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JANUARY 15, 2016

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VOL. 1 NO. 200

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Leni hopes to prod P-Noy on urgency of FOI bill

8 out of 10 Filipinos for bet with food and agri platform

P-Noy sees politics in probe

‘This isn’t who we are’: Trudeau condemns attack

Explore Vancouver

Rewind: Newsmakers of 2015 from papal visit to pageant victories...

BY JANE MORALEDA Philippine Canadian Inquirer

DOUBLE DEAL A welcome sight in traffic-choked Metro Manila is this double-decker bus that had a dry run on Thursday. Called P2P for point-to-point service, the bus boasts a nonstop trip from SM North Edsa in Quezon City to Glorietta 5 in Makati City, at P55 per ride for ordinary commuters, and P40 for students and senior citizens. Aside from a faster ride, passengers have access to a flat screen TV, a refrigerator and a toilet on the bus.

NINO JESUS ORBETA / PDI

PH Supreme Court declares pact allowing US troops in local camps constitutional

BY TERESA CEROJANO The Associated Press

ippine Supreme Court on Tuesday declared as constitutional a defence pact that allows American forces, warships

MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Phil-

IT HAS been another unforgettable year of gains and losses for the Philippines – from the papal visit, birth of a phenomenal love team and biggest fight in the history of boxing to disasters, issues and controversies that plagued the country, its government and people.

Here’s a rundown on some of the most talked-about stories and events in the year that’s been.

10. “AlDub” and its nation

Feast of the Nazarene held under heavy security

Later in the year, the on-screen love team of actor Alden Richards and emerging star Maine “Yaya Dub” Mendoza took the hearts of a nation, as proven by their strong fan base. “AlDub,” which was formed in noontime show Eat Bulaga!’s hit “Kalyeserye”

❱❱ PAGE 8 ❱❱ PAGE 6 PH Supreme

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:

FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS InFocus.canadianinquirer.net

❱❱ PAGE 12 Rewind: Newsmakers

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JANUARY 15, 2016

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FRIDAY

Philippine News

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

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JPE has ax to grind against me–Aquino

BY NIKKO DIZON AND LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer DAVAO CITY — President Aquino on Friday blamed politics for the Senate decision to reopen an investigation into the Mamasapano clash, saying Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile, who had asked for the new probe, had an ax to grind against his administration.

The investigation by the Senate public order committee found that President Aquino was ultimately responsible for the Philippine National Police Special Action Force (SAF) counterterrorism operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, on Jan. 25, 2015, that left 44 police commandos, 17 Moro rebels and three civilians dead.

The SAF commandos killed their target, Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan,” but the clash set back the peace process between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The Senate probe will be reopened on Jan. 25 to tackle “possibly new evidence” that Enrile claimed he had.

The new probe will be held exactly a year after the debacle that brought Mr. Aquino’s ratings to their lowest since he assumed office in 2010.

Grudge vs administration

“I think in all of these, we can see that politics is a major thing. Let us not forget the proponent of this [new investigation]. Perhaps, we will understand, most likely he has a grudge against my administration,” Mr. Aquino told reporters.

The President did not name Enrile, but it was the Senate minority leader who proposed a new probe, which was approved earlier this week.

Enrile, one of the founders of the opposition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), whose presidential candidate in May’s general elections is Vice President Jejomar Binay, is under trial for graft and plunder for his alleged role in the P10-billion pork barrel scam.

Binay and Sen. Grace Poe, an independent presidential candidate and chair of the Senate public order committee that investigated the Mamasapano clash, are leading Mr. Aquino’s chosen candidate, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas, in voter preference polls.

Poe, who has agreed to reopen the Mamasapano probe, is fighting in the Supreme Court to stay in the race after the Commission on Elections decided to disqualify her on questions of her citizenship and Philippine residency that have been brought by detractors who she believes are working for her rivals.

Enrile had been detained for more than a year at the PNP General Hospital in Camp Crame, Quezon City, but was

Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile asked for new probe on Mamasapano clash.

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released in August last year after being allowed bail by the Supreme Court.

Reopening of probe

In October last year, he asked the Senate to reopen the Mamasapano investigation, saying he had questions to ask at a new probe based on information he received from survivors of the clash whom he had met in the police hospital.

He said the new probe would bring closure for the survivors and the families of the 44 slain SAF commandos.

“We know that the campaign period is near. My critics saw that [Mamasapano] was the worst incident to hit me since I assumed office. Of course, as President and father of the nation, I cannot be emotional when it comes to this issue.

Jan. 25 is the birthday of my mother and the first anniversary of Mamasapano.

It’s like they want to ensure I will have a hard time,” Mr. Aquino said, adding “the truth shall set us all free.”

Mr. Aquino noted that the committee report on the Mamasapano probe is not yet a Senate report, as the Senate has yet to tackle it in the plenary and vote on it.

“So this would be a good opportunity to complete the picture on what happened in Mamasapano and put on record what is right,” he said.

Insult to Poe

The President also took a swipe at Poe, who had refused to be Roxas’ running mate to make an independent run for Malacañang.

“When I was a senator [and a congressman], I was taught that one of the biggest insults to a committee head and the members of the committee is for the committee report to be recommitted, or returned, to those who had written it. [I was told] that it’s like saying your [report] is wrong, that’s why it is being returned to you,” Mr. Aquino said.

“So I asked, have things changed in the Senate? I was told by Senate President (Franklin Drilon) that the committee chair did not refuse [Enrile’s request],

that’s why the [Mamasapano report] was returned to the committee. If the committee chair refused, the plenary would vote [to determine whether to return the report to the committee],” he said.

Poe, speaking at a news conference in Pagadian City, Zamboanga del Sur province, on Friday, said the reopening of the investigation was not her personal decision but was decided in deference to Enrile.

She said she was never interested in

reopening the probe, but because Enrile’s request was supported by other senators, she agreed to reopen it.

Poe said the hearings would seek fresh information, such as whether charges had been filed against those responsible for the deaths of the 44 SAF commandos and whether their families had already received the benefits the government had promised to give them.

The Department of Justice decided on Dec. 17 to resolve direct assault and murder charges against 84 of 90 MILF fighters accused of killing the 44 commandos. The 84 men failed to appear at the investigation of the Mamasapano clash. The rest were represented by lawyers or submitted statements denying any role in the gun battle.

Undelivered promises

Merlyn Gamutan, wife of slain Senior Insp. Joey Gamutan, said only half of the promised support from the National Housing Authority had been released to her family. She said there had been no word about the support promised by the National Police Commission.

“My daughter goes to a Catholic school [in Pagadian] and her admission there ❱❱ PAGE 7 JPE has

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Philippine News

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

Comelec seeks tighter rules on posting ads

BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer

View of Angat Dam from San Lorenzo (Hilltop), Norzagaray, Bulacan.

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Angat water conservation still needed

BY CATHERINE TEVES Philippines News Agency

ic, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) also warned about such El Nino’s possible intensification to a new record level, further prompting government to implement both measures.

In late 2015, however, Angat Dam’s water situation improved as rainfall from several tropical cyclones then increased reserve in this facility.

PAGASA reported Angat’s water level at 213.50 meters as of 6 a.m. Saturday (Jan. 9).

Such level is higher than Angat’s flood season high water

PAGASA’s forecast released this week indicates Angat Dam will likely face water woes during 2016’s first semester even MANILA — Environment and if this agency expects then two Natural Resources chief Ramon to six tropical cyclones in the Paje sees urgency in further Philippine Area of Responsibilconserving Angat Dam’s water, ity. despite abundance of this facilThe forecast shows possible ity’s reserve at present, to help way below-normal rainfall in ensure water availability there Angat watershed this February amid drought-driving El Niño and March, easing to belowphenomenon’s expected brunt normal rainfall in April before in early 2016. improving to near-normal rain“Conservation should start fall in May and June. this January even if Angat’s waAngat Dam’s water level will ter level is high,” he said. likely dip to some 208 meters He noted Naby February’s tional Water Refirst week, the sources Board forecast also (NWRB) will shows. soon review AnShe’s advocating water conservation PAGASA eargat’s water situas PAGASA expects El Nino to prevail lier warned the ation and the until mid-2016. country will exlatest El Nino perience, durforecast so goving 2016’s first ernment can semester, the allocate water from the dam level of 212 meters, the year- brunt of El Nino’s peak intenaccordingly for forthcoming end water elevation PAGASA sity. months. cited as ideal for this dam to Expected then are drought NWRB is attached to the en- meet its triple purposes during and dry spell conditions fromvironment department and is an incoming year’s first half. below-normal rainfall and government’s lead agency in “Angat’s water level at pres- warmer-than-normal air temthe Philippine water sector. ent is high enough for those perature, said PAGASA. Rain-fed Angat supplies wa- purposes,” said PAGASA hyAccording to PAGASA’s seter for irrigation, power genera- drologist Ronalyn Macalalad. nior weather specialist Analisa tion and Metro Manila’s needs.

She’s advocating water con- Solis, El Nino’s intensity alLast year, NWRB reduced servation as PAGASA expects ready peaked during the Octoallocation of Angat water for El Nino to prevail until mid- ber-November-December 2015 Metro Manila and suspended 2016. period. normal supply of irrigation waPaje agrees, noting there She noted impact of such ter from the dam as the prevail- might still be no rain by then development will be most proing strong El Nino negatively due to El Nino even if the rainy nounced from February to affected water availability season generally commences April 2016. there. around mid-year.

“There’s lag time before we State weather and climate au“We must conserve water,” experience El Nino’s impact,” thority Philippine Atmospher- he said. she added. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) is proposing stricter guidelines to ensure that candidates could not easily skirt responsibility for the posting of illegal campaign materials in public places.

In its draft implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for the Fair Elections Act for the May 9 balloting, the Comelec will require donated campaign materials to carry a written acceptance note by the candidate or the party treasurer before they could be posted in public places.

In previous elections, the poll body had difficulty running after candidates whose faces or names appeared in illegally placed posters because some candidates argued that they had no personal knowledge of the campaign materials.

“Election propaganda materials donated or contributed by any person to a candidate or party shall not be printed, published, broadcast or exhibited unless it is accompanied by the written acceptance of the candidate or party, through the party treasurer,” the draft IRR said.

It added that donated election campaign posters and other paraphernalia must be personally accepted by the candidate or the party treasurer.

The Comelec, in the draft IRR, also proposed removing “aggregate” time limits to broadcast election materials in favor of “per station” quotas.

Based on the document, candidates and registered political parties seeking national posts will be given not more than 120 minutes of TV ads on a per station basis, whether appearing on national, regional or local, free or cable television, and 180 minutes of radio ads on a per station basis.

Candidates for local elective posts will be allotted not more than 60 minutes of TV commercials on a per station basis and 90 minutes of radio ads, states the draft IRR. The election body also proposed to make it a requirement for parties and candidates to use environment-friendly and recyclable election paraphernalia and indicate on each of them the phrase, “This material should be recycled.”

The poll body is scheduled to hold a public consultation on the draft IRR at the Comelec’s main office today. ■

President Aquino believes BBL will push Mindanao into global spotlight PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — President Benigno Aquino III on Friday stressed the need to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law (BBL) that would ‘certainly’ push Min-danao, and the Philippines, further into the global spotlight.

The President made this

statement as he inaugurated the Aboitiz’s Power Plant, a 300 megawatt baseload power in Davao province.

President Aquino said the BBL, a codification of the peace agreement signed between the government the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), will provide a framework “that can ❱❱ PAGE 14 President Aquino

Philippine News

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

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Slow and steady wins the ‘marathon,’ says Mar

BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer SLOW AND STEADY wins the race, according to the camp of Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas, who remains convinced he’s the “man to beat” in the 2016 presidential race.

Yesterday, the Roxas camp said the elections were like a “marathon, not a race,” insisting that only the former Interior Secretary was showing “a steady and consistent rise” across three nationwide surveys when compared to his rivals.

Roxas has yet to capture the lead in the opinion polls but survey results for his rivals have seesawed, with Sen. Grace Poe, Vice President Jejomar Binay and Davao Mayor Rodrigo

Duterte trading places at the top.

The administration candidate dismissed any suggestion that he was at a disadvantage.

“While other candidates’ numbers in the Pulse Asia, Social Weather Stations (SWS), and Laylo electoral surveys continue to fall, Roxas’ numbers buck this trend and continue to rise,” Roxas’ press officer said in a statement to the INQUIRER. “Data collected from the three polling bodies last December 2015 presented erratic numbers for other presidential aspirants, while those of Roxas show a steady and consistent rise,” the statement read in part.

Pulse Asia’s fourth quarter survey of 1,800 respondents, which was conducted from Dec.

Liberal Party standard-bearer Mar Roxas remains convinced he’s the “man to beat” in the 2016 presidential race.

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4 to 11, put Binay on top with 33 percent of the hypothetical vote. Poe and Duterte were statistically tied at 23 and 21 percent, respectively. Roxas was

fourth with 17 percent.

In its own survey from Dec. 12 to 14 of 1,200 respondents, SWS had Poe and Binay tied for first with 26 percent of the vote.

Roxas was third with 22 percent, while Duterte was fourth with 20 percent.

The Roxas camp chose to look at the positive side, noting the jumpy trend of his rivals’ numbers from the three survey firms.

“Binay suffered losses across the three surveys conducted last December: from 33 percent down to 28 (in the Laylo survey) and finally at 26 percent,” it said.

“In the long run, comparing the poll numbers of the Daang Matuwid standard-bearer with other candidates shows that Roxas alone has been improving in the polls,” the Roxas camp said.

Roxas, in previous interviews, said the only survey that truly mattered was the one to be held on May 9, election day. ■

‘I have no grudge against the President’ – Enrile

BY JELLY F. MUSICO Philippines News Agency MANILA — Stressing he has no grudge against President Benigno S. Aquino III, Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile said on Tuesday the Chief Executive should not suspect any motive in the senator’s move to reopen the Mamasapano probe.

“The President should not suspect any motive here, whether any grudges or any political agenda. As far as I’m concerned, I’m no longer a politician,” the 91-year-old lawmaker said in phone-patch interview with the Senate media.

Enrile made his reaction to President Aquino’s statement last Sunday where the latter said the senators who moved to reopen the investigation into the bloody Mamasapano encounter bear grudge against him.

“I have no grudge against him. He is doing his job. I’m ready to defend myself and I will show him that there is no basis for the charges that they filed against me, but that is beside the point. I have no motive here except to serve the interest of the country,” Enrile explained.

He clarified that he will not

invite the President to attend the Mamasapano incident reinvestigation on Jan. 25, which marks the first anniversary of the encounter that left 44 elite forces of the Philippine National Police dead. ”It’s up to him. I will not dictate on the President. I am ready to dance according to what the President would want to dance in this hearing,” Enrile said.

“I will ask pointed questions.

He is free to answer the questions that I will ask and if he wants, I am willing to appear in the hearing and I will be very respectful,” he added.

Enrile said he wanted to know the participation of the President “in the whole project,” referring to the operation of the PNP’s Special Action Force (SAF) to neutralize international terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan.”

“Whose project was this?

Was it solely a Philippine project or was it a project induced by other interest? I want to know all of these,” Enrile said.

“When the lives of 44 men, soldiers of the Republic die in battle, how come there is no news coming from the Palace or any segment of government when in fact even the travel of the President to Baguio in a sports car becomes a news,” he

added.

Enrile, a national defense minister during the time of former President Ferdinand Marcos, was in detention for his alleged involvement in the pork barrel scam when the Senate held hearings on the Mamasapano incident early last year.

www.canadianinquirer.net

In August last year, the Supreme Court granted Enrile’s request for bail.

Enrile has asked Senator Grace Poe’s committee to invite the following government officials: Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa, former Interior Secretary and now presidential

candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, resigned Police Chief Alan Purisima, former Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gregorio Catapang, and former Special Action Force (SAF) Director Getulio Napeñas. ■

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Philippine News

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

Justice seeking SC seat denies taking bribe

BY JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer A COURT of Appeals (CA) justice has denied Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV’s claim that he and another magistrate received a P50million bribe to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking the Ombudsman’s suspension of Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay in March last year.

Justice Jose Reyes Jr. said he

and the other members of the court’s Sixth Division, which issued the TRO, had been vindicated by the lack of evidence in the alleged bribery.

He said their ultimate vindication was the Supreme Court’s (SC) upholding in November of the TRO and the subsequent writ of preliminary injunction (WPI) they issued.

“With the decision of the Supreme Court last Nov. 10, we all felt in the division [that] we were effectively vindicated because

no less than the Supreme Court said—quite emphatically—that the WPI we issued was correct,” Reyes said last Friday during his public interview by the Judicial and Bar Council on his nomination to the Supreme Court.

Reyes wrote the CA ruling blocking Binay’s preventive suspension, which resulted from the Ombudsman’s filing of charges of alleged overpricing in the construction of the Makati City Hall Building II. The CA earlier called for an

ethics probe into Trillanes’ bribery allegations but Reyes said no complaints had come out of it, nor was the magistrate ever required to formally comment on it.

To prove he had clean record, Reyes said he secured certifications from the National Bureau of Investigation, Integrated Bar of the Philippines and Philippine National Police attesting to this.

“It was of course a serious and unfounded allegation. It hurt me but I kept still. My

conscience is clear. Our actuations were based on existing jurisprudence,” said Reyes, referring to the condonation doctrine, which clears a public official of administrative liability upon reelection.

The doctrine was struck down by the Supreme Court in the same November 2015 ruling on the Binay issue. “By merely following settled precedents, the high court said the appeals tribunal did not commit grave abuse of discretion,” he said. ■

PH Supreme... and planes to temporarily base in local military camps, in a boost to U.S. efforts to reassert its presence in Asia as China rises to regional dominance.

Ten of the 15 members of the high court also ruled that the Enhanced Defence Cooperation Agreement, which was signed by U.S. and Philippine officials in 2014 and has a 10year lifespan, is an executive agreement that does not need Senate approval, court spokesman Theodore Te said.

“EDCA is not constitutionally infirm as an executive agreement,” Te said at a news conference after the justices’ long-awaited vote.

The ruling will bolster U.S. efforts to reassert its presence in Asia and dovetails with Philippine efforts to harness America’s help in addressing China’s aggressive acts in the disputed South China Sea. Washington immediately welcomed the court’s decision, saying the defence pact is a mutually beneficial accord that will bolster both countries’ ability to respond to disasters and strengthen the Philippines’ military.

Left-wing activists said they would consider filing an appeal, adding that U.S. military presence won’t solve the country’s worries over China in the disputed waters.

“This is another sad day for Philippine sovereignty,” said left-wing activist Renato Reyes, who was one of those who challenged the legality of the defence accord before the high court. “We maintain that the EDCA is not the solution to the problems of China’s incur❰❰ 1

The Philippine Supreme Court declared as constitutional a defence pact between American forces and the national military.

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sions.”

The court decision came the Philippines recognize the The Department of Foreign ahead of high-level U.S.-Phil- importance of the EDCA as an Affairs said that with the court’s ippine talks Tuesday in Wash- important security component decision, the Philippines and ington on defence, security and in our treaty alliance,” del Rothe U.S. can finalize the full economic co-operation. Speak- sario told The Associated Press. implementation The Philipof an agreement pines has turned that is a critical to Washington component of efas it scrambles forts to strengthto strengthen en national secuThe 2014 defence pact allows the its military, one rity and disaster Americans to stay in facilities within of the most illrelief capabiliPhilippine military camps, where they equipped in Asia, ties. can also station warships and fighter to deal with an “This decijets in a presence that Filipino officials increasingly assion bodes well hope will serve as a deterrent against sertive China in for deepening Chinese aggression in disputed the South China our defencecoterritories.

Sea. operation with Presidential a key ally,” and spokesman Herwill “redound minio Coloma to improving our capability to ing ahead of the talks, Philip- said the court’s ruling boosts perform our mandate to pro- pine Foreign Secretary Albert the ongoing military moderntect our people and secure the del Rosario welcomed the rul- ization program, and will instate,” said armed forces chief ing. troduce the armed forces to Gen. Hernando Iriberri.

“Both the United States and the “most modern equipment,” www.canadianinquirer.net

which will allow “a generational leap in our abilities.”

The long-simmering disputes involving China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei have escalated in recent years. Tensions have been especially high since Beijing transformed seven disputed reefs into islands on which it is now constructing runways and facilities that rival claimants say can be used militarily in an already very tense region.

Nearly a century of U.S. military presence in the Philippines ended in 1992 when Americans shut their bases, including the largest military facilities outside the U.S. mainland, after Filipino senators voted a year earlier not to renew the lease on the bases amid a tide of nationalism.

A resurgent territorial dispute with China in the mid1990s, however, prompted Manila to reach out to Washington.

In 1998, the U.S. and the Philippines signed the Visiting Forces Agreement, allowing large numbers of American forces to return to the country for joint military exercises each year.

The 2014 defence pact allows the Americans to stay in facilities within Philippine military camps, where they can also station warships and fighter jets in a presence that Filipino officials hope will serve as a deterrent against Chinese aggression in disputed territories.

At least eight local camps have been designated as harbouring areas for the Americans, including some located near the South China Sea and in areas prone to natural disasters, according to the Philippine military. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

Election gun ban begins, 1 nabbed

BY KATHERINE PADILLA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) has set up checkpoints nationwide following the implementation of election gun ban imposed by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). The gun ban took effect yesterday at 12 midnight and will be enforced until June 8, 2016. ”One important aspect in the preparation for the peaceful and orderly election is the implementation of gun ban,” Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. was quoted as saying in a Manila Bulletin report.

“The prevention in the misuse or illegal use of firearms is one of the most effective ways to assure the safety of the public and orderly election. That’s why our Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines will rigorously deputize the Comelec to assure orderly election in our country,” he added.

Checkpoints will be set up in strategic locations to deter the public from carrying firearms, said PNP spokesman Chief Supt. Wilben Mayor.

However, individuals who carry Certificate of Authority

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from the Comelec are exempted from the gun ban.

“We would like to remind the public, especially gun owners, that all the privilege to carry your firearms outside your houses are no longer allowed, except if you are able to get an exemption from the Comelec (Commission on Elections),” said Mayor in the same report.

“The Comelec will issue exemptions to those (with) serious security requirements,” Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Col. Restituto Padilla told Inquirer.net.

Members of the PNP and the military are also prohibited to carry firearms when off-duty.

Aside from the PNP, the AFP was also deployed to enforce gun ban in areas where police forces are few.

“The concentration of our soldiers is in conflict-affected areas like in Mindanao and where the PNP’s numbers are thin,” Padilla said.

pano [clash] for [political reasons],” she said.

Sen. Francis Escudero, Poe’s running mate, said the Senate investigation found President Aquino ultimately responsible for the SAF operation, but whatever liability he had— whether administrative, criminal or civil—was up to the courts to decide.

time of the Mamasapano clash.

She also said she did not want a confrontation between the police and the military at the investigation.

“They just need to answer the questions truthfully and to say what benefits have been given to those left behind by the heroic SAF 44,” she said.

Poe said there was no reason for her committee not to tackle any new information, whether it came from the opposition or from the administration.

“According to Senator Enrile, he has many questions to ask because he was not there at the time,” she said.

She said, however, that she was not aware of any new information about the Mamasapano clash.

The new investigation will not affect or void the committee report that has been signed by 21 senators, she said. ■

First offender

At 1:20 a.m., Romel Simbran, 37, a security guard from Purok 1, Barangay Mabini in Santiago City was apprehended by the city police for violating gun ban.

“At the checkpoint in Barangay. Batal, the security guard was found in possession of two units of caliber .38 Armscor with 14 live bullets,” Santiago City police chief Senior Superintendent Alex Santos was quoted as saying in a Philippine Star report.

Simbran will face criminal charges and a possible revocation of license. ■

JPE has... was dependent on a commitment made by (Zamboanga) Archbishop Romulo de la Cruz. So far, other cash benefits, such as those intended for livelihood, are still awaiting approval of President Aquino,” Gamutan said.

Marilyn Tayros, sister of slain Chief Insp. Reiner Tayros, said many pledges remains undelivered.

She said the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Social Welfare and Development had yet to make good on their promises to the families of the slain commandos.

Tayros said the families preferred the filing of charges against the killers to a reopening of the investigation.

“We hope they are not using the SAF 44 and the Mamasa❰❰ 3

Leni hopes to prod P-Noy on urgency of FOI bill

BY GIL CABACUNGAN Philippine Daily Inquirer

A Philippine National Police checkpoint in Quezon City. The PNP set up checkpoints nationwide, following an election gun ban imposed by the Commission on Elections.

No grandstanding

In a statement she issued on Friday, Poe said she would not allow the reopening of the Mamasapano investigation to be used as a venue for political grandstanding.

Neither would she use it to put her political rivals in a bad light, she said.

Poe said she would just moderate the proceedings and would not grill Roxas, head of the Department of the Interior and Local Government at the

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LIBERAL PARTY vice presidential candidaete Leni Robredo will seek an audience with President Aquino to appeal for help in getting the freedom of information (FOI) bill passed in the House of Representatives before his term ends in five months.

“If I get a chance to speak to him, this (FOI bill) is one of the things I’ll take up with him.

There is still time to pass this under the 16th Congress,” the Camarines Sur lawmaker said.

Robredo said she would ask the President to certify the FOI bill as urgent to prompt House leaders to start plenary discussions on the bill.

Robredo admitted being “frustrated” that the proposed law, which she coauthored, had not yet reached the plenary at the House.

The House committee on public information approved the FOI bill back in November 2014. The Senate, for its part, passed its version of the bill in March 2014.

The President has been criticized for his inaction on the measure after making it one of

his campaign promises in 2010.

The legislation would give the public access to state information to ensure accountability and transparency in government.

Congress is expected to resume its session on Jan. 19 but will adjourn on Feb. 6 with the start of the campaign period.

Robredo, however, remained optimistic the FOI bill would be approved in the 16th Congress as long as the President would take steps to push it to the top of the House agenda.

While Mr. Aquino did not include the FOI bill in his final State of the Nation Address, Robredo said the President included it among his priority bills in his budget message. She said this showed the President supported the FOI bill.

Robredo said the House version of the FOI bill was better than the Senate version because the House version was supplydriven, while the Senate’s was demand-driven, with information to be provided only upon by demand by citizens.

“The House version makes it an obligation for the government to make public all relevant information even without any demand from the public,” said Robredo. ■

Liberal Party VP Candidate Leni Robredo.

OFFICIAL LENI ROBREDO FACEBOOK PAGE

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Devotees eager to touch the Black Nazarene during the Traslacion 2016 while approaching the Jones Bridge in Manila.

AVITO C. DALAN / PNA

Huge Catholic parade held under heavy security in Manila

BY JIM GOMEZ AND BULLIT MARQUEZ The Associated Press

Although there was no specific terrorist threat, security concerns were sparked by recent brazen attacks by Islamic State group extremists in countries such as France, police said.

