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VOL. 9 NO. 233

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Bato steals Digong’s thunder

Duterte tells rights groups ‘Junkies are not humans’

PM Trudeau leaves for first official visit to China

Confessions of a troll

Jones website hack reveals stars’ tricky cyber landscape

Pursuing postsecondary education passions now more accessible and affordable

FACE-OFF AT DOJ Ruth de la Riarte (right) shows a picture of her brother John on Friday during a Department of Justice hearing on his death at the hands of two Highway Patrol Group officers who arrested him when he figured in a road altercation on July 29. Beside Ruth is John's girlfriend Genevieve Dizon. PO2 Jonjie Manon-og and PO3 Jeremiah de Villa (left) insist in counteraffidavits that John tried to grab Manon-og's gun on their way to Camp Crame and that De Villa made a "spur-of-the-moment or impulsive decision" to shoot him. Read story on page 7. LYN DRILLON / PDI

Filipino militants free 8 comrades, 15 others in jail attack THE ASSOCIATED PRESS CAGAYAN DE ORO, PHILIPPINES — Muslim extremists supporting the Islamic State group freed eight fellow militants in a daring attack that also allowed 15 other inmates to escape from

a provincial jail in the southern Philippines, police said Sunday. About 20 heavily armed fighters of the Maute militant group stormed the Lanao del Sur provincial jail in Marawi city before nightfall Saturday, disarmed the

2 Pinays among Asia 21 Young Leaders

FOR GENERATIONS, Canadian parents told their children a similar story: if you want a good job, stay in school. Young Canadians took this message to heart. Unfortunately, for too many Canadians rising costs have made postsecondary education less affordable. Fewer people are able to save enough for their education which prevents them from acquiring the learning and skills they need to get a good job and join the middle class. That’s why the Government of Canada is making a significant change to student financial assistance that will help students returning to class this fall on campuses across the country. Today, the Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science, was at Humber College to announce increases to Canada Student Grants and changes to the Repayment Assistance Plan on behalf of the Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour. On August 1, in time for the 2016–17 school year, Canada Student Grant amounts increased by 50 percent; from $2,000 to $3,000 per year for full-

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Philippine News

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Draft FOI: 166 things you can’t ask for BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer MALACAÑANG’S DRAFT freedom of information (FOI) manual lists 166 exceptions, including those involving national security, executive privilege and invasion of personal privacy. The exceptions were based on recommendations of the Department of Justice and the Office of the Solicitor General, which prepared the inventory of materials that could be released to the public. Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar said the list would be reviewed by the Office of the Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs. The draft FOI manual details steps for those requesting information and what to do if the request is denied. President Duterte issued the executive order on FOI to promote transparency in government. Exceptions to FOI include

President Duterte has his fingerprint scanned for his new passport to be used in his state visits. Also on the list of FOI exclusions is executive privilege involving information on the President’s appointing, pardoning and diplomatic powers. PNP-PIO

matters that may put at risk national security and the state’s external and internal defense, as well as information on foreign affairs which may jeopardize diplomatic relations or weaken the government’s position in ongoing negotiations. Also on the list is executive privilege involving information on the President’s appointing, pardoning and diplomatic powers. Minutes of decisionmaking and policy formulation

meetings, which the President considers privileged, are also included. Data that may compromise military or police operations and immigration controls and border security, or put witnesses in danger, are also excepted. The draft states that “government officials cannot be compelled to prepare lists and detailed reports on how congressional funds were disbursed.”

School records, medical records, birth records, employment records, banking transactions, as well as personal and sensitive information concerning natural persons “resulting in invasion of privacy,” are also among the exceptions. Statements of assets, liability and net worth of government officials may not be disclosed if the purpose is contrary to morals or public policy or if they are intended for any

commercial purpose other than for public dissemination by news media. To protect businesses and entrepreneurs, trade secrets, confidential commercial and financial data, and business information gathered by government agencies on the operations, books and records of private corporations may also not be released. Antimoney laundering concerns and related transaction reports are also on the list. Also protected from public disclosure is information obtained by Congress in executive session and privileged communications, in legal proceedings or the Rules of Court. Requests for information must be made in writing and should “reasonably describe” the information requested and the reason for the request. If the request is denied or ignored, an appeal may be filed with the Presidential Communications Office’s appeals and review committee. The case may be brought to court if the response is unsatisfactory. ■

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The World Rises Here

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Philippine News

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

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Gov’t office uniforms to go indigenous BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES wearing uniforms made of indigenous fabrics may soon become a reality. The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is working with textile experts and weavers to produce a line of everyday office wear that incorporates indigenous textiles and designs for government agencies. The project will not only spice up the uniforms worn by some 1.5 million government workers, but also revive a 12-year-old law that requires office outfits that promote nationalism and boost the country’s rich tropical fabrics industry, DOST said. “There’s a law that says gov-

ernment uniforms should be made of indigenous fabrics, but we are not following it for various reasons like it’s expensive or not functional,” said Carlos Primo David, executive director of the DOST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD). “Now, we will have a line of uniforms for government agencies to adopt that, incorporating indigenous textiles and designs,” David said in an interview with the INQUIRER on the sidelines of a recent conference on the science and technology of textile industry. In 2004, Congress approved Republic Act No. 9242, also known as the Philippine Tropical Fabrics Law, prescribing the use of natural fibers produced,

spun, woven or knitted and finished in the country for official uniforms of government officials and employees. Much-needed push

Authored by Sen. Loren Legarda, the law is aimed at encouraging efforts to strengthen the country's tropical fabrics industry and to give the muchneeded push to the industrial and agricultural sector. The PCIEERD would bankroll the project, in collaboration with the University of the Philippines Diliman–College of Home Economics (UP CHE), the Non-Timber Forest Products-Exchange Programme Philippines (NTFPEP) and the Philippine Textile Research Institute. NTFP-EP will take charge in coming up with the designs and final output, David said.

He noted that the group, along with UP CHE, was already producing uniforms for the Civil Service Commission. The DOST project will be rolled out on a national scale, making available various designs that will depict the core values of each of the government agencies, David said. “This is really for the implementation of the Philippine Tropical Fiber Law and the mainstreaming of indigenous textiles,” said Beng Camba, NTFP-EP enterprise development coordinator. “The project also has forest conservation and community development aspects because we will be using forest resources. Imagine the employment opportunities that can be generated from this for forest-based communities,” Camba said. Kitty Caragay of UP-CHE said the prototype uniforms would be available by early next year. The project was conceived as part of the five-year road map the DOST launched early this month to inject new vigor into the country’s rich fabric industry and make the Philippines a global player in the textile market with its own Filipino branding. Road map

The road map was a product of inputs gathered from various

garments and textiles associations, private organizations and government agencies during a series of round table discussions. The plan included the setting up of 14 handloom weaving centers, natural dyes production hubs, skills training for hand loom weavers, creation of an incentive system for manufacturers using higher percentage of indigenous fiber for yarns, and establishment of a recycling technology for yarns. At the presentation of the road map, David said the DOST would help local textiles rise again through research and development initiatives. Currently, the country has only 10 groups in the textile sector with less than half a million workers, a far cry from what it had in the 1970s when about 300 companies were engaged in the industry, making it one of the top 10 global exporters in the 1980s and 1990s, David said. “We are no longer in the top 20 exporters in the world. Big unions and cooperatives have disappeared. Some big-name companies source out materials, labor or both to other countries,” he said. Citing figures from the Philippine Statistics Authority, the industry contributed over $1.5 billion worth in exports last year, despite the challenges, he added. ■

177 PHL passportbearing Indonesians placed under custody of Indonesian embassy BY FERDINAND G. PATINIO Philippines News Agency MANILA — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) has released the 117 Indonesian nationals who were arrested for holding Philippine passports, to the custody of the Indonesian embassy in Manila. Atty. Antonette Mangrobang, BI Spokesperson confirmed that the foreigners were under Indonesian Embassy superviwww.canadianinquirer.net

sion since Friday. “They have been released to the Indonesian embassy on the basis on the request of the ambassador so Commissioner Jaime Morente acted on the request at the same time our Secretary of Justice posed no objection to the request of the ambassador. Of course subject to certain conditions,” she explained. The BI official said among the ❱❱ PAGE 10 177 PHL

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SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

CAB adopts rules to protect passengers during long flight delays, disruptions BY JOANN SANTIAGO Philippines News Agency MANILA — New rules regarding the deplaning of passengers of aircraft held at tarmac for at least two hours is expected to take effect mid-September 2016, a move aimed at addressing recent issues wherein passengers were held inside planes for long period due to flight delays and diversions. A soft copy of Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) Resolution 49, which the Department of Transportation (DOTr) said is expected to be published in a major daily starting August 31, 2016 was sent to journalists Tuesday and it states that air carriers “are under obligation to assure the comfort and convenience of passengers on board the aircraft, not only while in flight, but also during lengthy tarmac delays of any course, including flight diversions.” It explained that after consulting with the public and stakeholders, the Board decided to adopt certain rules that would cover all planes that are in the Philippines during the time of

the delay or diversion “to mitigate passenger discomfort during such lengthy tarmac delays.” It requires the Pilot-in-Command (PIC) to deplane passengers if the aircraft has been at the tarmac for two hours. “In no case shall deplaning of passengers exceed three hours for domestic flights and four hours for international flight, upon closing of aircraft doors or upon landing with the doors closed,” it said. However, certain circumstances were identified as reasons that are not covered by these rules, which include: when the PIC has determined that there is safety and security-related reasons, when the Air Traffic Control advised the PIC that deplaning passengers will disrupt airport operations and when the PIC receives an advice that the plane can depart within 30 minutes after the two-hour threshold period. While the aircraft is at the tarmac, plane carriers are directed to ensure that the passengers have enough food and water, which will be given not later than the two-hour threshold “unless there are safety or security constraints that would

preclude such service.” The carrier are also required to ensure that all flights have operable lavatory facilities, ready medical attention, and adequate resources to implement the plan, which should be coordinated with airport authorities. The Resolution said the PIC should also inform the passengers 30 minutes after the scheduled departure or arrival time about the delay and the reasons for the delay. These information should be given every 30 minutes after the first announcement, it said. If the passengers were deplaned, the aircraft carrier are required to ensure that the passengers are given “practicable accommodation”, food and communication services. A point person must also be identified by the aircraft carrier to answer queries from the passengers, who in turn should be updated of the situation. The airlines should also make prior coordination with the authorities such as the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and the Bureau of Immigration (BI) of any deplaning or disembarkation procedures. ■

President’s anti-drug campaign has been successful — Palace BY JELLY F. MUSICO Philippines News Agency MANILA — The Duterte administration’s war on drugs, despite its imperfections, is a success, a Palace official said on Tuesday. “We just like to summarize by saying that we continue to recognize the President’s campaign against drugs has been successful,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a press briefing. Abella noted that “a world record” of more than 600,000 surrenderers is proof that the campaign is effective. “While it has not been perfect, it gives the government

momentum to move on to the next phase,” he added. Abella said the government is preparing for the disposition of justice and rehabilitation of those who have yielded to authorities. Aside from the more than 600,000 drug pushers and users who have turned themselves in, more than 10,000 drug dependents have been arrested while 771 have been killed in legitimate police operations, according to police reports. In his speech during Monday’s National Heroes Day celebration, President Duterte offered a PHP2 million bounty for every police officer who is caught protecting drug syndicates.

Abella admitted that he has yet to see the full detail of the bounty but assured that there will be a source for the reward money for the so-called ‘ninja cops.’ He further said that he has yet to clarify if a policeman who names the ninja cop is also entitled to the PHP2 million bounty. President Rodrigo Duterte has linked a number of generals, judges, local government executives, and police officials to the illicit drug trade. The President promised to continue his relentless campaign against narcotics until the last illegal drug apparatus in the country is destroyed. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY

Filipino militants... guards and rescued their eight comrades. The attackers also seized two rifles from guards, police said. The eight who escaped were arrested a week ago when they were caught with a homemade bomb in van at a security checkpoint. The others who escaped, apparently to divert the attention of authorities, were facing murder and illegal drugs charges. The Maute group is a new band of armed Muslim radicals who have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and use black flags with logos of the Middle East-based extremists. Based in Lanao del Sur’s Butig town, the militants have attacked army troops and beheaded a soldier and two kidnapped workers earlier this year. Before being killed, the two workers were made to wear orange shirts similar to beheading victims of the Islamic State group. A number of Muslim armed groups in the southern Philippines, including some commanders of the violent Abu Sayyaf, have pledged loyalty to the Islamic State group. The military has tried to play down their actions, saying there has been no evidence of an active collaboration between the foreign extremists and Filipino militants who are aiming to prop up their image and secure badly needed funds amid years of battle setbacks. President Rodrigo Duterte, who took office in June, has ❰❰ 1

pursued peace talks with two large Muslim rebel groups, but has ordered troops to destroy the Abu Sayyaf and other hardline militants. Troops have continued onand-off offensives against the Maute militants in Butig in Lanao del Sur, a predominantly Muslim province, about 830 kilometres (520 miles) south of Manila. A major offensive against the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu province’s mountainous Patikul town, also in the south, has killed at least 19 militants, including an influential commander, Mohammad Said, who used the nom de guerre Amah Maas, his two sons, and another ranking fighter, Latip Sapie, military officials said. Said, who had severed arms and was among the most senior Abu Sayyaf commanders, had been implicated in the kidnappings of several Filipinos and foreigners. He had good ties with the Moro National Liberation Front, a larger rebel group that has engaged in peace talk with the government, but has been suspected of providing sanctuary and combat support to the more brutal Abu Sayyaf in the past. “Let us vigorously pursue this terrorist-bandit Abu Sayyaf group with no let-up and destroy them,” military chief of staff Gen. Ricardo Visaya said, promising to pour more troops into Sulu. “We have this one chance to annihilate this menace to society that claims links with the ISIS.” ■

Flags in all military camps nationwide, including the General Headquarters of the AFP to honor the 15 troopers killed in the ongoing operation to neutralize the bandit Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Sulu. "It is part of our standard practice and tradition in the Armed Forces of the Philippines every time our soldiers fall in battle doing their mission or constitutional mandate," AFP public affairs office chief Col. Edgard Arevalo said. JOEY O. RAZON / PNA

Philippine News

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

Before Crame ‘suicide,’ cop kept saying sorry BY JAYMEE T. GAMIL Philippine Daily Inquirer THE DAY before PO3 Jeremiah de Villa fell to his death, he repeatedly said “sorry” to his family and to the lawyer defending him and a fellow officer against complaints that they murdered a motorist they arrested late last month. De Villa was last seen alive around around 8:35 a.m. on Saturday at Camp Crame, writing on the security logbook and entering the Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG) building, his HPG chief Sr. Supt. Antonio Gardiola Jr. says that PO3 Jeremiah De Villa(right photo inset) body was earlier unit before his transfer to the found on the grounds of the Police Security and Protection Group (PSPG) building in Camp Crame Highway Patrol Group (HPG) of the near the HPG building past 9 a.m. Gardiola said De Villa was rushed to the PNP General Hospital but was pronounced dead. The HPG chief said De Villa was under restrictive custody in Camp Crame. Philippine National Police. AVITO C. DALAN / PNA About half an hour later, witnesses said, they heard someone shouting and then saw De Villa lying still on the prompting De Villa to shoot him. Au- and cell phone were later found in the ground. topsy reports later showed that Dela Ri- same area. Florendo, a member of the The officer, who fell from the build- arte was shot in the chest, abdomen, and PNP Criminal Investigation and Detecing’s roof, was proright thigh. tion Group, said the initial accounts and nounced dead at the The Dela Riarte findings indicate suicide. PNP General Hospifamily pressed mur“We think is he was suffering from low tal at 9:45 a.m. der charges against morale” because of the case against him, De Villa’s death We explained the two officers in Florendo told the INQUIRER in an into him what was ruled a suicide the Department of terview. happened was a by the PNP, which Justice (DOJ). On De Villa’s private lawyer, Maritoni Renee consequence of earlier placed him Friday, De Villa and Resurreccion, said the last time she saw her his performance under restrictive Manon-og filed coun- client at the DOJ on Friday, “he just kept of his lawful custody along with teraffidavits in their duty, that we fellow HPG member defense at the DOJ, believe in what PO2 Jonjie Manonjust a few feet away he’s saying. og over the July 29 from Dela Riarte’s killing of John dela sister and girlfriend Riarte, a motorcyclist who held up a photo they arrested when of the slain John for he figured in an alterthe officers to see. cation with a car driver in Makati City. PO3 Joaquin Rafael Florendo, the ofIn the officers’ version of the incident, ficer investigating De Villa’s death, said they were taking the violent, cursing De Villa was alone when he went up the Dela Riarte to Crame in their patrol car building based on the lone set of footwhen he tried to grab Manon-og’s gun, prints found on the roof. His slippers

Asean leaders await Duterte BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT DUTERTE’S first foreign trip next month would surely be a big political and media event, Malacañang said yesterday. This early, several leaders from neighboring countries have expressed eagerness to meet with Mr. Duterte during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting in Vientiane, Laos, according to Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar. “We all know President Duterte is the most talked about leader in Asean and around the world,” Andanar told government-owned dzRB radio.

Media mob

“We expect the international media companies to mob the President in Laos to talk to him,” he added. Mr. Duterte’s weeklong trip would be his first abroad since winning the May 9 elections. He had previously said he would avoid frequent overseas travel during his six-year term due to his advanced age. The 71-year-old Chief Executive will fly to Brunei for a working visit on Sept. 4-5 before heading to the Asean summit in Laos on Sept. 6-8. Mr. Duterte will then go to Indonesia for a two-day working visit on Sept. 8-9. In an earlier interview, the President said he wanted to personally thank the royal government of Brunei for providing employment to thousands of Filipinos. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

saying, ‘Sorry, sorry for everything.’” “We know he’s really troubled because of the negative publicity that he feels is affecting the reputation of the PNP and his family,’’ Resurreccion said in an interview. “We explained to him what happened was a consequence of his performance of his lawful duty, that we believe in what he’s saying. But he kept apologizing,” the lawyer said. “I’m convinced he was sorry that he performed his lawful duty and as a consequence someone died,” she said. In a radio interview, the HPG director, Senior Supt. Antonio Gardiola, ruled out foul play in De Villa’s death. “It was a suicide.” “He was affected because his mother also died (recently) because of the stress,” Gardiola added. Asked why De Villa was apparently allowed to roam the camp without any guard though he was under restrictive custody, Gardiola explained that De Villa and Manonog were not “in detention ”and may move around freely as long as they are granted permission. “Restrictive custody means we just know where he is. The purpose is to have him ready anytime he’s called for the investigation,” he said. ■

Philippine News

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

FRIDAY

Luisita farmers fear loss of P1.3B BY JAYMEE T. GAMIL 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. Copies are distributed free throughout Metro Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Greater Toronto. The views and opinions expressed in the articles (including opinions expressed in ads herein) are those of the authors named, and are not necessarily those of Philippine Canadian Inquirer Editorial Team. PCI reserves the right to reject any advertising which it considers to contain false or misleading information or involves unfair or unethical practices. The advertiser agrees the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of error in any advertisement.

