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DECEMBER 14, 2018

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VOL. 12 NO. 350

NEW AFP CHIEF President Rodrigo R. Duterte hands over the command saber to incoming Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Benjamin Madrigal during the Change of Command Ceremony and the 83rd AFP Anniversary at Camp Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City. Also in the photo is outgoing AFP Chief of Staff and new Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Carlito Galvez Jr. Story on page 13.

SIMEON CELI JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Duterte assures OFWs’ taxes well-spent

BY JELLY MUSICO Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has assured Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that the taxes they pay to the government will be protected under his administration.

“Do not be so sad about being taxed because your money here during my term is safe,” Duterte said as he conferred awards to outstanding OFWs, organizations at Malacañang Palace on

Wednesday night.

“I will not allow corruption. I have fired so many Cabinet members for just an infraction,” he added.

Duterte promised that their taxes will be spent on social services and projects, particularly on his massive “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program that would bring comfortable life to every Filipino.

“Alam niyo (You know) we are trained outside especially from those

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Malacañang on Human Rights Day: Duterte admin protects human lives

32 In Canada, the term ‘nationalism’ doesn’t seem to have a bad rap. Here’s why.

❱❱ PAGE 6 Duterte assures

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❱❱ PAGE 17

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Philippine News

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DECEMBER 14, 2018

FRIDAY

Question Hour on 2019 budget to proceed with or without Diokno

BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES Philippine News Agency MANILA — The leadership of the House of Representatives said the Question Hour regarding the PHP3.757-trillion national budget for 2019 will proceed as scheduled on Tuesday amid Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno’s request for its postponement.

In a letter dated Monday, Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. told Diokno that the House “finds it imperative” to hold the question hour at the soonest possible time due to the urgency of the lawmakers’ queries regarding the current year’s expenditures and the 2019 national budget.

“We stand firm on our intention to hold the Question Hour as scheduled and look forward to your appearance,” Andaya said in the letter addressed to the Budget chief.

Diokno wrote a letter to the House leadership on Dec. 10, seeking to postpone the question hour to a later date due to the number of questions proposed by lawmakers, as well as the necessary data and information that need to

be gathered.

Last week, the chamber adopted House Resolution 2307, filed by Minority Leader Danilo Suarez, requiring Diokno’s appearance and participation in the Question Hour regarding the budget.

Suarez, in a press conference, insisted on proceeding with the question hour even without Diokno’s presence. He said a witness, whom he did not name, would appear before the plenary to shed light on issues hounding the 2019 budget.

“That’s beyond me kung hindi siya darating (That’s beyond me if he doesn’t attend the Question Hour). There will be plenty of congressmen, if he doesn’t show up magsasalita ako, magsasalita si Majority (Leader) (I will give my piece, Majority Leader would also give his, and so on)… and the witness would have to come here [and] I will ask him in the plenary to come up with a statement,” Suarez said.

As practiced by previous Congresses, the Question Hour is known to be a period of confrontation initiated by the legislative to hold the executive department, particularly Cabinet Secretaries, accountable for their acts and the operation of the government. ■

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Jose Romualdez, Philippine Ambassador to the United States, and Defense Secretary James N. Mattis, stand for a photo, Nov. 14, 2018, in front of the bells of Balangiga on F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Wyo. During the visit, the Bells of Balangiga were officially presented to the Philippine government.

U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO BY AIRMAN 1ST CLASS BRAYDON WILLIAMS

Balangiga Bells return in PH

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer

to honor the past and the sacrifices made together by Filipinos and Americans and it heralds a bright future as friends, partners, and allies. The bells of THE LONG wait is over for Filipinos as Balangiga are now home in the Philipthe Balangiga Bells were brought back to pines where they belong,” he added. the Philippines after 117 years.

In his statement, Presidential SpokesThe historic bells arrived at the Vil- person Salvador Panelo welcomed this lamor Airbase in Pasay City at around development and described the return 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 11, of the Balangiga Bells as “historic and through a United States (U.S.) C-130 unprecedented.” plane that came from an American mili“This marks an important milestone tary base in Okinawa, Japan. in and gives new meaning to the shared The two bells were history between the previously located at Philippines and the Wyoming, where U.S. United States,” PanDefense Secretary elo said.

James Mattis offi“Stakeholders cially announced the from both the Philipreturn of the Bells pines and the United of Balangiga to the This marks States worked tirecountry in Noveman important lessly for the return ber, while the third milestone in of the Balangiga bells. bell was in a U.S. miliand gives new They will be rememtary base in South meaning to the bered as true friends Korea. shared history of the Philippines These bells were between the and of Filipino heriseized by American Philippines tage,” he continued. troops from a church and the United The spokesman in Balangiga, Eastern States. said President RoSamar as war trodrigo Duterte will phies, following the attend the handover Balangiga massacre ceremony of the Balin 1901. angiga Bells in East“It is my great ern Samar on Decemhonor to be here at ber 15, Saturday. this closing of a painIt was on his secful chapter in our history. The bells re- ond state of the nation address (SONA) turned reflects the strong bonds and in 2017 when Duterte first made an apmutual respect between our two nations peal to the U.S. government to bring and our people,” U.S. Ambassador Sung back the three bells to the country.

Kim said in a speech at the handover cerResponding to Duterte’s call, the US emony, which was also attended by Ex- government, in August 2018, said Mattis ecutive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, had notified Congress that the US govPhilippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lo- ernment intends to return them, but at renzana, and Philippine Ambassador to that time, there was no specific date yet the U.S. Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez. for the turnover. ■ “It demonstrates our determination

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Philippine News

DECEMBER 14, 2018

FRIDAY

Duterte assures... ❰❰ 1

coming from the Western world that people are willing to pay taxes but kailangan makita nila ‘yung pera nila (they need to see where these are spent),” Duterte said.

“And that’s we are trying to do. And to make it doubly sure that you won’t doubt me. It is money, it is corruptive and it is toxic,” he added.

He assured that the protection and promotion of the welfare and well-being of the OFWs will remain one of his government’s top priorities.

“This nation will always recognize your invaluable contribution to nationbuilding, and this administration will continue to craft policies and implement programs that will respond to your needs and protect your rights,” Duterte said.

The President also promised that Filipinos, particularly OFWs, traveling abroad will continue to have hassle-free experience in the airports.

“I don’t allow graft and corruption.

I don’t allow the opening of bags in the airport kung mag-uwi lalo na ‘yung mga mahihirap talaga. (If you’re coming home, especially the poor). It pisses me to no end,” Duterte said.

Duterte said he will try to finish his relentless war against illegal drugs to

President Rodrigo R. Duterte presides over the 32nd Cabinet Meeting at the Malacañan Palace.

preserve the bright future of the Filipinos, including the family members of OFWs. Duterte, on the other hand, expressed his appreciation to the OFWs for their

remittances and cited them as the key driver of the Philippine economy.

“I’m indeed very grateful that you have sent money so that this nation can ever flow because of the money. I am happy with that,” the President said.

According to Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, the more than 10 million overseas Filipinos are sending around

ROLANDO MAILO/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

USD25 billion (PHP1.3 trillion) a year.

“Maraming tulong n’yo sa pambansang ekonomiya. Kung wala po kayo matagal na tayo bumagsak (You are helping a lot our national economy.

Without you, we surely have been down-and-out long time ago),” Bello said in a speech. ■

Galvez lauds AFP personnel for ‘job well done’

BY PRIAM NEPOMUCENO Philippine News Agency MANILA — Outgoing Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief-of-staff, Gen. Carlito Galvez, Jr. on Monday expressed his appreciation to every soldier, airman, sailor, marine personnel and civilian employees for doing their jobs well during his eight-month stint.

“As I near retirement, I was able to breathe and say ’kaya pala natin’ (we can do it), I could not be any happier and more content than I am now, that we are able to accomplish our goals. All of these will not be possible without your help and support,” Galvez said during his last flag-raising ceremony as AFP chief at Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

Galvez, who was joined by wife Marissa, and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and spouse Editha, also led the “Panunumpa sa Karapatang Pantao.”

“On behalf of every soldier, airman, sailor, and marines, we join the whole www.canadianinquirer.net

nation in observing the culmination of National Human Rights Consciousness Week: Protecting Human Lives, Uplifting Human Dignity, and Advancing People’s Progress,” he added.

Galvez, the 50th AFP chief, will be replaced by Eastern Mindanao Command head Lt. Gen. Benjamin Madrigal during turnover ceremonies Tuesday. Both of them are members of Philippine Military Class of 1985.

The outgoing AFP chief is scheduled to retire from the military on Wednesday, after being appointed to head the institution last April.

“I may never thank you enough for all the hard work and patience, but I did try my best with the programs and policies that will boost the morale of our personnel. Years of experience have taught me that I can only harness commitment and devotion to public service by providing to be a better example of myself. And I always believed that morale of personnel first, and mission accomplishment always,” he added. ■

FRIDAY DECEMBER 14, 2018

Philippine News

Senate needs special session to pass 2019 budget

Duterte warns 2019 candidates not to ‘terrorize’ voters

BY JOSE CIELITO REGANIT Philippine News Agency MANILA — Unless President Rodrigo Duterte calls for a special session, it would now be “physically impossible” for the Senate to pass the proposed 2019 national budget on second and third reading, Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri said Tuesday.

In an interview, Zubiri said this is due to the joint session scheduled Wednesday morning at the House of Representatives for the extension of martial law in Mindanao.

“Pero di namin kasalanan ito, dahil nagkaroon ng martial law extension. Kung wala, tapos na sana kami tomorrow (Wednesday), then plano namin second and third reading on Thursday (This is not our fault, if not for martial law extension, we would have been finished by tomorrow and have the second and third reading on Thursday),” he said.

As it were, he said the Senate could not resume budget deliberations until the joint session is adjourned.

“Ang problema ang House kung marami silang explanation of votes… sa Minority bloc lang 30 na yan. Kung lahat sila magbibigay ngexplanation of votes na three minutes (each), mae-extend na yan (The prob-

lem is if many House members would explain their votes… the Minority bloc alone has at least 30 members. If every one of them would explain their votes at three minutes each, the session would be unduly extended),” he noted.

“Technically, we lose the whole day to discuss the budget,” Zubiri said.

Due to this, he said the Senate can now, at best, only finish the budget up to the period of interpellation by Thursday.

“We will work on Thursday, we will do our best to finish the budget at least to end interpellation, but mukhang hanggang dun na lang (it seems that’s it),” the Senate Majority Leader said.

“So, unless there is special session called, technically we end on Thursday. We are trying our best, but physically, it’s quite impossible to pass it on second and third reading,” Zubiri said.

Zubiri said the Senate can only pass the 2019 national budget on third and final reading when Congress resumes sessions on Jan. 14, 2019.

He said the Senate and the House could ratify the budget bill by January 16 and have it signed by the President before January 30.

With a reenacted budget now a distinct possibility, Zubiri said the Senate is ready to introduce a special provision to amend the Omnibus Election Code to

exempt the 2019 capital outlay projects from the election ban.

“We want to put a special provision in the budget that will amend the Election Code for this coming 2019. All the projects that have to be implemented under capital outlay will be exempted from election ban,” he said.

He said this would ensure that projects under the “Build, Build, Build” program would not be affected by the election ban that would be imposed sometime in the first weeks of February next year.

“Yan na ang solution kasi sinabi nila baka mag-contract ang GDP [gross domestic product] pag walang budget and hindi ma-implement ang ”Build, Build, Build” (That’s the solution because they said that the GDP would contract if there is no budget and the “Build, Build, Build” would not be implemented.) Which is true because no project will be implemented, no jobs on the building of roads, bridges,” he said.

“Ayaw namin ‘yun kaya gagawa kami ng special provision para ma-exempt ’yun, para tuluy-tuloy pa rin ‘yung bidding ng projects even during the election period (We don’t want that to happen, so we are going to introduce a special provision to exempt the projects so that the bidding would continue even during the election period),” Zubiri said. ■

Duterte praises Marco Polo Davao in 20th year

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte has congratulated Marco Polo Davao on its 20th anniversary, describing it as an “important landmark” in Davao City’s business district.

According to a statement from Malacañang, Duterte congratulated the hotel management for providing luxurious accommodation to locals, businessmen, visiting delegations, and tourists.

He thanked the management for their efforts to make the Davao region one of the “major business and tourism hubs” in the country by showcasing Filipino hospitality.

The President also acknowledged the significance of Marco Polo Davao in contributing to the progress of the city, when the company established its first hotel in the area.

Meanwhile, Duterte recalled his fond memories of the hotel where he frequently organized events, and accommodated friends and visitors, when he was

still the mayor of Davao City.

Marco Polo Davao, which is located along Recto Street, Davao City, is only one and half hours by flight from Manila.

It stands in the heart of Davao’s shopping and business district, with 245 rooms and suites equipped with broadband Internet connection and other amenities befitting a business traveller.

The hotel is also close to the airport at a distance of just 12 kms or a 20-minute drive by car or by the hotel’s shuttle bus, which plies to and from the airport at a nominal fee. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer A FEW months before the upcoming midterm elections, President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, December 10, left a warning to candidates: do no “terrorize” and “intimidate” Filipino voters.

Duterte issued this remark in a speech during the awarding of 500 housing units to military troops on San Miguel, Bulacan.

“Sabihin ko lang sa mga kandidato (I want to tell the candidates) and that goes for the entire Philippines — during my watch, sa panahon ko, hindi talaga ako papayag. Ke kasama kita sa gobyerno o kasama kita sa partido o kalaban kita sa politika (during my term, I will not allow it. Even if you are with me in the government, in my party, or my enemy in politics), do not terrorize, do not intimidate, do not create fear in the voters,” Duterte said.

The President warned that it will not be the uniformed men who will arrest those who will harass the voters, but he himself will get them and tie them in an aircraft.

“Ako mismo ang maghila sa iyo. Talian kita sa leeg doon sa gilid ng eroplano. Talian kita sa gulong, paliparin ko ‘yung eroplano, t*** i** mo (I, myself, will drag you. I will tie your neck to an airplane. I will tie you to a wheel of a plane and take off.

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Motherf*cker),” he said.

“Hayaan mo ang tao kung sino ang piliin nila. Maski piliin nila ‘yung a — parang aso ‘yung ugali, eh pasensiya tayo (Let the people decide on who will they choose, even if they choose those with dog-like behavior.

That is just too bad for us),” he added.

Moreover, Duterte also reiterated his order to government officials, particularly the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), not to support anyone in the upcoming elections.

“Do not take sides. Either for or against my party, huwag kayong makialam. Huwag kayong magkampanya (do not get yourselves involved. Do not campaign) and do not favor any candidate, whatsoever. That is the mandate of the Constitution and we will stick by it,” he ordered.

He also told his military and police force to comply with the “Alunan Doctrine” that allows politicians to have only two security escorts.

Last October, the Chief Executive earlier reiterated his promise that the next year’s election will be clean and orderly.

He added that no one, not even his allies could use government resources for their campaign.

The Philippines is set to hold its midterm polls in May 2019. ■

President Rodrigo Duterte salutes a recipient of one of the 500 housing units First Scout Ranger Regiment ALFRED FRIAS / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Philippine News

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DECEMBER 14, 2018

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Correspondent/Hosts Bea Kirstein T. Manalaysay Joanna Belle Deala Gianna Llanes Arianne Grace U. Lacanilao Violeta Arevelo Babes Newland Graphic Design Shanice Garcia Ginno Alcantara Arlnie Colleene Talain Singca Account Manager Kristopher Yong Director/Producer Boom Dayupay Photographers/Videographers Ginno Alcantara Ronnie Garcia Maria Crizandra Baylon Aldyn R. Soriano Sales Aireen De Asis Paul Acosta Dennis Cruz Margarita Perez Operations and Admin Victoria Yong Amelia Insigne Management Alan Yong Victoria Yong For photo submissions, please email editor@canadianinquirer.net For General Inquiries, please email info@canadianinquirer.net For Sales Inquiries, please email sales@canadianinquirer.net or contact 778-788-4998 Philippine Canadian Inquirer is located at 11951 Hammersmith Way, Suite 108 Richmond, B.C. V7A 5H9 Canada

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President Rodrigo R. Duterte embraces a grade school pupil at the sidelines of the awarding of the 500 housing units to the personnel of the First Scout Ranger Regiment (1st SRR).

ALFRED FRIAS/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Malacañang on Human Rights Day: Duterte admin protects human lives

BY BEA KIRSTEIN T. MANALAYSAY Philippine Canadian Inquirer TO JOIN international communities in commemorating the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the Philippine government for its part stated that the administration is protecting human lives.

This is according to the statement signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on Monday, December 10.

The statement read that every administration has its own emphasis and approach on making human rights “real” for its people.

“Today, we further human rights in the era of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte along relevant paths reflected in our theme for this year’s observance: Protecting Human Lives, Uplifting Human Dignity, and Advancing People’s Progress,” Medialdea wrote.

The government also known for its controversial campaign aiming to eradicate illegal drugs in the country referred to the narcotics as something that ”destroys the families and the future of the young” and its proliferation is one of the administration’s ways “to protect the lives of the innocent law-abiding citizens of the country.”

“The administration remains unrelenting in its crusade against criminality, corruption, terrorism, insurgency,” it added.

Medialdea also wrote that the government is “resolute in uplifting the dignity of every Filipino.”

“By effectively implementing responsive programs that broaden people’s ac-

cess to education, healthcare, employment, shelter, food, and basic utilities and services, the government fulfills its aspiration of a respectable standard of living that benefits the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in Philippine society,” the statement read.

Historically speaking, the administration’s message discussed that the Philippines was the first signatory of the UDHR back in 1948.

“Since then, the Philippines has signed eight of these core treaties, incorporated them in domestic laws and policies, made them part of governance, in what may be seen as an affirmation of our accomplishments, the country has been elected to its fifth term as a member of the 47-strong United Nations Human Rights Council,” Medialdea wrote.

This overall message of the Palace came despite the number of criticisms Duterte and his administration received from both local and international rights activists.

‘Worsening’ human rights in PH

While Malacañang celebrates its efforts, Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) veteran labor leader Leody De Guzman thinks that this year “highlights the worsening state of human rights in the country.”

Aside from the infamous war on drugs, he said that Duterte’s administration’s preparations towards a federal form of government are suppressing critics and dissenters. He cited the Memorandum Order (MO) 32 that was issued by the President just weeks ago.

One of the President’s critics, Senator Risa Hontiveros, also released a statement, branding Duterte as the “single biggest threat to human rights in the

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Philippines.”

“The President has singlehandedly rolled back human rights safeguards and made the country a haven for human rights violators. By unleashing a bloody and abusive war on drugs, he has set into motion the killing of thousands, most of whom are poor people; this while bigtime druglords like Peter Lim continue to be free and billions of pesos worth of shabu are smuggled into our country aided by corrupt government officials, she wrote.”

Hontiveros further said that the people’s rights to dissent are being interpreted as plots to destabilize the government, the law is favoring the corrupt and plunderers, and that the country’s justice system is used against the opposition and critical media. She also cited women’s rights as something “constantly under attack under President Duterte,” specifically pointing at the President’s language of “sexism and misogyny.”

“Even church people are not spared President Duterte’s violent rhetoric.

The President’s attack on Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David and renewed threat to kill all Catholic bishops were made amid the killing of several Catholic priests. Many are concerned that this will create a chilling effect on the exercise of religion and contribute to stifling the right to dissent,” she continued.

The Senator urged the people to stand up against this threat.

“Human rights are not suggestions or ornaments. They are fundamental anchors to a society of fairness for the many, and not tools to be used by the privileged few,” Hontiveros ended her statement. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY DECEMBER 14, 2018

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No need to probe PRRD approves First 1,000 Days law Paolo’s ‘Oust Duterte Movement’ list

BY JELLY MUSICO Philippine News Agency

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — Malacañang on Monday said there is no need to conduct a probe on the list of individuals and groups that are allegedly conspiring to oust President Rodrigo R. Duterte which his son, former Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, posted on social media.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made this remark after the presidential son posted a so-called “Oust Duterte Movement” list on his personal Facebook account.

The list, which has now been deleted, included Vice President Leni Robredo, former government officials, members of the church, journalists and militant groups, among others.

“We’ve been hearing conspiracies from the start of the [term of the] President and I’ve been saying that is natural for the opposition to conspire to oust the President,” Panelo told reporters in an interview after the regular Palace briefing.

“If they perceive him to be a bad President, then it’s their duty as far as they’re concerned to conspire,” he added, but noted that the Palace will not allow any act that violates the Constitution.

Panelo, however, said conspiracies mean nothing if the people behind it do not make plans to carry it out.

“Even if there are conspiracies if there are no overt acts to pursue that conspiracy the government will not mind,” Panelo said.

He said he will also ask the former Vice Mayor to explain the reason behind releasing such list.

Palace may also consider asking law enforcement or national security authorities to verify the alleged plot if there should be a formal request made, he added.

Freedom of expression

Panelo, meanwhile, said Palace respected the former Vice Mayor’s release of the list, noting that it is part of his “freedom of expression” and that personalities mentioned there

always refute the allegations.

“First, we are not privy to the list issued by the former Vice Mayor. Number two, the President always respects the freedom of expression,” Panelo said.

“The [former] Vice Mayor then might have some reasons for issuing such a list, we do not know. And anybody who feels aggrieved, they can always refute the allegations contained on the list. That is the beauty of democracy,” he added.

Asked if the President had plans to speak to his son, Panelo said the President does not talk to any of his children about matters with respect to their principled positions or political decisions.

“He respects the decision, the stand of the children. Malalaki na sila e (They’re already adults),” Panelo said, noting that the former Vice Mayor is “competent enough” to explain his actions.

Presidential son

Panelo also pointed out that it was the younger Duterte’s right to react to attempts to oust his father.

“The former Vice Mayor is a son and all sons will react to any plot, any conspiracy that he perceives to be against the father.

So, it is his right to react to certain things that he knows that we do not know of,” Panelo said.

“That is his right, we cannot deprive this person of expressing his sentiment especially because he is a son and all sons have the right to defend, to neutralize any attempt to discredit or assault the reputation and integrity of a father,” he added.

