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JANUARY 25, 2019

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VOL. 1 NO. 355

STO NINO FESTIVAL

Residents of Barangay Tatalon in Quezon City carrying the image of the Infant Jesus during the festival for the Holy Child Jesus procession last January 20, 2019.

House Justice panel nods to lower criminal liability age to 9

BY BEA KIRSTEIN T. MANALAYSAY Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE LOWER chamber’s Justice panel gave its okay to the House substitute bill seeking to lower the age of criminal

JOEY O. RAZON / PNA

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PRRD not abandoning push for federalism: Palace

17

liability from 15 to nine, on January 21, Monday.

In a statement, Justice Committee Chair and Oriental Mindoro Representative Salvador “Doy” Leachon hopes

Fil-Can in Focus: Hitting the goal in 60s: Leo Casuga and Fred Molina’s journey to victory

❱❱ PAGE 7 House Justice

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Challenging Oneself to Traverse: Best of Both Worlds with Success

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Philippine News

JANUARY 25, 2019

FRIDAY

Comelec 90% ready for May 13 polls

BY FERDINAND PATINIO Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Saturday said preparations for the May 13 mid-term elections are now 90-percent complete.

“We are still four months out.

Ninety percent ready but as you very well know it’s the last 10 percent that takes forever,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said in a press briefing at the Pope Pius Center.

He said the remaining 10 percent is composed of the printing of the over 60 million ballots, election accountable forms, among others.

“We have not printed the ballots yet. But you know in terms of the logistics, in terms of the structures, partnerships all of those are falling into place,” he added.

Jimenez, meanwhile, said Saturday’s mock polls in 60 precincts all over the country

are proceeding smoothly.

“We are seeing good mix of insights coming from our observers from the ground. Hindi siya nagiging (It’s not) perfect in all cases which is exactly what we want to be because that is what we expect to see on Election Day,” he said.

He added that said the mock polls seek to determine and fix possible problems that may arise on the day of the elections.

“Mababa ang turnout sa ibang lugar (Voter turnout in other areas is low). Merong ibang lugar, may mga tao hindi nahahanap ang kanilang pangalan sa (In some areas, voters cannot find their names in their) precinct. We are checking the procedures that we have to deal with those cases. So as far as being an evaluation tool is concerned, maganda ang ating mock election (our mock election is running smoothly),” he added.

He also reported that the first

Senate bet Raffy Alunan signs the Integrity Pledge tarpaulin during the "Unity walk, Covenant Signing" to promote a safe and peaceful 2019 midterm elections.

OLIVER MARQUEZ / PNA

area to transmit its election results was Digos City in Davao del Sur at 12:14 p.m., a few minutes after the polling precinct closed at noon.

The said area is among the 57 precincts that have closed at

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noon.

Three areas located in cities of Quezon, Manila and Taguig will close at 6 p.m. since they are simulating the actual 12hour voting period in the May polls which is 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Meanwhile, Jimenez said the start of printing of the official ballots is likely to be delayed by a couple of days.

“Merong repairs na ginagawa sa (There are repairs being done at the) NPO (National Printing Office). So baka maapektuhan yung aming start ng (printing) (It might affect the start of our printing),” he said.

He noted that as per the assessment of the poll body’s printing committee, they can push through with the printing of ballots next weekend once the repairs are completed and the area becomes dust-free.

“We just want to make sure the process of verifying, hindi din maapektuhan (will not be affected). Kasi yung printing mabilis (The printing is fast). It is the verification of the ballots that is tedious and takes a long time. Kasi, bawat isang balota fini-feed mo sa isang makina (It’s because you feed one ballot at a time to the machine),” Jimenez added. ■

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Philippine News

JANUARY 25, 2019

SC mourns passing of exjustice Leonardo Quisumbing

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BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE HIGH court on Monday, January 21, expressed its grief on its former magistrate, retired Associate Justice Leonardo Quisumbing, who joined the Creator on Sunday at the age of 79.

“Chief Justice Lucas P. Bersamin and the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court deeply mourn the passing of retired Associate Justice, Hon. Leonardo A. Quisumbing,” the Supreme Court (SC) said in a statement.

It was in 1998 when Quisumbing was appointed as an associate justice by then President Fidel Ramos. He spent his 11 years serving in the high court before he retired on his 70th birthday in 2009.

According to his profile on the SC’s website, the former magistrate obtained his Bachelor of Laws studies at the University of the Philippines (UP) and then gained his Master of Laws from Cornell University in New York.

Quisumbing had been an achiever ever since he was a student. During his college days, he was a college scholar,

president of the UP Student Council, editor of the university paper, The Philippine Collegian, president of the Student Councils Association of the Philippines, as well as a member of the National Debating Team to Australia where they bagged the Wilmot Cup. Adding to his long list of accolades, Quisumbing also landed on the 12th spot in the 1966 Bar Examinations.

For over 21 years, the ex-justice served in several government posts. Before he was appointed to the SC, Quisumbing became the undersecretary of the Department of National Defense (DND) during the administration of former President Corazon Aquino and Senior Deputy Executive Secretary to Ramos.

Aside from that, he also held the rank of Commodore of the Philippine Coast Guard, 106th Auxiliary Squadron.

Quisumbing, a native of Masbate, Masbate, is married to Dr. Purificacion Quisumbing, who died in 2011. They have two children: Josefa Lourdes and Cecilia Rachel.

The remains of the late justice lie at the San Quentin Chapel, Ground Floor, Loyola Memorial Chapel in Guadalupe, Makati. It can be viewed since Monday evening.■

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DENR to issue notices of violation to Manila Bay polluters

BY CATHERINE TEVES Philippine News Agency

tate and preserve this body of water.

These agencies are the environment, agriculture, public works, interior, education, health and budget departments, MANILA — The Department of En- Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewervironment and Natural Resources age System, Local Water Utilities Ad(DENR) will go after establishments ministration, Metropolitan Manila Depolluting Manila Bay by giving notices velopment Authority, Philippine Coast of violation (NOV) as its scheduled re- Guard, Philippine National Police-Marhabilitation starts this month. itime Group and Philippine Ports AuSuch move aims to help prevent fur- thority. ther environmental degradation of the SC ordered the agencies to make Mabay and promote compliance to envi- nila Bay’s water fit again for swimming, ronmental regulations, said Secretary skin-diving and other forms of contact Roy Cimatu at a press conference in recreation. The agencies will join forces Quezon City early this week. to achieve such goal, said Cimatu.

Issuing notices aims to inform es“When we reduce coliform level in tablishments about Manila Bay, water respective environthere will be fit for mental violations so swimming again,” he each can undertake said. measures for adAmong sanctions Decades-long flow dressing these and he cited are those of solid waste and complying with relin RA 9275, which untreated dischargevant regulations, he include a fine of up es into Manila Bay said. to PHP200,000 per raised the level of coIt is still unclear day of violation. liform bacteria there. how many establishColiform level in ments have been Manila Bay is already identified by the over 330 million DENR as polluting most probable numManila Bay. ber (MPN) per 100 milliliters, noted The department will continue its en- DENR. Such finding elevated the urvironmental monitoring activities so gency of Manila Bay’s rehabilitation as this agency can be served NOV, Cimatu DENR said the safe coliform level is 100 said. He assured sanctions for establish- MPN per 100 milliliters only. ments that won’t comply with environ“Although Manila Bay is known for mental regulations. having one of the most beautiful sunAmong sanctions he cited are those sets, its waters are considered the most in RA 9275 (Philippine Clean Water Act polluted in the country due to domestic of 2004), which include a fine of up to sewage, toxic industrial effluents from PHP200,000 per day of violation. factories and shipping operations and Rehabilitating Manila Bay is in line leachate from garbage dumps, among with the 2008 Supreme Court (SC) or- others,” DENR said in its Dec. 16, 2018 der for 13 agencies to clean up, rehabili- press release. ■

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Philippine News

JANUARY 25, 2019

FRIDAY

Solon warns vs.

PRRD not abandoning push potential gov’t for federalism: Palace takeover of Hanjin

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency

BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES Philippine News Agency MANILA — Senator Sherwin Gatchalian on Friday warned against a potential government takeover of the debt-ridden Korean company Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Philippines (HHIC-Phil), stressing that the best option is to attract established shipbuilders to operate the firm.

In a statement, Gatchalian said it is “not prudent” for the government to take over Hanjin, given its poor track record in taking over firms.

“Historically, the government has a poor track record of managing businesses,” Gatchalian said.

“This is very evident in various defunct or non-functioning government-owned corporations (GOCCs) such as the National Power Corp. (NAPOCOR), National Steel Corp.

(NSC), and most recently the Metro Rail Transit (MRT),” he added.

He said shipbuilders with extensive experience in supply chain management and deep financial pockets should

be considered to take over the company.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo has clarified that the government takeover of Hanjin is just a proposal, following reports that Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana claimed that President Rodrigo Duterte “is very receptive” to the idea.

“Proposal pa lang ni Secretary Lorenzana iyon (It’s just a proposal of Secretary Lorenzana).

So let’s see how it evolves,” he added.

Panelo said he personally supports Lorenzana’s proposal instead of foreign companies taking over the shipbuilding facility.

Lorenzana said it would be in the country’s interest to take control of the shipbuilding firm with the Philippine Navy poised to order 26 ships to augment its fleet in the next 10 years.

Senator Richard Gordon proposed that the government could enter into a partnership with local taipans and Korean investors to take over the debtsaddled firm.

Gordon said the government should come up with investment packages to entice inves❱❱ PAGE 12 Solon warns

PRRD signs proclamation creating Cavite IT ecozone

BY EARL JED ROQUE Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed a proclamation creating an Information Technology Center Special Economic Zone in Bacoor City, Cavite.

Proclamation No. 655, signed

by Duterte on Wednesday and released to the media on Friday, also designated a building that will be named VistaHub BPO Molino.

The planned special economic zone will be situated along Daang Hari Road, Molino IV in the city.

Duterte created the special

economic zone at the recommendation of the Board of Directors of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).

Special economic zones are defined in Republic Act No. 7916 or The Special Economic Zone Act of 1995 as “selected areas with highly developed or which have the potential to be developed into agro-industrial, Industrial tourist/recreational, commercial, banking, investment and financial centers.”

An ecozone may contain any or all of the following: industrial estates, export processing zones, free trade zones, and tourist/recreational centers. ■

MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte is not abandoning his push to shift to a federal system of government, Malacañang said on Monday.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made this remark after Duterte, in a recent speech, said that he wanted few economic provisions in the Constitution and not necessarily to change the entire charter.

“I am sure that with that — the fundamentals provided by the law and hopefully if we can amend the Constitution, not all, but a few of the economic provisions and some…” Duterte said during the Peace Assem- action from those who want to bly for the ratification of the respond to his idea,” he added.

Bangsamoro Organic Law in Cotabato City on Friday (Janu- Speed up federalism push ary 18).

Asked which particular ecoPanelo clarified that the Pres- nomic provisions Duterte ident was not necessarily aban- wanted amended, Panelo said doning his push for federalism that the President has previbut just “expressing an idea” ously mentioned his desire to knowing that Congress is not liberalize the entry of foreign prioritizing Charter change. investments.

“Well, you know the Presi“He mentioned during the dent is a very creative person, campaign about the entry of if he feels that one method is foreign investments. There is not practical or cannot be real- so much restriction. He wants ized he goes to another mode,” to liberalize them,” Panelo said.

Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

“What is important to him is certain proviThe President is optimistic sions in the Conthat it will because he knows stitution must that federalism will help the be amended and development of this country. that’s the judgment call of the Congress,” he added.

Panelo did not reveal whethPanelo said the President er Duterte was unhappy with feels that Congress is taking the draft federal charter crafted “too long” to act on moves to by the House of Representaamend or revise the 1987 Con- tives but insisted that the Presistitution. dent wanted the Constitution “Perhaps what he is saying is amended “at the soonest.” that it takes too long for Con“Hindi naman. Gusto niya gress to act on it. Remember lang madaliin (Not really. He he has been advocating for a just wants to speed it up). He revision of the Constitution at is not alone, Congress has to do the inception of his presidency something about it too,” Panelo and Congress knew that. But said.

Congress hasn’t taken serious “The federalism idea of the moves to make it a realization,” President remains. (It) will alPanelo said. ways be there because he be“He is expressing an idea, as lieves in it,” he added. he tells us he is fond of shaking Panelo said Duterte remains the trees. Maybe he wants re- “optimistic” that the shift to www.canadianinquirer.net

REY BANIQUET / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

federalism will take place before the end of his term in 2022.

“The President is optimistic that it will because he knows that federalism will help the development of this country. It’s a matter of, I think time, on the part of Congress to do it,” Panelo said.

Duterte, the country’s first’ President from Mindanao, has made federalism one of his major campaign promises during the 2016 elections.

Since then, Duterte has tasked a Consultative Committee (ConCom) composed of justices, ex-legislators, lawyers, academics, among others to draft a federal charter which has been submitted to Malacañang and is now accepting public feedback.

Duterte has also created an Inter-Agency Task Force on Federalism (IATF) to raise public awareness on federalism amid survey results showing it is the least of Filipinos’ concerns.

The IATF will take charge of “integrating, harmonizing, and coordinating ongoing efforts towards federalism and constitutional reform.”

Earlier, Panelo said there is still much time left for the Congress to tackle charter change and federalism before the President steps down in 2022. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 2019

7

Palace hits Sison’s ‘delusional’ claim; insists there is no vote-buying, coercion on BOL plebiscite

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON Salvador Panelo slammed exiled communist leader Jose Maria “Joma” Sison for having a “delusional analysis” after the latter claimed that the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) will be ratified because of President Rodrigo Duterte’s influence and vote-buying.

“Communist Party of the Philippines Founding Chairperson Jose Ma. Sison is once again talking nonsense by engaging in a delusional analysis on a political event that further exposes his blissful ignorance,” Panelo said in a statement on Tuesday, January 22.

“The voters will ratify the BOL, as we hope and expect, not because of vote buying and

presidential coercive influence, as falsely claimed by Sison, but due to the electorate’s belief that its ratification will yield the long desired growth and development that remain elusive in Mindanao,” he added.

Sison, on Monday, said it is “highly probable” that many Mindanaoans will be in favor of the BOL because of Duterte’s “advantageous position,” noting the effect of martial law in Mindanao, control of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), and deployment of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in so-called “trouble spots.”

He added that voters will be paid P200 per vote and P1,000 for each vote buying agent, adding “payments in the millions to Comelec officials and to certain governors, congressmen, and mayors.”

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo.

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON / FACEBOOK

Once approved through the plebiscite, the BOL will create the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

(BARMM), which will replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

In its latest survey conducted on December 16 to 19, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed that 79 percent of Muslims nationwide are in favor of the approval of the BOL in the 2019 plebiscite, with 67 percent of them said they “definitely want it” and 12 percent of Muslims said they “somewhat want it.”

Reacting to this, Panelo said such figure only indicates that Bangsamoro people “have enough of war, terrorism and poverty” and hungry for “peace and thirst for development in Mindanao.

“We hope that the aspiration of our Muslim brothers and sisters for a peaceful and progressive Bangsamoro region will commence its realization following the ratification of the BOL,” the Palace official had said. ■

House Justice... ❰❰ 1

to pass the bill before the end of the 17th Congress.

“Recent news and reports show an alarming increase in the number of syndicates using minors to perpetrate criminal acts and it is but the time to pass this bill to protect our children from being used by ruthless and unscrupulous criminal syndicates to evade prosecution and punishment,” he explained.

With this, Leachon’s panel approved the measure that seeks to revoke Republic Act 9344 or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 – which exempts children from ages 15 and below from criminal liability.

In his opening speech before the hearing, however, he said that the children will not be labelled as ‘criminals’ but as children in conflict with the law (CICL).

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, even before taking his presidential seat in 2016, already pushed for the lowering of the criminal liability age to nine back in his campaigning days. In relation to this, former President and incumbent House Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo also supported it.

The Senate’s Justice Committee is set to hear the measure on Tuesday, but with a higher age of criminal liability — 12 years old — rather than the House’s nine.

Solons’ side

Amidst the approval of the President and the lower House, Vice President Marie Lenor “Leni” Robredo” called on the lawmakers to ‘have mercy’ on the youth.

“Imbes na parusahan natin sila, tulungan natin – tulungan natin na makapag-bagong buhay (Instead of punishing them, let us help them live a new life),” Robredo said in a statement on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros, in a statement, said that “lowering the age of criminal liability is criminally shortsighted.”

“Getting tough on children in conflict with the law while being lenient with big-time drug lords, smugglers and plunderers is not getting tough on crime, it is the promotion of a greater crime against our children and a case of not going after the real menace to our country,” she said.

The lawmaker acknowledged

that CICL is a real issue and that she understands the concerns that need to be addressed, “but to simply imprison minors is not the solution.”

“While some of them may have committed grave offenses, and will be held accountable under our laws, many of them simply lost their way due to poverty and lack of opportunities and are looking for chances to be rehabilitated,” she stressed, adding that the government should target big-time drug lords, smugglers, plunderers, and pork barrel lawmakers.

She also dropped big names like Peter Lim and the Marcoses.

On the other hand, Senate President Vicente “Tito” Sotto III sees the measure as a reaction to the “call of the times.”

In an exclusive interview with GMA, Sotto said that crime rate worsened when the age of criminal liability was raised to 17 years old in the 13th and 14th Congress.

“At ang nangyari lalo na ‘yung mga sindikato ng droga at criminal syndicates, ginagamit ‘yung mga kabataan (And what is happening is that drug and criminal syndicates use the youth),” he added in the same interview. www.canadianinquirer.net

In his version of the lowering the criminal liability age bill, the CICL will not be imprisoned, but he called for the strengthening of rehabilitation facilities, which he called “Bahay Pagasa.”

Police’s reaction

Earlier in a media briefing on Monday, Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief, Director General Oscar Albayalde said that they still have to seek legal assistance to talk about the matter, but he said that “I think we would like to support iyang panukala (that measure)” when asked for comment on the issue.

He gave a recent raid by the

Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Navotas as an example. “Nakita natin (We saw that) as young as 10 years old, you can just imagine, they are being used already as drug runners,” he said.

Albayalde continued that the adults are using the fact that these kids cannot be brought behind bars as an advantage to get away from their crimes.

Though he said that he would like to support the lowering of the age of criminal liability, the Philippine top cop stressed that the law should enforce graver offenses for parents who use their own children for drug trade. ■

Philippine News

8

JANUARY 25, 2019

FRIDAY

TIMELINE:

The Bangsamoro peace process

BY CHRISTINE CUDIS Philippine News Agency 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

Email: info@canadianinquirer.net, sales@canadianinquirer.net Philippine Canadian Inquirer is published weekly every Friday.

Copies are distributed free throughout Metro Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, and Greater Toronto.

The views and opinions expressed in the articles (including opinions expressed in ads herein) are those of the authors named, and are not necessarily those of Philippine Canadian Inquirer Editorial Team.

PCI reserves the right to reject any advertising which it considers to contain false or misleading information or involves unfair or unethical practices. The advertiser agrees the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of error in any advertisement.

Member

2015

January 25 — In a mission to capture Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan,” some 44 members of MANILA — In less than two weeks from the police Special Action Force died now, the much-fought-for Bangsamoro in an encounter against the MILF and Organic Law (BOL) will finally come to Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fightfruition after a decade and three admin- ers in Mamasapano, Maguindanao. The istrations of work put into it. botched operation also claimed the lives We call it the best step towards peace. of 18 rebels and five civilians.

And to start building peace in a comMay 20 — With a 50-17 vote and one munity where corruption, conflict, and abstention, the House Ad Hoc Commitinstability thrived for generations is a tee on the BBL approved the draft and historical mark — ending an era of war the committee report of the proposed and misunderstanding of the Moros in measure, which was then renamed the Mindanao.

Basic Law for the Bangsamoro AutonoFollowing a timeline that starts on its mous Region (BLBAR). creation, let us remember all the imporAugust 11 — Former Senator Bongbong tant points of the Bangsamoro Law. Marcos said 17 senators had signed the committee report on the substitute bill 2008 on the BBL, which was then renamed the July Bangsamoro Autonomous Region Law. During the term of former president December 8 — Aquino met with lawGloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the govern- makers to discuss what would become ment and the Moro Islamic Liberation of the BBL, as the measure had been Front announced the creation of the pending in the House plenary for second Memorandum of reading since SepAgreement-Ancestember due to lack of tral Domain (MOAquorum.

AD), a document The 16th Congress that outlined the creeventually failed to ation of a Bangsampass the BBL when it oro Juridical Entity [Bangsamoro] adjourned in Februwith its own police, will be ary 2016. military, and judicial parliamentarysystems. democratic, 2016 The MOA-AD proa first in the June 30 — The first posed the creation of country.

Philippine president an autonomous pofrom Mindanao, Rolitical region. drigo Duterte, asOctober After issuing a temporary restraining order on the signing of the MOA-AD, the Supreme Court declared the agreement unconstitutional and illegal.

sumed office. His campaign heavily promised on bringing peace in the wartorn area through the passage of BBL. 2017

July 19 — Duterte met with MNLF founder and leader Nur Misuari to discuss the BBL and the shift to federalism after the group rejected the passage due to complicated issues.

2018

January 25 — Senators Miguel Zubiri, Sonny Angara, JV Ejercito, and Risa Hontiveros conducted the first public consultation in Mindanao on the proposed BBL, which took place in Cotabato City in Maguindanao.

May 30-31 — Voting 227-11-2, the House of Representatives approved its version of the proposed BBL, or House Bill 6475, on third and final reading on May 30. The Senate, after discussing provisions of the bill for about 10 hours, voted 21-0 early May 31 to approve its version, Senate Bill 1717.

July 18 —The bicameral committee approved the final version of the BBL, now called the Organic Law for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (OLBARMM).

It will be parliamentary-democratic, a first in the country. It will be headed by the regional leader called the Chief Minister, who will preside over an 80-member parliament.

July 24 — The House of Representatives, now at the helm of new House Speaker Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, ratified the OLBARMM.

2012

October — The government and the MILF released the Framework of Agreement on the Bangsamoro, paving the way for a new autonomous political entity — the Bangsamoro.

It was signed in ceremonies held in Malacañan Palace, witnessed by President Benigno S. Aquino III, Malaysian Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, and other dignitaries.

