Philippine Canadian Inquirer #256

CANADA’S FIRST AND ONLY NATIONWIDE FILIPINO-CANADIAN NEWSPAPER FEBRUARY 17, 2017

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VOL. 2 NO. 256

Members of militant League of Filipino Students call on President Duterte to resume peace talks between the government and the communist forces during a rally in Mendiola, Manila, on Saturday.

MARIANNE BERMUDEZ / PDI

‘Thieves reform, but a killer is a killer’

BY NIKKO DIZON AND MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer A THIEF has a better chance at reformation than a killer.

This was how Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali defended the exclusion of plunder from the list of crimes punishable by death through lethal injection, firing squad, or hanging under a bill seeking the revival of the death penalty.

“There is a bigger chance that a person would change when the issue is just money. But if you kill, you commit a heinous crime. That’s different. It’s like you’ve already lost your mind,” Umali said in a radio interview on Sunday.

The chair of the House committee on justice said many had been blinded by money, “which is truly evil … but once you’ve sobered up, I think you can change.”

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❱❱ PAGE 10 ‘Thieves reform’

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FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

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Palace: Due process for mining firms

BY MARLON RAMOS AND RONNEL W. DOMINGO Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT DUTERTE and members of his Cabinet assured mining firms that they would be afforded due process in the mining audit being conducted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

“This means companies affected by mining closures for violations of environmental laws and regulations will be given the opportunity to respond or dispute the audit, or make the necessary remedies to ensure compliance with government standards,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

He said the issue over the decision of Environment Secretary Gina Lopez to shut down mining firms over violations of environment laws was discussed during the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

The Palace official said Department of Finance officials would be meeting with their counterparts in the DENR as members of the Mining Industry Coordinating Council (MICC).

Yesterday, Lopez said she would sign and release within the day orders for the suspension of 23 mines and closure of five others after the affected companies said they received neither any notice nor results of the mine audit.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Gina Lopez said the department is gearing towards the establishment of ‘E3 zone’ or the ecological, economical and educational programs in areas where mining firms will be closed.

KING RODRIGUEZ / PPD / PNA

“When the press conference was done (last Feb. 2), the evaluations have been completed days before,” Lopez said in a statement. “What happened was an omnibus directive. It was prepared for all mining companies (but) our lawyers have decided it should be issued to individual mining companies. That’s why there’s been a delay.”

Lopez insisted that the mine audit was “fair and within the law,” claiming that she did it “to protect the present and future generations as enshrined in the mining law and the Philippine constitution.”

Large-scale miners through the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines have engaged the inter-agency MICC to review

Expats vote PHL as one of best countries for raising family

BY JELLY F. MUSICO Philippines News Agency MANILA — The Philippines has been chosen as one of the best countries in the world for raising family, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella announced on Tuesday.

In a press briefing, Abella said the survey was conducted by InterNations, the world’s largest network for expatriates of people who live and work abroad, which was founded in 2007.

“The Philippines ranked number 17 in the list of best countries for raising a family,” Abella said.

According to the survey, the Philippines is also one of the best in the world for quality education and being a place that has a friendly attitude towards children.

“Accessible education is priority for

the Duterte administration and the DepEd was given the highest increase of 31 percent in this year’s budget (PHP3.35 trillion),” Abella said.

Finland topped the survey with “no expat parent had anything negative to say about their children’s health, children’s safety or children’s well-being in Finland.”

The expats, 70 percent of them, also picked Finland for having “excellent” quality education.

Czech Republic made a huge leap from 14th to 2nd place after 74 percent of the expats agreed that education there is “easy to afford, although it did not reach the top spot due to the quality of education.”

Other countries in the list from top to 19th place include: Israel, Austria, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Taiwan, Belgium, Germany, France, Poland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, South Africa, Singapore, Mexico and South Korea. ■

and “hopefully reverse” Lopez’s actions.

Output from metallic mines had dropped in value by 8 percent to P100.6 billion in 2016 from P109.8 billion in 2015 partly due to similar announcements on the suspension of mines made last year, according to the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB).

Gold production maintained the biggest share with P44.8 billion or 44 percent of total metal output in 2016. This meant an increase of 31 percent by value.

Copper represented P17.8 billion in out-

put value (a decrease of 6 percent) while the rest — silver, chromite and iron ore — rang up about P1 billion.

Nickel accounted for P36.8 billion or 37 percent. The value of nickel ore directly shipped out and of nickel sulfides fell by 41 percent to P21.8 billion and 21 percent to P15 billion, respectively. In terms of volume, production of nickel ores plunged by 23 percent to 24.7 million dry metric tons (DMT).

The MGB had noted that in a worstcase scenario where operating mines recommended for suspension are finally suspended, the immediate impact on the economy in terms of investment, employment and production would be as follows: • about a quarter or $1.69 billion of the expected additional investments on the country’s operating mines—pegged at $4.45 billion—may not proceed.

• 19,674 people or 43 percent of the mining industry’s current workforce stand to lose their jobs. Add to these the indirect jobs that mining creates, with at least four additional jobs in related industries on top of every direct employment.

• gold output may be slashed by 45 percent while production of nickel and copper may be cut by 67 percent and 26 percent, respectively. ■

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FEBRUARY 17, 2017

FRIDAY

‘A-SHE enforcers’ Palace probes VIP treatment eyed vs gender-based of convicted drug lords street harassment PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY

ing Anti-Sexual Harassment Law, which she said was “limited to the workplace and to superior-subordinate relationships.”

MANILA — What if there are She pointed out that there are enforcers deputized to receive still no clear-cut laws that address sexual harassment complaints in gender-based street harassment, the streets and immediately ap- citing the lack of gender lens for prehend and fine the offenders? homophobic, transphobic and This is among the features of gender-based unjust vexation in Senate Bill No. 1326 or the “Safe the Revised Penal Code.

Streets and Public Spaces Act of Citing government data, Hon2017” which was filed by Sen. tiveros said that in Quezon City Risa Hontiveros on Tuesday. alone, three in five women have Hontiveros’ measure seeks to experienced street harassment. protect women and members Meanwhile, data from the of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and Social Weather Station (SWS) transgender (LGBT) commu- showed that 88 percent of womnity from harassment in the en aged 18 to 24 years or almost streets and other public spaces. nine out of 10 experienced difThe measure was filed in re- ferent forms of sexual harasssponse to the growing number ment in the streets. The same of gender-based harassment SWS report rated men feeling in public spaces more secure in such as the case their neighborof a female stuhoods than womdent from the en.

University of It is deplorable Hontiveros, Santo Tomas that our chair of the Sen(UST) who was women, young ate commitallegedly groped and adult, are tee on Women, in a public utility subjected to Children, Famvehicle by a male this kind of ily Relations and student. abuse.

Gender Equality, Under the measaid that her ofsure, Hontiveros fice has been rewants the Metro ceiving incident Manila Developreports of street ment Authority (MMDA) and the harassment from as young as local units of the Philippine Na- elementary-level students. tional Police (PNP) to apprehend She also explained that hasexual offenders by deputizing rassment in public spaces hinenforces as Anti-Sexual Harass- dered the capacity of anyone ment Enforcers or A-SHE. from fully participating in eduHer measure’s penal provi- cation, work and in the society sions extends to severe viola- in general and has adverse imtion that can merit arrest from pacts on health and well-being. one to six months and a fine of “It is deplorable that our womPHP10,000. en, young and adult, are subGender-based street and jected to this kind of abuse. One public spaces harassment such may think it is a compliment to as catcalling, wolf-whistling, catcall, or to leer, but such uncursing, leering, groping, and wanted comments, gestures and persistent request for name actions forced on a person in a and contact details will be ap- public space is actually sexist and prehended immediately. offensive,” Hontiveros said.

Harassment also includes us“The development of girls ing words tending to ridicule on and our women do not happen the basis of actual or perceived in isolation. The entire comsex, gender expression, or sex- munity must work together for ual orientation and identity in- safe spaces in order to nurture cluding sexist, homophobic and an environment where everytransphobic slurs. one can develop their potential Hontiveros said that her bill without fear and insecurity,” seeks to complement the exist- she added. ■

BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA, TARRA QUISMUNDO AND CYNTHIA D. BALANA Philippine Daily Inquirer

MALACAÑANG WILL not condone any agreement that grants special privileges to convicted criminals in exchange for their testimonies in drug hearings, according to presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella who said the Palace would check the veracity of reports alleging that Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II had authorized the arrangement.

No investigation order was necessary, Abella said in a news briefing on Thursday. “A simple verification will suffice at this stage,” he said.

The Palace does not favor high-profile inmates getting access to luxuries to get them to testify in drug-related hearings, Abella said.

The Inquirer reported on Thursday that a confidential Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) memorandum purported to show that Aguirre had allowed preferential treatment for eight convicted criminals detained in Camp Aguinaldo who had testified in last year’s congressional hearings on the drug trade in New Bilibid Prison (NBP).

Some of the inmates had testified against the President’s perennial critic, Sen. Leila de Lima.

The BuCor document provided details of the conference of counsels of BuCor, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

It stated that the military wanted implementing rules and regulations on the custodial agreement covering the highprofile inmates because certain military guidelines were being violated.

The memo, dated Dec. 9, 2016, referred to a purported AFP investigation that had found the inmates at the military facility “continue to enjoy lavish lifestyles e.g. use of electronic gadgets, smart television sets, air-conditioning units, internet, cellular phones.”

“When pressed for comment, elements of both the PNP and BuCor invoked that they are just following the express instruction of the Hon. Vitaliano www.canadianinquirer.net

Senator Cynthia Villar poses with drug surrenderers during their graduation after undergoing a successful community-based drug rehabilitation training program conducted by Villar SIPAG. PNA

Aguirre II to allow the entry of the above-enumerated gadgets in return for the testimony they gave during the congressional inquiry on the proliferation of drugs inside New Bilibid Prison,” it stated.

Sound and fury

Speaking to Senate reporters on Thursday, Aguirre said he knew nothing about the supposed order that allegedly allowed eight convicts to gain access to gadgets and appliances.

“I don’t know anything about that memo. Why won’t (De Lima) just release it? Why (is she) doing it in installments?

She is scouring the bottom of the barrel,” Aguirre said, suggesting that the leaked document came from the senator.

“I don’t remember ... I never consent[ed] or gave any go signal for anybody to give these special privileges ... She is all sound and fury signifying nothing,” he said.

Aguirre insisted the Inquirer report was wrong. The justice secretary, he said, does not have a direct hand in all the actions of agencies under his supervision.

“After I read her complaint, I immediately directed the BuCor Chief to conduct an investigation about this. These are detention cells at the AFP. So I said investigate, if true, stop. If they have to dismantle something, dismantle. We never tolerate any violation,” he said.

AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo Año and PNP Director General Ronald dela Rosa in a joint interview with reporters on Thursday denied responsibility for the reported lavish lifestyle of the inmates de-

tained at Camp Aguinaldo.

Unusual happenings

Año said the AFP merely provided the physical structure for the inmates under an agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The military police conducts security survey and inspection periodically to ensure that all facilities are secure and that any unusual happenings are indicated in their reports.

“That is part of our job. We made some observations, investigations and inspection and the appropriate measure.

Of course, the course of action will be through the proper authority like the Bucor and the DOJ and we believe they have made also appropriate actions already,” Año said.

Dela Rosa said the PNP merely provided elements of the Special Action Forces to secure the area. “It’s the Bucor that is running the implementing of the rules and regulations within that particular area,” he said.

The eight inmates were transferred from the NBP to the AFP facility in September last year before they appeared at the congressional inquiry on illegal drugs.

Some of them testified that De Lima as justice secretary received millions of pesos in protection payoffs from drug lords operating a multibillion narcotics trade across the country from the NBP. Aguirre said on Thursday that state prosecutors would decide “any day now” whether they had enough evidence to proceed with the filing of criminal charges against De Lima. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

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Sandiganbayan upholds dismissal of PHP723-M plunder case vs. Bolante PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — The Sandiganbayan has upheld the dismissal of the PHP723-million plunder case against former Department of Agriculture (DA) Undersecretary Jocelyn “Joc-joc Bolante” in connection with the alleged fertilizer fund scam.

“The prosecution must have overlooked the well-recognized power of judges to dismiss a criminal case when the evidence on record clearly fails to establish probable cause for the

issuance of a warrant of arrest,” the Sandiganbayan Second Division said in its ruling released on Tuesday.

“As the prosecution is wont in reminding this Court not to intrude into the former executive’s functions so must this Court also remind prosecution to refrain from interfering with the Court’s judicial functions,” the Sandiganbayan said.

Last Dec. 12, the Sandiganbayan acquitted Bolante of plunder case over the alleged misuse of PHP723-million fertilizer fund.

The anti-graft court said the

prosecution failed to provide evidence that will link Bolante to plunder charges.

Last August, the prosecution submitted a 20-page judicial affidavit of “whistleblower” Jose Barredo, claiming that he was a runner in the fertilizer fund scam.

However, the Sandiganbayan found “nothing substantial” on Barredo’s statement.

The Sandiganbayan dismissed the PHP723-million fertilizer fund scam plunder case despite the chance given to the prosecution to amend the case information.

Leila presses attack on Aguirre over VIP treatment of inmates

BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer SEN. LEILA de Lima yesterday stood by the authenticity of the contents of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) confidential memorandum that purportedly granted special treatment to high-profile inmates in exchange for testifying against her at a congressional inquiry last year.

Sought for comment, De Lima shot down Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II’s claim on Friday that her information was “hearsay.”

De Lima said justice and BuCor officials might now be pressuring the official who wrote the memo, BuCor legal chief Alvin Herrera Lim, to amend his memo.

She said Lim should not be faulted because he merely reported what transpired during a meeting between officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police and BuCor on the custodial arrangement for eight convicts moved to a military facility at the height of the House hearings last year.

The inquiry focused on the proliferation of illegal drugs at National Bilibid Prison under De Lima’s watch as justice chief.

The drug convicts are now being held at the custodial center of the Intelligence Service

“All that is essentially stated

by Barredo is the modus operandi of the scam, the persons who were offered...,” the Sandiganbayan said. “...or had received, and how the “SOP” (Standard Operating Procedure) or commissions were distributed,” it added.

The Sandiganbayan said that Bolante was “central key player in the case but there was no proof he acquired ill-gotten wealth.”

“No material representation, other than the release of the funds, could be shown attributable to accused Bolante,” it

Bam Aquino defends free tuition in state colleges

BY DORIS DUMLAOABADILLA Philippine Daily Inquirer

Senators Juan Miguel Zubiri, Joseph Victor Ejercito and Vicente Sotto III congratulate Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II shortly after his confirmation by the Commission on Appointments.

AVITO C. DALAN / PNA

of the AFP. The convicts were among national penitentiary inmates who had testified against De Lima before the House justice committee hearings, claiming she sought and received from them drug money to fund her senatorial bid.

‘Rectifying’ the memo

“I think Lim is being pressured to rectify his memo,” said De Lima in an interview with the Inquirer.

“From the tenor of his unembellished memo, Lim was simply reporting about what factually transpired during a meeting, what he heard, what was discussed. There was nothing suggested or insinuated in the report,” she said.

The senator noted Aguirre’s disclosure that Justice Undersecretary Reynante Orceo had

ordered Lim, through a Jan. 4, 2017 letter, to correct his Dec. 9, 2016 memo, which was a narration of what transpired during a Dec. 2, 2016 meeting among the three agencies.

The justice chief had said Orceo’s letter sought to clarify to Lim that “…the secretary nor any of his representative from the Department (of Justice) did not authorize nor give instruction to give the inmates special treatment.”

Orceo also apparently told Lim in the letter that “such insinuations and suggestion should be rectified and clarified accordingly,” said the senator.

“Why would the usec (undersecretary) order the writer of the memo-report to rectify the same? Was the usec present in that Dec. 2 interagency meeting? Does he have personal knowledge of what transpired therein?” De Lima asked. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

added.

“Anent the prosecution’s insistence on the existence of probable cause, the same must be denied there being no new arguments to warrant the reversal of the Court’s previous ruling. The reasons therefor are set forth in the assailed resolution, which the Court sees no need to reiterate in this resolution,” the Sandiganbayan said.

“Wherefore, finding the Motion for Reconsideration of the resolution to be without merit, the same is hereby DENIED,” it added. ■

SEN. BAM Aquino, proponent of the higher education bill that seeks to mandate tuition-free college education in state universities and colleges (SUCs), said majority of Filipino students who were not necessarily from the “poorest of the poor” still faced financial difficulties in paying for a higher education.

Issuing a point-by-point rebuttal to an earlier position paper from the Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF), Aquino said that while FEF was correct in saying that only 12 percent of the poorest of the poor are in SUCs, a large percentage of these people are not able to go to college because of financial and other limitations.

FEF had said that the proposal to increase funding for free tuition to SUCs would benefit higher-income students and provide unfair competition to private institutions which are more efficient in providing higher education.

The group said providing P8.3 billion to SUCs for free tuition would be “antipoor” because this considered only tuition in the cost of higher education.

Aquino cited the following estimates from the Annual Pov-

erty Indicator Survey 2014 to argue for free SUC education: • 49 percent of students in SUCs come from the bottom 50 percent of the population, from income levels determined by state-owned think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies that need full support— tuition plus other educational expenses and living allowance—to finish college; • Up to 71 percent of students in SUCs come from families that do not have disposable income, with monthly family income of around P29,000 or less and these are the families struggling to send their children to school; • Only up to 28 percent of students in SUCs come from families that can comfortably send one child to school, with monthly family income of more than P29,000; • Only up to 17 percent of students in SUCs come from families with monthly family income higher than P40,000; • Only up to 7 percent of students in SUCs come from families with monthly family income of more than P78,000; • Some 40.7 percent of students aged 16 to 17 will not continue their studies because of financial concerns or high cost of education. This is the reason why only one out of four students in college graduate. ■

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Philippine News

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

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Filipino optimism for 2017 remains ‘very high’ PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed ‘very high’ optimism among the Filipinos in their quality of life six months after they elected former Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte as the country’s president in May 2016 elections.

According to the SWS 2016 Fourth Quarter survey conducted from December 3-6, 48 percent of the 1,500 respondents expect that their personal quality of life would improve in the next 12 months compared to 3 percent that said it would get worse.

The survey also showed that 51 percent of Filipinos have expressed optimism that the Philippine economy in 2017 will get better compared to only 8 percent who said it will deteriorate.

On the other hand, 37 percent of Filipinos said their lives improved in the last 12 months compared to 21 percent who

said their lives worsened.

Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said the latest survey affirmed that President Duterte is on the right track of pursuing economic progress as well as peace and order.

“The SWS fourth quarter survey showed very interesting statistics. The Duterte administration has pursued a policy of economic inclusivity anchored with peace and order,” Abella said.

During the recent Manila Times 5th Business Forum in Davao City, Abella said Asian Development Bank (ADB) country director Richard Bolt had said President Duterte’s 10-point socio-economic agenda is on the track.

“Content with the economic progress in the Philippines, Mr. Bolt said there is a need to sustain growth on buoyant domestic consumption and public and private partnership for the Philippine economic remains strong,” Abella said.

The 10-point socio-economic agenda of President Duterte in-

cludes: - Continue and maintain current macroeconomic policies, including fiscal, monetary, and trade policies; - Institute progressive tax reform and more effective tax collection, indexing taxes to inflation;

- Increase competitiveness and the ease of doing business; - Accelerate annual infrastructure spending to account for 5 percent of GDP, with Public-Private Partnerships playing a key role; - Promote rural and value chain development toward in-

creasing agricultural and rural enterprise productivity and rural tourism; - Ensure security of land tenure to encourage investments, and address bottlenecks in land management and titling agencies; - Invest in human capital development, including health and education systems, and match skills and training to meet the demand of businesses and the private sector; - Promote science, technology, and the creative arts to enhance innovation and creative capacity towards self-sustaining, inclusive development; - Improve social protection programs, including the government’s Conditional Cash Transfer program, to protect the poor against instability and economic shocks; and, - Strengthen implementation of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law to enable especially poor couples to make informed choices on financial and family planning. ■

Code of conduct with China in disputed sea held unlikely

BY NIKKO DIZON AND JEANETTE I. ANDRADE Philippine Daily Inquirer

systems, in seven artificial islands it has built there.

No conclusion in sight

WASHINGTON/TOKYO — It remains unlikely that China would ever agree to a code of conduct governing actions in the disputed South China Sea, even as having one would mean stability in the sea region, officials say.

Marvin Ott, a scholar in Southeast Asia Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, said such a code would not be useful to the Chinese government, which has ignored a UN-backed tribunal’s ruling last year that favored the Philippines.

“China will never agree to a real code of conduct,” said Ott, who was a professor of national security policy at the National War College.

Ott explained that an actual code would “circumscribe, delimit, and constrain China’s freedom of action in the South China Sea” where it has been monitored to have installed weapons, including antiaircraft

Murray Hiebert of the Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said that China intended to make the negotiations drag on as it had for more than a decade.

He agreed with Ott that the Chinese simply wanted to talk, noting that the code has been negotiated for the past several years without a conclusion in sight.

“China will go another 15 years of talking if that is necessary,” Ott said.

The two experts separately met last week with 10 Filipino journalists, including from the Inquirer, who are part of the US State Department Foreign Press Centers reporting tour.

Hiebert, a CSIS senior adviser, said that not even President Duterte’s charm offensive to China could get a code done this year.

“It is not the year to get it done. Can they get some basic

framework done? It depends how you define framework. I think there is some possibility of getting progress, [but] I think this is still a long work in progress. I think China’s goal is to make this thing drag on for as long as possible,” Hiebert said.

Questionable

Takahara Akio, an expert on international relations at the University of Tokyo, stressed that whether or not a code would actually work remains questionable, even as having one would still remain beneficial.

While most Southeast Asian countries did not trust China, he said the Philippines was right to push for the passage of the code as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) this year.

“They (China) signed an agreement in July (last year) after The Hague ruling with Southeast Asian nations that they will not construct islands,” Takahara said. “That’s what they said, that’s what they www.canadianinquirer.net

signed, but whether they can implement the agreement, no Southeast Asian nation will believe the word of the Chinese now.”

“The Chinese have said many nice words but implementation is different. In three or four years time, if they can implement or not, depends on many things including Southeast Asian solidarity, US policy,” he stressed.

As far as the Philippines is concerned, the Duterte administration’s dealings with China pertaining to the territorial dispute was on the right track, Takahara told the Inquirer.

“I think it’s right for President Duterte to make good use of China’s economic rise. I think that’s what we all do. I think it’s right of President Duterte to say to Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe that he takes international law seriously,” he said.

Mr. Duterte, however, should also make it clear to the Chinese that Manila highly regards international law.

“We do not want a power-

based order. We want a rulesbased order,” Takahara said.

“China is waiting for the time.

If possible they would like to win without fighting so they are increasing their presence bit by bit and overwhelm the others (countries),” he said.

Claim raises questions

China claims almost 90 percent of the resource-rich South China Sea through what it calls a nine-dash line. This was invalidated by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague in a July ruling last year, in a major and legal victory for Manila over its dominant northern neighbor.

China’s claim raises questions on freedom of navigation in the area that is a major trade route among nations.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay this month expressed optimism that the 10nation Asean and China would conclude by midyear a framework for the code, a legally binding document aimed at easing tensions in the resource rich sea region. ■

Philippine News

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FEBRUARY 17, 2017

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SC scraps parts of regulation on tax exemptions for minimum wage earners Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer, Inc. Correspondents Jane Moraleda Cheng Ilagan Katherine Padilla Deby Mangabat Phoebe Balubar Socorro Newland Bolet Arevalo Gerna Lane Sotana News Anchor Manny Noel Abuel Administration Head Victoria Yong Graphic Designer Shanice Garcia Photographers Angelo Siglos Vic Vargas For photo submissions, please email editor@canadianinquirer.net For General Inquiries, please email info@canadianinquirer.net For Sales Inquiries, please email sales@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

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BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD T. CALIWAN Philippines News Agency MANILA — The Supreme Court ordered the Department of Finance (DOF) and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to scrap several provisions of Revenue Regulation No. 10-2008 that restrict the enforcement of Republic Act No. 9504 providing tax exemption for minimum wage earners (MWEs) in 2008.

