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VOL. 5 NO. 318

LABOR DAY PROTEST

Various labor groups calling for an end to contractualization burn an effigy during a rally on Labor Day at the Mendiola near Malacañang Palace.

AVITO C. DALAN / PNA

Labor Day rallyists want to end contractualization

BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency MANILA — Various groups advocating for the complete end of contractualization on Tuesday converged in Mendiola and other parts of Metro Manila to celebrate Labor Day. Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Nag-

kaisa Labor Coalition, Sentro and several groups gathered at assembly points around the metropolis and marched to Mendiola Peace Arch, where their leaders aired their views about the recently signed executive order (EO) of President Rodrigo R. Duterte prohibiting illegal contractualization.

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Ban on OFW deployment to Kuwait not permanent — Roque

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MALACAÑANG ON Monday, April 30, clarified that the ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait would not be permanent.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr. issued this statement after President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday, April 29, announced that the Kuwait deployment ban “stays permanently.”

Despite the President’s words, Roque said the ban could still be lifted if the Kuwaiti government signs the memorandum of understanding (MOU) meant to ensure the protection of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the Gulf state.

“On Kuwait, what the President announced is the maintenance of the status quo. Until we have reached or signed a memorandum of agreement providing for the minimum terms and conditions of the employment of our nationals, the deployment ban stays,” Roque said in a Palace press briefing.

“Is this permanent as reported by some media outfit? Well, let’s just say it stays right now because the precondition set by the President is really the signing of that memorandum of agreement,” he added.

The Palace official further said it is not proper to use the term “permanent” as the ban has a possibility to be removed. If no labor protection agreement is signed, Roque stressed Duterte has already spoken that the government will no longer deploy Filipino workers to Kuwait.

“Walang permanente po. Basta walang MOU, walang (There is no such thing as permanent. If there is no MOU, there will be no) lifting of the deployment ban.

Misleading naman kasi kapag sinabi nating (It is misleading if we say) ‘permanent’,” he explained.

“Common meaning of permanent is nakaukit na iyan sa tadhana (that it is

Repatriated OFWs from Kuwait.

engraved on stone), goodbye. Pero hindi naman po ganoon (But it is not like that).

It is conditional to the signing of an MOU,” he added.

Aside from Roque, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello likewise said there is no permanent deployment ban of Filipino workers to Kuwait.

“The President never mentioned that the deployment ban has become permanent. That is not true. He never said that. What the President said is that the Philippines and Kuwait are good friends and are allies and he does not want the presence of our OFWs there to cause an irritant in that relationship,” Bello told CNN Philippines on Sunday.

Bello also made it clear that the President only wants to help OFWs in Kuwait to return in the Philippines.

“So ang sabi niya, ’yung mga gustong umuwi (he said, for those who want to come home), he is willing to help them.

There was never a mention that the deployment ban is being permanent,” he added.

Roque once again emphasized this in his press briefing, saying that Duterte’s call for Filipino workers to return home is not mandatory. Those who want to stay in Kuwait may do so.

“Again, this is voluntary. He is not compelling any one to come home. Ang konteksto lang is kung talagang ayaw ng Kuwait ng mga Pilipino, puwede namang umuwi na iyong mga Pilipino at tutulungan natin sila (The context of this is if the Kuwait does not want Filipinos, they can return home and we will help them),” he noted.

To repatriate Filipino workers in Kuwait, Duterte said that he will be using the roughly P4.8-billion pesos assistance from China to fund the airfare of the OFWs. In spite of the two government officials’ statements, it was Duterte himself who used the term ‘permanent,’ which was only quoted by media outfits. ■

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Makati judge dismissed for ‘wrong verdict’ in US national slay case

BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD CALIWAN Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) dismissed from the service a judge in Makati City for gross ignorance in connection with the decision on the murder case of 41-year old American national George Anikow.

In a 13-page promulgated on March 6 but was released to media Monday, the high court found Judge Winlove Dumayas of Makati RTC Branch 59 guilty of gross ignorance of the law and gross misconduct for rendering the decision without citing the required factual and legal bases and ignoring applicable jurisprudence.

The court imposed the penalty to Dumayas over the latter’s July 2, 2014 decision that downgraded the charge against the two accused in the case - Crispin de la Paz and Galicano Datu III - from murder to homicide.

Apart from dismissal, the court also ordered the forfeiture of his retirement benefits with prejudice to re-employment in government.

Dumayas is supposed to retire this year.

The SC also cited Dumayas’ sentence of prison term of four years, two months and one day to six years, which made the accused eligible for probation.

“He granted the separate applications for probation of Dela Paz and Datu, effectively sparing them from suffering the penalties they rightfully deserve.

The pattern of said acts appears to be deliberate, calculated, and meant to un-

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duly favor the accused,” the SC ruled.

The high court also pointed out that 13 other administrative cases were filed against Dumayas from 2003 to 2016.

“The Court takes the aforementioned incidents as evidence of respondent’s stubborn propensity not to follow the rule of law and procedure in rendering judgments and orders. This definitely has besmirched the integrity and seriously compromised the reputation, not only of his court, but more importantly, of the entire judicial system which he represents,” it added.

It held that Dumayas committed “oppressive disregard of the basic requirements of due process” and “misused powers” granted to him by law when he sentenced the accused only to homicide supposedly due to a finding of self-defense as mitigating circumstance even without the accused invoking and proving it in their defense.

“His complete disregard of settled rules and jurisprudence on self-defense and of the events that transpired after the first fight, despite the existence of testimonial and physical evidence to the contrary, in the appreciation of the privileged mitigating circumstance of incomplete self-defense casts serious doubt on his impartiality and good faith,” read the SC ruling.

Last 2012, the victim, who is reported to be connected with the United States (US) Embassy in Manila, was stabbed to death outside a posh subdivision in Makati City.

Anikow, a resident of No. 9 Soler St., Barangay Bel-Air succumbed to two stab wounds, one in the chest and another in the back. ■

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Philippine News

MAY 4, 2018

FRIDAY

SC already ruled on comfort women’s plea: Roque

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday told Filipino comfort women that the Supreme Court (SC) has already made a decision, denying their call to compel the Philippine government to have the Japanese government apologize and compensate them for the sexual abuses they suffered during World War II. “The Supreme Court has a decision unfortunately on this matter. And in fact I was counsel to the comfort women, I lost the case,” Roque said.

In April 2012, Roque stood as lawyer for Filipino comfort women and asked the high court to take into consideration a ruling by a Korean court dated August 2011 when deciding on their petition.

The Korean court ruled that blocking the release of compensation by the Japanese government for Korean comfort women was an “infringement of fundamental dignity and value of human beings,” according to the petition of the

Filipino comfort women.

Roque, however, said that it was the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court to come up with the decision.

“The Supreme Court has said ‘pacta sunt servanda,’ the 1948 Peace Pact has barred any and all further cause for reparation, that is the jurisprudence,” Roque said.

Roque made this remark after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) on Friday removed the comfort woman statue along Roxas Boulevard in Manila to allow its flood control project.

This move drew protests from social activists who wanted to retain statue in its place to remind future generations about the atrocities committed by Japanese forces in the past.

President Rodrigo Duterte R. Duterte, for his part, said that the comfort woman statue could simply be transferred to somewhere else.

The President pointed out that the Japanese had already “paid early” since reparation has started “many years ago.” ■

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Duterte trust rating drops in first quarter of 2018 — SWS

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer

The SWS terminology for Net Trust Ratings are as follows: +70 and above, “excellent”; +50 to +69, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”, A LATEST survey from Social Weather +9 to -9, “neutral”; -10 to -29, “poor”; -30 Stations (SWS) revealed that President to -49, “bad”; -50 to -69, “very bad”; -70 Rodrigo Duterte’s trust rating dropped and below, “execrable.” in the first quarter of 2018.

The SWS stressed that it considers the The First Quarter 2018 Social Weather movement from one classification to anSurvey, conducted from March 23 to 27, other as either an “upgrade” or “downfound that 76 percent of Filipinos have grade.” much trust in the President, 10 percent The survey showed Duterte’s net trust have little trust in him, while 14 percent ratings remained “excellent” in Visayas are undecided. and Mindanao, while This, SWS said, “very good” in Balindicates a net trust ance Luzon. Howrating of +65, classiever, it dipped by one fied by SWS as “very The survey grade from “excelshowed good.” lent” to “very good” Duterte’s net “This is a 10-point in Metro Manila. trust ratings decline and down Despite its drop by remained by one grade from five points from +94 “excellent” in the excellent +75 in in December 2017 to Visayas and December 2017, and +89 in March 2018, Mindanao, similar to the very Duterte’s trust ratwhile “very good +60 in Septemings remained “exgood” in ber 2017,” SWS wrote. cellent” in Mindanao.

Balance Luzon.

According to SWS, Likewise, the Presamong the eight surident maintained veys conducted from this high approval in June 2016, Duterte Visayas, but down by gained a net trust six points from +76 in rating of “excellent” in six, while “very December 2017 to +70 in March 2018. good” in two surveys.

Meanwhile, in Balance Luzon, his “It was a moderate +16 when SWS first trust rating remained “very good,” alasked about it in December 2015 and though down by three points from +56 stayed at moderate levels up to March in December 2017 to +53 in March 2018.

30-April 2, 2016,” it said.

The SWS survey used face-to-face Just before the May 9 elections, the interviews of 1,200 Filipino adults (18 SWS said the President’s net trust rat- years old and above) nationwide, with ing went to “good” +30 on April 18 to 20, sampling error margins of plus-minus 2016 and to a “moderate” +26 on May 1 3 percent for national percentages, and to 3 in the same year. Duterte’s trust rat- plus-minus 6 percent each for Metro ing then rose to “excellent” +79 in June Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and 2016, days before his inauguration as Mindanao. ■ Philippine leader.

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Philippine News

FRIDAY MAY 4, 2018

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Solgen wants SC to dismiss 2 petitions vs. TRAIN law

BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD CALIWAN Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Office of Solicitor General (OSG) has asked the Supreme Court to dismiss the petitions seeking to stop the implementation of Republic Act 10963 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) Act. In a 74-page comment, Solicitor General Jose Calida said the two petitions filed last January

by Laban Konsyumer Inc. and its president, former Trade Undersecretary Victor Dimagiba and Makabayan bloc Reps. Antonio Tinio (ACT Teachers), Carlos Isagani Zarate (Bayan Muna) and Ariel Casilao (Anakpawis) must be dismissed due to lack of merit.

He claimed that the petitioners failed to make out a case of unconstitutionality or invalidity strong enough to overcome the presumption of validity of the TRAIN law.

“To reiterate, the TRAIN law is not arbitrary, oppressive, and confiscatory, and does not result in the deprivation of life, liberty or property without due process of law. It does not violate the equal protection clause since it impacts mostly middle to higher-income Filipinos,”

Calida said in his comment on April 19.

“At present, the TRAIN law is already effective and income wage earners are already experiencing the benefits of an increase in take home pay while the poorest of the poor who are also non-wage earners already received the unconditional cash transfer which will assist them in the price increase of commodities,” Calida said.

Laban Konsyumer earlier sought the immediate issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) to stall the implementation of the law or a status quo ante order to bring back the conditions prior to the effectivity of the tax measure. The group alleged that the TRAIN law is “inequitable and regressive,” arguing that taxation is equitable only when its burden falls on those who can afford to pay.

For its part, the Makabayan Bloc said the law should be declared unconstitutional for having been ratified by the House of Representatives and signed into law by President Rodrigo R. Duterte which was in violation of the 1987 Constitution and the rules of the House.

The petitioners said the tax reform law was invalid since there was no quorum when the House of Representatives ratified the joint bicameral confer-

Solicitor General Jose Calida.

ence report on the measure last December 13, and there was no voting involved.

Calida said that petitioners erred in filing the petition for review before the Court since such special civil action cannot be invoked against exercise of legislative power of Congress.

He said they also violated the principle of hierarchy of courts and committed a fatal mistake in not impleading Congress in the case.

“The government and the public in general will greatly suffer if the TRAIN law is declared invalid. The government

PCOO

stands to lose an estimated P146.6 billion in 2018 from the lowering and restructuring of personal income tax. This loss will only be offset by the revenue generating features of the TRAIN law, which is expected to provide P89.9 billion in incremental revenues for 2018 and P786 billion within the first five years,” he added.

TRAIN, which was signed into law by President Duterte last December 19, was the first package of the government’s proposed Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP), seen to generate additional revenue

to fund the country’s investment requirements.

It exempts those with an annual income of PHP250,000 and below from personal income tax and imposes excise taxes on petroleum products, automobiles, and sugar-sweetened beverages in order to offset revenue losses from lowering personal income taxes.

Due to the CTRP, the National Economic and Development Authority said the country’s real gross domestic product would be higher by 0.5 to 1.1 percent by year 2022. ■

SCUFN rejects PH’s plea to nullify PH Rise feature naming

BY BEA KIRSTEIN T. MANALAYSAY Philippine Canadian Inquirer JUST LIKE how a maritime law expert predicted on February, the Duterte administration’s appeal to nullify China’s naming of some of the undersea features of the Philippine Rise, formerly known as Benham Rise, was rejected.

The International Hydrographic Organization-Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission General Bathymetric Chart of the Oceans (IHO-IOC GEBCO) Sub-Committee on Undersea Feature Names (SCUFN) approved the proposal of China to name five

undersea features in the Philippine Rise.

This was protested by the government by tapping the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

PhilStar.com, through a letter to an overseas DFA office they obtained, reported that the Philippines lost in its protest.

“It is my view as responsible chair, that SCUFN should not recommend the nullification of the decision already made on these five procedures in force,” Prof. Dr. Hans Werner wrote in the letter dated March 6.

The said letter was a response to the Philippines’ request on February 28 to nullify China’s approved names of the Philip-

pine Rise features. The government’s appeal also included the “rejection of pending proposals in the Philippines’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and extended continental shelf.” The Philippines’s argument was based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Werner, however, countered that the “UNCLOS has legally no explicit effect with regard to the naming of undersea features in EEZs and therefore cannot be used as an argument for preventing SCUFN, as the designated international authoritative body, from reviewing naming proposals, as long as these features (more than 50%) are located outside the external www.canadianinquirer.net

limits of the territorial sea.”

Dr. Jay Batongbacal, director of the University of the Philippines (UP) Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, earlier predicted this outcome.

“Hindi ko alam kung mag-wowork iyan[g protest] dahil tapos na ang proseso. Open ang process. It was transparent. So parang medyo nakakahiya rin naman sa atin na too late the hero naman tayo na biglang mago-object (I do not know if that protest will work because the process is done. The process was open. It was transparent.

So it is a bit embarrassing for us as too late the hero to suddenly object),” Batongbacal said in an interview with DZMM.

He then added, “Technically, alam nating nangyari iyon tapos hindi tayo umaalma (we know what is happening yet we are not protesting). It’s going to be awkward and in a way, (it is) out of order na (already).”

On April 26, Thursday, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte announced that he will go to the Philippine Rise to emphasize the country’s ownership and sovereign rights.

“Next week, I’m going to the Benham Rise. And I will make a statement that nobody but nobody owns this place including the continental shelf, the underground landmass that extends under the sea,” he said. ■

Philippine News

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MAY 4, 2018

FRIDAY

Bill proposing P600 nat’l daily minimum wage pushed

BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES Philippine News Agency

Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer, Inc. Correspondents Katherine Padilla Joanna Belle Z. Deala RO-Angelica T. Equio Bea Kirstein T. Manalaysay Socorro Newland Bolet Arevalo Administration Head Victoria Yong Graphic Designer Shanice Garcia Photographers 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 Canadian Inquirer is located at 11951 Hammersmith Way, Suite 108 Richmond, B.C. V7A 5H9 Canada

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MANILA – As the country gears up for the Labor Day celebration, two partylist lawmakers have filed a measure seeking to set a nationwide daily wage of PHP600 for all private sector workers.

Kabayan Representatives Ron Salo and Ciriaco Calalang filed House bill 7527, known as the “Minimum Wage Act”, last April 26 to address the prevailing inequality and disparity in income levels of the different regions in the country.

“Minimum wage earners outside Metro Manila may consider working in their respective localities since the minimum wage in their locations is the same with that of Metro Manila,” the lawmakers said in the bill’s explanatory note.

“This will somehow reduce the growth of human population in Manila, which happens to be the most preferred working location because of higher minimum wage, not to mention the availability of job opportunities,” they added.

The bill seeks to limit the power of the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) and the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Boards (RTWPBs) to determine incomes and other productivity improvements on top of the national minimum wage.

“Their duty will primarily involve determining other incomes of the em-

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ployees outside of the minimum set by this law. These incomes and other productivity improvements shall be used to augment the daily minimum wage based on prevailing conditions,” legislators said.

The bill also proposes additional incentives, which shall be determined by the Board, to be given to wage earners on top of the minimum wage.

The lawmakers said the bill aims to help Filipinos keep up with the inflation

and guarantee a “humane standard living for all”, especially to the lowest and unprotected members of the workforce, by providing them “real wage gains.”

“On a national scale, it aims to bolster the economy by providing a decent living wage for low-income workers, resulting to dynamic economic activity and to reduction of government welfare spending caused by reduced dependence to the income-support programs of the government,” they said. ■

PDEA releases names of barangay officials on drug list

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) on Monday, April 30, revealed the names of barangay officials involved in illegal drug trade.

The list, according to PDEA chief Dir. Gen. Aaron Aquino, included 207 names of barangay officials, with 90 barangay chairmen and 117 councilors.

He added that “some of the officials on the list are users, some are pushers, some are even drug lords but most are protectors.”

Aquino said that Bicol Region has the most number of officials on the list with 70, followed by CARAGA with 34, and the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) with 13.

The filing of charges against these of-

ficials, Aquino said, should be expected in a “week or two.”

The agency’s chief also assured that the release of names of those barangay officials will not serve as a hit list, maintaining that the said list was validated by PDEA, the Philippine National Police (PNP), the National Intelligence Coordination Agency (NICA), and the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP).

“This was validated on the ground.

There is no truth that this will serve as hitlist. It will not,” Aquino said in a press conference at PDEA-DDB headquarters.

“We want to be legitimate in our operations, we want our operations to be transparent,” he added.

Aquino stressed that the PNP and other units involved in the operations will make sure that those village officials will be given “protection that no one will

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harm them.”

Aside from the 207 barangay officials, there are still 274 village executives being subjected to validation. But once the PDEA has verified it, those names will also be revealed to the public.

This development came just a few weeks before the May 14 village polls.

Aquino said last week that he was ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte to disclosed the names of those barangay officials linked to illegal drugs. However, Duterte backtracked on his directive on Sunday, April 29, saying that it is not yet time to bare those names as he wanted “to get back all of those who want to come back.”

The Chief Executive did not give any explanation for his decision. Instead, he gave another warning to criminals and illegal drug users. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY MAY 4, 2018

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Guevarra orders DOJ top-level officials to tender resignation

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer

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NoKor’s Kim Jong-un now PRRD’s idol

BY LILIAN MELLEJOR Philippine News Agency DAVAO CITY — President Rodrigo R. Duterte called North Korean leader Kim Jong-un as the “man of the hour” after he and South Korean President Moon Jae-in met to discuss denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and plant a pine tree on the demarcation line in the east Asian nation’s demilitarized zone.

“Naging idol ko tuloy siya – Kim Jong-Un (He is now my idol). For all of the time, he was pictured to be the bad boy of the community,” the President said when sought for reaction on the impact of Friday’s InterKorean Summit.

Duterte said with one masterstroke, Kim is now the hero of everybody.

“He appears to be amiable, jolly good fellow, and very accommodating,” he told reporter in a press briefing during his arrival here from Singapore to attend the 32nd ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting on April 27-28.

The President expressed hope that the North Korean leader would remain that way.

“Nobody is really after him.

Just a matter of historical divide which was created there, wala naman kasali ang buong mundo (the rest of the world is really part of it),” he said.

Duterte wished he would meet Kim one day and be able to congratulate him.

Once they meet, Duterte said he would tell the North Korean

leader, “Bilib ako sa’yo. Marunong ka mag-timing (I’m impressed with you. You had it at the right time).”

Duterte underscored that heroism is sometimes left to chance, otherwise, it’s purposely timed.

The President further wished Kim would consider him as a friend.

On the impact of the North and South negotiations, the President said it is a positive development because there will be less tension now in the Korean Peninsula.

“And maybe, just maybe, we can avoid a war which nobody can win anyway,” the President said.

Duterte said a North and South Korean trouble could spark another war involving Western countries.

“Then maybe you can say goodbye to planet Earth,” he said.

During Friday’s Inter-Korean Summit, Kim and Moon met at the South Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjom to discuss negotiation for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The leaders of the two Koreas also pledged to formally end conflict in the region, more than six decades after hostilities ceased in 1953.

Kim was the first North Korean leader to visit South Korea.

The first and second InterKorean Summit took place in Pyongyang in 2000 and 2007, respectively. ■

Duterte on their courtesy resignations, Guevarra said they will “continue to report for work and perform their usual duties and responsibilities, subject to any modification that the undersigned may deem proper to adopt in the meantime.”

All undersecretaries and assistant secretaries have already complied with the order except for one, Assistant Secretary Adonis Sulit, who was on leave.

Sulit is a career executive service board passer.

der.

“I can only speak for myself, USec Kho and USec Mecate, we submitted ours on Day one of JUSTICE SECRETARY MenSoJ MIG’s [Secretary of Justice ardo Guevarra ordered all inMenardo Guevarra] stewardcumbent undersecretaries and ship,” Balmes said in a message assistant secretaries of the Deto reporters. partment of Justice (DOJ) to Balmes, Kho, and Macate submit their courtesy resignawere Duterte’s fraternity brothtions today, April 30. ers at Lex Talionis.

“In the exigency of service, He added that Assistant Secand in order to give the underretary George Ortha, who is signed a free hand to perform also their fraternity brother, the mandate given to him by submitted his resignation too. the President, Guevarra, all incumbent Duterte’s former undersecretarsenior deputy ies and assistant executive secsecretaries of All undersecretaries and assistant retary, was apsecretaries have already complied the Department pointed to head with the order except for one, are hereby dithe Justice deAssistant Secretary Adonis Sulit, who rected to tender partment on was on leave. their unqualiApril 5. It was fied courtesy also the same day resignations to the President anthe President, nounced that he through the undersigned, not Undersecretary Erickson accepted Aguirre’s resignation. later than 30 April 2018, ex- Balmes, who was brought by Aguirre’s resignation came cept career officials as defined former Justice Secretary Vi- after Malacañang said the Chief by pertinent civil service laws, taliano Aguirre II when he as- Executive was displeased with rules and regulations,” Gue- sumed office, confirmed that the DOJ’s dismissal of charges varra’s April 24 memorandum he, and undersecretaries Anto- against alleged narco-personsaid. nio Kho Jr. and Raymund Me- alities Kerwin Espinosa, Peter While these officials await cate had resigned already even Lim, and several others. ■ action by President Rodrigo before Guevarra issued the or-

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Philippine News

MAY 4, 2018

FRIDAY

Fewer Filipino families experienced hunger in Q1 of 2018 — SWS

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer FEWER FILIPINO families were hungry in the first quarter of 2018, according to the latest survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) released early Sunday, April 29.

