Philippine Canadian Inquirer #265

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VOL. 4 NO. 265

SHORTER LINES

Expect shorter lines at Naia with more immigration officers manning counters. Story on page 7.

GRIG C. MONTERGRANDE / PDI

Duterte tops Time’s online list of 100 most influential people in the world

BY NIKKO DIZON AND JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT DUTERTE has topped Time magazine’s readers’ poll for the 100 most influential people in the world.

Mr. Duterte consistently led the poll, which closed on Sunday (US time).

He got 5 percent of the total “yes”

votes in the online survey, which asked readers to vote for who should be included on Time’s list of the world’s most influential people.

Mr. Duterte bested other world leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pope Francis, Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, each of whom

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Cabinet secretaries hold DuterteNomics forum

16 Presidential son slams critics of dad’s UP honorary degree ❱❱ PAGE 7

❱❱ PAGE 10 Duterte tops

Toronto homeowners cash out of hot real estate market as uncertainty sets in

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Philippine News

APRIL 21, 2017

FRIDAY

Palace rice policy raises inflation fears

BY RONNEL W. DOMINGO Philippine Daily Inquirer

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the BSP’s (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) inflation target band,” it said.

The BSP is bent on limiting average inflation this year within the range of 2 A NEW York-based think tank expressed percent and 4 percent. fears that President Duterte’s directive “Many economic watchers have for the National Food Authority to boost raised concerns about recent increases rice supply from local farms before con- in consumer prices. From below 2 persidering importation could unduly drive cent in the 16 months to August 2016, up consumer prices. It also notes that the headline inflation rate climbed past the rice inventory as of March was good 3 percent in February and March 2017,” only for 12 days. President Duterte’s di- Global Source said. rective for the National Food Authority The think tank added that the BSP (NFA) to boost rice supply from local now expects the uptrend to continue farms before considering importation through the third quarter, driving the could unduly drive up consumer pric- figure “very close” to the upper end of es, New York-based think tank Global the target range.

Source said.

Global Source said the government’s In a commentary titled “Inflation risk latest rice policy is “an emergent risk from rice policy?” by economists Romeo that could ‘shock’ inflation forecasts.”

L. Bernardo and Marie-Christine Tang, While both factions in the NFA Global Source said the policy could Council bickered over how to import lead to the depletion and beef up its stock, of NFA’s inventory, Global Source noted driving up local pricthat inventory as of es.

March was good for “The struggle that 12 days’ consumpled to the President Many economic tion only. insisting on the NFA watchers have buying local rice raised concerns Importation to ease risks the country’s about recent worries rice stocks falling increases in The NFA is refurther [especially if consumer prices. quired by law to domestic farm outFrom below 2 maintain a minimum puts fall short of expercent in the stock good for 15 days pectations] and thus, 16 months to for most of the year, domestic rice prices August 2016, the but it must have at spiking,” Global headline inflation least 30 days’ supSource said. rate climbed ply during the lean Global Source was past 3 percent months from July to referring to the conin February and September. flict between maMarch 2017.

The country’s main jority of the NFA crop is planted and Council—the agengrown during the cy’s governing body third quarter, and comprised of NFA harvest does not start officials and economic managers from until October. various departments—and NFA adminMeanwhile, Aquino the NFA adminisistrator Jason Laureano Aquino. trator said last Tuesday the agency was The majority, led by the council’s currently unable to buy palay as farmchair, Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco gate prices averaged at P18.60 per kilo Jr., wanted the NFA to continue accom- as of the last week of March, higher than modating inbound shipments through the NFA’s price cap of P17 a kilo. private-sector importation. Aquino had “With rice prices starting to inch up disagreed, pushing for government im- recently and import lags of anywhere portation through the NFAitself. from one to four months, a decision to allow importation would help allay fears Inflation trend to persist of impending shortages that could lead The conflict led to the dismissal of to higher price increases in anticipaCabinet Undersecretary Maia Chiara tion of the demand/supply gap,” Global Halmen Valdez, who represented Evas- Source said. co in council meetings.

“To avoid delays in light of the inter“Rice accounts for close to 9 percent nal NFA disagreement and ensure that a of the CPI (consumer price index) bas- decision to import is quickly carried out, ket and given the projected inflation the President might as well decide also path, double-digit increases during the whether NFA itself should import or allean months would push the headline low private traders to do it,” the group inflation rate well over the upper end of added. ■

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Philippine News

APRIL 21, 2017

FRIDAY

DPWH: Multi-billion peso infra projects set to start this year

BY FERDINAND G. PATINIO Philippines News Agency

pipeline include the Luzon Spine expressway network which is a series of ongoing projects.

These projects are connection of high-standard highway network that will connect the northernmost province of the Philippines to the southernmost to Bicol; the TR4 high speed expressway going to Quezon and Lucena and QuezonBicol expressway; CALA-X, eastern alignment of the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX).

“High speed network would be able to bring development thru all of Luzon. If you put these in numbers for instance today to get form Bicol to Metro Manila it will take you 12 hours

the travel time from Alabang to NLEX (Balintawak the entrance to NLEX) in 30 minutes,” he added.

MANILA — The Department Likewise, included in the govof Public Works and Highways ernment’s “Build, Build, Build,” (DPWH) has revealed the govprojects is the NLEX Harbor ernment’s multi-billion infraLink Segment 10, an all elevated structure projects that would expressway aimed at providing be undertaken starting this direct access between the port year. area and the northern provincDuring the Dutertenomics es of Luzon via NLEX. forum at the Conrad Hotel in The 5.7-km expressway worth Pasay City on Tuesday, DPWH PHP10.5-billion, will decongest Secretary Mark Villar and othMetro Manila by providing an er members of the Duterte adalternative entry to NLEX, byministration’s economic team passing EDSA and other busy shared the respective plans of streets of Manila. the departments in the next Once opened, travel time five years. from the Manila Port to the The DPWH chief noted that NLEX will take only 10 minfor this year, utes. the agency will The undertakbe starting difing is set to be ferent projects completed this amounting to The South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) year. almost PHP500 and NLEX connector project which Villar said billion covering will make the travel time from that also exundertakings in Alabang to NLEX (Balintawak the pected to have Luzon and Minentrance to NLEX) in 30 minutes. groundbreaking danao. this year is the “The infraCavite-Laguna structure prothat will connect gram of this administration for when this high speed standard Cavite expressway (CAVITEX) this year 2017 is approximately highway is finished before the to the Mampalasan exit in LaPHP450 billion. If you were end of the term of the presi- guna. to add the projects in 2010 to dent you can go from Bicol to “The President has also in2013, it would be less than what La Union in less than 12 hours,” structed us to go into most amwe intend to spend this year in Villar said. bitious bridge program in the infra, increasing every year,” he “The South Luzon Express- history our country, the Panguil said. way (SLEX) and NLEX con- Bay Bridge connecting Misamis Among the projects in the nector project which will make to Lanao this is in Mindanao,”

Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar (3rd from right) and Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade (2nd from left), who lead the Duterte Administration's "Build, Build, Build" team, along with Metro Pacific Investments Corp. Chairman Manuel Pangilinan (2nd from right), inspect the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Harbor Link Segment 10.

JOEY O. RAZON / PNA

he said.

Villar added, “the Leyte Tide Embankment this is also a project that will mitigate disaster.

We all know what happened to Leyte before and this is a long term solution. It is a 21 km embankment at a cost of Php 2.1 billion that will also serve as a tourist attraction at the same time it will permanently prevent recurrence of what happened in Tacloban Leyte in the past. This is an example of our disaster risk resiliency program in the DPWH and is also scheduled to be completed before the end of our president’s term in 2022.”

“Build, Build, Build” is the mantra of the administration’s infrastructure program where several government agencies are partnering to implement

major projects involving roads, bridges, railways, airports, and green cities to bolster development and ease traffic congestion in the country.

Also present during the forum are: Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Department of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Ernesto Pernia, Department of Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Bases Cinversion and Development Authority President and CEO Vince Dizon, Presidential Spokesperson Usec. Ernie Abella and Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Martin Andanar. ■

Allies rally behind Speaker as rating rises

BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer ROCKED BY an extramarital scandal, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez received words of comfort from allies who praised his “competent leadership and strong political acumen” after his satisfaction rating rose by two points per the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

From a net satisfaction rating of +10 in December, Alvarez’s score climbed slightly to +12 in April, according to the SWS. But the survey did not yet reflect public opinion on the con-

troversy over Alvarez’s affair, which rocked the House of Representatives in late March after his feud with fellow Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio Floirendo Jr. grabbed the headlines.

The survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adult respondents from March 25-28, while reports about Alvarez’s and Floirendo’s “girlfriends” made the news only beginning March 29.

In a House news release, his colleagues expressed support for the beleaguered Speaker, who had avoided talking to the media since confessing to keeping a mistress and being estranged from his wife.

“The Speaker is able to effectively steer the House into passing vital measures for the people’s socioeconomic development, safety and security, and well-being. He knows where and how to lead the House so that its priority agenda is fully accomplished,” said Deputy Speaker Gwendolyn Garcia of Cebu.

The congresswoman said Alvarez had “not wavered” from pushing the legislative agenda he outlined upon assuming leadership of the House last year.

Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III, a member of the Commission on Appointments, said the good performance of the House www.canadianinquirer.net

during the 17th Congress was a reflection of Alvarez’s competent leadership.

“Committee hearings are being held every week to discuss measures filed and to inquire on important issues. During plenary sessions, the roll call is being done daily to instill discipline and encourage the attendance and participation of House members,” he said in the same statement.

Floirendo and Alvarez were bosom buddies until they had a falling out late last year.

In March, Alvarez charged Floirendo with graft and sought a congressional investigation questioning the legality of the

agreement between the Bureau of Corrections and Floirendo’s Tagum Agricultural Development Corp., which allowed the latter to lease public land for 25 years for its banana plantation.

The rift between the men led to embarrassing revelations of extramarital affairs on both sides after news reports suggested that they had a falling out when their mistresses figured in a public altercation late last year.

The fight was aggravated by rumors that Floirendo was plotting to oust Alvarez and replace him with Pampanga Rep. and former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

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No mass exodus, leave of employees over unpaid OT work — BI PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte speaks with Bahrain Minister of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa.

KING RODRIGUEZ / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Presidential son slams critics of dad’s UP honorary degree

BY LILIAN C. MELLEJOR Philippines News Agency DAVAO CITY — Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte slammed Wednesday critics who frowned on the decision of the University of the Philippines (UP) Board of Regents to grant President Rodrigo Duterte an honorary doctorate degree.

Speaking for the Duterte family, Paolo said his father never gives a “heck to any honorary degree simply because he knows he did not work hard for such a degree.”

“To the so-called learned individuals who frowned upon the plan of the University of the Philippines to grant an honorary doctorate degree to the President, you can have that honorary degree for all we care,” he said in a statement Wednesday.

He, however, thanked the UP Board of Regents for considering giving his father a honorary doctorate degree.

Paolo reminded the people that the President “has always shied away from public recognition all throughout his public life.”

He has always been a simple man, satisfied with what he have and works hard to make a difference not just for his family but for the Davaoenos and now the Filipino nation, Paolo said.

Duterte is known to decline recognition for doing his job.

While he was mayor of Davao City, Duterte turned down awards like the “World Mayor,” a biennial award given by the City Mayor’s Foundation, the recognition in Singapore in 2010 for the successful implementation of the antismoking and an award from the Ameri-

can Cancer Society.

The President is not even enthusiastic about surveys showing him in the lead.

This year, Duterte, however, received the highest award given to him by the Knights of Rizal. He said that at least he has one as President.

On Wednesday, the University of the Philippines’ highest policy making body offered a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, to President Duterte that sparked protest from some state scholars, particularly the UP Student Council. The giving of a honorary degree is part of UP’s tradition to Philippine presidents.

That would make Duterte the 14th president to be conferred with the degree, which was also conferred to former Presidents Benigno Aquino III in 2011; Fidel Ramos in 1993 and Corazon Aquino in 1986.

The decision was reportedly reached during the 1,326th meeting of the UP Board of Regents on April 5, when Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero moved to confer the honorary degree to Duterte and other officials. The motion was seconded by Regents Frederick Mikhail Farolan and Angelo Jimenez.

Farolan defended the move as “customary” and part of “tradition.”

In defense to his father, Paolo said being elected as president is enough recognition. “No other recognition or honorary degrees could eclipse that,” he said.

“Growing up, we were taught by our father of the value of education. That is why we really strive hard to get a degree no matter what,” the younger Duterte said.

But aside from getting a degree, Paolo said their father also inculcated to them that knowledge and wisdom must go hand in hand with the degree. ■

MANILA — The Bureau of Immigration (BI) on Tuesday denied reports stating a mass resignation or leave of immigration officers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) due to the nonpayment of their overtime pay.

With this, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente reported that most of the immigration officers (IOs) assigned at the NAIA have been reporting for work, citing a report from the its port operations division showing a 95-percent daily attendance of their airport personnel.

“So far, only 36 immigration officers (IOs) have resigned since the start of the year and only a few have gone on leave for various reasons,” he said.

On the other hand, Morente is optimistic that a workable solution can be found to address the plight of BI employees relative to the augmentation of their salary.

He noted that the matter has already

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been referred to the Office of the President for his consideration.

At the same time, Morente appealed to the Palace to certify as urgent the bill enacting a new Philippine immigration law to replace the antiquated 1940 Immigration Act while lamenting that the basic pay of BI employees are too low that they could barely afford to shoulder the cost of their meals and transportation in going to work.

Meanwhile, BI Spokesperson Antonette Mangrobang revealed that the continued augmentation of BI manpower is pushing through with the deployment of some 170 personnel.

“Chief Port Operations Division Marc Red Mariñas will be recommending to Commissioner the continued augmentation until the 37 newly appointed immigration officers assumed office,” she said.

The BI official added that recruits, are either new or have been employed in the bureau and they will be undergoing training. ■

Philippine News

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APRIL 21, 2017

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OSG asks SC to junk De Lima’s petition vs arrest over drug raps PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer, Inc. Correspondents Jane Moraleda Cheng Ilagan Katherine Padilla Deby Mangabat Phoebe Balubar Socorro Newland Bolet Arevalo Gerna Lane Sotana News Anchor Manny Noel Abuel Administration Head Victoria Yong Graphic Designer Shanice Garcia Photographers Angelo Siglos Vic Vargas For photo submissions, please email editor@canadianinquirer.net For General Inquiries, please email info@canadianinquirer.net For Sales Inquiries, please email sales@canadianinquirer.net PHILIPPINE PUBLISHING GROUP Editorial Assistant Christelle Tolisora Associate Publisher Lurisa Villanueva In cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer digital edition Philippine Canadian Inquirer is located at 11951 Hammersmith Way, Suite 108 Richmond, B.C. V7A 5H9 Canada

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BAGUIO CITY — Solicitor General Jose Calida asked the Supreme Court (SC) to dismiss the petition filed by detained Senator Leila De Lima questioning the issuance of warrant of arrest by a Muntinlupa court in connection with the drug trafficking charges filed against her.

Calida issued the response after De Lima through her lawyer former Solicitor General Florin Hilbay reiterated her plea to SC to nullify the warrant of arrest issued by Muntinlupa City RTC Branch 204 Judge Juanita Guerrero and orders her immediate release from detention.

Calida rebutted De Lima’s claim of political persecution supposedly for being a staunch critic of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs as reason for her indictment.

The top government lawyer believed that such argument was misplaced and should not be given weight by the high court.

“It does not likewise help De Lima to allege political persecution to justify the present petition. The writs of certiorari and prohibition are directed against Judge Guerrero. Judge Guerrero does not belong to the executive branch, from which the political persecution is alleged to emanate,” Calida said in his 92page memorandum filed by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) before the high court.

The top government counsel also said that De Lima and her camp are resorting to ad hominem attacks in alleging that the government made a deal with convict Jaybee Sebastian.

In her memorandum filed before the Supreme Court, De Lima and her lawyers accused the OSG of soliciting Sebastian’s testimony against her in exchange for his transfer to the Maximum Security Compound of the New Bilibid Prison.

“Senator De Lima can do better than that there is no truth to her allegations.

Her absurd theories are desperate and futile attempts to veer the issue away from her involvement in narco-politics,” Calida noted “Senator Leila De Lima’s case is not tainted with any element of political persecution. The charges against her only manifest the government’s political will to go against narco-politicians regardless of rank and stature,” the Solicitor General said.

Calida said that De Lima is asking the Supreme Court to take an extraordinary step of suspending the operation of the Rules of Court in order to grant her petition.

LEILA DE LIMA / FACEBOOK

Justifying his appearance during the last day of the preliminary investigation against De Lima, Calida said that it is within the OSG’s mandate, as the People’s Tribune, to act or represent the government and the people “in any matter, action, or proceeding which, in his opinion, affects the welfare of the people as the ends of justice may require.”

“The law confers on the Solicitor General not only the duty and authority to provide legal services to the government, but also the discretion to determine which proceedings affects the welfare of the people, so much so that, in his opinion, it is incumbent upon him to participate in said proceedings to protect public interest and promote justice,” Calida explained. “This is because the OSG is not only the law office of the government but also the ‘Tribune of the People.’”

Calida said that the OSG’s role in promoting and protecting the public weal has been recognized by the Supreme Court. Calida cited Orbos v. CSC (1990), wherein the Court noted the Solicitor General’s “burden of assisting in the fair and just administration of justice is clear.”

Calida said that De Lima’s petition suffers from fatal infirmities. According to him, De Lima prematurely filed the present petition, disregarded the principle of hierarchy of courts, violated the proscription against forum-shopping, and attached defective jurats.

“The best argument that the petition is not the plain, speedy, and adequate remedy in the ordinary course of law is De Lima’s prayer in the petition wherein she is asking the Court to enjoin Judge Guerrero from conducting further proceedings until and unless the Motion to

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Quash is resolved with finality,” Calida said.

“This is an admission that the respondent Judge has not yet resolved the motion to quash. If De Lima wants Judge Guerrero to rule on the motion, there is no reason for the filing of the present petition,” Calida added.

Calida said that the hierarchy of courts doctrine may be disregarded only for the following reasons: (1) when dictated by public welfare and the advancement of public policy; (2) when demanded by the broader interest of justice; (3) when challenged orders were patently void; or (4) when analogous exceptional and compelling circumstances called for and justified the immediate and direct handling of the case.

“De Lima is facing an ordinary criminal case. The issues she has presented are common legal issues which may be passed upon by the Court of Appeals and the RTC,” Calida said.

“No special circumstances exist to justify the immediate and direct filing of the petition with the Supreme Court.

De Lima cannot therefore ask the Supreme Court to deviate from the rule,” he noted.

Calida said that De Lima is also engaged in forum shopping. “De Lima’s petition before the Supreme Court raises essentially the same issues and arguments as those she presented in her motion to quash before the RTC,” he explained.

“De Lima committed the abhorrent practice of forum-shopping when she sought remedies before two courts by raising the same causes and praying for essentially the same relief,” Calida said. ❱❱ PAGE 15 OSG asks

Philippine News

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

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Cabinet secretaries hold DuterteNomics forum PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — The Department of Finance and the Presidential Communications Operations Office, in partnership with with the Center for Strategy, Enterprise & Intelligence (CenSEI), hosted the DuterteNomics forum at Conrad Manila in Pasay City on Tuesday, April 18, 2017.

Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, in his welcome remarks, said the forum is intended to shed light on the economic policy of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. He also said the economic policy of the President is anchored on the 10-point Socioeconomic Agenda which is aimed at creating an inclusive and dynamic economy for the country which is pro-poor.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, in his keynote

speech, highlighted the need to implement a comprehensive tax reform program and to boost infrastructure spending to spur the growth of the country’s economy.

The Finance Secretary also projected that the Philippines could become a upper middle income country by 2022 and a high income country by 2040 once the tax reform is implemented and the infrastructure has been put in place.

With an improved economy under President Duterte’s leadership, the Finance Secretary declared that the investments on human capital will improve as well as the education and health programs.

Secretary for Socioeconomic Planning and National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Director General Ernesto Pernia, meanwhile, cited the need to decongest Metro

Manila by improving the infrastructure development as well as the business opportunities in various key urban centers throughout the country so that the development would be distributed to different regions.

The NEDA Director General also highlighted the benefits of increasing infrastructure spending citing that it would lead to the increase of the Gross Domestic Product as well as job generation.

Moreover, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, in his message, said the infrastructure program that will support the President’s economic policy will usher in the golden age of infrastructure in the country.

As for the budget for the implementation of the infrastructure projects, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno revealed that PHP8.4 trillion is needed for

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella.

KING RODRIGUEZ / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

the infrastructure projects. The budget will then be sourced from the tax collections as well as funds from the Official Development Assistance and loans.

Outlining the different infrastructure projects under the Build! Build! Build! Program were Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) President Vince Dizon who revealed the

various projects that are aimed to streamline transportation as well as strengthen the country’s disaster resilience.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, for his part, announced that the website www. build.gov.ph is now online to provide transparency for the different projects under the Build! Build! Build! program.

The Presidential Communications Secretary then hosted a question and answer portion to further provide details on the President’s economic policy. ■

MMDA to reclaim Baclaran road from vendors Target: Make at least four lanes passable again to vehicles

BY ERIKA SAULER Philippine Daily Inquirer THE METROPOLITAN Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will start clearing the Baclaran service road in Parañaque City in the coming days, which is expected to free up at least four of the seven lanes occupied by sidewalk vendors.

Decongesting the area around Baclaran church was one of the major directives of President Duterte to the agency, MMDA supervising officer for operations Bong Nebrija said on Sunday.

Dialogues with stakeholders were conducted during the Lenten break to ease up the workload of the clearing operations group, Nebrija said.

The MMDA Traffic Engineering Center said the service road was about 27 meters wide and can accommodate nine lanes, but only one to two lanes had been passable to vehicles.

“Baclaran area is really con-

gested. Aside from city buses, provincial buses, and private vehicles, multicabs and jeepneys also pass through it,” Nebrija said.

He said an alternative place for the vendors was the interim terminal for southwest provincial buses, which will be transferred to HK Sun Plaza along Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City.

“We already gave notice to the vendors encroaching on the sidewalk. As early as Monday last week, we issued a public advisory and held consultations to inform them of our intention,” Nebrija said.

Meanwhile, MMDA clearing operations will also be conducted in Barangay Lipunan ng Crame in Quezon City.

Over the weekend, the Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez announced plans to establish another market site in a one-hectare government lot on Aseana complex for vendors who would be told to leave the area around Baclaran church.