In a 56-page decision penned by Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno dated Jan. 24, the Court granted the consolidated petitions for certiorari, prohibition, and mandamus against such regulation, stating that the DOF and the BIR committed grave abuse of discretion of discretion in promulgating Sections 1 and 3 of RR 10-2008.

“Sections 1 and 3 of RR l0-2008 add a requirement not found in the law by effectively declaring that an MWE who receives other benefits in excess of the statutory limit of PHP30,000 is no longer entitled to the exemption provided

by R.A. 9504,” the SC declared.

The SC noted that the increased exemptions were already available much earlier than the required time of filing of the return on April 15, 2009 while R.A. 9504 came into law on July 6, 2008 or more than nine months before the deadline for the filing of the income tax return for taxable year 2008.

“Here, not only did R.A. 9504 take effect before the deadline for the filing of the return and payment for the taxes due for taxable year 2008, it took effect way before the close o f that taxable year.

Therefore, the operation of the new set of personal and additional exemption in the present case was all the more prospective,” the Court held.

It added that there was nothing in R.A. 9504 that provides or even suggests a prorated application of the exemptions for taxable year 2008.

The Court en banc also declared null and void the Sections 1 and 3 of RR No.10-2008 insofar as they disqualify MWEs who earn purely compensation income from the privilege of the MWE exemption in case they receive bonuses and other compensation-related benefits exceeding the statutory ceiling of PHP30,000.

“Also declared null and void is the provision in Section 3 that provides for the prorated application of the personal and additional exemptions under R.A 9504 for taxable year 2008, and for the period of applicability of the MWE exemption to begin only on July 6, 2008,” the SC said.

The SC also directed respondents

DOF and the BIR to grant a refund, or allow the application of the refund by way of withholding tax adjustments, or allow a claim for tax credits by all individual taxpayers whose incomes for taxable year 2008 were subjected to prorated increase in personal and additional tax exemption.

“Direct respondents Secretary of Finance and Commissioner of Internal Revenue to grant a refund, or allow the application of the refund by way of withholding tax adjustments, or allow a claim for tax credits by all individual taxpayers whose incomes for taxable year 2008 were the subject of the prorated increase in personal and additional tax exemption; and all MWEs whose minimum wage incomes were subjected to tax for their receipt of the 13th month pay and other bonuses and benefits exceeding the threshold amount under Section 32(B)(7)( e) of the 1997 Tax Code,” the SC said.

The SC noted that the increased exemptions were already available much earlier than the required time of filing of the return on April 15, 2009 while R.A. 9504 came into law on July 6, 2008 or more than nine months before the deadline for the filing of the income tax return for taxable year 2008.

“Here, not only did R.A. 9504 take effect before the deadline for the filing of the return and payment for the taxes due for taxable year 2008, it took effect way before the close o f that taxable year.

Therefore, the operation o f the new set o f personal and additional exemption in the present case was all the more prospective,” the Court held.

It added that there was nothing in R.A. 9504 that provides or even suggests a prorated application of the exemptions for taxable year 2008.

Thus, the SC said DOF and the BIR went beyond the enforcement of the law

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in issuing the subject revenue regulations mandating the prorated application of the new amounts of personal and additional exemptions for 2008.

“Therefore, there is no legal basis for the BIR to reintroduce the prorating of the new personal and additional exemptions. In so doing, respondents overstepped the bounds of their rule-making power. It is an established rule that administrative regulations are valid only when these are the laws they administer,” the High Tribunal added.

The decision stemmed from the consolidated petitions filed by several lawmakers, individuals and labor groups seeking to nullify the said provisions of RR 10-2008.

The revenue regulation was issued by the BIR on September 24, 2008 implementing the provisions of R.A 9504, which granted, among others, income tax exemption MWEs, as well as an increase in personal and additional exemptions for individual taxpayers.

The petitioners argued that the subject revenue regulation departs from the actual intent of R.A. 9504 as it restricts the implementation of the MWEs’ income tax exemption only to the period starting from July 6 2008, instead of applying the exemption to the entire year 2008.

They also challenged the BIR’s adoption of the prorated application of the new set of personal and additional exemptions for taxable year 2008.

They also contest the validity of the RR’s imposition of a condition for the availment by MWEs of the exemption provided by R.A. 9504 such that in the event they receive other benefits in excess of P30,000, they can no longer avail themselves of that exemption.

The petitioners contend that the law provides for the unconditional exemption of MWEs from income tax. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

9

Modern Marriage: AFP discourages payment Why Filipinos no of ransom to ASG for release longer see the point of German captive to tie the knot

BY PHOEBE BALUBAR Philippine Canadian Inquirer IT HAS been observed that there has a been a significant drop in people getting married in the country for the past ten years.

In a research report made by the Philippine Statistics Authority, there has been a 20% decline in the number of marriages in the country in the past ten years from 2005 to 2015.

According to Prof. Nimfa Ogena of the University of the Philippines’ Population Institute, the number of marriages severely went down especially among young people.

Factors such as cultural exposure and the economical aspect of marriage are just two of the many reasons as to why the trend of marriage is on the decline, and that it would further continue as the years go by.

It can be credited that one of the biggest factors is the growing attitude towards marriage.

Marriage is still seen as an important social aspect in the country, however the decision to cohabitate instead of enter marriage is more of a practical decision than it is a necessity.

Ogena pointed out that marriage is seen as an economical contract where not only does the act of marriage cater to the union of two people, but also an act of being able to afford one.

Often times, couples resort to marriage if both parties are financially stable. Otherwise, cohabitation is seen as an option

good enough for couples. The idea seems appealing as it is encouraged by Western culture.

According to the professor, two out of three couples cohabitate before getting married. However, cohabitation doesn’t assure that the couple would resort to marriage due to economic factors such as being able to afford an actual wedding.

Weddings in the country are considered a social activity wherein everyone in the couple’s circle should be informed or at least be involved. And due to the celebratory nature of weddings, it is just too costly to even pay for a simple wedding.

Even a mass wedding conducted by the Catholic Church still costs money, according to Mary Racelis, a professional lecturer of sociology and anthropology at Ateneo de Manila and University of the Philippines.

Given economic situations, people from the middle class and the poor result to postponing the ceremonies and move on to the idea of couples cohabiting and starting from there.

At this point on, given these factors, the decrease of marriages will still be observed unless these factors are addressed.

Ogena explains that given the current social climate, marriage and childbirth no longer has anything to do with each other. She also said that this is not really a point of concern, but rather a moral challenge to Philippine culture and society as changes like these are being observed. ■

TAPPASAN PHURISAMRIT / SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

BY PRIAM F. NEPOMUCENO Philippines News Agency

MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is strongly discouraging the payment of ransom to the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) as videos of 70-year-old German captive, Juergen Kantner, urging his government to pay the bandit’s PHP30 million ransom demand, were spread all over the Internet.

Payment of the ransom will

further embolden the terrorists and give them more funds to buy the loyalty of the communities they are hiding in, said AFP public affairs office chief Col. Edgard Arevalo on Tuesday.

In the same vein, he said the government does not pay ransom or negotiate with terrorists.

Arevalo stressed the military will exert all efforts to rescue Kantner from his ASG captors.

“We will exert all efforts to rescue him (Kantner), especially that we now have continuing operation against the ASG

which has been yielding good outcomes, so we are still positive that we will be able to rescue him,” he added.

Kantner, in the video, said the bandits are threatening to behead him this coming Feb. 26, around 3 p.m. if the PHP30 million ransom are not paid before that date.

Kantner was kidnapped by the ASG bandits while his yacht “Rockall” was cruising off Sulu waters last November.

His companion, 56-year-old Sabine Mertz, was allegedly raped and killed by the bandits. ■

PNP parades ‘vigilantes’ who made cops look bad Bato tags 3 alleged members of ‘Confederate Sentinel Group Tondo 2’

BY JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer

ga’s mother, who alleged that the suspects abducted her son on Jan. 1. “My daughter saw them take [Saladaga]. We were THE PHILIPPINE National forced to leave our place bePolice on Thursday presented cause we are afraid. They pointthree men allegedly belonging ed guns at us and threatened to a group of “vigilantes” in Maus,” she said. nila who were just “riding on Coronel expounded on the our war on drugs” to help cergroup’s operations: "In the past tain criminal gangs eliminate months we received reports rivals. that they are conducting sum“The arrest of these vigilantes mary killings of suspects in is proof that it’s not the policecriminal activities, upon orders men who are involved in EJKs from their leader. (extrajudicial “Based on tackillings),” PNP tical interrogachief Director tion, apparently General Ronald they are target“Bato” Dela Rosa They’re riding on our war on drugs, ing suspects said in a press hoping that if they kill someone it will from rival groups briefing at Camp be the police who will be blamed. [who opposed Crame. those] they are “They’re ridprotecting, and ing on our war then of course on drugs, hopthey instill fear ing that if they kill someone it the group being linked to the among residents of Tondo, will be the police who will be teenager’s killing remain at [convincing them] that there blamed,” Dela Rosa said of the large. According to Dela Rosa, are groups engaged in EJKs.” three suspects. “The deed will the Confederate has over 200 “They are a civilian volunteer be immediately blamed on the members and is led by Ricardo organization acting as muscle police but it’s very clear, they ad- Villamonte. or guns-for-hire of these crimimitted it, it was they who did it.”

The group is said to have re- nal groups which they are in Along with National Capital cruited members from Tondo’s conspiracy with. These groups Region Office chief Director barangay peacekeeping teams, are engaged not just in the drug Oscar Albayalde and Manila who eventually armed them- trade, but also robbery-holdup, Police District director Chief selves to protect certain gangs. extortion and payola collecSupt. Joel Coronel, Dela Rosa The PNP presented Salada- tion,” Coronel added. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

presented Alfredo Alejan, 42; Manuel Murillo, 33; and Marco Morallos, 42.

Reporters were not allowed to interview the suspects.

The PNP said the three were members of the “Confederate Sentinel Group Tondo 2” and were involved in the abduction and killing of 16-year-old Charlie Saladaga, a theft suspect whose corpse was found on Manila Bay, near Isla Puting Bato in Tondo.

Seven other members of

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Philippine News

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

FRIDAY

3 of 5 Du30 statements ‘foolishness’

BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer LISTEN TO us more, not to the President.

That’s practically the advice of presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella to journalists covering President Duterte, who had told reporters that three of every five statements he had made publicly were just wisecracks.

Abella himself, however, seemed to doubt the President’s remarks, many of which had stirred up controversies and drawn condemnation from local and international groups.

During a regular news briefing in Malacañang on Thursday, Abella noted that Mr. Duterte “is very serious,” although he “can be quite humorous.”

‘Listen to us’

“Listen to [ us during our] press conferences,” he said after being asked how to determine if the President was serious or just joking.

Pressed to explain, Abella replied: “Well, technically, what we do emphasize in the press conferences are vetted and properly vetted.”

He added: “I’m not saying [the President’s statements are] not properly vetted. I’m simply saying that at this stage, when we say it, it simply means to say we have gone through the process of discerning whether it was a joke or not.

“When there’s a particular statement that needs to be, for example, if it tends to be a policy… it would be underlined during the press conferences.”

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte extends his well-wishes to the newly-wed couple Senior Inspector Arvin Hosmillo and Senior Inspector Alnieza KinangHosmillo.

ALBERT ALCAIN / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / PNA

Addressing employees of the Bureau of Customs on Wednesday, Mr. Duterte said reporters were “not really attuned to my character.”

“Of the five things I say, only two of those are true. The three

‘Thieves reform...’

Umali said he was Malacañang on Sunday dis- he said. not diminishing plun- tanced itself from moves in the “They have different opinder as a crime, ac- House to scratch plunder from ions in the Congress. And I am knowledging that it remained a criminal offenses punishable certain that there will be a very grave offense. by death. exciting and fruitful debate in Plunder is in a different catPlunder, or the unlawful the Senate which the people egory compared to a heinous amassing of least P50 million should expect.” crime like murder where a in public funds, is currently reAndanar declined comment victim is decapitated. “It’s the garded a heinous crime which on reported moves to unseat gravity of the offense,” Umali warrants life imprisonment. House Speaker Pantaleon Alsaid.

Most of those convicted and varez, the Davao del Norte repThe House of Representa- charged with the crime are poli- resentative and Mr. Duterte’s tives is holding plenary debates ticians. close friend. on the reimposition of the Besides his pledge to elimiHe said Alvarez’s unyielding death penalty, a priority mea- nate the drug problem, Mr. stance on the passage of the sure of President death penalty Duterte who bebill was due to lieves that death his “dedication is the only soluand belief in the tion to the drug We respect their independence and President’s polimenace. we will wait for the final decision of cies.”

More than the House.

“I think Speak7,000 impoverer Alvarez is ished drug susjust standing pects have been his ground bekilled since Mr. Duterte waged Duterte has also promised to cause we know that President his bloody campaign against end corruption.

Duterte and Speaker Alvarez drugs seven months ago. Police Presidential Communica- think along the same line in authorities attribute most of tions Secretary Martin Andan- terms of policies,” he said. the deaths to vigilante killings. ar said it would be best to let On Sunday, Alvarez said the 293 House members finish congressmen could exercise a Palace keeps distance their deliberations. conscience vote on the death Opinion surveys have shown “We respect their indepen- penalty bill but they should be that Mr. Duterte’s campaign dence and we will wait for the prepared to suffer the consehas the overwhelming support final decision of the House,” quences, such as losing comof respondents.

Andanar told state radio DZRB. mittee chairmanships and even “If we liked the Duterte ad“This is an issue of the House. House leadership posts. ministration, I think we should We know that the House is inHouse leadership roles continue with such kind of a dependent when it comes to should be left to people who leadership that is ballsy so that revisiting our Constitution … “truly support” Mr. Duterte, there would be fear among the I would like to express that we Alvarez said in another radio people,” Umali said. … respect their independence,” interview. ■ ❰❰ 1

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others are just foolishness,” he said. “And so I’m just fond of doing it. I just want to laugh… at the expense also of myself sometimes.”

Very consistent?

Abella stressed that the Pres-

ident was “very consistent in his statements.”

But a review of Mr. Duterte’s speeches showed that he had flipflopped on several major policy statements.

For one, Mr. Duterte once said the Abu Sayyaf bandits were not criminals but just “driven to desperation” because of the government’s “failed promises.”

Later he took his statement back, even warning he would eat the bandits alive if they continued kidnapping people and setting off bombs in Mindanao.

Mr. Duterte had also said he was willing to be killed if he failed to deliver on his campaign promise of stamping out illegal drugs within the first six months of his presidency, or until last December. ■

PNP gives South Korean police status report on Jee kidnap-slay case

BY PERFECTO T. RAYMUNDO Philippines News Agency MANILA — The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday gave the South Korean police officials a status report on the investigation into the alleged abduction and murder of Jee Ick Joo. Jee, a South Korean businessman, was allegedly abducted in Angeles City, Pampanga and subsequently killed inside Camp Crame, Quezon City on Oct. 18, 2016.

“I’ll just give them (South Korean police) update on the ongoing investigation relative to the Jee Ick Joo case,” PNP chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa said in a chance interview.

It was noted that the family of Jee had sent a letter requesting for the PNP to exclusively handle the investigation of the abduction-slay case.

Dela Rosa said he has forwarded the letter to Malacanang to avoid any suspicions as to why the family wants to

exclude the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) from the investigation.

“Finorward ko na yan (letter) doon sa Malacañang yung kanyang (Jee’s wife) request, ayaw ko nga sana dahil mamis-interpret tayo baka sabihin inimpluwensiyahan natin sila (I have forwarded her letter to Malacañang, though I did not want to for it might be misinterpreted as us trying to change her side).

That was out of their own volition ni-request,” he said.

The PNP chief assured they can handle the investigation of the Jee abduction-slay case.

“As I have said, we can do that with the continued joint investigation with the other investigation of other law enforcement agencies,” Dela Rosa said.

A joint PNP-NBI Task Force headed by PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP-AKG) director Senior Supt. Glenn Dumlao was formed to resolve the reported “Tokhang for ransom case” which led to the killing of Jee Ick Joo allegedly by PNP and NBI officials. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

11

No divorce + no same-sex marriage = no altar date

BY DJ YAP, JOVIC YEE, JULIE M. AURELIO AND TINA G. SANTOS Philippine Daily Inquirer MOST WOMEN at a young age imagine their dream wedding.

Joy Angeles, a chef from Makati City, was one of them.

“I used my blanket as my wedding gown and begged my cousin to play groom,” Angeles said, adding that she gave herself a deadline when she should have been married.

“Between 20 and 23, because that’s when most of my cousins got married and I saw how they enjoyed having kids while they were still young. It’s like they were peers,” she added.

But her wedding fantasies had to take a back seat when she met Bong, her 43-year-old boyfriend who works as a seaman.

“We just celebrated our 11th anniversary, but marriage isn’t on the table at the moment,” said Angeles, now 39. “He’s still waiting for the annulment of his first marriage.”

Other young couples find themselves in a bind. With no divorce law in the country, relationships have remained in limbo, with more and more couples opting to live in or cohabit, an informal arrangement that could have contributed to the declining marriage rate in the country.

Marriage rates dipped by 30 percent from 2003 to 2015, according to data from the Philippine Statistics Authority.

More convenient

Parting ways when the relationship doesn’t work is easier and more convenient when the couple is just living in, explained Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, who has introduced the latest divorce bill in Congress.

“Because once a marriage fails, there’s no way out,” said

The Philippines is one of only two remaining states in the world where divorce is not allowed. The other is the Vatican, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church.

the veteran lawmaker.

The Philippines is one of only two remaining states in the world where divorce is not allowed. The other is the Vatican, the seat of the Roman Catholic Church.

Though there is no divorce, estranged couples in the Philippines can opt for either a Church annulment or a legal separation, which are both prohibitively expensive and lengthy processes. But while couples whose marriage has been annulled can remarry, legally separated couples cannot.

“Married life is not easy,” retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz said.

“It is so difficult, challenging (and) demanding such that more couples are not getting married at all and content themselves with cohabitation and illegitimate children,” he added.

Cruz is the judicial vicar of the National Appellate Matrimonial Tribunal, which acts as an appeals body for Church annulment cases in the Philippines.

The Catholic Church is aware of the trend and conducts mass weddings, or “kasalang-bayan,”

every now and then to encourage couples to get married, according to Fr. Jerome Secillano.

Mass baptisms (“binyagangbayan”) and mass confirmations (“kumpilang-bayan”) are also done for those who need them to fulfill the prerequisites of a church wedding.

“We also continue conducting catechesis in communities or barangays within the parish so that we can impart on them the meaning and importance of marriage,” said Secillano, executive secretary of the Permanent Committee on Public Affairs of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).

Not a lost cause

Unfortunately, some couples find Church requirements too tedious and complicated, and “view marriage merely as a piece of paper that doesn’t add up to what they perceive as the most essential element in a relationship, which is love,” he said.

But the Church “is confident that just like other trends, this (dip in the number of marriages) will come to pass and will be overcome by prudent interven-

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tions and strategies. This is not yet a lost cause, but we must work together to strengthen the family as the basic unit of society,” Secillano said.

Aside from divorce, the ban on same-sex marriages has led gay couples into informal arrangements that do not lead to the altar.

In recent years, there have been calls from various groups to legalize same-sex marriage in the country, which the dominant and influential Catholic Church has vehemently opposed.

“We will continue to teach the sons and daughters of the Church that marriage … is an indissoluble bond of man and woman,” the CBCP president, Archbishop Socrates Villegas, said in 2015.

Despite the Church’s position on the matter, Ariel Guban, himself a Catholic who is in a relationship with his boyfriend for eight years now, said that marriage shouldn’t solely be based on one’s gender.

Gay rights

“I believe in marriage and its sanctity. I see marriage as a union defined by common re-

spect, acceptance and love—all of which are what gay people desire and are capable of giving,” said the 30-year-old professor.

Because there are no laws granting same-sex marriages in the country, most gay couples have opted for cohabitation, among them government employees Arlene and Edz, who have lived together for more than three years of their fiveyear relationship.

For realtor JM Grutas, a legislation from Congress finally allowing such union would be a milestone to the promotion of gay rights in the country, since gay couples would then be equal in the eyes of the law.

“Homosexual and heterosexual couples should enjoy equal privilege and protection under our law. That basic human right [should] not be taken away from anyone just because some religious groups don’t support it,” said the 27-year-old Grutas.

Edz also dispelled the misconception that gay couples just wanted to get married for the sake of it.

She pointed out that more than being legally recognized by the state as a couple, they also wanted to “enjoy the same benefits” that heterosexual couples were getting, which can be as simple as giving her surname to her partner.

Guban said that should the state officially recognize gay couples, it would not only give them security over their conjugal finances and properties but also help them better understand the true meaning of being married.

“I will [probably] be able to better understand the concept of marriage and die knowing that I have been married, loved and enjoyed life without the undying threat of discrimination.

Marriage is for everybody. It is not and should not be limited by gender preference,” he said. ■

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Philippine News

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

FRIDAY

Document: Drug lords treated like VIPs in AFP jail

BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer

PCOO PHOTO

Arroyo is still House deputy speaker, for now

BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer FORMER PRESIDENT Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is still a deputy speaker of the House of Representatives, at least for the time being.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Thursday sought to correct the misimpression that he had ordered the replacement of the Pampanga representative as a House leader for opposing the revival of the death penalty.

“No, not yet, because we have not yet voted in plenary [session],” Alvarez said when asked if Arroyo had been removed from her post.

He had earlier warned deputy speakers and committee chairs of the 293-seat chamber that they risked being replaced if they planned to vote against the proposed law restoring the capital punishment for heinous offenses, one of the top legislative priorities of the Duterte administration.

Alvarez said the deputy speakers and committee chairs stood to lose their posts only once they had voted against the measure on the plenary floor.

Alvarez also dismissed insinuations that he was targeting Arroyo because she was rumored

to be interested in the speakership. Text messages that Arroyo would replace Alvarez as he was poised to join Mr. Duterte’s Cabinet circulated late last year, but both camps denied it.

Arroyo has kept mum on the controversy and reporters’ requests for an interview were turned down on Wednesday.

Of the 14 deputy speakers in the House, Arroyo and Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya have voiced opposition to the bill. Members of the Makabayan bloc, three of whom have committee chairmanships, are also opposing the bill.

Gabriela Rep. Emmi de Jesus, chair of the poverty alleviation committee, said she was prepared to lose her chairmanship, rather than succumb to “patronage politics.”

The 1987 Constitution abolished the death penalty with the caveat that it may be reimposed for heinous crimes through a law passed in Congress.

It was restored under former President Fidel V. Ramos’ administration, while executions started under Joseph Estrada’s. Arroyo then issued a ban on executions, and a law was later passed in 2006 ending the death penalty. ■

“[In the] war on drugs, they are killing the small ones while spoiling the big fish just because they testified against me.

A CONFIDENTIAL Bureau That’s the quid pro quo.” of Corrections (BuCor) docuDe Lima said Aguirre, one of ment has shown that Justice Mr. Duterte’s allies accusing Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre her of involvement in the drug II ordered the grant of special trade, could be held liable for privileges to high-profile convarious offenses for granting victs held at the military custospecial privileges to the condial center in Camp Aguinaldo victs. as a reward for testifying to the De los Santos forwarded the alleged drug links of Sen. Leila report to Aguirre’s office on de Lima.

Dec. 16.

The Dec. 9, 2016, report of Aguirre confirmed on Alvin Herrera Lim, chief of the Wednesday that he had reBuCor legal office, to BuCor Diceived the report, but denied rector General Benjamin de los ordering the grant of special Santos referred to a conference privileges to the convicts. among lawyers for the Armed “I absolutely deny it. I made Forces of the Philippines, Philno such order,” he said in a ippine National statement.

