CANADA’S FIRST AND ONLY NATIONWIDE FILIPINO-CANADIAN NEWSPAPER MARCH 3, 2017
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VOL. 3 NO. 258
Sen. Leila de Lima arrives in Muntinlupa for her court appointment. Story on page 4.
NINO JESUS ORBETA / PDI
LP expulsion plotted in Pacquiao mansion
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BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer
‘31 years after Edsa, our liberties are in jeopardy again’
THE DECISION to let Sen. Manny Pacquiao deliver the knockout punch was made over dinner at his luxurious Forbes Park mansion in Makati City on Sunday. There, 15 senators agreed to expel the four Liberal Party (LP) senators from the majority bloc and end persistent wrangling in the Senate.
By Monday a resolution had been signed by 16 senators expressing the sense of the majority that Senate President Pro Tempore Franklin Drilon, as well as Senators Francis Pangilinan, Bam Aquino and Risa Hontiveros, were not supportive of President Duterte’s legislative agenda. Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto and minority member Sen. Francis Escudero were not invited to the event, but
12 Noisy protest, heated arguments as Trump sons attend hotel opening in Vancouver ❱❱ PAGE 21
❱❱ PAGE11 LP expulsion
PH ready for international criticism for death penalty
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Belmonte: It’s a conscience vote for LP on death penalty BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer
Anti-Trapo Movement of the Philippines (ATM), Inc. Founding Chairman Leon Estrella Peralta (with microphone) states that retired SP03 Arthur Lascañas' testimony linking President Rodrigo Roa Duterte into crimes perpetrated by the so-called "Davao Death Squad" are nothing but lies. BEN BRIONES / PNA
Trump, Duterte top contenders for being human rights offenders BY PHOEBE BALUBAR Philippine Canadian Inquirer LONDON-BASED ORGANIZATION Amnesty International released its 408-page annual report on human rights abuses in Paris on Wednesday. The report called “The State of the World’s Human Rights” documented grave human rights violations in 159 countries in 2016. In the report, 2016 was described as “the year when the cynical use of “us.vs.them” narratives of blame, hate and fear took on a global prominence to a level not seen since the 1930sthe time Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany.” Amnesty named Trump, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Duterte among leaders that are noted for “wielding a toxic agenda that hounds, scapegoats and dehumanizes entire groups of people.” Amnesty said that Trump’s “poisonous” rhetoric during his election campaign exemplified the “global trend of angrier and divisive politics.”
“The limits of what is acceptable have shifted. Politicians are shamelessly and actively legitimizing all sorts of hateful rhetoric and policies based on people’s identity: misogyny, racism, and homophobia. The first target has been refugees and, if this continues in 2017, others will be in the crosshairs.” “Even states that once claimed to champion rights abroad are now too busy rolling back human rights at home to hold others to account,” Amnesty said. “The more countries backtrack on fundamental human rights commitments, the more we risk a domino effect of leaders emboldened to knock back established human rights protections.” The organization cited France when it used its emergency powers and committed abusive and discriminatory actions in the aftermath of the Paris attacks targeted towards Muslims in 2015. France had previously defended its decision on wielding emergency powers and claimed that the action was well justified and was in favor of public interest and safety. ■
manship if he votes against the bill. Early this month, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez warned all other House leaders in the Duterte-controlled supermajority to toe the line on the death penalty if they did not wish to lose their committee chairmanships or deputy speakerships. Alvarez, a bosom buddy of the President, said he would not al-
On Wednesday, LP finally came out with a party stand maintaining their opposition to the death penalty bill, although FORMER SPEAKER Feliciano its members in the majority Belmonte Jr. has broken his siwere given leeway to vote aclence on the death penalty bill, cording to their personal besaying Liberals in the House of liefs. Representatives will vote acAccording to the LP’s position cording to their conscience, paper, the party shall strongly notwithstanding the threat to “maintain our stand against the strip ranking officials of their re-imposition of the death penpositions. alty, and support all opposition “It’s a conagainst the passcience vote for sage of a death the LP (Liberal penalty bill.” Party) in Con“This has been gress,” the QueOn Wednesday, LP finally came out our stand since zon City conwith a party stand maintaining their 2006, when we gressman told opposition to the death penalty bill, voted to abolthe Inquirer in a although its members in the majority ish the death text message. were given leeway to vote according penalty, and the “Losing the asto their personal beliefs. reasons for our signment should vote remain,” the not be the priparty said. mordial considAmong the eration in a congrounds it cited science vote,” he added, without low a conscience vote among are: “It has repeatedly proven categorically stating whether the parties belonging to the to be ineffective; it is overhe would vote for or against the ruling majority in the 293-seat whelmingly inflicted on the controversial measure restor- chamber. poor and powerless; it is iming the death penalty. That put LP in an awkward posed by a fallible and flawed Belmonte is chair of a special position, as most of its mem- justice system, and ultimately, House committee on the South bers are against the death pen- it violates international laws China Sea maritime concerns, alty, including its chairperson, the Philippine nation has and he stands to lose the chair- Vice President Leni Robredo. sworn to abide by.” ■
House adopts amendments to death penalty bill BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES Philippines News Agency MANILA — The House of Representatives on Tuesday night adopted the proposed individual amendments to the death penalty bill. The lower chamber approved through viva voce voting the amendments to remove the crimes of plunder, rape, and treason from the coverage of the death penalty bill. With the recent changes, the contentious measure has been watered down by limiting the crimes punishable by death to just drug-related offenses. The amendments were a result of several House supermawww.canadianinquirer.net
jority caucuses. The bill will be put to a vote on second reading on Wednesday. The drug-related offenses punishable by death include the following: (1) importation of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursors and essential chemicals; (2) sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of dangerous drugs and/or controlled precursor and essential chemicals; (3) maintenance of a den, dive or resort where any dangerous drug is used or sold in any form; (4) manufacture of dangerous drugs and/or controlled
precursors and essential chemical; possession of dangerous drugs; (5) cultivation or culture of plants classified as dangerous drugs or are sources thereof; (6) unlawful prescription of dangerous drugs; (7) criminal liability of a public officer or employee for misappropriation, misapplication or failure to account for the confiscated, seized and/or surrendered dangerous drugs, plant sources of dangerous drugs, controlled precursors and essential chemicals, instruments/ paraphernalia and/or laboratory equipment including the proceeds or properties obtained from the unlawful act committed. ■
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Korean’s maid eyed in kidnap-slay BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO AND TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer A NEW angle emerged during the Senate inquiry into the kidnap-slaying of Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo on Thursday: Was his maid involved in the crime? Sen. Leila de Lima said the maid, Marisa Dawis Morquicho, had a namesake, Marisa Dawis Calayan, with a kidnapping conviction and asked probers to determine if they were the same person. Was the maid of slain Jee Ickjoo involved in his brutal murder? This possibility was raised at the resumption of the Senate inquiry into the Oct. 18, 2016, kidnap-slaying of the Korean businessman on Thursday when Sen. Leila de Lima disclosed that Marisa Dawis Morquicho, Jee’s maid, had a namesake with a kidnapping conviction. De Lima asked the officials of the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation, which have clashing findings on who masterminded Jee’s murder, to determine if indeed Morquicho and a Marisa Dawis Calayan
with a criminal record were the same person. “It’s too much of a coincidence if it would be confirmed that they are one and the same person, then that’s another kidnapping case,” she said. Jee, along with Morquicho, was seized from his house in Angeles City in an alleged antidrug operation. Unlike her boss, Morquicho was freed unharmed by police officers led by SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, the principal suspect in the murder.
“But at the moment, we can’t establish if the Marisa Dawis who applied for an NBI clearance was the same Marisa Dawis who was convicted,” he said. The only way the NBI could make this determination if this was the same person was for it to compare the existing fingerprints in its office and that of Morquicho, who is in the custody of the AKG, according to Delemos. Sen. Panfilo Lacson, the committee chair, acknowl-
she is part of a syndicate.” Asked if the syndicate could be the Korean mafia that Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said he was now investigating, De Lima said, “We really do not know that.” At the hearing, Aguirre raised the Korean mafia link in Jee’s kidnapping. He said he had received information that Jee had been kidnapped twice in the country by the Korean mafia. He said he had talked about this with Jee’s widow, Choi Kyung-jin. Background We conducted intelligence validation, Aguirre said check and what we see is that Jee was there was a theSenior Supt. already a target to be killed, not for ory that Jee was Glenn Dumlao, ransom. fighting the Kochief of the Anrean mafia “and ti-Kidnapping they hired the Group (AKG), scalawags of our said a thorough background edged that if it was proven that police agencies, from the NBI, to check on Morquicho showed Morquicho and Calayan were do Mr. Jee Ick-joo in. And from she was “clean.” the same person then this was the looks of it, that was what But NBI Assistant Director something very substantial. happened because you just don’t Medardo Delemos testified that kill someone immediately if this the agency’s records showed Criminal record was just a kidnapping case.” there were three people bearDe Lima told reporters after ing the name Marisa Dawis, the hearing that she had infor- Murder target with three different birthdates. mation that Morquicho had a Dumlao also raised the posOne of them had a record criminal record and if it was sibility during the hearing that of a kidnapping conviction, proven she was Calayan, then Jee had been a “target of murDelemos said. “there is a big possibility that der,” allegedly to keep him quiet,
adding that the demand for ransom after his slay was just “an afterthought” by his abductors. Jee, who ran a manpower services firm after working as director in a Korean heavy industries company, was strangled in his car and was later cremated in a funeral parlor owned by a former police officer and the ashes flushed down the toilet. “We conducted intelligence validation, and what we see is that Jee was already a target to be killed, not for ransom,” Dumlao said under the questioning by De Lima. “The motive was really to silence him,” Dumlao said. “Because—this is (revealed) through an intelligence report, that’s what can only back me up—because of extortion activities happening in the Korean community, specifically in the Angeles [City] area, where the bulk of the Korean community is, specifically their online gaming operations.” He revealed that a Korean national, Edward Yu-on, asked Choi for money to negotiate her husband’s release with the PNP and the NBI. Yu-on, whose whereabouts are unknown, allegedly asked for a total of P800,000 from Choi. ■
‘I won’t be silenced’ After a long chase across the metropolis and an even longer night of vigil, a defiant Sen. Leila de Lima surrendered to police on Friday, saying the drug charges against her were “all lies” BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer SEN. LEILA de Lima did not go quietly. “If they think they can silence me, if they think I will no longer fight the fight I’ve been waging, especially for the truth, and the persecution of the Duterte regime, it is my honor to be jailed for what I am fighting for. Please just pray for me,” she told reporters as she was about to be handed over by Senate security to policemen who had waited all night with a warrant to arrest her on drug charges. “These are all lies. The truth will come out and I will achieve justice. I am innocent,” she said.
“Fight, Leila!” relatives, friends and supporters shouted as De Lima made her way down from her fifth-floor office in the Senate building, and was put aboard a police coaster that would take her to Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City, for booking. It was just past 8 a.m. on Friday, two hours earlier than the handover time agreed between the Senate security and officers from the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, mother unit of the policemen who shot and killed executionstyle a mayor detained on drug charges in a Leyte jail last Nov. 5. Drug charges
De Lima, 57, was arrested Fri-
day on drug trafficking charges she insisted were manufactured to silence her opposition to President Duterte’s brutal war on drugs, which has claimed the lives of more than 7,600 people in eight months. Judge Juanita Guerrero of Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court Branch 204, with whom De Lima, as justice secretary, tussled over a drug case in 2011, ordered the senator’s arrest on Thursday. Also ordered arrested on the same warrant were De Lima’s former driver, bodyguard and alleged bagman, Ronnie Dayan, and former Bureau of Corrections chief Rafael Ragos. Dayan was arrested in his home in Urbiztondo, Pangasinan province, late Thursday. Ragos had asked for deferment www.canadianinquirer.net
AVITO C. DALAN / PNA
of his arrest. An hour after De Lima’s voluntary surrender, her office released a video message to her supporters and the nation, which her staff said was filmed on Wednesday in anticipation of her arrest.
Video message
In the video, the senator insists she is innocent of the drug charges. “I have never betrayed and I will never betray the trust of my country and the Filipino ❱❱ PAGE 7 ‘I won’t’
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‘I won’t...’ people,” De Lima says, accusing the Duterte administration of making “an example of me to intimidate, silence and destroy anyone who dares challenge them, to draw public attention away from the government’s abuses and failures, and to cover up their most murderous war on drugs.” “If they think [that] by jailing me, I will turn my back on my principles, they are mistaken. Instead, they have encouraged me more to pursue truth and justice,” she says. The message contains scathing remarks about Mr. Duterte, whom she calls “the mastermind of the filing of cases against me.” “The filing of criminal cases against me is only the fulfillment of Mr. Duterte’s fixation for revenge against me, because of my investigation of the Davao Death Squad when I was the chairwoman of the Commission on Human Rights,” she says, referring to the 2009 probe of extrajudicial killings in Davao during Mr. Duterte’s term as mayor of the city. She says Mr. Duterte acts on a whim, which she calls “impunity,” and traces to his time as mayor of Davao, when he discovered that “he could kill without accountability.” “Truth is, even though he has killed over 1,000 in Davao and over 7,000 throughout the Philippines with his death squads and rogue police, he has yet to pay for it under the law,” she says. ❰❰ 4
plunder charges over the pork barrel scam. Malacañang gave assurance that De
Lima would be safe in detention. “Sen. Leila de Lima has nothing to fear,” presidential spokesperson Ernes-
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to Abella said. He said De Lima would be “treated with fairness and accorded due process.” ■
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He will ‘pay soon’
But Mr. Duterte may soon pay for his “horrible crime against humanity,” she says, pointing to the emergence earlier this week of retired police officer Arturo Lascañas, a confessed hit man for the Davao liquidation team, who confirmed the existence of the hit squad and claimed the killings in the city were ordered by Mr. Duterte. Lascañas disclosed his dealings with Mr. Duterte in a news conference in the Senate on Monday, confirming the testimony in a Senate inquiry last year by another confessed death squad hit man, Edgar Matobato, who said Mr. Duterte ordered the killings and shot dead a Department of Justice employee himself. “With the revelation of Lascañas, there is no more doubt that our President is a murderer and a sociopathic serial killer. This is also the reason why we are experiencing all the madness in the government under this regime that is being led by the No. 1 criminal in the entire Philippines, if not in the whole world, none other than President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” she says. De Lima calls on Mr. Duterte to “stop the killings” and stop harassing her. “Stop this madness,” she says. De Lima will be detained in the PNP Custodial Center, where two former senators—Jinggoy Estrada and Bong Revilla Jr.—are detained while fighting
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Angara at Academia Filipina inaugural: ‘31 years after Edsa, our liberties are in jeopardy again’ 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 LITO B. ZULUETA Philippine Daily Inquirer ACADEMIA FILIPINA, which seeks to become an academy or council of statesmen, thinkers and writers as well as experts on Philippine arts and sciences, was off to a fiery start Feb. 24, with former Senate President Edgardo Angara openly deploring the arrest of Sen. Leila de Lima on drug charges by the administration of President Duterte. Opening the inaugural congress of Academia Filipino at Ramon Magsaysay Center, Angara, questioned why De An iconic photo of the EDSA Revolution in the Philippines in February 1986 showing hundreds of Lima was brought to Camp Crame. thousands of people filling up Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA). The view is looking northbound “And what is Camp Crame?” Angara towards the Boni Serrano Avenue-EDSA intersection. said. “It is where the PNP brought a KoJOEY DE VERA / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS rean businessman they arrested on false drug charges and killed in utter disre- Royal Navy, the Royalty, businessmen, ña; performing artists Raul Sunico and gard of all civility and in brazen viola- Oxford and Cambridge scholars and Chris Millado; writers Rody Vera, Ricky tion of human rights!” journalists from Fleet Street”), and the Soler, Charlson Ong and Lourd de Veyra. He was referring to Korean executive Century Club in New York. Jee Ick-joo who was killed in Camp CraJosé, whose fiction in English has Populism, demagoguery me, “the national headquarters of the been published in over 20 languages, Angara said there was “rising popu[Philippine] National Police.” said Academia Filipina gathered “our lism and tendency to demagoguery” in “The businessman was strangled to National Artists and National Scientists, the Philippines and around the world. death, even after his kidnappers and as- plus some young and old Filipinos who He wondered whether the nation was sailants— all policemen—received ran- have distinguished themselves in their descending to “illiberal democracy,” as som,” Angara said. particular professions. Time Magazine columnist Fareed Za“Here was utter depravity, clear proof “The major purpose of the Academia karia put it. (Mastura said the country that the rule of law right in the center of Filipina is to promote and protect Fili- was suffering more from “deficit democlaw enforcement is brazenly broken.” pino culture as the bedrock of the Fili- racy,” as Muslims like him had been marAngara was coconvenor of Academia pino nation,” he added. ginalized from public policy planning.) Filipina with National Artist for LiteraThe founding congress was a gatherAngara said populism and demagoguture F. Sionil José. ing of the country’s intellectual elite. ery might indicate a slide to fascism and He said it was prototalitarianism, but pitious that the arhe also agreed with rest of De Lima took another thinker who place during the nasaid populism could tional observance of The institutions that serve as its bulwark are become “a mirrror the Edsa People Powsuddenly quiet. Men and women of intelligence in which democracy er Revolt of 1986. and passion for country stand silent and remain can contemplate it“Some 31 years passive. self, warts and all, after People Power and find out what it overthrew the dictais about and what it is torship, our liberties lacking.” are in jeopardy once again,” said AnTaking part in the discussions were He said Philippine democracy was gara. “The institutions that serve as its former senator Ramon “Jun” Magsaysay failing because of political turncoatism bulwark are suddenly quiet. Men and Jr., as well as Senators Loren Legarda, and the “lack of a true party system,” and women of intelligence and passion for Richard Gordon and Sonny Angara; a “largely disconnected—if not entirely country stand silent and remain passive. prime minister Cesar E.A. Virata, for- indifferent—elite.” “There are 24 senators and one has mer Education Secretary Edilberto de “That’s the reason why we need Acastood up to say, ‘The emperor has no Jesus, former Rep. Michael Mastura, demia Filipina—to put our minds and clothes!’” former Foreign Secretary Delia Albert, expertise together toward finding our former national security adviser José own solutions to the country’s bigFrench, Spanish academies Almonte, former National Historical gest challenges and arresting the deJosé said Academia Filipina was pat- Commission of the Philippines chair cline of democracy and freedom,” Anterned after the French and Spanish Ambeth Ocampo. gara declared. “Toward supporting and Academies and the US Council of ForIn the audience were National Artists strengthening key institutions—media, eign Relations. Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera, Virgilio civic organizations, the courts and uniIn a less august way, it is also pat- Almario and Alice Reyes; heritage ar- versities. And toward fostering an intelterned after the British clubs (“whose chitect Augusto Villalon; scholars Resil lectual climate conducive to reform and membership included officers of the Mojares, Fernando Zialcita, Saul Hofile- change.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
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Gov’t against contractualization — Dole PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY
Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) General Eduardo Año (right) and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Director General Isidro S. Lapeña (2nd from right) sign a memorandum of agreement (MOA) detailing the agencies’ tasks in the anti-narcotics effort. JOEY O. RAZON / PNA
Leni seeks transparency in gov’t war on drugs BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer VICE PRESIDENT Leni Robredo on Thursday gave her most scathing criticism yet on the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, urging the people to “demand government transparency” in the bloody campaign and reminding them not to allow “brutality to be the defining character of our young democracy.” Robredo spoke at a forum on the government’s war on drugs and human rights at the De La Salle University College of Law in commemoration of the 30th death anniversary of nationalist and democracy icon, Sen. Jose “Ka Pepe” Diokno, who was arrested along with the martyred Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., soon after Ferdinand Marcos declared martial law on Sept. 21, 1972. “Something is happening to our country, and if the late Sen. Pepe Diokno—a known reform and human rights advocate— was here today, I do not know if he would be pleased,” Robredo said. The Vice President said people should “demand greater transparency in the government’s war on drugs.” The scope of the drug problem and the statistics enumerated by President Duterte himself has been inconsistent, she noted. Robredo expressed concern that over the seeming indifference and desensitization of the public with the rising death toll from the war against drugs, and “injustice is becoming” commonplace because of the un-
solved murders. “We can quickly become accustomed to the idea that justice is unattainable. Do not let this happen. Never let the horror of summary executions assume the privilege of normalcy, and do not permit brutality to be the defining character of our young democracy,” she said. For his part, Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, a human rights lawyer like his father, called on Filipinos to “fight the fear” blanketing the country under the Duterte administration even as he expressed concern over the likelihood of the return of authoritarianism. “It is exactly the same fear and violence that was employed with so much effectivity by the Marcos dictatorship. There is no difference. The only difference is the branding. The label before was fear of communists. The label now is the fear of drug addicts and drug pushers,” Diokno said. He said the unabated extrajudicial killings as a result of the campaign against illegal drugs had eroded the country’s already weak judicial system. Diokno warned that a legal system that becomes “weaker and weaker” would result in a “disorderly country.” “And the only way for government to maintain order is to become more and more authoritarian,” Diokno said. The younger Diokno is now the national chair of the Free Legal Assistance Group or FLAG, which was founded by his father, along with eminent human rights lawyers, Lorenzo Tañada Sr. and Joker Arroyo, to provide legal assist political prisoners. ■
MANILA — An official of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said that President Rodrigo Duterte has assured workers that his government is against contractualization. According to Usec. Joel Maglunsod the Chief Executive told the members of the Nagkaisa labor coalition at the meeting on Monday, that his stand against contractualization does not change. “Sinabi ni Presidente na walang pagbabago sa position niya nung nasa kampanya pa siya na ayaw niya sa lahat ng porma ng contractualization,” he said. The DOLE official added that the President is amendable on the pending bills in Congress that will criminalize violations of existing laws on contractualization. Manglunsod was asked if the statement of Duterte will have an effect on the new policy on contractualization being formulated by the agency. “Hindi, kasi kinakailangan talaga dumaan ito sa kon-
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greso. Ang pwede lang namin is siguraduhin na lahat ng minimum requirements para allowable contractualization sa batas ay masusunod,” he explained. Manglunsod added that they were no specific bills that Duterte will endorse. “Wala. implied lang. Sabi niya ipapaaral niya ito sa legal department.” Meanwhile, the labor group was satisfied with what the President has told them during the dialogue. “This chance became clearer when the President, after a three-hour dialogue with labor leaders Monday evening, demonstrated empathy and understanding for the plight of Filipino workers by reiterating his position that he is not going to renege on his promise to end contractualization both in the private and public sector,” the Nagkaisa said in a statement. They added, “The dialogue ended months of speculation in the business community that the President may only be after agencies that were practicing endo (the hiring of workers only for five months) as he categorically stated that his policy
extends fully to ending contractualization through middlemen or manpower agencies.” At the same time, the group urged their fellow workers to be on guard and monitor the actions to be taken by agencies of the government regarding the matter. “We therefore urge our fellow workers to remain vigilant to make sure that government bodies under instruction to comply with our demands do not stray out of line. This recent advance in our struggle for decent work confirms the power of unions and organized resistance in winning the battle against anti-labor policies,” they said. The Nagkaisa labor coalition is consist 47 labor federations and workers’ organizations in public and private sectors which includes Associated Labor Unions, Partido Manggagawa, Sentro, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines, Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino, Federation of Free Workers, National Confederation of Labor, Philippine Airlines Employees Association, PSLink, Philippine Government Employees Association among others. ■
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De Lima’s legal team Davao hit man heats up senators The Senate seems determined to hear the testimony of a confessed appeals to the SC Davao Death Squad leader despite pressure from Malacañang and opposition from President Duterte’s allies BY PHOEBE BALUBAR Philippine Canadian Inquirer DE LIMA’S defense team filed an 82-page petition for certiorari urging the Supreme Court to free the senator. The team filed a request to issue a status quo ante order and a temporary restraining order preventing Executive Judge Juanita Guerrero of the Muntinlupa City Trial Court Branch 204 from hearing her case. The petition also included accusations that Guerrero had prejudged the case and committed grave abuse of discretion for issuing the arrest warrant with “undue haste and inordinate interest.” Alex Padilla, one of De Lima’s lawyers, pointed out the inconsistency and the lack of due process in De Lima’s case. “If they can do this to a senator, how much more to (ordinary) citizens like us?” he said in a news briefing before the petition was filed. “The issuance of a warrant of arrest by a court that has no jurisdiction over the case makes such warrant obviously and patently null and without basis, thus making Senator De Lima’s detention … illegal,” Padilla added. The defense petition also argued that the RTC has no jurisdiction over De Lima due to her status as a public official and that her case must be handled by the Office of the Ombuds-
man and the Sandiganbayan since she is being charged a graft and corruption case. In response, the Department of Justice created a 52-page resolution indicting De Lima and specified that she is being accused of trafficking drugs in the New Bilibid Prisons. The resolution cited testimonies by high-profile convicts about how the national penitentiary had turned into a “Little Las Vegas” and how they were able to create a multibillion-peso drug trade to fund De Lima’s senatorial campaign. It has been cited that payoffs ranged from P50,000 to P5 million and was transferred through Ronnie Dayan who was De Lima’s driver and lover, and Bureau of Corrections officerin-charge Rafael Ragos. The DOJ also contended that criminal courts have jurisdiction over drug cases and cited Supreme Court rulings such as the Liwag vs. DOJ decided in 2005 where the ruling states that “the agency who first takes cognizance of the complaint shall exercise jurisdiction to the exclusion of others.” The DOJ also cited the event when a Pasay RTC handled the election sabotage case of former President, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the court acted hours after documentation has been presented declared the presence of probable cause to prosecute Arroyo. The Supreme Court had set oral arguments on March 14. ■
Senator Leila De Lima is escorted by Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, General Jose Balajadia Jr. (left). De Lima said she will voluntarily surrender to authorities at the Senate on Friday morning after the Regional Trial Court of Muntinlupa City issued on Thursday an arrest warrant over drug charges. AVITO C. DALAN / PNA
BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer
Lascañas’ sworn statement. Taking the floor, Gordon reminded the senators that Lascañas testified to his committee last year that Matobato’s testimony on the existence of the DDS was “all lies.” “You come here and you lie, you get only one chance. You don’t get a second chance,” he said. He added that he couldn’t care less that Lascañas was pointing a finger at President Duterte, but the former policeman should have done it last year. “When he failed to dothat, he lied to the Senate,” Gordon said. He said Lascañas’ action was a slap not on him but on the Senate. He repeatedly said that Lascañas should go to the Ombudsman instead.