Nick Ferrer of the city’s pub-

lic information office said an initial budget of P40 million

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would be allotted for the construction of 500 stalls, which

should be finished before the end of the year. ■

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Philippine News

APRIL 21, 2017

PHL beefs up security preparations for ASEAN meetings PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — Due to recent events, the Philippines has beefed up security preparations in Bohol, where an ASEAN trade meeting is underway, and in Manila ahead of the 30th ASEAN Summit and Related Meetings which will be held from April 26 to 29, an official said Wednesday.

In a press briefing in Malacañang, Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr, ASEAN 2017 National Organizing Council (NOC) Director-General for Operations, said security has always been the top priority of organizers given the participation of heads of states and other top government officials in the various meetings and summits throughout the year.

“Philippine hosting of ASEAN in 2017 is a total number 137 meetings, two summits, 17 ministerial meetings, 42 senior officials meetings, and 76 technical working group meetings,” Paynor said.

But due to the recent incident in Bohol, security preparations has become a special concern even among delegates.

Last week, suspected Abu Sayyaf members engaged government troopers in a gunfight in Inabanga town that resulted to the killing of six suspected members of the bandit group, three soldiers, and one policeman.

The area is some 71 kilometers from the capital Tagbilaran City and the adjoining Panglao Island where ASEAN traders are attending the Intercessional Regional Economic Partnership Trade Negotiating Committee from April 19 to 21.

“When the incidents unfolded last week, we, of course, had an emergency meeting and as part of the NOC, we have a Committee on Security and Disaster Preparedness. So they went to Bohol, I did go also and we had a brief meeting,” Paynor said.

He said the Security Committee felt that the situation has been contained and therefore, the meeting should go on adding that “it was natural, of course, for some of the Embas-

Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) personnel, together with Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) and Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), inspect travel worthiness of provincial buses.

JOEY O. RAZON / PNA

sies to ask us our plans.”

“We have, of course, alternate plans and that meeting would have been held here in Manila had it been necessary to do so.

But we always say we will not be coerced or held hostage by these actions. But at the same time, we need to be sure that we can assure the safety of the delegates. So as of now, the meeting is a go,” Paynor said.

As for the upcoming leaders’ summit in Manila, the official said that their number one priority is to have a sense zero-incident type of meeting.

“It’s very difficult to prepare for something that you are not really totally and fully aware of.

So we try as much as we can to hardened venues... in our security preparations, keeping in mind also the President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive that we should not hamper or hinder the normal flow of daily activities here in the Metro Manila area,” he said.

“So we’re doing all that and because of this most recent incident, we are beefing up our security elements,” Paynor said.

The April and November summits will be particularly heavy in terms of security.

The April 29 summit to be attended by leaders of all 10 ASE-

AN member-states.

Meanwhile, the November summit will be attended by over 22 VIPs — all 10 ASEAN states plus their dialogue partners, the heads of state or heads of government of the United States, Russia, India, China, Japan, Korea, European Union, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and East Timor, and the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

Paynor said that they expect 100 percent attendance in these sort of multilateral meetings.

He said that even US President Donald Trump is expected to attend.

“As of now, President Trump for instance, when President Duterte called him up to congratulate him, had already indicated that he was coming in November. So at least verbally he said he was coming. I am almost sure that the nine other ASEAN member states will also be coming back in November,” he said.

“The usual dialogue partners — Japan, Korea — China, Japan, Korea, I am sure, Australia and New Zealand, they have never missed any of these meetings.

So there will be one or two who may not be able to come but this is because of let say internal issues with their individual countries,” Paynor said. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY

Duterte tops... received 3 percent of the yes votes.

Malacañang was elated by the news.

“What makes President Rodrigo R. Duterte so admired

by Filipinos and international leaders alike is his national agenda—he has prioritized public interest first and foremost, especially the needs and aspirations of the poor and common people,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement. ❰❰ 1

different kind of person and he is making waves in international news,” Piñol said.

Media operations

But Piñol, who was in the Senate on Monday for a hearing, complained that the Palace has not organized well its media operations and has not done a good job in boosting Mr. Duterte’s image.

“Their operations are weak.

They are left behind when it comes to releasing news about the President. Independent Faithful servant media [are] always the first to “With or without the distinc- report before the Palace,” Piñol, tion, the President continues to a former journalist, told reportbe a hardworking government ers. worker and faithful servant of Malacañang is also equally the Filipino people. In positive slow in releasing Palace phototerms, he has a simple three- graphs, he added. point agenda: prosperity for all; “They can’t organize very restore trust in government; well the media operations of build a fair and equitable soci- Malacañang, how much more ety,” Abella said. a popularity contest that has “Indeed, Filipinos find in nothing to do with goverthe President a nance?” he said. kindred spirit—a Noting he had leader who acts been “honest” for the common about his opingood,” he added.

Independent ions, he said he Time will anmedia [are] had relayed this nounce its ofalways the to both Execuficial 100 Most first to report tive Secretary Influential List— before the Salvador Mediselected by the Palace. aldea and Press magazine’s ediSecretary Martin tors—on ThursAndanar. day.

Piñol said he Time was one had told Anof the first international pub- danar that the slow release of lications that criticized Mr. Palace news had resulted in the Duterte’s brutal war on drugs, Palace issuing denials or corwith a cover article in Septem- rections rather than giving the ber titled “Night Falls on the official version of the story.

Philippines.”

Asked whether he meant At the time, more than 3,000 the Palace always ended up on drug suspects had been killed the defensive, he said: “That’s by police and unknown assail- somehow what I feel.” ants in Mr. Duterte’s crackdown on narcotics.

Good stories To date, the body count has Piñol said there were a lot of risen to more than 8,000, ac- good stories that were not covcording to the international ered extensively by the media, news agency Reuters, whose such as out-of-town appeartally is disputed by the Philip- ances of Mr. Duterte. pine National Police.

He said this did “not give jusAgriculture Secretary Em- tice to the programs that (the manuel Piñol is not surprised President) is doing for the Filithat Mr. Duterte has topped pino people.” the Time readers’ poll, but he Piñol said the press was more thinks Malacañang has not keen on reporting Mr. Duterte’s handled well the job of boosting cursing and his remarks about the President’s image. his war on drugs, which always “What else is new? He really make it to the front pages. has the genuine support of the “The President goes to Basilan masses. You know he’s a differ- to give boats but the media does ent breed,” Piñol said, referring not care about it,” he said. ■ to Mr. Duterte.

“Like him or hate him, he is a With a report from Yuji Gonzales

Philippine News

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

11

Duterte bares creation of OFW department

BY NIKKO DIZON AND JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer MANAMA — President Duterte announced on Friday his plan to establish a department that will address the needs of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Speaking before 4,000 Filipinos who gathered at the Khalifa Stadium on the last day of his three-day state visit here, the President spoke of his plan to create a Department of Over-

seas Filipino Workers to attend to the needs of Filipinos living and working abroad.

“By the way, the OFWs ... you will have in a few months a Department on OFWs only,” he said, drawing cheers from the crowd.

He said he had discussed the plan with Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, who was onstage with other Cabinet secretaries.

But at a news conference hours earlier at the Four Seasons Hotel, Bello expressed his misgivings about putting up an

OFW department.

He said establishing such a department would go against the Duterte administration’s bid to provide decent jobs for OFWs to make sure they would return home for good after the completion of their contracts.

He said there were already two agencies mandated by law “to take care of the welfare, especially the protection of our OFWs while they are abroad”— the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and the Philippine Overseas Employment

Administration.

“The President is very conscious of the social implication of our countrymen and countrywomen going abroad to look for jobs, and so he would like to create more jobs in our country so that there will be no necessity for our countrymen to go abroad,” he told reporters.

Putting up an OFW department “might institutionalize the relevance of our OFWs, which goes against the final aim of the government to get them back,” he said.

Bello said the proposal was being studied carefully on orders of the President.

Meanwhile, Bello said he and the labor undersecretary of Bahrain would sign an agreement reducing the processing time for the deployment of Filipinos to Bahrain from six weeks to two weeks.

Mr. Duterte left for Doha, Qatar, after speaking before the Filipino community here, the last leg of his visit to three Gulf states that began in Saudi Arabia.

NHA to ‘reaward’ houses to Kadamay members

BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO Philippine Daily Inquirer CONGRESS WILL come out with a joint resolution allowing the National Housing Authority (NHA) to “reaward” more than 50,000 unoccupied housing units intended for military and police personnel to four sectors, that included informal settlers like members of the urban poor group Kadamay (Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap).

At a congressional hearing on Tuesday, NHA General Manager Marcelino Escalada Jr. said he would not want to live in the government housing units after seeing these for himself.

The housing program for the military and police has not attracted the beneficiaries because they found the homes too small—a floor area of 22 square meters (sqm) on a 36-sqm lot (which cost P175,000) and a floor area of 18-27 sqm on a 40sqm lot (P208,000), according to NHA officials.

Sen. JV Ejercito, chair of the Senate committee on urban planning, housing and resettlement, noted that the interna-

the houses that were occupied

by Kadamay on March 8 in Pandi town and San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan would be given to members of the group as earlier announced by President Duterte.

Ejercito said it would be up to the NHA to distribute the houses.

Win-win solution

Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito presides the inquiry on the takeover of government housing units by Kadamay members in Pandi, Bulacan. Also present were Ms. Gloria Arellano (left) of Kadamay and NHA General Manager Marcelino Escalada Jr. (center).

AVITO C. DALAN / PNA

tional standard for housing was 7 sqm per person.

“That 22-sqm house is only good for three persons,” he said.

Military and police representatives at the hearing said the NHA had not consulted them on the design and planning of the houses and were only told of the affordable housing program for them.

Failure

Administrative Order No. 9, issued in 2011, directed the

NHA to build permanent housing sites for low-salaried members of the military and police and in this case, the three lowest ranks.

Escalada said of the 66,184 houses built by the NHA for soldiers and policemen all over the country, only 8,240 houses had been occupied.

Escalada admitted that the government housing for the military and police was a “failure” given the low occupancy.

He said the NHA was propos-

www.canadianinquirer.net

ing the building of bigger houses, doubling the size of the lots from 40 sqm to 80 sqm.

The NHA head then urged Congress to grant him the “legislative authority” to reaward the housing units.

Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez said at the hearing he had filed House joint Resolution No. 11 “authorizing the NHA to award the unoccupied and unawarded housing units to other qualified functionaries.”

Ejercito said at least 5,000 of

“It’s still a win-win solution since Kadamay opened up the eyes of everyone to the gravity of the problem of the housing sector,” Ejercito told reporters after he led a hearing on Kadamay’s occupation of the units intended for members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police.

“My only concern here is that I hope this would not be a bad precedent,” he said.

The hearing was called days after Mr. Duterte announced he would give for free the housing units in Bulacan to Kadamay members, whose only sin, he said, was being poor.

The President promised to build better houses for members of the police and the military by December. ■

12

Philippine News

APRIL 21, 2017

FRIDAY

Pilgrim’s progress Big on faith, a Holy Land pilgrimage proves unforgettable for its small, totally unexpected, miracle

BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer FR. ALEXANDER del Castillo had one important reminder as soon as we boarded the bus in Amman, Jordan, headed for Mt. Nebo, where Moses had a glimpse of the Promised Land before he died: “We are pilgrims, not tourists, in this journey.”

Mt. Nebo was the first stop in our two-week pilgrimage to the most significant places in the Christian faith that brought us to Jordan, Israel and Bethlehem.

Throughout the year, thousands of Filipino Christians all over the world go on this pilgrimage that our hotel in Bethlehem serves adobo and nilagang baka for dinner. My family joined one such trip shortly before the Holy Week, the most meaningful time for spiritual rededication among Christians.

The pilgrimage had been a lifelong dream for my 70-yearold mother who saved up for it for years. But we should have gone before Dad was struck with Alzheimer’s Disease, she lamented.

How this spiritual journey impacted on my father—who was silent, and at times, crabby throughout the trip—made it more memorable.

As our itinerary took us to places that figured in both the Old and New Testament, I wished I had paid more attention to the Bible. But I learned that if you focus on the reason for your journey, you will not be lost.

It was easy to be left in awe of the sites, which are as holy as they are breathtaking, like the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Old Jerusalem where Jesus was buried, the Garden of Geth-

semane, the Sea of Galilee and the little Grotto of the Nativity, where a silver star marks Jesus’ birthplace in Bethlehem.

I was at times truly conflicted on whether I should take a picture, as a tourist would, or pray.

I wanted a photo of Jesus’ tomb inside the Edicule but the long line of pilgrims had everyone rushing in and out of the burial chamber so fast that I ended up with neither a decent picture nor a sincere prayer.

I managed, however, to run my fingers on the bench that was Jesus’ tomb even while the cranky Greek Orthodox priest was yelling, “Quick! Quick!”

Still and all, it was a blessing for our group to get inside the Holy Sepulcher, which had been closed for nine months for restoration and was reopened only three days earlier.

Our pilgrimage started as soon as 40 of us Filipino pilgrims landed at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman.

We headed straightaway to Mt. Nebo, where we viewed the Promised Land. Though it was a bit foggy, our tour guide pointed out the Dead Sea, the Jordan River Valley, Jericho and Bethlehem.

In Amman, at the “Red Rose City” of Petra, a world wonder, Dad had his first and, thankfully, only tantrum during the trip when he forgot Mom’s name and just kept pointing at her.

We didn’t know anyone in our group and felt deeply embarrassed about this episode, but as we walked through Siq and listened to our guide, Mom and I managed to set aside the uncomfortable moment.

One comes out of the passage with a dramatic view of the Treasury, the rose-colored building carved out of rock.

I fished out $5 for a camel ride, thinking this would be

my only chance to do so. But as soon as the 2-meter-high (7foot) camel stood, I asked to be brought down.

The saddle was unstable, and the ground rocky, but I was atop the camel long enough for the guides to take pictures of me begging for my Mom. It was also such a funny moment that she finally got past that episode with Dad. As we headed to Israel by bus, we started getting to know the rest of the group and established friendships that we all hope would last a lifetime.

In Israel, it was quite startling that the first thing we saw in Nazareth, the ancient place where Jesus lived and preached the Gospel, was a thriving modern mall and a McDonald’s.

Still, no amount of modernity could diminish the holiness of city.

The Basilica of Annunciation where the angel Gabriel told a young Mary that she would be the Mother of Jesus Christ was built atop the cave where the Holy Family lived.

It struck me that though the church was huge, it was simple and quite bare, with a palpable sense of divinity inside. It is by far, my most favorite church.

At Mt. Tabor, Jesus appeared before His disciples after His death already radiant in His heavenly glory. Fr. Alex said that everyone could be renewed and transformed, no matter the gravity of the sins committed.

Life is about second chances and at this Mass, I felt I had been truly forgiven.

We only had one Sunday Mass throughout our pilgrimage, and blessed were we to have it right at the Nativity Grotto, a cave under the Church of the Nativity, where Jesus was born.

After the Mass, we venerated at the spot where Jesus was

www.canadianinquirer.net

The Old City of Jerusalem.

born, lying on our bellies and kissing the stone marked by a silver star.

Near the Church of the Nativity was the Chapel of the Milk Grotto, where Mary breastfed the Baby Jesus. It was a cave converted into a beautiful church, where the powder scraped from the rocks inside is believed to bring miracles to parents who prayed to have children.

A packet of powder is sold for $2 each, complete with a prayer and instructions on how to use it. I bought one for my best friend and gave the priest the money. He handed me two packets. I tried to return the other one, but he gestured “no” and seemed to say, “Take both.”

A few days after we got home, I saw a high school friend who has had two miscarriages. I asked if she believed in miracles. Of course, she said. A few days later, I gave her the extra packet.

Our pilgrimage included Cana, where Jesus performed His first miracle, turning water

into wine at a wedding. Part of our Mass was the renewal of the marriage vows of the six couples in our group, including my parents who have been married 45 years.

Dad was puzzled by the ceremony but still had a big smile when told to kiss Mom and pose for photos. Mom was all smiles, too. It was then that I realized what a marriage vow and love, truly meant.

By this time, we were getting to know each one in our group.

We had been having meals and walks together, and conversed freely during bus rides.

Mom must have told them about Dad because every time I’d mention his Alzheimer’s in the hope that people would understand why he was behaving the way he did, they’d tell me, “We know.”

Dad enjoyed the boat ride ❱❱ PAGE 14 Pilgrim’s progress

Philippine News

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

13

DOJ OKs filing of raps vs 5 suspects in Jee kidnap-slay case PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY

against Sta. Isabel and Villegas as well as several individuals identified only by their aliases.

Dumlao, Sta. Isabel, Omlang and Villegas were also charged with carnapping for taking away the Ford Explorer of Jee. At the same time, a separate information for kidnapping and serious illegal detention were also filed against Dumlao, Sta. Isabel, Villegas, Omlang and several individuals identified only as “John Does’ for the abduction of Marisa Dawis Morquicho, the housemaid of the Jee’s in their Angeles city residence.

The DOJ said Dumlao, Sta. Isabel, Villegas and Omlang “conspired, confederated and helped one another, together with several John Does who are still at large,” to carry out the crime.

In the same resolution, the DOJ panel cleared three NBI officials implicated by Dumlao in the crime — former NBI

cused—Sta. Isabel, Villegas and Omlang identified Yalung as among those who took part in Jee’s abduction and eventual MANILA — After conducting ankilling. other preliminary investigation The DOJ also cleared Chrisupon the order of Angeles City topher Alan V. Gruenberg, ownRegional Trial Court in Pamer of the black Nissan Exalta panga, the Department of Jusused in the abduction of Jee. tice (DOJ) filed of string criminal The DOJ noted that Gruencases against three policemen berg was able to present evidence and two others in connection to that he already sold his vehicle in the kidnap-slay of South Korean 2010. Also, the DOJ noted that businessman Jee Ick-Joo. Yalung, in his affidavit admitted Those who were charged inthat he is already the owner of clude Philippine National Pothe same vehicle which was imlice’s Anti-Illegal Drugs Group mediately sold for PHP100,000 (PNP-AIDG) in Pampanga Suafter the death of Jee. perintendent Rafael Dumlao, The other respondents — Senior Police Office 3 (SPO3) Gream funeral employees EpepRicky Sta. Isabel and SPO4 Roy hany Gotera, Teodolito Macato Villegas.

Tarepe, Kevin Enriquez, Robert The DOJ also filed cases before John Tobias and Bernardo Mathe RTC against Dumlao, Jerry raya Jr. — were also cleared of Omlang, Gerardo Gregorio Santhe charges for lack of probable tiago a day before their schedcause. uled arraignment on Wednesday “Prescinding from these at the sala of Anfacts, the ungeles City RTC dersigned canBranch 58 Presidnot as crib any ing Judge Irineo criminal liabilPangilinan Jr. The prosecutors concluded after ity on the part In a 47-page hearings that Dumlao had a direct of the Gream resolution, the knowledge of Jee’s kidnapping and employees. It is DOJ found probconspired with Sta. Isabel, Villegas readily apparent able cause to file and Omlang. that they merely kidnapping for performed their ransom with horegular work in micide to indict the funeral home Dumlao, Omlang, the alleged deputy director for investiga- upon direct instructions and “striker” or errand boy at the tion services Jose “Jojo” Yap; orders of their employers,” read National Bureau of Investiga- former National Capital Region the resolution. tion as well as Santiago, owner (NCR) director Ricardo Diaz The DOJ resolution is signed of the funeral parlor in Calo- and former Task Force against by Senior Assistant State Prosocan City where the remains of Illegal Drugs head Roel Bolivar. ecutors Juan Pedro C. Navera Jee was initially brought after “To us, the tangled web spun and Olivia Laroza-Torrevillas he was killed.

by Dumlao is incredible and a and Assistant State Prosecutor Omlang and Santiago both mere afterthought after he was Ethel Rea Suril. It was recomsurrendered to the NBI earlier already pinpointed by Sta. Isa- mended for approval by OIC and tagged Dumlao as the mas- bel, Villegas and Omlang as one Senior Deputy State Prosecutermind in the kidnapping of Jee. of the planners in the kidnap- tor Lilian Doris Serranilla-AleThe prosecutors concluded ping,” read the resolution. jo and approved by Prosecutor after hearings that Dumlao had The DOJ also cleared Ramon General Victor C. Sepulveda. a direct knowledge of Jee’s kid- Yalung, one of the original acTo recall, the Jan. 17 resolution napping and conspired with Sta. cused in the case. penned by Torrevillas only named Isabel, Villegas and Omlang.

“The only evidence that links three accused in the kidnapping “As one of the planners of respondent Yalung in the kid- for ransom with homicide case: the kidnapping, Dumlao was, napping of the victim is the se- Sta. Isabel, Villegas and Yalung at the very least, a principal by curity logbook, which indicates while other suspects tagged in the inducement who was a con- that one of the cars used by the case were identified only through spirator with Sta. Isabel and the Yalung family in their car rental aliases “Pulis,” “Ding,” “Jerry,” others,” the DOJ said in the 47- business, a Toyota Innova (TXS and “Sir Dumlao.” page resolution.

763) was inside Friendship PlaThe resolution was received Santiago was charged as an za Subdivision when the abduc- by the Pampanga Regional Triaccessory to the crime. tion took place,” the DOJ reso- al Court Branch 58. The local It would be recalled that the lution stated. court granted primary suspect DOJ has originally filed kidThe resolution pointed out Sta. Isabel’s request for reinvesnapping and homicide charges that none of the other ac- tigation. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

President Rodrigo Duterte is accompanied by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, and officials of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

ROBINSON NINAL / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Vast majority of Filipinos still support war on drugs despite criticisms

BY CIELITO M. REGANIT Philippines News Agency MANILA — Malacañang on Wednesday said the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted in March showed that a great majority of Filipinos still continue to appreciate the efforts of the government in curbing illegal drugs despite getting a lot of flak from local and foreign critics.

“Seventy-eight percent, a great majority of Filipinos, expressed satisfaction in the government’s performance, notwithstanding the negative criticisms we received here and abroad,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

“Filipinos understand and support the campaign against hard drug traffickers and violators. Many Filipinos are less worried about their personal safety as they feel safe and secure in the streets and at home,” Abella said.

The SWS survey held March 25 to 28 showed 78 percent of the respondents were satisfied with the administration’s performance in its campaign against illegal drugs, 10 percent were undecided, while 12 percent were dissatisfied.

This gives a net satisfaction rating of +66, classified by SWS as very good.

However, this is an 11-point decline, and one grade down, from the excellent +77.

But Abella said the drop is

understandable pointing out that the survey was taken during a time when the administration was being cast in a bad light

by President Rodrigo Duterte’s fiercest critics.

