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VOL. 6 NO. 275
ARRIVAL MOBHONORS READY
Members of the Manila Police District's Civil Disturbance Management Unit try out different formations for dealing with unruly crowds at Quirino Grandstand in Rizal Park, Manila. Story on page 4. GRIG MONTEGRANDE / PDI
President alive, very well, says Malacañang official BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer “FIRST AND foremost, he’s alive and well. He’s very well. He’s just busy doing what he really needs to do.” Malacañang on Tuesday sought to downplay widely publicized speculation about President Rodrigo Duterte’s
health, sparked by his disappearance for six days — the longest he had vanished from the public eye. Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the President was “very busy” and was “on top of the situation” even though he did not make any public appearance from June 21 until June 26.
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Duterte, the ‘reluctant globetrotter’
27 Canada 150: Chief Dan George's powerful indigenous rights speech, 50 years later ❱❱ PAGE 17
❱❱ PAGE 10 President alive
No job? Tips for teens to fill idle summer time
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Philippine News
JUNE 30, 2017
FRIDAY
Philippines: IS funded siege Comelec to Congress: through Malaysian militant Decide on bills to postpone local polls
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MARAWI, PHILIPPINES — The Islamic State group helped fund the monthlong siege of a southern Philippine city through a Malaysian militant who was reportedly killed by troops, the Philippine military chief said Friday. Gen. Eduardo Ano told The Associated Press that Malaysian Mahmud bin Ahmad reportedly channeled more than $600,000 from the IS group to acquire firearms, food and other supplies for the attack in Marawi. Money believed to be from illegal drugs also funded the uprising, he said. Mahmud was wounded in the fighting last month and reportedly died on June 7, he said. A local militant leader, Omarkhayam Maute, also is believed to have been killed in the early days of intense fighting and troops were looking for their remains to validate the intelligence the military had received. Troops are seeking the help of villagers to pinpoint the spot where Mahmud was reportedly buried, Ano said. In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar acknowledged that Mahmud was in Marawi fighting with insurgents but said he believed the militant is still alive. Malaysian authorities are trying to determine the number of Malaysians who joined the siege but said at least four may have been killed in clashes. Two other rebel leaders, top Filipino militant suspect Isnilon Hapilon and Maute’s brother, Abdullah, were still fighting in Marawi, Ano said. A former Malaysian university professor who became radicalized and received training in Afghanistan, Mahmud appeared in a video showing militant leaders planning the Marawi siege in a hideout, a sign of his key role in the uprising. The AP obtained a copy of the video, which was seized by troops May 23. A month ago, about 500 local militants, along with some foreign fighters, stormed into Marawi, a bastion of the Islamic faith in the south of the pre-
BY JULIE M. AURELIO Philippine Daily Inquirer
Partners for peace and security: Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano (7th from left), Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi (8th from left), and Malaysia Foreign Minister Dato' Sri Anifah Aman (9th from left) join hands with members of their respective delegations during the Trilateral Meeting on Security among the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia PNA PHOTO COURTESY OF DFA
dominantly Roman Catholic nation. Troops since then have killed about 280 gunmen, recovered nearly 300 assault firearms and regained control of 85 buildings. Many of the taller buildings were used as sniper posts to slow down the advance of government forces, the military said. At least 69 soldiers and police and 26 civilians have died in the fighting. Only four villages in Marawi remain in the hands of the militants, out of the 19 of 96 villages across the lakeside city of 200,000 people that the black flag-waving militants had occupied. “They are constricted in a very small area. They’re pinned down,” Ano said. He said three boatloads of gunmen who tried to join the militants were blasted by navy gunboats three days ago in Lake Lanao, which borders Marawi. Ano said the battle was taking longer because the militants were using civilians as human shields. “We can just bomb them away or use napalm bombs to burn everything, but then, we will not be any different from them if we do that,” he said. The audacious attack by the heavily armed militants and their ability to hold on to large sections of a city for weeks surprised the government and sparked fears among Southeast Asian countries that the Islamic State group was moving to gain a foothold in the region. Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne said the Philippines accepted an offer of two
AP-3C Orion aircraft to provide surveillance to local troops. The U.S. military earlier deployed a spy plane and drones over Marawi. Facing his worst crisis, President Rodrigo Duterte has declared martial law in the south to deal with the Marawi siege. Powerful clans and warlords, along with insurgencies, have effectively weakened law enforcement in large areas of the country’s south, making it easier for militants to take over an area and hold it, said Sidney Jones, director of the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict in Jakarta, Indonesia. “I do think that martial law doesn’t solve the problem and I think military strikes, especially airstrikes, don’t solve the problem,” Jones said. “It’s a much broader problem that needs a strategic solution.” Philippine Foreign Minister Alan Peter Cayetano and his Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts met with top security officials in Manila on Thursday to discuss the crisis. They agreed on a plan of action to combat terrorism and rising extremism and deal with the prospects of Asian fighters returning to their region from Syria and Iraq, where the IS group has been losing territory. ■ Associated Press writers Jim Gomez and Teresa Cerojano in Manila, Philippines, Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, Andi Jatmiko in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report. www.canadianinquirer.net
timeline for the preparations. We’re not at ‘full speed’ but ‘on track’ with our preparations,” he said. Rep. Sherwin Tugna, chair of the House suffrage and electoral reforms committee, told the Inquirer in a text message: “The earliest the House can have a hearing is when Congress resumes its session in the last week of July. To date, there are several measures filed [with] our committee for postponement. We can pass the bill in the [House] on three readings once the House leadership and the parties decide to postpone the election, when Congress resumes in July.”
THE COMMISSION on Elections (Comelec) has urged lawmakers to act by next month on the proposal to postpone the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections. Comelec Chair Andres Bautista explained that the poll body would simply implement whatever law would be passed regarding the proposed October 2017 polls. “We will follow the decision of our political leadership [with] respect [to] whether to postpone the polls. We just hope that a decision [will] be made by July,” Bautista said. Last synced elections This would enable the ComeThe last synchronized baranlec to avoid wasting public gay and SK elections were held funds for its on Oct. 25, 2010. preparations At that time, the should the elecidea of abolishtions be deferred ing the two eleceventually, he tions was floated said. If it will be by the Senate. postponed, “The monIn 2013, the SK it should ey might go to elections were be [on] a waste,” Bautista postponed to date not said, referring to February 2015 to close to the proposed meaallow Congress May 2019 sures to reset to reform the midterm the barangay and youth council. elections. The barangay SK elections for elections took the second time place on Oct. 28, under President 2013. Duterte’s adminIn January istration. 2015, Congress moved to synchronize the two elections Pending bills A pending bill in the Senate again in October 2016. But in May 2016, Bautista would defer the balloting to October 2018, while the proposal proposed the rescheduling of in the House of Representatives the two polls, citing the possibility of voters developing would move it to May 2020. Citing his war on drugs as “election fatigue.” He was critijustification, the President said cized by all six commissioners he wanted the barangay and SK as a result. elections shelved anew just like In August last year, Mr. the Oct. 31, 2016, polls. Duterte said he supported “If it will be postponed, it the delay, fearing drug money should be [on] a date not close would be used in the campaign. to the May 2019 midterm elecThis was echoed by House tions,” Bautista said earlier. Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez Bautista added that the poll and Senate President Aquilino body was still pushing through Pimentel III, who urged their with its preparations for the ba- colleagues to approve the postrangay and SK elections origi- ponement. ■ nally slated to be held on Oct. 23, 2017. With reports from Vince F. Non“We are on schedule with our ato and Inquirer Research
Philippine News
FRIDAY JUNE 30, 2017
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Avail amnesty now, DOLE urges stranded OFWs PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has made a last minute call to undocumented overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to immediately register and avail of the amnesty given by the Saudi government which ends on June 29. Undersecretary Dominador Say stressed the need for stranded and undocumented migrant workers to have their travel documents processed before Saudi authorities start crackdown on undocumented foreign nationals by month’s end. “I have been informed that there are still some OFWs in Saudi Arabia who have not yet registered and some have ignored the announcement of the Philippine Embassy to avail of the amnesty. The processing will take few days before they can leave and all of this should be done before June 29,” Say said. Say added that the Philippine Embassy in Saudi can only process documents of those who are willing and eager to be brought back home and they have no power over those who refuse to avail of
Department of Labor Assistant Secretary Amuerfina Reyes, (2nd from left) discusses the lifting of deployment ban on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Qatar. AVITO C. DALAN / PNA
the amnesty. Citing an example, Say said that he spoke with one of the stranded OFWs when he was in Saudi Arabia last April. He tried to persuade the OFW to avail of the amnesty. However, the migrant worker insisted not to register yet, saying she can still work for a month and
save some money before flying back home. “The deadline for registration is due to end soon. We hope that OFWs can register as soon as possible because there are still factors to be considered, such as the processing period, acquiring of other documents, and booking a flight
Philippine troops declare 8 hour cease fire in besieged city THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Philippine military on Sunday began observing an eight-hour halt in its air and ground offensive against Islamic militants in southern Marawi city to allow residents, most of them displaced by the monthlong fighting, to celebrate the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said the “humanitarian pause” in military assaults took effect at 6 a.m. Sunday in predominantly Muslim Marawi but will be lifted immediately if the militants open fire or threaten troops and civilians. “If the enemy starts firing ... anyone can exercise their right to self-defence,” Padilla said in a statement. It’s the first planned respite in the massive offensive after a month of daily street battles and military airstrikes that have left at least 280 militants, 69 soldiers and police, and 26 civilians dead.
The intense fighting has turned large swaths of the mosque-dotted city, a bastion of Islamic faith in the south of the largely Roman Catholic nation, into a smouldering war zone. About 500 gunmen aligned with the Islamic State group, including several foreigners, stormed the lakeside city of 200,000 people, occupied buildings, burned schools and hoisted IS-style black flags on May 23. Faced by his worst crisis, President Rodrigo Duterte responded by declaring martial law in the south and ordering a massive offensive. Padilla said the cease-fire will be observed by the military “as a gesture of our strong commitment and respect to the Muslim world,” particularly to Marawi’s Muslim residents. The fighting has forced more than 300,000 people to abandon their homes in Marawi and outlying towns and flee to evacuation centres, which rapidly became overcrowded, making it difficult for them to celebrate the Eid el-Fitr holiday. ■
back to the Philippines,” Say added. Say also said that despite being issued with exit visa, OFWs who have not yet left the Saudi territory after the given amnesty period will still be arrested by the Saudi authorities. Last April, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, has sent a Rapid Response Team to ensure that stranded and undocumented OFWs in KSA will be repatriated to the Philippines by availing of the amnesty program of the Saudi government dubbed “A nation without violators.” In March, Saudi granted a 90-day amnesty for undocumented and overstaying foreign individuals of Umrah, Hajj and visit visa holders; OFWs with expired iqamas (residence permits), or have never been issued an iqama; Huroob cases or those who escaped from their employers; and OFWs who were abandoned by their employers, including their dependents. Say clarified that those foreign nationals who have pending cases in the Arab country are not covered by the amnesty. Since the implementation of the 90day amnesty period, more than 5,000 stranded and undocumented OFWs have been repatriated by the government. ■
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Philippine News
JUNE 30, 2017
FRIDAY
DOTr to mark Manila-Clark railway’s 1st five stations BY JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer THE DEPARTMENT of Transportation (DOTr) will mark today the future sites of five stations of the Manila-Clark Railway Project which will connect Manila to Central Luzon. Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade will lead other government officials in the marking ceremony for five of the 17 stations: Marilao and Meycauayan in Bulacan province; and Valenzuela, Caloocan and Tutuban in Metro Manila. According to a DOTr statement, the 106-kilometer railway project running from Tutuban in Manila to the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga is among the “high-impact” projects of President Duterte under the government’s “Build Build Build” infrastructure program. “This big project, it used to be just all talk. But under the Duterte administration, we will make it a reality. For the first time, a rail project will connect Manila to Central Luzon and it will be completed under the Duterte administration,” Tugade said. The rail project, once completed, would reduce the twohour travel time from Manila to Clark to just 55 minutes. The rail system would also benefit 350,000 passengers daily in its first year of operations.
On top of the five stations, the 12 others are Solis, Bocaue, Balagtas, Guiguinto, Malolos, Calumpit, Apalit, San Fernando, Angeles, Clark, Clark International Airport and the proposed New Clark City in Pampanga. According to the DOTr, construction of the new project will start in the last quarter of 2017 and is expected to be completed by the last quarter of 2021. The project costs P255 billion and will be funded through Japan’s Official Development Assistance. The whole line will have 13 train sets with eight cars or coaches per train set. Each train can reach a maximum speed of 120 km per hour. For his part, Philippine National Railways General Man- ager Junn Magno said the project would decongest Metro Manila and spread economic gains throughout the country. “This project will ease traffic congestion and help thousands of commuters coming from Bulacan and Pampanga who travel daily to their workplaces or schools in Metro Manila,” he added. Aside from Tugade and Magno, also expected to attend the stations-marking ceremonies are Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, National Economic and Development Authority Director General Ernesto Pernia and officials from the Japanese Embassy and Japan International Cooperation Agency. ■
Army to fight Maute in cyberwar BY JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE Philippine Daily Inquirer THE ARMY said Saturday has fielded online combatants to thwart attempts by the Maute group to spread online propaganda. Task Force Marawi commander Brig. Gen. Rolly Bautista said a social media monitoring team was formed to specifically foil the Maute group’s attempts to “sow fear and terror” and recruit more members through cyber space. Bautista said that when the crisis in Marawi City started last month, the Philippine Army’s 1st infantry (Tabak) division, which he commands, was incidentally conducting a series of trainings on digital media capability enhancement. He pointed out that training participants from various units in the army division eventually became the core group of Task Force Marawi’s social media monitoring team. www.canadianinquirer.net
“This is part of the Division’s digital media initiatives to equip our personnel not only for actual combat operations but also enhance our digital capability in facing another kind of battle using internet technologies for disseminating information online and bring the Division to the community it serves,” Bautista said. “The enemy and their supporters are actively utilizing online digital media to spread false information about the situation in Marawi City,” he said. “But our team is on the lookout to engage and provide counter measures and prevent the enemy of sowing fear and terror.” An October 2016 report by regional security expert Sidney Jones, of the Indonesia-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, described the Maute group as the “most social media savvy” among terrorists claiming allegiance to the Islamic State. The Maute group amplified its message and recruit more members through social media. ■
FRIDAY JUNE 30, 2017
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Philippine News
JUNE 30, 2017
FRIDAY
No money lost in glitch, says bank exec BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer BANK OF the Philippine Islands (BPI) executives assured lawmakers on Thursday that no money was lost in the massive system glitch that led to erroneous electronic “mis-postings” on some BPI accounts earlier this month. “We guarantee, your honor, that no moneys were lost,” said Ramon Jocson, executive vice president for enterprise services, in reply to a question on what assurances the bank could give to customers who might be concerned about having their money stolen. Appearing at a hearing of the House committee on banks and financial intermediaries, Jocson said there was a “reconciliation process” for claims made by BPI depositors about any unauthorized transactions that occurred on June 7 and 8. “In fact, we have had some clients saying ‘I did not withdraw or deposit,’ but we do have records because each of our ATMs produces a time stamp. If they withdraw from the ATM, we also have CCTVs. We go through a reconciliation process, we check the log, we go through the CCTV,” he said. At the hearing, Cezar Consing, BPI president and chief executive officer, revealed that as much as P46 million was “accidentally” withdrawn by clients
from BPI at the height of the glitch, which was later discovered to have been caused by human error. He said the amount was still in the process of being recovered more than two weeks since the technical glitch caused unauthorized transactions to be reflected on some BPI accounts. “There were mis-postings, and there was an amount, which in some cases, was withdrawn” by clients, he told the House panel. “Weren’t those withdrawals illegal?” asked Eastern Samar Senator Chiz Escudero, chair of the Senate Committee on Banks, Financial Rep. Ben Evardone, chair of the Institutions and Currencies, shows a sample of an automated teller machine House committee investigating (ATM) keypad during a Senate inquiry PHOTO COURTESY OF SENATE PRIB the back-to-back malfunctions experienced by clients of BPI and Banco de Oro (BDO). and credit was about P7,000. Parañaque Rep. Gus TamConsing replied: “It was acAll told, with an estimated bunting asked the BPI execucidental. The fact is most of this 750,000 depositors multiplied tives what kind of assurance P46 million is getting paid back, by P7,000, “we’re talking of P5.2 they could give their customers most, if not all of it,” he said. billion either way,” he added. that their money would not be “There’s still stolen. P46 million “We trust the that’s outstandbank, we trust ing. Most of them BPI, but we do In fact, we have had some clients are merchants, not keep a file of saying ‘I did not withdraw or deposit,’ small businesses. all those pieces but we do have records because each We are making of paper that of our ATMs produces a time stamp. arrangements come out of the with them to machine. But settle. Al- most when it comes all of them have to internal data expressed willprocessing eringness to settle,” he added. “The highest amount that rors like this, what assurance Joseph Gotuaco, chief finan- was debited was P1.6 million can you give a customer like me cial officer and executive vice and the highest credit was that internal data processing president at BPI, said the aver- around P2.5 million,” Gotuaco errors will not steal their monage mis-posting on both debit told the body. ey?” he said.
At the same hearing, BDO president and chief executive officer Nestor Tan told lawmakers how sophisticated criminals had become in “skimming” ATM cards, following the incident that involved several BDO clients whose accounts were compromised. Some 95 accounts were affected in the recent incident, and BDO took the precautionary measure of blocking and replacing 75,000 ATM cards believed to have been compromised, he said. “This happens on a regular basis,” said Tan. “What happened to us I cannot guarantee that it won’t happen again.” “What happened to us happens in the entire industry… The compromise could have happened anywhere. You may have used the ATM of bank X, but your card was BDO,” he added. In the first quarter of 2017, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) received some 50 complaints for unauthorized withdrawals, said BSP director Pia Roman-Tayag. “What we encourage the customers is go to the bank so they will be restituted. The 50 are those who went to us,” she said. Citing BDO data, Tan said fewer than 100 ATMs were hit by skimmers out of 15,000. “Only we don’t know for how long or how many cards were affected,” he said. ■
Aguirre taps fraternity brod to probe Aquino’s DAP BY DONA Z. PAZZIBUGAN Philippine Daily Inquirer JUSTICE SECRETARY Vitaliano Aguirre II has named one of his undersecretaries and fraternity brother to lead the investigation into the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) during the Aquino administration. In an order issued Tuesday, Aguirre designated Justice Undersecretary Antonio Kho Jr. in charge of a new task force that will “reopen the investigation” into alleged anomalies in the DAP as well as in the use of the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) or pork
barrel of legislators. Kho, who is Aguirre’s fraternity brother in the San Beda College of Law fraternity Lex Talionis, was also tasked to prosecute the pork barrel cases filed by the DOJ during the previous administration. Aguirre said he designated Kho as undersecretary-incharge of the PDAF/DAP scam task force “for purposes of reopening the investigation by the Department of Justice of the anomalies in the Priority Development Assistance Fund and the Disbursement Acceleration Program, in view of the new evidences (sic) discovered and presented.” He gave Kho overall supervi-
sion and oversight over all stages of the investigation and other proceedings that may result, including those before the Office of the Ombudsman where some or all of the complaints may be filed, and those pending before the Sandiganbayan. The new task force replaced the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) task force created by now detained Sen. Leila de Lima when she was justice secretary. Under de Lima’s watch, the DOJ filed plunder complaints against former Senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr., several lawmakers, government officials and employees before the www.canadianinquirer.net
Ombudsman. The Ombudsman filed the charges before Sandiganbayan in 2014, and has been trying the cases since then. Last March, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales dismissed graft charges against former president Benigno Aquino III and Budget Secretary Florencio Abad over the DAP despite a Supreme Court ruling in 2014 that declared the DAP unconstitutional. The Ombudsman merely slapped Abad with a relatively minor criminal charge of encroaching on the powers of the legislative for issuing a budget circular that authorized the use of P72 billion
in savings of certain government agencies to fund socalled priority government projects under DAP. Aguirre told reporters that Kho’s task force will meet with the lawyer of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles to receive any new affidavit and evidence she may submit. “This time, we can assure the public that there will be no selective justice, unlike what happened in the previous administration,” he said. Aguirre earlier claimed Napoles had implicated other senators and officials from the executive department in the P10 billion pork barrel scam. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY JUNE 30, 2017
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Posh villages in Makati, Military changes strategy QC want cell sites out RISING GOVERNMENT LOSSES
in fight against terrorists BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer THE GOVERNMENT’S losses in the Marawi crisis rose to 70 on Sunday, prompting changes in the fighting strategies of the military, which is relatively new to urban warfare. On Monday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana defended the security forces from allegations of two left-leaning groups that women in evacuation centers feared they would be raped by soldiers. “Such a high price to pay for the liberation of Marawi. But we remain undeterred and will carry the fight until our mission is completed,” Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr., spokesperson for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, said in reporting the military death toll. The body count includes soldiers who died while undergoing treatment in hospitals, Padilla said. He said the military had made some changes in its tactics, techniques and procedures “and adopting to the current battlefield environment” because of the large number of soldiers killed and wounded in Marawi City. Jungle warfare
Trained in jungle warfare — fighting communist and Moro insurgents on open battlefields — AFP troops have proven vulnerable to the terrorists’ close-quarter-battle tactics in Marawi City. Making the slog across the city even more difficult for troops is the terrorists’ tactic of using human shields. What should have been a quick clearing operation in May has turned into a siege, which is now in its fifth week, but the soldiers cannot just storm the terrorists’ positions as civilians are trapped in the battle zone. Most of Marawi’s more than 200,000 residents have fled the city and they now jam evacuation centers in Iligan City and surrounding areas. According to Gabriela and Bayan Muna party-list groups, many Maranao women sought refuge in the shelters after soldiers allegedly made open remarks about raping or marrying them. President Duterte had joked that he would take up the cudgels for the soldiers if they were accused of rape during the enforcement of martial law, which he imposed on all of Mindanao to quell the terror threat.
na, the defense chief, challenged leftist organizations and individuals to show evidence against the soldiers and file complaints in the courts “if they can, and not just throw . . . accusations like they are reading lines from their same old propaganda for almost five decades now, which the Filipino people have grown tired of hearing.” Lorenzana described reports about the leftist groups’ claims as “dubious.” Ulterior motive
“The groups who made the report have just exposed their obvious ulterior motive—for the government to fail in the fight against evil in order to advance whatever selfish reasons they have,” Lorenzana said. He said the groups had refused to acknowledge the crimes of their comrades in the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army, “the same groups who conveniently forget that their communist-terrorists colleagues continue to loot, murder, rape and destroy private and public properties in the countryside.” The defense chief said soldiers had been trained in gender sensitivity under the AFP’s gender and development program, which focuses on “participation, empowerment, equity, respect for human rights, freedom from violence and actualization of the fullest human potential not just of soldiers but of the communities where these soldiers operate as well.”
