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Rights groups, victims, relatives and supporters of the "Morong 43" hold a protest at the Sandiganbayan where the Army and police generals were supposed to be arraigned. Story on page x. NINO JESUS ORBETA / PDI
‘Duterte human, not superman’ BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer HE IS no superman, give him a break. President Duterte’s disappearances from the public eye for brief spells—the latest six days—have also prompted the reappearance in the media spotlight of Secretary Martin Andanar, erstwhile Malacañang spokesperson, along with Ernesto Abella, and now head of the Presidential Communications Office.
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Andanar has made himself available for interviews as speculation swirled about the President’s health, pleading for understanding. “He is not Superman. He is not the Six Million Dollar Man or the Bionic Man. He is not a robot,” Andanar said on Wednesday at the weekly Kapihan sa Manila Bay. “President Duterte is also human and he also gets tired,” he said. “If you ask
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REACTIONS TO SC RULING ON MINDANAO MARTIAL RULE
Petititoners see ‘de facto military junta’ BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer OPPOSITION LAWMAKERS said the Supreme Court decision upholding the constitutionality of President Rodrigo Duterte’s martial law proclamation in Mindanao had placed the country under a “de facto military junta.” “This can be a springboard to expanding [martial law] to the entire country considering how easy Congress bends to Malacañang’s will and now that they know the Supreme Court isn’t allergic to use their constitutional powers to affirm martial law,” said Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat. Baguilat, one of the petitioners who demanded the rejection of Mr. Duterte’s Proclamation No. 216, said an extension of martial law would be a “draconian step to institutionalizing a dictatorship and must be opposed by democracy defend-
ers in Congress.” “I am vigorously opposed to a perpetual state of martial law in Mindanao. That seems to be the modus operandi now of the administration and their congressional allies now that the Supreme Court has rejected the petitions nullifying martial law,” he said. Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said the court’s ruling effectively placed the Philippines in the hands of a de facto military junta. “This is an ominous development that may place the country in an even more dangerous position. We could expect an emboldened military and police to commit more human rights violations and further endanger the lives of our people not just in Marawi but the whole of Mindanao,” he said. ‘Authoritarian rule’
Akbayan Rep. Tomasito Villarin warned of a “creeping authoritarian rule” in the guise of
Only in Lanao del Sur
Abdul Wahid Taurac, general merchandise and grocery owner, cries after seeing his establishment ransacked by looters in Barangay Datu Saber in Marawi City. OLIVER MARQUEZ / PNA
public safety and security. “Now that he is cloaked with such authority, President Duterte might push it to the limit and declare a druginduced nationwide rebellion by terror groups. Martial law becomes a hard habit to break,” he said. Villarin noted that the Philippine National Police and the Armed Forces of the Philippines had just stated that they wished to extend martial law by
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two more months. “The war on drugs took a back seat when the Marawi incident happened but is now back in full swing. Duterte earlier tagged the Mautes to be in cahoots with the drug lords,” he said. “The Supreme Court has reneged on its role as the last institutional rampart against abuse of the executive’s martial law power,” said ACT Teachers Rep. Antonio Tinio.
“I’m afraid that this Supreme Court will go down in history as having paved the way for state repression against citizens in the name of a prolonged and expanded martial law based on nebulous and shifting grounds,” he said. Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano said: “Placing the entire Mindanao under martial law is difficult to comprehend and justify when the crisis is taking place only in the province of Lanao del Sur.” Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas said the military now would be “emboldened to carry out aerial strikes, indiscriminate firing and the use of rape as a tool of war against civilians.” “The decision sets the ground for the arbitrary declaration of a nationwide martial law, as it upheld the presence of rebellion based merely on inaccurate and fake reports by the military,” Brosas said. ■
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SAF men want out of Bilibid, says ‘Bato’ BY JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE Philippine Daily Inquirer THE SPECIAL Action Force (SAF) may completely be pulled out of the New Bilibid Prisons (NBP) following a revelation by justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on the alleged resurgence of the drug trade in the facility. According to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald dela Rosa the SAF unit at the NBP has asked to be recalled from the facility for the sake of preserving its reputation. At a press conference Tuesday the country’s top cop conceded that the information from the justice secretary may be true. Dela Rosa said that the SAF unit wants to pull out of the NBP because they do not have complete control. “They (SAF) have this apprehension that their reputation might get damaged there. They told me, ‘We are here but the drug trade continues. We cannot control it. We will be ruined. You better
relieve us here.’ That’s their request,” he explained. The PNP chief said that the SAF only has control over Building 14 and the maximum security compound, where some of the drug lords are. But he pointed out there are drug lords who were moved to the medium and minimum security areas which are beyond the SAF unit’s control. “If contraband is smuggled inside, like gadgets cellular phones, laptop computers, the SAF unit cannot confiscate them because it does not have control of the medium and minimum (security areas),” Dela Rosa said. “I wish all of them (drug lords) are returned to Building 14 so the SAF could guard them,” he told reporters. Dela Rosa said that he will speak with the SAF director to determine what the best course of action is. “Our SAF is overstretched. They are very much engaged in the conflict in Marawi. We have a problem in the Zamboanga Peninsula, Central Mindanao, particularly in Maguindanao,” he noted. ■
Du30 on 2 US leaders: F**k Obama BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT DUTERTE on Saturday said there was no comparing former US President Barack Obama with his successor to the White House as he accused the former of treating him like an ordinary “postal employee” for criticizing his war on drugs. Mr. Duterte said Obama’s comment was in contrast with US President Donald Trump, who had praised Manila’s campaign against illegal drugs. “This Obama, he criticized me as if I was a federal government employee. I was treated like a postal employee,” the President said in Digos City, where he attended the 50th founding anniversary of Davao del Sur province. F**k you Obama
“That is why I said, ‘Fuck you. You can go to hell, Mr. Obama. Whyare you ... I’m just trying to protect my country. Why are you telling me how … and then you’ll say you’ll file a case against me … Go ahead and file a case,’” he said. The President started throwing a barrage of invectives at Obama when the US State Department began issuing statewww.canadianinquirer.net
ments critical of the government’s war on drugs. Human rights advocates claim that more than 7,000 had been killed since the government launched an aggressive antidrug campaign, a claim disputed by the Philippine National Police. Loving Trump
Mr. Duterte said the situation under US President Trump was a complete turnaround following his support for the government policy. “Ah, you’re doing it right,” Mr. Duterte quoted President Trump as telling him. “So, to this one President, what I’m doing is good. And for the other President, he’ll even reprimand me as if … Who are you to lecture on me? You can see it’s about drugs,” he said. Mr. Duterte had ranted at Obama after the then US president said the rule of law and respect for human rights should prevail in the Philippines’ war on drugs. This angered Mr. Duterte who had been threatening to cut ties with the United States over what he said was a relationship highly disadvantageous to the Philippines. Mr. Duterte had since warmed up to China, praising the socialist country for its supposed willingness to help with no string attached. ■
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Speaker to support any bid to extend martial law in Mindanao BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer AS THE Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of martial law in Mindanao, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said on Tuesday he would support proposals to extend its imposition beyond 60 days. But this time, he said, Congress would have to approve the extension of Proclamation 216 in joint session, unlike the first time when the two chambers opted to separately issue resolutions expressing support for martial law. “Yes, as a Mindanawon, I share the same view and you are correct, Congress shall approve it in joint session,” Alvarez told the Inquirer in response to a question on whether he agreed with Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Ronald dela Rosa’s recommendation to extend martial law. The 1987 Constitution states that Congress, upon the initiative of the President, “may extend such proclamation [of martial law] or the suspension [of the writ of habeas corpus] for a period to be determined by
the Congress, if the invasion or rebellion shall persist and public safety requires it.” On Tuesday, the high tribunal dismissed petitions questioning the legality of President Rodrigo Duterte’s proclamation. On May 23, the President placed the entire Mindanao under martial law following the siege of Marawi City by armed militants from the Maute group, a band of terrorists that had sworn allegiance to the Islamic State. Martial law remains in effect in the region as fighting continues between government forces and the terrorist elements, leaving hundreds dead and displacing thousands of residents. Opposition lawmakers said they would vigorously resist the possible extension of martial law. Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat, a leader of the “Magnificent Seven” bloc and one of the petitioners, said he would have to study the grounds cited by the Supreme Court in its decision. But he said an extension of martial law would be a “draconian step to institutionalizing a dictatorship and must be opposed by democracy defenders in Congress.”
“This can be a springboard to expanding [martial law] to the entire country considering how easy Congress bends to Malacañang’s will and now that they know SC isn’t allergic to use their constitutional powers to affirm martial law,” Baguilat said. Akbayan Rep. Tomasito Villarin warned of a “creeping authoritarian rule” in the guise of public safety and security. “Now that he is cloaked with such authority, President Duterte might push it to the limit and declare a druginduced nationwide rebellion by terror groups. Martial law becomes a hard habit to break,” he said. Villarin noted that the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines just stated that they wished to extend martial law by two more months. “The war on drugs took a backseat when the Marawi incident happened but is now back in full swing. Duterte earlier tagged the Mautes to be in cahoots with the drug lords,” he said. Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, also one of the petitioners, cautioned that with the high
A Philippine Army soldier guards the Amai Pakpak Medical Center, a government hospital located in Barangay Datu Saber, Marawi City. OLIVER MARQUEZ / PNA
court’s decision, “the military will be emboldened to carry out aerial strikes, indiscriminate firing and in using rape as a tool of war against civilians.” “The decision sets the ground for the arbitrary declaration of a nationwide martial law, as it upheld the presence of rebellion based merely on inaccurate and fake reports by the military on an alleged siege of Marawi City by the Maute group last May 23,” she said. Kabayan Rep. Harry Roque, a member of the minority bloc, said he supported the Supreme Court’s “exercise of judicial restraint in its validation of President Duterte’s Proclamation 216.”
“I am happy that the Court respected and acknowledged the information that is readily available to the executive, which the High Tribunal does not have access to. And in the absence of its ability to discern for itself the factual basis for Martial Law, it should to accord the executive the presumption of regularity of discharge of function, which in this case it did,” he said. Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone, a member of the House majority, said: “We should respect the SC decision. I also think there is really factual basis for the declaration as can be seen by the situation in Marawi.” ■
Imee decries ‘legislative tyranny’ BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer THREATENED WITH arrest, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos on Sunday upbraided members of the House of Representatives for what she described as “legislative tyranny” in handling the congressional probe into her province’s allegedly anomalous use of P66.45 million in tobacco funds. In a statement released by her lawyer Estelito Mendoza, a defiant Marcos said she would exert all legal means to fight off her possible arrest as previously warned by Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, chair of the House committee on good government and public accountability which has been conducting the inquiry. But she assured the law- mak-
ers of her cooperation despite her objection to House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez’s decision to detain six of her subordinates, now collectively known as the “Ilocos Six.” “The public threats directed to me on the certainty of my arrest and detention is extremely intimidating, but unnecessary,” Marcos said. Mental torture
“I am already extremely intimidated by the manner the ‘Ilocos Six’ were made to suffer, the physical strain and mental torture of [their] prolonged detention,” she said. The House inquiry was said to be an offshoot of the political rift between the Marcoses and the family of House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas. Interestingly, Marcos and
ILOCOSNORTE.GOV.PH
Fariñas are both known supporters and political allies of President Duterte. Marcos, who formerly served as Ilocos Norte representative, blasted her erstwhile colleagues as she reminded them of the constitutional provision on the separation of powers of the three branches of the government. www.canadianinquirer.net
“As a former legislator, I also know that the power of legislative inquiry does not give Congress the power to deprive any citizen of constitutionally vested rights, such as the rights to freedom of movement and to be presumed innocent until you are proven guilty,” she said. “Were Congress to act as
investigator, prosecutor and judge rolled into one, would not the principle of separation of powers be subverted by legislative tyranny?” she asked. Overstepping boundary The governor said the 1987 Constitution did not authorize the Congress to “act as a prosecutorial or judicial body that determines the innocence or guilt of anyone for any charge of misconduct.” “The judicial system, not Congress, is constitutionally empowered to do so,” she said. Citing the public remarks made by Alvarez and Pimentel, Marcos said she might suffer the fate of the six Ilocos Norte employees and officials who had been held by the House Sergeant-at-Arms office since May 29 for allegedly dodging questions asked during the inquiry. ■
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After ‘yantok’ beating case, EPD cops undergo anger management seminar BY JODEE A. AGONCILLO Philippine Daily Inquirer
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte gestures as he reiterates that his only mandate as the country's head of state is to protect and preserve the Filipinos in his speech during the province's 50th founding anniversary. RENE LUMAWAG / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
Du30 outstanding in year 1 — Andanar BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer PRESIDENT DUTERTE did an “outstanding” job in his first year in office, particularly on peace and order, investments and agrarian reform, Secretary Martin Andanar of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) said on Sunday. He said the President also showed political will in issuing executive orders banning smoking in public places, institutionalizing freedom of information and regulating the use of firecrackers. “He was outstanding on law and order—including the campaign against illegal drugs—his handling of the economy and agrarian reform,” Andanar said. “On a scale of outstanding, very good, passing to fail, I’d say he gets an outstanding grade,” he said. Andanar said that the Duterte administration’s war on drugs in just one year had led to 1.3 million illegal drug users and pushers to surrender while illegal drugs and paraphernalia worth P18 billion had been confiscated. Human rights advocates have criticized the war on drugs, claiming 7,000 drug suspects have been killed. The Philippine National Police disputes this figure. Andanar said the antidrug campaign’s success was evidenced by higher drug prices as supplies tightened. “There was a rise in the price of drugs, particularly ‘shabu’ (crystal meth). Before, it was P200 to P300 per sachet but now, it varies from P3,000 to up to P15,000,” he said, citing Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency data. Andanar said the President also did an
“outstanding” job in bringing in investments to the country. “In his one year of service as President of the country, he was able to to invite all of these investors from China, Japan, the Middle East and Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations). That’s $35 billion and more in investments,” he said. The PCOO chief said Mr. Duterte should also get an “outstanding grade” in implementing the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. On Mr. Duterte’s watch, around 700 hectares of land in Hacienda Luisita, which is owned by the family of former President Benigno Aquino III, were finally distributed to farmers, Andanar said. “That’s the most prominent of the big agricultural lands but he was able to distribute a lot more,” he added. On the peace process with communist insurgents and Moro separatists, Andanar gave the President a grade of “very good.” “I would give a grade of ‘very good’ because, after more than a decade, the Communist Party of the PhilippinesNew People’s Army-National Democratic Front of the Philippines has agreed to go back to the negotiating table to talk to the Philippine government in order for us to craft a peace agreement,” Andanar said. He also noted that the President expanded the membership of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission from 14 to 21 to make it “more inclusive.” The commission was tasked with drafting the enabling law that would implement the comprehensive peace agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. ■
AFTER TWO Mandaluyong City policemen were sent packing to Mindanao for beating up two men with a stick, the Eastern Police District (EPD) has ordered some of its beat patrolmen to undergo a day-long anger and stress management seminar. EPD director Chief Supt. Romulo Sapitula told the Inquirer on Tuesday that initially, 50 patrol policemen would attend the seminar on Thursday. In Mandaluyong City alone, 70 police officers will undergo the seminar, according to city police chief Senior Supt. Joaquin Alva. Among the lecturers are a psychologist from the Philippine National Police Health Service, a legal officer and an official from the EPD. Last week, Mandaluyong policeman PO1 Jose Julius Tandog, 30, was caught on video repeatedly hitting Mac Glen Vil-
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lanueva and Marvin Calda with a “yantok” or nightstick. Tandog was placed under custody with another policeman, PO1 Chito Enriquez, who stood beside him but did nothing to stop the beatings. Earlier, the two policemen arrested Villanueva and Calda for drinking on the sidewalk in Sitio Tres, Barangay San Jose, in violation of a city ordinance. Tandog, however, claimed that the two men swore at him and Enriquez repeatedly. One of the victims also slapped him, he added, making him lose his temper. Sapitula said he would review his policemen’s level and quality of response to anger. “We will teach them the proper intervention. Should they use a gun? A stick? As first responders and policemen, we are expected to have a higher level of tolerance,” he added. “I think the review is needed as some policemen are taught to combat stress or anger by resting every three hours while at work. But that I think is not the right response. They are policemen,” he said. ■
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Gov’t readies master plan for Marawi City President Duterte wants to implement the rehabilitation of the besieged city ‘very quickly’ and avoid the mistakes of rebuilding in ‘Yolanda’-hit communities. BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer, Inc. Correspondents Jane Moraleda Katherine Padilla Socorro Newland Bolet Arevalo Administration Head Victoria Yong Graphic Designer Shanice Garcia Photographers Angelo Siglos Vic Vargas For photo submissions, please email editor@canadianinquirer.net For General Inquiries, please email info@canadianinquirer.net For Sales Inquiries, please email sales@canadianinquirer.net PHILIPPINE PUBLISHING GROUP Editorial Assistant Christelle Tolisora Associate Publisher Lurisa Villanueva In cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer digital edition Philippine Canadian Inquirer is located at 11951 Hammersmith Way, Suite 108 Richmond, B.C. V7A 5H9 Canada
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PUBLIC WORKS Secretary Mark Villar said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) was helping in formulating a “master plan” to rebuild Marawi City into a prosperous city once the fighting there ends. “The President wants to implement the rehabilitation very quickly. So we’ve been preparing for this over the past few weeks and currently (we are designing) the master plan,” Villar said. He said the administration would avoid the mistakes that were committed when the government rebuilt communities in Eastern Visayas devastated by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in 2013. “The President is very clear on this … He expressed his disappointment in the facilities for Yolanda before. Definitely, that will not happen again,” Villar said. He said the resettlement sites should be near sources of water and electricity. “That’s basic. We’ve already seen the mistakes from the past and we will not repeat them.”
