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AUGUST 10, 2018

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VOL. 8 NO. 332

ROGUE COPS President Rodrigo R. Duterte vents out his anger as the scalawag police officers were presented to him at Malacañan Palace on August 7, 2018. Joining the President are Secretary Bong Go of the Office of the Special Assistant to the President, Department of the Interior and Local Government Office-in-Charge Eduardo Año, and Philippine National Police Director General Oscar Albayalde.

RICHARD MADELO / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Duterte berates, threatens to kill corrupt police on live TV

BY JIM GOMEZ The Associated Press MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday threatened to kill corrupt police, including those accused of involvement in illegal drugs and other crimes, in an expletives-laden encounter on live TV. More than 100 policemen, many of

them facing administrative and criminal complaints including rape, kidnapping and robbery, were escorted to the presidential palace to meet Duterte, police officials said.

The national police, which Duterte once called “corrupt to the core,” have been undergoing an internal cleansing since they were removed twice from

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PIA head urges Mocha Uson to apologize, take a leave

19 73% of Filipinos back National ID system — SWS

❱❱ PAGE 10 Duterte berates

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❱❱ PAGE 9

Violence continues in Bangladesh capital as students protest

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Philippine News

AUGUST 10, 2018

FRIDAY

Duterte forms task force to secure Pinoy hostages in Libya

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — Instead of deploying warships to Libya after three Filipinos, along with a South Korean national, were kidnapped by an unidentified armed group, President Rodrigo R. Duterte has decided to form a task force to deal with the hostage crisis.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said although the President earlier considered sending two frigates, he eventually opted to heed the advice of his Cabinet members to form first a task force.

“Of course, he (Duterte) has stated previously that he was thinking of sending frigates together with the Koreans, to at least send the message that the President takes the plight of the Filipino OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) very seriously. But he has since considered the advice of the Cabinet to first form a task force,” Roque said in a Palace briefing on Tuesday.

Duterte made the announcement during a Cabinet meeting on Monday

(Aug. 6).

Roque said the task force will be headed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers Abdullah Mamao, and Mindanao Development Authority chief Abul Khayr Dangcal Alonto.

“The status right now is that we have formed a high-level, all Cabinet-member team to deal with the Libyan government and help in the effort to recover two [sic] of our countrymen who were kidnapped together with a South Korean national,” Roque said.

Roque, meanwhile, emphasized that it was “more prudent” to work with the Libyan government in rescue operations since the kidnappers are not state agents of Libya.

“The problem that complicates this latest case of kidnapping is that the kidnappers are not state agents of Libya.

They are militias who are engaged in an armed conflict also with the Libyan government,” Roque said.

“And that is why it was the more prudent to work with the Libyan government to see what the demands are,” he

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque.

added.

Last Friday (Aug. 3), Duterte bared his plan to send two frigates during the inauguration of the Northern Mindanao Wellness and Rehabilitation Center in Malaybalay, Bukidnon after learning that South Korea has deployed a warship to Libya.

“Pag (if ) they begin to hurt the Filipinos doon (there), magpadala ako ng frig-

PCOO

ate (I will send a frigate),” he said in his speech.

Reports showed that the three Filipinos and a South Korean national, who are currently being held captive in Libya, were working at a water plant in Jabal Hasouna in south eastern Libya when they were kidnapped by the bandits on July 6. ■

Drug conviction rate up by 200%: DOJ

BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES Philippine News Agency MANILA — The conviction rate arising from illegal drug cases filed in courts increased by more than 200 percent in 2017, Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Monday.

During the budget deliberations of the House appropriations committee on the DOJ’s proposed PHP21.353-billion budget for 2019, Guevarra said the rise in conviction rate last year is a major achievement of the justice department, in contrast to the dismal rate in 2016.

Guevarra said from 2,279 convictions in 2016, that figure jumped to 7,032 in 2017 with a conviction rate of 208.5 percent.

“With respect to dangerous drugs, the number of cases filed last year rose by 9 percent and with a conviction rate of 208.5 percent, considering the relatively www.canadianinquirer.net

low number in 2016,” Guevarra said.

He noted that a total of 72,212 drug cases were filed in courts last year, which is 9 percent higher compared to 2016 with a total of 66,306 drug-related complaints filed.

Meanwhile, the conviction rate of criminal cases also rose by 59.52 percent in 2017 with 42,042 cases resulting in a conviction, compared to only 26,355 cases ending in a conviction in 2016.

A total of 294,196 criminal cases were filed last year, 4.27 percent higher than the 282,154 cases filed in 2016.

Guevarra said the DOJ’s PHP21.353billion budget for next year saw an upward adjustment of 8.59 percent from this year’s PHP19.664-billion budget.

Of the 2019 allocation, 77.3 percent (PHP16.317 billion) of the entire budget will go to personnel services, 20.56 percent (PHP4.391 billion) will go to maintenance and other operating expenses, and only 2 percent (PHP445 million) will go to capital outlay. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY AUGUST 10, 2018

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PRRD on drug war: ‘I have little time left’

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte said he had “little time left” to replicate the success of the anti-drug war, which he started during his term as mayor in Davao City, in the entire country.

“Look at Davao now, you can walk around. Maybe it’s not really the safest city in the Philippines but you can walk about whatever — night-time,” Duterte said in his speech during the inauguration of Northern Mindanao Wellness and Reintegration Center in Bukidnon on Friday.

“Sana ‘yun ang gusto kong gawin sa Pilipinas (That’s what I want to do for the entire Philippines). And yet I have a little time left. Baka kung masunod lang nila ‘yang Davao (Maybe if they were only able to replicate what they did in Davao),” he added.

Duterte’s commitment to rid the country of illegal drugs as he did in Davao is one of his campaign promises.

The President said he was not cam-

paigning for any politician, adding that he had no plans to run for the 2022 elections, saying he is “ready” for retirement.

“Look just — I’ll just cut it short. I am not campaigning for anybody nor for me.

I cannot run anymore even as a kagawad (barangay councilor),” Duterte said.

“After my term, I will retire and probably die slowly or may mag-kursunada then make it faster. Whichever, I am ready for retirement and for anything in life,” he quipped.

Duterte earlier said he was willing to step down as early as 2019 as long as federalism is in place.

To allay fears that he had plans to stay in power beyond his term, Duterte had asked the Consultative Committee (ConCom) tasked to draft the federal constitution to include a provision that will ban him from running during the 2022 elections.

The President also asked the ConCom to allow the election of a Transition President to lead the shift to a federal system of government because he was “tired” and wanted a “younger leader” to take over. ■

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AUGUST 10, 2018

FRIDAY

PRRD signs national ID law

BY JELLY MUSICO Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday signed into law the Philippine Identification System Act which seeks to integrate the various government IDs of all citizens and foreign residents in the country.

Duterte affixed his signature on Republic Act 11055 on the same event that an equally important measure, the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL), was presented to Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chair Al Haj Murad Ebrahim at the Malacañang Palace.

“Today, I signed into law the Philippine Identification System Act, a measure that will establish a single national identification system that will provide good governance, enhance governmental transactions and create a more conducive environment for trade and commerce to thrive,” Duterte said in his speech.

At present, some of the government-issued IDs include the Unified Multi-Purpose ID or

UMID issued to the members of the Social Security System (SSS) and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS); Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth); Tax Identification Number (TIN); and the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund).

Duterte appealed to support the National ID system or “PhilID” which also seeks to promote the efficient delivery of services and to lessen corruption and red tape in the government.

“This will not just enhance administrative governance but reduce corruption, curtail bureaucratic red tape, and promote the ease of doing business, but also avert fraudulent transactions, strengthen financial inclusion, and create a more secure environment for our people,” he said.

The President allayed fears peddled by some groups that the National ID would infringe privacy and personal data of the Phil-ID holders.

“Let me be very clear about this: The information that will be included in the Phil-ID will not be any different from the

information already in the possession of the Philippine Statistics Authority or the former NSO, GSIS, PhilHealth, PagIBIG Fund, COMELEC, and other agencies that gather personal data,” Duterte said.

He said the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) will work closely with the National Privacy Commission, the Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the multi-agency PhilSystem Policy and Coordination Council to address all concerns pertaining to privacy and security.

“There is therefore no basis at all for the apprehensions about the Phil-ID, unless of course that fear is based on anything that borders to illegal,” Duterte said.

“If at all, the Phil-ID will even aid in our drive against the social menaces of poverty, corruption and criminal issues, as well as terrorism and violent extremism,” he added.

Duterte expressed his appreciation to the two houses of Congress, led by Senate President Vicente Sotto III and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, for passing

President Rodrigo R. Duterte shows a copy of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Act after signing it during a ceremony at Malacañan Palace RICHARD MADELO / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

the Phil-ID and BOL. He also thanked former Senate President Aquilino ‘Koko’ Pimentel III and former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez for their active involvement in the passage of both measures.

“Indeed, the passage of these laws speak well of their able leadership and firm resolve to rise above divisive partisan politics,” Duterte said.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives ratified the national ID system on May 29 and 30, respectively.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, chair-

man of the Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs, spearheaded the passage of the Palace-backed bill.

“I ask everyone to join me as we decisively implement measures that will create an environment where our people’s concern will no longer be center on their safety and security, but on charting a future they can proudly bequeath to succeeding generations,” Duterte said.

Duterte signed the BOL or R.A. 11054 two days after his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 23. ■

New guidelines recommend hepatitis C testing for those born between 1945 and 1975 HEPATITIS C is a serious and significant liver disease which can lead to life-threatening consequences. It is estimated that 250,000 people in Canada have hepatitis C, and it is the number one cause of illness and death among infectious diseases in the country.

Fifty-nine-year-old Carol was diagnosed with hepatitis C in 2008 after attempting to donate blood.

“I can’t think of when I could have contracted the hepatitis C virus, so it never occurred to me that I should ask for this test,” says Carol. “When I found out I had hepatitis C, I was shocked.”

Hepatitis C is caused by a virus that attacks the liver and puts individuals at risk of complications including cirrhosis, liver cancer and potentially death from liver failure. As common as hepatitis C is, it’s also known as a silent killer because it’s a liver disease that rarely comes with a warning and symptoms often don’t appear until the liver is severely damaged. It is estimated that up to 70 per cent of people with chronic hepatitis C in Canada don’t even know they have it.

The greatest number of Canadians with hepatitis C are those born between 1945 and 1975, which makes it critically important for those in

this age group to understand their increased risk, and for all adults born in this age bracket to be tested. Additionally, people born in regions where hepatitis C is more common, such as in the Philippines where approximately one million people have hepatitis C, should also talk to their doctor about getting tested.

The Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver recently published new guidelines on managing hepatitis C urging that Canadians be tested based on their age – not only their possible risk factors.

The hepatitis C antibody test is a simple blood test, and if you have hepatitis C, new treatments are available that can cure the liver disease in as little as eight to twelve weeks. People born between 1945 and 1975 should ask their doctor about being tested, so if needed, they can get treated and be cured.

For more information about hepatitis C, and to find out if you may be at risk, access the Canadian Liver Foundation’s hepatitis risk questionnaire and visit www.liver.ca/ ThisIsYourWarning.

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FRIDAY AUGUST 10, 2018

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Philippine News

AUGUST 10, 2018

FRIDAY

PIA head urges Mocha Uson to apologize, take a leave

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer AFTER A video on federalism by his fellow government official stirred up controversy, the head of Philippine Information Agency (PIA) urged Assistant Secretary Margaux “Mocha” Uson of the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) to issue a public apology as well as to go on leave.

Harold Clavite, Director-General of the PIA, found Uson’s viral video not only an ‘insult’ to their profession in communication and public information, but also ‘degrading’ women and mothers.

“I respectfully urge Ms. Mocha Uson to take a leave of absence to think and reconfigure all her strategies putting into consideration the code of conduct and ethical standards that all public officials should adhere to,” Clavite said in his statement on Tuesday, August 7, adding that a public apology from the Palace official is ‘paramount.’

Clavite broke his silence regarding the issue to give importance to the “massive man-hours” the PIA, an office under the PCOO, has exhausted just to provide seminars and workshops to all stakeholders in public information.

“My stand on this issue defends the integrity and intelligence of all government information officers, volunteers, and partners— many of whom women and mothers— across the nation, who are continuously working very hard to positively influence the Filipino public to make them responsible sharers of information and be able to contribute to the significant change the public information infrastructure of this country so badly requires,” the PIA chief said.

“We have been sitting idly by for too long, and it is about time that someone

PIA Chief Harold Clavite.

speaks up and hold erring officials accountable for repeatedly tarnishing the reputation of our government,” he continued.

Calvite also said he took “great offense” at Uson’s actions, which “continuously damage” the righteousness of his communication and public agenda.

“I can no longer let her obscure and vilify my honest work in helping the President (Rodrigo Duterte), this government, and this country, as well as the efforts that we have painstakingly and patiently put into place under my leadership in PIA for the past two years,” he stressed.

It was on August 2 when Uson shared a Facebook live video where her co-host in the “Good News Game Show,” Drew Olivar, was seen dancing and gesturing to his crotch and chest areas while chanting, “I-pepe, i-pepe, i-dede, i-dede… ipederalismo!”

The video drew flak from government officials, lawmakers, and netizens as it went viral on Sunday, August 5, just a few days after she said she plans to use social media to further explain federalism to her fellow Filipinos.

Uson, on Monday, then hit back the senators who slammed her over the ‘ipederalismo’ video, saying that they were outraged with the controversial video but had no comment on the alleged cheating in the 2016 polls.

“Ang laki ng sahod at pondo niyo pero saan niyo ginagamit? Ako na walang natangap diyan sa Pederalismo na ‘yan pero sasabihin niyo ‘binabastos’ ko. KAYO ANG BUMABASTOS SA KATOTOHANAN (You have a big salary and funds but where do you use it? I did not receive anything from that federalism campaign, yet you said I mocked it. You are the ones disrespecting the truth),” Uson said. ■

HAROLD CLAVITE / FACEBOOK

PH envoy nominated for top WHO post

BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency MANILA — The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially included Dr. Susan Mercado, a Filipino public health specialist, in its list of nominees for the WHO-Western Pacific regional director position.

The Philippines nominated Mercado, who is also the Special Envoy for Global Health Initiatives, to the office’s top position.

She is one of the four nominees listed, the three others were from Malaysia, Japan and New Zealand.

The election for the new Western Pacific Director will be done during the WHO’s Regional Consultative Meetings of the Western Pacific in Manila in October 2018.

The Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), welcomed her inclusion in the list of nominees.

“The acceptance of Dr. Susan P. Mercado’s nomination by the WHO is proof of her expertise and experience in the field of public health, which was evident when President Rodrigo Duterte appointed her as Special Envoy this year,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said. “We wish her all the best in her candidature.”

Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Evan Garcia also expressed hope on Mercado’s bid for the post.

“The Philippine Mission to the United Nations in Geneva shares the excitement of Dr. Mercado in the campaign process, and hopes that the next Western Pacific Regional Director of WHO will come from the Philippines,” he said.

Mercado was an Undersecretary and Chief of Staff of the Department

www.canadianinquirer.net

of Health, and has served the WHO for more than 15 years.

As Manila’s candidate, Mercado said she is advocating on a platform of responsiveness and empowerment. “I believe that being approachable and accessible is the key to effective leadership.

You cannot lead if you cannot listen.”

“I believe that the foundation for leadership in a multilateral agency is respecting that each member state—regardless of size or socio-economic status has the authority to identify its own priorities and chart its own destiny,” she added.

Mercado worked at WHO’s Regional Office for Western Pacific (WPRO) as Director for Noncommunicable Diseases and Health through the Life-Course, where she led teams of international public health experts who work closely with governments in 37 countries and areas across Asia and the Pacific.

According to the DFA, she also acted as WPRO Regional Adviser for Health Promotion, as well as team leader of the WPRO’s Tobacco Free Initiative.

She also served as team leader for Urban Health Equity of the WHO Kobe Center in Japan.

According to Mercado, the organization can do better by creating new spaces in public health discourse and governance where member states can discuss how to optimize and share resources in ways that are culturally appropriate and sensitive to local contexts.

“There are multiple solutions to the health problems we face, and more of our time and attention should go to linking solutions to problems through inclusive dialogue and engagement,” she said.

“I believe there is a straightforward, efficient and, ultimately, simple approach: We must do it together, and we must do it today,” Mercado added. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY AUGUST 10, 2018

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The brutal personal costs of the Philippines’ human rights abuses

BY PETRA MOLNAR Lawyer, International Human Rights Program, University of Toronto AND ANNA SU Assistant Professor, University of Toronto IN SEPTEMBER 2017, Sheerah Escudero’s world came crashing down. Her beloved younger brother Ephraim had been missing for five days and the Escudero family was growing increasingly desperate. Then the call came: His body had been found lying by an empty road more than 100 kilometres away in Angeles City, in Pampanga province in the Philippines, northwest of Manila. Ephraim had been shot in the head, his body wrapped in packing tape.

The 18-year-old had been a recreational drug user but as far as his family knew, hadn’t used in a few years. Yet the father of two had still become ensnared in the increasingly brutal drug war of President Rodrigo Duterte, whose government has been killing suspected drug users and “drug pushers” since 2016. Duterte recently announced he was ramping up his efforts.

Sheerah and her family tried to identify those responsible for Ephraim’s death. They reported his disappearance immediately to police. Local police departments have refused to release any information or leads. Witnesses have told Sheerah that Ephraim was picked up by two men on a motorcycle, a common killing tactic now known as “riding in tandem.” CCTV footage confirmed this.

Sheerah, a diminutive woman in her early 20s with a bright smile, bears the trauma of her brother’s death with stoicism.

Her Facebook page is a mix of joyful pictures with friends at coffee shops, juxtaposed with photos of her brother’s bloodied body lying in the street.

His death made the impact of the drug war personal in the most visceral sense — a brother lost, a father taken too soon.

Human rights workers targeted

We met Sheerah in late April 2018, during a trip to the Philippines to investigate the dete-

riorating human rights situa- advocating for agrarian reform, tion in the country — part of a basic human rights for farmers, broader research project at the as well as highlighting environInternational Human Rights mental degradation as a result Program, University of Toronto of extractive mining activities Faculty of Law, to understand across the country.

Canada’s role in the region.

During our time in rural SanOur conversations with more ta Cruz in the province of Zamthan 50 human rights defend- bales, we interviewed numerers, environmental activists, ous environmental activists lawyers, artists and Indigenous and farmers who spoke about groups revealed troubling pat- the inaction of the government terns in a country that’s in- to address the tremendous creasingly closing its borders to environmental impacts of a outsiders. neighbouring nickel mine.

Sheerah’s story is all too The mine has destroyed rice Last night of Ephraim Escudero‘s wake. common. The Duterte gov- paddies, polluted rivers and ernment’s brutal crackdown ocean water, killed livestock, the Didipio community as well on drugs continues unabated. and made it extremely difficult as environmental activists in Duterte has publicly galvanized for farmers and fisherfolk to Manila who regularly monitor the Philippine National Police sustain their livelihoods.

Canadian mines. force to “slaughter them all,” The community’s incredible In Mindanao, thousands have proclaiming that we “can ex- hospitality during our stay was been displaced by the mining pect 20,000 to 30,000 more” contrasted by the stark poverty activity and the counter-insurdeaths before the war is over. as a result of ongoing mining in gency war, including numerous As with any state directly tar- the region. Many farmers and Indigenous peoples, who are geting its own people, actual activists also expressed fatigue often also directly targeted and numbers are difficult to quan- at having to deal with more re- murdered by the Duterte govtify, but Human Rights Watch searchers who ultimately do ernment for speaking out. estimates there are more than nothing to help their situation.

According to an Indigenous 12,000 dead. The body count As one farmer told us: “I don’t Lumad chieftain, Datu Lala: rises daily; victims include want to talk to another West- “Mindanao is now so militachildren and young people like erner ever again — nothing is rized that we cannot breathe.

Sheerah’s brother Ephraim. changing. Your mines come in, We have to get out — otherwise Their deaths destroy families our government sells away our we will be killed.” and the social fabric of commu- lives, and we are left with nothThe chieftain and his comnities. ing.” munity have been seeking sancSheerah’s tuary in Manila story shows the for the last few profound and months after a far-reaching renumber of their verberations of We have to get out — otherwise family memstate-induced we will be killed. bers, including violence. This viochildren, were lence takes many killed. Commuforms. For examnities such as ple, the regime has the Lumad are been explicitly targeting huWhile Canada is not operat- increasingly afraid to speak out man rights advocates, placing ing a mine directly in Zambales, for fear of reprisal, and envimany lawyers, NGO workers the deteriorating security situa- ronmental activists do not want and environmental activists on tion at the time of our fieldwork to become the next target. a “suspected terrorist” hit list, did not allow us to visit CanaThe Duterte government has which the government filed at dian mining sites as we had also undermined fundamental a Manila Court in March 2018. initally planned in the south- democratic institutions and the The lawyers and organiza- ern island of Mindadao, or the independent judiciary, removtions we spoke with in metro- Oceana Gold mining facility in ing Maria Lourdes Sereno, the politan Manila all mentioned Didipio in central Luzon, which chief justice of the Philippine numerous colleagues who have has already faced strong criti- Supreme Court, and publicly been placed on this list, with cism by environmental groups attacking the Commission on some detained by the regime, in Canada.

Human Rights, an independent while others have ominously and constitutionally mandated disappeared.

Canadian mines also devastate body that monitors and investithe environment gates human rights in the PhilMining and degradation of the However, the environmental ippines. environment impacts we observed in Santa Duterte has even threatened The hit list has also created a Cruz are apparently similar to to slash its annual Human climate of fear among environ- those at the Oceana Gold mine, Rights Commission budget to mental activists who have been according to representatives of a mere $20 and has called its www.canadianinquirer.net

SHEERAH ESCUDERO / FACEBOOK

chairman, Chito Gascon, a “pedophile” on national television.

Duterte doesn’t stop with his own people.

His administration has also been sealing its borders to international observers, and he’s barred foreigners like the Italian politician Giacomo Filibeck and a delegation from entering the country in April.

Even religious missionaries are not immune. During our time in the Philippines, Duterte ordered the expulsion of 76-year-old Australian nun Sister Patricia Fox, who has been living in the country for 20 years, for so-called “human rights activism.”

And the United Nations Special Rapporteur for the right of Indigenous peoples, Victoria Tauli-Corpuz, has been placed on the suspected terrorist list and is now afraid to return to the Philippines.

Our fieldwork was marred by this increasingly hostile environment. We were repeatedly told to keep a low profile, and our sources warned us that the government does not like foreign criticism.