BY ERIKA SAULER Philippine Daily Inquirer HOMEOWNERS IN exclusive villages in Metro Manila have opposed Information and Communications Technology Secretary Rodolfo Salalima’s proposal to penalize associations that block the building of cell sites within their subdivisions. “Attorney Salalima should be reminded that he is no longer the chief legal counsel of Globe Telecom,” the Dasmariñas Village Coalition Advocating Radiation Emission Safety (Dasma Cares) said in a statement on Monday. Residents from Magallanes Village and Forbes Park in Makati City, and La Vista Subdivision in Quezon City also joined the call of Dasma Cares against radiation exposure. They are opposing their respective village associations’ plans to put up outdoor distributed antenna (ODA) systems on their sidewalks. ODAs are designed to distribute cellular signal within an area. They are installed in densely populated areas instead of a single cell tower to enhance wireless reception. According to Dasma Cares, EMF ra-
Military’s high rating
Lorenzana said the propaganda spread by the leftist organizations could have been their response to the high public trust rating of the military. “If it is against the ideology of these groups to support our soldiers, I just hope they will exercise their conscience for our Maranao brothers and sisters — the women, children, indigenous peoples, and the whole community that have become victims of the situation,” he said. Lorenzana urged the groups to “open their minds and hearts to what is really happening and to refrain from spreading rumors and fake news.” ■
Leftist propaganda
In a statement on Monday, Lorenzawww.canadianinquirer.net
diation from cell towers and ODAs has been classified by the World Health Organization as category 2B or possibly carcinogenic, the same category to which synthetic insecticide DDT, lead and exhaust fumes belong. “Dasma started with four ODAs in 2008, now we have 55 to 57. And yet do we have better signal? No. We still have to go outside our [houses] to [get] good signal. But we are being radiated involuntarily 24/7,” Betty Dante Aw of Dasma Cares said in a press briefing. Members of Dasma Cares maintained that no genuine consultation or referendum was called before the ODAs were installed. They added that leasing the sidewalk was prohibited under the Magna Carta for Homeowners and Homeowners’ Associations (Republic Act No. 9904). “We are not against technology,” Aw said, adding, “They should think of new solutions that will not endanger the health of the whole citizenry. They should spend on modern infrastructure and not insist on old solutions.” “Technology and huge profits should take a back seat to consumer health,” the group said. ■
Philippine News
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JUNE 30, 2017
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President Rodrigo Roa Duterte greets Mindanao Development Authority Chairman Abul Khayr Alonto during the Eid'L Fitr Celebration. ACE MORANDANTE / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
Duterte, the ‘reluctant globetrotter’ BY JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer
Russia, and made a quick stop in New Zealand on his way home from Peru.
IT’S A tiring job, but someone’s got to do it. On his first year in office, President Duterte embarked on 21 trips to 17 countries despite his repeated claims that he disliked traveling as it wore him out. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, who described the President as “a reluctant globe-trotter,” said the trips were part of the Chief Executive’s job to build relations with his foreign counterparts. The trips were productive visits whose benefits to the country far outweighed their costs to taxpayers, Palace officials said, citing some $36.8 billion in grants, loans, investment pledges and private businessto-business deals that the country gained as a windfall from these trips. Malacañang has yet to account for the total cost of Mr. Duterte’s travels, but it released in February a breakdown of expenses for 12 of the President’s trips as of December 2016, which totaled P277 million. Documents from other sources showed that the government spent P386.2 million for Mr. Duterte’s foreign trips, excluding the last four trips to Cambodia, Hong Kong, China, and Russia. The Inquirer has a pending freedom of information request on the cost of each of Mr. Duterte’s trips, starting from Laos in September 2016, to Russia in May this year, as well as the names of those included in his delegation for each trip. The President has been to the nine other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean): Laos, Indonesia, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Singapore. He was in Thailand and Cambodia twice. He also visited China twice and made a stop at its special administrative region of Hong Kong. He traveled to Japan, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain and
Chartered flight
The President and his delegation take chartered flights during trips overseas which, Malacañang said, were necessary. “The President’s foreign trips form part of his obligation as head of state to maintain and strengthen the country’s diplomatic and economic ties with other nations,” Malacañang said in a statement. His visits to Asean memberstates are especially important because the Philippines chairs the regional bloc this year, the statement added. “These trips have a longterm positive impact on the business sector. So it’s petty if [people] raise those costs [as an issue],” Lopez told the Inquirer. Agreements, investments
The agreements signed between the Philippines and other countries during the President’s foreign trips covered defense and security cooperation, counterterrorism programs, intelligence sharing, anti-illegal drugs and antitransnational crime operations, cultural exchanges, sports development, science and technology, agriculture and trade. Lopez said that pledges and deals made during these trips were now being translated into action or concrete investments. The bulk of the financial deals, grants, loans, and pledges come from China and Japan. “They’re all moving in different stages,” he said of the projects covered by the deals. Some are in the feasibility study stage, while others are already in the implementation stage, Lopez said, adding that among the investments that have borne fruit is Mitsubishi Motors’ pledge to manufacture its Mirage car model in the Philippines. Mr. Duterte himself unveiled the first Philippine-made Mirage in February, he said.
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Also being implemented is an egg production facility, a project of ISE Foods of Japan in partnership with Jollibee Foods, the trade secretary said. Many of the financial deals would not have been made or offered were it not for the Presi- dent’s presence abroad, Lopez said, citing Mr. Duterte’s first state visit to China in October, which thawed frozen relations between the two countries. The visit led to Beijing immediately lifting the ban on Philippine bananas and mangoes as a show of good faith, Lopez added. Subsequently, Lopez said, Chinese firms ordered $1.7 bil- lion worth of agriculture and nonagriculture products from the country. Mr. Duterte’s trip to Japan last year similarly affirmed the closeness of the two countries’ leaders, and led to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announcing a $9billion aid package for the Philippines during his reciprocal visit to Manila. According to Lopez, the presence of the Philippines’ Chief Executive in a foreign country firms up rapport among the nations involved and builds trust and confidence. This, in turn, expedites the signing of deals between private businesses as it sends the message that the agreements have the support of the Philippine government. “The private sector is more motivated to sign because there is more trust,” Lopez said. When he is overseas, Mr. Duterte also serves as the country’s chief economic ambassador, the trade official said, adding that the President himself usually encourages investors and businesses abroad to buy more Philippine products and come visit the country. This helps balance the perception about the Philippines among foreigners ❱❱ PAGE 13 Duterte, the
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Solon who lost wife in casino attack speaks of pain, brings up theft BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer THE CONGRESSMAN whose wife died in the Resorts World Manila attack broke his silence on Thursday to explain his absence at the just-concluded House inquiry into the June 2 incident and to express his sorrow over his loss. “Grief, sadness and anger continue to torment me. The pain of loss is unexplainable. It is a torture every time I remember that tragic night,” said Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr., reading a prepared statement at another, newly opened House investigation. “Much as I want to participate in the hearings, I have decided, after consulting with my
children, to voluntarily inhibit myself from the committee probes and trust the same to the right people,” he said. Gonzales’ wife Elizabeth Panlilio Gonzales was one of the 37 people who died after inhaling smoke from fires set off by a lone gunman, who stormed the casino hotel, fired shots and set gaming tables ablaze before killing himself in one of the hotel rooms. The House committees on games and amusements, tourism, and public order and safety finished their three-day hearing on the Resorts World attack on Wednesday, where they heard explanations from the casino hotel executives, police and fire bureau officials. Gonzales thanked President Duterte, his colleagues, and lo-
Bloody weekend: Gunmen kill 7 in Metro Manila BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer SEVEN MEN were killed in separate shooting incidents reported over the weekend in Quezon City, Mandaluyong, San Juan and Pasig, the police said. Only two of the seven cases were believed to be drug-related, based on the initial findings of investigators. Aris Domingo, 29, was walking home on Star Street in Barangay Poblacion, Mandaluyong City, at 4:10 p.m. on Saturday when nine men on motorcycles shot him. Domingo, who had just come from a Bible study, was taken to the hospital where he was declared dead on arrival. Barangay Poblacion desk officer Rodolfo Regacho said that Domingo, a former tricycle driver, was a drug user and pusher who had surrendered to officials. In Pasig City, Ramil Enriquez, 43, and Jake Pisarada, 20—both jobless—were at the former’s house on Dr. Pilapil Street, Barangay San Miguel, when a group of men barged in and shot them around 9:30 p.m.
on Sunday. Enriquez died on the spot but Pisarada remains in critical condition. A report from the Eastern Police District said that both men were on the drug watch list. In San Juan City, a man was shot dead while a female boarder was hit by a stray bullet in Barangay West Crame around 8:30 p.m. on Sunday. Angelo Mark Rapista, 24, died due to multiple gunshot wounds while Ainah, 21, a saleslady, remains in the hospital for a gunshot wound in the buttocks. Witnesses said the gunmen wore jackets and face masks. In Quezon City, four men were shot dead on Sunday. They were identified as store owner Ricky Casea, 25; Roel Canibel, 42; Danilo Melchor, 54; and Paolo Nicor. Casea and Nicor were killed as they were standing out in the streets. Canibel was sleeping in his house when armed men barged inside while Melchor was ordering food when he was shot. The police have yet to determine if any of them were involved in drugs. ■
cal officials of Pampanga “for mourning with me at this very difficult time of my life.” “I am also extending my heartfelt condolence and sympathy to the families who have lost their loved ones during the tragedy. I continue to pray for the full recovery of those who were injured and for the healing of us bereaved family,” he said. “It is for this reason that I am one with you all in wanting these hearings to be fruitful so that this kind of incident will no longer be repeated.” Through a colleague, the congressman reported to the committees on Wednesday that his wife’s Rolex watch, credit card and ATM card were taken from her body, and that the stolen ATM card was later used to withdraw P20,500 from her ac-
Pampanga Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr. (center). AURELIO "DONG" D. GONZALES JR. / FACEBOOK
count three days after she died. Gonzales again brought up the alleged theft during a new House inquiry he attended on Thursday regarding the recent technical glitches that hit the Bank of the Philippine Islands and Banco de Oro, Demanding an explanation, he said his wife’s account with Rizal Commercial Banking
Corp. reflected three withdrawals between 6:15 p.m. and 6:16 p.m. of June 5. The first two withdrawals were for P10,000 each, while the last was for P500, for a total of P20,500 (not P25,000 as mistakenly reported by Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, who first mentioned the transactions on Wednesday). ■
Supt. Marcos part of Duterte ‘death squad,’ says Trillanes BY CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO AND PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer SEN. ANTONIO Trillanes IV alleged on Thursday that Supt. Marvin Marcos was part of a death squad targeting drug suspects and acting on orders of President Duterte. The death squad allegedly involved classmates of Marcos in the Philippine National Police Academy class 1996, and led by Supt. Edilberto Leonardo, according to Trillanes. Leonardo, who used to be assigned in the Davao city police, is said to be close to presidential son Paolo Duterte, he said. Trillanes expressed his belief that Mr. Duterte was behind the Department of Justice downgrade—from double murder to homicide—of the charges against Marcos and 18 other policemen in the killing of Albuera Mayor Rolando Espinosa and another detainee, Raul Yap, in a predawn raid on the Baybay, Leyte, subprovincial jail in November last year. The downgrade allowed the www.canadianinquirer.net
officers to post bail. Espinosa had been tagged as a major drug dealer by Mr. Duterte, who has been waging a bloody war against drugs. The police team claimed it was serving an arrest warrant on Espinosa, who was under the protective custody of the Baybay police, on drug charges. Speaking at the Kapihan sa Senado forum, Trillanes recalled that Mr. Duterte had sought the reinstatement of Marcos and his men after they were relieved by PNP Director General Ronald de la Rosa. The killing of Espinosa happened upon the return of the officers to their posts. Trillanes said the President also made statements that he was standing by Marcos and his men who had in turn insisted that Espinosa was killed in a shootout. Asked if he has evidence that Mr. Duterte ordered the downgrade, Trillanes said: “For me, you just put two and two together.” Trillanes said it was clear during the Senate hearing on the incident—even to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and the senators—that the case was murder. He said he had information that Marcos’ group and some
of his classmates were the ones “executing the extrajudicial killings” under the Duterte administration. The death squad was allegedly formed shortly after Mr. Duterte won the presidency and that its “point person” was Leonardo, Trillanes said. Leonardo and other policemen allegedly involved in the death squad were included in the communication sent by Jude Sabio, lawyer of self-confessed assassin Edgar Matobato, to the office of the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, seeking an investigation into the alleged mass murders under Mr. Duterte’s bloody war against drugs. Trillanes said Leonardo was the version of retired SPO4 Sonny Buenaventura, the driver and bodyguard of then Mayor Duterte, who allegedly was the point person of the Davao Death Squad. “In the PNP, they have men in different police stations,” Trillanes said, adding that his information came from “senior commanders of these policemen who are not involved in these activities.” ■
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President alive... The President appeared in good shape and spoke extemporaneously during a nationally televised address on Tuesday evening at Malacañang’s Eid al-Fitr celebration marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan. “Being out of the public eye, that is when he is really able to do office work. He signs papers. He reads. He consults. He’s actually very busy,” Abella said. “The thing that is very important to note is that he’s on top of every situation. He is aware of what’s happening. He’s updated regularly,” Abella said. “He reads. He views … He listens to this and he is quite aware,” he added.
Aussie spy planes to join fray in Marawi
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No public appearance
His absence starting last week was the second time this month that Mr. Duterte has not made any public appearance for days. The President, who is 72 years old, missed the Independence Day celebrations at Rizal Park in Manila on June 12 and remained out of the public eye until June 16, raising concerns about his health. At that time, Abella said Mr. Duterte needed “some time off to rejuvenate” after spending 23 days on the road to oversee the implementation of martial law, declared on May 23 in Mindanao, following the siege of Marawi City by Islamic Stateinspired militants. “I’m saying that there is nothing to worry about in terms of sickness, major sickness. Considering the schedule that he has given, he
BY JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE AND LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer
PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
needs to rest,” Abella said. “He’s just taking some time off to rejuvenate … Tired. He’s just tired. Like I said, he has been on the road for about 23 days,” he said. Photo releases
On June 16, the Palace released photos of the President working at Bahay Pagbabago in Malacañang and in Villamor Air Base as he was about to leave for Davao for the weekend. The President then visited wounded government troops in Cagayan de Oro City and Marawi evacuees in Iligan on June 20 and was not seen again in public until Tuesday. Abella said on June 22 that Mr. Duterte’s rest period was “not yet over,” adding that it was the President’s “work mode” or “style” to do his work out of the public eye for several days. “And again, you know, this is just his, like we said, working style and it was not meant to cast aspersions upon anybody. But this is the way he works,” Abella said on Tuesday. Health rumors
Known for his busy sched-
ule and lengthy speeches, often several times a day, Mr. Duterte’s low profile has fueled rumors he is in declining health and that the government is trying to keep that under wraps. Mr. Duterte’s known ailments include back problems, migraines due to nerve damage after a motorcycle accident and Barrett’s esophagus, which impacts his throat. He also suffers from Buerger’s disease, caused by his heavy smoking in younger days, which can cause blockages in the blood vessels. His aides have recently said he has been experiencing fatigue. His closest aide, Christopher “Bong” Go, on June 15 posted images on social media of Mr. Duterte signing documents and standing in front of a television showing a news bulletin, adding further fuel to rumors that something was wrong. Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Filipinos should not be concerned. “The public should not worry,” he told dzMM radio. “Our President is healthy.” ■
Warning aired vs e-passport with altered materials BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer FILIPINOS TRAVELING abroad may run into trouble due to alleged unauthorized changes in materials and security features of the new digital passport, according to an anticorruption watchdog. Lawyer Argee Guevarra, a co-founder of the Action for Good Governance, said a private firm contracted by stateowned printer APO Production
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Unit Inc. has been producing e-passports with materials different from what had been used previously. This may lead immigration authorities abroad to suspect OFWs of using spurious travel documents, said Guevarra, also a former member of the militant group Sanlakas. “The unique formulation and design of these materials are security features in themselves, much like the paper and ink used for Philippine currency,” Guevarra said in his statement.
The lawyer said changes in the materials used in manufacturing e-passports should be authorized by APO and the Department of Foreign Affairs. Altering the material of epassports, he said, may prompt the documents “to be mistaken as fake.” Such would be “a nightmare” for OFWs who may end up jobless or detained in foreign lands, according to Guevarra. He asked Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano to look into the issue. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
THE AUSTRALIAN air force would be flying two spy planes over Marawi’s battle zones to help troops who have been trying to dislodge Islamic State (IS) linked fighters from the Islamic city for a month now, officials said on Friday. “We would gladly welcome any form of foreign assistance allowed under our Constitution to help suppress the rebellion in Marawi,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in reaction to Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne’s statement of her government’s military aid to Manila. Payne said on Friday that the Philippines had accepted Australia’s offer of two AP-3C Orion aircraft from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). “The regional threat from terrorism, in particular from Daesh and foreign fighters, is a direct threat to Australia and our interests,” Payne said in a statement, using an Arabic acronym for IS. She said that she recently spoke with Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on how Australia could help in the fight against terrorists. “We agreed the best way to defeat terrorism in our region is for us to work together,” she said. Australia has an extensive security cooperation program with the Philippines. The United States, a defense treaty ally of the Philippines, has been flying the same type of aircraft in addition to drones operated by US Special Forces in support of ground troops who have been battling the Abu Sayyaf and Maute groups, and their local and foreign allies since their siege of Marawi began on May 23. Boost to anti-IS operations
Brig. Gen. Gilbert Gapay, deputy commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command, said the Australian planes would be a boost to the military operations against the IS-linked gunmen. “In every military operation, the intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance capability
is very important,” Gapay said in a press briefing in Davao City. The spy planes could also be used “in all other [military] operations in Mindanao,” he added, without elaborating. Orions are capable of land and maritime surveillance, antisubmarine and antiship warfare, and naval fleet support. These planes are used by the RAAF in providing support for border protection and fisheries patrols in Southeast Asia and the Pacific. They are often used for maritime search and rescue operations and had been used extensively in the search for a missing Malaysian Airlines jet that crashed in waters off Australia in 2014, according to the RAAF. Philippine defense officials said the planes would be used for two weeks after the two sides agreed on when they would start the surveillance flights. They said there would be no need to embed the Australian military personnel who would be involved in the operation with Filipino troops. In her statement, Payne also said Australia would continue to work with its partners in Southeast Asia to counter terrorism in the region. The announcement of the Australian military aid came a day after Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and his Malaysian and Indonesian counterparts, and their senior military and security officials held talks in Manila on a joint plan of action to halt the flow of militants, weapons, funds and IS propaganda in the region. “The three countries have agreed to work together to jointly develop and implement counterterrorism and [other] measures and strategies,” said Abella, who was in Davao with Gapay. “Let us underline that their joint aim—the end game—is to prevent the establishment of operational bases in Southeast Asia,” he said. The military operations and the martial law declaration in the whole of Mindanao “have actually preempted the establishment of a wilayat,” Abella said, using the Arabic term for province, which the IS had planned to establish in Mindanao as part of its caliphate. ■
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Fariñas mulls charges vs Ilocos Norte board members BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES Philippines News Agency MANILA — Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas is planning to file graft charges against the members of the Ilocos Norte Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial council) for declaring him persona non grata in the province. In a group message to House reporters, Fariñas said members of the provincial board cannot declare him or any Filipino citizen a persona non grata, noting that such declaration only applies to aliens or foreigners in the context of diplomatic relations. Fariñas said he would file cases against the eight Ilocos Norte Sangguniang Panlalawigan members for causing him “undue injury thru evident bad faith”. “I will file cases against them for damages for the violation of
my constitutional rights, as well as for a violation of the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act for causing me undue injury thru evident bad faith,” he said. “I am a citizen of this country and no one, especially sangguniang panlalawigan members, can declare me, or any other citizen of this country, a persona non grata. Not even convicted criminals are declared as such,” he added. Fariñas said the persona non grata declaration of the provincial council in terms of nondiplomatic usage would only be construed as a form of “ostracizing” against him. “Such a person is for all intents and purposes culturally shunned, so as to be figuratively non-existent. That is what those eight have done to me,” he added. This is the recent development after six Ilocos Norte government officials have been in House detention since May 29 for their “contemptuous act of
giving evasive answers”. Through Fariñas’ House Resolution No 882, the committee on good government and public accountability has been conducting an investigation into the provincial government’s alleged misuse of tobacco excise funds amounting to PHP66.45 million. The six Ilocos Norte officials currently detained at the Batasan Complex in Quezon City are provincial treasurer Josephine Calajate; provincial budget officer Evangeline Tabulog; provincial planning and development office chair Pedro Agcaoili; and Provincial Treasurer’s Office employees Genedine Jambaro, Encarnacion Gaor, and Eden Battulayan. The mode used in the purchase of vehicles was through cash advances, using the province’s share from excise taxes derived from locally produced cigarettes or the special support fund under Republic Act No.7171.
Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas with DOH Sec. Paulyn Ubial. AURELIO "DONG" D. GONZALES JR. / FACEBOOK
Under RA 7171, the 15 percent share of Virginia tobacco producing provinces shall be allotted for livelihood projects and infrastructure projects as a special support for tobacco farmers. Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos was subpoenaed last month to attend the fourth hearing on July 25 after she repeatedly snubbed the House panel’s invitations. Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, chairman of the House committee on good government and public accountability, said the arrest and detention of Marcos will be “sure
as the sun rising tomorrow” if the latter continues to snub the fourth House hearing. “We had the chamber prepared right after Governor Marcos publicly declared that she will dodge our July 25 hearing, despite our subpoena and show cause order compelling her to explain satisfactorily why she should not be held in contempt for her brazen defiance,” Pimentel said. “She’ll be okay in detention, though she might miss certain luxuries, considering the high life she’s accustomed to,” he added. ■
Duterte most-traveled but also most productive — Palace BY CIELITO M. REGANIT Philippines News Agency MANILA — Malacañang on Tuesday said that while President Rodrigo Duterte may be the most-traveled president in his first year in office, it could not be denied that his foreign trips have also won the country a record-breaking sum in terms of trade and investment pledges as well as stronger diplomatic ties. “Totoo naman na most traveled at totoo rin naman na ang nagastos ay nasa mga PHP300 million na sa mahigit 21 biyahe.
Pero siguro ang mahalaga dito tingnan natin iyong cost benefits analysis natin, iyong ROI (return on investment),” Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a radio interview aired over DZMM. “Kasi kung ikaw ay may negosyo, kung ang isang piso mo, eh ang palit naman ay isang libo eh siguro nagtatalon ka na sa tuwa. At iyon naman ang nangyari sa lahat ng biyahe ng Pangulo, nakapag-uwi siya ng more than USD 35 billion. Kumbaga, bukod doon sa investment na nakuha ng Pangulo, talagang napakataas naman talaga itong one year, record-breaking,” he said.
Part of the said amount will fund the various big-ticket infrastructure projects of the government that includes the Manila-Clark railway, the NAIA-Quezon City subway and the Mindanao Railway Project among others. “For every infrastructure project, may trabahong siguradong maibibigay sa Pilipino at iikot ang ekonomiya, mas lalago, mas tataas ang GDP (gross domestic product),” Andanar pointed out. At the same time, the Palace official said the foreign visits have allowed President Duterte to strengthen bilateral ties with other countries.
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“Hindi mo malalagyan ng halaga iyong relationship na na-build mo doon sa mga bansa na napuntahan mo. Iyon relationship na iyon hindi mo mabayaran, iyong people-to-people relationship. Nailagay muli ang bansa natin sa mapa, sa international stage na tayo ay pinapansin muli,” Andanar said. Earlier media reports have said that the government spent PHP386.2 million on Duterte’s foreign trips, excluding the cost of his last 4 trips to Cambodia, Hong Kong, China and Russia. Andanar said the government welcomed the media scrutiny of government’s expenses, say-
ing this is provided under the Freedom of Information order that Duterte signed last year. He added that President Duterte signed Executive Order No. 2 to promote transparency. “Transparency po talaga ay isa sa mga sandata ng ating mamamayan para mas mulat ang ating bansa. Mas gusto nga namin maraming gumamit niyang Freedom of Information na iyan, para lahat ng impormasyon na lumabas at walang pagdududa. At kung meron mang mga anomalya na makita diyan eh kasuhan agad at tanggalin agad kung sinuman iyong mga opisyal na in charge diyan,” Andanar said. ■
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Transparency kinks despite EO BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT DUTERTE signed an executive order on the freedom of information a year ago, but the document has created unintended consequences— certain information being kept under wraps or delays in its release. Ironically, the government had released data, including SALNs of officials and the costs of the President’s trips overseas, more readily before the EO on FOI took effect. The order provides for 15 working days within which government offices must respond to a request. President Duterte’s issuance of an executive order on freedom of information (FOI) was a much-lauded move and a step in the right direction, but it has had “unintended consequences” that have not always led to greater transparency. Executive Order No. 2, signed on July 23, 2016, and implemented for about seven months now, has laid down a policy of full public disclosure and transparency in public service to promote accountability, and sets the guidelines for requesting and releasing information from offices under the executive branch. Subsequent issuances laid down exceptions to transparency and the administrative penalties for government officers who would not abide by these. Congress, LGUs not covered
The executive order (EO) does not cover the legislature, judiciary and even local government units (LGUs), though it encourages them to observe the order. Assistant Presidential Communications Secretary Kris Ablan, who oversees the implementation of the FOI policy,
said it had been a success so far despite some bumps along the way, including the fact that a little over half of requests sent through the electronic portal were rejected. Many of the requests were denied not because people asked for confidential information that fell under the exceptions to transparency, but because they asked the wrong government agency for the data, Ablan said. He said successful requests from students, professionals and government employees attested to the usefulness of the FOI program. Info under wraps, delays
step forward and then two steps backward. If you already disclosed information in the past to foreigners and you disclosed it to them because they might invest in the Philippines, continue disclosing it,” he said. The FOI is a tool, not a reason to withhold information, he stressed. Ablan also noted that the release of information had not always been as quick as it could be under the FOI. 15 working days
The EO on FOI provides for 15 working days within which government offices must respond to a request. In many cases, the offices use up the 15 days before issuing a response. They don’t have to do this and should release the data as soon as possible, Ablan said. He pointed to the example of the Career Executive Service Board, which promised to release information in seven days. Malacañang may release a memorandum circular remind-
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte poses with injured soldiers who were flown to Manila using the presidential plane. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
granted days after the April 30 deadline for filing these. But the case has been different in the Duterte administration.
But in an interview with the Inquirer, Ablan acknowlPending SALN requests edged that the FOI executive The Malacañang Press Corps policy had “unintended consehas a pending request at the quences” that led to informaOffice of the President for tion being kept under wraps or the Cabinet secretaries’ lattaking longer to be released as est SALNs. As of mid-June, or it passed through the bureaumore than a month after it was cracy. filed, the request has yet to be These would be addressed as granted. the Presidential CommunicaIn a June 1 letter, the Malacations Operations ñang Records Office (PCOO) Office said the irons out the SALNs were still kinks in the proundergoing a gram, he said. We had to tell them, hey, we can’t “review process” use the FOI to go one step forward Ironically, in under the review and then two steps backward. some cases, govand compliance ernment agenprocedures of cies had released the SALN, disinformation closure of busimore readily before the EO on ing government offices that ness interests and financial FOI took effect. they don’t have to take all of 15 connections, and identification and disclosure of relatives. This days to act, he said. BOI case There have also been con- is pursuant to Section 10 of the Ablan cited the case of the cerns that with the FOI, gov- Code of Conduct and Ethical Board of Investments (BOI). ernment offices are no longer Standards for Public Officials Before the EO, the agency had proactive in releasing informa- and Employees, it said. But the same law states that been providing certain data, tion and are just reacting to reall statements filed under it, even to foreigners who could be quests. potential investors. During the Aquino adminis- which includes SALNs, “shall After the FOI policy was put tration, Malacañang had read- be made available for copying in place, the BOI wondered if it ily disclosed the costs of the or reproduction after 10 workcould still disclose information President’s overseas trips right ing days from the time they are since the FOI was only for Fili- from the start. Requests for filed as required by law.” pino citizens. statements of assets, liabili“We had to tell them, hey, ties and net worth (SALNs) of President’s trips overseas we can’t use the FOI to go one Cabinet officials had also been Malacañang also disclosed
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the costs of President Duterte’s 2016 overseas trips only in February this year, despite earlier queries from the media. Not long after, it granted media requests for the costs. An Inquirer FOI request for the costs of all of the President’s trips up to May 2017 is still pending. Ablan was asked why Malacañang didn’t just release these data on its own initiative in the name of transparency, even without an FOI request, especially since he himself noted that these were the subjects of frequent inquiries through the eFOI portal. He said the PCOO was trying to continue the “open data” program started by the Aquino administration that provided for “proactive disclosure” of information even without requests. “We need to remind them that FOI is not just ask then answer, but proactive disclosure. We at the PCOO are advocating proactive disclosure. We’re telling them, you disclose it already like you did in the past because it lessens the workload,” he said. This will take some time, though he is optimistic that this ❱❱ PAGE 14 Transparency kinks
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Philippine rebels escape from school after hostages freed THE ASSOCIATED PRESS KIDAPAWAN, PHILIPPINES — Muslim rebels fled after freeing dozens of hostages from a school in a southern Philippine village on Wednesday and were being pursued by army troops, as a daylong crisis eased in in the volatile region, officials said. Gunmen from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters prepared to attack troop and militiamen outposts but were repelled by government forces early Wednesday, prompting them to seize villagers as human shields in Malagakit village in North Cotabato province, military officials said. At least four rebels were killed and two government militiamen were wounded in the fighting, which caused nearly 1,000 villagers in Malagakit and two nearby villages to flee to safety, the officials said. The retreating gunmen, estimated by the military and police to number from 200 to 300, later occupied a Malagakit grade school building, where
they sporadically traded shots with troops up to nightfall, said local army spokesman Capt. Arvin Encinas. During a lull in the gunbattle, 31 people, including a dozen children, were either allowed to dash to freedom or escaped from the school. Other captives in the school and more 20 other residents who were trapped in their houses later were taken to safety by troops, officials said. The gunmen managed to escape from the school after freeing the hostages and the other captives were rescued, Encinas said. “While our troops were slowly approaching, they fled and left behind the civilians that they held as hostages,” he said. The rebels may have taken advantage of a massive military offensive against militants aligned with the Islamic State group who have laid siege to the southern city of Marawi, and plotted to attack military targets elsewhere, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said at a news conference. “They were taking advantage of the situation that we have a
very lightly defended outpost and that they think our forces are elsewhere in the province,” Padilla said. “But that is not the case, our forces are spread all over. We may be facing many fronts ... but we’ve properly assigned our forces.” Rebel spokesman Abu Misry Mamah acknowledged in a radio interview that his group staged the attack, but said they only took hold of some villagers to protect them during the gunbattle. The rebels broke off from the largest Muslim rebel group several years ago to protest peace talks with the government. Weakened by battle setbacks, some commanders have aligned themselves with the Islamic State group in the hope of securing funding from the Middle East-based group, according to the military. Last month, about 500 militants seized Marawi, a mosque-dotted centre of the Islamic faith in the south of the predominantly Roman Catholic nation. The attack followed an army and police raid on a hideout that failed to capture a
International confab calls for sustainable tourism BY JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer THE INTERNATIONAL Conference on Tourism Statistics, conducted by the United Nations World Tourism-Organization (UNWTO), concluded in Pasay City yesterday with a call of action for measuring sustainable tourism. Following six sessions in the past three days, some 700 foreign and local delegates from over 60 countries called for the development and implementation of a statistical framework that includes economic, environmental and social dimensions in global, national and subnational levels. The UNWTO defines sustainable tourism as one “that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and
environment impacts; addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.” Rapporteur Tadayuki Hara, tourism undersecretary Benito Bengzon Jr., Philippine Statistics Authority chief Liza Grace Bersales, and UNWTO executive director for operational programs and institutional relations Marcio Favilla presided over the closing ceremony. At the third session on Thursday, employment was tackled as key aspect of sustain- able tourism. The main presenter, Igor Chernyshev spoke about employment in tourism as one of the crucial pillars in measuring sustainable tourism in his paper “Employment, Green Jobs and Sustainable Tourism.” Chernyshev, a consultant of the International Labor Organization and UNWTO, said
tourism development should be handled carefully as it works to improve a country’s economy and social well-being. He said there was a critical need to “develop tourism products with a sustainable focus, helping to fit in with the local environment and ensure its preservation.” Another presenter, Roxana Arguedas of the Costa Rican Institute of Tourism said “tourism is a big area to measure; hence, the need for a good methodology.” Referring to her country experience, she proposed a social progress index (SPI) methodology as “a tool for measuring and understanding the well-being of the residents of tourist destinations to improve the way the public-private agendas are set in order to support social progress and inclusive and sustainable economic growth.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
Eastern Mindanao Command Deputy Commander, BGen. Gilbert Gapay, announces that law enforcement agencies have thwarted the spillover of the terrorism in Eastern Mindanao RENE B. LUMAWAG/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
top militant suspect. Philippine troops, backed by airstrikes, have been fighting street battles to wrest back control of four areas in the city’s business district. At least 258 militants, 65 soldiers and police and 26 civilians have been killed and more than 300,000 villagers have fled from Marawi and outlying towns. The U.S. military in recent weeks deployed a P3 Orion aircraft to provide surveillance for troops battling more than 100 gunmen holding an unspecified number of hostages in Marawi.
President Rodrigo Duterte, despite having an antagonistic stance toward Washington, has acknowledged the U.S. assistance is helping save lives. The attack has sparked fears that the Islamic State group, while losing territory in Syria and Iraq, may be gaining a foothold in Southeast Asia. Duterte declared martial law in the entire Mindanao region to deal with the Marawi crisis. ■ Associated Press writers Jim Gomez and Teresa Cerojano in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report.
Duterte, the... who may have formed an opinion about the country based on what they have read from foreign media, Lopez said, referring to critical stories about the administration’s bloody war on drugs. The foreign trips also result in agreements in other areas that strengthen the nation’s ties with other countries and open the door for more cooperation in the future, he added. “We feel that the trips get a lot of mileage,” Lopez said. ❰❰ 8
Duterte’s delegations
The trade official shrugged off questions about the large delegation and the number of nonofficials who joined the President’s party during his trips abroad. “It projects an image that this is a solid government,” Lopez said. The President’s large delegation in his foreign trips came under scrutiny after the
country’s top security officials joined him in Moscow and were unable to respond immediately when fighting between government forces and pro-Islamic State militants erupted in Marawi in May. The incident led to Mr. Duterte cutting short his state visit to Russia and placing Mindanao under martial law. Former President Fidel Ramos said some officials turned the trip into a “junket,” but Malacanang said it was important for key members of the administration to be with the Chief Executive for the Moscow visit. Every time he goes out of the Philippines, the country’s welfare is on top of the President’s mind, Malacañang said. “At 72, the President has subjected himself to a grueling schedule of foreign travels in his desire to advance the national interest in the global community of nations,” Malacañang added. ■
Opinion
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JUNE 30, 2017
FRIDAY
PUBLIC LIVES
The Maute Group and the Islamic State By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer One of the key issues the Supreme Court will be deliberating on in the coming days is whether there was rebellion or invasion in Marawi or any other part of Mindanao prior to the May 23 proclamation of martial law in the whole region. As the only valid grounds for martial law recognized by the 1987 Constitution, rebellion and invasion have specific legal meanings. The use of public violence to sow fear in pursuit of political goals—or what has come to be called “terrorism”—does not, by itself, constitute rebellion or invasion. Indeed, not even the existence of armed groups aiming to seize state power, and engaging government forces in intermittent encounters, is seen as a sufficient ground for declaring martial law. Armed separatist rebels and communist insurgents have fought the established government in this country for a long time. Obviously their mere existence is not a sufficient justification for martial law. Indeed, martial law is considered a tool of last resort, which the state is compelled to use, usually in the context of civil war or foreign invasion, in order to ensure its own survival. The implication is that a state of lawlessness exists, which has reached such a level that the
Does the presence of a hand- Maranao—who have had the most usual organs of government are no longer able to function to ensure ful of Indonesians and Malaysians extensive connection with moderpublic order or safety. Our Consti- among the Maute militants signify nity. Maranao traders dominate tution does not permit the use of the same kind of international- the retail business in cell phones martial law to reform society, or ization that the IS has seemed to and electronic gadgets, pearl jewto prevent rebellion by extirpating project in Iraq and Syria since June elry and imitation branded clothes, its roots, as Ferdinand Marcos pro- 2014? How easy is it for foreign ji- at Metro Manila’s shopping malls. fessed to do in 1972. Such reasons hadis to enter Marawi and join the They may be found in almost every Maute band that is now battling big town of the country plying their pave the way to a dictatorship. But, having said that, the ques- government forces? And perhaps, made-in-China wares at weekend tions raised by the fighting in most important of all, how much and night markets. The Maute family itself is known Marawi could be more complex support does the vision of an Isthan the discussion of the legal is- lamic caliphate have among the to be prosperous and influential, sues at the Supreme Court might people of Marawi and Lanao del with properties in Mindanao and Manila. It is common for big clans permit. Foremost of these is the Sur? like the Mautes actual relationwho live and do ship and involvebusiness in Mindment of the Maute Our Constitution does not permit the use of martial anao to maintain a Group with Abu law to reform society, or to prevent rebellion by private army, just Bakr al-Baghdadi’s extirpating its roots, as Ferdinand Marcos professed to as it is customary Islamic State. do in 1972. for Moro men to The waving of own guns. Seven the IS black banIt is important to find the an- Maute sons are known to lead the ner by the Maute militants might signal their identification with the swers to these questions in order to family’s private army. An interestvision of an Islamic caliphate pro- gain a fuller understanding of the ing Reuters report appearing in moted by al-Baghdadi—“a state events that led to the protracted the June 24 Inquirer quotes from where the Arab and non-Arab, the war in Marawi that has caused the an interview with Joseph Franco, a white man and black man, the east- deaths of hundreds of people and research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam erner and westerner are all broth- the displacement of almost all of School of International Studies in ers … Syria is not for the Syrians, the city’s more than 200,000 resi- Singapore. Franco asserts that the and Iraq is not for the Iraqis. The dents. Notwithstanding its formal Maute family began to claim links to Earth is Allah’s.” But, is it enough designation as an Islamic City, the IS after it got embroiled in a conbasis to conclude that the IS has Marawi seems the most unlikely flict with Mayor Dimnatang Pansar found a new army in Marawi that is place in which to found an IS front. of the nearby town of Butig over Amongall the ethnic groups of public works contracts. This discommitted to establish a caliphate governed by the strict enforcement Mindanao, it is probably the Moros pute led to a full-blown rido or clan of Lanao—the business-minded war. Franco says that the Mautes of Sharia law?
used the IS connection mainly to “spook and coerce the Pansars.” This is a fascinating angle. It offers an insight into the complex mix of motives that fuel political violence and link local family feuds to the global circuits of terrorism. “That tactical use of terrorist imagery took on a life of its own. Now we have this Maute Group, who call themselves IS Ranao,” Franco tells Reuters. I doubt if the people of Marawi were aware of the IS in their midst before May 23. And, quite possibly, neither was the military. Yet today, the IS is on everyone’s lips. Its capacity to wage a sustained urban guerrilla war and to inflict huge casualties on government forces has made the Mautes the most dreaded extremist group in Mindanao. The unintended consequence of unleashing the power of martial law to defeat them is to give this ragtag army a stage on which they can prove their fighting prowess and to which they can draw jihadis in quest of meaning, a cause, or a place in paradise. It brings no gratification to say this. But, one can imagine how the opening of war fronts everywhere pleases those who recoil against the anaesthetization of politics through peace, and dream of the establishment of a just and better order through permanent strife. ■
There is no absolute right and the data privacy act is mainly intended to protect personal information, Liboro said in a recent FOI forum sponsored by the PCOO. Since the FOI policy was just based on an EO and not a law, agencies could add to the exceptions that the Palace had laid down if they think there was a basis for this, Ablan said. He said concerns about too many exceptions to the FOI were among the challenges that the PCOO was facing. Another was the penalties for violating the EO, which were considered too light.
searchers, but for all Filipinos, including ordinary ones, Ablan said. But even with these gains from the landmark program, Ablan said greater success would be achieved if an FOI law was in place. The PCOO is joining transparency advocates in urging Congress to approve the bill to put the FOI in place. When Mr. Duterte signed the EO on FOI, the Palace had expected that Congress would follow suit and pass the draft law. Ablan said the PCOO was working with the Office of the President for its FOI program to be mentioned in Mr. Duterte’s second State of the Nation Address in July to spur Congress to work on the counterpart bill. “All of us want the FOI program to succeed. In order to have a real effective FOI, it has to include everyone,” he said. ■
Transparency kinks... ❰❰ 12
is the direction where the practice is heading.
Data privacy act
“Some of the agencies are seeing the logic of just disclosing the information immediately so that there would be no need to strain the front lines,” Ablan said. In some instances, government agencies are wary of violating the data privacy act or disclosing incorrect information or because they could face administrative liabilities, the harshest being dismissal from government service, he said. “They have this fear now that they will be liable. I think that’s the difference before, there was no liability,” he said. Raymond Liboro, head of the National Privacy Commission, said the data privacy act did not necessarily clash with the FOI policy.
Manuals, eFOI portal
As of June 15, 151 out of 222 national government agencies, including all 22 departments, had come up with their own FOI manuals, which the PCOO had asked them to do because the processes and the needs of
each office are different. Not all of them have joined the eFOI portal that allows citizens to file request for information online. Ablan said the PCOO was hoping to include all departments by November. The top five agencies with the most number of requests through the eFOI portal are the Philippine Statistics Authority, Department of Health, Department of Budget and Management, Department of Transportation and PCOO. Sharing information is much easier and more efficient through the online portal. Under the manual system, if a person makes a request, he or she is the only one who sees the data. But under the eFOI system, the agency can post the requested information online so that others may view this as well. This will spare the agency from answering similar requests repeatedly, he said. www.canadianinquirer.net
Despite some challenges in its implementation, the EO on FOI has helped level the playing field and empowered citizens by providing them the information that they want and need, said Ablan. Before, those who need to get data from government offices would have to rely on knowing someone on the inside, this time any citizen could make a request and be assured of a response, he said. Student Franz Zulueta
One of cases Ablan cited was that of student Franz Zulueta, who wanted to do an accountability check. Zulueta requested and received a copy of the concession agreement between the Light Rail Transit Authority and the Light Rail Manila Corp. for the LRT 1 project. The successful request showed that the FOI was not just for journalists and re-
Opinion
FRIDAY JUNE 30, 2017
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AT LARGE
Mocha’s ‘boss’ By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer ASKED ABOUT his working relationship with Mocha Uson, blogger, self-proclaimed “sex guru” and now part of the government communications machinery, Secretary Martin Andanar of the Presidential Communications Operations Office turns bureaucratic. “She works for me,” he says. “She’s my assistant secretary.” I admit to feeling my brow muscles lift a bit at this, since Uson doesn’t strike me as the self-effacing sort, save maybe in front of her “Tatay Digong.” Asked about the dance group leader’s role in his administration, the President cited his “utang na loob” (deep gratitude) for her support for him even before he was an official presidential candidate. Certainly, she is the most visible among the President’s communications team, eclipsing even his official
spokesperson, Secretary Ernesto Abella. Andanar and Uson currently cohost a daily podcast, called the “DDS Podcast” and meant to communicate directly with the mass audience of Filipinos here and abroad. Some may wonder at the use of the acronym “DDS,” since it first surfaced as a euphemism for “Davao Death Squad,” a purported group of assassins who targeted, at first, communist urban guerrillas, but who eventually broadened its targets to include critics of then Mayor Duterte. Wielded as a bludgeon against Mr. Duterte to pin him down on human rights violations, the term “DDS” was instead adopted by his followers as a badge of honor. Reports have it that the “new” or “alternative” DDS was created in 2011 as the “Duterte Defense Squad.” Other meanings that have since emerged were “Digong Duterte Supporters” and “Duterte’s Destiny is
to Serve the Country” (rather awkward phrasing, that). Whatever, Andanar and Uson have apparently embraced the DDS as a quick and easy identifier for their show. ———— When our media group seemed a wee bit skeptical about Uson’s true role as a Duterte official, Andanar, himself a former broadcaster, explained that it all had to do with “ratings.” “She has a huge following,” the secretary said of Uson. “Ernie (Abella) and I may be the official voices and faces for policy issues and politics, but surveys tell us that we aren’t reaching the majority of our people.” Instead, he said, they rely on Mocha to convey the gist of policy discussions to the mass audience. But Uson is also a lightning rod for both favorable and unfavorable reactions, the latter ranging from criticisms of her penchant for “fake news” to
outright slut shaming. What Andanar wants the media to focus on for now is not his assistant secretary but, rather, the good news on the economy. Even nonbelievers in “Dutertenomics” concede that business is “on a roll,” as press materials put it. The upward trajectory established during the Aquino administration has continued, with GDP growing by 7.1 percent in the third quarter of 2016. The construction boom of the last few years continues. ———— But there are clouds on the horizon. Despite making a lot of economic sense, tax reform or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act is drawing a number of brickbats. Consumers are alarmed at the implications of proposed excise taxes on salt- and sugarheavy food products, which are particularly popular among Filipino households, even the poor.