Among the issues facing President Duterte at the time included the filing of an impeachment complaint against him last March 16; the Senate appearance of a self-confessed but perjured assassin; human rights reports highly critical of the Duterte administration’s campaign against illegal drug traffickers and violators; and the internationally aired video message of Robredo among others.

But despite all these, Abella said it is quite notable that majority of Filipinos still trust the government.

“We note that the public (at 70 percent) believes the current administration is serious about solving the problem of so-called ‘extrajudicial killings’ (EJKs) and its efforts to cleanse the Philippine National Police (PNP) of scalawags,” he said.

The Palace official added that the government would not stop the war against illegal drugs until the whole drug apparatus is destroyed.

“The drive will be relentless until the drug apparatus is rendered inutile. After all what is at stake is the national patrimony, the following generations of Filipinos, who will not only continue our dreams, be our God given social safety net, but also preserve our cultures, our gift to the world,” Abella said. ■

14

Philippine News

APRIL 21, 2017

FRIDAY

CA affirms Palace rice policy raises conviction of 2 inflation fears Indonesian terrorists

BY RONNEL W. DOMINGO Philippine Daily Inquirer

BY RONNEL W. DOMINGO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE COURT of Appeals has upheld the conviction of two Indonesian terrorists who were sentenced to up to 40 years in prison for their role in the February 2003 bombing of Awang Airport in Maguindanao.

In a March 30 resolution, the appeals court’s Special 16th Division sustained the July 2015 ruling of the Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 154 which found Zulkifli Julkifli and Taufiq Rifqi guilty beyond reasonable doubt for murder

and double attempted murder.

Rifqi and Julkifli, also known by their aliases Donis/Doni, Ofracio and Ahmad Faisal, were members of the dreaded Rajah Solaiman Movement, a local terror cell with links to the Abu Sayyaf Group and the al-Qaida terror network.

The court had also previously affirmed the guilty verdict meted out on the Indonesian bombers’ two Filipino cohorts, Feliciano delos Reyes and Dinno Amor Pareja, in connection with the explosion in Awang Airport, which killed a soldier and wounded several others. ■

Pilgrim’s progress... on the Sea of Galilee and, when after our prayers the boat’s crew taught us a folk dance and later played an Abba song, he joined in gleefully.

Everybody cheered him on, happy to see him have fun. All the pain I’ve felt seeing my parents grapple with a cruel disease were cast away.

I’ve never seen as many churches as I had in our fiveday stay in Israel, each with its own unique part in our Christian faith.

The Church of All Nations, or Basilica of the Agony beside the Garden of Gethsemane, was where Jesus prayed the night before he was arrested.

It was dark inside the church and one feels held in a peaceful embrace.

A highlight, too, was our visit to the Western Wall, one of the holiest places in Jerusalem.

There we prayed, wrote down our petitions and inserted them in the tiny holes in the wall.

In Egypt, our visit to the monastery of St. Catherine was noteworthy because the dark yet stunning Greek Orthodox church is home to one of her relics, a finger.

The burning bush, where Moses was asked to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, remains lush behind the monastery, although it is now cordoned off ❰❰ 12

after the monks discovered that tourists were picking its leaves.

There was something about the places we visited that allowed one to converse with God in full concentration. I’ve never had that experience before.

Back in Manila, I found myself missing that indescribable feeling because of the din of the daily grind.

At our last Mass in the pilgrimage, Mom thanked everybody for helping us take care of Dad. She couldn’t hold back her tears. Neither could I. Soon there was no dry eye in the chapel.

Throughout our trip, people went out of their way to look out for Dad, some accompanying him on toilet breaks, others keeping an eye on him while Mom and I did some shopping.

They all made it a point to engage him in brief conversations even if he only responded with a smile.

Mom and I wondered if our pilgrimage meant anything to him because it tired him out and deprived him of his daily naps. But at the airport when we all said our goodbyes, Dad was teary eyed when he hugged them. He was especially emotional with Fr. Alex, Tita Florie, Erhlich and Froilan.

It was the little miracle that I never expected, but I want so much to believe in. ■

A NEW York-based think tank expressed fears that President Duterte’s directive for the National Food Authority to boost rice supply from local farms before considering importation could unduly drive up consumer prices. It also notes that the rice inventory as of March was good only for 12 days. President Duterte’s directive for the National Food Authority (NFA) to boost rice supply from local farms before considering importation could unduly drive The country’s main crop is planted and grown during the third quarter, and up consumer prices, New York- harvest does not start until October. based think tank Global Source said.

“Rice accounts for close to 9 Global Source noted that invenIn a commentary titled “In- percent of the CPI (consumer tory as of March was good for 12 flation risk from rice policy?” price index) basket and given days’ consumption only. by economists Romeo L. Ber- the projected inflation path, nardo and Marie-Christine double-digit increases during Importation to ease worries Tang, Global Source said the the lean months would push The NFA is required by law policy could lead to the deple- the headline inflation rate well to maintain a minimum stock tion of NFA’s inventory, driving over the upper end of the BSP’s good for 15 days for most of the up local prices.

(Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) year, but it must have at least “The struggle that led to the inflation target band,” it said.

30 days’ supply during the lean President insistmonths from ing on the NFA July to Septembuying local rice ber. risks the counThe country’s rice stocks Global Source said the government’s try’s main crop falling further latest rice policy is “an emergent risk is planted and [especially if dothat could ‘shock’ inflation forecasts.” grown during the mestic farm outthird quarter, puts fall short and harvest does of expectations] not start until and thus, domesOctober. tic rice prices spiking,” Global The BSP is bent on limitMeanwhile, Aquino the NFA Source said. ing average inflation this year administrator said last TuesGlobal Source was referring within the range of 2 percent day the agency was currently to the conflict between majority and 4 percent. unable to buy palay as farmof the NFA Council—the agen“Many economic watchers gate prices averaged at P18.60 cy’s governing body comprised have raised concerns about per kilo as of the last week of of NFA officials and economic recent increases in consumer March, higher than the NFA’s managers from various depart- prices. From below 2 percent in price cap of P17 a kilo. ments—and NFA administrator the 16 months to August 2016, “With rice prices starting to Jason Laureano Aquino. the headline inflation rate inch up recently and import The majority, led by the climbed past 3 percent in Feb- lags of anywhere from one to council’s chair, Cabinet Secre- ruary and March 2017,” Global four months, a decision to allow tary Leoncio Evasco Jr., wanted Source said. importation would help allay the NFA to continue accomThe think tank added that the fears of impending shortages modating inbound shipments BSP now expects the uptrend that could lead to higher price through private-sector impor- to continue through the third increases in anticipation of the tation. Aquino had disagreed, quarter, driving the figure “very demand/supply gap,” Global pushing for government impor- close” to the upper end of the Source said. tation through the NFAitself. target range.

“To avoid delays in light of the Global Source said the gov- internal NFA disagreement and Inflation trend to persist ernment’s latest rice policy is ensure that a decision to import The conflict led to the dis- “an emergent risk that could is quickly carried out, the Presimissal of Cabinet Undersecre- ‘shock’ inflation forecasts.” dent might as well decide also tary Maia Chiara Halmen ValWhile both factions in the whether NFA itself should imdez, who represented Evasco in NFA Council bickered over how port or allow private traders to council meetings. to import and beef up its stock, do it,” the group added. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Opinion

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

15

AT LARGE

Passengers’ revenge

By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer I HAVEN’T yet—crossed fingers—been bumped off a flight, local or international. But I’ve seen instances of this airline practice. The most vivid for me involved a mother and her two young daughters on a flight leaving Manila for I think the United States. The other passengers and I were already seated when the mother entered with one screaming daughter in her arms and the other tearfully tagging along.

When they got to their seats, one or two rows in front of me, the girls refused to take their seats, squatting on the floor and kicking the backs of the seats in front. A flight attendant approached them, explaining to the mother that she would have to get the girls seated with seat belts buckled before the plane could leave. While we looked on and wondered how the drama would play out, my seat mate

whispered: “I saw them at the pre-departure area, and the girls were already kicking and screaming.”

“Please, please get up on the seat,” the young mother, looking near to tears herself, begged her children. But the girls continued to howl and scream.

Once again, the attendant approached and said, “Do you think you could get them to sit down? If not, I’m afraid you’ll have to deplane and board another flight.” “Please, we’ve been here since early morning,” the mother pleaded. “They’re just cranky and sleepy. Can’t we take off without their being seated?” “That would be too dangerous,” the attendant explained. Then she gestured to her colleagues, who approached and helped pull the girls from the floor and escorted the mother, who was crying by then, and her kids off the plane.

This was not as dramatic a scene as that involving Dr. Da-

vid Dao, the Vietnamese-American physician shown in a video that rocked the FB universe being dragged through the aisle of a United Airlines plane, mouth bloodied, glasses askew, shirt riding up his torso. But to this day, I wonder what happened to the unfortunate mother and her misbehaving daughters, and if they ever made it to their original destination. *** The video of Dr. Dao being “re-accommodated” from the flight from Chicago to Louisville sparked a firestorm on social media, reflecting the great consumer frustration with airline policies, many of which are enforced unilaterally and with little prior announcement.

Some of these involve raising the fees charged for check-in luggage, restrictions on the number and weight of carry-on bags, even the “proper” attire for travel aboard planes.

But none rankles as much as the practice of overbooking, or

selling more tickets than there are seats on a flight, and then offloading passengers in case of an overflow. In my years of travel, I have encountered a number of overbooking situations. Usually, when such an overflow occurs, the airline sweetens the deal by offering cash (or vouchers), free meals and sometimes even free accommodations to the inconvenienced passengers.

On one trip to the United States many years ago, the four of us were severely tempted by such an offer. But relatives in New York, where we were headed, would already have been preparing to welcome us andwe didn’t want to inconvenience them.

United Airlines officials say they initially offered cash to passengers volunteering to vacate their seats, but when no one took up the offer, they then announced that “a computer” would select the four passengers at random.

*** That may put to rest allegations that the choice of Dr. Dao and his wife for offloading was based on race. (Chinese social media reacted so strongly that the stock value of United Airlines briefly plummeted.)

Airline analysts say the choice of passengers is made using a number of factors: the amount paid (“first class passengers are safe”), the passenger’s loyalty program (if any), how often a passenger has flown on the airline.

Still, the thought that a company that accepted your hardearned money to bring you to your destination could, willynilly and sometimes without your consent, break its contract with you and even have you violently ejected rankles and angers. I hope the good doctor sues United Airlines, and I hope he makes a mint from his suit, even if only on behalf of all of us long-suffering passengers. ■

arrest.

He said Guerrero made a judicial determination of probable cause in issuing the warrant which he pointed out is different from an executive determination of probable cause made by a prosecutor when he or she saw that there is a reason to file the criminal information.

He also pointed out that the issuance of the arrest warrant does not impair the substantial rights of de Lima as its sole purpose is to ensure that she is under custody in order not to frustrate the ends of justice.

“It is not tantamount to a prejudgment on the merits of her motion to quash,” Calida added.

He also said that Section 90 RA 9165 also vests on the DOJ the exclusive jurisdiction to designate special prosecutors to conduct the preliminary investigation.

The same section also authorizes the SC to designate RTCs to exclusively try and hear cases involving violations of RA 9165 contrary to de Lima’s arguments that her case should have

been filed with the Office of the Ombudsman and heard by the Sandiganbayan.

“Not all crimes committed by public officers in relation to their office are cognizable by the Sandiganbayan. In fact, the Sandiganbayan has issued a certification that there are no cases involving illegal drugs that are pending before it,” he added.

De Lima earlier filed a petition before the Supreme Court for the issuance of a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) or a Writ of Preliminary Injunction to invalidate the arrest warrant against her and stop the continuation of her trial before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Muntinlupa City.

But Calida stressed that the petition should be considered “unsigned with no legal effect” under the Rules of Court, which he said requires personal subscription of petitioners before notary public.

After the submission of the memorandum, the SC is set to rule on De Lima’s pleas for issuance of a status quo ante order

that would result in her release from detention at the Philippine National Police headquarters in Camp Crame and nullification of the arrest order issued by the RTC. The SC earlier held oral arguments on de Lima’s petitions.

The three-part oral arguments focused on six procedural and substantive issues on the plea of De Lima to nullify the arrest warrant issued by a Muntinlupa court in connection with the drug trafficking charges filed by the Department of Justice.

De Lima, now detained at the PNP Custodial Center, argued that the allegations against her do not actually constitute sale and trading of illegal drugs and liability of government officials under Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act), but rather only direct bribery.

Under the law, petitioner stressed that such charges should fall under the jurisdiction of the Sandiganbayan — not the RTC — because her position at that time was secre-

tary of Justice which has salary grade higher than 27.

Separate cases for three counts of drug trafficking were filed against De Lima before the Muntinlupa RTC which were assigned to three different courts.

The cases for sale and trading of illegal drugs and liability of government officials under Republic Act 9165 (Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act) were assigned to RTC Branch 204 Judge Juanita Guerrero, Branch 205 Judge Amelia Fabros-Corpuz and Branch 206 Judge Patria Manalastas-De Leon.

The first case in Branch 204 includes De Lima, Dayan and Ragos.

De Lima is joined by her nephew Jose Adrian Dera in the second case in Branch 205.

The third case in Branch 206 is against De Lima, Dera, Dayan, former BuCor chief Franklin Bucayu, his alleged bagman Wilfredo Elli, high-profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian, and De Lima’s former bodyguard Jonel Sanchez. ■

OSG asks...

“She trifled with court processes and exposed the courts to the possibility of rendering conflicting decisions,” he added.

Calida also said that the jurats attached to the verification and certification against forum shopping and affidavit of merit of De Lima’s petition failed to comply with the 2004 Rules on Notarial Practice.

According to Calida, De Lima never appeared before Atty.

Maria Cecile C. Tresvales-Cabalo to present the petition and swear and subscribe her affidavit. Moreover, Calida pointed out that Atty. Cabalo admitted in her affidavit that that petition was already signed before she notarized it.

He likewise defended the decision of Muntinlupa City RTC Branch 204 Judge Juanita Guerrero to issue warrant of arrest against de Lima saying she did not commit grave abuse of discretion by doing so as she observed constitutional and procedural rules in the issuance of the assailed warrant of ❰❰ 8

www.canadianinquirer.net

16

APRIL 21, 2017

FRIDAY

Canada News Toronto homeowners cash out of hot real estate market as uncertainty sets in

BY CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI The Canadian Press TORONTO — Sarah Blakely recalls feeling some trepidation when she and her husband shelled out more than $300,000 for a modest 1 1/2-storey house in a less-desirable part of Toronto.

Seven years later, they found themselves on the right side of a hot housing market, with values tripling in a ‘hood suddenly considered up-and-coming for young families seeking detached homes.

They recently sold that renovated three-bedroom for more than $1 million and now expect to live mortgage-free in a fourbedroom purchase in their hometown of Ottawa.

The 34-year-old says it made sense to cash out of a city that was draining their finances, energy and family time.

“My husband and I saw an opportunity to take advantage of the recent gains in real estate and to move to a less expensive city to live mortgage-free, support our savings for retirement and also to be closer to family,” says Blakely, whose new home has nearly twice the square footage.

And they may have taken action at just the right time.

Blakely’s real estate agent Josie Stern says the market appears to be cooling, and doubts Blakely could fetch that same jackpot sale today.

“A little bit of air has been let out of the bubble,” she says.

Many buyers and sellers are waiting to see what will come

of Tuesday’s scheduled meeting between Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa and Toronto Mayor John Tory, who are expected to discuss ways to rein in Toronto’s hot housing market.

Meanwhile, the Ontario government is promising to announce affordability measures soon.

Stern says some buyers are delaying their purchase in anticipation of possible fixes.

“Buyers have been in such a stressful situation for so long that now they think somebody is going to save them and they’re waiting,” says Stern. “They’ve dug their heels in, they’re tired of competition and then there’s those that are still proceeding, but there’s been quite a big pullback from buyers.”

Sellers who’ve bought new homes are rushing to list their old property, she adds, but many are not getting the high bids seen a month ago.

The Toronto market has been astonishing, with the average sale in the Greater Toronto Area skyrocketing last month to $916,567. That’s up 33.2 per cent from a year ago.

With strong demand and limited supply, it wasn’t uncommon for bidding wars to result in sales hundreds of thousands of dollars above asking. And a lot of those sellers took those dollars out of the Greater Toronto Area where they can get more acreage, less congestion and still pocket a fair bit of cash.

“We’re finding that a lot of people are leaving the city,”

says Stern, who estimates that about a third of her 35 sales this year involved sellers either downsizing to condos or moving to more affordable markets.

“It’s empty-nesters, it’s (couples with) babies, it’s all kinds of people that are doing this.”

Even with a new uncertainty in the air, it’s still a seller’s market, she adds.

One of her biggest sales was a $2-million listing that went $575,000 over asking in February. The sellers moved to the commuter city of Burlington, Ont. They’re joining buyers priced out of the Toronto market who have gone looking for cheaper housing in smaller communities across the Golden Horseshoe, spurring other sales spikes in the region — Hamilton-Burlington homes jumped 22.6 per cent during the first two months of 2017 compared to a year earlier.

Still other buyers are looking farther afield.

Remember that relatively inexpensive Nova Scotia mansion that dominated Facebook last month?

Real estate agent Wanda Graves of Eastern Valley Real Estate says it’s sparked more inquiries from Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and B.C. house hunters suddenly hip to Eastern Canada’s charms.

Nova Scotia sellers are taking notice, and are marketing to out-of-province buyers now considered increasingly likely to make an offer.

“They know that there are buyers out there and now it’s,

ROBERT JACK 啸风 WILL / FLICKR

‘How do we reach them?”’ says Graves.

Before selling for $455,000, the mansion in Newport Landing, N.S., drew more than one million views on her company’s website and 36,000 shares on Facebook.

It’s a story Vancouver real estate agent Melissa Wu knows well.

Years of record-setting sales saw Vancouver homeowners cash out for smaller markets with more space.

But that changed after the B.C. government introduced a 15 per cent foreign buyers’ tax last summer, which Wu says especially soured interest in west Vancouver luxury homes priced at more than $4 million.

Detached homes in the $1-million to $2-million range in east Vancouver are doing well and still notching close to record highs, says Wu. Her recent sales included a $2-million get for a century-old home owned by a retired couple. Their plan is to downsize to an older condo costing less than $500,000. The rest of the

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proceeds will go to their kids and retirement fund.

She says the sale was a record high for the neighbourhood, but it took an agonizing three weeks to secure — longer than it would have last year, she says.

She advises Toronto homeowners thinking of selling to take advantage while they can.

“There’s always a shift coming in,” she says of this hot market. “Sell before it corrects.”

Stern would like to see a crackdown on real estate speculators in Toronto, citing one buyer who bought 15 properties in the last two years.

And she cautions those tempted to cash out that there’s always a risk the market won’t co-operate.

“People have been asking themselves that question since the year 2000: Should I sell?

Should I cash out?

“And there have been people who have cashed out and have regretted it because they’ve seen what the market has (done) — they’ve never been able to rebuy the houses that they’ve sold.” ■

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Canada News

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

Number of asylum claims lodged in Canada from Mexico rose again in March

BY STEPHANIE LEVITZ The Canadian Press OTTAWA — The number of people seeking asylum in Canada from Mexico continues to rise.

New figures from the Immigration and Refugee Board show that March recorded the highest number yet of new claims in 2017 — 110, up from 85 in February and 71 in January, for a total of 266 so far this year.

In all of 2016, there were just 241, statistics from the IRB show.

Last December, the Liberal government lifted a requirement for Mexicans to obtain a visa before travelling to Canada and an increase in claims was forecast.

The volume of asylum seekers from Mexico had been the reason the previous government begin to require visas in 2009, but the move caused diplomatic bad blood between the two countries.

The federal Liberals had promised to remove the requirement and doing so was given new impetus given the impending renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Still, in lifting the visa, Canada told the Mexican government that if asylum claims reached a certain level, the visa could be reinstated.

That figure has never been publicly released, but the current claim level is believed to be well below the threshold.

In 2008, the year before the visa was introduced, there were 9,000 claims lodged, making up nearly a quarter of all claims filed that year.

Claims plummeted the next year and continued to drop; in the first three months of 2016, 11 claims filed in January, 4 in February and 11 in March.

The cost of lifting the visas has been pegged at $261.9 million over 10 years, after the expectation of increased tourism and travel dollars from Mexicans is factored in.

Flights between the two countries have increased, though some immigration service providers point out those increases lead to the corresponding increase in asylum claims — it is easier to get to Canada from Mexico.

Statistics from British Columbia show that in December 2016 and January and February 2017 there were 29 refugee claimants from Mexico compared to 30 who arrived in the 12-month period from December 2015 to November 2016.

The majority of the newcomers claimed asylum at the Vancouver airport. ■

B.C. New Democrat leader ‘feeling good’ as campaign enters second week THE CANADIAN PRESS VANCOUVER — As the second week of British Columbia’s election campaign begins, one leader says he’s feeling good about his party’s prospects.

B.C. New Democrat Leader John Horgan was the only leader on the campaign trail Sunday, taking part in an Easter egg hunt in Maple Ridge before

Canada tries to strip citizenship from man accused of butchering villagers

BY JIM BRONSKILL The Canadian Press

BBMCSHANE / FLICKR

visiting a restaurant in Surrey where he made samosas.

The Surrey-Fleetwood riding where the restaurant is located is expected to be hotly contested come May 9.

The Liberals beat the NDP there by about 200 votes in 2013, but Horgan says what matters now is what voters think and feel when they head to the ballot box in just over three weeks.

B.C. Liberal Leader Christy

Clark did not host any public events, opting instead to spend Easter Sunday with family and putting out a statement wishing all British Columbians a happy holiday.

Green party Leader Andrew Weaver also took the day off from campaigning, but posted holiday wishes on his Twitter account along with a photo of he and some others roasting what appeared to be a pig on a spit. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

17

OTTAWA — Canada is moving to strip citizenship from a man accused of slaughtering villagers in Guatemala using a grenade, gun and sledgehammer.

Jorge Vinicio Sosa Orantes concealed his brutal role in a 1982 massacre by the Guatemalan military in obtaining Canadian citizenship a decade later, the federal government says in newly filed court documents.

Sosa Orantes, 59, is now serving a 10-year sentence for immigration fraud in the United States, where he also held citizenship until it was revoked in 2014.

Canada has opted to strip citizenship in only a handful of modern-day war crimes cases.

The bloody, decades-long conflict between Guatemalan government forces and guerrillas intensified in the early 1980s.

The military junta began a ruthless campaign of destruction that wiped out 440 villages, killing over 75,000 people and displacing more than 250,000, the Canadian government says in documents filed in Federal Court.