tence on a justice committee inquiry. Malacañang pressure
Sen. Leila de Lima said there A SENATE inquiry into the was pressure from Malacañang, confession of a former leader which she described as in “panof the socalled Davao Death ic mode,” on the Senate not to Squad (DDS) will proceed dehear Lascañas. spite opposition from PresiDe Lima said just like in the dent Duterte’s allies. case of Matobato, President A day after Mr. Duterte’s supDuterte was “silent” after Lasporters lost a vote on the inquicañas’ confession. ry, Sen. Richard Gordon took “Because he knows it’s true,” the floor on Wednesday and she said of the President. insisted that the Senate should De Lima said the Palace apnot be the venue for someone parently did not expect the who had apparently lied to senoutcome of the Senate vote on ators. Tuesday, adding that the Palace On Tuesday, 10 of 22 senators was surprised at its loss. present voted for an inquiry to “They were surprised that hear the testimony of retired some of the senators, whom SPO3 Arturo (not Arthur as they expected to vote with them previously reported) Lascañas, against the hearing on Lascawho disclosed during a news ñas, abstained instead. That’s conference on why they are in Monday that he panic mode,” she had been a hit said. man for the DDS, The senators which he said They were surprised that some of the who voted for the was under the senators, whom they expected to inquiry were Bam control and pay vote with them against the hearing Aquino, Franklin of Mr. Duterte on Lascañas, abstained instead. Drilon, Francis when he was That’s why they are in panic mode. Escudero, Risa mayor of Davao Hontiveros, PanCity. gilinan, Trillanes, Lascañas’ pubRalph Recto, Sonlic confession ny Angara, Joel came four months after his Lascañas should be heard Villanueva and De Lima. testimony to Gordon’s justice Sen. Grace Poe disagreed Among those who voted committee denying the exis- with Gordon, saying the Senate against an inquiry were Senators tence of the DDS and confessed should hear Lascañas. Juan Miguel Zubiri, Emmanuel hit man Edgar Matobato’s in“Making (Lascañas) come Pacquiao, Cynthia Villar, Shersistence that he was a member here to speak is not for the ben- win Gatchalian, Gregorio Honaof the hit squad. efit of this person … but is also san II and Gordon. for the benefit of those of us Senators Loren Legarda, Lacson’s job who would like to know what Nancy Binay, JV Ejercito, Sotto In the end, Sen. Panfilo Lac- made him change his mind and and Lacson abstained. son’s committee on public or- why he is doing so,” Poe said on Poe and Cayetano were abder and dangerous drugs got the floor. sent from the caucus where the the job of investigating LascaSen. Francis Pangilinan said vote was taken. ñas’ claims. the chamber was not powerless Lacson said he was now pre- over those who lied and that it No Palace pressure paring for the inquiry. could punish liars “so that the In a text message to the In“I’m coordinating with the Senate will not be lied to” again. quirer, Sotto denied there was office of the proponent, Sen. Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano pressure from Malacañang. (Antonio) Trillanes, for the stood up to insist that the jusHe said he and two other sensubmission of Lascañas’ sworn tice committee should handle ators met with Mr. Duterte on statement and thereafter, the Lascañas testimony, as it Tuesday night but the discusfind out who we will invite as was the one that opened the in- sion was about the campaign resource persons then I will quiry into extrajudicial killings, against drugs. schedule a hearing,” he said in a something that Trillanes did “Lascañas was not even a text message. not agree with. highlight,” he said. Lacson said he would schedMajority Leader Vicente SotIn a post on Twitter, Sotto ule the hearing in compliance to III later moved for the rules said De Lima’s claim about with the three-day notice rule committee to study Gordon’s pressure from the Palace was just as long he had a copy of speech and Cayetano’s insis- “absolutely false.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
Philippine News
FRIDAY MARCH 3, 2017
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LP expulsion... were later told about the plan to oust the recalcitrant four. Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III showed the resolution to Drilon as a matter of courtesy, according to Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III. In the afternoon, Pacquiao took the floor and began the expulsion process. The “people’s champ” first declared Drilon’s position vacant; he was replaced by Recto. Pangilinan, Hontiveros and Aquino tumbled next. The agriculture, health and education committee chairmanships went to Senators Cynthia Villar, JV Ejercito and Francis Escudero, respectively. “Most of us are not proDuterte or anti-Duterte. We do not want to be subservient but we also do not want to be hostile to the administration,” Sotto explained. ❰❰ 1
Senate inquiries launched since last year.
Awkward situation
Sen. Panfilo Lacson told reporters that he, Sotto, Senators Gregorio Honasan II and Loren Legarda pushed for the meeting on Sunday, concerned about the “awkward” situation in the chamber. Lacson said that in many instances, the LP bloc voted at the behest of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, Mr. Duterte’s gadfly. For example, Lacson said, the LP members had voted against the majority to have the P50-million bribery scandal in the Bureau of Immigration be investigated by the Senate blue ribbon committee. Instead, they voted to refer it to Trillanes’ committee. The blue ribbon committee chaired by Sen. Richard Gordon eventually took over the inquiry, which will have a fourth hearing next week. Lacson said that whenever there were issues tackled on the floor, Trillanes “would always
No pressure
SEN. PING LACSON / FACEBOOK
go to (the LP bloc) and consult, instead of consulting the members of the minority.” “So this was not a one-shot deal, or decided overnight. This was based on observations of the other members, including myself,” he said. Lacson said some senators had reservations about the surgical move. “We already de-
cided on this, we voted on this, it was unanimous. What’s the reason for postponing the action? Chances are it might leak and something else might happen,” he said. Voicing out some of the senators’ sentiment, Sotto said they did not want the chamber to be a “Senate Bureau of Investigation,” referring to a series of
Sotto was asked whether the recent Senate vote to recall confessed hit man Arturo Lascañas and allow him to recant a previous testimony and implicate Mr. Duterte in the Davao Death Squad assassinations when he was mayor was the last straw. He said it was just a “sidelight” but it was really the wrangling between the majority and the LP bloc on several other issues. “It’s like every week there was always an issue,” Villar said. What she said she did not like was that the majority bloc then had to vote to get a consensus on an issue. “We’re supposed to be together,” Villar told reporters. “At least now, we know that the (LP senators) are now the minority.” ■
Duterte leaves fate of 5 Cabinet officials to appointments body BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT DUTERTE is leaving it up to the Commission on Appointments (CA) to decide the fate of his five Cabinet nominees—Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr., Environment Secretary Regina Lopez, Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial and Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano. Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said on Tuesday that this was made perfectly clear by the President in a meeting last week with some senators.
Sotto said he had asked Mr. Duterte what he thought of the five Cabinet secretaries given they were “controversial.” “The way I understand it, the President said, ‘I seek no favors. It’s up to you what you think on the competence and qualifications of the nominees,’” Sotto said in a phone interview. Yasay’s confirmation hearings began last week but it was suspended after two hours as many committee members still wanted to question him. Yasay is in hot water after documents obtained by the Inquirer showed he had acquired US citizenship, had renounced it but had not reacquired Filipino citizenship.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson, who chairs the Senate foreign affairs committee, said Yasay could face perjury charges if proven he lied to them. Lopez is facing opposition from mining groups. She was supposed to face the CA committee on environment on Wednesday but the hearing was canceled on Tuesday. Taguiwalo and Mariano, who are identified with the militant Left, became controversial when some lawmakers called for their resignation after the President suspended peace talks with communist rebels. Some 3,500 antimining advocates converged at the Oriental Mindoro High School gym-
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TOTO LOZANO / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / PNA
nasium on Monday to protest against destructive mining in the province in a show of support for Lopez. Fr. Edwin Gariguez, executive secretary of the National Secretariat for Social Action of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, said the
crowd was composed of civil society groups, Church leaders, local officials and mining-affected communities, including indigenous peoples on Mindoro Island. ■ With a report from Madonna T. Virola
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FRIDAY
Senators say Yasay may face perjury complaint BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO AND NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer
had been a US citizen. “I think [Yasay] took being foreign secretary a little too literally,” Sen. Sonny Angara said at the MIM forum. Yasay was in Geneva on Monday and was not available for comment. He told the CA hearing last week that he had applied for US naturalization but never legally acquired US citizenship. Sen. JV Ejercito said the question of Yasay’s citizenship was the main reason he was bypassed by the CA. “We had been waiting for his proof of citizenship,” Ejercito said at the MIM.
ralization but never legally acquired US citizenship. Still, even after he had supposedly given up his US citizenship in 1993, Yasay failed to reacquire his Filipino citizenship, making his position as head of the Department of Foreign Affairs and his previous seven-year stint at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) questionable. Sen. Franklin Drilon noted that there was no record that Yasay had reacquired Filipino citizenship.
FOREIGN SECRETARY Perfecto Yasay Jr. is in a “very serious situation” following an Inquirer report that he was a US citizen, according to three senators who serve on the Commission on Appointments (CA). At the Meet Inquirer Multimedia (MIM) forum, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said on Monday that Yasay was in a precarious Naturalization process situation because he claimed On a TV program, Drilon said under oath that the question of he had never Yasay’s citizenbeen an Ameriship was imporcan citizen. tant given that For Sen. PanI think [Yasay] took being foreign the latter was filo Lacson, chair secretary a little too literally. the top governof the CA comment man on the mittee on forcountry’s foreign eign affairs, Yaaffairs. say’s biggest problem was not Verification He said that if Yasay did rehis being rejected by the CA but Lacson said there was a need acquire Filipino citizenship his being charged with perjury. to authenticate the documents before 2003 as he had asserted, Lacson told Senate reporters showing that Yasay acquired it should be through a naturalthat a perjury complaint could US citizenship and took his ization process. This involved be filed against Yasay if it was oath as an American citizen in filing a petition in court to reacproven the foreign secretary 1986—information contrary to quire Filipino citizenship. had lied that he never acquired his testimony before the CA on If Yasay reacquired his FilipiUS citizenship. Feb. 22. no citizenship, then he should Documents obtained by the “He (Yasay) should not worry have availed himself of the Dual Inquirer showed that Yasay ob- much about him not being con- Citizenship Act by taking again tained US citizenship in 1986 firmed. He should worry more his oath as a Filipino, according and that he sought to renounce on what could be a [perjury] to Drilon, author of that law. it in 1993 but failed to reacquire case against him, “ Lacson said. “These are questions of fact his Philippine citizenship. He told reporters he had to which I have no answer,” the scheduled another hearing for senator said. Cabinet appointment March 8 because Yasay said he Asked whether he would conThe documents also showed would be abroad this Wednesday. firm Yasay if proven he did not that he formally renounced his The CA committee on foreign reacquire Filipino citizenship, American citizenship at the US affairs has started confirmation Drilon said if this was so, then Embassy in Manila on June 28, hearings on the ad interim ap- he had “real serious misgivings 2016, two days before President pointment of Yasay last week. about Yasay’s qualifications.” Duterte appointed him to the Yasay’s confirmation hearing He said that if Yasay did not Cabinet. was suspended because many acquire Filipino citizenship Zubiri said Yasay had lied to congressmen on the committee and he had served as SEC chair the CA—a ground for the re- still wanted to question Yasay. then the latter could be facing jection of his Cabinet appointYasay told the CA committee a complaint of usurpation of ment—if proven that indeed he that he had applied for natu- public functions. ■
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Senator Panfilo Lacson (left), chairperson of the Committee on Public Order & Dangerous Drugs, presides the Senate investigation on the killing of Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo. AVITO C. DALAN / PNA
PH ready for international criticism for death penalty BY PHOEBE BALUBAR Philippine Canadian Inquirer DURING HIS confirmation hearing before lawmakers in the Commission on Appointments yesterday, Foreign Affairs secretary Perfecto Yasay said that the Philippines is preparing for any international backlash in case death penalty was reinstated. In his statement, Yasay pointed out the country’s commitment with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) where the country should not adopt the death penalty. “But there is our involvement in this convention where if we will reinstate the death penalty, it could result in some negative repercussions where we might be forced out of that situation as member and signatory to that convention,” Yasay said, referring to the ICCPR. “But this is something that is way down the road, we are now preparing our response, in the event that Congress is able to come up with a decision on whether or not to reinstate the death penalty,” he said.
Yasay also pointed out that there are members who are also members of the Human Rights Council. In fact, in the ASEAN, only Cambodia and the Philippines are the countries who still don’t use death penalty. Although the Congress had already reached a consensus regarding the matter, it may not be the same with the Senate. As of the moment, there are ten senators who are not in favor of reinstating death penalty. According to House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, even if the law approved of this, it is possible that Duterte would not be able to use it during the rest of his term due to the long and technical process of convicting an offender. Conviction takes at least four to five years as it follows a process of reviews from higher courts until the Supreme Court hands out a verdict. It is unlikely for Duterte to be able to execute anyone who is currently serving his or her sentence in New Bilibid Prisons either. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY MARCH 3, 2017
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Duterte meets young ASG kidnap victim in Malacañan PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — An eight-year old kidnap victim from Zamboanga Sibugay was reunited with his parents in the presence of President Rodrigo Duterte in Malacañan on Tuesday following seven months of captivity from the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in Sulu. Presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza presented the child to President Duterte. He was abducted with his family in Zamboanga Sibugay in August last year and was freed last Monday. The family was brought to Sulu after they were kidnapped. The mother, Nora, was released in August 22 after paying a small amount, according to Dureza. Elmer, the father, was freed last Nov. 13 after handing over Php 1 million, thinking the son will also be released. Dureza said the family sold everything, including their sari-sari store, and borrowed from friends and relatives to raise the ransom money. Dureza said he was instructed by the President to work for the release of the boy and with the help of Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) members, was eventually reunited with his parents. Dureza said the boy will undergo psychiatric trauma treatment, noting that
But for those in Mindanao who want reintegration or ceasefire, the President reiterated that it is also his desire to adopt a federal system of government. PRRD expresses sympathies to Kantner’s family
PCOO
the President will also assist the family so they can start a new life away from Mindanao. The family, whose life was in shambles after selling all possessions, decided to leave Zamboanga Sibugay and relocated with relatives outside Metro Manila, according to Dureza. He also clarified that no ransom money was paid in freeing the boy since the family no longer has the money after disposing its source of livelihood. President Duterte expressed his gratitude to Secretary Dureza, and Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan for their humanitarian job. The President however said that there
Gov’t demands increase in teachers and health professionals BY PHOEBE BALUBAR Philippine Canadian Inquirer IN ORDER to provide more services to the general public, the government would need to hire 234,542 additional public school teachers and health professionals. According to Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr, the Department of Education is set to hire 181,980 teachers starting this year until 2020, while the Department of Health will recruit 52,562 health practitioners starting this year until 2022. This projected demand for employees for both sectors was included in the papers submitted by the Cabinet to the Congress in connection to the Tax Reform for the Acceleration and Inclusion program of the current administration. It has been cited that this year alone, the Department of Education is spending P15.5 billion to fill up 53,821 teach-
ing positions. “The fastest-growing profession in the years ahead will be teaching, as DepEd steps up hiring to cope with the demands of a rapidly expanding public school system. The need for Math and Science teachers in particular will be exceptionally strong,” Campos said. Currently, public school teachers are being paid a monthly salary range of P19,077 for entry-level Teacher I to P39,768 for Master Teacher III. These rates exclude benefits and allowances respectively. It has also been mentioned by Campos that these pay rates shall increase every year until the rates reach P20,754 for Teacher I and P51,155 for Master Teacher III starting January 1, 2019. As of the medical sector, the DOH said it would need 39,466 nurses, 3,288 pharmacists, 2,862 medical technologists, 2,497 universal health care implementers, 2,424 doctors, 1,114 dentists and 911 public health associates. ■
will be a lot of work to do in freeing some reported captives saying, “I would like to assure everybody that for as long as there is violence being perpetrated, the Republic of the Philippines will continue with its military operations.” But in order for the military to be effective, the President said the soldiers would need new equipment as well as fast boats, frigates and more helicopters. “We plan to purchase more helicopters. The numbers, I would not want to tell you now but I have to improve on our night-flying capability. We’re nearing to it,” the President said.