2014

March 27 — The Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) was signed in a ceremony, thus concluding 17 years of negotiations between the Government of the Philippines and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

2019

January 21 — Declared as a special non-working holiday by the president, the residents in the ARMM and the cities of Isabela and Cotabato votes in the plebiscite for the BOL. February 6 —Another plebiscite will be held in Lanao del Norte, Aleosan,

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Carmen, Kabacan, Midsayap, Pikit and Pigkayawan towns in North Cotabato and other areas that sought inclusion in the proposed BARMM. Malacañang has yet to declare Feb. 6 a special non-working day. ■ Data sourced from officialgazette.gov.ph, and CNN Philippines/PNA

Philippine News

FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 2019

9

SWS: Most Muslims in PH favor BOL approval

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer A RECENT survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed that a majority of Muslims in the country are in favor of the approval of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in the 2019 plebiscite.

During the conduct of the survey on December 16 to 19 last year, the pollster asked its survey respondents, “Gusto po ba ninyo o hindi gusto na maaprubahan ng mga botanteng boboto sa Plebisito sa Enero 2019 ang Bangsamoro Organic Law o BOL (Do you want or not want voters who will vote in the January 2019 Plebiscite to approve the Bangsamoro Organic Law or BOL)?”

In response to this, 67 percent of Muslims nationwide said they “definitely want it,” while 12 percent of them “somewhat want it.” All in all, 79 percent of Muslims in the Philippines approved the passage of the BOL. While the majority of them agreed to the BOL’s approval, seven percent of Muslims are not in favor of it, with four percent saying they “somewhat do not want it,” and three percent said they “definitely do not want it.”

The other 14 percent, on the other hand, were “undecided” if they want the BOL to be approved or not.

Filipino Muslims celebrating Eid al-Fitr.

“This gives a net approval score of +72 (79% definitely/ somewhat want it MINUS 7% somewhat/definitely not want it),” the SWS said.

Compared to other religions, it added, the BOL’s net approval among Iglesia ni Cristos was at +15, Catholics at +10, and other Christians at +9.

The pollster also asked its respondents regarding their knowledge on the BOL. “Noong nakaraang Hulyo 2018, pinirmahan na ni Pang. [Rodrigo] Rody Duterte ang Republic Act 11054 o ang ’Bangsamoro Organic Law’ o BOL, ang batas nabubuo ng bago at mas pinalawak na lugar na awtonomiya na tatawaging Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao o BARMM. Paano po ninyo il-

CHRISTOPHER LLOYD CALIWAN / PNA

alarawan ang inyong kaalaman sa batas na ito (Last July 2018, Pres. Rody Duterte signed into law Republic Act 11054 or the ‘Bangsamoro Organic Law’ or BOL, the law that will create the new and expanded area of autonomy that will be called Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao or BARMM. How would you describe your knowledge regarding this law)?”

To this, 10 percent of Muslims nationwide said they have “extensive” knowledge, 35 percent answered “partial but sufficient,” and 33 percent said they know “only a little.”

In total, 78 percent of Muslims said they know about the BOL, according to the pollster.

The latest survey also found that 76 percent of Muslims in

the Philippines believe that Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) is capable of governing the BARMM, with 56 percent of them saying they are “definitely capable” and 21 percent said MILF is “somewhat capable.”

Meanwhile, eight percent do not believe that MILF is capable, one percent answered they are “somewhat not capable” and seven percent said they are “definitely not capable.”

The other 16 percent were “undecided” regarding the matter.

These figures, the SWS said, give a net capability score of +68.

Among those survey respondents in Mindanao, 41 percent of them said they are in favor of the BOL. Breaking it down, 28 per-

cent of Muslims answered they “definitely want” the BOL and 14 percent said they “somewhat want it.”

However, 31 percent of the respondents are not in favor of the BOL, with 22 percent saying they “definitely do not want it” and nine percent “somewhat do not want it.”

In terms of other areas, the net approval of the BOL was at +17 in Visayas, +16 in Balance Luzon, and +13 in Metro Manila.

The SWS also noted that the net approval of the BOL was higher among those with extensive knowledge about it, which was at +43, as well as among those with partial but sufficient knowledge about the BOL, which was at +43.

The BOL’s net approval was also higher among those who said the MILF can definitely govern the BARMM, which was at +60, and those who said it is somewhat capable, which was at +48.

The December 2018 Social Weather Survey used face-toface interviews of its 1,440 respondents nationwide, with 360 each in Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao.

It also has sampling error margins of plus or minus 2.6 percent for national percentages and plus or minus five percent each for Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao. ■

DILG ready vs. ‘peace spoilers’ of BOL plebiscite PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY MANILA — Days before the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) plebiscite, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) assured the public that it will not allow “peace spoilers” to sabotage Monday’s historic vote.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said the government is ready just in case the communist terrorists, violent extremists, or anti-BOL groups will try to “wreak havoc and disrupt an all-important endeavor for peace in Mindanao.”

“As much as the BOL is our

ticket to a peaceful Mindanao, the plebiscite also poses as an opportunity for communist terrorists, extremists, and antiBOL factions to sow violence and prevent the voting from happening. Thus, all hands are now on deck to ensure the peaceful and orderly conduct of the plebiscite,” Año said.

He said more than 20,000 Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) members have been deployed to ensure a peaceful plebiscite for the people of Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the cities of Isabela and Cotabato who will cast their votes.

He said of the combined PNP

and AFP force, 10,000 have been deployed to secure various polling precincts while battalions of the PNP Special Action Force, and those from PNP Calabarzon and Central Luzon are on standby for any eventuality.

PNP officers shall also serve as Board of Election Inspectors should the peace and order situation so require. Elements of the PNP have been trained

by Comelec for this purpose in previous national and local elections.

As ordered by President Rodrigo R. Duterte to all the security officials of the national and local government, the BOL plebiscite must be peacefully www.canadianinquirer.net

carried out and all efforts must be done to ensure that the voice of the people will be heard.

“We are not taking this sitting down. We just want this to be a peaceful exercise for the Mindanaoans to express their opinion regarding BOL kaya naman sa utos na din ng ating Pangulo, titiyakin naming magiging mapayapa ang araw na ito (that’s why with the President’s orders, we would ensure that today’s plebiscite would be peaceful),” Año said.

The military also tapped the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and other groups to help in securing the orderly conduct of the plebiscite.

The BOL once ratified will

be key in replacing the ARMM with the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The first BOL plebiscite will cover ARMM and the cities of Isabela and Cotabato followed by a second plebiscite on Feb. 6, 2019, which will focus on the provinces of Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato.

Malacañang declared Jan. 21, 2019 as a special (non-working) holiday “in order to give the people of the ARMM, Isabela City and Cotabato City the opportunity to actively and fully participate in the plebiscite and exercise their right to vote.” ■

10

Philippine News

JANUARY 25, 2019

FRIDAY

SWS says almost half of Pinoys House OKs bill expect Duterte to fulfill promises abolishing Road Board

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer A LATEST survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed that almost half, or 48 percent, of adult Filipinos expect President Rodrigo Duterte to fulfill most, if not all, of his promises.

The pollster asked its 1,440 survey respondents, “Sa inyong palagay, ilan sa mga pangako ni Pang. Rody Duterte ang posibleng matutupad [Lahat o halos lahat sa mga pangako, karamihan sa mga pangako, mga ilan sa mga pangako, halos o wala sa mga pangako] (In your opinion, how many of the promises of Pres. Rody Duterte can be fulfilled? [All or nearly all of the promises, Most of the promises, A few of the promises, Almost none or none of the promises])?”

Responding to this, 13 percent of Filipinos said Duterte can fulfill “all or nearly all,” while 35 percent said he can fulfill “most” of his promises.

On the other hand, 46 percent of the respondents believe that the President can fulfill only “a few,” while six percent think he will fulfill “none or almost none.”

“The December 2018 proportion of those expecting most, if not all, of Pres. Duterte’s promises to be fulfilled rose by two points from 46% (14% all or nearly all, 32% most) in March 2018,” the pollster noted.

The SWS also reported that Duterte recovered from his personal record-low of 35 percent which was recorded in September 2017, after his oneyear mark in office.

The two-point increase on those who believe that Duterte can fulfill “all or nearly all” of his promises was because of the

BY JOSE CIELITO REGANIT Philippine News Agency

REY BANIQUET / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

rise in Visayas and Balance Luzon, combined with a decline in Mindanao and a slight decline in Metro Manila.

It is in Visayas where more Filipinos believe that Duterte will be able to do his promises as the number of those optimistic increased by eight points from the 38 percent recorded in March 2018.

The pollster also noted the five-point increase in Balance Luzon, which is at 38 percent in December from 44 percent in March.

While the optimism in Visayas and Balance Luzon increased, it, however, declined by 10 points in the home region.

From the 60 percent in March, Duterte, in December, only has 50 percent of Filipinos in Mindanao who still believe he can do what he had vowed to do.

Apart from Mindanao, there is also a slight decline in Metro Manila, moving from 42 percent to 41 percent.

By gender, those who expect that the Chief Executive can

fulfill, if not all, his promises jumped to 48 percent from 46 percent in March among women.

However, it hardly changed among men, which is only at 48 percent from 47 percent in March.

The latest survey also showed that most or 56 percent of adult Filipinos living in urban areas believe in Duterte’s capabilities of fulfilling his promises, while only 45 percent of respondents in rural areas shared the same optimism.

In terms of educational levels, expectations rise among college graduates, non-elementary graduates, elementary school graduates, and high school graduates by four points, two points, one point, and also one point, respectively.

The Fourth Quarter 2018 Social Weather Survey was conducted by the pollster from December 16 to 19 last year, using face-to-face interviews of its respondents nationwide. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

MANILA — Voting 180-0 with no abstention, the House of Representatives on Monday unanimously approved on third and final reading the bill abolishing the graft-ridden Road Board.

House Bill 7436 or the Act Abolishing the Road Board and Providing for the Disposition of the Motor Vehicle Users’ Charge (MVUC) collection contains the amendments earlier agreed upon during a meeting between leaders of the House and the Senate.

Under the bill, MVUC collections worth about PHP45 billion will be transferred to the General Fund and will be covered by the General Appropriations Act. The amount would be used for the repair, rehabilitation and reconstruction of roads, bridges and drainage systems and could also be used to help calamity victims.

The approved version of HB 7436 was totally different from the provisions of the previous version earlier approved during the time of former Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

While the previous version sought to abolish the graft-ridden Road Board, the management and control of the MVUC collections will be transferred to the Departments of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Department of Transportation (DOTr), and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Under the previous bill, the collections shall be allocated in four special trust accounts in the National Treasury: 40 percent each for the Special Na-

tional Road Support Fund and the Special Local Road Support Fund under the DPWH, 10 percent for the Special Pollution Control Fund under the DENR, and 10 percent for the Special Vehicle Pollution Control Fund under the DOTr. The Senate adopted the previous version of HB 7436 last September, dispensing the need for a bicameral conference between the two chambers.

On the same day however, the House, now led by Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo rescinded its approval of HB 7436, leading to an impasse.

The impasse was broken by the agreement hammered among former House Majority Leader Rolando Andaya Jr., Senate Majority Leader Miguel Zubiri, Senator Ralph Recto last Tuesday.

HB 7436 would now be submitted to the Senate for the chamber’s approval.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III earlier said the Senate is ready to recall its earlier adoption of the previous version and adopt the newly-approved version since the agreement among Andaya, Zubiri and Recto could be deemed as a “paper bicam.”

HB 7436 could be submitted immediately to President Rodrigo Duterte for his signature, Sotto said. ■

FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 2019

Philippine News

No ‘recycling’ of corrupt gov’t execs: Palace

All passport data safe, DFA tells NPC

BY EARL JED ROQUE Philippine News Agency

BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency

MANILA — Malacañang on Friday clarified that there is no “recycling” of corrupt government officials in the administration of President Rodrigo R. Duterte.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said officials re-appointed to other government positions are not tainted with corruption.

“The officials who were either removed or resigned from their posts and appointed to other positions were not tainted with corruption during their stint in their offices. It just happened that their expertise and talents were not suited to their previous positions, hence, their re-appointment to their present offices that will showcase

their competence,” Panelo said.

He was reacting to the statement of former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales who claimed that there is “recycling” of dismissed officials and expressed disappointment over the acquittal of the accused in graft cases before the Sandiganbayan.

Panelo added that it is Duterte’s prerogative as President to appoint these officials.

“Those who have not been re-appointed were stained with corruption and they included long-time friends, allies, fraternity brods and relations. As we have stressed before, there are no sacred cows in this administration,” he said.

Panelo clarified that CarpioMorales is not blaming the Duterte administration for the acquittal of officials tagged in graft and corruption cases.

“But contrary to the perception by some that she is blaming the dismissal of those cases to the current administration, she is not, and she said so herself when asked by this representation,” he said.

“We must all abide by the rule of law, courts decide on the basis of evidence and we must accept its verdict no matter how much we disagree with it. We cannot be ruled by our emotions, otherwise there will be chaos. We are certain that the present Ombudsman must have wised up to the legal debacles that his office lost and learned from the lessons presented to it,” he said.

Carpio-Morales, in a forum of the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) on Thursday, said she was upset that “corrupt” officials are being “recycled.” ■

Daraga Mayor Calrwyn Baldo rushed to hospital after arrest for illegal possession of firearms

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANILA — The Philippine NaFollowing his arrest for illegal possession of firearms, Daraga town Mayor Carlwyn Baldo was brought to a hospital on Tuesday night, January 22.

This was confirmed by Senior Superintendent Arnold Ardiente of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG), saying that the mayor was rushed to the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Hospital in Legazpi City at around 11 p.m. after he hyperventilated inside his detention cell and his blood pressure went up.

A report by Radyo INQUIRER said Baldo was supposed to have inquest proceeding on Wednesday, January 23, but doctors are not yet certain if Baldo can be released from the hospital.

Baldo was nabbed by authorities on Tuesday after they

seized unlicensed firearms and ammunition in his house at Barangay Tagas while serving two search warrants issued by the Legazpi Regional Trial Court (RTC).

Among those found were two caliber .45 pistols, a magazine for an Uzi Machine Pistol loaded with seven bullets, eight live ammunition for a caliber . 45 pistol, one ammunition for an M16 rifle, an ammunition for a grenade launcher, and a white Isuzu Altera.

Baldo was earlier tagged by the Philippine National Police (PNP) as the one who ordered AKO Bicol Representative Rodel Batocabe to be killed.

The mayor allegedly offered his six-man team five million pesos to assassinate Batocabe, who was supposed to run as a mayor in Daraga in the upcoming elections.

The lawmaker died along with his security escort after attending a gift-giving event for senior citizens and persons

with disabilities (PWDs) in Barangay Burgos.

The mayor, however, denied that he was the brain behind Batocabe’s murder, saying that he was just being used as a convenient scapegoat.

Baldo was already charged with murder and frustrated murder in connection to the lawmaker’s murder.

On Friday, Baldo asked the help of President Rodrigo Duterte for “fair justice” and appealed that the safety of his family would not put into risk amid allegations thrown against him. ■

11

custody and control of passport data and that this has not been shared with or accessed by any unauthorized party,” he added.

The meeting between the MANILA — The Department of NPC and DFA comes following Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Mon- the remarks of DFA Secretary day assured the National Pri- Teodoro Locsin Jr. on an alvacy Commission (NPC) that leged passport data loss within all passport data are safe in the the agency. agency’s custody.

In view of the clarification Data Protection Officer and that no breach occurred, Cato Foreign Affairs Assistant Sec- said the DFA “is hoping that retary Medardo Macaraig, As- it was able to address the consistant Secretary cerns of the for Consular AfCommission.” fairs Neil Frank Cato said the Ferrer, and DFA remains other DFA ofready to coopficials made a The erate with the full presentation Department NPC, as well as on the passport remains in with Congress, process and told custody and in an inquiry to the privacy comcontrol of be conducted on mission “that passport the issue. measures are in data and “The Departplace to protect that this has ment is also hopthe personal not been ing that it was data of passport shared with able to assuage applicants” in its or accessed the concerns of entire ISO-certiby any the public on fied process. unauthorized this issue that “The Departparty. has also resulted ment assured in improvements the Commisin the passport sion that it takes application proextremely sericess,” he added. ously the protection of the perThe DFA on Tuesday last sonal information of the public week issued Department Order and that all passport data is 03-2019 removing the submissafe,” DFA Spokesperson Elmer sion of birth certificates as a reCato said in a statement sent to quirement for passport renewreporters. als. ■ “The Department remains in

DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

www.canadianinquirer.net

12

Philippine News

JANUARY 25, 2019

FRIDAY

Lawyer disbarred for ‘sextortion’

Senators weigh in on lowering age of criminal liability

BY BENJAMIN PULTA Philippine News Agency

BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES Philippine News Agency

MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) disbarred a lawyer who abused his authority to get sexual favors from his secretary.

In a 15-page per curiam decision dated Sept. 18, 2018, which was released to media Friday, Antonio N. de los Reyes, a former vice-president of the Legal and Administrative Group of the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. (NHMFC), was found guilty of gross immoral conduct and violation of Rule 1.01, Canon 1 and Rule 7.03, Canon 7 of the Code of Professional Responsibility.

The High Court also ordered the removal of de los Reyes’ name from the Roll of Attorneys.

Rule 1.01 mandates that a lawyer “shall not engage in unlawful, dishonest, immoral or deceitful conduct,” while Rule 7.03 mandates that a lawyer “shall not engage in conduct that adversely reflects on his fitness to practice law, nor shall he, whether in public or private life, behave in scandalous manner to the discredit of the legal profession.”

The SC noted that de los Reyes used his position to obtain sexual favors from his subordinate, which rendered the latter unable to refuse his demands for fear of losing her job.

“The sexual exploitation of his subordinate, done over a period of time, amounts to gross misbehavior on the part of respondent Attorney de los Reyes that affects his standing

and character as a member of the Bar and as an officer of the Court. All these deplorable acts of respondent Attorney de los Reyes puts the legal profession in disrepute and places the integrity of the administration of justice in peril, thus warranting disciplinary action from the Court,” the Court ruled.

The Court held that the respondent’s “actions show that he lacks the degree of morality required of him as a member of the legal profession, thus warranting the penalty of disbarment.”

“Respondent Attorney de los Reyes is disbarred for his gross misbehavior, even if it pertains to his private activities, as long as it shows him to be wanting in moral character, honesty, probity or good demeanor. Possession of good moral character is not only a prerequisite to admission to the bar but also a continuing requirement to the practice of law.”

The Court adopted the findings and conclusions of the Investigating Commissioner, as sustained by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Board of Governors.

The Court, however, held that IBP’s recommended penalty of indefinite suspension from the practice of law is not enough as a sanction for the grave acts committed by respondent.

The Court noted that a perusal of transcript of stenographic notes taken during the hearing of the instant case shows the victim’s “straightforward testimony of her ordeal at the hands of the respondent.” ■

Solon warns... ❰❰ 6

tors so that it could continue the shipyard’s operations and comply with its commitments.

Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo Lacson proposed that the PHP75 billion that was deleted from the budget of the public works department be used to settle the debts of the cashstrapped shipbuilder.

According to the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, HHICPhil filed a petition at the Regional Trial Court in Olongapo City on January 8 “to initiate

voluntary rehabilitation under Republic Act 10142, otherwise known as An Act Providing for the Rehabilitation or Liquidation of Financially Distressed Enterprises and Individuals.”

Hanjin has sought help from the government to find investors that can take over the operation of its shipyard in Subic, as well as to help its employees, who have taken the brunt of the company’s financial woes.

Last December, the company laid off more than 7,000 workers. ■

MANILA — Senators on Tuesday offered differing opinions on the proposal seeking to lower the minimum age of criminal responsibility from the current 15 years old.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who has a pending bill seeking to lower the age of criminal liability to at least 12 years, said his proposed age is the common threshold in most countries.

“Panahon pa ni Quezon, nine years old na criminal responsibility when acting with discernment. Twelve years, yun bill ko, like most countries worldwide.

Pag may nang-rape o pumatay na 13 years old, okay lang? Tell that to the parents of the [sic] victims (Even during the time of [President Manuel] Quezon, nine years old is already the [age] of criminal responsibility when acting with discernment.

My bill proposes 12 years old [as the age of criminality] just like most countries worldwide.

Is it okay for a 13-year-old to kill or rape someone? Tell that to the parents of the victims),” Sotto said in a Twitter post.

Sotto earlier said “majority of the senators” have agreed to lower the age of criminal responsibility. This, however, appears not to be the case as senators are divided on the issue.

For the House of Representatives, the measure seeking to lower the age of criminality from 15 to nine years old already hurdled committee level on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, two measures proposing 12 years old as the minimum age of criminality are still being deliberated by the Senate justice panel.

Senator Panfilo Lacson said he will only support lowering the age of criminal liability on three conditions: if the youth offender is proven to have acted with discernment, sentencing is suspended until the offender reaches the age of majority, and there are enough reformative facilities.

He noted that the age of nine is “too young” for criminal liability. www.canadianinquirer.net

Senate Pres. Vicente "Tito" Sotto III.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said the focus must be on rehabilitating child offenders “through more constructive and nurturing means” rather than “outright imprisonment.”

“Lowering down the age of criminal responsibility to nine years old is not the most effective solution to curb criminality in our communities. Children belong in schools, not in jails,” Gatchalian said.

He said the juvenile justice system can be strengthened through stricter implementation of existing laws that prosecute adults who coerce children to engage in criminal behavior.

He also called for the full implementation of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006 to protect and rehabilitate children in conflict with the law through “restorative, not punitive, means.”

Senator Sonny Angara said the incarceration of young offenders is not the way forward for rehabilitation and reform, stressing that nine-year-olds do not belong to jails.

“If they are sentenced for committing a crime, then there must be some intervention for them, whether in a juvenile center or ‘Bahay Pangarap’, but not in a regular jail where chances for reform are slim. Under the old law their sentence was sus-

SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES / FACEBOOK

pended until they reach the age of majority,” Angara said.

Senator Joel Villanueva said the issue of children being used by adults to commit crimes can be addressed by increasing the penalty against adults and improving the intelligence unit and the capacity to reduce crime instead of penalizing children, who are “victims in these situations.”

Villanueva said the strategies in rehabilitating juvenile delinquents must also be improved.

“I think the involvement of a number of kids in the commission of crime is an indication that we have failed as a society in protecting our children. Punishing them is not the right approach,” Villanueva said.

Senator Grace Poe said lowering the minimum age of criminal responsibility is “anti-poor” as most children in conflict with the law come from poor families and have no meaningful access to legal services.

“Holding children as young as nine years old criminally liable will not address the root causes of juvenile offenses. If they are indeed being used by syndicates, then law enforcers should go after these syndicates victimizing the children. Let’s save the children instead of incarcerating them,” Poe said. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 2019

13

ER of Tondo hospital temporarily closed due to suspected meningococcal infection

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer GAT ANDRES Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center (GABMMC) in Tondo, Manila announced on Wednesday, January 23, that its emergency room (ER) is still temporarily closed due to a suspected meningococcal infection.