A tired devotee fainted during the procession and died from an unspecified ailment. Nearly 1,000 other people received treatment for minor illnesses and injuries, including many who got bruised or sustained fractures while jostling through the thick crowds to get close to or have their white towels wiped on

cludes folk superstitions, in Asia’s largest Catholic nation. Dozens of Filipinos have themselves nailed to crosses on Good Friday in another tradition to emulate Christ’s suffering that draws huge MANILA, PHILIPPINES — More than a crowds each year. million Filipino Roman Catholic devoMostly barefoot, the devotees from all tees jammed Manila’s streets Saturday walks of life brave the crowds and heat for an annual procession of a centuriesto pray for good health, jobs, fortune and old statue of Christ that was held under solution to all sorts of predicaments. extra heavy security following the Paris Dante Avila, a 22-year-old factory attacks. worker, said he was wrongly implicated About 5,000 police and soldiers were in the shooting to death of a child in a deployed to secure gang brawl in Nothe daylong procesvember in his neighsion of the Black Nazbourhood in suburarene in one of Asia’s ban Caloocan city. largest religious fesThe spectacle reflects the Philippines’ unique Fearing for his life, tivals, although no brand of Catholicism, which includes folk he said he fled from specific threat was superstitions, in Asia’s largest Catholic nation. home and hid in a being monitored. province and showed The huge crowd up at the procesreached more than a sion to pray to the million by noon, MaNazarene to help him nila police Chief Superintendent Rolan- the wooden statue of Christ, which was prove his innocence. do Nana said. on a carriage pulled by a rope by men in “I swear to God I’m innocent,” Avila The raucous gathering is a security maroon shirts, according to Gwendolyn said from a stretcher in a first-aid stanightmare for the Philippines, a poor Pang of the Philippine Red Cross. tion, where medics treated the injured.

Southeast Asian country battling wideThe wooden statue of Christ, crowned After struggling to touch Christ’s spread crime nationwide and Muslim with thorns and bearing a cross, is be- statue, he got crushed by the crowd and extremists in the south. Police sharp- lieved to have been brought from Mexico fainted. shooters, bomb-sniffing dogs and SWAT to Manila on a galleon in 1606 by SpanAnother devotee, Arvin Tamayo, and teams stood by and surveillance drones ish missionaries. The ship that carried it his family rented a truck to parade lifewere flown over the slow-moving pro- caught fire, but the charred statue sur- size statues of Christ and the Virgin cession. vived. Some believe the statue’s survival Mary, a ritual they have been doing evSecurity forces randomly checked from fires and earthquakes through the ery year since his father died of cancer bags for weapons, firecrackers and centuries and intense bombings during in 2009. pointed objects, including umbrellas, World War II is a testament to its mysti“We’re praying for good health,” he which were banned. Coast guard and cal powers. said. “It’s so financially and emotionally navy personnel patrolled a major river The spectacle reflects the Philippines’ draining to see somebody in the family where the procession crossed over. unique brand of Catholicism, which in- die slowly in pain.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Philippine News

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

9

SC OKs P1.7-B ComelecSmartmatic deal

BY JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer

“defective” AOI, which only stated that the joint venture’s primary purpose was for the automation of the 2010 elections.

AES Watch filed the Supreme Court suit after the Comelec refused to reconsider its decision.

The Supreme Court, however, pointed out that the Comelec rules and government procurement regulations do not at all require the submission of AOIs. “A perusal of the bidding documents would readily reveal

submit its amended AOI to the Comelec before the contract was signed in December, the court added.

THE SUPREME Court (SC) has The justices also said the affirmed the Commission on petitioners failed to “offer Elections (Comelec) awarding any relevant evidence to sublast June to Smartmatic-Total stantiate their claim that the Information Management joint venture did not meet the (TIM) Corp. of a P1.72-billion 60-percent Filipino ownership contract for the lease of an adrequirement for bidders of govditional 23,000 vote-counting ernment contracts.” machines for this year’s nationDocuments presented by al and local polls.

Smartmatic showed its FiliVoting 14-0, the court en pino owners held more than 60 banc, in a 41-page decision datpercent of the joint venture’s ed Dec. 8 but released only last shares of stock and was thus a week, denied for legitimate Phillack of merit the ippine corporacertiorari case tion. filed by former The “fatal Comelec ComThe issue had been mooted when flaw” in the pemissioner AuSmartmatic was able to submit its tition, according gusto Lagman, amended AOI to the Comelec before to the justices, Leo Querubin the contract was signed in December, was that it did and Ma. Corazon the court added. not challenge the Akol, convenors nationality of the of the poll watchcompanies and dog Automated individuals that Election Systems (AES) Watch, that the procuring entity, the owned the shares. to nullify the contract award.

Comelec in this case, did not The contract for the lease The high court said Smart- impose such a requirement [as] of 23,000 optical mark reader maticTIM was able to prove can be gleaned in the instruc- machines was originally meant that it was 60-percent Filipi- tion to bidders,” the court said to supplement the 81,000 preno-owned and that its partici- in the ruling written by Justice cinct count optical scan (PCOS) pation in the bidding while its Presbitero Velasco Jr. machines leased for the 2010 articles of incorporation (AOI) The high court also said that elections and purchased by the were being amended was not the 2010 contract required Comelec in 2012. enough legal basis to nullify its Smartmatic-TIM to provide In April last year, the Suwinning the contract. the Comelec with continuing preme Court voided, for lack The Comelec en banc had technical support beyond 2010, of a public bidding, the direct earlier reversed the decision of thus prolonging the company’s contract entered into by the the agency’s bids and awards corporate life.

Comelec with Smartmatic for committee to disqualify SmartThe issue had been mooted the refurbishing of the 81,000 matic-TIM for submitting a when Smartmatic was able to PCOS machines. ■

Electronic voting machine by Smartmatic used in Belgian regional elections, 2014.

CIUDADANIA DIGITAL / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

www.canadianinquirer.net

Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara urged authorities to look into the alleged overcharging by airport taxis at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

FACEBOOK PHOTO

Angara calls on authorities to eliminate abusive taxi drivers in NAIA

BY JELLY MUSICO Philippines News Agency MANILA — Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara on Sunday urged the authorities to look into the alleged overcharging by airport taxis at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), which he said can drive away tourists and give the country a bad image.

“There are a lot of dreadful stories circulating online about airport taxis notoriously overcharging and duping passengers – whether they are local tourists, overseas Filipino workers or foreigners visiting our country,” Angara said.

“Our transportation and airport authorities should look into this matter seriously and resolve this right away or else, Philippine tourism will suffer,” said Angara, vice chairman of the Senate tourism committee.

In a recent Facebook post

by Top Gear Philippines that has gone viral, a group was allegedly quoted a fixed rate of PHP1,800 by an airport yellow taxi — which they say was turned into a rental car — from NAIA Terminal 2 to their office in Mandaluyong.

The group refused the offer and instead joined the long queue for a metered taxi which charged them PHP320 only.

Based on the same post, an American was also quoted a bloated fare of PHP3,200 from the airport to Makati.

Regular taxis charge a flag down rate of PHP40 and PHP3.50 for every 300 me-

ters while airport taxis charge a PHP70-flag down rate and PHP4 for every 300 meters.

In April 2015, the Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) has allowed unaccredited metered taxis to pick up passengers at the arrival areas of NAIA Terminals 2 and 3 but only during peak hours to meet the high demand from airline companies and travellers.

The MIAA had long barred empty white cabs from entering the NAIA complex, and only allowed them to pick up passengers if they had also brought passengers when they arrived there.

The MIAA said such restriction was in response to security concerns and complaints over regular taxis that overcharge, extort or are being used for robbery, and because only the over 1,600 airport-accredited taxis and vehicles for rent are accountable to the MIAA. “The accreditation system was precisely to protect the passengers from the abuse of unscrupulous drivers. I think it is high time for the authorities to probe into the rates imposed by these accredited taxis and rental cars, and ensure that they charge reasonable fares to protect the welfare of the passengers,” said the lawmaker, who is also set to file a resolution to investigate on the issue.

“Whatever effort to promote our beautiful Philippines, the tourists will not come if they will experience this at the airport.

We have also improve our facilities and infrastructures to make sure that they are safe and free from abuse,” he added. ■

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Cleared by court, ‘wrongfully’ jailed peasant leader dies

BY ERIKA SAULER Philippine Daily Inquirer A QUEZON City trial court had ruled that he was wrongfully jailed for more than 11 years in a case of “outright mockery” of due process by the military establishment. But justice eluded detained peasant leader Eduardo Serrano, 62, who died yesterday before regaining his freedom.

Serrano, a consultant in peace negotiations between the communist National Democratic Front (NDF) and the government, passed away at 8:10 a.m. at the Philippine Heart Center where he was brought on Dec.

16 after he suffered a heart attack in detention, Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes said, quoting Dr. Geneve RiveraReyes of the Health Alliance for Democracy.

“Ka Eddik” to his friends, Serrano was arrested by the military in 2004 and detained as “Rogelio Villanueva,” one of the accused in the ambush of Army soldiers in Oriental Mindoro province.

In October last year, Judge Marilou Runes-Tamang of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 98 ruled that “the representatives of the State miserably failed its primary duty to identify the identity of the accused at the cost of horror

of Serrano being prosecuted for 11 bygone years.”

“It is an outright mockery of the basic human right to due process of law which is enshrined in our Constitution,” Tamang said.

His lawyer, Amylyn Sato of the Public Interest Law Center (PILC) mourned the passing of Eduardo Serrano as a “long-time client, friend and father figure.”

“In the past 12 years, Serrano fought five trumped-up charges filed against a certain Rogelio Villanueva. Three of these were dismissed for lack of evidence, one was up for promulgation and the remaining case was on trial,” Sato said in a statement.

“Despite the heavy brunt of

state repression and wrongful imprisonment, he remained genuinely optimistic about and committed to a just and lasting peace.

PILC is proud to have stood for him in court and by him in his life struggle,” she added.

Edre Olalia, secretary general of the National Union of People’s Lawyers and Serrano’s former counsel, said Serrano was a “selfless, simple and humble human being who simply wanted to fight injustice, oppression and penury till his last breath.”

Serrano suffered from a heart attack on Dec. 16 and underwent surgery at the Philippine Heart Center.

The human rights group Karapatan had been urging the

government to release Serrano on humanitarian grounds.

Serrano was among the 561 political detainees under President Aquino’s term and the 19 NDFP consultants detained despite the immunity provided for by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees, Karapatan earlier said.

“We reiterate our call for the immediate release of all political prisoners, especially those who are sick, elderly, pregnant or are nursing mothers. We call for a stop to the filing of trumped-up charges against political dissidents. We call for justice for Eduardo Serrano and all victims of state repression,” Reyes said. ■

SWS: 8 out of 10 Filipinos will go for pres’l bet with food and agriculture in platform PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — Nearly eight out of 10, or 76% of 1200 respondents will vote for candidates whose platforms include ensuring food sufficiency and addressing farmers’ needs, reveals results from the Social Weather Station (SWS) 2015 3rd Quarter Social Weather Survey, in the items commissioned by environmental group Greenpeace Philippines.

The nationwide survey, conducted from September 2-5, 2015, also showed that 75% of the respondents prefer presidential candidates who will ensure that food needs are met and 70% would support candidates who will promote environment-friendly farming.

Moreover, 44% of the survey respondents entreated the government to focus on financial support to farmers to make farming climate resilient while 39% expressed support for ecological agriculture such as organic farming.

“Agriculture, specifically Ecological Agriculture, has taken a back seat in terms of government prioritization. We have the Organic Agriculture Act but actual implementation and government support has to improve tremendously. Our presidential candidates should

take these survey results seriously, as these show how concerned Filipinos are with our current food and agriculture systems,” said Vigie BenosaLlorin, Food and Ecological Agriculture Campaigner, Greenpeace Philippines.

Ecological Agriculture, which includes organic farming, is a climate resilient farming system that will address the issue of food security concerns. It is a farming system that combines modern science and innovation with respect for nature and biodiversity, and ensures healthy farming and food production while protecting the soil, water and the climate. Ecological agriculture does not contaminate the environment with chemical inputs or use genetically engineered crops.

“We challenge our Presidential candidates to clearly state how he/she will support the farmers, address issues on food sufficiency, and make farming climate resilient and environment-friendly. While each candidate may have their own lines about agriculture, the voters are looking and demanding for more than mere rhetoric, but rather real programs and policies towards safe, healthy and sustainable food and agriculture systems that respond to the continuing plight of Filipino farmers, the majority of

Rice farmer tending and drying harvested rice in a field in Iloilo province, Philippines.

JUNPINZON / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

whom continue to reel from mass poverty, hunger and destitution,” added Benosa-Llorin.

On the other hand, Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP) laments the poor state of agriculture in the Philippines, and calls on the government to stop supporting chemical-based and corporate agriculture and instead develop policies that will help farmers through the promotion of Ecological Agriculture.

“In recent decades, the promotion of agricultural liberalization and corporatization has also intensified the condition www.canadianinquirer.net

where toxic chemicals and engineered organisms bear down on the Filipino farmers and consumers and their efforts to promote socially-desirable practices including organic, sustainable and ecological agriculture,” said Rafael Mariano of Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas. “In fact, the Philippine government has generally negated the objectives of sustainable and ecological agriculture as it continues to promote an overall policy of chemical farming that is founded on rural monopolies in land, income, wealth and power.”

In a landmark decision from the Supreme Court released last December 2015, the high court barred the field testing of Bt eggplant and placed a temporary ban on the development of genetically modified organisms (GMO)s. Greenpeace sees this an opportune time for the next president to lead the country away from conventional agriculture and to shift to Ecological Agriculture.

The Philippine weather and climate agency Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) also announced that the Philippines will experience the full impact of the prevailing strong El Nino phenomenon’s peak intensity during the first semester of 2016, which is expected to usher in drought and dry spell conditions from below-normal rainfall and warmer-than-normal air temperature.

“With the Supreme Court decision in place and the effects of El Nino threatening the agriculture sector and thus, our food sufficiency, now is the time for the Philippine government — especially for the next president – to look into appropriate, innovative, climate-resilient, environment-friendly and science-based farming, which is what Ecological Agriculture is,” concludes Benosa-Llorin. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

11

SC bet defends ‘single blessedness’

BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer THEY SAY a book must not be judged by its cover. But can an author—who is, no less, a candidate for Supreme Court justice—be judged by his book?

An avowed constitutionalist, Solicitor General Florin Hilbay came under grilling yesterday about his views on marriage and family which he wrote about in a book more than 10 years ago.

At the public interview session of the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC), retired Justice Angelina Sandoval-Gutierrez, the JBC executive committee chair, quoted excerpts from Hilbay’s collection of essays titled “Unplugging the Constitution” and asked him about his view that marriage should be “deregulated” and that the Family Code may well be abolished.

“According to you, marriage is just a mere word, it should not be (required to be) legalized.

That might be the reason why you are still single,” Gutierrez told the 41-year-old bachelor, prompting suppressed laughter from those in the room.

‘Not a reflection of belief in law’

“How can you defend the Constitution considering your personal views? How can you believe or obey the laws when you are doing away with the Family Code?” the retired justice said. “Maybe personal views can intertwine sometimes (with views on the law) ... Don’t you find it difficult or very complicated?”

Hilbay, a professor of constitutional law and philosophy of law at the University of the Philippines, countered that such was his philosophical view, “not a reflection of my belief in the rule of law.”

One of the youngest nominees

“You have unplugged the Constitution. How can you respect and obey it?” Gutierrez asked.

Hilbay, among the youngest of 16 nominees for the high court post to be vacated by retiring Associate Justice Martin Villarama Jr., had written that marriage, a time-honored institution in the Philippines, did not need to be institutionalized or legally sanctioned.

Written between 2004 and 2005 during his postgraduate law studies at Yale University, the book contains a chapter titled “Undoing Marriage,” in which he wrote: “I propose to disentangle marriage from the hold of the state by delegalizing, radically ‘disestablishing’ and ‘unbundling’ this highly popular institution.”

Gutierrez underscored that that was against the very spirit of the Constitution’s provisions on marriage and family.

The Constitution requires high court justices to be at least 40 years old.

“Whereas old age can be an advantage, youth can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. In my view—of course, I’m biased—the Constitution envisions balance in the force of generations, that’s why the Constitution allows someone as young as 40 to apply,” Hilbay said in reply to a question

by JBC member Menardo Guevarra.

He said someone from his generation could contribute to the Supreme Court.

Loyalty to the law

“I’m rather logically correct that purely personal aspects of relationships are beyond government confirmation. I can’t imagine a judge issuing a mandamus for a husband to love his wife,” said Hilbay, describing himself as a secular scholar. “... I do accept the reality of marriage as a legal foundation regardless of my views. As solicitor general, I consider myself entirely faithful to the Constitution. I don't have any right to impose any personal views I have,” said Hilbay, inviting the five-member JBC panel to consider pleadings he has written to validate his loyalty to the law.

Hilbay, the second among eight candidates to sit before the JBC on its second day of interviews, said he viewed relationships as not based on form but on substance.

“People should go beyond the form. When I look at a married

‘I’m a happy person’

Solicitor General Florin Hilbay came under grilling about his views on marriage and family which he wrote about in a book more than 10 years ago.

OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR GENERAL

couple, I get happy not because they are married but because they are in a meaningful relationship,” Hilbay said.

“It’s not the marriage that counts. It’s the quality of relationship that really matters to me.”

Some live alone

Hilbay said “people have various bases for attachment”— friendships, memberships with fraternities or sororities, for instance—while others prefer to live alone. Ultimately, there should be “no judgment on how a person lives his or her own life.”

“That is borne out of my firm belief that what really matters is the meaning that is attached to relationships, not the legal form,” Hilbay said.

He said a magistrate’s ability to separate his personal from his legal views was “a core value in the judiciary.”

www.canadianinquirer.net

“I might have different policy views over dinner conversation or coffee, but the moment I wear a particular hat, I take on a professional obligation to decide based on the facts and the law,” he said.

Gutierrez, however, could not reconcile how Hilbay could separate his personal views from how he would apply the law once chosen to join the 15-member Supreme Court.

“I still believe you will carry with you those personal views when you are appointed to the Supreme Court,” she said.

“I hope time will come that you will believe in the sanctity of marriage, and someday we’ll see that you have a spouse,” she told Hilbay.

29 years

During the interview, Hilbay was asked about his youth. If appointed, he would serve until he is 70—a total of 29 years.

“The majority of the members (of the court) are in their 60s. Two members are in their 50s and no one is in his or her 40s. I think there might be some space for the court for someone as young as I am because I think my generation has something to contribute in perspective,” Hilbay said.

Retired Court of Appeals Associate Justice Aurora Santiago Lagman asked Hilbay if he would be ready to spend the next three decades of his life confined to the chambers. “... (M)y nomination and appointment to the Supreme Court will simply be consistent with my temperament. So I wouldn’t consider it a personal disadvantage that I am able to do what I, in fact, like doing and spending the best years of my life doing what I want to do,” Hilbay said. He said he had long devoted his hours to the life of an academic—reading, researching and writing.

As to his “single blessedness,” Hilbay said, there is “no reason to be sad.”

“I can devote my entire time to my professional work, my family, music, the arts, philosophy, so I’d like to think of myself as a very happy person,” he said. ■

Philippine News

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Rewind: Newsmakers... segment, not only took over television as proven by high ratings; the pair also took social media by storm as they continuously broke records and steadily became trending online. ❰❰ 1

9. Always ravaged, always enduring

The country braced storm after storm as it faced the wraths of Typhoons Amang, Egay, Hanna, Ineng, Lando and Nona – which caused over P8 billion in damages, displaced thousands of families, and claimed the lives of about a hundred – all these while the El Niño phenomenon occurred.

But proving once again the country’s resilience, the government was commended for its quick response and assistance to areas and people affected by the series of storms while the public did its part and cooperated with the authorities as rehabilitation got underway.

8. “Laglag-bala” scam, “Lumad” killings, “Carmageddon” traffic, other headliners…

The Ninoy Aquino International Airport may have tried to rebuild a positive image from being tagged as the worst airport in the world, but the recent laglag-bala (bullet-dropping) or tanim-bala (bullet-planting) extortion scheme only made its image worse.

On the other hand, the death of “lumad” leaders in the southern island of the country supposedly executed by the military and paramilitary remained unresolved.

“Carmageddon” also entered our vocabulary as thousands of commuters and motorists continued to experience traffic gridlock in the metro, caused by increasing number of private vehicles in major thoroughfares and the occasional downpours.

Milk tea deaths, nuisance candidates, and the ongoing territorial disputes made news as well.

7. Filipina beauty, talent wows

The previous year could pass on as a parade of Filipina beauties as each national delegate in international pageants secured top finishes and two even took home the much-coveted crowns. The Philippines won

The Philippines won two titles with Miss World Angelia Gabrena Ong in a back-to-back win and Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach (pictured) in an unexpected turnabout.

Pope Francis visits one of the Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) victims in Palo, Leyte.

BENHUR ARCAYAN / MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU

@ PIAWURTZBACH / INSTAGRAM.COM

two titles with Miss World Angelia Gabrena Ong in a back-toback win and Miss Universe Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach in an unexpected turnabout. The country also placed among the Top 10 with Miss World-Philippines Hillarie Danielle Parungao and Miss International-Philippines Janicel Lubina.

Meanwhile, Filipina all-girl group 4th Impact also espoused Pinay pride as they competed in international singing competition X-Factor UK. The sisters Almira, Irene, Mylene and Celina Cercado drew the limelight on them as they finished the contest in fifth place.

6. On your mark, get set, go!

The race begins. Administration bet Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, Vice President Jejomar “Jojo” Binay, Senators Grace Poe and Miriam Defensor-Santiago, and Davao Mayor Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte – frontrunners of the 2016 presidential race – made headlines after each candidate faced allegations, disqualifications, and other issues months prior the elections.

Roxas’ capability to efficiently run the country was questioned, while Binay’s alleged corruption remained under investigation. Poe’s qualifications seemingly cut her short for the presidency, while Santiago’s health remained a concern.

And Duterte – whose candidacy has yet to be finalized – has been slammed for cursing the pope and for supposedly killing criminals.

Voting wisely is indeed difficult to do. Making it harder, candidates themselves got in-

volved in word-wars against each other.

5. Global key player

The Philippines served as the host in the 2015 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. It was the second time for the country to host the yearlong summit, with the first in 1996. Although the event brought ire to some individuals and advocate groups due to the high expenses it entailed and heavy traffic it caused, the government noted that the hosting also brought about economic gains.

Aside from the APEC summit, the country also participated in the 2015 Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting held in Malaysia and in the 21st Conference of Parties in France. The Philippines promoted inclusive growth for nations and advanced action against climate change in these meetings.

4. Alleged corruption and abduction in church

The influential Iglesia Ni Cristo church had a tough year as their highest administrative council had a falling out with several of their ministers and members after the latter testified over purported corruption in the religious sect. Amid the dispute, at least ten ministers were supposedly abducted and detained at the church’s complex to cover up the controversy. These were denied by the church’s senior members.

Cases have been filed and hearings have been done but still no resolution was met. www.canadianinquirer.net

3. The “Fight of the Century” – or not

Making it to the list is the year’s megabout – Filipino boxing icon Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao versus still unbeaten American boxer Floyd “Money” Mayweather, Jr. Unfortunately, the much-awaited boxing match did not live to its hype and resulted to controversies. Mayweather emerged the victor after the 12-round bout, but was accused of undergoing unauthorized intravenous injection. The defeated Pacquiao, on the other hand, later on revealed nursing a shoulder injury during the fight. These news left unsatisfied fans wanting ticket refunds from the highest-grossing fight in the history of boxing. Will a rematch take place?

2. Mamasapano clash: An unfortunate, bloody encounter

Last year, several Philippine National Police-Special Action Force (PNP-SAF) police commandos went on a covert mission to capture terrorist and bomb-maker Zulkifi Bin Hir alias “Marwan” in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province. The clash led to a gunfight between the troopers and members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), and other private armed groups – resulting to the death of 44 PNP-SAF commandos, Marwan and several rebels and civilians.

Filipinos mourned and were angered upon hearing the incident, the loss of the police officers – the Fallen 44. President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III declared a “National Day of

Mourning.”

Upon investigation, the government was slammed for lack of coordination and high-ranking officials were relieved. Settlements were made but families of the elite commandos continued their call for justice as only few rebels have been indicted to date.

1. Papal visit

Mercy and compassion. Earlier in 2015, Pope Francis visited the Philippines and spoke of mercy and compassion. Going beyond Manila, the Pope also held masses in Tacloban and Palo in Leyte as he sought to comfort the victims of Typhoon Yolanda and the survivors of the earlier Bohol earthquake.

His five-day visit also included a final mass which became the largest papal gathering in history, with about six million attendees. Pope Francis, fondly called “Lolo Kiko” by the Filipinos, has been the third pontiff to set foot in the country, following Popes John Paul II in 1995 and Paul VI in 1970.

Meanwhile, controversies also hounded the event as the government allegedly brought street children to detention centers and poor families to temporary shelters. Authorities, however, clarified that they have not intended to make the cities presentable with the clearing of streets but only wanted to protect the pope, attendees and homeless from possible crimes.

How about you kababayan?

What do you think are the top newsmakers in the year that passed? ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

SC confirms TRO vs. Poe’s disqualification in 2016 presidential polls

Valenzuela cops hunting guard who shot teenager looking for job

PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — Voting 12-3, the Supreme Court (SC) en banc on Tuesday confirmed the temporary restraining orders (TRO) issued by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P. Aranal Sereno in favor of Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares over the disqualification cases filed against her.

The TRO was against the cancellation of the certificate of candidacy (COC) for president of Poe in the May 9, 2016 elections.

The SC en banc ordered the inclusion of the name of Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares in the ballot for the presidency by confirming the stay order earlier issued in her favor.

In a press conference, SC Public Information Office (PIO) Chief and Spokesman Atty. Theodore O. Te said that the majority of the justices confirmed the TRO issued by Chief

BY JODEE A. AGONCILLO Philippine Daily Inquirer

Senator Grace Poe-Llamanzares.

Justice Sereno on Dec. 28, 2015.

It was argued that the merits of the case remains pending and even some of the justices who viewed that Poe is not a natural-born Filipino citizen might give a chance to Poe to be included in the ballot since it is just a TRO in her favor.

The oral arguments on these cases are set on Jan. 19, 2016 at 2 p.m. at the SC en banc Session Hall.

The SC also ordered the consolidation of the Grace Poe pe-

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titions against the Comelec decision disqualifying her to run in the May 9, 2016 presidential elections and the inhibition of the three SC justices who are members of the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET).

Te added that the oral arguments on the case of “Rizalito David vs SET and Sen. Grace Poe”, which was previously scheduled on Jan. 19, 2016, was reset to another date to be announced later. ■

THE POLICE are hunting down a security guard at a construction site who shot dead an 18-year-old job seeker accused of trespassing in Valenzuela City last Thursday.

On Saturday, Ruffo Valdez—father of victim Joshua Valdez—filed murder charges against Ramon Gabitan, 25, a security guard of HS Security and Investigative Agency who was assigned at the HC Positive Plus commercial center which is undergoing construction at the Valdez Compound in Paso de Blas.

“My son only wanted a new job to buy his 2-year-old son the bicycle he was promised for Christmas. Now he’s gone,” the older Valdez said.

“We hope to give [my son] justice. Nobody has offered us any help, including the family of the suspect,” he added.

According to PO3 Ronald Sobosa, case investigator of the Valenzuela police station, the younger Valdez went to the construction site around 12:30 p.m. last Thursday with his younger brother and friend to apply for a job. Gabitan, however, accosted them and threatened to shoot them with his 12-gauge shotgun.