At the same time, the President extended his sympathies to the family of German national Jurgen Gustav Kantner, who was brutally murdered by the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu. “I am very sorry that the hostage or a national of your country has been beheaded. I sympathize with the family. I commiserate with the German people,” President Duterte said. The President also told Kantner’s family and the German government that his administration really tried its best to secure the safety of the victim. The President also tackled the antiillegal drug campaign, saying that he has ordered Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Dir. Gen. Ronald Dela Rosa during Monday’s command conference to recruit patriotic young men in the PNP to be the members of the task force. “Every station should have one pero ‘yung piling-pili, ‘yung walang mga kaso at walang history ng corruption,” he said. ■
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Opinion
14
MARCH 3, 2017
FRIDAY
Dictatorship feared with Leila’s arrest BY DJ YAP, TARRA QUISMUNDO AND NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer VICE PRESIDENT Leni Robredo and other allies of Sen. Leila de Lima condemned her arrest on Friday on drug charges, saying it was meant to silence all opposition to President Duterte and showed an emerging dictatorship. They said the legal process had been railroaded to ensure she spent time in jail to create a “chilling effect” among those who expressed their disagreement with policies of the Duterte administration, particularly his bloody war on drugs. Robredo, who was forced to step down from the Cabinet last year, suggested that the Duterte government is beginning to turn toward the same dictatorial rule that the country had endured under Ferdinand Marcos with the arrest of De Lima, one of the President’s fiercest critics. In a speech at the University of the Philippines School of
Economics, her alma mater, Robredo said some of the nation’s leaders would like Filipinos to forget the atrocities under Marcos’ martial law and glorify his dictatorship “to revise the history so that he is remembered a hero, and not the thief and murderer that he was.” “Some leaders want to raise the fist of authoritarianism, to sow fear and discord among ourselves, to divide us with lies, violence, and bloodshed. It has begun,” she said. Addressing Mr. Duterte directly, Robredo said instead of silencing dissenters the President should deal with issues that matter to ordinary Filipinos. “Mr. President, we call you to task. In behalf of the Filipino people, whose daily struggles are escalating, we ask you to focus on the war that really matters: the war on poverty. Our people are hungry, jobless and poor,” she said in a stinging criticism of Mr. Duterte. In a separate statement, Robredo called the senator’s arrest the “latest move in a persistent campaign of political
harassment” of a member of Congress. The “efforts to smear” De Lima started when she launched an investigation of the extrajudicial killings linked to the anti-illegal drugs campaign, Robredo said. She added that the charges against the senator, her Liberal Party (LP) colleague, had arisen “from a political agenda and are not the result of an independent, unbiased legal process.” Judge Juanita Guerrero of the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court issued the warrant for De Lima’s arrest on Thursday, a week after the charges were filed against her. Robredo said De Lima’s case showed how some government officials use the criminal justice system “to cow, silence and eliminate critics.” “We cannot, and we must not, stand by and let this happen again,” she said. Opposition Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay saw irony in the timing of De Lima’s arrest on the eve of the anniversary of the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution that ousted Marcos.
“While the Edsa Revolution is a celebration of freedom and justice, the arrest of De Lima is an anthology of vengeance, fabrication and injustice,” Lagman said. De Lima’s arrest was “a throwback to an authoritarian past,” said Sen. Risa Hontiveros of Akbayan party, an LP ally. De Lima’s arrest would send “a chilling message” that political dissent under Mr. Duterte would not be tolerated and “all those who will oppose will be destroyed,” Hontiveros said. However, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, another strident critic of the President, said he would not be intimidated. “The effect to me is exactly the opposite,” he said. “I am now motivated more than ever to expose [the President] for being a plunderer and mass murderer that he truly is.” Trillanes early this week presented SPO3 Arturo Lascañas, a confessed leader of the Davao Death Squad, who said the President directed and paid for the hit team when he was mayor of the city. Trillanes had also revived allegations that the
President had P2.2 billion in several bank transactions from 2006 to 2015. LP Sen. Bam Aquino said the charges were brought against De Lima despite shaky evidence not backed by any “paper trail” and based mainly on testimonies of convicted criminals “who received favors” from the administration. “It is condemnable that the administration railroads rules and processes for political vendetta,” he said. Human rights lawyer Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno, chair of the Free Legal Assistance Group, said he was “shocked and surprised” when the Muntinlupa court issued the arrest warrant so soon because it preempted hearings set on Friday on her motion questioning its jurisdiction. De Lima’s lawyers argue that she should have been charged in the Sandiganbayan as her alleged offenses were committed while she was justice secretary. Those charges should also have been investigated by the Ombudsman, not the justice department. ■
fore him wish the Edsa commemo- David had but a brief stay to mark be able to muster enough numration would be treated from now— his “celebration” of Edsa. bers to match the Luneta gatheras a nonevent. *** ing. Groups of millennials, who last Another leader, former presiIgnoring the occasion, even the showed the power of their numbers dent and now congresswoman protest rallies, seems to be the at- in the protests following the burial Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, even titude and approach favored by the of Ferdinand Marcos’ remains in deliberately timed the Edsa re- Duterte administration. This, even the Libingan ng mga Bayani, have membrance with the arrest of hun- as supporters gather at the Luneta, issued calls for dreds of protesters gathered on organized, it is said, by indepenyoung people to show up once that historic stretch of highway. If dent groups even as the Depart- again. Will the unfinished dream we think about it, the protest dra- ment of Interior and Local Gov- and thwarted vision of Edsa draw matized precisely them once more to what Edsa was all prove their love of For much of his term—which is less than a year old—Mr. about—a people country? Duterte and his men have done nothing more, it seems, than free to gather and *** orchestrate a case against the senator. air their sentiIn the wake of ments in a spirit Sen. Leila de Liof democracy. But GMA chose to ernment issued a memorandum ma’s arrest and detention, a lot of mark the occasion instead with a calling on local executives to send people have aired their views that demonstration of her mailed fist, “delegations” to the park. Appar- what happened to her is simply hauling the protesters to Camp ently, they hope to gather enough the senator’s “karma,” a fate that Karingal. adherents for an overwhelming she deserved after taking part in Among them was activist and In- “show of force” to illustrate the the arrest and detention of former quirer columnist Randy David, and overwhelming support of the ma- political leaders, not least former when his wife Karina visited him jority of Filipinos. president GMA. with a tall pile of books to read durAs I write this, I don’t know if the Granting that De Lima—and ing his incarceration, David asked counterrally in front of the People other justice secretaries before her: “Why, how long do you think Power monument on the corner her—is only paying for past sins, we I’ll be detained here?” Fortunately, of Edsa and White Plains would still must ask: But is it right? Does
one more wrong—legally infirm, personally motivated, rushed and based on tainted testimony—make everything else right? What cause does the prosecution of De Lima serve? The convicted drug lords clearly had nothing to lose by airing their testimonies— testimonies that contradicted each other, we might add—and if ever, they clearly had axes to grind against the senator. De Lima may have used legal shortcuts in the prosecution of political enemies, but are trumped-up drug charges the right response to her “karmic” debt? If we shrug off De Lima’s fate, saying she should have expected it given the enemies she made during the P-Noy administration, then what sort of defense can we, ordinary Filipinos, expect when the forces of the state come after us? The call of the times, the call of the occasion we observed yesterday, is that human rights are rights for all. We close our eyes to injustice, and we risk losing all our rights as well. ■
AT LARGE
Dueling rallies By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer AS THIS is being written, two major competing rallies—let’s use the simplistic tags “pro-Edsa” and “pro-Duterte”—have yet to get off the ground. As is the media’s wont, the two rallies will probably be pitted against each other in terms of the number of supporters and attendees, as if the size of the gatherings were the sole determinant of the correctness of the cause that compelled them to gather in the first place. Just the other day, the official state-sponsored observance of the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolt, under the auspices of the Edsa People Power Commission, took place in Camp Aguinaldo. It was a tepid affair, indeed, which may have been the intent all along of the organizers. Though there was media coverage, the overall reaction of the public was an overwhelming ho-hum. This may be what a leader like Rodrigo Duterte and others be-
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Opinion
FRIDAY MARCH 3, 2017
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PUBLIC LIVES
Edsa: the battle for the near past By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer AS A participant in and direct witness to the dramatic events that unfolded at Edsa on Feb. 22-25, 1986, I sometimes turn to written accounts of that period in order to refresh my recollection of those events. Almost always, I find myself flinching from these published narratives and, even more, from their interpretations of what happened. “I was there, and I know it wasn’t like that at all!” I say in quiet protest. As a social scientist, I have been content to view this as nothing more than the logical byproduct of differences in perspective. It was only later that I realized that this reaction is quite common—something that springs from the divergence between memory and history, between what is experienced and what is transmitted, and between what is witnessed and what, in retrospect, is studied. The noted French historian François Bédarida, who was an active participant in the Resistance against Nazi Germany before he became a professional historian, put it very well when he said that “the objective of memory is fidelity, whilst the objective of history is truth.” With the passage of time, memo-
ry gives way to history. And, before be faithful to, of which Edsa was present time is that it takes an inanyone realizes it, the only way to the clearest embodiment. At the terest in its own present, in a conretrieve memory is by way of his- same time, if we are not to lapse text where the past is not over and tory. While both make use of lan- into cynicism, we must avoid judg- gone, where the subject of one’s guage and representation, some ing events on the basis of what we narrative is a ‘still there.’ Inevitameanings are irretrievably lost in know today. We could take a lesson bly, there will be a few pitfalls.” the detached and distant language from the historical approach. This all the more makes it necesof historical knowledge. Thus, “When historians observe a his- sary for history to be informed by no matter how much attention is torical actor of that bygone past, memory. We might call it the civic paid to the teaching of history to a they must constantly keep in mind responsibility of the historian—to younger generation, the recupera- the ‘having-been’ of that actor, write history with a certain fidelity tion of memory—insofar as it en- who lived and acted in a present to the ideals and sentiments that tails fidelity to ideals—becomes an time that no longer exists but that informed and fortified the spearduous task. has to be reconstituted….” (Henry cific experience of those who lived Such has been the nature of our Rousso, “The Latest Catastrophe: through certain events. grasp of Edsa, a critical event in History, the Present, the ContemWhat would those ideals and our nation’s near past. Not even the porary,” 2016) feelings be for those of us who had repeated playing the privilege to be of video recordthere? I would say: ings of that period love of country and If fidelity is the goal of memory, then we must continually could summon the pride in who we remind ourselves of what it is we need to be faithful to, of which powerful sentiare, compassion Edsa was the clearest embodiment. ments that filled and solidarity with our beings during our fellow Filipithose four fateful days. That we All that this says is that you can’t nos, selflessness, courage in the face were actually prepared to lay down judge an event or action in history of intimidation, the duty to hold our lives in the name of freedom in terms of present day standards accountable those who make decisounds so foolish today—not only or knowledge. One has to reconsti- sions in our name, and nonviolent in the light of what we now know tute the period in which the event resistance to any form of abuse and about the aborted power grab took place in order to gain a better oppression. Every time somebody that brought the rebel soldiers to understanding of it. That seems suggests that it is time to “move Camp Aguinaldo, but also against easy enough to accept. on,” I get the feeling that we are bethe background of the disillusion What is problematic, Rousso ing asked to forget what the people that set in soon after Cory became writes, is when we are dealing with fought for at Edsa, or to treat these president. a past that is not quite over, and sentiments as irrelevant and injuriIf fidelity is the goal of memory, with events and personalities that ous to nationhood in our time. then we must continually remind are still very much around. “The Historians, journalists, and soourselves of what it is we need to particularity of the history of the cial scientists will long debate what
the crucial trigger was that brought the people to Edsa, or which groups and personalities played the most important roles, or what could have happened if things did not turn out the way they did. Would people have stayed if Marcos had decided to bomb Camp Aguinaldo on the first day of what was then billed as a military mutiny? Would things have turned out better for the Filipino people if the civilian military junta proposed by Enrile’s group had taken over the reins of power, instead of the civilian government led by Cory Aquino? In all such accounts, the tendency would be to subject to the cold scrutiny of the historian and social analyst all the claims that have been made in the memorialization of Edsa. It is important to bear in mind that this, too, does not necessarily bring us any closer to the truth. For, there is also something fictional about the analyst’s penchant for freezing chosen images in time, giving them substance, and holding them up as turning points. Everything seemed fluid from where I stood at Edsa during those four days. No one knew exactly what was happening or what would happen next. But what was never in doubt is why we were there: In the name of our children, we were taking back our country from a corrupt dictator. ■
LOOKING BACK
Shining moment in living history By Ambeth R. Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer CONTRARY to popular belief built by textbooks and reinforced by school quiz bees, history is not just about who, what, where, when, and how, but more about why. It is the last question that makes history interesting and provides historians with a career, or at least a reason for being. Laymen who see historians debating the whys in the national narrative often ask why history is confused and confusing, remembering textbook history that has definite answers, unlike higher-level history that is continually contested by various voices, interests, and points of view. This weekend, the 31st anniversary of Edsa 1986 comes with a debate on the commemoration of a historic event. The more important question is how that event should
be remembered, since the magic has faded over time and been made painful when seen with hindsight and the disappointment over broken promises and lost opportunities. Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Aquino, and Jaime Cardinal Sin are now history, but the two men that triggered Edsa 1986—Juan Ponce Enrile and Fidel V. Ramos—are still around to answer questions about the legacy of People Power. Ramos, who writes a newspaper column that often sounds like a Sunday homily, recently called on people who lived through Edsa 1986 to remember and to impart to those born after it—Gen X and millennials—what it was all about: “The greatest loss to our posterity would be our failure to impart the values of transcendent events of our nation-building to those who now bear the torch of national leadership and our younger generations. For us present-day Fili-
pinos, therefore, our first duty to our beloved Philippines is not to take our freedom for granted, but to defend our liberties against any tyrant who comes around. Our second duty is to plan and act as one national team to reduce poverty, advance our economy, reinforce our democratic institutions, and insure the nation’s enduring peace and sustainable development, especially in Mindanao.” Ramos is but a voice in the social media wilderness now, at most a relic of a past era brought out each year on Feb. 25 to jump in front of the gates of Camp Crame. Perhaps it is time to go beyond the factual and chronological to make the narrative more engaging or sensible for a new generation. History can be dates and events off a calendar to lull you to sleep, or make you think. Take, for example, Marcos and his penchant for the number 7. We all know
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that although the declaration of martial law is dated Sept. 21, 1972, it was actually implemented on Sept. 23. Marcos often made important decisions or signed state papers on dates with 7 or divisible by 7. He won the party nomination to run for president in 1965 by 777 votes, and in his last battle, the snap election of 1986, he set the polls on Feb. 7. If things had gone as planned, he was to assume office on Feb. 25, the day he actually left Malacañang after 21 years in office. Once you have caught the interest of the student, then you detail the turn of events and show how numerology could not prevent Edsa 1986. Unlike other national holidays organized by the national government, such as Independence Day on June 12 or Rizal Day on Dec. 30, the prime mover for the Edsa commemoration used to be the Edsa People Power Commission estab-
lished by an executive order of President Joseph Estrada in 1999, since watered down under the second Aquino administration. Without a national organizing committee and a budget, Edsa may or may not be commemorated in a manner considered appropriate by those who risked their lives for it. Holidays are established to give people time to remember and commemorate, but in actual practice this does not happen because the day off is used for other things, like doing the laundry or strolling in the mall. This weekend we should remember not just Edsa 1986 but also Edsa 2 in 2001 and the failed Edsa 3 a few months later. Edsa 1986 was a shining moment in living history that showed Filipinos uniting for a common cause. Could we have Edsa 4? Should we have Edsa 4? Or do we just relegate Edsa 1986 to the proverbial dustbin of history? ■
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FRIDAY
Canada News Doctors have role to play Quebec MP Guy in preventing kids and teens Caron becomes from smoking: task force third candidate in federal NDP leadership race
BY SHERYL UBELACKER The Canadian Press
TORONTO — Primary-care doctors need to take a more active role in preventing young Canadians from starting smoking and helping those who have already taken up the habit to butt out for good, says a group of experts that develops clinical practice guidelines. That recommendation is at the heart of the first-ever guidance on smoking in children and youth aged five to 18, developed by the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care. “Rates of smoking have decreased over the last couple of decades, but they seem to have plateaued and they’re still much too high,” said Dr. Brett Thombs, chairman of the four-member tobacco working group within the task force, which penned the guidelines released Monday. “And among Canadian youth, by the time children and adolescents are in 12th grade, 36 per cent have tried smoking,” said Thombs, a professor in the faculty of medicine at McGill University in Montreal. “And that’s simply way too high given the massive burden of smoking on health (and) on our economy.” The guideline document, published in Monday’s edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, cites data showing that 18 per cent of youth in Grades 6 to 12 have
BY KRISTY KIRKUP The Canadian Press
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tried cigarettes. “Almost 90 per cent of adult smokers started before they were 18, and we know that people who start smoking as children and youth are much less likely to quit later on,” said Thombs, noting that although the adverse health effects may primarily show up later in life, they are accrued over a lifetime of tobacco use. Smokers are at risk for lung, throat, pancreatic and bladder cancers, as well as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular disease that can lead to a heart attack or stroke. “If we can stop (them smoking) during childhood and adolescence, there’s a much better chance that they won’t even get into that period of high risk,” he said. For prevention, the task force recommends that primary-care providers first ascertain whether children and teens are smoking and provide brief information to both them and their parents on the risks of tobacco use and strat-
egies for dealing with any peer pressure to smoke. The recommendation for treating youth who have smoked in the previous 30 days is similar, but includes advice on ways to stop the potentially addictive habit before it becomes ingrained. While primarily aimed at doctors, the guidelines also apply to other primary-care providers, such as nurses and behaviouralhealth specialists, Thombs said. “It’s only one piece of the puzzle — no single intervention is going to stop children and adolescents from smoking,” he said, adding that the anti-smoking message can also be delivered in schools and through provincial and federal government media campaigns. Still, primary-care providers have an important role to play, Thombs emphasized. “By putting this guideline out, we’re saying very clearly that this is an important activ❱❱ PAGE 18 Doctors have
mouski, Que. It’s critical to the electoral fortunes of the NDP to rebuild support in Quebec, where the GATINEAU, QUE. — Quebec party currently holds just 16 MP Guy Caron has joined the seats, Caron said. Toronto and race to lead the NDP, bringing Atlantic Canada will also be key to three the number of candi- areas for growth, he added. dates so far in the race to suc“As a Quebecer who grew up ceed Tom Mulcair. in Rimouski, who lived in OtCaron, an economist who is tawa, Montreal, Toronto in the positioning himself as a con- past, I am well-placed to actutender with financial smarts, ally be able do that work that made the anwill be needed nouncement to ensure that Monday at a log the NDP will recabin in Gatingain its strength eau, Que. Caron also coast-to-coast.” He chose the unveiled the first The race to location because plank of his plan, replace Mulcair, it was the scene proposing to which got off to of a campaign establish a basic the slowest of event by late income for all starts, has been NDP leader Jack Canadians. gaining steam Layton in 2011, in recent weeks, the same year with northern Caron was first Ontario MP elected to the Charlie Angus House of Commons as part of and B.C. MP Peter Julian also in the so-called “Orange Wave” in the running. Quebec. A leadership debate is schedOn Monday, Caron also un- uled for March 12 in Ottawa. veiled the first plank of his plan, Manitoba MP Niki Ashton proposing to establish a basic and deputy Ontario NDP leader income for all Canadians. Jagmeet Singh are also said to He plans to spend the week be considering a bid. making stops in Ottawa, MonA new leader is scheduled to treal, Trois-Rivieres, Quebec be chosen by the end of OctoCity and his home town of Ri- ber. ■
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‘With the help of Justin Trudeau’:
Canadian PM gets a shout out in Trump speech BY ALEXANDER PANETTA The Canadian Press WASHINGTON — The prime minister of Canada received a surprise shout-out during Donald Trump’s first speech to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, in an address Tuesday that carried more than one reference to the northern neighbour. The president mentioned Justin Trudeau as he hailed the creation during the prime minister’s recent visit to Washington of a women’s business group — a project involving the president’s daughter Ivanka. Trump’s speech was sprinkled with surprises. The biggest of all, the one that will snare Americans’ attention, was his unexpected call for comprehensive immigration reform, a long-elusive goal of U.S. policy-makers that Trump appeared to have suddenly embraced. Smaller ones involved references to Canada. “With the help of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, we have formed a council with our neighbours in Canada to help ensure that women entrepreneurs have access to the networks, markets and capital they need to start a business and live out their financial dreams,” Trump said in the prime-time address. It’s the third time Trump mentioned the project in public remarks. Trump appeared at the group’s initial meeting at the White House; raised it dur-
ing a White House press conference as something he was proud of; and mentioned it again in his state-of-the-union-style speech Tuesday. The idea for the project came from Trudeau’s chief of staff Katie Telford, who presented it to Ivanka’s husband, White House aide Jared Kushner. Other elements of the speech that touched on Canadian interests included his promise to build the Keystone XL pipeline; his withdrawal from the TransPacific Partnership; and his call for a stillvaguely-defined border adjustment tax. He also saluted Canada’s immigration system as something to emulate. It came during Trump’s attentiongrabbing remarks on immigration reform. In the speech, and in comments Trump made earlier in the day to TV network anchors, he appeared to signal an interest in seizing a Holy Grail for a generation of U.S. policy-makers: an immigration deal between Republicans, who want a tighter southern border — and Democrats who want legal status for the country’s millions of undocumented people. “Nations around the world, like Canada, Australia and many others, have a merit-based immigration system,” Trump said. “I believe that real and positive immigration reform is possible, as long as we focus on the following goals — to improve jobs and wages for Americans, to strengthen our nation’s security, and to restore respect for our laws. “If we are guided by the well-being of American citizens then I believe Repub-
licans and Democrats can work together to achieve an outcome that has eluded our country for decades.” The speech made only a passing reference to the biggest unknown in CanadaU.S. relations: the North American Free Trade Agreement, which Trump blasted daily during his election campaign and now wants renegotiated. Republicans on Capitol Hill appeared in the dark Tuesday on his intentions regarding NAFTA. Although lawmakers are supposed to be involved in the process, they said they hadn’t received direction from the White House yet. The uncertainty is heightened by the fact that one key player in trade negotiations, the United States trade representative, could see his Senate confirmation stalled for months, amid partisan wrangling and concern about his past legal work for foreign governments. “I don’t have any information about when, or what process will be used,” said Republican Mike Crapo, a member of the Senate Finance committee, which would have a key role in trade negotiations. Policy-makers are already overwhelmed by Trump’s insistence on health reform, and tax reform — where
he’s requested big changes, popular changes, and not offered much direction on the specifics and hard choices. Now Trump appears poised to add immigration reform to the to-do list — in addition to paid parental leave which he also mentioned Tuesday. The Senate leadership sounded determined to put the onus on Trump to deliver specifics. “We’re anxious to see what the president wants to do about immigration,” Senate leader Mitch McConnell told CNN. “I’m anxious to take a look at what the president would recommend.” People involved in Canada-U.S. relations might have picked up on other elements of the speech. Trump applauded the idea of joint public-private funding for a massive infrastructure spending project — which is a priority for the Trudeau government, although it remains controversial on the American left. Trump also referred to his plan for regulation-slashing, which Canada might play a role in. The countries meet frequently through a regulatory co-operation body, and Treasury Board President Scott Brison offered to share some ideas during a trip last week to Washington. ■
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Prison violence leaves Ottawa with growing legal burden: ‘It’s an awful lot’ BY MICHAEL TUTTON The Canadian Press HALIFAX — Canada’s prison service faced 1,200 legal actions at the end of last March — a figure the federal prison ombudsman says is enough to keep an entire law firm busy. “It’s an awful lot ... they are paying about $10 million in legal fees, which is quite high. It’s equivalent to a small to mediumsized law firm,” said Ivan Zinger, the correctional investigator of Canada. The figures, released by Correctional Service Canada to The Canadian Press, are a sign that the rising violence that Zinger documented between 2005 and last year — such as deaths, inmate-
on-inmate assaults, and guards’ use of pepper spray — need to be further addressed, he said. “That’s an awful lot of energy devoted to fighting lawsuits and I’m of the view some of that energy could be better channelled by developing a strategy to reduce the number of issues raised in the lawsuits,” he said during an interview. The number of legal actions in the course of a year rose from 1,122 active cases in 2014-15 to 1,203 cases in 2015-16. Of that total, about 459 are civil lawsuits — rather than human rights cases and coroners’ inquests — with CSC estimating about a quarter to a third — 115 to 152 — involved assaults or deaths of pris-
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Fort McMurray, Alta., homeowners to be compensated for hiked drywall duties BY TERRY PEDWELL AND DAN HEALING The Canadian Press CANADA WILL slash antidumping duties on U.S. drywall imports after a trade panel ruled that maintaining levies imposed last fall would harm consumers and businesses, federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau announced Monday. At the same time, some of the roughly $12 million collected since the duties were imposed in September will go toward a compensation package for residents of Fort McMurray forced to rebuild their homes after wildfires tore through the community, Morneau said after he visited a residential neighbourhood in the northern Alberta city. “We’re pleased to be able to help people out,” said Morneau in an interview. “We know that they’re obviously facing real challenges still.” The minister said the program will deliver about $300 to an average Fort McMurray family whose home replacement project was affected by
higher drywall prices because of the tariffs. He said the money is expected to be available before year-end. Some of the funds will also go to builders and contractors in Western Canada who had to absorb unexpected higher costs to complete fixed price jobs they had already been contracted to do, Morneau said. The duties imposed last fall were in response to a dumping complaint by French-owned CertainTeed Gypsum Canada, the last drywall (or gypsum board) manufacturer in Western Canada with plants in Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg, and at two gypsum quarries in B.C. and Manitoba. The Canadian International Trade Tribunal (CITT) ruled last month that, while U.S. firms had dumped drywall in Canada at discounted prices over the past few years, maintaining duties would not be in the country’s trade interests. The tribunal recommended ending preliminary duties of up to 276 per cent imposed by the Canada Border Services Agency, and instead charging permanent variable duties on any imports
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that fall below a set floor price. The government on Monday said it would lower minimum import prices by just over 32 per cent, an approach that is expected to result in the same level of duty reduction as recommended by the CITT. “The approach we did, by creating a minimum imported price, quickly deals with the issue so that people can move on with the home-building decision in the case of home builders or with the buying decision and have a good sense of what the cost implications are,” said
Two pilots killed: No recorders on aircraft that crashed near Calgary THE CANADIAN PRESS
Monday at a briefing in Edmonton. “The so-called black boxes that are required in larger aircraft do make things easier for the investigation and do bring a lot more data to it.” Pilot Jeffrey Bird and co-pilot Reynold Johnson died Feb.
