Philippine Canadian Inquirer #261

Canada’s First and Only NATIONWIDE Filipino-Canadian Newspaper March 24, 2017

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VOL. 3 NO. 261

NO TO CONTRACTUALIZATION

Workers protest the government’s contractualization policy even as Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III signs a new order banning “endo.” Story on page 6.

Impeachment try an uphill battle

By DJ Yap Philippine Daily Inquirer Allies of Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano on Friday agreed that it would be extremely hard to gather the 97 signatures needed to impeach President Duterte, but the complaint could well “catch fire” over the Holy Week break.

Akbayan Rep. Tomasito Villarin, a fellow member of the “Magnificent 7” independent minority bloc, said the

charges laid out in Alejano’s 16-page complaint were serious enough to warrant the House leadership to not dismiss it outright.

“It should be given due course and witnesses heard,” he said.

While getting 97 signatures — representing one-third of the 292 House members — would be difficult, Villarin said recent developments in the chamber, particularly the contentious death

8

Guess who came to Palace dinner

18 PH urged to rethink China ties ❱❱ page 6

❱❱ page 12 Impeachment try

Grig Montegrande / pdi

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Ex-mutineer seeks to impeach Duterte Rep. Gary Alejano files an impeachment complaint against the President in connection with the spate of drug killings and unexplained wealth, a move Malacañang sees as part of a destabilization plot

By DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer

Alejano, 44, sought to pin down Mr. Duterte as the brains behind of the socalled Davao Death Squad (DDS) when he was mayor there, based on testimoJust nine months in office, President nies in the Senate of confessed assassins Duterte is facing the first attempt to im- Edgar Matobato and Arturo Lascañas. peach him on accusations that he is reMr. Duterte was also accused of comsponsible for the deaths of 8,000 drug mitting graft and corruption in the hiroffenders, that he has amassed P2.2 bil- ing of 11,000 “ghost employees” when he lion in unexplained wealth, and that he was mayor. has committed other high crimes.

Alejano also accused the President of The complaint was filed on Thursday amassing P2.2 billion in “deposits and

by Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, a former credits that flowed into his numerous bank Marine captain who joined two failed accounts,” based on copies of transactions coup attempts in 2003 and 2007 led by that were attached to the complaint. The then Navy Lt. Antonio Trillanes IV, now case was first raised by Trillanes during a senator, against then President Gloria the presidential campaign.

Macapagal-Arroyo.

A vote of at least “We are of the firm one-third of the belief that President 292-member House Duterte is unfit to of Representatives is hold the highest ofWe are not needed to impeach staging a coup fice of the land and the President. d’etat or any that impeachment is With more than other means to the legal and consti260 of the lawmakers oust Duterte. tutional remedy to belonging to a prothis situation,” AleDuterte bloc, Alejano jano told reporters. acknowledged that “There is nothing he was facing an “upextralegal here. We hill climb.” are not staging a coup d’etat or any other means to oust Duterte,” Alejano said, ‘Stupidity’ bristling at suggestions his move might Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, a bosom be construed as an attempt to destabi- buddy of the President, shrugged off the lize the Duterte administration. move: “We are all entitled to our own The 16-page complaint cited as stupidity.” grounds for impeachment culpable “All charges are fabricated. They seem violations of the 1987 Constitution, be- to believe their own lies,” he said in a trayal of public trust, and graft and cor- text message to reporters.

House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariruption. ñas said Alejano’s claims were “obviDavao Death Squad ously” not personally known to the comThe complaint took the President to plainant and “palpably hearsay.” task for his “state policy” of inducing poFariñas noted another flaw of the imlicemen, other law enforcement author- peachment complaint —referring to acts ities, and vigilante groups to kill more that Mr. Duterte supposedly committed than 8,000 people “who were merely before he became President. suspected of being drug offenders.”

“An official is impeached for acts com-

Yes, CJ, there’s life after SC

By MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer Is there life for former “gods of Padre Faura?” Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno found the answer from one of her predecessors, retired Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, who unveiled his latest book, “With Due Respect 2,” a selection of his columns in the Inquirer with the same title. Sereno keynoted the book launch on Tuesday night. Is there life for former “gods of Padre Faura?”

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno has found the answer in one of her predecessors, retired Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, who has unveiled his latest book, “With Due Respect 2,” a selection of his columns in the Inquirer with the same title.

Keynoting the book launch on Tuesday night, Sereno paid tribute to Panganiban’s zest in making public his views on a hodgepodge of issues concerning the Supreme Court and other ❱❱ page 7 Yes, CJ

mitted in his present office,” he said.

“Since the allegations made while he was mayor were widely publicized and known by the voters when they elected him President, the clear mandate given to him by the people has to be respected.

This is the jurisprudence even with respect to elected or reelected local officials,” Fariñas said.

Strongman rule

“It has turned out that the Senate hearing on the alleged DDS was a preview or dry run for the impeachment complaint,” he added.

Alejano admitted that he felt trepidation in moving against the President, a firebrand leader whose fiercest critic, Sen. Leila de Lima, is now in jail.

“Definitely, we are only human. We feel fear. But will this prevail over our mandate?

Even as soldiers, we felt fear,” he said.

Alejano said he was more concerned about the impact of the President’s strongman rule and his dictatorial tendencies on the people.

“What Mr. Duterte is doing is desensitizing the people to martial law. Let us not be numb to this. Let us not be silent

on this,” he said.

“Do not wait until the killings reach 20,000 or 30,000 or 40,000 .... What we don’t want is for people to accept that these killings are OK,” the lawmaker said.

High popularity ratings

He acknowledged the President’s continuing popularity and high approval ratings among Filipinos, but he said he was not discouraged.

“We believe he should answer for the crimes he has committed,” he said.

Alejano said he might have difficulty getting House support for his impeachment bid.

Mr. Duterte’s popularity rating remains high and he enjoys big support in both houses of Congress.

“We know the numbers are against us, and we are facing a big challenge,” Alejano said. “But we still believe that impeachment would be fought not only inside the halls of Congress but also outside.”

“There’s the Church, schools, civil society and the many Filipinos who did not vote and do not support and not in favor of the policies under President Duterte,” he said.

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PH urged to rethink China ties

By TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer The government should rethink relations with China following reports Beijing was planning to build a radar station on Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal off the coast of Zambales, according to Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio. China’s latest move is meant to back its excessive maritime claims in the strategic region, Carpio said. The Philippines should rethink relations with China following reports Beijing was planning to build a radar station on Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal off the coast of Zambales, Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio said on Saturday.

Carpio said China’s move could escalate militarization in the disputed South China Sea to back its excessive maritime claims in the region.

The planned environmental monitoring station on Panatag Shoal may just be an initial step in a creeping occupation, as seen in previous Chinese incursions at Kagitingan (Fiery Cross) Reef, he said.

Eventually, China may declare an air defense identification zone (Adiz), through which Beijing may impose restrictions on flights, including the interception of foreign aircraft, Carpio said.

“These developments call for a national debate, and consensus, on how the nation should proceed with its bilateral relations with China,” said Carpio, who has been a leading voice urging the government to assert its sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea, its ex-

clusive economic zone (EEZ) within the South China Sea. President Duterte has been careful not to antagonize China, and has made efforts to improve bilateral relations dampened by the territorial wrangling.

He has also publicly rebuked China’s rival the United States, the country’s longtime security ally that has warned against perceived Chinese provocation in the sea region.

In October, Mr. Duterte said he asserted to Chinese President Xi Jinping the Philippines ownership of Panatag Shoal, located just 230 kilometers off the Zambales coast and is well within the Philippines’ EEZ. While China also reiterated its ownership of the shoal, it subsequently allowed Filipino fishermen to return to their fishing activities in the traditional fishing grounds.

“In 1987, the Chinese erected a radar weather station on Fiery Cross Reef (an outcrop in the Spratlys just a meter above water) ostensibly to help Unesco’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) global oceanic survey,” he said.

“In 2014 to 2015, the Chinese turned that weather station into a 270-hectare military air naval base,” Carpio said.

He said China may well be doing the same on Panatag Shoal.

A radar station on the shoal would complete China’s radar coverage over the expanse of the South China Sea. “Now it’s the turn of Scarborough Shoal,” Carpio said.

“China will install an environmental monitoring station (aka radar station) on Scarborough Shoal. A radar station on Scarborough Shoal will immediately complete China’s radar coverage of the entire South China Sea. China can then im-

CSIS Center for Strategic International Studies / Flickr

in the Paracels. China also just completed building on Zamora (Subi) Reef, Panganiban (Mischief ) Reef and Fiery Cross Reef concrete hexagonal structures, with retractable roofs, to house HQ-9 missile batteries,” Carpio said.

The Philippines also protested China’s missile deployment on Woody Island in February last year, saying it violated the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea and earlier declarations between China and the AssociaKagitingan Reef tion of Southeast The shoal Asian Nations has been under against aggresChina’s control sive action in the since a standoff disputed waters. between its ships These developments call for a national debate, and consensus, on Carpio said and Filipino veshow the nation should proceed with China will use sels in 2012, but a its bilateral relations with China. these military United Nationsinstallations “to backed arbitral enforce the ninetribunal ruled in dash lines as favor of the Philpose an Adiz in the South China China’s national boundaries in ippines last year. the South China Sea.” Beijing has rejected the rul- Sea,” he said.

“That means China will grab Through an Adiz, China, the ing, but has appeared to soften following Mr. Duterte’s peace most weaponized nation among 80 percent of Philippine EEZ claimants to the disputed wa- and 100 percent of Philippine overtures.

Carpio cited how China had ters, may utilize missile silos it extended continental shelf in the turned Kagitingan Reef from had earlier built over its bases West Philippine Sea,” he said.

Apart from the Philippines a meter-high outcrop in the on South China Sea islands.

“China will use its HQ-9 sur- and China, Vietnam, MalaySpratlys into a naval base in face to air missiles to enforce sia, Brunei and Taiwan also lay 2015 through reclamation.

Today, China is able to deploy the Adiz. These missiles are claim to parts of the South Chinow installed on Woody Island na Sea. flights to and from the reef.

Clarification

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the government was aware of the reports and that it was seeking clarification from Beijing. But he did not say what the government would do after that.

“We are seeking information from Chinese authorities to clarify the accuracy of the report,” Abella said.

The reports came as President Duterte met with Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang in Davao City on Friday.

In that meeting, both leaders reaffirmed their countries’ “stronger bilateral ties” with Mr. Duterte underscoring the importance of the peaceful settlement of disputes.

Reports of China’s latest plan to build new structures in the area came shortly after the country’s defense chief expressed concern over the presence of a Chinese survey ship on Benham Rise, which belongs to the Philippines according to a 2012 United Nations ruling.

China has since said it was only exercising innocent passage in the area and would respect the country’s rights over it.

Mr. Duterte had downplayed the issue, and said he had an agreement with China to allow its research ships in the area.

Dole order won’t stop ‘endo’–labor

By Julie M. Aurelio and Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer Workers’ groups on Friday questioned the labor department’s new order banning labor-only contracting, charging that it has failed to stop the unfair practice of contractualization.

The Ecumenical Institute

for Labor Education and Research pointed out that the Department of Labor and Employment’s (Dole) new rules did not heed demands to end the practice of hiring workers and letting them go before they reach six months at work, which would automatically make them regular employees entitled to full benefits under the law.

Department Order (DO) No.

174 “still encourages shortterm contracts and violate job security in the guise of legal contractualization,” said Rochelle Poras, the institute’s executive director.

“The so-called win-win solution does not ban but further legitimizes contractualization. That is very far from the workers’ demand to repeal all orders and policies that allow labor contractualization,” Powww.canadianinquirer.net

ras said.

The statement came a day after workers’ groups trooped to Intramuros to protest the labor department’s order Thursday. The order, signed by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, banned laboronly contracting, strictly regulated lawful contractual arrangements and prohibited “endo” or the end of contract scheme.

But labor groups Kilusang

Mayo Uno and the Partido Manggagawa protested the order as “pro-contractualization.”

The labor research center also criticized Bello’s excuse that only Congress can completely ban contractualization.

Regularization

“President

Duterte

had

❱❱ page 10 Dole order

Philippine News

Friday March 24, 2017

Yes, CJ... legal matters through his weekly opinion column.

Over a decade after leaving the high court, the former chief justice, she said, has continued to help bridge the gap between the ordinary citizens and the justices, often regarded as “gods of Padre Faura” for their lofty stature as members of the country’s highest judicial body. ❰❰ 3

Instrumental

The chief magistrate said Panganiban’s opinion pieces had been “very instrumental in explaining the work of the judiciary” to the public.

“Indeed, Chief Justice Panganiban’s reincarnation as columnist ... is proof that there is life after retirement from the Supreme Court, including retirement from the position of Chief Justice,” Sereno told the gathering held at Rufino Campus of De La Salle University at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City.

“Truly, one cannot expect a personality as vital as Chief Justice Panganiban to not have his voice heard anymore when he retired considering that that voice had eloquently and powerfully stood up for the liberty and prosperity of our people when he was sitting in the court,” she said.

Panganiban, who served as the tribunal’s 21st chief justice from December 2005 until his retirement a year later, was also instrumental in setting up the high court’s Public Information Office in 1999, Sereno noted.

Said the Chief Justice: “Through his column, (Panganiban), even after retirement from the court, continues to empower our people to engage and take part in the public discourse and debate by informing them about the national issues affecting them.”

enjoy writing for the Inquirer. Why? First, I am given complete freedom to dwell on any subject of my choice with-

out interference from the owners and editors,” Panganiban said.

“Second, writing a column forces me

7

to be updated on the latest news on what is going on in our country and the world, especially in the judiciary,” he said.

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Challenge

In his speech, Panganiban admitted that he reluctantly accepted the invitation of Inquirer chair Marixi Rufino Prieto to write a column despite having authored over 1,200 rulings and 11 books in his prolific 11-year career as member of the high tribunal.

After being used to writing lengthy decisions and legal opinions, it was a challenge for the former magistrate to contain his thoughts within the 4,100-character limit for Inquirer opinion columnists.

Since his first column was printed on Feb. 11, 2007, Panganiban had consistently put out an article every Sunday, producing a total of 525 articles within the 10-year period.

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Second book

His second book, published six years after the first compilation of his writings was released, contained his opinion pieces from 2011 until June 2016.

“Looking back after writing 525 columns, I must say that I enjoyed and still Budget Print 2017 PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER.indd 1

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2017-02-28 2:56 PM

Philippine News

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March 24, 2017

Friday

Guess who came to Palace dinner

By TARRA QUISMUNDO, CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO AND LEILA SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer 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

Email: info@canadianinquirer.net, sales@ canadianinquirer.net Philippine Canadian Inquirer is published weekly every Friday.

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Member

President Duterte asked 15 senators to support his war on illegal drugs and poverty during a dinner he hosted on Tuesday. Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said there were discussions on bills involving emergency powers to solve the traffic crisis, tax reforms and federalism. Over a simple dinner in Malacañang with the Senate majority bloc on Tuesday night, President Duterte asked for support to move the country forward, particularly in solving the twin problems of drugs and poverty.

Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri said on Wednesday that Mr. Duterte sought the senators’ support to pursue his legislative agenda, with the tax reform and federalism measures among topics for discussion.

Zubiri said the President made the plea just as the senators were about to leave following the two-hour gathering.

“He paused and faced us and basically told us ‘give me a chance to do my job, and I promise we’ll do our best to address the problem of drugs and poverty,’” Zubiri said.

He said the President asked for time to “do what I have to do to help this country forward.”

“So that was a very sincere request from the President ... And also, sincerely, that also touched our hearts. Many of us felt that we should support our President, that we should give him a chance.

It hasn’t even been 10 months,” he told reporters.

Asked if the call for support was prompted by the administration’s fears of a destabilization plot, Zubiri said: “He was not even worried about the destabilization issues.”

“Our President is a tough guy but when he said that, we saw his human side,” he added.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said the meeting had no agenda, but presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Mr. Duterte discussed “vital legislative agenda pending in the Senate.”

Official Gazette of the Philippines

antidrug campaign and the Senate’s concurrence with the Philippines’ accession to the Paris Agreement.

“In all, it was a productive evening,” Abella said.

Not a loyalty check

For Sen. Grace Poe, it was a cordial first face-to-face meeting with Mr. Duterte since the May 2016 elections.

“It was happy, very light. We have known each other for a long time. So it was comfortable, I can say it was a light, happy chat,” said Poe, who lost the presidential election.

Asked if she felt the President was seeking to secure the senators’ loyalty, she said: “I don’t think so … It was really a social dinner.”

Senators said the President did not make any reference to the problematic appointment of Environment Secretary Gina Lopez or the controversial Senate committee report of Sen. Panfilo Lacson who had warned Mr. Duterte against “micromanaging” the police allegedly resulting in the killing of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa in his jail cell.

Lacson was invited to the dinner but failed to attend, along with Senators Gregorio Honasan and Chiz Escudero, because of prior engagements.

Intel report

Productive evening

Among the measures tackled were the proposed emergency powers to solve the traffic problem in Metro Manila and the proposed comprehensive tax reform package.

The tax package would realign revenue collection and boost taxpayers’ income while ensuring that government operations and inclusive development programs would continue to run smoothly.

Also discussed were the President’s

The only controversial issue the President mentioned was that he had a US intelligence report against detained Sen. Leila de Lima, according to Sen. JV Ejercito.

Ejercito, who tweeted a photograph of the President and the 15 senators during their dinner, said Mr. Duterte claimed that the justice department had evidence against De Lima, accused of drug offenses when she was the justice secretary.

“They are not trumped-up charges, that there’s a basis for filing the charges

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because (they even have) international intelligence,” Ejercito said.

A senator who did not want to be quoted told the Inquirer that it was a report by the US Drug Enforcement Agency that was given to the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency.

Sen. Richard Gordon said he understood the US report was given by the US Department of State.

Beef and soup

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said it was the first big gathering of senators where beef and soup was served.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Senators Alan Peter Cayetano, Loren Legarda, Grace Poe, Cynthia Villar, Nancy Binay, Sherwin Gatchalian, Emmanuel Pacquiao, Sonny Angara, Juan Miguel Zubiri and Joel Villanueva also attended the affair.

“The President mentioned the death penalty but he did not directly ask us to pass the bill,” Recto told reporters. He said Mr. Duterte merely discussed his position favoring the revival of the death penalty.

Angara said the President showed a report listing local officials involved in the illegal drug trade. He said the report had apparently been trimmed because it did not look as voluminous as before.

Angara said the President recounted that when the drug war was suspended the number of rape cases went up.

The President’s bid to push for tax reforms was also discussed, according to Ejercito, who said Mr. Duterte observed that some senators had concerns about an increase in the taxes on petroleum products.

Sotto said federalism was discussed as well and that the President underscored the importance of supporting the autonomy of Mindanao.

Philippine News

Friday March 24, 2017

9

De Lima vows to continue fight

Hontiveros urge foreign investigation into EJKs

By Christine O. Avendaño Philippine Daily Inquirer

By Phoebe Balubar Philippine Canadian Inquirer

Detained Sen. Leila de Lima accused President Duterte on Sunday of using the government machinery to silence her and “those who dare criticize” him.

De Lima said this was made clear by the harassment she suffered from the Duterte “regime” which she stressed used false charges that resulted in her detention.

In her statement in Filipino, De Lima thanked her supporters and vowed to continue her fight against the Duterte administration days after the European Union sought her release from detention.

De Lima said she was drawing her strength and confidence from those who support her cause.

The senator, who is detained in Camp Crame in Quezon City over drug-related charges,

made the statement as her fellow Liberal Party mate Vice President Leni Robredo is facing possible impeachment after House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez linked her to a plot to oust the President.

Robredo drew ire from presidential allies after she made a video message before the United Nations criticizing Mr. Duterte’s bloody war on drugs.

Her video was released a day before the Magdalo party-list group filed an impeachment complaint against the President in the House.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV slammed on Sunday presidential allies for always taking on women critical of the administration.

“What did Vice President Leni do? Nothing. It’s like they want to take on women. If women [are critical] they go crazy,” he said in a radio interview.

Trillanes said Robredo was not part of the Magdalo impeachment complaint against the President.

National Officials had expressed concern over the facts that Vice President Leni Robredo released in a video message for a UN Conference last week, citing that she had provided false information.

This places the Philippines in a position of further scrutiny and criticism over Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs.

In a statement made Monday, Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros said that the government should invite representatives from the United Nations and the European Union to ensure that the international community is not “misinformed”.

“The assertion that the UN and EU parliament were grossly misinformed of the situation in the country is wrong. The members of both the UN and EU have various missions to the country, manned by hundreds of staff. They know what is hap-

pening around here,” she said.

“But if the government will continue to dismiss the international organizations’ pronouncements for their supposed lack of awareness of the realities on the ground, then I urge the Duterte government to invite representatives of the UN and EU to verify the allegations of EJKs in the country,” she added.

Hontiveros said that the Duterte Administration should understand that the Philippines is part of a global community joined not only by trade and economic ties, but also by the shared respect and interest in human dignity and social welfare.

On the other hand, Senator Panfilo Lacson asked the Vice President to double-check her figures on extrajudicial killings in the camera. In her video, she said that over 7,000 people were killed ever since Duterte was elected as President.

Lacson said that both sides have their share of losses. He

tweeted that the government had suffered 38 casualties in 2,000 police operations and that she should correct her facts.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano also said earlier that international human rights groups are looking at a summarized figure where the 7,000 is a summary of legitimate police operations, and homicide and murder cases that are not supposed to be attributed with the drug war.

In fact, according to Cayetano, there are some 70,000 extrajudicial and unresolved killings recorded during Former President Benigno Aquino III’s term which is something that international groups had not raised prior to Duterte’s war on drugs.

