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JULY 26, 2019

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VOL. 7 NO. 381

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte poses for a groufie with some members of the Congress after delivering his Fourth State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Quezon City last July 22, 2019.

VALERIE ESCALERA / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Queen Elizabeth awards Filipino driver with royal medal

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom has awarded Roland Quitevis, a Filipino driver, with the British Empire Medal for his 33 years of service at the UK Embassy in Manila.

“I am delighted to announce that Her Majesty, The Queen Elizabeth II has

honored Mr. Roland Quitevis with the British Empire Medal for his services to UK-Philippine Relations,” British Ambassador Daniel Pruce said in a statement dated July 23.

“This is a thoroughly well-deserved recognition of Roland’s long service at the Embassy, mostly spent as the Ambassador’s driver,” he added.

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Duterte to Congress: Help me lift 6M Pinoys out of poverty

8 Tanong No. 1 (Series 2): Handa ka na nga ba?

❱❱ PAGE 13 Queen Elizabeth

Get the latest news & updates www.canadianinquirer.net

❱❱ PAGE 22

Avoiding WPS conflict compels PH to adopt delicate balancing act

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Philippine News

FRIDAY JULY 26, 2019

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SWS: 2.5 million families experience hunger in April to June 2019

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE PROPORTION of Filipino families who experienced hunger at least once in the past three months has slightly increased, according to the Second Quarter 2019 Social Weather Survey.

The latest poll, published on Monday, the day that President Rodrigo Duterte delivered his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), revealed that 10 percent or an estimated 2. million families nationwide said they experienced “involuntary hunger” at least once from April to June.

The Social Weather Stations (SWS) noted that this is “slightly higher” than the 9.5 percent or at least 2.3 million families last March 2019.

The measure of hunger, it said, refers to “involuntary suffering since the survey question specifies that the hunger experienced was due to lack of food to eat.”

Among the 10 percent of families, 8.7 percent or 2.1 million of them said they experienced “moderate hunger,” while the other 1.3 percent or 320,000 families experienced “severe hunger.”

The moderate hunger rate, or people who experienced hunger “only once” or “a few times” in the last three months, climbed to 8.7 percent in June from the 8.1 percent in March, while the severe hunger rate, or those who experienced hunger “often” or “always” in April to June, stayed at 1.3 percent last month.

The SWS said the rise in the nationwide hunger rate comes after a 3.8-percentage point decrease within the past three quarters. From 13.3 percent in September 2018, it decreased to 10.5 percent in December to 9.5 percent in March 2019.

However, the slight increase in hunger rate happened only among the self-rated poor (SRP) and self-rated food poor families (SRFP). The SRP are those who consider themselves

as “mahirap (poor),” while the SRFP are those who rate the food they eat as “mahirap (poor).”

The hunger rate among the SRP families went up by 4.3 points from 11.9 percent in March. It also jumped to 17.3 percent among the SRFP families from the 14.2 percent last March.

Hunger rises in Metro Manila, Mindanao Metro Manila was recorded with the highest hunger incidence with 15.7 percent, a fourpoint increase from 11.7 percent in March.

The hunger rate also rose to nine percent in June from 6.1 percent in March.

But it was a different case in both Balance Luzon and Visayas, as the hunger incidence went down to 9.3 percent and 8.7 percent, respectively.

From June 22-26, the SWS has asked some 1,200 adults nationwide, using face-to-face interviews, the question, “Nitong nakaraang tatlong buwan, nangyari po ba kahit minsan na ang inyong pamilya ay nakara-

Last Mile Schools: Basic education for all Filipinos

BY MA. TERESA MONTEMAYOR Philippine News Agency

27,000 schools na kailangan pang tulungan (which must be helped),” Briones said.

Last Mile Schools are schools that have multi-grade classes, MANILA — Recognizing the with less than five teachers, need to reach out to and close and a student population of less the gap between students from than 100 learners, more than 75 Geographically Isolated, Dispercent of which are usually inadvantaged digenous people. and ConflictThey lack Affected (GIDcomplete sets of CA) areas and school furniture, their counterno computers, no internet conparts in urban It will capacitate teachers with the latest, effective teaching strategies nection, very few centers, the Deso they could develop critical textbooks and partment of Edthinking among learners. manuals, and ucation (DepEd) lacking laborahas developed tory tools and the Last Mile equipment.

Schools Pro“School buildgram. ing projects did This, according to Education Secretary ministration, we will continue not push through in these areas Leonor Briones, is part of the to address the remaining gaps because of problems in peace Public Schools of the Future and challenges in education. framework in line with the We will do something about the ❱❱ PAGE 22 Last Mile Philippine Development Plan 2017 to 2022 under the Duterte administration.

It aims to provide GIDCA areas with unhampered and equal access to quality basic education.

“In the next three years under President Rodrigo Duterte’s ad-

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nas ng gutom at wala kayong makain? (OO, HINDI) (In the last 3 months, did it happen even once that your family experienced hunger and not have anything to eat? (YES, NO).”

Those who said yes were further asked, “Nangyari po ba ‘yan ng MINSAN LAMANG, MGA ILANG BESES, MADALAS, o PALAGI (Did it happen ONLY ONCE, A FEW TIMES, OFTEN, or ALWAYS)?”

The SWS said the sampling

error margins used in their survey were plus or minus three percent for national percentages and plus or minus six percent each for Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

“The SWS survey questions on the family’s experience of hunger are directed to the household head. These items are non-commissioned, and are included on SWS’s own initiative and released as a public service,” the pollster said. ■

Duterte raises reward for cop killers to P1.3-M

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte has raised the reward for the capture of the killers of the four police personnel in Sitio Yamot, Barangay Mabato in Ayungon town, Negros Oriental on July 18.

Duterte earlier offered a PHP1 million reward for the capture of the killers but later bared that he would add PHP300,000 to the bounty.

In a chance interview after his fourth state of the nation address (SONA) on Monday (July 22), Duterte said he preferred to have the killers dead.

“Mas gusto kong patay sila.

Kung patay sila magdadagdag pa ako ng 300,000 (I prefer to see them dead. If they’re dead, I’m going to add PHP300,000).

So it’s [PHP1.3 million], just

bring me the head of that idiot leader there,” Duterte said.

The slain cops were Cpl. Relebert Beronio, Pat. Raffy Callao, Pat. Ruel Cabellon, and Pat. Marquino de Leon who are all intelligence personnel from the 704th Mobile Force Company Regional Mobile Force Battalion of the Philippine National Police (PNP) in Central Visayas.

Reports showed that the four cops were on their way to the detachment at Sitio Nabinca when armed men suspected members of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) shot them in different parts of their bodies.

The CPP-NPA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines. ■

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Philippine News

JULY 26, 2019

FRIDAY

Duterte to Congress: Help me lift 6M Pinoys out of poverty

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte has appealed to Congress to pass measures that will help government lift 6 million Filipinos out poverty.

Citing the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Duterte said poverty incidence fell from 27.6 percent in the first half of 2015 to 21 percent in the first half of 2018.

However, the government’s challenge now is to lift some 6 million poor Filipinos out of poverty by the end of his term in 2022.

“The most important number, though, is the 6 million Filipinos we need to pull out from poverty. Kindly help me on this,” Duterte told Congress in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday (July 22).

While government has pursued tax reforms to fund its poverty reduction programs, he

asked Congress to also pass the remaining packages of the tax reform program.

“I, therefore, implore Congress to immediately pass Package 2 of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, or the Trabaho bill, which shall gradually lower the income — corporate income tax, and rationalize and improve fiscal incentives,” Duterte said.

Duterte said the Trabaho bill would energize micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), encourage them to expand their business to generate 1.4 million jobs in the coming years Duterte also asked Congress to approve a new version of the Salary Standardization Law to include teachers.

“Ngayon na (It has to be now) And to the teachers, alam mo dito (you know, here) who toil and work tirelessly to educate our young,” Duterte said.

He also urged Congress to review and pass the Government Rightsizing Bill to reconfigure

the existing Metro Manila-centric bureaucracy; streamline government systems in order to deliver services without delay and within a short timeline.

Meanwhile, he encouraged them to hasten the establishment of a Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR) to focus on the natural hazards and climate change, which he described as “poverty creators.”

On April 12, Duterte signed into law the Magna Carta of the Poor (RA 11291), which is meant to uplift the standard of living and quality of life of impoverished Filipinos.

Five days later, Duterte also signed into law an act institutionalizing the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), the national poverty reduction strategy and human capital investment program that provides conditional cash transfer to poor households for a maximum period of seven years to improve the health, nutrition, and education aspects of their lives.

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President Rodrigo Roa Duterte greets congressional staff after delivering his 4th State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on July 22, 2019.

KING RODRIGUEZ/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Send them to jail

Duterte acknowledged that corruption still exists in the government thus encouraged Congress to investigate departments or officials involved in the practice and send them to jail.

“As I said, corruption is everywhere. You are free to investigate. I don’t take offense. If there is anything wrong in my

department, the Executive, you are free to open the investigation anytime,” Duterte said.

“You do not have to call me.

Call the idiots, expose them, and send them to jail. You are helping me. Do not be... I am not... I’ve been a prosecutor. I know how it works. Feel free.

Feel free to expose anything that is not in accordance with law,” he added. ■

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Philippine News

JULY 26, 2019

FRIDAY

House formally elects Cayetano as Speaker

BY JOSE CIELITO REGANIT Philippine News Agency MANILA — After a lengthy and hotlycontested race to the speakership, the House of Representatives on Monday formally elected Taguig-Pateros Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano as Speaker of the 18th Congress in what turned out to be a drama-free election.

With 297 of 301 House members present, Cayetano was elected with 266 votes.

Cayetano’s election came after weeks of uncertainty.

The drama was broken when his main rivals for the Speakership, presidential son and Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez nominated Cayetano for the post.

In his nomination speech, Duterte first manifested that he was against the term-sharing agreement brokered by his father, President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Mr. Presiding officer, before I make a nomination, I would like to manifest a problem. That the term sharing agreement, one between Congressmen Cayetano, Romualdez, Velasco and the

President, I am against any term sharing agreement. However, if the Speaker is replaced after 15 months, then we will have to elect a new Speaker,” he said.

“Mr. Speaker, I nominate a leader who understands local and national problems, one who can bridge the different branches of government, one who can deeply and seriously represent the House of Representatives and the Philippines in the international arena. Mr. Speaker, I nominate the distinguished gentleman from the district of … TaguigPateros Alan Peter Cayetano,” Duterte said to loud applause from the plenary.

Duterte’s nomination of Cayetano was followed by Velasco and Romualdez.

“I believe that in unity, we will achieve progress for our nation. It is my honor to nominate a lawmaker that we all know has credibility, a lawmaker with integrity, a lawmaker with one word, a lawmaker who will promote real change.

My colleagues, I nominate as Speaker of the 18th Congress, the honorable Alan Peter Cayetano,” Velasco said.

Romualdez’s nomination of Cayetano was more succinct.

“Mr. Presiding Officer, I hereby nominate the gentleman from Taguig-Pateros, the honorable Alan Peter Cayetano for Speaker of the 18th Congress of the

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte strikes his signature pose with Senate President Vicente Sotto III and House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano after delivering his 4th State of the Nation Address at the House of Representatives in Quezon City on July 22, 2019.

KING RODRIGUEZ/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

Philippines,” he said.

With Duterte, Romualdez, and Velasco throwing their full support, Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. was nominated as the other candidate for Speaker.

Abante’s bid was endorsed by Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin and Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr.

The returning Manila congressman got 28 votes.

Meanwhile, Cayetano will serve as Speaker in the first 15 months of the 18th Congress under the term-sharing agreement brokered by President Duterte.

He will then relinquish the Speakership to Velasco, who will lead the House during the succeeding 21 months. ■

SWS: 45% of Pinoys consider themselves poor

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer The number of Filipino families who considered themselves as “mahirap” or poor has climbed to 45 percent or an estimated 11.1 million, the Second Quarter 2019 Social Weather Survey released on Saturday, July 20, showed.

The latest survey said this increased to seven percentage points from the record-low 38 percent or at least 9.5 million families in March 2019.

This rise, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) noted, came after a 14-point decline over the previous three quarters.

From 52 percent recorded in September 2018 it went down to 50 percent in December, and to 38 percent in March 2019.

The pollster said the seven-point increase in the number of self-rated poor (SRP) families was due to increases of 19 points Mindanao, five points in Balance Luzon, and three points in Metro Manila. Meanwhile, it was a steady proportion in Visayas with 55 percent. www.canadianinquirer.net

The same survey also revealed that those families who rate their food as “mahirap (poor),” or what the SWS called as “Food Poor,” also went up to 35 percent or an estimated 8.5 million families. This is eight points above the record-low 27 percent or at least 6.8 million families in March 2019.

Same with the SRP percentage, the rise in the number of self-rated food poor (SRFP) families came after a ninepoint decrease over the past three quarters, from 36 percent in September 2018 to 34 percent in December and to 27 percent in March 2019.

The pollster said the eight-point jump was due to increases of 20 points in Mindanao, six points in Balance Luzon, and three points in Metro Manila, combined with a three-point drop in Visayas.

The survey also showed that among the estimated 24.6 million total households in June 2019, at least three million or 12.1 percent are “newly nonpoor,’ while an estimated 3.4 million families or 13.8 percent are “usually ❱❱ PAGE 11 SWS: 45% of

Philippine News

FRIDAY JULY 26, 2019

Duterte urges Congress to pass priority bills

BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday called on the 18th Congress to pass pieces of priority legislation concerning major tax reforms, salary increases, national land use policy, and new departments, among others.

In delivering his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), Duterte urged Congress to pass the proposed National Land Use Act to put in place a policy that will address competing land requirements for food, housing, businesses, and environmental conservation.

“A science-based national land-use plan would serve as the basis for the LGUs (local government units) in crafting respective development plans and help disperse economic activities to the countryside,” Duterte said.

“The dispersion of economic and business activities to Visayas and Mindanao is not just a campaign promise, it is an economic imperative and a key to our country’s sustainable and equitable development,” Duterte added.

He also called for the immediate passage of the second package of the comprehensive tax reform program or the Tax Reform for Attracting Better and Higher-quality Opportuni-

ties (TRABAHO) bill.

The TRABAHO bill seeks to gradually lower the corporate income tax, as well as rationalize tax incentives.

“It will energize our MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises) and encourage them to expand their business and hopefully generate 104 million jobs in the coming years.

The MSMEs hold the promise of raising a lot of Filipinos,” Duterte said.

“I am also asking Congress to pass the remaining packages of my administration’s tax reform program and the bills that would further raise excise tax on tobacco and alcohol,” he added.

Duterte said it is time for Congress to approve the proposed Salary Standardization Law, which is intended to increase salaries of national government workers, including teachers and nurses.

The Chief Executive also appealed for the passage of the government rightsizing bill to reconfigure the existing “Metro Manila-centric bureaucracy” and streamline government systems to deliver services without delay and within a short timeline.

Also included in his priority list are the establishment of a Department of Disaster Resilience, Department Resources, as well as the creation of a fire protection and modernization program. ■

President Rodrigo Duterte at his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa last July 22, 2019.

OLIVER MARQUEZ / PNA

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Duterte: No way to stop China from fishing in exclusive zone

BY JIM GOMEZ The Associated Press MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday there was no way to stop Chinese nationals from fishing in his country’s exclusive economic zone claimed by China and added that he would not risk losing Filipino forces in a clash with the Asian superpower in the disputed South China Sea. “When Xi says I will fish, who can prevent him?” Duterte said as he defended his nonconfrontational approach to China over the territorial disputes in his annual state of the nation address before a joint session of Congress. He was referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

“If I send my marines to drive away the Chinese fishermen, I guarantee you not one of them will come home alive,” Duterte said, adding that diplomatic talks with Beijing have allowed the return of Filipinos to disputed fishing grounds where Chinese forces previously shooed them away.

Critics have repeatedly criticized Duterte, who has nurtured friendly ties with Beijing, for not standing up to China’s aggressive behaviour in the disputed waters and deciding not to immediately seek Chinese compliance with an international arbitration ruling that invalidated Beijing historic claims to virtually the entire sea. China has refused to recognize the 2016 ruling.

The decision also found that China had breached its duty to respect the traditional fishing rights of Filipinos when Chinese forces blocked them from the disputed Scarborough Shoal off the northwestern Philippines in 2012. The Philippines, however, could also not deny Chinese fishermen access to Scarborough, according to the ruling. But the decision did not specify any traditional fishing areas within the Philippines’ exclusive zone where the Chinese could be allowed to fish.

An exclusive economic zone is a 200-nautical-mile (370-kilometre) stretch of water where a coastal state has exclusive rights to fish and exploit other www.canadianinquirer.net

ACE MORANDANTE / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

resources as well as undersea gas and oil based on the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. On his battle against illegal drugs and corruption, Duterte asked Congress to allow the reimposition of the death penalty for drug-related heinous crimes and economic plunder.

He said the drug menace, which he called a “social monster,” could not be crushed unless corruption is eliminated.

The Philippines’ long-simmering territorial rifts with China and Duterte’s centerpiece campaign against illegal drugs and corruption were spotlighted in his speech. But he also asked for Congress’s help in dealing with diverse social ills and governance issues ranging from slow internet services and delays in releases of government clearances to traffic jams.

Duterte outlined problems he had resolved, sometimes through scare tactics, like the easing of a water shortage last summer in Manila, the capital, after he threatened to fire officials.

Although the annual speech is traditionally replete in protocol and formality, he injected sexual jokes, curses and threats that have been the trademark of his often-rambling speeches.

During the Manila water crisis, for example, he said he did not want to travel to the city. “What if my girlfriend will not be able to take a bath, she will smell like hell,” he said.

When he asked Congress to pass new tax reforms that would further raise excise taxes

on tobacco and alcohol, Duterte asked if there were any smokers in the audience, which included foreign diplomats: “Who smokes here? They should be exterminated from the face of the earth.”

Duterte, 74, took office in June 2016 and has remained hugely popular in opinion polls despite drug war deaths that have sparked international alarm and other controversial policies.

More of his allies captured congressional seats in midterm elections in May, giving them a tighter grip on the legislature, especially in the 24-member Senate, which opposed some of his key legislative proposals last year, including reinstating the death penalty and amending the pro-democracy constitution.

More than 5,200 demonstrators rallied despite a downpour outside the House complex to call for Duterte’s removal, while a smaller number of proDuterte supporters protested separately. Left wing protesters burned a mock Chinese flag and a giant mural with images of Duterte, Chinese President Xi and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Military and police were placed on full alert and authorities declared a no-fly zone over the venue and outlying areas to ensure security.

“We have had enough of this government’s ‘kill, kill, kill’ policy,” said Danilo Ramos, a left wing leader of a farmers’ group.

“The Duterte presidency is killing its constituents in so many ways.” ■

Philippine News

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Avoiding WPS conflict compels PH to adopt delicate balancing act Correspondent/Hosts Bea Kirstein T. Manalaysay Joanna Belle Deala Gianna Llanes Arianne Grace U. Lacanilao Violeta Arevelo Babes Newland Graphic Design Shanice Garcia Ginno Alcantara Arlnie Colleene Talain Singca Account Manager Kristopher Yong Director/Producer Boom Dayupay Photographers/Videographers Ginno Alcantara Maria Crizandra Baylon Mariano Luis V. Quintos, Jr. Sales Aireen De Asis Dennis Cruz Operations and Admin Victoria Yong Amelia Insigne Management Alan Yong Victoria Yong For photo submissions, please email editor@canadianinquirer.net For General Inquiries, please email info@canadianinquirer.net For Sales Inquiries, please email sales@canadianinquirer.net or contact 778-788-4998 Philippine Canadian Inquirer is located at #1820-666 Burrard Street Vancouver BC V6C 2X8 Canada

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BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Philippine government is performing a “delicate balancing act” on the issue of the West Philippine Sea (WPS) so as to avoid engaging with conflict with other claimants such as China, President Rodrigo Duterte assured the public on Monday.

“On the matter of the West Philippine Sea. The avoidance of conflict — armed conflict and protection of our territorial waters and natural resources compel us to perform a delicate balancing act,” he said during his 4th State of the Nation Address at the Joint Session of the 18th Congress at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City.

