Philippine Canadian Inquirer Issue #12

PHILIPPINE CANADIAN VOL. 5 NO. 12

TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012

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CANADA NEWS Prince Charles and Camilla to visit Canada in May as part of Diamond Jubilee ( On page 7 )

April By-Election Results Spark Need for More Ethnic Community Outreach ( On page 10 )

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada ( On page 11 )

Filipino-Canadian in Focus: Daphne Oseña Paez ( On page 21 ) Tourists follow a huge whale shark swimming near the surface of the plankton-rich water of Donsol, Sorsogon, which has become a prime tourist spot offering visitors a swim with the whale sharks. The Department of Public Works and Highways said it plans to allot P17 billion for infrastructure projects, including road improvements to major destinations including Donsol. Sizzling summer temperatures, however, may be scaring away these gentle giants. Please see story on page 3.

Labor: Not good enough P-noy slammed for disconnect with PH laborers

BY JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE & PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer THE “GOOD NEWS” that President Benigno Aquino III announced at his breakfast meeting with labor leaders on Labor Day was not good enough for workers.

The package of benefits that Mr. Aquino unveiled included an P11.2-billion educational assistance fund for members of the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System; a P1.1-billion scholarship program for the youth; and the advance release in June of P2.7 billion in salary increases for government employees.

“Another good news is that there will be a quarterly dialogue to discuss and address the demands of the workers,” said Budget Secretary Florencio Abad who announced the package of benefits before thousands of workers gathered at Don Chino Roces (formerly Mendiola) Bridge near Malacañang.

The President rejected calls for a P125 across-the-board increase for minimum wage earners, saying the economy could not afford

it, that it would scare off foreign investors and would lead to layoffs.

Some 15,000 members of the newly formed Nagka1sa coalition of labor groups gave Abad a courteous applause while he left the stage along with presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda and presidential adviser on political affairs Ronald Llamas.

A group of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) street sweepers were hardly impressed by Abad’s pronouncement.

“Promises again. I hope they make good on their word this time,” one of the street sweepers, who asked not to be named, said.

Lorna, 25, said MMDA street sweepers were paid P254.55 daily as contractual workers and had not been given a chance to be regular employees.

“I have been working here for three years.

We have to buy our own brooms and dustpans, and pay for our own uniforms,” she said.

Disappointed Lorna said that she was assigned to sweep

1,000 square meters of Edsa without hazard pay. “They promised to raise our daily pay to P404 last year but until now they have not.

The increase would have meant so much to our families,” she said.

The moderate Associated Labor UnionsTrade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALUTUCP) joined the Kilusang Mayo Uno (KMU), Partido ng Manggawa (PM) and Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino in castigating the President for his “disconnect” with the country’s laborers.

“President Aquino disappointed the thousands of workers who went to Mendiola waiting to hear his good news. He failed the workers and yet he doesn’t get it,” said Alan Tanjusay, ALU-TUCP advocacy officer.

Tanjusay said President Aquino’s computation to illustrate how unreasonable the [P125 across-the-board] increase for minimum wage earners was a signal to regional wage boards and Congress to thumb down any significant wage increase.

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More on page 5

Saskatchewan rejigs immigration rules to prevent abuse, protect foreign workers ( On page 22 )

Portrait of the Philippines in Ottawa show ( On page 24 )

Five Fun Summer Festivals in Edmonton, Festival City ( On page 27 )

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Erap: UNA will be constructive foe

THOSE WERE THE DAYS. Inauguration of Pres Benigno Aquino III and Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay on June 30, 2010 in Manila Philippines, with former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada in the background.

BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA Philippine Daily Inquirer VICE PRESIDENT Jejomar Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) will be part of the political opposition, albeit a “constructive” part, according to former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada.

The former president was asked about the fact that Mr. Aquino had been openly campaigning for Chief Justice Renato Corona’s removal and how this would affect his relationship with UNA allies who may not follow Malacañang’s line.

Estrada, one of the three senior leaders of the alliance, said President Aquino should not take it against the senator

judges identified with UNA if they should vote against the removal of Corona in the impeachment trial.

“That will not destroy our relationship with (the President’s) LP (Liberal Party),” Estrada told the INQUIRER in an interview at his residence in San Juan.

‘We’re not Liberals’ But what if the President did not feel the same way? Estrada replied: “So what?

We’re not Liberals.”

While the impeachment trial was in recess, news about UNA mobilizing its forces broke out, apparently in preparation for Binay’s presidential run in 2016.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, the presiding officer of the trial, is part of the UNA executive committee, along with Estrada and Binay. Another UNA stalwart is Estrada’s son Jinggoy Estrada, the Senate President Pro Tempore.

Estrada said that among the candidates being considered for UNA’S senatorial ticket in next year’s elections were Senators Gregorio Honasan and Francis Escudero. Both senators serve as judges in the Corona trial.

Enrile, Honasan and the younger Estrada form the so called “macho bloc” in the upper chamber. With them is Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III. Vote on evidence At a meeting of the UNA executive committee earlier this week, Estrada said Enrile told the group that the senators— by the Senate President’s reckoning— would vote solely based on evidence.

Estrada said that even his son was unsure about the general “temperament” of the public on whether to acquit or convict Corona.

“This involves the future of the country so party (affiliation) is only secondary,” Estrada said. “As I see it, the Senate President wants to leave a legacy. This is his last term. He is no longer running.”

Estrada said UNA would not interfere with the way the senators affiliated

with the alliance would vote in the impeachment trial.

“We will not take it against any member of the party,” he said.

In beefing up UNA’S roster, Estrada did not appear keen on inviting the Nacionalista Party into coalition. The LP is said to be eyeing its own alliance with the NP, the oldest political party in the country.

‘Where’s NP now?’

Estrada belittled any impact the NP might have on the chances of UNA bets winning in the midterm elections.

“Nakita mo kung saan pinulot yung mga Nacionalista in the last election?” he said, referring in particular to Sen. Manuel Villar, who landed third in the 2010 presidential race “despite spending billions.”

Estrada, who came in second to Mr. Aquino, noted that he got more votes than Villar despite supposedly spending “only P600 million.”

The former president was confident that his endorsement and that of Binay were enough to catapult UNA candidates to victory. He referred to a recent Pulse Asia survey that showed Binay as the top endorser. Mr. Aquino was second while Estrada came in third.

“We have a big advantage over all,” Estrada said. ■

Even whale sharks feel the summer heat

BY TJ BURGONIO

Philippine Daily Inquirer THE SIZZLING summer temperatures may be scaring away even the butanding (whale sharks) of Donsol Bay. While record numbers of tourists are hitting the beaches of Sorsogon this summer, there are fewer and fewer sightings of Donsol’s main draw—the gentle whale sharks, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature-Philippines. (WWF).

Donsol’s surface water temperature these days averages 28.3 degrees Celsius, 2 degrees warmer than the average 26.1 degrees Celsius recorded in the summer of 2010, the WWF said.

“Our initial findings seem to indicate that the whale sharks are staying in deep water, possibly to avoid the heat,” WWF whale shark expert Dave David said.

“They are also highly migratory creatures, so it is not easy to regularly predict their whereabouts,” he added.

The last time this phenomenon of fewer butanding sightings occurred was in the summer of 2001.

The human factor Apart from the warm sea surface temperatures, the WWF said the human factor could also have something to do with the elusiveness of the butanding this summer.

“Donsol now has far more visitors than it can handle. Coupled with the fact that sightings are decreasing, more and more

interaction violations are being reported,” WWF Donsol project manager Raul Burce said.

Some swimmers touch the sharks against the rules, and bancas tend to race one another whenever a shark is spotted, observed tourist Anton Lim. Under the rules, only a single boat of six swimmers is allowed per shark. Boats are allowed to tour for three hours at a time.

Swimmers should be 3 meters away from the whale shark’s body, and 4 meters away from its tail. They are allowed to interact with the butanding for 10 minutes, and they can neither touch nor use flash photography.

The WWF has called on tourists, boatmen and guides to stick by the guidelines. By respecting the rules, we’re minimizing our impacts on the ecosystem, especially the sharks,” said Burce.

State-of-the-art tracking “The policies were designed not just to protect the whale sharks, but tourists as well. A 30foot shark can accidentally swat a swimmer straying too close to its tail,” he said.

The WWF is attempting to track whale shark movements through state-of-the-art tracking monitors, instead of relying solely on the trained eyes of spotters.

“Using just your eyes can be difficult, particularly if it is raining or overcast,” said Allan Amanse, former president of the Butanding Interaction Officers Association.

“When it rains, the chance of a successful interaction drops,” he said.

The new trackers utilize stationary sonar modules, which bounce sound waves off all solid objects. Large creatures such as whale sharks or shoals of fish can easily be made out.

The trackers also monitor water temperatures, the WWF said.

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Tourist economy The giant butanding (Rhincodon typus), a member of the shark family though not carnivorous, make their annual visit to feed in the waters of Donsol during the first half of the year.

The main attraction are the plentiful plankton—the microscopic animal and plant organisms that float in open waters and are the main food source for fish and whales in Donsol during that time of year.

Though the whale sharks stop off in Donsol for only six months, their annual visit has given rise to a veritable tourist economy for the town residents of Donsol who are involved in organizing whale-watching activities.

Since the late 1990s, a multisectoral ecological program involving the private sector groups, including the WWF and government, has ensured that the whale sharks will continue to come. This involves, among other projects, the reforestation of the region’s mangrove forests which are needed for the plankton to flourish.

Habitat for fireflies One of the side benefits of sustaining the mangroves is the promotion of the habitat for fireflies which light up Donsol and its watery environs on dark nights.

With fewer sightings of the whale sharks these days, Donsol operators are now able to offer alternative firefly and mangrove tours for visiting tourists. ■

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11 future Olympians going to London

LONDON - Crowds visit the 2012 olympic countdown clock, on display in Trafalgar Square, London.

BY TARRA QUISMUNDO Philippine Daily Inquirer

THEIR goal: Go for gold.

In a few years, one of these 11 bemedalled youth athletes might actually bring home that elusive national dream of an Olympic gold.

The young athletes come closer to that dream as they fly to London in July to study—and have fun—at British boarding school. As an added reward, they get to watch the 2012 London Olympics.

A first in Philippine sports, top performers from the Batang Pinoy Philippine Youth Games last year will be flying to the United Kingdom for two weeks of summer school at St. Bede’s International School as scholars of the British Council Philippines and the British Embassy in Manila. The young athletes will stay in Britain from July 28 to Aug. 11. “It is my pleasure to promote an initiative that brings together the UK education system and perhaps our greatest passion—our passion for sports,” said British Ambassador to Manila Stephen Lillie.

Presenting the Filipino scholars to the press on, Lillie said the program “aims to inspire more young people into sports not just in Britain but all around the world.”

Lillie said the British government also hopes to give the athletes the chance to experience not only the physical benefits of sports but also the values the Olympics foster: respect, excellence, friendship.

“Who knows? The future Filipino gold medalist might just be in this very room,” Lillie said at the press launch held at the Manila Peninsula.

The initiative, implemented with the support of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and the MVP Sports Foundation, selected student athletes who have the potential to compete in the international level,” said PSC executive assistant Albert Almendralejo.

“This early, we’re trying to help them visualize what the Olympics is all about,” he said.

The first batch of scholars represents student athletes from across the country, all showing promise in sporting events Filipinos have long been known for, among them martial arts and boxing.

Aged 14 and 15, the chosen teens won multiple medals in the Batang Pinoy games while a few have also competed overseas. The youth games, open to in-

school and out-of-school youth aged 15 and below, aim to serve as a grassroots sports program to discover new sports talents.

Almendralejo said the athletes are being groomed for the 2014 Youth Olympics in China.

The scholars are: boxer Roberto Miguel Jalnaiz of Cagayan de Oro; triathlete Gabrielle Allen Santiago of Manila; taekwondo jin Irene Therese Bermejo of Bacolod City; swimmer Ariana Herranz of San Pablo City, Laguna; judo athlete (judoka) Floyd Derek Rillera of Baguio City; badminton champions Jon Edgar Reyes of Malolos, Bulacan and Joella Geva of Victoria, Laguna; thrower Garry Santiago of Guiguinto, Bulacan; runner Mary Anthony Diesto, also of Bacolod City; archer Bianca Cristina Gotuaco of Makati; and weightlifter John Kyle Macrohon of Zamboanga City.

The flight to London will be the first trip abroad for Rillera, the diminutive judoka from Baguio City.

“I’m excited because it’s my first time to go overseas,” said Rillera, the group’s smallest at 4’8”.

“I’m expecting that it will help me a lot in my studies although I’m a little anxious because it’s my first time to meet new friends from different countries.”

The trip is a dream come true for Laguna swimmer Herranz, who first dipped into the water at age 2 to cure her asthma. Years of training has since honed her as one of the country’s top young swimmers.

“It will serve as an exposure for us and give us the strength to train hard. It’s every athlete’s dream to go to the Olympics and we are going to be there to witness it,” Herranz said.

The Filipino athletes will be among some 1,500 students from around the globe who will gather at St. Bede’s, enjoying the school’s world class learning, sports and boarding facilities.

“You will make new friends, hear and speak English all day and learn from qualified teachers,” said Justine Gillie, St. Bede’s assistant principal.

London, which is hosting the Olympic Games for the third time, will draw some 10,500 athletes from 205 different countries who will compete in 302 medal events in 26 different sports, said Lillie. ■

CJ asked to explain $10M Ombudsman probing complaints vs Corona

BY JULIET LABOG-JAVELLANA Philippine Daily Inquirer ASIDE from his peso accounts and real estate properties, impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona allegedly has at least $10 million in bank accounts that the Ombudsman is now asking him to explain.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales, acting on several complaints filed with her office, asked Corona to explain in writing within 72 hours how he acquired several peso and dollar accounts, allegedly “grossly disproportionate” to his salary, in different banks.

The order was dated April 20 and served on Corona on April 23.

“This office finds that there is reasonable ground to proceed further with the conduct of an inquiry vis-vis the charges that you, during your incumbency as a public officer, accumulated wealth that is purportedly grossly disproportionate to your salary and other lawful income,” Morales said in the April 20 order, a copy of which was obtained by the INQUIRER. In addition, Morales said in the letter that she had received

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TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012 4

information that “there are several bank accounts in Psbank and several other banks in your (Corona’s) name, including those denominated in US dollars the aggregate value of which amounts to at least US$10,000,000.”

Through his lawyer, Ramon Esguerra, Corona responded with a terse four-point reply: (1) I do not own 10M. It simply does not exist. (2) It’s part of the black propaganda and mindconditioning preparatory to the resumption of trial on May 7. (3) No different from the phoney LRA [Land Registration Authority] list, phoney US property list, phoney surveys, phoney letters to the INQUIRER editor, etc., etc. (4) The Ombudsman has no jurisdiction over the Chief Justice.

Three complaints Invoking her powers under Republic Act No. 6770, which defines the powers and functions of the Office of the Ombudsman, Morales asked the Chief Justice to reply in writing to the complaints and to the information concerning his alleged accounts in several banks.

Morales cited three complaints filed against Corona before her office for violation of antigraft laws, invoking the Ombudsman’s power to investigate impeachable officers for serious misconduct, including violations of the RA 9194, or the Anti-money Laundering Act of 2001.

“They claim that you do not have the means to acquire properties in substantial amounts, supposedly considering your indicated net worth, modest means and salary as a Chief Justice,” the Ombudsman said in her letter to Corona.

Complainants Ruperto Aleroza, Gibby Gorres, Harvey Keh, Risa Hontiveros and Albert Concepcion sought to have Corona investigated for allegedly amassing “real and personal properties in significant amounts” and not declaring them in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) as required by law.

In a complaint dated Feb. 17, the complainants cited 10 pieces of real property which were presented by the House prosecution in Corona’s impeachment trial at the Senate. These include supposedly “posh” units at the Bellagio, Spanish Bay, The Columns, One Burgundy Plaza condominium developments and houses in the La Vista and Ayala Heights gated communities.

The complainants also cited Corona’s alleged 10 peso accounts and two dollar accounts at Philippine Savings Bank (Psbank) and five peso accounts with Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI).

A second complaint was filed on March 1 by party-list member Walden Bello (Akbayan), Earnest Francis Calayag, Moses Mikael SD Albiento and Tristan Diane Brioso Zinampan.

They claimed that Corona underdeclared the values of his real properties in his SALN and did not declare his property in La Vista, Quezon City, and in Mckinley Hills, Taguig.

They claimed that the actual value of his personal properties in the amount of P31,752,623.00 exceeded the declared value in his SALN by P27,252,623.09.”

“According to complainants, the real and personal properties supposedly owned by you and your family are manifestly out of proportion to your salary as public officer, as well as other lawful income, during your respective tenures as associate justice and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court,” the Ombudsman said.

A third complaint dated March 28 was filed by Emmanuel Tiu Santos who said Corona had unexplained wealth consisting of P24.6 million in five accounts at Psbank and P12 million with BPI. Santos, citing reports published in the INQUIRER, pointed out that Corona also withdrew P32.6 million on the day he was impeached.

Trial resumes “While you may only be removed from office through impeachment proceedings, this office has, as reflected earlier, the power and duty to investigate you for any serious misconduct in office for the purpose of filing a verified complaint for impeachment, if warranted. It was on this account that this Office conducted an initial evaluation on the complaints,the Ombudsman said.

The Ombudsman’s move comes as Corona’s impeachment trial at the Senate resumes after Congress returns from a sixweek Holy Week break.

It will be the turn of the defense to present its case for Corona.

The prosecution sought to subpoena Corona’s alleged dollar accounts, but the Supreme Court stopped the Senate from compelling the banks to submit documents on the alleged dollar accounts.

Corona has said he would open his bank accounts to public scrutiny in due time. ■

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Labor: Not ... Page 1 “It is also to project that he knows the issue very well when in fact he obviously doesn’t,” he added.

[In his computation, the President said the country could not afford the P125 across-the-board wage increase for 40 million workers as the amount would cost the economy a whopping P1.43 trillion.

4.3M unpaid workers Mr. Aquino was referring to the entire labor force of 40.3 million as of January 2012, both employed and underemployed. Among the 37.4 million who were employed were 4.3 million unpaid family workers, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO).

