Philippine Canadian Inquirer Issue #13

VOL. 5 NO. 13

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

CANADA NEWS As with past two years, economy showing signs of breaking from strong start ( On page 15 )

Trade Mission to the Philippines ( On page 15 ) Enverga to receive Jubilee Medal

Photo by Lyn Rillon

( On page 16 )

BC ESA 101: How well do you know your Employment Standards

( On page 17 ) FUN AND GAMES Dancers perform a lively and colorful cultural performance during the opening ceremonies of the Palarong Pambansa 2012 at Narciso Ramos Civic Center in Lingayen, Pangasinan. President Aquino declared the national games open.

P-noy: Corruption over

Boasts of good governance to ADB

BY NORMAN BORDADORA Philippine Daily Inquirer

SAYING the days of corruption that flourished under Gloria MacapagalArroyo were over, President Aquino gave his word to international lenders that he would put to good use the money they would lend to the Philippines—and they could check this out later.

“You will continue to see results. You will continue to see a Philippines that is finally living up to its potential,” Mr. Aquino said in his speech that capped the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) board of governors.

“We are prepared to follow through on our commitments, and you are by all means welcome to

see if we’re living up to our word,” he declared.

“Investors and Filipinos alike see what is happening: Here is a country determined to turn the corner by instituting genuine, wide-ranging, meaningful reform, and acting on its belief that good governance is the bedrock of equitable progress,” the President said.

“We have had six positive ratings actions since we took over government a little less than two years ago—a stark contrast to the single upgrade and six downgrades in the nine years of the previous administration,” he added.

He said the country’s stock market also experienced 27 alltime highs in his 22 months in office.

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The President noted that the ADB’S official development assistance (ODA) to the Philippines amounts to $761.97 million.

This includes $643.85 million for projects concerning social protection and support, agrarian reform, rural infrastructure, better health care and irrigation in the southern Philippines.

“You have helped out in our public-private partnership program, in our efforts to reform the justice system, and our energy-efficient electric tricycle project. We are getting to where we want to be faster because of your assistance,” Mr. Aquino said.

He said the ADB meeting in Manila “reaffirms the newfound confidence

Israel President Shimon Peres lauds Canada as ‘never indifferent, never neutral ( On page 20 ) S.U.C.C.E.S.S.: Putting the spotlight on foreign-trained professionals ( On page 18 )

British Columbia hiking trails ( On page 37 )

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News-Phils Gov’t power losses reach P15B in Mindanao 3 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

contract costs and another 3 centavos per kwh within a 15-year period to settle stranded debts.

These would be reflected as universal charges in the monthly bill of consumers.

The petition remains pending in the ERC.

BY AMY R. REMO Philippine Daily Inquirer

STATE-RUN Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp.

(PSALM) said it incurred losses of up to P15 billion between 2001 and 2011 from its operation of the government’s power facilities in Mindanao.

PSALM revealed the figures to counter allegations that the government has been raking in profits from electricity sales in Mindanao, as well as to ensure “utmost transparency to all relevant sectors as to the actual financial position of the Mindanao plants operations.”

The P15 billion, however, could be recovered as it will be passed on to consumers through the universal charges for stranded contract costs and stranded debts on their electric bills.

This amount is already included in the P140 billion worth of debts that PSALM had earlier sought to collect.

It will be recalled that last year, PSALM filed an application in the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to recover from consumers 36 centavos per kilowatt-hour within a four-year period to cover the stranded

Losses in other plants PSALM president and chief executive officer Emmanuel R. Ledesma Jr. explained in a statement that while the operation of hydropower plants, specifically the 646-megawatt Agus and Pulangi facilities, resulted in operating profits, the government had been incurring losses in the operations of its coal, geothermal and dieselfired plants.

These losses significantly exceed the revenues generated by the hydro plants, he said.

“In fact, the cost of producing electricity from these facilities is more than the timeof-use rate imposed on Mindanao consumers,” he added.

Ledesma said the revenue generated

P-noy tells CJ: Explain $10-M bank account

BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA

Philippine Daily Inquirer

PRESIDENT AQUINO called on Chief Justice Renato Corona to explain allegations he has a $10-million bank account, saying failure to do so would lead to a presumption he had amassed ill-gotten wealth.

As Corona’s impeachment trial resumes after a six-week Lenten break, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said he saw no conflict between proceedings in the Senate and the investigation being conducted by the Ombudsman into the purported dollar account.

The President, who has been openly campaigning for the removal of Corona, said the Chief Justice had “no choice” but speak up on the investigation being conducted by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales.

“The minute he doesn’t explain it, the presumption (that it is) ill-gotten wealth remains,” Mr. Aquino told reporters at the sidelines of the 70th commemoration of the Fall of Bataan in Corregidor.

Mr. Aquino said keeping mum on the allegation was “not an option” for Corona. “That is the law and he is the chief magistrate. Perhaps, he should be the first one to comply,” he said, but admitted he was relying only on media reports on the alleged $10-million account.

The INQUIRER reported on the Ombudsman’s investigation shortly after the Supreme Court ruled with finality on Hacienda Luisita, a vast sugar estate owned by the President’s family, on April

24. The court reaffirmed its Nov. 22, 2011, decision ordering the distribution of the nearly 5,000hectare estate to farmers using 1989 land valuation.

Corona has denied the existence of a $10-million bank account and said that the investigation was meant to get back at him for the Hacienda Luisita ruling.

Parallel inquiry allowed Enrile said in an interview over dzbb that Morales could conduct a separate investigation on Corona despite the ongoing impeachment proceedings. “(The investigations) can be simultaneous,” he said, noting that the Ombudsman could prosecute “people, including impeachable officers, if they violate the law.”

“As long as there is a case— impeachment or no impeachment—they can file a case against anybody who is a government employee,” he added. He said only the President enjoyed immunity from suit while in office, but could be investigated just the same.

Enrile will bang the gavel signaling the resumption of the impeachment trial, which began last Jan. 16. But with the proceedings keeping senators away from legislative work, he said he would prefer that the trial be completed within the month.

Enrile said he would be willing to extend trial until 10 p.m. or even up to midnight daily if only to meet his proposed deadline.

“If at my age, I’m already 88 years old, I could conduct a hearing until 12 midnight,

perhaps the lawyers could also do it,” he said.

“I will suggest to the lawyers, both to the prosecution and the defense, that if possible, we finish the case before the end of the month because it is already affecting many bills.”

Speedy trial backed Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, a prosecution spokesperson, said, “We support any proposal that would ensure greater dispatch in the case.”

Defense lawyer Ramon Esguerra earlier said his camp was ready to wrap up its presentation of evidence in two to three weeks. He said the defense was willing to forgo of witnesses who would only “corroborate” the testimony of other witnesses.

Former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza will return to the witness stand this afternoon to respond to further questions from senator-judges on his testimony last March. Atienza had testified for the defense on the Manila city government’s purchase of a Basaguidote Enterprises Inc. property in 2001 for P34.7 million.

For the defense, the amount explained the existence of bank accounts in the name of Corona and his wife Cristina, which were not declared in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth. Cristina had received the money in behalf of the family-owned BGEI.

by the hydro plants went to cover the operating losses of the facilities.

Capital expenditures He said another major consideration was the capital expenditures incurred for plant maintenance and rehabilitation. This has not been taken into account in the calculation of the plants’ operating income.

PSALM currently sources additional capacity from these facilities to meet the demand of Mindanao consumers in view of the limited and intermittent power supply from the hydro plants.

At present, the government still owns power plants, including the Agus and Pulangi facilities, a 32-MW diesel-fired power barge in Davao, and manages as well contracted capacities of several power facilities in Mindanao including Southern Philippines Power Corp.’s 55-MW bunker-c fired power station in Sarangani, and Western Mindanao Power Corp.’s 100-MW dieselfired generating facility in Zamboanga City, the 108.5-MW Mt. Apo geothermal facility and the 210MW Mindanao coal power plant in Misamis Oriental. ■ Hostile witness Defense counsels are also awaiting the return of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, who earlier testified for the prosecution, contending that Corona had influenced decisions of the high tribunal.

The Senate had subpoenaed De Lima, who announced last week that she saw no need to take the witness stand again. Last week, the prosecution filed a motion to quash the subpoena.

But Enrile said he would not withdraw the subpoena and that the defense was “entitled to compulsory process.” He said: “Secretary De Lima understands this.”

Enrile said it was not enough that De Lima had already been cross examined by the defense when she appeared for the prosecution. With the new subpoena, he said she could be qualified as a hostile witness for the defense.

De Lima’s testimony was earlier ruled as hearsay. She tackled the dissenting opinion of Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, an appointee of Mr. Aquino, on the court’s temporary restraining order that would have allowed former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to leave the country for medical treatment.

Whether Corona himself should testify in his trial is still being debated by defense lawyers, said Jose Roy III, a member of the team. He said the defense was not completely ruling out this possibility but that some members believed this was not necessary because the prosecution evidence was not “strong enough.”

Former Solicitor General Francisco Chavez told the INQUIRER he believed Corona should testify, pointing out that this was “not a vicarious responsibility that can be assigned to anybody else.” ■

UNA slams door on other parties

BY CHRISTIAN V. ESGUERRA Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE UNITED Nationalist Alliance (UNA) has closed the door on other political parties that may want to join the coalition for next year’s midterm elections.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said the coalition’s national directorate had decided to keep the alliance strictly between the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) and the Partido Demokratiko Pilipinolakas ng Bayan (Pdp-laban) to avoid local level infighting.

“That’s final,” Enrile said in a radio interview over dzbb.

The PMP is led by movie star and former President Joseph Estrada, while Pdp-laban is headed by Vice President Jejomar Binay and Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III. Enrile, a senior leader of the PMP, said coalition officials arrived at the decision to avoid any possibility of alliance partners battling it out in the local elections.

“If you would have all parties under the umbrella of UNA, they will be fighting it out down below because

Knights of Columbus push for founder to be a saint

BY JOCELYN R. UY Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE KNIGHTS of Columbus, one of the world’s largest Roman Catholic fraternal service organizations, has set up a website in the Philippines to gather accounts of miracles or answered prayers attributed to its founder, Fr. Michael Mcgivney, in a bid to promote his beatification.

The online portal www. f a t h e r m c g i v n e y. ph was launched to

allow Filipinos, among others, to post the favors they received through the intercession of Fr. Mcgivney.

“We are hoping that one of the entries would warrant a miracle that would catapult him to beatification,” said Msgr. Pedro Quitorio, a member of the Knights and media director of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines.

In an interview with reporters, Quitorio said online visitors will be asked their name and contact number and to

News-Phils you cannot control the members of the respective parties at the local level from putting up their respective candidates,” he said in Filipino.

This was apparently the case with the previous alliance between the Lakas-christian Muslim Democrats and former President Gloria MacapagalArroyo’s Kalipunan ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) party. Even a tedious arbitration process failed to resolve a number of deeply-rooted conflicts at the local level.

“In order to serve the national interest and the people, (we decided) to limit the alliance to Pdp-laban and PMP,” said Enrile, whose son, Rep. Jack Enrile, is eyeing a slot in UNA’S senatorial lineup.

Not a family affair Enrile defended his son’s possible inclusion in the ticket, given the possibility that a Jack Enrile victory would mean a father-and-son tandem in the same chamber in the next Congress. The father’s six-year term will not end until 2016.

Enrile rejected the idea of a “family affair” dominating Philippine politics. At present, siblings Pia Cayetano and Alan Peter Cayetano are both senators, he pointed out. They emerged on the national political scene apparently on the strength of the name of their late father, Sen. Renato Cayetano.

give a little narrative of the favor they received.

Prayer cards are also available on the website, where users can also write their wishes and appeals through Fr. Mcgivney, said Quitorio.

So far, at least four accounts of answered preyers have been posted on the website.

One of them, from Iloilo City, said that a colleague, who fell into a coma due to a viral infection, woke up a week after he sent a prayer intention through Fr. Mcgivney.

“I read your website from a Knights of Columbus magazine and I [tried] to send a prayer intention for her and after a week, she woke up and now she reports back to the office... thanks to Almighty God that He granted my wish through the help of Fr. McGivney,” wrote the online visitor.

In his visit to Manila last month, Supreme Knight Carl Anderson said it was highly possible that a miracle that would

help advance their founder to beatification would come from the Philippines because of the Filipinos’ “faith and devotion.”

Aside from gathering accounts of miracles and answered favors, the online portal also provides information about Fr. Mcgivney, including his early life, priesthood and ministry.

Mcgivney, son of Irish immigrants to the United States, was ordained a Catholic priest on Dec. 22, 1877. He founded the Knights of Columbus in March 29, 1882, while an assistant pastor at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut. He died of pneumonia in 1890 at the age of 38.

Starting with a small group of parishioners in Connecticut, the organization now has over 1.8 million members in 15,000 councils—about 200 of which are on college campuses.

In the Philippines, membership has grown to over 260,000.■

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012 4

“I’m not the one who will decide whether or not he will become a senator of the country. It’s the people that will decide,” Enrile said, adding that critics of his family should enter politics and “raise the issue.”

“Nobody is preventing them from running, but why prevent somebody simply because he happens to be my son, (why) deprive the country of the services of somebody simply because he is related to somebody in government?” he said.

If his son wins, Enrile said he would “slow down” in politics, especially given his age.

“I will help him but my presence in the national scene will be toned down,” he said. “I have accepted the fact that I am already far advanced in time. I will accompany him in the last three years of my term. I will not run again.”

But before officially joining UNA, he said Jack would first seek the blessings of businessman Eduardo Cojuangco of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, of which is he a member, according to his father.

“Pupuntahan niya si Tito Danding niya at magpapaalam (He will go to his Uncle Danding and ask permission to leave),” the elder Enrile said.

The UNA coalition is expected to clash head on with the ruling Liberal Party-led coalition of President Aquino in next year’s legislative and local elections. Binay is expected to be its standard bearer in the presidential race in 2016.■

Chinese suspects expelled

BY JEROME ANING Philippine Daily Inquirer THE BUREAU of Immigration has expelled six Chinese nationals who, along with 72 Taiwanese, were arrested in Davao City for alleged involvement in extortion and phone fraud.

Immigration Commissioner Ricardo David Jr. said the Chinese nationals were put on a flight bound for Hong Kong in compliance with an order to leave issued by the bureau.

David, in a statement, said the aliens were expelled after a Davao court granted their habeas corpus petition and ordered their release from police detention.

The deportees were identified as Kun Long, Xiang Zhong, Jungcheng Huang, Ning Li, Yao Lin Li and Haitao Pan. The BI chief said that even before the court ordered their release, he had issued an order directing that the six Chinese leave the country for being “undesirable aliens.”

He said the Chinese nationals, who were mere tourists, were accused of operating illegal call center hubs that extorted money from victims through phone calls.

“We have always held that the stay of aliens in the Philippines is a mere privilege and not a right, thus a foreigner who engages in illegal activities here should be denied that privilege,” the commissioner said.

Lawyer Arvin Santos, BI legal division chief, said the court denied a petition for a habeas corpus filed by the Taiwanese suspects who were arrested with the Chinese in separate raids by Davao police on April 18.

The raids took place after the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office sought the help of the Philippine National Police in stopping the activities of the fraudulent call center syndicate.

The suspects allegedly posed as call center agents and blackmailed their victims in China and Taiwan into paying their supposed outstanding water, electric and telephone bills.

The victims were forced to pay up for fear of being charged in court as the suspects threatened to do. ■

News-Phils

5 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

P-noy: Corruption ... Page 1

the international community has exhibited towards my nation.”

Borrowed money misused “For this, you have the gratitude of our people, and a commitment from my administration. Gone are the days when the funds you funnel to our country will end up like water leaking through a broken pail,” the President said.

Secretary Ricky Carandang, head of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office, said the $761.97 million ODA had been programmed for projects from 2011 to 2016.

“The President was referring in general to how borrowed money was misused in the past and not specifically to any loan program,” Carandang said.

Mr. Aquino spoke of how his administration, through good governance, had improved the government’s financial health and generated confidence from investors.

As in some of his previous speeches, he cited the difficulties his administration faced after the

alleged excesses of the past Arroyo administration.

Foundations eroded “(None) of us could have imagined how deeply eroded the foundations of government had become in the nine and a half years of my predecessor,” Mr. Aquino said.

“Rice, imported at inflated cost by the government, was rotting away in rented warehouses. Stewards of GOCCS (government-owned and -controlled corporations) advanced their interest at the expense of the people. Bidding for public works had been orchestrated to favor individuals, again, at the expense of the people,” he said.

Mr. Aquino said corruption “sapped the system of its vitality; public funds ceased to be used for the public good and found in private hands, whom we are now holding accountable.”

Mindless spending He added: “One of our first moves was to institutionalize a zero-based budget approach, where expenditures are rationalized and are not mindlessly carried over to the next year, regardless of whether they worked or not.

“We went after tax evaders aggressively ... We passed a law that put standards of governance in place so that (GOCCS) became more efficient and rational.”

Mr. Aquino said the government also showed the resolve that no public official, “regardless of his or her position, will be beyond the reach of justice and accountability.”

indeed goes to projects that will benefit them,” he said.

He said the DPWH’S 403 projects had been completed, with the rest either ongoing or about to begin construction.

Greatest resource The same is true for the country’s cash dole program and health insurance for the poorest of the poor families, he said.

“Now we are confident that the more than three million households in our conditional cash transfer program are actually the neediest families, and not merely the bestconnected,” he added. “Now we know that we are actually sponsoring the 5.2 million poorest families through our Philhealth program.”

The President said the country’s greatest resource had always been the people.

“It is with this principle in mind that we have allocated unprecedented sums to alleviate extreme poverty and are concentrating on providing more opportunities for employment,” he said. ■

Tackling graft The President said tackling the problem of graft had led to a more responsive government.

“As can be seen from our experience, weeding out corruption allows for a more fertile economic landscape: One that not only brings investors in, but also allows the real work of governance to impact the greater number of our people,” he said.

“Enforcing strict adherence to public bidding rules has allowed our Department of Public Works and Highways to save P6.14 billion from our 2011 budget. Now that the leaks have been plugged, we can go about our business knowing that our taxpayers’ hard-earned money

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News-Phils

‘Supermoon’ shines over PH; forecast is for rain

BY KRISTINE L. ALAVE Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE SUPERMOON, the biggest and brightest moon of the year, was visible in the Philippines under clear to partly cloudy skies at 6:29 p.m, May 6. Called perigee-syzygy by the scientific community, the phenomenon occurs when the moon is closest in its orbit to the earth, making it bigger than the average full moon.

The last supermoon was on March 19, 2011.

Ruben Cunanan, astronomical officer of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), noted that the best time to have observed the cosmic show was at moonrise—when the moon appeared above the eastern horizon. He said the full moon appeared 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than usual.

It could be seen with the naked eye, he added.

Meanwhile, the weather bureau advised those venturing outdoors to start bringing an umbrella as warm and humid weather will alternate with sudden rain showers and thunderstorms.

Pagasa said the Philippines would see more isolated showers early this week although this did not mean the dry season was over. For instance, there would be certain times in the day when Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon would experience clear skies, with mid-30 degrees Celsius temperatures.

Pagasa said a ridge of high pressure area, which is associated with dry and warm weather, was extending over Bicol and Eastern Visayas.

Metro Manila experienced sudden downpours and cooler weather after weeks of scorching heat.

Pagasa forecaster Glaiza Escullar said Metro Manila and surrounding provinces would experience cloudy skies and isolated rain showers in the afternoons.

She noted that this would be particularly felt in the city, where the heat is seen to enhance the convection process, which produces rain clouds. Rains were reported in Quezon City, Antipolo City and Batangas province.

Escullar said the Visayas and Mindanao would also experience cloudy skies and sudden downpours.

However, a low pressure area off Mindanao is seen to cause widespread rains in the region. ■

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012 6

‘PH not sick man of Asia anymore’

BY DORIS C. DUMLAO Philippine Daily Inquirer

“Even with the volatilities, there’s a lot of opportunity to buy,” he said.

THE PHILIPPINES, which has lately seen new record highs in stock market trading, is making good progress in creating a more favorable image in the international community, according to the Filipino chief executive officer of the Bank of Singapore.

“The image is improving a lot... It’s not the sick man of Asia anymore. There’s less corruption,” said Renato de Guzman, CEO of the global private bank, who was interviewed on the sidelines of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) annual meetings.

According to De Guzman, the Philippines has learned well the lessons of the previous Asian financial crisis (of 1997), following which local banking regulators introduced an array of reforms that have kept the banking system “quite insulated” from the subsequent US financial crisis in 2008 and the lingering crisis in Europe.

“I think confidence is high,” said De Guzman who served as one of the panelists at a business forum within the ADB meetings sponsored by BNY Mellon. The forum discussed the impact of the US financial crisis three years after.

PH stocks ‘very expensive’ In equities, De Guzman said his bank favored the US and China. In the case of China, he said valuations were very attractive.

On the other hand, stocks in the Philippines and Indonesia have become “very expensive,” he said.

Speaking at the BNY Mellon forum, De Guzman said private banking clients are demanding more risk management knowhow from their bankers and have become more selective in investing. They have also started doing business with multiple institutions instead of choosing just one.

Private banking clients now also favor simpler, more liquid assets and are giving a higher allocation to cash.

“They want more diversification,” he said, adding this meant that private bankers would have to offer “more tailored” solutions to high-networth clients.

Desmond Mac Intyre, president and CEO of Standish Mellon Asset Management Co., said investors were still chasing yield and in the past two years have been moving funds to emerging markets on a “strategic” instead of “tactical” basis.

“Ultimately it’s not a shortterm phenomenon. It (emerging market) will be a structural asset class,” he said.

Whether it’s a central banker or a pension fund, investors will continue to turn to emerging markets as they focus on their liability management, said Mac Intyre. ■

Revenue the weak spot The banker is hoping the Philippines would merit a sovereign investment grade rating but does not think this would necessarily happen within the year.

“It’s the revenue that’s still the weak spot,” De Guzman said.

According to some analysts, the international creditrating agencies are waiting for the Philippines to pass new revenue-generating measures in Congress before giving the much-coveted investment grade rating.

But even without such a rating, financial markets have priced Philippine debt as if it were investment grade, they said. For instance, they have allowed the Philippines to sell offshore bonds at a lower cost than investment-graded Indonesia.

