Philippine Canadian Inquirer #223

CANADA’S FIRST AND ONLY NATIONWIDE FILIPINO-CANADIAN NEWSPAPER JUNE 24, 2016

VOL. 6 NO. 223

www.canadianinquirer.net

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Pay raise for nurses vetoed

Leni ‘feels at home’ but ‘Bistek’ unhappy

Duterte assures business leaders to push reforms

Finance ministers to talk about CPP

Miss Philippines-Earth: a ‘victim of pageant bullying’

Five things to know about the Canada Pension Plan and talks to expand it

SAYING GOODBYE

THE CANADIAN PRESS

President Aquino lets out a hearty laugh during a press conference and farewell lunch with the Malacañang Palace Corps in a Restaurant in Binondo, Manila on Friday.

JOAN BONDOC / PCI

Duterte seen breaking traditions

BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer FROM HIS venue of choice to the magistrate he picked to administer his oath, incoming President-elect Rodrigo Duterte will be breaking traditions in his inauguration.

Duterte will take his oath at Malacañang before a schoolmate and fraternity

brother on June 30, in austere rites seen as historic.

Duterte, the first politician from Mindanao to be elected President and the first city mayor to jump straight to the highest office in the land, will be sworn in as the country’s 16th President by Supreme Court Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes, according to the Davao

Philippines Canada Trade Council and B.C. International Trade and Investment Representative Office eye business opportunities between PH and B.C.

OTTAWA — Finance Minister Bill Morneau meets his provincial and territorial counterparts in Vancouver on Monday and one of the key agenda items is going to be the federal Liberals’ wish to expand the Canada Pension Plan. Here are five things to know about the CPP and the politics around it.

1) The system is designed so that each generation of workers pays for its own retirement. That makes it different from two other income replacement programs for seniors and retirees: old age security (OAS) and the guaranteed income supplement (GIS).

Those measures are covered through general tax revenues, meaning that workers today pay taxes to raise the incomes of poorer seniors. Any decisions

❱❱ PAGE 28 ❱❱ PAGE 13 Duterte seen

CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:

FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS InFocus.canadianinquirer.net

❱❱ PAGE 17 Five things

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JUNE 24, 2016

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FRIDAY

Philippine News

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

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Why separate inaugurations?

BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer

he 13th ASEAN-Canada Dialogue was held on 15-16 June 2016 in Makati City, Philippines. The meeting was attended by SOM Leaders and representatives from all ASEAN Member States, and officials from Canada and the ASEAN Secretariat.

TWITTER

ASEAN, Canada agree to strengthen cooperation in run up to 40th anniversary of relations in 2017 PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — Senior Officials from ASEAN and Canada recently reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen and deepen cooperation as both sides near the 40th Anniversary of ASEAN-Canada relations in 2017, which will coincide with the Philippines’ Chairmanship of ASEAN. This was a key message from the 13th ASEAN-Canada Dialogue on June 15-16, 2016 held at Dusit Thani Manila.

During the Dialogue, DFA Undersecretary for Policy and Philippines’ ASEAN SOM Leader Enrique Manalo emphasized that “our 40th anniversary provides us with an opportunity to recognize our achievements and embolden us to be more ambitious. ASEAN and Canada are important to each other.

Our economic partnership is expanding at a fast pace with merchandise trade experiencing double digit growth and Canada has welcomed thousands of permanent residents from ASEAN in recent years. In particular, I note that the Philippines is the largest source of newcomers to Canada and almost 700,000 Filipinos now call Canada their home.

These people-to-people linkages anchor ASEAN-Canada friendship and have the potential to catalyze new and innovative partnerships.”

The Philippines noted recent efforts by both sides to enhance informationsharing and coordination on Canada’s regional programs, with the aim of improving funding predictability for ASEAN-Canada cooperation. The senior officials had an extensive review of ASEAN-Canada cooperation and both sides agreed to build on existing work on human rights, counter-terrorism and transnational crime, small and mediumsized enterprises (SME) development, connectivity and disaster management.

Ongoing Canadian support for regional programs in ASEAN now amounts to about CAD 76 million.

Manalo looked forward to pursuing new phases for cooperation on women and migrant workers’ rights. The Meeting noted Canada’s global pledge of CAD 2.65 billion to support clean-energy and environment programs and agreed to explore new cooperation on environment and biodiversity. Canada is also supporting new economic integration initiatives, including the World Economic Forum’s “Grow Asia” Program supporting private sector development in the agricultural sector, the CAD 2 million Toronto Center Program on Financial Sector Supervision and Regulation, and Canada’s CAD 4.5 million contribution to the “Supporting Regional Project Development for ASEAN Connectivity” program.

ASEAN and Canada had an extensive exchange of views on regional and international issues. Both sides underlined the importance of maintaining peace, security and stability, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea. They agreed that disputes should be resolved peacefully, including full respect for legal and diplomatic processes and without resorting to the threat or use of force, in accordance with universally-recognized principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of dialogue relations, ASEAN and Canada agreed to launch a series of commemorative activities that will enhance the visibility of the partnership, particularly in engaging the private sector and the youth.

The Philippines serves as country coordinator for ASEAN-Canada dialogue relations for the period 2015 to 2018. ■

WHY A separate inauguration? So she’ll get the celebration she deserves.

The camp of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte made this clarification of its preference not hold a joint inauguration with incoming Vice President Leni Robredo, saying it was not a snub but a decision reached out of consideration for her and her supporters.

In a statement, Duterte’s special assistant Christopher Go, also a member of the inaugural committee, said the incoming President’s choice of having austere celebrations with a limited number of guests may be an unfair imposition on Robredo.

Duterte will take his oath at Malacañang on June 30, the first President in recent memory to begin his six-year term at the official residence. Philippine presidents usually hold inaugurations at Quirino Grandstand, allowing the public to take part in the rites.

“As promised during the campaign period, his inaugural celebration will be a simple yet meaningful one, consistent with his principles on austerity. This is also intended to cause the least disrup-

tion to the public,” Go said in a statement sent to reporters late Wednesday night.

“This imposition will not be fair to Leni as the limited slots would restrict her prerogative to invite more guests and supporters as a good number of the slots are to be allotted for members of Congress, judiciary and to the diplomatic corps,” he said.

He said Robredo’s family and supporters “who worked hard for her” deserve to be in attendance during her inauguration “to celebration her victory.”

“And this can only be possible through a separate inauguration,” he said.

Boyet Dy, who heads Robredo’s transition team, said Wednesday that plans for a joint inauguration had been scrapped after the Duterte team informed them of their preference for separate rites.

He said the Robredo team respects Duterte’s wishes and “will begin our own preparations for a simple and modest ceremony.”

“The ceremony will be conducted in Metro Manila, where Vice Presidentelect Leni Robredo wishes to be sworn in by Capt. Ronaldo Coner of Brgy.

Punta Tarawal, Calabanga, the smallest, farthest and poorest barangay in Camarines Sur,” Dy said. ■

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Philippine News

JUNE 24, 2016

FRIDAY

Pay raise for nurses vetoed P-Noy: Bill to distort wage levels in health sector

BY JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT AQUINO has vetoed two more bills, one of them pushing for yet another increase in the salaries of nurses and another seeking the condonation of unpaid income taxes of local water districts, Malacañang announced yesterday, two weeks before the end of his term.

Mr. Aquino returned to Congress Senate Bill No. 2720/ House Bill No. 6411, titled “An Act Providing for a Comprehensive Nursing Law Toward Quality Health Care System, and Appropriating Funds,” also known as the Comprehensive Nursing Law of 2016, unsigned.

The President said he vetoed SB 2581/HB 3675, or the proposed law “removing the conditions for the condonation of all unpaid income taxes due from local water districts,” because of its “serious fiscal policy implications.”

He said the bill sought to remove the “laudable intent” of another law, Republic Act No. 10026, which grants tax reprieve only to local water districts that are “financially incapable and committed to instituting fiscal reforms.”

The bill could also “undermine the government’s strict tax collection effort,” he added.

Mr. Aquino emphasized that the bill “sends a message to errant taxpayers that delinquency is acceptable since amnesty

or condonation may be given anyway, even without benefit of proper documentation.”

“While we recognize the objective of the bill to promote the well-being of the country’s nurses, we cannot support the bill in its present form because of its dire financial consequences,” the President said in his veto message released yesterday.

Mr. Aquino said Executive Order No. 201, signed earlier this year, had already increased the base salaries of government employees, including nurses and other health workers.

The EO increased the annual salary of government nurses from P228,924.00 to P344,074.00, which does not include other benefits and allow-

President Benigno S. Aquino III answers questions from members of Malacanang Press Corps during his thanksgiving lunch.

BENHUR ARCAYAN / MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU / PNA

ances nurses receive under the Magna Carta of Public Health.

Wage distortion

The President explained that the proposed salary increase “will not only undermine the existing salary structure of medical and health practitioners but will also cause wage distortion not only among health professionals but also among other professionals in government.”

Increasing the entry level salary for nurses by four grades, as the proposed law would have done, will place nurses “over and above their other similarly situated counterparts in the health profession and government service,” the President said.

With the four-grade increase, from Salary Grade 11 to 15, the President said optometrists, dentists, and doctors would end up receiving less than the nurses.

The entry level of optometrists, dentists, and doctors are at Salary Grades 12, 14, and 16, respectively.

Unconscionable

Nurses, medical technologists, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, physical therapists, nutritionists, and midwives, among others, are professionals who have taken a four-year course whose entry level salaries are pegged at Salary Grade 11, or a monthly salary of P19,077 under EO 201.

Entry level public school teachers and accountants are also considered under Salary Grade 11.

“Such preferential treatwww.canadianinquirer.net

ment in favor of nurses over and above other health professionals and professionals in the government service appears unconscionable and violative of the equal protection clause enshrined in the Philippine Constitution,” Mr. Aquino said.

Inequitable

The President said that to avoid an “inequitable scenario brought about by the wage distortion, the salaries of health professionals and similarly situated professionals in the government service should simultaneously be considered for increase proportionate to the increase given to entry level nurses.”

Mr. Aquino also said that the proposed increase “seemingly disregarded” the financial capacity of most local government hospitals, voicing concern that they might be unable to comply with the raise because the Local Government Code gives a ceiling of 40-45 percent for personnel services, depending on the income class of the local government.

The same goes with private hospitals and other nongovernment health institutions, which are mandated to offer an entry level salary to nurses equivalent to Salary Grade 15, the President said.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, the bill’s main sponsor, said he planned to resurrect the measure in the 17th Congress.

“This could have been the measure that would improve our healthcare sector and help stop the mass exodus of our nurses to other countries,” he said. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

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Alleged Ponzi firm uses new name, fails to fool SEC

BY JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer THE SECURITIES and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed in the Department of Justice another criminal complaint against the directors and incorporators of One Lightning Corp., a direct selling and investment firm earlier shut down for allegedly duping clients of some P500 million.

In a new complaint filed on Friday, the SEC enforcement and investor protection department (EIPD) said the same of-

ficials of One Lightning continued to publicly offer and sell investment contracts without permit by creating a new firm, FDS Forward Direct Selling Corp.

Named respondents for violation of Section 28 of the Securities Regulation Code were One Lightning president Terrence Kenji Ito, board chair Theodore Yuji Ito and incorporators Aldus Renier Tubiera, Joanary Roxas and Jake Ryu Oprecio.

In March last year, the SEC issued a cease-and-desist order on the operations of One Light-

ning and filed a syndicated estafa case against its eight officials in the Pasig City regional trial court, which issued early this year arrest warrants and hold-departure orders for the officials.

In the new complaint, SECEIPD Director Jose Aquino said the agency filed the latest case after receiving complaints from FDS investors who failed to get their money back.

“Under the pretext of being a multilevel marketing company, the respondents offered huge returns to investors who had to purchase of certain cosmetic

and health products,” the complaint said.

“The ploy employed by the corporation was clearly a Ponzi scheme which they tried to hide by making it appear to be a multilevel networking company engaged in the marketing of cosmetic and health products,” it added.

In a Ponzi scheme, investments are solicited by offering huge profits to investors. The profits are usually derived from the investments made by later investors. The scheme is unsustainable as it requires an ever increasing pool of new investors to

pay off the earlier investors.

In an interview, Aquino explained that investors were enticed by FDS’ offer to pay from 28 to 30 percent plus return of investment after three months.

“In some cases, the products were not even delivered... the company was focused on recruiting more and more investors by offering referral fees, unilevel bonuses and maturity rewards,” Aquino said.

The first case filed against the respondents earlier this year in the Pasig RTC involved their failure to return as much as P500 million to 100 investors. ■

Lopez accepts post PNP cites Rody ‘motivation’ as DENR secretary as drug arrests, kills spike

BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES Philippines News Agency MANILA — ABS-CBN Foundation Chairperson Gina Lopez has accepted the offer of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte as secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

“I just talked to him just a few minutes ago, so after much introspection, I decided to accept it,” Lopez told reporters in an ambush interview on Tuesday.

“Nagulat nga ako eh, because I’m not the usual choice. My stand on the environment is very clear but this is what I really believe in, na kung alagaan ang kalikasan at kung gawin sa paraan na may pakinabang ang komu-

nidad na doon nakatira, I am very, very sure we can eradicate poverty (I am very surprised, because I’m not the usual choice.

My stand on the environment is very clear but this is what I really believe in, that is we take care of the environment in a way that the community in that area can also benefit from it, I am very, very sure we can eradicate poverty),” she added.

Lopez, who is strongly against mining activities and coal-fired power plants, said she was “deeply honored” of Duterte’s offer in spite of the “controversies” arising from her decision.

“I give you my firm commitment that I’ll do everything that I can and it’s not only to protect the environment but what I really want to do is to eradicate poverty,” she said. ■

“My stand on the environment is very clear but this is what I really believe in, na kung alagaan ang kalikasan at kung gawin sa paraan na may pakinabang ang komunidad na doon nakatira, I am very, very sure we can eradicate poverty.” – DENR Secretary Gina Lopez FACEBOOK PHOTO

BY JAYMEE T. GAMIL Philippine Daily Inquirer

and 883 arrested suspects in Metro Manila from May to June, compared to 2,877 from January to May. THE PHILIPPINE National Figures from Region 3 (CenPolice (PNP) cited a rise in the tral Luzon) showed that 12 number of arrested or killed suspects were killed in the past drug suspects after the May 9 month alone, compared to 13 elections, which a ranking ofin the first four months of the ficial partly attributed to the year; 6 in Region 4A, compared “motivation” and “policy directo 8; five in Region 7 from May tion” from incoming President 10 to June 15, compared to zero Rodrigo Duterte to step up the from Jan. 1 to May 9; and four in war on narcotics. the last month alone in Region In a Camp Crame briefing 12 (Soccsksargen), with four in on Friday, PNP spokesperson the four previous months.

Chief Supt. WilMayor mainben Mayor said tained that based that from Jan. 1 on the reports of to May 9, there the operational were 13,920 arMayor attributed the increase to two units concerned, rested suspects factors: the compliance of the police the killings of and 39 more units with the regular targets set by the suspects ockilled in antithe PNP high command and “the curred during drug operations motivation of the incoming President “legitimate ennationwide. (for the PNP) to focus more on illegal counters.”

After the elecdrugs, because that is his policy “The reason tions, from May direction.” why the sus10 to June 15, pects were killed there were 3,760 is they engaged arrested susin a shootout pects and 29 killed, he added. increase” in the number of ar- [with] the law enforcers,” May“What we can show there is rested suspects particularly or said. “If we base it on their an increase after (the elections) in Region 7 (Central Visayas), reports, they followed opcompared to the average per National Capital Region, and erational procedures because month (from Jan. 1 to May 9),” Region 4A (Calabarzon) in the there is imminent danger on Mayor said. The monthly aver- past month alone. their part.” age from the pre-election peThere were 177 arrested susMayor said the PNP would riod he cited was 3,480 for the pects in Region 7 from May 10 welcome any investigation into arrests and nine for the kills. to June 15, as compared to 167 the killings. “We just ask that Mayor attributed the in- from January to May; 1,155 they give us also the benefit crease to two factors: the com- were arrested in one month in of the doubt and accord us the pliance of the police units with Region 4A as compared to 3, 719 presumption of regularity in the regular targets set by the in the previous four months; the performance of duty.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

PNP high command and “the motivation of the incoming President (for the PNP) to focus more on illegal drugs, because that is his policy direction.”

Duterte, the tough-talking Davao City mayor, won the presidential race by a landslide on an ironfisted, anticrime agenda. In one of his postvictory pronouncements, he openly encouraged ordinary civilians to arrest or even shoot known drug lords, and later offered a bounty of up to P5 million.

Mayor noted a “significant

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Philippine News

JUNE 24, 2016

FRIDAY

Three veteran lawmakers favor granting emergency powers to Duterte

BY SAMMY F. MARTIN Philippines News Agency MANILA — Three veteran members of the House of Representatives said on Tuesday they are in favor of granting President-elect Rodrigo Duterte additional powers to deal with the deteriorating traffic situation in Metro Manila.

Former President and reelected Pampanga 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Quezon City 2nd District Rep. Winnie Castelo agreed in principle on the idea of incoming Transportation Secretary Arturo Tugade.

Arroyo is set to file a bill

seeking emergency powers for Duterte when the 17th Congress opens in July.

The draft bill’s explanatory note reveals that the current traffic congestion in Metro Manila “impedes progress and leads to a situation where billions (of pesos) are lost daily in fuel cost, man-hours and opportunities.”

With additional powers, the explanatory note says the Duterte government could speed up the completion of infrastructure projects and introduce drastic traffic reduction measures in order to achieve its annual growth rate target of at least 7 percent.

If Congress approves the bill, Duterte would be allowed

to: (1) negotiate contracts for the construction, repair, rehabilitation, improvement or maintenance of critical infrastructure, projects and facilities subject to certain conditions; (2) authorize, whenever it is necessary for the national welfare and in the public interest, to set a maximum internal rate of return of not more than 12 percent of the estimated project cost; and, (3) reorganize the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) to make it more effective, innovative and responsive to the traffic crisis in Metro Manila.

The bill provides that any infrastructure project that has the capacity to yield said internal rate of return under

commercial conditions may be undertaken on a build-operatetransfer (BOT) basis or any of its variants as enumerated in Section 2 of Republic Act No. 7718; and further that the toll fees in the case of projects undertaken as BOT or any of its variants shall be set by the Toll Regulatory Board.

“Yes, I support the idea 100 percent. ‘Yung mga diggings, repairs of public utilities such as Maynilad, Manila Water, Department of Public Works and Highways, and PLDT should always be coordinated as they must meet deadline or face sanctions,” Castelo told reporters.

He said local government units will be forced to do their part to haul stalled vehicles on

secondary roads which can be use as alternate routes.

He added that the Department of Justice should refrain from issuing temporary restraining order (TRO) versus government projects, especially along major thoroughfares.

However, for his part, Belmonte cautioned authorities that they must “toe the line” to avoid hassle in the future.

“I want to see first the content of the draft emergency power before a I give my full support,” Belmonte pointed out.

The outgoing Speaker clarified that he is not per se against the idea but what he wants is safety nets to avoid further anguish which can spark blame game. ■

Purisima, Napeñas to stand trial over SAF 44 fiasco

BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer IT’S FINAL. The Office of the Ombudsman yesterday said sacked Philippine National Police Director General Alan Purisima and former Special Action Force (SAF) chief Director Getulio Napeñas would stand trial in the Sandiganbayan for their roles in the deaths of 44 police commandos in the hands of Moro rebels in Mamasapano, Maguindanao province, last year.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales thumbed down the separate appeals filed by Purisima and Napeñas seeking to set aside the antigraft body’s earlier resolution that recommended their indictment for graft. “[The former] police officers’ motions for reconsideration deserve scant consideration,” the Ombudsman said in a statement.

Usurpation of authority

Morales also approved the filing of a separate case for usurpation of authority against Purisima—a longtime aide and close friend of President Aquino—and Napeñas as spelled out under Article 177 of the Marcos-era edict Revised Penal Code.

For the second time, the Ombudsman imposed a lifetime ban on Purisima from serving in the government after he was found guilty of grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and

conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

According to the Ombudsman, Purisima’s role in carrying out the counterterrorism mission, called Oplan Exodus, to capture notorious Malaysian bomb expert Zulkifli bin Hir, alias Marwan, “amounted to usurpation of official functions.”

It noted that he was already serving his suspension for six months over the questionable P100-million courier service contract with Werfast Documentation Agency Inc. when the operation was conducted on Jan. 25, 2015.

In addition, the Ombudsman said that the then PNP officer in charge, Deputy Director General Leonardo Espina, issued a “cease and desist” order in December 2014 against Purisima.

Breach of command chain

“Purisima’s active participation and supervision of Oplan Exodus… violated the PNP chain of command,” the Ombudsman said.

Like Purisima, Napeñas was also slapped with permanent disqualification from public office and cancellation of retirement benefits and civil service eligibility.

Purisima, who was dismissed from the PNP in June last year in connection with the Werfast deal, and Napeñas, who bowed out of the service the following month, were also ordered to

The Ombudsman also imposed a lifetime ban on Purisima from serving in the government after he was found guilty of grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

(PHOTO COURTESY OF SEN. GRACE POE’S FACEBOOK PAGE

pay a fine amounting to their salary for one year.

The Ombudsman said the former SAF chief’s “constant reporting and official dealings with Purisima, notwithstanding the latter’s suspension, and sans the knowledge and approval of… Espina, made him liable as a cohort of Purisima in usurping official functions.”

“Napeñas’ plea of leniency on account of his 37 years of meritorious service in the government cannot be countenanced by this office considering that the penalty of dismissal from the service is an indivisible penalty,” the antigraft body ruled.

said the Senate investigation of the tragedy found President Aquino politically responsible, but this did not mean it considered him criminally liable.

“What the Senate found was political responsibility and accountability resided in the President. This is not necessarily the same as saying he is legally liable,” Angara said in a text message to the INQUIRER. Angara was responding to the question whether Mr. Aquino could be charged after the end of his term, given that the Senate investigation led by Sen. Grace Poe found him ultimately responsible for the police mission.

P-Noy’s role

Oplan Exodus

The Ombudsman investigation of the Mamasapano debacle did not cover the role of President Aquino in the police counterterrorism operation.

Sen. Sonny Angara yesterday www.canadianinquirer.net

Purisima and Napeñas briefed Mr. Aquino twice in Malacañang about Oplan Exodus, which they had kept a secret from Espiña and the military.

The mission was to get Mar-

wan, for whose capture dead or alive the US government had offered a bounty of $5 million.

A secondary target of the mission was Basit Usman, a Filipino aide of Marwan on whose head the US government had put a price of $3 million.

Two SAF units—the 84th Special Action Company (SAC) and the 55th SAC—were sent into Mamasapano to get Marwan and Usman.

The 84th SAC was the strike force and it successfully penetrated the village where Marwan’s hut was located. The PNP investigation said the commandos killed Marwan and cut off his right index finger for DNA testing, but got into a gun battle with Usman and other bodyguards of the Malaysian terrorist on their way out of the village.

The 55th SAC, the blocking force, failed to come to the assistance of the 84th SAC, as it had lost its way and got into a gun battle with Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) fighters, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters rebels and armed residents of Mamasapano.

Of the 36 members of the 55th SAC, only one survived the daylong gun battle. The 38strong 84th SAC lost nine men.

The MILF lost 17 fighters in the exchange of fire with the police commandos, and three civilians were killed in the crossfire. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

7

Angara hopeful on income CHR backs ‘full force’ tax reform passage against Abu Sayyaf under Duterte admin

BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer

BY JELLY F. MUSICO Philippines News Agency

package that will be submitted to us.