Police and the “However, alBuCor last Dec. low me to point 2. out that Senator Lim said in his De Lima used the report that the [In the] war on drugs, they are killing term ‘restore.’ [I] military sought the small ones while spoiling the big t only means that to enforce rules fish just because they testified against she is admitting under the cusme. That’s the quid pro quo. that such privitodial arrangeleges that she ment for the claims were reconvicts after stored were exan investigaisting during her tion showed that the convicts, mation that Aguirre had “re- time as secretary of justice,” he including those who testified stored” the special privileges added. against De Lima in a House of the inmates in exchange for He said De Lima was famildrug inquiry last year, had been their testimony. iar with the special privileges allowed special privileges.

De Lima said she feared that for the convicts because she alEight high-profile convicts access to cell phones and the lowed them during her tenure originally held at New Bilibid internet would enable the con- at the justice department.

Prison were transferred to the victs to resume vending drugs, Aguirre ordered the BuCor’s military custodial center last the very crime they had been De los Santos to verify the reSeptember, just before they busted for, from their cells. port and immediately withfaced the House justice comShe said she made the disclo- draw the convicts’ privileges if mittee that investigated the il- sure to show how the Duterte the report was found true. ■ legal drug trade inside Bilibid. administration was betraying Among the inmates was rob- its own campaign against drugs, With a report from Gil C. Cababery convict Herbert Colang- granting favors to big-time cungan go, who was earlier busted for dealers while exterminating maintaining a luxury villa in- the small ones. side the national penitentiary. “[T]hey are the worst kind of The document said the mili- hypocrites,” De Lima said, retary investigation found that ferring to the administration.

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the convicts detained at the custodial center “continue to enjoy lavish lifestyles, e.g. use of electronic gadgets, smart television sets, air-conditioning units, internet, cellular phones.”

“When pressed for comment, elements of both the PNP and BuCor [said they were] just following the expressed instruction of [Justice Secretary] Vitaliano Aguirre II to allow the entry of the above-enumerated gadgets in return for the testimony they gave during the congressional inquiry [into] the proliferation of drugs inside New Bilibid Prison,” the document said.

De Lima told a news conference on Wednesday that she had “indisputable,” “A1” infor-

Philippine News

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

13

SC junks plea of Revilla, 4 others seeking to void Ombudsman plunder raps

BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD T. CALIWAN Philippines News Agency MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday denied with finality the motion for reconsideration of former Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. and four others seeking to nullify the findings of probable cause by the Ombudsman that led to the filing of plunder charges against them in connection to the multibillion pork barrel scam.

The SC affirmed its Dec. 6, 2016 decision that agreed to the findings of probable cause by the Office of the Ombudsman.

“The Court denied with finality the Motion for Reconsideration filed by petitioners from the Court’s December 6, 2016 Decision,” the SC said in a statement after the en banc session on Tuesday.

Aside from Revilla and alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles, the petitioners charged before the Sandiganbayan were Richard Cambe, Revilla’s chief of staff; Ronald John Lim and Raymund De Asis, staff employees of Napoles.

Last Dec. 7, the high court justices voted 13-1 in favor of dismissing the petitions for lack of merit. Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. dissented while Associate Justice Francis Jardeleza inhibited from the case.

ALEX NUEVAESPAÑA / SENATE PRIB

The justices also affirmed the findings of probable cause against all petitioners, and a directive for the Sandiganbayan to charge and commence/continue all necessary proceedings in these cases with deliberate dispatch.

“The Court had ruled to dismiss the petitions for lack of merit, affirm the findings of probable cause and direct the Sandiganbayan, as the trial court to commence/ continue all necessary proceedings with deliberate dispatch,” the SC said.

In his petition, Revilla said Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales committed grave abuse of discretion in issuing the joint resolution dated March 28, 2014 that has found probable cause to charge him with plunder.

He added that his rights to due pro-

Supreme Court confirms confiscation of the Marcos Jewels

BY PHOEBE BALUBAR Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE SUPREME Court upheld the 2014 Sandiganbayan ruling on the confiscation of Imelda Marcos’ “Malacañang collection” in favor of the government through the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG).

The notorious 400-piece “Malacañang Collection” is part of the three collections by the former first lady which was left behind by the first family after being ousted out of office and left for Hawaii in 1986.

It is the first one to be confiscated by the government among three, and is appraised to be worth more than $150,000.

In a 21-page decision, Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno dismissed the peti-

tion filed by Mrs. Marcos and daughter Irene Marcos-Araneta claiming that the party was deprived of due process. The SC ruled in favor of the PCGG citing lack of evidence that the items were lawfully acquired and agreed that the confiscation made on the collection was highly justified.

One of the primary contentions of the High Court is the idea that purchasing the jewelry collection is beyond the means of the Marcoses. The family’s legitimate income from 1968 to 1986 is estimated to be only at $304,372.43.

According to the ruling, properties acquired by any public officer or employee during his stay in office that are estimated to be out of proportion to his salary, are presumed prima facie to have been lawfully acquired. ■

cess have been violated when the Ombudsman denied his request that he be given copies of evidence against him so he can properly air his side.

“The Ombudsman violated Senator Revilla’s fundamental Constitutional rights to due process and to confront the accusations against him. Such rights are not mere rights ‘he believed in’ but are rights that are guaranteed in the Philippine constitution,” Revilla’s pleading stated.

Revilla also argued that the Ombuds-

man has no basis to charge him with plunder citing the case of former President now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada where the anti-graft court held that in order to be held liable for the crime of plunder, it must be shown that the public officer amassed ill-gotten wealth worth at least PHP50 million.

“Indeed, the assailed resolutions do not even have a proof that Senator Revilla has the qualifying amount of PHP50 million in his possession or in his bank account, much less proof that any money that is in his possession has been acquired unlawfully,” the petition stated.

The former lawmaker is accused of diverting his pork barrel allocations into fake non-government organizations established by businesswoman and alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles in exchange for hefty kickbacks.

Revilla’s co-accused former Senator Jinggoy Estrada is currently detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame while former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile was allowed by the SC to post bail in August last year for humanitarian considerations. ■

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1114

Opinion

14

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

FRIDAY

De Lima suspects Jack Lam used ‘bribe’ money

BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer SEN. LEILA de Lima on Thursday said she suspected that part of the alleged bribe money given to immigration officials by casino operator Jack Lam on Nov. 27, 2016, in exchange for the release of more than 1,000 Chinese workers arrested for illegally working for him was used but returned.

This after De Lima pointed out some of the money that was taken supposedly from the Lam casino—and supposedly untouched—suddenly seemed to have been withdrawn from a bank when it was surrendered by the two immigration officials on Dec. 13, 2016.

De Lima also wondered why Deputy Commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles decided to consolidate some of the bribe money at a birthday party attended by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and fellow fraternity brothers at their San Beda law school last Nov. 27.

The senator raised these points during the third hearing of the Senate blue ribbon committee investigating the alleged

bribery of Argosino and Robles

by Lam middleman Wally Sombero last year.

De Lima told reporters after the hearing: “This is not a conclusive assessment yet, but if Argosino cannot explain and Sombero says the money came from the casino ... then it means the money has been used and who used it, we do not know.”

“This is just suspicion until proven otherwise,” De Lima said. She underscored the importance for Sombero, who skipped the Senate inquiry for the third time on Thursday, to face the blue ribbon committee.

De Lima, in a slide presentation, showed pictures of the Dec. 13, 2016, press conference of Argosino and Robles in which they presented the P29,999,000 bribe money they allegedly got from Lam through Sombero.

The two officials claimed that they accepted P48 million from Sombero and that Sombero took P2 million for himself, as a case buildup against Lam. The two also claimed they gave P18 million to former immigration intelligence chief Charlie Calima who was allegedly extorting money from them.

Both Calima and Sombero, on the other hand, have said

Argosino and Robles extorted the money in exchange for the release of Chinese employees arrested working illegally in Lam’s hotel and casino in Clark, Pampanga.

At the hearing, De Lima said the pictures showed that some of the money were in bundles.

Sen. Richard Gordon, the committee chair, agreed, noting that some of the moneywas bundled and tied with rubber bands while some, wrapped with BDOmarkings.

De Lima said some of the money presented by Argosino and Robles was unlike the P18 million that Calima surrendered to the Philippine National Police on Dec. 20, 2016, because it was “clean.”

Before she presented the pictures, De Lima was able to elicit from Argosino that the P30 million cash that was in his possession was “untouched” since Robles turned over the other half of the money last Nov. 27.

“How in heaven’s name that the money came from BDO when it was turned over to you both—there is no bank on (weekends)—you said it came from City of Dreams and (Sombero) said he just borrowed it because you were allegedly demanding it?” De Lima said.

PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea D. Domingo, along with PAGCOR VP for Corporate Legal Service Dept., testify before the third public hearing on investigation on Jack Lam. AVITO C.DALAN / PNA

Argosino said he could not answer De Lima because Sombero had just given it to them in bags.

De Lima then told Argosino that senators were puzzled why he and Robles chose to “consolidate” the money in the parking lot of the residence of Pagcor president Fred Lim in Dasmariñas City, Cavite province.

When Sombero gave them the money in five bags last Nov.27, Argosino took P28 million with him while Robles took home P20 million. Robles said he just kept the money in his car when he brought it home while Argosino kept the money in his office at home.

Robles told De Lima that he

“turned over” the P20 million as evidence to Argosino at the parking lot of Lim’s residence.

Lim, who like Aguirre, Argosino and Robles came from the same fraternity, was then celebrating his birthday. Aguirre was also there at his birthday party.

“You had to travel to Dasmariñas. You can very well do it in your house, in (Robles’) house or in the office or whatever. But why go to a party where your brods were there. Secretary Aguirre was there and Fred Lim,” De Lima told Argosino, as she asked him whether he gave the P20 million to anyone at the party.

Argosino replied in the negative. ■

less in bed? Will she drive you to and from your physical therapy sessions, braving the traffic and the interminable wait? Will both of you stagger through old age on walkers and canes, ignoring the young people who seem to blithely take their health and safety for granted as they flip and flop on their skateboards? *** Indulge me while I thank a few people for their care during my days of confinement at the Medical City.

The fate of my broken hip—and of my mobility in the future—lay in the hands of Dr. Amelito Sia, who headed the team that worked on me. His associates were: Dr. Ericson Santos, Dr. Rina Madelar, Dr. Tristan Tan and Dr. Emman Mata. Since they had chosen to use an epidural anesthesia on me, I was conscious during the procedure, and to my astonish-

ment they sounded like a team of sailors, with Dr. Sia calling out instructions: “You, on the left, start drilling. Okay, now you work on the other screw! Pull, pull, pull!”

But in my weeklong confinement, the staff at Medical City seemed to work like a team for me, a single patient. I hope to make at least partial repayment to all these professionals, if not here, then in my blog.

Finally, to Dr. Alran Bengzon, who spotted me as I was seeking admittance to the hospital and at once approached me and told everyone to look after me as “she is family,” my undying gratitude. Indeed, I felt very much a part of the Medical City family, and today, I send all of you my love! *** For readers interested in the full story of my “fall from grace,” as well as other issues occasioned by the mishap, you may follow it in rinasblogatlarge.wordpress.com. ■

AT LARGE

A Valentine

By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer FROM soaring over the “fairy chimneys” of Cappadocia to falling from a tour bus in Istanbul—I guess you could say that about sums up my recent trip to Turkey.

There are many stories and anecdotes between and after these two events, but there is one incident that took place here that should prove entirely apropos to today’s occasion.

The ever-loving hubby had refused to accompany me while I was being wheeled out of my hospital room for surgery on my broken hip, preferring instead to wait in the room and watch TV. I complained that he had deprived me of reliving a common scene in many a Koreanovela: lovers holding hands while one is on a gurney, then suddenly having to let go as the doors to the operating suite swing open.

But by then I was already partly sedated and could do nothing but silently bemoan my fate. Minutes after being laid flat on the operating table, with a small green tent between my torso and the rest of me, I felt a sudden, strong grip on my right arm. In my delirium, I supposed that the hubby had changed his mind and came into the operating room to comfort me.

But then the grip became harder and firmer, and I realized that it was not myhusband’s hand I was feeling but the vise of the blood pressure cuff. The cuff would stay on for the next hour or so, but strangely, the on-again, off-again mechanism proved comforting, assuring me at least that I was still alive and breathing. *** Young lovers, take note. As you get older and romance turns into familiarity, novelty into daily experience, you learn to find the frisson of falling in love in the oddest

places and occasions. And as one wise woman said: The beauty of being married is that you find yourself falling in love over and over again with the same person.

True, romantic love will fade with time. True also that boredom may and will set in, as well as resentment, impatience, restlessness, doubt. But sometimes life takes an unexpected turn (or fall), and you find yourselves seeing each other in a new light, or at least from a different angle.

Ask yourselves this: When surveying the lay of the land, as it were, and choosing who among the many prospects is worth spending the rest of your life with, what is it that you look for and judge?

Good looks count, certainly, as do a modicum of earning potential, courtly manners, wit and humor, parental potential, a sense of responsibility.

But will he change your adult diapers for you when you lie help-

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Opinion

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

15

PUBLIC LIVES

Toward a sociology of peace

By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer PEOPLE are puzzled by President Duterte’s abrupt turnabout in his quest for an enduring peaceful resolution of the decades-old communist insurgency. I suspect that at some point he felt he was being taken for a fool, or shortchanged, by a movement whose friendship he had avidly cultivated, and whose aspirations he thought he shared.

Since we’re approaching Valentine’s Day, I hope I may be forgiven if I borrow some motifs from the sociology of love in order to develop some insights for a sociology of peace. I think we’re dealing here with two modes of loving whose incompatibility has been overshadowed by the ardor of initial affection.

In his book “Postmodern Ethics,” the sociologist Zygmunt Bauman wrote about two types of lovers who try to deal with the instability of the emotions and the uncertainties of the social world.

The strategies they adopt, Bauman says, are akin to those that governments use in order to protect the value of their currency in periods of uncertainty. They will either try to “fix” the exchange rate, or to “float” it.

To “fix” one’s love is to treat it as a “duty,” a necessary shield against

future fluctuations. This strategy, and a responsibility. That’s why he be matched only by his strong deBauman writes, basically entails went out of his way, just before the termination to conclude a peace agreeing that “whatever happens 2016 presidential election, to chat agreement with the communist to their emotions, partners will go via Skype with exiled former Com- rebels. on benefiting from love’s gifts: the munist Party of the Philippines He demonstrated this yet again other partner’s concern, care, re- leader Jose Maria Sison, to tell him when he announced a unilateral sponsibility. An effort to reach the how much he looked forward to re- ceasefire and released top leaders state in which one can go on receiv- starting the peace talks and ending of the underground from prison to ing without giving more, or giv- the war with the communist forces. enable them to travel and particiing no more than the established He did so knowing this could be pate in the peace talks abroad. The pattern demands.” (Interestingly, used to smear him as a communist National Democratic Front gleeBauman doesn’t say how lovers of candidate. fully welcomed these initiatives this type behave when they realize Again, right after the election, even as it manifested a more calithat their partner is taking advan- he went out on a limb when he an- brated response to Mr. Duterte’s tage of them.) nounced that he was offering the show of goodwill. It was obvious To “float” one’s love, on the other communist movement three seats that it didn’t want to be rushed hand, is to treat it as a reciprocal in the Cabinet. This was unprec- into calling for a ceasefire among relationship. Here’s how Bauman edented and highly unexpected. I its ranks. This makes one wonder describes it: “The to what extent the strategy of ‘cutting political leaderIn a span of three days, he called for an all-out war against one’s losses’, of ship of the CPPthe rebels whom he now labels as terrorists, and ordered ‘not throwing good NDF speaks for the immediate arrest of the same top communist leaders he had money after bad’, its regional armed released just months earlier. of giving up trying, commands. and looking elsewhere for another suspect even the Left was at first Be that as it may, last Feb. 1, the try once the gains seem to have unsure what to make of it. That Mindanao command of the New fallen below the level of expenses the President would actually make People’s Army declared the lifting needed to secure them.” In short, these appointments ahead of any of its own ceasefire, to take effect love’s value is not fixed; it rises and peace agreement appeared as a 10 days later. But, for reasons that falls depending on what both part- reckless expenditure of political have not been explained, its forces ners actually bring into it. capital. decided to mount offensive strikes Which type of lover does PresiBut, these moves had the posi- against government forces days dent Duterte resemble? On the tive effect of speeding up the peace ahead of Feb. 10. In what appears question of peace with the commu- talks, the one bright spot in a po- to be a planned ambush, they killed nist rebels, I frankly think he began litical landscape dominated by the three soldiers in Bukidnon, includas a partner who viewed the forging daily killings in the barbaric war ing a young officer who had just of a peace agreement with the Left on drugs. Mr. Duterte’s obsession graduated from the Philippine Milas an act of duty, a commitment, with the drug menace seemed to itary Academy. This was followed

by the abduction of policemen in other parts of the country.

Some have suggested that certain elements are staging these events to sabotage the negotiations. Others suspect that the rebels are using the resumption of hostilities to exert pressure for the release of more than 400 members of the movement from government detention.

Mr. Duterte’s reaction came as swiftly and as unexpectedly as his unilateral declaration of a ceasefire. In a span of three days, he called for an all-out war against the rebels whom he now labels as terrorists, and ordered the immediate arrest of the same top communist leaders he had released just months earlier. He has not only terminated the peace talks, he has also canceled the existing Joint Agreement on Security and Immunity Guarantee that had protected participants in the peace talks from arrest and reprisal.

Joma Sison once characterized Mr. Duterte’s angry moves as the behavior of a “thug.” If true, I would say this is the behavior of a thug who expected that there would be honor among thugs. All this makes one wonder which type of peace partner is preferable: one who sees peace as an inflexible act of duty, or one who approaches it as a game of strategic calculation. ■

LOOKING BACK

A Japanese Christian lord in Manila

By Ambeth R. Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer PHILIPPINES-JAPAN Friendship Day is fixed at July 24 to commemorate the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1956. This date is inaccurate because the Philippines had diplomatic relations with Japan long before 1956: during the wartime republic under Jose P. Laurel, and during the Spanish and American colonial periods when Japan’s citizens and interests were represented and protected by a Japanese consul in Manila. July 24 took the place of Feb. 3, a date that reminded Filipinos of the wanton rape, pillage and murder of unarmed Filipino men, women and children by the cornered Japanese forces during the Battle for Manila in 1945. Feb. 3 was once the date for Philippines-Japan Friendship Day, being the date of Takayama Ukon’s martyrdom.

Takayama is not a familiar name to Filipinos except those who remember a Japanese restaurant, long gone, thus named. This week over 10,000 Japanese Catholics gathered in Osaka for the beatification of the Christian daimyo who courted martyrdom during the persecution of Christians in Japan in the 17th century. He is relevant to the Philippines because he chose to be exiled to Manila, where he died on Feb. 5, 1615.

To Japanese Catholics Takayama Ukon, born in 1553, is a prominent figure just one step away from full sainthood; to Filipinos he is a footnote in our shared history. In Jesuit mission letters he appears as Justo (his Christian name) Ucon (his title)-dono (or lord). Another primary source refers to Ukon Don Justo Tacayama Minaminobo. The added name is what he took after shaving his head as a sign of his retirement from public life, or the

alias he used as one of the great tea masters of Japan.

Takayama served under three shoguns: Nobunaga, Hideyoshi (Taikosama) and Ieyasu (Tokugawa). All respected him but were wary of his being Christian. In a show of humility and surrender, Takayama presented himself once to Nobunaga, unarmed and in pilgrim’s clothes, accompanied only by his son and younger sister. They were received well as Nobunaga was tolerant of Christians, unlike his successor, Hideyoshi, whowas publicly tolerant but inwardly suspicious of Christians knowing that Spanish and Portuguese colonization came hand in hand with evangelization. When Hideyoshi first made a threat to kill all Christians in 1597, Takayama offered his life to be taken first, but Hideyoshi refused to make a martyr of someone in his inner circle.

Hideyoshi later demanded that Takayama choose between re-

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nouncing his faith or be stripped of his title and fiefdom. Takayama chose the latter. Without status, income, and soldiers, he was vulnerable yet he was spared death.

Instead, Hideyoshi gave him the choice of serving another lord or being exiled to China with the Jesuit fathers. Takayama chose exile.

To avoid well-meaning friends who advised him to be anti-Christian in public but Christian in private, Takayama retired to the island of Awaji. Years later Hideyoshi summoned him back to Kyoto, where he was invited to the tea ceremony—a sign that he had been restored to his place in court. Yet Takayama avoided court activities because he did not agree with many of Hideyoshi’s views. He retired to Kanazawa as a vassal of another warlord until the great persecution of Christians in Japan began in 1614.

Ieyasu offered Takayama exile to avoid having blood on his hands by

ordering the Christian lord’s execution or assassination. Ieyasu feared Takayama and was quoted as having said: “In Ukon’s hands 1,000 soldiers would be worth more than 10,000 in the hands of whosoever else.”

At the time of his exile Takayama was over 60 years old and Ieyasu knew the physical toll that the journey from Kanazawa to Nagasaki in the winter would take on his health. Add to that the 33-day voyage from Nagasaki to Manila threatened by Dutch pirates. Accumulated stress plus the change in weather and diet in the Philippines had the desired effect. Forty days after arriving in Manila and being received with great honors by the Spanish governor-general and the City of Manila, Takayama fell ill and died on Feb. 5, 1615, his life a continuing martyrdom.

When Takayama is canonized a saint, he will join a list of saints who once walked in the Philippines. ■

16

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

FRIDAY

Canada News U.S. border tax plan would cut one percentage point from Canadian growth: study THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — A proposed U.S. border-adjustment tax that has stirred up fears in Corporate Canada would inflict considerable damage on both economies, a new report said Tuesday.

The study was released a day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met President Donald Trump and top House lawmaker Paul Ryan, who has promoted the border-tax measure.

The analysis by the C.D. Howe Institute think tank estimated the U.S. policy change would shave nearly a full percentage point from Canada’s economic growth.

The study’s authors said the plan would reduce bilateral trade in both directions and predicted it would cut nearly 1.3 percentage points from U.S.

economic growth.

“It is trade-distorting and economically damaging to the United States and its trading partners,” co-authors Dan Ciuriak and Jingliang Xiao wrote about the border-tax proposal.

“Canada is heavily exposed to the ramifications of a (borderadjustment tax).”

It’s unclear whether Trudeau was able to get some clarity — or reassurance — from Ryan on the future of the border tax, which has Canadian firms deeply concerned.

When asked whether Trudeau learned more about the border-tax proposal, a spokeswoman in his office pointed to a statement that only said the prime minister discussed trade during his meeting with Ryan.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday

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that the meetings in Washington confirmed her expectations

the fate of the border-tax plan was uncertain.

“This is very much in the early stages and there is a very broad diversity of opinion in the United States around that,” Freeland told reporters in Ottawa.

“It’s not appropriate for us to have a position on that until we see where the U.S. lands.”

She noted that the bordertax measure is part of a broader tax-reform plan.

Freeland also said talks surrounding the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement had yet to begin because appointees for the new U.S. secretary of commerce and trade representative positions still had to be confirmed.

“Therefore, it’s not possible for us to start the negotiations at a technical level and we haven’t started,” she said.

“Yesterday’s conversation with the president was very productive. It’s a good start.” ■

Canadians lost $17M to online dating scams in 2016: RCMP

BY PAOLA LORIGGIO The Canadian Press ROMANCE MAY be in the air on Valentine’s Day, but RCMP say those looking for love online need to protect their wallets as well as their hearts.

Some 748 people lost more than $17 million to online dating scams last year, the force said as it urged anyone using apps or websites to find dates to be cautious.

The victims are largely in their mid-40s to late 50s, with each gender as likely to fall prey to scams, said Sgt. GuyPaul Larocque. Some have been cheated out of more than $100,000, he said.

“It’s devastating, some of them have lost all their savings...It hurts their pride as well,” he said.

“The victims are basically falling for that person, they have some type of affection going on, and the scammers take advan-

tage of that,” he said. “We’ve all fallen in love, we know the high when we think we’ve found the person that we’ve been looking for, and from there we can become very vulnerable.”