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz defended the President. “The President just can’t remove the present system of wage boards because that is the law,” she told reporters at the Department of Labor and Employment’s jobs fair in Pasay City.

Baldoz said wage boards in Metro Manila, the Ilocos Region, Central Luzon and the Cordillera Administration Region were tackling wage hike petitions and would come out with their decisions soon.

“The commitment of NCR [Metro Manila] is that they’ll come out with their decision within this month. Even if the anniversary of the last wage hike is still on May 26, they decided to already start with the public consultations,” Baldoz said.

‘Prosecution needs me vs Abalos’

BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer A KEY WITNESS in the electoral sabotage case against former Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. asked the poll body to reconsider its decision not to drop the election sabotage charge against her.

In a 20-page motion for reconsideration, former South Cotabato election supervisor Lilian Radam asked the Comelec to set aside its April 18 resolution, which denied her immunity from suit in exchange for turning state’s evidence.

Radam said that charging her together with Abalos would weaken the case against the former elections chief. She noted that even current Comelec Chair Sixto Brillantes Jr. had admitted that there was “no other direct evidence available for the proper prosecution” of Abalos.

“It is clear (that the Comelec resolution) sets up for failure the prosecution of the electoral sabotage case against accused Benjamin Abalos Sr.,” the petition read.

“Without the crucial testimony of Radam, opposing (Abalos petition for bail will be an uphill struggle for the prosecution,” it said.

Despite the Comelec resolution, the Department of Justice (DOJ) asked the Pasay Regional Trial Court to drop Radam as an accused in the electoral sabotage case.

The petition said the Comelec resolution was “form of harassment against Radam”

News-Phils Grace Lee luckier PM chairman Renato Magtubo said Grace Lee, the President’s “girlfriend,” was “far luckier than private sector workers” for Mr. Aquino had “surprises for (her) but no gifts for (workers) on Labor Day.” “The recently released ‘Global Wage Report’ of the ILO (International Labor Organization) notes that workers in the Philippines are among the lowest paid in the world and wages are falling still. But President Aquino remains deaf and blind to the call for salary increase,” Magtubo said.

He said low wages particularly afflicted women workers and even those with high educational attainment.

KMU said the administration had nothing to brag about the country’s employment situation, saying Mr. Aquino’s first full year in office witnessed a measly decrease in unemployment.

Security of tenure The labor center cited data for 2011 from the NSO showing a reduction in the ranks of the unemployed from 7.3 percent to 7 percent, amounting to a measly 100,000 reduction.

The KMU also said that the increase in the underemployed from 18.8 percent in 2010 to 19.3 percent in 2011—which translates to more than 186,000—showed that it was low-quality jobs which accounted for the slight increase in employment.

“Despite the growing clamor from workers and the poor, he refuses to junk contractualization and implement a significant wage hike. He blackmails workers voicing these demands with

the threat of massive layoffs,” KMU chairman Elmer Labog said.

At Chino Roces Bridge, most of the protesters, including government employees, food-chain employees, seafarers and hospital workers, clamored for the certification by the President of the security of tenure bill for the public and private sectors as urgent and for a reasonable wage increase.

Magtubo told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that while a P30 minimum daily wage increase would be good enough for a worker to buy a kilo of rice, P90 would be the most workers could ask for to afford a sack of the staple.

Letter for President It was Magtubo who personally handed a letter for the President to Abad’s group.

The letter listed at least six demands which included the immediate passage of the security of tenure bill to do away with contractualization; the President’s support for an across-the-board wage increases for the public and private sectors; repeal of the oil deregulation law and the energy and power industry reform act; and the prevention of violent demolitions in informal settlements.

Abad, addressing the protesters, repeatedly assured that the President would thoroughly study the wish list of the coalition.

who had been admitted into the DOJ’s witness protection program (WPP).

Violation of witness rights It said the resolution “encroached” on the DOJ’s rerogative to admit Radam into the WPP and violated the immunity granted to her when she was admitted into the program.

“By issuing such an order, the rights of the witness protected under the (Witness Protection Program Law) has been violated by the very agency—the Comelec—that used her testimony to indict the other accused in the case,the petition said.

It added that the Comelec had a “clear obligation” not to include Radamin the 11 criminal informations for electoral sabotage filed before the Pasay court.

The petition said that Radam applied for the WPP to gain immunity from prosecution while the DOJ secured her testimony for the successful prosecution of the electoral sabotage case.

“By virtue of (the April 18 Comelec resolution) which resolved not to file a motion to discharge Radam during the bail hearing, Radam’s immunity from criminal prosecution will be rendered meaningless,” the petition said.

“Certainly, Radam will be discouraged from testifying and in so doing deny the prosecution the much needed evidence to prosecute the electoral sabotage case against those responsible,” it added.

In ruling against her discharge, the majority of the Comelec commissioners faulted the DOJ for not first seeking Comelec approval for Radam’s admission to the WPP. ■

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Katherine Loh, the subregional secretary for Southeast Asia of the Public Services International, led a contingent of some 70 foreign labor leaders from several Asian countries to ask for the Asian Development Bank to take full responsibility for the energy crisis in Mindanao.

On right path Jeff Johnson, ILO country director, said the Aquino administration was “taking the right path” and was trying to find solutions for the country’s labor woes.

“This is no ordinary Labor Day. Many countries throughout the world had been facing a lot of challenges since the [global] economic crisis of 2008.

The challenge we’re facing here in the Philippines is how to turn growth and development into decent and productive work,” Johnson said in an interview at the World Trade Center in Pasay City where the jobs fair was held.

“Is the government on the right path?

Yes... They’ve acknowledged the problems and they’re looking at ways to address these. I also know the public can be frustrated, these things take time. Twentyfour months might seem like a lot (but) this administration in the last 24 months had got a lot of things started,” he said. ■ With report a from Julliane de Jesus, trainee

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Filipino nurses: excellent English, medical and technical proficiency, a caring bedside manner

Binay hits slur on PH nurses Racists, ill-informed

BY JERRY E. ESPLANADA Philippine Daily Inquirer

VICE PRESIDENT Jejomar Binay denounced Washington, DC Councilmember Marion Barry for his racist remarks against Filipino nurses working in US hospitals.

Describing Barry’s comments as “ill-informed” and “unfortunate”, Binay said in a statement that it is unfortunate that such negative sentiments would come from an American public official.

Binay took offense at Barry’s observation in a council budget hearing on that US hospitals were

Govt stops Boracay structures on Ati land

BY PHILIP C. TUBEZA Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE GOVERNMENT has barred three people from developing a beach-front property that is part of the Atis ancestral land on world-famous Boracay island.

In an order handed down on, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) granted a petition brought by the Atis and permanently stopped Rudy Banico, Gregorio Sanson, and Lucas Gelito from infringing on the Atisownership rights to the 2.1-hectare property in Barangay Manoc-manoc, Malay town.

The NCIP also ordered Banico, Sanson, and Gelito to stop from further building structures on the property, located on the southern end of the islandresort.

“That’s no longer theirs. They should not be constructing anything [there],” NCIP Chair Zenaida Brigida H. Pawid said in an interview.

The NCIP also requested the Department of the Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police to ensure the installation of the Atis, who moved into a portion of the property on April 17 despite development by the three claimants.

“They’ve been there,” Pawid said, explaining why there was no need for a formal installation.

Pawid clarified that the NCIP issued an order to install the Atis on the property, not a writ of possession.

In January 2011, the NCIP awarded a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title to the Ati tribe, the first inhabitants of the island, who brought a petition in 2000 to be given legal possession of their ancestral land. ■

TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012 6

teeming with immigrant nurses.

“It’s so bad that if you go to the hospital now, you find a number of immigrants who are nurses, particularly from the Philippines,” Barry said. “Let’s grow our own nurses so that we don’t have to be scrounging around in our community clinics and other kinds of places, having to hire people from somewhere else.”

Binay, who is also the government’s housing czar and presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers’ concerns, said Barry “needs to be reminded that the United States is a nation built on the sacrifices of immigrants.”

‘Filipinos contributed greatly’ He noted that Filipino nurses “have contributed greatly to providing health services to millions of Americans.”

“Filipino nurses are recognized for their dedication to their work and the special care and attention they provide to their patients. Public officials like

the former mayor should recognize that,” said Binay.

Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Cuisia condemned Barry’s comments, calling them “intolerant and narrowminded.”

Cuisia also criticized Barry’s “penchant for blaming Asians”, saying “it fuels racism, discrimination and violence.”

The National Federation of FilipinoAmerican Associations (Naffaa) and the Migrant Heritage Commission, both based in the US capital, assailed Barry for his “racist and bigoted” statements.

Naffaa chair Ed Navarra said they “reject this continued Asian bashing by elected officials like Mr. Barry and demand that he apologize for his insensitive and irresponsible remarks.”

The group also asked Barry to “engage in a meaningful dialogue with our community so we can better educate the broader American public about the significant contributions that our diverse immigrant communities have made to this country.” ■

Complacency killed soldiers, Thomas, mum on Panatag leader admits row, tears up speech

BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA Philippine Daily Inquirer

BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE LEADER of the military’s Northern Luzon command blamed complacency on the part of Philippine Army troops for the ambush staged by suspected communist New People’s Army (NPA) rebels that killed 11 soldiers and two civilians.

“Complacency was the culprit there. We were too relaxed and they sneaked up on us,” said Lt. Gen. Anthony Alcantara, commander of the Armed Forces Northern Luzon Command, noting that Ifugao was a relatively peaceful province.

“Our people in Ifugao are peace-loving. Those who sneaked up on us were not really from there, but of course, they had local contacts,” Alcantara said in an interview over dzbb radio.

Alcantara said the soldiers had a “false sense of security” that resulted in the bloodshed.

The military said sniper fire killed the driver of a military truck ferrying members of the Army’s 86th Infantry Battalion on as it passed through Sitio Buhyo, Tinoc town, between 7 and 8 a.m. on its way back to camp.

The driver lost control of the truck, which fell over a cliff.

The surviving soldiers engaged the rebels in battle. The two slain residents may have been caught in the crossfire, the police and military said.

“We know they’re (NPA rebels) a spent force as far as Nolcom is concerned. That’s why there are recruitment activities where they use children. They try to convince them and if they can’t, they coerce them into joining,” Alcantara said.

Alcantara added, however, that the recruitment was “controlled” because “nobody believes them anymore,” not even themselves.

Alcantara said he expected more NPA activities as the midterm elections in 2013 neared. “We know that every election, they get involved, in order to earn a little and extort a little,” he said.

“The AFP will definitely be deputized by the Commission on Elections to see to the peaceful conduct of the elections.

By August, we’ll do a thorough coordination for the election. We will prepare accordingly. We have enough forces,” he said. ■

HE MADE a show of tearing up his prepared speech, but US Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. remained guarded in his extemporaneous remarks at the closing of the Philippines-US “Balikatan” (shoulder-to-shoulder) exercises.

Thomas hardly mentioned the standoff in the Panatag Shoal between China and the Philippines, which had set the stage for the two-week military exercises in various parts of the country, including areas near the disputed waters of the West Philippine Sea. “Now I’ve made my staff very nervous because now they go, ‘what he is going to say?’” the ambassador said as he ripped up his notes, a gesture he said he imitated from former President Fidel V. Ramos.

But for a passing reference to an “assurance of the Mutual Defense Treaty” between the Philippines and the United States, Thomas did not make any controversial statements, quickly slipping out of the hall after the ceremony and avoiding reporters waiting at the door.

“I learned from my two years in the Philippines that we must conduct all of our activities with respect, with (an) alignment of our priorities, with assurance of our Mutual Defense Treaty and knowing that we work with, and under the wishes of, President Aquino and Secretary of Defense (Voltaire) Gazmin,” he said.

“So thank you for letting us conduct this wonderful 28th Balikatan exercise. We appreciate being here in your country,” Thomas added.

The two-week Balikatan exercises commenced on April 16 and involved some 4,500 American troops and 2,300 Filipino soldiers spread out in several towns. The annual joint exercises included war games in Puerto Princesa City on a bay facing sensitive pockets of the West Philippine Sea where China and the Philippines have a continuing diplomatic spat over certain disputed territories, among them Panatag Shoal, known internationally as Scarborough Shoal.

The standoff followed a series of other confrontations in the contested waters, with both sides trading accusations of intrusions on each other’s territories, particularly the resource-rich Spratlys, which is also being claimed by Taiwan, Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia. ■

www.canadianinquirer.net

7 TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012

News-Phils News-Canada

TUESDAY MARCH 20, 2012 10

A

their own guards CCTVshe cameras. government agency. He alsoChretien plannedastoCanada’s take over our provide representative to The doessecurity not want to beand identified, became Prince Charlescommunity, and Camilla toasmall visit To Los Baños Queen Dr. Trust, Enriqueincreasingly Tolentino depressed Jr., viceafter chancellor for farm in Quezon,” German said.Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee her arrival. which raises money for charities across the said the that recent also Ray was Jubilee the second UPLB student killed near the community affairs, It is believed she events becamemight homesick Canada May as part of Diamond a Ray ofin hope Commonwealth. need forwanted a highertobudget to put up UPLB campus. He was stabbed dead by unidentified justify the university’s and desperately go back to the

“Former prime minister Chretien is more dormitories inside the campus. robbers.

Philippines.

She even mentioned considering uniquely qualified to serve as Canada’s A few days before, high school student Rochel suicide if she was not able to go home. representative to the Diamond Jubilee Ray of hope Geronda, 14, was raped and killed in the same vicinity.

In RCMP Major Crimes Unit, the RCMP Trust,’’ Harper said in a news release.

LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA—Ray Bernard Peñaranda’s October last year, UPLB computer “UPLB is a very beautiful place, Section but I think it’s the science student Given Forensic Identification and Okotoks Mr. Chretien is a member of the Queen’s last conversation with his family was in a phone Grace Cebanico was raped and local officials’ responsibility to keep it safe.

We killed. have prestigious Order of Merit. His relationship RCMP who are investigating the case,really conference the night before he was killed. hope to find so weancan moveand on,”ruled German said.

“Ray was a very sweet son.

He Her would often give hisspans completed autopsy the case a with Majesty, which over 40 justice “His sister was telling him that they should graduate mother a massage and a manicure years,and includes official royalOn tours he police Friday, arrested CarlRCMP “Dactil” Guzman, wouldsix sometimes homicide.

Okotoks havede arrested and hosted during his time prime 27, minister.’’

■ charged together in 2013. I do not know if it was a premonition or sleep with us in our room,” German in Daraga, Albay, and on Peleaz, Thursday, said. “He wasasalso Carlos Bisana of 1stTyrone degree something, but Ray said he might not be able to do so,” very close to Anna because she was his idol.”

Kennedy Terbio, to girlfriend broadcaster murder19,forsurrendered the death of his on Britain’s Prince Charles and his56. wife Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall said Ray’s father, German, AprilPhilippine 25, 2012. National Police Director Filipino TFW Raffy Tulfo and At that PRESS time, German thought that Ray was again Outposts, CCTVs General Nicanor Bartolome. the one who Enrique’s next of Terbio, kin have been notified in CANADIAN Murdered Girlfriend Victoria in 1897. teasing his sister, Anna, 23, who was taking a master’s On March 12, student organizations led an indignation allegedly stabbed PeñarandaFilipinos in the living chest,inwas held the Philippines.

Okotoks welcome the royal couple and look BY MARIETTA PANGAN-DUTKOSKI OTTAWA - Prince Charles and Philippines his wife in“We degree at the University of the Diliman, of theupon Laguna police office in rally. Ray’s classmates shared testimonies about their lost at the detention werecell shocked learning that their close Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, are coming forward to showing them some of the best PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER Quezon City. But the next call the family received on Sta. Cruz town, said Laguna police director Senior friend. knit community has suffered such a tragic loss. to Canada next month as part of the of what Canada has to offer.’’

Sunday fromJubilee Ray’s celebrations. friend, telling them While about his Superintendent GilbertWade CruzSparks on Friday.

De behalf Guzman “WeCharles condemn these tragic and senseless deaths.

S/Sgt. said, “On of OKOTOKS, ALBERTA - A dream has been in Canada, and Camilla Queen’s was Diamond death. allegedly drove the suspects’ motorcycle.

We will not stop until justice is served no matter how the citizens of Okotoks, and in particular, The royal couple will visit Canadian will meet young veterans at Gagetown and tragically cut short two weeks after a Filipino German, agricultural engineerN.B., and like wife, leadership Terbio and the De Filipino Guzmancommunity were named confessed long it may said chancellor Dr. Rex Cruz at the here, by I am pleased thehis national of thetake,” Assembly of TFW arrived Forces Base an Gagetown in Oromocto, in Okotoks.

Flordeliza, 53, a professor at University of Rizal System lookout Joseph Beltran, who earlier surrendered to rally attended by around 200 students.

Saint John, Toronto and Regina from May First Nations in Toronto, attend Victoria At 2:00 p.m. on April 17, 2012, Okotoks that we were able to bring resolution to this Day fireworks a War of 1812 20Tanay, to 23. Rizal, The theme of the in said Ray did tour goodisin“For his academics and andAnother three suspects facedshort robbery with rally event wasin setPolice with Bayan Muna thein police. in a now relatively time span. responded to a disturbance a condoAllinvestigation and attend a performance by the Queen and Country: Service to Canada - a Toronto, was a candidate for cum laude in agriculture at UP Los homicide charges at a court in Calamba City, said Cruz.

Representative Teddy Casiño, a UPLB alumnus, as Our deepest condolences go out to the family complex in the Cimmarron area. They Regina Symphony Orchestra. royal and a national value.’’

Baños (UPLB). remains werebut buried a can public guest.

Ms. Enrique, I hope thatatthey take discovered Marites Teresa ReyesGeronda’s Enrique, of Moore says the trip will cost less than $1 This will be Charles’ 16th visit to In fact, Ray was supposed to be awarded his cemetery in Barangay (village)inAnos Los Baños on During the meeting of thealong multisectoral Peacestill andalive, some consolation the in fact that charges with a male, but with million, before security costs are factored Canada and They certificate as Camilla’s a college second scholar tour. (dean’s lister) during the Order Council, the municipalserious Wednesday, while Ray’s burial took place Sunday at government of Los Baños have now been laid.