Canada must do better

As two Canadian lawyers specializing in human rights law, we were profoundly disturbed by the discrepancy between this reality on the ground and Canada’s silence on the Philippines.

The International Criminal Court has initiated a preliminary investigation against Duterte himself, and the president retaliated by calling for a complete withdrawal from the ❱❱ PAGE 9 The brutal

Philippine News

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AUGUST 10, 2018

FRIDAY

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Member

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque.

PCOO

Gov’t won’t give up on Charter change

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency

alism has yet to commence this month.

Roque, however, remained hopeful, stressing that there was a possibility that Charter change would have the same wait as the second package of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN).

“Ganyan din po ang eksperyensa ng Palasyo doon sa TRAIN 2. Pero (That is also the experience of the Palace on TRAIN 2 but) no less than the Senate President Vicente Sotto III sponsored TRAIN 2),” Roque said.

“So we are confident po, once we are able to explain to the senators the merits of Charter Change to federalism that we will get the required support,” he added.

Roque also said the Palace will step up on its efforts to highlight the merits

alism because they were “driven by fear and displeasure that they will be the losers politically and economically” should there be a shift from unitary to a federal MANILA — “Never say die!” form of government.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry He, however, allayed these fears, notRoque made this remark responding to ing that the proposed federalism Constilawmakers who believed there was little tution is designed to have a “strong fedhope for Charter change in Congress. eral government” to hold together the His comment also comes after Presidifferent regions and make them equally dential Communications Operations viable and sustainable by spreading the Office (PCOO) Assistant Secretary Mofunds and powers to the regional level. cha Uson posted on social media a blog Duterte has also created an interentry featuring a song and dance numagency task force composed of the Deber that promoted federalism. partment of the Interior and Local GovRoque acknowledged that federalism ernment, the Commission on Higher should be explained in a more “serious” Education, PCOO, and the ConCom to manner although noted that Uson had lead the information drive on federal“the best intentions” in uploading the ism. video on her blog.

Senator Panfilo “I think Mocha Lacson earlier said Uson had the best the proposed Charter of intentions kasi change or Cha-cha gusto niya talaga na Puno said others also doubted federalism “is just waiting to be mapag-usapan ang because they were “driven by fear and cremated”, noting pederalismo ng mga displeasure that they will be the losers that the Senate was tao na pang-arawpolitically and economically” should there inclined to “do notharaw–yung mga be a shift from unitary to a federal form of ing.” mamamayan natin government.

Caloocan City 2nd (because she really District Rep. Edgar wanted federalism to Erice said Cha-cha be talked about as an is “dead,” thanks to everyday topic by our citizens),” Roque of federalism to the Congress and the Uson. said. public.

Erice criticized the viral video show“Pero siguro pag usaping ng pederalFormer Chief Justice and Consulta- ing blogger Drew Olivar, Uson’s co-host ismo ang pag-uusapan dapat siguro mas tive Committee (ConCom) Chairman in Good News Game Show, singing and seryoso dahil ito po ay Saligang Batas, Reynato Puno, chairperson of the Con- dancing while making vulgar gestures to ang pinaka mataas na batas sa ating bay- sultative Committee (ConCom) tasked raise awareness about federalism. an (But perhaps, talks about federalism to draft the Federal Constitution, earlier The song and dance number was critishould be more serious because this is said that criticisms on federalism “are cized by netizens, lawmakers, and even the Constitution, the highest law of the borne out of lack of clear understand- members of the ConCom for being “inland),” he added. ing.” appropriate.” ■ He added that the roadshow for federPuno said others also doubted federwww.canadianinquirer.net

Philippine News

FRIDAY AUGUST 10, 2018

9

The brutal... ❰❰ 7

GINNO ALCANTARA / PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER

73% of Filipinos back National ID system — SWS

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MAJORITY OF Filipinos said they support a national identification (ID) system, the latest survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed on Tuesday, August 7.

The Second Quarter 2018 Social Weather Survey, done from June 27-30 this year, asked 1,200 Filipino adults: ”Sa pangkalahatan, sumasang-ayon po ba kayo o hindi sumasang- ayon sa pagkakaroonNational ID system sa Pilipinas (In general, do you approve or disapprove of having a National ID system in the Philippines)?”

Among the survey respondents, 73 percent of them said they approved, while 18 percent said they disapproved of the Philippine Identification Systems (PhilSys).

The remaining nine percent, meanwhile, answered that they did not have enough knowledge to give an opinion about it.

According to the SWS, this led to a net approval score of +55, which is classified as “extremely strong.”

The survey also showed that out of five Filipinos, three of them said the national ID system would be a big help to them.

Asked “Sa inyong palagay, gaano ang maitutulong sa inyo ng national ID system (In your opinion, how much help will the National ID system be to you)?”

32 percent said it will be a “very big help,” 28 percent answered it will be a “big help,” 26 percent said it will be of “moderate help,” and eight percent believed it will be of “little help.”

Only five percent of the respondents said the national ID system will be of “almost no help” at all.

Trust to gov’t

The same survey also said 61 percent of Filipinos believed that the government can be trusted to protect private information in the national ID. Eight percent, however, said the government cannot be trusted, while 30 percent remained undecided about the matter.

The SWS noted that this gave a net agreement rating of +53, classified as “extremely strong.”

The pollster also found out that 49 percent of the participants have “much trust” that the government would not use the national ID against their opponents, while 13 percent have “little trust” regarding this matter.

The other 39 percent, it said, were undecided.

Support in all areas

It was Metro Manila which gave the highest net approval of having a national ID system in the Philippines, which is at an “extremely strong” +60.

It was followed by Balance Luzon which gave an “extremely strong” +58, Visayas at an “extremely strong” +53, and Mindanao at a “very strong” +48.

The SWS also revealed that the net approval of the said system was “extremely strong” in both urban and rural areas at +58 and +53, respectively.

The June 2018 Social Weather Survey used face-to-face interviews of its participants aged 18 years old and above nationwide. It has sampling error margins of plus or minus three percent for national percentages and plus or minus six percent each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The latest survey came after President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law on August 6 the PhilSys Act which mandates the government to create a single official ID for all citizens and foreign residents in the country. ■

court and threatening to arrest its chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, if she ever dared to set foot in the Philippines.

However, during our visit to the Canadian Embassy in Manila, a spokesperson emphasized Canada’s insistence on maintaining “friendly relations” with the Philippines.

It’s possible that Canada benefits from these friendly relations. We import labour from the Philippines through its many temporary foreign worker schemes. Perhaps calling out human rights abuses in the Philippines would not bode well for maintaining a steady stream of labour that bolsters the Canadian economy.

At the absolute minimum, however, Canada must critically re-examine its foreign aid policy and trade relations with the Philippines, such as the recently cancelled $300 million helicopter deal, which would have sent 16 combatready helicopters to the Philippine military were it not for backlash by the Canadian public and the media.

However, in April 2018, there were renewed discussions about the sale of the same helicopters, as well as an additional helicopter going directly to the Philippine National Police in June this year — the very same police force perpe-

trating the drug war murders.

It’s hard to reconcile Canada’s rhetoric of upholding international human rights with the suffering of people like Sheerah, who lost her only brother to the drug war.

Sheerah is particularly disturbed that “Duterte has made it OK to tell people that it is normal to kill, that people should die for using drugs instead of having access to treatment and rehabilitation.”

To deal with her trauma, Sheerah has become an activist and writer, volunteering with Rise Up, a network of organizations advocating against the drugrelated killings.

Ephraim’s death continues to reverberate through her life in unexpected ways, acting as an “ice-cold” wakeup call, but one that also makes her life more dangerous. Keeping her brother’s memory alive makes her a target, she says, with a mix of quiet resignation and courage: “If this bloodshed continues, we are all potential victims here.” ■ This article was originally published on The Conversation, an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. Disclosure information is available on the original site.

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10

Philippine News

AUGUST 10, 2018

SC affirms guilty verdict vs.

Carlos Celdran over ‘Damaso’ act

BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD CALIWAN Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) has affirmed the conviction of cultural activist Carlos Celdran for “offending religious feelings” for barging inside the Manila Cathedral and denouncing the Catholic Church’s opposition to the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill in 2010.

In a resolution dated March 21, the High Court’s First Division denied Celdran’s plea seeking to reverse the Court of Appeals (CA) ruling, which upheld the decision of the Manila Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) Branch 4 and the Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 32 convicting him for “offending religious feelings” over his stunt.

“We agree with the CA in finding that the acts of petitioner were meant to mock, insult, and ridicule those clergy whose beliefs and principled were diametrically opposed to his own.”

The SC said Celdran failed to present evidence to show that the trial courts and the appellate court committed error in its assailed decision.

“The petitioner failed to sufficiently show any reversible error in the uniform findings of the Metropolitan Trial Court, the Regional Trial Court and the Court of Appeals, so we resolve the deny the instant petition,” part of the SC ruling said.

Celdran has asked the SC to reverse the 2015 ruling of the appellate court, which affirmed the Manila MTC and RTC’s decision convicting him of offending religious feelings under Article 133 of the Revised Penal Code.

Celdran has argued that his display of the words “Father Damaso” in his banner inside the cathedral is a political

CARLOS CELDRAN / FACEBOOK

speech and was his way of conveying to the priests inside that he strongly disagreed with their stand on the RH Law. In affirming the lower courts’ decision, the CA dismissed Celdran’s arguments noting that the said provision of the Revised Penal Code shield religion from criticism.

Celdran then brought the case to the SC. The Manila MTC Branch 4 handed down its decision on Jan. 28, 2013 while the Manila RTC Branch 32 issued its ruling on August 12, 2013; and the CA on December 12, 2014 and August 14, 2015.

Celdran was sentenced to serve an indeterminate prison term of two months and 21 days as minimum, to one year, one month, and 11 days as maximum.

The High Court pointed out that in a petition for review on certiorari, which was the pleading filed by Celdran in October 2015, questions of fact are no longer revisited, and the “findings of fact made by the trial courts are accorded the highest degree of respect by this Court (SC), especially when the MeTC, the RTC and the CA have similar findings.”

The case stemmed from Cel-

dran’s “Padre Damaso” stunt inside the Manila Cathedral Church on Sept. 20, 2010 during an ecumenical service attended by Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, the Papal Nuncio, former Philippine Ambassador to Rome Henrietta De Villa, and leaders of different Christian denominations.

Celdran wore a black suit and bore a plackard that read, “Damaso” to protest the position taken by the church against the then Reproductive Health Bill which is now passed into law.

In 2016, then Solicitor General Florin Hilbay asked the SC to acquit Celdran of the crime saying that the case under Article 133 of the Revised Penal Code is “unconstitutional” and that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that Celdran is indeed guilty of the offense for which he was charged.

In a Facebook post Monday, Celdran confirmed the SC’s decision. ”It’s come to pass. My appeal in the Supreme Court has been denied and my sentence is upheld.

Three months minimum to a year and a month and a day maximum,” Celdran said in his post along with a copy of the resolution of the SC’s First Division. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY

Duterte berates... ❰❰ 1

the president’s crack- proving the danger of battling down on illegal drugs illegal drugs, which remain a last year due to re- major problem. ports of abuses. Duterte later The Bureau of Customs and allowed them to rejoin drug anti-drugs authorities anraids, partly because the small nounced Tuesday night the dislead anti-narcotics agency covery of about half a ton (1,100 lacks personnel and firepower pounds) of methamphetamine, to quell the drug menace. locally called shabu, concealed “If you’ll stay like this, son of in two steel cylinders in two a bitch, I will really kill you,” abandoned container vans at Duterte told the policemen in Manila’s international containthe dressing-down broadcast er port in one of the largest drug by local TV networks. seizures under Duterte.

The cases of some of the poPhilippine Drug Enforcelicemen will be reviewed, but ment Agency chief Aaron Duterte warned, Aquino said the “I have a special vans came from unit which will Malaysia, which watch you for a drug syndicate life and if you may be using as commit even a Duterte has a transhipment small mistake, vowed to point, but were I’ll ask that you press his never claimed at be killed.” campaign the Manila port Addressing until the because of strictthe policemen’s last day of er screenings. families, Duterte his six-year C u s t o m s said, “If these term, often Commissioner sons of bitches declaring Isidro Lapena die, don’t come that he is warned that to us yelling ‘huready to customs perman rights, due go to jail, sonnel linked to process’ because although drug traffickers I warned you alhe denies would eventuready.” sanctioning ally be arrested.

Such public extrajudicial “The fact that threats, along killings. this did not get with the more through this than 4,500 mosttime is an indily poor drug suscation that many pects who have no longer want been killed in to co-operate gunbattles with police under with the drug syndicates,” he Duterte’s anti-drug crackdown, told reporters. ■ have triggered alarm by Western governments and human Associated Press journalists Jorights watchdogs since he rose eal Calupitan and Aaron Favila to power in mid-2016. contributed to this report.

Duterte has vowed to press his campaign until the last day of his six-year term, often declaring that he is ready to go to jail, although he denies sanctioning extrajudicial killings.

Police say nearly 150,000 drug suspects have been arrested and dozens of law enforcers have been killed in drug raids,

Philippine News

FRIDAY AUGUST 10, 2018

11

Mocha Uson fires back at senators who slammed her over ‘ipederalismo’ video

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer

the alleged irregularities in the 2016 elections. Chong was one of the resource persons in the Senate hearing on the said issue.

“Ang laki ng sahod at pondo niyo pero saan niyo ginagamit?

Ako na walang natangap diyan sa Pederalismo na ’yan pero sasabihin niyo ‘binabastos’ ko.

KAYO ANG BUMABASTOS SA KATOTOHANAN (You have a big salary and funds but where do you use it? I did not receive anything from that federalism campaign, yet you said I mocked it. You are the ones disrespecting the truth),” Uson stressed.

“Bakit niyo pinipigilan si Atty.

Glenn Chong at nililihis ang issue???? Nakinabang ba kayo sa dayaan??? O nakinabang ba ang mga kaibigan ninyo (Why are you stopping Atty. Glenn Chong and diverting the attention away from the issue? Did

Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Joel Villanueva, Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan and Nancy Binay earlier THE WORD war between Comexpressed disappointment over munications Assistant Secrethe video clip from her “Good tary Margaux “Mocha” Uson News Game Show,” wherein her and her critics continued, as the co-host, Olivar, was seen gesPalace official hit back at senaturing to his crotch and chest tors who criticized her over the areas while chanting, “I-pepe, ‘ipederalismo’ video posted on i-pepe, i-dede, i-dede… ipederher official page, Mocha Uson alismo!”

Blog.

The video which was shared “Ako nagtitimpi lang dito sa

by Uson to her more than five ILANG mga Senador na ito. million Facebook followers also Matagal niyo nang pinaglalarudrew the ire of the netizens, an ang taumbayan (I have held with some saying that she is myself back from talking about wasting their taxes. some of these senators. You Uson, last Sunday, clarified have been messing around with that the viral video was taken the public for a long time),” even before the Consultative Uson wrote in a Facebook post Committee (Con-com) and the on Monday, August 6.

Department of Interior and LoShe continued, “Nagagalit cal Government (DILG) asked kayo sa video na sinayaw ni Drew for help in the federalism camOlivar kesyo binaboy daw ang paign, adding that her role in PEDERALISMO pero NR (no the information drive is only to reaction) kayo sa help in promotissue ng dayaan ing the federalnoong 2016 (You ism through sowere outraged cial media. with the video in And then you said we are being Olivar, meanwhich Drew Olipaid, for your information, I am while, also revar danced, saypaid because I’m rich. I do not sponded to the ing federalism need your money! criticisms, saywas disrespecting, “Ang damied, but you have daming trivia no reactions doon, ang damiabout the issue of cheating in you benefit from it? Or did your daming magagandang nasabi 2016).” friends benefit from it)????” about sa pederalismo. Pero bakit According to Uson, it was the she questioned. ‘yan lang ang inyong napansin. senators who were being disSenators like Aquilino Bakit itong sayaw-sayaw lang respectful when they did not “Koko” Pimentel III, Vicente na ito (There was a lot of trivia let lawyer Glenn Chong speak “Tito” Sotto III, Francis “Chiz” mentioned there, a lot of good up and reveal the truth about Escudero, Risa Hontiveros, things about federalism. But

Mocha Uson and Drew Olivar.

why did you only notice the dance)?“ “Parang sinabi na, diyan lang ba napunta ’yung P90 million?’

Hindi pa nga nabibigay ‘yung budget ’di ba? Tapos sasabihin niyong binabayaran kami, hoy para sabihin ko sa inyo, hindi ako nababayaran dahil mayaman ako. Hindi ko kailangan mga pera niyo (They said, ‘Is this where the P90 million was allocated?’ The budget was not yet given, right? And then you

MOCHA USON BLOG / FACEBOOK

said we are being paid, for your information, I am paid because I’m rich. I do not need your money)!” he added.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, Jr. in July said the government would spend up to P90 million for the federalism campaign. Of the said amount, P10 million pesos will be given to the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) for the production of materials. ■

Nayong Pilipino exec denies corruption allegation

BY KRIS CRISMUNDO Philippine News Agency MANILA — Outgoing Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) Chairperson Patricia Ocampo, who was sacked by President Rodrigo Duterte with her entire board, has denied that their business dealings in behalf of government was tainted with corruption.

In a statement sent to reporters Tuesday, Ocampo said she will respect the Chief Executive’s decision removing

the NPF’s board of trustees and management team.

“In behalf of the board of trustees of the Nayong Pilipino Foundation, I would like to thank the President for having been given the opportunity to serve the Filipino people. It is regrettable that it has come to this, but we understand that we serve at the pleasure of the President,” Ocampo’s statement read.

Earlier, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced that Duterte has fired the entire board and manage-

ment team of NPF for giving its green light to a lease agreement, which the Chief Executive described as “grossly disadvantageous” to the government.

Although Malacañang has not identified the private firm supposedly involved in the lopsided deal, Ocampo’s statement referred to the USD1.5-billion investment of Hong Kongbased Landing International Development Ltd. in an integrated resort at the Entertainment City in Parañaque City.

“I strongly deny accusations that there were graft and corwww.canadianinquirer.net

ruption. On the contrary, the lease contract with Landing International Development Ltd. is above-board, and is highlyadvantageous to the government and to the Filipino people,” she said.

She also debunked claims that the lease contract between NPF and Landing International is for 70 years. It is just 25 years “starting from the date of execution of the lease contract”.

She mentioned that under the agreement, the monthly rental would be at PHP360 per square meters. An advance

rental value of PHP827.05 million was also placed.

NPF and Landing International also agreed that the government will receive “an additional monthly rental equivalent to 10 percent of net profits from the operations of its attractions and theme parks after taxes exclusive of value added tax”.

“We negotiated what we believed then, and believe now, are most advantageous terms and conditions for the government and the people,” said Ocampo. ■

12

Philippine News

AUGUST 10, 2018

FRIDAY

Napoles’ daughter Duterte urges Pinoys to join BOL discussions returns to PH

BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD CALIWAN Philippine News Agency MANILA — The daughter of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles, who was indicted for allegedly conspiring to illegally transmit government funds worth USD20 million to the United States, has returned to the Philippines, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra confirmed Saturday.

Guevarra said Jeane Napoles returned to the country on Friday from Denpasar, capital city of Bali, Indonesia.

“She (Jeane Catherine) flew back from Denpasar, Indonesia via Zest Air,” Guevarra said in a text message sent to reporters.

However, the DOJ chief said he was not able to get specific information on the flight details of the younger Napoles.

Meanwhile, the older Napoles and five of her family members, who were named defendants in the money laundering case in the United States (US), are now all in the country.

Last Friday, Guevarra disclosed that Jeane Catherine left the country last July 27.

Napoles’ brother Lim and his wife are still in the country.

“Based on the info provided

by BI, it would seem that they are here in the Philippines,” he said.

The US Department of Jus-

tice said Napoles, her children Jo Christine, James Christopher and Jeane; brother Reynald Lim; and his wife Ana, were charged with money laundering and conspiracy.

American prosecutors said the money was used to buy assets in the US, including several properties and luxury vehicles.

Among those indicted in the US, Napoles, Jo Christine and James Christopher are facing multiple charges before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the pork barrel scam.

Napoles is currently detained at the Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

The Court of Tax Appeals has dismissed Jeane Catherine’s PHP17-million tax evasion case.

Last July 31, it was reported that a federal grand jury in California indicted Napoles and five of her family members allegedly for wiring USD20 million of money stolen from the Philippines and deposited to bank accounts in California.

The US indictment alleged that the defendants used the money to purchase real estate, shares in businesses, two Porche Boxters and finance the living expenses of three USbased Napoles family members.

It was reported that in year 2015, the US government won a court order to freeze the USD12.5 million worth of assets bought by Napoles and others using the alleged stolen funds. ■

JEANE NAPOLES / TUMBLR

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Monday enjoined all Filipinos to participate in “constructive discussions” on the newly-signed Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) as part of collective efforts to sustain lasting peace, not just in Mindanao, but in the entire country.

“I ask my Bangsamoro brothers and sisters, as well as the indigenous communities and Christian settlers living within the Bangsamoro areas, to actively participate in constructive discussions about the law in your homes, in your villages, and communities,” Duterte said in his speech during the ceremonial reenactment of the signing of the BOL and the signing of the national ID law in Malacañang.

“But more importantly, I encourage you to take part in the upcoming plebiscite so that you may express your sovereign will through the ballot,” he added.

Presidential Peace Adviser Secretary Jesus Dureza told reporters in an ambush interview that the plebiscite on the BOL could take place by late November or early December.

Duterte, meanwhile, expressed hope that the BOL would be given a chance to succeed in providing the Bangsamoro with more autonomy while at the same time keeping the country “indivisible.”

“Let us work together as we continue the healing and reconciliation process. Let us give this law a chance to address the Bangsamoro people’s aspiration for genuine autonomy, while preserving our bond as a single nation and affirming the sovereignty of the indivisible Republic of the Philippines,” he added.

Duterte said he was “proud” to present a landmark legislative measure, which will help “chart a future where very Filipino — regardless of ethnicity, culture, or religious affiliation, can enjoy freedom.”

He thanked the lawmakers responsible for supporting his administration’s legislative agenda – including former Senate President Aquilino Pimenwww.canadianinquirer.net

RICHARD MADELO / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

tel III, former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, Senate President Vicente Sotto III and House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“Indeed, the passage of these laws speak well of their able leadership and firm resolve to rise above divisive partisan politics,” Duterte said.

The Chief Executive also expressed gratitude to the Bangsamoro Transition Commission (BTC), the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) for their unwavering commitment in pursuing the passage of the BOL. “May this serve as the final trajectory for the attainment of genuine peace, stability, [and] good governance in Muslim Mindanao,” Duterte said.