A convoy from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reinforces troops conducting clearing operations in Barangay Banggulo, Marawi City OLIVER MARQUEZ / PNA
gestion will significantly minimize traffic,” Villar said. He added that the DPWH would build this year more than 200 bypass roads across the country, “by far the most ambitious traffic decongestion program in the history of our country.” Villar said the administration was also investing in the “Luzon Spine Expressway Network” for the construction or improvement of 18 major highways on the country’s biggest island. “This is a collection of 18 major highspeed highways that will connect the most northern part of Luzon to the most southern part. This is from Bicol to as far as La Union and possibly up to Ilocos,” he said.
sues in Cebu. There’s already a feasibility study. It’s ready for implementation next year,” he said. 12 bridges across Pasig
In Metro Manila, the administration intends to build more than 12 new bridges across the Pasig River to decongest the Guadalupe Bridge and the C-5 Bridge. He said the bridges would also Biggest infra budget be finished before the end of Mr. Villar noted that the DPWH budget Duterte’s term. “And of course, we for 2017 was P428.4 billion, the biggest will also need to rehabilitate Guadain the country’s history. lupe Bridge.” “To give you a scale of this in absolute Villar said the DPWH was also studyamount, if you add the (infrastructure) ing various road extensions for the budgets of 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, Ninoy Aquino International Airport (the total) will still (Naia) Expressway. be less than the infra“At this point, we structure budget that are also looking at we allocated in 2017,” the various options if he added. I believe we have sufficiently or competently the Naia Expressway answered all the questions on the basis of The administracould be extended martial law. tion is embarking on so that there will be an ambitious “build, more traffic solutions,” he said build, build program” to upgrade the quality of public infrastructure, which has Villar said that once the network was Road networks adversely affected the country’s eco- finished, one could go from Bicol to La “For example, there could be one gonomic growth. Union in less than 12 hours. “We are tar- ing to the Fort, going to Parañaque, or geting to finish this before the end of the going to Las Piñas,” he added. Traffic decongestion Villar said the DPWH had also set President’s term.” Villar said the funds would be used The government has started construc- aside P95.9 billion for the construction for, among other things, the construc- tion of the Davao City Coastal Road in of road networks to spur trade and tourtion of more than 200 bypass roads to the President’s hometown while the ism while P104.4 billion was allocated decongest traffic in major urban areas, New Bacolod Economic Highway will for “Livable, Sustainable and Resilient at least 12 new bridges that would span provide a “new growth corridor” in Ne- Communities.” Pasig River and a road network in Luzon gros. “We know global warming is a big that would cut travel from Bicol and La “I’m sure many of you are aware of problem and we are one of the (counUnion to less than 12 hours. the traffic issues in Cebu. So, the Metro tries) most prone to natural disasters. So “We’ve allocated P107.8 billion for Cebu Expressway will run from Naga to the government is investing in natural traffic decongestion. We lose P2.4 bil- Danao,” Villar said. disaster prevention—that’s the Livable, lion every day due to traffic so we feel “We feel that this will be a long-term Sustainable and Resilient Communithat these investments on traffic decon- solution for the perennial traffic is- ties,” he said. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
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Du30: For every addict slain, an innocent dies, too BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte salutes one of the outstanding PSG personnel awarded during the PSG 120th founding anniversary PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
Duterte to continue Air Force modernization BY NIKKO DIZON Philippine Daily Inquirer CLARK AIR FIELD, PAMPANGA — President Duterte vowed on Tuesday, to continue the modernization program for the Philippine Air Force (PAF) as the country faces serious threats to its national security. “I assure you that we will build on our past gains to further strengthen the Philippine Air Force,” Mr. Duterte said at the 70th anniversary of the PAF. “We will continue the ongoing modernization program by procuring additional attack and combat utility vehicles and unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs to complement our already existing air assets,” he added. Eight of the 12 brand new FA50 fighter jets were on a flight line, facing the commander-inchief who once dismissed them as merely for “ceremonial” purposes. But as the military battled the Islamic State (IS)- inspired Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups to liberate Marawi City, Mr. Duterte discovered the capabilities of the FA-50s. On Tuesday, top officials of the Korean Aerospace Industry presented the certificate of complete delivery of all 12 FA50s to Mr. Duterte and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. Four of the jets were deployed in Marawi. The jets were worth a total of P18.9 billion, and were among the big ticket military items purchased by the previous Aquino administration as
part of its AFP modernization program. President Duterte did not yet mention how much money he wanted earmarked for his administration’s modernization program but he recognized the need to continue to upgrade the military’s capability as the country “faces the current challenges of terrorism and external security.” “The PAF plays a crucial role in preserving our national integrity and in the face of challenges from within and from without, from the outside of our borders. The intensified area reconnaissance mission and the maritime patrols of the West Philippine Sea and the Benham Rise are testament to our dedication to protect our water from external threats,” President Duterte said. The President has issued an executive order declaring that Benham Rise should be called Philippine Rise. Mr. Duterte arrived at the Clark Air Field two hours late from the original schedule. The heavy downpour and his tardiness forced Mr. Duterte to read a two-page prepared speech. He said he was used to “talking a lot” and extemporaneously but he could not bear seeing his troops getting drenched by the rain.Vice President Leni Robredo arrived at 2 pm and trooped the line. Mr. Duterte and Robredo shook hands when he arrived. As he acknowledged Robredo in his speech, the President said he wanted to look at her “for the third time.” ■
PRESIDENT DUTERTE again slammed human rights advocates for defending criminals, but the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) reiterated its mandate as “the conscience of the government.” Speaking at the 50th founding anniversary of Davao del Norte, Mr. Duterte rebuked human rights lawyers for defending criminals at the expense of victims. “Most of the time, these human rights [lawyers] defend criminals. They don’t have clients who are not criminals,” Mr. Duterte said. He said they did not even express sympathy for the victims or condemnation of the crime, citing the killing of the Carlos family in San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan on Tuesday. “Every day there is an addict killed, there is also an innocent person who is held up [or] killed,” the President said. “And these idiots just [turn] a blind eye. The jerks don’t care.” The President made the re-
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marks as the CHR released an infographic on social media restating its constitutional mandate to protect the rights of citizens against possible abuse by the state. “Each branch of government has a duty to observe and fulfill the rights andtheneedsof the citizenry. But if it is the state or the government itself that violates or denies human rights, that is when the CHR will act as the conscience of the government,” the CHR said. “If it is a civilian or private person who did the crime, such as killing or rape, it is the Philippine National Police [that has] the duty and mandate to take action,” the CHR said. The agency had earlier lamented the longstanding public misconceptions about its mandate, especially under the Duterte administration which has “demonized” human rights advocates. “Every time wetalk to the media about this or that killing, we are immediately accused of being protectors of criminals,” CHR Commissioner Roberto Eugenio Cadiz said in a recent interview.
“One senator even sent us a pile of cases challenging us to investigate carnappings, kidnappings. And he’s already a senator. They don’t understand that the CHR is not the police,” Cadiz said. Cadiz explained that under traditional definitions, human rights violations are committed by the state. “There’s another school of thought that violations can be committed even by nonstate actors, but ... most cases we are investigating involve alleged violations of the state,” he said. “We are not against the government peace and order program, not against going after drug syndicates. We are against shortcuts in processes, such as when innocent people merely accused are killed by the wayside,” Cadiz added. “We put pressure not for the purpose of harassing or embarrassing our government, but for making them accountable so human rights violations don’t continue,” he said. Cadiz also refuted the police’s usual argument of self-defense when drug suspects are killed in their operations. ■
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Judge Duterte by his action, not his words, says spokesperson BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer WE HOPE that Senator Hontiveros judge the President not by the words that he says, but for what he stands for Ernesto Abella, Palace spokesperson. President Duterte should be judged by what he does and stands for, not by the words that come out of his mouth, Malacañang said yesterday as it fended off criticism that the President had promoted misogyny and sexism in his first year as Chief Executive. Sen. Risa Hontiveros, an opposition senator, had said that Mr. Duterte’s first year was a dangerous time to be a woman and noted that under his rule, rape had been trivialized, a female reporter had been subjected to catcalls and gender based online harassment grew. But presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Mr. Duterte, even when he was Davao City mayor, had instituted programs to help and protect women. “We hope that Senator Hontiveros judge the President not by the words that he says, but for what he stands for,” Abella said over state-run Radyo ng Bayan. He said Davao City was implementing the local version of
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella.
the reproductive health law— which allows the government to provide contraceptives to the public to help them plan their families—even before a national reproductive health measure was passed in Congress. Mr. Duterte had also been supportive of the Women Development Code, which has been in place in Davao City since 1997, Abella said. The code sought to protect women against discrimination and funded projects to promote gender sensitivity. Another project Mr. Duterte supported as mayor was the creation of the Council for Women which monitored reports of violence against women in the Davao City, the spokesperson said. The Wom- en and Chil-
PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
dren Protection Unit also provided psychological support to women who had been abused. Abella said Hontiveros should check out what Mr. Duterte had done instead of prejudging him. “If only the senator would really look and not just make comments based on prejudgments and knee-jerk reactions, I would say that she, we would be in a better place,” he said. He also said she was “pretty out of touch” with regard to her statements about the President, though he said he was just repeating a comment about her. As President, Mr. Duterte had frequently joked about extramarital affairs and defended his close male allies who admitted to having mistresses. ■
FRIDAY
‘Duterte human...’ me, let’s just give lee- nese Charitable Association. way to the President Andanar said the President’s to have time to work activities after he declared maralone, to work in the silence of tial law in Mindanao on May 23 his own office, to rest so that he were “very strenuous”—visiting could rejuvenate.” the wakes of soldiers killed in Mr. Duterte was not seen in the battle against Islamic Statepublic from June 12 to June 16 allied terrorists in Marawi City. and again from June 21 to June The Marawi conflict, now in 26. Malacañang said the Presi- its sixth week, is the worst crisis dent was just “tired” and need- the President has faced since he ed to rest. took office almost a year ago. Asked if the Palace thought “This really has taken a toll that there was a on the President. need to issue a He got tired and formal medical so he took a rest,” advisory, AndanAndanar said. ar pointed out He said that that Mr. Duterte All chief being out of pubexecutive was already back lic view did not officers can on the public mean the Presiwork even scene on Tuesdent was not if they’re day night. working. not heard “We saw at the “All chief exon radio, Eid al-Fitr dinecutive officers seen on TV, ner in Malacacan work even if or read in ñang that he’s they’re not heard newspapers. really healthy. In on radio, seen fact, he gained on TV, or read in some weight newspapers,” he probably besaid. cause he was able When asked to rest and that is if Mr. Duterte’s very important disappearances for us—that our President is would be the “new normal” as healthy and that he is in con- far as his public schedule is control,” Andanar said. cerned, Andanar said, “I can’t On Wednesday, the President say if that’s going to be normal.” attended the 120th anniversary “What I can say is that, ever of the Presidential Security since the President started Group, went to Clark Air Base working on June 30, 2016, our for the turnover of military aid President has been visible not from China and then returned just on radio, television and in to Manila to attend the anni- newspapers but also online like versary of the Philippine Chi- on Facebook,” he said. ■ ❰❰ 1
Gov’t, Reds resume talks next month BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer THE GOVERNMENT and the Communist Party of the Philippines-National Democratic Front of the Philippines (CPPNDFP) have agreed to resume formal peace negotiations next month, chief government peace negotiator and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said on Tuesday. Bello said that he talked with NDFP chair Fidel Agcaoili on Sunday evening and they agreed to hold the formal negotiations in the second half of August while informal talks would also be held later this
month to iron out thorny issues, such as the need for a ceasefire agreement. “We have an initial understanding that we will probably have the suspended fifth round [of peace talks in the] second or third week of August,” Bello said. “But before that, [to ensure that] this time we will have a good result, there will be an informal meeting between the panels,” he said. Bello said the informal talks could be held here in the country or in Hong Kong while the NDFP panel suggested Japan. “So, there will be an informal meeting and they will discuss mainly the issue of socioeco-
nomic reforms and the possible interim unilateral ceasefire,” he said. “They will talk so that, when August comes, everything will be clear,” he said. The fifth round of peace talks with the rebels was suspended on May 27 after the government panel withdrew from the talks due to the CPP order telling its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), to intensify attacks against security forces. The CPP ordered the NPA to accelerate attacks after President Duterte declared martial law in Mindanao due to the crisis in Marawi. The CPP subsequently ofwww.canadianinquirer.net
fered to fight alongside the military against the terrorists in Marawi but this was turned down by the President. Bello said both sides could agree to declare their own “interim unilateral ceasefire.” He said the ceasefire committees of each party could decide who would constitute the joint monitoring team for the ceasefire. Bello said the interim unilateral ceasefire could continue until both sides agree on a formal bilateral ceasefire agreement. Bello also said the talks would not be affected by a military order to its units to “degrade the armed capabilities” of the NPA
while martial law is enforced in Mindanao. He also downplayed the statement of Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Monday that the government should not hold talks with the CPP-NPANDFP while the communist insurgents continued their attacks. “Well, you know, whenever the panel goes to the venue for the peace talks or the round of talks, we regularly consult the intelligence community of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Bello said. He said the panels consult National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon before each round of talks. ■
Philippine News
FRIDAY JULY 7, 2017
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Robredo learns the art of war A year into office and the Vice President is slowly learning the ways of political warfare—as constitutional successor to the President and as leader of the opposition BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer WHEN HER daughter Tricia was running for valedictorian honors in high school a few years ago, Leni Robredo did away with motherly words of encouragement. Instead, according to her eldest Aika, she gave her second-born a copy of Sun Tzu’s “Art of War.” It’s a classic that one might find on Robredo’s bedside table these days, given that she has slowly and painfully been learning the ways of political warfare as she strikes a delicate balance between her official role as constitutional successor to President Duterte, and as opposition leader, being the titular head of the Liberal Party (LP). One year into office, and the outsider Vice President has had to move “one step forward and two steps back,” said political analyst Richard Heydarian, who criticized Robredo’s “lack of fire” in her confrontations with Mr. Duterte.
President found stable footing and began making astute political decisions, among them her declaration of support for martial law in Mindanao and her recent visits to Iligan City to comfort the Marawi refugees. Earl Parreño of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reform was more generous in his assessment of Robredo’s first year in office. “I think she had acted as Vice Presidents should,” he said. “She was supportive of [Mr. Duterte] in areas where the President needed support, but was critical on some issues and policies. She was not disruptive; she was very constructive in her criticisms.” Other pundits point to Robredo’s conscious distancing from the so-called “yellow forces” or the LP, an association that has both helped and hurt the widow of former President Benigno Aquino III’s Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo. In June last year, Robredo said she didn’t see herself opposing all the policies of government. “I have always said that I think we need to be supportive of this administration,
VP Robredo was given full military honors at the 70th Philippine Air Force Anniversary.
from her association with yellow forces to her out-ofthe-country trips, including a recent visit to the United States paid for by her hosts. On the legal front, she is battling former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has questioned the legitimacy of her electoral victory. Robredo beat the late dictator’s son by a slim margin of some 260,000 votes last year. Fanning Marcos’ electoral protest are his army of partisans who pounce on Robredo on social media for her every misFighting for every scrap step, real or imagined. In the analyst’s view, the “Rarely have we seen a Vice rookie leader President so vihad exhausted ciously attacked too soon the by online trolls,” Heydarian said. goodwill beIt was Mr. tween her and She never made it clear to the President that she’s not a politician Duterte himself the President, and has no ambition to wrestle away who set the tone who fired her his position. for such treatpublicly from ment when he the Cabinet a refused to take few months into her term. With his oath by her her office getting only a paltry as the times call for it.” side, in deference, he said, to his share of resources, Robredo is good friend Marcos. now fighting for every scrap of Army of partisans But Robredo took the rebuff space and relevance in an adSuch a conciliatory stance, in stride when she took her ministration grown suspicious however, has not stopped Ro- oath of office separately on of her loyalty. bredo’s enemies, described by June 30, 2016. “As Jesse used It was only in the past month, netizens as paid trolls, from to say when he was alive: ‘What Heydarian said, that the Vice targeting her vulnerabilities— brings us together as a nation
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is far more powerful than what pulls us apart,’” she said. The President was initially receptive to Robredo’s friendly overtures and offered her the housing portfolio, a safe, traditional posting for Vice Presidents. The former Camarines Sur representative set to work, striving to eliminate red tape by revising rules in the processing of socialized housing projects and reducing the number of documentary requirements. Her office provided low-cost housing to 46,000 families and paved the way for the construction of 17,000 homes for survivors of the 2013 Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in Eastern Visayas. But her momentum was cut short last December. By then, Robredo had started questioning some of the President’s decisions and policies, including the hero’s burial given the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos which Mr. Duterte said was a campaign promise he had given the Marcoses, as well as his sexist remarks and the extrajudicial killing of drug suspects.
LENI ROBREDO / FACEBOOK
typically veiled, rarely mentioning Mr. Duterte by name, the sting of her disapproval carried all the way to Malacañang. Parreño said one of Robredo’s biggest failings was her inability to convince Mr. Duterte that she was not a threat. “She never made it clear to the President that she’s not a politician and has no ambition to wrestle away his position. It’s a misstep in the sense that she knows Digong is easily influenced by intrigue. She should have neutralized that earlier on,” he said. When Mr. Duterte shut her out of his Cabinet, “she should have been more indignant,” Heydarian said, “instead of extending the olive branch.” He added: “She lacked the element of fire. People were asking for fire.” They finally got just that on Dec. 8, when Robredo declared her intent to be “the unifying voice of all those who have expressed either disgust or opposition to the policies of [ the Duterte] administration.” On March 16, she caused a political firestorm when she sent a video message to a side
Not a threat
Though her criticisms were
❱❱ PAGE 13 Robredo learns
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Lorenzana confident of favorable SC decision on martial law BY MARLON RAMOS AND PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte looks at the remains of the victims to commiserate with the Carlos family during a wake visit at San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan on July 4, 2017. Five of the Carlos family: Estrella, 30-yrs old; Auring Dizon, 53-yrs old; Donnie, 11-yrs old; Ella, 7-yrs old; and Dexter, 1-yr old massacred in their house on June 27, 2017. After the President extended his condolences, He handed the government’s financial assistance to the bereaved family. PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
NBI ordered to conduct own probe of Bulacan massacre BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer THE NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation has been ordered to conduct a parallel probe into the brutal killing of three children, their mother and grandmother in San Jose del Monte City, Bulacan province. Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Monday said his directive to the NBI was prompted by the request of some individuals whom he declined to identify. He issued Department Order No. 446 instructing NBI Director Dante Gierran to submit a progress report on the investigation into the killings of Estrella Carlos, her mother Aurora Dizon and Carlos’ three children. Second look
“I don’t want to do it, but some people wanted the NBI to
take a second look at the findings [of the police],” Aguirre told reporters. Asked who made the request, he replied: “There are many. They did not approach me. They only called and sent text messages. They were concerned people.” “I hope they will be satisfied,” he added. Bank security guard Dexter Carlos found his mother-inlaw, wife and three children dead and bloodied from knife attacks when he went home at North Ridge Subdivision in San Jose del Monte City. He found Estrella, his wife, naked outside the house. His three children — Donny, 11, Ella, 7, and Dexter Jr., 1 — were found dead in a room. Police had tagged several persons of interest in the case and had taken custody of a suspect, Carmelino Ibañez, a 26-yearold construction worker who had confessed to the killing and addiction to drugs. ■
The source, who agreed to speak on condition of anonymity, said Del Castillo’s draft resolution was just one of the opinions circulated to the magistrates, who were DEFENSE SECRETARY Delset to vote on the contentious fin Lorenzana expressed conlegal issue during their regular fidence on Monday that the weekly session on Tuesday. Supreme Court would uphold Under the 1987 Constitution, President Rodrigo Duterte’s the 15-member court must reproclamation of martial law solve the petitions questioning and the suspension of the privithe legality of the martial law lege of the writ of habeas corproclamation within 30 days, pus in Mindanao. or until July 5. Lorenzana, the martial law adThe official, who was able ministrator, told reporters that to read Del Castillo’s 85-page he was “very confident” the magdraft resolution, declined to istrates would support the condisclose if Del Castillo’s opinion stitutionality of the declaration. had the support of the majority “I look forward to seeing that of the justices. they will say that “It’s too early this is legal for to tell. What I the President to can say is that all declare martial the justices have law in the first I believe we have sufficiently or their own opincompetently answered all the place,” he said on ions and arguquestions on the basis of martial law. the eve of a fullments in arriving court session of at their decision,” the high tribunal the source told to decide three the Inquirer. petitions questioning the issuance of Procla- cally referring to the Bangsam- Bottom line mation No. 216 on May 23 after oro Islamic Freedom Fighters The official, however, said Islamic State-allied terrorists (BIFF), a splinter group of the there was a “great possibility” rampaged through Marawi City. Moro Islamic Liberation Front. that most of the justices would Lorenzana said he and Gen. “Let’s not forget the BIFF. vote to dismiss the petitions Eduardo Año, the Armed Forces They have more than 500 and uphold the President’s of the Philippines chief of staff, people and they’re armed,” Lo- martial law declaration. “The bottom line here is that asked to give a briefing on the renzana said. the threat of Isis is no joke. The factual basis of the emergency threat is real and it’s here,” the declaration, discussed on June Factual basis of proclamation The Supreme Court’s draft official said, using an alterna15 with the magistrates the security situation in Marawi and decision on the three petitions tive acronym for IS. challenging the constitutionalIf most of the justices vote to the rest of Mindanao. “I believe we have sufficient- ity of the President’s declaration support Del Castillo’s opinion, ly or competently answered all has affirmed the factual basis of it would be adopted as the trithe questions on the basis of Proclamation No. 216, according bunal’s majority ruling. to a senior government official. It would become the primary martial law,” he said. Interestingly, the draft ruling dissenting opinion if his colSecurity situation was written by Associate Jus- leagues opted to oppose his Lorenzana said the military tice Mariano del Castillo, who views. ■ was still checking the security sit- had earlier warned that Mr. uation in Mindanao to determine Duterte’s decision might coax if martial law should be lifted. him to put the entire country “We’ll wait for a couple of under military rule.