Meanwhile, he expressed confidence anew that any attempt to overthrow the Duterte government will not succeed given the President’s high trust and approval ratings and strong relationship with military and police personnel.

“Given the popularity rating of the President, no coup or conspiracy will succeed. The PNP (Philippine National Police) and military are in support of the President as well as majority of the Filipinos,” Panelo said. ■

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has signed the First 1,000 Days Law which seeks to scale up nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life.

Known as “Kalusugan at Nutrisyon ng Mag-Nanay Act,” Republic Act 11148 was signed

by Duterte on Nov. 29, providing proper maternal and child health care program to prevent stunted growth of children.

Under the First 1,000 Days Law, the government is mandated to prioritize the nutrition of pre-pregnant, pregnant and lactating women, infants and young children.

It will also provide comprehensive strategy to address health and nutrition of children and institutionalize and scale up investment plans for health and nutrition in the regional and local development units.

The Senate unanimously approved the measure, or Senate Bill 1537 known as ‘Healthy Nanay and Bulilit Act’, in March this year while the House of Representatives passed it in September last year.

According to Senator Ralph Recto, at least PHP17 billion will be needed to implement the 1,000 days program which will inoculate 2.7 million preg-

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BRIAN EVANS / FLICKR, CC BY-ND 2.0

nant women against tetanus and diphtheria and deworm 3.7 children below 2 years of age.

The new law seeks to strengthen the enforcement of Executive Order 51 or the “Milk Code,” and Republic Act 10028, or the “Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009,” which promotes optimal infant and young child feeding and maternity protection Several groups hailed the signing of new law with Save the Children Philippines reportedly saying that the measure will ensure children of poor families of access to government’s quality health and

nutrition services.

In an ABS-CBN news report, the group claimed some 95 children below 5 years old die every day due to preventable diseases caused by undernutrition.

The group said there are also at least 3.6 million stunted children in the country.

In its Facebook post, National Nutrition Council said the new law will provide support and training for mothers on how to ensure her and her child’s health and nutrition.

The barangay health workers will also undergo training to be conducted by the Department of Health. ■

10

Philippine News

DECEMBER 14, 2018

Congress grants martial law extension until end of 2019

GMA’s district didn’t get lion’s share of 2019 budget: Andaya

BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Philippine Congress on Wednesday overwhelmingly voted to extend martial law in Mindanao for the entire 2019.

The Senate and House of Representatives, convening in a joint session, granted President Rodrigo Duterte’s request for the extension of martial law and the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in Mindanao for a period of one year, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2019.

A total of 235 members of Congress voted to approve the motion to further extend the proclamation of martial law in Mindanao for another year, while only 28 voted against it.

There was only one abstention.

On the part of the Senate, a total of 12 senators voted in favor of the motion, five were against it, and only one abstained.

As for the House, 223 representatives approved the motion and 23 rejected it. No congressman abstained.

Under the Constitution, the Congress, voting jointly, has the sole power to extend martial law. A majority vote of the two chambers is needed to pass the motion.

Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. said the House believes that the security assessment submitted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to the President “indubitably” shows the “continuing rebellion in Mindanao,” which compels the further extension of martial law.

In his letter to Congress dated Dec. 6, Duterte cited the security assessment submitted by

BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES Philippine News Agency

PNA

the AFP and the PNP, indicating that rebellion still persists in Mindanao and that public safety requires the continuation of martial rule in the area.

Duterte said terrorist groups, such as the Abu Sayyaf Group, Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, and Daulah Islamiyah continue to defy the government by perpetrating hostile activities during the extended period of martial law.

“A further extension of the implementation of martial law and suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in Mindanao will enable the AFP, the PNP, and all other law enforcement agencies to finally put an end to the ongoing rebellion in Mindanao and continue to prevent the same from escalating in other parts of the country,” Duterte said in his letter.

“We cannot afford to give the

FRIDAY

rebels further breathing room to regroup and strengthen their forces. Public safety indubitably requires such further extension in order to avoid the further loss of lives and physical harm, not only to our soldiers and the police, but also to our civilians,” he added.

Duterte placed Mindanao under martial law on May 23, 2017, following attacks launched by the terrorist Maute Group in Marawi City.

At the height of the sixmonth Marawi conflict in July last year, the House granted Duterte’s request for martial law extension until Dec. 31, 2017.

The House and the Senate granted anew the President’s request for the extension of martial law and the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus for a year, from Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2018. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

MANILA — House of Representatives Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr. on Friday defended the PHP2.4-billion allocation for Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s district, saying 99 more representatives enjoy bigger shares of congressional insertions in the proposed 2019 national budget.

In a press conference, Andaya said Arroyo’s district only placed 100th in terms of allocations, while his district ranked 186th.

He revealed that the biggest allocation for a congressman’s district was PHP8 billion under the General Appropriations Bill for next year. He, however, did not divulge the lawmaker’s name or the district.

“Just to clarify ang allocation ng ating speaker, she’s (Arroyo) actually ranked about 100. Around 99 congressmen na mas malaki po angallocation sa kanilang distrito (who have bigger allocations for their districts). Ang sa akin naman po (In my case), I am ranked 186th sa allocation sa mga distrito (in allocation among the districts),” Andaya said.

“Kung titingnan po natin ang probinsya ng Pampanga, yung kay Speaker hindi pa rin po sa kanya malaking allocation. May mas malakingallocation sa distrito sa kanya at doon naman sa akin sa Camarines Sur, ako po ang pinakamaliit na allocation sa aming pong probinsya (If we would look at the province of

Pampanga, the allocation for the Speaker is not big. There are still allocations that are bigger than her district and in my district in Camarines Sur, I have the smallest allocation in our province),” he added.

Earlier, Senator Panfilo Lacson disclosed that a male lawmaker from Camarines Sur got at least PHP1.9 billion and Pampanga’s second district received PHP2.4 billion worth of congressional insertions.

Andaya represents the first district of Camarines Sur, while Arroyo represents the second district of Pampanga.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Malacañang would ask Arroyo to explain the purpose of the allocation but assured that President Rodrigo Duterte could easily exercise his power to veto.

“It behooves those who are involved in the realignment to respond to the protest of some elements of society,” Panelo said in a Palace briefing on Thursday.

“The President can always use veto power if he feels that there is a need for that,” he told the media in an interview after the briefing. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY DECEMBER 14, 2018

11

Ressa posts bail for tax evasion raps

BY BENJAMIN PULTA Philippine News Agency MANILA — Rappler’s chief executive officer, Maria Ressa, on Tuesday posted bail worth PHP204,000 before the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) for her temporary liberty in the four counts of tax evasion filed against her by the government last month.

“In view of the voluntary surrender of the accused Maria A. Ressa before the court, the cash bond...posted for her provisional liberty , is hereby accepted and approved,” the order signed by CTA Presiding Justice Roman G. Del Rosario and Associate Justices Esperanza R. Victorino and Catherine T. Manahan said.

The court set a preliminary conference for the cases on January 16.

Ressa had posted bail for her temporary liberty before the Pasig City Regional Trial Court (RTC), where a fifth tax evasion complaint was filed by the government against her.

State prosecutors, who evaluated the charges, said the company underdeclared its tax returns more than eightfold in 2015.

In its 15-page resolution,

Department of Justice (DOJ) Assistant State Prosecutor Zenamar J. L. Machacon-Caparas said: “Rappler Holdings Corp.

(RHC) committed substantial under declaration at 844 percent in its tax returns for 2015 after failing to declare a total of PHP162,412,783 representing the difference between the acquisition cost of the underlying shares (PHP19,245,967) and the total consideration for the Philippine Depositary Receipts (PHP181,658,757).”

From its investigation, revenue officials learned about the purchase by RHC of 1,300,000 common shares from Rappler Inc. (RI) at PHP1 per share in December 2014. On May 25, 2015, RHC also purchased 110,917,181 common shares from RI for a subscription price of PHP110,917,181.

On May 29 and July 29, 2015, RHC issued 264,601 and 11,764,117 Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDRs) respectively, to NBM Rappler LP, representing a total of 12,028,718 RI shares as underlying shares for a total subscription price of PHP111,474,554.

On Aug. 28, 2015, RHC again purchased additional 7,217,257 common shares from RI. Subsequently, on Oct. 2, 2015, it issued 7,217,257 PDRs to

Rappler CEO Maria Ressa.

Omidyar Network Fund LLC for a total subscription price of PHP70,184,204.

“All the PDRS were issued by RHC for a total consideration of PHP181,685,758 as against the total subscription price of the underlying RI shares at P19,245,975. The total gain amounted to PHP162,412,783 but which amount was not re-

PCOO

flected as income in the tax returns for 2015,” the DOJ said.

According to BIR, RHC devised a scheme to hide its transactions as a dealer in securities.

RI started its negotiations regarding funding with Omidyar and NBM Rappler as early as Oct. 29, 2013 and Jan. 26, 2014.

A few months later, RHC was incorporated to carry out the

primary purpose of buying and selling real and personal properties, including shares of capital stocks, bonds, debentures, promissory notes or other securities and obligations.

Despite the prohibition from acting as a stockbroker or a dealer in its certificate of incorporation, RHC regularly engaged in the purchase and resale thereof. “All these demonstrate and deliberate intent to conceal the true nature of its securities transactions, and consequently evade the payment of the correct amount of taxes, making respondent RHC and its responsible corporate officers liable for “willful attempt to evade or defeat tax” under Sec. 254 of the Tax Code.

“RHC clearly made substantial, frequent and repeated trading of securities in stocks and equity derivatives if we consider them within the time frame in which they were exercised, one after the another,” the DOJ said.

RHC made two large purchases of shares and engaged in the resale thereof in terms of 19,245,975 in three large batches, within a single tax year (2015). This was on top of the other round of purchase of shares in the latter part of the previous years. ■

IPs lack of info on Reds being used against them

BY PRIAM NEPOMUCENO Philippine News Agency MANILA — New People’s Army (NPA) fighters are actively targeting Indigenous Peoples (IPs) for recruitment as they do not have real awareness on the rebel group.

This was disclosed by Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) public affairs office chief Col. Noel Detoyato when asked why the rebels focus their recruitment efforts on the IPs in Mindanao.

“Sila yung nasa bundok, sila yung madaling lokohin dahil nga di naman sila exposed sa (They are in the mountains.

They are gullible because they are not exposed to) external information. Sila yung (They are) uneducated (to our standards) but they are considered

as intellectuals, depende sa status nila sa (depending on their status in the) IP community,” Detoyato said in a message to the PNA Tuesday.

“In short, they are the most vulnerable sector for exploitation,” he added.

Aside from recruiting IPs to fill up rebel ranks, a military powerpoint presentation said NPAs are also supplanting traditional leaders and replacing them with revolutionary ones.

This is tantamount to stripping a traditional IP leader of his authority within the “Indigenous Political Structure” to control and manage ancestral domain.

This starts with the NPAs infiltrating IP domains by posing as human rights and environmental activists and entering into peace pact agreements with the IPs.

Through this, the rebels gradually introduce their radical and ideology to the IPs and will eventually begin manipulating traditional IP leaders in implementing their revolutionary laws.

Also, IP leaders who opposes the NPA’s revolutionary laws are killed and replaced with revolutionary ones.

Earlier, Mindanao Indigenous Peoples Council of Elders (MIPCEL) chairman Lipatuan Joel Unad said the NPA targets communities where settlers are particularly uneducated.

“Pinipili nila (ang) mga ignoranteng tribo, doon sa mga ‘di marunong magbasa, doon sa mga parents na walang alam kundi magtanim ng kamote, maghanap ng usa at baboy ramo, iyon ang pinupuntahan nila (They choose those ignorant tribes. Those who don’t www.canadianinquirer.net

know who to read, whose parents’ only livelihood is to plant sweet potatoes, to hunt for deer and wild boars. That’s their target),” he said.

Showing parts of the MIPCEL Resolution No. 20, Series of 2018, Unad, who personally submitted the document to the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) office in Quezon City, urges the body and other groups to start a probe over alleged human rights violation against IPs in the region.

Unad said the 52 IP signatories to the resolution represent 18 major tribes in Mindanao. “‘Yong nag-attend ng emergency meeting almost 51. Ang context doon, i-condemn ang ginawa ni Satur Ocampo. Pangalawa, declarationna kailangan ipasara na ng DepEd (Department of Education) ang Salugpungan, kung hindi nila

maipasara, ang IP mismo ang magpapasara (Those who attended the emergency meeting reached almost 51. Its context is to condemn the actions of Satur Ocampo. Second, a declaration that the DepEd must close Salupungan. If it can’t close it down, the IPs would close it for them),” he said.

Unad and Datu Jomar Bucales submitted the MIPCEL resolution before the CHR office last December 6.

The resolution surfaced right after former Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo and 17 others were arrested over alleged trafficking and kidnapping of 14 minors, who were students of the Salugpungan Ta’Tanu Igkanogon Community Learning Center Inc. in Talaingod, Compostela Valley. ■

12

Philippine News

DECEMBER 14, 2018

FRIDAY

Puerto Princesa vows to conserve Philippine cockatoo

BY CELESTE ANNA FORMOSO Philippine News Agency

RICHARD MADELO / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Duterte: I went to hospital for a blood test

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer AMIDST HIS health being the talk of the town, President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday, December 6, revealed that he went to a hospital to take a blood test.

“Galing [ako] sa ospital. Kinunan ako ng dugo. ‘Yangmedia magtatanong [na] naman ng sakit ko (I went from the hospital. I had a blood transfusion.

The media will then again ask if I have illness),” Duterte said during the 85th anniversary celebration of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) in Pasay City.

The President then removed a cotton wool from his arm where the blood sample was withdrawn, adding, “‘Yan. May dugo konti (There. There is still some blood on it).”

Talking about his hospital visit in a lighthearted manner, Duterte jested that when the syringe was injected to him, it was not blood that came out from his body but “air.”

Duterte did not let the people know the purpose of the blood test, but the Presidential Spokesperson said there is nothing to worry about the President’s health as the blood test he took was part of his regular medical checkup.

The 73-year-old Chief Executive, in October, admitted in a speech before members of the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association, Inc. (PMAAAI) that he went to a hospital for some medical tests.

During that time, Duterte was not yet certain about the state of his health but said he will tell everyone if he has cancer.

A few days later, the President, in a Cabinet meeting, delivered a good news as he said the medical test he underwent resulted negative for cancer.

Stated in Section 12 of Article VII of the 1987 Constitution, “In case of serious illness of the President, the public shall be informed of the state of his health.

The members of the Cabinet in charge of national security and foreign relations and the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, shall not be denied access to the President during such illness.”

Malacañang on Monday assured the public that Duterte will release a medical bulletin about his health “in case of serious illness,” after some senatorial aspirants, during CNN Philippines’ senatorial forum, agreed that the President should authorize the issuance of medical bulletins regarding his health. ■

PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, PALAWAN — Penal authorities, village leaders, and conservationists renewed here Friday a memorandum of agreement designed to protect the critically endangered Philippine cockatoo inside the Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm (IPPF).

The covenant covers the conservation, protection, management, and preservation of the bird species’ known nesting and foraging grounds in 10 barangays in Puerto Princesa City.

Indira Dayang Lacerna-Widmann, chief operations officer of the Katala Foundation, Inc. (KFI), explained the annually renewed agreement signing with the IPPF since 2016 is for the common goal of protecting and preserving the territories, where flocks of the Philippine cockatoo or “katala” (Cacatua haematuropygia) go to look for food and breed.

The memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the Iwahig Biodiversity Conservation Program (IBCP) was signed among the KFI, IPPF Superintendent Arturo Sabadisto, Palawan Council for Sustainable Development’s (PCSD) operations department officer-in-charge Merly Hilario, the city government of Puerto Princesa, and the chairmen of the 10 barangays.

The penal farm, she said, is very important in the biodiversity conservation of the protected bird because it has diverse ecosystems that serve their purpose.

“Marahil lingid sa ating kaalaman, ang lowland forest o mababang kagubatan ng IPPF ay pangatlo sa buong mundo na pinaka-importanteng tirahan ng mga katala (Perhaps, unknown to our knowledge, the lowland forest of Iwahig is the third most important habitat of the katala),” Widmann said.

The first important dwelling ground is Rasa Island in the southern Palawan town of Narra, the second is Balabac municipality, and the IPPF in the city in Barangay Iwahig.

She said about 60-70 of the critically endangered bird, www.canadianinquirer.net

which is also known as the redvented cockatoo, are dwelling in the IPPF’s lowland forests.

“Maaaring isipin na maliit lang ‘yan at hindi importante, pero sa buong mundo, humigit kumulang na lang sa 1,200 individuals ang katala. Dito lang sa Pilipinas matatagpuan ang katala kaya importante talaga ang Palawan sa cockatoo conservation (We might think that’s a small number and not important, but in the whole world, there are only now more or less 1,200 katala. They are only found in the Philippines and this is why Palawan is very important in cockatoo conservation),” she pointed out.

Widmann stressed that 90 percent of the remaining world population of the katala is in Palawan, and if their habitats are not protected, their number might seriously decline.

She said barangay leaders were included in the signing of the protection treaty because the katala are nesting in the villages of Montible, Sta. Lucia, and Inagawan near the IPPF. “Umaabot sila sa ibang barangays sa Puerto Princesa mula sa mga buwan ng July hanggang December kasi tapos na ang breeding season. Lalabas na ang mga inakay at manginginain (They reach other barangays in Puerto Princesa from July to December because the breeding season is over. The nestlings will already go out to feed),” she said.

Mary Chris Nierves, KFI’s program development officer, said since 1998 when the conservation program started with 23 katala on Rasa Island, the population of the bird has grown to more than 300.

In Puerto Princesa, this success can also happen with the help of the village leaders who hold the authority over the territories where the katala nests and forages.

In three years of conservation efforts in the IPPF, four active nest trees that were marked successfully hatched eight nestlings out of 10 eggs, she said.

“Noong 2017, meron tayong nine active pugaran and then ngayong 2018, pataas ‘yan ng pataas (In 2017, we have nine active nests and then in 2018,

the number has been really growing),” she said.

Nierves said 10 barangays in this city have now recorded katala sightings that did not happen in a long time.

Since August 2018, she said, the number of katala birds that have been sighted in Puerto Princesa has reached 66 individuals, especially in Barangay Bancao-Bancao.

The only problem is that there remains “confiscation” of the birds by children who use slingshots to catch them, adult residents who shoot them with air guns, tree cuttings in Iwahig by illegal settlers, and land conversions.

“These are the reasons why we need the cooperation of the barangay leaders because they are the ones in the area, they know what is happening,” she said.

For his part, Sabadisto said the penal farm, is committed to protecting and conserving the katala which he also sees foraging outside the window of his office on fruits of the Narra tree.

He said their concern right now is how to stop the encroachment of illegal settlers inside the IPPF, who illegally cut trees to build their homes.

Sabadisto said based on their inspection, some 50 illegal settlers are attempting to set up a community within the jurisdiction of their penal facility.

“May mga illegal settlers at sila ay mga Tagbanua. Ibinibenta pa nila ang lupa ng mga PHP80,000 per hectare. Kapag may nakikita kaming mga poste na itinatayo nila, binubunot na namin dahil gusto rin natin na makatulong sa pangangala nitong ibon (There are Tagbanua illegal settlers. They sell the lands at PHP80,000 per hectare. If we see posts sticking out, we take them out immediately since we want to help protect the birds),” Sabadisto claimed.

He said they have now referred this to the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) for the filing of cases.

Sabadisto said the KFI can rest assured that even the inmates in the minimum penal facility will help ensure the Philippine cockatoos are protected. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY DECEMBER 14, 2018

13

Duterte picks ex-AFP Chief Galvez to be his new peace adviser

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer PRESIDENT RODRIGO Duterte named the new head of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) on Tuesday, December 11.

During the 83rd anniversary celebration of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and change of command ceremony at Camp Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City, Duterte announced that his new peace adviser will be no other than former military chief Carlito Galvez, Jr. “By the way, before I forgot, si General Galvez will join the Cabinet next week as the Secretary of the Peace Process Office,” the President said.

“I think he is the ninth military man to join my government,” he added.

Galvez takes the place of former top peace official Jesus Dureza, who left his post last month after Duterte fired two officials in the OPAPP — Un-

dersecretary Ronald Flores and Assistant Secretary Yeshton Donn Baccay — due to corruption allegations.

In his speech, Duterte praised Galvez’s “successful tour-of-duty” as AFP Chief of Staff, recognizing his significant contributions within the military “especially in his efforts to eradicate the ills that plague our society.”

“He fought corruption within the organization by initiating reforms that improved the financial state of our soldiers and the efficiency of the financial systems in the AFP. The President also acknowledged Galvez’s efforts in establishing the AFP Development Center, supervising the country’s internal security operations, and implementing martial law in Mindanao that led to the neutralization of more than 2000 terrorists, recovery of thousands of firearms, and the clearing of seven guerilla fronts.

“As he retires from his valiant service to our nation, his accomplishments speak well of

President Rodrigo R. Duterte shares a light moment with incoming Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief-of-Staff Lieutenant General Benjamin Madrigal and outgoing AFP Chief-of-Staff Carlito Galvez Jr. during the Change of Command Ceremony and the 83rd AFP Anniversary at Camp Emilio Aguinaldo.

REY BANIQUET/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

how he fulfilled his mission to foster a stronger and more dependable armed forces as well as a safer and more secure Philippines,” Duterte said.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo last week said

the President announced his intention to appoint Galvez as the new OPAPP chief during the 32nd Cabinet meeting held at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room in Malacañang.

Galvez, who was replaced by

Lieutenant General Benjamin R. Madrigal, Jr. as the new AFP chief, earlier said he wants to serve as a peace consultant after his retirement in the military service on December 12, Wednesday. ■

Stop politicizing case vs. Rappler, Palace tells UN rapporteur

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — Malacañang scolded a United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur for “politicizing” the tax evasion charges filed against Rappler Holdings Corp. and its chief executive officer, Maria Ressa, noting that the case had nothing to do with threats to freedom of expression.