Out of fear, the three ran away, but Gabitan fired his shotgun and hit the victim in the back of the head. He was rushed to the Valenzuela Medical Center where he was declared dead after about four hours, PO3 Rigor Germedia said.

Sobosa said Gabitan immediately went into hiding after the incident. ■

House bill would raise PH nursing standards

BY GIL CABACUNGANW Philippine Daily Inquirer THE HOUSE committee on appropriations has approved a bill to strengthen the nursing profession by raising its standards.

Committee chair and Davao Rep. Isidro T. Ungab said they had passed for plenary debate a substitute bill establishing a “Comprehensive Nursing Law” establishing a more stable foundation for the growth of the nursing profession.

Ungab said the bill would amend Republic Act No. 9173 or the “Philippine Nursing Act of 2002.”

Deputy Speaker Carlos M. Padilla, one of the bill’s proponents, said there was a need to strengthen the Nursing Board in view of the exponential growth in the number of nursing graduates to boost their protection and enhance their welfare.

But while the supply of nurses continued to grow, the De-

partment of Health has noted that the demand for Filipino nurses overseas has been declining the past several years.

200K nurses still jobless

Former Health Secretary Enrique Ona had earlier revealed there were roughly 200,000 nurses who were still jobless.

Under the bill, a seven-member Professional Regulatory Board of Nursing would be established to supervise and regulate the profession.

Its mandates are to ensure the fair and proper conduct of the annual Philippine Nurse Licensure Exam (PNLE); take over the issuance or revocation of nursing certificates, and continuously monitor and enforce the safety and quality standards in the profession.

Ungab said the board members would be appointed by the President based on recommendations from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). Each member should

The bill would provide funding for the development of the nursing profession.

be a natural-born Filipino and should have been a Philippine resident for at least five consecutive years prior to his or her appointment. The board chair would serve for only one year without reelection.

Board members would also be scrutinized prior to appointment. They should be nurses themselves and holders of valid and updated certificates of registration and current professional identification cards; must have a master’s degree in www.canadianinquirer.net

nursing and preferably a doctorate degree conferred by a university duly recognized by the government; must have at least 10 years continuous nursing practice prior to appointment, and must be of good moral character and not been convicted of any offense involving moral turpitude.

More rigorous qualifications

All nursing exam takers would be required to take the board within three years after

graduation.

The nursing board exams would be tightened with more rigorous qualifications for admission and a minimum passing rate of 75 percent for all competencies in the tests.

The board would also be empowered to demand additional educational requirements for different levels of the nursing practice to ensure competitiveness and provide a better environment in its practice.

The board would also be tasked to maintain efficient, ethico-moral, technical and professional standards of nursing for the common good.

The bill would provide funding for the development of the nursing profession.

Aside from Padilla, the main authors of the bill were Ang Nars party-list Rep. Leah S. Paquiz, Leyte Rep. Andres D. Salvacion Jr., Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus B. Rodriguez and Abamin party-list Rep. Maximo B. Rodriguez Jr. ■

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Philippine News

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

Green groups see red over Davao coal plant

BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer DAVAO CITY — President Aquino emphasized the potential of Mindanao and the need for peace to achieve development on the island as he inaugurated a 300-megawatt coal-fired power plant here on Friday.

Built by Aboitiz Power Corp., the plant is envisioned as a long-term solution to the power shortage in Mindanao.

But environmental groups saw the plant as adding to the Philippines’ vulnerability to the effects of climate change and criticized the government’s plan to build more coal-fired power plants despite Mr. Aquino committing the country to reduce its carbon emissions at climate talks in Paris last November.

“Apart from all the projects that have come to fruition during our administration, our private sector partners have committed to undertake at least another 11 power projects in Mindanao that will come online between 2016 and 2020, envisioned to produce at least another 675.30 megawatts of capacity, which will be more than enough to cover the projected increase in demand for those years,” President Aquino said at the ceremonial switching on of the plant in Barangay Binugao here.

The power plant, under Therma South Inc., a fully owned subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corp., delivers power to more than 20 electric cooperatives and distributors serving Davao, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Butuan, Zamboanga, Kidapawan, Cotabato and

Tagum.

It also serves the provinces of Davao, Agusan, Surigao, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat, Zamboanga peninsula, and parts of Bukidnon and Misamis.

The President said that the plant’s “dependable capacity is roughly equivalent to one-fifth of Mindanao grid’s highest peak demand in 2015.”

He also emphasized the need to establish peace and security in Mindanao to aid in its development, citing the urgency in passing the stalled Bangsamoro Basic Law.

“Each time I speak about Mr. Aquino’s stand drew flak Mindanao, I mention how the from environmental activists, goal for our adwho stressed ministration is the Philippines’ to transform it, vulnerability to from the Land of extreme weathPromise to the er conditions Land of PromThe President said that the plant’s caused by cliises Fulfilled, “dependable capacity is roughly mate change. and over the past equivalent to one-fifth of Mindanao They critifew years, we grid’s highest peak demand in 2015.” cized the govhave seen the beernment’s plan ginnings of this to build more transformation,” coalfired power he said. plants, the bigThe President gest emitters of admitted the challenges his ad- dent emphasized that the gov- carbon dioxide in the atmoministration faced dealing with ernment remains intent on de- sphere and the top contributors the Mindanao power shortage. veloping renewable energy and to global warming.

“We had to come up with is “doing [its] part to mitigate President Aquino attended temporary measures to mini- climate risk.” the United Nations climate mize the impact of the power “In fact, we have increased talks in Paris last November, situation. Among the schemes our usage of renewables, and leading small nations in pushwe came up with was the Min- they now make up 33 percent ing for a limit of 1.5 degrees Celdanao Modular GenSets Pro- of our energy mix. We have sius in temperature rises, which gram, wherein the government reduced the number of illegal was adopted by the conference. would help finance genera- logging hotspots by 88 per“Countries with [coal-fired tor sets for cooperatives that cent. And in 2011, we started power plants] should retire wished to produce their own a national greening program, them and invest in renewable power,” Mr. Aquino said. the goal of which is to plant energy,” Jean Lindo of the NetThe government, he added, 1.5 billion trees on 1.5 million work Opposed (NO) to Coal Coplanned to buy back the gener- hectares by this year. We did all alition said. ator sets once the power plants this even if our nation’s carbon “The Philippines should not were in operation. emissions are minimal, espe- build more and should start re-

tiring the old ones,” she said.

“This President is a hypocrite,” said Ben Muni, climate and energy campaigner for Greenpeace Philippines.

Muni said that in Paris, Mr. Aquino committed to reduce the impact of climate change on the Filipino people, but now “he is attending the inauguration of the very source of climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions.”

“We are asking you, Mr. President: Where is your sincerity and commitment? It seems you have forgotten your commitment in Paris,” Muni said.

Erramon Aboitiz, chief executive officer of Aboitiz Power Corp., said the days of high polluting coal were a thing of the past and gave the assurance that his company would not “do anything” that would harm the environment as well as the lives of the people of Davao.

“To be fully transparent, there were some concerns and reservations related to coal and its environmental impact. We assured all the stakeholders that we would bring in the most modern facilities and would operate under the strictest environmental standards,” Aboitiz said.

“The days of highly polluting coal plants were a thing of the past and would definitely not be tolerated on Aboitiz Power’s watch. After all, the Aboitiz Group has been a part of Davao and its growth for many decades, and we would not do anything that was not good for Davao. We encouraged Mayor Sarah Duterte and the city council to host the power station in Davao so they could ensure we would comply with what we said we would do,” he said. ■

eyeing to pass in the remaining ses-sion days of the 16th Congress.

In the Senate, Senate President Franklin Drilon said the Senate will work harder in order to finish important bills, including BBL, even though most of the Senators will be busy campaigning for the upcoming national elections.

The BBL’s substitute bill, Basic Law on Bangsamoro Au-

drafted the BBL, the government has already started showing the benefits particularly the Sajahatra program that pro-vide skill trainings for the former MILF combatants “to become fruitful economic players.”

Both the houses of Congress will resume session on January 18 and will adjourn on February 5 to give way to the campaign period. ■

Mindanao transformation

“Sadly, this program did not have the impact that we hoped.

There were very few who took us up on our offer, and even then those who did took the longest time to go through the necessary processes. Nevertheless, those who did avail [themselves] of the Modular GenSets experience less brownouts. In fact, in most cooperatives, they experience no brownouts,” he said.

Mr. Aquino also mentioned the Interruptible Load Program, where the government urged big companies to use their own generators instead of sourcing power from the grid.

Even if the Aboitiz power plant runs on coal, the Presi-

cially compared to more industrialized countries,” he said.

“At the same time, the Mindanao situation has made it obvious that we also need more baseload power. After all, while I ama believer in developing renewables, at this point we are still hounded by the questions: What if there’s no wind?

What if the [sky is] overcast and the solar efficiency is down?

What if we do not have enough biomass? Unfortunately, right now, we cannot wean ourselves completely from coal,” the President said.

tonomous Region (BLBAR) is being sponsored by Senate committee on local government chairman Sen. Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos who is running for vice president.

The House of Representatives is also facing a hard time to muster quorum since majority of its members are either seeking reelection or running for other positions in the May 9 elections.

President Aquino said he will meet next week with the House leaders to push for the passage of the BBL. “Congressman Rufus Rodriguez tells me that they are reading to wrap up “turno en contra” and after that they will vote already. So the possibility that the BBL will be passed is still good,” the President said in an interview with the media.

He said even before they

Gov’t plan hit

President Aquino... truly make good, inclusive governance the norm rather than the exception.”

“This is why we need to pass the Bangsamoro Basic Law in the soonest possible time,” the President said in his speech.

The BBL is one of Malacanang’s priority measures that both the Senate and the House of Representatives are ❰❰ 4

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Philippine News

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

15

P-Noy sees politics in probe Aquino backs Abaya amid mess at MRT

BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer DAVAO CITY — Yes, Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya is keeping his job.

This was confirmed by President Aquino himself as he ignored politicians led by Sen. Grace Poe calling for Abaya’s head for supposedly failing to resolve Metro Manila’s miserable traffic.

“Yes!” the President said emphatically, when he was asked if Abaya, who is also the secretary general of the ruling Liberal Party, would remain as the head of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

In defending Abaya, Mr. Aquino said that the “instant issue” raised by Poe against Abaya was the aging Metro Rail Transit Line 3 (MRT 3) system and the alleged absence of a maintenance contractor.

But the South Korean company, Busan Transportation Corp., will be taking over the MRT 3’s maintenance after the monthlong extension of the current maintenance provider, the President disclosed (See related story on this page.).

“So, it is not right (to say) that there is no maintenance. Secretary Abaya insists there was never a moment when the MRT 3 did not have a maintenance provider,” he said.

Poe’s motives?

Asked if this had to do with politics, especially since Poe is running for President in 2016, Mr. Aquino paused and frowned.

He then said it would be better to ask Poe what her motivations were as he was not her spokesperson.

The President stressed that Busan Transport will main-

tain the MRT 3 for three years and rehabilitate and overhaul 43 light rail vehicles (coaches).

The company will also be installing a completely new signaling system and replace the obsolete one, he added.

Mr. Aquino castigated one newspaper which headlined a story that the government had lost the contract with Busan Transport “when actually the contract signing was on the same day.”

“So how is that? Instead of the headline saying [the company was] ‘walking away’ [from the contract), it should have said ‘walking to,’” he said.

Abaya’s ‘sins’

In demanding Abaya’s dismissal, Poe and other politicians said he had failed to address the major problems besetting the MRT 3, including the frequent breakdowns and the inadequacies of its coaches and station facilities.

The aging train system can no longer cope with the increasing number of commuters, with long queues in MRT 3 stations becoming the norm rather than the exception.

Yesterday, the militant group Bayan’s secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. stated five reasons why he thinks Abaya should be removed.

He said Abaya had failed to address the “long outstanding issues of the MRT,” with the train system deteriorating under his watch; he allegedly implemented an illegal fare hike for the MRT and LRT on Jan. 4, 2015; he allegedly entered into an anomalous and disadvantageous privatization contract involving LRT 1 and its Cavite extension line; he reportedly wanted to change the location of a planned common terminal for the MRT from the SM Annex to Trinoma “where it would

President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III simply ignored politicians who called for Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya’s failure to resolve Metro Manila’s miserable traffic. @ PIAWURTZBACH / INSTAGRAM.COM

be impossible for the three train lines to actually connect, all because [the DOTC] wants to favor certain private interests”; and Abaya and other DOTC officials were allegedly involved in an anomalous PH Trams maintenance contract for the MRT 3.

Reyes said Abaya had signed the PH Trams contract but only former MRT 3 general manager Al Vitangcol had been charged by the Office of the Ombudsman.

‘Runaway coffin’

Bayan Muna Representatives Neri Colmenares and Carlos Isagani Zarate said Mr. Aquino should not wait for the MRT 3 to become a “runaway coffin” before he sacks Abaya.

Despite the illegal fare hike at the start of 2015, the MRT 3 further deteriorated under Abaya’s watch, with almost daily rail problems and glitches, Colmenares said.

“From worse to worst; from better to bitter, the MRT is now

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emblematic of the failing governance of the exiting Aquino administration,” Zarate said.

In Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental province, Poe yesterday reiterated her call for Abaya to be dismissed because of, among other reasons, his failure to fix the MRT 3.

Speaking to reporters here, Poe, who chairs the Senate subcommittee on public transportation, noted that the MRT 3 broke down twice yesterday.

“These incidents only show the failure to provide good maintenance services that ensure the safety of the trains,” she explained.

“He (Abaya) has failed to do his job, so he is not fit to remain in his post … . As a matter of principle, the public should not be made to suffer for a Cabinet official’s failure to fulfill his duties,” she said.

Poe said Abaya had failed to prove himself worthy of the job, as “the state of MRT services and the many other agencies under the DOTC have not

changed.”

Apart from the MRT 3, she also blamed Abaya for the “tanim-bala (bullet-planting) scam” and the failure to deliver vehicle license plates.

Poe said she could not wait for Abaya to leave office only at the end of the President’s term in June.

“Five months is a long time if we keep the safety of our commuters in mind,” she said.

But Sen. Vicente Sotto III thinks that with only six months left of the Aquino administration, keeping Abaya in the post was “the prudent thing to do.”

Sen. Sonny Angara said that if the President is decided on retaining Abaya, the latter should put in place drastic measures to address the very serious problems in the public transport sector. ■

Opinion

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JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

AT LARGE

Shocking, immoral, ill-timed

By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer “SHOCKING,” “immoral,” and “an attack on women” are just some of the reactions to the recent act of Congress removing the entire P1 billion budget meant for the purchase of family planning supplies from the overall budget of the Department of Health.

“We did not fight for the RH Law just to see it become an unfunded mandate of the government,” declared RH advocate, senatorial candidate and former congresswoman Risa Hontiveros. “We will fight for its full implementation for the sake of women and Filipino families.”

Indeed, without a new budget for 2016 for purchasing supplies, the family planning program seems to have been effectively scuttled. Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, presidential candidate and cosponsor in the Senate of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law, said “the P1 billion budget cut threatens to deprive some seven million women of [RH] services. This abandonment is immoral in a country where some 200 out of 100,000 womenwho give birth die.”

Equally “shocked” was Sen. Pia Cayetano, who said the budget cut was effectively a slap on her face

since it was she who led the charge upgrading of the Department of Na- planning program could be more effor the passage of the RPRH Law in tional Defense, an increase in the fective—whether in the construction the Senate. budget of some state universities and of more clinics or birthing centers, Cayetano called the action a colleges, and even realigned within the hiring and training of health per“breach of trust,” adding: “We work the DOH to “provide for the health sonnel, or the purchase and distribuon a basis of trust—that the chair of facilities and medical assistance to tion of more effective contraceptives. the finance committee would not indigent patients.”

The situation has not been static, make significant changes without But Sen. Tito Sotto, who had vo- either, as our population increases informing the body, or in the case of cally (and vociferously) argued each year, with the momentum RH, no major changes will be made against the RPRH bill on the Sen- seeming to be speeding up. without informing me, knowing that ate floor, said the budget for family “Access to contraceptives is an esI sponsored the measure.” planning was cut in response to the sential condition for exercising the BUT in her defense, Sen. Loren ongoing case being heard in the Su- basic human right to health as well Legarda, chair of the Senate finance preme Court. But the TRO issued by as the right to reproductive choices,” committee that declared Yoriko Yaoversaw the budget sukawa, regional Access to contraceptives is an essential condition for preparation, said director for Asia exercising the basic human right to health as well as the right to “the decision to cut and the Pacific for reproductive choice. the allocation for the UN Fund for family planning was Population. “Global done after assessing its possible im- the high court covered only the use of evidence clearly shows that universal pact on the program.” implants to which some groups had access to family planning is essential Legarda cited the finding that as of objected. There was no mention of all to prevent maternal and newborn June 2015, of some P3.27 billion allo- other forms of contraception. deaths; is vital to achieving gender cated for family planning, “only P955 *** equality; and contributes to poverty million (29 percent) had been obli- THE senators (Budget Secretary reduction and inclusive developgated. For the remaining six months, Butch Abad says the DOH budget cut ment. We strongly encourage the reP2.3 billion or 71 percent has yet to be was made in the Senate) might have versal of the budget deletion.” obligated.” Thus, she pointed out, the overlooked the fact that, aside from *** DOH is perfectly free to use the re- the one-year delay in the implemen- THE UNFPA acknowledged that the maining amount from the 2015 bud- tation of the RPRH Law due to the Aquino administration has shown get and “the agencies may augment numerous suits filed against it at increasing resolve to implement the deficient items from their savings.” the high court, the program suffered family planning program. For one, the The senator also said the P1 billion months of further delay when the population growth rate slowed down cut was used to augment the funds DOH conducted a national assess- from 1.9 percent in 2010 to 1.7 percent of other agencies: for the air assets ment to see in what areas the family in 2015. Modern contraceptive use, for

instance, increased from 34 percent in 2008 to 38 percent in 2013, and this, said the UNFPA, “contributed to a decrease in the maternal mortality ratio from 129 in 2013 to 114 in 2015.” Still, this decline is still much slower than the rate the country sought to achieve as part of the Millennium Development Goals.

“While the situation is still far from ideal, initial steps undertaken

by Government to ensure greater access to family planning for the poorest of the poor who need it most have begun to show positive, beneficial results,” said the UNFPA. “Failure to sustain this commitment can swiftly reverse gains and put the country in a more difficult position to achieve its vital development target to reduce maternal deaths.”

The budget deletion, it said, “comes at an especially critical time as the country is seeking to strengthen efforts to battle the crisis of increasing teen pregnancy.” It also pointed out that “for a country with a large population of young people, important investments should be made on comprehensive sexual and [RH] care, including access to contraceptives, to achieve a more educated and healthy population, more productive workforce, and growing economy to maximize the potential of the huge population.” ■

LOOKING BACK

Land-grabbing in Quiapo

By Ambeth R. Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer QUIAPO, LIKE Manila, got its name from a water plant. If May-nila was the place where the “nila” (Ixora manila Blanco) grew in abundance, Quiapo was where the “water cabbage” (Pistia stratiotes) could be found. Not many people know about Quiapo the plant today, because our focus is on Quiapo Church, where one can browse through stalls that happily sell rosaries, novenas and religious medals along with amulets, anting-anting, and assorted herbs for concoctions good and bad.

Quiapo is a place where one sees both the expression of imported Roman Catholicism coexisting with an older preSpanish spirituality and belief.

Tomorrow, Jan. 9, crowds of the faithful will swarm the route of the image of the Black Nazarene that will reenact its “translation” or transfer from the ancient Recollect church that once stood in what is now Rizal Park to its present home in Quiapo. According to tradition, the original image was made in Mexico and brought to the Philippines via a Manila galleon in the 17th

century. The present image is, in fact, one of two: The first is the image on the altar that does not leave the church; its head is the “original” from the ancient image mounted on a new body of molave, a Philippine hardwood. The second is the processional image that leaves and then returns to the church each year on Jan. 9; the body of this image is the “original” from Mexico while the head is new, fashioned from batikuling, a soft Philippine wood.

These two images, each with a part of the original, made by sculptor Narciso Maglaqui, will preserve the image for future generations.

There is some confusion regarding the image of the Nazareno that was brought to the alleged pork barrel queen Janet Lim Napoles by the then parish priest of Quiapo, Msgr.

Josefino Ramirez. It can’t be the image on the altar that never leaves the church; neither can it be the processional image too big to be brought to Napoles’ home in Makati. Part of the original image—a hand perhaps—was brought to be privately venerated by Napoles, and it was this VIP treatment that supposedly led a sick and desperate Sandiganbayan Justice

Gregory Ong to her, seeking a way to touch the robe of the image.

While reading up on the Nazareno in Quiapo, I found out that the image is known by many names: the Spanish “El Nazareno Negro” translates to “Black Nazarene,” and “Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno” to “Our Father Jesus the Nazarene.” The Filipino “Poong itim na Nazareno” was rendered into English by Nick Joaquin as “Dark Lord of Quiapo,” a title that young Filipinos might confuse with villains from the “Harry Potter” or “Star Wars” series.

Following footnotes in a couple of publications on Quiapo, I was led to a stray document, deep in the 55-volume compilation of historical texts by James Alexander Robertson and Emma Helen Blair. In Volume 14, covering the years 1605-1609, are documents relating to the Chinese Revolt of 1603, but in the appendix is a little-known petition by a certain Miguel Banal, a descendant of the rulers of pre-Spanish Manila, to the Spanish King Philip III asking for the resolution of his land dispute with the Jesuits. Banal claimed that the Jesuits were grabbing land that was

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rightfully his.

This engaging document dated July 25, 1609, reads in part: “Sire. In former years the archbishop of these Philipinas Islands, on petition of the natives of the village of Quiapo, which is near the city of Manila, wrote to your Majesty, informing you that the fathers of the Society of Jesus—under pretext that the former dean of this holy church of Manila, whom your majesty has lately appointed archbishop, had sold them a garden lying back of our village—have been insinuating themselves more and more into our lands and taking more than what was assigned to them by the dean; and that we had scarcely any land remaining in the village for our fields, and even for our houses. The petition begged your royal Majesty to remedy this and protect us under your royal clemency, since we are Indians, who cannot defend ourselves by suits as we are a poor people, and it would be a matter with a religious order.”

Banal recounted how his house in the disputed land was torn down by a Jesuit: “One of the [Jesuit] fathers, named Brother Nieto came with a numer-

ous following of negroes and Indians, armed with halberds and catans; and of his own accord, and with absolute authority razed my house to the ground. This caused great scandal to those who saw a religious armed for the purpose of destroying the house of a poor Indian—although after seeing his intention to seize all my property and bind me, I did not raise my eyes to behold him angered, because of the respect that I know is due the ministers who teach us the law of God. Although the alcalde mayor of our village … was angry, as was proper … and went immediately on that same day to the destroyed house, and did not leave the village until he knew that another small house had been rebuilt for me in place of the one destroyed, yet, as all the fathers had threatened me that as often as I should build a house there, they would return to raze or burn it … and as I ama poor Indian, I fear the power of said fathers.”

Other documents on the case remain to be unearthed in the Spanish archives, but it only goes to show that agrarian disputes have been at the root of unrest in Philippine history for centuries. ■

Opinion

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

17

PUBLIC LIVES

Can faith be harnessed for the common good?

By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer THE AVERAGE Filipino’s religious faith is legendary and beyond question. It is strong and it goes into the core of his or her being. It is effusive and often produces a dramatic effect on his or her disposition and conduct. Can such a force, which in other circumstances has been used to justify war and terror, be harnessed for the common good?

Can the same faith that keeps the Filipino hopeful in the face of distress, resilient in the face of tragedy, and selfless in the face of hardship be also a force for good citizenship? Can it reduce crime in everyday life, cheating in business, and corruption and meanness in our political life? Can the same single-mindedness that the Black Nazarene’s devotees bring to their vows be summoned to form dedicated public servants? Can the power of faith be tapped to eradicate violence against women and the exploitation of children? Can it be used to bring groups and communities locked in ceaseless conflict to the peace table? Can we build a just and caring nation on the foundations of our religious faith?

Perhaps, we can put the same question in a less sublime way: How

much piety do we need to muster to accompanies functional differentia- dia have tended to stick to one forprod the participants of our spec- tion in modern society, which to me mula: Seek out testimonies of how tacular religious processions to take is a matter of social structure than of individuals became Nazarene devocare of their own trash and not leave consciousness.) tees. Such inquiry into the range of mountains of garbage behind them?

The biggest benefactors of church personal needs that people satisfy These are not easy questions. First- projects and priestly vocations are through religion, in my view, is selly, because people often do not hold also sometimes the most corrupt, dom productive of sociological insimilar notions of what constitutes just as the most violent killers may sights. We have seen how vast and the common good. Even when they often profess an amazing childlike diverse these needs can be. What is of do, their priorities are typically not al- piety. Clearly, piety does not always greater interest to me, as a student of ways the same. They may profess the translate to social virtue. I once saw a society, is the communication of the same social goals but strongly differ in churchgoing couple throw bags of gar- religious experience itself—how relithe means to achieve them. They may bage into a vacant lot, having lugged gious leaders attempt to manage this redescribe and rationalize the foul- these in their car on their way to Sun- experience, tame its excesses, and est means in such a way that their use day service. I have heard first hand keep it within bounds—and, most comes out as necessary and virtuous. of church volunteers who, over many important for our analysis, how it is But, the difficulty linked to the other in offering a posispheres of society.

How much piety do we need to muster to prod the participants tive answer to the This brings up of our spectacular religious processions to take care of their own kind of questions the key question I trash and not leave mountains of garbage behind them? we pose here lies pose in this column: mainly in the very Can religion be nature of faith and the religious sys- years of pious service, systematically harnessed for goals that fall outside tem. Faith is, in the first instance, a filched cash from Mass collections, the religious sphere? The answer, of highly personal form of conscious- and, when confronted, tried to jus- course, is yes, but there is no way of ness. As such, it tends to have a high tify their deed as their way of helping ensuring that the consequences are tolerance for inconsistency. Filipi- those in need. And, not to forget, when going to be good for the larger society, nos, for example, have no trouble priests and bishops are themselves or even for religion itself. Indeed, in keeping their religious devotions denounced for sexual and financial recent years, we have witnessed the even while everything else they do opportunism, can we blame the ordi- disastrous coupling of religion and in their everyday lives may contra- nary faithful if they seem unthinking politics in the Islamic world. While dict the essential elements of their in the observance of their faith? political projects have surged phefaith. (This is not the same phenomIn their coverage of the Black nomenally, drawing strength from enon of compartmentalization that Nazarene procession, the mass me- this potent nexus, the long-term con-

sequences for Islam itself have been corrosive. This is where Christianity used to be once upon a time.

History details the retreat of Christianity from the other domains of society—for example, as a source of legitimation for legal and political orders, for invasions and conquests.

That era has passed. Whatever functional “loss” Christianity may have incurred in the course of this evolution has however been abundantly redeemed by its persistence as a guarantor against meaninglessness in a complex world.

I share the exasperation the general public feels when religious adherents seem oblivious of the mess (e.g., traffic or garbage) they create in the course of their religious observance.