We’ll make sure that the Congress passes a version that will ease the tax burden of our workers and at the same time, MANILA — Senator Juan Edgardo would not pose risk to the country’s fis‘Sonny’ Angara on Tuesday expressed cal health but would help improve revoptimism that his proposed income tax enue collection, attract foreign direct reform will finally be signed into law investment and boost job generation under the administration of President- in the country,” said the senator, who elect Rodrigo Duterte after the latter’s also attended “Sulong Pilipinas” held in economic managers have put tax reform Davao City. among the top of his 10-point socioecoDominguez added that “corporate nomic agenda. taxes will be adjusted to be competitive At the first day of “Sulong Pilipinas: with the rest of the region to make our Hakbang Tungo sa Kaunlaran,” a con- economy more competitive for investsultative workshop to seek recommen- ments.” dation as regards Duterte’s 10-point Angara has also filed a bill reducing economic agenda, incoming Finance corporate income tax rate, noting that Secretary Carlos Dominguez told busi- with a 30-percent corporate income tax ness leaders that “the new administra- rate, which is the highest among ASEAN tion will definitely review the tax sys- countries, the Philippines might be left tem, initially to update the income tax behind in the tight race for job-creating brackets and eventually to lowering cor- investments. porate and individual Angara cited a retax rates.” cent study by Dr. “We’re happy that Stella Quimbo of the sentiments of the UP School of our workers, who Economists Economics which feel that they are beand experts showed that while a ing excessively taxed, have all agreed decrease in corporate are now being heard. that there is an income tax rate will We’ve been pushing urgent need initially lead to lower for income tax reto change corporate income tax form since we were the country’s collection, the offelected in 2013 when current tax set will come in the we saw how outdatsystem. form of greater net ed, unfair and opcollections given the pressive our current projected increase system of taxation in investments when is,” said Angara, chairman of the ways corporate income tax rates are reduced. and means committee and the Senate’s Dominguez also said that they would leading voice in pushing for income tax review the long list of VAT-exemptions reform. to compensate for expected revenue loss Angara’s initial proposal, Senate Bill from lower taxes.

2149 which was filed in February 2014, The lawmaker agreed that the Conaims to lower income tax rates across- gress could study and identify the transthe-board, reducing the highest tax rate actions that should no longer be exfrom 32 to 25 percent, and to compress empted from VAT. the tax brackets from seven to five.

He, however, asked the income fiSubsequently, in November last year, nance department not to touch VAT exhe filed SB 3003 that seeks to adjust the emptions enjoyed by senior citizens and levels of taxable income to take into ac- persons with disabilities, which Angara count inflation. has sponsored.

Second on the incoming administraIf granted emergency power by Contion’s 10-point economic agenda is to gress, the FFCCII also hopes that Duterte “institute progressive tax reform and would be able to solve the pestering probmore effective tax collection, indexing lem of “traffic gridlock,” which, the group taxes to inflation.” observed, was made worse by the “lack of It also states that a tax reform package implementation of traffic rules,” the prowill be submitted to Congress by Sep- liferation of sidewalk vendors and “illegal tember. street parking.”

“Economists and experts have all Ngu said they are hopeful that the 17th agreed that there is an urgent need to Congress, which would be dominated by change the country’s current tax system. allies of the new president, “will be conI’m looking forward to the tax reform sidered favorably” by lawmakers. ■

THE COMMISSION on Human Rights (CHR) on Saturday expressed support for the government’s campaign to “apply the full force of the law” against the Abu Sayyaf bandits who beheaded two Canadian hostages in recent weeks.

The CHR deplored the killing of Robert Hall and John Ridsdel by the terrorist group operating in Western Mindanao, joining calls for the immediate arrest and prosecution of their murderers.

“The CHR condemns these killings and other terrorist acts of the [Abu Sayyaf ] in the strongest possible terms and reiterates that kidnapping, illegal detention and murder are grave violations of a human’s right to life, liberty and security and should not be tolerated in a just, humane and democratic country like ours,” the commission said in a statement.

“These despicable acts of the [Abu Sayyaf ] have no place in a civilized society,” according to the CHR, whose chair Jose Luis Martin Gascon has spoken out

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against proposals to reinstate the death penalty for heinous crimes.

The CHR said it supported the campaign of the national government to apply the “full force of the law, arrest all perpetrators of these heinous crimes, bring them before the bar of justice, and to ensure accountability.”

It also extended its condolences to the families of Hall and Ridsdel, who were beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf after the Canadian government refused to pay ransom of P600 million.

Last Monday, Abu Sayyaf bandits beheaded Hall after they failed to get the P300-million ransom they had demanded. Another Canadian, John Ridsdel, suffered the same fate on April 25.

A Filipino, Maritess Flor, and a Norwegian, Kjartan Sekkingstad, are still being held by the Abu Sayyaf. All of the hostages, including the Canadians, were kidnapped from a small marina on Samal Island in Davao del Norte province on Sept. 21 last year.

The CHR voiced concern for Flor and Sekkingstad and urged the government “to exert all efforts to secure their freedom and safety.” ■

Philippine News

8

JUNE 24, 2016

FRIDAY

In dad's jail cell, Aquino recalls sad, happy times

BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer, Inc. Correspondents Jane Moraleda Socorro Newland Bolet Arevalo Katherine Padilla Gerna Lane Sotana Community Editor Mary Ann Mandap maryann.mandap@canadianinquirer.net Administration Head Victoria Yong Graphic Designer Shanice Garcia Photographers Angelo Siglos Vic Vargas For photo submissions, please send to editor@canadianinquirer.net Operations and Marketing Head Laarni Liwanag (604) 551-3360 laarni.liwanag@canadianinquirer.net Advertising Sales Alice Yong (778) 889-3518 alice.yong@canadianinquirer.net Nelson Wu (647) 521-5155 salestoronto@canadianinquirer.net nelson.wu@canadianinquirer.net Amelia Insigne (416) 574-5121 amelia.insigne@canadianinquirer.net Antonio Tampos (604) 460-9414 antonio.tampos@canadianinquirer.net PHILIPPINE PUBLISHING GROUP Editorial Assistant Christelle Tolisora Associate Publisher Lurisa Villanueva In cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer digital edition Philippine Canadian Inquirer is located at 11951 Hammersmith Way, Suite 108 Richmond, B.C. V7A 5H9 Canada Tel. No.: +1 (888) 668-6059, +1 (778) 889-3518 | Email: info@canadianinquirer.net, sales@canadianinquirer.net Philippine Canadian Inquirer is published weekly every Friday.

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PRESIDENT AQUINO on Tuesday made a private visit to the old detention cell of his father, martyred opposition leader Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., at Army headquarters in Fort Bonifacio in what seemed to be a continuation of the outgoing Commander in Chief’s sentimental wrap-up of his six-year term at noon of June 30.

Last week, the President was at the detention cell of his father and fellow inmate, the late human rights lawyer Jose “Pepe” Diokno, at Fort Magsaysay in Laur, Nueva Ecija, where he also shot the video for his “Never Forget/Never Again” Independence Day speech that was a reminder of the abuses of martial law and how the Filipino people fought to regain their freedoms that the dictator Ferdinand Marcos curtailed.

And even earlier, two weeks after the May 9 elections, he recalled in an exclusive INQUIRER interview how his father sang his favorite song, “Impossible Dream (The Quest),” while in detention at Fort Bonifacio.

It was the most popular song from the 1965 Broadway musical “Man of La Mancha,” but for Ninoy Aquino, it was his hymn, his inspiration to rise up against martial law along with many other Filipinos.

But more than taking on a nostalgic journey down memory lane, President Aquino may very well be preparing himself for the continuing battle to preserve the country’s hard-won democracy.

The President admitted that he always finds himself absorbed in the song whenever he hears “The Impossible Dream.”

‘Full of gusto’

“It’s the image of my father singing inside his cell in Fort Bonifacio,” Mr. Aquino said. “I don’t know if I had a thin ear but I thought he was singing it correctly. Then my sister said he was singing off tune ...

But up to this day, I think he sang it well.”

The President said his father sang the song “full of gusto.”

“You can relish the lyrics ... ‘Beat the unbeatable foe.’ My father was alone in his cell. He shared his thoughts by writing them ... Then we will mimeograph and pass them on wondering how many will be able to read it? ‘Face the Nation’ (a defunct TV show) was the only time he faced the public (while incarcerated).

How do people not forget him? All the powers of the state were used against him,” Mr. Aquino said. “‘Reach the unreachable star’... With everything that had happened and he is singing it full of conviction. It was inspiring,” the President said.

But while his detained father sang the song, Mr. Aquino, now 56, said he also asked himself: “Is this our life from the

President Benigno S. Aquino III.

foreseeable future? When will it change?”

The only son of democracy icons Ninoy and Cory Aquino might still not have the answer to that, even 33 years after his father’s assassination at the Manila International Airport (Mia) and 30 years after the bloodless Edsa People Power Revolution that ousted the Marcoses and catapulted his mother to the presidency.

Just as President Aquino is about to step down from office, the son and namesake of the dictator, Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., is finding himself getting special treatment from incoming President, Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte, who won the presidential elections with a commanding 16 million votes, is also unequivocal in his promise to impose a curfew on the nation, kill tens of thousands of suspected criminals outside the justice system, and restore the death penalty, saying that he wants public executions by hanging until the heads are severed.

Duterte, 71, had also slammed the country’s longstanding allies like the United Nations, United States and Australia for supposedly meddling in Philippine politics.

Wearing his trademark yellow shirt with black accent, President Aquino stayed for about 15 minutes inside his father’s 4x5meter room inside Building No. 2 at the Legazpi Compound, which now houses the Army’s Intelligence Support Group.

It was here where Ninoy was incarcerated from Aug. 27, 1973 until 1980, when he was allowed by Marcos to seek medical treatment in the United States where the Aquino family lived in self-exile for three years.

Happy, sad moments

Malacañang said the President “recalled the happy and sad moments” that they shared as a family while visiting his father in detention.

Official photographs showed the cell having a cot, a table and chairs, shelves lined with books, and even a makeshift kitchen, among others. On two walls were enlarged black-andwhite photo-

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graphs of Ninoy taken while he was inside the room.

Another Palace picture showed Mr. Aquino pulling away the curtains and looking out the window, revealing how the iron bars became a reminder that despite a seemingly harmless room, his father was in prison.

Vintage photographs

Defense Chief Voltaire Gazmin, who was Ninoy’s former jailguard, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, Army chief Lt. Gen. Eduardo Año and other military officials accompanied the President.

Mr. Aquino also took a look at some of their family’s blackand-white photographs at the Army camp.

One showed the President’s mother, a young and smiling Cory seated beside her husband who had youngest daughter Kris on his lap, while the older children gathered around the table that was placed in what looked like a gymnasium.

Outside the detention cell, Mr. Aquino tried to remember where his father used to jog but a swimming pool had already been constructed in the area.

At Fort Magsaysay on Friday, the President spent three hours at the AquinoDiokno Shrine.

On Independence Day, in an address to the nation that he made at the traditional reception for the diplomatic corps in Malacañang, Mr. Aquino asked everyone to watch the video with the “eyes and mind” of a 13-year-old—his age when martial law was declared and his father had given him the arduous task of taking care of his mother Cory and his four sisters.

As powerful as it was poignant, the video revisited the hardships that his father and Diokno underwent in the hands of the dictator Marcos.

It also showed a photo of Ninoy lying bloodied and dead at the airport’s tarmac.

The video ended with clips showing a jubilant Filipino nation at the Edsa People Power Revolution.

Malacañang officials said the video and the message to preserve democracy were entirely President Aquino’s idea. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

9

This time, cops more watchful at Pasay party; 4 held for drugs

BY KRISTINE FELISSE MANGUNAY Philippine Daily Inquirer UNDERCOVER POLICEMEN deployed at the venue of a dance party in Pasay City arrested four people for alleged drug possession in the wee hours of Saturday.

The tight security enforced at the Innovation White Party, held at the World Trade Center (WTC) on Gil Puyat Avenue, came in the wake of the May 21 rave concert staged also in Pasay where five partygoers collapsed and died. Autopsies and toxicology tests later confirmed that four of the fatalities took party drugs whose damaging effects on their internal organs were enhanced by alcohol.

Incoming President Rodrigo Duterte then called the deaths that marred the Closeup Forever Summer Concert a “failure of intelligence” on the part of law enforcers.

For Saturday’s event, no less than the Pasay police chief served as the ground commander.

The Southern Police District (SPD) identified those arrested as Marc Dexter Chua, 28, of Culiat, Quezon City; Leah Lyn Eugenio Reyes, 31, of Taytay, Rizal province; Shielumiel Natividad Calica, 18, of Calamba, Laguna province, and Nicolo Yulo Franco, 28.

Supt. Jenny Tecson, the SPD spokesperson, said they were arrested separately by lawmen who were posted at the WTC for the party, an event organized by Big Fish International.

The arrests were made between

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midnight and 3:30 a.m.

Around 100 personnel from the SPD and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, plus bouncers tapped by the organizer, conducted tight checks at the entry and exit points, Tecson said. K-9 units were also deployed.

In a report, the SPD said Chua and Reyes were each

found carrying a pill suspected to be ecstasy; Calica, a student, yielded drug paraphernalia with “traces of marijuana.”

Franco, whowas described as a designer, was found keeping a green capsule and 11 tablets believed to be ecstasy.

The four remained in detention at the SPD headquarters in Taguig

City at press time to face charges for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. According to Senior Supt.

Joel Doria, the Pasay police chief who also served as ground commander, what was different about Saturday’s dance party was that the organizers allowed the police full access.

“All of us were allowed inside.

Even our uniformed policemen were there. Some of my men said they also saw (National Bureau of Investigation) men inside,” Doria said.

Tecson added that the organizers and bouncers fully cooperated with the police. “The arrests at the World Trade Center were the result of our comprehensive security plan implemented during special events or occasions.” ■

CHR backs ‘full force’ against Abu Sayyaf 5,000 soldiers pour into 3 towns in Sulu

BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer THE COMMISSION on Human Rights (CHR) on Saturday expressed support for the government’s campaign to “apply the full force of the law” against the Abu Sayyaf bandits who beheaded two Canadian hostages in recent weeks.

The CHR deplored the killing of Robert Hall and John Ridsdel by the terrorist group operating in Western Mindanao, joining calls for the immediate arrest and prosecution of their murderers.

“The CHR condemns these killings and other terrorist acts of the [Abu Sayyaf ] in the strongest possible terms and reiterates that kidnapping, illegal detention and murder are grave violations of a human’s right to life, liberty and security and should not be tolerated in a just, humane and democratic country like ours,” the commission said in a statement.

“These despicable acts of the [Abu Sayyaf ] have no place in a civilized society,” according to the CHR, whose chair Jose Luis Martin Gascon has spoken out against proposals to reinstate the death penalty for heinous crimes.

The CHR said it supported the campaign of the national government to apply the “full force of the law, arrest all perpetrators of these heinous crimes, bring them before the bar of justice, and to ensure accountability.”

It also extended its condolences to the families of Hall and Ridsdel, who were beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf after the Canadian government refused to pay ransom of P600 million.

Last Monday, Abu Sayyaf bandits beheaded Hall after they failed to get the P300-million ransom they had demanded. Another Canadian, John Ridsdel, suffered the same fate on April 25.

A Filipino, Maritess Flor, and a Norwegian, Kjartan Sekkingstad, are still being held by the Abu Sayyaf. All of the hostages, including the Canadians, were kidnapped from a small marina on Samal Island in Davao del Norte province on Sept. 21 last year.

The CHR voiced concern for Flor and Sekkingstad and urged the government “to exert all efforts to secure their freedom and safety.”

In Zamboanga City, Maj. Filemon Tan Jr., spokesperson for the Western Mindanao command, said troops were pursuing the Abu Sayyaf bandits in

three municipalities in Sulu but that no encounter had yet taken place.

He said one town covered an area of about 40 square kilometers.

Tan admitted that the estimated 5,000 troops involved in the operation might not be enough.

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“It’s very important that we have solid information. We cannot just conduct an operation that is not focused. It has to be intel-driven, meaning we should know something first before we act,” he said.

Tan also underscored the

importance of cooperation from the local communities or “nothing will happen.”

“We are closely monitoring.

There might be people who are acting as spies and we are looking into that possibility,” he said. ■

10

Philippine News

Duterte, Robredo: Tale of two inaugurations

BY THELMA SIOSON Philippine Daily Inquirer FOR THE first time in contemporary Philippines, the President-elect will be sworn in at Malacañang, and the outgoing President will be given departure honors also at the Palace.

It could be a most touching ceremony for both the outgoing and incoming heads of state.

And one hopes that such symbolic and historic rites also augur unity for the country after a most divisive election.

On June 30, around 11 a.m., incoming President Rodrigo Duterte will arrive at Malacañang and will be received by President Aquino at the President’s Hall on the second floor of the Palace.

They will have a talk for a few minutes.

Mr. Aquino walks to his vehicle and sets to drive out of the Palace grounds. His successor, Duterte, sees him off.

Then Duterte returns to the Palace, walks down the Ceremonial Hall and on to the grand Rizal Hall, where he will be sworn in at noon.

Around 500 guests are invited to the Duterte inauguration.

A native fare is being prepared consisting of mongo soup with smoked fish and alugbati, gambas, melba toast, lumpiang ubod, beef adobo on rice, inasal and native desserts.

These preparations are pending the approval of Duterte.

VP’s inauguration

Vice President-elect Leni Robredo will be inaugurated at the so-called “Boracay Mansion” in New Manila, Quezon City.

Her inauguraThe plan And one tion, according Various sourchopes that to sources, will es told the INsuch symbolic be around 10:30 QUIRER that and historic a.m. according to the rites also Boracay Manplan proposed augur unity for sion, built durto Duterte, the the country ing the adminincoming Presiafter a most istration of dent will get off divisive President Johis car at the side election. seph Estrada, is lobby of the Palbeing prepared ace. for the event and The sources fitted out to be said this was in the office of Rokeeping with tradition—that bredo, who has decided not to the President does not walk up hold office at Coconut Palace the grand stairway of the Palace used by Vice President Jejountil he is sworn in. mar Binay.

If he chooses to, Mr. Aquino The mansion is a huge may welcome Duterte right at sprawl, at more than 7,000 the side lobby as the incoming square meters. Originally, sand President gets off his car and, from the resort island Boracay together, they will proceed to were trucked in to replicate the the President’s Hall. beachfront around the swimTheir talk over shortly be- ming pool. fore noon, Mr. Aquino will walk Today, however, the property down to the Palace grounds, ac- is in need of repair and refurcompanied by Duterte. bishment.

Awaiting them there is a forIts marble interior can acmation of the commanders and commodate only about 150 the ceremonial troops of the people.

Armed Forces of the PhilipTherefore, preparations are pines. being done to set up chairs and Mr. Aquino reviews the tables in the garden to accomtroops for the last time as Com- modate the crowd of 500 exmander in Chief. pected to attend Robredo’s inThe departure honors done, auguration. ■

JUNE 24, 2016

FRIDAY

Aiza as Rody’s arts-culture point man

BY LITO B. ZULUETA Philippine Daily Inquirer AIZA SEGUERRA surprised the arts and culture community by attending last Wednesday the sectoral consultation set by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts to formulate the “arts and culture agenda” (the phrase used in the NCCA invitation) for the next six years covering the term of President-elect Rodrigo Duterte. Of course, she created quite a stir and fueled speculations that she would be named commissioner of the NCCA. Such excogitations may have some credence in them while also tending to go overboard and miss the point.

Credence because Seguerra’s presence in the NCCA meeting should show that since she was close to the new president (she had campaigned for him last summer), she might be given the arts and culture portfolio in the next administration.

Overboard because Seguerra had, in fact, been invited by the NCCA. She said she could help advise the new president on reforms that might be needed in the arts and culture sector.

In short, her presence was part of the learning phase of the new administration.

Mayor Evasco

How serious the new government was in improving the arts and culture regime was indicated by the presence not only of the former child actor and now acoustic music superstar, but also of Maribojoc, Bohol, Mayor Leoncio Evasco, Duterte’s campaign manager and incoming Cabinet secretary.

Even before the start of the NCCA culture summit last June 13, Evasco met over breakfast with NCCA officials such as acting Executive Director Adelina Suemith.

It was a “getting-to-knowyou session,” said an official.

The workings of the NCCA, according to the law that created it, Republic Act No. 7356, and its implementing rules, mean that if the new administration would like to make personnel changes in the composition of the board, they would have to come through changes in the leaderships of line agencies whose heads are ex-officio www.canadianinquirer.net

Singer-composer Aiza Seguerra.

members of the NCCA board.

Malacañang, however, cannot immediately touch the four subcommissions that represent the private sector—the artists and culture workers themselves —in the board.

The incumbent officers of the national committees that make up the subcommissions end their three-year terms in December. The committees themselves elect their own officers, whose heads will elect the chairmanships of the subcommissions.

Only then can Malacañang choose among the four subcommission heads and the exofficio officers whom to name NCCA chair.

Himself a musician like Seguerra, Felipe de Leon, the incumbent NCCA chair, is head of the Subcommission on the Arts. He is not eligible for reelection and will end his term in December.

During the summit, Seguerra joined the workshop on “legislative agenda,” in which this writer, as an arts and culture journalist-editor and former head of the NCCA National Committee on Literary Arts, also took part.

Workers, IP rights

Seguerra suggested legislative initiatives to improve the conditions of workers in the entertainment and performing arts, particularly television and movies. She expressed the concern in light of the sudden deaths due to heart attack last March of TV and movie directors Wenn Deramas and Francis Pasion.

With filmmaker William Mayo and film archivist Teddy Kho, Seguerra pushed for amendments in the Labor Code to extend government protection to entertainment workers.

Chaired by lawyer Trixie Angeles, our workshop team also pushed for the rescinding of

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executive orders that empowered the Department of Budget and Management to control the National Endowment Fund for Culture and the Arts contrary to the law that created it.

No to Dep’t of Culture

Our team expressed its opposition to the proposed establishment of a Department of Culture, arguing that arts and culture should “not be politicized.”

We instead proposed that the NCCA be elevated into a constitutional commission, along the lines of the Commission on Human Rights and the standard three commissions in the charter (Elections, Audit, Civil Service).

We also resolved to push for the protection of indigenous peoples (IP) in light of killings of leaders of the lumad in Mindanao and cultural communities elsewhere over mining and even tourism interests.

It is to the credit of Seguerra that she introduced to the discussion the dangerous situation facing the IPs. We told her that since President-elect Duterte was from Mindanao, she should remind him of how mining interests might be dangerously encroaching on the ancestral domain rights of the lumad and the cultural communities.

Toward the end of the meeting, we invited her to join any of the national committees so she could more formally and effectively press for reforms in the arts and culture sector.

Asked if she would like to join either the National Committee on Music or the National Committee on Cinema, Seguerra surprised everyone with her reply.

She said she would like to join the Subcommission on Cultural Communities and Traditional Arts, the better for her to work for IP rights protection.

Really, Aiza, we’re now your No. 1 fan. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

11

Leni ‘feels at home’ but ‘Bistek’ unhappy

BY ERIKA SAULER Philippine Daily Inquirer VICE PRESIDENT-ELECT Leni Robredo “felt very much at home” the moment she stepped inside what used to be the controversial “Boracay Mansion” in Quezon City.

But even before she moves in at the former opulent residence at No. 100, 11th Street, in New Manila on June 30, it’s quietly causing a stir at City Hall.

Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte’s offer for Robredo to hold office at the property, now called the Quezon City Reception House, was made without the prior knowledge of Mayor Herbert Bautista, according to a city official close to the mayor.

The Reception House, originally called the Quezon City Executive House, was a pet project of the mayor and was intended to be the official residence of the local executive.

“It’s his baby,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the INQUIRER. “The mayor was unaware that the vice mayor offered the Executive House to Leni. He could no longer object because he would look like the villain.”

Bautista, a party mate of Robredo and Belmonte, was unavailable for comment yesterday. He did not respond to text messages and calls by the INQUIRER. But, Belmonte said, the mayor was aware of it.

“We cannot do anything without the blessing and permission of the mayor. It’s really his pet project. The mayor loves this, he oversaw it himself. We really had to make sure that we got his blessing [to lease the property].