De Guzman helped build the franchise of Dutch financial giant ING in the Philippines, which was among the 10 new foreign banks allowed to set up local branches in the mid-1990s. He then relocated to Singapore to head ING’S Asian private banking business which was sold to the OCBC Group in early 2010. The Bank of Singapore, which he heads, is an OCBC subsidiary solely focused on the private banking business.

Emerging markets De Guzman said the Bank of Singapore was still upbeat on emerging markets.

“The growth rates are still there. The banking system is healthy. In terms of debt side, default rates are low and expected to remain low so I think there will still be more debt issuance. And then the debt to GDP (gross domestic product) is very low. Foreign debt against foreign reserves is very low. The fundamentals are very strong,” he said.

The Bank of Singapore has an “overweight” rating— or a recommendation to accumulate more assets than prescribed by the benchmark—on equities and highyield emerging market debt.

Shoal now open to PH fishermen

BY NORMAN BORDADORA Philippine Daily Inquirer

PRESIDENT AQUINO said Filipino fishermen were no longer barred from the disputed Panatag Shoal, where Philippine and Chinese vessels are locked in a 23-day standoff.

“Our fishermen have not been prevented from going back, except for during the initial stage...they’re going there,” he said in an interview with Malacañang reporters a day after the Chinese reportedly increased their presence in the area well within the Philippines’ 200-nautical-mile (370.4-km) exclusive economic zone.

The President said the government was gathering evidence of Chinese intrusion in Panatag, known internationally as Scarborough Shoal, for a planned case against Beijing before an international tribunal.

Mr. Aquino said Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario during his trip to the United States this week spoke with experts on how the Philippines can bring the dispute to a tribunal despite the usual requirement for the other side to agree to mediation. China wants bilateral talks to resolve the issue.

“There are certain modes...wherein even only one side can present (a case),” the President said.

“We are documenting everything that’s been happening. When we get to the proper fora, then we will present all of this,” he added.

The standoff started on April 10, when two Chinese surveillance ships stopped the Philippine Navy from inspecting Chinese fishing boats carrying poached marine life. ■

News-Phils

7 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

PH, neighbors come together for benefit of Coral Triangle

BY KRISTINE L. ALAVE Philippine Daily Inquirer AGAINST the backdrop of territorial disputes roiling the region, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, East Timor and the island states of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands presented before the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and other institutional donors marine and coastal projects designed to protect the Coral Triangle, a triangular area of the tropical marine waters recognized as the global center of marine biodiversity.

Representatives of the six countries stressed at the meeting that the health of the Coral Triangle was vital to their economies. The roughly triangular area, covering 5.7 million hectares of ocean waters, contains 75 percent of the world’s coral species, making it one of the most biodiverse areas in the world.

More than 120 million people live within the Coral Triangle, with 2.2 million directly depending on its biological resources. It also supports a multibillion-dollar tuna industry that props up the economies of the Philippines, Indonesia and the Pacific Island States.

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje said the Philippines, the world’s second largest archipelago, should grab the opportunity to lead the region in protecting the Coral Triangle.

“They are looking up to us. The Philippines should now play a major role in regional marine concerns.

The entire country is inside the Coral Triangle, unlike Indonesia and Malaysia, where only a portion of their countries are facing it,” he said.

The Philippines is proposing to the ADB and donor countries five projects worth $136 million to protect the Coral Triangle and promote sustainable

fishing. They include the rehabilitation of mangroves, establishment of a marine database, and implementation of a national coastal and marine management program.

Paje said the projects would fill the gaps in the country’s targets and goals in guarding the marine environment.

He said the Philippine government was willing to commit $ 40.8 million to the project, noting that it was a “very practical area of investment for coastal and marine protection.”

As part of the Coral Triangle Initiative, the Philippines and Malaysia also discussed a bilateral agreement to shore up their resources to effectively protect their common marine boundaries against poachers, said Jacob Meimban, executive director of the DENR Coastal and Marine Management Office.

The two neighbors also talked about sharing information on marine

resources. Officials said there was no accurate record of legal and illegal fishers in the waters in their common boundaries nor was there data on the population of species that traveled across these waters, Meimban said.

The Philippines and Malaysia, together with Brunei, Vietnam China and Taiwan, have overlapping claims over the Spratly archipelago in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea). Each of the claimants have made forays into the islands and built naval facilities over the years.

Despite the dispute over the Spratlys, the Philippines and Malaysia are united in their concern about the illegal activities in the region, DENR officials said.

Meimban noted that the poaching of endangered marine species like sharks and turtles is a major problem for Malaysia. ■

Hog raisers threaten 5-day pork holiday Customs taking us seriously,” Briones told a press conference.

The poultry industry may decide to join the holiday, but not for the entire five days since they stand to lose more the longer they do not sell their products, said Gregorio San Diego Jr. of the United Broilers Raisers Association.

Briones said recent changes in the leadership at the agriculture department’s National Meat Inspection Service and Bureau of Animal Industry may help improve conditions at these agencies to the benefit of meat producers. BAI chief Efren Nuestro and NMIS chief Jane Bacayo have been relieved of their posts.

But he said industry stakeholders would also want to see changes at the Bureau of Customs, which is in charge of policing imports.

BY LEILA B. SALAVERRIA Philippine Daily Inquirer HOG RAISERS warned of a longer pork holiday, this one to last five days, if repeated complaints against the rampant smuggling of meat remained unheeded by the government.

They want the government to protect their sector and are seeking a dialogue with President Aquino and officials of the Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Customs, Department of Finance, and Department of Trade and Industry.

Pork producers called a two-day pork holiday, affecting the supply of pork in public markets, to protest the smuggling of meat which they said has been killing the local industry since smuggled meat is usually sold at lower prices.

Nicanor Briones, a House party-list member representing the Agriculture Sector Alliance of the Philippines and a member of the Swine Development Council, said a longer pork holiday might be in order if their pleas are not heeded.

“We may have a five-day minimum pig holiday led by backyard pig raisers. That will happen soon if we do not see the Bureau of

P8 billion in losses Pork producers are estimated to have suffered Pork producers are estimated to have suffered some P8 billion in losses from July to February this year due to smuggling.

Edwin Chen of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines said one of the things the government could do is to purge the list of meat importers.

He said some of those on the list are dummy corporations whose addresses are nonexistent. Some have a paid-up capital of only P30,000 in their registration papers, but are able to import millions of kilograms of meat.

Customs officials should also be vigilant

against the misdeclaration of imports, Chen said. Some importers have been declaring prime cuts of meat as fat, offal and skin to avoid paying higher tariff rates, since the latter only has a tariff of five percent, he said. Prime cuts, on the other hand, have a 35-percent tariff.

“If we don’t keep an eye on this, this will kill the local industry,” Chen said.

The Swine Development Council said the government has lost about P3.7 billion in customs and tariff duties because the importers pay only the five-percent tariff instead of the 35 percent.

Rosendo So of the Swine Development Council also said another practice that is killing the industry is the underdeclaration of the value of imported meat. Officials have to check the declared price against the reference prices stated by the Department of Agriculture, said So. Influx of imported meat According to Chen, the country’s meat imports have shot up in the past two years, from 50 million kilograms to 178 million kilograms, “and it’s not because of any shortage in the local supply.”

“We have ample supply here. The local producers can satisfy the needs of the country,” he said, adding that the influx of imported meat is the reason that farmgate prices have plummeted.

The hog raisers also sought the repeal of the two administrative orders from the Department of Agriculture that they said tended to favor meat importers, to the detriment of local producers. ■

News-Phils

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012 8

Is he or isn’t he? Estrada SALNS show richest, poorest reps to decide mayoral bid

BY CYNTHIA D. BALANA Philippine Daily Inquirer

FORMER PRESIDENT Joseph Estrada played coy about his planned run for mayor in Manila, but his jabs at Mayor Alfredo Lim were a dead giveaway of his intention. Estrada told Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) supporters at Club Filipino to wait for the deadline for the filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC) to see whether he or Manila Vice Mayor Isko Moreno would challenge Lim. Moreno, 28 Manila city councilors, former Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri and former Solicitor General Frank Chavez took their oath as new members of PMP, which merged with the Pdp-laban to form the coalition United Nationalist Alliance (UNA).

In his keynote address, Estrada spoke lengthily about his life, including his roots in Tondo, Manila, his rise to power as an action movie star and politician, his downfall and political comeback. But when it came to his political plan in 2013, he chose to titillate his supporters. ‘ Very hard to beat’ “There are just nine days left before the filing of the COC. Then you will know whether I’m running or [if] it will be Isko who will become your mayor,” he told a packed hall, but also dropped hints about their political tandem. “Our combination is very hard to beat.”

Even so, the 75-year-old Estrada, PMP chair emeritus, said he had to consult PMP and Pdp-laban officials whether to press ahead with his plan, or campaign for UNA’S senatorial candidates.

“Rest assured, Isko and I will not part ways. If my plan doesn’t push through, I’ll throw my full support behind Vice Mayor Isko,” he said.

“Let’s form a united front. Let’s change Manila.”

Documentary Moreno brought 28 out of the 38 councilors of the country’s capital to the oath-taking which ended with the showing of a documentary about Estrada’s life, betraying the former President’s real political plans in Manila.

PMP chair, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, said Estrada

SARANGANI Rep. and boxing champion Manny Pacquiao is still the richest, and the only billionaire, congressman with a net worth of P1.35 billion, as shown in the statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) that he filed for 2011.

Anakpawis party-list Rep. Rafael Mariano is the poorest congressman with a net worth of P46,946, down from the P75,211.57 he reported in 2010.

A list of House members who beat the April 30 deadline for the filing of the 2011 SALN was released by the office of the House secretary general.

Pacquiao, who reported no liabilities, was followed by Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda Marcos, the widow of the dictator Ferdinand Marcos, with a net worth of P932 million.

The 10 wealthiest House members, after Pacquiao and Marcos, included: Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., with a net worth of P726.2 million; Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez, P686 million; Negros Occidental Rep. Julio Ledesma IV, P555 million; Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, P474 million; Iloilo Rep. Augusto Syjuco

would “more likely” run for mayor in Manila, and said he and PMP president, Senate Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, could campaign for UNA candidates.

“Manila, after all, is the oldest city of the Philippines. The temper of Manila will always determine the temper of the national political condition,” Enrile later told reporters. “It will be healthy for the city of Manila to have a choice.”

Estrada, clad in an orange polo shirt (orange is his campaign color), also took a dig at Lim, an erstwhile ally who switched loyalties after his ouster in January 2011 and backed then President Gloria MacapagalArroyo.

“You know, the story of Manila is very pitiful. Overseas, Manila is more prominent than the Philippines.

For the past 20 years, Manila has been left behind by Makati, Quezon City, Taguig and even San Juan. San Juan is more beautiful than Manila.

How has it come to that?” he said, pausing.

Urban renewal Then he added: “This is not to belittle cops. It’s a good thing I don’t think like a cop: Shoot to kill.

You can’t handle things that way.

Maybe Manila needs a complete urban renewal.”

Lim is a former police general who earned the monicker “Dirty Harry” for his tough stance against criminals.

Estrada said he was not picking a fight with Lim, but merely wanted to bring back the glory of old Manila. “There’s nothing personal about it,” he later told reporters.

Moreno said he and Estrada were both identified with the poor and mocked as “simpleminded” actors who could not contribute anything positive to politics.

“But of course, I don’t want to end up in jail like him,” he said, drawing laughter. He assured Estrada of his and the councilors’ loyalty. “We will not break away from our President Estrada.”

He concluded with the slogan: “Kung si Erap para sa mahirap, si Isko ay galing sa hirap. Lalaban sa nagpapahirap (Erap is propoor.

Isko was born poor. Both will fight the antipoor).” ■

More political killings feared 1000 Words / Shutterstock.com

BY TJ BURGONIO Philippine Daily Inquirer

Jr., P 302 million; Tarlac Rep. Enrique Cojuangco, P200.6 million; Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, P195.7 million, and Rizal Rep. Joel Roy Duavit, P194 million.

Joining Mariano in the bottom five were other party-list members: Neri Javier Colmenares (Bayan Muna), P697,701; Abegail Faye Ferriol (Kalinga), P483,006; Raymond Palatino (Kabataan), P195,000, and Teddy Casiño (Bayan Muna), P91,000.

Fariñas and Colmenares are part of the House prosecution team in the Senate impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Other House prosecutors also reported their net worth: Isabela Rep. Georgidi Aggabao, P58 million; Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., P53 million; Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., P47.5 million; Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya, P46.9 million; Rep. Raul Daza, P34 million; Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, P22.9 million, and party-list Rep. Arlene Kaka Bag-ao (Akbayan), P1 million.

The three prosecution spokespersons also reported their net worth: Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, P98.9 million; Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Erin Tañada, P16.6 million, and Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo, P10 million. ■

BY DJ YAP Philippine Daily Inquirer

INTERIOR Secretary Jesse M. Robredo warned he expected political killings to rise in the months leading to the 2013 midterm elections, following the assassination of Mambusao, Capiz, Vice Mayor Abel Martinez.

“We do foresee an increase in incidents and have taken additional measures,” he said in a text message to the INQUIRER. But Philippine National Police (PNP) spokesperson Senior Supt. Generoso Cerbo Jr. separately said it was still premature to conclude that Martinez’ killing might be motivated by politics.

In a briefing at Camp Crame, Cerbo said the investigation was still going on

and noted that Capiz was traditionally not a hotbed of election violence.

“In fact, based on statistics, Capiz may be considered among the most peaceful provinces during elections,” he told reporters.

Robredo said Chief Supt. Cipriano Querol, the Western Visayas police director, was on top of the investigation into the murder of Martinez, who was shot dead by a lone gunman in front of his house on Rizal Street, Poblacion proper.

“We have initial leads on the case,” Robredo said without elaborating.

He advised local politicians planning to run in next year’s polls to request police security “if they need it.” “We will do case assessment before a request is granted,” he said.

Robredo, however, said he was discouraging politicians from employing private security guards.

Martinez suffered three bullets wounds in the head and two in the back, according to local police. Eyewitnesses told investigators the gunman fled to a waiting shed where his companion was waiting for him on a motorcycle. ■

News-Phils

9 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

UN lauds PH climate change laws ‘world’s best’

BY MICHAEL LIM UBAC Philippine Daily Inquirer

THE COUNTRY’S laws on climate change adaptation (CCA) and disaster risk reduction (DRR) are the “best in the world,” UN special envoy Margareta Wahlström said.

Wahlström, special DRR representative of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, praised the Philippines for taking the lead in the global campaign to mitigate disaster risks brought about by global warming.

She commended Sen. Loren Legarda, the UN Champion for DRR and CCA for Asia and the Pacific, for ensuring the passage of climateresponsive laws and for mainstreaming the CCA and DRR mechanisms into the national political agenda.

“You do have now an excellent legal framework for disaster risk reduction and

an excellent legal framework for climate adaptation. The basis [of the laws] is really for empowering local governments,” Wahlström said in a press conference.

Legarda thanked Wahlström for the compliment, but told the media that the “challenge is to translate them into local community action to save lives, and reduce disaster risks and economic losses.”

An environmental crusader for two decades now, Legarda authored the Climate Change Act of 2009 ( Republic Act No. 9729), which created the Climate Change Commission and cosponsored the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 ( RA 10121).

Wahlström stressed that both laws highlighted the policy shift from a reactionary to a proactive stance in addressing disasters.

“We have in the Philippines the best two laws— not only in Asia-pacific, but in Margareta’s words—in the world,” said Legarda.

Since her arrival on Tuesday, Wahlström has met with government officials, businessmen and donors. She will be here until May 5 to engage both the government and private sector in strengthening the country’s disaster resiliency initiatives.

Call to the

She will go to Albay province, where she will have a discussion with 31 mayors in a two- day seminar sponsored by Gov. Joey Salceda.

“We are here to really sustain engagement in the Philippines, and support the realization of the legal basis of the action plan that already exists in the country,” Wahlström said.

Wahlström talked about the international strategy on disaster risk reduction, or UNISDR, that called for “safe schools, safe hospitals and safe cities” through programs such as the retrofitting of buildings, the relocation of communities and government public infrastructure from hazard-prone areas, and capacity-building such as disaster-preparedness training.

Other environment laws Legarda also authored other environmental laws such as the Renewable Energy Act, Solid Waste Management Act and the Environmental Awareness Education Act. She pointed out that “the challenge is to translate national policies, plans and programs into local action with measurable gains.”

She said that with the policy framework already in place, what was needed was to make the laws work at the grassroots’ level. ■

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Opinion

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012 10

THERE’S THE RUB

Fallen

BY CONRADO DE QUIROS Philippine Daily Inquirer ALEXIS MONTES recalled his ordeal. Upon their arrest, he and his group were “handcuffed with plastic wires and blindfolded with cloth reinforced by packing tape, and we remained that way for more than 36 hours.” He was forced to admit he was an NPA rebel, and when he denied it, “I would be hit in the chest.”

“A few moments later, I felt someone touching my hair as if trying to attach something. It felt like small alligator clips, which were probably connected to an electric power source and were placed on my head. [It] numbed my hands and arms, disabled me from walking, made my eyes and face feel heavy, made me sleepy, and made both my thighs twitch. I was made to drink water mixed with granules and made to smell something. I had to be lifted from my seat as my whole body was numb and I could not stand.”

This barbarity did not happen during the pit of martial law. It happened only a little more than a couple of years ago. Montes was one of the Morong 43, a group of health workers that was conducting a workshop on health services in Morong, Rizal, when they were raided by police and soldiers. They were detained without charges and tortured, some physically, most others mentally, but in all cases brutally.

One might think that it is better to be tortured mentally than physically, but tell that to the mothers among the Morong 43. Their torturers

threatened to harm their children if they would not confess to being rebels. That might sound like an idle threat today, but it wasn’t so then.

That was a time when political activists were being massacred—500 to 700 died during Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s rule, depending on the count engineered in great part by the berdugo, Jovito Palparan. In a poetically ironic turn of events, he has become a fugitive today, thereby confessing to his sins without torture.

But when your captors told you then that you and your loved ones would end up in a ditch somewhere with throats slit, you believed them.

I’m glad some of the Morong 43 are haling Arroyo and several military officials to court. It’s a minor version of the class suit that the victims of torture and the families of the disappeared and “salvaged” filed against Ferdinand Marcos after he fled (with American help) to Hawaii. I hope the other victims of torture and the families of the disappeared and “salvaged” during Arroyo’s time will file that class suit against her as well. If only to remind people of what her regime was, which wasn’t altogether a second-rate, trying-hard, copycat of martial law. In some ways it improved on it.

Not surprisingly, Elena Bautista-horn says she is surprised by the suit against her boss, Arroyo, because she had nothing to do with it.

But of course she had, in ways that add whole new meanings to having to do with a crime. It’s a grand testament to folly, like Marcos’ own, the extent to which a spectacularly power-

mad person is willing to go to acquire and keep power. In the end futilely, but not without leaving a mountain of bleached bones behind.

What made Arroyo’s renewed anticommunist warworse even than Marcos’ was that it was cynical through and through. Marcos at least had reason to fear the communists, Arroyo did not. It was no surprise that Arroyo discovered the need to crush the communists while she labored under a state of siege—not from the communists but from the citizens. This was not long after “Hello Garci” blew up in her face.

She unleashed the military not to quell the insurgency but to quell public protest against her illegitimate rule. But she raised a pile of corpses among the political activists anyway for the verisimilitude. You can’t be more cynical than that.

Indeed, the lengths to which she would go to keep power you see in the way she coddled the Ampatuans, giving them free rein to strike terror in the heart of Maguindanao so long as they blanked out her and her friends’ opponents in elections. The more terror they struck in the hearts of enemies, the better. Unfortunately for her, they went on to strike terror in the heart of the world as well. But she is responsible for that too, however indirectly. Conspiracy in a crime makes you responsible for all its consequences.

One is tempted to say, particularly when you see Arroyo in her current state, trying to generate sympathy, or at least pity, for her plight, not unlike Marcos while in miserable

exile in Hawaii, that it’s yet another lesson on how the mighty will fall, and the malevolent mighty poetically hard. We felt that way too after the torture victims filed a class suit against the Marcos estate and won. Retribution comes; not always swiftly in this country, but it comes.

But we do know too that tyrants have a way of coming back. The Marcoses now figure they can even turn Ferdinand into a hero. More importantly, we do know that the lack of real punishment for tyrants encourage not altogether second-rate, trying-hard, copycats to follow in their wake. Arroyo might never have done what she did if we had done to Marcos as he deserved.

That’s what gives me new appreciation for what the new government is doing. A suit against Arroyo by the Morong 43 is good, a class suit against Arroyo by the families of the dead and disappeared better. But you need something more, you need something that will prevent tyrants from coming back, you need something that will prevent new tyrants from coming to be. You need to punish them, you need to give justice to the aggrieved. That is what the prosecution of Arroyo will do once Renato Corona is removed as the single biggest obstacle to it. That is what establishing the truth about the viciousness, quite apart from the venality, of a despotic regime will do. It will assure not just that tyrants would fall but that they would remain: Fallen.■

AS I SEE IT

Why is Corona afraid to testify?

BY NEAL H. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer AT THIS late date, on the homestretch of the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, the accused still refuses to testify in spite of calls from both the senator-judges and the public to do so. Only he can clear up the issues, said the senators. It is reported that the defense panel is presenting 10 witnesses in the trial which reopens today, but Corona himself is not one of them.

Why? Corona is the best witness in his defense; he is the one person who knows everything. If his assets were acquired legitimately, then he can explain them to everybody’s satisfaction. So why is he afraid to testify?

“The Chief Justice is the only one who can respond to the issues and questions lingering in the minds not only of the senator-judges but of the general public,” Sen. Gringo Honasan said.

“More than the senator-judges, he owes the Filipinos an explanation. We are only extensions of the will of the people.”

Defense spokesman Tranquil Salvador III said at a press forum: Why should he? The Constitution guarantees that a witness not be forced to incriminate himself. With tricky questions during the cross-examination, the prosecution might trick the Chief Justice to incriminate himself.

But why is he afraid to incriminate himself?

Did he do something criminal? If he did not, then how could he incriminate himself?

“Due process must be followed,” Salvador said.