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weeks more so that we will see the real picture. We don’t have yet the necessary information to recommend the continuation or [lifting] of martial law,” Lorenzana said. Terrorists from the Maute and Abu Sayyaf groups, with help from some foreign fighters seized Marawi on May 23 in a bid to set up a province of the Islamic State (IS) in Southeast Asia. A government air and ground assault to recover Marawi is now in its seventh week. Lorenzana said security officials would look in particular at the capability of the terrorists “to launch more attacks” in other areas of Mindanao, specifi-
Immigration
FRIDAY JULY 7, 2017
B.C. woman regains Canadian citizenship stripped by arcane law BY LINDA GIVETASH The Canadian Press VANCOUVER — Byrdie Funk marked Canada Day by taking a citizenship oath, but unlike the 150 people around her who also raised their right arm to do the same, she is hardly a newcomer. Funk, who is a third-generation Canadian, became a firstgeneration Canadian Saturday after she regained her citizenship that was stripped from her just over a year ago by an arcane law. “I have always been part of the Canadian family, I have always chosen Canada and for me today, it seems more like Canada has chosen me and I belong again,” she said following the ceremony at Canada Place in Vancouver. Funk, 37, was born in Mexico to Canadian parents and they moved back to Canada when she was just two months old. Since then, Canada has been home and she holds no other citizenship.
She was unaware of a law that requires people born overseas between 1977 and 1981 to parents who were also born abroad to apply to maintain their citizenship by the age of 28, and missed the deadline. Losing her citizenship meant she couldn’t leave Canada and couldn’t vote. But Funk said she was lucky that her access to public health care wasn’t stripped from her. She joined a group “Lost Canadians” as she worked through the bureaucracy to regain her citizenship, and said she was surprised to discover how many other people were in the same boat. Don Chapman, who champions the cause of so-called Lost Canadians, said, “The laws have become so convoluted.” He said archaic laws that blocked children of non-Canadian fathers from gaining citizenship or simply weren’t properly registered at a hospital at birth continue to pose problems for people today. “We need to not just close the gaps, we need a new citizenship
act,” he suggested as a solution. Chapman was one of many friends and family members who celebrated Funk’s newfound citizenship, which he called “a victory.” Although Funk has her citizenship back in hand, she said the ordeal is not quite over yet. She said she’s unsure how her contributions to the Canadian Pension Plan will be calculated and whether losing and regaining citizenship means her past contributions are void. “I don’t think anybody really has the answers, that’s why we have to continue to advocate for change,” she said. The entire ordeal is one she said should never have happened in the first place. “No one should ever get a letter in the mail saying, ‘Sorry, you no longer belong here.’ That was probably the hardest part,” she said. Funk intends continue to fight for others who lose citizenship over archaic policies and she said wants in the long term to see the laws re-written. ■
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Robredo learns... meeting of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, in which she gave a blistering commentary about the government’s war on drugs. Mr. Duterte’s allies were outraged. Two impeachment complaints were filed against the Vice President though neither one secured the necessary endorsement from a member of the House. Robredo has since become more circumspect, careful not to antagonize the President. “My sense is that she’s evolving, but not fast enough,” Heydarian said. Parreño differed, saying that Robredo has managed to “blur the dichotomy between a politician and a public servant.” He explained: “Under a democracy, a public servant should know how to play politics. But being a politician should end when you’re elected. When you’re elected, your agenda should no longer be the narrow partisan interest of your party, but the interest of the people.” ❰❰ 11
Political fray
The past weeks have seen Robredo striving to stay above the political fray. In May, she expressed sup-
port for the imposition of martial law in Mindanao even as she raised questions about its basis and parameters. Against expectations, she was silent on Mr. Duterte’s hints about an extension. On June 12, she stood in for the absent President during the Independence Day rites but made light of it, saying Mr. Duterte had a good reason for not showing up. This week, she arranged to visit embattled Marawi City to help the victims of war, but got only as far as Iligan City. But photographs of her comforting evacuees and displaced residents gained wide traction in media. “That was an ‘in your face’ moment,” Heydarian said. “It seemed the message was: ‘Where is the President?’ without even mentioning him. That was a huge statement by itself.” A year into office and Robredo seems to have learned a lot from Sun Tzu, who says: “If [your enemy] is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. “If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant.” ■
Ex-UP law dean backs court vs House BY MARLON RAMOS Philippine Daily Inquirer THE THREE embattled justices of the Court of Appeals have found another ally in wellrespected constitutional law expert Pacifico Agabin in their continuing legal tussle with the House of Representatives over the detention of the so-called “Ilocos Six.” Agabin, a former dean of the University of the Philippines College of Law, said the House’s defiance of the appellate court’s order to free the six Ilocos Norte employees and executives violated the separation of powers of the three branches of the government. As earlier pointed out by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP), he said Batas Pambansa Blg. 129, or the Judiciary Reorganization Act of 1980,
authorized the appeals court to grant “writs of mandamus, prohibition, certiorari, habeas corpus, and quo warranto, and auxiliary writs or processes.” He also assailed the House committee on good government and public accountability for issuing a show-cause order for the members of the appellate court’s Special Fourth Division—Associate Justices Stephen Cruz, Edwin Sorongon and Nina Antonino-Valenzuela—who granted the habeas corpus petition of the six. “It was not proper for the House to issue that order,” Agabin stressed. “The congressmen are probably not aware of the expanded definition of ‘judicial power’ in the Constitution.” The former law dean, who now teaches at the Philippine Judicial Academy, also expressed disappointment that the law-
Former dean of the UP College of Law Atty. Pacifico Agabin.
makers behind the monthlong impasse, among them Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas, were lawyers themselves. On June 9, the three justices directed the House leadership to release the six personnel and officials of the Ilocos Norte provincial capitol who have been detained by the House Sergeant-at Arms Office since www.canadianinquirer.net
SCREENSHOT
May 29 after they were cited in contempt. The six—provincial planning and development officer and bids and awards committee chair Pedro Agcaoili, provincial budget officer Evangeline Tabulog, provincial treasurer Josephine Calajate, accountant Eden Battulayan, and treasury office staff Genedine Jambaro and Encarnacion Gaor—alleg-
edly evaded answering questions during a House inquiry into the P66.45million tobacco fund anomaly involving Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos. Last week, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and appeals court Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr. issued a joint statement urging the House to recall the show-cause order against the justices in a bid to end the legal standoff. Their call, however, fell on deaf ears as Alvarez insisted that Sereno should sanction the three justices for committing judicial overreach and for undermining the House committee’s contempt powers. The 50,000-strong IBP also threw its support behind the appellate court, calling on its members in the House to respect the rule of law and “act as light bringers and advocates of sobriety.” ■
Opinion
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JULY 7, 2017
FRIDAY
PUBLIC LIVES
What is teaching like in the age of Google? By Randy David Philippine Daily Inquirer At 16, my granddaughter Julia begins Grade 12 this year, one of the first Filipino students to study under the new curriculum for high school. I was already a college student entering my second year when I was her age. I had to read a lot if only to keep up with the extraordinary classmates I had at the University of the Philippines. Still, I don’t think I knew even half as much as Julia does today. Her generation’s brains, I suspect, are differently wired from years of multitasking and managing incalculable amounts and diverse types of information. This poses a unique challenge to the art of teaching. Sometime ago, as part of an expert team to review a Japanese university’s curricular offerings in relation to the demands of global education, I had a chance to observe a couple of undergraduate and graduate classes conducted in English. Nearly all the students had an open laptop or tablet before them as their professors spoke. I was stunned to see the students instantly google unfamiliar names or pieces of information they were hearing, even as they were taking notes, or, in some instances, messaging a contact on Facebook. I could be wrong, but I didn’t think
I confirm the truth of this—from site: We live, and, in the process, we that setup was conducive to learning. I would certainly have found it my experience both as a student bring forth a world, and learn what and as a professor. Students will it is like. Knowing, therefore, is not annoying in myown classes. But the reality is that every long remember the names and the “a step-by-step process of elimiteacher and professor today must qualities of the professors who nating ignorance”; it is rather the learn to contend with the virtual touched their lives positively or continual act of practising “a way world of inexhaustible informa- negatively, more than any lesson of life that corresponds to one’s tion that is literally at our young or item of knowledge they learned ideals.” Knowing is doing; doing is people’s fingertips. Now, more in the classroom. In the process of knowing. What this suggests is that if we than ever, education has to go be- interacting with their teachers and yond the mere transmission of cooperating with their classmates, want to form a future generation knowledge—i.e., the idea of learn- they form themselves as human that believes in freedom, equality, ing as “banking,” where knowledge beings, learning how to live, what and in thinking critically and actis “deposited” through lectures and to cherish, and what to avoid. Says ing responsibly, the perfect place then “withdrawn” through exami- Maturana: “The way of living prac- in which to teach these values and traits is the classnations. If this is room. Not by givone’s conception of ing lectures about learning, then we A teacher cannot coerce interest in a subject; she can them as topics, must know that no only awaken it, and nurture it. But this, as we know, but by giving life teacher can possiis much easier said than done, particularly when to them through bly match what is confronted by difficult students. practice. Often, we available on Wikipay abundant lip pedia alone. What is the alternative? I tised by the teacher, including the service to the importance of these thought the Chilean evolutionary goals of teaching [that he or she values to a democratic society, yet biologist, Humberto Maturana, personifies], will be the source of the actual interaction that is found in the classroom is permeated put it best when he imagined the profitable learning for the pupils.” At the heart of this fascinating through and through by the culture ideal school: “The children do not learn mathematics in school, they approach to education is Matura- of authoritarianism, sycophancy, learn how to live together with a na’s seemingly counterintuitive and selfishness. “If you want to mathematics teacher…. Teachers philosophy. All our lives, he says, we teach autonomy and reflection,” do not simply transmit some con- are told that learning is a sequen- Maturana reminds us, “you cantent; they acquaint their pupils tial process: First we learn what not use force as a method but must with a way of living. In the process, the world out there is like, then we create an open space for communal the rules of arithmetic, the laws of shape our lives in accordance with reflection and action.” A teacher cannot coerce interest physics, or the grammar of a lan- this knowledge. On the contrary, guage will be acquired. Myclaim is: he argues, the correct sequence, if in a subject; she can only awaken it, there be any, might be the oppo- and nurture it. But this, as we know, Pupils learn teachers.”
is much easier said than done, particularly when confronted by difficult students. There are some who dutifully show up in class regularly, but a sensitive teacher can immediately tell that their minds are elsewhere. They watch and follow you as you speak, but they are not engaged. Whatever tests need to be taken, or whatever papers have to be submitted in fulfillment of the course requirements, they know that Google or Wikipedia, and the thousand and one websites that carry complete term papers and readymade answers to test questions on any subject, can always make up for their cognitive absence in a boring class. No threat of punitive action against plagiarism, and no amount of moralizing, can deter desperate and uninterested students from resorting to shortcuts in order to survive school. They come to treat education as a game, where abilidad or diskarte, rather than diligence or hard work, is rewarded. Here, where the early games of life are played, we find the first roots of corruption, lack of accountability, and apathy. But, where students are lucky to encounter loving and inspiring teachers, the classrooms may well be the wellsprings of responsible citizenship, enduring solidarity, and community. ■
Senators back Du30 rehab plan BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer SENATORS YESTERDAY expressed their support for President Duterte’s commitment to rebuild Marawi City with some suggesting that Congress pass a supplemental budget authorizing the transfer of funds to augment the calamity and contingent kitty. Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said the goal to restore Marawi back to its old glory, as promised by Mr. Duterte, was “a matter of funding and prioritization.” “If there’s a will, there’s a way,” he told reporters in a text message. Senate minority floor leader Franklin Drilon said the government can use a portion of the P15.7 billion in the national risk reduction and manage-
ment fund to properly make the government capable in its relief and long-term rehabilitation efforts in Marawi City. “We support President Duterte’s desire to help Marawi City recover from this tragic incident,” he said. But he urged Mr. Duterte to exercise his power to realign funds in accordance with the recent Supreme Court decision on the use of savings in light of the extensive loss and damages brought about by the continued fighting between government forces and the Maute terrorist group that swore allegiance to the Islamic State. For its part, the Congress can pass a supplemental budget authorizing the transfer of money to augment the calamity and contingent funds, said Drilon. He also suggested that Congress tap the P5.485 billion worth of intelligence funds—
some of which were just “sitting idly” in government agencies’ accounts—in order to bankroll intensified efforts for rehabilitation, repair and the construction of critically damaged infrastructure, buildings and facilities. This will also allow for the speedy delivery of basic services to Marawi residents, he said. “The President’s pledge of P20 billion is a good start to rebuild Marawi City and its environs,” said Sen. Sonny Angara. He said Congress would certainly extend whatever appropriations or budgetary support that may be necessary to rebuild the city. For his part, Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said P20 billion would only be enough for housing assistance. “We need to inject more for the infrastructure,” he said. Gatchalian also said that www.canadianinquirer.net
PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO
along with rebuilding the city, the government must also focus on efforts addressing poverty, which he said was the real root cause of Islamic extremism. Citing government data, he said 60 percent of Marawi’s population was poor, making the city the poorest in the country. “In the short term, the government should build new schools, universities, hospitals,
all government facilities, roads and give out housing aid,” he said. He also proposed setting up a dedicated local economic and development center in Marawi and Cotabato City, where investments and job creation will be the main objective. “The only way to prevent extremism is to make sure people have the basic necessities for their family,” he added. ■
Opinion
FRIDAY JULY 7, 2017
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AT LARGE
‘Endo’ in PTV-4 By Rina Jimenez-David Philippine Daily Inquirer SURELY IT’S an irony that the media covering, reporting and commenting on an issue like “endo”—in which workers are let go once they reach the “end of contract” period, typically before they become eligible for permanent employment—are frequently affected by “endo” themselves. Most “onscreen” personalities—newscasters, reporters, announcers, hosts—are not considered employees but “talents,” covered by contracts that, depending on the talent’s prominence or value to the network, can last for many years, or months. And sometimes, these contracts can even be preterminated if, for one reason or another, the relationship no longer works. But it’s not just the on-cam talents affected. Even those behind the camera—producers, researchers, writers, technicians, creatives,
camera operators themselves— are likewise hired on an “endo” basis. Indeed, some speculate that the majority of broadcast workers are contractuals, subject to abrupt termination with no job security or benefits. The case of Kathy San Gabriel is a particularly stark example of the plight of many TV talents. Granted, she was the anchor of the evening newscast of the government TV station PTV4, not exactly a household face and name given the basement ranking of the station in most surveys. But she had been headlining the main newscast for 11 years, and if that didn’t make her the “face” and “voice” of PTV-4, then I don’t know what would. As San Gabriel told it, she was called to the office of PTV-4’s general manager last Wednesday, and then and there was told that she would be the anchor of the evening newscast only until Friday, June 30.
Apparently, San Gabriel’s termination was decided by management as part of a bigger “overhaul” of the state-run station’s news programs. Also terminated along with San Gabriel was history professor Xiao Chua, who was her cohost and the host of another history-oriented show that had been airing for five years. Also reportedly terminated were two PTV-4 reporters and a production assistant, though Chua said the terminations had been taking place for many months. *** Still, the manner in which San Gabriel was let go seems especially mean, given her decade’s worth of service with the station. She had been planning, she said, to bid a formal farewell to PTV-4 viewers during her final newscast, but got a text message (an increasingly rude tactic these days) the day before from an underling at the station say-
ing that PTV-4 bosses had reacted “negatively” to her FB posts, along with those of Chua, touching on her termination. In an interview with Rappler, San Gabriel said she would not “force myself on them if they don’t want me anymore.” But, she added, she had at least hoped that “they could have been more humane and given me more time to prepare emotionally and financially.” It doesn’t seem as if the termination of San Gabriel and the others is due to budget constraints. Secretary Martin Andanar, in a recent dinner with journalists, even boasted that PTV-4’s facilities and equipment were recently upgraded. And there is of course the hiring of “editors” for the blogs and tweets of Mocha Uson, Andanar’s assistant secretary, who, aside from earning a huge salary, has been accused of indulging in “fake news.” ***
San Gabriel’s ouster coincides with the report that third-ranking station TV-5 will take disciplinary action against reporter-anchor Ed Lingao and the brothers Ben and Erwin Tulfo. Lingao and the Tulfos had been engaged in an escalating word war since Lingao took Erwin Tulfo to task for reacting on air, in an expletive-laden rant, to a “fake news” report on Sen. Risa Hontiveros’ purported support for the Maute brothers. Interestingly, Ben Tulfo later posted a video of him chiding TV-5 for saying it was disciplining him since he was already leaving the station anyway. Could Erwin Tulfo, who hosts a radio and TV show, be far behind? And could the sudden freelance status of the Tulfos, vocal supporters of President Duterte and brothers of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, have anything to do with Kathy San Gabriel’s fate? ■
LOOKING BACK
Fighting in Marawi in ‘72 By Ambeth R. Ocampo Philippine Daily Inquirer MARAWI MADE it to the diary of Ferdinand Marcos on Oct. 21, 1972, amonth after he officially declared martial law in the Philippines. On that day a group of separatists attacked the Philippine Constabulary headquarters, entered the Mindanao State University campus, took over its radio station, and broadcast calls for support in their quest to separate Mindanao from “Imperial Manila” and the rest of the Philippines. Marcos detailed the events thus: “Camp Keithley in Marawi City is under attack by a band of outlaws who have taken over the MSU radio, raised the red flag and surrounded the PC Prov Hquarters of Maj. Marohomsar, Prov Commander. Eight of our men have been killed (six outright at Pantar Bridge that leads to the city from Iligan) and one wounded while nine have been killed on the enemy side and one captured who is being in-
terrogated. “Reinforcements being rushed to the besieged forces. The enemy may number anywhere from 100 to 400. But PC Prov. Hq. under attack holding out. Other Mindanao units alerted in case this attack is a signal of an uprising in all of Mindanao and Sulu. “I believe the attackers may be a combination of student radicals [Kabataang Makabayan and Samahan ng Demokratikong Kabataan] supported by outlaws. The red flag may show they are communist-infiltrated or -controlled. And again this may be a diversion from the Luzon front where the communists are hard pressed. Or a demonstration that the leaders I talked to and placated like the Alontos and Pendatun do not run things anymore. Or again this may be a Pendatun and Alonto ploy to gain a stronger bargaining position. But we are not going to bargain. We will hit them hard.” What they did not know at
the time was that the Japanese ambassador to the Philippines was on campus during the attack and hid in the residence of the university president. Had he been captured this attack on Marawi could have turned into an international incident, but the ambassador was able to walk out of the front door the next day, disguised as a rebel. Upon arrival in Manila he was brought to Malacañang to brief Marcos on his experience. Marcos noted things down in the diary: “Ambassador [Toshio] Urabe was able to move out of the PSU [sic] where they were practically kept hostages by the Muslim rebels. He arrived in Manila at 4:10 PM and saw me at 5:00 PM to explain what he saw and what had happened. “I just talked to Gen. [Fidel] Ramos, Gen. [Wilfredo] Encarnacion and Lancaf Task Force Commander Col. [Pedro] Zafra by [single-side-band-modulation]. Attached list of request. “It turns out the rebels are followers of the former Chief www.canadianinquirer.net
of Police dismissed by Major Omar Dianalan, Zakar [illegible] and a former [Bureau of Internal Revenue] man also dismissed for being notoriously undesirable. They both have 200 men each. “They sought to isolate Marawi City by taking Pantar Bridge over the Agos River and burning the wooden portion. Then they took the MSU radio and sought to rally the people to their side. But the people did not respond because the mayors who had just seen me in Malacañan dissuaded the people from joining the rebels. And the swift retaliatory action by our reinforcements employing mortars and the recoil-less rifles—the 106 and 3.5 mm. (the latter were first employed by the marine company in Pantar bridge when the rebels in full force blocked the road with two panel wagons). The marines suffered five [wounded in action] in that encounter. “The rebels attacked Marawi and surrounded the PC Prov.