Member

YES, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) is studying whether to reclassify as agricultural land a 500-hectare industrial zone in Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac province. No, the reclassification will not affect the issuance of an estimated P1.3-billion payout to the farmers. Those were the answers of Luis Pangulayan, agrarian reform undersecretary for legal affairs, to questions about the fears of a farmers’ group in Hacienda Luisita that Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano would overturn the 1996 DAR order allowing the conversion of Atty. Luis Meinrado C. Pangulayan (holding microphone), Undersecretary, Legal Affairs Office of the 500 hectares of the sugar plantation for Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) gives details to Tarlac Development Corporation (TADECO) farmer beneficiaries on Hacienda Luisita covered under Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program industrial use. In an interview earlier this week, a (CARP) during DAR Press Conference. Beside him is DAR Secretary Rafael "Ka Paeng" Mariano. BEN BRIONES / PNA group led by Hacienda Luisita farmer and agrarian reform beneficiary Noel Mallari expressed fears that revoking In an interview yesterday, Pangulayan the conversion,” he said. the 1996 order would effectively invali- said he saw no conflict between the pos“So it’s currently under review. The date the sale of the property as industri- sible “reconversion” and the Supreme issue there is: Were there violations of al land—the P1.3 billion proceeds from Court’s decision. terms and conditions attached to the which was ordered distributed to more “The decision of the Supreme Court grant? So the department will evaluate than 6,000 farmers in the plantation by stays... We are now working closely with the revocation petition,” he said. the Supreme Court in 2012. the appointed accounting firms to iden“I don’t see any conflict because at the The amount has yet to be audited and tify reasonable and necessary expenses end of the day, the amount that the farmdistributed in accordance with the Su- to be deducted from the [P1.3 billion],” ers would get should not depend on the preme Court’s order, Mallari said. he said. outcome of the revocation. That bundle Mallari feared that Mariano would “The amount should not be affected of money, the fund, stays. What is crucial grant the petition filed by Alyansa ng mga by the outcome of the revocation peti- there is not the preservation of the use Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita tion. That amount was a product of an of land, but the result of audit examina(Ambala) in 2012, calltion. Reasonable and ing for the DAR to renecessary expenses voke the 1996 order, of Hacienda Luisita alleging that Hacienda Inc. will be deducted I don’t see any conflict because at the end of Luisita Inc. (HLI) and from the amount,” he the day, the amount that the farmers would its “successors-insaid. get should not depend on the outcome of interest violated the Pangulayan said the revocation. That bundle of money, the terms and conditions Mariano hoped to fund, stays. What is crucial there is not the resolve all pending of the order for conpreservation of the use of land, but the result of issues in Hacienda version... [and] failed audit examination. Luisita within this to comply with their month. obligations mandated On Thursday, under the conversion Mariano announced order.” “Specifically, HLI did not pursue the actual transfer transaction. It was ap- the distribution to the farmers of anproposed development plan that was proved. We are not making any ruling other 358 hectares at Hacienda Luisita, contained in the application for con- on the transfers. At the most, we will be owned by the Cojuangco-controlled version and instead disposed of the 500 ruling on whether or not the conversion Tarlac Development Corp. (Tadeco) in hectares to other Cojuangco-owned grant stays or should be extended or Barangays Cutcut and Balete. companies and to RCBC (Rizal Com- modified depending on how the departmercial Banking Corp.). It also failed ment evaluates reasons behind breach Different property This property is different from the to implement the development plan of terms and conditions, if any. We’re not within five years from Aug. 14, 1996, the there to rule on transaction of transfer 500-hectare property straddling three other villages that has been excluded time when the order of conversion was aspect,” he said. from agrarian reform coverage because granted by the DAR,” Ambala said in its Ambala decision it was converted into industrial land in petition. Pangulayan said the decision on Am- 1996. Supreme Court decision bala’s petition was “under process.” The property is occupied by a solar “If the conversion order is revoked, we “As a matter of course, based on proce- farm and several factories that have gencould lose the P1.3 billion,” Mallari said. dures and laws, conversion grants issued erated around 5,000 jobs, Mallari said. “Why revoke it when there is already a by the department has a set of terms and Mallari underscored livelihood genSupreme Court decision? What is lack- conditions, one of which is the develop- eration as another reason why the coning is the implementation and the au- ment schedule, compliance with it, and version order should be retained on this dit.” compliance of actualizing the purpose of property. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Philippine News

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

Bato steals Digong’s thunder Gina defends DENR exec; ‘not happy’ with another BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer

DAVAO CITY — Like the supporting actor who upstages the lead, “Bato” steals the show from “The Punisher.” But President Duterte does not mind that his trusted “fairhaired” boy, Philippine National Police chief, Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, is outshining him with his recent antics in dealing with the narcotics trade. Speaking at a military camp here on Friday night, the President assured Dela Rosa that he has his back in taking on narcotraffickers. “Bato has become better than me in showing off. [He said,] ‘Come on. Pull out your gun.’ That’s my style,” Mr. Duterte said at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Eastern Mindanao Command at Naval Station Felix Apolinario in Barangay Panacan. “He really copied it. Now, I could not do it anymore. My role is now limited,” he said, and his audience broke into chuckles. Mr. Duterte has earned the moniker “The Punisher” for endorsing the killing of criminals when he served as mayor of this city for more then two decades. The Chief Executive spoke highly of Dela Rosa, a native of Davao del Sur who was first assigned in Davao City as a young second lieutenant when Mr. Duterte was appointed vice mayor by President Corazon Aquino in 1986. Godfather on guard

“Bato has my support. He has been around,” the President said. “I was his godfather when he married many years ago. He was only a second lieutenant here. He earned his force here in Davao City and here in Mindanao. And the guy, for all of his faults, is simply loyal to the Republic of the Philippines, not to me. “As I’ve been saying to everybody, do not nurture loyalty to me. I do not need it. You nurture the love of the country and then you are ready to die for it,” he said. Dela Rosa, a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy, has become an overnight celebrity for his profanitylaced remarks typical of his patron. The stocky, bald-headed chief of the 160,000-strong police force also gained instant fame for showing the lighter side of

BY JAYMEE T. GAMIL Philippine Daily Inquirer

As the celebration of the 115th Police Service Anniversary continues, PNP Chief Police Director General Ronald Dela Rosa troops the line during his arrival honor at Camp Martin Delgado. PNP-PIO

his personality when he guested in several television shows to promote the Duterte administration’s drug campaign. ‘Only human’

But he earned the ire of some netizens for promoting vigilantism when he told a group of drug dependents who yielded to the police in Bacolod City on Thursday to kill the drug lords and torch their houses. “You know who are drug lords here. Go to their houses, douse it with gasoline and light it up, show them your anger,” Dela Rosa said, in classic Duterte fashion. Unlike the President, Dela Rosa was quick to admit his fault and issued a public apology for uttering “something undesirable.” “I said that because I felt bad. I was angry when I saw how the pushers and users (who surrendered) looked like zombies,” the PNP chief said. “I am sorry if I said something undesirable. I am only human who gets angry,” he said. In his speech in Iloilo City on Friday, he urged policemen to pursue the war against illegal drugs “within the (bounds) of the law and (respecting) human rights.” Ready to kill

But in the same speech he also challenged the policemen to be ready to kill in the fight against illegal drugs. At about the same time he was delivering his speech, police gunned down a suspected drug pusher in Pavia town in Iloilo. Another suspected pusher was also gunned down in Iloilo City on Thursday evening just hours before Dela Rosa’s visit. Policemen shot dead Welner Gomez about 10:50 a.m. on Fri-

day during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Jibaoan in Pavia town after he allegedly fired at agents from a composite team from the municipal, provisional and regional police offices. Gomez was taken to a hospital but was declared dead on arrival by doctors. Police recovered a .45 cal. pistol and sachets of suspected methamphetamine hydrochloride or “shabu.” Four companions of Gomez were arrested. They were identified as Francis Al Tijam, Mary Grace Padernal, Yannah Gabio and Lester Lope. ‘High-value target’

Gomez was considered a “high-value target” and was allegedly a member of the Prevendido drug group, according to a report of the Police Regional Office 6. Just 13 hours earlier, about 9:30 p.m., policemen gunned down Elpidio Geroy on Jereos Street in La Paz District in Iloilo City. Geroy, a former convict, allegedly fought back in a buybust operation. Police arrested his companion Kristoffer Paredes. Police said a .45 cal. pistol and suspected illegal drugs were recovered from Geroy. Mr. Duterte reiterated that the operations against illegal drugs would “remain relentless” in the face of local and international condemnation. “It will be sustained and for the information of everybody, including the United Nations, I take full legal and official, even private, liability,” the President said. He said the deaths were necessary in the war against illegal drugs. “You cannot wage a war without killing and I simply do not take it as a punitive police action.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

ENVIRONMENT SECRETARY Gina Lopez has taken up the cudgels for the former head of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) after antimining protesters called for his removal from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). In a protest turned dialogue on Tuesday, members of Alyansa Tigil Mina (ATM), Sanlakas, Lilak and Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, among others, called on Lopez to rid the DENR of officials accused of corruption or inaction, including former MGB chief Leo Jasareno who now leads Lopez’s mining audit and whom she earlier named a department undersecretary. The groups’ members include farmers and residents of largescale mining areas in Cagayan, Nueva Vizcaya, Zambales, Bulacan, Masbate, Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan. While praising Lopez’s mining audit—which has led to the closure of 10 mining sites in Zambales, Palawan, Bulacan and Surigao del Norte—“we also call for serious reforms within the DENR and for its leadership to investigate and hold accountable officials found to have abused their authority or violated their mandate and engaged in corruption,” ATM national coordinator Jaybee Garganera said. Sanlakas secretary general Aaron Pedrosa pointed out that Jasareno and other DENR officials had been named respondents in various cases filed by communities against

destructive mining, including a petition for a writ of kalikasan and continuing mandamus against mining operations, and an Ombudsman complaint for malfeasance filed by Sta. Cruz, Zambales, residents. There was also a petition for continuing mandamus filed by residents of Manicani, Guiuan, Eastern Samar, over the continued hauling of mineral ore despite a DENR suspension order. Aside from Jasareno, the protesters named the other officials as former Secretary Ramon Paje, Environmental Management Bureau Director Juan Miguel Cuna, former Eastern Visayas MGB regional director and now Assistant Secretary Nonita Cagiuoa, and former Central Luzon MGB regional director and now MGB Assistant Director Danilo Uykieng. Lopez, who allowed the protesters to enter the DENR offices so she could meet with them personally, ended up defending Jasareno whom she called to join the meeting. “You have to believe in my judgment. I have the right and I want you to trust me. I want to choose the people I want to work with. I have worked with Leo even before and I’m working with him now. He is a good man. He really is a good man. He’s good, honest and dynamic. With Leo’s able help, we have been able to close down 10 mines. We’re gonna close down eight more,” Lopez said. She, however, admitted that she was “not very happy” with Cagiuoa, whom the groups accused of disobeying an order to suspend the hauling of mineral ore in Manicani. ■

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Philippine News

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

FRIDAY

Duterte tells Sereno: Int’l rights group slams Madam justice, killing of 5-year-old girl you are again wrong BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer

BY JULIE M. AURELIO Philippine Daily Inquirer DAVAO CITY — President Duterte yesterday turned the tables on Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, accusing the country’s highest judiciary official of endorsing anarchy for issuing “dangerous statements” about his administration’s ruthless drug war. “Madam justice, you are again wrong when you say, ‘Do not allow yourself to be arrested when there is no warrant.’ You will only cause more deaths,” Mr. Duterte said in a speech to the military here. “(That) is a very dangerous statement. You will promote anarchy with the statement that you give,” Mr. Duterte said. Despite growing public anxiety over the spiraling drug killings, the President vowed that “there will be no anarchy [on] my watch.”

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Sereno reiterated that adherence to the rule of law “will allow us to survive as a nation,” saying the judiciary as an institution would “keep the social fabric intact, address people’s cry for justice, and thereby prevent society’s descent to anarchy.” Mr. Duterte, who worked as state prosecutor for 10 years before serving as mayor of this city for over two decades, said the law allowed warrantless arrests. He said an individual may be placed under arrest while about to commit a crime, had actually committed a crime and was committing a crime. The 71-year-old Chief Executive also narrated how he once kicked a judge for his refusal to issue an arrest warrant for a case he was then handling as a government lawyer. “It’s really wrong. Ma’am, I’m sorry but don’t give such a statement,” he told Sereno.

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno. RAMON FVELASQUEZ / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

177 PHL... condition was to present the bureau with the identities of all the 177 foreigners. “What we have is the Filipino name so the embassy provided us with the photocopies of their passport to ascertain their identities,” she said. Mangrobang added, “We also requested that any given time we needed them they would be represented by the embassy.” Asked on what aspect the BI will need the foreigners, she said, “Cases were filed against ❰❰ 4

the supposed Filipino escort and they would stand as witness in syndicated estate. So their testimonies need whenever…That is part of the condition that they should be available.” The BI official said that the foreigners were already in their watch list and that they would be informed about their attempt to leave the country. On Aug. 19, the BI barred the Indonesians from leaving the country for Saudi Arabia for illegal possession of Philippine passports.

“Aguirre’s perverse endorsement of extrajudicial violence as crime control suggests that Danica Mae is unlikely to be the last child victim. Each day, the death toll from the government’s war on drugs climbs higher and higher,” Kine said. “Danica Mae is just one of more than a thousand Filipinos killed by unidentified gunmen between July 1, when President Rodrigo Duterte took office, and Aug. 19,” the HRW statement said. It cited official statistics indicating that police had killed 712 suspected “drug pushers and users” in that period, besides accidental deaths, including Danica Mae’s. “These killings suggest Duterte’s aggressive rhetoric advocating violent, extrajudicial solutions to crime in the

On Thursday, Mr. Duterte’s police chief, Ronald dela Rosa, urged drug users who had surrendered to kill traffickers and burn their homes. Officials play down such comments as borne out of exasperation. Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said on Monday that the Philippines was not quitting the United Nations, and that Mr. Duterte was just expressing his exasperation with criticisms of his war on drugs. Yesterday, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Dela Rosa did not intend to encourage violence and his remarks were just a warning to drug lords. Only one alleged drug lord has been killed in Mr. Duterte’s campaign against narcotics, which has taken more than 1,900 lives.

AN INTERNATIONAL human rights group has condemned the killing of a 5-year-old girl in President Duterte’s brutal war on drugs. In a statement released yesterday, the New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) also denounced Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre for defending the drug killings and refusing to respond to repeated calls for an impartial investigation of alleged summary executions of drug users or pushers. In the statement, Phelim Kine, HRW deputy director for Asia, condemned the killing of 5-year-old Danica Mae Garcia in a gun attack on a suspected drug user in Pangasinan province on Tuesday. Kine also took issue with AguUnintended victim irre’s blithe dismissal of critiDanica Mae is just one of more Danica Mae than a thousand Filipinos killed by cisms against the Garcia was an ununidentified gunmen between July 1, Duterte adminintended victim, when President Rodrigo Duterte took istration’s stance and Macaayao, office, and Aug. 19. on the killings, the alleged guninsisting that, man, is a suspect “If you’re in the in three cases, acPhilippines, you cording to Dagupan police. will choose to kill Supt. Neil Miro, Dagupan these drug lords.” Danica Mae Philippines has found willing City police chief, said yesterwas hit in the head when a gun- takers,” Kine said. “Last month, he exhorted day that a couple had seen the man fired on her grandfather, Maximo Garcia, as the family Filipinos who knew of any drug attack on the Garcia home and sat downto lunch in their ho- addicts to ‘go ahead and kill knew Macaayao. Miro said Macaayao was mein Mayombo village, Dagu- them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too accused of shooting Marcial pan City, on Tuesday. Samson, 40, in the subvillage Garcia was hit in the abdo- painful,’” he said. Mr. Duterte has repeatedly of Bagong Barrio in Bonuan on men, but survived. He remained confined in a local hospital yes- urged police to kill drug sus- Aug. 6, 2013, and was linked to pects, promising them rewards two murders in 2014. terday. Miro said charges were being The attack on Garcia came and protection from prosecujust three days after he had reg- tion, drawing criticism from readied against Macaayao and istered with the local police, human rights groups and the his unidentified accomplice, who drove the motorcycle on who suspected he was involved United Nations. UN special rapporteur on which they fled. in the drug trade. If drugs were the reason for Police blamed the attack on summary executions Agnes Callamard last week said Mr. the attack, the gunman had gone unnamed “drug dealers.” Duterte’s promise of immu- after the wrong person, accordGunman identified nity and bounties to police who ing to Garcia’s wife, Gemma. Yesterday, police, with the killed drug suspects violated inGemma Garcia said her hushelp of witnesses, identified the ternational law. band used to be hooked on drugs gunman as Bryan Macaayao, alSuch criticisms provoke an- but stopped after suffering from legedly Garcia’s drug supplier. gry outbursts from Mr. Duterte, a stroke in 2013. He had a second With Aguirre’s endorsement who, after Callamard’s remarks, stroke last year, she said. of extrajudicial killing, Kine called a news conference after Shown Macaayao’s picture, said Danica Mae was unlikely 1 a.m. on Sunday to cuss the Gemma Garcia said she did not to be the last child to die in United Nations and threatened know the man. the administration’s campaign to pull the Philippines out of “My husband never pushed against drugs. ■ or sold illegal drugs,” she said. ■ the world body. www.canadianinquirer.net

Philippine News

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

Define human being, Duterte tells rights groups ‘Junkies are not humans’ BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer

and amount to incitement to violence and killing, a crime under international law,” Callamard said in a statement posted last week on the website of the UN high commissioner for human rights. “Claims to fight illicit drug trade do not absolve the government from its international legal obligations and do not shield state actors or others from responsibility for illegal killings,” she said. UN special rapporteur on the right to health Dainius Puras added that the fight against illegal drugs must “respect the human rights of each person.”

withdraw the Philippines from the world body. A former prosecutor and longtime mayor of Davao City, where he was linked to vigilante killings of crime suspects, Mr. Duterte sees criticism of his drug war and calls for an investigation of the extrajudicial killings as interference in Philippine domestic affairs.

DAVAO CITY—Junkies are not humans. That is how President Duterte sees drug users whose bodies are piling up as he presses his brutal war on drugs. International human rights groups and the United Nations have raised concern about the ‘Use human rights properly’ killings, but Mr. Duterte, adIn his speech to troops here dressing soldiers at a military on Friday night, he said those camp in his hometown Davao criticizing his war on drugs City on Friday night, said those should use the concept of hugroups should review their conman rights “properly in the cept of human rights. right context if you have the “These human rights (advobrains.” cates) did not count those who ‘Breach of fundamental rights’ “Now, if your gray matter were killed before I became In June, UN Secretary Gen- between the ears is melting, I President. The children who eral Ban Ki-moon condemned cannot help you if that’s your were raped and mutilated [by Mr. Duterte’s apparent support understanding,” he said. drug users],” he said. for extrajudicial killings, saying The Philippine National Po“That’s why I said, ‘[W]hat these were “illegal and a breach lice chief, Director General crime against humanity?’ In of fundamental rights and free- Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, told the first place, I’d like to be doms.” a Senate inquiry last week that frank with you, are they (drug The United Nation’s anti- 1,946 drug suspects had been users) humans? What is your drugs office also this month killed since the launch of the definition of a human being? said it was “greatly concerned” campaign. Tell me,” he said. by reports of extrajudicial killOf those killings, 756 were Mr. Duterte, 71, was angry ings in the Philippine govern- by police and the rest by other at persistent criticism of his ment’s war on drugs. killers and the cases were under bloody crackdown on the illegal Mr. Duterte, who won May’s investigation, he said. Police say the other killers drug trade, which he launched presidential election on a could be vigilanright after taking tes or drug synoffice on June dicates, whose 30, with instrucmembers are tions to police to killing each othThat’s why I said, ‘[W]hat crime kill suspects who against humanity?’ In the first place, er. would resist arI’d like to be frank with you, are they Mr. Duterte rest. (drug users) humans? What is your argued that the He promised definition of a human being? Tell me. deaths were necbounties and essary because a protection from war could not be prosecution for waged without officers who killing. would kill drug lords, drawing criticism from promise to kill tens of thouUN special rapporteur on sum- sands of criminals and stamp Military camps for rehab He, however, asked the milimary executions Agnes Calla- out illegal drugs within six months, refused to back down. tary to make available its camps mard. “Directives of this nature are He called the United Nations for the rehabilitation of more irresponsible in the extreme “stupid” and threatened to than 700,000 drug users who

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President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

had turned themselves in for fear of ending up dead. “Give a little space, in the mountain, not here (in the city). You cannot rehabilitate these guys there if they remain (here). You have to isolate them,” Mr. Duterte said. “And for those that cannot be repaired ... these are really the (legally insane). They become dysfunctional,” he said. Interestingly, Mr. Duterte has never referred to drug users as “victims” who can still recover from addiction, as claimed by individuals and institutions involved in drug rehabilitation programs. Mr. Duterte claimed that experts from the United States had told him that continued use of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) for one year would “shrink the brain,” putting the users beyond redemption. He said his critics should understand the extent of the drug problem in the Philippines, where there are 3.7 million people hooked on illegal drugs.