I wish God could tell them to keep in mind their neighbors’ welfare. But, on the other hand, wouldn’t religion be trivialized if its tenets were invoked for every conceivable problem we encounter in the world?

I admire people who can view every aspect of their lives through the prism of religion. But I admire even more those for whom both “the religious life and the religiously indifferent one are socially accepted and endowed with communicative ability.” ■

ANALYSIS

The Vienna New Year concert: a divine performance

By Amando Doronila Philippine Daily Inquirer CANBERRA—While Filipinos celebrated New Year’s Eve with a barrage of firecrackers and other noisemakers, ostensibly to drive away the demons of the old year, people in over 90 other countries worldwide watched the most widely broadcast musical event of the past 75 years: the New Year concert of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at the Golden Hall of the Musikverein.

This unique cultural event was aired live and seen by 50 million TV viewers around the globe. I have often wondered why Philippine TV networks have not tuned us to this endof-the-year event, despite our reputation as a nation of music lovers.

We have a long tradition in concert music. Established in 1926 by the Viennese conductor Alexander Lippay, the Manila Symphony Orchestra is one of the oldest in Asia, and in its first post-Liberation concert in Manila in May 1945, it resumed presenting concerts featuring traditional Viennese waltzes, highlighting works of the Strauss family. Thus, Filipinos had their first exposure to “The Blue Danube Waltz” by Johann Strauss Jr. at the Metropolitan Theatre, even

before the start of the Philippine in- Arvids Jansons. He studied violin, vio- as the audience gave the orchestra a dependence movement and ahead la and piano and graduated with hon- standing ovation, clapping in unison of the election of the first Philippine ors from the Leningrad Conservatory to the beat of the conductor. legislature in 1907. with a degree in conducting studies in In a report of the orchestra’s fiThe 2016 Vienna Concert took Vienna with Hans Swarowsky, and in nal rehearsal, BBC described the place under the baton of a non-Aus- Salzburg with Herbert von Karajan. hard work that went into “what is trian conductor, Mariss Jansons, and In 1971, Jansons emerged a prize the world’s Most-watched classical represented the 75th anniversary winner from the conducting competi- music event of the year.” According of this unique cultural event. It was tion of the Herbert von Karajan Foun- to BBC correspondent George John, broadcast here in Canberra by the dation in Berlin. His collaboration with Maestro Jansons took issue, durSBS (Special Broadcasting Station) as the Vienna Philharmonic goes back to ing the rehearsal, with the issue that a public service. The concert was held 1992. He conducted the New Year 2016 “light” music is light work. in the awe-inspiring Musikverein, concert for the third time (the first two According to the report, Vienna venue of the cultural events in Vien- times were in 2006 and 2012).

Philharmonic chair and violinist na, which is known Andreas Grossto music lovers all bauer said ahead You must have a very special relationship with this music. over the word as the of the event: “It’s City of Dreams and very, very difficult. once the seat of the Austro-Hungarian On the podium, Jansons directed Take, for instance, ‘The Blue Danube Habsburg empire that ruled Central the Vienna Philharmonic with au- Waltz.’ To create the beautiful phrasEurope for centuries up to the end of thority and in complete control of es here, these are really difficult World War I on Nov. 11, 1918. one of the best orchestras in the things.” The report stated further: The selection of the conductor of world, including the Berlin Philhar- The effort that goes into each concert the New Year concert involves an monic. He and the orchestra mem- is “as well-hidden to the more than extremely careful and tedious pro- bers picked each of the 18 pieces from 50 million people tuning in as the cess, as the Vienna Philharmonic is an original list of 800; they played dark origins of the event,” which was expected to recapture the glory and compositions by Robert Stolz, Jo- originally “a morale booster staged grandeur of the Habsburg dynasty hann Strauss, Carl Michael Ziehrer, by the Nazis to draw attention away at the zenith of its imperial power by Eduard Strauss, Josef Strauss, Emile from a losing war (World War II).” the River Danube. Maestro Jansons Waldteufel, Josef Hellmesberger sn., The final arrangements were specwas born in Latvia, in the Baltic states, and Johann Strauss, sn. One of the tacular, as TV audiences were treated to which were not part of the Austro- major pieces was “The Blue Danube ballet and stunning Vienna vistas, and Hungarian empire. He grew up in the Waltz,” and following tradition, it the gilded Musikverein concert hall is Soviet Union as the son of conductor ended with the “Radetsky March,” the perfect venue for a slickly staged ex-

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perience that can cost more than $1,000 for those lucky enough to get a ticket.

For three hours during the rehearsal, musicians clad in jeans and T-shirts repeatedly went over the passages. Jansons was firm as he cajoled them “to do it just a little better each time—more piano here, a smoother passage elsewhere.”

“It’s not easy when you take it seriously and want to conduct a very high-class concert... You must have a very special relationship with this music,” he said.

In his third New Year concert appearance, Jansons appeared less concerned with falling into routine and more concerned with blending the tradition of Strauss performances with an interpretation of his own. “An element of intuition is very important,” he said. He spoke of “moving feelings and unique moments experienced by the orchestra during the performances.” With him at the podium, performances “are not shows but deep emotion.”

When asked who his favorite New Year conductor is, Jansons demurred. “How can you compare?” he said with a laugh, evoking the difficulty of an oenophile picking a fine red wine. “Do you prefer Bordeaux or Burgundy?” ■

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JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

Canada News

Federal finance minister paints bleak picture of economic growth prospects

BY MICHAEL TUTTON The Canadian Press HALIFAX — The federal finance minister spoke of pitchblack moments in his morning shower and s`ome darkening clouds for the Canadian economy as he kicked off his national budget consultation tour in Halifax on Monday.

Bill Morneau drew chuckles from a business audience at the Halifax Chamber of Commerce as he described a morning power outage that occurred while he was covered in soap lather.

The minister said it’s just the latest in a series of challenges he’s facing as he sets out to prepare his first budget amidst a declining economy.

Within a few minutes of beginning his speech, Morneau launched into a series of slides that painted a bleak picture of economic growth hampered by plunging commodities prices.

He repeated prior statements that the Canadian economy is suffering from slower growth than originally projected by the former Conservative government due partly to oil prices that are less than half those of 2014.

“We knew when we were campaigning we were facing a slow-growth environment,” he said.

“The challenge is greater than we expected.”

The minister said there’s hope that oil prices will improve, but as it stands a declining tax base means his department is expecting a $15 billion per year reduction of GDP beginning this year, compared with what was projected in the last budget.

“It’s important to have a frank view of where we’re starting from,” he said.

Morneau is travelling across the country this week to seek input as he draws up his first

NEWS BRIEFS from The Canadian Press

Canada’s economic growth hit hard by falling oil prices: finance minister HALIFAX — The federal finance minister says the Canadian economy is suffering from slower growth than originally projected by the former Conservative government. Bill Morneau told several hundred people attending a Halifax Chamber of Commerce luncheon that his department’s projections on growth since the 2015 budget have fallen due to oil prices that are less than half those of 2014.

Workers injured in mill blasts seek class action VANCOUVER — When two British Columbia sawmills exploded in flames within weeks of each other in 2012, the lives of several hundred people — workers and their loved ones — were also shattered. Now, a proposed class action civil suit hopes to address some of the physical and mental chaos caused by the deadly blasts at Babine Forest Products in Burns Lake and Lakeland Mills Ltd., in Prince George.

Bill Morneau.

federal budget.

The finance minister spoke on the same day as the Bank of Canada’s latest business outlook survey was released indicating companies’ investment in equipment and hiring intentions for the next year are tumbling to their lowest levels since the 2009 recession.

The former executive chairman of a human resources firm told reporters the survey indicates his party’s infrastructure spending will assist in retaining business confidence.

He also repeated the party will keep its campaign promises to bring in middle class tax breaks and spend billions on infrastructure.

But during a news conference, Morneau offered few details when local reporters asked about how Ottawa will stimulate the Nova Scotia economy and help with the upkeep of aging infrastructure.

He said he couldn’t comment on whether the number of federal ships being built in Halifax yards will remain.

He also said he had little information about the Victoria General, an aging Halifax hospital beset by routine floods and leaks, and couldn’t say whether

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helping fix the problem falls within the planned infrastructure spending.

Randy Delorey, Nova Scotia’s Liberal minister of finance, said in an interview he’s content to wait for more details about how his federal counterpart’s infrastructure program will work — and whether he can ask for help with the decrepit facility.

During a news conference, the federal minister was also asked whether Ottawa will continue efforts by the former Conservative government to create a national securities regulator.

He said his government will work with provinces who want to create the regulator, but respected that Alberta and Quebec weren’t interested in proceeding with the plan.

“We do favour a collaborative national securities regulator,” he said. “We recognize we’ll do this together with those provinces willing to be part of this initiative. We think it’s important for Canada find a way to be efficient in all things we do.”

Late in the day, the minister answered a wide-ranging series of questions from students at Dalhousie University, the first of series of forums that will be held at universities. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Burnaby mayor asks Trudeau to halt pipeline review VANCOUVER — The mayor of a Metro Vancouver city is urging Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to immediately suspend the National Energy Board hearings into the proposed Trans Mountain pipeline expansion. Burnaby mayor Derek Corrigan has sent a letter asking Trudeau to put the review on hold while it expedites promised changes to the way the federal regulator evaluates projects.

Require immigrants to live in Atlantic region up to five years: McKenna SAINT JOHN, N.B. — A former New Brunswick premier says the federal government should consider a program that would require some immigrants to live in Atlantic Canada for three to five years before getting their citizenship. Frank McKenna says unless the region can build a larger base of new citizens, immigrants will continue to flock to larger centres like Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

Six online ‘ugly girls’ polls span Newfoundland and Labrador: official ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — The Newfoundland and Labrador English School District is now checking out complaints of six anonymous polls online that ranked girls based on their looks. They include five polls reported across the island — including one that made national headlines in Torbay — and a potential incident in Labrador.

Man who has abused kids since 1975 to be sentenced KAMLOOPS — A British Columbia man who sexually assaulted at least 15 children over five decades has agreed to be labelled a dangerous offender, meaning he could be locked up for the rest of his life. The man and the community in which he committed his most recent crimes cannot be identified as part of a courtordered publication ban aimed at protecting the identity of the victims.

Personalized cancer care gets $3-million boost VANCOUVER — Thousands of new patients will receive highly customized cancer treatment over the next five years as the B.C. government invests an additional $3 million in advanced genome sequencing techniques.

Canada News

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

19

Damaged northern Ontario bridge partially reopened

BY MICHELLE MCQUIGGE The Canadian Press NIPIGON, ONT. — A multimillion-dollar bridge offering the sole east-west route across part of northern Ontario has been partially reopened after sustaining serious damage over the weekend, provincial officials said Monday.

A statement from Transportation Minister Steven Del Duca said one lane is available to cars and regular-weight transport trucks, but said engineers were still working to determine whether the Nipigon River Bridge can sustain the weight of oversized trucks.

Del Duca said staff worked through the night in order to reopen a route that the province’s premier described as critically important.

“As soon as I heard about the closure of the bridge I was concerned because it is the lifeline in terms of product and transportation in northwestern On-

tario,” Kathleen Wynne said.

“It connects the east to the west, and there is only that one route.”

The OPP closed the bridge indefinitely on Sunday afternoon when part of the steel decking on the western side separated about 60 centimetres from the rest of the structure. There were no injuries reported, and pedestrians were still able to make use of the bridge.

Word of the partial reopening came as a relief to local businesses, said Dan Bevilacqua, manager of the North of Superior Travel Association.

He said companies were bracing to function without bridge access for anywhere from two days to a full month, adding that the flow of supplies wasn’t even the main concern.

“I think what people were worried about is just essentially the country being split in two,” he said. “Here in Nipigon, we are at the middle of the country. Everything has to come through this area. ... It was more

concern for travellers.”

The news was equally welcome to 20-year-old Mariah Veneziano, who had travelled to Thunder Bay, Ont., for the weekend to help her sister catch a flight.

She avoided a night shivering in her car by staying with friends, but set out for her home in Schreiber, Ont., home as soon as she heard traffic was moving again.

Veneziano said she initially felt nervous about crossing the structure, but found the scene less harrowing and more efficient than she expected.

“It was probably only a 10-minute wait because they were letting both sides of traffic go by,” she said. “We were going about 25 kilometres an hour across.”

No one has yet offered an estimate as to when the bridge, which is part of the TransCanada Highway and spans the Nipigon River, will be fully functional.

Nor is there any word as to what caused the separation, an

issue Wynne said the government is determined to “get to the bottom of.”

The Ontario government began building what it touts as the province’s first cable-stayed bridge in 2013 and opened westbound lanes to two-way traffic in November. The project, which the government pegs at $106 million, is due to be completed in 2017.

Ontario Northern Development and Mines Minister Michael Gravelle was planning to visit the site on Monday to assess the extent of the damage, and Del Duca is planning to inspect the site on Wednesday.

The nearby municipality of Greenstone declared a state of emergency on Sunday out of what deputy Mayor Eric Pietsch describes as an abundance of caution. He said the community itself was not threatened, but wanted to be in a better position to assist stranded travellers if necessary.

Pietsch said the state of emergency will likely remain in

effect until Tuesday morning.

Ontario’s New Democrats said the failure of the bridge “shows the Liberal government’s mismanagement of northern Ontario’s roads and highways.”

“Many companies in northern Ontario depend on the bridge to transport product across the country,” said Wayne Gates, the party’s transportation critic. “This will hurt industry, and many small communities will be economically impacted with less motorists passing through.”

Progressive Conservative transportation critic Michael Harris called for an explanation, noting the bridge failed only 42 days after opening the new westbound lanes.

“This is a route that sees between 5,000 and 10,000 vehicles per day — many that can’t simply divert through the United States to get from east to west,” said Harris. “Where was the backup plan to prevent the potential of a failure that effectively splits Canada in two?” ■

Feds extend matching donations to Syria amid news of worsening crisis

BY STEPHANIE LEVITZ The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Photographs of starving children in Syrian villages are reminders that the human toll of the civil war in that country still needs to be addressed, the international aid minister and humanitarian agencies said Thursday in urging Canadians to continue to support relief efforts.

To encourage that, the Liberal government will extend to Feb. 29 the deadline for people to donate to overseas Syrian relief and have those dollars matched by the government, International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau said.

“I have no doubts Canadians will continue to rise to the occasion and give to those most in need,” Bibeau said.

About $12 million has been donated since the previous Conservative government announced the creation of the

matching fund in September.

That came after three-year-old Alan Kurdi died as his family tried to reach Europe.

By comparison, a matching fund announced for the 2010 earthquake in Haiti raised $220 million.

Aid agencies acknowledged Thursday that the effort to resettle 25,000 Syrian refugees in Canada has to some degree hampered efforts to raise money for overseas work. They asked the government late last year to extend the matching funds deadline, saying Canadians needed to be reminded they could also help Syrians abroad.

The influx of refugees to Canada also helps, said Gillian Barth, chief executive officer of CARE Canada. As of Jan. 6, 6,974 Syrians had arrived.

“Now that (Canadians) have a face to put to the conflict, they understand a little bit more,” she said. “And now I think the messaging is important to get to them — you’ve seen them here, they still have family in

Syria, it’s important that we help support them because the needs there are tremendous.”

Since the outbreak of the Syrian civil in 2011, over 4 million people have fled the country seeking refuge, while the UN estimates over 12 million are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance inside the country.

A U.N. official said Thursday that the Syrian government has agreed to allow humanitarian assistance into three beleaguered villages following reports of deaths from malnutrition in the area.

The aid group Doctors Without Borders said 23 patients have died of starvation since Dec. 1 at a health centre in one of three villages — including six infants under a year old and five adults over 60.

Two of the villages in question are the adjacent Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya in the country’s north, which have been besieged by anti-government militants for more than a year. The third is the village of www.canadianinquirer.net

Syrian refugees welcomed in Canada. Syrians abroad, on the other hand, receive assistance through the Canadians’ matching fund.

MARIE-CLAUDE BIBEAU’S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE

Madaya near the border with Lebanon, which has been under siege by government forces since early July.

Photographs showing emaciated children and reported as coming from Madaya spread around the world Thursday.

Aid agencies said access to some parts of Syria has been an issue for some time and they are doing all they can to ensure humanitarian relief quickly gets where it is needed most.

“We’re on it,” said Hossam Elsharkawi, associate vice president, international operations for the Canadian Red Cross.

“It’s horrific those images. I know that no child should have to starve like that, no person, no human being should have to starve like that but this is the ugly reality of the conflict and the world we live in today.” ■ With files from The Associated Press

20

Canada News

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

Medical cannabis doesn’t need to be kosher, says leading certification agency

BY LAURA KANE The Canadian Press VANCOUVER — Is marijuana kosher? If it’s medicine, it doesn’t matter.

That’s the message from Canada’s largest kosher certification agency after its board of rabbis held a debate on whether to certify cannabis oils as kosher.

The Kashruth Council of Canada met Thursday to discuss an application from MedReleaf, a licensed producer of medical pot. The meeting followed news in the U.S. that a New York company would soon offer certified kosher medical cannabis products.

But after “a lot of interplay and exchange,” the Kashruth council decided the Jewish faith doesn’t require sick people to consume kosher medicine, said managing director Richard Rabkin.

“Something that is medicine, that’s prescribed from your doctor, that you need to take for

your health, that doesn’t need kosher certification,” he said by phone after the meeting.

“We don’t really want to get into the business of providing kosher certification for something that is doctor-prescribed.

We’re not going to go down that path.”

Kosher foods are those that conform to Jewish law, with strict guidelines on the types of foods that can be consumed and how they are prepared.

Rabkin said there’s a principle in Judaism that the preservation of human life overrides other religious concerns. If one must consume something nonkosher to survive — or, in the case of medical marijuana, to relieve pain or seizures — one can and should do so.

He acknowledged that some medical cannabis users might prefer to consume kosher pot, but he said a conversation with a rabbi should alleviate their concerns.

Neil Closner, chief executive officer of MedReleaf, said he was proud his company pushed

Kashruth to consider the issue.

“It was because of us that they even had this meeting,” he said. “We’re pleased with the outcome that from their perspective, (medical) cannabis is considered kosher for all consumers.”

Closner is Jewish and observes a kosher lifestyle. He said to his knowledge, no other companies in Canada currently offer kosher medical marijuana products and he had hoped MedReleaf would become the first. It has a licence to produce oils and expects to begin selling them in six to eight weeks.

He said he might consider seeking certification from another agency in the future, particularly if he expands into the recreational pot market.

In fact, not all kosher certification agencies agree with Kashruth on medical marijuana.

Kosher Check, a global kosher certification agency headquartered in British Columbia, debated the issue two years ago

and decided in favour of certifying edible medical pot products.

Rabbi Mendy Feigelstock said while preservation of life does come before all else in Judaism, his organization decided it would be helpful to offer a kosher choice for those who want it.

He said dried marijuana that is smoked is automatically considered kosher since it is a plant. However, edible products including oils, capsules, brownies and cookies would need to be certified.

“There are people who are suffering and unfortunately sometimes the only medication left for them is marijuana, which could ease their symptoms, and to force a person to smoke it seems silly,” he said.

“If it’s easier to ingest it either in an oil or some other edible, then there’s no reason why that person should not be able to ingest it kosher, if that’s something that they’re careful about.”

Kosher Check’s business director Richard Wood said the

organization had a few inquiries about kosher cannabis over the years but nothing had progressed to the certification stage.

He said when certifying an edible pot product, inspectors would look for issues including insect infestation in plants, equipment that is used for multiple purposes or capsules that use gelatin, which is produced from a non-kosher animal slaughter.

The issue of kosher pot is only coming to the forefront now in Canada because cannabis producers were banned from selling oils until last July, following a Supreme Court of Canada decision that ruled medical cannabis patients have the right to consume edible pot.

Another licensed medical marijuana producer, Aurora, is also considering kosher certification. Chief brand officer Neil Belot said in an email that the company had been in touch with a prominent certification agency to discuss the possibility. ■

Canadian man captured by Taliban five years ago freed by militants THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — An Afghan official has described a dramatic scene surrounding the release of a Canadian hostage held by the Taliban for five years.

Police chief Gen. Aminullah Amarkhil told The Associated Press Tuesday that Colin Rutherford’s release involved a helicopter landing to scoop him to freedom as fighter jets flew overhead in Ghazni province’s Giro district.

The Canadian Embassy in Kabul has not yet divulged Rutherford’s current whereabouts and it wasn’t immediately clear if he had been flown out of Afghanistan.

Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion announced Rutherford’s release Monday in a brief statement, but did not explain what steps were taken to secure his freedom — only that it involved the government of Qatar.

Rutherford was on a private affairs, I extend my heartfelt Rutherford’s brother, Brian, vacation in Afghanistan when thanks to the government of called Colin’s release “incredhe was seized by the militant Qatar for its assistance in this ible news.” group in November 2010. matter.”

“We’re obviously overjoyed The last indication the ToRutherford was working as at the news today and we’re ronto man’s family had that he an auditor with the Canadian very thankful to everyone was alive came in a 2011 video Circulations Audit Board in whose hard work has assisted released by insurgents where Toronto when he went on vaca- in Colin’s safe release,” Brian he answered questions; an ac- tion to Afghanistan in 2010.

Rutherford said in an email to companying email accused “This is great news,” said Tim The Canadian Press.

Rutherford, then He added in a 26, of being a spy.

Facebook mesIn the video, sage that “We’re Rutherford inalso looking forsisted he was We’re obviously overjoyed at the ward to get more not a spy and news today and we’re very thankful news in the comhad travelled to to everyone whose hard work has ing hours and Afghanistan to assisted in Colin’s safe release. days and very study historical much looking sites, old buildforward to seeings and shrines. ing my brother Dion said he was “very Peel, the company’s vice-presi- again!” pleased that efforts” under- dent said in an email. “We wish The involvement of Qatar in taken to Rutherford out proved him a safe and speedy return Rutherford’s release is not ensuccessful. and would like to thank all the tirely surprising. The Persian “We look forward to Mr. parties involved in securing his Gulf country has at times quiRutherford being able to return freedom.” etly played mediator between to Canada and reunite with his Peel did not respond to ques- western governments and the family and loved ones,” Dion tions about whether Ruther- Taliban — even helping to fasaid. “As minister of foreign ford’s job still exists. cilitate peace negotiations bewww.canadianinquirer.net

tween governments in Kabul and the hardline insurgency.

The Taliban have openly maintained a political office in the capital of Doha since 2013.

Whether any ransom was paid is an important question.

In securing the release of Canadian diplomats Bob Fowler and Louis Guay from the clutches of al-Qaida’s North African branch in 2009, the previous Conservative government denied making any payment. But an al-Qaida letter to the original kidnappers, obtained by The Associated Press in northern Mali in 2013, said it received $1 million for the pair.

The Obama administration used the Qataris to help facilitate secret negotiations with the Taliban in 2014 for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the only U.S. Army soldier to be captured during the Afghan war. ■ With files from The Associated Press

Canada News

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

Military’s overseas efforts for Syrian refugee program winding down

BY STEPHANIE LEVITZ The Canadian Press

as cities and towns across the country are still busy securing housing for the new arrivals.

Space is available for 6,000 OTTAWA — The military is be- people at various bases and ginning to wind down its over- facilities throughout Ontario seas involvement in the Liberal and Quebec, with an additional government’s commitment to 7,000 spots also in reserve if resettling thousands of Syrian needed, the Forces say on their refugees in a matter of months. website.

Approximately 70 Canadian Canadian Forces Bases ValArmed Forces members have cartier, Kingston and Borden returned from Jordan and Leb- are expected to be the first anon, where they were part of three put into use as early as a broader government effort to this week. bring 25,000 Syrians to Canada Tuesday was expected to be by the end of next month. the day that the 10,000th Syr“All it takes is seeing one little ian refugee arrives in Canada, a one the same age as my daugh- milestone moment for a Liberal ter — smiling because they are program that’s changed shape going to Canada,” said Maj. and focus several times since Drew Willis, who was among 68 a commitment to resettling soldiers who arrived to waiting 25,000 Syrians was first made family members early Tuesday by the party in March. at Canadian Forces Base GagFirst, it was that those 25,000 etown in New would be enBrunswick. tirely assisted by About 150 government and soldiers remain be in Canada by overseas helpthe end of the ing process apWhere the last year. Then plications and military is in November, conduct medical going to be the program was tests on the thouneeded next split into two sands of Syris at home. parts — 10,000, ians who are still mostly privately passing through sponsored refuthe screening gees would be process. brought in by the The Defence Department end of last year and a further says the decision to bring some 15,000, mostly government-aspersonnel home was made in sisted, would arrive by the end consultation with the Immigra- of February. tion Department in anticipaOf the 9,562 refugees who tion of the completion of the had arrived by Jan. 10, about program. half have private sponsors and “Operation Provision has the other half are governmentbeen a tremendous opportuni- assisted. ty to showcase leadership and Three government-orgaCanadian values on the world nized flights of refugees were stage and we will continue to scheduled to arrive Tuesday, stand in support of this whole- one in Montreal and two in of-government effort, ready to Toronto, taking the number assist wherever and however of arrivals to just over 10,000. we are needed,” Defence Minis- The Immigration Department ter Harjit Sajjan said in a state- could not confirm the arrivals ment Tuesday. late Tuesday afternoon.

Where the military is going to The Liberals have said they be needed next is at home. still intend to bring 25,000 SyrThousands of Syrians landing ians to Canada under governin the coming days are expected ment sponsorship, but that will to be billeted at military bases take until the end of 2016. ■

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‘This isn’t who we are’: Trudeau condemns pepper spraying of Syrian refugees

BY LAURA KANE The Canadian Press

“Although the motive for the pepper spraying is unknown at this time, investigators are treating it as a hate motivated CANADIAN POLITICAL leadcrime, until determined otherers including Prime Minister wise,” he said in a news release.

Justin Trudeau are condemnB.C. Premier Christy Clark, ing the pepper spraying of some Vancouver Mayor Gregor RobSyrian refugees in Vancouver, ertson and federal Immigrawhich police are treating as a tion Minister John McCallum hate crime. also expressed outrage at the Police said the incident hapattack. pened Friday night when more “Last night’s attack on refuthan a dozen people had gathgees is intolerable, regardless ered outside the Muslim Assoof motivation,” Clark tweeted. ciation of Canada Centre dur“Please join me in condemning ing a “welcome night” for newly it, and welcoming new Canadiarrived Syrian refugees. A man ans.” wearing a white hoodie apparMcCallum said he was apently rode by palled when he on a bicycle and heard of the incisprayed 15 to 30 dent. people, police “Canadians said.

You never know, maybe it was just a know that this “This isn’t who nut case that was going around. But if incident is an we are — and it was, then I’ll just say that Canadians affront to our doesn’t reflect should know better. values as a nathe warm weltion, and is at come Canadians odds with the have offered,” overwhelmingly Trudeau posted on Twitter on “very nice” evening getting to positive welcome that Syrian Saturday. know one another over dinner, refugees have received in comNawal Addo said she was she said. munities across our country,” standing outside with some Addo, a 16-year-old of Syr- he said in a statement. refugees who were waiting for ian background who grew up in “I would also like to assure rea bus when suddenly everyone Canada, said she doesn’t want cently arrived Syrian refugees began to cough and feel their to assume the worst. that those who gathered last eyes burning.

