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VOL. 8 NO. 382

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte discusses matters with military officials upon his arrival at the Basco Airport on July 28, 2019 as he holds a situation briefing with members of his cabinet and local government officials to discuss disaster response measures in the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Batanes.

ALBERT ALCAIN / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

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Philippine defence chief hits China for South China Sea acts

BY JIM GOMEZ The Associated Press MANILA, PHILIPPINES — The Philippine defence chief criticized China on Tuesday for what he called “bullying” actions in the South China Sea and said Beijing’s peaceful assurances contrast with its behaviour in the contested wa-

ters.

Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana criticized China’s increasingly assertive actions when asked to comment on the Chinese ambassador’s assurances in Manila that Beijing won’t seek hegemony in the disputed region and “will not take the first shot.”

Scientists tell environment minister to speed up conservation

28 Efforts to ensure PH ready for ‘Big One’: Lorenzana

❱❱ PAGE 12 Philippine defence

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Love, lust and digital dating: Men on the Bumble dating app aren’t ready for the Queen bee

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Philippine News

Revilla backs death penalty for plunder, false accusers

Congress may introduce new ‘endo’ bill: Palace

BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES Philippine News Agency MANILA — Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. on Thursday reiterated his support for the passage of a bill seeking to restore the death penalty for plunder and heinous crimes related to drugs.

Revilla said he would also suggest the imposition of the death penalty against those who falsely accuse others of committing plunder.

“Hindi na kailangan humingi sa akin ng tulong ni Senator Bong Go (Senator Bong Go need not ask for my help). From the get go, I have expressed my strong and personal support (for) capital punishment for drug trafficking and plunder,” he said in a statement.

“If at all, ako ang hihingi ng tulong sa kanya, to support yung aking panukala na idagdag sa batas, to prevent it from being weaponized for politics, na false accusers should also suffer death (If at all, I should be the one to ask for his support to include in the bill — to prevent it from being weaponized for politics — that false accusers should also suffer death),” he added.

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency

RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR. / FACEBOOK

Revilla, who was acquitted in 2018 after four years in detention over a plunder charge, said he was not affected by the death penalty proposal because he was found “not guilty.”

“Napatunayang ginipit lang ako. Pero sa pinagdaanan ko na inakusahan ng mali at inabswelto at pinawalang-sala, dapat may kaakibat na parusa sa mga nanggipit at nang-api (It was proven that I was just framed up. But after what I had gone through because of false accusations and eventually being acquitted, it is only right for those who falsely accuse others of these crimes to be punished),” he said.

“I could have faced death just

because of politics. Kung ginawa ito sa akin, dapat siguruhin na hindi na ito magagawa sa iba (These acts against me should not be done to others),” he added.

Malacañang earlier said President Rodrigo R. Duterte is most likely to certify the passage of the death penalty bill as urgent.

In his 4th State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 22, Duterte urged Congress to pass a bill for the restoration of the death penalty for drugs and plunder.

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the passage of the death penalty bill will still depend on Congress. ■

19 Pinoys detained in Mexico due to illegal drugs: DFA

BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday reported that 19 Filipino seafarers have been detained in Mexico for alleged illegal drugs violation.

In a statement, the department vowed to extend assistance, assuring that the Philippine Embassy in Mexico has been actively monitoring the developments in light of the Filipinos’ detention.

“Embassy representatives were able to speak with seven of the Filipino seafarers currently

detained for questioning,” DFA Assistant Secretary Emmanuel Fernandez said in the statement.

“The group is generally in good spirits and informed the Embassy representatives that their families have been informed of what happened. The Embassy is also in close coordination with both Mexican authorities and the law firm representing the ship’s crew,” he added.

At this point, no formal charge has been filed against any of the seafarers.

The 19 were among the 22 crew members on board the Cypriot-flagged vessel UBC Savannah docked at the Altamira Port in Mexico on July 27 due

to alleged violations of the country’s illegal drug law.

Fernandez said the DFA stands ready to provide any form of assistance, including legal assistance if still necessary, to protect the Filipino seafarers’ right to be heard in court.

However, he said, should they be found guilty by the proper court of the charges against them, “they have to face the legal consequences of their actions.”

“The public is likewise reminded that the Philippine government, under the leadership of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, expects all Filipinos to follow the laws of their countries of destination,” Fernandez said. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

MANILA – Malacañang said Congress may introduce a new bill to end contractualization and end-of-contract (endo) schemes following the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to veto the Security of Tenure (SOT) bill.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Sunday said Congress must ensure that a bill to end contractualization is not “absolute” in consideration of the interests of businesses or employers.

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the SOT should be “tweaked” to benefit both employers and workers.

“Ang Kongreso ay maaaring mag-introduce ng panibagong bill. At pag-aralan nila na hindi pupwede maging absolute ang labor-contracting prohibition (The Congress may introduce a new bill. And study that laborcontracting prohibition cannot be absolute),” Panelo said in an interview over DZIQ. “Kailangan meron mga sitwasyon kung saan hindi pupuwedeng i-apply yung nabanggit na pagbabawal (There should be situations where prohibiting contracting does not apply),” he added.

Panelo explained that the President vetoed the SOT bill as several companies may close down if the measure is unable to give a “definite classification” of which companies are exempted from contractualization.

“Maraming magsasarado sa ating mga kumpanya pag hindi, pag hindi natin mabigyan ng definite classification yung mga ibang company na hindi dapat maisama. (Several companies may close down if we can’t provide a definite classification of companies that should not be included),” he said.

Panelo also asked lawmakers who authored and supported the measure not to be discouraged by the vetoing of the SOT bill.

“Hindi kayo kailangan maging malungkot dito o feeling betrayed. Si Presidente, yun pa rin ang kanyang paninindi-

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gan. Pero binabalanse niya ang karapatan ng management at ng workers (You don’t need to feel sad about this or feel betrayed.

The President still wants to end contractualization. But he’s balancing the rights of the management and workers),” he said.

“Kung walang employer eh di wala ring working class. Hindi ba. Okay lang yan, kailangan bigyan mo ng balanseng pagkilos, tingnan mo pareho kung ano ang makakabuti sa dalawang panig (If there are no employers, there won’t be a working class. Right? That’s okay, all we need is to ensure balance and see what is good for both parties),” he added.

He reminded critics that the Chief Executive is serious in ending “endo” by even issuing Executive Order 51 which eradicates all forms of abusive employment practices through the strict implementation of the provisions of the Labor Code.

Panelo remained optimistic that Duterte’s campaign promise of ending contractualization and endo may still be realized before the end of the President’s term in 2022.

He described the vetoing of the SOT bill as “a temporary setback” for the working class while the government assesses the concerns of the businesses and employers.

“Naumpisahan na nga hindi ba, so kung naumpisahan yan, tuluy-tuloy yan. Kumbaga temporary setback lang yan sa parte ng mga working class kasi tinitingnan ni Presidente yung panig ng management (It has already been started, so it will continue.

It’s just a temporary setback on the part of the working class because the President is hearing the side of the management),” Panelo said.

Senator Joel Villanueva, author of the SOT bill and chair of the Senate Committee on Labor, has earlier vowed to refile the measure, noting that the social protection of workers is “more important” than what business organizations gain.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, who expressed support for Villanueva’s intention to refile the bill, said the executive department should file its own version of the bill. ■

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Philippine News

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FRIDAY

Efforts to ensure PH ready for ‘Big One’: Lorenzana

BY PRIAM NEPOMUCENO Philippine News Agency MANILA — All possible efforts are being undertaken to ensure that the Philippines, especially Metro Manila, is prepared for the “Big One” or the massive earthquake that will be triggered by a movement of the West Valley Fault.

This was emphasized by Department of National Defense (DND) Secretary Delfin Lorenzana during the media briefing shortly after the launching of the two-day National Disaster Resilience Summit which was held at the Novotel Manila Center in Cubao, Quezon City on Tuesday.

He added that the DND, along with the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), is busy talking to and training people living in Metro Manila lying in the path of the West Valley Fault.

This fault line runs through Metro Manila to the cities of Marikina, Quezon City, Pasig,

Makati, Taguig and Muntinlupa and also traverses Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan to Calamba, Laguna. “(The West Valley Fault is) huge (and once it) moves (it is capable of creating large scale earthquakes with magnitude 7 or higher and causing massive destruction) and that’s why we have been emphasizing it to the heads of our local officials to prepare accordingly,” Lorenzana said.

Part of the preparation is that local government units tell their constituents to stockpile three days worth of food and water while barangays store a week’s worth of essential supplies. Cities and towns should also have more of these items in depots and secure locations.

Lorenzana said that he is hoping that households have their own survival kit or grab bag containing emergency items and a battery-operated transistor radio and power banks for cellphones.

Meanwhile, OCD adminis-

DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

trator Ricardo Jalad, who is also executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, said the national government has a contingency plan for such eventualities.

Aside from this, all government agencies are assigned a particular task within their capacity and capability. Jalad also said that they are also looking at the capacity of the local

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JOEY O. RAZON / PNA

government units (LGUs) to do its own disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) capability.

In line with this, the OCD chief is hoping that the LGUs will invest more in their calamity funds or the local DRRM fund. Aside from this, efforts or contingency measures are now being prepared by responsible agencies to ensure that food and water supplies in Metro

Manila remain stable in the event of the “Big One.” Lorenzana said part of the preparations include the Department of Public Works and Highways checking out buildings in Metro Manila to determine which are quake-resistant or not.

Another ongoing effort is the identification of open areas that could serve as evacuation centers. ■

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Philippine News

AUGUST 2, 2019

FRIDAY

House members agree to donate portion of salaries to Batanes earthquake victims

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer MEMBERS OF the House of Representatives have agreed to donate a part of their salaries to provide assistance to victims of the twin earthquakes that hit Batanes over the weekend.

Each congressman is expected to donate a minimum of P5,000 from his or her salary, House Majority Leader and Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez said in a statement on Tuesday, July 30.

With the lower chamber consisting of 300 members, it would be able to raise at least P1.5-million or even higher.

“This is just the minimum amount pegged by the House resolution. The contribution may even reach P3 million up to P5 million as some congressmen have indicated willingness to donate

P50,000 to P100,000 from their salary,” Romualdez said.

Apart from the monetary aid, he said that the congressmen also want to donate relief goods which will be turned over to Batanes Representative Ciriaco Gato, Jr. for distribution to appropriate agencies tasked to bring the goods to the province.

He added that those people who want to help the victims may also send their donations through Gato’s Chief of Staff, lawyer Rachel Derigay.

Gato’s office said the victims urgently need hygiene kits, wet wipes, mosquito repellents, reusable eating utensils, generator sets for water pumping stations, and portalets.

The House also adopted on Monday House Resolution (HR) No. 139 expressing the “profound sympathies” and “deepest condolences” of the congressmen to those affected by the twin

earthquakes. It was penned by Romualdez, Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, and House Minority Leader Bienvenido Abante, Jr. The congressmen also called on the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and other relevant organizations to “expedite humanitarian assistance and restore normalcy to the affected areas.”

Last Saturday, the town of Itbayat in Batanes was rocked by a magnitude 5.4 earthquake which was followed by a stronger magnitude 5.9 quake. As of writing, the death toll in the twin earth-

quakes has climbed to nine, while more than 60 were injured, according to the NRRMC. President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday went to Batanes to conduct an aerial inspection to assess the damage caused by the earthquakes. The Chief Executive had vowed to give P40-million to Batanes to be used for the construction of a new health facility.

“I hope you’d put it to good use. The 40 million would bring you something like small parang (like a) clinic, hospital.

Hindi naman kayo marami dito (You are not many here),” he said. ■

Solon wants more protection for PH forest resources

BY FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES Philippine News Agency MANILA — A bill proposing a comprehensive sustainable forest management strategy to safeguard the country’s dwindling forest resources has been filed at the Senate.

In a statement on Friday, Senator Pia Cayetano said the Senate Bill No. 284, or the Sustainable Forest Management Act, aims to preserve and optimize the utilization of forest resources.

“Forests provide the country with natural resources that contribute to economic growth. They provide livelihood through raw materials that are converted into finished products,” Cayetano said.

“At the same time, forests serve as protection and buffer from natural disasters, and help mitigate the effects of climate change,” she added.

The senator cited that the country has been losing approximately 47,000 hectares of forest each year, increasing the risk of massive social and economic losses from resource depletion and cliwww.canadianinquirer.net

mate disasters.

She stressed the need to protect the forests not just as an environment matter, but an “economic imperative,” as she quoted President Rodrigo Duterte in saying “natural disasters are poverty creators.”

The bill mandates the Forest Management Bureau as the primary agency to oversee the development, management, and utilization of forest lands, including the identification of areas for protection or production purposes.

It also proposes to rationalize the establishment, operations, and development of forest-based industries.

The bill seeks to establish agroforestry economic zones to ease the conduct of business and attract local and foreign investments.

It provides for a Community-Based Forest Management Program (CBFMP) to be undertaken by concerned national agencies and the local government units.

“With this, we aim to empower indigenous people’s groups and other forestbased communities as stewards managing our forest resources in a sustainable way,” Cayetano said. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2019

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Over 2.3K foreigners barred from ‘911 TESDA’ entering PH Jan-June this year employment app

now available

BY FERDINAND PATINIO Philippine News Agency MANILA — More than 2,300 foreign nationals were barred from entering the country during the first six months of the year, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported on Monday.

According to BI port operations division chief Grifton Medina, a total of 2,351 aliens of various nationalities were denied entry in the different ports as a result of the agency’s intensified efforts to thwart the entry of foreigners whose presence here are deemed inimical to public welfare and safety.

Of the number, 1,920 of the aliens were turned away at Manila’s Ninoy Aquino International Airport while the rest were stopped at the airports in Mactan, Clark, Kalibo, Aklan and Davao.

“They were turned back after undergoing primary and secondary inspection by our immigration officers and were declared unfit for admission into our country for a variety of reasons,” the BI official said in a statement.

“They were issued exclusion orders and booked on the first available flight to their ports of origin,” Medina added.

Data from the BI-POD’s travel control and enforcement (TCEU) show that 1,129 Chinese nationals topped the list of excluded aliens, followed by 106 Indians, 87 Americans, 52 Taiwanese, and 67 Koreans.

The list includes registered sex offenders, wanted fugitives,

BY MA. CRISTINA ARAYATA Philippine News Agency

Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

suspected international terrorists, and blacklisted and previously deported aliens.

He said that most of the foreigners were excluded for being public charges or persons without visible means to support themselves, and whose purpose of coming here are doubtful.

Medina added that some were turned back for being rude and disrespectful towards immigration officers, and for having incomplete travel documents.

On the other hand, Commissioner Jaime Morente commended BI port personnel for their accomplishments even as he stressed the sovereign right of every country like the Philippines to deny entry to aliens deemed as undesirable and inadmissible.

He also exhorted the immi-

PNA

gration officers “not to relax your guard and be always vigilant in discharging their duties as gatekeepers of our country.”

“Our immigration officers are working hard day and night to protect our borders from these threats,” said Morente.

“We are serious in our drive against illegal aliens, and we are doing the best so we can to stop them from entering the country,” he added.

Morente likewise clarified that they “are not targeting specific nationalities,” but are instead “targeting illegal and undocumented individuals who try to enter the Philippines.”

He explained that those who were excluded for being a public charge or whose entry is a threat to public order and safety will be barred from re-entering the country. ■

MANILA — “911 TESDA,” a Grab-like application providing the graduates of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) a platform to land a job in just a swipe, was officially launched on Tuesday.

The “911 TESDA,” which will initially be available webbased, was created not just to help TESDA graduates, but also to make it more convenient for the public, especially those who need services, to find workers.

Eight digital online services providers (DOSPs) have recently signed a partnership with TESDA for the app.

TESDA graduates from 2017 may apply to be accredited by the DOSPs. The two will have an agreement on how things would work.

DOSPs would screen the workers they would send to those who would be needing services.

The agency initially targeted to launch the app by July 18, and make this available initially in Metro Manila.

As of Tuesday, the public could only access “911 TESDA” via web www.911tesda.ph.

The services are initially available for those in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.

Furthermore, “911 TESDA” is currently limited to 76 services (e.g. housekeeper, kitchen staff, aircon cleaner, laundry, lighting installation or repair, accounting clerk, among others).

TESDA-NCR director Conrado Bares earlier told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that when someone needs a service, the partner DOSP would look for the registered worker nearest the vicinity.

“This would give the TESDA graduates the option to work with the DOSP either full-time or part-time, depending on their availability,” he added.

He also bared that the DOSPs said 42,000 people in NCR are needing the services of certified TESDA graduates.

Among the in-demand services are massage, carpentry, housekeeping, programming and call center, Bares said.

TESDA’s mandate, he said, is not just to give education or training, but also help its graduates find employment or livelihood opportunities.

Furthermore, TESDA’s tagline, “Abot Lahat” targets that more people, especially in the regions, would benefit from TESDA scholarships and services. ■

Duterte lifts suspension of Lotto games

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has lifted the suspension of Lotto operations of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), Malacañang said on Tuesday night.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Duterte lifted the suspension as per advice of Executive Secretary Sal-

vador Medialdea.

“As per the advice of Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea, the suspension of Lotto operations has been ordered lifted by the President,” Panelo said in a statement.

“Franchise holders and operators of lotto outlets may now resume with their operations.

The lifting of the suspension of lotto operations takes effect immediately,” he added.

However, Panelo said the rest

of all gaming operations with franchises, licenses or permits granted by PCSO such as SmallTown Lottery (STL), Keno and Peryahan ng Bayan (PNB), shall remain suspended pending the investigation on corrupt practices.

In his statement, Medialdea said investigators "found no anomalies in the conduct of its operation, its sanctity remained untainted and proper regulatory rules followed.” www.canadianinquirer.net

Last week, Duterte ordered all gaming activities of the PCSO, including Lotto, STL, and Peryahan ng Bayan, to stop due to "massive corruption.”

Panelo said the Chief Executive would reveal the names of officials or employees involved in corruption “in due time.”

“We’ll have to wait for the President. He is thoroughly investigating the corruption and

as he said, in due time, we’ll name them. Do not be impatient,” Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

The Palace assured that those in need of medical assistance and social services may, for the meantime, approach the Office of the President (OP), Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) or the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). ■

Philippine News

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FRIDAY

DFA chief wants visa-on-arrival privilege for foreigners removed 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 — Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Wednesday recommended the removal of visa upon arrival privilege for foreigners.

Locsin’s proposal came following the remarks of National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. that the influx of undocumented foreigners to Manila pose a possible security threat to the country.

"We need to put an end to visas upon arrival; all visas should be issued by consular offices after vetting," Locsin said on his official Twitter account, in reaction to the headline carrying Esperon's remarks.

"We must take extra care in outsourcing any part of the visa application process, picking only the most reputable worldwide," Locsin added.

In an earlier news forum, Esperon said he remains on the "cautious side" when looking at the issue of the volume of foreigners in the country, particularly when they are undocumented and when their intent is not clear.

"On the matter of Chinese coming in, are we surprised about that? Of course," Esperon said.

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Member

"What's really happening is that there are businesses, offshore gaming, coming in to the Philippines-- these are regulated by the PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation). But there are illegal players, illegal operators, that's our problem, because some of these Chinese could

@DFAPHL / TWITTER

come in as tourists and they could end up for the period that they are allowed here to be workers," he added in Filipino.

Meanwhile, he dismissed as "wild imagination" the speculation that Chinese nationals coming in are part of the Chinese army. ■

DILG lauds Marikina over obstruction-free roads

BY CHRISTOPHER LLOYD CALIWAN Philippine News Agency

Instagram: @pcinewsofficial Twitter:@pcinewsofficial

DFA Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr.

MANILA — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has lauded the city government of Marikina for being an obstruction-free city.

During a meeting with Metro Manila mayors on Monday, DILG Sec. Eduardo Año told Marikina Mayor Marcelino Teodoro that Marikina has no problem in cleaning its city because it is already clean.

“Sa Marikina, Mayor Marcy, wala na tayong problema. Tuwing nadadaan ako diyan laging malinis. Walangobstruction or basura (we have no problem. Whenever I pass by the area, it’s always clean.

There are no obstructions or garbage),” he told the Marikina mayor in the meeting.

Año met with Metro mayors to tell them that they have 60 days to clear their respective cities of obstructions, and make sure that their streets are safe and clean for the public.

The 60-day deadline was given by the DILG to mayors after President Rodrigo Duterte said in his fourth State of the Nation Address (SONA) that he wants the roads that are being utilized for public use to be reclaimed.

For Teodoro, the real challenge for Metro mayors is how to sustain the cleanliness of their respective cities after conducting clearing operations.

“The most challenging part is sustaining the sidewalks and roads, making sure that they are always clean and walkable,” he told Metro mayors.

