Office’s target figure.

Uninsured Americans have until about mid-February to sign up for coverage if they are to meet the law’s requirement that they be insured by the end of

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March. If they don’t, they will face a tax penalty—one of the provisions in the law that Republicans vehemently oppose.

Officials say that at this point they are not considering extending the enrolment window beyond March 31.

But the White House appeared to open the door to not penalizing those whose efforts to sign up were confounded by the system’s problems.

“The law is clear that if you do not have access to affordable health insurance, then you will not be asked to pay a penalty because you haven’t purchased affordable health insurance,” White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

Using an expansion of Medicaid, the government-funded program that provides health care coverage to the poor, and government subsidies to help cover the cost of private insurance premiums, the Obama administration would eventually like to cover at least half of the nearly 50 million Americans who are uninsured. ■ Associated Press writers Julie Pace, Laurie Kellman and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar contributed to this report.

Immigration

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 22

PANGARAP: SO, OUR JOURNEY BEGINS

So, How Do You Spend and How Much Can You Save?

BY BOLET AREVALO

SAVING UP is a universal virtue. You will need lots of savings when you go, as they will be all you can spend while you are still looking for a job.

Leaving or not leaving, saving up is a must. It is universal, timeless virtue. People do it.

And those who can’t do it for now, always have it at the back of their minds.

People complain of not earning enough to be able to set aside money for savings. The money coming in will be just enough to meet monthly expenses. Thus, no matter how earnestly you want or decide to save, you cannot.

Not even the firmest decision can make one decide to save up if he does not have a plan, a wish, a desire, an ambition. You save for

something you look forward to, for something you want to happen. My old aunt was right when she admonished me, “When you save, do not do it because you want emergency money for hospital bills or funeral expenses.

Do it for a positive reason.” If the reason is good, then saving up becomes heart-warming and a source of hope.

Migration, as we said, is a big step. But it does not happen overnight. It is as if one is given ample time to prepare well, psychologically and financially.

In the financial services sector, we always remind our clients that saving money does not mean just depositing cold cash in the bank on a regular basis. Insurance, pension plans, real estate, stocks, jewellery all count as savings. Anything that appreciates in value and you can monetize when you need it. A small townhouse that I bought easily amounted to the needed show money when we had to land. Even the cars that

we had owned translated to money that we could bring to help us tide over.

Although some of your accumulations will actually depreciate in value, as long as they can be monetized easily, they should help raise money. I remember having held at least three garage sales in the period of time we were waiting for an approval.

Whatever amount of cash you have been able to raise, through savings and selling here and there, keep in mind to try to service some, if not all of your loans, starting, as I said, with the ones with the highest interest rates.

In Canada, I was amazed to realize how almost accurate the amount of show money they computed and required was in lasting until I found a job. I figure you should have enough for six months to a year, depending how big is the family and how tightly you hold on to your wallet.

Once you get to your new country, it is all spend, spend, spend...until you get that first job.

So while you are not there yet, save, save, save. You are going to need every penny you can save, keep, or bring with you later.

While you will probably have some friends and relatives around you in your new country, you will not want to be borrowing and creating a reputation as a borrower early on. You will also not want to go back to the old debt-ridden life, I am sure.

You should have a computation of the exact figure of how much money you bring with you. For your peace of mind, why not try to save up just that exact amount as soon as you start working or at least when you start recovering from the initial expenses? It should be fun and, well, reassuring.

You will need to save up or raise money when you leave.

Save up while you can or sell out accumulations which you cannot bring or will not want to bring with you. Once you start working, it might be good to start recovering saved-up money

spent by saving up again.

Can You Stick to the Right Expenses?

You may need to go back to the basics when you are living on the savings you brought with you until the first job comes around.

When you have a full, wellprovided life, it could happen that your lifestyle no longer distinguishes between the basics and the excesses. This is simply because those little excesses have almost become like basics, things you cannot do without.

Speaking of basics, you will certainly go back to the basics when you start living on your savings.

Whether it is by force of that circumstance or by choice, there is no escaping the fact that there will be expenses you will encounter for the first time, although they will be classified as basics.

For example, prospective immigrants from tropical countries are so afraid of the cold ❱❱ PAGE 27 So, How Do

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Immigration

23 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

Minister Jason Kenney says movement Quiz show: high on Czech visas on the horizon schoolers square off

BY BILL GRAVELAND The Canadian Press

ing to Canada, for example, from the European Union,” Kenney said at a Calgary event on Thursday.

“We’ve always said we wanted in principle to have full visa-free travel for citizens of European Union member states at some point in the future but we also have a responsibility to protect the integrity of our immigration system,” he said.

“We’ve said to the Czechs that eventually we’ll get back to an exemption but we first need to fix our system and the results are positive so far. The truth is the announcement is not yet done.”

Kenney’s comments come on the heels of remarks by Canada’s ambassador to Prague.

Otto Jelinek says his government wants to re-establish visa-free status “in the earliest possible term.”

His comment came as Cana-

CALGARY—A move to lift visa requirements for Czech nationals is on the horizon, says the federal minister who oversaw the move in 2009.

Canada abolished visas for Czech citizens in 2007 but reimposed them two years later due to concerns over an excessive number of asylum-seekers, most of them from the country’s Roma claiming discrimination at home.

Jason Kenney, now minister of Social Development, Employment and Multiculturalism, was the minister of Citizenship and Immigration when the government made the move.

“We had a huge wave of unfounded refugee claims from the Czech Republic between 2007 and 2009. The good news is that our reformed refugee system has radically reduced the number of fake claims com-

dian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was expected in Brussels to conclude a trade deal with EU that the Czechs had threatened to block.

Kenney said no date has been set for lifting the restrictions.

“Look, no decision has been made and you’ll have to wait. When there’s an announcement, there will be an announcement on any changes,” Kenney said.

“My bigger problem as minister of Immigration was a wave of fake asylum claims coming from Hungary. I’m pleased to say since we brought in our new, faster immigration system last year, the number of Hungarian asylum claims is down by 98 per cent,” he added.

“That’s a pretty good signal we would not see a re-emergence of the problem from the Czech Republic.” ■

in citizenship Q and A in Ottawa

BY TERRY PEDWELL The Canadian Press

ing Engineering Companies will be urging Ottawa to hurry up with its new Building Canada Plan at a news conference to highlight the importance of federal spending on infrastructure.

The Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability will launch its campaign aimed at giving people who are hurt in overseas industrial accidents the ability to take Canadian mining and oil and gas companies to court in Canada.

Statistics Canada will reveal how well stores were doing across the country over the summer when it releases the retail trade figures for August.

And far, far away from Ottawa’s political scene, singer Drake will bring his unique style of rap to the Canadian Tire Centre. ■

OTTAWA—Quick: who was Canada’s first prime minister?

What’s the capital of the Northwest Territories?

Those may well be among the questions Tuesday when Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander, Historica Canada, high school students and community members take part in The Amazing Citizenship Race Game Show at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

Don’t expect similar questions later in the day, though, during question period in the House of Commons, where the Senate spending scandal remains all the rage.

The Association of Consult-

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Seen & Scenes

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 24

ZAMBOANGA CITY FIESTA PILAR The yearly Zamboanga City Fiesta Pilar Celebration was held last October 18 at the Comfort Inn & Suites at Surrey, British Columbia which was made memorable as the city recovers stronger from a double whammy- a recent violent attack by lawless elements of some of its villages and the heavy flooding. Photos courtesy of Monette Ledesma.

NEGRENSES ASSOCIATION IN B.C. At the annual gathering held on Oct. 12, 2013 at St. Patrick Recreational Center.

From left to right: NABC Pres. Cris Sotana, FSCBC Pres. Freddie Bagunu, Remie de los Reyes, the new Consul General - Neil Frank Ferrer, Deputy ConGen Anthony Mandap, Mr. and Mrs. Joel Castillo.

WCDWA FUNDRAISING At the West Coast Domestic Workers Association fundraising karaoke-dinnerdance held on October 5, 2013 at the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral.

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

THANKSGIVING IN TORONTO

Thanksgiving in Toronto was al making it a double celebration son Christopher and daughtergrandaughter Czarina Riley, wit Jesus Christ Canada (FJCC). St

Seen & Scenes

25 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

MHHS SAMPAGUITA SENIORS GATHERING AND CORONATION Spearheaded by Angie Igonia, the MHHS Sampaguita Seniors Gathering and Coronation was held at the Vancouver Japanese United Church Hall (Victoria Drive, Vancouver, BC) on Oct. 12, 2013.

MEDAL HARVEST FOR TEAM MIGRANTE BC AT THE FUN RUN 2013!

Vancouver, BC October 6, 2013 -Team Migrante BC was the overall medal champion at the Fun Run 2013, a sports event organized by the Multicultural Helping House Society (MHHS) in Killarney Park.

Team Migrante BC played their personal best and run off with the highest number of medals from nine out of the ten sports events at the Fun Run. The Fun Run events were the 100m and 200m runs, high jump, walkathon, hula hoop, 400x100m relay, and women’s volleyball. The participating teams were Teams Migrante, Sunlife and Pinay Spikers.

lso the 69th birthday celebration for Tess Zetazate, n for her family: husband Romeo Ayson Zetazate, -in-law Regi Dizon including her grandson Raine and th friends from the congregation of the Friends of t. Jamestown News Service, Manny Papa

After the Awards Night, Migrante BC’s Aileen Villeta said: “All of us in the Migrante Team are happy to have played and won in almost all of the events—and that is what I call the over-all champion! The players from Team Migrante were great and we all played our best! We definitely had a fun time! The $50.00 we each had to pay to join the Fun Run was money well spent to benefit the temporary foreign workers and live in caregivers.”

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FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 26

GLOBAL FILIPINO

Cenen Milan Jr.

BY CHING DEE Philippine Canadian Inquirer WHAT DO running and books have in common? Cenen “Mac” Milan Jr. surely knows the connection.

From the outside, Mac looks just like the typical guy who loves going to the beach and enjoying the white sand, a guy whose favorite meal is pasta and Coke, gets a little choked up watching “Notting Hill” or reading “Tuesdays with Morrie.” But Mac is so much more than what meets the eye.

In December 2012, Mac (or “Happy”) ran for seventeen straight days covering the distance between Davao and Manila. His feat raised enough funds to donate 60,000 books to less fortunate children and even exposed his advocacies of education and environmental awareness to more people.

In an interview with Alpha Sanford of Aspire Motivate Succeed, Mac shares his story of struggles, triumph, and sharing the glory.

love is. It is through them that I learned to share more to others without asking anything in return. Compared to my run, my family journey is indeed a sweet run. In every journey, my family will always be there no matter what. No matter what it costs, they will always be there to love and support me.”

Mac draws strength from the love he constantly receives from his family.

“It is in love that I became what I am now and at the same time it taught me to rise up from the obstacles or failures in my journey as well. Indeed it was a bumpy ride. Failures are failures if I didn’t learn anything from it. There were several lessons that I have along the way. Such as lessons in romantic relationship that defines my perspective in love. The not “happy ending” story of my past romantic relationships taught me to believe and see the good things in others. It made me realize that everything happens for a reason. It taught me to see the brighter side of the world. It taught me to believe in [fairness],” he explained.

Sweet Run, Bumpy Ride

Mac considers his family as his “biggest success.” He believes that being the breadwinner was extra harder because of challenges he faced along the way to provision, but he persevered and emerged victorious on the other side.

“Being the eldest in the family, I have the responsibility of taking good care of my siblings.

Part of it is to send them to good schools,” Mac shared.

“Part of the family journey is to be the breadwinner also and a good role model to my siblings. For me, my family was actually the biggest success I ever had. It is in this family that I started to learn what real

On Why He Runs

“Why did I start running?”

Mac smiled.

“I just wanted to end the year doing something for a cause through my running,” he answered his own question.

“Last year, I wrote a concept about my dream foundation that will lead every child to PRAY, READ, EAT and PLAY. After so many months of waiting for a kind-hearted person to help me to get through the Securities and Exchange Commission, last October 10, 2012 a group of people helped to acquire necessary license to operate. I took it as a sign then, to run for a good reason, not only

PHOTO FROM SUCCESSFULPERSONS.BLOGSPOT.COM

for myself but for those who will benefit from the organization,” he explained.

From then on, people started to voluntarily offer their help to Mac’s cause and running project. He even received help with his training needs and daily nutrition! With a landslide of assistance from concerned people who saw the heart in Mac’s cause, he decided to start his “epic run” on the first day of December 2012.

“So, in December 1, 2012 I started my long epic journey for a cause from Davao City to Manila. The journey was indeed very challenging. It was one of a kind journey. The run-andwalk defines me who really am I as a person.

“It really taught me that the longest distance really that I am going to take to, is the distance between my heart and mind.

The distance between my heart and my mind is incomparable to the distance of Davao to Manila. It is all about the conquering the real me in my run. The run-and-walk to Manila took me 17 long days. It was a run for about 85 KM to 135 KM a day,” he recalled with deep pride and fulfillment.

He even shared a memorable

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point in his run-and-walk.