The First Quarter 2018 Social Weather Survey, conducted from March 23 to 27 this year, showed that an estimated 2.3 million or 9.9 percent families experienced involuntary hunger at least once from January to March.

This result, according to SWS, is six points below the 15.9 percent quarterly Hunger in December 2017. It is also the second time hunger has been in the single-digit range since March 2004.

The SWS said the 9.9 percent quarterly hunger is the total amount of 8.6 percent (2.9 million families) who experienced “moderate hunger” and 1.3 percent (306,000 families) who experienced “severe hunger.”

The pollster explained that “moderate hunger” refers to those families who experienced hunger “only once” or “a few

times” in the last three months, while “severe hunger” refers to those who experienced it “often” or “always” in the same period.

Those families who did not state their frequency of hunger were classified under “moderate hunger.”

Meanwhile, the SWS noted that hunger rates all over the country dropped.

According to its latest findings, hunger levels in Metro Manila fell by 8.7 points from 14.7 percent (457,000 families) in December 2017 to six percent in March 2018, while it declined by 6.7 points in Balance Luzon from 17.7 percent (1.8 million families) last quarter to 11.0 percent now.

Quarterly hunger also decreased slightly by 0.3 points in the Visayas from 13.3 percent (589,000 families) in December to 13.0 percent in March, and in Mindanao by 8.0 points from 15.3 percent (802,000 families) last quarter to 7.33 percent now.

The survey firm noted that the drop in the quarterly hunger rate between December 2017 and March 2018 was “due to a decrease in the incidence of hunger among both the Self-Rated Poor and

FEED MY STARVING CHILDREN (FMSC) / FLICKR

Self-Rated Non-Poor.”

“From December to March, quarterly Hunger fell by 8.2 points among the SelfRated Poor, from 24.9% in December to 16.7% in March,” the SWS said.

“Hunger also fell among the Self-Rated Food-Poor, falling by 8.0 points from 28.8% in December to 20.8% in March.

It also fell by 4.5 points among the Not Food-Poor/Food-Borderline, from 9.9% to 5.4%,” it added.

It further stressed that quarterly hun-

ger among the Self-Rated Food-Poor “is always greater than” hunger among the Self-Rated Poor.

The March 2018 Social Weather Survey used face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults (18 years old and above) nationwide, with sampling error margin of plus-minus three percent for national percentages, and plus-minus six percent each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. ■

Palace: Duterte may still sign endo EO

BY BEA KIRSTEIN T. MANALAYSAY Philippine Canadian Inquirer WHILE BOTH the administration’s Presidential Spokesperson and Labor Secretary earlier confirmed that the President had other plans other than signing an executive order (EO) to end the country’s contractualization, Malacañang’s latest stand blurs the previous confirmation.

“I can confirm [that] there might be an EO that may or may not be signed depending on their meeting tonight,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr. said in a press briefing on April 30, Monday, just a few days before Labor Day. This was opposed to what Roque and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III announced the other week.

“The consensus was that instead of the President signing an executive order on the issue of contractualization, he will instead certify as a priority bill, the bill that is now pending in the Senate on the security of tenure,” Bello said in a press conference on April 19.

According to Bello, this was Duterte’s www.canadianinquirer.net

decision after having talks with him and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

Labor groups already considered that it was not possible to have a total ban against end of contract (endo), but were at least hoping for Duterte to regulate it.

Associated Labor Union (ALU)’s Spokesperson Alan Tanjusay also said that labor groups recognize the “concern of President Duterte that it is quite impossible for an absolute ban on contractualization.”

“It (The EO) can more or less deter it.

More importantly, it will serve as a signal or guide to lawmakers if such draft is favorable to workers,” Kilusang Mayo Uno head Elmer Labog said earlier this month.

However, then Senior Deputy Executive Secretary – now the Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra said that the executive branch’s power is also limited when it comes to endo.

“The main problem there is the things that they want to happen is something that [the] executive department is not empowered to do. Legislative action is needed,” he said in a press briefing on April 2. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY MAY 4, 2018

Labor Day... ❰❰ 1

Renato Magtubo, president of Nagkaisa, said the EO should have included the provisions they wrote under the fifth draft that they submitted to the national government, where employment relations are set as direct hiring.

“If there is employment contracting, exemption to the rule, it should be discussed at the National Tripartite Industrial Peace Council,” he said.

Meanwhile, Labor Undersecretary Joel Maglunsod said the EO signed would serve as a guide of Congress in drafting a bill that will revise the labor laws, noting it was the version of the President and not by the employers.

The Labor Day event concluded peacefully with labor leaders ending the program with a symbolic signing towards unity in fighting for laborers’ rights.

Several individuals, who participated in the event shared their collective sentiment to end contractualization.

Estello Abas, 48, member of the Partidong Manggagawa (PM) travelled from Cavite to Mendiola to hold his group’s banner, which bore their battle cry towards the regularization of laborers, and to share how the practice of contractualization is a cycle of struggle to majority of the Filipino people.

“Ang anak ko, sila naman ngayon ang pumapasan, sila ang nagtratrabaho. Contractual din (My children, they are now carrying the burden of being contractual workers now that they are employees themselves),” he told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview.

Abas was then a factory worker, jumping from one contractual job to the other. With the numerous times he experienced “endo”, or end of contract period, the PM bannerbearing man said he could not remember all the companies he had worked for.

“Karamihan sa atin magtratrabaho tapos mag-e-endo, anong mangyayari? Mahirap.

Sana maibigay na yung tama para sa karamihan, regularisasyon (If most of us laborers work and face endo, what will happen to us? We will suffer.

I hope that our rights will be given to us — regularization),” he said.

Sr. Theody Bilocuran of

St. Scholastica’s Academy of Marikina shared the same sentiment.

“We hope for a more sincere response on the calls to respect and give the rights of our laborers,” she said.

Bilocuran said wages must be increased, and the government must respond to end “endo”.

Like Abas and Bilocuran, Ka Bert, member of the Samahan ng Manggagawa ng Harbour Center, said ending contractualization within their ranks will provide them the benefits they long deserve.

Meanwhile, a labor group leader said there was no need for Duterte to sign an EO or for Congress to pass a legislation banning the illegal contractualization of workers since the same law has already been stipulated in Article 106 of the Philippine Labor Code.

“Why is there a need for it (EO) since he can order the labor secretary to implement Article 106 of the Labor Code?

It’s very clear in the Article 106 that labor-only contracting is illegal,” said Wildon Barros, secretary-general of Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU) in Northern Mindanao.

Since the Department of Labor is a branch of the government’s executive power, Barros said Duterte can simply give an order to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello to implement the Labor Code’s provision.

Article 106 states, “The Secretary of Labor and Employment may, by appropriate regulations, restrict or prohibit the contracting out of labor to protect the rights of workers established under this Code.”

In a speech delivered in Cebu City on Tuesday, Duterte announced that he has signed the EO banning illegal contracting or subcontracting, saying he wanted to stick to his campaign promise to end contractualization and give Filipinos a “decent and comfortable life.”

He however, said that to implement an effective and lasting solution to the problems brought about by contractualization, Congress needs to enact a law amending the Labor Code.

While the EO alleviates the problems, it is still Congress that needs to do the work, said the chief executive. ■

11

Deployment ban to Kuwait ‘stays permanently’

BY LILIAN MELLEJOR Philippine News Agency DAVAO CITY — President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday made clear his stance that Kuwait deployment ban stays permanently in the wake of a diplomatic spat between the Philippines and the Gulf state.

“No. The ban stays permanently. There will be no more recruitment for — especially domestic helpers. Wala na,” the President said.

This was the President’s declaration in a press briefing at Davao International Airport upon his arrival here at past 1 a.m. Sunday from Singapore, where he attended the 32nd ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting.

He also asked those remaining in the Gulf state to come home as they are no longer needed in Kuwait. An estimated 260,000 OFWs presently work in Kuwait, including 700 Filipinos now facing different charges and have sought refuge in the embassy shelter.

Of the total number of Filipinos there, about 150,000 are household service workers.

Duterte vowed to get back all those who want to come home using available funds or the funds given by China. If money is not enough, Duterte said he would use emergency funds.

“To me this is a calamity,” he told reporters.

“Please come home. Kahit mahirap tayo, mabubuhay pa rin tayo (Even if we are poor, we will still survive),” he said.

He assured there are available jobs here with the government’s “Build, Build, Build” program.

The President said the country is already short of professional and skilled workers for the construction industry.

Duterte also looks forward to China’s offer of opening jobs for Filipinos as English language teachers.

He further directed responsible government agencies to start the mobilization immediately.

For the Filipino professionals in Kuwait who wish to stay, Duterte said there would be no problem but reminded them to always cherish and nurture pawww.canadianinquirer.net

Repatriated OFWs from Kuwait.

triotism.

For household service workers whose employers want them to leave, Duterte said, “Please come home. Your government will do its best to help your return and resettle. But I appeal to your sense of patriotism and love of country and family.”

For household workers whose employers want them to stay, the President asked them to choose the better option. “All I ask is for employers to treat Filipinos the humanity they deserve,” he said.

Duterte stressed the good relations of the Philippines and Kuwait. However, he said current developments test both countries commitment to work together.

“We must be undeterred in the work of helping our fellow human beings as we pursue our shared interest with due respect to each other’s sovereignty. But if my people are considered a burden to some of them to some government mandated to protect them and uphold the rights then we will do our part,” he added.

He vowed that under his watch he will do the utmost to remain true and loyal to this mandate and principled position protecting the migrant workers.

He clarified that he does not begrudge Kuwait. “I don’t nur-

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ture hate against the Kuwaiti people,” he said.

He said that when Philippines and Kuwait were in the best of relations, the Filipinos also benefited. But he also recalled that Philippines was also the first country to help when the Kuwaiti people needed it most during the Gulf war.

Given this decision, the President asked the Kuwaiti people not to abuse the Filipino workers and treat them deserving of a human being.

Before the Philippines-Kuwait diplomatic row, the President was expected to sign the MOU seen to provide the minimum terms and conditions of employment for OFWs. The MOU was crafted following the murder of Joanna Demafelis, whose body was found inside a freezer in an unoccupied apartment in Kuwait, and the reported cases of maltreatment and abuses against Filipinos.

Following the Demafelis case, Duterte imposed a ban on sending workers to Kuwait.

The repatriation of overstaying Filipinos granted amnesty by the Kuwaiti government followed. Since February, a total of 5,066 repatriates have come home.

Before his Singapore visit, there were already plans for the President to visit Kuwait to witness the signing of the MOU. ■

12

Philippine News

MAY 4, 2018

FRIDAY

Sotto says he is ‘open’ Palace optimistic despite survey to become next showing rise in jobless Filipinos Senate President

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer

election in 2019.

“Napag usapan namin yan, dumaan sa usapan namin yan, na (We have talked about it, it SENATE MAJORITY Leader came up in our discussion that) Vicente Sotto III on Thursday, perhaps we can talk about it…

April 26, said he is willing to be- before the filing of Certficate of come the next Senate President Candidacy, something to that if his colleagues would give him effect,” Sotto stressed. this opportunity.

He added that they will conSpeaking at the weekly Kapi- sider the leadership of the Senhan sa Senado, Sotto said “I’m ate again and will consult its open to that if they offer it or members because “It’s always a they will give it to me. Sino na- consensus, it will be a majority man ako para tumanggi (Who decision.” am I to resist)?”

Sotto earlier this month reSince the start of the 17th futed talks of term-sharing beCongress, Sotto revealed that tween him and Pimentel, addhis fellow senators were al- ing that the Senate leadership ready urging him to become the should be decided by the majorupper house’s president. ity of senators and not only by “Yung ibang two people. mga kasama na“Ang termmin (Some of sharing hindi our colleagues) maganda pakduring that time inggan para sa were asking me It has to be mga senador the entire to seek the Sensapagkat ano majority ate presidency dalawa lang of the but because we kayo nagu-usap members or wanted a smooth kung sino leader? the entire relationship alHindi pwede ‘yun members of though indepen(The term-sharthe Senate dent, we wanted ing is not good who will a partymate of to be heard for decide who the President to senators because their leader lead the Senate,” what only the of will be... the senator, who you will discuss has been in Conwho is going to gress since 1992, be the leader? It said. cannot be),” SotThe Majorto told media last ity Leader also April 4. confirmed that a “It has to be possible change in Senate lead- the entire majority of the memership was brought up in their bers or the entire members of discussion as incumbent Sen- the Senate who will decide who ate President Aquilino “Koko” their leader will be, should be — Pimentel III, president of rul- not just two people,” he added. ing party Partido Demokratiko He further said there was no Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP- move to oust Pimentel from his Laban), needs to prepare for re- post. ■

MANILA — Despite survey results that adult joblessness increased to 23.9 percent, Malacañang on Tuesday, Labor Day, remained optimistic that the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program would help generate more jobs for Filipinos.

A Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Labor Day showed that the joblessness rate in the country soared to 23.9 percent, which is 8.2 percent higher than last year’s 15.7 percent.

The survey revealed that the number of jobless adults rose to an estimated 10.9 million in March 2018 from 7.2 million in December 2017.

This was the second-highest mark under the current administration since the 25.1 percent recorded in December 2016, the survey said.

“We remain optimistic that with the implementation of our Build-Build-Build Infrastructure Plan, we would be able to generate more job opportunities to many of our countrymen,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

Roque said the survey was conducted from March 23 to 27 which is a time “when students just finished their last semester in college and are expected to look for jobs”, hich contributed to an increase in adult joblessness.

He also noted that December “is a month where there are many seasonal jobs available because of the Christmas season.”

Roque, meanwhile, underscored that SWS has three definitions for adult joblessness

www.canadianinquirer.net

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr.

namely those who voluntarily left their old jobs; those who lost their jobs due to economic circumstances beyond their control, termed retrenched; and those seeking jobs for the first time.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte earlier signed an executive order on contractualization particularly prohibiting the illegal contracting and sub-contracting of workers in Cebu City.

The President assured the government is working to bring jobseekers and entrepreneurs closer together to open employment and business opportunities to Filipino workers.

“We will provide various Trabaho, Negosyo at Kabuhayan Job and Business Fair sites nationwide, where more than 140,000 job vacancies from private employers will be made available,” Duterte said.

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He also announced that close to 8,000 vacancies in government agencies are open for qualified applicants.

He said the labor department will also award livelihood projects worth PHP93 million to more than 10,000 informal sector workers.

The trade department, meanwhile, will give training and other assistance through Negosyo Centers.

The government will also organize Diskwento Caravans to workers to provide them with basic commodities at discounted prices. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY MAY 4, 2018

13

ConCom confident public perception on chacha would change

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency

in favor of changing or amending the 1987 Constitution.

Of this, a total of 32 percent said they are open to charter change in the future but not at present, while 32 percent oppose any amendment, whether now or at any other time.

In contrast, 23 percent of Filipinos are supportive of charter change, while the remaining 13 percent are ambivalent on the matter.

MANILA — Despite a survey result that showed that a majority of Filipinos do not favor charter change, the Consultative Committee (ConCom) tasked by President Rodrigo R. Duterte to review the 1987 Constitution, remained optimistic that public perception would change once Consultative Committee. they see the provisions in the new charter being drafted.

Misleading counted as “in favor” of amend“The survey was taken at a However, the ConCom said ing the Constitution — only that time when the Consultative Pulse Asia’s presentation of the it should be done sometime “in Committee is still formulat- results is misleading because it the future.” ing the proposed revisions. counts in the “negative” those “To their mind, the future Once we are done and the pro- who say they are “not in favor could be next year or it could be posed revisions are presented of amending the Constitution in 2019 — when the proposed to the public, we revisions may be are confident ready for subthat the public mission to them perception will in a plebiscite,” change,” ConIn reality, these should be counted ConCom said. as “in favor” of amending the Com chairman So, the true Constitution — only that it should and former chief pulse of the peobe done sometime “in the future. justice Reynato ple will be felt Puno said in a and shown when statement on the plebiscite Wednesday. is held for the The latest people to decide Pulse Asia Survey, conducted now but at some time in the fu- whether or not they want a new on March 23-28, showed that ture.”

Constitution and a new system 64 percent of Filipinos are not “In reality, these should be of government, the ConCom

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said.

The committee pointed out that because surveys change from time to time, the expert panel will instead use the results as a “guide” as they continue its drafting stage.

“The Consultative Committee views the results of the most recent survey of Pulse Asia on Constitutional change as a guide and a challenge that the proposed Constitution is drafting shall face at the proper time — when it is submitted for ratification,” the ConCom said.

It further said that it in all surveys, the people have “understandably” shown limited knowledge of the Constitution.

The latest Pulse Asia Survey also showed that 75 percent of

Filipinos have little or almost no knowledge of the 1987 Constitution.

“Given that condition, it is not likely that they would readily approve of changing something that they need to understand first,” the ConCom said.

To date, the committee has voted to unanimously adopt its proposed anti-political dynasty provisions that may yet make dynasties a thing of the past.

All 18 of the 20 ConCom members present voted in favor of the anti-political dynasty provisions that, if adopted by Congress under the revised charter, would guarantee equal access for public service and prohibit political dynasties. ■

DOJ junks Peter Lim’s request to stop new probe on drug rap

BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD CALIWAN Philippine News Agency MANILA — Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Friday denied the request of businessman Peter Lim to reinstate the previous resolution absolving him and others involved in the drug complaint and stop the investigation of a new panel of prosecutors into the illegal drugs case.

In a four-page resolution, Guevarra denied for lack of merit on Lim’s motion filed April 6 which sought to uphold the December 20, 2017 resolution issued by a panel of prosecutors who dismissed the complaint due to weak evidence.

“By its own terms, the order itself discloses its legal basis, the ground for issuance and

its intended objective, none of which is legally infirm or objectionable. Movant (Lim) has failed to show violation of his due process rights, much less his right to speedy disposition of his case,” read the resolution dated April 27 signed by Guevarra.

“Finally, movant relies on the supposed declarations made by various political personalities, including the former Justice Secretary himself, regarding the public indignation over the resolution issued by the first panel of prosecutors. The personal motivation of such personalities and how they gain public traction are irrelevant to the determination by this Office of the legality propriety of the issuance of the assailed order,” Guevarra said.

A previous DOJ panel of prosecutors issued the Dec.

20, 2017 resolution, dismissing the drug complaint filed by the Philippine National PoliceCriminal Investigation and Detection Group’s Major Crimes Investigation Unit against Lim and other alleged drug personalities, including self confessed drug dealer Kerwin Espinosa.

However on March 19, former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre III issued an order the “case be remanded to a new panel of prosecutors for purposes of conducting the continuation of the preliminary investigation/clarificatory hearing and to allow the complainant and respondents to submit additional pieces of evidence in support of their respective positions.”

In his motion for reconsideration, Lim’s lawyers challenged the March 19 order of Aguirre, arguing the “the assailed Orwww.canadianinquirer.net

der effectively reopened the preliminary investigation after the first Panel of Prosecutors already dismissed the case, and found complainant’s evidence insufficient to support the finding of probable cause against Lim and his co-respondents.”

“In this case, however, the assailed Order neither contained the ground for vacating the dismissal of the complaint against Mr. Lim, nor it discuss the evidentiary basis in the records and disclosed to the parties during the preliminary investigation, to support such Order,” Lim’s motion read.

Based on the complaint, Lim and his co-respondents are accused of violating Section 26(b) in relation to Section 5 (Sale, Trading, Administration, Dispensation, Delivery, Distribution and Transportation of Dangerous Drugs and/or Con-

trolled Precursors and Essential Chemicals) of Republic Act 9165, also known as the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

The PNP based its complaint on the sworn statements issued by Marcelo Adorco, who worked for Espinosa. Adorco was arrested on July 8, 2016 during a drug buy-bust operation in Albuera, Leyte.

Apart from Lim, Espinosa and Adorco, named respondents included convicted drug lord Peter Co, alleged drug supplier Lovely Impal, Max Miro, Ruel Malindangan, Noel “Jun” Pepito, and 11 others, only known by their aliases “Amang, Ricky, Warren, Tupie, Jojo, Jaime, Yawa, Lapi, Royroy, Marlon, and Bay”.

Lim’s co-accused Miro and Pepito died in separate incidents. ■

14

Philippine News

MAY 4, 2018

DOT Sec. Teo denies hand in PTV-4 deal with brother’s media outfit

BY KATHERINE PADILLA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA, PHILIPPINES— TOURISM Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo on Sunday denied involvement in the placement of Department of Tourism’s advertisement on her brother’s television show, a deal the Commission on Audit (COA) questioned for lack of documentation.

COA on Friday published a report on its website, stating that there was no contract or memorandum of agreement (MOA) between governmentrun People’s Television Network Inc. (PTNI) and Bitag Media Unlimited Inc. (BMUI), owned by Teo’s brother, Ben Tulfo, for the airing of over P60 million worth of DOT advertisements in BMUI-produced “Kilos Pronto,” a show that airs daily on PTV-4 and co-hosted by another Tulfo, Erwin.

“The contract is between DOT and PTV-4. Beyond that, hindi ko na alam kung ibinigay nila sa outfitng brother ko (I no longer know if they gave it to the [media] outfit of my brother). Ask PTV-4,” Teo said in an interview on DZMM Teleradyo.

“Sila na ang namili kung anong program ilalagay ang ads; sila na ang namili kung sino bibigyan (They [PTV-4] chose on what program the ads would be put; they chose on who to give [the deal]),” she added.

Furthermore, Teo stressed that PTV-4 “should be held accountable” because she did not order the news agency to award deals to anyone.

A day before Teo aired her side of the matter; PTNI had released a statement in response to news reports on COA’s audit of the agency.