“A shooting war is grief and misery multiplier. War leaves widows and orphans in its wake. I am not ready or inclined to accept the occurrence of more destruction, more widows and more orphans, should war, even on a limited scale, breaks out,” he said.

The chief executive added that the administration believes that a bilateral discussion would prove to be fruitful than a squabble in public, thus the existing Bilateral Consultation Mechanism on the South China Sea between the two states.

“That is why I will do in the peaceful way, mindful of the fact that it is our national pride and territorial integrity that are at stake,” he assured.

Answering those urging the government to stand up and stop those who fish in the country’s exclusive economic zone, Duterte said the Philippines “will do in due time.”

Defending PH ties with China

Meanwhile, the President defended Manila’s friendly ties with Beijing.

Duterte shared that during his first few months as president, the rifle sale between the Philippines and the United States was cancelled, a deal which was supposed to be critical on law enforcement, especially with the reported passing of weapons within Marawi at that time.

“When I became President and when the M16 rifles were cancelled by America upon the prodding of the US Congress, I found myself in a quandary because reports were already very ripe na (that) there was the passing of arms in Marawi,” he shared.

“And because the arms were already — mostly in the hands of the police, handsme-down from the army were quite old and sometimes the bolt that pushes the bullet flies out and the barrel has really become lose, and there are no more

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte is accompanied by People’s Republic of China President Xi Jinping inside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing prior to their bilateral meeting on April 25, 2019.

KING RODRIGUEZ/PRESIDENTIAL PHOT

lands and plains to push it into a circular trajectory to maintain its accuracy. So I was forced to go to China,” he said.

In 2016, he had his state visit to Beijing where he held a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

During his talks with Xi, the Filipino leader bared that he asserted Manila’s right to dig oil in the disputed waters.

“In that meeting, I said — Cabinet members were there — ‘I want to go to my territory to dig oil.’ That was the word, ‘I dig.’

Because that is ours. President Xi on the other hand said: ‘Well, you know there is a conflict there. Do you think, rather than go there and have a confrontation — not necessarily the grey ships, war ships. But you know a squabble there could lead to something else,’“ Duterte said, recalling a conversation between him and the Chinese leader.

Duterte added that Xi brought Beijing and Manila’s recently thawed relations and asked that they discuss the prevailing territorial dispute “but not an outright precipitate move” because, as the Chinese president put it, “it can mean trouble.”

“If the trouble comes out from the mouth of a president of a republic, anong magawa ko? (What can I do). So what did I answer? ‘Well then maybe, sir, we can talk about this at some other time.’

But definitely, before I go, we must talk about the West Philippine Sea. We cannot you know, have our cake and eat it too,” he said.

Citing the existing condition in the area, Duterte said he cannot easily send

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the Coast Guards to drive the Chinese away from Philippine waters.

“China also claims the property and he is in possession. ‘That’s the problem. They’re the ones in possession and claiming all the resources there as an owner. We are claiming the same but we are not in the position because of that fiasco noong dalawang nag-standoff doon (when the two standoff there) during the time of my predecessor si Albert, ambassador,” he said.

Duterte was referring to the standoff between China and the Philippines at the Panatag (Scarborough Shoal) in 2012. On June 15, 2012, the Philippines withdrew its two vessels, but China did not.

“Tayo ang umatras. Pagsabi niya umatras, that was a kind of a compromise.

Tayo ang umatras. Noong umatras tayo, pumasok sila. Marami na (We were the ones who withdrew. When he said withdraw, that was a kind of a compromise.

When we backed off, they entered the waters. They’re already too many),” he narrated.

Nevertheless, Duterte maintained that WPS belongs to the Philippines and the national honor and territorial integrity “shall be foremost in our mind.”

“When we may take the next steps in this smoldering controversy over the lines of arbitral ruling, the West Philippine Sea is ours. There is no ifs and buts.

It is ours. But we have been acting, along that legal truth and line. But we have to temper it with the times and the realities that we face today,” Duterte said. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY JULY 26, 2019

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Duterte asks Congress to restore death penalty for drugs, plunder

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency

VP LENI ROBREDO / FACEBOOK

‘Nakakatawa talaga:’ Robredo hits PNP-CIDG’s sedition, other charges

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer VICE PRESIDENT Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo was not threatened by the sedition and other charges filed against her by the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), saying that their complaint was ‘ridiculous.’

“Nakakatawa talaga kasi unang-una, hindi naman tayo sobrang bob* na nag-iimagine tayo na mapapataob natin ang napaka… ang Presidente na napakataas ang rating, na gagamitin itong isang tao na obviously sinungaling (It was really funny because first of all, we are not that stup*d to imagine that we can bring down a President who has a very high rating; to use this person who is obviously a liar),”Robredo said on her weekly radio show Biserbisyong Leni on Sunday, July 21.

The PNP-CIDG earlier filed complaints of sedition, inciting to sedition, cyber-libel, libel, estafa, harboring a criminal, and obstruction of justice against Robredo, several opposition personalities, as well as priests over the controversial videos that tagged President Rodrigo Duterte’s family and allies to the illegal drug trade.

The complaint accused them of engaging Peter Joemel Advincula, the man who claimed to be the hooded figure in the viral videos, “to spread

lies against the President, his family and close associate, making them to appear as illegal trade protectors and how they earned staggering amounts of money.”

The Vice President, however, denied this, saying she has no time to even be involved in such issue, especially at the time when the videos were released online.

“Sa gitna pa talaga ng kampanya? Hindi na nga tayo magkanda-ugaga at kulang na kulang iyong panahon, kulang na kulang ng panahon para makaikot sa bansa. Talagang ang aatupagin pa natin pagpataob ng Presidente (In the middle of campaign, really? We were too busy and we did not have enough time; not enough time to go around the country. Would we really plan to topple the President)?” she said.

Robredo’s spokesperson Barry Gutierrez had dismissed the complaint as ”kwentong kutsero (hearsay),” stressing that if it was purely based on Advincula’s statement, then it is “completely baseless and nothing more than plain and simple harassment.”

The Department of Justice (DOJ) already formed a panel of three state prosecutors who would conduct a preliminary investigation on the PNP-CIDG’s complaint. These were Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Olivia Torrevillas, and Assistant State Prosecutors Michael John Humarang and Gino Paolo Santiago. ■

MANILA — Stressing how government still has “a long way to go” in the fight against illegal drugs, President Rodrigo R. Duterte has renewed his request for Congress to reinstate death penalty for heinous crimes related to drugs and plunder.

“I respectfully request Congress to reinstate the death penalty for heinous crimes related to drugs, as well as plunder,” Duterte said in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday (July 22).

“I am aware that we still have a long way to go in our fight against this social menace. Let the reason why I advocate the imposition of the death penalty for crimes related to illegal drugs,” he added.

Before renewing his call to revive death penalty, he discussed how the illegal drug problem was connected to the five-month Marawi siege from May 23 to October 27, 2017.

“Years ago, we saw the terrible devastation caused by ille-

gal drugs. On May 23, 2017, our law enforcers launched an operation to serve a warrant and to neutralize terrorists. A group of armed men with sophisticated weaponry and aided by locals radicalized by extremist dogma and teachings fought our troops for weeks,” Duterte said.

“During that Marawi Siege, tons of shabu worth millions and millions of pesos. Drug money killed 175 and wounded [2,101] of my soldiers and policemen in that five-month battle,” he added.

Duterte said it pained him to see how his two campaign promises — curb illegal drugs and corruption — yet to be realized.

“It has been three years since I took my oath of office, and it pains me to say that we have not learned our lesson. The illegal drug problem persists. Corruption continues and emasculates the courage we need to sustain our moral recovery initiatives,” Duterte said.

He, meanwhile, acknowledged how Filipinos have done their part in the war on drugs through the barangay

formation of anti-drug councils, and also “actually surrendering bricks of cocaine found floating in the sea into our islands.”

“I call this responsibility,” Duterte said.

Duterte, however, said that drugs would not be crushed unless corruption was eliminated.

He also renewed his call for Congress to raise excise taxes on both tobacco and liquor and pass the remaining packages of his administration’s tax reform program.

Duterte has pushed for the reinstatement of death penalty since the start of his 2016 presidential campaign and also mentioned it in his second SONA in 2017.

Two of his allies in Congress, Senators Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa and Christopher “Bong” Go have both vowed to push for the revival of capital punishment.

In 2017, the House of Representatives approved a death penalty measure (House Bill 4727), which seeks to punish drug-related crimes with life imprisonment or death. ■

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Philippine News

JULY 26, 2019

FRIDAY

From ‘neutral,’ Filipinos now Duterte to Land have ‘poor’ trust in China — SWS Bank: You’re

supposed to fund agri enterprises

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer THE LATEST survey of Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed that Filipinos’ trust in China has dropped in the second quarter of 2019.

Among its 1,200 respondents, 51 percent of them said they have “little trust” in China, while 27 percent have “much trust.” Twenty-one percent, on the other hand, were “undecided.”

This resulted in net trust of -24, considered by the SWS as “poor.”

“This is down by 18 points from the neutral -6 in March 2019, and the lowest since the bad -35 in June 2018,” it said.

The survey also found that 43 percent of the respondents “disagree” with the statement that “most of what the Chinese government wants to happen in the Philippines is good for the Filipinos.” Of the 43 percent Filipino adults who disagreed, 25 percent said they “strongly disagree,” while 18 percent “somewhat disagree.”

Only 27 percent “agree” with the statement with the eight percent saying they “strongly agree” and 19 percent saying they “somewhat agree.” Thirty percent, meanwhile, are “undecided” about the matter.

This yielded a net agreement score of -16, classified by the SWS as “moderately weak,” and is similar to the net -17 recorded in December 2018.

Among those who “distrust” China, the net agreement that “the Chinese government has good intentions for the Filipino people” was also lower, according to the pollster.

It said that the net agreement on the statement was a “very weak” -34, compared to the

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency

JOMAR APLAON / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

“moderately weak” -10 among those who were “undecided” about their trust in the Asian giant, and the “moderately strong” +13 among those with who have “much trust.”

But while the Filipinos’ trust in China has dropped, their trust in the United States (US) has surged, with 81 percent of the respondents said they have “much trust” and only eight percent have “little trust.” Eleven percent, meanwhile, were “undecided.”

This resulted in a net trust rating of “excellent” +73, a 13-point increase from the “very good” +60 in March 2019.

The SWS said it is also the highest since the “excellent” +74 recorded on September 2015.

Fifty-five percent of Filipino adults also “agree” with the statement that “most of what the American government wants to happen in the Philippines is good for the Filipinos.” Only 17 percent “disagree,” while 28 percent are “undecided.”

Among those with “much trust” in the US, the net agreement that “the American government has good intentions for the Filipino people” was also a “very strong” +45.

Aside from the US, all the other five countries tested for public trust also obtained “good” net trust rating. Both Canada and Australia got a net trust score of +46, Japan at +45, New Zealand at +38, and Malaysia at +34.

The survey was conducted from June 22 to 26, a few weeks after the alleged sinking of a Filipino boat by a Chinese vessel on June 9 in Recto Bank in the West Philippine Sea, where 22 Filipino fishermen were left afloat at sea.

It used face-to-face interviews with its respondents and has sampling error margins of plus or minus three percent for national percentages and plus or minus six percent each for Metro Manila, Balance of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

MANILA — President Rodrigo R. Duterte called out the stateowned Land Bank for having turned into a “commercial bank” when it should be prioritizing the financing of agriculture enterprises.

In his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA), Duterte urged Land Bank to help the farmers.

“That’s why itong (this) Land Bank na ito, ‘pag hindi ito na…

You know, you are called Land Bank but you are now the number one commercial bank in the Philippines,” Duterte said.

“What the heck is happening to you? You are supposed to finance agricultural enterprises and endeavors. Bakit wala(Why aren’t you doing it)? Bakit — why can’t you just buy a few wagons or whatever? Go to the countryside and ask the people if there are cooperatives, tulungan ninyo (help them) to form one,” he added.

Duterte said Land Bank should “go back to land.”

“Why are you mired in so many commercial transactions? Bumalik (Return) kayo where you were created for and that is to help the farmers,” Duterte said.

He stressed that he will give Land Bank only until the end of July to present him a plan on how to help farmers.

“You better decide on that, I will give you until the end of July to give me a plan or else I will ask Congress to reconfigure you what-not,” Duterte said.

He said if there is no viable plan for the farmers, then Congress might as well “abolish” it and the money intended for it might go to the congressmen for their development funds.

In a press conference after his SONA, Duterte further clarified why he wanted to reconfigure Land Bank.

“It’s called Land Bank. Primarily, it was a bank intended to serve people who are connected with lands, whether owners or tenants,” Duterte said.

“So ’yang land reform na ‘yan, nandiyan na — (So that land reform, that’s there) most of it.

I’m going to complete the land reform whether the land owners like it or not because there are still tenants who are not in possession but the owners are still — the owners of the land control the — they produce and everything,” he added.

Duterte said Land Bank was really crafted “to serve enterprises or whatever there is banking needs of the people who cannot — who can barely negotiate with a bank.”

Meanwhile, Duterte also asked Congress to pass “a more responsive version” of the bill establishing the Coconut Farmers’ Trust Fund to ensure utilization of coco levy funds for the well-being and empowerment of the coconut farmers. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY JULY 26, 2019

11

Corruption is national shame: Duterte

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA – President Rodrigo R. Duterte on Monday dedicated a large portion of his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) expressing his frustration over corruption within the government and his promise to use the remaining three years of his term to curb it.

“Corruption continues and emasculates the courage we need to sustain our moral recovery initiatives,” Duterte said in his report to the nation at the Joint Session of the 18th Congress at the Session Hall of the House of Representatives Complex in Constitution Hills, Quezon City.

“No amount of euphemism can trivialize or normalize betrayal of public trust or any other criminal offense. It is an injury laced with insult. It is both a national embarrassment and a national shame,” he added.

Massive fraud

In particular, Duterte said he was “grossly disappointed” by massive fraud within the Philippine Health Insurance Corp.

(PhilHealth) related to irregularities in the funding of bogus kidney dialysis treatments.

“The recent uncovering of the massive fraud perpetrated

against the public health insurance system proves that corruption is pervasive. Huge amounts of medical funds were released to cover padded medical claims and imaginary treatment of ghost patients. I am grossly disappointed,” he said.

To fix this, Duterte said he has ordered the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to arrest and prosecute those who are liable.

He appointed retired army general Ricardo “Dick” Morales to prioritize ridding the agency of corruption.

Duterte also mentioned how he would send corrupt Bureau of Customs (BOC) employees to report to Congress every day since he could not simply fire them due to security of tenure.

“I hope that I can have the cooperation of Congress. If we cannot abolish their position and if I cannot dismiss them for the reason that there is a security of tenure, I will just allow them to have their plantilla positions but they have to report to Congress every day to help me in the huge paperwork that we have to do every day,” he said.

“All of them will go out from the premises of the Customs area. I do not want them back,” he added to the delight of the crowd who included former presidents Fidel V. Ramos, Jo-

improve service delivery and fight corruption.

When will it end?

YANCY LIM / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

seph Estrada, and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

According to Duterte, the BOC could have collected more revenues than the PHP585 billion it posted in 2018 if its employees were less corrupt.

Use the hotline

The President, meanwhile, urged Filipinos to use the government’s 8888 hotline to report corruption complaints.

“There’s an (8888). Be sure that it is true. Though you are not liable for libel pero huwag naman ‘yang makasakit ka ng kapwa-tao na wala namang

PRRD vows to give Boracay back to original settlers

BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday vowed to declare the island of Boracay under land reform and distribute land titles “piece-by-piece” to its original settlers — the indigenous people.

In his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA), Duterte shared that he went to the “other side of the island” after the tourist destination was reopened in October 2018 and asked the Department of Agrarian Reform on the status of the land behind its White Beach.

“They (said) they are still categorized as forestal and agriculture, and not commercial. So I told the Agrarian Reform, ‘go to the place, have it inspected because I will declare the whole of the island a land reform program. And I gave the island piece-by-piece to the Aetas, the natives of the place, so there’s nothing to be said against us anymore,” he said.

Duterte said this should dispel speculations that the Boracay rehabilitation was initiated to open up opportunities for businessmen and infrastructure development in the place.

“They say that we did this cleanup so that we can provide for my friends. I don’t have rich

friends, I don’t want the rich as my friend,” he stressed.

In November 2018, Duterte led the initial distribution of six Certificates of Land Ownership Awards to 44 members of Aklan’s indigenous people. The new IP landowners received a total of 3.2064 hectares of agricultural lands.

Duterte said he is proud that the famous Boracay Island has been restored “closed to its original pristine” after a sixmonth major rehabilitation from April to October last year.

“Boracay is just the beginning,” Duterte said as he urged local government units to implement all the environmental laws. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

kasalanan (but don’t report something that could damage a person who has no fault).

(8888), then place ‘To President Duterte, re: abuses by the director asking for money.’ Text mo, lalabas ‘yan diyan. (Just text and it will be disclosed) And that is for the public to view,” he said.

Duterte said Malacañan Palace would be open to receiving complaints for 24 hours so long as it involved corruption.

He, meanwhile, touted the signing of the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act to

Duterte acknowledged that although he has been working for government for almost 35 years, he still does not have answers how to end corruption.

“Let me ask you: When will corruption end? Kailan ba talaga ‘to? Hanggang kailan? (Until when?) Well, I don’t know. I’ve been in — with government for almost 35 years now. I am not singling out myself. It’s the entire gamut of our system,” he said. “Corruption exasperates.

It frustrates.”

By the end of his speech, Duterte said that although he could not change the past, he will make it a point not to “squander” the future.

“I will push harder in the pursuit of programs we have started but always within the parameters of the law,” he said.

“I will not while away my time during the remaining years of my admin, it ain’t my style. But I will not stop until I reach the finish line. Then should I call it a day,” he added.

Duterte’s 93-minute speech began at 5:14 p.m. and ended at 6:47 p.m.

His first SONA lasted 90 minutes; his second, 120 minutes; and his third, only 48 minutes, his shortest one yet. ■

SWS: 45% of... ❰❰ 6

from June 22 to 26 using facenon-poor.”

“Newly non-poor” to-face interviews with its 1,200 respondents nais detionwide. It has scribed by the sampling error SWS as those margins of plus who used to be or minus three poor one to four The latest survey said percent for nayears ago, while this increased tional percentdescribed as to seven ages and plus or “usually nonpercentage minus six perpoor” are people points from cent for Metro who used to be the record-low Manila, Balance poor five or more 38 percent Luzon, Visayas, years ago. or at least and Mindanao.

On the other 9.5 million The pollster hand, 28.7 perfamilies in said the area escent of responMarch 2019. timated were dents or 7.1 milweighted by lion families are Philippine Sta“always nontistics Authority poor” or those (PSA) mediumwho have never population proconsidered jections for 2019 to get the nathemselves as poor.

The latest survey was done tional estimates. ■

Philippine News

12

JULY 26, 2019

FRIDAY

Sotto retains post as Senate President

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer SENATOR VICENTE Sotto III is still holding the position of Senate President as he was reelected on Monday, July 22, when the upper chamber officially opened its first regular session under the 18th Congress.

Sotto was reelected through viva voce, with only Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, and Senators Francis Pangilinan and Risa Hontiveros abstaining from the voting. It was Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto who temporarily served as the presiding officer.

After the election, Sotto was sworn into office by Senator Panfilo Lacson.

Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, who nominated Sotto for the presidency of the Senate, cited his colleague’s “long and accomplished legislative career that has been marked by numerous elections

as both Minority and Majority Leader, prior to his Senate Presidency.”

Zubiri also noted that lawmakers were able to pass 406 bills into law under Sotto’s leadership in the 17th Congress.

“Having had the great honor of working closely with him in my capacity as Majority Leader, I can personally attest that were it not for his expert guidance, we would not have been able to achieve those numbers,” he said.

“Whatever challenges that we faced as a body, Sen. Sotto always showed us a way through,” he added.

The senator said he believes that Sotto, whom he described as a “great mentor” and “generous with his wealth of knowledge and experience,” is the “best man” for the position of Senate President.

“Sen. Vicente C. Sotto III is a workhorse, an institution in the Senate, a man of the people.

And, I hope you all agree with me, he is the Senate President

Senate President Vicente Sotto III. CESAR TOMAMBO VIA SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES / FACEBOOK

we need for this Congress,” the lawmaker stressed.

