CANADA’S FIRST AND ONLY NATIONWIDE FILIPINO-CANADIAN NEWSPAPER SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
VOL. 9 NO. 236
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Bring home more stranded Filipino workers overseas
De Lima: UN exec to probe extrajudicial killings in PHL
Not a word from Rody on Matobato’s allegations
Three ways politics touched us this week
Urban makeover!
CPP reform to sting economy, jobs over short term, but help beyond 2025: feds Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon (center) shows to members of the media the seized parcels containing more or less 5,000 pills of ecstasy with an estimated street value of P7.5 million which were intercepted at the Manila Central Post Office.
BY ANDY BLATCHFORD The Canadian Press
JOAN BONDOC / PDI
‘No new reso, no more Matobato’ BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer A NEW resolution would be needed before the Senate could look further into the testimony of self-described hit man Edgar Matobato, who accused President Duterte of ordering him and others to kill criminals in Davao City when Mr.
Duterte was its mayor, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III said yesterday. Pimentel, president of Mr. Duterte’s political party, PDPLaban, said he would relay this to Sen. Leila De Lima today because the Senate committee on justice and human rights had gone “off topic”
So, what are survival jobs?
OTTAWA — The federal government is expecting Canada Pension Plan reform to slow economic and employment growth slightly in the short term before boosting both in the long run. The Finance Department released new projections Monday showing what Canadians can expect if Ottawa moves ahead with the tentative CPP agreement it reached with most provinces. The changes would gradually increase mandatory contributions to the public plan as a way to boost the program’s benefits for future generations of retirees. The Liberal government has been
❱❱ PAGE 28 ❱❱ PAGE 10 ‘No new’
CALL FOR NOMINATIONS:
FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS InFocus.canadianinquirer.net
❱❱ PAGE 18 CPP reform
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SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY
Philippine News
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
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Gang leaders claim raising funds for De Lima’s senatorial bid BY FILANE MIKEE Z. CERVANTES Philippines News Agency MANILA — Gang leaders on Wednesday appeared before a House of Representatives’ panel to further pinpoint the alleged involvement of Senator Leila De Lima in the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison (NBP). During the House Justice Committee’s inquiry into the proliferation of illegal drugs inside the national penitentiary, Noel Martinez and Jaime Patcho, who are both gang leaders, testified that fellow inmate Jaybee Sebastian asked them separately to raise campaign funds for then Justice Secretary De Lima. Martinez, commander of Genuine Ilocano Group with 2,200 members, said he was approached by Sebastian in February 2013 to fund De Lima’s senatorial bid in exchange of protection and preferential treatment. Sebastian further revealed to Martinez his plan to centralize drug operations inside the NBP through forging alliances with gang leaders. Although Martinez declined being directly involved in the drug trade, he referred persons outside the NBP who can sell the illegal substances. Martinez also handled the remittance of drug money to Sebastian. “Hiniling ko na lamang kay Jaybee, at siya ay pumayag, na ako ay magri-reto
na lamang sa kanya ng mga pwedeng magbenta sa labas ng Bilibid (I requested Jaybee, which he accepted, to allow me instead to refer people who can sell (drugs) outside the Bilibid),” Martinez said. “Lahat ng transakyon nila ay alam ko dahil sa tuwing nagdedeposito sila kay Jaybee ay itinitext nila sa akin ang detalye. Ito ang basehan ko upang matiyak na nagri-remit ng maayos ang referral ko (I know all their transactions because they inform me through text messages whenever they make deposits to Jaybee. This serves as my basis to verify if my referrals have remitted correctly),” he added. Martinez said he, along with other gang leaders, personally met De Lima in January 2013 through the introduction of Sebastian. On the other hand, Patcho, commander of Batman, was approached by Sebastian to involve him in the selling of drugs to bankroll the senatorial campaign of De Lima. Patcho referred a person to Sebastian who received five kilos of drugs worth PHP4.35 million from Sebastian. The payment was remitted in through a bank account provided by Sebastian. Patcho noted that the deal lasted for four to five months. At times, the deposit was made twice a week. The Batman commander said he agreed to the deal fearing Sebastian’s words, which are regarded as law inside
NCRPO chief says ‘plane hijacking’ report is a false alarm PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — The alleged hijacking of a Saudia Airlines flight from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday was a false report, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) Director Chief Supt. Oscar Albayalde said. “Allegedly ay na-pindot lang ng piloto iyong emergency light ng aircraft (Allegedly the pilot mistakenly pushed the emergency light of the aircraft),” Albayalde said in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Pasay City. The Saudia Airlines Flight SVA-872 was isolated in Runway 06 of the NAIA
upon landing at about 3 p.m. and it was placed under “total isolation,” particularly in the secluded portion of the airport. This was because of the alleged “hijacking” of the said plane where 300 passengers were on board. The Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) earlier received an advice that the Saudia Airlines flight SVA 872 was “under threat” 20 miles before its landing at the NAIA. The anti-hijacking operatives of the Philippine National Police (PNP) were immediately deployed in the area. The false alarm “hijacking incident” lasted for more than two hours. The front row passengers of the plane were allowed to disembark ahead of the other passengers. ■
Senator Leila De Lima shows in a Powerpoint presentation a list of alleged Davao Dead Squad Hitmen (DDS) according to Edgar Matobato, the witness that De Lima earlier presented, during her privilege speech. JESS M. ESCAROS JR. / PNA
the national penitentiary. Another witness, murder convict Jojo Baligad, said he had remitted a total of PHP3.8 million not just to De Lima but also other former executives of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) from January 2013 to September 2014. Baligad, a Batang City Jail member, revealed that of this amount, De Lima
received PHP1.5 million. Furthermore, former BuCor Director Franklin Bucayu got PHP1.7 million, while the then BuCor officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos received PHP600,000. All witnesses were granted immunity from suit through House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez’ approval. ■
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Philippine News
SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY
NDRRMC now focusing on early recovery operations in ‘Ferdie’-ravaged Batanes PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) announced that is now focusing on early recovery operations for “Ferdie”-battered province of Batanes. “There is now an ongoing coordination with the Regional DRRM (Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council) for the formation of a Post Disaster Needs Analysis Team to be deployed in Batanes,” NDRRMC executive director Ricardo Jalad said. Also, a Psycho-social Stress Debriefing Team left for
DSWD Undersecretary Vilma B. Cabrera (middle) leads the NDRRMC Response Cluster Coordination Meeting on the effects of typhoon "Ferdie" JOEY O. RAZON / PNA
Batanes on Tuesday to help assist typhoon victims traumatized by typhoon “Ferdie.” Jalad also said that restoration works knocked down power and communication lines are now ongoing. “Smart Communication lines
are back in the Municipality of Sabtang and partially in Itbayat. There is an ongoing restoration for fully functional communication lines as well as power supply since many electric posts were toppled during the onslaught of the typhoon,” he added.
Earlier, the NDRRMC announced “Ferdie” knocked down 60 percent of all electrical posts and powerlines in the province. It would take about a month to restore power to normalcy in the Basco area alone. Also, road clearing operations
are now underway in farm-tomarket roads in Itbayat. Jalad said Rapid Damage Assessment and Needs Analysis teams reported that Batanes is in need of additional generator sets to support the supply of water and of Aqua Tabs for potable drinking water. The NDRRMC chief added construction materials are urgently needed for the rehabilitation and repair of houses damaged by the typhoon. An estimated 1,165 houses in Batanes were damaged by “Ferdie”, with 874 units partially damaged and 291 totally damaged. Food supplies are adequate for disaster disaster-stricken communities, he added. ■
Only Abella speaks for Duterte BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer MALACAÑANG YESTERDAY said President Duterte had only one official spokesperson and Cabinet members should not be too quick to speak on his behalf. Given the confusion generated by some of the President’s recent pronouncements, the Palace said Mr. Duterte’s alter egos—as Cabinet secretaries are described—should coordinate with the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) before making any statements in an attempt to clarify what the President really meant. Communications Secretary Martin Andanar acknowledged the criticism the PCO had been receiving over the seeming lack of clarity in explaining Mr. Duterte’s statements, including the observation that too many people were speaking for him. Andanar said there was only one presidential spokesperson and that was Secretary Ernesto Abella. He said he would step up to speak on Mr. Duterte’s behalf only when Abella is not available. www.canadianinquirer.net
Appeal to Cabinet
“And so I appealed to the Cabinet secretaries to follow the standard operating procedure that was agreed upon from day one—July 1, 2016— that only Secretary Abella can speak on behalf of the President,” Andanar said in a press briefing. He said Mr. Duterte agreed with his suggestion that questions seeking clarification of the President’s statements be first directed at the PCO. “And it is only then that the Presidential Communications Office shall decide who among the secretaries or members of the Cabinet could comprehensively explain a presidential pronouncement that needs clarification,” he said. “This is to avoid confusion,” he added. In previous instances, Palace officials had to clarify statements made by Mr. Duterte and the explanations often only caused more confusion. Two weeks ago, after Mr. Duterte said he was declaring a state of lawlessness or lawless violence in the wake of the bombing of the night market in Davao City, Palace officials issued conflicting statements on whether the declaration covered only Mindanao or the entire country. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
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Why is DSWD now needed to accredit theater arts projects? Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo has given assurance that her office is reviewing the ‘too stringent’ process BY CATHY CAÑARES YAMSUAN Philippine Daily Inquirer THE DEPARTMENT of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is now scrutinizing the “too stringent” list of documentary requirements that civil society organizations (CSOs) such as cultural, theater and writers’ groups need to submit before they can obtain financial grants from the government. Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said her office is now looking into the issue of accreditation of CSOs (a requirement before these groups can avail of grants from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts or NCCA) following “various inquiries” from these groups and media regarding the requirements. “We are reviewing the process also in accordance with the instructions of President Rodrigo Duterte to cut red tape,” she said in a statement e-mailed to INQUIRER Lifestyle. Lengthy list
The lengthy list of requirements for accreditation was drawn up to prevent a repeat of the so-called Napoles scam, where businesswoman Janet Napoles allegedly created bogus nongovernment organizations (NGOs) that received billions of pesos in financial aid from the government’s Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). Budget crafters of then President Benigno Aquino III formulated a provision that now requires all CSOs to first submit these requirements before they are accredited by the DSWD. This accreditation, in turn, would be given to the NCCA before the financial grant is released to an accredited CSO. Social Welfare Undersecretary Mae Templa, focal person for the department’s programs and services, gave a list of the paper requirements asked from CSOs. The items include, among others: certified true copies of registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
labor department and other agencies “as the case may be”; an original Certification of No Derogatory Record issued not more than three months before the date of application by concerned government agencies; a valid business license issued by the local government; certified true copies of audited financial reports; certified true copies of annual income tax returns; a list of projects and programs previously and/or currently implemented by the CSO with the government; a location sketch, photographs of principal and satellite offices and a “certificate of good standing.” While the submission “may take as long as 20-30 days,” Templa said the documentary requirements, once given, would no longer be required from applicants seeking renewal. Irony
Steven Fernandez, artistic director of the Integrated Performing Arts Guild (Ipag) based in Iligan City, pointed out that while the DSWD requires a business permit as the final step for accreditation, “The irony... is that the organizations we set up have never been forprofit ventures. “But there was no other choice,” he added. “Finally, the local government [even] gave us a plate we should hang outside our office that indicated we were a ‘business’—in a sense some deception here—subsequently mandating that we pay annual income taxes taken from profits,” he said in a solicited e-mail. Ipag is a resident performing arts company of the Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology whose “biggest supporter” is the NCCA. Fernandez stressed that many of Ipag’s national and international projects, including the implementation of major festivals, were supported by grants from the NCCA. “The NCCA supported the Ipag experiment of developing a sustainable community theater, granting funds for the guild’s operation for five years. What the Ipag is now—perhaps the most sustainable performing
Abandoned and lost elderly men and women under the care of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) through its Golden Reception and Action Center for the Elderly and other Special Cases (GRACES) in Quezon City. DSWD will now require CSOs to submit before they can obtain financial grants from the government. LEILANI S. JUNIO / PNA
arts company outside Metro Manila—has the imprimatur of the NCCA.” ‘At a loss’
For projects slated this year, Fernandez said Ipag met the end of August 2015 deadline and received approval notices for its projects in letters received last January. One project aims to assess the culture and arts education programs in Mindanao in order to formulate a framework for culture studies. Another would use a “landmark production” to initiate dialogues for peace. Normal NCCA procedures meant Fernandez, et al. would have started the projects right away. But the DSWD requirements hampered “immediate implementation.” “We were at a loss why the DSWD layer mattered in our work. We were informed that this was a requirement set by the DBM (Department of Budget and Management), an offshoot of the scandalous Napoles thievery of government funds. She dealt with hundreds of millions among the top solons; we were negotiating only for thousands—still, our taxpayers’ money—to help art and culture grow in our parts,” Fernandez said. Despite accomplishing all steps, he added that the local and regional DSWD offices in Mindanao “could not resolve accreditation because these units had to take word from their central office in Manila. Besides, the DSWD wanted to know if we existed, so they again waited for word from Manila for a team to inspect our physical existence,” he complained. www.canadianinquirer.net
Fernandez said that while the NCCA had its own checklist of requirements, the DSWD’s separate set showed an apparent lack of coordination since the DSWD “was not aware about what the steps for art groups were all about.” Wringer
Under the law, Congress cannot by itself amend or delete Section 66, the provision requiring DSWD accreditation for CSO financial grants. It is only Malacañang that can do so, said Yolanda Doblon of the Senate’s legislative budget research and monitoring office. Social Welfare Secretary Taguiwalo said that during her first week as DSWD chief, she already met with NCCA officials on the issue. She was briefed about the “various concerns” of both private and government organizations about accreditation guidelines then. Taguiwalo acknowledged that even before DSWD accreditation became a requirement for grants to CSOs, the NCCA “already had a stringent system” of accreditation in place since 1998 for cultural, artistic and academic organizations asking for financial support. But with the new guidelines issued by the Aquino administration, CSOs already vetted by NCCA still had to undergo the DSWD wringer, she noted. The secretary added that while the guidelines were drawn to prevent a repeat of the Napoles scam, “there are also valid and compelling reasons to review the DSWD’s accreditation process for CSOs because it’s very evident that it is too stringent and has an effect of
discouraging CSOs that have programs that genuinely seek to help their members or even the public at large. “We are one with [nongovernment organizations] and partner agencies in the goal to make the process of accrediting CSOs easier and less circuitous, but we must also ensure the 100-percent credibility of the CSOs and what their services are to the public or their specified beneficiaries or audiences,” Taguiwalo stressed. She noted that the DSWD’s role was previously limited to accrediting private social welfare organizations and institutions “as a regulatory body.” The new job of scrutinizing nonsocial welfare entities like artists’ groups is new and was not included at all in its portfolio before. Distinction
Ipag’s Fernandez urged the government to draw this clear distinction between CSOs and art and culture groups, and if possible, to ultimately remove the responsibility of accreditation from the DSWD. “The arts direct themselves to the nurturing of intangibles like heritage and the communal identity. Creative expressions and the imagination are conduits that shape culture for our national good,” he explained. “Social welfare is economic feeding, the guts meeting the basics. Our accreditation should be managed by institutions that are fully aware of our extraordinary roles as shapers of the national spirit. The DSWD knows little or nothing about what we do. Having it accredit us is a non sequitur,” Fernandez added. ■
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Philippine News
SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY
OFW groups urge Duterte administration to bring home more stranded Filipino workers overseas BY LEILANI S. JUNIO Philippines News Agency MANILA — The United Overseas Filipinos- Worldwide (U-OFW) and the OFWs for Peace Coalition (OPC) have urged the national government to continue its efforts in providing assistance to thousands of stranded and undocumented Filipino workers overseas. In a statement, the two groups said that while they appreciated the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte for organizing an inter-agency humanitarian mission to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from Aug. 10 to Sept. 20, 2016 with the objective of providing assistance to an estimated 8,000 laid-off and stranded OFWs there, it would be better if it would include other groups of OFWs in similar situations. “Out of the estimated 8,000 laid-off and stranded OFWs from nine Saudi companies, there were at least 3,000 who were repatriated. There were 2,000 from other companies similarly situated who also seek repatriation. So, these are considerable numbers for repatriation,” said John Monterona, convener of U-
President Rodrigo R. Duterte boosts the morale of Scout Rangers during his visit to Camp Tecson in Bulacan. KING RODRIGUEZ / PPD / PNA
OFW and OPC, on Tuesday. Monterona cited the statement issued on Sept. 19, 2016 by DSWD Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo confirming that there are hundreds of OFWs still stranded in Saudi Arabia. “Based on the assessment of the team members themselves, much remains to be done because so many OFWs remain in dire straits in different part of Saudi Arabia. We have to continue our efforts to reach them and give them the assistance they need until they can return safely to the Philippines,” Taguiwalo said.
Monterona said he agrees with the DSWD Chief’s observation. He suggested that a second humanitarian mission must be organized soonest, with the same team composition because they already knew the real situation not only of the laid-off workers but as well as distressed and undocumented OFWs. The Aug. 10-Sept. 10 humanitarian mission was composed of a number of government agencies such as the Departments of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Social Welfare and Development (DSWD),
Health (DOH), Labor and Employment (DOLE), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). Monterona said his group has been monitoring the situations of distressed, stranded, and undocumented OFWs in Saudi Arabia and has estimated their numbers as follows: * At least 800 irregular or undocumented OFWs in Riyadh, living in their own rented houses and seeking repatriation assistance. * Some 80 distressed and stranded male OFWs with existing labor issues with their employer at the male shelter in Exit 8 Villa in Riyadh. * About 120 female distressed and stranded, eight with children, at the Bahay Kalinga (BK) in Riyadh. * At least 40 ran-away female household service workers inside the Saudi Social Welfare Agency in Riyadh. * At least 50 at the Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) in the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah. * At least 3,000 “TNT” (tago ng tago) OFWs in Jeddah. * Some 100 inside the Sumeisy Deportation in Jeddah. ■
Not so fast, Comelec tells Smartmatic BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer SMARTMATIC MAY not yet be off the hook despite an investigation report recommending its exoneration in the alteration of programming scripts during the May election. The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has yet to study the report submitted to it in July, as well as its contract with Smartmatic, Commissioner Rowena Guanzon said. “I will look at the contract to see if there were any violations of it,” she added. Guanzon issued the statement after it was learned that a 13-page investigation report has cleared Smartmatic in the May 9 incident involving the transparency server of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting at the Pope Pius XII Catholic Center. At issue was the alleged unauthorized change of the programming script and the hash code of the transparency server by Smartmatic project manager Marlon Garcia. This was supposedly done to introduce mere “cosmetic” changes to the system by substituting the letter “ñ” for www.canadianinquirer.net
the “?” character that came up in the names of certain candidates. Bongbong filed case
The incident resulted in several cases, including one filed by losing vice presidential bet Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. who accused Smartmatic and the Comelec of violating the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. The fact-finding team said the Comelec should pay Smartmatic’s contract in full, concluding that there were no violations committed when the “cosmetic changes” were introduced. Guanzon said she did not agree with the finding that Smartmatic had no responsibility in the incident. “It’s not yet final, that’s only a recommendation. I’m sure the public will not agree with that,” she said. Guanzon said the Comelec could keep a bond paid by Smartmatic if the terms of the contract were violated. Comelec Chair Andres Bautista said the commission as a whole will review the recommendations. Bautista said that Smartmatic still faced a criminal case filed in a Manila court. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
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‘President not capable of giving such orders’ BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Sandigan clears Arroyo in another graft case BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer WIDELY VILIFIED after stepping down from the presidency, Gloria MacapagalArroyo now basks in legal vindication. Completing a remarkable turnaround in her fortune, the former President and now Pampanga representative was exonerated on graft charges in connection with the scuttled $329million National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with China’s ZTE Corp. The Sandiganbayan’s Fourth Division granted the separate demurrers to evidence filed by Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo, and former Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos, who were also absolved of the charges on Friday. A demurrer is a motion for dismissal midway through a trial after the prosecution rests its case. In a 31-page decision penned by Associate Justice Jose Hernandez, the court gave credence to Arroyo’s argument that the prosecution largely failed to prove that the NBN contract would be disadvantageous to the government. Failure to establish
It said the prosecution failed to prove that the three, along with a fourth accused, the late former Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza, conspired to have the contract awarded to the Chinese company as alleged by whistleblowers Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada and Jose de Venecia Jr. “This failure to specify the circumstances establishing conspiracy among the four accused is violative of their right to be informed of the accusations hurled [at] them,” according to the decision. The court further noted that Arroyo eventually canceled the contract in October 2007; “thus, legally ... there was no more contract to refer to at the time of filing of this case.” “Former President Arroyo has been vindicated anew,” the former President’s lawyer Laurence Arroyo said in a statement.
“She has always kept her faith in the judiciary and our courts have not failed to fearlessly render justice. Our courts have not allowed themselves to be swayed by public opinion or perception. They are bound by the evidence and the evidence alone,” he said. Accusations
Arroyo was charged with two violations of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and one violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees for allegedly having unlawful interest in the NBN project. She was accused of using the power of the presidency to push for the approval of the proposal submitted by ZTE Corp., though she later canceled the contract after it generated controversy. The 2007 NBN-ZTE project would have interconnected government offices nationwide through broadband technology.
PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS Secretary Martin Andanar said he could not fathom President Duterte issuing orders for the summary executions of criminals and drug users in Davao City when he was its mayor, as claimed by an alleged member of the Davao Death Squad. “No, I don’t think he’s capable of giving a directive like that,” Andanar said. In Bulacan province yesterday, President Duterte did not comment on the allegations hurled at him in the Senate when he spoke to soldiers and instead justified his war on illegal drugs, disclosing that 1,000 more public officials would be linked to the trade. Asked why he did not believe that the President could not have ordered summary executions in Davao City, Andanar noted that Mr. Duterte was investigated by the Commission on Human Rights when he was city mayor and no charges were filed, as no direct evidence against him was unearthed. The official was responding to the tes-
Third legal victory
Arroyo’s counsel said this was the third legal victory for the Pampanga lawmaker, who only three months ago was still languishing in hospital detention until the Supreme Court dismissed the plunder case against her involving the alleged misuse of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) funds. “This is the third time our courts have granted her demurrer to evidence. The first time was in the PCSO case. The second time, only last week, was in the civil case filed by UCCP (United Church of Christ in the Philippines. And now this,” the lawyer said. The UCCP case was a P6- million damage suit filed in July 2011 by the group over the extrajudicial killings of three pastors and two members, and the abduction of another pastor between 2003 and 2006. “We are thankful to the Sandiganbayan for granting our demurrers in the three ZTE cases. It’s a well-reasoned decision. I encourage the public to read it,” the lawyer said. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
timony of confessed assassin Edgar Matobato in the Senate yesterday that on orders of Mr. Duterte and later his son, Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, the Davao Death Squad killed some 1,000 criminals and drug users and pushers in the city. Malacañang yesterday called for “sobriety and objectivity” after Matobato dropped explosive allegations in the Senate that then Mayor Rodrigo Duterte gave orders to bomb mosques and kill people. Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Matobato’s allegations must be investigated first. “We will have to await proper investigation regarding the matter,” Abella said in a press briefing when sought for comment. Abella also called on people to “properly weigh” whatever had been said. “I believe, as in all cases, all citizens should maintain a sense of sobriety and maintain a sense of objectivity,” he said. “After all people do make statements every day. And while this person may sound credible, it is imperative that each and everyone of us properly weigh whatever is said,” he added. ■
Philippine News
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SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY
I can’t kill them all, says Duterte 1,000 gov’t officials on new drug list 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.
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BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer GAMU, ISABELA — President Duterte called on the military on Saturday to pick up the war on drugs, after the top cop admitted that the Philippine National Police could not lick the drug menace in six months. Speaking to troops at Camp Melchor de la Cruz here, Mr. Duterte said he might not be able to prosecute all the people involved in the illegal drug trade because there were so many of them. Mr. Duterte also gave the troops a preview of his new list containing the names of public officials involved in the narcotics trade. The President read out the name of Bonnie Sultan, barangay captain of Lumatil, Maasim, Sarangani province, and mentioned Mayor Reynaldo Flores of Naguilian, La Union province, whose name appeared on the narcolist that he released in August.
Whistleblowers Association of the Philippines (WAP) President Sandra Cam (left, back to camera) talks to New Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmates (seated, from left) Noel Baligod, Jaime Pacho and Noel Martinez before the start of the second day of the congressional inquiry on the illegal drug trade BEN BRIONES / PNA
them all. I might be the one they will kill,” he told the Star Troopers. No prosecution
‘High value target’
Mr. Duterte said Flores was a “high value target,” and that the information had been validated. Another name he repeated was that of retired Chief Supt. Vicente Loot, one of the five high-ranking police officials he publicly linked to the narcotics trade on July 5. He said the name of Loot cropped up in drug investigations in a swath of the country stretching from the Ilocos region to Calabarzon. “What does that mean? It means to say wherever he was assigned, he was into drugs,” Mr. Duterte said. ‘They’re in government’ The President said the other people on his list were congressmen, governors, mayors, barangay captains, councilors and police officers. “They’re in government. How can I build the case [when it’s like this]?” he said, noting the calls from human rights groups for him to build cases and file charges against the suspects. Mr. Duterte is visiting military camps to explain to troops his brutal war on drugs that has left more than 3,000 people dead since he launched it upon taking office on June 30. Army Star Troopers
Arriving in dark glasses that he kept on during the first half of his speech, Mr. Duterte implored the Army Star Troopers to take up the fight against drugs, in case he fails to finish his six-year term and leaves the problem hanging. He said earlier that his new narcolist contained the names of more than 1,000 public officials. “With this many [names], I can’t kill
“See to it that this country will not take a spin because the whole of the Philippines is affected,” he added. Mr. Duterte pointed out that under the Constitution, the military is the protector of the people. “Do not allow the country to disintegrate,” he said. He also reiterated his promise to protect state forces from prosecution in his war on drugs. “Just do what is the mandate of the Constitution, and I will take care of you. I will protect you. I will not allow one policeman or one military to go to jail for doing his duty,” he said. Mr. Duterte made a passing reference to what he had done as longtime Davao City mayor. “In Davao, I was just strict. There were people who died, which was why I was criticized as a human rights violator,” he said. Matobato allegations
But he said that after being elected President, he decided to disclose all he knew about the narcotics trade. Mr. Duterte did not comment on the allegations of Edgar Matobato, a confessed hit man for the Davao Death Squad, that he ordered the killing of about 1,000 suspected criminals and opponents when he was still mayor of Davao City. Matobato, 57, threw the allegations at Mr. Duterte as he testified in the Senate on Thursday during a hearing on alleged extrajudicial killings in the President’s war on drugs. Mr. Duterte promised during the campaign to stamp out the drug menace within the first six months of his presidency.
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70 percent only
But the PNP chief, Director General Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, admitted on Friday that the police could not achieve that goal. Speaking at a news conference in Naga City, Dela Rosa said he would be happy if the police could reduce the drug problem by 70 percent by January. After that, he said he would ask the President if he could stay as PNP chief. “We have three months and 15 days remaining in our schedule. We are still on the right track, although I always say that I am worried that we might fail,” he said. ‘Ambition’
Dela Rosa said the eradication of the drug problem in six months was an “ambition” that the PNP knew it could not achieve. According to government records, there are more than 3 million drug users in the Philippines. The PNP aims to arrest 1.8 million users, but has taken in only more than 700,000 so far. More than 3,000 people have been killed in police operations and vigilante attacks since July 1, drawing expressions of concern from the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and international rights groups. Dela Rosa cited a difference between the local drug war and the fight against narcotics in other countries like Mexico and Colombia. “In other countries, they are dealing purely against the drug lords, but in the Philippines the drug war is against the drug users and pushers and drug lords and all other [people] in the drug trade,” he said. Dela Rosa said he would travel to other countries to study how the authorities there fight narcotics. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
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Sen. De Lima wants UN exec to probe extrajudicial killings in PHL BY AZER N. PARROCHA Philippines News Agency MANILA — Senator Leila de Lima on Wednesday sought United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on summary executions Dr. Agnes Callamard to investigate on the alleged extrajudicial killings linked to the Duterte administration’s intensified illegal drugs campaign in the country. “Unless a third-party investigator comes in, there is reason to believe that we may not be able to ferret out the whole truth behind the killings, and to serve complete justice to the victims and the Filipino people,” De Lima said. Under Senate Resolution No. 153, De Lima urged the Depart-
ment of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to invite Dr. Callamard to look into the spate of extrajudicial killings and summary executions. De Lima, former justice secretary, said that multilateral organizations, such as the UN and the European Union, have expressed grave concerns over the drug-related killings in the country. She further said that even local as well as international media have taken special interests in reporting the administration-sponsored “war on drugs.” The lady senator also pointed out how Senate witness Edgar Matobato, a former member of the vigilante group, Davao Death Squad, has implicated President Rodrigo Duterte in some deaths of persons in
Davao City. Being a signatory to various UN Conventions, De Lima said the Philippine government may pursue an impartial investigation through an independent commission of inquiry to be conducted by the UN Special Rapporteur. Under the UN Human Rights Council’s Resolution 26/12, the Special Rapporteur “undertakes visits to examine the situation of extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary execution in the respective country, and to formulate recommendations to the government and other actors on upholding the right to life.” “Such on-site visits by the Special Rapporteur can be initiated by an official invitation from a concerned government, such as the Philippines,” she
JESS M. ESCAROS JR. / PNA
added. According to De Lima, based on official figures, as of last Sept. 14, there are 3,173 persons killed since the all-out war on illegal drugs has started last July 1, of whom 1,138 were killed in police operations while 2,035 were victims of extrajudicial or vigilante killings. De Lima’s resolution came after she had been ousted as
chairperson of the Senate committee on justice and human rights last Monday (Sept. 19) after neophyte Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao moved to declare vacant the entire justice committee membership. A total of 16 senators voted in favor of Pacquiao’s motion while De Lima’s four fellow Liberal Party members opposed and two senators abstained. ■
Church open to junkies, says Cardinal Tagle BY JULIE M. AURELIO Philippine Daily Inquirer MANILA ARCHBISHOP Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle yesterday said the Catholic Church welcomes former drug dependents who want to seek help in turning over a new leaf. Tagle assured the faithful that the Archdiocese of Manila’s Sanlakbay sa Pagbabago ng Buhay program will help those who have fallen prey to drugs to leave their old ways through spiritual guidance, livelihood projects and skills formation. The program will be supplemented by 12 modules to be given to participants. “We welcome with all our hearts, and pray that you will be blessed by the Lord. Your Filipino brothers and sisters love you, let us not waste our lives. Instead, we should take care of it and enrich it,” he said. The prelate made the announcement in an interview on the Church-run Radio Veritas. Tagle said the drug users who turn themselves in will be introduced to the Lord through catechism, assisted in embarking on livelihood projects and taught new skills to hone their
natural talents. The program includes the Caritas Restorative Justice Ministry, Center for Family Ministries, University of Sto. Tomas Graduate School Psychotrauma, Department of Health, Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police. The Archdiocese of Manila’s Restorative Justice Ministry began this week its communitybased rehabilitation program at the San Roque de Manila Parish as part of its response to the government’s intense campaign against illegal drugs. Tagle expressed confidence that the partnership between the Church and government agencies through the program will help drug users reform their ways. “You were entrusted to the Church by our local government units. The Archdiocese of Manila welcomes you, and we hope that we can achieve our goal of changing our lives,” he told the drug users and peddlers who surrendered to police authorities. Fr. Roberto de la Cruz, who is in charge of the Restorative Justice Ministry, said the Church is with the drug dependents in their journey to a new life.
“The Church is here for them, they are not alone. The government, the police and barangay are here for them,” De la Cruz said. Fr. Tony Navarrete, parish priest of the San Roque de Manila Parish, said the Sanlak-
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bay program is a good start in helping drug users and pushers change their ways. At the San Roque de Manila Parish, only 20 drug users who voluntarily surrendered are undergoing the program although the parish is expecting the
number to hit 160. “In the past, we failed to address the issue, we failed to be a companion to these people. So now we are trying what we can do, given the urgency of the need,” he said in a radio interview. ■
Philippine News
10
SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
‘No new’ ... when it heard Matobato’s testimony implicating the President. The committee, chaired by De Lima, is conducting an investigation into the recent killings of drug suspects in the government war on illegal drugs. Meanwhile, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV noted that Mr. Duterte’s silence following Matobato’s explosive testimony was “unusual,” adding that the President needs to respond because this is a “direct accusation” against him. Matobato, 57, testified at the committee hearing on Sept. 15 that the Davao Death Squad (DDS) to which he belonged killed about 1,000 people on orders of Mr. Duterte when he was mayor of Davao City. He said he himself killed at least 50 people as a member of the DDS from 1988 to 2013. ❰❰ 1
Force a vote
was “not important in the eyes of the Senate” because the latter was testifying on matters that supposedly happened from 1988 to 2013, which was not the subject of Senate Resolution No. 9 being heard by De Lima’s committee. Told that De Lima said she wanted to establish a pattern of extrajudicial killings in Davao City leading to the present-day killings of drug suspects through Matobato’s testimony, Pimentel said De Lima had not even established the “author” of the Davao killings. He said De Lima admitted that Matobato’s testimony was an “independent topic.” “I will advise her to file a separate resolution and she should wait for the proper action on it by the Senate. I cannot even say that it would go to the justice committee. It all depends on how the resolution will be written,” the Senate President said. I will advise her At most, Pimentel to file a separate said the Davao killresolution and ings could go either she should wait to the Senate blue for the ribbon committee or proper the public order comaction mittee.
Trillanes said he would rise at today’s Senate session to question Pimentel’s ruling not to provide protective custody to Matobato, and possibly force the chamber to vote on the Senate on it by the President’s ruling. Senate. “If it’s needed [for Protection not in rules senators to vote on Pimentel’s ruling As to the stateagainst providing Matobato protective ments by De Lima and Senate Presicustody], so we can know the position of dent Pro Tempore Franklin Drilon each of us on this issue,” Trillanes said that the justice committee could proon a radio program yesterday. vide Matobato protective custody, PiHe said it should not be a case of Pi- mentel said the Senate rules did not mentel just issuing such a ruling with- say so. out the approval of the other senators. If committee members insist on seIn the same radio program, Pimentel curing Matobato on the Senate premsaid he was just looking after the Sen- ises, Pimentel said that as Senate presiate’s “time, resources, direction and dent he had control over the chamber focus,” when he rejected De Lima’s re- premises. quest for the chamber to provide protecTrillanes, meanwhile, said Mr. tive custody to Matobato. Duterte should address Matobato’s allegations, noting that if someone was acNot important cused wrongly, he or she would tend to Pimentel said Matobato’s testimony be indignant about it. ■
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FRIDAY
Aguirre says AMLC giving him a hard time vs Leila BY GIL C. CABACUNGAN Philippine Daily Inquirer JUSTICE SECRETARY Vitaliano Aguirre II has accused the AntiMoney Laundering Council (AMLC) of giving him the runaround in his department’s efforts to build a case against Sen. Leila de Lima and her alleged associates in the drug protection racket inside New Bilibid Prison (NBP). Aguirre said that last month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) requested a peek at certain bank records that would show the financial transactions between convicted drug lords and their drug coddlers allegedly led by De Lima. Aguirre said he expected the AMLC to submit the requested bank records last week to give government lawyers enough time to sift through the documents in preparation for the Sept. 20 House probe on the proliferation of drugs at NBP on the watch of then Justice Secretary De Lima. “I expected to get it as early as last week but they told me it was not easy to get the records out because it was not covered by the (memorandum of agreement, or MOA) between the DOJ and AMLC. They wanted us to write (a letter of request) again but this time, through the (National Bureau of Investigation), because they claimed that they had a much broader MOA with NBI,” Aguirre said. The official said he was surprised at the AMLC dragging its foot on the case, when its primary responsibility, was going after dirty money being laundered by drug lords operating inside the maximum security prison. Fast and thorough “I don’t see anything bad if they just give us the records and let us take a peek. I recall there was no issue when the AMLC looked into the records of former Vice President Jejomar Binay. That was really fast and thorough,” Aguirre said. The INQUIRER tried to get the side of the AMLC through its chair, Amando Tetangco Jr., but being overseas, he had yet to reply to the text message. Aguirre said he was hopeful that the AMLC would produce the bank records before Tuesday’s hearings. “We have identified several bank accounts that were used by the drug lords to exchange funds with their protectors. It involves billions of pesos,” he said. The official said that building a case against De Lima was proving to be more difficult than expected not only because of uncooperative agencies like the AMLC, but also because of efforts by some sectors to sabotage their case. He cited the case of Jonathan Caranto,
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a relative of De Lima’s former driverbodyguard and alleged lover Ronnie Palisoc Dayan who, he said, gave the DOJ fake bank receipts indicating a total of P24 million in deposits made to De Lima. Part of matrix?