Okotoks is a very safe stab wounds. EMS rushed them to in. The minister says their last trip cost last visited in 2009.

103rd founding anniversary of the UPLB $1.76 College of Haven of Rest Memorial Park in Tanay. approved proposals to install 100 more lampposts, police community, and the RCMP is committed to million, while the Queen’s 2010 visit the hospital, but shortly thereafter Marites “Occasions such as this are rare,’’ Agriculture.

The dean instead delivered Ray’s certificate andand village outposts at and everysuccumbed entry and to exit in all “Maybe Raykeeping had died for a reason. His death will it safe.” herpoint injuries.

Prince William Heritage Minister James Moore said in a cost $2.79 million to his family in Tanay at the wake. not be put to waste if only this will protect and give villages, and security cameras in strategic locations.

Peleaz is now in custody and was scheduled Marites, 27, arrived in Canada barely two statement. “The only other time Canada Kate’s tour last year cost $1.2 million.

“He had many options after college.

He planned to hope to other students that none of these will happen There were also plans to impose a liquor ban from 12 to appear in Okotoks Provincial Court on Also on Monday, Prime Minister Stephen weeks ago through the help of her boyfriend celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of a pursue or work in a company or former German said. ■May 1st at 9:30 AM.■ midnight to 8minister a.m. andJean for private owners to to aagain,” Harper named prime Tuesday, reigninghigher Kingeducation or Queenabroad was for Queen Carlosdormitory Peleaz, 28. According friend who

Marc Burleigh / Shutterstock.com

BY DORIS C. DUMLAO Philippine Daily Inquirer

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Canada: Seen and Scenes

TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012 8

OFFICIAL LAUNCHING of Asian Canadian Educators Network( ACE Net) on April 28th, 2012 at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education Library, University of Toronto. The theme of the day, “Collective Insights,” highlighted the educational issues and concerns of Asian Canadians, the largest racialized minority in Toronto and Canada.

FILIPINOS IN TORONTO gather for the christening of Kihei, son of the Paez-Reyes Family at Heliconan Hall.

THE CONSULAR OUTREACH PROGRAM, April 21, 2012, had 135 participants from Nanaimo, Campbell River, Edmonton, Alberta, Duncan and Victoria. The workshop was sponsored by the VFCCA Board and held at the Bayanihan Center in Victoria. Guests included Deputy Consul General Anthony Mandap, Labor Attache Bernie Julve and MP Randall Garrison.

PCI at Miss World candidate Denisse Liwanag’s fund-raising event.

PCI AND FRIENDS with Open Visa’s Filipino-Canadian author Romeo Honorio. Please see page 16 for more information on the book.

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9 TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012

Canada: Seen and Scenes

MULTICULTURAL HELPING HOUSE Senior’s group birthday celebration with host Angie Igona.

Summer is almost here, and the Philippine Canadian Inquirer wants your travel photos!

We know that behind every travel photo is a story.

And with Times Telecom, behind every travel photo and its story – is a free 20-minutes long distance call to any of the following 10 countries: Continental U.S., Canada*, China, Hongkong, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Vietnam, India and the Philippines! It’s simple.

SCENES FROM Calgary and Revelstoke with the Eliscupides family.

1) Take a travel-inspired photo with your digital camera or smart phone.

2) Like the Philippine Canadian Inquirer (PCI) Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/#!/ PhilippineCanadianInquirer.

3) Upload your photo in the PCI Facebook page, write a photo caption and include hashtag PCI (#PCI) at the end of the caption.

4) Philippine Canadian Inquirer will send you a private e-mail via Facebook for your name, address, mobile/ home phone and e-mail address for the activation of your free 20-minutes long distance call.

5) One photo will be chosen and featured in the Philippine Canadian Inquirer every week. The owner of the chosen photo will win a cellphone, courtesy of Times Telecom.

For more information, please go to www.canadianinquirer.net.

Kim Rumbaua, Dennis Litonjua of the Flip N Comedy Team, Jedro Magtoto, MC Brett Martin, Sammie Jo Rumbaua and Art Factora sporting Fil Can Clothing tops at the launch on April 27th at Lafflines in New West.

*Availability: Vancouver, Victoria, Whistler, Kelowna, Abbotsford, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Halifax, Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener, London, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City, Regina, Fort McMurray

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News-Canada

April By-Election Results Spark Need for More Ethnic Community Outreach

BC Government Director of Outreach Pamela Martin with Fiola Cortes.

BY KELSEY HAGGLUND THE RESULTS of the April 19th 2012 ByElections in the Port-Moody-Coquitlam and Chilliwack-Hope ridings can be an informative indicator for BC’s Provincial Government as they prepare to reach out to voters leading up to the May 2013 general elections. The NDP claimed victory in both ridings but voter turnout was 61% lower than expected, according to the BC Liberals within the Port Moody-Coquitlam riding, and down 51% in Chilliwack-Hope.

To have a clearer picture, there were only approximately 11,000 people that voted in the Port Moody area, from a voter list of 60,000.

The NDP candidate won with just 6,000 votes as close to 50,000 constituents preferred to be elsewhere on election day. Clearly the lack of engagement from the constituents in this riding not only spelled defeat for the BC Liberals, but more so, spelled defeat for the democratic process. The lackluster voter turnout is a tell-tale sign of the Provincial Government’s need for a more strategic approach in their upcoming campaign to bring voters out.

The difference in campaign strategies was also quite noticeable, with the Liberals fielding 2-5 volunteer scrutineers per polling station and having their candidates go from house to house and door to door. The other parties had just 1 scrutineer per polling station, sometimes even none at all and the NDP candidate implemented a more “automated” campaign strategy through mass phone calls to constituents. Given the dismal voter turnout, it’s obvious there is much room for improvement in the current communication strategy for the public. Having the most volunteers does not necessarily translate to a more successful campaign and traditional campaign strategies no longer generate the votes on election day.

There is an increased need to listen, support and get the diversified voices across British Columbia engaged. With this refocusing comes the re-evaluation process of what matters to Canadians. The demographics of hard-working Canadians are changing and it is high time to have the majority of Canadians be heard. This is the true definition of democracy, where the voice of the majority is heard and carried through.

Of the three largest ethnic communities, namely the Chinese-Canadians, IndoCanadians and Filipino-Canadians, the Filipinos are arguably a force to reckon with and have the potential of being a solid vote, being that their ethnic group is all from the same country. These groups can be the

Flag Mitsubishi Welcomes Mary Ann Roque to the Team For Over 35 years Flag Mitsubishi has been recognized as one of the top dealerships in the Lower mainland. The term used at Flag “Buy with confidence” is their foundation backed by a 10 year/160,000 KM warranty on New vehicles, 5 year/50,000 KM customer care program on used and lifetime warranty on all repairs.

At Flag, we recognize it takes knowledgeable staff to help our customers make the right decisions.

With the addition of Mary Ann Roque to our sales team, we feel confident she will far exceed your expectations in customer service.

Mary Ann is the First Filipina Sales Representative to join the Flag Mitsubishi Team in Surrey. She is a B.S. Animal Science graduate. She came to Canada as a Caregiver and worked her way up becoming the Idealist of the First Filipino Newspaper Stands along Skytrain Stations in BC. Mary Ann is excited about her new career path at Flag Mitsubishi and welcomes everyone from the Filipino Community to come visit her “Right Under the Flag”, in sunny Surrey.

Mary Ann Roque (604) 358-4985 maroque@flagmitsubishi.ca Office Phone Number: (604) 584-7411 website: www.flagmitsubishi.ca

deciding factor in determining who will be leading the province of British Columbia after next year.

BC’s government Director of Outreach, Pamela Martin will be turning to the community in the coming months to find out what matters. The role is meant to engage every community by making the government more accessible through locally supported events.

As a government interested in continuing support for free enterprise and a truly reflective democracy, having a spokesperson that can engage and unite people from a variety of backgrounds is invaluable.

Pamela Martin joined the premier’s office around a year ago after several decades in newsroom experience. Best known as CTV News at Six Anchor with Bill Good, her anchor and reporting experience spans a variety of issues important to every Canadian.

Pamela’s role is to make the government more accessible to the public. This means ‘removing communication barriers’ with the public. As she embraces the role of meeting with people and hearing the voice of diversity, it is time to speak up and engage. If you have questions, contact your local Member of the Legislative Assembly constituency office.

In order for your voice to be heard, take a stand. Let us keep the democratic process alive. Participate, get engaged or simply air to concerned individuals what systems you currently like in British Columbia and other areas of improvement. Let us maintain British Columbia’s most livable place on earth status! Your opinion and preferences matter! ■ Stay connected to your Premier and what your government is doing. The government website is: www.gov.bc.ca and follow her at @christyclarkbc on Twitter.

Kelsey Hagglund works as a freelance writer in the heart of the Tri Cities. She enjoys encouraging people to exercise their right to vote. For samples of her work, visit http://oakedkitsch.wordpress.com or find her on Twitter @KelseyHagglund.

Simpler pay structure, possible wage cut recommended for Alberta MLAs

BY BOB WEBER THE CANADIAN PRESS

EDMONTON - A report tabled with the Alberta legislature has recommended a radically simplified pay structure for the province’s MLAs that could result in a pay cut for most of them.

Retired judge John Major says Alberta should scrap the bewildering spider web of base salary with extra pay for committees with a single paycheque of $134,000.

That’s about middle of the pack compared with other legislators in Canada, said Major.

But government documents suggest

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TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012 10

the current average, when all benefits and extra payments are included, is about $160,000.

Major also recommended the Speaker of House, cabinet ministers and the leader of the Opposition receive an extra $67,000.

Major’s committee was created out of a promise made by now-Premier Alison Redford during her campaign for the leadership of Alberta’s Conservative party. The issue arose after reports that one-quarter of the province’s sitting MLAs didn’t plan to run for re-election in the recent election, creating a pay out of millions of dollars for so-called “transition allowances.’’

Those allowances were created in 1993 by Ralph Klein’s government to replace what was considered a toogenerous MLA pension plan.

That transition allowance was adjusted twice under Ralph Klein to increase the amount of money politicians could receive. Critics such as the rival Wildrose party say the benefits, based on three months of salary for every year of service, have become far too generous.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation estimates that, with 33 years of service, former Speaker Ken Kowalski is set to walk away with $1.3 million. Close behind is Stelmach, who will take home an estimated $1 million for his 19 years in the legislature.

As well, some have criticized the 30-percent pay raises that then-premier Ed Stelmach and his cabinet voted for themselves after winning the 2008 election.

Major’s review initially met indifference. Hearings slated for Grande Prairie and Fort McMurray were cancelled due to a lack of participants.

But interest in the report grew after the federation revealed the existence of a legislative committee that never met, yet paid $1,000 a month to the MLAs who sat on it. The so-called money-fornothing committee eventually became a major headache for Redford’s Tories during the campaign.

Eventually, all MLAs on that committee repaid the money, led by the Liberal and Wildrose parties. Redford also asked Speaker Ken Kowalski to suspend the pay of all legislature committees while he reviews the committee pay structure.

The base salary for Alberta politicians is $78,000 - second lowest in Canada.

But Alberta pays its politicians extra for additional duties such as sitting on committees.

Redford’s salary is $211,000—the highest of any provincial premier. ■

11 TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012

News-Canada

May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada

BY MELISSA REMULLA-BRIONES PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER

Performers during the launch

Mayor Robertson with Filipino-Canadian artists Leo “Jun” Cunanan, Stuart Dee and Esmie McLaren

Mayor Gregor Robertson during the launch of the Asian Heritage Month in Vancouver

and flamenco styles and dances from both genres.

According to Aik Krutngoen, one of the directors who helped to produce the event, the event is a convergence in Vancouver of “local and visiting artists to celebrate Asian heritage and cultures which have contributed to its worldclass reputation.” He adds, “Vancouver is the perfect place to witness the magic

when East meets West, and when the traditional meets the contemporary.”

Michael Hwang, VAHMS copresident, adds, “We celebrate the Asian contributions to a harmonious mosaic and multiculturalism that we enjoy in Canada. This is the best place to be, they say, and this is because a lot of [Asians], all these people have left their homes to plant their roots and

educate their children [here] and they work very hard to serve the community.

The Government of Canada recognized that in 2002 and today Mayor Gregor Robertson proclaimed [May as] Asian Heritage Month here in the city of Vancouver.”■ VAHMS is a non-profit organization committed to promoting inter-cultural understanding.

Senator Vivienne Poy Keynote Speaker: Secondary Student Symposium for Asian Heritage Month “Celebrating 10 Years – Reflect…Celebrate…Cultivate”

ON MAY 8, 400 Secondary students from the Toronto Catholic District School Board and the Toronto District School Board will attend a symposium on Asian Heritage issues.

Through informative and engaging workshops and presentations, students will explore and discuss relevant topics on Asian Heritage identity, history and culture.

May 2012 marks the Tenth Anniversary of the official recognition of Asian Heritage Month.

In December 2001, Asian Heritage Month was officially recognized by the Senate of Canada through a motion by Senator Vivienne Poy, designating May as a month to

celebrate the tremendous history, cultural richness and contributions of Asians to North America and beyond. Senator Poy will give the Keynote Address to students and staff at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at 9:15 a.m.

Throughout the month of May and beyond, over 1600 students, parents and staff from both communities will celebrate Asian Heritage Month. The overall theme this year is: “Reflect, Celebrate and Cultivate: Ten Years of Asian Heritage Month”.■ For more information on this and other Asian Heritage Month events, consult www.tcdsb.org or. www.tdsb. on.ca/asianheritagemonth.

Zzvet / Shutterstock.com

VANCOUVER – On April 30, 2012, Mayor Gregor Robertson proclaimed May as Asian Heritage Month. “It is a very important month to celebrate all of the different Asian cultures which we are so proud of and it is important that we keep a focus on learning and understanding from each other since it keeps changing, more good people keep arriving so we have a lot to celebrate,” the Mayor said.

According to Winnie Cheung, president of the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society (VAHMS) and one of the organizers of explorASIAN 2012, the several festivities lined up for the month of May is “a way of bringing together a lot of our communities, for the artists to have conversation and for the people to have a chance to find out how rich we are in this city because of the Asian heritage that we all brought along.”

The Magical Encounter, produced

by VAHMS and co-presented

by SFU Woodward’s, kicked off explorASIAN 2012 by way of a gala event on Friday, May 4, 2012 at the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. The audience was treated to an array of Persian ballet and ethnic dances of Asia Minor, to the traditional and contemporary dance expressions of South Asian and the Far East. They sat back, enchanted by the delicate music echoing on the mountains in Yunnan and the elegant movements of theatrical fencing set to classical music played on violins and pianos.

Flamenco is also big part of the festival. According to Pirouz Ebadypour, who is the Festival Director for both explorASIAN 2012 and the 8th annual International Jondo Flamenco Festival, the festival showed the story “of how Flamenco has morphed to the modern form as it makes its way around the world”.

During the event, there was a showcase of Persian traditional styles

Dancers perform traditional Burmese dance

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! Please help us clean the Filipino Plaza (Vanness St. west of Nanaimo Skytrain Station) on May 12, 2012 at 1:00 p.m. in preparation for the Flag Raising activity on June 2.

For details, please e-mail info@canadianinquirer.net. Thank you. www.canadianinquirer.net

THERE’S THE RUB

Opinion

TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012 12

Pathetic

BY CONRADO DE QUIROS Philippine Daily Inquirer “SIGURADO,” SAID Renato Corona when asked if he expected Malacañang to get back at him for the Supreme Court’s decision ordering the immediate distribution of Hacienda Luisita to its farmers. But he doesn’t particularly care, this is a triumph for the long-suffering tenants of Hacienda Luisita.

Well, it is a triumph for them, but not one that owes to Corona’s Court, only one that owes to their own struggle to own the land they till. The farmers themselves, or their representatives, may have something to say about the suggestion that their fate is dependent on saviors in high places.

The farmers of Hacienda Luisita are in fact merely the gratuitous beneficiaries of Corona?

Court? circumstantial act of generosity. The principle being that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. It’s not that Corona may expect retaliation from P-noy for his Court having voted unanimously against Hacienda Luisita. It’s that P-noy should have expected retaliation from Corona for impeaching him.

Indeed, completely ironically, though quite happily for the farmers, the farmers may rest easy in the thought that the Court’s ruling with finality in their favor will remain truly final.

That is not what all other people awaiting justice from the Supreme Court can expect, as the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (Fasap) among others has found out.

You can win three times with finality, but still not win at all.

The Aquino family itself has hastened to assure that it will respect the finality of the ruling against it. It’s not an ungainly gesture though it would have been a lot loftier if it had come earlier, when it would not have looked grudging or brought on by force majeure. From the start I’ve always argued for the immediate distribution of Hacienda Luisita. Of course the owners are entitled to just compensation, but that may not stand in the way of the moral imperative. There are legions of compelling reasons for it, not least the fact that it was a promise made by Cory.

Quite apart from that, I’ve always said Hacienda Luisita was more than a piece of land, it was a symbol. Distributing it, whatever its real or palpable effects—and land reform is a thing badly in need of reexamination, coming as it has too little too late in this country—signals government’s willingness to redistribute wealth.

Not just land but all the bounties of this earth.

Which is a precondition for curbing poverty in this country. This is a land, as Ninoy himself pointed out in his time, spectacularly divided into rich and poor. That spectacular divide is not bridged without redistributing wealth. The poor will get poorer and the rich will get richer without redistributing wealth. Redistributing Hacienda Luisita would have struck a blow, if only symbolically—and P-noy himself owed his presidency to the power of symbols—or that cause.

Whether the product of force majeure or not, that has happened. It’s something we can now put behind us. What we may not do so, what in fact we may only put in front of us, is Corona’s impeachment. What we may not do so, what we may in fact only want to end up in someone behind bars, is Gloria Arroyo’s prosecution.

I don’t know that Corona really believes P-noy will get back at him with quite literally a vengeance. His statements always reek of cynicism. But I do know it’s calculated to give some credence to his claim, hatched by his PR people, that Malacañang moved to impeach him because of his principled stand on Hacienda Luisita. He’s pushed the line for months now and gotten no traction from it, to go by his ratings which have gone into freefall.