LP comes to Leni’s defense on ‘destab,’ impeachment plot

By Tarra Quismundo Philippine Daily Inquirer The Liberal Party (LP) on Saturday defended Vice President Leni Robredo against allegations that she was involved in an alleged plot to oust President Duterte, saying his allies were destabilizing his administration by spreading lies against the nation’s second highest official.

They should stop destabilizing the administration and focus instead on the gargantuan tasks of delivering on its campaign promises, such as ending ‘endo’ and creating jobs; finishing the traffic nightmare and easing commuters’ lives; and stopping corruption and moving the country forward, among others,” said LP president Sen. Francis Pangilinan.

Pangilinan said Mr. Duterte himself had cleared Robredo of any role in an alleged destabili-

zation plot.

“The President’s allies should take this cue from him and refrain from sowing lies, as this is infecting the nation instead of uniting us,” Pangilinan said.

Mr. Duterte on Monday accused mining companies opposed to Environment Secretary Gina Lopez of funding a supposed destabilization plot by making him “unpopular.”

But the President quickly added: “I’m not saying Leni is involved. I don’t want to drag her name.”

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said there was no destabilization plot against the administration, saying criticisms against the administration did not amount to ouster schemes.

Allies of the President on Friday accused Robredo of involvement in moves to oust the President. They cited her video message to the United Nations

where she criticized the President’s bloody war on drugs.

The video was made public on Wednesday, the day before Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano filed an impeachment complaint against Mr. Duterte.

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez linked Robredo to the impeachment bid.

Alejano said she had no role in the complaint.

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella on Friday said Robredo was in “a pathetic state of affairs,” noting that the release of her message to the United Nations and the filing of the impeachment complaint against the President “seems too neat to be written off as mere coincidence.”

In a statement, the LP said claims linking Robredo to an ouster plot were “baseless, orchestrated lies that only harm the country.”

Pangilinan cited the socalled www.canadianinquirer.net

Leni Robredo / Facebook

“Nagaleaks,” an online exposé claiming that Robredo’s late husband, Jesse Robredo, who had served as interior secretary and Naga City mayor, had profited from jueteng and illegal drugs.

“It’s the same thing they did to [Sen.] Leila [de Lima]: demonize and vilify with baseless accusations,” Pangilinan said.

De Lima, a vocal critic of the President, has been arrested

and detained on nonbailable drug charges. She has repeatedly denied links to the drug trade, saying the cases against her were a form of revenge by Mr. Duterte, whom she had accused of instigating extrajudicial killings in his war on drugs.

The President had appointed Robredo to take charge of housing but later banned her from Cabinet meetings, prompting her to resign in December.

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March 24, 2017

Friday

Dole order... marching orders to end contractualization. Bello’s DO 174 simply exposes that the administration does not want to ban contractualization in favor of big capitalists,” she said.

Poras reiterated the group’s appeal to junk any order promoting contractual work arrangements, stressing that workers want to ban all forms of contractualization. She said she would be seeking a legislative inquiry on DO 174 when Congress resumes its session in May. “What we want… is the regularization of workers and the passing of a national minimum wage,” she said.

The Partido Manggagawa agreed, noting that the DO 174 only reiterated prohibitions already spelled out in the old Department Order 18-A which it was meant to supersede.

“The labor secretary is vested by the Labor Code with the power to prohibit or restrict labor contracting. Why does Bello not want to exercise this authority to prohibit?” the group’s spokesperson Wilson Fortaleza asked.

Fortaleza argued that the new order directly contradicted President Duterte’s promise to end contractualization and agency hiring. He said that contractualization of workers would continue.

“As lifetime agency employees, the best workers can hope for is a minimum wage while principal employers reap the fruits of labor productivity,” he said.

Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) secretary general Jerome Adonis agreed, noting that the signing of the new rules only proved that President Duterte’s promise was “mere lip service.”

“Duterte only earned the ire of Filipino workers over his failed promises and continued implementation of antiworker policies,” Adonis said.

The KMU warned that the Duterte administration faced bigger workers’ protests against its failed promise to end contractualization. ❰❰ 6

Major step

But Malacañang on Friday ignored workers’ protest that argued that the watered down directive would not completely remedy job insecurity.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the labor department’s order was “a fulfillment of the campaign promise of the President.”

“This is a major step in upholding and protecting the labor rights of our great Filipino workers,” Abella said in a statement.

“We guarantee the proper implementation of this Department Order by our labor officials and expect the full cooperation from the employers,” he said.

He said that workers should be allowed to enjoy the fruits of their labor, even as “business investments must be encouraged to grow and prosper.” www.canadianinquirer.net DESCRIPTION:

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Philippine News

Friday March 24, 2017

11

US military renews commitment to PH defense

By Jocelyn R. Uy Philippine Daily Inquirer The US military on Wednesday renewed its commitment to the Philippines to fortify its bilateral and defense ties as it celebrated seven decades of the Joint US Military Assistance Group’s (Jusmag) security cooperation mission in the country.

The occasion, hosted by the US Ambassador to Manila Sung Kim, also highlighted the inaugural Major General Albert Jones Memorial Award, which was accorded to Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana for his valuable support to the group throughout his military and diplomatic careers spanning four decades.

The award is given to a US or Philippine government official who has made significant contributions to the bilateral defense partnership.

Jones, the first chief of JusmagPhilippines, was the only general officer on the infamous Bataan death march who endured two

years of torture and starvation alongside other soldiers.

In a speech on Wednesday night, Jusmag chief Col. Ernest Lee said the group’s 70th year was a celebration of the “unbreakable bond” between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the United States.

“Relationships that last this long are very special. They are not relationship of convenience but based on mutual respect, common values and shared destiny,” said Lee. The celebration showed how both countries continued to keep its relations warm despite earlier threats by President Duterte to diminish ties with American forces.

“This award is just reaffirming that good relationship. But with or without the award, our relationship is good,” Lorenzana told the Inquirer.

The Jusmag was created through the 1947 Military Assistance Agreement in the aftermath of World War II to advise and assist the AFP in

training, equipment and organization. It helped the AFP modernize and build capabilities and interoperability that are mutually beneficial.

In his remarks, Kim encouraged both the Jusmag and the AFP to continue the legacy of selfless dedication and commitment in defending its freedom and promoting peace and stability.

“Jusmag-Philippines has carried on that tradition for the past 70 years and I amconfident that it will continue to do so in the next 70 years and beyond,” he said.

In his acceptance speech, Lorenzana said the award spoke of the “highest standard and higher value” of alliance between the Philippines and the United States.

“I hope this award will inspire our efforts beyond the bounds of mutual defense and security engagements for the challenges that confront us today are far different from those that we had to deal with from the past decades and they continue to unravel in various ways with new technologies,” he said.

DILG chief: ‘Palit Ulo’ not true Philippines News Agency MANILA — Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno has denied Vice President Leonor Robredo’s allegations of a “Palit Ulo” scheme in the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) anti-illegal drugs operations.

“I respectfully request the Vice President to please corroborate her statement,” Sueno said in a news release issued by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Tuesday.

“It would help if Vice President Robredo presents to us

solid proof about this so-called ‘Palit Ulo’ scheme so we can act on it immediately.”

The vice president, in a message to a United Nations conference in Austria, spoke of the alleged scheme where a member of a family takes the place of a drug suspect who could not be found.

Sueno emphasized that the DILG-PNP is open to suggestions from stakeholders on how to win the war against narcotics, saying they have even revised their strategy with the launch of Oplan Double Barrel 2.

Meanwhile, Sueno noted that the letter sent by Vice Presi-

dent Robredo seeking information on the drug war was forwarded to Undersecretary for Public Order Catalino Cuy, who in turn forwarded it to the PNP. “The PNP is not hiding anything, and in fact, we have always been transparent with Oplan Tokhang, and we have been providing regular updates about Tokhang operations through the media,” he said.

The DILG chief also said he has always been cordial to the Vice President and had even paid her a courtesy call to discuss how they could work together to solve jail congestion.

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Senate of the Philippines / Facebook

Sotto: More than half of Filipino drivers are stupid

By Phoebe Balubar Philippine Canadian Inquirer In a hearing by the Senate Committee on Public Service regarding road accidents held yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said that not only are Filipino drivers reckless but also stupid.

He called the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to enforce a stricter process for renewing licenses. However, he said that if in the event honest-to-goodness exams will be implemented as required in other countries, more than 50 percent will not pass.

Sotto recalls his personal experience in his travels and observed that there are a lot of motorists who do not follow traffic regulations such as unauthorized parking in city streets and thus contribute to traffic congestion. He said that addressing this problem can contribute in solving the massive road problem in Metro Manila.

He also pointed out how it is easy for drivers to acquire and renew licenses which doesn’t further screen or monitor their

performance behind the wheel.

LTO Chief and Assistant Transportation Secretary Edgar Galvante admits that there are indeed shortcomings in the qualification process, particularly in the licensing process for professional drivers.

He stated that under the law, a driver who had been previously issued a six-month student license is qualified to apply for a professional license. However, he did assure the agency will take measures to further assess the performance of drivers. He said that the agency will promote separate sets of exams for professional and non-professional drivers.

Currently, there is only one exam for both categories.

He did not say anything as to how enforcing separate exams will solve the problem of having stupid drivers.

Just last month a tourist bus carrying 50 passengers, mostly students, hit an electric pole in Tanay, Rizal, killing 15 people including the driver. The Senate called for an investigation towards the matter and to also address concerns regarding passenger safety and qualifications of drivers.

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Friday

Marcos stands a chance after PNP: 10,562 drug Robredo’s possible impeachment suspects surrender

By Phoebe Balubar Philippine Canadian Inquirer After Vice President Leni Robredo released a video calling the international community’s attention on the Duterte Administration’s campaign against drugs, officials had expressed various opinions including House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez announcing a plan to impeach Robredo.

This could mean that Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. stands a chance on securing the Office of the Vice President.

According to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, if in the event an impeachment against Robredo becomes successful, Marcos could secure the spot as the next Vice President if the Presidential Elec-

toral Tribunal would decide on his election protest and file a resolution in favor of him Aguirre explained that traditionally, the Constitution mandates the third highest official to succeed the office and that would be the Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III. However, it also gives the President an option to nominate a replacement for a vacant Vice Presidential post from members of the Senate and the House. The nomination shall be subject to approval of a majority of the Congress voting separately.

This was the case of former Senator Teofisto Guingona Jr who was appointed Vice President in 2001 following Estrada’s resignation over plunder charges.

Nine months after Marcos filed his electoral protest, it is

still in its preliminary phase.

As of the moment, the supramajority in the Lower House backed the call for Leni’s impeachment. Aguirre said that the burden would be on the accuser. He also said that chances are very likely if they could prove that her claim has no factual basis and that this claim resulted to damages to the national reputation and economy.

Meanwhile, Solicitor General Jose Calida said that he supports the impeachment plan against Robredo for betraying the government for slandering the President and his administration before the international community. He considered Robredo’s video message as a “treasonous act”.

In the event that an impeachment case has been filed, Calida vowed to render legal service.

since ‘war on drugs’ resumed March 6 Philippines News Agency MANILA — A total of 10,562 drug suspects have surrendered since the “war on drugs” of the Philippine National Police (PNP) resumed last March 6.

Data released by the PNP on Tuesday, from March 6, 2017 until 6 a.m. of March 21, 2017, a total of 107,087 homes have been visited as part of the “Oplan Tokhang,” which resulted in the surrender of 10,562 drug personalities.

Under the “Oplan Tokhang (Operation plan knock/re-

quest)”, the homes of suspected drug personalities are visited by the PNP and they are asked to stop their illegal activity, surrender or undergo rehabilitation.

Since the resumption of the “war on drugs,” the PNP have conducted a total of 1,594 anti-drug operations against the so-called “High Value Targets (HVTs),” which resulted in 39 dead and 2,485 arrested drug personalities.

The 39 casualties resisted arrest and fought it out with authorities.

On the other hand, two policemen were killed and three others were injured during the same period.

Impeachment try... penalty vote that led to the ousting of 12 House leaders, could change minds.

“I agree with him that it’s an uphill battle to get 97 signatures. But with the vindictive policy of stripping House committee chairs from those who exercised their conscience vote on the death penalty and possibly the bill lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 9 years old, the complaint could catch fire,” Villarin said.

Alejano timed the filing of his complaint on the first day of the congressional recess, saying he wanted to give his colleagues the chance to “reflect” on things. Congress will resume its session on May 2.

Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat, a member of the Liberal Party (LP), clarified that Alejano’s ❰❰ 1

impeachment move was an independent action of the Magdalo group.

“Well first of all, it’s a Magdalo initiative that’s independent of the authentic minority. Some of us are individually supporting it while others are still studying whether it will be productive or tactically a good move for the opposition,” he said.

As for the LP, Baguilat said the party had not yet given its position on the complaint yet, “although it respects Alejano’s and Magdalo’s right to file impeachment.”

On the other hand, Kabayan Rep. Harry Roque, a member of the official minority group in the House, said the impeachment complaint was “bound to fail.”

“First, [Mr. Duterte] cannot be held liable—meaning he

MalacaÑang stock photo

cannot be impeached—for acts which had happened before he became President,” he said in a statement.

“Second, as it stands at the

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moment, the President’s ties to the extralegal killings in connection with ‘Oplan Tokhang’ is nonexistent at worst and tenuous at best,” Roque said.

Roque, a former University of the Philippines law professor, said Alejano’s filing was premature. “This highlights the importance of case-building.

Remember that only one impeachment case may be filed against the President per year,” he said.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Friday accused Vice President Leni Robredo of having a hand in the impeachment complaint filed by Alejano against the President.

Alvarez suggested that Robredo might be concerned about the possible recount of the votes in the vice presidential election.

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Friday March 24, 2017

13

Germany joins clamor vs bloody war on drugs

By Jeannette I. Andrade Philippine Daily Inquirer

Senate of the Philippines / Facebook

Trillanes sees ‘gamechanger’ in impeach bid

By Christine O. Avendaño Philippine Daily Inquirer Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV scoffed at the way some presidential allies had dismissed the impeachment complaint filed by the Magdalo party-list group against President Duterte, warning that the current political environment could change in the next two months when Congress returns to deliberate on it.

He said “intervening events” could be a “gamechanger” in the fate of the impeachment complaint, mainly the continued blunders of the Duterte administration.

Trillanes expressed the belief the President was panicking himself given the way his allies had become “aggressive and vicious” in putting down the impeachment complaint against the Chief Executive.

“If the President is cool about it, why are his people panicking … they’re trying to project they are still in control and confident but on the contrary, that is not what is coming out,” Trillanes said in a phone interview on Sunday.

Palace doubts

The Palace and the President’s congressional allies have cast doubt on the capability of the Magdalo group to gather support for its impeachment complaint in the House of Representatives given the big support for Mr. Duterte there.

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano filed the complaint against Mr. Duterte for betrayal of public trust in his war on drugs and his alleged hidden wealth.

In a radio interview on Sunday, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said that he believed the impeachment complaint was for publicity purposes and that it had succeeded there.

Pimentel said he had doubts Alejano’s Magdalo group would be able to get the required one-third vote in the 292-member House given the popularity of the President. A one-third vote would automatically send the complaint to the Senate for trial.

“So what they got was publicity. In my belief, that was their target and they succeeded because this was given publicity,” he said.

May situation

But Trillanes said the situation now “may be much more different in May” when Congress returns from its almost two-month recess.

He said the continued blunders of both the President and his allies “now done on a frequent basis” could help impeachment complaint gain support.

This included the constant “flip-flopping” in the policy of the government, according to the senator, who cited as example Mr. Duterte’s statement that he would “flatten the mountains” in search for the communist rebels who had killed policemen recently but after a few days, a Palace announcement was made that peace talks with communist rebels would resume.

He said the President and his officials had conflicting statements on Chinese ships plying Benham Rise, with Mr. Duterte saying that he had allowed China to go there while his foreign and defense officials claimed they were unaware of the presidential order.

On the second intervening event, Trillanes said this could “supplement” the impeachment complaint. But he did not elaborate.

“Things will come to a head,” he said, adding that this was brought about by the “headless chicken governance” of the Duterte administration.

Germany joined a growing list of countries and groups expressing concern over the antidrug campaign of the Philippine government which, to the international community, was focused on putting offenders to death instead of instituting massive reforms that would disable, if not eliminate, the drug menace.

Germany’s human rights commissioner cited the passage in the House of Representatives as one of the “highly regrettable” actions being taken by the administration of President Duterte in the fight against drugs.

Bärbel Kofler, federal government commissioner for human rights policy and humanitarian aid at the German federal foreign office, said in a statement that the push to revive the death penalty ran counter to the Philippine signing of a “second optional protocol” of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The covenant binds the Philippine government to a commitment to shun

executions of convicts as a penalty for grave crimes.

Since the signing of the international agreement, Kofler said Germany considered the Philippines as “a close partner of those who, like the federal government (of Germany), reject this inhumane punishment under all circumstances.”

“This situation is highly regrettable,” said Kofler, adding that Germany and the Philippines had been closely cooperating in the United Nations on many campaigns, among them on human trafficking, poverty reduction and climate change.

In her statement, Kofler also called on the Duterte administration to withdraw conditions it had set for the visit of the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings to take a closer look at Mr. Duterte’s war on drugs.

With at least 8,000 deaths in the drug war, Kofler said it was important for the UN special rapporteur to visit the Philippines.

The German official also called for a speedy and fair trial of Sen. Leila de Lima, who had been sent to jail by Duterte administration officials for alleged involvement in the drug trade.

Philippines seeks China's clarification on shoal plans

By The Associated Press

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippines said Wednesday that it has asked China to clarify its reported plans to build an environmental monitoring station on a disputed shoal.

Acting Philippine Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo told Filipino reporters in the Thai capital Bangkok, where President Rodrigo Duterte is visiting, that his department asked for clarification on the reported planned construction on Scarborough Shoal.

The shoal, off the northwestern Philippines, is at the heart of the territorial disputes between the countries.

“I think the President has been very clear -- we want to have a peaceful, diplomatic settlement of disputes but we will not fail to protect our national interests if necessary,” Manalo said.

Asked if a diplomatic protest will be filed, he said Manila will wait for China's reply.

But Manalo said he considered it a good sign that China was interested in concluding a framework for a code of conduct with 10 Southeast Asian nations that aims to peacefully manage disputes

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in the South China Sea. He said there could be progress on the framework when China hosts a meeting in May. Any construction would re-ignite concerns over Beijing's increasingly assertive actions to cement its claims in the area, and would be in defiance of last year's ruling by an arbitration tribunal in The Hague that invalidated China's territorial claims in the South China Sea on historical grounds.

Chinese government ships took control of Scarborough in 2012 after a tense standoff with Philippine vessels. China then blocked Filipinos from fishing in the shoal, which has a vast, coral-encircled lagoon that serves as a natural storm shelter for Asian fishermen.

The Philippines brought its disputes with China to international arbitration the following year, but China ignored the complaint and the tribunal's ruling, which found Beijing to have violated the rights of Filipinos to fish at Scarborough.

Since taking office in June, Duterte has put the territorial conflicts with China on the backburner and reached out to Beijing in an effort to revive trade and seek Chinese economic aid. Filipinos have since been allowed to return to Scarborough to fish.

Opinion

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March 24, 2017

Friday

Public Lives

EU trade sanctions on PH loom

By Amando Doronila Philippine Daily Inquirer President Duterte’s latest threat to declare martial law in Mindanao has sparked further concerns in the European Union, this amid strong signals that his war on drugs and other anticrime measures that his administration is doggedly pushing for, like the death penalty, could have an adverse effect on EU-Philippine trade relations.

Last March 9 in Davao City, speaking to about 300 local officials from the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and central and northern Mindanao, Mr. Duterte raised the specter of martial law again, directing them to work with the police and help him fight terrorism and other forms of violence so that he would not have to resort to extraordinary measures to bring law and order in Mindanao.

concerns about this development,” Only local officials could prevent partners here in the Philippines.”

The top EU trade official did not she said. violence from spinning out, he said, She was referring to the passage adding that they had the police un- make conclusive statements as der their supervision and the mili- to how the recent developments of the death penalty bill earlier tary could be called out to help if would affect the bloc’s economic in the House of Representatives, ties with Manila, but she noted which has triggered concerns necessary. among critics that it would violate For the first time last week, these are all “under discussion.”

According to international press international agreements, which EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom spoke on the issues, agency reports, she made men- would eventually affect GSP+.

In 2006, during the Arroyo adjoining a number of international tion of the Generalized System of organizations that have denounced Preferences Plus (GSP+), which ministration, Congress passed a law that abolished the the bloody drug death penalty. This war and the They say that since there is no opt-out mechanism in the stand against capital reinstatement agreement, reimposing the death penalty (as backed by the punishment was carof the death Duterte administration) will mean breaching the covenant. ried over to the Unitpenalty.

“We ed Nations in 2007, are concerned about some of the issues here in the allows zero tariff for over 6,000 when Manila ratified the Protocol Philippines. That means, the death Philippine products that are ex- to the International Covenant on penalty, the extrajudicial killings, ported to the EU. “We have now an Civil and Political Rights.

International law experts say that the lowering of the age of criminal agreement between us, called GDP responsibility to nine years old,” she Plus, which opens up good trade ratifying the protocol binds parties told reporters at a press conference possibilities, but is also subject to to their commitment against reon March 10, and went on to em- certain international conventions. storing the death penalty. They say phasize that these are some of the So the European Parliament and that since there is no opt-out mechconcerns “we have conveyed to our memberstates in the EU have some anism in the agreement, reimposing

the death penalty (as backed by the Duterte administration) will mean breaching the covenant.