Earlier, Duterte said he is keeping his fingers crossed that the BOL will be “implemented right.”

“Tapos ko ‘yang BBL (referring to BOL), whether it will be implemented right or not, that’s a story which we have to… it’s still unfolding,” Duterte said in his speech during the inauguration of the Northern Mindanao Wellness and Reintegration Center in Bukidnon on Friday.

“So we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed and pray to God that Allah might want also to,” he added.

Last July 26, Duterte signed the BOL, or Republic Act 11054, a law that will establish a new Bangsamoro political entity to replace the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), but did not hold any ceremony.

Formerly known as the Bangsamoro Basic Law, the BOL is premised on the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, a signed peace deal.

The law is part of the Duterte administration’s effort to achieve national rapprochement with the Moro rebel groups.

Congress has had several hearings on the BOL to make sure that the law is within the bounds of the Constitution, national sovereignty and territorial integrity, at the same time ensuring that the interests of all sectors are respected.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque earlier described Monday’s event as a “ceremonial reenactment of the signing” since Duterte had already signed it. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY AUGUST 10, 2018

13

SWS: Majority of Filipinos satisfied with Duterte administration

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MAJORITY OF Filipinos gave President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration a “very good” satisfaction rating in the second quarter of 2018, the latest survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed.

The survey, released on Sunday, August 5, found out that of 1,200 survey respondents, 72 percent of them said they are satisfied with the performance of the Duterte administration, while 13 percent of them are dissatisfied, and the remaining 15 percent said they are neither satisfied nor dissatisfied.

According to the SWS, these figures resulted to a net satisfaction rating of +58, which is classified as “very good.”

This is the same rating and score the Duterte administration got last March 2018.

The steady net rating of the current administration, the pollster said, was “due to increases in net satisfaction in Mindanao and Balance Luzon, combined with decreases in Metro Manila and Visayas.”

Filipinos’ satisfaction with the performance of the administration stayed “excellent” in Mindanao, a four-point jump from +72 in March 2018 to +76 in June 2018.

It remained “very good” in Balance Luzon and Visayas, from +50 in March 2018 to +54 in June 2018 and from +57 to +56 in the same period, respectively.

The net satisfaction score in Metro Manila, however, dropped by one grade from “very good” to “good,” an 11-point decrease from +58 recorded in March this year to +47 in June 2018.

The terminology for net satisfaction ratings, according to the pollster, is as follows: +70 and above, “excellent”; +50 to +69, “very good”; +30 to +49, “good”; +10 to +29, “moderate”; +9 to –9, “neutral”; –10 to –29, “poor”; –30 to –49, “bad”; –50 to –69, “very bad”; –70 and below, “execrable.”

Admin’s Report Card

Among the 20 specific performance subjects which were rated by the survey respondents, the Duterte administration satisfaction ratings were “very good” on five subjects, “good” on 12, “moderate” on two, and “neutral” on one subject.

The administration received a “very good” score on the following: building and maintenance of public works (+62), reconstructing Marawi City (+55), promoting the welfare of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) (+55), helping the poor (+54), and promoting women’s rights (+52).

It got a “good” on protecting human rights (+48), transparency in government activities (+43), having clear policies (+40), fighting terrorism (+39), ensuring that no family will ever be hungry (+39), foreign relations (+39), fighting crimes (+37), ensuring an efficient public transportation system (+36), fulfilling commitments in international

PH assumes coordinatorship for ASEAN-China Dialogue

BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Philippines has officially taken over from Singapore the role of country coordinator for the ChinaAssociation of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Dialogue.

Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Assistant Secretary Elmer Cato said the Philippines’ coordinatorship began Thursday, right after a meeting between the foreign ministers of ASEAN and China.

DFA Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, before leaving for Singapore, said the Philippines will be playing a “crucial role” as the country coordinator for the dialogue, particularly as both parties

work towards the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC).

“We have a very good window to not only include but make part of the whole code of conduct the protection of marine environment,” he told reporters in a press conference last week.

The 10-member bloc and China have already expressed hopes on the COC’s conclusion by November 2018, when ASEAN leaders and its dialogue partners meet for the ASEAN Summit.

Meanwhile, the joint communique of the 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting revealed that ASEAN and China had agreed on a Single Draft COC Negotiating Text during the 15th ASEAN-China Senior Officials’ Meeting on the Implementation of the DOC on June 27. ■

ROBINSON NIÑAL / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

treaties (+33), deciding quickly (+33), reconciling with Muslim rebels (+31), and eradicating graft and corruption (+30).

Meanwhile, the government was rated “moderate” on reconciling with communist rebels (+27) and defending Philippine sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea (+20).

Lastly, it got “neutral” on fighting inflation (+1).

The June 2018 Social Weather Survey, done from June 27-30, 2018, used face-

to-face interviews with participants aged 18 years old and above nationwide.

It also has sampling error margins of plus or minus three percent for national percentages and plus or minus each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

The pollster said quarterly SWS items on public satisfaction with the general performance of the Duterte administration and its performance on specific subjects are non-commissioned. ■

NPA Vancouver announces City Council and Park Board candidates for upcoming municipal election JULY 31, 2018, VANCOUVER, B.C. – NPA Vancouver has announced the names of the City Council and Park Board candidates who will join Mayoral candidate Ken Sim on the NPA slate.

In addition to incumbents Melissa De Genova and Sarah Kirby-Yung, both of whom were previously announced as NPA candidates for City Council, the NPA candidates for City Council include Lisa Dominato (currently on School Board), Rebecca Bligh, Justin P. Goodrich, David Grewal, Colleen Hardwick, Kathy McGarrigle, and Francisco (Jojo) Quimpo.

On Park Board, NPA incumbents John Coupar and Casey Crawford will be joined by Tricia Barker, Pall Beesla, and Ann-Marie Copping. The NPA will announce its School Board candidates soon; with NPA incumbent School Trustee Fraser Ballantyne already announced as seeking re-election.

“I’m super excited about our NPA candidates and what each individual brings to our team,” said NPA Mayoral candidate Ken Sim. “We are thankful to the many great people who applied and these were not easy decisions. We really needed multiple opportunities and

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hours to meet with the candidates to determine the very best team we could bring together, who will work hard and are committed to improving the lives of the citizens of Vancouver. The team we introduce today are people who can lead change, build consensus, bridge differences, and with proven track records. Our NPA candidates come from a diverse range of backgrounds and skill sets, from different parts of the city, bringing a wide variety of perspectives and opinions to the table. This is a pivotal moment in time for the NPA. We are committed to representing the diversity of Vancouver and it starts with our candidate slate. We represent the new, revitalized NPA party, and we are here to listen, learn, and work for you, Vancouver.”

Short bios for each of the NPA candidates announced today, as well as those previously announced, are appended below along with links to photos of each candidate.

NPA City Councillor George Affleck announced earlier this year that he would not be seeking re-election in 2018. NPA City Councillor Elizabeth Ball has yet to decide what her future plans are.

14

Philippine News

AUGUST 10, 2018

FRIDAY

Marcos wants SC justice Caguioa out of VP poll protest case

BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD CALIWAN Philippine News Agency MANILA — Former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., on Monday filed a motion for inhibition before the Supreme Court sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) seeking the inhibition of Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa from his election protest case against Vice President Leni Robredo.

Caguioa is the justice incharge of Marcos’ election protest, which is currently pending before the PET. In a 13-page extremely urgent motion to inhibit, Marcos accused Caguioa of bias towards the “yellow brigade” as he took note that the magistrate has close ties with former President Benigno Aquino III. “In fact, they were classmates during grade school, high school and college at the Ateneo De Manila University…

Associate Justice Caguioa cannot deny that he is biased towards the ‘yellow brigade’ given his close ties with his friend and former boss (Aquino)….”

Caguioa served as presidential legal counsel and acting Justice Secretary during Aquino’s term and was later appointed to High Court in January 2016.

“Regrettably, however, it would appear that Associate Justice Caguioa had other plans because he even took the responsibility of being the ponente in the said election protest,” Marcos’ urgent motion said.

There is an ongoing discord between the Marcoses and the Aquinos, since the time of Marcos’ father and namesake, former President and strongman Ferdinand Marcos, and Aqui-

no’s father and namesake as well, former Senator Benigno S. Aquino, Jr. “To say that Noynoy Aquino and his family bear a grudge against the undersigned protestant (Marcos) and his family is an understatement. It is public knowledge that Noynoy Aquino had nothing but harsh words to say about protestant Marcos and would verbally criticize him and his family before, during, and even after the May 2016 elections.

“He practically used his office to convince the voting public not to vote for protestant Marcos as vice-president. It is also public knowledge that Noynoy Aquino handpicked protestee Robredo to run against protestant Marcos for the vice-presidential position in the May 2016 elections,” Marcos’ motion stated.

Given his “fraternal relations” with Aquino, Marcos said he expected Caguioa to recuse from his election protest as he described himself as Aquino’s “arch nemesis.”

What kept him from formally asking for Caguioa’s inhibition the past two years is “utmost respect” for the SC, sitting as the PET, Marcos explained, adding that he “has been trying to remain calm and collected these last two years.”

He said Caguioa’s wife, Pier Angela “Gel” Caguioa “was not only an anti-Marcos advocate but was also an ardent supporter of Robredo, having actively campaigned for her during the May 2016 elections.

“Accordingly, it is most respectfully prayed by the undersigned protestant that Associate Justice Caguioa immediately RECUSE and INHIBIT himself from participating in any of the proceedings in connection with the above-entitled election pro-

test,” Marcos stated.

He added that Caguioa’s wife, Pier Angela “Gel” Caguioa is an ardent supporter of Robredo and campaigned for her in the 2016 elections.

Marcos cited an article circulating online revealing that Mrs. Caguioa remains an avid supporter of Robredo.

“Screenshots of viber messages purportedly coming from Mrs. Caguioa in her Viber chat group… have purportedly been circulating online and have become hot trending topics of netizens all over the country,” the motion read.

These Viber messages allegedly reveal that Mrs. Caguioa “was and still is an ardent supporter of protestee Robredo and even actively campaigned for the latter” when Robredo ran against Marcos in 2016.

“Mrs. Caguioa’s resentment towards protestant Marcos and his family is as clear as night and day. In one of her comments, she wrote: ‘(i)f BBM (Marcos) wins and if he wins because of the youth, it’ll be [the] failure of our generation. We were the main catalysts of Edsa 1 and yet we failed to impart its lessons upon the generation that followed us,” the motion stated, quoting a purported message of Mrs. Caguioa.

Marcos argued that Mrs. Caguioa’s alleged actions fall squarely on Section 4, Canon 4 of an SC administrative case (No. 03-06-01-SC) which “prohibits as judge or justice from participating in the determination of a case in which any member of their family is associated in any manner in the case.”

“In light of the clear and convincing evidence of bias, partiality and prejudice exhibited

by Associate Justice and Mrs. Caguioa in favor of protestee, Robredo, the continued pres-

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BONGBONG MARCOS / FACEBOOK

ence and participation of Associate Justice Caguioa as the ponente of the above-entitled case is a gross violation of [Marcos’] constitutional right to due process of law.”

Robredo: Marcos motion another delaying tactic Meanwhile, Robredo, through her lawyer Romulo Macalintal, said the motion of Marcos is simply intended to delay the proceedings to suit his political agenda and it is a clear indication that he is losing all hopes in his bid to wrest the vice-presidential post now that the Comission on Elections (Comelec) reiterated that it used 25-percent shading threshold during the 2016 national and local elections.

“Now that the Comelec has belied his frivolous argument to use the 50-percent threshold, Mr. Marcos is making noise against a Supreme Court Justice. And this after his spokesperson recently impugned the integrity of the Comelec Commissioners after the Comelec has filed its Comment with the PET,” Macalintal said in a statement.

Furthermore, he said it will set a bad precedent for the High Court where a party will seek an inhibition of one of the Supreme Court members if things don’t go the party’s way.

He noted the motion appears

to have been prepared by his lawyer but only Marcos signed it and this shows that even his lawyers could not sign the motion, that his lawyers themselves do not believe that he has a valid ground for voluntary inhibition.

“Indeed, the motion is not supported by any “strong and compelling evidence” in proving the supposed bias. It is basic that “mere conjectures and speculations cannot justify the inhibition of a Judge or Justice from a judicial matter. It is unfortunate that the motion is based on mere speculations, whims and caprices of Mr. Marcos,” he added.

The PET is currently holding a manual vote recount that covers Marcos’ protest’s three pilot provinces: Iloilo, Camarines Sur, and Negros Oriental.

All three are known bailiwicks of Robredo.

On June 29, 2016, Marcos filed the protest, claiming that Robredo’s camp cheated in the automated polls in May that year.

In his protest, Marcos contested the results from 132,446 precincts in 39,221 clusters, covering 27 provinces and cities.

Robredo won the vice presidential race in the May 2016 polls with 14,418,817 votes or 263,473 more than Marcos’ 14,155,344 votes. ■

15

Canada News Trudeau met by more anti pipeline protesters on his B.C. long weekend tour

BY SPENCER HARWOOD The Canadian Press DELTA, B.C. — Drum beats and chanting followed Justin Trudeau to Delta, B.C., on Sunday, as anti-pipeline protesters attempted to disrupt the prime minister’s speech at a Liberal Party of Canada community barbecue.

Like several other stops on the prime minister’s long weekend trip to B.C., the protesters appeared at a planned appearance by Trudeau with signs and placards denouncing the Trans Mountain pipeline.

Tsleil-Waututh activist William George said he was excited to get access to the event and a chance to voice his opposition to the pipeline directly to the prime minister.

“Most importantly I’m standing here by myself saying he’s not welcome here and neither is his pipeline,” George said after Trudeau’s speech concluded.

As the prime minister reached the midway point of his address to a crowd of hundreds gathered at the Didar Berry Farm, George began to sing and drum.

At one point during George’s demonstration, a woman from

the crowd turned around and screamed “shut up” loudly at George.

As George’s demonstration intensified the prime minister spoke loudly through the microphone and asked the crowd to applaud the indigenous peoples who had gathered at the farm 25 kilometres south of Vancouver.

Earlier in the day, the prime minister marched down Robson Street as a raucous crowd of thousands lined the streets for the annual Pride Parade and spoke at a breakfast in Vancouver’s Davie Village hosted by PFLAG Canada.

The prime minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland spoke to reporters briefly before joining the parade and said that though there has been a lot of progress made for the LGBTQ community over the past two years, there was still much more to do.

“Its really important to continue to march in pride. We know that far too many homeless youth are from the LGBT community, we know the rates of teenage suicide is four times as much as in other communities, and eight times as much where the kids don’t have supportive parents,” said the prime

JUSTIN TRUDEAU / FACEBOOK

minister.

Danny Romandan was marching with the float ahead of Trudeau, and said he was in awe that the prime minister would walk in the parade at all, let alone with him.

He added coming to Canada had allowed him to truly be himself.

“Here I find the prime minister of Canada is marching with me and it’s amazing, and beautiful, and means so much,” said a beaming Romandan before returning to his megaphone and rousing the crowd.

Fifteen-year-old Layla Spies, adorned with two rainbow flags tucked into her hair, a rainbow neckband and strings of coloured beads draped around her neck, said she was excited to see Trudeau walk past her and her mother.

Spies said she thought it was a great sign for progress that the highest member of the Canadian government supports pride, noting that many places in the world do not tolerate homosexuality.

“It just shows a lot about how far we’ve come, and a bit about

how far we still need to go.”

Trudeau told the audience gathered at the Junction Pub for breakfast that while many places in the world could do with more tolerance, Canada should move beyond simply tolerating the differences in its communities and choose to love them.

“No religion in the world says ‘Tolerate thy neighbour,’ it’s love them, accept them, befriend them,” said Trudeau in front of a rainbow-coloured curtain.

Trudeau was flanked onstage by longtime Vancouver Centre MP Hedy Fry and PFLAG Canada’s Vancouver chapter president Colin McKenna.

Trudeau commended McKenna and the work PFLAG Canada does across the nation, saying their message of openness, respect, and compassion can impact society in a way the government cannot.

“When you talk about social change, change in families and communities, we need more than just a government saying what you should be doing,” he said.

The prime minister is expected to be in Penticton, B.C., for the B.C. Day Picnic at Gyro Park on Monday. ■

NDP’s Singh urges feds to immediately allow cities to ban handguns

BY TERESA WRIGHT The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is urging the prime minister to immediately give cities the leeway to ban handguns.

In a lengthy letter Thursday to Justin Trudeau outlining a long-term approach to tackling crime, Singh says simply adding more policing is not a solution

to gun violence in cities.

That’s because some measures, such as street checks and carding, have amplified distrust between police and racialized communities, Indigenous peoples and those struggling with mental illness.

Instead, he says allowing cities to ban handguns would help municipal authorities deal with the fact that many gun crimes are committed with legal guns.

“The federal government

should not stand in the way of municipal leaders who know their communities best, and want to ban these weapons to keep their residents safe,” he wrote.

Singh also wants the government to spend $100 million a year, starting next year, on efforts to combat gang violence — a target the Trudeau government has pledged to reach af❱❱ PAGE 20 NDP’s Singh

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JAGMEET SINGH / FACEBOOK

16

Canada News

AUGUST 10, 2018

FRIDAY

Ontario launching constitutional challenge of federal carbon tax plan

BY PAOLA LORIGGIO The Canadian Press

legal battle launched by Saskatchewan.

Asked whether the province was spending money on duplicate efforts, Phillips said he believes Ontario’s arguments TORONTO — Ontario is launching a would be slightly different from its Prailegal battle against the federal govern- rie peer’s. ment over its carbon tax plan, a costly Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe, move critics say has little chance of suc- meanwhile, said in a statement Thursceeding. day that his government would “strongEnvironment Minister Rod Phillips ly consider” joining Ontario’s challenge. and Attorney General Caroline MulFord vowed to fight Ottawa’s carbon roney made the announcement Thurs- pricing plan and eliminate Ontario’s day, saying they received a clear man- cap-and-trade system during the spring date during the spring election to fight election campaign. His government has the federal tax for provinces that don’t since introduced legislation to scrap cap have their own carbon pricing system. and trade and cancel programs financed Mulroney would not say whether she through its revenues, which include rethought the province could win but de- bates for energy-efficient renovations, nied the legal challenge was simply a transit projects and a fund for school gesture meant to appease Progressive repairs.

Conservative supporters.

The Tory election platform had bud“It’s not symbolic for the people of On- geted $30 million for a carbon tax court tario who want us to do everything that challenge, and Mulroney said Thursday we can to stop the federal Liberals from she believes it will cost less. imposing this tax on them … it’s what we The federal carbon tax is scheduled were Joel_CanadianInquirer_print.pdf elected to do,” she said. to kick in3:45 on Jan. 1 and experts say the 1 2017-10-05 PM The ministers said the constitution- court cases targeting it will not be real challenge is in addition to Premier solved before that deadline. But they say Doug Ford’s decision to join a similar the timing of the challenges could make

Rod Phillips.

it inconvenient for the federal government to impose its plan over the provinces’ objections.

“They might be making it more politically contentious for the federal government to move (on this) in a year where they’re hoping to win an election and to secure strong support the TorontoHamilton region in particular,” said Queen’s University professor Kathy Brock, who specializes in issues around federalism.

While it’s impossible to predict how the courts will rule, Brock said the Supreme Court has emphasized in several recent cases the need for the federal and provincial governments to work together.

Legal advice requested by the government of Manitoba noted there was a “strong likelihood” the Supreme Court would uphold Ottawa’s carbon pricing system on the basis of the federal government’s taxation power.

Allan Hutchinson, a constitutional law expert and professor at York University’s Osgoode Hall law school, said the Supreme Court has ruled that both the federal and provincial governments have jurisdiction over the environment but “the feds sort of hold the trump card.”

Because environmental issues and pollution can’t be contained by provincial borders, Ottawa can argue it has to act on the national scale and “the courts have been sympathetic to that,” he said.

Hutchinson said often governments will file these kinds of challenges for political, rather than legal, reasons.

“They let the courts do the dirty work and then say, ‘hey, we did all we could,’ knowing in the first place they were never going to succeed,” he said.

The premier’s provincial opponents, meanwhile, condemned Ford’s decision to turn to the courts in the carbon pricing fight, as did the federal government.

At an event in Winnipeg, federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna said she was disappointed Ontario was spending millions of taxpayer dollars to

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@RODPHILLIPS01 / TWITTER

fight climate leadership.

McKenna also took to Twitter to criticize the province’s move.

“It’s now absolutely clear, the Ford gov’t — like the Scheer & Harper Conservatives — has no climate plan. Climate change doesn’t stop with a change in government. And in 2018, no climate plan plan for the economy. Our kids deserve better,” she wrote.

Ontario’s New Democrats said the Ford government was acting on a “double standard” by bristling at federal interference on carbon pricing while, in a separate but ongoing matter, imposing its will on the City of Toronto with legislation to cut city council by 22 seats months from a municipal election.

“I find it quite ironic that we have a government that is now suing the federal government apparently for implementation of a carbon tax, which they have a right to do. But then they’re going around and taking the rights away from Toronto,” NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said.

“They’re trying to say that the federal government can’t take their rights away yet their taking the rights of Torontonians away.”

Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser questioned the government’s decision to spend taxpayer dollars on what he called a “fruitless exercise,” given the Tories’ insistence on fiscal responsibility.

“If they’re really serious about protecting the taxpayers’ money then they shouldn’t be spending that money and I think the minister knows it, both ministers,” he said.

That sentiment was echoed by Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner.

“Premier Ford would rather spend money on lawyers than repairing schools, helping people save money by saving energy or helping hospitals lower their utility bills,” he said. “This is a frivolous lawsuit that has no hope of winning and it’s a complete waste of taxpayer dollars.” ■

Canada News

FRIDAY AUGUST 10, 2018

17

Experts say forest fires like ones in Ontario can take long term toll on environment

BY GABRIELE ROY The Canadian Press TORONTO — Forest fires like the ones currently burning in Ontario can have long-term impacts on the environment, experts say, noting that increasingly warmer and drier weather conditions are making such blazes more common.

As of Sunday, there were 127 fires burning in the province, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. One of the fires, dubbed Parry Sound 33, is more than 110 square kilometres in size and has prompted evacuations in some communities.

“We are seeing the manifestation of climate change happening in real form right now,” said Blair Feltmate, head of the Intact Centre on Climate Adaptation at the University of Waterloo. “It is bad now and it is only going to get worse.”