For his part, Andanar says the tax reform package will eradicate taxes for those on the lower fringes of wage earners, and cut income tax even for middle and upper-middle employees. “Only the top 1 percent would see their income taxes rise,” he claims. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to Andanar’s media strategy is the “product” he is selling—the President himself. Indeed, it seems to me that most of his and Abella’s work consists of reinterpreting, redefining, and softening Mr. Duterte’s more provocative, expletive-laden statements. That in itself is quite a heavy responsibility. No amount of fake news, exaggeration, euphemism and gimmicks can cover up the injudicious words coming out of the mouth of a leader who often goes offscript and ends up blaming the media for the “misunderstanding.” ■
LOOKING BACK
Who said Bonifacio overslept? By Ambeth R. Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer FAKE NEWS in the Philippines is not new. If one takes the trouble to trace the sources that contribute to the construction of Philippine history as we know it, one will find some glaring examples of once esteemed sources proven false. A manuscript, written in Katipunan code, acquired by the National Library in October 1927 from one David Cortes of Sta. Cruz, Laguna, was published in 1930 as “Pinagtatalunang Akta ng Katipunan.” Some Katipuneros pronounced the document spurious, others claimed it was authentic but with some factual errors. Some held that the decoded manuscript was completely false to mislead the Spaniards. To flush out the truth, T. M. Kalaw published these “controversial” minutes, declaring: “Therefore, speak! Those who like to contradict, explain! Give your own opinion! Opinions are
needed now, so that this document may be truly judged.” In 1964 the National Heroes Commission published an English translation from the original Tagalog as “Minutes of the Katipunan” and was reprinted in 1978 by the National Historical Institute. By then people had judged the book by its cover and assumed its contents to be real. All these doubtful primary sources continue to challenge historians. Before the Ateneo Press made Santiago V. Alvarez’s “Ang Katipunan at Paghihimagsik” accessible through Paula Carolina S. Malay’s translation from the original Tagalog into English, I had to cope with O.D. Corpuz’s grainy photocopy of the original as serialized in Sampagita from July 1927 to April 1928. Reading Alvarez was a pleasure not just for his easy conversational style but also for the many details he recounted that added flesh and color to the monochromatic representations in textbook
history, monuments, and commemorations. In Chapter 9 of Alvarez’s memoirs, the first battle cry of the Katipunan was made to coincide with the pealing of the church bells that marked 9 p.m. on Aug. 29, 1896. Contrary to popular belief, the order to charge shouted by Andres Bonifacio was not the Tagalog “Sugod!” but the Spanish “Avance!” Around 11 p.m. after the attack on Mandaluyong, Bonifacio and his men headed to San Juan del Monte where they were to attack the water reservoir despite the advice of a Katipunero in the area to delay for a day. Valentin Cruz and 300 men from Santolan joined Bonifacio and his men in San Juan. Before the planned simultaneous attack on Manila from different points at midnight, the Katipuneros decided to rest. And according to Alvarez: “Ang Supremo ay nagpasya sa mga bagong dating, na huwag silang humiwalay sa kanyang www.canadianinquirer.net
hukbo; at makaraan ang ilang saglit nang pamamamahinga at pag-uusapusap, binunot ng Supremo Bonifacio ang kanyang orasan at ganyan na lamang ang kanyang pagkakagulantang, nang makitang ika-4 oras na pala ng umaga araw ng lingo, ika 30 ng Agosto 1896. Dahil dito’y nakalampas ang ika-12 oras ng gabi na di nagawa ang pagpapalipad ng lobo o pagpapaputok ng kanyon, na siyang salitaan at gagawaing hudyatan ng pagsasabay-sabay na kilos, at pinakaaantay ng mga tagaLalawigan….” (The Supremo decided that the newcomers would not separate from their troops, and after a short while of resting and chatting, he pulled out his watch and was surprised and dismayed to see it was 4 a.m., Sunday, Aug. 30, 1896. It was four hours since the time agreed upon, so it was too late to release the balloons or fire the shots that were to signal to the troops in the province the start of the coordinated up-
rising…”) I always understood that passage to mean that Bonifacio took a nap and overslept, leading to the cancellation of the planned attack on Manila. I stand corrected after the eminent historian Jim Richardson asked basic questions: Howdid the “natulog si Bonifacio” story come about when Alvarez does not specifically say he slept? How are we to understand “ilang saglit nang pamamahinga at pag-uusap-usap”? Even if Bonifacio slept, why did no one notice the signal for the uprising was four hours late? How come no one awakened Bonifacio? Did Bonifacio and his men have cannons and balloons for the signals? And if they did, would these be seen or heard outside Manila when made from San Juan? Alvarez was not present in San Juan and merely recounted what he heard. I guess it’s time to put the “natulog si Bonifacio” story to rest. ■
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JUNE 30, 2017
FRIDAY
Canada News Canada urged direct women’s aid to small, grassroots groups BY MIKE BLANCHFIELD The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Faida Mwangilwa is vetting 78 applications for 26 projects that will direct cash to women in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where poverty and rape as a weapon of war have created no shortage of need. The grants she gives out will be small, in the hundreds of dollars — not thousands or millions. But they will provide crucial support dealing with big challenges such as fighting sexual assault, training midwives and educating women about their rights. “The women of the DRC represent more than 51 per cent (of the population) and if these women don’t participate in the management of public affairs, it’s a lost opportunity for the country,” says Mwangilwa, the administrator of the Congolese Women’s Fund, in an interview from Kinshasa. Mwangilwa’s organization is the type one might expect to receive money under Canada’s new feminist international development policy, which the Trudeau government unveiled earlier this month as part of its foreign policy reboot. But that’s not likely to happen any time soon because, with an annual budget of about $20,000, this Congo group is simply too small. In the world of international development, where large non-governmental organizations, UN agencies and others dole out much larger chunks of aid that filter down to the ground, the fund’s annual budget amounts to loose change. Two self-described Canadian feminist advocacy organizations say the government needs to make major changes to how it hands out foreign aid, so that it reaches small, grassroots women’s development organizations. The government says it wants to find new ways to deliver aid so that it reaches smaller groups,
while ensuring accountability for taxpayers’ dollars. The Nobel Women’s Initiative and the MATCH International Women’s Fund say if that doesn’t happen, then Canada’s new feminist foreign policy will fall short of actually helping women. Citing data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the groups say 0.3 per cent of Canada’s “gender-focused aid” — $1.7 million U.S. out of $560 million U.S. — actually reached women’s rights organizations in 2013 and 2014. International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau has said she wants to redirect $150 million to women’s organizations in 30 countries over five years. Rachel Vincent, the Nobel group’s executive director, said the government’s focus on women is laudable, but the bureaucracy at Global Affairs Canada simply isn’t configured to deliver more money to small groups in small amounts. “They’re going to have to figure it out. And I think they’re aware that’s going to involve an operational change within the department and a culture shift as well.” Jess Tomlin, the executive director of MATCH, said the government must get used to working through organizations such as hers and the Nobel initiative to help the government connect with smaller women’s groups. Neither organization receives Canadian funding nor are they lobbying for cash. But in addition to finding groups they deem worthy of financial assistance, they’re offering the government something else: their services as a trustee of sorts to vouch that money won’t be wasted or stolen. That satisfies a core requirement in foreign aid: showing value for taxpayers’ money. “This is going to require working through intermediary funders, who can take the money
and disperse it amongst local grassroots partners,” said Tomlin. “We fund the Congolese Women’s Fund and what they do is take a $20,000 grant from us and they break that out into $500 and $1,500 increments and they send that out to grassroots women’s leaders across the country.” That approach satisfies the private donors that contribute to MATCH’s nearly $2 million annual budget, which supports women’s groups in 25 countries. Some large international aid organizations say they support giving money to smaller grassroots women’s groups and letting them decide with local women how it should be spent. Most of these small organizations simply don’t have resources to do the necessary paperwork to show money was properly spent on a specific program, said Melanie Gallant of Oxfam Canada. What’s really needed, she said, is core funding to keep an operation running day-to-day. Louis Belanger, Bibeau’s spokesman, said the government is trying to find news ways to “reduce the administrative burden on partners” while still exercising oversight to ensure money is properly spent. “We are confident that it will also help engage a more diverse set of partners, including small and medium sized organizations in Canada and in developing countries,” he said. Mwangilwa said she has heard of Canada’s feminist development policy and she hopes it will succeed. In the longer term, she hopes it helps level the playing field for women in countries such as hers. “Women do not have the political, economic and social rights in this country,” she said. “Women are actors of peace and to have them in the management of public affairs is truly a very crucial element for the stabilization of the region and the stabilization, in a special way, of the DRC.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
JUSTIN TRUDEAU / FACEBOOK
PM Trudeau to take part in Global Citizen festival ahead of G20 in Hamburg BY MICHAEL MACDONALD The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will champion gender equality and other global issues at a star-studded music festival before continuing the conversation with world leaders at the G20 summit in Germany next month. The concert organized by Global Citizen, an international advocacy group, follows a similar festival Trudeau co-hosted in Montreal last year, which was aimed at raising awareness about the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. “The issues we face globally — climate change, poverty, and disease — disproportionately affect women and girls,” Trudeau said in a news release announcing his participation in the July 6 concert at the Barclaycard Arena in Hamburg, Germany on the eve of the G20 summit. “Their voices and experiences must be at the centre of our efforts if we are to find real and lasting solutions. We must keep pushing ourselves to go further and faster on the road to gender equality,” he said. “This is the
message I’ll bring with me to Hamburg.” The music festival is meant as a show of thanks to people who have participated in a campaign to pressure world leaders to deliver on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, which are aimed at ending extreme poverty, inequality and fighting climate change by 2030. The campaign is also urging leaders to keep those goals in mind as they gather for the G20 meeting, which gets underway in Hamburg the next day. Those who took part in the campaign were entered into a draw to win free tickets to the festival, which will also be livestreamed on YouTube. Trudeau is not expected to sing, but the concert will feature musical performances by Coldplay, with special guest Shakira, as well as Pharrell Williams and Ellie Goulding. Singer Demi Lovato will be a special guest presenter. Celebrities more familiar to German audiences — including Herbert Gronemeyer, Andreas Bourani, Florian David Fitz, Elyas M’Barek, Hadnet Tesfai, ❱❱ PAGE 23 PM Trudeau
Canada News
FRIDAY JUNE 30, 2017
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Canada 150: Chief Dan George's powerful indigenous rights speech, 50 years later BY LAURA KANE The Canadian Press VANCOUVER — Leonard George remembers the first time he heard his father, Chief Dan George, deliver his moving and prophetic speech on indigenous rights, “A Lament for Confederation.” It was 1967 and the acclaimed actor and former Tsleil-Waututh chief was set to speak at Canada’s centennial celebration in Vancouver. His wife had urged him to write something about what the day means to First Nations, says Leonard. When his soliloquy was ready, he stood in the family’s living room and read it aloud. “We all applauded because it was so beautiful and so powerful,” says Leonard, 70. They weren’t sure, however, that the crowd of 32,000 at Empire Stadium would do the same. The speech forcefully critiques colonization and calls on indigenous people to “grab the white man’s instruments of success” to rise again. “Dad and the whole family were very nervous,” says Leonard. “To stand up and tell the truth in such a profound way, he had no idea how the public would take that.” George rehearsed every night
TOO TALL PAUL / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
for two weeks, along with his adult children, who were set to join him on stage. When the day finally came, Leonard could not have predicted how the audience would react. After his father finished speaking, there were a few seconds of stunned silence. Then the audience rose to their feet and filled the stadium with about 10 minutes of deafening applause. “He began to cry because he was so touched,” Leonard recalls. “We were crying as well, and we held on to each other.” The speech came at a time when George was a powerful figure in an emerging aboriginal rights movement. He helped bring shameful parts of Canada’s history out of the shadows and inspired young indigenous leaders, says one researcher.
“I think he spoke both to their oppression and their rights and to their resiliency and their future,” said Hugh Shewell, a professor with expertise in indigenous-state relations at Carleton University in Ottawa. As Canada celebrates its 150th birthday, George’s family and friends are urging Canadians to reflect on his words. They say while the government’s treatment of Aboriginal Peoples has not changed much, First Nations themselves have risen up in many of the ways he predicted. The speech begins on a mournful note: “Today, when you celebrate your hundred years, oh Canada, I am sad for all the Indian people throughout the land.” Dan George recalls Canada
“when your forests were mine,” when they gave him meat and clothing and when fish flashed in abundant rivers and streams. But in the long hundred years since the white man came, he says he has seen his freedom disappear. “When I fought to protect my land and my home, I was called a savage. When I neither understood nor welcomed this way of life, I was called lazy. When I tried to rule my people, I was stripped of my authority,” he says. The speech ends with a call to rise again, like “the thunderbird of old” and to seize the white man’s education and skills. It predicts young braves and chiefs will sit in the houses of government and law. “So shall the next hundred years be the greatest in the proud history of our tribes and nations,” it concludes. George’s address was so revolutionary, his daughter Amy George recalls, she feared he would be killed for delivering it. She was in her 20s and the assassination of U.S. president John F. Kennedy was fresh in her mind. “Some people did get very angry, too. When we were walking off the field at the stadium, some people were saying ‘You’re nuts!’ and they were throwing bottles and empty cups at us,” she says.
There hasn’t been much improvement in how Canada treats First Nations since George’s speech, says his grandson Rueben George. He points to disproportionately high numbers of indigenous kids in government care and inadequate funding for housing, education and clean water on reserves. But just as his grandfather envisioned, indigenous people are sitting in the House of Commons and the courts, and have a say in resource projects on their lands, says Rueben. “We took back what is ours. That’s our identity, our culture, our spirituality ... our law,” he says. Later in 1967, singer-songwriter Ann Mortifee performed with George in a groundbreaking play, “The Ecstasy of Rita Joe,” about a young aboriginal woman. Mortifee, who was 20, says George opened her eyes to the brutality of colonialism. “I feel profoundly privileged to have lived through that moment in history,” she says. “He was like a portal into a richer world for me and he changed my life.” ■
Potentially fatal large mammal sedative ‘likely’ detected in N.S. street drugs BY MICHAEL TUTTON The Canadian Press HALIFAX — One of the most potent opioids on the planet has likely made its way to the East Coast — and it poses a deadly risk for street drug users, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer said Friday. Dr. Robert Strang said that drugs seized by police earlier this month have a “high probability” of containing carfentanil, used by veterinarians to sedate elephants and other large mammals. “It is used as an anesthetic for large animals — and I empha-
size large animals — in veterinary medicine,” he said. Strang says it’s the kind of substance that can cause breathing to slow so rapidly that it can kill within minutes of ingestion. “Any powder or pill street drug has the potential to contain a highly potent opioid. We now know there’s a potential for carfentanil. So even onetime use of a street drug can be fatal,” said Strang during a news conference in Halifax. The drug was detected through testing, but Strang said it still has to be re-confirmed by laboratories. Strang declined to say where the drug was apparently found
in the province, emphasizing that all street drug users anywhere in Nova Scotia must be wary of its potential presence. He urged street drug users to ensure they’re near another person when taking drugs and have access to a naloxone kit, an overdose-reversing drug that can be self administered. The physician said carfentanil is especially dangerous as it can be mixed in with other street drugs and therefore is hard to detect visually. “Any street drug could be contaminated and people need to be aware and be extremely careful,” said Strang. www.canadianinquirer.net
The medical officer said that updated estimates from the medical examiner’s office suggest there were 53 opioid overdose deaths in Nova Scotia in 2016 — about once weekly — and the province is continuing at roughly that pace so far this year. Many of those deaths are through abuse of prescription drugs, sometimes combined with alcohol, but four were caused by the arrival of fentanyl in the province’s street drug trade, he added. Strang said carfentanil, about 100 times more powerful than fentanyl, would simply be the latest arrival to an already worrying mix.
Diane Bailey, executive director of Mainline Needle Exchange in Halifax, said in an interview she and other outreach workers spent more time warning street drug users on Friday about the dangers of opioids after they heard carfentanil had apparently arrived. “We were informing them it’s not just in opiates, it could be in marijuana, it could be in cocaine. We were spending a significant amount of time out on the street today trying to get this information out,” she said. She said warnings about the ❱❱ PAGE 24 Potentially fatal
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At pride events, protests claim prejudice, exclusion BY DEEPTI HAJELA The Associated Press
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CNN accepts resignations of 3 involved in retracted story BY DAVID BAUDER The Associated Press NEW YORK — CNN accepted the resignations Monday of three journalists involved in a retracted story about a supposed investigation into a preinaugural meeting between an associate of President Donald Trump and the head of a Russian investment fund. The story was posted on the network’s website on Thursday and was removed, with all links disabled, Friday night. CNN immediately apologized to Anthony Scaramucci, the Trump transition team member who was reported to be involved in the meeting. The story’s author, Thomas Frank, was among those who resigned, according to a network executive who requested anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss personnel issues. Also losing their jobs were Eric Lichtblau, an assistant managing editor in CNN’s Washington bureau, and Lex Haris, head of the investigations unit. CNN, in initially taking down the story, said it didn’t meet its editorial standards. The episode is a damaging blow for a network that Trump has frequently derided as “fake news,” and for a story that never even made it onto any of CNN’s television networks. The story had been quickly questioned both internally and externally, including by the conservative site Breitbart
News. It was determined that the story was posted without going through the expected checks and balances for a story of such sensitivity, the executive said. The failure to follow proper procedures is what led to the resignations, the CNN executive said. It’s not immediately clear what in the story is factually incorrect, or whether CNN will continue to report on the issue. The retracted story had said the Senate intelligence committee was looking into a January 16 discussion between Scaramucci and Kirill Dmitriev, whose Russian Direct Investment Fund guides investments by U.S. entities in Russia. Scaramucci, in the story, said he exchanged pleasantries in a restaurant with Dmitriev. The report also said that two Democratic senators wanted to know whether Scaramucci had indicated in the meeting whether sanctions against Russia would be lifted, a decision that could impact the investment fund. Following the retraction, Scaramucci tweeted that CNN “did the right thing. Classy move. Apology accepted. Everyone makes mistakes. Moving on.” Haris, in a statement to CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” noted that he’d been with CNN since 2001, “and am sure about one thing: This is a news organization that prizes accuracy and fairness above all else. I am leaving, but will carry those principles wherever I go.” ■
stripes to represent blacks and Latinos has spilled over into a national debate. The recent flare-up of racial tensions comes as no surprise to Isaiah Wilson, director of external affairs for the National Black Justice Coalition, one of the few national groups focused specially on black LGBT rights. He said the broader LGBTrights movement “has been whitewashed” — dominated to a large extent by white gay men. He said major LGBT-rights groups need to be frank in discussing the issue of racism, as well as recruiting and supporting non-white leaders. “Until the mainstream LGBT groups address this, we’re not going to move forward and you’ll continue to see this pressure,” Wilson said. “In my opinion, the pressure is good — it has us talking.” Shannon Minter, a white attorney who is the legal director of the National Center for Les-
criticism last summer when activists raised concerns that the Gayborhood — the city’s main gay enclave — discriminated NEW YORK — Gay pride against blacks. Gay blacks commarches in New York City, San plained of dress codes banning Francisco and in between this Timberlands and sweatpants, weekend will have plenty of of not being served in a timely participants — and also promanner at bars and of being tests directed at them from othstopped and asked for identifier members of the LGBT comcation at clubs while white cusmunity, speaking out against tomers walked in unbothered. what they see as increasingly In January, Philadelphia ofcorporate pride celebrations ficials issued a report confirmthat prioritize the experiences ing longstanding racism in the of gay white men and ignore the Gayborhood and pledged to issues continuing to face black penalize businesses that did and brown LGBT people. not make changes. Earlier this The protests disrupted other month, the city unveiled a new pride events earlier this month flag meant to be a more inclu— in Washington, D.C., where sive reflection of gay pride, with the No Justice No Pride group a black and brown stripe added blocked the parade route, and in to the existing rainbow motif. Columbus, Ohio, where four peoThe flag’s introduction stirred ple were arrested after a group heated commentary from supset out to protest violence against porters as well as those who felt minority LGBT people as well as it was interjecting race unnecthe recent acquittal of a police essarily. officer in the shooting death of Pride organizers around the Philando Castile, country have a black man, durtaken steps to ing a traffic stop. address the criti“ N o b o d y cisms. In San wants to feel In a lot of places, we’re just trying to Francisco, Sunsurvive. dropped in a day’s pride event community that will be led by prides itself on groups includdiversity,” said ing the Bayard Mike Basillas, one of the orga- bian Rights, said LGBT people Rustin LGBT Club, SF Black nizers of the planned New York of colour were justified in chal- Community Matters, African City protest action by No Jus- lenging racist aspects of the Human Rights, and Bay Area tice No Pride. LGBT-rights movement. Queer People of Color. In New In Minneapolis, organizers “The real test will be, can the York City, the march organizof the Twin Cities Pride Parade LGBT movement own up to its ers are putting a contingent of planned for this Sunday asked historic legacy of racism and groups more focused on protest the police department to limit evolve to be more accountable than celebration at the head of participation following the ac- and inclusive of people of colour?” the event. quittal of police officer Jeroni- Minter, a transgender man, wonThe LGBT community does mo Yanez in the death of Castile. dered. “If not, then it will cease to need to confront these issues, The openly gay police chief said be a major political movement.” said Michelle Meow, an Asianthe decision was divisive and One reason for the tensions, American woman who is board hurtful to LGBT officers, which according to some activists, is a president of San Francisco the organizers acknowledged. racial divide when it comes to Pride, and “the pride celebraBut Twin Cities Pride Board the LGBT-rights movement’s tion is a platform for that diaChairwoman Darcie Baumann agenda. For years, many nation- logue to happen.” said the decision was made to be al groups focused on legalizing New York City spokesman sensitive to those grieving after same-sex marriage nationwide — James Fallarino said if there are the verdict “and seeing those a goal achieved in 2015. For many any disruptions or protests duruniforms brings angst and ten- LGBT people of colour, there ing the event, “We’re going to sion and the feeling of unrest.” continue to be more pressing is- make sure we do everything in In Philadelphia, where racial sues, such as economic inequal- our power to respect the people relations in the LGBT com- ity, policing and incarceration. who are disrupting or protesting munity are beginning to mend “In a lot of places, we’re just and to respect their message.” ■ after a year of community pro- trying to survive,” said Wilson. tests, the introduction of a rainThat divide has led to con- Associated Press writers David bow flag — the traditional sym- troversy when attempts have Crary in New York and Errin bol of LGBT unity and diversity been made to address race, as Haines Whack in Philadelphia contributed to this report. — that added black and brown in Philadelphia. The city drew www.canadianinquirer.net
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FRIDAY JUNE 30, 2017
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Feds looking into Bernie Sanders’ wife over real estate deal BY WILSON RING The Associated Press MONTPELIER, VT. — Federal investigators are looking into the finances behind a real estate deal for a now-defunct college put together by the wife of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, and she has hired a lawyer to look after her interests, a family spokesman confirmed on Monday. The investigation, first reported by the news website VTDigger.org, is looking into allegations that Jane O’Meara Sanders made fraudulent claims and promises while seeking $10 million in financing for the real estate deal. The complaint against Jane Sanders was filed in early 2016 by attorney Brady Toensing, who served as the Vermont campaign chairman for Donald Trump during his run for president as a Republican. In a separate complaint, Toensing alleged that Bernie Sanders’ senatorial office pressured a bank to approve the loan. Sanders, an independent, ran for president as a Democrat last year but was ousted in the primary by Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump in the general election. Asked about the allegations Monday at a Washington press conference on expanding community health centres, Sanders sought to keep the questions on health care. “No, that’s not what I’m talking about today,” Sanders said when an Associated Press reporter attempted to ask him about the FBI’s investigation. Sanders then chided a Fox News reporter also seeking to question him on the issue, saying, “I’m glad that you’re interested in the fact that the Repub-
lican leadership is proposing legislation which would throw millions of people off of health insurance and give hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks to the top 1 per cent.” The Sanderses’ spokesman, Jeff Weaver, who was the senator’s 2016 presidential campaign manager, said the allegations that prompted the investigation were politically motivated attacks. Toensing noted that the investigation began during President Barack Obama’s administration under a Democratic attorney general and U.S. attorney for Vermont. He said he’s only looking for a “fair, impartial and thorough investigation.”