“PTNI wishes to clarify that

Removal of rice import quotas within power of President: Palace

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency

Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo.

the said payments are supported by complete documents as required by COA Circular No. 2012-001 namely: (1) Contract between PTNI and BMUI; (2) Certificate of Performance; (3) duly approved Budget Utilization Request (BUR); and (4) Billing Statement detailing the deliverables,” PNTI said.

It added that the agency had clarified the issue to COA during the recently held Exit Conference between the two.

“Such reports attempt to undermine PTV’s integrity, when in truth, the Network, since the beginning of this administration, has been regularly operating and performing its mandate as the flagship television network of the Republic of the Philippines in delivering unbiased and quality information to the Filipino people,” PNTI concluded.

COA in its audit report said that PTNI paid BMUI by check of 22,089,560 on May 11, 2017, P18.96 million on November 8, 2017, and P18.96 million on December 15, 2017, totaling to over

DOT

P60 million.

The COA report stated that the only MOA available was between PTNI and DOT, and a MOA between PTNI and BMUI was non-existent.

The MOA between PTNI and DOT obliged PTV-4 to air a sixminute DOT advertisement segment and a three-minute DOT spot on “Kilos Pronto.”

Although a MOA between PTNI and DOT is on file, “there were no provisions for the airtime rates per segment/spot and such other terms and conditions of the commercial advertisement specifically as regards the manner of payment,” which leaves COA with “no basis for the computations on how the said three payments were arrived at.”

“Due to the absence of the documents mentioned and the deficiencies noted, the accuracy, legality and validity of the payments made to blocktimer BMUI in the amount of P60,009,560.00 could not be ascertained,” COA said. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY

importation should not be done during harvest season.

Roque also defended Duterte’s order to the National MANILA – Malacañang on Food Authority (NFA) to purMonday defended the decision chase more locally-produced of President Rodrigo R. Duterte rice under ‘buy high, sell low’ to scrap rice import quotas, a policy. system that the President has “What the President has said is the source of corruption. said, instead of the foreigners “The scrapping of quota to getting the profit, we better import on a government-to- spend it in the Philippines – the government baFilipino farmsis, that’s within ers are the one the power of the who will earn.

President,” PresThat’s the ratioidential spokesnale,” Roque experson Harry plained.

Roque said.

What the He said the President Roque said the Philippines is has said, conversion of the spending PHP6 instead quantitative rebillion for the of the striction on rice importation of foreigners into tariff is the 250,000 metric getting one that needs tons of rice. the profit, amendment of “That’s six we better the law. billion. If we’ll spend “This tarifficagive out money, it in the tion has already we better give it Philippines – been approved to the Filipino the Filipino at the House farmers. Buy the farmers are of Representarice at higher the one who tives. It’s now up price, there’s will earn. to Senate. That no difference, That’s the would completeno corruption,” rationale. ly remove quanRoque said. titative restricThe President tions. That’s one has said the govcovered by law,” ernment should he said. not mind incurIn a press conring losses if the ference upon his arrival from rice would be sold to the public Singapore ASEAN Summit at low prices since “it’s taxpayearly Sunday morning, Duterte ers’ money”. scrapped the import quotas, To prevent shortage, Duterte saying “anybody who has the has ordered the NFA to make money can import” as long as sure its warehouses nationwide they pay the correct taxes. would be full of rice bags. ■ Duterte, however, said rice

15

Canada News How Atlantic Canada’s businesses are trying to attract immigrants

BY KELLY TOUGHILL Associate Professor, University of King’s College The Canadian Press SUSAN WILSON made history this year when Canadian conglomerate J.D. Irving Ltd. made her its first director of immigration.

Irving, Atlantic Canada’s largest private company, has been recruiting overseas for a long time.

Employees in its giant IT centre come from 14 different countries and make up 11 per cent of the staff. There are scores of foreign-born workers in its forestry, trucking and manufacturing divisions, but the company has never before set up a department dedicated to their needs.

Irving launched a centre of excellence in immigration at the beginning of 2018 because it knows that the labour shortage in Atlantic Canada is poised to go from tough to devastating.

The company will hire more than 8,000 people over the next three years. Francis McGuire, president of the federal government’s Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, predicts that up to one third of those workers will come from outside Canada. He says the region is moving into a labour drought and that some businesses will not survive without international recruitment.

“In the 1990s, you’d have a call centre job fair and you’d have 1,000 people. Now you get 31 people and all of them are employed, they are just looking to improve their situation,” he said.

“This is a dramatic change in the landscape of the Maritimes.

The paradigm has completely shifted. The public discourse has to catch up, and government policies have to change.”

Thousands of jobs, no one to fill them

Reports by the Atlantic Provinces Economic Council, the Conference Board of Canada and the pivotal 2014 “Report of the Nova Scotia Commission

on Building our New Economy” have all warned of upcoming labour shortages. Statistics Canada reports that the region had more than 23,000 jobs without the workers to fill them.

But for many companies, the crisis is already here. Big companies, small companies, high-tech start-ups and century-old family firms all reported trouble finding the people they need to operate.

The labour shortage is masked by unemployment rates higher than the national average, explained McGuire, because many local residents either don’t have the skills in demand or can’t move to where their skills are needed.

Ganong Bros. Ltd. lost customers this year because it was short 40 workers and couldn’t fill orders for the famous chocolates it has made in St. Stephen, N.B. since 1873.

Len Tucker owns Tim Hortons franchises in Deer Lake and St. Anthony, NL. He, his wife and his daughter all work full-time in the family business because they are chronically short five or six employees.

“If someone walks in the store, we hire them,” he said. “We don’t let them leave. We don’t even let them go out the door.”

Many people are working on solutions.

Convincing workers to put down roots

All four provinces have developed immigration streams that help employers recruit workers from outside Canada. In 2017, the federal government established the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, a three-year experiment that gives business a lead role in deciding who can settle in Canada.

The hope is that the new program will convince workers from abroad to put down roots.

Employers can recruit internationally without going through a lengthy approval process that requires advertising for Canadian workers, but they must develop a settlement

plan to help employees adjust to Canadian life.

The bonus for workers is that they can bring their families with them immediately and they are fast-tracked for permanent resident status. The Atlantic Immigration Pilot can shave years off the time it takes a foreign national to become a permanent resident of Canada.

As of Feb. 1, 2018, almost 900 employers in Atlantic Canada were approved to participate in the program; more than 1,000 employees had either applied for permanent residence through the pilot or were preparing their paperwork to do so; 150 applications for permanent residence had been approved.

The pilot did not meet its ambitious goal to bring 2,000 workers into the region in its first year, but it’s picking up speed quickly, in part because the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency has dedicated 15 staff just to visit employers and help them understand the benefits of the program _ and how to do the paperwork.

“This translates into new workers and their families arriving in Atlantic Canada every month to fill job vacancies and help grow the economy,” Faith St. John, a communications adviser for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), wrote in response to a query about the program.

‘Worldwide labour shortage’

Day & Ross Transportation Group was one of the first companies to bring workers to Canada using the Atlantic Immigration Pilot. It took about eight months to get through the paperwork; two computer programmers from India arrived in November and an IT specialist from Cuba arrived in December.

“There is a worldwide shortage of labour in our industry,” said Mark Osborne, vice president of human relations for Day & Ross.

“But people don’t realize it’s not just drivers. Transportation is complex. We track behaviour, www.canadianinquirer.net

emissions efficiency, location.

We need people in IT, finance, accounting, dispatch.”

Trucking is not the only traditional job that has been transformed by technology.

When Irving puts out a call for forestry workers, it is no longer looking for strong backs and well-oiled chainsaws. The company now uses a sophisticated light system to chart every tree, stream, slope and gully in the forests that it owns and manages. Cutting down trees has turned into a computer job.

Workers still operate machines, but they are looking at a computer screen guided by more than 25 billion data points. The axe has given way to the joy stick.

A key part of the Atlantic Immigration Pilot program is getting employers to go beyond their traditional role and help newcomers thrive outside of work. The theory is that recruits will only stay if they are happy.

‘On-the-ground-support’ for immigrants

That kind of on-the-ground support is something the Atlantic Ballet Theatre has been doing for more than a decade. The Moncton-based dance company has perfected many of the best practices that big business is now being urged to adopt.

“Our viability depends on foreign workers,” said co-founder and CEO Susan ChalmersGauvin. “We have to pay very

close attention to our people to see if they are happy or if they are sad. I am always keeping an eye.”

Of its 21 full-time employees, 12 are immigrants. They come from nine different countries.

Louis-Philippe Dionne, the operations manager and a former company dancer, scouts apartments for new recruits before they arrive. He meets dancers at the airport, takes them to Service Canada to get a social insurance number and to the bank to set up an account.

The company brings a retired professor into the studio for English lessons before and after rehearsals. Dancers are escorted to church, to the supermarket and the mall. Dionne makes sure the dancers have good winter boots and coats and links the dancers to local families who share their culture.

Chalmers-Gauvin says she spends up to 20 per cent of her time dealing with cultural and immigration issues.

McGuire says the next task is education for the whole region.

“This has completely changed the mentality in the Maritimes,” he said. “We are going through a massive education piece. It is a tremendous sociological challenge.” ■ This article derives from The People Imperative. Kelly Toughill researched and wrote the report for the Public Policy Forum, which is conducting a three-year project on Atlantic immigration and revitalization.

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Canada News

MAY 4, 2018

‘In Toronto ... we don’t run away:’ thousands mourn van attack victims at vigil

BY SALMAAN FAROOQUI The Canadian Press TORONTO — The site of a deadly van attack was transformed into a place of mourning Sunday evening, as the streets of north Toronto echoed with thousands of people singing O Canada at a vigil for the victims.

Religious leaders of multiple faiths led the speakers’ list at the event, all of them sharing messages of support and strength in the face of the tragedy that left 10 people dead and 16 more injured.

Many speakers commended emergency service personnel on their work the day of the incident, including the officer who was able to arrest the suspect without firing his gun.

“In Toronto, in Ontario, in Canada we don’t run away — we run to help others,” said Rabbi Baruch Frydman-Kohl of the Beth Tzedec Congregation, the largest synagogue community in Canada.

Frydman-Kohl also referenced other van attacks in cities such as Paris, Beirut and Charlottesville, Virginia.

“Toronto has felt the pain of other places, and those cities now share our horror and hurt,” he said.

Before the vigil, thousands took part in what was billed as a walk of “healing and solidarity,” roughly following the route of last Monday’s attack.

“It’s amazing how on this one stretch of street, so many people are connected and affected by it,” said Jennifer Ludlow, who is from the area and attended the walk and vigil.

“To come together as a large group really does bring us all together, and shows us there is hope on the other side.”

Multiple politicians also took part in Sunday’s ceremony, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Premier Kathleen Wynne, Mayor John Tory and federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh.

Singh said it was particularly touching to see how multicultural the event was, with speak-

Sailboat captain jailed 13 years for smuggling cocaine into Nova Scotia

BY MICHAEL MACDONALD The Canadian Press

Vigil for the victims of the deadly van attack in Toronto.

JUSTIN TRUDEAU / FACEBOOK

ers including rabbis, an imam and a Buddhist monk.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been to an event that’s been so well represented by such a wide diversity of faiths — and secular thoughts as well,” said Singh.

“The fact that despite this act of hate, people came together in really incredible numbers in an act of love is really incredible.”

One volunteer said around 200 people worked throughout the day to prepare for tens of thousands of mourners to show up.

Kevin Joachin said volunteering was an opportunity to give back to the community after it suffered through a tragedy.

“It’s been a great help so far — just by the numbers, the support, the encouragement,” said Joachin.

“Today’s event is a great demonstration — not just to the community here, but to Toronto — that we are strong, and we will move forward together.”

Adrienne Lyog said many of her friends were traumatized after witnessing the attack, and Sunday’s event would play a large part in helping them move forward.

“It’s devastating,” said Lyog.

“Hopefully it’ll make them feel like there’s support, that they’re not alone.”

Earlier in the day, police said uniformed officers would be present and visible at the event to ensure the public remained safe throughout.

“The public needs to get together and start the healing process and somehow relate to each other,” said Katrina Arrogante, a police spokeswoman.

“Everybody is affected differently and in how hard they’ve taken this incident.”

On Friday, officials released the names of all eight women and two men who were killed in the incident. They ranged in age from 22 to 94, and included a student from South Korea and a man from Jordan.

By Sunday evening, a city-organized fundraiser for the families of those affected had raised more than $1.8 million.

Alek Minassian, 25, of Richmond Hill, Ont., has been charged with 10 counts of firstdegree murder and 13 counts of attempted murder in the incident.

Police say another three attempted murder charges are imminent. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY

HALIFAX — A potential payoff of more than $500,000 motivated a Canadian sailboat captain to smuggle 250 kilograms of cocaine into Nova Scotia from a small Caribbean island, a judge said Friday as he sentenced Jacques John Grenier to 13 years in prison.

“It was just greed, Mr. Grenier, plain and simple,” provincial court Judge Gregory Lenehan told the 69-year-old accused.

An expert testified that the drugs — probably purchased for about $3 million from a Mexican drug cartel — had an estimated street value of $20 million.

Grenier, who moved to Nova Scotia in 2015 and was unemployed, had earlier pleaded guilty to two charges: possession for the purposes of trafficking cocaine and importing cocaine. A third charge, conspiracy to import cocaine, was withdrawn.

Lenehan said he took into account Grenier’s age, his guilty pleas and the fact that he has skin cancer.

But the judge said a doubledigit sentence was needed to discourage others from using Nova Scotia’s craggy coastline as a “soft target” for drug smuggling.

“You’re coming to your sunset years,” Lenehan told Grenier, a tall but thin man with a swarm of surgical scars above his left eye. “You don’t have 30 or 40 years left.”

Grenier, a resident of Hubbards, N.S., with no prior criminal record, was arrested Sept. 3 after officers with the Canada Border Services Agency boarded his 32-foot sailboat Quesera at a marina east of Halifax.

Court heard Grenier had sailed the vessel solo from the Dutch side of Sint Maarten, an island east of the Virgin Islands.

The officers found bricks of cocaine hidden beneath a sealed bed frame in the forward

sleeping quarters of the Canadian-registered vessel. The RCMP were called in, Grenier was arrested and more cocaine was found hidden throughout the boat.

The judge concluded Grenier was one of the “middle players” in the smuggling operation.

However, federal Crown attorney Glen Scheuer argued Grenier was in fact a trusted member of an organized crime ring, noting that Grenier admitted he was responsible for paying the cartel for the drugs and that he was the only person aboard the sailboat when it left the Caribbean.

There was no indication where the drug payment originally came from.

When asked if he wanted to address the court, Grenier stood to offer a brief statement.

“I’m here to be judged and I’m ready to start my time,” he said in a clear voice, a baggy grey sweater hanging loosely around his narrow shoulders.

“I’ll work hard while I’m incarcerated … When I get out, I’ll be a stronger and healthier Canadian taxpayer.”

In an agreed statement of facts, court heard Grenier had purchased the boat after he moved to Nova Scotia and later sailed to Sint Maarten in August 2016.

Grenier admitted that he picked up the cocaine from a fishing trawler off the coast of Venezuela in international waters last August, then sailed back to Sint Maarten, where he purchased provisions for the voyage home to Nova Scotia.

After he arrived at East River Marine in Hubbards, he left to pick up a rental car and 10 large hockey bags, court heard.

When he returned around 10 p.m., officers were waiting for him.

Earlier in the hearing, RCMP drug expert Joseph Tomeo testified that the drugs were packaged in different colours of plastic wrap, and that each ❱❱ PAGE 18 Sailboat captain

Canada News

FRIDAY MAY 4, 2018

17

Tima Kurdi wants Canada to take more refugees, hopes new book spotlights crisis

BY TERESA WRIGHT The Canadian Press CANADA SHOULD take in more refugees, says Tima Kurdi, the aunt of three-yearold Syrian refugee Alan Kurdi who died with his brother and mother while fleeing to Greece in 2015.

The photo of Alan’s tiny body washed up on a Turkish beach was a bombshell that focused global attention on the Syrian refugee crisis.

Since that time, Canada has welcomed more than 51,800 Syrian refugees, according to the latest government figures.

But Kurdi, a Vancouver resident, says Canada could — and should — do more to help.

“I would like to see Canada to continue to open their borders and welcome refugees, not just from Syria, from anywhere where people need help,” she

said in an interview.

“Canada has the capacity to take in more and focus on those children when they come to this country.”

In her newly released book, “The Boy on the Beach,” Kurdi describes the painful and tragic details that led up to the deaths of Alan, his five-year-old brother Ghalib and their mother, Rehanna on Sept. 2, 2015.

Before their deaths, the world was blind to the plight of tens of thousands of refugees fleeing from Syria in search of safety, she says.

“They were crying out to the world but nobody was paying attention until that image.

People started to finally start opening their eyes to the Syrian people.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2015 electoral pledge to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada has led to twice that number being brought to Can-

Tima Kurdi.

ada and government has been working on ways to help them gain employment and training

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TWITTER

to thrive in this country.

But Kurdi says she would like to see countries like Canada to

do more for those affected by the Syrian war.

That means taking in more refugees, but also trying to end the conflict.

“I’m really hoping our prime minister will talk to other leaders to work toward peace and bring a political solution to actually end the war in Syria,” she said.

“I think my Syrian people have suffered enough. It’s time for peace, not for blame.”

Sharing personal details of her grief and guilt was difficult, she says, but she hopes her family’s story will put a face on the plight of other refugees and inspire more help for them.

“For me, it was very important to bring this book to the world and keep reminding them that the image of that boy on the beach is just one image and the suffering continues and we need to do more to help others.” ■

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Canada News

MAY 4, 2018

FRIDAY

Ontario Tories announce tax rebate for up to $6,750 of child care costs

BY SALMAAN FAROOQUI The Canadian Press

distanced himself from that document, but Saturday’s tax rebate announcement is another example of Ford taking a page from Brown’s platform.

The announcement was different TORONTO — Ontario’s Progressive from Brown’s in that it didn’t commit Conservatives announced Saturday to providing funding for 100,000 new that if elected in the province’s spring childcare spaces. election, they will cover up to $6,750 The pledge comes one month after of childcare costs for Ontario families Premier Kathleen Wynne released the through a tax rebate program.

Liberal party’s child-care plan, which Tory MPP Laurie Scott announced the would provide free care for preschoolplan in a media release, which promises ers aged two-and-a-half and older, until tax breaks for multiple forms of care, they reach kindergarten. including babysitters, nannies, licensed Ontario’s New Democrats say they operators and independent child-care would provide free child care for all famproviders. ilies earning less than $40,000 a year, Low-income families would receive 75 and would aim to have child-care costs per cent of their child-care costs back, at averaging $12 per day for all other famia maximum of $6,750; higher income lies. families would receive an incrementally The Tories say their plan to offer relief lower rate, bottoming out at 26 per cent through tax rebates is better because it of child-care costs for families earning puts money back into the hands of On$150,000 or more. tarians.

The plan is similar to the one proposed But Linda White, a child-care policy by the PCs in November, when the nowexpert and a professor at the University ousted leader Patrick Brown produced a Joel_CanadianInquirer_print.pdf 1 2017-10-05 3:45 PM 78-page platform dubbed “The People’s of Toronto, said the mix of a rebate and a lack of funding for new spaces could Guarantee.”

Tory leader Doug Ford has at times cause concerns over whether demand

will outpace supply.

“It’s not clear how this would spur demand for child care and what impact that would have,” said White, who added that she had similar concerns for the NDP plan.

“If it increases demand, without addressing the scarcity of supply, then what in fact it could do is drive up prices.”

Scott said the concerns over demand are the reason why the Tories decided to allow unlicensed operators, babysitters and nannies to be part of the rebate.

White said the NDP and Liberal plans

only cover licensed operators.

“It’s more flexibility, because there’s not as much spaces … in some parts of the province,” said Scott.

Scott added the tax rebate will run alongside the current federal and provincial programs that help fund child care for lower income families.

The Tory plan would go into effect as early as 2019 if Ford is elected as Premier — a year earlier than the Liberal plan for free licensed daycare would go into effect.

Ontarians are set to vote in the provincial election June 7. ■

Sailboat captain... ❰❰ 16

colour had a different level of purity — between 72 to 84 per cent.

Tomeo said the cocaine had been mixed with other ingredients, which suggested to him the drugs had come from different labs.

He said this practice is common in Mexico, which stands in contrasts to labs in Columbia, known for producing cocaine that is more than 80 per cent pure.

Tomeo, a retired staff sergeant who worked in the RCMP’s Montreal drug unit for more than 25 years, said the amount of cocaine Grenier was carrying indicated he had strong contacts within the cartel.

“It shows a high level of trust in the individual,” said Tomeo, now an RCMP reservist. “And it’s extremely rare that this is done alone.”

However, Tomeo later told defence lawyer Patrick MacEwen there was no direct evidence that Grenier had done this sort of thing before, even though the experienced sailor had admitted to crossing paths with drug dealers during his travels abroad. www.canadianinquirer.net

The wholesale value for a kilogram of cocaine in Montreal is now about $47,000 — and its street value is much higher, at about $80 a gram, Tomeo said.

He said Nova Scotia remains a popular destination for drug smugglers, mainly because police and the CBSA are unable to monitor all of the province’s bays and inlets.

“It’s an ideal spot,” said Tomeo, who regularly lectures at police colleges about the trade in illicit narcotics and alcohol. “Nova Scotia, unfortunately, is a known landing spot for cocaine coming into Canada.”

As well, Tomeo confirmed that the Dutch side of Sint Maarten was a key waypoint for international drug dealers.

“You get away with more on the Dutch side,” he told the court. “It’s a well known staging area for cocaine vessels.”

Grenier’s sentencing was delayed several times because he underwent surgery and switched lawyers. His sentence was reduced by one year because he had already spent eight months in custody.

A Quebec man, Luc Chevrefils, is also charged in the case. He is expected to stand trial in August. ■

World News

FRIDAY MAY 4, 2018

19

2 Koreas dismantle propaganda loudspeakers at tense border

BY HYUNG-JIN KIM The Associated Press SEOUL, KOREA, REPUBLIC OF — The rival Koreas dismantled huge loudspeakers used to blare Cold War-style propaganda across their tense border on Tuesday, as South Korea’s president asked the United Nations to observe the North’s planned closing of its nuclear test site.

The dismantling of dozens of loudspeakers was in line with an agreement on reconciliation by the leaders of the Koreas at their historic summit last Friday. It is still unclear if such measures can bring permanent peace because no major breakthrough in the North Korean nuclear standoff was produced at the summit.