“We expect the UN representative to be more circumspect instead of politicizing a crime and ignoring its gravity and assaulting the sovereignty of our country,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a press statement on Saturday.

Panelo made this remark after UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of expression David Kaye described the tax evasion charges against Rappler and Ressa as an “attempt to silence the news outlet’s independent reporting.”

Kaye further said that the

case is a “serious threat” ment, tax evasion is a serious Thriving media against journalism and asked offense not only in the PhilipPanelo, meanwhile, reiterthe government to drop charg- pines but in other countries as ated that freedom of expression es against Rappler and Ressa. well. The case against the me- is thriving because Rappler and Panelo, however, said that dia outfit has absolutely noth- its reporters continue to pubKaye’s statement showed how ing to do with the freedom of lish articles against the Duterte a UN Rapporteur has again expression,” Panelo said. administration. “barged” into the legal and juPanelo pointed out that Rap“The fact that Rappler and its dicial process in reporters conthe Philippines. tinue to publish “Without the articles of disbenefit of factual sent against this information, Mr. Panelo denied that the cases filed Administration Kaye, UN Speagainst Ressa and Rappler are acts is an eloquent cial Rapporteur of persecution by the executive t e st i m o n i a l ,” on freedom of department.

Panelo said. expression, has “The fact that called on the detractors and government to critics of the Presdrop the tax evasion charges pler, being a media entity, and ident continue to air their proagainst Rappler and its head, Ressa, being a journalist, cannot tests in various media platforms Maria Ressa, contending falsely “shield” them from criminal pros- against our policies is another irthat the same constitutes cen- ecution when they violate the law. refutable proof,” he added. sorship,” Panelo said.

He said since Rappler and Panelo also reminded the UN Panelo emphasized the grav- Ressa have been formally rapporteur that should there be ity of tax evasion as a serious charged it shows that there is a cases of censorship people are offense in the Philippines and court of competent jurisdiction always free to seek redress from worldwide. that has found probable cause the courts.

“For Mr. Kaye’s enlighten- against them.

At present, he said there are no www.canadianinquirer.net

reports of such cases, stressing that “the right to express oneself is very much respected” in its jurisdiction.

Earlier, Ressa has been accused of failing to declare “correct and accurate” information in quarterly sales receipts from RHC’s issuance and sale of Philippine Depositary Receipts (PDR) worth PHP2.45 million.

Ressa has asked a Pasig court to reject the charges filed against her and Rappler.

Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 265 Judge Danilo Buemio rescheduled Ressa’s arraignment to Feb. 6, 2019 after Ressa’s defense counsels filed a motion to dismiss the charges against her and RHC. Panelo denied that the cases filed against Ressa and Rappler are acts of persecution by the executive department.

He assured that Malacañang will “never interfere with the function of the judiciary” as well as the other branches of government. ■

14

Canada News N.S. human rights awards given to activists for HIV rights, minority communities

BY MICHAEL TUTTON The Canadian Press HALIFAX — A former Nova Scotia school teacher who spent decades advocating for the rights of people with HIV accepted a provincial human rights award Monday, while cautioning against the rise of white nationalism.

Eric Smith was among six individuals and groups recognized by the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission at the Halifax ceremony.

Smith, who recently turned 61, came to national attention in 1987 when he was forced out of his elementary school teaching job on Cape Sable Island, N.S., after local parents found out he had tested positive for HIV. He went on to become a prominent advocate for the rights of gay and lesbian Canadians, to help lead the Nova Scotia Persons with AIDS Coalition, and to serve on the Nova Scotia Task Force on AIDS — which produced recommendations that influenced a generation of politicians and policy makers.

“It was truly inspiring to work with so many people with AIDS who fought to die with dignity. Many of them had been disowned by their families, so it was truly amazing to watch these people cling to their humanity,” he said during his acceptance speech.

He recalled how he’d lost 550 friends and his partner to the illness, and said he hoped his human rights work has hon-

Eric Smith (pictured with the Honorable lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, and Acadian Affairs.

NOVA SCOTIA HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION / FACEBOOK

oured their memory.

Smith also said he recognizes there is much work left to do.

More than 60,000 Canadians are living with HIV and there are still about 2,000 new cases of HIV in Canada each year.

Meanwhile, fundraising for AIDS service organizations has slowed and global funding for HIV research and development has declined.

Smith urged the expansion of a free PrEP program, which refers to the pre-exposure prophylaxis pills men can take daily to avoid the transmission of the virus through sex.

He also said he will continue to push governments for the establishment of safe injection sites, to help prevent the spread of HIV through needles “Let’s …advocate safe working conditions for sex workers.

Let’s focus our resources against those who are forcing people

into prostitution,” he said during his acceptance speech.

Smith said while the LGBTQ communities have made major strides, people who fight for human rights should not be complacent.

He noted the rise of racebased nationalism in North America, suggesting if it gains political leverage in Canada it can roll back gains made in protecting the guarantees of human rights based on sexual orientation, race and gender.

“The biggest threat facing minority groups today is the white nationalist movement,” Smith told those gathered at the ceremony.

“These groups want to roll back all the social gains we’ve made in the past 50 years … Being Queer would become illegal again, women would lose control of their reproductive rights … and diversity would become a

www.canadianinquirer.net

four-letter word.”

Other recipients of awards emphasized the importance of countering false stereotypes of racial communities.

Kardeisha Provo, 18, received the youth award for her creation of Youtube videos that offer glimpses of day-to-day life in the predominantly black community of North Preston, showcasing some of the successful and hopeful moments in the lives of its residents.

“The land is beautiful, the people are beautiful and the people love very hard and unconditionally and they show that love to everyone that enters the community … That’s what you see in my videos,” the Ryerson University student said in an interview after receiving her award.

Two awards were given to organizations, including one to the Inverness Development

Association for making beach facilities and the boardwalk in the Cape Breton community accessible to people with disabilities.

The second organization award was given to the South End Environmental Injustice Society for its work addressing environmental racism and promoting the health of the black community in Shelburne’s south end.

Louise Delisle, the 67-yearold chairwoman of the group, spent years fighting for the closure of a local landfill that was located near the predominantly black community in the 1940s.

She said she’s now battling to obtain cleaner water for the area, and her group is working with partners to examine the long-term health fallout from being located near the garbage disposal area.

“I’m so excited and so thankful that people realize how important this is. This award belongs to all those people who have died of cancer and are sick in our community. ?This award is for people who never had a voice,” she said in an interview.

The awards given out on International Human Rights Day also acknowledged the work of DeRico Symonds, an advocate for youth and co-founder of a social enterprise employing young people in Halifax’s north end.

The Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission presented a second individual award to Huwaida Medani, an educator and inclusion consultant based in Halifax. ■

Canada News

FRIDAY DECEMBER 14, 2018

15

Equalization protests from Alberta likely pre-election talk: Quebec minister

BY ANDY BLATCHFORD The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Quebec’s finance minister brushed off complaints from Alberta on Monday about his province’s share of the federal equalizationfunding pie, calling them preelection posturing in the Prairie province.

Canada’s often contentious equalization program has come under fire again after the public learned over the weekend that Alberta, despite dealing with a painful collapse in oil prices, once again failed to qualify to receive payments from Ottawa.

The energy-producing province has been struggling with the economic consequences of a global oil-price drop as well as an extra discount on the price of western Canadian crude caused by transportation constraints.

Opposition politicians in Alberta’s legislature and other observers quickly expressed anger that Quebec will see its payment from the $19.8-billion program rise nearly $1.4 billion to $13.1 billion next year.

Quebec will receive twothirds of the entire national envelope, even though its economy has strengthened in recent years and its government is

predicting a budgetary surplus. with equalization,” he said.

British Columbia, SaskatchIn comparison, Alberta is The complex equalization ewan, Ontario and Newfoundfacing several years of deficits. formula is based on a three- land will also not get equalCritics charge that equalization year moving average of eco- ization payments in 2019-20. is based on a flawed formula. nomic performance, so a prov- Alberta and other so-called “Equalization does not work ince’s have- or have-not status “have” provinces have been for Alberta,” said Alberta’s Fi- can lag behind economy-alter- calling for a review of the pronance Minister Joe Ceci, at a ing events. It’s designed to help gram, which was renewed last national meeting of finance poorer provincial governments year for another five-year term. ministers in Ottawa. provide public services that Federal Finance Minister Bill Quebec Finance Minister are reasonably comparable to Morneau, who hosted MonEric Girard said protests about those in other provinces. day’s meeting, showed no willhis province’s equalization Girard also defended Que- ingness to re-open the equalshare are likely louder than bec’s equalization payment, ization formula until its next usual because of renewal. He said Alberta’s forththe system was coming provinrenewed after a cial election in “robust discusMay 2019.

The fact that Alberta will be in an sion.”

“The fact that election may be raising the volume Even with Alberta will be on the equalization payment. renewal years in an election away, Alberta’s may be raising Ceci said there the volume on are changes that the equalization can be made payment,” Girard said. arguing his province is 20-per- right away. For example, Ceci Girard, part of the newly cent less rich than the Cana- said provinces with strong elected Coalition Avenir Que- dian average and has the sec- economies should not receive bec government, said he rec- ond-highest debt burden after “floor payments” under equalognizes and sympathizes with Newfoundland and Labrador. ization, loans that go to provAlberta’s difficult situation He said Quebec is also home to inces that are no longer eligible caused by the recent plunge in 23 per cent of Canada’s popula- for equalization payments they oil prices — which has meant tion, but only 19 per cent of the had been expecting. cheaper gasoline for consum- national economy.

And he pitched for help solvers but punched holes in AlberThe goal for his government ing his province’s oil-transporta’s finances. He said he hopes is to improve on all these fronts tation trouble. things will improve for the with the aim of eventually reCeci said the entire national province. ducing Quebec’s dependence economy will benefit if Alberta “For me, it has nothing to do on equalization, Girard said. can get its oil to international

markets beyond the United States and he insisted pipelines are the safest way to get crude to ocean ports.

TransCanada Corporation had proposed a $15.7-billion pipeline called Energy East, to carry western crude through Quebec to New Brunswick for shipment overseas — but the company abandoned the project more than a year ago, citing market changes and red tape.

With a shortage of pipeline capacity, Alberta recently announced it will buy rail cars to ship another 120,000 barrels of oil a day. The province has been seeking help from the federal government, but Ottawa has been reluctant to offer financial support.

Following Monday’s meeting, Ceci said he repeatedly pressed Morneau to pitch in.

“It’s Christmas, I’m certainly hopeful that there are some things under the tree,” Ceci said.

Asked about rail cars Monday, Morneau said he believes the most important thing Ottawa can do is focus on longterm solutions such as its purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline. The goal is to get it expanded and carry more Alberta oil to the B.C. coast. ■

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen defends Canada signing onto UN migration pact

BY TERESA WRIGHT The Canadian Press

Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen.

BRUCE REEVE / FLICKR, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

OTTAWA — Canada is committed to signing onto the United Nations pact on migration, Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen says, despite angry protest from right-wing political activists both here and abroad.

Speaking from Marrakech, Morocco on Friday, where a UN summit on migration is to kick off next week, Hussen said the Global Compact on Migration is an important agreement that will set out, for the first time, an official international framework for countries to work www.canadianinquirer.net

together on the causes and impacts of migration.

For Canada, one of the key benefits will be an opportunity to work with source countries of irregular asylum seekers, who have been crossing into Canada via non-official entry points by the tens of thousands over the last two years.

Canada will have a more official way, through the compact, to address the problems that cause migrants to leave their countries for Canada, Hussen said.

“People talk about how we should approach irregular migration — one of the ways to do that is to work with other

countries,” Hussen said. “One of the things that we do is work with partner countries to assist them with job creation and skills-development programs that enables source countries for migrants, like Morocco, to ensure a better future for their people here so that they don’t have to take risky journeys for migration and engage in irregular migration.”

But despite two years of work at the UN level and consensus reached after six rounds of negotiation on the final text, a movement of protest against the agreement has grown in ❱❱ PAGE 16 Immigration Minister

Canada News

16

DECEMBER 14, 2018

FRIDAY

Immigration Minister... ❰❰ 15

Europe over the last year, leading several European countries to quit the compact.

Australia, Israel, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Italy, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic have said they will not support it. Poland and Estonia also may not sign and Belgium’s coalition government is so divided over it, the question of whether to sign the pact is threatening to topple its government.

The United States will also not sign the compact.

In Canada, opposition to the agreement first appeared on the controversial news website Rebel Media. It called the compact a means to normalize mass migration and silence media critics. Recently, many of these same arguments have been taken up by Conservative Party Leader Andrew Scheer and Conservative immigration critic Michelle Rempel. Scheer held a press conference earlier this week to say he strongly opposes the pact, on the grounds that it would give foreign entities influence over Canada’s im-

migration system. Rempel has Canada.” al community needs to start argued the agreement would be He stressed there is nothing building a global governance legally binding on Canada and in the compact that is legally regime for migration because would therefore pose a threat binding, nor would the agree- only through co-operation do to Canadian sovereignty. ment somehow cause more mi- you get the positive dividends These arguments mirror grants to cross into Canada or of well-managed and safe interthose being circulated in Eu- destroy Canada’s sovereignty. national migration. That’s the rope, and are “completely erThe Global Compact on goal.” roneous and fundamentally Migration was born after the Hussen did not mince words misunderstand the nature of 2015-16 refugee crisis, when in his assessment of Conservainternational relations and UN member states realized tive opposition to the compact. international law,” said Craig that, unlike flows of goods and He pointed to a report released Damian Smith, Thursday by associate directhe Commons tor of the Global committee on Migration Lab at Immigration the Munk School What they’re doing is they’re that studied the of Global Affairs importing this xenophobic political agreement, inand Public Policy rhetoric from openly illiberal cluding expert at the University political parties in Europe. testimony and of Toronto. submissions, and “What they’re ultimately recdoing is they’re ommended Canimporting this ada sign on. xenophobic political rhetoric services or capital across bor“They’re peddling in a confrom openly illiberal politi- ders, no international regime spiracy theory that’s beneath a cal parties in Europe, and the covers migration. It’s an issue mainstream political party that reason is, it sells domestically that tends to become politically has access to evidence, that has and they think they can ham- polarizing when large flows of access to testimony from exmer the Liberals with it,” Smith migrants begin to move, which perts who have clearly said this said. “That’s the completely un- is why a formalized agreement agreement is not a threat to Cavarnished truth about what’s was sought, Smith explained. nadian sovereignty, it will not going on with this discourse in “The idea is, the internation- erase our border,” Hussen said.

“They’ve chosen to take this position because they’re losing supporters to the People’s Party of Canada and they feel this is what they need to do to win support from people who support the People’s Party of Canada,” he added, referring to the new party created by ex-Conservative MP Maxime Bernier.

Bernier has indeed spoken out against the migration compact, and was scheduled to speak at a rally in Ottawa Saturday to protest Canada’s signing the agreement. The rally is also scheduled to include a number of far-right, anti-Muslim and neo-Nazi groups, according to an article published by the Canadian Anti-Hate Network.

A staffer who works with Bernier told The Canadian Press on Friday that Bernier was aware the Ottawa rally could involve the extremist groups, and was still planning to attend.

Later in the day, the staffer said Bernier decided not to attend after “verifying claims about the extent of these groups being present or involved in the demonstration.” ■

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FRIDAY DECEMBER 14, 2018

In Canada, the term ‘nationalism’ doesn’t seem to have a bad rap. Here’s why.

BY JORDAN PRESS The Canadian Press OTTAWA — On a historic Remembrance Day, a century after the end of the First World War, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a Paris crowd that decaying trust in public institutions will lead citizens to look for easy answers “in populism, in nationalism, in closing borders, in shutting down trade, in xenophobia.”

The implication was clear: if nations turn in on themselves and treat outsiders as threats, we might again find ourselves in a bloody conflict with fronts all over the world.

But a series of surveys suggest the idea of being a nationalist, and nationalism in general, are viewed fairly positively by most Canadians.

What the data suggest is that Canadians don’t see the concept of nationalism the way people do in the United States, where the term is often linked with white-nationalist groups, and then with white supremacy and racism.

Rather, Canadians appear to have constructed their view of nationalism on the idea of feeling connected to our country and ensuring that others feel connected as well — even as we watch the term pilloried globally.

“It is used in different ways — when people are talking about the Trump nationalism, they would say (it’s) bad. But in Canada, they accept it because it is equated with certain communities and they see it as a way it’s helping vulnerable populations find their place in Canada,” said Kathy Brock, a political-studies professor at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. “Canadians have just acclimatized to this dual view of nationalism.”

In the 1950s and 1960s, Canadians often reported feeling greater attachments to their particular communities or ethnic groups than they did to the country. In the intervening years, connection to country has strengthened while connection to community has faded, said Frank Graves, president of EKOS Research Associates, a polling and market-research

Federal government plans examination of coerced sterilization

BY KRISTY KIRKUP The Canadian Press

firm. The opposite has happened in Europe, he said.

Research also suggests Canadians’ attachments to their ethnic groups have weakened over the last 20 years in favour of an attachment to country, Graves said, even as census data shows the country’s population is becoming ever more diverse.

“We don’t have a common ethno-linguistic homogeneity that produces a definition of ‘the people.’ It’s more civic nationalism,” Graves said.

“In Canada, national identity has been created through a dialogue between citizens and the state and the public institutions — medicare, the Mounties, Parliament Hill. It isn’t as much steeped in history or common race and identity, which probably inoculates it from some of the more disturbing expressions of nationalism.”

Newly released survey data from the Association of Canadian Studies says that 60 per cent of respondents hold a somewhat or very positive view of nationalism, compared with about 45 per cent in the United States.

The results were similar in both English and French Canada.

There also appears to be an association between Canadians’ views on nationalism and their views on multiculturalism.

“In contrast to the European idea of nationalism, having that ethnic component to it, most Canadians don’t see nationalism as ethnically driven. They see it more as a form of patriotism,” said Jack Jedwab, the association’s president. “It doesn’t intersect as much as it does in the European context with antiimmigrant sentiment, or a sentiment against diversity.”

The Leger Marketing survey

of 1,519 Canadians on a web panel was conducted for the association the week of Nov. 12.

Online surveys traditionally are not given a margin of error because they are not random and therefore are not necessarily representative of the whole population.

A day after his Nov. 11 comments, Trudeau was asked how he defined nationalism and where he saw it in Canada.

“In Canada, we’ve demonstrated many times that identities are complimentary,” he said. “I’m an extremely proud Quebecer, I’m an extremely proud Canadian and like most Canadians, they don’t see a contradiction in that.”

Experts say the more negative forms of nationalism are nevertheless simmering in Canada. Jedwab’s survey data suggest that respondents who have positive views of nationalism are somewhat more worried about immigration and security along the U.S. border than those who have negative views of nationalism.

Part of what fuelled U.S. President Donald Trump’s political rise, and his populist rhetoric, was financial worry — or what Graves described as the idea of the everyman versus the corrupt elites. Brock said Canada has thus far avoided similar concerns about class and finances, particularly coming out of the recession a decade ago, and a similar rise of nationalist rhetoric.

“Now, we’re facing some really serious economic challenges and if they come to pass, then we could see a different manifestation of this,” she said.

“So I don’t think those (polling) figures are necessarily set in stone.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

17

OTTAWA — The federal Liberals are turning to a broad group of officials — from provinces, territories, Indigenous groups and medical organizations — for solutions to mounting allegations from Indigenous women that they were victims of coerced and forced sterilizations.

Valerie Gideon, a senior assistant deputy minister in the Indigenous Services Department, told a Commons committee on Monday that two cabinet ministers are co-signing a letter to their provincial and territorial counterparts outlining the plans to discuss cultural safety in medicine.

The Liberals have been pressed for a rapid response to recent reports on the sterilizations, which dozens of women say have been inflicted on them against their will when they gave birth.

Coerced sterilization amounts to a violation of human rights and medical ethics, Gideon told the committee, noting it is also a form of gender-based violence.

“Sterilization is not something that any one profession or order of government can address alone,” she said.

“Federal, provincial, territorial, Indigenous governments and organizations all have a role to play.”

Doctors and those who regulate the profession must be involved, she added, saying sterilization is a “matter of the practice of medicine” and that only surgical practitioners can perform procedures such as tubal ligations.

Last week, the United Nations Committee Against Torture said Canada must stop the “extensive forced or coerced sterilization” of Indigenous women and girls in Canada, adding all allegations must be impartially investigated.

In question period Monday, NDP MP Romeo Saganash pushed Indigenous Services Minister Jane Philpott to detail what the Liberal government will do to implement the

UN recommendations, including holding people accountable, providing redress for the victims and adopting legislative policy measures to outlaw forced sterilization.

In response, Philpott said the government is working to make sure “this never happens again.”

She also stressed Ottawa will work with provinces, territories, health providers and medical associations to make sure the “concept of informed consent is well understood and that culturally safe care is also well taught.”

Tubal ligations carried out on unwilling Indigenous women is one of the “most heinous” practices in health care happening across Canada, according to Ontario Sen. Yvonne Boyer, a Metis lawyer and former nurse.

In 2017, Boyer and Metis physician and researcher Dr. Judith Bartlett produced a report on Indigenous women who were coerced into tubal ligations — the severing, burning or tying of the Fallopian tubes that carry eggs from the ovaries to the uterus — after childbirth in the Saskatoon Health Region.

The region subsequently apologized.

Some Indigenous women interviewed for the report felt pushed into signing consent forms for the procedures while they were in active labour or on operating tables, Boyer said.

Last year, two of the affected women launched a class-action lawsuit against the Saskatoon Health Region.

The proposed class action led by lawyer Alisa Lombard and her firm Maurice Law names the Saskatoon Health Authority, the Saskatchewan government, the federal government and a handful of medical professionals as defendants.

More women have since come forward to disclose their experience with coerced sterilization.