Many are reluctant to report the crime, out of embarrassment or — in the case of older people — out of fear that they will lose independence as concerned family members step in, he said.

Scammers create fake online profiles in order to gain some-

one’s trust then ask for money, often claiming to be faced with an emergency, RCMP said.

That can involve fake social media profiles as well as those on dating sites or apps.

Some red flags to watch for include someone professing their love before meeting in person, or claiming to be from the same town but working overseas, which may be a setup to ask for money later, the force said.

The best solution is to simply not send anyone money, it said.

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RCMP also said there are safety risks with online dating because it’s difficult to verify a person’s identity or motivations before meeting them.

They recommend having the first date in a public place and arranging your own transportation so that the other person doesn’t know where you live.

They also suggest telling a friend or family member the person’s name and where you’re meeting them as well as when you expect to be back. ■

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Canada News

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

Cannabis industry opposes call for plain packaging and bans on advertising

BY LAURA KANE The Canadian Press

duced in the Senate.

The aim is to strip the industry’s ability to attach “sophistication and allure” to its products, said Mahood, and to prevent it from detracting from public-health warnings.

While there is a lot that researchers still don’t know about marijuana, it’s not a benign substance and there are health risks, said Rebecca Jesseman, a senior policy adviser at the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, which supports plain packaging.

The inhalation of any hot vapour into the lungs is harmful, while edible products have been linked to over-consumption and increased emergency room visits in Colorado and Washington, where marijuana is legal, she said.

“It’s much easier to be more restrictive from the outset and then loosen the restrictions as you learn, than it is to start out with looser regulations and try to make them more stringent,” she said.

In terms of advertising, Battley said he believes that cannabis should be treated essentially the same as liquor, a sector VANCOUVER — Garfield Mawhere companies cannot show hood has spent 30 years fightpeople using the product in ing for the Canadian governcommercials or target underment to require plain packaging age individuals. for cigarettes.

The federal task force recSo, the long-time non-smokommended that plain mariers’ rights activist says he juana packaging be allowed to doesn’t have much faith in the include the company name, government’s ability to regustrain name, price, amounts of late and restrict the marketing psychoactive ingredients and of marijuana. warnings.

“They identified tobacco But that information isn’t products as a cause of disease enough to ensure people can back in the 1950s,” said Mabuy the product they want, hood, president of the Camsaid Mark Zekulin, president of paign for Justice on Tobacco Tweed, a subsidiary of Canopy Fraud. “They’ve never been Growth, the largest of Canada’s able to bring this epidemic publicly traded marijuana comclose to a conclusion. panies.

“What would give you faith “If you try to compare five that health departments are different whiskies, they’re all going to effectively regulate going to be 35 per cent alcohol any health problems related to or 40 per cent alcohol, but at the these other drugs?” end of the day they’re all very As the Liberal government different,” he said. “Cannabis is prepares to introduce legislaprobably more diverse.” tion to “legalize, regulate and A ban on branding and adverrestrict access tising could creto marijuana” ate a more level before this sumplaying field mer, one area between large that the cannaWhat the federal government is licensed producbis industry and trying to do is get people to switch ers and smaller public health over from the illegal and unregulated “craft” growadvocates are market to the regulated market. ers, said Lindsay closely watching Meredith, a maris whether it will keting professor allow companies at Simon Fraser to brand and promote their Cam Battley, executive vice- University’s Beedie School of products. president at Aurora Cannabis, Business.

A task force appointed by the said he would never call a psyBut Meredith said it would federal government recom- choactive substance complete- be a problem for the federal mended it require plain pack- ly benign. But he said marijua- government if it allows marketaging and a limit to advertising na is more benign than alcohol ing of liquor but not cannabis. similar to the restrictions on or tobacco.

The argument that producers tobacco. But licensed produc“There are millions of Cana- need branded packaging and ers of medical marijuana argue dians who purchase cannabis. advertising in order to lure usthat cannabis isn’t as danger- What the federal government ers from the illegal market has ous as tobacco and that brand- is trying to do is get people to some merit, he added. ing and marketing are neces- switch over from the illegal and “You’re not going to buy my sary to attract consumers from unregulated market to the reg- product if you don’t know it exthe black market to the legal ulated market,” he said. ists,” he said. industry.

“If they want to do that, it “The whole idea of branding, Mahood began advocating makes sense to allow us to developed hundreds of years for plain packaging on tobacco state who we are, to establish ago, was because 10 of us made in the mid-1980s. Governments our brands, to justify why it a product. Nine of us did a lousy over the years declined to im- makes sense for consumers job making it. One guy did a plement it until 2016, when to go through the legal system good job making it. People who Health Minister Jane Philpott instead of going to somebody were using the product wanted vowed to ban branding on ciga- they know in the neighbour- to know which guy was doing rette boxes and a bill was intro- hood.” it.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

17

‘Like family to us;’ Calgary university mourning death of two flight instructors

BY BILL GRAVELAND The Canadian Press CALGARY’S MOUNT Royal University has grounded its school aviation program fleet after a crash west of the city that killed two of its flight instructors.

RCMP said the crash happened Monday east of Highway 40, northwest of Cochrane.

The accident was witnessed by another aircraft and reported to authorities at about 5 p.m.

Alberta EMS later said no one had been taken to hospital.

Mount Royal University President David Docherty said the school is grieving.

“Today has been an extremely difficult day for everyone here on campus,” Docherty said Tuesday. “At a difficult time our sincerest condolences, first and foremost, go to the families of those instructors.”

Docherty identified one of the dead pilots as Jeffrey Bird.

Later Tuesday evening, the university identified the second pilot as Reynold Johnson.

Bird’s Facebook page said he joined the university as a pilot instructor in January and had left a job as a pilot instructor with the Royal Canadian Air Force at a base in Moose Jaw, Sask., in November.

Before that, he served as a pilot in Edmonton with 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron, including a tour of duty in Af-

ghanistan.

Docherty said he was an experienced pilot with more than 1,800 flying hours.

“I’ve spoken to the family and can tell you they are understandably heartbroken,” Docherty said.

The university said Johnson, meanwhile, had a 35-year career in aviation with Air Canada and then Jazz and was an alumnus of the University of Lethbridge.

The two-year aviation program has 60 students and, prior to the accident, had a fleet of five single-engine Cessnas and three twin-engine Technams.

The two pilots were flying one of the twin-engine aircraft.

“We’re grounding the fleet temporarily and we will be working with Transport Canada to make sure we’re not putting any plane in the air,” said Docherty.

“We don’t know the cause.

It’s too early to say anything definitive but the planes are on the ground right now.”

Docherty said the university planes are in the air 364 days a year and both pilots were experienced. It wasn’t unusual for two pilots to be in the plane together, he said.

“They were in an area that’s a normal path for instruction to take place and it’s not uncommon for instructors to be up in a plane together.”

The deaths have shaken stu❱❱ PAGE 18 ‘Like family’

18

Canada News

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

FRIDAY

Trump, Trudeau hold joint news conference PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MOSCOW — On Monday, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau held a joint press conference following the launch of the Canada-United States Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders.

During the news conference, Trump asserted that in “these dangerous times, it is more important than ever that we continue to strengthen our vital alliance.” He stated that the US is “deeply grateful” for Canada’s contribution to the counterISIS effort.

“We continue to work in common, and in common cause, against terrorism,” Trump said. “And work in cooperation toward reciprocal trade and shared growth. We understand that both of our countries are stronger when we join forces in matters of international commerce. Having more jobs in trade right here in North America is better for both the United States and is also much better for Canada.”

Trump asserted that he and Trudeau will be coordinating closely to protect jobs “in our hemisphere,” keep wealth “on our continent,” and keep everyone safe.

Trudeau, for his part, stated that any day he gets to “visit our southern neighbors” is a

Women with signs to warn Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about Donald Trump during a protest rally.

ARINDAMBANERJEE / SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

good day in his book. He spoke in both English and French, switching between the two.

The Prime Minister asserted that relationships between neighbors are often “complex,” and that the two nations will not always agree on everything.

“But, because of our deep abiding respect for one another, we’re able to successfully navigate those complexities and still remain the closest of allies and friends,” Trudeau said.

Trudeau said that “at the end of the day, the president and I share a common goal. We both want to make sure hard-working folks can go to work at a good job, put food on the table for their families, and save up to take a vacation every once in a while. That’s what we are trying

to do here.”

The Prime Minister announced that they discussed collaborating on energy infrastructure projects that will create jobs while respecting the environment. He also announced the creation between himself and Trump of the United StatesCanada Council for Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs and Business Leaders.

Earlier, the two world leaders had participated in a roundtable on women in the workforce, with an agenda set by Ivanka Trump, who has been an outspoken advocate for women’s issues. Nine career women were also selected by the First Daughter to participate in the meeting.

Included in the meeting

Buildings evacuated after massive fire breaks out in midtown Toronto THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO’S FIRE chief says evacuations continue as firefighters try to control a massive blaze that has closed streets in the city’s midtown and is pouring smoke over a wide area.

Matthew Pegg says The Badminton and Racquet Club is at risk of collapsing and he is worried about the fire spreading to neighbouring buildings, including a nearby 14-storey, 87-unit condominium.

Police say buses have been brought in to shelter people

who have had to leave their homes.

More than 100 firefighters are on scene at Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue West after being called out around 9:20 a.m.

There are no reports of injuries and Pegg is warning onlookers to stay away from the area, which is closed to traffic, and the Toronto subway is not stopping at St. Clair station due to the fire.

Capt. David Eckerman previously said part of the roof of the Racquet Club had collapsed and they needed Toronto Water

to boost water pressure to help battle the blaze.

Pegg said it is a very difficult and hazardous fire and there have been a number of structural collapses.

“Everyone in that building that we know that was inside that building is safe and accounted for, so that’s good news,” Pegg said.

“The condition of the building involved in the fire continues to worsen so we’re still dealing with some very, very accelerated collapse potential, and very, very heavy fire.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

were top female executives and CEO’s from both nations, including General Electric Canada CEO Elyse Allan, Chair of the Board of Directors for Investissement Quebec Monique Leroux, Carol Stephenson of the board of directors for General Motors, and TransAlta CEO Dawn Farrell.

The discussion was set to focus on how to “encourage more connectivity and business activity between women business leaders between our two countries.” Topics were expected to include how to provide maternity leave, childcare, and how to better support female entrepreneurs.

Trump and Trudeau also held a bilateral meeting and a working lunch.

“No two countries share deeper or broader relations than Canada and the United States. We are bound together by our history, our values, our economy, our environment, and our resolve to improve the lives of our citizens. Our close relationship and ongoing collaboration allow us to successfully meet any challenges we may face over the coming years, and to build a prosperous future for the people of both countries,” Trudeau and Trump said in a joint statement following the meeting.

The leaders hold many conflicting views on policy, and Trudeau tweeted an appeal to refugees, stating that they are welcome in his nation, after Trump issued his executive orders on immigration.

The joint statement expressed their mutual interest in keeping the border secure, however.

“We recognize the security of our borders as a top priority,” the statement read. “Together, we address security at our shared border and throughout our two countries, while expediting legitimate and vital cross-border trade and travel.

We demonstrate daily that security and efficiency go handin-hand, and we are building a 21st century border through initiatives such as pre-clearance of people and integrated ❱❱ PAGE 21 Trump, Trudeau

‘Like family...’ dents in the program.

Most showed up for the news conference to show their respect.

“When we found out what happened, myself and about 40 of my friends spent the night crammed into a residence room until two in the morning talking about our favourite memories from these two extraordinary flight instructors,” said Luc Sinal, president of the aviation student executive.

“It was the passion for aviation and the love of flying that brought us towards this program and these instructors only helped bring that passion out and helped us discover the love of flying we had.”

Sinal said the students spent ❰❰ 17

a lot of one-on-one time with the 12 instructors in the cockpit, in the hangar and hanging out at the university.

“They become like family to us.”

The Transportation Safety Board of Canada is investigating.

Cpl. Curtis Peters, an RCMP spokesman, said there are rural properties and ranches in the area where the crash occurred.

He said police, an air ambulance, military aircraft and the Calgary police helicopter were part of a major emergency response to the area.

“They discovered the site and unfortunately both of the people on board were killed,” he said. ■

World News

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

19

Trump’s south Florida estate raises ethics questions

BY DARLENE SUPERVILLE AND JILL COLVIN The Associated Press

Border Patrol vehicle patrolling along the fence of the international border between San Diego, California and Tijuana, Mexico

Despite media hysteria, no rise in deportations from US to Mexico PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MOSCOW — The Mexican government has confirmed that despite media hysteria, there has not actually been a rise in deportations since President Donald Trump took office.

Not only has the number not gone up, it is actually lower than it was during this time last year — under President Barack Obama.

In a televised interview on Monday, Mexico’s Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray stated that consulates have been receiving panicked phone calls as the media began reporting a surge in deportations after a wave of arrests of undocumented immigrants took place across several states.

The media promptly sprung into action, whipping up hysteria and protests across the nation, but the raids were simply routine operations that Immigrations and Customs Enforcement began carrying out two to three times a year — under the Obama administration.

“President Obama has moved millions of people out.

Nobody knows about it. Nobody talks about it. But under Obama, millions of people have

been moved out of this country. They’ve been deported,” Trump said during the October presidential debate.

Under President Obama, over 2.5 million people were deported — which is not only more than any other president in history, but also more than all presidents in the 20th century combined.

Despite Obama being nicknamed “the deporter-in-chief” by immigration activists, there was near radio silence from the press, who has seemingly been working overtime to use the new raids to cause alarm.

In fact, Obama’s 2014 executive order sounds an awful lot like Trump’s policies. The priority, according to his order, was to deport “threats to national security, border security, and public safety.” Included in that were gang members, convicted felons, and anyone charged with an “aggravated felony.”

“The crackdown on illegal criminals is merely the keeping of my campaign promise. Gang members, drug dealers & others are being removed!” Trump tweeted on Sunday.

The statement sounds awfully familiar, while the extreme protests — including the blocking of the 101 freeway in Los Angeles, do not. ■

PALM BEACH, FLA. — President Donald Trump’s south Florida estate is no longer just the place where he goes to escape.

He has described the sprawling Mar-a-Lago property as the Winter White House and has spent two weekends there so far this month. But it’s also become a magnet for anti-Trump protesters and the subject of an ethics debate over his invitation to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to join him this weekend — with Trump pledging to pay for the accommodations.

Demonstrators chose the estate site as a venue for protesting Trump’s decision approving construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline. The North Dakota project, opposed by a Native American tribe fearful of water contamination from potential oil leaks, had stalled in Democrat Barack Obama’s administration. Trump’s executive order cleared the way for the developer to start building the final stretch of pipeline.

During Trump’s other weekend in Florida, several thousand people marched near the property to protest his temporary ban on travel to the United states by refugees as well as citizens of seven mostly Muslim countries. A federal appeals court has upheld a lower court’s decision that temporarily blocks the ban’s enforcement.

Trump’s election is also putting charitable organizations, such as the American Red Cross, in an awkward position for choosing Mar-a-Lago for events booked months in advance. The Red Cross held its annual fundraiser at Mar-aLago, as it has done for many years, on Feb. 4, about a week after Trump enacted the travel ban. Trump and his wife, Melania, attended.

“What an honour, what a great honour it is. And let’s go to Florida,” Trump told Abe on Friday at a White House news conference shortly before they boarded Air Force One for the trip. www.canadianinquirer.net

The two world leaders and their wives headed straight to Mar-a-Lago, where they enjoyed a late dinner at the crowded patio restaurant. Joining them under a white-andyellow striped canopy were Robert Kraft, the owner of the Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots, and several interpreters. Paying members and their guests took in the scene and mingled with Trump and Abe into the night.

On Saturday, Trump and Abe paid visits to two of Trump’s golf courses in nearby Jupiter and West Palm Beach, before a more formal delegation dinner at Mar-a-Lago.

World leaders typically exchange gifts, and Trump and Abe did so when Abe rushed to New York City in November to become the first foreign leader to meet with Trump after the election. Abe gave Trump a pricey, gold-colored Honma golf driver; Trump reciprocated with a golf shirt and other golf accessories.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer said that Abe’s freeof-charge stay at Mar-a-Lago is Trump’s gift to Abe this time around. But the gesture wasn’t sitting well with government watchdog groups.

Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen, said Trump and Abe don’t need to meet at Trump’s commercial property, where the membership fee recently was doubled to $200,000.

“Hosting a foreign leader at the president’s business resort creates impossible sets of conflicts,” Weissman said. “If the president hadn’t offered to pay, the U.S. government would be paying Donald Trump’s business for the purpose of hosting the Japanese leader.” Typically, the U.S. government would pick up the costs associated with such a visit.

Weissman said that Camp David, the U.S. governmentowned retreat in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains, which presidents use for personal getaways as well as to conduct the people’s business, would do fine.

“Why should you go to a resort in Florida?” Weissman asked. “Fine, you want to go to a resort in Florida? Don’t go to

one Trump’s family owns.”

But Trump has shown that he isn’t too concerned about possible conflicts of interest involving him and his family.

This past week, Trump used his official government Twitter account to criticize Nordstrom after the retailer said it had dropped a line of clothing and accessories sold by his daughter Ivanka.

Trump offered a possible explanation for inviting Abe to Mar-a-Lago, saying a “great friendship” had developed from their New York meeting.

The president is expected to continue bringing world leaders to the estate, helping to fulfil the vision of the property’s former owner, Marjorie Merriweather Post. The late cereal heiress willed Mar-a-Lago to the U.S. government after her death in 1973, intending for it to become a retreat for U.S. presidents and visiting dignitaries.

Trump bought Mar-a-Lago in the 1980s and retains a financial interest in the club.

Presidents through the years often escaped the majesty and protocol of the White House by choosing less formal settings for bilateral talks.

“It’s difficult, in effect, to get away inside the White House with the press corps in the same building,” said Bruce Buchanan, politics professor at the University of Texas at Austin. “In fact, it’s very desirable for presidents to have multiple venues within which to build and create relationships with other world leaders.”

President George W. Bush took advantage of his dusty ranch in Crawford, Texas, and regularly invited foreign counterparts there for talks.

Obama opted for Sunnylands, an estate in the California desert formerly owned by Walter and Leonore Annenberg. The late philanthropists built Sunnylands and long hoped the property they used as a winter home would become the “Camp David of the West.” ■ Superville reported from Washington.

20

World News

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

FRIDAY

UN Security Council meeting sought over NKorea missile test

BY ERIC TALMADGE The Associated Press PYONGYANG, KOREA, DEMOCRATIC PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF — The United States, Japan and South Korea have requested urgent diplomatic talks at the United Nations on Monday over North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launch, with Seoul condemning what it called “serious military and security threats” and predicting more such tests.

A spokesman for the U.S. Mission to the United Nations said Sunday night that the meeting is expected to take place Monday. The spokesman spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.

The U.N. Mission for Ukraine, which holds the rotating Security Council presidency, later confirmed that closed consultations on North Korea will take place late Monday afternoon.

The banned missile test is seen as an implicit challenge to U.S. President Donald Trump, who has vowed a tough line on Pyongyang but has yet to release a strategy for dealing with a country whose nuclear ambitions have bedeviled U.S. leaders for decades.

North Korean state media said leader Kim Jong Un was at the site to observe the launch and expressed pleasure at the North’s expansion of its strategic strike capabilities.

“These are serious military and security threats,” Jeong Joon-hee, spokesman at the Ministry of Unification, told reporters. “Pyongyang has no intention of backing away from its goal to become a country with nuclear weapons.”

A report on the launch carried early Monday by the North’s Korean Central News Agency said Kim watched from an observation post and gave the order to fire the “Pukguksong-2,” which it said was a “Korean style new type strategic weapon system.”

It is believed to have flown about 500 kilometres (310 miles) before splashing down into the ocean in international waters.

The report said the test

proved “the reliability and se- news conference at Trump’s curity” of a new mobile launch- estate, Abe condemned the ing system, the solid fuel that missile launch as “absolutely was used and the guidance and intolerable.” He read a brief control features of the ballistic statement calling on the North missile. Solid fuel can give mis- to comply fully with relevant siles longer range and make U.N. Security Council resoludetecting them before launch tions. He said Trump had asmore difficult because they can sured him of U.S. support and be readied faster than liquid that Trump’s presence showed fuel missiles. the president’s determination The report also said the test and commitment. verified control and guidance Trump followed Abe with capabilities and said the missile even fewer words, saying in can be “tipped with a nuclear part: “I just want everybody to warhead.” understand and fully know that It suggested the launch con- the United States of America ducted in a “lofted” style, which stands behind Japan, its great puts the missile into a high ally, 100 per cent.” trajectory rather than a lower Stephen Miller, Trump’s one that gives it more range, in chief policy adviser, said Trump order take “the security of the and Abe had displayed “an imneighbouring countries into portant show of solidarity” beconsideration.” tween their nations.

It added Kim “expressed “The message we’re sending great satisfaction over the pos- to the world right now is a messession of another powerful sage of strength and solidarity; nuclear attack means.” we stand with Japan and we “Now our rocket industry stand with our allies in the rehas radically turned into high gion to address the North Kothrust solid fuel-powered en- rean menace,” Miller said durgine from liquid fuel rocket ing an interview Sunday with engine and rapidly developed ABC’s “This Week.” into a development- and creThe firing of the missile is a ation-oriented industry, not major challenge for the Trump just copying samples,” he said. administration, said George “Thanks to the development of Lopez, an expert in economic the new strategic weapon sys- sanctions and nuclear disarmatem, our People’s Army is capa- ment and a professor emeritus ble of performing its strategic of peace studies at the Univerduties most accurately and rapidly in any space: under waters or on the land.”

Pyongyang has no intention of North Kobacking away from its goal to rea had warned become a country with nuclear it was ready to weapons. test its first intercontinental ballistic missile.

The U.S. Strategic Command, sity of Notre Dame. however, said it detected and “The Sunday test of an intracked what it assessed to be termediate-range ballistic a medium- or intermediate- missile by the North Korean range missile. The reports of regime is in clear violation of the launch came as Trump was past United Nations Security hosting Abe and just days be- Council resolutions and recent fore the North is to mark the warning from the U.S.,” Lopez birthday of leader Kim Jong said. “As such, it is a significant Un’s late father, Kim Jong Il. challenge to the Trump AdminAfter receiving word of the istration because it has yet to launch, Trump stood at his develop its policies toward the south Florida estate with Japa- region, toward North Korea, or nese Prime Minister Shinzo its role in the UN and its use of Abe, who called the move “in- economic sanctions. So we may tolerable.” learn a lot about Mr. Trump’s Appearing with Trump at a crisis diplomacy in the coming www.canadianinquirer.net

5 MWe experimental reactor at Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center.

KEITH LUSE, SENIOR PROFESSIONAL STAFF MEMBER, U.S. SENATE

days.”

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the missile was fired from around Banghyon, North Pyongan Province, which is where South Korean officials have said the North test-launched its powerful midrange Musudan missile on Oct. 15 and 20.

The missile splashed down into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, according to the U.S. Strategic Command. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters it did not hit Japanese territorial seas.

The North conducted two nuclear tests and a slew of rocket launches last year in continued efforts to expand its nuclear weapons and missile programs. Kim Jong Un said in his New Year’s address that the country had reached the final stages of readiness to test an ICBM, which would be a major step forward in its efforts to build a credible nuclear threat to the United States.

Though Pyongyang has been relatively quiet about the transfer of power to the Trump administration, its state media has repeatedly called for Washington to abandon its “hostile policy” and vowed to continue its nuclear and missile development programs until the U.S. changes its diplomatic ap-

proach.

Just days ago, it also reaffirmed its plan to conduct more space launches, which it staunchly defends but which have been criticized because they involve dual-use technology that can be transferred to improve missiles.

“Our country has clearly expressed its standpoint, that we will continue to build up our capacity for self-defence, with nuclear forces and a preemptive strike capability as the main points, as long as our enemies continue sanctions to suppress us,” Pyongyang student Kim Guk Bom said Sunday. “We will defend the peace and security of our country at any cost, with our own effort, and we will contribute to global peace and stability.”