South Korean soldiers disassembled loudspeakers in multiple front-line areas in the presence of journalists before pulling them away from the border, the Defence Ministry said.

A South Korea military officer said later Tuesday that North Korea had also begun taking down its propaganda loudspeakers earlier in the day.

He requested anonymity, citing department rules.

Both Koreas had turned off the propaganda broadcasts along the 248-kilometre (154mile) -long border last week before the summit.

They had restarted their propaganda warfare in early 2016 when tensions rose sharply after North Korea’s fourth nuclear test. South Korea broadcast K-pop songs as well as criticism of the North’s abysmal human rights conditions, world news and weather forecasts. The North broadcast anti-South messages and praises of its own political system.

North Korea is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its system, and most of its 24 million people are not allowed access to foreign TV and radio programs. In 2014, North Korean soldiers opened fire after South Korean activists sent anti-North leaflets over the border with large balloons, prompting South Korea to return fire. There were no reports of casualties.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean president Moon Jae-in.

North Korean leader Kim and allow outside experts and nuclear test site. He said the Jong Un has suspended nuclear journalists to watch the pro- South Korean leader also asked and missile tests and placed his cess. He also said he would be the secretary-general for U.N. nuclear program up for nego- willing to give up his nuclear support in implementing the tiation, but skepticism lingers programs if the United States agreement by Moon and Kim about how serious his offer is commits to a formal end to the “to transform the demilitarized and what disarmament steps Korean War and pledges not to zone into a peace zone.” he would eventually take. Some attack the North, according to Dujarric said “the secretaryexperts say Kim’s sincerity will South Korea’s presidential of- general reiterated the full supbe tested during his planned fice. port of the United Nations to meeting in several weeks with During a telephone call with furthering the inter-Korean U.S. President Donald Trump, U.N. Secretary-General Anto- dialogue and in this regard in what would be the first North nio Guterres on Tuesday, Moon pledged that the United NaKorea-U.S. summit talks since said he wants the U.N. to ob- tions stands ready to discuss the end of the 1950-53 Korean serve the closure of the Punggy- possible forms of support.”

War. ri test site. Moon also asked the Some experts downplayed Trump said Monday he likes U.N. to formally declare its sup- the closure of the Punggy-ri site, the idea of going to the southern port for his summit declaration saying the six underground nuside of Panmunclear explosions jom, the location that have been of the Korean conducted there summit, to meet may have made North Korea is extremely sensitive Kim, though he it too unstable to any outside criticism of its said Singapore for more testing. system, and most of its 24 million was also under Kim denied such people are not allowed access to consideration. views, saying foreign TV and radio programs.

Ahead of that the site has two meeting, the additional unleaders of South derground tunKorea, Japan nels that could and China are to be used for new meet next Wednesday in Tokyo with Kim. Guterres responded tests. for a regular trilateral summit that he will try to contribute to A major source of outside that is expected to focus on the establishment of peace on suspicion about Kim’s sincerNorth Korea’s nuclear program the Korean Peninsula, accord- ity is his use of the term, “the and other regional issues. ing to Moon’s office. denuclearization of the Korean During their meeting last U.N. spokesman Stephane Peninsula” instead of “the deFriday, Kim told South Korean Dujarric said late Tuesday that nuclearization of North Korea.”

President Moon Jae-in that he Moon asked Guterres for U.N. North Korea has long used the would shut down his country’s support “to verify the immi- first term, and has argued it can only known nuclear test site nent closure” of North Korea’s disarm only when the United www.canadianinquirer.net

REPUBLIC OF KOREA

States withdraws its 28,500 troops from South Korea and removes its so-called “nuclear umbrella” security commitment to South Korea and Japan.

A joint summit statement issued by Kim and Moon said they will work together to achieve “a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula through complete denuclearization.”

It was the first time that Kim has proposed negotiating away his nuclear weapons, and some analysts say he could reveal more substantial disarmament measures in his meeting with Trump, including the possible scrapping of his long-range missile program that has posed a direct threat to the United States.

Prospects for the Kim-Trump talks remain unclear because Kim prefers a gradual, step-bystep disarmament process in return for corresponding rewards, while the United States wants complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization.

On Monday, Moon shook off a suggestion that he receive the Nobel Peace Prize for reducing tensions with North Korea, saying Trump “can take the Nobel prize” as long as the Koreas receive peace in return. ■

20

World News

MAY 4, 2018

FRIDAY

‘Amazing China’ documentary more fiction than fact

BY ERIKA KINETZ AND ELIAS MESERET The Associated Press SHANGHAI — A company that made shoes for Ivanka Trump and stands accused of serious labour violations plays an unexpected role in a blockbuster propaganda film about China’s renaissance under President Xi Jinping.

The state-backed documentary “Amazing China” portrays the Huajian Group as a beneficent force spreading Chinese influence and prosperity — in this case, by hiring thousands of Ethiopians at wages a fraction of what they’d have to pay in China. But in Ethiopia, Huajian workers told The Associated Press they work without safety equipment for pay so low they can barely make ends meet.

“I’m left with nothing at the end of the month,” said Ayelech Geletu, 21, who said she earns a base monthly salary of 1,400 Birr ($51) at Huajian’s factory in Lebu,

outside Addis Ababa. “Plus, their treatment is bad. They shout at us whenever they want.”

With epic cinematography, “Amazing China” articulates a message of how China would like to be seen as it pursues President Xi Jinping’s vision of a globally resurgent nation, against a reality that doesn’t always measure up. The film demonstrates the scope of China’s propaganda machine, which not only crafted the stirring documentary but also helped manufacture an adoring audience for it.

The star of “Amazing China” — duly noted by IMDb.com — is Xi himself, who appears more than 30 times in the 90-minute film.

The movie was released three days before China’s rubber-stamp legislature convened to amend the constitution and allow him to potentially rule for life.

The film’s director, Wei Tie, said he wasn’t aware of the controversy surrounding Huajian until the AP informed him.

That’s not surprising given

the years of positive coverage Huajian has enjoyed in China’s Communist Party-controlled media, and the fact that many foreign news sites are blocked.

Wei said he featured the company because it is “introducing China’s experience of prosperity to Africa.”

The film celebrates Huajian as a model of the inclusiveness at the heart of a much larger project: Xi’s signature One Belt One Road initiative, a plan to spread Chinese infrastructure and influence across dozens of countries so ambitious in scope it’s been compared to the U.S.led Marshall Plan after World War II. “In opening to the outside world, China’s pursuit is not to only make our lives better, but to make the lives of others better,” the film’s narrator says.

But four current and former Huajian employees told the AP their wages were so low that they struggled to pay their bills. They said they had no protective gear,

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GOLDPOSTER

were forced to work long hours, were barred from unionizing and yelled at by Chinese managers.

“There are chemicals that hurt our eyes and nose, and machines that cut our hands,” said Getahun Alemu, a 20-year-old who quit Huajian last year. “They have no idea about hand gloves! If you refuse to work without that protective gear, then you will be told to leave the company.”

Few harbour illusions about the main incentive for Huajian’s investment in a country where there is no legal minimum wage.

“These companies are moving out of Asia and coming to Africa

to save labour costs,” said Fitsum Arega, who recently stepped down as head of the Ethiopian Investment Commission to become an adviser to the new prime minister. He said the government pushes companies to protect workers and praised Huajian for employing more than 5,000 Ethiopians, but added that they “could have done better.”

Li Qiang, founder of the New York non-profit China Labor Watch, said Huajian had some of the worst conditions he’s encountered in China, including ❱❱ PAGE 24 ‘Amazing China’

World News

FRIDAY MAY 4, 2018

21

US says border crossing doesn’t have room for asylum seekers

BY ELLIOT SPAGAT The Associated Press

legal documents and that asylum-seekers may need to wait in Mexico temporarily.

Trump has commented frequently on the caravan since it started in Mexico on March 25 near the Guatemala border and headed north to Tijuana.

His broadsides came as his administration vowed to end what officials call “legal loopholes” and “catch-and-release” policies that allow people requesting asylum to be released from custody into the U.S. while their claims make their way through the courts, which can take years.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions has called the caravan “a deliberate attempt to undermine our laws and overwhelm our system.” Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said asylum claims will be resolved “efficiently and expeditiously” and warned that anyone making false claims could be prosecuted.

of the migrants wanted to continue together on the final leg north and decided to keep travelling en masse. The caravan TIJUANA, MEXICO — Afhas also appeared to gain moter travelling through Mexico mentum from Trump’s comwith great fanfare for a month ments and the publicity that under the Trump administrafollowed. tion’s watchful eye, nearly 200 The San Ysidro border inCentral American migrants atspection facility can hold about tempting to seek asylum in the 300 people, according to Pete United States were stopped in Flores, Customs and Border their tracks when border inProtection’s San Diego field spectors said that a crossing faoffice director, suggesting the cility didn’t have enough space bottleneck may be short-lived. to accommodate them.

The agency processed about President Donald Trump 8,000 asylum cases from Octovowed last week to “stop” the ber through February, or about caravan while Cabinet mem50 a day. bers said they would deliver Asylum-seekers are typically a swift response. The asylum held for up to three days at the seekers held firm, setting up a border and then turned over to possible showdown.

U.S. Immigration and Customs In an anticlimactic twist, Enforcement. If they pass an about 50 asylum seekers were asylum officer’s initial screenallowed past a gate controlled ing, they may be detained or reby Mexican officials to walk leased into the U.S. with ankle across a long bridge but were monitors. stopped at the entrance to the Asylum seekers didn’t appear U.S. inspection to be thrown off facility at the the by the delay. other end. They Wendi Yaneri were allowed to Garcia said she wait outside the was confident building, techniAll I want is a place where I can she will be rework and raise my son. cally on Mexileased while her can soil, without asylum case is word of when pending because U.S. officials she is travelling would let them alone with her claim asylum.

The administration’s stern 2-year-old son, who has been Another 50 or so camped on warnings left organizers in dis- sick. She said that police in her blankets and backpacks in Ti- belief that border inspectors hometown of Atlantida, Honjuana outside the Mexican side were not ready for them. duras, jailed her for protesting of the crossing, prohibited from “They have been well aware construction of a hydroeleceven getting close to the U.S. in- that a caravan is going to arrive tric plant and that she received spection building. at the border,” Nicole Ramos, death threats after being reThe asylum-seekers began an attorney working on behalf leased. the day with anticipation, trav- of caravan members, said at a “All I want is a place where I elling in red-and-white school news conference. “The failure can work and raise my son,” the buses under police escort to to prepare and failure to get 36-year-old said. a beachfront rally in Tijuana, sufficient agents and resources Elin Orrellana, a 23-year-old where a steel fence juts out is not the fault of the most vul- pregnant woman from El Salinto the Pacific Ocean. They nerable among us. We can build vador, said she is fleeing the sang the Honduran national a base in Iraq in under a week. violent MS-13 street gang, a faanthem, and supporters on We can’t process 200 refugees. vourite target of both Sessions the San Diego side of the fence I don’t believe it.” and Trump because of their waved a Honduran flag.

The caravan that left the brutal killings in communities After a final briefing from Guatemala-Mexico border in in the United States. She said lawyers and minutes before late March grew over the last her older sister had been killed they were to begin a short month to more than 1,000 mi- by the gang in El Salvador, so walk to the border crossing, grants who found safety travel- she is attempting to join other U.S. Customs and Border Pro- ling in numbers. Organizer Iri- family members in the Kansas tection Commissioner Kevin neo Mujica said earlier in April City area.

McAleenan announced that the that Mexico City was the cara“Fighting on is worth it,” San Ysidro border crossing, the van’s last official stop. she said as she camped out for nation’s busiest, had “reached Some have decided to seek chilly night outside the border capacity” for people without asylum in Mexico. But many crossing. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Waffle House, 3571 Murfreesboro Pike, Antioch, TN.

METRO NASHVILLE PD

At the site of a massacre, a survivor looks for peace

BY CLAIRE GALOFARO The Associated Press NASHVILLE — He felt like an invisible force was drawing him into the parking lot, past the four new white crosses in the driveway, the balloons and the flowers, and the letters addressed to the dead.

He felt it pulling him into his regular spot, the one where he had been sitting in his car when a stranger, three spaces over, stepped out of a truck carrying an AR-15. He surprised himself by walking into the restaurant and sitting down in his regular booth, which had always seemed like the most comfortable seat in the world — until all of a sudden it didn’t.

At 3:25 a.m. on April 22, a Waffle House in Nashville joined the growing list of cherished American places morphed into the site of a massacre. And Chuck Cordero, a regular customer, joined the growing list of survivors left traumatized and struggling with how to move on.

Children often have little choice but to return to their schools after a mass shooting and employees must return to their offices. But 51-year-old Cordero thought at first he’d never come back here. Then he found himself again and again back at his Waffle House — No. 2,267 in the ubiquitous chain of yellow and black storefronts that are open 24/7, 365 days a year.

The eateries are so ingrained in American culture the federal

government uses them after hurricanes to help gauge suffering: An open Waffle House signals hope for recovery; a closed one means disaster. Cordero’s Waffle House was closed for three days.

Four young people died, the oldest of them a 29-year-old cook, Taurean Sanderlin, whom Cordero had always called “T.” He saw the gunman shoot him in the parking lot, and now he feels compelled to come back, multiple times a day, desperate to cling to a community he never realized he was so attached to until a man with a gun threatened to destroy it.

“I don’t know why I’m doing it,” Cordero says. “Maybe I want to make sure my friends are OK. Maybe I want to know that I’m OK. Maybe I don’t want to let the bad people win. I just don’t know.”

Dozens of others feel it, too. The restaurant has been packed after the company pledged to donate a month’s worth of profits to the families of the victims, and people have come from hours away, insisting on buying strangers’ meals.

Cordero is grateful but also eager for this to be his normal Waffle House again, the place where his favourite waitress always had his coffee ready just how he likes it, with cream and three packets of Splenda. On the night of the shooting, her fiance, a cook, threw her to the ground and laid on top of her as bullets whizzed by.

Before all of this, Cordero had thought of the restaurant ❱❱ PAGE 22 At the

22

World News

MAY 4, 2018

FRIDAY

Netanyahu nuclear presentation gets cool reception in Europe

BY JOSEF FEDERMAN The Associated Press JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s latest accusations about Iran’s past nuclear activities received a warm welcome in Washington but a far cooler reception in Europe on Tuesday — deepening divisions among Western allies ahead of President Donald Trump’s decision on whether to withdraw from the international nuclear deal later this month.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. would discuss Israel’s newest purported evidence with the other global powers that negotiated the 2015 nuclear deal. But Britain said the information reinforced the need to keep the deal in place.

The U.N. nuclear agency said it considered the matter of whether Iran had previously pursued nuclear weapons to be “closed.”

Netanyahu has been an outspoken critic of the deal, which offered Iran relief from crippling international sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear program. Netanyahu says the deal will not prevent Iran, Israel’s most bitter enemy, from reaching a nuclear weapons capability.

After clashing with President Barack Obama when the deal was negotiated, Netanyahu has found a close ally in Trump, who has called the agreement “the worst deal ever.” Trump has signalled he will withdraw from the

agreement by May 12 if it is not renegotiated and changed.

Netanyahu’s presentation late Monday, delivered in English on live TV and making heavy use of visual aids, appeared to be aimed at swaying global opinion ahead of Trump’s decision.

He unveiled what he said was a “half ton” of Iranian nuclear documents he said were illicitly seized by Israeli intelligence.

Netanyahu said the documents provided evidence that Iran attempted to develop a nuclear bomb in the previous decade, especially before 2003.

Although he gave no explicit evidence that Iran has violated the 2015 deal, he said Iran had clearly lied in the past and could not be trusted. Iran has denied ever pursuing nuclear arms.

Speaking on Fox News Tuesday, Netanyahu said Israel had obtained the documents in February and shared all of the information with the U.S. Netanyahu said the trove of documents showed that Iran is “trying to bamboozle the entire world” and expressed hope that Trump would pull out of the deal.

Pompeo, who was returning to the U.S. after his first official visit to the Middle East, said he had discussed the material with Netanyahu during a stop in Israel this week and would raise the matter with European allies.

He said the documents showed Iran sought nuclear weapons and hid a vast archive

of information from the world and the U.N. nuclear agency.

“What this means is the deal was not constructed on a foundation of good faith or transparency. It was built on Iran’s lies,” he said.

The initial European reaction, however, was cool.

Britain’s foreign minister, Boris Johnson, said Netanyahu’s presentation “underlines the importance” of keeping the deal, with its tough constraints on Iran, in place.

“The Iran nuclear deal is not based on trust about Iran’s intentions; rather it is based on tough verification,” he said.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency, has said Iran in the early 1990s “may have received design information for a nuclear explosive device from a clandestine nuclear supply network.” It says Iran also worked in the 2000s on explosive detonators that “have characteristics relevant to a nuclear explosive device,” as well as done other work, though all that appears to have stopped in 2009.

Responding to Netanyahu’s speech, the IAEA issued a statement Tuesday reaffirming that “the agency had no credible indications of activities in Iran relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device after 2009.” The IAEA has repeatedly certified that Iran is in compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal.

In a “preliminary reaction,”

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said Netanyahu had not provided evidence that Iran is violating the current deal and noted its continued compliance.

Yoel Guzansky, senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, an Israeli thinktank , said Netanyahu’s message was unlikely to change minds in Washington or Europe.

Although Iran has threatened to withdraw from the deal if the U.S. pulls out, Guzansky said Tehran would likely be more cautious, and much will depend on the reactions of major companies.

“It’s in Iran’s interest to stay in the agreement,” he said. “It matters if Renault, Total and other European companies will continue to do business with Iran.”

Iran dismissed Netanyahu’s move as a “ridiculous” show but did not address the documents he produced.

Israel and Iran are currently involved in a standoff in Syria, where Iranian troops are

supporting President Bashar Assad’s forces.

Israel has warned that it will not allow Iran to establish a permanent military presence in Syria, fearing it will use its positions to strike Israel. Israel has been suspected in a pair of airstrikes on Iranian targets in recent weeks, though it has not confirmed involvement, and Iran has threatened revenge.

Israeli Cabinet Minister Yoav Galant said the seizure of the Iranian nuclear documents would deter Iran from trying to strike.

“Anyone who saw the intelligence achievement can also understand what our military capabilities are,” he told Army Radio.

“I assume that everyone around us will think long and hard before they try to harm Israel.” ■

Now, people on the street recognize Cordero from the news, and he knows they mean well when they stop him. “They say, ‘God bless you.

Nice to see you,’ and then I start thinking to myself, ‘It’s nice to be here.’ And then I get all emotional about how close it came.”

He pictures himself dying — not the death itself, but the news of it being delivered to his 5-yearold daughter, Emily. So he shaved his head so that people might stop recognizing him. He sometimes fantasizes about moving out to the mountains so his daughter never has to feel fear like this. He feels hopeless, like the shooting will never make sense and gun

violence will never be stopped.

When he ran into a pastor one day outside the Waffle House, he told him, “It seems like the bad people are winning.”

The pastor replied: “They’re not winning.”

Cordero is struggling to believe it: “They’re terrorizing us.

To me, that’s them winning. To me, keeping someone from going into their restaurant without feeling scared means they won.”

Then he feels awful for feeling so awful because he lived and four others didn’t.

When he heard a community group had planned a vigil exactly one week after the shooting,

at 3:25 a.m. Sunday morning, he pulled back into the parking lot for the second time that day.

His favourite waitress, Virginia Stanley, was waiting for him at his spot, wearing a T-shirt she’d hand-painted with the phrase “Waffle House Strong.” They hadn’t seen each other since the shooting, so they hugged and cried and he immediately felt relieved — like things might be normal again. They went inside and slid into a booth along with her fiance, Douglas Lauderdale.

Cordero had, for a week, struggled to find the right adjectives to convey what had happened to them. Scary. Horrible. Devastat-

ing. None seemed big enough to describe it: the first glimpse of the gun, the blood, what it feels like to consider that inches or seconds separated those who lived from those who didn’t.

But sitting with others who had experienced it all, too: “I don’t have to say that I was scared,” he says.

“They were there. They know that.”

Stanley promised Cordero she’d return to work soon, and then she raised her sleeve to show him a new tattoo: “spread love,” it said, with the L drawn in the shape of an orange ribbon.

They should all get matching ones, she told him, all of the survivors. ■

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU / FACEBOOK

Associated Press writers Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates contributed to this report.

At the... ❰❰ 21

as a utilitarian stop, a place to pass the time between calls on his overnight shift with a roadside assistance company. Though he’s not crazy about the greasy food, Cordero likes the people who cook and serve it, and the familiarity of the jukebox and the bright fluorescent lights in the middle of the night.

“Chuck’s a special guy. But Chuck’s a normal guy for Waffle House,” says Jeff Camp, a manager for the chain. “We have a Chuck in every store: that guy that associates know, that comes in every night, that sits in the same seat, eats the same food.”

www.canadianinquirer.net

23

FRIDAY MAY 4, 2018

PANGARAP : SO, OUR JOURNEY BEGINS

Pangarap mo bang mag-abroad?

BY BOLET AREVALO

NAIS KONG umpisahan ang Column Series na ito sa pagtupad ng isang pangarap.

Sa totoo lang, hindi ako nangarap na makapangibangbansa. Pangarap kong maging isang magaling na manunulat at broadcast journalist. Ang pangalawa marahil ay malayong may puwang pa sa ngayon pero ang pagiging manunulat ay unti-unti kong natupad nang ako ay makapag-abroad.

Sa abroad ko naisulat ang una kong libro, ang The Most Practical Immigrating and Job Hunting Survival Guide – proven simple steps to success without the fears and doubts, bago ko naisip na gawin ang serye ng mini-books na ito para pa rin sa ating mga kababayang tulad ko ay may pangarap din.

Naisip ko tuloy na minsan siguro kailangan nating lumayo para matupad ang isang pangarap. Ngayon ay naiisip ko rin na marahil ang pagsulat ng librong ito ang dahilan kung bakit din limang (5) taon akong namuno overseas customer segment ng isang malaking pribadong bangko sa Pilipinas bago ako nakapag-abroad.

Sa loob ng 5 taon na iyon, iginugol ko ang aking talino at kakayahan sa pakikipag-ugnayan sa mga kapwa ko Pinoy na overseas workers at immigrants sa aking capacidad bilang marketing executive. I had to go into a full circle, ika nga, upang maging buo ang aking kaalaman at nararamdaman para sa sektor na ito ng ating mga kababayan.

So, sampung (10) taon ng buhay ko sa Canada ang tutugon sa inyong Sampung Tanong, Sampung Sagot sa bawat serye ng Pangarap column na ito.