“Us in Marikina, we have been educating our people way back when I was still a councilor. It was not an easy task but it is doable. We make our residents understand that the roads and sidewalks should always be free from obstructions as it will equate to order and smooth flow of vehicles in the city,” Teodoro emphasized.

“Sidewalks are beyond the homes of men. Hindi ito para sa pansarili o komersyo na interes kundi ito ay isang (This is not for personal use or for business but this is a) public domain.”

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Other mayors in Metro Manila then told Teodoro that they want to go to Marikina to observe how his city was able to keep its sidewalks and roads clear of obstructions.

In Metro Manila, the Marikina mayor said 30 percent of roads and sidewalks are clogged because of various types of obstructions.

He believes that the 60 days is enough for Metro mayors to rid other cities of obstructions.

“Marami ang nagtatanong kung sapat na ba ang 60 days. Sa tingin ko, sapat na ito at kayang i-clear ang mga kalsada at bangketa sa loob ng panahong ito (Many are asking if 60 days is enough. I think this is enough and within this period, clearing streets and sidewalks is possible),” the mayor said.

Despite being praised in the DILG meeting, Teodoro still had a meeting with concerned departments in his city to tell them that they should all work tirelessly to ensure that Marikina will always be clean, safe and walkable for the public. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2019

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Palace won’t take PRRD had ‘productive’ visit China’s words on sea in quake-hit Batanes row at ‘face value’

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — Malacañang on Thursday said it will not take statements made by Chinese officials at “face value” especially in relation to the country’s claims on the disputed South China Sea. Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made this remark after Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua said that China will “not take the first shot” amid rising tension in the disputed waters.

“We do not take words of other countries on their face value.

The President will always think beyond those words,” Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

“The President is mandated to protect the security of this country, as well as the Filipino people, hence he will anticipate what may come out of any aggressive action that this country may undertake vis-à-vis the conflict in that area,” he added.

Asked if the Palace also takes Chinese President Xi Jinping’s earlier warning to President Rodrigo Duterte that there would be “trouble” if the Philippines would undertake oil explorations in the West Philippine Sea at “face value”, Panelo replied: “We took it as an anticipation of what may happen.”

“Even without those saying

that, we always think of the security of the Filipino people,” Panelo said.

Panelo, meanwhile, reiterated that the best way to resolve the sea row between the Philippines and China is through bilateral negotiations.

He earlier said bilateral negotiations are meant to ensure the safety of the Filipinos from possible armed conflict.

“We will repeat our position.

We said that the conflict in that region will be the subject of continuous negotiation between the two countries. And by such mechanism, we hope to solve and/or resolve the conflict, whatever they are,” Panelo said.

During the 92nd founding anniversary celebration of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) in Makati on Monday, Zhao stressed China's principle of “defense, self-defense and post-strike response.”

“China adopts a military strategy of active defense which adheres to the principle of defense, self-defense and post-strike response. Meaning we will not take the first shot,” Zhao said.

Zhao said China develops its military to defend the country, provide the people with a peaceful environment, and ensure its citizens are free from the disasters and calamities of war. ■

MANILA — President Rodrigo Roa Duterte had a “productive visit” to the earthquake-hit province of Batanes on Sunday (July 28), Malacañang said on Monday.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Duterte’s visit began with an aerial inspection of affected areas in Itbayat town, where he personally saw the extent of the natural disaster’s damage.

“The President also gave three marching orders, the first is to ensure that supply lines in the province are working so residents do not get hungry,” Panelo said.

Duterte ordered the release of PHP40 million for the construction of a new hospital in Itbayat.

Defense Secretary Lorenzana and Transportation Secretary Tugade were directed to extend the runways of the airports in Basco and Itbayat.

The President also asked the Coast Guard to patrol Batanes islands to ensure that “those islands will remain ours.”

On the same day, the Presi-

Aerial photo shows the extent of the damage caused by the earthquake that hit Batanes recently. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte conducted an aerial survey of the affected areas and a situation briefing with members of his cabinet and local government officials at the Basco Airport on July 28, 2019 to discuss disaster response measures in the aftermath of the earthquake.

PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

dent also provided cash assistance to the families of those who perished and were injured in the natural tragedy.

Reports showed that nine people were killed, 63 were

injured, while 911 families or 2,963 individuals were evacuated to the town plaza after the series of earthquakes on Saturday (July 28). ■

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10

Philippine News

AUGUST 2, 2019

2-month voter registration period starts August 1

BY FERDINAND PATINIO Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Wednesday reminded those interested to become registered voters that the two-month voter registration period, in connection with the 2020 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE), will start on Thursday.

“Thirty days has September, April, June, and November, all the rest have 31 — including July, so remember, tomorrow is August the first, the first of #VoterReg2019, go to your local Comelec if you haven’t yet been,” Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez said in a FaceCOMELEC / FACEBOOK book post on Wednesday.

He added that all poll body “Yes, there will be satellite For purposes of the SK elecfield offices in the city/mu- registrations in malls — please tions, those who will be at least nicipality where the registrant stay tuned for announcements 15 but not more than 30 years is residing are ready to accept on satellite registration loca- of age on Election Day shall be their application for registra- tions,” he added. included in the list of those who tion, among others six days a Satellite registration offices may vote for SK candidates. week or from Monday to Sat- may be established in barangay The poll body noted that regurday, including istered voters as holidays. of the May 13, Applications 2019 mid-term may be filed from elections need 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Application forms may be not apply. downloaded from www.comelec. the Office of the On the other gov.ph. The registration period will Election Officer hand, an express run until September 30. or any satellite lane for persons registration site with disabilities, in the locality senior citizens where the regisand pregnant aptrant resides. halls/centers, public and pri- plicants will be provided.

Applicants to be accepted are vate schools and universities, Application forms may be those applying for registration, malls and commercial estab- downloaded from www.cometransfer of registration record, lishments and other public and lec.gov.ph. The registration pechange/correction of entries, convenient places. riod will run until September reactivation of registration reComelec Resolution 10549 30. cord, inclusion of registration states that any Filipino citizen, Earlier, the Comelec said it record and reinstatement of who is not yet a registered voter is looking to register 2 million name in the list of voters. but will be at least 15 years of new voters during the two“Yes, Comelec offices will be age on May 11, 2020, and resid- month registration period. open on Saturdays, unless there ing in the barangay for at least The country has over 61 milis a scheduled satellite registra- six months on or before Elec- lion local registered voters in tion for that day,” Jimenez said. tion Day is eligible to register. the May 2019 polls. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

FRIDAY

‘Bikoy’ surrenders anew to police over cyberlibel case

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer PETER JOEMEL Advincula, the man who claimed to be “Bikoy” in the viral video series tagging the First family in the illegal drug trade, has turned himself to the police anew, this time, over a cyberlibel case.

As per media reports, Advincula surrendered to the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) on Monday, July 29, at around 7 p.m.

His surrender came after an arrest warrant was issued by Judge Annielyn Medes-Cabelis, acting presiding judge of the Legazpi City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 5, on July 11. The court set a P10,000 bail bond for Advincula’s temporary liberty.

Last May, Bicolano businessman Elizalde “Zaldy” Co filed cyber libel cases against Advincula after his name was dragged in the controversial videos. In one of its episodes, Advincula claimed that Co was the leader of a drug syndicate that has been operating in Bicol but the latter denied such allegations.

However, the police did not make it clear yet whether or not the arrest warrant stemmed from the businessman’s complaint.

Apart from Advincula, Co also sued social media giant Facebook and YouTube for allowing its online platforms to be used in spreading false information.

“Like ‘Bikoy,’ Facebook and YouTube must be held accountable. Our legal system shouldn’t allow them to be part of a systematic campaign to destroy

people and simply get away with it,” he earlier said. Co had sought at least P1.1-billion in damages from the respondents.

Advincula earlier said all the allegations he made against the family of President Rodrigo Duterte and his allies were ‘all lies’ and that the viral videos were “orchestrated” by former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and the Liberal Party (LP).

On July 18, the PNP-CIDG filed sedition, inciting to sedition, cyber-libel, libel, estafa, harboring a criminal, and obstruction of justice complaints against opposition figures, including Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo, Trillanes, and Senators Leila De Lima and Risa Hontiveros, among others, over the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos. The opposition personalities had blasted the charges slapped against them, saying it was a form of “harassment.”

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is set to hold a preliminary investigation into the complaint on August 9. ■

Philippine News

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2019

11

Palace looking into complaints vs. Duque

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — Malacañang is looking into graft and plunder complaints against Health Secretary Francisco Duque over a lease agreement between a company owned by his family and the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

“The SOP (standard operating procedure) is any complaint, as the President says, that reaches his table, will always be subject of a serious investigation by the Office of the President,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a media interview on Tuesday.

“Any allegation against any member of the Cabinet or against any official of the government of corruption or conflict of interest or any act illegal is always a serious concern of the office of the President,” he added.

Despite these allegations,

Panelo maintained that President Rodrigo Duterte still trusts Duque pending results of the OP’s investigation.

“He (Duque) has responded to the questions of the issue of propriety so if there are complaints against him, investigation will be undertaken and until such time that there is no definite finding of any act which is in violation of the law, Secretary of Health still has the trust and confidence of the President” Panelo said.

In a joint affidavit filed before the Office of the Ombudsman on Friday (June 21), complainants, who are parents of victims of the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia, accused Duque of graft and plunder for entering into a contract which allowed a PhilHealth regional office to rent land belonging to his family.

Panelo defended Duque from allegations, stressing that the fact that Duque’s family owned a land where a PhilHealth provincial office is situated does

not immediately prove that there is a “conflict of interest.”

PhilHealth is an attached agency of the Department of Health.

“The Secretary of Health has already responded to that; as far as he is concerned, there is no conflict of interest,” said Panelo, who is also Chief Presidential Legal Counsel.

Citing Duque, Panelo emphasized that there is no conflict of interest because the contracts the PhilHealth entered into were signed prior to his being Health Secretary and others, he has divested of his interest and/ or shares.

Panelo also welcomed Senator Christopher “Bong” Go’s call for an investigation into these PhilHealth transactions.

Go is the new chairman of the Senate committee on health.

Meanwhile, Panelo also rejected claims that the appointment of Duque’s brother, Gonzalo, as Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) administrator was a conflict of interest.

“Why should there be a con-

Health Sec. Francisco Duque.

JESS M. ESCAROS JR. / WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, PUBLIC DOMAIN

flict of interest with regard to that? There’s none,” Panelo said.

Earlier, Panelo described Gonzalo Duque as “a man of

competence and integrity” who would help “champion the cause of the Filipino coconut farmers.” ■

PRRD has authority to enter into verbal fishing deal: Palace

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte has authority to enter into “executive” agreements including a verbal deal that gives China fishing rights in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ), Malacañang said Thursday.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo refuted the joint statement made by former Ombudsman Conchita CarpioMorales and former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario who claimed that no public official, not even the President, has “the authority to grant foreigners fishing rights.”

“The President, as the chief architect of our foreign policy, has the authority to enter into executive agreements, written or oral,” said Panelo, who is also Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, in a statement.

Panelo explained that because executive agreements

are usually “less formal” and deal with a “narrower range of subject matters than treaties,” Philippine jurisprudence or case law has long-recognized that this power may be exercised by the President even without the concurrence of Congress.

“Conventions or high-level meetings among foreign leaders are useless if they cannot commit and bind their countries at the time of said engagements,” Panelo said.

He reiterated that the Constitution’s provision which reserves the use and enjoyment of the nation’s marine wealth to Filipino citizens (Section 2, Article 12), must be read in relation to the President’s prime duty to serve and to protect the Filipino people (Section 4, Article).

Moreover, Panelo said Duterte is also complying with international obligations, one of which is to observe friendliness towards neighboring countries.

“The rationale for this is simple: In a world where countries have the ability to craft their own respective sets of rules, conflicting municipal policies are inevitable in cases which reach the level of an international concern,” Panelo said.

The 2016 fishing verbal agreement between Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping allowed Chinese to fish within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile EEZ if China allowed Filipinos to fish in the Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal.

‘It’s ours’

Panelo said Duterte has also made it clear in his fourth state of the nation address (SONA) that, Philippines is the “owner” of the West Philippine Sea, and is only granting fishing rights to China.

“This is analogous to the civil law aspect of ownership which has an attribute of providing the owner the right to allow others to use one’s property,” Duterte said. www.canadianinquirer.net

He explained that the right is being exercised by the President with the country’s interest as his primary consideration.

“The agreement was entered into not because of any threat or vitiation of consent, but because the President sees such arrangement as pragmatic which can keep at bay any conflict between two countries, while we gain a venue where we can assert our sovereign rights,” Panelo said.

“The motivation of PRRD in entering into the agreement is the welfare of the Filipino people in general, not just to ensure their physical safety but also to enable them to exploit the natural resources in the waters being controlled by China as a source of their livelihood.

These are being achieved now,” he added.

Not a secret

Panelo described as “absurd” the claim made by Carpio-Morales and Del Rosario that the verbal fishing deal was kept as a

secret since the administration has been “as transparent as it can be.”

“The oral agreement was recorded by an appropriate officer during the bilateral meeting. The President was explicit about it,” Panelo said.

In addition, Panelo said he himself mentioned it in his earlier press briefings and that then Foreign Affairs Secretary, now House Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano had also made pronouncements before the public about it.

According to Panelo, Cayetano said Philippines and China “co-control” the disputed waters and that the fishermen should both be free to fish there.

He, meanwhile, vowed to continue to assert Philippine rights but only though the “peaceful manner” of diplomatic negotiations, insisting that it is one of the most effective modes of settling international disputes. ■

Philippine News

12

AUGUST 2, 2019

FRIDAY

Philippine defence... ❰❰ 1

“They say we do not bully people around, they follow international law, but I said you are not, what you are telling is not what you are doing on the ground,” Lorenzana said in one of his most stinging public rebukes yet of Chinese actions in territories claimed by Beijing, Manila and four other governments.

Unless China does what it says, its words will be doubted and Filipinos will continue to look at Beijing with mistrust, said Lorenzana, a retired army general. He cited China’s low trust ratings in local opinion polls compared to those of the United States, a treaty ally of the Philippines.

In a speech in Manila late Monday to mark the anniversary of the People’s Liberation Army, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua said his country’s peaceful intent is enshrined in the Chinese constitution and that it’s strengthening its military “entirely for the purpose of self-defence.”

“No matter how strong China may become, China will never seek hegemony or never establish spheres of influence,” Zhao said. “China will remain committed to serving as a force for peace, for stability and for prosperity in the world.”

Zhao added that “China adopts a military strategy of active defence which adheres to the principle of defence, self-defence and post-strike response. Meaning we will not take the first shot.”

China’s PLA is ready to deepen trust with the Philippine military, he said.

On the long-raging territorial disputes, Zhao said both sides should be patient and added that China would continue to adopt a policy of peaceful settlement rather than confrontation. Pending a peaceful resolution, Zhao said both sides should ensure the disputes won’t undermine overall relations.

“We cannot let the 1% differences hijack the whole 99% of friendship and co-operation as

DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

hostage,” Zhao said.

As the world’s second-biggest economy, China upholds freedom of navigation and overflight because nearly 75 per cent of its imported and exported goods and nearly 80 per cent

JOEY O. RAZON / PNA

of its imported oil and gas transit through the South China Sea, Zhao said. Blocking the sea lanes would badly hit China’s economy, he added.

Lorenzana called China’s takeover of the Scarborough

Shoal following a protracted 2012 standoff as “bullying.”

The United States brokered a deal for the simultaneous withdrawal of Chinese and Philippine ships from the vast fishing shoal, but Beijing reneged, prompting the Philippines to bring its disputes with China to international arbitration the following year, according to Philippine officials.

The Philippines largely won the case, with the arbitration tribunal invalidating in a 2016 ruling China’s historic claims to virtually the entire South China Sea based on the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea. China refused to participate in the arbitration and ignored the outcome.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who revived ties with Beijing after taking office in 2016, has refused to immediately seek Chinese compliance to the arbitration ruling while seeking Chinese infrastructure funds and investment, often coming under criticism for his China-friendly approach. ■

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Philippine News

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2019

13

China extends P10-M aid for Batanes

BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Chinese Embassy in Manila is donating PHP10 million in humanitarian aid for quake-hit Batanes.

"The Chinese government expresses its deepest sympathy and condolences to those affected families and decided to donate PHP10 million to aid the victims and support the Philippine government in its efforts to rebuild Batanes and help local residents return to

Former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.

SENATE OF THE PHILIPPINES / FACEBOOK

Trillanes prepares to join the academe

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer AFTER SERVING in the upper chamber for 12 years, former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV is getting ready to teach in the two well-known universities in the country.

On Tuesday, July 30, Trillanes told ANC’s Early Edition that he is now living a “more relaxed life” following his Senate stint.

“Right now I’m preparing for my teacher work these coming semesters,” he said. The former lawmaker said he will be teaching public policy subject in the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman and Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU).

“In Ateneo, the curriculum or the specific courses that I would teach is still being deliberated,” he added.

Trillanes bared to the public his plan to teach subjects on governance and public policy in January but during that time, he had not decided yet on which school he would be teaching.

“Well, I’d like to believe na marami naman tayong mashashare sa mga kabataan, maituturo sa kanila (that I can share and teach a lot of things to the youth),” he told reporters during the “Kapihan sa Senado” in

January.

Senator Nancy Binay earlier offered Trillanes a teaching job, according to Senator Panfilo Lacson’s Twitter post.

“Senate camaraderie at its best in the 17th Congress: Sen Nancy Binay offered graduating Sen Trillanes a teaching job at the University of Makati (UMak) with 24-hr free parking at the Makati parking lot, plus free admission to the Ospital ng Makati and free burial in the Makati cemetery,” Lacson tweeted in June.

He, however, clarified in a text message that Binay’s teaching post offer to Trillanes was real but he just added free parking and burial as a joke.

“Totoo ‘yun pero katuwaan lang sa [Senate] lounge (It is true but it was said in jest at the Senate lounge),” Lacson said, adding, ”Dagdag ko na lang ‘yung (I just added) free parking and free burial kasi si (because) Sen. Trillanes pursued to the hilt the Senate Investigation on the UMak and parking lot issues, if you recall.”

Trillanes, meanwhile, confirmed getting a “sincere offer” from Binay but he turned it down.

“I appreciated the sincere offer but I respectfully declined out of delicadeza. It was truly nice of her,” he said. ■

normal life," the Embassy said in a statement on Wednesday.

At least two earthquakes with magnitude 5.4 and 5.9 struck several areas in Batanes on July 27.

In its latest report, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said at least 2,963 individuals were affected by the seismic events, a total of nine were killed and 64 were injured.

As of July 31, the NDRRMC also reported a total of PHP47 million worth of damages following the series of earth-

quakes.

"The Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in the Philippines believes that, under the strong leadership of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and the government of the Philippines, the Philippine people will overcome the disaster and rebuild their homeland as soon as possible," the Chinese Embassy said.

Earlier, China also donated USD100,000 in emergency humanitarian assistance to the Philippines following the magnitude 6.1 earthquake that hit Pampanga on April 22. ■

Duterte raises reward for capture of cop killers to P3-M

BY AZER PARROCHA Philippine News Agency

ental, binugbog nila, pinaghahampas nila tapos pinatay nila.

Sinunog nila parang ISIS. Kaya ako nagalit (The police who MANILA – The bounty for the were caught there–they were capture the killers of the four held hostage about seven days police personnel in Sitio Yamot, ago there in Negros Oriental, Barangay Mabato in Ayungon they were beaten up, they were town, Negros Oriental on July being slapped and then killed.

18 is now at PHP3 million.

They were burned just like how President Rodrigo Duterte ISIS would do it. That’s why I bared that he raised the reward got angry),” Duterte said. for the third time during the in“Yung pagkamatay ng pulis auguration of the Candon City na pinaghahampas nila, agrabyBypass Road in Ilocos Sur on ado ako. So galit ako (The death Thursday (July 25). of the cops wherein they were Duterte earlier offered a beat up, it aggrieved me. So I’m PHP1 million reangry),” he addward for the caped. ture of the killers He said when but later bared he used to be that he would I do not allow it because you will mayor of Davao just exacerbate the situation. You add PHP300,000 City, he himself will just generate hatred. to the bounty. would retrieve He said he ofcops and soldiers fered PHP 2 milheld hostage, lion during in his noting that none closed-door meeting with govDuterte, meanwhile, nar- of the members of the NPA ernors and mayors at the Ma- rated how he was aggrieved were hurt. nila Hotel on Tuesday (July 23) by the manner by which the “Wala naman kaming sinaknight, a day after he delivered cops were killed by suspected tan kung ang mag-surrender his fourth state of the nation ad- members of the New People’s ang mga NPA, ni isang kurot dress (SONA).

Army (NPA), the Communist (We didn’t hurt any NPA sur“So the other night I raised Party of the Philippines’ (CPP) renderees, not even one pinch). the first PHP1 million. Then, armed wing.