All those times he said it’s OK, it would be an honor for the city to host the OVP (Office of the Vice President),” Belmonte told the INQUIRER on Friday.

Bautista would have to pack

up his belongings from the Reception House before June 30 when Robredo’s team is supposed to move in.

“We’ll have to instruct the mayor to remove his personal belongings there. We have no choice. The Vice President is higher than the mayor,” City Administrator Aldrin Cuña said during a city council hearing on a resolution authorizing a lease contract between the city government and the OVP on Wednesday.

The 7,145-square-meter property once boasted of amansion and a wave pool—a kind of swimming pool equipped with a machine that produces artificial waves.

It was said to be once the residence of then President Joseph Estrada’s mistress, one-time starlet Laarni Enriquez, with whom he has three children.

After it was foreclosed and demolished by the city government, a two-story Mediterranean-style building was constructed. The white sand pool had been covered with concrete and now serves as parking area.

Perhaps, the only remnant of its former splendor was the grand staircase incorporated in the new structure. Construction began in 2013.

It was Belmonte who offered this to the team of Robredo, who loathed the idea of holding office in the ostentatious Coconut Palace by Manila Bay. “Ma’am Leni liked it. Since it’s custom-made for the city government and the seal of the city is a triangle and the seal of the Office of the Vice President is also a triangle, she felt very much at home,” Belmonte said.

“And the house is very presentable, very appropriate for somebody of her stature, but it’s very simple and not intimidating for those in the fringes of society whom she wants to serve,” she added.

Robredo and her team have

Vice president-elect Leni Robredo.

thrice visited the Reception House. Robredo even brought along a feng shui expert who gave advice on the doorway positions and which crystals to put up to block bad energy, the vice mayor said.

The city council on Wednesday passed on first reading a resolution authorizing the mayor to enter into a contract with the OVP for the lease of the Executive House.

The resolution, filed by Councilor Julienne Alyson Rae Medalla on June 1, is expected to be approved on second and third reading on Monday, the last session day of outgoing councilors.

The rate for the lease could not be determined yet since the Reception House is only 80-percent complete, and has not been turned over by the contractor, Marigold Development Corp., to the city government, Cuña said.

Only after the turnover could the Commission on Audit (COA) appraise the property and prescribe a rate for the lease, he said.

“The basis for determination of the price of the lease contract shall be based on the appraised value of the property. The problem is the property cannot be

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appraised yet for its final value because the property is not yet complete and it is not yet accepted by the city as a completed project,” Cuña told the INQUIRER. “Until such time that the project is completed, and the COA appraises the property as to its value then that’s the time the COA will prescribe the appropriate rate of lease. Anything lower than the prescribed rate of the COA is considered disadvantageous to the government,” he added.

Because of the issues raised

by Cuña during the city council hearing, the councilors sought Bautista’s opinion and the latter confirmed he was in favor of the contract.

During the period of amendments, a clause stating that the mayor “graciously offered the 7,145 sq mproperty” to the OVP was eventually deleted.

Otherwise, documentary requirements for the turnover, such as fire, sanitary and occupancy permits, have been completed, Belmonte said.

“The COA later told us we can be the one to decide the rate since it’s a government-to-government contract. The price is not an issue for the city gov-

ernment because we never intended to make money from it.

We would’ve lent it for free, but it’s not allowed,” Belmonte said.

Boyet Dy, head of Robredo’s transition team, said they were willing to pay half of the rate for Coconut Palace, where outgoing Vice President Jejomar Binay held office, Belmonte said.

The price and other terms of the lease would be the subject of the mayor’s negotiation with the OVP, she said.

“I hope the term Boracay Mansion would be erased from people’s minds because it has a stigma of corruption and opulence. I don’t want VP Leni to be associated with something like that because it’s not her personality,” Belmonte said.

The property was forfeited in favor of the city government for nonpayment of real property taxes, according to Regina Samson, head of the Office of the Mayor’s Communications Coordination Center.

“The place became a problem because it was abandoned.

There was an infestation of rats and mosquitoes, especially since there was a pool.

The neighbors complained. We tried to trace the ownership.

St. Peter Holdings seemed to be the owner but they did not present themselves when the place was being assessed,” Samson said in an interview.

The Executive House, which features Machuca tiles, also displays the portraits of previous city mayors.

The second floor has five rooms that were meant to be the living quarters of visiting dignitaries and other VIP guests of the city.

The ground floor hosted the Christmas party of the city department heads in 2015. Several meetings have been also conducted in its conference room.

On Monday, Bautista is set to hold a press conference in the Quezon City Reception House. ■

12

Philippine News

JUNE 24, 2016

FRIDAY

Duterte assures business leaders to push reforms in government PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY DAVAO CITY — President-elect Rodrigo Duterte will review the 10-point recommendations designed help push inclusive growth and move things forward under his administration as he vowed to push reforms in government.

But in a gist, Duterte told business leaders he never doubted his economic managers that they will work as team in fulfilling their “wish list” for his administration.

“I will study and review (your recommendations),” Duterte told business leaders at the two-day Economic Forum dubbed: “Sulong Pilipinas” held at the SMX Convention Center that was attended by more than 450 delegates representing the Philippines’ major business organizations.

He promised to push reforms in government, reiterating he wants a stop to corruption and provide a good climate for business by restoring peace and order in the streets and step-up drive versus criminality and drugs.

Duterte pointed out that his peace and order drive is anchored on his principle that there can be no progress unless there is no law and order “Let me be brutal about this… corruption must stop now. I am addressing this to all Filipinos if you want to do something for your country. Corruption really makes me sick,” he emphasized.

Duterte said it would be zero tolerance on graft and criminality.

This developed after the businessmen presented to him at the conclusion of the forum a “wish list” for his administration ranging from compre-

hensive tax rate reductions to a national ID system. The recommendations were the products from the workshops of 10 breakout groups.

The first five of the 10-point recommendation was presented by Jorge Barcelon of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).

On top of the wish list is the Comprehensive tax reform package including the reduction of corporate and personal income taxes as well as lower capital gains tax rates patterned after the taxation systems of Singapore and Hong Kong.

Barcelon said that to compensate for the deficit resulting from reduced tax rates, they have to increase excise taxes by expanding the definition of luxury goods.

Second is a push on a National ID System as a pressing need that will allow government agencies to provide more targeted social services and prevent double-counting or leakage. The system is expected to improve access health, education, food, shelter, and conditional cash transfer programs, aside from enhancing peace and order.

Third is the automation and streamlining of processes at the local and national levels to reduce processing time for permits and bottlenecks in land titling. Other suggestion are the expansion of the “single window” concept, extension of validity for various licenses, and use of “negative confirmation” for government approvals aimed to cut red tape.

Fourth, businessmen want an improvement of Internet and telecom services by amending the existing telecommunication law or Republic Act 7925 as a priority along with the passage of a law to regulate wire-

Less than two weeks before incoming President Rodrigo R. Duterte takes his oath of office at noon of June 30, Digong Duterte Supporters (DDS) from Metro Manila have put up welcome streamers leading to Malacanang.

JOEY O. RAZON / PNA

less/mobile internet services to make the competitive with the ASEAN neighbors.

Barcelon said they were also recommending the creation of internet cooperative in farflung areas similar to existing electric coops to ensure enhanced connectivity.

The fifth is the support to service for farmers. Barcelon said they proposed the adoption of value-chain development in rural-based enterprises, including agriculture and mariculture.

He said that in order to recognize the vast untapped potential of the agri-sector, they recommended a support system through financing, technology, and logistics to raise rural productivity and employment.

Meanwhile, the next five recommendations which were presented by Vicente Lao of the Mindanao Business Council included the value-added, responsible mining.

Lao said the forum participants wanted the next administration to limit and gradually eliminate the export of mineral ore. Instead, they recommended a shift to value-added processing that would facilitate a strong domestic mineral prod-

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ucts industry.

Seventh is the development of regional industries. Lao said there was a need for a national strategy to determine sectors where the country has the greatest competitive advantage and optimize the value of our land, people, and other resources. Delegates suggested an action plan to identify industry clusters and regions where SMEs should locate to avail of lower transport, energy, and logistics costs.

Eighth is the improvement of transport networks to address the clamor to fast-track infrastructure projects nationwide.

Lao said priority should be the development of regional airports, seaports, and mass transit projects such as the NorthSouth Railway, C-6 Expressway, Cebu Bus Rapid Transit, and Davao Port projects.

Ninth is the review of the Conditional Cash Transfer, which has been perceived as a program that promotes dependency on government.

Businessmen saw the need to review the CCT to allow for long-term intervention that teaches the poor to catch fish rather than receive dole-outs.

Participants suggested enhanc-

ing social protection initiatives through skills development, cash for work, livelihood projects, among others.

And the tenth is the reduction of bottlenecks in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) and respect for contracts.

Lao said concrete measures should be made to remove roadblocks preventing speedy implementation of vital infra projects, such as right-of-way issues and lack of synergy between LGUs and national government agencies. Delegates want an assurance from the incoming administration that existing and future contracts will be honored.

Given this, both Barcelon and Lao echoed the support of the business sector to his administration even assuring Duterte that they were ready to lend a hand.

“You are the captain of the ship. We are committed to help.

Call us if you want us to go on board,” Barcelon urged.

“You can be the signal and the whole country will follow,” Lao said. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

US superforce patrolling PH Sea

Duterte seen...

City mayor’s executive assistant, Christopher Go. Go did not specify Duterte’s reason for his choice, but both Reyes and Duterte are graduates of San Beda College of Law. They are also members of the same fraternity, Lex Talionis.

Duterte had earlier appointed schoolmates to his Cabinet: Vitaliano Aguirre as secretary of justice and Arthur Tugade as transportation and communications secretary.

Presidents traditionally take their oath of office before the Chief Justice. But President Aquino famously broke tradition in 2010 when he took his oath of office before then Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio Morales in protest against what he believed was the midnight appointment of then Chief Justice Renato Corona.

But Mr. Aquino kept the tradition of being inaugurated at Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park. ❰❰ 1

Malacañang rites

Duterte is the first to break that tradition since Vice President Carlos P. Garcia, who first assumed the presidency through succession following the sudden death of President Ramon Magsaysay. He took his oath on March 17, 1957, in the Council of State Room at Malacañang’s Executive Building.

Duterte’s inauguration will

BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer

President-elect Rodrigo "Rody" Duterte.

be held at Rizal Hall, the largest room in the Palace where special state events are held.

The President-elect has refused to be inaugurated together with Vice President-elect Leni Robredo, who belongs to a different political party.

But former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. yesterday said Duterte and Robredo should be jointly inaugurated as a symbol of unity after the highly divisive national elections.

“It will relay the message to the people that the President and the Vice President, even if they belong to different parties, have one common goal and that is the good of the people,” Pimentel, chair emeritus of Duterte’s party, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban), told re-

FACEBOOK PHOTO

porters.

Incoming Presidential Communications Operations Office head Martin Andanar said Cabinet members would take their oaths together during Duterte’s inauguration.

‘Maruya,’ coco juice

Up to 500 guests, including foreign diplomats and lawmakers, will be invited to the event.

Andanar said maruya— fried battered cardava banana—and coconut juice would be served for snacks.

He said Duterte’s speech was already being prepared, and that the incoming President might use a teleprompter. The longtime mayor of Davao City is used to speaking extemporaneously and is notorious for profanitylaced rhetoric. ■

PNP chief orders probe on Negros cop used as target in firing PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — PNP Chief Director General Ricardo Marquez ordered an investigation into a viral video posted in social media account showing a policeman getting hit after being used as a live target purportedly by his superior officer in a firing range in Negros Occidental.

“The regional director orders the conduct of an investigation. When shots are fired and may casualty, dapat may investigation na mangyayari (When

13

shots are fired and there are casualties, there should be an investigation),” said Marquez.

He added that there was no such training in PNP, otherwise it should be for the special units.

“Hindi ko maimagine kung anong purpose nung ganung klaseng activity dahil wala naman ngayon sa regular training ng PNP… ginagawa [ang confidence firing] sa mga special units at hindi naman sya special unit so an investigation should be already underway (I cannot imagine what will be the purpose of such activities because

it is not included in the current regular training of the PNP… It is reserved for special units and he is not part of such so an investigation is definitely due),” the PNP Chief explained.

The incident happened last May 19 in Victorias City in Negros Occidental were PO1 Marvin Gustilo was fixing a target board when the gun used by Supt. Frederick Mead accidentally went off.

Gustillo dropped to his knees after he was hit by a bullet in the leg and the bullet was allegedly fired by Mead using an M16 assault rifle. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

TWO US supercarrier groups have started operations in the Philippine Sea, in what the Philippine government said was a demonstration of Washington’s “ironclad commitment” as the world awaits a ruling by a United Nations tribunal on Manila’s petition to invalidate China’s so-called nine-dash line in the South China Sea. “It is a show of how invested they are to the cause of peace, freedom and stability in our region and how resolute they are in their ironclad commitment to the Philippines,” Defense spokesperson Peter Paul Galvez told the INQUIRER by phone.

The Nimitz-class supercarriers USS Ronald Reagan and the USS John C. Stennis strike groups commenced “dual carrier flight operations” in the Philippine Sea yesterday, although Galvez clarified they were not within the country’s territorial waters.

The US Pacific Command statement was accompanied by stunning photos of the two US Navy aircraft carriers and its Great Green Fleet, an initiative to use alternative fuel for its military ships that was launched earlier this year.

Multiple strike group

“The ships and aircraft assigned to both strike groups began coordinated operations in international waters demonstrating the United States’ unique capability to operate multiple carrier strike groups in close proximity,” the US Pacific Command said in a statement.

“While at sea, the strike groups conducted air defense drills, sea surveillance, replenishments at sea, defensive air combat training, long range strikes, coordinated maneuvers and other exercises,” it added.

The apparent show of force comes as The Hague-based UN arbitral tribunal is expected to hand down its verdict soon, a ruling largely expected to favor the Philippines. China, however, has steadfastly refused to take part in the proceedings.

China claims some 90 percent of the 1.35-million-squaremile South China Sea, while the

Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan claim parts of it. The overlapping claims have caused tensions in the sea region.

Rear Adm. John Alexander, commander of Battle Force 7th Fleet and Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 5, said the operations “is a great opportunity for us to train in a high end scenario.”

“We must take advantage of these opportunities to practice war fighting techniques that are required to prevail in modern naval operations,” Alexander said.

Rear Adm. Marcus Hitchcock, commander of CSG 3, added that “no other Navy can concentrate this much combat power on one sea or synchronize the activities of over 12,000 sailors, 140 aircraft, six combatants and two carriers.”

‘Truly impressive’

“It is truly impressive, and it is an important operational capability,” Hitchcock said.

The statement said the CSG 3 consists of the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis, guidedmissile cruiser USS Mobile Bay and guided-missile destroyers of Destroyer Squadron 21, USS Stockdale, USS Chung-Hoon and USS William P. Lawrence, and the aircraft of Carrier Air Wing 9. CSG 3 began operating in the Western Pacific on Feb. 4.

The CSG 5 consists of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, guided-missile cruisers USS Shiloh and USS Chancellorsville and guided-missile destroyers from Destroyer Squadron 15, USS Curtis Wilbur, USS McCampbell, USS Benfold, and the aircraft of Carrier Air Wing 5.

CSG 5 is forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan, and routinely patrols the Western Pacific, the statement said, adding that CSG 5 commenced its summer patrol of the Indo-Asia Pacific on June 4.

The US Pacific Command statement stressed that the US, as a “Pacific nation and a Pacific leader… has a national interest in maintaining security and prosperity, the peaceful resolution of disputes, unimpeded lawful commerce, and adherence to freedom of navigation and overflight throughout the shared domains of the IndoAsia Pacific.” ■

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JUNE 24, 2016

FRIDAY

PUBLIC LIVES

Would Rizal have chosen federalism?

By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer THERE ARE suggestions that, recognizing the archipelagic nature of the country and the disparate cultures that thrived in it, Jose Rizal would have proposed a federal system of government for an independent Filipino nation.

Indeed, federalism might have appealed to those who, in the closing years of Spanish rule, were eager to kick out the foreigners but did not necessarily wish to come under the control of a dominant ethnic group.

Rizal was certainly aware of the persistence of strong regional identities in the country. But, instead of building a political system along the existing fault lines of ethnic segmentation, he was more concerned with “unit[ing] the whole Archipelago into one compact, vigorous, and homogenous body.” This is the first line under statement of purpose in the draft constitution he wrote for the Liga Filipina, a political organization that anticipated the broad structures of a Filipino government.

The Liga, a cross between a political party and a self-help cooperative, was overtly reformist in vision, but the organizational infrastructure it laid out could as easily have served as the vehicle for revolution. Its ultimate purpose

was clearly to prepare the Filipino not supposed to be an illegal or should be made as much as pospeople for active citizenship in the underground association. And yet, sible at the level closest to the citimodern project of self-govern- interestingly, its activities were zens, and that only those that the ment. supposed to be kept secret. Every local level cannot meaningfully This meant, in the first instance, member was required to adopt a carry out on its own should be encultivating in the people a capacity new name, while keeping his true trusted to the higher levels. to differentiate political roles from name hidden and known only to The Liga constitution provided ethnolinguistic loyalties, and to the secretary of his council. for three such levels of authorperform duties and rights in a poThe adoption of an alias might ity: the popular councils, the prolitical organization independently have been rationalized as a securi- vincial councils, and a Supreme of the diffused norms and obliga- ty measure. But its latent function, Council. The Supreme Council is tions that bound them to a feudal it seems to me, must have been to composed of all the chiefs of the social order. encourage members to value their provincial councils, while the proRizal was a modern thinker. The political identity and to keep this vincial council is made up of all the draft constitution of the Liga con- separate and autonomous from chiefs of the popular or town countained provisions that might have their other affiliations in everyday cils. initially appeared strange to those life.

“The Supreme Council controls to whom he presented it. The sevI doubt if Rizal was a federalist. the whole Liga and communicates enth paragraph directly with the on organization chiefs of the proRizal would have resolutely opposed political dynasties embodied an emvincial councils and warlords. At the same time, he intended the organization to phatic wish for and the popular be a laboratory for the emancipation of Filipinos from the scourge members to rise councils. The proof poverty, illiteracy, and economic stagnation. above their ethnic vincial council or tribal identities: controls the chiefs “Each provincial council and popu- Nothing in his writings suggests of the popular councils. The popular council should adopt a name that he believed in complicating lar council alone has control over different from that of the locality the task of building a unified and its members.” or region.” It was a first step toward strong nation by making space for More than independence from building a homogenous nation, the creation of autonomous re- Spain, the basic impulse that anirather than a federation of tribes. gional governments. He was wary mated the establishment of the Rizal was quite open about the that other big powers could easily Liga had to do with the protection formation of the Liga. It may be take over the islands by exploiting of the ordinary citizen from arbiassumed that he was aware that internal dissensions, once Spain trary power—i.e., from violence and the Spaniards knew what he was relinquished control over them. injustice. Rizal would have resoup to, since he was recruiting inHowever, he appeared to sub- lutely opposed political dynasties fluential people into the organiza- scribe to the principle of subsid- and warlords. At the same time, he tion. In other words, the Liga was iarity—the notion that decisions intended the organization to be a

laboratory for the emancipation of Filipinos from the scourge of poverty, illiteracy, and economic stagnation. These were the values that were uppermost in his mind when he drew the constitution of the Liga.

One hundred and 24 years after Rizal envisioned the nation that would be built on the foundations of the Liga, we are nowhere near the democratic and prosperous society that he imagined our country could be. This has little to do with the form of government.

It has everything to do with the feudal social structure, at the root of which is a property system that has consigned more than half of the population to a life of perpetual deprivation, dependence, and ignorance.

The unitary nation-state that arose from the dissolution of the monarchical empires was a fresh idea in Rizal’s time. Today, it has lost much of its sheen. In a globalized world where the levers of meaningful economic power and initiative lie outside the reach of national governments, it has become fashionable to talk of subnational states improving their lot by linking up directly with the global system. It is an illusion.

Federalism will not solve poverty and inequality, simply because it does not touch the real center. It only redraws the periphery. ■

ANALYSIS

Duterte, media in a test of wills

By Amando Doronila Philippine Daily Inquirer CANBERRA—Let there be no mistake about this. Since his proclamation by Congress as President-elect, Rodrigo Duterte has engaged the media in a relentless campaign of coercion and harassment to browbeat journalists into submission before he takes office on June 30.

The interregnum marked an unprecedented test of wills between the presidency and the media, a ferocity not experienced by any incoming administration in the history of the adversarial relationship between the two social institutions.

The conflict has entered an impasse from which none of the protagonists appears to be backing off.

No incoming President has mounted such a dangerous challenge to the media since the dictatorship of President Ferdinand Marcos.

In that conflict, journalists critical of the abuses of power by Marcos survived 14 years of the martial

law regime, which jailed a number of its critics.

None of the critics was threatened with summary executions by squads sponsored by nonstate law enforcement actors.

inals, drug lords and corrupt officials demonized by partisan propaganda as enemies of the state.

One of the recent media reports comes from The Associated Press (AP). In this story, Duterte is reported to have blasted media groups for condemning his earlier comments that appeared to justify the killings of journalists because they were corrupt or overly critical.

The journalists were depicted

ahead, damn you!”

The outburst came after international and local news groups expressed outrage over Duterte’s remarks about the media killings.

Reporters Without Borders urged local media to boycott his Under siege news conferences until he issues a In this running conflict, freedom public apology. of the press has come under siege Duterte replied that he would and has in fact suffered erosion survive even if journalists boycotwithout the formal declaration of ted him because he could ask stateemergency powers run TV network to of a burgeoning, ascover his activities.

Duterte’s crass pronouncements not only sully the piring dictatorship, “I’m telling the memories of journalists who have been murdered since 1986, as Duterte awaits networks I do not the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said. his inauguration. need you,” he said.

Are we indeed He threatened to entering a twilight zone in the tran- as allies of the criminal suspects order his Cabinet members not to sition of our electoral democracy? tagged by Duterte. He refused to speak to journalists who are not This impasse leaves little room apologize and dared reporters to from the state-run network. for complacency in the light of carry out a threat to boycott his According to the International Duterte’s campaign to eradicate news conferences.

Federation of Journalists, the Philcrime and bureaucratic corruption ippines has been the second deadin six months from his inaugura‘Don’t threaten me’ liest country for journalists since tion on June 30.

The AP reported that Duterte, 1990, behind only wartorn Iraq.

Media reports abound about this in an outburst at a late night news The New York-based Commitstruggle of the press to defend its free- conference in Davao City, lam- tee to Protect Journalists said dom from the creeping erosion posed basted journalists, saying “Don’t Duterte’s remarks “apparently exby a supposed campaign against crim- threaten me. Boycott, boycott … go cusing extrajudicial killings threat-

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en to make the Philippines into a killing field for journalists.”

It said the country ranks fourth on its impunity index, which spotlights the countries where the killers of journalists go unpunished.

Duterte’s crass pronouncements not only sully the memories of journalists who have been murdered since 1986, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said.

Open season Asked to comment on the unsolved killings of journalists, Duterte, in effect, declared open season to silence the media.

He made the sweeping accusation that many of those slain were paid to take sides on issues or had overly criticized people who could not tolerate personal attacks.

“Just because you’re a journalist (doesn’t mean) you’re exempted from assassination if you’re a son of a bitch,” Duterte said.

“Your freedom of expression cannot help you if you have done something with the guy.” ■

Opinion

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

15

AT LARGE

Recipes to end hunger

By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer BRUSSELS—It had the most intriguing title: “Recipes for Ending Hunger.” But it was no cooking show. In fact, it was a brainstorming session during the two-day “eudevdays,” or European Union Development Days, an annual gathering of various sectors to “share, debate, solve and meet” around many issues surrounding the dilemma of development.