AVITO C. DALAN / PNA

“This is no easy problem,” he said. “This will pull down this country.” Again, Mr. Duterte lambasted the United Nations and other critics of his war on drugs. He said the United Nations broke protocols when it issued a statement expressing concern about the killings. “When I was mayor, you can really criticize me ... call me names. But these dimwits forgot that I’m now a President and I represent a country,” Mr. Duterte said. “Do not go outside to the media and start blabbering your mouth because I represent a sovereign state,” he said. Mr. Duterte said he did not care about what human rights advocates and experts from the United Nations were saying about his campaign against drugs. “My business is to protect the people of the Philippines and keep intact the integrity of the republic. That is my solemn and sacred duty,” he said. ■

Philippine News

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

FRIDAY

2 Pinays among Asia 21 Young Leaders BY DORIS DUMLAOABADILLA Philippine Daily Inquirer TWO YOUNG Filipino women were handpicked by the New York-based Asia Society to join the 2016 class of the prestigious Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative. Clarissa Delgado, cofounder and chief executive officer of Teach for the Philippines, and Human Nature president and cofounder Anna Meloto-Wilk join 30 other young achievers from 24 countries to form the newest batch of Asia 21, a new generation of under-40 leaders who work together to shape a brighter future for the AsiaPacific region. They will meet with their peers at the Asia 21 Summit this December in Seoul, South Korea, to share best practices in leadership and develop group public service projects. “Asia Society Philippines is privileged to have one of the largest groups of Asia 21 Young Leaders,” said Suyin Liu-Lee, executive director of Asia Society Philippines. “These individuals continue to make significant local contributions that impact the region and the rest of the world. We are honored to welcome Clarissa and Anna to the Asia Society Philippines network. We look forward to working with them to create a more collaborative and dynamic future for Asia.” From different sectors

The members of Asia 21 were selected through a highly competitive process based on outstanding achievement, commitment to public service and a proven ability to make the world a better place. Members of the class come from a variety of sectors such as business, government, education, arts and culture, media, civil society, science and technology. Now in its 11th year, Asia 21

counts more than 800 young leaders in the Asia 21 network. Delgado was selected for transforming lives through quality education. Teach for the Philippines, the nonprofit organization that she cofounded, enlists promising young professionals to teach for two years in public schools throughout the Philippines. “The further into my leadership journey I get, the more I realize that my role is not to be the answer-provider but the facilitator,” Delgado said. Much of the success of Teach for the Philippines, she noted, “results from a commitment to find competitive professionals, brighter and more talented than I in their functions, and invest them in a common mission, building an environment of trust.” “I am proud to be a part of Asia 21 while representing the tireless work and the singleminded mission of over 200 individuals in Teach for the Philippines, who wake up every day doing their piece in bringing about equal education opportunities for all Filipinos. They have much to share and much to learn from this global group, and I am excited to begin,” she said. Upholding fairness, profit

Meloto-Wilk was chosen for “championing fairness— and profit—in business.” Human Nature, the personal care company that she cofounded with husband Dylan and sister Camille, produces a line of allnatural personal care products, aiming to combine eco-friendly business practices, fair trade and policies that benefit the poor, so that farmers and workers receive aboveaverage wages and full benefits. Since 2008, the company has grown from a team of three to almost 400 people with distribution in five countries. “Leadership is about authentic and purposeful living,” Meloto-Wilk said. “I am inspired by

ate, Meloto-Wilk had worked in Ogilvy advertising and Nestle and very early on was a production assistant at broadcasting giant ABS-CBN before founding Human Nature in 2008. Overseas market

Clarissa Delgado and Anna Meloto-Wilk. TFP2012 / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS AND MARC DARREN WU OF UK IN THE PHILIPPINES / FLICKR

my father who started and led a movement for Filipinos to love and rebuild their country by caring for the poorest among us. His example has taught me to be resolute in the face of disappointments and setbacks.” Meloto-Wilk is the daughter of Antonio “Tony” Meloto, founder of Gawad Kalinga and recipient of the 2006 Ramon Magsaysay Award for community leadership. For Delgado and her team of education advocates, the best way to predict a positive future for the Philippines is to take part in creating it. She was trained in research and remains very much motivated by complex problemsolving. In 2009, she began her career by managing a randomized control trial with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Poverty Action Lab. Since then, she continued to hold positions of increasing responsibility within the development sector, specifically within the field of education. This includes directing projects for private corporations and multilateral institutions like the Asian Development Bank. Long-term change

“The story of Teach for the Philippines is best understood as a story about us. From my cofounders Margarita and Lizzie who helped bring this all about

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after our having received positive results from an impact survey on Sa Aklat Sisikat (our predecessor); to Patricia Feria-Lim and Monette Santos-Fider who lead the organization alongside me; to the first cohort of fellows who took the chance and joined us—I am who we are,” Delgado said in an e-mail interview with the INQUIRER. Everyday, Teach for the Philippines touches the lives of 15,000 public school students across the Philippines. By the organization’s fourth year of operations, it has worked in over 26 schools across 10 cities, of which two are in Mindanao. Her team has 27 staff support and almost 200 teacher fellows and alumni. In its first four years of operations, Teach for the Philippines has emerged among the Top 10 most attractive employers for liberal arts students and Top 15 for natural science. “With over 70 percent of our alumni continuing to work in education and government, we enthusiastically believe that our efforts will result in systems transformation and longterm change within our lifetimes,” she said. Meloto-Wilk believes that the poor could be harnessed to contribute to the country’s development agenda. At least 58 percent of her employees come from urban poor communities. An Ateneo de Manila gradu-

There are now 31 Human Nature branches across the Philippines. Its direct selling arm has an 80,000 strong network of dealers. It has over 150 products on its roster, with new products launched every eight weeks. Its products are also carried by several major retail chains in Metro Manila. The brand has also doubled its international business revenues as it expanded its reach in the United States, Singapore, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates. The company recently opened its first brick and mortar kiosk in Dalma Mall, Abu Dhabi, making it the first Filipino beauty brand to open its doors in the United Arab Emirates. Human Nature stores also serve as a distribution channel for 12 social enterprise brands. Two of the fastest growing social enterprise brands in the country— Bayani Brew (health beverages concocted by mothers working at Gawad Kalinga’s Enchanted Farm in Bulacan) and First Harvest (a brand of peanut)—have been influenced by the company’s employment policies. While a five- month contract with no benefits is the norm for most merchandisers and factory workers in the Philippines, her company insists on hiring its workers as regular employees and giving them full benefits. Its rank- and- file regular employees in Metro Manila and in the provinces receive 46- 77 percent above the National Capital Region’s minimum daily wage of P481. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

Gov’t, Reds OK signing of indefinite ceasefire Gov’t panel to ‘immediately recommend’ amnesty BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PHILIPPINE government and communist guerrillas have agreed to an indefinite ceasefire extension to facilitate further peace negotiations aimed at ending one of Asia’s deadliest and longest running insurgencies, a joint statement said last night. At the end of five-day peace talks in Oslo, Norway, the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) agreed to extend a unilateral ceasefire indefinitely. The truce, a goodwill gesture to President Duterte’s own unilateral ceasefire, was supposed to end today. “The Communist Party of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) shall declare and issue an indefinite unilateral ceasefire order to the New People’s Army (NPA) and the people’s militia, upon the end of their current ceasefire order on Aug. 27, 2016,” the statement said. Both sides agreed to reconcile and develop their separate ceasefire orders into a single unified document within 60 days. A third party monitoring and mediation body will also handle complaints and alleged violations. The government peace panel was expected to “immediately recommend” to the President the issuance of an amnesty proclamation, subject to Congress’ concurrence, for the release of prisoners listed by the NDFP.

Both panels agreed to meet again on Oct. 8-12, also in Oslo. Milestone

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza described the talks as “a milestone” aimed at ending a protracted rebellion that has lasted more than 40 years, claiming more than 37,000 lives and stunting the growth potentials of the country. “Not only has President Duterte walked the extra mile. He has also taken a step back to give the NDFP space under his democratic and inclusive government,” Dureza said. “We will go home with a promise of a just and lasting peace and our soldiers and the combatants of the NDFP finally coming to terms that the war must end,” he added. The CPP launched its rebellion in 1968. Its armed unit, the NPA, is believed to have fewer than 4,000 fighters, down from a peak of 26,000 in the 1980s when it drew strength from Filipinos fed up with the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos. Peace talks resumed in Oslo this week, after five years, and President Duterte had freed at least 21 rebel leaders to act as “consultants” to the negotiations to show the government’s sincerity. The peace process, which has dragged on for decades, broke down in 2001 when the Maoist rebels backed out after the US government—followed by the European Union—placed them on a list of terrorist organizations.

Coalition

The peace effort resumed in 2011 under the sponsorship of Norway, but it had often bogged down as both sides accused each other of insincerity. The rebels had also scored the previous governments for refusing demands by the rebels to release captured comrades. President Duterte, who took office on June 30, has made resumption of the talks a top priority. The one-time university student of CPP founder Jose Maria Sison, 77, who once described himself as a socialist, had vowed to bring peace to a country whose economic potentials have often been weighed down by insurgencies. He has even raised the possibility of forming a coalition government with the rebels, and his young administration said on Monday it hoped to reach a peace accord within a year. The two sides hope to breathe new life into the process by discussing simultaneously the outstanding issues of social and economic reforms, political and constitutional changes, and an end to hostilities. Previous peace talks have dealt with one issue at a time. The rebels remain particularly active in the countryside, where they are notorious for extortion to fuel their rebellion. They have also regularly attacked police and military forces, sometimes targeting them in urban areas. The US state department has designated the CPP/NPA a foreign terrorist organization.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus G. Dureza (right) arrives from the successful first round of peace talks between the CPP-NDF-NPA held in Oslo, Norway. The two panels expressed their commitment to resume the negotiations in order to resolve the armed conflict in the country by addressing its root causes. JESS M. ESCAROS JR. / PNA

Norway welcomes truce

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende hailed last night’s document as “unprecedented” and offered his government’s commitment to continue assisting in the talks. “We further welcome the acceleration of the peace negotiation,” he said. “Norway is committed to assist you in your way to peace.” Government chief negotiator and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III thanked his counterpart and expressed a wish that a final peace deal would soon be sealed. He said the government was looking toward a final peace agreement with the NDFP to end almost half a century of armed hostilities in the countryside. Apart from the ceasefire, both sides also agreed to re-

constitute a list of rebel leaders protected from arrest under a previously signed agreement on safety and immunity from arrest. The encrypted list will contain the photos and identities of rebel consultants who are “still underground who will be immune to arrest while the peace process is undergoing.” The government on the other hand would issue documents of acknowledgment for the rebel consultants still in hiding and for the 54 “publicly known NDFP personalities.” “I am sure the Filipino people appreciate the work of the two negotiating panels and that they are elated by the results of the formal talks,” Sison said. “These advance their struggle for national and social revolution and for a just and lasting peace.” ■

Senators urge gov’t to avoid previous underspending mistakes BY AZER N. PARROCHA Philippines News Agency MANILA — Senators on Wednesday urged concerned government agencies to avoid underspending mistakes done in the previous administration, stressing the need for a wise use of taxpayers’ money. During the second hearing on the proposed PHP3.35-trillion national budget for 2017, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson

asked guest resource persons the steps they were taking to prevent underspending in the Duterte administration. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez admitted that the administration of former President Benigno Aquino III managed the economy in “an excellent way” but left behind billions worth of unused appropriations. Dominguez, however, assured that the goal was to ask particular agencies such as the Department of Transportation (DOTr)

to step up their performance. He also suggested to revise the validity of the said budget from two years to one year to pressure government agencies to spend it immediately. Senator Loren Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, however, raised the possibility that there is a bigger risk for underspending given the increased budget. The proposed 2017 national budget is PHP3.35-trillion, which is higher by 11.6 percent www.canadianinquirer.net

compared to the PHP3.002trillion budget for 2016. Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno reiterated that it was his “fear” that the government will underspend but assured that measures will be in place to avoid it. Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV called for a reform on the government’s procurement system to address underspending. “I don’t think we will be able to spend properly, even with the

best intentions, if we don’t reform the Procurement Act. Let’s fast track our Procurement Act reforms,” Aquino said. Diokno meanwhile revealed the plan to introduce several reforms to the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 or the Procurement Reform Act. Aquino said that the Senate is also willing to amend the Constitution to make the procurement process more effective for long-term. ■

Opinion

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

FRIDAY

ANALYSIS

Rising drug deaths shock democratic communities By Amando Doronila Philippine Daily Inquirer CANBERRA—Since President Duterte launched his war on drug syndicates on July 1, he has plunged the Philippines into a multitheater conflict against a broad front of international institutions, including the United Nations, its human rights rapporteurs, human rights watchdog groups, Amnesty International, the country’s Chief Justice and other domestic critics of his violence-driven campaign. Hundreds of suspected drug dealers have been killed in alleged extrajudicial executions as the administration pursued the President’s campaign promise to exterminate the drug menace in three to six months of his presidency. This campaign has drawn international condemnation for its summary slaughter of suspects, disregarding human rights and due process under the rule of law. It has been fueled by the singular slogan: “Kill the drug dealers!” The death toll of this extermination campaign

The day after, he urged suspected drug users and pushers in Bacolod to go to the houses of drug lords, douse them with petroleum, and burn them. He said most important in the war against illegal drugs was the readiness to kill. “Don’t get killed. You need to be alive,” he said in a speech before policemen, officials and other guests Gruesome picture during the commemoration of the Crime statistics released by the 115th PNP anniverPhilippine National sary at the regional Police paint a gruepolice headquarters some picture of the The state has a duty to protect the people from all forms of at Camp Martin brutality of this violence, including an obligation to promptly, and independently Delgado. bloodbath and the and impartially investigate such killings and bring perpetrators He also lambastdamaging impact to justice. ed the Commission of this campaign on on Human Rights the country’s demo“We are far from over,” Dela (CHR) by telling policemen to stay cratic institutions. PNP Director General Ronald Rosa told reporters. “We have just alive because the CHR will not feed “Bato” dela Rosa, said last week the finished the first month of the war and send their children to school if war on drugs would continue and against drugs. We still have five they die. The disclosure by Dela Rosa that “more lives will be lost along the months to go. More lives will be lost there had been at least 1,067 killings way,” whether that of criminals or along the way.” by unidentified people and over 712 of law enforcers. Underscoring the killings by police since July 1 came ruthlessness of the campaign, Dela ‘Are you willing to kill?’ Talking to policemen in Bacolod under heavy fire from Amnesty InRosa called on his men to continue the fight, “survive gunfights” and City last week, Dela Rosa challenged ternational, which said the toll was “a terrifying indication that the au“stay alive” when he visited the wake them, “Are you willing to kill?” has been appalling and has shocked democratic communities around the world. It has also branded the Philippine as a pariah country among democracies for embarking on the butchery of its people as the centerpiece policy of governance.

of SPO4 Edmar Bumagat who was killed in a drug-bust operation in Makati City. Bumagat was part of team that arrested Angelo Tampos, a murder suspect. According to the PNP, Tampos allegedly grabbed the policeman’s gun and engaged him in a scuffle until the gun went off. Bumagat was hit in the head while Tampos was killed by another policeman.

thorities are grossly failing in their obligations to respect and protect the right to life.” “This risks the further breakdown of rule of law in this country. The state has a duty to protect the people from all forms of violence, including an obligation to promptly, and independently and impartially investigate such killings and bring perpetrators to justice,” Amnesty added. It pointed out that Dela Rosa at the Senate inquiry pledged that all allegations of murder and extrajudicial executions by the police would be investigated. However, Amnesty noted that “it is unclear if there will be independent oversight of investigations of such killings.” It therefore called on the authorities to ensure the establishment of an independent police complaints commission to be set up. The commission should have the mandate to receive complaints and other reports on human rights violations committed by the police which will be fully independent and free from the influence of the PNP. ■

AT LARGE

Bite your tongue By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer WHAT WAS that our mothers taught us? “Bite your tongue.” Before saying something harsh, indelicate, or stupid, think twice—indeed, bite your tongue lest it get you into trouble. I don’t know if Du30’s mother, a formidable woman by most accounts, ever had occasion to counsel her son to bite his tongue—or to wash out his mouth with soap. But it seems he never learned. And now, in the exalted position of president of the land, he has infected the public discourse with his penchant not just for cuss words and salty metaphors but also for giving voice to thoughts better left in the gutter. I swear, in my long years on this earth, this is the first time I have ever heard the president of my country utter the term “chukchak” in public. This is, if you must know, a crude vulgarity for the sexual act. That he mentioned it in the context of a woman senator’s private life only brings it to new depths of sleaze. But that’s not even the worst of it. In the course of coarsening the public discourse, Du30 has also spread the virus to most everyone in his official family. Most prominent of them, mainly because he is constantly in the

limelight due to the “war on drugs,” is Philippine National Police Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the President’s main man charged with eradicating the drug menace. To his credit, Dela Rosa has worked hard to earn public approval, or even just acceptance, through friendly TV appearances to “aw-shucks,” off-thecuff statements designed, it seems, to paint him as an innocent, a probinsyano lost among the sophisticates of Manila. But it seems he has adopted his boss’ tough demeanor, or at least his attempt to appear tough and uncompromising. “Bato” is sounding more and more like a “mini-me” of the President, including issuing nuggets of truly frightful orders and advice to the men and women of the PNP. *** MEETING with former drug addicts in Bacolod a few days ago, Dela Rosa told them that the best way to get back at those who truly profited from the drug trade was to “pay them a visit, pour gasoline on their homes and set these on fire.” By doing so, he added, the victims of drugs would be “registering your anger.” But he was just getting started. “They’re all enjoying your money, money that destroyed your brain,” he

added. “You know who the drug lords are. Would you like to kill them? Go ahead. Killing them is allowed because you are the victim.” So incendiary were his remarks that they caught the attention of the international media. BBC Radio, in fact, even called this columnist to comment on what Dela Rosa said, padding its current story line of how the Philippine drug war is getting out of hand. But the day after his remarks were broadcast around the world, the man, it seems, realized the error of his ways. He apologized for his dangerous suggestion, saying his emotions had gotten the better of him. *** THIS is all of a piece with his boss, the President, who has had to backtrack, or have his spokesmen do so, to minimize the damage his words have inflicted. When his careless, impulsive threat to leave the United Nations drew flak, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay was reduced to explaining the President’s physical and mental exhaustion at the time and even blamed the media for posing questions long past Du30’s bedtime. Well here’s a piece of advice to the President: Just say no. Or “no comment.” Whenyour brain is frazzled

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and you’re tempted to vent your frustration and anger by issuing vulgarities, bite your tongue and go to bed. As someone commented on FB, neither the President nor General Bato should have it both ways, “us[ing] the force of their position to encourage people to commit crimes, and then rationalize their vile and arrogant acts by telling everyone that they are ‘human’ like everyone else.” But these two grown men, responsible officials with years of experience in government, “are NOT like all others,” points out the observer. “They may actually be monsters in disguise.” Come to think of it, they may simply be playing us for fools. They give voice to the most outrageous and reckless ideas, planting them in the minds of their underlings, followers and the general public, only to apologize in the face of adverse reactions. Clever and devious, indeed! *** PERHAPS these senior officials can learn from a young legislator, Pangasinan Rep. Christopher de Venecia, who, in a recent privilege speech, called for addressing the drug problem not through mass killings but through “softer” measures like “prevention of drug use, rehabilitation of

drug addicts and reintegration and monitoring of reformed drug abusers.” “The war on drugs should not only be a war by the President or the PNP. It should be a multisectoral battle that hinges on multisectoral cooperation—from the barangay, the health sector, the church, our educational institutions, civil society, and even mass media,” De Venecia said. The young legislator also called for convening the Badac, or the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council, as “the first line of defense in the war against drugs,” while batting for the inclusion of drug education in the school curriculum. He also called for the establishment of more rehab centers in all regions and the expansion of existing treatment centers such as the ones found in Davao, Pangasinan, Cebu, Zamboanga, Albay, Camarines Sur, Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Leyte. He also advocated that portions of military camps and unused public buildings be converted into interim rehab and drug assessment centers, pending the completion and expansion of new rehab centers. Doesn’t this make more sense than burning down the houses of alleged drug lords? ■