The military does not allow it,” the other night I was before the The CPP-NPA is listed as a Duterte said. governors and mayors, I said terrorist organization by the “I do not allow it because ‘I’m raising it to PHP2 million.’ United States, the European you will just exacerbate the Now, nandito ako (I’m here), Union, the United Kingdom, situation. You will just generate I’m raising it to PHP3 million, Australia, Canada, New Zea- hatred. So lahat nang nag-surdalhin mo lang yung ulo ng land, and the Philippines. render doon, nag-leader sa ano p*****ina, okay na sa akin, sabi “‘Yung pulis na nahuli doon sa (So all those who surrendered ko ( just bring me the head of — na-hostage nila about seven there), they were treated huthat son of a b*tch and it’s okay days ago diyan sa Negros Ori- manely, decently,” he added. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

with me, I said). It will keep on increasing and the pressure that goes with it,” Duterte said in his speech.

The President later quipped that it would keep increasing until PHP20 million and he would ask for the head of just “any leader.”

“Kasi pagkatapos niyan, pag mag-abot ng PHP20 milyones ‘yan, sabihin ko dalhin mo na maski anong ulo, basta lider.

(Because after that, if it reaches PHP20 million, I’ll say bring any head, as long as it’s a leader’s, bring it here),” he added.

14

Canada News U.S. House breaks with no new NAFTA tabled for ratification. Now what?

BY MIKE BLANCHFIELD The Canadian Press OTTAWA — Canadians will likely enter a fall election with the new North American free trade deal hanging in the balance, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday he’s not rushing to ratify the pact in the face of U.S. political differences.

The Democrat-controlled U.S. House of Representatives began its five-week summer break on Monday without introducing a ratification bill — a scenario Trump and his cabinet worked hard to avoid.

The Democrats want changes to the United States-MexicoCanada Agreement, or USMCA. They want to change provisions on labour, the environment, patent protection for drugs and enforcement, and have by all accounts been working hard with Trump’s trade czar Robert Lighthizer to move forward.

“We recognize that there is a difficult partisan context in Washington right now between the Democrats and the Republicans. We have said from the very beginning that we would keep pace with the American process on ratification of the new NAFTA accords,” Trudeau said at an event in Vancouver.

“But we will do that in line with the American process when it picks up again this fall.”

Ever-ticking political clocks in both countries mean U.S. lawmakers — with one eye towards Trump’s 2020 re-election bid — won’t be in a position

to take even the most tentative steps forward on the deal before the start of Canada’s federal election campaign, which is set to begin by mid-September at the latest.

Canadians head to the polls on Oct. 21.

“I do not see that there will be a vote on the USMCA implementing bill by the U.S. Congress prior to the writ dropping for the Canadian election. The earliest that the USMCA implementing bill could be introduced is Sept. 9 and there likely will be committed hearings in both chambers of Congress on the matter,” said Dan Ujczo, the Ohio-based trade specialist with the firm Dickinson Wright.

A delay isn’t necessarily a bad thing, said Meredith Lilly, a Carleton University trade expert.

“The existing NAFTA, which remains in effect, is a better deal for Canada than the USMCA. So, the current situation is not a bad one for Canada, bearing in mind that ongoing uncertainty is generally negative for investment here.”

Trudeau reiterated his government’s position that the status quo is acceptable. “We of course benefit right now from the existing NAFTA that ensures that Canadians are wellserved with good and reliable access to the North American market.”

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said his party shares key concerns of U.S. Democrats. Both parties want to strengthen labour enforcement provisions

to ensure Mexico delivers on its promised reforms of workers’ rights, and they oppose the extension of patent protection for some new drugs from eight years to 10, which would delay the arrival of less costly generic products on the market.

“It doesn’t make sense to rush ahead with something where we know the Democrats in Congress are working to make it better,” Singh said in an interview Monday.

Trade experts in Canada and the U.S. are divided on whether the delays may raise the odds of Trump invoking the sixmonth notice period to withdraw from NAFTA — a threat he repeatedly made during the tense renegotiation of the pact that he pushed on Canada and Mexico.

Cyndee Todgham Cherniak, a Toronto-based international trade lawyer, said the Democrats are likely to want substantive changes that could leave the deal in limbo for many months. In the meantime, the

www.canadianinquirer.net

Democrats will be sharpening their talking points on USMCA to use against Trump in the 2020 U.S. election.

And that could set Trump off, she said.

“He might say that Prime Minister Trudeau was not effective in getting Congress to pass the USMCA prior to now.

And if they don’t come back until September, and if the Democrats want to use this as a talking point in connection with the U.S. election, he might lash out at the Trudeau government.”

Trudeau met Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi on Capitol Hill after his White House meeting with Trump last month. Trump, at the time, said he was pleased Trudeau would be talking to Democrats.

Lawrence Herman, a Toronto international trade specialist, said it is unlikely Trump would pull the plug on the new NAFTA so close to his own election campaign because it would sow economic uncertainty that

wouldn’t benefit him politically.

“As well, if as many experts believe, the U.S. is heading into a period of economic sluggishness, the threat of NAFTA withdrawal and the uncertainty that would unleash in the period leading up to the 2020 election would probably be a disincentive to Trump embarking on such a move.”

Ujczo said it is unlikely Trump would serve notice to withdraw, but even if he did, Congress or the courts could step in to delay that.

“The NAFTA will be in place through 2019. It is unlikely that companies will face a scenario where neither the NAFTA nor USMCA is in place during 2020,” he said.

“The question remains how much disruption will occur along the way. The president seems increasingly unwilling to threaten his greatest success — the economy — and that weighs in favour of no NAFTA withdrawal.” ■

Canada News

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2019

15

International shipping industry under the microscope as whale death toll grows

BY MICHAEL MACDONALD The Canadian Press HALIFAX — The shipping industry is under increased scrutiny after two cargo ships were fined for sailing too fast through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where the rising death toll among endangered North Atlantic right whales has been partly blamed on collisions with vessels.

There have been eight deaths reported since early June, and examinations of five of the carcasses showed three of them had injuries consistent with ship strikes — a leading cause of death for these rare mammals.

“While the shipping industry has been overwhelmingly compliant in respecting these (speed limits), there are still some exceptions, and Transport Canada is examining all reported cases of non-compliance,” the department said in a statement Friday.

Sonia Simard, a spokeswoman for the Shipping Federation of Canada, stressed the industry’s level of compliance has been impressive, given the number of vessels that move through the gulf.

“It is our understanding that the compliance rate is over 98 per cent for 2019 and was equally high in 2018,” Simard, the federation’s director of legislative and environmental affairs, said in an email.

Of the more than 2,200 large vessels that transited the gulf’s shipping corridors between April 28 and July 25, the Canadian Coast Guard found 227 vessels had exceeded the reduced 10-knot speed limit — but after investigation three quarters of these cases were closed without fines.

Simard said many of the vessels flagged by an automated tracking system had exceeded the limit by only 0.5 knots or less.

However, another 48 cases are under review.

“We know how important it is,” Simard said in an interview.

“We are dedicated to the best management measures.”

Chad Allen, the federation’s director of marine operations, said it’s important to understand how difficult it is for the crews of large ships to spot whales.

Typically, larger commercial vessels have an officer of the watch and a lookout posted on the bridge. Though they usually enjoy a commanding view of the seas, it can be easy to miss right whales when they break the surface.

“The right whale doesn’t present a big profile,” he said.

“It doesn’t have a big dorsal fin.”

As well, when the whales surface to breath, the spray from their blowholes is often indistinguishable from breaking waves when the winds exceed 15 kilometres an hour — a common occurrence on the gulf.

“As the wind picks up, when they do spray, that spray gets dissipated very quickly,” said Allen.

The federation represents 70 shipping businesses in Canada, which include ship owners, operators and marine agents.

Boris Worm, a biology professor and well-known whale expert at Dalhousie University in Halifax, said marine mammal experts are aware of the challenges faced by the shipping industry.

“Even in good conditions, when it’s easier to see the whales, it’s hard to judge which way the whale is moving,” he said. “It becomes hard to guess which way to turn.”

David Browne, director of conservation with the Canadian Wildlife Federation, said it may be time to start talking about moving the shipping lanes in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

“It’s a massive undertaking,” he said. “You have to convince all of the countries of the world.”

That’s exactly what happened in late 2002, when the International Maritime Organization approved Ottawa’s plan to shift routes in the Bay of Fundy to reduce collisions with right whales. The altered lanes force ships to divert several kilometres around zones where right whales are known to gather.

“Unfortunately, the whales also moved and mostly left the Bay of Fundy and started moving into the gulf,” Browne said.

On Friday, Transport Canada said it had issued $7,800 speeding fines to two cargo vessels: the Americaborg, a Dutch container ship, and the Atlantic Spirit, a bulk carrier registered in Hong Kong.

A third vessel, cited for a $6,000 fine on July 18, was the Big Eagle, a 52-metre luxury yacht. And a fourth vessel — the bulk carrier Milos Warrior — was “sanctioned” on May 30 for an alleged infraction on Nov. 3.

Allen said even if a whale is spotted before a collision, avoiding the slow-moving animals can be tough.

“A ship is similar to a car on ice — once you start the turn, it may not take immediately,” he said.

Worm said other whales, including fin and blue whales, are fast enough to avoid most ships — but right whales are bulky and slow, which is why whalers decided long ago they were the “right” whales to kill.

And even though they have good long-range hearing, the excessive engine noise in shipping lanes can leave them confused.

“Imagine yourself standing on a highway with your eyes closed and you’re trying to cross the highway — you’ll get more nervous as you hear more noise,” Worm said. “This is the situation the whales face.”

Though commercial vessels are typically equipped with radar for navigation, that technology is designed to detect metal objects with sharp angles, not the rounded, blubbery bodies of right whales.

Sonar uses underwater sound waves instead of radio waves to detect objects, but there are concerns this technology could have an impact on the whales’ communication and navigation.

“It’s not just an issue of cost,” said Simard. “It’s a mix of research and development … in the context of the biology of the whales.” ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna.

CATHERINE MCKENNA / FACEBOOK

Deadline coming:

Scientists tell environment minister to speed up conservation

BY BOB WEBER The Canadian Press SOME OF North America’s top conservation scientists have written to the federal government urging it to speed up land protection in Canada.

The 32 scientists from 23 universities and other organizations say Ottawa is not on pace to meet the 2020 conservation targets it promised in an international agreement. The letter, addressed to federal Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, also warns the government not to include in its totals land that’s protected by provincial regulations or informal agreements instead of actual legislation.

“The natural world is telling us through all the indicators that we need to speed up the rate of protection if we’re going to have any chance of slowing and stopping this decline,” said Jeff Wells of the Audubon Society, who signed the letter and speaks for his colleagues.

Canada has promised to con-

serve 17 per cent of its lands and water by 2020 under the Convention on Biological Diversity, an international treaty ratified by all UN members except the U.S. Just months before the deadline, Canada stands at 11.2 per cent.

The letter encourages the government to turn to First Nations for help. It says so-called Indigenous protected areas — land set aside from development and managed by local First Nations — are the fastest way forward.

“With a large country like Canada, that means you have to have some very large protected areas,” Wells said. “The federal government has made some of the biggest investments in history trying to move forward, but it’s still going to take some very big landscapes to reach that goal.

“As far as we could see, the only way to do that is support the Indigenous proposals for protected areas.”

A federal spokeswoman said ❱❱ PAGE 17 Scientists tell

16

Canada News

AUGUST 2, 2019

FRIDAY

Government ‘didn’t care’ about reducing emissions: Inside Quebec’s green fund

BY GIUSEPPE VALIANTE The Canadian Press MONTREAL — When Ljiljana Latkovic was named to the council governing Quebec’s multibillion-dollar green fund in 2017, she thought she was going to use her science background to help choose projects aimed at fighting climate change.

Instead, Latkovic said she and the eight other council members were asked to sign off on proposals whose financing had already been approved by various government departments.

Moreover, she said, in the case of many projects they were approving, councillors had no idea how the projects were actually going to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, that trap heat in the atmosphere, causing global temperatures to rise.

“My opinion is that the (environment) ministry didn’t care about the reductions,” Latkovic said in a recent interview.

Quebec’s green fund was created in 2006 as a way of collecting billions in revenues — in large part from the province’s version of a carbon tax — and redistributing the money towards initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

But the so-called green fund has been widely criticized as a boondoggle.

Quebec’s new environment minister, Benoit Charette, is promising reform, but he has a colossal task ahead of him. The province’s past mistakes highlight the difficulties of managing a multibillion-dollar fund to which various government departments have access.

Instead of promoting proj-

Quebec Environment Minister Benoit Charette.

ects with strict greenhouse gas emission targets, the fund became a buffet for the pet projects of various ministers, Charette said.

“Unfortunately, yes,” Charette said in an interview when asked whether the fund was being misused. “Certain departments helped themselves to the fund, so to speak, without a guarantee of results on investments. And the previous government let this phenomenon go on like that, which made things even more deplorable.”

Charette said despite the billions of dollars collected since 2006, the reduction in greenhouse gases “was very small across the projects that were financed.”

Quebec collects hundreds of millions of dollars every year from a carbon credit cap-andtrade system. Companies that emit high amounts of greenhouse gases are legally forced to purchase the right to release those gases into the atmo-

sphere. Quebec sells emissions credits four times a year at auction.

Since its inception, almost $5.5 billion has been poured into the fund. And from the beginning, the program has been mismanaged, according to several reports from the province’s auditor general.

Various government departments used money in the fund to finance projects without calls for proposals or without specific criteria to evaluate greenhouse gas emissions reductions, the auditor general concluded.

In its 2019 report, the auditor general’s office said “nearly five years after the publication of our initial audit report on the green fund, we can only be disappointed with this situation.”

News reports over the years have indicated millions have been given to major oil companies and airlines for projects with dubious greenhouse gas reduction targets. Maple syrup

www.canadianinquirer.net

BENOIT CHARETTE / FACEBOOK

producers received hundreds of thousands of dollars to replace evaporation equipment. Millions more dollars were given to taxi companies to help them adapt their vehicles for disabled people.

A spokesperson for the Liberals, the party that created the fund and managed it until they lost power last year, did not make anyone available to respond to the criticism.

Following harshly worded reports on the fund’s governance by the auditor general, then-premier Philippe Couillard in 2016 created the council to oversee the distribution of money. But Latkovic said that most of the time, her job consisted of rubber-stamping projects chosen by other departments.

The council chose about 10 to 15 per cent of the projects that received financing, she said, while the rest were preapproved elsewhere in the government. “We wanted to know

what we were signing for,” Latkovic said. “And some of the members wanted to resign because they didn’t know what was going on.”

Charette backed up Latkovic’s comments.

“It’s unfortunately true,” he said. “It’s really what was happening. We had a situation where the fund wasn’t being used to its potential. There was confusion regarding responsibilities. It’s what we want to correct.”

In June, Charette announced reforms he said would ensure the fund fulfills its mandate.

First, the green fund is getting a new name. It will now be called the “electrification and climate change fund.”

Instead of the governing council on which Latkovic sits, Charette says the new fund will have a “committee of experts” who will oversee how money is distributed. Their reports will be public, he promised.

The fund will now be fully under the Environment Department, Charette said, and its minister will be accountable. “In the future if there is a management problem we won’t need multiple searches to find out who is responsible,” he said.

Finally, Charette said, the auditor general’s office will be tasked with producing an annual report on the fund’s governance. “We consider this public money so it’s important that it’s properly managed,” he said.

But Latkovic, who has a master’s degree in geological and earth sciences, said the fund has been a lost opportunity.

“It’s sad (the council) didn’t work as it should have,” Latkovic said. “Because it was a good thing, and I thought they were really going to care and do something about climate change.” ■

Canada News

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2019

17

Activists should be allowed to speak on behalf of animals in court, lawyer argues

BY MICHELLE MCQUIGGE The Canadian Press TORONTO — A retired Toronto lawyer has gone to court in a bid to secure the right for advocates to speak up on behalf of animals in legal settings.

The case began earlier this year when Sandra Schnurr filed a notice of application against five retail giants selling glue traps, or devices commonly used to catch rodents.

Schnurr argued that the traps subject mice and rats to agonizing, prolonged deaths and filed an application seeking to ban Canadian Tire, Walmart, Home Depot, Home Hardware and Lowe’s from selling them.

The retailers, in turn, filed a motion to dismiss Schnurr’s complaint on the grounds that she did not have standing to bring such a matter before the courts.

But Schnurr argued that the rules surrounding who has the right to speak on various legal issues have been relaxing and animal rights advocates should be permitted a voice in Canada’s courtrooms.

The issue of standing was argued before Ontario Superior Court Justice Lorne Sossin last

week and should be decided in the coming months.

Schnurr said questions around standing need to be resolved before her original notice about glue traps can proceed. If standing is granted, she said the case will have struck a blow for animal rights regardless of the outcome of the original complaint.

“If we succeed at this stage, even if we ultimately lose on the glue trap issue, the fact that we will have succeeded in getting public interest standing to speak for animals would be huge,” Schnurr said in a telephone interview.

Lawyers representing the retailers did not respond to a request for comment, though their objections to Schnurr’s case are outlined in a factum brought before the court.

In addition to arguing Schnurr’s motion represents an “abuse of process” that should be dismissed out of hand, the retailers’ factum suggests Schnurr and the advocacy group she founded do not have enough at stake to merit a say on the issue.

The factum said Schnurr, founder of a group known as Canadians for Animal Protection, has not suffered any di-

Federal lawyers... ❰❰ 18

ways make a process better,” Lametti told reporters in Halifax.

“Obviously, I have a great deal of sympathy for Dr. Diab and for his family and for what they went through — nobody wants to see anybody sit in prison in a foreign country for that period of time waiting for their case to be tried.”

Lametti’s predecessor, former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, ordered the review in May 2018. She asked for the investigation to focus on whether the Extradition Act was followed in Diab’s case and if there are specific concerns that need to be addressed with regard to Canada’s extradition treaty with France.

The findings of the external review were made public at a time when Canada’s extradition law is under intense inter-

rect wrong from the sale of glue traps and should therefore not be granted standing.

The retailers also state that members of the public did not have the right to try to enforce criminal law, arguing such matters are the exclusive purview of an attorney general and citing past case law to support their position.

But Schnurr argued more recent cases suggest that position may be relaxing and courts are willing to take a broader view of

public interest standing.

Schnurr particularly referenced a September 2012 Supreme Court of Canada decision that granted standing to a group of advocates representing sex workers in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side.

The federal government had argued the group and a previous sex worker named in the case had no standing to challenge the country’s prostitution laws, since they were not facing charges under those laws them-

selves. The Supreme Court unanimously rejected that argument and granted them legal standing.

Schnurr said the court should take a similar approach in Ontario by granting standing to those wishing to speak up on behalf of those who cannot represent themselves.

“Obviously the court is unable to obtain the point of view of those most directly affected in the instant case, for the selfevident reason that rats and mice…cannot come to court and speak for themselves,” she said. “The applicants, who are dedicated to advocating for these voiceless creatures, are the next best choice.”

Schnurr said those seeking public interest standing must meet three criteria by demonstrating they’re raising a genuine issue of justice, have a real stake or interest in the subject, and using court resources properly by raising an issue that can be reasonably and effectively addressed in that setting.

Schnurr’s factum said animal rights advocates meet all three criteria.

Sossin has reserved his decision in the case, though no date has yet been set. ■

Scientists tell... national scrutiny, following the December arrest of senior Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver at the behest of the United States.

Meng’s arrest angered China and Canada now finds itself entangled in a diplomatic crisis with the Asian superpower. In the days after Meng’s arrest, Chinese authorities detained two Canadians on allegations of espionage.

The Trudeau government has repeatedly insisted Meng will be dealt with fairly and transparently by an independent judiciary. The prime minister has called China’s arrests of Canadians Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor arbitrary.

Lametti said each extradition case is unique and dealt with according to the treaty with the country that makes the request. ■

❰❰ 15

the Liberal government has added more than 130,000 square kilometres of protected areas.

Bronwen Jervis said the government’s Challenge Fund, which provides $175 million in matching grants for conservation projects, has received many Indigenous applications.

“We want to move forward on projects as quickly as possible and are working with our provincial and territorial partners,” she said in an email. “We hope that provincial and territorial partners will help these projects go ahead.”

The first such Indigenous protected area — Edehzhie, a 14,000 square kilometre plateau between the Mackenzie River and Great Slave Lake — was created last fall. But Wells said similar opportunities exist www.canadianinquirer.net

almost everywhere in the country.

Ontario’s Moose Creek First Nation has been trying for years to protect 5,000 square kilometres in the North French River watershed. Yukon First Nations would like to do the same with the Peel River region.

Several British Columbia bands have already established protected areas under their own laws that have yet to be recognized by the province or Ottawa.

“Every province has a whole set of Indigenous proposals for protected areas of different sorts,” Wells said. “There’s a huge number of them and they’re the only way you could ever get close to that 17 per cent goal.”

The letter warns that scientists will be watching to ensure

the protected lands that get counted toward the goal are actually protected.

It’s the provinces that list conserved areas and report them to Ottawa. Wells said some have tried to include lands that aren’t protected by legislation, but only by a regulation or an agreement with a resource company.

“The truth is they could be changed with a change in the ownership of a company or a provincial government,” said Wells. “They’re not things that are set in stone the way protected areas are.”

It’s not clear how Ottawa will assess the inventories provided by the provinces, he said.

“There could be an attempt to squeeze some things in there that aren’t completely appropriate.” ■

Canada News

18

AUGUST 2, 2019

Federal lawyers broke no rules in Hassan Diab extradition case, review finds

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man-rights groups have been urging the federal government to hold a full public inquiry into his case and to reform the Extradition Act to ensure others aren’t OTTAWA — An external review of the caught in the same situation. extradition of Ottawa academic Hassan In his report, Segal wrote how Diab’s Diab has concluded that federal lawyers long detention in France and eventual on the case did their jobs ethically and return to Canada “sparked widespread within the law. debate about both his treatment and Murray Segal, a former deputy attor- Canada’s extradition process.” ney general in Ontario, wrote that CanaSegal said many concerns have centred da’s extradition law is largely misunder- on how Diab’s extradition was carried out stood and the system could work better despite the weak case presented by French — but that nobody who worked on Diab’s authorities, and that he was detained for extradition broke the rules. three-plus years there before returning to The 126-page document, presented Canada without ever standing trial. to the federal government in May, was Critics, he added, have also said the made public Friday. It examines whether process “favours prompt compliance” government lawyers in the Department with Canada’s obligations to its interof Justice (DOJ) and its “international national partners over the protection assistance group” (IAG) behaved proper- of individual rights of those targeted for ly in building and presenting the case for extradition.

Diab to be sent to France on accusations Segal pointed out that an extradition related to a 1980 synagogue bombing. hearing is not a trial, and that the pro“I have concluded that none of the ceedings are intended to be “fair but excriticisms lodged against the DOJ coun- peditious.” sel have any merit,” Segal wrote. “My He listed 14 recommendations that conclusion that DOJ counsel acted in include: a manner that was ethical and consis— Making an effort to create a buffer betent — both with the tween the DOJ lawyer, law and IAG pracacting on behalf of the tices and policies — is requesting state, and based on a firm facthe IAG lawyer retual foundation.”

I have concluded sponsible for advising that none of the The department’s the government criticisms lodged international assis— Encouraging against the DOJ tance group reviews states seeking extracounsel have any and co-ordinates all ditions to complete merit. extradition requests. their investigations Segal noted that the related to the people scope of his mandate in question before focused on Diab’s case, making requests unand did not include a less public-safety broader examination of the Extradition worries demand quicker action Act or extradition law in Canada.

— Considering making more extraFrench authorities suspected Diab dition-related information available was involved in the Paris synagogue to the public. The suggestions include bombing that killed four people and in- sharing statistics about extradition rejured dozens of others. Diab has always quests made and received by Canada; denied the accusation. the policies and procedures guiding deThe RCMP arrested him in 2008 fol- cisions within the IAG; the factors that lowing a request by French authorities. a minister will weigh before making a Diab, who is a Canadian citizen, was sent decision to surrender an individual; all to France six years later despite an On- summaries of surrender decisions. tario judge’s acknowledgment that the Shortly after Segal’s report was made case against him was weak. public Friday, Justice Minister David French judges eventually dismissed Lametti said he is studying the recomthe allegations against Diab in January mendations on how to improve Canada’s 2018, after he spent years imprisoned extradition process, and how to make there. Diab returned to Canada that it more transparent and more undersame month. standable for the public.

Last fall, however, a French appeal “There are certainly recommendacourt ordered a fresh review of evidence tions there that will help — you can alin the case and a ruling has yet to be made. ❱❱ PAGE 17 Federal lawyers Diab, his lawyer, academics and hu-

www.canadianinquirer.net

World News

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2019

19

Johnson presses EU to give way amid no deal Brexit warnings

BY JILL LAWLESS AND DANICA KIRKA The Associated Press LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson pushed Britain closer to a no-deal exit from the European Union on Monday, insisting he will not hold Brexit talks with EU leaders unless the bloc lifts its refusal to reopen the existing divorce deal.

Johnson is trying to pressure the EU to give ground by intensifying preparations for the U.K. to leave in three months without a withdrawal agreement.

But the pound fell to a two-year low as business groups warned that neither Britain nor the EU is ready for a no-deal Brexit, and that no amount of preparation can eliminate the economic damage if Britain crashes out of the 28-nation trading bloc without agreement on the terms.

Johnson became prime minister last week after winning a Conservative Party leadership contest by promising the strongly pro-Brexit party membership that the U.K. will leave the EU on the scheduled date of Oct. 31, with or without a divorce deal.

The EU struck a withdrawal agreement with Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, but it was rejected three times by Britain’s Parliament. Johnson is insisting the bloc make major changes to May’s spurned deal, including scrapping an insurance policy for the Irish border that has been rejected by U.K. lawmakers.

“The withdrawal agreement is dead, it’s got to go,” Johnson said Monday as he visited a submarine base in Scotland.

“But there is scope to do a new deal.”

He said he was “very confident” of getting a new agreement, even though Britain is due to leave the EU in less than 100 days, and the EU insists it won’t reopen negotiations or remove the border “backstop.”

Johnson has spoken to several EU leaders by phone since he took office but has no meetings scheduled. His spokeswoman, Alison Donnelly, said he would not agree to negotiations unless the bloc lifts its refusal to change the withdrawal agreement.

“He remains confident that the EU will stop claiming that the withdrawal agreement can’t be changed,” she said.

If they don’t, she added, “we must assume there will be no deal on the 31st of October.”

Before he took office, Johnson said the odds of Britain leaving the EU without a deal were a million to one.

At one point Monday, the pound had fallen by nearly 1.5% to trade at $1.2214, its lowest level since March 2017.

The pound’s woes illustrate concerns in the markets over a no-deal Brexit.

Economists warn that leaving the bloc

without an agreement on terms would disrupt trade by imposing tariffs and customs checks between Britain and the bloc. The British government’s financial watchdog says that could send the value of the pound plummeting further and push the U.K. into recession.

The Confederation of British Industry, the country’s biggest business lobby group, urged both Britain and the EU to accelerate Brexit preparations. It made 200 recommendations, including new laws, new IT systems and agreements to temporarily maintain some common regulations.

But it said “the unprecedented nature of Brexit means some aspects cannot be mitigated.”

“It’s like putting sandbags down for a flood. Your kitchen’s still going to be underwater but maybe we can save the bedrooms upstairs,” said the group’s head of EU negotiations, Nicole Sykes.

Another warning came from French automaker PSA, which said it could move production of its Vauxhall Astra model out of Britain if Brexit makes it unprofitable. Chief executive Carlos Tavares told the Financial Times that would mean closing Vauxhall’s Ellesmere Port plant in Wales, which employs 1,000 people.

Johnson, contradicting the opinion of most experts, has said leaving without a divorce deal will be “vanishingly inexpensive” if Britain is properly prepared.

He says he will “turbo-charge” plans for a no-deal Brexit — including beefedup border measures and a multimillionpound information campaign for individuals and businesses — and has set up a bodies including a high-level Cabinet “exit strategy committee” to oversee preparations.

However, he faces strong resistance from Parliament, which has consistently opposed a no-deal Brexit.

Beyond Brexit, Johnson has made ambitious domestic policy promises, including more money for police and schools, and major infrastructure projects including high-speed trains.

But independent think-tank the Institute for Government said in a report that the effects of a no-deal Brexit would consume much of the government’s energy for years, pushing out other issues and sucking up large sums of money.

“Rather than ‘turbo-charging’ the economy, as Johnson has suggested, the government is more likely to be occupied with providing money and support to businesses and industries that have not prepared or are worst affected by a no-deal Brexit,” it said.

Johnson’s hard line may be popular with Conservative Party members, but it is strongly opposed by pro-EU Britons, including some members of his own party.

British PM Boris Johnson.

The new prime minister met Monday with Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, who says she won’t support leaving the EU without an agreement.

While the U.K. as a whole voted to leave the EU in 2016, Scotland backed remaining by a large margin.

Johnson was booed by pro-EU and pro-independence demonstrators as he arrived for a meeting with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in Edinburgh.

BORIS JOHNSON / FACEBOOK

Sturgeon, who leads the semi-autonomous Edinburgh-based government, says Scotland should hold a vote on independence from the U.K. if it is dragged out of the EU against its will.

After the meeting Sturgeon said Johnson had “set the U.K. on an almost-inevitable path to a no-deal Brexit.”

“And I think that is extremely dangerous for Scotland, indeed for the whole of the U.K.,” she said. ■

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AUGUST 2, 2019

FRIDAY

Senate bows to Trump vetoes, allows Saudi arms sales

BY MATTHEW DALY The Associated Press WASHINGTON — The Senate failed Monday in a bid to override a trio of vetoes issued by President Donald Trump, allowing the administration to move forward with plans to sell billions of dollars of weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Trump’s decision to sell the weapons in a way that would have bypassed congressional review infuriated lawmakers from both parties. In a bipartisan pushback, Democrats and Republicans banded together to pass resolutions blocking the $8.1 billion weapons sales to the U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf.

Votes to override Trump’s vetoes failed, 45-40, 45-39 and 46-41. A two-thirds vote was needed in each case.

The White House argued that stopping the sales would send a signal that the United States doesn’t stand by its partners and allies, particularly at a time when threats from hostile countries such as Iran are increasing. Saudi Arabia has long been a regional rival to Iran. Its strategic importance has grown as tensions with Iran have mounted after Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from a 2015 accord that restricts the Iranian nuclear program.

The Senate votes came as the House Oversight Committee released a report criticizing the Trump administration over its apparent willingness to allow the president’s friends and allies undue influence over U.S. policy toward Saudi Arabia.

New documents obtained

by the committee “raise serious questions about whether the White House is willing to place the potential profits of the president’s friends above the national security of the American people and the universal objective of preventing the spread of nuclear weapons,” the report said.

The report “exposes how corporate and foreign interests are using their unique access to advocate for the transfer of U.S. nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia,” said Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the panel’s Democratic chairman.

Cummings, who has repeatedly targeted the Trump administration in a series of investigations, came under sharp attack from Trump this weekend, when the president called the congressman’s district a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess” where “no human being would want to live.”

The 50-page Oversight report, released Monday, says Trump’s longtime personal friend, campaign donor and inaugural chairman, Tom Barrack, negotiated directly with Trump and other White House officials to seek positions within the administration, including special envoy to the Middle East and ambassador to the United Arab Emirates.

At the same time, Barrack was promoting the interests of U.S. corporations seeking to profit from the transfer of nuclear technology to Saudi Arabia; advocating on behalf of foreign interests seeking to obtain U.S. nuclear technology; and taking steps for his own company, Colony NorthStar, to profit from the proposals, the

US Pres. Donald Trump.

report said.

One of the companies leading an effort to build nuclear plants in Saudi Arabia, IP3 International, repeatedly pressed the Trump administration not to require Saudi Arabia to commit to a rigorous “gold standard” in any agreement with the U.S., complaining it would lock them out of lucrative nuclear contracts, the report said.

IP3 officials had “unprecedented access” to the highest levels of the Trump administration, including meetings with Trump, his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Cabinet Secretaries Rick Perry, Steven Mnuchin, Mike Pompeo, Rex Tillerson, James Mattis and Wilbur Ross,

GAGE SKIDMORE / FLICKR, CC BY-SA 2.0

the report said.

The report also criticized the White House for refusing to produce any documents in the investigation and said communications obtained from outside sources indicate that Kushner and other officials used personal email or text accounts to communicate about Saudi-related deals.

The private communications appear to violate White House policy and the Presidential Records Act, the report said.

The White House did not respond to requests for comment Monday.

A spokesman for Barrack said he has been co-operating with the Oversight panel and provid-

ed documents the committee requested.

The spokesman, Owen Blicksilver, said Barrack’s investments and business activities are well known and are intended to “better align” Middle East and U.S. objectives. Barrack has never served in the Trump administration.

The Trump administration has approved seven applications for U.S. companies to sell nuclear power technology and assistance to Saudi Arabia.

Lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns thatSaudi Arabia could develop nuclear weapons if the U.S. technology is transferred without proper safeguards.

Congress is increasingly uneasy with the close relationship between the Trump administration and Saudi Arabia.

Trump has made the kingdom a centerpiece of his foreign policy in the Middle East as he tries to further isolate Iran. In the process, Trump has brushed off criticism over the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the Saudis’ role in the war in Yemen.

“From the start, this administration has failed to demonstrate what kind of national security threat or quote-unquote ‘emergency’ from Iran warranted fast-tracking the sale of these weapons to Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E.,” said Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The pending sale “not only is a Saudi jobs program, it is also a give-away of sensitive U.S. military technology,” Menendez said. ■

Ethiopia plants more than 200 million trees in 1 day

BY ELIAS MESERET The Associated Press ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA — Ethiopians planted more than 200 million trees on Monday, which officials stated will be a world record. The ambitious initiative of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed aims to help restore the country’s landscape which experts say is fast being eroded by deforestation and

climate change.

The state-affiliated Fana Broadcasting Corporate announced more than 224 million trees were planted on Monday, surpassing the initial goal of 200 million trees planted in one day.

“Today Ethiopia is set in our attempt to break the world record together for a green legacy,” the prime minister’s office tweeted on Monday morning.

Early Monday, Abiy planted

trees in Ethiopia’s southern region.

Ethiopia is in the midst of a tree planting campaign in which it aims to plant 4 billion trees between May and October. Agriculture officials stated that so far more than 2.6 billion trees have been planted in almost all parts of the East African nation.

According to Farm Africa, an organization involved in forest management in Ethiopia, less www.canadianinquirer.net

than 4% of the country’s land is now forested, a sharp decline from around 30% at the end of the 19th century. Ethiopia’s rapidly growing population and the need for more farmlands, unsustainable forest use and climate change are often cited as the causes for rapid deforestation.

In addition to ordinary Ethiopians, various international organizations and the business community have joined

the tree planting spree which aims to overtake India’s 66 million trees planting record set in 2017.

It is not yet clear if the Guinness World Records is monitoring Ethiopia’s the mass planting scheme but the prime minister’s office told The Associated Press that specially developed software is helping with the count. ■

21

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2019

Putin foe sent Sailing to America: Teen to bring her climate activism to US back to jail after suspected poisoning

BY NATALIYA VASILYEVA The Associated Press MOSCOW — Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was discharged from a hospital Monday even though his physician raised suspicions of a possible poisoning after he suffered facial swelling and a rash while in jail.

Details about Navalny’s condition were scarce after he was rushed to a hospital Sunday with what authorities said was a suspected allergy attack inside a detention facility where he was serving a 30-day sentence for calling an unsanctioned protest. The 43-year-old political foe of President Vladimir Putin was arrested several days before a major opposition rally Saturday that ended with nearly 1,400 people detained.

Tensions are running high in Moscow as dozens of protesters remained in custody and the opposition called for a new rally next weekend.

Dr. Anastasiya Vasilyeva, who has been Navalny’s physician for several years, told reporters that the politician had been discharged from the hospital and sent back to the detention facility before the necessary tests were run on him.

Doctors at the hospital initially said that Navalny was taken in with a severe allergy attack, but Vasilyeva said that the swelling and the rash on his face could be consistent with chemical poisoning. The physician said the incarceration would jeopardize Navalny’s health.

“He has not fully recovered.

He should have been left under medical supervision,” she told reporters outside the hospital, adding that the doctors didn’t even try to determine what caused the swelling and rash. “Who is going to watch over him at the detention facility? They are not qualified to provide him with professional help.”

Vasilyeva expressed concern that the chemical agent that caused the outbreak could still be in his prison cell.

Navalny’s attorney, Olga Mikhailova, told reporters earlier the outbreak was caused by “poisoning, by some kind of chemical substance” but that its source wasn’t established.

She said he has been given antiinflammatory steroids and that the swelling subsided.

The source of the allergic reaction or poisoning wasn’t immediately clear. But Navalny ally Leonid Volkov complained Sunday about “anti-sanitary conditions” at the detention facility where he also had been detained before.

Navalny, a lawyer and anticorruption activist, has been the Kremlin’s most formidable foe since 2011, when he led a massive wave of protests of Putin and his party. He has since been convicted on two sets of criminal charges, largely regarded as politically motivated, and spent numerous stints in jail for disturbing public order and leading unsanctioned protests.

He has been attacked several times. In 2017, an assailant doused him with a green antiseptic, and Navalny sustained a chemical burn in one of his eyes, which left to a partial loss of vision. Navalny was able to travel abroad for treatment.

Baton-wielding police on Saturday wrestled with protesters in what might have been the largest unsanctioned protest in Russia in a decade. Opposition activists as well as ordinary Muscovites took to the streets to vent their anger over officials’ decision to exclude a dozen independent candidates from the ballot for an upcoming election of the Moscow city legislature, which is dominated by the ruling, pro-Kremlin party.

Andrei Pertsev of the Moscow Carnegie Center said in an opinion piece last week that the Kremlin was not going to allow opposition candidates on the ballot from the start, fearing their presence in the local council, however low-key, could give them a platform for campaigning for the next parliamentary election. ❱❱ PAGE 22 Putin foe

BY DAVID KEYTON AND FRANK JORDANS The Associated Press

STOCKHOLM — Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager whose social media-savvy brand of eco-activism has inspired tens of thousands of students in Europe to skip classes and protest for faster action against climate change, said Monday that she plans to take her message to America the old-fashioned way: by boat.

The 16-year-old tweeted that she’ll sail across the Atlantic aboard a high-tech racing yacht, leaving Britain next month to attend U.N. climate summits in New York in September and Santiago, Chile, in December.

Greta Thunberg in Berlin in July. @GRETATHUNBERG / TWITTER Thunberg told The Associated Press ahead of her an- Thunberg’s efforts and encourThunberg has spearheaded a nouncement that she spent aged her to continue campaign- change in the climate debate in months trying to figure out how ing.

Europe largely because her acto travel to the U.S. without usAlthough little-known in the tivism resonated with so many ing planes, which she has long United States, Thunberg has children, said Greenpeace Gershunned because of their high arguably become the figure- many executive director Margreenhouse gas emissions. head for a new generation of tin Kaiser.

Cruise ships are also notori- European eco-activists worried “She has read all the science,” ously big polluters, while sail- that they’ll suffer the fallout he said. “That gives her a lot of ors rarely brave the Atlantic in from their parents’ and grand- credibility. She has motivated a August because of hurricane parents’ unwillingness to take whole generation in Europe to risks. strong actions to combat cli- learn about climate change.”

“Taking a boat to North mate change.

Her visibility has made America is basically impos“This past year, my life has Thunberg a target for those sible,” she said in an interview turned upside down,” Thun- who reject the overwhelming during her weekly “Fridays for berg told the AP. “Every day is consensus among scientists Future” protest outside the an adventure, basically. Some- that climate change is being Swedish parliadriven by manment in Stockmade emissions holm. “I have of greenhouse had countless gases such as In a way, I am more optimistic, people helping carbon dioxide, because people are slowly waking me, trying to released by the up and people are becoming more contact different burning of fossil aware of the situation. boats.” fuels.

Thunberg “I don’t care plans to take a about hate and year off from threats from clischool to keep mate crisis deraising awareness of climate times I have to pinch myself niers,” she said. “I just ignore change and pressuring world and say ‘Is this really real? Has them.” leaders to step up efforts to this actually been happening?’

Thunberg said she’s unsure curb global warming.

Because it has all happened how her message will be reSince starting her “school so fast and it’s hard to keep up ceived in the United States, strikes” in August 2018, the with everything. where there’s broad opposition daughter of an actor and an op“In a way, I am more optimis- to the kind of radical measures era singer has appeared before tic, because people are slowly scientists say are required to policymakers at last year’s U.N. waking up and people are be- limit global warming to 1.5 climate conference in Poland coming more aware of the degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees and harangued business and situation. This whole ‘Fridays Fahrenheit) by the end of the political leaders at the World for Future’ movement is very century compared with preEconomic Forum in Davos, hopeful,” she said. “But also … industrial times.

Switzerland. She also met with one year has passed and still ❱❱ PAGE 22 Sailing to Pope Francis, who praised almost nothing has happened.” www.canadianinquirer.net

22

World News

Sailing to... ❰❰ 21

“I will just try to go on as I have before,” the young Swede said.

“Just always refer to the science and we’ll just see what happens.”

Thunberg wouldn’t rule out meeting with President Donald Trump, who wants the U.S. to withdraw from the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord, but appeared doubtful such an encounter would happen because she thinks it would be “just a waste of time.”