The army would typically circle a village, seal it off, gather the people and separate men and women before killing villagers.

“Destruction of property, torture, sexual violence towards women and minors was widespread and systematic during these operations,” the court submission says.

Sosa Orantes was a senior member of a military special forces group that led a mission to the Guatemalan village of Las Dos Erres in December 1982 to interrogate inhabitants after some military rifles were allegedly stolen during a guerrilla ambush of troops.

The military members killed at least 162 civilians, including 67 children. Women were raped and children were thrown into an 18-metre dry well.

“The members of the special forces group killed their victims by hitting them on the

head with a sledgehammer, by hitting their heads on a tree, by shooting them, or by slitting their throats,” the federal submission says.

“In other cases, victims were simply thrown into the well while they were still alive.”

At one point, Sosa Orantes fired his rifle into the well, then tossed in a grenade, the documents say.

In supervising the killings at the well, he mocked subordinates “who showed any hesitation to commit the murders.”

There were only three survivors, and the missing rifles were not found.

Sosa Orantes left Guatemala for California in 1985. After being denied asylum in the U.S., he visited the Canadian consulate in San Francisco to seek haven in Canada. He was granted refugee status, later becoming a permanent resident and citizen of Canada.

The federal government argues in the court filing that Sosa Orantes failed to disclose details of his military involvement that would have made him inadmissible to Canada.

Sosa Orantes married an American woman and attained U.S. citizenship in September 2008.

In 2010, the U.S. discovered he had committed immigration fraud by concealing his past. He was arrested the following year in Lethbridge, Alta., while visiting family. He was subsequently extradited to the U.S. to face trial.

Sosa Orantes has denied being in Las Dos Erres the day of the massacre.

In ordering his extradition to the U.S., the Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench said the evidence establishes Sosa Orantes was one of the commanding officers who decided to murder the villagers and that he “actively participated in the killings with a sledgehammer, with a firearm and a grenade.”

“It is difficult for this court to comprehend the murderous acts of depraved cruelty on the scale disclosed by the evidence.” ■

18

Canada News

APRIL 21, 2017

FRIDAY

Teens’ thoughts Canadian envoy fires back on pot unchanged at Trump over dairy, says after legalization criticism not based on facts news, they say

BY MIKE BLANCHFIELD The Canadian Press

BY JIM BRONSKILL The Canadian Press TORONTO — Some teens say their likelihood of using weed hasn’t changed since the Liberal government announced details of its legalization plan — though they say it’s made them more aware of information on both sides of the debate.

Government officials announced Thursday that cannabis would be made legal for recreational use by July 2018, and those aged 18 and over will be able to buy and grow a small amount of the drug for themselves.

But even as marijuana becomes more mainstream, several teens said their opinions about the drug have remained the same.

Julio Gonzales, 19, said he enjoys using marijuana in moderation, and he doesn’t expect that to change — even smoking pot feels less rebellious than it once did.

He said that in school, he was taught that marijuana was dangerous.

“They kind of classified it with a lot harder drugs like LSD or cocaine, you know? So there was always that kind of ‘villainy’ look at it. It being really bad for you,” he said. He expects that the curriculum might change a bit, but he said he thinks teachers will still advise against teens using the drug.

He said he knows there have been studies that suggest marijuana use in teenagers can be harmful, so he’s in favour of legislation that restricts minors from smoking.

“I guess it’s also kind of hypocritical of me,” he said, adding that he smokes because he finds that it helps him concentrate on schoolwork.

Ellie Labbancz, who will be 14 next month, said the news of legalization hasn’t changed her thoughts about pot either — she is still staunchly against it.

She said she understands some of the positive arguments for access to marijuana, including that it could reduce drug trafficking and crime.

But overall, she said people

could still abuse the drug, and that doesn’t sit right with her.

She’s worried about the negative health effects, especially on young people’s brains.

Canadian Psychiatric Association President Dr. Renuka Prasad said in a statement put out on Thursday that early and regular cannabis use can affect memory, attention, intelligence and the ability to process thoughts. He said it can also add to the risk of mental health issues among people who are already vulnerable.

The CPA position statement on marijuana cites studies that suggest marijuana can interfere with the maturing process the brain goes through in adolescence. It recommended an age limit of 21, as well as quantity and potency limits for those under 25.

Todd Goncalvez, 18, said his opinion hasn’t changed in light of the legalization promise, and it’s not likely to make a difference in opinion — or frequency of use — among his peers.

“I don’t see how legalizing weed will make much of a difference in terms of limiting access to those under the legal age, since it’s already so widely available to kids as young as Grade 8 or 9,” he said.

During the legislation announcement Thursday, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale noted that Canadian teenagers are “among the heaviest users in the western world.”

The Canadian Tobacco Alcohol and Drugs survey in 2015 — the most recently available data from Statistics Canada — suggests that 20.6 per cent of Canadians between ages 15 and 19 had used pot in the past year. Nearly 29 per cent of people in that age group had tried it at some point in their life.

But in spite of the new legislation, Goncalvez said he thinks people are more likely to look at marijuana they way they look at cigarettes.

“Just like alcohol and cigarettes are legal and considered mainstream, weed will still be considered a ‘cool’ thing to do,” he said. ■

OTTAWA — Canada’s envoy to Washington has shot back at criticism by President Donald Trump and U.S. milk producers, saying the facts don’t support a charge that the Canadian dairy industry is to blame for the woes of some American farmers.

“Canada does not accept the contention that Canada’s dairy policies are the cause of financial loss for dairy farmers in the United States,” Ambassador David MacNaughton said in a letter to the governors of Wisconsin and New York that was released Tuesday night in rebuttal to Trump’s surprise criticism of Canada earlier in the day.

“The facts do not bear this out.”

The U.S. president’s surprise decision to call out Canada by name Tuesday put dairy farmers north of the border on notice that they are in America’s fair-trade sights.

Trump launched his broadside after a brewing trade spat that has seen the U.S. dairy lobby accuse Canada of “systemic disregard” of its trade obligations, while the Canadian industry accused its American rival of “scapegoating.”

Trump also signalled he wants to do more than simply tweak the North American Free Trade Agreement, saying he is looking for “very big changes” to the trilateral pact that includes Mexico, or else he will scrap it once and for all.

Trump levelled the threats — some of his strongest-ever anti-Canadian rhetoric — during an event at a Wisconsin factory where he unveiled his “Buy American-Hire American” executive order.

After what has been a relatively warm beginning in relations with Canada, which included what was seen by many as a positive trip to Washington by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump dropped the gloves on Canada’s well-guarded dairy sector.

He appeared to be taking www.canadianinquirer.net

Ambassador David MacNaughton.

dead aim at the industry, its coveted supply-management system long a sacred political cow in Canada, during an appearance in Wisconsin, a state he took from the Democrats with his “America First” antitrade message.

It is also a state that is feeling the effects of Canada’s decision to impose import taxes on ultra-filtered milk, a protein liquid concentrate used to make cheese. It had been duty-free but Canada changed course after its milk producers complained.

A spokeswoman for Canada’s dairy industry said Tuesday night there has not been any new taxes on dairy imports.

About 70 dairy producers in both Wisconsin and New York are affected by the decision.

Trump promised to work with Wisconsin’s congressional delegation to get a solution after the governors of Wisconsin and New York urged him to take action.

Last week, Trump received a letter from four U.S. dairy industry groups — the National Milk Producers Federation, the U.S. Dairy Export Council, the International Dairy Foods Association and the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture — that accused Canada of violating its trade commitments to the U.S. “Time and again Canada has demonstrated its disregard of its dairy commitments to the United States — hampering America’s exports to Canada —

NEW AMERICA / FLICKR

while pursuing ways to use its government-controlled system to unfairly dump greater Canadian exports in global markets.”

The Dairy Farmers of Canada, which has previously denounced the complaints as “falsehoods and half-truths,” said Tuesday it was confident the federal government would continue to defend the dairy industry.

MacNaughton backed the organization’s position that Canada has done nothing to block U.S. imports, and that the predicament is the result of an “over-saturated” market that has led to lower prices.

MacNaughton attached a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture that he said “indicates that poor results in the U.S. sector are due to U.S. and global overproduction. As made clear in the report, Canada is not a contributor to the overproduction problem.”

He said the trade balance on dairy “massively” favours the U.S. by a five-to-one margin.

MacNaughton called Canada-U.S. relations a “model” for the world, “but it is important that we work together to grow middle-class jobs and not lay blame where is does not belong.”

Trump, however, blamed Canada for “some very unfair things have happened to our dairy farmers and others and we’re going to start working on that.” ❱❱ PAGE 28 Canadian envoy

Canada News

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

19

Ex-South Korean leader Park indicted, faces trial

BY HYUNG-JIN KIM The Associated Press SEOUL, KOREA, REPUBLIC OF — South Korean prosecutors on Monday indicted exPresident Park Geun-hye on bribery, extortion, abuse of power and other high-profile corruption charges that could potentially send her to jail for life.

It is the latest in a series of humiliations for Park, who was driven from office by massive and peaceful popular protests.

Park was impeached in December, officially stripped of power in March and has been in a detention facility near Seoul since being arrested last month on allegations that she extorted from businesses, took bribes and committed other wrongdoing, all in collaboration with a longtime confidante.

Prosecutors also indicted Shin Dong-bin, the chairman of Lotte, South Korea’s fifth-larg-

est business conglomerate, on a charge of offering a bribe of 7 billion won ($6 million) to Park and her friend Choi Soon-sil in exchange for a lucrative government license to open a new duty free shop.

Park will remain jailed and be escorted from the detention centre to a Seoul court for a trial that is to start in coming weeks and could take as long as six months. It is still unclear if the trial will start before a May 9 special election that will determine her successor.

Park, 65, was elected South Korea’s first female president in late 2012. The country will now watch as she is forced to stand in court while handcuffed, bound with rope and possibly dressed in prison garb.

If convicted, her bribery charge carries the biggest punishment, ranging from 10 years in prison to life imprisonment.

While deeply unpopular among many South Koreans, Park still has supporters, and

some conservative politicians and media outlets are already demanding that authorities pardon her if she’s convicted.

Some of her supporters still stage protests in downtown Seoul every weekend. Such rallies could pressure whoever becomes her successor at a time when South Korea also faces increasing North Korean nuclear threats and diverse economic woes.

South Korea pardoned two convicted former leaders in the late 1990s in a bid for national reconciliation amid financial crisis, and its court had until recently showed leniency toward jailing many corrupt business tycoons because of worries about hurting the economy.

Park’s scandal triggered huge political turmoil in South Korea, with millions taking to the streets to call for her ouster for months before her supporters launched their own protests.

Dozens of high-level figures, including Choi, Park’s friend

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of 40 years, top administration officials and Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong have already been indicted and await separate criminal trials.

Prosecutors charged Park with conspiring with Choi and a presidential adviser to pressure 18 business groups to donate a total of 77.4 billion won ($68 million) for the launch of two non-profit foundations controlled by Choi.

Park and Choi were also charged with taking bribes from two of the business groups, Samsung and Lotte, and colluding with other top officials to blacklist artists critical of Park’s government to deny them state support. Park also faces charges that she passed on dozens of documents with sensitive information to Choi via one of her presidential aides.

According to prosecutors, Park and Choi allegedly took about 30 billion won ($26 million) in bribes from Samsung in return for a government support for a smooth company

leadership transition.

Park has denied any legal wrongdoing, arguing that she only got help from Choi to edit some presidential speeches and on public relations.

Park is the daughter of late dictator Park Chung-hee, one of the most divisive figures in South Korean history. Some recall him as an enormous human rights abuser while others credit him for spearheading a rapid economic rise in the 1960-70s.

Critics say Park’s 2012 election wouldn’t have happened without conservatives’ nostalgia for her father.

Park Chung-hee’s iron-fisted 18-year rule ended after he was gunned down by his spy chief in 1979, five years after his wife was killed during an assassination attempt that originally targeted her husband.

Park Geun-hye once described Choi, 60, as someone who helped her when she had difficulties in the past, an apparent reference to her parents’ deaths. ■

20

World News

APRIL 21, 2017

FRIDAY

Changing Trump views toward Pentagon’s Mattis Russia, China worry some allies discussing war aims in Mideast this week

BY JOSH LEDERMAN The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Once soft on Russia and hard on China, President Donald Trump rapidly reversed course in the last weeks, concluding there’s more business to be done with Beijing than with Moscow.

Trump’s evolving views on those two world powers have brought the U.S. back into alignment with former President Barack Obama’s pattern of “great power” politics. Though Russia critics welcomed Trump’s newly hardened tone, there’s less enthusiasm from America’s allies in Asia, who fear the U.S. could overlook China’s more aggressive posture toward its neighbours.

It may be that Trump, the businessman-turned-world leader, is discovering China’s transactional approach to foreign relations is better suited to achieving his own goals. Chinese leaders have sought a U.S. relationship based on the two powers respecting each other’s spheres of influence and not intervening in one another’s internal affairs.

Such a balance-of-powers approach had been Russia’s traditional stance. Moscow still wants Washington out of its backyard, but Russia’s alleged campaigns to influence the U.S. presidential election and upcoming votes in the heart of Western Europe have made it harder for American officials to take the offer seriously. Russia’s support for Syrian President Bashar Assad and Trump’s newfound commitment to militarily countering any chemical weapons attacks also is proving hard to square.

Also, Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s shared tendency toward nationalist, “don’t-mess-with-us” rhetoric may be putting the pair on a collision course.

The sudden U-turn for Trump has been head-snapping for people around the world, despite his self-professed penchant for unpredictability and willingness to adapt to changing circumstances.

As the Republican presidential nominee, Trump praised

BY ROBERT BURNS The Associated Press

THE WHITE HOUSE

Putin repeatedly as a strong, “very smart” leader. Trump dismissed America’s Russia hawks as “stupid people or fools” and predicted that under his leadership the Cold War foes would “work together to solve some of the many great and pressing problems and issues of the world.”

Trump’s gestures to Moscow even fueled perceptions that his campaign and Russia were colluding to help him get elected — a possibility the FBI is now investigating.

“Frankly, if we got along with Russia and knocked out ISIS, that would be a good thing, not a bad thing,” Trump told a radio host in October, citing his still unrealized goal to have both countries co-operate to defeat the Islamic State group.

This past week, it was the opposite message, as the U.S. and Russia feuded about Syria.

“We’re not getting along with Russia at all,” Trump said. “We may be at an all-time low.”

Trump’s declaration came at a joint news conference with the leader of NATO, an alliance established as a Cold War bulwark against the Soviet Union.

Trump had dismissed NATO as “obsolete,” but now says it is “no longer obsolete.”

As he shifts away from Russia, Trump is offering an outstretched hand to China.

Trump recently hosted Chi-

nese President Xi Jinping at Trump’s Florida resort, and on Thursday hailed Xi as a “terrific person” and a “very special man.”

For years Trump said that China was “eating our lunch,” and he peppered his campaign rallies with promises to label China a currency manipulator as one of his first acts. He even threatened to start a trade war, arguing that China’s trade surplus was the reason for America’s economic woes.

Trump’s growing focus on the North Korean threat, heightened by signs the North might soon conduct another nuclear test, has changed Trump’s thinking. Now he is looking for help from China, North Korea’s dominant trade partner, and easing up on his rhetoric.

“I think China has really been working very hard” on North Korea, he said.

Coinciding with this new assessment was Trump’s announcement that he won’t declare China a currency manipulator. It was Trump’s second major concession to Xi, after backing away from a threat to abandon America’s “One China” policy that sees Taiwan as part of China.

So what did Trump, the selfdeclared deal-maker, get in return? ❱❱ PAGE 24 Changing Trump

www.canadianinquirer.net

ited to Syria and Iraq. Its influence has spread to Libya and elsewhere in North Africa.

Mattis told a Pentagon news WASHINGTON — Defence conference last week that he Secretary Jim Mattis is looking hoped to bring as many other to the Middle East and North nations as possible into the Africa for broader contribu- administration’s new strategy, tions and new ideas to fight Is- which involves diplomatic and lamic extremism as the Trump other non-military features. He administration fleshes out its said that plan was still in “skelcounterterrorism strategy. eton form,” though it was being His trip to the region, which “fleshed out.” began with his departure MonThe Middle East’s landscape day night, includes stops with is getting more complicated. longstanding allies Saudi AraSyria’s alleged chemical bia and Israel, and new part- weapons attack on April 4 ners like Djibouti. prompted a U.S. cruise missile As the administration en- strike, temporarily slowing the hances its efforts, Mattis has pace of Washington’s air cammade a point of consulting paign against IS in northern counterparts around the world. Syria.

His goals include And a U.S. airexpanding the strike April 11 American-led killed 18 fighters coalition against associated with the Islamic State a U.S.-supportgroup in Iraq The Middle ed Syrian rebel and Syria, but East’s group. Central also combatting landscape is Command said al-Qaida, whose getting more the U.S. strike Yemen branch is complicated. was misdirected. posing particuAlso last week, lar worry as it U.S. forces in Afuses ungoverned ghanistan struck spaces in the an IS strongArab world’s poorest country hold near the Pakistani border to plan attacks on the United with the 11-ton “mother of all States. bombs,” the largest U.S. non-nuIn announcing Mattis’s trip, clear bomb ever used in combat. the Pentagon said last week he The Middle East is familiar would be discussing ways to turf for Mattis, a Marine vet“defeat extremist terror orga- eran of the Iraq war who rose to nizations.” four-star rank. He finished his Mattis is starting his travels military career as head of CenTuesday in Riyadh, where he is tral Command, which directs expected to meet senior Saudi U.S. military operations across leaders. Saudi Arabia is leading the Middle East and Central a coalition that is fighting Iran- Asia. backed rebels in Yemen. The On his weeklong trip, Mattis coalition’s airstrikes began two also is scheduled to visit Egypt years ago but haven’t driven the and Qatar, the small Arab counHouthi rebels from the capital try that hosts the U.S. military’s and large parts of Yemen they main Mideast air operations still control. centre. It will be his first trip The Trump administration to these countries since taking is considering providing intel- office in January. He also will ligence, aerial refuelling and make a brief stop at Camp Lemother military assistance to the onnier in Djibouti in the Horn United Arab Emirates, which of Africa, which the U.S. uses is helping the Saudis. The U.N. to fly sensitive drone missions says some 50,000 civilians have over Somalia and Yemen. Matbeen killed or wounded in the tis visited Iraq in February on three-year stalemate. his first trip to the Middle East Worries about IS aren’t lim- as Pentagon chief. ■

World News

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

21

He’s how tall? Birth stats out for April the giraffe’s calf THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HARPURSVILLE, N.Y. — April the giraffe’s calf is nursing strongly and his mother is recovering “perfectly,” said officials with Animal Adventure Park on Sunday after a morning veterinarian check with the newborn.

April gave birth to a healthy male calf Saturday at the privately owned Animal Adventure Park before an online audience of more than a million viewers.

The 15-year-old giraffe delivered her calf shortly before 10 a.m. EDT in an enclosed pen at the zoo in Harpursville, a rural upstate village about 130 miles (209 kilometres) northwest of

New York City.

The calf weighs in at 129 pounds (58.5 kilograms) and stands 5 feet 9 inches tall (1.75 metres).

“April has recovered perfectly and is eating everything in sight!” the team posted on its official Facebook page .

Seconds after birth, April tenderly licked her calf, which began to slowly pick his head up from the floor of the pen. About 45 minutes after he was born, he stood on wobbly legs while mom helped keep him steady.

At least 1.2 million people watched the Adventure Park’s YouTube streaming of the event. Zoo owner Jordan Patch said both mom and calf were doing fine.

Patch called the birth “un-

nerving” to watch. “Giraffes give birth standing up, which means when the calf is ready to be born, it exits its mother hooves first from six feet off the floor, making for a very exciting event,” he said in a news release.

The newborn is April’s fourth calf but Animal Adventure Park’s first giraffe calf. Giraffes are pregnant for 15 months on average. The proud papa, a 5-year-old giraffe named Oliver, watched from an adjacent pen. This is his first offspring.

The zoo began livestreaming from April’s enclosure in February. People around the world have been tuning in daily, with some growing impatient as the pregnancy seemed to drag on.

A Farmington, New Hamp-

ANIMAL ADVENTURE PARK / FACEBOOK

shire, songwriter even posted a music video on YouTube called, “I’m Going Crazy Waiting (For A Giraffe).”

April has her own website and even an apparel line. A GoFundMe fundraiser page that initially set a goal of $50,000 sat

at more than $134,000 by Saturday night. The money will be used for the care of the animals.

A contest will be held to decide on a name for the calf.

Animal Adventure park is currently closed to the public and will open in mid-May. ■

You Are Invited this Holy Week, Easter & All Year Long To the Anglican Church of Canada Churches of The Diocese of New Westminster 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 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. Michael’s, Surrey The Reverend Fr. Louie Engnan

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

• April 9 • 10am Palm Sunday • Blessing of Palms • Liturgy of the Passion

• April 9 • 10am • Palm Sunday

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

• 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

WE LOOK FORWARD TO MEETING YOU!

www.canadianinquirer.net

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

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

22

Community News

APRIL 21, 2017

FRIDAY

Turkish opposition urges board to cancel referendum result

BY SUZAN FRASER AND ELENA BECATOROS The Associated Press ANKARA, TURKEY — Turkey’s main opposition party on Monday urged the country’s electoral board to cancel the results of a landmark referendum that granted sweeping new powers to the nation’s president, citing what it called substantial voting irregularities.

An international observer mission that monitored the voting also found irregularities, saying the conduct of Sunday’s referendum “fell short” of the international standards. It specifically criticized a decision by Turkey’s electoral board to accept ballots that did not have official stamps, saying that undermined safeguards against fraud.

Turkey’s electoral board confirmed the “yes” victory in the referendum and said the final results would be declared in 1112 days. The state-run Anadolu Agency said the “yes” side stood at 51.4 per cent of the vote, while the “no” vote saw 48.6 per cent support.

The margin could cement President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s hold on power in Turkey for a decade and is expected to have a huge effect on the country’s long-term political future and its international relations.

Opponents had argued the constitutional changes give too much power to a man they say has shown increasingly autocratic tendencies.

“I suspect the result was narrower than what Erdogan expected,” said Howard Eissenstat, associate professor of Middle East History at St. Lawrence University in Canton,

New York. However, he added, “Erdogan has ruled with a narrow victory before. He does not see a narrow victory as anything less than a mandate. His tendency has been not to co-opt the opposition but to crush it.”

On Monday, Erdogan slammed his critics at home and abroad.