South Korean Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn, who is also the acting president, said his country would punish North Korea for the missile launch.

The Foreign Ministry said South Korea would continue to work with allies, including the United States, Japan and the European Union, to ensure a thorough implementation of sanctions against the North and make the country realize that it will “never be able to survive” without discarding all of its nuclear and missile programs. ■ Associated Press writers Kim Tong-Hyung in Seoul, South Korea, Jill Colvin in Palm Beach, Florida, and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

World News

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

21

Sweden pals up with Norway against Russia PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MOSCOW — Nowadays, the perennial “Russian threat,” no matter how far-fetched, seems to justify virtually every defensive action European nations take. Non-aligned Sweden has decided to step up defense cooperation with its neighbor, NATO member state Norway, to parry Russia’s “aggression” amid extensive defensive preparations.

The two Nordic nations’ Defense Ministers pledged to strengthen bilateral relations and further strengthen their defense cooperation in a shared article published in the Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter.

In their joint opus in favor of defensive teamwork, Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist and his Norwegian counterpart Ine Eriksen Søreide cited the changing conditions affecting European security and specifically mentioned Russia’s aggressive behavior.

Hultqvist and Søreide argued that Europe in general and the Nordic region in particular were facing major security challenges which have not been witnesses since the Cold War, citing the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine and Crimea’s re-unification with Russia, which they insist on calling an “illegal annexation.”

“Russia has shown its willingness and ability to use military force in a different way

than before. Russian security is again being dominated by power politics and spheres of influence,” Hultqvist and Søreide wrote, citing “provocative” behavior on Russia’s part in the Baltic Sea region, without providing any examples.

According to Hultqvist and Søreide, the modernization of the Russian armed forces is seen as a threat, specifically Moscow’s development of long-range precision weapons, ability to perform complex operations and strategic mobility.

Efforts to protect the two countries’ maritime traffic and major hubs such as Gothenburg, Sweden, which accounts for a significant proportion of Swedish and Norwegian im-

Turkish Army might become bogged down liberating Raqqa from Jihadists PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MOSCOW — Commenting on the recent promise of President Erdogan that the Turkish army will advance onward to the Syrian city of Raqqa to cleanse it from jihadists, Turkish retired Major General Ahmet Yavuz told Sputnik Turkiye that the de facto Daesh capital might become a quagmire for his country’s forces; here is why.

On Sunday, Turkish President cleanse Tayyip Erdogan said that the final goal of what he called “a Turkish incursion into Syria” was not just to retake the city of al-Bab from Daesh (Islamic State/ISIS/ ISIL), but to a border region including Raqqa of the jihadists.

“The ultimate goal is to cleanse a 5,000-square-km area,” Erdogan told a news conference before his departure on an official visit to Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

He said Turkish forces had no intention of staying in Syria once the area had been cleared of both Daesh and Kurdish YPG militia fighters, whom Turkey sees as a hostile force.

Commenting on the remarks of his president, Turkish retired Major General Ahmet Yavuz

told Sputnik Turkiye that Raqqa however might become a quagmire for his country’s army.

“I think the city of Raqqa is the most dangerous point for the Turkish army. The operation on the liberation of the city from jihadists might become a quagmire where the Turkish forces might become bogged down for an uncertain period of time which will lead to very serious consequences,” he told Sputnik.

He further explained why he thinks that Turkey should refrain from the operation on liberation of the city from jihadists.

The major aim of the Turkish forces is to set up a security shield in the north of Syria, on the Turkish–Syrian border and to prevent the establishment of the Kurdish corridor, he said.

However it remains unclear what is easier to do now – to enter into Raqqa or leave it without bogging down. The demographic and social structure of this city differs greatly from that of al-Bab where Turkey is currently pressing a major offensive.

Ahmet Yavuz thinks that the Turkish army instead should cooperate with the Syrian government forces and support them during the operation on

liberation of Raqqa.

However he further noted that while Turkish aerial forces and even special units might take part in the offensive, participation of his country’s ground forces might lead to serious consequences.

“Turkey is pursuing the right strategy trying to weaken the influence of the Kurdish Democratic Union party (PYD) and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (also known as the People’s Defense Units, YPG) in the region. However the conditions in Raqqa differ greatly from those in al-Bab,” he said.

The retired major general further explained that during the operation in al-Bab the Turkish armed forces have not faced with any negative reaction of the local population.

However the situation has been changing while they were moving further to the east of the Euphrates.

“I think it would be wrong to undertake more responsibility in the ground operation without clear understanding of the situation in Manbij (a city in the Syria’s Aleppo Governorate, 30 kilometers west of the Euphrates),” he said.

Turkey needs to rightly estimate its abilities and strength, he finally stated. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

ports, were called pivotal steps to protect Norway and Sweden.

Hultqvist and Søreide stressed that the strengthened Swedish-Norwegian cooperation was based on common values and fully complied with guidelines for the pan-Nordic defense cooperation NORDEFCO (which involves all the five Nordic nations), as well as NATO, the UN and the EU. The security dialogue between the two countries will therefore deepen to include opportunities for enhanced crisis management.

Hultqvist and Søreide also stressed the importance of sharing experience with total defense (a comprehensive defense concept utilized by the Nordic nations) as well as gen-

eral conscription (which once again signals Sweden’s coming reintroduction of the draft).

Additionally, defense attaché headquarters in Stockholm and Oslo will be re-established to ensure the continuous exchange of security information.

Sweden and Norway will also step up practical collaboration on joint maneuvers, such as the Aurora exercise in Sweden and Trident Juncture in Norway, as well as the pan-Nordic Artic Challenge Exercise.

In the grand finale, Hultqvist and Søreide stressed the strengthened cooperation between NATO and the EU and called the United States a key element in the stabilization of the Nordic region and Europe. ■

Trump, Trudeau... cross-border law enforcement operations. In addition, our two countries are committed to a coordinated entry-exit information system so that records of land and air entries into one country establish exit records for the other.”

When asked by a reporter during the press conference if Trump believes the northern border to be secure — based on Trudeau’s tendency to “hug refugees” — Trump asserted that you can never be fully confident, but that “through the incredible efforts already, I see it happening.”

Trudeau responded by saying that the reason his nation has had “success” with their refugee program is because of how closely they are working with their allies.

“Keeping Canadians safe is one of the fundamental responsibilities of any government and that is certainly something we are very much focused on,” Trudeau said. “At the same time, we continue to pursue our policies of openness towards immigration of refugees without compromising security.”

“Security and immigration need to work very well together… we had a long and fruitful discussion on exactly that.”

He also stated, however, that “the last thing Canadians expect is for me to come down and lecture another country on how ❰❰ 18

they choose to govern themselves.”

Trump has also vocally opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada — though he has been more outspoken about trade with Mexican businesses than Canadian.

In the joint statement, the leaders expressed desire to work together to provide economic growth in both nations through a mutually beneficial fair trade partnership.

“We recognize our profound shared economic interests, and will work tirelessly to provide growth and jobs for both countries,” the joint statement asserted. “Canada is the most important foreign market for thirty-five U.S. States, and more than USD 2 billion in two-way trade flows across our shared border every day. Millions of American and Canadian middle-class jobs, including in the manufacturing sector, depend on our partnership.

“We affirm the importance of building on this existing strong foundation for trade and investment and further deepening our relationship, with the common goal of strengthening the middle class.”

The written statement concluded by saying that “the partnership between the United States and Canada will continue to be unique and a model for the world.” ■

22

Community News

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

FRIDAY

SSS extends help to victims of typhoon Nina TO SHOW that the Social Security System (SSS) cares for its members and pensioners, the pension fund distributed relief goods to 1,000 families from four barangays in BicolMagurang, Alnay, Basud and Gabon- which were affected by typhoon Nina last February 11, 2017.

During the relief operations held at Magurang Elementary School, SSS President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel F. Dooc, a Bicolano himself, encouraged his kababayans to remain resilient like the bamboo and rise stronger and taller after a crisis because this is what

Uragons are known for. He said that SSS is always ready to help them as they rebuild their lives and homes.

Above photo shows PCEO Dooc (center) and Polangui, Albay Vice Mayor Herbert Borja (beside PCEO) giving the relief package to Mr. Domingo Bogal from Brgy. Gabon, one of the beneficiaries of the SSS relief operation. Also present during the gift-giving were Management Services & Planning Division Vice President Eleonora Y. Cinco; Administration Group Senior Vice President May Catherine C. Ciriaco; Luzon Operations Group Senior Vice

President Josie G. Magana; Officer-In-Charge for Luzon Bicol Division Elenita S. Samblero; Magurang Elementary School Principal Yvonne O. Rea; and Officer-In-Charge of the Corporate Communications Department Sonia P. Guinto. Below photo shows employees of SSS Naga and Legazpi distributing the relief packages to the beneficiaries.

PCEO Dooc together with other senior officials were in Bicol from February 9-11 for the first Regional Visit for 2017 as part of the pension fund's thrust to bring SSS closer to its members. ■

Goodale to address border ‘tensions’ Alberta town’s with U.S. homeland secretary study says closure of

BY JIM BRONSKILL The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says he will soon talk face-to-face with his U.S. counterpart about the difficulties some Canadians are experiencing at the border.

Goodale said Tuesday he will have a chance in coming weeks — no date has been set — to discuss any border “issues or tensions” with Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly.

“We’re working on the scheduling of that,” Goodale said after a cabinet meeting. “The atmosphere in terms of the preliminary relationship seems to be very, very good.”

The Nexus trusted-traveller cards of about 200 Canadian permanent residents were suddenly cancelled after President Donald Trump issued an executive immigration order banning visitors from seven largely Muslim countries.

There have been several recent reports about minorities being turned away at the U.S. border. At the same time, Manitoba is grappling with an influx of would-be refugees crossing at remote border points in bitterly cold weather.

Goodale was briefed on the refugee issue Tuesday by RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson and Canada Border Services Agency president

John Ossowski.

“They’re redeploying resources to make sure that they’ve got the right people at the right place to be able to cope with these matters,” Goodale said.

The border issues have threatened to overshadow progress Canada made this week in Washington on plans for cargo preclearance to speed up trade as well as more extensive co-operation on fending off cyberthreats.

Goodale was among the ministers who accompanied Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on his first visit with Trump.

Canada and the U.S. agreed to move ahead with preclearance of cargo, which allows for the examination of shipments by the destination country at special sites inside the territory of the departure country. The idea is to benefit travellers and trade by reducing congestion and delays at the border.

Goodale hailed the language in a joint Canada-U.S. statement as a “major step forward.”

“It didn’t say we were going to study it, we were going to think about it, we’re going to work on it — it says from both countries, we are committed to implement it,” he said. “There are some preliminary sites that have been examined for some pilots where we can work out the kinks and the logistics.”

The efforts would build on cargo pilot projects the coun-

tries have already carried out under the 2011 Beyond the Border security pact.

“I think, from my impression (in Washington), the Americans are as keen as we are to make cargo preclearance a reality,” Goodale said.

Currently, people flying to American cities through eight major Canadian airports can be precleared there by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers.

Passenger preclearance is being expanded to Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport and Quebec City’s Jean Lesage International Airport, as well as for rail service in Montreal and Vancouver.

On Monday, Canada and the U.S. agreed to bring traveller preclearance to other locations, though one insider said it was too early to say which ones might participate.

The commitment to collaborate more closely on cyberthreats and protecting important systems also builds on existing cross-border efforts.

“We have a number of common critical infrastructure systems that cross the border between our two countries,” Goodale said Tuesday.

“The North American power grid is a good example of that, where there are huge interconnections along the border. And we want to make that as resilient and resistant to attack as we possibly can.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

federal centre would be a major blow THE CANADIAN PRESS

It could also lead to a 30 per cent decrease in home prices.

The centre opened in VegreVEGREVILLE, ALTA. — A ville in 1994 and has been one study commissioned by a town of the town’s largest employers in eastern Alberta suggests the for over 20 years. closure of a federal immigra“The government’s decision tion processing centre would be to close the CPC means Vegreeconomically devastating. ville will be older, smaller and Vegreville would suffer a poorer. This is exactly the oppermanent drop in popula- posite of what the government tion, lower proppromised to do erty values and for rural Canada higher unemin the last elecployment if the tion,” Mayor MyImmigration, This is ron Hayduk said.

Refugee and exactly the The union repCitizenship Case opposite resenting workProcessing Cenof what the ers at the centre tre moves to Edgovernment met with Minismonton, accordpromised to ter of Immigraing to the report. do for rural tion, Refugees The federal Canada and Citizenship government anin the last Ahmed Hussen nounced late last election. on Monday. year it was relo“The botcating the centom line is that tre, which emthe department ploys 236 people, doesn’t need to by the end of 2018 to improve close the Case Processing Censervice. tre in Vegreville in order to The report suggests Vegre- expand operations in Edmonville could lose up to 420 peo- ton,” said Marianne Hladun, ple, or 7.3 per cent of the popu- executive vice president of the lation, and the town believes Prairies Regional branch of the about 130 students would be Public Service Alliance of Canlost from local schools. ada. ■

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FEBRUARY 17, 2017

FRIDAY

Entertainment Mama Beyonce shines, Adele flubs in Grammy’s top moments

BY KRISTIN M. HALL The Associated Press IN BEYONCE’S first performance since announcing her pregnancy with twins, she shined head to toe in golden hues. Meanwhile Adele got a rare do-over on national television when she flubbed her performance, and Beyonce’s daughter Blue Ivy stole the show with her adorable miniPrince outfit. Here’s more on the top moments at Sunday night’s Grammy Awards: Mother Beyonce

In a highly anticipated performance, the first since she announced she was pregnant with twins, Beyonce celebrated her femininity and motherhood.

Clad head to toe in gold with bands around her neck, a crown and veil, she invoked images of both a goddess and the Virgin Mary and often cradled her swelling belly with her hands.

Although she skipped the elaborate choreography often seen in her shows, the performance was visually arresting with ghostly images of women and children dancing around her. Introduced by her mother, Tina Knowles, Beyonce looked down lovingly at her husband Jay Z and daughter Blue Ivy seated in the front row of Staples Center.

Yet in the end, she lost out to

Adele, the musical sales leader in 2016, in the top awards of the night, but took home two Grammys for best music video and best urban contemporary album for “Lemonade.”

Adele, take two

What everyone loves about Adele, despite her great vocal skills, is that she’s still nervous and makes mistakes on big stages. Last year at the Grammys, her performance was marred by a technical problem, but this time, she flubbed one of her performances and asked for a do-over.

After a flawless opening performance of her super hit “Hello,” the British singer came out a second time to honour the late George Michael. But early into her sombre, orchestral performance of “Fastlove,” she stopped singing, cursed and asked the band to start over, a rare occurrence on a live awards show. She explained, “I can’t mess this up for him.”

Carpool Grammys

Late night TV host James Corden has made his career lip-synching with musicians in his car, so he brought a prop car into the Staples Center with him.

Earlier, Corden inserted some Steve Martin-esque antics by falling through the stairs in his entrance and rapping his intro with one shoe, namedrop-

TINSELTOWN / SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

ping President Donald Trump as well as several musicians up for awards. Corden seemed adept at improvisation, even coming out in his boxers in response to Twenty One Pilots stripping down to their undies.

Later on, Corden brought out a cardboard car and gathered a group of musicians from the front rows to sing with Neil Diamond to “Sweet Caroline.” Among Jennifer Lopez, Jason Derulo, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Keith Urban and John Legend, few of the artists seemed to remember the lyrics to the song. But the skit was saved by Blue Ivy who jumped in the scene at the end.

Political talk

The artists on the red carpet and during the show expressed themselves about the divisive political climate in both dress, song and speeches. Transgender actress Laverne Cox asked people to Google Gavin Grimm, a transgender student whose case against so-called bathroom bills will be considered by the U.S. Supreme Court. Tribe Called Quest with Anderson .Paak sang “We the People” and ended with a line of rappers with their hands held in the air in fists shouting, “Resist.” Paris Jackson, the 18-year-old daughter of pop icon Michael Jackson, called

for support of the protestors against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Jennifer Lopez was more subtle, but clear when she called for action. “There is no time for despair, no place for self pity, no need for silence, and no room for fear,” Lopez said.

Katy Perry’s debuted a metaphor-heavy new single “Chained in Rhythm,” about complacency in pop music that ended with Perry and singer Skip Marley standing in front of an image of the U.S. Constitution. Singer Joy Villa walked the red carpet with President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan emblazoned on her gown, but she garnered a lot of criticism online for the obvious attentiongrabbing stunt.

Mars attacks

Blue Ivy wasn’t the only one channeling the Purple One. Bruno Mars dazzled in his impression of the late musical icon Prince, performing in a sparkly purple coat and wailing on a white guitar like the one Prince played. Along with Prince collaborators The Time, the medley of songs included “Jungle Love,” “The Bird,” and “Let’s Go Crazy.” It was a fitting reminder of his incredible catalogue, which was also released to most streaming music outlets the same day as the Grammys. ■

Universal Records acquire rights to the Prince catalog

BY PHOEBE BALUBAR Philippine Canadian Inquirer KNOWN FOR having a longstanding battle against the music industry and the internet, the estate of Prince announced on Thursday that it entered a deal with Universal Records to release the late pop icon’s catalog full of unreleased tracks.

The deal gives rights to Universal Records to the vault of unreleased music that Prince kept up until his sudden death in April. This also includes acquiring rights and control over the 25 albums that Prince released under his own label during his dispute with Warner Brothers as “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.”

According to Universal, it will

also obtain rights to “certain renowned Prince albums from 1979 to 1995” which marked the late artist’s prolific era with hits like “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry” topping the various charts.

This deal hits a major blow with Warner as they had reconciled with Prince back in 2014 and announced that it will reissue “Purple Rain” along with another album full of previouswww.canadianinquirer.net

ly unreleased material.

Prince’s longtime lawyer L. Londell McMillan represented the estate and said that Universal was “Passionate about presenting Prince’s music with a holistic vision that celebrates his iconic status.”

Despite being vocal about his views against major music labels and the deregularization of the industry through the inter-

net, the estate also had entered deals with various companies in order for Prince’s work to be made available to major music sites such as Spotify who already made promotional efforts particularly ahead of the Grammy’s on Sunday.

It was only in late 2015 when Prince allowed his music to be streamed through Jay-Z’s streaming site, Tidal. ■

Entertainment

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

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Drew Barrymore Mitch Valdes recalls on being cheered burlesque dancing scene up by zombie role in ‘Santa Clarita Diet’

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR Philippine Daily Inquirer

BY VICTORIA AHEARN The Canadian Press TORONTO — Gnawing on body parts turned out to be therapeutic for Drew Barrymore.

The Golden Globe-winning actress says her role as a suburban mom who turns into a zestful zombie in Netflix’s new dark comedy “Santa Clarita Diet” came when she was in a really “hard place” in her life.

It was shot last summer, when she was in the throes of a divorce from her husband of four years, Will Kopelman.

“I read this and it cheered me up,” Barrymore, who is also an executive producer on the show, said in a recent phone interview.

“I thought it was very empowering and about this woman’s awakening and a good marriage, and it was entertaining but it felt gritty and current.

But it also takes place in the backyard and in suburbia — and I just can’t really relate, actingwise or viewer-wise, to things that are other-planet.

“I liked that they were talking about problems that were very outlandish in a grocery list kind of way.”

It was also the type of story she was craving as a viewer.

“I don’t want to watch anger, I don’t want to be angry,” said

Barrymore, who first endeared audiences as a child star in “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial” and “Irreconcilable Differences.”

“It’s not that anger isn’t healthy or good sometimes, it can be a great motivator, but I don’t want to watch negative things right now. I can’t do it. There’s plenty of it to go around.... I wanted to do something that was cool and fun but was optimistic at the end of the day.”

Barrymore stars as Sheila, a realtor who dies and comes back to life as a zombie — or rather, mombie — while showing a house to clients. Sheila doesn’t look or act like a typical zombie (save for the flesheating bit), and even gets a renewed vigour from the condition.

Timothy Olyphant plays her realtor husband, who tries to help Sheila satisfy her ravenous cravings for body parts in a way that doesn’t lead to senseless murder. Liv Hewson plays their teenage daughter.

“I wouldn’t know how to do the gurgly zombie. I just don’t relate to that,” said Barrymore.

“But a woman who’s like, ‘I don’t know if I would want to give this up, because my life is actually maybe the best it’s ever ❱❱ PAGE 33 Drew Barrymore

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SINGER-ACTRESS MITCH Valdes shared with her friends on Facebook this “blast from the past”—a photo from the 1976 film, “Lunes, Martes, Miyerkules, Huwebes, Biyernes, Sabado, Linggo,” directed by the late National Artist Lino Brocka and written by another master, Orlando Nadres.

The landmark drama-comedy-musical tells the story of seven showgirls, each corresponding to a day in the week— thus, the kilometric title.

The snapshot was retrieved by singer Radha Cuadrado from the baul (treasure chest) of her grandmother, actress Lolita Rodriguez, who passed away last November.

Lolita, Mitch, June Kiethley, Laurice Guillen and Lorli Villanueva played against type, as bar girls in Olongapo.

The gambit worked for Mitch,

who won best supporting actress in the first Urian Awards, handed out by local critics the following year.

“I was in a tie with Yvonne, who was the hottest bomba star in the 1970s,” Mitch recalled.

The year 1976 was considered by many film buffs as a golden year in Philippine cinema, a creative high for the local movie industry.

Mitch recounted: “Our acts were filmed live with a real audience, composed of US Navy men! Three cameras rolled at the same time—which was pretty rare at that time.”

She remembered that the great Lolita was “unnerved” by the prospect of grinding and twerking (before the term was invented) in front of “drunken, hooting sailors.”

“Lolita asked for scotch on the rocks and there was a little tremor in her hands as we waited for our burlesque numbers to begin,” Mitch looked back. “I was just on the verge of passing out

from not being able to breathe.”

Bembol Roco was a newcomer at that time, Mitch reminisced, while “June had just given birth to son Diego and had to travel back and forth, from Olongapo to Manila, on our days off.”

Mitch pointed out that trueblue vaudeville veterans Chuchi and Metring David played the girls’ mamasans. Character actress Estrella Kuenzler also played an aging bar girl-turnedmamasan.

There was also a radio talent, Myrna Rosales, in the cast.

Although known as a comedienne, Mitch started in theater, too. Talk about a multimedia ensemble!

“It’s very unfortunate that there is no copy of this movie anymore,” Mitch noted, with a tinge of nostalgia. “I really hope they find a copy of this ‘lost’ movie. It would be cool to see it again…just for the great memories.”

Calling film conservationists and archivists! ■

Sinag Maynila unveils 2017 lineup

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR Philippine Daily Inquirer SINAG MAYNILA unveils its lineup for 2017, which is described by organizers as an “interesting mix.”

“We tried to come up with different kinds of films this year,” said Wilson Tieng, chief executive officer of Solar Entertainment, main proponent of the 3-year-old film festival.

“Apart from newcomers, we also opened up the fest to veterans,” Cannes-winning filmmaker and festival director Brillante Ma Mendoza told the Inquirer in an exclusive interview.

These films tell various stories that are thoroughly Filipino in theme and treatment, said Tieng and Mendoza.

There are three categories in this year’s fest: feature-length, shorts and documentaries.

Among the entries in the feature section are HF Yambao’s “Kristo,” Ricardo Carranza’s “Beyond the Block,” Jason Orwww.canadianinquirer.net

falas’ “Ladyfish,” and Joel Lamangan’s “Bhoy Instik.”

Varied colorful characters take centerstage in this year’s features program: a street vendor/cockfight aficionado, hiphop dancers, a transgender call-center agent and a gay thief and his young protégé.

Among the finalists in the short films section are: Matthew Victor Pastor’s “I Am Jupiter, I Am the Biggest Planet”; Emmanuel Escalona Jr.’s “Ang Langit, Burger at ang Universe”; Karl Glenn Barit’s “Aliens Ata”; Jose Maria Javier Manoos’ “Ang Hindi Ko Masambit,” and Paul Arrenze Dionela’s “Tulay Buhay.”