About 100 women have now come forward to report they have been forcibly sterilized, Lombard said — an additional 40 women since The Canadian Press published a story in November detailing Boyer’s push to study the issue nationally. ■

World News

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DECEMBER 14, 2018

FRIDAY

Comey: Russia investigation initially looked at 4 Americans

BY ERIC TUCKER, CHAD DAY AND MARY CLARE JALONICK The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The FBI’s counterintelligence investigation into potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia initially focused on four Americans and whether they were connected to Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 presidential election, former FBI Director James Comey told lawmakers during hours of closed-door questioning.

Comey did not identify the Americans but said President Donald Trump, then the Republican candidate, was not among them.

He also told the House Judiciary Committee that, contrary to Trump’s claims, he was “not friends in any social sense” with special counsel Robert Mueller, who is now leading the Russia investigation. Trump has repeatedly portrayed the men as close as part of a long-running effort to undermine the in-

vestigation and paint the lead The Republican-led commit- tacks on the rule of law by the figures in the probe as united tee interviewed Comey as part president,” and Trump’s sugagainst him. of its investigation into FBI gestion that it should be a crime “I admire the heck out of actions in 2016, a year when for subjects to “flip” and co-opthe man, but I don’t know his the bureau — in the heat of the erate with investigators. phone number, I’ve never been presidential campaign — rec“It’s a shocking suggestion to his house, I don’t know his ommended against charges for coming from any senior offichildren’s names,” said Comey, Clinton and opened an inves- cial, no less the president. It’s who added that he had “never tigation into Russian interfer- a critical and legitimate part of hugged or kissed the man” de- ence in the election. the entire justice system in the spite the presiUnited States,” dent’s insistence Comey said. otherwise.

In offering “A relief to my some details of wife,” he deadIt’s a shocking suggestion coming the investigapanned. from any senior official, no less the tion’s origins, The committee president.

Comey said it released a tranhad started in script of the inJuly 2016 with terview on Satura look at “four day, just 24 hours after privately The questioning largely cen- Americans who had some congrilling the fired FBI chief about tred on well-covered territory nection to Mr. Trump durinvestigative decisions related from a Justice Department in- ing the summer of 2016” and to Hillary Clinton’s email server spector general report, Com- whether they were tied to “the and Trump’s campaign and po- ey’s own book and interviews Russian interference effort.” tential ties to Russia. The Russia and hours of public testimony He did not identify the Ameriinvestigation is now being run on Capitol Hill. But the former cans, though Mueller’s investigaby Mueller, and Comey largely FBI chief also used the occa- tion has made clear that by that dodged questions connected to sion to take aim at Trump’s time, there had already been that probe — including whether public barbs at the criminal outreach from Russian interhis May 2017 firing by Trump justice system, saying “we have mediaries to Trump associates constituted obstruction of justice. become numb to lying and at- — including a 2015 encounter re-

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vealed for the first time in a court filing Friday. Also by that time Democratic email accounts had been hacked by Russian intelligence and a Trump campaign foreign policy adviser, George Papadopoulos, had been told that Russians had “dirt” on Clinton in the form of stolen emails.

Multiple Trump associates, including Papadopoulos, former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, have pleaded guilty to lying about their interactions with Russians during the campaign and presidential transition period.

Comey reiterated that it was a 2016 Papadopoulos encounter with a Russian intermediary in London that started the Russia investigation, rather than — as some Republicans have maintained — Democratic-funded opposition research compiled by a former British spy. That research is known informally as the “Steele dossier.”

“It was weeks or months later that the so-called Steele dossier ❱❱ PAGE 20 Comey: Russia

World News

FRIDAY DECEMBER 14, 2018

19

Pence aide out of Exit polling indicates Peruvians running to be Trump’s vote to fight corruption next chief of staff

BY FRANKLIN BRICENO The Associated Press

BY ZEKE MILLER, JILL COLVIN AND CATHERINE LUCEY The Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump evaluated new candidates to serve as his next chief of staff Sunday after plans for an orderly succession for departing John Kelly fell through.

The new hire was to be key to a West Wing reshuffling to shift focus toward the 2020 reelection campaign and the challenge of governing with Democrats in control of the House.

But even senior White House officials were caught off guard Sunday when Trump and Nick Ayers, whose hiring was believed to be a done deal, couldn’t come to terms. No obvious successor was in sight and there was some fretting that Trump may not be able to fill the job by the time Kelly was set to leave around year’s end.

Ayers, the chief of staff to VicePresident Mike Pence, was seen as the favourite for the job when Trump announced Saturday that Kelly would step down. But a White House official said Sunday that Trump and Ayers could not reach agreement on Ayers’ length of service and that he would instead assist the president from outside the administration.

Ayers confirmed the decision in a tweet, thanking Trump and Pence for giving him the opportunity to work in the White House. “I will be departing at the end of the year but will work with the #MAGA team to advance the cause,” he said.

In a tweet of his own, Trump laid out the agenda: “I am in the process of interviewing some really great people for the position of White House Chief of Staff.

Fake News has been saying with certainty it was Nick Ayers, a spectacular person who will always be with our #MAGA agenda.

I will be making a decision soon!”

With Ayers out of the running, Trump was considering four candidates for the post, including Office of Management and Budget director Mick Mulvaney, according to a person familiar with the president’s thinking. Also emerging

as a candidate was Rep. Mark Meadows, a North Carolina Republican and the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus.

But Mulvaney was not interested in becoming chief of staff, according to a person close to him who spoke on condition of anonymity. Mulvaney has been saying for almost two months now that he would be more interested in becoming commerce or treasury secretary if that would be helpful to the president, the person said.

Also among those thought to be in the mix were Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who said in a CBS interview that he hadn’t spoken to anyone at the White House about the job and was “entirely focused” on his position. A person familiar with Mnuchin’s thinking said he, too, was happy with his work at Treasury and had not sought the job of chief of staff.

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker and Trump’s former deputy campaign manager, David Bossie, were also among the names being floated by those close to the White House.

Trump wants his next chief of staff to hold the job through the 2020 election, said the White House official, who was not authorized to discuss the personnel issue by name and, as did others, spoke on condition of anonymity.

Ayers and Trump had discussed the job for months. The father of young triplets, he had long planned to leave the administration at the end of the year, and had only agreed to serve in an interim basis through next spring.

Ayers will run a pro-Trump super PAC, according to a person familiar with his plans who was not authorized to discuss them by name.

Kelly, whose last day on the job is set to be Jan. 2, had been credited with imposing order on a chaotic West Wing after his arrival in June 2017 from his post as homeland security secretary.

But his iron fist also alienated some longtime Trump allies, and over time he grew increasingly isolated, with an increasingly diminished role. ■

LIMA, PERU — Peruvian voters agreed to take on corruption Sunday, according to exit polls, as the South American nation struggles to end a scourge that has landed lawmakers, judges and even former presidents behind bars.

Voters overwhelmingly approved three of four questions on a referendum ballot that included measures to prohibit legislators from immediate reelection, create stricter campaign finance rules and reform a scandal-tainted council responsible for selecting judges, according to exit poll results from the firm Ipsos Peru.

Official vote results were not expected before early Monday.

“The referendum does not change everything,” President Martin Vizcarra said. “But it is the beginning of a change that we are looking for in Peru.”

Analysts caution that the referendum isn’t an end-all fix to reverse decades of deeply entrenched political misconduct.

“What this referendum is potentially giving the government and maybe even the political system is a little breathing room — a little burst of confidence and public trust that it can potentially use to get up and running,” said Steve Levitsky, a Harvard University political scientist.

In recent years Peru has been jolted by the Odebrecht corruption scandal that is toppling the careers of some of Latin America’s highest-ranking politicians. The Brazilian construction company has admitted to paying $800 million to officials throughout the region in exchange for lucrative public works contracts.

In Peru, the scandal has tainted the careers of nearly every former living president, with four ex-heads of state under investigation for ties to Odebrecht.

President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski resigned in March after opposition lawmakers revealed previously undisclosed ties between Odebrecht and his private consulting firm. Prosecutors are also investigating former leader www.canadianinquirer.net

Peruvian President Martín Vizcarra.

Alan Garcia after revelations that bribes were made during the construction of Lima’s subway under his tenure.

Former Presidents Ollanta Humala, who was briefly jailed, and Alejandro Toledo are being probed for allegedly receiving illegal payments.

Meanwhile, former first daughter Keiko Fujimori, the nation’s top opposition leader and a two-time presidential candidate, is behind bars as she is investigated for allegedly laundering Odebrecht money for her 2011 campaign.

Those probes along with a series of leaked wiretaps showing judges and lawyers making backroom deals on matters as grave as the sentence for a man accused of raping a young girl have unleashed the fury of a Peruvian public fed up with corruption.

A recent survey by Latinobarometro, a respected regional polling firm, found that just 8 per cent of Peruvians trust the legislature, the lowest in the region.

“The entire system is rotten,” said Gerardo Polo, who works at an import company and was eager to cast his ballot Sunday.

While he conceded that the proposed measures won’t guarantee future abuses, he said, “It is a scream of rage.”

Vizcarra has succeeded in channeling public outrage since taking on the nation’s most powerful job after Kuczynski’s resignation and the referendum is considered a critical step in his bid to con-

OEA - OAS / FLICKR, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

solidate power. He pushed the vote as an essential step to “end the plague of corruption.”

According to the exit polling, three of the four measures passed resoundingly, with the only one failing that Vizcarra himself no longer backed.

The first question calls for the public to choose members of a judicial council that selects judges, a measure some believe could improve accountability.

The second item would make it illegal for political parties to receive money from unknown contributors or anyone with a criminal background.

The third would prohibit immediate re-election, a move unlikely to illicit major changes since relatively few lawmakers serve back-to-back terms.

The final question, which appeared to have failed, asked voters if they favoured creating a bicameral congress instead of the current one-body legislature dominated by Keiko Fujimori’s party. Changes by opposition lawmakers weakening Vizcarra’s executive authority caused it to lose support.

Observers like attorney Jose Ugaz, who led a probe into former strongman Alberto Fujimori’s corrupt spy chief over a decade ago, said the true test will come after the referendum, when Vizcarra will need to work to ensure the changes are fully implemented while pursuing deeper reforms over the long term.

“Peru’s problems won’t be solved just with a referendum,” he said. ■

20

World News

DECEMBER 14, 2018

FRIDAY

China: Canada’s detention of Huawei exec ‘vile in nature’

BY CHRISTOPHER BODEEN The Associated Press BEIJING — China summoned the Canadian ambassador to protest the detention of a top executive of leading Chinese tech giant Huawei, calling it “unreasonable, unconscionable, and vile in nature” and warning of “grave consequences” if she is not released.

A report by the official Xinhua News Agency carried on the Foreign Ministry’s website said that Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng called in Ambassador John McCallum on Saturday over the holding of Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou, who is reportedly suspected of trying to evade U.S. trade curbs on Iran.

Huawei is the biggest global supplier of network gear for phone and internet companies and has been the target of deepening U.S. security concerns over its ties to the Chinese government. The U.S. has pressured European countries and other allies to limit use of its technology, warning they could be opening themselves up to surveillance and theft of information.

Le told McCallum that Meng’s detention at the request of the United States while transferring flights in Vancou-

ver was a “severe violation” of her “legitimate rights and interests.”

“Such a move ignores the law and is unreasonable, unconscionable, and vile in nature,” Le said in the statement.

“China strongly urges the Canadian side to immediately release the detained Huawei executive … or face grave consequences that the Canadian side should be held accountable for,” Le said.

Roland Paris, a former foreign policy adviser to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, said that Chinese pressure on the Canadian government won’t work.

“Perhaps because the Chinese state controls its judicial system, Beijing sometimes has difficulty understanding or believing that courts can be independent in a rule-of-law country. There’s no point in pressuring the Canadian government. Judges will decide,” Paris tweeted in response to the comments from Beijing.

A Canadian prosecutor urged a Vancouver court to deny bail to Meng, whose case is shaking up U.S.-China relations and worrying global financial markets.

Meng, also the daughter of Huawei’s founder, was detained at the request of the U.S. during a layover at the Vancouver air-

Comey: Russia... ❰❰ 18

came to our attention,” Comey said.

He said that by the time of his firing, the FBI had not come to a conclusion about whether the Trump campaign co-ordinated with Russia’s efforts to sway the presidential election.

And insisted that the FBI would recover from the president’s steady attacks on the bureau.

“The FBI will be fine. It will snap back, as will the rest of our institutions,” Comey said.

“There will be short-term damage, which worries me a great deal, but in the long run, no politician, no president can, in a lasting way, damage those institutions.”

Besides the questioning on

port Dec. 1 — the same day that Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping of China agreed over dinner to a 90-day ceasefire in a trade dispute that threatens to disrupt global commerce.

The U.S. alleges that Huawei used a Hong Kong shell company to sell equipment in Iran in violation of U.S. sanctions. It also says that Meng and Huawei misled American banks about its business dealings in Iran.

The surprise arrest raises doubts about whether the trade truce will hold and whether the world’s two biggest economies can resolve the complicated issues that divide them.

Canadian prosecutor John Gibb-Carsley said in a court hearing Friday that a warrant had been issued for Meng’s arrest in New York Aug. 22. He said Meng, arrested en route to Mexico from Hong Kong, was aware of the investigation and had been avoiding the United States for months, even though her teenage son goes to school in Boston.

Gibb-Carsley alleged that Huawei had done business in Iran through a Hong Kong company called Skycom. Meng, he said, had misled U.S. banks into thinking that Huawei and Skycom were separate when, in fact, “Skycom was Huawei.”

Meng has contended that Huawei sold Skycom in 2009.

Meng Wanzhou.

HUAWEI / WEBSITE

In urging the court to reject Meng’s bail request, Gibb-Carsley said the Huawei executive had vast resources and a strong incentive to bolt: She’s facing fraud charges in the United States that could put her in prison for 30 years.

The hearing will resume Monday after Meng spends the weekend in jail.

Huawei, in a brief statement emailed to The Associated Press, said that “we have every confidence that the Canadian and U.S. legal systems will reach the right conclusion.”

Canadian officials have declined to comment on Chinese threats of retaliation over the case, instead emphasizing the independence of Canada’s judiciary along with the importance of Ottawa’s relationship with Beijing.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland said Canada “has assured China that due

process is absolutely being followed in Canada, that consular access for China to Ms. Meng will absolutely be provided.”

“We are a rule of law country and we will be following our laws as we have thus far in this matter and as we will continue to do,” Freeland said Friday.

While protesting what it calls Canada’s violation of Meng’s human rights, China’s ruling Communist Party stands accused of mass incarcerations of its Muslim minority without due process, locking up those exercising their right to free speech and refusing to allow foreign citizens to leave the country in order to bring pressure on their relatives accused of financial crimes. The party also takes the lead in prosecutions of those accused of corruption or other crimes in a highly opaque process, without supervision from the court system or independent bodies. ■

ownership in Canopy beyond 50 per cent.

As well, U.S. tobacco leaf merchant Alliance One International said its subsidiary acquired a 75 per cent equity stake in Charlottetown-based Canada’s Island Garden in January.

Meanwhile, Molson Coors launched a joint venture called Truss with Quebec-based cannabis producer Hexo Corp. in October.

Prior to Friday’s announcement, Cronos had confirmed reports that it was in talks with Altria.

Altria has agreed to pay $16.25 per share to acquire 146.2 million shares of Cronos, which represents a 41.5 premium above the stock before it

confirmed the companies’ preliminary discussions.

It will also acquire warrants that will allow Altria to buy more stock at $19 per share within four years.

Cronos said it will use the capital to accelerate its global growth and expansion, as well as research and development.

It said the deal with Altria does not limit Cronos from any other partnerships.

Gorenstein said that Altria has “decades of experience in regulatory, government affairs, compliance, product development and brand management that we expect to leverage, particularly as new markets for cannabis open around the world.” ■

Altria invests...

Russia, Republicans lawmakers repeatedly pressed Comey on the FBI’s handling of an investigation into whether Clinton mishandled classified information on her private email server.

Comey’s July 2016 announcement that Clinton and her aides had been “extremely careless” but did not deserve criminal charges infuriated Republicans who contended that someone less powerful and well-connected would have faced prosecution.

Under questioning from Rep. Trey Gowdy, a South Carolina Republican, Comey reiterated that the FBI and Justice Department didn’t have a prosecutable case against Clinton because they couldn’t prove she wilfully violated the law by setting up the server. ■

❰❰ 30

analyst with Cowen.

The Altria-Cronos deal is “encouraging” given the broad potential uses for cannabis such as in pharmaceuticals and health and wellness products, she said in a note to clients.

Altria’s investment marks the latest move by a U.S. company in an established industry to tap the burgeoning Canadian cannabis industry.

In August, alcohol giant Constellation Brands said it would invest an additional $5 billion in Canadian pot producer Canopy Growth Corp., increasing its stake to 38 per cent. As part of the deal, Constellation also received new warrants which, if exercised along with its existing warrants, would increase its www.canadianinquirer.net

World News

FRIDAY DECEMBER 14, 2018

21

AP FACT CHECK:

Trump’s trade claims, Paris protesters’ chant

BY HOPE YEN AND CHRISTOPHER RUGABER The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Eager for a historic trade agreement, President Donald Trump is claiming done deals with China that aren’t measuring up to the hype.

He describes last week’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as “extraordinary” and a “big leap forward.”

China, however, has provided few details and little confirmation about what it actually agreed to do in regard to buying more American products and addressing the Trump administration’s assertions that Beijing steals American technology.

Trump claimed that China had agreed to reduce or eliminate its 40 per cent tariffs on cars imported from the U.S. His top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, acknowledged no deal had been “signed and sealed and delivered yet.”

The statements marked a week when Trump also claimed without evidence for a second time that Paris protesters were chanting support for him, grossly overstated the costs of illegal immigration and derided U.S. weapons spending as crazy, despite earlier boasts about increasing the military budget.

Meanwhile, Democratic Rep.-elect Alexandria OcasioCortez ignored reality when she suggested the Pentagon has a hidden pot of $21 trillion that could help pay for “Medicare for All.” The total defence budget during the period in question only totalled $9 trillion.

A look at the claims and the facts: Paris

TRUMP: “The Paris Agreement isn’t working out so well for Paris. Protests and riots all over France. People do not want to pay large sums of money, much to third world countries (that are questionably run), in order to maybe protect the environment. Chanting “We Want Trump!” Love France.” — tweet Saturday.

THE FACTS: Neither Associated Press journalists covering protests in the city nor any French television networks

would be better off because of import taxes. Not a single economist surveyed said the country would be wealthier.

Nor do the budget numbers suggest they can come anywhere close to covering the costs of the federal government.

Trump is correct that tariffs did generate $41.3 billion in tax revenues last budget year, according to the Treasury Department. But to put that in perspective, the federal budget exceeds $4.1 trillion.

The taxes collected on imports were equal to about 1 per cent of all federal spending.

Medicare

US Pres. Donald Trump.

have shown evidence that supporters were chanting any slogans in support of Trump. The protests that began as a revolt against a gas tax increase have turned increasingly violent and France imposed exceptional security measures Saturday to prevent a repeat of rioting a week ago.

Jerusalem

TRUMP: “We quickly moved the American embassy to Jerusalem and we got it built.”— remarks Thursday at Hanukkah event.

THE FACTS: Nothing’s been built yet. The Trump administration designated an existing U.S. consular facility in Jerusalem for the U.S. Embassy, retrofitting some offices and holding a big dedication ceremony in May. The U.S. has yet to identify a permanent site for the new embassy, a process that is expected to take years. The State Department has estimated that constructing a new embassy would cost more than $500 million.

Tariffs

TRUMP: “China has agreed to reduce and remove tariffs on cars coming into China from the U.S. Currently the tariff is 40%.” — tweet Sunday.

THE FACTS: Nearly a week later, it’s still not clear if this will happen. When asked about the matter, Kudlow would only say that he hoped China would remove its tariffs on U.S. autos.

“We don’t yet have a specific

GAGE SKIDMORE / FLICKR, CC BY-SA 2.0)

agreement on that, but I will just tell you, as an involved participant, we expect those tariffs to go to zero,” he told reporters on Monday. Pressed again Tuesday, Kudlow told “Fox and Friends” that he expected China to move quickly on removing the tariffs “if they’re serious about this.”

“I think it’s coming, OK?” he said. “It hasn’t been signed and sealed and delivered yet.”

The White House’s confusing and conflicting words have left Wall Street skeptical.

“It doesn’t seem like anything was actually agreed to at the dinner and White House officials are contorting themselves into pretzels to reconcile Trump’s tweets (which seem if not completely fabricated then grossly exaggerated) with reality,” JPMorgan told investors in a trading note.

On Thursday, a Chinese official said that China will “immediately implement the consensus reached by the two sides on farm products, cars and energy,” but did not address the auto tariffs specifically or provide any additional details.

Trump has cast doubt on whether a firm agreement had been reached, tweeting Tuesday that his administration will determine “whether or not a REAL deal with China is actually possible.” *** TRUMP: “I am a Tariff Man. When people or countries come in to raid the great wealth of our Nation, I want them to pay for www.canadianinquirer.net

the privilege of doing so. It will always be the best way to max out our economic power. We are right now taking in $billions in Tariffs. MAKE AMERICA RICH AGAIN.” — tweet Tuesday.

THE FACTS: Trump seems to be claiming that tariffs are some kind of a membership fee for foreign companies to trade in the U.S. economy.

They’re not. Tariffs are a tax, per Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.

The costs of this tax are borne by U.S. consumers and businesses, often in the form of higher prices. Foreign companies may end up selling fewer goods and services if the United States imposes high tariffs. So they pay a price, too.

In some cases, the tariffs exist to protect industries that are vital for national security.

Or, the tariffs exist to retaliate against the trade practices of other countries. Or, they might protect politically connected companies.

In the past, White House aides have insisted that Trump’s tariffs are a negotiating ploy. Yet the president offered no such qualifications on Tuesday.

Tariffs are not seen as some easy way of generating massive wealth for an economically developed nation. After Trump announced steel and aluminum tariffs earlier this year, the University of Chicago asked leading academic economists in March whether Americans

OCASIO-CORTEZ: “$21 TRILLION of Pentagon financial transactions ‘could not be traced, documented, or explained.’ $21T in Pentagon accounting errors. Medicare for All costs (tilde)$32T. That means 66% of Medicare for All could have been funded already by the Pentagon. And that’s before our premiums.” — tweet Sunday.