“We have put up a fight against the powerful nations of the world,” he told supporters greeting him at Ankara airport after arriving from Istanbul. “The crusader mentality attacked us abroad, inside their lackeys attacked us. We did not succumb; as a nation we stood strong.”

Opposition parties cried foul on the vote.

Bulent Tezcan, deputy chairman of the Republican People’s Party, or CHP, cited numerous problems in the conduct of the vote.

An unprecedented electoral board decision to accept as valid ballots that didn’t bear the official stamp has led to outrage.

Normally for a ballot to be considered valid, it must bear the official stamp on the back, be put into an envelope that also bears an official stamp and be handed to the voter by an electoral official at a polling station. The system is designed to ensure that only one vote is cast per registered person and to avoid the possibility of ballot box-stuffing.

The board announced Sunday, however, that it would accept unstamped envelopes as valid after many voters complained about being handed blank envelopes that did not bear the official stamp. The board said the ballot papers would be considered invalid only if it was proven they were fraudulently cast.

“There is only one way to end the discussions about the vote’s legitimacy and to put the people at ease, and that is for the Supreme Electoral Board to cancel the vote,” Tezcan said.

He said it was not possible for authorities to determine how many ballot papers may have been irregularly cast.

Tana de Zuleta of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which monitored the vote, said the ballot decision undermined important safeguards against fraud and contradicted Turkey’s own laws.

The monitoring group described a series of irregularities in the referendum, including a skewed pre-vote campaign in favour of the “yes” vote, the intimidation of the “no” campaign and the fact that the referendum question was not listed on the ballot.

De Zuleta said overall, the procedures “fell short of full adherence” to the standards Turkey has signed up for. The OSCE cannot sanction Turkey for its conduct of the vote but it can suggest recommendations.

Electoral board head Sadi Guven rejected opposition claims of foul play, saying none of the ballot papers declared valid was “fake” or fraudulently cast. Guven said the decision was made so that voters who were by mistake given unstamped ballot papers would not be “victimized.”

“The ballot papers are not fake, there is no (reason) for doubt,” Guven said.

Tezcan said any decision that changes Turkey’s political system to such a vast extent should have been passed with an overwhelming endorsement.

“This is not a text of social consensus but one of social division,” Tezcan said. “There is

WORLD HUMANITARIAN SUMMIT / FLICKR

a serious and solid problem of legitimacy that will forever be debated.”

The referendum approves 18 constitutional amendments that will replace Turkey’s parliamentary system of governance with a presidential one.

The changes allow the president to appoint ministers, senior government officials and half the members of Turkey’s highest judicial body, as well as to issue decrees and declare states of emergency. They set a limit of two five-year terms for presidents.

The new presidential system takes effect at the next election, currently slated for 2019. Other changes will take effect sooner, including an amendment that scraps a clause requiring the president to be impartial, allowing Erdogan to regain membership of the ruling party he founded — or even to lead it.

The referendum campaign was highly divisive and heavily one-sided, with the “yes” side dominating the airwaves and billboards. Supporters of the “no” vote complained of intimidation, including beatings, detentions and threats.

CHP legislator Utku Cakiroz-

er told The Associated Press his party would file official objections Monday to results at local electoral board branches, before taking their case to the Supreme Electoral Board.

“At the moment, this is a dubious vote,” he said.

The country’s pro-Kurdish party said it may take the case to the European Court of Human Rights if the electoral board does not reverse its decision and nullify the ballots lacking the official stamps.

Ismail Calisan, an Ankara resident, accepted the result with grace.

“Even though I choose “no” and the results came out “yes,” I wish the best to our country,” he said.

In Istanbul, accountant Mete Cetinkaya was worried about his country’s future.

“I don’t see the country is going down a good path,” he said, sitting by the Bosporus. “Tayyip Erdogan may have done more good than the other big players (of Turkish politics) ... but I think of Tayyip Erdogan as just the best of the worst.” ■ Becatoros contributed from Istanbul.

UK PM calls snap election on June 8 PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY LONDON — British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday called an early general election on June 8, nearly one month after she officially triggered the

Brexit process.

The prime minister said she will move a motion for an early election in the House of Commons Wednesday, for MPs to vote on. It will require a twothirds majority to be carried.

She cited disharmony and divisions in the Houses of Parlia-

ment over Brexit as the reason for calling an early election.

“The country is coming together, Westminster is not,” said May in her statement.

May said the only way to guarantee certainty and stability for the years ahead is to “hold this election and seek your support www.canadianinquirer.net

for the decisions I must take.”

May will go to the House of Commons Tuesday to lay down the necessary legislation for the calling of an early general election.

Under existing law, an election is not due until May 2020, and until earlier Tuesday May had insisted she would not call

an early election.

The move will require a vote with a two-thirds majority of MPs supporting the measure.

Although among British people May has a high rating as prime minister, she only has a small majority in the House of Commons. ■

Community News

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

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read daily news from Philippines, Canada & the World www.canadianinquirer.net The one and only daily Filipino-Canadian live news

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23

24

APRIL 21, 2017

FRIDAY

Entertainment Original Sang’gres reunited It was an unexpected yet heartfelt reunion for the original ‘Encantadia’ stars

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer THEY’VE BEEN planning a gettogether for the longest time, but in every attempt, there’s always one person who’s absent.

The original Sang’gres—Iza Calzado, Karylle, Diana Zubiri and Sunshine Dizon—have been friends (or to be more accurate, soul sisters), ever since they met on the set of the GMA 7 fantasy series, “Encantadia,” in 2005.

Sunshine, aka Pirena the fire princess, recalled that they would often hang out, after taping, away from work, in those days when they were still young, carefree and single.

Now, two of them are married (Karylle and Diana), one is separated with children (Sunshine), and another one is in a steady relationship (Iza).

Quite understandably, they

seldom get to see each other these days—busy as they are with their respective careers.

More often than not, they would rely on high technology to complete their souvenir snapshots.

“We always needed to photoshop someone into the picture because one person was always absent,” recalled Karylle, who played Alena the water siren.

But when “Encantadia” director Mark Reyes celebrated his birthday recently, the entire barkada came in full force.

“We’ve been trying to be complete for the past couple of years, and we were so happy that the stars had aligned and made our schedules meet,” Iza, or Amihan the air guardian, told the Inquirer.

Diana, who portrayed Danaya the earth warrior, was just as ecstatic. “It was like 2005 all over again. Many things may have changed in our lives, but

Changing Trump...

“The U.S. hasn’t his softer tack toward Beijing is gotten anything from causing concern. China’s other China yet,” said Evan designs for Asia include stakMedeiros, who was Obama’s ing sovereignty to maritime top Asia adviser in the White territories, sometimes far from House. “The question becomes, its coast, that others countries if they don’t give him what he claim as well. wants, what hapD e s p i t e pens next?”

Trump’s arguTrump and ment that China White House is taking North aides have pointKorea seriously, ed to Beijing’s We’re not China remains move to restrict getting along adamantly opcoal imports with Russia at posed to U.S. defrom North Koall. We may ployment of an rea as a sign be at an alladvanced missile it’s listening time low. defence system to Trump. But in South Kothe restriction rea. Trump, like merely put in Obama before place U.N. sanchim, insists the tions passed last year with Chi- system’s sole purpose is to prona’s support — before Trump tect against the North. Beijing took office. isn’t so sure and doesn’t like Although U.S. allies Japan such sophisticated radar being and South Korea are heartened able to peer into Chinese terriby Trump’s North Korea focus, tory. ■ ❰❰ 20

IZA CALZADO / INSTAGRAM

our friendship remains the same for us.”

“We were super happy,” Karylle remarked. “I feel the magic every time we are together.”

“I was glad that our costars like Alfred (Vargas) and most of our other friends from the original ‘Encantadia’ were also present at the party,” Iza pointed out.

Diana, who was widowed prior to finding love the second time around, believes that their relationship has grown deep-

er through the years. “We’ve all been through a lot of trials along the way, and our friendship’s foundation has become stronger, as well.”

Iza agreed: “I am proud of what we have all accomplished in our lives.”

Said Diana: “Our bond is special because our fans and supporters were part of our friendship, too. We could feel their love for us, and they never let go all these years.”

They may not see each other every day, but they are constantly in touch. “We are always chatting in our little group online,” Karylle admitted.

Perhaps they can also reunite onscreen—although two of them are with ABS-CBN (Iza and Karylle) and the other two, with GMA 7 (Sunshine and Diana)?

“We are trying to work on a project … perhaps soon,” Karylle volunteered. ■

‘Sally’ travels to Brussels Quirky PH film is shown in fest where killjoys are not allowed

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer AVID LIONGOREN’S “Saving Sally” is competing at the 35th Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival, which was wrapped up in Belgium recently.

Liongoren, who traveled to Europe to attend the festival, told the Inquirer that his film’s screening last week “went well.”

“The audience applauded thrice and was very responsive and warm,” Liongoren recalled.

“They asked how I came up with the story.”

The film recounts the unlikely romance between a geeky artist and his best friend, a feisty inventor who is grappling with her own set of problems.

The fest’s website lauded the www.canadianinquirer.net

movie as “an inventive rereading of the concept: ‘Will they get together or not?’”

“Saving Sally,” which combines live action and CGI animation, is “visually ... incredibly poetic,” the fest’s site commented, adding that “the modern tale owes much to the magnetic presence of [lead star] Rhian Ramos.”

The site pointed out that Ramos might be familiar to Brussels fest regulars because she also starred in Yam Laranas’ 2009 thriller “The Road,” which was also shown in the same event.

The site reported that the Filipino film, which premiered at last December’s Metro Manila Film Festival, took Liongoren more than a decade to complete.

Liongoren related that audi-

ence member Philippe Hennebert had a positive feedback for the film, praising it as “an extremely pleasant surprise.”

According to Liongoren, Hennebert remarked: It’s “visually inventive but coherent, with [its] creativity in the service of deeper subtexts and a moving storyline. [I] wish I’ll be able to watch it again [so I can pay attention to] the little graphical details, and to [confirm] that they are not gratuitous quirks, but [they] all make perfect sense.” Liongoren also participated in one of the fest’s “weird traditions.”

“They asked all the guests to sing,” he recounted. “So I belted out the ‘Transformers’ theme song ... very badly. Benta naman! (They bought it!) The point is that killjoys are not allowed in the fest!” ■

Entertainment

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

25

Search warrants in Prince’s death to be unsealed

BY AMY FORLITI AND MICHAEL TARM The Associated Press MINNEAPOLIS — It’s been nearly a year since Prince died from an accidental drug overdose at his suburban Minneapolis recording studio and estate, yet investigators still haven’t interviewed a key associate or asked a grand jury to consider whether criminal charges are warranted, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation.

Prince was 57 when he was found alone and unresponsive in an elevator at his Paisley Park home on April 21. His death shocked fans and led to tributes worldwide. And news that he died of an overdose of fentanyl — a synthetic drug 50 times more powerful than heroin — surprised and saddened those who knew him as someone with a reputation for clean living.

Dozens of counterfeit pills were found in a search of Paisley Park, including at least one that tested positive for fentanyl. Yet authorities still don’t know the origin of those drugs and there has been no indication that they are poised to hold anyone responsible anytime soon.

Investigators’ actions in the hours immediately after his death aren’t entirely known, and search warrants — aside from one that was accidentally and briefly made public — have been sealed. The search warrant that was briefly public notes that first responders started CPR on Prince before determining he was dead.

Authorities conducted a second search more than two weeks after Prince died and recovered more evidence, including many of the counterfeit pills, the official said.

Some information may be revealed on Monday when search warrants executed by local authorities, likely including one from the first search of Paisley Park, are due to be unsealed.

Criminal justice experts say the slow pace of the investigation doesn’t necessarily mean it’s in trouble or that no one will ever be charged. They cite the complexity of tracking illegally obtained pills, the need to be sure before they issue subpoenas, and the high stakes for investigators and prosecutors, who don’t want to suffer an embarrassing defeat in a highprofile trial.

“Federal prosecutors, especially, do not like to lose,” said Gal Pissetzky, a Chicago-based criminal lawyer. “That is why

they can take so long.”

One key figure investigators want to interview is Kirk Johnson, a longtime drummer for Prince and the estate manager at Paisley Park who was among those who discovered the musician’s body. Johnson also was with Prince six days earlier when he fell ill on a flight home from a performance in Atlanta and had to be revived with two doses of an opioid antidote.

Experts say it’s natural authorities would want to speak with Johnson, given his proximity to Prince. But Johnson hasn’t talked to federal prosecutors, according to the official with knowledge of the investigation, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing.

While authorities have the power to ask a grand jury to investigate and issue subpoenas for testimony, that step hasn’t been taken, the official said.

Johnson’s attorney, F. Clayton Tyler, confirmed that his client hasn’t been subpoenaed.

He would not confirm whether Johnson refused to speak with authorities since an initial interview with detectives in the hours after Prince’s death.

Johnson declined to talk to the AP. When pressed in a recent CBS interview to talk

about Prince’s final days, Johnson pointed to his head and said: “Kirk has a vault. Right here. It’s never gonna be unlocked.”

The official told the AP that investigators also haven’t talked with Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg since an initial interview after Prince’s body was found. Schulenberg, who saw Prince on April 7 and again the day before his death, told a Carver County sheriff’s detective he had ordered tests and prescribed medications for the musician. Those tests and medications haven’t been disclosed.

Schulenberg’s attorney, Amy Conners, confirmed that her client hasn’t had any more requests from authorities.

That some Prince confidants or doctors haven’t been interviewed shouldn’t necessarily raise red flags, Pissetzky said.

Prosecutors typically want to be armed with enough incriminating evidence to put an interviewee on the spot, he said.

“They want to show a suspect that, even though there might be holes in the evidence, they have enough to make it look like they have you dead to centre,” he said.

Jeff Cramer, a former federal prosecutor in Chicago, said subpoenas aren’t always the best tool. A person with useful

information can exercise their right against self-incrimination if brought before a grand jury, and at that point the only way to get them to talk is to offer immunity.

“The last thing law enforcement wants to do is to potentially have to immunize somebody who could be the only target of the investigation,” Cramer said.

“At that point, there’s no going back ... so chances are they are still running down some leads before coming to that fateful decision.”

Cramer said investigators are likely trying to uncover everything they can, and they need to get the drugs into a suspect’s hands, either through a paper trail or witnesses. He said a year isn’t an unreasonable length of time for the investigation. If questions remain six months from now, however, he said he’d question what law enforcement is doing.

Investigators have said little about the case over the last year, other than it is active. They have explored whether doctors illegally prescribed opioids that were meant to go to Prince and whether the fentanyl that killed him came from a black-market source online or on the street.

The official said the case has ❱❱ PAGE 29 Search warrants

Dobol B Sa News TV begins April 24 worldwide BEGINNING MONDAY, April 24, GMA Network takes Serbisyong Totoo a notch higher as its flagship radio station DZBB and the leading local news channel, GMA News TV, join forces in bringing the biggest news and commentaries through Dobol B Sa News TV. Dobol B Sa News TV brings four of the top-rating morning radio programs to free television and is bannered by four of the country’s most trusted radio broadcasters-GMA News pillars Mike Enriquez and Arnold Clavio together with Joel Reyes Zobel and Ali Sotto.

“Dobol B Sa News TV will be a milestone in the very long history of DZBB,” says Mike. “GMA started with station DZBB way back after the war as Republic Broadcasting System. So DZBB is where it all begun. This is an-

other milestone na ‘yung morning block, the primetime of radio, ay mapapanuod na nang live sa free TV. You don’t need to be a cable subscriber. You can watch us on Channel 11,” he adds.

Responding to the ever-changing needs of the listening and viewing public, Dobol B Sa News TV showcases news headlines, weather bulletins, traffic reports, public service announcements and entertainment tidbits that only Dobol B can offer.

“We are strengthening DZBB as a radio broadcast operation.

Dadalhin namin ‘yung ingay ng radio sa TV. Pero ‘yung ingay ng radyo sa Dobol B hindi mababawasan, dadagdagan pa namin.

What we are essentially doing here is we are getting rid of the box. We are not thinking out of the box, we are getting rid of the box,” Mike further says.

DOBOL B SA NEWS TV. (From left) Mike Enriquez, Arnold Clavio, Ali Sotto, and

Joel Reyes Zobel.

Kicking off the morning lineup at 6 a.m. (PHT) is Saksi sa Dobol B, hosted by Imbestigador ng Bayan Mike Enriquez.

From Monday to Friday, Mike dishes out the latest news in www.canadianinquirer.net

the morning and provides the public more information about the issues at hand through interviews with key personalities.

Mike is joined later on at 7 a.m. by Joel Reyes Zobel in Su-

per Balita sa Umaga Nationwide. Together they deliver the biggest news stories and latest news updates.

Viewers can also now watch the morning kulitan of Mike, Arnold, and Ali as it happens when Sino? makes its TV debut.

Sino? is sure to entertain the public with juicy blind items in politics and showbiz. And the fun continues as Mike, Arnold, and Ali give commentary on the day’s news through the musical Jeng-Jeng and Balitawit.

Dissecting further the issues that made it to the news that day are the tandem of Arnold and Ali in Dobol A Sa Dobol B. Don’t miss the coming together of radio and TV on its worldwide simulcast starting this April 24 with Dobol B Sa News TV on GMA News TV International. ■

26

APRIL 21, 2017

FRIDAY

Lifestyle Chinese kite maker keeps a lost art flying PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY BEIJING — Many Chinese would think nothing of spending 200 yuan (USD 29) on a big meal or watching a Hollywood blockbuster.

But would they pay so much for a kite — often seen as little more than a children’s toy?

Liu Bin, 40, wants to change that perception.

He owns a small kite shop in downtown Beijing’s Di’anmen Street. It is decorated with distinctive kites, mainly in the shapes of swallows, goldfish, the legendary Lord Rabbit, dragons, the Monkey King, and Peking Opera masks. Some are tiny enough to fit in the palm of your hand, while others cover an entire wall.

Most are handmade and they all sell for more than 200 yuan, about ten times of the price of his online rivals. More expensive kites could cost tens of thousands yuan.

Liu says his kites deserve their high price tags: “A kite is more than a flying toy. It is made with rich Chinese culture and a craftsman’s wisdom.”

Kite flying has a history of more than 2,000 years in China. It is thought to have begun as a means to pass military information in war, and gradually became a popular folk pastime in spring.

In ancient times, people wrote down their sufferings on kites. When the kites flew very high, they would cut the lines, hoping their misfortunes would also disappear.

Unlike mass-produced kites made of umbrella cloth and

carbon fiber, a Chinese craftsman usually makes a frame of bamboo, which needs cutting and trimming, and then paints the sails in traditional Chinese styles. He then ties the kite to the reel and flies it.

It is a very laborious process.

Liu says a kite usually takes 20 days to make.

Liu’s great-grandfather was a craftsman serving in the Forbidden City in the late Qing Dynasty. He was in charge of making lanterns, fans and kites.

He had mastered kite-making skills passed down through the ages in the imperial palace.

In the turbulent years following the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, kite flying lost its popular appeal. To support his big family, his great grandfather opened a dumpling shop in suburban Beijing, and made kites in his spare time.

Liu’s grandfather and father inherited the art of kite-making, but it was impossible to subsist on the craft alone. Regrettably, many of the drafts, drawings, samples and records of kites failed to survive the “Cultural Revolution”.

Liu recalls the day his grandfather flew a dragon kite train on Tian’anmen Square in 1982.

It was 130-meters-long, comprising a dragon head and 270 similar kite sections to form the body. Liu Bin, then 5, watched as people thronged to the square, cheering the flying “dragon”.

Fascinated by the craft, Liu assembled his first kite at age 10. His parents found he had a flair for designing and crafting kites, so they decided to cultivate him as an inheritor.

After graduating from uni-

DARIN MARSHALL / FLICKR

versity with a major in graphic arts, Liu began his career in kites, while most of his schoolmates were employed to design “bigger things”.

“I felt ashamed at first,” Liu recalls. But he dared not refuse his family. In 2003, he began running a kite shop, and studied with master kite makers to upgrade his skills.

Liu has seen a growing revival of interest in kites. His business began thriving after a swallow kite in 2005 was designed to be one of the five Beijing Olympic mascots — the Fuwa Nini.

Swallows are migratory birds that arrive every spring in Beijing and fly south to winter. In Chinese folk lore, it is a sign of good fortune when a swallow makes a nest in one’s house.

Kites brought Liu good fortune. In 2008, sales could reach 100,000 yuan a month. Media, including the Lonely Planet tour guide, and tourists flocked to his shop, as did visiting foreign leaders.

He became a cultural ambas-

www.canadianinquirer.net

sador, frequently being invited to talk about the craft abroad.

“In the West, kite flying is usually seen as a sport, so foreigners are very surprised to see Chinese kites, which have clever designs, exquisite craftsmanship and pretty paintings,” Liu says.

“I tell them that kites carry people’s best wishes. For example, a bat represents luck; a fish means abundance; and a peach is a symbol of longevity in Chinese culture, so it is a good gift for older generations.”

His favorite work was the “Ballet Dancer”. In 2011, China’s Central Ballet Troupe invited him to make a kite to commemorate their Nutcracker performance. Liu designed a dozen models over a year, and a Ballet Dancer was eventually chosen. He painted a blue and white porcelain pattern on it, and formed it in the shape of a swallow whose tail mimics the toes of a ballet dancer.

Since then, Liu has been inspired to combine more tradi-

tional cultural elements into his works, such as the Dunhuang frescos, woodcut prints, and Tibetan thangka paintings.

“I want to elevate the kite from a toy to a work of art,” he says.

Liu has striven to combine traditional craftsmanship with modern technology. An enthusiast of digital tools, he has used computers and 3D printers to replace traditional manual design. The use of new technologies enables him to paint faster than previous generations did.

“They were shocked,” says Liu with a proud smile.

In 2011, Liu was nominated as the representative of the craft by Beijing’s Xicheng District Government.

But he feels alone now. He is known as “the last master of handmade kites in Beijing”.

The craft has been verging on extinction amid China’s modernization. Liu says villages in the countryside around Beijing and Tianjin used to be teeming with handmade kites. “Almost every household was involved in making kites.” But inhabitants now flock to the cities for work.

Kite prices keep falling. Many are made of low-quality materials and by machines.

Flying kite is also more difficult in Beijing. Severe air pollution and airspace control have scared people away.

Now, he spends most of his time giving classes on kite making to young people. He says it boosts his income and enables more people enjoy the craft.

Liu describes kites as the love of his life, despite the difficulties they entail. “It’s been 15 years since I took up the trade. I think I cannot let the kite go.” ■

Lifestyle

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

27

Edamame in the garden are flavourful and easy to grow

BY LEE REICH The Associated Press MOVE OVER, tempeh, tofu, miso, soy sauce, soy milk and other processed soy foods.