“When I was running in Mindanao area, there was this couple who waited for me for about two hours as I passed their area.

They were both ice cream vendors. As I passed, they [gave me] six cups of ice cream,” he laughed.

“They told me that I have to keep running and must finish the race,” he said. “They simply believed [in] my advocacy for the indigenous people in Mindanao.”

“Whenever there are people who believe on my cause and advocacy, it brings me hope and passion to go on. It fuels me to move and never say it’s enough.

Small incident, but in the road and in the real world, the simplest thing inspires me a lot,” Mac realized.

His December 2012 run-andwalk from Davao to Manila aimed to support his advocacy for education and environmental conservation. Every step that Mac took for those 17 days compelled an international non-government agency to donate 60,000 books for children and even garnered support from SWITCH2SAVE, who challenged him to run from Manila to Brazil to support ten

PHOTO FROM AMSDAILY.NET

different charitable foundations.

Mac is also very actively supporting Pray.Read.Eat.Play, Inc., “a non-profit, non-stock and non-government organization that seeks to transform the lives of every Filipino family through education and life sustaining environmental livelihood programs,” explains Mac. Together with the local government, the community, and partner organizations, P.R.E.P. Inc. “aims to develop literacy skills particularly reading in the primary school, supports scholars and provide livelihood program for the mothers.”

In order to make this dream a reality, P.R.E.P. Inc. hopes to build a free public library, a preparatory school for indigenous Filipino children, and an ecofriendly livelihood center for the mothers in Brgy. Malangag, Antipas, North Cotabato. It also plans to aid in the community’s reforestation by establishing a plant nursery and growing one million trees.

“Never say die”

When asked about what helped him succeed in his projects and in life, Mac has a short and simple answer.

27 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

“It’s about living the spirit of never-say-die attitude,” he shared.

“I always believed that everything happens for a reason.

Disappointments and failures are part of the cycle of life. It teaches me to become wiser and stronger… and be humble at all times,” he explains.

Mac also shared his favorite quote, “Life is beautiful!”

In the spirit of “never say die,” Mac defines success the other way around.

“It’s (success) not fame. It’s not money or power,” he started. “Success is waking up in the morning so excited about what you have to do that you literally fly out the door. It’s getting to work with people you love.

“Success is connecting with the world and making people feel. It’s finding a way to bind together people who have nothing but a dream in common. It’s falling asleep at night knowing you did the best job you could,” he explains further.

Mac ends by saying, “Success is joy and freedom and friendship. Success is love.”

What’s next for Mac?

“I want to finish the preparation of my next run—Manila to Brazil,” he answered.

“The said advocacy run will benefit the other ten foundations under SWITCH2SAVE. Next year, I am looking forward to finish my advocacy run from Manila—Brazil fruitfully and may it give more hope not only to the ten foundations under the SWITCH2SAVE but also the Filipinos that we will be passing by,” he said.

Mac also never misses the chance to look forwrd to what’s ahead.

“In the next 10 years, I would like to see my foundation P.R.E.P. Inc. [be] a big one, extending its resources internationally. At the same time, seeing myself still running, happily married at that time, and being able to fulfill all my dreams.” ■

Drop, cover... vors comfortable until help arrives.

“I urge every person living in coastal British Columbia to recognize the significant risk of an earthquake and to practice, plan and prepare,” said Anton in a statement.

“Practice what to do when an earthquake hits with the ‘drop, cover and hold on’ drill. Make an emergency plan for your family members so everyone knows what to do. And prepare to be able to survive on your own for at least 72 hours.”

Coastal British Columbia is located in an active earthquake zone where minor rumblings are regular occurrences, but major quakes are also a threat. Three hundred years ago a major quake off the Alaska coast created a tsunami that wiped out aboriginal villages and eventually hit Japan.

The B.C. ShakeOut drill coincided with similar events in the Western United States, Japan and Italy where millions practised their drop, cover and hold skills.

In California, the most ❰❰ 18

earthquake-prone region in the United States, 9.5 million people signed up to participate in the drill.

It was estimated that 15 million people worldwide participated in the earthquake rehearsal.

The Great ShakeOut was first held in California in 2008.

Last month, 13,000 people in Quebec’s Charlevoix region— located on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River—held their own ShakeOut drill.

In recent weeks, powerful quakes have hit worldwide, including a magnitude-7.1 jolt that killed more than 100 people in the Philippines and damaged historic churches.

Since 2001, the B.C. government has spent or committed to spend more than $2.2 billion to seismically upgrade or replace 214 schools considered high-risk from an earthquake.

Other studies conclude the B.C. legislature building will topple in the event of an earthquake. ■

So, How Do... season. You will realize the only important thing is to be able to bundle up properly. Thus, what it takes or how much it will cost you to bundle up is one of those expenses that suddenly becomes necessary.

If you were not used to paying your own medical insurance, then that becomes another necessary expense. This can be temporary until you qualify for a 100% waiver, in which case that means you are either in the low-income bracket or have no income at all. Different provinces have their own health care programs, some are free from the first day you arrive. Unfortunately, it is not absolutely free in some.

A friend of mine advised that I get good accommodations, especially if I am bringing grownup minors. The big kids have already formed opinions on some things, and for them to have a good first impression of your moving it is common sense to give them a decent, comfortable home. It is bad enough they are being uprooted; it is worse to have them live in a rundown dwelling when you can afford a better one.

However, your moving might also be a good chance for the kids to learn how to start life from scratch or live life all over again. Perhaps they never saw how you struggled to raise them when they were growing up. Now they will see how all of you will need to take baby steps once again, supporting one another to go through the next phase of your lives.

This is the same case for singles migrating, who never knew how to start life from scratch when they were growing up because everything had been provided by their parents or guardians.

Expense-wise, it is good to know that eating good food or the right kind of food is not that burdensome. Even so, aiming for the ingredients and spices you knew back home can be very expensive. You will need to be practical and find substitutes, or switch to new recipes.

That favourite food back home can be reserved for special occasions only.

Determine expenses necessary to keep afloat without humiliating yourself. After all, you cannot stay positive if you lose your selfesteem. While scrimping may be temporary until you get a job, wise ❰❰ 22

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spending should be a permanent disposition and state of mind.

Is Money Gone Too Soon?

Without that job, erosion of your savings may be inevitable.

But this does not have to eat you up and leave you without selfesteem and dignity.

Even if you keep your eyes wide, wide open, you will wake up one day to find out that the money you have brought with you will be gone.

This is scary. Really scary.

As I mentioned earlier, “Our deepest fear is our potential for inadequacies.” This means our greatest fear is realizing that we cannot pay the rent and utilities, cannot service our loans or debts, or cannot afford to eat well.

The hope is really to not reach a point that you are down to zero. Have faith. Stay positive.

But be sure to move quickly.

A friend, who had stayed many years in Canada as immigrant, put it simply, “You need to be proactive.” The job will not fall on your lap or enter your inbox.

I know of someone who had a job just one week after she arrived. She walked around downtown, entered every shop that she thought she’d like to work in, and was able to get an interview after walking in. It was not necessarily the job to match her previous job, but it was enough to have something to tide her over and keep her bank withdrawals to a minimum.

A classmate in a workshop

recalled her husband doing the same but was almost rejected because he was thought to be overqualified for the job in question. But he stated his case quite convincingly, specifically the fact that he had to feed his children, and he got the job.

A prospective employer confessed to me that out of hundreds of resumes emailed to him, only one person actually wrote a personalized cover letter and mentioned having visited his website.

He then called that applicant and discussed that the job could very well be hers.

Since I have concluded that most skilled professionals coming as immigrants are well educated, have money and are highly motivated, I am pretty sure they can also be able to figure out by themselves when it is time to drop the gloves and roll with the punches.

With that, it might not have to come to a point when the money will be totally eroded before you are able to get that first job. Because if that happens, then taking on what they call a “survival job” becomes so literal you might not have much self-respect left in you. You will not like that, of course.

No matter what you do, the money you bring with you will be gone if you do not get a job. The key is to be able to act fast and prevent total monetary erosion.

Be careful when taking on a survival job. Keep your self-esteem intact so that you can stay positive. ■

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

28

Halloween

Simply spooktacular!

BY ANGIE DUARTE Philippine Canadian Inquirer CHILDREN, COSTUMES and Candy. The stuff of which Halloween is made.

On the surface, it would seem that these are essentially, Halloween. But there’s more to this, my favorite of holidays, than meets the eye.

Halloween is children and spice, and everything scary and nice; but it’s also rooted in years of history and ancient tradition.

The eve of Hallows

Halloween derives from two words: Hallows (Saints) and evening. It is properly known as All Hallow’s Evening, or the Eve of Hallows, and literally as Saints’ Evening.

Celebrated yearly throughout the world on October 31st, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints’ Day, the festivity is said to commemorate the dead, including saints, martyrs, and all the faithful departed believers.

There are, however, much darker and decidedly more mystical roots to the tradition.

Celts versus Christians

While those of the Christian persuasion insist that Halloween was instituted by the church in remembrance of the departed—saints and loved ones—who have journeyed to the afterlife, numerous scholars point out that the feast is actually rooted in ancient pagan tradition, and was eventually Christianized to serve the pur-

poses of the church.

Studies point to Celtic harvest festivals, and even pagan festivals of the dead as the true origins of Halloween. The Gaelic festival of Samhain is thought to be the deepest root of what has now become a night of frenetic candy-collecting, costumed activity.

The darker half

The festival of Samhain— which is also known as Calan Gaeaf—signified that the season of harvest was coming to an end, giving way to the “darker half” of the year; the beginning of winter. The darker half of the year heralded a drop in temperature, shorter days, longer nights, and—as believed by the Gaels—the spirits from the Otherworld.

It was widely believed that this was the time when fairies were most active, and could move in and out of the human world with greater ease. The souls of the dead—both evil and benign—were also said to re-visit their homes, to tell tales of their forbearers, bestow blessings upon family, or (if you so unfortunately happened to be related to a vengeful spirit), wreak havoc on the living.

Feasts were thrown, as an offering and appeasement to the spirits, and family members were careful to leave a setting at the table for departed kin. Many other rituals evolved: Some as a form of protection from evil spirits and wicked fairies; others, as a way of communicating with the dead.

Fire and guise

To ward off evil spirits, particularly those of fairies looking to kidnap mortals, bonfires were lit throughout villages.

People stayed close to home, or walked with their clothing turned insideout, in hopes of befuddling the spirits. They carried salt and iron to deter fairies with evil intent.

The practice of carving lanterns from turnips, often fashioned with faces cut into them, became common.

The lanterns—which were set on windowsills or hung by door frames—served not only to light the dark night, but also to represent the spirits and keep them from entering the home.

Food was often left out on doorsteps; an offering to fairies to earn their favour. Villagers would also go from house to house, to collect food for the Samhain feast. Many believe these customs to be the origin of the “trick-or-treating” tradition.

People wore guises; costumes or masks to confuse evil fairies and spirits. Guising or mumming as it was called was a popular ritual at winter festivals, but became all the rage on Samhain night; the eve of greatest spirit activity. The tradition remains alive and well to this day, as children (both the young and

youngatheart) don costumes: Witches and wizards, goblins and ghosts, heroes and hags, sprites and saints parade the streets; no longer quite so mindful of being abducted by fairies, but always on the lookout for a scare or two.

Mumming came about handin-hand with pranking, it seemed.

The Gaels would go from house to house before nightfall, dressed in their guises, to collect food for the Samhain feast.

Some would imitate mischievous spirits, and play pranks on the household. Thus, the birth of the “trick” part of the “treat” equation.

Beyond the veil

People of the time, especially Wiccans, believed that during the Samhain, the veil between

the mortal world and the Otherworld was at its thinnest, thereby making it easier to communicate with the deceased. For this reason, they gathered together on the Samhain for one of their two most important meetings or sabbats to celebrate the dead, and to go beyond the veil and communicate with loved ones, pets, ancestors, friends who had gone on to the afterlife.

Interestingly enough, the word “witch” comes from the Old English wicce, which means “wise woman.” Historical accounts reveal that prior to religious persecution; Wiccan members were highly respected people; seers and visionaries of their time.

They likewise practiced divination of the future; hopeful that the spirits would reveal who they might marry, perhaps; or how many children they would have; or what the coming year held in store.

At these rituals, it was tradition to eat seasonal foods, such as apples and nuts. After peeling an apple, the peel would be tossed over the shoulder, and then examined upon landing on the ground. If it formed a ❱❱ PAGE 31 Simply spooktacular

Halloween

29 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

BY KATHERINE MARFALTEVES Philippine Canadian Inquirer HALLOWEEN IS just around the corner, have you already thought of how you would celebrate it?

If you haven’t gotten enough from social media (or anywhere) on how you could celebrate this year’s fun-est holiday, here are some tips so you can be Halloween-ready in an instant: 1. Transform your house into a haunted house.

Bring the spirit of Halloween to your very home by decorating it. You can set up a spooky graveyard in your backyard.