Hq. at 4:00 AMand 8:00 AMthis morning. They were repulsed again. “As of tonight there is still sporadic firing and another attack is expected. Weare sending two more companies tomorrow. And this includes one company from the PSC [Presidential Security Command? Philippine Service Command?—ARO], the Special Forces company of 100 officers and men. “Our troops have actually suffered three [killed in action], two [missing in action] and seven [wounded in action] while the enemy has suffered 50-60 KIA, the bodies still lying in front of the PC Hq. “I have ordered all the rebels who participated in the attack to be accounted for dead or alive. Any sign of weakness will be exploited by the rebels and their protectors.” Then as now, Marawi is in the news. When will issues be resolved in Mindanao so that the third time Marawi hits the news, it will be good news? ■
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JULY 7, 2017
FRIDAY
Canada News PM Trudeau and Irish Taoiseach tout benefits of CETA at Dublin meetings THE CANADIAN PRESS DUBLIN — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Irish counterpart reaffirmed their commitment to the Canada-EU trade pact known as CETA during their meeting Tuesday in Dublin. Speaking to reporters following their meeting, both Trudeau and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar sang the praises of CETA as a commitment to free trade and a pact which will benefit both sides. Trudeau reiterated his theme that CETA will deliver stronger economic growth and create more well-paid jobs on both sides of the Atlantic. “CETA will give Canadian and Irish businesses greater access to each other’s markets,”
Trudeau said. “It will deliver stronger economic growth, the kind of growth that benefits all citizens, not just the wealthiest.” Trade between Canada and Ireland totalled about $2.4 billion in 2016, but both countries want the agreement to work — Canada views it as a hedge against U.S. protectionism, and Ireland as a hedge against an uncertain post-Brexit future. “Most important, it will create more good, well-paying jobs for workers on both sides of the Atlantic,” Trudeau said. Varadkar said while Canada is very large and Ireland is small, both countries have many similarities, notably by having large neighbours “going in different directions for the time being” — referring to the U.S. protectionist path and Britain’s divorce talks with the EU.
Both also touted their views about inclusiveness. “Canadians and Irish alike understand that it is not enough to tolerate our neighbours, we need to embrace the things that make each of us unique whether it’s our gender, the language we speak at home, where we worship or whom we love,” Trudeau said. Trudeau and Varadkar also spoke of their commitment to climate change, diversity and the need for greater gender balance in governments. Varadkar joked that he received good advice from Trudeau during their meeting since he’s been in office about 18 days while Trudeau has held office for about 18 months. Trudeau is the Irish leader’s first international visitor and this was their first face-to-face
JUSTIN TRUDEAU / FACEBOOK
meeting. Trudeau will later head to Scotland to meet with Queen Elizabeth before going to Hamburg, Germany for the G20 summit. That gathering on
Friday is shaping up as a showdown between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump over the issues of isolationism and protectionism. ■
Special forces operating on ‘borrowed time’, need more troops: General BY LEE BERTHIAUME The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Canada’s elite special forces soldiers risk being run ragged after spending three years deployed in Iraq, as well as in several other lesser-known places around the globe, their deputy commander warns. That’s why Brig.-Gen. Peter Dawe says the federal government’s plan to add 600 more troops to the ranks of the special forces is not only welcome, it’s necessary, considering the threats Canada faces now — and can expect to face in the future, “The reality is that we deliver the effects that the government deems appropriate, that they direct us to deliver,” Dawe said in an interview with The Canadian Press. “And we’ve been doing it for
a while, frankly, on borrowed time. We’ve been working our folks very hard. A brutal operational tempo.” The plan to grow Canada’s special forces is one of the many measures included in the Liberal government’s new defence policy, which promised more than $62 billion in new military spending over the next 20 years. The expected growth is nothing to sneeze at, given the military currently has only about 2,000 special forces personnel, divided between four different units. Those include Joint Task Force 2, the Canadian Special Operations Regiment, a special helicopter detachment and a unit that specializes in responding to biological, chemical and nuclear incidents. Most of the attention since August 2014 has been on their
mission in Iraq, where members have been helping Kurdish forces and, more recently, the Iraqi army in their fight against the Islamic State group. That includes one JTF2 sniper who recently shot and killed an ISIL fighter from more than 3.5 kilometres away, shattering the previous record for longest kill shot. Dawe said many of his soldiers have done multiple tours in Iraq — a number that is likely to increase after the government announced last week that the military will stay in the country another two years. But Iraq isn’t the only place where Canadian special forces have been recently operating. There have also been smaller missions to different parts of Africa, southeast Asia and Central America, where the Canadian soldiers have helped train local forces fighting extremist www.canadianinquirer.net
groups or organized crime. Such demands for Canadian expertise show no signs of diminishing given the spread of ISIL and other violent extremism to different countries. “For the most part, much of the work that we do is in the realm of capacity building,” Dawe said. “When there’s a bit of a violent extremist organization nexus or the need for more generically speaking counter-terrorism sort of capacity, then that’s really sort of our bailiwick.” Western governments, including Canada, have also increasingly turned to special forces in recent years as a way to intervene in conflicts overseas without having to deploy thousands of troops, like in Afghanistan. Dawe said his soldiers have successfully and repeatedly demonstrated their profes-
sionalism and prowess in Iraq and other parts of the world, but that there are concerns the force is being overworked. “We’ve done a pretty good job of managing it, I would tell you, but in some areas we need additional depth because we’re not deep enough,” he said. “When we keep going back to the well for the same sort of capabilities over and over again, it gets very taxing. And not only on the members, but on their families.” And while adding 600 more soldiers to the mix will go a long way to addressing those concerns, new special forces personnel can’t simply be recruited off the street — suitable candidates need experience and specific skills and traits. “It’s a complex problem,” Dawe acknowledged, “but one we’re very confident we’ll be able to tackle.” ■
Canada News
FRIDAY JULY 7, 2017
17
Influential, misinformed Canadian media hurts China-Canada relations: envoy BY MIKE BLANCHFIELD AND ANDY BLATCHFORD The Canadian Press OTTAWA — The Trudeau government should spend less time bowing down to Canadian journalists preoccupied with human rights and get on with negotiating an important free trade agreement with China, says the country’s ambassador. Chinese ambassador Lu Shaye blamed the Canadian media for disseminating a negative portrait of his country that depicts it as an abuser of human rights and lacking democracy. The envoy levelled the accusations during a lengthy interview at the Chinese Embassy in Ottawa with The Canadian Press. Lu’s remarks come as the Liberal government and the People’s Republic embark on a third round of exploratory talks this month aimed at determining whether the two countries should begin formal negotiations towards a free-trade agreement. His comments underscore a major cleavage in how the two countries believe their differences over human rights should be addressed. Canada says the issue is linked to economic engagement with China and wants it part of any formal trade pact. China disagrees strongly, saying the two issues are not linked. Lu offered a candid insight into how China views that difference of opinion: the diplomat blamed an ill-informed Canadian media for forcing the issue onto the agenda. “I think the Canadian government is pressured by the media on this issue,” Lu said
up all their resources or steal their advanced technology.” He also said Canadians “don’t see any merit in China” and don’t think it’s a worthwhile trading partner. Canadians, he added, “look down upon China” and see a country with no democracy, human rights or freedom. Lu said his country is not afraid to talk about human rights and democracy, but what China objects to is linking them to economic and trade issues. “Politicians should have the Premier Rachel Notley with Lu Shaye, Ambassador of China to Canada. courage and responsibility to CHRIS SCHWARZ / GOVERNMENT OF ALBERTA explain to people where the overall and fundamental interthrough a translator provided Trudeau wants to deepen est of the country lies,” he said. by his embassy. economic and political relaThe Canadian government “I think that Canadian media tions with China. has made it clear that its ecois quite influential.” But Trudeau has also pledged nomic engagements abroad Lu then interjected in Eng- not to shy away from engag- cannot be divorced from hulish to stress that Canadian ing with China on the sensi- man rights considerations. politicians sometimes have to tive area. He used a speech in When it launched public con“bow before media.” Shanghai last fall to say Canada sultations on a possible freeHe recommended the ap- encourages China to do more trade agreement with China, proach of his country’s ruling to protect and promote human Ottawa acknowledged that Cacommunist party as an efficient rights. nadians have concerns regardway of dealing with the media. Soon after arriving in Cana- ing China on issues such as the “The Chinese Communist da, Lu said he was struck by the environment, labour, gender Party and the equality, rule of government is law and human good at listening rights. to public opinion But a “comPoliticians should have the courage and also they do prehensive diaand responsibility to explain to their part to lead logue” with Chipeople where the overall and and mobilize na would allow fundamental interest of the country people for a comCanada to relay lies. mon cause.” these worries. Lu said when “A free-trade he arrived in agreement with Canada four China would not months ago, his top priority negative view of his home coun- deter Canada from urging and was to deepen co-operation be- try that he saw taking shape, working with China to meet tween the two countries. mainly in Canadian media. its international obligations in Justin Trudeau and China’s “I feel that in Canada, and es- these areas,” the Canadian govleadership have taken steps to pecially its media, there seems ernment said. expand bilateral relations, with some misunderstanding about Trudeau, meanwhile, has rethe prime minister travelling China, which is detrimental to peatedly defended freedom of to China last summer and then bilateral co-operation,” he said. the press. hosting Premier Li Keqiang in “For example, the Canadian “The back-and-forth between Ottawa several weeks later. side fear the Chinese will buy the press and government is es-
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sential to any good democracy,” Trudeau told a packed press conference at the National Press Theatre last week. “When you’re at your best, it reminds us and challenges us to be at ours. So thank you all for your tireless work on behalf of Canadians.” The Chinese regime has long faced criticism from organizations around the world for stifling press freedom. “The planet’s leading censor and press freedom predator, Chinese President Xi Jinping, is the instigator of policies aimed at complete hegemony over news coverage and the creation of an international media order heavily influenced by China,” says a recent profile on China by Reporters Without Borders. Lu’s remarks on the Canadian media and human rights came unprompted at the beginning of a wide-ranging 90-minute interview with two reporters from The Canadian Press. The envoy expounded at length on how China views its relations with Canada on numerous issues including free trade, investment and cyberattacks. This story is the first of a series. Lu, who noted he was giving his fourth interview with a Canadian news outlet, said he will be open to answer more questions from Canadian journalists. “You represent the Canadian people,” he said. “And I think your questions also represent the confusion of the Canadian people.” ■
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World News
JULY 7, 2017
FRIDAY
In Europe, Trump gets 2nd chance to make 1st impression BY KEN THOMAS The Associated Press
WWW.QP.COM.QA
Qatar, isolated by neighbours, plans gas output boost BY MAGGIE HYDE The Associated Press DOHA, QATAR — The energyrich Gulf nation of Qatar, facing further isolation from its neighbours amid an ongoing diplomatic rift, said Tuesday it plans to boost production of liquefied natural gas by 30 per cent over the coming years. The timing of the announcement suggests that OPEC member Qatar, the world’s largest producer of liquefied natural gas, aims to project an image of business-as-usual economic strength as it weathers the crisis. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut ties with Qatar early last month in large part over their allegations that it supports extremist groups — a charge Qatar rejects. On Monday, it handed over a response to a 13-point list of demands made by the four Arab countries aimed at resolving the row. State-run Qatar Petroleum said the anticipated production increase stems from a decision to double output from a new gas project on the southern portion of its vast underwater North Field, which Qatar shares with its neighbour Iran. The Arab countries have demanded Qatar curb its ties with Iran. The increase should eventually give Qatar the capacity to produce 100 million tons of liquefied natural gas per year, up from 77 million tons now, the
company said. QP President and CEO Saad Sherida al-Kaabi said the increased capacity could come online by 2022 to 2024. Al-Kaabi said QP’s development plans have been unaffected by what he called a “blockade” by the Arab quartet, and there has been no change in the level of communication with Iran over their shared gas field. Qatar does not have any current plans to stop exporting gas to the UAE, he added, but he said he would not rule it out if the crisis continued. “Of course if there were to be an additional escalation, I cannot say that we will never stop the gas,” he said. “This is a decision which would not only be made by Qatar Petroleum but also for the government, and of course depends on the situation in the country.” Qatar currently sends about 2 billion cubic feet (56 million cubic meters) of natural gas a day to the UAE through the undersea Dolphin Energy pipeline, providing about a third of that country’s needs. About 200 million cubic feet of that goes onto Oman. Emirati Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said last week that his country has sufficient resources to make up for any potential shortfall should Qatari supplies be cut. ■ Associated Press writer Adam Schreck in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will learn this week whether he gets a second chance to make a first impression as he returns to Europe and has his first encounter with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Trump’s first visit to the continent in May stirred anxieties among European allies when he declined to endorse NATO’s common defence treaty explicitly and scolded world leaders for not spending more on their armed forces. This time, Trump will use stops in Poland and Germany to try to pull off the tricky balancing act of improving ties with Moscow at a time of particularly fraught relations while also presenting the U.S. as a check against Russian aggression. Trump is leaving Washington for Europe on Wednesday. In what may be the most-watched event of the four-day trip, the president will meet Putin on Friday on the sidelines of an international summit in Hamburg, Germany. Every aspect of the bilateral meeting between the two unpredictable leaders is sure to be closely scrutinized as investigations press on into alleged Moscow meddling in the 2016 election and potential Trump campaign collusion. With those investigations hanging heavy in the air, there is little expectation the meeting will produce significant progress on difficult issues such as the crisis in Ukraine or the conflict in Syria. “I can’t imagine any issue they can actually make major headway on, given the poison that surrounds the relationship,” said Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow in foreign policy at The Brookings Institution, who suggested it might lay the groundwork for future co-operation. The Trump-Putin encounter will be one of at least nine meetings the U.S. president will have with foreign leaders while in Hamburg for a Group of 20 summit of industrial and emerging market nations, beginning Friday. But first Trump will stop www.canadianinquirer.net
in Poland, where leaders are looking for reassurance that the presence of U.S. and NATO troops there will continue as long as the region’s security is threatened by a resurgent Russia. In return, Trump will be expecting a warm reception as he pays homage to Polish resolve with a speech Thursday in Krasinski Square, his first major outdoor address in a foreign country. Poland’s leaders are closely aligned with Trump’s worldview, and ruling party lawmakers and pro-government activists plan to bus in groups to help ensure an enthusiastic crowd for Trump after his rather awkward European debut in May. Previewing the trip, White House officials said Trump would reiterate the U.S. commitment to NATO’s Article 5, which says an attack on one member is an attack on all — something he didn’t do at NATO headquarters in Brussels during his first overseas trip but eventually endorsed last month. The president is also expected to cite the need to develop “a common approach to Russia,” his advisers said. “He’d like the United States and the entire West to develop a more constructive relationship with Russia,” said the White House national security adviser, H.R. McMaster. “But he’s also made clear that we will do what is necessary to confront Russia’s destabilizing behaviour.” Preparing for the trip, Trump spoke Monday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni. Earlier in the holiday weekend, he had conversations with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. After this trip, the president will be back in Europe soon for a mid-July visit to France to celebrate Bastille Day alongside new French President Emmanuel Macron. And in late July, he’ll send Vice-President Mike Pence to Estonia and Georgia — two former Soviet satellites straddling the Russian border — and new NATO member Montenegro.
Poland has been a staunch U.S. ally in Iraq and Afghanistan and is home to about 5,000 U.S. troops serving in separate American and NATO missions. “They’re betting that this relationship with the United States on defence will balance their concerns about the possible directions of U.S.-Russia policy,” said Jeff Rathke, a senior fellow and deputy director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Sharing a border with Russia “is of the highest concern for Poland.” U.S.-Russian relations remain tense — Trump said in April they may be at an “alltime low” — and Moscow has denounced the recent decision by the U.S. to impose sanctions on more than three dozen Russian people and firms over Russian activities in Ukraine. But Trump has expressed hopes of improved relations with the global power. White House aides said Trump did not have a specific agenda for the meeting with the Russian president and they have yet to provide details on the staging for the encounter. Trump has had three phone calls with Putin since taking office. In the past, he’s offered contradictory descriptions of his connections with Putin, insisting during the campaign he had no recollection of meeting him but earlier stating that they spoke around the 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. Trump’s overseas trip will be his first since he announced that he was withdrawing the U.S. from the landmark Paris climate agreement, to the regret of a number of world leaders who had lobbied Trump to remain in the 2015 pact. The White House said Trump and Merkel discussed the climate issues in their conversation Monday. Merkel, host of the G-20 summit, has been open about her disappointment in Trump’s decision and told the German parliament “we cannot expect easy talks in Hamburg” on climate issues. ■ Associated Press writer Darlene Superville contributed to this report.
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Christie feels the heat politically after a day at the beach BY MICHAEL CATALINI The Associated Press TRENTON, N.J. — There’s Gov. Chris Christie, lounging in a beach chair in the Oval Office. There he is again, sitting in the sand as the lovers from the movie “From Here to Eternity” roll around in the surf. And there he is, relaxing outside the meat store from “The Sopranos.” Christie is getting blistered online and in the real world after he was photographed with his family soaking up the sun on a beach that he had closed to the public over the Fourth of July weekend because of a government shutdown that was finally resolved Monday night. Christie, a deeply unpopular Republican serving out his final six months in office, was lambasted Monday as selfish and arrogant, and jokesters online inserted the picture of him in sandals, shorts and a T-shirt into various photos and movie
and TV scenes. “Tell Gov. Christie: Get the hell off Island Beach State Park,” read a banner carried by a plane flying up and down the New Jersey coast Monday, mocking the time the toughtalking governor told people to “get the hell off the beach” during a hurricane in 2011. New Jersey state beaches and parks were shut down over the weekend along with motor vehicle offices and other services deemed nonessential after Christie and the Democratic-controlled Legislature failed to agree on a budget for the new fiscal year that began Saturday. They reached an agreement on a $34.7 billion budget Monday night, and Christie signed the budget early Tuesday. He said parks and beaches would be open for Independence Day. Christie defended his visit to the shore while the public was denied access, saying that he had previously announced his plans to vacation at the state-
L.E.MORMILE / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
owned governor’s beach house and that the media had simply “caught a politician keeping his word.” Christie also said his son apologized to him for inviting his friends to the house and getting him “all this heat,” to which Christie said his son “never” has to apologize and he has no regrets about spending time with his family. “This is who I am, and I’ve never pretended to be anything
other than that,” he said. After Christie was photographed on the beach, he sarcastically called it a “great bit of journalism.” His picture was snapped from a plane Sunday by NJ.com at Island Beach State Park, where he and his family had the sun and sand to themselves. “I didn’t get any sun today,” Christie said at a news conference later in the day in Trenton. Then, when told of the pho-
tos, his spokesman told NJ.com he was telling the truth because he was wearing a baseball hat during his 45-minute visit to the beach. People in New Jersey and beyond seized on what many saw as a let-them-eat-cake gesture by the state’s chief executive. “Taxpayers can’t use the parks and other public sites they pay for, but he and his family can hang out at a beach that no one else can use?” asked Mary Jackson, a Freehold resident. “Doesn’t he realize how that looks, how people will see it as a slap in the face?” Online, people cracked jokes about the sight of the heavyset Christie in a beach chair. Others likened the beach closing to the 2013 scheme by Christie allies to close lanes and cause huge traffic jams at the George Washington Bridge. Christie’s approval rating is already at an abysmal 15 per cent, after three aides were ❱❱ PAGE 27 Christie feels
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Entertainment Helen’s hearth and heart BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer IN HELEN Gamboa’s hearth and heart, kinks are swiftly ironed out with the help of heirloom recipes. No problem cannot be solved over hefty servings of bringhe or kare-kare. The kitchen is her refuge from the hustle and bustle of the twin worlds of politics and show business. These days, everyone’s Tita Helen, who is married to Sen. Tito Sotto, often ends up parrying all sorts of low blows due to her husband’s combustible comments in the media. As far as the Sottos are concerned, however, intrigues are best left on the doorstep. “We’ve gotten used to it na,” she told the Inquirer. “We now know how to handle controversies.” After her husband won as vice mayor of Quezon City in 1988, Helen had to learn how to roll with the punches. “In politics, there will always be people who want to bring you down. [But] we know each other better than they do.” They’ve been a couple for close to five decades, after all. They eloped in 1969 and tied the knot in 1971, recalled Tito. Helen singled out her sinigang as her husband’s favorite among her specialties. “My sinigang is made with kenchi … beef
shanks,” she said. me how to cook.” She named a dish after Tito’s In the new show, she welcomic trio with his brother Vic comed several celebrities to Sotto and longtime pal Joey de her actual kitchen in the Sotto Leon. home, to chat about food and “I also love her Tokwa à la life. Tito, Vic and Joey. It’s made “Maricel Soriano and I with kintsay (celery),” he point- swapped diet tips,” Helen reed out. Her husband’s cohosts counted. “Pops Fernandez, in the GMA 7 noontime show, Carmina Villaroel and Pauleen “Eat Bulaga,” frequently re- Luna-Sotto dropped by, as well. quest for home-cooked meals. So did my children Lala, Ciara “They always ask for her fried and Gian.” crabs and asado.” Her son is a wiz in the kitchAlden Richards and Maine en, too, she proudly declared. Mendoza, of the popular Al- “Gian also knows how to make Dub duo, can’t get enough of fried crabs.” Tita Helen’s Tinapa Rice, he exIt’s always a pleasure to meet claimed. male stars who know their way If ever the cooking show She is putting to good use her around the kitchen, she re- would have a second season, culinary skills in a new show, marked. “Albert Martinez and Helen hopes to invite Alden and “From Helen’s Kitchen,” which Raymart Santiago also guested, Maine and, of course, her niece, airs on Cignal TV’s Colours, ev- to cook with me.” Megastar Sharon Cuneta. ery Saturday, 8 Five years ago, p.m. a slight tampuShe related han (misunderthat she had standing) with It’s all in the timing. You have to be mastered the Sharon was repatient and prepare each dish with fine art of cooksolved over a love and care. In a way, it’s a lot like a ing, under the hearty meal. relationship. tutelage of her Helen was in mother Eusebia the kitchen the Gamboa, a truefirst time Sharon blue cabalen. visited her after As a kid, Helthe rift. There en, who’s the sixth child in a She also made sure to dish out was no need for tears and rebrood of nine, used to watch practical advice in the show. “I grets. As soon as they got togethher mom in the kitchen, whip- want to teach housewives how er, they got engrossed in endless ping up traditional Kapampan- to extend their food budget. It’s kuwentuhan over a sumptuous gan delicacies from scratch. “Of possible to have a satisfying, feast. When it was time for Shacourse, I preferred to play with nutritious meal, complete with ron to go home, Helen made her my friends then. But after I met soup and vegetables, at a low niece “bring home all sorts of Tito, I asked my mom to teach cost.” goodies.”