Tanong No. 1: PAANO BA ANG MANGARAP?

Sabi-Sabi: Ang taong walang pangarap ay walang hinaharap.

Sabi ng lola ko, kung pipili ka ng magiging asawa, importante yung tipo ng taong may ambisyon at may diskarte. Kahit hindi mayaman sa pera basta mayaman sa pangarap, may

pag-asa ang future mo sa taong Dreaming may come through iba kumukuha muna ng AB or iyon. Dahil sa pangarap, may an evolution.

BS subjects, tapos sa third and rason siyang magsumikap para Malaking factor ang estado sa fourth years na magme-major. mapaganda ang buhay at matu- buhay. Those who grew up with Then may be doon na magsipad ang mga inaasam-asam. less, might dream big. Those simula ang pangangarap.

Noong bata pa tayo, ang lag- who have more, may not even Ang pangangarap ay puedeng ing tanong sa atin – What do dream at all. Or baligtad. Kung maging emotional or maging you want to be when you grow mahirap ka ay wala ka nang practical. Tulad ng isang anak up? In other words, ang tanong oras mangarap kasi nasabak ka ko na gustong maging isang ay “Ano’ng pangarap mo paglaki na agad sa paghahanapbuhay. fashion designer dahil sa hilig, mo?”

At kung ipinanganak ka naman pero at the same time nag-seNaaalala ko na may isa akong na mayaman, lalu mo pang gus- search kung ano ang highestpanayam noong high school ako tong yumaman o lagpasan ang paid professions. na ang sagot ko ay gusto kong achievements ng iyong pamiMalaki rin ang role ng mamaging isang fashion model. lya. gulang. Meron yung magulang Pero sa pagkakaalam ko, wala Looks like, walang formula. na ang nangangarap para sa naman akong ginawa para ma- Walang mali o tamang formula. anak, at sila rin ang nagtututupad yun. So, hindi ako nag- Walang bata o matanda sa pan- lak sa kanila sa pangarap na ging modelo. Not even close to gangarap. yon. Strictly speaking, hindi it all.

Ako nga, di ko na-re-remem- dapat ganun. Hayaan dapat ang Hindi ako sigurado kung ber na naging marubdob ang batang mangarap at kumilos marami sa atin ang bata pa kalooban ko sa isang panga- sa pagtupad ng pangarap niya. lang ay alam na kung ano gusto rap or that I worked hard for a Alalay lang tayong mga manilang “maging” paglaki nila. dream. gulang. Pero wala naman daw Among my older magulang ang children, wala masama ang akong nakitang hangad para sa nangarap nang mga anak. Huganun kaaga. Ang Looks like, walang formula. wag lang sosobra Walang mali o tamang formula. bunso ko naman sa pakikialam.

Walang bata o matanda sa ay may gustong To my mind, pangangarap. “maging” pero nag-uumpisa at 13 years of age, ang pangarap sa she was googling discovery o pagwhat the highest tuklas. paid professions You discovin Canada are. Smart di ba?

Kadalasan pag nakapag- er kung ano gusto mo gawin.

Kelan ba nag-uumpisang kolehiyo ang bata, doon nag- Na-discover mo kung ano ang mangarap ang isang tao? Hin- uumpisa ang pagpaplano kasi magandang gawin. Na-discover di naman kailangan maging kailangan niyang mag-major o mo na kailangan kang tumuchronological ang pangangarap, mag-enrol sa isang kurso. Ma- long sa ganitong paraaan. Nameaning hindi naman dapat hirap kasi na hindi mo alam discover mo na masu-sustain umpisahan ng bata pa lang ta- ang gusto mo, sayang ang pang- ang kabuhayan ng pamilya pos matupad pag lumaki na. enrol kadalasan. Kaya yung kung maipagpapatuloy mo ang www.canadianinquirer.net

isang bagay or gawain.

Na-discover mo na maaahon mo ang pamilya sa kahirapan dahil sa isang pangarap. Na-discover mo na maraming oportunidad ang naghihintay sa iyo sa larangang iyon.

Dito nag-uumpisa ang pangangarap nating makapagabroad.

Bagama’t hindi dapat mawala ang ating pag-asa na isang araw ay makababangon din ang ating bansa, hindi rin marahil mawawala sa ating diwa ang ideyang sumubok na makapangibang-bansa. Hindi lang sa dahilang pang-kabuhayan kundi gawa rin ng likas na pagiging adventurous and daring ng mga Pilipino. Mahaba ang history ng mga Pinoy sa larangan ng pangingibang-bansa.

Ang Totoo: Mapaglaro ang kapalaran. May pangarap ka, wala kang pangarap, basta matatag ka at handang humarap sa laban ng buhay dito man o sa abroad, may magandang bukas na maghihintay. ■ Bolet is a marketing communications practitioner and dabbles in writing as a personal passion.

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

24

Entertainment ‘Infinity War’ opens with record $250M, passing ‘Star Wars’

BY JAKE COYLE The Associated Press NEW YORK — A whole lot of superheroes added up to a whole lot of ticket sales. The superhero smorgasbord “Avengers: Infinity Wars” opened with predictable shock-and-awe, earning $250 million in box office over the weekend and edging past “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” to set the highest opening weekend of all-time.

“Infinity War,” which brings together some two dozen superheroes in the 10-year culmination of Marvel Studio’s “cinematic universe,” also set a new global opening record with $630 million even though it’s yet to open in China, the world’s second-largest movie market. It opens there May 11.

According to the Walt Disney Co.’s estimates Sunday, “Infinity War” overwhelmed the previous global best (“The Fate of the Furious” with $541.9 million) but narrowly topped “The Force Awakens” in North America. The “Star Wars” reboot debuted with $248 million in 2015, which would translate to about $260 million accounting for inflation.

But both intergalactic behemoths belong to Disney, which now owns nine of the top 10 opening weekends ever — six belonging to Marvel releases.

That includes “Black Panther,”

which has grossed $1.3 billion since opening in February and still managed to rank fifth at this weekend’s box office, thanks partially to Marvel fans self-programming a doublefeature.

The track record for Marvel, along with the hyper, extravagant effort put into the longplanned “Infinity War,” made the record-setting weekend something of a fait accompli. After ten years, 18 prior films and some $15 billion in box office, the weekend was an assured and long-awaited coronation for Kevin Feige’s Marvel, the most dominant force in a Hollywood with precious few sure things.

“To have now the biggest movie of domestic history as one of the Marvel cinematic universe films seems like a fitting tribute to the Marvel Studios team which has had just an astounding, unmatched run in the last decade,” said Dave Hollis, head of distribution for Disney.

By any measure, the 2-hourand-40 minute-long “Infinity War” is one of the largest films ever assembled. With a production budget reportedly almost $300 million, Joe and Anthony Russo’s film brings together the stars of Marvel’s superhero stable, including Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther, Chris Evans’ Captain America, Mark

Ruffalo’s Hulk, and many more.

It was shot over 18 months back-to-back with a sequel due out next summer. Marvel spent years laying the groundwork for the big showdown, teasing its villain (Josh Brolin’s Thanos) since 2014. The result earned positive reviews (84 per cent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) and an A CinemaScore from audiences. All but one of Marvel’s 19 cinematic universe releases has scored an A CinemaScore.

As if to further stamp its pronounced enormity, “Infinity War” was also the first film shot entirely with IMAX cameras. (Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” was mostly shot on IMAX.) IMAX screenings accounted for a record $41 million of the weekend’s global ticket sales. Greg Foster, head of entertainment for IMAX Corp, said the success of Marvel stands apart from Hollywood’s other mega franchises.

“This isn’t something that their parents saw. This isn’t an old franchise that their parents saw when they were 20,” said Foster. “This is theirs. The Marvel universe is the group of characters that this generation owns.”

No new wide releases dared to compete with “Infinity War,” which played at 4,474 theatres in North America. In a very distant second place was John Krasinski’s “A Quiet Place” with $10.7 million in its fourth

week. With $148.2 million in total ticket sales, the Paramount Pictures thriller had topped the box office three of the last four weekends.

Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for comScore, credited Marvel with the potent lead-up to “Infinity Wars” with “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Thor: Ragnarok” and “Black Panther” — all successful and well-reviewed entries.

“This brought the world together this weekend,” said Dergarabedian. “That’s what these movies do: They remind us why we love going to the movie theatre. A movie like this shows the singular and unique experience of going into a movie theatre.”

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and

Canadian theatres, according to comScore. Where available, the latest international numbers for Friday through Sunday are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “Avengers: Infinity War,” $250 million ($380 million international).

2. “A Quiet Place,” $10.7 million.

3. “I Feel Pretty,” $8.1 million.

4. “Rampage,” $7.1 million.

5. “Black Panther,” $4.4 million.

6. “Super Troopers 2,” $3.6 million.

7. “Blumhouse’s Truth or Dare,” $3.2 million.

8. “Blockers,” $2.9 million.

9. “Ready Player One,” $2.4 million.

10. “Traffik,” $1.6 million. ■

Ivanka Trump’s brand said it no longer does business with Huajian and “continues to take supply chain integrity very seriously.”

“Amazing China” has smashed box-office records for documentary films. Midday screenings during the week sold out immediately, suggesting either unquenchable public appetite or organized bulk ticket sales.

None of the viewers surveyed by the AP had purchased their own tickets. Instead, they got them from state-run companies, neighbourhood committees or government departments that handed them out as part of their “party building work.”

Douban, a popular film review website in China, blocked users from commenting on the movie. The only entries came

from official media, which gave it an 8.5 out of 10 ranking — a far cry from the single star awarded on Amazon’s IMDb.com.

But for some, “Amazing China” came as welcome reaffirmation of China’s readiness to resume its rightful place in the community of great nations.

“I did not know how good our country is until I watched this movie,” said Zuo Qianyi, a 68-year-old retiree. “I have

been to many countries, Britain, Spain, and they are not as good as China, at least not as Shanghai. I am very happy, and I will love my country more.” ■

MARVEL STUDIOS

‘Amazing China...’ ❰❰ 20

excessive overtime, low pay, and verbal and physical abuse — all charges Huajian has denied.

The company declined to comment to the AP. Three men working with China Labor Watch were arrested in China last year after their investigation of Ivanka Trump’s suppliers zeroed in on Huajian.

They are out on bail, but remain under police surveillance.

www.canadianinquirer.net

Meseret contributed from Addis Ababa. Associated Press reporter Chris Hulme in New York, researchers Si Chen and Fu Ting in Shanghai and Shanshan Wang in Beijing contributed.

Entertainment

FRIDAY MAY 4, 2018

25

Documentary chronicles New York Times’ year covering Trump

BY JAKE COYLE The Associated Press

BABYLON SHORT FILM / FACEBOOK

Pinoy short film bags awards in Brazil

BY KATHERINE PADILLA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Babylon, a Filipino short film directed by Keith Deligero, bagged awards at IV Fronteira Festival in Brazil.

Babylon on April 22 was chosen as the Best Short Film by the Official and Young juries of the international documentary and experimental film festival.

“The surprising and surreal approach of comedy in the context of a Philippines on the verge of a tyrannical attack, by revealing a comic inventionability rarely seen on the experimental scene,” the Official Jury said.

The Young Jury called the short film “unpretentious” and praised its “fantastic narrative” that brought out “the dirtiest side of dictatorial regimes.”

“The film denounces this moralistic and authoritarian policy that contributes gradually to the extermination of the marginalized groups of the society,” the Young Jury said.

“Still sarcastically, we have a work that proposes us not only reflection on the context in which we live, but also a sense of redemption capable of arousing real desire for rebellion,” it added.

In an acceptance speech video shot “straight-outta-Talam-

ban” in Cebu, Deligero thanked the juries for the recognition.

“It is a very important film for us, the crew. We would like to also thank Fronteira Film Festival for giving us the opportunity to be able to share our little film with your audience,” he said.

This is not the first award Babylon had received. In 2017, it was also named Best Short Film at QCinema International Film Festival.

Deligero’s Babylon also competed at 68th Berlin International Film Festival, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival 2018, Kyiv International Short Film Festival 2018, and VIS Vienna Shorts 2018.

Babylon’s plot reads, “Two young girls travel through time to assassinate a small town dictator to revise history along with local members of the resistance, Jay, who aspires to become a Jai Alai player, and Irma, who just became a pilot.

All the while a widower is plotting her own revenge against the same man. They all get into a weird mixed-up adventure with a talking chicken, a videoke machine from the future, a set of violent triplets and prank calls from the 90s.”

It stars Rhylles Cameron, Patricia Zosa, Nicole Blackman, Rya De Guzman, Maricel Sombrio, Publio Briones and Robert. ■

NEW YORK — Liz Garbus’ first day shooting inside The New York Times newsroom was President Donald Trump’s inauguration day. Her final day was April 16, when the Pulitzer Prizes announced the Times had won three of the coveted awards.

In between, she spent more than a year documenting one of journalism’s most distinguished institutions while it grappled with, and tirelessly reported on, an unprecedented presidency. From the first moments of “The Fourth Estate” — as Times Executive Editor Dean Baquet watches Trump sworn on a screen in the newsroom — there’s the dramatic air of a gauntlet being thrown down.

“What a story,” marvels Baquet.

The first episode of “The Fourth Estate” premiered Saturday as the closing night film at the Tribeca Film Festival.

It will air on Showtime beginning May 27. A bracing, reallife thriller with shades of “All the President’s Men” (Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross supply the propulsive soundtrack), the docu-series gives a rare view of the day-to-day toil of investigative journalists navigating an unpredictable and ceaseless story.

And in giving such a window into the machinations of The New York Times, “The Fourth Estate” surely will give fodder to both supporters and critics of the newspaper.

Trump has frequently attacked the press, but his gripes with “the failing New York Times ,” as he has repeatedly called it, have been especially pronounced. He recently called White House correspondent Maggie Haberman, who shared in one of the Pulitzers, a “thirdrate reporter” and claimed he doesn’t speak to her. Haberman, a key figure in the documentary, is seen interviewing Trump by phone in “The Fourth Estate.”

“I honestly believe if people get a look inside the newsroom www.canadianinquirer.net

of the New York Times, it will only help us,” Baquet said in an interview.

“It humanizes the New York Times. It shows our flaws, too.

How could it not?” said Baquet.

“But it shows a bunch of reporters and their editors struggling to cover a big story. It shows the impact it has on our daily lives when we do that. I think it shows us as regular people as opposed to arrogant, distant, whatever the worst is people think of us. I think it’s good for the Times, and I think it’s good for journalism.”

Garbus, whose 2015 Nina Simone documentary “What Happened, Miss Simone?” was nominated for an Oscar, first conceived of the project while contemplating postelection subjects. When Trump, then president-elect, engaged with a back-and-forth with the Times over an interview at the newspaper’s offices, a light bulb went off.

“I thought: Wow. Wouldn’t it be great to be a fly on the wall of this president-elect meeting with his hometown newspaper that he constantly disparaged yet clearly craves its positive coverage? What an interesting dynamic, what an interesting relationship,” Garbus said.

Garbus initially reached out to the newspaper through a friend, Times Magazine writer Jonathan Maler. He introduced her to Sam Dolnick, an assistant editor, who brought the idea to Baquet.

An agreement was quickly reached so Garbus could begin shooting by January. Participation would be up to individual reporters. If the cameras picked up a confidential source or something off-the-record, Garbus immediately deleted the footage.

Baquet grants the newsroom was “mixed” on having cameras in its midst and that some found it intrusive. But many of the reporters frequently documented include some of the newspaper’s page-one regulars: Michael S. Schmidt , Matt Apuzzo , Adam Goldman , Mark Mazzetti and Haberman . Many scenes focus on landing scoops

and the newsroom conversations over framing a day’s news.

One scene captures Washington Bureau Chief Elisabeth Bumiller in a tense disagreement with editors in New York over coverage of the president’s State of the Union address.

Other scenes focus on the personal toll of keeping up with a relentless news cycle.

“I saw people struggling with questions of how to face a relentless assault on norms,” Garbus said. “And I saw investigative journalists faced with a story of a lifetime and at the top of their game. I saw human beings who are competitive by nature engaged in a dogfight.”

The inner-workings of the Times have been documented before. In 2011’s “Page One: Inside The New York Times,” filmmaker Andrew Rossi focused on the newspaper’s media desk at a time of digital transformation. Though the Times’ own review, by freelance writer Michael Kinsey, slammed the film as “a mess,” it helped establish the enduring cult of the late David Carr. His dressing down of Shane Smith, co-founder of media company Vice, remains a beloved defence of old-school journalism.

Such transparency, Baquet said, “helps build our credibility.”

“If people see Maggie Haberman go about her business and how much reporting she does, I think if people see the Washington bureau struggling with covering the daily news, it builds our credibility,” he said.

“It lets people see how much work goes into it, the complexity. To be frank, it’s a group of dedicated professions trying to do their jobs.”

The beginning of “The Fourth Estate” captures the veteran newsman thrilled by the challenge of covering a Trump presidency. “Great stories trump everything else, right?” Baquet says. After a year and half of covering the administration, does he feel the same way?

“Do I think it trumps everything? Probably not,” Baquet said, chuckling. “It trumps a lot but probably not everything.” ■

26

Lifestyle Turning a nightmare into ‘dream come true’

BY MA. CRISTINA ARAYATA Philippine News Agency MANILA — Climbing the corporate ladder may require one to shed sweat and tears. For one leader, Rebecca Bustamante, she had to deal with nightmares, but has always been determined to reach the top.

The Philippine News Agency (PNA) sat down with Bustamante to find out how the former overseas Filipino worker (OFW) became a boss and a respected company president.

The 52-year old Bustamante had been through a lot. As a child, she was raped by a neighbor and even molested by her father. She was also bullied in school.

With tears welling up in her eyes, she said it is but okay to tell others about her past.

“It’s fine with me. I’m okay now,” she uttered, indicating that she had moved on from what happened. She said telling her story could inspire other women who had the same experience.

“Others prefer to keep quiet. I want to inspire them. If they see my status now, then they could tell themselves they could also surpass that and move on with their lives,” she said.

Life was hard for the young Bustamante. Her mother died when she was a teenager. At 19, she had to shoulder the responsibilities of paying their bills and sending her siblings to school by working as a domestic helper (DH) in Singapore. Rebecca is 7th among 11 children.

“I was mistreated as a DH. Imagine I was 19, and I had to

carry the burden of thinking awards that recognizes leadif the family had food to eat, if ers in the country and across they are okay back home,” she the Asian region. She’s also the said. founder of the Chalre AssociShe was an OFW for three ates, which focuses its Senior and a half years in Singapore, Manager Staffing services in and two years in Canada. emerging countries of the Asia It was during those times that Pacific. she had a vision — that she must The Asia CEO Awards was do something to make a change, conceptualized by the couple make a difference. to also recognize the struggles “I told myself I shouldn’t be of CEOs (Chief Executive Oflike this forever. I shouldn’t be ficers). dealing with poverty, hardships “It’s for the people at the botforever,” she said. tom to be inspired. I want them Bustamante admitted, how- to realize that these CEOs were ever, that she had no regrets also at the bottom before, and about her past. “I believe that have struggled to slowly climb everything I’ve been through the ladder,” she said. was necessary to make me who Bustamante explained that I am today,” she remarked. having the Asia CEO awards The former OFW shared that will enable other employees to she used her spare time in Sin- hear the bosses’ success stories. Rebecca Bustamante. gapore to improve herself and “I want the CEOs to serve as an tough,” she said, adding that gain more knowledge. She used example,” she added. being tough is actually hard beher days off to go to school, cause the expectations become got part-time jobs, read lots of A good leader For Bustamante, these are too high. books, attended some trainings, 3. He or she should show coland also studied personality de- some of the qualities of a good leader: leagues that they are just equal. velopment.

1. He or she must be a good “Let them know that they’re “I look at things differently. I equal, and that they are togethknow that it was through Him example to colleagues.

“Show your people what you er in the same goal or project.”

(God) that I survived,” emphaexpect. Don’t just tell them; you To be on top of the corporate sized Bustamante. ladder, Busta“I came back mante said one (to the Philipshould always pines) armed ask himself or with a vision,” I believe that everything I’ve been herself what can she continued. through was necessary to make me he or she conBustamante who I am today. tribute to the and her huscompany. band, Richard “Isn’t it during Mills had a busijob interviews, ness, which she people often ask described as a how much is the salary, etc? The “headhunter for multinational must be able to show and lead question should be ‘what can I firms”. “But we’re not focused them,” she remarked. contribute to this company?”

2. He or she should have a on that now. Our focus now is she commented, emphasizing the Asia CEO Awards,” she said. heart.

“He should have a heart for that it’s not about what the perShe is the president of the Asia CEO Awards, a business the people, but must be also son could get from the compa-

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ny, but the things that he or she can do for the company.

To reach the top, Bustamante shared it’s also important that you love what you do, and to be mindful of what is right.

The mother of two boys also cited that good leaders know the value of time management and a good relationship with their colleagues.

The humble leader

“I don’t consider myself successful. I still feel the same,” emphasized Bustamante. “I’m not smart. I’m just normal.

Wherever I am now, I have worked for this,” she added.

She said her experiences were the best teachers, and made her discover that she could fight battles.

“He (God) led me to do the right things. He led me to where I am now,” Bustamante said. ■

Lifestyle

FRIDAY MAY 4, 2018

27

‘It’s limitless:’ Paralyzed toddler moves from homemade wheelchair to treadmill

BY CHRIS PURDY The Canadian Press EDMONTON — Evelyn Moore sings the alphabet song as her tiny running shoes plunk down on the treadmill.

The paralyzed 2 1/2-year old is strapped to the machine with a special harness, as two health workers lift her legs up and down to complete each step.

“All done,” the smiling toddler chirps as she’s unbuckled and carried off to continue her exercise routine.

The Edmonton girl made headlines and melted hearts in 2016 with images of her expertly rolling along in a homemade wheelchair that her father fashioned from a foam baby Bumbo seat, a cutting board and bike wheels.

At four-months-old, Evelyn was diagnosed with cancer and a tumour on her spine left her paralyzed below her arms. After several rounds of chemotherapy, doctors announced she was in remission, but the paralysis was permanent. They told her parents she could be fitted for a wheelchair after she turned two.

Her parents didn’t listen and, a few months later, the tot was in her homemade chair.

And now, her blond hair long

enough for bitty pigtails, Evelyn is hitting the gym and walking — with the help of machines.

“We aren’t taking the typical route that most parents will, and that’s OK,” says her mother, Kim Moore.