“Sinara kasi ‘yang emergency room kagabi kasi merong suspected case ng meningococcemia. Pero suspetsya pa lang naman po ‘yon kaya lang syempre para maiwasan natin baka mamaya may mahawa kaya po sinara na po namin (The emergency room was closed last night because there is a suspected case of meningococcemia. But it is just a suspected case, however, we closed it already to avoid anyone from being infected),” Dr. Rolan Mendiola, senior house officer of GABMMC, told reporters.

Mendiola revealed that there was a 55-year-old patient from Manila who has had a fever for five days and that rashes are seen on his feet, which show

symptoms of meningococcemia. The patient was admitted to the hospital last night and was referred to an Infectious Disease (ID) doctor.

In a public health advisory from GABMMC’s ID specialist Yapendon Fresco, one cannot get easily infected by meningococcemia unlike measles and chickenpox.

“Paano nakukuha ang meningococcemia? Droplet and contact transmission. Kapag nasinghot ang hangin na maybacteria na nanggaling sa ilong ng isang carrier o may sakit, pwede mahawa ang nakasinghot (How can meningococcemia be obtained? Through droplet and contact transmission. If someone inhaled the air that has bacteria which came from the nose of a carrier or a person who has the disease, then that person can be infected),” Fresco said in a statement shared

by GABMMC on its Facebook page.

He explained that bacteria cannot survive for a long time in the air that is why people who can only get infected are those who are near or having “three

GAT ANDRES BONIFACIO MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER / FACEBOOK

to five feet distance” from the patient.

“Maaari ring mahawa kung ang likido tulad ng sipon at dugo ng carrier o pasyente ay dumapo o madikit sa mata o bibig ng ibang tao (A person can also be infected if liquids like mucus and blood of the carrier or patient get into or stick to the eye or mouth of others),” the specialist added.

Fresco also told the public not to panic as such disease is rare.

According to Mendiola, the patient has been isolated in the ER as they wait for the confirmation of medical results which usually take five days to release.

Asked about safety precautions that the hospital is doing, Mendiola said other patients in the emergency unit, as well as hospital staff, were given a prophylactic so that they won’t get infected by the suspected disease.

In its statement, GABMMC also assured the public that the hospital is already implementing precautionary measures to prevent any risk of spread of infection.

Despite the ER being temporarily closed, the hospital said its operations remain “normal” in all other areas including the out-patient department.

GABMMC also warned netizens from the spread of false information regarding the matter.

“Any news disseminated in social media with information that is not from the GABMMC official FB page is not reliable,” it said.

Last Friday, the Department of Health (DOH) denied rumors circulating on social media that there is a meningococcemia outbreak in the country.

The Health Department issued the statement after a twoyear-old girl, who “exhibited signs and symptoms” of meningococcemia, died.

The local government of Valenzuela City, however, that the child was ‘negative’ of such disease.

PH medical execs urge senators to pass P60 tobacco tax bill

BY MA. TERESA MONTEMAYOR Philippine News Agency MANILA — A total of 30 leaders of Philippine medical societies on Friday urged the Senate to pass a tobacco tax of at least PHP60 per pack before the campaign period for May’s mid-term elections.

Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) Independent Director of the Monetary Board Dr. Anthony Leachon said the PHP 60 per pack tax bill is supported by the Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Finance (DOF).

Leachon explained that the PHP5 increase on the current PHP32.50 excise tax per pack of cigarettes, which was earlier approved by the House of Representatives, is not enough to support the Universal Health Care Law.

“We were depressed at that moment. If this is the banner program of the government and you lack funds, the thinking process of the executive is not aligned with that of the legislator,” he said in press conference in Quezon City.

Citing that President Rodrigo Duterte certified the bill as urgent on January 7, Leachon questioned the lack of sense of urgency among Senate leaders to conduct a meeting on the matter.

“About a month ago, we had only a two-hour meeting with Senator Angara where I and Doctor Dans and the other advocates presented but there is no more follow-up,” he said, adding that it will have to be refiled during the next Congress if it is not passed by the Senate in the first week of February.

National Academy of Science and Technology Academician Dr. Antonio Dans, who was

also in the press briefing, said a higher tobacco tax bill is important in the implementation of other health bills and advocacies.

“There are 150,000 deaths a year from tobacco and 60 percent of Filipinos die without seeing a health worker. these highlight two major issues — the health problem and the health care problem. Iyong mahirap ka tapos maysakit ka at walang mag-aalaga sa ‘yo, parang grabe na iyon (It would be too much if you’re poor and no one will care for you when you’re sick),” he said.

Dans also refuted the claim of the tobacco industry and its supporters that the bill will kill the livelihood of the tobacco farmers.

“A huge portion of the bill will be for the tobacco farmers. Ang dapat sisihin ay ang (The ones to be blamed are the) tobacco companies for ruining our www.canadianinquirer.net

health and using our farmers as a reason not to pass the bill and to earn a lot of money at the expense of the farmers.

Aiming to fast-track the passage of the bill, Leachon said medical societies nationwide will campaign against legislators who will block or delay the passage of the higher tobacco tax bill.

“The Philippine College of Physicians will make a slate and we will choose the senators to vote. We are around 7,000 to 10,000 doctors and we have patients who have relatives and the other Philippine Medical Association doctors here who comprise another 70,000, think of the magnitude of the impact those who will not vote for them, that would be a minimum of five to six million voters,” he said.

Meanwhile, Philippine College of Chest Physicians president Dr. Leonor Fernandez said

they will endorse legislators who support their higher tobacco tax bill campaign.

“Napakalaking bagay ang tax na ito para masuportahan ang mga maysakit na Pilipino at mabawasan rin ang mga naninigarilyo, in that aspect the Philippine Heart Association (PHA) will be choosing senatoriables who will be supporting the health care bills, we cannot dictate everyone but we will endorse,” PHA President Nanette Rey said.

Other medical groups who expressed their support for the measures are the Philippine Society of Newborn Medicine, Society of the Adolescent Medicine of the Philippines, Philippine Ambulatory Pediatric Association, Philippine Academy of Family Physicians, Philippine Academy of Ophthalmology, and Philippine Rheumatology Association. ■

14

Canada News NDP, Liberals pitch for United Conservatives urban votes with competing leader Jason Kenney affordable housing plans disputes expense allegations while MP

THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — Jagmeet Singh is proposing three measures he says will help build 500,000 new affordable housing units across Canada over the next 10 years.

The NDP leader says the federal government should stop applying GST to the cost of building new affordable units.

It should also provide a subsidy to renters who spend more than 30 per cent of their income on housing.

And Singh says it should double the first-time home buyers’ tax credit to $1,500 from $750.

For now, details of the three measures are scant. Singh says they’re part of a broader NDP housing plan which will be released later.

Singh is running in a Feb. 25 byelection in the British Columbia riding of Burnaby South, where he said the top issue is affordable housing.

But his housing announcement is aimed more broadly at trying to win back progressive voters from the governing Liberals in urban centres across the country.

“When it comes to dealing with this housing crisis, we need to use every tool in our toolbox to solve this problem and ensure people have access to a place to call home,” Singh told a news conference in Burnaby.

“We need to get serious about

BY DEAN BENNETT The Canadian Press

Jagmeet Singh.

this crisis,” he said, accusing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of delaying the roll out of the bulk of promised housing funding until after the Oct. 21 federal election.

“Mr. Trudeau is not serious about this crisis. He likes to talk about it but his actions don’t back this up.”

Toronto Liberal MP Adam Vaughan, the government’s point man on housing, said the Liberal government has spent close to $5.7 billion on housing.

“I don’t think there’s a government in the history of this country that’s been invested in housing the way we have,” Vaughan said outside a Liberal caucus retreat in the nation’s capital.

“The NDP can talk about

JAGMEET SINGH / FACEBOOK

housing,” he said. “We’re busy building it.”

He added that the experts say investments in housing and its subsequent maintenance and repair should be done gradually over time, not all up front as the NDP proposes.

“Their front-end loading plan is a recipe to bankrupt housing providers right across the country,” he said of the NDP’s plan.

Vaughan said the government considered lifting the GST on building costs but Finance officials worried there’d be no way to ensure an affordable housing project didn’t evolve into a more upscale project, with the government effectively subsidizing it. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

EDMONTON — Alberta United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney and his staff are firing back at a lawyer who is questioning Kenney’s residential expense claims from his time as a cabinet minister in Ottawa.

Kenney’s spokesman Matt Wolf says Kyle Morrow’s suggestions are not true and he can’t point to any rule Kenney is supposed to have contravened regarding having homes in two cities.

“Mr. Morrow has no case to be made,” Wolf said in an interview Monday. “He hasn’t shown any rule that’s been broken.”

Wolf called it an attack from a former provincial Liberal candidate meant to undermine Kenney as a provincial election approaches this spring.

“Mr. Morrow has certainly proven nothing other than injecting innuendo and sleazy partisan smears,” he said.

Morrow, an Ottawa-based lawyer, has been sharply critical of Kenney in previous Twitter posts, particularly accusing him of working against or failing to support LGBTQ issues.

In recent days, Morrow has posted travel and expense documents on his Twitter feed and questioned why Kenney, while working as an MP, listed a Cal-

gary home as his primary residence from 2013 to 2015 when flight records suggest he spent little time there.

“Jason Kenney was collecting around $900/month in secondary residence subsidies at the same time he was listing his address in Calgary as a senior’s retirement home. Those subsidies were contingent on him permanently residing in Calgary,” Morrow posted.

Morrow could not be reached for comment Monday.

Kenney has said he rented out part of his mother’s home in a retirement village at the time to be near her and to help her out when he could.

House of Commons rules say that time spent living in a home is only one of many conditions to be considered for an MP to qualify to have a residence in a second city.

The rules state that as long as MPs have ties to an area — such as paying taxes or having a driver’s licence from there — they qualify for the second residence.

Wolf said Kenney met those conditions in Calgary.

“If you look at the House of Commons rules, it makes it very clear that Jason checks multiple boxes to qualify for his Calgary residence as his primary residence,” he said.

“He’s been a Calgarian for ❱❱ PAGE 16 United Conservatives

Canada News

FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 2019

15

B.C. byelection in NDP territory tests strength of minority government

BY DIRK MEISSNER The Canadian Press NANAIMO, B.C. — British Columbia’s minority New Democrat government faces a crucial popularity test this month in a byelection in one of its traditionally safe constituencies where the outcome could threaten Premier John Horgan’s one-seat hold on power.

Voters in Nanaimo, who have elected New Democrats in 13 of the last 15 provincial elections, are heading to the polls Jan. 30 to replace Leonard Krog, the five-term NDP member of the legislature who resigned his seat last year after being elected mayor of the Vancouver Island city.

Krog’s vacancy at the legislature makes the tight seat count even more tenuous for the New Democrats, who formed government in 2017 by reaching a partnership agreement with the three members of the Green party.

Six candidates are in the race: former federal New Democrat MP Sheila Malcolmson, the Green’s Michele Ney, Liberal Tony Harris, Conservative Justin Greenwood, the Vancouver Island Party’s Robin Richardson and Libertarian Bill Walker.

There are 40 New Democrats, three Greens, 42 Liberals, one Independent and one vacancy in the 87 seat legislature.

If the Liberals win, the legislature will be at a 43-43 tie, with Speaker Darryl Plecas — a former Liberal who now sits as an

Independent — forced to cast tie-breaking votes.

An NDP win would preserve the minority government’s status.

Prof. Mark Blackell, who teaches Liberal Studies at Nanaimo’s Vancouver Island University, said the city is known as an NDP stronghold, but the name recognition of the Liberal, Harris, and the Green’s Ney will challenge Malcolmson and the NDP. “Nanaimo has undergone gradual changes in the past several decades due to a changing economy, one that has become more service-oriented, and due to people moving here, often to retire and, more recently, younger people from the Lower Mainland to find more reasonable housing,” he said.

“While many who have settled, especially from Alberta, bring more conservative or B.C. Liberal Party allegiances, there has also been a growth in Green party support, largely in the younger population.”

Harris, the Liberal candidate, said every candidate is aware of the high stakes in the byelection, but it’s also an opportunity for the often neglected city to garner well-deserved attention.

Nanaimo, located on the east coast of Vancouver Island about 110 kilometres northeast of Victoria, is a port city with coal mining and forestry roots.

More than 90,000 people live in the city.

Harris said Nanaimo has been left out of the political picture for too long.

“We certainly need to have a more comprehensive vision to allow whatever party is in power to figure out how to advance the interests of Nanaimo,” he said.

He acknowledged the riding did not receive enough attention from the former Liberal government, but said the NDP also didn’t pay enough attention to Nanaimo, keeping Krog out of Horgan’s cabinet.

“That’s just sort of the metaphor for the attitude towards Nanaimo,” he said. “We can be overlooked. We can be taken for granted and we’ll just continue marching on.”

But Harris, a sixth-generation resident, said he represents the resilient spirit of the city and he wants to bring bold change to Nanaimo.

Green candidate Michele Ney said her roots in Nanaimo are as deep as Harris’s and her vision also looks to the city’s potential.

She is one of former Nanaimo mayor Frank Ney’s 11 children.

Frank Ney served as Nanaimo’s mayor for 21 years. He was also elected to the B.C. legislature for one term.

A bronze statue of Frank Ney stands in downtown Nanaimo and the flamboyant businessman was known for bringing thousands of tourists to the city with its famed bathtub races.

“Apples don’t fall far from the tree,” said Michele Ney. “I have a vision for Nanaimo. I have this vision where we’re going to be a leader in a clean economy.”

Ney said she can’t escape her father’s legacy and much of her

Leonard Krog.

time door knocking during the campaign is spent reminiscing about her father.

“He was always talking to people no matter who they were,” she said. “If there was such a thing as Green in his lifetime or if he was still alive today, he would be voting Green.”

The NDP’s Malcolmson said her team is deeply aware of what’s at stake for the government, but she’s focused on the riding.

“Talking with people on the doorstep is where I get my best advice and my best read on the actions of John Horgan’s government so far,” she said. “It’s the real deal what you hear on the door steps.”

Malcolmson, who resigned her federal seat as Nanaimo’s MP to run provincially, said she’s hearing from people with concerns about health care, child care and education.

“On the doorstep, I’d say it’s also the sense of urgency of how

@LEONARDKROG / TWITTER

the Liberals let housing prices get so out of control. How they let the homelessness crisis spiral in Nanaimo,” said Malcolmson who lives on nearby Gabriola Island.

Richardson, an economist and a former Conservative MP from Ontario when Joe Clark was prime minister, said he wants Vancouver Island to become Canada’s 11th province.

“We would be 100 times better off as a province than a region,” said the candidate running for the Vancouver Island Party.

He also said if he wins the byelection he would hold the balance of power in the legislature.

Walker, the Libertarian, said he’s campaigning for individual rights and freedoms and “freedom from government oppression.”

The Conservative candidate could not be reached for comment. ■

Premier says no changes to Quebec gun registry despite call for better screening

BY PETER RAKOBOWCHUK The Canadian Press MONTREAL — The head of the Quebec City mosque where six men were killed in a shooting almost two years ago wants the province to tighten up controls over who has access to firearms.

In a letter to Premier Francois Legault made public Mon-

day, Boufeldja Benabdallah identified a weakness when it comes to verifying people who have mental health problems.

He said that the gunman Alexandre Bissonnette, who will be sentenced Feb. 8 after pleading guilty to six counts of firstdegree murder, had mental issues but provincial police did not check.

Benabdallah said that when

Bissonnette applied for his permit, he did not acknowledge on the form that he had experienced periods of depression, and his family did not report it to authorities.

He added that if police had been alerted to Bissonnette’s mental problems and an inquiry revealed a threat to public safety, they could have made a preventive seizure of the firewww.canadianinquirer.net

arms in his possession.

Benabdallah said that since the abolition of the federal firearms registry in Quebec in 2015, it has not been possible for police to know which firearms a permit holder owns.

He noted that Bissonnette acquired unrestricted firearms, including a CSA-VZ-58 assault weapon, which jammed during his Jan. 29, 2017 attack on the

mosque.

Quebec passed a law creating a long gun registry in 2016 and has given owners until Jan. 29 to register their firearms or face penalties of up to $5,000.

As of Sunday, 342,359 firearms had been registered, less than one-quarter of the 1.6 million long guns that the government ❱❱ PAGE 19 Premier says

Canada News

16

JANUARY 25, 2019

FRIDAY

Trudeau acknowledges global turmoil is making Canadians anxious, fearful

BY JOAN BRYDEN The Canadian Press SHERBROOKE, QUE. — Justin Trudeau acknowledged Friday that Canadians are anxious about the upheavals occurring around the globe — with Canada recently seeming to have become the world’s favourite punching bag.

The prime minister insisted the best way to allay those fears is to stick to his government’s plan for improving the lot of middle-class Canadians.

But those anxieties could make it more difficult for the Trudeau Liberals to keep the focus on domestic concerns as they navigate their way through an election year.

Indeed, international events obscured the upbeat economic message Trudeau had hoped would come out of a three-day cabinet retreat — in the midst of which tensions with China escalated and a Canadian mining executive was killed in Burkina Faso.

Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau took time out of the final day of the cabinet retreat Friday to meet with the mother and sister of Edith Blais, a Quebec woman who has herself been missing in Burkina Faso for over a month.

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale was dispatched to respond to China’s ambassador to Canada, Lu Shaye, who on Thursday threatened repercussions if Chinese telecom giant Huawei is banned from participating in development of Canada’s 5G mobile network.

“We are determined to stand our ground on the basis of what is right for Canada,” Goodale said Friday.

Canadian security agencies are still reviewing the security and technical issues surrounding Huawei’s potential involvement in the next-generation network for smart phones and other wireless communication devices. Goodale couldn’t say when Canada’s review would be completed but a well-placed source said a decision is still months away.

The United States, Australia and New Zealand have already barred Huawei from participating in 5G, citing nationalsecurity concerns. And German officials said Thursday they are considering banning it as well.

The U.S. is pushing Canada to do the same, warning that the Chinese government could use Huawei technology built into other countries’ networks to conduct espionage or cyberattacks.

Relations with China have been spiralling downward since Canada arrested Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in early December at the behest of the U.S., which wants her extradited on fraud charges related to American sanctions against Iran. The Chinese ambassador called her arrest a politically motivated “backstabbing” of a friend.

China has since detained two Canadians, including a former diplomat, accusing them of being threats to Chinese security.

And earlier this week, China abruptly handed a death sentence to a third Canadian, previously convicted of drug smuggling and sentenced to 15 years in prison.

China has warned Canada to back off its efforts to enlist allies around the globe to condemn China’s treatment of the three Canadians. Trudeau’s office has been pointedly releasing summaries of his phone calls with leader after leader, in which they talk about the importance of the rule of law and share concerns about international norms and judicial independence. Friday, the secretary-general of the United Nations joined the list.

Goodale wouldn’t say whether he thought China has been trying to push around Canada any more than it does other countries, but acknowledged that global politics is a challenge these days.

“This is a tough and turbulent world and we need to make sure that we are making all of our decisions in a way that will benefit this country,” he said. “It’s a tough decision-making process but you can’t shrink from the challenges. They’re there and you have to face them and make the very best decisions you can.”

On Thursday, Freeland mused that Canada is living through “probably the most turbulent moment in terms of the rulesbased international order since the Second World War. This turbulence is affecting a lot of countries and we should not imagine that we can be immune.”

In addition to escalating tensions with China, Canada is embroiled in a diplomatic feud with Saudi Arabia — touched off by a tweet from Freeland last summer calling for the release of Canadian-connected dissidents — and has recently been subjected to fake news in Rus-

sia about Nazi-loving Ukrainians running the Canadian government.

Even U.S. President Donald Trump has piled on periodically, calling Trudeau weak and dishonest in the midst of free trade negotiations last year and continuing to turn a deaf ear to Trudeau’s pleas to lift crippling tariffs imposed on Canadian steel and aluminum.

Canada could also be economically sideswiped by other international events, such as the chaos engulfing the British government over efforts to extricate the United Kingdom from the European Union and the U.S. trade war with China.

Asked Friday about all that global turmoil and its impact on his election strategy, Trudeau pointed to his government’s economic record as the best antidote: relatively

strong economic growth, more than 800,000 new jobs created, lowest jobless rate in 40 years, and so on, all of which Trudeau credited to his government’s investments in the middle class and infrastructure.

While other countries withdraw into protectionist shells, Trudeau said his government has also successfully pursued progressive trade deals that “have allayed some of the very real anxieties people are feeling out there.”

That said, Trudeau added: “But people are feeling anxious about what’s going on in the world, about what the future might bring for their kids and grandkids.

“And that’s why our responsibility as a team is to … focus on the real, tangible, concrete solutions that we’re going to be able to bring together.” ■

commodation in Ottawa.”

In his Twitter posts, Morrow also accused Kenney of lying to Elections Canada in 2013 by listing his home that had been sold by his mother the year prior.

Wolf said that would have been filed by a volunteer or someone else on Kenney’s campaign and was likely to have been an honest mistake. He not-

ed other filings at the same time gave Kenney’s correct address.

Premier Rachel Notley’s NDP waded in on Monday by alleging Kenney broke election rules in 2016 when he contributed $399 to Ontario’s Progressive Conservative party while not being eligible to do so because he was living in Alberta.

“For somebody to have spent 20 years in Ottawa, claim that

you’re an Alberta resident, donate to an Ontario political party ? and then say, ‘Trust me to govern your province,’ I think there are a lot of questions,” deputy premier Sarah Hoffman said at the legislature.

Wolf said the $399 was a registration fee, not a donation, when Kenney attended the 2016 Ontario PC general meeting in Ottawa. ■

@JUSTINPJTRUDEAU / INSTAGRAM

United Conservatives... ❰❰ 14

over 20 years, either owning, co-owning or renting his primary home in Calgary. He pays his taxes in Calgary, he votes in Calgary, his driver’s licence and health card are from Alberta.”

Kenney has also said the Calgary housing expenses came out of his own pocket while he received about $10,000 a year allowance to subsidize his place

in Ottawa.

Kenney, in a weekend Facebook post, said the allegations are false.

“Yes it is true that my work as a senior cabinet minister in Stephen Harper’s government also meant I spent a large amount of time outside of Calgary.

“As a member of Parliament I was afforded the same living allowance that all MPs get for ac-

www.canadianinquirer.net

17

FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 2019

CANADIAN TOUR-OF-DUTY

Challenging Oneself to Traverse: Best of Both Worlds with Success

BY BOLET AREVALO

IT TAKES guts, a lot of real determination, and maybe unstoppable passion to make a decision to switch careers.