Investigators are still sifting through the wreckage and Burow says the aircraft’s maintenance EDMONTON — An accident history has been requested. investigator says it will be chal“I’d like to stress if, during lenging to determine exactly the investigation, there are any what caused a plane crash that safety concerns that have to be killed two flight instructors from dealt with immediately, we coCalgary’s Mount ordinate that Royal University. with the regulaFred Burow of tor — Transport the TransportaCanada — the tion Safety Board The absence of these recorders does make manufacturer says the plane’s the investigation more challenging. and we get that major components information out were destroyed right away,” he in the crash and said. “At this time, the resulting fire. The aircraft also 13 when their twin-engine Tec- we don’t have anything like that.” wasn’t carrying — nor was it re- nam aircraft went down northMount Royal University said quired to carry — a cockpit voice re- west of Calgary. in a statement it is continuing to corder or a flight data recorder. Burow said it’s too early to say co-operate with the Transporta“The absence of these record- whether the crash was caused tion Safety Board, as well as proers does make the investigation by mechanical failure or a medi- vide support to all students and more challenging,” Burow said cal issue with one of the pilots. instructors affected. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
Morneau. He said the CITT’s recommendation to suspend tariffs for six months was rejected in favour of more quickly establishing price certainty. Ben White, CertainTeed’s regional manufacturing manager for Western Canada, said he’s pleased that the rebuilding of Fort McMurray is being supported and that builders faced with losing money on drywall contracts will be compensated. But he said the company will have to study Monday’s ruling before deciding whether
it will affect the 20 to 30 new jobs it has created since last fall to ramp up production at its western Canadian plants after the duties made imported rival products more expensive. “That’s what it’s always been about for us is those manufacturing jobs, good jobs in Western Canada, and free and fair trade,” White said Monday. He said CertainTeed employs a total of between 230 and 250 employees in Western Canada. It had warned previously that the dumping of U.S. products for as little as half of the price south of the border put all of those jobs in danger. Phil Meagher, deputy mayor of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo, which encompasses Fort McMurray, said the federal relief was a needed “correction” for the harm done by the tariffs. The community lost 1,800 single-family homes and dozens of other structures in last spring’s wildfires. DCL Drywall of Edmonton said its cost of a four-by-12-foot sheet of half-inch drywall rose by about $4 to $17.76 because of the tariffs. ■
Doctors have... ity, they should make time for it and they should interact with kids and their families about smoking.” The task force, an independent body of primary-care and prevention experts, based its recommendations on a review of clinical trials that looked at behavioural interventions such as providing information and counselling. Thombs said research showed that such interventions resulted in an 18 per cent reduction in the likelihood of a child or teen starting to smoke in the six months following a clinical trial, while teens who smoked and took part in cessation programs were 34 per cent more likely to butt out after the intervention. In an accompanying CMAJ commentary, Dr. John Oyston of Scarborough Rouge Hospital in Toronto suggests Canada should pass legislation banning the sup❰❰ 16
ply of all tobacco and nicotinecontaining products — excluding smoking-cessation products — to anyone under age 21. Oyston points out that jurisdictions that have raised the legal age for purchasing tobacco products have seen a decline in youth smoking rates. In Needham, Mass., for instance, smoking prevalence fell by almost half in high schools after 2006, when the legal age was raised to 21. In the six Canadian provinces where youth under age 19 are prohibited from buying tobacco, the average smoking rate is less than 12 per cent, compared to about 15 per cent in provinces with an age limit of 18. “Raising the minimum legal age for access to tobacco is a scientifically proven, legally and politically quick, cheap and effective way to deprive the tobacco industry of recruiting a new generation of young people as their customers,” writes Oyston. ■
Canada News
FRIDAY MARCH 3, 2017
Prison violence... oners, according to the federal agency. Zinger, who was appointed in January, said the CSC has about 15 lawyers on staff, and uses the federal Department of Justice for further legal advice. Deaths and injuries in custody could be reduced with changes such as reducing overcrowding, improving mental health services, increasing parole, and teaching guards alternatives to using pepper spray in prisons, said Zinger. During the year, the department paid out $643,000 in out-of-court settlements. Zinger said when families and inmates are asked to remain silent about the deals, it can prevent them from speaking publicly about the circumstances surrounding injuries and deaths of loved ones — and reduces the incentive for CSC to bring about internal changes. Zinger has been travelling the country since taking on his new job, providing a slide presentation critical of a “decade of law and order” under the Harper government that saw a 10 per cent increase of prisoners, to about 14,241 people as of last year. During that time period, use of force by guards increased almost 50 per cent, from 1,000 incidents a year to almost 1,407 last year. Meanwhile, “serious bodily injuries” went up from 104 to 222, while the number of inmates assaulted by other inmates rose by almost 60 per cent, to 663 incidents in 2015-16. As the violence rose, so did the legal actions. Five years ago, there were just 320 active civil claims, with about 80 to 106 as a result of injuries or deaths of inmates. In an email response to questions, a spokeswoman for Correctional Services said it continues to consider Zinger’s views, but didn’t indicate if it plans to decrease the number of non-disclosure agreements or take specific actions aimed at reducing the number of legal actions. However, Sara Parkes said in an email the service has established review committees to consider its actions and responses to any deaths in custody due to unnatural causes. “We also hold regular meetings to review the findings, recommendations and data trends from National Boards of Investigations into deaths in custody to enhance the effectiveness of interventions,” she wrote. “From executives to the frontline staff, we continually reinforce the importance of preventing deaths in custody and discuss the importance of security patrols, and dynamic security (interpersonal interaction with inmates).” Parkes said the use of pepper spray is being balanced with a process called “dynamic decision making,” where guards learn to use a variety of responses to prisoners, including “verbal and non-verbal communication, negotiation, conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques.” ■ ❰❰ 17
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World News
MARCH 3, 2017
FRIDAY
2 women charged Colombia protests China’s execution with murder for Kim of 72 year old drug mule Jong-nam’s death BY JOSHUA GOODMAN The Associated Press
PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY SEPANG, MALAYSIA — Two female suspects, one from Indonesia and the other a Vietnamese, were indicted on Wednesday for murdering a man from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), said a local court in Malaysia. Siti Aisyah, the Indonesian girl, and Doan Thi Huong the Vietnamese, were charged with intentionally killing Kim Jong-nam — the estranged half brother of North Korea’s leader — at the Kuala Lumpur airport on February 13, said the indictment statement. The two have committed an offense punishable under Sec-
tion 302 and Section 34 of the Penal Code. Section 302 revolves around murder charges while Section 34 means that a collective criminal act will be liable for an act done by him or her alone, said the statement. If convicted, the death penalty will be applied, according to the statement. According to the police, the two suspects swabbed a lethal liquid, identified later as the chemical weapon VX nerve agent, on the face of Kim Jongnam in the attack, prompting him to seek help from airport medical staff and later died en route to the hospital. The two suspects said they were duped into shooting a reality TV show, a claim rejected by the police. ■
Amazon web service outage affects thousands of US companies PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY WASHINGTON — Thousands of US websites and applications have been affected by a failure of Amazon’s cloud-computing service known as AWS (Amazon Web Services), that has been impacted by “increased error rates.” Amazon Web Services (AWS) identified and is repairing a problem in its web storage system that experienced a blackout affecting numerous US entities, the company said via Twitter. ”We continue to experience high error rates with S3 in US-East-1, which is impacting some other AWS services,” AWS said on Tuesday. “For S3, we believe we understand
cause and are working hard at repairing.” S3 is Amazon’s largest cloud service, which companies rely on not to build their own server farms, media reported. Apple is experiencing issues across its platform amid Amazon Web Services’ (AWS) widespread outage, according to the system status page on Apple’s website. Apple’s system status page revealed on Tuesday that its products affected by the AWS outage include App Store, Apple TV, iCloud Drive, Mac App Store, Apple Music, iCloud Web Apps among other services. Companies affected by the outage include Pinterest, Airbnb, Netflix, Buzzfeed, Spotify and some Gannett Systems, according to media reports. ■
BOGOTA — A retired journalist who joined the criminal underworld while researching a book on South America’s drug cartels became the first Colombian, and possibly the first Latin American, to be executed in China for drug offences. The execution Monday night of Ismael Arciniegas occurred amid a last-ditch diplomatic effort by Colombia’s government to save the 72-year-old’s life. Arciniegas was arrested in 2010 arriving by plane to the southern port city of Guangzhou trying to smuggle almost 4 kilograms of cocaine in exchange for $5,000. But his downfall came decades earlier, in the 1980s, when he began researching a book on drug cartels in his native Cali, according to his son, Juan Jose Herrera, who described to local media the heart-breaking, 20-minute phone conversation he and family members had with his father shortly before he was taken to a room to be killed by lethal injection. “God has opened his gates for me,” a calm Arciniegas said in the tear-filled conversation, an excerpt of which was broadcast by Blu Radio. “Remember me warmly, with love. I’m going very tranquil, very relaxed. Nothing worries me.” Colombia’s government expressed its condolences to Arciniegas’ family and reiterated its objection to China’s use of capital punishment. Since November, China has repatriated two convicted Colombian drug traffickers for humanitarian reasons so they could complete their sentences back home. “We fought until the last minute to save his life,” the foreign ministry said in a statement, adding that it was making arrangements to repatriate Arciniegas’ ashes to his family in Cali. The execution threatens to strain relations between the two important commercial partners because, according to Colombian officials, there are 15 more people from the South American country on death row in China and an equal number www.canadianinquirer.net
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sentenced to life imprisonment. Both punishments are illegal in Colombia. But while news of Arciniegas’ death dominated social media in Colombia on Tuesday an online survey by Blu of almost 5,000 people showed 52 per cent in agreement with the harsh punishment. China is the world’s top executioner, although it’s unclear how many foreigners have been sentenced to death in China for drugs or other offences. A Chinese state media report said in 2015 that a dozen foreign people had been sentenced to death after being convicted of drug dealing. Most were from Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia, the report said. Chinese law states that anyone convicted of smuggling, selling, transporting or producing more than 1 kilogram of opium, or 50 grams of methamphetamine or heroin, or a large amount of other drugs, could face the death penalty. “Chinese judicial authorities have been cracking down in accordance with law,” Geng Shuang, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry, said at a briefing Tuesday when asked about Arciniegas’ execution. “China always attaches importance to the protection of human rights and the right of life. The legitimate right and interest of the individual involved in the case has been guaranteed.” Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine, a phenomenon that since the days of Pablo Escobar has generated eye-popping fortunes but also afflicted countless numbers of poor families drawn to the drug
trade with the promise of easy money. More than 8,500 Colombians are being held in jails around the world for drug trafficking, including 146 in China, authorities said. Herrera said his family was especially cursed. His father was imprisoned for drug offences when he was born, his mother died of an overdose when he was 2 years old and a brother was killed a few years ago by unknown assassins in Cali, one of the cities that is most-ravaged by drug trafficking. His uncle, Arciniegas’ brother, was also arrested trying to sneak drugs into China and died in jail there of a stroke in 2013. Herrera said his father’s bookish background — he spoke several foreign languages and was an obsessive writer — made him an attractive drug mule to criminals he met in the 1980s while researching a never-published book, to be called “Satanic War,” about the damage caused Colombia by the drug war. Shortly after, he amassed a small fortune but later saw his riches and contact with his family all but disappear when he was jailed in Colombia. When he travelled to China in 2010, he had fallen on hard times and was trying to rebuild. “They filled him with greed and led him to make a mistake that cost him his life,” Herrera, who has a tattoo of his father’s face on his chest, told Blu. “He was only a pawn in the game.” ■ AP Writers Gillian Wong and Liu Zheng contributed to this report from Beijing.
World News
FRIDAY MARCH 3, 2017
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Noisy protest, heated arguments as Trump sons attend hotel opening in Vancouver BY GEORDON OMAND AND LAURA KANE The Associated Press VANCOUVER — Hundreds of anti-Trump protesters waved signs and chanted on the streets of Vancouver on Tuesday while inside the newly completed Trump Tower, smiling members of U.S. President Donald Trump’s family snipped through a red ribbon to mark the grand opening of the latest addition to the city’s skyline. Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, scions of the billionaire real-estate mogul turned politician, were in Vancouver to celebrate the completion of the $360-million hotel and condominium development, which has become a lightning rod for demonstrations against the American leader. Eric, the younger of the two brothers, spoke glowingly of his family’s success over the past year, touting the Trump brand as one that continues to be synonymous with unrivalled class and quality. “We’ve had an unbelievable past year on so many fronts as a family. We’ve opened so many great properties,” he told the official opening. “This building now sits in a great portfolio of what we consider the best buildings in the world, best architectural masterpieces anywhere in the world. And that is what our brand is all about, that is what our father’s vision was all about, creating the most iconic buildings anywhere in the world.”
Trump’s daughter, Tiffany Trump, was also on hand for the occasion, along with the wives of Trump’s two sons. Vancouver’s Trump International Hotel and Tower was built by developer Joo Kim Tiah, the president and CEO of Holborn Group, who is the son of one of Malaysia’s wealthiest businessmen. The Trump Organization does not own the tower, but licensed its name for branding and marketing, while the Trump Hotel Collection operates the 147-room hotel. The building is a unique twisting structure designed by late architect Arthur Erickson. A news release publicizing the grand opening describes the building as a 69-storey structure, as well as the first hotel to open in Vancouver in the past six years. But a spokesman for the city said in an email that a building permit issued in 2008 authorized a structure with 63 above-ground storeys, and that another hotel received its first licence to operate in 2014, just three years ago. Trump Tower has become a focal point for protests over the president’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, comments about women and promises to build a wall to keep Mexican migrants out of the United States. On Tuesday, several protesters began singing the national anthem and there were some heated arguments between small numbers of pro-Trump attendees and the anti-Trump demonstrators. Beth Nesbit, who moved to
Donald Trump, Jr.
Vancouver two years ago from Los Angeles and attended the protest with her two-year-old son Liam, said Trump doesn’t represent what Americans believe in. “He doesn’t believe in women’s rights. He doesn’t believe in public education,” she said, adding that she supports Mayor Gregor Robertson’s call for the Trump name to be removed from the building. Henry Ho of Vancouver had never been to a protest before but arrived in front of Trump Tower carrying signs that read “Dump Trump” and “Is it 2020 yet?” “We’re not just going to be quiet and let things happen the way they are,” said the 27-yearold self-described supporter of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
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“We will show that we can come together and aren’t divided by all the hate he spews out.” After Trump’s call in 2015 for a “complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the U.S., a petition urging Holborn Group to dump the Trump name attracted 56,000 signatures. Tiah told The Associated Press he’s now “locked” into his licensing agreement, with no legal grounds to back out of the deal, whose terms have not been released. The 37-year-old said in the recent interview that he found Trump’s statements about Muslims, Mexicans and women “extremely stressful.” “I did a lot of soul searching because people were attacking me for it,” said Tiah. At Tuesday’s opening, he thanked God and his parents.
“Thank you for being tough on me and not spoiling me. I hope you’re proud parents today,” he said. “I want to thank the media for constantly keeping us in the spotlight,” Tiah added, prompting laughs from the crowd. Outside the building, protesters wrote on the sidewalk in chalk and stuck colourful Postit notes on an exterior wall with messages like “Love and compassion” and “Tweet everyone with respect.” Colleen O’Neil, 65, wrote “Your hate mongering is unCanadian” in blue chalk in front of the building. “Someone just said to me, ‘Why do you care? We’re in Canada,’ “ she said. “It’s happening in Canada. It’s happening all over the world now. He’s given permission for us to hate each other and kill each other.” Joel Johnson, 40, was wearing a red “Make Canada Great Again” hat and described the protest as “ridiculous.” He said it’s time to put Canada “first” again, mentioning elderly people who can’t afford food and the skyrocketing cost of housing in Vancouver. “Canada’s losing a lot of its values. Until we start fixing those values, we shouldn’t be taking in any more immigration,” Johnson said, adding that he supports Conservative leadership candidate Kellie Leitch. “I’m definitely worried about letting in unvetted people when we have people who have been waiting properly for five to six years to come into our country.” ■
European Reference Networks launched to tackle complex medical conditions PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY BRUSSELS — The European Commission on Tuesday launched the European Reference Networks (ERNs) which will start work from March 1. According to the Commission, ERNs are virtual networks
which bring together healthcare providers across Europe to tackle complex or rare medical conditions that require highly specialized treatment and a concentration of knowledge and resources. Besides, it will be easier for patients to access to information on healthcare and increase their treatment options.