“They thought I’d be happy to just grab (them) and claim that I have direct evidence linking De Lima (to) drug money. They wanted to destroy our credibility. But I’m no fool, I’ve been a lawyer for 44 years,” he added. Aguirre said he expected the House to subpoena Caranto and Dayan to shed light on De Lima’s alleged role in the rise of the drug trade inside NBP during the previous administration. “They are part of the matrix presented by President Duterte. They should be there,” he said. Earlier, Caranto denied having a BDO account that reportedly contained P24 million in drug money. He said he personally went to a branch of the bank in Caloocan to verify the existence of the account and was told that the account exists, but that it was not in his name. It was also at a different BDO branch and the Caloocan branch had no access to it, he was told. Lie detector
The DOJ administrative assistant said he only heard on the radio about his name being in the matrix and that he talked with Aguirre about it after consulting a lawyer and several friends at the DOJ. He said Aguirre asked him about the bank accounts and the deposit slip, and asked if he was willing to go to the NBI to clear his name, to which he readily agreed. Aside from executing an affidavit, Caranto also underwent a polygraph or a lie detector test which he passed, according to the NBI. Aguirre had previously accused “people behind De Lima” of spreading disinformation, when a former De Lima staff member, Edna “Bogs” Obuyes, denied on social media that she executed an affidavit to pin down her former boss. Obuyes, a clerk assigned at the Office of the Justice Secretary, also rejected reports that she has P24 million in a bank account under her name, pointing out that the account was in her nickname, “Bogs,” which she does not use for official transactions, such as opening a bank account. Aguirre said the leak of the alleged deposit slips to the media was not authorized and was allegedly part of a campaign meant to discredit them. But the official also backed Caranto’s and Obuyes’ statements, saying that he only asked the DOJ employees to show up at the NBI to clear their names. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
11
Not a word from Rody on Matobato’s allegations BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT DUTERTE has ignored allegations by a confessed hit man that he ordered the killing of some 1,000 suspected criminals and opponents while he was still mayor of Davao City, while his senior aides have dismissed them. As of yesterday, Mr. Duterte had not said a word about the accusations hurled at him by Edgar Matobato in a Senate testimony on Thursday. Mr. Duterte’s chief legal counsel, Salvador Panelo, said he saw no reason for the President to respond to statements of a “perjured witness.” Panelo said Mr. Duterte had not responded to Matobato’s allegations because “the lies are so obvious.” “You know, when you watch proceedings that are obviously worthless, you would no longer comment. The people watching will reach a conclusion that this witness is a perjured witness so there is no reason to make a comment,” Panelo told reporters. He added that he himself was talking about the issue because reporters sought his views on the matter. Lawyers know when to ignore things that have no value, he said. ‘Smart’ President
Asked if he had advised the President not to respond to the allegations, he said: “You know, you don’t even have to advise this President. He’s such a smart, intelligent thinking lawyer President. That’s not necessary.” Malacañang said an official statement on Matobato’s allegations would come from Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II. Aguirre, in a statement issued
BUSY ELSEWHERE. President Rodrigo R. Duterte talks to a victim of the Sept. 2 Davao blast during a meeting at the Matina Enclaves in Davao City. KARL NORMAN ALONZO / PPD / PNA
yesterday, belittled Matobato’s did not raise the allegations committee on justice and hutestimony, describing it as “rich when he was under the Witness man rights that is investigating Protection Program (WPP) for alleged extrajudicial killings in falsity and fabrication.” in Mr. Duterte’s brutal war on The Senate wasted valuable some two to three years. Panelo said he wondered why drugs. resources by listening to MatoMatobato’s facts are also Matobato came forward with bato, Aguirre said. “It was not a hearing on ex- the accusations against Mr. jumbled, Panelo said. He said the witness referred trajudicial killing, it was a case Duterte only now. “There is no sane reason to the Presidential Anti-Orof extrajudicial lying,” he said. Matobato’s testimony was why you did not say all these ganized Crime Task Force at a not at all worrying, Panelo said. when President Duterte was time when this was supposedly “How can you be threatened still mayor. You had no reason no longer in existence. Panelo said this was the first not to disclose these. You were by lies?” he asked. According to Panelo, the under the Witness Protection time he had seen a witness adpeople behind Matobato intend Program, you were protected,” mitting to killings but saying he did not know the identities to ruin Mr. Duterte’s reputa- he said. of those he had tion and that killed. of his family. “So you cannot But he said this even sue him bewould not stop cause there is no the President You know, when you watch proceedings that are obviously victim,” he said. from pursuing worthless, you would no longer his campaign comment. The people watching will against illegal ‘Recycled reach a conclusion that this witness witness’ drugs and terroris a perjured witness so there is no ism. Mr. Duterte’s reason to make a comment. “No amount of right-hand man black propaganin the House of da, no amount Representatives, of sinister ploy Speaker PantaleHe also noted that Sen. Leila on Alvarez, described Matobato or plan will stop the President from his relentless campaign de Lima, who was justice secre- as a “recycled witness,” noting against the drug menace and tary when Matobato was under that De Lima presented him as protection, is the witness’ han- a witness when she headed the terrorism,” he said. Criticizing Matobato’s testi- dler. Commission on Human Rights De Lima chairs the Senate and the Department of Justice. mony, he noted that the witness
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“If indeed there was a crime committed based on their investigation, she should have filed a case even then,” Alvarez said. Matobato, appearing at a Senate probe on extrajudicial killings, said he was responsible for about 50 of some 1,000 killings ordered by Mr. Duterte between 1988 and 2013. He said the Davao Death Squad killed criminal suspects and opponents of Mr. Duterte and his family, with Mr. Duterte himself shooting dead one of the victims, a National Bureau of Investigation agent whose vehicle impeded a death squad mission in 2007. Matobato also said it was Mr. Duterte who ordered the killing of broadcast journalist Juan “Jun” Pala, who regularly criticized him on his radio program, in 2007. Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV sought Senate protection for Matobato on Thursday, but Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III, president of Mr. Duterte’s party, PDP-Laban, rejected the request, saying there was “no [sign] that his life or safety is threatened.” Several senators yesterday expressed disappointment with Pimentel’s decision, with Trillanes saying it appeared to have been influenced by politics and an intent to shield the President. Trillanes described Pimentel’s decision as “heartless.” “Fortunately, there were good Samaritans in our midst who were willing to provide temporary sanctuary for Mr. Matobato,” he said. De Lima said she was “perplexed, disturbed and extremely disappointed” with Pimentel’s decision. She said she withdrew her request of protection for Matobato allow her committee to assert its power to decide the matter on its own. ■
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Philippine News
Locsin named envoy to UN BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer TEODORO “Teddyboy” Locsin Jr. has been appointed as the Philippines’ permanent representative to the United Nations, a job he takes on that will require more than the acerbic and witty charm he has wielded as lawyer, politician and journalist because of President Duterte’s avowed disdain of the New York-based institution. Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar yesterday said the 67-yearold Locsin told him on Saturday night he had accepted the post as the Philippines’ top diplomat in the United Nations offered to him during a meeting with Mr. Duterte at Bahay Pangarap, the President’s official residence, in Malacañang. The UN post is currently occupied by Lourdes Yparraguirre, a career official at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). Yparraguirre has been in the news lately after a migrant workers advocacy group asked the DFA to send a team to the Philippine mission in New York City to look into the alleged abusive behavior of the Philippine ambassador toward her household staff. The appointment of a new Philippine representative to the United Nations comes amid Mr. Duterte’s verbal feuds with UN officials, who have expressed concern over the increasing number of alleged drug suspects being killed in the country as a result of the Chief Executive’s war on illegal drugs. Mr. Duterte has slammed UN Secretary General Ban Ki-
moon and his special rapporteurs on human rights. He has also threatened to withdraw the Philippines from the United Nations. Media, politics
Locsin currently hosts shows for the ABS-CBN News Channel and writes a column for Business Mirror. He was elected Makati City representative for three terms from 2001 to 2010. During the 14th Congress, Locsin chaired the House of Representatives’ committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, which conducted an inquiry into alleged irregularities in the country’s first automated elections in 2010. In 2012, he was among the nominees for Chief Justice following the impeachment trial and conviction of the late Renato Corona for alleged dishonesty in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth. In 2009, he was among the dozens of aspirants considered for the vacancies on the high court. Locsin earned his law degree from Ateneo de Manila University and a masters in law from Harvard University. He served as presidential spokesperson, legal counsel and speech writer for the late President Corazon C. Aquino. From 1977 to 1982, he was an associate at Angara, Abello, Concepcion, Regala and Cruz Law offices. He has been executive editor of the renowned Philippines Free Press, publisher of the now defunct Daily Globe and publisher and editor in chief of the Today newspaper, which was acquired by the Manila Standard in 2005. ■
SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY
Never forget, senators urge Filipinos on 44th Martial Law anniversary BY AZER N. PARROCHA Philippines News Agency MANILA — Senators on Wednesday urged Filipinos to remember the lessons learned from the past as the nation marks the 44th anniversary of the declaration of Martial Law. Senator and former justice secretary Leila de Lima, said that after four decades, the country has reached the point where it is experiencing similar incidents as those that happened during Martial Law. “Nariyan ang nangingibabaw na takot at pangamba sa kaliwa’t kanang mga patayan at karahasan sa lipunan, at ang pagpapatahimik sa mga nagsisikap na hanapin ang katotohanan at pigilin ang pagmamalabis sa kapangyarihan (There’s the dominance of fear among myriad massacres and violence in the society and the silencing those who seek the truth and those that want to stop abuse of power),” De Lima said. “Tandaan sana natin ang mga aral ng ating kasaysayan. Oras na makalimot tayo, oras na magwalang-kibo tayo, oras na maging manhid tayo, tiyak na mauulit ang mga kamalian at pagdurusang sinapit natin sa nakaraan (Let us remember the lessons of our history. The moment we forget, these mistakes and sufferings we have experienced in the past will surely be repeated),” she added. She also challenged Filipinos to continue to stand for truth and justice amid this abuse of power. Senator Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV, for his part, said that the Department of Education (DepEd) should properly edu-
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Senator Risa Hontiveros (left) hears the opinion of Commission on Human Rights (CHR) Chair Jose Luis Martin Gascon (right) during the public hearing by the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture on Proposed Senate Resolution No. 29. The Resolution seeks to "direct the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on the education of youth regarding the Martial Law period and human rights abuses under the Marcos regime with the end in view of preserving memory through historical truthtelling, protecting our democracy, and promoting a sense of justice and human rights among young Filipinos." KARL NORMAN ALONZO / PPD / PNA
cate the youth about the horrors of Martial Law. He expressed alarm over the reported “historical revisionism” efforts to make it appear that the Martial Law era was the golden years, describing it as a “slap in the face” to the thousands of victims of human rights violation during that period. “It’s a disservice and a slap in the face for those victims that we forget the bad experiences that happened during that time,” Aquino, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, said. Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Leonor Bri-
ones previously revealed that the agency would introduce a new curriculum and textbooks in the next few months that will provide accurate details about the dark side of the Martial Law era. Aquino welcomed this “change in curriculum” and expressed confidence that if the youth are properly informed about what really occurred during the Martial Law era, they can scrutinize what they see online. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
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Cons pin down De Lima BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer
gation, Rafael Ragos and Jovencio Ablen Jr. ‘Not about De Lima’ In his testimony, Magleo The chair of the House panel, pointed to the senator’s alHIGH-PROFILE PRISONERS Oriental Mindoro Rep. Rey- leged link to Jaybee Sebastian, testifying at the opening of a naldo Umali, insisted that the who became “king of the drug House of Representatives hear- committee’s inquiry on illicit lords” after he orchestrated the ing on Tuesday painted a por- drug activities at the national transfer of his competitors into trait of Sen. Leila de Lima as a penitentiary was “not about De the custody of the NBI for eight corrupt justice secretary who Lima” at all. months beginning in December allowed convicted gang leaders Presidential Communica- 2014 after De Lima had led a and drug lords to turn the na- tions Secretary Martin Andan- raid in the NBP. tional penitentiary into a “Lit- ar said the Palace did not have That was the time the sotle Las Vegas” and the center a hand in the event. “I’d like to called “Bilibid 19” group of of a multibillion-peso national say the House is also indepen- high-profile inmates were disillegal drug operation. dent,” he said. covered to be living lavish lifeConcerts featuring top PhilBut the witnesses, under the styles in the NBP, and were thus ippine entertainers were held in direction of Justice Secretary transferred to the custody of the New Bilibid Prison (NBP). Vitaliano Aguirre II who was the NBI. Beer flowed. High-prized call given free rein by the House “[Sebastian] became sucgirls were brought in. Cells panel to question them, seemed cessful in his plan to centralwere turned into virtual hotel bent on pinning down the sena- ize drug operations inside the rooms. All these happened in tor on allegations she was a maximum security compound. the maximum security unit, the beneficiary of drug money. He maximized the trading and Aguirre said a large chunk he maximized his shenanipreferred quarters of convicts. In return, De Lima allegedly of all illegal drug transactions gans,” Magleo said, adding that received millions in campaign emanated from the NBP before “he would take shabu (methmoney for her senatorial bid in it was reduced by 90 percent amphetamine hydrochloride) the May elections. when the Special Action Force from his Chinese suppliers and The wild nights and shenani- was called in to police the com- cheat them.” gans of convicts were brought pound. Sebastian allegedly helped out for the first time in the lat“The drug lords earned bil- bankroll De Lima’s senatorial est chapter of the game of tit- lions, not only millions there,” campaign by asking those unfor-tat between the embattled he said, adding that the DOJ der his fold to deliver monthly senator and President Duterte’s could only tell the full extent payoffs, according to the witallies as the House justice com- once it made headway with its ness. mittee heard testimonies of efforts to open the bank records Under questioning by Agumaximum security inmates of certain personalities under irre, Magleo accused the senaand others on the proliferation the Anti-Money Laundering tor of complicity in the lax seof drugs at the NBP during De Act. curity at the NBP that allowed Lima’s term as the drug lords head of the Deto operate freely partment of Juslike Mafia dons tice (DOJ) under in exchange for Concerts featuring top Philippine then President monthly conentertainers were held in the New Benigno Aquino tributions to De Bilibid Prison (NBP). Beer flowed. III. Lima and Bureau High-prized call girls were brought It was the latof Corrections in. Cells were turned into virtual hotel est adminisofficials amountrooms. tration-backed ing to millions of salvo against De pesos. Lima, a Liberal Colanggo tesParty member tified that he Upon the prodding of Major- gave De Lima a total of P60 whose woes began since she emerged as the President’s ity Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, the million, including the regular fiercest critic, blasting alleged House panel agreed to grant the monthly payoffs of P3 million, extrajudicial killings in his re- witnesses immunity from any plus the P1 million “per conlentless war on illegal drugs legal ramifications their testi- cert” until he was transferred that has claimed more than monies might entail. to the NBI. 3,000 lives and drew condemHe said he had lived a life in nation from the United States, King’s connection luxury while incarcerated. “My Within an hour, Speaker Pan- room looked like it would beUnited Nations and internataleon Alvarez authorized im- long at Shangri-La, my comfort tional human rights advocates. In a privilege speech in the munity to convicted kidnapper room at a five-star hotel.” Colanggo said he gave the Senate as the House hearing and former Philippine National was unfolding, De Lima denied Police Insp. Rodolfo Magleo, payoffs to De Lima’s security the accusations. “As the say- high-profile inmates Jaime aide and “bagman,” Jonel Saning goes, everything has been Pacho, Herbert Colanggo and chez. He said that Sanchez thrown at me except the kitch- Noel Martinez, and two of De had allowed him to talk on the en sink. I am still waiting for Lima’s former subordinates in phone to De Lima once to check the kitchen sink,” she said. (See the National Bureau of Investi- if she was getting the payola, story on front page).
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Convicted drug lord Herbert Colangco (4th from left) gestures with both hands to stress a point in his testimony against Senator Leila de Lima during the hearing of the House of Representatives Justice Committee on the proliferation of drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison. OLIVER MARQUEZ / PNA
quoting her as telling him, “OK, OK. Thank you.” He said he recognized the voice by watching her on TV. He gave De Lima’s number, which tallied with that in Cebu Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia’s contact list. Relations soured when Colanggo said he failed to meet Sanchez’s demand that he secure 50 kilos of shabu, fearing he would get in the way of the other drug lords and get killed. ‘Little Las Vegas’
In his sworn affidavit, Ragos, a former De Lima subordinate in the NBI, accused the senator of accepting P5 million in drug money with the code name “limang manok (five chickens)” in her Parañaque home in 2012. Magleo said the NBP was also known as the “drug trade center of the Philippines” especially as drug lords from China, Taiwan, Malaysia and Hong Kong were allowed to continue their operations virtually unabated. He said big-time Filipino players would approach Chinese drug lords for orders of shabu, or “crystal meth.” “They have agents outside covering Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and they contact each
other through cell phones, and then their agents meet outside. The orders are made in Bilibid but the transactions are outside,” Magleo said. “Almost 80 percent had cell phones,” he said. “During the tenure of then Secretary De Lima, the maximum security compound was known as ‘Little Las Vegas’ and at the same time the ‘Wild West,’” he said. Magleo recalled one instance when Colanggo had truckloads of beer delivered for a concert, a claim the inmate confirmed when his turn to testify came. “None of the guards blocked them,” he said. There were many concerts, he added. “These were not ordinary concerts. There would be celebrities like Freddie Aguilar, Sharon Cuneta, the Mocha girls, Ethel Booba and several comediennes,” he said. Special conduit
Under heavy guard by the Special Action Force, the inmates appeared in collared shirts, blending in well with the lawmakers, some of whom were ❱❱ PAGE 24 Cons pin
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Opinion
14
SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY
ANALYSIS
EU joins call for halt to killings in drug war By Amando Doronila Philippine Daily Inquirer CANBERRA—The European Union has joined the global call on the Philippine government to “put an end to the current wave of extrajudicial executions and killings” of drug suspects. Alarmed at the rising death toll in President Duterte’s brutal crackdown on drug syndicates, the EU Parliament directed its delegation in the Philippines and the embassies of 28 European countries in Manila to monitor rights abuses following his declaration on Sept. 3 of a “state of national emergency on account of lawlessness.” Mr. Duterte placed the entire country under a state of national emergency after a bomb exploded at a night market in his hometown, Davao City, on Sept 2, killing 15 people and injuring 69 others. In an extraordinary intervention, the EU lawmakers passed a five-page resolution expressing concern over the appalling number of drug suspects killed by police and vigilantes since Mr. Duterte launched a crackdown on illegal drugs upon taking office on June 30. More than 3,000 people have been killed in just over two
months. Mr. Duterte has pledged to eradicate the drugs scourge in three to six months of his presidency. The EU members represent the largest bloc of Western democracies, including Germany, France, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Sweden, Portugal and Finland. The EU intervention aligned with a number of states (including the United States), the United Nations and international human rights watchdog organizations that have called on the Philippines to end the extrajudicial killings. This growing concerted global demand to end the extrajudicial executions has put the Philippine government at risk of inviting international sanctions, including either diplomatic or economic, and isolation if it continued to defy or ignore the calls. Without directly blaming the government, the EU lawmakers said they believed Mr. Duterte’s incendiary public statements had encouraged mass murders involving drug traffickers and users. “President Duterte repeatedly urged law enforcement agencies and the public to kill suspected drug traffickers who did not surrender as well as drug users,” the EU resolution said. “President Duterte publicly stated
he would not pursue law enforcement officers and citizens who killed drug dealers and who resisted arrest,” it added. No to death penalty According to wire services reports, the EU Parliament adopted the resolution dealing with extrajudicial killings in the Philippines based on the Partnership Cooperation Agreement signed by the European Union and the Philippines in 2014, to advance engagement on political, trade, security, environment and human rights issues. The agreement commits the Philippines to uphold the rule of law, social democracy, as well as international human rights conventions. The EU Parliament also emphasized that ending the extrajudicial killings of drug suspects was vital to the Philippines’ holding the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in 2017. The lawmakers pointed out that “President Duterte has announced that during the Philippines’ chairmanship, we (the government) will highlight Asean as a model of regionalism and global player, with the interest of the people at its core.” They also called on the Philippine Congress “to abstain from reintro-
Lack of understanding On another front, Mr. Duterte came under fire from the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights for speaking against and opposing human rights institutions and investigations. Speaking at the 33rd session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday, High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said, “The President of the Philippines’ statements of scorn for international human rights display a striking lack of understanding of our human rights institutions and principles which keep societies safe.” Al Hussein pointed out that “fair
and impartial rule of law is the foundation of public confidence and security” and “empowering police forces to shoot to kill any individual whom they claim to suspect of drug crimes, with or without evidence, undermines justice.” He emphasized, “The people of the Philippines have a right to judicial institutions that are impartial, and operate under due process guarantees; and they have a right to a police that serves justice. I strongly recommend the Philippines to extend an invitation to the special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.” Al Hussein said that governments had accused human rights institutions of interfering in the affairs of sovereign nations. “Are human rights exclusively a national issue? Governments have the responsibility to uphold their human rights obligations and to respect the standards. But the human rights of all people, in all countries, also require—unquestionably—our collective attention,” he said. “Human rights are universal, indivisible and interdependent. If states pick and choose which rights they will uphold, the entire structure is undermined,” he said. ■
Two names are attached to the cigar-blended cigarillos in this country: La Campana Fabrica de Tabacos and Alhambra Industries, both of which have a combined history of over a century, dating back to the Spanish colonial period. Today, the cigarillos, known as Cortos and Regaliz Largos, are produced by Mighty Corporation out of its factory in Bulacan. And, surviving changing trends and preferences, Mighty Corporation is the current market leader in the local cigarillos market. Mighty also manufactures socalled “American blended” cigarettes out of its Bulacan factory. The products range from high-class to mass-market brands, in menthol and non-menthol variants. The various brands use a mix of local tobacco grown by farmers in Northern Luzon and imported leaves of flue-cured Virginia and Burley tobacco. *** MIGHTY Corporation, which celebrates its 71st anniversary on Tuesday, traces its history from a small concern born out of Chinese immigrant Wong Chu King’s postwar efforts to eke out an existence by peddling cigarettes door to door. Today, it is a dominant player in the field.
With a few trusted friends and associates and the support of his wife Nelia and their six children (three sons and three daughters), Wong Chu King was able to build a cigarette factory, eventually taking over even revered and dominant brands, while pursuing other interests like rice milling, buy and sell, insurance and construction. Perhaps in keeping with more modern trends in marketing and corporate identity, his sons changed the name of the company from La Campana to the present-day Mighty. In later years, the King family established the Wong Chu King Foundation, dedicated to the uplift of the poor to which the patriarch, as a young desperate immigrant, had dedicated his efforts ever since the immediate postwar years. This the Foundation does through scholarships and construction projects with a public benefit, with most projects concentrated in tobacco-growing areas to benefit the families of their “partners” in the tobacco fields. Greetings, then, to Mighty Corporation, which has roots deep in Philippine social and economic history, and today pursues philanthropy with equal zeal. Here’s to more years to come of success and service! ■
ducing the death penalty (which Mr. Duterte has endorsed) and from lowering the minimum age of criminal liability.” The EU Parliament said that based on “all empirical evidence, the death penalty does not reduce the drug delinquency and would destroy a great achievement of the Philippine justice system.” It directed its delegation in the Philippines to provide wide assistance to the Philippine government to implement measures in line with its commitment to international human rights obligations.
AT LARGE
A tale told thrice By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer THERE USED to be a video rental shop in Virra Mall Greenhills (owned, if I’m not mistaken, by revered screenwriter Ricky Lee) which made available to the public Betamax tapes (I know this dates me) of classic movies, even those made outside Hollywood. Thanks to this shop, I was able to watch a slew of classic movies which had either gone out of circulation, or had little commercial appeal. Let me say “Maraming salamat” at this point to that little video rental shop for shaping my cinematic education and putting me in touch with films and filmmakers of decades past. Anyway, it was thanks to this shop that I learned of Akira Kurosawa, who had brought Japanese (and Asian) cinema to the attention of the world, and watched his most famous films. One of them was “Seven Samurai,” released in 1954, about the residents of a poor farming village who hire a group of wandering samurai or swordsmen to defend them against an impending attack by bandits. Today, “Seven Samurai” is regarded as the greatest Japanese film ever made.
While watching “Seven Samurai,” I kept wondering why the storyline seemed so eerily familiar. Then it hit me. It had been made into a Hollywood film! “The Magnificent Seven” starred, among others, Yul Brynner, and was set in the “wild, wild west.” Now we have a remake of a remake, with the new “Magnificent Seven” retelling the story of a motley group of “outsiders” during post-Civil War America coming to the defense of helpless settlers against rapacious business interests. *** I MUST give credit to director Antoine Fuqua and the producers for sticking to their resolve to set the new “Magnificent Seven” still in the cowboy era, given that the genre is believed to have generally run its course with the movie going public. Also worthy of mention is the decision to cast Denzel Washington as Sam Chisolm, the leader of the seven mercenaries. It isn’t often that we see African-Americans in westerns, much less in the lead, but Washington’s terse, moody persona is perfect for the enigmatic freelance law enforcer. Another contemporary touch is the choice to make the cast of seven gunslingers as inclusive as possible, including a troubled Confederate
veteran (Ethan Hawke as Goodnight Robicheaux), an Asian knife-wielder (Korean superstar Byung-Hun Lee as Billy Rocks), a frontiersman (Vincent D’Onofrio as Jack Horne), a Mexican outlaw (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo as Vasquez), and, most astounding of all, a Native American called Red Harvest (Martin Sensmeier, who is himself an authentic member of an Alaskan tribe). Indeed, the only white man in the bunch is Josh Faraday, a gambler and gunslinger, played by Chris Pratt with loads of charm and panache. I was pleasantly surprised by Fuqua’s decision to keep to a conventional style of filming and storytelling. No hi-jinks or tricks here. Just a straightforward tale now told thrice, keeping true to its origins and lineage. *** A LINGERING memory from childhood is that of a grandmother of mine, who looked so dignified with her erect posture and shock of coifed white hair, conversing with my mother and other relatives while enjoying her cigarillo. If I close my eyes, I can still breathe in the distinct aroma of her thin cigars that evoked spices and exotic lands. The tobacco was rolled in dark paper, which over time lent her teeth and tongue a dark brown tinge.