The entries in the documentary category are: Avelino Mark Balmes Jr.’s “Hango”; Jaynus Olaivar’s “Kupkop”; Noah del Rosario’s “The Recycled Spirits of Roel Cabato”; Jean Clare Dy and Manuel Domes’ “Pagrara Sang Patipuron (Weaving a Circle),” and “Krudo Boys” (which is a collaboration among six people: Mirielle de Lara, Angelica Domingo, Dannieleth

Julapong, Maria Agnes Malvar, Bea San Juan, Nathaniel Santiago).

Story-driven

These short films and docus, Mendoza and Tieng pointed out, would take viewers all over the country, showcasing the lives of ordinary and extraordinary Filipinos.

For example, “Hango” tells the story of fisherfolk from Bacoor, Cavite.

“Krudo Boys” follows scavengers who risk life and limb to recover crude oil that leak from ships in Navotas.

On the other hand, “The Recycled Spirits of Roel Cabato” focuses on an Ilocano-Ifugao artist and environmentalist from Baguio City, while “Pagrara Sang Patipuron” centers on a group of Aeta women from Iloilo.

“All these films are storydriven,” Tieng remarked. “We put a high premium on the script.”

The fest will be shown in select cinemas from March 9 to 14.

Awards night is on March 12. ■

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FEBRUARY 17, 2017

FRIDAY

Lifestyle The new civics course in schools: How to avoid fake news

BY CAROLYN THOMPSON The Associated Press WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. — Teachers from elementary school through college are telling students how to distinguish between factual and fictional news — and why they should care that there’s a difference.

As Facebook works with The Associated Press, FactCheck. org and other organizations to curb the spread of fake and misleading news on its influential network, teachers say classroom instruction can play a role in deflating the kind of “Pope endorses Trump “ headlines that muddied the waters during the 2016 presidential campaign.

“I think only education can solve this problem,” said Pat Winters Lauro, a professor at Kean University in New Jersey who began teaching a course on news literacy this semester.

Like others, Lauro has found discussions of fake news can lead to politically sensitive territory. Some critics believe fake stories targeting Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton helped Donald Trump overcome a large deficit in public opinion polls, and President Trump himself has attached the label to various media outlets and unfavourable reports and polls in the first weeks of his presidency.

“It hasn’t been a difficult topic to teach in terms of material because there’s so much going on out there,” Lauro said, “but it’s difficult in terms of politics

because we have such a divided the sexiest man alive.) country and the students are “I’m making you guys do the divided, too, on their beliefs. hard stuff that not everybody I’m afraid sometimes that they always does. They see it in a think I’m being political when tweet and that’s enough for really I’m just talking about them,” Battaglia told her stujournalistic standards for facts dents at Williamsville South and verification, and they look High School in suburban Bufat it like ‘Oh, you’re anti-this or falo.

-that.’”

“It’s kind of crazy,” 17-yearJudging what to trust was old student Hannah Mercer easier when the sources were said, “to think about how much clearer — magazines, newspa- it’s affecting people and swaypers or something else, said ing their opinions.”

Kean senior Mike Roche, who Stony Brook University’s is taking Lauro’s class. Now “it Center for News Literacy pioall comes through the same neered the idea of educating fumedium of your cellphone or ture news consumers, and not Many have found discussions of fake news can lead to politically sensitive your computer, so it’s very easy just journalists, a decade ago territory. to blur the lines and not have a with the rise of online news. clear distinction of what’s real About four in 10 Americans and newspaper editors serving A “.co” at the end of an impostor and what’s fake,” he said. often get news online, a 2016 as the primary gatekeepers of news site web address should A California lawmaker last Pew Research Center report information, Boll, an adjunct have been a red flag, he said. month introduced a bill to re- found. Stony Brook last month professor, said.

“The biggest challenge that quire the state to add lessons on partnered with the University “The gates are wide open,” he I have whenever I try to teach how to distinguish between real of Hong Kong to launch a free said, “and it’s up to us to figure kids about questionable conand fake news to the grade 7-12 online course. out what to believe.” tent on the web,” said Ferriter, curriculum.

That’s not easy, who teaches sixth grade, “is High school said Raleigh, convincing them that there is government and North Carolina- such a thing as questionable politics teacher area teacher Bill content on the web.”

Lesley BattaI’m afraid sometimes that they think Ferriter, who Some of Battaglia’s students glia added fake I’m being political when really I’m just encourages stu- fear fake news will chip away at news to the usual talking about journalistic standards dents to first use the trust of even credible news election-season for facts and verification, and they common sense sources and give public figures lessons on prilook at it like ‘Oh, you’re anti-this or to question license to dismiss as fake news maries and pres-that.’ whether a story anything unfavourable. idential debates, could be true, to “When people start to disdiscussing credlook at web ad- trust all news sources is when ible sites and dresses and au- people in power are just allowed sources and running stories “To me, it’s the new civics thors for hints, and to be skep- to do whatever they want, said through fact-checking sites like course,” said Tom Boll, after tical of articles that seem aimed Katie Peter, “and that’s very Snopes. There were also les- wrapping up his own course at riling them up. scary.” ■ sons about anonymous sources on real and fake news at the He pointed to an authenticand satire. (They got a kick out Newhouse School at Syracuse looking site reporting that Pres- Associated Press videojournalof China’s dissemination of a University. With everyone now ident Barack Obama signed an ist Ted Shaffrey in Newark, New 2012 satirical story from The able to post and share, gone are order in December banning the Jersey, contributed to this reOnion naming Kim Jong Un as the days of the network news Pledge of Allegiance in schools. port.

www.canadianinquirer.net

Lifestyle

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

Till debt do us part

Summer’s a great time to dive into a foreign language

BY CHECHE V. MORAL Philippine Daily Inquirer HOW FAR will a budget of P500,000 go when planning a wedding?

Not very far, said Kitten Zapata, editor in chief of Wedding Essentials Magazine, a quarterly rag for the B and C market that keeps tab of local wedding suppliers.

It’s “good enough,” said Zapata, and will cover the reception venue, the use of lights and sound, some alcoholic beverages, food for 100 to 150 guests and maybe a photo booth.

But scratch the wedding gown and the bridesmaids’ outfit, the groom’s suit or barong, and the services of the photographer, videographer, hair stylist, makeup artist and florist. Forget about the wedding rings and the fee for use of the church. They cost extra.

The usual rate for a church without airconditioning is about P15,000 for a 1½-hour service.

For grander churches inside gated villages, expect to shell out as much as P30,000, and an optional cash gift for the officiating priest. You also need to book the church at least a year in advance because of high demand.

“Of course, you can get married with a P200,000 budget, but that’s bare bones,” Zapata said. “It just doesn’t compare to a P4-million wedding, which seems to be the goal of many young couples these days,” she added.

A custom wedding dress by a designer who has yet to make a name starts at P100,000, while the rates for an in-demand videographer-photographer can be as much as P250,000, with addon costs for a camera drone, same-day edit (with footage of church rites shown at the reception), the lookback video (the compilation of the couple’s childhood photos), and the prenup and postnup photo shoots.

Aspirational

Postnups, a new trend, are one-day shoots done while the couple is on honeymoon. If the scenic locale is abroad, the couple pays for the photographer’s airfare and accommodations, said Zapata.

“Weddings are highly aspirational among the younger set,” she added. “They have a dream

BY KATHERINE ROTH The Associated Press

“Of course, you can get married with a P200,000 budget, but that’s bare bones,” Zapata said. “It just doesn’t compare to a P4-million wedding, which seems to be the goal of many young couples these days,” she added.

wedding in mind so they really save and go all out. They consider it a once in a lifetime (experience), so they want the best. They’d rather put the wedding off if they’re not yet financially ready.”

Zapata, however, noted that it’s not unusual for Filipino parents to still foot the bill. “But unlike the previous generation, these millennials have a say on the matter even if they’re not the ones paying.”

A wedding’s cost can vary depending on the priorities of the couple. If the bride doesn’t mind wearing a ready-to-wear gown, she could shell out as little as P35,000 for a local brand, or up to P70,000, the base price of an international RTW label.

Conversely, she could splurge on a custom designer dress starting at P200,000, and have her entourage’s gowns made by an unknown designer or seamstress.

It’s the extras that can be quite a burden on a couple’s budget, said Zapata. Makeup artists can charge rates starting at P25,000 (for the bride plus one), up to P40,000 for top-tier professionals.

Reception venues or hotels often include the bridal car in the package they offer, while churches usually take charge of the basic décor. But if the couple wants to hire an event stylist, that’s easily P50,000 more.

Wedding planners or coordinators meanwhile charge from P30,000 for the basic one-day service (covering the church

27

rites and reception venue). The rates of more popular wedding planners start at P60,000 for a similar package.

Popular florists charge around P35,000, a rate that could include bouquets for an entourage of 12 to 14. If the bride wants imported flowers like tulips, Ecuadorian roses or peonies, set aside an additional P20,000.

Musicians also cost extra, while a popular event host will charge from P30,000 to P35,000. “That’s why couples on a tight budget just ask friends or relatives to emcee the event,” Zapata said.

Astronomical costs

But the astronomical costs of a wedding has not deterred young couples, the bridal magazine editor said, adding that “the evidence is (contrary to)” the perception that there are fewer weddings in the past few years.

In fact, Zapata added, there are more wedding suppliers than ever, with bridal fairs organized by different groups every month. “That’s just in Metro Manila. Provincial cities like Cebu have their own.” And so do some provinces that have their own regional bridal fairs.

It’s a continuously growing market, where the lower-end suppliers have maintained their rates while the higher-end ones now charge even more, said Zapata, whose magazine has kept tabs of the local bride scene these past 12 years. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

FOR A lot of kids, summer is a time to travel intellectually as well as literally, to dive headlong into new languages and cultures in a way that classroom learning alone doesn’t allow.

For instance, every summer around 4,500 kids between the ages of 7 and 18 travel to one of dozens of “language villages” nestled in the north woods of Minnesota and run by Concordia College. The camps, which also include typical summercamp activities like swimming and crafts, offer serious cultural and linguistic immersion in 16 different languages.

There is belly dancing and Middle Eastern food at Arabic language camp, for example, or traditional calligraphy, taiko drumming, karate and Japanese meals in Japanese camp.

“Having a foreign language and cultural skills in your background is vitally important.

Sometimes it’s a matter of heritage or ethnic background, or sometimes it’s about community demographic. Or it’s just what a child seems to be passionate about,” says Christine Schulze, executive director of the program, based in Moorhead, Minnesota. “Korean pop culture, for example, seems to be a big driver of interest in Korean language and cultural studies.”

For younger kids, the camps run one or two weeks, while those for high schoolers are four weeks.

The longer high-school-level camps are designed (and accredited) to cover an entire year of high school language learning, Schulze says, and unlike a summer overseas, the camps offer the security and ease of remaining in the United States. Kids also can try out several of the “country” villages to find the best fit.

“Children come in with the full range of language abilities, with some starting at the very beginning and others quite advanced and ready push their skills even further,” she says.

“Sometimes children do a sum-

mer at a village as preparation for a program abroad the following year.”

The programs cost roughly $1000 per week, with about 20 per cent of the children receiving some level of financial assistance.

Middlebury College, in Vermont, also offers summer language programs for eighth to 12th graders, as do some other colleges and universities.

For older kids, the Washington, D.C.-based Youth for Understanding offers high school study-abroad summer programs in dozens of countries.

They include group travel for language teachers and their classes, and more traditional, individual home-stay programs, says Heather Deno, sales director for the organization.

Youth for Understanding was started after World War II to foster peace, and is also known for high school programs lasting a semester to a year, and gap-year programs between high school and college.

In its summer programs in India, Ecuador, Paraguay, South Africa and Thailand, kids stay with a host family and do communityoriented volunteer work.

“Our organization started in the 1950s with the idea that it’s hard to hate or generalize about a culture once you know people personally,” says Deno.

The summer programs run four to eight weeks and cost between $5,500 and $9,000 depending on airfare; many students receive financial aid.

“We give out $2 million a year in scholarships. Many Japanese companies, in particular, offer full or partial scholarships to Japan,” she said.

Of course, you don’t have to leave home to get summer language study. Many bilingual and language schools across the U.S. offer their own immersive day camps.

The French American School of New York, in Larchmont, offers summer camps for kids, as does the German International School in Portland, Oregon, among many others. Prices vary ❱❱ PAGE 36 Summer’s a great

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Lifestyle

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

Putting the taste in waste: Charity events save food from certain demise

BY LOIS ABRAHAM The Canadian Press TORONTO — Trash is the new culinary treasure for some creative chefs who are repurposing ingredients normally destined for the garbage.

Diners at an upcoming Trashed and Wasted charity event in Toronto can expect to consume food and drink made from ingredients rescued before they could become waste, or that are being repurposed to get another life out of them, says organizer Brock Shepherd.

Chefs will be using fat, bones, organs and the like from Sanagans Meat Locker. Hooked, a sustainable fish company, is saving the cheeks from their butchered fish for use in a dish.

The Venezuelan eatery Arepas Cafe will stew green plantain skin that’s normally discarded to serve with tostones, twicefried plantain slices. And leftover toasted bread is going into beer, while whey from cheese production at a local dairy is going into a vodka.

Shepherd, who has owned several restaurants, long ago became aware of needless food waste.

“One of the things that drove m e

nuts, we would do smoothies and I would see staff chop off the top of a strawberry to get rid of the green, and they’d leave the shoulders of the strawberry too where there was perfectly good fruit,” he says.

In Vancouver, the Royal Dinette restaurant has held five similar Ugly Duckling dinners. Not only have they raised awareness of food waste and recycling, but they’ve also offered the chefs a chance to explore different textures and techniques with ingredients that might not be pretty but have amazing flavours, says general manager Chen-Wei Lee. Besides putting kale stems in pasta or infusing ice cream with flavour from coffee grounds, they have made syrup from the shells of snap peas and mixed it into a cocktail.

In another innovation, stock made from fish bones was used to cut the saltiness and sharpness of the liquid from braising octopus, which Lee says is generally wasted.

They charged $79 for a multicourse, sit-down meal with drink pairings. Five per cent of sales went to the B.C. chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier for its Service Excellence Scholarship Fund in honour of late chef Tina

Fineza. Lee says they hope to host another dinner this spring.

Shepherd says Trashed and Wasted was inspired by similar international events, including the WastED pop-ups launched by chef Dan Barber out of his New York restaurant Blue Hill.

And last summer at the Rio Olympic Games, Italian chef Massimo Bottura used leftover ingredients from caterers in the athletes village to create a gourmet soup kitchen, Refettorio Gastromotiva, serving up meals to the local homeless population.

“Food waste is becoming a bit of a buzz term,” Shepherd says.

“Now’s the time to jump on this ... and it’s not just to pat ourselves on the back, a feelgood event. I want this to carry forward after Trashed and Wasted. Hopefully we can get some policy changes.”

The United Nations says one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, which amounts to about 1.3 billion tonnes per year. Food is lost or wasted throughout the supply chain, from initial agricultural production to final household consumption.

Tickets for the March 1 Toronto Trashed and Wasted event are $35, plus food and drink, or $50 all inclusive. Proceeds will go to Second Harvest, which picks up donated surplus food and delivers it to community agencies in Toronto.

Shepherd acknowledges Trashed and Wasted is not the solution to end poverty and hunger, but he hopes it will encourage consumers, grocery stores and politicians to take a closer look at the issues.

“At the same time we have a lot of food that’s going to waste ... we have people who aren’t eating properly or don’t have enough food.

So until we can figure out the hunger and the poverty problem we’ve got to use this stuff.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY

Sugary drink consumption predicted to harm Canadians’ health, cost economy THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO — Canadians — especially young people — are consuming excessive amounts of sugary drinks, a trend that could have future consequences for their health and the overall health-care system, new research suggests.

The University of Waterloo study projects that sugary drink consumption will result in more than 63,000 deaths over the next 25 years and cost the health-care system more than $50 billion.

“The health and economic burden from sugary drinks in Canada is alarming,” study coauthor Dr. David Hammond, an associate professor in the university’s school of public health and health systems, said in a release Friday.

“Cutting back on sugary drinks is one of the best ways to reduce excess calorie intake and to maintain a healthy body weight.”

Consumption of high-sugar drinks has been linked to weight gain as well as an increased risk of associated medical conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart disease and stroke, and some cancers.

In 2015, Canadians purchased a daily average of 444 millilitres of sugary drinks per capita, including 100 per cent juice, according to sales data from the market research company Euromonitor International.

That equals about one can of pop per person, per day — every day, researchers said. The average youth, aged nine to 18, drinks 578 ml of sugary drinks a day, which can contain up to 64 grams (16 teaspoons) of sugar, putting them well over the recommended daily sugar maximum of 10 per cent of total daily calories.

Although non-diet soft drink sales have fallen over the last 12 years, that decline has been offset by increased consumption of energy drinks, flavoured waters, sweetened coffees and flavoured dairy products, the

data show.

The study found per capita sales of such products increased dramatically between 2001 and 2015. For instance, sales of energy drinks rose by 638 per cent; sweetened coffees by 579 per cent; and flavoured water by 527 per cent.

Over the next 25 years, the researchers predict sugary drink consumption will be responsible for obesity in more than three million Canadians; almost a million cases of Type 2 diabetes; 300,000 people with ischemic heart disease; and 100,000 cases of cancer.

“Sugary drinks are the single largest contributor of sugar in the average Canadian diet,” said Robert Nuttall, assistant director of health policy at the Canadian Cancer Society, which commissioned the study with the Heart and Stroke Foundation and three other health advocacy organizations.

“Excess sugar intake is directly linked to excess weight, which increases the risk of at least 11 different cancers,” Nuttall said in a release. “Eating a healthy diet, with lots of vegetables and fruit, lots of fibre and little fat and sugar, helps maintain a healthy body weight and reduces the risk of cancer.”

In response to the study, the Canadian Beverage Association (CBA) said the industry supports efforts to address serious health issues such as obesity and diabetes, but called it “illogical to isolate one single ingredient or product as a unique contributor.”

The CBA, a trade group representing manufacturers and distributors of non-alcoholic beverages, said the industry has taken steps to diversify options for consumers.

“Today, 46 per cent of refreshment beverages consumed in Canada are reducedor zero-calorie,” the CBA said in a statement Friday, noting that the industry has committed to reducing Canadians’ per capita beverage calories by 20 per cent by 2025 through its Balance Calories initiative. ■

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FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

Sports Pacman eyes fight in UAE

BY ROY LUARCA Philippine Daily Inquirer FROM AUSTRALIA to United Arab Emirates.

That’s the abrupt detour Manny Pacquiao’s fight against Jeff Horn took Saturday.

Michael Koncz, Pacquiao’s adviser, announced the startling development at a press conference with officials of Al Afaq Tourism on Saturday in Abu Dhabi.

“We did execute an agreement. 100 percent, the fight will happen here (UAE),” Koncz

told filipinotimes.ae, adding that Horn remains to be Pacquiao’s likely opponent.

Pacquiao confirmed the report with an Instagram post Sunday that said: See you in UAE for my next fight.

Full details of the fight, which has been slated for April 23, will be announced in the next few days.

Earlier, Top Rank head honcho Bob Arum, Pacquiao’s promoter, announced that he has reached an agreement with Horn’s promoter, Duco Events, for Pacquiao to defend his World Boxing Organization

welterweight crown against Horn in his hometown (Brisbane) or another major Australian city.

Later on, Arum clarified that UAE is still in contention to stage Pacquiao-Horn.

Koncz, through gulfnews. com, apologized to the Australian government and fight fans there for the unexpected turnaround.

“It took us a while to get this deal together,” Koncz said.

“There was a lot of confusion whether this is going to happen here in the UAE. [But] I’m here with full authority and power. I

OLIVER PETALVER / THEDAILYSPORTSHERALD

have been the marriage counselor for Manny and we have developed a relationship. I’m involved in all aspects of what he does.”

Al Afaq Tourism CEO Diaa Al Khatib, whose management group will be handling the event, said the fight will be held either in Dubai or Abu Dhabi. ■

Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz to be honored as Athlete of the Year in PSA Awards Night PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — Big day for Filipino athletes whose sports excellence will be recognized by the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Annual Awards Night presented by San Miguel and MILO at the Le Pavillon in Pasay City on Monday.

Weighlifter Hidilyn Diaz, a silver medalist in the Rio De Janeiro Olympics, will receive the time-honored Athlete of the Year award.

The 25-year-old Diaz of Zamboanga and elite member of Philippine Air Force (PAF) leads 91 other sports honorees.

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William “Butch” Ramirez and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco lead the local sports community in bestowing honor to all the awardees.

The 2016 PSA Awards Night Honor Roll List: Athlete of the Year – Hidilyn Diaz; Lifetime Achievement Award – Eugene Torre; President’s Award – Milo Rivera; Executive of the Year – Philip Ella Juico; National Sports Association of the Year

Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz.

PRESIDENTIAL COMMUNICATIONS OPERATIONS OFFICE

– Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa); Mr. Basketball – June Mar Fajardo; Mr. Football – Misagh Bahadoran; Mr. Golf – Miguel Tabuena; Mr. Taekwondo – Jeordan Dominguez; Ms. Volleyball – Mika Reyes.

Major Award - Josephine Medina (paralympics), Janelle Mae Frayna (chess), Eric Shauwn Cray (athletics), Marestella Torres-Sunang (athletics), Mary Joy Tabal (marathon), Ian Lariba (table tennis), Kirstie Elaine Alora (taekwondo), Nestor Colonia (weightlift-

ing), Philippine Poomsae Team (Jean Pierre Sabido, Ernesto Guzman Jr., Jeordan Dominguez, Glenn Lava), San Miguel Beer (pro basketball), Jeron Alvin Teng (amateur basketball), Johnriel Casimero (boxing), Yuka Saso (golf ), Eduard Folayang (mixed martial arts), Marvin Mangulabnan (superbike), Mark Alvarez (Jockey of the Year), Low Profile (Horse of the Year) Citation - Ernest John Obiena (athletics), Chezka Centeno (billiards), Rogen Ladon (boxing), Charly Suarez (boxwww.canadianinquirer.net

ing), Marlon Tapales (boxing), Gretchen Abaniel (boxing), Jerwin Ancajas (boxing), Criztian Pitt Laurente (boxing), Ariana Thea Patrice Dormitorio (cycling), Sofia Chabon (golf ), Bernice Olivarez-Ilas (golf ), Annie Ramirez ( jiu-jitsu), Margarita Ochoa ( jiu-jitsu), Joseph Myers ( jiu-jitsu), Orencio James delos Santos (karate), Jacob Ang (karting), Brandon Michael Vera (mixed martial arts), Kenneth San Andres (motocross), Pauline Louise Lopez (taekwondo), Juvenile Faye Crisostomo (taekwondo), Patrick John Tierro (tennis), Monica Torres (triathlon), August Benedicto (triathlon), Divine Wally (wushu), Arnel Mandal (wushu), Ramon “Tats” Suzara (volleyball), Johnny Tan (motorsports), National University Lady Bulldogs (women’s basketball), National University Pep Squad (cheerdance), Pocari Sweat (volleyball), RC Cola-Army (volleyball), Philippine Dragon Boat Team, Philippine Fencing Team, Philippine Sailing Team, Philippine Sepak Takraw Team, Phillippine Canoe Kayak Federation, United Football League (UFL), Women’s Volleyball League (WVL), Pru Life (football), TV 5, UNTV;

Milo Junior Male Athlete of the Year – Adam Bondoc (karatedo); Milo Junior Female Athlete of the Year – Kyla Soguilon (swimming).

Philippine’s first chess grandmaster, Eugene Torre will receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. Other notable titles to be handed out - President’s Award (Milo Rivera), Executive of the Year (Philip Ella Juico), and National Sports Association of the Year (Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association-PATAFA).