Vytenis Andriukaitis, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said that ERNs can light the way for rare disease patients, leading them to potentially life-saving and lifechanging breakthroughs. There will be 24 thematic ERNs, gathering over 900 highly specialised healthcare units from 26 countries. They will www.canadianinquirer.net
work together on a wide range of issues, such as bone disorders, paediatric cancer and immunodeficiency. Rare diseases are those that affect no more than 5 in 10,000 people. According to official data, between 6,000 and 8,000 rare diseases affect the daily lives of around 30 million people in the European Union
(EU), many of whom are children. The commission said that ERNs will be supported by European cross-border telemedicine tools, and can benefit from a range of EU funding mechanisms such as the Health Program, the Connecting Europe Facility and Horizon 2020. ■
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Officials: New Trump order drops Iraq from travel ban list BY BY MATTHEW LEE AND VIVIAN SALAMA The Associated Press WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump's new immigration order will remove Iraq from the list of countries whose citizens face a temporary U.S. travel ban, U.S. officials said Tuesday, citing the latest draft in circulation. Trump is expected to sign the executive order in the coming days. Four officials told The Associated Press that the decision followed pressure from the Pentagon and State Department, which had urged the White House to reconsider Iraq's inclusion given its key role in fighting the Islamic State group. Citizens of six other predominantly Muslim countries — Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen — will remain on the travel ban list, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to discuss the order before it is signed. Those bans are effective for 90 days. The new order includes other changes as well. The officials said the 12-page document no longer singles out Syrian refugees for an indefinite ban and instead includes them as part of a general, 120-day suspen-
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sion of new refugee admissions. The officials also said the order won't include any explicit exemption for religiousminorities in the countries targeted by the travel ban. Critics had accused the administration of adding such language to help Christians get into the United States while excluding Muslims. The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Trump signed his original executive order in late
January. It sparked immediate confusion, panic and outrage as some travellers were detained in U.S. airports before being sent back overseas and others were barred from boarding flights at foreign airports. The government initially blocked U.S. green card holders before offering those legal residents special permission to come into the country. It finally decided the order didn't apply to them. The State Department provisionally revoked roughly
60,000 valid visas in all, before a federal judge in Washington state blocked the government from carrying out the ban. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld that decision. Under the revised order, officials said, all existing visas will be honoured. In his first address to a joint session of Congress, Trump on Tuesday evening defended his effort. “We will shortly take new steps to keep our nation safe and to keep out those who
would do us harm,” he said. After Trump signed the original order, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi refuted the ban and said he would consider reciprocal measures. Many Iraqi lawmakers urged the government to ban Americans from Iraq in response, despite the potential effects that might have on the anti-IS fight. Al-Abadi then met with Defence Secretary Jim Mattis in Baghdad this month and underscored the U.S.-Iraqi partnership. And Mattis walked back comments made by Trump, suggesting that Americans could get another chance to seize Iraqi oil as compensation for its military efforts there. “We're not in Iraq to seize anybody's oil,” Mattis told reporters on that trip. Al-Abadi also met with Vice-President Pence in Munich earlier this month, where the two publicly discussed ways of strengthening co-operation. The Trump administration's changes to the immigration order follow a report by intelligence analysts at the Homeland Security Department, which found insufficient evidence that citizens of the seven Muslim-majority countries posed a terror threat to the United States. A draft of the analysis was obtained last week by the AP. ■
N. Korean university looks for English teachers PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MOSCOW — If you are looking for a job abroad, there might be work for you in North Korea. The first privately funded North Korean university is looking for an English teacher to work in Pyongyang for several years. The Pyongyang University of Science and Technology is hiring. The privately funded university is seeking an English teacher from a foreign country. According to a job offer published on a British recruitment website, the university wants
a specialist with a “long-term mindset,” who would be willing to stay in North Korea for several years. “English teachers are required to commit to an entire 15-week semester. The spring semester begins in early March and finishes in mid-June. The fall semester begins in early September and finishes in midDecember,” the offer reads. The offer does not disclose the salary or benefits the position brings. However, earlier job offers from the country came with a €1,000 bonus that “covers a return air ticket from Beijing to Pyongyang,” plus “a North Korean visa, weekend
excursions around the country, all meals and three-star hotel accommodation,” according to a 2015 report by Newsweek. As for the requirements, applicants must have a master’s level degree (in any subject) and at least one year’s classroom experience teaching English at the high school, college or university level. “An English teaching qualification (TEFL/ CELTA/ TESOL) is also highly preferred,” the offer reads. The university accepts applicants from a lengthy list of countries, which includes the United States, Japan and Russia. South Koreans, on the www.canadianinquirer.net
other hand, need not apply, and North Korea is known to have banned people who have a history of working in South Korea regardless of their nationality. The job offer does point out that working in North Korea brings its own set of peculiarities. “Due to the nature of the work and campus-based lifestyle, candidates should also be willing to work as part of a team, submit to authority, and exercise flexibility, cross-cultural sensitivity and perseverance.” North Koreans have a record of hiring Evangelical Chris-
tians, a tradition that goes at least back to 2011, when Kim Jong-Il was still the leader of the country. It is likely that the Korean leadership believes them to be less likely to be spies, according to world-tefl. com blog. The Pyongyang University of Science and Technology is not only the first privately funded higher education institution in North Korea, it is also a joint effort by “forces from the North and the South Korea, along with contributions from groups and individuals from other nations, in particular China and the USA,” according to the recruitment website. ■
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FRIDAY
Entertainment Oscars flap eclipses Sequestered jury from outside ‘Moonlight’ win, area to decide Bill Cosby case but civility reigns BY MARYCLAIRE DALE The Associated Press
BY LINDSEY BAHR The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — The 89th Academy Awards got off on the right foot, with a song and dance, but ended with the most stunning mistake ever to befall the esteemed awards show when the best picture Oscar was presented to the wrong movie. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty, holding an incorrect envelope, wrongly presented the top prize to “La La Land” instead of “Moonlight.” The moment at the conclusion of the Sunday-night show was so jaw-dropping, it eclipsed everything else in a ceremony that was packed to the brim with Donald Trump jabs, fun stunts, heartfelt positivity and a stunning upset by “Moonlight” over what had been a “La La” juggernaut throughout the awards season. Yet somehow, even the embarrassing moment pivoted into grace. As confusion and bafflement overwhelmed those in the Dolby Theatre and at home on their couches, “Moonlight” director Barry Jenkins and “La La Land” director Damien Chazelle shared a hug on the back of the stage, out of sight from the television cameras. “The folks of ‘La La Land’ were so gracious. I can’t imagine being in their position and having to do that,” Jenkins told reporters backstage. “It was un-
fortunate that things happened as they did but, goddamn, we won best picture.” Oscar tabulators PwC, in their 83rd year providing the service to the academy, later apologized in a statement and are investigating why it happened. There’s no denying, though, that “Moonlight’s” win over “La La Land” was a massive upset, made only more pointed by the envelope gaffe. Chazelle’s candy-colored musical was widely presumed to be a shoo-in for the top prize after its record-tying 14 nominations and a relative sweep of the awards season. The film still won six Oscars, including best director for Chazelle, who at 32 became the youngest ever to take the prize, and for score, song (“City of Stars”) and actress to Emma Stone. The actress, who pledged her deep love of “Moonlight,” said later, “Is that the craziest Oscar moment of all time? Cool!” The best picture mix-up apparently wasn’t the only gaffe at the Oscars. An Australian film producer’s photo was mistakenly included in the “In Memoriam” tribute. Jan Chapman’s photo was shown with the name of Janet Patterson, an Australian costume designer who died in 2015. The Academy didn’t respond to a request for comment. The academy usually throws awards at films that gaze lovingly at Hollywood, but Barry ❱❱ PAGE 36 Oscars flap
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NORRISTOWN, PA. — A sequestered jury from an outside county will decide the sexual assault case against Bill Cosby, a suburban Philadelphia judge ruled Monday, rejecting a defence request to move the trial itself because of worldwide media reports that the actor’s lawyers say brand him a “serial rapist.” Montgomery County Judge Steven O’Neill will oversee a June 5 trial over charges that Cosby drugged and molested a former Temple University employee in 2004. O’Neill’s ruling came after lawyers for the 79-year-old TV star argued that his trial should be moved to Philadelphia or the Pittsburgh area. The larger, more diverse population would make it easier to find unbiased jurors, lawyer Brian McMonagle argued, but even then, he said, there was no guarantee that Cosby could get a fair hearing. “Unless you’ve been living under a rock, the message that has been promoted, in insidious fashion, is that Bill Cosby is guilty, and that Bill Cosby is a serial rapist,” McMonagle said. “I do not believe that there’s a place anywhere in this country now where he can receive a fair trial. Not here, not anywhere. I hope I’m wrong.” Prosecutors accused the defence of trying to shop for a jury. In a court filing, District Attorney Kevin Steele called the pretrial publicity argument “a red herring.” He said Cosby couldn’t expect to find a jury anywhere that is “oblivious” to the dozens of sex assault accusations lodged against him by Andrea Constand and other accusers. “He’s not entitled to a jury that is ignorant of the facts surrounding his case,” Steele wrote. “The publicity that necessarily follows the rich and www.canadianinquirer.net
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famous cannot insulate them from prosecution.” Prosecutors did not object to bringing an outside jury to the courthouse in Norristown, but fought the bid to move the trial. They told O’Neill they could surely find a dozen unbiased jurors in counties with fewer than 1 million people, the size sought by the defence. “It’s not just short on the law, but short on logic,” Assistant District Attorney M. Stewart Ryan argued Monday. Cosby has pleaded not guilty to charges that he sexually assaulted Constand at his suburban Philadelphia home. The Associated Press doesn’t typically identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they have come forward publicly, as Constand has done. With O’Neill’s decision to import an out-of-county jury, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court must now decide where in Pennsylvania the jurors will be selected. Monday’s hearing came after the judge dealt a blow to the prosecution by limiting the number of accusers who can testify at the trial. Prosecutors wanted to put 13 more women
on the stand to bolster charges that Cosby had drugged and molested women before the 2004 encounter with Constand. O’Neill ruled Friday that only one of those accusers may testify. She worked for Cosby’s agent at the William Morris agency and said Cosby drugged and molested her during a lunch meeting in Los Angeles in 1996. In a setback for the defence, O’Neill has previously ruled that Cosby’s damaging deposition from Constand’s 2005 lawsuit can be aired in court. Cosby, over four days, described a string of extramarital affairs and liaisons with young women, often after he gave them drugs or alcohol. He called them consensual. Cosby, once known as “America’s Dad” for his top-rated family sitcom, “The Cosby Show,” which ran from 1984 to 1992, appeared relaxed in his latest court appearance Monday, laughing with aides during breaks. He has been married to his wife, Camille, for more than 50 years, and has four surviving children. Their only son, Ennis, was killed in an attempted robbery in 1997. ■
Entertainment
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New MTRCB chief says no to censorship Rachel Arenas talks candidly about her plans, projects and board member Mocha Uson’s latest intrigue BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer THE WAY she completed an innocent question was, well, quite telling. Interviewer: “Are you ready...?” Interviewee: “To rumble?” Don’t be fooled by the cool and calm demeanor, Rachel Arenas is tough as nails and seems raring to pursue her new job as the chair of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). At first glance, Arenas, a former representative of Pangasinan, seems more than primed to face the intrigues that come with the territory. Barely two weeks into her term, she hit the ground running—answering questions from inquiring minds who are concerned about the direction the agency will take under her leadership. “If there’s anything that needs to be revised, I will change it. But I can see that the agency has been handled very well by its past two chairs (Sen. Grace Poe and lawyer Eugenio Villareal),” she told the Inquirer in an exclusive interview at her office at the MTRCB headquarters in Quezon City. “And its current projects, like the Children’s Film Classics, have been very effective for our viewers.” Arenas sees no problem continuing her predecessors’ programs like the Matalinong Panonood campaign and the Family and Children’s Summit,
among others. She noted: “If it ain’t broke, why fix it? But if there is a duplication [of functions] ... or if something isn’t working, then let’s remove it. I also hope to involve more institutions and organizations, like ParentTeacher Associations, in our work.” A long-term objective is to “revisit the law” governing the MTRCB. Specifically, she is looking into the different bills that have been filed in Congress, that pertain to the board’s mandate. “Our Technical Working Group is in the process of reviewing the bills and drafting our comments,” she explained. It is quite obvious that Arenas, who is a scion of politics and the arts, knows very well the agency’s role in the scheme of things. (She is the daughter of Pangasinan Rep. Rosemarie “Baby” Arenas.) She envisions the MTRCB as “a bridge [between] the constitutional right of freedom of expression and the inherent regulatory function of the state.” She asserted: “We are here to serve as a guide to viewers. We don’t censor; we classify.” She is fully aware that misconceptions about the board’s purpose still exist—especially among those who grew up during the martial law years. “We cannot cut scenes,” she pointed out. “We cannot tell viewers which shows and movies to watch and not to watch. We’re here to inform them that
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this certain TV series is PG (Parental Guidance) or SPG (Strong Parental Guidance).” A potential new road the board can take is online monitoring—reviewing and classifying movies or shows that are available through the internet. “The internet is not under our jurisdiction,” she said. “But there’s a worldwide trend now to regulate online content. In the Philippines, there is a need to amend the law and that would’ve to go through a lot of debate in Congress.” In the meantime, concerned
parents should practice selfregulation at home, she remarked. “They should put a lock on their computers.” The MTRCB can likewise consider forging memoranda of agreement with different streaming companies, but jurisdiction issues can be tricky, she acknowledged. “It’s a complicated issue.” Speaking of complicated matters, new board member Mocha Uson hogged headlines recently with her comments about certain policies and problems concerning the MTRCB.
Arenas candidly expressed her thoughts on the ensuing brouhaha. “There is such a thing as proper decorum, especially if you are part of a government agency,” Arenas said. “Ideally, the board is a collegial body. We get the consensus of the board. During the first board meeting, I said simply: ‘We can argue as much as we want ... but at the end of the day, after we reach a consensus, we are one board.’” In the end, she said, she wants to shield her board members from further disputes. “I don’t want them to be prejudged by the public. I want them to be known for the work they do.” Arenas, for her part, sees herself neither as a stern nor lenient chair. “I am nice,” she quipped, quick on the draw. “My goal is to run this agency as professionally as I can. After all, we represent the Office of the President.” She is also an inclusive leader. “I want everyone involved, because everyone is involved.” Arenas, who describes herself as “moderate-liberal” in terms of beliefs, remains gung-ho. “I want everyone to see that the MTRCB is open to new ideas. We are open to discussions, debates, even to criticism from within the office. But in the end, we should always reach a consensus as a board.” She is unequivocal about one thing, though: “I don’t want controversies. I hope work at the MTRCB will be fun!” ■
Directing a horror flick, Jason Paul Laxamana-style BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer FOR AWARD-WINNING director Jason Paul Laxamana, the challenge of doing the horror flick, “Pwera Usog,” was to effectively introduce an old concept like usog to the present generation. Jason Paul is known for his independently produced screen dramas, “Babagwa” (2013) and “Magkakabaung” (2014). He also helmed the comedy flick, “The Third Party,” for Star Cinema. The Regal Films project, star-
ring Sofia Andres and Joseph Marco, is his first horror movie. “Urban millennials don’t know much about usog. Weattempted to introduce the concept to them through this movie. To keep them interested, we used, through the film’s characters, technology and social media as tools,” explained Jason Paul. The director said he “married the two concepts so as not to alienate the film’s young audience.” Usog is a Filipino superstition wherein an illness, which usually affects a child, is attributed to a greeting by a stranger.
“The direction has to be more precise here,” explained Jason Paul when asked how different it was to work on horror compared to drama. “Everything has to be well-timed. You need to have a certain buildup that will lead to the horrific twist or the moment of surprise. If you are not able to execute this because of poor timing, all your efforts will be ineffective.” In this film, there are no monsters, which are typical of most scary movies. He pointed out: “We also used a different treatment. We’re used to Asian horror films that www.canadianinquirer.net
often employ shock and surprise tactics. In this film, there are more action scenes. You will be surprised, yes, but afterwards you’ll laugh at yourself for your reaction.” Jason Paul warned: “We also have a number of disgusting scenes. As a child, I liked scaring my family and friends by describing to them scenarios or incidents that will gross them out or make them feel uncomfortable. I channeled that side of me in this film.” Lead star Joseph Marco is all praise for the director. “He is different because he simplifies
things for his actors. He also works fast.” This is Joseph’s first horror film, too. “I learned from Direk that when you’re doing horror, your energy has to be more intense than usual. You should be able to show fear in your eyes, and as in other acting projects, you have to be believable,” the actor said. “Pwera Usog,” which will be shown in theaters nationwide starting March 8, also features Devon Seron, Albie Casiño, Kiko Estrada, Cherise Castro, Aiko Melendez and Eula Valdes. ■
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Lifestyle Why did the Jollibee Valentine ads hit home? ‘Authentic to every Filipino,’ they also gave us a break from the ‘sea of negativity’ on social media BY CATHY CAÑARES YAMSUAN Philippine Daily Inquirer THE CHIEF marketing officer of Jollibee Philippines Francis Flores recalls seeing the company’s president Justo “JJ” Alano nearly in tears right after hearing the plot of “Date”—the third installment in the series of #KwentongJollibee Valentine ads, where a young son fulfilled Dad’s dying wish to celebrate Feb. 14 with his recently widowed mother. “Right there and then I knew we had a powerful story… I was telling (Alano) the plot, that the (father) died. Kinukuwento pa lang, JJ was (already) tearyeyed” said Flores. The Pepe Diokno-helmed “Date” had one million views on social media on Feb. 10, an hour after Jollibee posted it. This, just as netizens still reeled from the “senti” elicited by two preceding Valentinetheme ads—Ianco dela Cruz’s “Vow” about a best guy friend’s unrequited love for a bride walking down the aisle, and “Crush” by Joel Ruiz that featured an elderly couple about to resume their nipped-in-thebud courtship from decades back — that the megabrand posted the day before. Everyone agrees the three advertisements are waaaay off the saccharine route that traditional media usually takes during Valentine season. Biggest risk
Flores said he considers “Date” the “biggest risk” among
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the three stories because the “heavy” plot dealt with a family tragedy. The penultimate frame announced: “Para sa pagmamahalang walang katapusan.” Love from beyond the grave lives on. To date, the three #KwentongJollibee ads have had close to 50 million hits based on figures from the official Jollibee Facebook page as of Friday afternoon. The think tanks from Jollibee and McCann Worldgroup Philippines simply wanted to exceed the seven million hits that “Kahera,” the first #KwentongJollibee installment, got after its posting on Grandparents’ Day the year before. Jollibee and McCann honchos who graced the #INQLIVE round-table discussion on the Valentine ads that was livestreamed on Facebook and Twitter Tuesday could not explain what happened this time. “We were just aiming to match the #KwentongJollibee hits of 2016. We did not expect it to be this phenomenal… Lahat kami nagulat din in a good
way,” Flores said. McCann Philippines chair and CEO Raul M. Castro insists credit should go to Jollibee for approving the ads. In the case of “Vow,” he said, “It is not easy to pitch a story na hindi magkakatuluyan ang bride and her best guy friend. Hindi siya formula.” It was the same thing with “Crush.” “In a way, those ads are a gamble,” Castro noted. The ads were “inspired by true stories.” McCann creative director Xzenia Cruz said scores of possible Valentine stories were “sourced from everyone, even outside the agency, also social media.” The task was laborious, but Cruz said “we already knew from the start which story would be the most effective.” People in the room would react when a good story was presented. “When the room is very quiet, that means wala. The stories that got shortlisted are the ones that really affect the people in the room. ‘Yun ang first step,” she noted.