“As it looks now, I don’t think so, because I have nothing to say to him,” she told the AP. “He obviously doesn’t listen to the science and the scientists.

So why should I, a child with no proper education, be able to convince him?”

Aside from attending a summit hosted by U.N. SecretaryGeneral Antonio Guterres on the sidelines of the global body’s annual assembly on Sept. 23, Thunberg plans to take part in several climate protests in New York. The British band The 1975s has released an album with a short essay by Thunberg set to music. It ends with her declaring “it is now time for civil disobedience. It is time to rebel.”

Thunberg stressed that she rejects violence, citing her school strikes for climate as the kind of action she backs. Last week she deleted a tweet showing her wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “Antifascist All Stars,” after some accused her of supporting far-left extremists.

“You can rebel in different

ways,” she said. “Civil disobedience is rebelling. As long as it’s peaceful, of course.”

After New York, Thunberg intends to travel to the annual U.N. climate conference in December, held in Chile this year, with stops in Canada, Mexico and other countries along the way, travelling by train and bus.

The yacht she’ll be crossing the Atlantic with is a far cry from the Viking ships that first brought Scandinavians to America. The 60-foot (18-meter) Malizia II is fitted with solar panels and underwater turbines to generate zero-carbon electricity on board.

Thunberg will also be accompanied on the two-week journey by a filmmaker, her father Svante and Pierre Casiraghi, the grandson of Monaco’s late Prince Rainier III and American actress Grace Kelly.

“I haven’t experienced anything like this before,” Thunberg said, a giggle breaking her normally serious demeanour.

“I think this will be a trip to remember.”

Thunberg will be setting a very high bar for the activists and leaders from outside the Americas who are attending the U.N. climate conferences, almost all of whom will likely be coming by plane.

“I’m not saying that people should stop flying,” she said.

“I’m just saying it needs to be easier to be climate neutral.” ■ Jordans contributed from London.

Putin foe... ❰❰ 21

“It was a matter of principle for the Kremlin not to allow the opposition candidates on the ballot,” he said, adding that a Moscow city lawmaker would be an “odds-on favourite” to win a seat at the 2021 parliamentary election.

Putin, who was out of town to lead a naval parade in St. Petersburg on Sunday, has not commented on the massive protests. The dissent broke into the open earlier this month after election authorities refused to register a number of opposition candidates for the Sept. 8 vote, citing alleged minor violations.

The candidates’ supporters

then picketed the headquarters of the Moscow Election Commission and rallied on a central square for several days straight.

After authorities claimed that some of the 5,500 signatures each candidate collected were forgeries, the candidates went to the local election commission to protest, some bringing the same people whose signatures were ruled invalid.

More than 1,400 people were taken into custody, including several would-be candidates.

One of them, Ilya Yashin, was sentenced Monday to 10 days in jail for calling Saturday’s protest. Another, Dmitry Gudkov, is due to appear in court later in the day. ■

AUGUST 2, 2019

FRIDAY

Seoul: North Korea launches 2 short range ballistic missiles

BY HYUNG-JIN KIM The Associated Press SEOUL, KOREA, REPUBLIC OF — North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast Wednesday, South Korea’s military said, its second weapons test in less than a week. North Korea is angry over planned U.S.-South Korean military drills and may be trying to boost pressure on the United States to win concessions as the rivals struggle to set up talks over the North’s nuclear weapons.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said Wednesday’s missiles were launched from Wonsan, a city the North pushes as a vacation destination but that it also uses as a regular launch site.

The joint chiefs’ statement said both missiles were believed to have flown about 250 kilometres (155 miles) at a maximum altitude of 30 kilometres (19 miles) and that the South Korean and U.S. militaries were trying to gather more details.

“The North’s repeated missile launches are not helpful to efforts to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, and we urge (North Korea) to stop this kind of behaviour,” the statement said. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe briefly told reporters the launches were “no threat to Japanese national security.”

Six days earlier, North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles that Seoul officials said flew 600 kilometres (370 miles) before landing in the sea.

U.N. Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from using ballistic technology in any weapons launches. But it’s unlikely that the nation, already under 11 rounds of U.N. sanctions, will be hit with fresh punitive measures. Past sanctions were imposed only when the North conducted long-range ballistic launches.

Japan’s Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters Wednesday that the most recently launched weapons did not reach Japan’s exclusive economic zone and that officials are still analyzing details, including the flight distance and trajectory. Referring to the www.canadianinquirer.net

previous launches, Iwaya said, “It is extremely regrettable that North Korea continues firing the missiles that violate the U.N. resolutions.”

North Korea’s state media said last week’s tests were supervised by leader Kim Jong Un and were designed to deliver a “solemn warning” to South Korea over its purchase of high-tech U.S.-made fighter jets and planned military drills that Pyongyang calls an invasion rehearsal.

Wednesday’s launches came hours after a senior U.S. official said President Donald Trump sent Kim mementos from his brief visit to an inter-Korean border town late last month.

The official said a top staffer from the National Security Council hand-delivered photographs from the June TrumpKim meeting at the Korean Demilitarized Zone to a North Korean official last week. The Trump administration official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly.

The DMZ meeting was the third summit between Trump and Kim. At their second meeting, in Vietnam, Trump rejected Kim’s demand for widespread sanctions relief in return for dismantling the North’s main nuclear complex, a partial disarmament step.

During the DMZ meeting, Trump and Kim agreed to resume nuclear diplomacy in coming weeks, but there hasn’t been any known meeting between the countries. Some experts say North Korea wants a

U.S. promise to ease sanctions, accept a slow, step-by-step disarmament process by the North or for the U.S. to make other concessions once the diplomacy restarts.

Despite a recent lack of progress in nuclear diplomacy, both Trump and Kim have said they have maintained good relations with each other. After Thursday’s missile launches, Trump tried to downplay the significance of the tests, saying that “short-range” was the most important detail. He said North Korea fired “standard” missiles that many countries possess.

South Korea’s military said the flight data of the weapon launched last week showed similarities to the Russianmade Iskander, a short-range, nuclear-capable missile. A North Korean version could likely reach all of South Korea — and the 28,500 U.S. forces stationed there — and would be extremely hard to intercept.

After entering talks with Washington, North Korea has suspended nuclear and longrange missile tests, and Trump says that is proof that his North Korea policy is working well and has eased the danger of a war with the North. In 2017, Trump and Kim exchanged crude insults and threats of destruction as Kim oversaw a series of highprofile nuclear and missile tests meant to build nuclear missiles capable of reaching the continental United States. ■ Associated Press journalists Zeke Miller in Washington and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.

23

Entertainment After 14 years on air, “Goin’ Bulilit” says goodbye

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer AFTER RUNNING for 14 years since it’s premiere in 2005, ABS-CBN kiddie sketch comedy show Goin’ Bulilit is officially bidding television goodbye as the show’s head writer Josel Garlitos confirms their last episode will air on August 4.

Josel shares an image with the former cast and crew on Instagram last Thursday, July 25, which is captioned in Filipino saying, “This is the last two months of Goin’ Bulilit. The graduates, cast, staff, crew, everyone who watched and everyone who supported the 14 years of the awardwinning comedy gag show every week, what is your Bulilit story?”

Director Badjie Mortiz also shares an image to his 60,000 Instagram followers of the cast simply captioned, “For always.”

Kapamilya Online World then uploads a series of images on their Facebook account on how the comedy gag show has developed throughout the years, saying, “Goin’ Bulilit saying goodbye to our childhood favorite tv show every Sunday!#GoodbabyeBulilit

Zephanie Dimaranan wins the first ‘Idol Philippines’ edition

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer

“I am happy and thankful that I am a part of this family.” @YNIGODELEN / INSTAGRAM

The Last 2 Weeks. On February 2015, Goin’ Bulilit recently marked and celebrated their 10th anniversary with the entire former and current cast members. The show will air its final episode on August 2019 after 14 years of broadcast.”

As the show traditionally says goodbye to their cast members after they turn either 12 or 13 years old, Goin’ Bulilit’s last graduation ceremony occurred last March. Mutya Orquia, JB Agustin, and Allyson McBride concluded their five years to six years on the show through the ceremony.

Some of the show’s previous

stars who have grown to establish themselves in the Philippine entertainment industry include Kathryn Bernardo, Julia Montes, Kiray Celis, Andrea Brillantes, Miles Ocampo, John Manalo, Sharlene San Pedro, and Nash Aguas.

Current members of Goin’ Bulilit include: Dagul, CX Navarro, Ashley Sarmiento, Raikko Mateo, Josh de Guzman, Lilygem Yulores, Vito Quizon, Marc Santiago, Chun Sa Jung, Cessa Moncera, Marco Masa, JJ Quilantang, Angelica Rama, Khevynne Arias, Ynigo Delen, Carlo Mendoza, Freya Montierro, and Jordan Lim. ■

SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD Zephanie Dimaranan is the first-ever champion of ABS-CBN singing competition Idol Philippines after the final episode of the season last Sunday, July 28, 2019, with the live show taking place at the Newport Performing Arts Theater in Resorts World Manila in Pasay City.

The Biñan City, Laguna native received 100 percent in terms of judges scores and public votes, followed by Lucas Garcia of Lipa City, Batangas with 70.2 percent and Lance Busa of Butuan City, Agusan del Norte with 41.89 percent.

The day prior, Top 5 finalists Dan Ombao and Miguel Odron were eliminated from the competition, while the Top 12 is completed by Elle Ocampo, Matty Juniosa, Rachel Libres, Trish Bonilla, Renwick Benito, Fatima Louise, and Sheland Faelnar.

On the finals’ night, the teenager performed “Maghintay Ka Lamang” by Ted Ito and a new

original written for her by Jonathan Manalo entitled “Pangarap Kong Pangarap Mo.” Zephanie received 2,000,000 cash prize, along with an allexpense trip to Taiwan, a house and lot from Camella Homes, and a contract with Star Music.

This is a ‘third time’s a charm’ for Zephanie, as she previously joined 2015’s The Voice Kids Philippines on Team Sarah Geronimo and Tawag ng Tanghalan on It’s Showtime. The third of five kids attributes her attitude to being a pastor’s daughter, stating that her parents’ strict upbringing has shaped herself and her siblings. #IdolPHGrandWinner also trended number one on Twitter, with 2011 American Idol runner-up Jessica Sanchez making an appearance during the conclusion of the contest for a special performance.

Idol Philippines 2019 was hosted by Billy Crawford and had Regine Velasquez, James Reid, Moira Dela Torre, and Vice Ganda on the judging panel. At the end of the show, Crawford confirmed that they will be returning for another season. ■

Lil Nas X sets new Billboard record for most weeks at No.1

BY TRACEE M. HERBAUGH The Associated Press NEW YORK — It’s one sweet day for Lil Nas X: The breakthrough rapper’s viral “Old Town Road” has broken the Billboard record set by Mariah Carey’s “One Sweet Day” for most weeks at No. 1.

Lil Nas X accomplishes the feat this week as his countrytrap song spends its 17th week on top of the Hot 100 chart. Carey and Boyz II Men’s duet set

the record in 1996, and the only song to come close to breaking it was the ubiquitous international hit “Despacito,” which tied the 16-week record in 2017.

“Old Town Road,” which has achieved most of its success through audio streaming, was originally a solo song but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track. The song also has remix versions featuring Diplo, Young Thug, Mason Ramsey and BTS, and Billboard counts the original song and its remixes as one when calculating

chart position, thus helping “Old Town Road” stay on top.

“Old Town Road” initially was in a bit of controversy in March when Billboard removed it from its country charts, deeming it not country enough (it peaked at No. 19 on the country charts).

But the drama didn’t hurt the song; it only propelled it.

Songs have come close to displacing “Old Town Road” from the top spot — including Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” and a pair of Taylor Swift singles — but ultimately were unsuccessful. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

@ZEPHDIMARANAN / INSTAGRAM

24

Entertainment

AUGUST 2, 2019

FRIDAY

‘Stranger Things’ breakout star Nadine Lustre reveals is a spunky seventh grader why she quits from ‘Miracle in Cell No.7’

BY MARK KENNEDY The Associated Press NEW YORK — One of the breakout stars of “Stranger Things” is an actress who wants to do more action roles and maybe get behind the camera.

But first, there’s seventh grade.

Priah Ferguson, a 12-yearold Atlanta middle schooler, has given season 3 of the sci-fi, back-to-the-’80s Netflix show a jolt of sassy electricity.

Priah plays Erica, a My Little Pony-obsessed, He-Man stealing, walkie-talkie intercepting little sister of Lucas, played by Caleb McLaughlin.

“She’s a very confident person and I’m confident,” Priah said. “She’s a leader. I’m a leader. So we have a lot of similarities.”

The actress, who previously has had minor roles on “Atlanta” and “Mercy Street,” had quick-or-you’ll-miss it moments in season 2 of “Stranger Things” but has roared into the new one with an action sequence and catchphrases like “You can’t spell America without Erica” and “Just the facts.”

She was handed a helmet fitted with flashlights and sent though the ventilation shafts of Starcourt Mall to discover what a secret group of Russians was hiding. For this, she earned her reward: “Free. Ice. Cream. For. Life.”

“I got to do like a little stunt.

So I was like, ‘Wow this is something I’ve always wanted to do,”‘ she said. “That was cool.”

Her Erica has spunk and verve, liable to scream into a walkie-talkie: “Code red? I got a code for you instead. It’s called code shut your mouth.” Erica will not stand for nerdiness but

BY JOANNA BELLE DEALA Philippine Canadian Inquirer

Priah Ferguson.

@PRIAHFERGUSON / INSTAGRAM

there’s a little nerd in her, too.

“She’s an anti-nerd nerd,” the actress says. “A lot of people have a little nerdiness in them.

I have a little nerdiness in me.”

Adjua Ferguson, her mother, said she and her husband recognized artistic potential in their daughter when she was just 2.

“She was an expressive baby— she always had the most unique expressions and reactions. She always had an old soul. She would just respond to things beyond her years, very conversational,” she said.

“From there, people kept saying she had something special.”

Priah hopes to continue acting and maybe direct one day as well. But staying a kid is also a goal. She’s not planning to return to her school’s drama club this fall.

“I want to separate my acting from school. It just got to be a little too much,” she said. “It’s just too much drama.”

She’s taking that message across the country, teaming up with applesauce and yogurtpouch maker GoGo squeeZ to encourage kids to put aside their devices and embrace unstructured play as part of the “BE Time” initiative.

“I love having free time to stay off my phone, even though I love my phone,” she said. “At times it can just be draining.

You just need a time to really see the real world.”

When at home, Priah walks the dog, creates dances with her little sister, gets on her scooter, is really crafty, adores doing her nails and has lately been getting into Legos. (For the record, she does like ice cream in real life, too.)

Her life is changing — and she’s documenting it. “I’m just taking in everything and I keep a journal to know where I go and just share my experience on places that I went to.” ■

With this victory, Basilan will be the country’s representatives for the 2019 FIBA 3×3 Jeddah Masters in October. In the meantime, first runner-up finishers Balanga, who received a P400,000 consolation prize, will be booking their tickets to the 2019 Xiongan Challenger in August. Gold’s Gym-Pasig

Kings finished at third place scoring P200,000.

Among the other winners for the last leg of the tournament are Kiran Shastri for the CocaCola Two-Point Shootout and David Carlos and Brodie Stephens as co-champions for the Coca-Cola Slam Dunk Competition. ■

KAPAMILYA ACTRESS Nadine Lustre has opted out from the Filipino remake of the Korean movie, “Miracle in Cell No. 7.” Her reason for quitting? She said, “I really felt that I needed a break.”

Nadine revealed this in an interview with ABS-CBN, explaining that she was a ‘little burnt out’ after starring in two films — “Ulan” and “Indak” — this year that’s why she asked for time off from work to her management, Viva Artists Agency.

“Mahirap din po na gumawa ng pelikuka kasi (It is hard to make a move because) other than shooting, meron pang(there are also) promotions. So since it’s an MMFF (Metro Manila Film Festival) Film, parang naisip ko na baka maging masyado ng hectic ’yung schedule, mahihirapan din po ako na (I thought that it might be too hectic with the schedule; it will be hard for me). At the end of the day, ayaw ko naman pong parang umayaw dahil pagod ako at burnout ako (I do not want to give up just because I’m tired and burnt out),” she said.

The actress added that her management completely understood her decision to back out of the movie.

“They understand kung gaano naging ka-hectic ang schedule ko (how hectic my schedule

was) for the past few months.

Ever since nag-start ‘yung year, sunod-sunod na po ako (the year started, projects were coming consecutively), so they felt that I needed a break din po,” she said.

Nadine was supposed to play the role of the daughter of a mentally challenged man who was wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he did not commit. Nadine’s father if she pursued the role will be played by veteran actor Aga Muhlach.

The actress admitted that it was sad that she had to let go of her role which is now given to another Kapamilya actress, Bela Padilla.

“It’s a good project, good material. Kaya lang po kasi sa akin mas importante para sa akin ‘yung sarili ko kasi (However, what is more important for me is myself since) I’m not rushing naman po eh,” she explained.

Nadine said she was happy that Bela will be taking over her role, describing the latter as a “good actress,” “good writer,” and someone who “takes what she does seriously.”

Bela is known for her roles in “Camp Sawi,” “100 Tula Para Kay Stella,” and “Meet Me in St. Gallen,” among others. She also penned the story of for her movie “Luck at First Sight,” which co-starred Jericho Rosales, and “Last Night,” which starred by Piolo Pascual and Toni Gonzaga. ■

Phenom-Basilan... ❰❰ 29

cited about that.”

Rike shared his perspective as well, “The play didn’t come off as cleanly as we wanted, but that’s what I’m saying. I trust Franky, I believe in Franky and he’s one hell of a shooter. So I know that if I give him even an inch of space, I knew he was gonna knock it down.”

www.canadianinquirer.net

Nadine Lustre.

@NADINE / INSTAGRAM

Entertainment

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2019

25

Montreal flaunts heavy metal credentials as city hosts rock festival

BY SIDHARTHA BANERJEE The Canadian Press

of their top markets,” Glick said. “It may have changed the way they did their live shows, the vibe here is definitely than going to another American or Canadian MONTREAL — The Montreal city coun- city. I think the fans are extremely pascillor who spearheaded a motion last sionate and respectful at the same time, April to formally designate the city a and that definitely leads to that relationheadbangers’ paradise says the reaction ship (with bands) that has gone back to to the gesture has been remarkable. beginning.”

“A lot of people are talking about it — Rick Hughes knows that connecpeople in the city, metalheads around tion well from his years with local band the world,” said Coun. Craig Sauve, a Sword, which made its mark in the 1980s musician and heavy metal buff. and continues to perform to this day.

“People are very appreciative of the He says the kids who were at his shows recognition — particularly in the metal decades ago are among the people still scene, where metalheads feel like their coming out today. culture is not respected and cast aside.”

The St-Bruno, Que., native said that Those official credentials as a heavy after the band’s last Montreal show, metal “city of excellence” will be on full fans hung out for two hours to get audisplay this weekend as it plays host to tographs. In talking to them the affable the 10th edition of Heavy Montreal — a Hughes learned the young fans from the popular two-day metal and rock festival 1980s had gone on to become everything held on a small island near the city. from engineers to pilots and businessWhile the designation didn’t come men. Some had brought along their own with any financial perks, observers are children to see his band play. confident the “positive vibe” it created “You only find that in metal, and the will bring big divienthusiasm of the dends for up-andcrowd in Montreal is coming local acts. unequalled,” Hughes “It helps fill up the said. bars, it helps the proWhen you talk Montreal’s scene to bands that moters and it helps included homegrown have been the bands,” says bands like Cryptopsy around for Montrealer Jimmy and Kataklysm, but 30, 40 years Kay, who runs Metal it also drew from all … if it wasn’t Voice, a YouTube over Quebec as talent for Montreal, channel that reports arrived to hone their they wouldn’t on heavy metal mucraft. Quebec’s most exist today, sic. “Now when I famous heavy metal because that’s interview bands, outfit, Voivod, was where everyone they know about it, formed in Jonquiwanted to hear they’ve heard about ere before moving to them. it.”

Montreal in the midQuebec bands that 1980s. eventually found Guitarist Daniel their way to MonMongrain, who curtreal did so for a variety of reasons, but rently plays in Voivod and has played the common denominator was a loyal extensively with other groups, said and knowledgeable fan base packing the bands knew that being in Montreal was venues. essential. “It was good to play in our lo“When you talk to bands that have cal area, but we had to go to Montreal to been around for 30, 40 years … if it wasn’t meet other bands, that’s where the acfor Montreal, they wouldn’t exist today, tion was,” he said. because that’s where everyone wanted An accomplished guitarist, Mongrain to hear them,” Kay said. “The fans were began playing guitar at age 11 after havthere for them always.” ing seen a music video involving the Daniel Glick, director of concerts and original incarnation of Voivod on the events at concert promoter Evenko, French-language music channel Muwhich puts on the popular Heavy Mon- sique Plus. treal event, says the firm promotes “I bought a guitar and wanted to be about 100 metal shows yearly. He called like them,” said Mongrain, known as the city’s recognition a nice “stamp of Chewy, who is celebrating his 11th anniapproval.” versary with Voivod.