HELEN GAMBOA SOTTO / INSTAGRAM
She quipped: “When family and friends visit, I always give them packed meals, like my adobo, which can last for a long time and is to die for!” Now, everything is back to normal between Helen and Sharon. “Sharon defended my husband [over the single-mom issue] and we will always stand by her, as well,” asserted Helen, who will soon costar with Marian Rivera in the GMA 7 actiondramedy series, “The Good Teacher.” There’s no arcane magic in Helen’s kitchen. “When people ask for my secret, I tell them that everything depends on the cook,” she explained. “It’s all in the timing. You have to be patient and prepare each dish with love and care. In a way, it’s a lot like a relationship.” ■
12 finalists of 1st Pista announced BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer “WE HAVE done the hardest part—curating the film. The rest is up to the audience,” said Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) chair Liza Diño, who aon Friday announced the finalists of the first Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP), from Aug. 16 to 22. Diño said that to get people to go to theaters and watch the
lineup was PPP’s biggest challenge. “We are not yet used to the idea that our cinemas are exclusively showcasing Filipino films in August, but with all our concerted efforts, I believe that Pista will be successful,” the FDCP chief told the Inquirer. The following are the finalists of the weeklong event: “100 Tula Para Kay Stella” (Viva Communications Inc.), “Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B” (The IdeaFirst Company), “Awol” (Skylight), “Bar Boys” (Tropic
Frills Inc.), “Birdshot” (TBA Studios), “Hamog” (CPI/Cinema One), “Paglipay” (Tofarm), “Patay na si Hesus” (TRex Entertainment Production), “Pauwi Na” (Universal Harvest Inc.), “Salvage” (CPI/Cinema One), “Star na si Van Damme Stallone” (Unitel x Straight Shooters), and “Triptiko” (Michelna Brothers Production). A total of 790 cinemas will participate in this weeklong event, said Diño. “It would also be a big help if www.canadianinquirer.net
we could get the endorsements of CHEd (Commission on Higher Education) and DepEd (Department of Education) for this project. I am also currently securing the endorsement of President Duterte to institutionalize this,” she said. “The FDCP is but a small agency, and we are talking about a nationwide event here.” The FDCP has also organized over 20 mall caravans and 12 campus tours. The National Cinema Association of the Philippines
(NCAP), meanwhile, has promised to manage all the cinemas participating in the PPP. “They’ll help us by playing the teasers of the finalists during this blockbuster season,” said the FDCP chief. Diño heads the PPP selection committee, with members Manet Dayrit (editor), Oggs Cruz (film critic), Ricky Lee (screenwriter), Erik Matti (director), Jose Javier Reyes (director), Iza Calzado (actress) and Lee Briones (cinematographer). ■
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‘Despicable Me 3’ Playing illiterate a ‘tough nut and ‘Baby Driver’ win, to crack’ for Alfred Vargas ‘The House’ doesn’t BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer
BY LINDSEY BAHR The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — The Minions are still a box office force and original stories are scoring big, but not the R-rated comedy — even with Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler behind it. Studio estimates on Sunday say that Universal Pictures and Illumination’s “Despicable Me 3” earned $75.4 million over the weekend, while the former Saturday Night Live stars’ gambling comedy “The House” burned down. Featuring the voices of Steve Carell and Trey Parker, “Despicable Me 3” easily topped the holiday weekend charts from 4,529 theatres in North America. While it’s a far cry from “Minions”‘ $115 million launch in 2015, and also lower than “Despicable Me 2,” which opened to $83.5 million in 2013, Nick Carpou, president of Domestic Theatrical Distribution for Universal Pictures, says that $75 million is a number he’ll celebrate any day of the week. Carpou notes that Illumination continues to prove itself a formidable brand for family entertainment. “They resonate and absolutely are relatable,” Carpou said. “They’re movies that are built for all ages.” Edgar Wright’s original heist movie “Baby Driver” coasted to $30 million in its first five days in theatres, with $21 million from the three-day weekend to take second place. Sony Pictures released the R-rated pic which stars Jamie Foxx, Ansel Elgort, Jon Hamm and Kevin Spacey and cost a reported $34 million to produce. The R-rated film did well with critics and is one of a handful of original or independent films this weekend that are notable successes. Sofia Coppola’s R-rated Civil War-set film “The Beguiled” scored in its expansion from four to 674 theatres in its second weekend. It earned $3.3 million to take eighth place and bested franchise fare including “The Mummy” and “Pirates of the
Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” which were both playing in over 1,670 theatres. The well-reviewed romantic comedy “The Big Sick” also did good business in its expansion to 71 locations, earning $1.7 million. The R-rated film expands wide on July 14. “The best box office stories are further down the chart. They are all benefiting from feeling like the kind of content people are responding to on the small screen,” noted Paul Dergarabedian, a senior media analyst for comScore. “Perhaps this is the summer where Hollywood finally starts emulating the small screen model of creating compelling original content in order to generate goodwill with audiences who have more options than ever before.” Rounding out the top five were holdovers “Transformers: The Last Knight” in third with $17 million, followed by “Wonder Woman” with $15.6 million and “Cars 3” with $9.5 million. Not so successful was suburban gambling comedy “The House” which landed in sixth place with only $9 million — one of the lowest of Ferrell’s career and the latest in a string of R-rated comedies to tank at the box office following “Rough Night” and “Baywatch.” “The R-rated comedy used to be the antidote to the typical summer blockbuster and now those films are having a tough time,” said Dergarabedian noting success stories like “The Hangover,” “Bridesmaids” and “Neighbours.” “Now people feel like they’ve seen that movie before when they watch the trailer. They’ve lost interest.” Overall, the summer box office continues to struggle and is down nearly 8 per cent from last year, while the year to date is close to flat. But the summer box office roller coaster may still have some surprises in store. “‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ will swing in action later this week and, like ‘Wonder Woman’ before it, could turn things around,” Dergarabedian said. “But we need more than one box office superhero, we need multiple films performing.” ■
FOR QUEZON City Rep. Alfred Vargas, being an actor is the noblest of jobs. “There’s nothing like being in front of a camera while interpreting life from the experiences of other people. You inspire others and earn in the most honorable way,” Alfred said during the Father’s Day edition of Inquirer’s Read-Along session, where he was the celebrity storyteller. Alfred took a break from acting four years ago to focus on being a lawmaker. Now, he is back with “Ang Guro Kong
’Di Marunong Magbasa” (My Teacher Who Doesn’t Know How to Read), a film that premieres at the 2017 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival in August. Now on his third term as a lawmaker, Alfred has managed to learn everything about legislation, as well as develop programs for his constituents in the fifth district of Quezon City. “I’m yearning to act again. It has always been my passion. I wouldn’t be where I am now if I weren’t an actor. I owe a lot to this industry,” he pointed out. Alfred admitted to waiving his talent fee and becoming one of “Guro’s” producers: “This
time, I’m doing it for passion. I’d do it again for a good role or project,” the 38-year-old actor declared. The film, written and directed by Perry Escaño, tells the story of Aaquil, a farmer who assumes the role of a teacher to a group of kids while hiding the fact that he’s illiterate. It also tackles the plight of children orphaned by war. Alfred admitted that playing illiterate was a “tough nut to crack.” He said that the hardest part about playing Aaquil was “acting like I didn’t know how to read. During rehearsals, I’d project him as someone who is ❱❱ PAGE 30 Playing illiterate
Kylie and Kendall Jenner apologize after heat over shirts THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK — Kendall and Kylie Jenner apologized Thursday for “vintage” T-shirts superimposing their images with those of famous musicians, including Ozzy Osbourne, Tupac Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. The sisters began selling the shirts Wednesday online for $125 each as part of their Kendall + Kylie brand. Sales of the shirts were halted and the apology issued after Osbourne’s wife, Sharon Osbourne, and Voletta Wallace, the mother of the late Notorious B.I.G complained of appropriation on social media. “Girls, you haven’t earned the right to put your face with musical icons. Stick to what you know.lip gloss,” Osbourne tweeted. On Instagram, Wallace put a huge red X through the shirt featuring her rap legend son and made herself clear: “I am not sure who told @ kyliejenner and @kendalljenner that they had the right to do this. The disrespect of these girls to not even reach out to me or anyone connected to the estate baffles me. I have no idea why they feel they can exploit the deaths of 2pac and www.canadianinquirer.net
KENDALL AND KYLIE / FACEBOOK
my Son Christopher to sell a tshirt. This is disrespectful, disgusting, and exploitation at its worst!!!” The shirts were taken down and Kylie Jenner tweeted, in part: “These designs were not well thought out and we deeply apologize to anyone that has been upset and/or offended, especially to the families of the
artists.” A statement later released by the sisters’ brand said the shirts are one-of-a-kind repurposed vintage T-shirts and the designs were “randomly selected and not well thought out.” The brand, too, apologized for “any insensitivity” and added that “we missed the mark completely.” ■
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Lifestyle FUTURE JOBS:
How we’ll earn a living 150 years from now BY SUNIL JOHAL Policy Director, The Mowat Centre, University of Toronto CANADIANS HAVE seen the world of work rapidly reshape itself around them in the past 30 years. Globalization, technological change, declining unionization rates and new business strategies are among the forces that have combined to create a labour market characterized by stagnant wages and eroding job quality. Will technological advances in areas like Artificial Intelligence and robotics exacerbate these conditions or provide pathways to more equitable distribution of profits throughout the economy in the decades to come? How will unions rethink their role in a de-industrialized economy with gig workers spread across the globe? How can workers ensure they’re getting a fair share of the economic pie? Answering these questions over a five-year time frame is challenging enough. Anticipating what the world of work will look like in 150 years is orders of magnitude harder. But with the supreme confidence that comes with knowing nobody will be able to prove me wrong for a very long time, I would like to propose five defining characteristics of Canadian jobs in 2167: 1. We won’t make things anymore — we’ll all be in the service industry. The proportion of Canadians who work in goods-producing sectors has been in a steady state of decline for decades — down
from 35 per cent in 1976 to 21 per cent by 2016. Traditional stalwarts of the economy like farming, oil and gas, mining and manufacturing will be all but completely automated over the course of the next century. By 2167, we can expect fewer than one per cent of Canadians to work in these areas, and those who do will be managing complex automated systems which perform the day to day work. 2. Professions with a highly social element will continue to be prevalent. Whether as nurses, home-care workers, nannies, teachers or therapists, Canadians will still be able to find work in areas that have a high human-touch element. Technology will soon be capable of replacing many of these jobs, but as social animals we will choose to prefer a person teaching young people or taking care of elderly parents. However, technology will continue to play an increasingly important role complementing those who work with people in the caring professions. 3. The vast majority of Canadians will not have an employer. They’ll be engaged in virtual forms of work routed through technological platforms and peer-to-peer channels, with no regard for geographical borders. Companies or individuals will send out micro-task requests that anyone in the world will be able to bid upon and execute instantaneously. Trust and performance ratings carried from task to task will grant high-performers the edge when it comes to competing against tens of
thousands of others. 4. Commuting to work will be a relic of a bygone age. Virtual reality will enable those few Canadians who do have a consistent place of employment to do their work from their own home or wherever else happens to be convenient. 5. The supports that workers will have in 2167 will look completely different than today’s social architecture. Instead of large, cumbersome programs like employment insurance delivered through bureaucracies, workers will have immediate, digital access to services that they carry with them throughout their lives. Radical changes to taxation laws (think robot taxes and corporate taxes focused on extraordinary profits) at the national and international level generate sufficient revenue to fund social programs like a guaranteed annual income and life-long skills training allowances. But, this is just one plausible future scenario. Another plau-
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sible future could see a Mad Max style descent into madness, with climate migrants battling over dwindling natural resources in a bleak hellscape. Yet another could see the advent of widescale Dickensian virtual factories, paying pennies per task to a desperate underclass. How can we shape the type of future we want to see? Designing regulatory frameworks that promote competition, protect the public interest and pay workers fair wages is the defining challenge of the 21st century digital economy. Success will hinge on concerted action by governments across the world. Governments that are currently struggling to come to grips with the rise of dominant digital platforms that don’t need to abide by the rules of any particular nation and have a knack for bending regulatory and tax frameworks to suit their preferences. Digital firms will only get more pervasive in the future, and the rise of super-monopolies that can dictate terms to suppliers and
crowd out competitors is a serious threat to both consumer and worker interests. Economic systems that privilege corporate interests are increasingly less likely to produce positive knock-on effects for workers where those workers are faceless commodities in another part of the world. When half of all workers could find their jobs automated by the middle of this century, the challenges of finding space at the table for workers gets more challenging still. Canadians in 2167 will be engaged in many new forms of work we can’t even imagine today. But, starting today we can lay the groundwork for the fair treatment of workers in a digital economy that promises to unlock huge productivity and quality of life improvements. Our challenge is to ensure those gains are distributed equitably throughout society and not the spoils of a winner-takeall economy. ■ This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site. Editor’s note: Canada Day 2017 marks the sesquicentennial of Confederation. While the anniversary is a chance to reflect on the past, The Conversation Canada asked some of our academic authors to look down the road a further 150 years — or “Canada +150”. Sunil Johal considers how we’ll be earning our keep in 2167.
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TV, films turning to young girls for their new action stars BY SANDY COHEN The Associated Press LOS ANGELES — From the murderous Laura in “Logan” to the mysterious Eleven in “Stranger Things” to the audacious determination of Mija in “Okja,” opening Wednesday, powerful young girls are starring in mainstream action fare like never before. Though Nancy Drew was solving mysteries in the 1930s and Buffy slayed vampires all through high school in the late 1990s, young girls are rarely shown as heroes in programs aimed at general audiences, said Mary Celeste Kearney, director of gender studies and a professor of film, television and theatre at University of Notre Dame. “Girls have seen these figures... but when they’ve looked to mainstream stuff and what their brothers and their dads and boys are watching, those girls are never there,” Kearney said. “And now they are, and that’s huge.” It means girls don’t have to look to grown up heroes like Katniss Everdeen in “The Hunger Games” or Rey in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.” Like 10-year-old Elliot on the flying bicycle in “E.T. the Extraterrestrial,” now girls are having awesome genre adventures as powerful young kids onscreen. The Duffer Brothers said gender was never a question when it came to creating the super-powered star character in their Netflix series “Stranger Things.” Eleven, played by 13-year-old Millie Bobby Brown, can move things with
her mind and is the fascinating secret friend of a group of preteen boys in the fictional town of Hawkins, Indiana. “Eleven was always a girl. I don’t even remember when or why we made that decision except that was always the case,” Matt Duffer said in a recent interview. “Eleven was the centerpiece of the show for us always and was always going to be this girl who escaped the lab... I think we liked the idea because it wasn’t something we had seen before.” A second little girl is joining the cast for the show’s second season, which premieres Oct. 31. Writer-director Bong Joon Ho intentionally made his central human character a girl in “Okja,” an international adventure film named for the genetically engineered six-ton “super pig” at its heart. “In cartoons or movies, young girls are often portrayed as characters that need to be protected or rescued. I wanted to do the opposite,” the filmmaker said in an email. “I liked that a young female character was the unstoppable guardian of a creature, and that she had to charge and break through all obstacles that stood in her way. I liked this feeling.” Played by 13-year-old An Seo Hyun, Mija has grown up with Okja, and risks everything to protect the massive creature when the corporation that sponsored the super-pig program comes to claim its product. One thing that’s missing from “Okja” and the other projects is a stereotypical little girl who needs saving. “Logan” writer-director
James Mangold can’t take credit for creating the young female mutant Laura — he mined the character from “X-Men” history. But Mangold cast an exceptional actress, 11-year-old Dafne Keen, and successfully brought a killer female character to the ultra-male world of big-screen superheroes. He chose to make Laura a child rather than the teenager she is in the comics because of the bond it would allow with Hugh Jackman’s character and the shock it might elicit when Laura draws her claws. Like Hit-Girl in 2010’s “KickAss,” Laura is a character created in her father’s image. She’s Wolverine’s daughter and has just as much flesh-shredding power as her dad. “I did think the shocking nature of Laura’s ability to kill savagely would be all the more shocking, in a really wonderful way, that it was a girl and not a boy, that that lethalness would be exhibited by this little girl,” Mangold said. “I wondered whether we could pull it off, whether the audience would truly believe this level of violence and intensity trapped inside an 11-year-old body. To me that made it even more exciting to put it on the screen.” Mangold said he took care with Laura’s character, who’s mute for the first half of the film and speaks only Spanish in the second, to “undermine the kind of cute factor of what this young woman would be and allow her to exist as her own unique character.” It’s notable, too, that these young heroines are not all embodied by white actresses. Kearney says it’s more than just the “Wonder Woman” ef-
fect inspiring these empowered characters: “History has everything to do with this and the gender politics of different historical moments.” The powerful women and girls onscreen reflect more progressive gender attitudes, she said, adding that some writers and producers may have been inspired to create such heroes out of a desire to see more reallife female leaders. She noted the recent crop of characters all exist in “fantasy narratives,” where people can have super powers. “It’s not in our reality; it’s in some other reality, and that’s really disheartening if you think about it in that way,” she said. “Like girls are great as action heroes, but not as president of the United States, not in real life.” Consider that “Billy Elliott,” the charming, realistic 2000 independent film about an 11-year-old boy who learns about gender and identity through dance, became a sleeper hit that was adapted for the stage. “The Fits,” a similarly realistic, 2016 indie film about an 11-year-old girl who does the
same, didn’t get the same reception. Girl action heroes are a start, though, especially ones with mass-market appeal. “They have a powerful, powerful cultural impact,” Kearney said, “which is girls seeing these things and boys seeing girls do these things.... A boy can’t go and see ‘Logan’ and not see a girl as powerful as Logan.” The Duffer Brothers note that Eleven is the show’s most popular character and bestselling action figure. Mangold said that when his pre-teen sons visited the set during the making of “Logan,” they were more interested in Laura than Wolverine himself. “They were completely mesmerized by her,” he said. “It’s really refreshing for everyone to see a kid, especially a young girl, who’s not a kewpie doll first or a dimpled smile first, you know? That what’s really going on there is someone in conflict, someone who’s searching for something, someone who’s capable — someone also, by the way, in my film who ends up offering pretty intense advice and wisdom and stability.” ■
sible late addition to the Trump administration. “It is hard to imagine a worse optic for public relations on a hot July day. Pollsters may find out how low approval ratings can go in New Jersey,” said Fairleigh Dickinson University political science professor Peter Woolley. “Because the story and the photos have gone
national, it makes it harder for Christie to rehabilitate his career outside of the state.” Christie regularly says that the only time popularity counts is when you’re running for something — and he’s not. “I don’t care,” he said recently when asked about the fall in his ratings. And as Christie political ad-
viser Mike DuHaime said: “The vast majority of New Jersey residents will care much more about the substance of the ultimate resolution than about any of the weekend drama about where he was when he was not at the Statehouse.” The vast majority of beaches remained open through the shutdown, since most are con-
trolled not by the state but by towns up and down the state’s 130 miles of coastline. “Come and enjoy them,” the governor tweeted Monday morning, “but use sunscreen and hydrate.” ■
SCREENSHOT FROM THE FILM OKJA
Christie feels... convicted or pleaded guilty in the bridge scandal and after he threw his support to Donald Trump when his own presidential campaign fizzled. He was passed over for vicepresident and apparently didn’t get the high-level job in Washington that he wanted, but he has been mentioned as a pos❰❰ 19
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Associated Press writer Bruce Shipkowski contributed to this story.