The economic benefit, it was further pointed, is conditional— dependent on the Duterte administration’s compliance with key international covenants, including their protocols. This puts the government in a bind.

As international diplomatic pressure mounted on the government to respect UN protocols in its brutal war on drugs, the French ambassador to Manila, Thierry Mathou, said he was hoping the death penalty will not be restored. He told the Inquirer that he has spoken to some legislators about the death penalty bill.

“France has been advocating the abolition of the death penalty everywhere in the world… even in the US,” he said at the sidelines of the ceremonies marking the 70th year of Philippine-France diplomatic relations. ■

Public Lives

Thoughts on free higher education for all

By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer On March 13, the Senate passed Senate Bill No. 1304, known as “The Free Higher Education for All Act,” in pursuit of the state policy “to make higher education accessible to financially disadvantaged but deserving students.” The social justice intent behind the proposed law is admirable. It seeks to widen, if not equalize, the opportunity to attend college, a public good that has become increasingly inaccessible to poor families in view of the rising cost of higher education.

My reservation about the bill concerns the typical equation between higher education and attending a formal program of academic study. The proposed law defines higher education thus: “Higher Education refers to the stage of formal education, or its equivalent, requiring completion of secondary education and covering programs of study leading to bachelor and advanced degrees.”

The emphasis is on spending more time at school, and attaining the prized college diploma.

Forty years ago, the British sociologist Ronald Dore wrote the explosive book “The Diploma Disease” (1976). In it, he diagnoses what he calls “the ritualising disease of qualificationism,” which

assigns to schools and universities find no work that suits their quali- explicit recognition of these difthe twin functions of providing ed- fications and justifies the invest- ferences.” This, of course, is hardly ucation, on the one hand, and, on ment in time and money they have tackled by the mere administration the other, sifting every generation made. To their utter frustration, of achievement tests. Sixteen-yearinto those who will get the jobs and they realize that the jobs for which olds may not be prepared to decide those who won’t. The two func- they eventually get hired do not ac- with certainty what they want to tions do not always go together. tually require the kind of skills and pursue as they enter adulthood.

In late developing societies, notes knowledge they have spent years Aptitude rather than achievement tests, supplemented by compasDore, the “sifting”—or the social acquiring.

Dore’s basic thesis is intriguing. sionate career counseling, would selection—function has tended to overwhelm the educating function “It rests on the assumption that certainly help them to know what good (as opposed to merely quali- they are good at and what triggers of schools.

When people go to university to fied) administrators and doctors their passion and imagination. A improve their job prospects rather and teachers are, if not exactly good number of high school graduthan to get an education, the whole born rather than made, at least ates may opt to take short-term purpose of higher learning gets pretty well made by their early technical-vocational courses that would give them distorted. Courses the skills they need that are not “marto land a job, rather ketable” lose their But, before we throw more scarce public funds into a than spend more appeal. Students largely unexamined system of higher education, I think we need time in college. flock to courses to address as a priority the persisting gaps in the provision of A government that guarantee emquality basic education for the masses. program that ofployment and high fers free college salaries. Academic time spent on liberal education teens, and that in the process of tuition to anyone who meets adis whittled down to a minimum. perfecting them after that, formal mission requirements for tertiary Learners become grade-conscious, schooling may be as much a hin- education could reinforce the carefully choosing their subjects drance as a help.” This statement flawed notion that one needs a and professors to boost their could be misunderstood as saying college diploma to become a prochances at graduating with honors that talent is innate and that there- ductive participant in the modern rather than to broaden their intel- fore the equalization of opportu- economy. In a digital world that nities for further education won’t has made practically every form lectual horizon.

The result of this flawed practice make much difference. But that is of knowledge available to anyone with the passion and determinais the growing ranks of the “edu- not what he means.

What Dore is arguing is that tion to search for it, we know that cated unemployed,” individuals who, having gone through a tedious people vary in their talents and a formal certificate is the least re4-year course, often at the cost of gifts; therefore, educational ar- liable indicator of one’s achievelosing their taste for learning, can rangements should be based on “an ment or level of competency.

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Employers ought to stop asking for college diplomas or proof of graduation; they should be asking for actual demonstration of skills or capabilities, or, if at all, proof of apprenticeship or work experience. Dore argues that, if there is at all any rationality to the system, it is mainly due to the fact that higher education institutions are usually better at spotting the able than at imparting ability.

Like Dore, however, I do not believe in “de-schooling” society. I continue to think that the aims of universal education are best accomplished by means of a system of state-supported schools. But, before we throw more scarce public funds into a largely unexamined system of higher education, I think we need to address as a priority the persisting gaps in the provision of quality basic education for the masses.

As for further education, Dore’s work offers two basic elements for an alternative. First, “start careers earlier,” preferably at the end of high school, transferring much of the responsibility for social selection to work organizations. Second, “avoid using learning achievement tests” in determining career paths.

The essential idea, says Dore, is to discourage students from simulating innate talent by cramming for a test. ■

Opinion

Friday March 24, 2017

15

At Large

How they treat their friends

By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer The Philippines plays but a minor role, serving as a mere backdrop, in the emerging scandal involving ranking present and former US Navy officers and personnel.

In exchange for classified information that gave him an edge in his dealings with the US government, Leonard Francis, a Malaysian contractor known to many as “Fat Leonard” (because of his generous girth) is alleged to have paid for lavish entertainment and meals, even offering the services of prostitutes, and paying vast sums in bribes, to ranking US Navy officers and personnel.

Charged in the latest indictment prepared by prosecutors are nine current and former military officers, including Adm. Bruce Loveless who recently retired and became the second admiral caught in the prosecutorial noose. The latest revelations

bring to 20 the number of those the same crew of conspirators, and the expectations the nation caught in what news reports call who called themselves variously has for us military professionals.” “one of the Navy’s worst corrup- as the “Lion King’s Harem,” the He added: “[The scandal] damagtion scandals.”

“Wolfpack,” the “Cool Kids” and es the trust that the nation places And what is the Philippines’ “The Brotherhood,” were treated in us, and is an embarrassment to role in this hot-to-trot story? to lavish meals. the Navy.” Well, he can certainly During a port of call in Manila, And what did “Fat Leonard” say that again! the indictment says, US Navy of- hope to gain from all this exWe Filipinos may be but byficers and sailors were allegedly pensive entertainment? The standers in these events. And we provided with local sex work- documents say the supplier was can’t be blamed for being amused ers procured by “Fat Leonard” able to make some $35 million by some of the creepier details to party in the of the events outhistoric Manila lined in the prosWe Filipinos may be but bystanders in these events. And Hotel’s MacArecutors’ docuwe can’t be blamed for being amused by some of the creepier thur suite. Among ments. details of the events outlined in the prosecutors’ documents. the more salaBut we mustn’t cious details is forget that Filithat some of the pino women—and memorabilia items found inside in profits by overcharging for perhaps some men who helped the suite were used as “sex toys” services, including stocking US “Fat Leonard” procure the serduring what must have been a Navy ships and submarines with vices of the sex workers—play a mad orgy. Another local hotel, food, water, fuel and other ne- huge role in the scandal. Amerithe upscale Manila Shangri-La cessities. can troops may no longer be (located in Makati), is also said US naval authorities expect- based in Clark or Subic, but later to have been the site of a wild edly rushed to mitigate the dam- agreements still allow their presparty that lasted for several days, age caused by the scandal. Adm. ence on our shores, and our own during which the revelers re- John Richardson, the US Navy’s soldiers, sailors, marines and piportedly finished off the hotel’s present head, said the behavior lots still participate in joint exerentire stock of expensive cham- detailed in the indictments was cises with them. pagne. Elsewhere in the region, “inconsistent with our standards That visiting American naval

authorities saw nothing wrong or unseemly in taking part in orgies sponsored by a corrupt supplier, including partying in a suite dedicated to the memory of one of America’s greatest military leaders, speaks volumes about what little regard they have for the country and for us, their supposed friends and allies. During the run-up to the Senate vote on the voiding of the US bases agreement, then Sen. Jose W. Diokno starred in a documentary by the BBC, tackling the sex trade that centered on the presence of American troopers on “R and R.” Standing in front of a row of honky-tonk clubs in Olongapo, Diokno faced the camera and asked: “Is this what you do to a friend?”

The scandal centering on allegations of corruption and information-trading involving the US Navy may be an “internal” affair for the American armed forces.

But once again, they have proven what little regard they have for their friends and allies. ■

Looking Back

Mabini’s rejected appointment

By Ambeth R. Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer There has been a suggestion History was made when the Commission on Appointments (CA) rejected the nomination of Perfecto Yasay as foreign secretary—the first time a nominee was rejected. The usual practice is for the CA to bypass the nominee, who should take the hint, but then a president can insist on his or her choice, make an interim appointment, and again present the nominee. If the nominee is bypassed again, the process is repeated until the nominee or the president gives up. By adopting a three-strikes-you’re-out policy, the present CA resolved this longstanding practice of interim appointments.

History was invoked when 76-year-old Leonor Briones challenged the bias against age and physical infirmity, in this case the use of a wheelchair to deal with long corridors at airports. In her opening statement she declared:

“It’s true that I use a wheelchair of humor and sarcasm: “Does the the Philippines Main (or Mabini whenever I travel by plane. But job entail a lot of walking?”

Campus). Mabini wrote that he I’m sure everybody here agrees Briones was confirmed but contracted paralysis in Januthat there is no correlation be- four of President Duterte’s other ary 1896 and that his disability tween the state of my knees and nominees to the Cabinet were spared him from the imprisonthe state of my brain, as well as bypassed and would have to be ment, torture, exile, or execution the capacity to analyze challeng- given interim appointments and that was the fate of many people es, whether these be related to presented to the CA again. Mabi- suspected of involvement in the education, finance, politics, and ni did not get to warm a Supreme outbreak of the Philippine Revothe economy.”

Court bench, but historically he lution in August 1896. He was deThen Briones made refer- was our first foreign secretary. tained in San Juan de Dios hosence to Apolinario Mabini, who All these historical references pital instead of a jail. Sometimes also had to pass disability has its a Committee on benefits.

But Madam Secretary was dead wrong. Mabini’s Appointments Aguinaldo took paralysis was used against him, and he was not as patient or when Emilio Mabini into his diplomatic as Briones.

Aguinaldo nomiCabinet and connated him as chief fidence despite justice in 1899: “I’m sure and to Mabini made me wish that the the latter’s disability and the ruI’m confident that if at that time CA had confirmed Health Secre- mors spread by his critics that there was a Commission on Ap- tary Paulyn Ubial. Mabini is said Mabini lost the use of his legs pointments, his appointment to have died of cholera as a result because of syphilis. In the end, would have been approved read- of drinking tainted carabao milk. Mabini did not die because of poily, wheelchair notwithstanding.”

After his exile in Guam, Mabi- lio or old age. In a 1955 interview, But Madam Secretary was ni returned to Manila where he his brother Alejandro Mabini dead wrong. Mabini’s paralysis stayed in a modest house with a said: “Since he contracted paralywas used against him, and he was thatched roof that, after a num- sis, Kaka Pole had been getting not as patient or diplomatic as ber of relocations on Nagtahan for breakfast and lunch a special Briones. The Sublime Paralytic by the Pasig River, is presently diet of gruel boiled in carabao asked the committee with a mix in the Polytechnic University of milk. But in the evening, he was

www.canadianinquirer.net

given only a light merienda or a glass of milk.

“On the afternoon of May 12, 1903, I came home from work (I was employed in a printing shop in Quiapo then) and found Kaka Pole alone in the house. My elder brother Prudencio, who was taking care of him, was in a neighborhood barbershop. As Kaka Pole wanted his milk, I handed him an already prepared glass of milk nearby. After he had drunk it, he suddenly flared up, accusing me of having given him spoiled milk. I did not think the milk was spoiled and up to this day I do not believe that it was… I entertain grave doubts as to what was really the cause of his death.”

Was that unconsumed glass of milk the real cause of Mabini’s death? We will never know, unless the death certificate and autopsy report turn up one day.

Mabini is one of our underrated heroes, unfortunately overshadowed by our overemphasis on Rizal, so any reference to him in the present is always welcome. ■

16

March 24, 2017

Friday

Canada News Feds postpone initial Access to Information reforms, cite need to ‘get it right’

By Jim Bronskill The Canadian Press OTTAWA — The Liberal government is delaying promised Access to Information reforms that would bring ministerial offices under the openness law, saying it needs more time to get right what it describes as a complex initiative.

The government had pledged an initial wave of legislative changes by the end of winter — what Treasury Board President Scott Brison called “early wins” on overhauling the creaky law intended to give Canadians access to federal files.

The planned amendments included giving the information commissioner the power to order release of government records and ensuring the access law applies to the offices of the prime minister, cabinet members and administrative institutions that support Parliament and the courts.

Those changes will be post-

poned, with no new timeline for implementing them.

Overhauling the access law “is a complex matter that involves many substantive issues and concerns every government department and agency,” Jean-Luc Ferland, a spokesman for Brison, said in a statement to The Canadian Press.

“Changes to the Act have to be carefully crafted to balance our fundamental values of openness with other values including independence of the judiciary, the effectiveness and neutrality of the public service, the protection of Canadians’ personal information and national security.”

The Access to Information Act allows people who pay $5 to ask for everything from expense reports and audits to correspondence and briefing notes. Departments are supposed to answer within 30 days or provide valid reasons why they need more time.

However, the system has been widely criticized as slow, out of

date and riddled with loopholes that allow agencies to withhold information rather than release it. The law has not been significantly updated since it took effect almost 34 years ago.

The latest delay is likely to further frustrate transparency advocates and civil society groups who have long called for changes that would take the 1983 Act out of the file-folder age and into the digital era of ready access to public information.

News of the postponement comes as experts and proponents gather in Ottawa for the “Transparency for the 21st Century” conference hosted by the office of the information commissioner, an ombudsman for users of the federal law.

Brison has acknowledged a need for change and last year proposed a two-step reform: a number of early measures to be followed by a full review of the law in 2018, the first in a series of mandatory reviews every five years.

“We remain committed to

Scott Brison / Facebook

improving and strengthening the access to information regime in a two-phase approach,” Ferland said in his statement.

Working with Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, “we are committed to taking the time to do it properly,” he added.

“After 34 years without significant reform, it’s important that we get it right.”

Federal officials are analyzing responses to a public consultation, a parliamentary committee report, proposals from

information commissioner Suzanne Legault and detailed written briefs from organizations and academics.

Brison did introduce some administrative changes last year aimed at improving the system.

He issued a ministerial directive to enshrine the principle agencies should be “open by default,” eliminated all Access to Information fees apart from the $5 application fee, and directed departments to release information in user-friendly formats whenever possible.

Teen pleads guilty in robbery of women beaten at residential treatment centre The Canadian Press SELKIRK, Man. — Two of three teenage boys accused of attacking support workers at their residential treatment centre last May have now ad-

mitted their roles in the brutal beating.

On Monday, the day his trial was set to begin, the 17-year-old who was accused of encouraging the other boys to commit the crimes pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to commit

robbery.

Another teen has pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault and forcible confinement.

Two female support workers at the Behavioural Health Foundation’s addictions and

mental-health treatment centre in Selkirk, Man., were beaten with a baseball bat and a sock full of pool balls.

One was left with serious injuries including skull fractures and vision loss.

They were the only staff on

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duty that night as the facility was winding down operations, scheduled to close last June over a lack of funding.

A third youth accused in the beating is fighting the accusations against him and has trial dates set for May.

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Canada News

Friday March 24, 2017

More asylum seekers cross the Manitoba border at Emerson over weekend EMERSON, Man. — Another 29 asylum-seekers walked into Manitoba from the United States over the weekend, the largest group to have crossed the border at Emerson so far this year.

CTV Winnipeg says a cluster of different groups made the trek following railroad tracks and roads between Saturday and Monday.

Crossing the border this way is illegal, but it’s also a journey many say isn’t a choice.

Subir Barman, who illegally crossed the border earlier this month, says he didn’t know what would happened when he arrived in Canada, adding he was frightened.

The 40-year-old engineer is part of the Hindu minority in his

Saskatoon man pleads guilty to 20 charges in child pornography case The Canadian Press

The Canadian Press

Jimz47, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons

home country of Bangladesh.

Barman says it took him three hours to make the trip on foot in freezing temperatures and even with GPS, he lost his way.

“We see the numbers climbing and I don’t think that is going to slow down too soon,” said Doug Johnston, councillor with the Municipality of Emerson-

Franklin.

The Salvation Army has housed 17 families since Feb. 18. The non-profit says it has spent $100,000 so far to help the people.

“We are all concerned there are more people coming,” said Maj. Rob Kerr. “How are we going to house them? How are we going to accommodate them?”

www.canadianinquirer.net

17

SASKATOON — A Saskatoon man has pleaded guilty to 20 offences in connection to a historical child pornography investigation that dates back two decades.

Russell Dennis Wolfe pleaded guilty Monday in Saskatoon’s Court of Queen’s Bench to eight counts of sexual assault and four counts each of making child pornography and paying for sexual services from someone under 18.

The 58-year-old also pleaded guilty to one count each of making child pornography available and possessing it, and two counts of breaching conditions.

Defence lawyer Brian Pfefferle said it was important to his client that he “ensure the complainants not have to testify in this matter.”

Wolfe was originally scheduled

for a jury trial this spring before he entered the guilty pleas.

Wolfe was first arrested in the case in May 2014 as part of a country-wide police bust known as Operation Snapshot III. The investigation saw more than 150 people charged.

The case involves 13 victims between the ages of nine and 18. Two of the victims are now dead and the identities of two victims are still not known, according to police.

The offences occurred between 1997 and 2015.

Pfefferle told reporters he’s received notice there’s a possibility the Crown will apply for Wolfe to be designated a dangerous offender. He said the defence will argue against the application, and that a life sentence is possible with a danger offender designation.

Wolfe is scheduled back court to begin the sentencing process on April 3.

18

Canada News

March 24, 2017

Friday

Ontario to push for Canadian B.C. man shot by exemption to New York state police repeatedly stabbed himself before Buy American policy shooting: witnesses

By Linda Nguyen The Canadian Press TORONTO — Two Ontario cabinet ministers are heading to New York state to urge legislators to exempt Canada from a Buy American policy it plans to introduce, warning that it could lead to trouble on both sides of the border.

Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid and International Trade Minister Michael Chan are meeting with officials today in Albany, N.Y., and say they will focus not on the potential impacts to Canada’s economy, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, but on New York’s “self interest.”

“The message we’ll be bringing to our friends to the south will be: there are a lot of American jobs dependent on an unfettered trading relationship and open procurement between New York state and Ontario that will be at risk if there is not an exemption in place for Canada,” Duguid said in an interview.

Ontario trading accounts for about 80 per cent of the goods New York state exports to Canada, or about $10 billion, with $12 billion flowing the other way. With the Ontario Liberal government planning to spend $160 billion on infrastructure over 12 years, Ontario is a market that New York will want to preserve access to, Duguid said — access he suggested may be jeopardized if Ontario and Canada are shut out with a Buy American policy.

The policy is set to pass March 31, and if Duguid is not successful, he said, Ontario would look at a bilateral deal that could have the effect of getting around the Buy American clause, or “other options.”

“Obviously we would look at all of our options with regard to access,” Duguid said. “If a jurisdiction is going to discriminate against Ontario companies we need to look at our options in terms of the alternative.”

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan would require all state entities to give prefer-

By Gemma KarstensSmith The Canadian Press

Brad Duguid / Facebook

ence to American-made goods and products in any new procurements worth more than $100,000. In January he said it would be the United States’ “strongest” state procurement law.

It would have a “significant” impact on Ontario companies working in infrastructure, such as those in the information and communication technologies sector, service companies, manufacturers and construction companies, Duguid said.

The Ontario-led pushback against the New York policy comes amid a national effort to make a case against protectionism.

Canada’s ambassador to Washington sent a letter last week to lawmakers who have urged U.S. President Donald Trump to restrict foreign suppliers, including on the Keystone XL oil pipeline.

A big U.S. infrastructure bill is coming with a potential US$1 trillion in contracts and procurement could be an issue in NAFTA negotiations.

This isn’t the first time Ontario has sought to remind the U.S. of the importance of the province’s trading relationship with them.

Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne met last week with Michigan Governor Rick Snyder and has appointed herself the head of a new committee on Ontario-U.S. economic and trade relations.

Cabinet ministers have been

armed with a sheet of talking points to promote Ontario trade when speaking to their colleagues in the U.S. and Wynne sent letters to the governors of the 27 American states for whom Ontario is the top or second top export destination.

“As you know, Ontario and New York are also closely linked through mutually beneficial trade,” Wynne wrote to Cuomo in February.

“In 2015, we exchanged goods worth almost $24.8 billion, of which gold, aluminum and auto parts were at the top of the list.

The latter industry relies, in particular, on just-in-time deliveries across an efficient and safe border through deeply integrated supply chains.”

Trade expert and Carleton University professor emeritus Michael Hart predicted Duguid had little chance of success, even with the “self interest” appeal.

“It’s a very tried and true argument but it really doesn’t play much,” he said. “Put this down to largely grandstanding.”

Duguid admitted an exemption wouldn’t come easily.

“The fact is there is a lot of momentum in the U.S. right now for Buy America kinds of approaches,” he said. “That’s what we’re up against. So it will be a challenge for us to get an exemption. We recognize that.

But it’s something we’ll certainly be doing our very best to try to achieve.” www.canadianinquirer.net

BURNABY, B.C. — Employees at a grocery store in Surrey, B.C., told a corner’s inquest Monday that they watched a man repeatedly stab himself with stolen paring knives minutes before he was shot by transit police.

Naverone Woods, 23, was shot inside the Safeway by officers on the morning of Dec. 28, 2014, and died after he was taken to hospital.

Glen Gorgas, the manager of the meat department, said he watched helplessly as the shirtless young man stabbed himself.

“It was almost like he was in a catatonic state, like he was a zombie,” he told the inquest.

“You could tell he was really hurt. I wanted to go right up to him and help, but he had two knives in his hand.”

Transit police told the man several times to drop the knives before he was shot, Gorgas said.

The Independent Investigations Office, which investigates serious cases involving police, cleared officers of any wrongdoing in May 2016. The coroner’s service holds an inquest into every police-involved death in an effort to make recommendations aimed at preventing similar fatalities.

Michael Patron, the store’s loss-prevention officer, told the coroner’s jury on the first day of testimony that he began following Woods because he seemed “out of sorts.”

Woods went directly to the back of the store, he said, and ripped open a package of knives.

Woods held a knife in each hand and wandered the aisles, stabbing himself in the abdomen between 12 and 20 times before police arrived, Patron said.

“He never said anything,” he said.

The inquest also heard from an emergency room doctor who said Woods came into Surrey Memorial Hospital hours before he was shot, saying he had

fallen and hurt his knee.

“Behaviourally, he was calm, co-operative and appropriate,” said Dr. Craig Murray.

Murray said Woods told him he had been drinking alcohol and using a variety of drugs earlier that week, and mentioned having a seizure earlier in the day.

He testified that he told Woods to stop using drugs, gave him painkillers and discharged him around 5 a.m.

A bus driver told the inquest that Woods appeared “quite agitated” when he ran into the closed doors of her bus at the Surrey Central transit station around 8 a.m. the same day.

“I was a bit scared. I just didn’t want to deal with it. So I closed my doors when he ran at my bus,” Christine Morrison said.

She testified that after calling security, she continued along her route. When Morrison returned to the area another driver told her there was an incident between a young man and police, and the man had been taken to hospital.

“I felt horrible because I was the one who initiated the call.

And he’s the same age as my kids,” she said, crying.

Surveillance footage presented at the inquest shows a young man in a grey hoodie and orange hat walk into a convenience store close to the transit station. He paces around, gesturing emphatically.

Store employee Minseon Yong told the inquest that Woods appeared intoxicated, and said “Where’s the knife?” repeatedly.

Tracey Woods said outside the inquest that Naverone’s friends and family are hoping it brings some answers.

“We’re going to find out exactly what happened because we’ve never, ever had too much information on the events,” she said.

In her testimony, Woods described her brother-in-law as a “happy-go-lucky” guy who loved his family.

“Still to this very day there’s a huge empty spot in all of us.”

World News

Friday March 24, 2017

19

Candy, makeup, K-pop get doused amid China’s ire over THAAD

By Youkyung Lee And Christopher Bodeen The Associated Press SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — The once-cordial ties between South Korea and its biggest trading partner have soured due to the perception that China has targeted businesses, sports teams and culture to protest deployment of an advanced U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea.

A South Korean candy maker, a chocolate factory, video games and a soccer team have suffered from actions many in South Korea view as retribution and Chinese have vandalized some South Korean-run stores.

Beijing is incensed over the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defence system. The U.S. and South Korea say it’s needed as a defence against a belligerent North Korea but China believes the system could be used against its own missiles as well.

China denies any direct link between its ire over the U.S. missile system and recent troubles for South Korean businesses. Some recent developments viewed as retaliation: Bittersweet: Lotte’s lament

Chewing-gum maker and retail giant Lotte Group, South Korea’s No. 5 business group, took the brunt of the backlash after agreeing to let one of its golf courses in southeastern South Korea be a site for deploying THAAD. Lotte Duty Free said its shopping websites were knocked offline for more than six hours a few days after the agreement was signed, in what it believes were cyberattacks by Chinese, based on an analysis of IP addresses.

At least 55 of 99 Lotte Mart

discount stores in China were shut in early March for a month each after surprise inspections found violations of fire safety standards. Five Lotte department stores and 13 smaller supermarkets remain open, the company said Friday.

A Hershey chocolate factory in Shanghai jointly operated with Lotte suspended production earlier this month for what Hershey said was maintenance for a routine inspection but South Koreans linked it to the spat.

episodes available, though past episodes can be seen.

In January, South Korean soprano Jo Sumi said her concert in China was cancelled, possibly due to the diplomatic spat.

“I had been preparing for since I got the invitation two years ago, but there was no word on why it was cancelled,” Jo, a Grammy Award-winning soprano, said on Twitter. “It’s very sad that conflicts between countries are getting in the way of culture and the arts.”

Football

K-pop, k-drama

Since last year, some K-pop and K-drama stars have cancelled visits to China due to visa delays. South Korean actor Ha Jung Woo could not get a visa needed for a movie project with China called “The Mask,” starring Chinese star Zhang Ziyi, his agency confirmed on Wednesday. The representative for Ha, who was not authorized to talk about the matter and thus asked not to be identified, would not say if the project fell through because of the THAAD problem.

Regional satellite broadcasters have reportedly been ordered to suspend broadcasts of South Korean television dramas. Online distributors such as Youku, a homegrown YouTube clone, have apparently also stopped buying broadcast rights to South Korean shows.

On Youku, “Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,” a series featuring South Korean actor Gong Yoo, was no longer on the platform as of Friday.

The fantasy-romance drama, which aired its final episode in January, had been available on Youku but reports emerged in February they were removed.

Other shows haven’t made new

China and South Korea play each other in the central Chinese city of Changsha on March 23.

China reportedly refused to let the team take a chartered flight.

That could leave them at a disadvantage, and also limit the number of supporters they can bring.

China trails in its group, and a loss to South Korea could anger local fans, adding to tensions.

Cosmetics

Some South Koreans believe China’s recent rejection of some South Korean cosmetic products also was fallout from the THAAD issue. Beauty companies whose products are popular in China, like Amorepacific and LG, have downplayed suggestions that such actions were linked to politics, saying they have not noticed any meaningful decline in sales to Chinese.

Tough on tourism

Effective March 15, China told South Korean travel agencies not to sell group tour packages to South Korea. Instead, Chinese must seek visas individually. Both Italy’s Costa and Royal Caribbean Cruises have cancelled port calls in South Korea by their cruises originating in China. One place

South Korean actor Ha Jung Woo (Moritania, Wikimedia Commons)

likely to be hit hardest is the southern resort island of Jeju, where mom-and-pop shops and travel agencies rely on Chinese tourists. An official with Jeju’s immigration office, who declined to be named, said that as of Thursday no cruises from China were calling at the semitropical island.

South Korean airliners are cutting flights to and from China as reservations drop.

Anti-Korean sentiment in China

South Koreans have been shaken by reports of anti-Korean sentiment among Chinese.

One South Korean exchange student at a university in Beijing said a Korean restaurant in the Chinese capital turned him away. “Maybe I didn’t look Chinese. I don’t know how they found out but they told me to get out, saying they don’t sell meals to Koreans,” Ji Wonik said via a mobile messenger app. “I was angry but I just felt bad so I left the restaurant.”

With quiet government urging, some schools have cancelled trips to China as a precaution.

“Anti-Korean sentiment is

running high in China due to the THAAD issue. Given the local political and economic situation, we asked schools to visit domestic destinations instead of going overseas,” said Ahn Hee-won, an education supervisor in Daegu.

A video uploaded to YouTube on Monday showed what it said was a Chinese nightclub playing an anti-Korean video loop on four video monitors as people sat drinking. It flashed the red “no” symbol of a circle with a diagonal line over a South Korean national flag and in ensuing frames, the word “KOREA” is followed by scenes showing two hands with their middle fingers raised and an epithet beginning with “F” in capital letters.

Ji, the Korean student in Beijing, says when he sees such signs of anti-Korean sentiment, he regrets going to China.

“But I didn’t tell my parents because they might feel terrible, too,” he said. “I hope the government could quickly come up with diplomatic measures.”

Bodeen reported from Beijing.

Talks on Greek bailout to intensify in coming days Philippines News Agency BRUSSELS — Greek and its creditors still remain divided on the second review of Greek debt bailout program and fi-

nance ministers of the 19-member Eurozone agreed that talks would continue to intensify in the coming days here, said Eurogroup President Jeroen Dijsselbloem on Monday.

A lot of work has been done and progress made, but still

some key issues remain, Dijsselbloem told a press conference after Monday’s Eurogroup meeting which again failed to make any breakthrough.

“The outcome of today’s meeting is that on the basis of the preparatory meeting which www.canadianinquirer.net

we had - myself, the institutions and the Greek authorities - we agreed that talks will continue to intensify in the coming days here in Brussels,” Dijsselbloem said.

The upcoming talks would “try to clear those big issues

out of the way and come to a full policy package agreement” before next Eurogroup meeting scheduled on April 7, the president added, warning that there was no promise that work ❱❱ page 22 Talks on

20

World News

March 24, 2017

Friday

Most young Americans don’t see Trump as a legitimate leader

By Laurie Kellman And Emily Swanson The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Jermaine Anderson keeps going back to the same memory of Donald Trump, then a candidate for president of the United States, referring to some Mexican immigrants as rapists and murderers.

“You can’t be saying that (if ) you’re the president,” says Anderson, a 21-year-old student from Coconut Creek, Florida.

That Trump is undeniably the nation’s 45th president doesn’t sit easily with young Americans like Anderson who are the nation’s increasingly diverse electorate of the future, according to a new poll. A majority of young adults — 57 per cent — see Trump’s presidency as illegitimate, including about three-quarters of blacks and large majorities of Latinos and Asians, the GenForward poll found.

GenForward is a poll of adults age 18 to 30 conducted by the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago with The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

A slim majority of young whites in the poll, 53 per cent, consider Trump a legitimate president, but even among that group 55 per cent disapprove of the job he’s doing, according to the survey.

“That’s who we voted for.

And obviously America wanted him more than Hillary Clinton,” said Rebecca Gallardo, a 30-year-old nursing student from Kansas City, Missouri,

who voted for Trump.

Trump’s legitimacy as president was questioned earlier this year by Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.: “I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.”

Trump routinely denies that and says he captured the presidency in large part by winning states such as Michigan and Wisconsin that Clinton may have taken for granted.

Overall, just 22 per cent of young adults approve of the job he is doing as president, while 62 per cent disapprove.

Trump’s rhetoric as a candidate and his presidential decisions have done much to keep the question of who belongs in America atop the news, though he’s struggling to accomplish some key goals. Powered by supporters chanting, “build the wall,” Trump has vowed to erect a barrier along the southern U.S. border and make Mexico pay for it — which Mexico refuses to do. Federal judges in three states have blocked Trump’s executive orders to ban travel to the U.S. from seven — then six — majority-Muslim nations.

In Honolulu, U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson this week cited “significant and unrebutted evidence of religious animus” behind the travel ban, citing Trump’s own words calling for “a complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”

And yes, Trump did say in his campaign announcement speech on June 6, 2015: “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best...They’re

bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” He went farther in subsequent statements, later telling CNN: “Some are good and some are rapists and some are killers.”

It’s extraordinary rhetoric for the leader of a country where, by around 2020, half of the nation’s children will be part of a minority race or ethnic group, the Census Bureau projects.

Non-Hispanic whites are expected to be a minority by 2044.

Of all of Trump’s tweets and rhetoric, the statements about Mexicans are the ones to which Anderson returns. He says Trump’s business background on paper is impressive enough to qualify him for the presidency. But he suggests that’s different than Trump earning legitimacy as president.

“I’m thinking, he’s saying that most of the people in the world who are raping and killing people are the immigrants. That’s not true,” said Anderson, whose parents are from Jamaica.

Megan Desrochers, a 21-yearold student from Lansing, Michigan, says her sense of Trump’s illegitimacy is more about why he was elected.

“I just think it was kind of a situation where he was voted in based on his celebrity status versus his ethics,” she said, adding that she is not necessarily against Trump’s immigration policies.

The poll participants said in interviews that they don’t necessarily vote for one party’s candidates over another’s, a prominent tendency among young Americans, experts say.

Gage Skidmore / Flickr

And in the survey, neither party fares especially strongly.

Just a quarter of young Americans have a favourable view of the Republican Party, and 6 in 10 have an unfavourable view. Majorities of young people across racial and ethnic lines hold negative views of the GOP. The Democratic Party performs better, but views aren’t overwhelmingly positive.

Young people are more likely to have a favourable than an unfavourable view of the Democratic Party by a 47 per cent to 36 per cent margin. But just 14 per cent say they have a strongly favourable view of the Democrats.

Views of the Democratic Party are most favourable among young people of colour. Roughly 6 in 10 blacks, Asians and Latinos hold positive views of the party. Young whites are somewhat more likely to have unfavourable than favourable views, 47 per cent to 39 per cent.

As for Trump, 8 in 10 young people think he is doing poorly

in terms of the policies he’s put forward and 7 in 10 have negative views of his presidential demeanour.

“I do not like him as a person,” says Gallardo of Trump.

She nonetheless voted for Trump because she didn’t trust Clinton. “I felt like there wasn’t much choice.”

The poll of 1,833 adults age 18-30 was conducted Feb. 16 through March 6 using a sample drawn from the probabilitybased GenForward panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. young adult population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4 percentage points.

The survey was paid for by the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago, using grants from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation.

Respondents were first selected randomly using address-based sampling methods, and later interviewed online or by phone.

Immigration to New Zealand continues at record levels Philippines News Agency WELLINGTON — Immigration into New Zealand continued at record levels last month, prompting opposition lawmakers to claim the numbers are unsustainable.

In the year ending February, a net 71,300 migrants arrived

in the country, the government statistics agency said Tuesday.

This equalled the previous annual record set in January, according to Statistics New Zealand.

Migrant arrivals numbered 128,800 in the February 2017 year, a new annual record, while migrant departures were 57,500.

“About a third of all migrant arrivals for the year were peo-

ple coming to New Zealand on work visas,” population statistics senior manager Peter Dolan said.

“Just over a quarter of all workvisa migrants were from the United Kingdom and France.”

The next largest sources of migrants coming to New Zealand to work were from Germany, Australia, South Africa, and the United States. www.canadianinquirer.net

The opposition New Zealand First party said the government had ignored advice from the Treasury and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand to rein in immigration numbers to “realistic and sustainable” levels.

Ordinary New Zealanders were getting “fed up” with the unsustainable levels of immigration, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters said in a

statement.

“They are realizing thousands of migrants, many of whom are low-skilled and desperate to get here, artificially pump up the economy and help create a bogus surplus,” Peters said.

More than 91,000 young New Zealanders were jobless and were not in training or education and the numbers had worsened, he said.

21

Friday March 24, 2017

Law requiring birth certificate for marriage challenged

By Kevin McGill The Associated Press

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying (Friends of Europe / Flickr)

China says no monitoring station on disputed island

By The Associated Press BEIJING—China is not building an environmental monitoring station on a disputed South China Sea shoal, the foreign ministry said Wednesday, apparently denying remarks made by a local official last week.

Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said reports about the facility on Scarborough Shoal had been checked and were found to be false.

“That does not exist at all,” Hua told reporters at a regularly scheduled news briefing.

The official Hainan Daily newspaper had quoted the top official in Sansha City, which administers China's island claims, as saying that preparatory work on the station was among the government's top priorities for 2017.

Such a move would likely renew concerns among Beijing's neighbours over its assertive territorial claims in the sea. Calls to Sansha government offices rang unanswered Wednesday.

Beijing seized tiny, uninhabited Scarborough in 2012 after a tense standoff with Philippine vessels.

China's construction and land reclamation work in the South China Sea have drawn strong criticism from the U.S. and others, who accuse Beijing of further militarizing the region and altering geography to bolster its claims.

China says the seven man-made islands in the disputed Spratly group, which it has equipped with airstrips and military installations, are mainly for civilian purposes and to boost safe-

ty for fishing and maritime trade.

Prior to the announcement, South China Sea tensions had eased somewhat after Beijing erupted in fury last year following an international arbitration tribunal ruling on a case filed by the Philippines. The verdict invalidated China's sweeping territorial claims and determined that China had violated the rights of Filipinos to fish at Scarborough Shoal.

China has since allowed Filipino fishermen to return to the shoal following Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's calls for closer ties between the countries, but it does not recognize the tribunal's ruling as valid.

In her remarks, Hua reiterated Beijing's desire for good relations with the Philippines, a U.S. treaty partner that has been drawing closer to China since Duterte's inauguration last year.

China will “cherish the good momentum of the bilateral relationship and will be committed to pushing forward the sound, steady and rapid growth of the relationship,” Hua said.

Scarborough has no proper land mass and any structure on it would likely have to be built on stilts. Known in Chinese as Huangyan Island, it lies about 200 kilometres (120 miles) west of the main Philippine island of Luzon, and about 600 kilometres (370 miles) southeast of China.

China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia and Brunei have long contested ownership of the South China Sea, which straddles one of the world's busiest sea lanes and is believed to sit atop vast deposits of oil and gas.

NEW ORLEANS—Viet Anh Vo is a U.S. citizen who has lived in Louisiana since he was an infant, but he says in court papers he's unable to get a marriage license under a 2015 state law that, he argues, discriminates against the foreign-born.

A federal judge in New Orleans was set to hear the case Wednesday.

At issue is a requirement that marriage license applicants present a certified copy of their birth certificates. The 31-year-old Vo was born in an Indonesian refugee camp after his parents fled Vietnam. Vietnamese and Indonesian authorities did not recognize his birth or issue a birth certificate, his lawsuit says.

Defendants in his suit are state officials and court clerks in three parishes where he was denied a license. It's unclear when the judge will rule.

Vo and his U.S.-born fiancee, Heather Pham, spent thousands of dollars on their wedding before their application for a marriage license was rejected last year. His lawsuit says they went ahead with a ceremony without a license to make it official.

“The couple, greatly disappointed, proceeded to hold a sacramental marriage in their Catholic Church. This marriage, however, is not legally recognized by Defendants or the State of Louisiana,” his court papers say.

Vo filed suit in October and filed a motion in February asking for a preliminary injunction to block the law.

He's being aided by the New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice and the National Immigration Law Center.

The 2015 law's Republican sponsor said it was designed to crack down on people using sham marriages to gain visas and citizenship. Vo's suit claims the law violates his constitutional rights and discriminates against foreign-born people.

You Are Invited this Holy Week, Easter & All Year Long To the Anglican Church of Canada Churches of The Diocese of New Westminster

www.canadianinquirer.net

In Full Communion with Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church) & the Episcopal Church in the Philippines

holy communion services 2017 • Holy Week & Easter (Semana Santa)

St. Mary’s, South Hill • The Reverend Fr. Expedito Farinas

808 E. 50th Avenue, Vancouver 604.324.3365 • www.stmarysouthhill.com

• April 9 • 10:30am • Palm Sunday (Domingo Ramos) • April 13 • 7pm • Maundy Thursday (Huwebes Santo) • April 14 • 10:30am • Good Friday (Biyernes Santo) • April 15 • 7pm • Holy Saturday (Sabado Gloria) • April 16 • 10:30am • Easter Sunday (Domingo Alleluia)

St. Michael’s, Surrey • The Reverend Fr. Louie Engnan

12996 – 60 Avenue, Surrey • 604.591.8323 • www.stmichaelschurch.ca

• April 9 • 10am • Palm Sunday • Blessing of Palms • Liturgy of the Passion • April 13 • 6:30pm • Maundy Thursday • Ceremony of the Washing of Feet • April 14 • 12noon • Good Friday • April 16 • 10am • Easter Sunday • Renewal of Baptismal Vows

St. Michael’s Multicultural • The Reverend Fr. Wilmer Toyoken

409 E. Broadway Avenue, Vancouver 604.876.8191 • www.stmikes-church.ca

• April 9 • 10am • Palm Sunday (Domingo Ramos) • April 13 • 6pm • Maundy Thursday (Huwebes Santo) • April 14 • 10am • Good Friday (Biyernes Santo) • April 16 • 10am • Easter Sunday (Domingo Alleluia)

St. Mary the Virgin, Sapperton • The Reverend Fr. Arvin Amayag

121 E. Columbia Street, New Westminster 604.521.2314 • www.stmarysapperton.ca

• April 9 • 10am • Palm Sunday • April 13 • 7pm • Maundy Thursday • April 14 • 10am • Good Friday • April 15 • 6pm • Great Easter Vigil • April 16 • 10am • Easter Sunday

WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING YOU!

22

World News

March 24, 2017

Germany’s Merkel disputes Trump’s NATO debt claim

By Geir Moulson The Associated Press BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel on Monday underlined Germany’s rejection of a claim by U.S. President Donald Trump that her country owes NATO large sums for underspending on defence. She also pointed to Germany’s history of decades of post- World War II military restraint.

Trump tweeted Saturday, a day after meeting Merkel in Washington, that “Germany owes vast sums of money to NATO.” He added that “the United States must be paid more for the powerful, and very expensive, defence it provides to Germany!”

Berlin’s defence budget has long been below NATO’s target of 2 per cent of a member’s gross domestic product. The figure is currently at 1.23 per cent, though Germany has been raising defence spending and Merkel has stressed its commitment to reaching the target by 2024.

Merkel said defence spending is “not just about contributions to NATO, but also about European contributions in Africa for example, U.N. missions.”

“Not a single NATO member state pays its entire defence budget into NATO,” she said Monday at a news conference in Hannover with Japanese

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Merkel said that defence spending “can’t be uncoupled from historical developments from one day to the next.” She recalled that the immediate post-World War II aim was to have a Germany that was integrated into the international community.

Germany gradually emerged from its post-war diplomatic and military shell after reunification in 1990, sending troops to Kosovo and Afghanistan — though it also refused to join the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Military missions aren’t popular with the public and are often a subject of agonized political debate.

“Of course the role of Germany has changed,” Merkel said.

“If you look at our military commitment today, then you see that a quarter-century later Germany plays a completely

different role,” she added. “But it is a process, and it is a process that the United States of America wanted ... and we cannot simply cast off this process from one day to the next.”

She said that defence spending is only one contribution to security, along with development aid and political solutions to conflicts.

Merkel’s centre-left rivals in a September election, and current coalition partners, have struck a sharper tone on the Trump administration’s reinforcement of demands that NATO allies pay more.

Spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence would mean doubling Germany’s defence budget, and “I don’t know who can imagine that something like that is possible,” Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told a congress of his Social Democrats on Sunday.

last Eurogroup meeting, but it is also clear that “a significant number of issues are not resolved” yet.

Those key issues include the growth-friendly rebalancing of Greece’s public finances over the medium term (in 2018 and beyond) and the labor market reform.

Regling told reporters that the ESM was able to disburse 71 billion euros (76.2 billion U.S. dollars) to Greece since September 2015, and led to positive impact on the economy of Greece and everything should be done to maintain this momentum.

Greece’s economy has been accelerated in 2016 and positive fiscal performance has

been seen, he added.

But the managing director warned that uncertainty about the conclusion of the review “may be costly”, as the next big debt service payment from Greece is only to due in July.

“So it would be much better to conclude the review well before that time in order to stabilize the economic development,” Regling said.

The second review of Greece’s third bailout, agreed in the summer of 2015 and is scheduled to run until August 2018, has been delayed for a year, as the two sides have not reached a consensus on the next package of austerity and reform measures.

Talks on... would be done then to end the marathon talks.

The talks are aiming for a swift conclusion of the stafflevel agreement,which is a necessary condition for the successful conclusion of program reviews and therefore for receiving further financial support available under the program.

But there is a strong agreement and a strong will between all parties involved to finish the remaining issues as quickly as possible, Dijsselbloem said.

Klaus Regling, managing director of the European Stability Mechanism(ESM), said at the same conference that there have been good progress since ❰❰ 19

NK tests newly developed high thrust rocket engine

By Eric Talmadge The Associated Press

European People's Party / Flickr

www.canadianinquirer.net

Friday

into place would likely require a more powerful engine than its previous ones. The North also claims it is trying to build a viTOKYO — North Korea has able space program that would conducted a ground test of a include a moon launch within new type of high-thrust rocket the next 10 years. engine that leader Kim Jong Un The test was conducted as U.S. is calling a revolutionary break- Secretary of State Rex Tillerson through for the country’s space was in China on a swing through program, the North’s state me- Asia that has been closely fodia said Sunday. cused on concerns over how to Kim attended Saturday’s test deal with Pyongyang’s nuclear at the Sohae launch site, accord- and missile programs. ing to the Korean Central News It’s hard to know whether this Agency, which said the test was test was deliberately timed to intended to confirm the “new coincide with Tillerson’s visit, type” of engine’s thrust power but Pyongyang has been highly and gauge the critical of ongoreliability of its ing U.S.-South control system Korea wargames and structural just south of the safety.

North Korea Demilitarized is banned by Kim called Zone and often the United the test “a great conducts some Nations from event of historic sort of high-proconducting significance” for file operation of long-range the country’s inits own in promissile tests, digenous rocket test. but it claims industry, the Earlier this its satellite KCNA report month, it fired program is for said. off four ballistic peaceful use, He also said missiles into the a claim many the “whole world Sea of Japan, rein the U.S. will soon witportedly reachand elsewhere ness what eventing within 200 believe is ful significance kilometres (120 questionable. the great vicmiles) of Japan’s tory won today shoreline. carries” and Japan, which claimed the test was Tillerson’s marks what will first stop before be known as the “March 18 rev- travelling to South Korea and olution” in the development of China, hosts tens of thousands the country’s rocket industry. of U.S. troops.

The report indicated that the While building ever better engine is to be used for North long-range missiles and smaller Korea’s space and satellite- nuclear warheads to pair with launching program. them, North Korea has marked North Korea is banned by the a number of successes in its United Nations from conduct- space program. ing long-range missile tests, but It launched its latest satellite — it claims its satellite program is the Kwangmyongsong 4, or Brilfor peaceful use, a claim many liant Star 4 — into orbit on Feb. in the U.S. and elsewhere be- 7 last year, just one month after lieve is questionable. conducting what it claims was its North Korean officials have first hydrogen-bomb test. said that under a five-year plan, It put its first satellite in orbit they intend to launch more in 2012, a feat few other counEarth observation satellites and tries have achieved. In 2013, what would be the country’s rival South Korea launched a first geostationary communica- satellite into space from its own tions satellite — which would be soil for the first time, though it a major technological advance. needed Russian help to build Getting that kind of satellite the rocket’s first stage.

23

Friday March 24, 2017

Pangarap: So, Our Journey Begins

So, what is buying a franchise? needed to run a good business.

You will still need to look after your cash flow, watch out for expenses, manage inventory, supervise people, manage quality of products, and the like.

You will still need family support, a lot of it. It is not good to be able to start a business of which the spouse is not supportive because then the burden of making it work and making it earn money immediately for the family becomes heavier.

You would hate to hear “I told you so” remarks from the very people who should be in this struggle with you.

The key is being able to buy a franchise or type of business that is the right fit for you, one that you will like operating either by yourself or by somebody else you have picked.

Both managing your own business or a franchise require the same amount of dedication and

There are franchise advisors who are the experts and the

By Bolet professionals in this, and they Arevalo can be easily found as they are very active in their craft.

There are consulting companies that hold free seminars.

FRANCHISING IS THE They also give free sit-down SHORTEST ROUTE TO HAVone-on-one consultations to ING YOUR OWN COMPLETE profile you and match you with BUSINESS. the right kind of business and the right franchise that they Franchising is buying a have available. They usually ready-made business. do not charge you a direct fee Technically, the term “franbecause this pre-consultation chise” means a license or a work is already built in or part permit. To buy a business franof the package fee of the franchise is therefore to secure a chise that you will buy. license or permit to operate the However, you will still have same business. Franchising is a to do make your own decision. short-cut to having a business And you can only make a good of your own. It comes complete one if you had done your homewith a brand, systems, signage, work, that is, done your own materials, ingredients, manresearch and investigation on agement and technical support. the possible businesses that At least at the outset, all you initially meet your requireneed is capital to buy the whole ments or criteria. When you package and opare decided on erate it. The very what business to evident advantake, the consultage of being able tants go as far as to buy a readyhelping you find made business is It is all right to hear out as many the legal experts opinions as possible, but only the that there is less and financial experts’ opinion should count. to worry about servicing compain terms of setnies to help you ting it up and start up. operating it on a Whether startday-to-day basis from the tech- hands-on care. ing a new idea or buying into a nical point of view because evWhen making decisions, al- franchise or an old business, erything has been bundled up ways ask for experts’ opinion capital will always be the ultifor the licensee or franchisee, or read about them in proper mate factor. How much money which is you. Should problems sources, and not the neigh- do you have and how much arise, there are experts to call bour or the family friend who more can you raise? There are or consult with for advice. They has never had any experience banks and financial companies, are supposed to be part of the or business of his own. It is all but they can be restrictive, espackage. right to hear out as many opin- pecially if the business or comFranchise or not, you will still ions as possible, but only the pany you are buying has no fineed the values and discipline experts’ opinion should count. nancial history or track record.

Generally, small franchise businesses are in the $50-100k bracket.

But that is the franchise fee alone.

You will need more to set it up in a location, furnish t h e store, stock u p the in-

ventory, and pay workers. If it is a business you can initially run at home and among family members, then the start-up money needed may be a little less.

But in most types of businesses, location is almost always the No. 1 factor that can help you expand it faster. It has to be where your market can see it or avail of it conveniently.

You can be good at everything when you set it up, but if you are not accessible to your customers, then you have a big problem there.

Franchises are ready-made businesses. They come in complete packages. There are consulting companies that can introduce you or discuss with you

more intelligently how go into franchising. Franchise or not, you will need the values and skills necessary in running a good business, including the right decisions as consulted with the experts and not with merely families and friends.

Bolet is a marketing communications practitioner and dabbles in writing as a personal passion.

She is author-publisher of the book: The Most Practical Immigrating and Job Hunting Survival Guide, proven simple steps to success without the fears and the doubts. book is available in Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Chapters/Indigo, the Reading Room and other online bookshops worldwide.

An Invitation from The Anglican Churches of the Diocese of New Westminster The Anglican Church of Canada is in full communion with Philippine Independent Church (Aglipayan Church) and The Episcopal Church in the Philippines.

In the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster which stretches from Powell River in the Sunshine Coast to Hope at the entrance to the Fraser Can-

yon, taking in all the urban and suburban areas of the Metro Vancouver Area there are 66 Anglican Churches all offering a warm welcome to all who seek the presence of God. You are warmly invited this Holy Week and Easter and all year long to worship with us.

There are four churches with significant Filipino-Canadian

congregations: Father Expedito Farinas and the community of St. Mary, South Hill, 808 East 50th Avenue, Vancouver, 604.324.3395; Father Wilmer Toyoken and the community of St. Michael’s, Multicultural Church, 409 East Broadway, 604.876.8191; Father Arvin Amayag and the community of St. Mary the Virgin, Sapperton, www.canadianinquirer.net

121 East Columbia Street, New Westminster, 604.521.2314 and Father Luisito (Louie) Engnan and the community of St. Michael’s, Surrey, 12996 – 60 Avenue, 604.591.8323 Fr. Expedito and Fr. Louie are priests ordained in the Philippine Independent Church, Fr. Arvin and Fr. Wilmer are priests ordained in the Episco-

pal Church in the Philippines, their Holy Orders have been transferred and joyfully accepted by the Bishop of the Diocese of New Westminster, Anglican Church of Canada.

They and their communities of faith are looking forward to meeting you.

Give them a call, or just drop by during this Easter Holy season.

24

March 24, 2017

Friday

Entertainment Thank You For the Music

BY Jeremiah Neil Zamora Sumagui Gerphil Flores and Attila Dobak. Two outstanding singers. One amazing night.`` Recently, classical singer and protégé of David Foster, Gerphil Flores held a concert in the Anvil Center in New Westminster. To call her performance a treat to the ears would do it a grave disservice and an understatement of gross proportions. Utterly fantastic vocals rang through the spacious interior of the Anvil Center’s main theater, among the throngs of people from small children, to elderly men and women. It was truly heartening to see such a diverse crowd clap and cheer for some of the finest musicians to grace Anvil Center’s theatre. But I digress, for

music and applause were not all that the night had in store. Gerphil herself was a delightful individual to see on stage, not just as a performer, but as a person.

She was a great hostess, cracking jokes, and telling her life story.

As told by Gerphil herself, her name is in fact a portmanteau of Germany and Philippines, the two countries of origin from her father and mother respectively.

She was brought by her parents to many an opera in Germany, which inspired her to sing every day since the age of three. In her pre-teen years, she decided to pursue a career in music, and eventually graduated from the University of the Philippines cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in music, majoring in voice.

However, Gerphil was not the only vocalist to take the stage that night. Attila Dobak was a

guest star that performed along with Gerphil, and was utterly outstanding. Attila hails from Hungary, and with such a culture known for excellence in music, Attila carries on this tradition with an operatic voice that doesn’t hesitate to use vibrato (to great effect).

On the music that was on display, or rather, onstage, Gerphil began with a multitude of compositions from musicals, ranging from “The Sound of Music” to “West Side Story.” She had a very emotional voice that had outstanding tone and clarity, as well as a surprising amount of vibrato when she held notes for upwards of five seconds, which pleased the ears immensely.

Attila’s performance followed suite, and was a delightful part of the evening, with pieces from Frank Sinatra, and Oscar Ham-

The author (far left) with Filipino singer Gerphil Flores (3rd from left)

merstein II’s “South Pacific.” His vocals and dynamics were an experience all on their own to hear reverberating through the theatre.

To end the night, Gerphil sang the song that gave her the title of David Foster’s Golden Girl: Im-

possible Dream. However, things took a turn for the surprising, as Attila and Gerphil began a song that the audience couldn’t help but join in on: “Thank You For the Music.”

Thank you for the music indeed, Gerphil and Attila.

Unity in Asean cinema's diversity Fest organizer calls PH cinema the region’s most prolific, in terms of quantity and quality

By Bayani San Diego Jr. Philippine Daily Inquirer Festival director Livan Tajang proudly admits that she is quite familiar with Filipino movies. Beyond her work curating the Asean International Film Festival and Awards (held every two years in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia), she has followed the works of several world-renowned Filipino artists on her own.

“I have seen Filipino movies which may not have been shown at the Aiffa, but have won in other countries,” she tells the Inquirer. “I love Nora Aunor’s movies, such as Brillante Ma Mendoza’s ‘Thy Womb.’ She is a brilliant and highly versatile actress. Director Lav Diaz produces groundbreaking work, too.”

The Aiffa gave Aunor the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015—the same honor previously given to Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh.

Aunor has been invited as

“guest of honor”—along with Cannes best actress Jaclyn Jose (as lecturer), Cinema One head Ronald Arguelles (lecturer) and filmmaker Raymond Red ( jury member)—to this year’s fest, to be held from May 4 to 6.

Tajang speaks highly of Philippine cinema, which she describes as “among the most prolific in the region—not only in terms of quantity, but also when it comes to quality.”

“We have had many winners from the Philippines in many categories (like Cherie Gil for best actress and Joseph Laban for best director in 2015) and its filmmakers are also among the most supportive, judging from the high number of entries in every festival,” she relates.

At press time, she reports that the festival has received 40 film entries from the Philippines.

Tajang flew to Manila recently, for the fest’s regular road tour. “We usually visit major Southeast Asian cities, to inform filmmakers and the me-

Livan Tajang / Facebook

dia about the activities of Aiffa.

We also take the opportunity to update filmmakers and invite guests to the festival.”

A new addition to the fest is the Aiffa Biz—an event where Asean filmmakers will be given the chance to pitch their new projects for content financing under the partnership of Aiffa and Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association.

Apart from the three-day screenings of nominated films, the fest will also mount a prowww.canadianinquirer.net

gram dubbed Café Crawl, where different delegates and experts can network and discuss moviemaking.

Tajang waxes optimistic about the potential of Southeast Asian cinema.

“The region has been coming out with high-quality films of late,” she notes. “However, we are usually exposed only to our own country’s films. Aiffa aims to be a venue—providing a platform where we can work together and penetrate each

other’s markets.”

She points out that Southeast Asia offers a huge, untapped potential audience (comprised of 600 million people) for the region’s filmmakers.

“We need to work together, to create films together… so we can market our films throughout the region,” she asserts.

“There are many film events in the region now, providing various opportunities… The only way to move forward is to collaborate with each other.”

Tajang envisions Aiffa as the “region’s premier festival.”

“We now provide financing and hope to include marketing and distribution among our programs in the future,” she explains.

But the festival’s continuous growth can only be attained with the help of the stakeholders, she acknowledges. “The region’s filmmakers can make it happen. We are glad that different countries, particularly the Philippines, have always been supportive.”

Entertainment

Friday March 24, 2017

25

Tegan and Sara Ronnie Alonte: Vice and I not dating join YouTubers in questioning LGBTQ video filtering

By Marinel R. Cruz Philippine Daily Inquirer

By David Friend The Canadian Press TORONTO — A chorus of Canadian LGBTQ YouTubers, including pop duo Tegan and Sara, is calling for the video service to stop filtering out gay and transthemed videos for some users.

The Calgary-raised sisters have taken to social media to question why YouTube’s “restricted” setting appears to block a wide variety of LGBTQfriendly content for no clear reason.

“If you put YouTube on restricted mode a bunch of our music videos disappear. I checked myself. LGBTQ people shouldn’t be restricted. SAD!” Tegan and Sara tweeted. Among the missing clips were music videos from their latest album, including for “That Girl” and “U-turn.”

They were joined by Halifax singer Ria Mae, who said her video for “Gold,” which features the singer in a lesbian relationship, was also being filtered out.

“Young gay kids need to see themselves represented and they need to know it’s normal, it’s OK and it’s not X-rated,” Mae posted in a video on her Instagram account.

“It sends a bad message to young gay kids and young trans kids that their lives are not normal or acceptable.”

At issue is YouTube’s “restricted” designation, which lets parents, schools and librar-

ies filter out content that isn’t deemed appropriate for users under 18. YouTube calls it “an optional feature used by a very small subset of users.”

It’s unclear whether the types of videos in question are now being categorized as “restricted” for the first time, or whether the filtering is only now getting attention.

In an emailed statement on Monday, YouTube said “some videos that cover subjects like health, politics and sexuality may not appear for users and institutions that choose to use this feature.”

YouTube acknowledged that “some videos are incorrectly labelled by our automated system and we realize it’s very important to get this right.”

“We’re working hard to make some improvements,” the company said Monday afternoon without offering further details.

The complaints spawned the hashtag #YouTubeIsOverParty, which was a Twitter trending topic worldwide over the weekend.

Toronto-based transgender YouTuber Stef Sanjati had 48 of her videos blocked as of Monday, including clips discussing transgender student bathrooms and makeup tips.

Fellow gay video maker Michael Rizzi was also affected, with 176 of his 236 videos disappearing in “restricted” mode.

With files from the Associated Press

Tegan and Sara / Facebook

“It’s depressing to know that a lot of Filipinos still think so negatively of gay people,” said actor-dancer Ronnie Alonte, who is now being romantically linked to Vice Ganda.

Ronnie, a member of the dance group Hashtags, insisted that there is nothing going on between him and the host of “It’s Showtime.”

“People are so judgmental when it comes to those who are gay or bisexual, especially to comedians like Vice. If you’re seen hanging out with them, people automatically assume that you’re dating them,” Ronnie told reporters at the launch of Penshoppe’s #ClubPenshoppePH campaign, for which he is one of seven celebrity endorsers.

Also part of the campaign are actresses Sofia Andres and Loisa Andalio, former PBB housemate Tanner Mata and his twin Tyler, Brazilian model Maria Fabiana and Spanish model Emilio Francisco Perez.

“I learn a lot from Vice in terms of how to deal with bashers and vicious rumors in show biz. I also get advice from (cohosts) Vhong (Navarro) and Billy (Crawford),” Ronnie

Ronnie Alonte / Facebook

pointed out. “They said that having bashers is a sign that people are starting to take interest in you.”

Ronnie said he used to get affected by the negative comments about him in social media. He has eventually learned to laugh them off. “I answer them and sometimes ‘like’ their comments. I say ‘I love you’ to them. My fans get jealous because they say I pay more attention to the bashers than to them. But that is my way of showing my bashers that I am not at all affected by them.”

Aside from “It’s Showtime,”

Ronnie is in the cast of the series, “A Love to Last,” where he plays struggling student Christopher or Tupe. “I took a beating when I did ‘Vince & Kath & James’ and ‘Seklusyon.’ They said I shouldn’t be made to act,” he shared with the Inquirer.

He pointed out that his first two projects were offered to him and “didn’t want to turn them down, but I did my best.

Too bad I got negative reviews for them. So I promised to do better next time. Now, I’m happy I’m getting good feedback for the series. I’m working hard to get better.”

Kuwait censors pull Disney’s Beauty and the Beast for edits

By Hussain Al-Qatari The Associated Press KUWAIT CITY — Beauty and the Beast was pulled from cinemas in Kuwait on Monday after censors raised concerns over the content of the new film, which includes what has been called the first “gay moment” for a Disney character.

The film, which has grossed more than $180 million overseas, had been showing in the predominantly Muslim country of Kuwait since Thursday.

But those who’d purchased tickets to see the movie Monday received text messages from Kuwait’s National Cinema Company informing them that www.canadianinquirer.net

screenings were cancelled due to “unforeseen difficulties.”

The company also promised ticket buyers a full refund.

Duaij Al-Khalifa Al-Sabah, a board member at the National Cinema Company, which operates 11 of Kuwait’s 13 movie theatres, told The Associated Press a newly edited version of the movie may be in theatres later this week.

He said concerns centre on a scene late in the movie involving the character LeFou, which director Bill Condon describes as an “exclusively gay moment.”

“We were requested to stop the screening and further censor the movie for things that were deemed offensive by the Ministry of Information’s censorship department,” Al-Sabah said.

In some predominantly Muslim countries, same-sex relations can lead to lashings, imprisonment and fines. In a few, it carries the death penalty.

Those in support of the ban on the film in Kuwait launched hashtags calling for “respect” and urging the cinema company to protect children by blocking the movie. The film was given a PG-13 rating in Kuwait.

Disney officials did not immediately respond to a request of comment.

Similar concerns over the film’s brief scene prompted a drive-in theatre in the U.S. state of Alabama to cancel showings. Censors in Malaysia required the scene be edited, but Disney pulled the film from release there.

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March 24, 2017

Friday

Lifestyle Now hear this:

Loud sound may pose more harm than we thought

By Malcolm Ritter The Associated Press NEW YORK — Matt Garlock has trouble making out what his friends say in loud bars, but when he got a hearing test, the result was normal. Recent research may have found an explanation for problems like his, something called “hidden hearing loss.”

Scientists have been finding evidence that loud noise — from rock concerts, leaf blowers, power tools and the like — damages our hearing in a previously unsuspected way. It may not be immediately noticeable, and it does not show up in standard hearing tests.

But over time, Harvard researcher M. Charles Liberman says, it can rob our ability to understand conversation in a noisy setting. It may also help explain why people have more trouble doing that as they age.

And it may lead to persistent ringing in the ears.

The bottom line: “Noise is more dangerous than we thought.”

His work has been done almost exclusively in animals.

Nobody knows how much it explains hearing loss in people or how widespread it may be in the population. But he and others are already working on potential treatments.

To understand Liberman’s research, it helps to know just how we hear. When sound enters our ears, it’s picked up by

so-called hair cells. They convert sound waves to signals that are carried by nerves to the brain. People can lose hair cells for a number of reasons — from loud noise or some drugs, or simple aging — and our hearing degrades as those sensors are lost. That loss is what is picked up by a standard test called an audiogram that measures how soft a noise we can hear in a quiet environment.

Liberman’s work suggests that there’s another kind of damage that doesn’t kill off hair cells, but which leads to experiences like Garlock’s.

A 29-year-old systems engineer who lives near Boston, Garlock is a veteran of rock concerts.

“You come home and you get that ringing in your ears that lasts for a few days and then it goes away,” he said.

But after he went to Las Vegas for a friend’s birthday, and visited a couple of dance clubs, it didn’t go away. So he had the audiogram done, in 2015, and his score was normal.

Last fall, he came across a news story about a study coauthored by Liberman. It was a follow-up to Libermans’ earlier work that suggests loud noise damages the delicate connections between hair cells and the nerves that carry the hearing signal to the brain.

The news story said this can cause not only persistent ringing in the ears, but also a lingering difficulty in understanding conversations in background

noise. After the Vegas trip, Garlock sensed he had that problem himself.

“I notice myself leaning in and asking people to repeat themselves, but I don’t notice anybody else doing that,” he said.

Garlock emailed one of Liberman’s colleagues and volunteered for any follow-up studies.

It’s hard to be sure that Garlock’s situation can be explained by the research. But the seeming contradiction of hearing problems in people with perfect hearing tests has puzzled experts for years, says Robert Fifer of the University of Miami’s Mailman Center for Child Development.

He’s seen it in Air Force personnel who worked around airplanes and in a few musicblasting adolescents.

“We didn’t have a really good explanation for it,” said Fifer, who’s an official of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association.

But the work by Liberman and others helps solve the mystery, he said.

The connections between hair cells are called synapses, and a given hair cell has many of them. Animal studies suggest you could lose more than half of your synapses without any effect on how you score on an audiogram.

But it turns out, Liberman says, that losing enough synapses erodes the message the nerves deliver to the brain, wip-

www.canadianinquirer.net

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ing out details that are crucial for sifting conversation out from background noise. It’s as if there’s a big Jumbotron showing a picture, he says, but as more and more of its bulbs go black, it gets harder and harder to realize what the picture shows.

The study Garlock noticed is one of the few explorations of the idea in people. Researchers rounded up 34 college students between ages 18 and 41 who had normal scores on a standard hearing test. The volunteers were designated highrisk or low-risk for hidden hearing loss, based on what they said about their past exposure to loud noise and what steps they took to protect their hearing, The higher-risk group reported more difficulty understanding speech in noisy situations, and they scored more poorly on a lab test of that ability. They also showed evidence of reduced function for hear-

ing-related nerves.

It’s a small study that must be repeated, Liberman says, but it adds to evidence for the idea.

One encouraging indication from the animal studies is that a drug might be able to spur nerves to regrow the lost synapses, said Liberman, who holds a financial stake in a company that is trying to develop such treatments.

In the meantime, he says, the work lends a new urgency to the standard advice about protecting the ears in loud places.

“It isn’t awesome to have your ears ringing. It’s telling you (that) you did some damage,” he said.

Liberman’s own hearing scores are pretty good, but at age 65, he sometimes can’t understand his kids in a loud setting. He figures some of that may be from his years of handyman chores, like using a belt sander or a table saw.

“I wear earplugs when I mow the lawn now.”

Lifestyle

Friday March 24, 2017

27

Who’s happy, who’s not: Dig deeper Norway tops list, Canada 7th before mocking ‘crazy’ pet parents

By Seth Borenstein The Canadian Press

WASHINGTON — If you want to go to your happy place, you need more than cash. A winter coat helps — and a sense of community.

A new report shows Norway is the happiest country on Earth, Americans are getting sadder, and it takes more than just money to be happy.

Norway vaulted to the top slot in the World Happiness Report despite the plummeting price of oil, a key part of its economy. Income in the United States has gone up over the past decade, but happiness is declining.

The United States was 14th in the latest ranking, down from No. 13 last year, and over the years Americans steadily have been rating themselves less happy.

“It’s the human things that matter. If the riches make it harder to have frequent and trustworthy relationship between people, is it worth it?” asked John Helliwell, the lead author of the report and an economist at the University of British Columbia in Canada (ranked No. 7). “The material can stand in the way of the human.”

Studying happiness may seem frivolous, but serious academics have long been calling for more testing about people’s emotional well-being, especially in the United States. In 2013, the National Academy of Sciences issued a report recommending that federal statistics and surveys, which normally deal with income, spending, health and housing, include a few extra questions on happiness because it would lead to better policy that affects people’s lives.

Norway moved from No. 4 to the top spot in the report’s rankings, which combine economic, health and polling data compiled by economists that are averaged over three years from 2014 to 2016. Norway edged past previous champ Denmark, which fell to second.

Iceland, Switzerland and Finland round out the top 5.

“Good for them. I don’t think

By Malcolm Ritter The Associated Press

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Denmark has a monopoly on happiness,” said Meik Wiking, chief executive officer of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, who wasn’t part of the global scientific study that came out with the rankings.

“What works in the Nordic countries is a sense of community and understanding in the common good,” Wiking said.

Still, you have to have some money to be happy, which is why most of the bottom countries are in desperate poverty.

But at a certain point extra money doesn’t buy extra happiness, Helliwell and others said.

Central African Republic fell to last on the happiness list, and is joined at the bottom by Burundi, Tanzania, Syria and Rwanda.

The report ranks 155 countries. The economists have been ranking countries since 2012, but the data used goes back farther so the economists can judge trends.

The rankings are based on gross domestic product per person, healthy life expectancy with four factors from global surveys. In those surveys, people give scores from 1 to 10 on how much social support they feel they have if something goes wrong, their freedom to make their own life choices, their sense of how corrupt their society is and how generous they are.

While most countries were either getting happier or at

least treading water, America’s happiness score dropped 5 per cent over the past decade. Venezuela and the Central African Republic slipped the most over the past decade. Nicaragua and Latvia increased the most.

Study co-author and economist Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University said in a phone interview from Oslo that the sense of community, so strong in Norway, is deteriorating in the United States.

“We’re becoming more and more mean spirited. And our government is becoming more and more corrupt. And inequality is rising,” Sachs said, citing research and analysis he conducted on America’s declining happiness for the report. “It’s a long-term trend and conditions are getting worse.”

University of Maryland’s Carol Graham, who wasn’t a study author but did review some chapters, said the report mimics what she sees in the American rural areas, where her research shows poor whites have a deeper lack of hope, which she connects to rises in addictions to painkillers and suicide among that group.

“There is deep misery in the heartland,” Graham, author of the book “The Pursuit of Happiness,” wrote in an email.

Happiness — and doing what you love — is more important than politicians think, said study author Helliwell. He rated his personal happiness a 9 on a 1-to- 10 scale. www.canadianinquirer.net

NEW YORK — It’s easy to jump directly to “crazy cat lady” or poke fun at “stay-at-home dog moms” when describing intense relationships between humans and their pets.

But for some who spend the bulk of each day with their animals, it’s more like a two-way healing labour of love.

Amy Hunter, 51, stayed home in Indiana with her three kids when they were little. Years later, she took a work-from-home job after the death of her son, Jake, piled on the loss of another son who had earlier drowned.

Now her daughter is about to graduate from college and Hunter is home full time with two dogs, a brown mix rescue named Apollo, who weighs in at about 90 pounds, and a black Labrador retriever, Rubi.

“I’ve become very, very, very in tune with them,” said Hunter, who lives in Indianapolis.

“We got Rubi as a puppy after my first son died. She’s been my emotional saviour.”

Her husband works outside the home, as a plant manager, so it’s just mom and dogs during the day.

“After my second son died I cried a lot. I was anxiety ridden,” Hunter explained. “What I found was how much I could communicate with my dogs.”

Coleen Balent, 43, understands.

She stays home with her two kids, ages 10 and 8, as her husband works as a computer network engineer for U.S. Navy hospitals outside their home.

They’ve been stationed around the world and have been in the U.S. island territory of Guam, in the western Pacific, for nearly a year.

Rounding out the family are three rescue dogs, including one, 13-year-old Paolo, who has serious health issues. She and her husband found him years ago in Sicily, in a boat yard with his mouth taped shut. He had been hit by a car.

“The vet told me he wouldn’t make it through the night. I

took him home with antibiotics and a nebulizer and he survived,” Balent recalled. “Several years later, Paolo broke his back while we were living in Charleston, South Carolina.”

The accident left him paralyzed, but after $6,000 in surgery and three months of rehabilitation, he can hobble along, requiring help going up and down stairs and on and off beds.

Three years ago, Paolo was diagnosed with diabetes so Balent injects him with insulin twice a day, checking his glucose levels often.

“We can barely afford it, and it’s a pain,” she said. “I can never go anywhere for the day. I’m quite sure everyone thinks I’m crazy. Some people have flat out told me, but Paolo has seen me through two pregnancies, two severe postpartum depressions, an autoimmune disease and three moves to three different countries and continents.”

For Hunter, each pet enriches her in different ways. Her black lab got her off the coach.

“She gets me moving, she gets me going. There’s no sitting anymore.” She even feels her long hours alone with the two have heightened their ability to communicate.

It’s Apollo who tells her when it’s time for breakfast. He’s the vocal one. Both dogs comprehend about 250 of her words.

Apollo can differentiate between ball, stick and his favourite toy, a Teddy bear.

“And they know what shoes I wear. If I put on running shoes, they’re staying home. They don’t move. If I put on just normal tennis shoes, we’re walking and they go find their leashes.

If I put on boots or dress shoes or something, they’re not going.

They know this. It’s so funny,” Hunter said. “I’m not the crazy dog lady. I know they’re not my children, but I just feel very close to them.”

Stay-at-home writer Kat Faitour, who lives near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is not a “crazy” dog mom. She’s a “crazy” cat mom.

Faitour worked in the health care industry for more than 20 ❱❱ page 35 Dig deeper

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Lifestyle

March 24, 2017

Friday

5 ways to get creative with Easter baskets

By Leanne Italie The Associated Press NEW YORK — With Easter coming up it’s time to start plotting how to best your kid baskets from last year.

Some ideas: Get creative with popcorn

Is there anything more versatile than popcorn?

You can chocofy it, caramelize it or dye it in your favourite Easter hues. Try adding jellybeans or other Easter candy for added colour, and mini marshmallows for added texture.

There’s no end to the mixes and flavour combinations. This is your chance to get beyond the usual and have some fun. An abundance of recipes already exist on the internet. The site Twosisterscrafting.com used salted sweet cream, primary colour jellybeans and pastel sprinkles for an Easter feel.

Make some carrots

Or at least carrot shapes.

Look for packs of carrot-shaped

cello bags at craft and other stores and have at it. Fill them with Reese’s pieces or fishshaped crackers for a carrot orange look, or just fill them with anything you want because the carrot shape is still fun for little kids.

Cello-wrapped carrot cargo fits nicely with just about anything else you might want to include in kid Easter baskets. If you’re going for the real-carrot feel, added a little green ribbon at the top.

and a large chocolate bunny. Or take on a favourite theme, such as icy blue and white for “Frozen.” Use bright yellow string and your big gap as the wide open mouth of a candy-filled Minion. Head to Pinterest for inspiration. Add bits of ribbon trim or blingy faux jewels.

Peeps on sticks

Ditch the basket

Forget the traditional basket and fill a dump truck, inflatable wading pool or toy shopping cart with gifts and treats. Kids often ditch a basic basket but would have loads of fun with these receptacles as something extra.

A pull wagon would work, or a cartoon- or character-themed bucket filled with matching items.

One creative soul on Pinterest made good use of a clear vinyl rain umbrella, laying down a bed of iridescent plastic

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Easter grass on the inside and nestling toys and treats on top.

Others used baseball caps as the catchall. One twist for what goes inside: Put a chocolate kiss in a plastic egg with a slip of paper that details something you love about the basket recipient, suggests Sherry Richert Belul of the gift site SimplyCelebrate. net.

Lia Griffith, a DIY crafter and designer, made a cute, sturdy Easter basket out of upcycled brown paper grocery bags us-

ing a woven design. The project takes four to five bags.

Reach for string

You know those string eggs made by soaking yarn or embroidery thread in diluted glue, homemade paste or sugar water, then wrapping it around a water balloon before popping for a lattice look? Take that an extra step for Easter.

One idea: Open up a wide hole and create an Easter diorama, or keep it simple using Easter grass

There are oh so many things to do with these Easter evergreens as the peeps at Peeps come up with new types and flavours every year. Try poking them with chocolate-dipped and embellished pretzels, or pairing them with other easily pokable treats using kebab skewers. One health-conscious pinner paired Peeps on a stick with strawberries and chunks of colorful fruit.

Wrap your Peeps on sticks in cello and add a colorful tie or ribbon.

If playing with melted chocolate and sprinkles isn’t your thing, make a bouquet of Peeps on sticks and arrange them in a vase or basket with Easter grass and other treats.

No idea how to propose?

You can pay someone to help you before the ‘I do’

By Linda Nguyen The Canadian Press TORONTO — When Tu Le decided to pop the big question to his longtime girlfriend last year, he didn’t want to just get down on one knee in a restaurant.

The 27-year-old wanted his marriage proposal to hairdresser, Phuong Tran, to be creative and memorable — so he enlisted professional help.

“Some people like it simple.

Some people don’t. I guess I’m the type of person to be a little bit extra,” said Le, an account manager for a Vancouver tech company.

“I wanted to make it really special, something that would be memorable not just for us, but for our families as well.”

Three months and $2,000 later on New Year’s Day, Le was on Grouse Mountain, a popular ski hill overlooking Vancouver, standing in front of a custombuilt archway comprised of

gold leaf garland, illuminated by string lights and surrounded by photos from the couple’s four-year relationship. Hanging by their heads in gold cursive writing was the question: “Marry Me?” Professional proposal planner Karen Lee, who orchestrated the proposal, says there’s been growth in the niche industry.

Lee, who launched Luxe Proposals in 2015, helped arrange 30 marriage proposals in her first year. Last year, the company planned 47 and has since expanded to Toronto with plans to launch in Montreal next year.

And no, there haven’t been any rejections, she said.

The popularity of hiring a professional to help with an engagement is increasing among the millennial generation who not only want a picture-perfect proposal, but one they can document on social media, Lee says.

“There is pressure on the guy

to create something that hasn’t been seen before because everybody wants to share it on Instagram,” said Lee, who cofounded the company with a friend.

“Shows like ‘The Bachelor’ and YouTube viral videos are making women think, ‘Oh I want that.’

Lee says most of her clients are busy young professionals who don’t have the time, or admittedly, the creativity or organizational skills, to plan an elaborate marriage proposal.

So instead, they pay someone like her to do it. Luxe Proposals charges between $1,000 for a prepackaged plan to around $3,000 for a custom plan. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months from start to ‘I do.’

Lee’s first client paid $15,000 for a proposal that involved stringing a pier with 200 photos of the couple, setting up props to pay tribute to their favourite trips and an intimate candlelit www.canadianinquirer.net

dinner set up by a private chef.

Vanessa Ortali, the owner of Toronto-based A Man’s Pursuit, says the concept behind professional proposal companies is to give clients an experience they won’t forget.

Since launching a year ago, she has helped more than 50 grooms-to-be with proposals involving everything from a helicopter ride around the city harbour to one that spanned multiple days.

“I think TV shows and social media definitely put on added pressure.

It’s about easing the process for the groom. It can be a lot of work. Now, people aren’t as private as they used to be. Some of the first questions people ask is, ‘Let me see the ring and how did he propose?’” said Ortali, a former event planner.

On Grouse Mountain, Le did end up dropping down on one knee before he asked his fiancee to marry him.

The young couple plan on tying the knot in August 2018 in Vancouver in front of as many as 600 guests.

Friday March 24, 2017

29

Sports La Salle gets closer Roger Federer defeats to Final Four spot Stan Wawrinka for historic Indian Wells title

By MARC ANTHONY REYES Philippine Daily Inquirer

La Salle conquered firstround tormentor University of the Philippines, 27-25, 25-11, 25-17, on Sunday to inch closer toward a Final Four spot in the UAAP women’s volleyball at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan City. It was the Lady Spikers’ eighth win in 10 games, solidifying their hold of second place. The Lady Maroons fell to a fourth-best 5-5 card after a 4-0 start. La Salle exacted a cold and swift revenge over University of the Philippines Sunday, 27-25, 25-11, 25-17, to inch closer toward a Final Four spot in the UAAP women’s volleyball at FilOil Flying V Center in San Juan.

The Lady Spikers went all out against their first-round tormentor, sizing up the Lady Maroons until they got their groove and cruised to the easy straight sets win.

It was the Lady Spikers’ eighth win in 10 games, solidifying their hold of second spot.

In doing so, they buried the Lady Maroons to a 5-5 record after a 4-0 start.

Earlier, National University leaned on Jaja Santiago to survive University of the East,

2515, 25-21, 22-25, 25-21, for a 6-4 record, tying idle University of Santo Tomas for third place.

The Lady Maroons engaged the defending champion Lady Spikers in a fierce back and forth duel with UP even taking set point, 24-23, after rallying from 21-23.

But errors hounded UP before Kim Kiana Dy came though with a slam and helped with a kill-block to secure the opening frame for La Salle.

The next two sets were dominated by La Salle which got 16 points from middle blocker Majoy Baron, who made seven spikes, six aces and three blocks.

“We were able to make key adjustments in attacks and at the same time receive and block better than what we did in the first round,” Baron said.

Santiago came to the rescue of disjointed NU, making 23 points, including three straight in the endgame.

Jorelle Singh contributed 17 points, while Risa Sato added 10 for the lady Bulldogs.

Shaya Adorador topscored with 16 for UE, while Judith Abil chipped in 10 points, but their efforts hardly made a difference as NU outspiked UE, 52-31.

Philippines News Agency LOS ANGELES — Australian Open champion Roger Federer beat Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 7-5 to win the BNP Paribas Open - his fifth Indian Wells triumph on Sunday.

World number 10 Federer became the oldest champion in tournament history, surpassing Jimmy Connors, 31, who captured the title in 1984.

“It’s been just a fairytale week once again,” said Federer.

“I’m still on the comeback. I hope my body is going to allow me to keep on playing. I was very sad when I couldn’t come here last year. Just being here is a beautiful feeling. It’s one of my favorite tournaments. I came here for the first time 17 years ago. So to be here again as the champion is an amazing feeling.”

Federer claimed the first set before being broken for the first time at this year’s tournament in the first game of the second set.

World number three Wawrinka broke in first game of sec-

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ond set and went 2-0 ahead before Federer won three games in a row on his way to the title.

Victory in Indian Wells marks Federer’s 90th tourlevel crown and his 25th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title.

At 35 years old, he is the oldest

Masters 1000 champion since a 34-year-old Andre Agassi won the 2004 Cincinnati title.

The all-Swiss final on Sunday was the first all-countrymen final in Indian Wells since 2001 when Andre Agassi defeated Pete Sampras.

DepEd: More new meet records in Palarong Pambansa, 367 golds up for grabs Philippines News Agency MANILA — The Department of Education (DepEd) is optimistic that more meet records will be established in the forthcoming Palarong Pambansa which starts on April 23 in San Jose, Buenavista, Antique.

Cesar Abalon of DepEd School Sports Division expressed this during the recent

signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)by the education department and the local government of host Antique on the holding of the annual school-based sports conclave.

The senior education official attributed to focused grassroot sports program also of the various regional offices (down to division of schools) of the education department which put premium on “sound” training by their student-athletes aside from

topping their academic studies.

Contributing the upbeat trend in the sports training by student-athletes are the support of the local government units, parent-teacher associations and the parents of the athletes.

Based on DepEd record, eight new meet records were set in the 2016 Palaro held in Bicol.

These new records were — six in athletics (two in elementary, four in the secondary) and two in secondary swimming. www.canadianinquirer.net

This year’s Palaro has a total of 367 gold medals at stake, up by 25 golds in Bicol Palaro.

Four sports will be added to the regular sporting events in this 60th edition of the Palarong . These are wushu, billiard, wrestling and futsal. They are not exactly “new sports” but in the previous years, they were only held as demo sports which means medals won in these events are not counted in the overall medal tally.

The rest of the regular sport-

ing events to be contested in the secondary division are archery, arnis, athletics, badminton, baseball, basketball, boxing, chess, football, gymnastics ,sepak takraw seniors, softball, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and volleyball.

The same events will be contested in the elementary division except for archery and boxing.

On top of the new demo sports are dancesports, pencak silat and aquatic gymnastics.

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March 24, 2017

Friday

Business The one card solution can swipe away credit card overload

By Virginia C. McGuire The Associated Press Credit card maximizers make carrying multiple cards their hobby, using this one for groceries and that one for travel, juggling due dates and rewards categories. But most people prefer to spend their time on other things.

If the idea of chasing credit card rewards as a pastime doesn’t appeal to you, using just one credit card is a reasonable choice. Here are the benefits of carrying only one card, and how to choose it wisely.

The minimalist approach

There are several good reasons to simplify.

When you’re shopping: People who carry multiple credit cards have a decision to make every time they reach for their wallet. If you’re carrying only one card, that decision is a lot simpler.

When you’re paying the bill: Paying bills takes time. Even if a credit card issuer offers automatic payments, it still takes time to set it up, time to make sure you have enough money in your account and time to check in to make sure things are run-

ning smoothly. Doing that for just one credit card account instead of several sounds downright restful.

When you’re trying to manage spending: “If you’re somebody who’s really out of control when you have credit cards, then having many credit cards is almost like an alcoholic in bar,” said Tracy Becker, president of North Shore Advisory in Elmsford, New York, which provides credit-building and monitoring services to individuals and businesses. Using a single card helps some people monitor their spending more easily and avoid trouble, she said.

When you’re worried about fraud: Thieves who gain access to credit card information often make small purchases at first to see whether a card gets shut down, Becker said. It’s easier to monitor fewer accounts for fraudulent charges, so using only one card makes it easier to catch fraud more quickly.

Choosing the right card

Alas, there is no “best” credit card that is right for everyone.

It depends on your spending habits, whether you habitually carry a balance and what kind of rewards you find most useful.

If you carry a balance: Credit card debt is expensive, so if you don’t always pay things off in full every month, prioritize a low interest rate above every other card feature. When you carry a balance on a rewards card, the interest eats up much, if not all, of the value of your rewards.

If you travel frequently: Travel credit cards offer good rewards only if you travel often enough to use those rewards.

If you don’t, a cash back card is the better option. Still, the extra conveniences that come with some travel cards, like free checked bags, can make these cards worthwhile even to occasional travellers.

If you spend a lot in one or two budget areas: Some rewards credit cards offer higher returns on things like groceries, gas or restaurants. Look for a card that will reward the way you spend.

If you just want to keep things simple: The simplest option is a card that pays the same amount — in cash, points or miles — on every purchase, with no limit on the rewards you can earn.

These are sometimes called flat-rate credit cards.

If you’re concerned about fees: An annual fee on a credit

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card can be worth it, as long as the rewards are high enough to outweigh the fee. Premium travel cards, in particular, have high fees but generous rewards.

For a good no-fee card, your best bet is probably a cash back card.

Before you get excited and pare your credit cards down to just one, think about your credit score. Closing older accounts reduces the amount of credit you have available, and lowers the average age of your accounts. Both of those things can lower your score. Becker said having more credit cards also

demonstrates to lenders that you can handle lots of credit.

“It is possible to have a very high credit score with only one card, but not as likely,” Becker said.

But that’s no reason to carry more cards than you want to.

If your older accounts don’t charge annual fees, keep them open, but leave the cards at home. Becker recommends putting just one recurring bill, like a gym membership, on an older account and then setting up an automatic payment so you pay on time. If your unused cards charge annual fees, though, close them. Your credit score will recover.

Janet Yellen said further tightening of interest rates would be gradual.

At the same time, Roxas said a prospective turnaround in the fortunes of index heavyweight PLDT this year would also help the market.

“Chart-wise, the week’s close at 7,345.02 suggests that the market will remain range bound between the 7,000 and 7,400 levels in the near term,” said BDO Unibank chief strategist Jonathan Ravelas.

“A break above the 7,500 levels could call the bulls back into

play,” Ravelas said.

Meanwhile, the peso last week strengthened by 0.36 percent, causing some profit taking on the greenback as traders reassessed the US dollar’s direction, Ravelas said.

Other factors that led the peso to appreciate was the higher than expected January overseas Filipino remittance level, which grew by 8.6 percent year-on-year to $2.169 billion.

“The week’s close at P50.18:$1 highlights a near-term top could be in place at 50.40,” Ravelas said.

Protecting your credit score

Market seen to stay firm

By Doris DUMLAOABADILLA Philippine Daily Inquirer Local stocks are seen continuing to firm up this week on improving investor appetite as the US Federal Reserve’s latest statement allayed fears of a fast-paced monetary tightening.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index surged by 2.78 percent last week to end at 7,345.02 on Friday following the statement of the US Federal

Reserve that the pace of hike would be gradual.

“The outlook remains positive given that we have lagged behind the performance of the US market. Foreign flows will continue to dictate market direction. Given positive correlation historically between the US and Philippine markers, there is a good chance that the Philippine market will play catch up,” said Michaelangelo Oyson, president of BPI Securities.

“The Philippine economy remains strong and company earnings are generally decent.

Currency markets have also been in a tight range which augur well for equity markets,” he added.

Joseph Roxas, president of Eagle Equities Inc., said the market would likely have an upside bias this week. “It’s nearing a (bullish) breakout,” he said.

Roxas said the market would be supported by expectations that the US Fed might not hike interest rates this June as previously expected.

After the US-Fed raised interest rates by 25 basis points as expected last week, Fed Chair www.canadianinquirer.net

Business

Friday March 24, 2017

31

Biz Buzz:

Treasury pays up. Kinda.

Philippine Daily Inquirer Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez is committed to honoring the government’s contracts, obligations and liabilities—even if those are the result of wrong decisions made by the previous administration, he told members of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) last week.

He was, of course, talking about the reported P800-million liability that the government would have to pay to a Belgian firm after former President Aquino unilaterally nullified a contract firmed up by his predecessor for the dredging of Laguna Lake. And the Finance chief pointed out that the Duterte administration had no intention of walking away from other obligations that were the result of the government’s legal setbacks.

Apparently, this included the issue of the so-called PEACe bonds, whose investors felt aggrieved by the decision of the Aquino administration’s fiscal authorities to stop the return of some P4.9 billion in withholding taxes levied on bondholders.

No less than the Supreme Court has ruled in favor of local banks that bought the 10-year bonds in 2001, only to find out when they matured in 2011 that the Aquino administration wanted to collect more taxes on the securities than what investors had agreed to.

In any case, the Bureau of the Treasury—which is directly under the Department of Finance—recently wrote banks involved in the PEACe bonds deal that the government was very much willing to pay up for the “mess” caused by the previous dispensation, plus interest as required by law, of course. (The interest payment, as ordered by the Supreme Court, is a generous 6-percent annually counting from October 2011, until the liability is extinguished).

But the banks that were excited to receive a cash windfall from their legal victory saw their spirits dampened by what must have felt like a cold glass of water thrown in their faces. The Treasury said it would be willing to pay the nearly P5billion liability, but not in cash. Instead, it offered the banks payment for the fiasco in the form of—hold on to your seats—more government bonds.

Yes, the government will pay its creditors with more IOUs. Understandably, bankers who were excited about the prospects of receiving cash were left scratching their heads. One banker wondered whether the Treasury was being disingenuous about the whole thing (and not wanting to “man up and pay up” for the policy mistake). Another lamented: “Your bonds are good, but we need cash.” —DAXIM L. LUCAS

Testing the waters

Some mining firms—particularly those whose nickel operations in Zambales (a.k.a. the Zambales alliance) were suspended by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) —believe they have found a regulatory loophole that will allow them to resume operations.

Citing regulators’ own pronouncements during the recent Commission on Appointment and Mining Industry Coordinating Council hearings, there’s now a growing belief that the suspension orders are not final and executory after all. Not until these are formally upheld by the Office of the President, that is. President Duterte, for his part, has verbally backed the crusade of Environment Secretary-designate Gina Lopez but has yet to act on official petitions.

Different mining firms have taken different strategies to assail the DENR order, with some going straight to the Malacañang and others going to the normal process of appealing to the DENR before heading to the OP as a last resort.

But in the meantime, the miners’ coffers are drying up and the rainy season will soon come. Since it’s been clarified by legal counsels that there’s no legal impediment to resuming their operations, many of these mining firms have started rebuilding manpower to prepare to rekindle operations. That’s testing the water, as one miner explained.

One potential gray area, however, is defining what kind of operations they are allowed to resume. The risk is that while there’s technically no impediment to their resumption of operations, regulators may tighten on the granting of export permit.

In any case, whatever local or national regulators decide with finality, the last resort of these miners—who collectively feel they were not given due process —is to bring their respective cases to international arbitration. That could mean a whole lot of lawsuits. In the end, only the lawyers will be enriched. —DORIS DUMLAO-ABADILLA Tech tie-up

Entrepreneur Enrique Gonzales has teamed up with Malaysian tycoon Wong Thean Soon on the business of enabling government and large enterprises to benefit from the internet, automation, big data and software distribution.

Gonzales-led I-Pay Ventures Commerce Ventures Inc. (I-Pay) signed a 6040 percent joint-venture agreement with Soon’s MY E.G. Services Bhd (MYEG) to offer services online supported seamlessly by a payment gateway and other valueadded services. Both parties envision the joint venture will replicate the business model of MYEG in Malaysia. MYEG is Malaysia’s fastest-growing company as

Department of Finance

the civil service embraces the digital way of providing services to the public. Online services include renewal of foreign workers permit and insurance as well as online renewal of vehicle road tax and insurance and online transfer of vehicle ownership.

The tie-up with the Immigration Department and Road Transport Department, for instance, has resulted in the company recording euphoric growth in its top and bottom lines. It is was one of Asia’s “Best Under A Billion” companies honored by Forbes magazine.

“We are super excited to work with I-Pay to offer a superior G2C user experience in the Philippines. Our unique model provides significant cost savings and increased efficiency to all stakeholders and combined with I-Pay’s es-

tablished operating record, we are confident of achieving mass adoption in the coming years,” Wong said.

“Our partnership with MYEG gives us access to world-class technology that can upgrade internet infrastructure and government services in the Philippines.

The ultimate goal of our partnership is to improve delivery of government services for the Filipino people. We have deep conviction behind our joint-venture with MYEG,” said Gonzales, president of IP Ventures Group.

I-Pay is a payment processing provider and a direct agent of Western Union in the Philippines. Apart from Gonzales’ IP Ventures group, this company is backed

by Kaikaku Fund (Softbank-affiliated fund). —DORIS DUMLAO-ABADILLA

March 18, 10am–1pm at 2010 Glen Dr., Vancouver Priority for Permanent Residents.

Have your PR number ready for registration!

Contact Joy to register:  jjhocson@mosaicbc.org 604 254 9626

www.canadianinquirer.net

32

March 24, 2017

Friday

Technology Sharers rather than authors more important on social media

By David Bauder The Associated Press NEW YORK — The person who shares a news story on social media is more important than the story’s actual source in determining whether readers believe it, a study by the Media Insight Project has found.

In a previous study, consumers said they paid greater heed to where the story originated.

But the Media Insight Project, a collaboration between The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the American Press Institute, set up an experiment that found something different.

News organizations are keenly interested in research that tracks consumer habits in a rapidly changing media world.

Facebook was the top nontelevision source for election news cited by both supporters of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in last fall’s presidential campaign, according to the Pew Research Center. Businesses grew to churn out false stories that people would share online.

The Media Insight Project survey showed a post on a Facebook-like social network with a health story about diabetes. The Associated Press was labeled as the story’s author in the post shown to half of the participants while for the other half, the story was said to be from a fictional source, DailyNewsReview.com. Half of the participants saw the story was shared by a public figure they had previously said they trusted, such as Oprah Winfrey or Dr. Oz. For the other half, the

story was shared by a famous who participated in the proj- Springs, Colorado, participated person they said they didn’t ect’s experiment could remem- in the AP survey and said he trust. ber later who shared the diabe- was more likely to trust arFifty per cent of participants tes article, about two in 10 were ticles posted on social media said the health story got the able to identify the AP or Daily- by people he knows. But he’s facts right when it was shared by NewsReview.com as the author. also learned to be careful after the person they trusted, while The study didn’t measure investigating some material on only 35 per cent said the same his feed that turned out not to thing when they didn’t trust the be true, and it upsets him to see sharer, the study found. The friends share fake news. pattern was nearly identical “I just don’t look at when people were asked something and take it if they thought the story at face value,” Virga was well-reported. said.

“Especially Participants also now, because said they were more you’ve got too likely to pass the armany people getticle along to their ting their news own friends when it from the web. had been shared by It’s frustrating a trusted source. sometimes when By contrast, the you want accurate original source — AP information.” or the fictional site — Following postmade little difference to election concerns readers’ perceptions about about the extent of the article. fake news, Facebook anFor example, 52 per cent of nounced measures to make it people said they easier for users believed that the to call attention article attributed to false news to the AP had the stories they see If you build the freeway, you have facts right if it on their service, the responsibility to make sure the had been passed and is working freeway is safe. on by a trusted with news orfigure. But only ganizations and 32 per cent of fact checkers to people said the examine suspisame thing when the AP piece non-famous Facebook friends, cious stories. Some critics have was shared by someone less like your uncle or college bud- suggested Facebook’s decitrustworthy. dy, but the implications are sion to identify stories as false “If there’s somebody I like clear. People are increasingly rather than remove them is an and agree with, they can have a getting news from their social indication they’re not going far big influence not only in what I media feeds, and the beliefs of enough. look at but in whether I believe their “friends” determine what Facebook said it also supit or not: ‘I trust them and I con- they see regularly just like an porting media literacy efforts. vey that trust to the news that editor who makes decisions “This is an issue that cuts they share,”‘ said Tom Rosen- about what goes into a newspa- broadly across the social mestiel, executive director of the per. dia and news industries, and American Press Institute.

Michael Virga, an electri- we are working together to While about half the people cal technician from Colorado help people better understand

www.canadianinquirer.net

the sources and authenticity of information before they share with their friends or family,” said Justin Osofsky, Facebook’s vice-president of global operations and media partnerships.

“It’s important we give people the tools to make smart decisions about content, with the goal of helping create more informed communities across the digital ecosystem.”

The project’s findings indicate that news organizations must pay closer attention to how its articles spread through social media, Rosenstiel said.

They might also want to consider something that may seem counterintuitive, like sharing news by competitors in the hope that they will reciprocate, he said.

Readers “are not just your audience anymore,” he said.

“They’re your ambassadors.”

Social media outlets need to better police what is spread on their sites, he said.

“If you build the freeway, you have the responsibility to make sure the freeway is safe,” he said. “You shouldn’t just say that if there are potholes, drivers should try to avoid them.”

The poll of 1,489 adults was conducted Nov. 9-Dec. 6, 2016 with funding from the American Press Institute. It used a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Respondents were first selected randomly using addressbased sampling methods, and later interviewed online or by phone.

Technology

Friday March 24, 2017

33

The coming disruption:

How robots might upend different professions

By Alexander Panetta The Canadian Press WASHINGTON — A wrecking ball is coming for the labour market, analysts warn. As computer-processing power doubles each year and machines learn from their mistakes, sources say the upcoming federal budget will examine the potential of artificial intelligence to disrupt — industries, politics, and entire societies.

It’s been mostly blue-collar workers hit so far, but whitecollar jobs are next, a research project at Oxford University concluded in 2013. It said 47 per cent of jobs risk being automated.

They found the most at-risk jobs involve repetitive tasks, like telemarketing, tax-preparing, and insurance underwriting. The safest jobs involved unpredictability and interpersonal skills — sparing psychologists, surgeons and social workers from labour’s endangered-species list.

A newer study offers a more nuanced view.

McKinsey researchers argued this January that it’s not careers being wiped out — just individual tasks. They concluded nearly half of human tasks will be supplanted by machines within a 20-to-50-year range.

The report concludes 60 million U.S. jobs face some automation and predicts a change as drastic as the shift from an agriculture-based economy into the 20th century.

In the last shift, jobs moved to manufacturing. It’s not clear yet what employment might pick up the slack next time.

Here are examples from different fields: The Arts

A symphony composed by a computer was performed by London’s Symphony Orchestra.

Programmers from Spain created software that composed a piece in just eight minutes. It might sound gratingly atonal to some ears; a BBC reviewer called it delightful. There’s also painting. With a bit of code and a 3D printer, computers can produce masterpieces. They can’t create their own style — yet. But they can imitate Van Gogh or Rembrandt’s style.

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They draw, too — a program called AARON has had pieces in museums around the world.

They are amazing book editors: Wired magazine recently ran a piece about how algorithms can predict with 80 per cent accuracy whether a book will be a mega-bestseller, based on textual data like the age and sex of the protagonist; how many times the word “need,” appears; how few exclamation marks appear; and the ratio of dogs-versuscats. Wired’s piece was titled “Algorithms Could Save Book Publishing, But Ruin Novels.”

Artificial intelligence researcher, tech entrepreneur, and Stanford lecturer Jerry Kaplan says technology already exists to paint houses with drones. It’s like a snapshot of the overall labour challenge.

Many painting jobs might disappear; but an individual entrepreneur could get rich dropping off robot-workers at multiple job sites. “The technologies required to do this are available now. It’s simply a matter of some resourceful entrepreneur making it happen,” Kaplan writes in his book “Humans Need Not Apply.”

jobs could disappear. Mining giant Rio Tinto has been testing self-driving trucks for years on its sites. It loves the results. The company says: “While human drivers require regular breaks, the (automated) trucks can run almost 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, stopping only for refuelling and maintenance. Since 2008, the autonomous fleet has outperformed the manned fleet by an average of 14 per cent, and reduced load and haul operating costs by up to 13 per cent.”

A similar upheaval could occur in city transport — those same Uber drivers who disrupted taxi jobs face disruption themselves. Uber is among several companies testing driverless technology. It’s already lobbying policy-makers for favourable driverless regulations. A new report says its tests show humans frequently need to intervene, but such panic moments decreased from week to week. Researchers predict this technology will help: saving lives with fewer accidents; saving disposable income as people forego car purchases and hop into roving pods instead; saving urban space to convert parking spots to housing — and killing lots of jobs in the process.

Trucking, driving, transport

Stock trading

Painters — the other kind

If you thought the collapse of steel and coal jobs was disruptive in the U.S. — look out.

Truck drivers are far more common, with 3.5 million in the U.S. alone. Many of these

Machines speed-read through fields of data to find patterns humans can’t detect. In his book, Kaplan refers to one data point as an example: how many phone-card sales there are www.canadianinquirer.net

around certain African farming villages, as an early indicator of crop production. That’s because more crops mean farmers call more buyers. In his book, “Rise of the Robots,” Martin Ford says that despite a years-long bull market, far fewer brokers worked on Wall Street in 2013 than 2000.

Prostitution

Many would celebrate the disappearance of this ancient profession. But the alternative might nonetheless strike them as creepy. Kaplan writes: “You’d think prostitution might be a job requiring a human touch. It may be illegal in most of the United States, but sex toys aren’t. And they are about to take an entirely new form.” Companies like TrueCompanion are developing interactive sex dolls, named Roxxxy and Rocky. The company founder worked in AI at Bell Labs. Its website promises: “Your sex robot will also be able to talk, listen, carry on a conversation, feel your touch and be your true friend.”

Medicine

Remember that IBM machine that beat a Jeopardy champion? It’s now studying medicine. IBM says Watson can sift 200 million pages of data, analyse it, and offer a diagnosis within three seconds. Surgeons won’t be replaced any time soon. But the risks are greater for people reading X-rays, or gathering symptoms in a gen-

eral checkup. IBM isn’t alone.

The Mayo Clinic trained a network to diagnose an esophagal disease, found it accurate 99 per cent of the time and saved half the test subjects from having a needless surgery.

Agriculture

It employed about 80 per cent of the U.S. workforce in the mid-1800s, less than 40 per cent by the 1920s, about two per cent by 2000, and it’s inching closer to zero. Ford writes about projects where robots pick touchsensitive fruits — like grapes in France, and strawberries in Japan. They use brute force in California to shake almonds off a tree instead of picking them.

Journalism

It’s a perfect example of the phenomenon McKinsey described: Some storytelling forms might be easily automated, others not. If you write about sports scores or stockmarket performance, machines can already read stats and churn out readable copy. Yet McKinsey’s study finds that on a scale of zero to one, journalism is among the least automatable professions at 0.11. Oxford also places it in a robot-free sphere. Some techies disagree.

Wired magazine asked the cofounder of language-generation software Narrative Science what percentage of news would be written by computers in 15 years. His reply: “More than 90 per cent.”

March 24, 2017

34

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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

www.canadianinquirer.net

Friday March 24, 2017

35

Travel In the wilds of Mongolia: Horses, sand dunes and stargazing

By Nicole Evatt The Associated Press ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia — I’m a city girl. I did not grow up camping, have never pitched a tent and know nothing of the Girl Scouts beyond Thin Mints or Samoa cookies. Certainly no one would use the words “rugged” or “outdoorsy” to describe me.

So I definitely had a few reservations when my husband suggested a vacation in the wilds of central Mongolia.

My trepidation only grew as I binged on travel reviews bemoaning makeshift bathrooms and swarming insects.

But I ended up loving every minute in Mongolia, a country steeped in history, stunning scenery and welcoming locals.

I stepped outside my comfort zone and into the trip of a lifetime. And here’s why you should too.

Get off the grid

Mongolia, a country of 3 million people slightly smaller than Alaska, is one of the most sparsely populated places in the world.

You can go hours, even days, without seeing another human while travelling through Mongolia’s countryside. Instead, you’ll find a vibrant blue horizon and empty, rolling grasslands dotted with horses, cows, sheep, goats and yaks.

You’ll be forced to unplug as cell service and Wi-Fi is mostly non-existent outside of the larger cities.

So say goodbye to Facebook rants and traffic jams and say hello to a seemingly endless untouched landscape. Your only roadblock is the occasional cow.

Book a guide

As avid travellers accustomed to DIY adventures, we rarely book tours. But my top tip for this wonderland is to find yourself an expert.

There are few road signs and English is not widely used, so a local guide with knowledge of the routes and language is highly recommended.

You will also need a four-wheel drive vehicle to navigate the mostly unpaved terrain.