Opinion

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

PUBLIC LIVES

Thinking about democracy in Mongolia By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer ULAANBAATAR—Invited to participate in a forum in Mongolia this last week of August, I instantly said yes, motivated mainly by a wish to experience what it is like to stand on the main capital square of this vast landlocked Asian country, sometimes called the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky. Known for its cloudless skies, with an average of 257 cloudless days per year, Mongolia is like the end of the earth whichever direction one looks. The cold and sparse landscape is mesmerizing in its beauty and breadth. The country’s infrastructure is still basic. Beyond Ulaanbaatar, its highways are few, and straight and narrow. But the interesting places outside the capital city are accessible to travelers, who are basically invited to chart their own path on the still unmarked grassy steppes. Perfect for off-road riding, I thought to myself. At once, I imagined myself crossing the vast tundra on a motorcycle to search for birds in the countless river valleys that mark the Mongolian terrain. But, I began to have second thoughts about going after I read the materials that had been sent to me by the organization behind the forum— the Sydney-based International In-

stitute for Democracy and Electoral from Nepal, Bhutan and Fiji who to the particular context from which Assistance (IDEA), an intergovern- had inspiring stories to tell. Hear- they arise. But, at the same time, they mental organization that supports the ing them, I felt ashamed of the times are also very much typical. Other nabuilding of democratic institutions. I when I had silently doubted the au- tions can learn a lot from the solutions was asked to join a panel discussion thenticity of our own struggle and that those who came ahead formulated on the role of social movements and minimized its value as a beacon for with great difficulty and danger. The growing list of titles published leadership in the transition to democ- other democratic transitions. The highest moment in these by the organization attest to the racy. Suddenly, I was no longer sure if I had anything hopeful or inspiring transitions is the same everywhere— broad range of lessons it has syntheto say about the democratic project in massive crowds gathering spontane- sized from the experiences of various the Philippines, given what has been ously in public squares, singing and countries all over the world. Examhappening in the country since the dancing and listening to speeches, ples of these are the following: “From Authoritarian Rule recent presidential Toward Democratic election. Suddenly, I was no longer sure if I had anything hopeful Governance,” “A The purpose of or inspiring to say about the democratic project in the Practical Guide to the forum was to Philippines, given what has been happening in the country since Constitution Buildbring together ining,” “Politics Meets the recent presidential election. dividuals who had Policies: The Emerwitnessed and participated in such transitions. The while waving banners that signal the gence of Programmatic Political ParPhilippines is generally recognized rebirth of freedom. The hard work ties”—and many more. What they represent is a clear atworldwide as one of the trailblaz- begins soon after. There is a need to ers of the democratization process bring the various stakeholders to- tempt to simplify the complex pasbecause of the Edsa People Power gether so everyone starts on the same sage to democracy by breaking it Revolution in 1986. Countries like page. An interim leadership has to down to its basic stages and correMongolia and Indonesia had theirs take command and direct the course sponding tasks, and offering models not too long after. The trigger for of events leading to the writing of a from other countries. But the overthe 1990 Mongolian peaceful demo- new constitution and the conduct riding principle in this process is alcratic revolution was the collapse of of general elections. The role of the ways to nudge the sovereign people Soviet socialism in 1989. For Indone- military is weighed and defined dur- to define their own substantive responses to the issues before them—in sia, what precipitated the downfall ing these crucial moments. The international IDEA believes accordance with their own underof the corrupt and autocratic rule of General Suharto was the 1997 Asian that the issues and questions that the standing of their nation’s needs. One of the panelists in the forum key players in these democratic transieconomic crisis. I met fellows of my generation tions are bound to face are often unique observed that it takes about 40 years

before a democratic system may be pronounced to be stable and fully institutionalized. I am not sure how the number was arrived at, but it prodded me to count. Postwar Philippine democracy was only 26 years old when Ferdinand Marcos ended it in 1972. The democracy we restored at Edsa in 1986 is 30 years old today. That’s 10 years short of 40. Perhaps we should not be surprised then if the type of democracy we have put in place has remained fragile. It has strengthened oligarchical rule and failed to significantly improve the lives of the many. Still, it remains a puzzle to me why we should choose a strongman to solve our problems at this time, rather than slowly build on the gains of a three-decade-long practice to create stronger and functional institutions. The Ulaanbaatar forum left me with more questions than answers. But I came away from the discussions feeling renewed and hopeful. For once I understood what Niklas Luhmann meant when he referred to democracy as “an evolutionary achievement of society.” A nation must grow into democracy. Unlike us, the Mongolians who spent centuries defending their land against their powerful neighbors know only too well how long it will take them still to complete their own democratic transition. ■

LOOKING BACK

Duterte language By Ambeth R. Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer IN RETROSPECT, all the P-words uttered by the lead actor in the unexpected blockbuster of a film, “Heneral Luna,” was an uncanny prefiguring of President Duterte and the trademark cussing he spouts almost daily for public consumption. At the beginning of his term I noted the CNN coverage of his rambling, extemporaneous speeches, where cuss words familiar in Manila were routinely bleeped out. There must have been a few minutes’ delay in the feed to censor the cuss words; however, the person in charge of the bleep missed out on many of the cuss words and anatomical terms when Mr. Duterte shifted language to Visayan. As a matter of fact, the snide remark on Mar Roxas’ “o*in” could be seen as an allusion to Gen. Antonio Luna, who lost the Battle of Bagbag in 1899 because he pulled out soldiers required to defend the Filipino positions against the Americans. He sent the soldiers to Pampanga in a show of force to discipline the insubordinate Gen. Tomas Mascardo, who made a sneering reference to Luna’s

anatomy, too. Historians Epifanio de los Santos, Teodoro A. Agoncillo and Vivencio Jose did not provide the exact Tagalog quotation that loses its power when translated into Spanish or English: “Komandante, inyong sabihin kay Heneral Luna na kung siya’y may bay*g ay gayon din si Heneral Mascardo na maipaglalaban sa kanya.” (Major, tell General Luna that if he has balls to execute his orders, General Mascardo, likewise, is a man who knows how to fight!) Many people I know find it distasteful for the President to cuss in public, and often describe this as, well, “unpresidential.” But then we have a new President who does not fit the mold that Manila-centric history and tradition have carved out for him. This square peg, forgive the allusion, does not want to conform to the round hole. Cursing was part of my childhood; I heard it all the time from adults, and knew by the context or tone of voice whether the P-word was said in anger or as a form of endearment. My father used to cuss a lot until his favorite grandson was born. When the grandson was but a toddler he would

note every P-word his lolo uttered and provided his mother with a daily accounting. When I was growing up, my father rarely used the P-word in anger, but my mother made up the balance. Once I laughed at her angry face, when she used the P-word on me. When I reminded her that she referred to herself when she used the P-word, she used “g*go” and pinched my side so hard it produced a welt. The only time we were spared from mymother’s cussing was after her bypass operation, when she was left practically voiceless. Nevertheless, at table we could read her lips and know how frustrated she was at not being able to express herself with the P-word. When I taught the Rizal course in the University of the Philippines, I realized that the course title was “Philippine Institutions 100,” with the course code “PI 100” that students took to mean something else. There is something about the P-word that hits Pinoys in the gut. It is more powerful than the Spanish P*ñeta made current again by “Heneral Luna.” I was surprised that the movie review board did not bleep out the many P-words in “Heneral Luna,”

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and I presume that it was because the word was Spanish and did not sound as bad as it would have if it were in Filipino. Nobody seems to know what P*ñeta means, and nobody takes the time to google its exact meaning. In one translation, it is said to be the colloquial word for “hell.” Thus, to say “que p*ñeta!” is to say “go to hell!” A more adequate Spanish dictionary will tell you that the root word is “puño,” meaning a fist or to make a fist; therefore, the fist flaunted at someone with a shaking movement says plainly that p*ñeta is the vulgar word for masturbation. When I was taking Spanish and French in college, I was taught mainly how to conjugate verbs, use the conditional, and speak courteously. The late E. Aguilar Cruz rounded up my language education by introducing me to the Adrienne “Gimmick” books that taught colloquial usage or everyday language. Naturally, the last part of the Gimmick books was the first I referred to and often reviewed because it was marked “What not to say!” Here I learned to see how usage in the Philippines differed from

Spain or Latin America. For example, “bombo” in colloquial Spanish had nothing to do with a bomb or the radio program “Radyo Bombo.” It referred to a lesbian. Then, for all the poor women born on Dec. 8 and given the baptismal name Maria Concepcion, if their nickname was “Maricon,” they will be horrified to learn that in colloquial Spanish “maricon” refers to a gay man, or to use colloquial Filipino, a “bakla.” In the 1970s, Filipinos went mad over handball played with a short tennis racquet known locally as “pelota.” In Spain, pelota refers to someone’s “balls,” and to be “en pelotas” does not refer to someone in a pelota outfit but to someone who is bare-assed. Filipino slang words for going out and having a nice time are “pasyal” from the Spanish “pasear” and “paseo” that refers to taking a walk or a stroll. Be warned, however, that “mag-lamierda tayo” is not the synonym of pasyal. La mierda is the Spanish word for excrement or sh*t. Some academic should do a study on Duterte language and explain it plainly without the jargon and the scary algebraic diagrams that make for linguistics literature today. ■

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

FRIDAY

Canada News Prime Minister Justin Trudeau leaves for first official visit to China BY ANDY BLATCHFORD The Canadian Press

their business dealings with Canada, he added. Nor has the country forgotten how Trudeau’s father, Pierre Trudeau, was among the first western leaders to recognize “new China” when he established diplomatic ties in 1970, later becoming the first Canadian PM to travel there in 1973. The Liberal love-in, however, has at least one former Harper cabinet minister crying foul. Gerry Ritz, a former agriculture minister and veteran of some 15 trips to the east Asian country, said he laughs out loud when he hears Trudeau describe a chill in Canada-China relations. Ritz suggested there is still room for Canada to forge a free trade deal with China, even though government officials have played down any notion that such a deal could be on the table.

compared with 36 per cent in a similar 2014 poll. The exact same percentage of respondents opposed such a OTTAWA — More than four deal, although that’s down from decades after his father first be50 per cent in 2014. gan paving the way in the 1970s, Trudeau’s visit is scheduled Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to include meetings with Chiarrived in China early Tuesday to nese President Xi Jinping and begin his first official visit there, Premier Li Keqiang, who is with both countries keen to forge scheduled to pay a visit to Canaever-stronger economic ties. da sometime in late September. Trudeau, travelling with His itinerary will be packed wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau with business-related meetand seven-year-old daughter ings. as well as the G20 leadElla-Grace, said last week that ers’ summit. Between Aug. 30 he hopes the visit provides the and Sept. 7, he will make stops opportunity to “reset” the relain Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou tionship between the two counand Hong Kong. tries. All the while, he will have to China, the world’s new econavigate several ongoing irrinomic superpower, sees the tants. dawn of a new Trudeau era in In his meetings with Xi and Canada as a “new opportunity” Li, Trudeau is expected to disto strengthen ties between the cuss a dispute over Chinese rule two countries, Chinese ambaschanges that could affect Canasador Luo Zhaohui said in an da’s multibillion-dollar canola interview last exports. week. He also plans Canada’s reto raise the issue lationship with of jailed CanaChina under They take the criticism and recognize dian Kevin Garthe fact they’re a global entity the Harper govratt, who was arand that social networks as well as ernment was rested in China newscasts and so on like that. at times incontwo years ago for sistent, many espionage. The experts say. Hisprime minister torically, Luo has said there’s acknowledged China has had In an online poll conducted no evidence to support the alwarmer connections with Can- in June and July and commis- legations. ada’s Liberal-led governments. sioned by the Asia Pacific FounTalks with China always call Indeed, the Chinese consider dation of Canada, 46 per cent for an especially delicate form the Jean Chretien era of the of respondents said they would of diplomacy. Ritz offered 1990s as the “golden years” in support a free trade agreement, Trudeau some advice when

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

broaching China’s less-thanstellar human rights record: don’t do it in public. “They take the criticism and recognize the fact they’re a global entity and that social networks as well as newscasts and so on like that — there’s a lot more coverage of everything that happens,” he said. “They have to realize at some point they have to change the way they handle their own population and the way they handle outsiders trying to invest in that economy. “They do take that as constructive criticism. They may not like it.” The Conservatives made progress with China, Ritz added, and still held them to account on labour standards, the environment and human rights. “We didn’t pick and choose,” he said. “We were very firm in our dealings with China.”

ART BABYCH / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Trudeau and many business leaders argue that Canada has much to gain from closer economic ties with a rapidly growing economy and middle class in China, which is already Canada’s second-largest trading partner. Trudeau’s schedule includes meetings with the China Entrepreneur Club, Canada China Business Council, the Chinese firm Fosun, known for its investment in Cirque de Soleil, women entrepreneurs in China and Jack Ma, founder of e-commerce giant Alibaba. The prime minister will also visit a high school with former NBA basketball player Yao Ming; take a boat cruise to highlight tourism opportunities in Canada; visit to the Great Wall of China; and pay tribute to Canadian soldiers who defended Hong Kong during the Second World War. ■

Life becomes a drag as troublesome ATM frustrates Saskatchewan thieves THE CANADIAN PRESS ST. LOUIS, Sask. — The RCMP has found an automated teller machine that thieves literally dragged out of a Saskatchewan community after they were un-

able to lift it into the back of a stolen pickup truck. Mounties say the ATM that was taken from a credit union in St. Louis early Sunday morning was found later the same day in some bush, about 150 kilometres northeast of Saskatoon.

Some money had been removed from the machine, which witnesses say was too heavy for the thieves to handle after it was yanked from the building using a white Dodge pickup truck and a rope. Witnesses also say the ATM www.canadianinquirer.net

was eventually hauled out of town behind the truck, which was joined by a second pickup as they headed east. The Dodge was found by a farmer in an area separate from the ATM’s location, while another stolen pickup that may be

linked to the theft was discovered in a swampy area. No arrests have been made and police are going over surveillance video and examining several items seized at the scene of the theft and from the stolen pickup. ■

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

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Canada News

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

FRIDAY

Saskatoon couple asked by CRA to prove they have children a second time THE CANADIAN PRESS

First Nation dancers performing at the Victoria Aboriginal Cultural Festival. GTS PRODUCTIONS / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Aboriginal headdresses distributed on 1st day of school rile mother BY SIDHARTHA BANERJEE The Canadian Press MONTREAL — A Quebec mother says she was shocked that two Grade 3 teachers were wearing aboriginal headdresses and handing them out to students on the first day of classes Monday. Jennifer Dorner said she found the scene in the Montreal schoolyard distressing and offensive and posted a photo and commentary on Facebook, where it began making the rounds. “I was pretty horrified, I was hoping that this kind of thing stopped happening a long time ago, but apparently it continues so I took a picture and posted about it,” she said in an interview. Dorner, whose daughter and niece are both Grade 3 students, said her niece Zoe was particularly upset by the headdress and wanted to rip it up. School board spokeswoman Gina Guillemette says the headdresses — fashioned from cardboard and coloured feathers — were distributed to students at Ecole Lajoie as part of a focus on teaching about native communities in Quebec. Dorner said that explanation is even more upsetting given the very people introducing the topic don’t seem to grasp the disrespect of portraying the headdress in this way. “How can they possibly be teaching an authentic understanding of indigenous culture?,” she asked. “It doesn’t help their cause to say that. If

anything, it makes it even more distressing.” Such headdresses are generally only worn by elders or those who’ve earned the right to do so. Non-natives donning them is seen as disrespectful as there is a spiritual and cultural significance attached to them. Many concert promoters and sporting venues have banned the wearing of such First Nations headdresses as a costume or fashion accessory. Dorner said a friend who is native has offered to attend a meeting she’s requested with the principal at the elementary school in Montreal’s Outremont borough. Zoe’s mother, Sarah Dorner, said her daughter refused to wear the headdress. “My daughter is very sensitive to these things, we lived in New Zealand for most of 2015 so we’ve had a lot of conversations with her about when it’s OK to be invited and to wear a costume or participate in song and dance,” she said, referring to Maori culture in New Zealand. Sarah Dorner said she just wanted her daughter to enjoy her first day of school. Some of the recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission focus on education and she said the need to implement them is clear. “I’m hoping that maybe, because this has hit a nerve, they’ll consider more appropriate ways of introducing that curriculum,” she said. ■

SASKATOON — A Saskatchewan couple has two boys, four car seats and a nanny but they’re being asked by the Canada Revenue Agency to prove that their children exist — again. Devin Dubois and his wife got a letter telling them to prove that they have children or their child benefits would be cut off. But Dubois says the CRA has the information in its possession because the couple got the same letter in 2014. “It’s not that there’s anything new in our 2015 tax returns. These are the same two kids that we’ve always claimed. I don’t know what the CRA thinks has happened between now and then,” said Dubois. “I don’t know what more proof positive we really could provide.” Dubois says in 2014 he provided proof of their Canadian citizenship, social insurance numbers, child-care receipts and property tax details. He also sent notarized copies of his driver’s licence, law society membership and Costco membership. There was also a lengthy letter, with a touch of sarcasm. “If our kids haven’t existed for the past three and a half years, why the hell are we so tired? And why are we consis-

tently doing laundry, why is our house a disaster and why are there raisins and Pepperidge Farms goldfish ground into our carpets, car-seats and couches?,” he wrote. The documentation was accepted by the government. That’s why the Saskatoon dad says it’s “absolutely ridiculous” for the CRA to ask for the information again. “They actually have this information, so to send a letter saying benefits and the tax credits you requested won’t be granted unless you prove all of this, this is my problem with it, is that it’s silly and it’s flippant and it’s not necessary,” he said. The revenue agency says on its website that people must reply to the letter or their child and family benefits could be terminated and they might have to repay benefits already received. Regina resident Colleen Book got the same letter last fall, but a delay in mail delivery left her with just a couple of weeks to gather information or risk having benefits cut off. “I ran around. I had to go to city hall to get our property tax information. I had to go to the daycare and ask them to write this lengthy letter saying that our daughter was ours and that she lived with us and then I ended up spending $14, $15 to send it overnight to make sure I hit their deadline,” said Book,

who was pregnant with her second child at the time. “I was annoyed, obviously.” Like Dubois, Book also sent a letter to the CRA voicing her frustration. She says she asked how they choose people to audit and why the CRA was asking for specific details. Book also says “the tone of their letter was insulting.” “I’m not a scofflaw. I’m not someone who has lied to the CRA before. So to send me an accusatory letter demanding this information within a very short time period, without any justification or cause, was just totally unacceptable in my mind,” said Book. “I totally understand why they would need to do this kind of review, but I think if they’re going to be demanding this information, they should be a little bit more accessible to answer questions and they should be a little bit more up front about why they’re asking for this.” A call to Canada Revenue Agency’s media relations for comment was not immediately returned Monday. In the meantime, Dubois says he’s drafting another letter to the agency. “But I’m a little more perturbed even than I was before because it seems to me that this is really a colossal waste of time and resources, not just for the people who are having to deal with it, but also for the CRA.” ■

Pursuing post-secondary... time students from low-income families; from $800 to $1,200 per year for students from middle-income families; and from $1,200 to $1,800 per year for part-time students from low-income families. These increases will help over 270,000 students in Ontario alone. As a result of these enhancements, when combined with provincial student grants, the average full-time undergraduate student from a low-income family in Ontario could receive up to $6,000 in grants. Additionally, beginning November 1, the Government of Canada will ease the rules on its Repayment Assistance Plan by

❰❰ 1

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ensuring that no single borrower will be required to make any repayment until he or she is earning at least $25,000 per year. Taken together, these enrichments will help Canada’s students by relieving the high cost of a post-secondary education so they may equip themselves with education and skills they need to join a strong, healthy and vibrant middle class. To complement the changes to Canada Student Grants, the Government of Canada is also making historic investments in the spaces where students learn, experiment and achieve through the Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund. Today, Minister

Duncan also announced more than $21 million for Humber College in support of two sustainable infrastructure projects that will enable students to create energy-efficient living environments and will retrofit buildings on campus so they use less energy. The Province of Ontario will contribute an additional $3.3 million and Humber College will add more than $39 million bringing the total investment to $64.55 million. In this way, the Strategic Investment Fund will jump-start a virtuous circle of discovery and innovation, creating the right conditions for long-term growth that will yield benefits for generations to come. ■

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

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World News

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

FRIDAY

In North Korea, a hardboiled Succession planning (and fictional) cop keeps watch using an estate freeze BY TIM SULLIVAN The Associated Press