Severe forest fires like Parry

Sound 33, which has been burning in northeastern Ontario since July 18, can potentially burn off all the vegetation and organic soil in an area, leaving only ashes and rocks, one expert said.

“What I think is happening now (with Parry Sound 33) is that this is a pretty intense fire that is combusting away almost all signs of life in at least some of the areas in that fire perimeter,” said Merritt Turetsky, a University of Guelph professor and ecosystem ecologist.

Such fires in peat-rich areas can also burn away the ground around charred trees that remain standing, she said.

“Nothing is holding these trees on the ground anymore. A big gust of wind and they fall right off,” Turetsky said, noting that the situation could pose a hazard for residents moving back into their homes after a forest fire.

The way in which forest fires burn the ground has also changed in recent years, said Turetsky, noting that in the

past, fires left patches of surviving vegetation and organic matter behind.

“Now when we go in and survey these severely burned plots, we literally feel like we are walking on the moon,” she said. “This is a totally different ball game for the vegetation to re-vegetate.”

Severely burned ground can lead to soil erosion, which then causes other issues, said Feltmate.

“When large precipitation occurs, trees are usually there to intervene between the water and the ground, so the water only sort of sprinkles onto the ground,” he said. “But when the trees have been removed, raindrops hit the ground at maximum speed and it can create a large-scale erosion.”

When such erosion occurs, soil and ashes can flow into water systems and that potentially “knocks out the habitat” for insects that live in the area, said Feltmate.

The severity with which forest fires are burning in areas

that have peat or organic soil, which are typically wet, is concerning, said James Michael Waddington, a McMaster University professor who has studied wildfires for over a decade.

“Several decades of fire suppression combined with unprecedented dry conditions fuelled by climate change means that peat is burning more often,” said Waddington, who added that the more severe the burning of the peat, the greater the resources and time required to fight the fire.

“It also increases the amount of particulate matter in smoke which can be a health risk and also increases the amount of carbon lost to the atmosphere.”

Forest fires could also have an effect on drinking water if materials that pose a health concern make their way into a groundwater supply, according to a team of researchers in Alberta that is studying the issue.

While not all forest fires have a large impact on drinking wa-

ter, the matter is one that calls for further examination, said Monica Emelko, who is part of the research team for the Southern Rockies Watershed Project.

“If materials that are a health concern after a fire make their way into a groundwater supply, we might not catch that for a while giving our monitoring strategies,” she said.

Experts note, however, that forest fires have occurred for centuries and some types of vegetation benefit from the blazes.

But, Turetsky said, “the natural fire regime of wildfire is being tossed out of the window.”

Communities in forested regions should deploy fire protection programs that use education, emergency planning, training and more to deal with the threat of wildfires, she said.

“If we don’t think about our interaction with wildfires, we will see more and more mortality because I don’t think we can keep people and wildfires away from each other.” ■

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18

Canada News

AUGUST 10, 2018

FRIDAY

Freeland defends Canada’s position, says it will always speak up for human rights

BY JANICE DICKSON The Canadian Press WHILE FOREIGN Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said Ottawa will wait to hear more details from Saudi Arabia before responding to the country’s decision to freeze new trade deals and expel Canada’s ambassador, she defended Canada’s position, insisting Ottawa will always stand up for human rights.

Speaking to reporters in Vancouver on Monday, Freeland said Canada is “very comfortable” with its position that led to the new measures announced by Saudi Arabia.

“We are always going to speak up for human rights, we are always going to speak up for women’s rights and that is not going to change,” Freeland said.

Freeland said Canadians “expect” its foreign policy to be driven by Canadian values.

Saudi Arabia’s move to freeze new trade deals could threaten Canada’s $15-billion arms deal

that includes providing armoured vehicles to the country, but Freeland called it “premature” to comment on the status of the deal, or the economic consequences of the move.

Thomas Juneau, an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa, said because the statement Sunday from Saudi Arabia specified that new trade deals will freeze, it is difficult to determine what the economic impact will be.

On one hand, it would be a bad scenario to cancel the arms deals, but on the other, many human rights groups have criticized Canada’s decision to sell armoured vehicles to a regime with a “horrible human rights record,” Juneau said.

Freeland’s comments come a day after Saudi Arabia made the decision in retaliation to a Global Affairs tweet that “Canada is gravely concerned about additional arrests of civil society and women’s rights activists in Saudi Arabia, including Samar Badawi. We urge the Saudi authorities to immediately re-

lease them and all other peaceful human rights activists.”

The Saudi foreign ministry ordered Canada’s ambassador, Dennis Horak, to leave the country and called the use of “immediately release” in Canada’s tweet “unfortunate, reprehensible, and unacceptable in relations between states.”

It also said, “Any other attempt to interfere with our internal affairs from Canada, means that we are allowed to interfere in Canada’s internal affairs.”

Amnesty International has said Badawi, the sister of jailed blogger Raif Badawi, was recently detained along with Nassima al-Sada, another prominent female activist.

Freeland would only tell reporters Monday that the Canadian ambassador is “fine” and would not disclose his location.

Freeland said the embassy in Saudi Arabia is still in place and providing services to Canadians.

Freeland also commented briefly on reports that Saudi Arabia is cancelling scholarships for

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more than 15,000 Saudi students attending university in Canada, saying it would be a “shame” if those students lost the opportunity to study in Canada.

Bessma Momani, an analyst on Middle East affairs and professor at the University of Waterloo, said the move will resonate domestically.

Momani called it, “getting tough on Canada”, which she said other countries in the region might welcome if they view Canadian foreign policy to be led by human rights concerns.

There could be a sentiment among allies that, “Finally the Trudeau government is getting poked back in the eye by the Saudis.”

At the same time, it sends a strong message to European countries but also countries in the Middle East not to “mess” with Saudi Arabia, Juneau said.

“There is a clear, uniquely Saudi dimension to this in the sense that in the last three years Saudi Arabia has been behaving very aggressively and

assertively in the Middle East,” he said, noting the blockade of Qatar and the war in Yemen.

“For Saudi Arabia to punish Canada, it’s fairly easy because we’re not an important country for them, either are they for us,” he said, adding that it does send a message to others that it will not accept criticism.

Regardless of how allies and others are perceiving the measure, it has rallied support among Saudis, said Momani, adding that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia has a very young nationalistic base, many of whom have taken to Twitter to celebrate the decision and simultaneously criticize Canada.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Media said in a tweet earlier Monday that it is investigating a Twitter account that posted a photo of an Air Canada plane heading toward the CN Tower, eerily reminiscent of the 9/11 attacks.

The ministry said it ordered the owner of the account to shut it down while investigations are completed. ■

World News

FRIDAY AUGUST 10, 2018

19

Melania Trump shows Violence continues independence at key moments in Bangladesh capital as students protest

BY JONATHAN LEMIRE AND DARLENE SUPERVILLE The Associated Press BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — A deliberately crafted statement. A conspicuous fashion choice. A sudden silence or withdrawal from the public eye.

First lady Melania Trump’s move to distance herself from President Donald Trump’s criticism of NBA superstar LeBron James was the latest instance of her quiet but seemingly concerted effort to subtly create space between herself and her husband, careful not to criticize him directly while making clear she does not agree with him.

She took to Twitter to announce her disappointment with the Trump administration’s policy of forced family separations at the border and later made a pair of trips there to visit the displaced children, a step the president had not taken.

She vanished from sight amid renewed scrutiny of her husband’s alleged affair with porn actress Stormy Daniels. And her spokeswoman made clear that the first lady will watch whatever TV station she wants, even a cable news station that is frequently on the receiving end of the president’s scorn.

If not full-fledged acts of defiance, the first lady’s moves to chart her own course have drawn attention and made her, to some on the left, an unlikely and hidden symbol of the “Resistance.” But to others, they translate as empty acts and do nothing to absolve her from her deep association with the president and his unpopular policies.

Her response to Trump’s broadsides on James was illustrative to the path she has more frequently taken. Trump, watching a replay of the Ohio native’s interview with CNN, derided the intelligence of one of the nation’s most prominent African-American men in a tweet. Trump has long denounced the media and rarely lets a slight go unanswered. But the attack on James, who was critical of Trump while being interviewed by another black man, to some resembled a racial dog whistle.

BY JULHAS ALAM The Associated Press

FIRST LADY MELANIA TRUMP / FACEBOOK

Melania Trump’s spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham quickly distanced the first lady from the criticism of James, responding to reporters Saturday afternoon with a statement that said it appeared James was “working to do good things on behalf of our next generation” and that the first lady would be open to visiting his new Akron school for at-risk children.

The statement was clearly meant to differentiate her views from the president’s, but a careful reading revealed an omission: It did not contain any criticism of the president or even mention his name. A White House official said Sunday that Mrs. Trump was not deliberately picking sides but rather emphasizing her priority to use her role to help children.

The fate of children was also at the heart of Mrs. Trump’s previous break from the president.

In June, the ever-responsive Grisham told reporters that the first lady “hates to see children separated from their families,” a statement issued during the throes of the firestorm created by the Trump administration’s enforcement of a policy that was tearing migrants’ families apart at the southern border.

Mrs. Trump, who urged a legislative solution but said the country needed to be one that “governs with heart,” then visited kids at the border twice.

The first trip was somewhat overshadowed by a curious fashion choice, as the former

model sported a jacket that read “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” And then, as the controversy grew, she wore it again on the way home.

The president declared the jacket was about the “Fake News Media.” Grisham said: “It’s a jacket. There was no hidden message.”

But the East Wing of the White House, where the first lady’s office is located, has made a point, at times, to make sure that it is viewed differently than the other side of the executive mansion. After The New York Times last month reported that Trump was irate that his wife’s TV aboard Air Force One was tuned to CNN, her office chose not to ignore the piece of gossip, with Grisham instead issuing a statement that Mrs. Trump watches “any channel she wants.”

The first lady has also been unafraid to smack down some of her president’s closest allies.

Earlier this year, after Trump’s attorney Rudy Giuliani said that Mrs. Trump believed her husband about Daniels, an East Wing statement rang out: “I don’t believe Mrs. Trump has ever discussed her thoughts on anything with Mr. Giuliani.”

Some observers believe that her motives are calculated.

“It’s a wink-wink strategy,” said former political adviser Tobe Berkovitz, now a professor of communications at Bos❱❱ PAGE 21 Melania Trump

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DHAKA, BANGLADESH — Police in Bangladesh’s capital fired tear gas and rubber bullets Monday to disperse hundreds of demonstrating students, while a prominent human rights group demanded the release of an activist arrested for criticizing the government during more than a week of protests.

Shahidul Alam, a well-known photographer and activist, was arrested Sunday by plainclothed police after giving a television interview in which he said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had no credibility and was using “brute force” to cling to power.

A court in Dhaka ordered him to be confined for seven days for questioning on charges of spreading false information and propaganda against the government.

Amnesty International called for Alam’s immediate release, with Deputy South Asia Director Omar Waraich saying in a statement that the arrest “marks a dangerous escalation of a crackdown by the government.”

The traffic chaos of the past week began easing on Monday, as immense demonstrations gave way to sporadic protests, though hundreds of students clashed with police in Dhaka’s Bashundhara area where some private universities are located. Police fired rubber bullets and protesters said at least 40

Shahidul Alam.

people, mostly students, were injured.

Elsewhere, police used tear gas against protesters at Dhaka’s East West University and students marched through the Dhaka University campus chanting anti-government slogans and demanding justice.

The protests, set off by the deaths of two students killed by speeding buses, grew last week to tens of thousands of people, becoming a major embarrassment to Hasina’s government, which faces a general election later this year.

On Monday, Bangladesh’s Cabinet endorsed a draft law that would increase the maximum punishment for an accident leading to death to five years in jail, up from the current three years.

Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam said the bill will be submitted to Parliament soon for passage.

The student protesters have demanded tougher punishment for offences involving road accidents.

On Sunday, pro-government youth groups attacked protesters and at least five journalists, including an Associated Press photographer.

Hasina’s party is blaming the main opposition party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, and its main ally Jamaat-eIslami, saying they are manipulating student anger to foment trouble.

Authorities have warned of tougher measures if the protests are used to create chaos. ■

KRIS KRÜG / FLICKR

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World News

NDP’s Singh... ❰❰ 15

ter 2022. He says this funding should focus on prevention, especially looking at youth gangs, bullying and cyberbullying.

He also wants more resources for the Canada Border Services Agency to curtail cross-border weapons smuggling.

In the wake of a deadly shooting in Toronto last month, Toronto city council passed a motion urging the federal government to forbid the sale of handguns in the city and for the province to outlaw the sale of handgun ammunition in the city.

The federal government has said it’s considering a number of different ways to crack down on handguns, including giving municipalities the ability to do so.

Bill C-71, introduced late last winter, would expand the scope of background checks on those who want to acquire a gun, strengthen record-keeping requirements for sales and require purchasers to present a firearms licence.

But the government has said it is also actively exploring additional measures, including possibly changing some of the classifications of firearms that would effectively remove some of them from the commercial market.

On Thursday, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale’s office said the government is looking at a broad range of ideas based on measures that have been most effective around the world.

“The recent shootings in Toronto are senseless tragedies and reminders of the devastating effects of gun violence and criminal activity in our communities. When it comes to keeping communities safe from gun violence, we are open to all options,” said Goodale’s spokesperson, Scott Bardsley.

“The truth is there’s a growing problem with gun crime, especially in Canada’s largest cities. This is a dangerous trend, and we must stop it.”

The Liberals insist they have made this issue a priority, pointing to the national summit it hosted in March on guns and gangs and proposed legislative changes to gun ownership laws contained in Bill C-71, which has not yet been passed.

“Common-sense gun control that keeps assault weapons and

illegal handguns off our streets can and will save lives,” Bardsley said.

Federal Conservatives are taking a wait-and-see approach to any move by the government toward banning handguns.

In a statement issued last week, Conservative public safety critic Pierre Paul-Hus said his party would prefer to tackle gun violence through measures that “target thugs and criminals, not taking away property from law- abiding sport shooters.

“As the Liberals themselves have suggested, a handgun ban would be a complex legal endeavour,” Paul-Hus said.

“We know that whenever the Liberals attempt to curb crime with new gun laws, they always end up targeting law-abiding firearms owners instead of gang members and other criminals who use guns to commit violence.”

As for the NDP, Singh is urging Trudeau not only to look at short-term measures on gun control, but to also speak out more loudly against hate crimes and racist confrontations that have emerged “because of misinformed reactions to gun violence.”

The root causes of violence — such as poverty, racial discrimination, gaps in mental health services and a lack of affordable housing — must also be addressed to reduce the prevalence of marginalized individuals and communities, he said in his letter.

“The primary reason I’m writing to you today is to ask for your commitment to develop long-term and effective solutions to the root causes of gun violence by partnering with the communities affected. That is the only way we can truly tackle the issue of gun violence.”

The NDP leader has long been an advocate for steering youth away from crime and gangs and for addressing the root causes of gun violence. During his tenure as a provincial MPP in Ontario, Singh pushed the provincial government to do more to fund youth programs and services that work with marginalized communities following a spate of gun violence in Toronto in 2012. ■

AUGUST 10, 2018

FRIDAY

Outgoing UN rights chief: No regrets for speaking up

BY EDITH M. LEDERER The Associated Press CAMEROON, CAMEROON — The U.N. human rights chief defended his outspoken criticism of abuses in dozens of countries from Myanmar and Hungary to the United States, insisting that his office doesn’t “bring shame on governments, they shame themselves.”

Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein stressed at a farewell news conference at U.N. headquarters on Thursday that “silence does not earn you any respect — none.”

Looking back at his four-year term as U.N. high commission- Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein.

UN PHOTO / JEAN-MARC FERRÉ er for human rights, the Jordanian prince said he will give his problems together, “not at the fear and make people fear that successor the same advice his expense of one another,” he they have to bend to the will of predecessor, Navi Pillay, gave said. the government or face consehim — “be fair and don’t disBut if the populists are al- quences.” criminate against any country” lowed into “this space,” Zeid “If an election has been stoand “just come out swinging.” said, “I think we’re in very per- len, rigged, by a corrupt governZeid said he leaves the Gene- ilous waters.” ment and then they claim that va-based post on Aug. 31 very He was highly critical of mili- I can’t say anything because I concerned about populism, in- tant attacks, but stressed that violate their sovereignty, whose tolerance and oppression “be- “the world is not going to break sovereignty?” Zeid asked. “Sovcoming fashionable again.” because of these terrorist out- ereignty always lies with the “It all builds because once rages.” people. It’s exercised by govyou start down the path of in“It will break because of the ernment on people’s behalf.” tolerance, it’s very difficult to overreaction or the exploitaZeid said governments put a stop it, unless at the end of the tion of this agenda by govern- lot of pressure on him and his day you have conflict,” he said. ments,” Zeid said. office, but “the real pressure Zeid said the comes from the question he has victims” whose been asking pophuman rights ulist leaders in have been violatHungary, Poland If an election has been stolen, ed in Syria, Iraq, and Austria — rigged, by a corrupt government Congo and many who are making and then they claim that I can’t say other countries political gains anything because I violate their “because you thanks in part to sovereignty, whose sovereignty? know the limitatheir opposition tions of what you to mass migracan do.” tion — is where The most do they want to meaningful part see their countries in 2030.

He cited as an example a of his work is stopping an exIf the trend is going to be study by the U.N. Development ecution, getting someone who “increasing authoritarianism” Program on recruitment by has been detained for years rewhere countries pursue indi- armed groups in northern Mali leased, and successfully pushvidual agendas, he said those that found 70 per cent of re- ing for human rights adherence agendas will collide “and even- spondents said the major cause — and then receiving a letter of tually we have what we’ve al- was excessive use of force by se- thanks from the family or the ready seen in the 20th century.” curity forces. individual.

Zeid recalled that it took 100 “We have to put up a mirror “We have to speak, and we million lives lost through two before all governments,” he have to engage,” Zeid said, world wars, the Holocaust and said. “They shame themselves even if it poses difficulties for the Spanish influenza epidemic when they deprive their people other U.N. colleagues includ“to drive humanity to the point of their basic necessities for ing Secretary-General Antonio where it recognized that it had a dignified life. They shame Guterres. to begin to do things different- themselves when they dis“Sometimes we make misly.” That led to the formation criminate against parts of their takes and I have apologized of the United Nations where communities. They shame countries would try to solve themselves when they stoke ❱❱ PAGE 28 Outgoing UN www.canadianinquirer.net

World News

FRIDAY AUGUST 10, 2018

21

Longtime Manafort deputy Rick Gates admits embezzlement

BY CHAD DAY AND MATTHEW BARAKAT The Associated Press ALEXANDRIA, VA. — The government’s star witness in the financial fraud trial of Paul Manafort testified Monday that he embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars from the former Trump campaign chairman — and told jurors that he and Manafort committed crimes together.

Rick Gates, described by witnesses as Manafort’s “righthand man,” calmly related his criminal conduct as prosecutors looked to provide jurors with damning testimony from a co-conspirator they say carried out an elaborate offshore taxevasion and fraud scheme on behalf of his former boss.

Gates, who is expected to continue testifying for several hours Tuesday, has been regarded as a crucial witness for the government ever since he pleaded guilty this year to two felony charges and agreed to co-operate in special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into possible ties between Russia and the Trump campaign.

The courtroom testimony brought Gates face-to-face with Manafort, his longtime boss and fellow Trump campaign aide, for the first time since his plea deal. His testimony, given in short, clipped answers as Manafort rarely broke his gaze from the witness stand, follows that of vendors who detailed Manafort’s luxurious spending and financial professionals who told jurors how the defendant hid millions of dollars in off-

shore accounts.

Gates told jurors that he siphoned off the money without Manafort’s knowledge by filing false expense reports. He also admitted to concealing millions of dollars in foreign bank accounts on Manafort’s behalf and to falsifying documents to help his former boss obtain millions of dollars more in bank loans.

“We didn’t report the income or the foreign bank accounts,” Gates told jurors, noting that he knew he and Manafort were committing crimes each time.

Under questioning from prosecutors, Gates read off the names of more than a dozen shell companies he and Manafort set up in Cyprus, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and the United Kingdom to stash the proceeds of Ukrainian political consulting work.

Asked whether the money in the accounts was Manafort’s income, Gates said, “it was.”

Gates said he repeatedly lied to conceal the bank accounts and, at Manafort’s direction, he would classify money that came in as either a loan or income to reduce Manafort’s tax burden.

Gates, who also served in a senior role in Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, is expected to face aggressive crossexamination once prosecutors are finished questioning him.

Manafort’s defencesignalled early in the trial that they intend to blame Gates for any illegal conduct and to cast him as a liar and embezzler who can’t be trusted.

Gates pleaded guilty to a conspiracy charge and to lying to investigators as part of his plea agreement. He is awaiting

sentencing, and he told jurors Monday that in exchange for his truthful testimony prosecutors agreed not to oppose his attorney’s request for probation at a later date. That recommendation is nonbinding as a federal judge will ultimately decide his sentence. He faces 57 to 71 months in prison under federal sentencing guidelines.

The criminal case has nothing to do with either man’s work for the Trump campaign and there’s been no discussion during the trial about whether the Trump campaign co-ordinated with Russia — the central question Mueller’s team has tried to answer. But Trump has shown interest in the proceedings, tweeting support for Manafort and suggesting he had been treated worse than gangster Al Capone.

U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, who repeatedly interrupted prosecutors last week as they tried to present evidence about Manafort’s lavish life such as $900,000 in expensive suits and a $15,000 ostrich jacket, clashed again with prosecutor Greg Andres on Monday when Andres delved into the status and identities of the Eastern Europeans who made payments to Manafort.

Ellis said all that’s relevant is that Manafort was paid and whether he hid the income from the IRS. “It doesn’t matter whether these are good people, bad people, oligarchs, Mafia. … You don’t need to throw mud at these people,” Ellis said.

Andres said he was entitled to show the jury why Manafort was getting tens of millions of

dollars in payments.

“When we try to describe the work, Your Honor stops us and tell us to move on,” he said.

Prosecutors say Manafort used those companies to stash millions of dollars from his Ukrainian consulting work, proceeds he omitted year-after-year from his income tax returns. Later, they say, when that income dwindled, Manafort launched a different scheme, shoring up his struggling finances by using doctored documents to obtain millions more in bank loans.

All told, prosecutors allege that Manafort failed to report a “significant percentage” of the more than $60 million they say he received from Ukrainians.

They aimed to show jurors how that money flowed from more than a dozen shell companies used to stash the income in Cyprus.