Sotto, for his part, thanked his colleagues for electing him

again to be their leader.

“To be elected at large by the whole nation is indeed a rare honor and privilege for 24 in a more than a hundred million population, and to be elected by those so elected, as you did to me, is so much more humbling than a greater source of pride,” he said in his acceptance speech.

The Senate President stressed that he was not their superior, but simply a presider of their sessions.

“Any concept other than this is misplaced and unwarranted.

Additionally, I am your listener, your adviser if you so desire, your enabler for anything within my power to do so,” he said.

Aside from Sotto, Recto and Zubiri also retained their posts. Senator Franklin Drilon also remained as the Minority Leader.

Sotto’s reelection came hours before President Rodrigo Duterte’s fourth State of the Nation Address at the Batasang Pambansa. ■

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Philippine News

FRIDAY JULY 26, 2019

Queen Elizabeth... ❰❰ 1

The Filipino national is the sixth of eight children in his family and was born in Sta. Lucia, Ilocos Sur. At the age of 22, he moved to Manila.

“My first job was actually in the British Embassy, where I started off as a messenger. After I was regularized, I obtained the necessary skills and was promoted to become the official driver of the Ambassador,” Quitevis shared.

He has been the official driver to eight of Queen Elizabeth’s Ambassadors to the Philippines in his 33 years of service in the Embassy.

Unforgettable

Sharing his experience via the official platform of the British Embassy on social media, Quitevis said every moment with the Ambassadors whom he worked with “has been unforgettable” as they have treated him “like family and always with utmost respect.”

“I remember being so grateful for the opportunity, which is why I have always loved every single day of it – come monsoon rains, heavy Manila traffic and day-today encounters with British Embassy staff in action,” he said.

Throughout the length of his service, Quitevis shared that multiple opportunities opened up and helped him expand and develop more skills in the field of his work, which includes two comprehensive driving courses in the United Kingdom in 1999 and in 2013.

“On both occasions, I was able to attend specialized training and boot camps where I was taught

how to act in situations that demand urgent response, such as precautionary checks that need to be done to make sure that the car is safe to use and keeping the Ambassador away from harm in critical conditions,” he said.

Apart from safety considerations, Quitevis said he learned how to maintain an alert yet relaxed and calm disposition, which reflects in the overall environment in the vehicle he drives.

Throughout his service, Quitevis said he was also able to drive for some members of the Royal family, such as when Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Princess Anne and Prince Charles visited the Philippines.

“It has been such a memorable experience for me to meet each one in person. In fact, during the most recent visit of Princess Anne to the country, she commented that I was very young when she first came to Manila and visited the indigenous community in Clark in the aftermath of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption,” he said.

“I felt so grateful when I was awarded the Service Recognition Award for excellent service rendered by Ambassador Stephen Lillie. But the defining moment that I will always treasure was when Ambassador Daniel Pruce presented me the opportunity of receiving the Honorary British Empire Medal (BEM),” he said “Truly this is one for the books, and I will always be thankful to all Her Majesty’s Ambassadors that helped me reach this point in my career,” he said.

13

Not proper time to discuss chacha in SONA: Duterte

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said it is not the proper time yet to discuss charter change in his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA).

“It’s better left in conferences that are not allowed to be open to the public,” Duterte said in a press conference after his SONA. Duterte said several complaints convinced him that talks on charter change can be discussed in another occasion.

“Kasi ‘pag isang provision to one another, magulo eh. Sa isangprovision lang if it’s (Because if it’s one provision to another, it’s messy. In one provision) — there are a lot of complaints. A lot of pros and cons.

Mahilo ka (You’ll get dizzy),” Duterte said.

He said it is better for Congress to discuss charter change among themselves.

“Present it to the public ano na, ’yung package na –— (when the package is) completed,” Duterte said.

The President, however, said he will still push for a shift to a federal system of government.

“Yes, but I said there are things which I cannot mention now. Federalism is good but there are certain things that you have to be very clear,” Duterte said.

Should the Constitution be

ALFRED FRIAS / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

amended, it must be clear on the authority given to the local and governments.

“It must be something like, the president — not I. I suppose that it would come after me. But it has to have a strong president to put together the country,” Duterte said.

He said a federal system of government is “a very loose structure” where local officials have “a lot of power.”

“Kasi ang (Because) federal, it’s a very loose structure na eh.

One has a lot of power locally,” Duterte said.

“So the president will have to have to [devise?] it until such time that we have perfected it, there has to be a strong president with the same powers

now,” he added.

He admitted that federalism may be passed after his term ends in 2022.

“Pero ako (But me), I’m out of it because I think that it will pass beyond my time,” Duterte said.

On June 26, Duterte said he will no longer insist on pushing for federalism but would still prefer to make “changes” in the country’s charter.

“If you do not want federalism, fine. But change the Constitution, that would really change this nation,” Duterte said in his speech.

He reiterated the need for a change in the Constitution even if it is a shift into a federal system of government or not. ■

PRRD vows corruption-free entry of 3rd telco

BY RAYMOND CARL DELA CRUZ Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo Roa Duterte on Monday promised the entry of the country’s third telecommunications (telco) player, Dito Telecommunity Corporation (Dito), is corruption-free.

During his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the Batasang Pambansa in Quezon City, Duterte guaranteed his hands-off approach on the entry of Dito and simply asked the

new telco to do its job and fol- lenged the new telco provider to fulfill its commitment to low government requirements. to fulfill the country’s need for provide fast and reliable tele“Do not worry about us. a fast and reliable telco service communications services to There is no corruption at all. I especially in parts of the coun- our people especially in the unguarantee you, derserved areas,” upon the grave Duterte said. of my father, I Department don’t allow. I do of Information not talk to them, Therefore, rugby was suggested, and Communicawhich he reveals he ‘didn’t have I just say, just do tions Technology any idea it was a sport.’ your work and (DICT) Secretary kung maaari (if Gregorio “Grinyou may), acgo” Honasan II cording to what was tasked by the specifications are required try underserved by the previ- the President to take the lead in by this government,” Duterte ous duopoly Smart Communi- facilitating the third telco’s sersaid. cations and Globe Telecom. vice to the Filipino people.

The President also chal“I challenge this new player “DICT Secretary Honasan www.canadianinquirer.net

will be the lead man in this endeavor. I hope he is here,” Duterte said, drawing applause from the audience particularly from Honasan’s former colleagues in the Senate.

On July 8, 2019, Duterte awarded Mislatel Consortium, now Dito Telecommunity, the permit to operate as the Philippines’ third telco provider.

The corporation is a consortium led by Davao-based businessman Dennis Uy and composed of Uy’s Udenna Corporation, its subsidiary Chelsea Logistics, and China Telecommunications Corporation. ■

14

Canada News Off Canada’s East Coast, a hunt to detect ‘beautiful’ great white sharks

BY MICHAEL TUTTON The Canadian Press HALIFAX — The great white sharks move torpedo-like through East Coast waters, cruelly efficient hunters with multiple rows of serrated teeth devouring seals and other prey.

But the “fascinating” creatures are themselves being closely watched by international teams of scientists who are attempting to document their apparent renaissance in the northwest Atlantic.

“We are seeing signs the conservation measures we’re taking are giving the animals a chance and enabling a comeback,” says Frederick Whoriskey, a marine biologist and ecologist at Dalhousie University.

“But we don’t have the numbers (of their abundance) yet.”

At her lab in Halifax’s Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Heather Bowlby, research lead at the federal Canadian Atlantic Shark Research Laboratory, is attempting to remedy that.

She’s preparing an expedition for early August to build on the scant knowledge of these elusive creatures’ lives in Atlantic Canadian waters.

Her three-person team will pull alongside the animals and rapidly attach a tag that records information, a potentially dangerous task given their immense power.

The work is worth the effort, she says.

“As a top predator, if the population can increase it sug-

gests the ecosystem is healthy enough to support them, which is very important.”

The biologist says there’s been “a definite increase in sightings” since fishing rules of the past decade protected animals caught on long lines and in weirs.

Records go back over a century — complete with annotations such as an 1873 entry from a St. Pierre Bank, N.L., fisherman remarking, “teeth in dory.”

However, the federal Fisheries Department’s partnership with American researcher Gregory Skomal, of the Massachusetts division of marine fisheries, and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, will provide more reliable information.

Skomal’s group is preparing a population estimate in his area, where there’s evidence of what scientists refer to as a “hot spot” of sharks at various stages of life feasting on abundant seals off Cape Cod. “It seems to be their first stop on the highway on the drive from Florida to Canada, where you can find a pretty good meal,” Skomal explains in a telephone interview from his office.

His team’s survey tags an animal and then returns to that area to see how many others are spotted or captured, before recapturing one of the original sharks from the prior visits.

“We have to come up with that number for Cape Cod and then we can take a hard look at what proportion of our animals move into Canadian waters,”

the American researcher explains.

Skomal says so far his team has identified and tagged roughly 20 great whites — out of about 170 tagged in the area — that are prone to northward journeys over the five year study in his zone.

In anticipation of their arrival off Nova Scotia, Bowlby’s team has access to arrays of acoustic stations listening for their “ping” over this summer and fall.

She tagged one great white herself last year off the Nova Scotia coast, nicknamed “North.”

The data gathered on the sharks’ trips, the depths they went to and surrounding water temperatures may give Bowlby data on their preferred habitat.

So far, she’s noting the sharks are appearing to search along the coasts for prey and are in both deep and shallow water, and often near the surface.

Still, one of the questions bothering some experts is why great whites are seldom detected by acoustic arrays near Sable Island, where thousands of seals make their home.

Whoriskey’s “speculation” is the grey seals are forming social units that can fight off one of their deadliest enemies.

Meanwhile, a non-profit group that’s made some great white sharks into household names in Nova Scotia has applied for a permit to conduct a return visit off Cape Breton from Sept. 13 to Oct. 4.

Last fall, teams from the Ocearch research vessel MV

www.canadianinquirer.net

Ocearch caught and tagged satellite transmitters of seven great whites off Lunenburg and Halifax.

The animals are given Twitter names such as “Hal” and thousands of people follow them on the organization’s online global shark tracker, effectively becoming cheerleaders for great whites’ apparent comeback.

Bob Hueter, Ocearch’s chief science adviser and a shark biologist at Florida’s Mote Marine Laboratory, says his group’s research is showing the wide range of the great white sharks from southern Florida to the Cabot Strait.

“A good proportion we’ve tagged since 2012 have gone to Atlantic Canada waters and have spent time in Nova Scotia,” he said in a telephone interview.

He says his group’s goal is

to have fully tagged 60 sharks of various sizes and ages from Florida to Nova Scotia and to track their movements and habitats.

For Bowlby, the end game is greater knowledge on habitat, feeding habits and even shark nursing grounds — though so far none have been found — leading to better informed policy decisions.

For example, if the sharks are once again consuming seals in large numbers, this data can affect policy decisions on permitting a cull of the massive herds.

In addition, there is the curiosity — even awe — over how one of the ocean’s great animals behave in their lifetimes.

“They’re beautiful, they’re fascinating, they’re graceful, they’re powerful. They’re amazing animals,” the scientist says. ■

Canada News

FRIDAY JULY 26, 2019

15

Expert warns of Huawei monopoly in North, leaving residents vulnerable to China

BY MIKE BLANCHFIELD The Canadian Press

NAJC president Lorene Oikawa is in Cumberland (Vancouver Island) for the unveiling of new interpretive signage for #1 mining townsite – pre-1942 Japanese Canadian community and Royston Lumber Mill exhibit launch.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF JAPANESE CANADIANS/FACEBOOK

Japanese Canadians call on B.C. to go beyond mere apology for historic racism

BY CAMILLE BAINS The Canadian Press VANCOUVER — Japanese Canadians across the country are meeting to discuss how an apology by the British Columbia government could be backed by meaningful action for those who were placed in internment camps or forced into labour because of racist policies during the Second World War. The federal government apologized in 1988 for its racism against “enemy aliens” after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in December 1941 but the president of the National Association of Japanese Canadians said British Columbia’s apology in 2012 did not involve the community.

Lorene Oikawa said the association is working with the provincial government to consider how it could follow up on the apology to redress racism.

The majority of about 22,000 interned Japanese Canadians lived in B.C. before many were forced to move east of the Rockies or to Japan, even if they were born in Canada.

“We weren’t informed about the apology so it was a surprise to us,” Oikawa said about B.C.’s statement, which, unlike with the federal government’s apolo-

gy, did not go further to resolve outstanding historic wrongs that saw families separated and property and belongings sold.

“We accepted the apology but we just want to have that follow-up piece that was missing so that is what the current B.C. government has agreed to and started with this process of having community consultations,” she said of the redress initiative funded by the province.

Consultations began in May and by the end of July will have been concluded in Toronto, Hamilton, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and seven other communities in British Columbia. Online consultations are also being conducted before recommendations will be forwarded to the province this fall.

So far, some participants have asked that school curricula include racism against Japanese Canadians as well as initiatives to educate the general public about the intergenerational trauma that families have experienced, Oikawa said.

Lisa Beare, British Columbia’s minister of culture, said the government is supporting the association as it holds consultations so community members can offer recommen❱❱ PAGE 21 Japanese Canadians

OTTAWA IS creating conditions for the telecom giant Huawei to create a monopoly on high-speed internet in Canada’s Far North, leaving its residents vulnerable to Beijing’s will, says a leading analyst.

Michael Byers, an Arctic-affairs expert at the University of British Columbia, said there’s no immediate security threat to Huawei Canada’s Monday announcement that it will partner with a northern telecom company and an Inuit development corporation to extend highspeed 4G wireless services to 70 communities in the Arctic and northern Quebec.

That technology is already common in more populous southern Canada, especially in cities.

But given the small size of the northern market that would mean little competition for providers in an expensive region where the Chinese telecom giant has a competitive advantage because of cheap Chinese labour, said Byers.

“The issue is whether it’s OK for a Chinese company to potentially have a monopoly over communications in remote communities in Canada’s Arctic,” said Byers.

“Not because that’s a sovereignty threat, but because it leaves those communities very exposed in the event that relations between China and Canada break down.”

Huawei is already a controversial company in Canada because its chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou is at the centre of a diplomatic battle between Canada and China.

She was arrested in Vancouver in December on an extradition warrant from the United States, which wants her on fraud charges.

Huawei is also waiting for a federal decision on whether it will be allowed to supply equipment for next-generation 5G wireless networks across the country, amid pressure from the U.S. not to do business with www.canadianinquirer.net

a company it views as an organ of Chinese military intelligence — an allegation the company denied again Monday.

“If you go to our office in Kanata, if you go to our office in Markham, this perception that it’s sort of Dr. Evil’s lair and we’re toiling away at the latest world-ending scheme is false. It’s a bunch of engineers solving engineering problems,” said Alykhan Velshi, the vicepresident of corporate affairs for Huawei’s Canadian arm.

However, the awarding of the 5G contract is entwined with the fate of two Canadian men who have been imprisoned in China since shortly after Meng’s arrest. The Trudeau government has branded the imprisonments of ex-diplomat Michael Kovrig and entrepreneur Michael Spavor as “arbitrary,” and many view their arrests as retaliation by China.

China has also blocked imports of some Canadian agricultural products such as canola, as well as meat shipments.

Velshi, who was previously a longtime aide to Conservative politicians federally and in Ontario, said Huawei has received federal approval for its latest venture into the North, under the federal security-review program, which is designed to protect critical infrastructure.

“The equipment that is provided under this is fully compliant with the rules under that program” and is “non-core equipment so it’s very much in line with that program,” Velshi said.

Velshi repeatedly said the company has been operating in Canada since 2008 with no complaints, and engages in “regular co-operation both with customers and security agencies,” which includes Monday’s announcement of a partnership with ICE Wireless and Iristel. He repeatedly emphasized that the company is Canadian-operated, subject to Canada’s laws, with a transparent structure.

Byers said that line of reasoning is “spurious.”

“It’s a subsidiary of a Chinese company. It’s therefore subject

to the control of its head office.

That head office is subject to Chinese law,” he said. “Anyone who thinks that Huawei is independent of the Chinese government is wrong.”

For those reasons, the government is right to be concerned about allowing Huawei to provide the core equipment of new 5G networks, but it should also be concerned about Huawei developing a monopoly on internet communications in the Canadian Arctic with its current less-advanced technology, said Byers.

A spokesman for Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said he could not answer questions about how Huawei met the government’s critical infrastructure compliance requirements for its new northern Canadian venture, and referred comment to the Communications Security Establishment. The CSE is the national codebreaking and cybersecurity agency, operating under the minister of defence.

In a statement, CSE said it worked with 31 telecommunications-service providers representing more than 99 percent of the Canadian mobile market “to help mitigate the risk of cyber espionage and network disruption through the exploitation of supply chain vulnerabilities in the current 3G/4G/ LTE environment.”

The spy agency said nondisclosure agreements prohibit it from discussing its relationship with “specific vendors and Canadian telecommunications companies” and referred inquiries to the two companies now doing business with Huawei.

Jean-Francois Dumoulin, ICE’s vice-president for regulatory and government affairs, refused to answer questions about how CSE vetted his company’s dealings with Huawei.

Goodale, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other cabinet ministers say they will take the considerations of Canada’s security agencies into account before deciding which companies can provide 5G technology in Canada. ■

16

Canada News

JULY 26, 2019

FRIDAY

SNC-Lavalin charts new course, aims to shift away from construction and oil

BY CHRISTOPHER REYNOLDS The Canadian Press MONTREAL — SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. is slashing its profit forecast for the third time this year as the company’s new CEO veers away from construction and oil projects to double down on engineering.

The beleaguered firm said Monday it is quitting the competitive field of fixed-price contracts, which leave companies vulnerable to cost overruns. It is also “exploring all options” for its resources segment — including selling its flagging oil and gas business, which is taking on an additional $1.9 billion in impairment charges, SNC said in a release.

SNC shares fell seven per cent Monday to close at $23.80 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.

The company, dogged by ongoing fraud and corruption charges related to work in Libya and dragged into a political controversy in Ottawa earlier this year, has seen its market capitalization fall by more than half to $4.18 billion over the past 12 months.

“Incoming CEO Ian Edwards faces the daunting task of righting the SNC ship at a time when legal uncertainty prevails, political posturing still hurts the business, project execution risks remain high and employee morale is anything but,” said analyst Frederic Bastien of Raymond James in a note to investors.

The interim chief executive, who replaced Neil Bruce last month, acknowledged what analysts have noted for months.

“Lump-sum, turnkey projects have been the root cause of the company’s performance issues,” Edwards said in a statement.

SNC-Lavalin’s gloomier financial guidance for its secondquarter was “due in large part” to cost issues on so-called turnkey contracts, where one company assumes responsibility for an entire project — from engineering through procurement and construction — and eats any cost overruns, the company said.

“By exiting such contracting and splitting it off from what is otherwise a healthy and robust business, we are tackling the problem at the source,” Edwards said.

The Montreal-based firm now expects to lose between $150 million and $175 million before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization in the latest quarter — far short of analysts’ EBITDA expectations of up to $128 million — with results slated for release Aug. 1.

Quebec’s Caisse de depot, SNC’s largest investor at nearly 20 per cent, took the rare step of publicly rebuking the firm, saying the situation “requires decisive and timely action” by the board.

“The deterioration of SNCLavalin’s performance, as indicated in the company’s statement issued today, is a cause of growing concern for la Caisse,” it said Monday — a change in tone from chief executive Michael Sabia, who in February declared the pension fund a “rock of support” for the 108-year-old company.

SNC-Lavalin slashed its guidance for 2018 twice in three weeks earlier this year, more than halving its profit forecast and halting all bidding on future mining projects amidst a diplomatic feud between Canada and Saudi Arabia — a key source of oil and gas revenue — and delays on its Codelco mining project in Chile, which the

MARC BRUXELLE / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

state-owned copper company later cancelled at a cost of $350 million to SNC-Lavalin.

Neil Bruce, whose nearly four-year stint at the helm was marked by a 42 per cent plunge in share price and a political controversy tied to the ongoing corruption case, managed to bolster the company backlog by more than $15 billion.

He steered the firm through its purchase of engineering powerhouse WS Atkins in 2017, but also added oil and gas exposure in 2014 with the $2.1-billion acquisition of U.K-based Kentz Corp. Ltd. “Essentially what they’re talking about with divesting the oil and gas business is, `Oops, we should just sell Kentz back to somebody else,”‘ said AltaCorp Capital analyst Chris Murray said in a phone interview.