“A lot of the metal bands and hard rock Mongrain, 43, originally from Troisbands have done really, really well here Riveres, Que., said the Montreal sound over the years, if you go back to the early fans worldwide now recognize is really years — Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, the creation of acts that got their start Metallica — Montreal is definitely one all over the province.

HEAVY MONTRÉAL / FACEBOOK

“Montreal is symbolic of the rest of the province,” he said. “There’s a uniqueness to the sound of Montreal, but Montreal includes Rimouski, Rouyn-Noranada, TroisRivieres and Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean.”

By the time he was playing regularly in the 1990s, the grunge movement was gaining popularity in the rock scene, and times were difficult for metalheads.

There were no big metal festivals at the time, but Montreal fans remained loyal.

“It was a small community, but every time there was a show, there was a

bunch of people — like a brotherhood.”

Mongrain said. “It was an underground scene that was very alive, but still very underground.”

Hughes said recognition of Montreal’s heavy metal roots was overdue, placing it alongside jazz as a sound that has long helped define Montreal.

“It’s music that ages well through its intensity — it isn’t pop, it isn’t the flavour of the day,” he said. “Jazz isn’t the flavour of the day — it’s stays the same, and metal is the same: It stays metal.” ■

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26

Lifestyle Tims’ upscale cafe luring millennials with nitro brews, Instagrammable doughnuts

BY CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI The Canadian Press TORONTO — Julia Hemphill is just the kind of customer that Tim Hortons would love to see more of: a professional, urban millennial.

But she admits she’s not one to go out of her way to visit the chain, noting her coffee purchases are largely driven by convenience: “If I pass a Tim Hortons, I pass a Tim Hortons.

If there’s a lineup I won’t go there. If there isn’t, I will.”

Still, the 39-year-old and her three companions joined throngs of curious customers who lined up at the brand’s much-touted “innovation cafe” this week to sample a line of specialty drinks and doughnuts more typically seen at higherend eateries.

Hemphill ordered the nitro coffee — “It’s actually shockingly good,” she says — and approved of the modern decor of fauxmarble tabletops, walnut wood accents and velvet bench seating.

“It had kind of stagnated before. It’s nice to see it new,” says Hemphill.

But while she would return for the menu, the coffee shop is not likely to become her hangout spot.

Hemphill, at the older end of the millennial cohort, says she’s more likely to meet friends for a cocktail than a coffee, which she generally brings back to her desk: “Coffee is work.”

Such ambivalence is the reason Tims and many other quick-service restaurants are

rethinking how to reach millennial and Gen Z diners, say experts who point to similarly minded overhauls at McDonald’s, Boston Pizza and Panera Bread.

The coffee chain’s experiment is billed as “a modern interpretation of the Tim Hortons brand.” Its 12 “Dream Donut” flavours include maple bacon, blueberry hibiscus, hazelnut butter cream and a brown butter and sea salt variety, each selling for $1.99 — roughly double the cost of regular flavours.

Tims’ global marketing chief acknowledges the store’s clean design and Instagram-ready treats are tailored to young, urban professionals: “They look for a store like this, they look for a design like this,” says Axel Schwan.

However, he insists the rest of the chain’s tried-and-true drip coffee and Timbits are not going anywhere: “Our target group is Canada.”

The specialty treats and premium sandwiches are only available at the King Street store, as are seven different brewing methods that include single-origin pour overs and cold brews.

If they’re a hit with customers, they could be rolled out to other restaurants, says Schwan.

The tactic also allows Tim Hortons to test how far they can stretch a brand known for no-frills products with prices to match.

The quick-service market in general has been shifting upscale for a while now, leaving room for Tims to test more expensive items at prices that can

TIM HORTONS / FACEBOOK

still be considered relatively low, says food service industry expert Vince Sgabellone.

“Starbucks (is) already arguably one of the more expensive beverage locations and then they came out with their ‘reserve’ brand which is even more expensive — I had a $9 coffee there not too long ago,” says Sgabellone, of the NPD Group.

“There’s room for that premiumization. People are willing to spend a little more in quick service as long as they get the quality and the service that they expect with the premium pricing.”

Tims’ “innovation cafe” is clearly not about pleasing regular customers, but about luring people who otherwise don’t go to a traditional Tim Hortons, he adds.

Much like the urban-focused McCafe from McDonald’s, the Tim Hortons experiment edges

www.canadianinquirer.net

the brand towards the “fast casual” tier, in which premiumquality food comes with fastfood service and better value, says Sgabellone.

This segment of the market is growing at about eight per cent, whereas quick-service restaurants as a whole are only growing at about two-to-three per cent, Sgabellone says.

Brand expert Susan Weaver adds that customers are increasingly “trading down” from full service, mid-tier eateries to these quick-service outlets as they seek better value for their dollar.

She points to upscale food courts that have reinvented mall food, as well as the McCafes, which each feature unique menus and artisan sandwiches.

Millennials are an especially sought-after market because of their size, their larger disposable income, tendency to eat

out more and desire for convenience, says Weaver, managing director of Pearl Strategy & Innovation Design Inc. But they are fickle, she adds.

This younger group wants customizable drinks, in-store technology such as charging stations, eco-friendly packaging and the ability to see their food being assembled and their drinks being made — all features of the new Tim Hortons’ venture.

The problem for Tim Hortons, she argues, is that it’s beloved by Boomers and regarded as “your parents’ brand.”

And the fact that “Tim Hortons makes probably 80 per cent of their profits from hot coffee and millennials do not drink that,” says Weaver, whose Oakville, Ont., company has worked with Tim Hortons on their lunch menu in the past.

“We’ve done a lot of work for Tim Hortons and we always said to them: ‘You might have to rebrand if you want to get to (millennials).’”

She mused on the possibility that’s the future of Tims’ innovation cafe, suggesting the brand should expand the concept as a separate offering for millennials in every big urban city.

Sgabellone also wouldn’t be surprised if the experiment evolves into “a small niche subbrand of theirs.”

“They’re stating right off the front it’s a one-off, but like with any brand, if it’s a success they’re going to make it a twooff and a six-off and they’ll be opening more.” ■

Lifestyle

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2019

27

Plant lovers find Millennial Money: Why you each other at swaps, need a midyear budget check-in online or in person

BY TRACEE M. HERBAUGH The Associated Press PLANT LOVERS have long gotten together to trade seeds and growing advice, and the latest generation is following suit with modern plant swaps.

The swaps (sometimes called plant exchanges) for amateur horticulturalists are popping up in homes, parking lots, trendy gardening stores and online.

They’re about exchanging advice and meeting like-minded people, says 35-year-old Ana Carlson, who has attended several plant swaps in New York City and Los Angeles, where she lives.

“People just talk and it is fun,” she said. “I don’t go looking for plants because I have more than enough.”

Carlson, who owns an online “plant decor” shop, Sill Appeal, and has nearly 200 housplants, initially learned about the swaps through social media a few years ago, when plants became a hobby.

“They’re very social events,” she said. “Every time I go, I meet people.”

While plant swaps can include outdoor varieties, many people trade houseplants, which are back in style thanks in part to social media. Instagram has been flooded with “Plantstagrammers” or “plant influencers,” who post daily photos of houseplants under a variety of hashtags, including #plantcommunity (559,000 posts) and #houseplantlove (118,000 posts). On Pinterest, plant devotees display a plethora of photos, blog posts and articles chronicling unusual, colorful and petfriendly houseplants.

“Right now, the plant world is kind of insane,” says Sue Eggen, the creative director at Urban Jungle , a plant shop in Philadelphia. “It’s like the 1970s all over again — the coolest thing millennials can do is care for plants.”

Last month, Eggen and the Urban Jungle team organized a plant swap for some 50 customers who purchased tickets.

There were snacks and beverages, and attendees listened to a live recording of Bloom and

Grow radio , a podcast from Broadway actress Maria Failla that’s all about houseplants.

Some plant lovers come to swaps for expensive and rare finds. A full-size pink princess philodendron or a variegated monstera, two fashionable plants not readily found in gardening stores, can cost upward of $150 retail. At a plant swap, however, someone might bring in a cutting that can be propagated.

“People blew me away with what they brought in,” Eggen said.

Bala Rathinasabapathi, a professor in the horticultural sciences department at University of Florida, says the produce found in grocery stores today is a result of ancient plant swaps.

“Humans domesticated plants about 10,000 years ago, and plant exchanges followed shortly after,” Rathinasabapathi said. “People used plants like currency.”

Today, however, swaps are mostly characteristic of urban areas, he said.

Philadelphia resident Christina Tessaro, 37, learned of a local plant exchange group on Facebook with more than 7,000 members. She originally joined the group to learn more about plants after she took a job at the Philadelphia Horticultural Society. Soon, houseplants became a hobby.

A couple members of the group have organized plant pop-up nights throughout Philadelphia for people to meet in person and socialize.

“I got to meet a few people I recognized online,” Tessaro said. “It’s been really nice to put a face to a name.”

Online swaps have also expanded social circles for longtime plant lovers.

“We started out swapping plants as teens,” said Stan Miklis, 62, of Dallas, who studied horticulture in high school in Texas. He said he attended plant parties as a teen and young man.

Now, as a farmer, he learns of new plant swaps via the Internet.

“My whole life is and has always been plants,” Miklis said.

“All my friends are from the plant circle.” ■

BY COURTNEY JESPERSEN OF NERDWALLET The Associated Press

A TYPICAL July includes vacations, travel, shopping, weddings and beaches. Budgets?

Not really.

But the year’s halfway point provides a great opportunity to take a close look at your financial health and goals.

Now’s a good time to “check yourself before you wreck yourself,” says Nora Yousif, certified financial planner and vicepresident at RBC Wealth Management in the Boston area.

Here are three important reasons to check your budget right now — and easy things you can do to ensure you reach your money goals for the rest of the year.

You can learn from the past

School’s out, but summer budgeting calls for a grading exercise. Judging your budgeting behaviour is a productive way to see where you stand, according to Andrew Almeida, CFP, founder of Almeida Investment Management in New York.

Here’s how to do it: If you haven’t already, separate your monthly budget into categories, such as groceries, rent, entertainment and so forth. Then see if you were over or under budget for each line item. If you have 10 categories, overshot three last month and stayed on budget for seven, you’d be at 70%. So give yourself a C for June.

Almeida recommends doing this each month. With six months of the year behind you, you’re in a good position to evaluate if you’re passing more months than you’re failing.

But don’t get discouraged; you shouldn’t expect straight A’s.

“No one’s going to hit it 100% of the time,” Almeida says. “Life is fluid.”

One easy and effective way to monitor how you’re doing is by logging in to your financial accounts, according to Brandon Renfro, an assistant professor of finance at East Texas Baptist University.

“You can kind of see where your money went, and that will start to give you a better idea of www.canadianinquirer.net

problem areas or focus areas,” says Renfro, who is also a financial planner.

Lean on your credit card and bank account apps to help you track your cash flow. Some of these apps may even categorize the transactions for you.

You can prepare for the holidays and taxes

Once you’ve looked back, take a moment to think ahead. After all, the holiday season is only a few months away. And whether you like it or not, tax season will come shortly after that. Get ready now for these potential costly times of the year.

Start by setting a holiday season budget. “A lot of people don’t consider that, but it’s a big year-end expense, which I think you should account for,” Almeida says. “And if you haven’t by midyear, I think you should.”

If you’re not sure where to start, use the amount you spent last year on holiday gifts and festivities as a baseline.

Next, focus on taxes. That means reviewing your income, advises Helen Ngo, CFP, CEO of Capital Benchmark Partners in Georgia.

“When we do midyear budgeting, we don’t necessarily look at your spending,” Ngo says. “The first thing we look at is what money is coming in.”

She says to pay attention to

things like your pay stubs and discretionary income. For example, are you withholding enough in taxes to break even in April? Did you pay off a debt in the first half of the year and now have more income you can contribute to your 401(k)?

Make adjustments where necessary.

You can correct your course

By the time you finish these steps, you’ll likely have identified areas where your budget has room for improvement.

“If you’re way off your projected saving or spending goals, you can modify your habits for the rest of the year before it’s too late,” Yousif, of RBC Wealth Management, said in an email.

That may include eliminating small things from your budget, such as a subscription or membership you no longer need. And when you do remove something, redirect that money somewhere it can be more useful.

“For instance, maybe instead of just cancelling the gym membership and letting the $20 fall wherever it goes, go ahead and direct that to savings,” Renfro says. That can help build your holiday fund, for example.

But what if you don’t even have a budget to check up on?

It’s not too late. The midpoint of the year can give you a muchneeded nudge to create one. ■

28

Lifestyle

AUGUST 2, 2019

FRIDAY

Love, lust and digital dating: Men on the Bumble dating app aren’t ready for the Queen bee

BY TREENA ORCHARD Associate Professor School of Health Studies Western University, The Canadian Press WHEN LOVE, lust and all things in between come calling, dating apps appear to be the only way to meet new people and experience romance in 2019. They’re not of course, but social media and popular culture inundate us with messages about the importance of these seemingly easy and effective approaches to digital dating. Drawing upon my personal experiences and academic insights about sexuality, gender and power, this article explores what happens when dating apps fail on their promises.

Being a tech Luddite, I never dreamed of using a dating app.

However, when other options were exhausted, I found myself selecting photos and summarizing myself in a user profile.

I chose Bumble because it was rumoured to have more professional men than other apps and I was intrigued by its signature design where women ask men out. Self described as “100 percent feminist,” Bumble’s unique approach has generated significant social buzz and it has over 50 million users).

As a medical anthropologist, I explore sexuality, gender and health experiences among people in sex work, Indigenous communities and those affected by HIV/AIDS. I had no intention of writing about my sociosexual experiences, but as soon as I started my Bumble journey the words began to flow. Writing helped me cope with the bizarre things I encountered, and my anthropological insights told me that my observations were unique as well as timely.

But what is Bumble all about?

What does it reveal about feminism and gender in contemporary dating culture?

The female worker bee does all the work

Established in 2014, Bumble is branded as a feminist dating app that puts women in the driver’s seat and takes the pressure off men to initiate dating conversations. In a 2015 Esquire interview, Bumble CEO

and co-founder Whitney Wolfe Herd explained the honeybee inspiration: “Bee society where there’s a queen bee, the woman is in charge, and it’s a really respectful community. It’s all about the queen bee and everyone working together. It was very serendipitous.”

However, a honeybee hive is less about sisterhood and more about gendered inequity. Just as female worker bees do the heavy lifting as they care for larvae and their hexagon lair, Bumble women perform the initial dating labour by extending invitation after invitation to potential matches. Bumble men, much like male bees, largely sit and wait for their invites to come.

In my five months on Bumble, I created 113 unique opening lines, each of which involved not just work but also a leap of faith. Here’s just two examples: Hi X! I like your photos, they’re attractive and interesting. You’re a personal trainer, it must be rewarding to work with people to achieve their goals …

Hey, X. Your photos are hot …want to connect?

Will he respond? Will this one like me? Putting myself out there repeatedly made me feel vulnerable, not empowered.

Sure, there was some short-lived excitement, but much of my time was spent wondering if they would respond. Only 60 per cent of my opening lines were answered and I met just ten men in five months, which is a nine per cent “success” rate.

Of my 10 encounters, four rated as very good to excellent, three as quite bad and three fluctuated in the middle: not terrible, but not something I’m keen to repeat. Like the attractive guy with the prickly arms (because he shaved them) who twirled me around in my dining room but could barely tie his shoes up because his pants were so tight. Or, the guy who

talked obsessively about being 5’6” but really, really wasn’t.

A girl-power bubble

My digital dating journey was not the effective, empowering experience I hoped for. The discrepancy between Bumble’s sunny narrative and my stormier encounters stemmed from the app’s outdated brand of feminism. The women-takingcharge-for-themselves model assumes that we live in a girlpower bubble. It ignores men’s feelings about adopting a more passive dating role. This creates tensions between users. I learned the hard way that de-

spite our feminist advances, many men are still not comfortable waiting to be asked out.

Some Bumble men view the app’s signature design as a way for women to rob them of their rightful dating power. Many openly critiqued us for acting “like men” and I was ghosted, sexually degraded and subjected to violent language by men who resented me or what I represented as a feminist.

This was confirmed by several of my matches, who discussed women’s acquisition of sociowww.canadianinquirer.net

economic and sexual power as a problem. These insights not only shocked me; they impaired my ability to have meaningful dating experiences on Bumble.

The #MeToo and Time’s Up movements continue to illuminate how much unfinished business we have ahead of us before gender equity is a reality. My Bumble experiences re-

as a match is made. Bumble might also consider having users answer questions about gender equity and feminism before matches are generated.

This could make digital dating experiences less of a bell jar and more of an equitable mess.

Another idea is to have Bumble refresh its narrative to support women’s desires and to

flect the same unfortunate truth, as do other studies about the complex relationship between gender and power relations on dating apps.

Using a feminist dating app in a patriarchal world is messy, but also fascinating for what it reveals about sexuality, gender and power in the digital dating universe. Bumble needs a serious upgrade it if truly wants to empower women and make room for men en route to more meaningful dating experiences.

One suggestion would be to remove the “she asks” and “he waits” design so both partners can access one another as soon

help diverse dating roles be more readily accepted by men.

The app could add a forum where users can share their various Bumble experiences in ways that encourage safe, engaged dating-related communication.

My personal feeling is that instead of depending exclusively on dating apps, it’s best to use multiple dating methods. This means having the courage to act on our desires as they surface in the grocery story, the art gallery, or at the subway stop. It can be terrifying but also much more exciting than swiping right. Go for it! ■ This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

29

Sports Abueva accused by wife of physical abuse

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer AMIDST HIS indefinite suspension from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Phoenix Pulse Fuel Masters’ player Calvin Abueva finds himself in hot waters once again as his wife Sam came out on social media accusing the forward of abuse and infidelity last Sunday, July 29.

Sam Abueva initially opened up through the basketball professional’s original Instagram account, @calvinabuevaofficial, which has more than 49,000 followers. The wife of the player for nine years posted screenshots from a CCTV footage, and when asked by fans about the meaning behind the images, Sam states, “[Calvin] has neglected his responsibilities as a father to his children.”

In an Instagram live session

on the same day, Sam explains the physical abuse that she and her children were allegedly experiencing from Abueva, his suppose infidelity by impregnating two other women, and his lack of communication with his family as a whole, explaining in Filipino to the seven-time PBA All-Star’s fans, “I’m just telling my side so he won’t fool you guys any longer.” She also reveals that she was just released from the hospital three weeks ago due to health conditions that threatened the third trimester of her pregnancy.

Five hours after his wife’s statements, Abueva conducted a live session on his new Instagram account @abuevacalvinthebeast, denying his wife’s statements, saying in Filipino, “Hey guys, to the followers of my old IG account, don’t believe in [what Sam is saying] because we’ve broken up and I have no

@CALVINABUEVAOFFICIAL / INSTAGRAM

communication with her. She’s the one using my old Instagram account.” He continued, “I’m

okay with losing my career and family because it’s not me who did wrong,” elaborating that

Sam also committed infidelity.

In response to the issue, Phoenix team manager Paolo Bugia told the media, “Professional clubs do not really meddle in domestic and private affairs of players. In the same manner, teams still expect their players to carry themselves with the utmost professionalism that goes with their job on and off the court.”

However, after being fined

by PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial a total of P70,000 – P50,000 for clotheslining Terrence Jones and P20,000 for inappropriate behavior towards a fan during a Phoenix-Blackwater game – and being caught participating in a “ligang labas” game in Montalban, the 31-year-old now awaits for the final verdict from both the professional league and the Games and Amusement Board (GAB) on whether or not he’ll be able to continue his duties for the Fuel Masters. ■

Phenom-Basilan Obiena captures pole vault gold acquires 1M check as at 30th Napoli Universiade Chooks 3×3 Patriot’s Cup champion

BY JEAN MALANUM Philippine News Agency

BY GIANNA LLANES Philippine Canadian Inquirer AFTER A thrilling match against Balanga Pure, PhenomBasilan has concluded the 2019 Chooks-to-Go 3×3 Patriot’s Cup competition by obtaining their check for 1M pesos last Saturday, July 27 at the SM Megamall Events.

The score ended at 21-20 with six-foot-three FilipinoAmerican Franky Johnson hitting the game-winning shot — hitting a two-pointer after a handoff from teammate Troy Rike. Basilan representatives Marcus Hammonds and Roosevelt Adams also contributed

11 and six points respectively.