Spider webs made of cotton wisps can also be woven through your plants. You can also hang black lights in your windows and doorways; display carved pumpkins and ghost figures in your patio and in the entertainment room. Or place ghost figures in the trees (to create ghost figures, you will need mosquito netting, green light stick and balloons. Insert the green light stick into a bal-

loon and blow it up to make the ‘head’ of the ghost and cover it with a mosquito netting). Then, in your front gate, you can post a “Keep out!!!” sign (I am sure trick or treaters will not be able to resist going in).

2. Play spooky music.

Ghosts moaning, doors creaking and wolves howling are some of the sound effects that you can play. Set up outdoor speakers so you up the horror ambiance a lot of bit.

3. Wear a Halloween costume.

You can wear a masquerade ballgown to resemble Marie Antonette, or transform yourself into a mythical creature or an electrifying bride of Frankenstein. You can also just wear UV makeup, and imitate popular ghost figures. Or, challenge yourself, personalize your costume. Think of your worse nightmares. Mwahahahaha.

4. Watch horror movies.

With the lights off. Surrounded by ghost figurines and nasty-looking carved pumpkins, the horror vibe will be extra palpable. But don’t scare the kids so much! Try Nightmare

Before Christmas, Coraline, Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Hocus Pocus, Corpse Bride, Beetle Juice and Casper. Extremely frightening movies can be screened for older audiences. According to digitaltrends.com, adults can select from the newer films like Halloween, The Cabin in the Woods, Friday the 13th, Phantasm, Suspiria, The Descent, Scream, The Shining, Dawn of the Dead and Black Christmas.

5. Share spooky stories over a campfire.

A live fire with apple cider and marshmallows (and a bear in the background?) complete

www.canadianinquirer.net

the setting.

6. Play Halloween games.

Say, a flashlight tag game, skeleton scavenger hunt, ghost wrapped up, Halloween coloring pages, monster madness activity page, and villains bowling pins are just some of the games you can play after the more

frightening activities.

7. Prepare for trick or treat.

Time to go to the chocolate store! Prepare ready-to-go bags for a special treat.

8. Party.

Do invite your family and friends to come over and bring a dish or two, and to keep it in the spirit of the season, ask them to bring something like carrot fingers, Frankenstein pudding, spider web snacks, spider doughnuts, candied apple craniums, and a mummy cake!.

Halloween is the one of the more exciting, electrifying, goosebump-inducing most wonderful time of the year so try to give it your best shot.

Happy Halloween everyone! ■

PHOTOS FROM WIKIMEDIA, FACEBOOK PAGE OF I LOVE HALLOWEEN

Celebrating Halloween the spookiest way

Halloween

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 30

Halloween events IN VANCOUVER

Pumpkin sage risotto before trick or treating... anyone?

HALLOWEEN COSTUME BALL 2013 DOOMS NIGHT OCTOBER 26 & 27, 2013 Pacific Coliseum 100 North Renfrew Street Vancouver, B.C. Canada Deep in the shadows of darkness, sounds of screaming and chanting are heard from a distance as DOOMS NIGHT heads into its 10th year anniversary.

Telus World of Science Saturday, October 26, 2013 1455 Quebec Street, Vancouver BC (Vancouver)

PHOTO COURTESY OF ALL THE BEST FINE FOODS.

CIRQUE NOIR HALLOWEEN Saturday, October 26, 2013 9:00 PM—3:00 AM FIVESIXTY 560 Seymour Street, Vancouver BC (Downtown)

BY LOIS ABRAHAM The Canadian Press

IN TORONTO ATTACK OF THE MINIONS HALLOWEEN Friday, October 25, 2013 (10:00 PM) Solarium @ Sound Academy 11 Polson Street Toronto ON (Downtown)

DIABLO HALLOWEEN BALL 2013 Friday, October 25, 2013 (10:00 PM) Guvernment 132 Queens Quay East Toronto ON

Give tykes a healthy meal before they head out for Halloween trick or treating

VANCOUVER HALLOWEEN CLUB CRAWL

SHANGRI-LA HOTEL MASQUERADE BALL 2013

Saturday, October 26, 2013 (6:00 PM) Multiple Venues

Saturday, October 26, 2013 (8:00 PM) Shangri-La Hotel Vancouver 1128 West Georgia Street Vancouver BC (Vancouver)

4TH ANNUAL FRESH PRINCE 90S HALLOWEEN Saturday, October 26, 2013 (10:00 PM) 6Degrees Nightclub 2335 Yonge Street Toronto ON (Downtown) FREAKSHOW 2013 AT ARIA Thursday, October 31, 2013 (10:00 PM) Aria Entertainment Complex 108 Peter Street Toronto ON

RADISSON HAUNTED HOTEL PARTY Saturday, October 26, 2013 10:00 PM The Radisson Hotel (Lower Ballroom) 175 Derry road east Toronto ON (Mississauga) ❱❱ More events on PAGE 44

www.canadianinquirer.net

TORONTO—Don’t get spooked when it comes to getting a healthy meal on the table for your little ghosts and goblins before they head out trick-ortreating.

As soon as it’s dark, children are eager to troll the neighbourhood. It’s best to send them off with something satisfying and nutritious in their stomachs so they’re not as inclined to fill up with candy. But with many parents working, this can create a time crunch on weeknights.

“I think a lot of people will rely on pizza, but there’s lots of quick and easy things you can have” that aren’t takeout or processed, says Carol Harrison, a registered dietitian in Toronto.

“Certainly you want them to have a satisfying meal even if it’s a quick one so that they’re not famished by the time they come home after running around going trick-or-treating because, let’s face it, that’s quite active, going up and down the streets and in and out of houses.”

With three children aged 15, 13 and 10, Harrison knows what parents are up against. Though two of her offspring are beyond the trick-or-treating stage, the youngest is still up for the fun.

“I remember the days when I had to get all three of them out,” she says with a laugh.

“Costumes, can’t find this or my wing keeps bending in a weird way. The last-minute duct tape kind of craziness helping the kids have a terrific time because

it’s such a fun time of year.”

The key is to prepare something fun to eat that isn’t complicated or time consuming.

“Breakfast for dinner makes a lot of sense on Halloween night because it’s quick, you often have eggs in the fridge anyway even if you’re low on groceries, and kids like them and they’re easy to prepare and there’s so many different things you can do with them.”

A big pan of cheesy scrambled eggs can go on toast, in a burrito, in a wrap with salsa, openfaced on an English muffin or piled into a hotdog bun.

Make up a pan of french toast you can bake while helping children get ready. Or bake it ahead, cut it into fingers and pop them in the toaster. A version with peanut butter and banana adds more protein and another food group.

In keeping with the creepy Halloween theme, make a variation on devilled eggs, another great finger food. The eggs can be hard-cooked ahead—they’ll keep for a week in the fridge, Harrison says—then add avocado to the mashed yolks to turn them green. Top with a slice of black olive or piece of diced red pepper. Have the kids come up with a fun name, like Green Monster Eyes.

“If the child had three or four of those that’s an excellent source of protein that’s going to help them feel full throughout the night so they’re not going to be so tempted to dig into that candy quite as much,” says Harrison, who consults about nu❱❱ PAGE 46 Give tykes

Halloween

31 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

From ‘Game of Thrones’ to ‘Duck Dynasty,’ fantasy and reality hot for Halloween

BY LAUREN LA ROSE The Canadian Press TORONTO—From the complex characters in a medieval epic to a band of bearded duck hunters on the Louisiana bayou, elements of fantasy and reality are inspiring some of this year’s hot Halloween costumes.

Value Village store manager Christine Riddell said the large cast and regal twist showcased in the hit cable series “Game of Thrones” has made the show a go-to for those seeking to recreate the ensembles, such as the sword-wielding knights or platinum blond Daenerys Targaryen, Mother of Dragons.

At the other end of the style and time spectrums, the Robertson clan featured on popular reality show “Duck Dynasty” is offering an ample dose of Southern comfort for costume enthusiasts clamouring to mimic their distinctive, outdoorsy ensembles.

“Most guys have a pair of rubber boots or a camouflage pair of pants. You’ve just got to put an old T-shirt with it, a bandanna, a pair of sunglasses, and of course, the big accessory is the big beard,” said Riddell. “It’s a funny show, so the guys really have fun putting this (costume)

together.”

“Breaking Bad” may have faded to black, but fans of the recently concluded TV crime drama can still channel Walter White with their Halloween getups.

Geoff Waszek, co-owner of Candy’s Costume Shop in Toronto, said they’ve been fielding requests for costumes inspired by the award-winning series.

They’ve managed to come through by bringing in hazmat suits inspired by those worn by the fictional meth-maker.

Waszek said the costumebuying process begins in January when he attends a Halloween convention in Houston to scope out ensembles slated to be produced for the year. He said the costumes always follow what’s popular in the news, media or movies.

“For example, the Avengers are very, very popular. All the girls, they want to be Catwoman, Black Widow, Wonder Woman, Silk Spectre from ‘The Watchmen,”’ Waszek said. “The children want to be Spider-Man, (characters from) ‘Despicable Me,’ Wolverine— all basically the most popular costumes that we sell generally follow the movies. “‘Iron Man’ is always popular and I’m sure with the success of

‘Gravity,’ we’re going to be having a lot of requests for astronaut suits now,” Waszek added, a reference to the hit lost-inspace flick starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.

In Value Village’s fourth annual Halloween Shopping Survey of 1,000 adults, the thrift retailer found nearly half of respondents think movies and TV shows are the best source of costume inspiration.

The recent blockbuster season 4 premiere of “The Walking Dead” proved that the zombie series still has bite, and its popularity is being parlayed into Halloween costumes.

“I think we get the most requests right now for zombies.

You can really zombie-fy anything,” said Riddell. “It’s on trend, and it’s really easy and inexpensive with our gently used clothing selection here.

“We’ve seen the bride and groom, the prom queen. We’ve seen the cheerleader and football players, rock stars—and you can basically take it anywhere,” she added, citing fake blood, silver hairspray and makeup and shredded or torn clothes among the staples in assembling the ghoulish getups.

Waszek said he’s observed a growing appetite for spookier costumes among younger con-

Simply spooktacular... shape close to a letter, this was believed to be the first letter of the name of the future spouse.

Sometimes, apples were bobbed for from a tub of water, which has since become a traditional Halloween game. Nuts, on the other hand, were roasted. If the nuts bunched together during the roasting process, this was received as a sign that the couple would stay together. Egg whites were dropped in water, and the pieces that would break apart foretold the number of future children. The behaviour and flight of crows was also said to reveal specific things about the future.

Many of the rituals were car❰❰ 28

ried out at places in Ireland that were strongly linked to Samhain. One of these was Oweynagat (“cave of the cats”), near Rathcroghan in County Roscommon. It was believed that a host of otherworldly beings emerged from the “cave of cats” every Samhain; this is also one reason for the evolution of the black cat as a Halloween and witches’ symbol.

Big bucks

Halloween, in all its religiongenerated controversy, has today become the world’s second largest greeting card-grosser and money making holiday.

It has spread across the shores of Europe, the country

of its origin, to North America, and almost all parts of the world.

Despite the inevitable commercialism in the undying quest for big bucks, I look forward to it every year; this holiday in which boys and girls alltoo-willingly transform into boils and ghouls. Perhaps it is the creative spark of it all; or maybe my affinity with things left-off-centre. Or it could be because it is the one day of the year that “strange” is “normal.”

Or maybe I just love candy. All of the above? Definitely. These are my reasons for Happy Halloween-ing.

A spooktacular Halloween to you and yours! ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Costume (and make-up) Inspired by the hit cable series, Game of Thrones.

sumers.

“Generally, in previous years, a lot of girls just want to be princesses or superheroes.

But we’re getting a lot more requests for the horror costumes,” he said, adding that they zombie costume and horror prom queen getups on offer.

Beyond mining pop culture for ideas, the likelihood of online posts, “likes”—or perhaps a desire to avoid duplication—is also a driving force behind costume choice, the Value Village poll suggested.

Almost 40 per cent of respondents said they make a greater effort to wear something different each year because they know pictures of them in costume will be posted on social media channels such as Facebook and Pinterest. Nearly 70 percent of those who typically don costumes admitted social media platforms influence their costume choices. Meanwhile, nearly half are inspired by looking at photos of what others wore that pop up in their online feeds.

While outlandish costumes may make waves, individuals don’t necessarily need to to break the bank—or even buy a full costume—to piece together

an on-trend look.

“If a customer has their own suit, they could do ‘The Great Gatsby’ where we just give them a hat, a bowtie and a cane and they’re off. And they leave very happy,” said Waszek.

Indeed, the recent big-screen adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel has helped revitalize interest in ‘20s-inspired fashions. And for some, thoughs of the dapper styles featured on the big screen still lingers as they assemble their Halloween outfits.

Riddell said they’ve been fielding a lot of requests for “Gatsby”-inspired looks channelling the glam, roaring ‘20s, such as flapper-style dresses.

Also generating buzz is steampunk, which draws on influences from the industrial age and Victorian-era styles. Riddell described it as a combination of a Sherlock Holmes look with “a bit of spin” with gears and gadgets, with girls sporting black boots and fishnet stockings.