Tony Siddayao Award - Ancilla Mari Manzano (gymnastics), Khazart William ‘Khaz’ Romoff (karting), Joan Masangkay (powerlifting), Arielle Pascual (skating), Maurice Sacho Ilustre (swimming), Jerard Dominic Jacinto (swimming), Marc Bryan Dula (swimming), Micaela Jasmine Mojdeh (swimming), Tara Borlain (triathlon), Samantha Borlain (triathlon).

Posthumous Award - Carlos “Caloy” Loyzaga, Filomeno “Boy” Codiñera, Virgilio “Baby” Dalupan, Mariano “Tom” Ong, Cecil Hechanova, Ronnie Nathanielsz, Herminigildo “Hermie” Rivera, Jonas Mariano, Gilbert Bulawan, Emy Arcilla, Benjie Castro, Rogie Maglinas. ■

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FEBRUARY 17, 2017

FRIDAY

Business Tax reform to create buffer vs global protectionism wave PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III underscored Monday before lawmakers the urgency of passing early this year the Duterte administration’s proposed Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) to help create a strong buffer that will shield the domestic economy from the surge of protectionism sweeping across the globe.

Speaking at the resumption of the tax reform hearing conducted by the House ways and means committee, Dominguez also said that unless the tax reform bill endorsed by the Department of Finance (DOF) is passed soon enough, millions of the country’s “hardcore poor, those with no skills and no opportunities,” will remain trapped in the vicious cycle of poverty for years to come.

“Given the uncertainty created by resurgent protectionism, we are likely to see volatility and risk-aversion among many of our trading partners.

Slowing global trade translates into weaker global growth.

We should seize the ‘Cinderella moment’ we now have to quickly move the fiscal reform package and create a buffer for the most vulnerable among our people,” the finance chief said at the hearing of this panel chaired by Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua. Cua is author of House Bill No. 4774, which contains the CTRP’s first package that aims to make the tax system more progressive by lowering personal income tax (PIT) rates to make these on the par with those of other economies in the region, expanding the Value Added Tax (VAT) base but retaining exemptions for seniors and persons with disabilities, and adjusting the excise taxes on oil and automobiles, among other measures.

Dominguez assured the

House committee that most rates to the regional avcars “will still be affordable” erage. To compensate under the CTRP, while the more for lower rates, expensive ones will be charged we intend to higher excise taxes to “ensure broaden the progressivity” of the proposed tax base and tax system. introduce new ”We are at a critical juncture revenue meatoday. The easier path is to sures. The entire continue with existing policies package needs to be that might bring high growth passed to ensure gains but will also sadly maintain in revenues to fund the high poverty and economic President’s 10-point exclusion. The more challeng- socioeconomic agening path is to reform the fiscal da and maintain our and economic policies so that strong macroecogrowth happens with equity,” nomic fundamentals,” he said.

Dominguez said.

Dominguez said that to attain “More expensive this goal, the government needs cars will be charged to undertake a tax reform pro- higher excise taxes to gram that will enable the gov- ensure progressivity. revenues, ernment to raise an additional When taken as part of many of our children Php 718 billion for education, the package, most cars will will continue walking hours Php 139 billion for health, Php still be affordable,” he added. to get to school and our class267 billion for social protecDominguez said the growing rooms will continue to be tion, welfare, and employment, uncertainty in global prospects packed beyond capacity. The and Php 1.73 trillion for urban as a result of recent external poorest Filipinos will continue and rural infrastructure. developments means the coun- to have little or no access to “By failing to act boldly at a try would “need to prepare well health services. Our farmers most opportune moment, we and build a solid fiscal buffer to will be unable tor raise their will betray our people. We will keep us strong when the storm productivity and thus remain condemn our nation to the vi- comes.” poor,” he said. cious cycle of high inflation, “We must be fiscally preAlong with this bleak scenarhigh interest rates and inhospi- pared to invest more heav- io, he said, the Philippines will table business conditions that ily in our human capital and in most possibly suffer a credit we endured before,” he said. much needed infrastructure,” rating downgrade as the govDominguez pointed out that: Dominguez said. ernment will be forced to rely “Without the tax reform packThe DOF secretary raised a on borrowings to manage the age, our GDP growth cannot be dire scenario should the Con- deficit, which means Php 30 sustained by at billion in addileast 7 percent. tional debt costs; Without a draconsumers will matic increase have to absorb in investments, By failing to act boldly at a most the consequencthe country will opportune moment, we will betray es by having be consigned to our people. We will condemn our to cope with a growth below 6 nation to the vicious cycle of high permanent Php percent—a purinflation, high interest rates and 2-depreciation gatory for an inhospitable business conditions that of the local curemerging econwe endured before. rency against omy with great the dollar, along potential.” with a two-per“Our economcent increase in ic simulation studies validate gress choose to pass only the interest rates; and public funds this,” he said. tax package’s popular compo- for classrooms, health centers “We can no longer maintain nent, which is the reduction in and rural roads will be in short high income tax rates. Our peo- PIT rates without the corre- supply.” ple expect relief from them. We sponding revenue-enhancing “If we fail to pass the revenue cannot attract the investments measures. enhancement measures, we we need until we bring our tax “Without improving on our will lose the growth momentum www.canadianinquirer.net

that took us years to build. We will face the specter of large budget deficits and move closer to a debt crisis,” he said.

Dominguez likewise noted that without the tax reform package, growth will not only be slower but exclusive, with the rich continuing to corner the wealth created and the poor kept out of the national economic mainstream.

The government’s goal of reducing poverty rates from the current 21.6 percent to 14 percent to bring the Philippines at par with Thailand and China in terms of per-capita gross national income by 2022 will flounder.

Thus, the 2040 vision of eradicating poverty and making the country a high-income country like what South Korea and Malaysia are already today, will likewise fail, Dominguez said.

“In short, the vision of achieving prosperous country status with zero poverty by 2040 will not be achieved,” he said.

“This is the time to break the vicious cycles of the past and carve a new path to a prosperous future for all our people,” Dominguez said. ■

Business

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

31

DENR asked to help small miners

BY RONNEL W. DOMINGO Philippine Daily Inquirer

Key business lobby warns UK not to play favourites in Brexit

BY ANICK JESDANUN The Associated Press LONDON — A key business lobby warned Britain’s government Monday not to play favourites among industries when it negotiates the country’s exit from the European Union, saying that ignoring any sector would hurt the entire economy.

The Confederation of British Industries and the international law firm Clifford Chance also said in a new report that it is critical for the government and the EU to have some sort of agreement in place by the end of the legally mandated twoyear negotiating period to avoid “significant commercial and economic disruption.”

The report reflects increasing anxiety among some businesses that the government hasn’t been open enough about its goals for Brexit and that their concerns are being drowned out by the needs of banks and fund managers.

The Times of London reported last week that a leaked report showed the government had divided British industries into high, medium and low priority in the Brexit negotiations — giving some sectors priority at the expense of others.

“To be a success, the UK’s new relationship with the EU must meet the needs of our whole economy — covering business in every sector, size and location — as the consequences of leaving any part behind could have knock-on effects for others,” Josh Hardie, deputy director-general of the business lobby, said in the report.

The Confederation of British Industries says it represents about 190,000 businesses that employ 7 million people, or a third of Britain’s private-sector workforce.

The report comes as Parliament debates legislation that would give Prime Minister Theresa May the authority to trigger two years of negotiations on Britain’s future relationship with the trading bloc of 500 million people.

If there is no agreement at the end of that two-year period, Britain would probably be forced to trade with the EU and many other countries under World Trade Organization rules, which would increase tariffs on goods and make it more difficult for firms to sell their services across borders, the CBI and Clifford Chance said.

Since it will be difficult to complete the negotiations within the allotted time period, the government should consider an interim arrangement that would bridge the gap, according to the report.

“Trading solely under WTO rules would give rise to a high risk that businesses in the EU and the U.K. and many international companies doing business with both would be subject to significant commercial and economic disruption,” the report stated.

The negotiations are critical to the British economy because international trade accounts for almost 60 per cent of gross domestic product, according to the report. About 85 per cent of the country’s trade is with EU member states or countries that benefit from preferential arrangements with the bloc. ■

AN ENVIRONMENTALIST nongovernment organization called on Environment Secretary Regina Lopez to stop the crackdown on small-scale mining, saying this was sending at least 500,000 poor miners into worse conditions.

“Artisanal and small-scale mining is a neglected sector largely ignored and unrecognized by the government,” BAN Toxics program manager Evelyn Cubelo said in a statement.

BAN Toxics works with smallscale gold miners throughout the country to eliminate the use of mercury and provide interventions that promote “sustainability, community empowerment and responsible small-scale mining practices.”

“The government’s failure to recognize the sector has left

communities mired in a cycle of poverty, without support from the government,” Cubelo said.

Data from BAN Toxics show that a small-scale miner earns P162 a day after “scratching the earth for a living [in a manner] akin to digging for yam.”

She said that as early as Jan. 17, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) ordered an immediate stop to all small-scale mining activities in the Camarines Norte towns of Jose Panganiban, Paracale and Labo.

According to BAN Toxcis, small-scale mining is present in at least 40 provinces across the country, providing jobs to some half a million people in far flung areas.

However, the government named only five small-scale mining areas as a Minahang Bayan or a “formalized” or legally recognized operation.

Cubelo said that in Camarines Norte, a province where

gold mining has been practiced since the Spanish colonial period, all current applications for declaration as a Minahang Bayan had not been approved despite consistent efforts supported by the local government.

She said that with no livelihood, aside from a history of small-scale mining, people continue to mine despite the lack of permits.

“Ordering the immediate shutdown of small-scale operations without alternative livelihood or a transition period for people already mired in poverty clearly goes against the thrust of the DENR to uphold social justice,” Cubelo said.

“These communities know of no other way to make a living and if the DENR visits these areas, they will see that farming and fishing, or the government-proposed bamboo farming, are not viable options for putting food on the table today,” she added. ■

Hotels lure Chinese tourists in windfall from Duterte pivot

BY DORIS DUMLAOABADILLA Philippine Daily Inquirer THE PHILIPPINES needs to build more three- and fourstar hotels, particularly on the fringes of Metro Manila, to serve the rising demand from local and regional tourists, according to property consulting firm Colliers International.

Colliers’ latest hotel property report written by research manager Joey Roi Bondoc showed that hotel occupancy in the second half of 2016 had risen due to record-high foreign tourist arrivals and sustained growth in tourist expenditures.

In the fourth quarter of 2016, hotel occupancy in Metro Manila increased to 71 percent from 69 percent two quarters ago. This was supported by the completion of more than 1,700 new hotel rooms in 2016.

Of the new hotel roomsmade available last year, about 40 percent were delivered in the second half in time for the arrival of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) for the holiday season. www.canadianinquirer.net

Average rates for five-star rooms in Metro Manila grew by 3 percent to $370 a night in the second half of 2016 from the first half of the same year, Colliers said.

Rates for three-star accommodations rose by 9 percent to $186 per night while rates for four-star rooms rose by 5 percent to $247 per night in the same period.

“Rates among the three- and four-star hotel rooms recorded the fastest growth due to higher demand from Chinese and Korean tourists and OFWs who spent Christmas holidays in Metro Manila,” Colliers said.

“Colliers believes there is a massive room for growth in this sub-segment (three and fourstar hotels) because this is driven by both the local and foreign tourists, particularly those from Asian countries. Thus, Colliers encourages developers to build more three- and four-star hotels both in Metro Manila fringes and key provinces,” the research said.

The property consulting firm sees hotel rates in the metropolis marginally increasing by 2-5 percent in the next 12 months.

About 5.39 million foreign tourists visited the Philippines

from January to November last year, 12 percent higher than the level a year ago, mostly from Korea (1.33 million), USA (771,849), China (630,327) and Japan (491,261). This 11-month figure also exceeded the fullyear 2015 figure of 5.36 million.

This year, the Department of Tourism expects tourist arrivals to break the seven-million milestone. Colliers said a 10-percent growth to 6.6 million would be “more realistic.”

Given the encouraging foreign tourist arrival data, Colliers expects hotel occupancy rate in Metro Manila to hover between 65 and 70 percent in the next 12 months.

Colliers sees the Philippines attracting more Chinese visitors as a result of President Duterte’s recent visit to China in October last year, during which the Chinese government lifted negative travel advisories. Based on data from the Philippine embassy in China, the number of Chinese nationals applying for tourist visas to the Philippines rose to 1,400 daily in the fourth quarter of 2016 from an average of 400 per day in the previous quarter. ■

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FEBRUARY 17, 2017

FRIDAY

Technology How Google Chromebooks conquered schools

BY ANICK JESDANUN The Associated Press NEW YORK — The Google Chromebook, a type of stripped-down laptop, isn’t a practical mobile device for many people — mostly because it basically turns into an expensive paperweight whenever it can’t find a Wi-Fi connection.

Yet Chromebooks have defied expectations and made major inroads in an unexpected environment — U.S. schools.

In retrospect, that shouldn’t be too surprising. Chromebooks are cheap and easy to manage, making them popular with budget-constrained schools with limited tech-support staff. And Wi-Fi is now common enough in U.S. schools and homes to make an internetdependent device practical for students.

Google doesn’t want to stop there. It’s releasing new models in partnership with Samsung that are designed to appeal to a broader range of consumers.

They have several tablet-like features, including a stylus, touch controls and a 360-degree hinge that allows you to turn the screen faceup. One starts selling Sunday for $449; a more powerful version comes out in April for $100 more.

Google and its manufacturing partners are trying to shed the Chromebook’s perception as underperforming budget devices. But even with premium models, expanding beyond U.S. schools won’t be easy.

Chromebooks get schooled

For personal computers and tablets, Chromebook’s share of

the U.S. education market was 49 per cent last year, up from 40 per cent in 2015 and 9 per cent in 2013, according to IDC figures released this week.

But education accounts for just 14 per cent of the 110 million devices shipped in the U.S. last year — and Chromebooks make up just 9 per cent of that broader total. Their numbers are also low abroad, even in schools.

The Chromebook’s popularity in U.S. education is also largely limited to grades K-12, analysts say. Macs and Windows laptops are still dominant on college campuses.

KEVIN JARRETT / FLICKR

Chromebooks use a lightweight operating system designed to get people online faster, without having to wait around for the computer to start up. Much of the heavy lifting on Chromebooks gets done on Google’s remote servers, so Chromebooks themselves don’t need fast chips or lots of storage.

Early on, though, that made Chromebooks seem cheap and underpowered, which “soured consumer expectations right off the bat,” IDC analyst Linn Huang said.

Online storage for photos and documents online was much less common in 2011 when Chromebooks launched, so their limited local storage was initially unappealing. And the few apps available for Chromebooks didn’t work offline, at least at the time.

er locations where they can’t connect to Wi-Fi. And they don’t miss business software like Microsoft Office; Google’s online apps for documents and spreadsheets do just fine for homework.

“What surprised us was how quickly it took off in education,” said Kan Liu, who oversees Chromebooks at Google.

Apple’s iPad was hot at the time, but Google sold the Chromebook on convenience.

They’re easier for classrooms to share; just sign in with a Google account, and a student’s apps and documents instantly appear. Teachers also have online tools to lock down what apps and sites students can use.

And with models available for less than $200, schools can get a few Chromebooks for the price of an iPad or a rival laptop.

“It allows us to put more devices in students’ hands,” said Aaron Slutsky, chief technology officer for McDowell County Schools in North Carolina.

Differing needs

Far from universal

Rough start

But what constrains consumers can actually be liberating in education. Most kids don’t need laptops on the bus or oth-

But Chromebook’s success story in schools is largely an American one, and it’s likely to stay that way. Gartner analyst

www.canadianinquirer.net

Mikako Kitagawa notes that Chromebooks are useless in China because the device depends on Google services that aren’t available there. And in emerging countries, where a budget laptop would be ideal, she said internet access isn’t reliable enough.

Even in the U.S., the iPad is better for many creative tasks such as recording and editing movies. Students studying engineering, robotics and graphics won’t be able to use Chromebooks to run the kind of specialized software that’s available for Macs and Windows laptops.

“But that’s not needed for 98 per cent of our students,” said Tracy Dabbs, co-ordinator of technology and innovation at the Burlington-Edison School District near Seattle.

Many school districts limit Apple and Windows computers for the students who specifically need them, then provide Chromebooks for the rest. McDowell County, for instance, has 5,500 Chromebooks, 1,200 iPads — and only 100 Macs and 200 Windows PCs. Rivals stage a comeback

Last year, Apple gave iPads

in schools some Chromebooklike features unavailable to the general public. That includes ways to let multiple people use a single tablet and management tools for tech-support staff. A new Classroom app lets teachers control what apps students run and track their progress.

Apple also provides classroom tools for teachers and students.

Free e-books offer teachers stepby-step guides on using iPad apps and curriculum suggestions for everyday subjects. A separate app lets kids learn programming using the same language developers use to build iPad apps.

Meanwhile, Microsoft announced last month new online apps and management tools for schools, along with Windows PCs priced similarly to Chromebooks.

Beyond schools

Huang said some businesses are giving Chromebooks a second look, especially in retail, banking and other settings where people share computers.

But in many offices, the lack of business software such as Office is a major hurdle. Google’s alternative lacks many advanced capabilities found in Office, and habits are hard to change.

Google is trying to make Chromebooks more palatable by letting them run Android apps designed for phones and tablets. It’s testing this capability on a handful of Chromebook models, including the new ones from Samsung. That makes it possible to install Office, Adobe Photoshop and many apps on a Chromebook, though these tablet versions have limited features compared with versions for Macs or Windows laptops. ■

Technology

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

33

Twitter has influence but that’s not luring users

BY BARBARA ORUTAY The Associated Press NEW YORK — Many people have heard of Twitter. Not enough of them are signing up to use it.

Twitter’s role as a megaphone for the U.S. president, countless celebrities and businesses hasn’t attracted regular people to the service, not in the way Facebook has, or even Instagram and Snapchat.

The San Francisco company’s latest earnings report and dismal forecast suggest that this is unlikely to change any time soon. CEO Jack Dorsey acknowledged long ago that Twitter needs to do more to convince people why it’s useful.

“The whole world is watching Twitter. While we may not be meeting everyone’s growth expectations, there’s one thing that continues to grow and outpace our peers: Twitter’s influence and impact,” Dorsey said in a conference call with analysts on Thursday. “You don’t go a day without hearing about Twitter.”

But that doesn’t amount to much if Twitter can’t translate the influence into boosting its user base, advertising and revenue. Rumours of a potential sale of the company have long swirled, but no buyers have emerged. Twitter has dismissed such speculation, doubling down instead on making the service safer, differentiating it from rivals and becoming profitable for the first time in 2017.

While Dorsey and Twitter have taken major steps recently to address some of users’ biggest concerns, including clamping down on hate speech and

abuse, this has yet to make a But Trump’s tweets haven’t lying. Twitter has taken several notable difference in drawing inspired people to sign up for steps to address abuse, though new users. For the final three the service en masse. The in- it’s too early to tell whether months of 2016, Twitter aver- creased usage is mostly among they are working. This week, aged 319 million monthly users, existing users.

Twitter said it has begun idenup just 4 per cent from a year Because of Twitter’s public tifying people who have been ago. nature, users can see a lot of the banned for abusive behaviour Meanwhile, Twitter has yet content on it — such as Trump’s and will stop them from creatto address other issues, includ- tweetstorms — without creat- ing new accounts. Twitter also ing simple ones such as the abil- ing an account. And the ser- said it’s creating a “safe search” ity to edit tweets. vice can be difficult to use for feature to remove tweets with “Just like Myspace perhaps people not versed in lingo like potentially sensitive content Twitter does not and those from what to ‘change accounts you the formula’ for have blocked or fear of losing its “muted,” which unique simple While we may not be meeting is slightly less user experience, everyone’s growth expectations, drastic than but the sharethere’s one thing that continues to blocking someholders and CEO grow and outpace our peers: Twitter’s one.

Jack Dorsey influence and impact.

But what matare running out ters most to Wall of time,” Mark Street is making Skilton, a proa profit — somefessor at Warwick Business hashtags, ?-replies and the like. thing Twitter has yet to do in School, wrote in an email.

The company also hasn’t quite Twitter’s revenue growth has been able to explain just why stalled for more than two years, people need it, unlike Faceand the company is cutting book, for example, which is costs and shuffling executives. widely seen as a place to keep Dorsey, the Twitter co-founder up with friends and famwho rejoined the company in ily. Facebook’s 1.86 billion late 2015 with hopes of reviving monthly users is nearly six it, called 2016 “a transformative times that of Twitter. year as we reset and focused on Meanwhile, Instawhy people use Twitter: It’s the gram attracts 600 milfastest way to see what’s hap- lion monthly users who pening and what everyone’s want to share photos talking about.” and videos with friends Even before he was elected or the broader world. And president, Donald Trump has Snapchat, best known for used Twitter like no other world disappearing photos and mesleader, firing out broadsides sages and quirky facial filters, is and accolades in rapid succes- a favourite among millennials. its 11sion and generating headline It has 158 million daily users year exisafter headline with 130-word (the company doesn’t disclose tence. Losses for missives. monthly users, as rivals do).

Twitter swelled to $167 His election has created a In a charged political and million in the fourth quarter, more active landscape for Twit- social environment, Twitter is from $90.2 million a year earter. Average daily active us- trying to balance its position as lier, as revenue inched up 1 per age rose 11 per cent compared a platform for free speech while cent to $717 million. with the same time last year. curtailing hate speech and bulExcluding special items such

as expenses for stock compensation, per-share earnings of 16 cents was 4 cents better than expected, but that was overshadowed by its outlook. A lean profit outlook for the current quarter sent Twitter shares plunging more than 12 per cent, or $2.35, to $16.37 in afternoon trading Thursday.

There was some silver lining in the results: video. The company says it streamed more than 600 hours of live premium video from sports, news and entertainment events during the quarter, drawing 31 million unique visitors. Live video is important for Twitter because of the potential ad dollars. ■

“That’s about as current as we’re going to get. If people act however they want, what comes out of that? That’s literally the state of our world. Living in the id is so fun but can it be totally destructive as well? And how do you embrace the empowerment but pull back?”

Barrymore hasn’t had much time to act in recent years, what with her two young daughters as well as a beauty line and production company.

on limbs, organs and raw meat.

Such treats were created with dehydrated apples, edible rubber, raw pasta, wet cake and some “weird, funky jelly type of thing” that “all tasted disgusting,” said Barrymore.

“I can handle blood, I can’t handle people peering in your windows,” she said of her preferred type of horror. “So to me this is domestic gore, it’s tolerable gore, it’s make-believe fun, comical gore.” ■

AP Technology Writer Mae Anderson in New York and AP Business Writer Tom Murphy in Indianapolis contributed to this story.

Drew Barrymore... been. Sure, I have to eat people, but I feel good, I look good, I don’t have to sleep’ — it’s kind of an interesting dilemma: would you give up something so wrong because you feel so right?”

Overall, the show explores how people evolve in relationships and also “the instantaneous, gluttonous behavioural society we are and what consequences come with that,” added Barrymore. ❰❰ 25

While she hasn’t done much small-screen stuff, she says she loves it.

“I don’t really want to do films so much right now,” she said. “I think it’s what I’m watching at home. I think the home movie theatre has really revolutionized everything and Netflix is the cool kid’s club and I think people are really proud to work on it and it’s exciting.

“We’re always going to love movies and I do take my kids to www.canadianinquirer.net

the movies,” she added. “In fact, I don’t understand why there are not more kids movies. Like, 20 movies open a weekend and yet there’s like one kid’s movie every two months. I don’t really get that.”

Barrymore’s kids haven’t watched “Santa Clarita Diet,” though.

“Oh God no, they’re too young,” she said with a laugh.

Indeed, the series is quite gory at times as Sheila gnaws

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

34

CANADA

CAREGIVER NEEDED ASAP Seeking a full time caregiver to assist in an English speaking household environment, to provide personal Care, hygiene, cooking, assist in all aspects of daily routine, with day outings, appointments to a social and demanding middle-age high-quad Male. With light house & yard keeping duties.