This is especially true when the gains of the present have been crystal clear while the prospects of the new one remain unexplored. But sometimes fate has a way of playing its way around our lives. The transition can be initiated by what we witness, experience, or come to love in the course of doing an old job.

Consul General Bert Asuque of Calgary found his way into the foreign service while into a glamorous job of covering Malacañang happenings as a Palace reporter of the government channel, PTV4 in the ‘70s.

One of these regular events, he said, was the presentation of credentials by ambassadors of different countries. This ceremony fascinated him so much that he began dreaming of becoming a diplomat one day.

As many people may realize, his was a kind of dream that cannot happen overnight. A lot of planning and consultation with friends and family went into the good ConGen’s process of decision-making. But he had it all figured out. While still a TV news anchor, he returned to school and studied at University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law. After a successful career in broadcast journalism from 1972 to 1986, he knew all he ever wanted was to join the foreign service. While still studying law, he took the foreign service exam and passed it. He finished his law degree and immediately joined the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and became spokesperson under its Public Information Services; then as

assistant secretary in the same department.

The Foreign Service Exam

While we were at this topic, ConGen Asuque remarked that the process of taking the prestigious foreign service examination should be an exercise that some young people must experience. He recalled that it consisted of a battery of exams and interviews which one must pass to be eligible to take the written tests. Written exams are taken in one week and all those who pass will be feted in a formal dinner where topics will be drawn by lots and the examinee is asked to deliver a formal speech based on the subject matter he picks. In his batch, out of 500 hopefuls, only 15 made it to the finals.

He informed that the exam is open to all graduates regardless of what discipline they come from. There are those who come from Foreign Service bachelor’s degrees but what is important is for an applicant to be abreast with economics and international developments as well as exhibit an excellent writing skill. Specifically, he pointed out that, one must have “the ability to analyze, synthesize and write this down into a cohesive answer.” In his case, he said it was just fortunate that at the time he took it, he had behind him years of experience in broadcasting where he was honed in research, evaluating, and writing. He also had a fresh degree from the UP College of Law and so the exam was just like a piece of cake to him. Or maybe, we would think.

“At the Malacaňang Press Office, there was like a library where I would go all the time after my work to keep reading and learning,” he recalled, implying that if we are really passionate about something, we really should take effort educating ourselves. Though his journalism background worked to his advantage, as mentioned,

Consul General Gilberto Asuque (left) exchanging views with Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi during their meeting on 13 June in the Calgary Municipal Building.

CALGARY PHILIPPINE CONSUL GENERAL

the ConGen still went back to school to arm himself further with enough knowledge and solid credentials to aim for a slot at the Foreign Service.

Having proven to himself how education and actual exposure to a field or industry make up a surefire formula to journey into success, ConGen Asuque is currently into a project that aims to give young students from the Philippines a chance to come to Calgary and get more advanced knowledge and training in areas like mining, agriculture, and economics. ConGen Asuque and Deputy Consul General Zaldy Patron are working towards the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Philippine universities and the University of Calgary and University of Alberta to offer scholarships and other training opportunities for Filipino undergraduate or past-graduate students. This project will require meetings with CHED and UP, initially, as to how this agreement can be actualized.

Looking After Filipino Engineers, Geologists

With equal fervor, he vowed to try to protect the future of our Filipino engineers and geologists and others who have landed in Alberta with the hope that they can get into its rich oil and mining industries. He noted that these two (2) industries are not doing so well at the moment, specifically affected by the much-delayed pipeline project. The good ConGen was referring to the TransMountain Pipeline Project if when built, will give a more direct route for Alberta oil to the Asian market.

It can be noted that there are at least three (3) pipeline projwww.canadianinquirer.net

ects in Alberta. The Northern Gateway is the one that runs from Alberta to BC; the Keystone - Alberta to Nebraska; and the tripling of the TransMountain that currently runs from Edmonton to BC. The Keystone is the one that is reportedly expected to give international access to Alberta oil. It involves the construction of an approximately 1,179-mile-long pipe from Alberta to Nebraska and is estimated to provide over 42,000 temporary jobs over its one to two-year construction.

However, both the TransMountain and the Keystone projects have difficulty moving forward as they have sparked controversies among environmental activists and other NGOs who believe that it would run over or through some indigenous lands and large private properties, among other arguments.

ConGen Asuque also admits that it is not only our engineers who are having problems with recognition or accreditation of professional credentials.

And just like the ConGens of Vancouver and Toronto, PCG Calgary continues to make representations with the federal government and works with NGOs to come to a happy resolution of this old issue. Admittedly, not today or tomorrow, but hopefully sometime in the foreseeable horizon for the benefit of the Filipinos in Calgary.

After all, the PCG is a creation of the Filipinos in Alberta, who earnestly petitioned the Philippine government to set up this office in 2015. It became a reality in 2016 and was first headed

by Ambassador Julius Torres, until May 2018 when ConGen Asuque took over from him.

Being in the middle of critical and important issues is not

new to ConGen Asuque. He was part of the legal team that studied and prepared the Memorial (legal arguments) for the Scarborough Shoal and West Philippine Sea problem with China, and one of those most pleased with the decision of the 5-member Arbitral Tribunal in favor of the Philippines. With his thorough background in shipping and maritime law, he was once appointed assistant secretary of the DFA for maritime and ocean concerns. This author, however, did not think it was politically correct to ask the good ConGen what he feels about this maritime issue today when the current administration seem not keen at all in embracing the victory gained from this high-profile case.

As a diplomat, ConGen Asuque, however, sees himself as “part of national team that works to bring the vision of the national government to Filipinos around the world. The President of the Republic is the head of the team, the coach and the influencer of foreign policies. The Secretary of Foreign Affairs, through the DFA, implements these foreign policies.”

Pillars of Foreign Service

He explained that today, the pillars of foreign service are 1) national security, 2) economic diplomacy, and 3) assistance to Filipino nationals overseas.

The consular office as an extension of the DFA in different parts of the globe, will be there to roll out these objectives, especially ensuring that Filipinos abroad are accorded the service they deserve.

The PCG in Calgary when❱❱ PAGE 20 Challenging Oneself

World News

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JANUARY 25, 2019

FRIDAY

$7.5M, 5 year federal Trudeau fields questions program to help Surrey, B.C., at town hall meeting divert youth from gang life in St Hyacinthe, Que. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SURREY, B.C. — The federal government has announced $7.5 million in funding to help the City of Surrey fight criminal gangs.

Bill Blair, minister of border security and organized crime reduction, and Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan made the announcement Tuesday in Surrey.

The funds will support the Surrey Anti-Gang Family Empowerment Program, a collaborative project aimed at reaching youth at risk of joining gangs.

Public Safety Canada says in a news release that the program emerged from the findings of the Surrey mayor’s task force on gang violence prevention.

The government says as many as 4,730 Surrey teenagers, between 13 and 17

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years old, are expected to benefit from this project over five years.

Sajjan says gang violence was linked to half of Surrey’s 12 homicides in 2017, while the number of murders climbed to 15 last year and included the targeted murders of two Surrey teens in June.

“The sad reality is that in places like Surrey too many young people continue to be lured into the gang world,” Sajjan said during remarks at the announcement.

He pointed to estimates showing as many as 7,000 Canadian youth are involved in gangs and said the government funding is aimed at supporting families and helping teens make better choices.

“It takes an entire community to stop gang violence and we must come together to ensure that our young people are not lured at a young age,” said Sajjan. ■

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Quebec, and the issue unsurprisingly rose to the forefront in the 52,000-person southwestern Quebec city known for its agricultural production.

SAINT-HYACINTHE, QUE. — Ottawa’s Trudeau defended his government’s decision to sign the UN compact for mi- concessions on dairy in the recent NAFgration in no way limit’s Canada’s sover- TA renegotiations, telling the crowd eignty or ability to choose its own immi- that U.S. President Donald Trump “abgrants, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau solutely” wanted to eliminate supply said Friday at an animated town hall management altogether. meeting in Quebec.

Reaching a deal was necessary, he said, The prime minister was cheered and in order to preserve the millions of Caoccasionally heckled as he answered nadian jobs that depend on access to U.S. questions on a variety of topics, ranging markets. from the environment to immigration “To protect this access at a moment to NAFTA, during the two-hour meeting of unpredictableness, of protectionism in Saint-Hyacinthe, Que. of Mr. Trump, was a huge challenge and The most heated exchange came we succeeded,” he said, adding that dairy on immigration, after a woman asked would not be on the table for any current Trudeau why his government had or future deals under negotiation. signed the UN Global Several early quesCompact on Safe Mitions focused on gration without conthe environment, sulting Canadians. with one man asking Trudeau respondI believe we Trudeau how he can ed that the entire were justified claim to be pro-enworld is being thrown in continuing vironment after his into a migration crito show our government chose to sis, and that signleadership on purchase the Trans ing the agreement immigration Mountain pipeline. would allow Canada towards the Trudeau respondto share its approach entire world. ed that economic and co-operate with development and enother countries on vironmental protecmatters of immigration have to go hand tion. in hand.

“This is a pact that in no way limits But he said Canadians will still be deCanada in its sovereignty to determine pendent on fossil fuels for the foreseehow and who we will accept as immi- able future, and while that’s the case the grants,” Trudeau said. country needs pipelines to get its oil to “There is a great deal of false informa- market. tion spreading on the subject.”

Trudeau was also questioned about The prime minister had to raise his Indigenous opposition to pipelines in voice to be heard above boos and shouted British Columbia, which culminated accusations as he blamed the criticism in the arrest of 14 people at a pipeline of the pact on the “politics of division.” blockade in northwestern B.C. He also pointed to Canada’s generosity He admitted that the way the situation towards the 25,000 Syrian refugees who had been handled had been “a mistake,” arrived in recent years as proof of the and said the process of reconciliation recountry’s acceptance of newcomers. mains a bumpy one.

“I believe we were justified in continu“We’re doing our best but we still ing to show our leadership on immigra- make mistakes, and it wasn’t an ideal or tion towards the entire world,” Trudeau positive situation at Wet’suwet’en,” he said, as boos gave way to applause. told the Indigenous woman who asked The 200-person crowd included the question, as a man unfurled an antiseveral people wearing the insignia of pipeline poster behind her. right-wing group La Meute, as well as The evening event was the fourth in a about a dozen people in fluorescent yel- series of question and answer-style publow safety vests, who jeered and heckled lic meetings being held across the counTrudeau throughout the evening. try.

One of the yellow vest protesters Trudeau has faced tough questions left halfway through, angrily yelling at on subjects ranging from pipelines to Trudeau before he was ushered from the relations with Indigenous people durroom by security. ing earlier town hall meetings in British Dairy pricing is a hot-button issue in Columbia, Saskatchewan and Ontario. ■

R E R

Sirloin

IN

BY MORGAN LOWRIE The Canadian Press

N A

R E R

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World News

FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 2019

19

At 30 day mark, shutdown logjam remains over border funding

BY JILL COLVIN The Associated Press WASHINGTON — Thirty days into the partial government shutdown, Democrats and Republicans appeared no closer to ending the impasse Sunday than when it began, with President Donald Trump lashing out at his opponents after they dismissed a plan he’d billed as a compromise.

Trump had offered the previous day to temporarily extend protections for young immigrants brought to the country illegally as children and those fleeing disaster zones in exchange for $5.7 billion for his border wall. But Democrats said the three-year proposal didn’t go nearly far enough.

On Sunday, Trump branded House Speaker Nancy Pelosi a “radical” and said she was acting “irrationally.” The president also tried to fend off criticism from the right, as conservatives accused him of embracing “amnesty” for immigrants in the country illegally.

“No, Amnesty is not a part of my offer,” Trump tweeted, noting that he’d offered temporary, three-year extensions — not permanent relief. But he added: “Amnesty will be used only on a much bigger deal, whether on immigration or something else.”

The criticism from both sides underscored Trump’s boxed in-position as he tries to win at least some Democratic buy-in without alienating his base.

With hundreds of thousands of federal workers set to face another federal pay period without paychecks, the issue passed to the Senate, where Majority Leader Mitch Mc-

Connell has agreed to bring Trump’s proposal to the floor this week.

Democrats say there’s little chance the measure will reach the 60-vote threshold usually required to advance legislation in the Senate. Republicans have a 53-47 majority, which means they need at least some Democrats to vote in favour.

McConnell has long tried to avoid votes on legislation that is unlikely to become law. And the Kentucky Republican has said for weeks that he has no interest in “show votes” aimed only at forcing members to take sides after Trump rejected the Senate’s earlier bipartisan bill to avert the shutdown.

What’s unclear is how McConnell will bring Trump’s plan forward — or when voting will begin. The Republican leader is a well-known architect of complicated legislative manoeuvrs. One question is whether he would allow a broader immigration debate with amendments to Trump’s plan on the Senate floor.

McConnell spokesman David Popp said Sunday, “When we have (a plan) we will be sure to let everyone know.”

One key Republican, Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma, said that he and other lawmakers had been encouraging the White House to put an offer on the table — any offer — to get both sides talking.

“Get something out there the president can say, ‘I can support this,’ and it has elements from both sides, put it on the table, then open it up for debate,” Lankford said on ABC’s “This Week.”

“The vote this week in the Senate is not to pass the bill, it is to open up and say ‘Can we

debate this? Can we amend it?

Can we make changes?”‘ Lankford said. “Let’s find a way to be able to get the government open because there are elements in this that are clearly elements that have been supported by Democrats strongly in the past.”

“The president really wants to come to an agreement here.

He has put offers on the table,” said Rep Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“The responsible thing for the Democrats to do is put a counteroffer on the table if you don’t like this one.”

Vice-President Mike Pence said on “Fox News Sunday” that Trump had “set the table for a deal that will address the crisis on our border, secure our border and give us a pathway” to reopen the government.

Democrats, however, continue to say that they will not negotiate with Trump until he ends the shutdown, the longest in American history.

“The starting point of this negotiation ought to be reopening the government,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., told NBC.

“We cannot reward the kind of behaviour of hostage taking.

Because if the president can arbitrarily shut down the government now, he will do it time and again.”

As news media reported the outline of Trump’s proposal ahead of his Saturday speech, Pelosi and other Democrats made clear the president’s plan was a non-starter — a quick reaction Trump took issue with Sunday.

“Nancy Pelosi and some of the Democrats turned down my offer yesterday before I even got up to speak. They don’t see crime & drugs, they only see 2020,” he said in first of a flurry of morning tweets.

Trump also lashed out at Pelosi personally — something he had refrained from early on — and accused her, without evidence, of having “behaved so irrationally” and moving “so far to the left that she has now officially become a Radical Democrat.”

He also appeared to threaten to target millions of people living in the country illegally if he doesn’t eventually get his way,

writing that “there will be no big push to remove the 11,000,000 plus people who are here illegally-but be careful Nancy!”

Pelosi responded with a tweet of her own, urging Trump to “Re-open the government, let workers get their paychecks and then we can discuss how we can come together to protect the border.”

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer also dug in during an appearance in New York, where he predicted Democrats would block the president’s proposal from passing the Senate.

“If he opens the government, we’ll discuss whatever he offers, but hostage taking should not work,” Schumer said as he pushed legislation that would protect government workers who can’t pay their bills because of the government shutdown. “It’s very hard to negotiate when a gun is held to your head.” ■

But Benabdallah said in a phone interview that he isn’t asking Legault for more legislation — just better screening.

“We’re simply asking him to tighten up the verifications before the registering (of a firearm) to ensure that such a person is in a good state of mind and doesn’t have any prior his-

tory and doesn’t have periods of depression,” he said.

Benabdallah is also worried about the influence of the progun lobby and has urged Legault not to delay implementation of the law. “We want that to be applied, because there’s a lobby on the other side that’s telling him not to apply it,” he

said. “There shouldn’t be any delay on that.”

Pro-gun activist Guy Morin has called on the public to “wait until the last minute” to comply with the law. He said in December that his hope was either the registry would be abolished or so few people would register “that it cannot be enforced.”

Canadian law classifies guns in three categories. Prohibited guns such as automatics and restricted guns such as handguns must be registered with the RCMP. Long guns — rifles and shotguns that are mainly used for hunting and sport shooting — no longer need to be registered in Canada, except in Quebec. ■

DONALD J. TRUMP / FACEBOOK

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro in Washington and Mike Balsamo and Julie Walker in New York contributed to this report.

Premier says... ❰❰ 15

estimates are owned

by Quebecers.

Asked Monday about Benabdallah’s request, Legault said he’s not planning any changes to the provincial law. “For now, there is nothing more planned than what actually exists,” Legault said in Paris, where he is on an official visit.

www.canadianinquirer.net

World News

20

JANUARY 25, 2019

FRIDAY

China’s economic growth sinks to 3 decade low in 2018

BY JILL COLVIN The Associated Press BEIJING — China’s economic growth fell to a three-decade low in 2018 as business activity lagged amid a tariff war with Washington.

The world’s second-largest economy expanded by 6.6 per cent over a year earlier, down from 2017’s 6.9 per cent, official data showed Monday. Growth in the three months that ended in December cooled to 6.4 per cent from the previous quarter’s 6.5 per cent.

Communist leaders are trying to steer China to slower, more self-sustaining growth based on consumer spending instead of trade and investment. But the slowdown has been sharper than expected, prompting Beijing to step up government spending and order banks to lend more to shore up growth and avoid politically dangerous job losses.

“Growth will remain under pressure in the coming months,” Louis Kuijs of Oxford Economics said in a report. “Key risks are the ongoing trade tension with the U.S. and that credit growth does not recover.”

Economic activity held up through most of 2018 despite President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes on Chinese imports in a fight over Beijing’s technology ambitions. But exports contracted more sharply than forecast in December as the penalties began to depress demand.

Growth in 2018 was the lowest since 1990’s 3.9 per cent in the aftermath of the violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests centred on Beijing’s Tiananmen Square the year before.

Growth in investment, retail spending and factory activity all declined, the National Bureau of Statistics reported.

The slowdown is adding to pressure on President Xi Jin-

ping’s government to settle its dispute with Washington.

The two sides have imposed tariff hikes of up to 25 per cent on tens of billions of dollars of each other’s goods in the fight over U.S. complaints Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology.

Washington is pressing China to roll back plans for state-led industry development that its trading partners say violate its market-opening obligations.

The dispute and news of job losses and falling sales of autos and real estate have rattled Chinese consumers. Some are cutting back on spending, which might worsen the downturn.

In a possible sign of progress, the Chinese government announced Friday that its top trade envoy, Vice Premier Liu He, will visit Washington for talks Jan. 30-31. Business groups and economists said a decision by Liu and his American counterpart, Robert Lighthizer, to get directly involved

would suggest earlier talks by lower-level officials made progress.

Trump said Saturday that trade relations with China were “going very well” and “a deal could very well happen.”

Forecasters expect growth to decline further this year to 6.3 per cent or lower. They predict the decline will bottom out this year as Beijing’s stimulus efforts gain traction. However, they have pushed back the time frame for that due to weakening

exports.

Chinese leaders warned earlier any recovery would be “Lshaped,” meaning companies and investors shouldn’t expect growth to rebound to the previous decade’s double-digit levels.

“A key downside risk to the Chinese growth outlook will be if the U.S.-China trade war escalates, should the temporary truce expire without any trade deal being struck,” Rajiv Biswas of IHS Markit said in an email. ■

Challenging Oneself...

Pandit Mahadeva

403 909 6993 W h i te field D r N E , Calga r y

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ever given the chance to join community events, takes time to educate Filipino immigrants or Filipino Canadians on some aspects of Philippine laws that affect or still affect them even while abroad. One such issue, he mentioned, is on Philippine citizenship. When does it end? When does it continue?

What am I entitled to as someone born in a foreign country, or someone who had acquired citizenship of another country?

ConGen Asuque cited the example of a child who was born in Canada while his Filipino mother or father or both parents are still immigrants. In this case, by the principle of jus sanguini (right of blood) which the Philippines follows , as opposed to jus soli (right of soil) followed by other countries like US and Canada, the child is a Filipino citizen and entitled to a Philippine passport, he said.

The good ConGen could go on and on, and we would notice the endearing enthusiasm in his voice in discussing about issues and the passion to bring www.canadianinquirer.net

these issues into a resolution.

This is an attribute, we believe, that had carried him through in his broadcast journalism and foreign service careers successfully. Something we will be assured of wherever his tour of duties will take him.

Canada’s Calming Effect

Tour of duties was not limited to a consular head position.

Before becoming the ConGen of Calgary, he was the Deputy Chief of Mission and Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Related Inter-Governmental Organizations, at the Philippine Embassy in London, from 14 March 2016 to 30 April 2018.

He also served as Spokesman of the Department of Foreign Affairs from 2004-2006. Other important assignments took him to London, Australia, Tokyo, Israel as Chargé d Affaires a.i. and Consul General in Tel Aviv and Lebanon as Philippine Ambassador to Beirut.

Canada is relatively more unflustered compared to other

crisis-torn countries he had been to, according to ConGen Asuque. In Canada, things are orderly and in place, specifically its immigration procedures, he noted. But having been assigned in countries like Israel and Lebanon gave him real exposure and the chance to learn his craft, not to mention the tenacity to deal with the difficult problems of our nationals, fight for their rights and bring them to justice, if need be.

While this calming Canadian tour-of-duty gives him a prologue on easing into a retirement mode, he is not about to fade into oblivion just of yet. He vows to continue being mentally and spiritually active, and may be more involved with his two (2) grandsons by his two (2) kids – one a doctor, and the other, a professional musician in the Philippines. Wife Rosalie is based with him in Calgary.

For a passionate person like the good ConGen, writing 30 to his busy life is not one journalistic lingo he intends to use for a few more years to come. ■

World News

FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 2019

21

China demands US drop Tshisekedi declared Congo’s president, but runner up revolts Huawei extradition

BY SALEH MWANAMILONGO AND CARLEY PETESCH The Associated Press KINSHASA, CONGO — Congo’s election crisis deepened early Sunday when the constitutional Court confirmed the win of Felix Tshisekedi, rejecting claims of fraud, and runnerup Martin Fayulu promptly declared himself the country’s “only legitimate president.”

Fayulu’s supporters have alleged an extraordinary backroom deal by outgoing President Joseph Kabila to rig the vote in favour of the opposition after the ruling party’s candidate did so poorly that a Plan B was needed. Neither side has acknowledged the accusations.

The court, however, said Fayulu offered no proof to back his assertions that he had won easily based on leaked data attributed to the electoral commission.

Fayulu urged Congolese to take to the streets to peacefully protest what he called “constitutional coup d’etat,” accusing the court of validating false results. “It’s no secret … that you have elected me president,” he said.