THE FACTS: Ocasio-Cortez is generally correct to suggest that one way of paying for the huge cost of “Medicare for All” would be to cut spending elsewhere. But she is wrong to suggest that there’s pot of misspent defence dollars that could cover the new health care expenses.

The New York Democrat also misrepresents the findings of an academic study that found the $21 trillion in Pentagon errors to be accounting “adjustments,” not a tally of actual money wasted.

The study by Mark Skidmore, an economist at Michigan State University and Catherine Austin Fitts, a former assistant secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, did find $21 trillion in Pentagon transactions from 1998 to 2015 that could not be verified. Their study is a cited in a Nation article retweeted in part by Ocasio-Cortez, even though that article makes clear that not “all of this $21 trillion was secret or misused funding … the plugs are found on both the positive and the negative sides of the ledger, thus poten❱❱ PAGE 24 Trump’s trade

22

World News

DECEMBER 14, 2018

FRIDAY

Big rally by Malaysia Muslims calls for upholding privileges

BY COLLEEN BARRY The Associated Press KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA — Tens of thousands of Malaysian Muslims rallied Saturday in Kuala Lumpur against any attempt to strip the ethnic Malay majority of its privileges, in the first massive street gathering since Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s alliance won a historic vote in May. The rally, backed by the country’s two largest opposition Malay parties, was initially aimed at protesting a government plan to ratify a U.N. treaty against racial discrimination.

Critics allege that ratifying the treaty would end Malay privileges under a decades-old affirmative action policy. The plan to ratify was eventually abandoned, but organizers decided to proceed with what they called a “thanksgiving” rally.

Racial clashes have been rare in multiracial Malaysia since deadly riots in 1969. A year later, Malaysia instituted a preferential program that gives Malays

privileges in jobs, education, contracts and housing to help narrow a wealth gap with the minority Chinese. Ethnic Malays account for nearly twothirds of the country’s 32 million people, with large Chinese and Indian minorities.

Saturday’s rally came less than two weeks after more than 80 people were arrested in a riot at an Indian temple in a suburb outside Kuala Lumpur.

The government was quick to stress that the violence was due to a land dispute and was not a racial riot. Still, the government warned Saturday’s rallygoers not to make any provocative statements that could fan racial tensions.

Mahathir said the government allowed the rally as part of democracy, but warned against any chaos. The rally was held under tight police security, but ended peacefully after rain started to fall.

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has been charged with multiple counts of corruption, was among opposition lawmakers at the rally.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

Police said there were at least 55,000 people on the streets.

Many wore white T-shirts and headbands with the words “Reject ICERD,” referring to the U.N. treaty — the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

www.canadianinquirer.net

AIZUDDIN SAAD / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

The protesters gathered at three locations before marching to a nearby historic square, chanting “Long live the Malays” and “Crush ICERD.” “Yes, we did not ratify ICERD, but we are still here to say that we are still against it,”

said shopkeeper Rosli Ikhsan.

“Even if the government has said they won’t endorse it, we are still protesting with all our might from all of Malaysia.”

Mahathir’s new government won a stunning victory in a May 9 general election amid anger over a massive corruption scandal involving Najib and his government, but many Malays still support Najib’s party, the United Malays National Organization, and the Malaysian Islamic Party, which controls two of the country’s 13 states.

Some analysts say Najib and his party were using the rally to shift attention away from corruption charges against Najib, his wife, his party’s president and former government officials.

“For me, ICERD is bad,” university student Nurul Qamariah said at the rally. “It’s bad because it will erode the position of Malays. This is a country for Malays. We want Malays to be superiors, but why do these people want to make Malays the same level as Chinese and Indians?” ■

23

Entertainment Lea Salonga’s ‘Once On Arnel Pineda story to hit big This Island’ nominated screens thru Warner Bros., for a Grammy!

‘Crazy Rich Asians’ director

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer FILIPINA BROADWAY singer Lea Salonga receives her firstever Grammy nomination as her work in Broadway musical “Once On This Island” is in the running in winning the gramophone trophy for Best Musical Theater Album.

The forty-seven-year-old talent announced the news of being part of the 61st year of the award show last Saturday, December 8 stating, “Had to actually go to Grammy.com to see if it was true. And it’s true! I am officially a Grammy nominee!

It may be a while before I get any sleep tonight! So thrilled to share this with my ‘Island’ family. And that at 47 years old, one can still have a first!”

The 2017 Broadway revival of the 1990 one-act musical “Once On This Island” starred Lea as the goddess of love Erzulie.

The musical has also previously won a Tony award.

Lea was quickly congratulated by fellow local celebrities, including Erik Santos, Anne Curtis, Rajo Laurel, Mark Bautista, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Karen Davilla, Coney Reyes, and Christian Bautista.

Although this is Lea’s first opportunity to be a part of the Grammys, she became the first Filipina to ever win a Tony award back in 1991 for her work in “Miss Saigon.” Previously, producer Jhett Tolentino was also nominated for Best Musical Theater Album for “The Color Purple” last year, while Filipino-Americans Bruno Mars and Black Eyed Peas’ apl. de.ap have also won a few of the achievements from the prestigious awards show.

Soon after sharing with her fans her Grammy nomination, Lea also announced that she will be returning to the Philippine musical theater scene in 2019 for the local production of “Sweeney Todd,” where she has been cast as Mrs. Lovett and will play opposite Jett Pangan as the main character. She states, “It pleases and tickles me to no end that I’m finally old enough to play Mrs. Lovett!

She is such a well-written, thoroughly fleshed-out character that’s equal parts drama, comedy, music and crazy. And I am all about the crazy.” Director Bobby Garcia is the direction of the Sondheim musical, which will be staged in Solaire in October. ■

Lea Salonga. @ONCEISLANDBYWAY / INSTAGRAM

BY BEA KIRSTEIN T. MANALAYSAY Philippine Canadian Inquirer AFTER FILIPINOS became part of the cast of the “Crazy Rich Asians” movie, Warner Brothers is set to work with the film’s director not only to pave way for another ‘Philippine touch,’ but to feature the journeyof one our kababayans – Arnel Pineda.

Back in 1999 even before the 51-year-old singer stepped into the shoes of being Journey’s lead singer, he already caught Warner Brothers’ as its record label released his self-titled album. This time, however, Deadline’s report said that together with Director Jon M. Chu, Pineda’s story will be brought to the Hollywood big

screens.

“The success of Crazy Rich Asians has blown my mind and set me on a path to champion more unique inspirational stories that represent new perspectives from all around the world,” Chu sent a statement to Deadline.

Chu described Pineda’s story as some sort of a “true fairy tale and triumph of the human spirit” he first read years ago.

“An unlikely hero, an undeniable talent, the power of music and a worldwide stage (literally) has all the ingredients I love about movies,” he continued.

The Crazy Rich Asians director who proclaims himself to be a fan of the band Journey said that he is “excited to be bringing the audience along on this incredible stories with my partners at Warner Bros. who have

been a leading champion of diverse voices in front and behind the camera.”

Deadline’s report further noted that currently, the studio is negotiating to get the license of Journey’s music.

Meanwhile, Pineda, the subject of the report, has issued his take on the article through his Instagram account.

“If this article is even just half true… I’m quite honored… and should be an exciting movie to do… but you need to reach out to me #MrJonChu @wbpictures coz I’m right here waiting…,” he wrote in a caption of the screenshot of Deadline’s report.

As of writing, Jon Chu and the Warner Brothers have yet to issue an official statement regarding the matter. ■

Maine Mendoza is Most Tweeted about Filipino celebrity of 2018

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE OFFICIAL Twitter Philippines account has released a tabulation of what has been trending through the social media platform within the country this past year, and among the results, Maine Mendoza is the most tweeted about local celebrity of 2018.

The year-ender announced Maine’s Twitter handle to be the most discussed user, attributing to the launch of her new comedy series on GMA-7 “Daddy’s Girl in the City” and the successful release of her lipstick collaboration with MAC Cosmetics, which was sold out within a minute of release. #MaineMendoza and #ALwww.canadianinquirer.net

DUBWithBroadwayBoys also took the cake within the Top 10 of another category, Most Tweeted about hashtags in the Philippines. And consequently, Maine and her on-screen partner Alden Richards took the top spot as well for Most Tweeted about love teams. In the words of the account, “Filipinos love to stay informed as much as they love to talk about their favorites and latest gossips. No wonder why the Filipino favorite, Maine Mendoza climbed the highest place once again in the most Tweeted about Filipino celebrities,” referring to Maine dominating the charts last year as well.

Joining Maine on the Top 10 “Most Tweeted about Filipino celebrities” list is her leading man Alden, as well as Pinoy Big

Brother Lucky 7 stars Maymay Entrata, Kisses Delavin, and Edward Barber, young stars Donny Pangilinan, Loisa Andalio, Kathryn Bernardo, Maris Racal, and Daniel Padilla. For the eight other on the Most Tweeted about hashtags in the Philippines list are #BTS, #EXO, #MORPinoyBiga10, #ABSCBNBall2018, #PushAwardsMayWards, #Mayward, #DyisIsItManila, and #TheHowsOfUs. As for love teams, it has been a successful year for MayWard, DonKiss, LizQuen, KissTon, McLisse, KierVi, JaDine, MarNigo, and JoshLia as well.

Within the Philippine entertainment industry, Vice Ganda, on the other hand, is still the most popular with 11.5 million followers. ■

24

Entertainment

DECEMBER 14, 2018

Trump’s trade... ❰❰ 21

tially netting each other out.”

Total defence spending from 1998 to 2015 was $9 trillion. That means defunding the military entirely would only cover a small portion of the estimated $32 trillion cost over 10 years for the “Medicare for All” legislation by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. Ocasio-Cortez wrongly suggests that fixing Pentagon accounting errors would net 66 per cent of costs.

“What she was referencing was the total number of transactions that happened with DoD — there’s a lot of double and triple counting as money gets moved around in the department,” said Todd Harrison, director of defence budget analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “All of that basically means is that those transactions don’t have a full trail,” akin to an employee who submits an expense report without providing all the receipts.

“Just because you don’t have the proper audit trail for transactions doesn’t mean that those transactions are fraudulent,” Harrison said.

David Norquist, the Pentagon’s comptroller, has attributed the accounting errors to the department’s older bookkeeping “systems that do not automatically pass data from one to the other.” He said in testimony to the House Armed Services Committee in January that the errors do not amount to a pot of lost money. “I wouldn’t want the taxpayer to confuse that with the loss of something like a trillion dollars, it’s not. That wouldn’t be accurate,” Norquist said.

Immigration

TRUMP: “Could somebody please explain to the Democrats (we need their votes) that our Country losses (sic) 250 Billion Dollars a year on illegal immigration, not including the terrible drug flow. Top Border Security, including a Wall, is $25 Billion. Pays for itself in two months. Get it done!” — tweet Tuesday.

THE FACTS: He’s inflating the cost of illegal immigration.

Trump’s numbers left even those sympathetic to the president’s position scratching their heads.

“I’m not sure where the president got his numbers,” said Dave Ray, a spokesman for the

non-profit group FAIR, the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which advocates for lower immigration numbers.

Neither the White House nor the Department of Homeland Security responded to questions about where the $250 billion estimate had come from.

The Heritage Foundation, for instance, estimated in 2013 that households headed by immigrants living in the U.S. illegally impose a net fiscal burden of around $54.5 billion per year.

Even Trump himself has contradicted the figure. During his 2016 campaign, Trump claimed that illegal immigration cost the country more than $113 billion a year — less than half the number he tweeted Tuesday.

That estimate appeared based on a paper by FAIR, which released an updated report in 2017 that claimed taxpayers “shell out approximately $134.9 billion to cover the costs incurred by the presence of more than 12.5 million illegal aliens, and about 4.2 million citizen children of illegal aliens” at the federal, state and local levels, with “a tax burden of approximately $8,075 per illegal alien family member and a total of $115,894,597,664.”

The $116 million figure included services such as health care and education, as well as spending on agencies including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, minus the $19 billon the group concluded those who are living in the country illegally pay in taxes. But it also included costs associated with the children of those immigrants in its tally, even when they are U.S. citizens. The estimate was criticized for making broad generalizations and other major methodological flaws.

Fentanyl

TRUMP, about his meeting with Xi at the gathering of leading rich and developing nations: “What he will be doing to fentanyl could be a game changer for the United States — and what fentanyl is doing to our country in terms of killing people. Because he’s agreed to put it at the highest level of crime in his country.” — aboard Air Force One on Dec. 1.

TRUMP: “One of the very exciting things to come out of my meeting with President Xi of China is his promise to me to

criminalize the sale of deadly Fentanyl coming into the United States. It will now be considered a ‘controlled substance.”’

— tweet Wednesday.

THE FACTS: That’s a misreading of what China agreed to do, at least as far as Chinese authorities are concerned.

Fentanyl has been a controlled substance in China for years, according to Chinese regulators. All told, China has already put 25 variants of fentanyl, plus two precursors — chemicals used to make the drug — on its list of controlled substances, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said last week.

Now, “China has decided to list all the fentanyl-like substances as controlled substances and start working to adjust related regulations,” says China’s foreign ministry.

Doing so could help block China’s opioid merchants from skirting the law by inventing new chemical variants of fentanyl faster than regulators can declare them illegal.

The standard approach of regulating drugs one by one has failed to control the proliferation of new and deadly synthetic opioids in the United States.

In February, the U.S. said that for at least the next two years, all new chemical versions of fentanyl that weren’t already regulated would be classified as illegal controlled substances.

U.S. officials had been urging China to do something similar.

But China hasn’t always followed through on its promises.

“Similar suggestions have failed to gain approval from Chinese regulators in the past,” the U.S.China Economic and Security Review Commission said in a report last week that criticized China for “slow and ineffective” regulation of fentanyl.

In 2016, U.S. negotiators thought they had secured an agreement with Beijing that China would target U.S.-bound exports of substances that were illegal in the United States, even if they weren’t illegal in China, but Beijing never implemented the policy, according to the commission, a group formed by the U.S. Congress to monitor economic relations with China.

China’s new approach could indeed be game changing, as Trump said. But so far there’s no timeline for implementation of the policy. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY

Julia Roberts on ‘Ben is Back’ and the ‘insidious’ opioid crisis it depicts

BY VICTORIA AHEARN The Canadian Press TORONTO — When Julia Roberts arrived at the recent Toronto International Film Festival with a drama about drug addiction, rapper Mac Miller had just died of what was later deemed an accidental overdose, and singer-actress Demi Lovato was recovering from an overdose in the summer.

The headlines served as yet another tragic reminder of how addiction knows no boundaries and added a sense of urgency to presenting “Ben is Back,” in which Roberts stars as the mother of a drug-addled teen (played by Lucas Hedges) who returns home from rehab for the holidays.

“It makes no distinctions anymore, these drugs,” Roberts said in an interview during the September festival. “They don’t care where you come from, how much money you make, what you do for a living.

“It’s so insidious and pervasive, and I think that in a time when it’s gone on for such a long time, that people have just grown immune to the statistics written in the paper.”

Highlighting how a teen falls prey to addiction and how the entire family has to deal with the fallout might help humanize and pierce through the staggering numbers that make many immune to the crisis, added the four-time Oscarnominated actress.

“Everyone is affected by this in some way or another,” Roberts said, “and I think it’s so interesting to have an actor like Lucas — who looks like every boy in any neighbourhood, and just getting along and he’s got his hoodie — and he has this demon that does not leave him.”

Peter Hedges wrote and directed “Ben is Back,” which hits theatres in Toronto on Friday and other markets in the coming weeks.

Roberts is earning critical raves for her role as Holly, an image-conscious church-goer who is enamoured with her son and seemingly in denial about

the severity of his addiction.

Courtney B. Vance and Kathryn Newton co-star in the story, which takes place over 24 hours as the family grapples with Ben’s roller-coaster ride of recovery in their affluent neighbourhood.

Vance plays Holly’s husband, who highlights the racial divide that can exist for some addicts when he declares: “If Ben were black, he would be in jail.”

The film also shows the role medical professionals, pharmaceutical companies and addictions specialists play in the crisis.

“You really get to see the true effects of this sad, sad addiction issue that affects so many families,” said Roberts, who won an Oscar for best actress in 2000’s “Erin Brockovich.”

“I also love that it’s Christmastime, this sort of happyface time and you decorate your house and sing all these beautiful songs, and to have this undertow that’s constantly going in all their minds.”

There are some heartwrenching moments in the film and the atmosphere on set was intense, Roberts admitted.

“We were outside at night a lot and it was dark topics, dark atmospheres,” she said. “It was freezing cold and Lucas and I, just together in this endless odyssey of trying to get to the morning.”

To lighten the mood, cast members would sing Christmas carols together while walking back to their trailers from the set.

“Jingle bells was always the big hit,” says Roberts. “And you know what? Everybody joins in.

Doesn’t matter how much you think you don’t want to.

“See, we kept it happy. We had to. I felt a real responsibility, especially for the younger actors, to rescue us in between setups and stuff, because it could be so intense. We also had little children on the set, and so I think we were all devoted to a sense of being happy and keeping that going when we weren’t filming.” ■

Entertainment

FRIDAY DECEMBER 14, 2018

25

Coke Studio Christmas Concert rescheduled to 2019

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer CONCERTGOERS WILL have to wait for the year to end to attend the Coke Studio Christmas Concert as it was rescheduled to 2019 due to the “unsafe behavior” the audience have shown during the event held at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Concert grounds last Friday, December 7.

The free concert kicked off on Friday afternoon, with the audience expecting their favorite artists to perform on stage. Local artists Sam Concepcion, Khalil Ramos, Juan Miguel Severo, Quest, Apl.de.ap, Moira dela Torre, as well as local bands like December Avenue and IV of Spades are among those who are lined-up for the Christmas concert.

At around 5 p.m., Coca-Cola announced on Twitter that the admission to the concert was temporarily put on hold as they have reached full capacity, but added that they will re-open the gates once the venue “can safely accommodate more people.”

Thirty minutes later, the organizers then announced that the gates were permanently closed for the crowd’s safety.

Since the concert had a huge crowd of fans with some were reportedly showing inappropriate behavior, one of the artists, Quest, went on stage to ask the audience for their cooperation and give respect to each other.

On Twitter, netizen @jlarsbustamante shared what had happened during the event last night.

According to him, before they even entered the concert grounds, concertgoers were already advised to keep calm and refrain from pushing one another — but this is not what other attendees did.

“Pagpasok sa grounds alam na ngang masikip, sumisiksik pa rin (Upon entering the grounds knowing that the area is crowded, some of the fans still forced themselves to fit in on the tiny space), he wrote.

He went on and said, “Pagtapos ng performance ng December Avenue, may band na kumanta (hindi masyadong kilala) tapos nagsisi-sigaw ‘yung iba na ‘tama na ‘yan!’ ‘next!!’ etc. (After December Avenue’s performance, there was this band (not really popular) who performed, then some fans were shouting ‘stop that!’ ‘next!!’) like do y’all know how disrespectful that is?”

At around 6 p.m., the event organizers announced that they were having some technical difficulties which may cause the concert to be delayed for two hours.

“Okay lang sana maghintay pero ang

daming ugaling skwater na sigaw nang sigaw ng ‘ILABAS NIYO SI MOIRA,’ ‘SI MOIRA LANG PINUNTA NAMIN DITO,’ ‘GANITO BA ‘PAG LIBRE?’ ‘ANLAYO NG PINUNTA NAMIN TAPOS GANITO LANG (It is okay for us to wait, but these people, whose attitudes were like those of informal settlers, keep on shouting ‘TAKE MOIRA OUT OF STAGE,’ ‘MOIRA WAS THE ONLY REASON WHY WE CAME HERE,’ ‘IS THIS REALLY THE DEAL WHEN IT IS FREE?’ ‘WE CAME ALL THE WAY HERE AND GET TREATED LIKE THIS)?'” the netizen said.

Coca-Cola Philippines then told the crowd that after careful assessment with the Philippine National Police (PNP), SM MOA, the City of Pasay, and all the artists, it decided to cut short the concert and rescheduled it for next year.

“Sobrang disrespectful at toxic ng environment. Kasalanan niyo rin naman kung bakit natigil ‘yung concert kasi wala kayo sa ayos. Nagbatuhan pa ng mga bote pagtapos (They were so disrespectful and the environment was toxic.

It was your fault that the concert was cut short because you did not act appropriately. You guys even threw bottles after the event),” he said.

Twitter user @andrei_william, echoed the same sentiment, saying she thinks the organizers were not at fault, but it was the audience who were not “organized and well-disciplined.”

Netizen @haidsfeeling, on the other hand, tweeted, “What happened yesterday in Coke studio concert was really disappointing, but please sana (I hope) you understand na (that) it’s for your safety naman guys.”

For social media user @Iskcactus, the preparation of the artists was “wasted” because of the “ewwy attitude” the people have displayed.

On Saturday, December 8, Coca-Cola Philippines released its official statement, announcing that the concert has been moved to the first quarter of 2019 as their number one priority is “always the safety and security” of the crowd.

“The unsafe behavior of portions of an estimated 15,000 spectators such as pushing, jumping on the barricades, and throwing bottles, threatened the safety of the rest of the concert-goers, despite numerous reminders from authorities present,” it said.

The company then vowed to have a “bigger, better Coke Studio concert for everyone.”

“We will endeavor to get a venue that can accommodate more attendees.

Hopefully, we can all enjoy the upcoming concert without putting other people at risk,” it added.

The Coke Studio Concert will be moved to first quarter of 2019 to ensure the safety of all concertgoers. We apologize for the inconvenience at tulad ng sabi ni Quest, magkita-kita po muli tayo sa 2019!

COCA-COLA PHILIPPINES / FACEBOOK

Despite the cancelation, the performers, on their social media accounts,

thanked everyone who came to the event and wished for their safety. ■

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26

Lifestyle How this Tausug artist was forged in the crucible of war

BY REY-LUIS BANAGUDOS Philippine News Agency ZAMBOANGA CITY — In February 1974, the proud town of Jolo was totally burned down and bombed to oblivion.