“We have a lot of people asking for that. We do have a lot of new accessories: that’s a lot a brown and dark colours, goggles and pocket watches and things like that. That seems to be a popular one this year.” ■

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

32

Entertainment

John Prats wants to settle down soon

BY KATHERINE MARFALTEVES Philippine Canadian Inquirer JOHN PRATS is confident that he wants to spend the rest of his life with present girlfriend Isabel Oli. In an interview at the press launch of the second season of the reality show “I Dare You,” John said, “Yes, she’s the one.”

Prats added that they have already been discussing marriage, but cleared that the wedding proposal hasn’t happened yet, “Yung engagement bawal pag-usapan at sorpresa ko sa

kanya iyon.” (Engagement is a topic that I don’t want to talk about; it’s my surprise for her).

He believes that Isabel will make a good housewife in the future.

And on the question on how soon he plans to settle down with Isabel, “Not really long, not really long.”

On a final note, the Kapamilya actor said that he has become a more content person because of the Kapuso actress, “Wala na akong ibang hinahanap, wala akong reklamo at mas focused ako sa work ngayon kasi alam ko nandiyan siya to support me.

Never kong na-experience na

hina-harass niya ako for time.

Alam niya kasi na siguro ako yung lalaki eventually I will be the one who will be there financially for my family. That’s why sobrang support niya sa akin (I am not looking for anything, I don’t have any complaints and I am more focused at work now because I know that she’s there to support me. She never harassed me for time. She knows that I am the guy and eventually, I will be the one who will be there financially for my family. That’s why she really supports me).”

“I Dare You” premiered on October 12, after “Maalaala Mo Kaya.” ■

Isabel Oli with boyfriend John Pratts PHOTO FROM ABS-CBNNEWS.COM

Source says Phil and Angel already broke up Philippine Canadian Inquirer IS 2013 a year for celebrity breakups?

In an interview with Yahoo Philippines OMG! on Tuesday, October 22, a source close to Angel Locsin revealed that Locsin and Phil Younghusband had already ended their rela-

tionship that started on May 27, 2012.

The source didn’t reveal when the breakup happened, but it will be recalled that last month, Younghusband was still seen in the send-off dinner of Locsin’s family for her brother Greg, who left for the United States.

The source added that she was not shocked when she learned about their breakup.

Misunderstandings

PHOTO FROM ABS-CBN

The source was sure that there was no third party involved.

She said, “I think meron silang mga hindi napagkakasunduan. Kailangan nila ng space.”

(I think they have some misunderstandings. They need

space).

It will be recalled that the Filipino-British football player asked the Kapamilya actress via Twitter if she could be his Valentine’s date on February 2011, but the actress declined as she had work on that day. The courtship continued on Twitter until they were seen dating often.

The two celebrities were at first quiet about their relationship. It was not until nearly a year when they publicly admitted their romance.

Many celebrity couples had also ended their relationship this year. In the list are Luis Manzano and Jennylyn Mercado, Billy Crawford and Nikki Gil, and Mark Herras and Ynna Asistio.

Entertainment

33 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

No competition between Echo, fiancée Momentous, Heartfelt,

Long farewell

BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer ACTOR JERICHO Rosales admitted there had been rough patches in his relationship with fiancée, television host-model Kim Jones.

But he quickly added “the problems were nothing we couldn’t handle.”

Rosales said when girls asked to be photographed with him, Jones would stay on the sidelines. “I know it’s hard for her, but she has learned to adjust,” he told the INQUIRER. Rosales has won several awards since he joined show business in the late 1990s. His most recent triumph was for the Ian Loreños indie movie “Alagwa,” where he plays a father dealing with the kidnapping of his 9-year-old son.

Rosales received the outstanding achievement in acting trophy at the 2013 Guam International Film Festival. The victory was his third—he got his first during the 2012 Gawad Urian; the second, at the 2013 Newport Beach Film Festival in California.

Jones, on the other hand, won recently the best Instagram microblogger (fashion) trophy at the 2013 Visual Style Awards.

Rosales said, unlike other couples who competed with each other, he and Jones handled each other’s successes well. “We’re happy with each other’s achievements. I guess it helps that we belong to different worlds—she’s into fashion and hosting, while I’m into acting and music.”

The 34-year-old actor added, “That award was very meaningful to her since she started that project on her own and from scratch. I was so proud of her that I made sure to be with her during the awards ceremony.

While she was being interviewed, I was in a corner taking photos of her.”

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer

Echo: We’re starting to execute some of our wedding plans, but we can’t announce anything yet.

INSTAGRAM PHOTO FROM KIM JONES’S FACEBOOK PAGE

for you that it was shown here?

We’ve gone to different countries to promote it, but there’s nothing like having Filipinos watch it. Pinoys deserve to see a movie that helps spread awareness of human trafficking and, at the same time, tells the story of a loving relationship between a father and his son.

You have attended several international film fests for “Alagwa.”

What differences did you see between foreign cultures and ours?

I noticed that host countries of festivals where “Alagwa” participated were all very supportive of their film industries.

Their love for film is intense.

They also have high regard for their filmmakers. I wish the same for our film industry.

What was it like wearing two hats—actor and coproducer?

It was my first time to coproduce a movie and I found that it was a lot of fun. It’s not as stressful as when you’re both actor and director. I’ve directed a number of music videos before so I know.

It’s fun to be part of the creative pool. I get to share ideas and discuss concepts with the production team. We help each other to make the ideas happen.

How much of your wedding plans have you completed? Are you hands-on or do you leave the planning to Kim? I’m a hands-on planner.

We’re starting to execute some of our wedding plans, but we can’t announce anything yet.

Did you have a hand in choosing the cast members ... Bugoy Cariño and Malaysian actress Carmen Soo? Carmen’s character is Filipino Chinese. She is perfect because she can speak Mandarin and Filipino, as well as Malay.

Our fans are also asking for a reunion. It has been five years since we did “Kahit Isang Saglit.” As for Bugoy, he was the director’s first pick. He’s right for the role, a kid who is makulit, stubborn but loving.

“Alagwa” received good reviews abroad. Why was it important

How did working on the movie change you?

Human trafficking is really happening in the Philippines.

This project opened my mind.

When you see the film, you will not feel scared but empowered.

You are engaged to be married and will eventually start your own family. With what you know now, how do you intend to raise your kids?

I believe education is the key to solving the problem. We need to let people know about what’s happening out there. I already have a 12-year-old son. I may not always be there for him, but I’m confident that his mom is taking care of him. I’ll have more children in the future. I’ll teach them how to keep each other safe even when I’m not with them. I’ll educate them on social issues while they’re still young.

Who is your mentor in acting?

I have a few mentors; two have passed away—actor Johnny Delgado and director Marilou Diaz-Abaya. I also look up to Leo Martinez, who always tells me to “break down walls.” He says it’s important to be your character, to explore it, but at the same time remain realistic.

There is a process that I always go through. While I’ve acquired most of the techniques I use through on-the-job training, it also helped that I went to acting school recently. You can’t just rely on your personal experiences; you have to have a deep understanding of your character.

Are you willing to do another indie movie?

There are already two indie movies lined up for me, one of which will be directed by Ian. I’m also scheduled to do a comedy with Viva Films under director Mark Meily. The working title is “ABNKKBSNPLA Ako.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

THE LAST time actress Chanda Romero performed at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, iPhones were not yet invented and gay characters on TV were usually cast as comic relief.

“First time I did the Big Dome was in 1980, for the repeat of the revue ‘The Belles are Swinging.’

It was filled to the rafters. I never expected to be on that stage again,” she recounted.

Still, when “One More Try:

My Husband’s Lover the Concert” was staged on October 12, Romero experienced total recall.

“When I stepped on that stage again, after 33 years, that old feeling of elephants thumping in my chest and racing to my throat and back again…returned to me,” she confessed.

With the exceptions of Kuh Ledesma and Karel Marquez, most of the cast members of the GMA 7 gay drama series “My Husband’s Lover” were nons❱❱ PAGE 34 Momentous, Heartfelt

THREE’S not a crowd for (from left) Dennis Trillo, Carla Abellana and Tom Rodriguez.

PHOTO BY ARNOLD ALMACEN / INQUIRER

Miriam Quiambao engaged for the second time Philippine Canadian Inquirer BEAUTY QUEEN-TURNEDACTRESS Miriam Quiambao is engaged for the second time— her Instagram photos said it all.

Quiambao posted a photo with entrepreneur-fiancé Roberto with her engagement ring and a bouquet of red and white roses, which bore a caption: “1 John 4:18: There is no fear in

love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”

Anthony Pangilinan, a close friend of Miriam also posted a photo, showing the couple with their close friends celebrating after Roberto’s proposal.

Miriam was previously married to Italian businessman Claudio Rondinelli in March 2004 before they divorced in 2006. ■

PHOTOS FROM THE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT OF MIRIAM QUIAMBAO

Entertainment

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 34

Momentous, Heartfelt... ingers and therefore were neophytes on the Araneta stage.

Quite understandably, most of them were nervous wrecks when the concert was held last week.

Dennis Trillo, who played the lover in the show, put it succinctly: “The Araneta is the ultimate entertainment stage…it’s sacred ground. I felt unworthy singing in front of the crowd. I just kept reminding myself to face the fear and trust the magic of ‘MHL.’ It was a different kind of experience.”

Tom Rodriguez, the husband in the show’s title, agreed: “It was surreal.”

In spite of the frayed nerves and flat notes, the cast members soared on the wings of the goodwill generated by the show during its five-month run.

“I felt the love and acceptance of the audience at the Araneta,” Rodriguez related. “It was heartwarming.”

If someone told him “MHL” would culminate in a big concert when he auditioned for the show early this year, Rodriguez would have laughed it off.

“It’s hard to believe, but I am happy and grateful for this experience. I am thrilled by the people’s support. It’s as if they were hugging my heart that night.”

Trillo concurred: “The finale was beyond my wildest dreams.”

Said Romero, who played Trillo’s ❰❰ 33

pragmatic yet encouraging mom Sol: “The cheers and wild applause came back to me…like an oldie-but-goldie favorite song.”

After the concert, the reality slowly dawned on Trillo.

“When I realized that it was all over, I was baffled by my own emotions,” Trillo admitted. “I wasn’t ready to let go of something this monumental and significant in my career and in my life.”

Rodriguez echoed his screen partner’s sentiments: “It’s bittersweet. A mixture of happiness and sadness. I’m glad that I am now done with Vincent, one of the toughest characters to play on television.

He underwent a lot of pain and heartache. But I’m also sad because I will miss our bonding (sessions) on the set.”

Carla Abellana, the show’s put-upon wife, acknowledged that everyone in the show underwent “separation anxiety.”

Romero quipped: “I will miss playing Mommy Sol. I’ll miss our director Dom Zapata who makes each taping day exciting. I will miss (writer) Suzette Doctolero’s beautiful lines…our staff and crew, and all my costars, especially my son, the brilliant Dennis Trillo.”

But Romero would “treasure the most the warm smiles of the ordinary people on the streets” who would often call her Mommy Sol. ■

No network secrets for Regine and Ogie They talk about work, but make sure not to meddle

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer REGINE VELASQUEZ says hosting has taught her “to listen to guests.”

It must be difficult for a married couple, who work for different networks, to balance the personal and the professional, in light of the fierce networks war.

But singer Regine Velasquez, who signed a two-year exclusive contract with GMA7 on Tuesday, insists she and husband Ogie Alcasid, who now works for TV5, keep no work-related secrets from each other.

“It’s exciting that he works in another station,” she tells the Inquirer. “When he gets home, he has new stories to share.

He updates me on things I don’t know.”

And vice versa.

Tricky

Things can get tricky, however, because Alcasid is not just a contract star of TV5; he also heads its music business unit.

“He’s not just my husband; he is also my best friend. We tell each other everything,” she points out. “He asks for my opinion about his projects and I ask him about mine. But we don’t meddle in each other’s business decisions. We know where to draw the line.”

Case in point: When it came to renewing her contract with GMA 7, Velasquez decided on her own—even though there were incessant rumors that she would follow her husband to TV5.

Velasquez says it did not take a lot of convincing for her to remain a Kapuso.

“I’ve been with GMA 7 for years,” she says. “The network has been very patient with me… When I got pregnant (with son Nate) two years ago … and after I gave birth, my bosses didn’t pressure me to go back to work immediately.”

Expressing her gratitude to the station, Velasquez says, “It wouldn’t look good if I transferred despite the kindness they had shown me in the past. Nakakahiya naman. (It would be embarrassing.) GMA 7 is my home.”

For the next two years, at least.

Velasquez, who is currently juggling two projects (the cooking show “Sarap Diva” and the musical “Sunday All Stars”), has two more programs in the works.

“I have a new album under Universal Records. I have a concert series in the United States next month. I will be busy with local concerts in December, too. My new assignments with GMA 7 will begin next year,” she says. “I’m supposed to do a soap opera and another musical show.

I will choose from two original concepts

www.canadianinquirer.net

PHOTO FROM INQUIRER.NET

(for drama shows) that are now being developed.”