This year, the gathering’s theme centered on the international community’s latest commitment, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The theme “Sustainable Development Goals in Action: Our World, Our Dignity, Our Future” summed up the aims underpinning this new drive (replacing last year the Millennium Development Goals) that seeks the commitment of governments to time-bound achievable goals, as well as the hope that real change will take place when the time for reckoning arrives in 2030.

As David Nabarro, advisor on the United Nations’ 2030 agenda, put it, the 17 goals of the SDGs are “a tapestry of interwoven goals.”

But Dr. Alaa Murabit, founder of the Voice of Libyan Women and an SDG advisor, summed up the huge challenge that confronts the SDGs’ champions. The goals, she said,

“seek to reverse in 15 years hun- “poor quality of food” of many the health of a newborn,” said Jodreds of years of exploitation.” families. seph, since the lack of micronuEqually daunting and brave was In many households in the Phil- trients in his semen deprives his the challenge conveyed by the ippines, said Nikkin Beronilla, di- unborn child of protection from “Recipes for Ending Hunger.” At rector of policy monitoring and malformations. the venue, four tables were occu- social technology services of the *** pied by one resource person each National Anti-Poverty Commis- A CHILD born to malnourished and attendees motivated either sion, meals are not truly nutritious. parents and reared with a chronic by curiosity or concern about the “For instance, we want to ease hun- lack of quality nutrients is “compaired issues of hunger and malnu- ger by eating junk food and drink- promised for life,” said Joseph. trition worldwide. ing soft drinks that do not contain “The first thousand days of life Though malnutrition affects the the nutrients that we need.” One are very important,” he notes, and future of children and compromis- problem is that people equate the unless interventions are made in es their health well into adulthood, feeling of “fullness” after a meal a child’s early years, chances are organizers say that despite the with nutrition. But if the food tak- the child will die, succumbing to enormity of the problem, less than en consists of “empty calories”— infections and diseases, or else 1 percent of develsuffer a lifetime of opment assistance ailments and deAt the venue, four tables were occupied by one resource has gone to fight velopmental probperson each and attendees motivated either by curiosity or malnutrition. For lems. concern about the paired issues of hunger and malnutrition as we at our table A legislator from worldwide. realized, “malnuZambia was the trition is not sexy.” one who brought Longstanding, stubborn and seem- such as carbohydrate-rich and salt- up the need “to make malnutriingly hopeless (it is not), malnutri- laden instant noodles—one will tion sexy,” to call the attention of tion has been driven underground, simply assuage hunger pangs with- the public and of officials regarding out of public awareness, difficult to out actually “feeding” the body. this problem. But to make an imdiagnose.

Undernourishment, said Jo- pact on policy, he said, government *** seph, “impacts persons at all stages officials must see for themselves OUR resource person was Dr. of life.” The health of a baby may data on the extent of hunger and Ewald Joseph from Haiti who be compromised by malnutrition malnutrition in the country, and “discovered” the hidden issue of even before birth, he said. When “the value of investing in putting malnutrition in his trips to remote a mother is malnourished herself, an end to malnutrition.” parts of his impoverished country then her child will most likely sufThis made me recall the highand realized that “it is more com- fer from lowbirth weight and be profile campaign to battle malnutrimon than is thought.” developmentally compromised tion that was launched during the The problem is not just lack of by what Joseph called “congenital martial law years under the auspicfood or “the insufficient intake malformations.” Even amalnour- es of then First Lady Imelda Marof food,” said Joseph, but also the ished father “has a role to play in cos. I can still remember the photos

of emaciated youngsters that punctuated coverage of the campaign, as well as the “nutribuns” that were distributed to public school students and disaster relief programs.

But the Imeldific eventually lost interest in the issue, and the public was left thinking that the problem had been “solved.” *** THERE is also need, said other participants, to rethink common household myths around food, and “promote diversified diets.”

Working with farmers and women is key, they said, to introduce the production of nutrient-rich nontraditional crops in farms and in “kitchen gardens” even in cities.

One conclusion reached was that “there are no blanket solutions” to hunger and malnutrition. Solutions range across various sectors (agriculture, food distribution, business and food production), and must be tailored to meet local needs and capacities.

Among those behind the workshop was “One,” an advocacy organization founded (and funded)

by Bono and other individuals and groups. Its description of its work speaks to what is needed to finally end hunger in our time. Its members “take action day in, day out, organizing, mobilizing, educating and advocating so that people will have the chance, not just to survive, but to thrive.” ■

LOOKING BACK

Rizal: Father of Filipino ‘komiks’

By Ambeth R. Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer ON HIS 155th birth anniversary, Jose Rizal is remembered by most as the national hero of the Philippines who wrote two novels that inspired the Philippine Revolution against Spain, resulting in the emergence of the Filipino nation.

But there is more to Rizal than most people think. It is not wellknown that Rizal is considered the Father of Philippine Komiks (comic strip) because among his numerous drawings and sketches are three that fit the bill: “The Monkey and the Turtle” (Paris, 1885), “The Baptism of R. Pfeiffer at Holy Cross Steinach” (Wilhelmsfeld, 1886) and “The Cure of the Bewitched” (Dapitan, 1895).

The first, a retelling of the Filipino folk tale “The Monkey and the Turtle,” was drawn in the scrapbook of Juan Luna’s ill-fated wife, Paz Pardo de Tavera, during a dinner in Paris in the fall of 1885.

The story is retold in 35 frames with text in Spanish under each panel instead of having the narrative flow in boxes above and dialogue text in speech balloons as we do today. In a New Year letter to his family in 1886, Rizal narrated: “My mode of life doesn’t change. Luna and I eat here at the studio and as he has many friends at Paris, families who hold soirées at their homes often invite him.

For this reason he eats outside often.

“The Pardo family who lives here also invites me to eat at their home from time to time. Then Luna, [Felix] Resurrección [Hidalgo], and I go there. On such days we do nothing else but talk about our country—its likes, food, customs, etc. The family is very amiable. The mother (widow) is a sister of Gorricho and remains very Filipino in everything. Her sons Trinidad and Felix Pardo are both physicians; her daughter Paz speaks French and English and she is very ami-

able, and also very Filipino.

European custom “She dresses with much elegance, and in her movements and manner of looking she resembles Sra. Itching. She is beautiful and svelte and it is said she is going to marry Luna. She asked me to write something in her album and I wrote the story of the monkey and the turtle with illustrations.

The young women in Europe usually have the custom of keeping an album (not of pictures) in which they ask their friends to put there drawings, dedications, verses, etc. and they keep them as souvenirs.”

Pardo interview Felix Pardo de Tavera, in a prewar interview with Francisco Villanueva, related: “My sister Paz, wife of Juan Luna, had an album where almost all the Filipinos who lived or passed through Paris wrote a piece, prose or verse, or drew a sketch. Paz asked Rizal to contrib-

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ute, anything he liked. At the time Rizal and I had a discussion as to whether the fruit of the banana tree look upward or downward.

Both of us had been away from the Philippines for many years. Rizal maintained that they look downward while I argued that they look upward.

“We were then at the house of Paz. When my sister asked Rizal to write something in the album and handed the book to him, Rizal spontaneously and almost instantly drew the sketches wherein the monkey and the turtle are shown discussing. My nephew, Andres Luna, who is in Manila practicing his profession as an architect, has this album of his mother, where the original of Rizal’s drawing can still be found.”

Album lost The original album owned by Paz Pardo de Tavera was inherited by her son, the famous prewar architect Andres Luna de San Pedro,

and was believed lost or destroyed during the Battle for Manila in 1945.

At present, the only reliable reproduction of the first Filipino comic strip is found in the 1914 “Lineage, Life and Labor of Jose Rizal, Philippine Patriot: A Study of the Growth of Free Ideas in the Trans Pacific American Territory”

by Austin Craig.

The good news is that the original album that also contains sketches by Juan Luna, Felix Resurrección Hidalgo and other artists is extant and may perhaps be coaxed out of hiding by the astronomical prices fetched by Philippine art and antiques at local and international auctions.

The early Philippine comic strip

by Rizal and the two other works mentioned above, now preserved in the National Library of the Philippines, prove that there is much more to Rizal that needs to be known, appreciated and celebrated. ■

16

JUNE 24, 2016

FRIDAY

Canada News

PM marks Aboriginal Day with sunrise ritual, father’s buckskin and a canoe ride

BY TERRY PEDWELL The Canadian Press GATINEAU, QUE. — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in vintage form as he took part Tuesday in a ceremony marking the 20th annual National Aboriginal Day. Trudeau attended a sunrise ritual on the shore of the Ottawa River wearing moccasins and a buckskin jacket that his office said was owned by his father, the late Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

The former prime minister was known for donning buckskin as he ventured out in his younger years on canoeing expeditions in Canada’s far north.

As the sun rose beyond a bridge linking Quebec and Ontario, Justin Trudeau was bathed with a ceremonial smoke as part of a smudging ceremony before paddling be-

neath the Parliament buildings in a 10-metre cargo canoe.

The federal government began observing National Aborginal Day on June 21 two decades ago.

This year, the tribute in the national capital region took place outside Canada’s Museum of History with several federal cabinet ministers and local MPs in attendance.

Trudeau didn’t speak publicly at the event, but issued a statement in which he encouraged Canadians to learn more about the country’s indigenous heritage.

“National Aboriginal Day is first and foremost an occasion to celebrate the fundamental role First Nations, Metis, and Inuit have played — and continue to play — in shaping the identity of all Canadians,” the statement said.

“Coast to coast to coast, their remarkable art and cultures,

STACEY NEWMAN / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

significant contributions and history, are essential to our sense of nationhood.”

Trudeau also pointed to a rash of recent suicides in some aboriginal communities, and the feelings of despair felt by some indigenous Canadians,

as reasons for governments to “better support the well-being of children and families, improve the quality of education for indigenous students, and ensure health services meet the needs of indigenous communities.”

The Liberals campaigned in last year’s federal election on a platform that pledged to boost support for Canada’s indigenous peoples, and to launch a national public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women.

Gov. Gen. David Johnston was to mark the day by visiting the Woodland Cultural Centre, a former residential school in Brantford, Ont. The visit, Johnston said in a statement, would help “to better measure the impact that such institutions have had on aboriginal peoples.”

In 2008, then prime minister Stephen Harper apologized on behalf of the government for the multi-generational upheaval caused by residential schools, which were designed to assimilate aboriginal youth into Canadian society.

The last residential school closed in 1996. ■

5 injured in fire in Winnipeg Judge rules some Stanley Cup rioters apartment building; must pay for damaging vehicles firefighters rescued dozens THE CANADIAN PRESS

THE CANADIAN PRESS WINNIPEG — Five people were sent to hospital and at least a dozen people were rescued from a burning apartment building in Winnipeg’s North End. The fire broke out Monday night on the top floor of a threestorey building at Jarvis Avenue and Main Street, trapping several people on that third floor.

Alex Forrest, president of the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg, says several people were seen climbing out of windows trying to escape the flames.

He says some people couldn’t move and crews worked quickly to move them out.

Four people were in stable condition while the other was in critical condition.

A firefighter also cut his hand but will be OK. “One of the things we did is try to calm them down and say, ‘You’re going to be OK. We can get to you’, but I understand there was some individuals that did jump because it was so scary,” Forrest said.

“Quite frankly, there was quite a few individuals who basically couldn’t move. The fire was coming. They were going to die and if it wasn’t for those firefighters, those people would have perished last night.”

The cause of the fire has not been determined, but it’s believed to have started in a stairwell. ■

VANCOUVER — A judge has ruled that some people who participated in the 2011 Stanley Cup riots in Vancouver are liable for damaging vehicles in the melee.

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Elliott Myers said in a decision released Friday that nine people who were criminally sentenced for participating in the riots must also pay the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia for damaging vehicles insured by the agency.

A report released by the B.C. government in January said 122 vehicles were damaged or destroyed in the five-hour riot that erupted on June 11, 2011, moments before the Vancouwww.canadianinquirer.net

ver Canucks lost Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final to the Boston Bruins.

I.C.B.C. sued 82 people for damages, and 27 settled out of court, while 35 were given default judgements and 10 young men took their cases to trial.

Myers said in his decision that nine of the men who went to trial are liable for damages to at least one vehicle.

But the judge declined to award the punitive damages I.C.B.C. requested, saying the defendants had all been criminally convicted and their sentences were punishment enough.

Myers said in his written decision that he did not “minimize the gravity” of the riot, noting that it threw a major city into complete disarray.

But the men, who were all between the ages of 16 and 38 at the time of their crimes, have already received sentences that took deterrence for others into account, Myers said.

“There comes a point when enough is enough,” he said.

The B.C. Criminal Justice Branch laid 912 charges against 300 suspects in the wake of the riot, including 246 adults and 54 youths.

The province said in January that 284 people pleaded guilty, while 10 chose to go to trial.

Nine of those people were convicted. The Crown stayed proceedings against six others.

The Criminal Justice Branch had to create a riot-prosecution team for all of the cases, and their total expenditures were $4,976,765. ■

Canada News

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

Five things... on the future of the CPP would have a greater effect on younger workers than older workers.

Will they pay attention? ❰❰ 1

2) CPP premiums have only been raised once in the last 20 years. In 1997, finance ministers agreed to a phased-in increase in premiums to ensure one generation of workers wasn’t paying for another generation’s retirement. The argument today is that the CPP should pay more in benefits and help those who aren’t saving enough for retirement. The argument against raising premiums is that it would hit workers’ wallets at a time when governments keep saying the economy is fragile.

3) Expanding the CPP has come down to one of two scenarios. One would be an across-the-board change that would mean higher benefits and premiums for all workers; the other would target those segments of the population who aren’t saving enough for retirement. Those who aren’t saving enough are the same people the federal Liberals want to help financially: Middle income earners. Research suggest those earning between $55,000 and $75,000 — some studies put the upper limit above $100,000 — are not saving enough for retirement, or don’t have an adequate workplace pension. One study from February 2015 suggested 17 per cent of households were not saving enough for retirement.

4) Not every province has to have the CPP. Quebec has its own version.

Saskatchewan has its own pension plan, but the payments are voluntary, acting more like a RRSP. Ontario’s proposed pension plan will be mandatory, unlike Saskatchewan’s, but it is aimed at workers without a private pension, meaning it isn’t universal like the QPP. Could other provinces follow suit in the absence of a deal on CPP? And would the federal government help them along? If the answer to both is yes, it could let everyone claim a political win and move off the political hot seat for now.

5) Changing parts of CPP is more difficult than changing the Constitution. Like the constitutional amending formula, seven out of 10 provinces have to agree to any changes. But a constitutional amendment requires that those seven represent at least half the country’s population. The CPP bar is set at two-thirds of the population. Saskatchewan has already signalled it isn’t interested in a rate increase, but its population is so small — about three per cent of the total — that the federal government won’t worry if they are offside. Ontario is different. It has more than a third of the population, giving it an unofficial veto. The federal government needs Ontario’s help on changes, giving it a strong political voice in talks. So the federal government needs Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta to make any changes. ■

Drones generating some buzz as Canada Post looks to the future of mail delivery

BY JIM BRONSKILL The Canadian Press OTTAWA — It’s a little early to tell if the idea will fly, but Canada Post is starting to look at the role of drones in making deliveries.

The post office is quietly exploring the possibility of small, unmanned aerial vehicles one day helping get the mail to where it needs to go, said Jon Hamilton, a Canada Post spokesman.

“We are in a competitive space, especially when it comes to parcel delivery and things like that,” Hamilton said in an interview.

In the post office’s 250-year history, the manner of getting letters and parcels to Canadians has evolved from a couple of horses to trains, trucks and planes — so it makes sense to eye lightweight, remote-controlled aircraft, he said.

“We do look into these things.”

The tiny flying machines have become immensely popular with hobbyists. But they’re also used for a variety of government-related and commercial applications, including agricultural surveys, movie shoots, police investigations, meteorology, and search and rescue.

Canada Post declined to release documents through the Access to Information Act about its interest in drones, citing sensitivities such as trade secrets and financial, commercial, scientific or technical data.

But Hamilton insists there are no drone prototypes in the post office laboratory — at least not yet.

Canada Post realizes technology is accelerating a lot faster these days, and “as things change we continue to look at new options,” Hamilton said.

“There was a lot of time between moving from horses to trains. Things don’t move that slowly anymore.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

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Canada News

JUNE 24, 2016

Finance ministers to talk changes to CPP that would affect workers, employers

BY JORDAN PRESS The Canadian Press KENT PETERSON would forgive anyone who might think he’s got nothing to worry about when it comes to his retirement — or, for that matter, what happens to the Canada Pension Plan.

After all, the 27-year-old has a unionized, full-time job with the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour. Most folks would likely assume he has a robust workplace pension plan to help him save for his golden years.

Except he doesn’t.

“I’m relying solely on the CPP,” Peterson admitted in an interview. “I’ve envisioned my retirement, and it’s not happy and rosy, to be honest with you.”

Peterson will be watching the outcome of meetings Sunday night and Monday as the country’s finance ministers try to hammer out a preliminary agreement on an expanded Canada Pension Plan — one that’s likely to include higher benefits and an increase in the premiums that come off the paycheques of workers.

One central issue: whether to impose an across-the-board change on all workers and employers, or to more selectively target those Canadian workers who are the least likely to save.

Federal research has suggested the latter group tends to be under the age of 30, earns between $55,000 and $75,000 (although some estimates are higher), and either doesn’t save enough or lacks access to a workplace pension plan.

The federal and provincial governments are looking at a possible increase in the $55,000 cap on annual maximum pensionable earnings, which would result in both higher premiums and increased pension benefits.

Don Drummond, a professor of policy studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., said he believes the current cap is too low.

Quebec and Ontario, which together hold the most political heft in the negotiations, walked into talks looking for a target-

Harassment and weapons charges face ex-husband who created revenge website

BY LAURA KANE The Canadian Press

The federal and provincial governments are looking at a possible increase in the $55,000 cap on annual maximum pensionable earnings, which would result in both higher premiums and increased pension benefits.

ed approach. B.C., too, wants changes to CPP that would help middle-income earners who don’t save enough.

“They either don’t save as most Canadians have ... or they really can’t afford to save enough to pay the difference in terms of their retirement income,” said Susan Eng, counsel to the National Pensioners Federation.

As a young member of the workforce, Peterson’s finances don’t give him a lot of leeway to save, he said.

Nor do his expenses: student debt of more than $50,000 — the legacy of undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Saskatchewan — as well as housing, food, utilities and transportation expenses.

“I’m sorry, but there’s no skimping and saving I can do per month that would equal a secure retirement,” he said. “It just isn’t there.”

Public opinion research work conducted by the federal Finance Department last year suggests a great many people in their 30s and 40s don’t expect the Canada Pension Plan to be of much help in their retirement.

Other research suggests about two-thirds of Canadians support expanding CPP, with a majority of those respondents saying they would support a doubling of benefits and premiums, said Frank Graves, presi-

dent of EKOS Research Associates.

Driving that feeling among Canadians is a high sense of insecurity around the mediumand long-term economic outlook, Graves said.

“There is a pretty broad public mandate” to expand CPP, he said. “I don’t think it’s particularly dangerous for governments go down this path.

In fact, there’s probably more political hazard to leave it alone than to do something.”

Then comes the question of when to make it all happen.

Saskatchewan has said the economy in parts of the country are too fragile right now for an increase in premiums, which critics call a payroll tax.

B.C., another worker-rich province that also holds a fair bit of sway in the talks, says a modest expansion of the pension plan should happen “when economic conditions permit.”

Ontario, however, wants a deal now.

The federal Conservatives have questioned the rush to complete a deal by the end of the year, saying the Liberal government hasn’t proven its case for an across-the-board expansion of the program.

Behind the scenes, proponents and opponents of an expanded CPP expect some kind of deal to be reached on Monday, but remain unsure about the final details. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY

VANCOUVER — The former wife of a Vancouver-area man accused of criminally harassing her says she hopes the legal process he’s about to go through will give her enough time to change her identity and hide.

Desiree Capuano, who lives in Arizona, said she knows Patrick Fox won’t stay behind bars forever and she must do what she can to protect herself while he is in custody.

“The only chance I have of having a normal life is to disappear,” she said, her voice choked with emotion.

Fox is facing three charges, including criminal harassment and two firearms offences, and appeared briefly in a Vancouver court on Tuesday afternoon.

Wearing a red jump suit and with a greying beard and sideswept hair, Fox crossed his arms and stared at observers from the prisoner’s box.

His bail hearing was rescheduled to Wednesday.

The Burnaby resident is alleged to have created a website aimed at destroying Capuano’s reputation.

A sworn court indictment alleges Fox criminally harassed Capuano between January 2015 and May 2016 and he is alleged to have possessed a prohibited firearm between May 26 and June 17 of this year.

He is also alleged to have imported or exported a prohibited firearm on May 26 or May 27 of this year.

In an interview in February, Fox said he would never physically harm Capuano, but confirmed he created a website to cause “as much damage to her reputation and life as possible.”

The site has posted private photos, her address and phone number and described her as a white supremacist, child abuser and drug addict.

Capuano, who has custody of the couple’s son, alleges that

the website has ruined job prospects for her and caused her constant fear and stress.

She said she was offered a job earlier this year that had a higher salary than her current position and full benefits, but the employer revoked the offer after seeing the website.

“It was perfect, and it was exactly what I wanted to do, but it’s gone now,” she said.

Fox’s lawyer, David Hopkins, said when reached by phone that he could not comment on Capuano’s allegations.

Earlier this year, B.C. Crown lawyers ruled a criminal harassment charge could not be laid against Fox, because of a lack of evidence that the woman had an “objective basis to fear for her safety.”

After charges were declined in February, B.C. Justice Minister Suzanne Anton said authorities could take another look at the case if further evidence surfaced.

Capuano said she is grateful that Crown lawyers have reversed course.

“It finally felt like the Crown understood the seriousness of this situation — finally — and was willing to do something about it,” she said.

Capuano said she knows that Fox will eventually be released from custody, but knowing he is currently behind bars has does help her breathe a bit more easily.

“If he was actually sentenced and he went away and I was able to take control of my life again, I would finally have relief,” she said.

“There’s still a lot of damage that I have to fix but at least I would have the ability to start fixing it.”

Capuano said she feels like her only choice is to change her name and move before Fox is released, and she’s currently looking into how to do so. ■

World News

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

19

Putin wants improved relations with Canada, but says ‘specific steps’ needed THE CANADIAN PRESS ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — Russian President Vladimir Putin says he wants to work with Canada’s new Liberal government to improve relations, but he won’t say how.

Putin said Friday relations between Canada and Russia have a chance to be re-established after the new prime minister came to power, as he recalled meeting Justin Trudeau at last fall’s G20 summit in Turkey.

“For this there should be some specific steps, which should be made by both sides,” Putin said in response to a question on the state of Russia-Canada relations from The Canadian Press at an international gathering of the leaders of world news agencies in St. Petersburg, Russia.

But the enigmatic Russian leader wouldn’t say what those next steps would be.

“The prime minister himself said when we were at G20 in Antalya that he thinks how we should re-establish the relations in full. We welcome this . . . and will get down to this task, to work together.”

Trudeau’s version of his conversation with Putin at the G20 summit — the prime minister’s first international meeting after being sworn in — did not mention establishing full relations with Russia.

At the time, Trudeau said: “I pointed out that although Canada has shifted its approach on a broad range of multilateral and international issues, we remain committed to the fact that Russia’s interference in Ukraine must cease.”

The previous Harper government downgraded relations with Russia in the wake of its unilateral annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and its backing of proRussian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. At the 2014

G20 summit in Australia, then prime minister Stephen Harper told Putin to “get out” of Ukraine when he bumped into the Russia leader.

The Liberals maintain that Canada needs to open a diplomatic dialogue with Russia because of shared interests, such as the Arctic, but that doesn’t mean it agrees with Putin’s aggressive posture towards Eastern Europe.

In recent days, NATO has taken steps to bolster its forces on its eastern flank in response to the Ukraine crisis by deciding to deploy four multinational battalions to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. The Russian ambassador to NATO criticized that move on Thursday, saying the plan would erode regional security and could turn the region into a conflict zone.

Putin deflected a question from The Canadian Press about possible Canadian participation in those deployments, and instead launched into a lengthy

Russian President Vladimir Putin.

denunciation of the United States for deploying its groundbased missile system in Poland.

Putin reiterated the Russian position that missile shields are a threat because they upset the nuclear deterrent that has kept peace between the two nuclear powers throughout the Cold War and afterwards.

“The strategic balance used to guarantee peace in the world.

It saved us from major armed conflicts in the past 70 years.

VERVERIDIS VASILIS / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

It’s based on a mutual threat, but this mutual threat has given us global peace for decades.

How can we destroy this?”

On that point, Putin added a message for Canada — which has not joined any U.S. missile defence program.

“If Canada wants to join — join it! What else can I say? We could not dictate to you what to do. Do what you want. And we will do what we think is necessary to provide our security.” ■

Thousands take advantage of no-fee Global Money Transfer service from CIBC Innovative service reshapes Canada’s $30-billion-a-year remittance market by offering unparalleled savings and convenience TORONTO — Since CIBC launched its no-fee Global Money Transfer service just a few months ago, it’s become a big hit with the Indian, Filipino and other immigrant communities in Canada who regularly send money back home.

Thousands of Canadians are now using this new no-fee service, which makes it cheaper and easier to send money back home to support family or manage their personal affairs.

Canadians are among the top in the world per capita when it comes to sending money abroad, with India and Philippines the second– and thirdlargest destinations for international money transfers from Canada.

“We’re very pleased with the response we’ve had from our clients,” says Vineet Malhotra, Managing Director and Head, Alternate Solutions Group and Retail Solutions Group, CIBC. “We knew that our clients wanted a more affordable way to send money abroad. By enhancing our technology, we’re able to eliminate the upfront cost of sending money overseas at competitive exchange rates and make it much

easier and faster.”

By eliminating the upfront fees, CIBC is disrupting Canada’s remittance market, valued at $30 billion. Typically, the fees charged for sending money abroad can add up to a significant amount, depending on the amount of money being sent.

“It’s common for Canadians to send several hundred dollars per transaction, which speaks to how widespread the need is for a more affordable solution to send money globally and CIBC’s commitment to supporting the needs of newcomers to Canada and immigrants who have long called this country home,” says Mr. Malhotra.

CIBC has made sending money very simple and customer friendly.

While the new no-fee CIBC Global Money Transfer service is available at any CIBC Banking Centre location, there’s no need to actually go to a branch. The service is conveniently available via CIBC online banking.

Up to $10,000 can be transferred either online or at a CIBC branch directly to the recipient’s bank account in a 24-hour period, and

made from your personal account, or a Canadian or U.S. dollar account and count towards your allowable transaction limit.

The Global Money Transfer service is now available in more than 40 countries in addition to India and Philippines, such as the U.K., France, Germany, and Australia. CIBC plans to add another 20 countries to the service by the end of this year.

VINEET MALHOTRA, Managing Director and

Head, Alternate Solutions Group and Retail Solutions Group, CIBC.

most transfers are received within one business day. To make the transfer simple and fast, the sender includes the recipient’s name, address, bank name and account number and the bank code, also known as the IFSC code in India, which is displayed on the bank cheques. Transfers can be sent to any bank account in India to a government bank or a private bank.

To take advantage of this new service, you must have CIBC account.

Global money transfers can be

www.canadianinquirer.net

About CIBC CIBC is a leading Canadianbased global financial institution with nearly 11 million personal banking and business clients.

Through our three major business units - Retail and Business Banking, Wealth Management and Wholesale Banking - CIBC offers a full range of products and services through its comprehensive electronic banking network, banking centres and offices across Canada with offices in the United States and around the world.

You can find other news releases and information about CIBC in our Media Centre on our corporate website at www.cibc.com.

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JUNE 24, 2016

www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY

World News

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

21

Thousands turn out for weekend gay pride events

BY STEVEN K. PAULSON The Associated Press DENVER — People in wheelchairs, walking on stilts and riding rainbow-decorated motorcycles turned out for gay pride events over the weekend, including participants in a Denver parade who carried posters of the names or faces of the victims who died in last weekend’s attack on a nightclub in Florida.

About 2,000 people took part in Denver’s PrideFest parade through town to Civic Center Park on Sunday as hundreds lined sidewalks. Crowds estimated at several hundred thousand attended a two-day festival in front of Denver’s city hall.

Security was tight at events over the weekend. In Denver, authorities set up security fences, bag checks, and police rode Segway scooters and walked with bomb-sniffing dogs.

Organizer Debra Pollock said in past years, the festival area was fenced in overnight, and when parade-goers arrived,

they threw open the fences and and more than 50 wounded from Albuquerque, New Mexipeople swarmed in for dancing when Omar Mateen opened co, for Sunday’s parade. and other performances. fire inside the Pulse nightclub Freeny said he was forced “This year, they have to go in Orlando last weekend. to resign as a Navy lieutenthrough security,” Pollock said.

The motive for his attack is still ant commander in 1978 after New Orleans authorities held unclear. He pledged allegiance to someone told military officials a news conference Thursday the Islamic State in a 911 call, his that he was gay. He said he told to say extra officers and state ex-wife said he was mentally ill that he could resign or be courttroopers would be on duty. and his father has suggested he martialed.

Crystal Luna “The country of Tampa, Florhas made a lot of ida, and Joelasa strides since then, Oquendo, of but there are still Odesa, Texas, a We insulated ourselves 40 years ago. some people in married couple We had only like-minded people. the military that in the Navy, said Now this is open to the world and have a dislike for they’d been a bit understanding is spreading. our kind,” Freeny worried before said. the New Orleans In Rhode Isevent, but were land, extra police reassured by seeing uniformed was angry with gays. and fire personnel patrolled police officers.

Other festivals and parades on foot. Several people donned In Portland, Oregon, on-site went ahead Saturday under in- capes made from rainbow flags. security was up 25 per cent creased security in cities such Others carried signs that read: from previous years. as Chicago, Columbus, Ohio, “We stand with Orlando.”

No serious problems were re- and Providence, Rhode Island.

In Syracuse, marchers with ported at gay pride events across Parades were also held in colorful face paint, glitter the country, but the mood for New Orleans and Syracuse, and rainbow capes marched many people was sombre. A New York, and a beach party through the streets under a small number of anti-gay pro- was planned in California. heavy police presence, and in testers also showed up.

Ron Freeny, a Vietnam vet- New Orleans, more than a hunForty-nine people were killed eran, said he drove to Denver dred people led off a gay pride

www.canadianinquirer.net

parade holding aloft handscrawled posters for LGBT rights and pictures of the Orlando nightclub victims pasted on pieces of colored paper.

Christi Layne, who helped organize Denver’s gay pride festival 40 years ago, said only seven people showed up for the original meeting, and only 2,000 people showed up for a parade that year. This year was different.

“We insulated ourselves 40 years ago. We had only likeminded people. Now this is open to the world and understanding is spreading,” Layne said.

People who have never attended a gay pride event showed up in Denver this year, including some who just wanted to express support.

Patrick Mulligan, who was wearing a rainbow hula skirt, said he has lived in Denver all of his life but never attended a PrideFest parade. He said he is not gay, but he wanted to show that hate and fear will not define him.

“After Orlando, I think everyone needs to show support,” he said. ■

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World News

JUNE 24, 2016

FRIDAY

Could British EU exit be watershed for global economy?

BY DAVID MCHUGH The Associated Press FRANKFURT — A British exit from the European Union could cause global market swings for a while. But that would soon pass.

If we’re lucky, that is.

Much darker scenarios for the global economy are also being discussed by economists as they try to gauge the risks of Thursday’s referendum for the wider world.

While economists say a British exit from the EU — or Brexit, as it is known — would be painful mainly for the country itself and to a lesser extent for rest of the Europe, the consequences for the global economy are harder to estimate.

In the gloomier narratives, a Brexit becomes a turning point, an event that snowballs and leads to much larger and nastier problems. It could deal a setback to free trade and globalization, which many disgruntled voters around the world are already cool on. And it could trigger more defections from the EU, destabilizing the region and unsettling companies and consumers.

So forecasts are ranging from the benign to the apocalyptic.

Some, like outgoing Finnish Finance Minister Alexander Stubb, compare Brexit to the 2008 collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers, which spread financial ruin across the globe.

Or, it could be more like Y2K, in which computers worldwide were supposed to fail on Jan. 1, 2000, because software was written for years beginning with 19-.

In the event, not much happened.

Here’s a quick run-through of the global risks from a Brexit.

Flight to safety

It’s reasonable to assume that a vote to leave would cause global financial market swings in the short term, with investors selling riskier assets such as stocks and seeking safety in government bonds, analysts say. The pound has already

In the gloomier narratives, a Brexit becomes a turning point, an event that snowballs and leads to much larger and nastier problems.

fallen in value against other currencies and would likely fall more. Gold, seen by some as a refuge in troubled times, might rise.

Markets seem to be betting that “remain” will win, so if they’re wrong, there could be some scrambling to adjust.

Lower for longer

Faced with churning markets, central banks could try to steady things with extra loans for banks or other ways of making credit more readily available. Market swings could help persuade the U.S. Federal Reserve to postpone interest rate increases once thought likely this year and now in doubt. That could be good news for mortgage holders but could prolong savers’ agony over low rates and non-existent returns on deposits.

Manageable?

The direct impact of a Brexit would likely not be too bad on growth — if you’re not British. A year after a vote to leave, Britain’s economy would be one per cent smaller than it would have been otherwise, while the 28-country EU

assessments of Brexit. That’s because it would take years for Britain to sort out new trade relationships if it leaves the EU, whose members trade freely with each other without charging tariffs.

Businesses wouldn’t know where to locate production or how much it would cost to trade.

The EU and Canada, for instance, started negotiating a trade agreement seven years ago, but it still hasn’t been ratified.

And uncertainty can be very hard on growth. It makes executives hold off on building new plants or hiring permanent employees, while consumers might wait on buying a new car or kitchen.

Uncertainty is one reason investment is relatively weak in the developed world. A Brexit would only add another reason to wait.

The butterfly effect

Although the direct impact seems would lose 0.25 per cent and the world manageable outside Europe and the 0.1 per cent, according to Moody’s Ana- U.K., economists can’t help painting lytics chief economist Mark Zandi. darker scenarios.

“I think the immediate effect is modIf other countries decide to leave the est,” he said. “It’s not cataclysmic in any EU or if a “leave” vote energizes populist way. It’s corrosive, certainly. It dimin- political forces and leads to a broader reishes the U.K. economy going forward.” trenchment in trade and globalization, a Taking 0.1 percentage point off global Brexit would be seen as a turning point growth might not seem like much, but with outsized influence on the globe. the world economy, Polls in France, for though not in crisis, instance, show antiis not in great shape EU candidate Marine right now. The InLe Pen of the Nationternational Monal Front will almost etary Fund predicts surely make the final 3.2 per cent growth It’s not round of next year’s this year and 3.5 per cataclysmic presidential election. cent next year. IMF in any way.

In the United States, head Christine LaIt’s corrosive, presumptive Repubgarde says that’s not certainly. It lican presidential enough to lift living diminishes the nominee Donald standards and get U.K. economy Trump has criticized the globe’s 200 milgoing forward. the North American lion unemployed Free Trade Agreeback to work. “There ment, or NAFTA, and is a risk that middle talked about imposclass families and the ing new tariffs. poor actually remain Economist Zandi behind, which would invoked the metaembolden the voices phor of the butterfly of protectionism and fragmentation,” that flaps its wings and triggers a chain she said in April. of events that builds into a hurricane.

The World Trade Organization says “Nothing good comes out of Brexit,” international trade will remain sluggish he said. “It’s just different shades of this year, growing 2.8 per cent, well be- grey. It has global implications under low the average of 5 per cent since 1990. the greyest scenarios, where Brexit sets And the effects of a Brexit could be off, is a catalyst for, another existential long-lasting: permanently lower growth event for the eurozone and the Europein Britain and Europe. After five years, an Union more broadly, that it empowBritain’s economy would be 4 per cent ers all the political centrifugal forces smaller than otherwise; the EU 1 per that are at work in Europe and Europe cent and the global economy 0.25 per starts to fracture.” cent, according to Zandi.

“That would have serious implicaSo it could add up. tions for Europe, and also for the global economy,” he said. “It’s quite easy to Uncertainty construct scenarios where this plays out The “U-word” is prominent in most very badly over time.” ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

Community News

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

23

Marking International Domestic Workers Day: Stop “Project Guardian” AS THE world marked International Domestic Workers Day, Migrante BC and the West Coast Domestic Workers Association (WCDWA) organized a rally in front of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee offices at the corner of Hamilton and Georgia Streets in downtown Vancouver.

The organizers highlighted and intensified their call to stop the Project Guardian, a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) initiative that targets and criminalizes caregivers hired under the Live-in Caregiver and Tem-

porary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). They also raised their demands that caregivers have open work permits and permanent residency upon arrival.

With Migrante and the WCDWA were current and former caregivers, migrant advocates and organizers, solidarity groups, lawyers, trade unions, grassroots organizations, and local MLA Mable Elmore who came to show their support and to give solidarity messages.

“Canada likes to pride itself as being a leader in the area of

human rights. The reality however is that it treats TFWs, especially foreign caregivers, as disposable workers deprived of many basic labour rights.

Worse, it criminalizes them through programs like ‘Project Guardian,” says Jane Ordinario, Migrante BC coordinator.

Ordinario said CBSA continues its raids and deportations of caregivers found to be allegedly violating their work permits.

“Project Guardian is a waste of tax payers’ money. Foreign caregivers are not criminals.

Rural schools need stable funding, not campaign announcements THE CHRISTY Clark government recently showed again that they care more about bad headlines in the lead up to an election than they do about our public schools, say the New Democrats.

“After starving education funding for years, Clark has finally woken up and realized that when schools are forced to close in rural communi-

ties where there are no other options for students, it has a devastating effect on families, communities and regional economies,” said New Democrat education spokesperson Rob Fleming.

“What kids and parents in this province need is secure, stable and adequate funding for our schools. But the premier seems to think she can continue under-

investing in our school system with campaign announcements.

Not only that, after her failed education budget tore communities apart, she seems to think that British Columbians will applaud her for it.”

Fleming says more than 240 schools have closed on the B.C. Liberal watch, and many more are on the chopping block as the Christy Clark government continues to starve B.C.’s public education system, cutting budgets and downloading costs.

“I hope the people of Osoyoos, and so many other rural communities facing school closures, finally get the funding they need to save their schools,” said Fleming.

Fleming says that the Christy Clark government has been callous and indifferent in their approach to communities like Osoyoos, where the only high school is slated to close.

“They have put parents and kids through incredible turmoil.

Communities have spent bitter, divisive months mobilizing to save their schools. Now, after taking with two hands, Christy Clark is giving back a fraction of her cuts with one. She’s rolling out haphazard funding announcements and hoping these communities will forget her government’s shameful record on education that took B.C. from the second best funded education system in Canada to the second worst.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

The raids are often heavyhanded, very intimidating and the caregivers are not told about their legal rights during the process,” she added.

Natalie Drolet, WCDWA’s Ex-

ecutive Director and staff lawyer, said Canada should grant the caregivers open work permits and permanent residency upon ❱❱ PAGE 26 Marking International

Filipino Centre accepts candidates to its 2016 student awards

BY TONY A. SAN JUAN THE FILIPINO Centre Toronto (FCT) is now accepting candidates to its annual competition for “2016 Outstanding Students Awards.” FCT is committed to encouraging and challenging Filipino Canadian students in Ontario to achieve student success and to excel in school performance.

This year’s event is an annual program of selecting and recognizing outstanding and exemplary elementary, high school, and post-secondary graduates from public and Catholic government-supported educational institutions in Ontario. The program started in 2005.

Through its awards committee, the centre will present awards to chosen outstanding student graduates who have completed their elementary, high school and

post-secondary studies. The selection criteria includes: scholastic achievement/academic marks – 50 percent, community involvement and extra-curricular activities – 25 percent and interview performance – 25 percent.

All applicants, who have been screened and approved by the Student Awards Committee, will be recognized and honoured.

Monetary awards and trophies will be presented to the winners of each category during the awards ceremony on Oct. 30. ■ Application forms for the FCT’s Outstanding Student Awards are now available at the Centre or at www.filipinocentretoronto.com.

Deadline for submission of forms is: Sept. 9. Completed forms are to be submitted or mailed to: The Filipino Centre Toronto, 597 Parliament St., Toronto, ON M4X 1W3 or call: 416-928- 9355.

The annual Pinoy Fiesta of the Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on June 18, was a huge crowd-drawer.

ARIEL RAMOS

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JUNE 24, 2016

FRIDAY

Entertainment

Miss Philippines-Earth reveals being a ‘victim of pageant bullying’ PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER MANILA — Miss PhilippinesEarth 2016 Imelda Bautista Schweighart knew very well how ‘everybody hated her’ — at least the 45 other aspirants she bested in the recently concluded beauty pageant held at the UP Theatre in Quezon City.

“I’m a victim of pageant bullying. There were vicious women in the pageant. Everybody hated me,” Schweighart said in an Inquirer.net report. “I lost my pageant heels, foundation, and my only eye-shadow palette. Someone got those before coronation night.”

“I’m surprised they went missing because I’m a very organized person. They were stolen, and my fellow candidates

didn’t help,” she added.

Being the front-runner in the preliminary pageant competitions, the 21-year-old FilipinoGerman beauty queen from Palawan saw how the other candidates were not delighted with her winning in the pre-pageant swimsuit, cocktail wear and evening gown competitions, and receiving corporate titles Miss Pontefino Residences, Miss Ever Bilena and Darling of the Press.

“They’re pulling me down,” she said in the same report, adding that she fell ill prior the closed-door preliminary selection after taking a ‘brain booster’ she received from a fellow contestant.

“She told me it’s a brain booster. That’s what’s written on the bottle. It smelled like eucalyptus… I trusted the girl who

gave it to me, so I took it before I entered the room. But it made my sinuses act up and gave me a sore throat… I even got a toothache and I felt pain all over.”

Not having the support of fellow aspirants, Schweighart recalled how the mudslinging leading to the final moments of the pageant was so hard for her. But refusing to be defeated, she found strength from former titleholders who also experienced pageant bullying.

“I just focused… I traveled from Puerto Princesa to represent my city and bring home the crown. And it’s our first time to win; Palawan deserves it,” she shared.

“When I confided to Ate Jamie (Herrell, Miss Earth 2014), she said the same thing happened to her. She told me, ‘When I started in the compe-

Miss Philippines-Earth 2016 Imelda Schweighart.

tition, I had 24 swimsuits with me. By the time the pageant ended, I only had four left… and my heels also went missing.’

And Ate Angelia (Ong, Miss Earth 2015) told me she also experienced bullying abroad,” she continued.

Now proclaimed as the new reigning queen, Schweighart is

OFFICIAL FACEBOOK

determined to brush it all off.

“Those bullies were psyching me, to weaken me; but I didn’t give in. I had to kill the demons and survive,” she said emphatically. “I hope you (fellow candidates) find yourselves in a place where you can be healed from the past hurt. Find forgiveness and peace.” ■

‘Finding Dory’ sets animation film box office record with 136.2-M

Filipino film ‘Traslacion’ wins in New York Fest

PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY

BY JANE MORALEDA Philippine Canadian Inquirer

LOS ANGELES — Disney and Pixar’s “Finding Dory” swept over the North American box office and set a new record for animated film in Father’s Day weekend.

Walt Disney Studios found more box office gold under the sea this weekend, as the longawaited sequel to the beloved new classic “Finding Nemo,” “Finding Dory” opened with an estimated USD136.2 million from 4,305 theaters for a 31,634 dollars per theater average.

“Finding Dory” earned a solid 54.9 million dollars on opening day Friday. Both of its opening day revenue and first weekend gross establish new records among any animated film in

history. The opening weekend total of “Finding Dory” served as a 93.8 percent higher over its predecessor “Finding Nemo’s” 70.2 million dollars opening back in 2003.

The sequel film received an “A” from first-night moviegoers on CinemaScore and got a as high as 95 percent positive recommendation from the critics on RottenTomatoes. The audience going to cinema for “Finding Dory” was split into 45 percent mail vs. 55 percent female.

The age breakdown saw 65 percent of the audience being made up by families and 32 percent of the overall audience made up of children 12 and under.

“Finding Dory” leads the weekend box office finds Disney atop this chart for the eleventh time this year.

In the second place, the action-comedy “Central Intelligence” also has a solid opening with 34.5 million dollars from 3,508 locations.

Starring Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart, “Central Intelligence”, the co-production between Warner Bros. and Universal, is delivering on its star-led appeal. The film got a very healthy “A-” CinemaScore to go along with a 66 percent from critics.

Landing in third place, “The Conjuring 2” was off 61.5 percent from last week to 15.6 million dollars in its second weekend of showing.

Rounding out the top 3 movies in Canada and the United States were “Now You See Me 2” (9.7 million dollars), “Warcraft” (6.5 million), “X-Men: Apocalypse” (5.2 million). ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

MANILA — Filipino director Will Fredo’s LGBTQ-themed film “Traslacion: Ang Paglalakad sa Altar ng Alanganin (The March to the Altar of Uncertainty)” won the Best Documentary award at the 2016 Soho International Film Festival in New York.

“I didn’t know how people would accept it… I made the (documentary) for my own enlightenment, to understand my own prejudices,” Fredo said in an Inquirer.net report.

Traslacion showed the lives of four LGBTQ couples, including celebrity couple Aiza Seguerra and Liza Diño-Seguerra, who struggled for equality in a con-

servative society and fought for their right to marry.

“When we arrived in the United States, the first news we heard was the mass murder in Orlando, Florida. It gave me goosebumps… our film is quite timely. I have learned so much from it,” Fredo shared in the same report. “People cried during the screenings. Love is truly universal.”

“The message that this documentary film is trying to send couldn’t have been more timely and relevant. Love is love — regardless of race, religion, gender or belief. And if we only try to respect that and be more tolerant of each other’s differences, then there would be no reason to resort to violence,” Diño-Seguerra wrote in her Instagram post. ■

Entertainment

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

25

‘Star Trek’ actor Anton Yelchin killed when his car hits him

BY LINDSEY BAHR AND SANDY COHEN The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Anton Yelchin, a rising actor best known for playing Chekov in the new “Star Trek” films, was killed by his own car as it rolled down his driveway, police and his publicist said.

The car pinned Yelchin, 27, against a brick mailbox pillar and a security fence at his home in Los Angeles, Officer Jenny Hosier said. He had gotten out of the vehicle momentarily, but police did not say why he was behind it when it started rolling.

Yelchin was on his way to meet friends for a rehearsal, Hosier said. When he didn’t show up, the group came to his home and found him dead early Sunday.

The freak accident tragically cuts short the promising career of an actor whom audiences were still getting to know and who had great artistic ambition. “Star Trek Beyond,” the third film in the rebooted series, comes out in July.

Director J.J. Abrams, who cast Yelchin in the franchise, wrote in a statement that he was “brilliant ... kind ... funny as

hell, and supremely talented.”

His death was felt throughout the industry.

“What a rare and beautiful soul with his unstoppable passion for life,” Jodie Foster said.

“He was equal parts serious thinker and the most fun little brother you could ever dream of.”

Yelchin co-starred in Foster’s 2011 film “The Beaver.”

“He was a ferocious movie buff who put us all to shame,” said Gabe Klinger, who directed Yelchin in the upcoming film “Porto,” likely to be released this fall. “He was watching four or five movies every night.”

Klinger said Yelchin had a particular affinity for silent films.

Yelchin began acting as a child, taking small roles in independent films and various television shows, such as “ER,” “The Practice,” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” His breakout big-screen role came opposite Anthony Hopkins in 2001’s “Hearts in Atlantis.”

He transitioned into teen roles in films such as the crime thriller “Alpha Dog” and the comedy “Charlie Bartlett.” He also played a young Kyle Reese in 2009’s “Terminator Salvation.”

Yelchin, an only child, was

born in Russia. His parents were professional figure skaters who moved the family to the United States when Yelchin was a baby. He briefly flirted with skating lessons, too, before discovering that he wasn’t very skilled on the ice. That led him to acting class.

“I loved the improvisation part of it the most, because it was a lot like just playing around with stuff. There was something about it that I just felt completely comfortable doing and happy doing,” Yelchin told The Associated Press in 2011 while promoting the romantic drama “Like Crazy.” He starred opposite Felicity Jones. “(My father) still wanted me to apply to college and stuff, and I did,” Yelchin said. “But this is what I wanted.”

The discipline that Yelchin learned from his athlete parents translated into his work as an actor, which he treated with seriousness and professionalism, said Klinger, the director.

He drew on his Russian roots for his role as the heavily accented navigator Chekov in the “Star Trek” films, his most high-profile to date.

“What’s great about him is he can do anything. He’s a chameleon. He can do bigger movies or smaller, more intimate

Anton Yelchin.

ones,” “Like Crazy” director Drake Doremus told the AP in 2011. “There are a lot of people who can’t, who can only do one or the other. ... That’s what blows my mind.”

Yelchin seemed to fit in anywhere in Hollywood. He could do big sci-fi franchises and vocal work in “The Smurfs,” while also appearing in more eccentric and artier fare, like Jim Jarmusch’s vampire film “Only Lovers Left Alive” and Jeremy Saulnier’s horror thriller “Green Room,” a cult favourite that came out earlier this year.

Klinger recalled a conversation with Jarmusch about Yelchin before Klinger cast him in “Porto.”

“Jim was like, ‘Watch out. An-

MATTEO CHINELLATO / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

ton read Dostoyevsky when he was like 11 years old!”’ Klinger said.

The director said that for Yelchin, every film was an opportunity to learn and study more. He admired Nicolas Cage’s laser-focus on the Paul Schrader film “Dying of the Light” and also got to work with one of his acting heroes, Willem Dafoe, on the film “Odd Thomas.”

“He used to refer to Willem as an artist, not an actor,” Klinger said. “That’s the kind of actor he aspired to be, where people didn’t regard him as an actor, they regarded him as an artist.”

Yelchin’s publicist, Jennifer Allen, confirmed his death and said his family requests privacy. ■

Drake big winner at Much Music awards, Nick Jonas dedicates award to Orlando

BY DAVID FRIEND The Canadian Press

Nick Jonas appeared in front of the Stonewall Inn for a vigil on behalf of the victims of the Orlando Pulse massacre.

A KATZ / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

TORONTO — Shadows of last week’s shooting in Orlando hung heavy over the IHeartRadio Canada Much Music Video Awards as some of music’s biggest names took moments from the celebration to acknowledge the tragedy.

As pop singer Nick Jonas stepped onto the Toronto stage to accept his award for international artist of the year he paused to recognize the 49 people shot dead, and 53 injured, at the Pulse night club just over a week ago. www.canadianinquirer.net

“To all the families and victims of the shootings recently, we love you, and we have not forgotten you,” Jonas said as he clutched the trophy.

It was one of several moments during the otherwise boisterous event where superstars acknowledged the impact of the violence, particularly on the LGBT community.

“Pretty Little Liars” actress Shay Mitchell, who was raised in Toronto, said she’s proud of Canada for its inclusiveness.

“This is a place where you can be who you want to be and love who you want to love,” she said before handing out the award to Jonas.

The biggest winner of the night was Drake who took home a record of five awards in one year, including video of the year and best hip hop video.

The Toronto-raised performer was a no-show to accept his trophies.

Other winners included Fifth Harmony for most buzzworthy international artist or group and Justin Bieber for fan fave artist or group.

Standout performances of the night included rising Canadian pop singer Alessia Cara who performed “Wild Things” with a choir of backup singers. ❱❱ PAGE 36 Drake big

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JUNE 24, 2016

FRIDAY

Lifestyle

Michelle Obama in passenger seat for ‘Carpool Karaoke’ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WASHINGTON — Who will be next in the passenger seat for an upcoming edition of “Carpool Karaoke” with late-night comic James Corden?

None other than Michelle Obama.

Corden was at the White House on Tuesday for the taping.

The first lady announced the appearance with Corden as she

launched an account on Snapchat. Follow her at @MichelleObama.

The White House says she joined the social media app to promote her trip next week to Liberia, Morocco and Spain to encourage education for the estimated 62 million adolescent girls around the world who aren’t attending school.

Mrs. Obama is quite active on social media. She already had accounts on Twitter, Instagram and Medium. ■

Marking International... arrival. “It is unjust to tie a worker to one employer at one address. It leaves them vulnerable to abuse and exploitation because in many cases, the caregivers are afraid to leave their jobs because of the onerous process of obtaining a new work permit for a new employer,” said Drolet, whose association has been helping caregivers facing deportation because of Project Guardian.

Hessed Torres, a caregiver and member of Migrante, spoke of her experience under the caregiver program and described Project Guardian as “bullying” and “intimidating” caregivers. She declared to the crowd that “if we, caregivers, are good enough to work, then caregivers, like me, are good enough to stay — as permanent residents.”

MLA Mable Elmore, Opposition Spokesperson for TFWs and Immigration, also said more needs to be done to protect migrant workers’ rights. “Provincial legislation is needed to ensure that migrant workers are genuinely able to access and exercise their full legal rights, especially when they face abuse or exploitation due to unscrupulous recruitment agencies, immigration consultants or employers,” said Elmore.

“It’s also important that as ❰❰ 23

a nation, we show the willingness to protect and promote the rights and welfare of all workers, especially migrant workers.

And a first step towards that is the ratification of this international convention recognizing the rights of domestic workers,” she said, referring to the International Labour Organization’s Convention 189 (C189).

The International Domestic Workers Convention was approved on June 16, 2011 (hence, International Domestic Workers Day) and went into effect in 2013. It is the set of international standards that recognizes that domestic work is work and that domestic workers are entitled to equal rights, protection and recognition as other workers. Since coming into force, 22 countries have ratified the Convention.

Canada, however, has not ratified the Convention.

At the rally were several lawyers, members from No One Is Illegal, Health Employees Union, Unite Here local 40, the Vancouver and District Labour Council, Iranian Solidarity Group, United Food and Commercial Workers, Movement for Workers Dignity Association, the Canada Philippines Solidarity for Human Rights, the International league of Peoples’ Struggle, and Red Legal. ■

Pride prom creates safe space for Surrey, B.C., students to celebrate

BY LINDA GIVETASH The Canadian Press SURREY, B.C. — School may be out, but Alisa Atchison has one more art project to complete.

The 14-year-old from Surrey, B.C., will be spending her first weekend of the summer making a butterfly themed mask to wear to her school district’s first-ever pride prom.

“I always thought that butterflies were really free ... and they’re beautiful,” she said. “I want to be free and beautiful as well.”

Guildford Park Secondary School’s gay-straight alliance is hosting the inaugural districtwide dance on Monday evening to give LGBTQ students from different high schools a chance to meet, have fun and feel supported.

“Each student is on their own path and in a different place when it comes to self-acceptance, or being out or not, or figuring out who they are and I think creating that safe space where you can just be who you are, whoever that is, is really, really important,” said Guildford Park teacher Heather Kelley.

The idea for a dance came from students who felt LGBTQ youth do not have enough opportunities to connect.

Typical dances and events, which are exclusive to students from the same school, can feel limiting to queer students whose network of friends extends beyond the school borders, Kelley said.

“The likelihood you’re going to meet an out queer teen that you want to date in a high school — you’re really lucky if it happens,” she said.

Having a district-wide event gets rid of the barrier and allows students to bring their dates and friends from other schools. And that includes students outside the LGBTQ community.

Yu Takahashi, 14, who volunwww.canadianinquirer.net

Vancouver Pride Parade being celebrated in 2014.

VPSJHANEY / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

teered to make decorations for the event, said she got involved because she sees herself as an ally.

“If I don’t respect them or just reject them, they’re going to feel uncomfortable and I don’t feel that’s right for this school or this community,” Takahashi said.

The diversity of attendees is encouraging to students like Atchison, who said she hopes the event will help her peers better understand her identity as a pansexual, or someone not limited to sexual choice, regardless of their biological sex or gender.

Attitudes about the LGBTQ community need to move beyond acceptance to include more interaction and integration between people of all sexual orientations, Atchison said.

“Sometimes it seems as if there are two separate parties when in reality we are all people and we should all work together and do things together.”

The idea for the pride prom has gained interest from across the province. Students from the neighbouring communities of Delta, Langley and New Westminster have reached out to organizers asking to attend.

While students outside Sur-

rey are not permitted at the dance, Kelley said she hopes this will inspire other school districts to hold similar events.

Kelley launched a crowdfunding page hoping to raise $500 to buy some decorations and pizza for the volunteers.

As of Saturday, the event raised over three times that amount and received donations of prizes, food and DJ services.

Kelley said any leftover funds will go toward holding the event next year, allowing it to become an annual tradition.

The pride prom is one of many firsts for Surrey’s LGBTQ community, launching a week ahead of the city’s inaugural pride parade.

The city also raised a rainbow flag to half-mast in memory of those killed in the mass shooting in Orlando, Fla. Flags that weren’t an emblem of the city, province or country were previously barred from being raised at city hall.

While the events are unrelated, Kelley said it signals a change in how the community responds to diversity.

“I guess it’s just Surrey’s time, that we’re ready to move forward ... and show the LGBTQ community that we’re behind them,” Kelley said. ■

Lifestyle

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

27

A third of Canadian kids sleep deprived, most get too much screen time: report

BY CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI The Canadian Press TORONTO — Almost a third of Canadian school-aged kids are sleep-deprived while most are spending too much time staring at screens, suggests an annual report on the state of children’s health.

For the first time, the ParticipAction Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth looked at the amount and quality of children’s sleep, and found that many are not getting enough shut-eye.

The problem seems to be too little exercise and too much screen time — a double whammy that means kids “aren’t moving enough to be tired, and they may also be too tired to move,” according to the study.

“Because of screens in their bedroom, because of holding their cellphone under their pillow, because they didn’t move very much in that day and frankly are not fatigued, (kids) get a disrupted night’s sleep,” says Dr. Mark Tremblay, lead researcher for the ParticipAction Report Card. “(They) wake up somewhat fatigued, withdraw from physi-

cal activity a little bit the next day, slouch around more and then of course are not physically tired the next night. They have another bad night’s sleep, and so on.”

For the fourth year in a row, the report card handed out a D- for overall physical activity, based on findings that only nine per cent of kids aged five to 17 get the recommended minimum of 60 minutes of “heartpumping activity” a day.

The worst grade was an F for sedentary behaviour, with only 24 per cent of five- to 17-yearolds coming under the recommended daily maximum of two hours of recreational screen time. High school students spent an average of 8.2 hours in front of a screen, according to the report.

Kids did get a relatively high grade for sleep, earning a B, even though about one in three aren’t getting enough rest.

Tremblay says he suspects the grade should be much lower, since sleep data was provided by parents instead of being determined by an objective monitoring device.

Tremblay, also director of an obesity research group at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern

The problem seems to be too little exercise and too much screen time — a double whammy that means kids “aren’t moving enough to be tired, and they may also be too tired to move.”

Ontario Research Institute in Ottawa, says the effects of chronic sleep loss can be devastating, since it is linked to higher rates of depression and suicidal thoughts. Too little sleep can also cause hyperactivity, obesity and difficulty in problem solving.

“It is not unrelated to the issues that are going on in Woodstock right now and the mental health issues that are going on there,” says Tremblay, referring to a recent spate of suicides

in that southwestern Ontario town involving five people under the age of 20.

“I don’t know the circumstances in Woodstock but we deal with these at the hospital in Ottawa here.... It seems to me highly unlikely that they are unrelated to a disconnect with nature, the outdoors, society, movement, good sleep and an excessive connection with flashing screens, with how many ‘thumbs up’ in your Facebook page and these sorts of

things.”

The study found 79 per cent of five- to 13-year-olds get the recommended nine to 11 hours of sleep per night while 68 per cent of 14- to 17-year-olds get the suggested eight to 10 hours per night.

For the first time, this year’s report card analyses the whole day, and that provides a clearer picture of healthy activity, says ParticipAction president Elio Antunes.

A child who meets their minimum daily exercise goals can still be unhealthy if they also dive into a TV marathon or play video games into the wee hours of the morning, say the researchers.

“There’s no one easy solution to change the D- to an A, it’s a complex problem that involves a number of factors and involves a number of key stakeholders from parents, obviously, to kids themselves, to policy makers, to schools,” says Antunes.

The ParticipAction report card, which synthesizes data from multiple sources including peer-reviewed research, will shift to a bi-annual release, with the next report coming in 2018. ■

Canadian designer Vejas awarded 150,000 euro special prize from LVMH Prize THE CANADIAN PRESS PARIS — Canadian designer Vejas Kruszewski has won a special award from the LVMH Prize for young fashion designers.

The 19-year-old behind Toronto-based label Vejas has

been awarded 150,000 euros, or approximately C$218,000.

The self-taught designer launched his eponymous label with his first collection at New York Fashion Week last year.

British designer Grace Wales Bonner, behind the label Wales Bonner, won the grand prize

and a grant of 300,000 euros (C$436,000).

Launched in November 2013, the LVMH Prize was created to support young fashion designers around the world.

The contest is open to those under 40 who have created at least two women’s or men’s

www.canadianinquirer.net

ready-to-wear collections.

A separate prize is also available to three graduates from fashion schools.

The prizes are awarded by the LVMH Group, the luxury goods conglomerate which includes fashion brands Louis Vuitton, Celine and Givenchy.

In addition to the grant, winners also benefit from assistance from LVMH teams in such areas as intellectual property, marketing, production and distribution.

London-based Canadian designer Thomas Tait won the inaugural young fashion designer prize in 2014. ■

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JUNE 24, 2016

FRIDAY

Business Philippines Canada Trade Council and B.C. International Trade and Investment Representative Office eye business opportunities between PH and B.C. THE PHILIPPINES Canada Trade Council (PCTC) and British Columbia’s Ministry of International Trade has recently affirmed the business relations between British Columbia and the Philippines.

In a meeting held at Singleton Urquhart LLP in Vancouver, British Columbia; PCTC Board of Directors and Officers met with the Managing Director of Trade and Investment Representative Office in the Philippines, Eva P. Yazon, together with the Senior Manager for America and South East Asia International Markets of B.C. Ministry of International Trade and Development, Jessica Kang, to extend support to each other in expanding business opportunities between B.C. and Philippine

based businesses.

“We are very pleased to have the opportunity to cement ties with the B. C. Trade Office in Manila through this meeting with Director Yazon,” said PCTC President Jorge Miguel Marcó. “We have been actively pursuing the development of trade between the province and the Philippines through the International Trade Ministry and I believe they recognize that effort. This new trade office in Manila and our new-found relationship with Director Yazon will certainly help pave the way for greater facilitation of trade and commerce between B.C. and the Philippines,” Marcó said.

“Our focus is to contribute to the wealth of BC companies, export their products to the Phil-

George Soros says leaving EU will trigger UK currency crisis THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LONDON — Billionaire currency trader George Soros has warned that a vote for Britain to leave European Union will trigger a plunge in the pound — without benefits that can come with a devalued currency.

In an op-ed piece in Tuesday’s Guardian, Soros says a decision to leave the 28-nation bloc in Thursday’s vote will cause sterling to

drop quickly. Soros predicted the drop will be more dramatic than when Britain crashed out of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism in September 1992.

Soros substantially profited — at the expense of the Bank of England and the British government — when the pound lost 15 per cent of its value.

Soros says those who believe a “leave” vote will have no impact on their personal finances are guilty of “wishful thinking.” ■

ippines and attract Philippine companies to invest in B.C.,” Director Yazon said. “We are out there knocking on doors, getting their interests, getting them to know what these BC companies have to offer. We are basically the matchmakers.”

Director Yazon’s first year in office will be dedicated in educating Philippine businesses of business opportunities in British Columbia, promoting B.C. as an investment haven and build its reputation as source of product, services, technology and education.

“We do have to educate the BC market about the Philippines. We are no longer the sick man of Asia; we are out of ICU. We are up and running now. In fact, the first quarter showed a 6.9 GDP, besting China,” said

Director Yazon. She stressed that their office is working closely with the Embassy of Canada in the Philippines.

“We are confident that we will be able to achieve our purpose with the support of organizations like PCTC,” she added.

Meanwhile, Ms. Jessica Kang of B.C. Ministry of International Trade and Development

identified the food, forestry, international education, infrastructure and services, and telecommunication sectors as her priority industries.

According to Ms. Kang, the South East Asia is the new region her office is focusing on. ■ Ms. Eva P. Yazon can be reached at eyazon@britishcolumbia.ca

New trade chief vows continuity in DTI policies, programs

BY AMY R. REMO Philippine Daily Inquirer INCOMING TRADE Secretary Ramon Lopez has vowed to continue economic reforms, programs and international trade policies geared for the development of micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs).

“The Department of Trade and Industry is doing a lot of good things and, definitely, all the good programs will have to continue and be enhanced.

There will be continuity and a review of programs so we can identify which will be prioritized… We will also fast track certain programs,” Lopez said.

“I’m also willing to retain the undersecretaries but the question is whether they still want the position,” he said.

Based on the mandate of President elect Rodrigo Duterte, Lopez said he would continue to put significant focus on champiwww.canadianinquirer.net

oning the agenda of MSMEs. “The focus of the incoming President is uplifting the poor and the quality of their lives through entrepreneurship. We will push for these interventions to support the growth of the MSMEs, build a climate conducive to business and innovation, which the DTI has already started,” he said.

“We are brainstorming on intervention plans to create a culture and the mindset of innovation and secure an ecosystem enabling the institutions…

For instance, for the retailing industry, we should look at what other programs can help MSME products qualify for mainstream market like malls or groceries,” Lopez said.

The incoming administration, he said, had a list of priority programs that would further boost the agenda of MSMEs. The target was to enhance existing programs such as the Negosyo Centers, shared service

facilities, training programs and seminars.

The DTI, under the new administration, will also follow through on initiatives started by the agency, especially on inclusive businesses. Under this model, big businesses can help the MSMEs by incorporating small enterprises in their operations either as a forward linkage or as a supplier.

As for international trade policies, Lopez said he supported fair trade and calibrated liberalization, noting that the government could not back track from its thrust to engage other economies in different preferential trade agreements whether as a regional bloc or bilateral.

“If we back track, we will get left behind the global system.

I guess what we want is to be able to maximize these foreign trade agreements so that these will benefit more MSMEs,” he added. ■

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FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

Sports

Canadian runner LeBron ends the debate, hopes for ‘re do’ no one can deny his greatness now in Rio after Russian ban over doping upheld

BY TIM REYNOLDS The Associated Press

BY LORI EWING The Canadian Press TORONTO — Drug cheats robbed Hilary Stellingwerff of her Olympic moment in 2012.

The Canadian middle-distance runner hopes that Friday’s historic decision by track and field’s world governing body to keep Russia out of this summer’s Rio Games, will give her a second chance.

“To be honest, if it didn’t happen, it would cause me to question the value of clean sport to IAAF, and I would honestly question even being in Rio if I made it,” she said. “What’s the point?”

The IAAF upheld its ban on Russia’s track and field team in Friday’s decision that punishes the world power for systematic doping.

Stellingwerff missed the women’s 1,500-metre final at the London Olympics by just one spot. Since then, six of the 12 finalists — including two Russians and Turkish gold medallist Ash Cakir Alptekin — received doping bans.

“I hope I get the opportunity to compete in Rio, with clean athletes and with Russia banned, so that I can kind of do a re-do,” said Stellingwerff, who still must qualify at the July 6-10 Olympic trials. “I know it doesn’t make up for 2012, but it would help that the sport is moving forward in the right direction.”

Meanwhile, the chairs of the IOC Athlete Commission and the WADA Athlete Committee said they “commend and support” the move.

IOC athlete chair Claudia Bokel and WADA athlete chair Beckie Scott, a Canadian crosscountry skier who belatedly received a gold medal after drug

cheats were stripped of their results at the 2002 Olympics, say they will “hold this decision as symbolic that the voices of the clean athletes have been heard.”

“We recognize that this decision is only one step in the process of ensuring that the Rio Olympic Games will have a level playing field,” Bokel and Scott said in a release. “But, we are heartened to see that the facts as presented by WADA and the IAAF task force have been considered thoroughly, and that the evidence has lead the IAAF to make decisions based on integrity — maintaining clean sport as a central policy.”

They added that they speak for athletes globally who want to ensure that the Olympics remain a place where politics does not trump principle.

“I think that clean athletes going to Rio can be really encouraged and heartened by the decision and what the position taken by the IAAF was today,” Scott said on a conference call.

“There was no question about the stance that they took and the principles upon which they based their decision. I think this is a really monumental, historic day in many ways for clean athletes and for clean, fair sport.

“We really commend the IAAF for siding on what we feel is the right side of sport.”

The Canadian Olympic Committee also supported the decision.

“This (world anti-doping) code is in place to protect clean athletes and provide them with a fair and safe sporting environment,” COC president Tricia Smith said in a release.

“Athletes who violate the code and nations that institute sys❱❱ PAGE 36 Canadian runner

THE DROUGHT is over for Cleveland, and the debate is over as well.

Best player in basketball?

His name is LeBron James.

This is why he went back to Cleveland, to deliver a title, to end the city’s epic championship drought and finally give Northeast Ohio what it craved for nearly 52 years.

It’s done. And now he’s free.

Anything that happens from here is icing atop a three-tiered championship cake for James.

There’s absolutely nothing left for James to prove. The only thing he hadn’t done on a basketball court was make Cleveland, a city whose sports teams were cursed for so long, a winner. December 27, 1964 was the day Jim Brown last made them one. That is, until June 19, 2016.

James was an NBA champion before from his time in Miami, an Olympic champion, an MVP, a Finals MVP ... he had checked every box but one, and now that one is filled as well.

Stephen Curry is the twotime reigning MVP and rightly so, best player on the best regular-season team in league history. Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant will likely be the hottest free agent on the market this summer, coveted by everyone.

Kobe Bryant was the highestpaid player in the NBA this season and this year was a celebration of his 20 years of greatness.

But they’re all part of LeBron’s world.

James is the freight train, the most unstoppable force in the game, and he shows no signs of slowing down after 13 years in the league. He’s 31. He rarely if ever misses games. He’s been in seven of the last 10 NBA Finals, including each of the last six. He’s nowhere near his decline, which has to delight even those Cleveland fans who burned his jerseys in 2010. And while winning cures all, he can be a free agent www.canadianinquirer.net

LeBron James.

this summer, which should scare some people as well.

“I’m true to the game,” James said, “and I know what I bring to the table.”

It bears noting that some of what’s on that table now wasn’t there six years ago, though.

It’s fair to say, this celebration would not be happening without July 8, 2010, the day James headed to Miami.

James needed a change and craved a title. He got all that and more. He learned how to lead, he learned the value of structure, he learned from Dwyane Wade and Erik Spoelstra and Pat Riley and Micky Arison, took little bits from each of them, added it all to his alreadyridiculous game and made himself better.

James never went to college.

But like many college kids, he went away for four years and then returned home with hopes of making his city better.

The result: Cleveland is a city of champions.

“I knew what I learned in the last couple years that I was gone,” James said, “and I knew if I had to — when I came back, I knew I had the right ingredients and the right blueprint to help this franchise get back to a place that we’ve never been.

That’s what it was all about.”

He’ll never win over everyone. He’ll never win the argument about who is better, him or Michael Jordan or any-

A.RICARDO / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

one else who merits mention among the league’s greats.

He doesn’t care, either. He’ll leave those conversations for others to have. But he put an end to the discussion of who is the best right now.

“There’s no denying what he was able to accomplish this series,” a very classy Curry said after Game 7. “He played pretty great basketball.”

James is the quintessential American success story. He bucked overwhelming after odds by rising above his impoverished upbringing in Akron, Ohio. He’s a global icon who’s earned roughly $175 million in NBA salary, probably that much if not a great deal more from his Nike sponsorship deal alone, has a blossoming entertainment studio and is easily one of the most recognizable faces on the planet.

He’s on pace to be a billionaire someday like his good pal Warren Buffett, who James can chat up basically any time he wants.

And now he can do whatever he wants for as long as he wants to play this game. He owes no one anything anymore. Stay in Cleveland, return to Miami, go anywhere else in the NBA; it’s all up to him now.

For the first time in 13 years, LeBron James is free of burden.

With that weight lifted, it’s scary to think his best might be yet to come. ■

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JUNE 24, 2016

FRIDAY

Technology

Patent dispute could block Apple’s iPhone 6 sales in Beijing THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN FRANCISCO — Apple is embroiled in a patent dispute in China that threatens to block future sales of the iPhone 6 in Beijing unless the company can overturn a regulator’s recent ruling.

The potential ban stems from a decision issued last month by the Beijing Intellectual Property Office. The agency found the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus infringed on a patent for the exterior design of a smartphone called the 100C made by a Chinese company, Shenzhen Baili.

Apple Inc. is still being allowed to sell both of the affected iPhone models while it appeals the ruling to an intel-

lectual property court in China.

If it loses, Apple could be forbidden from selling some of its most profitable iPhones in China’s capital at a time when sales of the entire iPhone line have already been declining.

The downturn is the main reason that Apple’s stock has fallen by 9 per cent so far this year while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index has edged up by 1 per cent. Apple’s shares dropped $2.10, or about 2 per cent, to $94.45 in Friday’s late afternoon trading.

The patent dispute is Apple’s latest headache in China, the company’s second biggest source of revenue after the U.S. and one of its fastest growing markets. China accounted for 26 per cent, or $61 billion, of Ap-

Apple Retail store in Sanlitun, Beijing.

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ple’s revenue last year, up from 12 per cent in 2011, based on calculations by RBC Capital Mar-

kets analyst Amit Daryanani.

In April, China’s government blocked Apple’s books and

movies services in the country after finding they violated the rules covering foreign publishers. The Cupertino, California, company also lost a fight earlier this year to keep the exclusive rights to the iPhone name in China.

Activist investor Carl Icahn also cast a spotlight on Apple’s prospects in China earlier this year when he cited concerns about a sales slowdown in the country as the reason he decided to sell a large stake that he held built up in the company since 2013.

In a Friday research note, RBC’s Daryanani predicted the patent dispute with Shenzhen Baili wouldn’t depress Apple’s revenue or profit margins in China. ■

Stanford researchers find new way of making hydrogen fuel from water PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY SAN FRANCISCO — A team of Stanford University researchers has developed new ways to make hydrogen fuel from water by using bismuth vanadate, an inexpensive compound that absorbs sunlight and generates modest amounts of electricity.

Cui, associate professor of materials science and engineering at Stanford, and his colleagues have focused on photovoltaic water splitting that consists of a solar-powered electrode immersed in water.

When sunlight hits the electrode, it generates an electric

current that splits the water into its constituent parts, hydrogen and oxygen.

However, conventional solar electrodes made of silicon quickly corrode when exposed to oxygen, a key byproduct of water splitting.

That was the reason Cui’s team optioned to work on bismuth vanadate. “Bismuth vanadate has been widely regarded as a promising material for photoelectrochemical water splitting, in part because of its low cost and high stability against corrosion, “ said Cui. “However, the performance of this material remains well below its theoretical solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency. “ Bismuth vanadate absorbs

light but is a poor conductor of electricity. To carry a current, a solar cell made of bismuth vanadate must be sliced very thin, 200 nanometers or less, making it virtually transparent. As a result, visible light that could be used to generate electricity simply passes through the cell.

To capture sunlight before it escapes, Cui’s team turned to nanotechnology. They created microscopic arrays containing thousands of silicon nanocones, each about 600 nanometers tall.

“Nanocone structures have shown a promising light-trapping capability over a broad range of wavelengths,” Cui explained. “Each cone is optimally shaped to capture sun-

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light that would otherwise pass through the thin solar cell.”

In the experiment, reported in the latest edition of Sciences Advances, Cui and his colleagues deposited the nanocone arrays on a thin film of bismuth vanadate. Both layers were then placed on a solar cell made of perovskite, another promising photovoltaic material.

When submerged, the threelayer tandem device immediately began splitting water at a solar-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 6. 2 percent, matching the theoretical maximum rate for a bismuth vanadate cell. “The tandem solar cell continued generating hydrogen for more than 10 hours,

an indication of good stability,” said Cui, a principal investigator at the Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences. “Although the efficiency we demonstrated was only 6.2 percent, our tandem device has room for significant improvement in the future.”

Hydrogen fuel has long been touted as a clean alternative to gasoline. Automakers began offering hydrogen-powered cars to American consumers last year, but only a handful have sold, mainly because hydrogen refueling stations are few and far between.

“Millions of cars could be powered by clean hydrogen fuel if it were cheap and widely available,” said Cui. ■

Technology

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

Facebook-fuelled caribou trade raises concerns in Nunavut

BY BOB WEBER The Canadian Press WILDLIFE MANAGERS are concerned a booming online trade in caribou meat may pose a threat to one of the last healthy herds on the Canadian tundra.

Hunters in the central Arctic have been taking so many animals from the Qaminirjuaq herd and sending the meat to parts of Nunavut where the hunt is restricted that airlines have been asked to report on their shipments.

“It’s our top, No. 1 priority over the next several years,” said Ross Thompson of the Beverly-Qaminirjuaq Caribou Management Board.

The Qaminirjuaq (pronounced kam-uh-NARE’ee-ack) herd’s range covers a huge swath from northern Saskatchewan to Queen Maud Gulf on the central Arctic coast. Almost 250,000 animals strong, it’s not about to disappear. But the herd is only about half the size it was in the mid-1990s and biologists are watching.

Aboriginals in two provinces and two territories depend on the herd for food. And as caribou quotas grow tighter across the North and hunters and the hungry link up on Facebook, pressure on the Qaminirjuaq is growing.

The tiny community of Coral Harbour on Southampton Island has been shipping out between 5,000 and 7,000 ki-

lograms of meat in the winter months, said Steve Pinksen of Nunavut’s Environment Department. That’s between 1,500 and 2,000 animals a year, roughly equal to what the community consumes itself.

Meat is also being shipped from Arviat, Rankin Inlet and Naujaat, formerly known as Repulse Bay. “We’re not in panic about this,” Pinksen said. “But if the herd does continue a natural decline — and at the same time we have a substantial harvest in addition to the subsistence harvest — that does pose some concerns for the future.”

Most of the meat ends up in the territorial capital of Iqaluit on Baffin Island — especially after biologists realized the island’s herds had declined by 95 per cent.

“Ever since (then) the Baffin district cut their quota down to zero,” said Alex Ishalook, a board member from Arviat.

“We are caribou-eaters and the same goes up there.”

Ishalook said most of the trade is between individuals and is facilitated by Facebook.

Social media is popular in isolated northern communities and Facebook groups for buying, selling and trading country foods now have thousands of members.

A whole caribou sells for about $400, said Thompson.

Under the Nunavut land claim, Inuit are the only aboriginal group in Canada that has the right to sell game.

Part of the demand is fuelled by the high cost of northern groceries. Some of it is driven by increasingly tight quotas on other barren ground caribou herds.

Nine of Canada’s 13 major caribou herds are declining.

Earlier this week, one management board in the Northwest Territories cut quotas for one of its herds and banned hunting on another.

The combination of a shrinking resource and the ability to sell what was once freely shared is changing things for Inuit, said Ishalook.

“It’s not our traditional lifestyle, selling meat,” he said.

“We’re working on ideas to improve all this selling.”

The hunt is unrestricted and only the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board can impose a total allowable harvest.

Inuit can take and sell as many caribou as they want, Pinksen said.

“It’s people utilizing their constitutionally guaranteed rights.”

But it may be hard to sustain those rights if all communities on the Qaminirjuaq range start taking twice as many animals as they need for their own use, Thompson said.

“We’re not questioning the right, but in order for our board to work on behalf of those communities, we have to take all kinds of information,” he said.

“As long as there’s the financial factors involved, it’s a tough chore we’re facing.” ■

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Japan’s nuclear regulator allows 20 year extension of aged reactors PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY TOKYO — Japan’s nuclear regulator on Monday green lit a plan to extend the life of two of the world’s oldest nuclear reactors that are based on the coast of the Sea of Japan by a further 20 years in an unprecedented move since stricter rules were introduced in the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) told Kansai Electric Power Co. it could go ahead with a plan to extend the operation of the No.1 and No.2 reactors at the Takahama nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture on the Sea of Japan. Both reactors are more than 40 years old.

The approval was granted following an inspection of the facilities finding that the deterioration rate was satisfactory and following upgrades being made by the utility to reduce fire risks to sensitive cables, along with other safety improvements in April, with the NRA deciding that a 20 year extension would be granted for the two aged reactors, which are among the oldest operable reactors in the world.

Following the Fukushima disaster in 2011, stricter regulations stated that the lifespan of a nuclear reactor would be 40 years before it would be decom-

missioned, but a clause was entered into the new safety protocols that stated that if the NRA decide, the lifespan could be extended by a further 20 years.

The decision on extending the lifespan of the reactors was made unanimously by the nuclear watchdog, despite harsh criticism from local officials and residents in the vicinity of the reactors who are concerned about the degradation of the reactors that may not have been detected and could lead to a fatal Fukushima-like accident.

The NRA did stipulate, however, that an upgrade to the reactors’ earthquake resistance technology still needs to be implemented by the utility, with a plan laid out by the utility to bolster the resistance of the reactors to a sizable temblor striking being approved by the NRA in June.

The approvals deadline has been extended by the NRA to July 7 so that Kansai Electric can complete three key procedures, and the utility has said it will take about 3 years for it to fully carry out all the necessary upgrades, in line with post-Fukushima safety protocols.

The reactors will be brought online once all the upgrades have been completed the NRA said. Both reactors have seen their operations halted for regular checkups since 2011. ■

Digital Now: Leveraging enterprises PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — How can an organization secure itself “in the Cloud”?

How can enterprises showcase their products/services to potential clients without asking them to leave their homes?

In this digital era, nobody should be left behind.

Thus, PLDT Enterprise, together with market research firm IDC, organized the 2016

Philippine ICT Leadership Convention scheduled from Monday to Tuesday at the Marriott Hotel in Manila.

This is the second time that PLDT hosted such event. The company said it is expecting around 500 attendees, which is double the number compared to last year.

“It (event) is a call to action to our customers that we need to start collaborating, build solutions together,” Voyager President and CEO Orlando Vea said

in a press conference.

Voyager is PLDT’s digital innovations arm.

Highlighting that technology cycle goes farther and farther, Vea said going digital is vital for businesses to be able to compete.

With this, the event’s focus is on Social, Mobility, Analytics, Cloud and Security (SMACS), which PLDT described as the reshaping strategies of enterprises and organizations.

Vea cited that these days, going digital is no longer just an www.canadianinquirer.net

option for enterprises.

Christopher Holmes, IDC Asia Pacific managing director, said companies who opted to go digital got bigger revenues.

“Time is shrinking, thus the theme, Digital Now,” he noted.

How can enterprises utilize technologies to reshape business models? How can enterprises use technology to leverage themselves? These are among the things attendees will find out during the two-day event.

Executives, business leaders,

decision makers from various industries are expected to attend the convention.

Breakout sessions on topics such as Internet of Things (IoT), Cyber Security, Big Data Analytics, among others, were also scheduled.

Attendees can also visit the exhibit showcasing cuttingedge technologies.

Some of the products in the exhibit (e.g. the HTC Vive) are not yet available in the country, but can be purchased online. ■

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JUNE 24, 2016

FRIDAY

Travel

Why this cruise ship is a destination in itself A slide sends you 10 stories down. At Bionic Bar, a robot mixes your drinks. Broadway’s ‘Grease’ is staged. Staterooms are big.

BY ANNE A. JAMBORA Philippine Daily Inquirer WE SOON got used to the screaming.

We were aboard Harmony of the Seas on its inaugural cruise, to date the largest cruise ship in the world, lining up for milkshake and burgers at Johnny Rockets, and the terrified shrieks coming from the Ultimate Abyss located just a few steps away blended curiously with the ’50s music blaring from the diner.

Diner waiters, all dolled up in retro red and white stripes costumes, danced rock ’n’ roll to entertain the long queue of customers, doing so quite flawlessly amid the wailing and yowling nearby.

Screams were coming from the Royal Caribbean’s most daring thriller slide yet, the Ultimate Abyss, that sent you plummeting 10 stories down through a dark tube of twists and turns.

There were flashing lights on the way down, but that didn’t stop the screams of either excitement or sheer panic.

The ride was the fastest way to get to the bottom. A “dry” ride—you slipped into a blanket before the plunge—started on the 16th floor down to the 6th, in just 11 seconds, where the Boardwalk, an amusement zone, was located.

About 100 meters from the drop zone of Ultimate Abyss was a carousel, the classic pastime for those who liked to take it easy.

There was also a Starbucks that instantly made us feel at home.

Shopping, eating

Royal Caribbean’s Harmony of the Seas is divided into seven districts or zones.

The Solarium, for example, is an adults-only zone, for people who don’t like to be bothered with children running around.

At the center of the ship is a green region called Central Park, with trees and vertical gardens, with such shops as Cartier and Bulgari.

It also has the British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s famous Jamie’s Italian restaurant, and the fine-dining 150 Central Park, a tasting menu experience created by Miami’s awardwinning chef and restaurateur Michael Schwartz.

With over 20 restaurants, diners can choose between a sitdown dinner or grab-and-go.

A skylight shines directly down to the Royal Promenade, for more duty-free shopping— Kate Spade, Michael Kors, TAGHeuer, Hublot, Breitling and more—dining, dancing and drinking.

“As the largest cruise ship, that means a lot of choices for our customers. The variety alone is what this ship brings.

You can have an active cruise or a relaxing cruise,” said Sean Treacy, managing director, Singapore and SE Asia, Royal Caribbean Cruise.

The zones are created to redirect traffic from the main road (The Royal Promenade), and in most cases it does. We found ourselves in tight spaces like the amusement center, and in quiet solitude at Central Park or The Solarium.

17 stories

The ship is huge—17 stories high and weighing 227,000 tons. It’s practically a small town.

Harmony of the Seas can hold up to 6,700 guests and over 2,000 crew.

But it’s not just a ship; it’s a destination.

It has a relaxing spa, live music for dancing and parties, Broadway show (“Grease”), three large pools and lounging areas, three water slides collectively called The Perfect Storm, two rock-climbing walls, an ice skating rink, a zip line that travels across the ship, two surf

The cruiseship, docked at Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

simulators and Ultimate Abyss.

So who said cruises are for old retirees?

“That’s a misconception, particularly for our Southeast Asian visitors where we are seeing a younger demographic,” Treacy said. “Harmony of the Seas is an amazing destination for young people. Filipinos, for example, almost always come in multigenerational families—parents, children, grandparents. We make sure there’s something here for everybody.”

There’s a Youth Place for kids, Pool and Sports Zone, Royal Entertainment Place for production shows, comedy club and jazz club.

Bionic Bar

In just a few minutes, we had forgotten we were aboard a ship. Given the size of Harmony of the Seas, we experienced a smooth sail despite the rough weather outside.

And let’s not forget the bars.

Harmony of the Seas has a Bionic Bar, where robots, instead of bartenders, mix your favorite cocktails. Just input your poison of choice, and the robots will do the rest. It’s a novelty on the ship, and the line is always long.

A caveat, though. If you don’t know the ingredients of your Daiquiri or Manhattan, your drink will not taste the way your favorite bartender makes them. What you input is what you get. And, unlike your favorite bartender, you can’t pour www.canadianinquirer.net

your heart out to the robots.

Love wine? Vintages Wine Bar serves some of the finest wines sourced from around the world. A nightspot at sea is the Rising Tide Bar that levitates and descends across three decks. If the drink doesn’t make you tipsy, that trippy little ride will.

Harmony of the Seas has many surprises. On the other end of the Bionic Bar is a robotic human head made of reflective mirrors that spins in slow motion. It makes a conversation piece, as many people stop to watch the head turn, one horizontal piece at a time.

But perhaps its biggest feat so far is acquiring the rights to the famous Broadway show “Grease.”

Nick Weir, vice president for entertainment and executive producer, said the production was a cross between the John Travolta and Olivia NewtonJohn movie and the Broadway show.

“We have been trying to show ‘Grease’ for years, and now we finally have it here aboard Harmony of the Seas,” he said.

“There will be some scenes taken from the movie, and others from the original Broadway show. So there’s that little surprise there, too.”

Jules Verne

Another pride of the Royal Caribbean Entertainment is “1887,” an original ice-skating show, a love story through time

KEES TORN / FLICKR

and space set in Paris and inspired by the pioneer French sci-fi writer Jules Verne.

Accommodation is no less impressive. In our staterooms, the bathroom was much larger than those in many cruise ships.

The Royal Suite Class is a three-tier suite to rival that of the best hotels around the globe.

On June 26; July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31; Aug. 7, 14, 21, 28; Sept. 4, 11, 18, 25; Oct. 2, 9 and 16, Harmony of the Seas will take off from Barcelona, with one-day stops at Palma de Mallorca, Marseille, Florence (Livorno), Rome (Civitavecchia) and Naples before going back to Barcelona.

“There’s no better way to see Europe,” said Treacy. “Plus, you get all the entertainment aboard for free, and almost all the food for free. For a price of just almost $200 per day, we offer the best value for money.”

Caribbean

In November, when it’s cold in Europe, the ship moves to the Caribbean for a warmer climate. On Nov. 12, 26; Dec. 10; Jan. 7, 21; Feb. 4, 18; March 4, 18; April 1, 15, Harmony of the Seas will sail to Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Nassau, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, then back to Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades). ■ Royal Caribbean International is at 3/F PCCI Corporate Center, 118 Leviste St., Salcedo Village, Makati. Call 8922701 to 03.

Travel

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

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Luxury travel key to ease overcrowding in top PHL destinations PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — A travel group is looking at easing overcrowding in the Philippines’ top destinations by developing luxury travel and tourism to prevent damages that could pose risks to the quality of tourism as well as the environment.

S8 Exhibition Inc. (SEI) Public Relations Officer Edwin Villanueva said that since capacity enhancement took time, overcrowding could be addressed by developing luxury travel and tourism, a more immediate method.

“We cannot allow overcrowding because there may be irreversible damages to our natural resources. We also have to ensure that there is quality of experience,” Villanueva said in an interview.

Villanueva said that developing luxury tourism in the Philippines does not mean that the tourism sector will be

leaving behind mass tourism.

“We have to develop both segments of the tourism industry. We don’t choose to develop luxury tourism at the expense of the mass market,” he said.

He said that the goal was to expand the capacity of a tourism area to absorb and sustain visitors and tourism activities without severely impacting the environment and community surroundings.

“There are a lot of areas that tourism development can spare. We should simply avoid concentrating tourism in one area,” he added.

Why luxury tourists?

Villanueva said that luxury tourism should be targeted since there was an increasing demand from social class A travelers who, in the Philippines, spent as much as Php 10,000 daily compared to regular tourists that spend Php 5,000 daily.

“If we acquire visitors that spend 50

An award-winning site, Coron, Palawan is one of the most-visited places in the Philippines.

percent more, we can lessen the impact of tourism but increase revenue in our country,” he said.

Data from the DOT showed the top per capita spenders from January to April 2016 included India (Php 62,651) Canada (Php 56,670) and Korea (Php 54,039).

The upcoming SEI-organized Asia

Premium Travel Mart (APTM) on June 21 to 23 will see some 100 to 150 buyers that will eventually bring in around 15,000 ultra-wealthy tourists to visit the Philippines this year for bird-watching, diving, shopping and other activities that cater to the high-end market.

SEI is a group of the country’s biggest travel agencies. ■

Scientists battle to save world’s coral reefs

BY CALEB JONES The Associated Press HONOLULU — After the most powerful El Nino on record heated the world’s oceans to never-before-seen levels, huge swaths of once vibrant coral reefs that were teeming with life are now stark white ghost towns disintegrating into the sea.

And the world’s top marine scientists are still struggling in the face of global warming and decades of devastating reef destruction to find the political and financial wherewithal to tackle the loss of these globally important ecosystems.

“What we have to do is to really translate the urgency,” said Ruth Gates, president of the International Society for Reef Studies and director of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.

Gates, who helped organize a conference this week for more than 2,000 international reef scientists, policymakers and others, said the scientific community needs to make it clear how “intimately reef health is intertwined with human health.”

The International Coral Reef Symposium convenes Monday to try to create a more unified conservation plan for coral reefs. She said researchers have to find a way to implement large scale solutions with the help of governments.

Consecutive years of coral bleaching have led to some of the most widespread mortality of reefs on record, leaving scientists in a race to save them. While bleached coral often recovers, multiple

years weakens the organisms and increases the risk of death.

Researchers have achieved some success with projects such as creating coral nurseries and growing forms of “super coral” that can withstand harsher conditions. But much of that science is being done on a very small scale with limited funding.

Bob Richmond, director of the University of Hawaii’s Kewalo Marine Laboratory, said the problems are very clear: “overfishing of reef herbivores and top predators, land-based sources of pollution and sedimentation, and the continued and growing impacts of climate change.”

While reefs are major contributors to many coastal tourist economies, saving the world’s coral isn’t just about having pretty places for vacationers to explore.

Reefs are integral to the overall ecosystem and are an essential component of everyday human existence.

Reefs not only provide habitat for most ocean fish consumed by humans, but they also shelter land from storm surges and rising sea levels. Coral has even been found to have medicinal properties.

In one project to help save reefs, researchers at the University of Hawaii’s Institute of Marine Biology have been taking samples from corals that have shown tolerance for harsher conditions in Oahu’s Kaneohe Bay and breeding them with other strong strains in slightly warmer than normal conditions to create a super coral.

The idea is to make the corals more

resilient by training them to adapt to tougher conditions before transplanting them into the ocean.

Another program run by the state of Hawaii has created seed banks and a fast-growing coral nursery for expediting coral restoration projects.

Most of Hawaii’s species of coral are unlike other corals around the world in that they grow very slowly, which makes reef rebuilding in the state difficult. So officials came up with a plan to grow large chunks of coral in a fraction of the time it would normally take.

Coral reefs have almost always been studied up close, by scientists in the water looking at small portions of reefs.

But NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is taking a wider view, from about 23,000 feet above. NASA and other sci-

www.canadianinquirer.net

entists recently launched a three-year campaign to gather new data on coral reefs worldwide. They are using specially designed imaging instruments attached to aircraft.

“The idea is to get a new perspective on coral reefs from above, to study them at a larger scale than we have been able to before, and then relate reef condition to the environment,” said Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences’ Eric Hochberg, principal investigator for the project.

If the scientific community and the world’s governments can’t come together to address coral’s decline, one of earth’s most critical habitats could soon be gone, leaving humans to deal with the unforeseen consequences.

“What happens if we don’t take care of our reefs?” asked Gates. “It’s dire.” ■

Events

34

JUNE 24, 2016

FRIDAY

CANADA EVENTS

To have your events featured on PCI, please email events@canadianinquirer.net

YUKON NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

MANITOBA

SASKATCHEWAN

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 Skills Now: Project-based Training for Immigrants 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.

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

http://bit.ly/ PCI-Events

NUNAVUT

BRITISH COLUMBIA ALBERTA

View all events by scanning this QR code or visiting

ONTARIO

New WelcomePack Canada call 416-928-9355. The office, Distribution Centre at 597 Parliament St., Suite 103,

By WelcomePack Canada Inc. Toronto, is open on Mondays, WHEN/WHERE: 1 to 5 p.m., Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays Mon, Tues, Thu & Fri at the from 1 to 6 p.m.