Actually, Corona is hiding behind legal technicalities. It’s an old lawyer’s trick: If the evidence is against you, resort to legal technicalities. And there is always a technicality that can be cited to block the presentation of evidence against you.

There is a saying that secrecy is the cloak that conceals guilt. And Corona is being very secretive. He doesn’t want his bank accounts opened. He doesn’t want to explain where the reported $10 million in his bank accounts came from. He has ordered Supreme Court employees not to release any document requested by the senatorjudges or the prosecution panel.

He has filed a new statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) which he says explains his assets, including the mysterious $10million bank deposits, but he refuses to show this SALN. What is a SALN for if it is going to be kept a secret?

The law mandating the filing of SALNS was passed precisely to ferret out unexplained wealth.

It is supposed to be a public record.

Corona is even using the late Chief Justice Marcelo Fernan as a shield to justify keeping the SALNS of the justices of the Supreme Court a secret. He said it was the Supreme Court under Fernan which mandated that the SALNS of Supreme Court justices be kept secret.

This is just an excuse. The Supreme Court can reverse its own ruling anytime if it wants to.

A decision that it made today can be reversed tomorrow. If it wants to reverse the ruling of the

Fernan Court, it can. If members of the Corona court have filed truthful and accurate SALNS, they should allow the release of their SALNS to their employers, the people. If they acquired their assets legally, what is there to be ashamed of?

What is there to be afraid of? *** Schools will reopen in a few weeks, and when 26 million students go to their classes, they would be confronted with the same problems that have hounded our educational system for decades: lack of classrooms, lack of textbooks, lack of teachers, lack of desks and chairs, lack of toilets, etc.

Soon, politicians will ask their parents and older siblings to vote for them. But what have they done for the schools and students to deserve their votes?

Why can’t our politicians and other agencies follow the example of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor). You must have read that the state gaming firm is spending the P1 billion, which was allotted for free coffee for gamblers, for the construction of 1,000 classrooms in public elementary and secondary schools nationwide.

This project, called “Matuwid na Daan sa Silid Paaralan,” is being done in partnership with the Department of Education and the Gawad Kalinga and volunteers from the beneficiary communities.

This project will benefit about 50,000 students beginning school year 2012-2013.

Pagcor Chair Cristino Naguiat said that the funding for the school-building project came from

huge savings in operational expenses since he took office. Also, Pagcor earned a record-breaking P3.03 billion in May 2011 alone. That amount has not been earned by Pagcor in 25 years.

The project taps the assistance of nongovernment organizations (NGOS).

All structures have to follow standards and specifications issued by the Deped.

What’s more, the project not only puts up classrooms but also inspires volunteerism, and communal respect for these structures. Would you vandalize something that you yourself or someone you know helped build with his own hands?

Thanks to the project, 50,000 Filipino students will have classrooms that are built to last, not only because they are made of concrete hollow blocks and galvanized iron roofs, but also because they are built by the community.

In addition to the school-building project, Pagcor did not forget the interiors of the classrooms. It provided an initial P100 million for the “P-noy Bayanihan Project” in partnership with the Deped, Tesda, and Department of Environment and Natural Resources. This other project will produce thousands of school desks from illegally cut logs confiscated by the DENR. Pagcor’s start-up money was used to retrofit existing Tesda and Deped facilities. It will also be used to establish more woodworking facilities nationwide. Aside from employment opportunities in production sites, community development is also a goal of Tesda’s skills training programs.■

Opinion

11 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

ANALYSIS

Growth gains didn’t trickle down

BY AMANDO DORONILA Philippine Daily Inquirer PHILIPPINE ECONOMIC performance during the past decade came under close scrutiny at the annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and was found wanting.

The shortfalls were most pronounced in the slow economic growth, weak job creation, a large infrastructure spending gap and wide income inequality.

ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda set the tone of the examination by spelling out in his opening statement the Asia-Pacific region’s economic prospects as a key focus of the meeting. He said the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) 2011 report indicated the region should be able to maintain its growth momentum despite trouble elsewhere in the world.

The report forecast a healthy gross domestic product (GDP) of 6.9 percent for developing Asia and Pacific in 2012, and 7.3 percent in 2013. The Philippines is lagging behind in this yardstick, posting a mere 3.7 percent growth in 2011, down by half of its stellar 7-plus percent GDP growth in 2010.

The ADB’s forecast marred optimistic estimates by Philippine economic officials at the annual meeting. They expressed optimism that the economy would expand by 5 to 6 percent in 2012, higher than its growth in 2011.

Socioeconomic Secretary Cayetano Paderanga said in a press briefing that the government’s infrastructure expenditures were on track and economic indications were looking “good”—

but not so good, in the eyes of ADB experts.

Kuroda said the region still faced “significant challenges,” high among which was the issue of rising inequality.

“Unfortunately, while the region has made remarkable progress in reducing poverty, the benefits of growth have yet to reach several millions of Asians who continue to struggle on less than $1.25 a day,” Kuroda said.

Economic disparities The drivers of Asia’s economic success—new technology globalization and market-oriented reforms—have also served to create and increase disparities within and among Asian economies.

“While these economic trends cannot and should not be reversed, it is critical that they be counter balanced by policies that will make growth in the region more inclusive,” Kuroda said. “Such policies would include investment in education to reduce inequality in human capital, investment in infrastructure to reduce unequal access to services and opportunities, and measures to make growth more employment friendly.”

He said the Philippines and its neighbors were poised to weather the effects of the mild recession in the Euro zone this year, but he emphasized the urgent need for member-countries to address the wide income inequality in their jurisdictions.

Challenge to Asia The ADB released a separate report on May 3, titled “How can Asia Respond to Global Crisis and Transformation.” It projected that a new

crisis in the United States and Europe could bring down the regional gross domestic product growth by 0.6 to 3.7 percentage points. The Philippines, in particular, could be dragged down by half a percentage point.

“Asia’s growth in the last decade has been rapid and stunning, but the global environment has been dramatically altered,” Kuroda said. “To keep themselves resilient, Asian countries should explore other growth engines, particularly by developing their own economies.”

In a forum at the meeting, Jeffrey D. Sachs, Columbia University professor in economics, said that while Europe was inching toward recovery, its underlying structure was still “fraught with problems.”

Sachs said that “in the short term, the challenge for Asia is to combat the slow growth in the North Atlantic since it could bring down the dynamism of the region.”

He added: “Consumption led-growth is still possible in countries like China where populations and incomes are increasing … More importantly, investment-led growth is needed in other countries, particularly in infrastructure, like power, roads and information technology.”

Improving governance Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, ADB governor for the Philippines, estimated the Asian infrastructure gap to hit $8 billion in the next 10 years. In the past decade, the Philippines lagged in direct foreign investments inflows compared to its Southeast Asian neighbors.

The Philippines attracted $1.7 billion in

2010, compared with Singapore’s $38.6 billion, Indonesia’s $13.3 billion and Thailand’s $6.3 billion, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) deputy managing director Naoyuki Shinohara.

The IMF official, who has visited the Philippines at least once a year, said he had noted that the government had “worked very hard” to improve governance and had “notched successes,” particularly in creating fiscal space after increasing revenue collections.

He also noted the had government succeeded in rolling out a public-private partnership (PPP) project—the P1.9 billion Daang Hari-South Luzon Expressway link awarded in December to Ayala Corp.—and had lined up more projects that will be bid this year.

Shinohara said that the Philippines’ hosting of the ADB annual meeting was a “good opportunity” to convey the message to the market economy that Manila continues to work hard in improving governance.

But he qualified what he meant by good governance. “When I talk about governance, I’m not taking about anticorruption but governance in general, which includes policy-making, the fiscal structure, supervision of state institutions, risk management of state institutions, all these things,” he said.

This contradicts the official line of the administration on governance, which boils down to anticorruption punitive action, concentrating on dismissing from office and sending to jail past administration officials for alleged corrupt practices and holding them accountable for wrongdoing while in office. ■

China’s claim of ownership of the waters is based on a 13th-century map dating from the Mongol Kublai Khan. “It merely shows up the ignorance that accompanies the Han version of history, which does not bother with the deeds of ‘lesser’ peoples.”

A map is meaningless in terms of ownership rights. Nor did presence of traders or payment of taxes, to be allowed to trade, amount to “tribute,” let alone acceptance of Beijing’s hegemony.

China’s claim to Scarborough Shoal, in 1932 and 1947, “is more outrageous than British seafarers, in the 19th century, planting the flag and claiming it as theirs.” There was not even a planting of a flag or the setting up of a permanent settlement. Scarborough is uninhabitable. It is not an island that would support a claim to the surrounding sea.

Beijing asserts that its claim predates the Unclos; therefore, it is not bound by the treaty.

This “is in the old tradition of Imperial China that all other nations are inferior. Thus it cannot submit to any outside or independent questioning of its claims.”

China was actually a very late comer to overseas navigation. For more than a thousand years, before its own ships ventured beyond coastal waters, China’s trade with and travels to the Malay lands, India, Arabia and the west were carried out on foreign ships—Malay, Indian, Arab.

In the 4th century, the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim Fa Hsien visited Sri Lanka in a Malay vessel from China to Sumatra and then on to Sri Lanka.

“Ancestors of today’s Filipinos were trading with the kingdom of Funan, based on the Mekong Delta, around or before the year 300 of the present era.”

Beijing resorted to the 1898 Treaty of Paris which ended the Spanish-American war. It referred to the “Philippine archipelago” in a series of straight lines on maps, clearly done to keep it simple and without regard to the actual geography.

One of those lines ran northward from 116E to 118E, leaving the Scarborough Shoal, at 117.5E a few miles outside Philippine territory as defined by the treaty. But a shoal is part of any normal definition of an archipelago, not to mention its vast distance from any Chinese-inhabited island.

“That China has to cite a treaty in which Filipinos played no part is evidence of the bankruptcy of its claims,” the Asia Sentinel analysis adds. “[They’d] be dismissed out of hand by any independent tribunal acting on the basis of the [Unclos.]”

Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have been willing to submit to third-party judgments of conflicting claims. China believes it is bound by no international rules and will deal only with individual countries.

But the Scarborough issue shows “how blatant China’s expansionism has become. The Philippines and Vietnam are the front line states in the Malay battle against Han hegemony.”

It is time for Malaysia and Indonesia to show some mettle and stand with them. ■ Email: juan_mercado77@yahoo.com

VIEWPOINT

Skewed View

BY JUAN L. MERCADO Philippine Daily Inquirer “KNOW THE PAST to understand the present.”

The late astronomer Carl Sagan’s counsel is tailor-fit for the dispute over what the Philippines calls Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal, and China, Huangyan Island.

On April 10, two Chinese surveillance ships blocked the Philippine Navy from inspecting poached marine life on eight Chinese fishing boats. A standoff has continued, overlooked as world attention focuses on blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng trying to leave Beijing for the United States.

Named after a ship that floundered, Scarborough is 350 miles from the Chinese mainland and 135 miles off Luzon—well within the Philippines’ 200-mile or 370.4-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

After 1982, coastal nations’ territorial waters were regulated by the EEZ. Under the United Nations’ Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), which China acceded to, a country has the right to fish and tap seabed resources within its EEZ. Midweek, four Chinese maritime ships and 10 fishing vessels were reported in the shoal; more will be coming. China seems bent on overwhelming, by sheer number, three Philippine boats there: a Bureau of Fisheries research vessel, a Coast Guard rescue ship and BRP Edsa.

“Kill the chicken to scare the monkeys,”

a Chinese saying goes. In the shoal standoff, Beijing signals other countries—Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, among others—that it claims most waters off its southern coastline.

The Philippines will elevate this dispute to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in Hamburg, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said. Don’t hold your breath, China’s Foreign Ministry declared. It rejects international mediation. Beijing prefers to deal country by country to wring “recognition for sovereignty.”

The roots of the problem stem from “China’s Skewed View of South China Sea” asserts Asia Sentinel in an analysis dated April 23. It is a mindset that regards other, non-Han people and their histories as “irrelevant.”

“South China Sea” is a name coined by westerners. It does no more than describe a sea south of China and state that the lands that ring it are people of Southeast Asian or Malay stock.

Now, Beijing’s claims signal that “they may yet go the way of the Tibetans, Uighurs and Mongols, themselves oppressed minorities in a Han empire.”

“Beijing’s stance is doubly unfortunate given the positive role that individual Chinese migrants and their descendants have played in the Philippines for several centuries,” the analysis adds. “When China was closed, its entrepreneurial coastal people found opportunity in the Malay world. Is that era of fruitful interaction over with a threatening China?”

Sports Mayweather impressive against Cotto, but Pacquiao is not in his future plans

Ira Bostic / Shutterstock.com

BY TIM DAHLBERG THE ASSOCIATED PRESS LAS VEGAS - Floyd Mayweather Jr. was getting ready to make his ring walk about the time Manny Pacquiao arrived at Los Angeles International Airport on Philippine Airlines Flight 102. He’ll be occupying a cell at the Clark County Detention Center by the time Pacquiao makes his way to this gambling city for his June 9 fight with Timothy Bradley.

The two are seemingly destined never to be in the same spot at the same time. Certainly not in the ring, something Mayweather made clear Saturday night after taking on Miguel Cotto in a bruising fight that, if not his best, was certainly among his most exciting. ``The Pacquiao-Mayweather fight is not going to happen,’’ Mayweather said. ``It’s not my fault.’’

More on that later, though Mayweather could be called out for using some convoluted logic about why the fight won’t happen. Suffice it to say he believes he’s in the driver’s seat for any mega-fight, and is both suspicious of Pacquiao and unwilling to take equal money for the bout.

After making a minimum $32 million in an impressive performance Saturday night against Cotto, Mayweather could be excused for dismissing what would be the richest fight in boxing history. But, with jail time coming up for a domestic abuse charge, there will be plenty of time for reflection about his future ``I don’t know where we’re going to go from here because we basically have fought everybody in this sport,’’ Mayweather said. ``I don’t have to fight if I don’t want to.’’

Indeed, Mayweather hinted of retirement following his tough battle with Cotto, which ended with Mayweather claiming a piece of the 154-pound title with a unanimous decision. But there’s huge money still to be made, and he’s a fighter who burns through cash with a Money Team entourage that seems to grow with each fight.

Unlike most of his fights, though, Mayweather looked like he had been in a fight after beating Cotto. He had welts under his both eyes and he spoke deliberately, like a fighter who was exhausted by the effort needed to capture the 43rd win of his unblemished career.

He could have danced about and beaten Cotto without taking the most punishment of his career, Mayweather insisted. But he wanted to give fans a good show, and make them happy they spent $69.95 on pay-per-view to see him fight.

Having Justin Bieber and 50 Cent accompany him into the ring was entertaining, sure. But the action in the ring was even better. ``Things happened tonight and we both had to fight. But the main thing is that we got the victory,’’ Mayweather said. ``The fans were happy. It’s about impressing fans and giving them what they want to see.’’

The fans did enjoy it, though it was a strange strategy for the normally defensively oriented Mayweather, who said a few days before the fight that he wasn’t going to get into any brawls in the ring because he was worried about his future health. Both fighters paid a price for this brawl, with Cotto going to a local hospital for examination instead of attending the post-fight press conference.

They traded punches for 12 rounds without taking a second off, and the sellout crowd at the MGM Grand arena stood and cheered most of the way. Mayweather was the sharper

and cleaner puncher, but Cotto had his moments, too, landing some big shots to Mayweather’s head and body.

Though Mayweather ended up winning easily on all three ringside scorecards, the fight was in doubt in the middle rounds and he never really dominated until he caught Cotto with an uppercut that buckled his knees in the final round. ``You’re a hell of a champion,’’ Mayweather told Cotto in the ring afterward. ``You’re the toughest guy I ever fought.’’

Most in boxing figure Pacquiao would be even tougher for Mayweather, which might be the reason he seems to want no part of him. Mayweather said before the fight he believes Pacquiao used steroids to bulk up and it would be dangerous to fight him, though he has offered no proof of his claims and is being sued by Pacquiao for defamation.

Afterward, Mayweather said the fight wouldn’t be happening because Pacquiao is tied to promoter Bob Arum and he doesn’t want to deal with Arum. He said he offered Pacquiao $40 million to fight _ with $20 million wired to him within 24 hours of accepting _ and was turned down. The fight could easily make each man much more than that, but Mayweather believes he is the true attraction and won’t agree to split the proceeds 50-50 with Pacquiao.

Mayweather’s more immediate future is a bigger worry for him than a Pacquiao fight. He’s going to be spending much of the summer in a jail cell for his no contest plea to domestic abuse stemming from a fight with the mother of his children.

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012 12

It will be the first long jail stretch for Mayweather, who has a history of such charges over the years.

He didn’t feel much like talking about it after the fight, preferring instead to highlight his contributions to charity and some vague plans to help hungry and homeless people.

Still, he acknowledged that the impending move from his multimillion-dollar mansion to a spartan cell was weighing on him. ``The only thing it can do is make me stronger as a person,’’ Mayweather said. ``When it comes to June 1, I have to accept it like a man.’’

On this night he was certainly man enough, putting on a show that even his detractors had to admire. The knock on Mayweather has long been that, though he’s a masterful boxer, he often fought too defensively to excite fight fans and was seldom worth the money they put out to watch him in their living rooms.

Against Cotto he fought, and fought hard. He beat a brawler, and he beat him at his own game.

Aside from the punishment that showed on his face, the night was a huge success for Mayweather and his many minions. Though he hinted at retirement, few in boxing doubt that he will be back in the ring, if only because the money is so big he can’t afford not to be.

Who knows, if jail does indeed make him stronger, maybe he’ll even be up to taking on Pacquiao. ■

Record beckons for Cone B-meg coach now just one title behind leader Dalupan

BY MUSONG R. CASTILLO Philippine Daily Inquirer

THERE was no doubt that B-meg’s one-forthebooks triumph over gallant Talk ‘N Text in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup title series Sunday night was all about the players, Denzel Bowles and James Yap in particular.

By carrying the Llamados to the epic win, Bowles and Yap completed their classy performance after also being named the Best Import and the Excelroof-PBA Press Corps Finals MVP, respectively.

So where does Tim Cone, the man who moved all the pieces, fit historically in all of this?

“I have only two goals in life, and I have made this no secret,” Cone told reporters, moments after the 14th title of his storied coaching career sunk in. “My goals are to catch Baby’s (Dalupan) record, and put my kids through college.”

Dalupan, the charismatic motivator who was the author of the PBA’S first Grand Slam with Crispa in 1976, is now just one title ahead of Cone, and Tim has a formidable team in the Llamados who look like they could win a handful more.

Cone won his first 13 titles with Alaska which, whether anyone admits it or not, he left bitterly before the start of the season. It ended a partnership that spanned more than two decades.

That all-time record by Dalupan is definitely there for the taking for Cone.

And Cone has Bowles and Yap to thank for moving him a step closer.

The duo was practically all that was left of B-meg in the toughest of times in Game 7 with Yap keeping himself composed to find Bowles in the shaded lane for a brilliant pass that eventually sent the 6-foot-10 import to the line to forge overtime.

“For some reason, I knew he was going to make those two free throws,” Cone said of his prized import, who cried like a baby after tying the game for the last time at 76 with 1.2 seconds left in the final quarter.

“A lot of things just happened right for us in the end to win that game,” he added while giving credit to Talk ‘N Text for a courageous stand. “Is it destiny? I don’t know. I won’t know for sure how we won that basketball game.”

The amiable American mentor said he will do a lot of reviewing of the game tape to find out how they won Game 7, the first one in a title series that went into overtime since 1995, when he lost while coaching Alaska against Sunkist in the All-Filipino Conference.

In the meantime, Cone is basking in the limelight again, something which he obviously felt he couldn’t get from Alaska anymore, hence the earth-shaking news late last year when he transferred to B-meg.

And while he did move within a title of Dalupan’s mark, Cone had this to say to the media before leaving Sunday night: “This win will definitely put my kids through college.”

Everyone laughed. And everyone was left to wonder how outrageous the bonus scheme at B-meg is. ■

Business

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012 14

April inflation well within gov’t range at 3% Rate of rise in consumer prices expected to pick up

BY RIZA T. OLCHONDRA Philippine Daily Inquirer

INFLATION picked up in April to 3 percent, from 2.6 percent the previous month, due to price hikes of most commodity groups, including the heavily weighted food basket.

Prices were reported to have increased faster in areas outside the National Capital Region.

Still, April’s inflation growth was well within the government’s target range of 3 to 5 percent.

In NCR, the rate of rise in consumer prices stood at 2.5 percent in April, slower than the 2.7 percent growth in March, due to slower gains in the indices for housing, water, electricity, transport, gas and other fuels.

Year-on-year, inflation in areas outside NCR went up 3.2 percent last month from 2.6 percent in March, with higher annual upticks in the prices of all commodity groups except in the communication and education indices.

Month-on-month, higher prices of items in the food group, particularly corn, fish, processed and canned

Experts see demise of dollar as world currency HSBC lays foundation for RMB-based trade

BY DORIS C. DUMLAO Philippine Daily Inquirer

IT MAY only be a matter of time before the US dollar gets replaced as the main currency in international trade, according to economists attending the meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank.

For many years, the dollar “has been almost the sole ‘reserve’ currency,” banked on by the world economy, American economist Jeffrey Sachs said in one of the forums held during the ADB annual event. “Going forward, [the dollar] can’t play that role anymore.”

Sachs added that he could not see how the US dollar could remain as the world’s reserve currency when “the role of the United States in the global economy is diminishing.”

meat, processed eggs, milk, selected fruits, and sugar, were noted in many regions including NCR. In addition, upward adjustments in land transport fares and charges for electricity rates were observed in selected regions including NCR. The National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) said that there could be “slight” acceleration in the rate of price hikes in the coming months due to volatile oil prices. Still, Neda said, inflation for the whole of 2012 should stay within target.

Private economists agreed that inflation would not likely breach the government target as food price increases so far had been relatively tame.

Benjamin E. Diokno of the UP School of Economics said via e-mail that prices wouldn’t soar to new heights this year because of weak consumer demand.

“Unemployment remains serious while poverty has worsened (based on Social Weather Stations survey results). The prices of oil and oil products have stabilized, though at a higher than normal [level] because of persistent world crisis, especially

in Europe and the United States. [The economies of] India and China, both heavy users of oil products, are expected to slow significantly,” Diokno added.