Our expert, good-humoured guide, Munkh Bileg, whom we hired through Nomadic Discovery, tailored our private tour to our interests and time constraints to maximize our Mongolian experience.

We rode camels across sand dunes and horses at sunset. We met herder families and sampled local cuisine, including fermented mare’s milk and dried curds.

Most of our days were spent off-roading over mountains and across rivers, simply soaking in Mongolia’s other-worldly landscape.

Must-sees

For the history buff: Erdene Zuu Monastery is located in Kharkhorin, on the northern border of the Ovorkhangai Province. Get your fill of ornate Buddha statues, elaborate wall paintings and artifacts dating back to the 18th century while exploring the three remaining Chinese-style temples at one of the oldest Buddhist monasteries in Mongolia.

For the nature lover: The Orkhon waterfall (also called the Ulaan Tsutgalan waterfall) is located in Ovorkhangai Province, around 75 miles (120 kilometres) from the town of Kharkhorin. A hike to the edge of this massive, 65-foot

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(20-meter) waterfall offers stunning views of dark volcanic rock surrounded by a lush valley.

Also, be sure to stop by the pristine Lake Ogii in the south eastern corner of the Arkhangai Province. Like most of Mongolia, it felt like we had travelled back to a time before humans as the only other visitors were a group of horses splashing and lounging about in the calm waters.

For a glimpse of desert dunes: Elsen Tasarkhai is a sand strip located in Bulgan Province. While we didn’t have time to explore Mongolia’s famed Gobi Desert, we made a quick stop at this 50-mile (80-kilometre) stretch of golden hills for a relaxing tour via camels.

Ger life

As the sun sets there is little else to do besides stargazing and cozying in your ger (pronounced “gare”), a traditional nomad home.

Apparently we were right on trend as an $8,000 version of the circular tent, or yurt, was featured in the holiday gift guide from Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle website, goop.

Dig deeper... years, including her last five in a complaint department.

“It was draining. The negativity finally got to me,” she said. “In the midst of that, my mom became ill and passed away from ovarian cancer in 2013. I didn’t have much to give after my mother died and my husband was super encouraging me to stay home and write.”

With her all day, every day, Faitour said, are “my boys,” two nearly 8-yearold cats, including one with “100 health problems.”

He’s a shaggy, white-haired look❰❰ 27

er with blue eyes, and he’s deaf. The product of an amateur breeder, Conan (named for Conan O’Brien) also suffers from knee and hip dislocations and two herniated discs in his back. Conan requires pain medication in the morning and steroids at night.

Higgins, her large grey Norwegian forest cat, is “healthy as a horse,” said Faitour, who with her husband is childless by choice.

“I’ve got my boys,” she laughed.

“They’re always with me, always in the room with me. That’s how we roll.” www.canadianinquirer.net

Our home base was the Tsagaan Sum hot springs and tourist camp in Khoton Soum, Arkhangai Province (approximately 280 miles or 460 kilometres west of Ulaanbaatar).

The hustle and bustle of city life was but a distant memory as we fell asleep to the crackle of a wood-burning stove and woke to the sounds of horses neighing outside our ger.

Good to know

The flies will swarm as soon as you step outside, as will the mosquitoes. So pack bug spray and long-sleeved layers.

Western-style bathrooms are few and far between outside of Ulaanbaatar. Be prepared to cop a squat when nature calls.

Ulaanbaatar is Mongolia’s bustling, traffic-jammed capital city, but tourist attractions are few. Stop by a grocery store to load up on water, snacks and essentials. Then head to the countryside.

Speaking of food, get ready for meat — mostly lamb — and lots of it. Mongolian cuisine is about as “farm to fork” as it gets. Refrigeration in the countryside isn’t common so your dinner was likely plucked from the pasture that very day.

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Travel

March 24, 2017

Friday

Tourism consultant underscores government, private sector partnership to boost industry Philippines News Agency DUMAGUETE CITY — A consultant in the tourism industry has challenged members of the Negros Oriental Hotel, Resort and Restaurant Association, Inc. (NOHRRA) to work closely with the government sector to boost tourism in the province.

Andrea Trinidad Echavez, Communications Officer of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-COMPETE and a tourism consultant to the Ministry of Tourism in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, hurled the challenge Wednesday evening during the NOHRAA’s general assembly at a local hotel in Dumaguete.

Echavez opened her speech with pictures and the story of Bohol’s tourism recovery pro-

gram following the devastation brought by the October 15, 2013’s Magnitude 7.2 earthquake.

Echavez, who has worked closely with the government of Bohol under the USAID-COMPETE to restore and improve its tourism industry following the devastation, emphasized that the success of Bohol is really because of the close collaboration between the local government and the private sector.

She urged NOHRRA to be proactive in promoting Negros Oriental as a tourism destination, saying that tourism is a “pillar of the Philippine economy”.

Earnings from tourism was pegged at P1.43 trillion in 2015, represents 10.6 percent of the GDP and is the number 3 dollar contributor to the country, Echavez added.

Investments in tourism in 2015 reached P76 billion and is expected to grow by an average of 5.5 percent annually in the next 10 years, the USAIDCOMPETE consultant disclosed.

Tourism generated 1.5 million jobs in the country in 2015, she added.

Echavez urged NOHRRA and the private sector to not wait for a calamity like the earthquake in Bohol to happen before they start collaborating with the government sector and local officials to pump up the tourism industry.

She emphasized that “in all local governments that became successful in promoting tourism, local government officials and the private sector really work together”.

The NOHRRA, through the support of the 2016 Most Outstanding Chamber in the Asia-

Pacific, the Negros Oriental Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Negros Oriental Investment Promotions Center, held its General Assembly for the presentation of its accomplishments in the last three years.

NOHRRA currently has 21 restaurant members and 28 hotel/resort members, said John Jalandoni, NOCCI executive director.

As a brief overview, the Negros Oriental Hotel Resort and Restaurant Association Inc. (NOHRRA) is duly accredited and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as the primary association/organization of the accommodations and restaurant sector in the province of Negros Oriental, added.

As an association, NOHRRA is committed to taking an active role in shaping the devel-

opment of the local tourism industry focusing on hotels, resorts and restaurants and serves as the advocate or voice of the sector to address various issues and concerns. It also organizes activities and events that would benefit its members and more so its customers and the tourists, both local and foreign, Jalandoni explained.

The NOCCI is supporting NOHRRA in its developmental efforts and is part of NOCCI’s business development advocacy and tourism interventions to help and assist local association/s (business and tourism) become more relevant to local economic development, he added.

The NOHRRA also elected its new 15-member Board of Trustees, with seven members coming from the restaurant sector and eight members from the accommodations sector.

OFWs from Central Luzon to benefit from using Clark airport — CIAC official Philippines News Agency CLARK, Pampangga — Thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Central Luzon will hugely benefit from using the Clark airport, the top executive of the governmentrun Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) said.

“Clark Airport’s proximity, convenience and security will attract thousands of OFWs and their families here in Nueva Ecija and nearby provinces,” Alexander Cauguiran, CIAC president and chief executive officer during the third leg of the CIAC North Philippines Roadshow in Cabanatuan City on Friday.

He cited that there are an estimated 360,000 OFWs coming from Central Luzon.

Cauguiran said that based on 2015 government data, top destinations of OFWs are United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Kuwait, Singapore, and Qatar, flights to which are mostly

available with several airlines at Clark airport (CRK).

CRK hosts Emirates Airlines via Dubai, Qatar Airways via Doha, Cebu Pacific Air via Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and domestic flights to Cebu, Asiana Airlines via Incheon, Jin Air via Incheon and Busan, along with Cathay Dragon via Hong Kong and Tiger Air via Singapore.

Cauguiran likewise disclosed that negotiations are ongoing with China Eastern airlines for the Clark-Shanghai route which is expected to connect to numerous cities in Europe, Asia and North America.

Central Luzon is the country’s second largest group of OFWs which accounts for about 15 percent, second only to Calabarzon with the biggest share of 18 percent, from the estimated 2.4 million documented overseas workers around the world.

“An OFW from Nueva Ecija, for example, would rather travel the short distance of 80 kilometers from Cabanatuan City to Clark, than to endure

Clark International Airport

170 kilometers going to the congested EDSA en route to the overcrowded Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) in Manila,” Cauguiran said, adding that CIAC’s thrust is to increase passenger traffic in CRK while helping ease the congestion at the NAIA and Metro Manila.

Negotiations are likewise underway with bus and shuttle companies and other transport groups to provide point-towww.canadianinquirer.net

point transport services from the CRK passenger terminal building to provinces in Central and Northern Luzon which will augment the existing shuttle services to and from Quezon City, and from CRK to Dau (Mabalacat City), the hub of major bus companies traveling north, Cauguiran added.

The construction of a new Clark airport terminal for domestic and international travelers with an 8-million passenger

capacity is included in CIAC’s Master Development Plan.

The new terminal building is the first of four design phases and will be finished before the term of President Rodrigo Duterte ends.

The project is part of the Duterte administration’s ‘Build, Build, Build’ infrastructure development thrust in the next five-and-a-half years.

Air Asia will likewise launch thrice weekly Clark-Kalibo flights starting March 27 and four times weekly flights to and from Davao by April 22, augmenting the operations of Philippine Airlines which domestic flights include CRK to Caticlan, Cebu, Davao, as well as international flights via Incheon in South Korea.

On March 26, the flag carrier will start servicing a Palawan route via Puerto Princesa and Busuanga.

International cargo service giants FedEx and UPS likewise mount a weekly average of 23 international and domestic cargo flights at CRK.

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Food Nothing says spring like this Easter dove-shaped bread The Culinary Institute Of America Whatever your spring food traditions, you likely have a family favourite dish that is the star of your dinner table. Or maybe you have memories of a treat you enjoyed as a child, but the recipe has been lost to time.

If you grew up in an ItalianAmerican household, you can probably identify your Nonna’s traditional Easter bread by smell alone. But have you ever made it?

This Colomba di Pasqua recipe from The Culinary Institute of America is the opportunity to reclaim a memory or start a new one of your own. Colomba di Pasqua is a traditional Italian Easter bread that might remind you of panettone, stollen, or other rich, fruit-filled breads from around the world. Paired with a cup of coffee or tea, this bread is the perfect breakfast, mid-afternoon treat, dessert, or midnight snack. What we’re saying is, you’ll have to pace yourself.

Each loaf is specially shaped to look like the iconic Easter dove. Though it can be baked in more common baking pans, it is traditionally prepared in a special Colomba di Pasqua mould.

Good news, though: this mould will not be one more thing to clutter your kitchen cabinets because the bread is typically made using disposable (but still sturdy) paper moulds, which can be easily purchased online.

Colomba di Pasqua is traditionally studded with candied orange peel. This ingredient can be challenging to find in stores, but it is easily prepared at home (we’ve included a recipe if you want to try it), or you can substitute any dried fruit.

The texture of the dough may surprise you, especially if you’re an experienced at-home bread maker. It is very soft and sticky, and it takes a fair amount of mixing for it to come together.

In your final dough, the use of

chilled butter and eggs will help keep your dough firm enough to handle.

By now, you might be assessing this multi-part recipe with that how-much-free-time-doyou-think-I have face, but don’t turn the page yet. Yes, this recipe requires some advance planning, and yes, it will take a few days. But the hands-on work is literally minutes at a time, and then you get to ignore it for hours. Once the smell fills your kitchen, you’ll know it’s worth it.

Easter bread

Makes 1 loaf (10 servings) Start to finish: 26 hours and 45 minutes (Active time: 45 minutes)

Preferment dough • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour • 1/4 teaspoon instant dry yeast • 1 tablespoon room temperature water First dough • Preferment Dough • 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour • 1/4 teaspoon instant dry yeast • 2 tablespoons sugar • 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature • 2 tablespoons whole milk, room temperature • 1 large egg yolk, room temperature Final dough • First Dough • 4 teaspoons all-purpose flour • 1/2 teaspoon instant dry yeast • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract • 2 large egg yolks (reserve 1 white for topping) • 1 teaspoon lemon zest • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold • 4 teaspoon sugar • 1/4 cup chopped candied orange peel • 1 tablespoon almond paste, broken into pieces Topping • 1/3 cup corn flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour • 3 tablespoons almond flour • 3 tablespoons sugar • 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract • 1 large egg white • 1/3 cup slivered almonds To prepare the preferment (see Chef’s note), combine the flour and yeast in a small bowl and mix to combine. Add the water and mix by hand until a dough forms, about 1 minute.

Cover with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place until bubbly and doubled in size, about 10 hours.

To prepare the first dough, place the preferment dough in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour, yeast, sugar, butter, milk, and egg yolk. Using the dough hook, mix on mediumhigh speed until a dough forms and the butter is incorporated, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in a warm place until doubled in size, about 12 hours or overnight.

To prepare the final dough, place the first dough in the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the flour, yeast, salt, vanilla, egg yolks, and zest. Using the dough hook, mix on medium speed for 3 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Increase the speed to high, and mix until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, about 4 minutes.

Add about one-third of the butter and mix on high speed until the butter is incorporated and the dough begins to form around the hook, about 4 minutes. With the mixer running, add half of the sugar and half of the remaining butter. Add the remaining sugar and remaining butter, then increase the speed to high and mix until the dough has pulled away from the sides of the bowl and formed a ball around the dough hook, about 5 minutes.

The dough will be very sticky, but should be firm enough to handle

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(it may be helpful to dust your hands with flour).

Add the candied orange peel and almond paste, and fold into the dough, kneading gently just until incorporated.

Transfer the dough to a lightly-oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rest for 10 minutes. In the bowl, fold the dough in half, then in half again. Re-cover and rest for an additional 10 minutes.

Shape the dough into a loose loaf and transfer to a Colomba di Pasqua mould (or 8- by 4-inch loaf pan). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and set aside to ferment until nearly doubled in size, about 2 hours.

Meanwhile, to prepare the topping, combine the corn flour, all-purpose flour, almond flour, sugar, oil, vanilla, and egg white in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Mix on low speed until small crumbs form, about 30 seconds.

Remove from the mixer and add the almonds, tossing gently to combine. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Gently stretch the sides of the dough to fit the shape of the mould (skip this step if using a loaf pan). Sprinkle the bread with the topping (depending on the mould, you may not use it all) and set aside to rest for one more hour. When pressed gently, the dough should spring back about halfway.

Bake until the topping is golden brown and a knife inserted into the centre comes out clean, about 45 minutes.

Place on a rack to cool completely before serving.

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Chef ’s Note: With some simple planning, this dough can be prepared in two days. In the morning, prepare the preferment dough. It will be ready by that evening, when you can mix the first dough. After it rests overnight, you can prepare the final dough the next morning.

Candied orange peel

Makes about 1 cup (40 servings)

• 2 navel oranges • 1 1/2 cups sugar • 1 1/2 cups water Cut across the stem ends of each orange to remove the top and bottom “caps.” Use a sharp knife to score the skin from top to bottom, without slicing into the flesh, around the four quarters of each orange.

Peel the skin from the oranges and scrape away any flesh, leaving the white pith. Slice the peels into 1/4-inch strips.

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add the orange peels and simmer for 2 minutes.

Drain, then repeat the process with clean water.

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the orange peel and reduce to a simmer. Cook, covered, until the orange peel is soft and translucent, about 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool completely.

Transfer the peels, with their syrup, to a jar or covered container and refrigerate until needed. ❱❱ page 38 Nothing says

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Food

March 24, 2017

Friday

Tips for getting the Black beans and mango combine most flavour and in a delicious, filling salad juice out of lemons

By Melissa D’Arabian The Associated Press

By Sara Moulton The Associated Press Fresh lemon — including the juice and the peel — is one of my all-time favourite ingredients, in part because it’s just so versatile. It can be the star of the show (as in this recipe) or a brilliant supporting actor (as in so many of my everyday dishes). It’s indispensable in fish dishes and pairs beautifully with all sorts of vegetables, raw and cooked. I also reach for it regularly to brighten up soups, stews and sautes.

The great thing about lemon peel, also known as the zest, is that it adds intense lemon flavour to a recipe without all the acid that is found in the juice. I use grated lemon zest in scrambled eggs and creamy pasta dishes and combine it with chopped herbs as a finishing touch for braised meats.

Whichever parts you use, it’s important to start with the best possible lemons. The winning candidates will boast a bright yellow colour and a thin skin. A thin skin signals more juice and less pith (the bitter-tasting white layer between the peel and the fruit itself). When grating the peel, you want to stop short of the pith.

How do you know a given specimen has a thin skin? It will give a little when you squeeze it.

Once home with your lemons, scrub each one lightly under water to remove the edible wax with which it was covered to protect the fruit on its journey to the market. If your recipe calls for zest and juice, grate the zest before you juice the lemon. But don’t grate the zest until just before you’re ready to

add it to the recipe. Zest quickly dries out and loses its oomph if it sits around for very long.

My favourite tool for grating zest is a wand-style grater. Once upon a time, the tool of choice was the fine side of a four-sided grater. Unfortunately, this gadget often grabbed too much of the pith — not to mention the tips of your fingers — in the process. I do my grating over a piece of kitchen parchment, which allows me to pick up and measure the zest easily. The yield is roughly 1 tablespoon of zest per large lemon.

If your recipe calls for zest but not juice, wrap the unused lemon in plastic wrap when you’re done and do your best to use it up within a few days. A lemon stripped of its protective layer of zest dries out pretty quickly.

There are several ways to make sure you squeeze the maximum amount of juice from your lemon. First, soften up the fruit by rolling it on the counter and pressing down as you do.

Second, heat it, either by microwaving it for 20 seconds or so or by stashing it in the oven at 350 F for 10 to 12 minutes. Finally, cut the lemon in half crosswise and juice it.

I like to juice using an oldfashioned and brightly colored Mexican hand press. But there’s also a more unorthodox, if equally effective, way to do it.

Place the cut lemon half in between the two arms of a set of tongs, right at the top where the arms are joined. Then squeeze the bottom ends together. I learned this little trick from Ming Tsai, who picked it up from Jasper White, two of my favourite chefs. One large lemon will give up about 1/4 cup of juice.

Canned beans are fantastic convenience food. For a little over a buck, you can stock your pantry with a shelf-stable protein source that works in main dishes or in side dishes.

You can even use cooked canned beans as an inexpensive way to stretch pricier proteins: Serve seared salmon on a bed of sauteed creamy white beans, and you’ll only need a few ounces of fish to make the meal feel hearty.

Boost the filling factor in pasta dishes by adding a cup of rinsed canned beans to your family’s recipes. Or, let beans turn a hohum salad into a filling comfort dish. In this week’s recipe, I pair black beans with fresh mango and the result is spectacular, especially given how quickly this recipe comes together.

The hardest part about this salad is cutting the mango, navigating around its long, flat seed. You can easily purchase mango already cut in the packaged produce section, but you can save several dollars for about 3 minutes of work if you are willing.

To slice or cube a mango, first cut it lengthwise just a little off-centre, parallel to the seed, removing two large “cheeks.”

Score (or slice) the mango flesh right in the cheek with the skin intact, and then scoop out the recipe-ready cubes or slices with a spoon, scraping against the skin. Slice the remaining mango flesh from the edges of the seed, and either cube or just eat them. (Because you deserve a little treat after all that slicing, right?)

Mango is an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin A, and it makes the salad feel bright and tropical. I add yellow pep-

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per and corn (straight from the freezer; it thaws quickly) which make it pretty. Texture (and niacin!) comes from a light sprinkle of cashews and just a few smashed corn tortilla chips, which you can buy or make by roasting corn tortillas in the oven until crisp, about 15 minutes at 350 F. The tasty dressing is a result of a simple weeknight dressing hack: I add fresh lime juice and a little olive oil to prepared salsa.

I use shredded kale for this salad, but use any hearty dark green — you get more vitamins with the darker greens, and the bold flavours and textures on this salad need a green that can stand up to them. Feel free to swap out the fruit or other ingredients to match your pantry — as long as you have some kind of canned beans in the cupboard, you can make some version of this hearty and versatile salad work.

Black bean and mango salad

Start to finish: 15 minutes Servings: 4

• 6 cups shredded kale, or other dark leafy greens • 1 cup cooked black beans, rinsed and drained if canned • 1 1/2 cup cubed fresh mango, about 1 large mango

• 1 cup organic frozen corn, thawed • 1 cup chopped tomato, about 2 roma tomatoes • 1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped • 1/2 large avocado, cubed • 2 green onions, chopped • 1/4 cup cashews, chopped • 8 baked organic corn chips, lightly crushed • chopped cilantro or parsley, for garnish • For the dressing: • 1/4 cup prepared tomato (or tomatillo) salsa • 3 tablespoons lime juice • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper Lay the greens on a platter or individual plates. Place on top of the greens: beans, mango, corn, tomato, bell pepper, and avocado. Sprinkle on the green onions, cashews, crushed corn chips and cilantro. In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients and pour on the salad. Serve.

Nutrition information per serving: 296 calories; 114 calories from fat; 13 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 393 mg sodium; 42 g carbohydrate; 11 g fiber; 13 g sugar; 9 g protein.

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Chef ’s Note: The resulting cooking liquid is a flavourful syrup that can be used in cocktails, to soak cakes, or as a sweetener in sorbets and popsicles. Simmer it over low heat to reduce it fur-

❰❰ 37

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ther, if desired.

Nutrition information per serving of bread: 197 calories; 109 calories from fat; 12 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 75 mg cholesterol; 108 mg sodium; 19 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 7 g sug-

ar; 4 g protein.

Nutrition information per serving of candied orange peel: 21 calories; 0 calories from fat; 0 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 0 mg sodium; 6 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 6 g sugar; 0 g protein.

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