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Opinion
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
15
PUBLIC LIVES
When two punishers meet By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer WHEN PRESIDENT Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte met Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo at the recent Asean Summit in Laos, they evidently took an instant liking for one another. Sharing a reputation for decisiveness, both basked in the same populist adulation that has become the hallmark of weak democracies. But, more than this, they projected the same tough and uncompromising stance toward drug users and traffickers. Mr. Widodo has consistently turned a deaf ear to international pleas to stop executing drug convicts in his country, including nonIndonesians. He has ignored pleas from foreign governments to suspend scheduled executions pending further review of the cases involving their nationals. Mr. Duterte, on the other hand, has attracted global attention for waging a relentless campaign to kill suspected drug offenders who resist arrest or put up a fight. He has repeatedly pledged to protect police officers who could be criminally charged for carrying out his orders. Both leaders have earned the ire of human rights organizations and advocates. When the two punishers met in
Jakarta again last Sept. 9 on the oc- ceding to the request, the Indonesian Duterte said ‘go ahead’ if [Mary Jane] casion of Mr. Duterte’s oneday work- government indefinitely suspended were to be executed.” When asked ing visit to Indonesia, they could not Mary Jane’s execution while the case the following day to clarify his stateignore the elephant in the room that against her alleged recruiters, Ma. ment, Mr. Widodo emphatically said: loomed before them. This was Mary Cristina Sergio and Julius Lacanilao, “President Duterte said to go ahead and process according to the laws of Jane Veloso, the 32-year-old Filipino was being heard in the Philippines. On this basis, Mary Jane’s name Indonesia. So that means what I said woman who was charged with and convicted of carrying 2.6 kilograms has been excluded from at least three yesterday is already clear.” Indeed, of heroin concealed in her luggage scheduled executions. Her family there are ways of conveying meaning when she arrived at the Yogyakarta fervently hangs on to the hope that without reference to explicit speech. Having expressed his admiraAirport in April 2010. Pleading in- enough evidence proving her innonocence, she said she had come to In- cence will emerge from the ongoing tion for Indonesia’s tough death donesia to work as a domestic helper, hearing of the case against her traf- penalty law, Mr. Duterte admitted that it would have left “a bad taste and had nothing but clothes and per- fickers. in the mouth to be sonal belongings talking about havinside her suitcase ing a strong poswhich, she claimed, I see consistency from Duterte in the battle against drug ture against drugs a friend in Malaysia trafficking. Zero tolerance [ for drug dealers], so he said that he and here you are had lent her. Senrespects the Indonesian legal process. It is obvious. begging for sometenced to die before thing.” However it a firing squad, she may have been exhas languished in an President Duterte said he thought pressed in their conversation, that Indonesian jail for the last six years. The Aquino administration suc- twice about bringing up the topic in sentiment was clearly not lost on Mr. ceeded in delaying Mary Jane’s ex- his one-on-one conversation with Widodo. Feeling affirmed, the latecution, convinced that she had been President Widodo. Apparently, it ter told the press: “I see consistency used as an unwitting drug mule. After stuck to his mind, lurking behind ev- from Duterte in the battle against arresting her alleged recruiters in the ery pause, waiting to be expressed in drug trafficking. Zero tolerance [for drug dealers], so he said that he Philippines, the government invoked words. We can believe Mr. Duterte’s claim respects the Indonesian legal prothe Asean Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT) that obligates signa- that he did not explicitly mention cess. It is obvious.” Did he take Mr. tory nations to accommodate each Mary Jane in his talk with his Indo- Duterte’s silence about the MLAT to other’s legal processes. A court in the nesian counterpart. But that does mean that Indonesia was now free Philippines conveyed its need to hear not mean they did not somehow talk to proceed with its own processes? the testimony of Mary Jane in the about her. Mr. Widodo could not have Probably. But, we don’t know. When a head of state visits ancase filed against her recruiters. Ac- been lying when he said, “President
other, it is usual for them to face the media together after their meeting. They take turns stating what they talked about, and what valuable insights they were taking away from their discussion. It’s fascinating to watch these diplomatic rituals, and observe the way in which language is carefully deployed to communicate sensitive views. Seizing upon what is unsaid in these statements, the media might sometimes ask provocative but necessary questions. There was no such joint summing up after the Indonesia visit. In the remarkable science fiction short story titled “Story of Your Life,” author Ted Chiang tells of the amazing linguist Dr. Louise Banks who is recruited by the US military to decipher the strange language of aliens who have made contact with the earth. With great patience, Dr. Banks manages to grasp the intricacies of a language that “sounded vaguely like that of a wet dog shaking the water out of its fur,” and whose written version yielded “no correspondence between its components and any particular sounds.” She realizes that their writing system is completely independent of their speech. Hearing the President speak and reading his spokesmen’s reports of what he meant, one wonders if human communication is any different.■
LOOKING BACK
Rizal: the boy and the adult By Ambeth R. Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer STUDENTS FORCED by law to read Jose Rizal’s novels develop a warped image of friars from a caricature masterfully painted for us by the propagandists of the late 19th century, namely Rizal, Marcelo H. del Pilar, and Graciano Lopez-Jaena, who are all revered today as national heroes. Textbook editions of the “Noli” rarely provide notes that will help readers distinguish friars from other religious orders. Jesuits, for example, are not friars, like the four mendicant orders of men: Augustinians (including Augustinian Recollects), Carmelites, Dominicans, and Franciscans. Monks are members of a religious community of men, usually of a contemplative or semi-contemplative kind: Benedictines, Cistercians (including Trappists), Carthusians, etc. These fine distinctions between religious not made by the propagandists lead to some confusion in usage and understanding today. When I learned about secularization and Gomburza, “secular” meant a priest who does not follow a Rule (in Latin, Regla), unlike
“regulars” who do. Had I known, I would not have confused regla with a woman’s monthly period, and would not have snickered when I first heard of the venerated image of the Virgen de la Regla of Cebu (Virgin of the Rule). To complicate matters, the word “secular” can also refer to something that is neither religious, regular, nor even remotely ecclesiastical. Going over old notebooks recently, I saw data from 1898 that estimated 1,180 regulars in the Philippines. As many as 439 (depending on the source) were prisoners of the Malolos government; of this number, 25 died in captivity. The 439 priests were barely 5 percent of the total number of Spanish prisoners held by the Aguinaldo government, yet they got a lot of attention. Depending on who was in charge of them, the religious were treated in extremes: either too well, such that some lay prisoners shaved the top of their heads in imitation of a tonsure in order to get better treatment and food, or there were isolated cases of torture, hunger, starvation, and even execution. Race has a lot to do with the way we see friars of the past, with every-
thing rooted in a failed attempt in the 18th century to turn over the Philippine parishes from the Spanish regulars to the hastily ordained Filipino seculars. In revisiting the stereotype image of friars, we must remember that they were almost all Spanish or European. Would the propagandists have been as virulent if these friars were Filipinos? Being patriotic Spaniards, the friars naturally resisted the legitimate call for reforms that, unheeded, led to the Revolution and the Philippines’ eventual separation from Spain. The friars inculcated in Filipinos a devotion not just to the Church but also to Spain. In their zeal they pointed out subversives (real or imagined) to the authorities. Most infamous was the Augustinian Mariano Gil, who snitched on the Katipunan in 1896. It is not surprising then that some friars were present during the interrogation of suspected subversives, and that some took up arms against Filipinos during the Revolution. The friars influenced colonial policy, such that their hand was seen in the appointment of governorsgeneral and other colonial authorities. In the eyes of the propagandists, Spain
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meant both the colonial government and the Church. When thinking of the friars, we should remember that most of the Spaniards in 1898 were concentrated in Manila or Intramuros, and its suburbs. Over three centuries, the friars set up the settlements that became the barrios, towns, cities, and provinces we have today. When we look at Spanish colonial churches, we should ascertain if these were erected on slave or forced labor. How can one friar force a community to build a church? And if the friars were all bad, why were they tolerated for so long? Friars were a necessary evil in the colonial system, and even if church and state did not always see eye to eye, one source sums it up thus: “It is more important for the preservation of the colony to send 200 religious rather than 2,000 bayonets.” Why did some towns protect their parish priests from the excesses of the Revolution? A pro-friar source, Telesforo Canseco, documents the reaction against the expulsion of the friars in San Francisco de Malabon (now General Trias, Cavite) by quoting someone who said: “Cung uma-
lis ang mga pareng Castila, sinong matitirang pari? Ang mga Tagalog? Cung ganoon ang caramihan natin ay maguiguing Judio!”( If the Spanish priests leave, who will be left? The Tagalogs? In that case, many of us will become Jews.) Reflecting on the two statuettes by Rizal—that of the Sacred Heart and that of the corrupt friar—led me to dig up my notes in 1898 as a way to revisit the way friars have been negatively represented in textbooks of Philippine history and literature. K-to-12 reforms require a lot of revision in taught history, and this is not confined to the Marcos period but goes all the way back to the American, Japanese, and Spanish eras— perhaps even to what we know about Philippine prehistory. *** A slip in my last column: I misidentified P. Salvi as a Dominican rather than as a Franciscan like P. Damaso. The Dominican in the novel is P. Sibyla. It puzzles me that Rizal painted the Franciscans as the kontrabida in the “Noli” instead of the Dominicans, against whom his family was embroiled in an agrarian dispute.. ■
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SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY
Canada News Emissions, First Nations and the IMF: three ways politics touched us this week BY HEATHER SCOFFIELD The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Federal politicians were scarce on Parliament Hill this week, taking advantage of the last few days before Parliament returns to kick up their heels and work the barbecue circuit one last time in other parts of the country. The Conservatives decamped to Halifax for a caucus retreat, while the NDP went whitewater rafting on the St. Lawrence before a similar retreat in Montreal. The Liberals rubbed elbows with Bay Street types and some global economy thinkers in Toronto, and then moved on to Montreal to shmooz and brainstorm with other so-called progressives from around the world. Beyond all that socializing, however, divisions deepened over how the country’s economy should be run; the Liberals’ approach to Aboriginal Peoples drew newfound scrutiny; and questions about how to wrestle climate change to the ground intensified. Here’s how federal political developments affected Canadians’ lives this week. The left-wingers of the IMF
IMF managing director Christine Lagarde, popping up in Toronto and then Ottawa this week with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, praised Canada for embracing the IMF’s recipe for economic growth: invest in infrastructure using govern-
reserves — the second such order to comply with a ruling issued by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal last winter. First Nations children on reserve are among the most under-privileged in Canada. Emission omissions
Parliament Hill.
ment borrowing and deficits. Fiscal policy needs to replace monetary policy to give economies a boost, the argument goes, because lowering interest rates doesn’t have the oomph it once did. The Conservatives, however, accused Lagarde of “spouting left-wing ideology” for backing the reckless Trudeau plan of running up deficits in the naive hope the Canadian economy would blossom. Instead, Tories are urging a more constrictive path of constraining deficits and aiming for a balanced budget. What’s not spelled out is how a would-be Conservative government would actually bolster growth. Data released this week showed Canadians are paying the price of monetary pol-
icy gone awry: household debt burdens are the highest ever, and consumer borrowing has driven house prices beyond the reach of many buyers. But economic growth, despite the low interest rates, remains paltry. If not fiscal policy, then what? Strike two
Is the symbiotic relationship between the Trudeau government and First Nations in trouble? Two developments this week point to discord. Trudeau has made much of the need to improve the lot of Aboriginal Peoples, saying repeatedly that the relationship is his top priority. He won accolades by launching an inquiry into murdered and missing aboriginal women, and by allo-
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cating $8 billion in the federal budget, including $635 million over five years for child welfare. But now the Assembly of First Nations’ national chief is speaking out against the government’s decision earlier this summer to pave the way for construction of the huge Site C dam in British Columbia. Perry Bellegarde’s comments — accusing the government of betraying the constitution and a UN agreement to respect First Nations’ rights — preceded protests in Ottawa and Montreal, where the matter is in court. Plus, the country’s human rights tribunal had to issue a notice telling Ottawa it needs to stop discriminating against child welfare services for 163,000 First Nations kids on
China and the United States seized the world by the lapels in August when the world’s two biggest emitters of greenhouse gases announced they were ready to ratify the international Paris climate accord to deal with global warming. Canada, meanwhile, looked on, with Trudeau saying he wasn’t yet ready because he still had to talk to the provinces. But now, sources tell The Canadian Press that Canada wants to quickly ratify the Paris deal too — even though the federal government is not yet close to forging a workable deal with the provinces to meet Canada’s international commitments. The two levels of government have been talking for months, but they can’t quite figure out how to make all their systems mesh, let alone settle on a carbon-pricing scheme that would actually take a big bite out of our emissions without imposing economy-destroying taxes and regulations on consumers and businesses. How Trudeau can ratify Paris and also make good on Canada’s commitments with the provinces at his side may not become clear until later this fall when he meets with the premiers. ■
Canada News
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
17
Former statistics chief questions Liberal promise of more independence THE CANADIAN PRESS
Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Drilling licence proposal for Gulf of St. Lawrence provokes anger BY IAN BICKIS The Canadian Press CALGARY — A regulator’s proposal to give more time to an energy company that wants to drill in the Gulf of St. Lawrence is provoking anger from opponents who say it’s high time the federal government intervene to protect the area. The Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board said Friday it’s proposing to grant Corridor Resources a new four-year exploration licence in an area known as Old Harry. Otherwise, the board said there wouldn’t be enough time to complete consultations and an environmental assessment before its current licence expires Jan. 14. “We’re reeling, absolutely reeling,” said Mary Gorman, co-founder of the Save Our Seas and Shores Coalition, which has been pushing against the Halifax-based company’s drilling plans for the nine years it has had a licence for exploratory drilling in Old Harry. “It’s like ‘Groundhog Day.’ You’re stuck in some kind of time warp that keeps repeating itself.” The Save Our Seas and Shores Coalition and other environmental and First Nation groups have been calling for a moratorium to prevent offshore oil drilling in the Gulf of St. Lawrence over concerns of the potential effects a spill would have on the area’s sensitive ecology. “I would say to the honourable prime minister, ‘Where’s the beef?”‘ Gorman said. “What are you actually doing to protect the East Coast.... You got every seat out of us. Where are you for us now?” Natural Resources Canada spokes-
woman Angela Kokkinos said the government would take into account feedback received through the Canada Gazette process in deciding whether to approve the new licence. “Our Government is committed to restoring public trust in Canada’s environmental assessment process that protects Canada’s rich natural environment, respects the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and supports a resilient and sustainable energy sector,” Kokkinos said in an email. “The Government of Canada recognizes the importance of the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Canadians and we acknowledge that stakeholders have concerns regarding environmental sensitivities.” The petroleum board, which regulates Newfoundland’s offshore oil industry, said its proposal would give it the time needed to conduct a review of drilling in Old Harry. The proposal requires the approval of the provincial and federal governments. Provincial Natural Resources Minister Siobhan Coady said in a statement that the government will take time to consider it. “Our decision will be informed by evidence, including feedback from stakeholders, as well as our social licence,” Coady said. “We support responsible economic development, protection of the environment, and worker health and safety in Newfoundland and Labrador’s offshore.” Corridor Resources did not respond to multiple requests for comment. The federal government has estimated that the Gulf and surrounding areas potentially hold 39-trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 1.5-billion barrels of oil. The Old Harry site is located about 80 kilometres off the southwest tip of Newfoundland. ■
OTTAWA — The country’s former chief statistician is casting doubt on the Liberal government’s promised commitments to Statistics Canada based on its handling of an issue that forced his sudden departure last week. Wayne Smith quit Friday after losing a battle over Statistics Canada’s involvement in a five-year-old — and controversial — central IT department, Shared Services Canada. Smith told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month he would resign if the issue wasn’t resolved to his liking. The government took Smith up on his offer, staying silent until last week when he received a letter from the clerk of the Privy Council, the highest-ranking official in the federal civil service, that accepted his resignation. He also received a letter from Trudeau himself that said little about the IT dispute — only that the government was
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committed to giving Statistics Canada its independence, Smith said. The controversy has Smith wondering whether the Liberals will follow through on a campaign pledge to give Statistics Canada greater freedom from political intervention. He also questioned why the Liberals chose his successor — the government says Anil Arora will be in the position on an interim basis — after they argued two years ago for an outside body to recommend a nominee for chief statistician. “Given the Shared Services Canada issue and given their method of appointment of my successor, I’m more than a bit concerned about just how sincere this commitment is.” The issue of independence comes down to the credibility of Statistics Canada and the information it provides to voters and governments, Smith said. “When we publish data, people have to believe it and they won’t believe it if ❱❱ PAGE 18 Former statistics
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Canada News
SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY
CPP reform... trying to sell the CPP curity for Canadians and do it proposal amid con- in a way that’s going to enhance cerns about its impact our economy over the long on the already weak economy. term,” Morneau told reporters For reform to proceed, how- after his testimony. ever, Ottawa still needs a signa“We know that Canadians ture from either British Colum- who feel more secure — bebia or Quebec. cause they have a better retireOn Monday, the Finance De- ment situation — are going to partment predicted the chang- be better able to be active pares would have a temporary im- ticipants in our economy.” pact on jobs — lowering current Interim Conservative leader employment-growth projec- Rona Ambrose described CPP tions by up to 0.07 per cent be- expansion Monday as a “tax tween 2019 and 2025. hike” that will cost families It also expects the adjust- thousands of dollars. ments to trim the forecast for “We all know tax hikes do Canada’s real gross domestic not create jobs, tax hikes do not product — a measure of eco- spur on the economy,” Ambrose nomic growth — by up to 0.05 said. per cent over the same period. “Now we know it will also reBut beyond 2025, the govern- sult in job losses.” ment said the pension changes Morneau has pushed hard to would help the economy, lifting GDP growth by up to 0.09 per cent and boostWe’re focused on how we can improve the retirement security ing employment Canadians... by 0.06 per cent. The new projections were released ahead of Finance Minister Bill Mor- change the CPP, but the expanneau’s appearance before the sion is not yet a lock as Ottawa House of Commons finance waits for B.C., or possibly even committee, where he was asked Quebec, to support the deal. to address concerns that enInitially, every province exhancing public pensions could cept Quebec backed the agreefurther damage the struggling ment in principle and agreed to economy. ratify it by a July 15 deadline. “We’re focused on how we B.C. later declined to finalize can improve the retirement se- the deal by that date, saying it ❰❰ 1
needed more time to explain it to the public and to seek feedback. A deal to reform the CPP needs the signatures of a minimum of seven provinces representing at least two-thirds of Canada’s population. The federal Liberals expect B.C. to back the plan and they intend to table CPP legislation this fall. Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa, perhaps the strongest provincial supporter of an expanded CPP, said in an interview Monday that he’s “very confident” the deal will move forward. “I don’t think they’re holding out,” Sousa said when asked if B.C. might have delayed the process as a negotiation tactic. “I think they just want to make certain that as they move into the next for general election that they’ve done their due diligence to reaffirm with the public and with businesses that they’re working together for their benefit, too.” Business owners, who would have to boost contributions for their workers under CPP expansion, are among those who are concerned. Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Inde-
pendent Business, said Monday that some employers have warned that the CPP changes would likely force them to eliminate jobs. “At a time when the economy is as shaky as it is, it just seems very risky to be embarking upon this path,” Kelly said in an interview. “That seems to be the opposite of what we need in the short term.” The federal Finance Department estimates that 1.1 million families — or about a quarter of Canadian families _are not saving enough for retirement. Under the proposal, contributions to the CPP by employees and employers would gradually increase over seven years starting in 2019. Once the changes are fully implemented in 2025, Canadians would pay between $9 and $42 more into the plan every two weeks. The CPP changes would
eventually provide future retirees with one-third of their average annual incomes, up from one-quarter. They would also increase the maximum amount of income subject to CPP by 14 per cent, to $82,700. The reform would also provide a tax deduction — instead of a tax credit — on the increased contributions by employees. The federal government expects that adjustment to reduce government revenues by about $710 million by 202122. The changes would also cost about $260 million a year from the public treasury to help offset the additional financial burden that expansion would eventually place on low-income earners. Ottawa would enhance its refundable working income tax benefit to help compensate eligible low-wage earners for the higher pension contributions. ■
needs. He said there were no operational and capacity issues when he met Smith in April. The IT agency is in the middle of expanding computing capacity for the national statistics office, he added. Parker also said the government will know next year when it will realize the savings promised to taxpayers by creating Shared Services Canada following a review of its plan to modernize federal digital infrastructure. The long-term plan doesn’t envision anyone opting out of the shared IT arrangement, he told a briefing in Ottawa. Public Services Minister Judy Foote, who is responsible for Shared Services Canada, said she didn’t see a need for the agency to be exempt from
the IT arrangement. Nor did she see the Statistics Canada’s independence compromised. “The key here is to make sure (IT work) gets done and it gets done right. And if we can do that as enterprise-wide solution, why not do it as an enterprise-wide solution?” she said. Smith said federal officials told him the centralized IT program could crumble if Statistics Canada left because it would embolden other frustrated departments to demand independence, too. “There never has been a substantive discussion about whether the points I’m raising are valid or not valid,” he said. “It has really been about the consequences for Shared Services Canada if Statistics Canada was pulled out of that arrangement.”