Oil and gas as well as mining are “more cyclical businesses, a little harder to judge,” he said.

www.canadianinquirer.net

“And that’s where they’ve made mistakes in the past.”

The company’s oil and gas segment took in the secondhighest revenues of any division in 2018, raking in onequarter of SNC’s $10.08 billion.

But it gleaned just 3.8 per cent earnings before interest and taxes, the lowest percentage of its four biggest divisions.

On Monday SNC-Lavalin withdrew its earlier financial guidance for 2019, which pegged EBITDA across its engineering and construction segments at between $900 million $950 million.

The company’s directional shift puts it closer to Quebecbased rival WSP Global Inc., a pure-play engineering design firm where nearly 90 per cent of revenues come from countries in Europe and North America.

SNC-Lavalin, by contrast, derived nearly one-quarter of its 2018 revenue from operations

in the Middle East and Africa.

The latest reorganization will split the company into two operating units. One is the “projects” division, which combines the resources and infrastructure construction segments “following continued poor performance,” SNC-Lavalin said in a release. The other is SNCL Engineering Services, which will oversee engineering design and project management as well as nuclear, infrastructure maintenance and capital, all of which accounted for 57 per cent of revenue last year.

“Although this decision is a critical first step in de-risking SNC and generating more consistent results, it still leaves the company on the hook for $3.2 billion worth of lump-sum turnkey projects” — including Montreal’s Reseau express metropolitain, analyst Frederic Bastien noted.

SNC-Lavalin told The Canadian Press it will withdraw from projects it’s been shortlisted for, including Vancouver’s $2.83-billion Broadway subway extension and a $500-million overhaul of Montreal’s Lafontaine tunnel, which runs under the St. Lawrence River.

SNC-Lavalin also faces a trial after allegedly paying $48 million in bribes to officials under Moammar Gadhafi and defrauding Libyan organizations of some $130 million between 2001 and 2012. The company was at the centre of a political controversy for months following accusations by former attorney general Jody WilsonRaybould that top government officials pressured her to overrule federal prosecutors in the Libya case and negotiate a deferred prosecution agreement, a kind of plea deal that would have seen the firm pay a fine rather than face prosecution. ■

Canada News

FRIDAY JULY 26, 2019

17

A year later, ceremony commemorates victims of the Danforth shooting

BY LIDIA ABRAHA The Canadian Press

one year ago tomorrow,” Gibbs said.

“We share your grief, and you are not alone.”

The ceremony was held in a park near TORONTO — The names of the two the stretch of Danforth Avenue where people killed in a shooting in Toronto’s the devastating shooting rampage ocGreektown last year were read aloud in a curred on July 22 last year.

The names of others affected by the ceremony meant to honour their memoshooting were also ry Sunday afternoon. read out during the Those gathered ceremony, which held a moment of sibegan with a choir lence to pay tribute performance and into 18-year-old Reese cluded the reading of Fallon and 10-yearIt may end up being the an original poem. old Julianna Kozis, as worst budget Monday marks the well as the 13 people agreement in one-year anniverhurt in the attack. our nation’s sary of when Faisal Toronto Police Serhistory, Hussain opened fire vices chaplain Rev. proposed at a along the bustling Wendell Gibbs, who time when our street before shootled the event, said the fiscal conditions ing and killing himceremony “breaks are already self. down the walls of isoprecarious.

Ken Price, father lation.” of one the victims “We are here to injured in the attack, express our love said the ceremony and support and our is a reminder of how compassion to the strong the Danforth families of those who were lost and to those who were injured community is.

“That’s the secret to how we move or witnessed unspeakable violence, as well as for a community that was shaken forward — it’s to have really active and

engaged communities that support each other,” said Price.

Lori Zucchiatti O’Neill, who attended the event, said she remembers hearing sirens the day of the shooting.

The 57-year-old said she can’t walk on Danforth Avenue without thinking about the shooting. She said she hopes discussions continue on how to prevent similar tragedies from happening.

“Clearly there is mental illness in the shooter’s history and that is part of the tragedy. If we are just consumed by our feelings and we don’t have that translate into concrete positive action, then it’s just wishful thinking,” she said.

Last month, Toronto police detailed its nearly year-long investigation into the attack and said while 29-year-old Hussain had a long history of mental health issues, investigators couldn’t pinpoint a motive for the shooting.

Police have said Hussain had no criminal record and there was no evidence he had been radicalized as police found he had no affiliation with hate or terror groups.

People of Toronto left floral tributes for 18-year-old Reese Fallon with the message “We are #Danforth” in 2018.

KASUGA – OWN WORK, CC BY-SA 4.0

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The shooting also raised concerns about access to firearms. Since the attack, Price has been advocating for stricter gun laws after his daughter was shot in the upper thigh.

“Samantha endured a very serious point-blank range gun shot from a person who was full of hate,” he said.

Members of the Danforth community have been raising money for a national organization in support of limiting access to firearms.

Tilly Gray, who also attended Sunday’s ceremony, said she has helped raise funds for gun control and that it was one of many ways the tight-knit neighbourhood came together following the tragedy.

“The overwhelming support that the community is showing one another is the thing I take from this and want to keep taking away from this,” she said.

A sunset vigil is planned Monday evening at a parkette on Danforth Avenue where the community intends to gather with candles and photos of the victims. ■

Canada News

18

JULY 26, 2019

Canadian high school science courses behind on climate change, says UBC study

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VANCOUVER — High school students in Canada may not be getting the full story about climate change, according to a new study by researchers from the University of British Columbia and Lund University in Sweden.

The study analysed high school science textbooks and curricula in all 13 provinces and territories and interviewed people responsible for curriculum design in six provinces.

It found in general, Canadian curricula covers the facts that climate change is happening and that it’s caused by humans, but not the strength of the scientific consensus behind climate change, its impacts or solutions.

“That’s important because if students don’t understand that there are solutions or that experts agree this is a problem that’s caused by humans, they’re unlikely to be motivated to help solve the problem,” said Seth Wynes, a UBC doctoral candidate and the lead author of the study.

“We know that part of the role of science education in Canada as laid out in various provincial documents is to prepare students to be environmental citizens,” he added.

The study rated the curricula on six core areas: basic knowledge of the physical climate, rising global temperatures, the human-caused nature of climate change, its negative consequences and the possibility of avoiding the most severe effects of climate change through implementing solutions that reduce emissions from fossil fuels.

The researchers found performance on these key areas varies by province and territory.

Initially, Wynes said he suspected that provinces with a greater presence of fossil fuel industry might have lower coverage of climate change in classrooms. But the study did not reveal a correlation.

In fact, it found that curriculum in Saskatchewan, which has the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions in Canada and whose emissions have been steadily rising, had the most comprehensive coverage of climate change, followed by Ontario.

“It’s an encouraging indicator of how curricula are designed in Canada,” said Wynes.

British Columbia covered three of the key areas — the physical climate, the fact climate change is caused by humans, and its impacts — and new grade 11 and 12 curriculum is set to be implemented

www.canadianinquirer.net

in the coming school year.

Nova Scotia and New Brunswick had the oldest curriculum documents and also the least comprehensive coverage of climate change. The study found mandatory courses only covered the fact the climate is warming.

It also found Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island presented human-caused climate change as being up for debate among experts.

There may also be differences in what documents are instructing teachers to teach and what students are actually learning, according to Wynes.

“It can be difficult for teachers if they’re in a community where this issue is polarized. On the other hand, there’s space for teachers who are passionate about the subject to really dig in deeper and engage students on a higher level,” he said.

Teachers need extra support and Canadian curricula may need revision because of the fast-changing nature of the climate crisis, added Wynes.

“Fifteen years ago, there were some things we didn’t know. That’s going to change the learning objectives and it might also change the amount of focus you’re going to put on this subject,” he said.

Wynes conceded that the study is limited by its analysis of science curriculum alone, and that other subjects and courses can sometimes incorporate climate change education. But, he said, for the most part, science courses are where climate change is addressed.

Previously, Wynes was a high school science teacher who trained in Ontario and taught in the U.K. and northern Quebec.

“I had a lot of conversations with students and answered their questions about climate change. They often came to me with a lot of misunderstandings,” Wynes said, noting some students were concerned about running out of fossil fuels — unaware that meeting national and global emissions reduction targets means leaving a large portion in the ground.

Wynes was motivated to conduct the study partly by his own experience as a teacher and also by polling from around 2015, which suggested that a large portion of young adults in Canada who were in high school in the recent past weren’t that concerned about climate change.

“For this generation, where climate change is going to have such a large impact on their future and is already having an impact on their present, it’s really important they understand the fundamental aspects of this problem so they’re able to contribute to decisions that are made by society or through actions in their own life,” Wynes said. ■

World News

FRIDAY JULY 26, 2019

19

Venezuela capital in the dark again after massive blackout

BY FABIOLA SANCHEZ AND JOSHUA GOODMAN The Associated Press CARACAS, VENEZUELA — The lights went out across much of Venezuela Monday, reviving fears of the blackouts that plunged the country into chaos a few months ago as the government once again accused opponents of sabotaging the nation’s hydroelectric power system.

The power in the capital went out after 4 p.m. (2000 GMT) and immediately backed up traffic as stop lights and the subway stopped working during rush hour.

“This is horrible, a disaster,” Reni Blanco, a 48-year-old teacher, said as she joined a crush of people who flooded into the streets of the capital trying to make it home before nightfall.

Almost three hours into the blackout authorities broke their silence and blamed an “electromagnetic attack” on a series of dams located in southern Venezuela — the same culprit it attributed an almost week-long outage in March that left millions of Venezuelans without water or the ability to communicate with loved ones.

“Those who’ve systematically attacked the noble people of Venezuela in all kinds of ways will once again be confronted with the mettle and courage that we, the children of our liberator Simon Bolivar, have demonstrated in the face of difficulties,” Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said in a statement read on state TV. Rodiguez said authorities were working to restore electricity as quickly as possible. He said security forces had been deployed, and contingency plans activated, to guarantee basic medical services and keep streets safe.

But as night fell on Caracas many were wondering how long they would be left in the dark.

“Without light we have nothing,” said Maria Teresa Gonzalez, fretting over the meat she had in her freezer if the outage wore on as she walked her dog in the last rays of the evening sun.

Reports on social media said that 19 of 24 Venezuelan states were also affected.

Netblocks, a group monitoring internet activity, said network data showed most of Venezuela was knocked offline with national connectivity at just 6% after the latest cuts. Normally non-stop state TV, a key way for the government to keep people informed, was also off the air for a while, adding to frustrations.

President Nicolas Maduro blamed the March outage on a U.S.-sponsored attack against the nation’s biggest hydroelectric dam. More recently, as pow-

er service in the politically turbulent capital has improved amid widespread rationing in the interior, officials have even taken to downplaying the outages as similar to a nationwide blackout in Argentina and even one that knocked off the power for several thousand residents of Manhattan for a few hours amid the summer heat.

But his opponents said the outage laid bare years of underinvestment in the nation’s grid by corrupt officials who mismanaged an oil bonanza in the nation sitting atop the world’s largest crude reserves.

“They tried to hide the tragedy by rationing supplies across the country, but their failure is evident: they destroyed the system and they don’t have answers,” opposition leader Juan Guaido said on Twitter.

Guaido, who the U.S. and more than 50 other nations recognize as Venezuela’s rightful leader, reiterated an earlier call for nationwide protests on Tuesday.

“We Venezuelans won’t grow accustomed to this,” he said.

Much of the government’s focus since the March blackouts has been on repairing transmission lines near the Guri Dam, which provides about 80 per cent of Venezuela’s electricity.

Jose Aguilar, a U.S.-based power expert who hails from Venezuela, said that alternative power plants running on diesel fuel and gas are unable to make up the difference.

He estimates that since the March outages the country has lost about 1,200 Megawatts of thermal power, or about 40% of its thermal generating capacity at the start of the year, as the government overburdens the fragile system in a desperate attempt to keep the lights on in Caracas and other cities.

“Even in the best-run grids equipment is going to fail,” Aguiar, who is an informal adviser to Guaido on electricity issues, told The Associated Press. “But when you operate on a limb, outside of safe limits, you expose yourself to these types of domino events. It’s like Russian Roulette.”

Despite the risks of another extended collapse, some Venezuelans were taking the blackout in stride.

Cristian Sandoval, a 37-year-old owner of a motorcycle repair business, said he is more prepared for a prolonged outage having equipped his home with a water tank and a generator for his workshop. As Venezuela’s crisis deepens, the sale of electric generators is one of the few growth industries in a country ravaged by six-digit inflation and cratering public services.

“If the blackout continues we’ll have another round of dessert,” he chuckled while sharing a piece of chocolate

Night view of Caracas city during a national power outage, in March 2019.

cake with a friend at a cafeteria growing steadily dark as the night began to fall.

“But it’s very difficult for the people,” he conceded. “This creates a lot of discomfort.” ■

SHUTTERSTOCK

Goodman reported from Bogota, Colombia. AP Writers Christopher Torchia, Scott Smith and Christine Armario contributed to this report from Caracas.

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World News

JULY 26, 2019

FRIDAY

Iran says it arrested 17 Iranians allegedly recruited by CIA

BY AYA BATRAWY AND NASSER KARIMI The Associated Press DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES — Iran on Monday announced the arrest of 17 Iranians accused of spying on the country’s nuclear and military sites for the CIA and said some of them have been sentenced to death. President Donald Trump called it “another lie” from Iran.

The arrests happened over the past months, an Iranian intelligence official said at a news conference in Tehran. He said those taken into custody worked on “sensitive sites” in military and nuclear installations. The official did not say how many were given death sentences.

The announcement came amid weeks of rising tensions between Washington and Tehran over Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of Iran’s nuclear agreement with world powers last year and impose sweeping sanctions on the

country.

The official said the 17 were recruited by the CIA and had “sophisticated training” but did not succeed in their sabotage missions. Their spying missions included collecting information at the facilities where they worked and installing monitoring devices, he said.

He said some were staff members at the targeted facilities, and the rest were working as consultant and contractors.

The official said the CIA had promised them U.S. visas or jobs in America.

“That’s totally a false story.

That’s another lie,” Trump said at the White House.

Trump also said Iran has “disrespected” the United States, adding: “If they want to make a deal, frankly it’s getting harder for me to want to make a deal with Iran because they’ve behaved very badly. They’re saying bad things.”

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a former CIA director, declined to address specifics of the arrests but said: “The Ira-

nian regime has a long history of lying.”

“I think everyone should take with a grain of salt everything that the Islamic Republic of Iran asserts today,” he said.

With tensions rising recently, the U.S. has increased its military presence in the region and is sending at least 500 U.S. soldiers to Saudi Arabia, Iran’s rival.

Last month, U.S. officials said American military cyberforces struck Iranian Revolutionary Guard computers, disabling systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers.

The cyberattack came after Trump backed away from an airstrike in response to Iran’s downing of a U.S. surveillance drone.

The Iranian official did not give his name but was identified as the director of the counterespionage department of Iran’s Intelligence Ministry. It is rare in Iran for intelligence officials to appear before media, or for any official to give a news conference without identifying

CIA Headquarters.

@CIA / TWITTER

himself.

The official said some of the agents recruited by the CIA had turned and are now working with his department against the United States.

He also handed out a CD with video of what Iran said was a foreign female spy working for the CIA. The disc also included the names of several U.S. Embassy staff members in Turkey, India, Zimbabwe and Austria who Iran said were in touch with the recruited Iranian spies.

Iran occasionally announces the detention of people it says are spying for foreign countries, including the U.S. and Israel. In June, Iran said it executed a former Defence Ministry employee convicted of spying for the CIA. In April, it said it uncovered 290 CIA spies inside and outside the country over the past several years. ■ Karimi reported from Tehran, Iran. Associated Press writer Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Florida, contributed.

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FRIDAY JULY 26, 2019

Macron says UN refugee agency attacked, decries Libya camps

BY ELAINE GANLEY The Associated Press PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron called on Libyan authorities Monday to stop holding transiting refugees in detention camps and said buildings of the United Nations’ refugee agency in Libya were attacked earlier in the day.

Macron did not elaborate on the attack he said was carried out on buildings of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. He said Libya should end the “confinement” of refugees and house in safe places those who reach the North African country.

Libya has become a major conduit for African migrants and refugees hoping to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea. An airstrike on a detention centre near the Libyan capital killed more than 50 migrants and wounded dozens of others earlier this month.

Macron met with U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and the director general of the International Organization for Migration on Monday, after European ministers in Paris tried to find agreement on dealing with Europebound migrants who use Libya as a stepping stone.

The European Union has spent hundreds of millions of euros to equip and train Libya’s coast guard and to improve the conditions of the detention centres. Under a deal with the EU, Libyan vessels apprehend refugees and migrants setting out from the coast and take them back.

Macron announced that eight countries had formally signed on to a French-German initiative to co-operate in a burden-sharing mechanism and 14 assented to it. Southern European countries like Italy and Greece have complained for years that they shoulder a disproportionate responsibility for arriving migrants.

“Europe isn’t a la carte when it comes to solidarity,” Macron said, with countries saying they don’t want a Europe that shares burdens but are in favour of unity “when it’s about receiving structural funds.”

French President Emmanuel Macron.

Absent from the closed-door meeting of EU interior and foreign ministers was Italy’s populist, anti-migrant interior minister, Matteo Salvini. He tweeted strong disagreement Sunday with letting France and Germany determine the bloc’s refugee policy while nations like Italy are on the front line.

“We intend to make ourselves respected,” Salvini declared in another tweet.

Without naming Italy, Macron regretted the absence of some countries from the table, saying that “we gain nothing by non-co-operation.”

However, he reiterated the law of the sea by which boats must be able to enter the surest and closest port, which for vessels coming from Libya typically is Italy.

Salvini has barred private aid ships that rescue migrants from entering Italy’s ports, forcing NGOs to find another country willing to allow their rescue boats to dock and bartering among nations to divide up the migrants onboard.

U.N. High Commissioner Grandi said he was encouraged by the progress in finding a method for sharing the work of housing asylum-seekers and processing their applications.

Last month, Grandi and International Organization for Migration Director General Antonio Vitorino lamented that the EU had no predictable strategy for providing rescue boats with safe harbour and

EMMANUEL MACRON / FACEBOOK

sharing newly arrived migrants.

The number of migrant crossings on the central Mediterranean route that leads to Italy has diminished drastically since 2015 and 2016.

“We no longer are living an arrival crisis …. We live a crisis of deaths,” Vitorino said.

According to the IOM, up to June 19, there were 2,252 arrivals in Italy and 1,151 in Malta, while at least 343 people died at sea.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas voiced hope earlier in the day that a solution was on the horizon.

“The haggling about emergency rescue in the Mediterranean must finally end,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said after the ministerial meeting. “It is really necessary that we manage to put together a coalition of those who are prepared to help, and I think we came a step closer to that today.”

The UNHCR and IOM chiefs joined Macron in stressing the need for rescue help from NGOs, which Italy has denounced, claiming they help traffickers.

On Sunday, the SOS Mediterranee, a French charity, partnering with Doctors Without Borders, announced it has returned to the sea with a new boat to save migrants, seven months after the flag was pulled from its original ship, Aquari❱❱ PAGE 22 Macron says

www.canadianinquirer.net

Japanese Canadians... ❰❰ 15

dations for legacy ini- more than just an apology,” she tiatives. said.

“We recognize that Her daughter, Lynn Kobaishi, significant harm came to Japa- president of the Toronto chapnese Canadians as a result of ter of the National Association provincial government actions of Japanese Canadians, said during the Second World War,” during the war politicians in she said in a statement. “Japa- B.C. lobbied the federal governnese Canadians became targets ment to resort to racist policies. simply for their identity, and in “It was all driven by B.C. That many cases lost personal prop- disempowered and disenfranerty, jobs and homes.” chised people and allowed what Addie Kobaishi, 86, was born happened to happen,” she said. and raised in Vancouver but her Ryanne Macdonald, 21, a family had to leave their home fourth-generation Canadian when they were relocated to of Japanese descent, is trying the Tashme internment camp, to unravel her family’s history the largest in Canada, near with some clues from her relucHope, B.C. tant grandmother’s stories.

She said her grandmother She said her grandfather, and aunt ended up in a holding Ryan Nakade, was 13 when his area at Hastings Park in Van- family’s boat business was concouver before they too were fiscated by the government and sent to Tashme, he was forced where residents to labour at a faced brutally farm in Grand cold winters and Forks, B.C., over had no indoor I think it was 500 kilometres terrible and it toilets or water from his home in was unfounded as part of what Richmond. fear that they was a “confus“My grandfawere going off ing” year and ther passed away of because they a half for her, before I was were treating starting at age 10. born so I never the Japanese “The condigot to hear the Canadians like tions were harsh, story from him,” they weren’t the housing was said MacDonald, citizens. harsh,” she said who is currently from a Scarbordoing a summer ough, Ont., nursinternship at the ing home where Nikkei National she attended Museum and consultations about B.C. re- Cultural Centre in Burnaby, dress. Kobaishi said her family where she’s working as an arsettled in Montreal because of chival assistant. the discrimination they faced “Since I started working in Toronto, where they wanted there my grandma started talkto live, though she moved there ing about her experiences more, in the late 1970s. which is something she never Being interned and doing opened up about before just bedifficult farm labour changed cause she tends to want to talk many people’s lives forever, she about it only with other people said, noting her father died at who’ve been through the same 47 and never did go back to B.C. experience as her because they “My uncle said to me many, can relate,” Macdonald said. many years later that it spoiled She said she wants to be able his life. He did marry, he had to understand what her grandtwo children, but he did end up parents went through so those an alcoholic,” she said of Koazi actions can’t be repeated.

Fujikawa, who had been sent to “I think it was terrible and it Yukon during the war as part of was unfounded fear that they a crew constructing the Alaska were going off of because they Highway. were treating the Japanese CaKobaishi called on the B.C. nadians like they weren’t citigovernment to accompany its zens. Both my grandparents, 2012 apology with substantial they were born in Canada.” and ongoing education as part of Macdonald said she learned the school curriculum to teach about racism against Japanese students about policies that up- Canadians in a Grade 10 social rooted Canadian citizens. studies class but the content was “I do think they should be “glossed over and it didn’t seem held responsible for something as bad as it actually was.” ■

World News

22

JULY 26, 2019

FRIDAY

Pangarap: So, Our Journey Begins

Tanong No. 1 (Series 2): Handa ka na nga ba?

BY BOLET AREVALO

KAYA MO Ba Mag-Survive sa Abroad? ang pangalawang aklat ng aking Pangarap Series (Taglish version). Samantalang ang titulo ng unang aklat sa Taglish version ay – Pangarap Mo Bang Mag-Abroad?

Sa pangalawang aklat ay layunin kong mailarawan ang tamis ng tagumpay sa likod ng pangangarap nating makapangibang-bansa, at kung paano makakamit ang minimithi kung may determinasyon, kababaang-loob, at pagharap sa realidad.

By the time na mabasa ninyo ito, maraming taon na kaming naninirahan sa ibang bansa.

More than the chronological significance of this or the muchcoveted citizenship, it means na nalampasan ko na ang mga malalaking pagbabago sa maginhawa kong buhay sa Pilipinas – mataas na posisyon, travel here and there, mga magagarang sasakyan, nannies for my kids, taga-luto, taga-linis, taga-laba, taga-grocery, taga-takbo kung saan-saan. Practically all I did was to bring home the money and be an occasional mom.

Paano ko kinayang lampasan o kalimutan ang lahat ng iyon?

Paano ko natanggap na wala na ang lahat ng iyon? Gaano

karaming luha ang pumatak sa aking pisngi dahil sa lungkot, sa galit, inis, pagod o pagsisisi, kung mayroon man, sa bago kong buhay na sinuong?

Simple lang ang mensaheng gusto kong paratingin sa inyo, kapag nabuo na ang isang desisyon at sa palagay mo ay handa ka na, open your arms, embrace your new destiny.

So, ang unang tanong in this second series is - Handa Ka Na Nga Ba? Sabi-Sabi: Boy Scouts lang daw ang laging handa.

Ang paghahanda sa pag-alis o pangingibang-bansa, whether temporary ‘yun o pang-permanente pa, is a no mean task.

Hindi biru-biro ‘ika nga. Mabigat na resposibilidad at gawain ang ihanda ang sarili at ang pamilya sa yugtong ito.

Ang pinakamahirap ay ang pagtanggap sa bagong buhay na wala na ang mga dating ginhawa o mga kaagapay sa arawaraw na gawain sa bahay o sa trabaho man. Kung noon ay may janitor o messenger ka, or may maid or nanny ka sa buhay; or may nanay, lola, kapatid or other relatives na puwedeng takbuhan anytime, wala na ‘yon sa iyong pag-uumpisang muli.

Pero kung wala ka namang ganun ever since or sanay ka sa hirap or do things on your own, walang kang malaking adjustments na haharapin sa aspetong iyon.

But in general, ang mga Pilipino nga raw ay sanay sa hirap

at likas na matiisin. Sabi nga ay higit na tatlong daang taon nga tayong nagpasakop sa mga banyaga at tiniis ang hirap ng mga panahong iyon.

Noong huli akong umuwi para magbakasyon, nagulat ako sa laki ng inakyat ng presyo ng mga bilihin; bagay na hindi naman nasasabayan ng pagtaas ng sahod o kita ng karaniwang mamamayan. Nalungkot ako at naawa sa aking mga kababayan.

But more than those feelings, humanga ako at sumasaludo sa kanilang resiliency, flexibility at katatagan.

Paanong tulad ng bamboo at nakakasabay sila sa ihip ng hangin? Kapag maigsi ang kumot, matutong mamaluktot – ‘yan

Last Mile... ❰❰ 3

and order, and where private contractors, suppliers, and service providers find difficult to access in order to deliver the necessary equipment and services,” Briones added.

Since teachers are the frontliners of the DepEd in providing quality basic education to all learners, she said the agency will strengthen the National Educators’ Academy of the Philippines.

“It will capacitate teachers with the latest, effective teaching strategies so they could develop critical thinking among learners. Critical analysis is to study and analyze problems and

ang parati kong naririnig noon sa lola ko. Paanong sa kabila ng hirap ng buhay ay nakakaraos ang araw-araw? Paanong nakangingiti pa rin sa likod ng hirap at pagod sa buhay? Paanong nakabukas pa rin ang palad sa pagtulong sa kapamilya at maski sa ibang tao?

Sa aking palagay, kapag ikaw ay Pinoy at wala ka nang katangiang iyan- hindi ka napalaki nang tama ng iyong mga magulang o napayuhan ng mga nakakatanda. Kung wala kang sipag at tiyaga, may mali sa buhay na kinagisnan mo. Kung wala ka ng warmth at hospitality ng mga Pilipino, may kulang sa naging paghubog sa iyo mula sa iyong kabataan.

Kung dahil sa kaginhawahan sa buhay ay nakalimutan mong meron ka noon, ang pagpunta mo sa abroad ang magpaaalala sa iyong meron ka noon o kailangan mong hugutin iyon sa iyong kaban ng values na pinamana sa atin ng ating mga ninuno.

Kung handa ka nang isuko ang kaginhawahan , then handa ka nang mangibang-bansa.

Kung handa ka nang ituro o ipasa iyon sa iyong mga anak, then handa ka nang mag-abroad.

Kung handa ka nang magsimula muli, then handa ka nang umalis. Kung handa ka nang magpakumbaba, then handa ka nang hanapin ang bago mong kapalaran sa ibang bayan.

Ang Totoo: Kung ikaw ay napalaki nang may kababaangloob at pagpapakumbaba ng iyong mga magulang o namulat sa kagandahang-asal ng mga Pilipino, handa ka anytime. ■ Abangan sa susunod na isyu: Tanong No. 2 Series 2 – Ano ang Survival?

Bolet is a marketing communications practitioner and dabbles in writing as a personal passion.

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

Macron says... find solutions. Ito ang itinuturo natin sa (This is what we teach our) high school students ngayon (now),” she added.

The DepEd, under President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration, continues to provide quality basic education to all Filipinos regardless of their background, distance and personal circumstances.

The DepEd reported that the agency has built 67,667 classrooms, repaired and reconstructed 66,654 classrooms, and restored 284 Gabaldon Heritage School Buildings from July 2016 to March 2019.

It also has delivered 4,447,150 armchairs, installed 486,635 In-

formation and Communication Technology equipment, distributed 158,850,171 textbooks and manuals, provided 20,421 packages of math and science equipment, employed 177,218 teachers, and fed 4,526,432 students for the same period.

To ensure that senior high school students taking technical-vocational (tech-voc) subjects are employment-ready, the DepEd constructed 4,136 tech-voc laboratories and workshops, delivered 1,396,614 new tables and chairs, provided 1,338 packages of tech-voc laboratory tools and equipment, and upgraded electrical systems in 2,191 schools. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

❰❰ 21

us. The Norwegianflagged Ocean Viking is heading to the Mediterranean with a 31-member crew, the group said.

Salvini wasted no time in warning SOS Mediterranee that Italy was not about to bend on its policy of keeping rescue ships at bay, tweeting Monday, “if someone is thinking about helping smugglers or breaking laws, be careful because we won’t be standing still.”

The Aquarius, SOS Mediterranee’s original rescue ship, ended its operations last fall after Panama revoked its flag and Italian prosecutors ordered the vessel seized, accusing Doctors

Without Borders of illegally disposing of tons of contaminated and medical waste. The organization says the Aquarius assisted 30,000 migrants since 2016.

Monday’s meeting follows a gathering of EU interior ministers on the issue of rescuing migrants last week in Helsinki, Finland. Salvini hailed progress there, saying other ministers shared Italy’s position of revamping Mediterranean search and rescue rules with the aim of preventing immigration abuse. ■ Frances D’Emilio in Rome and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed.

23

Entertainment Miss Grand Thailand 2019 will apologize to Catriona Gray for fat-shaming under one condition

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer AFTER BEING under fire for calling Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray “fat” on her social media, newly-crowned Miss Grand Thailand 2019 Coco Arayha tells PowerhousePH that she will apologize to the Filipina-Australian beauty queen only “if Cat will message [her] directly.”

During the interview with the pageantry website, Coco refers to the post she had shared to her 117,000 followers with Miss Grand International 2018 Clara Sosa of Paraguay in a swimsuit being labelled “fit” and Catriona labelled as “fat.”

The Thai beauty queen defends herself from criticism, explaining, “I shared the photo of Clara because I’m jealous of her body and want it. I shared the truth and everyone hates

me for it. Even when I upload a pretty picture of myself, there’s a thousand angry comments,” adding, “I shared the truth. I know she’s Miss Universe, but the picture just says it all.”

Being crowned Miss Grand Thailand 2019 in Bangkok last Saturday, July 13, Coco also asks reporters, “I just won the crown. Can you not celebrate with me and be happy for me?

I got the crown. Is not anyone happy for me at all?” She responds to criticism, stating, “If you had followed my journey since the beginning, you would see that the drama is another matter. My skills can’t be overlooked.”

A day after Coco was crowned, Catriona indirectly addressed the issue on Twitter, telling her followers, “Body shaming is hurtful and [should] never be tolerated. If anyone reading this too has been [body shamed], I know how it feels.

@COCO.ARAYHA / INSTAGRAM

I’m sorry you’ve had to experience that. But [know] that you are more than your appearance. You are a capable, unique, and worthy person. And you are

never alone.”

She also received support from her fellow beauty queens, with Miss Universe Canada 2016 Siera Bearchell respond-

ing through a vlog on her YouTube channel, “If there are young women or just women in general who see these pictures of her (Catriona) and then they see that people are calling her fat, I cannot help but question and I know that some of these people question themselves,” concluding, “What would a young woman who may be struggling with her body image think if she saw a picture of Catriona and she saw that people are calling her fat?”

In the meantime, Binibining Pilipinas Grand International Philippines 2019 Samantha Lo was asked by a fan what she thought about Coco’s comments on Catriona, with Samantha responding, “She’s not invited to pizza night with Cat and I.” Samantha will be facing Coco during the international competition in Venezuela this October. ■

Grab PH apologizes for ‘foul’ meme using Gerald Anderson controversy

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer TRANSPORTATION APPLICATION Grab Philippines has decided to remove their Facebook advertisement pertaining to actor Gerald Anderson and the recently surfaced cheating allegations involving his “Between Maybes” co-star Julia Barretto, after receiving flack for the inappropriateness of the post last Tuesday, July 23.

The ride-hailing service company attempted to promote their six-seater feature by posting a collage of Gerald’s former on and off screen partners, including actresses Maja Salvador, Pia Wurtzbach, Kim Chiu, Sarah Geronimo; and girlfriend Bea Alonzo, who has

also been surfacing the internet for her hints on the accuracy of the rumors, cryptically posting, “You can’t make the same mistake twice, the second time you make it, it’s not a mistake anymore, it’s a choice. ENOUGH.” The collage by Grab PH captioned in Filipino, “Nobody gets left behind. Nobody will get hurt. With GrabCar six-seater, you can all go at the same time.”

Yet, after receiving thousands of angry reactions, the company apologized and immediately took the post down. In a separate graphic, they state, “We apologize for running the light! We were in no way encouraging nor condoning disrespect for women and disrespect within relationships. We admire the love and loyalty the fans have for all these wonderful women. Thank you

for reminding us what not to be!”

In a further statement, they explain, “While our intent was to create relevant conversations, we failed to do so, and regret that the effect of the post was insensitive and offensive – something that does not reflect our values at Grab. While this isolated incident may have misrepresented our position on women’s rights, we remain to be a steadfast supporter and advocate of the welfare of women everywhere,” concluding, “We have learned significant lessons from this experience, and we are taking internal actions to ensure that we prevent this from happening again. Our prime focus remains to be in providing delightful and meaningful conversations between Grab and the Filipino people.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

“Dance is a conversation between body & soul.” @ANDERSONGERALDJR/INSTAGRAM

24

Entertainment

JULY 26, 2019

FRIDAY

Yeng Constantino to Siargao doctor: I’m deeply sorry for the hurt I caused

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer AFTER RECEIVING online backlash, Yeng Constantino has apologized to a doctor whom she ranted about in her nowdeleted vlog and Facebook post where she shared her and her husband’s “traumatic” experience in Siargao.

“I would like to apologize to Dr. Esterlina Tan and other medical staff for the hurt that my post and vlog has (sic) caused them. Whatever concerns I had should have been coursed through the proper forum,” she wrote in a Facebook post on Monday, July 22.

Constantino drew the ire of many netizens after she exposed the identity of the doctor online as she accused her of ‘lacking concern and urgency’

in responding to the need of Yan Asuncion, the singer’s husband, who figured in a cliff diving accident in Siargao.

This did not sit well with netizens, especially those in the medical field, calling out Constantino for “doctor-shaming.”

Some of them pointed out that it was not that Tan lack sense of urgency and concern but medical practitioners are trained to remain calm in any emergency situations, and that the problem was with the lack of equipment and staff in provincial hospitals.

Due to their online outrage, the hashtag ‘#NoToDoctorShaming’ also trended on Twitter in reaction to the singer’s posts.

Constantino admitted that it was “unfair” for Tan to be called out on social media so she took down her post and vlog.

“Regarding the Siargao inci-

dent, ’yung mga recent posts ko (my recent posts) was brought about by my high emotions dahil sa nangyari sa aking asawa (because of what happened to my husband) whose life at that time I thought was in grave danger,” she wrote.

The singer said after talking with people close to her, she realized that she should have been “more responsible” with what she posts.

“I’m deeply sorry for the hurt I caused her at sa lahat ng mga (and to all) medical professionals who were affected by my posts. There is no excuse. I will do my best to be more responsible next time,” she continued.

Surigao del Norte 1st District Representative Francisco Jose “Bingo” Matugas earlier vowed to take actions to improve Siargao’s emergency responses, following Asuncion’s accident.

Is ‘Big Tech...’ ❰❰ 32

it collects are also the subject of a consumer lawsuit that the Supreme Court recently cleared to proceed.

App makers periodically allege that they are blocked because Apple wants people to use its own services. In a recent example, several makers of apps for managing the amount of time kids can use their iPhones say they were kicked out of the store not long after Apple introduced its own screen-management controls.

Apple says it typically blocks only apps with buggy software or features that invade users’ privacy. The company likens its rules to merchants deciding what products to carry. Apple also says its store includes apps that compete with its own products, including Google Maps and Google’s Chrome browser.

Also under criticism is the 30 per cent cut that Apple pockets on new subscription sign-ups during the first year and a 15 per cent slice for renewals. The app store is expected to generate about $16 billion in revenue this year.

Apple says the commissions cover costs for running the app store, including hiring people

to review apps.

Antitrust regulators could try to impose requirements that lower Apple’s commissions or, in a worst-case scenario, force it to spin off the app store. The latter option, though, could hurt consumers by making iPhones and other Apple products more cumbersome to use.

Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives likened a breakup to “a complex and almost impossible Siamese twin operation.”

Amazon

From an online bookseller, Amazon has grown into a gigantic e-commerce player with its tentacles in everything from web hosting to streaming video to groceries.

The European Union’s antitrust chief has been conducting an early-stage probe into whether Amazon is using data to gain an edge on third-party merchants, who are both its customers and rivals. Italy has been looking into whether Amazon abused its dominance by offering preferential treatment to companies that used Amazon’s own delivery-management services.

Cicilline, the congressman,

said Amazon has identified bestselling products elsewhere, rolled out replicas under its own brand and then steered customers to its own products over those of its rivals.

When Warren tweeted in April that big tech companies like Amazon should be broken up, Amazon tweeted back: “Walmart is much larger.”

Amazon CEO and founder Jeff Bezos made a similar case in a recent letter to shareholders: “Amazon today remains a small player in global retail. We represent a low single-digit percentage of the retail market, and there are much larger retailers in every country where we operate.

And that’s largely because nearly 90% of retail remains offline, in brick and mortar stores.”

But Amazon does dominate online. Market research company eMarketer expects Amazon to account for 52% of all online sales in the U.S. this year, up from 48% last year. ■ Associated Press writers Mae Anderson in New York; Michael Liedtke in Cupertino, California; Matt O’Brien in Providence, Rhode Island; and Joseph Pisani in Las Vegas contributed to this story. www.canadianinquirer.net

@YENG / INSTAGRAM

“The public may rest assured that the Provincial Government, the local executives, health and tourism officials and this representation have

been taking steps to make Siargao as safe a destination as it is beautiful and fun,” he said in a Facebook post in response to Constantino’s. ■

Jane de Leon named new Darna

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer TWENTY-YEAR-OLD Kapamilya actress Jane de Leon is officially named as the new Darna, portraying the role for the upcoming Star Cinema film.

The production company initially announced the news last Wednesday, July 17, Jane also taking to her 819,000 Instagram followers to say, “Thank you for the trust! I promise I will really work hard on this and I’ll give it my all,” referring to the iconic superhero role previously portrayed by the likes of Angel Locsin, Marian Rivera, Vilma Santos, and Lorna Tolentino.

Jane also commits, “I will do everything and anything for the role because I believe in her, I believe in what Darna stands for.”

When explaining the reason for the final decision, Star Cinema Managing Director Olivia Lamasan explains how the actress bested 300 other auditionees for the role, revealing, “Jane was presented to us a cou-

ple of years ago … there was this one talent handler who remembered her and told me, ‘Did you notice her back then? This kid, she can join beauty pageants.’

And then I saw her again in Halik. I thought, ‘This girl, she has something.’”Lamasan elaborates that because the Mars Ravelo plot of Darna is a “genesis” and “coming of age” story, Jane is a perfect fit because she is an actress “with an air of innocence but at the same time [have] a strength of character.”

The former It’s Showtime Girltrends member has previously appeared in films “Walwal” and “The Debutantes”; also granted roles in shows Ipaglaban Mo, La Luna Sangre, and Halik, where she portrayed Maggie Bartolome.

The announcement of the new actress to portray Darna comes three months after Liza Soberano quit playing the role due to a finger injury. Director Erik Matti, who the project was assigned to six years ago, also left his post four months before that due to creative differences. ■

Entertainment

FRIDAY JULY 26, 2019

25

Jinri Park confirms engagement to Filipino-Australian boyfriend

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer

Kyoto Animation's first studio in Fushimi-ku, Kyoto, Japan, prior to the 2019 arson.