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That Filipinos are suckers for love stories is a given. Castro referred to a McCann truth study showing Pinoys as “the most emotional people in the world” and as second among those who most frequently say “I love you.” ‘The feeling is the message’
Still, Castro said, “it’s very hard to trust instincts and feelings” when it comes to creating campaigns. “I think with this series, people just went with feelings.” He added that McCann has been “barraged by so many questions” since the Valentine ads went viral. “What is the formula? What is the theme? I said, ‘The feeling is the message.’ If you go to social media, there’s a lot of negativity. This is a breather. You wake up, and people are talking about love.” Since social media itself is “swimming in a sea of negativity, it took a brave team to say, ‘Let’s go for this,’” Castro added. Jollibee brand communication and PR director Arline Ad-
eva explained the three stories were successful because they are “authentic and relatable to every Filipino.” “Everyone at some point has had a crush, has lost someone, has admired someone from a distance, or has lost someone, or had an admiration for a friend that wasn’t expressed,” she said. “There are really many forms of love worth celebrating. Our stories do not have the typical storybook ending, but if you look into each story, there are a lot of aspects in the stories that are worth celebrating,” Adeva said. Why was social media used as the exclusive medium for #KwentongJollibee? Flores said social media “gave us a new venue to tell deeper and longer stories that we couldn’t do before.” There is no intent to fully shift to a digital forum, he added. “We have more campaigns in digital but we still invest a lot in traditional media. I think the key there is finding the right balance and utilizing all these media, and finding the right campaign to fit each medium,” Flores said. McCann’s Castro likened the ongoing campaign to traditional media companies now exploring “different platforms because different people consume the news differently.” “I don’t think it changes the brand, just that different people have different ways of experiencing the brand. Who you are talking to via which platform and experience has to be thought. It is important to be present where your customers are,” he added. ■
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FRIDAY MARCH 3, 2017
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Dresses that tell a story: Professor has taken Princess Diana’s life in fashion a selfie every day for the past 30 years BY GREGORY KATZ The Associated Press
LONDON — The dresses tell the story of a life cut short: first the frilly debutante frocks Princess Diana wore before she married Prince Charles, then the elaborate gowns that stunned the world, and finally the power suits she favoured shortly before her death. It’s been 20 years since Diana died in a Paris car crash at the age of 36, but the public’s fascination with her life — and her clothes — lives on. A new exhibition that opens Friday at Kensington Palace, her home for many years, will give the public a chance to see extraordinary fashion pieces up close for the first time. The workmanship is refined, some of the designs are simple in concept and execution, while others clearly took careful thought and meticulous preparation. One room features designers’ sketches for Diana dresses, offering insight into the vision behind many of her choices. Deirdre Murphy, senior curator at the Historic Royal Palaces, said Diana was unique in the way she used clothes to communicate — and also a risk-taker willing to challenge the unwritten conventions of royal dress. She said Diana captured the “mystique” of being a princess even as she occasionally dressed down in jeans and a baseball hat. “Somehow women all over the world saw a piece of themselves in the princess,” the curator said. “She got her image across and her ideas across using clothing in a really sophisticated, really smart, really thoughtful way.” The display opens with a lacy party dress Diana wore to a ball at her family home, Althorp, in 1979 and includes many of her most famous outfits. Here are some of the most illustrious: Dancing the night away, with John Travolta
Diana was married to Prince Charles, and a guest of President Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy, but that didn’t stop her from tearing up the dance
BY PHILIP MARCELO The Associated Press
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT
floor with John Travolta at a White House state dinner in 1985. Photographers of Diana and the dashing young Travolta dominated newspapers throughout the world, showcasing the midnight blue silk velvet evening dress designed by Victor Edelstein. It remains one of her most famous outfits. Diana’s Elvis period
Catherine Walker became one of Diana’s favourite designers. To prepare for an official visit to Hong Kong in 1989, she designed a strapless white silk crepe and jacked embroidered with sequins and pearls. Its sparkly look, and high collar, reminded fashion writers of the jump suits favoured by Elvis Presley late in his career. She looked resplendent in the outfit, topping it with a jeweled tiara. “She shone in the dress and the dress shone around her,” Walker said. The boxy look
Diana turned to Emanuel, designer of her wedding gown, for a 1985 official royal visit to Italy. A coat and skirt in green, blue and black was cut in the boxy shape in favour at the time.
The tartan wool day suit was not well received by critics who didn’t find it flattering. Honeymoon hopes For her honeymoon photos with Charles taken in the lovely Scottish countryside, Diana turned to designer Bill Pashley for a casual, comfortable brown tweed woolen day-suit. She had two versions made — and chose to wear the larger one on her honeymoon because the extra room allowed her to participate in outdoor activities more easily. Its tweed motif pays tribute to the countryside traditions. Power dressing princess style
Diana relied heavily on Walker at various times in her life, and she turned to Walker again in the years just before her death to help her refine a “working princess” style in line with her plan to devote more time to charitable activities. She wore a red day suit by Walker to launch an AIDS charity appeal in 1996. Walker called the outfits she was working on at this phase a “royal uniform” for Diana, who was outspoken in her support of AIDS victims. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
camera has been an honour,” he said. Baden quietly launched his project on Feb. 23, 1987, the BOSTON — Long before they day after Andy Warhol died were called selfies, Karl Baden and nearly two decades before snapped a simple black and Facebook emerged. He tries to white photo of himself. Then remain faithful to that first imhe repeated it every day for the age, posing with the same neunext three decades. tral facial expression and using Baden’s “Every Day” project the same 35mm camera, tripod, officially turns 30 on Thursday backdrop and lighting. and he says he has no intention “The act itself is like brushof stopping. The stark contem- ing your teeth,” he said. “I’ll just plation on mortality and aging take the picture and get on with has prompted some to dub the the rest of my day. It’s not a holy Boston College professor the ritual or anything.” unwitting “father of the selfie.” Baden has taken other pains The 64-year-old Cambridge to maintain the same esthetic. resident grumbles at compari- He has consciously not grown sons to the pouty face, self-con- a beard or moustache, and his gratulatory portraits that now hair remains simply styled. fill Instagram “I have to turn and Facebook. all these variBut he recogables into connizes the ubiqstants so that I’m uity of the selfie not distracting has helped raise I’ll just take from the aging the profile of the the picture process,” Baden project, which and get on explained. has been exhibitwith the rest Besides mored in art galleries of my day. tality, Baden in Boston, New It’s not a says the project York City and holy ritual or touches on the elsewhere over anything. notions of obsesthe years. sion, incremen“If it wasn’t for tal change and the selfie craze, perfection. I’d probably be “As much as I slogging along try to make every in anonymity as usual,” Baden picture the same, I fail every joked this week. “Which is sort day,” he said. “There’s always of what I had expected.” something that’s a little differWhat makes the project work ent, aside from the aging prois that it reflects a number of cess.” universal themes, from death to Approaching 11,000 photos, man’s obsession with immor- the changes in Baden’s appeartalizing himself in some way, ance over time don’t appear said Howard Yezerski, a Boston dramatic. But in 2001, Baden gallery owner who has exhibit- underwent chemotherapy to ed the project on two occasions. treat prostate cancer and be“It’s both personal and uni- came noticeably thinner. versal at the same time,” he The cancer is now in remissaid. “He’s recording a life, or sion and, as later pictures show, at least one aspect of it that we Baden quickly bounced back. can all relate to because we’re The only lasting change from all in same boat. We’re all going that time, he says, has been to die.” his eyebrows; they never quite Robert Mann, a New York grew back. City gallery owner that exhibitAnd there’s been just one day ed Baden’s work on its 10th an- over the past 30 years where niversary, says he’s impressed Baden admits he neglected to with how Baden has stuck to take a photo: Oct. 15, 1991. “It his process. “Watching Karl was a dumb moment of forgetage (gracefully) in front of the fulness,” he said. ■
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Other nations shaking heads at US transgender toilet battle BY SHAWN POGATCHNIK The Associated Press DUBLIN — Coming out as a transgender boy brought untold relief to Irish student Lucas Cross. After years of holding it in, he could finally start using the boys’ restrooms at school — because Ireland, like some other parts of the world, doesn’t make a federal issue about where children do their business. As Donald Trump and U.S. courts seek to make transgender use of toilets an American battleground in schools , the more progressive corners of Europe and Latin America are shaking their heads in bewilderment. From Tipperary to Tierra del Fuego, schools let children go to the bathroom that suits their identity, a trend that could be reversed if the bitter U.S. debate travels overseas. “What happens in the U.S. has a cultural impact here, and it’s scary,” said Catherine Cross, Lucas’ mother, who helps Irish schools nationwide set policies on how to support transgender students. “There’s always going to be people who are frightened of change. It could give them license to shout louder when they see what’s going on in the States.” The right of transgender students to use restrooms in keeping with their own identity has become an afterthought in Norway and Argentina, where the world’s most far-reaching laws allow children to have their sexual identity reversed on their birth certificates, passports and other official identification without any formal medical diagnosis. Acceptance of identity from age 6 onward is the order of the day.
“When someone changes der children does present chalgender, the corresponding lenges in European countries, bathroom is respected. If it’s a activists concede, but they say trans girl, she goes to the girl’s that has helped avoid a U.S.bathroom. If it’s a trans boy, he style culture of conflict on the goes to the boy’s,” said Barbara matter. Magarelli, a gay rights activist “Yes, there are pressure in Argentina, where she advo- points because when people cates supports for transgen- ask, ‘What shall we do?’ there is der children — including her no general from-the-top guidown 12-year-old, whose official ance. Schools have to make it documents were changed three up some of the time, and they years ago to reflect her identity have to think on their feet,” said fighting legal battles to have as a boy. Jane Fae, a transgender activ- Ireland record her as a woman. Magarelli said parents often ist in London. “But no, what In 2015 she became the first have the bigger problem com- you don’t have over here is the Irish citizen to make the official ing to grips with new realities. fanatically religious opposi- change. Her son’s prepubescent class- tion to LGB people and to trans Hundreds more have folmates, she said, “already knew.” people.” lowed, including Lucas Cross, In Norway, 10-year-old Anna Both Ireland and Malta, over- who today is a transgender Thulin-Myge is feeling liber- whelmingly Catholic lands freshman studying psycholated by a 2016 law that allowed where abortion remains out- ogy in Waterford, southeast her to be officially redefined as lawed, passed laws in 2015 Ireland. Only a few years ago a girl. That means she can use permitting changes to sexual in his native village of Rathanthe girls’ toilets and the girls’ identity on official documents — gan, Lucas was feeling suicidal, locker room for self-harming and gym. The only refusing to drink special arrangewater for fear it ment is that she might force him arrives five minThere’s always going to be people to use a school utes ahead of who are frightened of change. It toilet. the other girls could give them license to shout “I avoided it at to change. The louder when they see what’s going on all costs,” he said. nation’s sports in the States. “I’d go in the federation admorning and not vises schools again until I got and leagues that home.” transgender girls should be al- Malta for even young children, “Going into the girls’ was lowed to play on girls’ teams, Ireland at age 18. Ireland that never comfortable for me, even arguing that inclusiveness year also became the first coun- though it’s cleaner and smells trumps any concerns about try on earth to legalize gay mar- better,” he said. “I felt like I competitive advantages. riage by popular national vote. should be in the boys’ bathroom “It makes me feel included,” Crusading activists have but it was extremely intimidatAnna said at her family home paved the way on both islands. ing. I wasn’t ready for any transin Haugesund, a small town on In Malta, 8-year-old Willa phobic remarks. It was easier to Norway’s southwest coast. Naylor helped persuade gov- avoid the bathroom completely Anna has discussed Trump’s ernment ministers to change than to confront the question.” policy shift with her parents the law with a personal appeal His mother says it took years and hopes her school doesn’t fleshed out in her book, “Truly for her to come to grips with ever force her back to the boys’ Willa.” her child’s true identity — and, room. “I would feel sad and conIreland’s foremost transgen- in the summer before Lucas’ fused. That’s not me,” she said. der rights pioneer, Lydia Foy senior year, warned teachers A deficit in firm rules govern- , spent decades following her and the principal to be ready ing how to deal with transgen- 1992 sex-reassignment surgery for change. Lucas’ final year of
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high school became by far his happiest as staff and classmates accepted him as a boy. “The school were very good about it. They were only concerned that I wasn’t using either loo,” he said. “They made sure I knew that it was completely fine to use the bathroom I wanted and if there was an issue, they definitely had my back.” Today, the son helps his mother guide schools, transgender children and their families toward happy compromises like his own. He facilitates monthly “Transformers” fellowships for people aged 14 to 19, while in another room, she counsels their parents and school officials. New Department of Education-approved guidelines recommend adopting unisex school uniforms and sports activities, respectful and consistent use of the student’s new name, and appointment of a teacher trained in answering students’ questions about transsexual issues — in part so that the school’s lone trans student doesn’t face all that pressure alone to explain. Catherine Cross says about 10 per cent of schools she advises still seek to force transgender students to use disabled toilets, refuse to use their new name ❱❱ PAGE 31 Other nations
Japan starts weekend early to improve work-life balance THE ASSOCIATED PRESS TOKYO — It was not business as usual for some workers in Japan on Friday. As the clock reached 3 p.m., about 100 office workers raised
champagne glasses in a cafe in the middle of Tokyo’s central business district to toast “Premium Friday,” a new initiative to promote better work-life balance. Company and government offices were asked to let employees leave at 3 p.m. in what
is supposed to become a regular practice on the last Friday of each month. “This scheme encourages us ... to go have a drink or eat or play sports with friends, or spend time with our families,” Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike told www.canadianinquirer.net
the workers at the cafe. “I think it will be wonderful if this initiative reforms the way people work.” Bars, restaurants, stores and travel agents are among those hoping it will also stimulate spending by consumers.
For those able to leave the office early, it was a welcome break in a country known for its long working hours. “It will be good if this will lead to a societal change, even if it is gradual,” said Aki Kono, a 46-year-old office worker. ■
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FRIDAY MARCH 3, 2017
Sports Valdez tries out for PH team Pique and Ramos in spat as title race heats up in Spain BY MARC ANTHONY REYES Philippine Daily Inquirer
DAVAO CITY— Alyssa Valdez drew a big crowd as she graced the national volleyball team tryouts Saturday and later on gave her commitment to play for the Philippine flag. “I’m sure they will under-
stand that the call of the country is the most important,” said the 23-year-old Valdez, when asked if her team in the Thailand League, 3BB Nakornnont in Thailand League, will allow her to suit up for the country. Valdez was mobbed by fans who trooped to the University of Southeastern Philippines gym here and cheered her every move.
“It’s a thrill for me trying out for the national team. And I will do my best to make the country proud if I’m given the chance,” added Valdez, who flew in from Bangkok Saturday morning Ten other aspirants showed up in tryouts that will last until Sunday. After the Davao leg, there will be another tryouts for the collegiate players. ■
Canada names veteran roster for women’s world hockey championship THE CANADIAN PRESS CALGARY — Canada will field a veteran roster when it tries for an eighth gold medal at the upcoming women’s world hockey championship. The 23-player roster features 17 players who helped Canada sweep a two-game exhibition series against the archrival United States in December, 16 who were on Canada’s runnerup team at last year’s world championships and 13 who helped defeat the U.S. in the gold-medal game at the Sochi Olympics. One player missing from the roster is star forward Hayley Wickenheiser, who announced her retirement in January. Wickenheiser helped Canada win 13 world championship medals, including silver in 2016. Marie-Philip Poulin, who served as Canada’s captain in December’s exhibition series and scored the overtime winner in the second game, headlines a forward corps that includes 2014 gold medallists Meghan Agosta, Haley Irwin, Brianne Jenner, Rebecca Johnston, Natalie Spooner and Jennifer Wakefield. Defenceman Laura Fortino, Jocelyne Larocque, Meaghan Mikkelson and Lauriane Rougeau and goaltenders Shannon Szabados and Genevieve Lacasse are the other returning 2014 Olympians.
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY - UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS / FLICKR
The roster includes four players participating in the world championship for the first time: defencemen Erin Ambrose and Renata Fast and forwards Sarah Potomak and Laura Stacey. The world championship starts March 31 in Plymouth, Mich. “This is a determined group of players that have been chosen to wear the red-and-white on the international stage,” said Canada head coach Laura Schuler in a statement. “As our evaluation process continues leading into the selection of our Olympic centralization roster later this year, we’re confident this group will make Canada proud in Plymouth and we’re looking forward to building on our successes from the 2016-17 season.” Joining Schuler on Canada’s coaching staff is Caroline Ouellette, a four-time Olympic goldmedallist with Canada who has been named an assistant coach
alongside Dwayne Gylywoychuk and Troy Ryan. Canada
Forwards — Meghan Agosta, Ruthven, Ont.; Bailey Bram, St. Anne, Man.; Emily Clark, Saskatoon; Sarah Davis, Paradise, N.L.; Haley Irwin, Thunder Bay, Ont.; Brianne Jenner, Oakville, Ont.; Marie-Philip Poulin, Beauceville, Que.; Rebecca Johnston, Sudbury, Ont.; Natalie Spooner, Toronto; Blayre Turnbull, Stellarton, N.S.; Jennifer Wakefield, Pickering, Ont. Defence — Erin Ambrose, Keswick, Ont.; Renata Fast, Burlington, Ont.; Laura Fortino, Hamilton; Halli Krzyzaniak, Neepawa, Man.; Jocelyne Larocque, St. Anne; Meaghan Mikkelson, St. Albert, Alta.; Lauriane Rougeau, Beaconsfield, Que. Goal — Genevieve Lacasse, Kingston, Ont.; Emerance Maschmeyer, Bruderheim, Alta.; Shannon Szabados, Edmonton. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
BY TALES AZZONI The Associated Press MADRID — Barcelona defender Gerard Pique thinks Real Madrid is being helped by the referees. Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos thinks Pique should mind his own business. The players got into a little spat after the weekend games in the Spanish league, each defending his club as the title race heats up. Pique helped Barcelona earn a difficult 2-1 win at Atletico Madrid on Sunday, then watched Madrid erase a twogoal deficit in a controversial 3-2 win at Villarreal, which complained of the refereeing. Pique hinted on social media that Madrid was being benefited, posting stories mentioning refereeing mistakes that went against Barcelona and some that favoured Madrid. “Against the same teams, eight points,” he wrote, making an apparent reference to the difference in points caused by the alleged mistakes in games involving Madrid and Barcelona. He made sure the stories came from media outlets in Madrid to “leave no doubt” about the claims. Barcelona, seeking its third straight league title, is one point behind Madrid after 24 rounds. Madrid has a game in hand, at Celta Vigo. The stories posted by Pique mention a goal he scored but was mistakenly disallowed for offside, and a Ramos goal that was not annulled even though he was offside. Ramos said the accusation was expected from the outspoken Pique. “It would surprise me if it came from (Lionel) Messi,” Ramos said. “But from Pique, we already know him, we won’t get caught up in that. We will mind our own business, which is to win every match and secure the league title. “Everyone has to stick to their
own problems. Fortunately we only depend on ourselves. We are focused on improving and on doing what we have to do.” It’s not the first time Pique publicly showed his frustration with the referees in Spain. Last month, after a penalty kick not awarded to Barcelona against Villarreal, he pointed his finger at the VIP box and yelled toward officials before leaving the field, apparently targeting Spanish league president Javier Tebas. Pique also complained after Barcelona’s loss at Athletic Bilbao in the Copa del Rey. The most controversial play on Sunday was the penalty call that led to Cristiano Ronaldo’s equalizer in Villarreal. The ball hit the hand of Bruno Soriano inside the area, but the midfielder claimed it was involuntary. “I can’t just cut my arm off,” Soriano said. Villarreal president Fernando Roig added fuel to the controversy by complaining the officiating crew left the stadium carrying Real Madrid bags. Madrid, like many other clubs, is known to hand out small gifts such as key chains, pins and pens to the referees and their assistants after matches. “The referees try to be fair and sometimes they’ll benefit you and sometimes they’ll hurt you,” Ramos said. Madrid is trying to win its first league title since 2012. Barcelona, which has lifted three league trophies since then, trailed Madrid by as many as six points this season. Third-place Sevilla, seeking its first league title since 1946, is three points off the lead. Fourth-place Atletico, which last won the league in 2014, is 10 points behind its city rival. “Whoever thinks that Barcelona will throw in the towel and that Madrid has already won it with nine or 10 rounds to go, doesn’t know a lot of football,” Ramos said. “It’s going to be very difficult.” ■
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Business Former UK PM Major slams ‘unrealistic’ Brexit expectations BY ANICK JESDANUN The Associated Press LONDON — Former Prime Minister John Major lambasted Britain’s preparations for leaving the European Union on Monday, saying the government must offer more charm and less “cheap rhetoric” if it wants to get a good deal. Major, who led the U.K.’s Conservative government between 1990 and 1997, accused pro-Brexit politicians of giving Britons unrealistic expectations of life outside the EU. Prime Minister Theresa May — like Major, a Conservative — plans to invoke Article 50 of the EU’s key treaty, triggering two years of exit talks, by the end of March.
Major said the government’s goal of settling divorce terms and forging a new relationship with the bloc within two years is “very, very optimistic.” In a speech at the Chatham House think-tank that he billed as a “reality check,” Major said voters must be given a better idea of “the timescale and complexity of the huge undertaking that lies ahead.” He said there is a “real risk” that the U.K. will not get the close free-trade deal with the EU that the government is seeking. “Behind the diplomatic civilities, the atmosphere is already sour,” Major said. “A little more charm, and a lot less cheap rhetoric, would do much to protect the U.K.’s interests.” Major, who backed the losing
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“remain” side in last year’s EU membership referendum, said victorious “leave” campaigners should stop telling their opponents to quietly accept the re-
sult. He said the 48 per cent who voted to stay in the EU “care no less for our country than the 52 per cent who voted to leave.”