“The Gentleman from Japan,” will be released late this year. “He really doesn’t care about politics. He knows it gets in the way, that it’s annoying. He knows that sometimes he has to bow to it.” But O still refuses to wear one of the small lapel pins, decorated with portraits of North Korea’s leaders that are ubiquitous in the country. Church’s books often centre around outsiders — an Israeli spy, a Scottish policeman, that Swiss intelligence guy — thrust into a North Korea they constantly misunderstand. “I couldn’t pretend that I was writing from the inside. I couldn’t pretend that I was a North Korean,” said Church, whose first Inspector O novel was released a decade ago, and whose work has been warmly

tics or troublesome children. “We’ve seen time after time, when authoritarian countries fall, that people pretty much live NEW YORK — The hero, a ponormal lives,” he said. “Some aslice inspector, prowls a city pects of life are exaggerated in known more for its political North Korea in many ways. But malevolence than its street I think that when the end finally crime. If you read the local comes and we understand more newspapers, you could think fully how people live their lives, it’s a city with almost no crime we’ll be surprised.” at all. There have been no murStill, North Koreans do face ders reported there for years, myriad dangers, from arrests no bank robberies, no mugby the country’s web of security gings, no rapes. agencies to powerful bureauThe city is Pyongyang, the crats who can upend a person’s North Korean capital, which life in a moment. has long hidden so many re“There are always storm clouds alities beneath layers of propaon the horizon,” said Church. ganda and isolation. “There is a thunderstorm that The hero is Inspector O, a pocould break at any moment.” liceman who knows those realiO regularly hints at those ties. And so, in many ways, does storms. the policeman’s creator, the “We all knew that we were bearded man in the crowded drifting, and we knew where,” Manhattan resthe policeman taurant who calls reflects in “Bamhimself James boo and Blood,” Church. which takes place Church doesn’t But I think that when the end finally during North Kocomes and we understand more fully want you to know rea’s brutal midhow people live their lives, we’ll be his real name, 1990s famine. “A surprised. his nationality or nation of shrivthe name of the eled leaves floatorganization ing on a doomed where he worked river toward the for so many years. All he’ll say is received by critics. Now retired falls. A winter of endless sorrow.” that he was raised in California, from government work, he was Church’s real name and his that he spent decades watching in New York recently for a visit. background are widely known in North Korea as an intelligence “What interested me was the the small community of North officer for a Western country, point at which the North Kore- Korea watchers, where he is seen and that he travelled there doz- an reality and our reality meet. as one of the most insightful anaens of times. Because I have a lot of experi- lysts of the isolated nation. InChurch has also, in novels ence with that, and that’s where spector O also has plenty of fans. about a tormented Pyongyang it illuminates what they think.” “If you want to understand police inspector who loves his The world has spent years mis- North Korea then you need to country despite its many failings, understanding the North Korean read Inspector O,” said Michael found a way to write about the reality, Church says, reducing it Madden, who has spent years country he studied for so long. to cliches of goose-stepping sol- studying the North Korean leadInspector O — his first name diers, brain-washed people, and ership. Church “is giving you the is never given; his surname is dictators waiting for the chance conversations that these people common in Korea — is a hard- to reduce the world to a smoul- have, the bureaucracy there and boiled, old-school investigator, dering, radioactive pulp. just the North Korean mood and a Raymond Chandler character But much of what Inspector attitude. He gets that culture. trying to do the right thing in a O encounters would be familiar Not many people do.” brutal world. But he is also quick anywhere. Church also understands that, to defend that world, especially Church’s North Korea is a beyond the propaganda, North when outsiders criticize it. place of squabbling relatives, Korea pulls powerfully at its “We know how the world sees office bullies, bureaucratic turf people, including Inspector O. us,” he tells a Swiss intelligence wars and bitter spouses. It’s a “We had something to believe official in “Bamboo and Blood,” place where most people quietly in, a way to order existence,” O the third Inspector O novel. go along with the government, says angrily in one book, when “But we are not as weak as peo- but a few find ways to quietly a South Korean derides North ple think — or hope.” push back. It’s a place where Korea’s entire history. “Maybe Inspector O is “a good, solid politics is a constant presence, people didn’t have much, most of police detective who just wants something to be extremely wary them had very little, but for practo do his work,” said Church, of, but where most people are tically all of those years they felt whose sixth book in the series, more worried about office poli- they belonged to something.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

BY SAMANTHA PRASAD, LL.B. Fundata Canada Inc. LOOKING TO found a family business dynasty? Here’s a sobering statistic: Only about 10% of family-owned businesses make it past the third generation. This has a lot to do with the lack of proper planning while the founding parents are still alive. One way to give your business at least a fighting chance to go beyond the third generation is to implement something that estate lawyers call an “estate freeze.” If you carry on a family business and are considering bringing the next generation into the business as owners, then it may be time to think about how to best accomplish this in the most tax-efficient way possible. If you are not sure your kids want to carry on the family business, a succession plan can also be an important tool in minimizing taxes on an eventual sale. So regardless of your goals as a family business owner, consider alternative structuring for your business by implementing an estate freeze of your operating business (which we’ll call “Opco”). What is an estate freeze?

An estate freeze refers to the transferral of future growth in the value of a business, investments, or other assets into the hands of your kids. An estate freeze typically limits the value of your estate in relation to your corporation holdings to the value of Opco at the date the freeze is implemented (don’t worry, you still retain the current value of Opco, although often in a different form). Accordingly, capital gains and other tax exposure to the future growth that would arise when the assets pass from you to your kids are avoided. In order to get the full benefit of an Estate Freeze, your shares in Opco will be reorganized into a class of “freeze shares” that will not be entitled to any future growth (but will still get the benefit of dividends based on a pre-determined date).

New growth shares can then be issued to your kids (or a discretionary family trust for the benefit of your kids) without triggering any tax hits. Any future growth in the value of the assets held by Opco will then accrue to these growth shares (and not to you). Why do an estate freeze?

We implement most tax-related strategies to cut our tax bill. But why you would give up future growth to save on tax? Well, chances are that you may have acquired enough value in your current assets to keep you happy for the rest of your life. By putting in place an estate freeze, you will maximize the value of your estate that will ultimately pass to your beneficiaries. Upon your death, you are deemed to have disposed of all of your assets at their fair market value, and your estate is required to pay the capital gains tax on this “deemed disposition.” The implementation of an Estate Freeze will effectively “freeze” the value of your interest in Opco to present-day value, with any future growth in Opco flowing in favour of your kids or a family trust (assuming you give them the growth in Opco). This means that your interest in Opco will no longer grow in value. The upside, however, is that the capital gains and other tax that would otherwise be triggered on your death will be limited to the frozen value of Opco. Future growth in Opco from the date of the estate freeze to your death will be taxable only if your children sell the shares or when they pass away. Less tax to the CRA means more for your beneficiaries. In order to maximize the benefit of the Estate Freeze, this strategy is usually implemented when Opco (or the assets in Opco) are expected to appreciate in the future. If the assets are expected to depreciate, it would usually be preferable to hold off freezing. Also, if you feel that the current value of the assets is not high enough for you to live on for the rest of your life, you may want to think twice about freezing. ■

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

ANNOUNCEMENT

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Neck Surgeons (Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery) from 2011 until 2014 in which year he served as the Society’s Vice President.

Raymond and wife Maria Teresa are both medical missionaries with the Carolina Medical Missions Incorporated, a group of Filipino-American doctors and health care providers since 1994. The group renders free medical and surgical services to depressed areas in third world countries. After several years of shuttling back and forth from Manila to Raymond comes with wealth Vancouver, for their children’s of hearing care experience. He education, Raymond and Maria graduated from the Faculty Teresa finally decided that it was of Medicine and Surgery of time to give up their respective the University of Santo Tomas medical careers in the Philippines in Manila and is a Philippine to live here in Canada. Board Certified Ear Nose & Throat Surgeon with over 15 We are delighted that Raymond years of experience. He had did not stray too far away from his subspecialty training in his work experience and decided otology at the Carolina Ear and to pursue his passion for helping Neuroscience Institute, Raleigh, patients who have hearing North Carolina, USA and was difficulties. He is a valuable the head of the Hearing and member of the NexGen Hearing Dizziness Center of the University Group, one of the leading hearing of Santo Tomas Hospital, from health care providers here in 2012 to 2014. He was a Board of Canada. He is presently managing Trustee of the Philippine Society the NexGen Hearing clinic at the of Ear Nose Throat, Head and 4500 Kingsway Burnaby, BC.

Welcome to the Next Generation of hearing. Imagine a hearing aid that will scan your environment 100 times per second to analyze and balance every sound individually. Traditional hearing aid technology delivers speech understanding in noisy environments by focusing on just one speaker, while suppressing all others. With the newest technology now available from NexGen Hearing, users enjoy a realistic listening experience with input from multiple speakers simultaneously, even in complex environments! Now you can focus on what is important and switch your attention when desired with less brain fatigue.

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Registered under the College of Speech and Hearing Health Professionals of BC.

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

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FRIDAY

Community News

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

Forum tackles peace in PH PAUL QUINTOS, research coordinator for the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS), was guest speaker at the SFU Harbour Centre on Aug. 22, on the topic, “Prospects for a Just and Lasting Peace in the Philippines: Crossroads, Detours and Roadblocks.” Quintos worked as an organizer and educator in the progressive labour movement in the Philippines for over a decade. He obtained his MSc. in Development Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and has worked in the academe, in government and various non-governmental organizations. Aiyanas Ormond of ILPSCanada and Red Sparks facilitated the forum-discussion. Quintos talked about the recent victory in the Philippine elections of Rodrigo Duterte and its impact on the people and the people’s movement. Duterte is the first Philippine President to describe himself as a “leftist” and who has strongly committed himself to the resumption of the peace negotiations between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) and the National

Quintos at the SFU forum.

Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP). The forum also happened on the same date that the GRP and the NDFP started their first day of peace negotiations in Oslo, Norway with the participation of 22 NDFP consultants recently ordered released by Philippine President Duterte. Quintos encouraged the overseas Filipinos to join the Kababayan for Change, an international platform of overseas Filipinos to unite around people’s demands and collective concerns and aspi-

rations for genuine change and peace in the Philippines (https:// www.facebook.com/Kababayan4Change/). For international friends and supporters,Quintos presented the JustPeacePH platform to help push the Philippine peace process (http://justpeace. ph) The timely discussion was organized by ILPS-Canada, Red Sparks, Canada Philippines Solidarity for Human Rights (CPSHR) and Migrante BC and the Kababbayan4Change @kababayan4change in Vancouver. ■

Two Filipino groups vie in ‘Now Toronto’ Reader’s Choice 2016 TWO FILIPINO social justice groups are shortlisted as finalists in a Toronto-wide contest. The news was relayed by Anakbayan Toronto, nominated as Best Youth Organization. Anakbayan is an organization uniting Filipino youth from all walks of life in one cause for national democracy. In the province of Ontario, the Toronto chapter is one of the initial endorsers to demand a higher minimum wage. Aside from rights and thematic issues, the group also critically engages young people by education discussions and exposure trips to the Philippines. Meanwhile, International Coalition for Human Rights in the Philippines-Canada (ICHRP-Canada) is named as a finalist for the Best Activist Group with a Non-Local Cause among 180 other categories.

ICHRP-Canada is a network of organizations dedicated to ensuring there is strong attention to human rights in Canada’s relationship with the Philippines. The group ran a campaign to mobilize hundreds of Canadians and to sign on a petition to stop violence against indigenous groups in the country. Journalists, politicians, church leaders and lay persons, activists, professors, lawyers, doctors, and artists urged the Philippine government to “Stop Lumad Killings.” Both categories are listed under the Cityscape Section of the Readers Choice Awards. According to Now Toronto website, the section “spotlights the stars in Toronto’s vibrant political and social scene — from standout city politicians and activists to inspiring public spaces and noteworthy media

personalities.” ‘Now’ is Canada’s largest and best known alternative weekly — a Vividata report in July said it had a combined print and digital readership of 527,000 per issue. Founded by former president Michael Hollett and CEO Alice Klein in 1981, and goes by the provincial company Now Communications Inc. It is one of the papers eschewing general news practices in favour of non-traditional reporting, opinionated reviews and long-form content even before the digital journalism came about. Supporters are encouraged to promote their picks on social media by using the #NOWReadersChoice hashtag. Voting closes September 16, and winners will be announced in November. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Final films in Asian Moviemaking Marathon to be screened THE VANCOUVER Asian Film Festival (VAFF) Society recently announced that the filmmaking segment of the 11th annual Mighty Asian Moviemaking Marathon (MAMM) has officially wrapped up. MAMM is the premier short filmmaking competition by the Vancouver Asian Film Festival. It offers a platform for filmmakers to showcase their talents to both moviegoers and potential distributors alike. “The seven teams that had gone through 10 days of producing their films are ready to showcase their creations on the silver screen. The MAMM awards screening and after party will happen on the Sept. 1, at Cineplex Odeon International Village, 88 West Pender. An esteemed panel of judges will review the films. All are welcome to attend the screening and congratulate the participants during the after party,” said Steve Kim, media relations officer of VAFF. The “Magnificent Seven” teams include the following: Team banoodles, Team Busy, Team meta, Team Milton & Glen Show, Team TSE x FOK, Team Yunicorn, and Team V.A.N. Productions.

There will be two winners out of the seven films. The judges that will be critiquing the films include: Raindance Vancouver’s Regional Director, Nadia DiMofte; Screenwriter and Director Jason Karman; and Miniature Film Festival’s Festival Director Robert David Duncan. The winning teams will receive $5,000 cash prize and industry in-kind prizes, as well as the opportunity for their films to be screened at the 20th Annual VAFF on November 2016. There will also be a special winner which the audience can help select through the “Fan’s Choice Award.” The winner for this award will receive an inkind prize. Tickets to the awards screening can be purchased online at (https://mamm-11-awardsscreening-afterparty.eventbrite.ca) for $15 or at the door for $20. The ticket includes access to the Awards Screening, VAFF Membership Fee, as well as entrance to the after party. ■ For more information on the 11th MAMM screening and to get to know more about the teams and their films, please visit http:// vaff.org/annual-eventsprograms/mamm.php

The Filipino community recently had the opportunity to get up close and personal with Rebecca Bustamante, founder and CEO of Chalre Associates and president and co-founder of the Asia CEO Awards and Asia CEO Forum. The seventh of 11 siblings, she started life in extreme poverty and was forced to work for a living as a young child, first as a street vendor then maid, to help her family make ends meet. After her mother’s death, when she was only 18 years old, she supported her family by working in Singapore and later, Canada, as a domestic helper. Now the CEO of her own multinational company, Chalre Associates, she shares her inspirational life story as a motivational speaker to inspire others to reach their goals and live the life they dream of. MICHELLE RAMOS

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

FRIDAY

Entertainment Liza Soberano is more than just a pretty face

Bea, Gerald give it another try

PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER

MANILA — Kapamilya actress Liza Soberano’s beauty has been adored both locally and internationally — undeniably — but this young actress would like to be remembered more than just for her outer beauty. “Minsan, feeling ko, ‘yun ang nakikita, e (I feel that sometimes, that’s what they see). I don’t want it to be like that. I don’t want them to remember me because I’m pretty,” she told host Boy Abunda in his late-night talk show. Moreover, the 18-year-old actress doesn’t even consider herself as beautiful. “I can’t say that for myself… Iba ang definition ko ng beautiful (My definition of beautiful is different), I guess, classic… very classic like Audrey Hepburn, Kendall Jenner, like that,” she added. With her teleserye “Dolce Amore” about to reach its fina-

MANILA — Although they haven’t reignited the romance between them just yet, Bea Alonzo admitted spending some time with former beau Gerald Anderson even after they already finished taping for their recent romantic film “How To Be Yours.” “We are just really enjoying each other’s company… Lagi kaming nagkikita. Masaya kapag nagkikita kami. Hanggang doon muna, I guess. Kung magiging kami, hindi ko alam,” Alonzo said in an interview with ABSCBN News. Although the on-screen couple went out with friends, fans noticed how the two seemed exceptionally sweet — noting how they were romantically linked in 2010. Seeing where this rekindled friendship may take them, Alonzo couldn’t deny how An-

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le, Soberano took the opportunity to thank her ever-supportive fans who cried, laughed, and sympathized with the show since their pilot episode. “We wanna say ‘thank you’ to everyone, kasi from the start to the end, laging mataas ratings namin… Lagi kaming nagti-trending gabi-gabi, at hindi ‘yun mangyayari kung hindi dahil sa kanila.” (We want to say ‘thank you’ to everyone, because from the start to the end, our ratings have always been high… We’re always

trending every night, and these won’t happen if not for them.) Her character Serena, a young Italian who visits the Philippines and meets her penpal who later became her love interest, has also grown on her. “I feel like I became more mature… Serena is a more mature, strong and feisty character. It also helped me in the process of becoming mature in real life,” she shared. “Serena happens to be a very responsible woman, part of me became that.” ■

derson makes her see herself as a better person and pushes her to do things she never thought she could do. “First time ko mag-hike in my life. Kasama ko friends niya, friends ko,” she shared about their recent hiking trip. “I guess, it’s safe to say na nilalabas niya ‘yung other side of me. It’s very interesting to know na there’s another side of me na I haven’t discovered before and he helps me discover that side.” The 28-year-old actress also admired the kind of man Anderson came to be. “He is so passionate in helping others. I have never been close to a person na ganoon ka-genuine and ka-passionate sa pagtulong sa iba ang pag-improve ng sarili niya for the country and the people,” she said. Alonzo and Anderson have both ended relationships with their previous partners Zanjoe Marudo and Maja Salvador prior to the shooting of their film. ■

Matteo Guidicelli, Sarah Geronimo will not tie the knot anytime soon BY JANE MORALEDA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA — Even after two years of being in a relationship, celebrity couple Matteo Guidicelli and Sarah Geronimo are not about to settle down anytime soon. During a press conference for an insurance company he endorses, Guidicelli admitted to reporters that marriage is still out of the table for him and his singer-actress girlfriend. “That day will come… Being married and that chapter of your life is something very serious,” he said. “I know what I want for my future. We just have to be the best version of ourselves and prepare for the

future.” For now, the couple would simply like to enjoy what they have and continue to bring out the best in each other. “We complement each other. We are not the same in many things and marami kaming mga (we have a lot of ) opposites but I think when two opposite people come together, they make the table fuller and make it better,” the actor-triathlete continued. Undeniably, life became a whole lot better when Geronimo became his girlfriend. “We influence each other with different things and good things. She just changes me. She makes me feel better. She makes me feel like I have wings. She makes me feel happier and

better,” he said with a smile. More importantly, the singer-actress is adored by his family. “Family is very important for me. That’s something my family taught me. I know my family raised me for 26 years and they want to end up with an amazing woman. Siyempre (of course) I want to be surrounded by good, positive people and I want to have a good family in the future. My family loves Sarah,” he added. Although they have no formal wedding plans yet, Guidicelli shared that they have been talking about where their relationship is going. “Siyempre, may times na pinag-uusapan namin [ang kasal], pero siyempre we’re still www.canadianinquirer.net

SCREENSHOT FROM YOUTUBE

fresh in the relationship (Of course there are times when we’re talking about marriage, but of course we’re still fresh in the relationship)… Nothing concrete or anything. There’s just ideas.” “[But] I’m serious about her. I

don’t go into a relationship just for fun… She’s my one and only girl. I’m not sure if I’ve already told her that, but I always try to make her feel that she’s the only one in my life,” he said in an earlier interview with the Inquirer.net. ■

Entertainment

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

Beyonce dominates an Olympic-sized VMA awards BY KRISTIN M. HALL The Associated Press NASHVILLE — Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards show was all about performances that got the sweat dripping, the muscles ripping and the adrenaline pumping. Here are the top moments from Sunday’s show: Just call them the Beyoncé music awards

If there was any doubt that this night was all about Beyoncé, she killed any notion of that idea with her amazing medley of songs from her incredible “Lemonade” visual album. As the leading nominee, all eyes were on her to prove herself as the biggest musical act of her generation. And as usual, she delivered a flawless performance. She moved seamlessly between outfits, songs and stages, singing with passion and strength. She danced through fire and smoke, took a baseball bat to a camera and had her dancers end the performance laying on the stage to symbolize the power of women. Mic dropped. Kanye makes a case for ‘Famous’

MTV has learned it’s better to give Kanye West the microphone than risk him taking it from someone else. West, who famously jumped on stage to interrupt Taylor Swift at the VMAs in 2009, didn’t perform, but instead took the time to explain his controversial music video “Famous.” He referenced back to his own past antics when he acknowledged that his music video might lose to Beyonce in the video of the year category. (It did.) He made sure to reference several people whose images

appeared in the video, including his former girlfriend Amber Rose, his wife’s ex Ray J and his perennial target, Swift, who was not there. Rihanna delivers a full show

Any artist would have a hard time trying to match a Beyonce performance of this magnitude, but the multifaceted R&B singer Rihanna proved she could hold her own over the course of four separate performances throughout the show. Rihanna, who was given the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, worked her way through her multitude of hits, from “Please Don’t Stop the Music,” to “Work” and “Diamonds.” It was like a walk back through her musical career over the past decade. And then at the end, she gracefully accepted the award from a gushing Drake, who declared his love for her, and talked about winning the award for her home country of Barbados.