the college had gone from not offering any financial aid to offering $400,000 in student aid. “Together, I think it is safe to say we turned the corner,” she wrote in an Oct. 12, 2011, memo to the board. “We’ve got many opportunities before us, but we need to realize them to continue our momentum.” But the increase in the size of the student body and the promised donations didn’t materialize. By 2014, the college had about $11 million in debt, and the only significant asset it had was the land. The college ended up selling much of the land, which is now being developed. The college closed for good in 2016. The accusation
The background
In 2010, Jane Sanders was president of the tiny Burlington College when she brokered a $10 million deal for the college to buy the last undeveloped parcel of land in Burlington on the Lake Champlain waterfront — 32 acres overlooking the lake and the 77,000-square-foot former orphanage and administrative offices of Vermont’s Roman Catholic Church, which needed the money to settle a series of priest sex abuse cases. At the time Jane Sanders, a longtime political adviser to her husband, promised the deal would be paid for with increases in enrolment from about 180 to 500 students and $2.7 million in donations. She left the college in 2011. In a previously unreleased letter from Jane Sanders to the Burlington College board provided by Weaver, she wrote that during her seven years at the college she had improved its financial outlook, the accreditation had improved and
In January 2016, Toensing filed a complaint with the Vermont office of the U.S. attorney and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. He alleged a loan used by the college to buy the land “involved the overstatement and misrepresentation of nearly $2 million ... in what were purported to be confirmed contributions and grants to the college.” In a follow-up letter in May 2016, Toensing, who in the past has filed complaints against Democrats and members of Vermont’s Progressive Party, said that as a result of his original complaint he was “approached and informed that Senator Bernard Sanders’s office improperly pressured” the bank to approve the loan. As is typical in most cases, federal law enforcement won’t confirm nor deny an investigation. The Sanderses’ response
Weaver said Jane Sanders was working honestly to im-
CIRCUMCISION NEWBORN
OLDER INFANTS
prove the outlook for Burlington College. “She was working to take the college to the next level with the land purchase,” Weaver said. “People can Monday morning quarterback it if they want, that’s for sure. But what her intent was was to turn Burlington College into a world-class liberal arts college in Burlington for the benefit of the community.” Weaver confirmed the existence of the federal investigation but predicted nothing would come of it. He said it only made sense that the Sanderses had hired an attorney, but they had not been contacted by investigators. “Are you supposed to wait for (U.S. Attorney General) Jeff Sessions to knock on your front door before you talk to a lawyer?” he said in a statement. Last week, Bernie Sanders told a Burlington television station the allegations were nonsense. “But now that there is a process going on, which was initiated by Trump’s campaign manager, somebody who does this all of the time, has gone
after a number of Democrats and progressives in this state,” he said. “It would be improper at this point for me to add any more to that.” What could this mean for Bernie?
Bernie Sanders remains one of Vermont’s most popular politicians. He took that popularity nationwide in the 2016 presidential primary campaign, and he remains a leader of the progressive political movement in the United States. Sanders is up for re-election to the Senate next year. He has served in the Senate since 2007. A retired Middlebury College political science professor, Eric Davis, said he didn’t think the state GOP could field a serious candidate to challenge Sanders nor would the national party help fund a campaign against him. Davis said he didn’t think the Burlington College issue would end up hurting Sanders’ re-election prospects. ■ AP Congressional Reporter Kevin Freking in Washington contributed to this report.
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Philippine Independence Day 2017 celebration was held at the Toronto Consulate on June 12, 2017. Consul General Rose Prospero gave the message of President Rodrigo Duterte_ this was a full house event.
ON THIS PAGE:
PM Trudeau... Nikeata Thompson and Wana Limar — are either performing or presenting at the festival too. Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg and Argentine President Mauricio Macri are joining Trudeau at the concert too. “The festival will send a clear signal to the world’s most powerful leaders that now, more than ever, we must work together to pursue a fair and sustainable development, investing in education, empowering women, and ending poverty in ❰❰ 16
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all its forms,” Macri, who will chair the G20 summit next year, said in the release. “The billions of citizens whom we collectively represent expect nothing less from us.” The Liberal government unveiled its new feminist development policy earlier this month, which reallocates $150 million of the existing international aid budget to women’s organizations in 30 countries over the next five years. It made no new spending commitments, however, despite numerous calls by international agencies to do so. ■
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Entertainment Richard on ‘reserved’ Jodi: She’s sharing more of herself these days BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer “SOME PEOPLE flirt with each other, even if they know they shouldn’t,” said actor Richard Yap, when asked how he has managed to maintain a strong friendship with onscreen partner Jodi Sta. Maria. “We respect each other — that’s the key element in this friendship. We’ve worked together almost every day for two years (in the series, ‘Be Careful With My Heart’), but we’ve successfully avoided conflicts,” said Richard during the recent launch of furniture company Cole and Ash International Systems, which he co-owns. Jodi attended the launch, along with Richard’s other show biz friends. The actor disclosed that he
and Jodi are currently doing another TV project, this time with Robin Padilla, but he couldn’t talk much about the project “because the network has yet to make a formal announcement about it.” “We’re aware of those who would get into relationships on the side with their costars, which cause problems later on. They eventually quarrel, and their working relationship gets affected,” said Richard, who’s married and have two children. Jodi has a son (Thirdy) with estranged husband Pampi Lacson, and is now dating Cavite Vice Gov. Jolo Revilla. Yap said it helped that he had already understood Jodi’s work habits. ‘Makulit’ on set
“People say she’s very re-
served and quiet, but she’s actually makulit on the set. She is the type who doesn’t open up about her personal life to just anybody. She chooses who to talk to,” Yap observed. “But, I think there’s been a shift recently. She’s sharing more of herself on Instagram these days.” Being a businessman even before he joined show biz, Richard has offered these pointers to young artists on how to best handle their finances: “If they think they’re still too young to start investing their money, they should know how to save. “Many young actors go on shopping sprees as soon as they start earning money. They should save for a rainy day,” he said. To safeguard their hardearned money, Richard said that they should get in touch
Ara: We’re here for Cristine
with trustworthy financial advisers. “Be more discerning about the people who approach you. They’ll go to you if they know you have money,” he stressed. “Don’t give what you have just to anyone. Do your homework. Make sure the business you’ll invest in is legitimate.” Richard said he wouldn’t stop her daughter, Ashley, if she de-
Surprised
“I wasn’t aware of any problem. That’s why I was surprised when she cried in the show, and said she had no one to talk to. We’re just here. She can text us any time. If she feels like going out, I can easily join her because I’m single and have no one to ask permission from. “Lately, Cristine has been dealing with her problems on her own. She doesn’t share anything with her family,” she added.
“Ever since she got married, Cristine had been spending more time with her in-laws. That’s understandable because she and her daughter (Amara) live with them, while my other siblings and I live closer to one another,” Ara said during the recent launch of the Japanese health drink, My Daily Collagen, at the Solaire Resorts and Casino. According to Ara, Cristine and their mom have not been speaking to each other for a year now. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
cided to follow in his footsteps as an actor. “I’d rather that she finishes school first. One more year and she’s done with her marketing course,” said the proud dad. “She sings, writes a blog, and runs a YouTube channel. I’m glad she’s also looking into the business side of things. I want her to explore different things first before deciding on what to do professionally.” ■
Potentially fatal... dangers of fentanyl are placed in bags with clean needles handed out to clients, but it’s critical she and other outreach workers actually speak to the drug users in person. “That’s why we’re so aggressive with this news and we are sharing this with people seven days a week,” she said. Other regions in Canada have already been reporting deaths due to carfentanil. Police in Barrie, Ont., said earlier this month they believe the death of a 26-year-old man was linked to the substance. In March, Nova Scotia announced initial steps in its effort to head off a British Columbia-style epidemic of opioid overdose deaths. About $1.1 million is to be spent distributing about 5,000 free naloxone kits through police, jails and community pharmacies. Three community-based organizations that distribute clean needles and informa❰❰ 17
BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer “ALL CRISTINE needs to do is ask, and her family will be there for her,” said actress Ara Mina, who reacted to comments made by her younger sister Cristine Reyes in a TV appearance shortly after losing to Wacky Kiray in the reality show, “I Can Do That.” In an interview on the morning talk show “Magandang Buhay,” Cristine confessed to going through depression after winning only second place in the contest. “People reacted when Cristine said she felt so alone, and that she had no one to talk to. I read a comment addressed to me that said, ‘Where were you?’ I responded to it by explaining that I was at work, and that I couldn’t just show up uninvited,” Ara told the Inquirer.
@JODISTAMARIA / INSTAGRAM
tion to drug users are receiving more than $500,000 to educate and assist their clients, and have been training clients in the injection of naloxone. The chief medical officer said the province’s task force on the opioid drug crisis has put in place some immediate steps to keep overdose victims alive, but longer term investments aimed at reducing the number of overdose deaths have yet to be implemented. One area under consideration by the task force, which Strang co-chairs, is how to reduce the practice of many doctors of prescribing high levels of prescription opioids for pain relief. Figures provided to The Canadian Press indicate that last year 2,246 Nova Scotians received big-dose prescriptions of highly addictive painkillers, though about one fifth of those were cancer patients who may need larger dosages for end-oflife care. ■
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U2 bassist thanks Von Furstenberg, in her ‘third band for helping him act,’ focuses on philanthropy through addiction BY JOCELYN NOVECK The Associated Press
BY JOCELYN NOVECK The Associated Press
this wonderful life I now have. It’s just that I couldn’t take my friend alcohol. At some point I had to leave it behind and claim NEW YORK — In a frank and my full potential.” heartfelt speech, U2 bassHe said part of the reason he ist Adam Clayton thanked his had a hard time quitting drinking bandmates of four decades for was that, “I didn’t think you could their support during his treat- be in a band and not drink. It is so ment and recovery for alco- much a part of our culture.” hol abuse years ago, and then It was Eric Clapton, he said, joined them for a rollicking who finally told him he needed rendition of a few hits. help. “We have a pact with each “He didn’t sugarcoat it. He other,” said Clayton, 57, who told me that I needed to change was receiving an award from my life and that I wouldn’t reMusiCares, the charity arm of gret it,” Clayton said. He credthe National Academy of Re- ited another friend, The Who’s cording Arts and Sciences. “In Pete Townshend, for visiting our band, no one will be a casu- him in rehab, where he “put alty. We all come home, or none steel on my back.” of us come home. No one will As for his bandmates, Claybe left behind. Thank you for ton said, “I was lucky because honouring that promise, and I had three friends who could letting me be in see what was your band.” going on and He ended by who loved me quoting lyrics enough to take that Bono, U2’s He told up the slack of me that I frontman, had my failing. Bono, needed to written when The Edge, and change my the band was Larry (Mullen) life and that starting out: “If truly supported I wouldn’t you walk away, me before and regret it. walk away, I will after I entered follow.” At that, recovery, and I his bandmates am unreservedly came out to join grateful for their him, performing friendship, un“Stuck in a Moment You Can’t derstanding and support.” Get Out Of,” “Vertigo” and, fitClayton received the Stevie tingly, “I Will Follow.” Ray Vaughan Award for his The evening at the PlaySta- support of the MusiCares MAP tion Theater in Times Square Fund, which offers musicians also featured performances by access to addiction recovery rapper Michael Franti, Jack treatment. Garratt, reggae singer ChroArriving at the theatre earnixx, Macy Gray, and The Lu- lier, he told reporters the fund mineers, who are currently was especially important given appearing with U2 on their the current epidemic of opioid “Joshua Tree” tour. addiction. “MusiCares ... reClayton was introduced by ally provides funding for a lot of British record producer Chris people to look into those things Blackwell as someone who and find help,” he said. “lived through addiction and He added that his bandmates came out the other side, and had been supporting him for 40 has been courageous enough to years. admit it.” “You know, I guess they loved Taking the stage, the bass- me before I knew how to love ist quipped: “I’m not used to myself,” he said. “So it’s really achieving anything on my own.” important that they share this Turning serious, he said: with me.” ■ “I’m an alcoholic, addict, but in some ways that devastating dis- John Carucci in New York contributed to this report. ease is what drove me towards
NEW YORK — Designer Diane von Furstenberg’s current favourite model is, not surprisingly, tall — more than 100 feet, actually. And though this model’s 225 tons don’t exactly fit into a DVF wrap dress, she does have some rather iconic accessories: a tablet and, most importantly, a torch. Von Furstenberg’s latest project — part of a redirection of her energies in the year since she handed over the creative reins of her company — is the Statue of Liberty. More specifically, it’s a new museum that aims to better serve the four million-plus visitors who come to Liberty Island each year, since the vast majority can’t get into the statue itself due to increased post-9-11 security. The goal is to raise $100 million for the project, which is slated to open in 2019; Von Furstenberg has already raised $74 million in a year and a half, according to the Statue of LibertyEllis Island Foundation. But the veteran designer, who recently turned 70, says she had one key request when signing on as chair of the fundraising campaign: “Don’t call me chairwoman. Give me the title of temporary godmother.” It’s an apt title in a number of ways. For one thing, “Diane really is a godmother of fashion,” says Steven Kolb, president and CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America, where von Furstenberg serves as board chair. In her role — she was president of the organization for about a decade — she is a key influence and source of support for up-and-coming designers, Kolb says. And as she shifts into the latest stage of her career — a year ago, she ceded her company’s creative director position to Scottish designer Jonathan Saunders — she has focused increasingly on projects that promote women, including her annual DVF awards, now in their eighth year. She also often speaks to groups of women and girls, and is on the board of Vital Voices, the women’s leadership organization. In her CFDA role, she notes, she writes to designers before www.canadianinquirer.net
Diane Von Furstenberg.
Fashion Week, reminding them to avoid using models who are “too thin and clearly starving themselves to death.” And the flashy CFDA Awards ceremony that she presides over each year had a more political bent earlier this month, honouring three women for their roles in the Women’s March on Washington in January: feminist author and leader Gloria Steinem, Planned Parenthood head Cecile Richards, and singer/actress Janelle Monae. “Fashion is a reflection of our time,” she explains. “The women’s march was a very major thing ... there’s really a sense of activism that has happened. So it was natural to give them this award.” The designer calls this time in her life and career her “third act.” “I always used to say that life has three moments,” she says, sitting in her downtown office on a recent afternoon. “One is development, until about (age) 30. One is enjoyment, and then the third, the last season of your life, is somehow about fulfilment.” She says she’d been preparing for the milestone of turning 70 — which she reached on New Year’s Eve — for about a year, asking herself, “What kind of senior citizen do I want to be? How do I stay relevant?” What she decided, she says, was to use her voice to focus on women from the inside, rather than the outside. “All my life was about creating a product, fashion, something (women) could use to be the woman they want to be, and now in my third act I want to use my voice to help women be the woman they want to be, but from the inside,” she says. “Because it doesn’t matter how successful and powerful women are ...
sometimes you wake up in the morning and you feel like a total loser. I know I do.” When the Statue of LibertyEllis Island Foundation came calling, von Furstenberg says, she thought, “‘Oh my God, my husband is going to divorce me if I join one more board.”’ She also professes to not enjoy asking people for money. But then, as she recounted to guests last week at a sunset event on Liberty Island, she read about the statue’s story, and found herself riveted. As for the foundation, they were looking for “a woman who spoke French,” quips president Stephen Briganti. He says the Belgian-born von Furstenberg was also perfect because she herself arrived as an aspiring designer in America — those jersey dresses in her trunks — by boat, catching sight of Lady Liberty as she arrived. (Unlike most immigrants, though, she had just married an actual prince.) Von Furstenberg says her new project was also inspired by her late mother. As she recounts in her 2014 memoir, “The Woman I Wanted to Be,” the designer’s mother served in the Resistance in Belgium during World War II, was arrested in May 1944 and sent to Auschwitz. She was one of the very few who survived — the camp was liberated by the Soviets in January 1945 — and when she made it back to Belgium she wrote on a form that she was “in excellent health” even though, her daughter says, she weighed about 50 pounds. “My mother always said God saved her so she could give me life,” she says. “And she used to add, ‘You are my torch of freedom.’ So it’s kind of the end of a cycle.” ■
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Lifestyle 5,000 lipsticks for Marawi: The relief effort that got social media abuzz ‘This is not for long-term development, just something you hand to a teacher in Marawi to tell her, ‘Please accept this small gift from us” BY CHECHE V. MORAL Philippine Daily Inquirer A RATHER unlikely call for donations popped up on social networking sites last Friday: an appeal for lipsticks and makeup for teachers and female volunteers in Marawi, which has been under siege from a terrorist group for the past several weeks. “In our experience, during Supertyphoon ‘Yolanda,’ we found that aside from physical nourishment, it is important to also help uplift [ the public school teachers’] spirits and give dignity,” said the letter, attributed to Rey Laguda, executive director of Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP). “One effective way to do this was to help teachers feel beautiful by giving them lipstick and makeup. Consequently, the smile on teachers’ faces can infect thousands of students and provide hope… We hope you can be part of this simple but effective gesture of solidarity by providing dignity through beauty.” PBSP is described as “the largest corporate- led, nonprofit social development foundation in the Philippines,” and has been active in relief efforts in Marawi. While netizens mostly responded with enthusiasm to
Laguda’s call, some were critical. They said the people on the ground had more important needs during the ongoing crisis than frivolous things like makeup. But other individuals quickly defended the lipstick drive, citing that it’s not a long- term solution, but just a move to show solidarity with those affected on the ground. ‘Yolanda’
This isn’t the first time that PBSP held a lipstick drive. It first came about in the aftermath of Supertyphoon “Yolanda” in 2013, according to writer Nash Tysmans, who worked as a communications consultant in the Department of Education during the tenure of Bro. Armin Luistro, FSC, and who describes herself as a “friend of PBSP.” “When ‘Yolanda’ struck, DepEd was among the agencies providing frontline services and checking on teachers’ and students’ welfare in the affected communities,” she said. “When Brother Armin was going around, he met a teacher who inspired him because she had lost everything and still continued to do her duties. The secret was in the lipstick! She wore it to feel confident, as a boost to her morale. So, this was a story that he would tell on many occasions in honor of this lady’s courage and strength un-
der stress.” In Marawi, Luistro was again on the ground with the PBSP team. He brought up the lipstick story to a volunteer and was surprised that the teachers remembered. “If you’ve ever worked with Brother Armin, you’ll know that he’s relentless,” Tysmans said. “He’ll really go after what he thinks is right.” On the way back to Manila, Tysmans said Laguda found himself making calls for lipstick and other makeup to distribute to the teachers and development workers in Marawi. His initial intent was just to reach out to companies, not individuals. “His phrasing of it as ‘an expression of solidarity’ with the women and teachers of Marawi moved me,” said Tysmans. “It just struck me that beyond people’s basic needs, there would also be small things that would help them cope — feeling beautiful is one, and I say this knowing full well that no amount of makeup can ever make us feel whole, di ba? But we can certainly feel good, and our paradigms for development should also consider these things to help people deal with crises.” Tysmans was among the dozens who shared Laguda’s letter on Facebook. “I didn’t think that the post would be shared so widely, and that there would be genuine interest in it. I am
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always with serious development folk so I got giddy when other friends shared it, too.” Personal care
Laguda has exceeded his target of 5,000 lipsticks. Many Facebook users pledged to send other miscellaneous grooming and personal-care items like sanitary pads, soap and shampoo. A comment on Tysmans’ wall said how moved one woman was during relief efforts following the Zamboanga siege in 2016: The hygiene kits distributed to the victims included a comb, and she hadn’t combed her hair in weeks. “The thing is, the crisis is so big that it will really need all of us to make an effort and help in ways we know how,” said Tysmans. “And there’s room for everyone to contribute. Besides, rather than criticizing the call for lipstick, I posed the challenge to critical friends: What are the small things, small pleasures that add meaning and joy to your life? Many of them shared their little must- haves and must- dos— and that’s when it drove the point home. “This is not for long-term development, just lipstick you hand
to a teacher in Marawi to tell her: ‘We haven’t forgotten you, and while everyone is trying to get you all the help you need, please accept this small gift from us. We hope it gives you a boost and makes you feel confident to face what you have to face.’” Tysmans said she was heartened at the response of individuals she doesn’t typically see commenting about the crisis. “You cannot imagine how happy it makes me to hear friends who would otherwise never speak about Mindanao, find interest in the experience of evacuees fleeing conflict,” she says. “We can talk intelligently about these issues, and gush over new lip tints, mascara, the latest trends— pwede naman, di ba?” PBSP is still accepting other forms of donations. “The best thing that those of us living outside of Marawi can do is to educate ourselves about our people, their culture and their experiences,” said Tysmans. What Tysmans is saying is, get involved in whatever way you can— even by donating lipstick. It could mean the world to a woman who just needs something to get her through another day. ■
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FRIDAY JUNE 30, 2017
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No job? Tips for teens to fill idle summer time BY LEANNE ITALIE The Associated Press NEW YORK — With the number of teenagers working summer jobs in decline since the 1980s, students and their parents have found creative ways to fill summer months. Some still find traditional summer work, while others spend their summers doing a variety of activities and work that can help them pad their college applications. Here are examples of what some teenagers are doing from June through August, with tips from experts on how kids can productively fill time when school is out. Get training
Mary Ellen Ynes is the mother of two in the Silicon Valley town of Redwood Shores, California. Her nearly 16-year-old daughter just started her first full-time summer job last week, but it took some extra effort to get it. When she turned 13, she found many of the camps in her area were expensive overnight travel camps. But after some digging, she managed to find some nearby camps that cost less and offered “counsellor-intraining” programs. After two summers of training, she got a work permit from school and applied to work part-time at a local upscale health club as a childcare work-
er. She then parlayed that experience into a full-time summer camp counsellor job at the club, making $10 an hour.