Last week, a tax preparer named Cindy Laporta admitted that she helped disguise $900,000 in foreign income as a loan in order to reduce Manafort’s tax burden. Laporta,

who testified under an immunity deal with the government, acknowledged that she agreed under pressure from Gates to alter a tax document for one of Manafort’s businesses.

Under cross-examination Monday, defence attorney Kevin Downing pressed Laporta on the complexities of Manafort’s finances as he worked to paint a picture of a political consultant who left the details to professionals and, in particular, to Gates.

Downing also accused Gates of embezzling “millions,” a higher amount than Gates later admitted to in his testimony.

Laporta said she had grown to distrust the information Gates was providing her, though she didn’t know about the embezzlement.

But she said she believed Manafort was directing Gates’ efforts to disguise loans and conceal income, noting that Manafort was copied on her email traffic with Gates.

“In most instances, it was clear that Mr. Manafort knew what was going on,” she said. ■

viser, to consistently make her disagreements known without seeming to impact policy.

But Paolo Zampolli, a businessman and longtime friend of Mrs. Trump, said in a telephone interview: “Our first lady is very strong. Americans are proud that our first lady has her own opinions.”

Mrs. Trump, the president’s third wife, has long been an unlikely political spouse.

A model who emigrated from Slovenia, she largely avoided the spotlight of the campaign trail and, according to confidants, did not expect her husband to win. The couple is not joined at the hip like some of their predecessors, such as Ronald and Nancy Reagan, and Mrs. Trump continued to live in New York during the opening months of the administration so their son could finish

the school year. A portion of her signature pro-children initiative, BeBest, is to cut down on cyber-bullying, a laughable concept to some since her husband has weaponized his Twitter account to go after his foes.

Mrs. Trump, who went 24 days without a public appearance after undergoing kidney surgery in May, also has eschewed some of the traditional first lady duties and public ap-

pearances. Moreover, she has never commented on her husband’s alleged affairs. During the height of the Daniels saga in January, she abruptly pulled out of the president’s trip to Davos, Switzerland.

That time, in a break with recent patterns, the first lady’s office declined to give a reason why she did not appear, allowing observers to draw their own conclusions. ■

Paul Manafort.

@PAULMANAFORT / TWITTER

Melania Trump... ❰❰ 19

ton University. “It obviously helps the first lady because it shows her as thoughtful and independent, but it also helps him keep something he wants in the news.”

And to many, Mrs. Trump’s efforts to distance herself are reminiscent — and, in some cases, as meaningless — as the moves by Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and ad-

www.canadianinquirer.net

22

AUGUST 10, 2018

FRIDAY

Wild Expeditions... ❰❰ 27

ment does not allow people to step on it.

So, we do not allow our guests as well. We observe the birds on the dinghy only.

There are newly hatching bird eggs on the sand, and if people step on it, they might step on the little birds,” he said.

Christopher Conde, WEP’s travel outfitter and tour leader, said he could not go mountain climbing without first telling guests that they follow “zero tolerance” when it comes to environmental protection.

Mountaineers and river camp trekkers are not allowed to dispose of their chewing gum or candy wrappers in stone corners or bushes because that would leave a waste trace.

“Ultimo wrapper ng candy o chewing gum, hindi puwedeng itatapon lang kung saan sa bundok, or singit-singit sa mga bato. Lagi namin pinapaalalahanan na zero tolerance kami at sumusunod naman sila bilang respeto (Even candy or chewing gum wrappers, they cannot just throw them away in the mountain or stick them be-

tween grits. They are always reminded that we strictly adhere to the ‘leave no trace’ as respect for the environment),” he said.

Conde said every time he scales Victoria’s Peak in Narra, and Mt. Cleopatra’s Needle, Mt. Beaufort, Mt. Thumb Peak, and Mt. Salakot in Puerto Princesa, he never gets tired of repeating the same environment conservation initiatives WEP has.

Bringing trash bags are common in WEP’s travel practice, particularly in mountain treks and climbing because they use them to collect any trash they find along the way.

“Kung may madaanan na basura sa bundok, pinupulot namin. Sanay na iyong mga returning clients namin sa practice (If we pass by any trash, we pick them up. Our returning clients are used to this),” he said.

Travel and tour responsibilities

Puerto Princesa City Councilor Matthew Mendoza, chair of the committee on tourism, said there is a compelling need to ensure that all travel and tours operators know about

how to promote tourism and environmental protection together.

Everyone, he said, even tourists visiting the city, have to be urged to participate in schemes to protect the environment. If they are not aware, they must be made conscious to preserve the places where they travel.

Travel and tour companies in Puerto Princesa are aware of this, Mendoza said. However, he is not aware yet if they frequently bring the “leave no trace” principles into the consciousness of touring groups due to the number of guests.

“It is important in the balance in our ecology that travelers are aware of how they should conduct themselves when they are in our natural sites. I am considering filing a resolution regarding this ‘leave no trace’ tourism to ensure that the practice among our stakeholders is not just for marketing and promotions, but that they are actually doing it,” he said.

John Stephen Tuboc, who has been working as a freelance travel guide with tour agencies

www.canadianinquirer.net

and has worked with Cruz a number of times, said as far as he is aware, every accredited and certified tour guide like him in Puerto Princesa knows about it.

However, there are also those who never underwent any seminar on tour guiding being given by the Department of Tourism (DOT). Tuboc said he is not sure how they brief their guests.

“Kami alam namin iyan kasi part iyan ng certification namin as tour guides. Sini-set namin na example lagi ang mga efforts to save the environment pero di namin alam sa iba na di accredited kasi may mga nag-ga-guide din naman nag-exam (We know it because it is part of our certification as tour guides. We set an example of the efforts to save the environment, but we don’t know about those who are not accredited because there are some who did not take their exams),” he said.

As a travel and tour retailer, Cruz wants Wild Expeditions Palawan to be different when it comes to helping guests who want to explore the city’s and

province’s natural sites.

“It would be nice for our tourism industry if every travel and tour is bringing the ‘leave no trace’ awareness in doing business. There should be zero tolerance in bringing guests to natural sites. It’s like letting us not compromise the environment just because we want to earn so much income because if we lose it, we will have nothing in the first place,” he said.

Currently, Cruz is studying the probability of offering cultural immersion tours in indigenous cultural communities to promote Palawan’s unique customs and traditions.

He added they are sensitive in studying the possibility since they do not want to create a demand for the indigenous peoples (IPs), all because there are guests to please.

“If you want to see them, you live with the tribe, you learn from them. Again, responsible tourism because we don’t want them going down just to be seen by our guests. They have to be appreciated in the environment where they live,” Cruz said. ■

23

Entertainment Reason for using illegal drugs? ‘Beastmode’ replaces CJ Ramos says it’s poverty ‘Citizen Jake’ in Cinemalaya 2018 line up

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer FOLLOWING HIS arrest in a drug buy bust operation, former child actor Cromell John Ramos, popularly known as CJ Ramos, revealed what prompted him to use illegal drugs.

Ramos was one of the famous child actors in the 1990s. He was known for his roles in the variety show “Ang TV” and in the family drama film “Tanging Yaman.” His last appearance on screen was on an episode of the television drama anthology “Tadhana” in 2017.

After a year of being inactive in the show business, the former actor made headlines again not because he will star in another movie or drama, but because he was nabbed by the police after being caught in a “shabu” transaction with a targeted pusher.

In an interview with Rated K on Sunday, August 5, Ramos recalled that it was during his high school days when his entertainment career did not make progress anymore because of his age.

“Hindi na ako pinapirma ng kontrata, wala akongmanager kaya napabayaan po [‘yung career ko](They did not allow me to sign contracts, I do not have a manager that is why my career was neglected),” he narrated.

The former child actor said his remaining savings were supposed to be used for his studies, however, it did not happen as he lent a quite large amount of money.

Ramos might have thought that it will be returned soon, but…

“Natakbuhan po kami ng isang taong nangutang sa’min.

Simula po non as in zero [balance] (The person who borrowed the money ran away.

Since then, I had no money left as in zero balance),” he said.

“Parang pinagsakluban kami ng langit at lupa na ang inuulam namin sa loob ng dalawang taon

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer

CJ Ramos.

isang sardinas, itlog at kanin naghahati po kami doon pamilya (It seemed like heaven and earth were pressed down on us to the point that for two years, we only eat one sardines, egg, and rice which we shared among his family),” he continued.

This incident made him depressed as he said it was his first time to experience poverty, a situation which was far from the life he had when he was a kid.

Depressed and saddened by the turn of events in his life, Ramos became acquainted with the ‘wrong’ people. Due to peer pressure, he began using “shabu.”

Ramos then admitted that this illegal drug slowly destroyed his life.

“Mas lalong nahirapan po ako makabalik nga dahil siyempre hindi naman pu-pwede na nagbi-bisyo ka at nagtatrabaho ka (It was hard for me to return to my old self because, of course, you cannot have vices and at the same time work),” he stressed.

He added, “Napabayaan ko po ‘yung sarili ko, inaabuso ‘yung katawan ko. Doon ko narealize na, ‘Hindi, dapat itigil na ‘to.’ Papasayahin lang ‘yung utak mo, katawan mo sandali.

Papaligayahin ka akala mo pero hindi — ‘pag nawala ‘yung tama mo, mali ka na (I was unable to look after myself, I abused my body. That was when I realized that ‘No, I should stop

NCRPO PIO

this.’ It would make your mind and body happy for a while.

You thought it would make you happy but no — once the effect of the drug wears out, you are wrong),” he further explained.

Realizing that it would not make him a better person, Ramos shared he tried to stop using the drug and instead pursued his studies.

“Dahil na rin po sa magulang ko, dahil po nakikita kong malungkot sila. Dahil sa anak ko rin po. Sinubukan ko pong tumigil ng isang taon — kaya ko naman (Because of my parents, because I saw that they were sad. Also, because of my child. I tried to stop for a year — I could do it),” he said.

He also tried applying for a job in another country, however, it seemed that things just did not to go his way.

If given another shot in life, a teary-eyed Ramos replied, “Kung ano man ang ibigay sakin ni God, basta ang gusto ko lang malaya at maayos na buhay (Whatever God gives me, I just want to be free and a have a stable life).”

“Magandang buhay lang po okay na ‘yon hindi ako naghahangad ng kung ano man makasama ko lang ‘yung pamilya ko (To have a good life is already okay with me. I do not wish for anything else but to be with my family),” he added.

Ramos is currently detained at the Caloocan City Police Station. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

DOCUMENTARY FILM “Beastmode” starring Baron Geisler and Kiko Matos will take over the place of “Citizen Jake” in the lineup for the 2018 Cinemalaya film festival.

This happened after “Citizen Jake” was pulled out by its producers few days before the film festival began, according to Cinemalaya.

“We have no information on the official reason of pulling out,” it added.

“Citizen Jake,” directed by Mike de Leon, was supposedly scheduled for screening last Sunday, August 5 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Little Theater but it did not push through as it was replaced by the documentary film.

Cinemalaya said those who have already purchased tickets for de Leon’s film can have them exchanged for another film.

“Citizen Jake” revolves around the story of a Baguiobased teacher and “citizen journalist” Jake Herrera (played

by Atom Araullo), who is torn between being a member of a political family and a journalist who vowed to expose the truth to the public.

This film was de Leon’s comeback to cinema after an 18-year break and Araullo’s acting debut.

Atom Araullo as Jake Herrera.

Aside from Araullo, other actors and actresses like Cherie Gil, Dina Bonnevie, Nonie Buencamino, Luis Alandy, Gabby Eigenmann, Max Collins, Teroy Guzman, Lou Veloso, Richard Quan, Victor Neri, Allan Paule, Anna Luna, Elora Españo, Cholo Barretto, Raquel Villavicencio, Nanding Josef, and Ruby Ruiz also starred in the film.

The said movie made headlines last May as its filmmaker and the lead star engaged in a Facebook post war.

De Leon said although Araullo is not a professional actor, he still chose him to play the lead role for his film as he thought that it would be interesting to work with someone who has a background in journalism and whom he thought shared the same political convictions as he did.

He, however, realized that Araullo’s journalism “was not exactly the kind of journalism” he had in his mind.

Despite explaining how immensely proud he is to be part of the movie, Araullo still acknowledged that the filmmaker “made deliberately hurtful remarks about his journalism, which ironically, has nothing to do with my participation in the film.”

The “Citizen Jake” star said he would just leave it to the public’s hands the assessment of the value of his work he accumulated over a decade of being a journalist. ■

JET LEYCO, CITIZEN JAKE / FACEBOOK

24

Entertainment

AUGUST 10, 2018

FRIDAY

Tease and Toss: Countdown to ‘Exes Baggage’

BY BEA KIRSTEIN T. MANALAYSAY Philippine Canadian Inquirer TEASING FANS (perhaps even each other) and tossing the subject here and there, ex-lovers Carlo Aquino and Angelica Panganiban sure know how to keep their fans and followers at the edge of their seats in their possible love story.

Since the possibility is just hanging around in the future, avid followers of their story can at least have a countdown to their reunion in the big screen – “Exes Baggage” – by recalling the cutest puzzle pieces of their “love story part two in the making.”

Just in the month of hearts this year, without having the said film as listed in their upcoming projects yet, Carlo and Angelica – affectionately dubbed as CarGel by fans – were already setting social media abuzz with the kilig they are naturally emitting.

After both parties gave a nod to the possibility of a second chance to a romantic relationship with one another, a lot of netizens started walking down memory lane, reminiscent of their teenage romance. This reminiscence was soon washed over by intense shipping by

fans sincerely wishing them to get back together again.

It can be remembered that Angelica even dropped a small bomb when she quoted a netizen asking if she would be fine to be with an ex-lover again, then mentioned Carlo on Twitter saying, “Pag-iisipan ko (I will think about it).”

Cornered by ABS-CBN in an interview, Carlo was honest to admit that it was only friendship that enveloped them, saying that Angelica just remains to be someone really special to him.

“Hanggang ngayon friends pa rin kami. Never naman kasi nagbago [‘yung relationship namin]. Special siya sa akin.

Feeling ko ganun din ako sa kanya. Very close kami (Until now, we are friends.

Our relationship never changed. She is special to me. I feel like I am like that to her too. We are very close),” he said.

Around this time, Carlo also revealed that they are getting some scripts but no confirmation of a project with his ex.

Some weeks later on Valentine’s Day, they made entertainment headlines again after Angelica received a bouquet of white roses in front of her doorstep from none other than Carlo. Being the comedienne that she is, the actress lightly captioned, “Hinusayan! One point ka sa’kin (You did a good job! You got one

Since the possibility is just hanging around in the future, avid followers of their story can at least have a countdown to their reunion in the big screen – “Exes Baggage” – by recalling the cutest puzzle pieces of their “love story part two in the making.”

CARLO AQUINO / INSTAGRAM

point from me).” really matter for him.

Funny enough, in her Twitter account On another note, he admitted that he just a few days before, a fan asked An- got more comfortable as they both got gelica if she believed in second chances closer with their past behind them. with an ex-lover.

“Siguro dahil nagsimula kami sa The actress simply replied with, friendship tapos naging kami kaya rin “Kung huhusayan niya (If he will do a siguro ganun kami sa isa’t isa, kasi nga good job).” kumportable kami na alam namin kung Just before the month of hearts could ano, sasabihin niya sa akin kung na–oend, they once again offend na siya sa giset their fans’ hearts nagawa ko. Ganun raising when Carlo din naman ako sa paid a surprise visit kanya. And ever since on Angelica’s book talagang mahal ko launch. Take note Until now, we naman si Angelica that the book that she are friends. Our (Maybe because we wrote the foreword relationship started on friendship was about exes. never changed. then we became a The entertainment She is special thing that is probably press, of course, to me. I feel why we are like this asked them about the like I am like with each other, since real score between that to her too. we are really comthem to which AnWe are very fortable that I know gelica jokingly said, close. what she will tell me “Kami na ulit, hindi when she is offended ninyo ba alam (We with what I did. The are together again, same with me to her. you did not know)?”

And ever since, I reNext month, the ally love Angelica),” two flew to Australia with non-showbiz Carlo said. friends. While it is not like the two were It was also reported that Angelica was dating or anything, even the simplest hospitalized weeks ago. According to bonding the two had seemed to be ‘mo- Carlo, that coincided during the State of ments’ of euphoria for others. the Nation Address (SONA).

It was then confirmed that the two “Nung papunta na ako sobrang traffic will be starring in a movie by Dan Ville- so hindi ko na siya inabutan. Pinuntahgas which meant more things for fans to an ko siya sa bahay. Nagdala ako ng kung look forward to. anu-ano (When I was on my way, there Thus, “Exes Baggage” was born. was a heavy traffic so I did not make it Now that we are so close to seeing the to see her. So I went to her house and two in one frame again, Philippines’ Ul- brought several stuff ),” he shared. timate Showbiz Hub (PUSH) asked CarOn Saturday, the “Exes Baggage” teaslo about the rumors on their blooming er made its debut online. Let the countrelationship. The actor simply brushed down begin for the film (and their story it off saying that they have a special rela- off-cam?) begin! ■ tionship and what others think does not

www.canadianinquirer.net

Entertainment

FRIDAY AUGUST 10, 2018

25

A Waze navigator voice?

Rufa Mae Quinto grants netizens request to the highest level

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer TRAVELING IN a place plagued with terrible traffic problems, one could not blame another from getting annoyed while he or she is stuck in the clogged roadways.

But what if a mobile app could help them not only by offering real-time traffic updates, but also a turn-by-turn voice navigation that could make their stomach hurts by laughing so hard? Impossible? Comedienne Rufa Mae proved it is not.

Waze, a GPS navigation app, previously broke the internet when netizens recommended some Filipino celebrities who they would want to hear as its navigation voice.

Some of the suggestions include “Queen of All Media” Kris Aquino, talk show host Boy Abunda, veteran actor Leo Martinez, Kim Atienza, and famed comedian during the 80s and 90s Babalu — even politicians like House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and President Rodrigo Duterte did not get away from the list.

But among those celebrities, many netizens said they would love to hear the boobalicious voice of Rufa. Well, the actress

seemed like she doesn’t want to disappoint them as she granted their request.

Known for her catchphrase ”Todo na ‘to (To the maximum)!” ”To the highest level!” and “Go go go!” Rufa showed a sample on how she can brighten up the day of every driver and commuter dealing with traffic problems.

Imagining that she is now the Waze voice navigator, Rufa instructed, ”Pagkatapos po ng (After) five meters, yes, turn right alright and then left, right, left left, agad agad (immediately), turn around hanggang makarating sa (until you arrive at the) stoplight!”

Stuck in traffic as soon as the app user reached the stoplight, the actress advised, ”Chillax chillax lang muna (Just chill first). Steady lang, don’t rush, keep calm and carry on!”

“Tapos (Then) go go go!

Straight to the point! Tapos (And then) when you arrive sa pangalawang kanto (at the second block) turn left — not right — but left. Tapos (Then) slowly but surely kasi may (because there is a) pedestrian lane; hintayin tumawid sina ate at kuya, lolo at lola, mother father (wait until sister and broth❱❱ PAGE 31 Rufa Mae

@RUFAMAEQUINTO / INSTAGRAM

KATHY HUTCHINS / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

How Drake fuelled another viral dance sensation with his new single

BY DAVID FRIEND The Canadian Press TORONTO — When Drake released his hyped album “Scorpion” a month ago nobody was talking about jumping from moving vehicles to celebrate its songs.

But over the past several weeks the Toronto rapper’s track “In My Feelings” has exploded in popularity and inspired an unusual viral dance sensation that’s crossed generations and led to a number of serious injuries.

The sudden popularity of the Shiggy dance, which started as an Instagram post by U.S. comic Shiggy, has encouraged many people to grab their phones and try to mimic the choreography.

But some participants keep raising the stakes with the Kiki Challenge.

In Shiggy’s original video he was dancing on the side of a street, but as the clip went viral others began imitating the dance in parking lots. It wasn’t long before some elevated the risk by trying to step outside their slow-moving vehicles and dance while the passenger filmed them.

“People think, ‘If I push it more and create something that’s more extreme… I’m going to do something different,’” says Elissa Freeman, a Toronto-based pop culture commentator.

“Those differences can result in accidents.”

According to news reports, one dancer fractured her skull while trying to perform at a roundabout, while another www.canadianinquirer.net

was run over by his car. It was enough for Halton Police in Ontario to issue a warning on Thursday saying that distracted drivers and pedestrians moving to Drake’s song are a “perfect storm” for potential injuries.

Freeman says none of this is surprising in a social media environment where many users feel pressure to up the ante with each video. She says despite the accidents, most people are safely participating in what’s become the latest global dance phenomenon.

“It wasn’t manufactured,” she says of the viral popularity.

“Finding it was almost like being part of a club that you join by engaging in social media.”

Diana Reyes taught the choreography for Justin Bieber’s “Sorry” at various events in Toronto.

She feels that YouTube and Instagram are playing an important role in tying public dance and mainstream music together.

“People gravitate towards things that are simple, fun and attainable,” said the dancer, who performs as Fly Lady Di. “It unifies everyone, in a way.”

Jax Irwin, radio host at Kiss 92.5 in Toronto, says viral dance challenges give a song a degree of popularity that can’t be achieved in any other way.

In 2013, Bauuer’s “Harlem Shake” raced to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 driven by YouTube videos of average people who become the life of the party when the song’s beat drops.

More recently, a performance of Katy Perry’s “Swish Swish” on “Saturday Night Live” featured teenage dancer Russell Horning — known as Backpack

Kid — vigorously swinging his arms to the beat. Within hours people were trying to imitate the moves on social media.

“What’s cool about these dance challenges is that it makes a song much more accessible to so many demographics,” Irwin said.

“You see your 74-year-old aunt Brenda doing the Shiggy Challenge.”

Many of those baby boomers probably learned about “In My Feelings” through the staggering number of celebrities who’ve jumped on the bandwagon. Will Smith captured much attention after he filmed an elaborate take on the Shiggy Dance atop a Budapest bridge and with a drone camera.

Drake paid tribute to Smith by including the moment in his music video for the song, released Friday, while featuring celebrities like the Fab 5 from “Queer Eye” and Ciara, alongside a number of the most popular viral clips from his fans.

Irwin predicts the fascination with “In My Feelings” won’t slow any time soon. She expects the dance will see a new wave of viral clips from students when high school and university classes resume in a few weeks.

Staff at her radio station have also been placing bets over the likelihood it will be crowned song of the summer by many listeners. It would be a rare feat to see a song released halfway through summer become the biggest hit of the season.

“Drake is easily one of the most calculated guys out there,” she says. “In the best way possible.” ■

26

Lifestyle Versatility, key to an artist’s Storytelling finds success: Bohemian coffee artist new life through

pop up events

BY MA. TERESA MONTEMAYOR Philippine News Agency MANILA — Making a living from being an artist is possible, but it might require a lot of versatility.