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Artists weigh in on UP’s ‘female oblation’ Artist Ferdinand Cacnio may have made himself an easy target by giving his statue Victoria’s Secret model proportions BY ERIC S. CARUNCHO Philippine Daily Inquirer THERE SHE lay, naked and gleaming golden in the sunlight, arms outstretched as if offering herself to the heavens as she floated up, up, up, transported by some kind of rapture. “Maganda naman pala,” one lady said as she examined the sinuous, life-size figure more closely. It was a Thursday morning, and being the semestral break, the UP Diliman campus was nearly deserted, save for a small crowd of curiosity seekers and selfie snapshooters who had gathered in front of the UP Theater to see what the fuss was all about. For the last week or so, social media has been abuzz with the controversy surrounding the so-called “female Oblation,” sculptor Ferdinand Cacnio’s statue of a levitating female nude that had been recently installed as one of the university’s public artworks. Not since Mideo Cruz’s supposedly-blasphemous “Politeismo” six years ago has an artwork generated as much heated debate. Perhaps it was fallout from the recent fiasco surrounding the Department of Tourism’s promotional ad for the country, which turned out to have been copied from an eerily similar South African ad, but Cacnio soon found himself hounded by accusations of plagiarism. No sooner had his statue been unveiled when netizens quickly pointed to its similarity to one of “The Virgins of Apeldoorn,” a public sculpture by Elisabet Stienstra which had been installed in a park in Holland in 2001. In response, Cacnio protested that he was totally unfamiliar with the aforementioned Dutch artist and her work, and his defenders were quick to post photos of his other work in a similar vein, female figure studies in various poses, suggesting that “UPlift” (the artist’s actual title for his sculpture) was well within the evolutionary stream of his art. A quick Google image search of “levitating female statue”
reveals several similar works throughout the world, making use of similar artfully concealed structural beams to preserve the optical illusion of floating weightlessly. Originality, however, wasn’t the only issue raised by critics. It seems Cacnio has also run afoul of the PC (political correctness) police. Male objectification
Feminists accused him of perpetuating the patriarchal male objectification of the female body with his work. Cacnio may have made himself an easy target by giving his statue Victoria’s Secret model proportions, rather than abstracting her in the Henry Moore manner, or desiccating her à la Alberto Giacometti, or any such stratagems used by artists to sidestep the sexual fetishization issue. In the age of body dysmorphia, body shaming and other body image issues, it seems, a male artist represents the female figure at his own risk. In a social media post, artist Imelda Cajipe-Endaya wrote: “In fairness, re: plagiarism, I would give him the benefit of the doubt; there are many artistic efforts in gravity-defying portrayal of human beings. The other concern is the imaging of woman as object, of being gazed at. Before passing judgment, there is need to clarify whether ‘UPIift’ is officially meant to be a female counterpart of the Oblation. Articles cite that it developed from a call of UP during its past centennial celebration for art to publish in an expensive coffee-table book of drawings of nude women. In that landmark occasion, why did UP at all choose nudes as subject, and not a more fitting theme, whether nude or clothed, like women in their strengths, as partners with men and other genders, in nationbuilding. If Cacnio’s work 10 years in the making for a public institution is, indeed, official, it should have been reviewed and approved by an academic, critical body, and if woman is a theme, the university should have consulted its Center for Women Studies.” In another social media post,
the artist’s daughter, a UP student, defended her father’s work and said that, while partly inspired by Guillermo Tolentino’s Oblation, the statue was not intended to be a female counterpart, or partner, to it. In fact, “female Oblation” was a name that gained currency only in social media. “I think this pose was specifically chosen to become public art in UP Diliman, because it embodied ‘UPLift,’ and UP the most,” she wrote. “There is a pride and freedom that I see in the arch of her back as she rises to honor and excellence, as she offers herself to our country and God. Her arms open, welcoming and embracing knowledge.” Of course, a man whose lower brain is hard-wired with certain unconscious and perhaps even atavistic responses to the female form may not necessarily see “UPlift” as the artist intended: he might be more likely to automatically check out the figure’s ass, perhaps after noting the seemingly erect nipples. As one online commenter, a semiologist, no doubt, said about “UPlift,” she was concerned about “the semiotics” of the piece. Meaning, the female figure is so loaded with symbolisms and meanings: Can one really control what viewers read into a work of public art? The feminine form
To further illuminate the questions raised by Cacnio’s piece, I consulted two artists who have deeply examined the feminine form in their own work over the years. Working primarily with plaster casts of her own body, Agnes Arellano’s sculptures represent manifestations of the goddess in her various aspects, whether maternal and nurturing, erotic or eternally serene. In so doing, they evoke archetypal feminine figures from our collective unconscious. Arellano compares Cacnio’s levitating woman with the wellknown statue of a giant faucet floating in the air with water pouring out of it. “In terms of visual gimmickry, it’s the same principle,” she says. “It’s eye candy. It puts you in a state of disbelief. But after www.canadianinquirer.net
COURTESY OF GUS CERDEÑA / FACEBOOK
that visual gimmickry, what is left? What is uplifting about it, apart from the literal meaning of the figure being lifted up physically? What values does it leave you with? “It doesn’t edify the female form,” she continues. “It’s only for visual delight and display. I can see it in a mall. But in an academic institution? It offends certain feminine sensibilities.” Artists, she suggests, have to be careful how they represent the feminine archetype. In creating female figures, for instance, she carefully considers the body’s proportions to avoid arousing the baser instincts of the viewer. “Although sexuality isn’t base, it’s also sacred,” Arellano hastens to add. “But I’m also careful that my figures are nude, not lewd. But how do you unlewd?” She cites the ancient temple of Khajuraho in India, whose entire surface is enveloped with copulating figures that are clearly intended to inspire lust. But inside, there is only the central altar, which consists of the Shiva lingam (penis) atop the yoni (vulva), representing the cosmic union of male and female energies in the universe. “I have a mission to make the every day sacred,” she says. “I don’t appeal to base sexuality. I use sexuality. I enhance it. But if it’s erotic, you have to be careful that you’re not just titillating the audience. I think it [UPlift] crossed a line.” Representations of women have al- so played a central part in sculptor Julie Lluch’s oeuvre. Whether it’s her self-portraits in terra cotta at various stages
in her life, her portraits of reallife women (mostly friends and family) and wholly imagined works, Lluch’s women for the most part exude a solidity and self-possession as they gaze out at the world. With the caveat that she had not seen the actual sculpture in real life and only in images on the Internet, she said the artist should be given the benefit of the doubt when he denied the charges of plagiarism. “I wouldn’t make too much of it,” she says. “Some figures are so universal. A figure resting with the hair serving as support—even I have done it. Imitation is also natural. There is also such a thing as appropriation.” She cites her own appropriation of works by Picasso, whose works she admired as much as she hated his patriarchal attitudes. “The thought of plagiarism didn’t even enter mymind.” She agrees, however, that the artist should have taken women’s sensibilities into consideration when presenting a work of public art. For a work intended for display in an academic institution, she adds, extra care should be taken to project a positive message. “I’ve said a lot about the male perspective when it comes to the female nude. The male eye tends to objectify the female body.” Still, she allows that we may be reading too much into Cacnio’s sculpture. “The more important issue is the aesthetics,” she says. Arellano agrees: “We shouldn’t police art.” ■
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FRIDAY JULY 7, 2017
Sports Paralympics leadership denied Pablo powers Pocari vote by IOC on 2024 host city comeback vs UP BY ROB HARRIS The Associated Press THE HOST city for the 2024 Paralympics will be selected without the Paralympic leadership having a say in whether Los Angeles or Paris is chosen. It’s the consequence of the International Paralympic Committee electing a new president in early September — and the winner not immediately and automatically replacing outgoing leader Philip Craven as an International Olympic Committee member. In an agreement that was extended last year , the city selected by the IOC to host the Olympics is also obliged to stage the Paralympics shortly afterward. A decision will be made next week on whether the 2028 host is also selected at the September meeting in Peru, with the IOC keen to avoid making a loser of either Paris or LA given the strength of the bids. The IOC confirmed to The Associated Press “there will be
no representative from the IPC voting in Lima” on Sept. 13. Four candidates are in the running to replace Craven as IPC president at a vote on Sept. 8 in Abu Dhabi: Patrick Jarvis, Andrew Parsons, John Petersson and Haidi Zhang. “Sir Phil Craven will no longer be an IOC member once his mandate within the IPC ends,” the IOC said. “It does not mean however that his successor will automatically become an IOC member. His potential candidature will have to be proposed to the IOC members election commission which is charged with preparing profiles and proposing candidates in order to achieve a diverse and balanced membership of the IOC. “The commission submits a report to the IOC executive board which is the competent body to propose a candidature to the session. The session alone is competent to elect any IOC member.” The IPC has been pushing to retain its vote, with Craven telling the AP that “something has
to be worked out.” Parsons, the IPC vice-president vying for the top job, called it “unfortunate.” “It is purely a timing issue,” the Brazilian added. “This is understood and cannot be avoided.” The Paris and LA bids declined to comment on the Paralympic leadership not participating in the vote. Both cities will present their projects to IOC members next Tuesday in Lausanne, Switzerland. The full IOC membership, still including Craven, will then decide whether to ratify the board’s request to award the 2024 and 2028 Summer Games at the September meeting. ■
BY MARC ANTHONY REYES Philippine Daily Inquirer MYLA PABLO once again proved that she’s up to her pay grade Sunday night. With the three-time champion Pocari in a bumpy ride, Pablo took over to bail her team out over hard-fighting University of the Philippines, 21-25, 2520, 25-18, 25-21, in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference Sunday at Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan. Pablo, who last year rocked the volleyball scene after inking a P7-million contract, slammed a stinger from the back row to quell the Lady Maroons’ late charge in the fourth set. “Our advantage would always be our teamwork,” said Pablo in Filipino. “And we listen to what our coach (Rico de Guzman) tells us.” De Guzman, the Lady Warriors’ newly appointed head mentor, also reminded his wards that their star spiker would need some support.
“We need to work on a lot of things. Get the first ball, speed things up but everybody has to step up,” said De Guzman. “We got to help Myla.” In the second game, BaliPure survived a big scare from Power Smashers to post a 2515, 22-25, 20-25, 25-19, 15-6 win and start off its bid on a winning note. With the feisty Lady Maroons trimming a 15-21 deficit to 2022 on a down-the-line foray of Diane Carlos, Pablo uncorked from the back row to extinguish it. Pablo accounted for 18 points, while Elaine Kasilag had 15 for Pocari Sweat, which has won the league’s previous three conferences. Early on, the Lady Warriors didn’t look like the reigning champions that they are as the young guns from UP yanked out the opening set from them. Carlos and Isa Molde conspired to seal the first-set win for the Lady Maroons, sending across a message that their team means business. ■
Horn wants rematch in PH BY ROY LUARCA Philippine Daily Inquirer BRISBANE — Jeff Horn’s vision has come true. When the final bell rang, his arms were raised and the World Boxing Organization welterweight title was on his waist. While Manny Pacquiao saw no sign, nor dreamed of emerging the loser in their “Battle of Brisbane,” Horn bared during Wednesday’s press conference that he pictured himself at the top of the ring, victorious. Very few believed the former school teacher then as he was the huge underdog in his WBO tussle against the legendary Pacquiao. But Horn believed in him-
self, confident with his abilities and the preparations he and his trainers had taken during their 10-month training camp. “It feels amazing,” Horn said during the postfight conference at a function room of Suncorp Stadium. “I felt just lucky throwing a lot of punches to upset his rhythm.” That was part of the 10-point plan charted by Glenn Rushton, Horn’s millionaire trainer. According to Horn, who showed up with his handsome face marked with welts, cuts and bruises, performing before over 50,000 people propped him up. And hearing them chanting his moniker, Hornet, gave him the strength to survive a near knockout in the ninth round
and finish the bout still firing away. “That’s just my heart,” said Horn. “It keeps me going a couple of more rounds. I still feel good and came back in the 10th, 11th and 12th rounds. “ Those homestretch rounds turned out to be pivotal as the referees awarded it to him for the marginal points in a unanimous decision over Pacquiao, 117-111 once, and 115-113 twice. Acknowledging that Pacquiao was indeed a great champion, Horn said he’s willing to give Pacquiao a rematch. While he preferred his first title defense to be held in Brisbane, Horn said he’s open to the idea of going over to the Philippines to give Pacquiao a chance to regain the 147www.canadianinquirer.net
JEFF HORN / FACEBOOK
pound crown. Another goal for Horn is to unify the welterweight titles and said he doesn’t mind facing unified world champion Keith Thurman or International Boxing Federation king Errol Spence, both Americans. Horn, who reportedly earned
$500,000 for his title crack against Pacquiao, who stands to get around $8 to 10 million, said he was also motivated by the desire to give his wife and their unborn child a better life. Now that he’s a champion, Horn, only 29, can dream on without restrictions. ■
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Business How many ecozone applications have piled up in Malacañang? BY RONNEL W. DOMINGO Philippine Daily Inquirer
across all income groups.” The bank observed that between 2012 and 2015, income among the poorest two-fifths THE WORLD Bank has revised of all households in the Philipits forecast for Philippine fully- pines increased by 7.6 percent ear economic growth in 2017 to annually. 6.8 percent, slightly down from This year, the World Bank anthe 6.9 percent announced three ticipates consumption growing months ago, to take in to account stably at 5.6 percent and revrecent economic trends. ving up to 6.1 percent in 2018. Even then, the multilateral Such prospects remain lender said the downward revi- propped up by strong remitsion meant a “continued robust tance flows, the growth of growth” as it maintained the which almost trebled to 8 perprojection for 2018 growth at cent in the first quarter of 2017 6.9 percent. from 3 percent in the same peThe World Bank said govern- riod of 2016, the bank added. ment consumption and investAs global economic activment growth ity and trade “somewhat weakare gradually ened” recently improving acfollowing a simicording to the lar path in pubic There is ample June 2017 Global evidence that spending during Economic Prosthe economy the first quarter pects released by is far from even if exports the World Bank, overheating. and private conrobust growth sumption kept a among the counstrong showing. try’s main tradThe governing partners ment’s ability to is expected to realize its infrastructure spend- boost demand for Philippine ing agenda will determine if the exports, it added. Philippines can achieve the Finance Secretary Carlos growth target of 6.5 percent to Dominguez III last week dis7.5 percent for 2017. pelled concerns expressed by Birgit Hansl, the World a few observers such as those Bank’s lead economist for the from Moody’s Investor Service Philippines, said supporting and Singapore-based DBS Bank higher investment levels would that the Philippine economy be critical in the next few years might be overheating. if the country were to sustain “There is ample evidence its growth momentum. that the economy is far from “The government’s ability to overheating,” Dominguez said realize its infrastructure spend- in a press briefing. ing agenda will determine if the “For one, growth is only at Philippines can achieve the 6.4 percent [in the first quarter, growth target of 6.5 percent to which is] slightly below our tar7.5 percent for 2017,” Hansl said get, while inflation is declining in a statement. at 3.1 percent in May from 3.4 According to the World Bank, percent in April,” he said. continued expansion for the The finance chief added that Philippines is expected to lead to the fiscal deficit was only 2.3 increased job opportunities con- percent of gross domestic prodsidering that sustained economic uct as of May. “I don’t think growth “has already begun to there is really much a danger in contribute to increasing incomes overheating,” he said. ■
Main stock index seen staying below 8,000 BY RONNEL W. DOMINGO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE LOCAL stock barometer is seen consolidating below the 8,000 mark this week as investors seek fresh market leads. Last week, the main-share Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) gained a modest 28.99 points or 0.3 percent to close on Friday at 7,843.16. BDO Unibank chief strategist Jonathan Ravelas said the PSEi remained range bound last week as investors stayed on the sidelines to wait for fresh new leads on the economy. “Chart-wise, the week’s close at 7,843.16 still suggests the market to range between 7,700– 8,000 levels,” Ravelas said. Meanwhile, investors were also spooked by the depreciation of the peso, which weakened by another 0.5 percent last week to P50.47 against the dollar. Ravelas said the peso’s depreciation was due to the hawkish signal by the US Federal Reserve alongside quarter end corporate demand. “The week’s close at 50.47 highlights the dollar bulls are in control,” Ravelas said, adding this put the 51–51.50 levels within striking distance. Ravelas sees the peso trading range this week between 50.30-
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50.60 levels. Luis Gerardo Limlingan, managing director at Regina Capital Development, said last week’s sell down witnessed the breach of both the 20-day and 50-day moving average, “where the next likely support is now grounded at 7,679 if the selling pressure won’t ease up.” “Meanwhile, indicators are also not as positive with the situation: RSI (relative strength index) finally slid toward selling regions, MACD (moving average convergence divergence) recently crossed with the signal line and histogram is increasing, while selling pressure in DMI (directional movement index) already outrun its buying counterpart on a consistently increasing momentum,” he said. In global markets, Citi said that after a hawkish outturn of
the last Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), attention would focus on discussion around recent inflation weakness and plans for policy normalization, including the timing for balance sheet reduction. Investors are also seen to wait for the upcoming US jobs and manufacturing data. US Fed speakers this week include FOMC voters vice chair Stanley Fischer and Jerome Powell (Thursday) and nonvoter James Bullard (Monday). Citi also noted that in Europe G20 leaders would be meeting in Hamburg where Chancellor Angela Merkel has promised to discuss the Paris Accord and free trade, while President Donald Trump would be meeting with President Vladimir Putin. The minutes from the June European Central Bank meeting will also be released. ■
rente (“Bambanti”) and Marc Justine Alvarez (“Transit”) was a bonus, Alfred said. “It’s actually easier to work with children when you’re dealing with heavy emotions,” he shared with us. “I sometimes forget that I’m much older than they are. I just let the script do its job. It also helps that I’m a father in real life.” Alfred has two kids—Alexandra, 6, and Aryana, 5—with his wife, Filipino-Italian Yasmine
Espiritu. The actor said that as early as now, his daughters were already showing interest in joining show business. However, Alfred is apprehensive about it. “I won’t stop them if they eventually insist on following in my footsteps. But if I’d have my way, I’d rather that they pursue a different career. To be honest, I wouldn’t be as concerned for them if they were boys,” he said. ■
Playing illiterate... dumb and with low intellect. I later realized that it shouldn’t be the case.” He added: “Not knowing how to read doesn’t mean you’re stupid. The fact that Aaquil was able to survive so many trials only shows how smart he is. When I figured this out, everything became easy for me.” Working with award-winning child actors Miggs Cuaderno (“Quick Change”), Micko Lau❰❰ 25
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Gov’t support for more women’s economic activities pushed PHILIPPINES NEWS AGENCY MANILA — The government should find out ways of supporting women’s participation in economically productive activities, particularly in running businesses, to increase opportunities for them, according to a study published by state think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS). The study found that women in the Philippines still do most of the housework, resulting in minimal economic opportunities for them, despite being more empowered than women in other Asian countries. The authors, PIDS Senior Research Fellow Connie Bacuyan-Dacuyuy and Lawrence Dacuycuy, attributed this to
deep-seated Filipino values that “women nurture and their comparative advantages are in housework,” while “men provide and their place is in the labor market.” These put women in a relatively disadvantaged position, forcing them to face discrimination in the formal labor market. With these, they underscored the need to support women’s participation in productive ventures, as they comprise 50 percent of the country’s population and “have an equal role to play in steering the country toward sustainable growth.” The study cited data from the Global Entrepreneurship Research Association (2017) indicating that 30 percent more females than males are currently engaged in running an
Economists see slowdown in June inflation BY RONNEL W. DOMINGO Philippine Daily Inquirer THE RATE of increase in consumer prices likely eased in June compared to the previous month—although still much faster than the 1.9 percent yearon-year recorded in the same month of 2016—allowing bank regulators to keep their policy rate steady. Five of the six economists polled by the Inquirer peg June inflation within the range of 2.8 percent to 3 percent, mainly due to the softening prices of fuel, food and utilities. The lone outlier was Gundy Cahyadi of DBS Bank Ltd., who expected inflation to have ticked upward to 3.2 percent last month. Chidu Narayanan of Standard Chartered thinks inflation likely fell for the third consecutive month to 3 percent. “Inflation has peaked, in our view [and] we expect it to average 3 percent in the second half
of 2017, down from an estimated 3.2 percent in the first half,” Narayanan said. Metrobank research analyst Pauline May Ann E. Revillas was more optimistic with a forecast of 2.9 percent. This is due to “the slower annual increases in the prices of some food items like fruits and vegetables, lower petroleum product prices, and lower electricity rates,” Revillas said. Eugenia Fabon Victorino of ANZ Branking Group, noting that oil prices remained under downward pressure. Also concurring on 2.9 percent was Rajiv Biswas, AsiaPacific chief economist at IHS Markit, saying that further declines in world oil prices have resulted in lower domestic retail prices. The most optimistic among the economists polled was Guian Angelo S. Dumalagan of Land Bank of the Philippines, who thinks inflation likely fell to 2.8 percent. ■
enterprise. The authors said the government should thus address issues on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), such as access to credit and technical skills, and sustaining and upscaling of enterprises. “It should also provide infrastructure support such as farm-to-market roads and fast and affordable access to information technology to aid their visibility in the local and global markets,” they added. Apart from expanding economic opportunities for women, the government should address issues that severely increase the time outside of home and reduce family members’ interaction. These also include poor road conditions, such as potholes, floods resulting from poor
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drainage system, ill-planned constructions of buildings, and parked vehicles on thoroughfares and Mabuhay lanes, that lead to congestion. Likewise, it needs to resolve
the reliability of mass transport system and issues on building the common station for Manila Metro Rail Transit Lines 3 and 7 and Manila Light Rail Transit Line 1, the study added. ■
Cheese, cars at issue as Japan, EU inch toward trade pact BY ELAINE KURTENBACH The Associated Press TOKYO — Japan’s foreign minister is expected to head to Brussels this week to seek a breakthrough in talks on a free trade agreement with the European Union. Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said over the weekend that he was hopeful the two sides would resolve remaining differences, mainly over trade in cheese and autos, before Friday’s summit of the Group of 20 industrial nations. Such a deal will require finessing Japan’s protections for its dairy farmers, whose home market is protected by tariffs of up to 40 per cent on processed cheese. Talks on the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement ended late Saturday with officials saying they believed they could resolve remaining differences and reach a political deal by the time Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and EU leaders are due to meet on Thursday. Kishida and Cecilia Malmstrom, the European Commiswww.canadianinquirer.net
sioner for Trade, both said they believed an agreement was within reach despite remaining sticking points over EU tariffs on cars and Japan’s tariffs on cheese. Japan wants the EU to lift tariffs on autos, a demand that EU officials said was difficult to do immediately. Both sides are asking the other to open their markets to each other’s wines, and there are a few other issues still yet to be resolved, the Yomiuri and other newspapers reported. It was unclear just what the potential for compromise on cheese might be, given Japanese farm minister Yoji Yamamoto’s rejection of a EU request that Japan match its commitments for relaxing its trade rules on cheese imports to match those it agreed to in negotiations with members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. That trade pact was cast into question by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the formerly U.S.-led Pacific Rim trade initiative. But the 11 remaining members have been discussing ways to pursue a revised version without the U.S. as the anchor.