Make way for edamame.

This is the soybean in its most primitive state — picked young and green, steamed or boiled for five minutes, then popped out of the pod right into your mouth.

With high-quality protein, phytoestrogens, and a good dose of calcium and vitamin A, soybeans have always garnered high praise as a nutritional powerhouse. Generally though, the taste of dry (mature) soybeans — either nondescript in processed foods or left more to itself — leaves something to be

desired. Boiled soybeans have a flavour and waxy texture that many people find unpleasant.

And tofu is most esteemed for its ability to pick up other flavours.

Edamame, on the other hand, are delectable in their own right, combining the best of garden peas and lima beans in both flavour and texture.

Great flavour, easy to grow

Planting edamame yourself is the most straightforward way to get this vegetable, long popular in Asia, on your plate.

Although they taste like peas and limas and grow much like green beans, edamame are as easy, or even easier, to grow than these familiar vegetables.

Edamame tolerate summer heat better than garden peas,

which languish in most regions by early or midsummer. And they withstand cool summer nights better than lima beans, which might languish until midsummer, or all season, depending on the region.

Like green beans and other legumes, edamame roots partner with naturally occurring symbiotic bacteria that enrich the soil with nitrogen from the air.

However, like these other plants, edamame are a tasty dessert to rabbits and deer.

Mexican bean beetles, on the other hand, have little interest in soybeans.

When to plant

Don’t get all enthused about edamame and go out and plant them tomorrow. That may be too early, depending on where

you garden. Edamame need warm soil to get started, so should not be planted until about the date of the last killing frost, which is about the same time as you would plant corn or green beans. (Contact your county Cooperative Extension office for that date if you don’t know it.)

Do get your seeds now, though. A number of varieties are available, differing slightly in flavour and in how long it takes before the beans are ready for harvest. My favourite variety is Shirofumi, but I also like Envy and Butterbean.

When it’s time to plant, sow the seeds an inch deep in rows 15 to 30 inches apart.

Harvest on time

The best-quality edamame

demand timely harvest. Picked prematurely, the pods yield scrawny beans of bland flavour; picked too late and the pods are too far on their way to becoming dry, mature soybeans.

Harvest edamame pods when the beans within are fully plump, and before the bright green pods begin to yellow. I pick ripe pods over the course of a couple of weeks or so, but some gardeners wait until the bulk of the pods are ready for harvest, then pull the plants and strip off the pods in the comfort of a shaded chair.

If plants yield more than you can eat, freeze excess for later use. The five-minute steaming or boiling that readies pods for fresh eating also readies them, once cooled, for the freezer. ■

The odd, awful downfall of the school librarian of the year

BY JENNIFER PELTZ The Associated Press NEW YORK — The path that took Deven Black to his gritty death in a rundown homeless shelter was as baffling as it was tragic.

This was a suburban dad, a nationally recognized school librarian. In just three years, he had become destitute. He had derailed his career with an inappropriate encounter with a female student, had blown up his marriage by giving thousands of dollars to paramours online and had gotten involved in a bank fraud scheme for their sake.

Doctors diagnosed depression. Relatives and friends tried to help, confronting and struggling to get through to him, mystified by his behaviour and questioning whether depression fully explained it.

A year after his death at 62, renowned brain experts have confirmed that more than depression was at work. They recently presented his case as “the mayhem of a misdiagnosis “ of a rare disorder. His estranged wife had suspected it, but his doctors hadn’t pushed to test him, and at least one had concluded he didn’t have it.

“I’m just so angry that this happened to him,” says his sister, Loren Black. “And I really wish that we could have figured out how to protect him.”

“He got sick, but Deven was a good person.” *** His career was at a high point in the fall of 2013 when he stepped up to the stage at a black-tie gathering in Washington to accept an award for school librarian of the year .

It was a vote of confidence for a smart but contrarian highschool dropout who hadn’t started teaching until his 50s.

The intellectually omnivorous, independent-minded eldest of four siblings, Black got into one of New York City’s powerhouse selective public high schools, ditched it as stifling, and threw himself into an alternative newspaper and political campaigns. When most of his peers were in college, he was a radio reporter on Cape Cod, doing stories that spotlighted the lives of the elderly and disabled.

After returning to New York for a radio job that fell through, he started bartending and then managed a popular Britishthemed pub for nearly two decades, building the business

DEVEN BLACK / TWITTER

through offbeat promotions.

But he also earned a college degree in education, an interest that crystallized into a career and two master’s degrees after the pub closed in 2001.

Fired up to make a difference and full of ideas about how to improve schools, he became a New York City public school special-ed teacher, turned around an outdated middle school library and built a reputation in education circles as an earnestly iconoclastic blogger, unafraid to tell a conference that students drop out because “school sucks.”

Black was still a bartender when he met Jill Rovitsky on a blind date, and they bonded over what she calls “a mutual www.canadianinquirer.net

appreciation of the absurd.”

They marked their 30th anniversary in 2013. They had a son on his college dean’s list, a home in Nyack, a historic, artsy town on the Hudson River.

But the seeds of Black’s decline were germinating.

Four months before the award ceremony, school investigators had recommended disciplining him after a student said he made her uncomfortable by telling her she looked sexy and sometimes putting his arm around her shoulder, records show. He told investigators he had hugged students only when they initiated it and wouldn’t have used the word “sexy”; he told his wife he was just trying to get the slinkily

dressed girl to cover up. He was suspended without pay for two months in 2014 and removed from his librarian job, assigned instead to a full-time pool of substitute teachers.

Feeling down as the investigation played out, he spent more and more time online, forging virtual relationships while withdrawing from real-world ones, according to friends, relatives and court records.

One day, his wife noticed a peculiar slip of paper on the living-room floor: a receipt for $300 Black had sent to someone in Africa. He explained it was for surgery for a co-worker’s relative.

About a month later, his wife found dozens more receipts, showing he’d dispatched about $10,000, mostly to Ghana and Nigeria. She worried it was blackmail. He said it was an investment.

She warned him he was being scammed. Friends urged him to cut off his online contacts.

But he plunged deeper into a web of virtual romances, telling friends he’d be bringing as many as a half-dozen dates to social gatherings. It was “clearly delusional, but he believed it,” says ❱❱ PAGE 28 The odd

28

Lifestyle

APRIL 21, 2017

DOH-2 promotes breastfeeding

BY SIM DILAN Philippines News Agency TUGUEGARAO CITY — The Department of Health (DOH)Region 2 on Wednesday urged all mothers in the region to exclusively breastfeed their babies during the first year of life to achieve optimal growth and development.

DOH-2 nutrition officer Nerissa C. Mabbayad, said during a “Tipon Tipan sa PIA” forum, formula milk should not be given as substitute for breast milk as only the latter provides the ideal nutrition a newborn needs.

Breastfeeding is the best nutrition choice for infants as breast milk protects babies

from infections, allergies and other chronic diseases, Mabbayad noted.

She said babies should be fed only with breast

m i l k along with other foods until

they are at least one year old or longer if both mother and infant are willing.

She said formula milk is just an option for those mothers who cannot breastfeed their babies.

Mabbayad, however, said formula can’t completely match breast milk’s exact components which are easily digested by a newborn.

She explained that cow’s milk, aside from the lack of proper amounts of iron, vitamin A, and other nutrients that infants need, also contains high concentrations of protein and minerals which can stress a newborn’s immature kidneys and cause severe illness. ■

The disease, frontotemporal dementia, often emerges in patients’ 50s or 60s and can scramble their personality and behaviour while leaving memory intact, at least for a time. “Behavioral variant” FTD patients can become uncharacteristically impulsive, behaving inappropriately and making bad financial or other decisions without seeming to grasp the impact.

While the disorder’s causes aren’t completely understood, some patients’ families carry a genetic mutation linked to both FTD and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Black’s late mother and brother both had it.

A psychologist suggested in 2014 that Black consider a neurological assessment, but nothing came of it, his wife said.

Later, she mentioned FTD to a therapist and forensic psychologist who saw him in connection with the fraud case.

“Enough of the descriptions of the condition ring true that I think it’s worth consideration,” she wrote in a 2015 email to the therapist.

The forensic psychologist, who declined to comment, concluded in court papers that Black didn’t meet the criteria for an FTD diagnosis at the time but recommended continued monitoring.

Black had been diagnosed with depression while hospitalized as a psychiatric patient

for a week in June 2015, according to court records. He’d been evicted over unpaid rent and was living in his SUV, and he’d soon be pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. But what had tipped him into suicidal despondency, his sister says, was that one of his supposed online sweethearts didn’t show up from Ghana for a promised visit.

“It turned my stomach,” she said. “And it also broke my heart.”

By the time Black went to his October 2015 sentencing, he was living in a homeless shelter; friends and relatives say they feared he’d bring his schemes into their homes if taken in.

Reassigned from teaching to administrative work after his arrest, he was facing at least suspension because of his conviction. But he had a line on a room to rent, said he’d continue therapy and was sentenced to probation and community service.

“I am on my way back,” he told the court in a letter.

He would never get there. On Jan. 27, 2016, a security guard found Black bleeding on the floor, his throat slashed, in his room in an East Harlem shelter for men with mental health problems. His volatile, 21-yearold roommate, Anthony White, fled when the guard opened the room’s door, police said.

White’s family said he wasn’t a killer, but he never answered

FRIDAY

Canadian envoy... ❰❰ 18

Standing up for dairy farmers in Wisconsin “demands fair trade with all of our trading partners,” Trump said, “and that includes Canada.”

The work would start immediately, he added.

“When it comes to wasteful destructive job killing regulations, we are going to use a tool you know very well — it’s called the sledgehammer,” he said.

“We’re going to get together and we’re going to call Canada, and we’re going to say, ‘What happened?’ And they might give us an answer, but we’re going to get the solution and not just the answer, because we know what the solution is.”

Trump also criticized the U.S. trading regime, which calls for a waiting period, and consulta-

tions that can stretch to three months or beyond. He suggested it has stalled his attempt to renegotiate NAFTA. “The whole thing is ridiculous. NAFTA has been very, very bad for our country,” Trump said. “It’s been very, very bad for our companies and our workers, and we’re going to make some very big changes or we are going to get rid of NAFTA for once and for all.”

Francois Dumontier, a spokesman for Les Producteurs de lait du Quebec, said imports of U.S. milk products have increased since 1993 and now account for three-quarters of milk products in Canada.

“So the Americans are not suffering from the current terms of NAFTA and existing trade agreements.” ■

the allegations himself. His decomposed body was found in the Hudson two months later. *** The day after Black’s death, his wife called Dr. Brad Dickerson, a professional acquaintance who runs Massachusetts General Hospital’s FTD Unit.

He quickly agreed to explore Black’s case.

“When there is a story as compelling as Deven Black’s, in connection with a family history of something that we understand to be linked, then you’ve almost got two smoking guns,” said Dickerson, who worked on the case with Columbia University neuropathologist Dr. Jean Paul Vonsattel.

Confirmation came in an image of chemically stained, microscopic brown specks that marked deposits of a protein linked to FTD and ALS on a bit of Black’s brain.

“It’s good to know that there’s some explanation behind his behaviour,” says Mosbacher, but “it doesn’t change the fact that here’s somebody you’ve known for 50 years, and he’s suddenly going mad.”

Mosbacher, who bailed Black out, regrets having blamed someone who was sicker than he knew. Another friend, Emily Feiner, a clinical social worker, is enraged at what she views as the failures of mental health professionals.

Yet it’s not unusual for FTD to

go undetected, at least in early stages. The disease affects only an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 or so people nationwide, compared with a likely 5 million with Alzheimer’s disease. FTD can be diagnosed in living patients by psychological tests and brain scans, but symptoms are frequently misattributed to depression, bipolar disorder or just a midlife crisis, experts say.

While there are no specific treatments yet to slow or stop FTD’s progression, Black’s relatives and friends feel a diagnosis could have helped protect him from harm.

A dementia diagnosis can factor into appointing a legal guardian to handle someone’s finances and care, though the crux isn’t a disease but a person’s capacity, notes elder law attorney David Cutner. Some FTD patients turn to assisted living or nursing facilities, though those decisions depend on availability, finances and other questions. The average patient lives about seven years after diagnosis.

It was a diagnosis Black did not live to hear.

He left behind a strangely apt memento of a life that unraveled, and of his loved ones’ quest to understand how it could happen.

“If you expect simple answers to complicated questions,” his Twitter profile says, “you’re in the wrong place.” ■

The odd... his oldest friend, Martin Mosbacher.

Black was so broke by the fall of 2014 that his wife paid his first month’s rent and security deposit when he moved out.

He wasn’t just giving money away. At the behest of an online “girlfriend” he said invited him to start a cocoa business, Black deposited a series of fraudulent checks, withdrew more than $146,000 in cash and gave most of it to her, court papers say.

By January 2015, Black was under arrest in a Bronx jail for his bank schemes. Loved ones hoped it would be a wake-up call. Yet his response was an oddly jaunty email about encountering interesting defendants and kind guards.

“I got one hell of an education,” he wrote. *** What was Black’s problem?

Was it internet addiction? Psychopathic personality disorder? Nothing seemed to fit.

“I was wrestling with growing suspicions that there was something significantly, organically wrong with him,” his wife says.

A matter-of-fact Minnesotan who works at a medical-education company, she’s careful about jumping to conclusions.

But she kept thinking about an unusual disorder she’d heard about through her job. And as she started reading up, her suspicions mushroomed. ❰❰ 27

www.canadianinquirer.net

29

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

Sports Breaking back Former junior No. 1 Kyle Dandan gives up tennis with a heavy heart but finds his calling in a game-changer of a job

The quest for success through sports

BY JASMINE W. PAYO Philippine Daily Inquirer

PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY

IT FELT a lot like a breakup.

When Kyle Joshua Dandan decided to walk away from tennis just a year after turning pro, the heartbreak hit him like a 100 miles-per-hour serve.

“It was something—I wouldn’t say mourn—but it was something I was down about for two months,” shares Dandan. “It was hard to accept. It’s like tennis was my wife and we had to break up. It was very difficult.”

As the country’s former No. 1 junior tennis player, Dandan had a charmed amateur career.

Twice, he got offered to turn into a teen pro in Spain. But his family had to turn that down as his parents wanted him to finish his studies.

“At 15 I was already No. 1 and if you have a status like that growing up, there’s a part of you that wants to go professional,” says Dandan. “I was offered to stop school completely and turn professional in Spain. But coming from a conservative Filipino family, an academic family, my parents didn’t allow that, which I’m thankful for.

“They made me realize things like, say you do well in your first two years, but what if you get injured? What if your funding stops? What’s your backup if you don’t have proper education?”

There were no regrets about that decision. By the time he was about to go to college, offers to play in the United States came. Dandan chose Santa Clara University, a Division 1 NCAA school in California that offered him a full scholarship.

There, the 6-foot Dandan sustained his prolific form and quickly turned into the university’s No. 1 singles player for three straight seasons. In his senior year, the school honored him with the Male Athlete of the Year award.

“In Santa Clara, I played at the

MANILA — The Palarong Pambansa, a school-based competition, brings together the best student-athletes to compete against each other on a national level.

The battle ground will be at the newly refurbished Binirayan Sports Complex in San Jose, Buenavista, Antique and satellite areas nearby starting April 23.

Up to 12,000 athletes and officials representing 18 regions across the country take part in the 7-day sports conclave.

This 60th edition of the games (started in 1948 in Manila), organized by the Department of Education (DepEd) carries the theme ‘2017 Palarong Pambansa: Converges Youth Power, Builds Sustainable Future.’

The games will bring with them the valuable experience and the hopes to improve athletic prowess in their quest for a bright future through sports.

For young, secondary and graduating student-athletes, Palarong Pambansa is the culmination of school sports competition, hoping to be discovered for a collegiate scholarship.

A number of athletes will have the chance to become an elite member of the national team to represent the country

KYLE COLLANTES DANDAN / FACEBOOK

highest level,” says Dandan. “In my senior year, we broke a lot of records. With that kind of status again, I wanted to turn pro and see how it is, the pro life.”

While Dandan’s amateur career felt like a celebrated Grand Slam run, his professional stint, however, seemed like a match done in two quick sets.

“After graduation, I tried the pro life for about a year,” Dandan relates. “I was 23 and I loved it at first because who wouldn’t love to travel? I traveled across the US, Asia. But then at one point, I figured it wasn’t really for me. It got tiring, I lost the motivation. It’s a different ball game from juniors to college. Once you step into the pro level, I would say it’s 10 times harder.”

Dandan, though, hasn’t dropped out of the sports circle entirely. For the past years, he has been working off court as chief of the Philippine office of Added Sports, a sports management group founded by Singaporean Akshay Maliwal. The group assists Asian high school athletes in the US recruitment process and prepares them for the transition from juniorto college-level competition.

“I’m still very passionate about sports and I like helping kids,” the 27-year-old Dandan says. “I’ve experienced the whole recruitment process, going to the US to play college tennis. It’s one of the best experiences in my life and I want to share that with other kids.”

Think of him as the varsity version of Jerry Maguire. There are no promises of fame and fortune for student-athletes, though, as Dandan’s team only lays out the path to a solid collegiate career.

“We basically hold the family’s hand,” says Dandan. “We have parents whose kids are interested to study and play in the US, but most of them don’t know what to do. About 90 to 95 percent don’t know how to navigate through the recruitment process. So we guide them throughout the whole process.”

Over the past two years, Dandan has helped Filipino student-athletes in golf, tennis, track and field, rugby, swimming and soccer—from reviewing for the Scholastic Assessment Test to preparing recruitment videos—to get into the US varsity programs.

“We also suggest the tournaments we think would help the kids develop their rankings and their game,” says Dandan, who graduated with a degree in economics. “We have a huge database of college coaches and universities that we contact if we have someone who is academically and athletically eligible.”

Although Dandan admits the job can be very tedious, his new venture feels like a perfect match. “I’m just fortunate that I’ve gone through the whole process, so I know it firsthand,” he says. “I love helping kids more than anything. It’s a different satisfaction.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

in international competitions.

At the heart of the studentathletes journey in their chosen field of sports are the proud parents whose commitment and sacrifices want their children achieve their dream - college education.

Not to be discounted are the support of the local government units (LGUs) and allied sports clubs — vital in molding individual’s attitude and character.

“In the course of their competitions, these young athletes will learn the joy of triumph and the gracious acceptance of defeat,” Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones said during the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with host Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao.

“However, more than winning or losing, Palarong Pambansa should be a veritable exhibit of fairness, camaraderie, and sportsmanship that the country will be proud to showcase at international sports events.”

Briones emphasized that the Palaro will serve as [our] marker: Are we really making a difference in the lives of our learners.

More than just providing sporting opportunities, are we able to sew into the fabric of our schools the culture of excellence.

The fabric of nation building is its youth. ■

Search warrants... taken investigators to Illinois and California, as authorities have interviewed friends, family and any potential witnesses, including the flight crew and hospital staff members who were present when Prince overdosed on a plane. They’ve also searched cellphone records, medical records and computers.

Most fatal opioid overdoses ❰❰ 25

that are investigated never lead to criminal charges, said Kerry Harvey, a former U.S. attorney for eastern Kentucky who made prosecuting such cases a high priority. A common problem is that evidence gets destroyed by first responders focused on saving a life.

It’s not clear whether this is a problem in Prince’s case. ■ Tarm reported from Chicago.

30

APRIL 21, 2017

FRIDAY

Business Premier Clark boasts about B.C.’s overall low jobless rate, but rural areas struggle

BY DIRK MEISSNER The Canadian Press

Personal remittances for Jan. & Feb. reach USD4.8 B PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — Personal remittances from Overseas Filipinos (OFs) amounted to USD 2.4 billion in February 2017, posting a yearon-year increase of 3.3 percent.

This resulted to a total of USD 4.8 billion remittance inflows for the first two months of the year, representing a 5.9 percent growth from the previous year’s level, BSP Officer-inCharge Nestor A. Espenilla, Jr. announced Monday.

For the first two months of 2017, personal remittances from land-based workers with work contracts of one year or more registered an increase of 9.1 percent (at USD 3.8 billion), while transfers from sea-based and land-based workers with work contracts of less than one year declined by 5.0 percent (at USD 0.9 billion) compared to the same period a year ago.

Cash remittances of OFs coursed through banks reached USD 2.2 billion in February 2017, higher by 3.4 percent than the level posted a year ago.

More than three-fourths (at USD 1.7 billion) of this was sent by land-based workers while less than a quarter (at USD 0.5 billion) was sent by sea-based workers.

The United States, United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), Qatar,

Singapore, Taiwan and Japan were the major contributors to the growth in cash remittances in February 2017.

The 12.8 percent growth in remittances from the United States contributed 3.9 percentage points to the overall growth in cash remittances.

Meanwhile, remittances from the U.A.E., Qatar, Singapore, Taiwan and Japan, which grew by 23.7 percent, 53.5 percent, 17.5 percent, 64.4 percent and 11.3 percent, respectively, contributed a combined 5.5 percentage points to the total growth in cash remittances.

These were partially offset by the decline in remittances from Hong Kong, Canada, China and Kuwait which contributed a combined negative 5.1 percentage points to the total growth in cash remittances.

The first two months of 2017 totalled USD 4.3 billion, up by 5.9 percent compared to the same period last year. Cash remittances from land-based workers rose by 9.1 percent (to USD 3.5 billion) compensating for the decrease by 5.0 percent in sea-based workers transfers (to USD 0.9 billion).

Almost 80 percent of the cash remittances inflows during the period came from the United States, Saudi Arabia, U.A.E., Singapore, United Kingdom, Japan, Qatar, Kuwait, Hong Kong and Australia. ■

northeast at 10.5 per cent, the picture has brightened with an upswing in the oil and gas industry. The most recent numVICTORIA — Premier Christy bers for March set the jobless Clark often highlights the fact rate in the region at 6.5 per cent.

British Columbia has the lowBut the rate jumped to 10 per est jobless rate in Canada, but cent in the Cariboo region. The rural and remote areas in the North Coast-Nechako, Thompprovince are struggling with son-Okanagan and Kootenay major industry downturns and regions all registered slight job losses. dips, but still range between 6.4 The power of jobs to supper cent and 8.3 per cent. port families and build strong The provincewide rate was communities is a major theme 5.4 per cent in March. It’s five in the Liberal leader’s bid for per cent in the Lower Mainland re-election on May 9, but some and southwest B.C., and 5.6 per mayors say high unemploycent on Vancouver Island and ment is tearing at the fabric of the central coast. their communities.