She explains that Alberta funds monthly home visits by occupational and physical therapists, but she wanted more therapy for her daughter.

“I’ve been told many times that my daughter is paralyzed, which I understand,” Moore says. “But that doesn’t mean she can’t walk. That doesn’t mean she can’t live a life that has quality to it.

“Really, it’s limitless.”

Last July, Evelyn became the youngest client at Edmonton’s non-profit ReYu Paralysis Recovery Centre.

Co-founder Bean Gill, who was paralyzed after she contracted an apparent virus six years ago, says the centre uses activity-based training to help people with spinal cord injuries, spina bifida, stroke, cerebral palsy, brain injuries and neurological conditions.

The repetitive form of rehabilitation has helped clients reach such milestones as learning to speak, signing their names and brushing their hair, she says.

Gill first saw Evelyn on the

Evelyn walking on a LiteGait trainer.

news in her Bumbo wheelchair and offered to help the feisty girl with so much potential.

By getting Evelyn on a treadmill for nearly an hour three to five times a week, even though she can’t walk on her own, she has gained bladder control, strengthened her immune system and developed muscles, says Gill.

Evelyn can slightly kick her legs.

And she can sit up without

using her hands.

“The best part is she doesn’t know it’s working out,” Gill says. “To her, it’s fun. She’s playing with a purpose.

“She’s turning into this sassy little lady. She’s going to take on the world and it’s awesome.”

Nancy Morrow, a neuro exercise specialist who teamed up with Gill to open the centre, says exercise repetition encourages the spinal cord and

its patterns to effectively “wake up.”

In addition to the treadmill, Morrow says Evelyn plays around on the floor with toys, takes juice breaks and throws temper tantrums — everything two-year-olds do.

And sometimes she gets strapped into a special mobility harness called an Upsee.

Evelyn gets strapped to the front of her father’s long legs, their four feet tied into the same shoe platform. Brad Moore walks stiffly around the ReYu exercise room, jokingly describing himself a giant Transformer robot as Evelyn plods along, pointing in the direction she wants him to take her.

Using the device, Evelyn was able to walk outside the centre last summer and, for the first time, stuck her nose into a bush. She hadn’t been able to do that before from the seat of her wheelchair. The moment brought her mother to tears.

Brad Moore says it’s amazing to see his daughter’s progress.

And even though she now has a real wheelchair, he’s holding onto her Bumbo one as a keepsake.

“One day when she has a better understanding of things, we’ll say, ‘This is where it started.’” ■

Canadian designers get boost from Meghan Markle’s love of their clothing

BY TARA DESCHAMPS The Canadian Press TORONTO — John Muscat was asleep on Nov. 27 last year when he became intertwined with a historical moment that will be remembered for decades, if not centuries.

Having hosted his annual Christmas bash the night before and planned to go into work late the next day, the Torontobased fashion designer woke up to find dozens of calls alerting him that Britain’s Prince Harry had announced his engagement that morning to “Suits” star

Meghan Markle, clad in a white wrap coat from the knitwear brand Line The Label, which Muscat co-founded.

The $799 coat solidified his place in an elite but growing club of Canadian fashion brands, including Sentaler, Mackage, Smythe and even Aritzia’s Babaton brand, that have been catapulted into the international spotlight since the actress’s engagement to Prince Harry. The designers boast that any time Markle appears in one of their items, it draws a flurry of new fans to their brands, setting fashion trends and often inspiring

knock-offs.

In the hours after Markle appeared in the coat, Muscat said Line’s Instagram traffic tripled, the company website was “overrun” and he was seeing thousands of requests for the coat, which already was difficult to nab because it was the end of the season.

“I ended up making 500 (more) just because I didn’t want the entire world to be a white coat. It would take away the specialness,” said Muscat.

“It was about the moment and what it did for the brand, not about selling a ton of white coats.” www.canadianinquirer.net

Though Line had been working with Markle for years, Muscat has never met her and didn’t get a heads up about the outfit when he was putting together a selection of items for her to take with her to London. He chalks it up to luck that the couple chose to make their engagement appearance outside, on a day with good weather — the kind of backdrop that would necessitate a coat like Line’s.

“There is a million different scenarios that could have happened. We are very lucky,” he said. “This will not happen again until (Duke of Cambridge) William’s children get

engaged or married. In this century it has happened, what six or seven times, and we are part of that exclusive club now.”

It wasn’t the first time Markle stepped out in his designs. In her “Suits” days, she was seen around Toronto in some of his sweaters and the engagement coat in two other colours. She was previously spotted in London wearing one of his leather jackets, and at the closing ceremony for Prince Harry’s Invictus Games in Toronto in September, she was in the stands in a silk coat from Line. ❱❱ PAGE 28 Canadian designers

28

Lifestyle

MAY 4, 2018

FRIDAY

Electric work at Copshaholm turns up historical finds

BY BECKY MALEWITZ The Associated Press

Meghan Markle in a white wrap coat from The Label.

THE ROYAL FAMILY

Canadian designers... ❰❰ 27

Within seconds of her making such appearances, fashionistas turned into super sleuths, tracking down who’s behind every garment and accessory she’s clad in and documenting them on fan sites with monikers like What Meghan Wore, Meghan’s Mirror and Mad About Meghan.

Amongst Burberry tartan coats, Alexander McQueen suits and Strathberry handbags, they’ve noticed a few Canadian touches: the 18-karat yellow gold and opal earrings from Montreal-based fine jewellery brand Birks she wore while announcing her impending nuptials; the burgundy jacket from Mackage, also of Montreal fame, she donned while at the Invictus Games’ closing ceremony in Toronto last year; and even the twill trench coat from Vancouver’s Babaton she sported at the Invictus Games trials earlier this year.

She’s also proven to be a big fan of Toronto-based womenswear designer Bojana Sentaler, whose $1,695 camel-coloured baby alpaca wrap coat she wore at church with the Queen and other members of the British monarchy on Christmas Day last year, and whose $395 classic wrap scarf in sand grey she’s been seen shopping in.

Sentaler said she’s lucky that Markle’s minimalist style is sprinkled with many of the same hallmarks of her designs: clean silhouettes and elegant yet feminine looks.

“Whatever Meghan ends up wearing, it ends up selling out right away and then it goes on back order,” said Sentaler.

“Women get very excited to

own a piece that one of the royals wore.”

Ben Barry, Ryerson University’s School of Fashion chair, expects those in their twenties and thirties or people who are interested in fashion, royalwatching and celebrity culture to be most attracted to keeping up with Markle’s style cues, which could be valuable for brands.

“She represents a specific lifestyle that will appeal to a certain customer, but to other customers she is totally inaccessible (with) that kind of wealth, that kind of privilege,” he said. “People that might have a certain privilege, a certain lifestyle might say… ‘I see myself in her, so I do want to follow her fashion choices,’” he said.

Many of the Canadian brands Markle has championed have a European presence, but still have room for expansion across the continent, said Barry.

“The U.K. is a major market in fashion so she presents an entry for Canadian brands into this really competitive but lucrative market,” he said. “That’s a huge opportunity.”

Whether she continues to put Canadian companies in the spotlight, remains to be seen, but Barry is optimistic.

“Hopefully what she has done is develop a relationship with these brands because she likes their brand, their story and their values and will continue to wear them,” he said. “If she sees her influence is putting Canadian fashion on the global map, particularly for emerging brands, maybe she will want to continue.” ■

SOUTH BEND, IND. — Thanks to the electrical work going on inside Copshaholm Mansion, The History Museum has one more item it can add to its collection, a vintage risque magazine found in the basement ceiling.

“I assume one of the workers left it when they were doing the work,” Copshaholm curator Kristie Erickson says about the renovation work that was done on the mansion in the 1930s.

“I have it in an acid-free folder in my office. I will have to catalogue it.”

The electrical work being done inside the mansion has turned up several interesting finds — construction workers’ names, addresses and phone numbers written on particle board installed in 1938, and window arches and doorways in the basement that had been covered up.

Erickson points out char marks on the ceiling of the basement, underneath where the den’s fireplace sits on the floor above.

“Nobody ever mentioned a fire in the house,” she says. “It probably didn’t make it up out of the basement because it was fairly quickly extinguished, but we had no idea.”

The electrical work also has answered the longtime mystery of why there were holes set into the wall of the kitchen by the basement door: It was the end point of a speaking tube, the other end of which is inside the carriage house.

The museum is offering a tour titled “Gaslights & Granite Boulders” this Saturday where visitors will get to take a look at the house’s basement and other spaces where work is being done. The tour is sold out, but there is a waiting list.

Electrical work on the house began in August in order to replace all of the wiring inside the house, which the Oliver family built in the late 1800s. It is expected to wrap up in October.

“So we’ve still got a lot of the original wiring in the house, the knob and tube wiring, which was the second type of home www.canadianinquirer.net

wiring system, which is not terribly safe,” Erickson says.

The project, which costs an estimated $350,000, is happening thanks to a $150,000 Arts Everywhere Grant from the Community Foundation of St. Joseph County and two anonymous donors.

The electrical system was found to be a top priority for the preservation of the home after an assessment by CTA Architects out of Bozeman, Mont.

In the future, the museum will install a new HVAC system, which would replace the hot water radiator system original to the house, and renovate the veranda.

So where do you start when trying to rewire a home built more than a century ago?

“Kurt led the charge on us playing a game of almost hideand-seek called ‘What does this fuse do?’” History Museum deputy executive director Brandon Anderson says about the project’s electrician, Kurt Hornack.

Hornack works for Martell Electric out of South Bend, and both Anderson and Erickson refer to him as a wizard of electrical lines and the “conductor of our orchestra for all of this.” “(We were) going around the entire house with walkietalkies saying, ‘Flip this switch, turn this breaker off, what happened?’ Third-floor plug, and a sconce, second-floor bedroom plug and a chandelier, firstfloor corner of the main hall and a switch in the basement,” Anderson says. “This house is a spider web of electrical, and it just continues to grow. Now, this allows us to create a new map of the electrical system.”

Thus far, the electoral work, which started in the basement, has extended into the library, morning room and kitchen, all of which are now completed.

One of the more exciting developments is that now the lamps above the paintings in the library work.

“We thought initially with all these picture lights, which didn’t work for several decades, there was a switch that didn’t do anything,” Erickson says.

She adds that they were afraid that in order to get the lamps to work they would need to move

the bookcases that were bolted to the walls.

“Then we discovered that the wiring for these lights actually went into the bookcase and down through the bottom of the book case, because that makes sense,” Erickson says. So we couldn’t even move them out if we wanted to.”

Lucky for the museum, their electrical wizard was able to fish out the lines that went through the bookcases, and the lights above the paintings now work for the first time in decades.

“Now we get to see the paintings in the room as the family would have seen them, how they were meant to be seen,” Erickson says.

Working in the basement when asked how much wire it will take to finish the project, Hornack points to a spool and says he’s already well into his second, and each spool contains 1,000 feet of wire.

Although he hadn’t been inside the Oliver Mansion prior to the job, he quickly realized it was special.

“I actually loved this place when I went through it the first time. I realized this is going to be a very nice project. I may retire here,” he jokes.

With their electrical wizard on the job and paying close attention to detail, Anderson and Erickson hope that when finished, nobody will even be able to tell the work was done.

“Everything is being very closely and accurately monitored by Kristi and myself for historical authenticity and historical integrity,” Anderson says. “Our goal has always been, everything that we have to replace (and) anything that we have to redo, nobody except the people who were involved with the project would be able to know. We are bringing the rooms as they were before, just making the necessary changes in the house for the future preservation.” ■

29

Sports Davao’s Berja captures 7 medals in PRISAA Nat’l Games

BY JEAN MALANUM Philippine News Agency

Paglinawan.

“I was motivated to win here because I did not get any medal in Vigan,” said Berja, a member of the 4 x 50 medley relay squad which placed fourth in the Palarong Pambansa last week.

“This is my first time competing in PRISAA and I’m happy that I was able to get five golds and two silvers. I would like to dedicate my victory to God for giving me the talent and my family,” said the incoming Grade 11 student at the Maryknoll School of Lambajon in Baganga town.

The 5-foot-6 Berja, whose favorite event is breaststroke, has been training under SPO2 Emilio Lim since he learned to swim eight years ago.

(100-m breaststroke and 100m freestyle) in the Davao Regional Athletic Association last February.

TAGBILARAN CITY — Jo“I hope to compete in other marie Berja of Davao (Region tournaments and win,” said 11) bagged five golds and two Berja, the youngest of six sibsilvers to become the most belings. His father is a mechanic medalled swimmer in the youth while his mother is a plain boys category of the Private housewife.

Schools Athletic Association Meanwhile, Ranjo Gil NaSports Foundation, Inc. (PRIpoles of Soccsksargen (Region SAA) National Games here.

12) defeated Mark Anoy Austria The 17-year-old athlete from of Davao by unanimous deciBarangay Lambajon in Davao sion to clinch the gold medal in Oriental topped the 100-m the senior boys 69kgs division breaststroke (1:13.13), 200-m of the boxing competition held breaststroke (2:43.85), 200-m at the Bohol Island State UniIndividual Medley (2:27.09), versity.

400-m Individual Medley Other winners were SOCC(5:26.76) and 200-m Medley reSKSARGEN’s Reymark Jan lay (2:02.93) events at the UniIbones (60kgs) and Central versity of Bohol’s Visayas bets Victoriano D. Seth Gentallan Tirol Advanced (46kgs), Marco Learning CenRomar (52kgs), ter swimming This is my first time competing in Regie Suganob PRISAA and I’m happy that I was pool. His two (49kgs), Rodel able to get five golds and two silver medals Suganob (56kgs), silvers. I would like to dedicate my came from the Cherwellah Canvictory to God for giving me the 200-m freestyle tel (64kgs) and talent and my family.

(2:13.03) and the Gilbert Arceo 200-m freestyle (75kgs). relay (1:52.79) In taekwondo events. poomsae (form), His teammates in the 200-m “On weekdays, I swim for one Aldrein Abrio of Central ViMedley Relay are Selwyn Rex hour in the morning one hour sayas won the individual gold Cirunay, Blu Cabilete and Alt- in the afternoon. On weekends, in Group A while Marc Colin edy Jamesa Sumaoy, while the I spend three hours in the pool Luzada of Northern Mindanao other swimmers in the 200-m only in the morning,” said Ber- topped Group B in the senior freestyle relay team are Cabi- ja, who won one gold (200-m boys division. Mikee Rose Regalete, Cirunay and Geroge Karlo breaststroke) and two silvers la (Group A) and Menchit Maca-

Jomarie Berja of Davao Region with his seven medals.

JEAN MALANUM / PNA

sero (Group B) were the winners in the senior girls division.

In the team event, Bicol Region bagged the senior boys gold while Soccsksargen ruled the senior girls as well as the mixed team event.

In the juniors division, Emmanuel Christopher Austria of Bicol Region (Group A) and Kyslev Guzman of Cagayan Valley (Group B) won the gold in the individual boys category. Jammie Hannah Agaloos (Group A) and Cindy Joy Diasnes (Group B) of Central Visayas won the individual girls category. Central Visayas also took the gold medals in the boys, girls and mixed team events.

In karatedo kata (form) event, Central Visayas grabbed

four golds coming from the Tracy Lynne Basalo (individual senior girls category), Gerald Baclaan (individual youth boys category), team senior girls category and team senior boys category.

Edcel Maribojoc of Northern Mindanao (Region 10) won the individual senior boys gold medal, while Darlene Rose Mara Mara of Davao (Region 11) won the individual youth girls gold medal.

More than 4,000 athletes from 16 regions are competing in the PRISAA National Games, which is supported by the Commission on Higher Education and the Philippine Sports Commission. ■

Young PH booters to be sent to Russia for football camp

BY IVAN STEWART SALDAJENO Philippine News Agency MANILA — Two young Filipino footballers will head to Russia for the Football for Friendship (F4F) social program.

AJ Boy Victoriano and Matteo De Venecia, both 12-yearold booters, earned the distinction of becoming the first two

Filipinos who will participate in the said youth football camp supported by FIFA and Gazprom, the main sponsor of the Russian Premier League.

Victoriano will take part in the training proper and a 32-team Gazprom Football for Friendship International Championship.

De Venecia, on the other hand, will be part of the International Children’s Press Cen-

ter, where the members will provide the latest updates in the F4F program.

Both youngsters will also take part in the Football for Friendship International Children’s Forum, speaking in front of their fellow participants and well-known football stars and journalists.

Capping their trip to Russia is an opportunity to watch the opening night of the FIFA www.canadianinquirer.net

World Cup in the flesh.

“The selection of the young ambassadors from Philippines is an extension of our support to this unique global initiative.

The programme is a wonderful opportunity for the ambassadors to build ties of friendship among children from around the world and foster peace and harmony through the beautiful game of football. We wish our young ambassadors all the best

for the programme and look forward to their contribution in promoting the key values of the programme, in Russia, as well as in Philippines,” said Michael Reyes, the managing director of Team Socceroo.

Since letting go of its UFL franchise, Socceroo kept its focus on its youth academy, solidifying its stand as one of the top youth football academies in the Philippines. ■

30

Business TD Bank raises 5 year posted mortgage rate, Royal Bank also upping rate

BY ARMINA LIGAYA The Canadian Press TORONTO — Two of Canada’s biggest banks are raising their benchmark mortgage rates.

Royal Bank of Canada said Friday it plans to raise its posted rate for a five-year fixed-rate mortgage on Monday to 5.34 per cent compared with the 5.14 per cent currently posted.

The increase follows a move

by Toronto-Dominion Bank on Wednesday to increase its posted rate for a five-year fixed mortgage to 5.59 per cent from 5.14 per cent, as well as its other fixed rates by between 10 and 15 basis points.

Royal Bank spokesman AJ Goodman said the bank considers various factors when changing mortgage rates “including our funding costs and market conditions.”

“Based on current conditions, our rates reflect the right balance between our clients’ expectations and our costs of funding mortgages,” he said in an email.

The increases come as government bond yields rise, with the yield on the Government of

Canada benchmark five-year bond rising to 2.18 per cent on Wednesday. Fixed-rate mortgages tend to move with government bond yields of a similar term, reflecting the change in borrowing costs.

Mortgage planner and rate comparison website founder Robert McLister said the TD Bank increase is “unusual” as the benchmark posted rate for five-year fixed mortgages hasn’t seen a jump of 45 basis points or more since March 2010.

Funding costs for the banks have gone up, and banks may be trying to recapture some of its profitability, he said. “But that alone does not justify a 45 basis point hike,” McLister said.

TD spokeswoman Julie Bellissimo said factors considered when determining rates include “competitive landscape, the cost of lending and managing risk.”

“Adjusting our rates is not a decision we take lightly…. Even with this change, lending rates remain competitive and at historically low levels,” she said in an email.

TD also increased its posted closed rates for two-year, three-

year mortgage by 10 points each to 3.44 per cent and 3.59 per cent, respectively. TD increased its sixyear and seven-year mortgages by 50 points each to 5.64 per cent and 5.8 per cent, respectively.

RBC will be increasing its posted rates for one-to-four year fixed mortgages by 15 basis points, to between 3.49 per cent to 5.04 per cent. Canada’s largest lender is also increasing its posted rates for its five-to-ten year fixed mortgages by 20 basis points, with the seven-year rate and 10-year rates increasing to 5.8 per cent and 6.6 per cent, respectively.

However, RBC said it will reduce its offered rate for a fiveyear variable closed mortgage to 3.3 per cent from 3.45 per cent on Monday.

TD cut its five-year variable closed rate offering for new and renewed mortgages earlier this month to 2.85 per cent which is 75 basis points less than its TD Mortgage Prime Rate.

Previously it was 2.95 per cent, or 65 basis points less than its TD Mortgage Prime Rate.

The rate changes were not universal across the Canadian banking sector.

Toronto-Dominion Bank.

Bank of Nova Scotia spokesman Lukas Gerber said Friday the lender has not increased its posted mortgage rates since January but “cannot elaborate on pricing changes we might be considering.”

A CIBC spokesman also said there were no changes to its posted mortgage rates.

McLister said the actual rates banks offer to borrowers are not seeing the same increase, but notes the Bank of Canada uses the posted rates at the big banks to calculate the rate used in stress tests to determine whether homebuyers qualify for loans.

Homebuyers with less than 20 per cent down payment

ROMAN TIRASPOLSKY / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

seeking an insured mortgage must qualify at the central bank’s benchmark five-year mortgage rate, which was posted at 5.14 per cent on Wednesday. And as of Jan. 1, homebuyers who don’t need mortgage insurance must prove they can make payments at a qualifying rate of the greater of two percentage points higher than the contractual mortgage rate or the central bank’s five-year benchmark rate.

Nearly half of all existing mortgages in Canada will need to be renewed this year, according to a CIBC Capital Markets report released earlier this month. ■

Office space demand seen to drive real estate growth

BY LESLIE GATPOLINTAN Philippine News Agency MANILA — Global real estate consulting firm JLL expects steady and continuing growth for the Philippine real estate sector this year, mainly on the back of the stable demand for office spaces with the country’s strong economic growth.

JLL Philippines Country Head Christophe Vicic said the high demand of the business process outsourcing (BPO) and gaming companies for office spaces is expected to boost developments even outside Metro Manila.

“We are quite confident that it will generate opportunity and it will make real estate industry grow again this year,” he said in an interview this week, following JLL’s acquisition of JCL International, a leading project and construction management company in the country.

Vicic noted that the current expansion of other companies and BPO firms looking for more office spaces will drive the growth of the office market.

“We think that leasing office space will grow between 10 and 15 percent (this year) and these include landlord area and tenant area,” he said.

“The new kid on the block is

flexible workspace, FlySpaces, WeWork, these are the newcomer in the real estate sector, where… they only lease a seat and have access to all the facilities, amenities,” he added.

On the residential segment, Vicic sees growth in the lowlevel segment condominium units ranging from PHP3 million to PHP6 million.

“In the mid-range, there is quite a lot of existing space in the market where we see a smaller growth in this area. And the luxury (residential property market), its (growth is) minimum because it’s really the big tickets and there are only a few developments at the mowww.canadianinquirer.net

ment on the luxury segment,” he added.

Meanwhile, Vicic said JLL and newly acquired JCL International are looking at some investment projects in hotel and hospitality sector.

“We are looking at providing consultancy and hotel management skills. We are also looking at some projects in the provinces where some (local) governments want to build new townships under the smart city masterplan, which have green areas, doing good to energy conservation,” he said.