On the eighth day of that month, hordes of Moro rebels attacked and occupied it, igniting intensive seven days of fighting before government forces retook it. Some 20,000 rebels, civilians and soldiers were killed.

Ramir Tawasil was six years old when he and his siblings fled from the battle on its first day, riding piggyback on his elder sister as they ran from their house towards the nearby town pier.

On a pumpboat, they chased a passing Japanese cargo boat, whose crew rescued them.

“From the boat, I saw Jolo burning, the bombardment,” Tawasil narrated in an interview. “I felt sad.”

The crucible of that war forged his personal mission to be a peace advocate, he surmises — rendered through his extraordinary paintings and sculptures that mainly express his Tausug culture and social tradition.

His artful advocacy achieved anew another milestone for him when he was bestowed the Peaceweaver Award by Peace Advocates Zamboanga (PAZ) last December 2, during a gala program.

The award is given annually

by PAZ and Interreligious Solidarity for Peace (ISP) during

the Mindanao Week of Peace celebration.

“When I was in primary school, I was already obsessed with drawing scenes of people, not banal trees, houses and mountains. My art teacher years later told me I once sketched a hostage taking incident by Moro rebels in Zamboanga City,” Tawasil said.

He was honored as “Artist of the Year” in the public elementary school in the city where he studied after displacement from Jolo.

He said his mother, a school teacher, took him back to Jolo to study there, where again he was named “Artist of the Year.”

Years later, he designed the PAZ logo, which features a colorful bird that has since been adopted internationally as a Muslim-Christian solidarity icon.

In his Jolo high school days, his Tausug heart and eyes began to conceptualize his unique painting style.

His eyes studied the Tausug “ukkil” patterns found in artifacts.

As he strolled the beaches, he said, the sensuous wavelets entranced him.

The flowing motions of the “pangalay” folk dance bewitched him.

Together they were used as his constant motif of his artworks.

If some European masters have their cubism, he nurtured his “Tawasilism” as his own school of art.

By the time he was in college back in Zamboanga City, first in a trade school and then the Western State University taking up architecture, he said he

was “voraciously reading about the great art masters – Picasso, Rembrandt.”

“But none of them influenced me, you cannot see their styles in my artworks,” he continued.

“I studied them only to learn the basics and principles of aesthetics,” he said. “When you master that knowledge, then you command the power of beauty in your brush strokes.”

True beauty, he said, is wherever it is found – in the environment, people, or art.

An artist, he explained, can paint a fighting scene, like the famous “Battle of Guernica,” without arousing anger and aggression in people who view it but instead experience the sense of humanity that is in all of us.

“It is what I try to do in all my artworks,” Tawasil said.

His first oil masterpiece was “The Burning of Jolo”. It shows a woman looking up in pain and anguish, carrying her little son who clutched and clawed her in fright, her dead husband by her side, bullet shells filling the ground, two bombs falling and Jolo’s workaday things burning – but almost no blood flowing.

“It is solemn,” Tawasil explained.

That sense of – and appeal for – struggling humanity and dignity is present in all his paintings. It transcends in his minor works of Tausug fish vendors proffering with closed eyes his fishes to another of his masterpiece, the historic American colonial era “Battle of Bud Dahu”.

Tawasil is a prolific painter.

He has participated in 50 art

www.canadianinquirer.net

He was honored as “Artist of the Year” in the public elementary school in the city where he studied after displacement from Jolo.

PNA

exhibits in the Philippines and some other countries, receiving several national and international awards and commendations.

Contrasting to the presentday bloody conflicts overwhelming his native Sulu, Tawasil sprung from a family background of peace-making and artful craft.

His father was a technical adviser of former President Ferdinand Marcos, responsible for negotiating for the “return to the fold of the law” of many hardcore Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) commanders.

His father was also deputy vice-governor of Sulu during the Marcos regime.

Tawasil said his father owned a prosperous fishing business operating from out of the province.

“My father was a peace builder, I inherited that consciousness from him,” he said.

“My talent and inclination for art I inherited from my mother’s father,” he said. “My grandfather loved to carve decorative figures in parts of his house, in things like the scabbard of bolos.”

Tawasil’s mother was the

thirteenth wife of his father.

“My father treated all his wives equally,” he said.

Indeed, the fruit does not fall far from the tree.

In his response upon receiving the Peaceweaver Award, he said: “Peace should not be chased by the gain of an award, but since the Interreligious Solidarity for Peace has put its trust on meto advocate peace through my art, I am humbled by this trust. Then I, and my art, shall move on to build peace to be enjoyed by all for tomorrow’s generations, as well as generations to come after shall not perish due to our neglect in building a better tomorrow for them.”

He still has dream paintings hoping to do – including one about the Jabidah massacre, the ancient trip of Sulu sultan Batara to China to visit the emperor there where he died and left a mark that survives to this day, and the recent years’ illfated raid of Sabah by the Rajah Muda of the Sulu sultanate.

As with some of his canvasses, they will be visual documentaries that once upon a time the Tausug society was prosperous and peaceful, a paradise to regain, Tawasil said. ■

Lifestyle

FRIDAY DECEMBER 14, 2018

27

Plant a tree: Milan’s ambitious plans to be cleaner, greener

BY COLLEEN BARRY The Associated Press MILAN — If Italy’s fashion capital has a predominant colour, it is grey — not only because of the blocks of neoclassical stone buildings for which the city is celebrated, but also due to its often-grey sky, which traps pollution.

But Milan now wants to shift its colour palette toward green.

The city has ambitious plans to plant 3 million new trees by 2030 — a move that experts say could offer relief from the city’s muggy, sometimes tropical weather.

Some ad-hoc projects have already contributed to environmental improvements. Projects like architect Stefano Boeri’s striking Vertical Forest residential towers, completed in 2014 near the Garibaldi train station, aim to improve not only air quality but the quality of life for Milan residents.

Boeri created a small island of greenery in the heart of Milan, his pair of high-rises brimming from every balcony with shrubs and trees that absorb carbon dioxide and PM10 particles, a pollutant with links to respiratory ailments and cancer.

“I think the theme of forestation is one of the big challenges that we have today. It is one of the most effective ways we have to fight climate change, because it is like fighting the enemy on its own field,” Boeri said. “It is effective and it is also democratic, because everyone can plant trees.”

The U.N. climate summit taking place now in Poland has urged cities and regions to help

achieve the goals of the 2015 Paris agreement on curbing global warming, which include limiting the increase in the planet’s temperature to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) this century.

Also, the World Economic Forum’s global agenda council has put extending the tree canopy among its top urban initiatives, recognizing that small-scale changes can have a major impact on urban areas, including helping to lower city temperatures, creating more comfortable microclimates and mitigating air pollution.

Milan officials estimate the program to boost the number of trees by 30 per cent in the broader metropolitan area will absorb an additional 5 million tons of carbon dioxide a year — four-fifths of the total produced

by Milan — and reduce harmful PM10 small particulates by 3,000 tons over a decade. Significantly, it would also reduce temperatures in the city by 2 degrees Celsius, they say.

Boeri said the current green canopy of the Lombard region’s capital is just 7 per cent of the urban area. That’s well below northern European cities like Germany’s Frankfurt at 21.5 per cent or Amsterdam at nearly 21 per cent. It’s closer to Paris at nearly 9 per cent, according to the World Economic Forum’s Green View Index — and the French capital itself has been battling for years to fighting rising air pollution.

By 2030, Milan hopes to increase that green canopy number to between 17 and 20 per cent.

Damiano Di Simine, the scientific co-ordinator in Lombar-

Sempione Park in Milan.

dy for the environmental group Legambiente, said potentially the biggest impact of the green Milan project will be to lower temperatures in a city where the nighttime temperature can be 6 degrees Celsius (10.8 degrees Fahrenheit) higher than in the surrounding area. City statistics show that Milan endures 35 tropical nights a year.

Because it lies close to the Alps, Milan see very little wind to clear pollutants that become blocked in by temperature inversions, where a layer of cool air is covered by a layer of warmer air.

“The lack of wind also accentuates the urban heating,” Di Simine said. “It means the discomfort from thermic inversions is terrible, because the climate is very stationary. Planting trees will help this.”

The project to make Milan

SHANICE A GARCIA / PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER

greener includes an ambitious plan to transform a disused freight railway network into a series of seven parks, with 25,000 new trees every year. It also includes planting greenery on 10 million square meters (108 million sq. feet) of flat rooftops and planting trees in 2,300 school courtyards.

Other new green spaces already inaugurated include Boeri’s Library of Trees, near the Vertical forest, which includes 450 trees and 90,000 plants on nearly 10 hectares (24 acres), including a children’s playground and a dog park.

The Fondazione Feltrinelli also plans to create a park of 3,300 square meters (35,520 sq. feet) with plantain, magnolia, cherry and pear trees near its new headquarters.

The Vertical Forest has at-

tracted more than 20 species of birds, which Boeri said they did not expect. And the shade provided by the 800 trees, 4,500 shrubs and 15,000 plants mean that the residents rarely have to put on air conditioning, even during the peak of Milan’s clammy summers. The Vertical Forest’s total greenery has the capacity to absorb 30 metric tons of carbon dioxide every year, Boeri said.

“There are also other advantages that are less measurable but I believe that the presence of green and trees has a very important effect on health and psychological state of mind, as it has been proved,” said Boeri.

The architect is taking the award-winning concept to other cities, including Paris, Nanjing in China and the Dutch city of Eindhoven. ■

Sea reefs and sunsets: Living Coral is colour of the year

BY LEANNE ITALIE The Associated Press NEW YORK — It’s the colour of underwater reefs hanging on for dear life. The sky at dusk.

Some of the latest iPhones and the latest looks on the runways of Marc Jacobs and other top fashion designers. Living Coral

has been chosen by the Pantone Color Institute as its 2019 colour of the year.

Can a colour be convivial?

Laurie Pressman, the company’s vice-president, considers this saturated orange base with a golden undertone not only warm and welcoming but versatile and life-affirming. It energizes with a softer edge than,

say, its pastel and neon colour cousins.

“With everything that’s going on today, we’re looking for those humanizing qualities because we’re seeing online life dehumanizing a lot of things,” Pressman told The Associated Press ahead of Wednesday’s annual colour unveiling. “We’re looking toward those colours www.canadianinquirer.net

that bring nourishment and the comfort and familiarity that make us feel good. It’s not too heavy. We want to play. We want to be uplifted.”

But do we want to run toward this colour of grandmothers?

Pressman also sees a retro vibe to Living Coral, in the same way a softer version of the 2018 pick, Ultra Violet, is the shade

of some grey heads when hair toners bring on a turn to purple.

“It’s the emotional nourishment. It’s a big hug,” she said of Living Coral.

How important colour analysis is when weighed against, well, the rest of the world is in the eye of the beholder. Pan❱❱ PAGE 28 Sea reefs

28

Lifestyle

DECEMBER 14, 2018

FRIDAY

Cannabis experts on tackling weed infused nibbles for the first time

BY CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI The Canadian Press TORONTO — Gingerbread men are a seasonal staple but the spiced treats by Vanessa Labrecque this year will be special: They’ll be infused with cannabis.

The avid baker says she’ll be whipping up a batch of herbspiked cookies for a special Christmas edition of her cooking-with-cannabis class in honour of Canada’s first festive season post-legalization.

The popular cookie is a good candidate for such non-traditional experimentation, she says, because they are relatively easy to make and the myriad of spices help mask the flavour of weed.

“It’s a traditional thing and people like making them because you can decorate them,” adds Labrecque, who co-runs the Cannabis Cooking Company in downtown Toronto.

Gingerbread cookies can also be customized to an individual’s weed tolerance, she adds.

The advent of legal recreational marijuana is tempting more and more people to try the drug by incorporating it into their food, say Labrecque and others who have noticed a spike in queries about how to make so-called edibles.

Ontario cookbook author Pat Crocker says eating weed is a healthier option than smoking weed, which can expose the throat and lungs to the same harmful effects of smoking to-

bacco.

She and Ellen Novack released a cannabis-themed book “Healing Cannabis Edibles” in late September just before legalization. Although it’s only found in small independent bookstores and at wellness conventions, she says interest among retailers and buyers is so strong “it just sells itself.”

“One little corner store here in Neustadt, Ont., (a) village of 400 souls, has sold 30 copies,” says Crocker, who also sells the book online.

“It makes you think twice about your neighbours. What’s behind all those hedges?” she says laughing.

Crocker’s recipes focus on nibbles that highlight weed’s purported therapeutic properties to ease pain, sleep difficulty and inflammation.

She started cooking with cannabis in August 2017 to help her husband cope with back pain. A year later, she says he’s replaced the opioids he once took with a medical cannabis strain high in a much-touted compound known as cannabidiol, or CBD. Cooking with cannabis is a multi-step process that involves sourcing the specific strain that promises the uplifting or sedative effect you’re after, preparing the cannabis through a process called decarboxylation in which heat is used to activate key compounds, and then using the weed to infuse a fat to be used in the recipe — such as olive oil or butter.

Then there are the precise measurements and calcula-

tions used to make sure the resulting cooked portions contain predictable amounts of the psychoactive-inducing property tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC. Crocker prefers to prepare dishes that can be easily portioned, relying on muffin tins, ice cream scoops, measuring cups and rulers to keep servings consistent. She uses a food processor to ensure a thorough mix of ingredients.

“You want to be precise, you don’t want any surprises,” says Crocker, whose book includes a chart that shows how much cannabis at various THC percentages to use with the fat carrier.

“I’ve seen people make soups and stews and whole chickens.

How do you know what each person is getting? It’s really difficult.”

When serving new users, she suggests erring on the side of caution by serving edibles that fall below her recommended limit of 10 milligrams of THC per serving — “start low and go slow” is the cannabis mantra she echoes for edible newbies.

Those who are unsure whether cannabis is for them should consult a health-care professional.

The difficulty with edibles is that it can take hours for the impact to be felt, adds cannabis expert Jeff Danzer, known professionally as Jeff the 420 Chef.

As a result, some people might be tempted to have a second or even a third serving, says the L.A. chef, who will make

It’s a colour that seems to work for everybody, across the gender spectrum in apparel and across segments, from art and housewares to home interiors and industrial design.

The colour also points to a long and often painful slog over the last decade or so through financial market scares and political crises to environmental chaos and the rise of social media, where saturated colour presides, Pressman said.

“We’re seeing so much more saturated colour,” she said.

“That’s the influence of social media because people want things to stand out. This is definitely a colour you see on social media.”

Living Coral is vivifying, but it’s “not so overpowering and in your face,” she said. “It’s bright enough, and engaging.”

Officially, Living Coral is Pantone 16-1546. Ever wonder what those Pantone numbers are all about? Well, they’re broken into three pairs and refer to a colour’s level of lightness, hue and “chroma,” on various scales.

Cannabis-infused brownies. @CANNABISCOOKINGCO / INSTAGRAM

extra identical dishes without cannabis for those looking to nosh.

“It’s a longer-lasting high, it’s a creeper of a high depending on how you do it,” says Danzer, a caterer and instructor.

He also limits meals to 10 mg of edible THC and describes his approach as “layered microdosing.”

“We’ll start out with something that’s maybe 3 mg but everything else that’s infused in that meal is going to be 1 to 2 mg. So by the time you’re done with the meal you’ve got 10 mg.”

Some dishes, like his watermelon gazpacho, demand individual dosing to be sure each serving is consistent: “Every single watermelon gazpacho gets five drops of canna-oil and I’m very meticulous about that,” explains Danzer, who details his technique in the book,

“The 420 Gourmet.”

He also asks about guests’ cannabis tolerance, makes sure they have alternate transportation home and cautions against alcohol use during the meal.

Labrecque says she’s been inundated with cooks wanting to use cannabis since she began offering weekly classes Oct. 26.

“We have to turn people away, actually,” says Labrecque, who has 14 spots per class, held twice on Saturdays.

Two holiday-themed classes set for Dec. 22 are almost sold out, she adds.

“We have pastry chefs and chefs that have been cooking for years and years, we have people who have never smoked or eaten cannabis before. We have older people … we have younger people. Everybody just wants to be educated.” ■

What, you ask, is chroma? It’s a description that combines hue and saturation. A set of letters after the numbers indicate the material or substance upon which the colour was printed or otherwise placed, such as dyed cotton or paper.

Coming up with such colour standards is one of those other things Pantone does when it’s not announcing colours of the year.

Before Ultra Violet was chosen for 2018, there was Greenery the year before. In 2016,

Pantone picked a duo for the first time: Serenity (a baby blue) and Rose Quartz (a light pink).

The selection process spans the year. Pantone’s experts travel the world in search of colour influences that gained momentum, from the entertainment industry and travelling art collections to fashion and beauty trends, travel destinations and specialty shows for design and decor. ■

Sea reefs... ❰❰ 27

tone is a for-profit enterprise that forecasts colour trends, analyzes the psychology of colour and advises companies on colour for product packaging and brand identity. Its wares come with price tags, but nearly 20 years of choosing colours of the year has been a useful marketing strategy and free, free, free.

Living Coral is ascending, Pressman said, at a time when bleaching due to climate change continues to rob actual coral reefs of their rainbows.

www.canadianinquirer.net

29

Sports Alyssa Valdez hailed PVL 2018 MVP

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer FORMER ATENEO Lady Eagle and proud Batangeño, twentyfive-year-old Alyssa Valdez makes her Creamline teammates proud as she bagged the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in the 2018 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Open Conference.

This is the fifth time Valdez gets recognition for MVP, the most of any player since 2004’s Shakey’s V-League. Alyssa also previously won the inaugural Reinforced Conference MVP last year and the year before that, as well as 2015 Collegiate Conference MVP and 2015

Open Conference MVP. Last Saturday, December 8 was also significant for Valdez as her team won Season 2 of the Open Conference over opponents Ateneo-Motolite, taking home the crown for the second year in a row under the leadership of head coach Tai Bundit.

The sets ended 25-20, 25-20, and 25-15, the Cool Smashers rallying from a six-point hole in the opening set and escaping with the win in game two for the best-of-three series.

For the 2018 PVL Open Conference, Valdez’s records show the spiker scoring a total of 280 points from 231 kills, 24 aces, and 15 blocks within 14 double round-robin elimination games. She also provided

Alyssa Valdez with coach Anusort Bundit.

40.38% efficiency of attacks for the Cool Smashers, as well as a floor defense of 3.50 digs per

Azkals lose shot at Suzuki Cup title after second loss to Vietnam in semis

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer IT WAS an unsuccessful night for the Philippine Azkals as they exit out of the running into the AFF Suzuki Cup finals after surrendering to Team Vietnam last Thursday, December 6 at the My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi.

The score ended at 2-1 with the game goalless in the first 82 minutes. However, on the 83rd minute, Quang Hai fired with an easy goal that excited their Vietnamese home crowd.

Soon after, “Vietnam’s Messi” Nguyen Cong Phuong, decided he was not going to disappoint The Golden Dragons’ supporters and came out with his own shot at the 86th-minute mark.

The Philippines tried to answer back, with substitute James Younghusband converting a corner kick into a penalty shot success, but it was not enough for them to receive that “miracle in Hanoi” that the Azkals had been hoping for, referring to the last time the team beat Vietnam in 2010. For Team

@ALYSSA_VALDEZ2 / INSTAGRAM

frame. This, in turn, resulted in Valdez’s second award besides MVP, which is first best outside

Zoleta, Rogan pocket PCA Open women’s doubles title

BY JEAN MALANUM Philippine News Agency

The Philippine Azkals.

Philippines it was difficult from the beginning as their 18man lineup was down by two with midfielder Manny Ott and keeper Michael Falkesgaard both injured.

Team captain Phil Younghusband shared, “It’s not easy for everyone and I think that everyone showed how hard they’ll fight for the team, fight for the Philippines,” when referring to the fourth time the Philippine representatives missed their chance at a finals appearance. The official Azkals Facebook page added, “It

@THEAZKALS / INSTAGRAM

wasn’t meant to be for our boys.

We bow out of the Suzuki Cup, 4-2 on aggregate.”

Besides winning their 14th game in a row on their home court, Team Vietnam is now preparing themselves to compete against Malaysia for the tournament’s finale. The first game is happening on December 11 at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur.

For Team Philippines, coach Sven-Goran Erikkson officially closes his first run with Azkals as head of the coaching staff. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

spiker.

During the awarding ceremony held at the Batangas City Sports Coliseum last Saturday, Valdez’s teammate Jema Galanza was recognized as well for second best outside spiker, while fellow Lady Eagle Maddie Madayag represented Motolite as first best middle blocker.

BanKo’s Kathy Bersola followed her as second best middle blocker.

Completing the list of awardees are Creamline playmaker Jia Morado, who received third most setter and finals MVP, Petro Gazz’s Cienne Cruz for best libero, and Ateneo-Motolite’s Kat Tolontino was the best opposite spiker. ■

MANILA – Fourth seeds Bambi Zoleta and Aileen Rogan downed top seeds Cristine and Clarice Patrimonio, 2-6, 6-4, 10-8, to capture the women’s doubles title in the 37th Philippine Columbian Association (PCA) Open Tennis Championships at the PCA indoor shell court in Paco on Saturday.

Playing in their fourth tournament this year, Zoleta and Rogan fought back to take the second set and maintained their composure in the super tie-break set en route to victory.

“We did not expect to win because they (Patrimonio siblings) are playing well in the first set. It’s a good thing that we were able to level up in the second set and outplayed them in the tie-breaker,” said the 26-year-old Zoleta, a former national player who now works at the sports and recreation de-

partment of Shang-rila Hotel at the Fort.

Rogan, who serves as coach of Brent International School in Mamplasan,Binan, Laguna, described her partnership with Zoleta as perfect.

Meanwhile, top seeds Francis Casey Alcantara and Jose Antonio Tria won the men’s doubles title after posting a 7-6 (4), 5-7, 10-8 victory over second seeds Johnny Arcilla and Ronald Joven.