Smith said the statistics office’s data centre in Ottawa has experienced numerous outages because Shared Services Canada has not invested in infrastructure. A new system to disseminate findings from the 2016 census fell so far behind schedule that Statistics Canada had to come up with a workaround for the upcoming releases, he noted. Parker said Shared Services Canada had servers in Gatineau, Que., ready to handle that system, but Statistics Canada raised concerns about security and reliability. The servers should be in place and the system operational by the end of the year. ■
Former statistics... external forces are able to influence or prevent Statistics Canada from carrying out its mission.” The Liberals are expected to table changes to the Statistics Act in the coming weeks that would address the independence promise they made during the election. The agency has been pushing for a political firewall to prevent governments from making changes like the previous government did when it made the long-form census a voluntary survey, raising concerns about data quality that governments and business rely on. Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains, who is responsible for Statistics Canada, said the government plans to strengthen the agency’s independence. He ❰❰ 17
said he was confident Shared Services Canada and the statistics office would come up with a solution to the IT concerns. “Shared Services Canada and Statistics Canada are working on that solution, but for us as a government we’re saying we want to strengthen the independence of StatsCan,” Bains said in Vancouver. Shared Services Canada has come under persistent fire from departments frustrated with having to cede control of their systems to the central IT agency and complaining about delays in projects and a lack of understanding of individual department’s digital needs. Shared Services head Ron Parker defended his agency’s work, saying it had worked hard to meet Statistics Canada’s IT
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With files from Laura Kane and Joan Bryden
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
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World News
SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY
After latest attacks, Americans Clinton says Trump plod forward in ‘new normal’ gives ‘aid, comfort’ to ISIS recruiters BY MATT SEDENSKY The Associated Press
NEW YORK — After a round of frightening domestic attacks, Americans plodded on in the comfort of routine Monday, either resilient in the face of terror or numbed by their battle scars. Fresh off a weekend in which blasts shook a New York neighbourhood and a New Jersey shore town, pipe bombs were found in a suburban railroad station and a Minnesota mall became the scene of a string of stabbings, the country started the week wondering whether it was all part of a new normal. “I think that this is part of life now,” said Craig Filiberto, a 56-year-old accountant enjoying a pack of peanut M&Ms across from Penn Station in New York, where police and military vehicles were parked outside and officers stood guard. He had an office with a view of the World Trade Center when it was levelled and finds himself more conscious of where exits are wherever he goes. But the latest attacks didn’t make him fearful, because it just seems a part of life here. “You know that we’re always a target,” he said. On the other end of an outdoor plaza, 25-year-old Susan Rosello said she always feels a bit more on edge in midtown Manhattan versus her home in the Bronx. She has made minor adjustments to be sure she’s aware of her surroundings, like lowering the music on her headphones. Still, events like the explosion Saturday that hurt 29 people make her feel somewhat uneasy but not scared, said the administrative assistant and costume designer. “When you’re inundated with this stuff all the time, you’re sort of just desensitized to these things,” she said. “Otherwise, you’d hide in a hole.” And so, life went on in this city and around the country. On an Amtrak train stalled for hours in New Jersey on Sunday night as police investigated five explosive devices in a train station garbage can, passengers stayed calm as they read news
BY CATHERINE LUCEY AND JILL COLVIN The Associated Press
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of the developments. Around New York early Monday, cellphones buzzed with an emergency alert to be on the lookout for a suspect, even as commuters emerged from subway tunnels with potential targets like the Freedom Tower looming against cloudy skies. President Barack Obama urged vigilance while insisting people shouldn’t succumb to fear. “If it’s going to happen, it’s going to happen,” said Mike Mastrangelo, who was awaiting a train to New York from Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, on Monday. Although it’s clear the drumbeat of scary headlines has gotten people’s attention, it’s too soon to assess whether they are simply numb to it all or stricken with fear, said Charles Figley, who heads Tulane University’s Traumatology Institute and is a founding editor of the Journal of Traumatic Stress. “All these events send them such an overwhelming amount of data that they just want to duck their head,” he said. “We’re primed for it, but we’re also adapting to it.” Sometimes, Figley said, these events can produce more anxiety among those farther removed from them. Those close to the action have a clearer sense of what happened. Those who aren’t sometimes associate one traumatic event with another in their own life. The result can ripple across the country. “The country is throbbing with anxiety,” he said.
In Boston, where bombings at the city’s marathon three years ago left three dead and scores injured, Mary Ellen Monico’s first reaction when she heard of the explosion was: “Here we go again.” On the day of the Boston Marathon bombing, Monico’s daughter had attended a Red Sox game in Boston and planned to watch runners cross the finish line. Two bombs went off before she could get there and it was 30 minutes before a worried Monico learned her daughter was safe. Years earlier, Monico, 69, a retired preschool teacher from Meredith, New Hampshire, had a student whose father was killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Still, she refuses to consider terror attacks part of everyday life. Waiting at South Station to pick up friends, she said she feels uncomfortable in large crowds and is sure to look for exits. She maintains a sense of normalcy, though, and hopes her grandchildren won’t live in a world as chaotic as this. “I don’t want to accept it as part of my life,” she said. Outside, on a platform awaiting a commuter train, Erin Murphy a 49-year-old accountant and data analyst from Marshfield, Massachusetts, said though life goes on as usual after terror attacks, she thinks that, taken together, they have an impact. The sense of safety she felt as a child has disappeared, and a new feeling of awareness has emerged. ❱❱ PAGE 23 After latest
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ESTERO, FLA. — Hillary Clinton is accusing Donald Trump of giving “aid and comfort” to Islamic terrorists, declaring his anti-Muslim rhetoric helps the Islamic State group and other militants recruit new fighters. Trump is insisting the U.S. should “use whatever lawful methods are available” to get information from the Afghan immigrant arrested in this weekend’s bombings. As Trump supporters at a packed rally in Florida shouted “Hang him!” the Republican presidential candidate mocked the fact that Ahmad Khan Rahami, a 28-year-old U.S. citizen originally from Afghanistan, would receive quality medical care and legal representation. “We must deliver a just and very harsh punishment to these people,” he said. “These are enemies, these are combatants and we have to be tough, we have to be strong.” Both candidates moved swiftly to capitalize on investigations into a weekend of violent attacks — bombings in New York and New Jersey and stabbings at a Minnesota mall — casting themselves as most qualified to combat terrorism at home and abroad. Clinton touted her national security credentials at a hastily arranged news conference outside her campaign plane, accusing Trump of using the incidents to make “some kind of demagogic point.” Clinton and her team see her experience and what they say is her steady judgment as key selling points for her candidacy. On the campaign trail, she frequently invokes her role in the 2011 raid that killed Osama bin Laden, describing to voters the tense atmosphere in the White House alongside President Barack Obama at that moment. But while much of the foreign policy establishment has rallied around Clinton, Trump’s antiimmigrant rhetoric, promises
to close U.S. borders and vows to aggressively profile potential terrorists have fueled his presidential bid. On Monday, he called for tougher policing, including profiling foreigners who look like they could have connections to terrorism or certain Middle Eastern nations. “This isn’t just a matter of terrorism, this is also really a question of quality of life,” he said. “We want to make sure we’re only admitting people into our country who love our country.” Pointing to her Monday morning comment that Trump’s words give “aid and comfort” to Islamic extremists, his campaign said Clinton was accusing him of treason, going beyond the bounds of acceptable campaigning and trying to change the subject from her own failures. She insinuated that Islamic militants, particularly those affiliated with ISIS, are rooting for Trump to win the White House. She said, “We’re going after the bad guys and we’re going to get them, but we’re not going to go after an entire religion.” Trump agreed terrorists have a preference: They “want her so badly to be our president.” Clinton met late Monday with the leaders of Egypt, Ukraine and Japan in New York City, where they gathered for the United Nations General Assembly. Trump met with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. Trump has tried to appear more statesmanlike as the November election approaches. Still, he suggested it’s fine if some world leaders feel uneasy about him. “Well, maybe that’s a good thing, not a bad thing. Right now the world has no respect for our country, they have no respect for our president, whatsoever,” he said in an interview on Fox News. ■ Associated Press writers Lisa Lerer in Washington and Bill Barrow in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
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World News
SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY
In Zimbabwe, comedy thrives as country slowly falls apart BY MATT SEDENSKY The Associated Press HARARE, ZIMBABWE — Zimbabwe’s economy is falling apart, and police are cracking down on growing anti-government protests. But the country’s comedy scene is booming. No subject seems taboo. Even 92-year-old President Robert Mugabe, widely accused of muzzling free speech, is a target. Insulting the president can bring a one-year jail term in this southern African country. Nonetheless, the comedians carry on, becoming bolder as fears of speaking out begin to erode. In one skit at a show on Thursday called State of the Nation, an actor playing the first lady, 51-year-old Grace Mugabe, lays her stake to the presidency on hearing the news of the “death” of her husband, theworld’s oldest head of state. “I deserve it. Were any of you cleaning his nappy and wiping the spit off his chin?” she says. She also talks up her own chances of winning elections. “We have always won, even when I was pushing the old man in a wheelbarrow,” she says, a reference to the real first lady’s
comment at a political rally last year: “I will push President Mugabe in the wheelbarrow to bring him to work.” Near the end, a fake Mugabe emerges, struggling to walk while scoffing at rumours of his demise. Some in the audience laugh. Others gasp. The real president has joked at the persistent rumours, telling reporters earlier this month: “It is true that I was dead. And I resurrected. As I always do.” The comedy show played to a packed audience in the capital, Harare. State of the Nation will be a fortnightly show streaming live on internet, said organizer Davis Guzha, director of Rooftop Promotions. “Comedy allows us to laugh but also to think about our problems at the same time,” said Sam Monro, or Comrade Fatso, a stand-up comedian who runs Zambezi News, a satirical social media show on current affairs. In everyday life, the state of this once-prosperous country’s economy and politics is hardly a laughing matter. Government has failed to pay its close to 300,000 workers, including the military, on time since June. Industries are closing down, worsening unemployment
where more than two-thirds of the population of 13 million survive on informal work, according to the African Development Bank. People line up for hours at banks to access their money as currency woes deepen. The speculation over the health of Mugabe, this country’s only leader since independence from white minority rule in 1980, has only heightened the uncertainty. Near daily anti-government protests are often met with brute force by police. Yet amid their troubles, Zimbabweans are still laughing at life and at themselves. While comedy shows attract an upper-class crowd, ordinary people flood social media with jokes, images and video selfies poking fun at the growing problems. “It has allowed Zimbabweans to deal with a lot of taboo issues,” Comrade Fatso told The Associated Press at his offices at Moto Republic, a structure of former shipping containers that houses dozens of artists. But the politically charged material comes with risk. A local actor, Silvanos Mudzvova, was arrested in April for trying to stage a play scripted on Mugabe’s statement that at
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least $15 billion had been looted from a diamond-rich region by joint-venture companies mining there. On Thursday, Mudzvova spoke to the AP from a hospital bed in Harare. “I was tortured,” he said. “Six men took me from my home on Tuesday night. They threatened to shoot my family before taking me away.” The actor, who is also an activist, said he was given electric shocks by men who demanded information on his activities. Others have been brought to court on insult charges for making and circulating jokes about the president. Still, comedy shows have become a staple in the capital. The Shoko Festival for comedy and music is set for later this
month. “We are using comedy as a tool not just to inform but as information for action, using comedy to encourage young people to be active and to be part of movements that are changing our country for the better,” Comrade Fatso said. One of the growing number of young stand-up comedians is Nqobizitha Dube, or Q Boss, who last month took aim at VicePresident Phelekezela Mphoko’s 19-month-stay in a $400-a-night hotel suite amid Zimbabwe’s widespread poverty. “Everybody please clap your hands. We want to thank the VP for allowing us to use his living room for the night,” the comic said, to raptures of laughter, while opening his act in one of the hotel’s auditoriums. ■
UN suspends all convoys in Syria after attack on aid trucks BY BASSEM MROUE AND JAMEY KEATEN The Associated Press BEIRUT — The U.N. humanitarian aid agency suspended all convoys in Syria on Tuesday following deadly airstrikes on aid trucks the previous night that activists said killed at least 12 people, mostly truck drivers and Red Crescent workers. The attack plunged Syria’s U.S.-Russia-brokered ceasefire further into doubt. The Syrian military, just hours earlier, had declared the week-long truce had failed. The United States said it was prepared to extend the truce deal and Russia — after blaming rebels for the violations — suggested it could still be salvaged.
It was not clear who was beIn Geneva, spokesman Jens Laerke of OCHA said further hind the attack late on Monday, aid delivery would hold pend- which sent a red fireball into ing a review of the security the sky in the dead of night over situation in Syria in the after- a rural area in Aleppo province. math of the airstrike. Laerke Both Syrian and Russian aircalled it “a very, very dark day... craft operate over Syria, as well for humanitarians across the world.” The U.N. aid co-ordinator [A] very, very dark day... for humanitarians across the world. said the Syria government had granted needed authorizations in recent days to allow for aid convoys to proceed as the U.S.-led coalition that inside Syria. Humanitarian is targeting the Islamic State U.N. aid deliveries had stalled group. in recent weeks amid continRami Abdurrahman of the ued fighting, and the truce had Britain-based Syrian Observanot paved the way for expanded tory for Human Rights, which tracks the civil war, and Alepconvoys as initially expected. www.canadianinquirer.net
po-based activist Bahaa al-Halaby both said the attack killed 12 people. Among the victims was Omar Barakat who headed the Red Crescent in the town where the attack occurred, they said. The Syrian Civil Defence, the volunteer first responder group also known as the White Helmets, confirmed that casualty figure. The convoy, part of a routine interagency dispatch operated by the Syrian Red Crescent, was hit in rural western Aleppo province. The White Helmets first responder group posted images of a number of vehicles on fire and a video of the attack
showed huge balls of fire in a pitch black area, as ambulances arrive on the scene. U.N. officials said the U.N. and Red Crescent convoy was delivering assistance for 78,000 people in the town of Uram alKubra, west of the city of Aleppo. Initial estimates indicate that about 18 of the 31 trucks in the convoy were hit, as well as the Red Crescent warehouse in the area. When asked who was behind the airstrikes, Abdurrahman said Syrian President Bashar Assad’s “regime does not have the capabilities to carry out such airstrikes within two hours.” He said the airstrikes on Aleppo province, including the ones that hit the convoy, were ❱❱ PAGE 30 UN suspends
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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
Int’l action disrupting drug smuggling chains: Kiwi Customs Minister PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY
(USD149.39 million) of potential social and economic harm to New Zealand was prevented from reaching New Zealand.” The New Zealand Customs service worked with Customs and law enforcement agencies around the world to identify drug smuggling activity and
a difference in tackling the flow of illicit drugs,” said Wagner. “Information gathered from offshore seizures is used to update Customs’ information, so WELLINGTON — Authoriit can better target illicit drug ties overseas have helped stop smuggling at the New Zealand illegal drugs worth hundreds border.” of millions of dollars from enIn the 2015-2016 finantering New Zealand, Customs cial year, more Minister Nicky than 875 milWagner said lion NZ dollars Tuesday. (USD640.79 “The offshore million) in poseizures were Over 204 million NZ dollars of potential social and economic harm tential harm was mainly of methto New Zealand was prevented from avoided by interamphetamine, reaching New Zealand. ceptions of illicit at 190 mildrugs at the borlion NZ dollars der. (USD139.14 milCombined lion) potential harm,” Wagner said in a state- trends early to disrupt the sup- with the estimated value of the potential harm prevented by ply chain. ment. “These seizures show inter- seizures of drugs destined for “However, the meth precursor ephedrine, cocaine, ‘date national partnerships to dis- New Zealand by offshore partrape drug’ GBL, and ‘angel dust’ rupt and dismantle overseas ners, more than 1 billion NZ or PCP were also intercepted,” syndicates involved in the ex- dollars (USD732.33 million) in she said. port of meth and precursors, potential social and economic “Over 204 million NZ dollars or any other drugs, are making harm had been avoided. ■
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After latest... “The new normal is not appealing,” she said. In Orlando, Florida, where an attack at a gay nightclub earlier this summer left 49 dead, Maureen Brown said the shooting had already made her wary of being in big crowds. Now, she’s thinking twice about her annual trip to New York with her husband to see some shows and dine out at great restaurants. “It’s getting pretty scary as to whether or not we want to continue doing that,” she said. In St. Cloud, Minnesota, where a Saturday attack at Crossroads Center Mall left nine people recovering from stab wounds and authorities investigating the attacker’s possible ties to the Islamic State group, a reinforced staff of private security guards maintained a notable presence, with walkie-talkies and handcuffs hanging from their belts. Jaci Schindler, 53, of Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, had qualms about coming to the mall Monday but needed a new pair of ❰❰ 20
shoes for a trip. She had her husband drop her off at J.C. Penney and planned to leave as soon as possible. She never expected to hear of such violence so close to home. “It’s scary,” she said. “I just wanted to get the shoes and go.” Sitting in the food court with her husband, 51-year-old Jodi Gilbertson, of East Bethel, Minnesota, marveled at the mall’s emptiness. Though the attacks were never far from her mind, she said she had no trepidation about going to the mall. Already, she said, terrorist threats have shifted what people view as normal when they go to concerts and sporting events. Maybe, her husband, Corey Gilbertson, thought, metal detectors might be part of a new normal at shopping malls too. ■ Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Wayne Parry in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey; Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida; Steve Karnowski in St. Cloud, Minnesota; and Denise Lavoie in Boston.
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SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY
Entertainment James talks about his first love BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer FOR JAMES Reid, writing songs and performing them to an audience is more challenging than acting. “In acting, you follow someone else’s script. When you make your own songs, it’s your own script and you get judged by it,” he said. At his recent launch as endorser of Manulife Insurance’s “Start Your Story” campaign, James performed the acoustic version of three of 11 selfpenned R&B/hiphop tunes in his coming album. “It’s different when you’re performing your own songs. It requires a different level of openness. Tonight is all about putting myself out there. It used to be something that I was afraid to do,” he said. “Music is my first love,” he stressed. “I wasn’t interested in acting in the beginning, but it definitely helped me get to where I amtoday.” “Music is my true passion,” he added. “Not many people know I write songs. I write about different things, mainly love. It’s easy to tell where I get the inspiration from, but I also write about simple things, like wanting to get away and take a break from work, or experiences of friends that I can relate to.” Asked about his relationship with girlfriend Nadine Lustre, the actor said: “We are better than ever. We’re at our happiest at this point.”
At the same event, James also denied rumors that his new ABSCBN program with Nadine, “Till I Met You,” would be canceled soon because of poor ratings. Contrary to the rumor, James said the feedback he has been getting was that “the audience has accepted the subject (LGBT issue), which is delicate and daring. They’re handling it well.” He was referring to Ali admitting he is gay and in love with Basti. As for his advice to younger sister Lauren, who had been tagged as the cause of the marriage breakup of celebrity couple Gab Valenciano and Tricia Centenera, he said: “There will always be bashers; just don’t mind what they say.” “As long as you know you’re doing the right thing, what these bashers say shouldn’t affect you,” added James, recalling his conversation with Lauren. Lauren has since denied being involved with Gab. James defended his sister by saying: “What really happened was that they just met—and that’s it.” James said he was pleased that people eagerly welcomed Lauren when she decided to join show business early this year. “It makes me proud that she is doing well. She has a lot of magazine covers. Our little brother Jack is undergoing workshops,” he shared with the INQUIRER. “They know that I’m working hard because of them and the whole family. They sort of want to return the favor.” ■
Cesar Montano stresses no gov’t position offer from Duterte camp BY JANE MORALEDA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA — Actor-director Cesar Montano clarified rumors that he was offered to head either the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) or the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). According to speculations, the public positions were offered by President Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte to Montano who was a staunch supporter of the current administration. “Narinig ko nga ‘yan (tsismis). Pero wala, hindi (totoo) (I heard about it. But there’s no truth to it),” the 54-year-old actor-director said in an interview at a press launch. Montano, who actively campaigned for Duterte in the 2016 presidential elections, asserted that he never expected anything in return for his support. “Ang sa akin lang naman ay suporta dahil naniwala ako sa kanya… Hanggang ngayon naman naniniwala pa rin ako sa kanya ke may posisyon na ialok
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o wala,” he added. (I supported him because I believed in him… Until now, I still believe in him even with or without a position offered.) Montano, however, admitted that he would not think twice on accepting a government position if any was indeed offered to him. “Kung ano man ang dumating, kung ano ang ibibigay sa akin ng Presidente, tatanggapin
ko nang maligaya. It would be an honor and joy to me kung meron man. Kung wala, okay lang din… I’m willing to help the President,” he said. (Whatever comes, whatever will be offered to me by the President, I will gladly accept it. It would be an honor and joy to me if there was indeed a government post for me. But if there is none, it’s okay… I’m willing to help the President.)
meeting, “we always got texts saying ‘we need your support,’ which was forwarded to all of us. ‘We need your help for expenses in DOJ,’” he said.
thing in the air.” Magleo insinuated that De Lima’s relationship with Sebastian was also out of the ordinary. “He could invite De Lima to his ‘kubol’ (hut). For me, it’s something abnormal, and I could sense something. De Lima would enter Sebastian’s hut in the afternoon, and there would only be the two of them for two to three hours. The bodyguards were left outside,” he said. The hearing adjourned after nearly 11 hours. It will resume today at 9:30 a.m. ■
Cons pin... caught in TV cameras crunching potato chips or fiddling with their cell phones. Magleo said he and three other inmate leaders first met De Lima and her former driver and purported lover, Ronnie Dayan, in mid-2011. He said he connected with Dayan, who also hailed from Pangasinan. He said Dayan told him to help maintain peace and order in the maximum security compound, and later exchanged phone numbers with him. “After that, only Ronnie Dayan and I communicated by cell phone,” Magleo said. Two weeks after that first ❰❰ 13
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Something abnormal
Magleo said he and a partner were given a quota of delivering P50,000 per week to Dayan, but he could only produce P3,000 to P5,000, not even reaching 10,000. “We were then removed from our position as inmate leaders,” Magleo said. Asked what he thought of De Lima and Dayan’s relationship, Magleo said: “I didn’t see anything, but I could read between the lines. I could sense some-
With reports from Vince F. Nonato and Leila B. Salaverria
Entertainment
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
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Canadian actors thrilled by Tatiana Maslany’s Emmy win BY VICTORIA AHEARN The Canadian Press TORONTO — Tatiana Maslany’s Canadian peers are celebrating her Emmy win for “Orphan Black” as a victory for the country’s acting industry as a whole. “I think people in our industry, we can be a bit cynical about awards and we can be dismissive about these kinds of things, but there’s no doubt that this is huge,” “Republic of Doyle” star Allan Hawco said by phone from St. John’s on Monday, a day after the Regina native won the Emmy for best actress in a drama. “They’re the capital of the industry in many ways, globally, and those awards are certainly an extremely competitive contest. And for her to just come out victorious, it really reflects the strength of that show, the strength in the writing, the strength in the concept and her performance.” Ferne Downey, national president of the Canadian performers’ union ACTRA, issued a statement calling Maslany’s win “a phenomenal achievement for a phenomenal actor.” “‘Orphan Black’ is an entirely Canadian success story and we should celebrate that,” said Downey.