This is not to say, however, that inflation of 3 to 5 percent may not be a cause for concern, especially since the poor can be hurt by even mild price increases, Diokno said. He then urged the government to focus on job generation.

As for key rates, Diokno said the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas should wait until the first quarter economic numbers were in before adjusting its monetary policy.

Cid L. Terosa of the University of Asia and the Pacific said in a text message that the 3percent inflation growth in April could signal the start of price increases particularly because demand for school-related products would soon pick up.

“The price increases in the coming months however will still be within the 3 to 4 percent range,” Terosa said, as he urged the government, through the Department of Trade and Industry, to closely monitor prices of various products.

In 2011, average inflation stood at 4.7 percent.■

Several finance experts echoed Sachs’ sentiment, explaining that, with the greenback expected to weaken further, the world should turn to another currency to facilitate international trade and other commercial transactions.

“Having another reserve currency other than the US dollar is only a matter of time. We don’t know exactly when it will happen, but it will,” Neeraj Swaroop of Standard Chartered Bank said in an interview at the sidelines of the ADB meeting.

In the area of merchandise trading, Swaroop said, countries have actually started to use currencies other than the US dollar.

Sachs also said that some countries could turn to more than one currency in maintaining their foreign exchange reserves.

One currency being considered is the Chinese renminbi (RMB) which, according to HSBC, will inevitably become an international reserve currency.

The renminbi, or the yuan, has the potential to become an international reserve currency because China is continuing to post strong growth, becoming an important player in the global economy, Iwan Azis, ADB head for regional integration, said in the same forum.

Also, China is pushing to make the yuan the world’s reserve currency—a move that is seen to hasten the replacement of the US dollar, Azis added.

Already, British banking giant HSBC has mapped out a strategy to be a leading global player in the “renminbi banking” space.

This global strategy has filtered into the Philippine market with the bank’s introduction of RMB-denominated deposit and trade financing facilities, top HSBC officials said in a press briefing.

Spencer Lake of HSBC said the renminbi was

increasingly becoming an important currency from a trade perspective.

Lake is in town as head of the HSBC delegation to the ADB event.

“If it were freely convertible today, it will be the second largest currency in the world,” Lake said, noting that China has started to liberalize currency systems.

“It’s part of our core strategy to adopt and put in place all of the infrastructure and products to embrace [the renminbi] as a future reserve currency,” Lake said.

Lake said the bank’s strategy appeared to be gaining ground as indicated by a “significant” buildup of the RMB business in Hong Kong, Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries.

“The world is getting ready to adopt it as a world currency,” he said. “You’ll see it as a more common language.”

‘Reserve’ currency, which is currently used to describe the US dollar, is the denomination that accounts for bulk of the foreign exchange reserves of most countries. A country taps its foreign exchange reserves whenever it needs to pay off the costs of imported products and debts to foreign creditors.

After the United States fell into a recession in 2009, the US dollar began to weaken against emerging-market currencies.

The trouble with hanging on to the dollar as the main reserve currency is that it is prone to depreciation given the prevailing economic troubles of the United States. Depreciation of the US dollar, in turn, may lead to a reduction in the value of a country’s foreign reserves, experts said.

Apart from the yuan, Sachs said other viable currencies that could replace the US dollar were the euro and the Japanese yen.■

15 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

Canada News www.canadianinquirer.net

As with past two years, economy showing signs of breaking from strong start

BYJULIAN BELTRAME THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA - U.S. employment numbers disappointed for the second consecutive month on Friday. This upcoming Friday, it’s likely Canadians’ turn to be disappointed.

After a strong start to the year, the economies in Canada and systemically important nations appear to have entered a synchronized late winter-early spring swoon that few saw coming.

Less than a month after the Bank of Canada upgraded growth prospects for both Canada and the U.S. and downgraded risks in Europe, the roof hasn’t exactly caved in, but the puddles are forming on the kitchen floor.

The European recession has gone from mild to scary, with some major nations such as Spain posting depressionera 25-percent jobless rates. Emerging markets have slowed. The United States posted its second consecutive below consensus employment report of a mere 115,000 jobs added in April. Even in Canada, gross domestic product shockingly fell in February by 0.2 per cent.

“Clearly we have seen a deceleration of economic activity more or less around the world,’’ said Eric Laschelles, chief economist with RBC Global Asset Management. ``The message of the last few years is don’t over do it.

On occasion the market and forecasters have jumped on the trend too many times. The reality is we’re in a sluggish growth environment, we’ve been there for four years and we’ll probably be there for several more.’’

Economists refer to the phenomenon as a ``head fake’’ - the real world equivalent of Lucy snatching away the football from Charlie Brown’s approaching foot - and it appears to have fooled the experts for the third year in a row.

Last year, a second-quarter contraction was precipitated by supply-chain disruptions from Japan’s natural disaster and an oil shock caused by political uncertainty in the Middle East.

This year, analysts are blaming an unusually mild winter that pushed some activity forward, persistently high oil prices and in Canada, the drag of governments flipping the switch from fiscal stimulus to restraint.

“It seems like it’s deja vu all over again where the markets and analysts overestimated the strength in the economy because of a nice start to the year,’’ agreed Bank

of Montreal deputy chief economist Doug Porter, who has stuck to his long-held view that the economy will barely eke out a two per cent advance this year.

For Canada, Porter said it’s already beyond the realm of reasonable probability the Bank of Canada’s 2.5 per cent annualized growth estimate for the first and second quarters can be met.

Capital Economics on Friday officially took their 2.5 target for the first three months off the table and inserted an anemic 1.5 per cent in its place.

That’s an important distinction because at 2.5 percent growth, the Bank of Canada had calculated the capacity gap in the economy would close by the first half of 2013, setting up a scenario where governor Mark Carney would feel comfortable in hiking interest rates later this year.

At 1.5 percent growth, the output gap is actually widening, suggesting no hike until at least 2013.

As for employment prospects, economies don’t create jobs at faster rates than output for very long, so many analysts predict Friday’s employment report will see a big payback from March’s eye-popping 82,000 reading.

Capital Economics’ David Madani says 10,000 is more like it.

The question is: how long does the stall last?

The current run of disappointing results, particularly in North America, may be a case of what CIBC economist Avery Shenfeld calls the mixed news that comes from a mediocre economy.

Under that assumption, the current softness will likely soon give way to a run of stronger data, the scenario most analysts envision.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty was of this view in comments to reporters following the release of the U.S. jobs data.

‘We anticipate a lumpy recovery this year. But when we get to the end of the year and look back we’ll see the moderate growth that was anticipated will have occurred,`` he said.

“The danger is we would have another type of banking crisis (out of Europe) ... which would inevitably affect Canada because we are part of a trading world, a global economy,’’ he added.

Barring that now familiar - and still very real risk RBC’s Laschelles says another concern is the so-called “fiscal cliff’’ looming at the end of the year in the U.S. Much like last summer’s debt ceiling crisis, partisan political intransigence could push the U.S. to the brink of recession if Congress does not agree to extend temporary tax cuts and push back spending reductions scheduled to start Jan. 1.

Laschelles said some estimates suggest the fiscal cliff is big enough to chop three or four percentage points from the U.S. economy. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke has warned it’s so large, he doesn’t have the tools to compensate.

The betting is that even the U.S. Congress is not suicidal, but the risk is not zero, Laschelles said, which is also his verdict on the odds against the recent run of bad data signalling the beginning of a serious downturn that lasts beyond a few months. ■

Trade Mission to the Philippines

Christy Clark, Premier of BC, Yeon Ho Choi, Consul General of Korea, Hideki Ito, Consul General of Japan and Anthony Mandap, Vice Consul of the Philippines, gather for a reception in advance of the Premier’s Japanese, Korean and Filipino Trade Mission to encourage trade and create jobs.

BY MELISSA REMULLA BRIONES PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER VANCOUVER – A pre-trade mission event was organized for BC Premier Christy Clark before she embarked on her trip to Japan, Korea and the Philippines.

In her speech, the Premier said, “In British Columbia, we are blessed by a population that is intimately connected to the fastest growing economies in the world. Think about the potential, think about the fastest growing middle class anywhere on earth, and our deep connections to countries like Japan and Korea – the Philippines, a country that is moving so fast out the charts in terms of economics, we can`t even keep up.”

According to the, Premier it was time for B.C. to export its knowledge, expertise, and technologies to Asia, and she is looking to the business sector to help make the mission a success.

The Premier also mentioned that B.C. was a country built on the shoulders of people who came from all over the world. According to her, “They are still coming from all over the world with their ingenuity and their entrepreneurial spirit. They knew that they would be coming to a country that was cold, and they’d be coming to a place where they would not find many people who spoke their language or practice their faith, that they would probably not be able to see their family for decades, and yet they still came and they were brave to do that.”

The Philippines is one of the top four source countries of temporary foreign workers (TFW) in British Columbia since 2000, along with the United States, the United Kingdom, and Japan.

Similar to the growth in TFWs from the Philippines, B.C. has also seen significant growth in the number of permanent residents arriving from the Philippines from 2,871 in 2000, to 6,661 in 2010.

From 2000 to 2009, the Philippines was the thirdlargest source country for permanent residents to B.C., after India and China. In 2010, the Philippines was B.C.’s second-largest source country for permanent residents after China.

She will be in the Philippines on May 19. ■ Please see related article on page 16.

News-Canada

BRIEFS B.C. apologizes for Japanese Canadian internments after 70 years BRITISH COLUMBIA formally apologized to the Japanese-Canadian community for the internment of thousands of people during the Second World War. Members of the B.C. legislature voted to apologize for actions taken 70 years ago that saw 22,000 JapaneseCanadians placed in internment camps in British Columbia and across Western Canada. The federal government apologized to Japanese Canadians in 1988, but today was the first time the province formally apologized and acknowledged that JapaneseCanadians were discriminated against simply because they were of Japanese descent. – The Canadian Press ■

Manitoba government tables bill with new consequences for impaired driving WINNIPEG - Impaired drivers in Manitoba could soon face new penalties. The NDP government has tabled a bill that would require all impaired drivers, after their first offence, to use an ignition interlock system. The system requires drivers to provide a breath sample before their vehicle can be started. Under the existing law, some firsttime offenders do not need to use the system. The bill would also toughen the penalties for people who are required to use an interlock system but don’t use one. The bill would raise the maximum penalty from a $2,000 fine to a $5,000 fine and one year in jail. – The Canadian Press ■

Ontario leads gains as building permits rise again in March: StatsCan

OTTAWA - Statistics Canada says the pace of construction picked up again in March as the value of building permits issued rose 4.7 per cent to 6.8 billion. This follows a 7.6 per cent increase in February. The increase was led by permits for institutional and commercial buildings, mostly in Ontario. The value of nonresidential permits rose 13.9 per cent to $2.9 billion in March, after jumping 37.7 per cent the previous month. The March level was the highest since June 2010. The value of residential permits declined 1.3 per cent to $3.9 billion, the third consecutive monthly decrease. – The Canadian Press ■

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012 16

DOLE TO WELCOME PREMIER CHRISTY CLARK

Hon. Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz of the DOLE

THE PHILIPPINE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) under Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz is set to welcome the Premier of the Province of British Columbia (Canada), Christy Clark, who will visit the Philippines on May 19-20 in what may be dubbed as a Trade and Labor Mission.

It will be a first visit from a Premier of the western most Canadian province known as the Gateway to Canada and home to an estimated 120,000 Filipino immigrants and temporary workers. Her trip follows those made by Premiers Gary Doer and Greg Selinger of the Province of Manitoba in 2008 and 2010 respectively and viewed by many as a manifestation of the importance the Province gives the Philippines and recognition of the great contribution the Filipinos have made on its economy.

Reliable sources confirmed that Premier Clark would be accompanied by B.C. businessmen who would look into business potentials in the country in such areas as energy, housing and aqua marine culture as well as a panel of experts who would sit down with their counterparts in the Philippines and discuss the issues related to labor mobility including exchange of information about Filipino professionals particularly nurses, engineers, technologies and technicians towards the possible recognition of their skills. It will be recalled that foreign educated or trained professionals do not get automatic recognition and/ or accreditation of their skills in British Columbia.

They have to go through a tedious and long process to obtain their accreditation where only a handful of them succeed. Yet at the same, employers in the Province have long acknowledged the competency of Filipinos in practically all fields of endeavors and some have expressed surprise at why they are not recognized as such professionals.

The Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Vancouver has initiated the move for a panel discussion on labor mobility including that on skills recognition noting that unlike in other Canadian provinces where a great number of Filipino skilled workers and professionals are hired many of whom have become permanent residents and/or Canadian citizens, British Columbia is basically a caregiver market. Records at the POLO show that in western Canada for instance, more caregivers are being hired in British Columbia compared to Alberta which hires more semi-skilled and skilled workers. “Our professionals in B.C. are having a hard time getting into the mainstream. Many of them end up working

as caregivers or food counter attendants or mere assistants. The few who succeeded went through some complicated and difficult process” Labor Attache Bernie B. Julve of POLO-Vancouver said.

While not much is expected from the initial meeting as it will focus more on information sharing, Julve said that this is nonetheless a welcome development as the first step is finally being taken towards resolving issues on labor mobility. Realizing these issues cannot be resolved in one meeting, Premier Clark and DOLE Secretary Rosalinda DimapilisBaldoz are expected to sign a “Letter of Intent to Cooperate on Areas of Mutual Benefit with Respect to Labor Mobility” which will, among others, “ explore and, where mutually agreed, facilitate ways to strengthen their relations in education and training which directly assists Filipino workers in meeting the requirements and standards necessary for entry into specific occupations in British Columbia”.

In connection with Premier Clark’s visit, a B.C. mini Jobs Fair will also be held at the Occupational Health and Safety Center in Quezon City on May 2122. A number of B.C. employers in the service and hospitality industry will be there to recruit workers.

Secretary Baldoz has instructed the POEA to make all the necessary arrangement for a successful B.C. Jobs Fair in coordination with Labor Attache Bernie Julve. The Jobs Fair will be jointly opened by Premier Clark and Secretary Baldoz following which, the two will have a private meeting to discuss issues and concerns relating to the recruitment and deployment of Filipino workers to British Columbia. Consul General Jose P. Ampeso who will fly home for this historic event is expected to grace the occasion. ■

Enverga to receive Jubilee Medal T O B I A S ENVERGA, Jr. was informed that he is one of the recipients of the commemorative medal to mark the 2012 celebrations of the 60th Anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne as Queen of Canada.

Tobias or Jun Enverga, the first and only Filipino-Canadian elected in the City of Toronto, will be recognized for advocating for the Community and Charity. Tobias said that the honour is not his alone but to all the members of Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation, other organizations and individuals that supported him throughout the years.

He also dedicated the medal, which depicts a crowned image of the Sovereign and the diamond anniversary of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s accession to the throne, to his wife of almost 30 Years, Rosemer Enverga, who has dedicated her life unselfishly for the benefit of the poor in the Philippines. Tobias is the proud father of three girls. ■

17 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

BY LIZETTE LOFRANCO-ABA

Immigration BC ESA 101: How well do you know your Employment Standards?

GLOBAL-FILIPINO AT WORK IN CANADA

MANEUVERING THROUGH the myriad of laws and codes pertaining to working in Canada could be a daunting task for a newcomer to a foreign labour market.

For one, there are varying bodies of legislation that apply differently between federal and provincial jurisdiction. If you work for a federal Crown corporation or a federally regulated employer such as the airport, for example, it would be the Canada Labour Code that would apply to you. If not, you might fall under the jurisdiction of the province’s Employment Standards legislation.

According to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, roughly only 10 percent of Canadian businesses are federally regulated.

About 90 percent of the Canadian workforce is covered by territorial labour laws. In British Columbia, for most of these occupations, it is the BC Employment Standards Act that would be the applicable legislation.

Another complexity is that there are certain industries in BC that are subject to specific regulations that only apply to them. Examples of these labour sectors are the agricultural workers, domestics, taxi drivers, employment agencies, young people and young people in entertainment, etc. Furthermore, there are other certain occupations and professions that may not be covered by the Act such as babysitters, doctors, lawyers, architects, independent contractors, etc.

Nevertheless, as in all labour standards legislation, the fundamental principle underlying the Employment Standard Act (ESA) of BC is ―decency and fairness at work‖. The Act basically outlines our rights as employees as well as the obligations of employers.

The purposes of the Act are targeted towards, among other things, the promotion of fair treatment of employees and employers, assisting employees to meet their work and family responsibilities and, ensuring that all employees receive at least the most basic standards of compensation and conditions of employment.

What are some of these minimum standards? Let’s go take a quick quiz on BC ESA 101 and find out how much we know about the basics of BC’s employment standards.

The following are scenarios that help describe how basic employment standards apply. Answer Yes or No to the questions following the scenarios. (Please note that names, characters, businesses, places are used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons or events is purely coincidental.)

1. Reynaldo has been offered a part-time job as a factory worker in Surrey. He was advised by the owner that he starts on May 16, 2012 with an hourly rate of $10.00 per hour.

Is Reynaldo being offered proper wages?

(Answer: No. Effective May 1, 2012, minimum wage is set at $10.25 per hour. This rate is set regardless of how employees are paid—whether hourly, salary or commission-based.)

2. Leandro has been hired to work as a Building Service worker for a local community college. He is told by his boss, the Facilities Manger that in compliance with their safety guidelines, Leandro needs to come to work in steel-toed shoes. The boss advises Leandro to provide for himself his own pair of steel-toed shoes at his own expense. Is this legal or not?

(Answer: Yes. Although the cost of company uniforms and required special clothing should be shouldered by the employers, employers are not required to pay for the cost of personal safety equipment such as hard hats, steeltoed shoes, reflective vests. Such

personal safety equipment or apparel is required by WorkSafe BC and is not considered special clothing.)

3. Sarah begins her part-time work as a waitress/liquor server at a local pub on May 16, 2012. Her manager tells her that her hourly rate is $9.00. Sarah tells her boss this is not legally acceptable as the minimum wage in BC has been increased to

$10.25 per hour effective May 1st, 2012. Sarah’s boss informs her that this wage of $10.25 does not apply to her in this particular job. Is Sarah correct?

(Answer: No. Employees who serve liquor are not covered by the $10.25 minimum wage. Liquor servers, that is, workers who serve liquor directly to customers as part of their job, are entitled to the liquor server minimum wage which is pegged at $9.00 per hour effective May 1, 2012.)

4. Bong works as a shift engineer at a downtown facility. He was asked by his supervisor to cover for a co-worker who had earlier called in sick. He promptly reports for the 12-hour shift coverage only to find out that his co-worker became well enough to come in that day. His supervisor apologizes and sends Bong home; however, Bong is told he would be reimbursed for his bus tickets and would be paid for the 2 hours he spent commuting to and More on page 19

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

Immigration

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012 18

S.U.C.C.E.S.S.: Putting the spotlight on foreign-trained professionals

BY MELISSA REMULLA-BRIONES PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER

THEY SAY immigration may be hardest for foreign-trained professionals.

This is whispered to Filipino professionals—lawyers, doctors, accountants, architects, engineers, and many others—before they ever embark on a plane to Canada to claim First World lives.

But too often, these foreign-trained professionals refuse to believe it.

They can’t believe all the hours they’ve spent in school, training, and work might mean nothing. They can’t believe their lives might change dramatically, or that they might not be given a chance to show what they can do.

Until they get to Canada. Suddenly they are confronted with a demand for “Canadian experience”, and often following this, rejection. Their credentials, which meant so much to them (mainly because of the time and difficulty involved in getting them) become mere “scraps of paper” that

The question foremost in the minds of immigrant professionals after landing in Canada and learning about the hurdles of credential recognition: What now?

have to be “evaluated” before they can be taken to mean anything. Often, this “evaluation” also means paying new fees and clocking in more time (often years) of even more schooling and exams. In the meantime, they are urged to take a survival job and

Are you:  An Internationally Trained Professional wishing to return to your field of work in Canada?  A Canadian Citizen or Permanent resident residing in BC?  A recipient of foreign credentials or designations?  Lacking affordable financial support to cover:  Tuition fees for short-term training  Professional Association Fees  Qualification Assessment  Examination Fees

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suffer through underemployment simply because they need to feed their families.

The stories are well-known.

Lawyers who could not get a job interview for a legal assistant or paralegal position, accountants who could not get hired as anything by a bank, engineers working as servers in fast food outlets, doctors going to nursing school or working in retail, architects at neighborhood supermarkets toiling as cashiers or greeters.

Some got stuck.

According to writer Travis Lupick, “skilled immigrants to Canada arrive with a sense of adventure and optimism, only to be beaten down by sometimes insurmountable barriers to meaningful employment. As rejection notices pile up, frustration can build to the point of depression.”

Very recently, however, the government of Canada turned its spotlight on foreign-trained professionals. Through its “”Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) Loan Project” the government’s longstanding promise to make it easier for foreign-trained professionals to get their credentials recognized finally became a reality.

According to Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, who made the announcement in February alongside Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, and Alice Wong, Minister of State (Seniors), at S.U.C.C.E.S.S.’ head office in Vancouver, “[this is] part of the government’s commitment to making it easier for immigrants

to join the Canadian labour market.

We want newcomers to be able to use their skills as soon as possible in Canada and work to their full potential. It’s good for them and good for the Canadian economy.”

The S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Story Following the February 22nd announcement, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. launched its Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) Loan Project operating from their Richmond Office.

Funded in part by HRSDC and other community organizations, S.U.C.C.E.S.S FCR Loan Project offers a competitive low-interest rate loan to Internationally Trained Professionals (ITP s) to help them obtain employment in their fields in Canada. Shalaleh Najafy, Project Manager for S.U.C.C.E.S.S FCR Loan Project is hoping that this initiative will reduce to some degree the hardship that the credential recognition process places on Internationally Trained Professionals, and help the ITPs realize their dream of working in their professional fields in Canada.

The Process The process is similar to that of a loan application, “Except we are in social services and in the business of helping our clients overcome their problems and making their lives better. Our main objective is to help the clients receive their Canadian recognized credentials in order to obtain employment in their field” clarifies Najafy.

More on page 19

19 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

BC ESA 101:... Page 17

from work that day. Is the supervisor legally compliant?