“It was tough match and we’re happy to win,” said the Alcantara, who is now No. 257 in the world’s doubles rankings.

“I am also happy that my partner is an upcoming junior player and I hope that I will be able to help him improve his game,” said Alcantara, who teamed up with Tria for the first time.

Alcantara, who saw action in the Asian Games last August, has just returned to the country. He was away for almost two months, competing in Thailand and Vietnam. ■

30

Business Altria invests $2.4 billion for 45% stake in Canadian cannabis producer Cronos

BY ARMINA LIGAYA The Canadian Press

Group’s excellent management team has built capabilities necessary to compete globally, and we look forward to helping Cronos Group realize its significant growth potential,” he said in a statement.

Shares of Cronos surged as much as 33 per cent to $18.56 on the Toronto Stock Exchange from its $13.98 closing price on Thursday. The stock closed at $17.06, up 22 per cent.

Canada on Oct. 17 became the second country in the world to legalize pot for recreational use. Several U.S. states have legalized cannabis for medical or recreational use, but pot remains illegal under federal law.

However, the political climate south of the border has been warming up to cannabis.

as e-cigarettes and, now, pot.

The Marlboro maker’s $2.4 billion bet on Cronos is by far the largest move by Big ToTORONTO — Marlboro maker bacco into cannabis, and bodes Altria Group Inc. will invest well for the overall sector, said $2.4 billion in Canadian cannaMartin Landry, an analyst with bis producer Cronos Group Inc. GMP Securities.

— marking a major foray by Big “When you look at the comTobacco into the pot sector — as mitment that Altria makes, the global market for weed conthey’re obviously looking at tinues to grow. the sector for the next 10 to 20 The Virginia-based parent of years. And they’re seeing a ton the company behind Marlboro, of growth,” he said in an interParliament and other cigarette view. brands will acquire a 45-perAltria’s bet on Cronos could cent ownership stake in Cronos also prompt more similar deals with the initial investment, anin the sector, he added. nounced Friday.

The deal is a “big endorseAltria can also invest up to a ment” for Cronos and is “reasfurther $1.4 billion within four suring” for the industry, amid years that would increase its rising concerns that pot comownership stake in the Toronpanies’ valuations may be too to-based pot prolofty, Landry ducer to 55 per said. cent under the Many stocks arrangement. in the volatile “Altria brings When you look at the commitment sector were up scale, expertise that Altria makes, they’re obviously on Friday afand complilooking at the sector for the next ter the deal was mentary capa10 to 20 years. And they’re seeing announced. bilities… that we a ton of growth.

Pot producer believe will enCanopy Growth able us to expand Corp’s shares in the scope and Toronto rose 3.5 enhance the scale of our com- For example, legislation that per cent to close at $41.75. Aupany,” said Mike Gorenstein, would allow for the full legal- rora Cannabis Inc.’s stock rose chairman, president and chief ization of industrial hemp in 7.8 per cent to close at $7.60 afexecutive officer of Cronos on a the U.S. and ease restrictions on ter it announced a new supply call with analysts Friday. the cannabis compound CBD deal to Mexico.

Cronos will remain a Cana- is working its way through the The value of publicly-traded dian company, headquartered U.S. legislative process.

Canadian cannabis companies in Toronto, Gorenstein said.

During the U.S. midterm had soared leading up to Oct. 17, As part of the agreement, elections, Michigan became the when sales of cannabis became Altria will have the right to latest state to approval the le- legal under rules and regulanominate four directors to the galization of recreational can- tions established by Ottawa and Cronos board, which will be ex- nabis and Utah and Missouri the provinces. panded to seven members from approved the drug for medical Major pot stocks have genfive. purposes. erally pulled back from their Altria’s investment in CroAs well, the number of coun- highs in recent weeks amid renos as its exclusive partner in tries that have legalized medi- ports of supply shortages and the emerging global cannabis cal cannabis continues to grow, complications with the sales category represents an “excit- with South Korea among the process under the new regime. ing new growth opportunity” latest to give the green light.

However, the global cannabis for the company, said its chairAnd as global cigarette con- opportunity remains “large and man and chief executive officer sumption continues to decline, untapped,” said Vivien Azer, an Howard Willard.

Big Tobacco has been looking “We believe that Cronos for new areas for growth such ❱❱ PAGE 20 Altria invests www.canadianinquirer.net

BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS / FACEBOOK

PH T-bill rates rise anew on hopes of steady BSP rates

BY JOANN VILLANUEVA Philippine News Agency MANILA — The strong demand for Philippine governmentissued Treasury bills (T-bills) continues to push its rates up on a weekly basis, with this week not being an exemption.

Rate of the benchmark 91day paper rose to 5.394 percent from 5.350 percent during the auction last December 3.

The Bureau of the Treasury (BTr) made a full award of PHP4 billion after bids were nearly twice at PHP7.65 billion.

Average rate of the 181day paper inched up to 6.344 percent from 6.305 percent last week. Tenders reached PHP8.525 billion, more than the PHP5 billion offering. The auction committee also made a full award for this tenor.

Rate of the 364-day T-bill increased to 6.585 percent from 6.507 percent in the previous auction.

Bids amounted to PHP7.374 billion, higher than the PHP6 billion offering. This tenor was also fully awarded.

National Treasurer Rosalia de Leon told reporters after the auction that results for the debt paper’s sale remain good.

“We see also that rates have continued to narrow given the

expectation that BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas) might take a pause,” she said.

BSP’s policy-making Monetary Board (MB) will have its eighth and last rate setting meet on Thursday, December 13.

The Board has hiked the BSP’s key policy rates by a total of 175 basis points this year to help manage inflation expectations following upticks due to, among others, the global oil price increases to above USD80 per barrel last October and the domestic supply constraints of rice, fish, meat and vegetables.

However, inflation has since tapered off after peaking at 6.7 percent last September-October, due partly to government measures aimed at boosting the supply of agricultural products available in the market.

Thus, authorities expect inflation to go back to within target levels of two to four percent in 2019.

This is also the reason why most market players expect the BSP to keep key rates steady during their rate setting meet this week.

De Leon also noted that the Federal Reserve has taken on a more dovish stance lately in response to trade tensions and expectations of slower global growth in coming months. ■

Business

FRIDAY DECEMBER 14, 2018

31

GM battle government to retain tax credit for electric cars

BY RICHARD LARDNER The Associated Press WASHINGTON — General Motors is fighting to retain a valuable tax credit for electric vehicles as the nation’s largest automaker tries to deal with the political fallout triggered by its plans to shutter several U.S. factories and shed thousands of workers.

Preserving the $7,500 tax incentive for buyers is crucial for GM as the company pivots from internal combustion engines in favour of building cars powered by batteries or hydrogen fuel cells. Yet the layoffs and plant closings could imperil GM’s push to keep the incentive. It helps make plug-ins such as the $36,000 Chevy Bolt more affordable at a time when competition from other electric vehicle makers is heating up.

GM faces opposition from President Donald Trump and other Republicans who consider the credit a waste of taxpayer money and want it eliminated. Trump, who has pledged a manufacturing rebirth in the Midwest, reacted angrily to GM’s “transformation “ announcement late last month, declaring that his administration was “looking at cutting all GM subsidies, including for electric cars.”

The company already is on the verge of being phased out of the tax credit program unless Congress changes a law that caps the break at 200,000 vehicles per manufacturer.

Without the incentive, GM may be forced to cut the price of its

electric cars to keep prospective customers from taking their business elsewhere, according to automotive industry experts.

As evidence of the credit’s importance to GM’s future, the automaker has expanded its lobbying footprint in Washington and even joined forces with two rivals, Tesla and Nissan, to call for 200,000-vehicle limit to be scrapped.

Standing in the way of that goal is Sen. John Barrasso, RWyo., the chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Barrasso introduced legislation in October to abolish the tax credit, a move he said would save about $20 billion over the next 10 years.

He has argued the market for electric vehicles is already established and “no longer needs the crutch of government assistance.”

“The idea of the subsidies had to do with trying to make sure that electric vehicles would be a viable technology,” Barrasso said. “Well, that’s clearly there.”

The tax credit came up briefly during a private meeting on Wednesday between Ohio’s senators, Republican Rob Portman and Democrat Sherrod Brown, and GM chief executive Mary Barra, according to a congressional aide familiar with the conversation. As part of the restructuring, GM said it will stop making the Chevy Cruze at its Lordstown, Ohio, plant by March and is considering closing the plant for good.

Portman told Barra that it’s difficult to help with priorities such as the electric vehicle

General Motors.

credit when GM is moving production out of Ohio, according to the aide, who was not authorized to publicly discuss the private conversation and spoke on condition of anonymity.

One of the lobbyists working to salvage the credit for GM is Kent Hance, a former chancellor of Texas Tech University who is well connected in GOP circles, according to his online profile . Hance lists his role as a fundraiser for the campaigns of outgoing House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and others. He has known Rick Perry, the energy secretary and former Texas governor, for nearly 30 years.

GM in early August named a former Trump White House official, Everett Eissenstat, its senior vice-president for global public policy, a post that oversees the company’s lobbying operations. Eissenstat, however, is not registered as a lob-

DENISE KAPPA/SHUTTERSTOCK

byist, according to disclosure records filed with Congress.

Before coming to GM, he was Trump’s deputy assistant for international economic affairs.

Under federal law, the $7,500 credit for buyers begins to phase out after a manufacturer has sold 200,000 qualifying electric vehicles. GM has estimated it will hit that threshold by the end of December, just as the Bolt will be facing new and potentially stiff competition.

Sam Abuelsamid, a senior analyst at Navigant Research, said Hyundai and Kia each will be selling compact SUVs in the U.S. beginning early next year that can travel 240 miles on a single battery charge, about the same as the Bolt. Ford will be launching a number of new plug-in hybrid models in 2019, including the Lincoln Aviator, Explorer and Escape.

“With the intensifying market shift away from cars to utility vehicles all of these are expected to be more popular than the Bolt,” Abuelsamid said. To

remain competitive against the new entries, “GM will likely have to cut the (retail price) of the Bolt as well as any additional EVs they launch next year by the corresponding reduction in the tax credits,” he said.

Karl Brauer, executive publisher of Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, said the credit is “hugely important” to electric vehicle manufacturers. Lowering the up-front cost of the vehicle typically plays a significant role in sales, he said, citing surveys that show more consumers would buy electric vehicles if the cars were affordably priced.

GM joined forces with Tesla and Nissan as well as several consumer and environmental groups to broaden its lobbying push even further. The EV Drive Coalition, which was launched in November, urged lawmakers in an open letter last week to put a provision in the must-pass government spend❱❱ PAGE 33 GM battle

GDP to take a hit from reenacted budget

BY JOANN VILLANUEVA Philippine News Agency MANILA — An estimated 1.1 to 2.3 percentage points is expected to be shaved off the Philippines’ gross domestic product (GDP) next year if government is forced to operate on a re-enacted budget in 2019.

An assessment by the government’s economic team released

Monday showed that domestic output, which is targeted to grow by at least seven percent from 2019-22 may only grow between 4.7-5.9 percent next year should Congress fail to pass a new budget.

Approval of the proposed PHP3.757 trillion-national budget is still uncertain as some legislators continue to question some items.

This year, the government is

working on a budget amounting to PHP 3.767 trillion.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) estimates that disbursement will be cut by PHP219.8 billion if budget is re-enacted next year.

Under a re-enacted budget, disbursement will only amount to PHP3.526 trillion, lower than the 2019 baseline of PHP3.746 trillion.

Bulk of these, amounting to www.canadianinquirer.net

PHP1.126 trillion will be allocated for Personnel Services (PS), and will be followed by the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses (MOOE), PHP552.555 billion, Capital Outlays (CO), PHP700.294 billion; and Subsidy, PHP157.127 billion.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), in turn, estimates that employment might be lower by

as much as 600,000 if the budget is re-enacted.

Affected sectors might include construction, public administration and defense, wholesale and retail, land transportation, and education.

The government report also indicated that some 200,000400,000 individuals may be pushed deeper into poverty if the government works on a reenacted budget. ■

32

Technology 4 tech tasks to keep your parents safer online

BY LIZ WESTON The Associated Press ALL OF us are vulnerable to fraud. But the ways some older people use technology can put them at higher risk.

That’s where you come in.

When you’re home for the holidays, or the next time you visit your folks, offer to help with a few tasks that can keep your parents safer online.

Check privacy settings

Identity thieves glean details from social media accounts that they can use to impersonate others. Unfortunately, many people have no idea how much information they’re exposing to the world.

“If you’ve never changed your Facebook privacy settings, everything you post can be seen by everyone,” says Doug Shadel, AARP’s lead researcher on consumer fraud and author of “Outsmarting the Scam Artists.”

Your mom may love the birthday greetings on her special day, for example.

But publicly posting birthdates, full names, addresses, relationship status, hometowns and other key details just makes it easier for someone else to answer security questions that give access to Mom’s accounts, Shadel says.

Facebook offers a privacy checkup link, accessible via the question mark at the top of every page, that allows people to

quickly adjust some of their settings. Also show your folks how to access their privacy settings from the drop-down menu to the right of the question mark.

Then, tackle any other social media sites they use. If you’re not sure where the privacy settings are or what to change, search the site’s name plus “privacy settings.”

Boost login security

Security experts say it’s essential to: • U s e

strong passwords of eight characters or more.

• Never reuse passwords.

• Add two-factor authentication when possible.

People older than 65 are actually less likely to reuse passwords than younger people, an AARP survey found. Only 36 per cent of the older crowd use the same password on more

than one site, compared with 55 per cent of those ages 18 to 49.

That may be because older people have fewer accounts to keep track of, Shadel says. Anyone who has more than a handful of passwords quickly realizes how hard it is to keep track of them all. To stay safe, Shadel recommends people use password managers such as LastPass or 1Password to ensure they’re using strong unique passwords, particularly for financial and email accounts.

Not all security experts are con-

vinced that password managers are the solution. For example, Avivah Litan, distinguished analyst at business research firm Gartner, worries about trusting any one company to guard your information. She suggests other methods, such as writing down passwords in disguised form that only the user can translate.

Even strong passwords can be hacked, though, so Litan

www.canadianinquirer.net

also suggests people help their parents add two-factor authentication to their important accounts. With this protection, they typically will be texted codes to use in addition to their passwords.

“It really raises the bar,” she says. “It’s much harder for criminal to hack into their account.”

Set up online access and alerts

Only one-third of people older than 65 have online access to all of their financial accounts, the AARP survey found. People should have

that access so that they can monitor their accounts for fraudulent activity, Shadel says. Weekly check-ins are a good goal; Shadel says he checks his bank account and credit card activity daily.

“A lot can happen in the 30 days you’re waiting for that statement,” Shadel says.

Once your parents have online access, show them how to

set up account alerts that will notify them via email or text of unusual activity, large transactions and other noteworthy events that could indicate fraud.

Help freeze their credit

After the massive 2017 data breach at Equifax, one of the three big credit reporting agencies, security experts recommended consumers freeze their credit reports at all three credit bureaus. Credit freezes prevent potential lenders from accessing those credit reports, making it harder for identity thieves to open up new accounts.

Unfortunately, only 14 per cent of adults have set up those freezes, even though they are free, Shadel says.

It’s also free to temporarily lift a freeze, so consumers can apply for new credit when they want it.

You can help your parents set up freezes and find a secure place to store the log-in credentials or PINs they’ll need for any thaws.

These methods aren’t foolproof. The aim is to be just difficult enough to victimize that the fraudsters move on to the next target.

“If you put up any resistance at all, your chances of being a victim go way down,” Shadel says. ■

Technology

FRIDAY DECEMBER 14, 2018

33

Google accelerates BlackBerry unveils secure Plus closure after smart city service as CEO another privacy lapse opens up about big tech

BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE The Associated Press

pany’s business model relies on it being seen as a trustworthy guardian of the personal information it collects about the SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Google is billions of people who use its still having trouble protecting search engine, Gmail, Chrome the personal information on browser, maps, and Android its Plus service, prodding the software for smartphones. company to accelerate its plans Like Facebook, Google makes to shut down a little-used social most of its money by selling ads network created to compete that draw upon what the comagainst Facebook. pany learns about the interests, A privacy flaw that inad- habits and locations of people vertently exposed the names, while they’re using its free seremail addresses, ages and other vices. personal information of 52.5 Google’s privacy issues on million Google Plus users last Plus are likely to be a topic month convinced Google to that U.S. lawmakers delve into close the service in April in- Tuesday, when company CEO stead of August, as previously Sundar Pichai is scheduled to announced. Google revealed appear before a House committhe new closure tee. Pichai’s apdate and its latpearance comes est privacy lapse more than three in a Monday blog months after he post . turned down an It’s the secGoogle invitation to tesond time in two moved more tify in August, months that quickly to to the consterGoogle has disown up to nation of some closed the existhe most lawmakers. tence of a probrecent privacy Some members lem that enabled problem on of Congress are unauthorized Plus. now mulling access to Plus whether tougher profiles. In Octoregulations to ber, the company curb the power a c k n ow l e d g e d of Google, Facefinding a privacy flaw affect- book and other technology ing 500,000 Plus users that it companies are needed in adwaited more than six months to dition demanding tighter condisclose. trols over digital privacy.

Google moved more quickly Facebook has had even more to own up to the most recent trouble guarding the personal privacy problem on Plus. This information that it scoops up time around, the names, email on its social networking service, addresses, ages and other per- which now has more than 2.2 sonal information of the af- billion users. The most glaring fected Plus users were exposed breakdown emerged in March for six days in November before when Facebook acknowledged it was fixed. No financial in- the personal information of as formation or passwords were many as 87 million of its users visible to intruders, according had been shared with Camto Google. The company also bridge Analytica, a data mining said it hasn’t seen evidence in- firm affiliated with President dicating that unauthorized us- Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. ers who accessed Plus through The desire to peer into peothe inadvertent peephole have ple’s lives is one of the reasons missed used any of the personal that Google launched Plus in information.

2011. It was supposed to be a Even if the latest privacy challenger to Facebook’s social gaffe on Plus didn’t cause any network, but Plus turned into a major damage, it nevertheless digital ghost town that Google marks another embarrassing began to de-emphasize several incident for Google. The com- years ago. ■

BY TARA DESCHAMPS The Canadian Press BLACKBERRY INC. is making a play to integrate itself into smart cities and vehicles.

The Waterloo, Ont.-based technology company announced Monday that it has built a new service to provide infrastructure for vehicles and traffic lights to exchange information securely.

BlackBerry will waive the service fees for the product for automakers and public offices involved in smart city and connected vehicle pilots because it says the offering is necessary to ensure users can trust the validity of information received from other systems.

The service will first be used in conjunction with Invest Ottawa, which will use it for a 16-kilometre road autonomous vehicle test track resembling a miniature city, complete with pavement markings, traffic lights, stop signs and pedestrian crosswalks.

Speaking at a conference in Toronto, BlackBerry chief executive John Chen denied the service was meant to target Google, whose sister company Sidewalk Labs has been marred in controversy over its proposal to build a smart city in Toronto.

“I think we are doing things they would rather not do for free,” Chen said without elaborating around what those things are.

FARAWAYS / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

“We just want to secure communications. We want to let people control their own privacy, and the level and degree, so that when you decide you want to share… it is your explicit consent to share.”

Asked if technology companies rivalling BlackBerry are already too big to be reined in, especially when it comes to data and privacy, Chen said no.

“But if you cut off their ability to gather more data, then their data becomes stale, then the very big become meaningless,” he said.

Dealing with them, needs to be a public-private policy issue and can’t be one-sided, he added.

He has seen a “very big gap” between when technology becomes pervasive and when “policy people” enter discus-

sions and raise concerns.

However, he said, “the gap needs to be minimized quite dramatically, but we shouldn’t let government policy drive technology.”

He called on Canada to adopt a better set of policies around data privacy and for individuals to think more carefully around how their data is used and their privacy can be compromised.

He pointed to mobile phones as an example, admitting he hasn’t turned the GPS on his BlackBerry “for obvious reasons.”

“Occasionally I can’t find my phone and I wish I had turned on GPS,” he said.

“I don’t want to know where the closest gas station is and I don’t want to give up my location, my private data for knowing where the gas stations are.” ■

tomaker backs a specific piece of legislation that would remove the cap.

“We believe an important part of reaching a zero emissions future and establishing the U.S. as the leader in electrification is to continue to provide a federal tax credit to help make electric vehicles more affordable for all customers,” Ginivan said in an email.

In addition to GM’s in-house lobbyists, four lobbyists from Hance Scarborough, the Austin,

Texas-based firm that Hance founded in 1994, are working on GM’s behalf, including Hance, according to disclosure records.

GM also contracted with two other lobbying firms earlier this year to focus on electric and automated vehicle issues: the Polaris-Hutton Group and the DS2 Group. A fourth firm, the S-3 Group, was hired by GM in 2014 and earlier this year added the tax credit to its portfolio of lobbying issues. ■

GM battle... ❰❰ 31

ing bill that does away with the 200,000-car limit.

“Eliminating the per-rmanufacturer cap will level the playing field for all EV manufacturers and spur innovation among domestic manufacturers, ensuring America’s leadership in the hyper-competitive, global auto market,” the coalition said.

Jeannine Ginivan, a GM spokeswoman, said the tax credit should be modified but declined to say whether the auwww.canadianinquirer.net

DECEMBER 14, 2018

34

CANADA

A reputed fast growing Plumbing & Heating company is Hiring full time Licensed Plumbers and Registered Apprentice.

Desired Qualification minimum 5 years for Plumber minimum 3 years for Apprentice G License with clean Driving record.

Interested candidates are requested to send their Resume at

km.ali@senergyheating.com

NANNY/BABYSITTER

LOCATION: BRAMPTON Employer: Romelo Perez for 2 children (15 & 11 y.o.), Mon-Fri, $14/hr for 40 hrs/wk. 3 year-contract Requirements: LanguageEnglish. Education- Completion of secondary school (min.)

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.

APPLY BY EMAIL: melo.perez@outlook.com

AMP PROMATIC IS LOOKING FOR PRODUCTION WORKERS Sheet metal manufacturing company is looking to hire workers with some experience on metal cutting machines, plus general labor.