“When people say we need to import talent to succeed, Tatiana’s win is proof that the talent is here. We are competing in international arenas and being recognized worldwide.” It was the second year in a row that Maslany was nominated for an Emmy for her multiple roles in the sci-fi thriller, about different sets of clones and the shadowy organization behind them. According to Space, which airs the Toronto-shot “Orphan Black” in Canada, Maslany’s win represents the first time a Canadian actor on a Canadian show has received an Emmy for acting in a dramatic series. The 30-year-old had stiff competition in her category: Taraji P. Henson for “Empire,” Claire Danes for “Homeland,” Robin Wright for “House of Cards,” Viola Davis for “How to Get Away with Murder,” and Keri Russell for “The Americans.” “I feel so lucky to be on a show that puts women at the centre,” Maslany said during her acceptance speech, after receiving her trophy from fellow Canadian Kiefer Sutherland. “Orphan Black” co-creator John Fawcett wasn’t at the show because he’s preparing to direct the first two episodes of the series’ upcoming final season. But he spoke with “Orphan Black” cast member Kristian
Bruun who was there. “Kristian basically told me when Tat won, they all went nuts in the audience, up on their feet and cheering like a bunch of out-of-towners and kind of made a big scene at the Emmys,” Fawcett said. “I’ve had a lot of belief in her from the beginning and I’m really, really proud of her, I’m really excited for her and for where this sends her career next,” added Fawcett. “We’re a smaller show and it’s really incredible it’s happened at the end of season 4. I just see it as this really amazing thing that is going to bring hopefully a lot of new viewers to our final season and discovering ‘Orphan Black’ before ‘Orphan Black’ is
over.” Twitter was teeming with laudatory messages for Maslany, who was also trending on the social media network on Monday morning. Everyone from famed “Hamilton” playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda to Oscar winner Brie Larson and pop duo Tegan and Sara tweeted congratulations. Carolle Brabant, executive director of Telefilm Canada, said Maslany’s recognition just proves the industry here is thriving. “Tatiana was also in a film that was selected in Cannes this year, ‘Two Lovers and a Bear,’ and all these elements are just an indication of what we know at Telefilm: that we have a lot
of talented people, a lot of talented writers, directors and that when they work together, the success is there and that’s showcasing that.” Hawco said “it certainly isn’t bad” for Canadian actors that Maslany “is taking the world by storm,” but added that “her work speaks for itself.” “It truly is a testament to the work that they do on that show and its originality, the concept, the fact that she’s a female actor who has full control of it in terms of the characters that are on the series,’ he said. “She has a unique opportunity, but she’s got the stuff to make it work. It’s not something everybody can do, what she’s doing on that show.” ■
Jim Carrey calls lawsuit over ex’s death ‘heartless’ BY ANTHONY MCCARTNEY The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Jim Carrey says a wrongful death lawsuit filed by the estranged husband of his ex-girlfriend is a heartless attempt to exploit him and vowed to fight the case. Mark Burton of Portland sued Carrey in Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, accusing the actor of providing the prescription drugs his wife Cathriona White used to overdose in September 2015. The wrongful death lawsuit contends Carrey improperly obtained prescriptions for Ambien and the powerful opioid oxycodone under
the alias Arthur King. The suit accuses Carrey of giving White the medications days before she was found dead in one of Carrey’s homes. White and Carrey dated in 2012 and were photographed together in May 2015. “What a terrible shame,” Carrey wrote in a statement. “It would be easy for me to get in a back room with this man’s lawyer and make this go away, but there are some moments in life when you have to stand up and defend your honour against the evil in this world. “I will not tolerate this heartless attempt to exploit me or the woman I loved,” Carrey wrote. “I really hope that some
day soon people will stop trying to profit from this and let her rest in peace.” Carrey is known for such movies as “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” “The Truman Show,” and “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.” Coroner’s officials ruled the 30-year-old makeup artist’s death a suicide. Burton and White married in 2013. A coroner’s official told reporters that the pair were separated and planned to divorce, however Burton’s attorney Michael Avenatti declined to characterize their relationship beyond saying they were legally married at the time of White’s death. Carrey’s attorney Marty www.canadianinquirer.net
Singer wrote in a statement that White and Burton never lived together. The lawsuit accuses Carrey of violating a section of California’s Health and Safety Code against the use of aliases to obtain prescription medications. “White’s death was tragic and easily avoidable,” the lawsuit states. Carrey’s prescriptions were legally obtained and his doctor and insurers were aware of his alias use, Singer wrote. He said many actors use aliases for prescriptions to protect their privacy. The issue of prescriptions issued to a celebrity under aliases because an issue when Los An-
geles prosecutors attempted unsuccessfully to obtain felony convictions against two of Anna Nicole Smith’s doctors and her lawyer-boyfriend over prescription drugs she obtained before her accidental overdose in 2007. Defence lawyers contended the aliases were used to protect Smith’s privacy, and last year a judge who dismissed the final felony counts against Smith’s confidante Howard K. Stern said it was a common practice. “Everyone did it,” Judge Robert J. Perry said in July 2015. “Everyone did it to protect her privacy from the prying eyes of the ever-present press representatives in Ms. Smith’s life.” ■
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SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY
Lifestyle Vancouver Fashion Week looks to the future BY CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI The Canadian Press TORONTO — Vancouver Fashion Week is generally regarded as a showcase for emerging talent to show their wares. And that’s what makes it a prime place for rookie artists to push the boundaries of how clothes are made, sold, and — most importantly — tailored to today’s discerning public, says festival founder and producer Jamal Abdourahman. He and other fashion folks mused on the various ways this digital era, increasing competition, and broader debates about cultural diversity are spurring industry experiments to suss out what, exactly, the discerning shopper wants. The weeklong Vancouver bash kicks off Monday. Here’s a look at some notable ways the rarefied fashion industry seems to be reaching out to the average woman: See now, buy now
Perhaps the buzziest of the buzzy trends, expect to see some young Canuck designers at Vancouver Fashion Week experiment with this budding movement, says Abdourahman. Essentially the premise is exactly as it sounds — designs will be available for sale the moment the models step off the runway, not some five or six months down the line, as is traditional. Style icon Tom Ford emerged as a see-now-buy-now poster boy last week when he revealed his fall/winter collection. “Our sales have jumped tremendously at all of our stores and online,” Ford said as proof
SERGEI BACHLAKOV / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
the concept works, while attending the recent Toronto International Film Festival with his sophomore directorial effort “Nocturnal Animals.” Burberry and Tommy Hilfiger have flirted with the concept, and a handful of designers bound for Vancouver are expected to drive the trend home even further, says Abdourahman. “We’re pushing for that,” says Abdourahman. “It works for young designers, it’s great news for young designers.” And great for consumers, adds Ford. “Why would you want to see something and wait five months? It’s an antiquated idea,” says Ford, noting social media and e-commerce have changed the rules. “You can go online and design your own Nike shoes and have
them tomorrow. You can go on (the online luxury retailer) NetA-Porter and buy something and if you live in New York or L.A., it’ll be delivered that afternoon. So long lead, what is that? It doesn’t make sense.”
currently in the final year of George Brown College’s fashion program, who is one of several designers with combined or unisex lines at the show. “Anything beyond the industry standard size makes me really excited.”
A diverse runway
Toronto-based designer Lesley Hampton heads to Vancouver intent on staging a combined men’s/women’s and plus-size show. She’s also looking into getting an amputee model. The idea of dividing lines by gender and body shape is another outdated notion to the 22-year-old, largely self-taught Toronto designer. “I really enjoy having a diverse runway, just showing, I guess a good representation of society,” says Hampton,
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Why show at all?
The hole left by Toronto Fashion Week would seem to open up an opportunity for Vancouver’s version to fill the gap. But given its tilt towards more independent, smaller designers, it was not a good fit for the 40-year-old Picadilly brand, which says it turned down an invitation in favour of holding a runway show at a buyers’ market in Dallas. The family-run company is betting that a smaller show in a more targeted venue will yield
bigger sales than a big fashion week. “All the other labels that we know that were part of Toronto Fashion Week are doing their own (shows) offsite, you know — little runways or (events) in private estates,” says president Neil Dombrovsky. “And they’re just doing video and getting some Instagram PR stuff out of that and trying to promote their line through their own avenues.” Why rely on bloggers when the designers can reach out directly to the consumer, he says. “These days you’re looking to get immediate results, you’re looking to get immediate sales and with social media the way it is, you don’t need all these bloggers to be part of it,” he says. “And you don’t need to be part of these fashion weeks.” ■
Lifestyle
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
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Urban makeover: steel and concrete, meet grass and flowers BY KATHERINE ROTH The Associated Press NEW YORK — Across the country, urban landscapes known for concrete and glass have been embracing foliage and flowers. And not just the occasional geranium-filled flower box. Greenery-lined waterfront promenades have replaced windblown stretches of highway, gem-like “pocket parks” featuring flower gardens and waterfalls have replaced empty lots, and even blighted rail tracks have sprouted gardens brimming with native grasses and shrubs. “I noticed it all of a sudden one day while walking to the Metropolitan Museum of Art,” said photographer Betsy Pinover Schiff of New York City. “It was just a 25-block walk, and for some reason I noticed the gorgeous tree beds in front of a building. And then I noticed the tree beds in front of the building next to it. Each block seemed to be in competition with the next, with these stunning flower beds and dramatic flower pots in front of the entryways. New Yorkers clearly love to enter and exit their homes and offices through gorgeous garden spaces.” There are sidewalk gardens across the city, Schiff discovered as she wandered further. She reports on the trend in her new book, “Sidewalks of New York” (Monacelli Press). Plazas and tiny parks tucked discretely between skyscrapers offer respite to pedestrians;
new waterfront gardens grace Brooklyn, Queens and Lower Manhattan; and enormous tree beds, planters and hanging baskets brim with flowers and greenery. “In the city, a garden can be found in something as small as a window box or potted plants on a stoop. And the plant palette is now more diverse, expanded to include perennials and grasses with four-season interest,” Schiff said. Urban gardening isn’t just hot in New York, of course. Detroit has begun replacing abandoned buildings with green areas to counter urban blight; a nonprofit, Greening of Detroit, has joined forces with one neighbourhood, Osborn, to transform vacant lots into outdoor education centres. In Atlanta, an ambitious Beltline project aims to convert 22 miles of railway beds into a biking and pedestrian loop and streetcar line. The greening of cities reflects both public and private initiatives. New York City Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver credits community gardeners for much of the transformation there. For instance, Bill LoSasso is director of the GreenThumb community garden program, which has 600 community gardens and 20,000 gardeners throughout the city. “Our phones are ringing off the hook with people who want to start a garden or join a garden or learn about gardening,” he said. Nevin Cohen, a professor at the City University of New
York’s graduate school of public health, said cities’ efforts include “everything from green roofs to bioswales — landscaped mounds on median strips or along roadways and sidewalks that help stormwater percolate into the ground instead of running into the sewage system.” In New York, he said, the Department of Environmental Protection has financed many large, planted tree pits or green areas along sidewalks to prevent water overflow. “An increasing amount of funding earmarked for water and sewage is being spent on green projects,” Cohen said. “It’s much cheaper for cities than retrofitting the sewage system, and is hugely popular with residents.” Another benefit of green space is encouraging more physical activity and healthier eating. The Via Verde Greenway in the Bronx, for example, features a rooftop garden and apple orchard. Schiff said New York has seen more than 800 acres of parkland added in recent years, including major waterfront developments and the MillionTreesNYC campaign, which helped bring about a 30 per cent increase in street trees. At the same time, she says, private funds for public parks have also grown significantly, to groups such as the Central Park Conservancy, the Friends of the High Line and the Battery Conservancy. Mayor Bill de Blasio has funded a community parks initiative to rehabilitate parks in lower-income neighbourhoods. Among New York’s loveliest www.canadianinquirer.net
yet most overlooked gardens, Schiff recommends: • Four Freedoms Park, a memorial to President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the southern end of Roosevelt Island, a short aerial tram ride from Manhattan. • Green Acre Park, a pocket park on East 51st Street in Manhattan featuring a cascading, 25-foot waterfall and trees. “When you sit right in front of
the waterfall, the sounds of the city are drowned out and it’s almost like you’re at Yosemite,” Schiff says. • The Conservatory Garden in Central Park is “a splendid garden, featuring elegant French, English and Italian gardens and all kinds of gorgeous trees that can be enjoyed without ever leaving Manhattan,” she says. ■
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Lifestyle
SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY
Top three taxefficient tools for education funding BY EVELYN JACKS Fundata Canada Inc. STATISTICS CANADA reports that an undergraduate degree costs close to $6,200, but according to a new study, 80% of parents don’t know that. Worse, most parents are poorly informed about tax-efficient ways to save, especially weak on knowledge about Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs). Here’s a summary of education funding options available to parents, including the RESP, the Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA), and the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP). Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA)
Deposits to a TFSA are made with after-tax dollars (there is no deduction for the deposit), but grow quickly because the investment income earned in them is always tax-free. The holder of the TFSA must be at least 18 years old at the time of the deposit and also must be a resident of Canada. The deposit may be made by the parents, grandparents, or anyone else who wishes to make the contribution. When the money is withdrawn, TFSA contribution room is not lost, meaning it can be replenished for other purposes, like buying a home after graduation. By accumulating funds in a TFSA for their children, and/ or starting a TFSA when their child turns 18, parents also avoid a tax liability in the future if the child doesn’t attend school. Not so for the RESP, discussed below. TFSA contributions are limited to an annual contribution room currently set at $5,500. Since inception, total TFSA contribution room has grown to $46,500, which can be topped up anytime. Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP)
RESPs allow parents to accumulate savings for their children on a tax-deferred basis with the added bonus of government grants of up to 20%
of the first $2,500 contributed by the parent. The maximum annual grant is $500, but catch-up grants of up to $1,000 are available. The maximum contributions to the plan are $50,000 per beneficiary. For low-income families, an annual Canada Learning Bond is also available even if no contributions are made by the parents. If the beneficiary becomes a full-time student, the funds (called Education Assistance Payments, or EAPs) are taxable to the student. But because students often have low income levels, tax payable by the student is often zero. If the beneficiary does not become a student, the grants and bonds must be repaid, and any amounts earned in the plan must be included in income of the contributor, with a 20% penalty over and above the normal tax rate (this is called an Accumulated Income Payment). However, if the contributor has RRSP contribution room, up to $50,000 may be transferred into the RRSP, resulting in deferred taxation. RRSP Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) withdrawals
Students who have an RRSP and are residents of Canada, may be able to withdraw funds to fund their education from their own RRSPs, on a tax-free basis under the LLP. (Note: You cannot fund your child’s education with an LLP withdrawal). The money must later be repaid, over a maximum of 10 years. The following conditions must be met to qualify for LLP withdrawals: * The student must be enrolled full time in a designated educational institution or qualifying educational program (or has received an offer to enrol before March of the next year). * “Full-time” means lasting three consecutive months or more and requiring 10 hours or more per week on the course or work in the program, including lectures, practical training, lab or research time, but not study ❱❱ PAGE 37 Top three
PANGARAP: SO, OUR JOURNEY BEGINS
So, what are survival jobs? BY BOLET AREVALO
SURVIVAL JOBS ARE THOSE JOBS THAT WILL WELCOME YOU WHEN NOBODY ELSE WILL. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, THESE ARE JOBS THAT WILL KEEP YOUR HOPES ALIVE. As an immigrant, you will come to realize that, after all your inner struggles, the easiest decision to make is to try and survive. How to survive is like a kit that has been prepared for you. Aside from the help organizations that have the kit in a neat package, you can go on foot and find stores and little companies that will accept your resume and welcome you as a “survival” worker. Survival jobs, they call them. Jobs that help you get by from day to day, and help you pay for your apartment and utilities. Jobs that call you for work on a daily or weekly basis based on the availability hours that you submit to your employer. Jobs that pay you the minimum wage or a little above the minimum wage on a per hour basis. Jobs that you report to at a specified Start time but no definite End time. You may think you will work for seven or eight hours, and suddenly your supervisor will tell you, “I will send you home now or I will sign you out now” because work for the day is suddenly over. Survival jobs are those you take two or three of at the same time and juggle them so you can www.canadianinquirer.net
fill up your whole week with at least enough hours of pay so you can get by. Survival jobs may be totally unrelated to the set of skills you had brought with you when you came in. They are jobs that may merely require your brawl or stamina, and a lot of patience. They are jobs that you cry about before going to bed. Jobs that humiliate you, insult you. But as in all things, as the weeks, the months and years pass by, these are jobs that you feel nothing about at all. You wake up to them and sleep to them, then wake up again and sleep again. You do not even want to think about them. These are jobs that will make your host country survive because nobody wants to take them, except the desperate or those who had not had the chance to think about where these will jobs will lead them. These are jobs that dirty your hands but feed your stomach. These are jobs that will trap you if you will remain content with mere survival, if ambition has slipped by you quietly and you did not even notice. Yet, to those who stay awake, these are the jobs that will welcome you when nobody else has, that will practically plunge you into the new culture, that will help you understand people, that will keep you intact, that will keep your hopes alive. Survival jobs are jobs that will teach you to continue your battle, that will make you discover how much strength you have in you, that will enrage you from within to want to be something better.
In these same jobs, you might meet the people that will take you to your next level. Didn’t we say that networking is still the best way to get a job or get back on track to your own field of discipline? If you refuse to meet new people by going out there and finding these little jobs, then you will not able to build the network that you need to discover how fast and how well you can get to where you really want to go. Luck is not for everyone. That is why it is called luck, probably. Surely, there are immigrants who do not have to go through survival jobs at all. There are luckier ones who will even get real, non-survival jobs via the internet postings, which I have said are almost like a joke. But it does not mean that, if you are not lucky, you are not blessed. There is always a blessing in everything that falls into our hands. You will know that in time. Do not ever look down on a survival job. These are jobs that will keep you intact and make you want to continue your battles. These are the jobs that will let you discover how much strength you have within you. ■ Bolet is a marketing communications practitioner and dabbles in writing as a personal passion. She is author-publisher of the book: The Most Practical Immigrating and Job Hunting Survival Guide, proven simple steps to success without the fears and the doubts. book is available in Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo, the Reading Room and other online bookshops worldwide.