(Answer: No. BC Employment Standards provide that an employee who is scheduled and reports for work for more than eight hours must be paid for at least four hours even if the employee works less than that. If Bong were scheduled for a regular 8-hour shift, he would have been entitled to at least two hours’ wages.)

5. Emelyn works as a receptionist at a dental office Monday through Friday, from 9 am – 5 pm. She is told that she is entitled to a one-hour unpaid lunch break, from 12:30-1:30 pm; however, her manager tells her that there are no 15-minute ―coffee‖ breaks in the morning and in the afternoon. Is this legally acceptable or not?

(Answer: Yes. Employers are not required to provide ―coffee‖ breaks which are given at company’s discretion. What is required is providing at least a half-hour unpaid meal break to an employee who works more than five hours in a row.)

6. Dennis was almost into the end of his three-month probation working in a fast food restaurant when he was terminated. On his last pay check, he did not see any payment of accrual of vacation pay.

He contacted his employer to ask why this was so. Dennis was advised that since he did not complete his three-month probation, he was not entitled to his vacation credits. Is this legal?

(Answer: No. While a person who is employed for less than one year is not entitled to vacation leave, he is entitled to vacation pay equivalent to four per cent of his total earnings.

This vacation pay must be paid upon the termination of his employment.)

7. Nora has been working as a cleaner in one of the plush fivestar hotels in downtown Vancouver.

Once during her seventh month of working, Nora accidentally broke several wine glasses in the wine bar while cleaning it. Now on her second year working there, she again accidentally broke an expensive glass vase displayed on the living room table of the penthouse suite.

Her manager reminds Nora of the agreement that she signed upon hiring, which required salary deduction for any breakages and damages to hotel property and that Nora will have to pay the cost of the vase. Is Nora’s manager correct?

Immigration (Answer: No. An employer may not deduct or require payment for any portion of an employer’s business cost. This includes expenses arising from damage or breakage to employer property. Furthermore, ― any agreement by an employee to contribute towards an employer’s cost of doing business is a contravention of the Act and is not enforceable.‖ On a side note, if damage or breakage is committed by an employee on a regular or frequent basis, this might be a case relating to performance management issues and/or employee disciplinary process.)

8. When Sharon was hired as a permanent, full-time porter in a care home, she was two and half-months pregnant. She was given a six-month probation upon hiring. Starting on the sixth month of her pregnancy, Sharon started to experience difficulty pushing wheelchairs and transporting patients. She then asked her manager that she be given light duties or transferred to a job that did not require much physical exertion. One month before the end of her probation, Sharon requested for a pregnancy leave. Her employer denied her request saying that her probationary employment would be terminated on two grounds: Sharon could no longer fulfill the duties as Porter as specified in her Job Description and, she did not disclose her pregnancy when she was interviewed for the position. Does Sharon’s employer have legal grounds to terminate her?

(Answer: No. Employers are required to provide an unpaid pregnancy leave up to 17 consecutive weeks. Employment standards provide that ―employees are not required to give notice in writing or disclose personal or private information. An employer may not terminate an employee or change a condition of employment, without the employee’s written consent, because of a leave or pregnancy.) ■ Information provided herein is based on materials provided through the Ministry of Labour, Citizens’ Services and Open Government http://www.gov. bc.ca/citz/ as well as the Human Resources and Skills Development Canada http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/ eng/labour/employment_standards/ index.shtml. This article is by no means a comprehensive coverage of the basics of the Act. For the most up-to-date information about BC’s employment law, visit the Employment Standards Branch’s website: www.labour.gov.bc.ca/esb/

or contact toll-free 1-800-663-3316.

(Please note that statements expressed in this article herein are those of the author’s. They are provided for general information purposes only. This column is not intended to provide professional advice and should not be relied on as a basis for any legal or employment decision. If you need more information on ESA, contact the Employment Standards Branch or if you need specific advice, please consult with an expert. Thank you.)

S.U.C.C.E.S.S :... Page 18

Najafy explains the process.

“We receive referrals from other service providers and through advertisements. When clients first call in our Administrative Officer checks to ensure they meet the following basic eligibility criteria: Canadian citizen or permanent resident residing in B.C. Possess proof of a professional credential/ designation obtained in a foreign country Credit worthy and loan eligible for credentialing purposes No or limited Canadian experience in the related field.”

“If they qualify, then an appointment is made between them and one of our Loan Advisers. During the appointment, the Loan Adviser talks to the client to understand their needs and expectations and also to explain more about the project. Clients can then decide whether to proceed with a FCR Loan Application or if they would like to consider other options.”

“For clients who submit an FCR Loan Application, a financial assessment, a credit check and a reference check is completed. Loan Advisors work closely with each client to ensure they are comfortable and capable of maintaining repayment.”

Qualified applicants can apply for loans ranging from $1,500 to $15,000, with an interest rate of prime plus 1%. Repayment begins 6 months after clients sign a Loan Agreement and continue for up to 24 months.

According to Najafy, the FCR Loan applications are typically processed approximately within two weeks.

However, loans exceeding $10,000 must be reviewed by a committee and thus may take a little longer.

“This project is suited for people who are going through either a shortterm training or re-licensing as part of their credential recognition process,” explains Najafy.

Najafy said the FCR Loan Project is also a way for new immigrants to build their credit in Canada.

Since the announcement of the Loan Project in February, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. has received numerous inquiries from internationally-trained professionals with various backgrounds interested in the project. Clients are eager to begin the process and gain their credential recognition.

The End Goal “Our main objective is to help the client reach their goal of credential recognition, which is a lengthy and overwhelming process that is at times confusing for people. We can help them map out an accreditation plan – a plan to see how the client can achieve his/her goal as it relates to credential recognition and, help them to do research related to the path that they have chosen,” said Najafy.

“If we can help take away some of that hardship from this process, and help them to get back to the profession that they originally chose then eventually this will also help the Canadian economy because we have so many untapped talents we need to tap into and utilize,” ends Najafy. ■ What is Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR)?

Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) is the process of verifying that the education and job experience obtained in another country are equal to the standards established for Canadian workers.

What does FCR Loan Project offer?

Foreign Credential Recognition (FCR) Loan offers a competitive low-interest rate loan to Internationally Trained Professionals (ITP) to help them obtain employment in their field in Canada.

The time and cost associated with the FCR process can be overwhelming. Our loan advisors can support you by providing guidance and financial assistance to help you achieve your goals.

Qualified applicants may apply for loans ranging from $1,500 to $15,000. If approved, a flexible and sustainable repayment schedule will be set up.

Who is eligible?

Internationally Trained Professionals (ITP) who meet the following criteria: • Canadian citizen or permanent resident residing in BC • Possess proof of a professional credential / designation obtained in a foreign country • Credit worthy and loan eligible for credentialing purposes • No or limited Canadian experience in the related field Features and Benefits The FCR Loan Project can be used for the following costs: • Short-term (two years or less) training • Exam fees with a professional associations • Qualification assessments • Professional association fees • Books and course materials • Living allowance during study time (Some restrictions may apply) Contact #238-8131 Westminster Hwy., Richmond, BC, V6X 1A7 Tel 604 232 1100 Fax 604 232 1130 Email FCRloaninfo@success.bc.ca

World News

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012 20

Mikhail Levit / Shutterstock.com

Israel President Shimon Peres lauds Canada as ‘never indifferent, never neutral’

BY BRUCE CHEADLE THE CANADIAN PRESS OTTAWA, Ont. - Shimon Peres thanked Stephen Harper for his staunch support of Israel, and Canada for its 60 years of friendship Monday as the Israeli president began a full state visit. ``I sense that Canada is always positive, never indifferent, never neutral,’’ Peres said during his official welcome by the Governor General at Rideau Hall.

The Nobel laureate has been a fixture in Israeli politics since 1959, serving in 12 cabinets and twice as prime minister. He is currently the country’s head of state - a largely ceremonial role - but remains an influential figure and a perceived leavening voice to hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The president’s five-day trip to Canada began as Netanyahu called an early national election amid talk of an ``existential threat’’ to Israel from Iran’s nuclear program.

Peres has expressed reservations about a preemptive strike against Iran, and his language upon arriving in Canada was that of the diplomat who won the Peace Prize in 1995 for his work with Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin on the Oslo Accords. ``Canada offers a new beginning, building bridges and closing gaps,’’ Peres, who turns 89 in August, said at Rideau Hall. ``Israel, which is a start-up nation, breathes your air with real thirst.’’

Escorted up the Rideau Hall drive in brilliant spring sunshine by four mounted RCMP officers, Peres later planted an Eastern White Pine - known by the Iroquois as the Tree of Peace - on the grounds.

The Israeli president was greeted by the prime minister in the rotunda of Parliament’s Hall of Honour, and the two then moved to Harper’s office for what he called a ``chat.’’

While the camera shutters clattered, Peres called Canada ``an extraordinary friend’’ before praising Harper personally.

Harper congratulates France’s new president elect on Sunday’s victory intoit / Shutterstock.com

The Canadian Press OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called France’s new president-elect - Francois Hollande - to congratulate him on Sunday’s election victory.

The prime minister’s office says in a news release that Harper emphasized the shared values and deep historic, cultural and linguistic ties between Canada and France.

``Your remarks about Israel are outstanding. It really moved our hearts of our people,’’ Peres said.

It was not clear specifically what Peres was referring to, but he arrives in Ottawa just days after Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird told a Jewish audience that ``Israel has no greater friend in the world today than Canada.’’

Indeed, the Conservative government has drawn considerable criticism for dropping Canada’s traditional, self-styled ``honest broker’’ role that supported both Palestinian and Israeli ambitions in the region.

Peres drew no distinction in his public remarks about Canada’s past and current positions. He harkened back to his first visit to Canada 60 years ago and ``the deep friendship that has existed between our peoples from our first day of independence.’’ ``Since then I carry in my heart the feeling that Canada is a continent of friendliness, displaying support and care,’’ said Peres.

The president appears likely to get more friendly hearings during his Canadian tour.

He was to meet interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae later Monday and New Democrat Thomas Mulcair, the leader of the official Opposition, on Tuesday.

Both Mulcair and Rae are among the most stoutly pro-Israel leaders of their respective parties - if not the most - in many years.

Peres, whose tour includes stops in Ontario and Quebec, is the second high-profile Israeli politician to visit Canada in recent weeks, following Netanyahu’s brief stop in Ottawa in March.

Netanyahu came looking for support for the idea of a pre-emptive strike on Iran’s nuclear program, which is feared to be building nuclear weapons.

But Harper, despite echoing Netanyahu’s concerns about Iran’s intentions, expressed the desire for a peaceful solution.

Peres has repeatedly spoken of the need for an international, diplomatic solution and has openly questioned whether a pre-emptive strike would do anything more than delay Iran’s acquisition of nuclear weapons by a couple of years. ■

Harper also expressed Canada’s desire to work closely with France on a full range of international issues.

Hollande, a Socialist, defeated conservative incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy, an U.S.-friendly leader who led the country through its worst economic troubles since the Second World War but whose policies and personality proved too bitter for many voters to swallow.

Hollande inherits a country deep in debt and divided over how to integrate immigrants while preserving its national identity.

Sarkozy is the latest victim of a wave of voter anger over spending cuts in Europe that has ousted governments and leaders in the past couple of years. ■

21 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

Canada-US

New Border Patrol strategy targets repeat crossers to find out why they keep coming

BY ELLIOT SPAGAT THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SAN DIEGO - With border crossings from Mexico at a 40year low, the U.S. Border Patrol announced a new strategy Tuesday that targets repeat crossers and tries to find out why they keeping coming.

For nearly two decades, the Border Patrol has relied on a strategy that blanketed heavily trafficked corridors for illegal immigrants with agents, pushing migrants to more remote areas where they would presumably be easier to capture and discouraged from trying again. ``The jury, for me at least, is out on whether that’s a solid strategy,’’ Chief Mike Fisher told The Associated Press.

The new approach is more nuanced.

Outlined in a 32-page document that took more than two years to develop, agents will now draw on intelligence to identify repeat crossers and others perceived as security threats, said Fisher. ``This whole risk-based approach is trying to figure out who are these people? What risk do they pose from a national security standpoint? The more we know, the better informed we are about identifying the threat and potential risk,’’ he said in a recent interview.

During testimony before a House Homeland Security subcommittee Tuesday, Fisher was repeatedly

asked why the new strategy didn’t include any specific ``metrics’’ that could help members of Congress and the public better understand if the border is secure. ``How can you possibly measure if the border is secure at all?’’ asked Texas Republican Michael McCaul.

Fisher defended the strategy, saying it will help agents use the resources at the border to better understand what is really happening.

Conditions on the border have changed dramatically since the last national strategy, putting pressure on the agency to adapt to a new landscape. An unprecedented hiring boom more than doubled the number of agents to 21,000 since 2004, accompanied by heavy spending on fencing, cameras, sensors and other gizmos.

At the same time, migration from Mexico has slowed significantly. Last year, the Border Patrol made 327,577 apprehensions on the Mexican border, down 80 per cent from more than 1.6 million in 2000. It was the slowest year since 1971.

The Pew Hispanic Center reported last month that the largest wave of migrants from a single country in U.S. history had stopped increasing and may have reversed.

Douglas Massey, a Princeton University sociology professor who studies Mexican immigration trends, said those who enter the United States illegally now have

often been deported recently, are seeking to reunite with family, or are experienced at evading capture. ``There are no new migrants coming to the U.S. The people who are coming all have some prior experience in the U.S,’’ he said.

The new strategy _ the Border Patrol’s first in eight years - moves to halt a revolving-door policy of sending migrants back to Mexico without any punishment.

The Border Patrol now feels it has enough of a handle to begin imposing more serious consequences on almost everyone it catches from Texas’ Rio Grande Valley to San Diego. In January, it expanded its ``Consequence Delivery System’’ to the entire border, dividing border crossers into seven categories, ranging from first-time offenders to people with criminal records.

Punishments vary by region but there is a common thread: Simply turning people around after taking their fingerprints is the choice of last resort. Some, including children and the medically ill,

will still get a free pass by being turned around at the nearest border crossing, but they will be few and far between.

The new strategy makes no mention of expanding fences and other physical barriers, a departure from the administration of President George W. Bush. Fisher said he would not rule out more fences but, ``It’s not going to be part of our mantra.’’

The strategy makes only brief mention of technology in the wake of a failed $1 billion program that was supposed to put a network of cameras, ground sensors and radars along the entire border. Fisher said the agency is moving more toward mobile surveillance like unmanned aerial vehicles and helicopters.

It is the Border Patrol’s third national strategy since 1994, when the agency poured resources into the San Diego and El Paso, Texas, areas. That effort pushed migrants to remote mountains and deserts and made Arizona the nation’s busiest crossing for illegal crossings.

Associated Press writer Alicia A. Caldwell in Washington contributed to this report.

24 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

Beautiful ‘Monstress’

BY RUEL S. DE VERA Philippine Daily Inquirer

THERE ARE times when one encounters a new talent so luminous and striking, it makes your head hurt and you have to turn away from the brightness.

That is the sensation one gets upon cracking open “Monstress: Stories” (Ecco, New York, 2012, 224 pages), the debut short story collection from FilipinoAmerican writer Lysley Tenorio. The Olongapo City-born and San Francisco-based Tenorio has received honors such as the Pushcart Prize and a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship for his fiction. But all the proof you need that he is a phenom are the eight stories in this slim, spectacular volume.

Save for one story, all the pieces in “Monstress” reflect different takes on diaspora, dipping displacement in whimsy, irony and humor. Each story has a tragedy at its heart, sometimes visible but often not, happening at different points in time.

Here are exiles and departures small and big, temporary and permanent, measured and unknown.

Each protagonist is either Filipino or FilipinoAmerican, and often they are their own worst villains. Tenorio’s stories are pitch-perfect and perfectly balanced little constructions, with little

Nightmare fuel

BY RUEL S. DE VERA Philippine Daily Inquirer

EITHER WILLFULLY and on purpose or purely by accident, “The Cabin in the Woods” is being promoted as just another generic slasher flick featuring clueless people systematically being done away with through increasingly gory means. Even the title screams “nothing special here.”

Whatever the intention was, the result of the bait-andswitch actually helps the film, because “Cabin” is anything but just another horror movie.

The directorial debut for Drew Goddard (who wrote “Cloverfield” and a lot of “Lost”) and written by Joss Whedon (who directed “Marvel’s The Avengers” and created “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”), the movie seems to hew to convention when it features five good-looking college students (TV vets Kristen Connolly, Anna Hutchison, Jesse Williams and Fran Kranz with Chris

bits and pieces of his own experience mixed into the powder of his stories, as we see shadows we recognize and things terrifyingly new.

“Save the I-Hotel” details the long-time friendship between Fortunado and Vicente, two men living at International Hotel, better known as I-Hotel in SF. The brooding tale “The Brothers” features a man named Edmond dealing with the fallout from the death of his estranged homosexual brother Eric.

In “Felix Starro,” a second-generation faith healer questions his calling and enacts his escape while he and his charlatan grandfather are on an illegal miracle tour through the Bay Area.

“Superassasin” unravels the the somewhat fictional world built by an unnamed, alienated and troubled boy, the son of a Filipino mother and an American serviceman father. Bullied in school and dealing with his broken mother, he possesses one brown eye and one black eye, one among several traits that leads him to believe he is one of those superpowered mutants: “But I couldn’t explain it all; all I could think about was the time and space between the vanish and return, where a small thing went in its moments of absence—I pictured some dead planet without weather or sound, and I’d lie awake at night, determined not to dream of it.”

Unfortunate sufferers Unremittingly sad, “The View from Culion” follows the unfortunate sufferers marooned on the leper colony as told from the point of view of a girl who was returned from the States after developing the disease. It revolves around an encounter with a similarly afflicted American soldier who has gone AWOL. “L’amour, CA” unspools the dysfunctions of a family that has just arrived in the West Coast town of Lemoore, and the toll it takes when one sibling dreams of romance in the wrong places while another is trapped by his own ability to trust.

The only other story told entirely in the Philippines, the hilarious “Help,” takes a second, closer look at the Beatles’ ill-fated 1966 expedition to Manila.

Basically thrown out of the country after spurning First Lady Imelda Marcos’ request for a private concert, the Beatles are the target of a motley crew of young men upon the urging of Uncle Willie, who is utterly devoted to Imelda. Their goal was revenge.

The result was something else altogether.

Crammed full of knowing comic-book references,

Best story But the best story in the book is the titular tale of wonderment and disappointment, exemplifying the funny and fatalistic found in the other stories.

“Monstress” follows failed movie maker Checkers Rosario and his muse, Reva Gogo, who performs as everything from the Squid Mother to Werewolf Girl in Rosario’s bargain basement-monster flicks. Their lost dreams are reawakened when an American producer shows up seeking to buy their monster footage for his own production.

Spirited to the States, Checkers and Reva react in disparate ways to the journey: “But I was used to this lack of marvelousness, because Checkers worked this way, too, attempting magic from junk: wet toilet paper shaped like fangs was good enough for a wolf-man or vampire, and our ghosts were just bed sheets.”

There is no such chicanery in Lysley Tenorio’s elegant short stories found in “Monstress,” tales which herald the arrival of a fascinating new storyteller on the bookshelves of wherever it is that you call home. ■

Hemsworth—yes, Thor—thrown in) as they take a weekend off for a good time at a far-flung cabin. But they soon realize that something horrible awaits them as night falls.

What they don’t realize is that they are also being watched on a bank of video monitors by a couple of tech types (played with lots of winking by Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford). As the stoner Marty (Kranz) says: “Something weird’s going on.”

It is nearly impossible to talk about “Cabin” without giving anything of its many surprises away. Suffice to say, it is a very intelligent take on the slasher flick, reinterpreting it even as it sends up the conventions of the genre. The cast is obviously a shout out to the Scooby-Doo casting in these types of films (Take a guess which one is Fred and which one is Shaggy) and the first half or so of the movie does unfold like a “Halloween” clone.

Then “Cabin” makes a smart, sudden turn that totally changes how the movie works. Impressed? Don’t be, at least not just yet. It keeps going crazy clever from that point on—it literally doesn’t stop. “Cabin” will turn the tables on you at least once more. Let’s just say that there’s

something in this film for fans of all the different kinds of scary movies. It also manages to keep you guessing and laughing at the same time.

The film’s clever structure is a double-bladed trick. Those who are looking for the ordinary, shallow scary film that the marketing promises will be utterly befuddled by the movie’s frenetic, insane second half. But anyone who seeks more from their scary movies will find everything to love in “Cabin.” Goddard directs the film confidently and Whedon’s dialogue just, well, kills. The two gleefully extract horror’s DNA and plays havoc with it. Thus the “Cabin’s” killer app is clearly its novel reinvention of all that can happen in a classic horror movie. It’s been described as a horror version of “Inception,” and the label is dead on.

While remaining full of violence and shocks, “Cabin” is a celebration and subversion of the genre, a great horror movie about great horror movies, a gift for devoted horror film buffs. To fully enjoy the movie, bring your sense of irony and sense of humor to the theater and just suspend your disbelief. You will be rewarded with the brain-twister that is “The Cabin in the Woods,” a movie seriously to die for. ■

25 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

Lifestyle

Robin Tomas: ‘Filipino upbringing, New York exposure–that’s my formula’

Audrey Bayda / Shutterstock.com

Designing for his compatriots, says the New York-based designer, offers a ‘different fulfillment’

Vibrant New York: Robin’s inspiration

BY CHECHE V. MORAL Philippine Daily Inquirer

ROBIN TOMAS is upbeat in a recent e-mail from New York.

“There are a lot of things lined up in Manila,” he writes.

This May, nearly three years since he debuted his eponymous clothing line in Philippine Fashion Week, is the launch of his capsule collection for Penshoppe, the casual clothing brand’s first-ever designer collaboration.

Tomas will also dabble in costume design for the first time, for Atlantis Productions’ local staging of “Nine,” the Tony award-winning musical, in September.

He arrives in Manila just as his Spring 2012 collection hits the racks at Myth boutique in Greenbelt 5. Tomas, who has lived in New York City since 2001 when he was a student at Parsons School of Design, still carries a Philippine passport, and comes home at least twice a year.

Level-up mode Penshoppe, which is aggressively upgrading its image with recent campaigns featuring Hollywood actors Ed Westwick and Zac Efron, approached Tomas following his win last year in a T-shirt design tilt that had his winning piece reproduced and sold at Bloomingdale’s.

Penshoppe’s brand director, Alex Mendoza, knew Tomas from way

back, when the designer still worked in advertising.

“We’re in a level-up mode, and we felt Robin would be the right fit for what we need. This is part of our campaign for global recognition,” says Rocel Roque, marketing specialist of Golden ABC, Penshoppe’s mother company. “He’s very New York, his style is high-end, but he’s Filipino.”

The Tomas for Penshoppe collection, 12 styles each for men and women, will hit some 30 stores across the country on the second week of May. Designing for his compatriots has a “different fulfillment,” Tomas says over iced coffee on a sweltering afternoon a day after his homecoming. It echoes his statement in 2009 about wanting to launch his brand here for sentimental reasons. “I want to bring my clothes here, so it’s not just available there.”

While his line, simply called Tomas in the Big Apple, is carried by three Manhattan boutiques, he says it excites him to see his clothes on Filipino women.

“We consider ourselves blessed and lucky that Robin chose to work with us,” says Ruby Gan, one of the owners of Myth, which is carrying Tomas’ line for the second season. “He has a steady clientele that regularly looks for his creations, and he never fails them because you can count on him to deliver… And the best part also is that whatever he showcases in New York is immediately available here.”

Slow but steady Tomas’ rise has been slow but steady.

But whatever uncertainty he had from three years ago is now replaced with confidence and dogged determination.

“You learn to be resourceful,” he says when asked how an unknown designer can stay afloat in a setting like New York. The economy is sluggish “but New York is New York,” he adds. “There will always be people [who buy]… I also want to reach other markets. I want to highlight my Filipino upbringing plus my New York exposure; that’s my formula. I want to use the good points of being [trained] in New York and serve other markets.”

He chose retail because “that’s the name of the game in New York, not couture.” But he wants to visit Manila more often so he could take on couture clients and, perhaps, dress up a few celebrities and socialites. “I’d really like that! Red carpet is more LA, New York not so much.”

This designer’s goal is to set up his own boutique here, and also make his clothes available in key Asian cities.

He owns his business, but admits he’s open to working with an investor.

“Is there anyone out there?” he asks in jest.

Tomas, 35, chuckles when I point out that he’s finally out of his mom’s shadow. “Mom,” of course, is popular actress-comedienne Tessie Tomas.

“She says people now refer to her as ‘Robin Tomas’ mom,’ in the same way my lola became known as ‘Tessie Tomas’ mom.” His grandmother, Laura Hermosa, was a popular radio talent.

“I’m a happy son to see a proud mom,” he says. His early exposure to clothes and costumes is owed to his mother, but Tomas feels that carving a name in fashion is all his own.

Having a famous parent, however, has its advantages: “It’s not just the fashion press here that covers me, even the show-biz press is interested.”■

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

News-Phils Lifestyle

A

TUESDAY MARCH 20,16, 2012 10 26 WEDNESDAY MAY 2012

a government agency. He also planned to take over our provide their own security guards and CCTV cameras.

To Los Baños community, Dr. Enrique Tolentino Jr., vice chancellor for farm in Quezon,” German said.

CMHC changes small may have far-reaching impacts Ray was the second UPLB student killed near the community affairs, said the recent events might also a Ray of hope theofuniversity’s need for a higher to put up UPLBof campus.

Heofwas dead by unidentified history, regardless the value thestabbed

BY KYLE GREEN 1.Reducing HELOC loansjustify to 65% consumer goods?

If you budget are an investor

robbers. property. If clients are declined for renewal the value of the property. more dormitories andinside have the notcampus. maxed out your HELOC A few days before, high school student Rochel after making all of their payments on time, This is a big one for investors...if you on your residence or rental properties, Ray hope now might be the time to do it.

Geronda, was raped and killed the sameyour vicinity.

In for out of 14, control and lead Corporation (CMHC) may have a this could spiral can’tinleverage home as ofmuch LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA—Ray Bernard Peñaranda’s “UPLB place, but that I think the October last year, UPLB computer science student Given to a significant increase in foreclosure in new entity to report to. It looks like money it will prevent the luxury isofa very It beautiful is also interesting so it’s much last conversation with his family was in a phone local officials’ responsibility to keep it safe.

We really Grace Cebanico was raped and killed. the Office of the Superintendant of Canada. This idea needs to get scrapped. leverage we have had for a while now. attention has been given to the conferenceInstitutions the night before he was so wemarkets can move on,”we German was a very would often his hope 3.Use the “Ray benchmark ratesweet forson. He Financial (OSFI) maykilled. soon 2.Enforcing thatgive HELOCs areto find not justice mortgage when rarelysaid. see “His sister was telling ashim they should graduatemortgages Friday, police arrested Carl “Dactil” Guzman, mother afor massage andrates a manicure andinterest-only, would sometimes uninsured variable be regulating CMHC, it isthat becoming forever and have aOn “clearly a client coming to us sayingde “We’re up together in 2013.

I do not know if it was a premonition or 27, in Daraga, Albay, and on Thursday, Tyrone sleep with us in our room,” German said.

“He was also or a 1-4 year term. a larger financial corporation as the defined” period where the LOC is to our neck on our secured HELOC”. something, butpredicted.

Ray said heRecently might not the be able to do so,” most Kennedy Terbio, to broadcaster very close to Anna was his idol.”

Currently lenders use because their 3 she government converted to an amortized mortgage.

Rather,19, it’s surrendered the clients making $40,000/ said Ray’s German, 56.

Raffybe Tulfo National Police Director OSFI hadfather, proposed regulations that year rate to qualify for 1-4 yr terms and Amortizing HELOC’s will a and yearPhilippine with $50,000 in credit card debts At that time,adjustments, German thought was againNotOutposts, Generaland Nicanor Bartolome. the oneunder who CCTVsbut will tough pill to swallow for investors a huge change would involve from that smallRayvariables. at 18% that are Terbio, putting people teasing his sister, Anna, 23, who was taking a master’s allegedly stabbed Peñaranda in the chest, was held On March 12, student organizations led an indignation push borderline deals over the top. tweaks to big underwriting changes – business owners who like the flexibility water. degree thefor University Diliman, Insurance cell of the police office rally. Ray’s classmates testimonies about their lost at the detentionAlthough should shared be of and notatjust CMHC. of the Philippines in4.Home the interest only payments. theLaguna proposal is to be in a Quezon the family received Sta. Cruz town, said Laguna police director Senior friend. reflectedon in debt servicing Here City. are But sometheofnextthecallproposed 3.HELOCs should have an amortization guideline, and not new regulations, Sunday was Ray’s friend, telling them 5.More about hisrestrictions on underwriting Superintendent Cruzhave on Friday.

De Guzman “We condemn these tragic and senseless changes and from my comments: no longer than whatdeaths. would be available on theGilbert OSFI will the opportunity to guidelines, and more limits on exceptions. death.

1.Cash back should not be allowed as a the suspects’ motorcycle.

We will not stop until justicea is served no matter how allegedly drove similar residential mortgage. intervene and enforce it at the federal news forlong complicated clients, who source of down payment. engineer and like Bad German, an agricultural his wife, Terbio and level.

De Guzman were named by confessed it may take,” said chancellor Dr.comment Rex Cruzasatabove. the Same oftenSystem need an exception to “fit by thearound box”. 200 students.

Not much argue here, borrowersof Rizal Flordeliza, 53,to a professor at University Joseph So, Beltran, earlier rally attended The most concerning of thelookout bunch are we sit who and hold oursurrendered breath. ■ to 6.Tighter for setthe with should have some form of did down payment. proposed guidelines Kyle suspects Green is a faced Mortgage Broker in Tanay, Rizal, said Ray good in his academics and underwriting theHELOC police. All three now robbery with Another guidelines rally was Bayan Muna for selfemployed borrowers.

2.The “loan-to-value” (% inof the anda the renewal process.

We can withatMortgage Alliance.City, Kyle can be was a candidate for cum laude agriculture at UP Los Representative Teddy Casiño, charges a court in Calamba said Cruz.

UPLB alumnus, as homicide More scrutiny property valued being borrowed) should for contacted at 778-373-5441, Baños (UPLB).

Geronda’s remains were buried at kgreen@ a public guest.for self-employed understand more difficult standards borrowers to be the theme beIn reviewed upon was renewal. for aPeace HELOC, to limit mortgagealliance.com orLos through fact, Ray supposed to be awarded his seems cemetery in Barangay (village) Anos in Bañoshis on During the meeting of thequalifying multisectoral and but right now; don’t expect it to get better This could have a devastating impact if it even for borrowers who are utilizing website at www.mortgagesforinvestors. certificate as a college scholar (dean’s lister) during the Order Council, the municipal government of Los Baños Wednesday, while Ray’s burial took place Sunday at the market softens.

Many borrowers are anytime it tomore accelerate wealth, deteriorate For full of the proposed 103rd founding anniversary of the UPLB College soon. of approved proposals to install 100 of Restca.

Memorial Parktext in Tanay. lampposts, policenot Haven 7.More reporting and accountability close or currently under water, but stillRay’s certificate a little TheRay changes, go toHishttp://www.

Agriculture.

The dean instead delivered “Maybe had diedyou for can a reason. death will and village outposts at every it, entryseems and exit point over in all the top. from CMHC and lenders. make mortgage payments on time.

Right problem is that once the HELOC is in osfi-bsif.gc.ca/app/DocRepository/1/ 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.

As forto HomeThere Equity Line Credit now, lendersoptions will almost alwaysHe planned place,ahow can you enforce a customer “He“A” had many after college. to other eng/guidelines/sound/guidelines/b20_ students that none of these will happen were alsoofplans to impose liquor ban from 12 hope (HELOC), here are some big proposed changes: renew a client with good to utilize it for investments not German for dft_e.pdf pursue higher education abroadrepayment or work in a company or midnight to 8 a.m. and for private again,” said. ■ dormitory owners to and

BY DORIS C. DUMLAO Philippine Daily Inquirer CANADA MORTGAGE and Housing

www.canadianinquirer.net

27 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

Food

Interesting ways to serve ham this summer Grill it, toss it in salad, and put in spaghetti or fried rice

ham. Deglaze with white wine.

Season with salt and pepper. Add chicken stock.

Grilled Ham & Vegetable Kebab Cut Fiesta Ham into 1-inch strips, grill. Cut into bite-size pieces, season with salt, pepper and pesto.

Cut into bite-size pieces aubergine, zucchini, broccoli florets, red bell pepper, tomato, onion. Grill. Skewer vegetables and ham. Drizzle with pesto before serving. ■

Make ‘maiz con hielo’ with your kids

BY PAM PASTOR Philippine Daily Inquirer

BY IRENE C. PEREZ Philippine Daily Inquirer

SUCCULENT HAM is a Christmas staple, but one can serve it even on “off-peak” season like summer.

Purefoods recently launched its Fiesta Ham Smoked Boneless variety—sliced ham made with the same technique as the Bone-In Fiesta Ham traditionally served during the holidays, but with an earthy smoked flavor.

According to category manager Mirabel Calaranan-Rosar, Purefoods sold around two million pieces of Fiesta Ham last year, with stocks running out by November.

The Pear-Shaped Ham and Jamon de Bola are among the bestsellers in the Fiesta Ham line. It comes with a pack of pineapple glazing to be added in the cooking to give the ham a sweet taste and syrupy sheen, and keep the meat moist.

The Smoked Boneless sliced ham, sold a kilo per pack, has citrusy mango-kiwi glaze. It is still slightly sweet, but with a refreshing fruity note.

Maple-syrup glaze Chef Jessie Sincioco made several dishes from soup to dessert using the Smoked Boneless Ham and served it at lunch at Rockwell Club.

She also shared the secret to tender, caramelized ham: maple syrup.

“The best way to cook ham at home is to pan-fry it in some hot butter.

When the ham is done, drizzle it with maple syrup and quickly take it off the heat. It will be a little sweet but not syrupy. Serve this as filling for pan de sal or ciabatta, with sliced tomatoes.”

Sliced ham could also be incorporated in fried rice, she added.

To make, add finely diced ham, carrots, scrambled eggs and green peas to your sinangag and you’d get fried rice similar to yang chow.

Celeb recipes Celebrity moms Suzi Entrata-Abrera, Christine Jacob-Sandejas, Barbie Almalbis-Honasan and Danica SottoPingris presented chef Sincioco’s Smoked Boneless Ham menu.

Abrera, a fitness-oriented mom, said kids can be extremely picky with food and a cute presentation is always a come-on. She serves her husband Paolo and kids Leona, Jade and Nela minced herbed ham in crepe pouches tied with onion stalk, plus a kebab of bite-size ham, tomatoes and zucchini. These appetizers are also great for parties, snacks and baon.

Still looking like the charming Young Poets and Barbie’s Cradle), Honasan recommended spaghetti

with ham-and-cream sauce for kiddie parties. Simple pasta dishes are a hit with her husband Martin and their two kids.

For something fresh and light, lithe mom Jacob suggested serving a salad of tossed greens with slices of passion fruit and ham. The passion fruit seeds give it a crunch and the ham provides just enough saltiness.

Passion-fruit vinaigrette was used as dressing.

To warm the tummy, chef Sincioco served thick, creamy potato soup, with ham slices on the bottom of the cup. This was followed by the main entree, Ham Wellington—savory ham and mushroom baked into a pastry puff.

The meal was capped with a surprise dessert—mini fruit pies with ham topped with whipped cream.

You can take the ham on your road trips.

Cream of Potato & Ham Soup 50 g potatoes, cubed 2 cloves garlic 1 pc onion, chopped 50 g Fiesta ham, diced 2 oz white wine ½ L chicken stock Salt and pepper to taste Boil potatoes until soft. Drain.

Sauté garlic and onion. Add fiesta

LAST MONTH, we gave you tips on building your own backyard pool. This time, we’ll tell you about an easier and more inexpensive way to beat the heat.

The next time your kids complain about the scorching summer sun, head straight for your kitchen and whip up glasses of maiz con hielo.

This milky corn treat is a kiddie fave. And the best part?

Your kids can have fun helping you make them.

MAIZ con hielo What you’ll need: 1.1 can corn kernels 2.1 can cream style corn 3. Milk (We used condensed milk but you can use evaporated milk or a mix of both. Some people like using fresh milk.)

4. Sugar 5. Shaved ice 6. Corn flakes (optionaal) 7. Vanilla ice cream (optional) Assemble your ingredients in a glass. Begin by placing spoonfuls of corn kernels and cream style corn. Add shaved ice and milk.

Add sugar to taste. (If you use condensed milk you can skip the sugar.) Top with corn flakes and vanilla ice cream. Serve. ■

Lifestyle

Zinc may shorten colds a bit in adults, but benefit not seen in kids: study

BY SHERYL UBELACKER THE CANADIAN PRESS

TORONTO - Some people swear by zinc as a way to get over a nasty cold faster than usual - and researchers say that belief may be nothing to sneeze at.

An analysis of 17 patient trials comparing oral zinc preparations to placebo found that sucking on the lozenges appeared to shorten the duration of the common cold by about two days.

But lead author Dr. Michelle Science, an infectious disease specialist at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, said the review of the trials involving more than 2,100 patients did not show that using zinc alleviated the severity of symptoms. ``Overall, what we found was that oral zinc taken at the start of a cold, or at the onset of a cold, reduced the average amount of time that a person will have symptoms, such as runny nose or congestion,’’ Science said Monday. ``But the reduction was relatively minor, so less than two days on average was what we found. If the average cold lasts seven to 10 days, then take off perhaps on average a day and a half of symptoms.’’

There was some evidence that adults taking zinc were less likely to have symptoms after one week, although there was no difference in symptoms between the two groups at three days.

Zinc did not appear to help children get over a cold sooner, however. The few clinical trials included in the meta-analysis _ in

which conclusions are drawn after pooling data from several studies _ found kids did not seem to fare better with zinc than with a dummy preparation.

There could be several explanations for the difference between adults and kids, Science said. For one, most children in the studies got the zinc in a syrup twice a day, resulting in a lower daily dose than that taken by adults. ``One of the proposed mechanisms is that zinc has local action. So you can imagine that a syrup swallowed may have less of an effect than a lozenge dissolved in the mouth for a more prolonged period,’’ she said, noting that adults generally had a lozenge every two hours, up to eight times a day.

As well, the studies were conducted at various times of the year, when different viruses that cause cold symptoms are circulating and causing infection.

The studies involving children took place during winters in the northern hemisphere, so some of the kids could have been infected with respiratory syncytial virus, which causes upper respiratory infection much like a cold.

Adults were studied throughout the year, when rhinoviruses - which cause 50 per cent of common colds were more likely being transmitted.

Zinc has been shown in previous studies to inhibit rhinoviruses.

The study, published Monday in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, found that not all zinc formulations appear to be equal.

Zinc acetate seemed to have a more pronounced effect than either zinc gluconate or zinc sulphate.

And using zinc did have some downsides - it leaves a bad taste in the mouth and can cause ongoing nausea - which may outweigh the upside of a modest shortening of cold symptoms, Science said. ``Although it’s possible that oral zinc could impact the symptoms of the common cold, I would say there’s not enough evidence to recommend its use in children, and only a weak rationale for otherwise healthy adults,’’ she said. ``Further large, high-quality trials are needed before more definitive recommendations can be made.’’ ■

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012 28

Summer Night Market is now Open!

RICHMOND, BC – Last Friday, May 11th, the Summer Night Market (voted

by BBC Travel as one of the world’s best) opened at its original location behind Home Depot for the 5th straight season. There is free door-to-door shuttle service from the Bridgeport Skytrain Station taking visitors directly to the market. As always, there is plenty of free street parking and no admission charge.

Paul Cheung, the CEO of Lions, indicates that this year’s event has lots of new “must-try” tasty treats such as Thai bamboo rice and Indian butter chicken. Brand new attractions also include The Space Shuttle Simulator; an enhanced Children’s Play Zone; auto displays; Motorcycle Nights; various competitions, fashion shows and much, much more.

There will be souvenir giveaways and chances to win incredible sponsor prizes such an electric bicycle, a collector Pepsi bike and an airline ticket.

BRIEFS

Kick off your summer with the Grand Opening Celebration on June 9th featuring the Korean Symphony, a lion dance and an official launch ceremony. Other captivating multicultural festivals taking place throughout the summer will include Korean Heritage Days, Filipino Festival, Taste of Asia and the Peace Festival.

Visitors will be dazzled by various art, music and other cultural displays throughout the season. In addition, for Asian Heritage Month, sponsored in partnership with the City of Richmond, the Summer Night Market is hosting the HSBC City of Bhangra for the first time. This event will showcase Indian Cultural percussions and music that includes mixed pop music with a twist of traditional dance. This event starts in Vancouver and will travel to New Westminster, North Vancouver, Surrey and stops in Richmond on June 1st. ■ The Summer Night Market is situated at 12631 Vulcan Way, Richmond, B.C. and is open May 11 – September 16, 2012 every Fridays and Saturdays, from 7 pm – 12 am and Sundays and Holiday Mondays from 7 pm – 11 pm.

For more information and event updates, please visit www. summernightmarket.com or contact us at 604.278.8000 or by email at info@ summernightmarket.com .

by the Canadian Press

High-tech PJs to monitor babies’ heart beat TORONTO - First there was audio, then video. Now baby monitors have gone really high-tech.Rogers (TSX:RCI.B) announced Tuesday that it has partnered with U.S.-based biomedical engineering company Exmovere Holdings Inc., for the launch of digital pyjamas, called Exmobaby, later this year. ■

Canada to get glimpse into theatrical cuisine from innovative Spanish chef Gourmands have been drawn to the dishes created by Andoni Luis Adurizy, the founder and head chef of Mugaritz Restaurant in the Basque Country of northern Spain. Aduriz crafts some of the culinary world’s most innovative techniques and dishes. This week he’ll be in Toronto to launch his book ``Mugaritz: A Natural Science of Cooking.’’ Readers can delve into the secrets of its surprising cuisine, where rocks and nails reveal themselves to be potatoes and chocolates, a patch of grass becomes a field of herbs and flowers the ultimate delicacy. By Judy Creighton. ■

Kids’ physical activity help power online game

TORONTO - A fitness-based pilot project is offering an added incentive to help youngsters get moving. Concerned Children’s Advertisers has just launched the first-ever online game to use kids’ daily activity as its sole power source.

Children are outfitted with digital pedometers that track and upload their daily steps. But for those concerned about kids devoting countless hours glued to screens, they needn’t worry: the game has strict time limits, and offers ample educational value to its users. By Lauren La Rose. ■

Lifestyle

29 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

Designer Tory Burch brings luxury lifestyle brand to first Canadian boutique TORONTO, Ontario - American designer Tory Burch is bringing her penchant for prints and bold, rich hues north of the border with the opening of her first standalone shop in Canada.

The arrival of the luxury lifestyle brand within its own dedicated space follows a steady succession of U.S. and international companies who have recently established bricks-and-mortar locations in Canada.

The 232-square-metre boutique opened for business at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre on Friday.

The location will feature ready-towear, shoes, handbags, eyewear, jewelry and small leather goods. The general price range for accessory items starts at $45 for an iPhone case, and in clothing, $100 for a Lidia Polo shirt. Shoes range from $60 to $360.

It’s been less than a decade since the New York-based designer launched her lifestyles brand, which counts media maven Oprah Winfrey and Oscar winners Gwyneth Paltrow, Hilary Swank and Reese Witherspoon among

Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

THE CANADIAN PRESS

Designer Tori Burch

its famous fans.

In philanthropic work fostered through her eponymous foundation, Burch seeks to offer support towards the economic empowerment of women and families, including grants and microfinancing for female entrepreneurs.

While there isn’t a dedicated e-commerce site for Canada, the company will begin shipping north of the border from www.toryburch.com at the end of May. In an email to The Canadian Press, Tory Burch discusses the brand, the decision to head north, and where she hopes to set up shop next in Canada.

For some Canadians, the new boutique may serve as an introduction to both you and your brand. How would you define what Tory Burch represents or the woman you’re creating looks for?

From day one, we launched as a luxury lifestyle concept at a more accessible price point. Our esthetic is rooted in classic sportswear with an eclectic sensibility.

Why have you decided now was the time to open in Canada? Have the plans been in the pipeline for a long time? And what specifically is it about the Canadian market that appealed to you?

Our Yorkdale boutique has been in the works for a while, but we took our time finding the right space and were patient until it became available. We have always been drawn to Canada because of its incredible culture and people - the customer is savvy, stylish and loves fashion.

Are there plans for further expansion within Canada in the near future? If so, do you have specific sites in mind?

We hope to open boutiques in Calgary and Vancouver, but we are still working on the details.

Given the ups and downs in the

economy in recent years, did you have any concerns about expansion at this particular point in time or that consumers may be scaling back on purchasing luxury goods?

We are always mindful of - and sensitive to - what’s going on in local economies. You never know what will happen, but we feel we are wellpositioned in Canada, as we strive to offer beautiful, well-made pieces that don’t cost a fortune. We have already seen women embrace our collection through our partner Holt Renfrew, and we hope our brand presence will strengthen with new retail boutiques.

You’re well-known for your philanthropic partnerships. Are there plans to do something similar with a Canadian organization now that you have a storefront here?

We are always interested in exploring partnerships with organizations whose vision is aligned with ours. We actually have partnered with FEED and Holt Renfrew on a tote that benefits the Tory Burch Foundation and FEED, and we hope to do more philanthropic collaborations in the future. ■

Sa Amin, KAYO PO ANG

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30 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

Raymart Santiago, pals gang up on Mon Tulfo at Naia 3 Piolo Pascual fears being

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR., JERRY E. ESPLANADA, MIKO MORELOS Philippine Daily Inquirer

A BRAWL erupted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 over cell phone photos of an actress berating a ground stewardess of a budget airline.

Actor Raymart Santiago and at least six other men ganged up on Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist and radio host Ramon Tulfo for taking photos of the former’s wife, actress Claudine Barretto, according to Tulfo’s account.

Tulfo said he arrived at Naia 3 from Davao City on a Cebu Pacific flight when he noticed a woman giving the stewardess a dressing down.

“The ground stewardess was on the verge of tears,” Tulfo told the Inquirer over the phone, recalling what caught his attention before the beating he received.

He said he initially sympathized with the woman after learning from onlookers that she had been complaining of “an off-loaded luggage,” which had been a subject of critical columns he wrote before.

He did not recognize the woman as Barretto until he walked toward the airline’s complaints desk.

Barretto berated.

Both Barretto and Santiago denied Tulfo’s accusations in separate interviews.

Barretto said on radio that it was Tulfo who started the commotion.

The actress said it was the radio host and columnist who threw the first punch.

In an interview with Inquirer Entertainment and posted on INQUIRER.net after the incident, Santiago said that when he approached Tulfo to ask him about his cellphone video, the columnist suddenly punched and kicked him and his wife.

“Why would I hit an older man in front of my children?

I wasn’t brought up by my parents that way,” he explained.

He added that his children were traumatized by the incident.

CCTV footage The actress said she and her husband were asking for the CCTV footage from airport authorities to prove their innocence.

Baggage missing Santiago said the complaints stemmed from the airline’s decision not to load some of their luggage on the same flight they took from Boracay to Manila.

“Our group consisted of three families,” he said. “Two of the families’ baggage went missing. The airline should’ve informed us of their decision to load our things on a different plane. Some of the children’s things and medicines were in the missing bags.”

Tulfo said Barretto continued “cussing” at him when they met for the second time at the airport police station. “I could only give her a smile as she fumed at me.”

At the same time, Tulfo denounced the Naia security personnel and the airport police for failing to restrain Barretto’s party as they were restoring order in the area.

Mobile phone Tulfo pulled out his mobile phone and took photos of the scene, which he said would form part of a column he intended to write, when a man from the actress’ group approached him.

The man, whom he later recognized as Barretto’s husband, “demanded to get my phone which I used in taking shots.”

Tulfo said he refused to surrender his phone.

Santiago continued to force Tulfo to give up his phone when several men joined the actor, according to the columnist. Tulfo said he could not recall who threw the first punch because he was being ganged up.

Choked He said he had submitted to the authorities when they arrived and as they were sorting things out, “somebody lunged behind me and grabbed me by the neck.”

The choking lasted a couple of seconds, and Tulfo said he could have passed out if it happened a few moments longer.

No arrests were made by the Manila International Airport Authority’s police intelligence and investigation department (PIID).

Lieutenant Demterio Sison, PIID officer in charge, said his men “have yet to determine the suspects in this incident.

That is why, no arrests were made by Naia 3 policemen.

Hit on blind side Tulfo, a martial arts expert, said he was hit on his blind side as the punches kept coming.

The brawl took place shortly past noon at the baggage claim area.

While trying to fight his way out, Tulfo said Barretto, who was nearby, repeatedly cursed at him. He said he might have hit the actress with a kick as he tried to fight back.

“This is the real persona of an actress who is always portrayed [in the movies] as a martyr,” he said.

He said he pitied the ground staff of Cebu Pacific whom

Complainants “Right now, we have two sets of complainants. Mr. Tulfo on one side and Claudine Barretto and husband Raymart Santiago on the other side. We are still investigating the case,” he told the Inquirer.

Sison, who noted contusions on Mr. Tulfo’s face, said the airport police were still trying to find out who started the fight.

Tulfo reportedly chanced upon Santiago and Barretto, who were among the passengers of Cebu Pacific Flight No. 5J 896 from Boracay. ■

misquoted

BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer

AFTER HIS highly publicized breakup with actress KC Concepcion, Piolo Pascual said he has been keeping mum about his personal life for fear of being misquoted in news reports.

“Mahirap magsalita.

People end up giving different meanings to the things I say,” said Piolo during a recent media gathering for his latest film, “Every Breath U Take.”

The actor was asked to enumerate the qualities he likes in a girlfriend. “I don’t want to be misquoted.

Love will come at the right time and for the right person. I remember being asked about my plans for settling down and replying that only time would tell,” said the actor. “Right now, I’m just going with the flow. There are things I need to do for myself first. I have work commitments and I want to focus on them.”

Viewers reacted to KC’s tell-all interview about their breakup in November 2011 by posting nasty comments online about Piolo, mostly in relation to his sexuality. However, Piolo’s bosses in ABS-CBN made sure he was not affected by the backlash—he still has product endorsements, the drama series “Dahil sa Pag-ibig,” and now a Star Cinema romanticcomedy opposite another Kapamilya star, Angelica Panganiban.

“Pinapasa-Diyos ko na lang,” the actor said about handling intrigues. Angelica said it also helped that Piolo always had a happy disposition while working.

Hilarious situations “Nakakadala ’pag nandiyan siya. He inspired me to work harder. I was always challenged to match his energy level on set,” Angelica said. “He spoiled me by bringing me food. There’s also that handsome face of his! I just loved looking at his face!”

Premise In the movie, Piolo plays Leo, who is so focused with work that love is the last thing on his mind.

Meanwhile, Angelica portrays Majoy, a hopeless romantic and always on the look-out for her one true love. “On this premise, the two meet and go through hilarious situations as they try to make their relationship work,” said the film’s director Mae Czarina Cruz. ■

Entertainment Actress’ ma comes to her defense in beating of ex-beau 31 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

BY MARINEL R. CRUZ Philippine Daily Inquirer

ACTRESS Jaclyn Jose defended her daughter Andi Eigenmann from accusations by the mother of her former boyfriend, actor Albie Casiño, of involvement in the mauling of her son outside a bar in Makati City.

“Investigate first. Find out what really happened before you go public with your accusation against my daughter,” Jose said.

In a phone interview over “TV Patrol”, Casiño’s mother Rina said her son was beaten up by four men in the parking lot of Fiamma Bar on Jupiter Street in Makati City shortly after

This Kris is in no crisis Photo courtesy of Ervin Santiago

‘When I’m in love, I lose myself; now I’m my top priority’

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR.

Philippine Daily Inquirer GMA 7 STAR Kris Bernal jokingly admitted that she has a lot of traits in common with Lira, her sickly character in the afternoon soap opera “Hiram na Puso.”

“Lira will do everything for her mother. I’m devoted to my mom as well. I love her so much,” she said.

Perhaps sensing that she sounded too earnest, she quickly added in jest: “But I don’t have a heart ailment in real life!”

Her “heart” problems are of a different nature, she admitted—as talk inevitably turned to her recent failed relationships with singer Jay Perillo and actor Jolo Revilla.

In spite of it, she didn’t look any worse for wear. (She joked that she uses heartache to help her in the show’s crying scenes.)

She insisted that even though much ink was spilled about her breakup with Perillo in December 2011, she harbored no bitterness. “I always see him on the set of [the Kapuso variety show] ‘Party Pilipinas’ every Sunday. I’m happy for him and his new girlfriend, Gretchen Espina,” she says.

They’ve remained friends. “I still confide in him. I share my problems with him, but there’s nothing ‘special’ between us anymore.”

As for Revilla, they had a whirlwind romance

Eigenmann slapped Casiño and threw wine on his face.

Rina identified Frank Magalona, Carlos Concepcion, Neil Arce and Jeck-jeck Lacson as the four who ganged up on her son. She alleged that they were Eigenmann’s friends.

But Magalona and Concepcion denied beating up Casiño.

“I have no involvement with the incident. I was nowhere near the vicinity,” Concepcion posted on his Twitter account.

Casiño was taken to Makati Medical Center for treatment of the wounds and bruises he sustained on his head, face and body.

News about the pregnancy of Eigenmann, 21, daughter of character actor Mark Gil with Jose, rocked show biz in July 2010.

Eigenmann disclosed that Casiño was the baby’s father in an entry on her blog, Posterous.com, in September 2011. She gave birth to Adrianna Gabrielle on Nov. 23.

Casiño refused to acknowledge fathering the baby and said he would welcome a DNA test to confirm Eigenmann’s paternity claim.

In a statement Eigenmann sent through Star Magic, ABS-CBN’S late last year during the shooting of the Metro Manila Film Festival entry “Ang Panday 2” (which top-billed the suitor’s dad Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr.).

“We both felt that things were going too fast,” she said. “We decided to take things slowly.”

Then one day she woke up and the thrill was gone. “It’s not good to force things. It wouldn’t have worked out in the end.”

Loving and losing have left her precious lessons, she volunteered.

She has learned to focus on herself first. “When I’m in love, I lose myself in my boyfriend. Now I want to prioritize myself.”

On top of her to-do list are self-improvement endeavors: “I’m taking voice lessons at the Center for Pop Music and acting workshops at the GMA Artist Center. I’m also enrolled in a culinary school under Ram Galura. I’m busy with my two Fruitas kiosks—one in San Juan and another in Quezon City. I also box. I keep myself busy.

That’s my mom’s advice.”

Although she’s more discerning now, the dreamy-eyed romantic hasn’t become jaded.

“I’ve grown up,” she said. “I have no time for puppy love, crushes and other pa-cute stuff. I’m not here to play games.”

She means business, boys.

“I want a stable relationship,” she remarked.

“I’m looking for someone decent, loyal, thoughtful and family-oriented.”

She conceded that she has had relationships with men from inside and outside the entertainment industry and has realized that “you can’t stop yourself from falling. But I would prefer someone who’s not in show biz. It would be more peaceful.

There would be fewer intrigues.”

In sum, she simply dreams of a guy “who would treat me like a princess because I would treat him like a prince, too.” ■

talent management arm, the actress admitted she threw wine at Casiño’s face “out of impulse.”

She explained: “It was my first time seeing him face-to-face (after giving birth to Gabrielle). He gave me a bad look and I felt really bad. I thought I had moved on but, because of the incident, wounds of the past came back.”

She added: “The next thing I heard, he was being beaten up outside, so I ran and went up to ask him how he was.

By his reaction and the way he (cursed) me, it seemed (that) he readily thought I had something to do with it. But I was inside when it happened.”

Eigenmann denied involvement in the mauling. “I believe it should be acceptable for him to accuse me of such a thing, but I honestly didn’t have anything to do with it.”

Jose said it was unfortunate that Casiño’s mother agreed to have herself interviewed on television without first sitting down with her son to talk about the incident.

“If Andi and our family wanted to harm that boy, we would have done it a long time ago—back when he first disowned Andi and their child,” Jose said. “People had advised me to teach that boy a lesson, pero ang sabi ko

walang gagalaw d’yan (but I told them no one should touch him).”

Jose also said that even though her daughter denied being involved, she would still try to find out the truth.

“That’s what Albie’s parents should be doing, too. Rina shouldn’t have made baseless accusations on TV. Much more so because she’s still (vacationing in Subic) and has not personally spoken with her son.”

Jose added: “This is so unfair to Andi. When that boy maltreated Andi—slapped her and pinned her to the floor—she came home to me crying, but I decided to keep quiet.

“This happened before she gave birth. I actually felt bad because I didn’t even lift a finger to defend her, kasi nga ayaw ko ng eskandalo (because I didn’t want a scandal).”

Jose insisted that her daughter had no idea who mugged Casiño.

“You see, it’s not the first time that he got beaten up—his parent would know this. While my family doesn’t really care about Albie, we hear stories about how he would get so drunk that he would pass out or sometimes pick a fight. Just ask the people who frequent these bars and clubs and they will tell you.” ■

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Entertainment

Tawi-Tawi enchants Nora Aunor yet again

Photo courtesy of Ervin Santiago

the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in 2009.

“Thy Womb” is scheduled to premiere at an A-list international film fest.

BY BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR. Philippine Daily Inquirer IT WASN’T Nora Aunor’s first time in TawiTawi. Still she felt seduced by the island’s pristine beauty.

The singer-actress, known as the country’s Superstar, recalled that she briefly visited the island on the country’s southernmost tip years ago.

“Para sa kampanya ni Erap (former President Joseph Estrada),” she recounted. “Pero sandali lang. Hindi ako nagtagal.”

For her latest Tawi-Tawi “adventure,” she totally “immersed” herself, staying over two weeks, from April 14 to 30, for the shooting of Brillante Mendoza’s latest work, “Thy Womb.”

Mendoza won best director for “Kinatay” at

Little dialogue The indie film marks her big-screen comeback after eight years, Aunor said. She had appeared in indie productions like Suzette Ranillo’s “Care Home” and Joey Gonzales’ “Ingrata” (both in 2006) during her stay in the United States. But “Thy Womb” is her biggest film since Maryo J. de los Reyes’ “Naglalayag” in 2004.

“Na-miss ko ang pag-arte,” she told Inquirer Entertainment in an interview held upon her return to Manila.

She said that she hit it off with Mendoza, who shares her artistic principles. “Magaling talaga si Direk Brillante. Ang gusto niya natural ang acting. Wala masyadong dialogue pero taos-puso.”

In the movie, she plays a midwife who serves the seafaring Badjao and other indigenous tribes in Tawi-Tawi.

“Bilang kumadrona, ako lang ang nagpapaanak sa mga nanay doon. For the first two days, nag-aral kami na mag-sagwan at mag-habi ng banig,” she recounted.

Mindanao reality The experience opened her eyes to both the promising and disheartening realities in that part of Mindanao. “Mababait ang mga tao doon.

Talagang inalagaan kami. Nakita ko kung gaano kaganda ang Tawi-Tawi. Peaceful naman.

Naging biktima lang sila ng mga maling balita,”

she explained. “Sabi nila may mga planong gawin itong tourist destination.”

Their hosts, Gov. Sadikul Sahali and his wife Juana and daughter Vice Gov. Ruby Sahali and son Nurjay Sahali, assisted by the Philippine Marines and the Philippine National Police, made sure that the entire cast and crew remained safe during their stay, Aunor said.

She plans to return their kindness by asking friends from the industry to help the people in the small villages where they shot the film— specifically, Sitangkai, known as the “Venice of the Philippines.”

“Nag-shooting kami doon sa mga bahay na nakatayo sa dagat,” she said. “Gusto ko sanang mabigyan sila ng isang health center, sa tulong ng mga kaibigan natin dito sa Maynila.”

Playing a midwife, she saw with her own eyes the residents’ most pressing needs. “Kailangan nila ng gamot. ’Pag may manganganak, kailangan pang mag-bangka para makapunta sa ospital,” she said.

As expected, she and her co-stars — Bembol Roco, Lovi Poe and Mercedes Cabral—were mobbed by the residents.

“Natutuwa sila na nabisita namin sila at gumawa kami ng isang pelikula tungkol sa buhay nila … para naman malaman ng Pilipinas at ng buong mundo ang tunay nilang kalagayan,” she pointed out.

Aunor said she and her co-stars had no qualms about roughing it in the southern province. “Walang pa-istaran. Pantay-pantay kaming lahat. Parang kaming magkakapatid sa set. Sama-sama sa hirap at ginhawa,” she said.

“Nakisama pati ang panahon. Kung kailangan sa shoot ang ulan, umulan. Pag kailangan maaraw, umaraw!”

She remembered traveling by boat for almost

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012 32 14 hours to reach one location, Turtle Islands.

“Doon na kami natulog sa bangka,” she said.

Down-to-earth Poe said that the Superstar took pains not to intimidate her co-workers. Cabral agreed: “She’s down-to-earth. Motherly. I was in my dressing room once, fixing my stuff, and someone knocked.”

When Cabral opened the door, she saw the Superstar holding a bowl of noodle soup.

“She gave it to me,” Cabral said. “I was really touched. She made me realize that not all superstars are air-headed snobs. It’s a shame that other so-called stars, some who are not even as big as her, have lousy attitude.”

Aunor said that she enjoyed working with her castmates. “Sabi ko kay Mercedes: Ang dami ko nang anak-anakan. Magagaling na artista sina Mercedes at Lovi. At mababait.”

Although far from Manila, word on the campaign to declare her a National Artist had reached her.

“Natutuwa ako na isa ako sa mga napili. Pero marami pang mas karapat-dapat na parangalan sa ating industriya,” she remarked. “Kung sakaling ibigay sa akin, isa itong malaking karangalan at magpapasalamat ako. Pero kung hindi, matatanggap ko rin.”

Aunor is proud that Filipino filmmakers are making headway abroad. “It’s about time,” she said. “Dapat nga matagal na ’yan. Sana nga magkaisa na tayo at imbes na harangan ay tulungan natin ang isa’t isa na mapansin ang ating mga pelikula sa labas ng Pilipinas.”

Aunor will celebrate her 59th birthday on May 21 in the US. She is set to leave for Boston on May 19 for her throat surgery on May 23. “Sana nga maging okay na ang boses ko,” she said. ■

‘Phil So Good’: Paradise on earth

BY POCHOLO CONCEPCION Philippine Daily Inquirer A NEW MUSIC video starring a Frenchman singing about his love for the Philippines is turning out to be a great pitch for tourism in the country.

The song, “Phil So Good,” is written and performed by French writer-turned-musician Julien Drolon.

Shot on location across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the video can be seen on YouTube and on the website juliendrolon.com. It shows Drolon basking in the sun on various beaches in the country and extolling, in French and English, this “paradise on earth.”

He also visits other popular destinations.

The music is an upbeat mix of funk, reggae and dance pop, and lends a cosmopolitan touch to the tropical scenarios.

But it is the guest appearance of Filipino actress Rhian Ramos that kicks the video into high gear. Ramos raps in English and Tagalog about what makes the country tick. She is visually arresting—singing and dancing, fixing the camera with persuasive eyes that seem to speak only the truth!

Drolon told Inquirer Entertainment that he saw Ramos’ hilarious cameos on Moymoy Palaboy’s famous spoof music videos, and was convinced she was perfect for “Phil So Good.”

He said Rhian was one of the main reasons that he had decided to spend more time in the country. “More than the places, it’s the people that made me come back again and again,” he said.

Drolon, 30, produced an earlier video that was a cover version of VST & Co.’s

“Ipagpatawad Mo,” and featured a Filipino beauty queen, Venus Raj, fourth runner-up in the 2010 Miss Universe contest.

The Frenchman first came to Manila in 2007 while on assignment for an international news agency to write a story on investment prospects in the Philippines.

His five-month stay was extended to another five months when he was commissioned to write another article about the country.

After doing more writing around the world, he took a break in Mexico and Spain.

He said spiritual enlightenment came to him in Mexico and led him to pursue music as a career.

“The Philippines is the land of music in Asia,” Drolon said, explaining his decision to launch his music career here. “In France we don’t live music the way Filipinos do.”

He admitted that his passion was rooted in his appreciation of Bob Marley and Michael Jackson.

He has so far recorded six songs with an allFilipino lineup of musicians that also serve as his regular band, including keyboardist Leal Nanca, who wrote the rap lyrics to “Phil So Good.” Drolon has also worked with Noel Mendez, Jack Rufo, Rico Blanco and the band Brownman Revival.

The six tracks are contained in an EP album, also titled “Phil So Good,” now available online through iTunes and Amazon.

It will be released in music stores nationwide at the end of this month.

Drolon is currently on a mall tour around the country. He said he has signed a deal to distribute his album in China, and will promote the record in Spain and in France. ■

Entertainment filmmaker and as an artist.’’ ``Dark Shadows’’ is based on the American cult classic TV series. It centres on Barnabas Collins (Depp)

BY ZARA YOUNIS – a wealthy man who is turned into a THE ASSOCIATED PRESS vampire by a witch (Green) and then LONDON – Johnny Depp’s buried alive. Some 200 years later he gothic comedy ``Dark Shadows’’ is unearthed by a construction crew is creeping into London for its and suddenly finds himself back in his insular Maine hometown in 1972.

European premiere.

A confused Barnabas discovers The star joined director Tim Burton and co-stars Michelle Pfeiffer, that his descendants have lost the Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green wealth his family once had.

Pfeiffer said the film version is and Chloe Moretz on the red carpet in the British capital Wednesday very different. ``Our movie isn’t all that reflective night. The movie hits U.K. cinemas really of the original series,’’ she Friday.

For Depp, it was the eighth time said. ``It’s more of an homage really, he’s teamed up with Burton, who but Tim has a very distinct stamp on this and it’s really more of a Tim keeps things ``fresh.’’ ``It’s always new, it’s always Burton movie.’’