“I hope it wasn’t a hate crime. night to support and welcome “We saw people coming out You never know, maybe it was them embody the Canadian from the building and they just a nut case that was going spirit. This attack in no way were in worse condition than around. But if it was, then I’ll represents their new home.” us,” she said. “Their eyes were just say that Canadians should The government has commitreally puffed up. They weren’t know better.” ted to welcoming 25,000 Syrian able to open their eyes.”

Vancouver Police Sgt. Randy refugees to Canada by the end She said it appeared the Fincham said no one has been of next month. Thousands have fumes had gotten inside the en- arrested. already arrived. ■

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

www.canadianinquirer.net

trance, where it affected people more powerfully inside the enclosed space. Some were children, including a girl who was about two years old, Addo said.

About 20 to 30 people were affected, some were vomiting and a few had to be taken away by ambulance, including the toddler, she said.

She said she didn’t see the man on the bicycle.

“There was only one witness and he didn’t even see his face,” she said.

She said the welcome night was the first social event in Canada for many of the newly arrived refugees. They had a

JOSEPH MORRIS / FLICKR

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World News

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

A convoy of food and medicine is finally reaching 3 besieged communities in Syria

BY ALBERT AJI The Associated Press DAMASCUS, SYRIA — Aid convoys delivered long-awaited food, medicine and other supplies to three besieged Syrian communities Monday, part of a U.N.-supported operation to help tens of thousands of civilians cut off for months by the fighting.

Reports of starvation and images of emaciated children have raised global concerns and underscored the urgency for new peace talks that the U.N. is hoping to host in Geneva on Jan. 25.

U.N. humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien said about 400 people in the hospital in the besieged mountain village of Madaya must be evacuated immediately to receive life-saving medical attention. He told reporters after briefing the U.N. Security Council that they need treatment for medical complications, severe malnourishment and starvation.

This must be done as soon as possible “or they are in grave peril of losing their lives,” O’Brien said, adding that efforts will be made to get ambulances to Madaya on Tuesday to evacuate the 400 people, of all ages, if safe passage can be assured.

The U.N. says 4.5 million Syrians are living in besieged or hard-to-reach areas and desperately need humanitarian aid, with civilians prevented from leaving and aid workers blocked from bringing in food, medicine, fuel and other supplies.

It will take several days to distribute the aid in Madaya, near Damascus, and the Shiite villages of Foua and Kfarya in northern Syria, and the supplies are probably enough to last for a month, aid agencies said.

“It’s really heartbreaking to see the situation of the people,” said Red Cross spokesman Pawel Krzysiek, who oversaw the distribution in Madaya. “A while ago, I was just approached by a little girl and her first question was, ‘Did you bring food?”’

Added Sajjad Malik, a representative of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees who

took part in the operation: “It’s taken out. cold and raining, but there is “I want out. There is nothing excitement because we are here in Madaya, no water, no elecwith some food and blankets.” tricity, no fuel and no food,” The operation marked a said Safiya Ghosn, a teacher small, positive development in who stood at the entrance of the a bitter conflict now in its fifth town hoping to be evacuated. year that has killed a quarter Simultaneously, trucks beof a million people, displaced gan entering Foua and Kfarya, millions of others and left the which are both under siege by country in ruins. rebel groups hundreds of miles “This has to be just a start,” (kilometres) to the north. said New Zealand’s U.N. AmTales of hunger and hardbassador Gerard van Bohemen, ship have emerged from those who called for the Security inside all three communities: Council meeting with Spain. “It Pro-government fighters recan’t be just a one-off situation. cently evacuated from inside : A convoy carrying food, medical supplies and other items.

Humanitarian access cannot be Foua and Kfarya have said THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS (ICRC), SYRIAN ARAB RED CRESCENT (SARC) held hostage to politics.” some residents are eating grass AND THE UNITED NATIONS (UN).

Rebels opposed to President to survive. Residents of Madaya Bashar Assad are in control similarly have reported living interviews, they accused rebel ery won’t save starving people. of Madaya, a mountain town off soup made of leaves and salt fighters inside of hoarding hu“Only a complete end to the about 15 miles (24 kilometres) water. manitarian assistance that en- 6-month-old siege and guarnorthwest of Damascus. GovMadaya has attracted par- tered the town in October and antees for sustained aid delivernment troops and fighters ticular attention in recent days selling the supplies to residents eries alongside humanitarian from the Lebanese militant because of reports of deaths at exorbitant prices. services will alleviate the crisis group Hezbollah have sur- and images in social media of Ghosn, who spoke to journal- in these areas,” the statement rounded the town. Opposition severely malnourished resi- ists accompanied by govern- said. activists and aid groups have dents. The aid operation, which ment officials, also blamed rebPeter Wilson, Britain’s depreported several deaths from is being facilitated by the U.N., els in Madaya, saying: “Their uty U.N. ambassador, said in starvation in recent weeks. was agreed on last week. depots are full while we go hun- New York it was “good news Syria’s U.N. Ambassador Some Assad supporters have gry. We have to humiliate our- that those convoys are getting Bashar Ja’afari denied anyone said the photos were faked, and selves to go to them and beg for through, although it’s little and was starving in Madaya and others alleged the rebels were food.” it’s late.” blamed Arab television espe- withholding food from resiThe trucks in Madaya were “It’s important to remember cially “for fabricating these al- dents. carrying humanitarian aid in- that Madaya represents only legations and lies.”

The aid group Doctors With- cluding food and health sup- 10 per cent of those who are Speaking at U.N. Headquar- out Borders says 23 people have plies, blankets, materials for under siege and 1 per cent of ters, he blamed “armed terror- died of starvation at a health shelters and soap, said U.N. those who need aid in Syria,” he ist groups” for stealing humani- centre it supports in Madaya spokesman Stephane Dujarric. added. tarian aid and reselling it at since Dec. 1, including six inO’Brien said trucks were beIn Homs, meanwhile, regionprohibitive prices. fants and five adults over 60. ing unloaded Monday night by al Gov. Talal Barazzi said a 26“The Syrian government is Krzysiek, the Red Cross flashlight and the light from car convoy of food and clothing not and will not exert any pol- spokesman, said in a statement iPhones. entered the Waer neighbouricy of starvation “We continue hood of Homs as part of an against its own to call on all par- agreement reached last month people,” Ja’afari ties to the con- between the Syrian governsaid. flict to facilitate ment and militants in the area.

But O’Brien, A while ago, I was just approached by sustained and The deal earlier saw the evacuthe U.N. humania little girl and her first question was, unimpeded ac- ation of 720 people from Waer, tarian chief, said ‘Did you bring food?’ cess to all people including 300 militants. all the evidence in besieged and In reports of fighting Monthe U.N. has h a r d - t o - r e a c h day, the state-run SANA news shows there has areas in Syria,” agency reported that a rocket, been very severe malnourish- that he saw a lot of people on Dujarric said. presumably fired by rebels, hit ment, severe food shortages, the street, “some of them smilThe U.N.’s World Food Pro- a residential neighbourhood and reports of people “who are ing to us and waving to us, but gram has said it will ship one in the northern city of Alepeither starving or indeed have many just simply too weak.” month’s worth of food for more po, killing three children and starved and died.”

Almost 42,000 people in the than 40,000 people in Madaya wounding two other people. It An Associated Press crew saw town are at risk from hunger, from Damascus and enough said the Syrian army had begun the first three trucks cross into said Yacoub El Hillo, the U.N.’s for 20,000 people to Foua and a major offensive in the counMadaya on Monday, although Resident and Humanitarian Kfarya from the city of Homs. tryside west of the city. ■ journalists were not allowed Coordinator in Syria.

A group of eight major interto accompany the aid workers.

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV national aid groups, including Associated Press writers Brian At the town’s entrance, several channel showed a group of peo- CARE International, Oxfam, Rohan and Zeina Karam in Beicivilians — including five chil- ple, including women and chil- and Save the Children, wel- rut and Edith M. Lederer at the dren shivering against the cold dren, waiting for the convoys comed the aid convoy but also United Nations contributed to — said they were waiting to be at Madaya’s main entrance. In warned that a one-time delivthis report. www.canadianinquirer.net

World News

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

23

‘El Chapo’ Guzman recaptured after Obama to set justice security measures were eased reform as final year priority in last State of the Union

BY FRANK BAJAK The Associated Press

LIMA, PERU — As the world’s most hunted man, Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman had to know the most sophisticated information and surveillance technology available was marshalled against him: satellites, unmanned aircraft, NSA and DEA eavesdroppers, malwaresowing Mexican state hackers.

Yet Guzman may have let his guard down before receiving Hollywood actors Sean Penn and Kate del Castillo three months ago on a remote central Mexico mountaintop in apparent hopes of getting a biopic made to his liking.

Authorities are not identifying whatever information security missteps may have led to Guzman’s being recaptured Friday in a seaside town not far away.

“Whatever mistake or screwup played a role, presumably the government is going to keep it secret. Because if El Chapo made this mistake others will make it in the future,” said Christopher Soghoian, a surveillance expert with the American Civil Liberties Union.

Mike Vigil, a former head of international operations for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, said the Oct. 2 visit likely went undetected because Penn took “extraordinary” measures beforehand, apparently using disposable phones and changing numbers daily.

Neither actor took electronics to the meeting.

Instead, previously intercepted communications between Del Castillo and Guzman’s lawyers were key — authorities knew about the movie plans and were closing on him well before Penn, on assignment for Rolling Stone, accompanied Del Castillo to the meeting she arranged, said Vigil, who was briefed.

Mexico’s attorney general, Arely Gomez, said Friday that cartel security had been compromised during contacts between El Chapo’s lawyers and “actresses and producers” hoping to make a biopic. She presumably meant Del Castillo,

BY ALEXANDER PANETTA The Canadian Press

Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, accompanied by Cabinet members, announced the capture of Guzmán.

PRESIDENCIA DE LA REPÚBLICA MEXICANA / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

who Penn said was contacted by a Guzman lawyer in 2014 on the matter.

Mexican agencies possess commercial spyware from firms including Hacking Team that could have been used to infect computers or cellphones of people involved. Such programs harvest keystrokes, voice calls, emails and text messages.

Vigil said El Chapo’s narrow Oct. 6 escape from a government attempt to capture him in the same mountains where he met with Penn and Del Castillo was not directly related to his meeting with the Hollywood stars. The military was simply tightening the noose, he said.

Penn said he felt he was being watched after arriving in central Mexico for the meeting.

“There is no question in my mind but that the DEA and the Mexican government are tracking our movements,” he wrote.

Mexican news media on Monday published images of him and Del Castillo that apparently came from a security camera in Guadalajara.

Penn said he was “bewildered” by El Chapo’s willingness to risk the visit and imagined a “weaponized drone”

hovering above as he drank tequila with the capo.

The Mexican newspaper El Universal said Monday that a cartel lawyer in September gave Del Castillo a “special phone” presumably used to arrange the visit.

“Can’t speak to that,” Penn responded curtly when asked via email if he knew of the phone. Del Castillo did not respond to repeated phone and email attempts by the AP to reach her through her agent.

Penn also reiterated what he said in his article: He did not carry his cellular phone to Mexico from Southern California.

“My comms were not in the mix,” he said.

Penn did not address specifics on security measures taken.

In Rolling Stone, he described “labeling TracPhones (burners), one per contact, one per day, destroy, burn, buy, balancing levels of encryption, mirroring through Blackphones, anonymous email addresses, unsent messages accessed in draft form.”

He also called himself “the single most technologically ❱❱ PAGE 24 ‘El Chapo’

www.canadianinquirer.net

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Barack Obama will use his final year in office to push for reforms to his country’s crowded prison system, aides say in previewing his final State of the Union speech, to be delivered Tuesday.

He’ll be identifying criminaljustice reform as an issue where lawmakers from different parties might co-operate and reduce incarceration rates that are the highest in the world.

It’s a rare potential point of agreement between the president and the Republican-controlled Congress, which has sought to obstruct or overturn major parts of his agenda such as health and immigration reform.

The focus of the U.S. capital is now shifting beyond Obama to the race to succeed him, as the first presidential nomination contests loom just weeks away.

But on Monday, a presidential spokesman listed legislative objectives the president plans to achieve in his final year. As expected, one is a vote to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.

Another is reducing the sky-high imprisonment rate — which the president has previously described as particularly devastating to minority communities.

“There’s certainly a lot that we have to get done over the course of the next year. That in-

US President Barack Obama.

cludes criminal justice reform,” said Obama spokesman Josh Earnest, previewing the annual speech.

“We’ve seen that there is strong bipartisan support for criminal-justice reform on Capitol Hill — and the White House has worked hard to try to nurture the bipartisan agreement that will be required to pass that legislation.”

Talk of reform was echoed by the top-ranking figure in Congress, who’s not normally an Obama booster. House Speaker Paul Ryan expressed optimism that a bill could be introduced within six months.

He said he had consulted key conservatives in his caucus in a push to get a bill through before the capital becomes paralyzed by presidential politics.

“The silly season is going to kick in pretty fast,” Ryan said in an interview with Politico.

“I think criminal-justice reform is probably the biggest (issue) we can make a difference on.? There’s a real way forward on that.”

The U.S. has by far the highest incarceration rate of any developed country — triple that of the next-highest OECD country, Chile, and more than six times that of Canada.

But that rate has declined for the first time in years, amid a rare bipartisan push from conservatives and liberals in multiple states to bring down prison costs by reducing penalties for ❱❱ PAGE 28 Obama to

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World News

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

Friends of American woman found slain in Florence say she stayed in nightclub when they left

BY DAISY NGUYEN The Associated Press FLORENCE, ITALY — Friends of an American woman found slain in her rented Florence apartment have told police she stayed behind at a nightclub when they left, investigators said Monday.

Coroners began an autopsy on Ashley Olsen’s body Monday afternoon. First results, including time and cause of death, could come as soon as Tuesday.

Investigators based in Florence’s prosecutors’ offices stressed that after questioning the 35-year-old woman’s boyfriend, who is an Italian artist

in the city, as well as friends of Olsen they haven’t put anyone under investigation.

The investigators, who declined to be identified because the probe is still ongoing, said the woman’s friends told them they were together with Olsen at a Florence nightspot late Thursday. According to their account, the friends decided to leave but Olsen remained there.

Her body was discovered on Saturday afternoon after the boyfriend told the apartment’s owner he was worried because he hadn’t heard from her and they went together to open the apartment. Police have said the victim’s neck had bruises and

scratches, indications of possible strangulation.

Investigators have said there were no signs of a break-in, indicating that Olsen likely knew her killer.

Olsen’s beagle, Scout, a frequent companion of the woman on strolls through Florence’s historic centre, was found unharmed in the apartment.

The woman had lived in Florence for some three years and was known among the Renaissance art city’s close-knit expatriate community.

Her father, Walter Olsen, who teaches in Florence and is known in the design field, laid a floral bouquet and knelt for a few minutes in front of the

apartment building, the Italiannews agency ANSA said. He was accompanied by police and U.S. Consulate personnel, and didn’t enter his daughter’s apartment, which is officially under judicial seal because of the investigation, the report said.

Some 72 hours’ worth of video from two surveillance cameras in the street near OIsen’s home were being scrutinized by police in hopes of catching a glimpse of whoever killed her arriving or leaving the small apartment building.

The club where friends last saw Olsen is a popular stop on Florence’s night scene. It has been temporarily closed more

than once in recent years for problems with the law, including alleged sale of cocaine and overcrowding.

With its fine museums and art-rich churches, Florence is a popular destination for Italian and foreign tourists, and draws many art students from around the world.

“Florence is safe,” the city’s police chief, Raffaele Micillo, was quoted by the Italian news agency ANSA as saying on Monday. Olsen’s death is “a very grave occurrence and we are giving it utmost attention and we are working in sync with the prosecutors’ office, but it could have happened in any city,” Micillo said. ■

‘El Chapo ...’ illiterate man left standing.” (He presumably meant ‘Tracfone’ — a wireless phone service that allows for frequently replacing numbers by swapping SIM cards in cheap handsets).

“OPSEC (Operational Security) is not easy even for experts, bringing in a gross amateur like an actor is just insanely reckless,” said Nicholas Weaver, a University of California, Berkeley network security expert.

While Blackphone calls are encrypted, their location and an owner’s identity can be determined. Exchanging unsent messages in “draft” folders on email servers was discredited as insecure even before the scandal involving former CIA director David Petraeus.

Most encryption applications don’t do much to hide the information known as metadata that shows who is talking to whom and can provide their physical location, said Matthew Green, a Johns Hopkins cryptographer.

Perhaps the strangest security question in the El Chapo affair is the cartel’s use of the Blackberry Messenger application for communications. Experts say it was not designed with security in mind.

“BlackBerry messenger exists in two forms: enterprise servers and the public service, both of which are designed to be wiretapped,” said Weaver. ❰❰ 23

It would be easy to tap user accounts if Guzman’s cartel was using the public service and law enforcement identified them; if the cartel set up its own servers, cyber-sleuths could easily identify anyone on the network if they penetrated it by, say, confiscating a user’s phone.

Penn described in his Rolling Stone article how men driving him to the rendezvous with El Chapo got frequent BBM messages. And he says that after his failed effort to meet the drug lord on Oct. 11 for a formal interview, Del Castillo re-established contact “through a web of BBM devices.”

Penn wrote that it was then he received a “credible tip” the DEA knew about his meeting with El Chapo.

The drug lord’s uncharacteristically relaxed security as he courted Hollywood strongly indicates that evading capture was not his priority, said Vanda Felbab-Brown, a Brookings Institution analyst.

Rather than opting to get plastic surgery and flee to Venezuela, she said, “he probably made a decision that he’s going to go down.

“If his priority was to remain outside prison he never would have accepted these overtures.” ■ Associated Press writer Katherine Corcoran contributed to this report from Mexico City.

United Nations flag.

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The UN has $250 million to educate 1 million Syrian refugee children, but needs $750 million

BY EDITH M. LEDERER The Associated Press DONORS HAVE pledged $250 million to educate over one million Syrian children this year but an additional $500 million is urgently needed to fund the program in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, the U.N. envoy for global education said Tuesday.

Gordon Brown warned that “death voyages to Europe” will www.canadianinquirer.net

soar in 2016 as long as Syria’s two million refugee children and millions more displaced inside the country are exploited and don’t have the opportunity for education.

The organization Girls Not Brides recently reported that the child marriage rate among Syrian refugee girls has doubled from 12 per cent to 26 per cent, he said, and a recent survey estimates that one in three refugee boys and girls have be-

come child labourers.

“It’s urgent that we provide them education and avoid this exploitation and give these children hope for the future,” Brown told a news conference by audio link from Europe.

When he was Britain’s prime minister in 2009 and head of the Group of 20 leading economies, Brown recalled that a trillion dollars had to be raised ❱❱ PAGE 28 The UN

World News

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

25

Gaza journalist says he’s done writing about politics after being tortured in Hamas jail

BY DAISY NGUYEN The Associated Press GAZA, PALESTINIAN TERRITORY — Palestinian journalist Ayman al-Aloul frequently writes about the hardships of life in the Gaza Strip, and is one of the few voices willing to publicly criticize the rule of the Islamic Hamas movement.

But after nine days in jail, al-Aloul says he won’t be writing about politics anymore. He said a painful experience that included beatings and being forced to sit uncomfortably in a tiny chair has made him a “new man” and that he will now focus on less controversial topics like sports, food, literature and fashion.

“I’ve decided not to talk about the general situation anymore,” al-Aloul said in an interview at his home Tuesday, a day after he was released. “The experience I went through was very difficult.”

Al-Aloul’s experience is part of a crackdown by Hamas at a time when the continuing miseries of life in Gaza appear to be driving its population toward more open dissent. Critics have grown bolder on social media sites, and attempts by Hamas to impose new taxes have triggered rare public protests.

Al-Aloul said his new reticence would not affect his work as a reporter for an Iraqi TV station, which he described as straight news reporting and not “opinion-making.”

It was his personal social media activity that drew attention. In recent months, he wrote under a popular hashtag urging Hamas to withdraw from the Rafah crossing point between Gaza and Egypt. Like many Palestinians, he believes that Egypt has shuttered Rafah because it doesn’t want to deal with Hamas, and proposes letting the Western-backed Palestinian Authority manage the crossing.

He also published pictures of people looking for leftover food in garbage containers, quoted business owners angry over increased taxes and blamed Gaza authorities for prolonged power blackouts.

On Jan. 3, Hamas forces ar-

United Nations (UN) staff gather outside UN Headquarters in New York for a special photo shoot.

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rested him and another outspo- the Palestinian Authority in little as three hours a day, and ken critic, Ramzi Herzallah, in 2007. Despite being branded gas for heating and cooking is their homes in Gaza City. Dur- a terrorist group by Israel and rationed. The power shortage ing his detention, al-Aloul said the West, and enduring three stems from infighting between he was repeatedly slapped on wars with Israel and an Israeli- Hamas and the Palestinian Authe face by his interrogators and Egyptian blockade, it has clung thority, which co-ordinates fuel twice sent to a room known eu- to power. purchases from Israel. phemistically as “the bus.” He The 2014 war, precipitated The World Bank estimates described it as a room equipped by a string of events that in- Gaza’s unemployment at 43 with children’s chairs, where cluded heavy rocket fire into per cent. Gaza’s 1.8 million detainees are blindfolded and Israel, was especially devastat- people have few options at forced to sit for home or abroad an entire day. since few people “They think can leave. Egypt that my posts on opened the RaFacebook harm Like many Palestinians, he believes fah crossing, the the Gaza governthat Egypt has shuttered Rafah main exit point ment,” he said. because it doesn’t want to deal with for Gazans trav“They considHamas, and proposes letting the elling abroad, ered criticizing Western-backed Palestinian Authority for just 21 days the government manage the crossing. in 2015. to be criticism of Egypt’s rela‘the resistance’ tionship with and they accused Hamas has worsme of harming ened since the the revolutionary unity,” al- ing. More than 2,100 Gazans, 2013 overthrow of then-EgypAloul said. including hundreds of civilians, tian President Mohammed Herzallah, also released Mon- were killed, and some 100,000 Morsi of the Muslim Brotherday, said he too experienced homes were damaged or de- hood, Hamas’ ideological coun“the bus,” but declined to com- stroyed. Seventy-two people, terpart. Israel allows humaniment further. Hamas’ Interior including six civilians, were tarian cases to cross through Ministry declined comment. killed on the Israeli side. its border, but this is a small Hamas, an Islamist moveOnly a tiny fraction of af- fraction of the people waiting ment pledged to Israel’s de- fected homes have been rebuilt. to leave. struction, seized Gaza from Electricity is available for as While Hamas seems still www.canadianinquirer.net

firmly in power, it has raised taxes recently to shore up shaky finances that have left it unable to pay its 40,000 employees.

This has pushed up the price of cigarettes by about 10 per cent, and brought a $1,000 annual licensing fee upon cafes, restaurants and hotels.

The taxes have triggered unusual public anger.

Last month, fruit and vegetable importers briefly suspended deliveries. Last week, dozens of residents of the Jabaliya refugee camp took to the streets to protest a lengthy power cut.

And on Tuesday, dozens of merchants closed their shops and held a rare public demonstration in the Nusseirat refugee camp to protest a new 16 per cent sales tax.

“We tell the government and decision makers ... Feel the people who hardly live,” said clothing store owner Mohammed Jahjouh, who predicts the protests will grow.

A poll published last month found that 41 per cent of Gazans want to emigrate, compared to 24 per cent of Palestinians in the West Bank. The survey, conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research, questioned 1,270 people and had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

Hamas officials brush off the criticism and accuse Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority of conspiring to punish it.

Ziad al-Zaza, a senior Hamas leader, said the turmoil shaking the Middle East will help his movement in the long run.

“We are able to ... clear the way through our piercing vision and reading of the incidents,” he said in a recent interview.

Human rights groups have accused Hamas of intimidating or torturing critics and opponents in the past, a charge it denies. Akram Sourani, a local satirist, said the latest arrests might succeed in dampening the criticism.

“Unfortunately, this right has become an issue of debate among the writers. ‘Shall I write or not? Shall I express or not?”’ said Sourani, who was himself summoned in December by Hamas police. “I think we must continue to speak out.” ■

26

Immigration

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

Concerns that first spots in parent sponsorship program go to those who can pay

BY STEPHANIE LEVITZ The Canadian Press OTTAWA — People seeking to bring parents or grandparents to Canada this year were reportedly paying up to $400 to ensure their applications were at the top of the pile for the first-come, first served federal immigration program that was flooded with far more applications than available spots.

The appearance that it’s possible to buy a way to the front of the parent and grandparent sponsorship program is raising concerns about the program’s fairness ahead of planned changes to the system.

Since 2014, the program has only accepted 5,000 applications a year, cutting off intake after that number has been reached. The paperwork must be submitted by mail or by registered courier.

This year, line-ups at the immigration processing centre in Mississauga, Ont., began hours before the program opened to new applications on Jan. 4. Some couriers showed up with bags of what appeared to be hundreds of applications,

according to photographs ob- by that hour and many of them be imminent, they say they are tained by The Canadian Press. were dropping off thousands of holding onto some of the excess Others boasted about their applications at once. applications rather than just efforts. Metro Mississauga CouWhile he’d paid a regular cou- returning them. rier has a notice on its website rier fee, he was told some peo“Canada is committed to resaying it had a position within ple had paid up to $400 just to uniting families and the govthe top three in the line-up and ensure their application was at ernment of Canada is seeking had been there since 10 a.m. the the front of the line. He said its to increase the intake of parday before to secure a space. raises questions for him about ent and grandparent sponsor“The larger companies come the fairness of the program. ship applications from 5,000 late, do not wait in the lineup “I don’t think it’s fair because to 10,000 per year,” the departand usually leave without your you introduce the money issue ment said in a notice posted on application ever making it into — people without money won’t its website last week. the mailroom.

The increase Avoid wasting a to the program critical opportuwas a Liberal nity and money,” campaign promthe company [...] the government does still need to ise. But the oversays in its pitch figure out a way to get through the all system itself for new business. current backlog of applications and may not change, Andre Nicolae keep a certain number coming in. a spokesperson said he thought for the departhe had everyment suggested thing in good in an e-mail. order when he When asked sent off his application to spon- have that opportunity and it’s about whether the government sor his 80-year-old Romanian not fair in that sense,” he said. had any concerns about the ingrandmother.

“But I can’t really think of a tegrity of the program, given The Hamilton, Ont., man viable alternative.” the high prices being charged by sent it via UPS and was told it The Immigration Depart- couriers, department spokeshad arrived by 6:31 a.m., a time ment said they received 14,000 person Faith St. John said they that he figured guaranteed him applications altogether for the are aware of the high interest in a spot at the top of the line. So parent and grandparent pro- and importance of the program. he was disheartened to hear gram and as of Jan. 7, were not “(The department) makes evfrom a courier friend that there taking any more. ery effort to make the process were dozens of people in line But in a sign that change may as fair and transparent as possi-

ble, and operates the PGP Program on the “first in, first out” principle, whereby applications are processed in the order they are received,” she wrote in an email.