JLL Asia Pacific chief executive officer Anthony Couse said: “For JLL, the acquisition will

significantly expand our existing project and construction platform, giving us the ability to offer our clients even more services.”

JCL services that will be incorporated into the JLL business include project management, construction management, cost and claims management, procurement management, design management, building audits and consultancy, energy management and audit, and management of testing and commissioning.

The company will operate as JCL International, as part of the JLL network, during the initial transition phase. ■

Business

FRIDAY MAY 4, 2018

31

PCSO posts P16-B Ease of Doing Business law revenues in Q1 2018 will raise PH’s global ranking PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY LIPA CITY, BATANGAS — The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) posted PHP 15,983,404,422 revenues in the first quarter this year, according to PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan during the media forum held Saturday at the Mount Malarayat Golf & Country Club Conference Hall here.

Balutan said the amount represented the combined revenues from all PCSO products such as Lotto, Keno, Sweepstakes and Small Town Lottery (STL) for the 1st Quarter of 2018, an increase of PHP 3.5 billion, or 28.24 percent, PHP 12, 458,466,313 in the same quarter last year.

He said Lotto, the highest income earner contributed PHP 7.6 billion, or 49 percent, of the total revenue followed by STL with a revenue of PHP 6.1 billion, equivalent to 38 percent , while other products contributed PHP 1.4 billion, or nine percent.

Balutan said revenues from STL increased by PHP 3,282,796,119, or 114 percent more than earned last year of PHP 2,877,462,813.

He described the STL revenue increase as “a resounding success of PCSO’s effort in implementing STL across the country and the government’s fight against all forms of illegal numbers game”.

He also recognized the efforts of PCSO’s partner, the Philippine National Police (PNP), in going against operators and agents of illegal numbers game nationwide, the cooperation of the local government officials for allowing the entry and operation of STL in their respective jurisdiction and to the public for accepting and patronizing STL. Balutan said the increase in PCSO income has resulted in more beneficiaries served through the flagship Individual Medical Assistance Program (IMAP), reaching out 120,356 patients nationwide during the 1st Quarter amounting to PHP 2,357,690,596.81 compared with the same period last year

where only 89,756 patients have been served with PHP 1,684,580,181.64 amount of assistance.

“Because we generated that much, PCSO was able to assist more patients, and this also means more funds, more patients will be served by PCSO,” stressed Balutan.

In addition, he said that PCSO has also disbursed PHP 446,611,677.31 to local government units (LGUs) where there are STL operations, Philippine National Police (PNP) and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG, an amount which is 138.8 percent higher than last year’s PHP 187,025,039.09 disbursement.

According to Balutan, PCSO has also disbursed a total of PHP 106,228,974.04 for the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) as well as PHP 3,595,378,698.80 in payment for various forms of taxes to the government.

PCSO will be reporting to the people every quarter to show that PCSO is transparent in all its undertakings, he said.

“We want to show the public especially those who are patronizing our gaming products where their money goes,” Balutan said.

Meanwhile, PCSO Chairman Anselmo Simeon Pinili, through his Chief of Staff Ted Quijano, said that the agency is on the right track towards achieving its PHP 60 billion revenue target for 2018 and with more revenue there will be more funds to distribute to its various charity programs intended to help Filipinos especially to the less fortunate.

Accordingly, PCSO spends 55 percent of the revenues for Prize Fund, 30 percent for Charity Fund, and 15 percent for Operating Fund. As of the 1st Quarter, it has paid-out PHP 772,160,958 to 16 Lotto jackpot winners led by 6/42 with six winners; three winners each for 6/45 and 6/49; and two winners each for 6/55 and 6/58 where 6/58 has the highest pay-out amounting to PHP 331,971,464. ■

BY KRIS CRISMUNDO Philippine News Agency MANILA — Hopes are high that the expected passage of The Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018 will help improve the country’s ranking in the World Bank and International Finance Corporation’s (IFC) 2019 Doing Business Report.

Trade and Industry Undersecretary Rowel Barba told reporters that the agency hopes that President Duterte will soon sign the legislation into law so it can be counted among the reforms implemented this year. The latest World BankIFC report covers the June 2017 to May 2018 period.

During the first quarter of the year, Congress passed the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Bill that amended Republic Act 9485 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007.

“It is still pending in Malacañang, and I think the Office of the Executive Secretary is asking for comments from other government agencies,” Barba said.

Barba mentioned that the Palace is seeking comments on a two-strike policy, that requires government offices to deliberate upon and issue permits in three, seven, or 20 days depending on the circum-

DTI welcomes World Bank-IFC.

stance, upon complete submission of requirements or face penalties.

The legislation also provides sanctions to civil servants who will not be able to comply with the “3-7-20 rule”. First offense would be a six-month suspension and the second offense would be termination from service.

“Some people are worried that we might run out of government employees,” the DTI official said in Filipino.

Last week, DTI officials met with representatives from the world Bank and IFC, who were conducting a validation mission on the Philippine govern-

DTI

ment’s reforms to ease doing business in the country.

The Philippines’ current ranking in the global report is 113th place after it slipped from 99th place.

The World bank-IFC report measures the ease of doing business in a given country through 11 indicators including Starting a Business, Dealing with Construction Permits, Getting Electricity, Registering Property, Getting Credit, Protecting Minority Investors, Paying Taxes, Trading across Borders, Enforcing Contracts, Resolving Insolvency, and Labor Market Regulation. ■

TSX to reopen Monday after ‘hardware failure’ causes outage Friday THE CANADIAN PRESS TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index will be open for business on Monday, after an unusual outage prompted the S&P/TSX to shut down early on Friday.

An “internal technical issue” prompted the TMX group to shut down its exchanges in Toronto and Montreal at 3 p.m.

Friday, with the last data reading showing the S&P/TSX up www.canadianinquirer.net

31.34 points at 15,668.93.

In a statement Saturday, TMX says the outage was caused by a “hardware failure in a central storage appliance.”

The company says it began fixing the problem Friday afternoon by replacing the defective module and verifying the integrity of the affected data.

It says that due to the timing of the incident, it was impossible to implement disaster recovery systems in time to re-

open on Friday.

TMX says the incident was not the result of a cyberattack.

“We apologize to all of our valued clients across Canada’s capital markets and around the world,” TMX CEO Lou Eccleston said in the Saturday statement.

“TMX is committed to applying the lessons learned from this incident to help us prevent such issues from recurring in the future.” ■

32

Technology Facebook advertisers shrug off its privacy scandal

BY MAE ANDERSON The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook’s troubles with Russian election meddlers, “fake news “ and misused data have dominated headlines globally.

But they don’t seem to be affecting Facebook’s bottom line, so far, as advertisers continue to flock to the service in droves.

Facebook’s revenue, which largely derives from ads, soared 49 per cent to $12 billion in the first three months of the year, the company announced on Wednesday. Profit jumped 63 per cent to $5 billion.

And despite a buzzy “DeleteFacebook” online campaign, both daily and monthly user numbers increased. More than 1.45 billion people check Facebook at least once a day, a 13 per cent increase from a year earlier.

Facebook is the second largest digital publisher in the world, behind Google. It raked in $39.94 billion in 2017 — about 17 per cent of total online ad spending, according to data firm eMarketer.

What makes Facebook is so attractive to advertisers? It’s the very data at the centre of its recent privacy scandal. Advertisers rely on the reams of data Facebook collects on its 2.2 billion users to specifically target their ads — baby shampoo to someone who is likely a new mom, for example — thus increasing the value of their ad spending.

But Facebook has been facing backlash about how it uses that data since news broke in March that the Trump-linked data-

mining firm Cambridge Ana- its tools to buy ads. According key part of advertisers’ plans, lytica had gained information to its data, over the two weeks they’re unlikely to leave Faceon up to 87 million users. in March after the Cambridge book because of the quality of Since the story broke, there Analytica news broke, ad spend- its data. have been some rumblings ing increased 7 per cent and 14.5 “While privacy and security that advertisers would flee the per cent, respectively. And for are very serious issues that platform. A few companies, in- the first quarter, which ended Facebook is rightly focusing on, cluding the German bank Com- March 30, advertising spending as long as the return-on-investmerzbank and speaker-maker rose 62 per cent, 4C said. ment is there, advertisers won’t Sonos, tempostop investing in rarily paused Facebook altotheir ads. If othgether,” he said. er brands had Brian Wieser, More than 1.45 billion people followed, that a senior research check Facebook at least once a would have been analyst for adday, a 13 per cent increase from a a big problem for vertising at Pivyear earlier.

Facebook, which otal Research gets a whopping Group, said his 98 per cent of c o nv e r s a t i o n s its revenue from with marketers digital ads.

Of course, $250 million is a indicate none have plans to cut But advertisers have drop in the bucket compared ads from Facebook so far. shrugged off the scandals in the to Facebook’s $39.94 billion in “Most are disturbed at an inaggregate. In fact, according to 2017 advertising revenue. But dividual level with what hapone digital media planning and the 4C numbers give some in- pened, but there’s nothing that buying company, ad spending dication of how smaller brands made Facebook overly toxic — has been up. are behaving. yet,” he said.

The company, 4C, tracks $250 4C chief marketing officer Some analysts are modelmillion in actual spending from Aaron Goldman said that as ing slightly less rosy takes gomore than 1,000 brands that use long as data continues to be a ing forward, however. GBH

www.canadianinquirer.net

Insights analyst Daniel Ives thinks that about 3 per cent of Facebook’s total advertising revenue — between $1 billion and $2 billion annually — is “at risk.” According to GBH’s advertiser checks and consumer surveys, about 15 per cent of FB users have scaled back on using the service.

BMO research analyst Dan Salmon thinks there is one privacy issue that might give advertisers pause: Facebook’s decision in March to stop working with third-party data collectors . That might be a good public relations move, he said, but it’s a big change for advertisers.

After conversations with ad agencies and ad tech companies, Salmon believes some will see a decline in the profitability of their ads as a result of the change. But he doesn’t expect a major impact on Facebook revenue.

Overall, Facebook digital ad revenue overall is surging, but growth is slowing down. Ad revenues rose 49 per cent in 2017, but that’s down from 57 per cent growth in 2016, according to eMarketer, which tallies revenue from company reports and other sources. And in 2018, revenue growth is expected to slow even further to 22 per cent.

After years of unfettered spending on digital ads, some big advertisers have begun to rethink their spending plans.

P&G, the world’s biggest advertiser, for example, cut $200 million out of its digital ad spending in 2017 and reinvested it in more traditional formats like TV ads. Unilever, the secondbiggest consumer packaged goods company has also said it is evaluating its ad spending. ■

Technology

FRIDAY MAY 4, 2018

33

‘Playing Hard’ lifts the lid on the stressful birth of a big budget video game

BY NEIL DAVIDSON The Canadian Press TORONTO — From his office two blocks away, filmmaker Jean-Simon Chartier watched Ubisoft’s Montreal video game studio grow from a few hundred people to more than 3,000.

And he saw the explosive worldwide growth of the gaming industry.

So Chartier decided to “get inside this fortress and find a story to tell.” He came up with “Playing Hard,” the story behind the creation of Ubisoft’s fighting game “For Honor.” The 90-minute film has its world premiere Wednesday at Toronto’s Hot Docs festival.

“Playing Hard” offers a rare peak under the video game hood, following Ubisoft Montreal creative director Jason VandenBerghe, producer Stephane Cardin and brand manager Luc Duchaine over four years as their production team on the game grew from fewer than 40 to more than 500.

It documents the stresses of making a so-called triple-A bigbudget title, from the bottomline demands of corporate headquarters in Paris to the pressure of delivering the game on time.

There is drama inside and outside “For Honor,” which offers gamers the chance to fight as knights, Vikings and samurai in a world whose “hardy inhabitants eke a living as they can in spite of living in a state of near perpetual war.”

After convincing Ubisoft to let him shoot behind the scenes, Chartier was given the boot eight months into the project with the studio saying some people were uncomfortable by his presence. It took six months to get back inside.

“It was a lot of discussion and developing a trust, relationship with the main characters,” said the 44-year-old Chartier. “They were the ones that helped me with top management.”

Chartier had his own problems, shooting for 2 1/2 years without financing.

“But I was willing to take the risk because I was expecting something to happen,” he said.

He anticipated drama, given the pressures of producing the game. Also stress, conflict and passion.

“They were all things I was looking for,” he said.

Chartier, whose gaming experience was limited to time spent playing Super Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong years ago, was more interested in the emotions stirred up in making the game than the game itself.

The stress takes its toll on all three protagonists with the film showing them criss-crossing the globe to showcase the game and try to create buzz for its release date.

VandenBerghe is the tortured visionary who has spent years trying to take the game from inside his head to the consumer.

Cardin is the quarterback and quartermaster, tasked with meeting deadlines and satisfying head

office. Duchaine is the meticulous marketer, trying to sell the project while agonizing over the time spent away from his family.

VandenBerghe is shown during the credits, dressed in black getting ready for battle.

He might as well be a knight, with jewelry replacing chain mail. He starts by putting on nine rings then an assortment of bracelets before ensuring his long hair is tied up correctly.

“Do you want to keep this 5 o’clock shadowy-thing going?” asks a stylist before a TV appearance later in the film.

“It’s part of the look,” he responds. “This is just what I am.

Melodramatic. It’s just the deal.”

Chartier calls VandenBerghe “a complex person.” He gives the game’s visionary lots of face time in the film, often shooting him alone in the wilderness while VandenBerghe offers up his world vision.

“Physically he looks like a warrior. He looks like a game character,” said Chartier. “He’s a philosopher. He’s anxious.

He’s really, really compelling and you feel that after you spend a few days with him.

“I was expecting something to happen with this guy.”

It does as the film takes an unexpected twist.

Ubisoft had no say in the final product and Chartier says he has yet to hear their thoughts on the project. He says Cardin and Duchaine both thought the film was true to their story.

As for Chartier, he intends to buy a console to get some more hands-on time on video gaming.

PLAYING HARD / FACEBOOK

“But that’s not where I started (this project),” he said. “I started this because I see people around me that are transforming the whole entertainment industry and actually the whole world we live in. And it’s two blocks away.

“I was an opportunist, trying to get into this fortress. But I mean as a human being, as a filmmaker, I’m interested in many many topics. Gaming has become one of them.”

He eventually got some financing from Tele-Quebec for a three-part series on video gaming, combining that with his work on “Playing Hard.”

Prior to filmmaking, Chartier spent 3 1/2 years in advertising.

But his life changed when he took nine months off to backpack around Latin America.

“As cliched as it might be, it really opened me to other realities,” he said.

He started writing stories about his travels, sharing them with friends and colleagues via email. People liked them “I discovered that I could tell

stories,” he said.

He went to Asia with a camera, looking to expand that storytelling. The project never came off so he returned to advertising, but making documentaries had become his passion.

“It took me more than 10 years before the first one was finally (done), the first real one,” he said. “Then I started my own company — little company.”

Chartier, whose company is MC2 Communication Media, has made TV documentaries that include looks at the Burning Man Art festival in Nevada (“Encountering Burning Man”), cosmetic surgery (“Body a La Carte”), Dominican monks (“Alleluia”), motivational speakers (“Marchands de Bonheur”) and a young actress/ musician’s journey as she ponders whether to join a religious order (“Sister Violaine”).

“Playing Hard” is his first feature documentary as a director.

He hopes to find more avenues to showcase the film after “Hot Docs,” with a digital release slated for the end of the year. ■

Distracted by technology? Microsoft tries to help

BY MATT O’BRIEN The Associated Press TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES whose devices and constantly scrolling online services have driven us to distraction are beginning to acknowledge that their products can be a waste of time. Some of them now say they’re trying to help.

Microsoft is rolling out a free update to its Windows 10 computer operating system Monday with new features to keep

people in a distraction-free zone.

The “Focus Assist” feature enables workers to temporarily switch off email and social media notifications during times when they need to keep their heads down. They can allow messages from certain people to break through.

Microsoft says the update is inspired by research showing office workers are being interrupted or having to switch tasks about every three minutes — and it takes 23 minutes to get

back in focus. Microsoft is also adding a “Timeline” feature aimed at saving time by more easily retrieving documents or unfinished work from the past 30 days.

“Almost every application and web service is vying for your attention,” said Aaron Woodman, a marketing general manager for Microsoft Windows. “Increasingly, people are going to prefer environments where they can control and manage their distractions.”

It may be easier for Microsoft www.canadianinquirer.net

to create such limits, as its business is far less reliant on advertising than Google and Facebook. With advertising in the mix, more time spent means more revenue.

Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android phones have “Do Not Disturb” modes for muting notifications. Microsoft’s biggest email rival, Gmail, began rolling out a redesign this week that includes time-saving measures.

One uses artificial intelligence to allow Google to help respond to emails with quick answers

such as “Will do, thanks!” or “Sorry, I won’t be able to attend.”

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg surprised investors earlier this year when he said he welcomed the idea of fewer hours spent on his site, arguing that “helping people connect is more important than maximizing the time people spend on Facebook.”

The social network also on Friday said it is adding a “sleep” mode to its Messenger Kids service to let parents limit when their kids can use it. ■

MAY 4, 2018

34

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HIRING LUCKY SUPERMARKET 10628 King George Blvd, Surrey B.C is hiring all positions such as: store manager, grocery manager, produce manager, office administration, file maintenance clerk, head cashier, cook, BBQ chef, meat cutter, baker, bakery clerk, grocery clerk, frozen clerk, meat clerk, produce clerk, cashier, truck driver and kitchen helper.

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35

Travel For fans of British royals, a sightseeing itinerary

BY MICHELLE LOCKE The Associated Press LONDON — You got up in the wee hours to watch Prince William and Kate Middleton tie the knot in 2011. (And, if you’re of a certain age, ditto for Charles and Diana way back in 1981.)

You binge-watched “The Crown” on Netflix and are anxiously awaiting the show’s next season.

This year, with the nuptials of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in the offing, perhaps you’re ready to visit England and enjoy some real-life crowning moments.

From Windsor to windowshopping, here are some tips on where to get that regal feeling.

Take the rei(g)ns

Buckingham Palace is a mustsee for devotees of “The Crown” — even though the series isn’t actually filmed there. In the summer, part of the palace is open to the public; tickets sell out fast so book ahead. Almost any time of year, you can visit the Queen’s Gallery, a small but thoughtfully curated selection of art from the royal collection.

From February to November, visit the Royal Mews, which houses stables, the carriage house and garage. You’ll likely see horses, as well as glittering carriages. The standout is the huge, gilded Gold State Coach used at every coronation since George IV in 1821. You can even sit for a photo in a replica of the landau favoured by Queen Victoria and imagine yourself trotting past crowds of adoring subjects, waving regally of course.

A combined ticket for the Queen’s Gallery and Royal Mews costs about $27. Planning to visit lots of attractions? Consider a multi-venue option like the London Pass.

Wander Windsor

Windsor Castle has been home to British royals for 900 years. That history continues when Harry and Meghan wed there at St. George’s Chapel.

There’s a lot to see, from or-

Buckingham Palace.

nate formal rooms to the miniature perfection of Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House to the rather stout suit of armour worn by Henry VIII. The castle closes at 5:15 p.m. in summer, an hour earlier in winter. After exiting, you can line up for (free) admission to Evensong at St. George’s Chapel, a mostly sung service that sometimes features visiting choirs. Ask the guides where to stand and when to get in line.

The castle will be closed May 18-19 for the wedding and some apartments are closed other times of the year; details at https://www.royalcollection. org.uk/visit/windsorcastle .

Windsor Castle is about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) from London and easy to reach.

By train, head from Paddington to Slough and change at Slough for the Windsor & Eton Central train, which delivers you within steps of the castle. Round-trip tickets are about $15. Entrance to the castle is about $30.

Feel like a princess

Back in London, Kensington Palace feels surprisingly homelike for a palace. This is the official residence of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, aka William and Kate, and Prince Harry. The grounds include the sunken garden where the latest royal engagement was announced. This was also home to Diana, Princess of Wales. An exhibit of some of her iconic out-

Windsor Castle.

The Parlour or spring for lavish afternoon tea in the Diamond Jubilee Tea Room.

Etcetera

Piccadilly Circus.

fits is on display through Jan. 6. It’s popular so buy tickets ahead: https://ticketslive.hrp. org.uk/ hrp/ b2c/index.cfm/ calendar/eventCode/http .

Don’t miss having a cup of tea in the cafe, with outdoor seating overlooking the gardens and free Wi-Fi. From the palace, you can walk to the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain in Hyde Park, a lovely and serene spot. Friendly notices advise that it’s perfectly OK to sit on the side of the fountain and dip your feet.

(Window) shop ‘til you drop

Bond Street, which runs through Mayfair from Oxford Street to Piccadilly Circus, is www.canadianinquirer.net

ASIASTOCK / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

an excellent place to windowshop, teeming with high-end shops, including Asprey’s, jewelers to the royal family since Queen Victoria. The Piccadilly entrance is around the corner from Burlington Arcade, a covered shopping alley featuring a number of luxury boutiques.

Across the street from the arcade’s Piccadilly entrance is Fortnum & Mason, fabled supplier of gourmet food hampers (the young Prince Charles gets one in the boarding school episode of “The Crown”). You can look at samples and plan a palatial picnic, see luxury goods on upper floors, including Launer handbags favoured by the queen. Get a casual bite in

Westminster Abbey is packed with modern royal history. It was the site of Queen Elizabeth II’s wedding and her coronation, the first ever to be televised, as well as William and Kate’s wedding. You’ll find the tombs of many noble and notable figures here, including Queen Elizabeth I and Mary Queen of Scots. Don’t miss the coronation chair, which has been used in coronation ceremonies since the 14th century.

St. Paul’s Cathedral, worth visiting in its own right, has a royal wedding tie-in as well.

Charles and Diana were married here, and she swept the 25-foot (8-meter) train of her wedding dress up steps red-carpeted for the occasion.

The Tower of London isn’t exactly the home of fairytale romance. This is where two famous royal wives, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, met their ends. But it is home to the Crown Jewels, including the 530-carat Cullinan 1 diamond, set in the Sovereign’s Scepter with Cross that’s been used in every coronation since Charles II in 1661. The most oftenasked question from visitors, according to the official website, is “Are they real?” The answer: “Yes, they are!” ■

36

Travel

MAY 4, 2018

FRIDAY

Traditional Czech open faced sandwiches may be coming to US

BY KAREL JANICEK The Associated Press PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC — Open-faced sandwiches have been a popular Czech tradition since 1916.