Neither Congolese nor the international community should recognize Tshisekedi, nor obey him, Fayulu added.

Tshisekedi said early Sunday that the constitutional Court’s decision confirming him as the winner of the presidential election was a victory for the entire country.

“It is Congo that won,” said Tshisekedi, speaking to his supporters after the court decision.

“It is not the victory of one camp against another. I am engaged in a campaign to reconcile all Congolese. … The Congo that we are going to form will not be a Congo of division, hatred or tribalism. It will be a reconciled Congo, a strong Congo that will be focused on development, peace and security.”

The largely untested Tshisekedi, son of the late, charismatic opposition leader Etienne, is set to be inaugurated on Tuesday. His supporters who had gathered outside the court cheered.

“It’s a shame that Mr. Fayulu wants to stay isolated,” Tshisekedi’s spokesman, Vidiye Tshimanga, told The Associated Press. He said the two men once had been part of an opposition coalition demanding that Kabila step down.

The new president will need everyone for the reconstruction of the country, Tshimanga said, as the Congolese people have “suffered a lot in recent years.”

The court’s declaration came shortly after the African Union in an unprecedented move asked Congo to delay announcing the final election results, citing “serious doubts” about the vote. It planned to send a high-level delegation on Monday to find a way out of the crisis, fearing unrest spilling across borders of the vast Central African nation.

Congo’s government replied it was up to the courts.

The court turned away Fayulu’s request for a recount in the Dec. 30 vote.

Government spokesman Lambert Mende quickly acknowledged the court’s decision, congratulating Tshisekedi as Congo’s fifth president.

The country of 80 million people, rich in the minerals key to smartphones around the world, is moving close to achieving its first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence in 1960.

But observers have warned that the court’s upholding of the official results could lead to further unrest. At least 34 people have been killed since provisional results were released on Jan. 10, the United Nations has said.

The court could have ordered a recount or ordered a new election.

It called unfounded a challenge filed by another candidate, Theodore Ngoy, that objected to the electoral commission’s last-minute decision to bar some 1 million voters from the election over a deadly Ebola virus outbreak.

The court said Tshisekedi won with more than 7 million votes, or 38 per cent, and Fayulu received 34 per cent. However, leaked data published by some media outlets, attributed

to the electoral commission and representing 86 per cent of the votes, show that Fayulu won 59 per cent while Tshisekedi received 19 per cent.

Fayulu, a lawmaker and businessman who is outspoken about cleaning up Congo’s sprawling corruption, is widely seen as posing more of a threat to Kabila, his allies and the vast wealth they have amassed.

All of the election results, not just the presidential ones, had been widely questioned after Kabila’s ruling coalition won a majority in legislative and provincial votes while its presidential candidate finished a distant third.

Congo’s election had been meant to take place in late 2016, and many Congolese worried that Kabila, in power since 2001, was seeking a way to stay in office. Barred from serving three consecutive terms, Kabila already has hinted he might run again in 2023.

After Tshisekedi was announced as the surprise winner in provisional results on Jan. 10, some Congolese weary of turmoil appeared to decide that replacing Kabila with an opposition figure was enough, despite questions about the vote.

Reflecting the yearning for stability, 33 Congolese nongovernmental groups and civil society movements on Thursday called on people to comply with whatever the court rules to “preserve the peace.”

With that perhaps in mind, Tshisekedi’s party sharply rejected the AU’s attempted intervention.

The continental body’s stance is “the work of some mining lobbies seeking to destabilize the Democratic Republic of Congo in order to perpetuate the looting of this country,” the party’s secretary-general, Jean-Marc Kabund, said in a statement.

Ahead of the court’s ruling, hundreds of Tshisekedi’s supporters were in the streets of the capital, Kinshasa, waving tree branches and banners reading “Congo for the Congolese.” ■

request with Canada

BY CHRISTOPHER BODEEN The Associated Press BEIJING — China on Tuesday demanded the U.S. drop a request that Canada extradite a top executive of the tech giant Huawei, shifting blame to Washington in a case that has severely damaged Beijing’s relations with Ottawa.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Meng Wanzhou’s case was out of the ordinary and Canada’s extradition treaty with the U.S. infringed on the “safety and legitimate rights and interests of Chinese citizens.”

Hua said China demands that the U.S. withdraw the arrest warrant against Meng and “not make a formal extradition request to the Canadian side.”

She is wanted for allegedly lying to banks as part of an effort to evade sanctions on Iran.

Hua’s remarks came after more than 100 academics and former diplomats signed a letter calling on China to release

two Canadians detained in apparent retaliation for Meng’s arrest.

They also follow a report by the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail that the U.S. plans to formally request Meng’s extradition to face charges that she committed fraud by misleading banks about Huawei’s business dealings in Iran.

The U.S. Justice Department said it is continuing to pursue Meng’s extradition and would meet any deadlines set under the extradition treaty between the U.S. and Canada. In a statement, the Justice Department thanked Canadian authorities for their “support in our mutual efforts to enforce the rule of law.”

China detained former Canadian diplomat Michael Kovrig and Canadian entrepreneur Michael Spavor on Dec. 10 in an apparent attempt to pressure Canada to release Meng, who was arrested Dec. 1 at the request of U.S. authorities.

Meng is Huawei’s chief finan❱❱ PAGE 24 China demands

Petesch reported from Dakar, Senegal.

Meng Wanzhou.

www.canadianinquirer.net

HUAWEI/WEBSITE

22

JANUARY 25, 2019

FRIDAY

PANGARAP: SO, OUR JOURNEY BEGINS

Tanong # 8: Alam mo ba kung saan ka pupunta?

BY BOLET AREVALO

SABI-SABI: Abroad equals dollar. Dollar equals maramingmaraming pesos.

Pangarap mo bang magabroad? Abroad? Saang abroad?

Alam mo ba saan mo gusto pumunta? Or ikaw mismo nagtatanong, saan mo ba gusto pumunta? Saan ba in-demand ang course mo? Ano’ng country ba ang welcoming sa mga immigrants? Saan ba maayos magpasuweldo sa mga foreign workers? Saan ka ba may kakilala o kaibigan?

Ilan lang ‘yan siguro sa mga katanungan na dapat masagot mo. Hindi naman kasi on-thespot decision ang pag-alis, so ang assumption is napag-isipan

mo na kung saan mo gustong pumunta.

Maaaring ang “abroad” sa iyo ay ‘yung lugar na marami kang kamag-anak na puwedeng mapuntahan o aalalay sa iyo. Maaaring ang abroad ay kung saan ngayon nagtatrabaho ang kapamilya o malalapit mong kaibigan or kung saan in-demand ang linya ng iyong trabaho o kursong natapos mo.

Or kung saan nabasa mong maraming opportunities for immigrants or foreign workers.

Mahalaga pa rin ang informed decision. Sa dami ng mga systems in place or efforts ng mga gobyernong magbigay ng gabay o tips, at sa advancement sa technology, kasalanan mo na siguro kapag naligaw ka pa.

Isa lang ang pamantayan: walang shortcuts to success!

‘Pag sinabing mura lang, madali lang, mabilis lang, sandali

lang , doon lang, sige lang – ay naku, lagot, may mali d’yan!

Ang isang pag-iisipan mo rin ay kung kaya mong pakisamahan ang mga dadatnan mo sa lugar na balak mong puntahan – kamag-anak, kaibigan, at mga ibang kultura. Or whether you could handle the weather, ang food, the language barrier (if any), and the practice of religion.

Kailangan din ay updated ka sa mga balita. Syempre, magpipilit ka ba namang pumunta sa may giyera, may discrimination, may patayan, may bugbugan, may dayaan sa suweldo, may karahasan, at may kalupitan. Mabigat na nga sa kalooban ang pagsasakripisyo sa pag-alis, huwag mo nang ihain ang sarili sa physical harm o ibang kapamahakan sa kagustuhan mo lang makaalis.

Ang Totoo: Hindi lang ang kikitaing dollar or foreign cur-

rency ang batayan ng pagpunta sa isang bansa. Dapat sapat ang kaalaman mo sa bansang balak mong puntahan. ■ Abangan sa susunod na isyu: Tanong No. 9 ANU-ANO ANG MGA DAPAT MONG IWASAN Bolet is a marketing communications practitioner and dabbles

in writing as a personal passion.

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

Questions over payments involving son of Brazil president

BY ANNA JEAN KAISER The Associated Press RIO DE JANEIRO — The son of new Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is fending off suspicions of financial irregularities that are starting to cast a shadow over the administration just four weeks in power.

The newspaper O Globo reported Sunday that the Council for Financial Activities Control is looking into $1.8 million in payments that have flowed in and out of the account of a former driver for the president’s son, Sen.-elect Flavio Bolsonaro, from 2014 to 2017. At the time, Flavio Bolsonaro was a state deputy.

The news report comes on the heels of a December investigation by the daily O Estado de S. Paulo, which reported that money to the account of driver Fabricio Quieroz came from the younger Bolsonaro’s employees and one payment went to Bolsonaro’s wife.

Other irregular payments flagged by the financial regu-

lators for being “suspected of sonal loans from the Bolson- most ample message possible hiding the money’s origin” are aros. that ever since we took power: 48 cash deposits of $530 to the Vice-President Hamilton There is a new Brazil.” senator-elect over the course Mourao tried to diminish the Bolsonaro has three sons a month in 2017, according to case’s importance, telling the who are elected politicians. All Globo’s Jornal Nacional on Fri- news portal G1 on Monday that were active participants in his day. the probe doesn’t affect the ad- campaign and in spreading BolFlavio Bolsonaro denies any ministration and that it is Fla- sonaro’s anti-corruption meswrongdoing. He told a televi- vio Bolsonaro’s own problem. sage. sion interviewer Sunday that Questions about the probe Flavio Bolsonaro says that the deposits came from a real are escalating as Jair Bolsonaro he is being persecuted and that estate sale, but didn’t explain makes his first international his privacy has been violated by why they were in prosecutors. cash.

The Rio disJair Bolsonatrict attorney, ro and his son, Eduardo Gusfar-right politiWe will give the most ample sem, said at a cians who ran on message possible that ever since news conferanti-corruption we took power: There is a new ence Monday platforms, deny Brazil. that prosecutors wrongdoing and had not broken say that Queiroz privacy laws, should explain citing 20-yearthe other payments. trip as president to the World old legislation. He said a total Queiroz has dodged two de- Economic Forum at Davos, of 27 state deputies have been position requests from Rio de Switzerland. flagged by the financial regulaJaneiro’s public prosecutors, Bolsonaro is expected to tor over possible irregular payciting health problems. He gave pitch the international com- ments. a television interview earlier munity on his commitment The case got more scrutiny this month denying wrongdo- to reforming Brazil’s endemic when Flavio Bolsonaro’s lawing, but provided few details corruption and volatile econo- yers last week called on the other than that he is a “busi- my. Upon arriving Monday, he Supreme Court to suspend the nessman” and has taken per- told reporters, “We will give the Rio state case because the preswww.canadianinquirer.net

ident’s son is a senator-elect.

Federal politicians in Brazil can only be judged by the Supreme Court, a legal immunity that the Bolsonaros condemned during their campaigns.

Judge Luiz Fux granted Flavio Bolsonaro’s request, causing uproar among Bolsonaro critics and supporters alike.

There has been no conclusive evidence about the possibly irregular payments involving the son’s driver. But such payments have often been part of a common corruption scheme in lower levels of Brazilian government in which employees kick back a portion of their salaries to the politician.

The probe is dominating national headlines less than two weeks before the start of the next Congress, where Bolsonaro faces the arduous task of forming alliances in a government body infamous for deal making and political patronage.

The case could hurt the president’s public support, making promised reforms more difficult to pass. ■

23

Entertainment 11-year-old Filipina- Heart Evangelista collabs with American singer a French luxury label bag makes America’s Got Talent History

BY ARIANNE GRACE U. LACANILAO Philippine Canadian Inquirer

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD FilipinaAmerican Angelica Hale makes international headlines to be the first one to ignite two golden buzzers on “America’s Got Talent,” making history after her performance last Tuesday, January 22.

Angelica initially received her first golden buzzer back in 2017 during her first entry to the show during their 12th season, but after only a second place finish against singing ventriloquist Darci Lynne, came back to redeem herself on “America’s Got Talent: The Champions.”

Angelica wowed the audience as she performed a symbolic “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten, leading to a standing ovation from both the audience and show judges Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, Mel B., and Simon Cowell. Heidi Klum was the first to react to Angelica’s performance, saying, “Angelica, you are like the little boss lady that you are. You came here to win. I can see that. I can feel

that.” Mandel then pressed the golden buzzer for Hale, telling her, “When people show up on this show, the level of competition is much higher. Just by the title, you are amongst champions. You show up and you ripped the ceiling off this theater. That was your fight song.

And if I can do anything, I’m gonna help you win this fight.”

The young singer, who bursted into tears, responds, “I can’t believe this is actually happening to me. I never expected this to happen. I wanted to thank you so much. This is a dream come true.”

The reality show congratulated their contestant themselves on their social media, saying, “We’re not crying…

You’re crying! Eleven-year-old Angelica Hale is the first twotime #GoldenBuzzer Ever!”

Angelica also took to Instagram immediately after, posting a photo of her reaction captioned, “I can’t believe that I now have TWO #goldenbuzzers. Thank you Howie Mandel for believing in me and sending me through to the finale of #AGTChampions!” ■

NOT ONLY known for her roles in showbiz but also for her astonishing re-painted designs on bags, Heart Evangelista-Escudero got a chance to collaborate with a famous French luxury label called Sequoia Paris.

Feeling exhilarated, she shared on her Instagram account some snippet snapshots, this time of her own designed bag.

Uploaded yesterday dated January 21 on her page, she captioned, “This project of mine has been in the making for almost a year, so I’m beyond excited that it’s finally here!

This is the bag I designed with French label, @sequoiaparis.”

She mentioned that she was overjoyed when the said luxury brand informed her that they wanted to have a partnership with her, as she indicates that she has been wearing what she described as “beautiful handbags” for a while now.

Heart also shared that the handbag which is named after her is made with so much love from her, telling her fans that she cannot wait for the time when they can get it. Ending her post, she ex-

@ANGELICAHALE/INSTAGRAM

@IAMHEARTE / INSTAGRAM

pressed her gratitude to Sequoia for making it possible. She wrote, “It was such a pleasure working with such a talented team!”

As a teaser by the luxury brand, in its Instagram page last January 4, a heart-shaped metal with the initials ‘lm’ in cursive was featured. The initials were referring to Heart’s real name Love Marie, supported by the hashtag #sequoiaxlovemarie in the caption.

Sequoia, in a different post, showcased a photo of Heart on Sunday, saying that the collaboration was made last year in their office and showroom

in Sequoia Paris. The post said that the actress and the Sequoia team worked on the design, material, metallic pieces, and all details to create the bag.

Fans have shown their support and congratulated their idol, calling the 33-year-old ‘talented.’

There were also comments of her fans asking when is the release of the limited edition bag.

Instagram user @maguin24 guessed, “On time for Valentine’s day,” which was also her date of birth.

This made @sharaannvalen call the possibility of the release a “Valentine birthday.” ■

Andi Manzano gives birth to second daughter

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer

I can’t believe that I now have TWO #goldenbuzzers. Thank you Howie Mandel for believing in me and sending me through to the finale of #AGTChampions.

This project of mine has been in the making for almost a year, so I’m beyond excited that it’s finally here! This is the bag I designed with French label, @ sequoiaparis.

HOST ANDI Manzano and businessman husband GP Reyes overcome a “tough, challenging and long delivery” at the Makati Medical Center as they welcome their second baby girl Corazon Amelia on Saturday, January 19.

Andi announced her delight through her Instagram with a photo of her baby, captioned, “God heard our prayers and this little girl a miracle baby. So much emotions but totally worth it. I love this tiny human so much. She’s here.” www.canadianinquirer.net

GP also shares a photo, this time, carrying Amelia, captioned, “It wasn’t the easiest. Or the quickest. My incredible, amazing wife pushed hard for hours. She is my hero. And finally after a pretty tough, grueling, exhausting time in labor from inducing at 3pm to dilating to delivery, at about 1:09am, our new princess was born. World, meet Corazon Amelia Manzano Reyes,” prior to that sharing a photo of Andi, which said, “Still going. Not that I need to be reminded but, it’s in these very moments right here where we are right now where I truly am blown away but just how amazing,

beautiful, strong, mentally and physically tough, and infinitely selfless my wife is. (And this goes for all you other moms) we are in the midst of something that’s nothing short of a miracle. A little more push my love and we get to meet our newest princess. Storming the heavens with prayers for the home stretch.”

Andi and GP tied the knot on November 12, 2013 at St. Joseph’s church in Baguio City. In 2015, Andi gave birth to their first daughter Olivia, who has since become a social media superstar.

They announced their pregnancy with their second child in July.■

24

Entertainment

JANUARY 25, 2019

FRIDAY

William Baldwin says Justin Bieber, Hailey Baldwin planning ‘little’ wedding event

BY VICTORIA AHEARN The Canadian Press TORONTO — Actor William Baldwin has confirmed rumours that his niece, Hailey Baldwin, and Canadian pop star Justin Bieber are planning a wedding celebration for their recent nuptials.

“They’re already married, but they’re having a little gathering,” Baldwin said Friday in an interview for his upcoming Ontario-shot family drama series “Northern Rescue,” which will launch March 1 on the CBC Gem streaming service in Canada.

Asked if the gathering will be in Canada, he teased: “Possibly.”

The 24-year-old Bieber and 22-year-old Baldwin, who is a model, got engaged last summer in the Bahamas.

Reports swirled in subsequent months that they had already wed in a courthouse ceremony, and in November they appeared to confirm the rumours via Instagram.

Bieber, who hails from Stratford, Ont., posted a photo of the

Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin.

two of them with the caption: “My wife is awesome.”

Meanwhile Baldwin changed her Instagram username to “Hailey Bieber.”

Various publications are reporting a wedding celebration will take place either Feb. 28 or on March 1, which is Bieber’s birthday.

“They’ve been friends since she was a kid and they’ve known each other since Hailey was,

@JUSTINBIEBER / INSTAGRAM

like, 12,” said William Baldwin, who is the brother of Hailey’s dad, Stephen.

“Stephen became friends with Justin’s mom and dad and they’ve gone to church together, they’ve gone bowling together. They’ve done all sorts of fun stuff together for years and then romantic-like candles started flickering a while ago. They’ve been on-and-off dating probably for several

Razorback’s drummer Brian Velasco films 34-floor plunge to suicide

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE PHILIPPINE music industry mourns the death of rock band Razorback’s drummer, 41-year-old Brian Velasco, who reportedly jumped 34 floors down his apartment in City Land Tower 1 in Malate, Manila last Wednesday, January 16, while recording the suicide on Facebook live.

Razorback’s Facebook page first confirmed the news, telling fans, “Today, we lost our brother and our hearts are broken. We love you and we will always miss you, Bri.” A video on Brian’s Facebook page, now taken down, shows the drummer filming himself jumping off the building at

around 9:40 am, mumbling in Filipino, “Please take care of Pochito. Here we go. Here I go.”

He was then found wearing a white polo shirt and jeans with injuries on his body and legs.

According to Police, Brian’s body was then turned over to Paz Funeral Homes in Parañaque City.

Brian’s family has since requested for the musician’s body to be turned over to them and for no further police investigation to be conducted, Brian’s brother Gabriel Angelo telling investigators that the drummer has long suffered from depression.

Many from the Philippine music industry mourn the loss of Brian Velasco, his name trending on social media soon after his death. Fellow musician

Francis Reyes tweets, “Hey Brian, I hope you have your peace now. Will remember all the fun and funny times, and your forceful drumming,” while another user shared, “We grew up listening to legends like Brian Velasco. May he finally rest in peace.”

Velasco established his name with the local rock band Razorback in 1996 after replacing original drummer Miguel Ortigas. He has aided the group in becoming a household name in the industry, being a part of their second album “Beggar’s Moon.” A week before his death, Razorback was part of the benefit concert of Original Pilipino Music (OPM) legend, Wally Gonzalez. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

years.

“They’re cute and they’re really an adorable couple together — madly in love.”

Baldwin — whose other credits include the films “Flatliners,” “Backdraft” and “The Squid and the Whale” — has been married to singer Chynna Phillips, of the pop group Wilson Phillips, for more than two decades.

He said he’s offered Hai-

ley advice on “what it’s like to navigate the waters of being in a show-business relationship and making it last.”

“I told Hailey, ‘Look, I’m 28 years (into a relationship) and still going strong and if you ever want to talk, my wife is a recording artist, she’s sold millions and millions of records and she has four or five or six Grammy nominations and No. 1 singles,’” Baldwin said.

“Her first record had like five or six songs go in the top 10 and her parents are the Mamas and the Papas, she was raised in show business.

“So we have a lot of stuff to draw from if they ever want us to share the wisdom of what it’s like to be in show business and be in love and get married and start a family.”

“Northern Rescue” stars Baldwin as a Search and Rescue commander and father of three who moves the family to a small northern hometown after the death of his wife. The CBC and Netflix original production also stars Canadian actor Kathleen Robertson as the children’s aunt. ■

China demands... ❰❰ 21

cial officer and the daughter of its founder, Ren Zhengfei.

Huawei has close ties to China’s military and is considered one of the country’s most successful international enterprises, operating in the high-tech sphere where China hopes to establish dominance.

The letter signed by academics and former diplomats said the arrests of the two will lead to “less dialogue and greater distrust, and undermine efforts to manage disagreements and identify common ground. Both China and the rest of the world will be worse off as a result.”

More than 20 diplomats from seven countries and more than 100 scholars and academics from 19 countries signed.

Meng is living under house arrest in her Vancouver mansion while her case is under deliberation. Kovrig and Spavor are being held in Chinese jails

and have yet to be granted access to lawyers, according to those who have contact with them.

The United States and other Western countries have broader fears that Huawei technology — particularly its hardware for mobile networks — could let the Chinese government listen in. Several countries, including the United States, have restricted purchases of Huawei equipment.

Huawei Chairman Liang Hua said critics need to back up their allegations.

“If they believe there’s a backdoor, they should offer evidence to prove it,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland. ■ AP journalist Paul Wiseman in Davos, Switzerland, contributed to this report.

Entertainment

FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 2019

25

James Blake, music’s most requested collaborator, opens up

BY YURI KAGEYAMA The Associated Press NEW YORK — Some people get lots of invitations. James Blake gets the right ones.

He’s had a role on two of the greatest albums of the last decade — Beyonce’s delicious “Lemonade” and Kendrick Lamar’s Pulitzer Prize-winner “Damn.” He worked on another impactful and culturally relevant album, Jay-Z’s “4:44”; he’s part of Travis Scott’s pop star breakthrough “Astroworld”; and he was called on to contribute to the soundtrack to the uber-successful and powerful “Black Panther,” earning him two Grammy nominations.