MTV gets Olympics fever

Between the real-life Olympic athletes to several athleticthemed performances, the VMAs felt like an Olympic rerun. For starters, gold medallist swimmer Michael Phelps revealed that he was listening to the rapper Future when he made the now-famous angry glare seen around the world during the Olympics. And four members of the Final Five gymnastics team fan-

Wait, who is Teyana Taylor?

You won’t be asking that again. After West’s speech, he introduced his music video for “Fade” featuring singer Teyana Taylor, who is signed to West’s GOOD Music label. In an homage to “Flashdance”, the athletic Taylor — dressed like a boxer — danced in a revealing outfit, shining with moisture among heavy weight machines and punching bags. Even her husband, NBA player Iman Shumpert, appeared in the video in a shower sex scene. The strange, sexy video was the talk of Twitter with plenty of women and men gaping over her incredible figure, which is all the more incredible because she gave birth to her daughter less than a year ago. Those are some major workout goals.

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girled out onstage when they got to hand over the award to Beyonce for best female video. Finally, Jimmy Fallon impersonated swimmer Ryan Lochte, making false claims on his musical accomplishments — a reference to the accusation that Lochte filed a false robbery report while in Rio. Britney bores

No one wants to follow Beyonce, but if you’re going to

phone in a performance, you might as well do it when nobody is paying attention. This was Britney Spears’ first VMA performance in a decade, and she’s got a long history of creating big moments on the awards show. Instead she mechanically went through the rhythms in a low-key duet with rapper G-Eazy, in which they tried to force some chemistry that just wasn’t there. ■

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

FRIDAY

Lifestyle Confessions of a troll ‘It’s like ‘The Matrix’–you don’t know who’s real and who’s not... It’s social media mind conditioning’ BY ERIC S. CARUNCHO Philippine Daily Inquirer WILLIAM (NOT his real name) belongs to a relatively new species of media practitioner —the professional troll. That is to say, he is a salaried employee of a legitimate public relations outfit whose job is to run social media campaigns for various clients. Of course, his job designation doesn’t say “troll”: he could call himself a “social media marketing consultant,” among other things. But a large part of his job involves engaging in internet trolling. And while trolling isn’t the only weapon in his arsenal, it’s proven a very useful one. Critical factor

A troll is, of course, someone who goes online to pick a fight, for whatever reason: to push a political agenda, to dump on someone he or she dislikes, to vent on a topic he or she feels strongly about, or very often just for the “lulz” (laughs). In recent years, however, trolling has come to dominate public discourse on social media. Go online and there’s no avoiding the spectacle of “Dutertards” spitting venom at their real or imagined mortal enemies, the “yellowturds” and vice versa, each drowning out any kind of rational discussion of the issues with the sheer volume (in both quantity and noise level) of their spew. It’s now generally accepted that social media was a critical

factor in deciding the outcome of the last election. What is less clear is why, even after Rodrigo Duterte’s decisive victory at the polls, the online war between his die-hard supporters and more vocal critics hasn’t abated. If fact, it seems to have heated up even more as pro-Duterte keyboard warriors transition seamlessly from campaigning for him to attacking any and all who dare criticize the newlyelected president or his policies. In particular, Sen. Leila de Lima, the Liberal Party and “traditional media” have been singled out as favorite targets of this troll army.

of the social media, any assertion, no matter how far-fetched or outlandish, seems to gain traction as soon as enough people “like” or “share” it: This is what is known as “feeding the troll.” Someone even came up with an acronym for the content that is increasingly finding its way into the social media: DRUMS— disinformation, rumors, untruths, myths and smears. Repeated and retweeted often enough, DRUMS can pass for the truth to all but the most critical and analytical minds.

Toxic

It’s not only in the Philippines where the social media has turned increasingly toxic. A recent Time magazine cover story titled “How trolls are ruining the Internet” paints a depressing picture of how social media has been overrun by hatemongers of all stripes, from cyberbullies to misogynists, body-shamers targeting fat or unattractive people to racist neo-Nazis and anarchists who are just doing it “for the lulz.” Could trolling be the new modality for social control? As analysts have been telling us for years, social media is the new battleground for the hearts and minds of the people, and as in any war, the first casualty is the truth. In the Babel that is the internet, it is becoming increasingly difficult to sift fact from fabrication in most online exchanges. In the wild and woolly world

Blissfully unaware

As a functional illiterate when it comes to social media, I was blissfully unaware of most of this. But as the boundaries between the digital world and “real life” become fuzzier, I feel a nagging sense of dread that, sooner or later, this online negativity would begin to impinge on my world, whether I’m logged in or not. In order to catch me up on what’s what in this new frontier, I decided to go straight to the source: William the professional troll. William’s career started quite innocuously a few years ago when he first went on Twitter. “I became famous on Twitter,” he says, so famous that his feed soon had enough followers for him to be considered an “influencer.” “You need to have a lot of fol-

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lowers before you can become an ‘influencer,’ like at least 50,000,” he explains. “Influencers are people who set trends on social media. Normally, it’s about artists, celebrities and their fans. But you can make anything trend as long as you control the influencers.” Because of his online credentials, William was hired by a well-known public relations agency for its social media marketing operations. Eventually, he says, he became the team leader of a network of influencers. “We collected as many famous people on Twitter as we could, and we started trending.”

“In the American context, trolling is getting people riled up and pursuing an argument by posting comments,” he says. “But in the Philippine context, trolling only happens when there’s something like a presidential campaign. That’s the only time trolls become visible as an organized group. “Philippine trolls are like the Dutertards—aggressive, angry, looking for an argument. And that’s the very nature of a troll— you want to argue, you want to convince people even if you have to lie and fabricate things.” In short, trolls are there to push an agenda, to propagandize.

Online buzz

Organized effort

Basically, William was doing social media marketing, developing an online “buzz” around certain brands for local and international clients. “It’s just like advertising,” he says. “We’re pushing certain brands, and not in a subtle way, through our Twitter posts. And if you have enough posts on Twitter with the same hashtag, it will trend.” There is a dark side to all this online manipulation, however, and that is trolling.

William got into trolling in earnest when his firm was enlisted by the camp of one of the candidates in the last presidential campaign. At first it was just like brand marketing, creating a buzz around the candidate, building up his “brand” and his image. “It’s an organized effort,” he says. “The publicist makes a communication campaign plan. The plan sets the agenda, the objectives, the messaging— ❱❱ PAGE 32 Confessions of

Lifestyle

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

Pokemon doughnuts, exercise classes tap game’s popularity BY BREE FOWLER The Associated Press NEW YORK — Weeks into the “Pokemon Go” craze, demand remains strong for “Poke Ball”shaped treats made by a highend doughnut company, one of many businesses and organizations coming up with creative ways to lure players in their search for the elusive “pocket monsters.” Even on sweltering summer days, the popular smartphone game has gotten throngs of players out of their homes to real-world locations designated as “PokeStops” and “Gyms.” Theme parks, bars and even a county animal shelter are among those trying to capitalize on that surge in foot traffic. In New York, Doughnut Plant created an edible version of the Poke Ball — dubbing it the Pokeseed — after a Pokemonobsessed employee realized that all four of the company’s shops are either PokeStops or very close to one, owner Mark

Israel said. And one location is an in-game Gym, making it a gathering place to both consume and virtually burn off calories. The team at Doughnut Plant designed the fruity treat in less than a day, using cranberryraspberry and white chocolate icings to recreate the red-andwhite Poke Balls, the objects used in the game to capture monsters. The Pokeseed is stuffed with a peach-strawberry cream filling, an imagining of Pokemon’s mythical pecha berry. Pictures went out on social media the next morning, “and before they were delivered, people were already coming to the stores,” Israel said. Doughnut Plant has already sold thousands of Pokeseeds, and customers frequently post pictures of them on Instagram. They’re still selling strong, so Doughnut Plant has no plan to take them off the menu any time soon. Meanwhile, a trendy food court near New York’s Penn

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Station put up a sign urging passersby to catch a Pokemon instead of a train, while the city’s parks department created “PokeFit” classes for kids to play while exercising. Earlier, the Busch Gardens theme park in Florida hosted a Pokemon “lure-a-thon,” with some PokeStops accessible only by season-pass members for one hour. The Pawtucket Red Sox baseball team in Rhode Island invited fans onto the field

to chase the virtual monsters. Police in Manchester, New Hampshire, even tried to lure fugitives by claiming to have detected a rare Charizard in the booking area. A Facebook post invited those on a list of “lucky ones” to capture the monster — the list happens to be filled with the city’s most wanted. Andy Wong of Kurt Salmon Digital, which helps retailers connect digitally with consumers, said the game has worked

well for small businesses, though there hasn’t been a good way for larger companies with hundreds of stores to automate the “lures” they buy to attract digital monsters — and with them, players and potential customers. And even for small businesses, he said, the ability to draw customers may have diminished as the game loses its novelty. But those that caught the bug early saw tangible benefits. The Phoenix Zoo was a hotbed of Pokemon activity right after the game’s release last month, even when temperatures climbed as high as 112 degrees. It helped that a Pokemon Gym was housed in the zoo’s conveniently air conditioned orangutan house. After noticing that some visitors were on the hunt for more than just traditional zoo creatures, the zoo opened an hour early at 6 a.m. for a week during what’s usually a slow time of ❱❱ PAGE 35 Pokemon doughnuts

T&T Supermarket Celebrates Mid-Autumn Festival with You MID-AUTUMN FESTIVAL falls on September 15 this year, it is a time where family and friends get together having dinner, eating mooncakes and appreciating the full moon. T&T Supermarket has all the festive needs ready to enable you fully enjoy this wonderful time. Traditional mooncake is a must-have in this festival. We have imported a wide variety of renowned mooncake from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. One of the special recommendations is Hong Kong Kowloon Hotel’s Crusty Mini Egg Custard Moon Cakes which are all hand-made and without any preservatives. Other renowned brands include Kee Wah, Hang Heung, Dao Xiang Cun, Lian Xiang Lou, among others. We have also got mixed nuts and low sugar moon cake for customers who are more health conscious. There are also specialty moon cakes that are exclusively sold at T&T like Kee Wah Assorted Mini Panda Moon Cake and Tea Custard Moon Cake as well as ACC Mixed Moon Cake with Tea Set. In addition, snowy moon cakes like Chui Lau Heung Durian Crystal Moon Cake, Mei-Xin Snowy Moon Cake as well as Wing Wah Icy Lover Snowy Moon Cake are also here for you to choose. T&T Bakery has prepared a number of authentic Taiwanese flavored pastries that are freshly baked from the store with different fillings like red bean, green tea, lotus seed, taro, mung bean as well as pineapple. You can mix and match according to your preference. One of the best products is their Mixed Nuts and Flower Flavored Moon Cake which use goji berries, ginseng, osmanthus and rose

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and make it a very special moon cake that you must try or buy it as a gift for your loved one. Serving a delicious dinner this Mid-Autumn Festival has never been easier with T&T Gourmet ready to eat clay pot dish and party platter. Some of the gourmet includes Braised Pork Belly with Spicy Marinated Sauce Pot, Fried Prawns and Vermicelli in Satay Sauce, Stewed Chicken with Three Cups Sauce Pot and Pickled and Spicy Fish Pot. Aside from these, there are also Pancai (a large basin with layers of assorted meat, seafood and veggies), BBQ Party Platter, Appetizer Party Platter as well as Sashimi & Sushi Boat. On top of moon cakes and festive food, we have also got different style of lanterns and games to enhance the festive atmosphere. And for any purchase $38 (before tax) or above, you can redeem designated products like Le Creuset Traditional Pot, Korean made CUCHEN IH Pressure Rice Cooker, Joyoung Soy Milk Maker as well as Six Rice Nonstick Wok at super attractive prices. If you purchase a Tiger Thermal Magic Cooker 3 L during this time, you could get a free Tiger Thermal Mug 0.25L. Isn’t it a great time to shop at T&T during the Mid-Autumn Festival? There are also a number of beauty products lined up to make sure you look fabulous when going to party. Like the DKMR Jinkihyun Energy Hair Set, Ryo Jayangyunmo Premium Hair Shampoo, V C Plus Ethyl Ascorbic Acid Mask Value Set and Lumis Key Essence Jumbo Set. Come and explore at any of our T&T or Osaka store or visit www.tntsupermarket.com

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

FRIDAY

Business Calata expects to obtain Pagcor license in 2017 BY DORIS DUMLAOABADILLA Philippine Daily Inquirer FARMING PRODUCTS distributor Calata Corp., which is embarking on a major diversification into property development, expects to secure a gaming license from the stateowned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to proceed with a P65-billion integrated gaming resort project in Mactan, Cebu, by the end of 2017. Calata also expects to own 51 percent of a real estate and investment trust (REIT) that will hold property assets of the proposed integrated resort in Cebu, to be called “Mactan Leisure City.” The project is planned under a recently signed partnership with Sino-America Gaming Investment Group LLC (SinoAmerica) and Macau Resources Group Ltd. (MRG). The integrated resort is intended to rise on a 14-hectare property on Mactan Island and feature three hotels, a casino and entertainment complex, com-

mercial, retail and conference facilities and a yacht club. Calata said the parties were planning to form a corporation by September. “Thereafter, the parties will pursue the corporation’s transformation into a REIT and execute such plan at the soonest practicable time,” the disclosure said. The REIT structure gives investors the option to invest directly in the finished products that are already earning money—such as residential and office units, hotels or shopping malls or even infrastructure ventures like toll roads and power plants—and not just the property developer itself. This is meant to attract investors because the Philippine REIT law of 2009 requires the distribution of 90 percent of income annually. At present, however, restrictive implementing rules on the REIT prevent this asset class from taking off in the Philippines. Subject to the issuance of construction permits and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza) approval, site work on the Mactan Leisure City is tar-

geted to begin in January 2017 and be finished by the middle of 2020. The Macau Group and Sino are expected to infuse P836.1 million into the Mactan Leisure City project, of which P234 million will be put into Calata, which, in turn, will invest the funds in the corporate vehicle. The remaining P602.1 million will be directly infused into the corporate vehicle that will be majority-owned by Calata. In line with its expectation to secure a gaming license from Pagcor by end-2017, Calata said “letters of no objection” and support — which are longstanding mandatory Pagcor application requirements for all gaming projects outside of Manila’s Entertainment City — had been issued by the governor of Cebu, the mayor of Lapu-lapu City, business and civic groups and the Church. The group has likewise obtained resolutions of no objection from the City Council of Lapu-lapu City and the Barangay Council of Barangay Mactan, citing the result of development activities in the last 24 months. ■

Five things to watch for in the Canadian business world THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO — Five things to watch this week in Canadian business: Energy East: The National Energy Board resumes hearings into the proposed Energy East Pipeline on Monday in Montreal, where the project has stirred much outcry. Among the harshest critics of the pipeline is Mayor Denis Coderre, the first person scheduled to speak before the regulatory panel. Little Trouble in Big China? Prime Minister Justin Trudeau heads to Beijing beginning Monday for a week-long visit to China, where concerns are rising that a dispute over canola could overshadow efforts to build economic ties. The Chinese government has given Canada until Thursday to cut the level of foreign material — such as other plants and weed seeds — found in canola exports to China. Canada’s canola industry says the squabble poses a threat to producers here. Retail earnings: A smattering of retail industry earnings

come out this week. Alimentation Couche-Tard, vying to become the largest convenience store operator in Canada and the U.S., reports Tuesday. Lululemon and Dollarama are out with their results Thursday. Big Banks: The last of Canada’s big banks will release their third-quarter results next week, with Scotiabank reporting Tuesday and National Bank the following day. Profits are up for the banks that have reported so far, despite worries over bad loans to companies in the oilpatch. But one sector becoming of increasing concern? Real estate. GDP: Statistics Canada releases GDP figures for the second quarter on Wednesday. All expectations are it will contain bad news, as the three-month period from April to June encompasses the wildfires in Fort McMurray, Alta., which forced the suspension of several oilsands operations. In May, the economy registered an economic contraction of 0.6 per cent — its worst onemonth showing since the recession seven years ago. ■

Is it time to do that Renovation Project? BY MYLENE LIM, AMP Mortgage Specialist DID YOU know that you could get a mortgage for that renovation project you’ve been wanting to tackle for so long? And did you know that you could buy a house with a renovation allowance incorporated into your mortgage? There are many reasons to renovate a home – to accommodate a growing family, to save on energy, to modernize a dated kitchen or to increase the resale value of your home. And

there are also different ways to finance this undertaking. First, let’s discuss existing homeowners and what your options are to finance the improvements you have in mind. For small projects, you could easily use your credit card. The downside to this is the exorbitant interest rate you would be paying if you carry the balance for too long. Another option is for you to use your personal loan or personal line of credit if these are available to you. These are ideal for long-term renovations because you have access to this line anytime and the interest rate is lower. If you are planning on a big renova-

tion, you may want to think of mortgage refinancing. How this works is that you borrow against the equity of your home, generally up to 80% of its value (less any outstanding mortgage balance). With the unbelievable increase in property values in some areas of the country, there may be a substantial amount that you could tap. Of course, your could use this “equity-take-out fund” not only for renovation, but also for other ventures such as travel, debt consolidation, investment, tuition, car purchase, etc. The advantage to this kind of financing is the current low interest rate that you could avail of. www.canadianinquirer.net

What an increase in property value that works to a homeowner’s advantage will work against a homebuyer – because you may have noticed that your money doesn’t give you a lot of choices for what’s available out there. Therefore you may have to settle for a “fixer-upper” and undertake some renovation to get more bang for your buck. This kind of mortgage is called “purchase plus improvements.” The improvement fund is normally about 10% of your purchase price or a maximum amount of about 40,000. At the time of completion of your purchase, your mortgage lender will entrust this fund to the

lawyer. You will initially have to fund the renovation from your own source and the lawyer will release this fund upon proof (appraisal) that the work has been completed. Most lenders would have a variation of these products I’ve briefly touched on. It would be to your advantage to discuss with a mortgage professional to determine what product would best work for your particular needs. ■ For more information, please feel free to contact me 604 783 9097 | mylene. mortgage@gmail.com | www.BestOptionMortgages.ca | FB: Mylene Lim, AMP

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

Sports Playing with sports concussion doubles recovery time: Study BY LINDSEY TANNER The Associated Press

Novak Djokovic.