For someone who supports his loved ones through art, Renato “Rens” Tuzon knew from the start that focusing on one form of art may not be enough to cover his family’s daily expenses and other needs.

“As an artist, nag-evolve ako, hindi ako nakuntento lang sa pa-drawing-drawing, para sa akin ang artist mas magandang equipped sa maraming bagay at hindi iisa lang ang kakayahan (I evolved, I was never content with drawing, for me it is best for an artist to be equipped with different things and not have a single skill only),” Tuzon told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview.

Tuzon took fine arts, major in advertising in college. Because of this, he was able to acquire basic skills in photography, painting, digital arts and even writing.

“Nung nag-aaral ako, mayroon kaming basic photography, habang nag-aaral ako may wedding photography ako na pinagkakakitaan para masuportahan ko ang sarili ko dahil mahal nga ang kurso ko (When I was studying, we had basic photography, I’m earning from wedding photography to support myself since my course is expensive),” he said.

Tuzon recounted that Kodak

BY KIM MULFORD The Associated Press

One of the coffee paintings of Rens Tuzon.

Philippines discovered his talent in photography and offered him free workshops, which gave him the opportunity to travel all over the Philippines while learning different types of photography.

“Naging sponsor namin ang Kodak noon at binigyan kami ng free workshops kung saan nakakuha kami ng (Kodak became our sponsor that time and gave us free workshops from which we got) training from international masters in the field of photography from 1989 to 1992, we learned wedding, child, nude modern portraiture and other photography, so I earned the title “The Eyes Behind the Lens” ang kapalit po nito gumagawa ako ng (in exchange, I create a) window design for them,” he added.

Tuzon continued taking pic-

RENATO “RENS” TUZON / PNA

tures until he graduated from college. While working as a professional photographer, he also tried his hand in cartooning, graphic design and writing stories for mini novels.

“Inisip ko rin kasi mas maraming kita kung may alam ako sa ibang bagay, tapos ang mileage mas malawak din (I was thinking that I could earn more if there are many things which I can do, also the mileage is wider),” he said.

Even though Tuzon earned well from photography, he did not forget doing his first love – painting.

“I know that I am blessed with good hands and with good art and if I have to choose between photography and painting, baka painting ang piliin ❱❱ PAGE 28 Versatility, key

www.canadianinquirer.net

HADDONFIELD, N.J. — Tucked within the well of Haddonfield’s Inkwood Books one Sunday afternoon, Shirley Hough settled in for a chat with rapt teenagers gathered there to hear her stories.

The longtime widow told them about her beloved husband’s marriage proposal and the happy life they built together in Haddonfield — all prompted when he caught sight of her photograph.

“I’m so grateful,” Hough told the teens, as a smile danced over her 86-year-old features at the memory. “I’ve been lucky.”

In libraries, bookstores, nursing homes, arts centres and festivals, storytelling events are seeping into South Jersey’s cultural scene, elevating stories from everyday lives and offering new opportunities for listeners to absorb an ancient art form.

“Storytelling is not just a way to have a conversation, but to truly build a community,” said Benita Cooper of Haddonfield, founder of The Best Day of My Life So Far. The non-profit prompts older participants like Hough to share their memories with young people in casual settings, such as its recent pop-up event here, “Real Life. Real Stories.”

Done right, a story connects people and creates relationships, said Cooper.

That same communal spirit

flutters within The Butterfly, a monthly storytelling forum hosted by Perkins Center for the Arts in Collingswood. Held on the fourth Tuesday of each month except July and August, the concerts share the mic with both professional and amateur tellers.

Performances at The Butterfly aren’t judged, as they are in some competitive storytelling forums, such as The Moth at World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, said Karen Abdul-Malik, aka Queen Nur, director of Perkins’ Folklife Center.

Rather, they are celebrated.

At one Butterfly event, AbdulMalik recalled, a woman relayed a true story about finding a love note from her deceased husband, during a moment when she was shattered with grief. As she tried to explain it away as a coincidence, the audience told her no — it could only be a message from the other side.

“Being able to tell that story lifted her,” recalled Abdul-Malik.

“To me, that had more meaning.

That’s what it’s meant to do.”

At New Jersey Storytelling Network’s festival in September, listeners can become tellers during the annual event’s Story Slam held at the Howell Living History Farm in Hopewell Township, Mercer County.

Relayed from memory, stories are judged and prizes are awarded, said President Kathryn Weidener. Points are lost for stories that spill over the ❱❱ PAGE 28 Storytelling finds

Lifestyle

FRIDAY AUGUST 10, 2018

27

Wild Expeditions Palawan: Promoting ‘Leave No Trace Tourism’

BY CELESTE ANNA FORMOSO Philippine News Agency PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, PALAWAN – The number of travel and tour retailers in this capital city of Palawan, now at more than 100, continues to increase — undeniably, because tourism is a major contributor to the province’s economy.

Travel and tour operators have mushroomed in the city, but more so in the global computer network, including fraudulent ones, offering a multiplicity of information about what could be an itinerant’s dream travel in Puerto Princesa and the province.

A lot of them, but not all, offer matchmaking tour services to let travelers express what they truly want to do, for instance, explore the unbeaten tracks, or for the elderly, simply enjoy a day near the river, which does not require much walking.

This is where the eco-tour agency, Wild Expeditions Palawan (WEP), comes in. The WEP, owned by local travel operator and entrepreneur Rommel Cruz, focuses on naturethemed activities — from the easy treks to the more enthusing sea-to-summit journeys and wildlife documentaries.

The agency’s kind of tour is so far unparalleled in that it strictly follows the “Leave No Trace” principles in the conduct of its business.

Cruz said with the rising influx of visitors in this city and the municipalities of Palawan, it is now essential to highlight the “leave no trace” principles to guests to let them know they have a shared responsibility in taking care of the natural and cultural sites they visit.

“Tourism is good, but if not well managed, has the possibility to cause negative impacts in the balance in our environment.

All kinds of tourism activities, if poorly supervised, can result in a range of damage to our environment – the wildlife — and eventually, the people that live in it,” he said.

The “leave no trace” principles are “no sweat,” he said, noting that they depend a lot on the travelers’ awareness,

more than rules and regulations. These principles include planning ahead and not rushing tours in an effort to gain higher income; not stamping on sensitive vegetation and weak surfaces; bringing trash back home; leaving what you find alone; zero tolerance for having campfires; keeping noise down to respect wildlife; and being a considerate travel retailer by maintaining group numbers in manageable sizes.

“Leaving no trace is a responsibility that should be shared between the travel managers and the guests. It should be stressed enough so nobody forgets or they will be causing the degradation of the natural environment they’re visiting. Just think about their numbers multiplying,” Cruz said.

Birds and the birth of WEP

Cruz’s knowledge and passion about the environment began 12 years ago at the Katala Foundation, Inc. (KFI), which works on the conservation of the Philippine cockatoo (katala), and other wildlife species, such as the pangolin (balintong) and the endemic and critically-endangered Palawan forest turtle.

One of his assignments was to be a bird guide for enthusiasts who want to see the Philippine cockatoos in their habitat on Rasa Island, Narra in southern Palawan.

“Halos lahat ng experiences ko sa environment, sa biodiversity, doon nag-start. Once in a while, nagle-lead ako ng birding tour as a freelance guide. One of my assignments is to assist bird watchers in going to Rasa Island. Doon ako natuto na, okay, may potential pala itong ginagawa ko (Almost all my experiences regarding environment, biodiversity, began there.

Once in a while, I led birding tours as a freelance guide. One of my assignments was to assist bird watchers in going to Rasa Island, and I learned that, okay, what I’m doing has a potential),” he said.

From KFI, Cruz transferred to work with other non-government organizations, and his last was with the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff, which is tasked to provide

ROMMEL CRUZ / WILD EXPEDITIONS PALAWAN / PNA

machinery and synchronize the policy and functions and implement programs of the Council.

While there, he realized that the bird watching tours he was doing on the side have the potential to earn him profits.

“WEP really started as that kind of outfit. We focused on offering bird watching tours in Palawan, and the value that we strictly implement in our business leaves no trace,” he said.

Cruz can legitimately claim that in the province, he is an authority on birds. To date, he holds the knowledge on where to observe 24 endemic bird species in the forests of the province.

During the 2016 Big Year, an international challenge among birders to find many bird species that they could identify, Cruz’s company handled the Palawan leg for Dutch national Arjan Dwarshuis, who owns the world record for spotting 6,852 species in a single year.

“I’ve seen all the endemic birds depending on taxonomy, and the hardest to see are those in the mountains. There is one bird that is restricted to high elevation in Victoria’s Peak and Mt. Mantalingahan at 1,000 meters up. It’s where you can see it. It’s called (the) Palawan striped babbler,” he said.

Cruz holds too, the record in the Philippines for the first sighting of the migratory bird grasshopper warbler at the Puerto Princesa Underground River last year.

This was far from the past when bird tour companies had to go to the Philippines and to www.canadianinquirer.net

Palawan themselves to guide hobbyists.

“We started from there, we thought we can do this, and then we asked two companies outside the country if they want to buy packages from us, which is cheaper and with local knowledge where birds can be found,” he said.

In 2015, when he established WEP with half-a-million-peso capital, it was challenging as it was new in the field of travel and tourism, but over time, international birding tour agencies began to trust his venture.

Birds are sensitive to human disturbance, therefore, they are ecological indicators. Cruz said they are sensitive to changes in the environment that is why in his bird tours, he often tells first-timers not to wear colorful outfits to blend into the habitat they would be exploring.

Although many birds are used to loud natural sounds, they do not like noises caused by humans and their machines.

“We always maintain a minimum amount of people in the group (in) the bird tours we do because as much as possible, we want to maintain overall habitat quality. In a group, there’d be around six to eight people only,” he said.

Traveling and environment conservation

The yearning to travel and see places that people have not seen before is a challenge in balancing the preservation of the environment, Cruz said.

Travelers from developed nations, he said, are more experi-

enced than those who come from evolving nations, whose awareness of environmental protection, of valuing the resources of the places they visit, is low.

Environmental protection is a “no-brainer” for Palaweños, but Cruz acknowledged that there are still those who simply do not care and do not have values in preserving tourism sites, which leads to pollution and damage in famed destinations.

If this situation continues, he said, these important settings might be lost as no tourist would visit polluted sites to enjoy their holidays.

In WEP’s travel and tours, Cruz said they always bring in Palawan’s efforts and initiatives to protect its environment and its wildlife since they can be balanced with traveling.

“We don’t go too technical or scientific. That’s boring. We discuss them using simple language, especially to first-time travelers, who have no background about environmental conservation,” said Cruz.

When they do river and wilderness camps, they do not allow guests to wash in the river using soap and shampoo as most rivers are drinking water sources for communities downstream.

They go as far as providing their guests with biodegradable wash kits that have minimum impact on the environment, and they dig “cat holes” in wooded areas in case nature calls.

“No campfire is allowed during our beach camps because they stain the sand, and generally, we consider the soil characteristics. In forests, they’re a no-no because they can create wildfires and irreparable damages,” he added.

Cruz, whose WEP is the first local tour company to be allowed to bring guests for bird watching at the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, said “zero tolerance is zero tolerance” when it comes to promoting tourism and environmental protection to shelter important sea and summit habitats.

In Tubbataha, there is an islet that is so beautiful with so many birds, but the manage❱❱ PAGE 22 Wild Expeditions

Lifestyle

28

AUGUST 10, 2018

FRIDAY

Versatility, key... ❰❰ 26

ko dahil doon nahasa ang mga kamay ko (I might choose painting because my hands were trained to paint),” he said.

During his early years as a painter, Tuzon used charcoal, water color and oil pastel as mediums.

“Ang subject ko ay mga anghel, bukod sa fascinated ako sa kanila, parang may communication rin ako sa kanila, kaya dito sa bahay marami akong mga bantay na ganyang mga anghel (My subject is angels, apart from being fascinated by them, I sort of have a communication with them, that’s why here in our house I have guardian angels like those),” he said.

He had his first solo exhibition in 1997 called Anghel, which was held at the 70’s Bistro and Art Space along Anonas Avenue in Quezon City.

“Ang mga angel paintings po madali ma-sold out. Wala na pong natira sa lahat ng nasa exhibition ko noon. Many are

interested in angel paintings (Angel paintings get sold out easily. Nothing was left from [the paintings] in my exhibition before),” he said.

However, Tuzon thought that he won’t be able to share his artistic talent to more people if he remains using the same medium in painting.

“Ilang million ba ang painters at water colorists sa Pilipinas?

Mahirap sumabay kung hindi ko kumpleto sa gamit eh. Kung ‘di ako gagawang something unusual, something na extraordinary, hindi rin ako mapapansin (How many millions of artists and water colorists are there in the Philippines? It is difficult to get by if you don’t have complete tools. If I don’t create something unusual, something extraordinary, I won’t get noticed),” he said.

Citing the popularity of coffee painting in the international scene, Tuzon said he ventured into it to remain relevant in the field of arts, particularly

painting. In 2015, he started with professional coffee painting, commissioned by private individuals and companies. His coffee artworks made it to the Raconte Moi Le Café exhibition in Paris, France on March 31 to April 2, 2017.

“Noong nagsimula ako magcoffee painting, nadiscover na ako nun sa Paris. So ako ang unang Filipino na naimbitahan sa Paris, France para mag-exhibit (When I started coffee painting, I got discovered in Paris. So I was the first Filipino who got invited to Paris, France to have an exhibit),” he said.

Tuzon said using coffee as a medium in painting is very practical and environmentfriendly — unlike oil pastel and water color — and that he sees himself being a coffee painter for a long time.

“Affordable, kayang abutin ng kahit anong estado ng tao. Magkano lang ba ang isang sachet ng kape, five pesos tapos yung brush ko siyempre profession-

ally speaking. Kaya siguro mga 50 pesos meron ka nang painting at pwede nang kumita (It can be reached by anyone from whichever status. How much is a sachet of coffee, just five pesos then my brush of course professionally speaking. So maybe with 50 pesos you can create a painting and earn money). You need to innovate when it comes to painting because it’s an expensive art or hobby,” he said.

Describing himself as an artist who wants to express freedom in his artworks, Tuzon calls himself a “Bohemian” coffee artist.

“Bohemian. It means you go totally free with what you intend to do, that’s me,” he added.

Apart from selling his coffee paintings, Tuzon also holds photography and painting workshops for young children nationwide through Sining Karaban.

It is a group of visual artists that aims to help young people embrace the value of art education.

For Tuzon, teaching children

Storytelling finds...

Outgoing UN...

❰❰ 26

❰❰ 20

five-minute time limit, wander off track, or flit away into the

fanciful.

Though it’s said many people fear public speaking more than death, the festival’s story slams remain popular year after year, drawing smiles, frowns, laughter and tears from every audience, Weidener said.

Why are amateurs stepping up to the mic?

“People are a little more open because of social media,” mused Weidener. “I also think people may feel this is a live thing and, gee, what do live people think of me? They’re willing to put themselves out there.”

And maybe in a subliminal way, she said, it’s a chance to reach out and explain we’re not so different from one another.

Professional teller Denise McCormack of Bordentown City has noticed a theme among the stories she’s heard at such events. Often, people share personal stories about how they endured the trials and tribulations of life.

“It’s almost like sharing miracles,” said McCormack. “Today where churches are losing their membership, this is almost a place to go connect with people

COLIN PRINCIPE / FLICKR

so that people can be empathetic to the teller.”

Ian Hanley of Maple Shade, a licensed clinical social worker, loves to tell stories in front of an audience as a way to let off steam. He crafts his own stories and retells them from memory.

Sometimes, he throws in a story drawn from his own life or old folk tales.

“I enjoy creating and telling them, and hearing people’s responses,” said Hanley, who delivered a comedic tale last month at The Butterfly. “It’s fun.”

Irma Gardner-Hammond of Philadelphia weaves professional storytelling into her work as a music therapist. A

member of the storytelling organization, Keepers of The Culture, Gardner-Hammond said storytelling is not just an art form, but a tool for teaching.

“People think they’re not important, but everybody has a story,” said Gardner-Hammond, who recently performed at The Butterfly.

Gardner-Hammond persuaded her elder to share her experiences with younger people, so they might be inspired by her example. She did so, during a gathering to celebrate her life.

“We have an obligation to tell stories and help other people,” Gardner-Hammond said. “Everybody’s story is important.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

publicly to governments,” he said. But “if I’m going to make a mistake, I’d rather make the mistake speaking out and not regretting that I didn’t say anything when I should have said something.”

Zeid cited human rights investigations the Human Rights Council has authorized in Syria, Myanmar, Yemen, and most recently in Venezuela and Nicaragua.

But he said his greatest success has been demanding access for rights officials. He said when access is barred, including in Myanmar’s Rakhine state where about 700,000 Rohingya Muslims lived before fleeing a violent military crackdown last year, and Venezuela, he asks: “What are they hiding?”

The United States pulled out of the Human Rights Council in June, citing “chronic bias against Israel.”

“I think we’ve been fair with everyone and firm with everyone,” Zeid said. “The suggestion that I’m an anti-Semite and my office is, I find it really disgusting.”

As for President Donald Trump, Zeid again denounced his repeated attacks on the me-

basic art skills is important in making them dream for a brighter future for themselves and for their families, especially among the less fortunate ones.

He said life as a student was difficult for him as well, but he did not give up on his dream to be a successful artist. Instead, he used it to strive harder and to adapt to the different challenges he encountered.

“By successful painter, I didn’t mean to be rich only. I make money from this pero ang pinakamahalaga ay naibabahagi ko ang talento na ibinigay sa akin ng Diyos para maging inspirasyon ng iba. Mahalaga marami ka rin kayang gawin, hindi lamang iisang bagay, para mas marami kang matulungan (but the most important thing is I’m able to share the talent God gave me to inspire others.

It is also important that you can do a lot of things, not just one, so that you can help more people),” he said. ■

dia.

He said that he felt as if “all of us, humanity, were at the back of a bus and the president was driving the bus, and we’re careening down a mountain road with steep cliffs on either side, and there is this sense that as one of the principal leaders of the world not knowing clearly where he wants to take us.

What is his end point?”

He said he didn’t seek a second term because the five permanent members of the Security Council — the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France — need to give their approval and he knew a long time ago that he wouldn’t have the support of at least three and probably all of them, “which I was happy about.”

“I have no regrets that I’ve said what I said,” Zeid said. “I think I’ve tried my best and I hope others will see that at certain times the U.N. needs to speak.”

Several candidates for the job reached out for advice, and Zeid said he told them that “it’s an extremely meaningful job — the most meaningful job I’ve ever had — but very trying as well, and that they shouldn’t think of it if their health is not perfect.” ■

29

Sports Fil-Am netter Gonzales Gilas pool to Asian Games announced improves world’s doubles rankings

BY IVAN STEWART SALDAJENO Philippine News Agency

BY JEAN MALANUM Philippine News Agency

with Lemmons, reaching the semifinal in the Aamulehti Open in Tampere, Finland (with Lemmons) and Bastad MANILA — Filipino-American Challenger in Bastad, SweRuben Gonzales has achieved a den. Gonzales partnered with career-best doubles ranking of American Hunten Reese in the No. 136 after competing in the Portugal Futures 6 tournament USD75,000 Association of Ten- in Lisbon, Portugal where they nis Professionals (ATP) Chal- reached the semifinal round. lenger in the seaside city of So“It was a great week for me pot in Poland over the weekend. and my partner (Lammons). We Second seeds Gonzales and have been playing well. We won American partanother ATP ner, Nathaniel Challenger in Lammons, lost the Netherlands to the unseeded a few weeks Polish tandem ago. We’re lookof Mateusz Kowing forward to alczyk and Szykeeping the momon Walkow, 6-7 We’re mentum going,” (6), 3-6, in the looking the 32-year-old championship forward to Gonzales said in round played at keeping the an online interthe Tennis Club momentum view on Monday.

Arka clay court. going.

“I’m trying On their way to to focus on my the finals, Gongoal of cracking zales and Lamthe Top 100 this mons defeated year.

Getting Argentina’s Pecloser to that dro Cachin and is good,” said Renzo Olivio, Gonzales, who 6-4, 6-2 (first round), Poland’s is scheduled to compete in anKarol Drzewiecki and Kacper other ATP Challenger event in Zuk, 6-3, 6-1 (second round) Slovenia this week. and Uruguay’s Martin CueGonzales has represented the vas and Bolivia’s Hugo Dellien Philippines in major tourna(walkover). ments such as the Davis Cup, Gonzales has played in 20 Asian Games and the Southeast tournaments this year. He was Asian Games. Last year, he won ranked No. 193 at the end of 2017. the men’s doubles silver with Last month, Gonzales and Francis Casey Alcantara in the Lammons defeated Venezuela’s SEA in Kuala Lumpur, MalayLuis David Martinez and Por- sia. tugal’s Goncalo Oliveira, 6-3, Gonzales will not take part 6-7 (8), 10-5, to win the Hague in the 18th Asian Games which Open in Scheveningen, Nether- will be held from August 18 to lands.

September 2 in Indonesia.

In April, Gonzales and In“I’m struggling with an elbow donesian partner, Christopher problem so it would be tough to Rungkat, reached the final try and play that well. I’ll be gobut bowed to China’s Mao-Xin ing home to see a doctor as soon Gong and Ze Zhang, 6-3, 6-7 as I finish my tournaments (7), 7-10 in the Gang Jiang New here,” Gonzales said.

Area International tournament “I’ve already committed to in Nanchang, China. play in the SEA Games next Gonzales teamed up again year,” he added. ■

MANILA — Gilas Pilipinas is officially back in the Asian Games.

Nearly two weeks after controversially withdrawing its participation in the Asiad, the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) formally said on Sunday night that it will send a squad to Jakarta for the quadrennial meet.

As expected, the key players of Rain Or Shine will make up the bulk of the national team lineup to be coached by current NLEX mentor Yeng Guiao.

Caloy Garcia, ROS’ chief gaffer, will serve as Guiao’s associate.

“Kasama po rito si Maverick Ahanmisi, Chris Tiu, Gabe Norwood, James Yap, Beau Belga, at si Raymond Almazan,” Guiao announced the Elasto Painters’ core that will play in the Asiad.

They will be joined by Asi Taulava, one of Guiao’s players at NLEX, Magnolia’s Paul Lee, San Miguel’s Chris Standhardinger, GlobalPort’s Stanley Pringle, Blackwater’s Poy Erram, TNT’s Don Trollano, and

NLEX Coach Yeng Guiao.