Surprised

Velasquez says she is pleasantly surprised that she is enjoying her stint as cooking show host in “Sarap Diva,” in spite of her (and some critics’) initial apprehensions.

“Hosting isn’t one of my strengths,” she admits. “I used to get confused, cooking and interviewing guests at the same time.”

She says she has learned a lot from hosting.

“I learned to listen and not to talk too much about myself. I also learned to make interviews more casual and conversational,” she quips.

She says she is astonished that some guests tend to open up in the show, sharing stories that they would otherwise not divulge in another program format.

“It must be because of the show’s homey ambience. It’s as if we’re just in the kitchen making chismis (gossiping),” she quips. “In ‘Sarap Diva,’ I get to show my real personality. There’s no point hiding it.”

Velasquez gets to showcase her personality (along with her personal triumphs and travails) not only in “Sarap Diva,” but on her Twitter account, too.

Recently, she and husband Alcasid requested for prayers for her seriously ill father, known in show biz as Mang Gerry, from their followers in cyberspace.

“My father is well. He is recovering,” she says. “He’s still in the hospital but now he’s in a regular room. His grandkids, including Nate, get to visit him now.”

If there’s one lesson she learned from her dad’s health crisis it is to value family above all else.

“We make it a point to have regular bonding sessions, but I feel we should hang out more. My parents are getting older, and we have to spend quality time with them,” she says. ■

Entertainment

35 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

Barbara, best actress at 9

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer BARBARA MIGUEL was on her way to school when her mom got the text informing them of the good news.

A Grade 3 student from Quezon City, Barbara won best actress at the Harlem International Film Festival, held in New York City last month, for portraying an incest victim in Joseph Israel Laban’s “Nuwebe.”

For playing the country’s youngest mother, Barbara could very well be the country’s youngest international best actress honoree—joining the ranks of screen legends Nora Aunor, Gina Pareño and Anita Linda, among others.

“I was so happy. This is actually my second time to win an award,” she told the INQUIRER. Barbara earlier won best child actress from Famas for her work in Joel Lamangan’s indie film “Migrante.”

For all kids

“My Harlem best actress trophy is for all the kids who dream

of making it in show biz. It’s not just for me; it’s for all Filipinos who want to do well abroad,” she quipped.

Her youth seemed irrelevant because Barbara spoke with the self-assurance of a seasoned pro at age 9.

Three years ago, she joined the biz, appearing in a string of GMA 7 programs: “Jillian: Namamasko Po,” “Ang Munting Heredera,” “Biritera” and “Aso ni San Roque,” among others.

Interestingly, she was discovered by the Kapuso network when she joined the “Sampolista” contest of the ABS-CBN noontime show “It’s Showtime.”

“Nilait ko si Vice Ganda (I berated Vice Ganda) in an acting showdown,” she recalled.

Since then she has been cast in a series of villainess roles.

“I often play kikay (flirty), funny or mean girls on TV. But in indie films, I get to play normal children; kids who cry often,” she related.

In “Nuwebe,” she had to tackle a role that’s much too complicated for her young mind to grasp—a girl who was impregnated by her own father. Her

character was based on a real girl who eventually had to give up her baby to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, she said.

Her mother Renerich, who is also a talent in TV shows and movies, discussed the script with her. “My mom motivated me. She told me to imagine a sad situation … what if she left us…

I would have to give up my two younger siblings for adoption because I couldn’t take care of them.” Tears flowed effortlessly, she recounted. Her director also guided her. “Direk Joseph helped me. He explained to me that my character hated her father. I later found out that she was a young mother. I didn’t know that could happen … I heard there were 8-yearold girls who had the same bad experience.”

Brilliant

“A lot of young actors can shed a tear on cue or throw a line perfectly,” Direk Joseph said. “But Barbara didn’t just play the part; she became the character. She is brilliant.”

Although the Cinemalaya film’s theme was harrowing,

BARBARA Miguel in “Nuwebe”

the shoot was light-hearted and exciting, she recounted.

“We spent a week and two days in Marinduque. We had time to go swimming. I even went nightswimming,” she said.

Just as enjoyable was the shoot in Bohol for her manager Maryo J. de los Reyes’ Sineng Pambansa entry, “Bamboo Flowers.”

“We spent almost a month in Bohol. My fellow child stars and I got to play on the beach as often as we wanted,” she related.

Although show biz is fun, she

promises to heed her dad’s and teachers’ advice not to let fame go to her head.

“My parents are separated.

After I won, I got to talk to my dad who lives in Davao. My dad congratulated me, but he reminded me not to neglect my studies. My teachers told me the same thing,” she acknowledged.

She plans to take up Fine Arts or Culinary Arts in college.

“I draw when I get bored … when my mom opens my schoolbag, it’s always full of my drawings,” she said. ■

NBA star has dinner What will you miss about with KC Concepcion Willie Revillame?

Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE HOUSTON Rockets recently visited the Philippines for NBA Global Games 2013 held last Oct. 10. But aside from the exciting basketball game, people are also talking about the dinner date that Rockets’ star Chandler Parsons and actress KC Concepcion had last Oct.8.

Reports said that the dinner date was arranged by a mutual friend. Also present in the said date were KC’s half-sisters and Parsons’ friend.

It added that the two started exchanging Twitter messages in April, before finally meeting.

In an interview with sports analyst, Charlie Cuna, the 24-year-old basketball heartthrob said that he hopes that he will have a chance to meet KC again in the future.

He also revealed that he has received a lot of messages via Twitter from Filipino fans and this was his message to them, “Thank you, it’s been awesome, the support they give.”

KC is 4 years older than Parsons. ■

Houston Rockets’ star Chandler Parsons.

PHOTO FROM RAPPLER

BY KATHERINE MARFALTEVES Philippine Canadian Inquirer AS TV host Willie Revillame ended his noontime show “Wowowillie” on Oct.12, many were asking if he would be missed. Well, for some who have witnessed his hosting career blossomed, the answer would be a definite “yes” as he had made a unique mark in noontime shows.

These are just some of them: 1. Scolding hosts in front of the camera. Are you familiar with the famous line “You don’t do that to me” he threw to Booba. It went viral for quite some time. Some were amused, but most were annoyed. Still, it made him extra controversial.

2. Songs for the masses. Are you familiar with Boom Tarat Tarat, Kendeng Kendeng, www.canadianinquirer.net

Araw-Araw Ay Pasko, Ikaw Na Nga, ‘Yun Ka, and I Love You? All of these became the last song syndrome of his fans as these were constantly played throughout the show (he also did a concert out of his noontime show) and in major radio stations. Lito Camo and Vehnee Saturno were the geniuses behind these novelty songs.

3. Giving away jackets. Who would ever forget the line, “Bigyan na ng jacket yan!” (Give them a jacket!) Willie would always give away jackets to senior citizens and people with special needs at the start of the show.

This line has also been spoofed in many other noontime shows.

4. Dramatic stories. His was a noontime variety show, but Willie’s show had also featured stories of hardships of his contestants. Most of the time, the interview portion turned to be tearjerker mo-

ments between the host and the contestants, wherein the contestant who had the most dramatic story will get the highest cash prize.

5. Dancers with controversial outfits. Due to his dancer’s sexy outfits, MTRCB would always call the show’s attention to change dancers’ outfits into something more appropriate for noontime viewers.

6. All-girls co-hosts. Mariel Rodriguez, Grace Lee, and other former dancers were his cohosts in “Wowowillie.” Male cohosts like Randy Santiago and Rico J. Puno didn’t last in the show. Some were saying that Willie prefers all-girls co-hosts in his show.

7. Controversies. Willie’s name has always been paired with controversies, from his failed marriages to his conflict with the Kapamilya network.

But all these made him all the more controversial. ■

Entertainment

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 36

Lady Gaga settles with ex personal assistant over back pay, nixing need for November NY trial

BY LARRY NEUMEISTER The Associated Press NEW YORK—Lady Gaga and a former personal assistant who sued her won’t face off in a trial next month after settling their differences out of court.

The settlement in a lawsuit brought by Jennifer O’Neill was revealed Monday in a court order dismissing the case. O’Neill had claimed the singer cheated her out of overtime wages when she worked for her for a few weeks in early 2009 and for 13 months beginning in February 2010.

A trial was scheduled to start Nov. 4. O’Neill had testified she was responsible for sometimes monitoring the singer’s communications and for handling about 20 bags of luggage.

Court papers revealed that Lady Gaga and O’Neill were roommates and friends on the Lower East Side of Manhattan before 2008. Lawyers did not immediately comment.

Lawyers had notified U.S. Dis-

Kelly Clarkson weds music manager Brandon Blackstock in Tennessee The Canadian Press

Lady Gaga’s former personal assistant claimed the singer cheated her out of overtime wages.

PHOTO FROM VIPLASH / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

trict Judge Paul G. Gardephe on Friday that they were close to a settlement.

O’Neill had said that she was paid at a flat rate of about $50,000 annually when she was first hired and $75,000 annually the second time by the pop singer, who is estimated in a list published by Forbes magazine to have earned $80 million in the first six months of this year.

Gardephe had ordered the case to proceed to trial, saying O’Neill’s “on-call” time potentially qualifies for overtime compensation. O’Neill’s lawsuit said she was on call 24 hours a

day, seven days a week.

According to court papers, Lady Gaga, listed in the litigation under her birth name—Stefani Germanotta—and O’Neill frequently slept in the same bed because O’Neill never had her own hotel room while on tour and was required to address Lady Gaga’s needs throughout the night.

In her deposition testimony, Lady Gaga had testified: “You don’t get a schedule. You don’t get a schedule that is like you punch in and you can play ... at your desk for four hours and then you punch out at the end of the day. This is when I need you, you’re available.” ■

NEW YORK—Kelly Clarkson has married music manager Brandon Blackstock.

The pop singer tweeted a photo Monday in her wedding gown next to Blackstock. She writes, “I’m officially Mrs. Blackstock.”

Clarkson says she tied the knot Sunday at Blackberry Farms in Walland, Tenn., outside Knoxville.

A representative for the singer didn’t immediately respond to an email seeking comment about the marriage.

Clarkson was the first winner of “American Idol” and has released five albums and sung multiple pop hits. She has won three Grammy Awards.

Blackstock manages country star Blake Shelton.

Kelly Clarkson.

PHOTO FROM FEATUREFLASH / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

The couple has been dating for two years and got engaged last year. ■

Britney Spears says she juggles being a ‘crazy mom’ of 2 sons with career as a sexy pop star

BY LOUISE DIXON The Associated Press LONDON—BRITNEY SPEARS may take on a sexy pop star persona in the video for her latest single “Work B— ,” but at home she says she feels like a “crazy mom.”

Speaking in London, the 31year old singer says these days she juggles the demands of an international singing career with taking care of her two sons, Sean, 8, and 7-year-old Jayden.

“Once you’ve done a shoot ... you have to come in and do homework and fix dinner twice and it’s a lot of work,” she told The Associated Press in an Oct. 15 interview. “But I think as women we just manage it, we make it work.”

Spears says she worked hard with her fitness trainer to get into top shape for her new video, sticking to two or

three small meals each day.

The American singer admitted, however, that she struggled to stave off food cravings in the weeks leading up to the video shoot, saying: “I love to eat my popcorn at night!”

And the first thing she ate afterward?

“Just chocolate, chocolate, chocolate,” she said.

“Work B—” is the lead single from Spears’ 8th studio album “Britney Jean”—the name her family calls her—and she says it’s her most personal album to date. Produced with will.i.am, Spears co-wrote every track, including a song about her split with Jason Trawick in January. “‘I think it will make girls not feel alone in this situation,” she explained. “When they’re alone in their room and they broke up with their boyfriend, they have a song they can go to and listen to, just makes them feel better about themselves.”

Not content with just a new single and a new album, the singer is also preparing for a Las Vegas residency at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

In a show titled “Britney: Piece of Me,” Spears will perform 50 dates over two years.

The Grammy-winner says she has a vocal coach to strengthen her voice for the show. She described the process as “grueling”—but says she can’t wait for the experience.

“I know I’ll be nervous, but I’m going to be excited, too. It’s going to be cool,” she said.

Spears feels it’s a good time for women in pop music right now, citing the success of Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Taylor Swift as her inspiration.

“There’s so many strong, powerful women in pop music culture today,” she said.

“Britney Jean” is out Dec. 3 and “Britney: Piece of Me” debuts in Las Vegas on Dec. 27. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Spears said she feels it’s a good time for women in pop music right now, citing the success of Rihanna, Lady Gaga, Madonna and Taylor Swift as her inspiration.

PHOTO BY HELGA ESTEB / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

37

Lifestyle

Smartest Celebrities in Hollywood

BY CHING DEE Philippine Canadian Inquirer CONTRARY TO popular notion, Hollywood celebrities aren’t just about glitz and glamour. Some of them have bested thousands of people not just in landing the next multi-million dollar role that made them a household name, but also in the field of academics.

Yep, you read that right. Academics. Get ready to “ooh” and “ahh” and “really?!” (perhaps there’s going to be a “no way!” out there) as we list (in alphabetical order) some of the smartest celebrities in Hollywood as named by Business Insider Magazine in October 2013.

Kate Beckinsale

At a very young age, 6-yearold Kate Beckinsale showed promise after being assessed to have the reading skill of an 11-year-old.

She then grew up and finished her French and Russian literature degree from Oxford University New College and now fluently speaks French, Russian, and German.

acting career. He later on completed the screenplay for “Good Will Hunting” with long-time buddy Ben Affleck and won numerous awards for their work.

Damon was awarded the coveted Harvard Arts Medal this year.

David Duchovny

Before he starred in “XFiles,” David Duchovny studied actual files in English literature from Princeton University. And as if one ivy league university isn’t enough, he decided to get his Master’s in Yale.

Colin Firth

Firth graduated from Barton Peveril College in the United Kingdom and admits he “can still quote randomly from Thomas Hardy and Lord Byron.”

Perhaps in an attempt to explain the musings of a politician, Firth commissioned scientists to analyze brain scans of some willing politicians to check if there are neurological differences in terms of political inclination. He was named coauthor of the clinical study and was published in the Current Biology journal.

Jodie Foster

Mayim Bialik

NBC’s “Blossom” has surely blossomed (forgive me) to earn two degrees from UCLA: Hebrew/Jewish Studies in 2000 and Neuroscience in 2007.

She’s an actual neuroscientist who is playing neuroscientist Amy Farrah Fowler (to Sheldon Cooper) on sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.”

Matt Damon

Mattie actually came up with the idea for “Good Will Hunting” while he was studying in Harvard University, so he might as well be as smart as Will Hunting himself.

However, Damon decided to drop out of college to focus on his

Perhaps Foster’s biggest academic achievement is teaching herself how to read before she was even three years old. She balanced her acting career and a full load at Lycée Français de Los Angeles. She graduated from Yale and studied upperlevel French.

James Franco

Would you believe that a guy who played the role of a dude named “Taste” (alongside Mila Kunis’ “Whippet,” Tina Fey, and Steve Carrell in “Date Night”) has attended four (five!) bigtime schools and is currently earning his PhD at an ivy league university?

Yes, that’s James Franco in

Kate Beckinsale fluently speaks French, Russian and German.

James Franco is currently earning his PhD at an ivy league university.

PHOTO BY S_BUKLEY / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

real life. He graduated from UCLA, took a filmmaking course at NYU, studied fiction writing in Columbia University and Brooklyn College, and even poetry in Warren Wilson College in North Carolina.

Currently, Franco is earning his PhD in comparative literature at Yale University.

And that’s not enough. He also taught screenplay writing and directing at UCLA, USC, NYU, and Columbia.

Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal

Real-life siblings Jake and Maggie Gyllenhaal both attended the prestigious Columbia University. Maggie majored in English and was given a personal achievement award as an alumnus.

On the other hand, her little brother Jake planned to major in Eastern religions but forego Columbia University for Columbia Pictures (no, not exactly that film company, just looking for something clever) when he decided to leave school and pursue his acting career.

from Duke University, earned his MD at UNC Chapel Hill, and took his residency in New Orleans.

His breakthrough role was playing the role of an obstetrician (surprise surprise) in “Knocked Up” starring Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl.

Mindy Kaling

The narcissistic and not-sobright office clerk Kelly Kapoor of NBC’s “The Office” actually attended an ivy league university in real life. Kaling went to Dartmouth College and majored in theater.

She also won an Eleanor Frost Playwriting Award in 1999.

Kaling was recently included in ‘TIME’s 100 Most Influential’ list.

John Krasinski

Aside from being a prank genius in “The Office,” in real life John Krasinski may as well be a genius, too.

Before enrolling at Brown University, John spent some time in Costa Rica as an English teacher.

Ken Jeong

When the guys in “The Hangover” was stuffing Mr. Chow in a suitcase, they were actually stuffing a licensed obstetrician in real life.

Ken Jeong is a licensed medical practitioner who graduated

Lisa Kudrow

Richard (the eye doctor) isn’t the only “FRIENDS” character who graduated from Vassar College. Lisa Kudrow, who plays Phoebe Buffay, earned her biology degree from Vassar

PHOTO BY S_BUKLEY / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

in real life.

She is the daughter of an esteemed specialist in headaches.

In fact, a few months after graduating, Lisa published her research paper in a scientific journal.

Ashton Kutcher

“The sexiest thing in the entire world is being really smart,” Ashton said at the recently held Teen Choice Awards.

You’re probably as surprised as I was when I found out about this, having loved him for eight beautiful, laugh-filled seasons as dim-witted Michael Kelso on the hit sitcom “That 70’s Show.”

But believe it or not, Kutcher attended University of Iowa and was supposed to major in biochemical engineering until a talent scout came up to him one day and suggested that he should join a state-wide modelling contest. Since then, Kutcher dropped out of college to pursue his modelling and acting career in Los Angeles.

Steve Martin

Steve Martin has been a MENSA member for the last 16 years. He even documented his year-long journey of getting into MENSA by writing an article for The New Yorker in 1997.

He earned his degree in phi❱❱ PAGE 38 Smartest Celebrities

Lifestyle

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 38

Pew study finds online dating growing in popularity, negative experiences ‘relatively’ common

BY BARBARA ORTUTAY The Associated Press

Colin Firth commissioned scientists to analyze brain scans of politicians to check if there are neurological differences in terms of political inclination and was named coauthor of the clinical study that was published in the Current Biology journal.

PHOTO BY S_BUKLEY / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Smartest Celebrities... losophy in California State University where he also became a professor.

Can you imagine coming to class and Steve Martin is your professor? ❰❰ 37

Edward Norton

Norton majored in history at Yale University and was part of the school’s rowing team. It was an unfortunate back injury that led him to take a break from rowing and try his luck in theatre arts.

Though majoring in history, for a period in his well-lived life, Edward lived in Osaka to work for his grandfather’s nonprofit organization as a consultant in providing affordable housing. While in Japan, he became proficient in Nihongo and Aikido.

else but–Harvard University.

She also earned graduate courses from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

For anonymity, she enrolled using her birth name: Natalie Herschlag. But anonymity won’t be so kind if you get published twice on a scientific journal or if you become a guest speaker in Columbia University.

Words of your scholastic awesomeness gets around really fast, Nat. Kevin Spacey

Spacey is a classically trained actor who attended the prominent Juilliard University.

Two years into his fine Juilliard education, he dropped out to answer the call of Broadway.

He later earned Tony and Oscar awards for his performance.

Sharon Stone

Conan O’Brien

There’s finally an explanation to Conan O’Brien’s giant hair–his giant brain.

O’Brien graduated from Harvard University majoring in history and literature. He was the president of a not-so-secret social organization that published a parody magazine, the Harvard Lampoon. He was also named as the “Pre-eminent Jokester” of Class ‘85.

To complete his academic requirements, O’Brien wrote a 72page senior thesis about literary geniuses William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor entitled “The ‘Old Child’ in Faulkner and O’Connor.’

Natalie Portman

Acclaimed and loved for her wide range of acting potency, Portman has also graced lists of this nature because of her degree in psychology from–wher-

Lots of people know Stone has an IQ of 154, but not everyone knows that she was a college scholar at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania at the tender age of 15.

Quentin Tarantino

He doesn’t need to direct brilliant films like “Pulp Fiction” and “Kill Bill” to be called a genius. He already is. He has an IQ of 160, same as famous physicist Stephen Hawking.

Despite his superb brain power, Tarantino admitted that he never liked school. He didn’t like school so much that he dropped out of high school.

Years later, he started making films that are now considered classics (not to mention badass). ■ Based on an article by Melia Robinson and Melissa Stanger, Business Insider.

NEW YORK—Online dating is shedding its stigma as a refuge for the desperate, but people who use sites such as Match. com and eHarmony are still in the minority.

Thirty-eight per cent of Americans who are “single and looking” say they’ve used an online dating site or mobile dating app, according to a new study.

The report published Monday from the Pew Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project suggests that attitudes toward online dating “have progressed in a clearly positive direction.” In fact, 59 per cent of Internet users agree that online dating is a good way to meet people. That’s up from 44 per cent in 2005.

As Americans shop, socialize and entertain themselves online, a growing number are turning to the Internet to find dates. Some 11 per cent of people who started a long-term relationship in the past decade say they met their partner online. Even so, only 10 per cent of Americans say they’ve tried online dating.

Online dating is most popular among men and women ages 25 to 34. Nearly a quarter of them have used online dating sites, compared with just 10 per cent of people in the 18 to 24 age group.

For ages 35 to 44, it’s 17 per cent and then the numbers fall to the single digits. Three per cent of those over 65 have dabbled in online dating.

Whites are slightly more likely to use dating sites than other ethnicities—11 per cent compared with 7 per cent for blacks and 5 per cent of Hispanics, according to the survey. People without a high school diploma were the least likely to use the www.canadianinquirer.net

Internet to find a date, while those who have completed “some college” were the most likely.

While a relatively small fraction of people use online dating sites, forty-two per cent of Americans say they know someone who has, up from 31 in 2005. Among those 65 or older, the number grew to 24 per cent from 13 per cent.

Once upon a time, couples who found each other online felt compelled to spin alternate “how we met” tales, but that’s no longer the case. Perhaps it’s the result of changing attitudes. In 2005, 29 per cent of Internet users agreed that people on online dating sites were “desperate.” In Pew’s most recent study, that number fell to 21 per cent.

But online dating isn’t all chocolate hearts and red roses.

More than half of online daters say they believe someone else “seriously misrepresented themselves” in an online dating profile. More than a quarter have felt uncomfortable or harassed by someone who contacted them.

The results of Pew’s recent study aren’t directly comparable to its 2005 report because the way surveyors count the “online dating population” has changed. There were no dating apps eight years ago. That said, the percentage of Americans who say

they have used an online dating website grew from 3 per cent in 2008 to 6 per cent in 2009, and 9 per cent this year.

Among Pew’s other findings: • Don’t call it stalking: Onethird of Americans who use social networking sites use the sites to check up on somebody they once dated. The same is true for nearly half of those ages 18 to 29.

• Match.com is the most popular dating site, according to the 2013 survey, just as it was in 2005. No. 2 this year is eHarmony. Yahoo Personals was in second place in 2005, but it no longer exists. Searching for it online will take you to Match. com.

• Twenty-nine per cent of respondents say they know someone who has been in a longterm relationship or married someone they met online, compared with 15 per cent in 2005.

• Forty-six per cent of people who use online dating sites say finding someone long-term is a major reason they use the sites.

A quarter, on the other hand, “just want to have fun without being in a serious relationship.”

The 2013 telephone survey was conducted from April 17 to May 19 among a sample of 2,252 U.S. adults, including people who don’t own a landline. It has a margin of error of 2.3 percentage points. ■

Lifestyle

39 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

‘Vincent’ is out to pull in the ‘pink’ market ‘My Husband’s Lover’s’ Tom Rodriguez appeals to both gay and straight men

BY ALEX Y. VERGARA Philippine Daily Inquirer

residues that clog pores and cause pimples and blackheads.

“His face is more contoured now than when we first met weeks ago,” said Belo.

“I think it’s the effect of the Sculptor Plus and Acupuncture Rejuvenation Therapy. The latter tightens muscles without surgery, which no noninvasive treatment can do.”

HE SINGS, he paints, he acts and, thanks to his recent gay role on TV, he could also be Dr. Vicki Belo’s most effective marketing tool yet to gain a bigger share of the “pink” market.

Actor Tom Rodriguez of the hit telenovela “My Husband’s Lover” is the newest celebrity in Belo’s growing stable of famous endorsers.

“We want to appeal more to men, including gays,” said Belo, owner of Belo Medical Group (BMG). “And I feel that Tom, who appeals both to straight and gay men, is the ideal endorser to help us with our pink campaign.”

Favorite treatment

More loyal customers

Studies in the US have shown that gay men are more willing to spend on maintaining their looks than straight men, Belo added.

Today, Belo’s male customers account for 20 to 25 percent of her clientele. Interestingly, most are straight men.

“I’d be happy if we could increase that number to 40 percent through Tom,” she said. “Unlike women, men can’t hide even minor flaws with makeup.”

Based on Belo’s experience, male clients, gay or straight, are more loyal than female clients. She attributes this to women’s “more adventurous nature” in trying out new beauty products and procedures.

“It’s usually the wives and girlfriends of these men who bring them to us,” she said. “But while the men stay, their wives and girlfriends disappear to try other beauty clinics. Many eventually return to us.”

Apart from the usual skin problems, most of these men are concerned with body fat, especially stubborn love handles. Not a few also have their drooping eyelids lifted and their eye bags removed.

“Like Tom, many of our male clients still prefer noninvasive procedures,” she said.

Life-changing role

Belo and daughter Cristalle Henares welcomed Rodriguez, 26, to the Belo group in a press meet in their Dasmariñas Village, Makati City home.

“Although it was new to me, I never had any problem playing a gay role,” said Rodriguez, referring to Vincent, the character he played on TV. “And, yes, I’m straight.”

A relative unknown before landing the lead role “that changed my life forever,” Rodriguez has a college degree in digital animation from the University of Arizona. He resettled in the Philippines to

Actor Tom Rodriguez of the hit telenovela “My Husband’s Lover” is the newest celebrity in Belo’s growing stable of famous endorsers.

PHOTO COURTESY OF GMA NETWORK

try his luck.

Rodriguez, Bartolome Alberto Mott in real life, spent his childhood in Samar until his family moved to the US. His mom is Filipino, his dad American.

“The economy was bad in the US so I flew here soon after graduation,” he said. “I was studying my options and painting on the side until I found myself auditioning in theater productions.”

When his show biz manager Popoy Caritativo got him a role in GMA 7’ s latest soap, Rodriguez grabbed the chance to work with established stars Dennis Trillo and Carla Abellana.

“Tom is not only hot, he also has a huge gay following,” said Belo. “I’ve been eyeing him ever since his TV career took off. When I got to know him better, I became more convinced that he’s the Belo man—handsome, articulate, pleasant and well-rounded.”

procedure there is.”

SkinMaster supposedly helps exfoliate dead skin cells, excess oil and other

Bad days

But fame has its price, Rodriguez said.

Not only has he lost his anonymity; the long hours of taping also took their toll on his skin, especially under the eyes, and his lean physique.

“I was very active in sports in college,” said the former football player. “Now, I barely have time to exercise. And on bad days, when I barely get sleep, the dark circles under my eyes are somewhere between a panda’s and a raccoon’s.”

Rodriguez had Belo procedures such as SkinMaster, Jet Peel, Acupuncture Rejuvenation Therapy and the Belo Fat Freeze.

“Belo Fat Freeze is Tom’s favorite when it comes to his body,” said Belo.

“It’s literally the coolest nonsurgical www.canadianinquirer.net

supports

But Rodriguez’s favorite is the Jet Peel because “it tickles and refreshes my skin,” he said. Powered by air and water pressure, the treatment is said to penetrate and rejuvenate the skin by infusing oxygen and various vitamins into the deep dermis to recharge and revitalize cells.

Rodriguez impressed the media, especially the ladies, by raffling off three of his framed digital paintings at the launch. He said he missed the days when all he did was paint.

“There was a time I’d hang out for a week in Hong Kong and take in the urban scene before I would start painting,” he shared. “I miss those days. That’s no longer possible because even there, Filipinos recognize me.” ■

Business

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 40

For PH, US debt deal offers little comfort World markets not out of the woods yet, say Philippine execs

BY PAOLO G. MONTECILLO, MICHELLE REMO, AND AMY REMO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE UNITED States Congress narrowly averted a disaster that would have sent the global economy on a downward spiral when it concluded a short-term deal to pay for the resumption of public services, allowing the US to avoid a debt default.

But the Philippines’ top economic managers said that the global economy was not out of the woods yet.

They said emerging markets should use this reprieve to make their own adjustments.

“We should not treat this as an openended extension of peace time,” said Diwa Guinigundo, Deputy Governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

In a statement to reporters, Guinigundo said the US Congress approved late Wednesday night an increase in the country’s legal borrowing limit. It was able to put off “what otherwise could have been a financial conflagration.”

The government of the world’s largest economy would have reached its previous borrowing limit, also known as debt ceiling, on Oct. 17. The US government currently owes $16.7 trillion.

Had the debt ceiling been reached, the US government would not have been able to settle maturing US treasury notes—the world’s most traded security.

BSP officials earlier this month said that a default on US treasuries would have sent the world economy into a recession deeper than the one it faced in 2008.

The deal between the Democrats in the US Senate and House Republicans also ended a 16-day shutdown of the Federal government, which was brought on by Congress’ failure to pass legislation to fund state services.

“The US should look at a more permanent solution to shield the world economy and financial markets from its domestic political squabbles,” Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima said in a text message.

Budget Secretary Florencio Abad like wise said there was still a need for a long-lasting solution. In particular, he said, political problems must be addressed, or at least prevented from spilling over to the economic front.

“ I t may well be a case of temporary relief—until the next crisis. The underlying problem is not economic but political,” Abad also said in a text message.

A US default would have caused US interest rates to soar, bringing along with them the rates of other countries.

Based on a Department of Finance (DOF) estimate, for every percentage point increase in the US interest rate, the Philippine interest rate also rises by 0.80 percentage point. For every percentage point rise in the Philippine interest rate, the country loses 0.36 of a percentage point in real GDP growth.

Guinigundo said that while the short-term extension of the debt ceiling was a welcome reprieve, policymakers around the world should not be complacent.

“The agreement to adjust the debt ceiling will be good only until February 2014. We might be back to this wait-and-see situation by then,” Guinigundo said.

In the meantime, he said, central banks and government holders of US treasuries should make the necessary adjustments by reducing their exposure to US debt. However,

assets that that are as liquid and as universally tradable as US treasuries “are not readily available.”

“The challenge is really to get back to higher, more sustainable economic growth built without dependence on excessive financial leveraging,” Guinigundo said.

He said this would require sustained policy reforms, intensified oversight of the financial system, avoidance of asset price inflation, continued fiscal and monetary policy coordination.

Business groups heaved a sigh of relief over news that US leaders agreed to avoid a default.

“It’s a sigh of relief because we were holding our breath. We were fearing the repercussions as a default will worsen our situation. This is a welcome development,” said Sergio OrtizLuis Jr., chair of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

John Forbes, senior adviser of the American Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AmCham), said the development in the US was “good for the Philippines and the global economy for a few months.... But [it] would be better if a more lasting solution was put in place [to avoid] these periodic worrisome crises.”

Across Asia, stock markets rose on news of the deal in the US Congress.

With only hours to spare until the $16.7-trillion debt limit was reached, Congress passed and sent a waiting President Obama legislation to allow more borrowing and reopen government agencies.

“World heaves sigh of relief as US barely averts debt default,” said the Times of India newspaper in a headline.

Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund, welcomed the deal but said the shaky American economy needs more stable long-term finances. The deal only permits the Treasury to borrow normally through Feb. 7 and fund the government through Jan. 15. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

YAMANG PANGKINABUKASAN

Why People Fail To be Financially Successful

BY SURRINDER VARPAUL AND KUYA BOY LACK OF knowledge: The reason most of us go into debt is lack of financial knowledge.

People don’t understand the principles of personal finances therefore don’t practice them.

We do tend to ignore the need to implement a financial plan and do not realize the impact of some of our decisions have on our financial goals. Decisions that include compulsive spending, maintaining a lifestyle beyond our means, missing bill payments, etc. These kinds of mistakes have serious longterm consequences. We need to take responsibility of our spending and develop and follow a planned spending budget as it is an important tool to use.

From an array of recent surveys, statistics show that onequarter of adult Canadians have no savings for the future; more than a third of credit card users don’t know their card’s annual interest rate; less than half realize that interest is charged on cash advances; and 60 percent admit that they find most financial information hard to understand. In today’s world information is more ready and available than at anytime in the past. With the growth of the in-

ternet the knowledge we seek is a one click away. Rather than leaving it up to the corporate world to educate us on finance, we should take it upon ourselves to read and educate ourselves; after all financial literacy should begin at home. However the most consistent form of motivation that we lack is desire but to that I say wouldn’t you like to increase your net worth and decrease your debt load?

Financial knowledge is a power tool which gives important options and opportunities to us to increase our net worth.

Most of us do not know where we can get proper financial advice, so we do nothing about it.

We are rather clueless when it comes to money management as we have not learnt enough or anything at all about it. We should have a firm understanding of money management and not just the ways to earn money to sustain our life. It is never too late to educate oneself on matters of money. Make learning a lifelong process. ■ For more information about this topic and other valuable financial information listen to our weekly radio program— “YAMANG PANGKINABUKASAN” every Saturday from 1:30pm to 2pm on JUAN Radio 96.1 FM, hosted by Surrinder Varpaul and Kuya Boy.

Sports/Horoscope

41 FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

Azkals now SE Asia’s top team

BY CEDELF P. TUPAS Philippine Daily Inquirer DRAWING STRENGTH from the 3-1 victory over Pakistan that sealed its triumph in the Philippine Peace Cup, the Philippines climbed to its highest ranking in history, vaulting four places up to No. 137 in the latest International Football Federation (Fifa) rankings.

And for the first time, the Azkals supplanted Thailand as the No. 1-ranked side in Southeast Asia after the Thais dropped to No. 143 in the world.

Myanmar is the third best team in Southeast Asia at 149, followed by Vietnam (151), Singapore (155), Malaysia (160), Indonesia (162), Laos (165), Timor Leste (193), Brunei (193) and Cambodia (198).

Ironically, the Philippines is not sending a football team to the Southeast Asian Games in

Myanmar this December.

The Fifa ranking system not only considers recent results, but also gives weight to the performance of the national team since 2010. The Azkals picked up 213 ranking points over the past month.

“This is the result of the hard work and sacrifice of those involved with the national team, particularly the players, and the support of the Philippine Football Federation,” said Azkals manager Dan Palami.

“Getting the top ranking in Southeast Asia has been our goal since we started with the national team. I’m glad that our efforts have been rewarded,” added Palami, who started supporting the team in 2010.

“We hope that the new ranking will continue to inspire the team to reach greater heights,” said PFF president Mariano “Nonong” Araneta.

Though the Azkals, known

Azkals manager Dan Palami said, “This is the result of the hard work and sacrifice of those involved with the national team, particularly the players, and the support of the Philippine Football Federation.”

PHOTO FROM RUFFYBIAZON.PH

for their resiliency, have played only seven matches this year, they endured a busy schedule in the past two years, allowing them to pick up significant ranking points.

Palami believes the rankings will give the Azkals a huge con-

fidence boost as they prepare for the AFC Challenge Cup in the Maldives in May next year.

The winner of the Challenge Cup will qualify for the Asian Cup, which has been the target of the Azkals.

“We should not lose sight of

the bigger picture, which is the Challenge Cup,” said Palami.

“We want to win that championship. To go there and to do that will take more than just a win in the Peace Cup as it will take a lot of effort from the stakeholders of the sport.” ■

HOROSCOPE ARIES

CANCER

LIBRA

CAPRICORN

(MARCH 21 - APRIL 19)

(JUNE 22 - JULY 22)

(SEPT 23 - OCT 22)

(DEC 22 - JAN 19)

Your inbox is probably crammed with party invitations. There’s no such thing as a simple RSVP for you. Every call to accept or decline results in a lengthy conversation as you catch up with relatives and old friends. It’s possible that you’ll receive a communication today that turns your life in a new direction. Doors that you’ve never considered may be opened wide for you.

TAURUS

This is a day for good news, particularly regarding the home. It’s likely that some positive changes are occurring or are about to occur. You may be considering a move or a major renovation. Whatever it is, all signs indicate that the changes are for the better. One way or another, by this time next year you’ll be living in a bigger, better house.

Your mental acuity is high today. A recent innovation of yours could bring you some much-deserved recognition. Your mind is especially sharp at this point, and ideas come thick and fast. You have tremendous talent. If you focus it, you’ll make some positive inroads toward building your success.

Today’s celestial configuration may leave you feeling more spiritually inclined than usual. As your thoughts turn to more positive horizons, you’ll be optimistic about your future and the future of humanity. Don’t hesitate to express these opinions to others. They’ll be cheered by your point of view.

LEO

SCORPIO

AQUARIUS

(JULY 23 - AUGUST 22)

(OCT 23 - NOV 21)

(JAN 20 - FEB 18)

(APRIL 20 - MAY 20) The planetary energies today are emphasizing family. This may be a good time to do some research, delving more deeply into your roots. Have you picked your grandmother’s brain about her mother and grandmother? You’ll be surprised at what you learn. You’ll feel more connected with your family, and you may learn some facts that make you proud of your heritage.

GEMINI

Good news from distant lands could have you feeling good about your life and eagerly anticipating the future. Your thinking is sharp and clear. This is a good day to make plans, particularly if they involve travel or education. If you have the feeling that the coming weeks bring some dramatic changes for the better, your instincts are likely correct. You have reason to celebrate.

Today you’ll feel inspired to express yourself in fun, creative ways. Don’t be afraid to let loose with your wild sense of humor. You could play a prank on a friend that makes him or her laugh and creates good feelings. Or you could share some jokes with others that make them smile and feel better. You enjoy playing the clown, and you’re good at it!

VIRGO

SAGITTARIUS

(AUG 23 - SEPT 22)

(NOV 22 - DEC 21)

(MAY 21 - JUNE 21) Your hard work is finally paying off. You can expect to receive acknowledgement and advancement, along with a possible salary increase or substantial bonus. You should receive the good news soon.

Celebrate tonight with family and friends. They could also have some good news of their own to report, which makes for happiness all around.

When you give your imagination free rein, you have a creative way of expressing yourself. Today you might feel like doing some public speaking or creative writing. You may devise a unique way to make a presentation or put together a proposal. Communicating in a more intimate way will warm your heart and the hearts of your audience. Don’t hold back.