Applicant must be Canadian Citizen, Permanent resident, Foreign Worker. Living-in and with valid Drivers license for adapted minivan.

Completed Caregiver’s course or nursing qualifications. Emphasis will be based on reliability, communication skills, comprehension, trust, honesty, loyalty, initiative & flexibility.

Rate of Pay: $13.00/h, plus benefits. Guaranteed 168 hours bi-weekly (plus free R&B). Location: Devon. Alberta. To appy email Glen at maryglen@telusplanet.net

Shifts: Morning, Afternoon, Evening, Night

PROVIDE CHILD CARE FOR 4.5 YEAR OLD FULL-TIME, permanent position, $12.00 hour, 32 - 40 hours per week. Start ASAP. Location, Milton, ON. Provide child care for 4 year old. Preferably min. 3 years experience and has first aid certificate.

Duties include; supervision care of child, organize activities for child, instruct child w/ personal hygiene and social development. P/u child from school.

Prepare and serve nutritious meals. Light housekeeping and cleaning duties.

Must speak, read and write English. Education equivalent to high schools graduate in Canada. Accommodation available at no charge on a live-in basis.

(This is not a condition of employment). Relocation costs and medical equivalent to OHIP covered by employer.

Please email resume to jicconsulting@hotmail.com or call mobile: (905) 691 0776

Toronto Enquiries: salestoronto@canadianinquirer.net Philippine Enquiries: salesphilippines@canadianinquirer.net

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Tel: (1) 647-521-5155

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

35

Travel Atlantic Cda bracing for major storm; blizzard conditions forecast for some areas THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

“We haven’t had one of this capacity in quite a while. Last year was a bit benign compared to what we’re experiencHALIFAX — Weather warnings are out ing now at the beginning of this week,” for the Atlantic provinces as a major Sheppard said. snowstorm is forecast to hit the region “I suspect there will be some happy overnight, prompting authorities in kids tomorrow as school is potentially Halifax to close schools, shut down tran- cancelled.” sit, ferries and other municipal services Halifax Transit will not have any busas a precaution. es or ferries in operation on Monday, Environment Canada says a low pres- according to the city’s web site. Municisure system from south of Cape Cod is pal offices, customer service centres, expected to rapidly intensify heading and recreation facilities will also be into Monday morning, bringing blizzard closed. conditions and winds of up to 110 km/h “Cancelling transit service for the ento Nova Scotia. tire day will ensure that no passengers Forecasters say total snowfall amounts or employees are stranded on the road,

by Monday evening will range from 30 at work or at school without a safe way to 60 centimetres for to get home,” the web the western portions site stated. of Nova Scotia, 20 to The Halifax Re30 centimetres for gional School Board northern and eastern closed schools on regions and 30 to 40 Monday in advance centimetres in Cape Last year was of the storm.

Breton. a bit benign Nova Scotia’s Environment compared to Emergency ManageCanada meteorolowhat we’re ment Office, meangist Jason Sheppard experiencing while, is warning that at the Atlantic Storm now at the the storm combined Prediction Centre beginning of with high tide on in Halifax said some this week.

Monday could proareas could even see duce localized floodas much as 75 centiing along parts of the metres.

Atlantic Coast.

“Those winds, “The storm surge combined with the and strong winds snow, will give us blizzard conditions for can make the shoreline dangerous very most of Monday and possibly parts of quickly,” Zach Churchill, the minister Tuesday morning,” Sheppard said. responsible for the office, said in a news Snowfall amounts between 25 and release.

40 centimetres are expected in much “I urge Nova Scotians to stay away of New Brunswick, with winds gusting from the coast during this storm.” up to 90 km/h, while 30 centimetres of Sheppard said the region had been snow, driven by winds gusting up to 100 off to a slow start this winter as far as km/h are expected in P.E.I. extreme weather is concerned, but Snow and strong winds are expected explains that a recent shift in the jet to hit Newfoundland on Monday night. stream has put Atlantic Canada right in Environment Canada and police say the path of brewing storms from the U.S. travel is not recommended during the eastern seaboard. storm, noting that roads are expected After this one, he said another one apto be extremely hazardous due to wide- pears to be on its way for later this week spread poor visibility, and numerous for the Maritimes and possibly Newflights in and out of the region have been foundland. ■ cancelled.

The Sanctuary of Truth in Pattaya.

Thailand launches Pattaya-Hua Hin ferry to boost tourism PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY BANGKOK — Thailand on Sunday formally launches a ferry service across the Gulf of Thailand, linking tourist spots Pattaya and Hua Hin to boost tourism and economy.

The service operates daily as the ferry leaves Pattaya’s Bali Hai Pier for Hua Hin at 10:30 a.m. and leaves Hua Hin for the opposite side at about 01:30 p.m.

It takes about two hours for a single trip, compared with five to six hours by bus or van.

A single trip costs 1,250 baht (36 U.S. dollars), but a special price of 999 baht (28 dollars) was offered this month to commemorate revered late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, Rama IX, said Preecha Tantipura, chief executive officer of the ferry’s operator Royal Passenger Liner Co.,.

www.canadianinquirer.net

Preecha said his company which received concessions to operate the service from the government has only one ferry, a double-decker high speed Catamaran boat, but there will be more ferries to join the route soon, adding that their ferry may carry vehicles in the future.

“After a month-long free operation, I can say we are ready to launch it formally, and we found positive feedback from the market,” Preecha said.

The company started to provide free ferry service for passengers to cross the Gulf since January.

Arkhom Termpittayapaisith, Thailand’s minister of transport, presided over the opening ceremony of ferry service, saying that it is an important project that will benefit Thailand’s economy as it cuts travel time between the two sides of Gulf and will help tourist spots to attract more visitors. ■

36

Travel

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

FRIDAY

Kalanggaman Island A guide to celebrating named Eastern Mardi Gras in New Orleans Visayas’ most visited destination

BY KEVIN MCGILL The Associated Press

PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY TACLOBAN CITY — Kalanggaman Island remains the most visited destination in the region last year, the Department of Tourism (DOT) regional office here reported.

The picturesque Kalanggaman Island in Palompon, Leyte has attracted 95,677 tourists in 2016, the highest among all the tourist sites in the region.

DOT Regional Director Karina Rosa S. Tiopes said the Island gained its prominence through social media.

“Whenever someone searches Eastern Visayas or Leyte online, the Kalanggaman Island appeared to be the number one attraction,” Tiopes said “People have been posting images in social media and through those visuals, the tourists could see its beauty. It is like a paradise calling them to come. The impact of social media is really bringing a strong persuasion to the people,” she added.

In 2013, the island started to gain international exposure af-

ter the MV Europa Cruise line stopped over on the island and brought almost 400 passengers, who stayed for couple of hours.

This was followed by MS Breman, MS Europa II, which brought close to 2,000 tourists to the island in the last two years.

Kalanggaman Island is the jewel of the government’s tourism program. The island beach destination sprawled on a sandbar in the middle of the sea is located in Palompon town.

The island is famous for its crystal-clear seawater, white powdery sand and long sand bars stretching on both sides of the island.

There are a lot of activities that can be done best in Kalanggaman such as swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, aqua-biking, scuba diving, and camping.

The island has a length of 753 meters and is still uninhabited.

There is no privately-owned resort but overnight camping is allowed. The local tourism office of Palompon limits the number of tourists to 500 per day to preserve its natural beauty. ■

DEBBIE TINGZON / FLICKR

Summer’s a great... widely depending on the school and region.

To find such a program, begin with a quick online search of local bilingual, dual immersion or international schools.

For sleepaway camps, Schulze recommends checking that the program is affiliated with ❰❰ 27

the American Camp Association, which sets general and safety guidelines.

And for overseas programs, Deno, at Youth For Understanding, says programs should be certified by CIEST (the Council on Standards for International Education Travel). ■

NEW ORLEANS — Revel in the bawdy French Quarter or catch a parade? Which parade?

Do you plan to wear a costume on the big day? Politically themed? Historic? Risque? All of the above?

New Orleans is entering the height of its annual pre-Lenten Carnival season, culminating on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, which falls on Feb. 28 this year.

Travellers to the city face an abundance of choices on how, when and where to take it all in.

Among the things to do:

bacchus stroll through the Marigny neighbourhood.

egories include best drag and best leather.

Watch a parade

Be in a parade

Wear a costume

This isn’t as simple as it sounds. Deciding where, when and how to catch any of the dozens of New Orleans area parades — and which ones to watch — involves planning.

New Orleans’ major parades, the ones with marching bands and masked riders who throw beads and other trinkets from elaborate floats, begin this year on Feb. 17. Most follow a route along historic St. Charles Avenue onto Canal Street, the broad downtown boulevard at the edge of the French Quarter — although the giant floats of Endymion, the celebrity-studded procession set for Feb. 25, lumber through the Mid-City neighbourhood.

You can join the throngs on the route. They show up with lawn chairs, ice chests, trays of barbecue, buckets of fried chicken and step ladders with little seats bolted to the top to give the kids a better vantage point.

You can pay big bucks at one of the fine-dining restaurants that erect bleachers out front so you can catch the processions while sipping your Sazerac cocktail.

Often overlooked are smaller processions. For instance, Krewe du Vieux’s satirical and raunchy parade with smaller, hand-drawn floats rolls through the French Quarter and neighbouring areas on Feb. 11. A week later, sci-fi, fantasy and horror fans don costumes evoking any of a variety of pop culture icons from Ewoks to zombies for the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewwww.canadianinquirer.net

GARY YIM / SHUTTERSTOCK, INC.

Getting a spot in a Carnival parade is the ultimate participatory Mardi Gras experience.

Some of the old-line parade “krewes” are famous for their exclusivity (some so exclusive that they stopped parading years ago rather than comply with a city non-discrimination ordinance). But others are open to anyone who can afford it, although spots are limited and sometimes have to be reserved well in advance.

Costs including membership fees, costumes and “throws” (beads, little stuffed toys, etc.) can be hefty for the major parades. Some travel agency and hotel packages include a fournight stay with a spot in Harry Connick Jr.’s Feb. 27 Krewe of Orpheus parade for more than $4,000. On the other end of the cost scale are the walking clubs, like Chewbacchus, which has annual dues of $42.

See the costumes

Mardi Gras is a day-long costume party in the French Quarter and along the parade routes.

Sometimes the costumes are simple: multi-colored wigs, glittery masks, oversized hats.

Sometimes they are elaborate: shimmering bodysuits with huge feather headdresses fanning out from the wearers’ heads and shoulders like peacock tails.

Some of the most intricate, elaborate and, sometimes, outrageous are on display at the annual Bourbon Street awards at the intersection of Bourbon and St. Ann, where prize cat-

Feathered masks, funny hats and boas are available at souvenir shops in the Quarter and from vendors who wheel their goods up and down the main parade route.

Many visitors fashion their own, sometimes topical getups. Coveralls splotched with black were among the 2011 costumes lampooning BP after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Some go for professionally made store-bought or rented regalia.

“Business really starts picking up two weeks before Mardi Gras,” says Dennis Villadeleon, a costume designer at New Orleans’ Southern Costume Company, which rents and sells costumes.

“It’s hard,” he said when asked if he’s noticed any trends or themes in any given year.

“Some years, the guys really want to be pirates. There seems to be a pirate contingent here in New Orleans.”

Behave yourself

Yes, it’s often touted as the world’s biggest free party and it takes place in a city famous for all-night bars and drinking in the streets. But there are limits.

More than 170 state troopers are coming to supplement the nearly 1,200-member police force. And arrests are made: 334 arrests were reported last year in the 10 days leading up to Mardi Gras along the parade route and in the police district that encompasses the French Quarter. ■

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 17, 2017

37

Food A coffee chiffon cake that’s as stunning as it is delicious THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA IN CELEBRATION of this month’s New York Fashion Week, The Culinary Institute of America created a recipe that is as timeless as a little black dress, but as decadent as the finest pair of platform pumps.

Inspired by the most delicate of fabrics, this Sweet Coffee Chiffon Roulade is as visually stunning as it is delicious — and it even includes a few accessories.

A chiffon is a cake lightened with a whipped egg white meringue. It is soft and subtle, but we’ve paired it with bold flavours that will stand out in a crowd.

Visually, the roulade, sometimes known as a Swiss roll, shows off the coffee and dulce de leche fillings with clean lines and sleek minimalist colours. And the white chocolate truffle, flavoured with Irish cream liqueur, is the statement jewelry that glistens on its way down the runway.

If you do make all the recipes, here are a few little tips.

Though there appears to be lots of down time, you can spend most of that time preparing the other components. Make the chocolate cookie dough while your ganache sets, and then roll and bake the cookies while your truffles chill. Dip your truffles in coating chocolate while the roulade sets in the refrigerator and, before you know it, everything will come together at the same time.

Sweet coffee chiffon roulade

Start to finish: 4 1/2 hours (active time: 2 hours) Servings: 16

• Dulce de Leche Ganache (recipe follows) • Vanilla Chiffon Cake (recipe follows) • Coffee Bavarian Cream (recipe follows) • Chocolate Cookies (recipe follows) • Irish Cream Truffles (recipe follows)

Prepare the ganache and refrigerate while you prepare the chiffon cake.

Prepare and bake the chiffon cake. Once it has cooled, run a butter knife around the edges of the baking sheet to loosen the cake. Use the knife to lift one corner of the cake, and then carefully use your hands to loosen the cake from the baking sheet (do not remove the parchment paper lining from the cake). Gently slide the cake out of the pan and onto a flat work surface. Place a second piece of parchment paper over the top of the cake and use a rolling pin to lightly roll the cake to make it flat and level. Remove the top piece of parchment paper and reserve for another use.

Turn your baking sheet over and slide the cake (with its bottom parchment paper intact) onto the back of the baking sheet. Pour the chilled ganache over the cake and use an offset spatula to spread it evenly over the whole cake. Refrigerate the cake until the ganache is firm, at least 30 minutes.

Prepare the coffee Bavarian cream. Immediately pour it over the ganache-covered cake and quickly spread, leaving a 1/2inch border around the outside edge, using an offset spatula.

Work quickly, since the gelatin in the cream will begin to set.

Return the cake to the refrigerator to set for at least 1 hour.

Remove the roulade from the refrigerator and transfer to a flat work surface, with the long side of the cake parallel to the edge of the counter. Starting with the edge closest to you, start to slowly and carefully roll the cake inward, loosening the parchment paper as you roll. Use the parchment paper as a guide to assist in the rolling. Roll inward until you form a tight cylinder.

Tightly roll the roulade in the parchment paper and carefully transfer to the baking sheet.

Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Remove the chilled roulade from the refrigerator and re-

move the parchment paper. Slice the roll into 16 even slices. Serve each slice with a chocolate cookie and an Irish cream truffle.

Dulce de leche ganache

Makes about 2 1/2 cups; servings: 16

• 1 1/4 cups (7 ounces) chopped white chocolate or white chocolate chips • 1/4 cup prepared dulce de leche • Pinch of kosher salt • 3/4 cup heavy cream Place the chocolate, dulce de leche, and salt in a medium heat-safe bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the heavy cream to a boil over moderate heat. Pour over the chocolate mixture and let sit for 3 minutes. Starting in the centre, gently stir the mixture until it is smooth and all the liquid has been combined. If the chocolate or dulce de leche are not fully melted, place the bowl over a hot water bath to reheat gently. If your dulce de leche does not fully incorporate, some small lumps may remain. Though this won’t affect the final product, you may choose to use a stick-blender for a smoother appearance.

Set the mixture aside to cool.

Refrigerate while you prepare the remaining recipes (it will thicken considerably).

Vanilla chiffon cake

Makes one 13- by 18-inch cake; servings: 16

• 3 egg whites • 7 tablespoons sugar • 6 egg yolks • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cake flour Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13- by 18-inch baking sheet with oil or butter, including the sides. Line the sheet with parchment paper

and grease on top of the paper.

Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, combine the egg whites and sugar. Whip on high speed until a stiff-peak meringue forms, about 4 minutes.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the yolks, oil, vanilla, and salt. Using a rubber spatula, gently mix about 1/3 of the meringue into the egg yolks mixture. Add the remaining meringue and very gently fold the mixture together, using the spatula to scoop from the bottom of the bowl and around the edges. Mix just until combined, taking care not to deflate the meringue as you stir.

Sift the flour over the top of the batter and gently stir to combine.

Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and use an offset spatula to quickly but gently spread the batter, creating a level surface.

Bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back slightly when touched, about 12 minutes. Set aside to cool completely before use.

Coffee Bavarian cream

Make about 3 1/2 cups; servings: 16

• 3/4 cup plus 1/3 cup heavy cream, divided use • 1/2 cup milk • 2 tablespoons coffee beans, cracked • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt • 2 tablespoons ice cold water • 1 teaspoon granulated gelatin

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• 3 egg yolks • 1/4 cup sugar, divided use • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Note: This recipe should be prepared immediately before use. The cake should already be cooled and coated in ganache, ready to be topped with cream.

In a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, whip 3/4 cup of heavy cream on high speed until soft peaks form, about 30 seconds. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 1/3 cup of heavy cream, milk, coffee beans, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside for 15 minutes.

Place the ice water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over top, stirring as needed to ensure it is all submerged. Set aside.

In a medium heat-safe bowl, combine the egg yolks, about half of the sugar, and the vanilla extract. Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside.

Strain the coffee-milk mixture through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the beans. Return the mixture to the pot (wipe out to remove any coffee beans) and add the remaining sugar. Bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Pour about 1/2 of the hot milk into the egg yolks, whisking constantly. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture and then transfer back to the pot. ❱❱ PAGE 38 A coffee

Food

38

FEBRUARY 17, 2017

FRIDAY

Poached cod with papaya gives tropical twist to weeknights

BY MELISSA D’ARABIAN The Associated Press BALANCING HEALTHY eating with a crazy weeknight schedule is tricky for everyone.

We all have competing priorities that chip away at our days: kids, careers, school, home, family obligations all take time and energy. And next thing we know, it’s 6 p.m. and we haven’t given any thought to dinner.

What we do next is key.

If we swing by the drive-thru or order a pizza on our handy phone app every time we have a busy weeknight, our health will suffer. A better strategy: Save the pizza for true cravings, and lean on a few recipes in our hip-pocket that can get us through the mealtime crunch. And then stock up on the pantry ingredients that make those recipes a breeze to pull together on a busy night.

One of those pantry items is frozen fish fillets. Yes, I love fresh fish tossed right on the grill with a tiny bit of lemon,

olive oil, salt and pepper. But I don’t always have time to head to the fish counter. So, frozen fish is my plan B. I stock up on some classics like Alaskan cod and wild salmon that you can usually cook straight from frozen — just add a few minutes to your cooking time.

Poaching is a perfect cooking method those frozen fillets because it takes merely minutes, and leaves your fish an open canvas to showcase whatever other ingredients you might have on hand. Flavor the water with some acid and herbs (like lemon juice and fresh thyme branches) or even just a bit of white wine and some dried herbs will work in a Tuesday-night pinch.

Keep the water at a bare simmer — it should active like club soda, not like a rolling boil. And then make a quick relish to top your fish and give it some freshness and excitement.

Today’s recipe stars papaya because it’s widely available this time of year, peeled and cubed, if you want to pay an ex-

• 2 green onions, chopped • 2 tablespoons flat-leafed parsley or cilantro, chopped • 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/8 teaspoon pepper

tra dollar or two. Papaya is full of vitamins and fiber, and raw papaya has enzymes that are celebrated for helping in digestion. But feel free to swap out for another fruit (even canned peaches work) if you prefer — the tangy lime and apple cider vinegar will marry most fruit beautifully with the fish, no advanced planning required.

Poached cod with raw papaya relish

Start to finish: 15 minutes

Servings: 4 • 4 fillets of cod (about 4-5 ounces each) • 1/4 cup white wine • 3 cups water • 1 teaspoon dried thyme • 1/4 teaspoon salt • Relish: • 11/4 cups papaya, cut into small cubes • 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar • 2 tablespoons lime juice • 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes

Bring wine, thyme, water and salt to a bare simmer (it should look like bubbly club soda). Place the cod in the water and keep at a bare simmer and allow to cook until fish is cooked through, about 4 minutes for an average piece of fish. Remove the fish, and keep on a warm plate.

While the fish is cooking, stir together the relish ingredients in a small bowl. Spoon the relish on top of each piece of cooked fish, allowing the heat of the fish to bring out the relish flavours. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 179 calories; 31 calories from fat; 3 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 61 mg cholesterol; 302 mg sodium; 8 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 26 g protein.

A coffee...

Lower the heat to medium-low and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of the spoon, about 3 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the soaked gelatin mixture until it has dissolved.

Return the mixture to the bowl (strain through a fine mesh strainer if there are lumps) and place over the prepared ice water bath. Stir until the sauce feels cool to the touch (about 75 degrees; not too cold).

Pour the cooled sauce into the bowl of whipped cream and gently fold until combined. Use immediately, according to the method. ❰❰ 37

Chocolate cookies

Servings: 16 cookies

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour • 1/4 cup good-quality cocoa powder • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter • 1/2 cup sugar • 1 egg • 1 egg yolk • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract In a medium bowl, sift to-

gether the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.

Add the egg, yolk, and vanilla and mix until combined, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl as needed.

Add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined, about 1 minute.

Remove from the mixer and place on a parchment paperlined baking sheet. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper and use a rolling pin to flatten the dough into a 1/2inch square (don’t worry about being too precise). Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Remove the chilled dough and transfer, still between the two pieces of parchment paper, to a work surface. Roll the dough until it is 1/4-inch thick.

Remove the top piece of parchment paper and use it to line a baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Use a 3-inch fluted round cookie cutter to cut 16

cookies from the rolled dough.

Transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet. If the cookies have become too soft to handle, refrigerate the dough for about 10 minutes to firm.

Bake until the cookies are slightly firm to the touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely before using.

Irish cream truffles

Servings: 16 truffles

• 1 cup (about 7 ounces) chopped milk chocolate or milk chocolate chips • 1 tablespoon butter • 1/4 cup heavy cream • 1 tablespoon light corn syrup • 1 tablespoon Irish cream liqueur • 1 cup white chocolate coating chocolate • White chocolate shavings, as needed for garnish (optional) Place the chocolate and butter in a medium heat-proof bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan, combine the cream and corn syrup and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Pour the hot cream over the www.canadianinquirer.net

chocolate and let rest for 3 minutes. Gently stir the mixture until smooth. If all the chocolate has not melted, place the bowl over a hot water bath to gently heat.

Add the Irish cream liqueur and stir until the liquid is incorporated. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish (about 8- by 8-inch, though any size will work), cover the surface with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Using a small scoop (#100) or teaspoon, scoop 16 portions and place on a parchment-lined dish or tray. Roll each truffle between your palms until it is round and return them to the tray. Refrigerate while you prepare the coating chocolate.

Place the coating chocolate in a heat-safe bowl and melt gently over a hot water bath. Let cool slightly, until it is about body temperature. Dip each truffle in the coating chocolate and return to the parchment-lined dish. If you would like a thicker coating, wait for the coating to set, and then dip the truffles again. If desired, garnish the truffles with chocolate shavings before the coating has fully set. ■

Nutrition information per serving of the dulce de leche: 115 calories; 77 calories from fat; 9 g fat (5 g saturated; 2 g trans fats); 18 mg cholesterol; 35 mg sodium; 9 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 9 g sugar; 1 g protein.

Nutrition information per serving of the cake: 56 calories; 23 calories from fat; 3 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 69 mg cholesterol; 43 mg sodium; 7 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 2 g protein.

Nutrition information per serving of the cream: 81 calories; 64 calories from fat; 7 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 58 mg cholesterol; 11 mg sodium; 3 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 1 g protein.

Nutrition information per serving of cookies: 181 calories; 110 calories from fat; 12 g fat (8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 55 mg cholesterol; 67 mg sodium; 16 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 2 g protein.

Nutrition information per serving of truffles: 140 calories; 78 calories from fat; 9 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 12 mg cholesterol; 20 mg sodium; 14 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 14 g sugar; 2 g protein.

39

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