MIKE HATTSU, CC BY-SA 4.0

Anime studio hit by deadly fire is known for skill, fan base

BY MARI YAMAGUCHI The Associated Press TOKYO — It may not be as famous as Japanese anime legend Studio Ghibli, but Kyoto Animation has many core fans and is known as a team of skilled animators that provides top-quality work for others and can produce its own hits, such as “Lucky Star,” “K-On!” and the “Haruhi Suzumiya” series.

The company hit by a deadly fire on Thursday also has a unique founding history.

The company was started in 1981 by a former animator who recruited housewives from her neighbourhood in Uji city south of Kyoto, where she married and moved from Tokyo, the centre of the animation industry.

Yoko Hatta previously had worked at Mushi Production, a studio for the works of anime legend Osamu Tezuka, who created Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion.

The company better known as KyoAni doesn’t have a major presence in Japan but has won gradual recognition while providing secondary animation work for major productions. Their work included a 1998 “Pokemon” feature that appeared in U.S. theatres and a “Winnie the Pooh” video.

While providing work for top artists, the company has been able to make and feature its own stories in Japanese TV anime and comic series. Some of its mega-hits include “Lucky Star” in 2008, “K-On!” in 2011 and “Haruhi Suzumiya” in 2009. The company was preparing for a planned release of a new feature animation film “Violet Evergarden,” a story of a woman who professionally writes letters for clients.

Places featured in the hit animation stories have become pilgrimage destinations for anime fans.

Among them is Washinoniya Jinja, a shrine in Saitama prefecture just north of Tokyo, a scene in the TV animation series “Lucky Star,” or “Raki Suta,” based on comics by Kagami Yoshimizu.

Years after the TV animation ended, the area still attracts fans of Raki Suta girls, with goods featuring the characters sold at its neighbourhood stores, and a portable shrine decorated with the anime characters appearing at an annual festival in September.

Ryusuke Hikawa, a pop culture expert at Meiji University, said Kyoto Animation became a brand name for “a general company that can provide high-quality presentation and animation,” while demonstrating its capability even away from Tokyo.

“Kyoto Animation demonstrated that a top brand can come from outside the capital,” Hikawa told an interview with NHK television. “It was a major breakthrough, and was a revolutionary change to the Japanese animation industry.”

The company’s 160 employees work at studios in Uji and Kyoto and an office in Tokyo. The company also trains aspiring animators, produces and sells novelty goods featuring its characters. A store selling such items is near the studio damaged by Thursday’s fire in which authorities say 33 people were killed.

The attack shocked animation fans across in and outside Japan. Even Prime Minister Shinzo Abe mourned for the victims as he tweeted that he was speechless at the magnitude of the damage.

Anime fans expressed anger, prayed and mourned for the victims on social media. A cloud-funding site was set up to help the company rebuild. ■

JINRI PARK, a South Korean model and actress who has made a name for herself in the Philippine entertainment industry, has announced to her 45,000 YouTube subscribers that she is officially engaged to Filipino-Australian boyfriend John last Monday, July 15.

The former “Pinoy Big Brother” housemate’s vlog was entitled “I’m Engaged!” where she asked her fiancee a series of questions so that her viewers would get to know him better. John shares, “[Jinri] had a very good aura about her, which is what I like, which is how we connected,” even explaining that they met through common friends at the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Being full Filipino, John grew up in Australia and added, “I live in Sydney and I took her to the Sydney Harbour Bridge and to the Opera House. I knew I was attracted to her when we were just talking on a park bench, just normal talk.

I just wanted to get to know her. Once I talked to her, I knew we had similarities

and we get along well.”

On her Instagram, the 31-year-old Korean also posts a photo of her engagement ring to her 900,000 followers, stating, “Thank you to everyone who sent their blessings to me and John! I’ve realized that the generic phrase ‘You just know’ when you ask couples how did you know he’s the one? Is so true. Everything just seems right and you have absolutely no doubt. That’s when you know he’s the one. The universe will make it happen in the most unexpected time and place.”

She also addresses the bashers negatively responding to her engagement announcement, saying, “To all the people who wrote some mean comments, I hope you guys find someone who loves you and learn to love yourself because it’s clear that you don’t know what Love is to be typing those comments at someone who has never done you harm.”

In conclusion, Jinri shares, “I’m grateful I found a Filipino guy because I can always have a part of the Philippines, a place I called home with me in my heart,” even revealing that her betrothed, being born and raised in Australia, has difficulty speaking Tagalog. ■

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26

Lifestyle Moon Day: A day for the sign of the night

BY BEA KIRSTEIN T. MANALAYSAY Philippine Canadian Inquirer THERE ARE many indications that the night has arrived. This includes the darkening of the skies after the fusion of orange and indigo, the twinkling of the stars, and of course, the showing of the moon that shows its different faces each evening.

Ironically, there is a day for this sign of the night – the Moon Day which is celebrated every July 20 to commemorate the very day that the first man walked on the moon in 1969.

In this article, let’s visit different cultures and viewpoints on how the moon plays different roles in different aspects and subjects.

Next to the Sun

When one looks up in the sky, it is the sun that rules the day and it is the moon that caresses the night. Though clouds and stars exist, these two heavenly bodies personify what day and night really are, and this is why these two are often pinned against each other.

As polar opposites, the moon has always been foiled next to the sun as it negates everything the sun is. As taught at Science class, the sun emits its very own light while the moon only borrows this and transmits it in the darkness of the night.

While the sun may represent rage and fire with its heat, the moon is used to embody calmness through the gentleness of its borrowed light.

Though they are paralleled to each other, it is still highlighted that the sun and moon are con-

nected and are essential to one another especially to that of day and night.

Legends, Myths, Religion

Also related to that of the sun and moon’s conceptual relationship, a lot of folklore are fond of these two heavenly bodies as gods and goddesses, especially for ancient religions.

Often, the sun is portrayed as a god and the moon as a goddess because of being likened to masculine and feminine characteristics respectively – then working together despite not meeting. Sometimes they are also romanticized as tragic lovers who never meet.

Other mythologies have given tribute to the moon though, through its personification as a deity. The Ainus have Kunnechup Kamui, Norse mythology has the god Máni, the Goddess Selene or Phoebe for the Greeks, there is Iah of the Egyptian mythology, and the god Tsukuyomi for the Japanese Shinto religion.

Another popular folklore on the moon is that of Chinese mythology, circling Chang’e and her rabbit who are both believed to be living in the moon.

The Philippines is not out of this trend though as Mayari (Malayari or Malyari) exists in Philippine mythology. This deity’s gender differs per tribe but they are said to be the child of the supreme god Bathala.

In the Tagalog mythology variation of Mayari, she ruled the night after a battle with her brother Apolaki. As the children of Bathala, the creator of the world, both were born with bright eyes that were so bright it could light up the whole earth.

However, Bathala’s death ignites friction between the two, with Apolaki aiming to rule the earth on his own, as opposed to Mayari who wishes to divide it equally to both of them. A battle ends with Mayari losing her eye and an apologetic Apolaki who takes pity and finally agrees on her terms.

It is then believed that from morning until the afternoon, it is Apolaki who sits on the throne, his eyes brightening the whole world. While a dimmer light in the darkness rules the world with a one-eyed Mayari sitting on the throne for the night.

‘I love you’

“Tsuki ga kirei desu ne?” in Japan which literally translates to “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” – believe it or not – is another way to say the iconic three words ‘I love you’ according to an English teacher and a novelist.

Several sources for this information talk about how Souseki Natsume (1867-1916) pointed out that the Japanese people

www.canadianinquirer.net

do not say those three words to express love. It could be because back in those days, the Japanese were more reserved in uttering their affections especially that of love compared to today’s age.

The phrase also entails that love does not necessarily mean the outright confession through words when love can still be expressed between two people who can just enjoy a beautiful scenery, which in this case is the view of the moon.

Japanese media has also been attentive in this reference, often playing with words since “suki” the Japanese word for “like” is close to the Japanese word for the “moon” which is “tsuki.”

Weaved with words

On everyday conversations, the moon can still be casually brought up for more colorful exchanges.

The moon is a subject of many idiomatic expressions, often used for things that are far from a person’s grasp. Despite the different meanings of these expressions, the moon is always

used for something that is impossible or rare. On other expressions, the moon could symbolize whatever the extreme is.

As an example, the expression “ask for the moon” means making demands that are not reasonable.

“Once in a blue moon” meanwhile, means something that happens once in a while or not so frequently.

To “promise [somebody] the moon” means to vow for something that is beyond one’s capabilities.

Unlike other concepts, when the moon is involved in idiomatic expressions, it is more often than not, about the impossibilities and the extremes.

Strange, oddities

Despite the moon being considered as a majestic heavenly body, it is often associated with the supernatural and the peculiar.

The word “lunatic” which means crazy, coming from the Latin word for the moon which is “luna” comes from the belief or observation that most people become deviant during the full moon. (Though there is no scientific basis of this.)

Most monsters in fiction are also directly related to the moon such as werewolves and vampires.

For something that is usually seen in the evening sky, these things that imply something unnatural are still linked to the moon though there are a lot of things in the night sky.

The moon is a vital part of our daily – or nightly – lives. It is something that has been with us that it has transcended to many pieces of our lives. ■

Lifestyle

FRIDAY JULY 26, 2019

27

Is Instagram’s removal of its ‘like’ counter a turning point in social media?

BY KANE X. FAUCHER Assistant Professor - Faculty of Information and Media Studies Western University, The Canadian Press INSTAGRAM’S RECENT decision to remove its “like” counter from its platform in select geographic regions is an interesting, perhaps long overdue, measure. Although recently users in Canada reported seeing the “like” counter back on for a day, the counter is currently off. The roll-out is a techno-social experiment, and there are advantages — and a few unintended consequences — of such an action.

Numerous studies have demonstrated how the competitive pursuit of increasing those social media counters can affect self-esteem, particularly among younger users. The removal of the counter may work to remove the incentive to treat social media as a form of numbers-based competition and align more with social collaboration.

However, removing a counter does not eliminate competition. There are non-numeric ways to foster competition. In terms of signalling our approval and support of another user’s content, we can post a comment or repost it.

One of the recommendations I proposed in my book on online social capital was to remove these counters or to make them solely visible to the user.

It is exciting to see a platform such as Instagram, with its parent company Facebook, take the concerns of cyberpsychology literature seriously.

Will this mark an actual turning point in social media, or will the experiment run its course before everything returns to the status quo?

Element of risk?

As an experiment, there is an element of risk for the social media platform.

However, Instagram’s popularity cements its presence in the social media landscape so it can afford to take a few risks.

This one, ostensibly, for the more philanthropic purpose of mental wellness.

Hopefully, it signals a new accord between the platform and its users; with Instagram acknowledging the social responsibility that comes with the power of social media.

Much of Instagram’s revenue stream is dependent on matching ads to users. To do this, the platform look at both the user’s time spent logged in and their engagement (viewing, posts, etc.). Some form of metric must be in place (publicly visible or not) to make the case that there is a good return on investment (ROI) for ad placement.

Instagram’s scale of the user base already speaks to the market potential of funding a company’s social media advertising budget. The demographic and market matching will likely still work as intended, given that the algorithm remains in place.

Consequences of removing numbers

For all the benefits of removing these counters — and I see several — we should consider the unintended consequences of such a measure. How will it play among a user base that has become accustomed to the presence of these counters?

How will this decision impact fledgling microcelebrities and social media influencers who use this competitive entrepreneurial path in the gig economy?

Without these counters in place, it makes it much harder for the influencer to make the case that they are indeed influential in the endorsement of products and services. This change potentially reduces their ability to pitch their effectiveness to companies in securing new work.

Of course, there are other measures — some more organic or by inference — that can be made, but it would not be difficult to conceive of the possibility that, sans counters, there is not an easy path to track ROI. There may be a follower count, but that speaks only to impressions not engagement.

Influencers, and businesses depend on metrics produced by counters to measure their reach and field test marketing tactics. In the end, however, the removal of these counters

may make it even harder for new social media influencers to build reputation, while the already established influencers prosper on the basis of their existing follower base.

Social media as a collaboration

Without having ready and easy numbers to assess performance a n d justify expenditure, the removal of the l i k e counter may deprive b u s i nesses of some much-needed market intelligence. On the other hand, the removal of these high “like” scores may also function to restore the more socially collaborative rather than competitive nature of social media. It may improve user self-esteem in such a way that social validation may have to come through substantive engagement as opposed to comparing “like” counts.

A potentially significant advantage in removing these counters is that it may reduce the revenue stream of click farms whose whole purpose seems ethically dubious, and whose labour conditions are not always fair. Those operations will likely still prosper by producing fake followers as long as those counters are still visible.

One might cynically say that the removal of these counters will not put an end to social herding. Removing the appearance of the counters does not mean their process has vanished. The big platforms can still track and trace who sees and engages with what. And that knowledge informs the algorithm to determine the viswww.canadianinquirer.net

ibility (and invisibility) of content on each user’s feed. Users may still pay more attention to already established celebrities and public figures, but that is unlikely to change whether there are “like” counters or not.

A turning point in social media

What effect might the removal of the like counter have on the purveyors of fake news and digital astroturfing campaigns?

It may not effectively jeopardize their efforts. As long as the algorithm remains unchanged, fake news that gains traction in the social media landscape will still be visible in the news feeds of many users even despite herculean efforts by social media platforms to address this problem Bringing the conversation back to the regular, non-famous user, the number of likes is one less arguably trivial and fleeting status symbol to boast about. It is one less way of measuring and ranking one another — at least with the ease of seeing numeric

counters.

For many social media users, they may not remember a time when those counters were not present. The early adopters of social media would, however. Some might argue that removing the counters may be a flawed move: it makes curation of content that is relevant more difficult. But the algorithm that sifts and sorts on behalf of the user remains intact.

If this hiding or removing social media counters catches on, how will you know if anyone “likes” that meme you created, that photo of your food or those selfies snapped in Paris? Perhaps it won’t matter, and comments from a more intimate group of followers may provide a bit more validation than simply clicking or tapping an upthumb icon. It is far too early to tell if this will significantly alter user behaviour and how, but social media did reasonably well in the early days without these counters. ■ This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

Lifestyle

28

JULY 26, 2019

FRIDAY

Summer reads: When you can’t travel, let a book transport you

BY AMY MCLAY Paterson Assessment and User Experience Librarian Thompson Rivers University, The Canadian Press I DON’T understand beach reads. And I’m not the only one.

There’s no universal consensus about the category, though the marketing tends to revolve around those books popularly considered disposable, unserious, or at the very least, books “you don’t mind getting wet.”

Last year, I toted Anna Karenina along with me — it got soaked, and I abandoned it in an AirBnB in Dubrovnik, Croatia, after I’d finished reading it.

It lasted nearly the whole trip and left a gaping, souvenirsized hole in my suitcase; it was perfect. So as much as I’d like to dissolve the beach read label entirely, I must also admit I have a type: I want a meaty, absorbing book that takes me further into a vacation by connecting with the cultures that produced it. I want a book that can’t be disposed of, one that will take me somewhere entirely new.

What I really want is to decouple the notion of summer reading as a lifestyle marker of class or gender. If the “pursuit of intellectual betterment” feels inaccessible or off-putting, I would like to propose at least the pursuit of expanding our emotional connections.

In a cultural climate where the limits of empathy are increasingly under a microscope, forging cross-cultural connections feels like a pressing task.

Much has been made of the relationship between fiction reading and empathy, but what happens when the limits of our worldview are bounded by the English language? While linguistic diversity is growing in Canada, the majority of Canadians still speak only English at home, and comparatively few books are translated into English. If, as Jose Ortega y Gasset proposes, reading in translation should transport the reader into the language — and therefore the perspective — of the author, then reading translated works may be one of the best ways to expand empathy

beyond the boundaries of language.

I’m not going abroad this summer, at least not physically.

I’ll be staying in Canada, with only my books to pull me to other times and places. While in recent years, I’ve focused on keeping up with new releases, this year I’m fixated on atmosphere and transportation, in a mix of old favourites and newto-me classics from around the world.

Italy

I won’t tell you to read Elena Ferrante, because you’ve probably heard that before. Instead, I will be delving into the work of Elsa Morante, a possible inspiration for Ferrante’s pseudonym. Arturo’s Island, originally published in English in 1959, has been published in a new translation by Ann Goldstein (translator of Ferrante’s Neapolitan novels). The novel promises a mix of the remote island setting steeped in Morante’s preoccupation with social issues and the spectre of war.

Poland

One of my favourite themes in European literature is that of movement and fluidity, the running sense of unity of purpose amidst myriad diverse

pockets of culture. The ubiquity of trains and boats support transcontinental journeys by characters who switch language mid-conversation. Last year’s Man Booker International winner, Flights by Olga Tokarczuk takes traveling and travelers as the subject of its interconnected musings, making it an ideal choice for the vacation headspace. This year’s winner, Celestial Bodies from Oman’s Jokha Alharthi, has an English edition but has not yet been published in Canada.

Croatia

In my opinion, no contemplation of Pan-European lore can be complete without Dubravka Ugre?ic’s Baba Yaga Laid an Egg. Once labeled a witch herself and driven into exile from Croatia, Ugre?ic’s take on Baba Yaga explores the shifting nature of popular folklore.

Nigeria

Half of a Yellow Sun by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is not a translation, but it will take you to a place that only briefly existed: Biafra, a West African state founded in 1967. While the brutality of recent war may not make a particularly appetizing subject for vacation, Adichie contrasts www.canadianinquirer.net

the brutality with sumptuous descriptions of pre-war food and luxury, giving her vision of Biafra the aura of a lost dream.

Adichie has referred to the war as a shadow over her childhood.

Norway

There are no beaches in Kristen Lavransdatter and many more Christmases than summers, but if you start Nobel Prize-winner Sigrid Undset’s oeuvre now, it may take you until winter to finish it. Set in Medieval Norway, the book follows the titular Kristen from childhood until death, focusing on her tumultuous love affair and marriage to Erlend Nikulauss?n. Tiina Nunnally’s translation, focusing on plain, stripped-down language, presents a change in philosophy from the first English translation that cut large portions of the text and enforced stiff, archaic language absent from the original Norwegian.

Argentina

Samanta Schweblin’s Fever Dream is slight in length but packs a heavy punch in both atmosphere and psychological investment. The story of a vacation gone terribly wrong, the novel’s Spanish title closely translates to “rescue distance,”

a recurring concept instantly familiar to parents of young children and terrifying as it becomes repeatedly destabilized.

Fever Dream is so unsettling that I sometimes hesitate to recommend it, but I’ve found myself repeatedly drawn back to its tantalizing surrealism.

Canada

I’ve spent much of my life moving around, and as a recent settler on unceded Secwepemc territory, I want to learn more about the land I live on. In a summer steeped in fiction, Secwepemc People, Land, and Laws by Marianne and Ronald Ignace is the only history on my list, but in many ways it feels similar to the others, reaching out to add a new dimension to a place in which I’m still mostly an outsider.

For better or for worse, Kamloops feels the most like itself in summer, the climate wants to have its stories told. It can feel intimidating to contemplate a 10,000 year history I know nothing about, but also comforting and necessary to reach back and hear the tales of the land I now call home. ■ This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

29

Sports Manny Pacquiao beats Keith Thurman by split decision

BY GREG BEACHAM The Associated Press LAS VEGAS — From his firstround knockdown punches to his tenacious 12th-round finish, Manny Pacquiao gave yet another one-sided thrashing to Father Time.

Keith Thurman was a whole lot tougher to beat, but the 40-year-old Filipino senator managed to win that vote as well.

Pacquiao floored Thurman early and persevered late to an exciting split-decision victory Saturday night, adding a third straight win to his late-career resurgence.

Pacquiao (62-7-2) dropped his previously unbeaten opponent with a combination late in the first round, and the Pac-Man dominated the opening rounds with a combination of flair and power that recalled the incredible prime of the only eight-division champion in

boxing history.

Thurman (29-1) showed remarkable tenacity in rallying through the middle rounds, repeatedly testing Pacquiao’s chin with big shots. Neither fighter managed another knockdown, but they pushed relentlessly in front of a sellout crowd at the MGM Grand Garden that repeatedly chanted Pacquiao’s name from the moment he reached the ring.