Why he should imagine that is even remotely believable, well, he should really fire his PR group for incompetence.

The timing of the Supreme Court decision on Hacienda Luisita, which is the eve of the resumption of the impeachment trial, clearly shows the stuff it’s made of. It’s not probity, it’s propaganda. Henceforth, any effort by the prosecution to reveal things that reflect on his pagkatao is getting back at him. Henceforth, any effort by P-noy to express his opinion about his pagkatao is getting back at him. Henceforth, any desperate cry by people like Ana Basa and Sister Flory about relentless oppression from his hands is getting back at him.

It won’t get him anywhere either. If it

does anything, it is only to show his growing desperation from the pummelling he is getting in the court of public opinion. He is now running a close second to his favorite nonpresident as the most disliked and distrusted person on this spot of earth, including the one in Tarlac called Hacienda Luisita. The storyline makes the silliest TV soap sound like “Aman for All Seasons.”

It’s a monumental exercise in miscasting, depicting as it does P-noy as the president who cannot act without private interest in mind and himself as the chief justice who cannot make decisions without lofty principle in tow. An image reality controverts. At the very least, it can’t help him that his favorite non-president clung to power at all costs, running the country to the ground for personal gain while P-noy avoided power at all costs, bowing to it only from force majeure. At the very most, it can’t help that he himself is a midnight appointee, betraying every principle that applies to basic decency, never mind to the highest juridical position in the land.

While P-noy—and indeed his family—as striven to live by, quite apart from preach, the tenets of the daang matuwid.

Corona may preen all he wants about the victory he has won for the farmers, but all he’ll remind us of is Macbeth’s, “Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player/ That struts and frets his hour upon the stage/ And then is heard no more.”

Macbeth though was tragic. Corona, well, he’s just becoming more and more pathetic. ■

AS I SEE IT

Repairing streets still in good condition

BY NEAL H. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer A LOT of people have asked me why the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and its contractors are tearing up Metro Manila streets that are still in perfect condition only to cement them all over again, while so many other streets that are in very bad condition are not being repaired. Alas, I have no answer to that (although many of us have our suspicions); only the DPWH has the answer to the mystery.

People are asking because so many streets in Metro Manila have been torn up, at the same time creating monstrous traffic jams.

I myself have wondered and have been asking around about that, but I have not gotten any clear explanations from anyone, only suspicions.

When I see concrete pavements being torn up with jackhammers, I sometimes walk to the portion not yet torn up to look for defects. Maybe because I’m no expert in these things, I see no defects that would justify spending millions of pesos badly needed elsewhere. I ask sources in the DPWH and they are as mystified as the others.

When I go to the provinces, I encounter very rough roads, with potholes as big as carabao wallows (indeed, one rainy season, in one of these potholes I once saw a carabao, actually cooling itself), making travel in these provinces like a safari through Dark Africa. Locals say these roads have been in a state of disrepair for

many years, but officials reply that there is no money for their repair.

The Marcos Highway from Marikina to Infanta, Quezon, for example, is still unfinished decades after its construction was started, in spite of the fact that this is a very important highway that would make the transport of goods and people across the Sierra Madre mountains so much easier and faster. The DPWH? explanation: There is no money.

If that is so, why is the Dpwhwasting millions of pesos to tear up and cement Metro streets that are still in good condition when the money is badly needed to repair roads in the provinces?

One plausible explanation given by a DPWH insider is that the Metro streets have budgets, while the provincial roads have none. He explained it this way: Many streets and roads are constructed and repaired with pork barrel funds from congressmen and senators. The rural areas need so many other things so the pork barrel funds are depleted very quickly. In Metro Manila, however, most infrastructure are in good condition so there is an excess of pork funds. Unspent public funds go back to the treasury at the end of the fiscal year, so they must be spent before the yearend. Otherwise public officials won? get any kickbacks if there are no projects. That is also why many government offices have outof-town seminars as the fiscal year nears its end?o use the unspent funds which would go back to the Treasury, or else that office would be given a

smaller budget the following year.

Street repair is one of the most common ways to spend money. Not only that, the favorite contractors get public works contracts from which they give friendly public officials their kickbacks. That is another reason there are many road repairs going on at the same time at the end of the fiscal year.

But many road repairs are still going on after the fiscal year. How so? The explanation: the contracts were awarded before the end of the fiscal year. Never mind if the contracts were actually awarded much later. Dates can easily be antedated.

Furthermore, road repairs are very visible projects; the motorist and commuter cannot help but see those huge signs declaring that the road repair is a project of Congressman Soand-so. It is not, technically, electioneering but those public works signs do better than the millions of pesos worth of posters, banners and other gimmicks produced to get votes for the congressman during the elections.

So next time you are caught in one of those infernal traffic jams in a road-repair project, just control your temper and think that it is for the benefit of some overworked public officials and their favorite contractors. *** The closing of some U-turn slots and the reopening of some intersections are among the better ideas of Metro Manila Development Authority Chair Francis Tolentino. The previous

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MMDA administration became so enamored with U-turns that it closed so many intersections and replaced them with U-turns.

The reason behind them is logical. At intersections, so many vehicles going in four directions clog not only the intersections but also the streets leading to them. With Uturns, vehicles go only in two directions.

But the U-turns did not always result in better traffic. In some cases, traffic worsened because there were so many vehicles that they clogged the U-turn slots. The worst examples are the U-turns in front of Ateneo and Miriam on Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City.

Some U-turn slots are too far in-between, as the one in Commonwealth Avenue. After Tandang Sora going east, the U-turn slot is almost a kilometer away, near the EverGotesco mall. That? a waste of so much gasoline, and gasoline is getting more expensive not only for the motorists but also for the Philippine government which has to shell out more dollars to import crude oil.

And then at some combination flyover and underpass, like the one at the Edsa-Quezon Avenue intersection, vehicles still have to use U-turn slots despite the fact that millions were spent to make traffic here smoother. The flyover is for north-south vehicles, the underpass is for east-west traffic, and the ground level is for turning vehicles. But the MMDA then was so in love with U-turns that it also put U-turns here.

That’s an overkill.■

13 TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012

Opinion

AT LARGE

Breakthroughs and displacement

BY RINA JIMENEZ-DAVID Philippine Daily Inquirer A REAL breakthrough after decades of negotiations for peace in Mindanao is the joint issuance of a “declaration of principles” by the negotiating panel of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and that of the Philippine government.

Both sides were quick to point out that the list was just “preliminary” and that the final agreement may contain other “key points” that could come up in the course of future negotiations. But this is a good beginning, and it sets aside many thorny issues, “sticking points” that had been holding up consensus in previous sessions.

For starters, it said the parties—actually, only the Philippine government for the MILF has been the principal proponent of the “Bangsamoro” identity—“recognize Bangsamoro identity and the legitimate grievances and claims of the Bangsamoro people.” The statement puts the negotiations on the right footing, past the often fevered rhetoric detailing historical wrongs.

The MILF and the government panels also stated that “the status quo is unacceptable,” with both agreeing to work for the creation of a “new autonomous political entity” to take the place of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM). Although, from this first step to the conception, creation and implementation of the new political entity, there is quite a distance to bridge, including the possibility of a referendum among the affected population.

This may explain why another provision calls for a “transition period” and the “institution of transitional mechanisms” to work out the kinks leading to the creation of the entity to replace the ARMM. *** MORE substantial agreements follow, specifically on “power-sharing and wealthsharing” between the national government and the new political entity, which I understand will fall somewhere between the controversial “substate” and the ARMM in its present composition.

Already on the list are the “matters reserved for the competence” of the national government, including defense, foreign policy, monetary policy, and international trade.

A particular beef of the MILF side has been the limitations put on the fiscal autonomy and economic independence of even an “autonomous region” such as ARMM, which is why one of the agreed points was the power of the new political entity “to create its own sources of revenue, subject to limitations as may be mutually agreed upon,” and to have a just share of the revenues generated through “exploration, development or utilization” of natural resources within the boundaries of the new political entity.

Certain matters, though, both excite and disturb me. One is the provision calling for “strengthening” the Shari’ah courts and expanding their jurisdiction.

This has implications on the legal status of nonMuslims living within the boundaries of the Bangsamoro entity, and the interpretation of laws as regard the human rights of women, specifically

sexual and reproductive rights. Will women’s voices be solicited and respected in crafting the legal boundaries of the Shari’ah courts?

In the listing of rights beyond the basic rights enjoyed by all citizens of the Republic, though, both parties included the “right of women to meaningful political participation, and protection from all forms of violence.” This is a hopeful sign, and could augur a more equal status for women under the new Bangsamoro entity, which should be a selling point for any agreement forthcoming. *** THIS promising breakthrough in the peace talks is certainly welcome and much-needed, given the terrible impact that decades of fighting and displacement have had on the people of Mindanao.

A study, “Violent Conflicts and Displacement in Central Mindanao: Challenges for Recovery and Development,” reveals that between 2000 and 2010 four in every 10 households in five provinces in Central Mindanao experienced displacement. This comes to a total of nearly 1 million people forced to abandon their homes over the past 12 years. Moreover, one in five families was displaced two or more times, and one in 10 forced to leave their homes up to five times during the same period.

Displacement has resulted in “interrupted” lives, including the loss or interruption of livelihoods that have a serious effect on the economic status of entire communities, and on the health and education status of families as well.

“These concerns do not necessarily end with

the return of displaced individuals to their places of origin,” added the study, funded by the World Bank and the United Nations World Food Program (WFP).

“Violent Conflicts and Displacement in Central Mindanao” was based on a survey conducted in late 2010 with 2,759 randomly selected households from a total of 231 barangays in five provinces: Lanao del Sur and Maguindanao in the ARMM, as well as Lanao del Norte, North Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat. *** DISPLACEMENT of families and communities is rooted in violence, whether outbreaks between rebels, bandits and the police and military, or clan conflict or rido. Indeed, the study found that displaced families have been “frequently exposed to violence.”

But it’s not just the “bakwits” (local slang for evacuees) who feel the stresses of displacement.

Host families also feel pressure, mostly from additional financial costs, with some of them having to resort to selling goods or assets to provide food and support for the people (usually relatives) they were sheltering.

Of the areas surveyed, Maguindanao accounted for the highest degree of vulnerability, with about 82 percent of all households in the area affected by displacement due not only to violent conflict but also to weather-related disasters.

Tellingly, respondents said the signing of a peace agreement was among the critical interventions necessary to bring an end to their interrupted lives. ■

VIEWPOINT

‘The lady is not for turning’

BY JUAN L. MERCADO Philippine Daily Inquirer “NEVER GROW a wishbone where your backbone should be,” columnist Dorothy Parker would rib friends in New York’s lower East Side. And backbone is what Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales always had.

Explain within 72 hours the $10 million stashed in two dollar accounts at the Philippine Savings Bank, Morales asked impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona. The peso deposits appear “grossly disproportionate” to income.

As a ramrod-straight Supreme Court associate justice, Morales penned the 8-7 decision that scrubbed President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s draft memorandum of agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on ancestral domain.

“The furtive process, by which the MOA-AD was crafted, is in excess of legal authority,” she wrote. “(It is) whimsical, capricious, oppressive… The concept presupposes that the (Bangsamoro Juridical Entity) is a state and implies it’s on the way to independence…”

She whacked the majority for allowing Eduardo Cojuangco to dip into levies extorted from indigent coconut farmers, and to pocket 16.2-million San Miguel Corp. shares. “The

biggest joke to hit the century.”

Three complaints against Corona are before the Ombudsman: (a) Fudging SALN excluding properties in Bellagio and Spanish Bay Tower; (b) Declaring the value of his personal properties which have an actual total worth of P31.7 million at only P27.2 million; (c) Unexplained wealth of P24.6 million in five accounts at PSBank and P12 million with BPI. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago scoffed at the claim, made by Corona’s counsel, that the Ombudsman “has no jurisdiction over the Chief Justice.” “The $10 million does not exist,” the counsel said. The charges are black propaganda. Like the Land Registration Authority’s list and letters to the editor, they’re “phoney.”

“Our fears are shaped by past betrayals,” Viewpoint noted.

(Inquirer, 3/23/10) “A Supreme Court that grovels before a president whistles up a gross image… when a Chief Justice trotted behind Imelda Marcos, as parasol bearer.

“To many, that picture showed the extent to which the spirit of the judiciary had been sapped,” observed 2003 Magsaysay Journalism awardee Sheila Coronel. Can we still repose hopes in constitutional institutions that had crumbled before?

Yes. Thanks in part to strong women who

challenged perverted institutions.

Tiene cojones. “She has balls” was the irreverent accolade people paid to Cecilia Muñoz Palma (1913-2006). The first woman Supreme Court justice didn’t play ball when her male colleagues surrendered to Marcos the 12th-century prerogative of courts to rule on habeas corpus pleas.

She flayed, in January 1975, the farcical “Citizens Assemblies.” “A referendum under martial rule can be of no far-reaching significance,” Palma wrote with Justice Claudio Teehankee. “It is accomplished under a climate of fear.”

Tiene cojones is also what people said about auditor Heidi Mendoza, banker Clarissa Ocampo and the late Presidential Commission on Good Government commissioner and 2004 Magsaysay awardee Haydee Yorac. These were women who, when push came to shove, did not tuck tail.

Mendoza audited the comptroller’s office of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and documented that, under Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, the office plundered AFP funds.

That included a P200-million reimbursement check from the United Nations for Filipino peacekeepers.

Mendoza, who resigned an Asian Development Bank job to testify, saw her ignored report blow open an almost P510-

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million AFP loss traced by congressional hearings to comptrollers. Garcia is in prison today.

“I was a foot away” when President Joseph Estrada signed a P500-million loan as “Jose Velarde,” then senior vice president of Equitable-PCI Bank Clarissa Ocampo told the impeachment court. There was an attempt to assign the trust account of Jose Velarde to Jaime Dichaves, a presidential crony. “I refused to certify it,” Ocampo said. She later received threats on her life.

“The sole and only nobility is integrity.” That feistiness showed in Haydee Yorac’s work, from peace negotiator to Commission on Elections official. Under Yorac’s watch, the PCGG recovered for the national treasury $683 million from Marcos’ Swiss bank accounts.

“From her sickbed, Yorac knows she will not complete the task herself,” the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation citation noted.

Others will rise to it. “No one is indispensable,” she reminds us all. “Making a difference is enough.”

From her track record, Morales won’t cave in when clashes erupt over Corona’s dollar and peso accounts. One can almost hear Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s challenge to the 1980 Conservative convention. “U-turn if you will. The lady is not for turning.” ■ Email: juan_mercado77@yahoo.com

World News

15 TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012

Canada to suspend most sanctions against Myanmar in wake of elections OTTAWA - Canada has suspended most of its sanctions against Myanmar in recognition of the country’s moves towards democracy.

Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird said Tuesday he has seen encouraging steps in Myanmar since the former political prisoner Aung Sang Suu Kyi won a parliamentary seat in historic elections there earlier this month.

Baird said Canada’s sanctions on imports, exports and financial transactions will be suspended, although an embargo will be maintained on sales of arms and military technology.

The minister visited Myanmar, also known as Burma, last month and personally conferred honorary Canadian citizenship on Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate.

Baird also met members of Myanmar’s new, reform-minded civilian leadership, and though impressed, said at the time he wanted to wait before easing restrictions on

Patrik Dietrich / Shutterstock.com

BY MIKE BLANCHFIELD THE CANADIAN PRESS

Myanmar

the repressive, military-ruled, South Asian country.

“This is progress, but much more remains to be done,’’ said Baird.

He said the pace of reform remains fragile and Canada will be watching developments hopefully, but cautiously.

“We put in sanctions to try to encourage and force change,’’ he said. “This is probably one of the best examples in the modern era where sanctions have proven very effective.

Given the government has taken such significant reforms, we’re prepared to give them a shot.’’

He said Canada would readily reinstate sanctions if reforms are

reversed or abandoned. Myanmar has released hundreds of political prisoners and the media has been given more freedoms.

Earlier this week, the European Union suspended some sanctions against Myanmar for a year, but retained an arms embargo.

In the last year, the pace of change has been surprisingly swift in the South Asian nation of 60 million people.

Myanmar is a resource-rich country that has been largely off limits to Western companies, something Baird signalled is about to change.

“We hope there will be opportunities

there. Obviously Burma is one of the poorest countries in the world and it’s in desperate need of foreign investment to create jobs and create employment so people can provide for themselves and their family,’’ he said.

“We hope the political reforms will lead to an opening up of the economy.

And that would be good for the Burmese people.’’

The EU’s suspension of economic sanctions against Myanmar has riled exiled activists. They are urging the United States to press for further reforms before following with its own easing of sanctions.

Baird defended Canada’s course of action, saying Suu Kyi herself has called for it. “We’ll take advice and counsel from her.’’

Baird said he planned to call his Burmese counterpart and Suu Kyi to personally deliver the news.

Baird said he asked his counterpart, Wunna Maung Lwin, in a previous meeting last summer to ensure Suu Kyi’s safety and let her travel around the country. ■

Daryl Lang / Shutterstock.com

Activists join May Day protests across US, stinging gas in Oakland sends demonstrators fleeing

BY MANUEL VALDES THE ASSOCIATED PRESS OAKLAND, Calif. - Thousands of protesters in New York demanded an end to income inequality and housing foreclosures. Police fired tear gas to disperse marchers in Oakland, California. And black-clad demonstrators smashed windows in Seattle and occupied a building owned by the Catholic archdiocese in San Francisco.

Activists across the U.S. joined in worldwide May Day protests Tuesday, with anti-Wall Street demonstrators leading the way in some cities as they tried to recapture the enthusiasm that propelled their movement last fall.

While some protesters clashed with police, the melees were far less violent than ones that erupted last fall when the Occupy movement was at its peak. There were no major disruptions, though arrests were reported - including dozens in the San Francisco Bay area.

Many of the rallies, which drew activists

pushing a variety of causes, also did not have the same drawing power that gatherings had last year for the Occupy movement or a half-dozen years ago for May Day rallies for immigration reform.

In recent years, activists in the U.S. used May Day to hold rallies for immigrant rights, but the day has been associated for more than a century with workers’ rights and the labour movement both in the U.S. and elsewhere.