Quesnel Mayor Bob Simp“I would challenge this govson said average four-bedroom ernment to really open its homes in his Cariboo communieyes and look ty can be bought at what’s going for $170,000, but on in our small few people can c o m m u n i t y,” afford to buy. said Shirley AckWhere’s the plan to help us with our The former land, the mayor core economy so that people can get NDP member of of Port McNeill meaningful employment? the legislature in northern Vanand forest comcouver Island. pany executive “You can’t live in said the governthe north island if there are no States softwood lumber agree- ment provided infrastructure jobs here.” ment is another top priority, funding for Quesnel but the She said sawmill closures Thomson said. area’s pulp mills and sawmills have hurt Port McNeill, where The government’s 2017-18 are hurting.

80 per cent of residents are de- budget, which was not passed “The jobs aren’t here. That’s pendent on the forest industry by the legislature, also included what our struggle is,” he said. for work. an extension to 2020 of an an- “Where’s the plan to help us Merritt Mayor Neil Menard nual $25 million dividend fund with our core economy so that said a sawmill closure and lay- for rural community projects. people can get meaningful emoffs at another lumber mill reBut Fort Nelson Mayor Bill ployment?” sulted in the loss of about 350 Streeper said the rural stratSimpson said the governjobs in the past 18 months. egy failed to recognize the pro- ment chose to pursue the LNG “The situation here in this longed downturn in the oil and industry at the expense of forparticular area as far as em- gas industry, which is causing estry. ployment is concerned is not people to leave town to look for Clark touted 18 potential good,” he said. “I don’t think we work.

LNG export plants as an ecohave the best economy in the He said the council of the nomic bonanza during the 2013 country. In the Interior, we’ve Northern Rockies Regional election campaign, but coolgot a lot of struggles going on.”

Municipality recently intro- ing natural gas markets have Last month, Clark was in duced severe austerity mea- resulted in only a woodfibre Merritt to introduce the gov- sures to curtail community LNG plant at Squamish proernment’s rural economic de- spending, including offering its ceeding to the start-up phase. velopment strategy, which in- summer student jobs to unem- A proposed $36-billion Pacific cluded $40 million to expand ployed local residents.

NorthWest project near Prince high-speed Internet service Since January, when BC Stats Rupert is waiting for a final inand build infrastructure in ru- pegged the jobless rate in the vestment decision. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

ral B.C. Steve Thomson, forests, lands and natural resource operations minister, said the government’s strategy recognizes the significance of rural communities to B.C.’s economy, mentioning the Site C dam, potential liquefied natural gas projects and the emergence of a technology sector as job creators.

“Every community benefits when our rural communities are strong,” he said.

Thomson said the strategy is focused on building, strengthening and diversifying rural economies, which is especially the case with the forest industry and B.C.’s attempts to develop new lumber markets in Asia.

A renewed Canada-United

Business

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

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NFA asked to use funds to buy farmers’ produce

BY RONNEL W. DOMINGO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE GOVERNMENT should devote billions of pesos earmarked for the country’s rice stockpile to buying homegrown grains instead of tying these up with supply agreements with foreign suppliers, according Samahang Industriya ng Agrikultura (Sinag).

The umbrella group of agribusiness organizations said this yesterday as the National Food Authority said it could not yet afford to buy palay due to high farm gate prices while the Department of Agriculture reiterated the need to rethink importation plans.

Sinag chair Rosendo So told the Inquirer the NFA Council needed to explain why it had apparently entered into an agreement with Vietnamese suppliers for shipments of up to 3 million metric tons to be provided over the next two years.

Citing Sinag sources from both in the Philippines and Vietnam, So said Hanoi was primed to deliver such volume under an agreement that was made in January and covered the period up to the end of 2018.

He said this arrangement was no secret and had been reported in international media, including those in Vietnam and China.

“At $380 per ton in current prices, that’s P57 billion pesos, which may be better used to

buy palay from about half a million farmers,” So said.

“We challenge both factions of the NFA to help local farmers instead of the Vietnamese rice industry,” he added.

In a statement, NFA Administrator Jason Laureano Y. Aquino said farm gate prices of palay had increased steadily as harvest for the summer crop had yet to peak.

Based on NFA monitoring, palay was fetching as high as P22.60 a kilo in Davao del Norte while data from the Philippine Statistics Authority set the national average at P18.60 a kilo in the last week of March.

Aquino said this was good for the farmers whowere enjoying higher income, but this also

meant the NFA would not be able to buy as much grains as it wanted because the agency was not authorized to buy above the price cap of P17 per kilo.

The NFA aims at buying 4,607,350 cavans of palay this year. As of the end of March, the agency had bought 134,355 cavans or 21 percent of the target.

According to So, the chair of Sinag, palay prices would regularly go down as harvest time peaks.

The PSA says harvest of the dryseason crop peaks every April.

So said that at such time, the local market would have more supply of palay and it would be the right time for the NFA to buy for its buffer.

“Farmers have no ability to store grains for a long time

unlike traders who have warehouses so they would quickly dispose of their harvest,” said So. “If the NFA is around, farmers would sell to them. If they’re not present, farmers would of course sell to private traders.”

Aquino said the NFA “continues to intensify its palay buying activities” to beef up its food security stocks for the lean months.

“We have 413 buying stations strategically positioned nationwide and mobile procurement teams deployed regularly especially in far flung areas to accommodate farmers produce,” Aquino said.

“Our cereal procurement fund (CPF) and other logistical requirements were already in place,” he added. ■

Sousa hints upcoming housing measures will target ‘property scalpers’

BY JESSICA SMITH CROSS The Canadian Press TORONTO — Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa is giving strong hints that the government’s much-anticipated house affordability package will include measures targeting real estate speculators, or as he calls them “property scalpers.”

In public comments last week, Sousa said speculators are reselling contracts for preconstruction homes multiple times before closing, using assignment clauses.

“There are those who go into new developments, buy up a slew of properties, and then flip them, while avoiding paying their fair share of taxes,” he said. “I call them property scalpers.”

However, the finance minister admitted there’s no data to show how widespread “property scalping” is in Ontario.

A similar practice — called “shadow flipping” — became increasingly common in Vancouver. It typically involved a real estate agent reselling the same previously owned home multiple times before the closing date, driving up the price of the house, sometimes by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In May 2016, the B.C. govern-

ment put in place new rules that require real estate agents to draft offers that require the seller’s consent to a contract transfer, and any resulting profit to be returned to the seller.

In Ontario, according to Sousa, property scalping involves only new developments.

“What’s worse is young families who are actually trying to get into the queue, into the lineup to buy that first home, are getting crowded out,” he said.

Sousa’s office would not comment on whether the government would introduce rules similar to those imposed in British Columbia, but the finance minister has floated a number of possible measures, including implementing a tax on foreign buyers, vacant homes and speculators.

He has said that at least some of the housing measures will be included in the Ontario budget, set to be tabled April 27.

Assignment sales are not illegal, but Sousa said he wants to close a loophole that allows socalled property scalpers to treat their profits as capital gains — which means only 50 per cent is taxable. His efforts to get the Federal Finance Minister Bill Morneau to include capital gains changes in the federal budget were unsuccessful.

The two finance ministers

and Toronto Mayor John Tory will meet Tuesday to discuss house affordability in the region.

The provincial government’s lack of data on the housing market and other real estaterelated issues, and Sousa’s comments on “property scalpers” — admittedly based on conversations he’s had with some developers — are causing some concern among builders.

One major Toronto-area developer says “property scalping” is not a major phenomenon in the region.

“Not in any widespread way,” said Christopher Wein, president of Great Gulf. “We’re certainly, in our organization, not seeing a lot of evidence of that.”

Wein said his company builds condos and houses throughout the Toronto region and generally requires that buyers get permission from Great Gulf to reassign their contracts for new homes.

Typically, his company only sells one pre-construction property per family, Wein said.

“We don’t allow a person to buy five or 10,” he said. “We sometimes get requests to buy multiple units, and I don’t allow that to happen, because I question why anyone would need more than one unit and it sort of sparks the idea that maybe www.canadianinquirer.net

ALEX GUIBORD / FLICKR

they’re speculating on real estate.”

Wein said everyone, government included, needs to be careful not to rely on “anecdotal” stories about the real estate market.

The provincial Liberal government has come under increased pressure to do something about housing in the Greater Toronto Area, where the average price of detached houses was $1.21 million in March, up 33.4 per cent from

last year. In Toronto, the average price of detached properties hit $1.56 million, an increase of 32.8 per cent from March 2016.

Bank of Canada governor Stephen Poloz said last week that the current rate of price increases suggests demand is being driven more by real estate speculators and investors than homebuyers. Poloz said the rate increase was unsustainable and reminded homebuyers that house prices “can go down as well as up.” ■

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APRIL 21, 2017

FRIDAY

Technology Kids prefer the TV for their viewing, but love other devices

BY FRAZIER MOORE The Associated Press NEW YORK — Grace Ellis has never known a time when you needed a TV to watch TV. The North Attleboro, Massachusetts, fifth-grader watches shows like “Liv and Maddie,” “Jessie” and “The Lodge” on her laptop, iPad and phone.

“Sometimes I watch TV in the car,” she says. “I have ballet every day, so I watch on the way.”

She has a TV in her bedroom that isn’t hooked up to cable but is perfect for watching DVDs. And the family’s flat-screen has advantages of its own.

“It’s much bigger,” Grace explains, “and on the couch, it’s comfier.”

Ever since freckle-faced puppet Howdy Doody ushered in children’s television nearly 70 years ago, each new generation of viewers has been treated to a growing bounty of programs on a mushrooming selection of gadgetry.

But nothing compares to the current wave: “The generation coming up now is used to having everything at their fingertips,” says Stacey Lynn Schulman, an analyst at the Katz Media Group.

Why not? From birth, theirs has been a world of video digitally issuing from every screen.

And for them, any of those screens is just another screen, whether or not you call it “TV.” “When they love a (show), they love it in every form and on every platform,” says Nickelodeon president Cyma Zarghami.

This keeps the bosses at each kids’ network scrambling to make sure that wherever children turn their eyes, that network’s programing will be there.

Even so, it may be surprising that children nonetheless watch most television on, well, a television. As in: old-fashioned linear, while-it’s-actually-airing telecasts.

A new Nielsen study finds that in the fourth quarter of 2016, viewers aged 2-11 averaged about 17 hours of live (not time-shifted) TV each week.

Granted, that’s a drop of about 90 minutes weekly from the year before. But by comparison, kids in fourth quarter 2016 spent about 4 1/2 hours weekly watching video content on other devices.

“Linear TV is still the lion’s share of where kids’ time is spent,” says Jane Gould, senior vice-president for consumer insights for Disney Channel.

“But it’s important for us to be in all the OTHER places where they are, as well.”

One reason: Those other outlets can pave the way for a new program’s arrival on linear TV. Gould points to “Andi Mack,” an ambitious young-adult comedy-drama that debuted on Disney Channel on April 7. Weeks before it landed there, the series could be sampled on digital platforms including the Disney Channel app, Disney.com, Disney Channel YouTube, iTunes, Amazon and Google Play.

Count Grace Ellis among the legions of kids whose attention was snagged by this mega-

buildup. When “Andi Mack” premiered, Grace was one of the 9 million TV viewers who tuned in.

When “Sesame Street” premiered on PBS back in 1969, it joined a bare handful of TV shows (chief among them “Captain Kangaroo” and “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood”) devoted to uplifting their young audience.

Nearly a half-century later, “Sesame Street” is going strong.

“PBS is still at its core,” says Sesame Workshop COO Steve Youngwood. So is TV overall, as demonstrated by the series expanding to HBO a year ago. TV currently accounts for 40 per cent of its viewership.

But “Sesame Street” has never stopped adapting to an evolving media landscape that today finds 18 per cent of its audience viewing on tablets, 14 per cent on mobile phones and 25 per cent on other streaming devices and computers.

That includes YouTube, where its program content has been a presence for some time.

Now it’s getting special focus with the launch of Sesame Studios, which Youngwood describes as “a separate production unit specifically for that platform. We want to harness the power of YouTube to educate kids just like we harnessed the power of TV 50 years ago.”

A half-century ago “streaming video” was an unimagined

www.canadianinquirer.net

wonder. But today’s TV landscape has been upended by this technology, and by major streaming-video outlets like Hulu, Amazon and Netflix as they aggressively vie for kids’ (as well as everybody else’s) attention.

Netflix famously doesn’t disclose viewership figures. But according to Andy Yeatman, director of global kids content, “About half of our members around the world watch kids’ content on a regular basis. So it’s a very large, engaged audience.

“Between new and returning series last year, we added 35 new seasons of kids’ originals,” he says. Similar expansion is projected this year.

In a bygone era with just a handful of TV channels, kids could count on finding shows aimed at them only on Saturday mornings and weekday afternoons.

Nickelodeon’s Zarghami pegs 2013-14 as the most recent

turning point for kids TV, “when the landscape seriously shifted,” she says, with streamingvideo-on-demand providers gaining a real foothold and supplemental devices like tablets and mobile taking off.

Today, Nick has six on-demand platforms, “and we went from 500 new episodes in a season to close to 700 this season,” she says.

In short, kids are flooded with just-for-them content from every direction. But even that’s not enough.

“What they really look for is, to be surprised,” says Disney Channel’s Gould. “That’s the real challenge: How do we surprise and delight them?”

Schulman of the Katz Media Group has her own prediction for where the next round of surprises might be waiting.

“Virtual reality has been hard to get off the ground, but kids are all about immersive experiences,” she says. When VR is ready for them, “that’s probably going to be the next big thing.” ■

Technology

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

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‘Enceladus is not Hydrogen fuel cell cars face the only body obstacle: few fueling stations that may have conditions for life’

BY DEE-ANN DURBIN The Associated Press

PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MOSCOW — NASA announced Thursday that alien life could exist in our own solar system.

NASA’s robotic space probe, dubbed Cassini, discovered a precondition for the existence of lifeforms on one of Saturn’s moons, called Enceladus. Radio Sputnik discussed this with Dr. Caitriona Jackman, a space environment lecturer, from the University of Southampton.

“The NASA probe is called Cassini and it’s a mission that has been in orbit around Saturn since 2004. Initially it passed

by Enceladus in 2005 and that was a sort of beginning of our journey of discovery of what’s going on at this very special moon,” Jackman said.

She further said that when Cassini first passed by in 2005 the magnetometer, a magnetic field sensor on Cassini, sensed a strange magnetic signal which led them to believe that perhaps “there was more to Enceladus than we had originally thought,” the expert said.

In the next 12 years Cassini has flown by Enceladus multiple times. It has discovered plumes, which are geysers of material coming off the surface out of cracks in the ice.

It has also discovered that Enceladus has a sub-surface ocean.

However, the discovery that was announced Wednesday is that in those “plumes” there is molecular hydrogen which is really special because “hydrogen is thought to be linked to an energy source that is capable of supporting the basic building blocks of life, so probably microbial life of some type,” Jackman said.

She noted that it’s important to point out that this is not a direct observation of these life forms but it’s a direct observation of the habitability conditions that could support them.

“The conditions are there to support life,” she said.

Talking about if life forms

could be found on Enceladus, what type of them could be in existence, Jackman said that probably these forms would be very primitive.

“Here in the deep oceans near the hydro thermal vents, we have these sort of microbes and that’s the kind of thing that we are thinking could exist of Enceladus. But again I should stress that it’s the conditions that have been discovered not evidence of that life itself, yet,” the expert said.

She further spoke about how important this discovery is for science.

The expert also said that there are other celestial bodies that have been discovered to possess similar habitable conditions for life, such as Europa.

“Europa which is a moon of Jupiter is another possibility.

It’s another icy moon that we think has a subsurface ocean and there are plans to go and visit Europa in the next decade.

There is a mission called Europa Clipper being planned and also a European Space Agency mission called Juice,” Jackman said.

Hence, there is a strong desire in the scientific community to build on these discoveries and to go and find out more.

Like Europa, a moon of Jupiter, Enceladus is a “water world,” covered by oceans of liquid water trapped under a layer of ice.

Based on the data, NASA believes that it’s possible for simple life such as bacteria (or perhaps something as complex as shrimp) to live on the seafloor of Enceladus. “We’d be excited with any discovery of life.”

Enceladus is almost 10 times the distance from the sun that Earth is, so it can’t rely on our star for heat nearly as much as we can.

Instead, life on Enceladus would theoretically rely on vents of heat and methane on the ocean floor, similar to how bottom feeders live on our own planet.

Enceladus is quite small, only about 300 miles across. This makes it about 15 percent as large as our own moon. ■

DETROIT — Hydrogen fuel cell cars could one day challenge electric cars in the race for pollutionfree roads — but only if more stations are built to fuel them.

Honda, Toyota and Hyundai have leased a few hundred fuel cell vehicles over the past three years, and expect to lease well over 1,000 this year. But for now, those leases are limited to California, which is home to most of the 34 public hydrogen fueling stations in the U.S. Undaunted, automakers are investing heavily in the technology. General Motors recently supplied the U.S. Army with a fuel cell pickup, and GM and Honda are collaborating on a fuel cell system due out by 2020.

Hyundai will introduce a longerrange fuel cell SUV next year.

Like pure electric cars, fuel cell cars run quietly and emission-free. But they have some big advantages. Fuel cell cars can be refuelled as quickly as gasoline-powered cars. By contrast, it takes nine hours to fully recharge an all-electric Chevrolet Bolt using a 240-volt home charger. Fuel cells cars can also travel further between fill-ups.

But getting those fill-ups presents the biggest obstacle.

Fueling stations cost up to $2 million to build, so companies have been reluctant to build

A hydrogen fuel cell powered car featured during the 2008 Alt Car Expo.

The expo provides an outlet for alternative vehicles not typically seen at the mainstream auto-shows.

JOSE GIL / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

them unless more fuel cell cars are on the road. But automakers don’t want to build cars that consumers can’t fuel.

The U.S. Department of Energy lists just 34 public hydrogen fueling stations in the country; all but three are in California. By comparison, the U.S. has 15,703 public electric charging stations, which can be installed for a fraction of the cost of hydrogen stations. There are also millions of garages where owners can plug their cars in overnight.

As a result, U.S. consumers bought nearly 80,000 electric cars last year, but just 1,082 fuel cell vehicles, according to WardsAuto.

That’s why automakers will keep hedging their bets and offer electric vehicles alongside hydrogen ones.

Honda began leasing the 2017

Clarity fuel cell sedan earlier this year; about 100 are already on the road. At this week’s New York Auto Show, the company also introduced electric and plug-in hybrid versions of the Clarity.

The plug-in hybrid can go 42 miles in electric mode before a small gas engine kicks in, Honda says. The all-electric Clarity can go 111 miles on a charge. Both will go on sale later this year.

“We think going forward the powertrain market is going to be very diverse,” said Steve Center, vice-president of the environmental business development office at American Honda.

Hyundai’s Genesis luxury brand also blended technology with its GV80 SUV prototype, which was revealed in New York. The GV80 is a plug-in fuel ❱❱ PAGE 36 Hydrogen fuel

3D printing helps treat young heart disease patients PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY SHANGHAI — Ma Chengqiang, 16, and eight-month-old Yang Youhong from northwest China’s Qinghai Province have both undergone life-saving heart surgery in Shanghai thanks to 3D printing advances.

“Our children have had the world’s latest 3D printing technology heart surgery. We are so lucky,” said Ma Wenming, grandfather of Ma Chengqiang. www.canadianinquirer.net

“Moreover, the fees including transportation, accommodation, diagnosis and treatment are all free. We are really grateful.”

The two children are among the beneficiaries of a China-Belgium charity project, launched in April by Shanghai Children’s Medical Center and Belgium’s Materialise NV, one of the largest 3D printing software and services providers in the world.

The project provides free treatment, especially with the 3D printing technology, for children diagnosed with congenital

heart disease from underdeveloped regions in western China, said Ji Qingying, deputy head of the medical center.

Each year, Shanghai Children’s Medical Center conducts more than 3,700 heart operations on children across the country, ranking first in the world’s medical institutions.

Heart surgery would normally cost a family 80,000 to 100,000 yuan (USD 11,600 to 145,00).

The project plans to do 15 to 20 heart surgeries every year using 3D printed devices. ■

APRIL 21, 2017

CANADA

CAREGIVER NEEDED ASAP Seeking a full time caregiver to assist in an English speaking household environment, to provide personal Care, hygiene, cooking, assist in all aspects of daily routine, with day outings, appointments to a social and demanding middle-age high-quad Male. With light house & yard keeping duties.

Applicant must be Canadian Citizen, Permanent resident, Foreign Worker. Living-in and with valid Drivers license for adapted minivan.

Completed Caregiver’s course or nursing qualifications. Emphasis will be based on reliability, communication skills, comprehension, trust, honesty, loyalty, initiative & flexibility.

Rate of Pay: $13.00/h, plus benefits. Guaranteed 168 hours bi-weekly (plus free R&B). Location: Devon. Alberta. To appy email Glen at maryglen@telusplanet.net

PROVIDE CHILD CARE FOR 4.5 YEAR OLD FULL-TIME, permanent position, $12.00 hour, 32 - 40 hours per week. Start ASAP. Location, Milton, ON. Provide child care for 4 year old. Preferably min. 3 years experience and has first aid certificate.

Duties include; supervision care of child, organize activities for child, instruct child w/ personal hygiene and social development. P/u child from school.

Prepare and serve nutritious meals. Light housekeeping and cleaning duties.

Must speak, read and write English. Education equivalent to high schools graduate in Canada. Accommodation available at no charge on a live-in basis.

(This is not a condition of employment). Relocation costs and medical equivalent to OHIP covered by employer.

Please email resume to jicconsulting@hotmail.com or call mobile: (905) 691 0776

Wanted: Real Estate Secretary Permanent – Full time $26.50 hourly for 40 hours/week Work Setting: Property and Real Estate Law Employer: Event Tours Realty Location: Scarborough Knowledge of English language is a must; College graduate or other non-university certificate or diploma; work experience at least 2 years to less than 3 years; area of work experience –Statistics, Reports and records, Invoices, Financial statements, Correspondence, Contracts, Charts, tables, graphs and diagrams; knowledge of Business Equipment and Computer Applications - MS Excel; MS PowerPoint; MS Word; Electronic mail; MS Outlook is essential

Apply by email to: hr@eventtoursrealty.com

www.canadianinquirer.net

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FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

35

Travel Curiosity runs both ways for solo female traveller in India

BY KRISTI EATON The Associated Press

derprivileged girls, met female entrepreneurs and looked at a program that makes sanitary napkins available to rural women. But sometimes, it seemed I was as much an object of curiosity to locals as their culture was to me.