and companies that don’t hire anyone of that age range,” Behn said. Study, intern & play frisbee
Prepare for college & babysit
Sheila Sheley of Dallas has a 16-year-old daughter who will be a senior in the fall. Instead of a traditional summer job, Sheley encouraged her to find other ways that would better serve her college resume needs. “Her primary ‘job’ right now is finishing high school with a good GPA and full set of extracurriculars while managing the college applications process,” Sheley said. Sheley said her daughter worked part-time at a fast food chain last year, but the schedule wasn’t flexible and the job only paid $8 an hour. So this year, Sheley said her daughter set up a Facebook page to promote her babysitting services, where she makes $10 to $12 an hour. Take classes
Shannon Behn, 17, of Mankato, Minnesota, will attend a five-week program at the International Film Institute of New York this summer rather than work a job. The short film she plans to make will be included in her college admissions portfolio as she pursues a major in film. “It can definitely be hard for someone in high school to find summer work just because there are so many businesses
Susan Gottfried, who lives in suburban Pittsburgh, leans toward letting her 14-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son make their own summer plans. Gottfried’s younger child, who wants to be an animal behaviourist, will be a sophomore next year. There’s summer homework in store for her and in July, the teen will take classes at the Pittsburgh Zoo. For most of August, she’ll be an intern with a local theatre company and performing arts academy, doing sound for summer productions. Her son, a rising high school senior, is working on getting his driver’s license. And while many of his friends have jobs, he’ll spend his time touring colleges and finishing off work on his Eagle rank in Boy Scouts. He’s also on an Ultimate Frisbee team. “I suppose Ultimate Frisbee will be viewed as a commitment to a sports team, just as any other more mainstream sport would be,” Gottfried said. “Will colleges give it more weight because it’s a unique sport? Hard to say.” Advice from experts
Carlota Zimmerman in New York City is a career coach and success strategist. She says
teens should look less to “beef up their resume” than find something that matches their interest. “Don’t focus on opportunities that look good, so much as opportunities that interest your teen since then there’s a higher chance she’ll stick with it, and that’s a large part of what colleges want to see: consistency, commitment, intellectual curiosity, maturity and initiative.” Erin Goodnow, founder and CEO of Going Ivy, a college admissions consulting group in Phoenix, Arizona, echoed Zimmerman’s advice. “If you think you want to be a social worker, volunteer this summer with a non-profit organization in your neighbourhood. If you want to be a doctor, get some experience in the hospital.” Getting ahead of the admissions process is also a good idea, said Andy Bills, senior vice-president for enrolment at High Point University in High Point, North Carolina. Bills suggests using the summer months to write and edit college entrance essays, visit top five colleges and get familiar with application deadlines. ■
Associated Press writer Matt Ott in Washington contributed to this report.
Banning of junk food sales in Canadian schools having a positive effect: study BY MICHAEL MACDONALD The Canadian Press HALIFAX — In Canada’s ongoing battle against childhood obesity, one simple weapon appears to be working. Over the past 12 years, six provinces have banned junk food from schools, and a new study says the measure is having a positive impact on student health. “It’s a small step in the right direction,” said Philip Leonard, a health economist at the University of New Brunswick.
“Combined with other policies of this type, you can hope to see real difference over time.” Leonard looked at the Body Mass Index (BMI) of 153,000 Canadians, aged 12 to 25, during an eight-year period. Within that sample, compiled from the annual Canadian Community Health Survey, more than 22,000 youths had been banned from buying junk food at school for at least one year. His research revealed that for each year a student was exposed to a junk food ban, there was a corresponding 0.05 decline in their BMI, a value derived from
height and weight. As a result, the students banned from making junk food purchases at school for five or more years were, on average, about two pounds lighter than students who did not face a ban. That may not sound like a big difference, but the findings send a strong message, said Leonard, a researcher with the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training. “You wouldn’t expect that a ban like this would suddenly change a whole bunch of overweight kids into dramatically healthy kids ... (But) the main www.canadianinquirer.net
message is that these types of policies are going down the right track.” The study also found there was a bigger impact on females, though Leonard said it’s not clear what is behind that finding. As well, younger students showed the most positive results. That probably stems from the fact that older students have more opportunities to leave their schools to forage for food. “When you’re in high school and you’ve got your driver’s licence at 16, you can drive to Mc-
Donald’s or just walk to the convenience store,” Leonard said. In October 2005, New Brunswick became the first province to impose a junk food ban inside its schools. Under its Policy 711, the Department of Education eliminated all foods from a so-called “minimum nutrition” list. Prince Edward Island followed suit later that year. Nova Scotia and Quebec did the same in 2007, followed by British Columbia in 2008 and Ontario in 2011. ❱❱ PAGE 29 Banning of
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Are you cut out for a work from home job? BY JOHN PYE The Associated Press TELECOMMUTING HAS become synonymous with convenience, flexible schedules and, yes, pyjamas. You don’t have to commute, spend money on transportation or dress up. But despite the appeal and laid-back reputation, there are challenges. “Not everybody is cut out for working from home,” says Jack Aiello, a psychology professor at Rutgers University. From your work style to your work space, here’s what to consider before working from home.
Telecommuters interact less with co-workers than their workplace counterparts. After all, you can’t chat at the water cooler on your break or stop by a colleague’s desk on the way to lunch. That solitude can be hard for those who are sociable, Aiello says. But don’t count yourselves out, social butterflies. Yarrow says personalities aren’t black and white. The “mildly extroverted” can make telecommuting work if they have an afterwork social life, for instance. Renting a co-working space can also provide a social outlet for remote employees.
of things that get in the way when they don’t have someone Your personality If you live with other people, over their shoulder.” And while society may paint Certain personalities make Aiello says, it’s essential to have effective at-home employees. a separate space where you a picture of at-home workers “Above all else, two things won’t be interrupted. You need on the couch binge-watching are required to be a successful at least a door that closes you Netflix, some telecommuters work-at-homer: the ability to off from the rest of the house. have a tendency to work too be a self-directmuch because ed, focused planthey never leave ner and a healthy their work envidose of introverronment. Many check their email sion,” Kit YarThere are all kinds of things that get in the way when they don’t have at night, Aiello row, a consumer someone over their shoulder. says. psychologist and Remedy this professor emeriwith boundartus at Golden ies, says Cassidy Gate University in San Francisco, said in an Be realistic about potential Solis, senior adviser for workemail. distractions. “Some people place flexibility with the SociYarrow says extroverted can’t help but go on eBay,” Aiel- ety for Human Resource Manworkers prefer more person- lo says. “Some people can’t help agement, a trade association. to-person contact than many themselves from playing com- Solis, a telecommuter herself, at-home jobs provide. puter games. There are all kinds sets expectations; she won’t reYour environment
spond to emails outside regular working hours unless there’s a pressing deadline. Your employer
Finally, your employer and supervisor will have a lot to do with your success at home. IBM made news in May when it called telecommuters back to the workplace. As companies re-evaluate telecommuting, so should employees. Ask about whether you’ll be included in meetings and how frequently you’ll get feedback from management. Teleconferencing and regular checkins can help alleviate feelings of isolation by fostering a team environment, Aiello says. You’ll want to discuss your schedule as well. You may work more efficiently in a position
that allows for time at home as well as in the office. Gallup’s State of the American Workplace report found that employees who spend at least some of their time working remotely have higher engagement than employees who never work remotely. The magic formula for engagement happens when employees spend 60 per cent to 80 per cent of their time working off-site, the report found. Solis says it’s important to build in time for face-to-face contact. “I think it’s good to show your face,” she says. “It’s good to see your co-workers. It’s good to feel connected. It’s good to feel part of a community of work.” It’ll also keep you in the eye of leadership, she adds. Will it work?
If you fit the criteria and want to explore telecommuting, Solis recommends checking your company’s existing policies, drafting a proposal and starting with a trial period. Even if you don’t check every box on the ideal-telecommuter checklist, working from home could still work for you. “Most people, with the right mindset, can actually enjoy. not having to put that suit on for the day or do that commute,” Aiello says. If not, there’s always the office. ■
Retailers want to work out your wallet and your body BY KELLI KENNEDY The Associated Press NEW YORK — Stores like Saks and Urban Outfitters are looking to work out more than your wallet. As retailers struggle to draw in shoppers who have migrated online, stores are seizing on one of the few bright spots in the industry — fitness and wellness — in hopes of engaging consumers. That means meditation lectures with Deepak Chopra at ABC Carpet & Home in New York, a yoga class at Bloomingdale’s or a wellness getaway
with Free People. One recent Wednesday, a dozen women walked into Saks on Fifth Avenue, tucked their purses into lockers and got to work performing squat thrusts and jumping jack intervals during an hourlong boot camp. After class, they could browse through a rack of $85 Phat Buddha leggings and try Glow Recipe’s $58 oil essence with cactus extract. Mila Petrova, who wasn’t part of the class that day but has attended other sessions at Saks, says it’s the location more than the shopping that has drawn her — it’s closer to her office. “I
probably would have gone (to the workout) wherever they put it,” she said. The 27-year-old browsed the store only on the first night and hasn’t made any purchases — she’s usually rushing to the class from work and anxious to get home afterward. Still, though she’s not a big shopper in general, she can see herself buying holidays gifts at Saks’ Wellery section because she’s already in the store. Several stores have opened stand-alone locations with vast areas carved out for exercise classes and seminars. Urban Outfitters’ five-story Space www.canadianinquirer.net
Ninety 8 in Brooklyn scheduled a chakra meditation and sound bath this month. None of the chains are talking about how much the wellness business has increased sales — or if it has. It may be soon to tell.
But while clothing stores struggle, U.S. activewear sales have increased. In 2016, they rose 11 per cent over the previous year to nearly $46 billion, according ❱❱ PAGE 38 Retailers want
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Sports Pacquiao going big, or going PHL floorball team to bust in the Battle of Brisbane compete in Thailand BY JOHN PYE The Associated Press BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA — Freddie Roach is ready to narrow down Manny Pacquiao’s options following the WBO welterweight championship fight against Jeff Horn: Think about another shot at Floyd Mayweather, or think about retirement. The 11-time world champion is putting his WBO belt on the line Sunday against the 29-yearold Australian, a school teacher who is in the biggest bout of his professional career. “Manny is in a must-win situation. He wants a rematch with Mayweather,” Roach said Tuesday at a gym next door to the Suncorp Stadium, where a 50,000-plus crowd is expected for the “Battle of Brisbane.” “With Mayweather you have to look good against an opponent, you have to be impressive.” Roach has been a long-time trainer for the multiple world champion, and reckons the 38-year-old Pacquiao should have a few more big wins in him. “If he struggles in this fight, it could be over,” Roach said. Asked specifically what the fallout would be if Horn (16-01, 11 knockouts) somehow won, Roach said “depending on how he lost, I would probably encourage him to retire.” Not that he’s expecting Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 knockouts) to struggle. Roach said training has consisted of 50 rounds on
BY JEAN T. MALANUM Philippines News Agency
MANNY PACQUIAO / FACEBOOK
some days and the preparation — after a slow start — has been very intense. “I expect Manny’s best in this fight. I am looking for a big win here,” Roach said. “We want to go on to bigger and better things.” Pacquiao lost the 2015 mega fight to Mayweather but has rebounded to beat Tim Bradley and Jessie Vargas on points since then. He wants another shot at Mayweather. “If there’s a chance, why not? I’m willing,” Pacquiao said of a potential rematch with Mayweather, who has visited Roach’s gym a couple of times — though not to discuss business. ”But let’s focus first for this fight. We don’t want to underestimate ... Horn, thinking about another fight. This fight is not done yet. “I know my body. I’m ready. I’m not underestimating (Horn). I’m not taking him lightly. I’m working hard.”
Horn turned pro in 2013, the year after reaching the Olympic quarterfinals in London, and has faced 10 top-15 rated boxers in his 17 professional bouts. He hasn’t faced anyone of the calibre of Pacquiao, though. The Pacquiao camp is expecting Horn to come out aggressively in front of his home crowd, and so the preparation has been tailored to that. A world champion in eight divisions, and now a senator in the Philippines, Pacquiao can still remember the feelings he had ahead of his first big-time bout and is treading carefully because of that. “That’s why we did a lot for this training camp,” Pacquiao said. “I know what he’s feeling — being there, being the underdog.” It won’t mean he’ll take it any easier in the ring. “All I can say is, it’s good he’s a teacher,” Pacquiao said. “I’m a teacher in the ring.” ■
this policy change did make a difference, so it makes sense to look at others.” Using World Health Organization standards, Statistics Canada says close to one third _31.5 per cent — of Canadian children and youth were classified as overweight or obese between 2009 to 2011.
The federal Health Department has said it plans to update dietary guidelines by the end of 2018 that will reflect the most up-to-date scientific evidence on diet and health. Other initiatives include updated nutrition labels on pre-packaged foods and restricting marketing to children. ■
Banning of... Despite the positive results, Leonard said junk food bans, on their own, won’t be enough to reverse the troubling trends associated with childhood obesity. “It’s a huge problem,” he said. “We’re not going to solve it with one little policy change. But, ❰❰ 27
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Asian Championships. In the 2015 SEA Games, where floorball debuted as a medal sport, the Philippines placed fourth behind SingaMANILA — The Philippine pore, Thailand and Malaysia. men’s floorball team will leave Ramos, who serves as capfor Thailand Tuesday night to tain of the national team, is compete in the 1st Asia-Ocea- the president of the Philippine nia Floorball Cup to be held at Floorball Association (PFA), the Chulalongkorn University which he formed in 2011. in Bangkok on July 1-6. The 5-foot-9 Ramos played The team is composed of fencing (sabre event) during Ralph Ramos (center), Saldi his college days at the UniverAmador (defender), Jason Flo- sity of the Philippines where he rentino (forward), Luis Manila took up sports science. He has III (defender), Hazzer Taling- a Master of Science degree in dan (forward), Mark Polo (for- Sport Management and Health ward), Joshua Paunil (forward), Promotion from the University Tata Cabillas (defender), He- Jyvaskyla in Finland. nielee Pastor (defender), RonEriksson, who is married to a ald Carbonell (forward), JK Filipina from Butuan City, said the de Jesus (defender), Joco Na- Philippines will be aiming to reach varro (forward), the semifinal Claude Vitaliano round in Thailand. (center), Mav “It will be a Manipor (fortough competiward), Jerome It will be tion but we will a tough Santiago (goaldo our best,” said competition keeper), Nico Eriksson, who has but we will do Velez (defender), coached at the top our best. Aries Perol (forlevel for both men’s ward), Renzo and women’s Fabon (center), teams in Sweden. Ysaac Gelangre Coach Noel (forward) and Alm Johansson, Sfike Estabillo (goalkeeper). who was born in the PhilipPeter Eriksson (left in photo) pines but grew up in Sweden, from Sweden, who has been will proceed to Thailand to asplaying and coaching in floor- sist Eriksson. ball for more than 30 years, will The Philippines is in Group A serve as head coach. with China, Iran and Singapore. The 1st Asia-Oceania Floor- In Group B are India, Indoneball Cup will be the national sia, South Korea and Thailand. team’s third international expoFloorball is a stick-and-ball sure after competing in the 1st sport similar to hockey. It is Southeast Asian Championships played with two teams of five (2014) and the Southeast Asian players and a goalie each. PlayGames (2015) in Singapore. ing time is three periods, with “We finished last among four 20 minutes each period. countries in our previous tour“Floorball is a sport where naments. Hopefully, we can do Filipinos can excel. A player has better in Thailand,” said the to be fast and with a good bal29-year-old Ramos (right in ance,” said Eriksson. photo) in an interview during Floorball, which originated the weekly Philippine Sports- in Sweden, is played in 60 counwriters Association (PSA) Fo- tries. The Philippines joined rum at the Phoenix Hotel in the International Floorball Pasay City on Tuesday. Federation in May 2011 and The Philippines was fourth became a member of the Asiabehind Singapore, Malaysia and Oceania Floorball ConfederaIndonesia in the 2014 Southeast tion the following year. ■
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JUNE 30, 2017
FRIDAY
Business EU fines Google a record 2.4 5-month budget billion euros in antitrust case gap eases to P63.6B Revenues rose 8%, expenditures up only 6% from January to May
BY LORNE COOK The Associated Press BRUSSELS — The European Union slapped a record 2.42 billion-euro ($2.72 billion) fine on internet giant Google on Tuesday for taking advantage of its dominance in online searches to direct customers to its own online shopping business. European regulators gave the company based in Mountain View, California, 90 days to stop or face more fines of up to 5 per cent of the average daily worldwide revenue of parent company Alphabet. Google says it is considering an appeal. The European Commission, which polices EU competition rules, alleges Google elevates its shopping service even when other options might have better deals. The Commission said Google “gave prominent placement in its search results only to its own comparison shopping service, whilst demoting rival services. It stifled competition on the merits in comparison shopping markets.” “What Google has done is illegal under EU antitrust rules. It denied other companies the chance to compete on the merits and to innovate. And most importantly, it denied European consumers a genuine choice of services and the full benefits of innovation,” EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager told reporters. Google maintains it’s just trying to package its search results in a way that makes it easier for consumers to find what they want. “When you shop online, you want to find the products you’re looking for quickly and easily. And advertisers want to promote those same products. That’s why Google shows shopping ads, connecting our users with thousands of advertisers, large and small, in ways that are useful for both,” Kent Walker,
BY RONNEL W. DOMINGO Philippine Daily Inquirer
senior vice-president at Google, said in a statement. “We will review the Commission’s decision in detail as we consider an appeal, and we look forward to continuing to make our case,” he said. The fine is the highest ever imposed in Europe for anticompetitive behaviour, exceeding a 1.06 billion euros penalty on Silicon Valley chip maker Intel in 2009. But the penalty is likely to leave a bigger dent in Google’s pride and reputation than its finances. Alphabet has more than $92 billion (82 billion euros) in cash, including nearly $56 billion (50 billion euros) in accounts outside of Europe. Vestager said the Commission’s probe, which started in 2008, looked at some 1.7 billion search queries. Investigators found that on average even Google Shopping’s most highlyranked rivals only appeared on page 4 of Google search results. Vestager said that 90 per cent of user-clicks are on page one. “As a result, competitors were much less likely to be clicked on,” she said. It is up to Google to decide what changes it wants to make to comply with the Commission’s ruling, but any remedy
must ensure that rival companies receive the same treatment as Google Shopping. “We will monitor Google’s compliance closely,” Vestager said. She noted that that any company or person who has suffered damages due to the company’s practices can make claims to national courts. More broadly, Vestager said, the probe has established that Google is dominant in general internet search in all 31 countries of the European economic area. This will affect other cases the Commission might build against the internet giant’s various businesses, like Google Images. She also noted that regulators are making “good progress” in its other Google probes into Android and search advertising, and that the “preliminary conclusion” is that they breach EU anti-trust rules. The Commission has come under fire in the United States for a perceived bias against U.S. companies. Vestager said she has examined statistics concerning anti-trust, merger control and state aid decisions and that “I can find no facts to support any kind of bias.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
for May surged 124 percent to P18 billion. “Bulk of revenue growth for the month of May can be attribTHE NATIONAL government uted to non-tax revenues, parposted a deficit of P33.4 billion ticularly from the [Treasury’s] last May, which was nearly dou- income, which also rebounded ble the P17.7 billion spent over from the previous month’s conthe budget in the same month traction,” the agency said. of 2016. National government “disAccording to the Bureau of bursements were 20 percent the Treasury, this brought the or P44.3 billion higher than January-May deficit to P63.6 in May 2016 and amounted to billion, down by 15 percent P261.7 billion,” the Treasury year-on-year from P75.1 billion said. a year ago. “Interest payments for the In the five months to May, month amounted to P21 billion, r e v e n u e s up 12 percent reached P996.6 year-on-year billion, an indue to timing crease of 8 perof payment for cent year-onIn May alone, treasury bonds revenues year. scheduled in P228.3 billion, The Bureau April but paid in an increase of Internal RevMay,” it added. of 14 percent enue (BIR) con“The year-tofrom P199.8 tributed P716.8 date [interest billion last year. billion, which payments of ] was 9 percent P132.3 billion higher year-onis equivalent to year. The Bu12.5 percent of reau of Customs expenditures.” (BoC) contribDuring the uted P174.9 billion, which was month of April, government 13-percent better than last spending and revenue collecyear’s collection. tions declined, resulting in a The Treasury turned in P48 narrower budget surplus of billion, a decrease of 18 percent P52.8 billion. April has historithan the year-ago level. cally generated a surplus for the “The decline [in Treasury government as the deadline for revenues] in January-May was the filing of income taxes falls mainly due to lower dividend within the month,” according collections by P9.1 billion,” the to the Treasury. agency explained. The surplus in April was lowOn the other hand, five- er than the P55 billion posted month expenses amounted a year ago. Last April, governto P1.06 trillion, up 6 percent ment expenditures declined 4 year-on-year. percent to P183.1 billion from In May alone, revenues P191.6 billion during the same P228.3 billion, an increase of 14 month last year. Interest paypercent from P199.8 billion last ments, which accounted for 7 year. percent of total expenditures, BIR collections rose 5 per- declined by 9 percent to P13.5 cent to P158.7 billion while billion from P14.8 billion as those of the Customs jumped payments falling due at endby 23 percent to P39.6 billion. April were moved to May due to The Treasury’s contribution official holidays. ■
Business
FRIDAY JUNE 30, 2017
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Canadian lumber producers face average 27 per cent duties with second wave BY ROSS MAROWITS The Canadian Press MONTREAL — Canada’s softwood lumber industry faces average duties of about 27 per cent after the U.S. Department of Commerce slapped it with an additional 6.87 per cent in preliminary average anti-dumping tariffs. The new anti-dumping duty will overlap for about two months with average preliminary countervailing duties of 19.88 per cent announced in April that are set to expire Aug. 27. Final combined duties will be applied around the end of the year when all determinations have been made. Resolute Forest Products (TSX:RFP) was assessed Monday with the lowest duties of 4.59 per cent while Canfor (TSX:CFP) gets the highest at 7.72 per cent. Two other mandatory respondents, West Fraser Timber (TSX:WFT) and Tolko, were tagged with 6.76 and 7.53 per cent duties, respectively. The rates are below the average 10 per cent forecast by industry analysts. West Fraser will have the highest combined duties at 30.88 per cent, followed by Canfor at 27.98 per cent and Tolko at 27.03 per cent. All other producers will face combined average duties of 26.75, with the exception of Resolute at 17.41 per cent and J.D. Irving at 9.89 per cent.