Across the world on Tuesday, protests drew tens of thousands of demonstrators into the streets from the Philippines to Spain. They demanded everything from wage increases to an end to cuts in education, health care and other austerity measures.

The U.S. protests were the most visible organizing effort by anti-Wall Street groups since the movement’s encampments were dismantled last fall.

The major developments include: - In Oakland, the scene of several violent clashes between activists and police during last fall’s Occupy-inspired protests, the situation threatened to boil over again when police fired tear gas, sending hundreds of demonstrators scrambling.

Officers also fired “flash-bang’’ grenades to disperse protesters converging on police as they wrestled people to the ground while trying to make arrests, and used more tear gas on Tuesday night to break up the bottle-throwing remnants of what had been a peaceful rally of several thousand.

At least 25 people were taken into custody during the course of the day, including one for setting a police car on fire, police said.

Earlier, some protesters tried to force businesses to shut down for not observing calls for a “general strike.’’

- In Seattle, black-clad protesters used sticks to smash store windows and ran through the streets disrupting traffic. At least a dozen people

were arrested.

While much smaller in scale, the mayhem was reminiscent of the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in the city that caused widespread damage to stores and forced the cancellation of some WTO events.

Authorities said many of the most violent protesters tried to hide in the crowd by shedding their all-black clothes. A spokesman for Seattle’s mayor said Wednesday that vandals threw rocks into the mayor’s home around midnight but no one was injured.

- In New York, hundreds of Occupy Wall Street protesters and their supporters spilled out onto Fifth Avenue in a confrontation with police amid citywide protests, while thousands later gathered peacefully in Union Square.

The group had promised the day would mark a spring revival of their movement.

Occupy organizer Mark Bray said the mood had changed since the group’s first organized events late last year. “There was a sense of novelty to Occupy in October,’’ he said. ``Today is more celebratory, and nostalgic.’’

Marchers briefly flooded the avenue and blocked traffic before police in riot gear pushed them onto the sidewalks. The group chanted: “We are the people. We are united!’’

- In San Francisco, about 200 people took over a vacant building owned by the local archdiocese and targeted in previous protests.

Two men on adjacent rooftops lobbed pipes and bricks at officers.

About two dozen protesters were taken into custody as police officers in riot gear cleared the building Wednesday, KGO-TV reported.

Police Chief Greg Suhr told reporters he assumed some of the people inside the building were part of a group that vandalized shops, cars and a police station during a pre-May Day demonstration Monday night.

- In Chicago, about 2,000 activists marched through the city to demand immigration reform

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and greater protections for workers. The crowd was much smaller compared to the half a million people who rallied in Chicago in 2006 to demand immigration reform.

- In Los Angeles, a group that broke off from a downtown rally for immigration reform briefly skirmished with police and left an officer injured. Ten union demonstrators were arrested for blocking an intersection near Los Angeles International airport.

Police Cmdr. Andrew Smith told KNBCTV that an officer was hit in the helmet by a skateboard, but she was in good condition.

- In Atlanta, about 100 people rallied outside the state capitol, where a law targeting illegal immigration was passed last year. They called for equal rights for all workers and an end to local-federal partnerships to enforce immigration law.

The rally was significantly smaller than last year’s, which drew about 1,000 people.

Organizers said turnout last year was greater, in part, because the protest was on a Sunday, rather than during the workweek.

“I’m a bit disappointed, but I think this is something to be expected,’’ said Adelina Nicholls, executive director of the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, one of the main organizers of the rally.

“It’s very difficult to keep a high level of excitement going,’’ Nicholls said. “But it’s not only about mobilization. It’s also about organization, and we have people working every day to promote immigrant rights.’’ ■

Contributing to this report were Associated Press photographer Eric Risberg in Oakland, and AP writers Samantha Gross, Colleen Long and Verena Dobnik in New York, Christina Hoag in Los Angeles, Peter Prengaman and Kate Brumback in Atlanta, Doug Glass in Minneapolis and Sophia Tareen in Chicago.

Canada-US

TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012 16

Multi national suppliers are to blame for Canada U.S. price gap: retailers

BY JULIAN BELTRAME THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA - Identical widescreen TVs, bottles of hair conditioner and even painkillers cost Canadian shoppers more than their American neighbours despite the near equal value of the dollar, and retailers say suppliers are to blame.

Still, Canadian merchants are being unfairly singled out for having higher prices than their American counterparts, Diane Brisebois of the Retail Council of Canada told a Senate committee Tuesday.

She said because Canada’s population is so small in comparison, large multi-national vendors can enforce a special Canadian price for brand name products and it can be anywhere from 10 to 50 per cent higher than in the United States.

“There are price differences between Canada and the U.S., but they are not always determined at the retail level,’’ Brisebois told the committee.

In an interview afterwards, Brisebois said Canadian retailers have no choice but to buy from the Canadian distributors of American manufacturers because they are restricted from going into the U.S. and buying there.

Canada is not the only country affected, she said. Others outside the U.S. also face the same challenge, called ``country pricing.’’

“There are a lot of people who believe that American multi-national manufacturers use their secondary markets to ensure they can remain competitively priced in the U.S.,’’ she said.

Canada’s retailers have been hammered in the media and by politicians for ``gouging’’ their customers, but she said that is simply not the case.

In a price comparison by the Bank of Montreal last spring, economist Douglas Porter calculated

An excellent read for 2012!

Canadian shoppers paid on average about 20 per cent more than U.S. consumers for identical goods.

Porter, who is planning a follow-up survey in the next few weeks, said he has no difficulty believing that Canadian retailers may be at a disadvantage.

“That may well be the lion’s share of the explanation,’’ he said. “A lot of companies will fight tooth and nail for that important U.S. market.

It’s extremely high profile and influential around the world, so to gain market share in the U.S. is gold.’’

To back up her case, Brisebois presented her own list of 15 consumer items contrasting what Canadian retailers must pay their suppliers compared with the amount paid by their counterparts south of the border. Although she did not give the brand names, Brisebois said the comparison was for exactly the same item.

Some typical examples: - Hair conditioner (1.18 litres) cost the Canadian

retailer $10 and the U.S. retailer $6.23, for a 43 per cent markup, she said.

- A 46-inch LED TV was $1,001 in Canada and $888.75 in the U.S., a 13 percent difference; - An automobile tire cost $169.69 for the retailer in Canada and $128.21 in the U.S., a 32 per cent difference.

The biggest differential on the list was for an over-the-counter painkiller, which cost Canadian retailers more than double the U.S. price.

“We are not saying this is the case for all suppliers, but there is enough evidence to suggest this is very serious,’’ Brisebois said.

She told the senators that other factors also played a role, including import duties as high as 18 percent, government regulations, transportation costs and Canada’s protectionist supply management system on eggs, poultry and dairy products.

Two subsequent witnesses—Eric Levert of Reebok-CCM Hockey and Lisa Zajko, a tax lawyer

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with Deloitte & Touche—told the committee that Ottawa should eliminate duties on finished goods unless there is a competing Canadian producer.

That may be the case on more consumer items than the government believes. Ottawa last looked into the issue in the 1990s.

Levert said his company now outsources 90 per cent of the hockey equipment it makes to Asian factories.

The Canadian operations only produce sweaters and hockey sticks for professionals, yet heavy duties remain on imports of hockey equipment, he said.

“What we are showing is that Canada, supposedly known as the hockey country, is paying 18 percent (duty) on hockey skates, 15.5 on all protective equipment and 8.5 percent on helmets, while the U.S. is paying zero,’’ he said.

Levert said his firm would have no objection to the removal of all duties, even on products Reebok is manufacturing in Canada.

When he testified last fall, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said he would be willing to look at duties, although his officials told the senators such a move would have a minimal impact on the price gap.

But Brisebois disagreed and Levert also suggested government levies for importing finished goods were significant. He said a $15 duty on a product in his business ends up costing consumers up to $35.

The committee has yet to hear from major foreign manufacturers and it is not clear whether it will do so before presenting its findings later this year.

Committee chairman Senator Joseph Day said individual automobile manufacturers have refused an invitation to attend, but the committee will hear from the association that represents them on Wednesday. ■

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BY MANUEL VALDES THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SEATTLE - The U.S. government’s unmanned drones patrolling the U.S.-Canadian border are venturing into Washington state’s airspace.

In testimony before a U.S. Senate panel this week, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said northern border surveillance using unmanned aerial aircraft now expands from North Dakota to eastern Washington.

The two 10,000-pound Predator-B unmanned aircrafts based in Grand Forks, N.D., have a 950-mile coverage range and “they do enter Washington airspace, in the vicinity of Spokane,’’ said Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman Gina Gray on Thursday.

The unmanned aircrafts “can stay in the air for up to 20 hours at a time, something no other aircraft in the federal inventory can do,’’ Gray said. “In this manner it is a force multiplier, providing aerial surveillance support for border agents by investigating sensor activity in remote areas to distinguish between real or perceived threats, allowing the boots on the ground force to best allocate their resources and efforts.’’

Since 2005, the Department of Homeland Security has deployed a handful of drones around the country, with some based in Arizona, Florida, North Dakota, and Texas—with more planned for the future. Operations out of North Dakota first began in 2011.

The drones help both patrol and aid during natural disasters. For example, Gray said the Predators have mapped the flooded Red River Valley in the areas of North Dakota and

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Minnesota. The drones are equipped with cameras that can provide aerial pictures of disaster areas.

The drones also can be loaned to local agencies in cases of emergencies. In fiscal year 2011, CBP’s drones contributed to the seizure of 7,600 pounds of narcotics and 75 arrests, Gray added.

The use of drones has proliferated among federal and local law enforcement agencies nationwide along with civilian hobbyists in recent years.

In December, Congress gave the Federal Aviation Administration six months to pick half a dozen sites around the country where the military and others can fly unmanned aircraft in the vicinity of regular air traffic, with the aim of demonstrating they’re safe.

But concerns remain, including privacy and the government worries they could collide with passenger planes or come crashing down to the ground, concerns that have slowed more widespread adoption of the technology.

A recent American Civil Liberties Union report said allowing drones greater access takes the country “a large step closer to a surveillance society in which our every move is monitored, tracked, recorded, and scrutinized by the authorities.’’

Kendle Allen, sheriff of remote Stevens County, said his agency has not asked for drone assistance.

“There is always mixed feelings about something flying above you,’’ Allen said.

But he said in Stevens County’s rugged mountainous terrain, aerial patrol can be useful in case of emergencies. His office has used U.S. Border Patrol helicopters in the past to search for people missing in the woods. ■

Historama will be on June 9, 2012, from 2 - 5 p.m. at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, 630 Hamilton Street, Vancouver, BC V6B 2P1. Door opens at 1:00 p.m.

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On guard!

Fil-Can teen lunging for 2013 Canada Games

PORT MOODY – It’s almost eight in the evening and Robyn Cando is almost done with her footwork drills inside the gym of the Port Moody Recreation Centre. Robyn is training with the Tri-City Fencing Academy two hours a day, eight hours a week for the past five years preparing for a chance she never saw coming until recently. At the invitation of the BC

Canada-Events Fencing Association, Robyn is trying out for BC’s provincial team for fencing that will see action in the 2013 Canada Games.

The Canada Games is a multi-sporting event held every two years (with summer and winter events alternating) and organized for Canadian athletes nineteen years old or younger. It is Canada’s version of the Philippines’ Palarong Pambansa and is an important program aimed at preparing young Canadian athletes for the bigger international sporting events like the Olympics and the Pan-Am Games.

Robyn, who has been fencing since she was eleven, is currently the provincial champion for both the women’s senior and junior age groups. In the spring of 2009, she competed in her first national-level tournament at the National Junior-Cadet Championships in Saskatoon and won a bronze medal in the girls Under-15 besting fencers from across the country.

“I was really nervous, maybe a bit scared because it was my first big tournament.

So when I won, I was really happy and ecstatic, a bit relieved” the young Fil-Can fencer recounts.

Since then, Robyn has been a nationally-ranked fencer in Canada and has practically won medals in all fencing tournaments in BC including gold medals in the Vancouver Open and UBC’s Stephen Lazar Memorial Cup. Last year, she won the silver medal at the Western Canada Fencing Championships besting fencers

from four other provinces.

“I like fencing because it’s fun – I enjoy going to fencing and seeing my friends there. Of course, it makes me fit, but more than that, it’s fun for me” explains Robyn.

For Robyn to qualify next year for the provincial that will take part in the Canada Games in Sherbrook, Quebec, she will need to actively participate more in Canada’s national-level fencing circuit across the country, including tournaments in Montreal and Toronto.

The teenage fencer is already busy training including physical conditioning that includes long-distance running and stationary biking for endurance, and lifting weights for muscle building. Robyn is also actively participating in high-performance fencing camps outside her fencing club.

“Right now, my main goal is to make it to the Canada Games. Other than the prestige of representing my home province, I think it will also bring pride to my family and to my heritage as a Filipino,” Robyn explained and added “I don’t know any Filipino fencers here in Canada, but in the US there are many Filipino fencers competing in the highest level and it will be good if I can do the same here.”

Outside fencing, Robyn is a graduating French-immersion student and an avid linguist. Apart from French, Robyn also speaks fluent English, Filipino, and Spanish.■

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TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012 20

2012 Calgary Dragon Boat Festival

CALGARY - The Calgary Dragon Boat Society announces the dates for the 2012 Calgary Dragon Boat Race & Festival, which will be on August 25-26 at North Glenmore Park.

As one of Calgary’s premier sports festivals, the Calgary Dragon Boat Race & Festival draws more than 750 competitors, hundreds of spectators and an abundance of excitement and cultural experiences.

The dragon boat competition illustrates camaraderie, teamwork and inspiration. Dragon Boat Racing was born out of a 2,000-year-old Chinese legend, is still very active and remains a tradition to this day.

Registration for teams can be made by going online at www.calgarydragonboatsociety. com or by contacting; Calgary Dragon Boat Society Attention: Shane Martin 510, 606 – 4th Street SW Calgary, AB T2P 1T1 403 668 1663 or dragonboat@chinatowncalgary.com The annual Calgary Dragon Boat Society banquet will be held on June 20th, 2012 at the Regency Palace Restaurant, 328 Centre Street South. ■ For more information visit www. calgarydragonboatsociety.com or call Danny Ng at 403-262-2124.

Lifestyle

21 TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012

Filipino-Canadian in Focus: Daphne Oseña Paez

BY ALPHA MIGUEL-SANFORD DAPHNE OSEÑA PAEZ is a household name in the Philippines.

She is a Filipino TV show host, the producer of her own home design TV show Urban Zone®, a business woman (Daphne®), a jewelry designer, a Filipino blogger, a UNICEF special advocate, a product ambassador for Olay, a wife, and most especially, the mother of three children.

She is what I would call a “cosmopolitan woman”, somebody who knows a lot of things, who has combined her passion, her knowledge and everything she can possibly hold in her hands and put them into her life. She is ultimately the kind of woman we all like to be: successful, happy, loving, religious and creative!

If you were to tell us what are the most important skills that you need in order to be successful (in general) in life - what are they? * Be open to new possibilities * Charm is a good thing. * Never underestimate the power of being nice. * Get valuable work experience in the industry you want to be in – even if it means working for free at first.

This is her story:

Growing up, did you always dream of becoming a producer, businesswoman and also a TV show host?

No I didn’t. I trained to be an urban planner and did that for about three years. But I always had a creative and artistic side. I knew I didn’t want to work in an office. So my first job was for a Canadian company that did urban planning related projects in developing countries. I wanted to travel after university, see the world and gain international experience before getting a serious job in Toronto. When I was in high school in Toronto I thought I could one day be an architect even though I wasn’t really interested in the technical side of building a building.

I was always attracted to the design world and the only way I knew to manifest it was to work as an urban planner. After my three years doing urban planning programs, I got an offer from ABS-CBN. It was totally accidental. But I was prepared for it. When I got in to ABS-CBN, I was a reporter, taught myself how to write and produce and tell stories and learned the language of broadcasting.

How did you become who you are today, the “Daphne Osena-Paez” that we all know?

I learned everything on the job. I taught myself new skills. I wasn’t satisfied just being a host. I wanted to learn the creative side, the back-end, and eventually the business side. Urban Zone® is my baby. It’s my brand. A production company produces it for me—they provide the hardware, but the creative and editorial is headed by me with the help of my team. When UZ’s influence and foothold in the design industry got stronger, I established the Daphne® brand. It is a registered trademark.

Under my brand there are home/design products like linens (available in SM and Our Home), furniture (in Rustan’s), and fine jewellery (available in Accessory Lab).

In carving your name in the Philippine media, what were some of the obstacles you met and how are you still making it?

Initially it was a language/pronunciation problem. I didn’t speak Tagalog well enough, so TV Patrol never allowed me to voice a story for them. I would contribute but I never got to read stories. Until one time I had my own scoop – I interviewed a controversial person and only I had the story, I flew to Boston for it. Now, the challenges I face are those that involve being independent. I don’t work for a TV station. I do everything on my own—my management, my marketing, my content.

Being a Mom, a show host and a producer, how do you manage it all? Where do you get your inspiration and energy come from?

Photo by Paolo Feliciano

Tell us about yourself. Your education, training and where you are currently involved in.

I am a mother, wife, TV Host & Producer of Urban Zone, web entrepreneur (daphne.ph). I was born in the Philippines, raised in Canada. I’m a Canadian citizen.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Major in Urban Studies, Specialist in Fine Art History from the University of Toronto.

I was also appointed as the UNICEF Special Advocate for Children.

I prioritize my children first. Hosting my show only takes half a day each week. The rest of the time I can be working from home. I say no to many social events. I just don’t have the time for that. It’ll take me away from my family. The business (home products) operations are done by my partners.

The things that take a lot of time are photo shoots and other marketing activities I have to do to push my brand. And for those, sometimes I bring my kids.

Being a celebrated person in the Philippines and Canada, what is your most important message that you would like your followers/fans to know about you?

That I am a product of my own hard work and was never about hype. I never had a manager, publicist—I don’t even have an assistant. That I achieved this slowly but surely. TV shows don’t last forever. But even if I lose one, I can make another one.

I credit that to the fact that I know the back end of my business.

And also, that I am a mother first before anything else.