The sandwiches have become part of everyday life here, a universal snack that looks good, tastes good and is relatively easy to make. They can be served for any occasion, from formal receptions to informal parties or simply as an affordable fast food for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Some chefs are innovating, creating new varieties of the sandwich using fresh vegetables and greens to reflect contemporary food trends.

One sandwich-maker hopes to introduce them this year to the U.S. market.

Open-faced sandwiches are also popular in other countries, from Austria to Scandinavia, but the Czech sandwiches have some distinctive features, including their ingredients and unique look.

Here’s a look at the delicacy.

History

Legend says the sandwich was created by accident. It happened when a family friend of Jan Paukert, a famed Prague delicatessen owner, asked for a quick bite, something he could

hold in his hand while he was working on paintings in Paukert’s cafe. He was served a smaller-than-usual slice of bread with fish paste and anchovy on it. The sandwich was then offered to customers and it’s been a hit ever since.

Today, the sandwiches are typically made with one slice of white bread, a layer of potato salad or other salad, a slice of ham, hard-boiled egg, pickled cucumber or pepper, and a parsley sprig on top. They might also have toppings like salami, cheese or fish, often with mayonnaise.

During World War II, the tempting snack was once used as a weapon, to poison four journalists collaborating with Nazi occupation forces.

After the Communists took power in 1948, the choice of ingredients was limited but the sandwich’s popularity endured.

In the years since the 1989 anti-Communist Velvet Revolution, cuisines from all over the world have flooded the country, ending its isolation behind the Iron Curtain. But the sandwiches have retained their status as the favourite local fast food.

Tradition

The Golden Cross has been serving the sandwiches in downtown Prague since the early 20th century. In a large underground kitchen, the same

as 100 years ago, up to 25 employees start preparing sandwiches at 5 a.m. They make over 50 varieties, and the sandwiches are taken by a small elevator to the deli above.

“The uniqueness of the sandwich is that it’s all handmade,” owner Ivana Klinderova said.

“It’s almost like a piece of art and that’s what we like about it.”

Klinderova and her business partner are working on a plan to expand their business to New York. They hope to open in Manhattan once they sort out sourcing of the necessary ingredients. The precise location has not been determined.

“America is a relaxed country with many nationalities and many cultures,” Klinderova said. “The only thing it misses is the Czech sandwich.”

Innovation

When renowned food expert Hana Michopulu was opening a small bistro in Prague in 2014, the sandwiches were an obvious choice for the menu because, she said, unlike most other local meals influenced by cuisines of other countries, these sandwiches “are very authentic.”

But Michopulu offers a departure from tradition, using contemporary food trends to innovate. She makes them on artisanal bread, includes unusual ingredients and relies on

fresh vegetables and “micro greens.”

“It’s all about the flavour that has to be as rich, full and complex as possible,” Michopulu said.

Today, her “Sisters” sandwich is popular among the locals and has even become part of food tours in the Czech capital. Michopulu said the variety favoured by tourists is made with a beet root paste, goat cheese and a glazed walnut on the top.

The meat-loving Czech customers prefer a roast beef version, she said.

“We’ve been trying to improve the Czech tradition,” Michopulu said. “Any food needs innovation to survive.”

If You Go...

CZECH SANDWICH: Tra-

ditional open-faced Czech sandwiches are served all over Prague for about $1 to $2 apiece. Some popular places to sample them include: The Golden Cross, Jungmannova street near the B line subway station Mustek, typicalczechdeli.cz The Sisters, at the beginning of a food arcade in Dlouha street, walking distance from Old Town Square, www.chlebicky-praha.cz/chlebicky Chlebicek (the Czech word for the sandwich) Store in the Liben district, which offers vegan versions, www.chlebicekstore.cz/homepage_en/ Bistro Jan Paukert, named for the legendary creator of the sandwich, in the Karlin district, www.facebook.com/JanPaukertLahudkarstvi/ ■

Royal wedding:

At hotels, $50K packages, Union Jack condoms

BY MICHELLE LOCKE The Associated Press NEW YORK — Hotels are getting in on royal wedding mania, offering $50,000 packages fit for a queen, handing out condoms decorated with the Union Jack and hosting Champagne parties where the wedding will be shown on big-screen TVs. New York’s Moxy Times Square hotel is including condoms with a Union Jack logo as part of an overnight stay that also features a travel-sized bottle of gin and a British slang dictionary.

Manhattan’s Plaza Hotel is asking guests to wear hats, gloves and other finery to a $150 Champagne breakfast beginning at 6:30 a.m., New York time, on May 19. The best-dressed attendee will win a prize of a free night at the hotel. The wedding will be livestreamed in the Plaza’s Palm Court on big-screen TVs as it unfolds live midday in England at Windsor Castle. A panel of experts at the Plaza will provide play-by-play commentary on etiquette, the royal family and whatever else needs explicating on this side of the pond.

The Plaza even has a legiti-

mate connection to Markle. In her former life as an actress, she portrayed Rachel Zane on the cable show “Suits.” Her character dreamed of getting married at the Plaza, though the wedding scene for the show was actually filmed at the Fairmont Royal York in Toronto. The Fairmont Royal York also plans festivities for May 19 with a menu that includes classic British fare like bubble and squeak (cabbage and potatoes) and bangers (sausages) and eggs.

Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans has a wedding package priced at $51,918. (The numwww.canadianinquirer.net

bers match the May 19 date of Meghan Markle’s wedding to Prince Harry.) The package includes three nights in a twobedroom suite, round-trip firstclass airfare from anywhere in the U.S., life-size cardboard cutouts of Harry and Meghan, afternoon tea, a wedding day Champagne breakfast, takehome gifts like Wedgwood china and crystal stemware, food and shopping credits worth thousands of dollars and a lemon elderflower cake, just like the one chosen by the happy couple.

And that’s not the only hotel package with a sky-high price

tag. The Viceroy L’Ermitage Beverly Hills in California is offering a $30,000 “royal treatment package,” while the RitzCarlton in Washington, D.C., is offering a $1 million wedding package that includes a private jet, custom-made gown and ring, honeymoon and more.

Whether anybody books these high-priced packages, the wedding gives hotels an opportunity to associate their brand with something special.

“Royal weddings occur on only a few occasions during a ❱❱ PAGE 39 At hotels

37

Food In 20 minutes, you can have US pecan growers summer on the plate with fish seek to break out

of the pie shell

BY MELISSA D’ARABIAN The Associated Press GRILLED FISH is the official dish of summer around our house. There is nothing I love to eat more in warm weather than a piece of fresh seasonal fish cooked on the grill — the slightly sweet flesh offset by a tiny bit of char.

You can use some fish from your freezer stash in a pinch, but ask at the fish counter what is seasonal and freshest, and you won’t regret the few extra dollars you’ll pay. I used Alaskan halibut for today’s recipe, but any firm white-fleshed fish will work great. (Skip the flaky thin fish like Dover sole for indoor cooking, or use a special fine-meshed metal grate.)

Halibut is mild, tender and sweet, and it’s a fantastic lean source of protein. A 4-ounce serving has 24 grams of protein, a little over 2 grams of fat, and offers a nice showing of B vitamins and minerals, all for 120 calories.

My go-to strategy for grilling mild white fish is to keep it super simple on the actual grill, and then top it with a quick sauce made from a few ingredients. Pat the fish dry gently, and toss on the grill with just a little salt, pepper and olive oil.

Once the fish is cooked, I top it straight from the grill with the sauce. While the fish is cooking, whip up a sauce with a little acid (like lemon or vinegar), aromatics (like minced garlic, shallot or green onion), herbs, and a tiny touch of fat (like olive oil or butter). Pouring it on while the fish is hot makes the simple flavours come alive like Hugh Jackman playing P.T. Barnum.

Grilled Halibut with Butter Caper Herb Sauce is an excellent starting point for mastering this easy fish-grilling blueprint that you’ll use both on weekends and busy weeknight meals. In under 20 minutes, you can have summer on the plate.

BY EMILY SCHMALL The Associated Press

Grilled Halibut with Butter Caper Herb Sauce

Servings: 6 Start to finish: 20 minutes

• 1 3/4 pounds of fresh Alaskan halibut fillet (or other firm white-flesh fish), checked for bones • 1/2 lemon, for squeezing • 2 teaspoons olive oil • salt and pepper • Sauce: • 2 tablespoons butter • 1 clove garlic, minced • 2 tablespoons capers, plus a little of the juice • 2 tablespoons lemon juice • a handful of chopped tender herbs, like basil, parsley, or cilantro Heat a gas or charcoal grill to medium high. Scrub the grill grates with a wire brush or tongs and ball of foil to clean off burnt food debris, and lightly oil the grates. Squeeze a little lemon juice on the halibut and let it sit a few minutes before blotting it dry gently with a paper towel.

Season the fish with a little salt and pepper. Drizzle the

olive oil over both sides of the fish, and use your fingers to coat the whole fillet lightly with oil. Once the grill is hot, place the fish flesh side down on the grill. Allow to cook about 5-6 minutes on the first side. Use a metal spatula to flip the fish to cook the second side, until cooked through but not dry, about 3-4 more minutes. (To help keep the fish from sticking, don’t flip it too soon, and flip the fish with a purposeful, quick motion.)

Meanwhile, heat the butter and garlic in a small sauce pan on the stove at medium heat until the garlic is aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the capers with a little caper liquid and the lemon juice and whisk to combine. Remove from heat, stir the herbs into the sauce and then pour over the fish just as it comes off the grill. Serve. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 198 calories; 76 calories from fat; 9 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 104 mg cholesterol; 625 mg sodium; 3 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 28 g protein. www.canadianinquirer.net

FORT WORTH, TEXAS — The humble pecan is being rebranded as more than just pie.

Pecan growers and suppliers are hoping to sell U.S. consumers on the virtues of North America’s only native nut as a hedge against a potential trade war with China, the pecan’s largest export market.

The pecan industry is also trying to crack the fast-growing snack- food industry.

The retail value for packaged nuts, seeds and trail mix in the U.S. alone was $5.7 billion in 2012, and is forecast to rise to $7.5 billion by 2022, according to market researcher Euromonitor.

The Fort Worth, Texas-based American Pecan Council, formed in the wake of a new federal marketing order that allows the industry to band together and assess fees for research and promotion, is a half-century in the making, said Jim Anthony, 80, the owner of a 14,000-acre pecan farm near Granbury, Texas.

Anthony said that regional rivalries and turf wars across the 15-state pecan belt — stretching from the Carolinas to California — made such a union impossible until recently, when demand for pecans exploded in Asian markets.

Until 2007, most U.S. pecans were consumed domestically, according to Daniel Zedan, president of Nature’s Finest Foods, a marketing group. By 2009, China was buying about a third of the U.S. crop.

The pecan is the only tree nut indigenous to North America, growers say. Sixteenth-century Spanish explore Cabeza de Vaca wrote about tasting the nut during his encounters with Native American tribes in South Texas. The name is French explorers’ phonetic spelling of the native word “pakan,” meaning hard-shelled nut.

Facing growing competition from pecan producers in South Africa, Mexico and Australia, U.S. producers are also riding the wave of the Trump Administration’s policies to promote American-made goods. ❱❱ PAGE 38 US pecan

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Food

MAY 4, 2018

FRIDAY

Inter-Korean summit food will have touch of Swiss

BY KIM TONG-HYUNG The Associated Press SEOUL, KOREA, REPUBLIC OF — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will be served a nod to his Swiss school days following a high-stakes meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in over the future of his nukes.

A Korean “re-interpretation” of the Swiss fried potato dish rosti will highlight the food served at a planned banquet after Friday’s summit at the border truce village of Panmunjom.

Other items on the menu include fish and rice using produce from the hometowns of Moon and his liberal predecessors who sought rapprochement with Pyongyang. North Korea will bring its famous cold noodles to the dinner.

The meeting between Kim and Moon is just the third-ever summit between the rival Koreas, who are now trying to restore ties after a decade of animosity over the North’s nuclear and missile program. The two countries remain technically at war because the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.

A look at the food to be served at Panmunjom:

A touch of Swiss

While not many things are known about Kim’s childhood, one thing Seoul is certain about is that he spent several years in his teens being schooled in Switzerland. That means a lot of Swiss-inspired dishes for Kim at the banquet.

Aside from the Korean twist on rosti, which basically will be fried grated potato from South Korea’s Gangwon province topped with cheese, the South Koreans will serve Swiss chocolate, macaroons and cheesecake in a set of desserts that Seoul’s presidential Blue House has named “Memories of Swiss.” Also for dessert will be a mango mousse decorated with a blue map symbolizing a unified Korean Peninsula.

The map will include a dot representing a small island off the peninsula’s eastern coast that has been the subject of a territorial dispute between South Korea and Japan. Japan lodged a protest to Seoul over the island being represented on the mango mousse.

Kim, 34, did display a European palate last month in a Pyongyang banquet he hosted for Moon’s envoys, who were served wine paired with different kinds of cheese.

After setting up the summit between Kim and Moon, South Korean officials in a subsequent

Naengmyeon, or cold buckwheat noodles.

convoy across the border to the North in an effort to aid reconciliation between the rivals.

“The welcoming banquet will reflect the desire of people who attempted to achieve peace and unification of our nation,” Moon’s spokesman Kim Euikyeom said.

There will be no dishes from South Korea’s Daegu or Japan’s Osaka, the respective birth towns of former presidents Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak, who led a decade of conservative rule in Seoul before Moon took office but are now both in jail over separate corruption cases. Inter-Korean relations were terrible during the governments of Park and Lee, who employed a hard line against Pyongyang over its nuclear ambitions.

Famous North Korean noodle

South Korean chefs at the banquet will also serve baked John Dory fish, a tribute to the South Korean port of Busan, where the 65-year-old Moon was born. Other items on the menu include nods to the birth towns of former presidents Kim Dae-jung and Roh Moo-

hyun, who met with Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong Il, in the two previous inter-Korean summits in the 2000s.

The chefs will serve croaker caught from Kim Dae-jung’s hometown in southwestern Gageo island and rice from Roh’s southern hometown of Gimhae.

They also will serve grilled beef made from cattle at a ranch in the central town of Seosan. The ranch became famous in 1998 when late Hyundai founder Chung Ju-yung sent 1,001 cattle from the ranch in two separate

a marketing order to better control pecan production and prices.

Authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, federal marketing orders help producers and handlers standardize packaging, impose quality control and fund research, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which oversees 28 other fruit, vegetable and specialty marketing orders, in addition to the pecan order.

Critics charge that the orders interfere with the price signals of a free, unfettered private market.

“What you’ve created instead is a government-sanctioned cartel,” said Daren Bakst, an agricultural policy researcher at the conservative Heritage Foundation.

Before the almond industry passed its own federal marketing order in 1950, fewer almonds than pecans were sold, according to pecan council chair Mike Adams, who cultivates 600 acres of pecan trees near Caldwell, Texas. Now, while almonds appear in everything from cereal to milk sub-

stitutes, Adams calls the pecan “the forgotten nut.”

“We’re so excited to have an identity, to break out of the pie shell,” said Molly Willis, a member of the council who owns an 80-acre pecan farm in Albany, Georgia, a supplement to her husband’s family’s peanut-processing business. ■

trip to Washington brokered a potential meeting between Kim and President Donald Trump, which is anticipated in May or June.

South Korean meat and fish

Seoul’s presidential Blue House said North Korea has also agreed to bring to the dinner “naengmyeon,” or cold buckwheat noodles, made by the head chef of Pyongyang’s famous Okryugwan restaurant.

Moon’s office said Moon proposed the restaurant’s noodles to be included on the menu, to which the North “gladly” obliged. Okryugwan is arguably North Korea’s best-known restaurant and has branches in China. ■

US pecan... ❰❰ 37

Most American kids grow up with peanut butter but peanuts probably originated in South America. Almonds are native to Asia and pistachios to the Middle East. The pecan council is funding academic research to show that their nuts are just as nutritious.

The council on Wednesday will debut a new logo: “American Pecans: The Original Supernut.”

Rodney Myers, who manages operations at Anthony’s pecan farm, credits the pecan’s growing cachet in China and elsewhere in Asia with its association to rustic Americana — “the oilfield, cowboys, the Wild West — they associate all these things with the North American nut,” he said.

China earlier this month re-

leased a list of American products that could face tariffs in retaliation for proposed U.S. tariffs on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods. Fresh and dried nuts — including the pecan — could be slapped with a 15-per cent tariff, according to the list.

To counter that risk, the pecan council is using some of the $8 million in production-based assessments it’s collected since the marketing order was passed to promote the versatility of the tree nut beyond pecan pie at Thanksgiving.

While Chinese demand pushed up prices it also drove away American consumers.

By January 2013, prices had dropped 50 per cent from their peak in 2011, according to Zedan.

U.S. growers and processers were finally able in 2016 to pass

www.canadianinquirer.net

39

FRIDAY MAY 4, 2018

COOKING ON DEADLINE:

Greek Roasted Chicken Breasts

BY KATIE WORKMAN The Associated Press OREGANO, LEMON, garlic, glugs of olive oil … these are just a few of the ingredients that make Greek food so appealing.

They match up well with all sorts of other hero ingredients, from potatoes to chicken to seafood.

In this recipe, chicken gets a nice soak in a Greek marinade with all of those delicious flavours and then is simply roasted in the oven. You can use that time to putter around making a salad, and trying to get someone else to set the table.

Try serving them up with some simply cooked millet or orzo, and a very lightly dressed baby greens salad.

Boneless chicken breasts with the skin left on have a few really good things going for them. One, the skin keeps the chicken moist as it cooks. Two, the skin crisps up in the hot oven, and I know of few chicken-liking people who don’t covet the crispy skin. Three, the absence of the bone allows the chicken to cook more quickly than bone-in chicken.

Boneless chicken breasts with the skin are not always easy to find pre-packaged in the supermarket, but you can ask the butcher to cut the bones out for you. You can also, of course do it yourself with a steady hand and a very sharp knife, but feel no shame if this isn’t within your comfort zone. Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are

also just fine, and if you want to use bone-in chicken breasts, just add another 15 to 20 minutes of cooking time.

You could serve these with some wedges of lemon in case people want one last hit of fresh, tart citrus.

Serves 4 Start to finish: 30 minutes plus marinating time • 1/4 cup olive oil • 1 teaspoon minced garlic • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar • 2 teaspoons dried oregano • 2 teaspoons kosher or coarse salt • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • 4 boneless skin-on chicken breasts (6 to 8 ounces each) • Lemon wedges to serve In a large bowl, container or sturdy zipper-top bag, combine the olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir or shake to combine thoroughly. Add the chicken, turn it to coat well, and then cover or seal and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours (or even up to 2 days).

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place on the baking sheet skin side up. Roast for about 25 minutes until cooked through. Serve hot, warm or cold, with lemon wedges if desired. ■

Wasabi Cracker Crusted Salmon is a quick weeknight meal

BY SARA MOULTON The Associated Press WILD SALMON season starts very soon, so be on the lookout for it at your local market. But, you say, I can find salmon at my supermarket all year-round.

Yes, you can, because farmed salmon, which is what you find fresh at the store all the time, doesn’t really have a season; wild salmon does.

Farmed salmon is raised in a controlled man-made environment; wild salmon is subject to the seasons. You can find frozen wild salmon year-round. It’s flash-frozen, meaning frozen very quickly, which does little damage to the cell structure so the fish is perfectly good to eat.

However, why not buy it fresh when you can?

The two types of salmon differ in both flavour and texture. Wild salmon has a more robust, distinct salmon taste and is leaner than farmed. It is also higher in omega-3 fatty acids, the fat that’s so good for us. Farmed salmon has a more subtle flavour and higher fat content, which means it’s more forgiving when it’s overcooked.

This Wasabi Cracker-Crusted Salmon is a ridiculously simple recipe, perfect for a quick weeknight meal. The fish is first lathered with sour cream spiked with hot mustard, topped with crushed wasabi rice crackers and then baked. The general rule for baking fish is to cook it at 400 F for 10 minutes for every inch of thickness. How do you know when it is done?

Stick a knife in it; if a knife goes through it easily, it’s cooked through. I prefer to slightly undercook salmon, especially the wild variety (the government advises cooking salmon well done) since it’s so lean, so take it out of the oven when you find just a little resistance in the middle of the fillet.

Wasabi Cracker-Crusted Salmon

Start to finish: 30 minutes (10 minutes hands-on) Servings: 4 • 1/3 cup sour cream • 1 1/2 teaspoons prepared English mustard (Coleman’s mustard) • 1/4 teaspoon packed light brown sugar • Kosher salt • 35 to 40 wasabi rice crackers • Four 6-ounce pieces centrecut salmon fillet, skin removed

salt to taste. Put 35 crackers in a re-sealable plastic bag and coarsely crush them using a rolling pin. (You should have about 1 cup crushed crackers; if not, crush a few more.)

Season the salmon on all sides with salt. In a shallow baking pan, arrange the fillets in one layer, skinned side down, spread the top of each piece with the sour cream mixture and top with the crushed crackers.

Bake the salmon in the top third of the oven for 10 minutes, until barely cooked through.

Note: If all you can find is dried Coleman’s, follow the instructions on the side of the package to reconstitute it. If you cannot find English mustard, use Dijon mustard. ■

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a bowl, combine the sour cream, mustard and brown sugar. Add

Nutrition information per serving: 316 calories; 122 calories from fat; 14 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 98 mg cholesterol; 409 mg sodium; 13 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 31 g protein.

stayed there. Guests can even book the suite Diana stayed in, which has been decorated with photos of her. The Drake is also offering special royal teas, cocktails and a series of screenings of royal-themed movies like “Victoria & Abdul.”

In England, the Conrad London St. James has a “Propose Like A Prince” package with a horse carriage ride, Champagne and a room decorated with rose petals. And Mercure Hotels invited couples who share Harry

and Meghan’s first names to apply for a free stay at one of Mercure’s London properties, and two couples won.

Royal-watchers heading to England will find it nearly impossible to book a room in Windsor, though hotels in London and elsewhere are still available. London’s Hotel Cafe Royal has a package that includes a luxury limo trip to Windsor Castle with a picnic hamper. Just don’t try to picnic there on May 19. ■

At hotels... ❰❰ 36

lifetime,” said Larry Chiagouris, professor of marketing at Pace University in New York. “They are therefore a rare opportunity for brands to reach large global audiences and for consumers to be a part of a rare event. So, to do so, the price of participation will always be very, very high.”

The Drake hotel in Chicago will host a royal-themed luncheon on May 19 with the same menu served in 1996 when Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, www.canadianinquirer.net

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MAY 4, 2018

www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY