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FEBRUARY 22, 2019

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VOL. 2 NO. 359

’IT’S MORE FUN IN THE PHILIPPINES’

Department of Tourism Secretary (DOT) Bernadette Romulo Puyat and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año lead the launching of the refreshed "It’s More Fun in the Philippines" campaign to promote sustainable tourism in the country. Story on page 36.

RICO H. BORJA / PNA

Duterte OKs law allowing mobile network subscribers to keep their numbers for life

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MOBILE NETWORK subscribers do not have to change their numbers anymore as President Rodrigo Duterte approved a law allowing them to keep it for

life even if they choose a different service provider.

Duterte signed Republic Act (RA) No. 11202 or the Mobile Number Portability Act last February 8. A copy of the law was only made public by Malacañang on

13

More moms now bring kids for vaccination: DOH official

21 Fil-Can in Focus

Life-changing: Rubylyn Nery-Engstrom

❱❱ PAGE 6 Duterte OKs

Get the latest news & updates www.canadianinquirer.net

❱❱ PAGES 19

China accuses US of trying to block its tech development

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Philippine News

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

FRIDAY

Philippines says 136 people have died in measles outbreak THE ASSOCIATED PRESS MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Philippine health secretary said Monday that 136 people, mostly children, have died of measles and 8,400 others have fallen ill in an outbreak blamed partly on vaccination fears.

A massive immunization drive that started last week in hard-hit Manila and four provincial regions may contain the outbreak by April, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said. President Rodrigo Duterte warned in a TV message Friday of fatal complications and urged children to be immunized.

“No ifs, no buts, no conditions, you just have to bring your children and trust that the

vaccines … will save your children,” Duque said by telephone.

“That’s the absolute answer to this outbreak.”

Infections spiked by more than 1,000 per cent in metropolitan Manila, the densely packed capital of more than 12 million people, in January compared to last year, health officials said.

About half of the 136 who died were children aged 1 to 4 and many of those who perished were not inoculated, the officials said.

Duque said a government information drive was helping restore public trust in the government’s immunization program, which was marred in 2017 by controversy over an anti-dengue vaccine made by French drugmaker Sanofi Pas-

teur which some officials linked to the deaths of at least three children.

The Philippine government halted the anti-dengue immunization drive after Sanofi said a study showed the vaccine may increase the risks of severe dengue infections. More than 830,000 children were injected with the Dengvaxia vaccine under the campaign, which was launched in 2016 under thenPresident Benigno Aquino III. The campaign continued under Duterte until it was stopped in 2017.

Sanofi officials told Philippine congressional hearings that the Dengvaxia vaccine was safe and effective and would reduce dengue infections if the vaccination drive continued.

“It seems the faith has come

Andaya’s claim gov’t owes contractors P100-B is ‘vague’: Palace

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency

“Magkakaroon ng korapsiyon iyong mga contractors kung may nilalagyan sila para makuha sila. Pero iyong ang gobyerno ang may utang sa kanila, walang koneksiyon sa korapsiyon (There would be corruption if the contractors used bribe to get something. But if the government owes them something,

project mo (your project is completed),” he added.

Panelo, meanwhile, said Andaya should not be “lawyering” MANLA — Malacañang on for the contractors, saying they Monday described as “vague” could file their own complaints. the allegation by House appro“If the contractors have priations committee chair Rosomething to complain, they lando Andaya Jr. that governshould themselves file the ment owes private contractors complaint and address their PHP100 billion concerns to the in 2018 because respective deof corruption. partments or to Presidential Department of Spokesperson Public Works,” If the contractors have something Salvador Panelo Panelo said. to complain, they should said he does not “Eh kung hinthemselves file the complaint see the connecdi, hindi nga yata and address their concerns to tion between nagrereklamo the respective departments or to the failure of the iyong mga conDepartment of Public Works.

Departments tractor (If not, it of Budget and doesn’t seem like Management the contractors (DBM) and Public Works and it has no connection to corrup- are complaining) How can you Highways (DPWH) to pay con- tion),” Panelo said. be more popish than the Pope?” tractors and corruption.

He said if government failed he added.

“Malabo yata iyon (I think to pay them, the only reason Earlier, Andaya claimed that that’s vague). Why should the could be that the contractors concerned employees of the government owe the contrac- did not finish the project.

DBM and DPWH said the agentors because of corruption?”

“Kung hindi sila nababayaran, cies owed contractors billions Panelo said in a Place briefing. siguro incomplete iyong ginawa of pesos because of “an old Panelo said it can only be nila (If they weren’t paid, per- system that forces contracts to considered corruption if con- haps their project is incom- cough up kickbacks just to be tractors bribe the government plete). The government will not paid for completed infrastrucin exchange for something. pay you unless completed ang ture projects.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

back,” Duque said of public trust on the government’s immunization drive, citing the inoculation of about 130,000 of 450,000 people targeted for anti-measles vaccinations in metropolitan Manila in just a week.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by

a virus which can be spread through sneezing, coughing and close personal contact.

Complications include diarrhea, ear infections, pneumonia and encephalitis, or the swelling of the brain, which may lead to death, according to the Department of Health. ■

Sandiganbayan acquits ex-police exec of ethics raps

BY PERFECTO RAYMUNDO JR. Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Sandiganbayan has acquitted a retired police senior superintendent in connection with his non-filing of sworn statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) and disclosure of business interest and financial connections in 2010.

In a decision dated Feb. 15, 2019, the anti-graft court’s 7th Division cleared former Senior Supt.

Ernesto Reyes Jr. of the ethics charge particularly the violation of Section 8 (a) of Republic Act No. 6713, or the “Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.”

“It is noteworthy that the records are bereft of any memorandum which had been sent to the accused informing him of his failure to file his 2010 SALN. This only serves to bolster the conclusion that he had actually filed the same on time,” the court said in its ruling.

“To reiterate, the sum of the evidence has not established the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. In context of the facts obtaining, it has already been said that it is a reasonable, likely even, conclusion that the accused had filed his 2010 SALN. Since this stance is clearly favorable to him, it is but proper that the aforecited legal doctrine should apply in this case. His acquittal is thus in order,” it added.

The case arose from the filing of an anonymous complaint against Reyes who faced investigation for the accumulation of his real and personal properties despite his meager income.

The acquisition of a condominium unit worth PHP1,933,624 in Pasay City was the focus of the investigation.

The complaint led to the filing of the case on Sept. 15, 2017 which charged Reyes not for the non-disclosure of his condominium unit, but for the non-filing of his SALN and a disclosure of business interests and financial connections in 2010 under of R.A. No. 6713. ■

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FEBRUARY 22, 2019

PRRD doesn’t personally know Ressa’s accuser: Palace

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte does not personally know Wilfredo Keng, the businessman who filed a libel case against Rappler Chief Executive Officer Maria Ressa, Malacañang said on Monday.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo defended Duterte from having connection to Keng after a report from the Pinoy Ako Blog claimed that the businessman owned a mining company which the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) allowed to operate.

Keng, president of Century Peak Metal Holdings Corp., also reportedly cornered a reclamation project in Cavite.

“Even assuming that those facts you stated are correct, it doesn’t follow that the President will know this particular person. You must remember that the policy of the President is he does not interfere with the Department heads relative to their governance of their departments,” Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

Panelo said the President never micro-managed any of the departments and only interfered when its officials are reported to be involved in corruption.

“The only time that he would interfere in any governance among departments is when there is a complaint reaching his office that there is an anomaly or any corruption involved in that particular

transaction,” he added.

Panelo said Duterte was not even aware about Keng’s reclamation project.

“Sinabi nga ni Presidente (the President said), ‘I don’t even know the facts of this case, I don’t even know who he is. I don’t know about the case,’” Panelo said.

Panelo added that Ressa has all the legal remedies that they can exhaust to protect her rights as a journalist but seems wanting for “special treatment.”

“Ang naging problema yata kay Maria eh she wants a special treatment, eh hindi naman pupuwede iyon, lahat tayo ay pantay-pantay (The problem with Maria is she wants special treatment, but it can’t be, we’re all equal),” Panelo said.

In 2017, Keng filed a cyber libel complaint against Ressa and Rappler after he was named as the owner of a sports utility vehicle used by the late Chief Justice Renato Corona in the article titled, “CJ using SUVs of ‘controversial’ businessmen” published on its website.

Keng had asked Rappler to take down the article for failing to get his side or confirm allegations against him.

Earlier, Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), in a statement, said that it was Keng’s right to file charges against Ressa over the controversial news article.

Following efforts of the task force to lead discussions for a consolidated position on the decriminalization of libel, Panelo said he personally prefers a civil suit describing libel as “an ordinary crime.” ■

RENE LUMAWAG / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

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Permit needed to post political ads on PUVs

BY AEROL JOHN PATENA Philippine News Agency

driver’s line of sight; • All advertising matters to be installed shall conform to the standards relative to morality, decency and pubMANILA — Political advertisements are lic safety, in accordance with but not allowed to be posted on public utility limited to, government regulations and vehicles (PUVs) such as jeepneys, buses the Code of Ethics of the Ad Standards and taxis as long as a permit is secured Council; from the Land Transportation Fran• Required PUV identification and chising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). operational information shall not be In a statement on Tuesday, the LT- hindered. Specifications of mandatory FRB said operators should secure a markings including, but not limited to, permit for posting transit political ads company and/or trade name, license that comply with the plate, body number, regulations set by “May Reklamo ka the Commission on ba? Itawag sa LTFRB Elections (Comelec) hotline 0921-448on sizes of campaign 7777, 426-2515”, city Those who materials. or provincial mode wish to place “Those who wish to of operation, desigadvertisements place advertisements nation, authorized must go through must go through the route, mandated the application application process by previous Memoprocess to get a to get a permit and randum Circulars permit and pay pay the required shall not be reduced, the required fees. fees,” the LTFRB diminished, or obstatement read. scured; The Board has is• It is understood sued Memorandum that all transit adverCircular 2013-005 (MC 2013-005), tising materials shall be installed in such which was amended by MC 2015-029, a manner as not to cover the trade name, that lifted the prohibition of politi- the license plate number and body numcal ads on PUVs following a Supreme ber of the vehicle, or make it any difficult Court decision in the case of 1-UTAK vs. for the riding public to identify the bus; Comelec promulgated on April 14, 2015.

• No transit advertising permit shall The following are the rules on PUV be granted to units with expired franadvertisements as set by LTFRB MC chises even with application for exten2013-005: sion of validity of CPC, and to suspend • Transit advertisement shall neither units even with motion to lift order of constitute a traffic hazard nor compro- suspension. mise the safety, comfort and convenience PUV operators and drivers that fail of passengers and the public, in general; to comply with the guidelines would be • Transit advertisement must not im- fined PHP10,000 and a maximum punpede, limit or obstruct in any way the ishment of revocation of franchise. ■

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FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019

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Philippine News

6

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

FRIDAY

Duterte OKs... ❰❰ 1

Tuesday, February 19.

Stated in RA No. 11202, the mobile number portability (MNP) refers to the ability of a mobile postpaid or prepaid subscriber “to retain an existing mobile number despite having moved from one mobile service provider to another, or to change the type of subscription from postpaid to prepaid or vice versa.”

That subscriber, however, should not have any existing financial obligation to his or her current service provider, which the law refers to as the “donor provider.”

Public telecommunications entities (PTEs) are mandated to provide MNP to the mobile phone users “completely free of charge.”

The mobile phone user should submit a “porting application” to avail the MNP. Once submitted, it will undergo a “porting process” wherein the donor provider will transfer the mobile number to the new service provider or the “recipient provider.” The porting process should not exceed beyond 48 hours.

The recipient provider then should activate the subscriber’s mobile number under its network within 24 hours upon notification that the number has been cleared for porting.

Meanwhile, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) is mandated to coordinate with the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), the National Privacy Commission (NPC), the Philippine Competition Commission, and other concerned agencies to promulgate the law’s rules and regulations within 90 days after it takes effect.

The law will be implemented 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation.

“Within six months from the promulgation of the rules and regulations, mobile service providers shall comply with the provisions of this act and set up a mechanism for the purpose of implementing nationwide MNP,” it read.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the author of the bill, hailed the signing of RA No. 11202, saying that it will “spur competition and efficiency” among telecommunication companies.

The new law, he added, will also “break the duopoly in the telecom industry by removing a potential barrier for subscribers not to patronize the new entrant because they cannot keep the same mobile number.” ■

CHED chairman Prospero de Vera III .

Focus on studies instead of joining rallies, CHED tells studes

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MANILA — Commission on Higher Education (CHED) chairman J. Prospero E. De Vera III on Wednesday reminded government scholars to focus on their studies instead of joining protest rallies.

“If you’re a scholar under Republic Act 10931, please be a good student and finish your course on time. We appeal and ask the students to take the government subsidy seriously,” he told reporters at the launch of Shared Genomics Core Laboratory in Quezon City.

Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act mandates free tuition and miscellaneous fees in state and local universities and colleges De Vera said since the Philippines is the only developing country which took the risk of offering free college education, the agency wants to ensure that government subsidy is well-targeted and benefits everyone who wants to study.

“If you keep on doing nothing but criticize government and attend rallies and bumagsak ka sa subjects mo (you fail your subjects), you’ll be kicked out of your program and you’ll no longer be a scholar of the government because the law requires that you’re a student of good standing,” he said.

The higher education chief made the remark in response to National Youth Commission Chairman Ronald Cardema’s call to cancel government scholar-

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ships of all anti-government scholars, specifically students allied with the leftist Communist Party of the PhilippinesNew People’s Army-National Democratic Front.

“Kailangan tandaan natin na bahagi iyon ng freedom of experession ng mga bata. Pangalawa, wala namang nakalagay sa batas na requirement doon na ang estudyante ay hindi pwedeng magexpress ng sentiments, hindi siya (We need to note that it is part of the students’ freedom of expression. Secondly, it is not a requirement stated in the law that a student is prohibited to express sentiments, it is not) criteria for exclusion,” he added.

Citing that overstaying in college programs strip students of their scholarships, de Vera said many engineering and education students in the University of the Philippines campuses are no longer covered by RA 10931 because they don’t take full loads.

Moreover, he urged university professors to present all information available so that students may develop a broader perspective on political and societal issues.

“What I’m not comfortable is in many universities, a lot of the professors present one-sided viewpoint or take political positions which undermine their presentation in the classroom. I’ve taken the position that deans, presidents, vice presidents should not take political sides and their role is to ensure the development of critical thinking in the universities,” he said. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019

7

Malacañang backs BIR call to register offshore gaming operators

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — Malacañang on Monday backed the Bureau of Internal Revenue’s (BIR) decision to require foreign and Philippine offshore gaming operators (Pogo) to register with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) before their licenses to operate can be renewed.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelodescribed this development as a “good measure” since it also aims to monitor the number of Chinese nationals working in the online gaming industry.

“That’s a good measure, to determine exactly how many Chinese nationals were here in

violation of our laws,” Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

Asked if the executive was alarmed by the rise in the number of Chinese workers in the country, Panelo explained that it was simply to make it easier to collect corporate tax more efficiently.

“Siguro hindi naman alarm, siguro gusto talaga ma-determine ng BIR yung number of nationals kasi konektado yun sa declaration ngincome. Para makakolekta tayo ng tamang corporate tax (Perhaps we’re not alarmed, perhaps the BIR just wants to determine the number of nationals because it’s connected to the declaration of income. So that we can collect correct corporate tax),” he added.

Under BIR’s Revenue Memorandum Circular (RMC) 78-2018 last year, “foreign-based and

Philippine-based operators, including those that have already been issued an offshore gaming license by PAGCOR, are required to register with the BIR on or before the commencement of business; or before payment of any tax due; or before or upon filing of any applicable tax return, statement or declaration.”

The Senate Committee on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development is set to hold a hearing on the influx of illegal foreign workers in the Philippines on Feb. 21.

This after Senator Joel Villanueva, chair of the committee, expressed concern over the growing number of Chinese nationals working in the country.

Citing National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) data, Villanueva said 95 percent of foreign

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo.

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON / FACEBOOK

nationals arrested or charged in court for various offenses last year were Chinese nationals.

Of the cases involving Chinese nationals, 114 individuals have been arrested for illegal online gambling.

Earlier, former President Benigno Aquino III also expressed concern over the in-

creased presence of Chinese skilled workers in the country taking over jobs supposedly for Filipinos.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), however, assured that it will prioritize the employment of Filipino skilled workers before hiring foreigners. ■

Modernization of maritime units vs. drug smuggling begins

BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD CALIWAN Philippine News Agency

ALBERT ALCAIN / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

PRRD can’t hide getting medical treatment abroad: Palace

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — If President Rodrigo R. Duterte really received medical treatment in Hong Kong or anywhere abroad, it

would be almost impossible to hide it from the public, Malacañang said on Monday.

This was the statement made

by Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo after Senator ❱❱ PAGE 11 PRRD can’t

drones to bolster its operations against drug smugglers.

“The procurement of drones comes with the construction of drone centers and training of MANILA — The Philippine Nadrone pilots,” said Jocson. tional Police (PNP) has started Despite the modernization of the modernization of its marithe maritime unit’s capabilities, time units in a bid to enhance Jocson admitted that guardits capability to ing the country’s combat seaborne coastlines reillegal drugs main a big chalsmuggling. lenge.

PNP chief, DiThe PhilipWe have procurement last year and rector General pines, he said, is there will be a portion of our 2019 Oscar Albayalde the fifth counbudget that will be allocated for said part of the try in the world the capability enhancement. modernization with the longest is to purchase coastlines, makmore motorized ing it difficult to patrol boats and recruitment For his part, Chief Supt. Ro- totally seal off the country from and training of additional per- delio Jocson, director of the smuggling activities, particusonnel for maritime operations. PNP Maritime Group, said pro- larly for drugs.

“We are modernizing our curement of 28 gunboats have Albayalde earlier said the maritime group. We have pro- been approved last year with Philippines is a favorite trancurement last year and there seven of them already delivered sient point of international will be a portion of our 2019 while the remaining 21 expect- drugs syndicates due to the budget that will be allocated for ed to be turned over this year. country’s long coastlines.

Jocson said additional 18 the capability enhancement,” Last week, a total of 88 bricks Albayalde told reporters on gunboats will be also purchased of cocaine were reportedly rethis year to significantly im- covered off the waters of DiSaturday.

At present, Albayalde said prove the PNP’s maritime capa- nagat Island and Surigao del various border patrol agree- bility.

Norte. ■ He said the PNP’s Maritime ments with the Philippines’ neighbor countries comple- Group has also acquired several www.canadianinquirer.net

ment the PNP’s limited sea assets to patrol open seas.

“Notwithstanding our bilateral agreements with Indonesia and with Malaysia, there are continuous border patrols. It has dual purposes, against illegal drugs and against terrorism,” Albayalde said.

Philippine News

8

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

FRIDAY

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Member

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar. PCOO

PCOO assures no public funds wasted in Europe caravan

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — There will be no public funds wasted in the government’s Press Freedom Caravan in European countries to discuss media-related issues, the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) said on Monday.

PCOO Secretary Martin Andanar made this clarification after saying in an earlier interview that some officials under his agency will be meeting with European journalists to discuss press freedom and possibly answer questions in relation to the cyber libel case filed against Rappler CEO Maria Ressa.

The caravan in Brussels took place from Feb. 17 to 18 and another will be conducted in Geneva, Switzerland on Feb. 20.

“All engagements in Bosnia, Brussels and Geneva are all part of PCOO mandate to deliver and disseminate information relation to policies, programs, and achievements of the President and Executive Branch,” Andanar said in a statement.

“Rest assured no public funds are wasted in this official mission which came about from a directive from the National Security Council,” he added.

Andanar also explained that he, as well as other officials of his agency, did not know about Ressa’s arrest over a cyber libel case beforehand and merely used it as an example of what might be raised during the caravan.

“The arrest of Ms. Maria Ressa happened two days after the official delega-

tion left for Europe. Nobody from the delegation was aware it was coming. In any case, it is just natural for me to instruct the PCOO officials in Europe to answer possible queries about Ms. Ressa,” Andanar said.

“I only used Ressa’s case as an example of what might be raised in the caravan; We didn’t know much about the Ressa case when we prepared for this trip,” he added.

Earlier, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan questioned the PCOO’s caravan in Europe, asking the agency to reveal how much was spent for the trip.

“Why is the government suddenly interested in clearing its name before the international community on the arrest of Maria Ressa when before, when before it has ignored criticisms on extrajudicial killings as a result of the drug war?” Pangilinan said in a statement.

“Aren’t the President’s defenders enough to parry the views on the apparently harassment incident? Could it be that Secretary Andanar and the PCOO people just want a whiff of winter, thus, the sudden urge to go into this information caravan?” he added.

Side event

Andanar explained that the caravan is a side event in-between official meetings with officials from the EU Parliament, Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID), European Commission, and leaders of the Filipino community.

He said a Philippine delegation will be meeting with these officials to discuss ways to address communist insurgency.

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“PCOO, being a committee member of the National Task Force (NTF) to End Communist Armed Conflict pursuant to Executive Order 70, provides communications support in terms of messaging and content to the anti-Communist Terrorist Groups efforts,” Andanar said.

“The engagement of PCOO in the NTF alongside relevant agencies of gov’t in the security cluster is necessary in the adoption of a National peace framework as directed by the President by putting together the context, messaging and communication plan for the whole-ofnation approach to be executed by the NTF,” he added.

Andanar said the PCOO in the same NTF mission, found it “an opportune time” to include a Press Freedom Caravan to maximize the official trip.

Before the Press Freedom Caravan in Europe, Andanar said the first caravan in a foreign country was conducted in Bangkok, Thailand in January this year.

In a phone interview, Andanar said officials of the PCOO including Undersecretaries Lorraine Badoy and Joel Egco, the Executive Director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security; and Assistant Secretary Kris Ablan will be part of the delegation.

On Dec. 2018, Duterte, through Executive Order No. 70, created an 18-member task force tasked to craft a national peace framework which will include a mechanism for local peace engagements.

Under the EO, a whole-of-nation approach will be implemented to ensure participation of all sectors in the pursuit of the country’s peace agenda. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019

9

Discounted political ads will level playing field: Palace

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency

PHILIPPINE NATIONAL POLICE / FACEBOOK

Many Filipinos see drop in number of drug users in their area — SWS

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer A SOCIAL Weather Stations (SWS) survey released on Saturday, February 16, revealed that most Filipinos believe that there are fewer drug users in their area over the past year.

According to the Fourth Quarter 2018 Social Weather Survey, 66 percent of adult Filipinos said the number of drug addicts in their area has “decreased,” while 14 percent said it has “increased” and seven percent said it has “remained the same.”

The pollster said those who believe that there are less drug addicts last year was “highest” in Mindanao with 83 percent.

It was followed by Visayas with 71 percent, Metro Manila with 67 percent, and Balance Luzon with 54 percent.

By locale, it added that 68 percent of those who said the number of drug addicts decreased is in rural areas, while nine percent said it increased and the remaining six percent said it stayed the same. In urban areas, on the other hand, 63 percent believe that there are fewer illegal drug users, while 23 percent said otherwise and nine percent said it remained the same.

The latest survey also showed that the majority of their survey respondents think it is “important” for them that illegal drug suspects will be captured alive

by authorities.

“This is similar to 95% (76% very important, 19% somewhat important) when the question was first surveyed in June 2018,” the SWS stressed.

Most of those who said it is necessary for them that drug suspects will be arrested alive are in Metro Manila and Visayas with 97 percent, Mindanao came second with 96 percent, and Balance Luzon with 92 percent.

Meanwhile, 87 percent of Filipinos also believe it is “important” for the police that they nab illegal drug users alive.

This is a point higher than the 86 percent recorded in June 2018, the SWS noted.

The recent survey was done from December 16 to 19, 2019 using face-to-face interviews of 1,440 adults nationwide; 360 each in Balance Luzon, Metro Manila, Visayas, and Mindanao.

President Rodrigo Duterte launched his war on drugs as he took the presidency in 2016.

Since then, he has been earning criticisms from several government officials and various organizations, especially from local and international rights groups, due to the thousands of deaths linked to his anti-illegal drug campaign.

In his third State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July 2018, the Chief Executive said his anti-narcotics drive is “far from over” and that it will be as “relentless” and “chilling” as the day it started. ■

MANILA — The signing of a law that will allow reasonable rates for political advertisements will level the playing field for candidates during the campaign season, Malacañang said on Monday.

“This new measure on discounted political advertisements would benefit all candidates of the political spectrum and hopefully would level the playing field, in accordance with the directive of the Constitution, beginning this year’s elections,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

Panelo was referring to Republic Act No. 11207 which amends Section 11 of Republic Act No. 9006 or the Fair Election Act. The law states that during the election period, media outlets shall give registered political parties and bona fide candidates a discount of 50 percent for television, 40 percent for radio, and 10 percent for print, from the average of the published rates charged in the last three calendar years prior to the election.

“Nothing in this provision

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Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo.

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENTIAL SPOKESPERSON / FACEBOOK

prohibits a media outlet from giving higher discounts: Provided, That the discount it gives one candidate shall be the same amount it gives to other candidates for the same position,” the law read.

“In no case shall rates charged to registered political parties and bona fide candidates be higher than rates charged to non-political advertisers,” it added.

Within 30 days from the effectivity of the law, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) must issue implementing rules and regulations for the effective implementation of the

provisions of the Act. The law must take effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation.

The law is a consolidation of House Bill No. 6604 and Senate Bill No. 1985 passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate on Nov. 27, 2018.

Last week, President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed the law along with the Rice Tariffication Act, the New Central Bank Act, and SSS Rationalization Act. Duterte, meanwhile, vetoed the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund and partially vetoed the Tax Amnesty Act. ■

10

Philippine News

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

FRIDAY

Businessman killed in EDSA SC stresses rules faced 14 raps over bouncing on jurisdiction checks before death in estafa cases

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer

BY BENJAMIN PULTA Philippine News Agency

THE BUSINESSMAN who died in a shooting incident that took place on the southbound lane of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA) last Sunday was facing a total of 14 complaints over bouncing checks, Mandaluyong City police chief told DZMM. “Meron po kaming na-verify sa Regional Trial Court (RTC) na meron siyang 14 cases na finile kay Mr. [Jose Luis] Yulo for B.P. (Batas Pambansa) 22 [o] Bouncing Checks Law (We have verified with the Regional Trial Court that there were 14 cases filed against Mr. Yulo for Bouncing Checks Law),” Senior Superintendent Moises Villaceran, Jr. said during the radio interview on Tuesday, February 19.

“And another one, meron din siyang (Yulo) nai-file rin na grave threat against naman sa iba (Yulo has also filed a grave threat complaint against another person),” he added.

Villaceran said they will check on the status of the charges lodged against Yulo and the name of the respondent on the complaint that the businessman had filed.

Yulo, 62, and his two companions were on board a white Toyota HiAce Grandia van when two unidentified gunmen fired shots at their vehicle along EDSA. He and his driver, Allan Nomer Santos, were killed in the incident, while the other passenger identified as Esmeralda Ignacio was wounded.

According to Villaceran, they recovered a .38-caliber revolver and 12 extra rounds of ammu-

MANILA — The Supreme Court (SC) has reiterated the importance of following the rules on lower courts’ jurisdiction, particularly in cases relating to estafa.

In a 10-page decision dated January 23 this year, the SC, through Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta, upheld the decision of the Court of Appeals in an estafa case between two parties, which signed a Memorandum of Agreement for a deal in Parañaque City for the purchase of shares in a local company.

The check for payment was presented and dishonored in a bank in Makati City, prompting the estafa suit and the parties’ contentions on whether the case should have been filed in Parañaque City or Makati City.

In dismissing the appeal, the high court, echoing the CA, said “the place where the MOA was negotiated does not fix the venue of the offense in view of settled jurisprudence that what is of decisive importance is the delivery of the instrument which is the final act essential to its consummation as an obligation.”

“Indeed, it is rather unfair to require the defendant or accused to undergo the ordeal and expense of a trial if the court has no jurisdiction over the subject matter or offense or it is not the court of proper venue,” the SC decision reads.

The petition was filed by Ruel Francis M. Cabral charging Chris S. Bracamonte with the crime of estafa and arose over the aborted sale in 2009

PATRICKROQUE01/WIKIPEDIA, CC BY-SA 4.0

nition from Yulo’s bag found inside the van.

“Tinitingnan namin bakit mayroon siyang baril despite ng [election] gun ban. Mayroon bang threat? Mayroon bang alam niyang nanganganib ang buhay niya? Ayun po ‘yung anggulong pinag-aaralan namin (We are still investigating why Yulo carried firearms with him despite the election gun ban.

Was there a threat? Did he know that his life is at risk? That is the angle that we are studying),” the cop stressed, adding that he is verifying whether the firearms were registered under the name of the businessman or not.

Villaceran also said the police just had a small talk with Yulo’s family since they are still mourning for Yulo’s death.

“Maybe [a] few weeks from now kausapin namin, i-invite namin talaga sila to give us statement kung ano ba talaga ang maaaring makatulong sa kasong ito (we will talk with them, invite them to give us a statement on whatever can help in this case),” the Mandaluyong police chief said.

Eastern Police District (EPD) on Monday has formed a special investigation task force group (SITG) that will investigate the fatal shooting of Yulo and identify the perpetrators behind his murder.

The “SITG Yulo” is studying the trajectory of the bullets and fingerprints found on Yulo’s vehicle, Metro Manila police chief, Director Guillermo Eleazar said in an interview with DZMM earlier. ■

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of shares of stock in Wellcross Freight Corporation and Aviver International Corporation.

Bracamonte issued a postdated check to Cabral amounting to PHP12,677,950.

However, when the check was presented for payment in a bank in Makati City, the bank dishonored the same for lack of sufficient funds.

The Court said in this form of estafa, “[i]t is not the non-payment of a debt which is made punishable, but the criminal fraud or deceit in the issuance of the check.”

The Court also noted that “[n]ot only were the MOA and subject check executed, delivered, and dishonored in Makati City, it was even expressly stipulated in their agreement that the parties chose Makati City as a venue for any action arising from the MOA because that was where it was executed. It is, therefore, clear from the foregoing that the element of deceit took place in Makati City, where the worthless check was issued and delivered, while the damage was inflicted also in Makati City where the check was dishonored by the drawee bank.”

The Court also ruled that the petition should have been filed only by the State through the Office of the Solicitor General and not by Cabral, who lacks the personality or legal standing to question the CA decision, especially since the dismissal of Cabral’s complaint was not gravely erroneous nor did it amount to a denial of due process. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019

11

Duterte’s reason to veto coco levy bill: To avoid repeating past mistakes

BY BEA KIRSTEIN T. MANALAYSAY Philippine Canadian Inquirer PRESIDENT RODRIGO Roa Duterte vetoed the bill seeking to provide a P100-billion trust fund to coconut farmers for its ‘lack of vital safeguards.’

The President, in his letter, said that though he wants to sign the bill into law to protect the well-being of the country’s coconut farmers while recognizing its industry’s “serious problems,” he expressed “serious concerns on the bill as presently formulated.”

“After much deliberation, I have come to the conclusion that the bill may be violative of the Constitution and is lacking in vital safeguards to avoid the repetition of painful mistakes committed in the past,” Duterte said in his letter.

Duterte returned Senate Bill No. 1233/House Bill No. 5745 or An act creating the Coconut Farmer and Industry Trust Fund, providing for its management and utilization, and for other purposes to the Congress without his signature for three reasons.

The Chief Executive noted that establishing a trust fund for the farmers violates Article IV, Section 29(3) of the 1987 Constitution which states “[All] money collected on any tax levied for a special purpose shall be treated as a special fund and paid out for such purpose only.

If the purpose for which the special fund was created has been fulfilled or abandoned, the balance, if any shall be transferred to the general fund of the Government.”

“Second, the absence of a limit on a covered land area for entitlement to the benefits of

KARL NORMAN ALONZO / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

the Trust Fund may disproportionately benefit wealthy coconut farm owners more than the smallholder farmers who desperately need the government’s affirmative assistance,” he added.

Duterte lastly said that “the

Palace welcomes questions on Rice Tariffication Act’s legality

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — Farmers have the right to question the legality of the Rice Tariffication Act if they feel that it would cause more harm than good to the agriculture sector, Malacañang said on Monday.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made this remark after the farmers’ group, the Philippine Farmers Advisory Board (PFAB), expressed concern that the law might cause the price of palay to further decline.

“It’s their right. The Palace welcomes any move from any sector questioning any act of the government–that is democratic process in work,” Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

Panelo assured that the new law has safeguards that will protect farmers, including an annual allocation of PHP10billion in Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF).

He, meanwhile, said he had suspected that the middlemen, not

farmers, were complaining about the new Rice Tariffication Act. “Yung reklamo ng mga farmers mukhang hindi naman nga farmers mismo, mukhang yung mga middlemen yung nagrereklamo. (The complaint of the farmers, it didn’t seem like it came from farmers, it seemed like the middlemen are complaining),” Panelo said.

On Friday, Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11203, or the Rice Tariffication Act, which is

expected to result in lower rice prices and help cushion the impact of inflation for the benefit of the consumers.

Panelo said the law is also meant to protect farmers from the emerging competition as a result of its implementation, through the direct safety net and productivity support PHP 10-billion RCEF. Duterte earlier certified the bill’s passage by Congress as urgent. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

broad powers given to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) undermine relevant regulations and safeguards that were established precisely to avoid abuses.

The President still hopes for the Congress and Executive

branches to continue working for a “relevant bill that is acceptable to all.”

Malacañang earlier confirmed Duterte’s decision regarding the bill. ■

PRRD can’t... ❰❰ 7

Antonio Trillanes IV claimed that Duterte spent his weekend in Hong Kong to receive medical treatment for an illness he refused to reveal.

Panelo rejected Trillanes’ accusation reiterating that the President flew to Hong Kong for rest, recreation, and to celebrate the birthday of his longtime partner Honeylet Avanceña.

“Nagpunta siya doon kasi yun ang pakiusap ng kaniyang anak na maging parang blowout sa kanya (He went there upon the request of his daughter to serve as a blowout) and it was the birthday of Miss Honeylet Avanceña. It was rest and recreation and a celebration,” Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

He explained that it would be difficult for the President to hide the fact that he received medical treatment because there would be too many Filipinos abroad who would find out eventually.

“Pag isang Presidente ay pumunta sa Hong Kong or for that matter kahit na anong lugar, hindi mo matatago ‘yun sa mata ng lahat, lalo na mga Pilipino (If a President went to Hong Kong

or for that matter, anywhere, you can’t hide that from the eyes of the public, especially Filipinos),” Panelo said.

“Malalaman mo ‘yun, papasok ka lang sa ospital ang daming Pilipino (You’ll find out immediately, when you enter a hospital, there are many Filipinos),” he added.

Panelo, meanwhile, said that the executive has gotten used to Trillanes’ “falsities” and just let him be.

Duterte left the country with Honeylet and their daughter, Kitty, on Friday (Feb. 15) night and returned on Sunday (Feb. 17).

The President’s trip to Hong Kong took place four months after he and his family spent the weekend in the same country for rest and recreation on Oct. 7, 2018. ■

Philippine News

12

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

FRIDAY

PRRD wants lifting of bank secrecy in Tax Amnesty law

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte signed but partially vetoed the Tax Amnesty Act (R.A. 11213) because it did not contain a provision that lifted bank secrecy for fraud cases, Malacañang said on Monday.

In his veto message, the President emphasized his desire to include “provisions breaking down the walls of bank secrecy” to prevent fraud, particularly among government workers.

“Without the provisions breaking down the walls of bank secrecy, setting the legal framework for us to comply with international standards on exchange of information for tax purposes, and safeguarding against those who abuse the amnesty by declaring an untruthful asset or net worth, a general amnesty that is over-

generous and unregulated would create an environment ripe for future tax evasion, the very thing we wish to address,” Duterte said.

“I ask Congress to pass another general tax amnesty bill that includes the lifting of bank secrecy for fraud cases, the inclusion of automatic exchange of information, and safeguards to ensure that asset or net worth declarations are truthful. With these provisions, the general tax amnesty will meet both its tax administration and revenue purposes,” he added.

Duterte also warned that without these measures, the government and the Filipinos n general will incur long-term substantial revenue losses.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Monday explained that the President believed that its lack of provisions to prevent fraud would create an environment “conducive for

tax evasion.”

“He (Duterte) believes that such measure would be prone to abuse by those who would declare assets or net worth not reflective of their real income, in light of present laws mandating confidentiality of all bank deposits,” Panelo said in a statement.

Panelo said that lifting bank secrecy would help prevent fraud because it would provide easier access to checking government workers’ Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALNs).

“Kung ili-lift mo nga naman ‘yun di ka makapag sinungaling kasi madali tingnan yung deposits mo sa bangko (If you lift bank secrecy, they won’t be able to lie about it because it would be easier to check your bank deposits),” Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

Panelo, meanwhile, expressed hope that Congress

ROBINSON NIÑAL / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

would respond to the President’s call to lift bank secrecy.

“I think he (Duterte) has already made his position on the matter so it’s for Congress to respond,” Panelo said.

“We have members of the Congress as honorable and responsive to the needs. We are confident that members of Congress will fulfill their duty to the Filipino people as mandated by the Constitution which is they should be honest in all dealings and they should pursue a policy of accountability and transparency in the

realm of governance,” he added.

On Friday, Duterte signed the Tax Amnesty Act describing it as “an important part of this administration’s tax reform program.”

Duterte said the Amnesty Law is about “rebuilding trust between the government and the people.”

Under the law, it also allows taxpayers failing in their tax obligations to have a fresh start and be free from the civil and criminal consequences due to their neglect of their obligations to pay taxes. ■

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Philippine News

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019

13

More moms now bring kids Locsin warns to ‘kill’ for vaccination: DOH official those who ask for birth certificates for passport renewal

BY MA. TERESA MONTEMAYOR Philippine News Agency MANILA — An official of the Department of Health (DOH) on Saturday said there had been an improvement in the vaccine hesitancy among parents during the agency’s continuous immunization drive against measles.

“Nakakalungkot talaga na nagkaroon ng ganitong outbreak dahil maraming nagkakasakit at namamatay pero at least naging aware talaga ang mga nanay na dalhin ang kanilang mga anak sa mga health center para pabakunahan (It is sad that there’s an outbreak like this because many get sick and die but at least mothers are now aware in bringing their children to health centers for vaccination),” Director Corazon Flores, DOH National Capital Region Center for Health Development, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview.

Vaccine hesitancy is a scenario where mothers become hesitant to have their children immunized with vaccines that were long proven to be effective.

Flores said DOH has observed that more mothers are lining up in health centers in the past days to have their children vaccinated.

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer

DOH's door-to-door immunization against measles.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (PHILIPPINES) / FACEBOOK

“Marami nang napabakunahan ngayong linggong ito as of yesterday, nakakaabot na po kami ng almost 100,000 na nababakunahan (As of yesterday, we were able to vaccinate many children, we’ve reached almost 100,000 vaccinees),” she said.

There are still a few mothers who refuse to vaccinate their children, Flores added.

“Doon sa 100,000 less than a hundred lang ang umayaw sa bakuna pero talagang nagimprove na ang sitwasyon at maraming pumipila sa health centers natin. Ine-encourage parin namin ang mga magulang na tumatanggi, sinasabi namin na nagbibigay ang ng proteksyon, iyan ay proven and tested nang

mahabang panahon (Among the 100,000 only less than a hundred refused the vaccines but the situation has really improved as many line up at our health centers. We still encourage those who refuse, we advise that vaccines give protection, it has been proven and tested for a long time),” she said.

During a press briefing at the Payatas B Health Center in Quezon City on Tuesday, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said he is happy to see parents “having a change of view on the DOH’s immunization program.”

He added that health centers were hardly visited by parents earlier. ■

FOREIGN AFFAIRS Secretary Teodoro “Teddy Boy” Locsin, Jr. on Tuesday, February 9, said he will “kill” anyone who asks for the birth certificate of applicants as a requirement for the renewal of their passport.

On Twitter, netizen @superjoza88 asked the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) chief, “Sir @teddyboylocsin kailangan pa rin po ba ng birth certificate pag nag pa-renew ng passport (is birth certificate needed for passport renewal)?”

To this, Locsin replied, “Hindi.

P******** (No. Motherf*cker). Not for passport renewal. If anyone asks you, tell me who and I will f*cking kill him/her.

“I just want to make myself f*cking clear. That f*cking birth certificate requirement is out because it was an idiotic requirement according to top retired DFA officials,” he added in another tweet.

In January, Locsin ordered to remove the requirement of presenting a birth certificate for those who are renewing their passports.

However, the said document is still needed in the following cases: first-time passport applications; renewal applications for lost and mutilated passports; renewal application requiring changes in passport entries; renewal applications of old brown and green passports bearing no complete middle name; and applicants included in the DFA’s watchlist.

Locsin made the decision after he bared that a former outsourced passport maker “took all the data” when his contract was terminated. This incident prompted the public to raise data privacy concerns.

The DFA, however, had assured passport holders that there was no passport data breach, saying that all information about them is “safe.”

“The Department remains in custody and control of passport data and that this has not been shared with or accessed by any unauthorized party,” it said.

“The Department is also hoping that it was able to assuage the concerns of the public on this issue that has also resulted in improvements in the passport application process,” it added. ■

High court upholds constitutionality of 3rd martial law extension in Mindanao

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE SUPREME Court (SC) voted to upheld the constitutionality of the third re-extension of martial law in Mindanao until the end of 2019.

On Tuesday, February 19, the justices voted 9-4 to dismiss four petitions filed by groups of Albay 1st District Representative Edcel Lagman, Bayan Muna Representative Carlos Zarate, Constitution framer Christian

Monsod, and Lumad teachers and students from Mindanao, according to SC Public Information Office (PIO) Chief Brian Keith Hosaka.

Those who voted to junk the petitions are Chief Justice Lucas Bersamin and Associate Justices Diosdado Peralta, Mariano del Castillo, Estela Perlas-Bernabe, Andres Reyes, Jr., Alexander Gesmundo, Jose Reyes, Jr., Ramon Paul Hernando, and Rosmari Carandang.

Meanwhile, those who voted to grant the petitions are Senior

Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Associate Justices Marvic Leonen, Francis Jardeleza, and Benjamin Caguioa.

As of writing, the SC has not yet released a copy of its decision.

Voting 235-28-1, the 17th Congress in December 2018 approved President Rodrigo Duterte’s request to extend martial law in Mindanao until December 31, 2019. It also extended the suspension of the privilege of the writ of habeas corpus in the region until the www.canadianinquirer.net

same period.

With this decision of the Senate and the House of Representatives, Malacañang earlier said the government expects to “achieve substantial progress in addressing the persisting rebellion in Mindanao, as well as promoting the overall security and peace and order situation in the island.”

It was in May 2017 when the President put the entire Mindanao under martial law amid clashes between government troops and the Islamic State

(ISIS)-inspired Maute group, the group that laid siege on Marawi City on May 23 of that year.

The Congress first made the first extension when it approved Duterte’s request to make the martial law declaration last until the end of 2017.

The lawmakers then voted anew in December 2017 to extend the military rule in Mindanao until the end of 2018. ■

14

Canada News Make sure measles shots up Quebec minister to date, Public Health Agency refuses to bend on says in wake of B.C. outbreak bill upping legal age to consume cannabis

BY SHERYL UBELACKER The Canadian Press TORONTO — Canada’s top doctor is urging Canadians who haven’t been vaccinated against measles to get their shots in the wake of a B.C. outbreak of the disease and the always present danger of cases being imported into the country by travellers.

Dr. Teresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said measles is a “serious and highly contagious disease” and that getting inoculated is the best way to avoid getting sick — and transmitting it to others who may be unprotected.

Tam’s comments Tuesday come in the wake of a cluster of nine cases of measles in Vancouver that began in recent weeks after an unvaccinated Canadian child contracted the disease on a family trip to Vietnam.

“There’s always a risk of measles importation into Canada,” Tam said from Ottawa. “We eliminated measles in Canada (in 1998), but what we’re seeing is importation from when people go travelling to another country and then bring it back.

“But when they bring it back to pockets of underimmunized groups, then we’re going to see the potential for more people to be infected in Canada itself.”

Infection with the measles virus starts with a high fever, coughing, sneezing and red eyes, followed by the develop-

BY CAROLINE PLANTE The Canadian Press

ment of a blotchy, painful rash, said Dr. Sarah Wilson of Public Health Ontario. “The rash starts on the face and moves down onto the trunk, to the chest and the back, and then it spreads to cover the whole body.”

Measles can lead to such complications as ear infections, blindness, pneumonia and encephalitis (swelling of the brain). It can also be fatal.

The disease is highly contagious, spreading through virusladen droplets after an infected person coughs or sneezes.

“I think one of the features of

measles that makes it so exquisitely infectious is that it’s airborne,” said Wilson, noting that viral particles can remain in the environment for up to two hours after being introduced.

“Those measles virus particles can stay suspended in the air and anyone who’s unvaccinated who then goes into that doctor’s office or restaurant or airport lounge, they can acquire measles.”

Another complicating feature of measles is that it can be contagious for four days before ❱❱ PAGE 20 Make sure

www.canadianinquirer.net

QUEBEC JUNIOR health minister Lionel Carmant is refusing to bend on legislation that seeks to increase the legal age of cannabis consumption from 18 to 21 and ban the product from all public areas across the province.

Carmant wasn’t even willing to accept amendments to his legislation during public consultations on the bill Tuesday in Quebec City. His stance led the Opposition Liberals to call the consultations — which are scheduled to end Wednesday -a “masquerade.”

Despite calls to modify the bill from some of the 10 organizations that have so far testified in front of the legislature’s health committee, Carmant has refused to budge.

“For one week, what I’ve heard is ‘psychosis’, ‘depression’, ‘motivation problems,’ ‘bad decision-making,’” Carmant said in the legislature.

“Yes, I hear the groups: all the groups who support us in increasing the age to 21. Who are they? They are those taking care of patients on the ground.”

Liberal health critic Andre Fortin said the groups who came Tuesday to testify in front of the health committee “have a greater chance of getting a

sunburn than of convincing the minister to change his bill.”

The Liberals used six questions in the legislature Tuesday to denounce what they called the government’s failure to listen and its incoherence on the cannabis file.

Carmant also resisted calls from Montreal and Gatineau to modify his bill in order to permit the cities to maintain bylaws allowing the consumption of cannabis in most public areas. Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante said Carmant’s bill violates the principal of municipal autonomy. Her city currently allows citizens to smoke marijuana in most places where tobacco is permitted.

Plante added that roughly 60 per cent of Montrealers are renters, who would be disproportionately affected if the government’s bill limiting cannabis consumption to private property becomes law. The city’s renters would be barred from smoking marijuana in public and in their home, if their landlords don’t permit cannabis.

Alexandre Cusson, the president of Quebec’s union of municipalities, called on the minister “to respect the autonomy and the jurisdiction of local governments.” ■

Canada News

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019

15

Canadian airlines waiting for guidance from Ottawa over X gender option

BY CHRISTOPHER REYNOLDS The Canadian Press

der categories, such as “Mx.” or “undisclosed,” implementing them in the next several weeks.

The airlines are making the check-in change despite resistance to non-binary passport options from the U.S. State Department.

A lengthy legal battle saw U.S. Navy veteran Dana Zzyym, who identifies as neither male nor female, fight to get a passport without having to designate a gender.

A federal court ruled in September that the State Department could not deny a passport to Zyyym, who was born with ambiguous sex characteristics.

Helene Montreuil, a lawyer and trans advocate based in Quebec City, said aligning government-issued IDs with selfperception is both a psychological and a practical matter.

“It’s a question of how you see yourself, how you interact with the world,” said Montreuil.

“I’d prefer to have an ‘F’ on my passport and to present myself as a woman…In Saudi Arabia, if your gender does not match, the (Canadian) government can do nothing for you.”

Foreign states remain a substantial hurdle, airlines say.

“For international travel we need to know whether other governments and other airline partners will recognize this designation,” said Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick.

remains another possible problem.

Residents of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and the Northwest Territories who CANADA’S LARGEST airlines consider themselves neither are awaiting details from the male nor female now have the federal government before they right to use an “X” to desigfollow their U.S. counterparts nate their gender on IDs, which in allowing travellers to choose could clash with current passgender designations outside ports. the traditional “male” and “feResidents of other provincmale” check-in categories. es that haven’t taken the step Major U.S. airlines said last could face the same problem week they will change their in reverse down the line, once ticketing process so that paspassports include a non-binary sengers can identify themselves option. along non-binary lines, repreCanada’s largest airlines are senting a victory for advocates awaiting details from the fedof transgender recognition. eral government before they That change comes after a follow their U.S. counterparts pair of major trade groups — in allowing travellers to choose the International Air Transport gender designations outside Association and Airlines for the traditional “male” and “feAmerica — approved updated male” check-in categories. standards to allow member airMajor U.S. airlines said last lines to offer two new gender week they will change their options: “unspecified” or “unticketing process so that pasidentified.” sengers can identify themselves In 2017, Ottawa announced along non-binary lines, reprethat travellers will be able to senting a victory for advocates specify their gender with an “X” of transgender recognition. on their passport, instead of “F” That change comes after a for female or “M” for male. pair of major trade groups — The website for Immigration, the International Air Transport Refugees and Citizenship CanAssociation and Airlines for ada says the change is coming America — approved updated “soon.” Until then, passengers standards to allow member aircan request an “observation lines to offer two new gender text” free of charge on their options: “unspecified” or “unpassport that notes their sex identified.” should be marked as “X,” said In 2017, Ottawa announced Mathieu Genest, that travellers press secretary will be able to to Immigration specify their Minister Ahmed gender with an Hussen.

“X” on their For international travel we need to “IRCC is workpassport, instead know whether other governments ing diligently to of “F” for female and other airline partners will introduce the ‘X’ or “M” for male. recognize this designation. gender identifier The website in its official docfor Immigrauments,” Genest tion, Refugees said in an email.

“We are actively working on and Citizenship Canada says The National Airlines Coun- this and we do intend to even- the change is coming “soon.” cil of Canada, which represents tually offer a non-binary option Until then, passengers can reAir Canada, WestJet Airlines to our customers,” he said. quest an “observation text” Ltd. and other companies, told Transat A.T. spokesman free of charge on their passport The Canadian Press Monday Christophe Hennebelle said that notes their sex should be that members are “awaiting that “acting without proper marked as “X,” said Mathieu developments and details” on planning and consultation may Genest, press secretary to Imthe plan before altering their make travel very complicated migration Minister Ahmed check-in systems. for our non-binary passengers, Hussen.

U.S.-based airlines American, which is the last thing we want.”

“IRCC is working diligently Delta and United confirmed A potential mismatch be- to introduce the ‘X’ gender Friday they are in the process tween provincially issued ID, identifier in its official docuof updating their booking tools such as a driver’s licence or ments,” Genest said in an email. to add less conventional gen- birth certificate, and passports The National Airlines Counwww.canadianinquirer.net

cil of Canada, which represents Air Canada, WestJet Airlines Ltd. and other companies, told The Canadian Press Monday that members are “awaiting developments and details” on the plan before altering their check-in systems.

U.S.-based airlines American, Delta and United confirmed Friday they are in the process of updating their booking tools to add less conventional gender categories, such as “Mx.” or “undisclosed,” implementing them in the next several weeks.

The airlines are making the check-in change despite resistance to non-binary passport options from the U.S. State Department.

A lengthy legal battle saw U.S. Navy veteran Dana Zzyym, who identifies as neither male nor female, fight to get a passport without having to designate a gender.

A federal court ruled in September that the State Department could not deny a passport to Zyyym, who was born with ambiguous sex characteristics.

Helene Montreuil, a lawyer and trans advocate based in Quebec City, said aligning government-issued IDs with selfperception is both a psychological and a practical matter.

“It’s a question of how you see yourself, how you interact with the world,” said Montreuil.

“I’d prefer to have an ‘F’ on my passport and to present myself as a woman…In Saudi

Arabia, if your gender does not match, the (Canadian) government can do nothing for you.”

Foreign states remain a substantial hurdle, airlines say.

“For international travel we need to know whether other governments and other airline partners will recognize this designation,” said Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick.

“We are actively working on this and we do intend to eventually offer a non-binary option to our customers,” he said.

Transat A.T. spokesman Christophe Hennebelle said that “acting without proper planning and consultation may make travel very complicated for our non-binary passengers, which is the last thing we want.”

A potential mismatch between provincially issued ID, such as a driver’s licence or birth certificate, and passports remains another possible problem.

Residents of British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and the Northwest Territories who consider themselves neither male nor female now have the right to use an “X” to designate their gender on IDs, which could clash with current passports.

Residents of other provinces that haven’t taken the step could face the same problem in reverse down the line, once passports include a non-binary option. ■

16

Canada News

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

FRIDAY

Still active human rights case speaks to lasting homophobia in Canada: activists

BY HOLLY MCKENZIE-SUTTER The Canadian Press ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Just over 14 years ago, the government of Newfoundland and Labrador issued the province’s marriage commissioners an ultimatum: agree to perform same-sex marriages or resign.

At least seven commissioners, many of them mayors, chose to quit, arguing overseeing such marriages would contradict their religious beliefs.

But one former commissioner, Desiree Dichmont, also filed a human rights complaint, claiming discrimination based on religious creed. The case has been snaking its way through the courts ever since — and even though Dichmont has died, the case remains alive.

An Alberta-based free speech advocacy group, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, recently won the right to intervene in the appeal proceedings, arguing the public has an interest in the outcome. The latest appeal in the case will be heard next month.

LGBTQ activists who championed the issue of same-sex marriage more than a decade ago say the case’s renewed life speaks to lingering homophobia in Canada that has since moved under the surface.

“I feel like I’m in a time warp,” said Newfoundlander Gemma Hickey, who was president of advocacy group EGALE Canada in 2004 when same-sex marriage was legalized and fought for legalization across Canada.

“I wasn’t surprised back then and I’m not surprised now,” Hickey said in an email from Tokyo.

Should the case set a precedent for future objections based on religious belief, Hickey said the consequences would be dire for LGBTQ people in rural parts of the province.

For example, then-mayor Claude Elliott was Gander’s sole marriage commissioner when he resigned his duties as a marriage commissioner in 2005.

“My concern is for same-sex couples in rural areas who don’t have a choice between marriage commissioners. They shouldn’t have to travel elsewhere to

find someone to marry them in a civil ceremony,” Hickey said.

“A wedding is something to celebrate and regardless if someone agrees or disagrees, same-sex marriage has been a reality in the province of N.L. since 2004 and in Canada since 2005.”

Dichmont’s complaint arguing discrimination based on religious creed was filed in 2005, and was at first dismissed by the Human Rights Commission for insufficient evidence.

After an appeal, the province’s supreme court ordered a hearing by the commission’s board of inquiry. A ruling finally came down in 2017 in the province’s favour.

Dichmont passed away before the adjudicator released his report, but her estate appealed the decision. A January hearing on the Dichmont estate’s latest appeal was pushed back to March following the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms’ application for intervener status.

The group cited the estate’s notice of appeal, which argues the outcome of the Dichmont appeal raises matters of “broad public and societal concern.”

It argues the human rights adjudicator unfairly placed charter obligations on Dichmont, and that her employer failed to accommodate her individual religious views by making her act as a representative of government first.

It also argues the duty of state neutrality was not applied to her.

Justice Rosalie McGrath of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador said she agreed to grant the Justice Centre intervener status because it has experience acting as an intervener and can make a “useful contribution.”

“The Justice Centre has identified a different perspective it can bring by focusing on the evolution of case law, particularly from the Supreme Court of Canada, on the issue of how the Charter applies to public servants,” McGrath wrote in a Feb. 1 ruling.

McGrath said “the issue of mootness as well as the standing of the estate remain live issues to be argued at the hearing of the matter.” That hearing is scheduled for March 4-5.

A lawyer with the province’s Human Rights Commission said in an interview that the organization’s stance, laid out by adjudicator Robby Ash in his 2017 decision, has not changed.

Ash dismissed Dichmont’s complaint, saying her request for a system that would assign same-sex couples to a non-objecting marriage commissioner would contradict the province’s duty of neutrality in delivering public services.

“To borrow a phrase from the Ontario Court of Appeal …. requiring minori-

www.canadianinquirer.net

ties to reveal their differences for the purposes of accommodating those who oppose what makes them different only serves as a ‘subtle and constant reminder’ of unacceptance and intolerance. A ‘single point entry’ system would do just that,” Ash wrote.

“Each marriage commissioner, vested with the authority of the state, is required to provide the service on behalf of government to all those eligible under law to receive the service.”

A spokesperson for EGALE Canada said the organization is watching the case and considering next steps, including the possibility of legal action.

Gerry Rogers, then a film-maker and activist and now the outgoing leader of the province’s NDP, wrote to the premier in 2005, requesting marriage commissioners declare their willingness to perform same-sex marriages.

Rogers and several others became marriage commissioners in response to the objectors’ resignations.

Rogers, a former acquaintance of Dichmont, said she was bewildered and disappointed by her decision to pursue the case, and by continued efforts from outside groups to push back against a human rights matter that has already been decided upon by Canada’s highest court.

“They’re absolute dinosaurs and they should simply take their case and go home,” said Rogers, who was the province’s first openly gay party leader. “It’s time to move on. This has already been settled in the courts.”

Hickey said instances like this show how rights awarded to minority groups are not simply given, but are the result of ongoing, hard-won fights for change.

“I try not to let my fear paralyze me.

But our rights are never given to us. We have to fight for them.”

The issue of LGBTQ rights hasn’t completely left the public square in Newfoundland and Labrador, particularly in rural areas.

Last spring, the province and country rallied in support of Springdale, N.L., teenagers after town councillors voted down the Gender-Sexuality Alliance’s bid for a rainbow crosswalk, igniting fierce debate.

“Homophobia and transphobia never went away,” Hickey said.

“In my experience, laws change faster than attitudes.” ■

Canada News

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019

17

Trudeau’s principal secretary, Gerald Butts, resigns amid SNC Lavalin furor

BY JOAN BRYDEN The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Justin Trudeau‘s Liberal government was rocked Monday by the resignation of his principal secretary, Gerald Butts, amid allegations that the Prime Minister’s Office interfered to prevent a criminal prosecution of SNC-Lavalin.

The departure of the prime minister’s most trusted aide comes just eight months before a federal election. Butts was expected to play as big a role in the Liberals’ bid for a second mandate as he did in getting them their first.

In a statement, Butts unequivocally denied the accusation that he or anyone else in the office improperly pressured former attorney general Jody Wilson-Raybould to help the Montreal engineering giant avoid a criminal case on corruption charges related to government contracts in Libya.

Nevertheless, Butts said the allegation is distracting from the “vital work” Trudeau is doing, so it’s in the best interests of the Prime Minister’s Office for him to step aside.

“I categorically deny the accusation that I or anyone else in his office pressured Ms. Wilson-Raybould … At all times, I and those around me acted with integrity and singular focus on the best interests of all Canadians,” he said.

“Any accusation that I or the staff put pressure on the attorney general is simply not true … But the fact is that this accusation exists. It cannot and should not take one moment away from the vital work the

prime minister and his office is doing for all Canadians.

“My reputation is my responsibility and that is for me to defend. It is in the best interests of the office and its important work for me to step away.”

Wilson-Raybould, who was demoted from justice to the veterans affairs post in January, resigned from Trudeau’s cabinet last week. She has not explained why she quit and she has cited solicitor-client privilege to refuse comment on the allegation, levelled by anonymous sources in a Globe and Mail story 10 days ago, that she was improperly pressured to help SNC-Lavalin. She has hired a former Supreme Court justice to advise her on what she may legally say.

Trudeau has denied anyone pressured Wilson-Raybould to instruct the director of public prosecutions to negotiate a remediation agreement with SNC-Lavalin, a kind of plea bargain in which a company pays restitution but avoids criminal prosecution that could bankrupt it.

But Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said Butts’ departure “is the clearest indication yet that there is much more” to the affair than Trudeau has admitted.

“The events of the last several days and the ensuing chaos that has engulfed the government are signs that the prime minister is desperate to keep the truth hidden,” Scheer said in a statement. “Justin Trudeau must stop hiding behind other people and end the coverup he and his office have engineered since these allegations surfaced.”

Both Scheer and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh called on Trudeau to waive solicitor-client privilege to allow WilsonRaybould to tell her side of the story.

The departure of WilsonRaybould, Canada’s first Indigenous justice minister and the embodiment of Trudeau’s commitment to reconciliation with First Nations, was a big blow to the Liberals. But Butts’ exit is arguably an even bigger one.

He has been close friends with Trudeau since their student days at McGill University in Montreal. He was instrumental in organizing Trudeau’s successful leadership bid in 2013 and was one of two key architects — along with Katie Telford, now Trudeau’s chief of staff — of the Liberals’ stunning come-from-behind election victory in 2015.

Since 2015, Butts has been Trudeau’s closest and most trusted adviser. Opposition critics have painted Butts as a Svengali-like puppet master and even some Liberal backbenchers have privately resented the power and influence he wielded.

Butts is one of several Trudeau aides the opposition parties had wanted to call before the House of Commons justice committee to testify on what happened in the SNC-Lavalin affair. Liberal MPs on the committee used their majority last week to limit the scope of the committee’s inquiry to three witnesses — not including Wilson-Raybould, Butts or any other of Trudeau’s staffers — and to the legal principles underpinning the controversy.

Those principles include

Gerald Butts.

the recently added Criminal Code provision, which made it legal to negotiate remediation agreements in cases of corporate corruption, and the so-called Shawcross doctrine, which spells out the degree to which an attorney general may consult with cabinet colleagues about a prosecution.

The committee is to meet behind closed doors Tuesday to discuss, among other things, possible additional witnesses.

Singh announced Monday that the NDP will propose a motion in the House of Commons calling for an independent inquiry led by a former judge, which will be put to MPs for a vote on Wednesday. Motions are not binding on the government, however.

Butts has been chief among those whom opposition parties suspect were behind the alleged pressure on WilsonRaybould. He has confirmed that Wilson-Raybould briefly raised the SNC-Lavalin matter during a meeting in early December. Butts has said that he advised her to speak with the clerk of the Privy Council, Mi-

ONTARIO CHAMBER / FLICKR, CC BY-ND 2.0

chael Wernick.

In his statement Monday, Butts spoke positively of his relationship with Wilson-Raybould.

“I encouraged her to run for the Liberal Party of Canada and worked hard to support her as a candidate and then cabinet minister. From my perspective, our relationship has always been defined by mutual respect, candour and an honest desire to work together.”

Butts says he’s served Trudeau “to the best of my abilities and I have at all times given the prime minister free and unfettered advice.

“I have served the public interest, not the interests of any individual or any narrow private interest of any kind, at any time. Life is full of uncertainties but I am absolutely certain of that.”

Trudeau paid homage to his old friend in a tweet: “Gerald Butts served this government — and our country — with integrity, sage advice and devotion. I want to thank him for his service and continued friendship.” ■

U.K.’s pro-Huawei signals give Canada breathing space on 5G decision: expert

BY JIM BRONSKILL The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Canadian officials will be “cheering from the sidelines” over fresh signals that Britain believes it can man-

age any security risks posed by Huawei Technologies’ involvement in building a next-generation wireless data network, says an intelligence expert who closely studies the issue.

British media reports say the U.K. National Cyber Security

Centre has concluded that with care and safeguards, Huawei equipment can be used in “5G” networks, amid pressure from the United States to ban the Chinese supplier.

If Britain gives Huawei a cautious green light, it will allow www.canadianinquirer.net

Canada room to make an independent decision, said Wesley Wark, an intelligence expert who teaches at the University of Ottawa.

“Whether such an approach can prevail in Canada in the face of U.S. pressure is the ques-

tion for us, as it is for Britain and Europe,” Wark said Monday.

The federal government is weighing Huawei’s possible participation in 5G wireless ❱❱ PAGE 22 U.K.’s pro-Huawei

Canada News

18

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

FRIDAY

There wasn’t an app for that?

Nuclear waste bunker Environment Canada launches decision to likely to fall to its own weather app next federal government THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA — Environment Canada is going mobile.

The federal agency launched its first ever weather app for iPhone and Android this week, including a new highresolution radar option so amateur meteorologists can guess exactly when the next rain storm or blizzard is going to hit their backyard.

WeatherCAN is free, can be operated in English or French, and includes Indigenous symbols for northern locations.

Push notifications warning of extreme weather are also an option.

There are any number of other weather apps on the market, but Environment Canada had never bothered to make one for itself until now, despite getting 40 million hits to its website every month and being the source of weather data used by many other weather apps.

“We are the experts,” said Environment Minister Catherine McKenna in

an interview.

McKenna said she was surprised when she took office that Environment Canada didn’t have its own presence on smart phones.

“With how much Canadians care about weather, I realized there was an opportunity to have a tool,” she said.

The app tracks 10,000 Canadian locations, from the biggest cities to the smallest town in the country — Tilt Cove, N.L. According to the app, the four people who live there were expecting about 10 cm of snow overnight.

The radar map available on the app is four times better than others currently available, but — as is often the case with anyone trying to predict the weather — the new app comes with an immediate caveat not to trust everything it says.

“Weather conditions in your location may differ from information available to (Environment and Climate Change Canada),” it says in the terms and conditions you must accept before gaining entry. ■

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BY JIM BRONSKILL The Canadian Press

power plant near Kincardine, Ont. Hundreds of thousands of cubic metres of low and intermediate radioactive waste — not spent fuel bundles but still toxic TORONTO — The much-delayed and for centuries — would be buried 680 politically fraught decision on a pro- metres deep rather than stored above posed multibillion-dollar nuclear-waste ground at the site as now happens. storage bunker near Lake Huron now Politicians and scores of communities appears certain to fall to Canada’s next in Canada and the United States have government. denounced the project as an eco disasEnvironment Minister Catherine McK- ter in the making given its proximity to enna paused the process in August 2017 — Lake Huron. The utility insists exhausthe latest in a string of delays for the deep tive science shows a repository in stable geologic repository — to ensure buy-in and impermeable rock would be perfrom Indigenous people in the area. How- fectly safe for centuries. ever, members of the Saugeen Ojibway An environmental review panel gave Nation have made it clear they are in no its OK in May 2015 but the then-Conserrush to give Ontario Power Generation vative government punted final approvtheir blessing for the proposed facility. al until after the last election, and its “Both parties have committed to getting successor Liberal government — which toward a decision, ideally this year, but emphasized reconciliation with Indigthere’s a lot of work to make sure that hap- enous peoples — has repeatedly delayed pens,” Randall Kahgee, a lawyer and lead making a decision. adviser to the First Kahgee said the Nations on the file, community knows a said in an interview. new federal governDuring community ment after this Ocmeetings in recent tober’s vote might We will not build amonths, a basic “Nuapprove the project the DGR at the clear 101” was offered. over any Indigenous Bruce site without The result, Kahgee objections.

SON’s support. said, is that people “That’s always the have begun asking concern and that pointed questions concern has been exabout the project that pressed by our comOntario’s publicly owned utility will have munity members,” Kahgee said. “You to answer. see how different governments have About two dozen sessions are planned treated Indigenous issues.” for the coming months to allow Ontario Regardless of any legal hurdles the govPower Generation to explain why it be- ernment might face if it ignores the First lieves the repository is the best way to Nations, Kahgee said the community is go. A “period of reflection” will follow confident Ontario Power Generation has those sessions leading to a community committed itself to respecting their views. decision, perhaps by the end of this year, Ontario Power Generation spokesKahgee said. man Fred Kuntz affirmed that commitA key step is to decide how Saugeen ment.

Ojibway Nation gets to express its col“We will not build the DGR at the Bruce lective will, who in the community gets site without SON’s support,” Kuntz said. to have a say, and when. That includes “If the decision is a no, we would have to deciding the role of young people, who look for alternative measures.” must ultimately help implement whatOne thing is certain: Both Ontario ever decision the community makes.

Power Generation and Indigenous peoMcKenna had no comment but the ple see a long-term solution for dealing Canadian Environmental Assessment with nuclear waste as a priority.

Agency called it important that Ontario “The worst scenario … is that the comPower Generation has the flexibility to munity rejects the DGR and everyone engage with Indigenous peoples. goes away and then we’re done,” Kahgee “Any decision that is made will be said. “This dialogue, this relationship, is based on science and Indigenous knowl- going to have to continue for many, many, edge,” said agency spokeswoman Lucille many years. That reality doesn’t change.”

Jamault.

Saugeen Ojibway Nation comprises Currently estimated to cost a total of about 5,000 members of the Saugeen $2.4 billion over a planned 50-year op- First Nation and the Chippewas of Naerational cycle, the project calls for a wash Unceded First Nation, many of bunker to be built at the Bruce nuclear whom live out of the area. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

19

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019

FILIPINO-CANADIAN IN FOCUS:

Life-changing: Rubylyn Nery-Engstrom

BY BEA KIRSTEIN T. MANALAYSAY Philippine Canadian Inquirer MANY THINGS can be said about the concept of ‘change.’

Some fear it, but some welcome it. Some wait for the change, while some make the change. There are many more angles from which one can look at it but as they say, the only permanent view when it comes to this thought is that it is constant.

For someone who went through many changes in their life, Rubylyn Nery-Engstrom is one who realized that all these were necessary to bring her to where she is right now. This is her story.

Planned future

At a tender age, change was not just a word for Rubylyn, for her young world was already shaken at four when her family decided to embrace the life of immigrants in Canada when they moved to Thompson, Manitoba. At that time, there were only six Filipino families in a sea of 12,000 people.

More than a change of scenery than what her young eyes got used to, what Rubylyn learned as she grew up is the value of hard work and determination. And perhaps, this is what gave birth to her urge to make a change in her community.

After all, she said that the best thing in living in Canada is “the only real obstacle that you face is your own limiting beliefs. Opportunities are everywhere if you are willing to put in the hard work and be tenuous about reaching your goals.”

However, Rubylyn did not forget her roots despite loving Canada. So how does she ex-

actly feed the Filipino heart in her despite calling this foreign piece of land another home?

Well she feeds her stomach with Pinoy food. Literally.

“I would say my love for Filipino food – it’s not only delicious but food is a big part of the Filipino culture – it brings families and friends together and reminds us that these are the moments in time that are truly important,” she says.

Life continues for Rubylyn as she attends the University of Winnipeg, and then the University of Manitoba in hopes of pursuing her father’s dream – which is to become a lawyer. With her father, Peter’s background in criminology, it seemed natural to have his daughter walk the path to a law career.

At that time, no one knew yet that Rubylyn will be taking not just a different path, but more turns to follow and more doors to open.

A different path

After graduating from her bachelor’s degree, the change of

pace immediately came in front of her, presented as an opportunity to lead a team.

She was offered to join an upcoming customer service contact center – The Fanueil Group. And she loved it.

As the Vice President of Operations, she has an entire finance department and it was close to the heart when this department comprised of all Filipina accountants and payroll personnel.

The fast-paced nature of the business world plus the room for growth and improvement in a team enticed the young lady.

Somehow, seeing an environment where young men and women strive to beat their best, fueled Rubylyn to be a more effective leader.

This passion of hers for leadership is not limited in the workplace. Her dreams also did not stop growing inside the office.

Another opportunity made its way to Rubylyn which eventually gave her the chance to attend Harvard Business School and Queen University. Her

Rubylyn Engstrom. SUPPLIED

thirst for knowledge made her share to her people the value of education, as her members soon pursued their educational routes.

“Travel is a form of education. Learning about other’s culture, values and struggles only enhances how you see the world.”

Her work experiences in Customer Service took her to places literally and figuratively.

From Winnipeg and Manitoba, her feet then graced Dublin, Ireland; Sliema, Malta; and Surrey, British Columbia.

Just where else can her feet take her at this point?

Purpose

While the door in the financial department definitely opened a world to Rubylyn, after the birth of her second child, she ventured into another – health care.

Five years of her life were contributed to the rapid growth of private home care.

Currently, Rubylyn is the Director of Operations and Busi-

ness Development at Care At Home Services.

And after all those fruitful years in her previous work experiences, she feels that those roads led her to her purpose that she probably did not see way before.

Her work at Care At Home Services definitely hits two birds with a stone. The company’s services help seniors live independently in their own homes, but Rubylyn’s role also provides opportunities for a lot of Filipino caregivers and nurses.

In fact, 70 percent of the Care At Home Services’ employees are Filipinos.

“When you get to work at a career that also allows you to fulfill your passion of helping others, you get to live your dream.”

Rubylyn may have undergone a lot of changes from her many years of work experience and daily life in general, but her heart remained to its roots of wanting to make a difference – wanting to make change. ■

Israeli leaders’ Nazi comments derail European summit

BY JOSEF FEDERMAN The Associated Press JERUSALEM — Poland on Monday withdrew from a European summit in Jerusalem, derailing the meeting and em-

barrassing its Israeli hosts, to protest claims by Israel’s acting foreign minister that Poles collaborated with the Nazis and “suckled anti-Semitism with their mothers’ milk.”

The abrupt cancellation marked a new low in a bitter

and long-running conflict between Poland and Israel over how to characterize Polish actions toward its Jewish community during World War II. It also was a diplomatic setback for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had touted www.canadianinquirer.net

the gathering as a milestone in his outreach to the emerging democracies of central and eastern Europe. Netanyahu has courted these countries to counter the criticism Israel typically faces in international forums.

Tuesday’s meeting of the lead-

ers of Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic — known as the Visegrad group — was to be the first time the summit has been held outside of Europe.

The gathering began to unravel ❱❱ PAGE 20 Israeli leaders’

World News

20

Make sure... ❰❰ 14

the rash arises, said Tam. “Prior to that, when you’re developing the fever, the cough, the runny nose, you’re infectious and people don’t even know it’s measles,” she said. “And that I think is another reason why it can spread before you know it.”

But Tam said getting two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is virtually 100 per cent effective in preventing the disease within a given population.

Some people cannot be vaccinated, including infants under six months of age, people with certain underlying health conditions and those undergoing chemotherapy — meaning they must rely on high levels of immunity within their communities to prevent infection with the virus.

To achieve that protection — called herd immunity — a community needs a vaccine coverage of about 95 per cent of residents, Tam said. At the national level, Canada has close to 90 per cent coverage, but average uptake of the MMR vaccine

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

FRIDAY

Israeli leaders’... varies from province to province and region to region.

Canadians born before 1970 are assumed to have natural immunity to measles, a disease long considered a childhood rite of passage, despite its dangers.

For those born after 1970, who aren’t sure if they’ve been vaccinated, there is no increased risk of adverse effects from getting the MMR vaccine, said Wilson. The two-dose inoculation provides lifelong immunity.

“The vaccine against the measles virus is one of the most effective vaccines that we have,” noted Tam. “So I think what we want to stress is that right now is really a good time to make sure you are up to date with two doses of measles vaccine if you were born after 1970, because we are seeing these importations,” she said.

“And if we don’t get vaccine coverage up to higher levels in Canada, throughout Canada, for community protection, we’re going to continue to see these pockets (of cases).” ■

Pandit Mahadeva

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

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last week when Netanyahu, during a visit to Warsaw, told reporters that “Poles co-operated with the Nazis.” The comments infuriated his Polish hosts, who reject suggestions that their country collaborated with Hitler.

Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, announced Sunday that he was pulling out of the summit, but that his foreign minister would go instead.

But Morawiecki cancelled Polish participation altogether after the comments made by Israel’s acting foreign minister, Israel Katz, that he denounced as “racist” and “absolutely unacceptable.”

Katz, who was only appointed to the foreign minister’s post on Sunday, made his remarks in a pair of TV interviews.

Noting that he himself is a child of Holocaust survivors, Katz said that “Poles collaborated with the Nazis, definitely.” He then quoted the late former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir, who said that Poles “suckled anti-Semitism with their mothers’ milk.”

Israel’s Foreign Ministry confirmed Monday that the summit had been called off, saying all four European countries had to be present.

Instead, a government official said that Netanyahu and the three remaining European leaders were expected to hold a series of bilateral meetings on Tuesday, along with a group news conference and joint lunch. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the schedule had still not been finalized.

Netanyahu, in a speech Monday to visiting Jewish American leaders, made no mention of the crisis.

Poland was the first country invaded and occupied by Adolf Hitler’s regime and never had a collaborationist government.

Members of Poland’s resistance and government-in-exile struggled to warn the world about the mass killing of Jews, and thousands of Poles risked their lives to help Jews.

However, Holocaust researchers have collected ample evidence of Polish villagers who murdered Jews fleeing the Nazis, or Polish blackmailers who preyed on helpless Jews for financial gain. Many of Israel’s founding generation, including Shamir, fled anti-Semitism in Poland or elsewhere in eastern Europe in their youths, and www.canadianinquirer.net

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. YAKUB88_SHUTTERSTOCK

Shamir has said his father was murdered by Poles.

These dueling narratives have been a source of great tension between Israel and Poland, which otherwise have strong relations.

Last year, Poland and Israel were embroiled in a bitter dispute over a Polish law that made it a crime to blame the Polish nation for complicity in the Holocaust.

Israeli officials saw it as an attempt by Poland to suppress discussion of the killing of Jews by Poles during and after the wartime German occupation. Netanyahu faced criticism from historians in Israel for not opposing the law, which critics said distorted history.

Critics also have accused Netanyahu of cozying up too closely to other nationalistic leaders in eastern and central Europe who have promoted a distorted image of the Holocaust and turning a blind eye to anti-Semitism. These include the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, another participant at the Israeli-hosted gathering.

Lost in the diplomatic uproar was that Netanyahu was actually defending his close alliance with Poland and other eastern European leaders when he made the comments that offended the Poles.

In response to a question from The Associated Press during his two-day visit to Warsaw, Netanyahu said he has raised the issue of historical revisionism with the various leaders.

He rejected the notion he was a partner to diminishing anyone’s complicity in the genocide of Jews in World War II. “I know the history. I don’t starch it and I don’t whitewash it,” he said.

Netanyahu is seeking reelection in April, and it is possible both he and Katz are trying to gain favour with their nationalist base by standing up

to Poland’s criticism. Likewise, Poland’s leaders are preparing for both national and European elections this year.

But Oded Eran, a former Israeli ambassador to the European Union, said the diplomatic cost clearly outweighed any domestic benefit.

“The abandonment or postponement of the Visegrad summit is a major blow to Netanyahu’s foreign policy, which he has been developing for several years now,” said Eran, a senior researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies thinktank in Tel Aviv. “Any consolation he would get from a boost in the polls is completely outweighed by the damage he has done.”

Jewish leaders in Poland issued a statement saying that Shamir’s words about Polish anti-Semitism were “unjust” when he said them in 1989.

“They are even more unjust today, 30 years later, when so much has been done on both sides for a mutual understanding of our very difficult, but shared history,” the statement added.

The head of the American Jewish Committee, David Harris, issued a statement acknowledging that “there are certainly pockets of anti-Semitism in Poland” but largely stressing the fact that Poles suffered and put up massive resistance to the Nazis during the war, also helping Jews. He also noted the Polish contributions in recent years to the renewal of Jewish life.

“As friends, we need to be able to manage our inevitable differences. That begins with choosing our words carefully — knowing when to speak, how to speak, and where to speak,” Harris said. ■ Associated Press writers Aron Heller and Isabel DeBre in Jerusalem, Vanessa Gera in Warsaw and Karel Janicek in Prague contributed to this report.

21

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019

China accuses US of trying to block its tech development

BY JOE MCDONALD The Associated Press BEIJING — China’s government on Monday accused the United States of trying to block the country’s industrial development by alleging that Chinese mobile network gear poses a cybersecurity threat to countries rolling out new internet systems.

And in a potential blow to the U.S.’s effort to rally its allies on the issue, British media reported that U.K. intelligence agencies found it’s possible to limit the security risks of using Chinese equipment in so-called 5G networks.

The U.S. argues that Beijing might use Chinese tech companies to gather intelligence about foreign countries. The Trump administration has pressured allies to shun networks supplied by Huawei Technologies, threatening the company’s access to markets for next-generation wireless gear.

‘Huawei, the biggest global maker of switching gear for phone and internet companies, denies accusations it facilitates Chinese spying and said it would reject any government demands to disclose confidential information about foreign

customers.

The U.S. government is trying to “fabricate an excuse for suppressing the legitimate development” of Chinese enterprises, said the spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry, Geng Shuang. He accused the United States of using “political means” to interfere in economic activity, “which is hypocritical, immoral and unfair bullying.”

U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence, speaking last weekend in Germany, urged European allies to take seriously “the threat” he said was posed by Huawei as they look for partners to build the new 5G mobile networks.

The 5G technology is meant to vastly expand the reach of networks to support internetlinked medical equipment, factory machines, self-driving cars and other devices. That makes it more politically sensitive and raises the potential cost of security failures.

Pence said Huawei and other Chinese telecom equipment makers provide Beijing with “access to any data that touches their network or equipment.”

He appealed to European governments to “reject any enterprise that would compromise the integrity of our communications technology or our na-

tional security systems.”

In what could amount to a turning point for the U.S. effort to isolate Huawei, Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre has found that the risk of using its networks is manageable, according to the Financial Times and several other British media outlets.

The reports cited anonymous sources as saying that there are ways to limit cybersecurity risks, and that the U.K.’s decision would carry weight with European allies who are also evaluating the safety of their networks.

The British government is to finish a review of its policies on the safety of 5G in March or April. The office of British Prime Minister Theresa May said Monday that “no decisions have been taken.”

If eventually confirmed, “such a decision by the U.K. would be a strong message and could be influential in the medium term,” said Lukasz Olejnik, a research associate at Oxford University’s Center for Technology and Global Affairs.

The British review “could inevitably serve as an input or a reference point in other countries’ risk assessments,” he added.

European officials, including a vice-president of the Eu-

ropean Union, have expressed concern about Chinese regulations issued last year that require companies to co-operate with intelligence agencies. No country in Europe, however, has issued a blanket veto on using Huawei technology in the way the U.S. has urged.

The U.S. Justice Department last month unsealed charges against Huawei, its chief financial officer — who had been arrested in Canada — and several of the companies’ subsidiaries, alleging not only violation of trade sanctions but also the theft of trade secrets.

The United States has not, however, released evidence to support its accusations that Huawei and other Chinese tech companies allow the Chinese government to spy through their systems. That has prompted some industry analysts to

suggest Washington is trying to use security concerns to handicap Chinese competitors.

“China has not and will not require companies or individuals to collect or provide foreign countries’ information for the Chinese government by installing backdoors or other actions that violate local laws,” said Geng.

Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre acknowledged last summer that it had concerns about the engineering and security of Huawei’s networks. While not commenting Monday on the media reports, it added: “We have set out the improvements we expect the company to make.”

Huawei said in a statement Monday that it’s open to dialogue and that “cybersecurity is an issue which needs to be addressed across the whole industry.” ■

Family: UK teen who joined Islamic State has baby in Syria

BY SYLVIA HUI The Associated Press LONDON — The family of a British teenager who ran away to join the Islamic State group and now wants to return to the U.K. said Sunday she has given birth to a baby boy.

The family’s lawyer said 19-year-old Shamima Begum and the baby are in good health.

In a recent interview with The Times newspaper, Begum said she had previously lost two babies to illness and malnutrition.

News about Begum and her desire to go back to Britain have ignited a debate in the U.K. about how to deal with citizens who joined IS and want to leave Syria now that the extremist

group is on the verge of collapse.

Begum was one of a group of schoolgirls from London’s Bethnal Green neighbourhood who went to Syria to marry IS fighters in 2015 at a time when the group’s online recruitment program lured many impressionable young people to its self-proclaimed caliphate.

Speaking to Britain’s Sky News from Syria, where she has been living in a refugee camp, Begum said she didn’t know what she was getting into when she left and wants to bring her baby back to Britain with her.

“I think a lot of people should have sympathy towards me for everything I’ve been through,” she said in an interview broadcast Sunday.

“I just was hoping that maybe

for me, for the sake of me and my child, they let me come back,” the young woman said. “Because I can’t live in this camp forever.

It’s not really possible.”

“I don’t want to take care of my child in this camp because I’m afraid he might even die in this camp,” she said.

Begum said she had been only a “housewife” during her time with IS militants.

“I never did anything dangerous. I never made propaganda.

I never encouraged people to come to Syria. So they’d only have proof I didn’t anything that is dangerous,” she said.

She added she had been “OK with” beheadings carried out

by Islamic State adherents because she had heard it was allowed under Islamic law. www.canadianinquirer.net

While it is unclear whether Begum committed any crimes and her legal status is uncertain, it’s possible Begum could face charges for supporting IS if she returns to Britain. Some people in her native country have focused on her apparent lack of remorse and argue she would be a security threat to Britain.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who oversees immigration, wrote in the Sunday Times he would “not hesitate” to prevent the return of Britons who travelled abroad to join IS. “If you do manage to return, you should be ready to be questioned, investigated and potentially prosecuted,” Javid said.

Asked during the Sky interview if she felt she made a mistake going to Syria, Begum said:

“In a way, yes. But I don’t regret it because it’s changed me as a person. It’s made me stronger, tougher, you know.”

Two days before the baby’s birth was announced, Begum’s relatives in Britain said they were “shocked” by her comments but thought she should be brought back and dealt with by the British justice system.

“The welfare of Shamima’s unborn baby is of paramount concern to our family, and we will do everything within our power to protect that baby, who is entirely blameless in these events,” the family had said.

The family said it is concerned about Begum’s mental health and characterizes her as having been groomed by Islamic State fighters. ■

22

World News

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

FRIDAY

Trump pleads with Venezuela’s military to back Guaido

BY ZEKE MILLER The Associated Press MIAMI — President Donald Trump on Monday pleaded with Venezuela’s military to support opposition leader Juan Guaido and issued a dire warning if they continue to stand with President Nicolas Maduro‘s government.

“You will find no safe harbour, no easy exit and no way out. You will lose everything,” Trump said in a speech at Florida International University in Miami before large American and Venezuelan flags.

Trump added: “We seek a peaceful transition of power, but all options are open.”

The Venezuelan military could play a decisive role in the stalemate but has largely remained loyal to Maduro.

In remarks broadcast on state television, Maduro accused the U.S. president of speaking in an “almost Nazi style” and lashed out at Trump for thinking he can deliver orders to Venezuela’s military.

“Who is the commander of the armed forces, Donald Trump from Miami?” Maduro said. “They think they’re the owners of the country.”

Trump said “a new day is coming in Latin America,” as he sought to rally support among the largest Venezuelan community in the U.S. for Guaido.

The U.S. recognizes him as the country’s rightful president and condemns Maduro’s government and its socialist policies.

As the monthslong political crisis stretched on, the military has blocked the U.S. from moving tons of humanitarian aid airlifted in recent days to the Colombian border with Venezuela. The aid shipments have been meant in part to dramatize the hyperinflation and shortages of food and medicine that are gripping Venezuela. Trump said of Maduro, “He would rather see his people starve than give them aid.”

Critics say Maduro’s re-election last year was fraudulent, making his second term illegal.

Venezuela’s power struggle is headed to a potentially violent showdown Saturday, when

Guaido will try to run caravans of U.S. humanitarian aid across the Venezuelan border from Colombia. Maduro denies a humanitarian crisis exists, blaming the Trump administration for mounting a coup against him.

More than 2 million Venezuelans have fled the country in the last two years, most flooding across the border into Colombia, Brazil and Peru. Those left behind struggle to afford scarce supplies of food and medicine as inflation soars.

Maduro maintains support from Russia, China and Turkey, while Guaido has won recognition from dozens of world leaders in Latin America and Europe, who are demanding that Maduro holds new elections or steps down.

So far, Maduro isn’t budging.

In a recent interview with The Associated Press, Maduro said Venezuela is ready to make an economic rebound once Trump removes his “infected hand” from the country that sits atop the world’s largest petroleum reserves.

Trump urged the Venezuelan military to accept Guaido’s offer of amnesty and refrain from violence against those opposing Maduro’s government. And he praised the Venezuelan opposition, saying of the people of Venezuela, “They are turning the page on dictatorship and there will be no going back.”

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said earlier Monday that the U.S. “knows where military officials and their families have money hidden throughout the world.”

South Florida is home to more than 100,000 Venezuelans and Venezuelan-Americans, the largest concentration in the country. Speaking in the presidential battleground state, Trump also sought to draw a contrast with the policies of progressive Democrats, which he brands as “socialist,” as he gears up for re-election.

Trump said that “socialism has so completely ravaged” Venezuela “that even the world’s largest reserves of oil are not enough to keep the lights on.” He added: “This will never happen to us.”

“Socialism promises pros-

perity, but it delivers poverty,” he said.

Trump was introduced by first lady Melania Trump and joined by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Sens.

Marco Rubio and Rick Scott, who have all been outspoken in their criticism of Maduro’s government. Trump also spoke of the socialist governments in Cuba and Nicaragua, which have large expatriate communities in the Miami area.

“Socialism is dying and liberty, prosperity and democracy are being reborn” throughout the hemisphere, Trump said, expressing hope that soon, “This will become the first free hemisphere in all of human history.”

Shortly after Trump ended his speech, he tweeted, “I ask every member of the Maduro regime: End this nightmare of poverty, hunger and death. LET YOUR PEOPLE GO. Set your country free! Now is the time for all Venezuelan Patriots to act together, as one united people. Nothing could be better for the future of Venezuela!”

Guaido addressed the crowd in a pre-recorded video released by the White House and thanked Trump and the state of Florida for their support.

“Now there is a debate between the democracy and dictatorship — one between life and death,” Guaido said in Spanish.

“Today this fight is existential.”

Trump said the U.S. is “profoundly grateful” to dissidents and exiles who have protested and raised alarms about the actions of the Maduro government. But his administration has also come under criticism for not doing enough to grant asylum to those fleeing the country.

“President Trump is twofaced on the Venezuela issue,” said Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Terrie Rizzo. “He talks about fighting the Maduro regime, but his administration keeps deporting and detaining Venezuelans fleeing repression from the Maduro regime.”

Trump had been spending the holiday weekend at his private club in West Palm Beach, Florida. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

@HUAWEI/TWITTER

U.K.’s pro-Huawei... ❰❰ 17

systems that will allow Canadians to do more on cellphones and other internet-connected devices at vastly greater speeds.

China’s National Intelligence Law plainly says that Chinese organizations and citizens shall support, assist and co-operate with state intelligence work, prompting national security concerns in Canada.

Some security analysts argue that a Huawei role in 5G could give it access to a wide range of digital data gleaned from how, when and where Canadian customers use their electronic devices. In turn, government security agencies of a communist country with global ambitions would prize such information.

Huawei, though it is one of China’s marquee international companies, emphasizes it is not a state-controlled enterprise and says it would never spy on behalf of Beijing or anyone else.

Still, three of Canada’s partners in the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing group — the United States, Australia and New Zealand — have forbidden the use of Huawei products in 5G network development, though the U.S. ban is limited to government agencies — at least for now.

The Trump administration is said to be developing an executive order that would effectively ban U.S. firms from using components from China in key telecom networks.

The U.S. lacks a leading corporate player in the 5G supplier game, fuelling suggestions that Washington’s drumbeat of fear is propelled by commercial

worries as much as security and legal concerns.

Tension and speculation concerning Ottawa’s coming decision on 5G have been heightened by the December arrest of Huawei’s chief financial officer, Meng Wanzhou, in Vancouver following a request from U.S. authorities and the subsequent detention of two Canadians by China on security grounds.

Wark pointed to Huawei’s history of fostering technological innovation in Canada and supplying quality gear to major telecommunications providers as reasons to assess the security risks on rational, technical grounds.

He says an important marker in the British debate came recently in an opinion piece published in the Financial Times

by Robert Hannigan, former head of the British signalsintelligence and cybersecurity agency, the Government Communications Headquarters.

Hannigan argued that British security officials had never found evidence of Huawei involvement in Chinese statesponsored cyberespionage, and that political fashion or trade wars should not eclipse rational assessment of risk.

“Canadian officials will be cheering from the sidelines as the Canadian government ponders its own internal review of the threat posed by Huawei,” Wark said. “The British approach, if it proves to be one of managed risk, will give Canada breathing space to resist the U.S. campaign and develop a similar strategy.” ■

23

Entertainment Bea Alonzo touches on body positivity in recent Instagram post

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer THIRTY- ONE -YEAR- OLD Kapamilya actress Bea Alonzo gets vulnerable in the latest photo she shares on social media while vacationing in Coron, Palawan.

In the post shared last Sunday, February 17, Bea is seen flaunting her toned body in a blue bikini talking about accepting her physical appearance. “I have always been the type who would choose not to post photos of myself in swimsuits,” she admits, “but since I

declared this year as the year of change, I thought that maybe I should change the way I view myself.”

In the caption, Bea elaborates, “Maybe, I should get rid of all my insecurities so I can live more. I want to forget about how I hated myself for being ‘fat’ in other people’s eyes and just remember the things that I love about my body. It’s the only body that I am blessed with and I am thankful for my health because I get to do the things that make me happy.”

The post concludes, “I hope that this post could inspire other women to love themselves

more, flaws and all. Let’s all work hard to better ourselves for us and not just so others could accept us.”

Many of Bea’s celebrity friends supported her statements as well, actress Liza Soberano calling her “beautiful,” while host Anne Curtis comments that Bea looks “amazing.” Body Positivity advocate Iza Calzado even shared, “It makes me so happy to read this. You deserve the best kind of love and acceptance, the one that comes from yourself. You are so much more than just beautiful, you are worthy.” Bianca Gonzales-Intal gave her

@BEAALONZO / INSTAGRAM

thoughts as well, stating, “Love the caption and the photo.

Amen. Sometimes we focus too

much on what we don’t like and our insecurities, we fail to appreciate what we were given.” ■

Catriona Gray and H’Hen Nie reunite 21 Savage ‘wasn’t during New York Fashion Week hiding’ being British,

feared deportation

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE ANNUAL New York Fashion Week has begun in the city of Filipina Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray’s new home, the 25-year-old beauty queen watching one of her first shows sitting next to Miss Vietnam 2018 H’Hen Nie last Tuesday, February 12.

The Miss Universe Organization posted a photo of the two on social media, with H’Hen Nie dressed in a silk blue gown, while Catriona dazzles in pink and a gray fur jacket. The Vietnamese beauty queen posts her own series of photos on Instagram at the Phuong My show, tagging fellow candidate Catriona, Miss Universe manager Esther Swan, and former Miss New York Iman Noelle Oubou, who was also a judge in the international pageant.

She captions, “I’m so happy to see my sisters. What an amazing show! Thank you all my loves for your attendance.

I am extremely happy to see

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Miss Universe Catriona Gray and Miss Universe-Vietnam H'Hen Nie. @MISSUNIVERSE / INSTAGRAM

you again today!” Catriona also shares a glimpse of the event to her 4.6 million followers, saying, “Despite the snow/rain/ hail, today’s highlight was definitely catching up with my Miss Universe sister, H’Hen Nie.” Iman Noubou posted a photo herself walking along the streets of New York, saying, “The serious street style shots are cool and all, but these candids are more fun! Cheesing with these Miss Universe queens, Catriona Gray and Miss Vietnam H’hen Nie post-Phu-

ong My fashion show!”

While Catriona bagged the top crown during the Miss Universe pageant last December 2018 in Bangkok, Thailand, H’Hen placed in the top five and became a crowd favorite due to her rags to riches story. Most recently, she visited the Philippines to share a speech as the guest speaker of a youth forum in Naga City alongside Miss Universe 2010 fourth runner-up Filipina Venus Raj. She was also able to visit her Filipino pageant coach, Anjo Santos. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

ATLANTA – The Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage said in an interview aired Friday that he didn’t talk about his British citizenship before because he didn’t want to get deported.

The Grammy-nominated artist, whose given name is She’yaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was arrested Feb. 3. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement called it a targeted operation.

He was released from immigration custody Wednesday on a $100,000 bond.

Abraham-Joseph, now 26, told ABC’s “Good Morning America” he had no idea what a visa was when his mother brought him to the U.S. at 7 years old. His visa expired in 2006.

“I knew I wasn’t born here,” he said. “But I didn’t know like, what that meant as far as when I transitioned into an adult, how it was going to affect my life.”

The rapper said he wasn’t

hiding the fact that he isn’t a U.S. citizen, but “I didn’t want to get deported so I’m not going to just come out and say, ‘Hey by the way, I wasn’t born here.”‘ His lawyers have said he applied for a new visa in 2017, and his case remains pending. One of his lawyers, Charles Kuck, said earlier this week that if the case follows the normal trajectory, it could take two to three years.

While Abraham-Joseph was in immigration custody, his lawyers became aware of an outstanding warrant in Liberty County, along Georgia’s coast, and made arrangements for him to turn himself in, attorney Abbi Taylor said Friday.

News outlets report the warrant was for theft by deception. It stemmed from what Taylor said was essentially a civil dispute. Abraham-Joseph performed a concert in Liberty County several years ago and the person who had booked the ❱❱ PAGE 33 21 Savage

24

Entertainment

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

FRIDAY

Nico Bolzico speaks: I used to get very jealous

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer It is just normal for us, humans, to feel jealous probably often times. Whether you feel envy of a friend who is currently having fun overseas or your sibling whom, you think, your parents love more than you — it is okay to feel that way, but maybe not always.

The same with relationships.

It is undoubtedly natural to feel jealous over something may it be over ‘stupid things’ or something that you think can be a ‘threat’ to your relationship with your romantic partner.

One example: another guy or girl.

For his a-day-before-Valentine’s Day-post, Nico Bolzico decided to talk about that relationship topic on his social media accounts.

Nico, as we all know, often captures our attention by posting his hilarious pranks to Solenn on his Instagram account.

But today, he made everyone notice him as he opens up about his relationship with Solenn in a serious yet humorous way.

Sharing a photo of his wife pointing to the ring on his finger, Nico proudly wrote, “As you

all know my wife is very beautiful, probably the most beautiful girl in the world, that is why she has so many guys proposing to her all the time. The picture shows her reaction every time someone proposes.”

He continued, “In line with that, I think it is a good opportunity to discuss how we feel when our Wifezillas talk to another guy.”

Nico recalled that before his beloved wife came to his life, he used to get jealous to the point that he always assumed that any guy who is having a conversation with his past girlfriend was trying to “hit” on her.

“I didn’t believe in friendship between opposite sexes,” he said.

But Nico realized that what he thought was “one million times wrong” because jealousy, he said, only leads to “un-funded fights drama and degradation of the relationship.”

He said if one has trust and respect to his partner, then they should not be worried if they are talking with another guy — well except for Erwan Heusaff, whom Nico said, has “too much sexyness” and is “irresistible” for all.

Nico explained how he understands how it might be dif-

Nico and Solenn.

ficult for husbands like him to see their precious wives talking with other guys, but he acknowledged that their lifetime partners should also have male friends just like how the husbands are allowed to have female friends.

“If you really love her, then: trust her, give her the freedom she deserves and let her be; this way you will see your relationship getting stronger every

@NICOLBOLZICO / INSTAGRAM

day!” he said.

At the end of his post, Nico clarified that he is not speaking for everyone as what he shared was based on what he believed and has experienced.

“I can be wrong,” he said, adding, “If by any means, what I write, say or even think, is not in line with my wife opinion, then my wife opinion should predominate and everything else was wrong, even if that means

contradicting, math, physics, gravity, supreme justice or the Pope, she is right; and that my friends, is the Rule #560 of the#BulliedHusdbandsClub hand book.”

Although he said he might not be right, Nico, however, has garnered a lot of positive comments from netizens who also have the same views with him about relationships.

Commenting on Nico’s post, Facebook user Princess Abegail Gonzales said she hopes that every guy nowadays can be understanding as Nico. “‘Di ‘yung selos dito, selos don. Bawal makipagkaibigan sa lalaki, bawal makipagusap sa lalaki. Paano na lang din ako na nagwo-work sa gym mostly mga ka-work lalaki (Not the type who is jealous all the time. Not allowed to be friends with guys or talk with other men… How about me who works on a gym where most of my colleagues are guys)?” she wrote.

Wanted to be guided more on how to deal with women, netizen Jon Dela Cruz, meanwhile, asked Nico to publish a handbook of Bullied Husbands Club.

“It will save a lot of husbands (even guys in a relationship) from being derailed,” he said. ■

Anne Curtis surprised on birthday with Dua Lipa video greeting

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer ABS-CBN “It’s Showtime” host Anne Curtis gets the shock of her life during her 34th “birthday salubong,” as British-Albanian pop singer-songwriter Dua Lipa sends her a video shoutout.

In the video, which Anne received last Saturday, February 16 during the noontime variety show, Dua tells the Kapamilya star, “Hey, Anne Curtis. I’m Dua Lipa. Looking forward to see you very soon.” Anne then shares the video on her own social media, captioned, “Real Fantasy.

I won’t stay quiet! I won’t stay quiet! Guaranteed you totally blew my mind, Dua Lipa and I am dying to see you perform

again real soon! I have no words.

My fangirl heart is so happy.

Never in my wildest dreams.”

She then thanks the companies behind the video, including Warner Music Philippines, Warner Brothers Records, and It’s Showtime “for the beautiful birthday video presentation.”

Anne’s fellow celebrity friends shared their excitement for her in the comments section, like Karen Davila, Kim Chiu, Maja Salvador, Yeng Constantino, and sister Jasmine Curtis-Smith.

Dua Lipa is known for hits “IDGAF” and “New Rules,” winning Best New Artist during the recent Grammy Awards ceremony. The 23-year-old performer first visited the Philippines last September 2018, where she held a concert at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena,

Dua Lipa greets Anne.

which Anne attended.

A day after her birthday celebration on It’s Showtime, Anne throws a more intimate fitnessthemed party for her family and friends at her home for brunch and a mini sports festival. Among www.canadianinquirer.net

@ANNECURTISSMITH / INSTAGRAM

her attendees that broke a sweat to the workouts of fitness Coach Arnold Aninion include: Rajo Laurel, Nix Alanon, Eric Dee Jr., Bea Soriano, Liz Uy, Nico Bolzico, Georgina Wilson, and CJ Javarata. Their hearty brunch

was provided by Anne’s husband chef Erwan Heussaff, as well as Wildflour Cafe + Bakery’s Chef de Cuisine Allen Buhay. Georgina, on the other hand, baked a homemade cheesecake for the celebration. ■

Entertainment

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019

25

Miriam Quiambao gives birth to miracle baby boy

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer

'The Souvenir': Joanna Hogg, Tilda Swinton, Honor Swinton Byrne & Tom Burke @BERLINEALE/INSTAGRAM

Women filmmakers have record showing at Berlin Film Festival

BY LOUISE DIXON The Associated Press BERLIN — The voice of the female filmmaker was louder than ever at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, with seven out of the 16 films in the competition section helmed by women, and female directors from all corners of the globe featured prominently.

Women directors represented 63 per cent of the films presented across the festival’s 15 different sections, making it the biggest representation of women directors in the festival’s 69-year history.

In addition, the Berlin Film Festival’s selection committee was overwhelmingly female.

There were originally 17 films in competition but one film from China was withdrawn.

This year’s festival, also known as the Berlinale, wraps up on Sunday. It has been rich with global women telling female-focused stories, including Michela Occhipinti’s feature debut “Flesh Out,” about the practice of gavage, the forced fattening-up of young girls before their weddings in Western Africa.

“We are half, maybe more than half the population,” she said of women. “(We are) feeling something different.”

Other female-centred stories included Macedonian director Teona Strugar Mitevska and her feminist satire “God Exists, Her Name is Petrunya;” “37 Seconds,” a tender story from Japan about sex and disability from Hikari; and Austrian filmmaker Marie Kreutzer’s “The Ground Beneath My Feet,” which looks at a high-performing career woman struggling with a sister with mental illness.

There was also the black-and-white lesbian love drama “Elisa and Marcela” from Spanish filmmaker Isobel Coixet.

British director Joanna Hogg presented her fourth feature film, “The Souvenir,” which followed a young girl through film school in the 1980s. Part autobiographical, part fiction, “The Souvenir” stars Honor Swinton Byrne as a student filmmaker alongside her mother, Tilda Swinton, who plays her on-screen mom.

Hogg says she wants to encourage more women to make films and explains that one of the reasons for making the movie was to show a woman as an artist.

“We all talk about films about directors like the wonderful ‘8 1/2’ which I’m very inspired by, but they’re always these male directors, these sort of male egos,” she said. “So I’m kind of very interested in the female ego.”

Swinton, who has directed documentaries, says for her, the role models have always been there.

“I personally as a filmmaker was always aware of the great comradeship of female filmmakers. And you don’t have to look very far to know how many female filmmakers have always been making films. It just, they don’t necessarily get the column inches” in the press, she said.

That wasn’t the case for Danish director Lone Scherfig, who opened this year’s festival with “The Kindness of Strangers.” She says she didn’t have much inspiration from women filmmakers or the female characters she watched on screen growing up in Denmark.

“Women were always happy and pretty and I, even as a little girl, would

FORTY-THREE-YEAR-OLD former beauty queen Miriam Quiambao has given birth to her first child via cesarean (CS) delivery last Saturday, February 16.

The news was officially announced on Ardy’s Instagram, posting a photo with Miriam and their newborn son captioned, “Welcome to the world, Elijah!” adding a message to their supporters, saying, “Thanks for your prayers! Everything went well with the emergency CS tonight. Had a great team. So blessed and overwhelmed by God’s goodness!”

He concluded saying, “More [photos] to come. Have to take care of my wifey now as she recovers from the procedure.

Please continue to pray for her. Baby’s fine and was a model breast feeder. God is so good!”

Miriam then also posted an image of Elijah, saying, “Elijah was born at 7:32pm on Feb 16, 2019, under emergency cesarean procedure led by Dr. Becky Singson. He weighed 4lbs 7oz.,

cried heartily, had an Apgar score of 10 and has a perfect latch. Glory to God for answered prayers! So grateful to God for this wonderful gift!” She also quotes Bible verse 1 Samuel 1:27-28.

A few hours after giving birth, Miriam was seen enjoying a slice of pizza while breastfeeding, exclaiming, “Finally! This is the moment I have long been waiting for: baby feeds on me while I feed on pizza!” then explaining the importance of knowing the foods one is intolerant to for fertility, concluding, “Now that I have given birth, I can finally get to treat myself to some much-anticipated pizza!

Yum! Tomorrow, I’m back to my regular programming but today, I shall indulge.”

This is Miriam’s first child with her husband, whom she married in 2014.

Ardy is a Christian author and motivational speaker, and as a widower had one child with his late wife.

Miriam is known for representing the Philippines in Miss Universe 1999, where she landed first runner-up. Currently, she is an inspirational speaker, author, entrepreneur, and real estate broker. ■

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26

Lifestyle Retailers, fashion brands struggle with racial insensitivity

BY ANNE D’INNOCENZIO The Associated Press NEW YORK — Retailers and top fashion brands like Gucci and Prada keep apologizing for products that smack of racial insensitivity.

The big question is: Why does it keep happening?

Experts say many of these fashion companies live in a sort of bubble and lack the diversity in their staff that could vet their fashions. They also blame the increasing pressures facing the industry to push products from the design board to the stores and online in weeks rather than months without taking time to thoroughly review products.

“There is such pressure on speed that there is no time for consideration,” said Allen Adamson, co-founder of Metaforce, a marketing firm. “When you are moving this fast, there is no time for perspective.”

Just as quickly as mistakes are made, so too are they amplified over social media as shoppers take to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to voice complaints.

In the latest example, Katy Perry’s fashion line this week pulled two types of shoes — which featured protruding eyes, nose and red lips — that critics likened to blackface. The singer and company said they were saddened that it was being compared to blackface and had envisioned the designs to be a nod to “modern art and surrealism.”

Last week, Gucci removed

a sweater off the market after complaints that the oversized collar designed to cover the face resembled blackface makeup.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Gucci offered a mea culpa and said that it planned to turn the incident “into a powerful learning moment for the Gucci team and beyond.”

The latest blunders followed apologies from Italian designer Prada, which said in December it was no longer selling a line of accessories that featured a character with brown skin and exaggerated red lips. And last year, Swedish retailer H&M pulled an ad that featured a black child donning a sweat shirt with the words “Coolest monkey in the jungle.”

Experts say that companies are not keeping up with the pace and complexity of global expansion.

“The fact is, all retailers live in a global village today, whether they realize it or not,” said Sonia Lapinsky, managing director in the retail practice at AlixPartners, a global consulting firm. “And even if massive, global movements like the diversity movement and other ‘woke’ movements don’t yet seem to be of the highest importance to all retailers, in every segment and in every corner of the planet, those that think that way are most likely doing so at their long-term peril.”

Adheer Bahulkar, a partner at consultancy A.T. Kearney, agreed, saying that brands need to pay attention to issues that might not be noticed within their own culture but that are

Katy Perry's 'The Rue Face.'

“highly sensitive in another culture.”

Acknowledging their mistakes, some companies are now trying to rectify the problem.

Gucci, for instance, announced Friday it will hire a global director for diversity and inclusion, a newly created role. It also is promising to launch a scholarship program to cultivate diverse design talent.

The announcement came after Gucci CEO Marco Bizzarri met in New York City’s Harlem neighbourhood with Dapper Dan, a well-known AfricanAmerican designer, and other community members to hear their perspectives.

Prada said Wednesday it’s creating a diversity council to “elevate voices of colour within the company and fashion industry at large.” It said two Americans, artist Theaster Gates and film director Ava DuVernay, will chair the council.

www.canadianinquirer.net

DILLARD'S / WEBSITE

The group will work to develop “diverse talent” and develop more opportunities for students of colour, the luxury fashion house said.

“Prada is committed to cultivating, recruiting and retaining diverse talent to contribute to all departments of the company,” said Miuccia Prada, CEO and lead creative director at Prada in a statement.

In the aftermath of its sweat shirt controversy, H&M put together a diversity and inclusion team headed by insider and lawyer Annie Wu with people from different departments.

Last November, the company hired former Viacom executive Ezinne Kwubiri as head of inclusion and diversity for North America.

“We must admit that there is some truth in the fact that we have maybe been too centralized and that we need to challenge ourselves in an open and

constructive way to get everyone, everywhere to be more culturally sensitive, racially aware, and more critical of how the outside world might see what we do,” Wu said in a corporate blog post last spring.

Still, putting some controls on the design team requires a balancing act, particularly with design-led fashion firms. It has to be done without hurting the creativity of the team, says Lapinksy.

Lapinsky predicts that offensive designs will continue to pass through the layers of designers and merchandisers until companies really see a big hit at the bottom line.

Wendy Liebmann, founder and CEO of WSL Strategic Retail, a retail consultancy firm, said diversity training and a new way of thinking has to be “embedded in the culture.”

“It can’t be at arms-length,” she said. ■

Lifestyle

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019

27

PH divorce bill status: It’s complicated

BY CHRISTINE CUDIS Philippine News Agency MANILA — While Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love, not all love stories lead to a happy ending.

In many countries, the best way to end these romanceturned-nightmare stories is divorce. However, it’s not the case for Filipinos as the Philippines does not have a divorce law yet.

Measures to legalize divorce in the country have been introduced by lawmakers though.

On March 19, 2018, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading House Bill (HB) No. 7303, which seeks to legalize absolute divorce in the country, over a decade after it was introduced during the 13th Congress in 2005.

Bills pushing for divorce were also filed by lawmakers during the 14th, 15th, and 16th Congress.

For the 15th Congress, then Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and Pangasinan Rep. Marlyn Primicias-Agabas sponsored HB 4368 that seeks to “harmonize” the Family Code “with recent rulings of the Supreme Court on divorce obtained by the alien spouse in another country.”

The House plenary approved the said bill on Sept. 26, 2012, and was received by the Senate on the same day.

Then Gabriela Women’s Party Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan also filed a bill to amend the Family Code and introduce divorce.

The bill was referred to the

Committee on Revision of Laws on January 26, 2011.

Five similar bills on divorce were also filed during the 16th Congress. The Ilagan-sponsored bill has been pending with the Committee on Population and Family Relations since May 20, 2014.

However, advocates of this measure face a powerful adversary — the Catholic Church.

Aside from the Philippines, Vatican City, an independent state headed by the Pope, is the only country in the world without divorce but allows the annulment of marriages.

It is perhaps Spain’s legacy to the country that even after the Philippines was free from their colonization, Filipinos embraced the Catholic faith, which up to now has a big influence on the country’s way of life and government policies.

The Church views marriage as a sacred vow and the Philippine Constitution upholds it as an institution that should be protected. It firmly stresses that no man can break what God has unified through the sacrament of marriage.

While many lawmakers push for divorce laws in the country, their efforts are continuously blocked by their colleagues

who have conservative views on marriage and by the so-called “Catholic vote”.

An average of 53 percent of adult Filipinos nationwide support the legalization of divorce for irreconcilably separated couples, based on the Social Weather Stations surveys of

March 25-28, 2017 and December 8-16, 2017.

The survey also showed “very strong” net agreement among women with live-in partners, men with live-in partners, and widowed/separated men.

Pia Roces Morato, an advocate of the bill, said during the Philippine News Agency’s (PNA) Pros and Cons episode that she upholds the sanctity of marriage but unfortunate events brought her to annul-

ment.

“I admit it is painful but it is worth it. You do not get into marriage without love. But it just did not work out (for us),” she added.

Present options

Currently, the only legal recourse available to Filipinos who want to exit a failed union is through an annulment or a petition for legal separation. These two options have different grounds and end results.

Annulment is an expensive and a tedious legal battle, especially if one party is not cooperating and is against the petition.

To be granted an annulment, issues must have taken place before the marriage, since annulment nullifies the marriage.

For example, an annulment demonstrates that marriage d i d n ’ t happen in the first place. Psychological incapacity, mistaken identity, and being underage are some reasons an annulment can be granted.

Still from the Pros and Cons episode, Fr. Jerome Secillano, Executive Secretary of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines’ Committee on Public Affairs, remarked that the government has overlooked ways to re-strengthen a weakening marriage.

He also cited that the Catholic Law allows nullity of marriage.

“May legal na proseso din naman ang simbahan. Ang Santo Papa mismo ang nagudyok na gawing mas simple ang programa upang mapadali ang proseso (The Church has a legal process [that nullifies marriage]. In fact, the Pope has made the program simpler to hasten the process),” Secillano added.

Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas meanwhile responded, “Yung hinahanap po kasi ng mga nagaabang ng batas na ito ay isang legal option — divorce. Naniniwala tayo na hindi ito ang end all, ngunit hindi naman makakasagabal sa mga happy marriages (Those who anticipate the passage of this bill is looking for a legal option — divorce. While we believe that this should not be the end-all, it does not in any way form a hindrance to those who are happily married anyway).”

Senate Bill No. 2134 or the Divorce Act of 2018 was filed in the Senate last January.

Under the bill, absolute divorce can be obtained under the following conditions: physical abuse happens or a “grossly abusive conduct” is exhibited, psychological incapacity, irreconcilable marital differences despite efforts to reconcile, marital rape, and separation for at least five years, among others.

It will also penalize the spouse found to have used force or intimidation to compel the other spouse to file the petition. ■

Statistics Canada says adults living with parents usually employed and single

BY STEPHEN COOK The Canadian Press OTTAWA – A Statistics Canada report is digging deeper into what kind of adults live with their parents at a time when more are doing so than ever before.

Close to 1.9 million Canadians aged 25 to 64 lived with at least one parent in 2017, more than double the 900,000 re-

corded 20 years ago, the agency said Friday.

In 1995, Canadians at home made up only five per cent of the adult population aged 25 to 64; now it’s up to nine.

But experts say it would be wrong to view them as the couch potatoes of the popular imagination.

“The image of these lazy twenty-somethings sitting in the basement playing video games is not borne out in the

data,” said Nora Spinks, CEO of the Vanier Institute of the Family.

While students made up a significant share of adults living with parents, most had paid employment: 74 per cent, only slightly fewer than the 80 per cent of those not living with parents.

They were less likely to have worked full-time permanent jobs in the prior year, though: 72 per cent had worked 41 to 52 www.canadianinquirer.net

weeks, compared to 82 per cent of those living apart from their parents.

Seventy per cent reported being single, meaning they were unmarried and had no common-law partners.

Spinks said financial concerns usually keep adult children at home with their parents because it’s difficult to maintain a household on a single income, even if only one person lives in the home.

She said benefits and job security are scarce for young adults, making living with parents easier, more economical or the only remaining choice.

Close to three-quarters of adults living with parents have never lived apart from their parents, Statistics Canada said.

“This finding held true regardless of age group,” reads the report, adding that 60 per ❱❱ PAGE 31 Statistics Canada

28

Lifestyle

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

FRIDAY

Chanel: Iconic couturier Karl Lagerfeld dies in Paris

BY THOMAS ADAMSON AND SAMUEL PETREQUIN The Associated Press PARIS — Karl Lagerfeld, Chanel’s iconic couturier whose designs had an unprecedented impact on the entire fashion industry, died Tuesday in Paris, prompting an outpouring of love and admiration for the man in the trademark white ponytail, high starched collar and dark enigmatic glasses who dominated high fashion for the past 50 years.

Although he spent virtually his entire career at luxury labels catering to the very wealthy — including 20 years at Chloe — Lagerfeld’s designs quickly trickled down to lowend retailers, giving him global influence.

Such was the enigma surrounding the German-born designer that even his age was a point of mystery for decades, with reports he had two birth certificates, one dated 1933 and the other 1938.

In 2013, Lagerfeld told the French magazine “Paris Match” he was born in 1935, but in 2019 his assistant still didn’t know the truth — telling The Associated Press he liked “to scramble the tracks on his year of birth — that’s part of the character.”

Chanel confirmed that Lagerfeld, who had looked increasingly frail in recent seasons, died early Tuesday in Paris.

Last month, he did not come out to take a bow at the house’s couture show in Paris — a rare absence that the company attributed to him being “tired.”

“An extraordinary creative individual, Lagerfeld reinvented the brand’s codes created by Gabrielle Chanel: the Chanel jacket and suit, the little black dress, the precious tweeds, the two-tone shoes, the quilted handbags, the pearls and costume jewelry,” Chanel said.

“Thanks to his creative genius, generosity and exceptional intuition, Karl Lagerfeld was ahead of his time, which widely contributed to the House of Chanel’s success throughout the world,” the brand’s CEO Alain Wertheimer said. “Today, not only have I lost a friend, but we have all lost an extraordi-

nary creative mind to whom I gave carte blanche in the early 1980s to reinvent the brand.”

Chanel said Virginie Viard, his longtime head of studio, will create the house’s upcoming collections. Chanel did not say whether her appointment was permanent.

Lagerfeld was one of the most hardworking figures in the fashion world, holding down the top design jobs at LVMHowned luxury label Fendi from 1977, and Paris’ family-owned power-house Chanel in 1983.

He lost around 90 pounds in his late 60s to fit into the latest slimline fashions.

At Chanel, he served up youthful designs that were always of the moment and sent out almost infinite variations on the house’s classic skirt suit, ratcheting up the hemlines or smothering it in golden chains, stings of pearls or pricey accessories. They were always delivered with wit.

“Each season, they tell me (the Chanel designs) look younger. One day we’ll all turn up like babies,” he once told The Associated Press.

His outspoken and often stinging remarks on topics as diverse as French politics and celebrity waistlines won him the nickname “Kaiser Karl” in the fashion media. Among the most acid comments included calling former French President Francois Hollande an “imbecile” who would be “disastrous” for France in MarieClaire, and telling The Sun British tabloid that he didn’t like the face of Pippa Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge’s sister.

“She should only show her back,” he advised.

Lagerfeld was also heavily criticized for sending out a negative message to women when he told France’s Metro newspaper that British singer Adele was “a little too fat.”

Despite this, he did have an under-reported soft side. He was known to be very kind to his staff at Chanel and was famous for giving journalists long interviews after each fashion show. He also shared his unmarried life in his Parisian mansion with a Siamese cat called Choupette.

“She is spoilt, much more

than a child could be,” he told the AP in 2013, revealing that he took her to the vet nearly every 10 days.

Lagerfeld had little use for nostalgia and kept his gaze firmly on the future. Well into his 70s, he was quick to embrace new technology: He famously had a collection of hundreds of iPods.

A photographer who shot ad campaigns for Chanel and his own eponymous label, Lagerfeld also collected art books and had a massive library and a bookstore as well as his own publishing house. He was also an impressive linguist, switching between perfect French, English, Italian and his native German during interviews at fashion shows.

Although he spent much of his life in the public eye, Lagerfeld remained a largely elusive figure. Even as he courted the spotlight, he made an apparently deliberate effort to hide what was going on behind his trademark dark shades.

“I am like a caricature of myself, and I like that,” British Vogue quoted Lagerfeld as saying. “It is like a mask. And for me the Carnival of Venice lasts all year long.”

After cutting his teeth at Paris-based label Chloe, Lagerfeld consolidated his reputation in the 1980s when he revived the flagging fortunes of the storied Paris haute couture label Chanel. There, he helped launch the careers of supermodels including Claudia Schiffer, Ines de la Fressange and Stella Tennant.

In a move that helped make him a household name, Lagerfeld designed a capsule collection for Swedish fast-fashion company H&M in 2004 and released a CD of his favourite music shortly after.

A weight-loss book he published in 2005 — “The Karl Lagerfeld Diet” — consolidated his status as a pop culture icon. In the book, Lagerfeld said it was his desire to fit into the slimcut suits by then-Dior Homme designer Hedi Slimane that had motivated his dramatic transformation.

The son of an industrialist who made a fortune in condensed milk and his violinist www.canadianinquirer.net

Karl Lagerfield and models walks the runway during the Chanel Autumn/Winter 2011/2012 show during Paris Fashion Week.

FASHIONSTOCK.COM / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

wife, Lagerfeld was born into an affluent family in Hamburg, Germany.

Lagerfeld had artistic ambitions early on. In interviews, he variously said he wanted to become a cartoonist, a portraitist, an illustrator or a musician.

“My mother tried to instruct me on the piano. One day, she slammed the piano cover closed on my fingers and said, ‘draw, it makes less noise,” he was quoted as saying in the book “The World According to Karl.”

At 14, Lagerfeld came to Paris with his parents and went to school in the City of Light. His fashion career got off to a precocious start when, in 1954, a coat he designed won a contest by the International Wool Secretariat. His rival, Yves Saint Laurent, won that year’s contest in the dress category.

Lagerfeld apprenticed at Balmain and in 1959 was hired at another Paris-based house, Patou, where he spent four years as artistic director. After a series of jobs with labels including Rome-based Fendi, Lagerfeld took over the reins at Chloe, known for its romantic Parisian style.

Lagerfeld also started his own label, Karl Lagerfeld, which though less commercially successful than his other ventures, was widely seen as a sort of sketchpad where the designer worked through his audacious ideas.

In 1982, he took over at over Chanel, which had been dormant since the death of its founder, Coco Chanel, more than a decade earlier.

“When I took on Chanel, it was a sleeping beauty — not

even a beautiful one,” he said in the 2007 documentary “Lagerfeld Confidential.” “She snored.”

For his debut collection for the house, Lagerfeld injected a dose of raciness, sending out a translucent navy chiffon number that prompted scandalized headlines.

He never ceased to shake up the storied house, sending out a logo-emblazoned bikini so small the top looked like pasties on a string and another collection that dispensed entirely with bottoms, with the models wearing little jackets over opaque tights instead.

Lagerfeld was open about his homosexuality — he once said he announced it to his parents at 13 — but kept his private life under wraps. Following his widely known relationship with a French aristocrat who died of AIDS in 1989, Lagerfeld insisted he prized his solitude above all.

“I hate when people say I’m ‘solitaire’ (or solitary.) Yes, I’m solitaire in the sense of a stone from Cartier, a big solitaire,” Lagerfeld told The New York Times. “I have to be alone to do what I do. I like to be alone. I’m happy to be with people, but I’m sorry to say I like to be alone, because there’s so much to do, to read, to think.”

As much as he loved the spotlight, Lagerfeld was careful to obscure his real self.

“It’s not that I lie, it’s that I don’t owe the truth to anyone,” he told French Vogue in an interview. ■ Former AP fashion writer Jenny Barchfield provided biographical material for this story.

29

Sports Helterbrand succeeds tripledouble in Ginebra victory vs Purefoods for PBA Legends Game

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer PHILIPPINE BASKETBALL Association (PBA) fans were able to watch some of their favorite veteran players during the Return of the Rivals exhibition game last Sunday, February 17, where the Barangay Ginebra greats overcame the Purefoods’ legends, 97-89, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Retired 42-year-old FilipinoAmerican player Jayjay Helterbrand showed that he is still a force to be reckoned with as he performed a triple-double at 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. Forty-eight-year-old Vince Hizon also made an impact, scoring his 19 points during the

third quarter of the game alone, distancing the Kings from the Hotdogs after their tied halftime. As a result, both players were named players of the game, sharing the P25,000 reward.

In reaction to his performance, Helterbrand told the media, “It’s really an honor to be able to play on the court with all the legends. Just the stories I’ve heard in practice, getting a chance to be coached by the legend himself and be able to play for a good cause, that was fun,” adding, “ I was in awe trying to absorb everything. I didn’t really plan on playing that hard, but I didn’t want to let them down. I came out there and I wanted to get that win for them.”

When asked about returning to the professional league, Hel-

terbrand declined the idea, even joking, “I think I pushed myself a little bit over the limit. My body hurts. I need an ice bath now.”

The Ginebra Kings lineup also included Marlou Aquino, Noli Locsin, and Bal David, who scored 15 points, 14 points, and 12 points respectively. For their victory, the Robert Jaworski-coached squad received P100,000 cash prize.

For the Purefoods Tender Juicy Hotdogs, a team now renamed as the Magnolia Hotshots, 41-year-old Roger Yap had the game-high of 27 points, while Paul Artadi and Tony Boy Espinosa chipped 14 points each. They were coached by commissioner of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Mon Fernandez. ■

Beauty Queens, volleybelles among muses for PBA D-League opening

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE 2019 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Developmental League (D-League) opening last Thursday, February 14 at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig was truly extravagant, as beauty queens and volleyball stars were among the muses who represented the 20 teams joining this season.

Miss Grand International 2016 Nicole Cordoves, Miss Supranational 2018 Jehza Mae Huelar, and Miss Globe 2018 Creamline middle blocker Michele Gumabao were among the recognizable beauty queens in the opening parade, representing AMA Online Education and Marinerong Pilipino respectively, while celebrity Daiana Menezes was the muse for reigning Foundation Cup champion Go for Gold-CSB.

Rachel Anne Daquis, Erica Wilson, and Anastasiya Gurbanova of the Cignal HD Spikers walked alongside Cignal-Ateneo, while University of Santo Tomas (UST) Tigresses team captain Sisi Rondina strutted next to her alma mater. National University (NU) Bulldogs women’s basketball guard Christiana Dimaunahan also represented her school.

For the first game of the 2019 PBA D-League season, the Cignal-Ateneo Blue Eagles defeated the Coach Charles Tiu led Go for Gold-CSB squad 103-75, with Isaac Go scoring a total of 21 points and Dan Wong chipping 17 for the Blue Eagles. Matt Nieto also performed with 14 points, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds.

In the words of Coach Tab Baldwin about his team’s win, “Offensively, I was surprised that we played pretty well. We’ve got some guys in our roster that

we’re reconstructing their shots.

We’re not doing a lot, really, but the guys played very efficiently.

That’s one thing I really liked.”

For Go for Gold-CSB, Justin Gutang performed with 21 points, while teammate Yankie Haruna chipped 11 points, but none of the other players on their squad were able to provide double digits. In response to their loss, Coach Charles Tiu shares, “We just didn’t play well today. I expect a much better game next time. I guarantee we’re gonna come out differently than the way we played against Ateneo and that’s for sure. We’re not gonna have this type of game again next week.” On a lighter note, he concludes, “We’re gonna prepare, we’re gonna push them harder because it’s a good wakeup call for them,” referring to their upcoming opponents, St. Clare College. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Yul Benosa.

YUL CASTILLO BENOSA / FACEBOOK

UAAP S81 appoints new volleyball commissioner

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer Veteran international referee, Yul Benosa, has just been announced as the newest volleyball commissioner for the upcoming University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) season.

For the 81st year of the league, host National University (NU) is anticipating a successful season with Benosa heading the volleyball matches, which will begin on Saturday, February 16 at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.

Benosa is originally from Pangasinan, graduating from the University of Santo Tomas (UST) with a degree in education, major in physical education, health and music. He was also a part of the UAAP men’s volleyball team from 1989 to 1991 representing the Tigers.

He represented the country as RP Youth Team Captain in Thailand in 1992 and the national men’s senior volleyball team in Japan in 1993.

In 2008, Benosa became the chief referee of the UAAP for

the next 10 years. He has also assisted the Palarong Pambansa volleyball tournaments since 2012. Benosa began his international career in 2009, officiating tournaments like the 2014 Asian Men’s Club Championships and the 2016 ASEAN University Games in Singapore.

Other than refereeing, Benosa works as a coaching clinician and volleyball event organizer for the Philippine Volleyball Federation and as a senior high school teacher at the Pasay City North High School-Tramo Campus.

For the first games of the UAAP Season 81 volleyball season, the University of the East (UE) Warriors men’s volleyball team will face the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons at the San Juan venue at 8am; while at 10am, the Far Eastern University (FEU) Tamaraws will go head-tohead against the NU Bulldogs.

For the women’s division, the Lady Warriors will face the Lady Maroons at 2pm, while the 4pm game is when the FEU Lady Tamaraws and the NU Lady Bulldogs will go head-tohead. ■

30

Business Report: Honda to shut UK plant, imperiling 3,500 jobs

BY JILL LAWLESS The Associated Press LONDON — Honda will close a car factory in western England with the potential loss of 3,500 jobs, British media and a local lawmaker said Monday, in another blow to a British economy made jittery by Brexit.

Sky News said the Japanese carmaker is to announce Tuesday that the Swindon plant will close in 2022. Honda makes its popular Civic model at the factory, 70 miles (115 kms) west of London.

Local lawmaker Justin Tomlinson confirmed the news in a series of tweets. He said he had

spoken to Honda, and the company said the decision “is based on global trends and not Brexit as all European market production will consolidate in Japan in 2021.”

He said no job losses at the plant were expected until 2021.

Honda said it could not comment “at this stage.”

“We take our responsibilities to our associates very seriously and will always communicate any significant news with them first,” the firm said in a statement.

The Unite trade union, which represents workers at the plant, said it was looking into the reports. Des Quinn, the union’s automotive-sector national officer, said the plant’s closure “would

be a shattering body blow at the heart of U.K. manufacturing.”

The news comes as British businesses are issuing increasingly urgent warnings about the damage being done by the uncertainty around Britain’s looming exit from the European Union. The U.K. is set to leave the bloc on March 29 but has yet to seal a deal laying out the divorce terms and establishing what trade rules will apply after Brexit.

Many businesses fear economic chaos if there isn’t an agreement on the rules and conditions that will replace the 45 years of frictionless trade that came with being an EU member. The uncertainty has

already led many firms to shift some operations abroad, stockpile goods or defer investment decisions.

Earlier this month, Japan’s Nissan announced that it would not build a new SUV at its plant in Sunderland, England, as previously planned.

Nissan said it had made the decision “for business reasons,” but added that “the continued uncertainty around the U.K.’s future relationship with the EU is not helping companies like ours to plan for the future.”

Last week Ford said that if Britain left the EU without a deal on smooth future relations, it would be “catastrophic for the U.K. auto industry and

Ford’s manufacturing operations in the country.”

Christian Stadler, professor of strategic management at Warwick Business School, said automakers were being hit by several factors, including a cooling global economy and a European crackdown on diesel engines.

“Add the fact that the supply chain for most British-made cars crosses the Channel several times as parts are shipped back and forth, so any delays at the border after Brexit could severely disrupt the industry’s ‘just in time’ production method, and the U.K. starts to look like a less attractive place for international companies to build cars,” he said. ■

Ayala Land sets P130-B capex for 2019

BY LESLIE GATPOLINTAN Philippine News Agency MANILA — Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) has earmarked a PHP130billion capital spending for 2019, to fund the development of more real estate projects following a banner performance last year, as a rosier economic outlook is expected to support continued growth of the property market.

“In 2019, we are hopeful, we feel way positive that the economy will continue to be supportive with property industry therefore, allow us to continue to make progress in our 2020PHP40 billion plan,” ALI President and Chief Executive Officer Bernard Vincent Dy said in a press briefing Friday.

Dy was referring to the company’s 2020 growth plan to reach PHP40 billion in net income.

“From 2018 to 2020, we need to grow 17 percent per year to get to the PHP40 billion, this is now within striking distance,” he said.

ALI chief finance officer Au-

gusto Bengzon said 40 percent of this year’s planned PHP130billion capital expenditures (capex) will be spent on residential projects, about 20 to 25 percent for the leasing segment, and the balance spread across land acquisition, estate development and others.

The company spent a record PHP110.1 billion in capex last year.

“And then, we planned to launch about PHP130 billion (projects) also this year. But the launch will be dependent on the kind of demand of the market this year,” Dy added.

Meanwhile, ALI reported a 16-percent increase in net income to PHP29.2 billion in 2018 from PHP25.3 billion the previous year, driven by sustained demand for residential products and the healthy performance of its leasing businesses.

Its consolidated revenues climbed 17 percent to PHP166.2 billion from PHP142.3 billion.

Property development revenues rose 18 percent to PHP113.4 billion owing to strong sales across its residen-

tial, office for sale and commercial lot segments.

Meanwhile, leasing revenues grew 17 percent to PHP34.9 billion on the back of robust local consumption, increasing demand in business process outsourcing (BPO) offices and a thriving tourism sector.

“As we celebrated our 30th year in 2018, we remained focused on developing more sustainable communities that enrich the lives of Filipinos. We introduced two new estates to bring our total to 26, registered the highest level of residential sales in our history, and stayed on track to open more commercial developments. These led to strong financial results and positioned our company for continued growth in the coming years,” Dy further said. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

MANOLITO TIUSECO / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Jollibee nets P8.3 billion in 2018

BY LESLIE GATPOLINTAN Philippine News Agency MANILA — Homegrown fastfood giant Jollibee Foods Corp.

(JFC) booked a 17.1-percent increase in profit in 2018 after opening 502 stores, the highest number of new stores opened for a single year in its 40-year history.

In a statement to the local bourse, JFC said its net income attributable to equity holders

of the Parent reached PHP8.3 billion last year from PHP7.1 billion in 2017.

System wide sales, a measure of all sales to consumers both from company owned and franchised stores, grew by 23.5 percent to PHP212.18 billion from PHP171.76 billion.

Excluding the impact of the consolidation of American burger chain Smashburger into JFC effective April 2018, sys❱❱ PAGE 33 Jollibee nets

Business

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019

31

New Zealand plans new tax for giants like Google, Facebook

BY NICK PERRY The Associated Press

BRIAN EVANS/ FLICKR, CC BY-ND 2.0

Farmers’ org tells economic team to visit farms

BY LILYBETH ISON Philippine News Agency

tential of 4 percent in 2018, fullyear economic growth would have reached 6.5 percent, equal to the low-end of our revised growth target last year.”

“Looking at 2018 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth by industrial origin, the agriculture sector contributed a measly 0.1 percentage point to the full-year growth rate of 6.2 percent. Simply put, the farm sector had virtually zero contribution to economic growth last

other infrastructure) and focusing on agricultural research and extension services. This leads to long-term productivity MANILA — Farmers organizagains as opposed to emphasiztion Philippine Maize Federaing input subsidies (e.g. fertiltion (PhilMaize) on Friday said izers, seeds),” he added. that recent statements of an Diokno said the economic economic team member does team will coordinate with the not reflect realities in the agriconcerned agencies, especially cultural sector. the Department of Agriculture “I can’t help but comment (DA) and the National Econom(on) the recent pronounceic and Development Authority ment of our economist(s) in (NEDA). the cabinet as “Once ready, this does not rewe will share our flect what is on findings in hopes the ground,” said of reversing the PhilMaize presipoor perforSimply put, the farm sector had dent Roger Namance of agrivirtually zero contribution to varro in a stateculture. This will economic growth last year. ment. take a holistic “We are a naapproach, both tion that mostly in policy formueat rice and a litlation and protle bit of corn. We cannot aban- year,” he added. gram implementation,” he said. don growing in favor of importDiokno said weak agriculture “Rest assured that the DBM ing it,” he added. growth and last year’s inflation will continue to play its part in Navarro cited that in 2007 to spike exposed the vulnerabili- ensuring that resources are al2008, the Philippines had the ties of the farm sector. located to most beneficial and money to import rice yet there The DBM is currently re- most efficient purposes,” he was still a shortage of the com- viewing studies by agriculture added. modity. He said this happened experts in an effort to find ways On the other hand, Navarro because exporting countries re- of enhancing resource alloca- said the DBM chief “should calfused to sell. “Then (the) price tion in the farm sector, he said. ibrate his pronouncement as if (of rice) went up to the ceil“One recommendation by they knew everything.” ing. We don’t want a repeat (of the Organization for Economic “They (economic team) are that),” he said.

Cooperation and Development just in their table planning for Budget and Management (OECD), for instance, is to di- us in the field. They don’t even Secretary Benjamin Diokno rect more resources in improv- know if their words inspire earlier stated that “had the ag- ing supply-chain connectivity or hurts farmers’ feelings,” he riculture sector grown at its po- (e.g. farm-to-market roads and said. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND — New Zealand’s government plans a new tax targeting online giants like Google and Facebook that earn plenty of money in the country but pay little tax.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said there’s a gap that needs to be closed.

“Our current tax system is not fair in the way that it treats individual taxpayers and the way that it treats multinationals,” she said. “It’s not fair.”

She said the proposed digital services tax would tax multinational online companies at about 2 or 3 per cent on the revenue they generate in New Zealand, a rate that is in line with other countries considering similar taxes.

Revenue Minister Stuart Nash said foreign online companies have a competitive advantage over local companies that do pay significant amounts of tax. He said the new tax that was announced on Monday could be implemented next year.

Nash said New Zealand would continue working with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD, to find an international solution to the problems of taxing big online companies, but that New Zealand was not going to wait around.

“The OECD can move at a rather slow rate,” he said.

New Zealand’s government estimates that online multinationals do about 2.7 billion New Zealand dollars ($1.9 billion) worth of business in the country each year, and that the new tax could generate up to 80 million New Zealand dollars ($55 million) annually.

The most recent New Zealand company filings indicate Google paid NZ$392,000 in income taxes in the 2017 calendar year. The company, which declined to comment, claimed a NZ$1 million loss over the year after booking much of its revenue in other countries.

The last publicly available figures from Facebook show the company paid NZ$43,000 in taxes in New Zealand in 2014.

Facebook said in a statement that it complies with applicable tax laws in New Zealand and every other country in which it operates. It said it’s moving to a “local selling model” to provide more transparency to governments and policy makers.

Amy Adams, the finance spokeswoman for the conservative opposition National Party, said the party agrees that multinationals should pay their fair share of taxes but that it supports the OECD work being ramped up. She said New Zealand will find it difficult to go out on its own without people missing out on what the global market has to offer. ■

Statistics Canada... ❰❰ 27

cent of those aged 55 to 64 and living with a parent had always

done so.

The reason is usually the result of either a disability or culture, said Spinks.

Twenty-one per cent of people identifying themselves as South Asian – including people of Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan descent – and 19 per cent of people of Chinese descent aged 25 to 64 lived with parents, more than double the nine per cent of the total Canadian population.

Statistics Canada said these

groups “may have cultures which value intergenerational living arrangements.”

But it’s unclear whether adult children are returning after leaving the nest, or if parents are moving in with them.

Spinks said the figures released Friday provide demographers and experts a starting point to get more answers.

“We got a lot of (the) what – we don’t have a lot of why,” said Spinks. “Now we try to figure out … what does this mean for policy and programming and communities and households.” ■

32

Technology Royale rumble: ‘Apex Legends’ smashing ‘Fortnite’ records

BY JAKE SEINER The Associated Press NEW YORK — For the first time since its meteoric rise, “Fortnite” is no longer a nodoubt victory royale atop the video game industry.

“Apex Legends” — a battle royale from Electronic Arts — has charged into the market and smashed “Fortnite” records for downloads and viewership since its release three weeks ago. Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and other streaming stars have powered that surge, as has the emergence of an 18-yearold “Apex” superstar. Esports teams are already scrambling to sign talented players and invest long-term, while others are raising concerns about overcommitting to the suddenly volatile battle royale genre.

Developed by Respawn Entertainment and published

by EA, “Apex” has shaken the industry by building on many of its shining successes. It has pulled popular elements from other battle royales — a type of video game where players are dropped into a map and fight in a last-man-standing format against up to 100 other gamers — while making a few key changes.

Like “Fortnite” and “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds,” “Apex” is free to download and play, making its money by selling outfits and other upgrades for use in the game. Among its key differences: “Apex” players compete exclusively in teams of three and can choose charac-

ters with varying abilities, features essential to team-based esports like “League of Legends” and “Overwatch.”

The game also went hard after the existing battle royale audience. EA recruited Blevins, Richard “KingRichard” Nelson and other famous gamers, asking them to put down “Fortnite” and stream “Apex” following its release Feb. 4. Blevins alone has over 13 million subscribers on Twitch, immediately giving “Apex” a massive audience. It’s unclear if EA paid those influencers to play the game, and EA did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

“Apex” had 25 million downloads in its first week, crushing the “Fortnite” mark of 10 million over its first two weeks after launching in 2017.

“I think ‘Apex’ has caught everybody by storm,” said Andy Miller, CEO of NRG Esports, which rosters teams across various video game titles. “They did a phenomenal job of getting the influencers to play it first, feeding the market on Twitch and then watching everybody starting to play the game, and the game is good.”

Six days after the game launched, NRG announced it was recruiting “Apex” players, making it the first esports organization to seek a pro specifically for that title. General manager Jaime Cohenca led the search, combing through applications and Twitch streams.

With the game being so new, Cohenca wasn’t entirely sure what he was looking for other than an “exceptional talent.”

He “knew immediately” when he came across Dizzy.

Coby “Dizzy” Meadows is an 18-year-old from Florida, and he is believed to be the best “Apex” player in the world. NRG signed him Feb. 12, and later that day, Meadows made major waves in the esports community by killing 33 of his 59 opponents in one match — a viral moment that generated nearly 500,000 views on YouTube alone. The next day, Meadows teamed up with Blevins and Nelson, also an NRG player, to win the $200,000 Twitch Rivals Apex Legends tournament against a lineup of streaming megastars.

Behind big draws for Dizzy, Ninja and KingRichard, “Apex” smashed another “Fortnite” record that day: 8.28 million hours of “Apex” were streamed on Twitch, topping the “Fortnite” mark of 6.6 million from July 20, per The Esports Observer.

Meadows has played regularly with Blevins and Nelson since. They won another tournament together later that week, and in the finals, Meadows had as many kills on his own as the entire opposing team.

“We knew this was a kid we had to take a flyer on,” Cohenca said. “Dizzy was a rock star.”

The question now: What comes next for “Apex,” “Fortnite,” and the stars and companies building up around their popularity? No doubt, NRG’s fast move on Meadows has paid off, and other top esports organizations have since begun recruiting their own “Apex” pros.

www.canadianinquirer.net

APEX LEGENDS / FACEBOOK

But it’s still not clear what kind of scene they’re staffing up for.

Epic Games, the developer behind “Fortnite,” hasn’t prioritized that game’s competitive sphere in the same way that companies behind “League of Legends” or “Overwatch” have.

Top “Fortnite” players like Blevins aren’t necessarily stars because they win every tournament. Ninja is a skilled gamer, for sure, but what has separated him is that he’s entertaining, a talent that pairs well with a goofier game like “Fortnite.”

“Apex” lacks those cartoonish vibes, and its rules and structure could lend it better to competitive esports — where skill and teamwork become more important than engaging on Twitch. EA has experience building leagues around its games, too, most notably with sports titles like Madden and FIFA. Right now, it’s unclear where “Apex” is going, and for how long it can hold that space. That’s part of why Ari Segal, CEO at Immortals, has been hesitant to invest in battle royale players.

He remains cautious, especially now that “Apex” has drawn up such a spectacular blueprint for

entering the market.

“It’s a well-oiled flywheel that likely means new battle royale games will increasingly be able to launch to faster and larger success, at least initially,” he said.

Immortals and NRG are at opposite ends of that spectrum, in many ways. NRG already has plans to build out a full “Apex” team so it’s ready to put a talented squad in the field no matter the competitive and streaming structure. It also plans to maintain its “Fortnite” roster, which features entertaining streamers like Nelson.

Segal’s concern is that if one battle royale can so quickly pull eyeballs from the others, how do you build around each title?

Formerly an executive with the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, his ambitions are to turn Immortals into a longstanding franchise like those in traditional sports.

Quickly turning over rosters to keep up with the hot new thing isn’t part of his plan.

“We believe that by selling sizzle, your customer is buying sizzle, and that by definition will flame out,” Segal said.

“We’re not selling sizzle; we’re building community.” ■

Technology

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019

Liberals give BlackBerry $40M to support futuristic car development

BY JIM BRONSKILL The Canadian Press OTTAWA – BlackBerry is getting $40 million in federal funding to help develop technologies that make cars safer, more connected to cyberspace and, eventually, capable of driving themselves.

The company is putting $310 million of its own money into the initiative, expected to create 800 jobs over the next decade at BlackBerry’s campus in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata, as well as support 300 existing jobs there.

The one-time smartphone leader is now working on advanced systems for vehicles and will put the federal money toward software development for the next generation of autonomous vehicles as well as skills training for workers.

BlackBerry says its QNX software is already in 120 million cars, guiding systems related to driver assistance features (such as automatic braking to avoid collisions), hands-free commands, and entertainment.

BlackBerry QNX plans to develop new automated-control systems, upgrade and secure communications in vehicles, and improve car safety by expanding its driver-assistance system.

The company says these are milestones along the road to truly driverless cars, which are still years away from becoming widely available to consumers.

The federal money is coming from the government’s Strategic Innovation Fund, a program intended to stimulate development of innovative products.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a news conference Friday the federal money for BlackBerry QNX software is a sign the government supports Canadian technology companies that want to lead in a new economy.

“Think of this new platform as the central nervous system of your car. It will consolidate

things like lane assistance and blind-spot detection, so that the cars of the future are safer and more reliable,” he said.

“For a global leader like QNX, this represents an unprecedented opportunity for growth.

Of course, the competition is fierce.”

According to the government, Canada’s expertise in emerging technologies is attracting significant investments in autonomous and connected-vehicle research from global firms such as General Motors and Ford and tech players like Uber, Google and Nvidia.

The QNX technology being developed for cars also has applications for medicine, the military, drones, industrial automation, nuclear power plants and high-speed rail, said senior BlackBerry executive John Wall.

More immediately, the developments will make cars safer, he said.

“I think in 2025 your car’s not going to be very different than it is today, except it’ll have more safety features, and that will trickle down to even the lessexpensive vehicles,” Wall said.

“What I would like to see out of all of this is less accidents and less fatalities related to cars.”

While BlackBerry is working toward fully self-driving cars, they are not expected to be commercially available in a big way before 2035 or 2040, he said.

The pace of technological development aside, consumers also have to be psychologically ready for the advent of autonomous vehicles, something that might take time.

In addition, there are myriad regulatory issues to be worked out in jurisdictions around the world to ensure the new applications have government approval and meet common standards, Wall said.

“The technology may be moving faster than the regulatory bodies are moving.” ■

33

21 Savage... ❰❰ 23

concert didn’t feel he had done enough and sought a warrant rather than suing him, she said.

After turning himself in Friday morning, Abraham-Joseph was released on his own recognizance. His legal team is working to resolve the underlying issue, Taylor said.

Abraham-Joseph said he believes the way immigration policy is enforced is broken, that he doesn’t think people “should be arrested and put in a place where a murderer would be for just being in the country for too long.”

Attorney Alex Spiro said on “Good Morning America” that he believes Abraham-Joseph was targeted “because he’s both a celebrity and they can use this as a way to send a message and also, perhaps, because of his music.”

He said he hopes the attention can help others held in immigration detention.

“There’s people that are just totally forgotten that exist in these detention centres,” Spiro said, later adding, “I’m hoping people like 21 Savage will bring light to these issues and help the people that are forgotten.”

ICE spokesman Bryan Cox said shortly after AbrahamJoseph was taken into custody that he was arrested in a targeted operation that had been planned weeks to months in advance.

Cox said at the time that Abraham-Joseph had overstayed his visa and also was convicted on felony drug charges in Fulton County, Georgia, in

21 SAVAGE / FACEBOOK

October 2014.

Abraham-Joseph’s lawyers have disputed that he has a felony conviction on his record.

“He has a singular offence for marijuana when he was a college-age person,” Spiro said in the television interview.

“That’s vacated, sealed. There’s no issue.”

Fulton County prosecutors have said they can’t comment on the case, which they say was handled under the state’s first offender law and is sealed.

An Atlanta police report from August 2014 says Abraham-Joseph was riding in a car driven by another man when officers stopped the car after an illegal U-turn in four lanes of traffic.

During a search of the car with a police dog, officers found a jar containing 22.6 grams (0.8 ounces) of marijuana, 89 hydrocodone pills, a scale in plain view, two loaded guns and

$1,775 in cash the report says.

Both men were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, possession of hydrocodone with intent to distribute and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, the report says.

A notice of seizure and forfeiture filed in Fulton County Superior Court in October 2014, says the $1,775 seized during the arrest is to be forfeited. It says the violation of law alleged is that Abraham-Joseph and the other man possessed marijuana.

Abraham-Joseph was nominated for two awards at the Grammys, including record of the year for “Rockstar” alongside Post Malone. His second solo album “I Am I Was,” released in December, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. ■

by 161.1 percent due to the consolidation of Smashburger; while Europe, Middle East and Asia, excluding Philippines, business grew by 42.7 percent (28.6 percent excluding SuperFoods); and the China business by 9.1 percent.

“The Philippine business performed strongly in 2018 despite rising inflation rate and slowing GDP (gross domestic product) growth. Same store sales grew by 6.9 percent in 2018 compared with 5.3 percent in 2017 while growing store network by 8.7 percent,” JFC Chief Executive Officer Ernesto Tanmantiong said.

“We continue to pursue our

aspiration to become one of the top restaurant companies in the world,” he added.

For 2019, JFC has allotted PHP17.2 billion in capital expenditures for new stores, renovation of existing stores, and investments in manufacturing plants.

This amount is almost double the actual spending in 2018 at PHP9.6 billion.

At the end of 2018, JFC was operating 3,126 restaurant outlets in the Philippines, and 1,395 stores abroad.

The JFC Group’s worldwide store network reached 4,521 stores. ■

Jollibee nets... ❰❰ 30

tem wide sales grew by 13.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 201 8 against the same period the previous year, and by 16.6 percent for the entire year of 2018.

JFC said its revenues also grew by 20.6 percent to PHP158.67 billion from PHP131.58 billion.

In the Philippines, sales of its restaurant chains increased by 15.1 percent for the entire year, driven by 8.2-percent contribution from new stores and 6.9 percent same store sales growth.

Sales of stores abroad surged by 55.5 percent led by the North America business which grew www.canadianinquirer.net

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

34

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35

Travel Gov’t committed to ensure tourists’ safety

BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency MANILA — Despite the recent Jolo bombings that prompted the issuance of fresh foreign travel advisories on the Philippines last month, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) assured foreign tourists the government is committed to their safety and security in the country.

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año stressed on Monday that security forces, particularly in Mindanao, would be “doing their best to contain” all threats in the area.

“I’m sure, even people in Mindanao will say that it’s

peaceful in Mindanao and the exact places to avoid,” he told reporters in Manila.

Año was with Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat at the launching of the Department of Tourism’s refreshed slogan, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines” campaign.

During the press conference, he described as “misconception” perceptions that there are threats in the entire country.

“As I’ve said, the threats are just confined in isolated areas in Mindanao. That’s why it’s very important in the social media to get the message across to the international community that it is really safe here in the Philippines and more fun in the Philippines,” he said.

“So we will advise foreign tourists upon their arrival

DILG Secretary Eduardo Año.

where to go and if ever they will go to some areas, we will make sure that they are safe,” he added.

At present, the DOT is trying

DILG PHILIPPINES / FACEBOOK

to focus on domestic tourism to at least cushion the impact of foreign travel advisories, specifically in Mindanao.

“On how we are going to

mitigate it, we’re just going to continue on our strategy to beef up our domestic tourism promotions. Even with all the Mindanao regional directors, we’ve grouped together, and you know, we’re really working on domestic because we see that their arrival is consistent,” DOT Northern Mindanao Director Marie Elaine Unchuan said in a recent interview.

Mindanao, the country’s second largest island, is home to idyllic destinations, awardwinning heritage sites as well as trove of well-preserved traditions and cultural treasures.

In Northern Mindanao alone, two ASEAN Heritage Parks are located — Mt. Kitanglad Range Natural Park in Bukidnon and Mt. Malindang Range Natural Park in Misamis Occidental. ■

Pop culture draws tourists chasing a Newfoundland ‘screech in’ welcome

BY HOLLY MCKENZIESUTTER The Canadian Press ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — All eyes in the bar are on Brian Day as he dons a sou’wester rain hat and charms a small crowd with a performance he’s perfected over the years: the screech-in ceremony.

Every screech-in presider puts their own spin on the proceedings, but the essentials of the Newfoundland welcoming remain the same.

Newcomers take a shot of rum, taste a bite of fried bologna — also known as “Newfoundland steak”— and kiss a codfish before reciting: “Long may your big jib draw.”

“It means ‘I wish you good luck,’” said Day, explaining that a “jib” is the sail in a schooner.

“As long as it’s drawing wind, you’re doing good.”

The tradition has certainly drawn in good fortunes for Christian’s Bar, the downtown

St. John’s establishment where Day is owner, operator and screech presider.

The former cigar bar initially began losing business when the indoor smoking ban came into effect in 2005, which is when revenue from screech-in ceremonies became more important.

Now, travellers from around the world walk though Christian’s doors looking to become honourary Newfoundlanders.

Christian’s charges guests $20 per screech-in. Day said he’s lost count of how many he’s performed, but whether he’s screeching in one person or 45, he concludes every ceremony by welcoming each person by name.

One name in particular has been engraved on a pillar inside: the late Anthony Bourdain. The celebrity chef was screeched in

by Day in October 2017 when he visited the province for an episode of his CNN travel series ‘Parts Unknown.’

Producers told Day the true

“Bourdain effect” will be felt this summer, after international audiences have had time to watch and book their trips.

The ceremony also has a dedicated song in the Broadway musical “Come From Away,” based on the true story of passengers welcomed to Newfoundland after an emergency landing following the 9/11 attacks.

The ceremony’s appearance on Broadway and CNN means growing international interest, and more tourist dollars for local businesses — but the attention also contributes to the ceremony’s controversial mythology.

Some see the screech-in as a cash grab that spreads an oversimplified caricature of the province and its people, tied to the negative “Newfie” stereotype that paints Newfoundlanders as happy-go-lucky yet unintelligent and lazy.

Former premier Clyde Wells condemned the ceremony in the early 1990s and ordered the destruction of thousands of “Order of Screechers” certifiwww.canadianinquirer.net

cates bearing his signature.

Day said he keeps this interpretation in mind. It inspired him to adapt his screech-in act to include a rant speaking to Newfoundland’s attributes, like boasting about the “friendliest and funniest” people in the country.

He says the performance is entertaining for come-fromaways and sometimes emotional for locals.

“When I get the Newfoundlanders, my people coming to me and saying, ‘You made me cry. You know, you never made me so proud to be a Newfoundlander, when you did your ceremony’ — that’s really impactful for me,” Day said.

The formal ceremony as presented in bars like Christian’s largely evolved in the 1970s as a form of entertainment for tourists.

Some consider the screech-in a manufactured tradition, but folklorist Philip Hiscock argues its roots go farther back, to informal guest ceremonies in the

1940s and initiation rituals performed on sealing vessels and other ships.

Hiscock said anti-screech attitudes have become a part of the tradition itself.

“It’s one of the reasons why people love to do it, because they know some people hate it,” he said. “It adds a little zest, then, to the tradition.”

Contessa Small, a folklorist at Memorial University researching a book on the tradition, said the ceremony has become increasingly attractive to outsiders seeking a sense of belonging in a busy, conflict-ridden world.

“When (they) come to Newfoundland, they’re coming with those ideas where you can slow down and find yourself, and maybe enjoy some of the better things in life,” she said.

“Maybe what we’re experiencing is a flip of that ‘Newfie’ stereotype, in that they’re coming here acknowledging the beauty of it, the intelligence of it, that this is a lifestyle that has value.” ■

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Travel

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

FRIDAY

DOT eyes rehab in Siargao, Coron

BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency MANILA — The national government is serious in its bid for a sustainable tourism industry in the Philippines, Tourism chief Bernadette RomuloPuyat said on Monday as she bared that future rehabilitation efforts are seen in Siargao and Coron.

This as ongoing activities in Manila Bay, Boracay, and two of the latest in Panglao, Bohol and El Nido, Palawan are underway.

“We are rehabilitating Panglao, Bohol and El Nido, and soon in Siargao. We’re actually looking at Coron,” she told reporters at the side of the refreshed tourism campaign relaunch in Manila.

Although this follows the Boracay revamp, Romulo-Puyat said there would be no closure involving the destinations in line for cleanup as well as those currently undergoing rehabilitation.

“We went to Panglao last

November and we actually gave them six months to follow the easement law and to follow environmental laws. In six months and they still do not comply then that’s what we’re going to discuss, what the next steps are,” she said.

“We hope that the mayors of Panglao and El Nido start complying. Why wait for the six months to end?” she added.

Last year, Boracay was closed to tourists for a six-month intensive rehabilitation to rid the beach of pollution and to fix its unregulated sewage system that has contributed to the island’s “cesspool” state in the past.

Since then, sustainable tourism has been the battle cry of the Department of Tourism in promoting the country’s destination and in rallying tourism stakeholders to do its part in balancing development and conservation.

In Boracay, the government has already reached the second phase of its rehabilitation which involves the repair of roads leading to the island’s

timberland.

“Our next inter-agency task force meeting will be held on February 28 in Boracay so that we can personally see the developments,” Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año said during the press conference.

“We received feedbacks from constituents that there are certain areas wherein they noted some sort of violations. We will look into that and we will make sure that we sustain the gains that we had for the last nine months,” he said.

Meanwhile, on the Manila Bay cleanup, he said he is confident that it could still regain its pristine condition as it was in the 60s.

“This will take time but with the cooperation of everyone, we could restore back Manila Bay into its pristine condition like in the 1960s,” he said.

Romulo-Puyat disclosed that at least five hotels in Metro Manila are in danger of closure should they fail to comply with environmental laws within three months.

Out of 50 establishments the government have inspected in Metro Manila, the Tourism chief said five were written notices of compliance in relation to the clean-up efforts in Manila Bay. “But it’s best that their names are not mentioned, but of course in three months if they don’t comply their names would be mentioned,” she said.

Within two weeks’ time since the DILG rallied the local government units in Metro Manila, Año bared that more than five million kilograms of waste have already been collected from Manila Bay. Last month, the national government kicked off the Manila Bay rehabilitation starting in the Manila area. The 192-kilometer harbor spans from Cavite and Metro Manila on the east, Bulacan and Pampanga on the north, and Bataan on the west.

Along with the 5,000 initial volunteers in the capital, more than 1,000 participated in the cleanup in the provinces of Bataan and Cavite. ■

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Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.

DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM - PHILIPPINES / FACEBOOK

PH launches refreshed tourism slogan

BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Philippines is repurposing the word “fun” in its old tourism slogan, “It’s More Fun in the Philippines”, by involving the travelers themselves and incorporating sustainability in the refreshed campaign.

At the unveiling ceremony on Monday, Tourism chief Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) campaign would be 100 percent crowdsourced from social media users, both Filipinos and foreigners, who shared their experiences and travels in different destinations in the country.

In every photo or video contributed, the DOT would be donating USD10 to the World Wide Fund for Nature under the name of the contributing tourist.

“When we think of fun, actually it started with the Boracay closure, it’s already redefined. When we think of fun, we can have fun but at the same we protect the environment,” she told reporters.

With more travelers conscious about their ecological footprint, the culture and experience they are consuming, and simply wanting to give back, Romulo-Puyat said “the time is right for the repurposing of the word fun.”

She said the refreshed campaign serves as the country’s invitation for local and foreigners alike to “be part of the fun.”

“In addition to your content, a contribution is made in your name in the preservation of our beaches, mountains and wildlife — we thank you and the environment thanks you,” she added.

To inspire the spirit of participation, the DOT is set to re-

lease a custom-made font that could be used by anyone sharing their photos, videos, and reasons why they like the country — free of charge.

The free font called “barabara” draws on the Filipino style of hand-painted lettering. It is also supported by the new tourism logo, inspired by local woven textiles - which offer a fresh graphic identity system that symbolizes not only fun but also contemporary and more sustainable tourism offering.

Meanwhile, Howie Uyking, DOT Assistant Secretary for Branding and Marketing Communications, said the Philippines is now riding the sustainability wave by striking a balance between development and conservation, as well as making the tourism industry inclusive — an example of which is the Boracay and Manila Bay rehabilitation.

He said these rehabilitation efforts “are just the beginning of something much greater.”

Making this paradigm shift “more fun,” Uyking said the DOT decided to retain the old slogan.

To date, the DOT has yet to determine the number of materials they will use for the campaign but DOT Undersecretary Benito Bengzo Jr. is optimistic the refreshed slogan would make the Philippines more competitive compared to other popular destinations in the region.

“We haven’t figured out the number of materials yet because right now, we’re just basing it on what we will generate from crowdsourcing,” he said.

“But I think the most significant thing that has emerged out of the refreshed campaign is that it provides platform among all of us to be involved in a very meaningful way,” he added. ■

37

Food You won’t miss the meat in this vegetable packed lasagna AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN THERE’S NO reason why a vegetable lasagna made with the classic trio of eggplant, zucchini, and summer squash should be any less satisfying than a meat-based casserole, especially when the produce is in season and locally grown.

But we’ve rarely cooked one that we’ve been moved to make again. Some versions look tempting enough with a topcoat of bubbly cheese and thick tomato gravy, but cutting out a square of it invariably reveals trouble at the core. Often placed between the pasta sheets raw, the zucchini and squash turn out steamy and limp, flooding the dish with their juices — or, in some instances, undercooked and crunchy.

Then there’s the eggplant, which is typically not only soggy, but greasy from pre-frying.

Add to that the usual patches of dry, grainy ricotta and it’s a wonder this dish ever became an Italian American standard.

So what would it take to make a full-flavoured lasagna with vegetables that could stand up to — not wash out — the cheese and sauce? Ridding the produce of some of its moisture and boosting its flavour before adding it to the dish would be steps in the right direction.

Vegetable lasagna

Servings: 8-10

Start to finish: 1 hour, 45 minutes Part-skim mozzarella can also be used in this recipe, but avoid pre-shredded cheese, as it does not melt well. We prefer kosher salt because it clings best to the eggplant. If using table salt, reduce the amounts by half.

Tomato Sauce: • 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 1 teaspoon kosher salt • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes Cream Sauce: • 8 ounces (1 cup) whole-milk cottage cheese • 4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (2 cups) • 1 cup heavy cream • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 1 teaspoon cornstarch • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt • 1/2 teaspoon pepper Filling and Noodles: • 1 1/2 pounds eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces • Kosher salt and pepper • 1 pound zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces • 1 pound yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2 inch pieces • 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon

extra-virgin olive oil • 4 garlic cloves, minced • 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme • 12 ounces (12 cups) baby spinach • 12 no-boil lasagna noodles • 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, minced • 12 ounces whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (3 cups) • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil For the tomato sauce: Whisk all ingredients together in bowl; set aside.

For the cream sauce: Whisk all ingredients together in second bowl; set aside.

For the filling and noodles: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 F. Toss eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Line large plate with double layer of coffee filters and lightly spray with vegetable oil spray. Spread eggplant in even layer over coffee filters; wipe out and reserve bowl. Microwave eggplant until dry to touch and slightly shriveled, about 10 minutes, tossing halfway through microwaving.

Let cool slightly. Return eggplant to bowl and toss with zucchini and summer squash.

Combine 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, and thyme in small bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of eggplant

mixture, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Push vegetables to sides of skillet. Add half of garlic mixture to centre and cook, mashing mixture into pan, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir garlic mixture into vegetables and transfer to medium bowl. Repeat with 2 tablespoons oil, remaining eggplant mixture, and remaining garlic mixture; transfer to bowl.

Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer spinach to paper towel-lined plate and let drain for 2 minutes. Stir into eggplant mixture. (Filling can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours.)

Grease 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce evenly over bottom of dish. Arrange 4 noodles on top of sauce (noodles will overlap). Spread

half of vegetable mixture evenly over noodles, followed by 1/4 cup olives. Spoon half of cream sauce over top and sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella. Repeat layering with 4 noodles, 1 cup tomato sauce, remaining vegetable mixture, remaining 1/4 cup olives, remaining cream sauce, and 1 cup mozzarella. For final layer, arrange remaining 4 noodles on top and cover completely with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup mozzarella evenly over tomato sauce.

Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil that has been sprayed with oil spray and bake until edges are just bubbling, about 35 minutes, rotating dish halfway through baking. Let lasagna cool for 25 minutes, sprinkle with basil, and serve. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 537 calories; 296 calories from fat; 33 g fat (14 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 68 mg cholesterol; 928 mg sodium; 42 g carbohydrate; 6 g fiber; 9 g sugar; 25 g protein.

Make some plain biscuits and then feel free to dress them up AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN THESE PLAIN biscuits can be dressed up with any flavourful, relatively dry ingredient, such as herbs, scallions, cheese, dried fruit, or spices. For variations on the recipe, see below. Follow this recipe with your kids.

Buttermilk drop biscuits Servings: 10-12 Prep Time: 15 minutes • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda • 1 teaspoon sugar • 3/4 teaspoon salt • 1 cup buttermilk • 8 tablespoons unsalted but-

ter, melted (see page 12 for how to melt butter) • Vegetable oil spray Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 F. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

In large bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt until combined. www.canadianinquirer.net

In liquid measuring cup, use fork to stir buttermilk and melted butter until butter forms small clumps.

Add buttermilk mixture to bowl with flour mixture. Use rubber spatula to stir until just combined.

Spray inside of 1/4-cup dry measuring cup with vegetable oil spray. Use greased measur-

ing cup to scoop batter and use butter knife to scrape off extra batter. Drop scoops onto baking sheet to make 10 to 12 biscuits (leave space between biscuits and respray measuring cup as needed).

Place baking sheet in oven and bake biscuits until tops are ❱❱ PAGE 38 Make some

38

Food

FEBRUARY 22, 2019

Try a dish with bold North African influenced spices AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN ESPINACAS IS a traditional tapas dish found in the southern Spanish region of Andalucia consisting of tender stewed chickpeas, delicate wilted spinach, and bold North Africaninfluenced spices.

We set out to develop an adaptation of this dish that could work as part of a larger meal.

For the flavour backbone, we stuck with the classic southern Spanish flavours of saffron, garlic, smoked paprika, and cumin.

Tasters also liked the traditional addition of chorizo, which added meaty richness.

Curly-leaf spinach was the best choice for its sturdy texture in this brothy dish.

To keep the recipe streamlined, we opted to wilt the spinach and then set it aside before building the brothy base with canned chickpeas and aromatics. Including the chickpeas’ flavourful, starchy canning liquid helped to give the dish more body.

Finally, we added a traditional picada, which is often used in Spanish cooking as a thickener.

The bread crumb-based mixture gave the stewed beans and greens just the right velvety texture and flavour boost. Our finished dish would be equally at home as part of a tapas spread or served as an entree over rice or with good crusty bread to sop up the flavourful broth.

If you can’t find curly-leaf spinach, you can substitute flatleaf spinach; do not substitute baby spinach. For an accurate measurement of boiling water, bring a full kettle of water to a boil and then measure out the desired amount.

Chickpeas with spinach, chorizo and smoked paprika

Servings: 4-6 Start to finish: 30 minutes

• Pinch saffron threads, crumbled • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil • 8 ounces curly-leaf spinach, stemmed • 3 ounces Spanish-style chorizo sausage, chopped fine • 5 garlic cloves, sliced thin

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika • 1 teaspoon ground cumin • Salt and pepper • 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas • 1 recipe Picada (recipe follows) • 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar Combine 2 tablespoons boiling water and saffron in small bowl and let steep for 5 minutes.

Heat 1 teaspoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add spinach and 2 tablespoons water, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is wilted but still bright green, about 1 minute.

Transfer spinach to colander and gently press to release liquid. Transfer spinach to cutting board and chop coarse. Return to colander and press again.

Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in now-empty pot over medium heat until shimmering.

Add chorizo and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, paprika, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in chickpeas and their liquid, 1 cup water, and saffron mixture and bring to simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas are tender and liquid has thickened slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.

Off heat, stir in picada, spinach, and vinegar and let sit until heated through, about 2 minutes. Adjust sauce consis-

tency with hot water as needed.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Picada: Makes about 1 cup Chopped or whole unsalted almonds can be substituted for the slivered almonds; however, they may require longer processing times.

• 1/4 cup slivered almonds • 2 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into quarters • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 1/8 teaspoon salt • Pinch pepper Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 F. Pulse almonds in food processor to fine crumbs, about 20 pulses. Add bread, oil, salt, and pepper and pulse bread to coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Spread mixture evenly in rimmed baking sheet and bake, stirring often, until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. (Picada can be stored in airtight container for up to 2 days.) ■ Nutrition information per serving: 391 calories; 228 calories from fat; 25 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 12 mg cholesterol; 723 mg sodium; 29 g carbohydrate; 8 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 13 g protein. www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY

Women filmmakers... ❰❰ 25

go to the cinema in a starched dress with a bow and dress up in order to go to the cinema to watch those women and wanted to be them,” she recalled.

She says for her it was a big jump to making films “instead of just sitting, being, wishing you were Audrey Hepburn.”

Sitting pretty is far from the minds of many of today’s women filmmakers, and the characters they create on screen are also challenging gender stereotypes.

South African director Jenna Bass fought hard to get her contemporary all-female western “Flatland” made the way she wanted it, and even to be able to describe it as a western.

“I know that it breaks a lot of the rules but really the only thing that’s really fundamentally missing that is usually in a Western is macho guys, and I just don’t think that that’s a prerequisite of the genre,” she said.

Bass, like Scherfig, found the portrayals of women she watched on screen growing up to be unrealistic.

“My ideas about what a romantic relationship between a man and a woman or between anyone should be like was informed by movies,” she said.

“And when life didn’t correspond to that … I thought that I’d done something wrong.”

She puts much of this down to the male dominance of the industry.

“All my role models were men, and all the films that I loved were about men. And I didn’t really think too much about that for quite a while until I think I just generally started develop my own kind of like political consciousness about

the world around me and start to question why that was,” she said.

Indian filmmaker Zoya Akhtar was in Berlin for her movie “Gully Boy,” which looks at the urban rap music scene in India. She feels today’s women filmmakers are not only writing exciting female characters but “legitimate men.”

“It’s really important to see how we see men and how we want to see men and what we think is heroic and what we think is something worth saluting,” she said. “And it needn’t always be larger than life and it needn’t be that kind of toxic masculinity, because that’s not what we want.”

Bollywood superstar Alia Bhatt stars in “Gully Boy” as the feisty, charismatic Safeena. She says she is often approached with offers of “strong female characters” or “female-led stories” but jokes that she hopes for a day when that doesn’t need to be highlighted.

“Just get me a film and just be like you’ve got a good part.

That’s it you know?” she said.

Polish director Agnieszka Holland’s “Mr Jones,” the story of Welsh journalist Gareth Jones, also showed at the festival. Holland points out that some “extremely courageous and extremely creative filmmakers” have helped shape her career, including 90-year-old Agnes Varda, who was honoured at this year’s festival with the Berlinale Camera award for lifetime achievement.

The 70-year-old concludes that there have been a “lot of wonderful women in history and will be even more in the future I hope. I think that we will take over.” ■

Make some... ❰❰ 37

golden brown 12 to 14 minutes. Use oven mitts to remove baking sheet from oven (ask an adult for help). Place baking sheet on cooling rack. Let biscuits cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

— Cheesy Drop Biscuits: When mixing in bowl, stir 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese or mild cheddar cheese and 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese into flour mixture.

— Herby Drop Biscuits: When mixing in bowl, stir 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme into flour mixture. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 191 calories; 91 calories from fat; 10 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 27 mg cholesterol; 375 mg sodium; 21 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 3 g protein.

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FRIDAY FEBRUARY 22, 2019

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FEBRUARY 22, 2019

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