JODHPUR, INDIA — The blue-tinted dwellings looked like they continued on for miles. From high above the ancient Indian city of Jodhpur, it was easy to see Standing out from the crowd how it became known as the “Blue City.”

One challenge for me was getting used I caught a view of these sky-blue to standing out from the crowd. homes while visiting the 15th century In Ahmedabad, on one of my first few Mehrangarh Fort, which includes a pal- days in India, I desperately wanted a ace, temples and garden at the end of a cup of coffee ahead of an interview. I winding road looking down on the city. was waiting for another woman who Though this was my first visit to India, would help me translate at the intermy perspective on a month-long trip view and decided to head to a street there was not entirely that of an ordinary vendor for a quick cup. I’d already tourist. I was travelling from one side of drawn attention to myself, walking up the country to the other, researching is- and down the street looking for the sues facing women translator, and now and girls. Jodhpur, I found myself the in Rajasthan State, only woman among a was on my itinerary throng of men. because it is an area They seemed perwith high rates of feOther days plexed by my arrival, male illiteracy and — when I felt but ended up helpchild marriage, and responsible for ing me order the tiny a preference for sons keeping up a coffee and left me over daughters. conversation, alone as I sipped on a But in addition to making sure I bench. I didn’t know my research, interwas safe and Hindi or the local views and writing, I doing my best Gujarat language, so made time for sightto be culturally I didn’t try to engage seeing and experiaware while in conversation. But encing local culture. exploring that feeling of standAt the Mehrangarh sensitive ing out was someFort, I was stumbled subjects thing I had to get on the Turban Galaround gender used to. lery, which tells of the inequality — it Some days it was history, traditions was exhausting. no big deal. Other and variety of turdays — when I felt rebans found in Rajastsponsible for keeping han. And I happened up a conversation, to be in Ahmedabad, making sure I was in the west, where I’d safe and doing my entered the country, best to be culturally in time for a wonderful annual spectacle: aware while exploring sensitive subjects the colorful International Kite Festival. around gender inequality — it was exIn Jodhpur, I befriended a family who hausting. invited me to an extravagant Hindu wedding. I thoroughly enjoyed sampling Sheroes the food and observing the ceremonies Like many first-time visitors to India, and elaborate outfits. But even though I went to Agra to see the Taj Mahal and I stayed near the family who invited me, also stopped at the Agra Fort. Not far being a solo Western woman at such an from those attractions was another stop event didn’t come without stares and on my itinerary: the Sheroes Hangout. looks of befuddlement from other atSheroes Hangout is a cafe run by surtendees. vivors of acid attacks — women who I had come to India to look at gender were scarred in assaults stemming from issues in this complex culture. Among family disputes, unrequited love or other things, I visited a school for un- other conflicts. The cafe also features a

I caught a view of these sky-blue homes while visiting the 15th century Mehrangarh Fort, which includes a palace, temples and garden at the end of a winding road looking down on the city.

small library and handicraft and exhibit space. Other Sheroes Hangouts are located in Lucknow, in Uttar Pradesh, and in Udaipur in Rajasthan — all with a goal of empowering women who might otherwise feel forced to hide their scars. I felt a bit shy about engaging the women in conversation on my first visit, but on my second, I opened myself up and found they were eager to share stories despite a language barrier that kept the conversations basic.

Making safe choices

In the back of my mind, I couldn’t help but think about some of the horrific assaults on women in India — both locals and tourists — that have made headlines.

So I made very deliberate choices about my dress and behaviour. I always wore loose-fitting pants, a T-shirt and often times a shawl-like cover up. I only had wine on one occasion and rarely

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stayed out after dark unless I was with someone whom I trusted. And rather than taking long-haul trains on my own, I hired a driver to take me from one destination to the next. It was expensive, but worthwhile for the ability to sleep, relax and work during the sometimes eight- to 12-hour trips. Within cities, I used auto rickshaws, cabs and services like Uber.

I was never harassed, but I did regularly receive stares — something that had not happened during trips I’d taken to other countries like Indonesia, Guatemala and Vietnam. In some small ways, my travels here had allowed me to experience some of the cultural attitudes toward gender that I’d come to research. ■ Kristi Eaton spent a month in India as a fellow with the International Reporting Project.

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Travel

APRIL 21, 2017

FRIDAY

Enterprising Ilocos village to put up own hotel PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY LAOAG CITY — Poblacion, one of the richest villages in the town of Burgos, Ilocos Norte, plans to put up its own four-story hotel at a newly-acquired lot.

Strategically located along the national highway of the Manila North road overlooking the largest windmills in Southeast Asia and just a few kilometers away from various tourism spots of Burgos town, the local government of Poblacion led by Barangay Chairperson Joegie Jimenez said talks were ongoing for the realization of the

project.

The proposed hotel, according to Jimenez is expected to attract more tourists to stay longer in Burgos town and to boost economic livelihood here.

Ideal for nature tripping such as hiking, swimming, horseback riding and caving among others, the exotic beauty of Burgos can be explored in a couple of days or more.

Micro, small and medium entrepreneurs acknowledge the Kapurpurawan (white) Rocks Formation, one of the province’s major tourist destinations being frequented by hundreds of tourists from sunrise to sunset is also a great boost to

Hydrogen fuel... cell vehicle, which means it would get power from stored electricity as well as hydrogen.

It’s not clear when — or if — the GV80 will go on sale.

Fuel cell cars create electricity to power the battery and motor by mixing hydrogen and oxygen in the specially treated plates that combine to form the fuel cell stack.

The technology isn’t new. GM introduced the first fuel cell vehicle, the Electrovan, in 1966. It only seated two; the back of the van housed large steel tanks of hydrogen and oxygen. It went about 150 miles between refuelings, and its hydrogen tank exploded on at least one occasion.

Advances in hydrogen storage, fuel cell stacks and batteries have allowed engineers to significantly shrink those components to fit neatly inside a sedan. Oxygen is now collected from the air through the grille, and hydrogen is stored in aluminum-lined, fuel tanks that automatically seal in an accident to prevent leaks. Reducing the amount of platinum used in the stack has made fuel cell cars less expensive.

Honda’s new Clarity can go 366 miles between fuelings, the longest range in the industry.

The Clarity leases for $369 per month for 36 months. That’s more than the $354 monthly lease payment for the Chevrolet Bolt electric. But Honda, Toyota and Hyundai are all throwing in free hydrogen refuelling . It costs between $13 and $16 per kilogram for hydrogen, ❰❰ 33

or up to $80 to fill the Clarity’s 5-kilogram capacity, according to the U.S. Energy Department.

Even with that perk, analysts think sales of fuel cell vehicles will be limited until more fueling stations are built. But carmakers will still invest in fuel cells. GM’s Freese says there are many applications beyond cars, including unmanned, deep-sea vehicles or backup home power systems.

“One of the reasons global car companies do something like this is they want to have a finger in the pie. Should we suddenly have to shift over, they want to be able to do it,” said Jack Nerad, an executive market analyst with Kelley Blue Book.

The number of fueling stations could also grow quickly if automakers partner with governments and energy companies, as they have done in California. Earlier this year, 13 companies — including Shell and BMW — formed a council to accelerate the adoption of hydrogen as a transportation fuel.

Heather McLaughlin of San Ramon, California, was one of the first customers to lease a 2017 Clarity. She says she prefers a fuel cell car over an electric because she can refuel it in minutes. And one fill-up a week more than covers her 50-mile daily commute to Benicia, where she serves as the city attorney.

She recently drove the Clarity to Southern California and found plenty of stations along her route.

“I like the innovation,” said McLaughlin. “It helps if we can have more of these on the road.” ■

their enterprise.

Even tricycle drivers like Roel Acupan of Tanap village said his daily income increased by more than 50 percent compared when Burgos town’s tourism spots were not yet developed.

Other famous sites in Burgos are Cape Bojeador lighthouse and museum, Tanap Avis Waterfalls and the Kaangrian waterfalls that never runs out of water even during the summer season. It also hosts the largest dragon fruit agro-tourism plantation in Paayas village.

Should there be an accessible hotel and more tourism recre-

ation facilities on the ground, Jimenez said tourist traffic would certainly be increased to benefit his constituents.

With the village share of multi-million real property taxes from a major renewable energy producer in the country, the Poblacion government officials said they had already proposed a loan agreement with the Development Bank of the Philippines to finance the project and later on lease the property to competent hotel managers.

During the peak season of summer holidays and in the months of December to January, hotels and resorts in the

entire province are all fully booked, prompting the Department of Tourism and the Ilocos Norte government to call on houses of mostly Balikbayans to share their residential houses to visitors and earn through rentals.

In Ilocos Norte, a number of balikbayan houses are left to caretakers and these are just occupied when the owner’s family comes home for vacation.

Governor Ma. Imelda Josefa Marcos is urging balikbayans or overseas Filipino workers to help their home province through investment or to rent their homes for additional profit. ■

Palawan tapped as a major historical destination

BY AZER N. PARROCHA Philippines News Agency MANILA — When tourists picture Palawan, they imagine white-sand beaches, pristine waters and a diverse marine life. A travel firm however wants to add another feather in the island’s cap by tapping it as a go-to destination for history and heritage.

Rajah Travel Corp. on Tuesday expressed interest to aggressively position what has been cited as “The World’s Best Island” as a major historical destination, but it does not stop there — efforts to push for historical tourism will be done nationwide.

Aileen Clemente, Rajah Travel Corp. chairperson, said the firm began with Palawan two years ago to see if there would be a positive response among tourists and the public.

She said the firm wants to present Palawan as a key location in the defense and eventual liberation of the country during World War II, noting that this facet of Palawan has been “largely overlooked.”

“Today, Palawan is not only known for its Underground River and beaches. People are now going to the province for its historical and heritage tours,” Clemente said, adding that such tours will cater to all kinds of www.canadianinquirer.net

tourists — from baby boomers all the way to millennials.

To date, Rajah Travel Corp, the provincial government of Palawan, and the city government of Puerto Princesa have redeveloped Plaza Cuartel, Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm as major historical destinations in the island.

The city council of Puerto Princesa has also approved an ordinance declaring April 22 as Palawan Liberation Day. This year, the redeveloped Puerto Princesa Baywalk Park, which served as a seaplane base during World War II, has been added to the roster of historical spots.

More than 8,000 American and Filipino troops were in-

volved in the liberation of Palawan, along with the Palawan Fighting One Thousand Guerrilla Unit. There were also 139 American prisoners of war who were found burned inside Plaza Cuartel.

“These places are reminders of the sacrifices they have done for our country. We are reclaiming lost pieces of history,” Clemente said.

After Palawan, Rajah Travel Corp. will also be working with several cities in the country to do the same.

Clemente said that more market segments in the tourism industry will continue to be introduced as the country’s tourism infrastructure continues to improve. ■

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

37

Food Tell Mom you love her with a fondue that mixes 2 chocolates THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA IF YOU are a mother: Happy Mother’s Day! Please tear out this page (or print, or forward, depending on how woman-onthe-go you are) and put it somewhere your family will find it.

Now, stop reading or you’ll ruin the surprise.

If you are a kid, father, or person who loves a mom: it’s almost Mother’s Day. Do you have a plan? Keep reading, because you do now.

If the stereotype is accurate, moms love chocolate. They can’t get enough of it. And while maybe that’s silly, chocolate is, in general, a crowd pleaser and a pretty safe bet. Add a little pizazz and some personalization, and you’ve got a Mother’s Day to remember.

The Culinary Institute of America has a long history of creating mom-friendly treats, and this recipe for DoubleChocolate Fondue is no exception. This isn’t your everyday fondue. It melts bold, rich, dark chocolate with sweet and creamy white chocolate, plus a little bit of coconut and a little bit of spice. In no time, you’re dipping, scooping, and swirling your way to Mom’s heart.

You may have an old fondue pot in the basement (if not, borrow one from your grandparents, who almost definitely have a fondue pot.). A fondue pot warms the chocolate over a small tea light to keep it dippable. Fondue has come a long way, though, so you may also have an electric fondue pot or even a small slow cooker that will do the same job. If you have none of these, you can carefully set a hot pot of water at the table, and set the fondue in a heat-safe bowl on top of the pot.

Whatever keeps it warm will do the trick.

We’re serving our fondue with some of our favourite sweets, like chocolate cake, berries, nougat candy, and car-

amelized bananas. We’ve included a recipe for the bananas (quick, easy, and worth it), but, really, the best part of fondue is customizing the dippers.

What does your mom love the most? Marshmallows, pound cake, pretzels, and chocolate chip cookies are some classics, but there’s really not much you can’t dip in molten chocolate.

There are a few special ingredients in this recipe that take the fondue from “yum” to “Happy Mother’s Day!” But not all moms are alike, and fondue is not one-size-fits-all. If you’re a kid and you want to share this treat with your mom, you can substitute the coconut rum and vodka for vanilla or almond extract (or, if you’re not a kid, use her favouriteflavours, like hazelnut or raspberry liqueur).

And if mild salsa makes her cry, you probably shouldn’t add that spicy chili.

Now that you have a recipe, it’s time to assemble the team and make a plan. You can prepare your dippers ahead of time and measure out your chocolate ingredients. That gives you the whole day to spoil her before you prepare this dessert “surprise.” We all know you’re still reading, Mom. Double-chocolate fondue

Start to finish: 45 minutes Servings: 8

• Dark Chocolate Fondue (recipe follows) • White Chocolate Fondue (recipe follows) • Caramelized Bananas (recipe follows), optional • Other dipping items, such as cubed cake, fresh fruit, and prepared nougat candy Prepare the dark chocolate fondue. Keep warm over a gentle hot water bath.

Prepare the white chocolate fondue. Keep warm over a gentle hot water bath.

Prepare the caramelized bananas, if using, and transfer to a platter with the remaining dip-

ping items.

Transfer the dark chocolate fondue to a fondue pot, slowcooker, or serving bowl. Use a spoon to drizzle the white chocolate fondue over the chocolate, to make a decorative pattern.

You may also choose to serve the white chocolate fondue in a separate serving bowl. Serve warm, using a hot water bath, if needed.

Carefully remove the chili from the cream mixture, then pour over the chocolate. Let rest for 2 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt slightly, then gently mix with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. If needed, you can rewarm the mixture over a gentle hot water bath to melt any remaining chocolate.

Dark chocolate fondue

White chocolate fondue

• 14 ounces dark chocolate (about 61 per cent), roughly chopped • 2 cups heavy cream • 1 tablespoon honey • 1 Thai chili, optional • 1 teaspoon cornstarch • 1 1/2 tablespoons vodka

• 12 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped • 1 cup heavy cream • 1 tablespoon coconut rum

Makes 4 servings

Place the chocolate in a medium heat-safe bowl. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, bring the cream, honey, and chili (if using) to a boil over medium heat. Remove from the heat and set aside. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch and vodka until smooth.

Return the cream mixture to the stove and return to a boil.

Add the starch mixture and stir to combine.

Makes 4 servings

Place the chocolate in a medium heat-safe bowl. Set aside.

Bring the cream to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Pour over the chocolate. Let rest for 2 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt slightly, then gently mix with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth. If needed, you can rewarm the mixture over a gentle hot water bath to melt any remaining chocolate.

Add the coconut rum and stir to combine.

Caramelized bananas

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Makes 8 servings • 3 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced into 3/4-inch slices • 1/4 cup sugar • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter Dip each cut end of the banana slices in the sugar.

Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook the bananas, sugared sides down, until golden brown and gooey, about 2 minutes on each side.

Nutrition information per serving of dark chocolate fondue: 909 calories; 668 calories from fat; 74 g fat (47 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 164 mg cholesterol; 79 mg sodium; 68 g carbohydrate; 7 g fiber; 61 g sugar; 9 g protein.

Nutrition information per serving of white chocolate fondue: 880 calories; 645 calories from fat; 72 g fat (44 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 182 mg cholesterol; 122 mg sodium; 54 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 54 g sugar; 7 g protein.

Nutrition information per serving of caramelized bananas: 67 calories; 14 calories from fat; 2 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 4 mg cholesterol; 1 mg sodium; 15 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 10 g sugar; 0 g protein.

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Food

APRIL 21, 2017

KitchenWise:

A Mother’s Day treat: Mini Mocha Baked Alaskas

BY SARA MOULTON The Associated Press LET’S SAY you dream of wanting to make a very special dessert for mom on Mother’s Day but don’t really have the time or the expertise. Here’s a cheating version of Baked Alaska. Sure it’s antique — is there any other two-word phrase in English as capable of teleporting us in an instant to the dining room of a cruise ship in the 1950s? — but it’s also delicious. We’re talking about ice cream surrounded by cake, frosted with meringue and baked until golden. Back in the day, they’d light it on fire before setting it down on your table, a flourish we’ve forgone on the way to simplifying preparation from start to finish.

First of all, I’ve shrunk it down so that everybody gets to dig into his or her own personal Alaska. Next, instead of having to bake a cake to start, we’re rolling with store-bought brownies. You’ll be looking for the chewy kind, not the cake-y kind, so they don’t fall apart.

(Soft chewy brownies are easy to smoosh down, a key step in this recipe.) Working with brownies about half-an-inch thick, you’ll cut them into inch-and-a half squares. (Two of them comprise a portion.)

As for the ice cream, it’s storebought, like the brownies.

Making the meringue is the only part of this recipe that requires some effort, and you don’t have to mess with it until the last minute. You’ll have made the ice-cream sandwiches several hours ahead of time (perhaps even the day before) and kept them tightly wrapped in the freezer. At the moment of truth, preheat the oven, whip up the meringue (it takes 5 minutes), frost the sandwiches and then bake the cakes. Four or 5 minutes later, you’ll pull these things of beauty out of the oven and take a bow.

Besides the minimal prep, the glory of this recipe is that no matter how you apply the meringue to the outside of the icecream sandwiches — smooth or in peaks — you’ll have fashioned a showstopper.

Baked muffin frittatas are quick and easy customizable treat

BY ELIZABETH KARMEL The Associated Press

Mini mocha baked Alaskas

Start to finish: 2 hours, 40 minutes (40 active) Servings: 4

• Eight 1 1/2-inch squares chewy brownies (about 1/2inch thick) • 1 cup coffee ice cream • 3 large egg whites • Pinch of table salt • 1/2 cup sugar • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla Press down gently on the brownie squares until they are about 1/3-inch thick. Working very quickly, place 1/8 cup ice cream on top of each of four of the squares, spreading it to cover the brownie and top the ice cream with a second brownie, pressing down gently. Wrap the ice-cream sandwiches tightly with plastic wrap and freeze them for 2 hours.

About 30 minutes before serving, place the egg whites in a medium metal bowl set in a larger bowl of hot water to bring them to room temperature quickly. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Remove the bowl of egg whites from the larger bowl and, using electric beaters, beat the egg whites on low until frothy, add the salt and continue beating on medium just

until they form soft peaks. Add the sugar gradually in a steady stream, beating until the mixture forms soft glossy peaks.

Beat in the vanilla. (These egg whites will not be cooked to 160 F, which is the safety zone for killing salmonella, so substitute pasteurized egg whites if you are concerned.)

Place the ice-cream sandwiches on a parchment-lined rimmed sheet pan and, working quickly, coat the sides and top of each one thoroughly with the meringue so that there are no gaps. The meringue will insulate the ice cream and keep it from melting so quickly in the oven. Either smooth the meringue or make peaks, depending on the finished look you want. (Note: You will have slightly more meringue than you need.)

Bake the frosted cakes on the middle shelf of the oven for 4 to 5 minutes or until golden.

Transfer to four plates and serve right away.

Nutritional information per serving: 209 calories; 81 calories from fat; 9 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 60 mg cholesterol; 149 mg sodium; 29 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 29 g sugar; 5 g protein. www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY

I RECENTLY became obsessed with these little crustless quiches.

They’re more frittata but everyone who eats them likens them to quiche. However defined, they are quick and easy to prepare and can be filled with any of your favourite cheese, vegetable and/or meat combos.

Make sure that your vegetables are sauteed before filling the muffin tins, and any meat such as sausage and bacon is cooked. The short baking time will melt the cheese and set the eggs but not cook any of your add-ins. Since there is no crust to make, these are perfect egg bites for anyone who is watching their carbs or is gluten sensitive. But the real reason to make them is that they taste great.

These “egg muffins” are perfect for entertaining and any leftovers turn a grab-and-go breakfast into a treat. In fact, I sometimes make them just to have on hand for quick weekday breakfasts. My favourite version so far includes asparagus, mushrooms, cheddar cheese and brie as I’ve included in this recipe. I add pimentos and green onions for flavour and colour and tend to keep them in the mix regardless of what other ingredients I choose. The great thing about baking these eggs in a muffin tin is that you can customize them for your guests. For example, you can add ham or some other meat to half of them for the meat lovers and keep half all veggies for the non-meat eaters in your group. They also offer instant portion control and are simple to serve — all you need do is bake, place in a basket or on a platter and serve.

Plus, they are a sight to behold when they are baking. At the end of the baking time, they puff up like a souffle. As they cool, they do deflate a bit but that short thrill makes the eating all the more exciting.

Baked muffin frittatas with asparagus and mushrooms

Servings: 12

Start to finish: 40 minutes • 10 eggs • 1/4 cup cream • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt • Pinch of nutmeg • Butter or olive oil to coat pans • 1 cup asparagus, chopped • 1 heaping cup thinly sliced mushrooms • 2 tablespoons butter • 1/4 cup thinly sliced green onion • 1/4 cup chopped pimentos • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese • 1/2 pound brie cheese, cut into 12 pieces Preheat the oven to 350 F. Crack eggs into a liquid measuring cup. Whisk the eggs, cream, nutmeg and salt. Set aside.

Melt butter in a saute pan and add asparagus and mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes or until beginning to soften but the asparagus is still bright green.

Grease a 12-cup muffin pan with olive oil. Divide asparagus, mushrooms, green onion, and cheese between each muffin cup, then carefully pour egg mixture over tops until muffin tins are almost full (leave 1/4inch space).

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the centre of a muffin comes out clean.

The egg muffins will look like a souffle when they come out of the oven, but they will fall after a few minutes. Let them rest in the muffin tin for a few minutes before using a rubber spatula to carefully remove each muffin.

Place on a wire rack to cool for a couple of minutes to let the steam dissipate.

Enjoy immediately or let cool and transfer to a re-sealable plastic bag.

Refrigerate for up to three days. They can be eaten cold or reheated in a microwave.

Nutrition information per serving: 199 calories; 144 calories from fat; 16 g fat (9 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 220 mg cholesterol; 336 mg sodium; 2 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 12 g protein.

Food

FRIDAY APRIL 21, 2017

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