Gilas cadets Kobe Paras and Ricci Rivero.

While Guiao announced a 14man pool during a press conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City prior to Game 5 of the Commissioner’s Cup Finals between Ginebra and San Miguel, he added, “We will cut that down to 12 before we leave.”

Daily practices, according to Guiao, will begin on Monday night at the Meralco Gym in Pa-

PBA WEBSITE

sig City and will go full throttle when the team heads to the Indonesian capital on Aug. 14.

Philippine Olympic Committee president and Philippine Basketball Association board chairman Ricky Vargas assured, “Hindi lang [ito] team but it’s going to be a competitive team. We promise our basketball fans that we’re not only sending a team but we’re also sending a team that they will be proud of.” ■

Fajardo wins BPC for Commissioner’s Cup PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY MANILA — Junemar Fajardo captured his second consecutive PBA-Master Sardines Best Player of the Conference (BPC) award as he was named the best local of the Commissioner’s Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Friday night.

The San Miguel center captured a total of 1,153 points, way ahead of early frontrunner Vic Manuel of Alaska, to crop his seventh BPC in total.

Fajardo got the better of all www.canadianinquirer.net

the categories to lead the way among all the nominees, which include Stanley Pringle and Sean Anthony of GlobalPort and Chris Newsome of Meralco.

Fajardo ruled the stats category with 446 statistical points, and he also got all the first place votes of the media for a perfect 471 points.

He also got 17 first place votes from the players and got 86 points in total, while he also got the first place vote of the PBA Commissioner’s Office for 150 more.

Manuel, on the other hand, actually slipped to third in the stats race with 404 statistical

points against Pringle’s 410, but he got all the second place votes from the media (235 points), 14 second place votes from the players (eventually getting 52 points), and the second place vote of Commissioner Willie Marcial and his staff (75) to go second.

Pringle is third with 545 points, getting 36 third place votes from the players, 18 third place votes from the players, and the third place vote of the Commissioner’s Office.

Anthony is fourth with 383 points, while Newsome is fifth with 357. ■

30

Business Jollibee seeks to achieve mainstream status in Canada

BY MARIA ROSENI M. ALVERO Senior Trade Commissioner, Philippine Consulate General Toronto “JOLLIBEE FOODS Corporation (JFC) continues its aggressive expansion into Canada as it opened the doors of Jollibee Mississauga on July 20, 2018, the fast food company’s second outpost in Toronto”, reported DTI’s Senior Trade Commissioner in Canada, Maria Roseni “Nini” Alvero.

Jollibee Mississauga is housed inside Seafood City, a 50,000 square foot Filipino super marketplace, located in Mississauga’s Heartland Town Centre. The newest restaurant marks the company’s 41 st North American location and fourth Canadian store, following two openings in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 2016 and one in Scarborough, Toronto in April this year – proof of the brand’s commitment to this region as a key growth market.

The company’s expansion into Canada follows the steady rise of Filipino food in the country, with several Filipino restaurants gaining visibility and popularity in recent years, as well as major grocery stores carrying more Filipino products and brands on their aisles.

The large and growing Filipino

diaspora coupled with many Canadians’ enthusiasm to sample international cuisines are among the reasons that make Canada a smart choice for Filipino food services businesses.

Before opening its doors to the public, Jollibee Mississauga held a pre-opening and store blessing on July 19, 2018.

In attendance during the event were JFC Group President for North America Mr. Jose Minana, Consul Edwin Gil Mendoza of the Philippine Consulate General of Toronto, Senior Trade Commissioner Maria Roseni M. Alvero, Seafood City Mississauga CEO Mr. Matthew Go, the JFC North America Management Team, and representatives from Sysco, the North American food service conglomerate providing logistics to the fast food chain.

The opening of Jollibee Mississauga contributes to boosted economic activity in Ontario.

The newest store generates 120 direct and indirect jobs.

The menu also features the fast food chain’s well-loved favorites made from ingredients already sourced from Ontario.

The brand’s famous Jolly Crispy Chicken is made with Ontarioraised Chickens. Above all, the brand aims to bring to Filipino Canadian customers a true taste of home. Favorites such as the Palabok Fiesta and Jollibee’s famous gravy are made with spices

and ingredients imported from the Philippines, or in the case of the Peach Mango Pie, flown straight from the Philippines.

The store is also designed with interiors reminiscent of the Jollibee locations in Manila, which are intended to give Filipino-Canadian visitors the feeling of being back in the Motherland.

For members of the Filipino diaspora in Canada, a visit to Jollibee is as much about the experience and connection to their home country than it is about the food. Learning from the hour-long line-ups at Jollibee Scarborough, the Mississauga branch also makes use of a ticketing system that indicates your turn to manage the crowds. The new store is also built with a larger counter and fitted with more cashier lanes to take more customer orders and has a larger in-store dining area than in Scarborough.

Opening weekend saw Jollibee devotees lining up for the promise of the fast food chain’s beloved offerings and a Jollibee plush toy going to the first 100 customers on Saturday and Sunday. Seafood City and its food establishments, such as Grill City, Noodle Street, Crispy Town, and Valerio’s Bake Shop, readily received the overflow of customers from Jollibee.

The complex saw heavier foot traffic and greater activity than

Coin throw tradition at the blessing of Jollibee Missisaauga.

usual, with customers doing their grocery shopping while waiting and others discouraged by the wait at Jollibee dining in the food court for their fix of Filipino food. Both of Jollibee’s Toronto location continue to draw big crowds, with even non-Filipinos venturing to the store to see for themselves what the hype is all about. People are still reporting lines of up to 2 hours waiting time, even three months after Jollibee first arrived in the city.

Just this weekend saw the visit of newly elected Ontario Premier Doug Ford, who like his predecessor, Premier Kathleen Wynne, experienced the exuberance that this homegrown iconic Philippine brand adds to the diverse food service industry not only of the Prov-

SUPPLIED

ince but of Canada, the country.

“Having been visited by no less than Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Philippines and Manitoba and then the two Premiers of Ontario means that Jollibee has achieved mainstream status in Canada”, avers the DTI’s Senior Trade Representative in Canada, Nini Alvero. Jollibee Mississauga is the second of three stores the company has planned to open in Toronto this year.

A recent announcement made by Jollibee CEO, Mr. Ernesto Tanmantiong stated that “Jollibee will open 100 stores in Canada in the next 5 years.”

This can be considered a very aggressive stance on the part of a Filipino company in making a mark in the mainstream market outside of the Philippines. ■

Gov’t to hold job fair for ‘Build, Build, Build’ projects

BY KRIS CRISMUNDO Philippine News Agency MANILA — Thousands of job vacancies in the construction sector may be filled on Sunday, Aug. 12, when government stages its own job fair dubbed Jobs Jobs Jobs Caravan.

The positions up for grabs are exclusively for projects related to the “Build, Build, Build” program,

the Duterte administration’s massive infrastructure program.

The career expo will be held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Monday.

There will be job openings for architects, engineers, finishing masons, finishing carpenters, heavy equipment operators, tile setters, welders, as well as for others with construction-

related skills.

There will also be vacancies in companies and government agencies involved in the “Build, Build, Build” tp be offered.

These employment opportunities include research and development, sales and marketing, communications and public relations, legal, computer and information technology, security, and accounting and finance.

On Sunday, government officwww.canadianinquirer.net

es such as DTI-Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (DTI-CIAP), Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Transportation, Department of Public Works and Highways, Department of Finance, National Economic and Development Authority, and Bases Conversion and Development Authority will be leading the job fair.

According to DTI-CIAP, it

will set up a booth to represent registered contractors with vacancies but have no booths in the Jobs Jobs Jobs Caravan to receive applications from jobseekers.

There will also be a one-stopshop government service for applicants to complete their requirements.

Based on the “Build, Build, Build” website, there are 10,652 positions open for jobseekers. ■

Business

FRIDAY AUGUST 10, 2018

31

Unemployment decline, hefty remittances buoy consumer spending

China tightens controls to slow currency’s fall

PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY

BY JOE MCDONALD The Associated Press

MANILA — The declining number of unemployed as well as a hefty inflow of foreign remittances are seen to support local consumer spending in 2018 until 2019, a Fitch Group unit reported Friday.

Fitch Solutions’ industry trend analysis on consumer and retail noted that spending of Filipino consumers between 2018 and 2019 remains optimistic despite rising inflation due to higher excise taxes, increasing global oil prices, sustained high credit growth.

“Our favorable outlook for the Philippine consumer is further underpinned by an improving labor market,” Fitch Solutions said.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed the country’s unemployment rate declined to 5.5 percent in June 2018 from a high of 6.6 percent posted in March 2017.

Fitch Solutions mentioned that wage growth will also back consumer spending in the domestic market as the Department of Labor and Employment is set to announce minimum wage hikes in several more regions.

But the think tank said best consumer prospects will remain concentrated in urban retail areas such as Manila, Quezon City, and Davao.

Moreover, the strong remittances from overseas Filipinos will continue to support consumers’ purchasing power in

BEIJING — China has tightened controls on trading in its yuan to discourage speculators after a decline against the dollar amid a tariff dispute with Washington fueled fears of a damaging outflow of capital from the world’s second-largest economy.

Traders must post a 20 per cent deposit starting Monday for contracts to buy or sell yuan on a future date. That raises the cost of betting it will drop and might help to discourage speculative trading.

The tightly controlled yuan has been allowed to decline by about 8 per cent against the dollar since early February.

That helps Chinese exporters that face U.S. tariff hikes by lowering their prices in dollar terms. But it also encourages investors to shift money out of China, which would have a broader impact by raising financing costs for other industries.

On Friday, the yuan fell to a 13-month low of 6.91 to the dollar, close to the highly symbolic level of 7, before strengthening to 6.83 after the margin requirement was announced.

The deepening U.S.-Chinese tariff fight prompted suggestions Beijing might weaken the yuan to help exporters. But analysts say the decline has been driven mostly by China’s slowing economic growth and the diverging direction of U.S. and Chinese interest rates.

Washington imposed 25 per cent tariffs on $34 billion of Chinese goods on July 6 and is considering an increase on an additional $16 billion, with another $200 billion list of goods threatened. Beijing matched Washington’s first round of increases and on Friday threatened penalty charges on another $60 billion of U.S. imports.

Communist leaders have tried to stick to long-term economic plans, resisting U.S. President Donald Trump’s demands to change industry de-

2018 and 2019.

Fitch Solutions has seen the strengthening of United States dollar against Philippine peso to back remittances inflows and spending.

“With over 2.5 million Filipinos living and working in the US, Philippine households will continue to receive a large share of remittances in US dollar and therefore depend on the strength of the US dollar,” Fitch Solutions said.

“Philippine households receiving remittances denominated in US dollar will see purchasing power rise with the US dollar appreciating against Philippine peso, buoying essential spending categories such as food and clothing,” it added.

But it also noted that inflationary pressures will remain a risk to consumer spending.

But even with a pickup in inflation, Fitch Solutions said

consumer confidence in the Philippines remains high.

Its MasterCard Consumer Confidence survey in December 2017 showed that consumer confidence in the Philippines stood at 94.5, higher than the 91.6 index in December 2016.

Filipino consumers’ confidence is also one of the strongest in Asia, scoring higher than China’s 92.2, Cambodia’s 92.2, and Myanmar’s 91.7.

“The consumer outlook for the Philippines remains bright on the back of a strong economic growth trajectory, high levels of remittance inflows and falling unemployment,” Fitch Solutions stressed.

“Nonetheless, the Philippines remains one of the strongest consumer growth markets in Asia and this continues to present significant opportunities for consumer-facing companies,” it noted. ■

your ex then… hit him)! Tapos takbo na (And then run)! Drive lang nang drive (Just drive)!” she suggested.

She continued, “Turn left, right, to the highest level whoooo! Don’t forget the clutch kung hindi automatic ang car (if your car is not automatic), yes!”

“And you’ve arrived in your destination. Ang dami mong pinagdaanan ‘di ba (You have

been through a lot, right)?”

Calling herself as Rufa ‘Waze’ Quinto, the 40-year-old hoped that she could pass the Waze navigation voice ‘audition’ that made her become “so wazeted.”

The video which was uploaded on her YouTube channel garnered 227,175 views, 10,000 likes and 1,428 comments as of writing. ■

Rufa Mae... ❰❰ 25

er, grandfather and grandmother, mother and father, cross the lane),” she continued.

But what if you suddenly encountered your ex on your way?

The actress said this is what you should do: “‘Pag makita mo na ang ex mo, bumaba ka, lapitan mo tapos… konyatan mo (If you see your ex-lover, get off your car, go to

www.canadianinquirer.net

velopment strategies Washington and other governments say violate their market-opening commitments.

That business-as-usual approach has included the People’s Bank of China allowing the yuan to fluctuate more widely.

Beijing wants to make the exchange system more marketoriented and efficient.

The central bank “had been largely tolerant” of the yuan’s decline, said Jingyi Pan in a report. But the latest changes “may have gathered concerns including capital flight.”

The margin of decline against the dollar has been unusually wide because other currencies in the basket used by the Chinese central bank to set exchange rates have not risen along with the greenback.

Compared with the overall basket, the yuan has declined by a smaller margin of 4 per cent, according to Carl B. Weinberg of High-Frequency Economics.

“These are trivial moves in the medium term, despite volatility recently,” said Weinberg in a report.

Beijing imposed similar controls in October 2015 after a change in the exchange rate mechanism prompted markets to bet the yuan would fall, according to Philip Wee and Eugene Leow of DBS Group. The currency temporarily steadied but fell further the following year.

Making it harder to bet on the yuan “did not insulate it from the currency war,” said Wee and Leow in a report.

The effectiveness of the latest controls will be limited, analysts said. The yuan still faces downward pressure as Chinese and U.S. interest rates head in opposite directions.

The Federal Reserve is raising U.S. rates while Beijing eases access to credit to pep up cooling economic growth.

That encourages investors to convert money into dollars in search of higher returns.

Due to that, “the outlook of yuan remains weak,” said Margaret Yang of CMC Markets in a report. ■

32

Technology Pentagon restricts use of fitness trackers, other devices

BY LOLITA C. BALDOR The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Military troops and other defence personnel at sensitive bases or certain high-risk warzone areas won’t be allowed to use fitness tracker or cellphone applications that can reveal their location, according to a new Pentagon order.

The memo, obtained by The Associated Press, stops short of banning the fitness trackers or other electronic devices, which are often linked to cellphone applications or smart watches and can provide the users’ GPS and exercise details to social media. It says the applications on personal or government-issued devices present a “significant risk” to military personnel so those capabilities must be turned off in certain operational areas.

Under the new order, military leaders will be able to de-

termine whether troops under their command can use the GPS function on their devices, based on the security threat in that area or on that base.

“These geolocation capabilities can expose personal information, locations, routines, and numbers of DOD personnel, and potentially create unintended security consequences and increased risk to the joint force and mission,” the memo said.

Defence personnel who aren’t in sensitive areas will be able to use the GPS applications, if the commanders conclude it doesn’t present a risk.

For example, troops exercising at major military bases around the country, such at Fort Hood in Texas or Norfolk Naval Station in Virginia, would likely be able to use the location software on their phones or fitness devices. Troops on missions in more sensitive locations, such as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan or parts of Africa, meanwhile,

would be restricted from using the devices or be required to turn off any location function.

Concerns about exercise trackers and other electronic devices came to a head in January in the wake of revelations that an interactive, online map was pinpointing troop locations, bases and other sensitive areas around the world.

The Global Heat Map, published by the GPS tracking company Strava, used satellite information to map the locations of subscribers to Strava’s fitness service. At the time, the map showed activity from 2015 through September 2017. And while heavily populated areas were well lit, warzones such as Iraq and Syria show scattered pockets of activity that could denote military or government personnel using fitness trackers as they move around.

The Pentagon immediately launched a review, noting that the electronic signals could potentially disclose the location

of troops who are in secret or classified locations or on small forward operating bases in hostile areas.

This is the second memo affecting the use of cellphones and other electronic devices that the department has released in recent months. In May, defence officials laid out new restrictions for the use of cellphones and other mobile wireless devices inside the Pentagon.

That memo called for stricter adherence to long-held practices that require phones be left in storage containers outside se-

cure areas where sensitive matters are discussed. But it also stopped short of banning the devices, and instead made clear that cellphones can still be used in common areas and other offices in the Pentagon if classified information is not present.

The latest memo says the new restrictions include GPS functions on fitness trackers, phones, tablets, smart watches and other applications.

The Pentagon also said it will provide additional cybersecurity training to include the risks posed by the trackers and other mobile devices. ■

Facial recognition system set to be used in Olympic security

BY MARI YAMAGUCHI The Associated Press TOKYO — A facial recognition system will be used across an Olympics for the first time as Tokyo organizers work to keep security tight and efficient at dozens of venues during the 2020 Games.

The NeoFace technology de-

veloped by NEC Corp. will be customized to monitor every accredited person — including athletes, officials, staff and media — at more than 40 venues, games villages and media centres, Olympic and company officials said Tuesday.

Local organizers said Tokyo will be the first Olympic host to introduce the face recognition technology at all venues. The

system is expected to effectively eliminate entry with forged IDs, reduce congestion at accredited waiting lines and reduce athletes’ stress under hot weather.

Tsuyoshi Iwashita, Tokyo 2020 executive director of security, said venues that are spread within and outside of the capital would be a big burden in achieving high levels of security.

“By introducing the face recog-

www.canadianinquirer.net

nition system, we hope to achieve high levels of safety, efficiency and smooth operation at security check points before entry,” he said, adding that the system would contribute to less stressful environment for athletes.

Iwashita said a test last year showed gate checks using the facial recognition was more than twice the pace of the conventional system using X-ray with

visual siting by security guards.

The facial images of every accredited person for the Olympics and Paralympics will be collected after the approval process and stored in a database to be used to verify identities at accreditation check points.

NEC says its biometric identification technology is used at airports and elsewhere in 70 countries, including Japan. ■

Technology

FRIDAY AUGUST 10, 2018

33

Major tech companies remove Alex Jones for hate, bullying

BY BARBARA ORTUTAY The Associated Press

ROBERT SCOBLE / FLICKR

Reports: Google working on censorship ready search for China THE ASSOCIATED PRESS GOOGLE IS reportedly working on a mobile version of its search engine that will comply with strict censorship controls in China.

The Intercept reported that the work has been ongoing since the spring of 2017 and was accelerated in December following a meeting between Google CEO Sundar Pichai and a top government official in China. The report cited internal Google documents and unnamed people familiar with the plans.

The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal confirmed the work in separate reports Wednesday, also citing unnamed sources. Google did not reply to a request for comment.

According to The Intercept, Google created a custom Android app that will automatically filter out sites blocked by China’s so-called “Great Firewall.”

Google has not offered search services in China since it largely exited the country in 2010.

Google had previously complied with censorship controls starting in 2006 as it sought a toehold in the booming Chinese economy. But it faced unrelenting pressure from human rights groups and some share-

holders to leave.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin was born in the Soviet Union in 1973 and lived there until age 6 when his family fled.

He has said his experience with a repressive regime shaped his and the company’s views.

Pichai, who became CEO in 2015 when Google became part of parent Alphabet, has said he wants Google to be in China serving Chinese users.

Since Google exited, Baidu has become the dominant search engine in China. Its shares are down about 7 per cent since Tuesday’s close on speculation about Google’s return.

Google has been making small inroads into the country recently.

In June, Google invested $550 million in JD.com, a Chinese ecommerce platform that is second only to Alibaba in the country. The companies said they would collaborate on retail solutions around the world without mentioning China, where Google services including Gmail and YouTube are blocked.

In December, Google announced it was opening an artificial intelligence lab in Beijing.

Fei-Fei Li, a Stanford researcher who joined Google as its chief artificial intelligence scientist in January 2017, said in a blog post at the time, “AI and its benefits have no borders.” ■

NEW YORK — Major tech companies have begun to ban right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones from their services, reflecting a more aggressive enforcement of policies against hate speech following protests on social media.

Facebook has taken down four pages belonging to Jones, including two featuring his “Infowars” show, for violating its hate speech and bullying policies. Over the past several days, Apple, YouTube and Spotify have also removed material published by Jones. Twitter, which hasn’t banned Jones, has also faced similar calls.

Facebook has also suspended Jones’ account for 30 days because he repeatedly violated the company’s community standards against hate speech that “attacks or dehumanizes others,” it said in a statement Monday. Facebook did not immediately respond Monday asking what would happen after the 30 days are up, and why it hadn’t taken action earlier. The 30-day suspension of Jones himself appears to have gone into effect in late July.

Twitter would not comment on Jones.

“We’ve been banned completely on Facebook, Apple, & Spotify,” Jones wrote on Twitter. “What conservative news outlet will be next?”

Jones has amassed a large following on the right while promulgating conspiracy theories that claim terror attacks such as 9-11 were actually carried out by the government. Among his claims is that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School mass shooting, which left 20 children and six adults dead, was a hoax.

It’s unclear why the companies are cracking down on Jones now, after allowing him to publish for years. Facebook has been under fire recently for not banning Jones, but as recently as July 12 it tweeted that it sees pages “on both the left and right pumping out what they consider opinion or analysis — but others call fake news.”

“We believe banning these Pages would be contrary to the www.canadianinquirer.net

basic principles of free speech,” Facebook posted in response to a question from CNN reporter Oliver Darcy, who had been pressing the company on why it continued to allow “Infowars” on its platform.

On Monday, the company said that it “unpublished” the four pages after receiving reports that they contained content “glorifying violence” and used “dehumanizing language” to describe Muslims, immigrants and transgender people.

“While much of the discussion around Infowars has been related to false news … none of the violations that spurred today’s removals were related to this,” Facebook said on Monday.

Facebook is the latest tech company to take action against Jones following social-media backlash. BuzzFeed News reported Sunday that Apple has removed five of Infowars’ six podcasts from its iTunes and Podcast apps for violating hate speech guidelines.

In response to a query from the Associated Press, Apple said only that it “does not tolerate hate speech” and referenced its guidelines for creators and developers, but did not name Jones or comment further. As of Monday, iTunes searches for “Infowars” or “Alex Jones” turned up no podcasts created

by Jones. Entering the web addresses for specific shows brought up a notice that the content is not available.

Last week, music streaming service Spotify removed some episodes of “The Alex Jones Show” podcast for breaching its hate content policy.

And as of Monday, Alex Jones’s channel was not available on YouTube, with a notice that the account “has been terminated for violating YouTube’s Community Guidelines.” The Infowars YouTube channel was also labeled as “terminated.”