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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
Business Wells Fargo CEO to apologize for betraying customers’ trust BY MARCY GORDON AND KEN SWEET The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The CEO of Wells Fargo plans to apologize before a congressional panel for betraying customers’ trust in a scandal over allegations that employees opened millions of unauthorized accounts, moved money into them and signed customers up for online banking in order to meet sales targets. In prepared testimony obtained by The Associated Press, Chief Executive John Stumpf says he is “deeply sorry” the bank failed to meet its responsibility to customers and didn’t act sooner to stem what he called “this unacceptable activity.” He testifies Tuesday before the Senate Banking Committee. “I accept full responsibility for all unethical sales practices in our retail banking business, and I am fully committed to doing everything possible to fix this issue, strengthen our culture, and take the necessary actions to restore our custom-
ers’ trust,” according to the prepared testimony. Wells Fargo has long been known for its aggressive sales goals, but the details and the $185 million fine that regulators imposed last week have singed the consumer banking giant’s reputation as a well-run, tightly managed company removed from the reckless conduct on Wall Street that stoked the financial crisis. Some 5,300 Wells Fargo employees have been fired. The wide sweep of the strongarm sales practices within the bank, which went on for years, has drawn attention from committees in both the Senate and House. Lawmakers will likely press Stumpf on how much top executives knew about the misconduct that supported the high-pressure sales. Stumpf had been facing criticism after an interview last week in which he implied that retail banking employees were to blame, and his prepared remarks seem to indicate a shift in tone. Stumpf, a 34-year veteran
of the company, has been CEO since 2007 and added the chairman title in 2010. If he was unaware of the problems, critics could seize on that as evidence that Wells Fargo is too big and unruly to be properly managed. If he did know, they’ll want to know why he didn’t stop it. “This was not the work of a few rogue employees over the course of a few weeks,” several Democrats on the Banking Committee wrote in a letter to Stumpf last week. “Wells Fargo had a long-standing, systemic problem created by stringent sales quotas and incentives imposed by senior management.” In announcing the fine, regulators said Wells Fargo sales employees opened more than 2 million bank and credit card accounts that may not have been authorized by customers. Money in customers’ accounts was said to have been moved to these new accounts without their permission. Debit cards were issued and activated, as well as PINs created, without telling customers. In some cases, bank employees even
Wells Fargo has long been known for its aggressive sales goals.
created fake email addresses to sign up customers for online banking services, the regulators said. The bank sales staff had a goal of getting each customer to have eight different accounts with the bank — up from the prevailing average of six. Under the settlement, Wells Fargo neither admitted nor denied the allegations. It later said it plans to eliminate the sales targets by Jan. 1. Members of the Senate Committee may also press on whether Wells Fargo’s board will exercise its power to take back compensation paid to senior executives responsible for the sales program. One possible executive could be
Carrie Tolstedt, who ran Wells Fargo’s consumer banking division. She announced in July her retirement from the bank this year. Tolstedt is expected to leave with as much as $125 million in salary, stock options and other compensation. The panel also plans to question regulators from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Treasury Department’s Office of the Controller of the Currency and the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. Senators are examining their role in the debacle and why the sales practices went on for years before the regulators cracked down. ■
Finance dept. eyes targeted subsidies for the poor to offset proposed tax hikes BY JOANN S. VILLANUEVA Philippines News Agency MANILA — One-third of the projected PHP368 billion net revenues from the proposed tax measures the Department of Finance (DOF) has presented to Congress will be used as subsidies to offset higher taxes. Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua, during Tuesday’s Ways and Means Committee hearing at the House of Representative, said targeted subsidies are being considered in line with the move to reform the country’s tax bracket and
align it with neighboring countries. For one, the finance department is proposing the increase of excise tax for fuel products, which will bring the current PHP4.35 per liter of gasoline and other related fuel to PHP10 and the zero-to-date for other essentials to PHP6 per liter. Revenue from this proposed measure is about PHP160 billion in its first year of implementation. Chua told lawmakers that an increase in the excise tax on fuels will affect both the poor and the rich but more of the latter since about 60 percent of fuel
consumption is accounted for by those in the upper bracket of society. To address the impact of this measure on the poor, subsidies are being considered, he said. In an interview with reporters after the hearing, Chua said the increase on excise tax on fuel products will be implemented on a staggered basis, from 2017 to 2019, to limit its impact on the poor. He said a reform on the excise taxes on fuel this time is a right move given the drop in oil prices and the fact that the last time the rates were adjusted was 20 years ago. www.canadianinquirer.net
He explained that the lower 50 percent of the country’s social class will be shielded from the increase in excise tax on fuel through targeted subsidies, such as the conditional cash transfer program (CCT), while the next 25 percent is being considered to be given discounts or cash-card scheme. He clarified that the subsidies will not be purely through CCT but other modes, such as targeted livelihood program. “We don’t necessary have to use the CCT but we have to use the targeting system to reach out and target the poor directly so that they will get the benefits
directly instead of a middle man or a trader who may have other reasons to get the subsidy,” he said. Chua, who is the concurrent DOF economist, said that of the 15 million beneficiaries of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), about four million receive CCT. He said giving out subsidies to protect the poor from higher taxes is the right way to implement a good tax system. “The money that we collect should be redistributed to those who really need it so that they benefit from high growth,” he added. ■
Business
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SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
EU eyes ‘ambitious’ trade deal with PH Agreement seen to cover services, investments BY AMY R. REMO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE EUROPEAN Union is planning to forge an ambitious freetrade agreement with the Philippines covering strategic areas in services, investments and procurement—similar to the deals it has already concluded with Canada and Vietnam. Walter van Hattum, head of the economic and trade section of the EU Delegation to the Philippines, said in an interview that as with all negotiating groups, the EU has always stressed the need for consistency and coherence with what the 28-member bloc has already negotiated in its bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs), particularly with other members of the Asean, in view of the longterm objective to conclude an EUAsean region-to-region FTA. The negotiations, however, would also to take into account the specifics of the bilateral relations between the EU and the Philippines, van Hattum added. So far, the two parties completed in May the first round of negotiations that, according to van Hattum, “showed a positive
outlook and helped prepare the ground to achieve good progress during the next round foreseen for later this year in the Philippines.” “The round took place in a good atmosphere and with the main objective to get clarity on respective approaches, ambitions and expectations in the different negotiating areas. The round included meetings dedicated to trade in goods, rules of origin, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, services and investment, intellectual property rights (including geographical indications), competition, trade and sustainable development and dispute settlement,” van Hattum told the INQUIRER. The Department of Trade and Industry was reportedly looking at December to hold the second round of talks with the EU. But prior to this round, both parties may likely exchange formal text proposals in some negotiating areas. In May, EU Ambassador Franz Jessen disclosed that the 28-member bloc might likely seek favorable tariff concessions for the export of its motor vehicles and other industrial goods to the Philippines. The EU may also look at leveraging on the proposed
trade agreement to set up more manufacturing facilities in the Philippines and to take advantage of the country’s young, skilled and English proficient labor force. Meanwhile, van Hattum assured that the ongoing FTA negotiations would not likely be affected by Britain’s decision to leave the EU, dubbed as Brexit. “The EU continues its trade agenda with partners around the world as the outcome of the Referendum has not changed anything for the time being. The UK remains amember of the EUwith all rights and obligations of a member state until the terms of its exit are agreed. EU laws continue to apply in full to the UK and in the UK until it is no longer a member. The argument for an active and open trade policy has not changed either,” van Hattum explained. “Trade is vital for the EU, whether it has 28 or 27 member states. As the world economy becomes more interconnected, we continue to ensure the EU economy is ready, via an active trade policy, and the EU will remain the world’s largest trader and one of the largest markets,” he added. ■
FRIDAY
UN suspends... part of some 40 air raids that lasted about two hours — starting at about 7:30 p.m. Monday — and that “it was mostly Russian warplanes who carried out the air raid.” Al-Halaby said that rebels in Aleppo province also claimed Russian aircraft were behind the attack. The Local Coordination Committees, another activist group in Syria, said Russia’s air forces and government warplanes dropped 25 bombs damaging some 20 trucks and destroying the Red Crescent warehouse in Uram al-Kubra. Abdurrahman said the convoy of about 30 trucks had crossed earlier from a government-controlled area and were hit from the air hours after they reached the Red Crescent warehouse. He said that some of the trucks were already emptied when the attack occurred and that in all, 20 trucks were destroyed or damaged. A paramedic, speaking in a video released by Aleppo 24 News, a media collective, blamed Russian and government warplanes as well as Syrian army helicopter gunships that he said dropped barrel bombs. Piles of white bags filled with flour were seen near one of the trucks. Photos posted by Aleppo 24 News showed what appears to be an SUV riddled with shrapnel, its windshield blown out. Another one shows damaged ❰❰ 22
trucks filled with bags parked in front what appeared to be a building. Others show three damaged trucks parked on the road. Jan Egeland, humanitarian aid co-ordinator in the office of the U.N. envoy for Syria, told The Associated Press in a text message that the convoy was “bombarded.” Egeland added, “It is outrageous that it was hit while offloading at warehouses.” U. N. Humanitarian Chief Stephen O’Brien called on “all parties to the conflict, once again, to take all necessary measures to protect humanitarian actors, civilians, and civilian infrastructure as required by international humanitarian law.” A Red Crescent official in Syria confirmed the attack, but said no further information was available. Also Tuesday, the Observatory said government forces launched an offensive in the Handarat area, just north of the city of Aleppo, in what appears to be an attempt to tighten the siege on rebel-held parts of Syria’s largest city. Apart from the 12 killed in the convoy attack, 22 civilians died in attacks Monday across the province, according to the Observatory and Aleppo 24 News. ■ Keaten reported from Geneva. Associated Press writer Philip Issa in Beirut contributed to this report.
Mortgage 101 for Post-Secondary Students BY MYLENE LIM, AMP Mortgage Specialist YOU JUST graduated from post secondary and suddenly, you find yourself with more choices available for you. You could continue on to a college or a university, you could take time off to work or travel, you could juggle studying and working at the same time, or embark on a full-time job. But before you start, you need to take some time to set some goals to keep you on the right track. For this article, I would dwell on how you could take
charge of your financial future past secondary schooling. 1) Note down your expenses for a month or two. Dropping by the coffee shop for a drink, to a store for a bite to eat, or an impulsive purchase of a tiny gadget that doesn’t cost much – all these could end up a lot at the end of the month. The easiest way to keep track is to immediately note down your spending on your phone or make an effort to keep your receipts so you can go through this at the end of the month. This may seem a tedious task but you would be surprised what you will learn with regards your spending habits. 2) Make a summary of how much money you make/get in a
month and a list of your expenses. If you are spending more money than you are making/ getting then you need to make some adjustments. At the very least, your expenses should not be more than the money you are receiving. 3) Try to set aside an amount to into your savings account. Maybe a few less trips to the Starbucks might do the trick. You should try to aim to set aside around 10% of your money onto your savings account. Pretty soon, you will be rewarded with a substantial amount on your account that you wouldn’t have thought possible. 4) Try to avail of a student credit card. Generally, banks www.canadianinquirer.net
would issue a minimal credit limit of $500 to individuals who have reached the age of 19. You will be able to easily track your expenses and learn to manage you money because you can monitor your spending. This is also a chance to start building a credit record that is required for future loans you may want to get such as car loans, lines of credits or home mortgage. More on credit cards, you should only aim use a credit card if you have the means to pay it off and you should be responsible enough to pay the balance (or at least the minimum amount due) before the due date required. Note that creditors report to the credit bureau every
time you make a payment and this would reflect your credit score. One missed or late payment could easily bring your credit score down so never be late in your payments. The credit card you were issued doesn’t give you a carte blanche to spend irresponsibly. You should take this opportunity to establish expense monitoring and payments to prepare you for the time you will be handling bigger loans in the future. ■ For more information, please feel free to contact me 604 783 9097 | mylene. mortgage@gmail.com | www.BestOptionMortgages.ca | FB: Mylene Lim, AMP
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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
Sports Crosby’s dominance, Price’s resurgency among the highlights for Canada BY JONAS SIEGEL The Canadian Press TORONTO — Canada rolled over the Czech Republic to open their World Cup of Hockey title defence. Here are five things we learned from the 6-0 victory: Crosby picking up right where he left off
Oh so dominant for the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second half last season, en route to a Conn Smythe-winning performance in the Stanley Cup Final, Crosby was again flying on Saturday evening. He had the Canadians’ first two shots, scored the first goal, and helped set up the three that followed. Crosby landed the game’s opening marker in wily fashion, whipping a shot off the back of exposed Czech goaltender Michal Neuvirth. He followed that up less than 10 minutes later by setting up Brent Burns, his point shot blast tipped by Brad Marchand. Then to conclude a hearty first frame, Crosby hounded Czech defender Michal Kempny into a turnover that led to a goal from Patrice Bergeron and a 3-0 Canada lead. It didn’t stop there for Crosby, who found Joe Thornton with a crafty backhand pass on Canada’s fourth goal. Bumped just seconds earlier by a Czech foe, Crosby gathered control of the puck and veered to his right through the slot, dishing to Thornton on his left for the tap-in. With a hand in four goals, the Canadian captain finished with one marker and two assists, also winning six of his seven faceoffs in 13 minutes. Crosby’s line continues to click
Canada’s best unit in pretournament play, Crosby, Bergeron and Marchand were
MICHAEL MILLER / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
again effective in the preliminary-round opener. Marchand finished with a goal and two assists, hounding the puck all evening long in just over 14 minutes. “Obviously he has developed into a real good player,” head coach Mike Babcock said of the 28-year-old. “He plays with great speed and creates turnovers for those guys, and with tenacity.” Bergeron ended up with a goal, four shots and a 72 per cent winning mark in the faceoff circle, including a perfect five-for-five in the offensive zone. Price looks like Price
Carey Price went nearly 10 months between game action after a knee injury last season, but looks to have quickly regained past form. Price stopped all 27 shots from the Czechs in a cool and composed performance in the tournament opener. Few rebounds were offered and the 29-year-old was square to most shots. His best save may have been the first — Ondrej Palat redirected a shot just 41 seconds into the first that was turned down by Price. “He was just really sharp and like you’ve seen so many times before, he makes those timely saves,” Crosby said of the 2015 Vezina Trophy winner. “He makes difficult saves look pret-
ty easy. He did a great job for us tonight.” The last time Price allowed a goal for Canada was in the quarter-finals of the 2014 Olympics versus Latvia. He’s posted three consecutive shutouts since then. Subtleties were strong for the Canadians
Start with special teams: Canada scored a pair of power-play goals and stuffed the Czechs on six attempts with the man advantage. Booming with natural centremen, the Canadians also owned the face-off circle. They won 62 per cent of all draws and an incredible 86 per cent of those in the offensive zone (24-28). Ryan Getzlaf and Jonathan Toews were both 10-17, while John Tavares won 6 of 10. Canada outshot the Czechs 50-27 overall and 39-20 at even-strength. Canada ran an even bench
Babcock could afford to roll his lines and pairings in the blowout win. No Canadian forward played more than 18:29 (Getzlaf ) and none played less than 11:06 (Corey Perry). Drew Doughty, meanwhile, topped out the defenders in terms of ice-time at just under 22 minutes. All six defencemen played at least 18 minutes. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
Superliga teams beef up with top imports BY MARC ANTHONY REYES Philippine Daily Inquirer THE SHOPPING frenzy for imports in the Philippine Superliga is almost over. Teams gearing up for the PSL Grand Prix, led by the defending champion Foton Tornadoes, have beefed up their respective rosters with reliable reinforcements for the season-ending conference that will start on Oct. 8. The Tornadoes got a huge head-start after reportedly snagging Lindsay Stalzer and Ariel Usher, Foton’s two foreign reinforcements in the recent AVC Women’s Club Championships. Petron has signed up Americans Stephanie Niemer and Serena Warner in hopes of returning to the title picture. Generika’s Lifesavers received a boost recently with the acquisition of Polina Liutikova of Ukraine and Darlene Ramdin
of the United States. Cignal, still title-less despite being a major contender in previous conferences, has singed up Puerto Rican Olympian Lynda Morales and American Laura Schaudt in a bid to go all the way this time. Morales is coming back to the league after playing for RC Cola last year. She will try to lead a revamped Cignal roster that now includes Janine Marciano, Paneng Mercado and the returning Venus Bernal. All Filipino Conference champion F2 Logistics is reportedly planning to hire the services of European players who will see action in the coming FIVB Women’s Club World Championships in Manila. RC Cola-Army is still looking for imports who could help it cope with the possible absence of Jovelyn Gonzaga and Honey Royse Tubino who are both set to undergo an eight-month military training. ■
Torre joining World Seniors chess BY ROY LUARCA Philippine Daily Inquirer SINGING WHILE walking is good for the health as well as the brain. Grandmaster Eugene Torre swears to the effectivity of this novel combination which helped him attain a new level of success in the recent 42nd Chess Olympiad held in Baku, Azerbaijan. “Every morning, I did that at the (Baku) boulevard, where the air is fresh and the view is invigorating,” Torre told the INQUIRER yesterday. Asia’s first GM put up an awesome performance, winning nine and drawing twomatches to become the highest individual scorer (10 points) on his 23rd
stint in the biennial meet. While his contemporaries have long retired or have become coaches, Torre remains one of the country’s strongest players and will be approaching the Elo 2500 level again after grabbing the bronze medal on board three, which was ruled by Cavite-born and now United States stalwart GMWesley So. Apart from having his food intake monitored by wife Marilyn, Torre also lifts light weights and takes long walks to stay in shape. In November, Torre will join a round-robin tournament in Istanbul then head for Czechoslovakia to join the World Seniors Championship for players 65 and over. There, Torre will be like a “young” wolf stalking “aging” bison. ■
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SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY
Technology Phone home: Galaxy Note 7 users face Samsung’s recall BY MAE ANDERSON The Associated Press NEW YORK — Denial. Anger. Acceptance. Consumers who shelled out $850 or more for the sleek Galaxy Note 7 are moving right through the stages of grief following Samsung’s recall of smartphones that have been catching fire — and not in the good way. Some are still using the phone and bear no ill will toward the Korean electronics maker, which has promised replacements by next Wednesday. Others have angrily switched to Apple or other phone providers. And some have gone back to older phones or are even forgoing using a smartphone altogether. Not getting warmer
“I’m not mad, but it’s a little bit aggravating to have to go through the recall,” said Philip Montgomery, a retiree in Ft. Worth, Texas. He plans to get a replacement phone next week, but until then, he’ll keep using his Note 7. He figures his odds of avoiding fire aren’t too bad: “My phone doesn’t get as warm as my wife’s Galaxy 6 does.” Out of 2.5 million Note 7s sold worldwide, Samsung has received 92 reports of batteries overheating in the U.S., including 26 reports of burns and 55 of property damage, according to the website of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which issued a formal recall of the phone on Thursday. It said property damage included fires in cars and a garage. One family in St. Petersburg, Florida, said a Note 7 left charging in their Jeep had caught fire, destroying the vehicle. The consumer-safety agency said owners of the fiery phone should power it down immediately and stop using it. That isn’t sitting well with everyone. “I told somebody yesterday I’m not giving up my Note 7 until they have to pry it from my
Need a babysitter or a caregiver? Use your smartphone to find one near you BY LINDA NGUYEN The Canadian Press
PHOTOMANS / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
cold dead hands,” said Cathy Horne of Auburn, Georgia, who uses her phone for news, email and entertainment while commuting on public transit. She’ll replace the phone next week, she said, but plans to take her chances until then: “I love my Note 7.” Taking no chances
Then there are the riskaverse. Daniel Marchena of Lakeland, Florida, said he powered down his phone and left it sitting on his TV stand. He feels betrayed by Samsung and has jumped ship to get an Apple iPhone, despite being a gadget enthusiast and lifelong “Android guy.” “I was very excited about the Note7,” he said. “The screen was amazing, the camera perfect and it was a beautifully designed phone.” But he thinks Samsung downplayed the severity of the battery issue so he decided to make the switch. “My wife and two young children were at risk,” he said. “Trust is something that is very hard to gain back, especially when the market is so competitive.” Warner Crocker, in Chicago,
returned his Note 7 last week to a T-Mobile store and got a refund. He’s taking a wait-and-see approach before he shells out for another Samsung phone, or any phone for that matter. “I really liked the Note 7 — it was a beautiful smartphone, it had a lot of interesting capabilities,” he said. “But I’m going to wait and see how things shake out before I go down that path again.” Locked in
Marcus Nelson, from Tampa, Florida, exchanged his Note 7 for a Galaxy S7 on Thursday after the CPSC issued its formal recall, even though the process of returning the phone to the Target that he bought it from was “painful.” He and his wife feel locked into Samsung products because they have related accessories including a Gear watch and earphones. He plans on returning to the Note 7 — or its successor — once he’s certain the battery issue is fixed. “Knowing technology, we’ll have a Note 8 before they figure out the 7,” he said. ■ Brandon Bailey in San Francisco contributed to this report. www.canadianinquirer.net
TORONTO — Karen Barzilay recently found herself in a bind when she was unexpectedly called into work while her nanny was out of the country. With no one available to care for her three young daughters, the 40-year-old television producer — like any desperate, tech-savvy parent — turned to social media and posted her dilemma on Facebook. That’s when her neighbours told her about BookJane, a mobile app they created to help Torontonians find caregivers on demand. Within hours, Barzilay was able to narrow down her search to three candidates with the qualifications she was looking for: someone who was active, who had children of their own and was comfortable cooking a few family meals. “I was in a predicament when I went to the app. I was a little apprehensive. It’s a nerve-wracking, meeting someone and saying, ‘Here are the kids and I’m going to work now,”‘ she said. But she was reassured after seeing “Jane” with her children, who were kept busy throughout the week with bike rides, park visits and baking banana bread. BookJane founder and chief executive, Curtis Khan, describes the app as the Uber for babysitters and elderly caregivers. “People are ready. Uber has paved the way. Airbnb has paved the way,” said Khan, a former marketing executive. “They’re looking more and more to technology.” Since launching in July, Khan says BookJane now has a database of 2,000 caregivers and 500 clients in Greater Toronto, including individuals, childcare
centres and hospitals. Users can find a caregiver for their children or elderly parents within a few clicks and book for as little as one hour or for the day — at a rate of $21 an hour for a childcare provider and $25 an hour for a personal support worker for a senior. Payments are made directly through the app with a credit card, with BookJane taking $4.20 to $5 an hour for making the connection. The app lets users chat online with prospective hires and track their movements while on the job in real-time. Khan said listed caregivers have to pass stringent qualifications including an extensive in-person interview, a police check, a vulnerable sector check, provide references, be certified in CPR and First Aid, and either hold designations in early childhood education or personal support work. The approval process, on average, takes about two weeks. BookJane also provides liability insurance of up to $5 million, and hires can be filtered through various parameters including years of experience and languages spoken. Users and caregivers are also given a rating following a job. Khan said the idea for the app came to him and his wife, a private daycare provider, when they ran into obstacles hiring a temporary worker to care for an ill parent. “The sandwich generation have parents who are aging, and they have kids who are younger,” he said. “They’re managing each one. It’s not the easiest time.” Apps such as BookJane are cropping up as an alternative to traditional hiring methods, such as online classified sites like Kijiji and Craigslist and traditional nanny agencies. ■
Technology
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
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In Senegal, young women challenge boundaries through coding BY CARLEY PETESCH The Associated Press DAKAR, SENEGAL — Youma Fall used to set her school books aside for her younger siblings. Then she realized the books could be put to use in other ways in a country where many students struggle to own even pencils and pens. Nearly a decade later, the 24-year-old is bringing her idea to life through a program in Senegal that encourages young women in coding and technology. She is developing a mobile phone application that will allow teachers, parents and students to swap books and supplies. It’s called WECCIO, or “exchange” in the local Wolof language. “When I finish this, I truly hope that no child has to say they don’t understand something because they didn’t have a book to study,” said Fall, a design engineering graduate. She and a new community of young women in this largely Muslim West African country are pushing cultural and gender boundaries, using coding and
entrepreneurial skills to enter a booming mobiletechnology movement traditionally led by men. Mobile phones are central to online life in Senegal. Nearly 95 per cent of internet connections in the country occur via mobile phones, according to research by the Regulation Authority of Posts and Telecommunications of Senegal. But less than 30 per cent of girls in Senegal have chosen to study science and technology fields, such as mathematics, physics or engineering, said Bitilokho Ndiaye, gender adviser at the ministry for posts and telecommunications. Ndiaye has made it her mission to help Senegal enforce its gender-equal policies in technology, and to create career opportunities for young women. “Often, people are tempted to think that the girls are not able to do certain professions. This is due to the sexual division of labour, and its history and culture,” she said. Ndiaye helped to create the coding and tech community for young women, called Jiggen Ci
TIC, or “Women in Technology” in Wolof, whose partners include UNESCO and telecom provider Sonatel. There are training opportunities across Senegal throughout the year, including an intensive month-long session that leads to a weekend competition in which teams of girls present mobile apps to address pressing local issues. More than 100 young women participate. The program chooses the three best projects, financing their development. The other girls also receive leadership and entrepreneurial training, with mentoring and support to help complete their projects. The programs also encourage Senegalese to realize that tech innovation doesn’t have to come from beyond the country’s borders, said UNESCO’s regional Adviser for Communication and Information, Sasha Rubel Diamanka. One app created by the Senegal project will allow pregnant women to keep medical records for themselves and their children on a mobile device. Another allows Senegalese to identify
There are training opportunities across Senegal throughout the year, including an intensive month-long session that leads to a weekend competition in which teams of girls present mobile apps to address pressing local issues.
land that is for sale, using city records to prevent and resolve land disputes. With its partners, the government plans to set up regular trainings in all regions of Senegal and integrate coding classes into the national curriculum. Ndiaye, the adviser, hopes to one day see a tech incubator only for girls, including mentorship and dedicated teachers year-round. Senegal’s push toward a digi-
tal future is strong. Last year, the country was ranked 11th in Africa for information and communication technologies development by the International Telecommunication Union. The country is building a digital technology park in the town of Diamniadio, about 30 kilometres south of Dakar. Last year, the African Development Bank said it would invest nearly ❱❱ PAGE 35 In Senegal
New study claims Mars had flowing water long after “Wet Era” PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MOSCOW — A new study suggests that Mars had lakes and snowmelt-fed streams some 2-3 billion years ago, a billion years after the end of its “wet era.” A study published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets states that Mars had water long after the time it is believed that all the atmosphere had been lost and waters
had frozen. The conclusion indicates that microbial life existed for a much longer period on Mars than previously thought. Rich Zurek, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement Thursday, “A key goal for Mars exploration is to understand when and where liquid water was present in sufficient volume to alter the Martian surface and perhaps provide habitable environments. This paper
presents evidence for episodes of water modifying the surface on early Mars for possibly several hundred million years later than previously thought.” Scientists compared images taken from the JPL’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter alongside data from NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor and the European Space Agency’s Mars Express. They found evidence that Mars had a significant amount of water 2-3 billion years ago, judging from fresh shallow valleys
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revealed in the imagery. “We discovered valleys that carried water into lake basins,” said Sharon Wilson of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, and the University of Virginia, Charlottesville. “Several lake basins filled and overflowed, indicating there was a considerable amount of water on the landscape during this time.” Researchers suggest the water that formed the valleys was seasonal and the climate was cold.