Immigration lawyer David Cohen said coming to Canada shouldn’t be akin to waiting for tickets to a Justin Bieber concert. But while the system isn’t perfect, he said, the government does still need to figure out a way to get through the current backlog of applications and keep a certain number coming in.

“I suppose the only thing that would be more transparent or at least the perception of fairness would be a lottery system,” he said.

“But you’d still have as many disappointed people.”

While there is a cap on the number of new applications the government will take in, it actually accepts far more people — an estimated 18,000 to 20,000 a year.

Those come from the backlog of files that had prompted the previous Conservative government to shut down the program altogether for three years and then re-open it with the cap, as well as other changes, in 2014. ■

Temporary foreign workers not the answer to meat plant labour shortage: minister

BY JOHN COTTER The Canadian Press EDMONTON — Skills training and better recruiting — not hiring more temporary foreign workers — are the best way to deal with a chronic labour shortage in Canadian meat plants, says federal Employment Minister MaryAnn Mihychuk.

The Canadian Meat Council says a shortage of about 1,000 meat cutters and other staff is preventing companies from operating at full capacity or increasing exports.

The industry group has been lobbying Ottawa to make it easier for companies to bring in semi-skilled workers from abroad to work in slaughter-

houses and processing plants.

With tens of thousands of layoffs, mainly in Alberta, it makes sense to hire closer to home, Mihychuk said in an interview.

“In the present circumstance, where we are seeing such economic hard times across the Prairies, it would be a very unusual circumstance where we had to resort to temporary foreign workers to fill a position,” she said.

“Our focus is to provide more funding for Canadians to get the skills, to help companies recruit Canadians, landed immigrants, refugees that are coming into our country so that they can fill those posts.”

Anna Gainey, president of the Liberal Party of Canada, told the meat council in a letter before the Oct. 19 federal elec-

tion that a Liberal government would fix the temporary foreign worker program to ensure it could fill jobs when qualified Canadians cannot be found.

Some meat companies say that despite the economic downturn, they can’t find enough Canadians willing to work on the kill floor or to carve beef and pork carcasses in their plants.

Ray Price, president of Sunterra Group, said his pork-processing company near Trochu, Alta., needs at least 20 workers and he could hire 25 more if he could find them.

“We have lots of export opportunities that we could capitalize on, but we are not even looking at them because we just don’t have the people,” he said.

Werner Siegrist, general www.canadianinquirer.net

manager of Canadian Premium Meats in Lacombe, Alta., said unemployed oilpatch workers who were making $40 an hour aren’t interested in working in a slaughterhouse for half that.

“We have people who walk away after a couple of hours,” he said.

Price and Siegrest said Ottawa should make it easier for companies to bring in workers from Eastern Europe and the Philippines.

Quebec-based Olymel hired a recruiting firm last year to help it find new workers for some of its meat plants after the previous Conservative government imposed restrictions on hiring foreign workers.

The recruiter managed to find enough Canadian employees to fill positions at Olymel’s

pork plant in Red Deer, Alta.

Richard Vigneault, a company spokesman, said Olymel could double production in Red Deer if it could find more employees and hogs.

One new source of meat plant workers could be Syrian refugees coming to Canada.

The meat council said federal and provincial governments should do everything possible to settle some refugees in smaller rural communities in Western Canada, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada where their labour is most needed.

Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSX:MFI) said it is willing to consider hiring some qualified refugees for vacant jobs at its plants in Brandon, Man., and Lethbridge, Alta. ■

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

27

Travel

Explore Vancouver

BY JANE MORALEDA Philippine Canadian Inquirer RECOGNIZED AS Travel + Leisure magazine’s top city in Canada in 2014, TripAdvisor’s top destination in the country also in 2014, and the Economist Intelligence Unit’s most liveable city in 2010, Vancouver surely has a lot to offer to its residents and tourists alike with tons of outdoor adventures to try and world-class amenities to enjoy.

What to try, do, eat

Take a city tour and stroll through the urban wilderness. Wander in the city’s oceanside in the day and hit the nightclub by night. Fine dining, shopping, travelling — there’s simply much to do in Vancouver.

nowned chefs who vowed to only use the best and freshest ingredients. Try authentic cuisines of China, Japan, India, Vietnam, Italy, France and Greece in hundreds of restaurants and cafes. Food aficionados are into indulging treats at Bishops’s, Chambar, C Restaurant, Hapa Izakaya, Hawksworth, La Quericia, and Phnom Penh, to name a few. Take a drive

east and find wineries and breweries for personal tour or tasting. Visit the Domaine de Chaberton, Township 7, and the Alibi Room — flavors often change as seasons pass.

Winter and Outdoor activities

Although the city may not be known to amass snowfall, nearby local moun-

Vancouver

Families and friends can have fun and explore attractions in the city all year round from its many gardens, theatres, casinos and museums. For arts enthusiasts, marvel at exquisite natural settings, heritage sites, historic buildings, and art galleries. With its diverse neighborhood, one can have aboriginal experiences without leaving city limits.

Markets are also put up every weekend where food, clothing, jewelry and other items are sold in great deals.

There’s never a shortage of good food in the city’s vibrant dining scenes. Feast on local sumptuous meals made by re-

Manila

More flights, better connections!

Arts and Attractions

Food and Drinks

tains Mount Seymour, Grouse Mountain and Cypress Mountain all covered with snow caps provide avenues for winter activities such as snowboarding, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and crosscountry skiing.

For non-winter sports fans, there’s also a variety of outdoor and water activities to choose from such as biking, boating, camping, hiking, swimming, diving, surfing, ziplining and off-roading in beaches, parks, shores and trails. ■

For more information please contact local travel agency or call EVA Air Vancouver branch office (604) 214-6608

www.canadianinquirer.net

28

Travel

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

Western Quebec offers winter wonders including ski trails, outdoor spa

BY KRISTY KIRKUP The Canadian Press CHELSEA, QUE. — There is a retreat in western Quebec that could possibly transform the way curmudgeons feel about the winter months.

Le Nordik, an outdoor spa that claims to be the largest in North America, is tucked into the village of Old Chelsea, Que. The hideaway, about 20 minutes from Parliament Hill, has become a year-round escape that even has high-power politicos jumping into bathing suits and bathrobes.

“It’s surrounded by nature ... it is a great place to relax,” said spokesperson Marianne Trotier. “It feels as if you were on a trip when you come here.”

Le Nordik also has become a huge money-maker due to its popularity, drawing in around 160,000 people every year.

Trotier would not disclose the spa’s annual revenue figures, but she said the business has invested $22 million on its development projects since it opened a decade ago.

“Since the first day we opened, the spa was a real success,” she said.

The site includes several baths — hot, cold and temperate pools — as well as saunas, indoor and outdoor relaxation spaces and two restaurants.

Its main attraction, called the thermal experience, is based on the idea of alternating between

King Mountain Trail, Gatineau Park in Quebec.

hot and cold temperatures.

The concept has garnered the attention of the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club, which has a partnership with Le Nordik to allow hockey players access to services for mental and physical recovery.

The spa is located near Gatineau Park, which also offers its own dynamic landscape for active winter activities, including cross-country skiing, camping and snowshoeing.

The park is considered one of the jewels of the National Capital Region and draws more than 700,000 visitors annu-

D. GORDON E. ROBERTSON / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

ally, according to senior program co-ordinator Louis-Rene Senechal.

Many patrons come more than once a year, meaning the park is visited about 2.7 million times, he added.

“If I were to paint a picture of the winter offering in Gatineau Park, I would start off by saying that it is a destination of choice for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages and all levels of abilities,” Senechal said.

“It is one of the widest networks of cross-country skiing trails in North America ... we pride ourselves with having this

Obama to... non-violent crimes.

Some politicians have also put the issue in moral terms, like Republican presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul, who has pushed for more lenient drug sentences.

So has Obama.

The president has already pardoned 184 convicts, more than any predecessor in decades; instructed federal prosecutors to avoid requesting maximum sentences; signed a bill that reduces the inequality of penalties for crack versus powder cocaine; and insisted that federal employers only ask ❰❰ 23

in the nation’s capital with good reason.”

It is uncommon for a conservation park to be located so close to an urban centre, Senechal noted.

“Most often in North America, when you see a conservation park, it will be in a remote area or it will be in a destination that you need to travel to go to,” he said. “(Gatineau Park) offers an outdoor experience in a natural wonderland a few minutes from the downtown core.”

The park is an important part of Canada’s identity, Senechal

added.

It features the former summer residence of Canada’s longest serving prime minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King.

King spent most of his summers at the estate for more than four decades, according to the National Capital Commission, noting he gradually expanded and beautified the grounds.

“Even though that site is mostly a summertime destination, you can still visit the grounds and snowshoe around those cottages in the wintertime,” Senechal said.

Skiers and snowshoers can also spend a night in Gatineau Park in cabins, yurts and fourseason tents available to rent.

Winter mountain biking, also known as fat biking, is permitted on four trails inside the park this year as part of a pilot project.

The NCC said it decided to respond to the growing demand among snow biking enthusiasts.

If You Go...

At Gatineau Park (http:// www.ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places-tovisit/gatineau-park), snowshoes can be rented at the visitor centre. Cross-country ski equipment rentals are available at some nearby retailers.

When going to Le Nordik (http://www.lenordik.com/), pack a bathing suit, sandals and a bathrobe if you own one.

Robes are also available to rent at the spa. ■

The UN... about past convictions late in the job-interview process.

In a speech to the NAACP last year, Obama called for more lenient sentences; better jobtraining for inmates; and more investments in early-childhood education.

He described the impact of the tough-on-crime era on African-American and Latino communities.

“A growing body of research shows that people of colour are more likely to be stopped, frisked, questioned, charged, detained. African Americans are more likely to be arrested,”

he said.

“Our nation is being robbed of men and women who could be workers and taxpayers, could be more actively involved in their children’s lives.”

He noted the skyrocketing imprisonment rates since 1980 — with the U.S. now claiming 25 per cent of the world’s prisoners, despite having just five per cent of its population.

“The good news,” he said, “and this is truly good news, is that good people of all political persuasions are starting to think we need to do something about this.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

to support the world economy, so “it ought to be possible to raise $500 million for what is an excellent cause.”

He pledged to try to raise the money at the World Economic Forum in Davos and an international pledging conference for Syria in London, on Feb. 4, among other places.

Brown said Lebanon’s introduction of double-shift classes in school has been the greatest success story, educating over 200,000 refugee children from Syria right now “from a negligible number a ❰❰ 24

few months ago.” The refugee youngsters go to school in late afternoon and evening, after Lebanese children are finished, he said.

The goal, he said, is to double the 200,000 Syrian refugee children now in school in Turkey to over 400,000, increase the number in Jordan from 130,000 to 200,000 in the next few months, and reach one million in 2016.

“And by next year every single child refugee would be offered a place in school whether they be in Lebanon, Jordan or Turkey,” Brown said. ■

29

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

www.canadianinquirer.net F PhilippineCanadianInquirer

T PhilCanInquirer

m info@canadianinquirer.net sales@canadianinquirer.net

A (888) 668-6059

www.canadianinquirer.net

30

Community News

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

Kumare launches Photographs needed new dining for silk routes exhibit experience in Delta KUMARE RESTAURANT recently announced the grand opening of their second branch, located in Delta at Unit 100, 8047 120th Street. This new location will bring the same great cuisine and dining enjoyment the flagship Richmond location is well-known for.

“We are very proud and excited about this new restaurant opening,” said Mary Loa, owner of Kumare. “We chose this area of Delta as our second location because it is a busy area and we would like to serve as many Delta and Surrey residents as we can. Our aim is to be known here as a ‘second home’ as far as dining is concerned.”

Kumare first opened its doors to the public in 2010 and has been a part of the Canadian everyday and special dining occasion. Its heartwarming delicacies and specialties have

become a favourite among its loyal patrons. For many, Kumare is a place to celebrate special occasions or to simply spend time with good friends and enjoy great food. Regular patrons come to savour homecooked meals like kare-kare, chicken and pork barbecue and seafood sinigang. They would also reminisce childhood days with the famous hopia and ensaymada, or seek the comfort and warmth of friendship over the all-time favourite halo-halo. Kumare feels like home outside of home.

Kumare marks a new milestone as it branches out to more Canadians in the lower mainland. Customers can dine in, take out, or order party trays for events and special occasions. It is open every day of the week from 10:30 am to 9 p.m. ■

FOR ITS May explorASIAN 2016 exhibition, “Following the Silk Routes and Beyond,” the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society (VAHMS), a non-profit organization committed to building a community where Asian arts, cultures and contributions are lived, shared and celebrated as part of the harmonious diversity of Canada, is enjoining emerging, midcareer and established artists to submit photos for exhibit.

The exhibit will be a multicultural, eclectic, visual representation of the silk routes in time and space. It is a “vine” of geographical references and chronology of cultural and industrial milestones specific to each highlighted region. Each landmark and main goods traded there will be represented in two photographs by a different photographer with his/her unique vision of the country chosen to show.

VAHMS’ main purpose is to interest the public in knowing more about the commercial routes along the Silk Routes that have given shape to the world. Deadline for submission has been extended the deadline to Jan. 20.

Below is a list of photographs the VAHMS and ExplorAsian are jointly accepting: From the Silk Route (countries/ areas)

Mary Loa, owner of Kumare Restaurant (L), with 1973 Miss Universe Margie Moran-Florendo.

• Azerbaijan (Baku) • Iran – Modern Persia (Herat) • Iraq • Oman (Muscat) • Syrian Arab Republic (Aleppo) • Kazakhstan (Almaty) • Uzbekistan (Bukhara) • Hindu Kush Mountains (Balkh) • Turkmenistan • Tajikistan

• Pakistan • Bangladesh • Sri Lanka • Russia • Yemen • Egypt • Indonesia • China (Xi’an, Dunhuang, Urumqi, Kashgar, Quanzhou) Materials

• Turquoise • Rubies • Cotton • jade • Camels • Horses • Religions • Writing • From Chang’an (modernday Xi’an) – silk, chrysanthemums, rhubarb, paper, lacquer, gunpowder, mirrors, bamboo and inventions • From Turfan (Turpan) – grapes, raisins, wine, cotton, dye for porcelain, alum, Glauber’s salt • From Kashgar – pack animals, tea, dried fruit, medicinal herbs • From Zamarkand –astronomy devices and inventions • From Ferghana – horses, rugs, nuts, dried fruit, copper • From Baghdad – dates, nuts, dyes, lapis lazuli • From Damascus– almonds, purple dye, dried fruit, swords, glass cloth goods • From Rome – gold coins, glass and glazes, grapevines, alfalfa

From Vancouver

Photographs from within Vancouver showing the influence of the Silk Route countries on the city will likewise be accepted. For instance, one may submit a picture of the Millenium Gate in Chinatown showing the influence of China or a Mongolian restaurant to show the influence of Mongolia. Provide a photo of the space, and a photo of the product or service.

It could be a restaurant, community centre, art gallery, or any representative space.

Countries with influence on Vancouver include the following: • Azerbaijan • Afghanistan • China • Iraq • Japan • Korea • Mongolia • Oman • Syrian Arab Republic Turkey (Istanbul) • Uzbekistan • Turkmenistan • Tajikistan • Pakistan • Bangladesh • Bhutan • Sri Lanka • Russia • Yemen • Egypt • Indonesia • Italy • Vietnam ■

Migration museum to archive family stories PACIFIC CANADA Heritage Council-Museum of Migrations (PCHC-MoM) is now open for submission of family histories.

To share a family story for PCHC-MoM to keep on file and archive for the Museum of Migration, one can submit his/ her story through sending an

email to <pchcmom.intern@ gmail.com>. Once approved by PCHC-MoM’s Family Stories Committee, the story will be edited and final draft send for your approval.

The story will be kept on file for the future museum. Any information submitted will be confidential and for PCHC-

MoM use only until the Museum of Migration has opened.

PCHC-MoM will provide the option to publish your story on its website and social media, but will do so only with permission.

For photographs included with story, submit JPG files to Marketing and Event Coordiwww.canadianinquirer.net

nator Eleanor Munk at <pchcmom.intern@gmail.com>.

A description of the photos including the place and date they were taken will be appreciated. Inquiries may be directed to <pchcmom.intern@gmail. com>.

The PCHC aims to build a wider and deeper appreciation

of Canada's history and growth through intercultural explorations of trans-Pacific immigrations. Its Museum of Migration project is a prelude to the creation of a permanent centre in the B.C. Lower Mainland and will begin as a virtual entity rather than a collection of artifacts. ■

31

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

Entertainment

“Master Showman” German Moreno dies; 82

BY LILY O. RAMOS Philippine News Agency MANILA — “Master Showman” and GMA Network’s midnight television show “Walang Tulugan” host German “Kuya Germs” Moreno passed away at 3:20 a.m. Friday due to cardiac arrest. He was 82.

Kuya Germs suffered a stroke in January 2015 that sidelined him for several months but he was able to stage a comeback at “Walang Tulugan” at Channel 7 last June.

At times, he would appear in wheelchair to preserve strength and zing for the variety program.

Earlier Friday morning, a call to his son, Federico Moreno, and grandson Gabby, Youth Mixed Doubles Olympic gold medalist in archery, yielded no answer but his nephew and cohost, John Nite, announced the news through the GMA News Online.

“He passed on in the company of his family and friends. He lived a full life, touched so many hearts through the years, and

German Moreno.

helped make dreams come true for most of the biggest stars in the Philippine entertainment industry,” Nite said.

“We are deeply saddened by his passing but we are comforted by the thought that his legacy will live on,” he added.

In 2013, Kuya Germs celebrated his 50th year in the showbiz industry. He was al-

DANE ALEGANA / FLICKR

ways proud of his humble beginnings — starting as a utility worker at the once popular Clover Theater in Sta. Cruz, Manila in the 1950s.

He became a stage actor and later a film star and then a discoverer of future stars, adviser and in some cases, manager.

Always a generous man, he often paid for the needs of his

struggling wards until they set on their own.

Actress-singer Jackie Lou Blanco, a long-time co-host of his “Walang Tulugan” TV program, said Kuya Germs was like a father to her children who came in and out of program.

“He is generous to a fault, very loving and forgiving, a

friend and a confidant no matter the circumstances. We will miss him terribly but we hope he will find peace and eternal happiness beyond the great divide.”

Kuya Germs’ colleagues, friends, fans and acquaintances often praised him for his loyalty and professionalism.

GMA 7 said Kuya Germs has always been popularly known as a star builder in his youthoriented show in the 1980s called “That’s Entertainment” for aspiring actors, dancers and singers.

Many of the show’s “graduates” became popular artists, including Lea Salonga, Manilyn Reynes, Gladys Reyes, Judy Ann Santos, Janno Gibbs, Billy Crawford, Donna Cruz, Ramon Christopher, and Lotlot de Leon.

A few years ago, he initiated the “Walk of Fame” in Eastwood, Quezon City, which is the local counterpart of the “Walk of Fame” in Hollywood, USA, to recognize artists, broadcasters, singers and others who made significant contributions to the showbiz industry. ■

Beauty and the Bestie is highest-grossing MMFF entry — Star Cinema

BY JANE MORALEDA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA — Action-comedy film “Beauty and the Bestie” starring Vice Ganda and Coco Martin is a certified box-office hit, after earning P472.7 million on its third week of screening.

Star Cinema, one of the two producers, claims that the movie has then become the topgrossing Metro Manila Film Fest (MMFF) entry of all time – Beauty and the Bestie is one of the eight official entries this year.

Star Cinema AdProm director Roxy Liquigan has taken

to his Twitter account to announce the news. His tweets include hashtags #AllTimeNumberOne and #GoodKarma.

Meanwhile, comedy film “My Bebe Love” lead cast Ai-Ai delas Alas doubts Star Cinema’s statement on being the number one movie among MMFF entries as she believes that theirs is the actual highest-grossing MMFF film.

In response, Star Cinema AdProm manager Mico del Rosario has tweeted, “Tigilan na ‘yang pagiging bitter. E di, sabihin sa MMFF to release the rankings. Plain and simple…

Naniniwala kami na produkto mo ang magsasalita para sa’yo.

Never kaming may sinabi about competition because we always believe that competition also has something to offer to the market. I challenge the MMFF committee to release ranking with gross. (Stop being bitter. Tell MMFF to release the rankings. Plain and simple…

We believe that your product will speak for you. We never said anything about competition because we always believe that competition also has something to offer to the market. I challenge the MMFF committee to release ranking with gross).”

Del Rosario, however, has not mentioned to whom in particular his tweets were meant for. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Promotional material for Beauty and the Bestie.

@ROXY_LIQUIGAN / TWITTER

32

Entertainment

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

Orange reds, winter whites and bold metallic dominated the Golden Globes red carpet, kicking off awards season and its fashion

BY LEANNE ITALIE The Associated Press NEW YORK — Orange Reds, winter whites and bold metallics dominated the Golden Globes red carpet in the year’s first big show of fashion glitz.

Some highlights: Capes

Lupita Nyong’o set the path here at the 2014 Golden Globes in a red caped Ralph Lauren dress. Gwyneth Paltrow did the same in white at the Oscars in a white Tom Ford back in 2012.

The trend has been strong ever since, said Eric Wilson, fashion news director for InStyle magazine.

On Sunday, nobody did it quite like Jane Fonda.

“It was a cape-alapooza,” Wilson laughed. “I don’t know what you want to call it, but it was incredible.”

Specifically, Fonda wore Yves Saint Laurent Couture that had stiff sequined ruffles up top, flowing over the shoulders of the long-sleeve gown. The capelet, which opened to a high, loose neck, was balanced by a slim skirt that did her statuesque figure justice.

Others with cape details included Jennifer Lopez in chartreuse Giambattista Valli.

Sarah Tam, senior vice-president of merchandising for RentTheRunway.com, loved all the cape effects, an especially flattering silhouette for the varied body types that her site.

“It was a trend for fall that we saw continuing for spring.

Capes kind of cover the arms without being overbearing and that detailing gives movement to the backs,” she said.

Metallics

Gold worthy of Studio 54 was abundant, as was a variety of reds and pinky blush tones.

Kate Bosworth presented in a Dolce & Gabbana rose payette strapless gown with a little silver sparkle thrown in. It was the orange reds that captured the heart of Connie Wang, fash-

Lupita Nyong'o.

ion features director at the lifestyle site Refinery29.com. Jennifer Lawrence in a Dior Haute Couture red column gown with side cutouts was among her favourites.

“I feel like it’s the colour of the year. I don’t care what Pantone says,” Wang said. “Amy Adams, Emmy Rossum, Angela Barrett.

They all wore the orangier reds.

It looks great with so many skin tones.”

In the gold family: Regina King was fierce in a loose caped sparkler by Dolce & Gabbana.

Fashion up-and-comer Brie Larson was in custom Calvin Klein Collection by Francisco Costa, complete with cutouts at the waist and a sexy ropestyle halter. Rosie HuntingtonWhitely wore a custom, fully beaded Champagne Atelier Versace gown with a delicate chiffon slip that fell from slightly above the knee.

Kate Bosworth.

Unusual

Cate Blanchett won the night for pulling off a daring ombre pink mashup from Givenchy Haute Couture by Riccardo Tisci.

Wilson and Wang both loved it.

“What a fun dress. It was so unusual. And Maggie Gyllenhaal, too, was in a fun piece.

It was the super lively dresses that really captured my attention,” he said.

Wang added of Blanchett’s look, with its fringe, embroidered panels and cape effect at the top: “It was like cowgirl rodeo meets Great Gatsby meets My Little Pony. It was wild but she looked like a princess in it.”

The dress was a baby pink tulle and the tiers of fringe were silk.

Gyllenhaal was in plunging gold and black from Marc Jacobs. The sleeveless look had a large flower applique on one www.canadianinquirer.net

shoulder. Her beauty inspiration from NARS, working with makeup artist Romy Soleimani, nicely summed up the vibe: “Bombay Deco meets Michelle Pfeiffer in ‘Scarface.”’

Starry

A few celebs went celestial.

Jenna Dewan Tatum was in a midnight blue ball gown with a plunging neckline and a pattern of embellishment evoking the night sky. It was Zuhair Murad Couture.

Viola Davis also looked starry in a Marchesa tulle ball gown with a plunging illusion neckline and fluttery full sleeves.

“It’s just a delightful, fun statement,” Wilson said. “It kind of tugs at your sense of nostalgia and romance.”

Others in blue included Kate Winslett, though she chose a more royal shade over midnight blue. It was custom Ralph Lau-

HELGA ESTEB / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

ren Collection in a silk crepe criss-cross halter design and it hugged her perfectly.

Yellows

Lopez paired her yellow with 200 carats of Harry Winston diamonds, including a wreath necklace that accounted for 46.95 carats, set in platinum. It was bunchy with a high side slit and the aforementioned capelet detailing — and it’s possible only JLo could have pulled it off.

America Ferrera lit up in a sleeveless Jenny Packham canary yellow look with jewels cascading down her open back.

It had a large bow at the back of the halter style with the ends loose and long, her hair in a ballerina back-do.

“Jennifer Lopez was the best,” Wilson said. “You had the starry night and the shining yellow sunlight at the same time.” ■

Entertainment

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

33

The Playboy Mansion is up for sale but longtime resident Hugh Hefner wants to stay put

BY DAISY NGUYEN The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — The Playboy Mansion is up for sale but longtime resident Hugh Hefner wants to stay put.

Playboy Enterprise announced the West Los Angeles estate, the backdrop of many film shoots and wild parties, was listed on Monday for $200 million.

The 5-acre property features 29 rooms, a game house, home theatre, wine cellar and the famous swimming pool with a cave-like grotto where Playboy bunnies partied with celebrities. The mansion also comes with a rare zoo license.

As a condition of the sale, magazine founder Hefner would get to continue living there as he has since the company bought the mansion 45 years ago for just over $1 million, company spokesman John Vlautin said.

The sale comes as Playboy, which has been has seen its cir-

Playboy Mansion.

culation plunge as it competed with more sexually explicit magazines and online porn, seeks to reinvent itself. In October, the magazine that helped launched the sexual revolution, announced that it will stop running photos of completely naked women in its U.S. print edition. The move followed a decision in August 2014 to ban full nudity on its website.

Playboy CEO Scott Flanders says the sale would help the company “reinvest in the transformation of our business” while allowing the 89-year-old Hefner to continue living there.

“The Playboy Mansion has been a creative centre for Hef as his residence and workplace for the past 40 years, as it will continue to be if the property is sold,” Flanders said in a statement.

Hefner originally named a home he bought in Chicago in 1959 the Playboy Mansion, but he eventually made the Los Angeles estate, which he dubbed Playboy Mansion West, his permanent home. ■

DIRSMITH1 / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

From the "David Bowie" exhibition in the Martin Gropius-Bau, Berlin-Tiergarten.

360B / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Canadian celebrities turn to social media in tribute to David Bowie

BY DAVID FRIEND The Canadian Press

news.

Other fans quoted favourite song lyrics, including Torontoborn comedian and actor ArTORONTO — David Bowie was nett, who picked Bowie’s 1971 a musical explorer who dared to track “Quicksand.” tread where few others would, “You were my all time,” Arsaid the founder of La La La nett wrote of Bowie on Twitter.

Human Steps, the Montreal“You were the greatest. We’ll based dance group that toured miss you more than you’ll ever with the singer more than 25 know.” years ago.