Rike chipped one point.

For Balanga, Alvin Pasaol and Travis Franklin both provided seven points individually, while Chris De Chavez sent the game to overtime with one of his three points. Karl Dehesa also added three.

When talking about his jumper, Johnson explained, “Everything was just moving so fast. I wasn’t even thinking about that shot, but as soon as my teammate got the rebound and got the ball to me, I was just kinda open a little bit so I just decided to pull it.” He added, “Thank God it went in, so I’m really ex❱❱ PAGE 24 Phenom-Basilan

MANILA — The Philippines bagged its second gold medal in the Summer Universiade after Ernest John Obiena topped the men’s pole vault event in the 30th edition of the Games in Napoli, Italy recently.

The 23-year-old Obiena, a product of Chiang Kai Shek College and the University of Santo Tomas, and Torben Blech of Germany submitted identical 5.76 meters but the Filipino won on countback. Ben Broeders of Belgium placed third with 5.51 meters.

Obiena’s performance was a record-breaking one as he erased his previous national mark of 5.71 meters set during the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar last April.

Federation of School Sports www.canadianinquirer.net

Association of the Philippines (FESSAP) president Angel Ngu; chairman Alvin Tai Lian; honorary president David Ong; and Robert Milton Calo, who chaired the Napoli Universiade preparation committee, congratulated Obiena for bringing honor to the country.

The Philippines won its first gold in the Summer Universiade courtesy of chess player Wesley So in Kazan, Russia six years ago.

Aside from the golds won

by Obiena and So, the Philippines has won two silvers from taekwondo’s Samuel Thomas Harper Morrison (2011 Shenzhen, China) and wushu’s Jomar Balangui (2017 Taipei).

The FESSAP is a member of the International University Sports Federation (FISU), which organizes the Summer and Winter Universiades, as well as the World University

Championships.

The Universiade is considered as the Olympic Games for student-athletes. More than 10,000 athletes and officials from 150 countries join the biggest multi-sport tournament.

The next Summer Universiade will be held in Chengdu, China in August 2021.

The Philippine delegation’s trip to Italy was made possible with the support of Bestank Corp., OMNI Electrical & Lights from Yatai International Corp., Technological University of the Philippines, Megaworld Corp., Globe Telecom, San Miguel Corp., Philippine Amusement & Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), Bataan Peninsula State University, Republic Biscuit, University of Baguio, and ASICS Tiger from Sonak Corp.-Philippines (official outfitter). ■

30

Business DOF sees little impact of PCSO games suspension on UHC funds

BY JOANN VILLANUEVA Philippine News Agency MANILA – Impact of the suspension of all Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office–regulated games on the Universal Health Care (UHC) is minute since the agency’s share on the program’s fund is only a little over one percent, a Department of Finance (DOF) official said on Monday.

DOF Assistant Secretary Tony Lambino said of the total PHP257 billion required by the UHC in 2020, PCSO’s share is estimated to be around PHP3 billion or less than 1.2 percent.

For the five-year period ending 2024, PCSO’s share in the

program’s estimated PHP1.437 trillion requirement is also less than 1.2 percent at PHP16.6 billion, he said.

“We will focus our efforts on passing the alcohol and e-cig tax package for UHC, with initial estimates of PHP15.8 billion in the first year and a total of PHP111.5 billion over five years based on the version approved by the House in the 17th Congress,” he said.

“Actually, we can aim for even higher since the previously approved version only included alcohol,” he added.

Last Saturday, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the PCSO to suspend all its regulated gaming activities amid alleged “massive corruption.”

Meanwhile, Malacanang has

said the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) may take-over the charity functions of PCSO following the suspension of all PCSO-regulated games.

On the other hand, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, who was asked whether there is a need to temporarily transfer PCSO’s charity functions to PAGCOR, said the two agencies were created under separate laws.

He relayed to some journalists the opinion shared to him

by Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on the issue.

Guevarra said he does “not think that the President has any intention of transferring the PCSO’s entire mandate to the PAGCOR.”

NCRPO cops closing gaming and gambling franchises.

PIO NCRPO / FACEBOOK

“He only meant that the PAGCOR may be tapped in the meantime to continue provid-

ing for health and medical care assistance, among others,” he said. ■

New PAL president named

PH to be upper middle income country by 2020

BY MA. CRISTINA ARAYATA Philippine News Agency

BY LESLIE GATPOLINTAN Philippine News Agency

MANILA — The Philippine Airlines (PAL) board of directors confirmed on Monday the appointment of Gilbert Santa Maria as the flag carrier’s new president and chief operating officer, following the retirement of Jaime Bautista last month.

The 15-man PAL board, in its regular meeting at the Century Park Hotel-Manila, unanimously approved Santa Maria, a handpicked nominee of PAL chairman and chief executive officer Lucio Tan. PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that Santa Maria assumed the post on Monday, while Tan’s daughter, Vivienne, remains PAL executive vice president and chief administrative officer.

Vivienne also served as the carrier’s officer-in-charge after Bautista’s retirement, while the airline was in search for his replacement.

“PAL is the airline that meets the needs of local and global travelers by showcasing our brand’s main strength — the passion for safety and service.

Maintaining the current level of service is important and of course, profitability. Let us do our share to make PAL reach greater heights. I will be with you every step of the way,” Santa Maria was quoted telling his fellow workers in PAL. Santa Maria has three decades of executive management and leadership experience, according to PAL. He has been in the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry for the last 15 years.

Villaluna said the 53-year old Santa Maria is leaving his Los Angeles-based advisory firm to join PAL in Manila. ■

and Development Authority (NEDA) Director-General, further said the country needs to review its plans regarding the infrastructure program and deMANILA – Socioeconomic termine “doable” projects.

Planning Secretary Ernesto This, as the cost of borrowPernia on Wednesday said the ing money to fund the country’s Philippines will likely advance spending on infrastructure and to an upper middle-income other investstatus in 2020 ments is expected despite slower to get higher beeconomic expancause of the ansion in the first ticipated status. quarter this year.

When we become an upper middle-income country and we get Pernia said “We have set credit ratings upgrades, we will get there is a grace back by a year the lower commercial rates in the period of two to the likelihood of global financial market. three years from becoming an upthe time the per middle councountry achieves try to next year, the status before perhaps because of the setback in our growth gross national income (GNI) changes in terms and conditions performance in the first quar- per capita of USD3,996 to of lending agreement take effect.

“When we become an upper USD12,375. ter,” he said in a press briefing.

The Philippine GNI per cap- middle-income country and Pernia said it is still possible we get credit ratings upgrades, to hit the goal of achieving such ita reached USD3,830 in 2018.

As the country graduates to we will get the lower commerstatus in 2019, “but I think it’s upper middle income by 2020, cial rates in the global financial going to be surer next year.”

The country’s gross domestic Pernia, the National Economic market,” he added. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

product (GDP) expanded by 5.6 percent in January to March, its slowest growth rate recorded since 2015, due to delayed passage of the 2019 national budget.

In the World Bank’s classification, upper middle-income economies are those with a

Business

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2019

31

Pfizer, Mylan strengthen ties, Innovation, technology create new company boosts economic growth: NEDA

BY LINDA A. JOHNSON The Associated Press PFIZER, THE country’s largest drugmaker, is creating a hybrid new drug company by combining its off-patent branded drug business with the generic pharmaceutical company Mylan.

Pfizer’s Upjohn, which sells one-time blockbusters like Viagra and Lipitor that have lost patent protection, will be spun off and then it will combine with Mylan, a $10 billion company.

The complex deal, expected to close in the middle of next year, will create a company with estimated 2020 revenue in excess of $19 billion, with sales in more than 165 countries. The name for the new company has yet to be determined.

The two companies have worked together for years.

Pfizer manufactures Mylan’s EpiPen, an auto-injector used to halt life-threatening allergic reactions. Mylan was heavily criticized, and its CEO Heather Bresch was brought before Congress two years ago, to answer questions about the price of the EpiPen, which had jumped fivefold to $600 for two EpiPens.

They have been in short supply for more than a year because of quality problems and upgrades at a Pfizer factory.

Upjohn, the name of one of the companies Pfizer gobbled up during a spate of acquisitions in the 1990s and 2000s, sells off-patent and generic drugs that include the stars that drove Pfizer’s growth: pain killers Celebrex and Lyrica, Norvasc for high blood pressure, Effexor for severe heartburn, Xanax for anxiety and Zoloft for depression.

Those products and others had been part of Pfizer’s “essential health” business, but were peeled off in January to create Upjohn as a precursor to the combination plan.

“We believe that this transaction checks all the boxes,” said Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla.

The executive, who took over in January, said in an interview that Pfizer’s huge sales force in China will be able to boost sales there of products made

by Mylan, which has a limited

BY LESLIE GATPOLINTAN Philippine News Agency

Pfizer building in Brooklyn.

presence in that huge market.

Mylan is primarily a generic drugmaker, selling a broad mix of pills and shots for infectious diseases and heart conditions.

Bourla said Mylan also has a strong pipeline of drugs in development, mainly complex generics that are difficult to manufacture and biosimilars, near-copies of expensive biologic drugs.

The strengthening ties between Pfizer and Mylan come at a precarious time for big drugmakers, who face enormous pressure to cut high prices for brand-name drugs. Also, Pfizer just got generic competition to one of its biggest sellers, Lyrica.

Likewise, years of pressure from wholesalers to reduce prices for generic drugs, which comprise most of Mylan’s portfolio, have crimped its profits and driven its share price down 50% in the past year.

That enabled Pfizer to “combine businesses at a more attractive price,” Edward Jones analyst Ashtyn Evans said, adding that Pfizer has wanted to become a smaller, more innovative company and now has a strong pipeline of experimental new drugs.

“Growth from new, innovative products will have a bigger impact,” she said, “growing off a smaller base.”

Pfizer Inc. investors will be getting shares in the new company tax free — and that entity will be offering a dividend as well.

Shareholders of Pfizer will receive 0.12 share of the new company for each Pfizer share

MATTHEW RUTLEDGE / FLICKR, CC BY-NC 2.0

they hold and will own 57% of the combined new company; Mylan shareholders will own 43%, receiving one share of the new company for each of their Mylan shares.

Mylan shares jumped on the news, closing up $2.32, or 12.6%, at $20.78. Pfizer shares, down from a $46 high late last year, fell $1.64, or 3.8%, to $41.45.

The new company will be incorporated in Delaware and run operations in Pittsburgh, Hyderabad, India, and Shanghai, Upjohn’s current base.

Mylan, which had moved its legal location from Pennsylvania to Hertfordshire, England, will legally move back to the U.S. Pfizer is based in New York. Pfizer spent several years unsuccessfully trying to buy drugmakers based in lower-tax European countries so it could move there on paper and reduce its U.S. tax bill, finally giving up after the U.S. tax overhaul last year changed the economics of such a manoeuvr.

The new company will be run Michael Goettler, now head of Upjohn, and will have Mylan’s current board chairman, Robert Coury as its executive chairman. Bresch, the Mylan CEO, will retire when the deal closes.

Upjohn currently brings in roughly 23% of Pfizer’s total sales, which amounted to $53.6 billion last year.

Upjohn will issue $12 billion of debt at or prior to separation, with gross debt proceeds kept

by Pfizer. The new company will have about $24.5 billion of total debt outstanding at closing. ■ www.canadianinquirer.net

He cited the Department of Budget and Management and the Department of Science and Technology that have estabMANILA — Socioeconomic lished a Project Digital Imaging Planning Secretary Ernesto for Monitoring and Evaluation, Pernia has stressed the need to which monitors government vigorously advance the coun- projects through light detectry’s science, technology and tion and ranging technology, innovation (STI) agenda, which satellites, and drones. is key to economic growth and Pernia further noted Presiimproving the quality of life of dent Rodrigo Duterte’s order in Filipinos. his recent State-of-the-Nation Speaking in Business Intel- Address (SONA) to streamline ligence and Data Analytics government transactions and Forum and Showcase on Fri- processes and cut the red tape day, Pernia said building STI through the use of digital techecosystem is nology. relevant as the “Developing government emour capability to barks on efforts adopt, produce, to strengthen and utilize these science and techWe need types of technolto upgrade nology. ogies will allow our IT He pointed out us to not only infrastructure, that the Philipraise our ecocreate pines can benefit nomic growth networks and immensely from potential but database the adoption of also improve interdigital technolthe lives of our operability ogy such as anapeople through between lytics, which can quality public and among help organizaservices,” he agencies, tions efficiently added. and produce and immediately The NEDA a skilled identify probchief said techand nimble lems, come up nological inworkforce with solutions, novations can that can and even create further upgrade optimize the new goods and particularly the use of these services. information emerging “For us in the technologytechnologies. public sector, business process there is much to outsourcing (ITbe done in terms BPO) industry, of fully utilizwhich thus far ing data analythas contributed ics. We need to about 10 percent catch up with science, technol- to the country’s gross domestic ogy and innovation. We need to product (GDP) and 15 percent upgrade our IT infrastructure, to formal employment. create networks and database He further underscored the inter-operability between and important role of academics, among agencies, and produce such as scientists and engia skilled and nimble workforce neers, in the supply side of the that can optimize the use of STI ecosystem. these emerging technologies,” “But to make the ecosystem he said. alive and functional, there must Pernia, also Director-Gen- be demand for what scientists eral of the National Economic and engineers produce—i.e., and Development Authority the demand on the side of the (NEDA), said the government private sector—business peohas been actively improving ple, including industrialists, its systems and is shifting to e- entrepreneurs, and capitalists,” governance. he added. ■

32

Technology Are Facebook users better off after its $5 billion fine?

BY MATT O’BRIEN The Associated Press IF YOU’RE one of Facebook’s more than 2 billion users, are you any better off now than you were before the Federal Trade Commission imposed new privacy restrictions and a $5 billion fine on the company this week?

Facebook’s settlement with the FTC after the agency’s yearlong investigation provides a detailed account of the company’s sneaky behaviour and secures a handful of new safeguards, many of them backward-looking. They limit how Facebook shares some data with third-party app developers, circumscribe the collection of phone numbers for advertising purposes and require “clear and conspicuous” notice before people’s photos and videos are subjected to facial recognition technology.

But privacy experts say there’s little that will slow Facebook’s harvesting of vast amounts of sensitive personal information. That data is key to how the tech company makes a profit through targeted advertising — and Facebook has a spotty record of protecting it.

“It will take us quite a while to figure out whether this will have any effect on how Facebook does its business,” said Michelle Richardson, director of privacy and data for the Center for Democracy and Technology.

“These are small, incremental changes. There’s no easy advice to give individuals about any switch they can flip to make the privacy risks go away.”

Richardson said it’s possible that accountability measures imposed on Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who must personally certify compliance, may give the company pause before launching new services that could threaten users’ privacy or data security.

But she said the FTC’s order lacks firm rules that could have guided how Facebook uses and shares the information it collects.

That’s in part because, unless Congress follows through with proposals to enact a comprehensive federal privacy law, the FTC has little authority to police online privacy concerns, she said.

The deal also absolves Facebook of any known consumerprotection claims prior to June 12, effectively wiping the slate clean of past privacy violations.

Yale Privacy Lab researcher Sean O’Brien said FTC’s limited penalties will enable Facebook to publicly say it is changing course while maintaining an illusion of privacy. It may bolster the ranks of privacy-focused managers and executives, he said, and could add new menu items to the platform’s already confusing settings, “which most users never change anyway.”

The company has also made a public push for improving the privacy of conversations on its WhatsApp, Messenger and Instagram chatting services, but O’Brien said it won’t give up spying on far more valuable information about users’ online behaviour and social lives.

“Facebook has surveillance at the core of its business model, which is the monetization of

data profiles about humans and about human social interaction,” he said. “Far too many companies are making money off of Facebook and the data economy in general for there to be fundamental change.”

FTC’s ruling fell along partisan lines, with its three Republican commissioners voting in favour of the punitive actions, including the $5 billion fine, which goes to the U.S. Treasury’s general fund. The two Democrats dissented because they wanted tougher restrictions and penalties. Republicans argued they couldn’t have done much more without a difficult legal battle.

While the commissioners disagreed on how to penalize Facebook, the FTC’s formal legal complaint makes clear what is at stake for users and outlines years of deception following a 2012 FTC consent order that was supposed to curb Facebook’s privacy abuses.

Wednesday’s complaint noted that over 100 million Americans “use Facebook every day to share personal information, such as their real name, date of birth, hometown, current city, employer, relationship status, and spouse’s name, as well as sensitive personal information, such as political views, sexual orientation, photos of minor children, and membership in health-related and other support groups.”

The complaint also points to research showing a user’s “likes” of public Facebook pages “can be used to accurately predict that user’s personality traits, sometimes better than the user’s own

www.canadianinquirer.net

friends and family.”

The complaint said third-party apps given access to much of that data by Facebook were by September 2013 sucking out vast quantities of personal information, with a Facebook audit finding that a single app made more than 450 million data requests in a 30-day period. The volume was so great, according to the complaint, that it led one Facebook employee to comment, “I must admit, I was surprised to find out that we are giving out a lot here for no obvious reason.”

Only after March 2018, when the Cambridge Analytica privacy scandal broke, did Facebook begin a “massive cultural shift” to enforce its own publicly stated policies designed to protect user privacy, the complaint said. Prior to that, even after claiming it cut off all developers in April 2015, the company let several dozen “whitelisted” partners suck up data that “Facebook knew consumers might be sensitive to sharing” without their knowledge or consent, it added. Microsoft and Sony continued to have access to certain data until Facebook publicly cut them off after the settlement announcement

Wednesday.

Even with the piecemeal restrictions the FTC did impose, O’Brien said it’s possible the company can find enough wiggle room to work around them. He is particularly skeptical about the FTC’s requirement that Facebook provide “clear and conspicuous” notice on how it is using facial recognition technology and obtain “affirmative express consent” from users if it expands the use of facial recognition beyond what it has previously disclosed. The FTC imposed that restriction after finding that Facebook broke a similar promise last year when it updated its data policy in a way that misrepresented the extent to which consumers could opt out of facial recognition.

Besides, after years of people tagging friends’ faces as they uploaded photos onto the social network, the company already has a valuable repository of images stored in its data centres.

“It’s closing the barn door after the horse is gone,” O’Brien said. ■ AP Technology Writer Frank Bajak contributed to this report.

Technology

FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2019

33

Chronic pain patients use app to help manage symptoms in clinical trial

BY CASSANDRA SZKLARSKI The Canadian Press TORONTO — Chronic neck, back and shoulder pain have forced Terry McLaughlin to take narcotics in order to function but the 64-year-old says he’s loathe to become dependent on opioids.

And so the northern Ontario man says he diligently logs his pain level on a mobile app that can also record sleep habits and activity level.

He says it keeps him from increasing his dosage, and helps him understand what triggers his symptoms and why.

“The more I communicate with the app the better it is for me because I can always go back and see, ‘OK, this has helped me. How do I make it better? If (my pain level) is a seven today, let’s try to make it a six tomorrow,”‘ says McLaughlin, adding that sleep quality as well as temperature and humidity can affect whether he has a good day or a bad one.

“You know what you did wrong and you correct it because you don’t want to have to take that pill early.”

McLaughlin lives in Val

Gagne, Ont., about an hour east of Timmins and 20 minutes south of Iroquois Falls, where his doctor is based.

He’s among 250 patients taking part in a clinical trial testing whether the app can help manage chronic pain, with 84 of those patients drawn from the Iroquois Falls Family Health Team.

Although the project is still gathering data, principal investigator Dr. Atul Prabhu is bullish on early anecdotal evidence the app appears to help some patients control their pain, better communicate their suffering to their doctor, and open up to the idea of tapering medications.

He notes that most patients otherwise recount pain episodes from memory or scattered notes, and that may be further distorted by other factors such as discomfort or exhaustion from their commute if they live far from the doctor’s office.

Too often, these accounts only provide a snapshot of how the patient feels during their checkup, says Prabhu, a co-lead of the program, which uses the third-party app known as Manage My Pain that anyone can

download.

“We have no idea about how the patients are feeling at home, how are the patients’ trajectory on a day-to-day basis,” says Prabhu, deputy anesthetist-inchief at Toronto Western Hospital.

“If they woke up at 2 o’clock in the morning in pain, they

could punch that into the app and it would record so when they came to speak to one of my colleagues, they could say, ‘Here’s the proof, I was actually having pain and I’m better in the morning and I’m worse at night.”‘ Most of the study’s participants are patients at Toronto

Western Hospital, Toronto General Hospital and the Centenary Pain Clinic based out of the Rouge Valley Hyperbaric Medical Centre in Scarborough.

But researchers say the study is unique for including area residents of the far-flung Iroquois Falls, since such rural communities are rarely able to test new technologies or influence their development.

McLaughlin’s doctor says the app appears to be especially successful in the remote community of 4,500, where 2,000 patient visits in 2017 were related to chronic pain.