Australia and New Zealand, the biggest exporters of cheese and other dairy products to Japan, fought hard to persuade Tokyo to gradually open its market over a 15-year period. Both Japan and the EU have a tradition of protecting their politically powerful farm sectors, and dairy products are an especially sensitive issue for the EU, with its long traditions and half the world’s market share for cheese. Japanese eat only about 2 kilograms (about 1 pound) of cheese per person a year, way less than Europeans, partly because of different tastes and food cultures, and partly because costs are so high. A small, chocolate-bar sized block of imported Parmesan costs over $7 and a similar amount of Swiss cheese at least $6. Costs are relatively high thanks to a complicated system that is engineered to ensure the country’s 17,700 dairy farmers, overwhelmingly small family businesses, continue to provide a stable supply of raw milk, even ❱❱ PAGE 33 Cheese, cars
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JULY 7, 2017
FRIDAY
Technology What Amazon wants from Whole Foods: Data on shopping habits BY ANICK JESDANUN The Associated Press NEW YORK — Why is Amazon spending nearly $14 billion for Whole Foods ? One reason: People who buy yoga mats and fitness trackers on Amazon might also like grapes, nuts and other healthy items at the organic grocery chain. In short, the deal stands to net Amazon a wealth of datadriven insights into how shoppers behave offline — insights that are potentially very lucrative. To be sure, there are plenty of other benefits to the combination. Amazon will derive steady revenue from more than 460 Whole Foods stores; it can also introduce robots and other automation technologies to cut costs and improve the bottom line. But ultimately, Amazon wants to sell even more goods and services to both online and offline shoppers — including stuff they might not even realize they need. Amazon has been quiet on its specific plans so far, but analysts are enthusiastic about the possibilities. “This will be a fun time for Amazon,” said Ryne Misso of the Market Track retail research firm in Chicago. “They are introducing a whole new set of shopper profiles that span grocery stores and durables.” The tracking
Amazon is a pro at using data on past shopping and browsing to prod you to buy more. The
home page, for instance, offers quick access to recently viewed items and suggests products “inspired by your shopping trends.” Amazon sends emails about price cuts on items you’ve searched for but haven’t bought — yet. Brian Handly, CEO of the mobile analytics firm Reveal Mobile in Raleigh, North Carolina, said that while Amazon doesn’t necessarily have better artificial-intelligence capabilities than its rivals, it has scale in the number of shoppers and variety of businesses it has. Whole Foods can help by giving Amazon a better understanding of what people do at physical retail stores, where 90 per cent of worldwide retail spending still happens, according to eMarketer. Amazon could learn whether a particular customer tends to come once a month to stock up, or make smaller and shorter visits more frequently. Wi-Fi hotspots in stores might collect unique signals emanating from smartphones to figure out which aisles customers spend the most time in. Same with sensors on product shelves, something Amazon is currently testing at a convenience store in Seattle. “They will break that data down to build stories about their consumers,” Misso said. All this might feel creepy, but it’s something Amazon already does and does well online. Larry Ponemon, who runs the Ponemon Institute privacy think-tank , said he personally would find tracking of his
self-described unhealthy eating habits “very creepy.” But he doesn’t expect any consumer backlash because Amazon and Whole Foods have both earned a high level of trust and loyalty. Reconfiguring the store
To make stores more profitable, Amazon could push customers to order lower-profit bulk items such as detergent and toilet paper over the internet. That would free up store space for higher-profit items, such as perishables and readyto-heat prepared meals. Amazon’s challenge will be to “separate the profitable businesses that can be better done online and the profitable businesses that can be better done at retail,” said Larry Light, CEO of the brand consulting firm Arcature in Delray Beach, Florida. Amazon might find that some items sell better at some locations than others. It can stock just the most popular items at each location; other items are just a click away for home delivery. It’s an approach Amazon is already taking at its eight physical bookstores. Handly said that even if Amazon can’t get rid of every lowerprofit item on shelves, it can use data to figure out ways to drive more customers to those aisles.
JONATHAN WEISS / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
then suggest a Thai or Japanese cookbook. It might also recommend a new rice cooker. It works the other way, too. If you just watched a Mexican food show on Amazon video, Amazon might point you to deals on avocados and perhaps offer subscriptions for regular deliveries of tortillas and canned beans. Or it might automate a grocery shopping list based on a chosen recipe on your Kindle e-reader. Just bought some camping equipment? Amazon might offer granola bars and other ready-to-eat meals for your hikes. Likewise, someone who just bought a fitness tracker might be in the market for more produce.
Beyond groceries
Amazon will be able to use grocery data to drive other purchases as well. Say you buy a lot of ingredients typically found in Asian recipes. Amazon might
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Implications for the industry
Walmart remains the leading retailer overall and has its own huge stake in groceries; its retail revenue is more than three
times that of Amazon, even with Whole Foods included. Yet it’s on the defensive. To beef up its online operations, Walmart has gone on a spending spree for e-commerce companies such as Jet, Bonobos, ModCloth and Moosejaw. Analysts say these companies should help Walmart get into the data game as well. “The real challenge of Walmart is they recognize that technology can be bought and technical expertise can be bought,” Light said. But playing catch-up is “harder than just building it into your company as a core part of the company’s DNA,” said Brent Franson, CEO of Euclid Analytics, a San Francisco company looking to bring data analysis to physical stores. “Amazon has the benefit from Day One of architecting a business that is data-driven, out of the gate.” ■
Technology
FRIDAY JULY 7, 2017
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Reach of search warrant for Tesla says its emails at issue in appeals case Model 3 car will go on sale on Friday BY MARK SHERMAN The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — On the surface, the investigation was routine. Federal agents persuaded a judge to issue a warrant for a Microsoft email account they suspected was used for drug trafficking. But U.S.-based Microsoft kept the emails on a server in Ireland. Microsoft said that meant the emails were beyond the warrant’s reach. A federal appeals court agreed. Late last month, the Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to intervene. The case is among several legal clashes that Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft and other technology companies have had with the government over questions of digital privacy and authorities’ need for information to combat crime and extremism. Privacy law experts say the companies have been more willing to push back against the government since the leak of classified information detailing America’s surveillance programs. Another issue highlighted in the appeal is the difficulty that judges face in trying to square decades-old laws with new technological developments. In the latest case, a suspected drug trafficker used Microsoft’s email service. In 2013, federal investigators obtained a warrant under a 1986 law for the emails themselves as well as identifying information about the user of the email account. Microsoft turned over the information, but went to court to defend its decision not to hand over the emails from Ireland. The federal appeals court in New York agreed with the company that the 1986 Stored Communications Act does not apply outside the United States. The administration’s Supreme Court appeal said the decision is damaging “hundreds if not thousands of investigations of crimes — ranging from terrorism, to child pornography, to fraud.” The emails, the administration noted, may reside on a server somewhere, but said
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
10 FACE / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM
Microsoft can retrieve them “domestically with the click of a computer mouse.” Microsoft’s president, Brad Smith, said in a blog post following the high court appeal that the administration’s position “would put businesses in impossible conflict-of-law situations and hurt the security, jobs, and personal rights of Americans.” Technology companies and privacy experts are among those watching the case closely. “This is a big deal in an era of a global internet. Servers are not just in the United States. They’re all over the world, and figuring out the rules for foreign-stored data is really important, not just for us, but for foreign governments,” said Orin Kerr, a George Washington University law professor whose work is cited in the appellate ruling. One problem identified by Kerr and other privacy scholars is that courts might not be the best place to resolve these issues. Should the same rules apply to the emails of an American citizen and a foreigner? Does it matter where the person is living? “The Supreme Court can’t answer these questions in the nuanced way that’s needed,” said Jennifer Daskal, an American University law professor. Even Judge Gerard Lynch on the New York panel that sided with Microsoft called for “congressional action to revise a badly outdated statute.” The Stored Communications Act became law long before the advent of cloud computing. To the extent personal information was kept online, it was mainly on personal computers.
Today, companies build data centres around the world to keep up with their customers’ demands for speed and access. Members of Congress have introduced legislation to update the law, but nothing has been enacted. Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, opposes the administration’s appeal, but said in a statement that “Congress can and should modernize data privacy laws to ensure that law enforcement can access evidence in a timely manner.” Microsoft also supports revising the law. The company also is among those challenging “gag orders” that prevent service providers from notifying customers that their data have been turned over to the government under court order. Companies have been more willing to assert their customers’ and their own privacy interests since former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden’s leak of classified U.S. material about America’s surveillance programs, Kerr said. The technology companies wield enormous power, perhaps more than governments do, in shaping the scope of digital age privacy rights, Daskal said. The companies decide “what to retain, where to keep it, for how long, and whether to encrypt it,” she said. And when governments produce court orders for customers’ information, it’s the companies’ call about “when to comply and when to resist,” Daskal said. The justices won’t decide whether to hear U.S. v. Microsoft, 17-2, before the fall. If they do, arguments wouldn’t occur until next year. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net
NEW YORK — Electric car maker Tesla says its keenly awaited Model 3 car for the masses will go on sale on Friday. CEO Elon Musk made the announcement Monday on Twitter. The car is to start around $35,000 and with a $7,500 federal electric car tax credit, could cost $27,500. Tesla says the five-seat car will be able to go 215 miles (133 kilometres) on a single charge and will be sporty, accelerating from zero to 60 miles per hour in under six seconds. Musk had said that production was on track to start in July, but Tesla has often faced delays in getting vehicles to market. The Palo Alto, California-based company aims to make 5,000 Model 3 sedans per week by the end of this year and 10,000 per week in 2018. Tesla hasn’t said how many people have put down $1,000 refundable deposits for the Model 3, but Musk has said people who put down a deposit now won’t get a car until the end of 2018, suggesting it could be close to 500,000. Whether Tesla can meet its production goals is an open question. Its last new vehicle, the Model X SUV, was delayed nearly 18 months. Musk says the Model 3 is much simpler to make, but 14-year-old Tesla has no experience producing and selling vehicles in high volumes. Tesla made just 84,000 cars last year. Bigger rivals like General Motors, Volkswagen and Toyota routinely sell around 10 million vehicles per year.
Even if the Model 3 is on time, servicing all those vehicles will still be a challenge. Model S and Model X owners are already worried about having to share Tesla’s company-owned charging stations with an influx of new cars. And while Tesla is promising to increase its network of stores and service centres by 30 per cent this year, it began 2017 with just 250 service centres worldwide. That leaves many potential owners miles from a service centre. Musk has said a new fleet of mobile service trucks will be deployed to help customers who are far from service centres. Tesla also plans to double its global high-speed charging points to 10,000 by the end of this year and increase them by another 50 per cent-100 per cent in 2018. Until recently, Tesla owned the market for fully-electric vehicles that can go 200 miles (324 kilometres) or more on a charge. But that’s changing. GM beat Tesla to the mass market with the Chevrolet Bolt, a $36,000 car that goes 238 miles (about 200 kilometres) per charge. Audi plans to introduce an electric SUV with 300 miles (486 kilometres) of range next year; Ford will have one by 2020. Volkswagen plans more than 30 electric vehicle models by 2025. Automotive competitors like Mercedes and Volvo — not to mention tech companies like Google and Uber — can also match Tesla’s efforts to develop self-driving vehicles. And they have deeper pockets. Tesla has had only two profitable quarters in its seven years as a public company. ■
Cheese, cars... though their average costs are double those of farmers in Europe and the U.S. About a quarter of the cheese imported into Japan is reprocessed and repackaged so as to “add value” before products reach consumers. ❰❰ 31
A glut in milk production in the past two years in the U.S., Europe and Oceania has helped push prices lower and boosted imports, according to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report. It also has lent urgency to the EU’s effort to win easier access to Japanese consumers. ■
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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/hour Permanent/Full time 8hrs/day 40h/wk Benefits: OHIP WSIB Req: Completion of Canadian High School atleast 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) 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) Mary # 112 Glenn Hawthorne Blvd Mississauga ON supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-996-2273) Venus Pulido Scarborough ON supremeccc@yahooo.com (647-996-2273)
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) Jhoanna Raoet 128-42 Pinery Trail Scarborough ON supremeccc@yahoo.com (416-779-7110) Marivic 90 Glacier Cres.Scarborough ON supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-344-6559) Rumeeza Khan 3814 Mayla Dr Mississauga ON supremeccc@yahoo.com (647-996-2273)
IMMIGRATION PROBLEMS? OLIGO SARMA CANADA IMMIGRATION SERVICES call /sms 647-996-2273
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FRIDAY JULY 7, 2017
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Travel Rick Steves’ summer travel tips: How to handle crowds, heat BY BETH J. HARPAZ The Associated Press
and the liveliness that comes with peak season travel in the north of Europe,” along with long hours of daylight.
SUMMER TRAVEL can be crowded, hot and expensive, especially in Europe, where it’s peak tourist season. Travel expert Rick Steves , the guidebook writer, public radio and TV show host, offered these tips in an interview taped for The Associated Press podcast series “Get Outta Here!” on how to get the most out of your summer trip.
Beat the heat like a local
The crowds
Handle summer heat like “local people do,” whether it’s taking an afternoon siesta or eating dinner at 9 p.m. when it’s cooler. In Turkey, he said, people believe in drinking hot liquids as a way to stay hydrated. “The smart traveller is like a cultural chameleon,” he added. Steves also advises getting “a hotel in the centre of town so you have a refuge, where you can take a little break and not carry around so much stuff. And you can venture out early and you can venture out late.” On a trip to Venice, Steves walked across town early each morning. “It was cool, it was empty, the light was warm and mellow,” he said. “I loved my two hours in Venice before the cruise ship people got there.” After the evening rush hour, “by 6 o’clock, Venice takes on a different personality. The local people come and reclaim their squares.”