The Sam Roberts Band tweet“It’s one thing to have ideas, ed of an “un-payable debt” to but it’s another thing to have Bowie. “He taught us to never the courage to voice them,” let the dust settle, to always said Edouard push further into Lock in a phone the unknown. interview from RIP.” Paris.

Author Lynn “He was very You were my all time. You were the Coady postaware of where greatest. We’ll miss you more than ed this tweet: society was goyou’ll ever know.

“Think I’ll just ing and how he watch Labyrinth wanted to inter& cry all day, like act with it.”

I did when I was Lock was among the Cana- members.

15.” dian musicians and entertain“The way to his heart is A more straightforward tribers paying tribute on Monday through an idea,” said Lock, ute came from singer the Weekto Bowie, who died of cancer at who served as artistic director nd, who tweeted a simple “Rest 69 a day earlier. The Weeknd, for the tour. in peace” message.

Will Arnett, Chantal Kreviazuk, “If he thinks it’s going to Hadfield, who became a viral the Sam Roberts Band, author bring him into new territories sensation in 2013 for his acousLynn Coady and former astro- ... he just goes for it.” tic rendition of Bowie’s “Space naut Chris Hadfield all posted Singer-songwriter Kreviazuk Oddity,” tapped into the star’s praise for Bowie on social me- posted a photo of Bowie on In- intergalactic persona. dia. stagram and wrote she felt the He wrote on Twitter: “Your Lock had a unique relation- “tragic and permanent impact brilliance inspired us all. Goodship with Bowie, who eagerly of death” when she heard the bye Starman.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

pursued a collaboration with his dance company for years before it finally came to fruition.

La La La Human Steps was initially selected by the singer to perform as part of his 1987 “Glass Spider” tour, but scheduling conflicts with the dance group sidelined their involvement.

Bowie circled back a few years later for his “Sound+Vision Tour” in 1990, sparking a collaboration that Lock fondly re-

34

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

Lifestyle

A few cheap and easy fixes can help keep homes warm all winter while saving energy and money

BY KATHERINE ROTH The Associated Press AS WINTER wears on, a few cheap and easy fixes can help keep homes warm while saving energy and money.

The average household spends about $2,000 a year on utilities, almost half of which goes toward heating and cooling, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Luckily, a little savvy can go a long way toward reducing heating bills. Five ideas from the energy experts: Think clean, clear and efficient

“Check your furnace filter on a monthly basis. If it’s dirty, it won’t function as efficiently as it could,” said Lauren Urbanek, senior energy policy advocate for the Natural Resources Defence Council.

The EPA recommends cleaning or replacing furnace filters every three months.

And Bob McGee, a spokesman for the Con Edison utility company, says, “Make sure

someone comes in to tune up 65 when no one is home and at stats are under $100, Urbanek the heating system once a year. night,” Urbanek said. says, and will save you an estiService contracts are always a The EPA says the thermostat mated $180 a year on energy good idea.” should be set to 8 degrees lower costs. “A programmable therIf you’re in the market for a than normal at night and when mostat can cut consumption by new furnace, opt for an Energy no one’s home.

20 to 30 per cent,” she said.

Star-certified model. Some upSome utility companies progrades can reduce heating costs vide programmable thermo- Put windows and fans to work by as much as 30 per cent, Mc- stats for free or offer rebates, “Make sure your curtains are Gee said. so it’s worth calling your energy open when the sun is out and “And remember to make provider before heading to the closed when it’s dark and cold sure the heatoutside,” Uring vents aren’t banek said. “And blocked and that remember that e v e r y t h i n g ’s warm air rises, so cleared out of The average household spends if you have a ceilthe way, otherabout $2,000 a year on utilities, ing fan, keeping wise you’ll be almost half of which goes toward it on low with the heating your heating and cooling, according to the blade direction drapes or the Environmental Protection Agency. reversed (movback of your furing clockwise) niture instead of will gently bring the room,” Urthe warm air banek says. back down.” hardware store.

Get with the program “It’s always a good idea to Seal and insulate Consider investing in a pro- check our website for existing If you’re doing all that and grammable thermostat to rebates and promotions, and your bills are still high, the Natmaximize energy efficiency. also call to see what rebates or ural Resources Defence Coun“We recommend keeping it set promotions might be coming cil recommends checking for to between 68 and 72 degrees up,” McGee said. air leaks in your home and duct when people are home, and Even without special offers, systems. “Things like caulking then down to between 55 and most programmable thermo- and window stripping are really www.canadianinquirer.net

easy to do,” Urbanek says.

“A lot of people automatically assume that if your house is drafty or cold you need new windows. It’s sometimes true.

But in a lot of cases, that might not be the most cost-effective way of keeping warm for less,” she said. “Air sealing and insulation often gives you way more bang for your buck in terms of savings.”

The average household can cut its heating and cooling costs by around $200 per year just by following Energy Star’s sealing and insulation guidance (www. energystar.gov) and using Energy Star-certified appliances, according to the EPA. Consider an energy audit

Many energy companies help customers get professional energy audits of their homes or offer lists of energy audit providers, and some utilities offer financial incentives to have audits done. A professional can pinpoint improvements that can translate into greater energy efficiency and savings, McGee said. ■

Lifestyle

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

35

Chase this ‘rainbow’ to lose holiday bulge

BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer HOW COULD a plate containing the six colors of the spectrum contribute to a healthy lifestyle?

Cardiologists have prescribed a “diet of color”—combined with exercise and a positive attitude—to shake off the holiday indulgence and extra belly fat merrymakers gained during the holiday season.

Dr. Willie Ong, a fellow of the Philippine Heart Association, said the “rainbow diet” could help the body heal from the overindulgence of sugary and fat-laden food, and nourish it with a wide range of nutrients it needs.

The “rainbow diet” is basically a plateful of a motley of fruits and vegetables with the key color groups—the deep red, bright orange, yellow or light green, dark green, rich blue and purple and white, Ong said.

“There is actually some correlation between the bright colors of fruits and veggies, and the nutrients they contain,” he said.

Rich red food such as apples, watermelon, strawberries and

The “rainbow diet” is basically a plateful of a motley of fruits and vegetables with the key color groups.

tomatoes are packed with nutrients that are good for the heart, brain and the prostate gland for men. Some of these nutrients are lycopene, ellagic acid, quercetin and hesperidin, Ong said.

Orange and yellow fruits and vegetables such as carrots, pineapple, papaya and sweet potatoes are rich in beta-carotene, lycopene, vitamin C, potassium and flavanoids, which are good for the eyes, skin, lungs and the immune system.

Broccoli, avocados and other green food, which are good for digestion, help lower bad cho-

lesterol, prevent obesity and reduce the risk of cancer. Green fruits and vegetables are potent sources of fiber, lutein, potassium, calcium, folate and vitamins A, B and C. Blue and purple food like grapes and eggplants are rich sources of antioxidants, which boost the immune system and cut the risk of heart diseases and cancers while white fruits such as potatoes and garlic are good for the kidneys, muscles and the nerves.

Ong said that to stay healthy, an average adult should regularly eat a rainbow meal con-

sisting of four to five servings or two cups each of fruits and vegetables.

Not just cost, taste

“So the next time you buy fruits and vegetables, don’t just ask about the cost and taste.

Choose the brightly colored food for good health,” he said.

Dr. Anthony Leachon, a cardiologist and the president of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP) Foundation, said eating healthy food should be complemented by daily exercise for at least 30 minutes to an hour daily.

“Shedding pounds or weight reduction is a function of calories in and calories out,” Leachon said, noting that the ideal calorie intake for women is 1,500 per day and 2,000 for men.

“You will lose one pound per week if calories lost is at least 3,500 calories per week or 500 calories per day,” he said.

While some people enroll in a gym to put pressure on themselves to work out, losing weight need not be expensive, he said, adding that brisk walking for 30 minutes to an hour is enough to burn around 300 calories.

Sticking to a “no junk food” diet and eating more fruits and vegetables, fish and lean meat, such as chicken without the skin, are also simple and inexpensive ways to shed the extra fats gained during the holidays and to achieve better health this year, he said.

“Try to have a positive thinking process. Stop overthinking and learn to destress by not committing to a lot of unnecessary meetings,” Leachon said, adding that several studies show that positive thinking improves eating habits, thus contributing to weight loss. ■

Royal pains: A look at European royals who have been caught up in controversy THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LONDON — As Spain’s Princess Cristina goes on trial on tax fraud charges alongside her Olympic handball champion husband, here is a look at some other European royals who have been caught up in controversy or claims of wrongdoing.

Prince Ernst August of Hanover

Prince Ernst August, the husband of Princess Caroline of Monaco and the patriarch of one of Europe’s oldest ruling families, has had more than one run-in with the law. In 2004, he was convicted of beating up a hotel owner, and in 1999 he was fined for attacking a photographer.

In 2000, a tabloid published

a photograph allegedly showing the prince urinating on the Turkish Pavilion at the Expo 2000 fair in Hanover. The incident sparked a diplomatic tussle, with the Turkish Embassy in Berlin reportedly accusing the prince of “insulting the Turkish people.”

U.S. court case against Epstein that Andrew had sex with an underage woman on three occasions. While Andrew was named in the papers, he was never sued or charged and a judge later ordered the sensational allegations against him to be removed from the court record.

Prince Andrew of Britain

Britain’s Prince Andrew, Queen Elizabeth II’s second son, has for years been troubled by reports of his extravagant lifestyle and his friendship with several controversial figures, notably U.S. financier Jeffrey Epstein, a registered sex offender. Andrew stepped down from his role as a trade envoy in 2011 as questions mounted.

In 2015, Buckingham Palace had to publicly deny claims made in documents filed for a

Sarah Ferguson

Andrew’s former wife, the Duchess of York, is known for a long string of embarrassing misjudgments. In 2010 she was filmed apparently offering to sell access to Andrew for 500,000 pounds ($725,000) to an undercover tabloid reporter posing as a foreign businessman.

Ferguson, known as “Fergie,” said she suffered from financial hardship and apologized for www.canadianinquirer.net

what she called a serious lapse of judgment.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden

Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf, who came to the throne in 1973, was plagued by claims in a 2010 book alleging he visited seedy strip clubs during foreign visits and had an extramarital affair with a Swedish singer in the 1990s. While critics said the allegations were poorly sourced, they nonetheless sparked a furious media reaction, with one leading newspaper urging the king to step down.

The king’s initial rambling reaction didn’t include any denial of the allegations, which was seen by many as a partial admission. The situation was aggravated by allegations that one of

the king’s friends had been in contact with a reputed gangland figure, who was a key source of the book, in an attempt to silence him with bribes.

Princess Mette-Marit of Norway

Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby attracted widespread attention for her turbulent past when she married Norwegian Crown Prince Haakon in 2001. A onetime waitress, Hoiby had a son with a man who was reportedly sentenced to prison for cocaine possession. Local media also reported that she had attended parties where illegal drugs were used.

At a news conference before the wedding, Hoiby admitted to moving in circles where narcotics were common and apologized for her “wild youth.” ■

36

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

Business BUSINESS SEEN AND SCENES

TPP expands to additional countries TPP — is it a boon or a bane — a bitter pill or a saving grace?

It seems the business world is all agog about it. Gauging from the claims and opinions going around circulated by self proclaimed and some anointed economic experts, there are advantages and disadvantages to TPP. Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), which was said to be an expansion of Trans Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership born in 2005, and which expanded and now included additional 8 countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, USA and Vietnam from the original Brunei, Chile, New Zealand, and Singapore.

The fruitful end to 7 years of negotiation which began in 2008, aimed to promote economic growth so was hoped.

With it is the creation and retention of jobs, reduction of poverty in the countries in-

volved including raising the standard of living, and promoting good governance, transparency, plus enhancing labor and environmental protection. Another important feature is the almost elimination of trade barrier such as tariff.

The United States consider it as the agreement akin to the proposed Trans Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between US and the European Union.

Now it looks like more countries are interested to join TPP including Taiwan, Philippines, Columbia, Thailand, Laos, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and India. However, there is a requirement to change the protectionist trade policies of any interested country. The second biggest economy in the world, China, is lukewarm to the idea.

Though, right now, there are so many Free Trade Agreements and bilateral business

ASEAN Canada Business Council pays courtesy call to newly posted Consul General of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Hon. Pham Manh Hai. In picture (L to R): Liza WaJong, Annette and Victor Que, Congen Pham, Carmelita Salonga Tapia, Vietnamese Consul Anh, Cindy Tang, violet chan and Consul Nguyen Manh Hung.

accords between in and among these countries. The business

world is like a bowl of intertwined noodles crisscrossing

and interloping each strand.

It is of note that NAFTA which covered USA, Mexico, and Canada will be side swept and its efficacy reduced. Not really, according to business experts — for provisions not in conflict with TPP will remain the same.

Also, ASEAN has its economic integration this year, 2016.

And most ASEAN countries with the exception of Myanmar joined and expressed interest to join TPP. So everyone is watching the latest developments in these countries.

The contention is that it will take years to ratify TPP in the countries concerned so it will be interesting to watch how it will progress. The Trade Agreement was drafted last October 5, 2015, yet not signed, not in force, and with the condition of ratification by all signatories which ratification states must be corresponding to 85% of GDP of signatory countries. ■

Business hiring, investment outlook hit lowest levels since 2009: Bank of Canada

BY ANDY BLATCHFORD The Canadian Press OTTAWA — The hiring and investment intentions of Canadian companies have fallen to their lowest levels since the 2009 recession, a new survey has found.

The country’s businesses see a darker road in 2016 as firms continue to battle the bite of a commodity-price shock that has reached beyond the resource sector, according to the Bank of Canada’s latest business outlook survey released Monday.

Companies’ investment in equipment and hiring intentions for the next 12 months tumbled to their lowest levels since the 2009 recession, the

findings say.

Fewer firms, the poll found, expected to boost their staff levels over that period, while plans to cut employees were more widespread — and not just those in commodity-producing sectors and regions.

“The low-commodity-price environment poses significant challenges for many businesses,” said the central bank’s quarterly report.

“The negative effects of the oil-price shock are also increasingly spreading beyond the energy-producing regions and sectors.

“For example, many businesses across the energy supply chain continue to struggle as they adjust to an environment of weak demand.”

The survey’s interviews were

conducted between mid-November and early December, before oil prices and the dollar slid even further.

Some exporters, however, remained optimistic their sales will benefit from strengthening foreign demand over the coming year, particularly amid widespread expectations of growth in the U.S. economy.

The questionnaire also found that some firms believe the lower dollar will boost foreign sales and tourism-related business. But at the same time, the cheaper loonie hikes up the costs of products and services that companies need to import from outside Canada.

The Bank of Canada also released the results of its latest senior loan officer survey, which focuses on businesswww.canadianinquirer.net

The country’s businesses see a darker road in 2016 as firms continue to battle the bite of a commodity-price shock that has reached beyond the resource sector.

lending practices over the final three months of last year.

It found that overall lending conditions had become more

difficult for firms during the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, overall demand for credit was roughly unchanged. ■

Business

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

With unified Asean, M&A deals likely to rise

Exporters looking to expand PH operations Garment, hard good makers expect sales jump

BY DORIS DUMLAOABADILLA Philippine Daily Inquirer THE DAWNING of the unified Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Economic Community has created a wave of merger and acquisition (M&A) deals involving not just top-tier Philippine corporations but also second-tier companies looking to beef up operations to thrive in a more competitive environment, a top local investment banker said.

“I think the flurry in M&As is largely triggered by the Asean integration and it’s not just the top-tier usual comp (Philippine Stock Exchange composite index)- ruling companies. We see the lower tier companies for the past year or so looking around Asia, bulking up and anticipating the entry of the Asean players,” said Juan Justino Ocampo, executive vice president and investment banking group head at First Metro Investment Corp.

Ocampo sees a strong potential for cross-border acquisitions given the healthy balance sheets of local companies and access to ample domestic acquisition funds.

For privately held Filipino food firms seeking offshore acquisitions, he said the next phase would be to go public.

The Asean integration has also brightened prospects for inbound investments, Ocampo said. “Every week we get visitors from international friends—private equities, strategic investors looking to acquire Philippine corporations.

This is going to be bigger,” he said.

For some players, he said the integration would open up opportunities to secure cheaper raw materials while noting that in agriculture, there were still nontariff barriers to deal with.

Asean has now formalized the creation of a single market and production base that allows the free flow of goods, services, investments, and skilled labor, and the freer movement of capital across the region by yearend.

As a unified economy, Asean is the seventh largest in the

37

BY AMY R. REMO Philippine Daily Inquirer

ASEAN members' flags in Jakarta.

GUNAWAN KARTAPRANATA / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

world with a combined gross domestic product of $2.4 trillion and could be fourth largest by 2050 if growth trends continue. With more than 600 million people, it is the world’s third most populous region next to China and India.

This economic bloc includes countries with higher per capita income like Singapore and Brunei and the middleincome economies like Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. There are also the “new frontiers” like Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

“The Asean integration is right now primarily a political arrangement. What it has done is set basic rules and guidelines so that the economic players will find it easier to move within the territory of Asean,” said economist Victor Abola of the University of Asia and the Pacific.

Abola said the official creation of the Asean Economic Community could result in a slight quickening of the liberalization phase started in 2010, when most of the tariffs on goods had been removed.

“But if you look at some countries like Indonesia, for example, it’s actually unwelcoming unofficially. On the ground, they are not very keen on Asean. They are saying things positively but it’s difficult to get into Indonesia,” Abola said.

“I don’t really expect major movements except for the big players and emerging ones that are now getting more interested in in capturing markets in the region,” he said.

He cited the footprint established by the Ayalas, Oishi (Liwayway Marketing) and Universal Robina Corp. as among the key players in the region.

URC dominates Vietnam’s ready-todrink tea segment with C2 and is also the market leader in Thailand’s biscuits and wafers segments as well as is among the top three players in Malaysia in chocolates and in Indonesia in snackfood.

The companies that have built scale across the region are engaged in food retailing (Jollibee Foods Corp.), food and beverage manufacturing (San Miguel Corp., URC and Liwayway), pharmaceuticals (Unilab), infrastructure (Manila Water and Metro Pacific group) and logistics (International Container Terminal Services Inc.).

Intra-Asean trade reached $608.3 billion in 2014 or 24.1 per cent of the total trade of the region. At $24.4 billion, intraAsean investment accounted for 17.9 per cent of the total foreign direct investment inflows to the region.

Based on the Asean Strategic Action Plan for small and medium enterprise development 2016-2025 (SAP SMED 2025), the regional bloc will strengthen small enterprises by focusing on promoting productivity, technology and innovation, increasing access to finance, enhancing market access and internationalization, enhancing policy and regulatory environment as well as promoting entrepreneurship and human capital development. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

PHILIPPINE EXPORTERS of garments and hard goods expect their sales to grow by 5 percent this year to about $1 billion, as more foreign companies start to either put up or expand their respective operations in the country.

This expectation was based on reports that some 20 manufacturers of soft and hard goods as well as food products are now looking to invest around $50 million and employ 5,000 workers in the Philippines, said Robert Young, president of the Foreign Buyers Association of the Philippines (Fobap).

In a statement, Young was quoted by the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport) as saying that investors are likely to flock to the country once a new administration has settled in after the highly divisive elections in May. Although some companies were expected to delay their decisions until after the elections, Young expressed confidence that this would not adversely affect investor sentiment as the Philippines was deemed to have made significant impression in the global business community when it hosted the series of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation

(Apec) meetings last year.

“After the election, we can have somehow a lot of investors coming in due to the new administration that will give them some—not excitement— but somehow encouragement to do business,” he said.

“The Apec (meetings) will have some good impact—recall impact—on the buyers … This is a very big plus factor for the foreign buyers to come back and it is some sort of reminder for them that we are still on the map,” he added.

Local exporters of garments and hard goods were also expected to benefit from the Asean Economic Community, which was officially launched late last year.

“This Asean integration will be an eye opener to the local manufacturers on how to compete globally. They will understand now that their products should be priced as such, otherwise, they cannot sell. Their (product) quality must be as such in this level, otherwise, they cannot sell in the Asean market,” Young said.

He also stressed on the need for exporters and manufacturers to comply with the social audit requirements of importers.

“We have no choice but to really be compliant. Otherwise, if we don’t shape up, we will be shipped out,” he added. ■

Local exporters of garments and hard goods were also expected to benefit from the Asean Economic Community, which was officially launched late last year.

THEURBANHISTORIAN / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

38

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

Sports NFL Latest: Seahawks take advantage of Peterson fumble to take lead

BY JON KRAWCZYNSKI AND HOWARD FENDRICH The Associated Press 3:32 P.M. The Seahawks have taken their first lead of the game on a 46-yard field goal by Steven Hauschka that gave them a 10-9 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

The Seahawks moved into position after Vikings running back Adrian Peterson fumbled a reception to give Seattle the ball in Minnesota territory. Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor ripped it out, and the Seahawks cashed in.

3:19 p.m.

It took more than 47 minutes of game time, and two hours and 20 minutes of actual time, but we finally have a touchdown.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson threw a 3-yard TD to Doug Baldwin to cut Minnesota’s lead to 9-7 early in the fourth quarter.

The score was set up by a brilliant bit of improvisation from Wilson two plays earlier. He wasn’t ready for a shotgun snap, and it got past him. But Wilson picked it up, juked Vikings cornerback Captain Munnerlyn and found Tyler Lockett for a 35-yard pass to move Seattle into position.

2:47 p.m.

Trae Waynes couldn’t have had much better timing for

his first career interception.

The Minnesota Vikings rookie grabbed a deflection off the hands of Seahawks tight end Chase Coffman to end Seattle’s drive in Vikings territory.

Waynes was Minnesota’s first-round draft pick out of Michigan State, No. 11 overall.

But he played only sparingly on defence this season while learning the nuances of coach Mike Zimmer’s system.

The turnover led to a Blair Walsh field goal to give the Vikings a 6-0 lead.

2:20 p.m.

Kirk Cousins is in the house — and the Redskins fans like that.

A couple of dozen folks were gathered outside a stadium tunnel to greet Washington quarterback Cousins and other players from the home team as they got off a bus more than a couple of hours before kickoff for Sunday’s playoff game against the Green Bay Packers.

When Cousins, wearing a burgundy sports coat, went to grab his bag, a loud chant arose: “You like that! You like that!” That’s the catch phrase accidentally coined by Cousins earlier this season. He yelled those words toward a local TV reporter while heading to the locker room after leading the Redskins to a comeback victory over Tampa Bay. On Sunday, the Redskins handed out white towels bearing those words to spectators. ■

Stephen Curry.

KEITH ALLISON / FLICKR

Curry eyes Manila return

BY CEDELF P. TUPAS Philippine Daily Inquirer LOS ANGELES — From the jampacked press conference to the grand reception he got during an exhibition at Mall of Asia Arena, Stephen Curry’s visit to Manila in September left an impression not just on his Filipino fans but also on the NBA’s reigning MVP himself.

The one-day visit to the basketball-crazy nation left an imprint on the Golden State Warriors guard he obliged the INQUIRER asking for a message to his Filipino supporters.

More importantly, the NBA superstar hopes to return soon.

“Philippines, how you all doing?” Curry began in his video message.

“I miss you all. I had a great time out there last summer

www.canadianinquirer.net

with Under Armour. I’m hoping to go back soon. Take care. Go Warriors.”

Of course, the visit won’t be happening anytime soon as Curry remains focused on leading the Warriors to a second straight NBA crown.

The reigning NBA champions zoomed to 33-2—the best 35game start in history—after a 109-88 conquest of the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center on Tuesday night with Curry firing 17 points.

Still nursing a leg injury, Curry was matched up against the Lakers’ Filipino-American guard Jordan Clarkson for most of the night. Clarkson scored six points more than Curry, but he could not stop the Warriors from picking up the victory.

“They’re just a great team,” said Clarkson. “They move the ball well.”

Curry injured his shin in the

third quarter after a clash with Lakers center Roy Hibbert as he went for a layup, but the Warriors still built an unassailable 32-point bubble.

Klay Thompson tallied 36 points, including 22 in the first 11 minutes of the game for the Warriors, whose interim coach, Luke Walton, a former Laker, was making his return to the arena where he spent most of his playing career.

Walton, subbing for the ailing Steve Kerr, believes the squad is handling its success well.

“We focus on what we do well, what we need to improve on. We’re watching the (San Antonio) Spurs, Cleveland, Houston, Oklahoma City, the teams that are top of this league and focusing on what we have to do to beat them. We have to keep our focus on playing at a level that will allow us to win another championship.” ■

Sports

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

39

3 share top PSA Award Scribes toast boxers Donaire, Nietes, golfer Tabuena

BY CEDELF P. TUPAS Philippine Daily Inquirer NONITO DONAIRE Jr. delivered one of boxing’s most inspiring comeback stories last year. Fellow boxer Donnie Nietes extended his impressive reign in the light flyweight division, surpassing a record held by a late icon. And Miguel Tabuena came up with a breakout year to underscore his stature as Philippine golf’s next big star.

The three athletes who hammered out awe-inspiring victories in 2015 will share the limelight when the Philippine Sportswriters Association holds its annual awards night on Feb. 13.

As recipients of the prestigious Athlete of the Year award, Donaire, Nietes and Tabuena headline the cream of the crop of Philippine sports last year in the ceremony presented by Milo and San Miguel Corp. at One Esplanade in Pasay City.

Just when it seemed like he was already a spent force, the 33-year-old Donaire returned to the top after a unanimous decision triumph over Mexican Cesar Juarez for the vacant World Boxing Organization super bantamweight title in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

It will mark the fourth time Donaire, who also won two fights earlier in the year, will be feted with the prestigious honor after 2007, 2011 and 2012.

Long reign

Nietes started 2015 with an incredible feat as the longest reigning Filipino world champion after surpassing the record of seven years and three months held by the late great Gabriel ‘Flash’ Elorde.

The Murcia, Negros Occidentalborn fighter of ALA boxing promotions made three successful title defenses including a victory over Juan Alejo in his United States debut at StubHub Center in Carson, California.

First Asian Tour crown

A former junior star, Tabuena ended his quest for a first Asian Tour title with a one-shot victory over Australian Scott Barr in the Philippine Open champi-

Nonito Donaire Jr.

onship last month.

Tabuena nailed six birdies in the final round on his way to victory on the same Luisita

LARRY BURTON / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Golf Club and Country Club in Tarlac, where he set a course record three months prior to the Open. ■

Vancouver goalkeeper Callum Irving enters MLS SuperDraft on a high

BY NEIL DAVIDSON The Canadian Press AT 22, Vancouver’s Callum Irving has already endured his share of athletic ups and downs.

The senior goalkeeper from the University of Kentucky arrives at Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft in Baltimore on a high, however.

First-team All-America honours. Scholastic All-American.

Conference USA player of the year, among other accolades.

Irving led Kentucky (12-5-2 overall) to an undefeated (70-1) conference run, earning the school its first Conference USA regular-season title while conceding just one goal in eight matches. In 19 games with the Wildcats in 2015, he gave up 13 goals for a 0.66 goals-against average.

But there have been obstacles along the way. And he had to learn the business side of the sport quickly.

He started soccer at age four. “As any kid does,” he said.

“From there it’s just kind of been a bit of a long path for me to get where I am.”