Those key projects helped Blake, a British singer-songwriter-producer with a distinct downbeat electronic sound, develop and expand as an artist — growth heard throughout his latest project, “Assume Form.”

“I have more people involved possibly in this process than before. …I had the help of some really inspiring people,” Blake said of his fourth album, out Friday. “It feels like there’s a team rather than a solo effort.”

Blake produced, wrote and co-mixed the album, but helpers include co-producer Dominic Maker of the duo Mount Kimbie and Nathan Boddy, who comixed and mastered the album. Andre 3000, Metro Boomin and Scott also lend their vocals to songs.

The decision to invite others into his space was natural, Blake said.

“I think I was probably sick of being the mad scientist at home,” he said. “It’s so much more socially rewarding to be around other people. It creates a whole different universe in your mind.”

Blake, 30, isn’t popping up on every radio hit like Lil Wayne once did or how Quavo has assumed that role in the last two years, but the invites he’s gotten have been epic, and by music’s most elite.

The same year he released his self-titled debut, Beyonce listed “The Wilhelm Scream” from his album as one of her favourites of 2011. They later collaborated on her ground-breaking “Lemonade” album, released in 2016.

Blake then collaborated with Frank Ocean. Then Scott. Then Lamar. Then Jay-Z. And then Lamar again. And then Scott again.

“What I liked about what we did together was that they chose things that really felt like me. I felt that they were so sensitive to the contribution with the way they handled it and the way they incorporated it into their records,” he said.

“It’s really nice to just be expected to come in and be myself. I think that was very sweet in all those cases. It wasn’t a

case of crowbarring me into something.

It was very tailored.”

From working with Beyonce, Blake said he learned not to limit his artistry.

“When I first worked with Beyonce, there was kind of a moment where my perspective changed a little bit on where I could be in music. I think I’ve always felt, or at least for a long time, that my position in music was to bubble under mainstream … (and) be kind of like a musician’s musician,” he said. “She really put me in a new context, and I think in that way she did me an absolutely massive favour.”

Listening to “Assume Form” proves Blake is more than a musician’s musician — and that he could be on his way to pop star status.

Underneath the heavy and jagged beats, there’s a sense of hopefulness and love in the honest and raw lyrics delivered by Blake. “Can’t Believe the Way We Flow” and “Into the Red” feel like love songs, but not typical ones. “Barefoot In the Park,” featuring Latin singer Rosalia, is a sensual number that is addictive; and “Mile High,” with Scott and Metro Boomin, could fit on multiple Spotify playlists.

“There are some moments of doubt on the record, but I would definitely say it’s a love-song album,” he said. “‘Assume Form’ — it’s not a statement to say, ‘Here I am. I’m great now.

I’ve made it.’ It’s more to say, ‘I’m still in the process. It is a process,”‘ he said.

“Rather it’s realizing you’re wrong about things and swallowing your ego, or listening and opening up, trying to evolve that way, or trying to collaborate more.

Getting out of some of the aspects of the skin that you’re in, that you are frustrated with. It is a process and it’s OK to still be assuming form. The song itself, ‘Assume Form,’ really just says, ‘Here are my uncomfortable traits.”‘ His past albums have some feeling he’s always down and out. But he said that’s not the case.

“If someone says that I make sad music, I don’t take it as an insult. I think there’s room for every emotion in music. I guess I write autobiographically and if I feel reflective at the time, then I’ll write something reflective. Also, music being an outlet means that you don’t always feel the way you felt when you’re writing all the time. If anything, writing is a creative outlet for emotion, or it is for me. So, in those moments maybe I felt that way, but it doesn’t mean that’s how I always feel.”

“If anything, my goal is to maybe more accurately portray a broader range of emotions in my music. I think partially this is what this album does,” he added.

“I have had more of a range, from happi-

CHRISTIAN BERTRAND / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

ness to doubt to self-doubt to suspicion that the world might not be as good as it feels now, forever.”

Blake will get to take the new songs to another level when he performs them live on his North American tour, kicking off Feb. 18 in Atlanta.

A week before that he’ll be competing at the Grammys for best rap performance and best rap song with “King’s Dead” from the “Black Panther” soundtrack. Blake shares the nomina-

tion with Lamar, Jay Rock and Future.

“I’m honoured to be asked to work on that ‘Black Panther’ soundtrack. I was aware of the gravity of what they were doing, and I think it was just really sweet to be asked,” said Blake, who also appears on “Bloody Waters” from the soundtrack.

“I didn’t take it lightly, especially to be working with Kendrick himself. I think that was great. I just wanted to approach it as well as I could, really.” ■

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26

Lifestyle FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS:

Hitting the goal in 60s: Leo Casuga and Fred Molina’s journey to victory

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer SCROLLING THROUGH your social media account and seeing your friends already at the top of their game at a young age, you suddenly ask yourself why are you stuck in a rut and unable to move forward?

Perhaps, you start to worry that it might be too late and hard for you to achieve your goals especially now that you are not getting any younger.

But hey, guess you forgot that there are people out there, who may not be born as a child prodigy, but can make others be extremely proud of them no matter what their age is.

Enter these two fine golfers, Leo Casuga and Fred Molina, who may not be as young as you, but can prove that one can make huge and inspiring life changes even in their mid-60s.

It was last September 24 to 27 this year, when Leo and Fred caught the attention of 80,000 participants and 43 other nations when they successfully represented Canada in the Audi Quattro Cup World Final 2018 held in a world-class golf course in Kitzbuhel, Austria.

But how come these two Filipinos represented Canada and not Canadians? In an exclusive interview with Philippine Canadian Inquirer (PCI), Leo and Fred will bring all of us back before these trophies and limelight.

Backtrack

Leo was just an 18-year-old

Fred and Leo with their wives.

boy when he migrated to Montreal, Canada in 1972 where he was destined to meet the woman whom he will be sharing his whole life with. Fred, on the other hand, left Baguio that served as his home for 22 years, to move to Canada in early 1971 to seek for a greener pasture.

First time stepping his foot in Canadian soil, Fred said he felt excited and glad to see the other side of the world, however, he did not have much time to take in the beauty of the Great White North as the first thing he looked for was a job — unlike Leo who was impressed on how big and clean Canada is.

“The first thing I did was tour the city of Montreal and ate my first Montreal bagel and the very famous Montreal smoked meat,” Leo told PCI. As newcomers in a foreign land, it is inevitable for Leo and Fred to encounter struggles, sharing that the first challenge they both faced was the lan-

Fred Molina and Leo Casuga.

SUPPLIED

guage barrier. Moving to a place where people speak a language you are not fluent in, it was really hard for the two first time immigrants to communicate.

“The first struggle was the French language. Montreal is a French territory,” Leo said.

Language, they say, is as important as your plane ticket and passport when you go to another country. Through this, you cannot only learn more about one’s culture, but of course, you can clearly understand the message that other people are conveying to you.

This is true for Leo as he shared that it is not only talking with the localities in Montreal that made it hard for him. Not being able to speak French fluently, he said, also brought disadvantage to him when he was applying for a job. Fred also had the same problem, but on his case, he had a hard time understanding English and Scottish people.

www.canadianinquirer.net

But having no plans to be left behind, Leo decided to take some French courses in school and also through the provincial government. Fred, meanwhile, dealt with his struggle by clarifying the questions to his job interviewers and confirming his understanding of it.

Despite the struggles as an immigrant, Leo and Fred appreciated the great things Canada has to offer for them.

“Canada is very supportive of immigrants. They provided education and subsidies to immigrants who needed them.

The only thing that I complain about from time to time is how cold it gets in the winter. Other than that, Canada is a great country for all,” Leo said.

For Fred, compared to his home country where he experienced a “very poor” quality of life, Canada is the best place for him to bring and raise his family.

Living in Canada, he said, gave him a much better life where he gets to enjoy a fresh and clean

SUPPLIED

environment, free health-care, and good employee benefits and perks, among others.

“Everything is good here,” Fred noted.

Although they are miles away from where they grew up, both Fred and Leo’s Filipino heart is still prevailing.

In his day-to-day life in Canada, Leo shared that he and his family associate themselves with Filipino activities and causes.

“We cook and eat Filipino food and instill some of the good Filipino values to our kids like importance of keeping family together, respecting elderly, etc.,” he said.

Fred, meanwhile, told PCI that he and his family brought with them their way of living in Baguio wherein they talk in Ilocano inside their home all the time, cook their traditional Filipino dishes like Ilocano Inabraw and grilled fish.

Fred added that he also joined ❱❱ PAGE 28 Hitting the

Lifestyle

FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 2019

27

Eating less beef, more plants can be a gradual change, experts say

BY CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI The Canadian Press TORONTO — New recommendations urging a drastic reduction in the amount of meat Canadians eat would require support from industry and government to achieve, say nutrition and food experts who suggest individuals start by making small changes in their diet.

A report by the Stockholmbased non-profit EAT says people should be eating much fewer eggs, meat and fish and next to no sugar.

The study, published Wednesday by the medical journal Lancet, represents a big shift that could be hard for many Canadians to stomach: it recommends about 100 grams of red meat per week when Canadians on average eat about 90 grams per day, says University of Guelph nutrition professor Jess Haines.

The report also recommends 50 grams of pulses per day, when only 13 per cent of Canadians regularly eat such foods, which include beans, peas and lentils.

“We certainly can’t expect the consumer to just take these drastic shifts in intake without support, and I think that would mean we need investment from

governments at various levels to make this happen,” says Haines, noting EAT urges adoption by 2050 in order to feed a growing global population and address ecological pressures.

That could include making such foods the norm at schools, childcare centres, long-term care homes and restaurants.

Haines says industry should pursue innovations in developing meat substitutes and calls on government to offer subsidies to encourage production of particular kinds of vegetables, and offset costs that prevent one in eight Canadians from affording a healthy diet.

Education is key, as well, she says, suggesting that cooking classes be mandatory in schools.

“Given that we don’t typically eat a lot of those pulses, it’s likely that many people aren’t that familiar with recipes on how to prepare those.”

The study limits red meat to a hamburger a week, while eggs are capped at four a week. Dairy foods should be about a serving a day, or less. Meanwhile, it encourages whole grains, beans, fruits and most vegetables, and says people should limit refined grains such as white rice and starches including potatoes and cassava.

Montreal chef David McMillan says he believes many Canadians are already moving to-

wards this model, and that the restaurant industry is responding.

“We’re seeing a lot more whole-grain eating, lentil, vegetable soups are selling like mad, sandwiches composed of mostly vegetables are selling easily,” says McMillan, whose Quebec eateries include the venerable Joe Beef, McKiernan Luncheonette and the veggieheavy Le Vin Papillon.

“Large salads are back. Not because we’re deciding that but because the customer is asking for it and we’re accommodating them. We can see that we can get away ultimately now with cutting a very thin steak as opposed to having a giant steak before.”

Still, McMillan said it’s hard for the home cook to pivot with evolving dietary advice. He pointed to the layout of most large grocery stores as being part of the problem by setting up distinct zones for produce, baked goods, meat and dairy.

“When you’re separating all of these things, we’re not creating combinations for people to make it easier for them to do their groceries. That’s why all these meal plan companies are having actual success when they’re shipping you a bag and in the bag there’s a carrot, an onion, a celery, one pound of hamburger steak and a can of red kidney beans and a card that says: Brown meat,

add onion, carrot, celery, kidney beans, tomato paste, now you have chili,” he says.

“How are we teaching people to cook for themselves? …We don’t necessarily know how to cook as a people. I’m astounded at how little the kids are (taught). Not teaching cooking in schools is ridiculous” Haines suggests individuals take small steps towards increasing plant-based proteins, noting people are more likely to stick with new ideas that way.

“Do you normally have a meat pasta sauce? Could you cut the meat in half and also add some beans to that?” she suggests.

“And then gradually you can make it more and more beans and next thing you know everyone in the family is used to eating more of those beans.”

Lenore Newman, Canada research chair in food security and environment at the University of the Fraser Valley, says

people may also have more success by shifting their view on animal protein as something to be reserved for the occasional meal, rather than viewing it as a staple.

“In Alberta, I’m sure people are going to keep eating steaks for quite a while yet. But they might be looking at it and saying, ‘Well, maybe not everyday.

Maybe not quite as often, maybe more as a special occasion,”‘ says Newman, the Vancouverbased author of “Speaking in Cod Tongues: A Canadian Culinary Journey.”

“Day-to-day, people aren’t going to eat an East Coast lobster or a West Coast salmon.

They’re not doing that every day. So in their daily food, which of course is the bulk of it, they’re much more likely to follow trends they think might improve their health, improve the environment or save them money.” ■

Keep books, toss kids: Authors weigh in on Marie Kondo book debate

BY ADINA BRESGE The Canadian Press ARE THE volumes crowding your bookshelves classics or clutter? It’s a question raised by tidying guru Marie Kondo that’s spurred bibliophilic uproar online.

In her new Netflix show “Tidying Up,” Kondo suggests her makeover subjects winnow down their personal libraries by tossing their unread and neglected books, in keeping with her minimalist philosophy encouraging people to dispose of www.canadianinquirer.net

household items that do not “spark joy.”

Kondo’s sparing approach was met with backlash from bookworms on social media. Kondo has since clarified in interviews that the goal of tidying up is to determine what has value to you, and given the emotional online discourse, for many people that would be books.

For an alternative perspective, The Canadian Press asked authors to share their tips on managing overflowing bookshelves.

Their answers have been edited and condensed for clarity.

Anakana Schofield, Vancou-

ver-based author of “Bina: A Novel in Warnings,” to be released this spring — Interviewed by email CP: What’s the best way to deal with a book collection that is taking up too much space?

Schofield: Build more bookshelves! Or get rid of other furniture. Or chuck out your husband or someone who is taking up valuable space which the books could fill. I jest, but obviously go through it and remove all fad books that weren’t interesting to begin with. ❱❱ PAGE 37 Keep books

28

Lifestyle

JANUARY 25, 2019

FRIDAY

Hitting the... ❰❰ 26

NBC IS PICKING UP BROOKLYN 99 for SEASON 6!!! @THELONELYISLAND / INSTAGRAM

Save our show fan campaigns thriving in age of social media and streaming

BY VICTORIA AHEARN The Canadian Press TORONTO — TV fans have gone to great lengths to save cancelled shows over the years — from the mass consumption of foot-long submarine sandwiches to the mailing of thousands of pounds of peanuts and heaps of hand-written letters.

These days it seems such efforts are gaining more traction than ever, with social media and crowdfunding platforms giving a voice to fans, and streaming services providing new avenues for axed shows to live on.

Earlier this month the sitcom “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” returned for a sixth season after getting cancelled by Fox last May and then picked up by NBC just a day later. The pickup happened amid a social media campaign featuring the hashtags #Save99 and #Renew99.

“It’s more instantaneous, your ability to affect that sort of change, because everyone has a voice, everyone has a platform,” “This Is Us” star Sterling K. Brown said in an interview last summer.

“So big up to the fans of ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine.’ I got a chance to do an episode and so now hopefully, maybe I can do one more.”

Other shows that have been

resurrected in recent months include “The Expanse,” “Designated Survivor,” “Last Man Standing” and “Lucifer.”

But there are reasons beyond the power of fans and social media for the trend, says Toronto filmmaker Michael Sparaga, who looks at the history and evolution of such viewer-driven campaigns in the new documentary “United We Fan.” Out on DVD and VOD Tuesday, “United We Fan” profiles grassroots efforts to save shows — like when hordes of “Chuck” lovers bought foot-long Subway sandwiches as part of an online campaign to convince the company to keep sponsoring the show, or the time “Jericho” viewers sent large quantities of nuts to CBS and media outlets in a nod to the word “nuts” being said in the final episode.

“As more streaming services start, like NBC is starting their streaming service, you’re going to see them look heavily at their catalogue of things they own the rights to,” says Sparaga, whose film premiered at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival last April.

“I think you’ll see each network start to look through its library to get that initial boost of fans. Some will be revivals and ❱❱ PAGE 38 Save our

several Filipino-Canadian organizations such as the Philippine Cultural Center Foundation of Calgary since 1999, Providing Filipino Language and Culture Education, Computer Literacy for Seniors and Youth Enhancement Programs, among others.

For Leo’s case, he said he was not “officially” a member, but he allots time to volunteer and help out in some Fil-Can groups.

Living in Montreal for nine years, Leo decided to move to Vancouver, where his wife gave birth to his son. But wanting to join his siblings in Calgary, Leo and his family left Vancouver after two years.

Leo has been living in Calgary up to date, where not only his daughter was born but also his interest in golf.

Keeping Eyes on the Target

You may not have witnessed the beauty of the world yet during the time when Leo and Fred first held a golf club. It was more than 30 years since 1988 when these two had first set foot in a golf course.

Now recognized as successful golf players, who would have thought that Leo and Fred never considered playing golf as something they really wanted to do in the future before?

“Golf was not available where I was brought up. As a kid, I just wanted to have fun. Golf in the Philippines is for the privileged,” Leo said.

Fred, for his part, said that as a child he never imagined himself being the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, Bobby Jones, among others, as playing golf for him was just a hobby.

“I have never thought about playing golf; but since I arrived in Calgary my brother influenced me to play golf so he [would] have a playing partner.

This is when I really started playing seriously,” Fred shared.

But after years of treating golf as their leisure activity, what only started to be their hobby turned them to representatives competing for Canada in a world competition, the Audi Quattro Cup World Final 2018.

As expected, qualifying in such prestigious competition was not and will never be an easy journey for the players, and that was the case for Leo. “Because I had to work full time, not being able to play all the time to get better was the www.canadianinquirer.net

challenge,” he shared.

Fred, meanwhile, admitted that there were times he chose not to bring the best out in him during the game.

He said that there were times when he loses confidence and that sometimes, he loses concentration when he is playing with someone who is being a “jerk” during the round.

The two, however, dealt with these challenges by not quitting.

“Whatever time I can spare to play golf, I go,” Leo said.

Fred added, “If you played well that day, it is good enough.

But if you goof up that day, so be it. Come back another day. And try again.”

Having this positive mindset, desire, and determination, there is no doubt that Leo and Fred’s willpower made up for their shortcomings, making them surpass the Audi Royal Quattro Cup on July 23 at Bearspaw Golf and Country Club Calgary, and won in Crowbush Gold and Country Club in Morell, Prince Edward Island on August 24 to 27 that led them to the finals.

“Competing with so many young and tall players was very challenging. We were so proud winning that event amidst the challenges. Winning the Canadian nationals was an enormous accomplishment for us,” Leo said.

He went on saying, “Imagine, two older players who happened to be Filipinos, represented Canada.”

Describing his feeling when he and his partner qualified in the finals, being “in shock” was already an understatement for Leo. He said they did not foresee that they will be making it to the world competition as they were already satisfied and happy just by winning the local event — even winning in the Nationals was far from their expectations.

Fred, on the other hand, shared, “When it was announced that we were the winners and will represent Canada in Kitsbuhel, Austria, I was overwhelmed and so excited.

I’ve been playing golf for [a] long time but this is [the] most epic reward in my golfing career. I was out of words when I found out that we were the winners. I called my wife right away and told her the good news.”

Although they were not helmed as winners of the competition, being able to represent Canada for them was already

their greatest achievement as golfers. Taking home the Audi Quattro Cup World Final trophy might be a bonus for them, but the opportunity to challenge the best players of other countries is what made them feel like they were actually the winners.

“I’ve been to a lot of tournaments, local and provincial, and nothing compares the Audi Quattro Cup experience. Being a part of this is a huge honor,” Fred stressed.

“We met many nice people around the world in an event that very few will have to opportunity to participate in. We felt very proud and very blessed.

We will never forget this wonderful experience,” Leo said.

Fred and Leo also talked about how the Audi staff treated them well from the moment they arrived in Austria until their departure day.

“The overall treatment by Audi staff was tremendous. The guests’ scheduled trips, golf practice by the pros, ski resort restaurants, food, etc. were superb and totally enjoyed. [It was] my best experience of lifetime,” Fred said.

Leo, meanwhile, added, “No costs were spared by Audi. It was first class all the way. It was so awesome and certainly an experience to remember.”

Nevertheless, Leo and Fred, despite their age, are not closing their doors if given a chance again to compete in another game — they just have to keep practicing and get better each day.

While there is nothing in the pipeline yet for the two golfers, Fred and Leo said they are planning to fly back to the Philippines and compete in several golf tournaments there such as the Philippine Airlines (PAL) golf tournament or the Filipino-American (Fil-Am) golf tournament to be held in Baguio this year. But for the meantime, Fred said he will participate with the local golf tours in Calgary and Alberta.

Leo and Fred’s journey is only one of the many stories that prove that there is no rule requiring you to achieve everything you have wished for in your 20s.

If you fail, then you try again until you reach your desired result. Give your best shot and trust the process, they say. As long as you keep your eyes on your target and the fire burning, you will never see the words too late” exist in your vocabulary. ■

29

Sports Manny Pacquiao’s LA home ransacked during his Vegas fight

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer AFTER DEFENDING his World Boxing Association (WBA) Welterweight title against American boxer Adrien Broner via unanimous decision at the MGM in Las Vegas last Sunday, January 20, 40-year-old Senator Manny Pacquiao finds out his North Plymouth, Los Angeles home has been robbed.

According to NBC San Diego, “A citizen contacted authorities to report the burglary on the 500 block of N. Plymouth Boulevard in the Larchmont area at approximately 4:15 p.m.,

according to the Los Angeles Police Department,” which is hours after the iconic Filipino boxer’s win.

Early reports indicate that police found the front door of the gated house open. Since the burglary, Pacquiao’s block at Hancock Park neighborhood has been roped off as investigators look through his home to conclude what has been stolen, but Pacquiao’s younger brother Bobby shares that he is still unsure if robbers were able to open the home’s vaults.

The Los Angeles Police Department initially shared that “nothing substantial has been stolen,” but later, officers dis-

covered that a room on the second floor containing jewelry and designer pieces was ransacked, not specifying which items have been taken. There have been no injuries reported so far, as the househelper and security personnel were with Pacquiao for the Vegas fight.

The entire Pacquiao party heard the news as they were driving back to California for a victory party.

This is the same home Pacquiao and his coach Freddie Roach often trained before the fight. He purchased the house in 2011 for $2.17 million, but before this incident, it was already robbed in 2012, four suspects

MANNY PACQUIAO / WEBSITE

immediately arrested after the mansion was found open.

Burglars for this incident, unfortunately, took advantage of the fact that Pacquiao’s home

was isolated due to his highlyanticipated Vegas match, where he defeated 29-year-old Broner 117-111, 116-112, and 116-112 in favor of the 40-year-old. ■

La Salle Green Batters still Vidal’s vintage game spotless as they enter PBL semis lifts Pasay over Laguna

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer

told them, even if Kiko is gone, they need to step up. They can’t just rely on the seniors. This is already theirs.”

One of those players that had an exceptional game was Tuwi Pack, going 3-of-4 with five runs-batted-in (RBI). Anton Acuña and Paolo Cases contributed three RBI and two RBI

son that he’ll be a reliever. We didn’t want to rush him because he came from an injury.”

The day before their matchTHE DE La Salle University up against the UP Fighting Ma(DLSU) Green Batters are still roons, La Salle conquered the on a spotless winning streak Itakura Parts Philippines Coras they conquered the Univerporatin (IPPC) Nationals 11-8 sity of the Philippines (UP) in at the same venue. According an 18-8 seven-inning game at to Coach Joseph Orillana, what the Rizal Memois important is rial Baseball Stathe team’s “windium last Monning attitude day, January 21 and confidence that determined I’m happy for the team. I told them, – that they get their entry into even if Kiko is gone, they need to that before the the Philippine step up. They can’t just rely on the UAAP season,” Baseball League seniors. This is already theirs. in his words, saysemifinals. ing, “Every game Current Unishould be like a versity Athletics championship to Association of them before the the Philippines (UAAP) Ath- respectively as well. However, start of the season.” lete of the Year awardee Kiko it was infielder Boo BorandiThe Green Batters are still Gesmundo had to step out of aran and his two batters that anticipating who they will be the game during the first in- Coach Joseph hailed, saying in facing off in the semis, as the ning after suffering a shoulder a mix of English and Filipino, Adamson Soaring Falcons have injury, with head coach Joseph “Hopefully we use him as a to wait for the games on JanuOrillana delighted the everyone pitcher in the UAAP,” referring ary 26 to see if they are entering else stepped up. to the sophomore, then adding, the Final Four. ■ Coach Joseph shared in Fili- “We just focused him on second pino, “I’m happy for the team. I base, there are times this seawww.canadianinquirer.net

BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency MANILA — Jett Vidal came out firing on Monday night to lift the Pasay Voyagers to a comefrom-behind 76-72 win against Laguna Heroes in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Datu Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

In a performance reminiscent of his “Jettsanity” days with Perpetual Help in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Vidal fired six triples for all of his 18 points as he helped the Voyagers come alive in the second half to pull the much-needed home win.

Down 31-38 at halftime, Pasay opened the second half with four consecutive triples, two from Vidal and two more from Jason Opiso to go up 43-40.

However, Laguna regained control and eventually took a 59-55 lead to the fourth period.

The Voyagers then opened the fourth with a 20-5 run to go

up, 75-64, with 3:44 remaining.

The Heroes still put up a fight with an 8-0 run made by Michael Mabulac and Rex Leynes that cut the lead down to three, 75-72, with 23.7 seconds to play.

They even had a huge chance to force a tie when Denok Miranda took the ball from an intended Opiso pass and found Paolo Pontejos wide open for three, but Pontejos’ attempt only rimmed out and AJ Vitug iced the game with a split from the foul line in the next play.

Vidal also had two assists and two steals in the all-important win that snapped Pasay’s sixgame slide as the team is now just one game behind Caloocan for eighth place in the Northern Division at 7-14 with four games left in its schedule.

Mabulac’s 29-point, 17-rebound, and two-block showing hardly mattered for the now 9-12 Laguna, which despite staying in eighth place in the Southern Division is now in a virtual tie with surging Zamboanga and Parañaque (8-11). ■

30

Business PH, JICA sign loan deal for metro-grade train system

BY JOANN VILLANUEVA Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Philippines will have its first metro grade train system, with the capacity to carry about one million passengers a day, by 2022.

This, after Department of Finance (DOF) Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Director-General Shigenori Ogawa signed Monday the PHP80.47 billion loan agreement, which is the first tranche of Japan’s financing support for the North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) Extension Project.

The 147-km. NSCR Extension Project of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) has three components, the 38-kilometer line from Manila to Malolos, Bulacan; the 53-km. line from Malolos, Bulacan to Clark, Pampanga; and the 56-km. line from Manila to Calamba, Laguna.

With a total project cost of about PHP628.42 billion, it is, thus far, the biggest combined

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and JICA Director-General Shigenori Ogawa.

project under government’s “Build, Build, Build” program.

“The economic benefits of improved mobility for our commuters in this very large urban sprawl will far outweigh the total investment for this project,” Dominguez said.

Dominguez, during the loan signing ceremony, said government again adopted the “fast and sure” approach since pro-

cessing of the loan, including that of the PHP18.22-billion funding for the fourth phase of the Pasig-Marikina River Channel Improvement Project, was done within two months.

“This is, by far, the fastest loan processing time in the history of Philippines-Japan bilateral cooperation. We would like to share the credit here with our counterparties, who espoused

PNA

the same sense of urgency and trusted our commitment to get these projects done,” he said.

Department of Transportation Undersecretary Timothy John Batan, during the same event, disclosed that initial operations of the rail system is targeted to be in 2022.

Projected passengers during the initial runs is about 350,000 per day, he said.

“But the railway can accommodate up to 1.1 million passengers per day,” he said.

Relatively, PNR General Manager Junn Magno, during the same loan signing ceremony, said since this particular train system can accommodate about a million passengers a day during its full operations by 2023 this will be the country’s first metro-grade train system.

He said both the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) are metrograde systems, but have lighter capacities.

“This is our first metro grade (rail) system, meaning it can reach one million in capacity.

The capacity is there, passengers na lang ang kulang. (we just need the passengers),” he added.

DOF said the financing for the NSCR Extension has an interest rate of 0.1 percent per annum for non-consulting services and 0.01 percent per annum for consulting services. It is repayable within 40 years, inclusive of a 12-year grace period. ■

Huawei to grow Canadian R&D budget, staff as part of 5 year plan: president

BY DAVID PADDON The Canadian Press TORONTO — Huawei Canada will be getting a piece of the US$2 billion that its global Chinese parent will spend over five years to hire more software engineers to make its equipment more secure, resilient and efficient, the company said Thursday.

A company spokesman in Ottawa said Huawei’s head office hasn’t decided how much additional money and people will be allocated to its Canadian operation, which employs about 500 people at its research and development facilities.

But Huawei Canada president Eric Li, who is attending corporate meetings in Shenzen, said in a statement that its “top priority” has been the security and integrity of the networks that it supports through its technology.

“Huawei has been supplying telecommunications equipment in Canada for a decade,” Li said.

“We have a 10-year record of success when it comes to cybersecurity. To make our equipment even more secure, Huawei is investing a further $2 billion over five years to enhance the way we design and build our products.”

Huawei will also work with

an independent third-party organization to monitor and assess its progress, he said.

Huawei Canada spokesman Jake Enwright said more details will be released when they’re available.

Li’s announcement comes as Huawei Technologies Ltd. faces intense pressure as the United States and some of Canada’s other allies move to shut the China-based company out of their networks on national security grounds.

The Canadian government is also investigating the national security implications of having advanced fifth-generation wireless networks use equipment by a China-based comwww.canadianinquirer.net

pany that’s legally subject to Beijing’s government.

Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei told reporters earlier this week in a rare media briefing that the private company would “definitely say no” if the Chinese government requested its help to facilitate spying, as required by a 2017 law.

Ren also said his daughter Meng Wanzhou, Huawei’s chief financial officer, has been welltreated by Canadian justice officials since her arrest in Vancouver on Dec. 1 at the request of the United States.

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s government has demanded Meng’s release, with its ambassador to Ottawa say-

ing her arrest was an act of “backstabbing” by a friend.

Ambassador Lu Shaye also warned in a rare interview with Canadian journalists that if Huawei is barred from new 5G networks for security reasons that there could be “repercussions.”

While Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland is leading the Trudeau government’s diplomacy with China, the decision on whether to bar Huawei from Canadian networks is under the jurisdiction of Public Security Minister Ralph Goodale and Navdeep Bains, the minister responsible for tele❱❱ PAGE 37 Huawei to

Business

FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 2019

31

Tokyo court rejects AirAsia CEO reiterates need Ex Nissan chair for infra, low-cost terminals Ghosn’s bail request

BY YURI KAGEYAMA The Associated Press TOKYO — A Tokyo court has rejected former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn’s latest request for bail, more than two months after his arrest, prolonging a detention that has drawn international scrutiny of Japan’s justice system.

The decision by the Tokyo District Court came a day after Ghosn promised to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet, give up his passport and pay for security guards approved by prosecutors to gain release from a Tokyo detention centre.

The court announced its decision in a statement. His family said they will appeal.

Ghosn, 64, has been in custody since Nov. 19. He had a bail hearing Monday. A Tokyo court rejected an earlier request for bail last week.

Ghosn, who led Nissan Motor Co. for two decades, has been charged with falsifying financial reports in underreporting his compensation from Nissan over eight years, and with breach of trust, centring on allegations Ghosn had Nissan temporarily shoulder his personal investment losses and pay a Saudi businessman.

Ghosn has said he is innocent, explaining that the alleged compensation was never decided, Nissan didn’t suffer losses and the payment was for legitimate services.

His wife Carole Ghosn appealed for his release through Human Rights Watch earlier this month, saying Ghosn’s treatment has been harsh and unfair.

Her views echo widespread criticism of Japan’s criminal

justice system both inside and outside Japan. Suspects who insist they are innocent get held longer. Suspects are held in a cell and routinely grilled daily by investigators without a lawyer present, although lawyers are allowed to visit.

Ghosn’s lawyer Motonari Ohtsuru has acknowledged Ghosn’s release may not come until the trial, which may be six months away. A date for the trial has not been set.

Nissan officials say an internal investigation has found that Ghosn had schemes to hide his income and that he used company money and assets for personal gain.

A special committee Nissan set up after Ghosn’s arrest to strengthen governance held its first meeting Sunday. Seiichiro Nishioka, a former judge and co-chair, told reporters after the meeting that Ghosn had shown questionable ethics, and too much power within the company had been focused in one person. The committee’s findings are due by late March.

Ghosn’s pay was long a sticking point in Japan, where executives generally get paid far less than their American and other Western counterparts. Ghosn insisted he deserved his higher pay because of his achievements, saying he could have left for another job.

Nissan was on the verge of bankruptcy when alliance partner Renault SA of France sent in Ghosn to help revive it in 1999. Under Ghosn’s leadership, Nissan turned itself around and became one of the most successful auto groups in the world. Ghosn also helped Nissan pioneer ecological auto technology. The Nissan Leaf is the top-selling electric car. ■

BY MA. CRISTINA ARAYATA Philippine News Agency

MANILA — AirAsia Philippines chief executive officer Dexter Comendador reiterated the aviation industry’s need for more infrastructures as well as the airlines’ need for low-cost terminals.

In an exclusive interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) last week, Comendador said the lack in infrastructure is the major problem for local carriers.

“That is why we (AirAsia) are creating hubs. The government should develop more airports.

There should also be more hotels to complement that,” he said.

Comendador cited as an example, that AirAsia is launching new Chinese routes this quarter via Kalibo, Aklan, instead of via Manila.

“We no longer have space to offer the new routes via NAIA (Ninoy Aquino International Airport). So, the other airports benefit from the new destination offerings,” he said.

The executive added that the carrier will have three new planes this year, and there’s no space for him to park these at NAIA. “We need slots so we could put more planes and so we could offer new routes from there,” Comendador added.

AirAsia Philippines has been building hubs in regional airports. Currently, the carrier has a hub in Manila, Clark, Kalibo and Cebu.

Comendador earlier told PNA he is eyeing the recentlylaunched Bohol-Panglao International Airport, the country’s first eco-airport, as the airline’s fifth hub by 2019.

AirAsia Philippines CEO Dexter Comendador.

AIRASIA / WEBSITE

Acknowledging ‘Build, Build, Build’

Comendador, meanwhile, acknowledged the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program.

“It (program) is very important for us,” he said, adding that Manila is too congested already.

The CEO, who is also a pilot, said Luzon is just small, and air traffic must really be addressed.

“For us, pilots, we see Luzon from end to end, and it’s small,” he remarked, and added that building other airports will be helpful.

Comendador also reiterated his wish for the government to build low-cost terminals.

“Developing a huge, extravagant airport like the MactanCebu International Airport is fine. But I hope the government would also realize that building low-cost terminals will be very helpful for us,” he said.

He described a low-cost terminal as a simple terminal where carriers could have a fast turnaround time, and where passengers could pass through up to the gate within 20 minutes.

Comendador earlier explained that AirAsia Philip-

pines, for instance, deplanes in 10 minutes while refueling, have 5 minutes for security and cleaning, and 10 minutes for boarding. A simple terminal’s ramp, therefore, should be able to accommodate a 25-minute turnaround time, he said.

“We need the infrastructure, we need the facilities,” he said.

According to Comendador, AirAsia Philippines would want to introduce contactless check-in here in the country, but the airline needs the necessary facility.

“Passengers’ check-in time will be processed faster if we do that contactless. They would only need to undergo facial recognition. Of course, we need to have the facility in our airports for us to introduce this,” he added.

Comendador emphasized that AirAsia is banking on digital technologies.

He said AirAsia has pioneered the seamless baggage check-in at Changi Airport in Singapore, and is also offering the same service in some airports in the Philippines.

The said service enables passengers to tag and drop their baggage by themselves. ■

come to a reasonable conclusion, but Harvard’s Avi Loeb said the case was convincing.

Humans might not have emerged without mass extinctions from space rocks about 250 million and 65 million years ago, Loeb said in an email, add-

ing, “but this enhanced impact rate poses a threat for the next mass extinction event, which we should watch for and attempt to avoid with the aid of technology.”

“This demonstrates how arbitrary and fragile human life is,” Loeb wrote. ■

Asteroids are... ❰❰ 32

scientists used impact craters on the nearby moon as a stand-in for holes between 650 million and 1 billion years old. The moon is a good guide for estimating Earth crashes, because it is close enough to be in the same

bombardment path and its craters last longer.

So what happened nearly 300 million years ago?

“Perhaps an asteroid family was broken up in the asteroid belt,” Mazrouei speculated. The space rocks then headed to-

ward the Earth and moon, and the planet got slightly more because it is a bigger target and it has higher gravity, Ghent said.

Outside scientists are split about the research. Jay Melosh at Purdue said he found the number of craters too small to www.canadianinquirer.net

32

Technology SpaceX to build Mars ships in Texas, not Los Angeles THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HAWTHORNE, CALIF. — SpaceX said Wednesday that it will build test versions of its Mars spaceship in south Texas instead of the Port of Los Angeles in another blow to the local economy that comes days after the company announced massive layoffs.

The decision was made to streamline operations, the Hawthorne, California-based company said in a statement.

SpaceX won approval last year to lease 19 acres at the port’s Terminal Island. It planned to erect a new facility to do work on the interplanetary spacecraft, now called Starship, and its launch vehicle, the Super Heavy, which would be the largest rocket ever built.

The port facility would have allowed the giant craft to be barged or shipped to launch sites. It could have added about 700 jobs to the area.

SpaceX now won’t proceed with that option.

SpaceX founder Elon Musk tweeted that development of Starship will continue in Hawthorne but prototypes will be built in south Texas. The company has a launch facility in Boca Chica near Brownsville, where one prototype of the spacecraft already has been assembled.

“We are building the Starship prototypes locally at our launch site in Texas, as their size makes them very difficult to transport,” Musk said.

SpaceX will continue us-

Asteroids are smacking Earth twice as often as before

BY SETH BORENSTEIN The Associated Press

SpaceX's Grasshopper program in 2013.

ing its existing port facilities to recover its reusable Falcon rockets and Dragon spacecraft, which arrive by water.

Southern California officials have talked about luring hightech operations to boost the waterfront and create a “Silicon Harbor.”

“While we are disappointed that SpaceX will not be expanding their operations at the Port of Los Angeles, we are pleased that they will continue their recovery operations here,” port spokesman Phillip Sanfield said. “Our ongoing work with SpaceX and other advanced technology companies is important to our efforts to advance the port through innovation and new technologies.”

SPACEX / WEBSITE

Los Angeles City Councilman Joe Buscaino said he felt crushed by the decision, but “I feel confident that other innovators will see the huge value they get in San Pedro.”

Last Friday, SpaceX announced it would lay off 10 per cent of its roughly 6,000 workers, most of them at its Hawthorne headquarters. The company said it needs to become leaner to accomplish ambitious and costly projects such as the Starship and Starlink, which would create a constellation of satellites to provide spacebased broadband internet service.

Development costs for those two projects have been estimated at up to $10 billion each. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

are still rare and far between that I’m not too worried about it.”

Mazrouei and colleagues in the United Kingdom and United WASHINGTON — Giant rocks States compiled a list of impact from space are falling from the craters on Earth and the moon sky more than they used to, but that were larger than 12 miles don’t worry.

(20 km) wide and came up with For the past 290 million the dates of them. It takes a space years, large asteroids have been rock that’s half a mile (800 mecrashing into Earth more than tres) wide to create holes that big. twice as often as they did in The team counted 29 craters the previous 700 million years, that were no older than 290 according to a new study in million years and nine between Thursday’s journal Science.

291 million years and 650 milBut no need to lion years old. cast a wary glance But we can up. Asteroids still see relatively only smack Earth few big craters on average every These on Earth bemillion or few events are cause the planet million years, still rare and is more than 70 even with the far between per cent ocean increased crash that I’m not and past glaciers rate.

NASA’s too worried smoothed out list of potential about it. some holes, said big space rock University of Tocrashes shows no ronto planetary pending major scientist Rebecthreats. The bigca Ghent, a study gest known risk is a 4,200-foot co-author.

(1.3-km) wide asteroid with a Extrapolating for what can’t 99.988 per cent chance that it be seen brings the total to about will miss Earth when it whizzes 260 space crashes on Earth very near here in 861 years. in the last 290 million years.

Tell that to the dinosaurs. Adding in other factors, the sciMost scientists think dinosaurs ence team determined that the and a lot of other species went current space crash rate is 2.6 extinct after a huge space rock times more than the previous crashed into Central America 700 million years. about 65 million years ago.

Craters older than 650 mil“It’s just a game of probabili- lion years are mostly wiped off ties,” said study lead author Sara on Earth by glacial forces so the Mazrouei, a University of Toronto planetary scientist. “These events ❱❱ PAGE 31 Asteroids are

Technology

FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 2019

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There’s an app for that? CRA eyes new, digitally secure way to access services

BY JORDAN PRESS The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Canada’s tax agency has quietly tested a new way for Canadians to log in to their online accounts that should make it easier for Canadians to access government services while keeping would-be crooks out.

The new system could also be pushed into the private sector as the government and banks look to reduce the chances of identity fraud.

The online security company SecureKey and the CRA spent five months last year testing a service called Verified.Me that will allow government agencies and banks to share information securely and allow them to verify your identity quickly when you try to log in to their sites.

The system would also let a citizen walking into a government services office confirm their identity even if they forget the right documents at home.

The service won’t be in place in time for this year’s tax season because both the government and the company have more work to do.

“The goal of the project was ... to prove that we could actu-

ally solve the problem, that we could have citizens show up, be able to share their data in a privacy-enhanced way, be able to get services more expeditiously and have less fraud,” Greg Wolfond, CEO of SecureKey Technologies, said in a recent interview. “It takes some time and the government has to go through its cycle on what does it want to do.”

Federal officials have been looking at ways to make log-ins more secure to eliminate the

possibility of fraud, if, for instance, a nefarious actor gets a password and logs in to someone else’s account.

Banks are lobbying for a system to link federal and provincial databases that hold information like social-insurance numbers and drivers’ licences, respectively, and use that to electronically authenticate identities using multiple digital reference points.

What the government and company tested, described in

documents obtained by The Canadian Press under the federal access-to-information law, would fit the model of digital identification the Canadian Bankers’ Association CEO Neil Parmenter advocated for in a speech earlier this week.

Those tests were conducted by the CRA and SecureKey to decide whether Verified.Me could help confirm the identity of someone logging into a CRA online account by tapping into a provincial licence database.

Similarly, the tests looked at whether information could be sent the other way, by having the CRA ship income data to a bank for a loan application.

“It lets you take data from parties you work with and trust — like your telco or your bank or government — and be able to share it with someone where you’re trying to prove, hey, it is really me applying for this loan, or it is really me trying to get access to service,” Wolfond said.

Both sides labelled the tests as a success.

In an emailed response to questions about the trial, a CRA spokesman said the agency wanted to test the technology because of its “potential to streamline digital service delivery” and replace some existing processes — among which is mailing out passwords for new CRA accounts.

Alexandre Igolkine said the agency is still working with the federal Treasury Board, which oversees the rules around government services, to see if Verified.Me can be used to ease logins and share information among governments and institutions for other government services, such as employment insurance. ■

Robot recreates the walk of a 290-million-year-old creature

BY CHRISTINA LARSON The Associated Press WASHINGTON — How did the earliest land animals move?

Scientists have used a nearly 300-million-year old fossil skeleton and preserved ancient footprints to create a moving robot model of prehistoric life.

Evolutionary biologist John Nyakatura at Humboldt University in Berlin has spent years studying a 290-millionyear-old fossil dug up in central Germany’s Bromacker quarry in 2000. The four-legged planteater lived before the dinosaurs and fascinates scientists “because of its position on the tree of life,” said Nyakatura. Researchers believe the creature is a “stem amniote” — an early

land-dwelling animal that later evolved into modern mammals, birds and reptiles.

Scientists believe the first amphibious animals emerged on land 350 million years ago and the first amniotes emerged around 310 million years ago.

The fossil, called Orabates pabsti, is a “beautifully preserved and articulated skeleton,” said Nyakatura. What’s more, scientists have previously identified fossilized footprints left by the 3-foot-long (90 cm) creature.

Nyakatura teamed up with robotics expert Kamilo Melo at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne to develop a model of how the creature moved. Their results were published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

The researchers built a lifesize replica of the prehistoric beast — “we carefully modeled each and every bone,” said Nyakatura — and then tested the motion in various ways that would lead its gait to match the ancient tracks, ruling out combinations that were not anatomically possible.

They repeated the exercise with a slightly-scaled up robot version , which they called OroBOT. The robot is made of motors connected by 3D-printed plastic and steel parts. The model “helps us to test realworld dynamics, to account for gravity and friction,” said Melo.

The team also compared their models to living animals, including salamanders and iguanas.