“It is not ‘arrogant’ or ‘brazen’ or ‘elitist’ or remotely ‘delusional’ to express concern about our future after Brexit,” Major said. “Nor, by doing so, is this group undermining the will of the people: they are the people.” He also cautioned that leaving the 28-nation bloc would weaken Britain’s voice in the world and make the U.K. more reliant on the United States and new President Donald Trump — “a president less predictable, less reliable and less attuned to our free market and socially liberal instincts than any of his predecessors.” In response, May’s office said the government “a clear plan to get the best deal for the United Kingdom and are going to get on with the job of delivering it.” ■
Landbank pushes rural bank consolidation Offers to finance 51% of joint-venture company to compete with bigger banks BY DORIS DUMLAOABADILLA Philippine Daily Inquirer THE STATE-OWNED Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank) has proposed to consolidate a critical mass of the country’s small rural banks into one big entity that can rival universal banks in terms of capitalization. Landbank is willing to contribute fresh capital to own 51 percent of the proposed “Apex Rural Bank,” which will have an authorized capital of P5 billion and become the vehicle for consolidation, Landbank president Alex Buenaventura said in an interview with the Inquirer. Bunaventura said he submitted the proposal in January to the Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines (RBAP), which has more than 370 member-banks. The Landbank chief has given the rural banks two
years to consider this proposal, which aims to help achieve longterm competitiveness and sustainability among rural banks. “I told RBAP that instead of Landbank branching in these areas, why not put up a joint venture bank?” Buenaventura said, adding that the rural banks have until end- 2018 to consider the offer. Rural banks that will join the proposed Apex Rural Bank can contribute their business in exchange for shares in the bigger institution. Landbank can adjust its ownership depending on how much net assets the participating rural banks can pool. “Apex is not an acquisition bank. It is a consolidation bank. There’s no selling of shares [for cash]. We need the resources, the branches, the human resource, the critical mass. It’s really a partnership,” Buenaventura said. Being a former rural banker
himself, Buenaventura knows the challenges of being a niche banking player. For two decades, he served as president of One Network Bank ( ONB), a leading rural bank in the country. He led ONB through its consolidation journey from the synergy of three rural banks— the Rural Bank of Panabo (Davao), Network Rural Bank (Davao) and Provident Rural Bank of Cotabato. In 2014, the Consunji family sold ONB to BDO Unibank. ONB would not have been competitive if not for its big capital that amounted to P4.8 billion at the time BDO bought the bank, Buenaventura said. “So big capital really is needed for a bank to be sustainable. And big capital to me is at least P5 billion,” he said. Buenaventura estimated that average rural banks in the country would typically have a net worth between P50 million and P700 million. If participatwww.canadianinquirer.net
ing banks do not have enough net assets to meet the 49-percent capital for Apex Bank, he said Landbank might have to increase its stake beyond 51 percent. The consolidation scheme would also give weak rural banks a chance to find a “white knight” in Apex Bank, Buenaventura said. But even for the stronger banks, he said this would be an opportunity to be part of a more competitive entity, especially with the big banks now encroaching on rural banks’ traditional territories. Buenaventura said Apex Bank could also upgrade the image of the rural banking industry, which had been stigmatized by a wave of closures in previous years. For Landbank, Buenaventura said the proposed investment in Apex Bank would be an “inclusive branching strategy,” giving it a footprint in more cities and municipalities and
thereby boosting its capability to pursue lending in the countryside. To date, Landbank has about 362 branches nationwide, mostly in cities and first- class municipalities. “We definitely need to have presence in unserved areas for inclusive banking purposes,” Buenaventura said. The Landbank chief said he had mentioned the Apex Bank proposal to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas ( BSP), which was supportive given its thrust to encourage consolidation in the banking industry. Based on the BSP’s latest report on the banking system, rural and cooperative banks have a combined network of 1,707 branches as of the first semester of 2016. However, the BSP also noted that universal and commercial banks have extended their reach to areas considered as the home turn of rural banks, namely first to fourth class municipalities. ■
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London-based Film, TV and digital miner still finds productions contributed $2B PH a desirable place to Toronto’s economy in 2016 for investment BY PETER CAMERON The Canadian Press
BY RONNEL W. DOMINGO Philippine Daily Inquirer
ECR said that as of March 31, 2016, it had invested in Danglay some £1 million or about P62 million. ECR MINERALS plc continues In January 2017, ECR apto look at the Philippines as a pointed lawyers to begin the desirable place to do business process of enforcing its rights in despite facing the twin prob- to Danglay “either in court or lems of an uncertain regulatory through arbitration.” environment and an ongoing At the same time, ECR said dispute with its local partner. it had sent a proposal to Tiger The London-based gold ex- International to encourage an ploration company said in a amicable resolution of the disstatement it would keep moni- pute. toring political developments The company is still awaitin the Philippines, especially ing regulators’ action on its apthose affecting the mining in- plication for the renewal of the dustry, and would assert its exploration permit for Danglay. rights in the Danglay project in “Although ECR’s operational Benguet. focus remains on [projects in The project is part of a joint- Australia and Argentina], the venture agreeDanglay projment (JVA) ect … remains a among ECR, its promising projCordillera Tiger ect,” ECR chief Gold Resources executive Craig Inc. and partner Brown said in a Tiger InternaThe company statement. tional Resources is still Exploration Inc. awaiting results so far In August regulators’ showed that 2016, ECR said action on its Danglay has 1.2 it had given up application million tons of being operator for the material that of the Danglay renewal could yield project, formerly of the 60,500 ounces called Itogon. exploration of gold. ERC said In arriving permit for the target for at such deciDanglay. further explorasion, ECR noted tion could have that “the new up to 170,000 [Duterte] adounces of gold. ministration “The minhas not adopted ing industry in a supportive the Philippines stance toward currently faces the mining industry.” an uncertain operating enviTo compound the matter, the ronment, however we remain company said Tiger Interna- hopeful that the situation may tional now refused to acknowl- improve in future,” Brown said. edge ECR’s 25-percent interest “Therefore, [we] are deterin Danglay and was not cooper- mined to protect ECR’s investating with ECR to discuss the ment in the Danglay project project’s future. and drive the project forward as ECR said it had fulfilled the far as possible.” two necessary conditions under Earlier this month, Envithe JVA to earn a 25-percent ronment Secretary Regina interest in the project—estima- Lopez said she wanted 23 tion of a mineral resource, and mines closed, five others susspending more than $500,000 pended, and 75 mineral proor about P25 million on explo- duction sharing agreements ration. canceled. ■
TORONTO — Film, television and digital productions contributed more than $2 billion to Toronto’s economy in 2016, Mayor John Tory said Monday as he promised to streamline regulations, helping the city compete with other global destinations. Calling the industry a “key economic driver” for the city, Tory said that 2016 topped the previous high of $1.5 billion in 2015. Tory said $800 million of last year’s total came from Los Angeles-based productions, adding that Toronto will have to fight to keep the business. The mayor said he met with the studios to thank them for their business and to find out what would help them return to Toronto. “They told me that we had to continue to invest in facilities,” he said. Vancouver has a full-time person promoting the city in Los Angeles, Tory said, adding that Toronto’s other competition includes Atlanta, New York and London. “We have every reason to be proud and aggressive,” he said. “We are competitive with them in every respect in the film and television and digital production industry, but we’ve got to go down and make sure we sell our story and not be complacent or shy as Canadians often are.” And he said tax credits are an “important part of the package” that keeps productions coming to the city.
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“Atlanta, New York, California itself, they have them, and so it’s really just us being competitive,” Tory said. In an effort to bring more work to Toronto, Tory said the city is moving to streamline processes for production companies and work with residents in neighbourhoods impacted by filming. “As our film industry keeps growing every year we are going to create more jobs and more economic success,” he said, noting that the academy awardwinning film “Suicide Squad” employed more than 4,700 people while it was being filmed in Toronto in 2015. He also said that the TV series “Suits,” now in its seventh season, provides the equivalent of 2,300 full-time jobs. “These are good jobs, they’re skilled jobs, they’re solid jobs, for set designers, editors, directors, hair stylists, makeup specialists, special effects, catering, sound, lighting, actors,” Tory said. Combining the $2.01 billion with figures from broadcasters and interactive digital media —
such as video games — resulted in a total investment figure of $3.26 billion for all of Toronto’s film, television and digital media production last year, the city said in a release. Foreign and domestic TV series remained the dominant investment type in Toronto, as 115 productions brought in $908 million in 2016, the city said. Foreign major production investment in film and television grew to $794 million, a 49-percent increase from 2015, while investment in animation and visual effects grew to $403 million, a 179-per-cent increase from the previous year, city figures showed. Investment by broadcasters was down about $69 million in 2016 at $211 million, while interactive digital media rose to $1.05 billion, from $1 billion a year earlier. Commercials production spending was up 10 per cent last year to $380 million. “This is a key economic driver for Toronto, and it enhances our reputation as a home to creative industries,” Tory said. ■
Ireland’s approach to transgender students may be ahead of American practice, she says, but it’s subject to the whims of local principals. “The guidelines are not law or mandatory. Irish schools have a lot of autonomy to do what they see fit,” she said. “On the whole
they are pretty decent to trans kids. But they don’t have to be.” ■
Other nations... and stick to calling a transgender girl “he” and vice versa. Problems are most common, she says, in all-boys schools where a lone transgender girl might live teenage years of silent shame rather than risk being recognized. ❰❰ 28
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Associated Press reporters Mark Lewis in Haugesund, Norway, Jonathan Shenfield in London and Almudena Calatrava and Paul Byrne in Buenos Aires, Argentina, contributed to this story.
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MARCH 3, 2017
FRIDAY
Technology More Canadian schools move to incorporate, not ban, cellphones BY MICHELLE MCQUIGGE The Canadian Press RESEARCHERS AND educators agree that cellphones have become fixtures in Canadian classrooms, but opinion remains divided on how best to address their presence. All agree that the presence of smartphones can be problematic if students are allowed to devote more attention to their screens than their studies. One research paper suggests the majority of schools are still treating cellphones as a scourge and banning the devices outright both in and out of class. But that study and a growing number of boards say they’ve had more success once deciding to stop fighting the technological tide and find ways to incorporate cellphones into schools. Canada’s largest school board reversed a four-year ban on cellphones and now lets teachers dictate what works best for their classrooms, while a board in Quebec has gone so far as to distribute tablets to all students in Grade 5 and up while maintaining a permissive smartphone policy. Researchers say these approaches work best, but add it’s essential to have guidelines in place around the use of technology. Thierry Karsenti, Canada Research Chair on Technologies in Education and professor at the University of Montreal, said students will find a way to bring phones into the classroom regardless of the rules. A survey of more than 4,000 high school students found that 79.3 per cent of respondents
owned a cellphone. Participants indicated that the phones did not figure strongly in their formal education, with 88.4 per cent reporting that the devices were banned either in class or at school altogether. Karsenti said the majority of schools he’s studied persist in fruitless bans against smartphones, edicts that students will inevitably ignore. Only 12.9 per cent of survey respondents said they had never sent texts in class, 55.7 per cent said they felt it was acceptable to send or read text during lessons, and 90.7 per cent said they had seen classmates doing just that. Another 64.2 per cent reported seeing their peers accessing Facebook on their phones while in class. But Karsenti said schools with more flexible policies got better results, he said, adding the best ones set firm boundaries that helped educate students on when it may or may not be appropriate to use their cells. Students responded, he said, by taking those lessons to heart. “They were becoming themselves more responsible in those schools where cells were allowed with specific rules because schools help them become more responsible,” Karsenti said in a telephone interview. “Otherwise who’s going to help them become more responsible?” One school Karsenti studied allowed students to use their phones as they wished outside of class, but insisted they keep the devices in plain sight and face-down on their desks during class time.
Such an approach strikes the right balance, he said, since it still gives teachers the flexibility to tap into the technology for their lessons while limiting distractions among students. Some organizations, like the Eastern Townships School Board in Quebec, have made technology an integral part of the classroom experience. Spokeswoman Sharon Priest said the board began issuing iPads to students in 2013 with the full expectation that they would be used both at home and at school. Today, all board students from Grade 5 and up have been issued either an iPad or a Chromebook. Priest said the technology that looms so large in most students’ home lives should be incorporated into the educational experience, adding the devices also help empower teachers. “They allowed us the creativity in the classroom to support . . . lifelong learning and different competencies,” Priest said of the tablets, which can be used for everything from research to video streaming. The board has a permissive policy around cellphones, she said, allowing teachers to dictate what works best for their classroom. The same approach is now in effect at the Toronto District School Board, which banned cellphones for four years before reversing course in 2011. Spokesman Ryan Bird said the board came to recognize that enforcing an outright ban was next to impossible, while also acknowledging that to curb technology use would be to place limits on educational op-
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portunities as well. “I think it was more an acknowledgement that there’s an important role for technology to play in the classroom,” he said. “And that’s where we are now. In general the board encourages the use of technology in the classroom where appropriate.” Not all instructors are keen to embrace mobile technology in the classroom, however. At a Halifax middle school, one teacher’s effort to promote healthy living among her students resulted in a school-wide experiment meant to help detach students from their screens and revive the art of conversation. Sean MacDonald, principal at Herring Cove Junior High, said the school’s previously flexible policies were tightened up for a week to bar cellphone use in class, during recess or at lunch. He said the weeklong experiment is meant to gauge impacts on students studies and social lives, adding the school is also soliciting feedback from parents on cellphone use at home. MacDonald said early feedback suggests students too can be flexible on cellphone use, adding some who felt they couldn’t live without their devices have noted some upsides to going without. “Many of our students have reported ... that they’re enjoy-
ing the opportunity to have more conversations with their friends as opposed to sitting down and everybody staring at their phones,” he said. “And teachers have definitely noticed less distractions in the classrooms.” MacDonald said the school will analyze feedback from the experiment and use it to adjust its permanent cellphone policies for the next academic year. ■
Technology
FRIDAY MARCH 3, 2017
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Samsung delays its new phone, and showcases tablets instead BY ANICK JESDANUN The Associated Press NEW YORK — Samsung’s product showcase Sunday is notable for what’s missing: a new flagship phone. Instead, Samsung is spotlighting new Android and Windows tablets after delaying the Galaxy S8 smartphone — an indirect casualty of the unprecedented September recall of the fire-prone Note 7 phone. The new tablets will carry the Galaxy brand and come with many of the Note 7’s features, including the S Pen stylus and screens with rich colours. Consumers will have to wait at least a few weeks longer for details on Samsung’s next major smartphone. That’s partly so that Samsung wouldn’t have to share the stage with its smartphone rivals at the Mobile World Congress trade show, which begins Monday in Barcelona, Spain. The delay also gives Samsung more time to make sure it has done everything right, given that any minor bug will surely draw outsized attention. “The microscope is going to be firmly on Samsung,” said Geoff Blaber, an analyst with the research firm CCS Insight. About the tablets
Samsung said the new tablets will go through extensive safety checks put in place after dozens of Note 7 phone overheated and in some cases exploded.
Those incidents prompted aviation authorities to ban them on flights; Samsung eventually killed the product. Samsung now wants everyone to focus on its tablets’ most notable features: _ The new Galaxy Tab S3, running Google’s Android system, will have a glass back and metal frame, borrowing designs from Samsung’s smartphones. The screen technology, called AMOLED, offers richer colours and purer blacks than standard LCD screens. The display will support high-dynamic range, a feature that promises brighter whites, darker blacks and a wider range of colours — at least for the handful of video titles produced with that capability. _ For those wanting a laptop replacement , Samsung is releasing the Galaxy Book with Microsoft’s Windows 10 and more powerful processors from Intel. Only the 12-inch version will get AMOLED, though; the 10-inch Galaxy Book will use LCD. Both models come with a keyboard attachment, something sold as an optional accessory for the S3. The Galaxy Book is Samsung’s answer to Apple’s iPad Pro and Microsoft’s Surface devices. All models come with Samsung’s S Pen and include standard features from the Note phones, such as taking onscreen notes when the phone is locked. But unlike the Note, these tablets lack spring-loaded cavities for storing the stylus. Prices and release dates haven’t been announced.
Samsung also said that its Gear VR virtual-reality headset will now come with a hand-held controller, matching Google’s Daydream View offering. Phone competition
The absence of a new Samsung phone gives rivals a chance to shine. LG, for instance, is pushing a G6 phone that is slightly smaller than the Note 7 but matches the doomed phone’s 5.7-inch screen size. LG is also matching major rivals in offering water and dust resistance, though in doing so, it got rid of an ability to replace the battery with a spare — a feature LG had long cited to set itself apart from rivals. LG also redesigned the insides to separate the two main sources of heat — the main processor and the display driver — while doubling the separation between the battery’s positive and negative chambers. The fact that these under-the-hood improvements are getting any mention at all shows the climate all phone makers are navigating after the Note 7 fires. Meanwhile, Motorola has a new version of its mid-range Moto G phone, while Chinese smartphone maker TCL is unveiling a BlackBerry Android phone with a physical keyboard after BlackBerry gave up on making hardware itself. And the classic Nokia 3310 phone from the year 2000 is coming back; although it’s not a smartphone, the device is popular for its durability.
SAMSUNG
It’ll be tough, though, for any company to stand out as innovation in smartphones slows down. The challenges are underscored by the fact that only Apple appears to have benefited from Samsung’s troubles. According to research firm IDC, worldwide iPhone shipments grew 5 per cent in the fourth quarter, compared with the previous year. That’s about the same as what Samsung lost. Even after the Note 7 recall, many consumers decided to stay with Samsung, analysts say. Switching to the iPhone means learning a new operating system and buying new apps, while Google couldn’t produce enough of a promising Android contender, the Pixel, to meet demand. Samsung’s next phone
Samsung took a $5.3 billion hit on its earnings in recalling millions of Note 7 phones. Its reputation also took a hit — but not necessarily permanently. “In the process of addressing
the situation, I think Samsung buys back some of the good will with consumers,” said Ramon Llamas, an analyst with IDC. “What people want is an assurance that it doesn’t happen again.” This could mean being more conservative in the S8 features, though it also needs some breakout features to restore excitement in the brand. Llamas said that could come through software features, such as S Voice, a voice assistant rivaling Apple’s Siri, or Samsung Flow, a way for multiple devices to work together. The new tablets will come with Samsung Flow so that you can make phone calls and answer texts using the tablet as a bridge to a phone sitting on the table or in your pocket. Blaber said Samsung was smart in delaying the launch of the S8, as it needs a smooth rollout to recover. ■ AP video journalists Jona Kallgren and James Brooks in Barcelona, Spain, contributed to this story.
Last BlackBerry designed phone with physical keyboard to hit stores in April BY ALEKSANDRA SAGAN The Canadian Press TORONTO — Fans of BlackBerry’s classic physical keyboard will have reason to celebrate when the last product designed in part by the former smartphone leader becomes available in April. The Waterloo, Ont.-based firm played a role in developing the KEYone, named for the return of the QWERTY keyboard that other smartphone design-
ers have mostly long retired. “BlackBerry did have something to say about the industrial design,” said Steve Cistulli, president of the North American division of TCL Communication Technology Holdings Ltd. (TCT). Cistulli said TCT will manufacture and sell the smartphone in Canada and several other countries as part of its partnership with BlackBerry (TSX:BB). The deal allows the company to design, manufacture and sell BlackBerry-branded smart-
phones that operate using the technology firm’s security software. BlackBerry receives a commission for each phone sold. While the KEYone is the first phone to hit the market under this partnership, Cistulli indicated BlackBerry will no longer play a design role in any future products. BlackBerry CEO John Chen said last September the company was exiting the hardware business, which struggled with profitability as Apple and othwww.canadianinquirer.net
ers dominated the market, to focus on its growing security software operations. The KEYone features a 4.5inch touchscreen, fingerprint sensor and rear- and frontfacing cameras. It comes with a microSD slot that can extend its built-in memory by up to two terabytes and claims to be able to recharge up to 50 per cent in about 36 minutes. Cistulli could not provide an exact price for Canadians, but it will retail south of the border for US$549 and he anticipates
Canadians will likely pay that plus the exchange rate — roughly C$720. Cistulli would not disclose how many phones the company hopes to sell. The company expects to design, manufacture and sell more versions of phones with the physical keyboard, as well as grow BlackBerry’s DTEK50 and DTEK60 touchscreen phone lines. TCT unveiled the KEYone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. ■
MARCH 3, 2017
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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
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 MARCH 3, 2017
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Travel Who competes and how Carnival parades judged BY MAURICIO SAVARESE The Associated Press
songs that fans in the sambadrome sing along to. Who pays for it?
RIO DE Janeiro’s Carnival parade is world famous for the samba dancing, costumes that leave little to the imagination and the magnificent floats that roll down Avenida Marques de Sapucai, also known as the “sambadrome.” For the competitors, getting to the big show is months in the making. Here are questions and answers about what goes into the big show that is Carnival:
Rio’s city hall is investing 24 million Brazilian reals this year (about $8 million). The rest comes from sponsors, sambadrome ticket sales, samba school parties throughout the year that raise funds and a group of shady gambling businessmen called “bicheiros.” “Bicheiros” run a widely popular but illegal gambling game called “jogo do bicho,” or “animal game” in Portuguese. They are sometimes linked to criminal organizations, and many sponsor local samba schools to improve their image.
How does it work?
Competing schools of samba spend much of the year preparing for a 75-minute presentation that must include at least six floats to tell a story in an innovative way — while participants dance and sing, of course. The competitions begin on Sunday night and go into Tuesday morning. The winners get a trophy, national bragging rights for a year and a party on Ash Wednesday. Samba schools that fail to place high are relegated to a secondtier league the following year. Carnival parades are such a serious business in Rio that one university even has a graduation program for samba school managers.
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was a hit. In 1932, journalist Mario Filho organized the first competition of samba schools. A tradition was born that would inspire cities across Brazil. Who makes up the schools?