Burton was a huge fan of the TV different, so it feels like the first show, which is why he jumped at the time every time,’’ he said. ``He just keeps getting better and better as a chance to adapt it for the big screen. ``It was a soap opera on in the

day that had witches, ghosts and vampires, so it was a weird thing ... especially at that time when there was not a lot of cable and stuff,’’ he explained. ``We’d run home from school and watch it and it was the combination of that it was just such a weird, serious supernatural soap opera that made it intriguing.’’

As with the TV show, Burton kept the story in the early 1970s, which meant the cast had to look the part.

For Pfeiffer, who plays Barnabas’ descendant, Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, embracing the fashion of the time was fun. ``I love the hair, the makeup, the shoes, I love all of it – for women,’’ she said. ``For men, I don’t think it is a great period. It’s not good for men.’’

But Bonham Carter, who stars as the family psychiatrist, wasn’t as much of a fan of the 70s look, describing it as ``not the most flattering era.’’ ■

‘Where Wild Things Are’ author Maurice Sendak dies

Wikimedia

NEW YORK - Maurice Sendak didn’t think of himself as a children’s author, but as a writer who told the truth about childhood.``I like interesting people and kids are really interesting people,’’ he explained to The Associated Press last fall. ``And if you didn’t paint them in little blue, pink and yellow, it’s even more interesting.’’ – The Canadian Press

Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

London jogger: Dustin Hoffman saved my life LONDON - A man who had a heart attack while jogging in London’s Hyde Park says his life was saved by a famous passerby _ Dustin Hoffman.Sam Dempster says the actor called an ambulance and waited with him after he collapsed on April 27 - APNewsNow.

SeanPavonePhoto / Shutterstock.com

‘West Side Story’ star relates to tale

West Side Story in Times Square, New York

TORONTO - When Evy Ortiz landed a starring turn in the first national tour of the ``West Side Story’’ Broadway revival, it was like seeing a part of her grandparents’ history onstage. Like the Sharks street gang in the classic musical, Ortiz’s grandparents were also Puerto Rican immigrants caught up in racism in New York City in the mid-1950s. ``My grandpa told me that he was beat up by a bunch of Italians because he ... walked through their street and they beat him up pretty badly. He was delivering apples, I think,’’ Ortiz recalled at the Toronto Centre for the Arts, where the show runs May 8 to June 3. – The Canadian Press

Canadian show ‘Eat St.’ continues food truck tour Courtesy of Eat St.

Featureflash / Shutterstock.com

Dark comedy: Depp, Burton team up for ‘Dark Shadows’ European premiere in London

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012 34

TORONTO - The shot around the world but produced in Canada show ``Eat St.’’ kicks off its third season on Wednesday with some homegrown flavour. The first episode includes a feature about a Jewish deli truck based in Toronto, while future episodes will profile another Toronto mobile eatery and others in Calgary and Vancouver.

35 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

Travel www.canadianinquirer.net

Journey into PH’s last frontier on a budget

BY THERESA S. SAMANIEGO Philippine daily inquirer

IT IS SAID that the best time to visit and explore the “green tropical paradise” known as Puerto Princesa would be during the summer months, when seas are normally calm, and the weather, warm and perfect.

But with the recent inclusion of the Puerto Princesa Underground River in the New 7 Wonders of Nature, it won’t be long before this world-class summer getaway becomes an all-year destination for the curious and avid travelers.

For years now, Puerto Princesa with its rich colorful history, white sand beaches, fantastic diving destinations, scenic spots and the reputation of being the last frontier, has been a part of every traveler’s diary or wishlist.

And while Puerto Princesa has become a dream destination for many, an unintelligently planned trip to the province may cost one an arm and a leg.

So how does one ensure that perfect Puerto Princesa summer getaway without having to spend a great deal of fortune?

The answer is simple, find the best airfare deal and book a room at the recently opened gohotels.ph-Puerto Princesa which is a perfect jump off point to the must see spots of the province. gohotels.ph-Puerto Princesa is Robinsons Land Corp.’s way of bringing the experience of paradisiacal Palawan closer to Filipinos and frequent travelers. “gohotels.ph is a value-for-money hotel which also follows the same early booking, lower rates’ setup which made its Manila counterpart famous among constant travelers,” said gohotels.ph general manager Elizabeth Gregorio.

According to Gregorio, gohotels.ph is the first to offer such hotel deals.

“This RLC chain’s variable pricing scheme is truly a first in the hotel industry, and was inspired by the setup commonly practiced by airlines which rewards lowest available rates to the traveler with the quickest click,” Gregorio claimed.

However, she reminds travelers that it’s best to book at www.gohotels.ph ahead of the planned trip to be able to avail of the best rate without having to sacrifice hotel service quality.

Curently, overnight promo rates at gohotels.ph-Puerto Princesa start at P388 if you book online, and could go as high as P2000++ for walk-in clients.

The first gohotels.ph is located in Pioneer, Mandaluyong while the Dumaguete branch opened last month. gohotels.ph will be opening the Tacloban branch this month and will also make its mark in Bacolod soon.

Meanwhile, the company provides travelers eight smart reasons why they should choose to book at gohotels.ph for their next summer getaway plan.

1. Windsor beds. After a tiring Honda Bay island hopping, snorkeling and scuba diving, guests can look forward to a restful and comfortable sleep with the hotel’s Windsor beds, 100-percent cotton sheets and comfy duvet covers complete with chiropractic and high-quality non-allergenic pillows.

2. LCD cable TV. Unlike other budget hotels, entertainment is guaranteed in all 108 rooms of gohotels.ph-Puerto Princesa as it is equipped with 22-inch LCD TV with cable.

3. Safe and secure. Despite being a budget hotel, all gohotels.ph are able to provide guests peace of mind because of the 24 hour CCTV security. And since one is expected to be always out of the room, busy

seeing the sites and exploring the islands, the in-room safe provided in each room will secure every guest’s valuables.

4. Fun vibe. The hotel’s modern and fun vibe adds color to every vacationer’s trip.

Its yellow and green color provides that relaxing ambience that initially sets the mood for that perfect vacation.

5. Super shower. The sleek bathroom fixtures, hot and cold shower, and complimentary toiletry kits such as single use soap, shampoo, conditioner, sanitary bag and tissue paper is a welcome treat for travelers, especially after a tiring city tour, a trek at the Tabon Caves and a walk at the Vietnamese Village, Crocodile Farm and other scenic spots of the province.

6. Free Wi-Fi. Among all the eight smart reasons, this one is the best. While other 5-star hotels do not offer free Wi-Fi, gohotels.ph despite being a budget hotel, provides every room and common areas access to Wi-Fi, thus allowing guests to have instant and easy access to the Web after spending the whole day just lounging in the cool waters of Honda Bay. 7. Access to key areas. Since Puerto Princesa has a number of activities to offer like trekking, diving, snorkeling, ziplining, island hopping, and dolphin watching among others, it is best to stay in gohotel.ph-Puerto Princesa

www.canadianinquirer.net

which is near transportation terminals and within easy access to key areas like airports and various lifestyle hubs.

8. Service plus. The friendly staff of the hotel is always on hand to assist every traveler of his/her needs. The hotel has also partnered with travel agencies like Gulliver’s Travel to ensure that every guest’s dream itinerary is well-covered and organized.

Meanwhile, gohotels.ph-Puerto Princesa also recently opened its Asian Go’urmet restaurant to provide guests a hearty, no-frills meal during their stay.

And unlike other budget hotels, gohotels. ph-Puerto Princesa has its own Spa, the SPArkle, which offers a number of services— from massage, to facial to hair and foot spa— ensuring guests who will avail of its services a stress-free vacation.

Lastly, the hotel has its own Celets pasalubong center which offers a variety of products—cashew nuts in different flavors, polvoron, chocolates—thus making shopping for take home goodies an easy task.

All things considered, gohotels.phPuerto Princesa with its value-for-money accommodation, wise location and number of activities on offer, may just be the perfect kickoff for that unforgettable budget-friendly summer getaway. ■

Travel

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012 36

Discovering a treasure trove called Bohol

BY THERESA S. SAMANIEGO Philippine Daily Inquirer

ITS PRISTINE powdery white sand beaches, the Chocolate Hills and centuries-old churches might just be some of the reasons Bohol’s most famous inhabitant, the tarsier, has its enormously big eyes almost always wide open—to fully take pleasure in the sites.

To say that Bohol is Asia’s “Next Bali” may be an understatement as the province offers not only unsullied beaches but also various historical treasures and rich cultural heritage waiting to be unfolded, alongside a series of treats that travelers can indulge in.

Incidentally, May might just be the perfect time to experience Bohol, as it is the month of fiestas and various festivities that make the province more alive and vibrant.

To make one’s trip to the country’s 10th largest island more interesting, fascinating and pleasurable, one might want to consider staying at Amorita Resort in Panglao Island.

Quiant boutique resort Nestled atop a seaside cliff overlooking the famed Alona Beach, Amorita is a quaint boutique resort that provides visitors what is arguably the most captivating view of Bohol Sea. “We consider Amorita as one of Bohol’s best-kept secrets,” noted Amorita Resort

general manager Nikki Cauton.

“Amorita has a prominent location in the island that makes it a cut above the rest. Only in Amorita can guests take in the glorious Bohol sunset from the top of a cliff or dine under the star-studded sky while enjoying a view of the Alona Beach,” Cauton explained.

And while most getaway destinations claim to either be an adventure-packed destination or a tranquil, relaxing hub, Amorita Resort is a combination of both, thus making it truly perfect for all types of travelers.

“Amorita combines these two with ease. It

is more than just a haven for relaxation, we also offer a myriad of activities for the daring at heart— snorkeling, island hopping, diving and an eco-adventure trip in Catigbian,” Cauton added.

Currently, Amorita Resort has an existing partnership with the Philippine Bohol Arts Foundation for special tours that would further showcase and highlight the other unexplored attractions of Bohol.

The said tour is meant to allow tourists and resort guests to experience authentic Boholano life, art, culture and history.

“The requisite Bohol visit would include a stopover at the Chocolate Hills and a visit to the tarsiers, but really Bohol has so much more to offer in terms of cuisine, arts and culture. And these are experiences that we want to surface through our exclusive tours,” Cauton further shared.

Beyond the usual Armed with a passion to make their guests see a Bohol that’s beyond the usual, Amorita conceptualized the “Beyond Bohol Series” tour, which would introduce tourists, as well as locals, to a Bohol with shamans who tell of mystic tales; unheard of artisans who learned their craft at the foot of their grandfathers; centuries-old homes that whisper secrets of pasts; and specialty cooks who safeguard recipes refined throughout generations.

But guests who prefer a more relaxing stay can meanwhile enjoy Amorita Resorts’ secluded location.

Definitely, Amorita Resort takes privacy seriously as each of the resort’s six Ocean View Villa has an expansive pocket garden, a private plunge pool and a sun deck. Its Garden View Villas, Sky Suites and Deluxe Rooms, on the other hand, offer the same easy comfort and convenience, Cauton explained.

“Amorita is an ideal travel destination that’s found the perfect balance between modernworld living and island seclusion,” he stressed.

Further, the resort’s infinity pool and leisure area would allow guests to enjoy an array of activities without having to leave the comfort of the resort. Guests can even enjoy a selection of books, board games and table tennis.

Vacationers can also treat their palates with delicately prepared local and international cuisine at the resorts different dining outlets.

The resort’s Saffron Restaurant and The Deck offers a great selection of critically acclaimed dishes, including genuine Boholano food while Luy-a Degustation serves ginger-based dishes.

“I have been blessed to have been welcomed to Bohol with open arms and letting people get to know, taste, feel and experience a Bohol that goes beyond the usual is something I hope I can offer and let people experience inside of Amorita,” Cauton concluded. ■

Travel

37 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

British Columbia hiking trails Tracks range from beginner to expert, and all of them offer that stunning

Photo by Gary Fieghehen

West Coast scenery

BY CRAI BOWER COURTESY OF THE CANADIAN TOURISM COMMISSION

WHETHER YOU sojourn to 60-metre (197-foot) Kinuseo Falls in Monkman Provincial Park, scramble through the Capilano

Canyon just minutes from downtown Vancouver or ramble beside the Pacific Ocean on Vancouver Island, there’s a hike awaiting you in British Columbia. This vast province bursts with so much wilderness that your largest challenge will be determining

where to go.

Go big: If you only have time for one extended hike in the province, why not make it world class? The 75km (47-mile) West Coast Trail in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve was built to aid rescuers sent to save those placed in peril when their boats capsized in the “Graveyard of the Pacific” off southwestern Vancouver Island. This rugged – expert only – hike follows the coastline through temperate old growth rain forest and past gorgeous features like Tsusiat Falls, two reasons why this hike is ranked among the best trails in the world.

Go tall: More than 200 climbing routes ascend Stawamus Chief in Squamish, but less known are the three peak trails that ascend the backside of the 700-metre (2,300foot) granite monolith. You’ll find an added bonus at the Shannon Falls trailhead, a spectacular cascade. The

main trail diverges twice, allowing you to calibrate your lung capacity at two lower vista points or continue to the summit, a 90-minute trek.

Go deep: At 5,000 square km (1,930 square miles) Wells Grays Provincial Park carves out a wilderness niche the size of many national parks. Hikers rejoice here among convenient, two-tiered Spahats, Helmcken and Dawson Falls, but you can also plot a week’s worth of adventure at remote campsites or on a hut-to-hut traverse within the Trophies and Fight Lake region. The central interior at its best, you can ascend the challenging 2,860-metre (9,383-foot) Garnet Peak, tiptoe upon multiple alpine meadows and descend into cathedral forests.

Go near: Pop out of downtown Vancouver and onto the Elsay Lake Trail in less than an hour. Located in Mount Seymour Provincial Park, this 7-km (4-mile) ‘expert’ trail is recommended in late spring and requires a full day to complete.

Of course, you need not spend 10 hours hiking; Mount Seymour offers 14 trails of varying length and difficulty. ■

Celebrate Victoria’s 150th birthday

Photo by Tourism Victoria

BC’s capital city plans parades, concerts and special events to mark its big year

BY SUZANNE MORPHET COURTESY OF THE CANADIAN TOURISM COMMISSION

SHE’S 150 this year and more beautiful and vibrant than ever.

Some have even called her sexy.

Residents and visitors alike are celebrating Victoria, capital city of British Columbia and teadrinking capital of Canada – at least we like to think so!

Event organizers have been

working hard to make sure we remember her with fun activities throughout 2012.

Annual events like the Victoria Day parade (May 21) will be bigger and better than ever. There’ll be

marching bands from all over the Pacific Northwest, clowns and lots of floats. Bring a chair for three hours of non-stop entertainment.

On Aug. 2 there’s a public ceremony with speeches by dignitaries – sounds like a chance to wear your fascinator, gals – followed by an outdoor party for everyone, with music, performances, activities for the kids, and a big, big birthday cake.

And this year at Symphony Splash (Aug. 5) – the not-to-bemissed outdoor concert where everyone gathers around the Inner Harbour – the Victoria Symphony will include music and instruments from our past.

But the event I’m most looking forward to is the fort-building contest in old Bastion Square (date to be announced). This is where – and how – Victoria started, as Fort Victoria, a Hudson’s Bay Company outpost named for the queen of the day.

Who would have guessed a fort would grow into one of Canada’s most picturesque and cosmopolitan cities? ■

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The FBL Golf Association of Calgary will be starting their 2012 Golf Season very soon and would like to notify all members to please contact fblgolfcalgary@hotmail.ca The new season will again be played at the Fox Hollow Golf Course, Calgary, Alberta.

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PCI’s Laarni with winner, Moe Soufi and Gigi Astudillo of Times Telecom.

Canada: Seen and Scenes

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012 40

HYBRIDS is a team composed of different people from different nationalities (including Canadians, French-Canadians, Filipinos, Chinese, British, an American, and a Brazilian), age groups, nature of work, hobbies, etc. , the “mixture” of different individuals becoming one solid paddling team. They have been paddling against top Canadian dragon boat teams since 2010. The Deep Cove Dash last April 28, 2012 was the team’s first race of the year and they finished 3rd overall against 34 other teams, and got the Bronze medal award in DIVISION “A” COMPETITIVE, the highest category in the race.

Philippine Canadian Charitable Foundation (PCCF) broke new ground on May 5th, 2012 by holding prepageants for the next Miss Philippines Canada and Little Miss Philippines Canada 2012 at the Korean Cultural Center - Gloria Rafanan

Angelo Siglos

May 11, 2012 - At the Stand Up for Scarborough Shoal rally in front of the Chinese Consulate on Granville Street, Vancouver. On this day, Filipinos around the world held peaceful demonstrations to protest the continuing acts of aggression by China in Scarborough Shoal that is part of Philippine territory.

Solon Licas

At the Pinoy Pride Vancouver’s Mabuhay 2012 party, with Miss Universe candidate Christine Adela White, Miss World candidate Denisse Liwanag and PCI’s photographer Angelo Siglos.

Toronto City Hall had a celebration in Nathan Phillips Square as people celebrated the 20th anniversary of the Falun Dafa on Saturday May 5, 2012. Falun Dafa is an ancient cultivation practice of improving mind and body composed of gentle exercises and meditation. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Falun Dafa’s introduction to the public and the 61st birthday of its founder Master Li Hongzhi.

Canada: Seen and Scenes

Angelo Siglos

41 WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012

Stella Reyes

At the opening of Generation One, an art exhibition produced by VAHMS artists & community partners to showcase Asian-Canadian artists’ creativity and vitality, attended by Vice Consul Anthony Mandap and Filipino-Canadian artists including Jun Cunanan and Esmie McLaren.

Getting ready for the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer, with PCI’s CEO Alan Yong, Ryan Ferrer, Stella Reyes, Miss Universe candidate Christine Adela White and friends.

Angelo Siglos

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

B.C. Premier Christy Clark and her guests gather for a reception in advance of the Premier’s upcoming Jobs and Trade Mission to Japan, Korea and the Philippines.

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.

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-minute 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.

6) All photos submitted shall be the property of Philippine Canadian Inquirer.

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Rehearsals for Historama, a cultural show that depicts important periods of Philippine History in short plays, songs and dances to be presented on June 9, 2012 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

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Canada

WEDNESDAY MAY 16, 2012 42

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 Frances Grace H. Quiddaoen Laarni de Paula Rodel J. Ramos Felichi Pangilinan Buizon Lizette Lofranco Aba Agnes Tecson Graphic Designer Victoria Yong Illustration Danvic C. Briones

Kid friendly garden work: Sow some fun and incentives to grow young gardeners

BY DEAN FOSDICK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

IF YOU think it’s hard getting kids to eat their vegetables, wait until you try recruiting them for garden work.

But the challenge is worth it: Children just might add more healthy foods to their diet if they’ve grown them themselves. ``If a child grows herbs or vegetables, they will try them at least once,’’ said Mike Ferraro, whose Preferred Commerce Co. produces Growums, an animated garden program that uses online gaming technology to teach children how to raise fresh edibles and have fun doing it. ``When they’re done, they’re so proud of it they want to eat it,’’ he said.

You’re never too young to garden, although results for the youngest gardeners might be mixed, said Susan Robbins of the National Gardening Association’s Gardening With Kids program.

Some plants are bound to fail, so don’t react by secretly replacing your preschooler’s veggies, Robbins said. ``Failures are a good way for children to understand that the process doesn’t always work and that you shouldn’t give up,’’ she said. ``Reactive gardening makes them better adults.’’

Some steps you can take to feed a child’s hunger for learning in the garden: * Involve them in the planning. Set aside a site and let the kids decide what to grow. * Add fun to their gardening menu.

Pay a bounty for the weeds they pull, plant ``surprises’’ in their growing beds or introduce them to ``tickleme plants’’ - a houseplant (Mimosa pudica) that closes its leaves and lowers its branches when touched. ``As a schoolteacher, I have found that growing a ‘tickle-me plant’ excites youngsters about science and nature as well as making them more sensitive about to how to care for plants and other living things,’’ said Mark Chipkin, educational project director for TickleMe Plants Co. Inc. * Build their attention spans.

Introduce theme garden mixtures like pizzas (tomato, oregano, basil and bell pepper plants), tacos (cilantro, jalapeIno, lettuce and tomato) and salads (lettuce, carrot, cucumber and tomato). Plants that germinate quickly, such as sunflowers, daisies and cucumbers, also keep kids engaged. * Let them do some of the dirty work. Even a toddler can aim a water hose. Buy child-size tools and build raised beds to make it easier for children to manoeuvre.

* Use pots or containers to make their job less daunting. * Encourage them in their homework.

Each year, Bonnie Plants, an Alabamabased wholesaler, distributes more than a million free cabbage plants to third-grade classrooms around the nation. Students grow the seedlings in their family gardens. Bonnie awards a $1,000 scholarship to one student from each state after teachers submit the names of their class winners. ``The reason Bonnie chose the O.S. (oversize) Cross Cabbages is because the variety has the potential to grow to be 40 to 50 pounds, and it makes it really fun and engaging for the kids to watch it grow,’’ said Joan Casanova, a spokeswoman who helps co-ordinate the 48-state program. ``The program not only teaches kids about gardening and where their food comes from, (but) it also teaches kids lessons in responsibility, nurture, nature and builds self-confidence,’’ she said. ■ Online: National Gardening Association’s ``Gardening With Kids’’: http://www. gardening-with-kids.com Bonnie Plants 3rd Grade Garden Program: www.bonnieplants.com You can contact Dean Fosdick at deanfosdick(at)netscape.net

Photographer Art Viray Angelo Siglos Ryan Ferrer Solon Licas Head of Operations Laarni de Paula Head of Sales Dominador Masakayan Sales MaryAnn Roque Advertising Agent CNM Communications (604) 619 - 4208 HINGE INQUIRER PUBLICATIONS CUSTOM PUBLISHING GROUP Managing Editor Maita de Jesus Asst. Creative Director Bong Sevilla Graphic Artist Reggie Goloy Editorial Assistant Phoebe Casin Associate Publisher Lurisa Villanueva Jr. Associate Publisher Millicent Agoncillo Project Coordinator Lychelle Ang In cooperation with the Philippine Daily Inquirer digital edition PHILIPPINE CANADIAN INQUIRER is located at Suite 400 North Tower 5811 Cooney Road, Richmond B.C. Canada Tel No. 778-383-6090 / 778-383-3203 / (604) 279-8787 ext. 1722.

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