What are some of the greatest achievement that you’ve had aside from we already mentioned? a) Project manager of an international development program for Canada - at 24 years old. b) Spearheading the coordination of foreign aid from Canada’s Global Medic to Iligan and CDO last December. I just did it on my own out of frustration. I contacted Global Medic and asked them to come and help restore clean water.

In a span of 24 hours I had to get approval from the top guy of PAL to fly in 5 Canadian volunteer medics and huge cargo full of water purification tablets. In the first 2 hours, I was able to get their two local trucks on board a Navy vessel. Then when things were getting critical, I was able to get a C130 to fly more cargo to CDO. I almost fainted after everything was delivered. The value of the aid was over $100,000 USD. BBC

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World News found out about what I did and interviewed me (live radio). c) Being a UNICEF Special Advocate Who are/were your motivators?

The fact that I am a mother of 3 happy girls.

If you were to tell us what are the most important skills that you need in order to be successful (in general) in life, what are they?

1. Know the technical or creative side, learn the craft 2. Be open to new possibilities 3. I’m a firm believer that obtaining a university degree is a good thing to have. It may not be a guarantee for success, but it has always given me confidence that I can go anywhere in the world and my degree can open doors.

4. Be a good communicator – have good writing skills.

5. Charm is a good thing.

6. Never underestimate the power of being nice.

7. Get valuable work experience in the industry you want to be in – even if it means working for free at first.

What are your next goals for yourself and for family?

To expand Daphne.ph Finally, what is your definition of success.

Stability, Sense of achievement and Happiness ■

If you know a Filipino-Canadian whose success story is worth telling, please send an email to Alpha Sanford at identity_solutions@yahoo.com with the subject “Saturday Success Story”. You can also read and subscribe for more inspirational success stories at http://amsdaily.net.

Immigration Saskatchewan rejigs immigration rules to prevent abuse, protect foreign workers

BY JENNIFER GRAHAM THE CANADIAN PRESS

REGINA - Saskatchewan is tightening its immigration rules in an effort to stop people from abusing the system.

The new rules would limit the number of family nominees to one per household until principle applicants and their family members have successfully settled in Saskatchewan.

That means, for example, someone who has worked in Saskatchewan for at least six months could nominate a sister and her family to move to Saskatchewan. But someone with many brothers or sisters can’t nominate them all at the same time.

Family category nominees will also require a high-skill job offer.

“We have families now moving forward with multiple applications

and what’s happening is something that’s unfair,’’ said Immigration Minister Rob Norris.

“We’ve even heard stories of up to 20 applications. As they move forward with their 20, what’s happening is other families are being left out.’’

Norris said some people in other provinces also abuse the program by moving to Saskatchewan just to help family members immigrate.

“That is, they’re not really interested in coming and settling and staying in Saskatchewan.

They’re coming or looking to come to take advantage of the family class category and then move to other parts of the country. That’s not what this was designed for.’’

The Opposition NDP said the family nomination category has been successful for immigration.

It’s concerned about the impact of the changes.

Ang kursong ito na maaring aralin “online” ay alinsunod sa mga pangangailangang pang-akademya para maging isang “Regulated Immigration Consultant”.

“The changes that have occurred with the family class stream really are a gutting of the process with respect to what has been the understanding for the many people who have moved here from Toronto, Montreal or Vancouver hoping to access this program to bring their loved ones here and to really put roots in Saskatchewan and contribute to our economy and society,’’ said New Democrat Cam Broten.

“I know that this will negatively affect the ability of some families to be together.’’

The proposed legislation also aims to protect foreign workers by requiring immigration consultants and recruiters to be in good standing in Saskatchewan. The ministry will develop a registry of approved consultants and recruiters for employers to access.

There have been some problems in the past.

Norris said in one case, a small business spent about 18 months looking for specialized workers with a recruiter and didn’t get the person they needed. Their business was impacted and they lost a lot of money along the way, said Norris.

Norris calls those consultants and recruiters “bad apples.’’

“I’ve had discussions with my federal, provincial and territorial counterparts. I’ve suggested that somehow we move to a bad apple list nationally because what happens is often they roam from province to province,’’ he said.

The consultation process on foreign worker protection legislation will be underway until May 23. ■

Group that sponsors refugees upset over cuts to dental, health coverage THE CANADIAN PRESS

WINNIPEG - A group that sponsors refugees in Canada says taking away dental, vision and prescription coverage means they will have to go without or the folks

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TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012 22

who sponsored them will have to pick up the tab.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced this week it’s cutting supplemental health care coverage for newcomers.

Brian Dyck, refugee assistance program co-ordinator for the Mennonite Central Committee in Manitoba, says that means refugees will go without or their sponsors who support them for the first year in Canada will pay out of pocket.

The new rules for health coverage announced Wednesday come into effect June 30.

After June 30, governmentassisted and privately sponsored refugees and refugee claimants will only be able to see a doctor, visit a hospital or get laboratory, diagnostic or ambulance service if it’s deemed “urgent or essential.’’

Medications and vaccines will be administered only if needed to prevent or treat a disease that is a risk to public health or a condition of public safety concern.

After 12 months in Canada the re-settled refugees can apply for provincial health-care coverage and social assistance.

Social assistance in Manitoba covers supplemental health-care costs such as prescription drugs and dentistry, Dyck said.

A spokesman for the Manitoba government was not available to comment.

Immigration Minister Jason Kenney said many Canadians don’t have dental, vision or pharmaceutical coverage, so why should refugees? “...We do not want to ask Canadians to pay for benefits for protected persons and refugee claimants that are more generous than what they are entitled to themselves,’’ he said in a press release.

The interim federal health program cost $84.6 million in the 2010-2011 fiscal year.

After the supplemental coverage is cut, the federal government expects to save about $100 million over the next five years.

The federal government announced last week it was allowing an additional 1,000 privately sponsored refugees into Canada next year if they’re referred by a visa office. ■ (Winnipeg Free Press)

Immigration

23 TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012

Parent Support Services Society of BC: Helping Parents and Grandparents Through The Years

BY FRANCES GRACE H. QUIDDAOEN PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER AS A PARENT, or grandparent raising your child or grandchild in Canada, do you sometimes find the task daunting and even formidable? Certainly, the joys of raising kids are boundless but the demands of parenting are not always easy to handle and could lead to frustration. It is comforting to know that there are resources and organizations within your community that could extend a hand, lend an ear, provide support and be a source of valuable information on child rearing. The Parent Support Services Society of B.C., (PSS) a provincial non-profit organization, has been around since 1974 helping parents, grandparents and caregivers nurture children and build healthy relationship within the family.

One sunny afternoon in April, I had the privilege of talking with PSS’s Program Director, Ms. Bella Cenezero, in her office at Burnaby. Bella, a Filipino immigrant, first served PSS in 1995 as a Program coordinator. I was introduced to Bella by my friend, Maya, a long-time and dedicated PSS volunteer – facilitator, steering committee member and trainer. My interest in PSS was piqued after having attended a series of parenting workshops for six Saturdays from February to March, titled “Samasama Kapamilya”, conducted by PSS in collaboration with the Vancouver and Lower Mainland Multicultural and Family Support Services Society (VLMMFSSS) where Bella and Maya, with social workers and counsellors from the Ministry of Children and Family Development, Immigrant Services Society of BC, VLMMFSSS, and Multicultural Helping House Society served as resource persons and facilitators in the workshops.

Sama-Sama Kapamilya Parenting Workshops The “Sama-sama Kapamilya” sessions held in Burnaby and attended mostly by Filipino parents, afforded me a lot of insights on the challenges and issues Filipino migrant parents face in raising their children and striving to provide an environment conducive to nurturing family relationship in Canada.

The workshop topics, namely, understanding child development, communication skills, laws on child protection, impact of violence on child development, understanding the difference between discipline and abuse and stress management were certainly interesting and provided avenues for spirited and heartwarming discussions. The participants felt safe and secure to open up either in search of answers to their parenting challenges or to share their personal experiences with the view of reaching out to others who might have been experiencing similar situations or perhaps as a source of support in their journey for positive change.

PSS Mission PSS, whose mission is “to protect the safety and wellbeing of children and promote the health of families by providing support, education, advocacy, research, and resources to those in a parenting role” is guided by

Ms. Bella Cenzero

its values of inclusion, social justice and collaboration. PSS believes that these values “can transform conflict into understanding; that understanding can transform hurtfilled households into healthy homes; and that healthy families can transform unjust societies into strong communities.” PSS began its existence in 1974 under the name BC Parents In Crisis Society. In 1998, the program was given the name, Parent Support Circles and in May 2001, the organization changed its name to Parent Support Services Society of BC. The name change was a response to the emerging trends and issues in the community which PSS reflected in the mission statement that was revised in 2010.

Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Circles (GRG Circles). With the increasing complexities and demands of modern life on the family, more and more grandparents are getting involved in raising their grandchildren 24/7 in the absence of either or both parents, whether temporarily or permanently. Grandparents, owing to age, physical conditions and specific needs and the wider age gap between them and their grandchildren certainly do not find the task of raising children all over again to be a walk in the park and may feel overwhelmed by the responsibilities. If parents need help at one time or another in bringing up children, grandparents who find themselves wearing the caregivers’ hat, would most likely welcome support services in this department. GRG Circles aiming to address these concerns, hold weekly or monthly information and support meetings in partnership with the local community organizations.

Both the PS Circle and the GRG Circle could be formed within a community as needed, upon request communicated to PSS. Bella explained that as a provincial organization, PSS works in tandem with the local organizations in a community to deliver its programs, based on a community development and self-help support group model .

Parents and GRG Support Line. For parents, grandparents and caregivers who

PSS Programs PSS offers the following programs which parents and grandparents raising grandchildren in British Columbia could avail of: Parent Support Circles. Parents who need help with child or family issues are welcome to join a Parent Support Circle for free in their community. A Circle is “a safe & non-threatening place of support and learning for parents and caregivers who wish to improve their relationships with their children”. Anonymity and confidentiality are carefully guarded to develop a trusting environment conducive to learning and sharing. Currently, there are about 40 Circles in BC and in some communities, the Circles are conducted in Filipino, Spanish, Farsi, Mandarin and Cantonese. The Circle members who number about 10 or less meet weekly to discuss a wide range of topics on child and family depending on the expressed needs of the members and with the help of 2 volunteer facilitators. Bella mentioned that members and facilitators stay on for a number of years, having found camaraderie and support from fellow parents and volunteers.

As to the impact of PSS Circles in the lives of parents, some of them have these to say: “I felt safe opening up because I knew the information would remain within the four walls of the meeting room..”

“I came to the Circle to learn how to deal with my anger and to learn alternatives to spanking my son. I needed to know Canadian laws about appropriate child discipline.”

“In the group, I found people who understood me, listened to my stories without judging me.”

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need information or want to talk to someone about parenting and family issues, PSS runs a support line for free and confidential emotional support and may be reached at 604.558.4770 or toll free :1-855-474-9777 (1-855-GRG-PSSS).

Parent Education Classes and Community Workshops.

Various educational workshops on parenting are conducted by PSS across BC offering practical, experiential scenarios, stimulating classes and workshops that develop foundational skills to build caring and healthy family relationships. PSS will soon offer workshops based on a new parenting module called Raising Our Children: The Role of Discipline. Currently, PSS holds “Changeways Workshop for Filipinos” which runs from April 22 to August 12 at the El Shaddai Center at St Jude Catholic Church, Renfrew Street, Vancouver.

Be a Volunteer Facilitator Volunteer workshop facilitators are needed for parent and grandparent support circles who will undergo intensive training on May 11, 12, 25 and 26 in self-help/peer support philosophy, group process and development, communication skills dealing with child abuse issues and anti-oppressive practices.

As a facilitator, you will have the opportunity of making a difference in the lives of others while enriching your own as well. ■ For more information on PSS programs and volunteering opportunities, visit the website at www.parentsupport.bc.ca or call Bella Cenezero at 604.669.1616 ext.105.

Lifestyle Portrait of the Philippines in Ottawa show TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012 24

PHOTOGRAPHER Liza Linklater will hold ‘Philippine Portraits’, a photography exhibition at ZoomExposure, Ottawa from May 11 - 26.

A series of 15 accented black-and-white photographs of Filipinos of various ages and professions, it is the culmination of a 14-month-long portraiture project was taken during Linklater’s four year stay in the Philippines.

Linklater, who is also a visual anthropologist and writer, has participated in nearly 30 shows, including eight solo exhibitions, in various galleries and spaces in Canada, Thailand and the Philippines.

First shown at the Ayala Foundation’s Filipinas Heritage Library in Makati, Philippines, her ‘Philippine Portraits’ will be unveiled in North America for the first time in a two-week long show at the Canadian capital.

From softball players and ‘takatak’ boys to nuns and skateboarding teenagers, the suite presents everyday Filipinos in the middle of work or play, pausing to pose for the curious, genial gaze of the camera.

What results is a veracious witnessing of the country and its people in images where the sense of pride and character that is decidedly Filipino are palpable. For example, a shot of a jeepney driver who plies his trade along

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Makati City’s Guadalupe-Del Pan route gives a semblance the nation’s ready propensity for mirthfulness.

“The thing that is so very special about the Philippines is its welcoming, friendly, creative, forgiving, kind and resilient people. The landscape is magnificent too but the country is really about its people,” Linklater says.

The photographer has travelled extensively in Asia - living in the continent for more than 12 years - and has also taken photographs of quotidian life from the mountains of Ladakh and Tibet to the streets of Bangkok and Colombo. Many of these projects have appeared in publications both in Asia and North America.

But this show is hardly travel photography. It is photography whose strain stems from that long tradition of portraiture that seeks out the gravitas of the man and woman of the street, as grandly epitomised by German photographer August Sander in his series ‘People of the 20th Century’.

As Linklater notes, “every day these hard-working people get up and work to support their families. It is these daily occupations and the dignity and pride that attach to even the humblest of tasks that I have tried to capture in my photographs.”

‘Philippine Portraits’ runs from May 11 - 26 at ZoomExposure, 2ndFloor, 391a Bank Street, 2nd Floor, Ottawa. www.lizalinklater.com ■ Irwin Cruz writes about Philippine art.

25 TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012

Lifestyle

Ike Lalji Rescues the True Beauty of Miss World® Canada

Miss World®’s Ike Lalji

BY ZEALA CORTES PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER IN THE midst of a flurry of controversy, Canadian hospitality mogul Ike Lalji takes

the stage to rescue the Miss World® Canada pageant. Since the overwhelming international backlash surrounding Miss Universe owner Donald Trump’s controversial decision on Canada’s transgender beauty queen Jenna Talackova, Ike has stepped into the arena to remind Canadians about the true purpose behind the world-renowned competition. Ike remains hopeful that Miss World® Canada will remain true to its purpose of celebrating inner selfless beauty.

This year’s competition centers on the beauty of giving back to the community. In partnership with Variety – The Children’s Charity, the contest rules encourages the contestants to enhance their scores through community service and activities generating charitable donations.

Of the total judging score, 10% of their rating is based on the donations they raise through their charitable involvement, all of which will benefit Variety – The Children’s Charity.

With the new leadership, other changes made

include the introduction of the Continuing Development Programme (CDP) and the ability to sponsor the candidates. In the past, the contestants were given a whirlwind lesson in training for the event. Through the new leadership, the chairman announced that the traditional method is being replaced with an enhanced training method from worldrenowned coaches that focuses on overall self-improvement and allows the candidates to become self-empowered Ambassadors.

To support the CDP, the Chairman is asking his friends in the corporate world and other philanthropists out there to become patrons of the Miss World® Canada competition.

The competition and the award ceremony hosted by Bollywood Boulevard’s Veronica Chail will be held at the River Rock Resort Casino on May 13th at 7pm. To cast your vote, buy tickets or sponsor the event, please visit http://missworldcanada.org/ On pageant day, each of the 34 contestants

Flamenco Festival Fosters International Collaboration Monday May 14 & Wednesday May 16 So You Think You Can Flamenco!

A two-day flamenco competition in the categories of Dance, Guitar, and Singing. A never done before event that invites all emerging and professional flamenco artists to apply and participate in presenting their art form in front of a panel of 5 judges and a live audience in an intimate setting. This event is in its pilot phase and provides an excellent and exciting opportunity for those timid underdogs. May 14 is the competition day and May 16 is the awards

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA – April 3, 2012 Vancouver International Jondo Flamenco Festival Announces 2012 Program Peña Bulería Flamenco Club is pleased to present the 8th Annual International Jondo Flamenco Festival, May 6, 12, 14, 16, and 25, 2012 at multiple locations across Vancouver, BC. Two breathtaking performances, a two-day competition for the very first time in Western Canada, and screening a documentary film about flamenco, throughout the month of May, promises to make the necessary ingredients for an unforgettable experience that showcases the evolution of flamenco in Western Canada.

“2012 marks the 8th edition of the Annual International Jondo Flamenco Festival and May in the official month we have adopted,” says festival founder Pirouz Ebadypour. “Since its very first year in 2003, we’ve sought to enrich the quality and accessibility of flamenco on the West Coast. Every year our goal is to increase our capacity in order to reach and affect more communities in a positive way. This year we are following that tradition by partnering

with the Vancouver Asian Heritage Month Society as a co-presenter to deliver and foster unprecedented signature programs such as hosting the very first flamenco competition in Western Canada and possibly screening a film in addition to our regular programming of hosting workshops and collaborative spectacles involving local, national, and international artists.”

The 2012 festival will continue with its tradition of bringing together the local flamenco community as a grass roots festival.

“Vancouver has a thriving, vibrant flamenco community. The festival creates incredible opportunities for us to grow and learn as artists and aficionados,” says Mr. Ebadypour. “It’s a chance for us to learn from each other and to experience the privilege of collaborating with some of the most respected and talented performers the world has to offer.”

Audiences can expect to be enthralled by at least four rich, varied and exciting presentations: Saturday May 12 / Por El Flamenco A chronicle of love in the heart of Andalucia’s world of flamenco—A film about passion and loss.

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will compete on what defines “Beauty with a Cause” to test their intellect, personality and character. The winner wins an all-expense paid trip to represent Canada on the Miss World® stage. This year’s Miss World® pageant will be hosted in the inner Mongolia of China, the city of Ordos.