Irving went through the Whitecaps residency program,

Vancouver’s Callum Irving.

although Vancouver ultimately elected not to offer him a homegrown player contract. And he struggled in his first year at Kentucky, earning and then losing the starting job.

At six foot one, Irving is not the biggest ‘keeper. He was used to having to fight to make teams growing up.

“But I wasn’t used to being out of my comfort zone and coming (to Kentucky) definitely pushed me out of my comfort zone,” he said. “That was definitely something I had to learn from and was a bit of a shock, not kind of just being handed the opportunity and nurtured through it. I had to fight for my-

ship.

“I didn’t really know too much what I was getting into.

But once I got here, I knew I kind of realized I was getting pretty lucky.

He finished his Kentucky career with school records in shutouts (27) and goals-against average (0.86).

He credits the teammates in front of him for his success.

But he also underwent an attitude adjustment after his disappointing first year at school.

Instead of looking ahead to an early exit to rejoin the Whitecaps, he threw himself into doing what’s best for the team — knowing it would pay off for him too. Plus he spent a lot of

ing to let it go,” he said.

The Whitecaps, expressing satisfaction in their current stock of goalkeepers, eventually elected not to sign Irving, who has attended both Canadian under-18 and under-20 camps.

The ‘keeper understood, although he admits to some disappointment about it.

“It’s a professional game,” he said. “It’s not always about sentimental things like playing for your hometown club. Sometimes it’s about what’s best for SCREENSHOT FROM YOUTUBE the club and for the player.”

There are several other self. I was the only one here that ‘keepers of note available in the was going to fight for me. draft.

“It definitely was a learning Clemson’s Andrew Tarbell, experience to have that failure a junior, will be attractive due compared to the to both his play success that I and Generation had been enjoyAdidas contract ing up to that which does not point.” [...] I had to learn from and was a count against a After graduatbit of a shock, not kind of just being team’s salary cap. ing high school, handed the opportunity and nurtured And at six foot Irving was fothrough it. I had to fight for myself. seven, Washingcused on trying ton’s Ryan Herto earn a conman is hard to tract with the miss.

Whitecaps. The Other ‘keepMLS team wanted him to get hours in the gym to bulk up. ers at the Combine were Fursome experience in the NCAA. It paid off when he won the man’s Sven Lissek, Creighton’s Kentucky offered him the job back.

Connor Sparrow and Cal Poly’s most help in terms of scholar“Once I took it, I was not go- Wade Hamilton. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

40

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

Technology

Brace yourself: Drones that carry packages and even humans are on their way

BY RYAN NAKASHIMA The Associated Press LAS VEGAS — If you’re used to thinking of drones as a passing fad, last week’s CES gadget show should give you second thoughts.

Tiny, self-piloted copters promise to buzzily follow you around like something out of a Neal Stephenson cyberpunk novel. New drones that could find lost wilderness adventurers or help them see out above treetops; others purport to carry a human passenger at the touch of a button.

None of this, of course, will be happening overnight. Limited battery life means that many commercial models can’t fly for more than about 20 minutes at best. Manufacturers haven’t yet figured out the best way to keep many tiny drones where they ought to be, given that GPS positioning sucks too much power for their minuscule batteries.

Obstacle avoidance systems that would let small drones pilot themselves are still under development. And looming over the entire field are new government rules intended to keep people safe, but which may also slow innovation.

So far, none of those obstacles are slowing down an industry that appears to be in full liftoff. The Consumer Technology Association estimates that U.S. consumer drone spending will more than double to $953 million next year. ABI Research believes the global market for drones will hit $8.4 billion in 2018, with users ranging from the military and oil companies to farmers, journalists, and backyard tinkerers.

As drone capabilities continue to grow, drones may become a mass-market product for average consumers in about three years, says Patrick Moorhead, principal analyst of research

firm Moor Insights & Strategy.

“You should be able to get a drone that can effectively follow you, not run into things, and find things on its own,” he says. “That’s pretty cool.”

That’s assuming, of course, that you’re not commuting to work in one. At CES, Chinese manufacturer Ehang Inc. unveiled a large drone that it said can carry a human passenger at speeds of up to 60 miles an hour. The four-armed quadcopter has been on more than 100 flights, mostly in wooded areas of Guangzhou, according to Chief Marketing Officer Derrick Xiong. Some — he didn’t say how many — have carried a human passenger.

Federal aviation regulators declined to comment on Ehang’s human-carrying drone, saying the company hasn’t submitted any proposal to authorities. The Federal Aviation Administration advised an Ehang representative at the Inc. showed off an augmented- Khan Academy meets drone.” show to contact its unmanned reality game in which kids use But the reach of some small aircraft system office. a real-life drone to rescue tiny drones still exceeds their grasp.

In contrast with the bigger virtual people, put out fires and Companies like San Jose-based drones, smaller ones were also fight aliens. In essence, they’re UNorth Inc., maker of the on display. On the small drone interacting with a virtual world Mota; Newark, Delaware-based front, Kickstarter-funded Fl- overlaid on the real world; they Onagofly; and South Korean eye envisions its camera-bear- can see the virtual elements on ByRobot Co. all said they’re still ing flying sphere as a kind of a tablet they’re using to control tweaking the system needed to personal videographer that the drone. make tiny drones weighing less follows you around street corRobolink Inc. wants you to than half a pound follow their ners; you’ll be owners. able to switch For instance, between settings ByRobot cosuch as “selfie,” founder James “panorama” and As drone capabilities continue Hong said its en“virtual tripod.” to grow, drones may become a gineers still need And because it’s mass-market product for average several months encased in what consumers in about three years. to modify the looks like a lightway its drone weight football uses wireless helmet, its proBluetooth and pellers pose less Wi-Fi signals. risk to bystanders. learn how to program using its The changes should help main“Instead of doing collision “CoDrone,” a flying electron- tain a reliable connection to detection and avoidance, we ics kit you can instruct to jump the user’s smartphone, makjust make sure if it collides, it off a table into someone’s hand ing possible the “follow me” won’t hurt,” says CEO Laurent with a simple line of code. CEO function in the absence of GPS, Eschenauer.

Hansol Hong describes the which the company considers Toy drone maker Spin Master educational product as “where too power-hungry for smaller www.canadianinquirer.net

drones.

With the potential for millions of new flying objects buzzing around the country in coming years, the FAA is working on new drone-safety rules.

By this spring, the agency plans to unveil regulations to allow streamlined approval of commercial drone uses, instead of the case-by-case system it uses now. Last month, the FAA began requiring registration for drones weighing between about half a pound and 55 pounds.

Even as they come up with new rules, regulators don’t know exactly where the technology is headed, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta acknowledged in a speech to CES attendees.

“This is not going to be a finite process, where one day we sit back and say OK, we’re done,” Huerta said in a speech Wednesday. “Maintaining the highest levels of safety requires us to constantly evolve in our approach.” ■

Technology

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

41

3D printed hearts help doctors safely train to perform delicate cardiac surgeries

BY SHERYL UBELACKER The Canadian Press TORONTO — The pediatric surgeons hover over a tiny heart, gently retracting delicate inner structures and attaching a graft with impossibly intricate stitches to repair a congenital defect that would mean certain death within days of birth.

But this heart isn’t inside the chest cavity of a newborn; it’s a 3Dprinted model being used at Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto to train cardiac surgeons from around the world in some of the most complex operations they will ever perform during their careers.

About a dozen trainees — from Canada and such countries as Norway, Oman, Mexico and the United States — have come to watch master surgeons demonstrate the highly complicated techniques used to repair a number of congenital heart abnormalities and to safely practise those skills on models of their own.

Three-dimensional copies have been created of five hearts from real infants with cardiac anomalies using a high-tech

3D-printer, which almost perfectly reproduces the organ’s structure using a photopolymer resin, based on sophisticated MRI and CT imaging.

“Each of the models represents a very specific form of disease that is very different,” says Dr. Glen Van Arsdell, chief of cardiovascular surgery at Sick Kids.

“I can look at the model and tell you what the diagnosis is.”

The 3D-printed hearts — some orange, others whitish in colour — were produced by Dr. Shi-Joon Yoo, a cardiac radiologist at the hospital.

Depending on its size, a duplicate of a child’s heart can take anywhere from four to 12 hours to produce, as layer upon layer of the resin is built up, he says.

While the current cost is somewhat prohibitive — estimated at about $2,000 per model — Yoo says the technology means hundreds of copies can be printed after imaging a single child’s heart to demonstrate a particular defect.

“Anybody can practise on the same structure, so that is the real value of that.”

Van Arsdell says the trainees have come to Toronto to learn

procedures that would typically take years to learn by watching and assisting senior surgeons before they would be allowed to perform the operation on their own.

For some, such expertise isn’t available in their home countries.

“So this is a way of doing that in a much more rapid fashion.”

“Some of them will go into positions where they will be further mentored in the clinical setting. Some of them will be in developing countries where this is going to be their responsibility, and they’re here to advance their skills and ability to provide for their patients.”

With such highly intricate surgery, “the consequences are dire if you don’t get it exactly right; this is a way to practise it when the consequences are not dire,” Arsdell says. “And if it’s not quite right, we can advise the trainees or they can modify without having any problems for a real patient.”

Dr. Juan Roberto Contreras of Temuco, Chile, says he does cardiac surgery only in adults but wants to expand his practice to children in the coming years.

“I think this is a really good op-

tion, because initially when we are students we didn’t have the opportunity for making this operation in my country,” he says, working on a model with the hallmarks of a particularly complex congenital abnormality.

That sentiment is echoed by Dr. Ala Alwan, who has travelled to Toronto from Baghdad. “It’s a great opportunity to do these procedures on these models because we don’t have such models in our country, and we don’t do such procedures because they are very complicated.”

Alwan refers to Van Arsdell and other teachers at the session — among them, Dr. Thomas Spray of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia — as giants in the field of pediatric heart surgery.

Spray, who demonstrated one of the most technically challenging surgeries, says the beauty of 3D-printed models is that they represent the heart of an actual patient, with anatomy that matches what doctors would confront in the operating room.

“Obviously training somebody to do that in the operating

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room is going to be very difficult because you have a patient’s life at stake,” says Spray, chief of cardiothoracic surgery at the U.S. hospital.

“So being able to work on a true representation of what we see clinically is very valuable for training people in how to put these things together without any problems. Then they can take that to the operating room.”

While the resin currently used is superior to earlier 3Dprinting materials, the models still don’t feel quite life-like and are weaker than real heart tissue, says Spray, who nevertheless calls them good for training.

Some centres have begun using the technology to create organs or sections of tissue modelled on a specific patient’s anatomy in preparation for a complicated surgery, perhaps one that has never been performed before; doctors use the models as surrogates during practice runs to help plot out the operation.

Still, Spray foresees a day when 3D-printing could become a common and integral component of personalized medicine. ■

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Events

42

JANUARY 15, 2016

Public Avalanche Awareness Information and Activities

By Alberta Parks WHEN/WHERE: 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Jan. 17, at Burstall Pass Parking Lot, Kananaskis Country

CANADA EVENTS

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By WelcomePack Canada Inc. WHEN/WHERE: 1 to 5 p.m., Mon, Tues, Thu & Fri at the Filipino Centre Bldg., 597 Parliament St., Suite 103, Toronto, On. MORE INFO: Call (416) 928-9355

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Homework/Tutorial Class

By FCT WHEN/WHERE: 11a.m. to 12 nn, every Saturday, Filipino Centre Toronto, 597 Parliament St., Suite 103, Toronto, ON MORE INFO: For registrations, call 416928-9355. The office, at 597 Parliament St., Suite 103, Toronto, is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 1 to 6 p.m.

Tagalog Class

By FCT WHEN/WHERE: 10 to 11 a.m., every Saturday, Filipino Centre Toronto, NEWFOUNDLAND Toronto

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San Pablo City Fiesta and Reunion

By San Pablenos WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m., Jan. 15, at Immaculate Conception Church in Delta, B.C. MORE INFO: Call Ding Cunanan at (604)980-3218 Kumare Restaurant & Bakery Delta Grand Opening

By Ethno Marketing Team WHEN/WHERE: 10 a.m., Jan 16 at Unit 100 8047 120th St. Delta, Vancouver, B.C. Canadian Citizenship Preparation

By Mosaic WHEN/WHERE: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., Jan. 18 & 19, at Tommy Douglas Burnaby Public Library, 7311 Kingsway, Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: Call Angel – 604-438-8214 ext 104 The Urban Agenda Vancouver

By Canadian Race Relations Foundation WHEN/WHERE: 6 to 9 p.m., Jan. 19, at UBC Robson Square, 800 Robson St., Theatre (C300) MORE INFO: Check www.crrf-fcrr.ca for updates

Living Together Symposium

By Canadian Race Relations Foundation WHEN/WHERE: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Jan. 21, at John M.S. Lecky UBC Boathouse, 7277 River Road, Richmond, B.C. MORE INFO: Check www.crrf-fcrr.ca or call 1-888240-4936

in Retail and Administration

By ISS of BC WHEN/WHERE: Call or email at 604-684-2581 (ext 2193 Nanki) skillsnow@issbc.org MORE INFO: Receive a certificate or skills training in retail or administration; job search workshops; and strong employment opportunities.

Temporary Foreign Workers Uncontested Divorce Clinic

By Law Courts Center WHEN/WHERE: Saturdays from 2 to 4 p.m., at the Justice Education Society at the Provincial Court of BC Room 260 800 Hornby St., Vancouver B.C. MORE INFO: To book an appointment, call/text 778322-2839 or email: tfw.divorce@gmail.com

10 Weeks of English Conversation

By South Vancouver Neighbourhood House WHEN/WHERE: Feb. 1 to Apr. 9, 18 locations in Metro Vancouver, MORE INFO: Call Amie to register – 604-324-6212 ext 142

English Now: No Cost Language Training for Jobs in Administration or Retail

By ISS of BC MORE INFO: Contact 604-684-2325 or englishnow@issbc.org Skills Now: Project-based Training for Immigrants

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Mentoring Programme for Immigrant High School Students: Breakfast & Baon 101

By Mentorship & Leadership for Youth Programme WHEN/WHERE: 10 a.m. to 12 nn at Corpus Christi College (near UBC) 5935 Iona Dr. Vancouver BC. Free pick up and drop off service.

MORE INFO: Meet young professionals plus learn to cook. Call/text Kyle Andrews at (778)896.0661

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44

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

Food

Simple tricks and substitutions can make home baking healthy: dietitian

BY LOIS ABRAHAM The Canadian Press TORONTO — After holiday indulgences, baking might not be uppermost on the minds of most home cooks. Yet it’s not necessary to give it up if you use a few tricks to inject some stealth health into muffins, scones, cakes and other goodies.

Using Canadian agricultural stars like lentils, barley and canola, along with taking steps to reduce fat and sugar, can go far in making sweets and snacks

healthful without sacrificing taste, says registered dietitian Zannat Reza.

“Canada is the largest producer of lentils and 2016 is the International Year of Pulses and what better way to celebrate than baked goods with lentils,” says Reza, adding they are high in fibre and protein, inexpensive, and easy to add to baking when pureed.

“On the weekend I’ll puree up a whole bunch of lentils, scoop them out in half-cup (125-millilitre) measurements and freeze them,” says Reza, who is based in Toronto.

“If you have the urge to bake you can take out one of these little pucks, thaw it in the microwave and add it to your baking.”

Greek yogurt adds more protein and calcium to recipes and can be used in place of sour cream and mayonnaise.

Here are some other ways to put a healthier spin on baking: Flour power

Swap in whole-wheat flour for half the all-purpose flour in a baking recipe. Then add 30 ❱❱ PAGE 47 Simple tricks

THE HEALTHY PLATE

Recipe for game day turkey chili

BY MELISSA D’ARABIAN The Associated Press EVERYONE HAS a favourite chili recipe, and this is the time of year to break out yours, invite over some friends and yell at football players on TV. Maybe it’s time to try a new, healthier recipe, too? Chili is classic American comfort food, so we automatically assume that it can’t be healthy. But since it is so darned tasty, it’s worth the price of admission to try. And while I’m not against the occasional indulgence, I also love a recipe that manages to be both comforting and healthy.

Enter my game day turkey chili. Stay with me, here. This will not be your typical turkey chili because I have a few tricks up my sleeve. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good turkey chili. But they do occupy a special place in the stratified chili eco-system. Put them in a chili competition and you’ll see they land well below the fatty brisket chilies that feature tiny puddles of tasty melted fat that pleasantly coat the palate.

Turkey chili, if I’m honest, has been relegated to the “at least it’s hot” status for too long.

Here are my tricks. First, make it a red chili. White chili step aside for a moment. The red part comes from tomato, which is healthy, and frankly just feels like comfort food. Second, skip the salt. Instead, use soy sauce directly on the meat after cooking it. This is perhaps the greatest tip I can give you regarding ground turkey!

White-ish meat in a deep red chili looks a little strange. You are reminded that you are eating The Healthy Turkey Chili.

But deepen that meat colour just a little with the soy sauce and you are back in the land of Real Meaty Chili. The soy sauce also adds tons of rich, savory meaty flavour, a big benefit for a meat that can taste a little flat.

Final tip: Add a bit of unsweetened cocoa powder, which deepens both the colour and the flavour. This is turkey chili done right! And so, 2016 is off to a good start.

GAME DAY TURKEY CHILI

Start to finish: 45 minutes

Servings: 8 • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided • 1 pound lean ground turkey • 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika • 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped • 1 red bell pepper, cored and finely chopped • 12-ounce light beer • Two 15-ounce cans low-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed • 14-ounce can low-sodium tomato sauce • Two 14-ounce cans crushed tomatoes • 2 tablespoons chili powder • Dash of cayenne pepper • 1 teaspoon cocoa powder • Hot sauce, to taste • Plain low-fat Greek yogurt, to serve • Chopped scallions, to serve • Shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese, to serve In a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot over mediumhigh, heat 1 teaspoon of the oil.

Add the turkey and cook, breaking it up, until cooked through, www.canadianinquirer.net

SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

about 7 minutes. Sprinkle the turkey with the soy sauce and smoked paprika, then mix until well-coated. Continue to cook until any moisture in the pot is gone, about 3 minutes. Spoon the meat out of the pan and set aside.

Return the pot to the heat and add the remaining oil. Add the onion and red pepper, then cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high, then add the beer to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom to loosen any stuck bits. Simmer for 2 minutes. Return the meat

to the pot, along with the beans, tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, chili powder, cayenne and cocoa powder. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, then simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve with hot sauce, yogurt, scallions and cheese on the side.

Nutrition information per serving: 320 calories; 90 calories from fat (28 per cent of total calories); 10 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 50 mg cholesterol; 660 mg sodium; 33 g carbohydrate; 11 g fiber; 10 g sugar; 24 g protein. ■

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

Seen & Scenes: Vancouver

LBC LBC makes its air cargo services more accessible in downtown Vancouver when it opened an air cargo outlet on Jan. 9.

In partnership with Mayfair News, LBC launches air services to include documents and parcels with seven to 10 days delivery.

Mayfair News is located at 1535 W. Broadway, Vancouver and is owned by Karen Lee. Josen Gabaldon, LBC area head West Canada welcomed patrons during the launch. Karen Lee of Mayfair News also welcomed guests and patrons with treats and coffee.

ATI-ATIHAN FEST The Aklanon Sto. Nino Association of B.C. held their Ati-Atihan Festival and 35th anniversary of their organization at the St. Patrick Gym in Vancouver BC on Jan. 8.

Special guest was Vice Consul Cham Guevara.

(Photos by Laarni Liwanag de Paula).

www.canadianinquirer.net

45

46

Seen and Scenes: Toronto

JANUARY 15, 2016

FRIDAY

FASHION ICON Senator Enverga was pleased to present a certificate of recognition on behalf of the Senate of Canada to Jeff and Melinda Rustia for their charitable efforts during the recent Canada Philippine Fashion Ball at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto, Ont. (Photos from Senator Envergaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s FB).

RIZAL DAY AT THE EMBASSY

Clockwise: CDA Garibay delivers his remarks; CDA Garibay leads wreath laying ceremony with Embassy officers; Guests view a short documentary on the national hero's life; and Embassy personnel and guests pose for the Embassy's annual Rizal Day photo.

Clockwise: Miguel Jean-Luc Moreno, Keane Arlan Fernandez, Reiner Donnel Tejada, and Jacques Gerard Tamayo read annotations on Rizal's timeless messages.

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

Food

FRIDAY JANUARY 15, 2016

47

Simple tricks... ml (2 tablespoons) of wheat “When it comes to a lot of muffin recigerm, needed because federal pes I tend to use canola just because it rules allow manufacturers to has that neutral taste and also has that remove up to five per cent of the wheat source of plant omega-3s which are kernel to reduce rancidity and prolong heart healthy,” says Reza. shelf life.

But for pastry or scones, butter is still “The portion of the kernel that is re- better for its consistency. moved for this purpose contains much of the germ and some of the bran,” Health Hemp seeds Canada says on its website — in other Hemp seeds or hearts boost protein words, the majority of nutrients, vita- and add heart-healthy fats along with a mins and healthy fats. Yet the flour that nutty flavour. results can still be called whole wheat.

“Sometimes I’ll add it to smoothies or “You do need to add a little bit extra on my cereal, but lately I’ve added it to liquid,” says Reza. “For every two ta- some granola that I’ve made. I just add it blespoons of wheat in the last 10 minutes germ I find that you (of baking),” says need to add at least a Reza. quarter cup (50 ml) of liquid. It could be Pureed or mashed milk, water. Say if a fruit recipe calls for sugYet it’s not Swap out about ar and you’re using necessary to half the fat in a recipe maple syrup, you’re give it up if you with pureed fruit. adding a liquid to the use a few tricks “For people who baking so that will to inject some have a bit more of a add towards the liqstealth health sweet inclination, uid.” into muffins, then I think a date or Look for products scones, cakes prune puree would that have “whole and other work for them,” says grain” on the label goodies.

Reza. “And if they or in the ingredients want something list, she says. a little less sweet Barley flour can that’s where applebe swapped for allsauce would come in purpose flour. Barley, handy.” which is Canada’s third-largest crop afFor every 250 ml (1 cup) of unsweetter wheat and canola, contains vitamins, ened applesauce, reduce the liquid called minerals and amino acids and is low in for in the recipe by 50 ml (1/4 cup). sodium, fat and sugar. Health Canada You can buy strained dark prunes in has approved a claim linking the con- the baby section of the grocery store. Or sumption of barley beta-glucan, a type to make prune puree, combine 175 ml of soluble fibre, to reduced blood cho- (3/4 cup) pitted prunes with 50 ml (1/4 lesterol. cup) boiling water and whirl in a blendBarley flakes resemble rolled oats but er. pack more fibre and are great in granola To make date puree, cover dates with or as part of a topping for fruit crisp. water and soak overnight, then puree until creamy in food processor. AlternaCanola oil tively, microwave for two minutes in a Cut the amount of butter with canola glass bowl and then puree. oil. In a recipe calling for 125 millilitres Swapping in an equal amount of (1/2 cup) of butter, you can swap in 75 ml mashed avocado for butter works well in (1/3 cup) of canola oil. chocolate baked goods. ■ ❰❰ 44

SUPER BOWL

Recipe for guacamole potato boats

BY ALISON LADMAN The Associated Press

• 3 scallions, chopped • 1 tablespoon lime juice • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

FOR THIS easy Super Bowl snack, we combined two of our favourite game day indulgences — guacamole and roasted potato skins.

We start by creating potato boats, which are dusted with a spicy (you control the heat) seasoning mix, then baked until tender inside and lightly browned outside. Meanwhile, we make a delicious batch of guacamole and — as soon as the potato boats have cooled a bit — spoon heaping mounds of it into them.

Then we eat as many as possible.

Want to dress them up some more?

Nothing wrong with sprinkling the tops with grated cheese, cooked bacon, cooked and crumbled sausage, jalapeno pepper slices, chopped onion or whatever else strikes you.

Heat the oven to 450 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, thyme, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, cayenne, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. Set aside.

Slice 1/2-inch-thick slices off both sides of each potato, reserving the middle third of each potato for another use (put them in water and refrigerate to prevent them from darkening). Using a melon baller, scoop out a bit of the flesh from each potato slice to create shallow bowls.

Arrange the potato slices on the prepared pan. Pat dry with paper towels.

Brush all over with the melted butter.

Sprinkle with the spice mixture. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the outsides are crisped and browned and the flesh of the potatoes are tender.

While the potatoes bake, prepare the guacamole. In a medium bowl, combine the avocados, jalapenos, scallions, lime juice and vinegar. Mash with a fork or wooden spoon until the guacamole is as chunky or smooth as you prefer. Season with salt and black pepper.

Allow the potatoes to cool slightly, then scoop a spoonful of guacamole into the hollow of each potato. Serve immediately.

GUACAMOLE POTATO BOATS

Start to finish: 40 minutes Servings: 8 • 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar • 1 teaspoon dried thyme • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika • 1 teaspoon ground cumin • 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (depending on desired heat) • Kosher salt and ground black pepper • 2 pounds medium Russet potatoes (about 4) • 2 tablespoons butter, melted • 3 avocados, pitted and peeled • 2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos

Nutrition information per serving: 220 calories; 130 calories from fat (59 per cent of total calories); 14 g fat (3.5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 270 mg sodium; 25 g carbohydrate; 7 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 3 g protein. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

48

JANUARY 15, 2016

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*Savings calculation based on reimbursement (a refund) of three $13.50CDN transaction fees for a total of $40.50 CDN. 1 To be eligible for this offer, you must be an RBC Royal Bank client who has not sent an RBC International Money Transfer (“IMT”) during the past 12 months.

If you complete one IMT between January 1, 2016, and March 31, 2016 (the “Promotional Period”), we will refund the service fee ($13.50 CDN) and offer you one refunded IMT per month in the two consecutive months that follow. Example: If you send an IMT in February, you may send 2 additional refunded IMTs, one in March and the other in April. Totals are not cumulative, and if not used, may not be carried over to the next month. All refunds will be credited to the bank account in which the IMT originated 8 weeks after the IMT was completed. Only one offer (one IMT per month for 3 consecutive months) per client. Excess debit transaction fee may also apply depending on the account. Additional service fees by any intermediary and receiving bank may apply. Currency conversion fees may also apply. The financial institution on the receiving end of the transaction may have other requirements. The IMT service is not available to recipients in Canada and in restricted countries. Maximum of $2,500 Canadian or Canadian equivalent dollars per transaction per calendar day. 2 Must be enrolled in RBC Online Banking® and have either a Canadian RBC Royal Bank® chequing or savings account. Some restrictions may apply. Cannot remit funds from a US dollar account, or the RBC High Interest eSavings® account. 3 Not available to recipients in Canada and restricted countries. 4 If an unauthorized transaction is conducted through your RBC Online Banking service, you will be reimbursed 100% for any resulting losses to those accounts. For a definition of an unauthorized transaction and for full details regarding the protections and limitations of the RBC Online Banking Security Guarantee, please see your Electronic Access Agreement. This guarantee is given by Royal Bank of Canada in connection with its Online Banking service. ®/™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. RBC and Royal Bank are registered trademarks of Royal Bank of Canada. www.canadianinquirer.net