If you don’t have experience but are hard worker we will train and will offer you good wages.

This can be a full-time or part-time position and we are located in Vaughan, Hwy 7 and Weston Rd.

Contact: Walter at 416-991-1007 or send e-mail ampincwf@gmail.com

HIRING FOR 8 TIM HORTON STORES IN VANCOUVER Food Service Supervisors, Bakers, and Food Counter Attendants Permanent/Full Time. 6 mos.to 2 yrs. experience Salary range $13.00 to $14.70 per hour + benefits Willing to work shifts; Spoken English knowledge Anyone who is authorized to work in Canada can apply.

Send application w/complete work history and references to:

fmellin10@gmail.com

HIRING LUCKY SUPERMARKET 10628 King George Blvd, Surrey B.C is hiring all positions such as: store manager, grocery manager, produce manager, office administration, file maintenance clerk, head cashier, cook, BBQ chef, meat cutter, baker, bakery clerk, grocery clerk, frozen clerk, meat clerk, produce clerk, cashier, truck driver and kitchen helper.

Please email resume to: hrsurrey@luckysupermarket.ca

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

Spectrum Health Care is Hiring

Personal Support Workers who want more!

More hours Benefits plus pension $500 Signing Bonus Learn more at www.spectrumhealthcare.com

www.canadianinquirer.net

35

Travel Newly discovered cave in B.C. park might be the largest in Canada

BY HINA ALAM The Canadian Press VANCOUVER — A newly discovered cave in a remote valley in British Columbia’s Wells Gray Provincial Park might just be the country’s largest.

The feature was spotted by a helicopter crew from the province’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in March, when they were conducting a caribou census through the northeastern part of the park.

Geologist Catherine Hickson, who first went to the cave in September, said the discovery promises a dramatic new chapter in the story of Canadian cave exploration.

“It was absolutely amazing,” she said.

“I immediately recognized that this was very significant.”

Before making the trip, Hickson and fellow researchers including John Pollack, a cave expert, spent months studying satellite imagery and rocks in the area, she said.

The entrance pit to the cave is about 100 metres long and 60 metres wide, and while its depth is hard to measure because of the mist from a waterfall, initial examinations show it is at least 135 metres deep.

“It’s about the size of a soccer field,” Hickson said. “So, if you think of a soccer field and you put that soccer field on its end so you have this pit going down.

Think about this giant circular or oval hole that just goes down and down and down. It is truly amazing.”

The cave is the largest known of its type, a variety of “striped karst,” which is marble interspersed with other types of ancient ocean rock, she said.

“It’s in an area where this size of a cave is unusual,” she said. “It’s an important landmark — an important feature for Canadians to be proud about.”

The people who first spotted the cave from the helicopter named it Sarlacc’s Pit, because of its similarity to the lair of Sarlacc, a creature from “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.”

But a formal naming of the cave will happen after consultations with First Nations, she said.

The feature was formed underneath glaciers for potentially tens of thousands of years, so there is no way of knowing the real age of the cave right away, Hickson said.

“Right now, because of the recession of the glaciers, it is open to the sky,” she said, adding that as ice retreats from the landscape due to climate change, more such features might be discovered.

Caves support a very unique ecosystem because they are dark so the flora and fauna living in such areas are acclimatized to those conditions, Hickson said.

With this cave, the flowing water is at such a rapid rate that it may not allow many creatures to call the area home but

Wells Gray Provincial Park.

further research is needed, she said.

Although the cave is in a remote, rugged valley covered with snow and ice for a greater part of the year, Hickson said researchers are keeping the exact location a secret so as to preserve the unique area.

Hickson said further investigations and research of the cave and its unique geography will likely be carried out in

2020, depending on funding.

“We think everything is known and everything has been discovered, but here’s a major discovery that is made in today’s world and likely has never been seen before and certainly not explored before,” she said.

“It’s just a message that there is still stuff out there yet to do and yet to be discovered.” ■

DOT launches ‘Kain Na!’ in Calabarzon

BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Friday launched the Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon (Calabarzon) leg of the country’s culinary tourism project, “Kain Na!” (Let’s Eat!).

Poised to introduce the specialties, as well as new dishes that mostly highlight the region’s rich coconut produce, Chef Kenneth Degracia of the Costales Nature Farm in Laguna, is confident that “Kain Na!” will jumpstart the culinary tourism of Calabarzon.

“I believe that the region has a very rich culinary heritage. The people are very passionate about it and are very much willing to offer their dishes to anybody who will visit,” Degracia said in an interview.

“Apart from the natural features and the existing tourist destinations in Calabarzon, food is what will promote the region and boost its tourist arrivals,” he added.

At a degustacion dinner, chefs, including Degracia, showcased their culinary art wedded with ingredients that best identify the provinces of Calabarzon.

Most of them were cooked with coconut ❱❱ PAGE 38 DOT launches

# 1 7 9 - 8 1 3 8 1 2 8 S t r e e t S u r r e y, B C

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36

Travel

DECEMBER 14, 2018

FRIDAY

Cubans fly around the world hunting shopping bargains

BY MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN The Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI — Most people don’t think of Haiti as a shopping destination.

Unless they’re Cuban.

Every afternoon, hundreds of Cubans swarm a rutted crossroads in the capital of the hemisphere’s poorest nation, hunting clothes, light bulbs, perfume and other goods that are in short supply back home.

Haitian vendors blast Cuban reggaeton music to draw in shoppers. In a year-old cafe painted with Cuban flags, Havana-born Angelina Luis Dominguez and her niece Yeleny Terry Luis serve black beans, rice and roast pork to compatriots on lunch breaks.

“There are thousands, thousands of Cubans,” Luis Dominquez said. “There used to be four or five; now they’ve taken root. It feels like all of Cuba is here.”

The “Cuban market” in Portau-Prince is part of a global trade, estimated to top $2 billion, fed by the confluence of Cubans’ increased freedom to travel with the communist state’s continued domination of the economy back home.

Clothing, housewares, hardware, personal-care products and other goods at state-run stores in Cuba cost two or three times what they do elsewhere.

And that’s when they are on sale at all in an economy hampered by incessant shortage.

What’s more, Cuba’s state monopoly on imports and exports

excludes the small but vibrant private sector, which employs more than a half million people who often earn three or four times a state worker’s salary.

Since Cuba did away with a hated exit permit five years ago, Cubans are packing flights to destinations with easy entry requirements. In Port-au-Prince, Panama City, Cancun, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, even Moscow, Cubans are packing suitcases with goods for personal use and resale back home.

In Panama, the Colon Free Trade Zone has a “Little Havana” where Cubans spent $308 million last year, and are on track to spend perhaps 8 per cent more in 2018, said Luis Carlos Saenz, the zone’s general assistant manager.

“We now have an important Cuban clientele who came to make purchases and are making a significant contribution to business in the zone,” Saenz said.

Panama is so eager for Cuban business that its embassy in Havana has started giving Cubans with private business licenses on-the-spot “tourist cards” that eliminate the need for a lengthy visa application process.

“More Cubans are coming now because of the tourist cards,” said Jose Hernandez, who was shopping in the free zone with a group of relatives last week. “Taking back an air conditioner, an electric motorcycle is a big deal for us. In Cuba, that’s gold.”

That sort of business tourism has diversified a trade long centred on South Florida, where Cubans with family ties

in the U.S. relied on relatives to shuttle in personal or business goods. Driving the trade away from Miami has been the Trump administration’s decision to pull most staff from its Havana embassy last year, ending visa processing there and forcing Cubans to travel to third countries to apply for permission to visit the U.S. The Miami-based Havana Consulting Group estimated in an August study that Cubans spent more than $2 billion in 2017 on bringing goods back to the island.

That spending may equal anywhere from 2 per cent to 5 per cent of Cuba’s gross domestic product, depending on which of the wildly varying estimates of GDP is used in absence of reliable economic statistics on the island’s economy.

Cuba maintains tight restrictions on the quantities that individuals can import, and working as a “mule” — bringing goods back for others — is technically prohibited, according to some official statements, but it is rarely prosecuted.

Haiti, which is struggling with increasing violence and a devaluing currency, appears to be grabbing an increasing slice of the Cuban shopping pie.

In the neighbourhood surrounding the market, dozens of Cubans run bed-and-breakfasts for travelling shoppers in homes rented from Haitian owners. Dozens of Haitian “guides” help Cubans hunt down specialized goods like electronics and hardware.

“I have visas for Panama and Mexico but I like Haiti,”

The Colon Free Trade Zone in Panama.

said Eduardo Leiva, who runs a small hardware business in Cuba. “There’s great variety of merchandise, a level of product that you don’t find in other countries.”

Tiny Sunrise Airways runs 12 direct flights weekly from the Cuban cities of Havana, Camaguey and Santiago to Port-auPrince. Cubans interviewed in the market said they spend about $700 on airfare, food and lodging and another $700 on merchandise, which they resell at a markup high enough to make several hundred dollars profit per trip.

Most of those interviewed said they made near-monthly trips, generating more than $2,000 in extra income a month in a country where annual state salaries are less than $400.

“The Cubans are very good for us. They come, they take merchandise back home, we

FOTOS593 / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

get to make a little profit,” said Terese Rencher, who buys Peruvian-made T-shirts with designer logos in the Dominican Republic and sells them at the “Cuban market.”

“This is how I sent my kid to school, to university,” said Rencher, who said her 23-yearold daughter is studying at a hotel school in Port-au-Prince.

Some Cubans said they had been robbed by young men aware that Cubans can be carrying large sums of cash, but they still preferred the quick trip to the neighbouring island over the odysseys many Cubans undertake to feed their country’s informal retail market.

“Compared with Russia, Haiti is closer, it isn’t cold, and the merchandise is practically the same,” said taxi driver Braulio Hernandez, who was hunting tools and parts for his home car-repair workshop. ■

Disneyland tower suggested as Legionnaires’ disease source THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES — A cooling tower that provides mist to make Disneyland visitors comfortable was the likely source for 22 cases in a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak last year near the theme park, a health official testified this week.

Most of those who got sick visited the park in the fall of

2017. Disneyland has denied it was the source, pointing to three infected people who had been in the city of Anaheim where Disneyland is located, but not at the park itself. One of them died.

Dr. Matthew Zahn of the Orange County Health Care Agency gave testimony Tuesday before an appeals board judge at the California Occupational Safety and Health Administra-

tion, which is investigating the case.

Zahn said tests around the time of the outbreak showed high levels of Legionella bacteria in two Disneyland cooling towers, which are part of an air conditioning system that releases mist, the Los Angeles Times reported. He said contaminated droplets likely spread to people in the park and beyond. www.canadianinquirer.net

Disneyland is appealing state fines, saying the outbreak’s source was not scientifically determined.

Upon questioning, Zahn said he could not be 100 per cent certain that Disneyland was the source without additional testing.

The disease is caused by bacteria that can grow in manmade water systems. People can develop pneumonia after

breathing in contaminated vapour.

A young girl who was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ after visiting Disneyland last fall has filed a lawsuit against the theme park.

“The facts don’t support these claims and the lawsuit has no merit,” Disney spokeswoman Suzi Brown said Tuesday. ■

37

Food Pretty holiday cookies that don’t taste like cardboard AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN MAKING HOLIDAY cookies— the rolled, cutout, and glazed butter-cookie variety—is everyone’s favourite December activity. Unfortunately, these cookies either look good but taste like cardboard or have buttery, rich flavour but lack visual appeal.

We wanted a simple recipe that would produce cookies sturdy enough to decorate yet tender enough to be worth eating. Superfine sugar helped to achieve a delicate texture, and using the reverse-creaming method—beating the butter into the flour-sugar mixture— prevented the formation of air pockets and produced flat cookies that were easy to decorate.

Looking to make our dough a bit more workable without adding more butter—at 16 tablespoons, we’d maxed out—we landed on the addition of a little cream cheese, which made the dough easy to roll but not too soft. Baking the butter cookies one sheet at a time ensured that they baked evenly. Do not reroll the scraps more than once; it will cause the cookies to be tough.

This recipe can easily be doubled. You can decorate the cooled cookies with Easy AllPurpose Glaze (recipe follows) for a sweet, festive touch.

Foolproof holiday cookies

Servings: 36 Start to finish: 2 hours

• 2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) allpurpose flour • 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) superfine sugar • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and softened • 1 ounce cream cheese, softened • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Using stand mixer fitted with

For a quick take on pizza at home, use Indian flatbread AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN NAAN IS an Indian flatbread with a chewy texture and a puffed, slightly charred crust.

Brushing the baking sheet with olive oil and then baking the naan on the lowest rack in a 400 F oven gives it a crispy texture—just like pizza crust. This recipe can be doubled. Follow this recipe with your kids.

Pizza in a flash

paddle, mix flour, sugar, and salt on low speed until combined. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, and mix until dough looks crumbly and slightly wet, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cream cheese and vanilla and beat until dough just begins to form large clumps, about 30 seconds.

Transfer dough to counter; knead just until it forms cohesive mass and divide in half.

Form each half into disk, wrap disks tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days. (Wrapped dough can be frozen for up to 2 weeks. Let dough thaw completely in refrigerator before rolling.)

Working with 1 disk of dough at a time, roll dough 1/8 inch thick between 2 large sheets of parchment paper. Slide dough, still between parchment, onto baking sheet and refrigerate until firm, about 10 minutes.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Working with one sheet of dough at a time, remove top piece of parchment and cut dough into shapes with cookie cutters. Using thin offset spatula, transfer shapes to prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart.

Bake cookies, one sheet at a

time, until light golden brown, about 10 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking.

Let cookies cool on sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Let cookies cool completely before serving.

Easy All-Purpose Glaze

Makes about 1 cup We decorate our Foolproof Holiday Cookies with this easyto-make glaze, but feel free to use it, dyed or not, on any flat cookie that could use a festive flourish. The cream cheese in the glaze gives it a slightly thicker consistency that’s good for spreading, and it cuts the sweetness of the glaze with its tang.

• 2 cups (8 ounces) confectioners’ sugar • 3 tablespoons milk • 1 ounce cream cheese, softened • Food coloring (optional) Whisk all ingredients in bowl until smooth. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 125 calories; 51 calories from fat; 6 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 15 mg cholesterol; 23 mg sodium; 17 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 11 g sugar; 1 g protein. www.canadianinquirer.net

Servings: 1-2 Start to finish: 40 minutes (Active time: 10 minutes) • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil • 1 (8-inch) naan bread • 2 tablespoons pesto • 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese • 12 cherry tomatoes, cut in half To personalize your pizza, sprinkle a handful of your favourite toppings — in whatever combination you like — over the mozzarella. Some topping ideas: sliced bell peppers, pepperoni, sliced scallions, chopped olives, or dollops of

goat cheese ricotta cheese.

Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 F. Use pastry brush to brush oil into 9-inch circle in centre of rimmed baking sheet. Place naan on top of oil on baking sheet.

Use back of small spoon to spread pesto over naan, leaving 1/2-inch border around edge.

Sprinkle cheese over pesto, then sprinkle tomatoes over cheese.

Place baking sheet in oven and bake until naan is golden brown around edges, 8 to 10 minutes.

Use oven mitts to remove baking sheet from oven (ask an adult for help). Place baking sheet on cooling rack and let cool for 5 minutes.

Use spatula to carefully transfer naan to cutting board (baking sheet will be hot). Use chef’s knife or pizza wheel to cut naan into wedges. Serve. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 273 calories; 122 calories from fat; g fat ( g saturated; g trans fats); mg cholesterol; mg sodium; 27 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 11 g protein.

38

Food

DECEMBER 14, 2018

FRIDAY

Can’t get a whole pig? You can still make a yummy porchetta AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN TRADITIONALLY, Italian porchetta is a whole pig that is spitroasted to produce fall-apart tender, rich pieces of slowcooked pork, aromatic with garlic, fennel seeds, rosemary, and thyme. It’s served with pieces of crisp skin on a crusty roll.

Seeing as most people don’t have a rotisserie in their kitchen, or access to whole pigs, porchetta is a tricky recipe to adapt for cooking at home.

After testing a few different cuts, we settled on pork butt, which is cut from the upper portion of the shoulder and has a good amount of fat to keep the meat moist and flavourful without making it over the top decadent (as can be the case with pork belly, another common choice).

We cut the pork butt in half to allow for even seasoning and easy slicing when serving. We seasoned both pieces with salt and then rubbed them down with a simple garlic-herb paste before sending them to the water bath.

A low-and-slow sous vide bath allowed the collagen in the meat to transform into moisture-retaining gelatin.

This kept the roast juicy and

tender but still -sliceable. Once the pork had finished cooking in the water bath, we quickly blasted it in a hot oven to crisp up and brown the fat cap to mimic traditional porchetta’s crispy pork skin. In sum? Roast pork just got a whole lot better.

Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt in the supermarket. If fennel seeds are unavailable, substitute 1/4 cup of ground fennel.

Porchetta

Servings: 8-10 Sous vide temperature: 145 F Sous vide time: 20-24 hours Active cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes • 3 tablespoons fennel seeds • 1/2cup fresh rosemary leaves • 1/4cup fresh thyme leaves • 12 garlic cloves (60 grams), peeled • Kosher salt and pepper • 1/2cup extra-virgin olive oil • 1 5 pound boneless pork butt roast, trimmed Using sous vide circulator, bring water to 145 F in 12 quart container.

Grind fennel seeds in spice grinder or mortar and pestle until finely ground. Transfer ground fennel to food processor and add rosemary, thyme, garlic, 1 tablespoon pepper, and

2 teaspoons salt. Pulse mixture until finely chopped, 10 to 15 pulses. Add oil and process until smooth paste forms, 20 to 30 seconds.

Using sharp knife, cut slits in surface layer of fat on roast, spaced 1 inch apart, in crosshatch pattern, being careful not to cut into meat. Cut roast in half with grain into 2 equal pieces.

Turn each roast on its side so fat cap is facing away from you, bottom of roast is facing toward you, and newly cut side is facing up. Starting 1 inch from short end of each roast, use boning or paring knife to make slit that starts 1 inch from top of roast and ends 1 inch from bottom, pushing knife completely through roast. Repeat making slits, spaced 1 to 1 1/2 inches apart, along length of each roast, stopping 1 inch from opposite end (you should have 6 to 8 slits).

Turn roast so fat cap is facing down. Rub sides and bottom of each roast with 2 teaspoons salt, taking care to work salt into slits from both sides. Rub herb paste onto sides and bottom of each roast, taking care to work paste into slits from both sides. Flip roast so that fat cap is facing up. Using 3 pieces of kitchen twine per roast, tie each roast into compact cylinder.

New evidence changes human story by 600K years PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY SYDNEY — New evidence strongly suggests that ancient humans occupied Northern Africa more than half a million years earlier than previously thought, adding a new chapter to the ever-changing story of our evolution.

An international team led by Professor Mohamed Sahnouni and scientists from Algeria, Spain, France and Australia, published their work on Friday.

The team said they had found “cutmarked” bones and stone

tools, at two archeological levels of the Ain Boucherit site in Algeria, dating the lower level to be 2.4 million years old.

The find pushes the timeline of human occupation in the region back 600,000 years from the previous 1.8 million years which was determined by evidence from another site nearby.

Dr. Mathieu Duval, a Future Fellow member of Griffith’s Australian Research Center for Human Evolution, contributed to date the archaeological occupations.

“We had to use a combination of different methods to date Ain Boucherit, namely stratig-

raphy, palaeomagnetism, electron spin resonance and biochronology,” Duval said.

“The different methods provided consistent results and helped to chronologically constrain the lower and upper archaeological levels to about 2.4 and 1.9 million years, respectively.”

“Now the question is, did the method for creating the stone tools spread from earlier sites found in East Africa, or was there a simultaneous development of stone technology happening in both areas?” ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

Combine 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Rub fat cap of each roast with salt mixture, taking care to work mixture into crosshatches. Place each roast in 1 gallon zipper-lock freezer bag. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible. Gently lower bags into prepared water bath until roasts are fully submerged, and then clip top corner of each bag to side of water bath container, allowing remaining air bubbles to rise to top of bag. Reopen one corner of zipper, release remaining air bubbles, and reseal bag. Cover and cook for at least 20 hours or up to 24 hours.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500

F. Set wire rack in aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and spray with vegetable spray.

Transfer roasts, fat side up, to prepared rack, leaving at least 2 inches between roasts. Discard twine and pat roasts dry with paper towels. Roast until exteriors of roasts are well browned, about 20 minutes.

Transfer roasts to carving board and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice roasts 1/2 inch thick and serve. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 320 calories; 153 calories from fat; 17 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 116 mg cholesterol; 320 mg sodium; 3 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 37 g protein.

DOT launches... ❰❰ 35

milk.

While one cannot name a certain specialty that encompasses the whole region, Degracia said Calabarzon’s “culinary identity is more of coconut-based” due to the numerous coconut plantations in this part of the country.

“When you go to Cavite, they have their Pansit Pusit and oysters. When you go to Batangas, they have tawilis and bulalo, which we showcased also,” he said.

At the same time, he noted that “ginataan is popular here because of the region’s coconuts.”

Set at the Ayala Mall Solenad in Sta. Rosa, Laguna for the Calabarzon region, “Kain Na!” featured at least 30 exhibitors from

different provinces who showcased their specialty food products, coffee, vegetables, juices, and culinary tour packages.

The food and travel festival is a series of events first launched in Legazpi City, Albay and Cebu City last October and in Cagayan de Oro last November.

The fair being held simultaneously in Davao Abreeza Mall and Marquee Mall in Pampanga, will be open to the public free of charge on December 7-9.

According to DOT Director Lara Estevez, the agency will continue the initiative in 2019 through 29 Ayala Malls nationwide.

“The production of food in our region has always been plentiful and it’s about time we advocate food and farm tourism in the country,” she said. ■

39

FRIDAY DECEMBER 14, 2018

www.canadianinquirer.net

40

DECEMBER 14, 2018

Canada

FRIDAY

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www.canadianinquirer.net