The duties will continue to be collected until a final decision by the U.S. is issued later this summer. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced separately that an internal investigation has determined that it was appropriate to exclude Atlantic provinces of Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Newfoundland and Labrador from softwood lumber duties as requested by the U.S. industry and Canadian officials. Jerome Pelletier, chairman of the New Brunswick Lumber Producers, said the anti-dumping duty will put “significant pressure” on producers in the province. “New Brunswick should be granted the historic 35-year Maritime exemption from any duties on softwood lumber shipments to the U.S.,” Pelletier said in a statement Monday. “We’re market-driven and have the highest Crown stumpage rates in Canada.” He added that forest products in New Brunswick contribute more to the provincial economy than forest products in British Columbia. “No other industry impacts as many communities in New Brunswick as forestry and forest products,” he said. In a joint statement, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said they are “deeply disappointed” with the U.S. decision to impose what they call “unfair and punitive anti-dumping duties.” The two cabinet ministers
said the penalties are based on a “flawed rationale that is damaging to workers, communities and consumers in Canada and the United States” and that Canada will “vigorously defend” the forest industry through litigation. They added that while consultations on exclusions for Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Newfoundland and Labrador represent “significant progress” in the dispute, Canada will continue to press the U.S. to remove duties for all provinces. Carr and Freeland also said they would welcome a U.S. Department of Commerce commitment to consider an exclusion for New Brunswick. Canada’s share of the U.S. softwood lumber market was 27 per cent in May, down from 31 per cent a year earlier, according to monthly Canadian government reports. That represented a $165-million loss in exports for the month, including $105 million in B.C. and $18 million in Quebec. Final duty rates have been lower than preliminary tariffs in the past. But Paul Quinn of RBC Capital Markets said that could change because the U.S. Lumber Coalition is pushing for a tough response to the Canadian government’s $867-million financial support for the industry, mainly through loans and loan guarantees. The U.S. Lumber Coalition applauded the announcement Monday, saying Canada has distorted the softwood lumber market with billions
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of dollars in support national producers. “The 350,000 hard working men and women in the U.S. lumber industry deserve a level playing field,” spokesman Zoltan van Heyningen said in a statement Monday. “We encourage the Department to continue strongly enforcing U.S. trade laws to respond to these unfair practices that have harmed U.S. companies and their workers.” But, the president of the British Columbia Lumber Trade Council said the duties are being felt by American consumers in the form of significantly higher prices. “That’s what constraining the market does,” Susan Yurkovich told a teleconference call. “The duties are a direct result of the actions taken by the protectionist U.S. lumber lobby whose sole purpose it to create artificial constraints on Canadian lumber to drive up prices for their benefit at the expense of American consumers.” B.C. is the largest Canadian exporter of softwood lumber to the United States at well over
50 per cent. This is the fifth time the U.S. has accused Canada of unfairly subsidizing its softwood industry. The government says Canada has always prevailed against the accusations before the World Trade Organization or under the North American Free Trade Agreement. A negotiated settlement on softwood with the U.S. expired in 2015, triggering the latest round of tariffs. The previous settlement took more than four years to negotiate. Canada can’t file an appeal of the tariffs until early next year after the final determinations from the U.S. government are issued. The Conference Board of Canada has said U.S. softwood lumber duties paid at current export levels will cost Canadian producers $1.7 billion a year and cut about 2,200 jobs until a softwood settlement is reached. After the countervailing duties were announced, Resolute said it would cut shifts at seven sawmills and delay the start of forest operations that will affect 1,282 workers. ■
Main stock price index seen retesting 8,000 level BY JOANN SANTIAGO Philippines News Agency MANILA — Establishment of the proposed OFW Bank may materialize in October 2017, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez said. “The target is early October. We’re okay there,” he told reporters recently.
The Duterte administration eyes to tap state-owned Postal Bank for this purpose. National Treasurer Rosalia De Leon said Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank), another government financial institution (GFI), has done the valuation of Postal Bank and is now preparing to get regulatory approvals. “Following that we are going to approach already the Postal
Corporation and negotiate on the price,” she added. Dominguez said Landbank has placed the value of Postal Bank at negative PHP 580 million. “This bank has been struggling for many years but you know that is an internal negotiation between two government agencies, so we will settle it among ourselves,” he said. “The valuation is not really www.canadianinquirer.net
important. What is important is that we establish a bank that is focused on marketing its services to the OFWs to make their banking transactions easier,” he added. Earlier, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said Landbank’s plan to take under its wing Postal Bank, which will be refocused to cater to OFWs,
does not need Congressional approval since this process will not involved any change in Landbank’s Charter. “LBP is set to appoint new directors and key management,” he said, but noted that this “needs BSP approval.” “They are in close coordination with BSP to expedite transaction. Good progress is being made,” he added. ■
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FRIDAY
Technology Facebook wants to nudge you into ‘meaningful’ online BY BARBARA ORTUTAY AND MICHAEL LIEDTKE The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — At Facebook, mere “sharing” is getting old. Finding deeper meaning in online communities is the next big thing. CEO Mark Zuckerberg is no longer satisfied with just connecting the world so that people can pass around baby pictures and live video — or fake news and hate symbols. So the Facebook founder wants to bring more meaning to its nearly 2 billion users by shepherding them into online groups that bring together people with common passions, problems and ambitions. Much like the creation of Facebook itself — arguably the largest social-engineering project in history — that shift could have broad and unanticipated consequences. Facebook will apply the same powerful computer algorithms that make its service so compelling to the task of boosting membership in “meaningful” groups to more than a billion people within five years. If successful, that would also encourage people to spend more time on Facebook, which could boost the company’s profits. While Facebook doesn’t currently place ads in its groups, it said it “can’t speak to future plans.” Advertising is virtually Facebook’s only source of revenue; it brought in almost $27 billion dollars in 2016, 57 per cent more than the
previous year. The search for meaning
The shift comes as Facebook continues to grapple with the darker side of connecting the world, from terrorist recruitment to videos of murder and suicides to propaganda intended to disrupt elections around the world. For Zuckerberg, using his social network to “build community” and “bring the world closer together” — two phrases from Facebook’s newly updated mission statement — is a big part of the answer. “When you think of the social structure of the world, we are probably one of the larger institutions that can help empower people to build communities,” Zuckerberg said in a recent interview at the company’s offices in Menlo Park, California. “There, I think we have a real opportunity to help make a difference.” Zuckerberg outlined his latest vision at a “communities summit” held Thursday in Chicago. It’s the company’s first gathering for the people who run millions of groups on Facebook, a feature the company rolled out years ago to little fanfare. Facebook is also rolling out new administrative tools intended to simplify the task of screening members and managing communities in hopes that will encourage people to create and cultivate more groups.
a sing l e i n terest; they offer ways to chat and organize events. Originally conceived as a way for friends and family to communicate privately, groups have evolved to encompass hobbies, medical conditions, military service, pets, parenthood and just about anything else you could think of. To Zuckerberg, now 33, the effort to foster meaningful communities reflects his recent interest in ways Facebook can make the world a less divisive place, one that emerged following the fractious 2016 presidential election. He has previously talked about the need to bring people together in both a lengthy manifesto published earlier this year and during his commencement address at Harvard University last month. “Meaning,” Facebook style
Come together
Facebook groups are ad hoc collections of people united by
Data-driven to its core, Facebook has quantified “meaning” so it can be sure people are
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getting more of it. And what Facebook aims to maximize is the time people spend in its online groups. Whenever someone spends at least 30 minutes a week in a group, Facebook classifies it as “meaningful.” The company estimates that 130 million of its users are in such groups; it aims to boost that to over a billion by 2022. Facebook has already been tweaking its algorithms to recommend more groups to users. Those changes have increased the number of people in “meaningful” groups by 50 per cent over the past six months, Zuckerberg said — a testament to the power of algorithms on human behaviour. Of course, anything that keeps people coming back to Facebook also gives it more opportunities to learn about their interests and other personal details that help it sell advertising, according to analysts. “It’s really simple economics: If users are spending time on Facebook, they’re seeing more ads,” said eMarketer analyst Debra Williamson. “Increasing user engagement is a necessity for Facebook.”
Community collage
Virtual communities “can fill a fundamental need we have for a sense of belonging, much like eating or sleeping,” said Anita Blanchard, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who’s studied them for 20 years. Facebook’s plan to connect people with like-minded fellows sounds like “a fine idea,” she said. Blanchard’s research has also shown that online communities can make people less intolerant of opposing viewpoints. “They get you out of your own clothes and make connections across the U.S., making you realize you can get along with people with different beliefs,” she said. For Sarah Giberman, an artist and parent who lives in Arlington, Texas, a meaningful group is one “that serves a need in your life, that fills some space that would otherwise feel vacant.” “I spend a lot more time on Facebook because of the groups than I would otherwise,” she said. “Especially with the current sociopolitical climate, I’m not comfortable being very open in my regular newsfeed.” ■
Technology
FRIDAY JUNE 30, 2017
‘Superhero’ 3D-printed hands help kids dream in Argentina BY LUIS ANDRES HENAO The Associated Press BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA — Being born without fingers can be tough for any child. Getting new ones — especially red and blue superhero themed digits — has made 8-year-old Kaori Misue a vibrant playground star. Flexing her wrist muscles to bend the plastic fingers, she can work with tape and stickers at an arts and crafts class. She can ride a bike, skip a rope and bake pastries with her mom. Her amazed friends have even begged to borrow the 3D printed hand, which looks a little like a cheerily colored Transformers toy strapped to her wrist. “It was magical,” her mom, Karina Misue, said. “The confidence it gives kids is tremendous. They’re using it with pride.” Hundreds of Argentine kids like Kaori who were born without limbs are now able to write, play sports and make music thanks to low-cost prosthetic hands devised by Gino Tubaro, a 21-year-old inventor whose work was praised by President Barack Obama during a visit to Argentina last year. Tubaro’s “Limbs” project is part of a trend of open-source 3D printing technology initiatives around the world. They include the non-profit e-NABLE organization that groups volunteers to provide hands and arms to those born with missing limbs or who lost them to war, disease or natural disaster, and the Build It Workspace studio, which teaches people how to use high-tech printers. Growing up, Tubaro remembers breaking apart home appliances to try to turn them into new inventions. Instead of reprimanding him, his parents signed him up to a weekend workshop where he had free range to experiment. Along the way, he began earning awards for his designs. When he began using 3D printers, the mother of a child who was missing a limb asked him if he could design a hand for her son. Tubaro delivered it in 2014, when he was still in high school. Today, more than 500 people, mostly children, have received similar prostheses and 4,500 more remain on a waiting list. Basic designs are custom modified to fit the needs of each user with the help of orthopedists. The project uses volunteers around the world who own 3D printers to print the pieces and assemble and deliver the hands. They can cost as little as $15 com-
pared to sophisticated designs that are priced up to $15,000. Some of the pieces can be interchanged to fit a specific purpose: from playing pingpong to grabbing a fork or riding a bike. If children outgrow a model, it can be easily replaced, perhaps with a different theme. A black Batman design can hurl plastic disks. A red and gold Iron Man version can shoot rubber bands. “It’s a wonderful experience because we’re getting photos of kids using the prostheses in Thailand, Mexico, Egypt ... doing things that they couldn’t do before,” Tubaro said about the project, which is partly financed by donations and award money. “Seeing a kid wearing a hand from Iron Man, Batman or Princess (Elsa from Frozen) gives us so much pride,” said Tubaro, who divides his time between the project and his second-year studies in electrical engineering at National Technological University in Buenos Aires. Misue said she found out about Tubaro’s project when she saw Obama praise his work on TV. She filled out a form requesting a hand at his atomiclab.org site and sent a photo of her daughter’s hand on squared paper. Kaori wanted a light blue-and-white Princess Elsa model, but since they ran out of those, she got a bright blue and red one that she likes to match with her outfits. “Now it’s got these colours and it looks like Wonder Woman,” Kaori said after she used her 3D printed hand to pick up a cupcake baked by her mother. “It’s just missing yellow, but it doesn’t matter because I can wear something yellow.” The walls of Tubaro’s Atomic Lab workshop in Buenos Aires are decorated with printed drawings of hands by Leonardo da Vinci next to designs for Iron Man robotic hands. Microwave-size 3D printers are stacked on wooden tables next to containers filled to the brim with plastic for prosthetic hands. On a recent day, Tubaro answered emails and phone calls while he slurped noodles straight from a pot and finished printing a new prosthesis for a jazz trumpeter. “Thanks to the prosthesis, I can communicate with my instrument much better. It’s a total joy,” said Juan Pablo Pelaez, 33, who lost his arm in a car accident at age 14. “It’s something that’s good for your soul,” Pelaez said. “Knowing that technology can help achieve these kinds of things is wonderful.” ■
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Ontario to ban ‘scalper bots’ in proposed ticket sale reforms BY ADAM STANLEY The Canadian Press TORONTO — Ontario is promising to clamp down on online ticket scalping, a source of frustration and anger for fans who have often been unable to secure tickets to their favourite sport or music events. The Liberal government said Monday it will introduce new legislation this fall that will make automated ticket-buying “bots” illegal. It would also cap markups on resold tickets at 50 per cent of their face value. Under the proposed law, ticket resellers would have to disclose more information, including the face value of tickets and any surcharges. The so-called “scalper bots” — software programs designed to purchase online a large number of tickets for a concert, show, or other event, enabling the person running the software to sell those tickets at a profit — made headlines last year when many Tragically Hip fans were unable to buy tickets to the band’s farewell tour. “By the time any real fan is able to log on and search for tickets the best seats are
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gone,” said Yasir Naqvi, Ontario’s attorney general, as he made the announcement. “Many events sell out completely in minutes, even seconds, and many of these tickets end up on resale sites for huge mark ups, of course.” Naqvi said the government would also make it illegal to sell tickets purchased with bots and to “facilitate” the resale of those tickets. He has acknowledged, however, that enforcing a ban on scalper bots, which are not unique to Ontario, would be difficult. The opposition Progressive Conservatives said price gouging in the ticket resale market is a “mess” of the Liberals’ own making, noting that scalping was illegal in Ontario until the government changed the law in 2015, making it legal for tickets to be sold for more than their face value when the reseller can authenticate the ticket or offer a money-back guarantee. The change opened the door for legal ticket reselling websites, such as eBay’s StubHub, which offer guarantees to buyers. StubHub said in a statement Monday that it supports legislation prohibiting the use of bots. ■
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CANADA
Wanted: PERSONAL ASSISTANT - HOME CARE Permanent – Full time $14.00/hour - for 40 hours per week Anticipated start date: As soon as possible Location: Scarborough, Canada (1 vacancy) Wanted homecare personal assitant to provide care to an 85 years old elderly female suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. Duty includes administer bedside and personal care to client such as aid in ambulation, bathing, personal hygiene and administration of medication. Prepare and serve nutritious meals. Perform routine housekeeping duties such as laundry and ironing clothes and linens, washing dishes, making beds and house cleaning. Taking the designated individual for walks, park, malls and doctors appointments and any other duties deemed necessary to assist the designated individual with day to day living. Preferably with 1 year to less than 2 years of work experience in elderly care. Must speak and write English. Completion of highschool graduate equivalent in Canada.Optional accomodation available at no charge on a live-in basis. (This is not a condition of employment)
email resume to: eymard.lumbre@yahoo.com
St. Louis Bar and Grill (Bolton Location) 301 Queen St. S
Now Hiring Line Cooks - Cook menu items in cooperation with the rest of the Kitchen staff - Clean up kitchen and stock inventory - Proven cooking experience - Accuracy and speed in executing assigned tasks We have an amazing group of people working here and we are currently growing very quickly! We are looking for the right team member(s) to join our fabulous team!
Please reply to our email and you will be contacted promptly.
Email at stlouisbolton@gmail.com
Wanted: IN HOME CAREGIVER (ONTARIO) Pays $14/ hr. Permanent.Full time.8 hrs/day.40h/wk.Benefits: OHIP.WSIB Req:Completion of Canadian High School At least have experience in 1-2 years as a FT Caregiving Training School Companionship indoor/outdoor, meal preparation, cooking, household chores, help in handing the needs during the toileting, eating.
EMPLOYERS: Irene Kukuk #28 Grandriver Crt. Brampton ON Supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-996-2273/647-537-9844) Aurora Bonaldi#67 Strathburn Blvd North York ON dbonaldi@sympatico.ca (647-996-2273) Delia Mercedes Dela Cruz #265 Wright Cres Ajax ON merdela59@yahoo.com (647-281-2774) Marilyn Uniana #784 Arthur Park Ave.Woodstock ON supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-996-2273) Supriya Gupta #68 Truman Rd Willowdale ON supriyagupta27@yahoo.ca (647-996-2273) Viginia Malbog #50 Jeremy Pl Brampton ON supremeccc@yahoo.com (416-666-4463)
Wanted: IN HOME CAREGIVER/NANNY - ONTARIO Pays $11.54/ hour. Care for a Child/children. Permanent.Full time. 8hrs/day.40h/wk. Benefits: OHIP.WSIB Req: Completion of Canadian High School At least have experience in 1-2 years as a Nanny or FT | Caregiving Training School JOB TASK: Look after child/children, meal preparation, inddor / outdoor companionship, light housekeeping.
EMPLOYERS: Sudduf/Aaraz #2584 Valley Ridge Road Oakville ON ahraaz.wyne@gmail.com (647-996-2273) Christopher/ Jennifer #08 Columbine Ave. Toronto ON jennifer.posnikoff@bell.ca Mark Polanco#77 Winter Ave.Scarborough ON polancomark@yahoo.com (647-686-6341) Caryl Morante @Toronto ON supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-996-2273) Liza Sotto#51 Hawkview Blvd.Woodbridge ON lizavillanueva173@yahoo.ca (905-553-0681) Dhona Ursua #05 Bay St. Blvd.Scarborough ON dhonarizaursua@yahoo.ca (647-937-2884) Jillian Tishman #226 Arlington Ave.York ON supremeccc@yahoo.com (416-277-8043) Julie Mcewen #32 Leuty Ave Toronto ON julieannemcewen@yahoo.ca (416-801-1276) Marlyn Fabros#201-12 Donora Dr Toronto ON supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-701-1392) Mayra Cosico #550 Steddick Crt Unit 37 Mississauga ON supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-998-8042) Rahul Kukreja #7 Lyric Ln Toronto ON Supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-996-2273)
IMMIGRATION PROBLEMS? OLIGO SARMA CANADA IMMIGRATION SERVICES call /sms 647-996-2273
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FRIDAY JUNE 30, 2017
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Travel Finding comfort, and North Korea, in a tiny restaurant BY TIM SULLIVAN The Associated Press INCHEON, KOREA, REPUBLIC OF — The little restaurant isn’t much to look at. It’s across the street from an empty lot in a city where bland high-rise apartment buildings sprawl in every direction. Boxes of dried fish are stacked by the front window. A dirty mop stands in the corner. The walls are painted a vomitous green. But people come from across South Korea to eat here. They come for the potato pancakes, the blood sausage and, very often, for a fried street food that many dreamed of back when nearly everyone they knew was hungry. More than anything, though, they come for memories the food brings back of an outcast homeland they may never see again. “This is the taste of where they came from,” says the restaurant’s owner, a refugee who asks to be identified only by her surname, Choi. “The food here tastes the way it does in North Korea.” More than 30,000 North Koreans now live in South Korea, having fled poverty, hunger and the relentless pressures of life in an oppressive, authoritarian state. But for most, life in the South is far from ideal. Raised amid dictatorial dysfunction, and normally poorly educated, the exiles stumble into a brutally competitive nation where they are regularly disdained by their neighbours. “Chon-nom” they are often called — “bumpkin.” That derision, combined with their own disillusionment, can churn into a stew of suspicion, resentment and ambivalence. And though they may hate the nation they left behind, many also miss it deeply. Because how can you not miss home? “Our lives here can be so difficult,” said a North Korean now living in the South. “But finding that restaurant made me so happy.” She spoke on condition her name not be used; even North Koreans who fled years ago remain concerned about reprisals against them or relatives still in the North. Choi has built them a tiny island of North Korean life that starts to feel crowded if it has more than a half-dozen customers. In a burst of optimism she named it Howol-ilga, “People from Different Homelands Come to Gather in
One Place.” “My place is a comfort for them,” says Choi, 39, in a Northern accent so thick it can be barely comprehensible at first to Southerners. “When they come here and find a menu so similar to what they ate back home, they know they can relax.” At first glance Choi doesn’t seem very relaxing. Gruff and often scowling, restaurant work has left her hands patterned with small knife cuts and her forearms spattered by ugly oil burns. She has only two employees, and keeps the restaurant open seven days a week. Exhaustion is a constant. She cannot remember her last day off. But eventually — when she finally sits down to talk, chugging a can of Georgia Original coffee — a smile crosses her face. Choi grew up in a small town so close to North Korea’s Amnok River border that you could wave to people in China. She learned cooking from her father, a onetime military cook who loved working in kitchens — rare in the North’s deeply conservative culture — and from relatives who smuggled in goods from China. “They had learned Chinese cooking there,” she said. The family was far from rich, but made enough trading in clothes, cheap electronics and DVDs of South Korean TV shows to count as middle-class. It was enough to avoid the horrors of North Korea’s mid-1990s famine, which killed at least 500,000 people and perhaps well over a million. Years later, most North Korean refugees still refer to the famine by its Pyongyang-mandated euphemism. “Even in the Arduous March we didn’t suffer much,” Choi says, shrugging. “It’s my family’s fate to escape living in poverty.” She left the North in 2012, looking for a better life for her young son, and opened the restaurant two years later. Modesty isn’t an issue for her. “All of my customers talk about how good I am,” she says. “They tell me: ‘When I eat in other restaurants, it doesn’t taste like what I used to eat in the North. What you cook tastes completely different!”’ A South Korean, she insists, could never succeed in her kitchen. “A cook’s appetite is different” when they come from another place, she says, leaning against one of her fake wood tables. “They taste things in a different
Korean-style potato pancake.
way. So how could they cook this kind of food?” Food and history are as tangled at Howol-ilga as they are in North Korea, where three generations of dictators have vowed to end a relentless, centuries-old struggle against hunger. “Socialism is rice!” the country’s founding ruler, Kim Il Sung, proclaimed regularly in the 1960s, promising that everyone would soon be eating meat soup and rice every day. Instead, as South Korea became a global economic power the North lurched into its nightmare years, culminating in the 1990s famine. While the era of mass starvation is over, malnutrition remains a major problem, particularly among young children and pregnant women. And many Northerners still use food to talk about money and class differences, often saying, for example, that only the rich “eat rice every day.” One of Choi’s best-loved dishes is injogogibap, a street food invented during the famine, when it was the closest thing to meat most people could afford. Bits of leftover fried tofu, which in
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earlier days had been thrown away, were scraped from pots and pressed into hot dog-sized tubes that were then stuffed with rice. It’s delicious and filling (though tastes nothing like meat), with the tofu absorbing random flavours from cooking pots. At the worst of times, when the smell of frying injogogibap would waft from food stalls into streets filled with hungry people, it became an object of fantasy. Even today some exiles dream about it. That doesn’t surprise Sonia Ryang, an anthropologist at Rice University in Texas who grew up in a pro-North Korea community in Japan, and who has written extensively about the North. To smell injogogibap was to dream of filling your stomach at a time when starvation was wiping out entire neighbourhoods. “Far from not wanting to remember, they want to remember,” says Ryang. “Because it was proof that they were alive.” Choi’s explanation is simpler. During the famine, she says, food was something that could always make people happy. She smiles: “Eating is joyful.” ■
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JUNE 30, 2017
FRIDAY
Kelowna draws new residents, tourists with tech boom and dining renaissance BY ADAM STANLEY The Canadian Press KELOWNA, B.C. — Thanks to a thriving tech industry that has seen more than a 30 per cent growth in just two years, Kelowna has seen its demographics change drastically and its cultural scene adapt to appease younger tastes. The B.C. city has long been known for just its world-class wineries — Mission Hill, for example, has won numerous awards for its wine, including best Riesling and best Pinot Noir in the world at the Decanter World Wine Awards — and its 2,000 hours of sunshine, minimal precipitation and flat terrain made it idyllic for retirees. However, given a recent tech boom, and with many natives of Kelowna returning home after being priced out of nearby Vancouver, the city has changed in recent years. It’s now skewing much younger. The economic impact of the tech industry in Kelowna is currently $1.3 billion, with 633 companies as of fall 2016 employing 7,600 people. And 52 per cent of those workers are below the age of 35. “We’re basically changing the demographics of this whole area,” says Raghwa Gopal, CEO of Accelerate Okanagan and a
40-year resident of the city. Accelerate Okanagan, a nonprofit organization that was started seven years ago, is the primary tenant of a brand-new $11-million innovation centre in Kelowna’s downtown core. Gopal says seven years ago it would have been difficult to “even dream” of a place like the innovation centre, but with Kelowna having the fastestgrowing tech hub in the country, it was time for a change. “You come downtown Sunday evening and there are actually people walking around, going to restaurants, and it has definitely spurred a lot of new businesses,” says Gopal. “A lot more younger people are coming into town, sure, but we have two high-level postsecondary institutions here (the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan Campus and Okanagan College) and we’re starting to keep a lot more of those graduating students in town.” Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran says young people were leaving Kelowna for opportunities, but that trend’s now changing. “Young people are recognizing there are opportunities in our city, and a lot more of them are staying,” says Basran, who points to a recent study by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, which
named Kelowna as one of the top cities in Canada for entrepreneurs, as a key reason younger people have decided to stick around. “The more businesses that are here, and can flourish ... that speaks to the whole ‘providing opportunity’ piece that we’re proud of,” Basran explains. “We don’t want to rest on that though. There’s a great entrepreneurial spirit in our city.” One of the businesses making a name for itself — and finding quick success — is BNA Brewing Co. & Eatery. The craft brewery and restaurant, just a few blocks from the innovation centre, and located in a building that was formerly home to the British North American Tobacco Company (hence,”BNA”) has been getting rave reviews from local and tourist diners alike. And it’s not just food and craft beer they’re known for — Cintas Canada Ltd. named them a finalist in the company’s sixth annual Canada’s Best Restroom competition in 2015. Marketing director Jill Jarrett says the brewery’s rapid expansion is a microcosm of Kelowna itself. “Its success and the way it’s been received is a reflection of what’s been going on in the city, and the demands of the people who are deciding to stay here,”
Kelowna, BC.
says Jarrett, noting BNA expanded its footprint just a year into operation. Basran says the next thing Kelowna will be known for, beyond tech, is microbreweries and cideries. “We’re seeing an influx of those popping up in our community, and all of them are topnotch,” he says. And Jarrett states “staying local” has been a key reason for BNA’s quick success. “The types of cuisine we have are anything but local. We’ve had Indian- and Asianinspired things on the menu, we’ve got Italian too, but our chef takes inspiration from all these worldwide cuisines and showcases Okanagan ingredients within them. Our menu
changes seasonally because of that,” she says. Along with more than 20 wineries in the area offering tours and tastings and an annual wine festival, visitors can enjoy beautiful vistas of orchards and mountains surrounding the Okanagan Valley city. There’s a waterfront park and plenty of beaches for swimming, paddling and other water-based activities. Hiking, golf, museums and farmers markets mean there’s something for everyone. If You Go...
Kelowna Travel Guide: http://bit.ly/2s47dRA BNA Brewing Co. & Eatery: http://www.bnabrewing.com/ Mission Hill Winery: http:// www.missionhillwinery.com/
Puerto Princesa aims to be PH’s ‘Caving Capital’ BY GERARDO C. REYES, JR. Philippines News Agency PUERTO PRINCESA CITY — This city is batting to become the “Caving Capital of the Philippines,” City Tourism Office (CTO) head Aileen Cynthia Amurao said Wednesday morning. She said that currently, Puerto Princesa is trying to fasttrack the conduct of a research on this in order to determine how many caves are there within the territorial jurisdiction of the city. Documentation of these caves, Amurao said, is now underway as the CTO wants to
already embark on full blast promotion of these emerging tourism sites. Amurao disclosed that the city has “so many caves,” and in fact, it is the home of the Hundred Caves that can be found in Barangay Tagabinet, which is adjacent to the Puerto UNESCO World Heritage Site, Puerto Princesa Underground River (PPUR). The Hundred Caves were reportedly discovered during the ‘90s, and cave systems prove to be multi-layered with a series of continuous narrow or winding interconnecting passages. The paths are rather vertical, and one of its kind in the country, and because of this, Amurao
is confident that Puerto Princesa can emerge as the country’s caving capital. In the Hundred Caves, Amurao said tourists will surely enjoy guided cave tours, photography, rock climbing, and even bird watching because of the surrounding forest cover. Implementing necessary protection and conservation measures for the caves and its surrounding environment, said Amurao, will prove to be challenging but Puerto Princesa can achieve its aim by following what are stated in Republic Act 9072 or the National Caves and Cave Resources Management and Protection Act of 2001. The Act is a significant legiswww.canadianinquirer.net
lation which directs the State to “conserve, protect and manage caves and cave resources as part of the country’s natural wealth,” she said. Aside from this, the city tourism officer said the improvement of existing tourist destinations and other sites is underway. These are the construction of tourism-related facilities like the eco-center, kiosk, and green toilets among others. Livelihood assistance is also continuously being given to local residents, and in this strategy, tourism-related capacities of local residents are enhanced. Amurao revealed too, that the Langogan-to-Maoyon com-
munity-based sustainable tourism (CBST) cluster site in the northeastern part of the city has now been developed. In this site, cultural tourism is being promoted with the Batak indigenous peoples (IPs), who produce and process civet coffee. In the northwestern area of the city, improvements in the Buenavista-to-Tagabinet CBST cluster are in place, and residents are handling the management of the tourism sites. Amurao said they are doubling their efforts for these emerging tourism sites to open to help uplift the lives of the people. ■
FRIDAY JUNE 30, 2017
37
Food Three Melon Soup is a summer showstopper
Take your yummy morning bowl of cereal on the road
BY SARA MOULTON The Associated Press THREE MELON Soup, a real showstopper, is as much fun to look at as it is refreshing to eat. The key, though, is to start with the ripest and most fragrant fruits available. In the case of cantaloupes and honeydews, the first move is to smell the stem end to make sure it smells strongly of melon. With watermelon, begin by searching for a large yellow spot on the outside — a sign that the melon ripened for a good long time in the sun. (Watermelons don’t rotate as they ripen; the yellow spot marks the part never exposed to the sun. The larger the spot, the longer it ripened.) Given its natural sweetness, melon cries out for an acidic counterpoint. Citrus is the best choice. Here we use orange, lemon and lime, one for each of the three melons — although lemon or lime will work for the group of them if you’d prefer not to buy all three types. Also, the amount of citrus prescribed is given as a range because an individual melon may need more or less acid depending on its sweetness. Start with the smallest amount, adding more until it’s no longer flat. This soup’s blazing good looks — a kaleidoscope of red, yellow and green — result from the fact that each of the three purees keeps to itself. And you don’t need to be a professional food stylist to pull off this trick — just spoon the purees into separate parts of the bowl. I offer this recipe in two versions: plain or fancy. The former is garnished with sour cream or yogurt, strawberries and mint. The latter boasts a savory garnish: salty cheese, tortilla strips and sliced chiles. All of the purees can be prepared several days ahead of time, and you can double or triple the recipe with no problem, which makes it a perfect candidate for a large backyard party.
THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA
Start to finish: 3 hours, 50 minutes (50 active) Servings: 4 • 3 cups coarsely chopped honeydew melon, plus 1/2 cup small cubes honeydew melon • 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh lime juice • 3 cups coarsely chopped seedless watermelon, plus 1/2 cup small cubes watermelon • 2 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice • 3 cups coarsely chopped cantaloupe melon, plus 1/2 cup small cubes cantaloupe melon • 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons orange juice • Traditional garnishes: • 1/2 cup chopped strawberries • 1/4 cup sour cream • Fresh mint leaves • Savory garnishes: • 1/2 cup crushed tortilla chips • 1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese • 1 small serrano, sliced thin crosswise In a blender combine the coarsely chopped honeydew
with 2 tablespoons of the lime juice and blend until finely pureed. Taste and add more lime juice if necessary. Transfer to a bowl, rinse out the blender and add the coarsely chopped watermelon and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice. Blend until finely pureed; taste and add more lemon juice if necessary. Transfer to a bowl, rinse out the blender and add the coarsely chopped cantaloupe, orange juice and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Blend until finely pureed; taste and add more lemon juice if necessary. Transfer to a bowl. Chill all three melon purees for at least 3 hours. To serve: Remove the purees from the refrigerator and stir each one (the water in the melon will separate out as it sits). Spoon or pour equal amounts of each puree into each of four bowls and garnish with either the traditional or savory garnishes. Nutritional information: 194 calories; 30 calories from fat; 3 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 56 mg sodium; 41 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 35 g sugar; 4 g protein.
COLLEGE KIDS love cereal, and that is an indisputable fact. Even if they don’t love it going in, they’ll probably be hooked by the third week of their freshman year. College students have lots to juggle, meaning food is often last on their list of priorities. So that makes that easy bowl of cereal a lifesaver when the work piles up. Even at The Culinary Institute of America, where students’ breakfasts can mean made-to-order eggs Benedict and huevos rancheros, convenience sometimes wins. Like, what happens when those hardworking students’ alarm clocks get turned off through absolutely no fault of their own and they’re running late to their 8 a.m. Chocolate and Confectionery Techniques exam? The saviour of every college student (and anyone of any age who sometimes oversleeps) is this recipe for On-the-Go Cereal Balls and here’s why: One, they are yummy. Two, they are easy to make (no cooking!). And three, you can make them as healthy — or not — as you like. All of the ingredients in this recipe, from the cereal to the nut butter to the dried fruit, can be picked up at any market. They can also be easily boxed up in a care package with the recipe included, plus a little note from home. Except for the powdered milk (which is cheap and easy to find), the ingredients are probably already in your college kid’s dorm room, so they have no excuse — though they’ll sure try to find one right? Prepared quickly by hand in a bowl (or discarded pizza box, if we’re being realistic), these cereal balls can be ready in a matter of minutes and will hold all week, ready to grab on the way out the door. Using whole grain
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cereal and lightly sweetened nut butters, they hit that sweet spot our kids so often crave at breakfast, but still offer the proteins and carbohydrates they need to power them through a busy morning. And the flavour combinations are limited only to your family’s preferences, like honey-nut cereal with almond butter and dried cranberries, or cinnamonflavoured cereal with cashew butter and dried cherries, or homemade granola and chocolate-hazelnut. There’s no end to the combinations. If you’re facing food allergies, don’t despair. This recipe can be made using gluten-free cereals, and the nut butters can include sunflower seed butter or even tahini, made from sesame seeds. And if dairy is an issue, you can omit the milk powder for slightly different results. This ingredient helps to bind the whole mixture together, so you might find that you need to add a bit more honey or nut butter, in that case. Always remember to check the ingredient list in your prepared foods for hidden allergens, too. And since little kids are just pre-19-year-olds, this recipe is tailor-made for them as well, as they head back to school. You can size the balls up or down, depending on your little one’s appetite, making them the perfect hand-held treat. Wrap them in parchment paper before you hop in the car to help keep that backseat free of sticky fingers, if such a thing is even possible. On-the-go cereal balls
Servings: 6 Start to finish: 5 minutes
• 3 cups of your favourite cereal • 3/4 cup peanut butter or other nut butter • 3/4 cup nonfat powdered ❱❱ PAGE 38 Take your
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Food
Retailers want... to The NPD Group, much more experiential,” Meta consumer tracking rick agreed. service, and are up Fitness retailers have also from $36.9 billion in 2014. So capitalized on this trend. Adiit’s no surprise retailers want to das opened its Runbase store in offer those customers more and Berlin last year, which includes keep them in the stores longer. training facilities and a healthy Saks’ New York flagship has restaurant. At Nike’s SoHo devoted an entire floor to the store, consumers can test a 16,000 square-foot wellness pair of sneakers on the in-store sanctuary that opened in May basketball court, on a synthetic and offers fitness classes, a football field or on a treadmill salt chamber and meditation that gives real-time feedback. alongside other merchandise. Stores are also focusing on Celebrity fitness guru Tracy selling nontoxic makeup, vitaAnderson was the marquee mins and powders for skin and name on opening night. After hair. Free People, a bohemian a sweat session, fitness aficio- apparel line popular among nados can test the latest home yogis, now sells wellness prodgym equipment like a Peloton ucts. Some of the products and bike, get custom-fitted for golf clothes are included in their reclubs or get their nails done treats, like a five-night retreat — a day’s worth of self-care in at Glacier National Park that one spot. starts at $1,800. “We need to be their sanctuClean beauty queen and acary, whether they need retail tress Gwyneth Paltrow had a therapy or want to feel good partnership with Nordstrom about themthis year for a selves,” says Saks series of pop-up President Marc shops. Paltrow’s Metrick. “After Goop brand cua good workout Impulse rated the items, shopping it’s a big rush, including nonhappens so it’s great. We toxic masks and more than want people serums, spiralizdouble the to feel good in ers for zucchini amount in our stores ... it noodles, meditastore than doesn’t always tion pillows and it does with have to be beyoga gear. an online cause you bought Bloomingdapurchase. a killer pair of le’s is also seekshoes.” ing to attract The Wellery is yogi dollars. It full circle for the worked with upscale chain wellness website that constructed an indoor ski Grokker for an online chalslope at its flagship store in lenge, in-store events like yoga 1935, and offered skiing lessons classes and a free subscription for a time as a novelty activity to Grokker for the month of to bring customers in. May. Before the wellness trend, ABC Carpet & Home has ofdepartment stores like Sears fered seminars with meditation and J.C. Penney positioned guru Gabrielle Bernstein. Thich themselves as destinations Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk, through photo studios and led chanting with 100 fellow beauty salons. Penney has also monks. Consumers can peruse had success with small Sephora sustainable and fair-trade jewlocations inside stores. elry, fitness apparel and maybe The wellness trend taps into buy a tonic. It’s part of an effort what analysts and retailers say to draw like-minded consumis people’s desire for experi- ers into the store and hopeences. Magdalena Kondej, head fully deepen their loyalty to the of apparel and footwear at Eu- brand. romonitor, characterized it as Bringing more consumers “the prioritization of doing, through the door — for whatseeing and feeling over having ever reason — can only help the more stuff.” stores, says NPD retail analyst “No one comes to the store Marshal Cohen. anymore to buy something. “Impulse shopping happens They can do that on the phone, more than double the amount in the cab, at home at night in store than it does with an on... our stores have to become line purchase,” he says. ■ ❰❰ 28
JUNE 30, 2017
FRIDAY
After Greek and Icelandic, is French the next trendy yogurt? BY CANDICE CHOI The Associated Press NEW YORK — There’s Greek yogurt, Icelandic yogurt and Australian yogurt. Now, the U.S. maker of Yoplait is hoping to revive its declining sales by marketing yet another culture in the yogurt section. Enter “Oui,” which General Mills is hailing as the arrival of “French-style” yogurt in the United States. Like the yogurts that channel the heritages of other countries, however, the company says there is no official definition for French yogurt. “French is more a standard we have created,” said David Clark, head of the U.S. yogurt unit at General Mills. The attempt to cultivate a trendy new yogurt comes as overall U.S. sales are slumping. Yogurt sales are down 3 per cent so far this year compared to a year ago, according to Nielsen. General Mills Inc. has been particularly hard-hit, with its yogurt sales down 20 per cent in its latest quarter. The company attributes the industry-wide weakness to a lack of exciting new options since Greek yogurt upended the market. Though Yoplait’s usual yogurts also have French roots, they come in flavours like key lime pie and contain ingredients such as modified corn starch and sucralose. That may not be exactly what comes to mind when people think of authentic French food. To create the pricier Oui, General Mills said it imagined how yogurt might have been made in “French farmhouses 100 years ago.” The resulting
product has a simpler list of ingredients and is cultured in the glass jar in which it is sold. The company says the jars preserve the yogurt’s texture and are a nod to the desire for “artisanal” foods. It would be the latest option in the yogurt case that promises a taste of faraway lands. Greek yogurt, for instance, is widely known for being strained to have more protein and a thicker texture. Icelandic yogurt, or skyr, is strained to have an even thicker consistency, says Siggi Hilmarsson, the founder of Siggi’s yogurt. Another skyr maker, Icelandic Provisions, says it uses “heirloom cultures” from Iceland and doesn’t even consider its skyr to be yogurt. Wallaby features a kangaroo on its containers and says it is Australian-style yogurt. Parent company WhiteWave declined to specify what makes it Australian, though Wallaby’s website says the product was created after its founders travelled to
Australia. Yet another popular version is Noosa, which plays up its Australian roots online. But co-founder Koel Thomae says Noosa doesn’t reflect an Australian yogurt tradition, and that the product is based on a local Australian brand she discovered that is made with whole milk and infused with honey. “The Australian-ness is me, and the fact that the recipe came from Australia,” she said. As with the other newer yogurts, General Mills plans to charge more for Oui. A 5-ounce jar will sell for around $1.49. Yoplait Greek has 5.3 ounces for around $1, while regular Yoplait has 6 ounces for around 70 cents. And while yogurt makers spin the globe, what would define an American yogurt? Clark notes that many yogurts sold in the United States have artificial sweeteners — something he said he could “never envision” for a French-style version. ■
vanilla. Mix until the cereal is evenly coated. Use your hands to shape the mixture into 6 balls. Eat right away, or refrigerate, covered, until ready to eat. Chef’s Note: Powdered milk is made by dehydrating (removing the water from) liquid milk. This form of milk has many uses, but in a recipe like this, it
helps hold all of the pieces together. You can find powdered milk at your grocery store.
Take your... milk (see Chef’s Note) • 1/2 cup honey • 1/4 cup chopped dried fruit (optional) • 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract ❰❰ 37
Lightly crush the cereal in a medium bowl, and then add the peanut butter, powdered milk, honey, dried fruit (if using), and www.canadianinquirer.net
Nutrition information per serving: 379 calories; 161 calories from fat; 18 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 2 mg cholesterol; 228 mg sodium; 50 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 34 g sugar; 11 g protein.
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