Steves says most lines at tourist sites aren’t to get inside, but to buy tickets. The solution: Buy tickets ahead, online, or look for combination tickets that can be purchased at less popular spots where there are no lines. For example, one ticket covers Rome’s Palatine Hill and the Colosseum, so buy tickets at the Palatine Hill where there are no crowds. Then you can walk right into the Colosseum without waiting on the ticket-buying line there. “If you’re waiting in line, you’re probably messing up,” Steves said. Spend less, experience more Steves says “the greatest congestion” Steves doesn’t obat most attractions sess about budgets in Europe is from 10 or deals. Instead he a.m. to 4 p.m. That’s saves money by bewhen tour buses I would say coming “a temporary the best value bring groups. If an local.” is, ‘Where are attraction opens ear“The less you your travel lier or later, “be there spend, the more you dreams taking and it’s all yours.” On experience,” he said. you?’ a recent visit to VerHe does research sailles, Steves said, “I and uses public came late and I had transportation inthe Hall of Mirrors to stead of taking guidmyself.” ed tours. He eats in Steves also thinks mom-and-pop restravellers overreact taurants, and says to terrorism, and that’s cut crowds in all his favourite eateries in Paris have a some places: “Those people who have similar set-up, with eight or 10 tables, a grip and don’t confuse fear with risk” the owner onsite, handwritten menus can visit “Paris or Greece or even Egypt in one language, with dishes that change and be all alone at the pyramids of Giza.” seasonally. And he immerses himself in But summer crowds aren’t always bad. local culture. “I’m sitting here as the sun’s going “For most of Europe north of the Alps, believe it or not, I want crowds,” Steves down on this beautiful Greek island said. “Norway is boring when there’s drinking a glass of ouzo — as if a glass of no crowds. Ireland shuts down when ouzo just hits the spot,” he said. “I never there’s no crowds. Crowds enliven me- go home and think, ‘Man, I want a glass dieval banquets in Wales. The tourist of- of ouzo!’ But when I’m in Greece, I feel fice is open in Cornwall when there are like a glass of ouzo. It costs a dollar. Then people there. So I like the good weather I see everyone in these tourist resort
places and I realize they’ve cloistered themselves in a world that puts a barrier between them and the world they travelled so far to see.” Another tip: Visit “second cities” that are less expensive and less crowded. In Portugal, consider Porto instead of Lisbon; in France, Marseille instead of Paris; in Germany, Hamburg instead of Munich or Berlin; in Ireland, Belfast instead of Dublin. Steves travels with two credit cards so he has a backup but he mostly uses cash when abroad. He heads straight
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to a bank ATM for money, avoiding the terrible conversion rates and high fees charged by currency exchange kiosks and hotel desks. Because there’s a flat fee per ATM withdrawal, instead of getting $100 in euros every day, he suggests getting $300 every three days. “I travel so inexpensively that the fact that I didn’t get a deal on the flight doesn’t really occur to me so much,” he said. “A lot of people say, ‘Where is the dollar strong?’ I would say the best value is, ‘Where are your travel dreams taking you?’” ■
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Travel
Newfoundland jewel:
Gros Morne National Park offers rich diversity BY COLIN PERKEL The Canadian Press GROS MORNE NATIONAL PARK, N.L. — You don’t have to take your hiking boots on a visit to Gros Morne National Park, but why wouldn’t you? True, breathtaking vistas abound from winding, undulating roads that, in typical Newfoundland fashion, frequently leave you asking if you can get there from here. But it takes stepping out onto one of the many easily reached trails to find places so quiet that the blood coursing through your ears is the only sound. Where panoramic views entice and humble. Where the landscape embraces the soul. “Gros Morne National Park provides a haven not only for plants and animals but also for the human spirit,” a park brochure states. “It is possible to experience the ocean, the boreal forest and the Arctic-alpine conditions of Gros Morne Mountain, the highest point in the park ... all in a single day.” These trails were made for summer hiking — some short and gentle, others all-day and rugged. All are rewarding, even when traipsing through the gloom of Newfoundland fog — Gros Morne does, after all, translate via Google to “big dreary” — or basking in the sunshine that warms and transforms the land. Whether driving or hiking, kayaking or cycling, it’s not hard to see why Gros Morne National Park on the west coast of “the Rock” has been designated a world heritage site. Named after its highest peak, the park covers 1,805 square kilometres that take in picturesque shoreline villages, fjords, cliffs and forests. Divided by the 25-kilometre fjord called Bonne Bay into north and south sections, Gros Morne offers a rare modernday sense of freedom — a sense that no one is looking over your shoulder, that most everyone you encounter along your way,
who come from far and near, have left any pretensions at home to simply enjoy what is. The park itself is easily reached via a short drive from Deer Lake, which is connected by direct flights from cities such as Toronto, Halifax, or St. John’s. Longer drives from St. John’s or from the ferry terminal at Port aux Basques make for a journey as fascinating as its destination. In the park, admire rare flora or the ubiquitous pitcher plant — the province’s floral emblem. Rest up in an oversize red chair and take in the panoramic vistas from 300 metres up at the end of Lookout Trail. Discover a rare example of continental drift made visible on the Tablelands, between Trout River and Woody Point in the southwest of the park. Normally hidden, the Earth’s mantle is exposed on the Tablelands — a red-brown rocky area believed to have been forced to the surface several hundred million years ago. With a little imagination, it could double for Mars, without the inhospitality. Visitors can also stroll kilometres of beach or admire any of the scores of waterfalls. Two impressive visitor centres at Rocky Harbour and Woody Point are good places to get your bearings and learn about the park and its diversity — recommended if making your first foray into an area that’s surprisingly large and where, given the topography, drives or rides can take a lot longer than expected. The park is cycle friendly, while grabbing a water shuttle between Norris Point and Woody Point makes for a fun ride in and of itself. Accommodation varies from tent sites to upscale inns and charming bed and breakfasts — not much by way of chain hotels. It’s a good idea to make sure space is available in advance. Given the park’s proximity to Deer Lake, staying in town and doing day trips into ❱❱ PAGE 38 Gros Morne
JULY 7, 2017
FRIDAY
Kinderdijk windmills a must see on any trip to Holland BY JOHN MARSHALL The Associated Press KINDERDIJK, NETHERLANDS — The windmills at Kinderdijk were built in the mid-1700s as a way to clear water from the low-lying landscape of the western Netherlands. Sometime in the 1950s, the millers and water board members started seeing visitors in sneakers carrying cameras. Yep, tourists. The Dutch embraced the visitors and the Kinderdijk windmills have since become one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations while continuing to help manage the Netherlands’ ongoing fight to stay above water. There are some windmills CHRISTIAN MUELLER / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM north of Amsterdam that “were built for the tourists, but we’re And what a sight they are. About 300,000 people buy a historical site where tourLining the canals that zig- tickets to visit the Kinderdijk ists come, so it’s the other way zag between the two rivers, the windmills each year, with about around,” said Kinderdijk com- windmills are a striking and 500,000 more walking through munications manager Peter iconic glimpse into Dutch his- the area without taking the Paul Klapwijk. “Tourism is a tory with a modern-day func- tours. means to uphold our site.” tionality. Kinderdijk has plans to build Kinderdijk, which translates The windmills work in con- a new visitor’s centre and to to children’s dike, lies in the junction with pumping stations refurbish the pumping station Alblasserwaard polder (land to move water from the lower- with an exhibition about the futhat’s been reclaimed from the lying areas to higher ground ture of water management with sea, marshes or river flood- and into the river. Of the 19 climate change. plains) at the confluence of the mills, 16 still have millers who Lek and Noord rivers. The vil- live inside and manoeuvr the If You Go... KINDERDIJK WINDlage is in the western portion massive sails in the wind. of the Netherlands, much of For tourists, walkways lead MILLS: https://www.kinderdiwhich is near or even below sea from the visitor centre to the jk.com/discover/the-story/ unesco-worldlevel. heritage. Most The lowpeople visit April lands have been to September, prone to floodThe Dutch embraced the visitors but winter — if ing through the and the Kinderdijk windmills have you can handle ages despite the since become one of the country’s the cold — offers building of camost popular tourist destinations a chance to ice nals and dikes, while continuing to help manage the skate past the including the Netherlands’ ongoing fight to stay windmills on fro1421 Saint Elisaabove water. zen canals. Tickbeth’s flood that ets: 6.50 euros killed thousands for a short film after the dikes and access to the broke in several places. mills and boat tours are of- mills. Boat tours also available. GETTING THERE: RotterTo stem the flooding, the Kin- fered along the canals. Two derdijk windmills were built mills serve as museums, filled dam is about a 30-minute drive in 1738 and 1740 — two earlier with vintage millers’ items and (or 25 minutes on a water bus) than that — to move water from photos with ladders to climb and Amsterdam is roughly an the lower areas to higher spots through and see the inner hour’s drive. LODGING: The Fletcher Hoand into the river. works. The mills also are funcNineteen of the original 20 tional, so be prepared to feel the tel-Restaurant De Witte Brug Kinderdijk windmills remain entire building shake when the in nearby Lekkerkerk is reasonand were named a UNESCO sails are whipping around in ably priced or there are plenty of options in Rotterdam. ■ World Heritage site in 1997. the wind. www.canadianinquirer.net
FRIDAY JULY 7, 2017
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Food Making a yummy Spanish tortilla without all the calories BY MELISSA D’ARABIAN The Associated Press GROWING UP in the Southwest, a tortilla was a thin flatbread used to wrap around grilled meat and make tacos. I was in my 30s before I visited Barcelona, Spain, and was served a Spanish tortilla — a completely different dish — and I fell in love instantly. A Spanish tortilla is something like an incredibly tasty frittata made from sliced potatoes, vegetables and usually a flavourful cured meat, like Spanish chorizo or sausage. The tortilla is served hot or cold, cut into wedges — small pieces for an appetizer, or larger ones for a main dish. It’s perfect at room temperature for picnics, warm for a lazy Sunday supper, or chilled in the fridge, for an easyto-graze protein-filled snack. I was surprised to discover how many calories were packed into one serving of this Spanish favourite. I decided to give it a little makeover by making three changes. First, given the current trendiness of trading out potatoes for cauliflower, I couldn’t help but wonder if this swap would hold up for my beloved Spanish tortilla.
The answer is yes. The trick is to cut the cauliflower head into thin planks (chunky florets that fall away can be used for another recipe.) Steam the planks in a covered shallow saute pan with a little bit of water just for a few minutes to tenderize, and the cauliflower planks can be layered into the tortilla just as you would use cooked potato slices. The second change was in the egg batter itself: I used reduced fat milk instead of the full fat version (or cream, depending on the recipe), and removed yolks from half the eggs, leaving the tortilla decidedly yellow enough and eggy, not egg whitey. Lastly, I used reduced fat soy chorizo, which gives a ton of flavour for a fraction of the fat and calories of the regular version. (It’s fresh chorizo, which is Mexican, not Spanish, but it works beautifully.) Surprisingly, you can buy this at many regular grocery stores, but if not, substitute reduced fat Italian sausage for a nice, if different, flavour. The combination of shredded zucchini and onion, cooked until tender and sweet, made the body of the tortilla both tasty and nutritious. The result is an
inexpensive, quick dish loaded with protein and veggies. Lightened sweet zucchini and chorizo Spanish tortilla
Servings: 8 Start to finish: 30 minutes
• 1 small head of cauliflower, cut into thin planks, about 1/4-inch each • 2 teaspoons olive oil • 1 yellow onion, chopped, about 1 cup • 2 medium zucchini, shredded with large holes on a box grater, about 3 cups • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika • 2 ounces soy chorizo, or reduced fat chorizo (or other reduced fat sausage) • 2 eggs • 2 egg whites • 1/2 cup reduced fat milk • 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese • salt and pepper • olive oil in a mister, or nonstick spray Preheat the oven to 350 F. In an 8-inch nonstick saute pan, place the cauliflower planks and cover with 1/4 cup water and a pinch of salt. Place on medium high heat, cover and steam until the cauliflower is tender, about 6 minutes. Re-
move the cauliflower, blot dry, and set aside. Wipe the pan dry and add the olive oil and onion and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onions soften, about three minutes. Add the grated zucchini, and cook until tender, stirring often, about five minutes. Add the chorizo and smoked paprika, and cook another five minutes, stirring often, and then remove from heat. In a medium bowl, whisk together the whole eggs, the egg whites and milk. Add the zucchini and chorizo mixture and stir. Add the cheese and stir. Spray the pan with a little olive oil in a mister (or nonstick spray). Pour the egg mixture
into the pan, and then layer in the cauliflower planks, gently pressing into the eggs. Bake until egg is completely set, about 15-18 minutes. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool for at least five minutes. Use a spatula to loosen the tortilla from the pan gently, and then carefully flip the whole tortilla onto a large plate or cutting board. Cut into wedges and serve. May be served warm or chilled. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 117 calories; 54 calories from fat; 6 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 62 mg cholesterol; 253 mg sodium; 9 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 8 g protein.
A fun kitchen project is home baked soft pretzels THE CULINARY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA YOU KNOW pretzels and have probably eaten them in many different forms, but do you know how they’re made? They begin with a dough, not unlike any you’ve made before, with flour, water, yeast, salt, and butter. After fermentation, to help get that tang we all love, they are shaped into the classic twist. Before they’re baked, they are dipped in a food-grade lye solution, which is respon-
sible for the brown, shiny exterior that calls to us from a bakeshop window. Pretzels are a staple of school lunches, but usually it’s the crunchy variety that we can buy in the store. And while those hit the spot, what could kids love more than a home-baked pretzel made with their own tiny hands? With this recipe for Soft Pretzels, you and your family can get “back-to-school ready” with a fun kitchen project. The recipe from The Culinary Institute of America’s book “The Young Chef” calls for a
baking soda solution to replace the not-so-kid-friendly lye that we use in our bakeshops. The results won’t be as shiny and dark as the professional kind, but it’s still pretzel-y. These pretzels are shaped into classic twists, which is so fun but can be hard for those of us lacking in fine motor skills and/or patience. Luckily, a pretzel is a pretzel no matter the shape, so if you prefer, you can roll the dough into logs and then cut little bite-size pretzel nuggets. You can also make small, round rolls or bagel shapes - anything little
minds can imagine! And the variations don’t stop there. “Young Chef” author and Mark Ainsworth suggests: “Add raisins to the dough while it’s mixing, or dust the pretzels with cinnamon sugar before baking to make a great sweet pretzel.” And don’t forget the dippers! Spicy, whole grain mustard is classic, but kids might also love nut butter, melted chocolate (sweet and salty), and the mallclassic cheese sauce. The best part of this recipe is that it can be made ahead of time and frozen (we do not ex-
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pect your little student to be up baking bread at 4 a.m. like ours are). Homemade bread can get stale quickly, but you can bake and cool the pretzels, then freeze them in a resealable bag to help extend their shelf life. If you’ve made small bites, you can even put them into your kids’ lunchbox frozen, and they’ll be ready by the time they eat lunch. Soft pretzels
Servings: 4 Start to finish: 1 hour 55 min❱❱ PAGE 38 A fun
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Stone Fruit Almond Upside Down Cake is summertime treat THIS RECIPE for Stone Fruit Almond Upside-Down Cake works equally well using any kind of stone fruit or a mix of every kind of stone fruit, including plums, apricots, nectarines, peaches and plumcots. The appeal of the mixedfruit version — the rainbowlike beauty of the unmoulded cake in concert with the rich chord of its flavours — edges out the monochrome visuals and taste of a cake made with just one kind of fruit. I have specified using firm ripe fruit for this recipe. If the fruit is very ripe, it’ll be too ripe — mushy and difficult to slice. However, very firm unripened fruit will work well, too. Baking those guys simultaneously tenderizes them and amps up their flavour. The only hurdle when cooking with stone fruit is de-stoning it. The best way to do the job is to slice around the natural seam, preferably with a serrated knife. Then you twist the two halves apart to expose the pit, much as you would with an avocado. Lastly you pluck out the pit with your fingers, if it’s loose enough, or scoop it out with the aid of a melon baller. Now it’s easy to rest the two halves flat on the counter and slice them into wedges. The heart of this recipe’s allure hinges on the contrast between the fruit’s tartness and the cake’s sweetness. That sweetness resides in the almond paste, so be sure not to use marzipan, which is much more sugary and would make the cake cloyingly sweet. This cake is a cinch to throw together using a mixer, but the ingredients should all be at room temperature to develop the proper texture. If you’re able to prepare and serve this cake while it’s still hot, your guests will really be wowed, but it’s plenty tasty at room temperature, too. Either way, don’t forget to top it off with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Stone Fruit Almond UpsideDown Cake
Start to finish: 1 hour 25 min-
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utes (Active time: 25 minutes)
Dough • 2 cups bread flour • 11/2 teaspoons instant yeast • 3/4 cup warm (but not hot) water • 1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter • 1 teaspoon honey • 21/4 teaspoons salt
BY SARA MOULTON The Associated Press
Dipping Solution • 4 cups water • 3 tablespoons baking soda • Coarse sea salt, as needed for sprinkling
utes (45 active) Servings: 8 to 10 • 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened • 3 tablespoons brown sugar • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract • 1 pound stone fruit (apricots, nectarines, peaches, plums, plucots or a mix), pitted and cut into 1/3- to 1/2-inch thick wedges • 4 ounces almond paste • 1/2 cup granulated sugar • 3 large eggs, at room temperature • 1/2 cup (60 grams) all-purpose flour • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder • 1/8 teaspoon table salt • 1/4 cup apricot jam • Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, for garnish Preheat oven to 350 F. In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of the butter, the brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract. Lightly grease the sides of an 8-inch square cake pan; spread the brown sugar mixture evenly over the bottom of the pan. Arrange the fruit wedges in one layer, decoratively on top of the brown sugar mixture. In a food processor combine the almond paste and the sugar; process the mixture until it is finely ground. Transfer it to a large bowl, add the butter
and beat with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next one and scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula between each addition. In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the almond mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just combined. Spoon the batter over the fruit slices, spreading it evenly. Bake the cake on the middle shelf of the oven until a skewer, when inserted, comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on a rack. In a small saucepan combine the apricot jam and 1 tablespoon water; cook over medium-low heat until the jam is melted and smooth. Add additional water if necessary to make the jam loose enough to brush on the fruit. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto a serving platter. Brush the fruit with the jam and serve the cake with the whipped cream or ice cream. ■ Nutritional information: 248 calories; 128 calories from fat; 14 g fat (8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 31 mg cholesterol; 130 mg sodium; 29 g carbohydrates; 1 g fiber; 26 g sugar; 2 g protein. www.canadianinquirer.net
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To make the dough, in a small bowl, mix together the flour and yeast. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, combine the water, butter, honey, and salt. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until the ingredients are combined, about 1 minute. Raise the speed to medium and mix until the dough is smooth, about 3 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 20 minutes. Remove the dough from the bowl and divide into 4 equal pieces. Use both hands to roll each piece of dough against the counter into a short log. Place the logs on the counter, loosely cover all of the pieces with plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes. Roll each piece of dough under your palms until it is 30
inches long and tapered so that the centre is slightly thicker than the ends. Hold the two ends of the dough in your hands and cross them over each other, to form an X, with the thicker centre of the dough at the bottom. Twist the ends again and then bring the two ends down and press each end into the bottom of the pretzel, leaving about 2 inches in between. Press gently to seal the dough. Transfer the pretzels to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at room temperature until the pretzels have doubled in size, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 F. Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator until the dough forms a skin, about 10 minutes. To make the dipping solution, while the dough is in the refrigerator, combine the water and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir until the baking soda is dissolved. Dip each pretzel in the dipping solution and return to the baking sheet. Sprinkle the pretzels with the salt while they are still wet. Bake the pretzels until they are dark golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer them to a wire rack to cool before serving. Nutrition information per serving: 135 calories; 12 calories from fat; 1 g fat (1 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 2 mg cholesterol; 1526 mg sodium; 26 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 4 g protein.
Gros Morne... the park is also perfectly feasible. Being Newfoundland, rain and dramatic cloud cover are omnipresent possibilities that have to be embraced — the more to enjoy the golden hues and blue skies when the sun does break out. While many park activities only kick into gear for the short, intense summer season, park winters do offer Nordic skiing and snowshoeing. No visit to Gros Morne — or to anywhere else in the province — would be complete without engaging the local residents: the friendly, welcoming people with their powerful sense of ❰❰ 36
community and history, and their easy-flowing, natural storytelling ability in which lilting English and turns of phrase can at times puzzle the uninitiated. If you go
Check http://visitgrosmorne. com/ for information and a list of daily activities. Pick up a copy of “Tuckamore,” the Parks Canada guide, to learn where the prime attractions are and for planning drives, hikes or boat rides. Pack clothing appropriate for at least two seasons, including for wet and cool weather (temperatures can fall to single digits, even mid-summer). ■
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