Jones says his shows, which are broadcast on radio, and online platforms, reach at least 70 million people a week. It’s unclear how the latest bans have affected his reach.

YouTube said in a statement that when users violate its policies against hate speech and harassment, “we terminate their accounts.” But the company did

not give specifics on Jones or Infowars.

“What it reflects is a slow realization that the platforms are megaphones to fuel extremist ideas,” said Keegan Hankes, research analyst for the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Intelligence Project, who focuses on far right extremist propaganda online. The decision to enforce policies, he added, “has been a long time coming.”

Hankes added that he is “not surprised” that Twitter continues to allow Jones on its platform.

“If they were to ban Alex Jones,” he said, he’d question why the company doesn’t ban “outright white supremacists, including those who have participated in violent rallies.”

Families of some Sandy Hook victims have sued Jones for defamation, and he now acknowledges that the shooting occurred but says his claims were free speech.

Last month, the parents of one of the children killed in the shooting wrote an open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg calling on him to ban “conspiracy groups and anti-government provocateurs” that use social media to call the massacre a hoax and harass and threaten the families of the victims.

“Our families are in danger as a direct result of the hundreds of thousands of people who see and believe the lies and hate speech, which you have decided should be protected,” wrote Lenny Pozner and Veronique De La Rosa, the parents of Noah, who was six years old when he died at Sandy Hook.

Brent Bozell, the president of the non-profit Media Research Council, whose stated mission is to “to expose and neutralize the propaganda arm of the Left: the national news media,” called the crackdown in Infowars a “slippery slope.” “(It’s) a dangerous cliff that these social media companies are jumping off to satisfy CNN and other liberal outlets,” Bozell said in a statement. “Social media sites are supposedly neutral platforms, but they are increasingly becoming opportunities for the left and major media to censor any content that they don’t like.” ■

AUGUST 10, 2018

34

CANADA

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Experience- 1-2 yrs. child care/babysitting exp; criminal record check, in good health. Duties: Supervise and care for children, prepare and serve meals, assist with feeding, grooming, hygiene, homework and school projects. Perform light housekeeping & cleaning duties including wash/iron clothes and household linens.

Take children to and from school and appointments, travel with family if needed.

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.

APPLY BY EMAIL: melo.perez@outlook.com

Please email resume to: hrsurrey@luckysupermarket.ca

Mavis A Light Within Plain Card Reading, Crystal Ball, Tarot Card Reading and Read Photos etc.

780-455-4546 Electronic Technicians Needed Experience in Low Voltage Electrical System installation and Servicing Computers with Networking Email resume to suda@alarmboss.com Call 416-432-1902

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35

Travel Finding life in the afterlife at coral reef cemetery

BY KELLI KENNEDY The Associated Press MIAMI — A year after Will and Daniel Payne lost their mom, and nearly two decades since their father’s death, it was time to follow their wishes for the afterlife.

As they board a boat with three generations of family, the brothers slip into flippers and de-fog their masks. Will, who became a certified scuba diver just days earlier, checks his oxygen tank and jumps into the azure waters to secure a concrete marker mixed with their ashes at a memorial reef about three miles out to sea.

This unusual resting place is exactly what the Paynes say their parents wanted. Buel Payne, a former Coast Guard member, and Linda Payne, who grew up on the water and loved boating, will spend their afterlife in a memorial modeled after the lost city of Atlantis, among impressive lion statues and ornate gates and pillars that encrusted with sea life.

It took nearly four years for multiple government agencies to sign off on this underwater mausoleum, which is designed to encourage a healthy ecosystem. Roughly a decade later, the Neptune Memorial Reef is home to the cremated remains of 1,500 people, and any snorkeler or scuba diver can visit.

The Paynes are the first to be memorialized in the reef’s expansion, which opened this summer and will make room for an additional 4,000 memorials over 16 acres, about 40 feet deep. Placements start around $1,500 and can go up to $8,000, with the priciest placements for specialized shapes like sea turtles and stingrays or for prominent spots throughout the city like the lions.

With reefs struggling worldwide against coral bleaching and other threats, the memorial’s builders are providing coral a head start. The concrete structures offer a high pH level, enabling sea creatures to flourish.

“We’re seeing animals here that we haven’t seen before.

Ones that have been missing for a long time,” says Jim Hutslar, the reef’s operations director and one of the founders. “We actually found a long spine sea urchin that was considered extinct in the Caribbean Sea.” Sara Thanner, an environmental supervisor for the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, says an April survey showed the reef supports more than 65 different fish, shrimp and lobster and 75 other species including sponges, soft corals, and hard corals.

For people making end-oflife plans, the reef means being part of something living. Hutslar is hoping that decades from

NEPTUNE MEMORIAL REEF / FACEBOOK

now, the memorial will have grown into a massive coral reef where individual markers will no longer be distinguishable, and “family members will just know their loved ones are part of it.”

“We’re creating life after life,” he said.

While Hutslar, Will and another diver descended to the ocean floor, Daniel and his wife and three children snorkeled on the surface, gazing down through the strong clear currents. They spotted a parrot fish, barracuda and a monster

snook. Abundant schools of small, colorful fish darted in and out of the sculptures.

They had picked out a small bronze headstone reading “Together at Last” to mark the ashes, adding their thumbprints on a decorative concrete sea shell.

The divers picked a spot amid the underwater city’s striking columns and statues.

“It’s just amazing. It’s so peaceful,” Will, 48, of Sachse, Texas, said after surfacing. “If there is a heaven, that would be it for them.”

Back on the boat, the fam-

ily snacked on cookies and oranges and enjoyed a day at sea, laughing, hugging and crying at times. The men’s aunt and uncle also brought red roses that each member of the family tossed overboard.

Daniel, 41, of Princeton, Texas, said he plans to get scuba-certified so he can see it up close, and return every year.

“I really didn’t get it when (my mom) was telling me about it and the more and more I think about it, it’s really a nice, peaceful spot for your last resting place,” he said.

Hutslar and his partners were solely focused on supporting marine life at first, figuring the cemetery would help pay for the reef. But he’s helped hundreds of families say goodbye to their loved ones over the years, giving him a calling he’s come to cherish.

“This has actually become my favourite part — being with the families,” said Hutslar.

Memorials for children especially stick in his mind. There’s something healing about the ocean. He says you can see it when families return to the surface.

“You can watch something wash away,” he said.

It happened again, Hutslar said, as Will Payne paid his final respects.

“I hope you’re happy where you’re at. I love you,” Payne whispered through his mouthpiece. “Keep an eye on us.” ■

Puerto Princesa underground river tours suspended

BY CELESTE ANNA FORMOSO Philippine News Agency PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, PALAWAN — The management of the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP) has temporarily suspended Monday all underground river tours due to the strong flow of current from the cave, which is influenced by incessant rains.

PPSRNP Superintendent Elizabeth Maclang said the underground river has been closed since August 3. They tried to resume operations on August 5 but closed it again in the meantime because of the situation of tough river flow.

“Sad to say canceled ang PPUR tours today kasi malakas ang agos ng river due to heavy rains (Sad to say PPUR tours are canceled today due to the strong flow of currents in the river caused by heavy rains),”

she said.

Maclang said operations will return to normal as soon as the weather clears.

“Kahapon (August 5) kinaya lang pero hirap ang mga bankero sa loob ng kweba kasi maagos talaga (Yesterday, our paddle boat operators tried to go in, but they had a hard time because of the strong flow of current),” Maclang said.

Meanwhile, Association of Accredited Tour Operators of Puerto Princesa (AATOPP) www.canadianinquirer.net

president Arnie Lim said while tours in the underground river are temporarily suspended, guests in the city can opt to visit around 18 identified community-based sustainable tourism (CBST) sites.

“Hindi dapat masayang ang punta nila dito kapag maulan kasi puwede naman nilang pasyalan iyong mga CBST sites natin. Meron ng mga bundled packages kaming na-identify and they can visit two to three sites in one day (Their time here

should not be wasted during the rainy season because they can visit our CBST sites. We have identified bundled packages and they visit two to three sites in one day),” Lim said.

Lim said they suggest to visitors to visit Honda Bay, do the City Tour and CBST sites that are safe if they cannot enter the PPUR due to unfavorable weather condition or if it is fully-booked. ■

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Travel

AUGUST 10, 2018

FRIDAY

‘Hazardous’ smoky air shuts Yosemite in peak tourist season

BY JOCELYN GECKER The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — Yosemite National Park’s iconic cliffs are shrouded in so much smoke from nearby wildfires that the air quality is worse than anywhere in America and is rivaling Beijing.

The unhealthy haze prompted officials to close the scenic Yosemite Valley and other areas on July 25 along with hundreds of campsites and hotels in what has become the park’s longest closure in more than two decades. Officials say they tentatively plan to reopen Monday after a 12-day closure but will reassess this weekend.

“We are hoping to get back open on Monday but conditions have to be safe,” said park spokesman Scott Gediman, who said the decision will be based on air quality, visibility, weather patterns and safety for firefighters who are performing protective measures known as back burning near the park’s southwestern border.

Coming at the height of the summer season, the closure has dealt a financial

blow to Yosemite, a crown jewel of the National Park System, and caused upheaval for thousands of tourists whose summer trips have been abruptly cancelled.

“I’m totally gutted we can’t visit Yosemite,” said British tourist Caroline Lansell, on a summer holiday to California with her husband and two children.

Like many, they booked nearly a year ahead of time to secure a coveted hotel room inside the park, where hotels and campsites fill up months in advance and are typically booked through October.

They fly back to England on Sunday and don’t know if or when they’ll get back to Yosemite.

“It was going to be our first and probably only time because it’s such a long, long way to come,” said Lansell. “I fancied doing the meadows, the lakes and the massive cliffs. It’s really sad. But at least we’re alive. There are people who have lost their lives and homes.”

The 115-square mile (300-square kilometre) fire near Yosemite started on July 13 and is now 41 per cent contained.

It is one of several large wildfires that fire crews are battling in California, where record-breaking heat and years of

Yosemite National Park.

drought have turned immense tracts of forests and parched grasslands into tinder boxes. Overall, six people have died in the blazes and thousands have had to evacuate their homes.

In recent days, the fire reached into remote areas of Yosemite, which is about 250 miles (400 kilometres) from San Francisco. The park ordered about 200 workers who live in Yosemite’s popular Valley region to leave Friday because of inaccessible roads.

Not all of the park is closed; roughly the northern third of Yosemite has remained open. But officials say it is Yosemite’s longest and most extensive closure since 1997, when floods shut the park for two months.

With Yosemite’s highlights off-limits, other nearby National Parks are getting a surge of visitors.

“We’ve definitely seen an influx, and visitors say they had to change plans last-minute because they can’t go to Yosemite,” said Sintia Kawasaki-Yee, a spokeswoman for Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Last weekend, Kings Canyon had to shut one of its campgrounds after a rush of visitors depleted its water supply, she said.

Gediman, the park spokesman, estimates a financial loss of several million dollars for the park, its hotels and gateway communities that rely on summer tourists for business. The precise figure will be calculated after the park reopens.

“It’s a huge impact,” Gediman said.

On a typical summer day, anywhere from 15,000 to 20,000 visitors enter the park, which charges $20 for an individual pass, $35 for a vehicle pass and up to $300 for a commercial coach.

“This time of year the campgrounds would be full and the lodging would be full,” he said. Since the closure, at least 1,000 campground and hotel bookings have been cancelled each day, he said, describing the 7.5-mile-long (12-kilometre-long) Yosemite Valley as “empty” except for smoke.

Yosemite Valley is the centerpiece of the visitor experience, offering sweeping views of its majestic landmarks such

www.canadianinquirer.net

as Half Dome, Bridal Veil Fall, El Capitan and Yosemite Falls.

Most of those have been obscured by a choking haze for days, although shifting winds means the pollution levels and visual clarity changes throughout the day, said Pete Lahm, air resource specialist for the U.S. Forest Service, which is running the Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program. Yosemite officials are referring visitors to the program’s website to check pollution levels.

“The whole park at this juncture has been hammered in smoke,” said Lahm.

“This area definitely has the highest levels (of air pollution) in the U.S. right now,” he said, adding that other parts of Northern California and southern Oregon were also at unhealthy levels due to wildfires.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s “Air Now” website on Friday recorded the Air Quality Index in Yosemite at a staggering 386, or “hazardous” — higher than China’s typically smog-choked capital which had an “unhealthy” AQI of 119 at the same time. Officials note that the AQI changes throughout the day and that the pollution from industrial dust, cars and emissions is different than wildfires burning through trees and grass but still unhealthy.

In addition to shutting down the valley and 350 campsites located there, the park has declared a half-dozen other sites off-limits including the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias, which recently reopened after a three-year renovation, Wawona Road, or Highway 41, from the South Entrance to Tunnel View, and Glacier Point Road.

Hotels, restaurants and other businesses in gateway communities like Oakhurst and Mariposa want tourists to know that they are open for business.

“Normally this time of year we would be super busy. But it’s been non-stop cancellations,” said Bryan Imrie, owner of Yosemite Ziplines and Adventure Ranch in Mariposa, about an hour’s drive from the park. “Where we are, I’m looking at clear blue skies. It’s a beautiful day.” ■

37

Food Bring 2 beloved desserts into 1 with an ice cream cake AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN

JESSICA AND LON BINDER / FLICKR

This twist on Caesar salad has kale and whole grain croutons AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN KALE IS closing in on romaine as the Caesar salad green of choice; the hearty, nutrient-dense leaves, with their pungent earthiness, pair surprisingly well with the tangy Caesar dressing—perhaps even better than romaine.

While raw kale may sound healthiest, we learned that soaking the kale slightly helps to break down the fibrous cell walls, making nutrients such as vitamins A and C and iron more available for absorption. A 10-minute soak in warm water did the trick and also tenderized the kale.

How else could we improve on the salad? We traded white-bread croutons for whole-grain; their rustic chew tasted right at home in our bowl.

At first, an egg-based dressing sounded like the way to go, but we found a thicker mayonnaise-based dressing stood up better to the greens. What to do? We cut half of the mayonnaise with yogurt, then decreased the oil to just 2 tablespoons.

We added three anchovy fillets, which brought savoriness and healthy omega-3 fats. Decreasing the Parmesan lowered saturated fat without sacrificing the cheese’s nutty flavour.

With our dressing reworked, the salad was ready to toss; we did, and gave it a 20-minute rest to blend flavours before serving.

Kale ceasar salad

Servings: 4 Start to finish: 45 minutes

• 12 ounces curly kale, stemmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (16 cups) • 3 ounces rustic 100 per cent wholegrain bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (1 1/2 cups) • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • Salt and pepper • 3 tablespoons mayonnaise • 3 tablespoons organic plain low-fat yogurt • 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup) • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard • 3 anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced • 1 garlic clove, minced Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 F. Place kale in large bowl and cover with warm tap water (110 F to 115 F). Swish kale around to remove grit. Let kale sit in warm water bath for 10 minutes. Remove kale from water and spin dry in salad spinner in multiple batches. Pat leaves dry with paper towels if still wet.

Toss bread, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper

THE APPEAL of ice cream cake is obvious: These two beloved desserts belong together, and a cold, creamy slice of ice cream cake is far more satisfying than a scoop of ice cream haphazardly dolloped onto a slice of cake.

We wanted to develop a basic ice cream cake that would be a hit at any party. We started with three crowd-pleasing flavours—chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry— to create a striped Neapolitan cake. Oreo crumbs served as a sturdy bottom crust and also provided a welcome bit of chocolatey crunch between each layer of ice cream.

When it came to assembling the cake, we found that the key was patience. We didn’t start until the crust was completely cool, and allowing the ice cream to soften to a spreadable consistency ensured it wouldn’t mar the crust. For clean lines and to avoid a melty mess, it was essential to freeze each layer before adding the next.

We dressed up our cake by pressing

party-ready rainbow sprinkles into the sides, but you could also use chopped nuts or crushed candies or cookies. You can also pipe a greeting on top once the cake is fully frozen. Use the entire Oreo—filling and all—for the crust. Before removing the cake from the springform pan, run your paring knife under hot tap water for 10 seconds or so.

Basic ice cream cake

Servings: 8-10 Start to finish: 10 hours

• 25 Oreo cookies, broken into rough pieces • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted • 1 pint strawberry ice cream • 1 pint vanilla ice cream • 1 pint chocolate ice cream • 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 F. Process Oreos in ❱❱ PAGE 38 Bring 2

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38

Food

AUGUST 10, 2018

FRIDAY

Grind your own turkey thigh for great tasting, juicy burgers AMERICA'S TEST KITCHEN MOST TURKEY burgers are dry, bland, or loaded up with flavour-blunting fillers. To create juicy, well-textured turkey burgers, we ditched storebought ground turkey in favour of a home-ground turkey thigh, which boasts more fat and flavour.

To ensure that our turkey burger recipe delivered maximum juiciness, we incorporated a paste made from a portion of the ground turkey, gelatin, soy sauce and baking soda. The gelatin trapped moisture within the burgers while the baking soda helped tenderize the meat by raising its pH, and the soy sauce added savory umami flavour.

Finally, we added coarsely chopped raw white mushrooms to keep the meat from binding together too firmly. To top the burgers, we created a variety of sweet and savory sauces that complemented the rich dark meat of the turkey.

Juicy grilled turkey burgers

Servings: 6 Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours To ensure the best texture, don’t let the burgers stand for more than an hour before cooking. If you like, toast the hamburger buns on the grill while the burgers rest. Serve with one of our burger sauces (recipes follow) or your favourite toppings.

• 1 (2-pound) bone-in turkey thigh, skinned, boned, trimmed, and cut into 1/2inch pieces • 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin • 3 tablespoons chicken broth • 6 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed • 1 tablespoon soy sauce • Pinch baking soda • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra for brushing • Kosher salt and pepper • 6 hamburger buns Place turkey pieces on large plate in single layer. Freeze meat until very firm and hardened around edges, 35 to 45 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over broth in small bowl and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Pulse mushrooms in food processor until coarsely chopped, about 7 pulses, stopping and redistributing mushrooms around bowl as needed to ensure even grinding. Set mushrooms aside.

Pulse one-third of turkey in now-empty food processor until coarsely chopped into 1/8-inch pieces, 18 to 22 pulses, stopping and redistributing turkey around bowl as needed to ensure even grinding. Transfer meat to large bowl and repeat 2 more times with remaining turkey.

Return 1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) ground turkey to bowl of again-empty food processor and add soy sauce, baking soda, and softened gelatin. Process

until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down bowl as needed.

With processor running, slowly drizzle in oil, about 10 seconds; leave paste in food processor.

Return mushrooms to food processor and pulse to combine with paste, 3 to 5 pulses, stopping and redistributing mixture as needed to ensure even mixing. Transfer mushroom mixture to bowl with ground turkey and use your hands to evenly combine.

With lightly greased hands, divide meat mixture into 6 balls. Gently flatten each ball into 3/4-inch-thick patty.

Press centre of patties down with your fingertips to create 1/4-inch-deep depression.

For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts).

When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes.

Leave primary burner on high and turn off other burner(s).

Clean and oil cooking grate.

Brush 1 side of patties with oil and season with salt and pepper. Using spatula, flip patties, brush with oil, and season second side. Place burgers on hotter side of grill and cook until well browned on first side, 4 to 7 minutes. Flip burgers and cook until well browned on sec-

Bring 2... ❰❰ 37

food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds. Add melted butter and process until mixture resembles wet sand, about 10 seconds.

Using your hands, press 2/3 cup crumb mixture evenly into bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Using bottom of measuring cup, firmly pack crust into pan. Bake until the crust is fragrant and set, 5 to 10 minutes.

Let crust cool completely on wire rack, about 30 minutes.

Scoop strawberry ice cream into large bowl and, using large

ISABELLE BOUCHER / FLICKR

ond side and meat registers 160 F, 4 to 7 minutes more. (If cooking frozen burgers: After burgers are browned on both sides, transfer to cooler side of grill, cover, and continue to cook until burgers register 160 F.) Transfer burgers to plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Serve on buns.

Malt Vinegar-Molasses Burger Sauce:

Makes about 1 cup

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise • 4 teaspoons malt vinegar • 1/2 teaspoon molasses • 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon pepper • Whisk all ingredients together in bowl.

• Apricot-Mustard Burger Sauce: • Makes about 1 cup • 3/4 cup mayonnaise

• 5 teaspoons apricot preserves • 1 tablespoon lemon juice • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard • 1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard • 1/4 teaspoon sugar • Whisk all ingredients together in bowl.

• Chile-Lime Burger Sauce: • Makes about 1 cup • 3/4 cup mayonnaise • 2 teaspoons chili-garlic paste • 2 teaspoons lime juice • 1 scallion, sliced thin • 1/4 teaspoon fish sauce • 1/8 teaspoon sugar Whisk all ingredients together in bowl. ■ Nutrition information per serving of turkey burger without sauce: 331 calories; 88 calories from fat; 10 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 119 mg cholesterol; 737 mg sodium; 23 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 38 g protein.

This twist... rubber spatula or wooden spoon, break up scoops of ice cream.

Stir and fold ice cream to achieve smooth consistency. Spread softened ice cream evenly over crust. Sprinkle 2/3 cup Oreo crumbs over ice cream and pack down lightly. Wrap pan tightly with plastic wrap and freeze until ice cream is just firm, about 30 minutes. Repeat with vanilla ice cream and remaining 2/3 cup Oreo crumbs; wrap tightly and freeze for another 30 minutes. Soften chocolate ice cream, spread evenly in pan, and smooth top. Wrap cake tightly in plastic

and freeze until firm, at least 8 hours or up to 1 week.

To unmould cake, run hot thin knife around edge of pan.

Remove sides of pan and slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto platter.

Press sprinkles onto sides of cake. Serve immediately. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 469 calories; 228 calories from fat; 25 g fat (11 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 47 mg cholesterol; 252 mg sodium; 59 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 42 g sugar; 4 g protein. www.canadianinquirer.net

❰❰ 37

together in bowl.

Spread on rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Let croutons cool completely on sheet. (Cooled croutons can be stored at room temperature for up to 24 hours.)

In large bowl, whisk mayonnaise, yogurt, 1/4 cup Parmesan, lemon juice, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, anchovies, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together until well combined.

Whisking constantly, drizzle in

remaining 1 tablespoon oil until combined.

Toss kale with dressing and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or up to 6 hours. Toss dressed kale with croutons and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.

Serve. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 310 calories; 189 calories from fat; 21 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 30 mg cholesterol; 833 mg sodium; 20 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 12 g protein.

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FRIDAY AUGUST 10, 2018

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AUGUST 10, 2018

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