The winner will be the embodiment of “Beauty with a Cause,” and remain true to the charity’s aim of giving back. Winning the title comes with the honour of being Variety –The Children’s Charity spokesperson for the upcoming year. ■ Miss World® is an internationally renowned competition that surpasses the Olympics in total dedicated viewers from around the world. Franchised in over 120 countries, this platform has helped raise support for over 500 million children charities around the globe. Philippine Canadian Inquirer, through CNM Communications, is one of its media sponsors. ceremony and party day—don’t miss the boat on this one!

Friday May 25 / Flamenguitos del Norte An explosive group of 10 flamenco artists from Toronto showcasing the very traditions of flamenco. This event features some of the finest performers Toronto has to offer and includes 3 female singers, 2 guitarists, and 5 dancers— definitely not to be missed! ■ For more information about the festival, please visit www.FLAMENCO.CA Tickets are available online at the Eventbrite Box Office at www.eventbrite.ca or call 604.767.5522.

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TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012 26

Bright Intramuros night tours up

BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer

ALREADY a popular stop on day tours of Manila, the historic walled city of Intramuros will soon become a nighttime destination, too, and not only for foreign visitors but also for Filipinos.

In six months, Fort Santiago, which houses the Rizal Shrine, will open its gates to guests for nightly cultural shows.

Nothing for night visitors to fear, as the Walled City will no longer be dark at night. The plans include installing lights on the centuries-old buildings and churches of Intramuros And the nearby Maestranza Park by Pasig River will become a village of café, restaurants and shops, resembling Singapore’s Clarke Quay, a historic riverside wharf where old warehouses have been restored and converted into restaurants and nightclubs.

“Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. has told me to develop Intramuros as a nighttime destination because he realized that many people go on day tours but when they come back to Manila, they don’t have anything to do,” Intramuros Administrator Jose Capistrano Jr. said at the second general membership meeting of the Philippine Tour Operators Association (Philtoa) in Intramuros on .

Efforts to develop Intramuros into a nighttime destination will begin with the reopening of Fort Santiago at night, Capistrano said.

He said the Intramuros Administration had opened discussions with the Philippine Educational Theater Association (Peta) for the staging of performances in the open-air Rajah Sulaiman Theater inside Fort Santiago.

“Once upon a time, Intramuros was open at night [and] it used to be a favorite dating place,” Capistrano said.

“But we’re not just reopening it, we will also provide entertainment. That’s why we’re talking with Peta,” he said.

In an interview later with reporters, Capistrano said Fort Santiago, where national hero Jose Rizal was detained before he was executed, will begin accepting visitors for nighttime shows in October, “after the rainy season.”

Talks with a lighting designer are going on for lighting up the Walled City’s great buildings, including San Agustin Church and Manila Cathedral, Capistrano said.

The plans for night tours include “audio guides” that will give tourists historical information on the buildings and churches of Intramuros.

Capistrano said the restoration of the walls and chambers of Maestranza Park, which were warehouses for goods carried on the galleon trade between Manila and Acapulco during the Spanish colonial period, was already finished.

He said sites in the park would be bid out in the next six months to private businesses to start commercial development.

The Japanese government donated P500 million for the restoration of Maestranza’s walls and chambers, a project that began during the term of then Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon, Capistrano said.

When fully developed, he said, Maestranza will be like the “Wow Philippines” project of Gordon, with numerous food stalls, shops and exhibits that will be open until late at night.

The development plans include river cruises with lunch or dinner buffet.

Envisioned are cruises from Maestranza Park, down Pasig River and circling around Isla de Convalecencia, where Hospicio de San Jose sits, Capistrano said.

The nearby Almacenes Reales (Royal Warehouse), used for the storage of goods unloaded from

galleons in the 16th century, will become the Intramuros VisitorsCenter when the restoration by the Spanishfunded Escuela Taller Intramuros is completed, he said.

“It would be a real visitors’ center with booking facilities,” Capistrano added.

Citing the many tourism projects in Manila, the Philtoa is optimistic that the city will soon begin drawing

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1

foreign and domestic tourists.

In a statement, Philtoa President Cesar Cruz said historical sites have always been Manila’s primary tourist attractions.

He said the capital’s major destinations—including Intramuros, Rizal Park, the National Museum, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Ermita, Malate and Santa Cruz’s rew more than 1.4 million tourists last year. ■

-TIME ADVERTISING -YEAR MULTIMEDIA EXPOSURE

604.737.804 dahongpilipino@telsu.com

27 TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012

Travel-Canada

Road Trip: The Iron Horse Trail

BY TRAVEL ALBERTA

SO WHAT in the world, you ask, is an Iron Horse Trail?

Like its name suggests, this unique journey through Alberta’s northeastern Lakeland district follows rail lines abandoned by the Canadian National Railway in 1999. This recreation

corridor is part of the Trans-Canada Trail and offers endless kilometers of trails and pathways for cyclists, walkers, ATVs, and horseback riders.

And in the winter, snowmobilers and skiers come out to play.

Explore historic towns and villages, as you wind through gently rolling hills, aspen and pine forests, past wetlands

and pothole lakes. Wildlife is plentiful.

You may spot the occasional bear, moose, elk, coyote or badger. Take your time and enjoy a stay at a B&B or country inn along the way. Whatever portion of these trails you choose to explore, expect to make friends with the locals.

There are 15 vehicle-accessible staging areas in pretty little towns that help travelers connect, refuel and navigate this recreation corridor.

On the map, the trail looks like a jagged fork of lightning lying on its side. The trail officially begins at Waskatenau, home to an impressive train trestle used by CN in its heyday.

But Smoky Lake, 20 km (12 mi) east, is considered the trailhead as it has the first staging area. From Smoky Lake, the trail moves east through Ashmont, and forks at Abilene Junction, “Mile Zero”, where you can either take the northeast fork all the way to Cold Lake, or take the southeast fork all the way to Heinsburg, the eastern trailhead.

At Smoky Lake, take a side trip to

Victoria Settlement or Métis Crossing, 13 km (8 mi) south of town on the North Saskatchewan River accessed via Hwy 855.

Enjoy the scenery of White Earth Valley with many trestles crossing over the pretty White Earth River. Meander through to Bellis (impressive trestle), and on to Vilna (stroll its lovely historic Main Street).

Continue on to Ashmont, which hosts a major equestrian staging area, an excellent starting point for trail riding.

Abilene Junction, marks the spot where you can head in three different directions, hence “ground zero.” From here, each of the branches is about 90 km (56 mi) long.

Option A: you can zig southeast through the communities of St. Paul, Elk Point, Lindbergh and on toHeinsburg.

Option B: zag northeast to Mallaig, then Glendon, Moose Lake Provincial Park, Bonnyville, Fort Kent, Ardmore and Cold Lake. ■

Five Fun Summer Festivals in Edmonton, Festival City

glers, mimes, contortionists and swordswallowers storm Sir Winston Churchill Square. Take it from me, guaranteed laughs.

BY TRAVEL ALBERTA EDMONTON, ALBERTA’S capital city is so famous for its festivals that it has become known across Canada as Festival City. There are certain moments that I’ll never forget, that overpowering feeling when a favourite band plays a great performance; or the feeling of terror for a protagonist who is being stalked onstage; or the feeling of sheer satisfaction after an incredible day of live music and great food. Here are five wonderful festivals in Canada’s Festival City that are guaranteed to have you experience those deliciously extreme emotions this summer.

Capital Ex: Late July Capital Ex boasts something for the

whole family. Taking place in the heat of the summer, the festival takes over the Northlands grounds and features rides, games, entertainment, concerts and shopping. When the sun goes down, Telus launches the stage concert series.

Last but not least, every evening closes with a bang: fireworks!

Edmonton Street Performers Festival: July The first of its kind in North America, the Edmonton Street Performer’s Festival celebrates the art of performance by attracting the best professional street performers from around the globe. You can feel the excitement buzzing around Edmonton when these carefully selected jug-

Folk Festival: August Let your hair down and don your best flowing frock (or loosen those top buttons, gents!), in its 30 years of existence, Edmonton Folk Fest has built a reputation for attracting top talent—tickets sell out within days! The festival takes place outdoors overlooking the city skyline in Gallagher Park. Edmonton Folk Festival prides itself on the depth of its line-up and has attracted top Canadian and international talent, from K.D. Lang to the Gipsy Kings to Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

Edmonton International Fringe Festival: August August in Edmonton attracts over 500 artists to the Old Strathcona District to

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perform cutting-edge grassroots fringe theatre. The Fringe Festival presents over 1,000 performances, which to the inexperienced Fringe Fester can be intimidating. I’ve been told that the key is to follow your curiosity and don’t be afraid see a bold and outrageous performance.

Edmonton Blues Festival: August Thousands of blues hounds gather in each year to watch some of today’s best blues artists at the Edmonton Blues Festival. Taking place under the stars in the breathtaking Edmonton River Valley’s Heritage Amphitheatre, the festival features the world’s best blues fare. Boasting “blues and nothin’ but the blues” I went last year and had my soul shattered by some incredibly moving acts. ■

Lifestyle

s_bukley / Shutterstock.com

Girl crusaders led by 14-year-old ballet dancer ask Seventeen magazine to try unaltered photos

Demi Lovato at an in-store appearnce signing copies of her cover issue of Seventeen Magazine in Glendale, CA

BY LEANNE ITALIE THE ASSOCIATED PRESS NEW YORK - The girl crusaders held up signs in the drizzling rain with messages for Seventeen magazine: “Teen Girls Against Photoshop!’’ and “The Magazine’s for Me? Make it Look Like Me!!’’

Their leader, a 14-year-old ballet dancer from Maine, had gathered 25,000 signatures to present to the magazine’s top editor, Ann Shoket, at Hearst Corp. headquarters on Wednesday.

“I love Seventeen and they do have a lot of stuff to promote (positive) body image,’’ said Julia Bluhm, from Waterville. “But Photoshopped pictures can be harmful to girls when they compare themselves to the pictures and think that they have to look like those models to be beautiful.’’

Shoket met the girl and “had a great discussion, and we believe that Julia left understanding that Seventeen celebrates girls for being their authentic selves, and that’s how we present them,’’ the magazine said in a statement. “We feature real girls in our pages and there is no other magazine that highlights such a diversity of size, shape, skin tone and ethnicity.’’

The two camps agreed to stay in touch.

Demi Lovato at an in-store appearance signing copies of her cover issue of Seventeen Magazine, Barnnes & Noble in Glendale

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TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012 28

Julia’s journey from smalltown Maine to midtown Manhattan began less than two weeks ago, when she took her cause to Change.org, an activist forum, and set up her petition online. She was joined by six other teen girls and young women affiliated as she is with SPARK, a national organization that pushes back against sexualized images of girls in the media.

Julia made her case in detail at the top of her online petition, saying unrealistic images “can lead to eating disorders, dieting, depression, and low self esteem’’: “To girls today, the word ‘pretty’ means skinny and blemish-free. Why is that, when so few girls actually fit into such a narrow category?

It’s because the media tells us that ‘pretty’ girls are impossibly thin with perfect skin.’’

Altering photos in fashion magazines, especially those like Seventeen that cater to young girls, puts an unhealthy emphasis on a fantasy ideal they’ll never achieve, said 17-year-old Emma Stydahar, one of the protesters and a high school junior from Croton-on-Hudson near Manhattan.

“Basically, it’s not real,’’ agreed protester Natasha Williams, 17, of East Flatbush in Brooklyn. “It can lead girls to feel insecure about how they look, who they are. A lot of girls are struggling.’’ ■

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Lifestyle

Smart TVs get really, really smart

BY IRENE C. PEREZ Philippine Daily Inquirer

SCI-FI FILMS show you can control big screens with hand gestures, open websites by clicking something in the air, and activate controls by saying passwords.

These stuff are not fiction, or far off into the future anymore.

Gadgets giant Samsung catches up with technology and redefines “high-tech” with a new line of TVs which allows you to do all these.

Samsung Electronics Philippines Corporation (Sepco) introduced the ES8000 and ES7500 HD LED TV

models in the brand’s AV Roadshow in NBC Tent, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Ariel Arias, Sepco AV Business Unit head for audiovisual group, presented the new ultra-slim models with dual-core processor, with screens ranging from 46 all the way up to 75 inches.

The concept is this: If you have a smart phone, then you should have a smart TV. Arias described the ES line as three-way smart, each being capable of smart interaction, smart content, and smart evolution.

Smart interaction means the TVs is capable of motion control. You can program it to automatically turn

Annette Shaff / Shutterstock.com

Some Canadians now say they watch more online video than TV: survey

BY MICHAEL OLIVEIRA THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO - We’ve long been hearing that Canadians are huge fans of watching online video, more so than web surfers in any other country. Now a new

survey suggests some pluggedin Canadians are even watching more web video than they are conventional TV. An online survey of 3,500 Canadians by Ipsos MediaCT— commissioned by Google, which owns YouTube, the most popular

on when walk into a room. It has voice control, which lets you talk to your TV instead of fiddling with the remote. It could be an initially freaky form of channel surfing— talking to your TV especially if you’re alone—but it’s really cool.

Otherwise, from the couch, use your hand like a mouse to click on the controls. We tried to do this during the capsule demos in the roadshow, and it takes some getting used to—pretty much like adjusting to a new gadget.

The TVs double as computers.

They are WiFi-capable and you could enter and create a “profile.”

Both have a built-in camera (like a webcam); you take a picture, sync it with your profile, and use it for the Face Recognition function. The next time you go in front of the TV, it recognizes your face and your profile, signs you up and loads your apps such as Twitter, Facebook and Youtube, just like a personalized smart phone would.

TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012 30

Angry Birds on your TV Soon, Arias said you could even play the popular touch-screen game Angry Birds on your SmartTV. Other apps to be launched are Bluray Blockbuster’s Blupass and Viki Premiere, both video sites.

These SmartTVs have built-in

apps which ideally work with other Samsung items, like the phones and tablets. Smart content means it has built-in apps, from fitness routines to kiddie games that let you maximize TV time.

Also, it lets you share photos and videos directly from your Samsung phone and tablets. You could also hook the TV up with the Samsung Dock with Vacuum Tube Amplifier (model DA-E750), which surprisingly has a port for Apple items such as the iPhone and iPod. “We’re being kind,” jested Arias.

The thing with a TV, as with all gadgets, is that new models come along fast. A new model is new for a very limited period of time, and it’s a pain if you’re the techie type who needs to upgrade and cannot bear being left out.

Here’s Samsung’s answer to that: “future-proofing” via the smart evolution technology. Samsung SmartTVs have a slot where you can insert an Evolution Kit, a cartridge that contains data, games, apps. Instead of buying a new TV once a new model comes along, you can instead buy the Evolution Kit for an instant upgrade.

The ES8000 and ES7500 LED TV, and the first Evolution Kit will be rolled out in the Philippines next year. ■

video site online—found about 88 per cent said they watched video on the web at least once a week.

Of those, almost one in four said they now spend more time watching online video than TV programming. Another 16 per cent said the time they spend watching content online and on TV was about the same.

About 26 percent said they found viewing online videos more entertaining than flipping through channels and watching live TV. When asked how many online videos they watched, the average worked out to about 7.7 per week, with 80 per cent of viewers saying they preferred to watch web clips that were 10 minutes or shorter.

Many also said they were now watching online video away from home and on their mobile devices.

About one in three smartphone owners and more than half of the tablet owners said they were using their gadgets to watch web video.

Some of the viewing numbers reported by users in the poll, which

was conducted in January and February of this year, were lower than figures reported last year by the measurement firm comScore, which tracks user habits without using surveys. Those numbers suggested Canadian Internet users watched an average of about 10 videos a day.

Google says it commissioned its study to learn more about how consumers are influenced by online video in shopping and making purchasing decisions.

About 44 per cent of respondents said they were using web videos for product research more than in the previous year. But online videos aren’t sparking major sales just yet. Only about 11 percent said they made a purchase based on a video they watched.

The most influential videos of product reviews and ratings were posted by fellow users and experts, while videos posted by retailers and manufacturers were least effective in swaying consumers. ■

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31 TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012

Entertainment www.canadianinquirer.net

Aquino takes Grace Lee to Brasil 2012 concert

Photo courtesy of Ervin Santiago

when he scored a hit, “Mas Que Nada,” featuring the young Lani Hall as part of his band, Brasil 66.

Though many of his recorded pieces were cover versions of other foreign artists, Mendes’ popularity grew far and wide because he transformed these tunes with his own cool and soothing touch, with a dash of jazz.

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer A DOSE of bossa nova on a hot summer night wouldn’t hurt.

President Benigno Aquino III had a welcome respite from the sweltering weather and dealing with the country’s problems when he spent some two hours indulging in one of his passions, music.

He was in the company of his constant date, radio-TV personality Grace Lee, at the Sergio Mendes and Brasil 2012 concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

People learned that Mr. Aquino would be watching the show because of the presence of the Presidential Security Group in and around the Big Dome.

Those seated at court side were eager to take photos of the couple, but were disappointed when the President and Lee were led to an area of the lower box section reserved for the Araneta clan.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer tried to take a snapshot when the President entered the venue, but was stopped by his bodyguards.

Also spotted enjoying the concert were a number of other popular figures, including former President Joseph Estrada with wife Loi, businessman Tonyboy Cojuangco with partner Gretchen Barretto, and club owner Louie Ysmael, who came with Karen Jimeno, one of the defense lawyers in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Sitti The show opened with Filipino singer Sitti performing seven numbers, combining covers of Bong Peñera and

Ryan Cayabyab tunes and her own compositions—all rendered in bossa nova style.

She seemed overwhelmed by the thought of front-acting for a major foreign artist like Mendes before a large number of people, and was groping for words while doing her spiels.

Rap He has also updated his sound with contemporary genres like hip hop, which he successfully employed during the show when “Agua de Beber” featured a singer rapping along to the song.

Another track, “Chove Chuva”, had a funky groove, Mendes attacking the keyboards with child-like delight.

His band delivered the goods as well, improvising with excellent timing, but knew how to stop during their solo spots.

Waters of March Mendes’ first two songs, “Waters of March” and “Pretty World”, were the same tunes he opened with during his last gig at the Big Dome six years ago. But this time he played them with a more syncopated beat, adding freshness to the original studio versions.