Each of the samba schools of Rio represents a specific region of the city, often a favela. However, fans of particular schools usually have fans all over Rio and even some nationally. Up to 4,000 members can take part in the parade of each of the 12 top-flight samba schools in Rio. The heart of the samba school is the drums section, How did the parades come about? with at least 200 people. As a form of In the second half reverence, the oldof the 19th century, est members bring posh clubs of Rio orup the rear of an enganized Carnival parsemble. ties. Little by little, Carnival Up to 80,000 peothese gatherings gave parades are ple watch the parades up the elegant ballsuch a serious at Rio’s sambadrome rooms and took to business in on Sunday night, all the streets. The poor Rio that one Monday and into also had their parties university Tuesday morning. far from the city’s even has a Millions more watch elite south zone. Cosgraduation on television. Tourtumes were often program for ists are allowed to used to satirize polisamba school participate in samba ticians. managers. schools, but their As the 20th century costumes usually began, many of these cost more than those celebrations includfor locals. ed “confetti wars” in which groups would throw paper deco- How does judging work? rations in the air and at each other. Still, Rio’s samba school league picks 54 they were non-moving events that fea- judges who spread out across the samtured wind instruments and horns, not badrome. There are six judges for each the drums and dancing of today. of nine criteria, including drums secThe first samba school appeared in tion, costumes and samba dancing. 1928 downtown Rio. The concept beHours before the first parade, a lottery hind “Deixa Falar” (Let them Speak) was chooses four judges for each category. to parade to the sound of samba, and it They will have their scores counted. The
other two judges will only be counted if one of the other four is absent during the parade. The group that gets the best scores wins. Sometimes winners and runner-ups are separated by 0.1 points. There were also several occasions in which two or three have tied as winners. Who should you keep an eye on?
The green- and rose-colored Mangueira group often draws the biggest crowds at the sambadrome and fans across Brazil. They have won the parade 19 times, including last year’s. Blue and white Portela is historically the biggest winner, with 21 titles. Both Portela and Mangueira are home to some of Brazil’s most popular samba artists. The red- and white-colored Salgueiro is seen as the most popular among celebrities. It has won the parade nine times and it often has the most popular samba
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What was this year’s controversy?
After a day in silence, Rio’s evangelical Mayor Marcelo Crivella delayed the traditionally opulent starting ceremony until 8:30 p.m. Friday only to skip it with the excuse that his wife was sick. Rio city hall eventually put out an email saying that Carnival was “officially open.” Revelers had been waiting hours at the sambadrome for the traditional handing over of the city’s key to “Rei Momo,” or the king of carnal delights. This has been always done with great fanfare in the past. But Crivella sent the head of Rio’s tourism agency to do the honours. Rei Momo did not give interviews as usual and instead was quickly escorted out of the sambadrome by security guards. It isn’t clear whether Crivella, a retired Pentecostal bishop who took office on Jan. 1, will attend any of the five days of parades at the sambadrome. Rio’s city council has already authorized him to travel abroad on the next few days, but he has not announced where he might go. ■
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Travel
Oscars flap... Jenkins’ heartfelt coming-of-age drama seduced academy voters in the end — a subtle tide change perhaps informed by both a prickly political climate and an urgent imperative to honour more diverse films after two consecutive years of OscarsSoWhite. Diversity could be found in every corner of the awards this year, with supporting acting wins for “Moonlight’s” Mahershala Ali and “Fences”‘ Viola Davis, although the best actor category proved to be a bit of an upset when Casey Affleck won for “Manchester by the Sea” over Denzel Washington of “Fences,” who had picked up momentum in recent weeks. The improvement followed efforts by Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs to diversify the membership of the largely white, older and male film academy. “Tonight is proof that art has no borders, no single language and does not belong to a single faith,” said Isaacs. Davis gave a particularly powerful speech in which she praised the late “Fences” playwright August Wilson who, she said, “Exhumed and exalted the ordinary people.” Kimmel said later that Davis, “Just got nominated for an Emmy for that speech.” Ezra Edelman, whose nearly eight-hour epic “O.J.: Made in America” took best documentary, dedicated the award to the victims of the famous crime, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Rich Moore, one of the three directors of Disney’s best animated film winner “Zootopia,” described the movie as about “tolerance being more powerful than fear of the other.” The majority of speeches were moving and personal and generally in praise of art’s ability to create empathy in the world, including Jenkins’ in his win for adapted screenplay, who said, “All you people out there who feel like there isn’t a mirror out there for you, the Academy has your back, the ACLU has your back, and for the next four years we will not leave you alone, we will not forget you.” But not one speech came close to Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes barnburner. “Personally, I didn’t say anything because my head was ❰❰ 24
completely blank,” Affleck said backstage of his not political speech. Instead, politics stayed largely with host Jimmy Kimmel, who kept his barbs coy and irreverent, stating at the start that he wasn’t the man to unite the country. The host peppered the evening with digs at President Trump, at one point asking the crowd to stand for the “overrated Meryl Streep,” and, later, for any news outlet with the word “Times” in its name to leave, saying, “We have no tolerance for fake news.” Kimmel even jokingly thanked the president for shifting the focus of the night. “Remember last year when it seemed like the Oscars were racist?” he said in the opening. The evening’s most blunt protests against Trump came not from the A-list stars but from foreigners, a few of whom were not even in attendance and could communicate their sentiments only through statements. Kimmel, as if predicting that this would be the case, said early that the Oscars are watched by 225 countries “that now hate us.” Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, whose “The Salesman” won best foreign film, his second win in the category, did not attend the ceremony in protest of Trump’s travel ban to seven predominantly Muslim nations. Anousheh Ansari, an Iranian astronaut, read a statement from Farhadi. “I’m sorry I’m not with you tonight,” it read. “My absence is out of respect for the people of my country and those of other six nations who have been disrespected by the inhumane law that bans entry of immigrants to the U.S.” Gael Garcia Bernal, the Mexican actor, while presenting an award, also declared: “As a migrant worker, as a Mexican, and as a human being, I am against any wall.” But, of course, the big best picture mistake will be the thing that history remembers about the 89th Academy Awards. “Let’s remember this is just an awards show,” Kimmel said at the close. “I knew I would screw this show up, I really did. I promise I’ll never come back.” ■ AP Film Writer Jake Coyle contributed from Los Angeles.
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FRIDAY
Appealing to millennials, Las Vegas gets e-sports arena BY REGINA GARCIA CANO The Associated Press LAS VEGAS — The arena has all the features that a professional sports venue needs: stands, warm-up areas for teams, massive screens for spectators and a broadcast platform for commentators. But what distinguishes this new Las Vegas arena is its dozens of video game consoles. The 15,000-square-foot esports venue slated to open Friday will host competitive video game tournaments. It’s part of a trend that the casino industry hopes will attract the millennial crowd, the 15- to 34-yearolds who are becoming majority spenders in today’s economy but aren’t necessarily interested in traditional gambling. “Las Vegas needs to consistently reinvent itself to remain relevant to the up-and-coming generation,” said Seth Schorr, CEO of Fifth Street Gaming and a member of the board of directors of Millennial Esports, the company behind the arena. “We’ve always come up with ways to maintain our position as the entertainment capital of the world.” Athletes participating in a tournament at the arena will emerge from a tunnel surrounded by roaring crowds in the stands. They will then go on a podium and sit at stations equipped with game consoles, monitors and other equipment. The venue will open its doors March 3 with a three-day, $50,000-prize-pool Halo World Championship qualifier and host an EA Sports-sanctioned Madden 17 NFL tournament
ESPORTS AT DOWNTOWN GRAND LAS VEGAS / FACEBOOK
later in March. The arena is within walking distance of downtown hotel-casinos. It will host 200 people in stadium-style seating overlooking the main stage, but hundreds more can be accommodated in another hall outfitted with screens showing the live competition. The entire facility was built in an area that once housed movie theatres and a nightclub. More than 3 miles of CAT cable were needed to wire the facility. Its dozens of ports offer internet speeds of one-gigabit. When no tournaments are in progress, the facility will be open to casual gamers and others interested in using the highspeed internet. Las Vegas casinos have invested in numerous non-gaming amenities to attract the elusive millennials, from rooms with bunk beds for the young travellers who don’t want to spend a minute apart to a lounge that features pool, foosball and air hockey. The Downtown Grand, a short walk from the new arena, has an e-sports lounge, where tournament competitors, casual gamers and fans play and socialize. “The younger people don’t
get enamoured by the glitz and the glitter of something; it’s all about authenticity for them,” said Alex Igelman, CEO of Millennial Esports. Vegas is betting on e-sports as its popularity has evolved from a niche genre of gaming to a lucrative sport thanks to new technologies, more reliable internet speeds and a generation of gamers that has grown up watching competitive matches on YouTube and other sites. Nevada sportsbooks have already taken wagers on matches. The sport now draws tens of millions of spectators to online platforms and real-world venues, including New York City’s Madison Square Garden, the Los Angeles’ Staples Center and Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, which earlier this month saw 16 of the world’s best CS:GO teams compete. Estimates show 323 million people watched e-sports in 2016. The global audience is expected to grow to 385 million this year. “E-sports no longer needs to be legitimized; it’s a huge sport already,” said Mike Sepso, cofounder of Major League Gaming. “There are e-sports fans everywhere in this country.” ■
Nova Scotia tourism sector registers third consecutive year of growth THE CANADIAN PRESS HALIFAX — Nova Scotia says the province’s tourism industry continued a steady upswing in fortunes in 2016 It says 2.2 million visitors came to the province — that’s up www.canadianinquirer.net
eight per cent, or about 170,000 more visitors, than in 2015. Provincial officials say it’s the third consecutive year of growth. Tourism revenue for 2016 was also up five per cent, to an estimated 2.6-billion dollars — $125 million higher than in 2015. The biggest area of growth
was from visitors from the United States — with the number of American tourists increasing by 14 per cent. The number of visitors from other parts of Canada was up eight per cent, with 62,000 more from Atlantic Canada alone. ■
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Food Recipes for seasonal salads and family style casserole with barley THE CANADIAN PRESS REGISTERED DIETITIAN Emily Mardell has found more clients having difficulty coping with digestive woes or picky eaters. “In my practice I have definitely noticed people are fighting with food and they need some help to find the joy again and to get rid of some of that everyday frustration and confusion that can come with figuring out how to eat well,” she says from Edmonton. Dietitians of Canada advise eating a balanced diet that includes fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and some sort of food that is rich in calcium and vitamin B, whether that is dairy or an alternative dairy product. It’s not advised to completely cut out a food suspected of causing such problems as gassiness or bloating as you’re losing those particular nutrients from your diet. Check with a dietitian or your doctor for suggestions. “If you only eat beans or pulses once a month, you may experience a little bit of intestinal music or whatever you want to call it, but if you have them more routinely in sensible portions, then your body and your digestion starts to build up a tolerance and a capacity to digest those foods which are very healthy and very worth the effort in terms of including them in your diet,” says Mardell. Dietitians of Canada is showcasing a dozen new recipes incorporating healthy ingredients developed for their March Nutrition Month campaign. Here are three: Avocado and grapefruit winter salad
This salad is a balanced entree because it calls for lean roasted chicken along with avocado and grapefruit, says Mardell. “What I love about it is it includes avocado, which is con-
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sidered a healthy plant-based fat. Winter salad grapefruit is in season right now so you’re getting a very economical nutrient-rich fruit; that’s a good idea as well. And any time you’re able to incorporate a bunch of vegetables, whatever you have on hand, it just makes it better,” she adds. Cabbage is also a reasonably priced seasonal ingredient. Dressing • 15 ml (1 tbsp) lime juice • 15 ml (1 tbsp) sugar • 15 ml (1 tbsp) water • 30 ml (2 tbsp) rice vinegar • 15 ml (1 tbsp) fish sauce or soy sauce • 1 Thai chili pepper, cut into fine rings or 2 ml (1/2 tsp) crushed hot pepper flakes Salad • 1 oven-roasted chicken breast (approx 400 g/0.9 lb) • 1/2 Napa cabbage or Chinese cabbage (approx 500 g/1 lb), thinly sliced • 60 ml (1/4 cup) fresh chopped cilantro • 1 pink grapefruit • 1 avocado, cut into strips • Fresh cilantro leaves, to serve To roast chicken breast, place it on a lightly oiled baking dish. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper. Roast in a 200 C (400 F) oven for about 30 minutes (check doneness after 20 minutes).
Dressing: Mix lime juice with sugar, water, vinegar and fish sauce. Add Thai chili pepper. Mix half the dressing with Napa cabbage and chopped cilantro and set aside to marinate at room temperature. Save remaining dressing for the last step of the recipe. Slice off both ends of grapefruit and peel it down to pulp (no white film), following natural curve of the fruit. Slice grapefruit into fairly narrow rings (approx 5 mm/1/4 inch thickness) and cut each ring into quarters. Divide cabbage onto two large serving plates, and arrange grapefruit and avocado pieces on each plate. Coarsely shred chicken breast and distribute pieces on the plates. Garnish with a few fresh cilantro leaves and drizzle with remaining dressing. Makes 2 servings. Source: Cookspiration.com Broccoli and lentil salad with turmeric yogurt dressing
A salad of broccoli and lentils is economical and nutritious. Yogurt in the dressing provides dairy to the diet. Prep Time: 10 minutes Total time: 20 minutes Dressing • 60 ml (1/4 cup) Greek yogurt • (2 per cent MF)
• 60 ml (1/4 cup) mayonnaise • 10 ml (2 tsp) whole-grain mustard • 10 ml (2 tsp) honey • 5 ml (1 tsp) white wine vinegar • 1 ml (1/4 tsp) ground turmeric • Salt and pepper, to taste Salad • 750 ml (3 cups) broccoli florets (approx 1 head of broccoli) • 250 ml (1 cup) halved cherry tomatoes • 250 ml (1 cup) cooked green lentils • 125 ml (1/2 cup) finely chopped red onion • 125 ml (1/2 cup) sliced toasted almonds (reserve some for garnish) In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. In a large bowl, combine salad ingredients. Toss dressing with salad, season with salt and pepper and garnish with toasted almonds. Makes 4 to 6 servings. Nutritional information per 150-ml (2/3-cup) serving: 200 calories; 12 g total fat (1 g saturated fat); 5 mg cholesterol; 17 g carbohydrates; 5 g dietary fibre; 5 g sugar; 7 g protein; 310 mg sodium; 405 mg potassium; 98 mcg folate.
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Source: Cookspiration.com Pork, apple and cabbage barley casserole
Classic partners — pork, apples and cabbage — combine with barley in this hearty oven-baked meal the family will love. Adding the elements to the oven in stages allows each to cook for the right amount of time. The simple sauce is made with milk and provides a perfect finishing touch. Use an apple variety that holds its flavour and shape when cooked, such as Empire, Northern Spy, Idared, Spartan, Red Prince, Crispin or Granny Smith. Prep time: 15 to 20 minutes Cooking time: 50 minutes • 500 ml (2 cups) reduced-sodium chicken broth • 125 ml (1/2 cup) water, divided • 250 ml (1 cup) pot or pearl barley • 500 g (1 lb) pork tenderloin, trimmed • 2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt, divided • 2 ml (1/2 tsp) pepper, divided • 15 ml (1 tbsp) butter, divided • 1 l (4 cups) thinly sliced green cabbage • 5 ml (1 tsp) dried dill weed • 2 ml (1/2 tsp) caraway seeds (optional) • 1 onion, thinly sliced ❱❱ PAGE 38 Recipes for
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This light Red Wine Granita is a perfect cold dessert THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA IT MAY be cold where you are, but down in Miami, things are getting hot, hot, hot in preparation for the South Beach Food and Wine Festival. Showcasing local and celebrity chefs from around the world, the festival highlights the flavours and ingredients of the southern United States, with extra flair from Miami’s vibrant Latin influence. Though it would be impossible to settle on one dish or ingredient to represent the style of Miami’s food culture, The Culinary Institute of America’s Red Wine Granita is the perfect cold dessert for a hot Miami night. Even if you aren’t breaking a sweat in the Sunshine State, this recipe is a light finish to any dinner — and what’s even better is that it can be endlessly adapted to suit your taste. Granita is the Italian name for what’s more commonly
known as Italian or shaved ice. A granita requires only a few ingredients and even less equipment. If you have water, sugar, and some fruit or juice on hand, you can make a granita. Most frozen desserts, like ice cream and sorbet, are made by combining ingredients and churning them in an ice cream machine. The mixture slowly freezes, and as it churns, tiny ice crystals form to make a frozen dessert that is smooth and creamy. Granitas, on the other hand, are mixed much less frequently during freezing (and sometimes not at all, if you want to make it really easy), which results in an icy texture that is incredibly refreshing. Though this recipe calls for the mixture to be stirred occasionally as it freezes, you can also leave it in a shallow dish to freeze solid, without ever stirring. To serve, simply scrape the surface of the frozen granita mixture with a fork and transfer the shavings to a serving dish. The red wine in this recipe
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lends a refreshing, grown-up finish, but you can use nearly any strongly flavoured liquid to flavour your granita. Concentrated juices and fresh fruit purees can all be substituted in equal parts for the wine in this recipe. Depending on the sweetness of your flavouring ingredient, you may need to reduce or increase the quantity of sugar. Trust your instincts and sweeten the granita to your preference. Red wine granita
Start to finish: 5 hours, 15
Thyme and Yukon Gold Potato Gratin I HAVE a recipe for a potato gratin in my last cookbook, “Dinner Solved!”, that I firmly stand by. Here is another that I firmly stand by. And I plan to come up with more such recipes to firmly stand by because I am committed to reminding all of us why gratins are one of the best things that could ever happen to a potato, ever. This is a rich gratin, made with all cream, no milk or even half and half. I’m not apologizing, just explaining. In general, I like my indulgent dishes flatout indulgent, and my healthier food in the form of broiled fish, or salads. And I don’t have a problem with the two sharing a plate. This gratin, for instance, would be lovely next to a piece of roasted salmon with a peppery green salad alongside them. If you have a mandolin and the inclination to use it, please
do, and you will get lovely, paper-thin slices for a sultry and elegantly stratified gratin. If not, use the slicing blade in your food processor or a sharp knife; the slices will likely not be as thin, but that’s A-OK. Thyme and Yukon gold potato gratin
Serves 10 to 12 Start to finish: 1 hour 30 minutes • 2 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter • 1 teaspoon minced garlic • 3 pounds medium Yukon Gold potatoes • 1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese • 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme • 1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 400 F.
• 3 cups water • 1 3/4 cups red wine • 3/4 cup sugar • 3/4 cup orange juice • 3/4 cup lemon juice • 1 vanilla bean, scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract Place a 9- by 13-inch glass or metal baking pan in the freezer to chill (if you do not have this size pan, most sizes will work,
Nutrition information per serving: 71 calories; 0 calories from fat; 0 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 0 mg sodium; 13 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 11 g sugar; 0 g protein.
Recipes for...
COOKING ON DEADLINE:
BY KATIE WORKMAN The Associated Press
minutes (Active time: 15 minutes) Servings: 12
though a smaller pan will require a longer freezing time). Combine the water, wine, sugar, orange juice, lemon juice, and vanilla in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over mediumhigh heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has reduced slightly, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. Remove the vanilla bean, if using, then transfer to the chilled baking dish. Place in the freezer and gently stir the mixture with a whisk every 30 minutes until it resembles crushed ice, about 3 hours. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and freeze until needed. ■
Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Combine the cream, butter and garlic in a medium saucepan and bring to barely a simmer over medium high heat. Remove from the heat. While the mixture is heating, peel the potatoes and slice them very thinly. Combine the cheese, thyme, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Spread out half of the potatoes in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the cheese mixture. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, and then the remaining cheese mixture. Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes, and press down on the potatoes to make sure they are mostly submerged in the liquid. Bake on a lower rack in the oven for about 60 to 65 minutes, until the top is golden brown, and the potatoes have absorbed most of the cream and are very tender; a knife should slide in easily. Let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
• 2 cooking apples, cut lengthwise into thin wedges • 30 ml (2 tbsp) whole-wheat flour • 15 ml (1 tbsp) Dijon mustard • 500 ml (2 cups) milk ❰❰ 37
Preheat oven to 190 C (375 F). Butter a 33-by-23-cm (13-by-9inch) glass baking dish. In a glass measuring cup in the microwave or in a small saucepan, bring broth and 60 ml (1/4 cup) of the water to a boil on high. In prepared baking dish, combine barley and boiling broth mixture. Cover dish tightly with foil. Bake for 25 minutes until barley is slightly softened. Meanwhile, sprinkle pork all over with about 0.5 ml (1/8 tsp) each of the salt and pepper. In a large skillet, melt half the butter over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook, turning to brown all sides, for about 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add cabbage, dill, caraway seeds (if using) and half the remaining salt and pepper to the skillet; saute for about 5 minutes or until cabbage is wilted.
Pour in remaining 60 ml (1/4 cup) water. Remove from heat. Remove baking dish from oven. Stir cabbage mixture into barley and spread out in dish; nestle pork in the centre of the dish. Cover again with foil and bake for 15 minutes. While pork bakes, return skillet to medium heat; add remaining butter and swirl to coat pan. Add onion, apples and remaining salt and pepper; saute for about 5 minutes or until onion is softened. Whisk flour and mustard into milk; gradually pour into skillet, stirring. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring often. Boil, stirring, for about 2 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Uncover baking dish and pour sauce evenly over top. Bake, uncovered, for about 10 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of pork reads 71 C (160 F). Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then slice pork across the grain and serve with barley and sauce. Makes 4 servings. ■ Nutritional information per serving: 484 calories; 40 g protein; 62 g carbohydrate; 10 g fat; 12.9 g fibre; 696 mg sodium. Source: Cookspiration.com
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