“When I first arrived in this town I had never seen so many people with chronic pain and high-dose opiates compared to the patients that I had seen in Vancouver,” says Dr. Auri Bruno-Petrina, who worked in family medicine for about seven years in Vancouver before joining the Iroquois Falls team in 2011.

“We don’t have the doctor retention to offer a continuity of care and see what are the other issues. Doctors come here and go within a year, so then oth❱❱ PAGE 36 Chronic pain

Apple buys Intel’s smartphone modem division for $1 billion

BY MICHAEL LIEDTKE The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — Apple is paying Intel $1 billion for the chip maker’s smartphone modem division in a deal driven by the upcoming transition to the next generation of wireless technology.

The agreement announced Thursday comes three months after Apple ended a long-running dispute with one of Intel’s rivals, Qualcomm. That ensured Apple would have a pipeline of chips it needs for future iPhones to work on ultrafast wireless networks known as 5G. The Apple-Qualcomm truce prompted Intel to abandon its attempts to make chips for 5G modems, effectively putting that part of its business up for

grabs.

Once the sale is completed later this year Apple will be picking up about 2,200 Intel employees and 17,000 wireless technology patents. Barring any complications, the deal is expected to close sometime between October and December.

Apple’s purchase of Intel’s smartphone modem patents and other technology could bolster its attempt to build its own line 5G chips and lessen its dependence on Qualcomm.

The Cupertino, California, has hammered out a licensing agreement with Qualcomm that carries through April 2025, with an option to extend for an additional two years after that.

Qualcomm is a pivotal supplier in the rollout of 5G, particularly in the U.S. That’s because President Donald Trump’s ad-

ministration has blacklisted another key 5G supplier, Huawei, as part of its trade war with China.

So far, 5G connections are only available in a few cities in the U.S., but they are expected to become more prevalent by next year. The faster networks will enable consumers with 5G devices to download movies in a matter of seconds and access other streaming services more quickly.

Apple isn’t expected to release an iPhone that works on 5G networks until September 2020, putting it behind rivals such as Huawei and Samsung, which already make handsets that work with the faster wireless technology.

“This is a clear ‘doubling down’ on 5G which remains at the centerpiece of the compawww.canadianinquirer.net

ny’s smartphone future,” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said of Apple’s deal with Intel.

The sale is a residue of Intel’s inability to catch up with Qualcomm in the business of making chips for smartphone modems. Intel spent the past decade trying to make inroads in that market, with its big move coming in 2011 when it bought Infineon Technologies’ smartphone modem division for $1.4 billion.

At one point, analysts believed Intel’s smartphone modem business was worth billions of dollars, but that valuation plummeted as it became clearer that the company was falling further behind in the 5G evolution. Investors still seemed pleased with the price that Intel fetched from

Apple. Intel’s stock gained 6% to $55.40 in extended trading after the deal was announced while Apple shares dipped a penny to $207.01.

Apple rarely spends a lot on acquisitions, preferring to snap up startups for relatively small sums. The price it’s paying Intel ranks this deal among its largest besides its $3 billion takeover of Beats’ headphones and music streaming service in 2014.

The Intel deal could spur speculation that Apple may be more open to making big acquisitions as it looks for new avenues for growth amid slowing demand for the iPhone, its main moneymaker for the past decade. Apple can easily afford to wheel and deal, with $225 billion in cash at the end of March. ■

AUGUST 2, 2019

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35

Travel Taste of the Tour: Keeping wolves at bay in the Alps

BY JOHN LEICESTER The Associated Press VALMEINIER, FRANCE — When members of the cheesemaking Bricard family say they’re working to keep wolves from the door, they mean it literally.

The mountain pastures where their milk-producing goats feed, high in the Alps where the Tour de France was reaching its climax this week, are also home to wolves that will gobble up tasty livestock animals if they get the chance.

Cyril Bricard says he’s already lost several sheep to the predators.

So he has sheepdogs Oursone and Nele standing guard.

Raised as pups to live with the Bricards’ flock, which they protect as fiercely as family, the chunky dogs with a don’t-messwith-me bark roam with the goats as they nibble on wildflowers and mountain grasses that lend their flavour to the Bricards’ rich, tasty cheeses.

Also lending a paw is Follow, a zealous Border Collie extremely serious about his job of herding the goats to wherever the Bricards want them to go.

Goats that don’t move swiftly — Look sharp! On the double!

— out of the milking pen after their udders have been emptied of warm, creamy milk risk a nip at the heels from the bossy dog.

“The dogs are very important for us,” Bricard said. “Both the guard dogs that protect the flock against predators and the Border Collies that help move the flock and take the goats where we want them.”

“It’s true that we’d sometimes be in trouble without the dogs.”

Baguette and butter

A violent hailstorm threw the Tour into chaos on Friday, forcing organizers to cut short the nail-biting Stage 19 in the high Alps because riders were speeding headlong toward a road suddenly blocked by slush, torrents of water and a rockslide.

Unable to reach the planned finish at the ski station of Tignes, organizers decided that riders’ placings would instead be based on their time at the top of the highest mountain pass of this Tour — the Iseran, at 2,770 metres (9,090 feet) above sea level — which leading riders, but not all of the field, had just scaled when the race was stopped.

And just like that, Colombian rider Egan Bernal found himself in the yellow jersey. He flew away from Julian Alaphilippe on the climb and reached the top 2 minutes, 10 seconds ahead of the Frenchman, who had held the race lead for a total of 14 days. Exceptionally, there was no winner of Stage 19, because no one reached the finish.

Bernal now leads Alaphilippe by 48 seconds. Defending champion Geraint Thomas is third, 1:16 behind his Ineos teammate Bernal.

Stat of the day

4. The number of Tours de France that French rider Thibaut Pinot has failed to complete. A podium finisher in 2014, Pinot abandoned the race in tears on Stage 19, hobbled by a muscle injury in his left thigh, killing French hopes that he could win in Paris on Sunday.

Next on the menu

A final day of climbing in the Alps and the last opportunity for rivals to dislodge Bernal from the race lead before the finish on the Champs-Elysees.

Stage 20 culminates with a long uphill to the ski station of Val Thorens. ■

‘Chernobyl’ miniseries sends curious tourists to Lithuania

BY LIUDAS DAPKUS The Associated Press VISAGINAS, LITHUANIA — An HBO miniseries featuring Soviet-era nuclear nightmares has sparked global interest in the 1986 Chernobyl disaster and boosted tourism in Lithuania.

The Baltic country, which served as the filming location for “Chernobyl,” has become a destination of so-called atom-

ic tourism since the program aired earlier this year.

At Ignalina nuclear power plant, Mikhail Nefedyev was staring grimly at the row of blinking green lights on a control panel when another group of curious visitors poured into his realm. The 64 year-old engineer explained to them what exactly happened when a similar reactor exploded in Chernobyl, Ukraine, 33 years ago.

The Ignalina plant is of the same prototype as the one in

Chernobyl. It has similar blueprints and the same watercooled graphite-moderated reactors with a capacity of 1,500 megawatts of power. Ignalina was shut down a decade ago.

Closing and decommissioning it were key conditions of Lithuania’s entry to the European Union in 2004.

In 1986, Lithuania, then part of the Soviet empire, was one of the republics affected by the ❱❱ PAGE 36 ‘Chernobyl’ miniseries

www.canadianinquirer.net

El Nido rehab sans closure still viable: DOT

BY JOYCE ANN L. ROCAMORA Philippine News Agency MANILA — The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Friday said the rehabilitation of El Nido, Palawan is still possible without closing some of its beaches identified by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) with a high level of fecal coliform.

In a letter dated July 15, the DILG asked the DOT and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to convene the El Nido InterAgency Rehabilitation Task Force to discuss the clean-up of Bacuit Bay and Corong-Corong Outfall and its possible closure to avoid the risk of tourists and locals contracting diseases.

“We have yet to receive the report. But I will be meeting with Secretaries (Roy) Cimatu and (Eduardo) Año on August 1, and this will definitely be part of the agenda,” DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a text message.

“But as of now, from the DOT’s perspective, a rehabilitation without closure is the most

viable recommendation,” she added.

In the letter, Año reported that at least 3.4 million most probable number/ 100 milligrams on fecal coliform level have been found in the water samples taken from one of the outfalls in CorongCorong and Bacuit Bay. The two shorefronts’ “dreadful condition” was compounded by the presence of informal settler families, non-enforcement of easement regulations on outfalls, and unregulated drydocking and mooring activities, the DILG chief added.

Upon requesting the task force to convene, Año said Bacuit Bay and Corong-Corong Outfall may “potentially” be closed from water activities to preserve the area and prevent the contraction of diseases.

In 2018, the national government has immediately looked out for environmental violators in major destinations in the country, and at the same time, pushed and advocated for sustainable tourism after the Boracay rehabilitation.

Last November, the DENR set a six-month timeline for the local government to rehabilitate El Nido. ■

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nuclear disaster. Thousands were sent to clean up the mess in Chernobyl. Many of them

are dead.

Today, the nuclear disaster is helping Lithuania grow as a tourist destination.

“Chernobyl,” a highly-rated miniseries, continues to send curious watchers to the filming locations in the capital Vilnius and at Ignalina, where glowing uranium rods cool in concrete pools.

The plant, which is still open for tourists, drew 2,240 visitors in 2018. By July, 1,630 had visited the plant. And demand is growing, plant officials said.

“They have made a good movie, I guess. But what happened long ago does not bother us now. I think looking backward is not good,” Nefedyev said, after explaining how the RBMK-type reactor blew up.

Tourists who come to this Baltic coastal country of 3 million to see the HBO filming locations first visit the KGB museum in downtown Vilnius where interrogation scenes were shot.

They are taken to a Soviet-era district of gray condos built in the mid-1980s that look somewhat like Pripyat, a nuclear city that served the Chernobyl plant.

“People come to see these places that we never used to promote. This is very new and unusual to see them not in the Old Town taking photos of Baroque churches, but sporting selfies here,” said Inga Romanovskiene, general manager at Go Vilnius agency.

Already a popular movie-making destination, Lithuania has benefited economically from the HBO miniseries.

The amount of foreign capital spent on filming reached 45.5 million euros

($50.6 million) last year.

After locations in Vilnius, atomic tourists may opt to travel 160 kilometers (100 miles) north and join a threehour tour of the nuclear plant. They are given dosimeters, plastic helmets, white clothes and shoes before venturing through a maze of long, poorly lit corridors, reactor halls, turbine hangars and the control center with the red button which was pushed just before the explosion. Cellphones, cameras, eating, drinking and smoking are strictly off limits.

The plant tour costs 67 euros (75 dollars) per person and tickets are sold until Christmas, said Natalija Survila, spokeswoman for Ignalina power plant.

Lynn Adams, a 49-year-old psychotherapist, came from the United Kingdom to see the whole thing with her own eyes.

“It feels like you are stepping back into one of the scenes actually. It’s very, very authentic. And I remember seeing about Chernobyl on the news, but I’m so much more interested in what happened and the events having seen the drama series.

So I think it has kind of ignited an interest that I wasn’t aware of at the time,” Adams said after the visit to a Soviet-era district, used by HBO as a filming location for Pripyat.

Antanas Turcinas was among those sent to Chernobyl weeks after the disaster. He hopes the buzz from the miniseries leads to better care for survivors.

“This movie has brought back old memories. Emotions are very strong, because in 1986 we did not understand what we faced. I am happy to be still alive,” he said. ■

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er doctors keep prescribing what’s already on without fully assessing.”

She says at least 60 of her patients have joined the trial, which began in January 2018, and estimates that half have scaled back their pain medications.

The patients range in age from 40s to 80s, with most in their 60s, she says.

“Several patients of mine are tapering off opiates because they are realizing the pain medication is not helping them.

There are other things in their lives that are triggering pain,” she says, listing problems that mostly involve chronic back pain, but also myofascial pain and arthritic pain.

“Then I look at what part is affected — is it real pain or is it depression or is it more anxiety or sleep disturbance?

Then I start to treat the other things first without even touching the pain medication because I know that’s not the problem. And they agree because

www.canadianinquirer.net

they can see the data — they entered the data, not me.”

Patient entries are automatically available for her to review, and BrunoPetrina can generate charts for quick analysis before seeing the patient in person. And because the data is accessible through a portal, other specialists the patient may be referred to can view their medical history without them having to rehash it all.

Prabhu says the trial wraps Jan. 8, 2020, with analysis and results expected to begin rolling out later that year.

In the meantime, Bruno-Petrina is buoyed by noticeable changes in her patients’ ability to better understand their own symptoms, and the stronger bonds she’s forged with them.

“What they really like is that I can see their pain,” she says. “That’s how they say it to me — ‘Oh, now you can finally see my pain.’” ■

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Food For this roasted salmon, skip the butter and go for relish AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN IT’S NO wonder salmon is one of the most popular fish. Its flesh is rich-tasting, thanks to high levels of heart-healthy oils, and it takes well to many treatments. The key is to avoid overcooking it, especially wild salmon, which is leaner than farmed.

Our hybrid roasting method solved this by heating the oven to 500 F before dropping the temperature to 275 F. The initial blast of heat firmed the exterior and rendered some fat while the fish gently cooked.

Salmon is often roasted in butter, but we wanted a healthier approach that would contrast with the fish’s richness. So we made a bright tangerine relish perked up with spicy ginger.

Skin-on salmon fillets hold together better during cooking.

If you can’t find tangerines, you can use oranges. If your salmon is less than 1 inch thick, start checking for doneness early. If using farmed salmon, cook until thickest part of fillet registers 125 F. Oven-roasted salmon with tangerine and ginger relish

Servings: 4 Start to finish: 35 minutes

Salmon: 4 (4- to 6 ounce) skin-on wild-caught salmon fillets, 1 inch thick 1 teaspoon cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil Salt and pepper Relish: 4 tangerines, rind and pith removed and segments cut into 1/2 inch pieces (1 cup) 1 scallion, sliced thin 2 teaspoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons cold-pressed ex-

tra-virgin olive oil 1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger Salt and pepper For the relish: Place tangerines in fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl and drain for 15 minutes.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon tangerine juice from bowl.

Whisk in scallion, lemon juice, oil, and ginger. Stir in tangerines and season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the salmon: Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place aluminum foil-lined rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 500 F. Pat salmon dry with paper towels, rub with oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Once oven reaches 500 F, reduce oven temperature to 275 F. Remove sheet from oven and carefully place salmon, skinside down, on hot sheet. Roast

until centre is still translucent when checked with tip of paring knife and registers 120 F (for medium-rare), 4 to 6 minutes.

Slide fish spatula along underside of fillets and transfer to individual plates or serving platter, leaving skin behind; discard skin. Top with relish

and serve. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 283 calories; 115 calories from fat; 13 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 78 mg cholesterol; 356 mg sodium; 13 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 10 g sugar; 29 g protein.

A summer tomato gratin with bright flavour and no mush AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN

A SUMMER tomato gratin should burst with concentrated, bright tomato flavour and contrasting firm texture from the bread, but most recipes lead to mushy results. Not this one.

Starting our gratin on the stovetop initiated the breakdown of the tomatoes, drove off some moisture that would otherwise have sogged out the bread, and shortened the overall cooking time. We finished the dish in the dry, even heat of the oven.

Toasting large cubes of a crusty artisan-style baguette ensured that the bread didn’t get too soggy once combined with the tomatoes. After toasting the bread, we added the coarsely chopped tomatoes as well as garlic, a small amount of sugar, and salt and pepper. Just before www.canadianinquirer.net

moving the skillet to the oven, we folded in most of the toasted bread and scattered the remainder over the top along with some Parmesan to create a crusty, savory topping that contrasted with the custardy interior.

A scattering of fresh basil provided colour and bright flavour. The success of this recipe depends on using ripe, in-season tomatoes. Do not use plum tomatoes, which contain less juice than regular round tomatoes and will result in a dry gratin. You can serve the gratin hot, warm, or at room temperature. You will need a 12-inch oven-safe skillet for this recipe.

Best summer tomato gratin

Servings: 6-8 Start to finish: 1 hour, 15 minutes ❱❱ PAGE 38 A summer

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A summer... ❰❰ 37

• 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil • 6 ounces crusty baguette, cut into 3/4 inch pieces (4 cups) • 3 garlic cloves, sliced thin • 3 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into 3/4 inch pieces • 2 teaspoons sugar • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 teaspoon pepper • 1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (3/4 cup) • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 F. Heat 1/4 cup oil in 12-inch oven-safe skillet over mediumlow heat until shimmering. Add bread and stir to coat. Cook, stirring constantly, until bread is browned and toasted, about 5 minutes; transfer to bowl.

Cook remaining 2 tablespoons oil and garlic in now-empty skillet over low heat, stirring constantly, until garlic is golden at edges, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir in tomatoes, sugar, salt, and pepper. Increase heat to mediumhigh and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes have started

to break down and have released enough juice to be mostly submerged, 8 to 10 minutes.

Off heat, gently stir in 3 cups bread until completely moistened and evenly distributed.

Using spatula, press down on bread until completely submerged. Arrange remaining 1 cup bread evenly over surface, pressing to partially submerge.

Sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.

Transfer skillet to oven and bake until top of gratin is deeply browned, tomatoes are bubbling, and juice has reduced, 40 to 45 minutes. After 30 minutes, run spatula around edge of skillet to loosen crust and release any juice underneath.

(Gratin will appear loose and jiggle around outer edges but will thicken as it cools.)

Remove skillet from oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 301 calories; 148 calories from fat; 16 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 6 mg cholesterol; 740 mg sodium; 31 g carbohydrate; 4 g fiber; 7 g sugar; 8 g protein.

AUGUST 2, 2019

FRIDAY

How to a make a moist, chunky shrimp burger without the mush AMERICA’S TEST KITCHEN A GOOD shrimp burger should be first and foremost about the shrimp. Unfortunately, many shrimp burgers are more reminiscent of fish-flavoured rubber patties or over-seasoned bread balls than shrimp.

We set out to develop a recipe for our ideal shrimp burger: moist, chunky yet still cohesive, and with seasoning that complements the sweet shrimp flavour but doesn’t overpower it.

After early testing we decided we needed a combination of finely chopped shrimp to help bind the burgers, as well as some larger, bite-size chunks.

We achieved this texture with help from the food processor.

We wanted to use as little binder as possible, to avoid the soggy, mushy results we’d seen in other shrimp burgers that frequently used a combination of mayonnaise, egg, and bread crumbs. We kept the mayonnaise for the much-needed moisture and fat it added but left out the egg and decreased the bread crumbs.

Some minced scallion and parsley, lemon zest, and a touch of cayenne pepper rounded out the flavour of our burgers.

Grilled southern shrimp burgers

Servings: 4 Start to finish: 1 hour, 15 minutes Chef’s Note: Be sure to use raw, not cooked, shrimp here.

Dry the shrimp thoroughly before processing, or the burgers will be mushy. Handle the burgers gently when shaping and grilling; if overhandled while being shaped, the burgers will be dense and rubbery, and if handled roughly during cooking, they will break apart.

• 1 slice hearty white sandwich bread, torn into large pieces • 1/4 cup mayonnaise • 2 scallions, minced • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley • 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest www.canadianinquirer.net

BONBON / FLICKR, CC BY-SA 2.0

• 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1/8 teaspoon pepper • Pinch cayenne pepper • 1 1/2 pounds extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled, deveined, and patted dry • Vegetable oil Pulse bread in food processor to coarse crumbs, about 10 pulses. Transfer to small bowl.

Do not clean food processor.

Combine mayonnaise, scallions, parsley, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and cayenne in large bowl until uniform.

Pulse shrimp in now-empty food processor until some pieces are finely minced and others are coarsely chopped, about 7 pulses. Add shrimp to mayonnaise mixture and gently fold until just combined. Sprinkle bread crumbs over mixture and gently fold until incorporated.

Scrape shrimp mixture onto small baking sheet, divide into 4 equal portions, and loosely pack each into 1-inch-thick patty. Cover and refrigerate patties for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours.

For a charcoal grill: Open bottom vent completely. Light

large chimney starter threequarters filled with charcoal briquettes (4 1/2 quarts). When top coals are partially covered with ash, pour evenly over grill.

Set cooking grate in place, cover, and open lid vent completely. Heat grill until hot, about 5 minutes.

For a gas grill: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes.

Turn all burners to mediumhigh.

Clean and oil cooking grate.

Lightly brush tops of burgers with oil, lay them on grill, oiled side down, and lightly brush other side with oil. Cook burgers, without pressing on them, until lightly browned and cooked through, 10 to 14 minutes, flipping them halfway through grilling. Transfer burgers to platter, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving. ■ Nutrition information per serving: 300 calories; 171 calories from fat; 19 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 220 mg cholesterol; 1236 mg sodium; 7 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 24 g protein.

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FRIDAY AUGUST 2, 2019

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