“It was fun,” Pacquiao said.

“My opponent is a good fighter and boxer. He was strong. … I think he did his best, and I did my best. I think we made the fans happy tonight because it was a good fight.”

Two judges scored the bout 115-112 for Pacquiao, while Glenn Feldman scored it 114113 for Thurman. The Associated Press also scored it 115-112 for Pacquiao.

“I knew it was close,” Thurman said. “He had the momentum because he got the knockdown in Round 1. … I wish I had

a little bit more output to go toe to toe. My conditioning, my output was just behind Manny Pacquiao’s tonight. Tonight was a blessing and a lesson.”

Pacquiao appeared to be declining as recently as two years ago, when he lost a listless decision to Jeff Horn. But while his political career flourished, Pacquiao also revived his ring career with solid back-to-back victories over Lucas Matthysse and Adrien Broner.

Thurman represented another major step up in competition, but Pacquiao’s strong start quieted any speculation that he would suddenly look old in a matchup with an elite welterweight champion.

Thurman’s effort was impressive on paper: He landed slightly more punches than the famously active Pacquiao, and his 192 power punches landed were the most by any Pacquiao opponent in his 43 fights that were tracked by CompuBox. But Pacquiao had a dominant

@MANNYPACQUIAO / INSTAGRAM

jab, and he outworked Thurman in the 12th round, throwing 56 punches to win the round on two judges’ cards.

Both fighters started quickly with a series of good-looking exchanges, but Pacquiao changed the bout in an instant.

He moved forward to land a left to the body and a right hook that sent Thurman to the canvas with 25 seconds left in the first round.

Thurman got up comfortably while the ecstatic crowd

roared, but Pacquiao kept up his superior work for the next two rounds, repeatedly rocking Thurman with a variety of shots. Even when Thurman put together a solid fifth round, he was stunned several times in the final minute and left with blood on his face.

But Thurman gathered himself and soundly beat Pacquiao through the middle rounds, forcing Pacquiao to show off ❱❱ PAGE 36 Manny Pacquiao

Kobe Paras hailed MVP in Taiwan BLIA Cup

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer AFTER LEADING his team to the championship title, which included a 37-point performance during the championship game, 21- year-old Kobe Paras is hailed Most Valuable Player (MVP) during the 2019 Buddha’s Light International Association (BLIA) Cup in Taiwan last Sunday, July 21.

The University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroon averaged 19.6 points per game during the team’s undefeated run, where they obtained a five-game winning streak.

During the finals, the Fighting Maroons won by four points against the Chien Hsin University of Science and Tech-

nology. Kobe was also part of the tournament’s All-BLIA Cup team with teammate Bright Akhuetie, who is the current University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) MVP. In accepting the award, the six-foot-six forward dedicated the MVP trophy to his mother, posting to his 676,000 followers on Instagram, “This is for you, Mama.” The young basketball star’s mother, Jackie Foster, responded by posting the same image to her 373,000 followers captioned, “Landed in Manila at 4:20 am to this. So proud of and happy for you, Kobe.

You’ve worked so hard for this, my love,” even calling herself a “proud Mama.”

After short stints at the University of California Los Ange-

@_KOKOPARAS / INSTAGRAM

les, California State Northridge, and Creighton University, Pawww.canadianinquirer.net

ras will be following the footsteps of his father and will also

be participating as a Fighting Maroon in the upcoming 82nd season of the UAAP. Less than a week ago, Paras took to Instagram to talk about his trials and victories in the industry, sharing, “I am not afraid to admit my mistakes cause I know at the end of the day I’m just a human being. A human being who is still trying to understand his purpose in this world. I’m not perfect. Not even close to it. I’ve messed up so much in my life. Messed up relationships, messed up opportunities.”

He added, “But hey that’s how you learn in this world. Life is all about balance. You can’t have everything. I may have lost myself a few times but I’m not afraid to admit that I have to change for the best.” ■

30

Business ‘Surprising and disappointing’; data gap on gender, minorities at top firms

BY ARMINA LIGAYA AND TARA DESCHAMPS The Associated Press ON TRICIA Davis’s first day of work at a coal mine in B.C.’s Elk Valley, she says she spotted a heart and a penis scrawled on some dusty equipment.

And on a bus ride home one day from the Teck Coal Ltd. operation, Davis — who started there as a truck driver in June 2017 — says two male co-workers insinuated she was working as a prostitute.

They allegedly told her: “Oh look it’s your corner, that’s where you belong.”

“I waited for two years to finally have the opportunity to work at Teck and have never been so humiliated in my life,” Davis, who quit that job, said in a complaint filed to the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal.

Teck later investigated her allegations, but concluded she “mischaracterized” what happened, the Tribunal wrote in a December decision that denied the mining company’s request to dismiss her complaint. Davis could not be reached for comment, but a Teck spokesman said the company has reached a confidential settlement and has since taken steps to address the concerns raised in the complaint.

Her experience is indicative of the challenges women continue to face in Canadian workplaces — particularly in industries like mining that remain male-dominated.

But the lack of diversity in the ranks of Canadian companies extends far beyond specific industries and remains a problem in the country’s most powerful and influential firms.

The Canadian Press asked all firms included in the TSX 60 index as of Jan 1. 2019 to share data on how many women and employees who identify as visible minorities, as defined in the Employment Equity Act, worked at their companies in

2017.

Among the companies who responded, some said women comprise as little as eight per cent of the workforce, while many others refused to disclose.

What’s more, many of the firms on the TSX 60 won’t say — or aren’t even tracking — how many of their employees identify as visible minorities.

These publicly listed companies are not required by law to disclose such information, but advocates have long called for transparency and for companies to — at minimum — track data and to measure progress, in a bid to facilitate change.

One-quarter, or 15 firms, did not provide or otherwise publicly disclose figures for gender representation.

Nearly 60 per cent, or 35 companies, did not provide or publicly release the representation of visible minorities in their ranks and more than 23 per cent, or 14 companies, said they were not tracking the metric at all.

Among the 42 companies included on the index that did share specific or percentage data on gender diversity in their workforce, 34 indicated that less than 50 per cent of their workforce was female — less than the national average.

In two cases, the percentage of women employees was in the single digits.

Paulette Senior, president of the Canadian Women’s Foundation, called the number of companies unwilling to share or track the level of diversity “surprising and disappointing” because she believes the lack of disclosure suggests many of the companies are not interested in ensuring their workforce is reflective of society.

“Transparency is a very brave thing to do? and it takes courage to actually want to know the truth because once you know it, it means that something probably needs to be done about it,” Senior said.

The Canadian Press analysis showed that the banks — which mostly provided Canada-specific data and were at the higher end of the representation spectrum — seem to have made the most concerted efforts towards equality, while mining, engineering and rail companies continued to struggle to attract and retain women.

Susan Lomas, a geologist and founder of the Me Too Mining advocacy group, said she believes the lack of progress in her industry is attributable to its inflexible nature, which requires workers to spend weeks at a time at remote sites and little time at home, making parenting difficult.

“Some women are walking away from those sites and some men too,” Lomas said.

Women accounted for 50.9 per cent of the Canadian population, but comprised 48 per cent of the country’s workforce in the 2016 census. That’s an increase from 45 per cent in 1991.

But the gulf between industries is wide.

Among the companies that provided information to The Canadian Press, the firm with the lowest female representation was Canadian National Railway Co., at 8.6 per cent. In the broader transportation and warehousing industry in Canada, roughly 24.5 per cent of all workers are female, according to 2018 Statistics Canada data.

A CN rail spokesman said that in 2018, 17 per cent of its workforce in Canada were visible minorities, persons with disabilities or aboriginals.

The Montreal-headquartered transportation company says that five out of 12 of its board members are women, and it is a signatory to the Catalyst Accord and a member of the 30% Club, both of which have a mandate to increase female board representation.

Linda Hasenfratz, chief executive of Canadian autoparts maker Linamar, said some industries and roles are less atwww.canadianinquirer.net

tractive because of the physical nature of the job and reaching parity in the ranks would be difficult.

Hasenfratz, one of the few female CEOs of a TSX-listed company, said women make up roughly 20 per cent of the Guelph-based company’s workforce, but the proportion among management and the upper ranks is larger.

However, she expects the workforce representation of women overall to grow as companies incorporate automation and roles become less physically demanding.

“Businesses will evolve and this will naturally change as there is more automation taking on some of these more physical roles? I think you’ll find 10 years from now, it will be dramatically different,” she said in an interview.

Among the companies who disclosed their diversity data, National Bank of Canada had the highest proportion of women at 60.7 per cent of their Canadian workforce.

In the upper executive ranks of Canada’s companies, however, the imbalance remains stark.

An analysis by The Canadian Press last year revealed that none of the country’s TSX 60 companies were headed by a woman and two-thirds did not

include a single female among their top earners during that fiscal year.

The needle is moving even slower for other underrepresented groups such as visible minorities.

Canada’s Employment Equity Act defines visible minorities as “persons, other than Aboriginal peoples, who are non-Caucasian in race or non-white in colour.”

More than one-fifth of Canadians are visible minorities, at roughly 7.7 million people or 22.3 per cent of the country’s population in the 2016 census.

That’s almost a five-fold increase from 1981, when visible minorities made up 4.7 per cent of the population.

However, the labour force participation rate among visible minorities is 66.5 per cent.

Visible minority women had a participation rate of 61.9 per cent, while the rate for men was 71.5 per cent.

Measuring diversity is crucial for making progress, said Mona Malone, the Bank of Montreal’s chief human resources officer.

“I believe very much what gets measured gets done, but also what gets measured gets focused on and you can build understanding, towards either progress or barrier,” she said. ❱❱ PAGE 33 ‘Surprising and’

Business

FRIDAY JULY 26, 2019

31

Study says rents Deal sealed on federal budget, ensuring no shutdown, default in most cities are unaffordable for lower income earners

BY GREG BEACHAM The Associated Press

BY JORDAN PRESS The Canadian Press OTTAWA — A minimum-wage worker could afford to rent in just a few neighbourhoods in Canada, suggests a new analysis of the country’s rental market that also raises questions about a promised federal rentsupplement program.

The report being released Thursday by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives says someone earning minimum wage would only be able to afford a one-bedroom rental in nine per cent of 795 neighbourhoods in Canadian cities in the study.

The figure drops to three per cent of neighbourhoods when looking at the affordability of two-bedroom units.

The federal Liberals’ decadelong national housing strategy includes programs to build more rental housing, hoping a boost in supply will drive down costs.

At the same time, negotiations with provinces are winding along on the design of a new rent supplement for low-income tenants that will average

about $2,500 a year.

Study author David Macdonald said the benefit could provide some short-term help while the country awaits new rental units. But he said the benefit may not be enough for low-income renters to close the affordability gap.

The report defines “affordable” rent as 30 per cent or less of a renter’s pre-tax income, the same cut-off used by federal officials.

The new portable housing benefit is to roll out next year, which will be tied to a person rather than a unit — meaning the person can carry it with them through the housing market rather than losing the financial help when they move out of a government-supported dwelling. Its design will be tailored to each province.

Spending is set at $4 billion — split among federal and provincial governments — which will require tough decisions about who gets it, how much they can receive, and when it gets taken away.

“You really have to ration it based on some simple criteria, ❱❱ PAGE 33 Study says

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump and congressional leaders announced Monday a critical debt and budget agreement that’s an against-the-odds victory for Washington pragmatists seeking to avoid political and economic tumult over the possibility of a government shutdown or first-ever federal default.

The deal, announced by Trump on Twitter and in a statement by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, will restore the government’s ability to borrow to pay its bills past next year’s elections and build upon recent large budget gains for both the Pentagon and domestic agencies.

“I am pleased to announce that a deal has been struck,” Trump tweeted, saying there will be no “poison pills” added to follow-up legislation. “This was a real compromise in order to give another big victory to our Great Military and Vets!”

The agreement is on a broad outline for $1.37 trillion in agency spending next year and slightly more in fiscal 2021. It would mean a win for lawmakers eager to return Washington to a more predictable path amid political turmoil and polarization, defence hawks determined to cement big military increases and Democrats seeking to protect domestic programs.

Nobody notched a big win, but both sides view it as better than a protracted battle this fall.

Pelosi and Schumer said the deal “will enhance our national security and invest in middle class priorities that advance the health, financial security and well-being of the American people.” Top congressional GOP leaders issued more restrained statements stressing that the deal is a flawed but achievable outcome of a government in which Pelosi wields considerable power.

“While this deal is not perfect, compromise is necessary in divided government,” said www.canadianinquirer.net

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif.

However, it also comes as budget deficits are rising to $1 trillion levels — requiring the government to borrow a quarter for every dollar the government spends — despite the thriving economy and three rounds of annual Trump budget proposals promising to crack down on the domestic programs that Pelosi is successfully defending now. It ignores warnings from deficit and debt scolds who say the nation’s fiscal future is unsustainable and will eventually drag down the economy.

“This agreement is a total abdication of fiscal responsibility by Congress and the president,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a Washington advocacy group.

“It may end up being the worst budget agreement in our nation’s history, proposed at a time when our fiscal conditions are already precarious.”

A push by the White House and House GOP forces for new offsetting spending cuts was largely jettisoned, though Pelosi, D-Calif., gave assurances about not seeking to use the follow-up spending bills as vehicles for aggressively liberal policy initiatives.

The head of a large group of House GOP conservatives swung against the deal.

“No new controls are put in place to constrain runaway spending, and a two-year suspension on the debt limit simply adds fuel to the fire,” said Republican Study Committee Chairman Mike Johnson, R-La. “With more than $22 trillion in debt, we simply cannot afford deals like this one.”

Fights over Trump’s U.S.Mexico border wall, other immigration-related issues and spending priorities will be rejoined on spending bills this fall that are likely to produce much the same result as current law.

The House has passed most of its bills, using far higher levels for domestic spending. Senate measures will follow this fall, with levels reflecting the accord.

At issue are two separate but pressing items on Washington’s must-do agenda: increasing the

debt limit to avert a first-ever default on U.S. payments and acting to set overall spending limits and prevent $125 billion in automatic spending cuts from hitting the Pentagon and domestic agencies with 10 per cent cuts starting in January.

The threat of the automatic cuts represents the last gasp of a failed 2011 budget and debt pact between former President Barack Obama and thenSpeaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, that promised future spending and deficit cuts to cover a $2 trillion increase in the debt. But a bipartisan deficit “supercommittee” failed to deliver, and lawmakers were unwilling to live with the follow-up cuts to defence and domestic accounts.

This is the fourth deal since 2013 to reverse those cuts.

Prospects for an agreement, a months-long priority of top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., became far brighter when Pelosi returned to Washington this month and aggressively pursued the pact with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin , who was anointed lead negotiator instead of more conservative options like acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney or hardline Budget Director Russell Vought.

Mnuchin was eager to avert a crisis over the government’s debt limit. There’s some risk of a first-ever U.S. default in September, and that added urgency to the negotiations.

The pact would defuse the debt limit issue for two years, meaning that Trump or his Democratic successor would not have to confront the politically difficult issue until well into 2021.

Washington’s arcane budget rules give each side a way to paint the numbers favourably.

Generally speaking, the deal would lock in place big increases won by both sides in a 2018 pact driven by the demands of GOP defence hawks and award future increases consistent with low inflation.

Pelosi and Schumer claimed rough parity between increases for defence and nondefense programs, but the veteran ne❱❱ PAGE 36 Deal sealed

32

Technology Is ‘Big Tech’ too big? A look at growing antitrust scrutiny

BY BARBARA ORTUTAY AND RACHEL LERMAN The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — Is Big Tech headed for a big breakup?

The U.S. Justice Department has announced a major antitrust investigation into unnamed tech giants, while the House Judiciary Committee has begun an unprecedented antitrust probe into Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple over their aggressive business practices, and promises “a topto-bottom review of the market power held by giant tech platforms.”

In addition, at least two 2020 presidential hopefuls have expressed support for breaking up some of technology’s biggest players amid concerns they have become too powerful.

Experts say breakups are unlikely in the short term, and Rep. David Cicilline, the Rhode Island Democrat who leads the subcommittee pursuing the House investigation, called such measures a “last resort.”

But even without that, Facebook, Google, Amazon and Apple could face new restrictions on their power.

Google, Facebook, Amazon and Apple declined to comment on the investigations.

Here’s a look at the cases that could be brought against them and what their defences could be.

Facebook

With 2.4 billion users, $56 billion in revenue last year and a

name that’s synonymous with social media, Facebook is certainly big. But is it an illegal, competition-crushing monopoly?

Federal regulators are already investigating the company’s privacy practices. But the antitrust question has been rumbling in the background, with critics calling for spinning off WhatsApp and Instagram. Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has called for breaking up Big Tech, as has Chris Hughes, a cofounder of Facebook. Former Vice-President Joe Biden has said that he is open to the idea .

Critics believe a breakup is needed because Facebook can squash competitors either by buying them or using its enormous resources to mimic services they offer — as it’s done with Snapchat, for example.

Facebook executives have been calling broadly for regulation, though nothing that comes close to breaking it up.

In a recent statement, the company’s vice-president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, said Facebook “accepts that with success comes accountability. But you don’t enforce accountability by calling for the breakup of a successful American company.” CEO Mark Zuckerberg has called for “new rules” in four areas: harmful content, election integrity, privacy and data portability.

Facebook has also stressed that it has competitors in messaging and digital communication, including Apple and Google.

New York University law pro-

fessor Eleanor Fox said that because antitrust law focuses on companies that raise prices too much, and Facebook is free, it will be a tough to break up the business. And Facebook commands less than a quarter of worldwide digital advertising, well behind Google.

Warren, however, has laid out plans for legislation that targets companies with more than $25 billion of annual revenue.

It would limit their ability to expand and force parts of their business to operate as separate entities.

Google

As Google becomes a leading mail provider, search engine and advertising platform, federal regulators are starting to wonder if it needs to be knocked down a bit.

Critics say Google’s dominance in search has allowed it to squash rivals — notably be-

www.canadianinquirer.net

cause Google can show its own products above competitors’ or feature its own ads prominently.

Google might argue it doesn’t have an obligation to do business with its rivals at all — an argument that other companies have made when faced with similar challenges, said Sandeep Vaheesan, legal director for Open Markets Institute, which advocates breaking up monopolies.

It’s Google’s technology and Google can use it as it wishes, goes one line of reasoning.

Google has also faced scrutiny over the practices it uses to get its search and other products featured on smartphones.

Some say Google imposes too many self-serving regulations on smartphone makers who use Google’s Android operating system.

But Google might simply argue that Android users like

Google products and want them on their phones.

Under existing laws, it is difficult to make the case that Google has monopoly power, “even though I think a lot of people think it’s really obvious,” Fox said.

Apple

Since its opening in 2008, Apple’s pioneering app store has given customers instant access to services that entertain, enlighten and engage. But it’s also a place where Apple controls all the access and sets commission rates for subscriptions and other purchases made through the apps.

If it opens an investigation, the Justice Department is most likely to focus on whether Apple is abusing its veto and pricing power to throttle and gouge its competition. The commissions ❱❱ PAGE 24 Is ‘Big Tech’

Technology

FRIDAY JULY 26, 2019

33

Myths and risks in app that gives you peek into older self

BY RACHEL LERMAN The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — Is a peek into the future worth your privacy in the present? That concern was pushed to the spotlight this week with the resurgence of a smartphone app that uses artificial intelligence to transform your current face into your younger and older selves.

People raised fears on Twitter and other social media sites that on iPhones, FaceApp would be able to see and upload all your photos, including screenshots with sensitive financial or health information or photos of kids with the names of their schools in the background.

That’s not actually true, but the scuttle serves as a good reminder to think twice before downloading new apps.

Even large, mainstream apps routinely collect user data. But many trendy-at-the-moment apps are guilty of mining user data as a primary purpose.

Some personality quizzes on Facebook and similar services collect user information as a business, opening people up to breaches such as in the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

On Wednesday, the ranking Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer, wrote in a letter to the FBI and Federal Trade Commission that he’s concerned

FaceApp could pose “national security and privacy risks for millions of U.S. citizens.” The New York Democrat is asking the two agencies to assess the situation.

As for FaceApp, the app grabs a photo only if you specifically select it to see your face change, security researcher and Guardian Firewall CEO Will Strafach said.