Technology such as robotwww.canadianinquirer.net

ics, computer modeling and CT scans are transforming paleontology, “giving us ever more compelling reconstructions of the past,” said Andrew Farke, curator at the Raymond M. Alf Museum of Paleontology in Claremont, California, who was not involved in the study.

Based on the robot model, the scientists said they think the creature had more advanced locomotion than previously thought for such an early land animal. (Think more scampering than slithering.)

“It walked with a fairly upright posture,” said Melo. “It didn’t drag its belly or tail.”

University of Maryland paleontologist Thomas R. Holtz, who was not involved in the study, said the research suggests “an upright stance goes

further back than we originally thought.”

Stuart Sumida, a paleontologist at California State University in San Bernardino and part of the initial team that excavated Orobates fossils, called it “an exciting study.” Sumida, who was not involved in the robot project, said the work provided “a much more confident window in to what happened long ago. It isn’t a time machine, but Nyakatura and colleagues have given us a tantalizing peek.” ■ The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education.

The AP is solely responsible for all content.

JANUARY 25, 2019

34

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35

Travel Travel industry fears damage from a long government shutdown

BY DAVID KOENIG AND CHRISTOPHER RUGABER The Associated Press AMERICA’S BUSIEST airport, Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International, is a blur of activity on the bewst of days. But an extra layer of anxiety gripped the airport Friday, the eve of a three-day holiday weekend.

The partial government shutdown — the longest ever — has thinned the ranks of federal workers who staff airport security lines. And some travellers had braced for the worst.

“I have a 3 o’clock flight, and I arrived at 10:15 a.m.,” Beth Lambert said while waiting to check in at a Delta Air Lines counter as her 5-year-old, Michael, rode around on his wheeled bag like a scooter. “We’re going to be hanging out for a while.”

The scene at most of the nation’s airports has so far been marked more by concerned passengers showing up early than by missed flights. Longer lines are evident at some airports.But delays resulting from a rise in federal security screeners calling in sick have been slight.

Yet concern is quickly growing. President Donald Trump and Democrats in Congress remain far apart over Trump’s insistence on funding for a wall along the Mexican border as the price of reopening the government. With the two sides trading taunts and avoiding talks, travel industry analysts and economists have been calculating the potential damage should the shutdown drag into February or beyond.

Airlines and hotels would suffer. So would parks and restaurants that cater to travellers.

And, eventually, the broader U.S. economy, already absorbing a trade war with China and a global economic slowdown, would endure another blow.

The travel and tourism industries generate about $1.6 trillion in U.S. economic ac-

tivity — one-twelfth of the economy — and one in 20 jobs, according to the Commerce Department. Macroeconomic Advisers says it now expects the economy to expand at just a 1.4 per cent annual rate in the first three months of this year, down from its previous forecast of 1.6 per cent, because of reduced government spending during the shutdown.

America’s air-travel system will face its sternest this weekend, which coincides with Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, a federal holiday.

On Friday, the Transportation Security Administration sent a small team of extra screeners to beef up checkpoints at the airport in Newark, New Jersey, which has had among the longest lines in the country this week.

The TSA predicts it will screen over 8 million passengers between Friday and Monday, up 10.8 per cent from last year’s MLK weekend. And it will do so with fewer screeners. On Thursday, the TSA said 6.4 per cent of screeners missed work — nearly double the 3.8 per cent rate on the same day in 2018.

A TSA spokesman said the agency was offering overtime to screeners for this weekend, though those workers wouldn’t be paid — for their regular pay or for overtime— until the shutdown eventually ends.

On top of potentially longer airport security lines this weekend, a blast of winter weather could snarl travel this weekend in the Midwest and Northeast.

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, home to Delta Air Lines, has likely been the hardest hit airport. Delta said this week that the shutdown will cost it $25 million in January because fewer federal employees and contractors will be flying. By contrast, United Airlines, which has a substantial presence around Washington, D.C., said it hasn’t felt much impact yet.

But the airlines fear that if the shutdown doesn’t end soon,

more TSA agents will call in sick or quit. A shortage of screeners would cause security lines to swell. Air traffic controllers, who are also working without pay, say they, too, are shortstaffed. If the controller shortage became severe enough, the government could restrict the number of flights, though some analysts think that’s unlikely.

“Luckily this is the low season — January is one of the weakest months of the year,” said Savanthi Syth, an airline analyst for Raymond James. “This spilling into February is a real concern.

The risk is that the longer this drags out, it might cause some passengers to say, ‘I don’t want to deal with all the hassle, maybe I won’t take that trip.”‘ Consumers are, in fact, taking a dimmer view of the economy, in part because of the shutdown. A measure of consumer confidence fell this month by the most in more than six years, according to the University of Michigan, which conducts the survey. If Americans were to cut back on travel and other discretionary spending, it would weaken consumer spending, the U.S. company’s primary fuel.

Laura Mandala, who runs a travel and tourism research firm, said the shutdown might discourage international travellers, too.

“These uncertainties will result in fewer conferences being booked,” Mandala said, leading to “convention and hotel staff layoffs, reduced schedules, resulting in less income for workers to spend in the local economy.”

Hotels are starting to feel the impact, particularly in the Washington, D.C., region but also in other cities with substantial federal workforces, such as San Diego, which has a large naval base.

In the Washington area, including its nearby suburbs in Maryland and Virginia, hotel revenue plunged 26 per cent in the second week of January www.canadianinquirer.net

compared with the same period last year, according to STR, a travel research firm. That’s much steeper than the 8 per cent decline that occurred nationwide.

Michael Bellisario, an analyst for investment bank R.W. Baird, suggested that other factors accounted for the most of the nationwide drop but said the shutdown almost certainly played a role.

“In no way is the government shutdown a positive for hotel demand and travel,” Bellisario said.

If the shutdown lingers and people see more reports of long TSA lines on television news, “they will say, ‘Oh wow, travelling is hard,’ and that impacts the hotel industry,” said Jan Freitag, a senior vice-president at STR. For now, though, the most visible impact has been at airports. One of the seven checkpoints at Houston’s main airport has been closed all week and will remain so indefinitely, a spokesman said. Miami closed one concourse during the afternoons and evenings last weekend. On the other hand, officials at airports in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami said they weren’t experiencing any problems.

The problems would emerge if the shutdown persists, and the damage would extend to the private companies that operate airport shops and restaurants.

Mike Boyd, an airport consultant in Colorado, noted that a pullback in travel would be felt

most in airports that are heavily dependent on government employees such as Reagan National Airport outside Washington, Manhattan Regional Airport in Kansas, near the Army’s Fort Riley, and Watertown International Airport in upstate New York, near Fort Drum.

Federal employees going without pay — there are about 800,000 of them, including 420,000 who are still working — are already suffering, of course.

“We still have to make sure our kids eat, make sure to have a roof over their head,” said Shalique Caraballo, whose wife is a TSA worker in Atlanta. “We sweat in private and don’t let the kids see the struggle.”

Some in the airline industry and even in Congress have suggested that longer TSA security lines could exert enough pressure on politicians to break the stalemate that is keeping the government shuttered.

Others have all but lost hope.

“I would love to think that politicians understand that travel and tourism is an incredibly important gear in the economy,” said Ninan Chacko, CEO of Travel Leaders Group, which owns and manages travel agencies, “but I don’t think that is really the rational discussion that is taking place in Washington.” ■ Koenig reported from Dallas and Rugaber from Washington.

AP staffers Sarah Blake Morgan and Ron Harris in Atlanta and Cathy Bussewitz in New York contributed to this report.

36

Travel

JANUARY 25, 2019

FRIDAY

Seeking the mystery of vortexes in Sedona, Arizona

BY JOSEPH GEDEON The Associated Press

DISNEY CRUISE / WEBSITE

Disney Cruise Line to sail more ships from Galveston THE ASSOCIATED PRESS GALVESTON, TEXAS — Port officials say Galveston can expect to see double the number of Disney cruises sailing from the city on the Gulf of Mexico over the next five years.

The Port of Galveston announced Thursday that Disney Cruise Line will expand its offerings from the city to 26 cruises a year by 2023. The Galveston County Daily News

reports that the agreement guarantees the company will operate out of Galveston for the next 10 years.

The deal comes a month after the port announced plans to develop a new $85 million cruise terminal with Miami-based Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Port Director Rodger Rees says Disney cruises will get some of the open slots when the new terminal is completed in 2021. He says the company wanted to be first in line. ■

SEDONA, ARIZ. — I suppose I shouldn’t have taken the parking attendant’s advice so literally.

‘You’ll know it when you feel it,” he had told me when I asked where I’d find the vortex.

I had travelled to Sedona for a weekend to see if I would experience what many visitors come here to find: a static in the air, the “vortex.”

Inside a steep, coral-colored canyon decorated with pine trees, this sleepy Arizona city has long been a quiet refuge for hikers, romantics and soul searchers. For many, it’s a place of mystique and magic.

Walking past its earth-toned grocery stores, banks and restaurants, you’ll find that Sedona’s tourists and locals go into many of the same places.

So much so that residents seem like former tourists themselves.

Crystal and incense shops sit prominently between visitor centres with pushy timeshare salesmen. Jeep tours that carry you to majestic points around the city — which is set amid glowing red rocks — bring convenience and modernity to what could otherwise be a still from an old Western. And the view is also picturesque from every hotel, bed and breakfast, and residential building.

To preserve its beauty, this city of just over 10,000 people has a strict building code and zoning laws: Structures can’t grow too high, and must be colored in hues that complement the natural tones of the red rocks. Even the famed golden arches at McDonald’s are turquoise here, to enhance the desert’s natural beauty.

But many visitors to Sedona come looking for something in addition to this beauty. Native American legend recounts a spot where the earth’s energy is supposedly concentrated and crackling. Where you can experience a range of sensations that encourage self-healing and spiritual awakening. The vortex.

The supposed healing power of vortexes gained popularity during the late 20th century. www.canadianinquirer.net

In 1987, some 5,000 believers flocked to Sedona for what became known as the Harmonic Convergence. The event began as an interpretation of the Mayan calendar; tens of thousands of people around the world gathered around spiritual centres for meditation to protect the Earth from spinning away into space.

While praying for a global awakening, many of those who came to Sedona developed a feeling of deep, astral connection to the red rock formations.

Word of Sedona’s mysterious vortexes began to spread.

There are many trails through the rocks around Sedona that guide you to these coveted locations. On my recent visit, we chose to try the Airport Mesa Loop. While more strenuous than some, it’s a great hike if you are looking for exercise and a spectacular view of town.

Pack light in everything but water, as there is not much shade and some steep drops.

As the trail ascends, there are panoramic views of Elephant Rock, Courthouse Butte, Bell Rock and Cathedral Rock — Sedona’s most visited landmarks.

The trail circles around two sides of the mountain, marked by a difference in both plant life and geological formations.

Once you near the end, it becomes hard to believe you are on the same path.

Because of the trail’s popu-

larity, two parking lots are accessible to visitors. While the one lower down the mountain is closer to the official entrance of the trail, its small size made it too difficult to park in the afternoon. We drove to the very top of the Airport Mesa and took in views of the city before the parking attendant pointed us to a spot past a fence near the road, where we hiked down a mile-long trail that forked at the entrance of the Airport Mesa Loop.

Every few steps of the roughly 3.3-mile-long trail encourage you to give in to the natural setting. A heightened feeling — tingling fingers and velvet in the air — distracted me from the multiplying hikers and marriage proposals.

We walked for hours, and we felt a lot — aches, pain, wonder.

And it was only after we completed the loop and came back to the starting point of the trail when we discovered the vortex.

Standing atop the mini-mesa elicited a more intense feeling than the one I had already felt in town. Red rock vistas transform to soaring pillars, as if you’re inside a gothic cathedral.

It’s something that the New Age faithful preach about and even skeptics might buy into.

Once you wake up from your trance, you’ll notice tourists and locals basking in the same feeling. It’s a Sedona moment that can’t be replicated. ■

37

Food To cook a centre cut tenderloin, we use a reverse sear AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN THE CENTRE-CUT tenderloin — often called chateaubriand — comes from the middle of the whole tenderloin, which sits beneath the spine of the cow and gets no exercise at all, making it the most tender piece of beef you can buy. We knew that a simple preparation would let the exceptional texture shine.

Tying the roast at intervals with kitchen twine made it more compact and helped give it an even shape, which promoted even cooking. To up the tenderloin's mild flavour and help it hold on to its juices, we salted the roast before cooking. A smear of softened butter added before cooking also helped counteract the leanness and mildness of this cut with a minimum of fuss.

We then used a reverse-sear method, roasting the meat first

and then finishing it by searing it in a skillet. Starting the roast in a fairly cool 300 F oven minimized the temperature differential between the exterior and interior, allowing for gentle, even cooking. This approach also dried out the surface of the meat so it then seared very quickly in the skillet--leaving no chance for it to overcook. We finished by slathering the roast with a flavoured butter as it rested. As the savory butter melted it became an instant sauce.

Roast beef tenderloin

Servings: 4 Start to finish: 1 hour, 20 minutes (plus 30 minutes resting time) Beef: • 1 (2-pound) centre-cut beef tenderloin roast, trimmed, tail end tucked, and tied at 1 1/2-inch intervals • 2 teaspoons kosher salt • 1 teaspoon pepper

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil Shallot and Parsley Butter: • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened • 1/2 shallot, minced • 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley • 1 garlic clove, minced • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/4 teaspoon pepper For the beef: Sprinkle roast evenly with salt, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 300 F. For the shallot and parsley butter: Meanwhile, combine all ingredients in bowl and let rest to blend flavours, about 10 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap, roll into log, and refrigerate until serving.

Pat roast dry with paper towels. Sprinkle roast evenly with

Keep books... ❰❰ 27

CP: What do you think of the idea that we should get rid of books that don’t “spark joy”?

Schofield: Categorically, I think getting rid of books that don’t spark joy is complete nonsense… The terms of art and literature are not the terms of self-help and tidying up. Does this book spark a question is a better metric.

CP: What does your book collection mean to you?

Schofield: As a working writer, my book collection is a working library, and so just like a chef needs staple ingredients and a saucepan, I need my books.

Alan Bradley, Toronto-born author of the Flavia de Luce mystery series — Interviewed by email CP: What’s the best way to deal with a book collection that is taking up too much space?

Bradley: There is no such thing as too many books. Cre-

pepper and spread softened butter evenly over surface.

Transfer roast to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet. Roast until beef registers 120 F to 125 F (for medium-rare), 40 to 55 minutes, flipping roast halfway through roasting.

Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown roast well on all sides, about 8 minutes.

Transfer roast to carving board and spread 2 tablespoons fla-

voured butter evenly over top of roast; let rest for 30 minutes.

Remove twine and slice into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve, passing remaining flavoured butter separately. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 470 calories; 289 calories from fat; 32 g fat (10 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 136 mg cholesterol; 835 mg sodium; 2 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 43 g protein.

Huawei to... ate space by getting rid of furniture, children, food, clothing and so forth.

CP: How do you feel about holding onto books you haven’t read and maybe never will?

Bradley: The problem might be that you’re not be ready for them yet. I am quite certain that a person who would dispose of a book would as easily dispose of love — or a cat, or a dog, or a grandmother.

CP: What does your book collection mean to you?

Bradley: In my library are books bearing the DNA of the dear hands that wrote them, or wrote in them, or the tears of those who held them and wept over them.

Ian Williams, Vancouverbased author of “Reproduction,” to be released Jan. 22 — Interviewed by phone CP: What do you think of the idea that we should get rid of

books that don’t “spark joy”?

Williams: (Kondo has) tipped the balance in a really extreme kind of position, but somewhere in the middle lies the truth. Don’t hoard things just because you have them. Sometimes, you do need to break up with your books.

CP: How do you go about ‘breaking up’ with a book?

Williams: You say to that book, ‘I honestly don’t want to see you again. We don’t talk; we have no real relationship.

You’re just here.’

Books are all tied up with our memories. Sometimes, I’ll look through a book and I’ll find a receipt or a postcard, and that’s really just activating a piece of my history. Books are also storage containers for ourselves. So you get rid of a book, and you also lose a kind of sensuous quality of your life. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

❰❰ 30

communications.

Bains said in an interview with The Canadian Press this week that “we never have and never will compromise our national security.”

He added that the national security review is a “broader review” than just Huawei and than the government will take the necessary time to “get all the relevant information, that we co-ordinate with our international partners and ultimately make a decision that is in the best interests of Canadians.”

For its part, Huawei has taken several steps to burnish its public image in Canada and around the world — including repeated assurances that it wouldn’t betray customers and that it’s a good corporate citizen.

Earlier this week, Huawei released an upbeat 65-second video via Twitter that focuses on half a dozen members of its

Canadian R&D team in Ottawa.

“We’re working on cutting edge technology. It’s a rare opportunity for any researcher.

I’m glad I’ve been given that opportunity,” says research engineer Elmira Amirloo.

Other employees in the video add that Huawei is open, innovative and invests in its employees.

The company has also been raising its profile with Canadian consumers through increased advertising of its smartphones and sponsorship of Hockey Night In Canada through a multi-year deal that runs through 2020. ■ with files from CP reporters Andy Blatchford and Mike Blanchfield in Ottawa.

38

Food

JANUARY 25, 2019

FRIDAY

This pork butt roast sings with orange juice, tomato paste AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN IN MEXICO, the dish known as cochinita pibil is made by rubbing a whole suckling pig with warm spices and juice from bitter oranges, then wrapping it in banana leaves and slowly pitroasting it until it is succulent and richly flavoured.

To achieve a similar dish at home, we turned to well-marbled pork butt roast and traded the banana leaves and pit of coals for a Dutch oven, which, when placed in a moderate oven, allowed the pork to braise gently to tenderness.

To give the pork its distinctive flavour, usually achieved with hard-to-find ingredients like bitter oranges and annatto, we used frozen orange juice concentrate, tomato paste for colour and depth, and bay leaves for herbal flavour.

A quick habanero sauce, made with a traditional cookedcarrot base, and pickled red onions balanced out the rich meat. Pork butt roast is often labeled Boston butt. If you want a spicier sauce, you can add the remaining habanero; if you are spice-averse, substitute a lessspicy jalapeno for the habanero.

Citrus-braised pork tacos

Servings: 6

Start to finish: 3 hours Pork: • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil • 1 onion, chopped fine • 3 garlic cloves, minced • 1 teaspoon ground cumin • 1 teaspoon dried oregano • 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon • 1/3 cup tomato paste • 1 1/2 cups water • 1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed • 3 tablespoons distilled white vinegar • 1 1/2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce • 5 bay leaves • Salt and pepper • 1 (2 1/2-to-3 pound) boneless pork butt roast, trimmed and cut into 1 inch chunks • Pickled Red Onions: • 1 red onion, halved and sliced thin • 1 cup distilled white vinegar • 1/3 cup sugar • 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar • 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving • 18 (6 inch) corn tortillas, warmed For the pork: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 F. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in garlic, cumin, oregano, allspice, and cinnamon and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until paste begins to darken, about 45 seconds. Stir in water, orange juice concentrate, 2 tablespoons vinegar, Worcestershire, bay leaves, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper, scraping up any browned bits.

Add pork and bring to boil.

Transfer pot to oven and cook, uncovered, until pork is tender, about 2 hours, stirring once halfway through cooking.

For the pickled red onions: Meanwhile, place onion in medium bowl. Bring vinegar, sugar, and salt to simmer in small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Pour over onions and cover loosely. Let onions cool completely, about 30 minutes. (Onions can be re-

frigerated for up to 1 week.)

For the habanero sauce: Combine water, carrot, tomato, onion, habanero, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in now-empty saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat and cook until carrot is tender, about 10 minutes. Off heat, let carrot mixture cool slightly, about 5 minutes. Transfer carrot mixture to blender, add vinegar and lime juice, and process until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste; set aside. (Sauce can be refrigerated for up to 1 week.)

Remove pot from oven; discard bay leaves. Using potato

masher, mash pork until finely shredded. Bring to simmer over medium-high heat and cook until most of liquid has evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Off heat, stir in remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve pork on tortillas with pickled red onions, habanero sauce, and lime wedges. ■

The trend is happening in back and ‘Designing Women’ don’t need 16 million viewers Canada, too, with a revival of and ‘Cagney and Lacey.’ … It’s necessarily and that a show CBC’s “Street Legal” set to pre- just crazy how much they’ll can move to various different miere March 4 — more than 20 throw at them to keep them places and there aren’t just years after the original series from cutting the cord.” four networks anymore,” says came to an end.

“I Feel Bad” star “If I’m a proPaul Adelstein. duction execu“Never untive, I would be derestimate the like, ‘Get me a TV power of your Guide from 1995’ There’s so much material now, fans and your and I would sit I think it’s hard to have a fan viewers,” adds there and be campaign for a streaming show.

“Atlanta” star like, ‘Can we reBrian Tyree boot this? Can Henry, “because we reboot this?”‘ the people will Sparaga says. speak and the “My stepmom people will be is never going to give up her TV stars say the revival trend heard no matter what.” cable, because now ‘Murphy underscores forceful changes But while it seems fans have Brown’ is back and she heard in the industry. more power than ever to help that ‘Mad About You’ is coming “It’s really exciting that you their favourite network shows

find new life, Sparaga says the same might not be true for shows that have exclusively been on streaming services.

“There’s so much material now, I think it’s hard to have a fan campaign for a streaming show,” Sparaga says.

“I love ‘Stranger Things’ and my friends love ‘Stranger Things’ but we certainly don’t talk about each individual episode, because we’re all watching it at different times. We just essentially recommend the show as a whole.

“We don’t have, like, a week to talk and think about the episode and just be on that show and wait for the next one — and that builds fandom.” ■

Habanero Sauce: • 1 cup water • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped • 1 vine-ripened tomato, cored and chopped • 1/4 cup chopped onion • 1/2 habanero chile, stemmed • 1 garlic clove, smashed and peeled • Salt and pepper

Nutrition information per serving: 524 calories; 150 calories from fat; 17 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 102 mg cholesterol; 473 mg sodium; 56 g carbohydrate; 6 g fiber; 21 g sugar; 36 g protein.

Save our... ❰❰ 28

some will be reboots.”

Streaming services are hungry for established brands because they already have a built-in following and might lure in new subscribers who want to see their beloved characters, Sparaga says, pointing to “Star Trek: Discovery” on CBS All Access.

Networks are also looking to shows of yore to hold on to viewers who still have cable, he adds.

A slew of shows have made a comeback in the past couple of years and many more are either in development or rumoured to be, including “Veronica Mars,” “Cagney and Lacey,” “Frasier,” “Mad About You,” “Designing Women” and “The 4400.”

www.canadianinquirer.net

39

FRIDAY JANUARY 25, 2019

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