Expect a visitor to put you in touch with people who could make a real difference in your life. Changes are manifesting more quickly than you realize.

Certainly all that’s occurring is exciting, but the speed may have you feeling a little apprehensive. Fear often accompanies success. You can’t move ahead without taking some risk. You’re up to this challenge!

www.canadianinquirer.net

This is bound to be an interesting day as you meet some new people who have fascinating ideas about esoteric subjects. Listen closely and later jot notes on the conversation. Don’t be surprised if you get some good news about advancing in your professional field. It looks as though a raise or promotion is coming.

PISCES (FEB 19 - MAR 20) It’s time to admit that your hectic lifestyle is catching up with you. Today you must start to get organized. Waiting until the last minute to take care of important tasks only causes anxiety. Make a list of everything you need to get done and prioritize it. Consider yourself lucky if you can confine the list to one page!

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

42

Travel

Experiencing Morocco, from medinas to countryside, as a woman travelling alone

BY GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO The Associated Press MEKNES, MOROCCO—”So you travel ... only?” asked the woman sitting next to me in halting but intuitive English as we sat in the packed compartment on a train speeding through Moroccan farmland.

We were the sole unveiled, unaccompanied women in the car.

Travelling alone in this North African, Muslim country where public spaces are almost exclusively male, I got that question everywhere, from the frequent flyer lounge in the capital’s airport to the kitchen of a riad—a traditional home with a courtyard—deep in Fez’s medina, the ancient walled section of the city.

With sexual harassment and assault making news from Egypt to India to Brazil, I was keenly aware that as a blonde Western tourist, I could not pass unobserved. And observe, glare and leer many Moroccan men do. A journalist told me his sisters living in Casablanca were desperately tired of being “eye-raped.”

In January and June, I spent more than three weeks exploring Morocco, from its imperial cities to the desert oases, mostly alone, but at times accompanying a group of students from a U.S. university where I teach.

They were all women but one.

The group, despite modest dress, literally stopped traffic.

Alone, I learned to firmly say “la, shukran”—no, thank you— to any invitation or approach, and got to enjoy the country through a woman’s eyes. That meant some pavement-staring to avoid confrontations, but also unexpected glimpses into this mesmerizing land where a wealth of cultures with ancient roots abuts illiteracy and subsistence.

Roman heritage

As my seatmate on the train

and I shared universal girl talk about kohl eyeliner and marrying the loves of our lives, this hairdresser from Casablanca reminded me of the spunky women portrayed in the stunning Roman mosaics in Volubilis, a few miles (kilometres) north of our train tracks in north-central Morocco.

The nearly 2,000-year-old city ruins, with a triumphal arch and rows of basilica columns topped by storks, loom in magnificent isolation amid a rolling landscape of olive trees. As donkeys laden with harvested greens plod along its dusty roads, little seems to have changed.

But the colorful floor mosaics of skimpily dressed, frolicking gods and goddesses visualize drastically different mores. A few hours’ drive north through the Rif mountains, on a pebbly Mediterranean beach nearly in sight of Spain, I alone wore a bikini among women sporting veils and ankle-length tunics.

Imperial cities

The modesty equation was suddenly reversed when I prudishly put on that same bikini for a separate visit to a hammam—baths— in Fez, the eighth-century capital of the first Arab, Islamic dynasty to rule Morocco from the same lush farmland as Volubilis.

A muscular, sweaty masseuse nonchalantly pulled it off, leaving me covered only in olive-based black soap and precariously balanced on a marble slab. As she scrubbed roll after giant roll of dead skin cells off me, I overheard a dozen other preening naked women sharing a friendly laugh at the “dirty American,” as one put it.

In Fez, the medina is a gigantic beehive of windowless, earth-toned homes and shops crammed in a bowl-shaped river basin. In Marrakech, built by the dynasties that ruled Morocco from the 11th through the 13th century, the medina’s rose-

PHOTO BY MARTIN FROYDA / SHUTTERSTOCK

colored walls stand out in the desert against the snowy Atlas mountains.

In either medina, if you like endless haggling, follow the flow of local women through the maze and load up on everything from sweets to expensive leather and metal handicrafts.

If you hate shopping, as I do, absorb the colours and smells while making a beeline for the many madrasas, or Islamic schools. In the centuries-old Ben Youssef school in Marrakech, tiny dorm rooms face a sunny courtyard where every inch is a kaleidoscope of intricate wood carvings, stucco inscriptions, and geometric mosaics.

Most tourists in Marrakech concentrate on the souks around Djemaa el-Fna, the medina’s central square bustling with food stalls come dusk. That leaves blissfully deserted grand 16th-century monuments, like the ruined El Badi palace of pink sandstone and the Saadian tombs, a burial complex covered in blindingly colorful tiles.

The same goes for another former imperial capital, Meknes, less than 50 miles (80 kilometres) from Fez. I skipped the medina and wandered through the eerily empty, gigantic late 17th-century royal granaries and stables.

Ksars and dunes

To head from Marrakech along the fabled former trade route to Timbuktu, I relied on a guide and driver for a three-day personalized tour of sheer desert magic.

As the temperature rose to 118 F (48 C), we wove through ancient fortified adobe villages baked in the salmon-colored hills, hidden valleys bursting with date palms, and lulling Saharan dunes. My qualms about sleeping alone in a tent evaporated by the time I reached it on the back of my camel, led by a Bedouin guide who walked through the moonlit desert with unerring mental GPS, and a functioning iPhone.

Rabat and casablanca

Most trips to Morocco begin or end in the modern political and business capitals, Rabat and Casablanca, where the suffused ocean light and white artdeco districts recall, improbably, the architecture of South Beach.

In Casa, I admit my highlight was a fake: Rick’s Cafe, which opened in 2004 to recreate the locale of the 1942 classic movie “Casablanca.” Channeling Ingrid Bergman, I requested “As Time Goes By,” but was told it’s only played at night. Here’s

looking at superb shrimp pasta and olive bread, instead.

In Rabat, the historic sites line the Bou Regreg river. Just outside the city centre is Chellah, a Roman ruin, once a necropolis and later an Islamic religious centre, and now the rare green space without ogling hassles.

Walking toward the ocean, you pass the 12th century unfinished Hassan tower next to the gleaming mausoleum of the current king’s grandfather before reaching the white-andblue Kasbah des Oudayas. High on a cliff over the Atlantic, encircled by medieval walls and palm trees, it’s the postcard shot of Rabat.

In its comparatively compact, linear medina, I spent one evening watching generations of women literally let down their hair—veils removed—to cook couscous and bake almond pastries as a TV soap opera blared in the house’s central courtyard.

In a busy cafe near the French colonial Ville Nouvelle neighbourhood, I shared chocolate pastries, smoothies and Cokes with female Moroccan students working on a documentary about sexual harassment.

One of them was getting ready to travel alone—to study in China. ■

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

43

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FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 44

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Arrests, scandals... date, Bibiane Bovet, had been working as a prostitute until 18 months ago.

Joly at first stood by a candidate who was trying to turn her life around. Then La Presse newspaper reported that the stock-market authority was investigating her for another type of solicitation: Bovet allegedly asked people for 150,000-euro contributions to help her start a new international currency.

And that was that.

Joly announced Sunday she wasn’t satisfied with Bovet’s responses to the report and decided to part ways with her. She called it a “good-faith” error because her campaign simply hadn’t had the resources to vet the candidate deeply.

Joly even tried to spin the news in her favour.

She noted that some of her opponents are allied with long-time former politicians who belonged to the corruptionridden, now-defunct Union Montreal party.

“I’d rather be wrong about a candidate whose past I don’t know enough about— while in other parties everyone knows their past,” Joly said.

Meanwhile, the outgoing mayor of StRemi, south of Montreal, was arrested last week.

It was strike two for his campaign. ❰❰ 19

www.canadianinquirer.net

Michel Lavoie was already facing corruption charges since last December and he’d been stripped of the mayor’s position by the courts. He’s running for re-election. Lavoie is due in court on the new charges in January.

One report about a candidate’s past was downright tragic.

In a small village in Western Quebec, a man who spent nearly four years in prison in connection with the death of his girlfriend is running for mayor in Kazabazua, Que. Paul Liberty was charged with criminal negligence causing death and spent roughly four years in jail. He told a local newspaper earlier this month that the conviction has nothing to do with his candidacy.

He called his prior conviction “irrelevant” to the campaign.

Liberty said he was wrongly accused.

He was quoted telling the Ottawa Citizen that his girlfriend, Line Renaud, had blacked out after a night of heavy drinking and he had, too, off and on for two days.

He eventually drove her to the hospital, where she fell into a coma and died.

The newspaper reported that he has been unemployed since being released from prison in 2009.

Liberty is running on an anti-corruption platform. ■

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013

45

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Canada

FRIDAY OCTOBER 25, 2013 46

Minister Alexander Expands Start-up Visa Program to Include Business Incubators TORONTO—Canada’s Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander announces a new visa stream to attract foreign entrepreneurs to Canada.

“As part of our government’s focus on jobs, growth and long-term prosperity, it is critical for Canada to attract the best entrepreneurs and innovators from around the world,” said Alexander. “This new stream will partner Canada’s world class business incubators with immigrant entrepreneurs, driving economic growth and placing Canada ahead of its competitors in the global economy of the 21st century.”

The launch of a new Business Incubator stream under the Start-up Visa (SUV) Program to recruit dynamic foreign entrepreneurs will complement existing venture capital and angel investor streams. It will attract early-stage and high growth businesses, and entrepreneurs who can contribute to a culture of innovation and commercialization in Canada.

Business incubators provide promising entrepreneurs with valuable mentorship, and help them to attract investors and grow their start-ups into sustainable businesses that can create jobs in Canada.

“We are honoured to partner with Citizenship and Immigration Canada on this exciting new initiative,” said CABI President David McNamara. “Our mission is to help small businesses grow and succeed. Connecting immigrant en-

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trepreneurs with Canada’s accredited business incubators will broaden our respective networks and bring us all to the next level. The possibilities are endless!”

Citizenship and Immigration Canada will designate eligible business incubator programs in consultation with the Canadian Association of Business Incubation (CABI). The new stream will begin accepting applications on October 26, 2013.

Alexander also announced today that five additional Canadian venture capital funds will soon be designated as SUV partners. An updated list of all designated organizations will be made avail-

able on the CIC website as of October 26, 2013.

“We are excited about the expansion of the Start-Up Visa and look forward to welcoming innovators through this program in the near future,” said Alexander.

The SUV is a five-year pilot program and is limited to no more than 2,750 applications per year. It is designed to attract high quality and select entrepreneurs who can advance the Government of Canada’s innovation agenda. In addition to standard admissibility requirements, SUV applicants must meet certain program eligibility criteria. ■

trition issues for her company Citrus.

Team devilled eggs with leftovers, or serve with chunks of cheese, wedges of pita bread and some hummus.

“It’s kind of a mix-and-match, make your own plate, but it’s all good healthy food but nothing you’ve had to spend a lot of time preparing. You’re just getting it out on the table and assembling.”

A slow cooker can be your sous chef, or a casserole can be made ahead and slid into the oven. Make mini quiches in muffin tins, which bake quickly.

Round out the meal with some raw vegetables or use frozen, which don’t have to be chopped and can be zapped in the microwave. Provide some sliced fruit and yogurt for dessert.

Since kids will want to dig into their treats right away, parents might want to establish some guidelines for snacking.

First, limit the amount of candy they bring home by putting a boundary on the number of streets they visit.

“Certainly the longer they’re out, the

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more candy they’re going to collect.

They’re going to need to get to bed too” as Halloween is on a school night this year.

Offer other activities to make the evening fun and shorten the quest for sweets. Invite a few neighbours and their children over to roast pumpkin seeds or assemble in the backyard for a fire and hot apple cider.

Have a discussion with kids about their ideas. Often they’ll come up with suggestions like saving treats for after meals and brushing teeth afterward. Talk about how many treats the kids think is reasonable to have at a time or to tote in a lunch bag if they’re peanut free.

“Involving the kids gives them a little bit of power but doesn’t mean you can’t negotiate and say, ‘Well, five is probably too many. How about three?’ Compromise and get them thinking about what’s reasonable and not all being imposed by their parents.”

Remind them it’s OK to have a few treats but healthy foods are needed too.

“Talk about being healthy and feeling good and if you eat a lot of candy you’re not going to have enough energy from whole foods to really make you feel good and enjoy your day,” Harrison says.

After the first week post-Halloween, siphon off some of the stash from the candy bowl.

“If it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind and that works for adults too when your kids’ candy starts calling your name at 10 o’clock at night,” she says.

The odd treat the week or so after Halloween is not going to make or break a healthy food plan.

“I think it’s important to keep in mind it’s what the kids do all those other weeks around Halloween that really matter and let the kids have some fun. Give them a little bit of flexibility and fun around Halloween and let them enjoy the candy with those common-sense rules in place....

“Even as a dietitian I feel it’s just important to not be overly restrictive because I think it just makes the kids want to have it even more.” ■

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