The confusion comes from an iPhone feature that shows your photo library within the app. It is an Apple feature that lets you select a specific photo, but doesn’t give the app full access to the library, even though it may appear that way. free of problems, Strafach said. by doing the processing on the You have the option of grantAmong other things, pho- devices themselves, not in the ing access to your entire photo tos get sent to the cloud for cloud. library, but even then, there is processing in both the iPhone FaceApp’s privacy policy no evidence the app is upload- and Android versions, expos- also says it is using data from ing anything other than the ing them to hacking and other the app to serve targeted ads photo selected. and to develop “I’m always new products looking for priand features. It vacy concerns,” says it does not Even with those admissions, said Strafach, sell data to third Strafach urged people to resist the who used a netparty apps, but pull of the app. He said the app work analyzer lists many excepshould have been upfront and told tool to track tions including users it was processing photos in what was hapone that allows the cloud rather than on phones. pening. “When it to share data it’s not happenafter removing ing, it’s not hapinformation that pening.” identifies users.

There’s a verFaceApp, sion of FaceApp for Android, problems. FaceApp does not ex- which is developed in Russia but those phones don’t tap pho- plicitly tell users that the pho- by Wireless Lab, has had surges to libraries the same way. tos are being sent to the cloud. of viral popularity before. The That’s not to say the app isn’t Some apps try to limit exposure app also allows people to swap

Study says... ❰❰ 31

otherwise you blow through your (spending) cap,” said Macdonald, a senior economist at the centre.

“Second of all, it’s likely not generous enough to substantially reduce the rent for renters, particularly at the lower end of the income spectrum and particularly in big cities like Vancouver, Toronto, Victoria, Calgary, Ottawa.”

Roughly one-third of households, or 4.7 million, are renters and they are often low-income earners, or young adults, or newcomers to Canada.

Average rents, adjusted for inflation, have increased since

NIKKIMEEL / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

their genders or add facial hair or makeup.

Wireless Lab told technology news site TechCrunch that it may store users’ photos in the cloud, but “most” are deleted after 48 hours. It said no user data is transferred to Russia.

The company has not responded to questions from The Associated Press. It told TechCrunch that users can request to have their data deleted.

Even with those admissions, Strafach urged people to resist the pull of the app. He said the app should have been upfront and told users it was processing photos in the cloud rather than on phones.

“Bottom line is they were handling sensitive data and they handled it cavalierly and that’s just not cool,” he said. ■

‘Surprising and...’ the early 1990s as construction of traditional apartments declined in favour of homes and then condominiums, Macdonald said.

In the 1970s, he said, it wasn’t uncommon to see 100,000 new, purpose-built rental units being constructed each year, “which is an incredible amount of new rental housing being put into the market.”

While there has been some uptick in rental construction over the last decade — mostly in the luxury rental market, Macdonald said — the Liberals hope to use billions in federal funding to help finance more than 100,000 new rent-

al units.

At the rate that money is being committed to projects, the study estimates most units won’t come open until the late 2020s. Combining provincial and federal commitments, the study projects an average of 15,400 new rental units annually, well below the number the country saw decades ago when the population was smaller.

“The Canada Housing Benefit is a good short-term solution as we wait 10 years for the rental housing market to build up and then hopefully increase vacancy rates and also stabilize rents,” Macdonald said. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

❰❰ 30

The bank, whose workforce in Canada is comprised of 56 per cent women, tracks various representation metrics that are reviewed against their goals on a quarterly basis.

“The actual business leaders are held accountable for progress around diversity representation, the same way they are held accountable for their P and L (profit and loss) business results,” Malone said.

The sluggish progress on diversity metrics suggests a stronger government approach may be necessary, said independent Ontario senator Ratna Omidvar.

She was one of six members that backed a proposed bill amendment that would force public companies in Canada to set internal company diversity targets for the board and senior management.

The Senate voted against the amendment last March.

Omidvar said the amendment’s failure stemmed from a broader feeling in the business community that firms, if left to flourish without regulation but given guidance, will improve on these metrics and “a tide will lift all boats.”

“Well, it hasn’t exactly happened has it? ? So I would say, that does not work.” ■

JULY 26, 2019

34

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35

Travel Sustainable tourism: Luring tourists, protecting nature’s gems

BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency MANILA — The popular promotional slogan, It’s More Fun in the Philippines, is given a deeper, refreshed sense through the Duterte administration’s push for sustainable tourism to attract more tourists while protecting the country’s natural wonders.

Sustainable tourism is all about human assets and protecting the environment, and these are translated well with the recent makeover and rehabilitation of Boracay Island, drawing more interest to the Philippines as a staunch advocate of preserving a destination’s pristine condition.

Boracay’s six-month closure didn’t negatively affect the overall tourism industry of the Philippines. In fact, the Department of Tourism even reported an increase of 7.68 percent in tourism arrival for 2018 compared to the previous year.

As it turned out, tourists were able to turn their attention toward other travel gems in the Philippines, such as Cebu and Siargao while the resort island was temporarily closed.

Aside from the responsible development of destinations,

DOT also invested on people.

According to the “Duterte Administration Year III: 2019 Key Accomplishments” report, the government was able to provide and facilitate the training of about 2,100 tourism frontline workers for the island’s soft opening last October 26, 2018.

The DOT provided a series of training sessions and seminars for porters, receptionists, and hotel and resort front office staff. Likewise, front-liners such as boatmen from Caticlan, Tabo, Cagban, and Tambisan Ports, jetty port checkers, ticket collectors, land transport drivers, tour guides, and travel and tour operators are also undergoing training to become ambassadors of Boracay Island.

Boracay Island’s rehabilitation was just the beginning. The Duterte administration further showed its commitment to sustainable tourism by pushing for the cleanup of the country’s top beach destinations, including Panglao in Bohol and El Nido in Palawan.

Last year, the Philippines had set a record-breaking 7.1 million international tourist arrivals, the “highest ever number” in the country’s tourism industry, surpassing the 6,620,908 arrivals in 2017.

Meanwhile, for the first five

months of 2019, the country already welcomed 3,489,270 visitors, which reflect a 9.76 percent increase from the same period last year.

According to the report, the number of domestic tourists also reached 110 million, which is an increase of 14.1 percent from the previous year’s figure of 96.4 million.

Tourism as an economic driver

Tourism also proved to be an important component in driving economic growth as employment in the sector rose to an estimated 5.4 million, 1.8 percent higher than the 5.3 million in the previous year.

For 2018, the tourism industry’s contribution to the country’s Gross Domestic Product rose to 12.7 percent, based on the data provided by the Philippine Statistics Authority. The Tourism Direct Gross Value Added (TDGVA) also amounted to PHP2.2 trillion, which is an increase of 14.3 percent from the 2017 TDGVA of PHP1.9 trillion.

To harness the potentials of this industry, the Duterte administration, through the DOT and the Department of Transportation, continues to work on developing more ports to improve connectivity in the country.

Aside from developing seaports, the Duterte administration also sought to upgrade and rehabilitate domestic and international airports.

To date, the country has 12 international gateways that service the 49 Tourism Development Areas in the Philippines, eight of which have already undergone rehabilitation and improvements.

In 2018, new airports such as the Mactan-Cebu International Airport that can accommodate 12.5 million passengers per year, and the Bohol-Panglao International Airport with an annual capacity of 3 million passengers were inaugurated. ■

PH welcomes Palawan, Cebu, Boracay Travel + Leisure ranking

BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Philippine government, through the Department of Tourism (DOT), on Tuesday, welcomed the inclusion of Palawan, Cebu, and Boracay among the popular destinations in the 2019 Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards.

“This citation by a major publication validates our efforts

towards attaining a sustainable tourism industry and now, more than ever, encourages the DOT to work even harder on this advocacy, creating a tourism environment that is recognized and lauded not only today, but for the generations to come,” DOT chief Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a statement.

Palawan, ranked 2nd on the 15 Best Islands in the World list, while Cebu and Boracay were voted 7th and 9th, respectively,

on the Top 10 Islands in Asia category of the international travel magazine.

Palawan, described by T+L writer Rebecca Ascher-Walsh as the perennially popular island on the list, is home to San Vicente that hosts the longest white sand beach in the Philippines.

San Vicente is masterplanned as an integrated tourism destination project by the DOT and is envisioned as a sustainable investor’s haven that will be a catalyst for inclusive www.canadianinquirer.net

economic growth in the province.

Aside from the emerging San Vicente, hundreds of species of birds and the country’s longest subterranean river can also be found in the province.

In its past review of Palawan, T+ L hailed the island province for its “warm, convivial locals” and cuisine, which “a veritable melting pot of international flavors.”

In Asia, Ascher-Walsh said the Philippine islands of Cebu

and Boracay remain as “longtime favorites, thanks to its top-notch reef and wreck diving, white-sand beaches, hiking trails with waterfalls, and welcoming locals.”

“We are thrilled that Palawan has improved its ranking this year and is inching closer to regaining its top spot in T+L’s World’s Best Awards. Hats off as well to Cebu and Boracay for being recognized among the best in Asia,” Romulo-Puyat said. ■

36

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gotiator retreated on her push cession angered the Senate’s top Apfor a special carve-out for a propriations Committee Democrat, Patnewly reauthorized program rick Leahy of Vermont, who said he has for veterans utilizing private sector “many concerns” with a memorandum health care providers. Instead non-de- outlining the agreement that promised fence spending increases would exceed there will also be no “poison pills,” new increases for the milpolicy “riders,” or itary by $10 billion bookkeeping tricks over the deal’s twoto add to the deal’s year duration. spending levels.

In the end, nonThe results are defence appropriaIt may end likely to displease up being the tions would increase some on both sides, worst budget by $56.5 billion over especially Washingagreement in two years, giving doton’s weakening defiour nation’s mestic programs 4% cit hawks and liberals history, increases on average demanding greater proposed at a in the first year of spending for protime when our the pact, with a big gressive priorities. fiscal conditions chunk of those gains But Pelosi and Mcare already eaten up by veterConnell have longprecarious. ans increases and an time histories with unavoidable surge the Capitol’s approfor the U.S. Census. priations process and Defence would inhave forged a powercrease by $46.5 bilful alliance to deliver lion over those two prior spending and years, with the defence budget hitting debt deals. $738 billion next year, a 3% hike, folThe measure would first advance lowed by only a further $2.5 billion in- through the House this week and win crease in 2021. the Senate’s endorsement next week Trump retains flexibility to transfer before Congress takes its annual August money between accounts, which raises recess. Legislation to prevent a governthe possibility of attempted transfers ment shutdown will follow in Septemfor building border barriers. That con- ber. ■

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his durable chin. Pacquiao reversed the momentum in the 10th with a series of big shots, including a punch to the body that sent Thurman stumbling away in obvious pain.

Both fighters pushed to the final bell and embraced. Pacquiao won the final round on two judges’ cards, while Feldman’s 12th-round score for Thurman kept Pacquiao from winning by unanimous decision.

After graciously congratulating Pacquiao, Thurman called for a rematch.

The pro-Pacquiao Vegas crowd vocally approved.

Nearly 25 years after a 16-year-old Pacquiao stepped onto the scales for his pro debut with rocks in his pockets just to make the 105-pound minimum weight, this middle-aged politician showed he could have several years left in a day job that paid him a guaranteed $10 million on Saturday night.

Thurman had been eager to retire Pacquiao, but he even couldn’t hurt the ageless wonder.

Thurman has held a version of the WBA 147-pound title for six years, but he had fought just once since March 2017, when he edged Danny Garcia to earn two welterweight belts. He sat out

www.canadianinquirer.net

the next 22 months with injuries, and he looked rusty and tentative at times in his comeback victory over Josesito Lopez last January.

But Thurman embraced his guaranteed $2.5 million payday and the chance to take on an active legend. He also pumped up the promotion with a series of bold statements about Pacquiao’s age, ability and motivation. Thurman even managed to irk the normally placid Pacquiao, who acknowledged that even his mother hadn’t liked Thurman’s trash talk.

Before the bout, Floyd Mayweather got into the ring to wish both fighters good luck. The retired superstar watched intently from the crowd in the same arena where he beat an injured Pacquiao four years ago. Pacquiao’s trainer, Freddie Roach, has said he hopes Mayweather will come out of retirement for a rematch with Pacquiao.

On the undercard, Cuban welterweight Yordenis Ugas battered previously unbeaten Omar Figueroa Jr. for a decision victory featuring three identical 119-107 scorecards. Caleb Plant also defended his IBF super middleweight title with a dominant third-round stoppage of previously unbeaten Mike Lee. ■

37

Food Can you have a Baja style fish taco with just veggies? Sure!

AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN A TRUE Baja California experience requires sunny, breezy patios and a plate of tacos. We aimed to re-create the feel of a Baja-style fish taco in our home kitchen, instead bringing veggies to the forefront.

We thought that battered cauliflower bites, drizzled with a cool and creamy vegan sauce, were the perfect stand-in for the fish. We wanted to avoid the mess of deep-frying, so we cut the cauliflower into large florets and roasted them.

To boost their flavour, we dunked the pieces in canned coconut milk seasoned with garlic and spices and then rolled them in a mixture of panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut.

Not only did this add richness and the flavours of a cabanashaded getaway, but it also mimicked the crisp exterior texture of batter-fried fish.

A bed of crunchy slaw with juicy mango and spicy jalapeno provided the perfect balance of

sweetness and heat. By using equal parts vegan mayonnaise and dairy-free sour cream, plus cilantro and a bit of lime zest, we were able to whip up a vegan crema to top it all off. Just add cerveza and sunshine. For a spicier slaw, mince and add the jalapeno ribs and seeds. Serve with lime wedges.

Baja-style cauliflower tacos

Servings: 4-6 Start to finish: 40 minutes

• 3 cups (7 1/2 ounces) coleslaw mix • 1/2 mango, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (3/4 cup) • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro • 2 tablespoons lime juice • 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno chile • Salt and pepper • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut • 1 cup panko bread crumbs • 1 cup canned coconut milk • 1 teaspoon garlic powder • 1 teaspoon ground cumin • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne • 1/2 head cauliflower (1

pound), trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces • 8-12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed • 1 recipe Cilantro Sauce (recipe follows) Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 F. Combine coleslaw mix, mango, cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in bowl, cover, and refrigerate.

Spray rimmed baking sheet with vegetable oil spray. Combine coconut and panko in shallow dish. Whisk coconut milk, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt together in bowl. Add cauliflower to coconut milk mixture; toss to coat well. Working with 1 piece cauliflower at a time, remove from coconut milk, letting excess drip back into bowl, then coat well with coconut-panko mixture, pressing gently to adhere; transfer to prepared sheet.

Bake until cauliflower is tender, golden, and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes, flipping cauliflower and rotating sheet halfway through baking.

Divide slaw evenly among warm tortillas and top with cauliflower. Drizzle with cilantro sauce and serve.

cilantro • 1/4 teaspoon salt • Whisk all ingredients together in bowl. ■

Cilantro Sauce

Nutrition information per serving: 376 calories; 173 calories from fat; 19 g fat (12 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 381 mg sodium; 46 g carbohydrate; 7 g fiber; 9 g sugar; 8 g protein.

Makes about 3/4 cup

• 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise • 1/4 cup dairy-free sour cream • 3 tablespoons water • 3 tablespoons minced fresh

How to grill tuna with a smoky char and a tender interior AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN

ALPHA / FLICKR, CC BY-SA 2.0

PERFECTLY GRILLED tuna steaks should combine a hot, smoky, charred exterior with a cool, rare centre. For a home cook, this ideal can be an elusive goal.

For grilled tuna steaks with an intense smoky char and a tender interior, we started with a hot grill. We moistened the tuna steaks' flesh with a vinaigrette to promote browning and allow the oil to penetrate the meat of the tuna steaks.

And instead of using sugar in our vinaigrette, we used honey.

Both promote browning, but honey does it faster, which was www.canadianinquirer.net

important with the quick cooking times for tuna on the grill.

It's easy to add complementary flavours to this dish by mixing up the seasoning in the vinaigrette.

Grilled tuna steaks with vinaigrette

Servings: 6 Start to finish: 25 minutes We prefer our tuna served rare or medium-rare. If you like your tuna cooked medium, observe the timing for mediumrare, then tent the steaks with foil for 5 minutes before serving.

• 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh

thyme or rosemary • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard • 2 teaspoons honey • Salt and pepper • 3/4 cup olive oil • 6 (8-ounce) tuna steaks, 1 inch thick — For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light large chimney starter filled with charcoal briquettes (6 quarts).

When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over half of grill. Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

— For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat ❱❱ PAGE 38 How to

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A vinaigrette packed with fresh herbs makes salmon better AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN IT'S NO wonder salmon is so popular: Its flesh is rich-tasting thanks to high levels of hearthealthy omega-3 fatty acids.

A great way to ensure moist, tender salmon is to poach it.

And a vinaigrette packed with fresh herbs offers surprising nutritional value.

Poaching the salmon in just enough liquid to come half an inch up its sides meant we didn't need much to boost the flavour of the liquid. However, the portion of the salmon that wasn't submerged needed to be steamed to cook through properly, and the low poaching cooking temperature didn't create enough steam.

Cutting the water with some wine lowered the boiling point; the alcohol helped to produce more vapour even at the lower temperature. To keep the bottoms of the fillets from over-

cooking, we placed them on top of lemon slices.

After poaching, we reduced the poaching liquid and added some olive oil and capers for an easy vinaigrette-style sauce.

If using wild salmon, which contains less fat than farmed salmon, cook the fillets until they register 120 F (for medium-rare).

Poached salmon with herb and caper vinaigrette

Servings: 4 Start to finish: 30 minutes

• 1 lemon, sliced into 1/4 inchthick rounds, plus lemon wedges for serving • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, stems reserved • 2 tablespoons minced fresh tarragon, stems reserved • 2 shallots, minced • 1/2 cup dry white wine • 1/2 cup water • 1 (1 1/2 pound) skinless salmon fillet, 1 inch thick • Salt and pepper

• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and minced • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Arrange lemon slices in single layer over bottom of 12-inch skillet. Scatter parsley stems, tarragon stems, and half of shallots over lemon slices then add wine and water.

Cut salmon crosswise into 4 fillets. Pat dry with paper towels and season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Lay salmon fillets, skinned-side down, on top of lemons and herb sprigs. Set pan

over high heat and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until centres are still translucent when checked with tip of paring knife and register 125 F (for medium-rare), 10 to 12 minutes.

Transfer salmon, herb sprigs, and lemon slices to paper towel-lined plate, cover with aluminum foil, and let drain while finishing sauce.

Return cooking liquid to medium-7/8high heat and simmer until reduced to 1 tablespoon, 3 to 5 minutes. Combine remaining shallots, minced parsley, minced tarragon, capers,

and oil in bowl. Strain reduced cooking liquid through finemesh strainer into bowl, whisk to combine, and season with pepper to taste.

Gently transfer drained salmon to individual serving plates, discarding lemon slices and herb stems. Spoon vinaigrette evenly over tops and serve. ■

black and glossy, 5 to 10 times.

Pat tuna dry with paper towels. Generously brush both sides of tuna with vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper. Place tuna on grill (on hotter side if using charcoal) and cook (covered if using gas) until grill marks form and bottom surface is opaque, 1 to 3 minutes.

Flip tuna and cook until opaque at perimeter and translucent red at centre when checked with tip of paring knife and registers 110 F (for

rare), about 1 1/2 minutes, or until opaque at perimeter and reddish pink at centre when checked with tip of paring knife and registers 125 F (for medium-rare), about 3 minutes.

Serve, passing reserved vinaigrette. ■

Nutrition information per serving: 279 calories; 113 calories from fat; 13 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 78 mg cholesterol; 457 mg sodium; 6 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 29 g protein.

How to... ❰❰ 37

grill until hot, about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk vinegar, thyme, mustard, honey, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pinch pepper together in large bowl.

Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle oil into vinegar mixture until lightly thickened and emulsified. Measure out 3/4 cup vinaigrette and set aside for cooking tuna. Reserve remaining vinaigrette for serving.

Clean cooking grate, then repeatedly brush grate with welloiled paper towels until grate is www.canadianinquirer.net

Nutrition information per serving: 560 calories; 333 calories from fat; 37 g fat (6 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 81 mg cholesterol; 398 mg sodium; 3 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 50 g protein.

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