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Djokovic’s right arm gives him trouble during US Open win BY HOWARD FENDRICH The Associated Press NEW YORK — Novak Djokovic double-faulted, then shook his right arm and grimaced. Seconds later Monday night, a weak serve produced a wince from the U.S. Open’s defending champion, then was followed by a missed forehand that gave away a set — the first set dropped by Djokovic in the first round of any Grand Slam tournament since 2010. While he managed to emerge with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Jerzy Janowicz of Poland, there were plenty of signs of trouble, starting with a visit from a trainer who massaged Djokovic’s bothersome arm after only five games. Asked about his health during an on-court interview, Djokovic deflected the question, saying, “I don’t think it’s necessary to talk about this now. I’m through. I’m taking it day by day.” When the subject arose at his news conference, Djokovic again avoided addressing the topic, saying the trainer’s visit

“was just prevention; it’s all good.” During the match, Djokovic hit first serves around 100 mph, sometimes slower — 25 mph or so below what’s normal for him. He hit second serves in the low 80s mph. He flexed that right arm, the one he has used to wield a racket on the way to 12 Grand Slam titles, and appeared generally unhappy, covering his head with a white towel at changeovers. Djokovic’s coach, Boris Becker, gnawed on his fingernails, looking nervous as can be. All in all, Djokovic’s issues figure to loom large as the tournament progresses, and therefore were the most noteworthy development on a Day 1 at Flushing Meadows that did include drama elsewhere. There was 20th-seeded John Isner’s comeback from two sets down to edge 18-year-old Frances Tiafoe before a rowdy, standing-room-only crowd at the new Grandstand. And 26thseeded Jack Sock’s five-set victory over 18-year-old Taylor Fritz in another all-American matchup. ■

CHICAGO — Continuing to play despite a concussion doubles recovery time for teen athletes and leads to worse shortterm mental function than in those immediately removed from action, a study found. It’s billed as the first to compare recovery outcomes for athletes removed from a game or practice compared with those who aren’t. The study was small, involving 69 teens treated at a University of Pittsburgh Medical Center concussion clinic, but the results bolster evidence supporting the growing number of return-to-play laws and policies nationwide. The study was published Monday in the journal Pediatrics. Keeping score

The study involved athletes aged 15 on average from several sports, including football, soccer, ice hockey and basketball who had concussions during a game or practice. Half continued to play and took 44 days on average to recover from symp-

toms, versus 22 days in those who were immediately sidelined. Sidelined players reported symptoms immediately, including dizziness, headaches, mental fogginess and fatigue, and were diagnosed with concussions by trainers or team physicians. The others, who continued playing for 19 minutes on average, delayed reporting symptoms and were diagnosed later. Those who continued to play had worse scores on mental function tests performed eight days after the concussion and 30 days after the concussion. Medical records showed mental function had been similar in all players before their concussions. Risky returns

Return-to-play policies are widespread, especially in youth athletics, and they typically recommend sidelining players after a suspected concussion until symptoms resolve. One of the main reasons is to prevent a rare condition called second-impact syndrome — potentially fatal brain swelling or bleeding that

can occur when a player still recovering from a concussion gets hit again in the head. The study results show that a prolonged recovery is another important risk from returning to play too soon — one that “no one had really calculated” until now, said Dr. Allen Sills, a Vanderbilt University neurosurgeon. He was not involved in the research. Not reported

About 300,000 sports-related concussions occur each year nationwide among all ages. In high school athletics, they occur at a rate of almost 3 per 10,000 games or practices. Evidence suggests up to 50 per cent of concussions in teen sports aren’t reported. Athletes are sometimes not aware they’ve experienced a concussion, or they suspect a head injury but continue playing because “they don’t want to let their teammates down,” said University of Arkansas concussion researcher R.J. Elbin, the study’s lead author. The results “give us more ammunition” to persuade young athletes to heed the return-toplay advice, Elbin said. ■

S Korea, China, Japan agree to hold ‘Culture Olympics’ in 2018-2022 PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MOSCOW — The “Culture Olympics” would envisage symposiums on East Asia’s culture and exhibiting works jointly created by the artists from South Korea, China and Japan, according to South Korea’s media. South Korean, Chinese and Japanese culture ministers agreed on Sunday to work toward holding “Cultural Olympics” with the participation of www.canadianinquirer.net

artists from the three countries, local media reported, citing Seoul officials. According to the Yonhap news agency, the idea was proposed by South Korean Culture, Sports and Tourism Minister Kim Jong-deok to Japan’s culture minister and China’s vice culture minister. The event is expected to be timed for Summer and Winter Olympics set to be held in the three countries in 2018, 2020 and 2022. “Culture Olympics” would envisage symposiums on East

Asia’s culture and exhibiting works jointly created by the artists from the three states. The three officials of the Asian nations reportedly agreed to make efforts to increase the awareness of the East Asia culture in the world through the event. South Korea will host the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, as Japan will welcome the Summer Games in Tokyo in 2020. Two years after that, Beijing is set to host the 2022 Winter Olympics. ■

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

FRIDAY

Technology Activist discovers iPhone spyware, sparking security update BY RAPHAEL SATTER, JON GAMBRELL AND DANIELLA CHESLOW The Associated Press AJMAN, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — The suspicious text message that appeared on Ahmed Mansoor’s iPhone promised to reveal details about torture in the United Arab Emirates’ prisons. All Mansoor had to do was click the link. Mansoor, a human rights activist, didn’t take the bait. Instead, he reported it to Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog, setting off a chain reaction that in two weeks exposed a secretive Israeli cyberespionage firm, defanged a powerful new piece of eavesdropping software and gave millions of iPhone users across the world an extra boost to their digital security. “It feels really good,” Mansoor said in an interview from his sand-colored apartment block in downtown Ajman, a small city-state in the United Arab Emirates. Cradling his iPhone to show The Associated Press screenshots of the rogue text, Mansoor said he hoped the developments “could save hundreds of people from being targets.” Hidden behind the link in the text message was a highly targeted form of spyware crafted to take advantage of three previously undisclosed weaknesses in Apple’s mobile operating system. Two reports issued Thursday, one by Lookout, a San Francisco mobile security company, and

another by Citizen Lab, based at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs, outlined how the program could completely compromise a device at the tap of a finger. If Mansoor had touched the link, he would have given his hackers free reign to eavesdrop on calls, harvest messages, activate his camera and drain the phone’s trove of personal data. Apple Inc. issued a fix for the vulnerabilities Thursday, just ahead of the reports’ release, working at a blistering pace for which the Cupertino, California-based company was widely praised. Arie van Deursen, a professor of software engineering at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, said the reports were disturbing. Forensics expert Jonathan Zdziarski described the malicious program targeting Mansoor as a “serious piece of spyware.” A soft-spoken man who dresses in traditional white robes, Mansoor has repeatedly drawn the ire of authorities in the United Arab Emirates, calling for a free press and democratic freedoms. He is one of the country’s few human rights defenders with an international profile, close links to foreign media and a network of sources. Mansoor’s work has, at various times, cost him his job, his passport and even his liberty. Online, Mansoor repeatedly found himself in the crosshairs of electronic eavesdropping operations. Even before the first rogue text message pinged across his phone on Aug. 10,

Mansoor already had weathered attacks from two separate brands of commercial spyware. When he shared the suspicious text with Citizen Lab researcher Bill Marczak, they realized he’d been targeted by a third. Citizen Lab and Lookout both fingered a secretive Israeli firm, NSO Group, as the author of the spyware. Citizen Lab said that past targeting of Mansoor by the United Arab Emirates’ government suggested that it was likely behind the latest hacking attempt as well. Executives at the company declined to comment, and a visit to NSO’s address in Herzliya showed that the firm had recently vacated its old headquarters — a move recent enough that the building still bore its logo. In a statement released Thursday, which stopped short of acknowledging that the spyware was its own, the NSO Group said its mission was to provide “authorized governments with technology that helps them combat terror and crime.” The company said it couldn’t comment on specific cases. Marczak said he and fellowresearcher John Scott-Railton turned to Lookout for help to pick apart the malicious program, a process which Murray compared to “defusing a bomb.” “It is amazing the level they’ve gone through to avoid detection,” Murray said of the software’s makers. “They have a hair-trigger self-destruct.” Working over a two-week period, the researchers found that

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Hidden behind the link in the text message was a highly targeted form of spyware crafted to take advantage of three previously undisclosed weaknesses in Apple’s mobile operating system.

Mansoor had been targeted by an unusually sophisticated piece of software which some have valued at $1 million. He told AP he was amused by the idea that so much money was being poured into watching him. “If you would give me probably 10 per cent of that I would write the report about myself for you!” The apparent discovery of Israeli-made spyware being used to target a dissident in the United Arab Emirates raises awkward questions for both countries. The use of Israeli technology to police its own citizens is an uncomfortable strategy for an Arab country with no formal diplomatic ties to the Jewish state. And Israeli complicity in a cyberattack on an Arab dissident would seem to run counter to the country’s self-description as a bastion of democracy in the Middle East. There are awkward questions, too, for Francisco Partners, the private equity firm which owns the NSO Group.

Francisco is only an hour’s drive from the headquarters of Apple, whose products the cybersecurity firm is accused of hacking. Messages left with Francisco partners’ offices in London and San Francisco went unreturned. Israeli and Emirati authorities did not return calls seeking comment. Attorney Eitay Mack, who advocates for more transparency in Israeli arms exports, said his country’s sales of surveillance software are not closely policed. He also noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cultivated warmer ties with Arab Gulf states. “Israel is looking for allies,” Mack said. “And when Israel finds allies, it does not ask too many questions.”v Satter reported from Paris. Cheslow reported from Herzliya, Israel. Associated Press writer Fay Abuelgasim in Ajman, UAE, contributed to this report.

Technology

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

WhatsApp blasted for sharing private user data with Facebook in violation of law PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MOSCOW — Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) organization accuses WhatsApp of violating Federal Trade Commission’s order by sharing users’ data with Facebook. When Facebook purchased the popular messenger in 2014, WhatsApp pledged to preserve its users’ privacy. “Here’s what will change for you, our users: nothing.” The

company’s statement read. “There would have been no partnership between our two companies if we had to compromise on the core principles that will always define our company.” Yet, WhatsApp announced Saturday that it would start sharing user data, such as phone numbers, profile data, status message and online status with Facebook, claiming that the move will be beneficial for users, too. The privacy-protected mes-

saging service explained that cooperation with Facebook will help test new features allowing users to “communicate with businesses that matter to them”, find new methods of dealing with spam, make friends recommendations more accurate, among plenty of other pros. But the privacy group insists that the change violates a Federal Trade Commission consent order which prohibits unfair and deceitful practices. EPIC filed a complaint against

the companies, claiming that the messenger lied to its users when it promised that their personal data would never be used for advertising purposes or handed to a third party without consent. The messenger’s new termsof-service have caused quite a stir among privacy advocates, including the UK’s Information Commissioner (ICO) which are now investigating the case. “Our role is to pull back the curtain on things like this, ensuring that companies are be-

ing transparent with the public about how their personal data is being shared and protecting consumers by making sure the law is being followed.” ICO said in a statement. Although WhatsApp announced that users will have 30 days to opt out if they don’t want their data to be transferred to Facebook, EPIC insists that Federal Trade Commission’s order obliges the company to obtain opt-in consent before the practices are changed. ■

Jones website hack reveals stars’ tricky cyber landscape BY SANDY COHEN The Associated Press

but “trolling” a celebrity with sexist or racist posts online is not a crime. Jones was targeted on Twitter last month, receiving a barrage of racial slurs and obscene photos. The “Ghostbusters” actress called on the site to do more to curb harassment, and Twitter banned several users as a result. “She’s done all the right things,” said Brendesha Tynes, a University of Southern California professor who specializes in cyberbullying and social media. “You report, you block — she’s done all those things. One thing she definitely needs to do is to really rally her tribe.”

will stand up and defend you and essentially try to fight back against the trolls and the negative posts,” she said. LOS ANGELES — The hateful Such support also offers psyhack of comedian Leslie Jones’ chological support to trolling personal website reveals the victims, who might experience tricky cyber landscape celebridepressive symptoms after an ties tread and the murky legal attack, Tynes added. protections that exist for perScarlett Johansson said she sonal digital content. was “truly humiliated and emWhile Jones’ supporters have barrassed” when stolen nude been vocal with their outrage photos of her were published and Department of Homeland online. The hacker in that case Security investigators are lookwas sentenced to 10 years in ing into the breach of Jones’ federal prison. website that exposed intimate Most often, though, technolphotos and personal docuogy moves faster than the law. ments, experts say little can be “The availability of media done to prevent online hacks now and how quickly informaand harassment. tion spreads — I Internet trolldon’t think the ing is impossible law has kept up to predict and with that,” said difficult to prosFor a star to totally opt out of social Steinsapir, who media is essentially tying one hand ecute. specializes in inbehind their back and limiting their Jones’ site tellectual propappeal and utility to the studios who remained oferty and copycan hire them. fline Thursday right law. and the actressFor example, comedian has once stolen phostayed away tos are dissemifrom social media since the Apart from technological so- nated online, it’s not only tough Wednesday attack. Her repre- lutions like hard-to-crack pass- to track who’s republishing sentatives did not respond to words, public social-media sup- them, it’s practically impossible inquiries from The Associated port is one of the best defences to prosecute. Press. against online trolls, said Dorie “The problem is that the maThose who broke into Jones’ Clark, a branding and social terial from the hack eventually site and replaced its usual con- media expert. finds its way into other people’s tent with naked photos, a driv“Ultimately, the best thing hands and gets posted on Reder’s license and racist video are you can do as an insurance dit or whatever,” Steinsapir clearly breaking the law, said policy is to create a community said, “and it’s very hard to go afattorney Jonathan Steinsapir, of loyal fans and friends that ter those people.” www.canadianinquirer.net

Leslie Jones.

Going offline entirely isn’t an option for most celebrities. Entertainers are generally expected to help market their shows on their social media platforms, Clark said. And Jones, who took a break from Twitter after last month’s attack, returned to the platform to live-tweet the Olympics, which won her a trip to Rio and a commentator gig on NBC. “For a star to totally opt out of social media is essentially tying one hand behind their back and limiting their appeal and utility to the studios who can hire them,” Clark said. The savviest celebrities build

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a community of fans online who will both turn up at the box office and speak up online, she said. “If you are not just using social media in a rote, self-promotional way where it reads like every tweet has been written by your publicist, but instead you’re using it to creatively and authentically engage with fans, that builds a level of trust and loyalty that encourages people to support you and stand up for you,” Clark said. And all the experts agree: Taking naked photos and storing them digitally is probably a bad idea. ■

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

FRIDAY

Travel Vegas, Asian investors betting on Sin City’s Chinese tourism BY SALLY HO The Associated Press LAS VEGAS — Sin City and Asian investors are going all in on Chinese tourism, as some of Las Vegas’ latest developments on and off the Strip target Chinese nationals and ChineseAmericans. The Chinese have been regulars along the resort corridor for decades. Now officials and developers, intent on capitalizing on burgeoning Chinese wealth and Asian-American population growth, are courting them in a major way. Nonstop flights from mainland China are planned for the first time, and two Asian-themed casinos will be among the first post-recession additions to Sin City’s glittering skyline. The new hotel-casinos boast of plans to feature what some other resorts such as the MGM Grand, Wynn and Venetian have quietly offered for years. Guests will be treated to familiar foods, Chinese-speaking service employees and the table game of choice, baccarat. “The Chinese do quite enjoy a very Chinese experience. They do gravitate toward Asian

amenities. At Wynn Macau, it’s mostly Chinese restaurants and menus in Chinese,” said Alex Bumazhny, gambling analyst with Fitch Ratings. The Lucky Dragon Hotel and Casino is expected to open this fall, and Resorts World Las Vegas is set to begin construction in earnest by the end of the year. By Las Vegas’ standards, Lucky Dragon is a modestly sized property set on 3 acres just off the Strip. It will have 200 hotel rooms and a casino floor spanning 27,000 square feet. Lucky Dragon executives said the new casino will focus on domestic Chinese gamblers, calling them an underserved niche market made up of Chinese-Americans and Chinese people who live in America’s ethnic enclaves, including local Las Vegans, the reliable weekend hordes from California, and tourists from the Pacific Northwest and East Coast. The mega resorts catering to Chinese gamblers target “ultrahigh-end players,” while the more casual Chinese bettors are left with more generic amenities designed for “American white people,” said Dave Jacoby, Lucky Dragon’s chief operating officer. “We’re playing on the exist-

The world-famous Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada. LITTLENY / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

ing market that isn’t served well,” Jacoby said. The developer is a privately held entity known as the Las Vegas Economic Impact Regional Center. The casino is financed with money from Chinese investors through the EB-5 visa program, which grants green cards to foreigners in return for investments of at least $500,000 on job-creating projects. Jacoby said Lucky Dragon was an easy sell given Las Vegas’ appeal in China. For the years-delayed Resorts World on the Strip’s northern end, the blossoming Chinese tourism business will be a bonus by the time it opens,

now projected for March 2019. China’s Hainan Airlines announced Aug. 4 that it was seeking final U.S. approval to start nonstop flights between Las Vegas and Beijing. The service is expected to begin in December with flights three days a week at McCarran International Airport. The only other direct flights to or from Asia are offered on a Korean Air route out of Seoul. Just 16 per cent of Las Vegas’ record 42 million tourists in 2015 came from other countries, according to the city’s tourism board. The most recent figures from 2014 also show that while the Chinese account

generic “concerned netizen” to “struggling OFW,” for instance. “The real accounts are submerged by the trolls,” he says. “If I’m a troll and you are a legitimate commenter, and I convince you to fight for my cause, you become one of my keyboard warriors, as well. Even if you are a real person with a real account, if we convince you, you become part of the organism. You become a servant of the ideology that these fake trolls have injected you with.” William’s experience does nothing to allay any fears the more conspiracy-minded among us might have. “It’s social media mind conditioning,” he says. “Our public relations firm was working

with a psychologist—a famous psychologist from UP. He really knows how to mind-condition the people, how to make lies seem like the truth, fabricated stories into fact. And the trolls spread it like rumor or gossip. You inject it into the real accounts, the real accounts will believe you and spread it to other people, and so on.” “It’s like ‘The Matrix’—you don’t know who’s real and who’s not,” he adds. “Unless you’re a very good identifier.”

for a large share, travellers from Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom make up the bulk of international visitors. Officials said Chinese tourists largely have been undercounted because of the lack of nonstop flight service. Those travellers come to Las Vegas after entering the U.S. through other hubs, such as Los Angeles, Seattle or Chicago, according to Joel Chusid, Hainan Airlines’ executive director in the U.S. “The market is there,” Chusid said. “It just hasn’t fully been touched.” Tourism officials and experts said that although Macau’s casino empire remains a competitor for Las Vegas’ gambling revenue, the new nonstop flight will be a catalyst for the Chinese to see — and spend their money on — other parts of the state and region, such as the Grand Canyon, Lake Tahoe and Death Valley. “The growth opportunity is just so huge,” said Bethany Drysdale, spokeswoman for the state tourism board, which has deployed marketing efforts in China for more than a decade. “It’s huge for Las Vegas, and since Las Vegas is a gateway to the rest of the state, it’s huge for Nevada.” ■

Confessions of... ❰❰ 26

what do we want to say? How do we convince others to agree

with us?” As the campaign heated up and the candidates started duking it out in earnest, troll tactics became increasingly important. William worked in one of several clusters scattered throughout the country, headquartered in a suite of rented rooms. It was set up like a call center operation, he says. Each day, the team leader would put up a board on which was listed the most recent posts with the most “likes” and “shares” which had to be responded to. The appropriate response— carefully worded by the team’s

designated writer —would likewise be put up on the board. And the “keyboard warriors” would start posting responses to the targeted posts, usually by merely copying and pasting the prepared response. “We really worked at it, 24/7,” recalls William. “But the pay was very good. You could earn P2,000 to P3,000 a day just doing copy-paste.” Dummy accounts

Social media is a numbers game, and each keyboard warrior used several dummy accounts to make their posts. Some attention is paid to creating believable online personas and back stories for these accounts, says William, from the

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Booming business

One way, he says, is by engaging the suspected troll. “Most trolls can’t argue— that’s one of their weaknesses,” he says. “Most of the time they

can only copy-paste ready-made statements to synchronized topics; they don’t really have the minds to argue with you.” Trolls also tend to follow influencers like drones follow the queen bee, he adds. Kill the queen bee and the drones die off, too. You can also configure your Facebook or other social media account to filter out or block obvious trolls. If that sounds like a lot of work, you can simply unplug, but that won’t really change anything. In fact, says William, business for professional trolls is likely to boom. “Whoever is planning to run in 2022 should invest now,” he says. ■

Travel

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

You talkin’ to me? English no longer a must for NYC cabbies BY DEEPTI HAJELA AND EZRA KAPLAN The Associated Press NEW YORK — People who hope to drive New York City’s famous yellow cabs must pass tests on such details as driving rules and where they can pick up passengers. But one test they no longer have to take? Whether they have a grasp of English. A new law that streamlines licensing requirements for different kind of drivers has done away with the longstanding English proficiency test for taxi drivers, which supporters say will eliminate a barrier to the profession for immigrants, who make up 96 per cent of the 144,000 cabbies in the city. It’s also a recognition of how technology has transformed the business. Many drivers now rely on computer navigation programs, rather than verbal directions, to reach a destination. For-hire drivers for app-based services such as Uber, for example, never had to take an English test. But critics, including some drivers, are giving a side-eye to the idea that a good command of English is no longer considered a basic requirement for a job that involves communicating with passengers and reading street signs. “If you’re going to work in this country serving the population which is majority made up of American citizens that speak English, you probably should learn how to speak English,” said Tanya Crespo, who was visiting Manhattan from Newport, North Carolina. Kathy Amato, a tourist from Baltimore, said she wouldn’t ride in a taxi with a driver who couldn’t speak her language. “They should speak English because we’re in New York City,” she said. New York City’s taxi and for-hire drivers are already an international bunch, hailing from 167 countries, according to the Taxi and Limousine Commission, which currently offers its licensing tests in English, Spanish, Bengali and Urdu. Hacks formerly went through one of two licensing processes, depending on what class of car they drove. One was for the yellow cabs that passengers can hail on the street. Drivers of those vehicles, which mostly operate in Manhattan and at the airports, had to take an education course and an English proficiency test. The other licensing process covered drivers of for-hire cars, the dominant form of taxi in the “outer boroughs” of

Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island. Those rides are dispatched by telephone, or, in recent years, by mobile phone app. For those drivers, an English test wasn’t required. Drivers for the different types of cars not only took different types of tests, but they also tended to come from different countries. Among yellow cab drivers, 24 per cent were born in Bangladesh, 10 per cent in Pakistan and 8 per cent in India, according to city statistics. English is widely spoken as a second language in all three places, all formerly part of the British Empire. But among the traditional for-hire livery car drivers, 50 per cent were born in the Dominican Republic, where people speak Spanish. Some foreign-born taxi drivers said taking, and passing, the English test was once a successful rite of passage. “You had to really learn to get it,” said Michael Osei-Antwi, a driver originally from Ghana, who took the English exam 17 years ago. “If somebody tells you they are going to Gansevoort Hotel and you don’t know English, how are you going to be able to get there?” Back then, the city also required a geography test, which has also been dropped in recent years. Cab driver Kwaku Atuahene was glad to see the English test go. “A guy might not be able to speak English but he is still a good driver. He could take you where you want to go,” he said. “There are a lot of ways to communicate.” There’s now an education course that both yellow cab and livery drivers will take. Taxi regulators said they are working with other city departments to create an English-language component for that course. New York City Councilmember Ydanis Rodriguez, who sponsored the legislation, said the driving jobs are “a step into the middle class for many, and we should be removing barriers to entry, rather than keeping them in place.” In certain ethnic neighbourhoods in New York City, he pointed out, not speaking English isn’t a problem since the drivers and those using their services all speak the same language. Melquisedc Abreu, a 45-year-old livery car and Uber driver born in the Dominican Republic, agreed, saying it wouldn’t matter to most of his passengers if he didn’t speak English. “They never talk to me,” he said. “They just get in the car, I got the destination, drop them off, thank you, have a good day, and that’s it.” ■

Visitors walk outside the Via Rail station on October 18, 2015. The historic Gare du Palais opened in 1915 and is a Heritage Railway Station. SUE STOKES / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Historic train station in Quebec capital celebrates its centennial THE CANADIAN PRESS QUEBEC — Dignitaries marked the centennial of Quebec City’s main train station, the Gare du Palais, lauding the building as an architectural icon with a rich history. Inaugurated on Aug. 10, 1916, in the city’s old port, the gare has been “an inseparable part of the landscape of Quebec City for 100 years,” Mayor Regis Labeaume said Wednesday. The chateau-style granite and limestone structure, a designated heritage building, was built by Canadian Pacific during the First World War from plans by American architect Harry Edward Prindle. The company aimed to provide Quebec City with a terminal that would rival the grand rail stations elsewhere on the continent.

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It was closed to passenger rail service from 1976 to 1985 and underwent major renovations. Passenger traffic at the station, a major stop in Via Rail’s Quebec City-Windsor corridor, reached 235,000 in 2015, up 17 per cent from 2005. The Gare du Palais is “an iconic building that calls to mind the imposing presence of the grand architectural creations of yesteryear,” Via Rail president and CEO Yves Desjardins-Siciliano said. He said Via wants the gare to continue to play “a pivotal role in sustainable mobility” in Quebec’s capital. In the past decade, more than $1.2 million was spent on environmental and other upgrades to the station, and a further $1.5 million will go to improvements, including to the entrance doors, in 2016 and 2017. ■

Events

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

FRIDAY

CANADA

YUKON NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

EVENTS

NUNAVUT

View all events by scanning this QR code or visiting

http://bit.ly/ PCI-Events

BRITISH COLUMBIA ALBERTA

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QUEBEC

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To have your events featured on PCI, please email events@canadianinquirer.net

VANCOUVER 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 778-3222839 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 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 604-7632210. 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)2549626 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 Enchanted Evenings Concert Series By Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m., Thursdays, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Garden, 578 Carrall St., Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: Closed on Mondays, admission by donation Ignacio de Loyola Movie Screening By the Ateneo Alumni Association of BC and TFC WHEN/WHERE: Starts Aug. 26 at

the Cineplex Odeon International Village Cinemas, Chinatown, Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: Visit www.tfc-ca. com/idl Overcoming Effects of Prolonged Separation By ISS of BC & St. Mary’s Migrant Ministry WHEN/WHERE: 1 to 3 p.m., Sept. 4, Seminar Room, School Gym, St. Mary’s Parish, 5239 Joyce St., Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: Contact Resochita Arma at resochita.arma@issbc.org or 604-684-7496 ext. 1666 JAG Public Square: Truth Reconciliation & Hope By Jesuit Alumni Group of Vancouver WHEN/WHERE: 12 nn to 2 p.m., Sept. 10, at Vancouver College Alumni Gym Theatre, 5400 Cartier St., Vancouver, B.C. Fundraising Breakfast 2016 By St. Mark’s College/Corpus Christi College WHEN/WHERE: 9 a.m., Sept.. 10, Vancouver College Alumni Gym, 5400 Cartier St., Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: Keynote speaker: Fr. Peter Bisson, SJ. Call Florence Chan at 604-822-5516 to reserve a seat. Kidney

Stones:

The

Latest

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on Prevention, Treatment & Research By VGH Foundation WHEN/WHERE: 6 to 8:30 p.m., Sept.. 13, at Paetzold Auditorium, Vancouver General Hospital, Jim Pattison Pavilion 889 W 12 Ave., Vancouver, B.C. MORE INFO: RSVP at 604875-4111 x 62421 or at www. StoneCentreVGH.ca/rsvp-online/ 3rd International Babaylan Conference By Kathara Pilipino Indigenous Arts Collective Society in Canada and Center for Babaylan Studies WHEN/WHERE: Sept. 23 to 25, at theYMCA Camp Elphinstone in Gibsons, B.C. MORE INFO: The conference will feature the theme Makasaysayang Pagtatagpo (Historic Encounter): Filipinos and Indigenous Turtle Islanders Revitalizing Ancestral Traditions Together

TORONTO New WelcomePack Canada Distribution Centre By WelcomePack Canada Inc. WHEN/WHERE: 1 to 5 p.m., Mon, Tues, Thu & Fri at the Filipino Centre Bldg., 597 Parliament St., Suite 103, Toronto, On. MORE INFO: Call (416) 928-9355

Tagalog Class By Filipino Center Toronto WHEN/WHERE: 10 to 11 a.m., every Saturday, Filipino Centre Toronto, Toronto Homework/Tutorial Class By FCT WHEN/WHERE: 11a.m. to 12 nn, every Saturday, Filipino Centre Toronto, 597 Parliament St., Suite 103, Toronto, ON MORE INFO: For registrations, call 416-928-9355. The office, at 597 Parliament St., Suite 103, Toronto, is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 1 to 6 p.m. Ignacio de Loyola Movie Screening By The Filipino Channel WHEN/WHERE: Starts Aug. 26 at the Cineplex Cinemas, Scarborough, Ont. MORE INFO: Visit www.tfc-ca. com/idl

CALGARY Fiesta Filipino Calgary 2016 By ATB Financial and TFC WHEN/WHERE: 12 nn to 10 p.m., Sept. 2 & 3, at Olympic Plaza Downtown Calgary MORE INFO: Free Admission

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

Food Use orange juice to tame the heat in spicy shrimp dish BY SARA MOULTON The Associated Press HAVE YOU ever whipped up a spicy dish — chili, for example — and realized when it’s too late that you somehow overdid it and added way too much of the hot stuff? Happily, there are two very simple ways to restore some equilibrium: adding dairy and/or sugar. It’s a balancing act performed all over the world. The Indians serve their vindaloo with yogurt. Mexicans tamp down the heat of their habaneros with crema or sour cream. Here in the U.S., we use sugar to counteract the heat in our barbecue sauce (although we then tend to overdo it in the other direction and make it too sweet). So, how to tame the heat in this spicy shrimp? I went with sugar in the form of fresh orange juice, boiled down until it’s concentrated, which then becomes the main flavour in the recipe’s vinaigrette. The juice also helps to lighten up the dressing — you need less oil when one of your other ingredients is as thick and flavourful as concentrated orange juice. And by the way, grapefruit juice, which is slightly more tart than orange juice, works equally well. In an effort to cut down on the preparation time for this recipe, I’ve called for a store-bought creole or jerk spice mix. But feel free to conjure up your own. As long as it includes ground chipotle or

hot paprika or cayenne, you’ll win. Spicy shrimp with hearts of palm, avocado and orange salad

Start to finish: 1 hour 40 minutes (40 active) Servings: 4 • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, preferably grapeseed, divided • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Jamaican jerk seasoning, creole seasoning or your favourite spicy seasoning • 1 pound jumbo (16-20) peeled and deveined shrimp • 1/3 cup fresh orange juice

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard • 1 1/2 tablespoons white wine vinegar • 6 cups torn butter lettuce • 1 (14-ounce) can hearts of palm, drained and patted dry, sliced crosswise 1/2-inch thick • 1 large Haas avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch chunks • 2 medium oranges, peeled and cut into segments • 1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds (toasted in a 350 F oven until golden, 6 to 8 minutes) In a large bowl stir together 1 tablespoon of the oil and the jerk seasoning;

add the shrimp and toss well to coat. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Heat the grill to medium. In a small saucepan simmer the orange juice until it is reduced to 2 tablespoons. Transfer to a small bowl; add the salt, mustard and vinegar and whisk until the salt is dissolved. Gradually whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Thread the shrimp on skewers and grill, turning them over once, about 2 minutes a side. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine the lettuce, hearts of palm, avocado and orange segments. Add 1/4 cup of the dressing and toss well. To serve, divide the salad among 4 plates, top with the shrimp and sunflower seeds; drizzle with the remaining dressing. Nutrition information per serving: 380 calories; 209 calories from fat; 23 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 143 mg cholesterol; 1,189 mg sodium; 23 g carbohydrate; 10 g fiber; 10 g sugar; 21 g protein. Sara Moulton is host of public television’s “Sara’s Weeknight Meals.” She was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows, including “Cooking Live.” Her latest cookbook is “Home Cooking 101.”

Pokemon doughnuts... year. The zoo also converted its train into a “PokeShuttle” that pointed out PokeStops along with its animal exhibits. On the first day of the promotion, attendance more than doubled from a week earlier, and signups for new memberships spiked, said zoo spokeswoman Kerri Baumann. “It has snowballed in the most exciting and fun way,” she said. Given the popularity, zoo officials are considering having additional Pokemon-themed activities, she said. Other furry creatures have benefited, too. The Wake County Animal Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, said its Pokemon-themed social media posts prompted about 25 applications for volunteer dog walkers, about four times what it usually gets. “If people are getting out and walking, why not come out here and walk the dogs and catch some Pokemon?” said ❰❰ 27

Jennifer Federico, Wake County’s animal services director. “It’s fun and it gets people out.” The shelter also named dogs and cats after Pokemon characters in hopes of giving animals that may get overlooked a second chance at adoption, she said. Bars and restaurants are getting in on the action as well, both through numerous Pokemon-themed bar crawls around the country and by taking advantage of nearby stops and gyms on their own. Because street art accounts for a substantial number of PokeStops, especially in big cities, the Tyron Public House bar and restaurant in New York has seen a slight bump in business, thanks to a large mural outside. Some patrons have paid for lures to attract more Pokemon; others return the favour by buying them drinks. “It’s kind of fun to see people playing and say, ‘Here you go. Enjoy,”’ Tyron manager Errol Flynn said. “For us,

it’s not so much about organized events as much as it is about keeping up with social and what’s going on in the neighbourhood.” ■

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AP Writer Martha Waggoner in Raleigh, North Carolina, contributed to this report.

Food

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

FRIDAY

COOKING ON DEADLINE:

Thai Green Pork Curry BY KATIE WORKMAN The Associated Press THE SCENT of Thai curry cooking is very possibly one of the greatest kitchen smells ever. Ingredients like lemongrass, chilies, garlic, ginger, coconut milk, and spices like coriander and cumin all mingle together to create a heady perfume that pulls people to the table. There are as many versions of Thai curry as there are provinces of the country — perhaps as many as there are Thai cooks. Thailand is at the centre of Southeast Asia, and its cooking has influenced and been influenced by the cuisines of many countries, from India to China. While making your own curry paste is an interesting and rewarding experience, opening a jar of Thai curry paste is by far the easiest solution for a weeknight dinner. It’s available in the Asian section of supermarkets, and online. Fish sauce is a traditional ingredient in Thai and other

Southeast Asian cuisines. It is made from fermented anchovies or other seafood, and has a pungent smell, but when a small amount is employed in arecipe it adds a bracing, salty flavour that calls your taste buds to attention. If you like Thai food, you probably like fish sauce. Start with a small amount, and add more from there. The sauce of this curry is fairly thin. If you want a thicker sauce, stir a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch into 2 tablespoons of water and add with the coconut milk. Either way, you’ll want to serve it with plenty of rice to soak up the delicious liquid. Start to finish: 30 minutes Servings: 6 • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter • 1 tablespoon vegetable or peanut oil • 1 onion, halved and thinly sliced • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 3 tablespoons Thai green curry paste

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger • 1 red bell pepper, slivered • 1 1/2 cups chicken broth • 1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk • 1 tablespoon fish sauce or soy sauce • 2 cups small cauliflower florets • 4 cups cubed pork loin • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained • 3/4 cup slivered fresh basil leaves • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice • 6 cups hot cooked white or jasmine rice to serve • Lime wedges to serve In a large pot over medium high heat, melt the butter with the oil. Add the onion and garlic and saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the curry paste and ginger and stir until you can smell the spices. Stir in the bell pepper, then add the broth and coconut milk and bring to a gentle simmer (do not let the mixture boil or it might separate or curdle).

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Add the fish sauce or soy sauce, and the cauliflower. Simmer for 5 minutes, until the cauliflower starts to become tender. Add the pork and the chickpeas and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes, until the pork is cooked and the cauliflower is tender. Stir in the basil and lime juice and serve over the hot rice, with the lime wedges on the side to squeeze over.

Nutrition information per serving: 644 calories; 382 calories from fat; 42 g fat (22 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 105 mg cholesterol; 963 mg sodium; 25 g carbohydrate; 7 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 44 g protein. Katie Workman has written two cookbooks focused on easy, family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!” and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.”

FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

Seen & Scenes: Vancouver

THROWBACK SESSIONS CONCERT The Vancouver concert scene was filled with Pinoy rock music filled when Filipino icons Introvoys, Wency Cornejo, Perf de Castro of Rivermaya performed with homegrown talents like Raffy Swap One, Danger Blanket, and Audrey Rose. The concert entitled, Throwback Sessions, drew glimpses of the Philippine music scene in the ‘90s (Photos from Mary Anne Velayo’s FB, Christian Cunanan and D Roxas).

MEET & GREET

CONSULAR OUTREACH

The stars of Throwback Sessions: Wency Cornejo & Introvoys with the special participation of Rivermaya’s Perf De Castro plus Raffy Swap One, Danger Blanket and Audrey Rose held a press conference at Max’s Vancouver on Aug. 26. The concert is the initial project of Isabel Velayo of Innovision Events and Marketing Co. (Photos by Christian Cunanan).

The Philippine Consulate General in Vancouver led by Conssul General Neil Frank Ferrer held a consular outreach program at the Bayanihan Centre in Victoria on Aug. 25 (Photos by Annette Beech).

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Seen and Scenes

SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

CANDONIAN'S SUMMER EVENT

FRIDAY

ARTISTS' REUNION

The Candonians Association of Ontario celebrated their annual Summer picnic at Earl Bales Park on Aug. 27. The event was organized by William Dy (president) and Joe Damasco (public relations officer) (Photo by Ariel Ramos).

The Philippine Artists Group of Canada celebrated their annual summer reunion with Ambassador Leslie Gatan, Debbie Gatan and Consul General Rosalita Prospero at Nelia and Frank Tonidoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residence on Aug. 20 (Photos by Michelle Ramos).

BICOLANO GATHERING President Paeng Nebres of the Bicol Association of Canada invited members for their annual summer picnic at Earl Bales Park on Aug.27. There were games and prizes for children and adults plus tons of native delicacies (Photos by Ariel Ramos).

CAVITE ASSOCIATION PICNIC

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

The Tanza - Cavite Association of Canada held their barbeque Summer party at Earl Bales Park on Aug. 27. The picnic celebrates the feast of St. Augustine, patron of the town. The association, led by its President Edgar Torres also initiated a fund campaign for needy youths of the town. (Photo by Ariel Ramos with Larry Torres and Paul Esguerra).

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SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

CANADA

I'm looking for a Filipino surrogate mother, who currently lives in Edmonton, or is willing to relocate to Edmonton, to carry my baby. You will need to be between the ages of 21-35, and have given birth to at least 1 child. You also need to be in excellent physical, emotional and mental health. You have never had abuse of drugs/alcohol and you are a non-smoker. If interested, please send a brief introduction of yourself, with your contact information, to

nathanlee6766@gmail.com

Retail Assistant Manager for Cascade Gift Store - Banff, AB.

Responsibilities: Plan, direct and evaluation the operations of the store; manage staff & assign duties; study market & determine consumer needs; determine merchandise & services to be sold; develop & implement marketing strategies; assist in planning budget & expenditures; resolve customer(s) complaints; determine staffing requirements & hiring, etc. High School graduate, with 3 yrs of related retail experience at increasing levels of responsibility required. F/T Permanent: $26.50/hour; 40 hours/week. Subsidized staff accommodation & Extended health benefits.

Send resume to: Cascade Gifts, P.O. Box 2428, Banff, AB T1L 1C2

elaine@cascadegifts.com

CAREGIVER WANTED

for Elderly lady who lives in Burnhamthorpe and Cawthra area in Mississauga Must have some experience with elderly people and be able to help with some cooking and personal assistance. Can live in or live out as there is a basement apartment. Can work flexible hours to start. Hourly wage can be about $12 per hour.

CONTACT Marisa Cerruti (mother) Marisacerruti@rogers.com Lou Cerruti (son) Lcerruti@claybar.ca

WANTED: ELDERLY CAREGIVER Full Time. Pays $14/hr., 40Hrs/wk.(Mon.To Fri)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.

EMPLOYERS: 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) Resty Ragragio # 602 Weyburn SQ. Pickering ON. restyr480@yahoo.com (647-996-2273) Jocelyn Langcay#139 Purvis Cres.Toronto ON. osielangcay@gmail.com (416-335-7538) Elena Oligo #141 Erskine Avenue Toronto ON. elenaoligo@yahoo.com (647-677-1948) O’Neil Family #4640 11th Concession Rd Maidstone ON. supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-996-2273)

WANTED: NANNY (LIVE OUT) Full Time. Pays $11.25/hr., 40Hrs/wk.(Mon.To Fri)Education: At least Secondary Education graduate.Must have at least 1 to less than 2 yrs of experience.Duties: Take care of child/children.Feeding, meal &snack. Preparation,indoor/outdoor companionship,Lighthousekeeping, reading,playing and organize games.Education: At least Secondary Education graduate.

EMPLOYERS: Mark Polanco#77 Winter Ave.Scarborough ON. polancomark@yahoo.com (647-686-6341) Purvaiz/Harris At 88 Attridge Dr. Aurora ON. supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-996-2273) Farah Simon.#51 Vettese Ct. Markham ON. supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-680-5403) Carina Marquez.#24 Earlton Rd. Scarborough ON. cminacay70@yahoo.com (647-284-5725) Musbah Farhat.#820 Stargazer Dr. Missisauga ON. mufa668@yahoo.com (647-996-2273) Amisha Sirpal #24 Jacob Brill Cres Brampton ON. supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-996-2273)

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SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

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