NEWFOUNDLAND Filipino Centre Bldg., 597 Parliament St., Suite 103, Culinary Cities of the World: QUEBEC Toronto, On. Manila MORE INFO: Call (416) 928By Philippine Consulate 9355 General - Toronto WHEN/WHERE: June 28, Tagalog Class George Brown School of

By Filipino Center Toronto NOVACulinary Arts WHEN/WHERE: 10 to 11 SCOTIA a.m., MORE INFO: With feature Chef every Saturday, Filipino Centre Myrna Segismundo Toronto, Toronto Pinoy Fiesta and Trade Show Homework/Tutorial Class sa Toronto

By FCT

By Philippine Canadian WHEN/WHERE: 11a.m. to 12 Charitable Foundation nn, every Saturday, Filipino WHEN/WHERE: 9 a.m. to 11 Centre Toronto, 597 Parliament p.m., June 28, at Metro Toronto St., Suite 103, Toronto, ON Convention Centre, 255 Front MORE INFO: For registrations, St., W. Toronto, On.

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 Anna de Quito 604-763-2210.

Free Counselling Support Group

By Mosaic WHEN/WHERE: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., every last Monday of the month, at Mosaic Burnaby Centre for Immigrants, 5902 Kingsway, Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: Call Darae (604)254-9626 Seniors Club Knitting Circle

By Mosaic WHEN/WHERE: 1–3 p.m., Tuesdays at Mosaic Burnaby Centre for Immigrants, 5902 Kingsway, Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: Call (604)438-8214 Pinoy Classic Rock

By Java Jazz Bistro 14th Anniversary Presentation WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m., June 24, at 412 Sixth St., New Westminster, B.C. www.canadianinquirer.net

MORE INFO: $ 39 Show /All-you-can-eat buffet dinner Harana, Balagtasan, Tula, at Kundiman: Ikalawang Yugto

By UP Alumni Association of B.C. and the Philippine Consulate General-Vancouver WHEN/WHERE: 4 to 6 p.m., June 25, 15310 103A Ave. Surrey, B.C. Kababayang Pilipino Presents: Kawayan

By Kababayang Pilipino WHEN/WHERE: 4 p.m., June 26, Gateway Theatre 6500 Gilbert Road, Richmond, B.C. MORE INFO: General admission - $25 New Westminster Multicultural Festival

By New Westminster and New Westminster Record WHEN/WHERE: 12 nn to 10 p.m., July 1, at West Minster Pier Park, New Westminster B.C. MORE INFO: visit newestfest.ca

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

35

Food

Recipes to beat the heat: tofu caprese salad, watermelon salad, no-bake squares THE CANADIAN PRESS

To serve, slice pork into thin medallions and divide among serving plates.

Spoon salsa over top.

Makes 4 servings.

EVEN WITH air conditioning, the last thing you want to do during the summer is turn on your oven and heat up your home. Here are some seasonal recipes that can be prepared with minimal effort and maximum flavour.

Nutritional information per serving: 250 calories, 7.7 g carbohydrates, 2.1 g fibre, 33 g protein, 9.5 g fat (2.2 g saturated fat), 89 mg cholesterol, 145 mg sodium.

Source: “Rush Hour Meals: Recipes For the Entire Family” by Rose Reisman (Whitecap Books, 2016).

Tofu caprese stack

This fun salad is a riff on a traditional Italian salad. It’s a no-cook, easy appetizer with few ingredients — bocconcini cheese, tofu, tomato and basil — that are layered and drizzled with vinaigrette.

“Instead of using only bocconcini cheese, we alternate it and tofu because they’re both white and can both be cut into rounds so they look identical,” says registered dietitian Cara Rosenbloom.

Because of its visual appeal, it’s a great appetizer for company.

Once opened, tofu will keep for five days in the refrigerator. To store unused tofu, put it in a container and cover it with cold water and a lid. Change the water daily. Leftover tofu can also be frozen or used in chili, stir-fries, pasta sauce or in salads.

Vinaigrette • Juice of 1/2 lime (about 15 ml/1 tbsp) • 5 ml (1 tsp) balsamic vinegar • 10 ml (2 tsp) Dijon mustard • 1 small shallot, minced • 45 ml (3 tbsp) extra-virgin olive oil • 1 ml (1/4 tsp) sea salt • 0.5 ml (1/8 tsp) freshly ground black pepper Salad • 2 large tomatoes • 2 pkgs (350 g/12 oz each) extra-firm tofu, drained and rinsed • 12 large fresh basil leaves • 6 large (5 cm/2 inch) bocconcini cheese rounds, sliced in half Vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, vinegar, mustard and shallot. Slowly add olive oil in a thin stream, whisking constantly. Add salt and pepper. Whisk to combine. Set vinaigrette aside.

Salad: Cut each tomato into 6 horizontal slices. Cut each tofu block vertically into 5-mm (1/4-inch) slices (you should have 8 slices from 2 blocks of tofu).

Using a 7.5-inch (3-inch) round cookie cutter, cut 8 rounds from tofu slices, reserving scraps for another use.

Watermelon salad with chickpeas, feta and mint

To serve, using 4 salad plates, place a slice of tomato in the centre of each plate. Top each slice of tomato with tofu and a basil leaf. Drizzle one-third of vinaigrette over tofu, dividing evenly among plates. Top with a piece of bocconcini. Repeat layers twice to use remaining tomatoes, tofu, basil, vinaigrette and bocconcini.

Marinate salad for 30 minutes, if desired.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrients per serving (1 stack): 390 calories, 29 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 233 mg sodium, 7 g carbohydrates, 1 g fibre, 2 g sugars, 27 g protein. Excellent source of calcium and iron.

Source: “Nourish: Whole Food Recipes Featuring Seeds, Nuts and Beans” by Nettie Cronish and Cara Rosenbloom (Whitecap Books, 2015).

• 175 ml (3/4 cup) finely diced mango • 125 ml (1/2 cup) finely diced ripe avocado • 50 ml (1/4 cup) finely diced red bell pepper • 45 ml (3 tbsp) finely diced red onion • 45 ml (3 tbsp) chopped fresh cilantro leaves • 10 ml (2 tsp) olive oil • 5 ml (1 tsp) minced seeded jalapeno pepper • 5 ml (1 tsp) fresh lemon juice • Salt, to taste Preheat a greased grill to 200 C (400 F).

Sear pork for about 3 minutes per side. Reduce heat to 190 C (375 F), close lid and cook until internal temperature reaches 63 C (145 F) for medium doneness.

Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine mango, avocado, bell pepper, onion, cilantro, oil, jalapeno, lemon juice and salt.

Pork tenderloin with mango avocado salsa

The bright flavours of fresh mango avocado salsa are a perfect pairing for roasted pork tenderloin. Since the avocado is marinated with lemon juice, you can make the salsa earlier in the day and refrigerate it until needed.

Pork is a lean meat, containing less fat than a chicken breast. Due to improved agricultural practices, Rose Reisman says you can now enjoy it cooked medium (to an internal temperature of 63 C/145 F).

Try dicing the pork and mixing it into the mango avocado salsa.

• 750 g (1 1/2 lb) pork tenderloin • Salsa www.canadianinquirer.net

This quick and easy salad with only four ingredients is perfect for summer barbecues. The combination of sweet watermelon, salty feta, tart balsamic vinegar and savoury mint gets all your taste buds firing at the same time. Add chickpeas for a heartier, protein-rich option that’s perfect for a light lunch.

For best results, serve immediately after you prepare it. It does not store well; it gets soggy.

• 1 l (4 cups) cubed seedless watermelon, removed from rind (2.5-cm/1-inch cubes) • 170 g (6 oz) feta cheese, crumbled • 1 can (410 ml/14 oz) no-salt-added chickpeas, drained and rinsed Dressing • 1 ml (1/4 tsp) freshly ground black pepper • 50 ml (1/4 cup) extra-virgin olive oil • 15 ml (1 tbsp) balsamic vinegar ❱❱ PAGE 36 Recipes to

36

JUNE 24, 2016

Drake big...

Canadian runner...

Hip hop duo MacklActress-turned-singer Hailee emore and Ryan Steinfeld was joined on piano Lewis were joined by by Nelson, B.C.’s Shawn Hook to model Amber Rose on stage for perform a medley of her soaring their feisty track “Dance Off.” new ballad “Rock Bottom” and On the red carpet Sara Quin, his song “Sound of Your Heart.” one half of Calgary sister duo British singer James Bay Tegan and Sara, talked about wore his trademark widehow the Pulse night club shoot- brimmed black hat while pering has impacted the LGBT forming his sombre hit “Let it community.

Go.” The singer said it hit even Sticking with tradition, some closer to home because her girl- of pop music’s biggest names friend is from competed for atOrlando. tention on the “It’s about legred carpet by arislating change,” riving in their she said. flashiest modes “(Florida) is of transportaa good state for This is a place tion. this to start in where you can Jonas pulled because it’s one be who you up in style drivof the more diffiwant to be ing himself in a cult states to get and love who 1970 Plymouth things like gun you want to Barracuda Conlegislation.” love. vertible while Halifax singer “Work From Ria Mae said she Home” girl group was hopeful her Fifth Harmony fellow members took no prisonof the LGBT ers on an Inkas community will be the harbin- Sentry APC assault vehicle. gers for change.

There were a few quirkier ar“The queer community is so rivals too, with Calgary natives practised in coming together Tegan and Sara pulling up in a now,” she said. “Maybe that can double-decker London-style help fuel the fire in gun safety bus while pop rockers Mariand gun control.” anas Trench rode through in a Keeping with the spirit of the golf cart. annual Much Music show there The celebrity-drenched celewere plenty of fun moments to bration of music was hosted by go around too. supermodel Gigi Hadid. ■

❰❰ 29

❰❰ 25

temic doping must face sanctions and the consequences of their

actions.”

Canadian race walker Evan Dunfee said it was “poignant” that Australia’s Jared Tallent received his Olympic gold medal in the 50-kilometre race walk on Thursday, four years after losing out to a Russian drug cheat.

“This decision today goes a long way in ensuring that we don’t have to right the same wrongs four years from now,” Dunfee said. “Russia is clearly not the only doping problem country for the IAAF, and nor is athletics the only doping problem for Russia, and I think this stands to show what can happen when a thorough, independent investigation is carried out.”

Dunfee added that “clean athletes can rejoice” at the decision.

“For me personally, this means that I can stand on the start line in Rio with a much cleaner field and much greater confidence in chasing my lifelong dream of standing on that Olympic podium.”

The race walk events have been riddled with Russian dopers — coach Viktor Chegin was banned for life in March after more than 25 doping cases by Russian walkers. Russia pulled its entire race walk team from

last summer’s world championships, where Canada’s Ben Thorne raced to bronze in the 20-kilometre event.

“As we know now, there’s more to the story than ( just Chegin’s athletes) because the entire federation was doing their own stuff,” said Canadian race walker Inaki Gomez.

“We advocate for clean sport, whether it’s for our event, or all other events,” he added. “I think we’ve all hoped or believed that some day we could be lining up in a position where we felt more confident that the majority of the athletes are clean.

“Whether I foresaw an entire federation being banned for it, no I did not. I guess given the circumstances, it was systemic doping unlike other countries, I think it’s quite unprecedented, but I think it’s quite a positive step and I think it shows the strength of what clean sport can be.”

Canadian high jumper Derek Drouin, who is the reigning world champion and tied for third at the 2012 Games, doesn’t believe that every athlete is dirty. Russia’s Ivan Ulhov won gold in Drouin’s event at the London Olympics.

“If it’s as deep as reports have shown, you have to attack it at its core,” Drouin said from the Harry Jerome International Track Classic in Burnaby, B.C. “At the same

FRIDAY

time I have a very hard time believing that there were no clean athletes, so I feel for the clean athletes. Unfortunately they’re part of a system that needed to made an example of. It’s unfortunate.”

Brianne Theisen-Eaton, a silver medallist at the world championship in heptathlon, thinks the ban is good news.

“I honestly found it kind of sad that one Russian athlete made the statement: ‘How are we supposed to win without doping?’ I’m so thankful to be from a country that believes in our talent just as natural athletes and not feeding us this crap that you have to dope to win,” Theisen-Eaton said. “I find that extremely sad.”

Carla Qualtrough, Canada’s minister of sport and persons with disabilities, issued a statement Friday afternoon.

“I am proud of the role Canada is playing in this important discussion,” she said.

“Through our ongoing support to WADA and their headquarters in Montreal as well as the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, our government is firmly committed to the antidoping movement and efforts to protect the interests of clean athletes.” ■ With files from Canadian Press sports reporters Gregory Strong and Joshua Clipperton

Recipes to...

Arrange watermelon cubes on a large platter. In a medium bowl, stir together feta cheese and chickpeas.

Dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together pepper, oil and vinegar until blended. Pour over feta cheese-chickpea mixture and toss to coat. Spoon mixture on top of watermelon cubes.

Serve immediately, garnished with mint.

Makes 6 servings. ❰❰ 35

Nutrients per serving (250 ml/1 cup): 258 calories, 16 g fat, 6 g saturated fat, 352 mg sodium, 21 g carbohydrates, 3 g fibre, 8 g sugars, 8 g protein.

Excellent source of vitamin B12.

Good source of riboflavin, folate, calcium and zinc.

Source: “Nourish: Whole Food Recipes Featuring Seeds, Nuts and Beans” by Nettie Cronish and Cara Rosenbloom (Whitecap Books, 2015).

No-bake cranberry nut butter oatmeal squares

Reisman says she loves a granola oatmeal square recipe that doesn’t need baking. The peanut butter can be swapped out for any other nut butter or soy butter if nut allergies are a concern. You can also use any variety of puffed cereal, such as puffed quinoa.

Kids will love this healthier version of puffed rice squares.

Use any variety of nuts and unsweetened dried fruit they like.

• 50 ml (1/4 cup) liquid honey • 50 ml (1/4 cup) smooth peanut butter

• 30 ml (2 tbsp) brown sugar • 15 ml (1 tbsp) pure maple syrup • 7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) vegetable oil • 0.5 ml (1/8 tsp) ground cinnamon • 2 ml (1/2 tsp) pure vanilla extract • 250 ml (1 cup) large-flake rolled oats • 250 ml (1 cup) puffed rice cereal • 50 ml (1/4 cup) chopped almonds, toasted • 125 ml (1/2 cup) unsweetened dried cranberries In a saucepan over medium heat, combine honey, peanut butter, sugar, maple syrup, oil and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes, until sugar has completely dissolved. Stir in vanilla. www.canadianinquirer.net

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine oats, cereal, almonds and cranberries. Add peanut butter mixture and stir until well combined.

Pat mixture into a 20-by-20cm (8-by-8-inch) baking pan lightly sprayed with vegetable oil. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes, just until firm. Cut into 12 even squares.

Squares will keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Makes 12 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 70 calories, 17 g carbohydrates, 0.8 g fibre, 3.5 g protein, 5.8 g fat (0.8 g saturated fat), 0 mg cholesterol, 40 mg sodium.

Source: “Rush Hour Meals: Recipes For the Entire Family” by Rose Reisman (Whitecap Books, 2016).

Seen & Scenes: Vancouver

FRIDAY JUNE 24, 2016

CALGARY INDEPENDENCE DAY GALA NIGHT Consul General Julius Torres led Filipino-Canadians in marking the 118th anniversary of Philippine Independence during the recent Independence Day Gala Night in Calgary held at Hyatt Regency Calgary (Photos by Pink Rubies Photography).

INFO SESSION AT I-REMIT Photos of the info session on Pag-Ibig Fund recently held at I-Remit Office in Richmond, B. C. (Photos

by Jennifer Lumabi).

RICHMOND FLAG-RAISING The Philippine flag was raised at Richmond City Hall during the recent 2nd Flag-Raising Ceremony attended by special guests including Joe Peschisolido, MP Steveston-Richmond East; Linda Reid, MLA Richmond East; and Malcolm D Brodie, mayor of Richmond. Also in attendance was Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer (Photos by Aaron Broomfield). www.canadianinquirer.net

37

38

Seen and Scenes: Toronto

JUNE 24, 2016

FRIDAY

THE NIGHTINGALES The Nightingales started off the Toronto Philippine Consulate General’s Independence Day weekend festivities with a bang on June 10, at the Alliance Francaise theatre in downtown Toronto where guests were treated to a sumptuous cocktail reception before the show.

Bianca Camille Lopez and Aizel Izza PrietosLivioco enchanted the crowd with a selection of opera arias, Broadway classics and their twist on modern pop songs. The incredible duo with angelic voices are alumnae of the renowned Philippine Madrigal Singers. Hand-picked at a young age as voice scholars at the Makiling High School for the Arts before studying vocal performance at the University of the Philippines College of Music, they are considered among the most powerful classical singers in the country (Text and photos by Michelle Ramos).

PICKERING FEST Scenes from the Pickering Philippine Fiesta, one of the Philippine Independence Day celebrations in Ontario where a flag-raising ceremony at Pickering City Hall was held and followed by a day of entertainment at the Esplanade Park. Special guests included Consul General Rosalita S. Prospero, Sen. Tobias Enverga and Mayor Dave Ryan of Pickering. The event was organized by the Filipino-Canadian Heritage & Resource of Durham headed by Evie Poliarco (Photo by Amelia Insigne).

FATHER'S DAY CELEBRATION The Caregivers & Supporters Network of Niagara (CANN) celebrated Father’s Day at St. Catharine’s Parish with more than 40 Filipino fathers honoured. In photo is Arturo Viola, former Mayor of Niagara on the Lake, receiving an I-remit gift from Sally Silva, president of CANN.

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

JUNE 24, 2016

39

CANADA

RETAIL SALES SUPERVISOR

F ill Unused Capacity

for Cascade Gift Store - Banff, AB.

C ash Savings

Responsibilities: Supervise and Coordinate sales staff and cashiers, Assign duties, Authorize merchandise return, Sell Merchandise, Resolve customer complaints and supply shortages, Maintain specified inventory, Prepare reports on sales volumes,merchandising, personnel.

B ill More Hours E xtra Income

High School graduate, with 2 yrs Retail Supervisory experience.

F/T Permanent: $18.25/ hour. 40 hours/week.

If you want new customers, more sales and are looking for ways to save cash, call First Canadian Barter Exchange.

604.759.3223 / info@barterfirst.com

Subsidized staff accommodation and Extended health benefits.

Send resume to: Cascade Gifts, P.O. Box 2428, Banff, AB T1L 1C2 info@cascadegifts.com

WANTED: ELDERLY CAREGIVER Education: At least Secondary Education graduate.

Must have at least 1 to less than 2 yrs of experience.

Duties: Monitor the elderly on the needs of medication, Food preparation. Companionship,perform minor Household cleaning.

Full Time. Pays $14/hr., 40Hrs/wk.(Mon.To Fri) EMPLOYERS: Loriedella Addun of 4222 Bathurst St. TORONTO ON. loriedelle@yahoo.ca (647-995-1058) Ric Abenoja of 205-44 Valley Woods Rd. TORONTO ON. raabenoja@yahoo.com (647-996-2273) Adriana De Luca.51 Dybal St.Woodbridge ON. supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-996-2273) Cathy Blundo.#2656 Keele St. North York ON. (647-996-2273)

CAREGIVERS WANTED! Taking Care of 8 Elderly Dementia Residents.

Must be able to do Live In. Duties include: Assist with Bathing, Dressing, Feeding, Housekeeping, Cooking and medication management.

Must be willing to re-locate to the United States.

Please call: (510) 522-3812 Office (Alameda, CA) Maricel Tinio (Golden Age Senior Living)

RAM BABA ASTROLOGY CENTRE

WANTED: NANNY (LIVE OUT)

Expert in Palm & Face Reading, Horoscope, Numerology, Vastu Shastra

Education: At least Secondary Education graduate.

Must have at least 1 to less than 2 yrs of experience.

PANDITH: RAM JI

I CAN TELL YOUR PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE

Marriage * Husband-Wife Problems * Job * Relationship * Kids Problems Business * Spiritual Evil Effects * Enemy * Court * Property * Family etc.

IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS, I HAVE 100% GUARANTEED SOLUTIONS

Duties: Take care of child/children.Feeding, meal &snack Preparation,indoor/outdoor companionship,Light housekeeping, reading,playing and organize games.

Education: At least Secondary Education graduate.

100% PRIVATE & CONFIDENTIAL - OPEN 7 DAYS

Full Time. Pays $11.25/hr., 40Hrs/wk.(Mon.To Fri)

SPECIALIST IN: BRINGING LOVED ONES BACK

Removes Black Magic, Jadoo, Vodoo, Buttu, Witch Craft & Gives 100% Protection

780-224-1543 32 Ave NE, Edmonton, AB. T6K 1J9

WANTED: HOMECARE PERSONAL ASSISTANT Terms of Employment: Salary: Anticipated Start Date: Location:

Full-time, Permanent $14.50/hour, for 40 hours per week As soon as possible Scarborough, Canada (1 vacancy)

Wanted homecare personal assistant to provide elderly care to a 74-year old senior male with medical disability. Administer bedside and personal care to client such as aid in ambulation, bathing, personal hygiene and administration of medication. Prepare and serve nutritious meals. Perform routine housekeeping duties such as laundry and ironing clothes and linens, washing dishes and making beds, house cleaning, vacuuming, sweeping, mopping. Preferably with 1 year to less than 2 years work experience in elderly care. Must speak and write English. Completion of high school graduate equivalent in Canada. Optional accommodation available at no charge on a live-in basis. (This is not a condition of employment)

Email your resume to temarish_odes@yahoo.com

3.00

www.canadianinquirer.net

EMPLOYERS: Marla Francos#707-900 Mt. Pleassant Rd. Toronto ON marlafrancoz@yahoo.ca Fe De Guzman #514 Speedvale East Guelph ON. Fedeguzman791@yahoo.ca (1-519-760-4639) Mazar/Zahida.#33 Benson Ave. Richmondhill ON. imazaher74@yahoo.ca (647-920-2089) Ann Ha.Richmond Hill ON. phuha817@yahoo.ca (647-400-7862) Marina #25 Diploma Dr.Brampton ON. mp694647@gmail.com (905-913-0624) Rodel #206-141 Erskine Ave Toronto ON. rodelfernandez148@yahoo.ca (647-779-7292) Musbah Farhat . 820 stargazer dr Mississauga on (647-996-2273) Liza Sotto #51 Hawkview Blvd.Woodbridge ON. lizavillanueva173@yahoo.ca (905-553-0681) Shahid Sattar Burlington. Shahidsattar007@gmail.com (905-220-5963) Davina #86 Northdale Rd.Willowdale ON. Davinalopez996@yahoo.com (416-879-7441) Alexia #31 Northbrook Rd.TORONTO ON. boualexia@yahoo.com (416-644-4270) Dhona #1102-25 By Mills Blvd. Scarborough ON. dhonarizaursua@yahoo.ca (647-937-2884) Enrique Reyes 72 Ryder Cres Ajax ON. rechelreyes416@yahoo.ca (416-953-8558) Libya Gameng .172 Vauhhall Dr. Toronto ON. Libyagameng@yahoo.com (416-985-0616) Joanna Raoet. 124-42 Pinery Trl. Scarborough ON. joannaraoet@yahoo.com (416-779-7110) Maila Abenoja.9 Acores Ave.Toronto ON. mailaabenoja@yahoo.com (647-965-3235) Purvaiz/Sonia At 88 Attridge Dr. Aurora ON. visaprocesscanada@yahoo.com (647-996-2273) MARIJES #3-2864 Keele St North York ON. supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-866-2270) Farah Simon #51 Vettese Ct. Markham On. supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-680-5403) Carina Marquez #24 Earlton Rd. Scarborough ON. (647-284-5725)

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JUNE 24, 2016

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FRIDAY