When Mendes greeted the crowd, he explained that his native Brazil and the Philippines shared common traits—their people are romantic and love to party. He hinted that his show would take a musical journey through bossa nova—slower variation of samba, a Brazilian creation— and other sounds associated with his career.

Girl from Ipanema What followed was his take on “Girl from Ipanema,” whose music was originally written by his friend and contemporary, Antonio Carlos Jobim. Mendesvoice was soothing, his playing on the keyboards sprightly.

The audience roared with approval upon hearing a succession of classic selections

by Mendes: “The Trouble With Hello Is Goodbye,” “Agua de Beber”, “One Note Samba”, “Going Out of My Head” and “Bridges.”

Most of the vocals were handled by a duo of female singers, a trademark of Mendes’ act which first gained worldwide notice

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The hits kept coming—“Like a Lover,” “Fool on the Hill,” “The Look of Love,” “Mas Que Nada” (similarly updated with rap lines)—and goaded the crowd to stand up and dance to the intoxicating music.

New track Mendes likewise played a new track, “Tristeza” from the animation film “Rio,” proving that he’s still in the loop and not a has-been trying to milk money via the oldies-tour route.

As a whole, the concert was a celebration of the vitality of two cultures—Brazil offering its music, and the Philippines responding with its propensity to have fun in good or bad times.

If Mr. Aquino and Lee were still at the Big Dome when Mendes played one of his ballads, “Never Gonna Let You Go,” near the show’s end, they would probably have felt so romantic. ■

Entertainment

GMA 7’s ‘queen’ Marian talks about rumored TV 5 merger

Photo courtesy of Ervin Santiago

“Maybe the talk started because my character in ‘My Beloved’ is pregnant,” she noted.

She insisted yet again that she wasn’t married to Dantes.

“I have no plans of getting married just now. I have so many projects in the works,” she said, “and still so many dreams.”

One of those dreams is to visit exotic destinations around the world.

She and Dantes went to Angkor Wat in Cambodia last Holy Week.

“It’s a beautiful place,” she recalled. “We went on a cultural tour. We rode a tuk-tuk, and a tour guide explained to us everything that we saw.” She learned a lot about ancient civilizations on that trip, she said.

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer MARIAN RIVERA, GMA 7’s top female star (she headlines the nightly “My Beloved” and the weekly “Tweets for My Sweet”), admitted that she had heard the rumor about the possible sale of her home network to TV 5’s Manny V. Pangilinan.

Was she worried that she might have to give up her throne as Kapuso queen if the merger pushed through?

After all, there are more senior queens on the TV 5 lot.

“I don’t think about that,” she said. “First question I asked myself was: Does that mean I’ll be able to guest in TV 5 shows? A merger would allow the actors to do more things.”

Unfazed Nothing fazes Rivera. Not even rumors that she is pregnant with boyfriend Dingdong Dantes’ child.

Recognized She found that she and Dantes couldn’t travel incognito because their old GMA 7 shows were being aired in Cambodia and neighboring Malaysia.

“I didn’t expect to be recognized there. When we arrived, a Cambodian airport employee approached me and called me Macha,” she recounted. “I was the girl on TV daw, the girl with the fish tail. Turned out, ‘Dyesebel’ is titled ‘Macha the Ocean Princess’ in Cambodia.”

She couldn’t join Dantes on the promo tour for “Endless Love” in Kuala Lumpur last week because the launch of “Tweets for My Sweet” fell on the same day. “But I hope to visit Malaysia soon,” said Marian.

She gets nostalgic when she watches her old shows on Fox Filipino. “I’ve grown so much in the last five years,” she said.

Inquirer asked if she had seen Coco Martin’s old movies, since she would star with him next in a Regal film by Maryo J. de los Reyes.

“Not yet,” she said. “I know he’s a good actor, so it will be a challenge. That will push me to work harder. We were given a chance to work together despite being on competing shows—that’s a good sign for the industry.”■

Arnel still rockin’ after leg injury Photo courtesy of Ervin Santiago

BY POCHOLO CONCEPCION Philippine Daily Inquirer THERE WAS no trace of his injury when Arnel Pineda performed recently at Rockville, his club on Timog Avenue.

The place was packed.

Even well-heeled fans jostled their way to the stage to see Arnel up close.

The show was a sendoff to the Filipino rock star, who flew to New York the for the premiere of Ramona Diaz’s documentary on him and his band Journey at the Tribeca film fest.

Too dark Arnel fell off the stage while performing on tour in the United States in July 2011. “Sobrang dilim, I overshot the 7-foot stage,” he told the Inquirer.

He didn’t suffer any fracture, but the tendons in his right leg were damaged. He couldn’t rest; the three-month tour had just started. “I was in constant pain, both of my knees hurt,” he recounted.

He opted for massage therapy when he got back to Manila. “Dinaan sa hilot. Nag-heal din naturally.”

At the Rockville gig, Arnel worked up the crowd with the rock repertoire that led to his discovery

on YouTube by Neal Schon, Journey co-founder and lead guitarist.

Old times His vocals faltered slightly on a few songs, but the audience couldn’t have cared less—it was rock ‘n’ roll and they loved every minute of it.

Arnel was confidence personified—belting out the high notes and leaping on the last beat. His longtime guitarist Monet Cajipe was at his side; it was like old times in Olongapo and Hong Kong.

Arnel and his backup band, Ammo, played notefor-note covers of The Beatles, Billy Joel, The Knack, The Police, Deep Purple, U2, Bon Jovi, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Guns NRoses, Aerosmith and even Adele.

The covers stood out because of Arnel’s gungho attitude and his dynamic voice that alternated between honey and sandpaper.

Puzzler He did Air Supply’s “Making Love Out of Nothing At All” and incredibly, made it sound hip.

“I have a flight to catch,” he told the throng at the end of a non-stop, 20-song set.

Journey is doing another US tour in mid-July, he told us. “It will open in San Bernardino and finish mid-December in Hawaii. We’re working on a Manila date in February 2013.” Arnel looked happy and eager to flex those legs again. ■

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TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012 32

Finding Lovi in Tawi-Tawi

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER THE HEAT on the set of the GMA 7 prime time soap “Legacy” was no big deal for actress Lovi Poe; she had just returned from a seaside set in the South.

If her chestnut tan had turned a tad deeper, that was thanks to a recent trip to Tawi-Tawi in Mindanao, to shoot “Thy Womb,” the latest film of Brillante Mendoza, who won in Cannes in 2010.

Mobbed The weather down there was fine, said the first-time visitor to the island. “It was such a beautiful place,” she said. “Everyone was so nice to us.”

Despite their military escorts, Lovi and co-star Nora Aunor were mobbed by the residents as soon as they landed on the island, recounted a production insider.

The young actress said: “The fans said they always watched ‘Legacy.’ They were looking for Diana and Bernadette (characters played by Heart Evangelista and Alessandra de Rossi on the soap). I told them they were back in Manila, taping.”

She was thankful that the network allowed her to do Mendoza’s film. “I was given a week off,” Lovi said, adding that she wouldn’t have passed up the chance to work with La Aunor and Mendoza.

“I was star-struck,” she said, recalling her first meeting with Aunor. “But she made sure that we were all comfortable around her.”

On set, she was constantly in awe of Aunor’s acting, Lovi said. “You didn’t feel she was acting at all.”

The indie drama also stars Bembol Roco and Mercedes Cabral. “It was important for me to do this film,” said Lovi.

She had heard “amazing” things about the acclaimed director, but nothing compared to actually working with him, she said. “He has different techniques. It was a refreshing change for me. I finally found someone who works the same way that I do.”

She explained: “He told me not to over-read the script. Even in previous projects, I made sure not to read the script over and over so that I’d be spontaneous on the set.”

Papa’s friend Back in Manila, she works in “Legacy” with another screen legend, Eddie Garcia.

She was just as awestruck when she first shared a scene with the veteran actor. “It was an honor to act with him.

He worked closely with Papa (the late action king Fernando Poe Jr).”

She relates well with her character Natasha. “She’s complicated and a real person, not just a saint or just a villainess.”

That was what attracted her to the soap. “All the characters are flawed. But then there are no perfect people in real life.” ■

Entertainment

Actress Gina Alajar gets behind the camera for this Kapuso series Alajar will conduct acting workshops at the Center for Media Arts of St. Joseph’s College.

She learned how to direct by observing on set. “It was all oido,” she said.

She said she consulted her mentor, the late National Artist Lino Brocka, on her plans to direct movies. (She directed an episode in the 2007 film trilogy “Angels.”)

Photo courtesy of Ervin Santiago

Brocka’s tips “I asked him for tips,she recalled. He gave her a piece of advice that made a lasting impression. “Lino said that when all else fails, stick to basics.

Forget embellishments; our goal as directors is just to tell a story.”

Her former-husband, actor-turneddirector Michael de Mesa, also gave her valuable advice.

“I started with a one-camera setup in the TV show “Dear Diary,” she

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR recounted. “Then I began working Philippine Daily Inquirer with two cameras on other TV shows, Michael told me: Remember that Bianca, too.

VERY FEW actresses have kaliwa (left) is uno (camera one) and successfully crossed over to work kanan (right) is dos (camera two).”

Speaking of her ex- hubby, she said behind the camera.

In Hollywood, there’s Barbra she had long overcome the trauma of Streisand and Jodie Foster. Locally, their separation and had no problems acting with him again—as in the TV there’s Laurice Guillen.

Award-winning actress Gina Alajar 5 soap “Valiente.”

“We’re on speaking terms now. joins this rare sorority with her regular directorial work on the GMA We see each other when we visit our grandchild with our son Ryan 7 show “Tween Hearts.”

Alajar, who also plays a long- (Eigenmann). It would’ve been suffering mom in the Kapuso different if we were still quarreling. afternoon soap “Hiram na Puso,” It would’ve been impossible to work divides her week between oncam and together,” she explained then jested, “Like Mark and Jaclyn!” off-cam duties.

(She was referring to De Mesa’s It can be quite challenging, she conceded: “It’s hard managing my brother Mark Gil and former partner time.” To start with, when it’s an Jaclyn Jose, who are in the cast of acting day, she gets so absorbed in “Valiente” as well. Alajar has been her role that she often neglects to killed off in the Kapatid series and is back full time in GMA 7.) check her phone until late at night.

When she gets to talk to the tween “When I finally get to read my text messages, I find that my staff in stars in the show she directs, does ‘Tween Hearts’ have been trying to she share her own experiences as a former child star and teen actress? reach me,” she said.

“I don’t want to sound preachy, But somehow she makes things but I remind them to go easy work.

Young Kapuso star Bianca King, on love, to focus on work.” She who wants to try directing as well, added, laughing, “But in the past, considers Alajar and Guillen her whenever Kuya Germs (German idols. “It’s good for her that, at such Moreno) heard me saying that, he’d a young age, she already knows chide me: “But you didn’t listen to what she wants out of life,” Alajar me and married Michael when you were a teenager!” ■ said of King.

‘Avengers’ bad boy Hiddleston wreaks wicked fun taking on all star lineup of superheroes

Tom Hiddleston at the world premiere of his new movie “Marvel’s The Avengers” at the El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood.

Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com

‘Direk’ is a woman

Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

33 TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012

BY DAVID GERMAIN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LOS ANGELES - Everyone’s buzzing about the all-star team of do-gooders in “The Avengers,’’ from Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man to Chris Evans’ Captain America to Chris Hemsworth’s god of thunder, Thor.

Well how about this wily bad guy who’s such a peril that humanity has to assemble half a dozen Marvel Comics superheroes to rein him in?

British actor Tom Hiddleston first played Loki, wicked younger son of Norse king of the gods Odin, in last summer’s “Thor,’’ scheming to banish brother Thor and take his place as heir to the throne. Hiddleston’s Loki proved so diabolical that he’s back as the villain of “The Avengers,’’ which opens in U.S. theatres on Friday and is already playing in some overseas markets.

As Hiddleston says, Loki is mean and hateful, which can be great fun—and greatly challenging—for an actor to play.

“Sometimes, it’s really hard, especially when you get up in the morning feeling in a good mood, and that sort of innate contentment is of absolutely no use to you, because you’re having to stoke the bonfires of anger and sadness and despair and all that stuff,’’ Hiddleston said.

The 31-year-old classically trained actor, who studied at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, clearly managed to overcome his good moods to imbue Loki with venom. Not only was he cast in “The Avengers,’’ but Hiddleston’s also returning for “Thor 2,’’ which begins shooting late this year for release in November 2013.

“He sort of steals the movie,’’ Hemsworth said of Hiddleston’s performance in “The Avengers.’’

“He’s the catalyst for everything that’s happening. What he’s doing, that’s where it either stands or falls, and he really pulled it off.”

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LOS ANGELES - Robert Downey Jr., wife Susan Downey arrives at “The Avengers” Premiere at El Capitan Theater.

A rising star of British theatre and TV drama, Hiddleston followed “Thor’’ with a charming turn as F. Scott Fitzgerald in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris,’’ then played a noble English cavalry officer in Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse.’’

Hiddleston co-stars with Rachel Weisz in Terence Davies’ infidelity drama “The Deep Blue Sea,’’ now playing in U.S. theatres. He also just finished production on British TV adaptations of Shakespeare’s “Henry IV’’ parts one and two, playing Prince Hal, and “Henry V,’’ in which he has the title role.

Despite his comic-book roots, Loki himself has a Shakespearean dimension akin to such villains as Iago in “Othello’’ and Edmund in “King Lear,’’ Hiddleston said.

“He’s motivated by the same things.

He’s motivated by jealousy and pride and ambition and vanity,’’ Hiddleston said. “Shakespeare’s very unforgiving of those things, and in a way, it’s the same job. It’s just, I’m wearing a crazier costume and blowing up Manhattan.’’

Hiddleston has older and younger sisters but no brothers. Yet he still recognizes the Thor-Loki rivalry as a universal struggle.

“I’ve never had a brother, but I really understand it, because I had friends when I was a kid, whose brothers were very close in age, and they would beat the crap out of each other. And I could understand that that was sort of a natural thing.’’

Hiddleston can’t say yet whether Loki and Thor are still beating on each other in “Thor 2.’’ He had not yet received the script, so he’s as curious as any other fan about what Loki will be up to next.

“What’s interesting for me is whether he’s redeemable now at this point. Can he be forgiven by Thor, by Odin, and can he forgive himself?’’ Hiddleston said. “Is he even self-aware enough to know that’s what he needs?’’

Tune in late next year to find out. ■ Online:http://marvel.com/ avengers_movie

Canada-Food

TUESDAY MAY 8, 2012 34

Publisher Philippine Canadian Inquirer Head of Editorial Melissa Remulla-Briones Editorial Consultant Maria Ramona Ledesma Contributors Jeffrey J.D. Andrion Gigi Astudillo Dr. Rizaldy Ferrer Marietta Pangan-Dutkoski Stella Reyes Jenn Torres Frances Grace H. Quiddaoen Laarni de Paula Rodel J. Ramos Felichi Pangilinan Buizon Graphic Designer Victoria Yong Illustration Danvic C. Briones

Crustacean class: New Brunswick town to hold ‘lobster academy’ in June

BY KEVIN BISSETT THE CANADIAN PRESS

ST. ANDREWS, N.B. - Consumers increasingly want to know where their food comes from and this picturesque town is offering lobster lovers some tasty education along with its spectacular scenery.

Imagine taking a three-day course where the curriculum offers the chance to eat lobster and other fresh seafood every meal of the day.

If you’re now day-dreaming about wearing a lobster bib and wiping melted butter from your chin, then the Lobster Lovers Academy might be the place for you.

St. Andrews, on the coast of the Bay of Fundy, is well known for its spectacular views and many seafoodfocused restaurants and take-outs.

For the last four years, St. Andrews has hosted a lobster academy to educate buyers for restaurants and food chains on everything they need to know about lobsters—from buying them to proper handling and preparation.

This year, for the first time, the program is being offered to the general public as the Lobster Lovers Academy.

“We said let’s build an eco-culinary vacation opportunity and experience for these consumers, and it has been so well received,’’ said spokeswoman Christina Ferranti-Clift. “We’re very excited about the upcoming event.’’

Participants must apply in advance for the June 7-10 event, which costs $999 per person. That includes three nights accommodation in historic Anderson House, meals (including all the lobster you can eat) and a number of excursions.

Ferranti-Clift said the first full day of the academy is a busy one. After a breakfast that includes Lobster Benedict, everyone is taken to the wharf to learn what it’s like to be a lobster fisherman.

“Everyone goes out on the boat and hoists lobster traps. We’ll tour some of the Bay of Fundy by boat, which is amazingly gorgeous.’’

“We have a lunch of lobster rolls at the famous lobster shack on Deer Island.

Then we go over to the plant to see what happens when the fishermen off-load their catch. It’s long day.’’

Then it’s off to the classroom and kitchen to learn more about lobster and how to cook it.

“You’ll learn how to pair it with different wines, or the various ways to prepare it, including lobster mac and cheese, lobster cakes, lobster burgers and so many other possibilities,’’ Ferranti-Clift said.

The academy is expected to become an annual event.

The dates for the Lobster Lovers Academy coincide with the annual St. Andrews Seafood Festival, offering participants many more opportunities to sample what the sea and local chefs

have to offer.

“With our location on the Bay of Fundy we have the world’s best lobster grounds and the birthplace of commercial salmon farming, so there will be lots of salmon and lobster taking the most prominent role in the seafood festival,’’ said festival spokesman Mike Rouse.

“We’ll do a huge seafood dinner at Katie’s Cove. It’s for about 350 people with all the seafood you care to eat.’’

The festival includes a large market with a variety of food and crafts for sale. There’s also an opportunity to buy live lobster right off a boat.

St. Andrews is about an hour drive from either Fredericton or Saint John, and only 30 kilometres from the Canada-United States border.

There are many hotels, motels and quaint inns and bed and breakfasts within the community or just a short distance away.

“There are lots of things going on in the area for people if they want to come the day before or stay an extra day,’’ said Ferranti-Clift. ``There’s lots to do in the area, excellent restaurants and events, and gorgeous natural scenery.’’ ■ For more information, visit: www.lobsterloversacademy.com www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca www.standrewsseafoodfestival.ca

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