“The rate at which water flowed through these valleys is consistent with runoff from melting snow. These weren’t rushing rivers. They have simple drainage patterns and did not form deep or complex systems like the ancient valley networks from early Mars,” Wilson said. The results of the study boost further Mars exploration to find answers to how conditions changed in such a way that the now-frozen planet once had flowing water. ■
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SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY
Travel Coastal town of Bacacay cradles ‘harvest’ of priests in its arms BY RHAYDZ B. BARCIA Philippines News Agency BACACAY, ALBAY — While the slums of Calcutta, India have produced a saint in Mother Teresa, the coastal community of Bacacay town in Albay that faces the Pacific Ocean is credited for being the cradle of the most number of clergy, or those ordained to become priests, in the Philippines. “Bacacay is one of the smallest towns in Albay without any Catholic schools but it is blessed with 100 living priests,” said Bishop Joel Baylon of the Diocese of Legazpi. Located on the eastern slopes of the famous Mayon Volcano, Bacacay is composed of the mainland and Cagraray island, with about 11 islets strategically scattered within its coasts. It has a population of nearly 70,000. The predominantly agricultural town, which has 143 kilometers of irregular coastline, takes pride in having the longest shoreline in Albay, most of which is composed of black sands which are due to the erosion of volcanic rocks. Baylon told the 100 priests, who returned recently to the town for a homecoming, known as a “centuplex” celebration, that Bacacay is the “number one producer of priests in the Philippines despite its being a small and poor municipality.” The clergy came from various parishes in Bicol and elsewhere in the country, as well as from their mission work overseas. Msgr. Crispin Bernarte Jr., current parish priest of the Parish of St. Rose Lima in downtown Bacacay, which organized the homecoming with support from the diocese, explained that centuplex is a Latin word for “a hundredfold.” He said they had come together to be thankful to God for the “gift of a hundredfold of priestly vocation.” “At a time when many parts
of the world are experiencing a ber of priests in the country but shortage of priests to serve the in past decades Oas had been pastoral needs of the Church, the surpassed by Bacacay town. town of Bacacay, Albay joyfully Vengco said every town has a celebrates an upsurge in priestly vocation which in Bacacay has vocation,” said Bernarte. been translated into a “strong In the Roman Catholic brotherhood at the service of Church, the term clergy, which the Catholic Church throughout “includes the orders of bishop, the country and even abroad.” priest and deacon, is understood “Through the years, the cross as persons functioning within that was planted by the first the priesthood of all the people.” Christian missionaries on the According to www.britanni- coastal town of Bacacay did not ca.com, they are “ordained, or only bring in a big catch of beset aside, for particular service, lievers from among its people especially in connection with but also a big number of fishers Bernarte said Fr. Thomas eucharistic ministry.” of men,” according to Bernarte. Gier, an American priest, who Bernarte said the Filipino He said Christianity found its arrived in the country on Feb. clergy, who trace their roots to place in the hearts of Bacacaya- 3, 1975, had instituted a strong Bacacay, include one bishop, 98 nos not long after the first Fran- sense of Christianity among the priests and three deacons — all ciscan missionaries set foot in Catholic population in Bacacay. of them still living. Albay. The late Bishop Teotimo PaThese ordained men work eiBacacay was founded in 1649 cis of the Diocese of Legazpi ther in various dioceses or out- as a barrio of Tabaco. In 1660 it invited Gier to start the misside the diocese as members of became independent and de- sion work of the Society of Our different religious orders. veloped into a town, the same Lady of the Most Holy TrinRetired Legazpi Bishop Lucilo year it became a parish. ity (SOLT) in the country. Pacis B. Quiambao, was among those St. Rose of Lima, a Peruvian gave him Cagraray island which who concelebrated the Mass for saint, who was canonized by eventually become known as the centuplex celebration on Pope Clement in 1671 thereafter the “cradle of SOLT mission in August 31. became the patron saint of Baca- Asia.” Quiambao, 83, is himself a na- cay. Her feast day falls on Aug. 30. Gier stayed in Barangay Cative of Bacacay. basan, Cagraray Born in Baranfrom where he gay Napao, Caconducted his graray island, the mission work This devotion, whose feast is bishop emeritus from the early 80’s celebrated every August 31, has of the diocese of until the late 90’s. made Bacacay truly ‘un pueblo Legazpi served After his amante de Maria (a town truly loving as a priest for 56 death, he was of Mary).’ years and bishop succeeded by for 34 years. Filipino priests Aside from from the same Baylon and congregation. Quiambao, Legazpi Bishop Two years ago, the St. Rose Bacacay is currently home Emeritus José Crisologo Sorra, of Lima Parish celebrated its to three parishes: St. Rose of 87, graced the concelebrated 350th founding anniversary. Lima, St. John Nepomucene Mass. The Church of the St. Rose in Barangay Bonga and Sacred During the homily for the of Lima here, one of the oldest Heart in Barangay Cabasan, all Mass, Msgr. Sabino Vengco, Roman Catholic churches in manned by priests from SOLT. echoed the uniqueness of Baca- Albay, stands as a “strong symRecords of the diocese of Lecay in being the midwife to 100 bol of faith,” according to the gazpi showed that 93 percent living priests. town’s official history. of the 1.2 million population in Vengco, a seminary profesBernarte said located on the Albay are Catholics. The diosor, serves as parish priest of left side of the church are the cese has 45 parishes serving in Malolos in Bulacan, the town ruins of the old church and bel- 15 municipalities and 3 cities in which comes next to Bacacay fry named Porta Fidei 1649. the province. as having the most number of The ruins are located just beJust as Bicol has for its patronclergy in the country. side the present church, which ess, the Our Lady of PeñafranHe said Oas town in Albay Bernarte said was “probably cia, lovingly called “Ina,” (mothused to produce the most num- built in the 1800s.” er), whose novena procession www.canadianinquirer.net
IVOTEPH.COM
in Naga City in Camarines Sur, from Sept. 9 to 18, is expected to be witnessed by around half a million devotees, the townsfolk of Bacacay has its own “Ina.” Since the 1900s, Bacacayanons have been venerating the Nuestra Señora de los Desamparado as its own patroness, protector and “Ina.” He said since then the devotion to her flourished among the local Catholic Christians. “This devotion, whose feast is celebrated every August 31, has made Bacacay truly “un pueblo amante de Maria,”(a town truly loving of Mary) said Bernarte. He said the Marian tradition must be the major reason for Bacacay’s abundance in religious vocation, making it a “cradle of priestly vocation,” not just in the (Bicol) region but in the entire country. Bernarte said just like the other towns of Albay that were on the path of strong typhoons in the past, such as Olive, Sisang, Reming and the most recent, Glenda in 2014, Bacacay and its townspeople were able to withstand the challenges. “Amid the pain and burden brought by calamities, the people’s faith gets stronger, putting full trust in God despite the manifold ordeals,” he said. Bernarte added that families in Bacacay have continued to give their sons for the endless mission of the Church, “that we all love to serve as teacher of the Word, minister of the sacraments and servant of the community.” ■
Travel
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
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Forest bathing: A mindful walk in the woods, no getting wet BY BETH J. HARPAZ The Associated Press NEW YORK — In Japan, it’s called “shinrin-yoku,” which translates as forest bathing. It’s the practice of immersing yourself in nature to improve your well-being, and interest in the concept is growing, with spas, resorts, retreat centres, gardens and parks offering guided “forest bathing” experiences. These programs take participants into the woods for a slow, mindful walk to contemplate nature with all the senses. It’s not a hike, because you don’t go far or fast. And while the term forest bathing may lend itself to jokes about nude hot springs, rest assured: You don’t take off your clothes. “We walked through the woods and were just able to absorb what was surrounding us: the beauty of nature, the beauty of the world, from the smallest details, the pebbles under your feet or the branches and the bark on the trees, to how the air felt and listening to the sounds around us,” said Rona London, who participated in a forest bathing experience at Mohonk Mountain House in New Paltz, New York. “It was absolutely wonderful.” The benefits of shinrin-yoku were formally recognized in the early 1980s by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. While it might seem obvious that a walk in the woods is good
for you, there’s also research on the physiological effects showing that it can lower blood pressure, heart rates and stress hormones. Amos Clifford, who founded the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs , leads a variety of forest bathing experiences, from walks in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in Kenwood, California, to programs at Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary in Freestone, California, and The Lodge at Woodloch, a resort in Hawley, Pennsylvania. Clifford, who has a background in Zen meditation and in marriage and family counselling, also trains guides in forest therapy. But he’s careful to say that forest therapists are not qualified to diagnose or treat mental health issues. “We say the forest is the therapist,” he said. “The guide opens the doors.” Clifford’s three-hour guided walks might cover only a quarter-mile (fourtenths of a kilometre). The ideal trail, he says, is two-thirds covered by a forest canopy but also has “some meadow open to the sky,” along with a stream and plant diversity. But it doesn’t have to be a wilderness area. He’s led walks in retirement centre gardens and in city parks near freeways. Clifford compares the experience to a guided meditation, in which participants are prompted to consider, “What are you hearing, seeing, smelling? We invite people to notice what’s in motion
in the environment around them: the swaying of trees, the flow of water, butterflies or birds or whatever it might be.” Prices for forest bathing experiences range from $30 for Clifford’s three-hour walks in Sugarloaf state park to a $199 all-day experience at Osmosis Day Spa, which includes a massage, lunch and footbath using forest products like cedar. At Mohonk, a 50-minute guided forest bathing experience is $160. Group forest therapy walks at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, cost $25 per class or $115 for a series of five. Charles Leary, a co-owner of Trout Point Lodge in Kemptville, Nova Scotia, says the lodge has “always believed in having our guests immerse themselves in nature. Then we discovered the research on forest bathing and formalized things a little. Now our nature guides who take people into the wilderness areas explain the concepts of forest bathing along with the local ecology.” The National Park Service doesn’t offer formal forest bathing programs, but the agency does have a “Healthy Parks Healthy People” initiative to promote the restorative qualities of spending time in nature, and some groups organize programs in the parks on their own
In Senegal... $80 million in the project, estimating that it will generate at least 35,000 direct jobs and 105,000 indirect ones by 2025. Young women like Fall see the developments as only the beginning. Fall is now applying the skills she has learned to her job at a mobile banking startup. She also continues coding ❰❰ 33
courses while developing her app with the winning funds. She talks of creating another app to help women sell local products, and of following a career path that encourages other girls to work in the technology field. “We need models. We need other women to say it’s possible for us to reach new levels,” she said. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
combining nature and mindfulness experiences, according to Kathy Kupper of the National Park Service. A recent report done for the NPS by Fatimah Jackson of Howard University looked at ways to experience “mindfulness and spirituality” at the Grand Canyon. Terri Henry leads forest bathing experiences on the Caribbean island of Dominica for guests at Secret Bay, a boutique property with eight private villas. “We go for a mindful walk, very slow in pace, like a walking meditation,” she said. “The whole idea is to become superaware of the senses. A lot of the time, people have so much going on, they’ve got sensory overload, they have to shut it down.” She helps guests “open up” the senses as they smell wild herbs, listen to birdsongs, feel the textures of leaves and even create artwork from foraged materials. Henry also helps people find ways to integrate what they’ve learned into their everyday routines. “If someone has a garden, I might say, ‘Well, you can do this in the garden.’ Or maybe they have a park nearby,” she said. “Everybody feels great after a vacation. Then you go back to the grind. So when you get home, how do you apply it in simple ways?” ■
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SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
FRIDAY
Food Cookbook spotlights healthy, fast and plantbased dishes BY KELLI KENNEDY The Associated Press IN Angela Liddon’s previous life, there were chia seed doughnuts drizzled with coconut lemon whipped cream and decadent parfaits with homemade jams and hearty granolas for breakfast. At least once a week, the plant-based blogger and cookbook author dreamed up another breakfast. But these days, breakfast is a bit more utilitarian and typically something that can be eaten on the run while Liddon, who is nine months pregnant, is chasing her 2-year-old daughter. Her second cookbook “Oh She Glows Every Day”, released earlier this month, captures that same spirit, and offers easy ways to pack in nutrient-rich, meat- and dairyfree meals that are quick to prepare and, in many cases, can be made ahead of time. The cookbook features more than 100 recipes like fusilli lentil-mushroom Bolognese, roasted brussels sprouts with coconut bacon and curried chickpea salad. And there are breakfast recipes as well, including black bean rancheros, a breakfast “ice cream” (with avocado in it) and PB&J thumbprint breakfast cookies that can be whipped up in 10 minutes. The Associated Press recently talked with Liddon about her plant-based diet, her family and eating dessert. On sticking with a plant-based lifestyle
“I used to eat a lot of packaged, lowcalorie diet foods. I would buy the lowcalorie frozen dinners all the time and
just a lot of processed foods and once I started eating all these plants and vegetables, I just found my mental energy was much more clear, I could focus on my work, I felt happier, I felt less anxious. For me, it was really discovering that I felt so crummy for a long time and I realized I could eat much more of this food and maintain my weight and have more energy.” On how to transition to healthy living “It doesn’t have to be a black or white thing. You can try one recipe a week, maybe starting off with an easy recipe with something that only takes 15 minutes like my creamy avocado pasta recipe that’s really popular and it’s not as intimidating. I think it’s just really getting in the kitchen and trying some food out and often people are really surprised by how much they like it and that motivates them to keep going. “Often you can win people over with dessert more than anything. That’s a really good way to try to convince people without overwhelming people with an all-vegetable dish.” On eating with kids
“Dinner’s been hard lately actually because my daughter is going through that picky toddler phase right now. We’ve been eating a lot of pasta lately, which is always good, but I’m starting to get really sick of it. She really likes a mix of marinara sauce with hummus all mixed together so the hummus makes it creamy and then I’ll use hemp hearts to boost the protein and she goes crazy for it. “We had a whole group of kids testing the recipes so the kid-friendly recipes
are indicated, too. The mac and peas and the veggie burgers were a big hit with adults and kids, and there’s a chili cheese nachorecipe that the kids really liked.” On the cookie chapter
“I basically ate my weight in cookies for weeks and weeks, which was fun. The ultimate flourless brownie recipe, I must have tested them 30 or 35 times. ... I definitely have some type of sweet every single day. I feel like when they’re homemade they’re just so much better for you. I find that I’m satisfied with a smaller amount.” Creamy Thai carrot sweet potato soup
Start to finish: 50 minutes Servings: 4 • 1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil • 2 cups diced sweet onion • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger • 2 tablespoons red curry paste • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, plus more if needed • 1/4 cup raw almond butter • 3 cups diced peeled carrots (1/2-inch dice) • 3 cups diced peeled sweet potatoes (1/2-inch dice) • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional) • Freshly ground black pepper • Minced fresh cilantro, roasted tamari almonds, fresh lime juice, to serve
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In a large pot, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, and ginger and saute for 5 to 6 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Stir in the curry paste. In a small bowl, whisk together some of the broth with the almond butter until smooth. Add the mixture to the pot, along with the remaining broth, carrots, sweet potatoes, salt and cayenne (if using). Stir until combined. Bring the soup to a low boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes and carrots are fork-tender. Ladle the soup carefully into a blender. You will likely have to do this in a couple of batches, depending on the size of your blender. With the lid slightly ajar to allow steam to escape, blend on low and slowly increase the speed until the soup is completely smooth. (Alternatively, you can use an immersion blender and blend the soup directly in the pot.) Return the soup to the pot and season with salt and black pepper. This soup will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week, and freezes well for 1 to 2 months. Nutrition information per serving: 288 calories; 107 calories from fat; 12 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 791 mg sodium; 40 g carbohydrate; 8 g fiber; 15 g sugar; 7 g protein. Recipe adapted from Angela Liddon’s “Oh She Glows Every Day,” Avery 2016
37
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2016
COOKING ON DEADLINE:
Lemon bar fans, you know who you are BY KELLI KENNEDY The Associated Press THERE ARE certain baked goods that elicit a fierce loyalty among fans. They bring out strong feelings about how they should be prepared (often the same way they were prepared in said fans’ childhoods). And someone else’s failure to appreciate them can be met with shock and confusion. Lemon tarts, or lemon bars as they are also known, are such a baked good. People who love them, love them. I once spent a long time making my grandfather a chocolate cake from a famous recipe, and after he finished his slice, he said to me, “You know what I like?” “What?” I said (expecting a compliment on the rich filling, the moist cake, something like that). “Lemon,” he said wistfully. The filling in these squares, or bars, is a bit tart — I don’t see the point of toosweet lemon squares — but not confrontational. Adding a couple tablespoons of heavy cream offers a silkier texture to the filling, and a smoother citrus experience. Sometimes lemon zest is added to the filling, and while I love the extra burst of citrus, I’m more in love with a super smooth filling, so I skip it. But you can add a teaspoon or so of zest if you like. If you want to gild the lily, serve these with some sweetened whipped cream on the side. These lemon squares can be stored at room temperature for a day or in the refrigerator for several days, in a tightly covered container with a piece of wax or parchment paper between each layer. Don’t dust them with confectioners’ sugar until just before serving. Lemon squares
Servings: Makes 15 large squares Crust • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
whisk or beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the lemon juice and cream, and then beat in the flour, until very smooth. When the crust is golden and set, pour in the filling, return the pan to the oven and bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until it doesn’t jiggle at all when you gently shake the pan. Let cool completely on a wire rack to room temperature. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and cut the bars into 15 (or more) squares. Remove the bars with a spatula, or carefully use the overhanging edges of the parchment to smoothly lift out the lemon bars. Place the 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar into a small sieve and dust it over the lemon bars just before serving.
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt • 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces Filling • 5 large eggs • 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar • 1 cup fresh lemon juice • 2 tablespoons heavy cream • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour • 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting
or your fingers). Transfer the mixture to the pan and press it evenly into the bottom. Bake 15 to 18 minutes until golden and a bit firm to the touch. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the eggs and granulated sugar, and
Preheat the oven to 325 F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch pan or spray it with nonstick cooking spray, and line the bottom with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit cleanly on the bottom of the pan but hang over the two long sides (you will use this to lift out the squares once they are baked and cooled). In a food processor, combine the flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal (or you can cut the butter into the flour mixture in a bowl using two knives, a pastry cutter
Nutrition information per serving: 361 calories; 117 calories from fat; 13 g fat (8 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 103 mg cholesterol; 89 mg sodium; 58 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 43 g sugar; 4 g protein. Katie Workman has written two cookbooks focused on easy, family-friendly cooking, “Dinner Solved!” and “The Mom 100 Cookbook.”
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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.
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Send resume to: Cascade Gifts, P.O. Box 2428, Banff, AB T1L 1C2 info@cascadegifts.com
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